AThe Boston Globe Boston, Massachusetts Sunday, June 13, 1971 - Page 160
Chess - No Upsets, But Fischer Phenomenal by Harold Dondis
The first round of the candidates' matches is over, without upsets. The Elo ratings were fully vindicated. Fischer absolutely blotted out Taimanov with a 6-0 score.
Nevertheless Taimanov fought very hard and none of the games were a walk-away. They seemed to have a similar pattern — a close, hard fought struggle, King's Indians or Sicilians, which Taimanov yielding a pawn or weakening by the 40th move.
As for Huebner-Petrosian, six straight draws, a Petrosian win on the 7th and the young (22) Huebner's nerves folded so he withdrew. Huebner had said he hated to play Petrosian, for apparently he thought it was like playing against a phantom.
Larsen beat Uhlmann, 5½-3½ but had his troubles. Uhlmann had previously had a plus score against Larsen, and came very close again. Geller turned in one brilliant game against Korchnoi, but the latter was predictably stronger by 5½-2½.
The sensation so far is again Fischer. A sweep against Taimanov, twice Soviet champion, 10th rated Soviet player, is hardly believable. Taimanov had publicly questioned Fischer's ability in 1968.
Botvinnik had written in the Soviet press that Taimanov-Fischer would be close, as Fischer was not all that strong.
But the uneducated, unmannerly kid from Brooklyn, from a nation of amateur chess-players, has shaken the Soviet world with this last match win. Not since Lasker blanked Tarrasch some 60 years ago has this happened.
Fischer is a purist, playing not only for an audience, nor to compromise, nor to ingratiate, but only to win. He seems lately to refuse draws unless only the Kings are left.
Fischer also insisted on playing privately against Taimanov who, as a concert pianist, welcomed an audience. There was no private room so an auditorium was finally used.
Larsen, a genius Titan, has said too many concessions have been given Fischer, so negotiating the Larsen-Fischer encounter beginning July 11 will be a problem. The world-wide matches are fast unfolding into a marvelous drama.
