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Chess Fri, Jan 7, 1972 – 34 · The Province (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) · Newspapers.com
Chess: Suttles-Spassky Game Replayed by Al Horowitz
The world titleholder Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union, and Bobby Fischer of New York, the American challenger for the world championship, will meet in a match before the end of June. Belgrade was the highest bidder for the match, and it likely will be held there.
Below is a game played by Spassky against Duncan Suttles, the Canadian champion in the Canadian Open at Vancouver last year. The unusual game, a Pirc Defence, followed a deployment of Vasja Pirc, the Yugoslav master. It is more or less artificial, resembling the King's Indian. Technically, it is of the hypermodern school and its strategic aim is to provide free rein for both bishops.
This kind of chess pleases Suttles, particularly if he can manage to lend it his own kind of flourish.
Spassky, playing White, assumed a promising book line with 5. P-KB4 and median control. And with 13. P-Q5 he affirmed center control with pawns.
With 16. P-N3, White maintained a pawn barrier to keep out any hostile, minor-man intrusion. With moves 21. NxB and 22. P-B4 and 23. P-B5, White shaped a powerful wedge, which he converted to passed pawns and a weekend isolated alignment for Black.
After 27. BxP, White's pawns were supreme. But now Black could have infused new life into the mid-game acrobatics with 27. NxNP; 28. KxN Q-B2ch which would have been barely short of a triumphal “combino.” For Black's knight was en prise at K-B3.
Even so, 27. … NxNP; 28. KxN Q-B2ch; 29. K-N2 N-R4 with a head on … N6 and … B5 would have scared a Heruclean defender.
With 31. B-Q4 occupying the long diagonal, Black was in inevitable jeopardy. And being an exchange behind, Black saw his prospects fade.
With 38. RxN, Black had immolated much more than he could afford. And shortly he resigned.
In the United States chess championship of 1963-64, Fischer met Grandmaster Pal Benko, also in a Pirc Defense. Fischer giving free rein to his imagination, made short shrift of the defensive barrier. A sacrifice of material made the hostile king an easy target and a rook offer pinpointed the Black king until White invaded perforce.
The deployment was about the same as in the Spassky game above. But with 6. … B-N5. Black pinned White's knight, prepared to part with what is referred to as “the minor exchange.” After 8. QxB White has the two bishops. This presages an end game plus. But a sharp continuation cut short any resistance.
With 15. … K-R1 Benko misses his chance. 15. … P-KB4 was a better choice. Then 16. B-R6 Q-B3; 17. BxB QxB; 18. QxQch KxQ; 19. PxP N-3xP; 20. QR-K1 QR-K1; 21. N-K4 with a comfortable plus, but certainly without a forced victory.
The move 19. R-B6 really is the end. It is the key to Black's bastion, and it leaves open a mating net.
Some of the commentaries here are from My 60 Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer.
Boris Spassky vs Duncan Suttles
Vancouver op-CAN (1971), rd 6
Modern Defense: King Pawn Fianchetto (B06) 1-0
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1135901
Robert James Fischer vs Pal Benko
US Championship (1963/64), New York, NY USA, rd 10, Dec-30
Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack. Weiss Variation (B09) 1-0
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1008421
