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Chess 16 Jul 1972, Sun The Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine) Newspapers.com
The existence of a genius such as Bobby Fischer raises fascinating questions of his origins, of the days, if ever, when he was more or less like the rest of us. Bobby says he started taking chess seriously when he was about 11, and we know it didn't take him long to leave normal people behind, as he was champion of the United States at the remarkable age of 14.
As Bobby plays a very mature match now for the world's championship, we thought it interesting to dip into his past and to show how he played as a youngster. Below is a game Bobby played when he was 12, a game from the 1955 U.S. Junior Championship at Lincoln, Nebraska. He won four other games in this tournament, finishing with a creditable 5-5. Remember that Bobby would establish himself as the best player in the country in another short two years.
Jimmy Thomason vs Robert James Fischer
Lincoln ch-US jr (1955), Lincoln, NE USA, rd 3, Jul-17
King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation. Rare Defenses (E90) 0-1
But can it happen again? Will there ever be another Fischer? No one knows.
Our candidate for a likely choice, however, is Michael Rohde of South Orange, N.J. Currently rated the best 12-year-old in the country, Michael shows more tactical ability than Bobby demonstrated 17 years ago. Columnist Cunningham encountered Michael in the first round of the recent Atlantic Open. Michael's personality stayed pleasant and likable throughout the game and tournament, but he showed himself to be a tiger at the board, quickly gaining a winning advantage against Cunningham and never letting it slip.
Michael Rohde (white) vs. George Cunningham (black)
Trompowsky Attack
Notes:
2. The rare Trompovsky's Line. Like many eager youngsters, Michael has obviously peered into dark corners of The Book.
6. Already Michael's game resembles those of the grandmasters. Without any apparent effort, he dominates the center. Cunningham unwisely decides to complicate the situation.
9. Now is the time for Black to Castle. The Knight move, as Michael politely and accurately point out at the end of the game, is a loser.
11. Better is either O-O or P-QB3.
14. Michael here looks like Bobby of 17 years ago. Cunningham now faces the truth of defeat. If QxQ, then 15. NxPch regains the Queen with a Pawn thrown in. 14. … Q-Q2 saves the Pawn, but a better move might have been to resign.
15. The Pawn goes anyway! If 15. … QxN; 16. Q-N5ch and 17. QxN, but that course might be better than moving the King. It is hard, however, to criticize any move made in a lost position.
24. Cunningham bows to the inevitable with the solace of knowing he has met a future grandmaster, possibly a world champion.
May you exploit every pin.
