New York Times, New York, New York, Thursday, June 03, 1971 - Page 35
Fischer Wins Taimanov Match By Taking 6th Straight Game
Vancouver, British Columbia, June 3—Bobby Fischer [correction: 'of New York'] won his match here with Mark Taimanov of the Soviet Union by taking the sixth game, making his score 6-0.
The match was part of the quarter-finals to decide a challenger for the world championship, now held by Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union.
The sixth game had been adjourned last night when Taimanov, refusing to quit a contest that was clearly lost, sealed his 43d move. But today he resigned.
The game began as a Sicilian Defense, each side prepared to anticipate new tactics and strategy. This time Taimanov, playing Black, permitted Fischer to swap a bishop for a knight, doubling Black's king-bishop pawns and rendering them weak. As a result, however, White parted with a minor exchange — a bishop for a knight.
On Move 15, White swapped another bishop for a knight. But black did not recapture; instead, he played 15. … RxN.
After 18. 0-0, Q-KN4, Black obtained a median pawn cluster and immediately Fischer concentrated on it. With R-Q1 it was under attack and not easy to defend.
Black played, for example, 22. … Q-K4. Had he played 22. PK4, he might have been ensnared with 23. RxP, PxR; 24. NxPch, winning the queen. When white played 23. Q-Q3, Black decided he could not hold onto his pawns. Hence he continued with 23. … R-B1.
Of course White accepted the pawn and looked around for more. There followed an exchange of queens.
With his 23d move, Black created new weaknesses, which let White penetrate. On move 43 White had collected much more than he would require and Taimanov sealed his move — really a gesture of despair.
(The chess column referring to this match appears on Page 36.)
