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The Lompoc Record Lompoc, California Saturday, November 06, 1971 - Page 17
Chess Sat, Nov 6, 1971 – 17 · The Lompoc Record (Lompoc, California) · Newspapers.com
Chess by Vaughn Proctor, Chess Editor
[...]
The sensational chess matches between U.S. chess ace Bobby Fischer, first with Bent Larsen of Denmark and then with Tigran Petrosian of the Soviet Union, revealed several conclusive facts at least to this editor 1) Fischer is probably the greatest chess player alive today. 2) The Sicilian Defense for Black continues to hold the interest of the world's best chess players. 3) Publicity for chess and interest of the game has reached a pinnacle never reached before.
Fischer defeated Mark Taimanov of the Soviet Union and Larsen by identical 6-0 scores; and finally buried Petrosian, 6½-2½.
Of the 15 games played by Fischer against Petrosian and Larsen, six were Sicilian.
Worldwide attention was riveted on the two final matches played by Fischer, thanks to day by day coverage by all three major television networks, both major U.S. wire services and a number of foreign wire services, not to mention the close coverage by major U.S. newspapers including the L.A. Times and the New York Times.
Whatever the causative factors were, interest in chess has surged in every corner of the United States.
All of these circumstances have provided the substance for several Vistas Chess columns upcoming.
Now for the Fischer-Petrosian match that ground out to its inexorable conclusion in Buenos Aires Oct. 26.
Of the nine games, three were Sicilian openings, two French, and one each were Queen's Gambit Declined, Petroff's Defense, Queen's Fianchetti Defense, Irregular.
White won four games, lost two and drew three. Fischer won with White twice, and drew with Black once. In other words, of the games won outright, players with the White pieces won four times;; players with Black twice.
Petrosian's sole victory was with White. He drew with White once, and with Black twice.
Fischer sole loss was with Black in an Irregular opening. Of the three Sicilian Openings, Fischer won twice with White and drew one while playing Black.
Fischer won one of the two French openings with the White pieces, and drew the second while playing the same color.
Fischer won the Queen's Gambit Declined while playing the Black's pieces. He drew the Petroff's Defense with the White, won the Queen's Fianchetti with Black.
[Game Score snipped.]
Isaac Kashdan, chess columnist of the Los Angeles Times, provided the ingredients of this analysis. As far as I know the analysis is the first to appear in print.
