ANew York Times, New York, New York, Saturday, October 02, 1971 - Page 28
Argentine Fans Focus On Fischer
His Victory Over Petrosian Was Expected by Them
by H.J. Maidenberg
Buenos Aires, Oct. 1 — Bobby Fischer, the 28-year-old Brooklyn school dropout who won the United States chess championship eight times in the last 13 years, had decided it was time to take the world title away from Boris Spassky of Moscow. That's what excited the 1,000 chess fans who jammed the San Martin municipal theatre here last night.
The fans saw the lanky moody bachelor beat Tigran Petrosian of Moscow in the first game of their elimination match, the final hurdle before facing the world champion. Fischer and Petrosian — who lost the championship to Spassky — are scheduled to play 12 games, but the match could be decided on as few as seven games, because it takes only 6½ points to clinch the victory.
Few among those in the theatre or the 1,000 who preferred to watch the moves on large boards outside seemed to have any doubts about the outcome. Rather, the excitement that has gripped the chess world since Fischer decided to face Spassky and subject himself to a year of elimination matches appeared to interest the fans far more than the game.
Fischer has considered himself the world's best chess player for more than 10 years, but he refused to bother with the long process of proving it in elimination tournaments.
Last night's victory, his 20th consecutive one, was not only a rare—perhaps an unprecedented — feat at that level of professional play, but also served to confirm his mastery. Thus, all the excited talk of chess fans before and after the game seemed to center on his chances with Spassky.
Petrosian seemed to be ignored.
Inside, the hushed and motionless audience sat as if transfixed watching the two players on the stage beneath a large illuminated chess board, where the moves were recorded electronically.
The only sound, a gasp, was heard shortly after the game started at 5:10 p.m., when the lighting failed above the stage; every chess fan knows that Fischer is a fanatic about lighting.
One reason he agreed to have the International Chess Federation hold the games here was that he has played at the San Martin Theatre before and found the lighting suitable, along with Argentine audiences.
However, the 13-minute blackout did not seem to bother Fischer, who has stalked out of games after hearing a camera shutter click. Perhaps, one chess expert noted after the game, it was because he was on the offensive at the time.
Indeed, it was the 42-year-old Petrosian, a normally calm player, who complained to the referee, Lothar Schmidt, a West German chess master, that he had not been given time to study the move made by his opponent after the lights went on again.
