AThe Courier-Journal Louisville, Kentucky Sunday, September 19, 1971 - Page 56
The King's Men: Fischer-Petrosyan Match Stirs Wide Interest Here by Merrill Dowden
I have never seen so much interest in a chess match as there is in the upcoming showdown between the American grandmaster, Bobby Fischer, and former world champion Tigran Petrosian of the Soviet Union.
This extreme interest is not confined to chess players. Many persons, whose only conception of a Knight is a medieval soldier in shining armor, are eagerly awaiting the outcome of this classic event. There are several reasons:
The Fischer-Petrosian clash will be the finals of the world challenge series, and to the winner will go the right to play the reigning world champion, Boris Spassky of Moscow, who will put his title on the line.
And the ease with which Fischer has won the world's strongest tournaments during the past year. And the frosting on the cake, of course, was his unprecedented 12 straight victories over the Soviet grandmaster Mark Taimanov and Danish grandmaster Bent Larsen in the quarter-finals and semifinals of the world challenger series.
Fischer, with his boyish grin and awkward manners, seems to possess a certain charisma which appeals to the masses. In this respect, as well as his exceptional fighting style, he may be compared to the legendary Paul Morphy, who was the only world champion America has produced. And that was more than a century ago. Americans are hungry for a long overdue championship, and Fischer seems by far the best bet since Morphy to bring home the bacon.
What are Fischer's chances against Petrosian? They have met 18 times, and the score is even, with three wins each and 12 draws. However, in four match games last years, Petrosian didn't win one. Fischer won the first two, then was content to draw. It would seem, therefore, that Fischer's genius is in full flower, while Petrosian's is on the wane. It would be unrealistic, however, to expect Fischer to defeat the former world champion as convincingly as he did the other grandmasters.
