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The Game of Kings 15 May 1969, Thu The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) Newspapers.com
Petrosian Cuts Lead
In the world championship match at Moscow, Petrosian won the 10th game, after losing the 8th and drawing the 9th in an up-hill battle, to leave the score, Spassky, 5½, Petrosian, 4½. There are still fourteen games left to play, at the rate of three games per week. The Variety Theatre is the scene, which can accommodate 1400 spectators. Play starts at 4:30 p.m. in a five-hour session, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Unfinished games are completed the following day in the Central Chess Club.
World Champion Speaks
Alexei Suetin, trainer and consultant to Petrosian, and correspondent for the English magazine “Chess”, was asked to obtain the world champion's opinion on his present form:
Suetin: “Do you consider your sporting form is up to the level of 1966 (year of previous match with Spassky)?”
Petrosian: “It's not easy to reply to this question. One can talk of poor form when a player is tired through competing in a succession of tournaments or, on the other hand, when he is not able to devote enough time to the game. Neither of these considerations applies to me, but there has been some sort of regression in my results over the last two years. The reason for it is, I believe, principally connected with certain changes within myself. In certain component parts of the game, the adoption of double-edged lines of play and so on — I have not got my former confidence.
From that come failures, such as at Santa Monica, which lead to excessive caution. This in turn leads me at times to lifeless prospectless positions. My layout of the game results in too placid a course of development, which reduces the chances of winning many games. As a result I have started losing more games and winning fewer … but maybe this is merely a sign of increasing age?”
Suetin: “Are you making use of your experiences of past matches?”
Petrosian: “Of course I shall try to take account of my experience in past matches, but I firmly believe that the basis for success is, above all, good practical play, fewer incidental errors and … the maximum number of good moves!”
Chess Draw 16 May 1969, Fri The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) Newspapers.com
