New York Times, New York, New York, Monday, July 19, 1971 - Page 22
Fischer Defeats Larsen in Denver — U.S. Grandmaster Captures 5-0 Lead in Series
Denver, July 18 — Bobby Fischer maintained his winning streak today by defeating Bent Larsen of Denmark in 46 moves in the fifth game of their chess match at Temple Buell College.
With the score of the match 5-0, Fischer needs only a draw in any of the remaining five games to clinch a victory in the challenger semifinals. The winner here will face the winner of the semifinal match in Moscow between Tigran Petrosian and Viktor Korchnoi.
The winner then will play Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union for the world title.
The opening of today's game here, a Sicilian Defense, was identical to that of the third game until Fischer's 10th move. Larsen then varied.
Plots His Strategy -- Fischer took almost half an hour for his 11th move, plotting his strategy. He then advanced his king bishop pawn, as he had in the earlier game.
This time it involved a sacrifice of a pawn by Fischer, but as compensation he won the major central line.
Larsen played to exchange queens, trusting that the pawn advantage would be more valuable in an ending.
Fischer went along, gaining time to place his rooks and bishops in dominating squares.
Later, Larsen returned the pawn to try to win one of the rooks for his bishop. Fischer again went along, noting that his two bishops would be powerfully placed, and that he would gain at least one pawn.
With a rook on the seventh rank, Fischer succeeded in tying up the black pieces with threats against Larsen's king.
When an opportunity offered, Larsen gave up the rook for bishop and pawn, to equalize the forces. At that point he would have been satisfied to draw —for the first time in the match.
It was not to be. Once again, Fischer had seen more deeply. Fischer had a passed pawn on the queen rook file, while Larsen had three pawns to two on the other side.
Fischer advanced the distant pawn, forcing Larsen's king to march across the board to stop it. Fischer's king then moved to the cluster of pawns that Larsen had abandoned. It was clear then that Fischer would open the way for a pawn to advance to queen, and Larsen resigned.
