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New York Times, New York, New York, Sunday, September 17, 1961
Fischer and Tal Take Chess Lead
Each Scores 1½ Points in Adjourned Games at Bled
Bobby Fischer, the United States champion, and Mikhail Tal of Latvia gained a tie for first place in the international chess masters tournament at Bled, Yugoslavia, according to a report received here yesterday. Each scored a victory and a draw in adjourned games for scores of 6½—2½.
Tal had had a stronger position when his eighth-round game with Mijo Udovic of Yugoslavia had been adjourned. Fifty-one moves were recorded when Udovic bowed to the former world champion.
In his ninth-round match with Paul Keres of Estonia, Tal used the Ruy Lopez. Keres yielded a piece, but a perpetual check resulted and the contestants split the point after sixteen moves.
Although a pawn down in his adjourned eighth-round game with Alexander Matanovic of Yugoslavia, Fischer succeeded in drawing a bishop-versus-knight ending that lasted fifty-eight moves.
Fischer then defeated Arthur B. Bisguier, a former national champion, in the ninth round. Bisguier conducted the white pieces in a Queen's Gambit declined, Tarrasch defense. He held out for forty-eight moves before resigning.
Tigran Petrosian, the Soviet champion, drew with Boris Ivkov of Yugoslavia in a Sicilian defense that went sixteen moves.
The Soviet grandmaster dropped to a tie for second place at 6—3 with Keres.
The only other winner in the ninth round was J. Germek of Yugoslavia. He defeated Klaus Darga of West Germany in forty-eight moves of a Nimzo-Indian defense.
The following played draws:
Lajos Portisch, Hungary, and J.H. Donner, the Netherlands; Miguel Najdorf, Argentina, and Svetozar Gligoric, Yugoslavia; Fridrik Olafsson, Iceland; Ewfim Geller, Soviet Union and Dr. Petar Trifunovic, Yugoslavia.
The games between Ludek Pachman of Czechoslovakia and Bruno Parma of Yugoslavia, and Alexander Matanovic and Mario Bertok, both of Yugoslavia, were adjourned.
Ivkov and Udovic, and Olafsson and Bertok drew adjourned seventh-round games. Geller beat Bertok and Darga drew with Bisguier in adjourned eight-round games.
