ASunday Gazette-Mail Charleston, West Virginia Sunday, October 25, 1959
With but five of the 28 rounds remaining in the challengers tournament in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Mikhail Tal of the Soviet Union had a commanding lead. Tal's score was 17½ to 5½, a good 2½ points ahead of second place Paul Keres; who in turn was 2½ points in front of Tigran Petrosian and Vassily Smyslov, tied with identical 12½ to 10½ records. So the four places continue to be in the hands of the four Russian representatives — two brilliant and talented young masters and two experienced and resourceful veterans, grand masters all.
★ ★ ★
THE 16-YEAR-OLD champion of the United States, Bobby Fischer, now has a 9 to 14 record, good enough for sixth place in this eight-player battle of the chess giants.
Fischer lost in round 23 to Keres, giving Bobby a 2 to 2 record against the Soviet grandmaster.
American chess followers are disappointed to see their young prodigy-champion fare so poorly, but even to qualify for that event was quite an achievement, and a round robin tournament of this kind separates the men from the boys.
Our champion, good as he undoubtedly is, needs a little more seasoning before he can play for the championship of the world.
Bobby will be back.
