The Herald-News Passaic, New Jersey Sunday, July 29, 1979 - Page 21
Petrosian Waits For Foe's Mistakes
The Soviet chess magazine, “64,” paid tribute to Tigran Petrosian on his 50th birthday by printing some of the former world champion's memorable victories against all the world champions of recent times — Euwe, Smyslov, Botvinnik, Spassky, Fischer, Tal, and Karpov.
Petrosian is usually thought of as a cat-versus-mouse player — a chess tactician who waits for his opponents to make mistakes. But he can display great strategic skill. In one of the games in his match with Bobby Fischer in Buenos Aires in 1971, Petrosian showed not only that he could deal with the complexities Fischer sought but also that he knew exactly when to sacrifice.
It was a notable triumph, and it taught Fischer a lesson. Thereafter he ceased to trifle with his experienced opponent, and went on, by a score of 6½ to 2½, to win the right to play Boris Spassky for the title.
Petrosian is one of the world's outstanding grandmasters and fully entitled to the space given him by “64.”