ANew York Times, New York, New York, Wednesday, June 03, 1959
Fischer Suffers First Chess Loss
U.S. Champion Is Beaten by Gligoric Who Ties Him for Second at Zurich
After surviving ten rounds without a loss, Bobby Fischer, the United States chess champion, met his first defeat yesterday in the eleventh round of the jubilee tournament at Zurich, according to Swiss news sources.
The 16-year-old Erasmus Hall High School star bowed to Svetozar Gligoric of Yugoslavia on the black side of a Sicilian defense in thirty-nine moves.
The Brooklyn youth, a pawn down in the ending, was unable to recover. He missed a drawing line at the twenty-fourth move. Gligoric, at 8—3, joined Fischer in second place.
This left Mikhail Tal of the Soviet Union at the top of the standing with 8½—1½. Tal adjourned his game with Andreas Duckstein of Austria, who had the inferior position.
Paul Keres of the Soviet Union, fourth with 7½—2½, ran into a snag with Dr. Erwin Nievergelt of Switzerland, who was two pawns ahead at the time of adjournment.
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The match in which Fischer defeated Andreas Duckstein of Austria in the seventh round was surprisingly brief, as shown in the score just received by air mail. The United States champion had the black side of a Sicilian defense and, after both had castled on the king's side, brought out his queen for effective maneuvering on both wings.
Fischer won a pawn and was on the point of winning the exchange when Duckstein saw fit to resign after twenty-two moves.
