1943-2008
CHESS LEGEND BOBBY FISCHER IS NO MORE
By P.S.Dabholkar
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Bobby Fischer 1943-2008
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It is an irreparable loss in the history of Chess, all over the world.
Bobby Fischer fought Spassky, the Grandmaster from Leningrad (Soviet Union) during the peak of the 1970-1980 cold war, in a series of games in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. In third quarter of the 20th century, he became the first ever American World Chess Champion.
Everybody loves a fighter in sports. If boxing displays the spine tingling and bloodletting of a rough and tumble contest, Bobby Fischer demonstrated more than this over the chess board. All his championship games were slashing, cut and thrust, encounters, studded with brilliant play and outstanding recoveries. Each of his games runs the gamut of emotion, not with just a single climax but with summits and valleys and more summits, until the culminating point is indicated by the words “I Resign” from the opponent.
Bobby Fischer learnt to play chess from his sister at the age of 6. She initiated him to the rules of the game. Looking at his progress day to day, his sister quickly felt that Bobby possessed the trait of a master and his mission should be, to become the strongest player in the chess world.
Fischer took this task seriously. He quit school, then left his mother’s flat in Brooklyn and later still, moved out of his home in Los Angles turning into a wanderer living in hotels and leaving his belongings behind, but not his wooden travelling chess set.
Between age 6 to 10, he thoroughly learned chess including professional techniques of handling of each phase of the game, i.e. perfect openings, middle game and endgame strategy. He deeply studied and analysed all major famous openings of the time, with common playing moves from various available books. But he always sought to escape from the staid book lines while playing with the senior players. There were transpositions, beautiful combinations and simple exchange of major pieces. As a result he succeed in bringing about brilliant notable victories.
A player of deep and accurate positional sense, his style of playing was so original that he could be regarded as the founder of the Hyper modern Gambit technique. He enjoyed the distinction of being a supremo in openings like the Gruenfeld, Ruy Lopez, King’s Indian, Poisoned Pawn (Sicilian) and Yugoslav (Sicilian Dragon) for many years.
The hallmark of the opening phase of his games was tenacity and determination. He would often change the course of the game into a Gambit style with brilliant moves and good combinations.
The run up to the 1972 World Championship was in itself legendary. He won the Palma de Mallorca Interzonal with a remarkable score of 18.5-4.5 (+15=7-1). In the Candidates Matches he routed both Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen 6-0 and Tigran Petrosian 6.5-2.5
Thus began the drama of 1972, when he came to Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, and played with Spassky in a series of games that still bear comparison with those of any later age.
He won his matches because of his greater versatility and superior positional judgment. Perhaps he was not sufficiently consistent but he won notable victories over almost every great master of his time.
Fischer always played chess with the direct aim winning the game, spurning draws even if the conditions of the match or tournament allowed it. He always tried to complete the game on the same day in allowable time, and didn’t like to go into adjournment with a sealed move to continue the next day after home analysis. In 1970, while playing the match with Petrofina (USSR vs. Rest of the World), though he was suffering from severe cold and cough, he avoided adjudication. This shows his determination and pure love for chess.
In India, chess popularity took an upward swing after the Reykjavik match. (Ed: The Illustrated Weekly of India in January 1973 put Bobby on the cover and carried an article by B.Chatterjee – AICCF member and brother of the Bulletin Editor)
Even young players took note of Fischer’s elements of chess: space gain, centre control, initiative and counter chances, the attack, open and half open files, pawn majorities, the rank, accumulation of small advantages and exploiting weaknesses.
Highlights of Fischer’s Career
Tribute to Fischer by world GM’s.
Indian GM and World Champion, Vishwanathan Anand: I was deeply saddened to hear about Fischer’s death. He was one of the reasons why many of us stared playing chess. What he did in 1972 will be one of the most important moments in chess history.
GM Garry Kasparov from Moscow: Fischer’s status world champion and celebrity came from a charismatic and combative personality matched with unstoppable play. With his death, chess has lost one of its greatest figures.
GM Boris Spassky from Paris: It’s a bad luck for us that Bobby is no more. He will be remembered for his brilliant, unpredictable moves, game studded with emotion…
GM Anatoly Karpov: I missed a chance to play with Bobby for which I was dreaming till 2002.
GM Karmic: Bobby was great. His style of play was based on his own individual, simpler and more logical, imaginative thought.
For AICCF readers, I give below the game, won by Bobby Fischer against GM Byrne, at age 13. This game was recorded as Game of the Century in the history of Chess.
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.d4 O-O 5.Bf4
After 5.e4 it would be a King's Indian Defence.
5...d5
At age 13, Fischer plays the Gruenfeld Defence which is quite intricate in terms of its strategic aims.
6.Qb3 dxc4 7.Qxc4 c6 8.e4 Nbd7 9.Rd1 Nb6 10.Qc5
Not the right spot for the Queen. Correct was 10.Qb3 White faces a lot of difficulties after 10.Qc5.
10...Bg4 11.Bg5?
Perhaps Byrne thought that Fischer was planning 11...Nfd7 and 12...e5. But 11.Bg5 is wrong. Correct was 11.Be2 followed by 12.0-0.
11...Na4!!
Fischer is strong and brilliant.
12.Qa3
12.Nxa4 Nxe4 13.Qxe7 (13.Qc1 Qa5+ 14.Nc3 Bxf3 15.gxf3 Nxg5 -+; 13.Qb4 Nxg5 14.Nxg5 Bxd1 15.Kxd1 Bxd4) 13...Qxe7 14.Bxe7 Rfe8 -+
12...Nxc3 13.bxc3 Nxe4! 14.Bxe7 Qb6 15.Bc4
15.Bxf8 Bxf8 16.Qb3 Nxc3! 17.Qxb6 (17.Qxc3 Bb4 wins
the Queen.) 17...axb6 -+
15...Nxc3 16.Bc5
All the spectators felt that after this move by White, Fischer would lose control over the game in the 16th and 17th moves. Instead Fischer's play demonstrates excellent, positional judgement taking complete control over the scattered White pieces. If 16.Qxc3 Rfe8 wins the Bishop. 16...Rfe8+ 17.Kf1 White is threatening Bxb6 as well as Qxc3, but Fischer has a neat resource.
17…Be6!!
18.Bxb6
If 18.Bxe6 Qb5+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+ 20.Kf1 Ng3+ 21.Kg1 Qf1+ 22.Rxf1 Ne2# A smothered mate... similar to Philidor's mate.
18...Bxc4+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+ 20.Kf1 Nxd4+ 21.Kg1
If 21.Rd3 axb6 22.Qc3 Nxf3 23.Qxc4 Re1#
21...Ne2+ 22.Kf1 Nc3+ 23.Kg1 axb6 24.Qb4 Ra4 25.Qxb6 If 25.Qd6 Nxd1 26.Qxd1 Rxa2 followed by Ra1 winning the Queen.
25...Nxd1
The Grandmaster is totally lost. Fischer has R+2B against White's Queen. Byrne plays on upto the end to test his young opponent.
26.h3 Rxa2 27.Kh2 Nxf2 28.Re1 Rxe1 29.Qd8+ Bf8 30.Nxe1 Bd5 31.Nf3 Ne4 32.Qb8 b5 33.h4 h5 34.Ne5 Kg7 35.Kg1 Bc5+ 36.Kf1
36.Kh2 Bd6; 36.Kh1 Ra1+ 37.Kh2 Bd6
36...Ng3+ 37.Ke1 Bb4+ 38.Kd1 Bb3+ 39.Kc1 Ne2+ 40.Kb1 Nc3+ 41.Kc1 Rc2#
or 41...Ba3#
0-1
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.g3 Nf6? 7.Ndb5! Qb8 8.Bf4 Ne5
9.Be2! Bc5 10.Bxe5! Qxe5 11.f4 Qb8 12.e5 a6 13.exf6 axb5 14.fxg7 Rg8 15.Ne4 Be7 16.Qd4 Ra4
17.Nf6+ Bxf6 18.Qxf6 Qc7 19.O O O Rxa2 20.Kb1 Ra6 21.Bxb5 Rb6 22.Bd3 e5
23.fxe5! Rxf6 24.exf6 Qc5 25.Bxh7 Qg5 26.Bxg8 Qxf6 27.Rhf1 Qxg7 28.Bxf7+ Kd8 29.Be6 Qh6 30.Bxd7 Bxd7 31.Rf7 Qxh2 32.Rdxd7+ Ke8 33.Rde7+ Kd8 34.Rd7+ Kc8 35.Rc7+ Kd8 36.Rfd7+ Ke8 37.Rd1 b5 38.Rb7 Qh5 39.g4 Qh3 40.g5 Qf3 41.Re1+ Kf8 42.Rxb5 Kg7 43.Rb6 Qg3 44.Rd1 Qc7 45.Rdd6 Qc8 46.b3 Kh7 47.Ra6
1-0
W D L USSR vs Rest of The World Match
Board 2 vs. Petrosian2 2 - Roving/Zagreb
1st Place10 6 1 Buenos Aires
1st Place13 4 - Olympiad (Siegen)
1st Place8 4 1 Palma Interzonal
1st Place15 7 1
T.No. Rosenwald, New York Trophy 1956
Gruenfeld Defence, D97
If 18.Qxc3 Qxc5 19.dxc5 Bxc3 -+ with a pawn plus and a better pawn structure.
Bled, 1961
Sicilian Paulsen, B47
