AThe Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Sunday, October 31, 1971 - Page 122
Fischer Defeats Petrosian by 6½-2½
Playing in his greatest form, U.S. chess ace Bobby Fischer won four straight games to clinch the match with former world champion Tigran Petrosian of the Soviet Union by a score of 6½-2½.
The start of the match did not indicate any such triumph. Fischer won the first game, but lost the second. The next three were drawn, with the score at that stage, tied, 2½-2½.
Then something happened. Either Petrosian weakened, losing his positional judgment, which was one of his greatest assets, or Fischer rounded into the super form that brought him 20 straight wins in grandmaster events.
From the sixth through the ninth games, it was all Fischer. Petrosian would fall a bit behind in development or allow a minor weakening of his pawn formation. Such lapses occur in most games, and are rarely punished.
Fischer needed nothing more to build up a superior game and relentlessly nurse it to victory. He knew when to exert pressure, when to hold the line. He outplayed Petrosian in both simple and complicated positions, with apparent equal ease.
In the eighth game Fischer, with black, played the Tarrasch defense. This is designed to equalize fairly readily. In many variations pieces are exchanged early, with a draw to be expected. In view of the score this was hardly suitable for Petrosian.
With his development completed, Petrosian started an advance on the king side, looking for open lines for his rooks and bishops. Fischer countered with a maneuver on the other wing. Fischer's tactics soon proved more accurate. He gained time by exchanging a pair of bishops, and was the first to get a rook into action.
Petrosian gave up a pawn to keep his advance going, but this proved to be poor strategy. Fischer ended any possible danger by exchanging off the remaining bishops.
The result was that Fischer had a strong passed pawn ahead.
This became a major force when it advanced to the sixth rank and forced Petrosian to the defensive.
Fischer's queen and rooks moved in. In a few moves Petrosian's king was under attack, and this, combined with the dangerous pawn, was more than he could take.
Fischer was white in the ninth game, knowing that a win would give him the 6½ points needed for victory in the match. He played his usual P-K4, and Petrosian responded with the French defense.
This had been used in the third game, but Petrosian varied on his fourth move to give it a different turn. Fischer played for quick development. He was first on an open file, and Petrosian had a double center pawn.
Is that enough to win in chess/ Fischer made it seem so. An exchange of queens, initiated by Petrosian, further weakened the black pawns, as Fischer soon proved. He immediately shifted his rook to the new target.
Petrosian decided that defense was not the answer, and though the forces were down to two rooks and a knight for each side, he tried for a direct king side attack.
Fischer's rook, unopposed, picked up three pawns. There would be no problem in the ending if he could ward off the immediate threats.
These did not seem particularly fearful, but Petrosian, knowing this was his last slim chance, played with great ingenuity. His king side pawns and the black monarch himself went into the fray.
Suddenly the white king was in a mating net. Pawn checks and a rook sacrifice were in the offing. If some of his supporters were worried, Fischer was not.
He had prepared for all contingencies. At the proper moment, he gave up his knight for two of the menacing black pawns. That allowed an exchange of rooks and ended any mating possibilities. With five pawns for a knight, the result was not in doubt. Fischer was ready to advance on both sides, with nothing to stop the march of the pawns. Petrosian therefore resigned the game and match.
After his long series of successes, Fischer has one giant step remaining on the road to the world championship. That is a match with titleholder Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union, scheduled for next spring. The site is still to be chosen.
The match will be for the best in 24 games, with 12½ points required for victory.
In the event of a tie, Spassky will retain the title.
This will be the first time since 1948 that a non-Russian has competed for the title. If Fischer should win, he will be the first American world champion since the great days of Paul Morphy in the 1860s.
