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Chess Mon, May 22, 1972 – 19 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Picking Bobby's Brains
Games and especially opening systems in current tournaments are more and more influenced by Fischer's successes on the way to the world title match.
The Winawer variation of the French Defense is the classic case of an opening where Bobby has transformed its results and reputation. The Winawer was the favorite of Botvinnik, the greatest post-war world champion, and in a period when Bobby found it difficult to counter the defence's popularity waxed. Fischer's crushing win from Larsen in the first game of their match (see The Guardian, July 16, 1971) was a body blow from which the variation has yet to recover. Winawer specialists either lost with it more often or gave it up altogether. For instance, at Hastings Peter Markland, England's leading expert on the Winawer, lost all his four games with the opening while Robert Byrne, who used to play it regularly against Fischer, switched over to the Sicilian.
Black's defeat in this week's game (from a recent European championship match between West Germany and Czechoslovakia) is another case of backwash from Fischer v. Larsen. White follows Bobby's strategy closely, and Black's attempt to improve on Larsen's play rebounds and hastens his defeat. The notes are based on the winner's own in the leading German chess magazine Deutsche Schachzeitung.
