AThe Orlando Sentinel Orlando, Florida Wednesday, September 29, 1971 - Page 4
U.S. Chess Star Awaits Red Test
Buenos Aires (Reuter) Bobby Fischer, golden boy of American chess, admitted here that he sometimes weeps if he loses a match — but he added: “When the Russians lose, they really get sick.”
Fischer, 28, begins a 12-game match against Tigran Petrosian of the Soviet Union here Thursday to decide which of them will challenge Boris Spassky, also of the Soviet Union, for the world title.
THE TWO players met the press together Monday night in the office of the undersecretary for sport at the ministry of social welfare.
Fischer, who has not had to weep for a long time — he has won his last 19 games — said he thought the world title should be disputed every two years, instead of every three as at present.
He added that Petrosian “is undoubtedly a better finalist than Botvinnik, who's an old man now.”
THIS BROUGHT a laugh from Petrosian, a 42-year-old Armenian, who beat Mikhail Botvinnik to take the world title in 1963, and held it for six years.
Petrosian praised the performances of Fischer, New York-born one-time child prodigy, who won his first major title when he was 15.
“The results obtained by chess master Fischer speak for themselves,” Petrosian said.
