New York Times, New York, New York, Thursday, October 28, 1971 - Page 37
Fischer Victory Dazzles Fans of Chess in Soviet by Theodore Shabad
Moscow, Oct. 27—The atmosphere in Moscow's Central Chess Club was subdued tonight as fans, hunched over boards, went over the moves in the game in Buenos Aires that gave Bobby Fischer of the United States the final victory over Tigran Petrosian and a chance to challenge Boris Spassky for the world title.
Commenting on Fischer's four straight victories, which gave him a decisive 6½-to-2½ edge over Petrosian, a kibitzer waiting to join in a game said:
“Four games in a row, that's a little hard to take.”
Then, after pausing for a moment, he added hopefully, “But we've still got Spassky.”
Throughout the round of games at the Argentine capital, Moscow chess fans have been debating moves and have been listening to the authoritative analyses of Soviet grandmasters in the blue stucco chess club building on Gogol Boulevard.
Fans Jump Gun
The ninth game, which gave the American the final victory yesterday, is to be discussed tomorrow evening. But tonight, some of the chess fans were already going over the moves, using a description of the game published on the back page of Izvestia, the Government newspaper.
An analysis accompanying the move-by-move rundown was supplied by Aleksandr Roshal, a prominent chess coach. He described the sixth game, which was adjourned Oct. 17 after five hours and 42 moves, as the turning point in the match. Fischer won that game the following day.
“Today it can be said,” Mr. Roshal wrote, “that the mood of the former world champion [Petrosian] was affected more than anything else by the sixth game. Its impact was felt through the remainder of the match.”
This analysis agreed with other comments in the Soviet press to the effect that Petrosian had not been able to pull himself together after that defeat.
Fischer Is Praised
“But” Mr. Roshal continued “we have to admit that we cannot blame just that fateful game. Fischer is a great chess phenomenon. He possesses that rare combination of qualities that are essential for the struggle over that board.
“The extraordinary nature of his possibilities is demonstrated alone by the fact that he is the only foreign chess player, after a quarter of a century of domination by the Soviet grandmasters, who has really come to grips with them in the fight for the world chess crown.”
Tass, the official Soviet press agency, quoted Miguel Najdorf, the Argentine grandmaster, as having said:
“Petrosian is a great chess player, but I think his nerves let him down. He played below his potential. Whatever happened to him?”
Soviet chess fans are now looking forward to the grand finale next spring between Fischer and Spassky, hoping against hope that the match will take place in Moscow. However, Izvestia made it clear that the contest between the American and the Russian would have to be played outside either the Soviet Union or the United States under a rule requiring that a neutral country serve as the site.
