AThe Boston Globe Boston, Massachusetts Sunday, May 06, 1962 - Page 92
Chess Notebook 06 May 1962, Sun The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com
The fifth candidates' tournament is now in progress in Curacao. This is nominally the second most interesting event in the chess calendar. In the first place it's rare (every third year), second, it's the last step on the road to a world title shot for the winner, and, third, the competition is exclusively elite. Only a championship match outshines it for glamor. And Bobby Fischer, who is merely 19 years old, is competing for the second time.
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Since the F.I.D.E. took over control of the world championship only Reshevsky and, this year, Benko among American players have made the grade. (Benko was not a citizen in 1959). Fine was seeded into the 1950 event at Budapest but political difficulties made his participation impossible.
Russian domination of these gatherings has been, to put it mildly, pronounced. In 1950 there were seven Russians and three “outsiders.” At Zurich in 1953 there were nine Russians and six representing the rest of the world. Came Amsterdam, 1956, and six Soviets faced four others. However, in Yugoslavia, 1959, the rest of the world finally got an even break and the division was four to four. This was a hollow victory since the four Russians took the top four places (Fischer tied for fifth with Gligoric). Now, this year, things are back to normal and there are five Russians and three intrepid pawn pushers from the rest of the world (Fischer, Benko, and Filip).
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Cracks are appearing in the vodka curtain. Fischer dominated the interzonal and in that same meet one Cuellar of Colombia defeated Geller and Korchnoi and drew with Petrosian. The three Russians he mishandled all qualified and Senor Cuellar finished 22d in a 23-man field. Hope springs.
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Alexander Kotox denied emphatically that there was ever or ever could be collusion between Soviet masters to gang up on a non-Russian contender and smooth the way for a compatriot. Leonard Barden estimates the odds on Fischer's being among the top three at Curacao at 3 1. And the odds against his winning at 2 to 1. One whom would you place shorter odds?
