ANew York Times, New York, New York, Monday, May 14, 1962 - Page 26
Korchnoi Tops Tal; Ties For Chess Lead
Willemstad, Curaçao. May 13 — Victor Korchnoi of the Soviet Union moved into a tie for the lead in the Curaçao Candidates' Chess Tournament by defeating Mikhail Tal in the seventh round.
Tal, former world champion, lost in thirty-five moves of a Ruy Lopez. Tarrasch variation. Korchnoi still has a sixth-round adjourned game with Dr. Miroslav Filip of Czechoslovakia, with favorable chances.
In the other completed game in the seventh round Dr. Filip and Tigran Petrosian of the Soviet Union agreed to a grandmaster draw in a Grunfeld Defense in fourteen moves.
Bobby Fischer, adjourned a Ruy Lopez with Paul Keres of the Soviet Union after forty-one moves. Fine piece play by Fischer resulted in a powerful attack that netted him a pawn, which is likely to produce a win in the adjourned rook-and-pawn ending.
A Reti Opening between Pal Benko of the United States and Ewfim Geller of the Soviet Union was adjourned after forty-one moves. Benko enjoys a small positional advantage.
With the first quarter of the tournament now over, chess observers still give Fischer a chance to win despite his three losses if he wins his adjourned game with Keres. The reasons advanced for his slump range from illness—he has a bad appendix—to psychological problems arising from the fact that he did not lose a game in two previous tournaments.
The four losses by Tal were shrugged off, however, with the comment: “He's a speculator and his gambles aren't paying off.”
