Sunday Gazette-Mail Charleston, West Virginia Sunday, October 04, 1959
It was erroneously stated here that the challengers chess tournament in Bled, Yugoslavia, was scheduled for 14 rounds. Actually, this eight-player event will run for 28 rounds—seven more at Zagreb and the final seven at Belgrade.
At the mid-point, after fourteen complete rounds, U.S. champion Bobby Fischer was fifth with 5½ to 8½. Paul Keres of the USSR led with 10 to 4, followed by two fellows-Soviets, Mikhail Tal (9½ to 4½) and Tigran Petrosian (8½ to 5½). Svetozar Gligoric of Yugoslavia had 8 to 6 and ex-world champion Vassily Smyslov of Russia had 6 to 8. Next in order followed Fischer, Pal Benko of Hungary (but a refugee in the USA) and Fridrik Olafsson of Iceland.
That “youth will be served” is often true in chess as in other sports. The younger Tal and Petrosian may catch up with or pass Paul Keres in the final rounds of tournament play in this great chess event. Although an unlikely candidate for first place, now, sixteen - year - old Bobby Fischer (of Brooklyn) may improve on his standing during the coming days of tourney competition and may well finish in the first division.
★ ★ ★
WE WONDER what kind of arrangements Grandmaster Fischer made with his home-town high school officials for time off. Or perhaps the Brooklyn truant officer cannot extradite from so far away as Yugoslavia.
It might be of interest to know that Fischer's second in the challengers tournament is Bent Larson, talented Danish master — or is it grandmaster?
Time was when there were only five grandmasters — and what grandmasters! — Dr. Emmanual Lasker, Raul Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine, Frank J. Marshal and Dr. S. Tarrasch. Now the woods are full of them. Charleston has no masters or grandmasters. The local area boasts one great-grandmaster, but that is another story.
