ASt. Louis Post-Dispatch St. Louis, Missouri Thursday, July 22, 1971 - Page 50
The Chess Tiger
Bobby Fischer may not be exactly a household word to American sports fans but he is currently in the midst of an accomplishment that might be compared, say, to pitching 20 consecutive shutouts in baseball, or for a team to hold the opposition scoreless throughout an entire professional football season. Bobby Fischer plays chess, perhaps better than anyone else in the world, and he has just won his twelfth straight match in a tournament that ultimately will determine the international champion.
This feat is unprecedented in grandmaster competition, where players settle for a draw unless a clear-cut victory is in sight. Mr. Fischer, who only a few years ago was the enfant terrible of international chess, shuns draws even in theoretically barren positions. He plays to win. He is now 28 and if age has mellowed him it has not impaired his aggressiveness. Whether he defeats the Russian who currently is world champion or even reaches the tournament finals, Bobby Fischer already has produced an exhibition of brilliance that will endure in the history of the game.
