Fischer Wins Third Game

REYJAVIK, Iceland--World chess champion Boris Spassky resigned the third game against Bobby Fischer on Monday five minutes after the clock was switched on to resume their adjourned game.

The score in the 24-game match now stands at 2-1 in favor of Spassky.

The Soviet champion walked off the stage as the spectators in the 2500-seat auditorium sat in total silence. It was the first game he ever lost to Fischer.

The American challenger, after keeping the match in suspense with protests against TV and movie cameras, forced the start of the third game on Sunday to a private room offstage.

Referee Lothar Schmid announced he had moved the third game into the private room "Just for today...just to save the match."

Schmid said the rest of the games would be played in the hall. Spassky's side described the offstage room as a "chess cupboard," and warned that the Russians would not play any more games in it.

Fischer's side was not sure how the challenger would respond.