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Chess Mon, May 24, 1971 – Page 1 · The Argus (Fremont, California) · Newspapers.com
Chess : Fischer Wins Opener, Leads Match 3-0 by Richard Shorman
The first of ten scheduled match games between America's Robert Fischer and the Soviet Union's Mark Taimanov ended in victory for Fischer after five hours of play.
Only once during his last three major tournaments, all of which he won by impressive margins, did Fischer use the King's Indian Defense, and then not in the form adopted against Taimanov. The Soviet grandmaster avoided the more popular opening continuations, including the variation which bears his name, choosing instead an obscure line less likely to have been deeply analyzed by his ambitious foe.
The ensuing complications saw Fischer grimly holding on to an extra pawn's worth of material while taking the heavy punishment meaded out by Taimanov in return. At long last, however, the attack was beaten back and superior force carried the day against greater mobility.
7. O-O(a) Nc6
(a) Closing the center with 7 P-Q5 changes the course of the game, e.g., the placing of Black's knight, but not the balance of position. A recent tournament trail ran 7. … QN-Q2 8. B-K3 N-N5 9. B-N5 P-KB3 10. B-R4 N-R3 11. N-Q2 P-KN4 12. B-N3 P-KB4 (Mecking—Gligorich, Mallorca, 1970).
9. Bd2(b) Ne8(c)
(b) Perhaps Taimanov extracted this rarely played move from Mikhail Yudovich's opening manual, “Staroindiyskaya zachita” (The King's Indian Defense, Moscow, 1967, pg. 76) without realizing that Fischer had critically reviewed that book (“A Russian Pot Boiler”) for Chess Digest Magazine (No. 2, 1969, pp. 33-34.) Usual here are 9. P-QN4 (Taimanov's variation!), 9. N-Q2 P-B4 (which Fischer played against Korchnoi at the rapid transit tourney held after the “Match of the Century” in Yugoslavia last year.) 10. P-QR3 P-QR4; 11. R-N1 N-K1; 12. P-QN4 RPxP; 13. PxP P-N3 (Taimanov-Kavalek, Wijk aan Zee, 1970) and 9. N-K1 N-Q2; 10. N-Q3 P-KB4; 11. B-Q2! (Keres).
(c) Following Yudovich's suggested improvement over 9 … N-R4 10. P-KN3 P-KB4; 11. PxP BxP; 12. N-KN5 N-KB3; 13. P-KN4 B-Q2; 14. N/5-K4 (Boriseno—Terentiev, Gorky, 1961).
10. Rc1(d) f5
(d) More energetic is 10. P-QN4 P-KB4; 11. Q-N3 N-KB3; 12. PxP PxP; 13. P-B5 K-R1 (Korchnoi-Geller, Moscow, 1971)
12. Ng5(e) h6
(e) Both sides may have calculated the continuation from here to move 15, or even beyond to move 19, but evidently they hold opposite views about who stands better afterward. Taimanov sacrifices a pawn and Fischer wins it!
13. Ne6 Bxe6(f)
(f) Exchanging off an imprisoned bishop for a domineering horse (forced, of course).
15. Qb3(g) c6(h)
(g) White's point.
(h) Black's counter-point, blocking the enemy queen's flight path along the long white diagonal after the trade of pawns.
16. Bh5(i) Qxe6
(i) And not 16. R-N1 or 16. KR-Q1 because of 16. … N-B2.
20. Rfd1 e4(j)
A crucial decision to consolidate the material gain and to contain White's pieces within reasonable limits (20. … Q-B1?; 21. QxQch RxQ; 22. B-K3 or 20. … R-N3; 21. Q-R5 P-Q4; 22. PxP PxP; 23. N-R4). But the initiative shifts to White regardless as Fischer pays the price for his extra pawn.
25. Nd4(k) Qd7
(k) Black apparently does not fear 25. N-B7 NxB (25. … Q-B2, 26. NxR NxB; 27. B-R6 R-Q2; 28. Q-B5) 26. NxQ NxBch; 27. K-B1 NxR; 28. RxN, remaining with rook, bishop and (passed) pawn vs. White's queen.
29. Rc7 Qa4(l)
(l) Fischer has managed to retain his pawn plus white weathering the stomr, and now White must cope with counter-threats.
30. Rxg7+(m) Kxg7
(m) Necessary to keep up the attack. If 30. B-K2, then 30. … N-K1 (not 30. … QxP; 31. NxP) 31. R-B8 NxB; 32. QxN BxN wins a piece. Also good for Black is 30. BxP (30. NxP? QxRch 31. B-B1 N-K1) QxRch 31. B-B1 P-B5; 32. BxP (32. RxBch KxB; 33. N-B5ch K-N3) NxB 33. QxN N-K1; 34. Q-R4ch R-R3
33. Nxf5 Rb1(n)
(n) The pressure slackens for a moment and Fischer seizes the opportunity to force further simplification. Why he let White's QRP live, however, is still a mystery.
36. Nd4(o) Qd6+
(o) Kotov claims that up to here Taimanov has pursued a promising line of attack, but that now 36. Q-N5 or 36. P-N4 should be substituted for the mistaken knight move (“Sovetsky sport.” May 18, 1971).
41. Resigns(p)
(p) After 41. B-N4 (Taimanov's sealed move) N-K4 Black wins easily: 42. K-N2 (42. B-KB5?? N-B6ch; 43. K-N2 R-N8mate) N-3xB; 43. PxN NxP; 44. B-Q4 R-Q8; 45. N-B6 R-Q7; 46. P-R4 P-K6.
