Extremely for these of us who have been first drawn to the sport by the joy and spectacle of the time, this yr marks the fiftieth anniversary — a full half-century — of Bobby Fischer’s epic run to the world chess title, culminating within the on- and off-board drama of Bobby’s defeat of star-crossed Soviet world champion Boris Spassky in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Even with the lengthy, unhappy epilogue of Fischer’s post-match profession, there was nothing earlier than or since to match the spectacle and the joy it delivered to the American chess scene. We’ve been attempting on this area to get slightly forward of the flood of commemorations and reminiscences more likely to come later this yr (Fischer clinched the title when Spassky resigned a misplaced adjourned endgame Sept. 1), together with two video games from a match that bought misplaced within the “Bobby the Unbeatable” hype of the time.
Key to the Fischer mystique have been two unprecedented 6-0 blowouts in his first two Candidates matches. Soviet GM Mark Taimanov, Fischer’s first sufferer, was each outclassed and beneath debilitating strain from officers again house to cease the bumptious American. Taimanov performed nervously and poorly and by no means had an opportunity.
The identical couldn’t be mentioned for Fischer’s subsequent opponent, Bent Larsen, the “Nice Dane” of chess and the West’s greatest participant for many of the Nineteen Sixties earlier than Fischer’s rise to greatness. As Jan Timman notes in his latest e-book “The Unstoppable American: Bobby Fischer’s Highway to Reykjavik,” not a couple of specialists on the time thought of Larsen — eight years older and way more skilled than his opponent — the favourite. Regardless of his repute for swagger and braggadocio, Fischer largely saved his personal counsel earlier than the match, whereas Larsen — who had overwhelmed Fischer on the 1970 Palma de Mallorca Interzonal of their final match sport — was the one who talked slightly smack: “I’ll trigger as a lot strain to Fischer as I can. I’m certain that if he loses the primary sport, it will upset him.”
The match that ensued is maybe the best illustration of the Fischer paradox — the person who would show so tragically delusional away from the sport was maybe the best realist ever on the chessboard. Past his extraordinary method and tactical creativeness, Fischer was at all times true to his items and to the place. He by no means lied to himself in regards to the state of play, his opponent’s possibilities, or the cleanest method to get what he may out of any place. He made errors, caught stubbornly to a comparatively slim repertoire, and was lower than snug in really obscure and speculative positions. But when there was a transparent, sound path to his objectives, Fischer may get there higher than anybody who ever pushed a pawn.
Recreation 1 proved to be a titanic battle and the most effective of the match. Larsen shocked his opponent with a Winawer French as Black, however White strikes the primary blow with 12. Re1 Ng6?! (attempting to pressure the problem within the middle, however White finds a high-quality pawn sacrifice; 12…0-0 was higher) 13. Ba3! fxe5 14. dxe5 Ncxe5 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Qd4!? (Timman thinks 16. Bh5+! g6 [Ng6? 17. Qxd5] 17. Qd4 was even stronger for White) 17. Qd4 Ng6 17. Bh5 Kf7 18. f4, and Larsen is already scrambling to guard his uncovered king.
The Black king finds a precarious perch on f6, however White lets his opponent off the hook with 21. Bf3 (Bd6! is near profitable in strains equivalent to 21…Qd8 [Qb6+ 22. Bc5 Qc7 23. h4 weaves a mating net] 22. Bf3 Bc6 23. Qd4+ Kf7 24. Qxc4+ Kf6 25. Qd4+ Kf7 26. Bd5+ Bxd5 27. Qxd5+ Kf6 28. Rf1, with, says Timman, “devastation.” Larsen counterpunches with 21…Ne5! 22. Qd4 Kg6! (giving up materials to safe his king) 23. Rxe5 Qxe5 (Rxe5?? 24. Bd6) 24. Qxd7 Rad8 25. Qxb7 Qe3+ 26. Kf1 Rd2, and out of the blue Black’s king is completely secure whereas it’s White who’s dealing with ominous mate threats.
At all times cool in protection, Fischer survives the swarm round his king, reaching a wildly unbalanced place after 29. Kg1 Rxg2+ 30. Kxg2 Qd2+ 31. Kh1 Rxc6 32. Bxc6 Qxc3, when White has a rook and two bishops to Black’s queen and two further pawns. Huge quantities of study have gone into this complicated place, however Timman concludes Black’s shedding transfer was 34. Bxa7 g5? (Ke6! 35. Bb6 Kd6 was necessary to disrupt the trail to coronation for White’s a-pawn, as Black survives in strains like 36. Bg2 Qxc2 37. a5 Qa4) 35. Bb6!, and White ruthlessly clears the best way to a brand new queen. After 37. Bd8+ Ke6 (too late!) 38. a6 Qa3 39. Bb7 Qc5 40. Rb1 c3 41. Bb6, Black resigned.
Echoing many Fischer opponents earlier than and since, Larsen would keep in mind Recreation 1 as “the one sport the place I used to be not likely sick.”
Recreation 2 is a Fischer traditional of one other type, hanging powerful from the Black facet of a Sicilian during which his queen practically will get trapped within the middle. He fights off Larsen’s makes an attempt to resume the assault (the dangerous-looking 28. Re3, as a substitute of White’s 28. Rxf5, is simply barely countered by 28…Rg8 29. Bxf5+ Kh6 30. Bh3 d5!, and Timman offers 31. cxd5 Bxd5 32. Re5 Rd8 33. Rxe7 Rde8 34. Rxe8 Rxe8 35. Kg1 Re1+ 36. Kf2 Ra1, and Black can maintain the pawn-down ending), and pounces the very first time his opponent offers him the prospect.
Thus: 36. gxf5 exf5 (see diagram; the draw is in sight after a sound transfer like 37. Reg1 Ra4, however not 37…Rxa3? 38. Bc4! Rxh3+ 39. Kg2 Kxg6 40. Kxh3+ Kf6 41. Bxf7 Kxf7 42. h5 and White wins) 37. Bc4? Ra4! 38. Rc1? (a dispirited Larsen makes a second mistake that throws away the sport for good; 38. Bxf7 Rxh4+ 39. Kg1 Kxg5 40. Be8 needed to be performed, although Black retains his profitable possibilities alive with 40…Bc8!) Bxb5!, snagging a second pawn and resulting in a received ending. White performs out the string, however after 53. Rc8 Rb1+ 54 Kh2 Kf4, mate is coming quickly on h1 and Larsen resigned.
Larsen obtained — and spoiled a few respectable positions within the ensuing 4 video games, however discovered a method to lose each one. Tellingly, in his career-spanning 2014 anthology “Bent Larsen’s Greatest Video games: Preventing Chess with the Nice Dane,” the Danish GM skips proper over and not using a single point out the Debacle in Denver.
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Fast hits … Younger American GM Hans Moke Niemann continues to impress mightily on his first tour of the foremost worldwide match circuit. He adopted up the 2-point victory on the fifty fifth Capablanca Memorial in Havana with a solo first within the even stronger twenty seventh TePe Sigeman & Co. Chess match in Malmo, Sweden, final week, ending forward of such veteran stalwarts as British GM Michael Adams and Latvian-Spanish nice GM Alexei Shirov. … Russian GM Yuri Averbakh, the world’s oldest grandmaster, handed away Could 7 on the age of 100. He was the 1954 USSR champion and one of many biggest endgame analysts and writers within the historical past of the sport.
Fischer-Larsen, Candidates Semifinal, Denver, July 1972
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. a4 Nbc6 8. Nf3 Bd7 9. Bd3 Qc7 10. O-O c4 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 Qe3+ 26. Kf1 Rd2 27. Qc6+ Re6 28. Bc5 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 Black resigns.
Larsen-Fischer, Candidates Semifinal, Denver, July 1972
1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. e4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Be2 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. Bg5 h6 10. Be3 O-O 11. Qd2 Kh7 12. O-O Be6 13. f4 Rc8 14. b3 Qa5 15. a3 a6 16. f5 Bd7 17. b4 Qe5 18. Rae1 Bc6 19. Bf4 Nxe4 20. Nxe4 Qxe4 21. Bd3 Qd4+ 22. Kh1 Rce8 23. Be3 Qc3 24. Bxh6 Qxd2 25. Bxd2 Be5 26. Bf4 Bxf4 27. Rxf4 gxf5 28. Rxf5 Kg7 29. Rg5+ Kh6 30. h4 e6 31. Rf1 f5 32. Re1 Rf7 33. b5 axb5 34. cxb5 Bd7 35. g4 Ra8 36. gxf5 exf5 37. Bc4 Ra4 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 52. Ba6 Ke3 53. Rc8 Rb1+ 54. Kh2 Kf4 White resigns.
• David R. Sands will be reached at 202/636-3178 or by e-mail at [email protected].
