The Boston Globe Boston, Massachusetts Sunday, July 19, 1964 - Page 51
Bobby Fischer Asks Soviet Chess Federation to Arrange Match With Strongest Russian Player
B. H. Wood's “Chess” reports Bobby Fischer has asked the USSR Chess Federation to arrange a match for him in 1965 with one of the five strongest Russian players apart from World Champion Tigran Petrosian. Fischer cares not about the venue; he suggested either U.S.S.R. or USA or playing half the match in each country.
The Soviet Chess Federation is considering the proposal which is not in any way linked to the world championship. However, it may be assumed that the “five strongest” are the five Russian qualifiers in the next Candidates tournament: Botvinnik, Keres, Tal, Smyslov, and Spassky.
Sam Reshevsky lost his play-off match to Lajos Portisch. Reshevsky lost two and drew one in the key series.
Apparently Sam, who had never lost a playoff or a match in his career, was stale after the arduous interzonal. At the age of 53 it would appear Sam needs more time to recuperate.
Portisch will join Ivkov, Larsen and the five Russians in the 1965 Candidates tournament which will take the form of a series of elimination matches. The last survivor will meet Petrosian for the world title.
If anyone wondered how and why the Russians have dominated chess for so long, the 5th plenary meeting of the USSR Chess Federation gave a partial answer: There are more than three million members in the organization.
This formidable mass of dues-payers, plus government subsidies, makes chess in Russia more solvent than General Motors.
Despite this and despite the overpowering effect of 23 Russian grandmasters on the chess scene, Tigran Petrosian stressed the need to devote greater attention to young chessplayers. He said talented young masters had appeared in foreign countries, particularly the U.S.A., Yugoslavia, Germany, Hungary, and Rumania. (Chess, 6/17/64)
The key word above is “Appeared”: Young masters appear here and there; they seem to be cultivated or manufactured in the U.S.S.R.
