MissScarlett: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 20th 1978:
<Former world chess champion Tigran Petrosian lost at his own game Wednesday night when a 19-year-old St. Louis University freshman used a Petrosian variation in the opening to defeat the grandmaster.
That left Petrosian's record for the evening 50 and 1.
The winner, Terry Niehoff, was among 51 persons who paid $25 to play Petrosian, who was world champion from 1963 to 1969. The simultaneous exhibition at St. Louis University was sponsored by the Bi-State Chess Conglomerate and the St. Louis University Chess Club.
Petrosian, 48, played the 51 contenders in a circle, moving from board to board and pausing only infrequently to consider a move.
The Armenian-born Petrosian, now a resident of Moscow, is touring the United States, playing exhibition matches and tournaments. George N. Thompson, owner of the Chess Conglomerate, said this was Petrosian's first defeat on the tour.
Thompson said Niehoff had studied a book of Petrosian's championship games and used a "queen's gambit accepted" defense to nail the champion. Petrosian resigned after 34 moves.
Petrosian has played similar matches in Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Antonio, Thompson said. He said Petrosian makes a living playing chess. His fee for the matches Wednesday night was about $1,200.
Kibitzing
