Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
BRENDAN J. NORMAN
INTRODUCTION
I remember when I first got hold of My 60 Memorable Games (it was lent
by one of my mothers friends) as a teenager, I studied it every night for
months and got to know the guy who was a chess genius, pioneer and finally
lone dominator of the world chess scene.
As a result of studying his games I switched from the Caro Kann Defence to
the Sicilian Najdorf as my main opening and I learnt so much from his
approach to the game
Especially his infamous light-squared bishop endings!
His games seem so simple while his annotations make them seem even
simpler, yet underneath there is great complexity and brilliance at work.
As GM Teimor Radjabov said His games are very clean and very clear,
precise chess. Not yet at his level are my chess games, but I will do my
best.
Not bad praise from a 2750 GrandMaster, 40 years after Bobbys
retirement, wouldnt you say?
So what happened to him?
The enormous toll which chess takes on chess grandmasters has, in several
instances caused them to lose their sanity (Stenitz was one, not to mention
poor Rubinstein).
So was Fischer just another victim of this?
We all know he was certainly different when he reemerged in 1992.
This book is part biography, part magazine and part games collection, so
Ive packed a lot of very interesting stuff for you Fischer fans to enjoy
whilst travelling or even just relaxing on the sofa.
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Hey again!
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just like as if it were a college course.
I know I always dreamed of something a formal, lecture-based chess
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This all takes place within a community of like-minded, interacting chess
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. WHO WAS BOBBY FISCHER?
2. QUOTES ABOUT FISCHER
3. QUOTES BY FISCHER
4. WAS FISCHER THE GREATEST EVER?
5. WHY WAS FISCHER SO SUCCESSFUL?
6. HOW WOULD FISCHER HAVE DONE AT POKER?
7. FISCHERS OTHER INTERESTS
8. WTF HAPPENED IN PASADENA?
9. FISCHER SENSATIONALISTIC?
10. FISCHER A PSYCHOPATH?
11. REVIEW OF ENDGAME BY FRANK BRADY
12. FISCHERS AMAZING WINNING STREAK
CONCLUSION
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
His school work suffered, and over the next ten years he changed schools
several times.
His mother, though brilliant and loving, was unable to effectively discipline
him.
He essentially did what he wanted, and what he wanted was to play and
study chess to the exclusion of all else. Over the next five years he did just
that, playing the old duffers in the BCC and the young hustlers in Washington
Square Park until one day he and his mentor Nigro wandered into the
Manhattan Chess Club, a definite step up from his previous second home
and in fact one of the strongest clubs in the country. He made such an
impression that he was allowed to join the adults-only club, where he could
now play chess 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (whereas the BCC only met a
couple of times a week for a few hours each night).
It did not bode well for his grades.
Just over a year later, Bobby Fischer had become the youngest chess master
in the history of the title.
After he played in the 1956 US Open, his USCF rating was 2375, well over
the National Master cutoff (2200) and just shy of the Senior Master level
(2400).
Later that year, he defeated Donald Byrne, a strong master, with the black
pieces. The game involved a brilliant queen sacrifice, and it was given the
(exaggerated) title of The Game of the Century.
Yuri Averbakh, a Soviet Grandmaster, says that he hadnt realized that the
multi-decade hold on the World Chess Championship enjoyed by the USSR
might be in danger until he saw this game.
Fischer, on the other hand, had, at thirteen, been convinced that he was
destined to capture the world championship for some time.
Over the next few years he behaved and performed accordingly, winning the
1957 US Championship at the age of fourteen and becoming the youngest
International Grandmaster ever at the age of fifteen.
At sixteen, his mother moved out of their apartment and left him to live
alone (while still covering the rent).
With characteristic suddenness, he stopped dressing like a carefree young
boy and began wearing hand-tailored suits.
Its likely that he lost his virginity during a tournament in Buenos Aires in
which he performed quite poorly. After that he didnt show much interest in
the opposite sex for a long time.
Hed also become a minor celebrity, owing in part to his appearance on the
$64,000 Question (his secret was that he was the US Chess Champion). At
first he liked the attention, but the novelty soon wore off; he hated media
attention for the rest of his life.
Over the next ten years, Fischer won the US Championship eight times, once
with an incredible perfect score of 11/11.
He let multiple shots at the world championship slip through his fingers, not
because of poor play but because of his difficult personality.
He published an article in Sports Illustrated publicly accusing Soviet
grandmasters of colluding to keep the title in the family (surprisingly,
FIDE responded by changing the format of the world championship cycle to
pre-empt such collusion). He became involved with the Worldwide Church
of God, a church similar to Scientology in its walking the fine line between
religion and cult.
At one point he took an eighteen-month hiatus from competitive chess.
Fischer, as always, took his sweet time as he meandered toward the ultimate
prize. When, in 1970, he decided he was ready to go for it, the chess world
wasnt ready for him.
Statistician Jeff Sonas, creator of the Chessmetrics rating system, believes
that from the end of his candidates match with Bent Larsen to just before his
championship match with Boris Spassky, Bobby Fischer was the most
dominant chess player on record.
In addition, he says, his 6-0 pummelling of world #3 Larsen was the
strongest performance ever in a single match.
This came on the heels of his 6-0 sweep of world #9 Mark Taimanov and,
before that, his 7-0 run to finish the 1970 Palma de Mallorca Interzonal.
Finally, after winning the first match game, he lost the second with
Petrosian, ending his unprecedented 20-game winning streak (For those less
familiar with high-level chess, such a streak is so amazing in part because
games between strong grandmasters often end in draws.
Fischer also had to win many games with the black pieces, whereas most
top players count a draw with black as a partial victory.) Fischer was back,
and in frighteningly good form. More importantly, his dazzling victories in
his candidates matches meant that he had qualified to challenge Boris
Spassky in the 1972 World Championship match.
The match itself was an ordeal like none the chess world had ever seen.
Books about the melodrama have been written and can be enjoyed even by
those who have never played a game of chess. The match had many
he treated Jinky as his daughter and supported both mother and daughter
financially. Posthumous DNA testing later proved that Jinky was not his
daughter.
In July, 2004, Japanese immigration authorities arrested and detained
Fischer for a period of eighteen months. His defiance of the US government
had come back to haunt him; the Japanese government wanted to deport him
to the US, where he would have almost certainly gone to prison. A group of
(surprisingly) loyal (given Fischers treatment of others) fans and friends
protested and agitated for his release, but it wasnt clear where he should go
afterwards. After being denied asylum by several countries, he and his
lawyers finally convinced Iceland to grant him full citizenship, in
consideration of the publicity and prestige hed helped bring to their country
thirty years prior. While living in Iceland, he ignored what turned out to be a
urinary tract blockage and later refused treatment. He died of kidney failure
on January 17, 2008.
Even the most stalwart Fischer-haters cant help but feel that Taimanov got
his comeuppance--at least, those for whom the story ends here. Sadly, when
Taimanov returned to the Soviet Union he was virtually excommunicated.
He lost his monthly stipend, and his passport was revoked for two years as
punishment for losing to perhaps the greatest chess player of all time. The
only person to stand up for Taimanov was Boris Spassky, the man who knew
that he must eventually face Fischer to defend his title. The next (and final)
quote not only sums up the injustice suffered by Taimanov, but also captures
the feeling at the time that Fischer had become an unstoppable force.
When weve all lost to Fischer, will all of us be dragged on the
carpet? - Boris Spassky
There was no shame in losing to Bobby Fischer, especially at that time.
They all did.
3. QUOTES BY FISCHER
Bobby Fischer wasnt known for being talkative. He would sometimes ask
autograph-seekers if they played chess; if they didnt, hed promptly walk
the other way. When he did speak, the result was sometimes shocking and
almost always interesting. Here are some of his more memorable quotes.
My mother has an anti-talent for chess. Shes hopeless.
Oh, sweet child of mine. I love you too, Bobby.
He crushed me.
Seven-year-old Bobby spoke these words to no one in particular after
losing his first game against a master during a simultaneous exhibition. He
then burst into tears.
Youve ruined it!
This was Fischers reaction upon learning that a collector had cleaned his
first chess set. Apparently, the filthiness of the pieces was an important part
of their charm.
I just made the moves I thought were best. I was just lucky.
This was young Bobbys uncharacteristically humble explanation of how he
won the famous Game of the Century.
Ask me about something usual instead of making me look unusual.
An exasperated teenaged Bobby said this to a reporter after hearing one too
many questions along the lines of, Are all chess players crazy?
I watch what your grandmasters do. I know their games. They are
sharp, attacking, and full of fighting spirit.
Bobby said this to an interviewer for a Russian chess magazine. This was
the rating gap between Fischer and Spassky at the time, as well as the length
of the match, Fischer was almost certainly a GREATER than 20-to-1
favourite. The first FIDE rating list had come out less than a year earlier,
though, so he probably didnt know how favoured he really was to win the
match.
I want to meet girls--vivacious girls with big breasts.
After winning the world championship and moving back to LA in 1973,
Fischer had a specific goal in mind. Of course, he went on to live like a
hermit for the next 20 years and probably had little contact with the opposite
sex, vivacious and big-breasted or otherwise. This is yet another example of
Fischer blurting out whatever he felt at the moment without qualifying it
appropriately.
I am a genius--not just a chess genius but a genius in other things as
well.
Spoken near the end of his life, theres a sadness in this statement. Fischer
gave his life to chess, and in the end he may have regretted it--if only for a
moment. After he settled down in Iceland he began to read constantly, at first
at a local book store and later at the public library. Icelanders who spoke
with him said that there was nothing he couldnt discuss at length.
Nothing soothes as much as the human touch.
Fischer said this to a friend who visited him in the hospital near his death.
Once again, its hard to reconcile this statement with who Fischer was.
While it may be true for most people, Fischer was never a touchy-feely
kind of guy. For him, nothing soothed as much as playing through a great
game of chess in the middle of the night, listening to rhythm and blues and
nursing a soda. There are two competing impulses at play in interpreting this
quote: the cynical desire to chalk it up to Fischers penchant for making
grand statements based on his momentary feelings and whims; and the
sentimental desire to conclude that Fischer was just a scared little boy all
along, that maybe if hed only been hugged his life would have turned out
differently. I dont know which is worse.
Ive thought of giving it up, off and on, but I always considered: What
else could I do?
What else, indeed. Actually, Fischer sells himself a bit short here. He
eventually became fluent or nearly so in three foreign languages--Spanish,
Russian, and German--and had various other talents. A more truthful
statement would have been, What else could I do without wanting to kill
myself or go on a shooting spree? and the answer was, of course,
Nothing.
Spassky has committed an enormous error in getting married.
Classic Fischer. The truth is, Fischers greatest mistake in life was never
letting anyone get close to him.
I am only interested in chess and money.
As always, its hard to take Fischers statements at face value. If hed
stopped after the word chess, this statement would be quite easy to
believe--but Fischer never showed any real interest in anything expensive.
He did wear specially tailored suits, but this had more to do with his desire
to fit in with other grandmasters than anything else. Its likely that if he truly
were interested in money, it was the kind of negative interest often found in
people who grow up poor: far from dreaming of having too much of it,
perhaps he wanted to make sure that he never had too little.
I felt Petrosians ego crumbling after the sixth game.
Fischer famously demolished his three opponents in the Candidates matches
leading up to the 1972 World Championship. Of the three, Petrosian actually
put up the best fight, losing 6.5 - 2.5. (Fischers other opponents both lost 6
- 0.)
I have decided that the interests of my nation are greater than my
own.
This one is a head-shaker. After receiving two calls from Henry Kissinger
urging him to play against Spassky (rather than continue to drag his feet like
a child), Fischer gave this as his reason for going ahead with the match. One
can only imagine that, at that moment, he felt like a national hero, going to
war for the glory of his people. A moment later, of course, hed forgotten
about his nation and was set on crushing Spasskys ego for his own
personal gratification. Later in life he would come to despise the United
States, viewing it as an illegitimate country built on stolen land.
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.d4 00 5.Bf4 d5 6.Qb3 dxc4 7.Qxc4 c6
8.e4 Nbd7 9.Rd1 Nb6 10.Qc5 Bg4 11.Bg5
11. Be2 followed by 12 O-O would have been more prudent. The bishop
move played allows a sudden crescendo of tactical points to be uncovered
by Fischer. -- Wade
11Na4 ! 12.Qa3 On 12. Nxa4 Nxe4 and White faces considerable
difficulties. 12Nxc3
At first glance, one might think that this move only helps White create a
stronger pawn centre; however, Fischers plan is quite the opposite. By
eliminating the Knight on c3, it becomes possible to sacrifice the exchange
via Nxe4 and smash Whites centre, while the King remains trapped in the
centre.
13.bxc3 Nxe4 The natural continuation of Blacks plan. 14.Bxe7 Qb6
15.Bc4 Nxc3 16.Bc5 Rfe8+ 17.Kf1
Be6!!
If this is the game of the century, then 17Be6!! must be the counter of the
century. Fischer offers his queen in exchange for a fierce attack with his
minor pieces. Declining this offer is not so easy: 18. Bxe6 leads to a
Philidor Mate (smothered mate) with Qb5+ 19. Kg1 Ne2+ 20. Kf1
Ng3+ 21. Kg1 Qf1+ 22. Rxf1 Ne2#. Other ways to decline the queen also
run into trouble: e.g., 18. Qxc3 Qxc5
18.Bxb6 Bxc4+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+ 20.Kf1 Nxd4+ This tactical scenario, where
a king is repeatedly revealed to checks, is sometimes called a windmill.
21.Kg1 Ne2+ 22.Kf1 Nc3+ 23.Kg1 axb6 24.Qb4 Ra4 25.Qxb6 Nxd1
26.h3 Rxa2 27.Kh2 Nxf2 28.Re1 Rxe1 29.Qd8+ Bf8 30.Nxe1 Bd5 31.Nf3
Ne4 32.Qb8
b5
Every piece and pawn of the black camp is defended. The white queen has
nothing to do.
33.h4 h5 34.Ne5 Kg7 35.Kg1 Bc5+ 36.Kf1 Ng3+ Now Byrne is hopelessly
entangled in Fischers mating net. 37.Ke1 Bb4+ 38.Kd1 Bb3+ 39.Kc1
Ne2+ 40.Kb1 Nc3+ 41.Kc1 Rc2# 01
1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 00 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 b6 8.cxd5
Nxd5 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.Rc1 Be6 12.Qa4 c5 13.Qa3 Rc8
14.Bb5 a6 15.dxc5 bxc5 16.00 Ra7 17.Be2 Nd7 18.Nd4 Qf8 19.Nxe6 fxe6
20.e4!
d4 21.f4 Qe7 22.e5 Rb8 23.Bc4 Kh8 24.Qh3 Nf8 25.b3 a5 26.f5 exf5
27.Rxf5 Nh7 28.Rcf1 Qd8 29.Qg3 Re7 30.h4 Rbb7 31.e6 Rbc7 32.Qe5 Qe8
33.a4 Qd8 34.R1f2 Qe8 35.R2f3 Qd8 36.Bd3 Qe8 37.Qe4 Nf6
38.Rxf6!!
1.d4 Notes from various sources. 1Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5
5.Qb3 maintains more tension. -- Fischer 5cxd5 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.e3 00
8.Nge2 Nc6 9.00 b6 10.b3
Its hard for either side to introduce an imbalance into this essentially
symmetrical variation. Deadeye equality also ensues after 10.Nf4 e6 11.b3
Ba6 12.Re1 Rc8 13.Ba3 Re8 14.Rc1 (Stahlberg-Flohr, Kemeri 1937)
Fischer
10Ba6
11.Ba3
I was a bit worried about weakening my QP, but felt that the tremendous
activity obtained by my minor pieces would permit White no time to exploit
it. 12e6 would probably lead to a draw. -- Fischer
13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Rfd1
The key to Blacks previous play. The complete justification for this sac
does not become apparent until White resigns! -- Fischer
16.Kxf2 Ng4+ 17.Kg1 Nxe3 18.Qd2
Byrne: As I sat pondering why Fischer would choose such a line, because it
was so obviously lost for Black, there suddenly comes
18Nxg2!! This dazzling move came as the shocker the culminating
combination is of such depth that, even at the very moment at which I
resigned, both grandmasters who were commenting on the play for the
spectators in a separate room believed I had a won game! -- Robert Byrne
19.Kxg2 d4! 20.Nxd4
Bb7+
Robert James
Petrosian [B13]
Fischer vs
Tigran
Vartanovich
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Nf6 6.Bf4 Bg4 7.Qb3 Na5
8.Qa4+ Bd7 9.Qc2 e6 10.Nf3 Qb6 11.a4 Rc8 12.Nbd2 Nc6 13.Qb1 Nh5
14.Be3 h6 15.Ne5
Nf6 16.h3 Bd6 17.00 Kf8 18.f4 Be8 19.Bf2 Qc7 20.Bh4 Ng8
21.f5
Nxe5 22.dxe5 Bxe5 23.fxe6 Bf6 24.exf7 Bxf7 25.Nf3 Bxh4 26.Nxh4
Nf6 27.Ng6+ Bxg6 28.Bxg6 Ke7 29.Qf5 Kd8 30.Rae1 Qc5+ 31.Kh1 Rf8
32.Qe5
Rc7 33.b4 Qc6 34.c4 dxc4 35.Bf5 Rff7 36.Rd1+ Rfd7 37.Bxd7 Rxd7
38. Qb8+ Ke7 39.Rde1+ 10
suggests otherwise: he was a voracious reader, and near the end of his life
he spoke fluent Spanish and near-fluent Russian and German. He was, of
course, crazy, but thats neither here nor there. The point is that he was not a
chess robot. In fact, he kept his emotions close to the surface, and this may
have prevented him from excelling at poker. Even as an adult, he would
sometimes break down in tears after losing a game. The only thing that
prevented this from ruining his chess career was his ability to keep losses to
a minimum. In poker, while you can ensure long-term success with strong
play, you cant avoid losing many hands, even ones that you thought you
were very close to winning. Im not sure Fischer couldve handled that.
Overall, Im glad that Fischer became a chess player. If he had become a
world-class poker player, wed never be able to share in his brilliance. A
great hand of poker requires too much context to truly appreciate; its
greatness sometimes depends on entire histories between players. Watching
even the best poker players is like listening to one side of a conversation
that someones having on the phone: you never get the full story. Fortunately,
Fischers games are an open book that anyone can enjoy. In fact, I might go
play through the Game of the Century right now. Well, after this hand.
Fischer also had a complex spiritual life. Some of his favourite radio shows
were sermons broadcast by fundamentalist preachers. At one point he was
spending half of his waking hours studying scripture, but he eventually
realized that chess was more important to him than theology. For a time he
was involved with the Worldwide Church of God, a borderline cult that at
one point housed and fed him but also managed to extract from him a third of
his world championship winnings. He later denounced the church as liars
and thieves, and eventually his mistrust of religion widened to include both
Judaism and Christianity. An ethnic Jew, Fischer would ultimately become a
raging anti-Semite--but thats another story.
8. WTF HAPPENED IN
PASADENA?
After reading a biography of Bobby Fischer, I did some research of my own.
One of the easiest things to come across, thanks to the magic of the Internet
and Google, was a (transcribed) copy of his 1981 pamphlet, I Was
Tortured in the Pasadena Jailhouse!, an 8500-word alleged account of his
mistreatment by the Pasadena police. I already knew that Fischer wasnt all
there, having bought into anti-Semitic and anti-American conspiracy
theories later in life, so I decided to read his account for myself and see if I
could spot any inconsistencies in his story.
First, some background. After becoming world champion in 1972 and then
abdicating in 1975, Fischer moved to California and became a recluse. On
May 26, 1981, around 2 PM, while out for a walk, he was stopped by the
police and asked for ID. They told him that there had just been a bank
robbery, and that he matched the description of the suspect. Fischer told
them that he didnt have a drivers license because he didnt drive, and that
he couldnt recall his exact address. Eventually he was arrested and then
held for 48 hours. His 14-page pamphlet purports to describe his treatment
inside the jail. (Incidentally, hard copies of the pamphlet have become
collectors items in chess circles.) A summary of the pamphlet follows.
A cop car pulled up alongside Fischer while he was walking down the
sidewalk on the afternoon of the 26th. Later, a second car arrived, and
Fischer was surrounded by several officers. He answered their questions
to the best of his ability, but they arrested him anyway. During his arrest, his
right knee was badly bruised. On the way to the police station, the cops
were informed via radio that the bank robbery suspect had been
apprehended, but they still took him in. Upon their arrival at the station he
was interrogated, and during his interrogation one of the officers choked
him. Fischer gives a detailed description of his assailant. He remained
handcuffed during the interrogation, and the cuffs tore into his skin.
After his interrogation, he was taken to an unfurnished cell and stripped
9. FISCHER SENSATIONALISTIC?
Bobby Fischer once claimed that communism is just a mask for
Bolshevism, which is just a mask for Judaism. (He also thought that the
KGB could send radio signals to the fillings in his teeth, but well leave that
to one side for now.) When he finally decided to play against Spassky for
the world championship, it was only after Henry Kissinger called him
personally and told him that his country was rooting for him. Fired by a
sudden patriotism, he must have seen himself as a cross between Captain
America and Hitler, standing alone against the international Jewishcommunist conspiracy. Just as Nixons army of conscripts was struggling to
contain the material spread of the evil Soviet empire, he would contain its
ideological spread by robbing the Soviets of their greatest claim to
ideological superiority: the world chess championship title.
Theres just one problem with this narrative: every aspect of it is
completely absurd. His country was rooting for him, but only because he
was a US citizen; the public largely viewed him as strange, antisocial, and
unpleasant. They hardly saw themselves or their values reflected in him,
especially since mainstream anti-Semitism had all but died in the US by
1972. On the other side of the contest, Spassky was better liked by the
public, but he was viewed with suspicion by the government and by his
fellow grandmasters due to his lack of enthusiasm about communism. He
admired the tsars of old and thought that the revolution in 1917 had been a
disaster. In fact, he wasnt even a member of the Communist Party. Thus the
champion of the American way was an anti-social geek with fringe political
views, and the champion of the Soviet system was a man who wished the
Communist Revolution had never taken place!
Neither the US government nor the Soviet government considered the match
important. The Cold War theme was pasted on by the media as a way to
spice up the story. In 1972, American-Soviet relations were better than
theyd been in twenty years. The war in Vietnam was winding down, and
there were talks of the USSR opening itself to foreign trade. Nobody
important cared about the outcome of a chess match.
The final irony is that neither of Spasskys parents were Jewish, either
religiously or ethnically, whereas both of Fischers parents were Jews.
Spasskys father was not Jewish, as has been rumoured, but in fact the son
of an Orthodox Christian priest. The champion was proud of his familys
ties to the church and even considered himself to be an honourable antiSemite. Fischer, a Jew (by Jewish law--he himself disclaimed his
heritage), was, in his mind, fighting against Jewish commie bastards by
playing chess against the anti-Semitic, anti-communist grandson of an
Orthodox Christian priest!
The moral of the story is twofold. First, reality is stranger than fiction.
Second, when it comes to the media, expect sensationalism.
complained that his clock ought not be stopped since he could easily
continue to contemplate the position without sight of the board--Fischer
immediately agreed. Even his odd and hateful beliefs about a worldwide
Jewish conspiracy hinted at a certain dispassionate outlook, since he knew
perfectly well that he himself was Jewish (or half Jewish, as he liked to
say, having a Jewish mother and a likely non-Jewish father).
Brady addresses and dismisses the theory that Fischers anti-Semitism was
somehow related to feelings of animosity that he had towards his mother,
asserting that Bobby loved his mother deeply. He does, however, give a
frank account of Fischers upbringing that nearly indicts his mother for
neglect. Since his father was out of the picture and his older sister spent
nearly all her time studying, the result was that Fischer virtually raised
himself. Perhaps this contributed to one of his other major character traits-the other being paranoia--a fanatical desire to control his environment.
These three traits--merciless honesty, the need for control, and paranoia-are what drove Fischer near insane, as detailed in the second half of
Endgame. Ironically, they may well be the same traits that made it possible
for his innate chess talent to realize itself as spectacularly as it did. Though
the book doesnt describe any games in detail, his style is described as
uncompromising, lucid, and nearly error-free. Unfortunately, these traits
taken to their extremes ultimately destroyed the man that theyd help become
the World Chess Champion. Reading about how Fischer alienated his
friends, incurred the wrath of the US government, and adopted increasingly
poisonous conspiracy theories is like watching a car accident in slow
motion. Endgame is sometimes hard to read, but it comes off as honest
above all.
Bobby would have liked it.
The first game of the historic streak was played in the seventeenth round of
the 1970 Palma de Mallorca Interzonal against J.A. Rubinetti. Fischer,
playing White, sacrificed a bishop for two pawns and an attack in the
middlegame of an open Sicilian. With Blacks king stuck in the centre and
Whites queenside pawns storming forward and opening lines in their wake,
a quick victory was inevitable. Black resigned on move 24, and the winning
streak had begun. (As an aside, Fischers 12. Bd5! had already been played
twice before, and quite recently. Given Fischers avid consumption of chess
periodicals, its likely that hed seen both games.)
14Na4 15. Nxa4 bxa4 16. c4 Kc8 17. Qxa4 Qd7 18. Qb3 g5 19. Bg3 Nh5
20. c5!
20dxc5 21. bxc5 Qxd5 22. Re8+ Kd7 23. Qa4+ Bc6
24. Nxc6
1-0
A friend of mine once told me a story about a chess master who plays a long
series of blitz games with a strong grandmaster. I thought Id gain some
deeper insight into the game, says the master, but all I learned was
LPDO.
LPDO? my friend asks.
Loose Pieces Drop Off.
In the following game, 12. h3? loses a pawn to a nice combination. The
reason it works? The undefended bishop on f4.
9. Nf3 O-O 10. Be2 Bg4 11. O-O Re8 12. h3?
Nxe4!
13. Nxe4 Rxe4 14. Bg5 Qe8 15. Bd3 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Rb4-+
17. Rae1 Be5 18. Qd1 Qxa4 19. Qxa4 Rxa4 20. f4 Bd4+ 21. Kh1Nd7
22. Re7 Nf6 23. Rxb7 Nh5 24. Kh2 Be3 25. Be2 Bxf4+
27. Rb6 Rxf1 28. Bxf1 Rd8 29. Bxa6 Kg7 30. Bb5
Kf6 31. Bc6 Ke5
32. Rb7 Rf8 33. Re7+ Kd4 34. Rd7 Nf6 0-1
10. Na3 b6 11. Be3 Bd7 12. Rc1 Qb8 13. f3 Ra7 14. Nc2 Rd8 15. Qe1 Be8
16. Qf2
Rb7 17. a4 a5 18. Nd4 Nxd4 19. Bxd4 Nd7 20. Qg3 Bf6 21. Bxf6 Nxf6 22.
Rfd1
e5 23. Qh4 h6 24. Rd2 Nd7 25. Bd1 Nc5 26. f4 exf4
27. Qxf4
Ne6 28. Qg3 Qc7 29. Nd5 Qc5+ 30. Kh1 Bc6 31. Rc3
dxe5 35. Qxe5 Rdb8 36. Bf5 Qxe5 37. Rxe5 g6 38. h4 Nh7 39. Bg4 Nf6 40.
Bf3 Rd7 41. Rb5 Rd4
42. c5!!
Rxh4+ 43. Kg1 Rb4 44. Rxb4 axb4 45. Rc4 bxc5
46. Rxc5
Kg7 47. a5 Re8 48. Rc1 Re5 49. Ra1 Re7 50. Kf2 Ne8 51. a6 Ra7 52. Ke3
Nc7 53. Bb7 Ne6
54. Ra5!
Kf6 55. Kd3 Ke7 56. Kc4 Kd6 57. Rd5+ Kc7 58. Kb5 1-0
Fischer plays Alekhines Defence and his opponent springs a novelty on
him.
The resulting position features kings castled on opposite wings, but Suttles
misses his chance to launch an effective attack.
Fischer sets up both the classic Alekhines Gun and a lateral one (on the
fourth rank), and his activity eventually nets him a pawn and a strong knight
against a white bishop hemmed in by white pawns on d5 and h3.
His opponent resigns when it becomes clear that hell have to give up his
bishop to stop Black from queening.
13. O-O-O Qf6 14. Qh6 Qe7 15. Re1 e4 16. Nd2 Ne5
18 Qh4!
19. g3 Qf6 20. Kb1 Nc5 21. f4 exf3 22. Nxf3 f4 23. gxf4 Nxf3 24. Qxf3 Qh4
25. Be2 Bf5+ 26. Ka1 Rae8 27. Rc1 Be4 28. Nxe4 Rxe4 29. Rh2
29Rfxf4
30. Qc3 Qe7 31. Bf1 Re3 32. Qd2 Ref3 33. Re2 Qf6 34. Bg2 Rf2
37Qe5!
38. Kb1 Qxe3 39. Rxe3 Rf4 40. Bf3 h5 41. Kc2 Kf7 42. Kd2 Rb4 43. Kc3
Rh4 44. b4 Nd7 45. Be2 Nf6
46. Rf3 Kg7 47. Rd3 g5
48. a3 g4 49. Bf1 Ne4+ 50. Kc2 Nf2 51. Re3 gxh3 52. Re7+ Kf8
0-1
Fischer tries out the Nimzo-Larsen Attack, but he botches the opening by
playing 3. Nf3 instead of 3. e3 (to allow f4). Nevertheless, lackadaisical
play by his opponent allows him to build a kingside initiative, and White
cashes in for a pawn when Black misses a subtle intermezzo. Black
struggles on in the endgame, but two more pawns drop off and Black
resigns.
Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Bf6 14. Rf3 Qe715. Raf1 a5 16. Rg3
19. Qxg7+!
Be6 28. Kf2 Kf7 29. Rb6 Re7 30. e4 dxe4 31. dxe4 c4 32. b4 Bg4 33. Ke3
Rd7 34. g6+ Kf8 35. gxh7 Rxh7 36. Ng6+ Ke8
37. Nxe5
Bc8 38. Nxc4 Kd8 39. Nd6 Rg7 40. Kf2 Kc741. Nxc8 Kxc8 42. Rd6 1-0
White speculatively gives up two pieces for a rook and a pawn in an attempt
to play against Blacks undeveloped queenside. He blunders with 29. Rf2??,
losing the exchange and the game to 29. Nd3, when the knight cant be
captured due to a somewhat camouflaged back-rank weakness.
13. Nf3 Nxf3+ 14. Bxf3 h6 15. Bd2 a6 16. Be2 Qe7 17. Rae1 Qe5
20. Nb5?!
axb5 21. Bxb5 Qe5 22. Bc3 Qe7 23. Bxe8 Qxe8 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. b4 cxb4
26. Qb2+Qe5 27. Qxb4
30. Qxb6 Nxf2+ 31. Qxf2 Rxa4 32. Kg1 Ra1 33. Qe1 Ra2 34. Qg3 Qb2 35.
h4 Ra1
0-1
Bxe6 14. dxe6 Qc8 15. Qb3 c6 16. Bh5 Qxe6 17. Qxb7 Nf6 18. Be2
18Rfb8
23. cxd5 cxd5 24. Nb5 Ng6 25. Nd4 Qd7 26. Qe3 Kh7 27. h3 Rf8 28. Ba6
Rb6 29. Rc7
29Qa4
33. Nxf5 Rb1 34. Rxb1 Rxb1+ 35. Kh2 Qd7 36. Nd4
36Qd6+
37. g3 Qb4 38. Nc6 Qb6 39. Nxa7 Qxe3 40. Bxe3 Re1
0-1
White sacks a pawn for the bishop pair, an isolated Black pawn on d6, and
an uncastled Black king on d8 in a queenless middlegame. He eventually
wins his pawn back and then another, and the game enters a rook-and-bishop
versus rook-and-knight endgame. White displays excellent technique. 82.
Bc8! in particular is nice.
Qa5+ 9. Qd2 Nxe4 10. Qxa5 Nxa5 11. Be3 Kd7 12. N1c3 Nxc3 13. Nxc3
Kd8 14. Nb5 Be6
15. O-O-O
15b6 16. f4 exf4 17. Bxf4 Nb7 18. Be2 Bd7 19. Rd2 Be7 20. Rhd1 Bxb5
21. Bxb5 Kc7 22. Re2
26. Bd5
Kb8 27. a3 Rfd8 28. Bxf7 Bc3 29. Bd2 d5 30. Rd1 d4 31. Bxc3 Rxc3 32.
Kb2
d3 33. Kxc3 dxe2 34. Re1 Nd6 35. Bh5Nb5+ 36. Kb2 axb4 37. axb4 Rd4
38. c3 Rh4
39.Bxe2
39Nd6 40. Rd1Kc7 41. h3 Rf4 42. Rf1 Re4 43. Bd3 Re5 44. Rf2 h5 45.
c4
48Kc7 49. Ra7+ Kd8 50. c5 bxc5+51. bxc5 Ne8 52. Ra2 Nc7 53. Bc4
Kd7 54. Rb2 Kc6 55. Bb3 Nb5+ 56. Ke3 Kxc5 57. Kf4 Rg6 58. Bd1 h4
59. Kf5
59Rh6 60. Kg5 Nd6 61. Bc2 Nf7+ 62. Kg4 Ne5+ 63. Kf4 Kd4 64. Rb4+
Kc3 65. Rb5 Nf7 66. Rc5+ Kd4 67. Rf5 g5+ 68. Kg4
68Ne5+ 69. Kxg5 Rg6+ 70. Kxh4 Rxg2 71. Bd1 Rg8 72. Bg4 Ke4 73.
Ng6 76. Ra6 Ne5 77. Kf4 Rf7+ 78. Kg5 Rg7+ 79. Kf5 Rf7+ 80. Rf6 Rxf6+
81. Kxf6
Ke4 82. Bc8!! Kf4 83. h4 Nf3 84. h5 Ng5 85. Bf5 Nf3 86. h6 Ng5 87. Kg6
Nf3 88. h7 Ne5+
89. Kf6 10
White sacks a pawn for an attack, and later either sacks his queen for a rook
and a bishop or overlooks a fork.
Black consolidates and wins. A poor game by Taimanov.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O
Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Bd2 Ne8 10.Rc1 f5 11.Qb3 b6 12.exf5 gxf5 13.Ng5 Nf6
27Qc1+
36.Nb5 Be5 37.a3 Qd7 38.Ra8 f3 39.gxf3 Bxh2 40.Kg2 Qg7+ 41.Kxh2
Qe5+
0-1
Bc5 10. Bf4 d6 11. Qd2 h6 12. Rad1 e5 13. Be3 Bg4 14. Bxc5 dxc5 15. f3
Be6
16. f4
Kd8 21. Qe2 Rxd1+ 22. Qxd1+ Qd7 23. Qxd7+ Kxd7
24. Re5
b6 25. Bf1 a5 26. Bc4 Rf8 27. Kg2 Kd6 28. Kf3
Nd7 29. Re3 Nb8 30. Rd3+ Kc7 31. c3 Nc6 32. Re3 Kd6 33. a4 Ne7 34. h3
Nc6
35. h4
h5 36. Rd3+ Kc7 37. Rd5 f5 38. Rd2 Rf6 39. Re2 Kd7 40. Re3 g6 41. Bb5
Rd6 42. Ke2 Kd8 43. Rd3
Kc7 44. Rxd6 Kxd6 45. Kd3 Ne7 46. Be8 Kd5 47. Bf7+ Kd6
48. Kc4
Kc6 49. Be8+ Kb7 50. Kb5 Nc8 51. Bc6+ Kc7 52. Bd5 Ne7 53. Bf7
Kb7 54. Bb3 Ka7 55. Bd1 Kb7 56. Bf3+ Kc7 57. Ka6 Nc8
58. Bd5
Ne7 59. Bc4 Nc6 60. Bf7 Ne7 61. Be8 Kd8 62. Bxg6!!
Nxg6 63. Kxb6 Kd7 64. Kxc5 Ne7 65. b4 axb4 66. cxb4 Nc8 67. a5 Nd6
68. b5
12. f4 Bd5 13. O-O Nd7 14. Nxc4 O-O 15. a4 c5 16. Ne5 Nxe5
17. dxe5
f6 18. Rb2 Be6 19. Rd2 Qc7 20. Bg4 Qc8 21. Bf3 Rb8 22. Qe2 Rd8 23.
Rfd1
Rxd2 24. Qxd2 Qe8 25. exf6 exf6 26. Qd6 Rc8 27. a5 Bf8 28. Qd2 Be7
29. Bd5
Qf7 30. Bxe6 Qxe6 31. Qd7 Kf7 32. Qxa7 bxa5 33. e4
38. Qxa3 Ra8 39. Qb2 Ke8 40. Qb5 Kf8 41. Rd1Qxf4 42. Bxc5 Bxc5+ 43.
Qxc5+ Kg7
44. Rf1 Qe4 45. Qc7+ Kh6 46. Rxf6 Qd4+ 47.Rf2
Ra1+ 01
After two wins with a bishop versus a knight, Fischer wins with a knight
(and an extra pawn) versus a bishop. He shows nice technique.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nb5 d6 6.Bf4 e5 7.Be3Nf6 8.Bg5
Be6
21.Ne4
1-0
Well, I still have my music. - Taimanov to Fischer, after their candidates
match
After Fischers humiliation of Taimanov, most of the chess world believed
that he would beat Larsen, but no one thought he would sweep him. Larsen
was, after all, ranked significantly higher than Taimanov.
Fischer was playing against children. - Bent Larsen, on Fischers 11-0
performance in the 1963-1964 US Championship
White sacks a pawn for dark square control, the bishop pair, and to trap
Blacks king in the centre.
After tolerating an illusory attack on his king, he ends up with a rook and
two bishops versus a queen in an open position, and wins with his outside
passed pawn.
This game is a good example of Fischers strong nerves. He wasnt shaken,
as many players are, by allowing an attack on his king that he believed
would fail.
11. Be2
f6 12. Re1 Ng6 13. Ba3 fxe5 14. dxe5 Ncxe5 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Qd4
Ng6 17. Bh5 Kf7 18. f4 Rhe8 19. f5 exf5 20. Qxd5+ Kf6
21. Bf3
Ne5 22. Qd4 Kg6 23. Rxe5 Qxe5 24. Qxd7 Rad8 25. Qxb7
Rf2+ 29. Kg1 Rxg2+ 30. Kxg2 Qd2+ 31. Kh1 Rxc6 32. Bxc6
Qxc3 33. Rg1+ Kf6 34. Bxa7 g5 35. Bb6 Qxc2 36. a5 Qb2
37. Bd8+
Ke6 38. a6 Qa3 39. Bb7 Qc5 40. Rb1 c3 41. Bb6
1-0
19Nxe4! 20. Nxe4 Qxe4 21. Bd3 Qd4+ 22. Kh1 Rce8 23. Be3 Qc3 24.
Bxh6 Qxd2
25. Bxd2
25Be5 26. Bf4 Bxf4 27. Rxf4 gxf5 28. Rxf5 Kg7 29. Rg5+ Kh6 30. h4 e6
31. Rf1f5 32. Re1 Rf7 33. b5 axb5 34. cxb5 Bd7 35. g4 Ra8 36. gxf5 exf5
37. Bc4?
37Ra4! 38. Rc1 Bxb5 39. Bxf7 Rxh4+ 40. Kg2 Kxg5
41. Bd5 Ba6 42. Rd1 Ra4 43. Bf3 Rxa3 44. Rxd6 Ra2+
45. Kg1 Kf4
46. Bg2 Rb2 47. Rd7 b6 48. Rd8 Be2 49. Bh3 Bg4 50. Bf1 Bf3 51. Rb8
Be4
0-1
Larsen gives the point away with 11Qc8?, which drops a pawn and the
game.
9Bd7 10. O-O a6 11. f5 Qc8? 12. fxe6 Bxe6 13. Nxe6 fxe6
14. Na4
Rb8 15. Nb6 Qe8 16. Bxe6+ Kh8 17. Bf5 Ne5 18. Qd4
18Qh5 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. Qxd5 Qe2 21. Ba7 Rbe8 22. Rf2 Qb5 23. c3
Bh4 24. g3 Qxd5 25. exd5 Bf6
26. Raf1
26Nc4 27. Be6 Ra8 28. Bd4 Bxd4 29. cxd4 Rxf2 30. Rxf2 b5 31. Kf1 g6
32. b3 Na3 33. Ke2
38. Kd3 Nxe6 39. Rxe6 a5 40. Kd4 Kf7 41. Re2
1-0
White gets outplayed in a typical KID with attacks on both sides of the
board.
Larsen had spent a great deal of time preparing for Fischers Kings Indian
but it was of no use here.
15. Qa3 Bh6 16. Bd3 Qc7 17. bxc5 bxc5 18. exf5 gxf5 19. Bc2 a6 20. Nde4
20Bxc1 21. Nxf6+ Rxf6 22. Rfxc1 Raf8 23. Rb6 Bc8 24. Ne2 f4
26. Rc6 Qg7 27. Rb1 Nh4 28. Qd3 Bf5 29. Kh1 f3
0-1
White sacks a pawn for two laser bishops, development, and a potential
attack.
He later sacks the exchange for a pawn, an anchored bishop on d5, and an
active rook on the seventh rank. After some very energetic play, he trades
down into a king-and-pawns ending with even material that is nevertheless
won for White due to his outside passed pawn. An imaginative game by
Fischer.
11. f5 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 exf5 13. Qd3 fxe4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4
15. Qxe4 Be6 16. Rf3
Qc6 17. Re1 Qxe4 18. Rxe4 d5 19. Rg3 g6 20. Bxd5 Bd6 21. Rxe6
25. Ra7
25Bc7 26. g3 Rfe8 27. Kf1 Re7 28. Bf6 Re3 29. Bc3 h5 30. Ra6 Be5 31.
Bd2 Rd3 32. Ke2
32Rd4 33. Bc3 Rcxc4 34. Bxc4 Rxc4 35. Kd3 Rc5
36. Rxa5
36Rxa5 37. Bxa5 Bxb2 38. a4 Kf8 39. Bc3 Bxc3 40. Kxc3
12. Nxc6 Nxc6 13. Qd2 Qc7 14. Rad1 Rd8 15. Nc2 Rb8
21. Bg5 Rd5 22. Qf4 Bg7 23. h4 Rb7 24. Bf6 Bxf6 25. Qxf6 Qxc3
26. h5 gxh5 27. Kh1 Ng4 28. Bxg4 hxg4 29. Qh6 Bd7
30. Rf4 f5
31. Qf6 Bc8 32. Rff1 Rf7 33. Qh6 Bb7 34. Nxe6 Qf6
35. Qe3 Re7 36. Rde1 Rd6 37. Qg5+ Qxg5 38. Nxg5 Rxe1 39. Rxe1 Bd5
40. Re8+ Kg7
0-1
One of these days I really should start playing against adults. - Bobby
Fischer, after his match with Bent Larsen
Okay, fine, I made that up. Thats what he should have said, anyway.
Our final game is one that showcases, among other things, Fischers ability
to work through massive complications over the board even when in an
unfamiliar position.
Black springs a major novelty on White, who manages to walk the tightrope
and survive to an endgame.
When it turns out that White actually has a small edge, he decides to push it
rather than take a draw by repetition and move on to the next game.
He eventually wins with an outside passed pawn in a rook-and-knight
versus rook-and-knight endgame.
Fischers composure and will to win shine through here.
15. Bc4 Rhg8 16. Rd1Bf5 17. Bd3 Bxd3 18. Qxd3 Nd4 19. O-O
23Rc2 24. Rd2 Rxd2 25. Nxd2 f5 26. fxe5 Re8 27. Re1
30Rxe5 31. Nf3 Rxd5 32. Rxh7 Rxd3 33. h4 Ne3 34. Rxf7
37. Rxf4 Rxa2 38. Re4 Nxg2 39. Kg3 Ra5 40. Ne5
1-0
After Petrosian won the next game, Fischers otherworldly streak ended.
After his win, Petrosian was carried around on the shoulders of his
comrades while he crowd chanted, Tigran the tiger!
Its not hard to see why.
CONCLUSION
So whatd you guys think?
I hope some of my comments about Bobby werent too harsh, but as a chess
fan (and truly a huge fan of Fischer) it is so sad for me that somebody who
created such beautiful chess masterpieces, could become so bitter and turn
against basically the whole world.
Had his 1975 match with Karpov taken place, we would have certainly
been blessed with a lot more beautiful chess (from BOTH players) in a very
tough match.
Anyway, I hope this book gave you some interesting opinions on Bobbys
life, but please do take me up on that offer of the free chess course (at
onlinechesscourse.com/free) as it will help you improve your tactics
immeasurably.
Also please do come over to my Facebook page and connect with meI
love to make new chess friends from all over the globe.
Find me at https://www.facebook.com/bjnchess