AProgress Bulletin Pomona, California Wednesday, October 06, 1971 - Page 4
Russian Chessman Defeats American
Buenos Aires (UPI)—Former world chess champion Tigran Petrosian of the Soviet Union defeated Bobby Fischer of the United States Tuesday night to even their candidate's tournament series at one game each.
Petrosian, playing methodical chess, forced the former U.S. champion to concede at the 32nd move by flanking Fischer's king with a queen and a rook.
The loss was the first for Fischer in 21 international matches and in 13 candidate's tournament games.
Fischer won the opening game Thursday after 42 moves. The third match will be held Thursday.
Winner of the 12-match tournament will play world champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union for the title.
Petrosian, playing whites, opened the game playing alone with pawn to queen four.
Fischer, who sat down opposite the Russian eight minutes late after officials shooed photographers away, countered with a Grunfeld defense, opening with knight to king's bishop three.
Fischer, famous for his aggressive and inventive style, began an all-out attack with his queen very early, on the sixth move.
After an exchange of knights and pawns, the Russian offered a possible queen exchange at the 10th move but Fischer declined, having virtually wiped out Petrosian's left flank.
At the 14th move, Petrosian, still playing defense in the fact of Fischer's attack, evaded a potentially dangerous situation by trading a bishop for a knight.
Fischer had combined the knight with a bishop to threaten Petrosian's king and queen.
On the 20th move, the 28-year-old Brooklyn-born Fischer offered a queen trade but Petrosian deftly avoided it and checked his opponent's king, preventing Fischer from castling.
What appeared to be a turning point in the match came on the 25th move when Fischer captured one of Petrosian's rooks with a pawn, which queened.
The Russian, world champion from 1963 to 1969, eliminated the promoted pawn with his other rook, however, and by the 28th move, had Fischer in serious trouble.
Petrosian combined his remaining rook with his queen to flank Fischer's king on his king's rook three and Fischer conceded.
The match, played in the downtown San Martin Theater before a capacity crowd of 1,200, lasted 4½ hours.
