2nd matchgame, New York/Los Angeles 1961 Sicilian Dragon
Reshevsky goes for the Accelerated Dragon, which to my mind is safer than the main line Dragon.
5 Nc3
Fischer opts for piece play. I have a feeling his towering strategic skills would have lent themselves well to the Maroczy bind line, 5 c4.
5 ... Bg7 6 Be3 Nf6 7 Be2
In this position Fischer also played 7 Bc4 0-0 8 Bb3 Na5?! (Black should go either for 8 ... d6 or 8 ... Ng4 9 Qxg4 Nxd4 10 Qh4) 9 e5 Ne8??.
Exe rcise (combination ale rt):White to play and force the win.
Answe r:Attraction/queen trap. 10 Bxf7+! and then: a) 10 ... Rxf7 11 Ne6! wins Black’s queen.
b) 10 ... Kh8 11 Ne6 is the same old story. Black’s queen is trapped.
c) 10 ... Kxf7 11 Ne6! And Black’s queen has no place to go, R.Fischer-S.Reshevsky, New York 1958/59. If 11 ... Kxe6 12 Qd5+ Kf5 13 g4+ Kxg4 14 Rg1+ Kh4 15 Qe4+ forces mate in two moves.
7 ... 0-0 8 f4
8 ... d6
Que stion:If ... d5 worked for Black after White castled, then why not here as well?
Answe r:8 ... d5?! doesn’t work out well for Black after 9 e5 Ne8 10 Bf3 Nc7 11 Qd2 with a comfortable space advantage for White.
9 Nb3
White prevents ... d5 freeing ideas, as well as ... Qb6 tricks. The careless 9 0-0 allows 9 ... Qb6! (threat: ... Nxe4) 10 Qd3 Ng4! 11 Bxg4 Bxd4! 12 Bxd4 Qxd4+ 13 Qxd4 Nxd4 14 Bd1 when Black stands about even in the ending.
9 ... Be6
Generally Black first tosses in 9 ... a5 10 a4 and only then follows with 10 ... Be6.
10 g4!?
When we make the decision to enter such a perversely complex line, we internally debate: “What will be our fate? Glory and treasure? Or unimaginable woe?”
10 ... d5
Principle: Meet a wing attack with a central counter.
11 f5
Undermining Black’s control over d5.
11 ... Bc8 12 exd5 Nb4 13 Bf3!
Fischer deviates from the explosive Alekhine-Botvinnik draw with a pawn sacrifice which exposes Black’s king. I think Fischer’s move is superior to 13 d6 Qxd6! 14 Bc5 Qf4 15 Rf1 Qxh2 16 Bxb4 Nxg4! (this move forces perpetual check) 17 Bxg4 Qg3+ 18 Rf2 Qg1+ 19 Rf1 Qg3+ 20 Rf2 Qg1+ ½-½, A.Alekhine-M.Botvinnik, Nottingham 1936 (a tournament in which Reshevsky participated). This game is annotated in Botvinnik: Move by Move.
13 ... gxf5
Of course this weakens Black’s king, but otherwise White just remains up a healthy pawn.
14 a3!
Superior to 14 g5 Ng4 15 Bc5 Na6 16 Bd4 e5! 17 dxe6, as was first played in I.Bondarevsky- V.Alatortsev, Tbilisi 1937. Black stands at least equal after 17 ... Qxg5 18 exf7+ Rxf7 19 h3 Re7+ 20 Kf1 Ne3+ 21 Bxe3 Rxe3.
15 Bg2!
The trademark Fischer accuracy.
Que stion:Why not just play 15 axb4 gxf3
16 Qxf3 when White isn’t even down a pawn?
Answe r:This line allows Black to seal the g-file with the manoeuvre 16 ... Bg4 17 Qg2 Bh5! intending ... Bg6 next, when Black’s king enjoys a greater degree of safety than in Fischer’s continuation. Surprisingly, Black’s missing g-pawn turns out to be an unimportant vestige, not needed for the implementation of the defence.
15 ... Na6
Now this knight sits offside.
16 Qd3!
Denying Black ... Bf5, while preparing to castle long.
16 ... e6!?
It’s a tricky matter to stir up enmity in a region in which the locals outnumber your own forces. A violation of the principle: Avoid confrontation when lagging in development, yet it follows the principle: Meet a wing attack with a central counter.
Kasparov suggests the line 16 ... Qd6 17 0-0-0 Nh5! intending ... Nf4. I still like White’s position after 18 Kb1 Nf4 19 Bxf4 Qxf4 20 Rde1 Qg5 21 h3! Qg6 22 hxg4 Qxd3 23 cxd3 Re8 24 Be4 h6 25 Reg1 since g5 is threatened.
17 0-0-0 Nxd5 18 h3!
Black’s g-pawn dangles an almost irresistible lure in front of White’s nose. Fischer plays the position a bit like a kingside version of a Benko Gambit, where lines open with alarming rapidity.
18 ... g3
Maybe Reshevsky can take his chances in the line 18 ... Nxe3!? 19 Qxd8 Rxd8 20 Rxd8+ Bf8 21 Be4 f5 22 hxg4! fxe4 23 Nxe4 Kg7 24 Ng5 h6 25 Nxe6+ Bxe6 26 Rxa8 Be7 27 Rxa7 Bd5 28 Rh5 Bg5 29 Na5 Nxg4+ 30 Rxg5+! hxg5 31 c4 Bg2 32 Nxb7 Nb8 33 Nd6+ Kf6 34 b4. I like White’s chances to convert, with his three connected passers, although of course Black has a passer of his own. The comps have White up here by a bit over one point.
However, 18 ... Bxc3?? is absolute suicide for Black after the simple 19 hxg4 f5 20 gxf5! Nxe3 21 Qxe3 Bxb2+ 22 Kxb2 Qf6+ 23 Kb1 exf5 24 Bd5+ Kh8 25 Rh6 Qg7 26 Rdh1 forcing mate.
19 Rhg1
19 ... Qd6
Robert Hübner suggested 19 ... Qh4 20 Bxd5 exd5 21 Bd4 Bxd4. Now White should just calmly play 22 Nxd4! Kh8 23 Nxd5! Qg5+ 24 Kb1 when 24 ... Qxd5?? 25 Qxg3 Bg4 26 Qxg4 Rg8 27 Qf4 Qd8 28 Nf3 Rxg1 29 Rxg1 f6 30 Ne5! Qe7 31 Ng6+! hxg6 32 Rxg6 Rg8 33 Qh4+ Qh7 34 Qxf6+ Rg7 35 Rh6 wins.
20 Bxd5 exd5
21 Nxd5!
Both Fischer and Kasparov criticized this move, while Houdini claims it is White’s best. Fischer preferred 21 Bd4 Qf4+ 22 Kb1 Bf5 23 Rxg3! Bxd3 24 Rxg7+ Kh8 25 Rxf7+ Qxd4 26 Rxf8+ Rxf8 27 Nxd4 Be4 28 Re1 Bg6 29 Re7 Rf7 30 Nxd5 when Black stood only slightly worse. So it appears as if Houdini’s line (the move Fischer played in the game) may be White’s best after all.
21 ... Kh8 22 Bf4 Qg6 23 Qd2?
The wrong square. An army is an organic entity which must be fed. Now White’s attack begins to grow skeletally weak with hunger.
White’s queen should fight for g4 with 23 Qe2!. Now White amassed serious weaponry in the vicinity of Black’s king and the difference is Black is unable to play 23 ... Bxh3?? 24 Rxg3 as he doesn’t have the ... Bg4 resource he had in the game.
23 ... Bxh3!
Everyone who knows the bishop suspects him of malfeasance, since his wealth continues to increase, despite his modest salary. Reshevsky, one of the greatest defensive players in the history of the game, seizes upon his chance, counter-intuitively allowing the h-file to open.
24 Rxg3 Bg4!
For now, the bishop erects a barrier to White’s ambitions along the g-file, since it can be backed by ... h5 and ... f5.
25 Rh1!
The impact of a sudden shock on the chess board is only fatal to the brittle mind. Legendary players, contrary to popular belief, make mistakes. But they also recover quickly, from a psychological standpoint. The trick is to budget for errors in every game. Fischer now revises his earlier intent, intuitively realizing that the h-file, rather than the g-file, may provide White a new attacking lane.
The wrong rook. Black needs all available defenders near his king. He can achieve this with 25 ... f5! 26 Qh2 Rae8! 27 Kb1 h5 28 Bd2 (idea Nf4 and Nxh5) 28 ... Be5 29 Nf4 Bxf4 30 Bxf4 b6 31 Rd3 Kh7 and Black’s king position isn’t so easy to crack.
26 Ne3 Qe4?
When we fail to understand our opponent’s intent, we become like a king who searches for his enemy in the forest, when in actuality, the enemy may be a trusted minister, sitting across the table from him. Reshevsky, a lifelong time pressure addict, was low at this stage. After this second mistake, Black’s previous defensive gains dwindle down to zero.
He may still have saved the game with 26 ... f5! 27 Qg2 Rad8 28 Kb1 (or 28 Nxg4 fxg4 29 Rxg4 Qe4! and White must swap queens, since Black threatens the f4-bishop and also mate, starting with ... Qe1+) 28 ... Qf6 29 c3 Qe6 30 Nxg4 fxg4 31 Rxg4 Qe4+ 32 Qxe4 Rxe4 33 Rhg1 Rd7 with reasonable chances for Black to save himself.
27 Qh2!
In Shaolin Kung Fu, we are taught: When in combat, one hand should lie, confusing the adversary; the other reveals the truth. Suddenly, White has a winning attack and Black’s defensive backbone – overcooked asparagus – just wilts.
27 ... Be6
Exe rcise (combination ale rt):White has two ways
to win. All you need to do is find one of them.
Answe r:Annihilation of defensive barrier.
28 Rxg7!
Fischer reduces the once complex argument into a simple formula: Black is unable to defend the dark squares around his king. Even simpler is 28 Nd2! when Black must resign, since he either loses his queen or his king.
28 ... Kxg7 29 Qh6+ Kg8
Forced, since 29 ... Kh8 walks into the deflection shot 30 Be5+! with mate in two moves. The bishop considers himself an intermediary between laity and divinity, even though he considers himself a member of the latter category.
30 Rg1+ Qg6
have resigned here, but somehow when we are low on time, we forget to do so.
31 Rxg6+ fxg6
Black is not only down heavily in material, but his king remains under fire from White’s queen and minor pieces.
32 Nd4 Rad8 33 Be5
Fischer systematically probes the dreadfully weakened dark squares around Black’s king.
33 ... Rd7 34 Nxe6 Rxe6 35 Ng4
Going after the f6-square.
35 ... Rf7 36 Qg5
Threatening to mate with Qd8+, followed by Nh6.
36 ... Rf1+ 37 Kd2
Qd8+ remains a threat.
37 ... h5 38 Qd8+ 1-0
“I rule in the North, South, East ... ” and then the queen pauses for dramatic effect, before revealing “ ... and the West.” 38 ... Rf8 39 Nh6+ Kh7 40 Qxf8 Rxe5 41 Qg8+ Kxh6 42 Qh8+ ends Black’s resistance.
Game 4
R.Fischer-P.Benko
U.S. Championship, New York 1963 Pirc Defence
1 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 Nc3 d6 4 f4 Nf6 5 Nf3 0-0 6 Bd3
The passive 6 Be2 makes no sense to me: 6 ... c5 7 dxc5 Qa5 8 0-0 Qxc5+ 9 Kh1 Nc6 10 Nd2 a5! 11 Nb3 Qb6 12 a4 Nb4 13 g4? and now Korchnoi found 13 ... Bxg4!, after which Fischer’s position fell apart quickly, R.Fischer-V.Korchnoi, Curacao 1962. This game is annotated in Korchnoi: Move by Move.
This hands White the bishop-pair for no appreciable compensation. Both 6 ... c5 and 6 ... Na6 are played today.
7 h3 Bxf3
One of my goofy comps suggested retreating the bishop to c8, which preserves the bishop-pair at the cost of two tempi.
8 Qxf3 Nc6
8 ... e5 9 dxe5 dxe5 10 f5 doesn’t really alter much from the game’s continuation.
9 Be3 e5
This is Benko’s idea, to seize control over d4. However, he leaves himself even further weakened on the light squares.
Que stion:Can Black forego ... e5 and just go for queenside play instead?
Answe r:It feels to me that Black will just lose an opposite-wings attack position in those scenarios. Let’s take a look:
a) 9 ... Nb4 10 0-0-0 Nxd3+ 11 Rxd3 doesn’t look all that appealing, since White is ready for e5, followed by h4!, when his attack is obviously faster than anything Black can stir up on the other side of the board.
b) 9 ... Nd7 10 e5 Nb4 11 0-0-0 Nxd3+ 12 Rxd3 c6 13 h4! is similar to line ‘a’ – White’s attack is clearly faster.
10 dxe5
Fischer opens the d-file for his rooks.
A logical bypass. Fischer isn’t about to allow ... exf4, which opens the e5-square for Black’s pieces.
11 ... gxf5!
Eric Schiller gives this move a question mark, while Fischer called it “best”. In this case I think Fischer is correct, since I don’t see viable alternatives for Black.
Que stion:Why did Black voluntarily destroy his own king’s pawn front?
Answe r:White threatened a terrible bind with g4 next, and this move was the only way to prevent that idea. But I agree with you that in this case the cure may be only just slightly less risky than the disease.
Alternatively, 11 ... Nd4 12 Qf2 gxf5 (or 12 ... a6?! 13 g4 and one look tells us that Black is doomed against White’s kingside bind/attack) 13 exf5 b5 14 0-0 c5 15 Ne4 c4 16 Nxf6+ Qxf6 17 Be4 and c3 follows, with a strategically won game for White, J.Bednarski-Y.Kraidman, Tel Aviv 1964.
12 Qxf5!
This counterplay-suppressing move opens the f-file and keeps White’s centre stable.
12 exf5?! e4! allows Black fishing chances after 13 Nxe4 Ne5 14 Nxf6+ Qxf6 15 Qf4 Nxd3+ 16 cxd3 Qxb2 17 0-0 Qe5 when White only stands a shade better.
12 ... Nd4
Black, lacking targets of any sort, has his choice of a miserable middlegame or a miserable ending after 12 ... Qd7 13 Qxd7 Nxd7 14 Nd5.
13 Qf2
Fischer said he was sorely tempted to enter the line 13 Qxe5!?, which is given an exclam by him, which I think is completely incorrect, since Black generates all sorts of dark-square play for the pawn after 13 ... Ng4. Now White can try the berserker 14 Qxg7+!? Kxg7 15 hxg4. White clearly has compensation for the queen, but Black isn’t without his chances in a position where he is up so much material. Houdini helpfully rates this unclear mess at even after 15 ... h5.
13 ... Ne8!
Of course all of us loathe retreats, since they impute cowardice upon the retreatee (I’m pretty sure this isn’t a real word, so please don’t Google it!). In this case, however, Black intends ... Nd6, after which White must watch out for both ... f5 and also ... c5 and ... c4.
won game for White.
14 0-0!
Que stion:Why not castle long?
Answe r:Castling long is possible, but then Black is given a prayer if he goes after White’s king. By castling kingside, Fischer deprives Benko of any counterplay, since the white king’s safety is an issue removed from the equation: 14 0-0-0 Nd6 15 Ne2 c5 16 c3 and maybe Black can try the desperado 16 ... f5!? 17 exf5 e4 18 Bc2 Rxf5 when he is better off than what occurred in the game.
14 ... Nd6
14 ... c6 is met with 15 Ne2, intending Ng3 and c3, with a crushing light-square bind.
15 Qg3?!
Threat: Bh6. Fischer said of his move, “the only way to sustain the initiative”, but this may not be White’s most accurate move, since it allows Black the freeing ... f5 break.
15 Rad1! disallows Black’s ... f5 break and retains the bind.
15 ... Kh8?!
The decision to refrain from the ... f5 break lingers in its deliberation. I think this was Black’s propitious moment to break loose of the bind with 15 ... f5! even if it opens the game for White’s bishop-pair. The wise general only allows his troops to participate in a skirmish with the enemy when he isn’t outnumbered. This move violates the principle: Avoid confrontation in our opponent’s strong zone, but follows the principle: Counter in the centre when assaulted on the wing. In this case, the latter principle is given greater weight.
Fischer gives 16 Bh6 (after 16 Bg5 Qe8 17 Qh4 f4 18 Nd5 Rf7 19 c3 Ne6 20 Be7 Qd7 21 Rad1 Nf8 22 Qg4 Qxg4 23 hxg4 Re8 24 Bxd6 cxd6 25 Bc4 Ne6 26 g3 Kh8 27 Ne3 Rc7 28 Bxe6 fxe3! 29 Rxd6 e2 30 Re1 Bf8 31 Rd7 Rxd7 32 Bxd7 Rd8 33 Bb5 Rd1 34 Kf2 Rxe1 35 Kxe1 Black will be down two pawns, yet the opposite-coloured bishops offer him excellent chances to hold the game) 16 ... Qf6 17 Bxg7 Qxg7 18 Qxg7+ Kxg7 19 exf5 N6xf5 20 Rae1 Rae8 21 Ne4 “with a comfortable edge, but certainly no forced win”.
16 Qg4!
The endless drizzle and rain continue to plague Black’s kingside counterplay, until his army’s food grows mouldy, and their soggy boots begin to fall apart. Fischer on his last move missed the correct plan, but now he re-reads the book, hoping to catch a glimpse of the truth in the second reading. He correctly clamps down on Black’s potential for an ... f5 break. In the case of White’s attack, supply equals demand, and then some.
16 ... c6 17 Qh5
“My gentle caresses failed to sway you, so now let us try the not-so-gentle stroke of my whip,” says the queen, warningly to Black’s king. Threat: Bxd4, followed by e5.
17 ... Qe8?
17 ... Ne6 18 Ne2 was unpleasant yet necessary for Black.
18 Bxd4! exd4
Benko may now have expected 19 e5? f5! when Black would be okay.
Exe rcise (combination ale rt):The black king drills his not-so-elite defenders until
they are too exhausted to even curse him. When we strongly sense the presence of
a combination, we search a cave where we know hidden treasure exists. Our only problem: where to dig? White’s visually shocking next move is one of the most
famous combinations of Fischer’s career. Do you see it (or remember it)?
Answe r:Interference. “A house divided against itself will be destroyed,” warned Saint Matthew. Sometimes a startling shot just reduces us into an astonished silence. It’s time to add oranges and then pull a fast one by subtracting apples.
19 Rf6!!
White’s last move serves quadruple purposes:
1. e5 is coming, when the white queen and bishop gaze lovingly at the h7-square.
2. If Black responds to e5 with ... h6, then White’s rook helps participate in the attack with the deadly shot Rxh6+.
3. Black’s d6-knight now hangs.
4. Black is denied all ... f5 saving graces, since White’s last move gums up the f6-square, and Black’s f-pawn with it.
19 ... Kg8
Everything loses. For example:
a) 19 ... dxc3 20 e5 h6 (all the black king’s yes-men and yes-women smiled, nodded and yessed, telling him: “Just you wait and see: Everything will turn out just fine!”) 21 Rxh6+ Kg8 22 Rh8+! (clearance) 22 ... Bxh8 23 Qh7 mate.
b) 19 ... Bxf6 20 e5 and Black’s loutish bishop is in the way for a saving ... f5.
21 Ne2! 1-0
The most accurate of White’s many conversion methods. The trouble for Black is if he moves his knight, White plays Qf5.
Fischer’s finish is more accurate than 21 Rxd6?! Qxe5! 22 Qxe5 Bxe5 23 Ne4 Bxd6 24 Nxd6 and Black is busted, but can play on for a long time.
21 Ne2! threatens Rxd6 and if Black’s knight moves, he loses coverage of f5 after 21 ... Nb5 (or 21 ... Bxf6 22 Qxh6 forcing mate in two moves) 22 Qf5 forcing mate next move. “There are certain people – who shall go nameless – who are unworthy of their high stations,” declares the queen, as she looks meaningfully in the black king’s direction. Note that Black lacks a ... Re8 and ... Kf8 defence, since his own queen plugs the escape route.
Actually 21 Rxh6 also works: 21 ... f5 22 Rg6 Qxe5 23 Rxd6! (threat: Bc4+) 23 ... b5 24 Nxb5 cxb5 25 Rg6 with an extra pawn and a completely winning position, since Rf1 follows.
Game 5