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The Chessboard Sun, Dec 5, 1971 – Page 44 · Asbury Park Press (Asbury Park, New Jersey) · Newspapers.com
The Chessboard by Harry T. Conover Sunday, December 05, 1971 Asbury Park Press Asbury Park, New Jersey Chess Problem...
Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Friday, November 27, 2020
Chess Problem No. 236 by John Driver, 2nd Prize, Probleemblad, 1962. White mates in 2 moves.
FEN 4r3/1p3Nb1/1K3R2/1pP2PB1/N3k3/2P5/Q1P2RP1/3n2q1 w - - 0 1
Key: R-Q2/Rd2
The Chessboard: Old Defense Proves Worth by Harry T. Conover
In the eighth game of his match against Tigran Petrosian in Buenos Aires, Bobby Fischer of the United States, as Black, effectively employed an old defense revived in recent years by world champion Boris Spassky.
The Tarrasch Defense to the Queen's Gambit Declined, long considered of dubious value, has been shown to have amazing vitality by Spassky who used it with good effect against Petrosian in their world title match.
Granted the defense has some inherent weaknesses, it nonetheless offers Black sufficient chances for equality with careful play, and a better than average chance of gaining effective mobility for his pieces.
Here is the score of Fischer's victory:
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian vs Robert James Fischer Fischer - Petrosian Candidates Final (1971), Buenos Aires ARG, rd 8, Oct-23 Tarrasch Defense: Symmetrical Variation (D32) 0-1 https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044717
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
Fischer avoids leading into the Gruenfeld Defense with 2. … P-KN3, possibly in light of his bad experience with it in the second game.
3. Nf3 d5
4. Nc3 c5
The Tarrasch Defense, initiated by this move, has gained favor since its espousal by Spassky. The isolated queen's pawn which Black must accept in move variants has turned out to be less a disadvantage than previously supposed.
5. e3 …
White prefers to maintain the tension in the center, probably with the intention of leading the play into less familiar lines.
5. … Nc6
6. a3 Ne4
Suggested by Alekhine, the text is as good, and possibly better, than the alternative 6. … B-Q3, when there might follow: 6 QPxP BxBP; 7. P-QN4 B-Q3; 8. B-N2 P-QR4; 9. P-N5 N-K4; 10. PxP 11. B-K2 B-K3; 12. N-Q4 R-QB; 13. O-O O-O with a level game.
Now came 7. Qc2 Nxc3 (an alternative, 7. … Q-R4 appears to yield equality after 8. QPxP BxP; 9. PxP PxP; 10. B-Q3 NxN; 11. PxN P-KR3)
8. bxc3 (considering his score, Petrosian cannot allow the exchange of queens that would follow 8. QxN Q-R4) …
8. … Be7
9. Bb2 O-O
10. Bd3 h6
11. O-O Na5 (hoping to force White into 12. BPxP after which 12. … KPxP frees Black's queen's bishop with good effect)
12. Nd2 dxc4
13. Nxc4 Nxc4
14. Bxc4 b6
15. e4 Bb7
(Black has solved the problem of deploying his queen's bishop, with an equal game. Now it is up to White to conjure up a win, since he needs a full point)
White replied.
16. Qe2 Rc8
17. Bb3 …
The threat was 17. … PxP; 18. PxP BxKP, winning a pawn.
17. … b5
18. f4 …
White seeks to open lines against the Black king, while Black must look for counterplay on the queenside.
18. … Qb6
19. Kh1 cxd4
20. cxd4 b4
Gaining a passed pawn regardless of White's reply.
21. axb4 Bxb4
22. d5 …
This advance fails to live up to expectations, but it is hard to suggest a suitable alternative.
22. … Bc3!
Apparently White did not consider this move when advancing his queen's pawn. Black now comes out of a clear pawn ahead with a dynamic position. There followed:
23. Bxc3 Rxc3
24. Bc2 exd5
25. e5 …
White's only hope of salvaging some initiative, but now Black's center passed pawn becomes too strong
25. … Re3
26. Qd2 d4
27. Rab1 Qa6
28. Rf2 …
of course, 28. QxP? loses outright to 28. … R-K7
28. … Rd8
29. Kg1 Be4
30. Bxe4 Rxe4
31. h3 …
With the bishops gone, whatever chance White had vanishes, and Fischer winds up the game quickly by deftly constructing a mating net about the White king
31. … d3
32. Rb3 Qc4
33. Rb2 Rdd4
34. g3 Rd5
35. Kh2 Rb5
36. Ra2 Rb1
37. g4 Re2
38. Rxe2 dxe2
39. Qxe2 Qxf4+
40. Kg2 Rb3 and White resigns.
If 41. Q-KB2, then 41. … Q-K5ch; 42. K-R2 R-N8; 43. Q-KN2 Q-B5ch; 44. Q-N3 R-R8ch and wins.
