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• Robert J. Fischer, 2008 ➦
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Fischer Wins Tourney, Will Face Spassky

Back to 1971 News Articles

Daily News New York, New York Wednesday, October 27, 1971 - Page 49

Fischer Wins Tourney, Will Face Spassky by Robert Byrne
Buenos Aires, Oct. 26 — The United States' Bobby Fischer took game nine for a smashing 6½ to 2½ match triumph over Russia's Tigran Petrosian in the Teatro General San Martin here tonight. Fischer now becomes the official challenger for the world chess championship and winner of the $7,500 purse.
After getting off to a rocky start in the best-of-12-game series, Bobby caught fire in game six and brilliantly swept the last four in a row. Petrosian, a former world champion, who is used to counting his career losses on his fingers, had never been beaten in such a one-sided manner before.
It's Been a Long Time
No American has ever held the world title and this is the first time in 23 years that anyone except a Soviet grandmaster has even been a challenger. Petrosian, 42, was world champion from 1962 to 1969. Fischer next spring will challenge current world champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union for the title.
The playoff site will be determined by the International Chess Federation.
The brilliant, Brooklyn-born Fischer, 28, started off the ninth game in a deceptively quiet way, startling the fans by his exchange of pawns on the fifth move. Was he about to back into the match victory by drawing this and the next game?
Winningest Player
That was all he had to do, but it was not enough for the winningest player in chess history. In short order, he doubled the queen's bishop pawn and grabbed the king's file with both rooks. When Petrosian succeeded in getting rid of the bishops on his 18th move and the queens two moves later, it looked as though he had avoided all difficulty.
But Bobby sprang into action at once, shifting the theater of operations to the queen's bishop file by his sharp moves 21 to 23, which resulted in crippling the black position with doubled, isolated queen's pawns.
Petrosian, despairing of holding such a game together by passive defense, went over to counterattack by bringing his knight to the king's side at his 24th move, sacrificing three pawns in the process.
Although the mating threats from the rooks and knight were dangerous, Fischer coolly repulsed them, ending all hopes for his opponent by the knight sacrifice at move 40, and taking game and match.

Fischer Wins Tourney, Will Face Spassky
Duplicates · · · · · ·

Recommended Books

Understanding Chess by William Lombardy Chess Duels, My Games with the World Champions, by Yasser Seirawan No Regrets: Fischer-Spassky 1992, by Yasser Seirawan Chess Fundamentals, by Jose Capablanca Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, by Bobby Fischer My 60 Memorable Games, by Bobby Fischer Bobby Fischer Games of Chess, by Bobby Fischer The Modern Chess Self Tutor, by David Bronstein Russians versus Fischer, by Mikhail Tal, Plisetsky, Taimanov, et al

'til the world understands why Robert J. Fischer criticised the U.S./British and Russian military industry imperial alliance and their own Israeli Apartheid. Sarah Wilkinson explains:

Bobby Fischer, First Amendment, Freedom of Speech
What a sad story Fischer was,” typed a racist, pro-imperialist colonial troll who supports mega-corporation entities over human rights, police state policies & white supremacy.
To which I replied: “Really? I think he [Bob Fischer] stood up to the broken system of corruption and raised awareness! Whether on the Palestinian/Israel-British-U.S. Imperial Apartheid scam, the Bush wars of ‘7 countries in 5 years,’ illegally, unconstitutionally which constituted mass xenocide or his run in with police brutality in Pasadena, California-- right here in the U.S., police run rampant over the Constitution of the U.S., on oath they swore to uphold, but when Americans don't know the law, and the cops either don't know or worse, “don't care” -- then I think that's pretty darn “sad”. I think Mr. Fischer held out and fought the good fight, steadfast til the day he died, and may he Rest In Peace.
Educate yourself about U.S./State Laws --
https://www.youtube.com/@AuditTheAudit/videos
After which the troll posted a string of profanities, confirming there was never any genuine sentiment of “compassion” for Mr. Fischer, rather an intent to inflict further defamatory remarks.

This ongoing work is a tribute to the life and accomplishments of Robert “Bobby” Fischer who passionately loved and studied chess history. May his life continue to inspire many other future generations of chess enthusiasts and kibitzers, alike.

Robert J. Fischer, Kid Chess Wizard 1956March 9, 1943 - January 17, 2008

The photograph of Bobby Fischer (above) from the March 02, 1956 The Tampa Times was discovered by Sharon Mooney (Bobby Fischer Newspaper Archive editor) on February 01, 2018 while gathering research materials for this ongoing newspaper archive project. Along with lost games now being translated into Algebraic notation and extractions from over two centuries of newspapers, it is but one of the many lost treasures to be found in the pages of old newspapers since our social media presence was first established November 11, 2017.

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