The Mercury Pottstown, Pennsylvania Tuesday, October 26, 1971 - Page 8
Fischer Has Chance to Win Chess Tournament Tonight
Buenos Aires (AP) — Chess grandmasters Bobby Fischer and Tigran Petrosian meet again Tuesday nigh in the ninth and most crucial game of their elimination tournament.
For Petrosian, 42, of the Soviet Union, it is do-or-die. He must win or at least hold Fischer to a draw or it is all over.
If Fischer wins he will have won the tournament and the right to challenge world champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union for the title next spring. It would be the first time since 1949 that a non-Russian has come so close to the international chess crown.
Fischer has won four games—three in a row including his swift victory Sunday night. Petrosian has won only one, with the other three ending in draws. Fischer, 28, and a native of New York City, has five and a half points and needs one more to clinch the victory. Petrosian is far behind with two and a half points.
A win counts one point and a draw a half point.
Shakey Start
Fischer entered the scheduled 12-game tournament as the favorite and after a shaky start dominated play.
Fischer will have the white pieces, and thus the first move and a small advantage, for the ninth game in the San Martin Theatre. However, he has scored two of his victories when Petrosian had the whites.
Yuri Averbach of the Soviet Union, one of Petrosian's analysts, was pessimistic. He told a Buenos Aires newspaper “Petrosian's spirit was broken—you can't play chess when you are over 40. Spassky, a younger man with solid spirit, will perform better against Fischer.”
The game that discouraged Petrosian was the double-session sixth.
It was played a week ago Sunday and Petrosian had the white pieces. Fischer succeeded in equalizing and at the end of the five-hour Sunday session he had gained a slight advantage.
Play was resumed at 5 p.m. Monday and in three hours Fischer forced a win.
The next day, Fischer was very aggressive and won the seventh game in just under four hours with 34 moves.
Petrosian, depressed said he was exhausted. A doctor examined him and reported he needed at least 48 hours rest and Thursday's game was postponed.
Both men used the time to relax. Fischer, who either swims or plays tennis daily, showed up at a reception Thursday night for Dr. Max Euwe of Amsterdam, president of the World Chess Federation.
Studies At Dinner
As is usual, Fischer had tucked under one arm a chess magazine that he studied even at the dinner. Petrosian, an Armenian, was the guest at a party given by the Argentine Armenian community, with several hundred persons attending.
He appeared to be in good spirits for the eighth game but soon was in trouble when he gave up a pawn to try to maintain his attack.
