The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Sunday, April 07, 1963 - Page 95
Petrosian Wins, To Even Title Series
After trailing for the first four games, Challenger Tigran Petrosian drew even by defeating Michail Botvinnik in the fifth encounter of their match for the world chess championship in Moscow.
Petrosian, with the white pieces, used the English Opening. He obtained a decided advantage in the first session, and though the game was adjourned, it was clear that the champion could not survive.
After Botvinnik won the first game, the next three were all drawn, leaving the score at 2½-2½. A total of 24 games are scheduled. Petrosian must score at least 12½ points to win the championship. A tie match would be sufficient for Botvinnik to retain the title.
In the second game Botvinnik had the initiative from the first few moves. He developed attacking chances on the king side, but could make no headway against Petrosian's accurate defense.
After an exchange of queens, Botvinnik then tried the other wing, once again seeming to obtain an advantage. This too petered out, and a draw was agreed upon after 35 moves.
In the third game the competitors had a real workout. Petrosian, as is usual with him, simplified in the opening, but managed to weaken the champion's center pawns. Petrosian succeeded in winning a pawn, after a bit of laxness on Botvinnik's part.
Then came a long drawn out rook ending, with Botvinnik on the defensive. Time after time it seemed that Petrosian had worked out a winning formation, but Botvinnik always seemed to have a further resource.
The game was finally drawn after 86 moves. Botvinnik has frequently proved that he is unsurpassed in defending games of this character. An example is his game with U.S. champion Bobby Fischer in the Chess Olympics at Varna, in which Botvinnik also drew after being a pawn behind most of the way.
The fourth game was quite restful in comparison. A tactical flurry in the opening seemed to be in Botvinnik's favor, as Petrosian was prevented from castling. But no lasting weakness resulted, and the draw was soon declared.
This is Botvinnik's fifth match in defense of the title, which he won in 1948. Curiously, he has not won any of the previous matches, tying with David Bronstein in 1951 and Vassily Smyslov in 1954.
Botvinnik lost the championship to Smyslov in 1957 and also succumbed to Mikhail Tal in 1960. In both cases, however, Botvinnik came back to win a return match the following year. He has thus been world champion for all but two of the last 15 years.
