1963

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March 08, 1963

• The Daily Tribune Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin Friday, March 08, 1963 - Page 4 — Russians Train for the 'Strenuous' Battle for World's Chess Crown By Reinhold Ensz — Moscow (AP)— How does one get ready to do battle for the world chess crown? The defending champion is out skiing. His challenger is training by playing table tennis and billiards. But, like many other things in the Soviet Union, their full preparations are veiled somewhat by the traditional Russian love for secrecy. Both of the prospective players are Soviet citizens—champion Mikhail Botvinnik and challenger Tigran Petrosian—and both are living in secluded dachas near Moscow. A request for information about their preparations was duly submitted to the Soviet government. Finally, permission was granted for an interview with Lev Abramov, deputy chairman of the Soviet Chess Federation, who hastened to announce: “We don't know exactly what they are doing, because that is their secret. “However, quite by accident, I happen to know that Botvinnik has been doing a lot of skiing, even during the worst cold weather. He didn't miss a day.
  “And Petrosyan, I understand, has been playing table tennis and billiards. Abramov said both men are also running through practice chess games with close friends; Botvinnik with Semyon Furman and Petrosyan with Isaac Boleslavsky.
  
  Two-Month Tourney The first game of the world championship match is to be played March 23, on the stage of the Estrada variety theater, across the river from the Kremlin. The silent battle of wits is expected to last at least two months, until the latter part of May. There will be 24 games, and they will be played on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Adjournments will be played off on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The theater is the same one in which Botvinnik recaptured the world chess title from Mikhail Tal of the U.S.S.R. at the last match in 1961. Abramov said the theater, which normally shelters some of the best variety shows in town, was chosen because it has a good ventilation system and the temperature can be kept at a constant, comfortable level. The two referees will also be the same as last time: Gideon Stahlberg, Swedish grandmaster, and Harry Golombek, an international master from Britain. They, too, were chosen because they are not likely to upset the players. “Both Stahlberg and Golombek are very quiet and not at all nervous,” Abramov commented. “They are also very objective, and there wasn't a single incident at the last tournament.” The theater seats 1,300 persons. Because Russians love chess, at least 1,000 of the seats are generally occupied. During crucial matches, hundreds are turned away. Although the spectators become excited during the play, they are kept under control. If the murmuring comment rises too high, an official immediately appears on stage and holds up a sign reading: “Quiet.”
  
  Nerves Were Taut The players do not look at the audience, and seldom at each other. During the last championship match, nerves were stretched so tight that Tal smoked on stage—something he had not done before—and Botvinnik drank coffee. Since Botvinnik is considered one of the steadiest players in the business, the coffee raised a number of eyebrows. Referee Golombek was moved to a mild comment: “Botvinnik used to show up with some sort of raspberry juice.” Botvinnik won, but this time many Moscow chess experts are not certain he will do it again. Abramov reports the odds are about 55 to 45, in favor of Petrosyan. This, Abramov said, results from the fact that Botvinnik is aging. He is 51, whereas Petrosyan is only 33.
  
  Strenuous Sport “No one,” said Abramov, “has any doubts that Botvinnik's experience and understanding is not surpassed by anybody. But chess is a strenuous sport.” Botvinnik has been written off before, most notably during the last tournament, when the 24-year-old Tal cockily felt certain he could keep the crown he had snatched from Botvinnik only the year before. Botvinnik ignored the speculation, hunched his shoulders over the board and laid out his moves like an electrical engineer lays out circuits. This was easy, since Botvinnik happens to be an outstanding electrical engineer. He has even written a book on electrical matters, called, “How excitation control affects the stability of the synchronous motor.” Born in Leningrad of Jewish parents, Botvinnik won the title of chess master at the age of 16, and was a grandmaster at 24. He captured the world title in 1948. Petrosyan, an Armenian, is a relative newcomer to international chess. He became Moscow champion at the age of 20, and held the Soviet national title twice—in 1959 and 1961. He earned the right to play Botvinnik during last year's preliminaries in Curacao, and with a resulting playoff against Paul Keres of the U.S.S.R. Chess is Petrosyan's whole world. His profession is chess journalist.
  
  Three Draws to Date Botvinnik and Petrosyan have met officially over the chessboard only three times—during the U.S.S.R national championships in 1951 and 1954, and during the international tournament at Budapest in 1952. All games ended in draws. Each of the 24 forthcoming games is worth one point. In order to retain his crown, Botvinnik need only draw the tournament 12-12. But Petrosyan, if he is to win, must get 12.5 points. (A drawn game is worth half a point.) The winning prize, under rules of the International Chess Federation, is the local equivalent of 10,000 Swiss francs ($2,300). The loser gets the equivalent of 6,000 Swiss francs ($1,300). Read More

March 24, 1963

• Chicago Tribune Chicago, Illinois Sunday, March 24, 1963 - Page 48 “Botvinnik Wins 1st Game of Series”

March 28, 1963

• The Missoulian Missoula, Montana Thursday, March 28, 1963 - Page 19 “Chess Draw”

April 04, 1963

• The Tennessean Nashville, Tennessee Thursday, April 04, 1963 - Page 33 “It's A Draw”

April 07, 1963

• News-Press Fort Myers, Florida Sunday, April 07, 1963 - Page 38 “Seventh Game Adjourned”

April 14, 1963

• The San Bernardino County Sun San Bernardino, California Sunday, April 14, 1963 - Page 42 — Petrosyan Leading Botvinnik in Chess — Moscow (UPI) — World chess champion Mikhail Botvinnik and challenger Tigran Petrosyan adjourned the ninth game in their championship series last night with Petrosyan a pawn up and apparently well placed to win. The adjournment came on the 41st move. Petrosyan was already leading by 4½ points to 3½ after eight games of the 24-game series. Read More

April 15, 1963

• The Montgomery Advertiser Montgomery, Alabama Monday, April 15, 1963 - Page 11 “World Chess Match Terminates In Draw”

April 22, 1963

• Star Tribune Minneapolis, Minnesota Monday, April 22, 1963 - Page 18 “Russ Draw in Chess”

April 23, 1963

• The Billings Gazette Billings, Montana Tuesday, April 23, 1963 - Page 11 “Chess Grandmasters Agree to Draw Game”

April 26, 1963

• The Montgomery Advertiser Montgomery, Alabama Friday, April 26, 1963 - Page 28 “Chess Champion Wins”
• The Daily Oklahoman Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Friday, April 26, 1963 - Page 31 “Chess Battle Tied”

April 28, 1963

• Abilene Reporter-News Abilene, Texas Sunday, April 28, 1963 - Page 52 “Illness Forces Chess Postponement”
• Messenger-Inquirer Owensboro, Kentucky Sunday, April 28, 1963 - Page 8 “Game Postponed”

May 03, 1963

• Messenger-Inquirer Owensboro, Kentucky Friday, May 03, 1963 - Page 6 “World Chess Meet Declared A Draw”

May 10, 1963

• The San Bernardino County Sun San Bernardino, California Friday, May 10, 1963 - Page 31 “Petrosyan Moves Ahead”

May 11, 1963

• The Miami News Miami, Florida Saturday, May 11, 1963 - Page 6 “Mikhail Trailing”

May 12, 1963

• The Marshall News Messenger Marshall, Texas Sunday, May 12, 1963 - Page 11 “Chess Tourney Game Adjourned”
• The Progress-Index Petersburg, Virginia Sunday, May 12, 1963 - Page 22 “Chess Tourney Is Adjourned”
• Palladium-Item Richmond, Indiana Sunday, May 12, 1963 - Page 20 “Chess Tilt Adjourned To Resume Today”
• Lake Charles American-Press Lake Charles, Louisiana Sunday, May 12, 1963 - Page 66 “Chess Tourney Game Adjourned”
• Palladium-Item Richmond, Indiana Sunday, May 12, 1963 - Page 20 “Chess Tilt Adjourned To Resume Today”

May 13, 1963

• The Daily Oklahoman Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Monday, May 13, 1963 - Page 29 “Soviet Wins”

May 21, 1963

• The Montgomery Advertiser Montgomery, Alabama Tuesday, May 21, 1963 - Page 14 “Petrosyan Clinches World Chess Tourney”

• The Billings Gazette Billings, Montana Tuesday, May 21, 1963 - Page 12 “Concentration”

• The Star Press Muncie, Indiana Tuesday, May 21, 1963 - Page 10 — Botvinnik Loses World Chess Title to Petrosyan — Moscow (AP) — Tigran Petrosyan, a bushy-haired Armenian who was orphaned and forced to work as a janitor as a boy, is the new world chess champion. The 33-year-old native of Tbilisi clinched a victory over the aging defending titleholder, Mikhail Botvinnik, Monday by drawing the 22nd game on the 11th move. The draw gave Petrosyan a 12½ to 9½ point lead in the 24-game title series and made it impossible for the 51-year-old Soviet grand master to catch him. The match began March 23. Twice during the strenuous battle of wits, the aging champion became ill. Petrosyan himself was stricken once, forcing a postponement. Botvinnik looked pale and tired in Monday's decisive match. He played whites. This makes the third time Botvinnik's reign has been interrupted since he became the king of the chess boards back in 1948. Vasily Smyslov beat him in 1957 and Mikhail Tal in 1960, but each time Botvinnik came back to recapture the crown. Petrosyan was born June 17, 1929, in Tbilisi and took up chess at the age of 12. He became a disciple of the Cuban grand master, Jose Raul Capablanca. Petrosyan was just thumbing through textbooks in 1941 when war broke out. His mother died soon afterward. When he was 15, his father also died and he took his father's job as janitor at the Officer's Club. He studied chess early in the mornings and at night after work. He moved to Moscow in 1949 and Grand Master Andre Lilienthal became his coach. Petrosyan has a style which is said to baffle and irritate most experts. Some accuse him of playing erratically. Others say he lacks courage. Read More

Botvinnik Loses World Chess Title to Petrosyan 21 May 1963, Tue The Star Press (Muncie, Indiana) Newspapers.com

• Asbury Park Press Asbury Park, New Jersey Tuesday, May 21, 1963 - Page 27 — Ex-Janitor Petrosyan Wins World Chess Championship from Botvinnik

• Austin American-Statesman Austin, Texas Tuesday, May 21, 1963 - Page 22 — Two Months of Check and Double Check - New World Chess Champion Tigran Petrosian — For two long months, millions have watched a tense though virtually motionless scene on the stage of a Moscow variety theatre. Monday night, their patience was rewarded. TIGRAN PETROSYAN, a 34-year-old Armenian, was the new world chess champion and idol of the chess-loving Soviets.
  Petrosyan defeated the great MIKHAIL BOTVINNIK in the 22nd game of a grueling match which started March 23.
  The theatre audience of 2,000 cheered wildly when Botvinnik, 52, finding himself stymied after Petrosyan's 10th move, reached across the table and shook the hand of his younger foe as a sign of congratulation.
  The gesture broke almost unbearable tension.
  Millions had followed the match on television during the past two months. A world chess championship means as much to the Russians as the World Series or a heavyweight boxing championship to Americans.
  Botvinnik had been world champion since 1948, except for two one-year periods. He lost the crown to fellow Russians VASILY SMYSLOV in 1958, and MIKHAIL TAL in 1961, but won it back a year later in each case. Read More

May 23, 1963

• Lancaster Eagle-Gazette Lancaster, Ohio Thursday, May 23, 1963 - Page 20 — New World Champ — Armenian-born Tigran Petrosian ponders his next move in Moscow, on his way to winning the world chess championship from Mikhail Botvinnik, 52. Petrosyan, 34, collected 12½ points to Botvinnik's 9½ in the 22-game series. This is 19th game. Match lasted eight weeks. Read More

July 01, 1963

• The Petaluma Argus-Courier Petaluma, California Monday, July 01, 1963 - Page 7 “Russian Chess Champion”

August 16, 1963

• Abilene Reporter-News Abilene, Texas Friday, August 16, 1963 - Page 32 “Checkmated”

August 18, 1963

• The Racine Journal-Times Sunday Bulletin Racine, Wisconsin Sunday, August 18, 1963 - Page 46 “Checkmated”
• The Journal Times Racine, Wisconsin Sunday, August 18, 1963 - Page 46 “Checkmated”

August 24, 1963

• The Kansas City Times Kansas City, Missouri Saturday, August 24, 1963 - Page 25 “Champ Keeps Chess Cup”
• Valley Morning Star Harlingen, Texas Saturday, August 24, 1963 - Page 7 “Chess Tournament Will Open Today”
• Standard-Speaker Hazleton, Pennsylvania Saturday, August 24, 1963 - Page 20 “Champion Again”
• The Gazette and Daily York, Pennsylvania Saturday, August 24, 1963 - Page 21 “Chess Champion”
• Pensacola News Journal Pensacola, Florida Saturday, August 24, 1963 - Page 13 “Penrose Triumphs”

October 17, 1963

• The Indianapolis News Indianapolis, Indiana Thursday, October 17, 1963 - Page 42 “Communist Chess”

November 03, 1963

• The Courier-Journal Louisville, Kentucky Sunday, November 03, 1963 - Page 50 “The King's Men”
• Alton Evening Telegraph Alton, Illinois Thursday, November 07, 1963 - Page 38 “Emanuel Lasker”

December 20, 1963

• Beatrice Daily Sun Beatrice, Nebraska Friday, December 20, 1963 - Page 3 “Metropolitan Museum of Art Revolutionary War Chess Set”