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The Chess Column Sun, Dec 12, 1971 – 29 · The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) · Newspapers.com
The Chess Column: Russian Start To Play To Win Games by R.E. Fauber and Frank J. Garosi
Russian chess is on the brink of a minor revolution due entirely to the aggressive playing style of the USA's Robert Fischer.
The latest issue of a major Russian chess weekly bemoans the number of drawn games in the prestigious Alekhine Memorial Tournament under way in Moscow and urges the contestants to spurn draws and play more like Fischer.
Tigran Petrosian, obviously stung by his recent humiliating loss to Fischer, already has abandoned his famous caution. After six complete rounds, he has three wins (including one over world champion Boris Spassky), a loss and only two draws — an astonishing number of decisions for him. In comparison, he qualified for his match with Fischer by defeating two opponents with only two wins and fifteen draws.
International grandmaster Robert Byrne, the lone American among the 18 players, is doing very well. He has scored four points in seven rounds and is tied with Petrosian and Spassky, only a half-point behind the leader, Leonid Stein.
