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Courier-Post Camden, New Jersey Wednesday, October 04, 1961
“Mikhail Tal, recent world's champion, looked like the winner of the international masters' tournament at Bled, Yugoslavia, as it went into its final round.
The tournament was a close one all the way among five of the world's leading players, with the 14 other competitors well strung out behind them. Tal has been among the leaders all the way and so have the youthful American champion, Bobby Fischer.
Paul Keres and Tigran Petrosian of the Soviet Union, with Svetozar Gligoric of Yugoslavia, have been the other principal contenders and it seems sure that these five men will be the leaders at the conclusion of the tourney, which was scheduled for the 19th and final round today.
Fischer led or shared the lead much of the way but was held to a costly draw in his adjourned 16th game with Keres, giving him a point score of 13-5 at the conclusion of 18 rounds. At the same time Tal won his adjourned 17th round game with Ludek Pachman of Czechoslovakia, and went into a half point lead with a score of 13½-4½.
With only one more round to play, it was necessary for Fischer to win his final game while Tal was losing in order to finish first. A victory for the American and a draw for the Latvian meant they would finish in a tie.
In their personal encounter at Bled in the second round, Fischer emerged the winner in a spectacular game which is reproduced herewith. It was the first time Bobby had ever beaten Tal, who won four games from him in other tournaments.
