AStar-Phoenix Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Saturday, October 30, 1971 - Page 4
Chess: Fischer Moves Up by Harry Mather
By winning the ninth game in the 12-game challengers' match, Bobby Fischer of the U.S.A. won the match by a 6½-2½ score and gained the right to play world champion Boris Spassky of the U.S.S.R. for the world title next March. Play in the first games of the match was even, with Fischer winning the first, Petrosian winning the second, and then a series of three consecutive draws. However, the next four games were won by Fischer to end the deadlock in convincing manner.
The final game is given below, and shows Petrosian's last ditch effort to squeeze out a win. A draw at this late stage was, of course, no use to the former champion, but Fischer's defense was quite adequate and his pawn superiority ensured his win.
Fischer (White) vs. Petrosian (Black)
Robert James Fischer vs Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian Fischer - Petrosian Candidates Final (1971), Buenos Aires ARG, rd 9, Oct-26 French Defense: Normal Variation (C10) 1-0 https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044354
27. Rxd6 Re1+
46. a4 1-0 and black resigned as white's pawns are home free.
So ends the long drawn out play-offs that have taken up several months.
Fischer was the heavy favorite from the start, and he lived up to the expectations. In the few encounters between Spassky and Fischer during the past few years, Spassky has come out on top with three wins and a couple of draws. However, Fischer seems to be playing much stronger than in past years, so the world title match of 24 games next March will probably capture more world attention than has been shown in the past. Since the early post-war years, world championships have largely been a Russian affair, but, now at long last, there is a non-Russian contender.
