The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Sunday, August 01, 1971 - Page 108
Petrosian Wins
Former world champion Tigran Petrosian of the Soviet Union defeated his compatriot Victor Korchnoi by 5½-4½ in Moscow in the semi-finals of the elimination series to determine a challenger for the world title.
After drawing the first eight games of the match Petrosian won the ninth, which turned out to be all he needed. A draw in the 10th and final game was the clincher.
Petrosian had won a previous match in similar fashion against Robert Huebner of West Germany. Playing in Seville, Spain, Petrosian drew the first six games, then won the seventh, when Huebner resigned the match as a result of illness.
Petrosian and Fischer will contest a 12-game match, scheduled to start the third week in September. The site has not yet been agreed upon. The winner will take on world champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union next spring.
Fischer is on a record run that has now reached 12 successive match victories, 6-0 against Mark Taimanov of the Soviet Union and 6-0 against Bent Larsen of Denmark.
What happens when the man who wins every game meets the man who draws nearly every one? A good indication was a four-game match between Fischer and Petrosian last year.
On that occasion they “split.” Fischer winning two games and Petrosian drawing two. Since the payoff is still on wins, Fischer was the match victor, by a 3-1 score.
