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Let's Play Chess Fri, Dec 17, 1971 – 40 · Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah) · Newspapers.com
Let's Play Chess by Harold Lundstrom Friday, December 17, 1971 Deseret News Salt Lake City, Utah Deseret News Problem...
Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Wednesday, December 2, 2020
Deseret News Problem 978. White to move and mate in two.
FEN 2QRr3/8/3P4/3kp2R/1P1B4/5NN1/8/4K3 w - - 0 1
Key: BxP/Bxe5
Let's Play Chess: Petrosian Leads Alekhine Memorial by Harold Lundstrom
Former world champion Tigran Petrosian, USSR, is leading the 13th annual all-grandmaster Alekhine Memorial Tournament in Moscow.
After six rounds of play his score is 4-2.
At that point he had defeated two of his chief rivals, world champion Boris Spassky, and Victor Korchnoi.
In addition, he has drawn four games.
Though he recently lost the vital match to Robert (Bobby) Fischer for the right to challenge Spassky, Petrosian seems to be in good form.
The tournament is the most prestigious tournament of the year. It will continue through December 20.
Playing are 10 Russians, including Spassky, and three former champions, Petrosian, Vasily Smyslov, and Mikhail Tal.
Others include Vladimir Savon, current USSR champion; and the brilliant veterans Korchnoi, Leonid Stein, Yuri Balashov, Anatoly Karpov and Vladimir Tukmakov.
The non-Russians, all grandmasters, include grandmasters of the highest rank: Robert Byrne, USA; Milko Bobtsov, Bulgaria; Florin Gheorghiu, Romania; Vlastimil Hort, Czechoslovakia; Levente Lengyel, Bruno Parma, Yugoslavia; and Wolfgang Uhlmann, East Germany.
The prestige of the event would really have soared had everyone on the original list accepted his invitation.
The major name missing is Fischer, USA. He declined without stating a reason.
He was at least report still in Argentina, where he defeated Petrosian, 6½-2½ in match play in October. He has been giving a series of exhibitions, and scheduled to return to New York this month.
Others who turned down invitations were Svetozar Gligoric, Yugoslavia; Bent Larsen, Denmark; and Lajos Portisch, Hungary.
Of most interest will be Spassky's performance. He played in several tournaments earlier this year, including two in Canada, with good though with hardly world championship results.
His play in Moscow will be analyzed carefully as an indication of his readiness for the coming match with Fischer.
