Chess Problem No. 612 02 Feb 1961, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
The Guardian London, Greater London, England Thursday, February 02, 1961
Fischer's opportunism
Part of Bobby Fischer's success is due to the persistence with which he struggles for the initiative during the entire game. His strategic plans are always well barbed with tactical asides, so that his opponents never have a breathing space; while in American tournaments he has the aura of invincibility which comes from four successive championship wins without loss of a game. These themes can be seen in the following game from the 1961 championship, in which Black is first posed with a succession of problems and then, when he receives an unexpected chance to recover, is overwhelmed by his own good fortune and falls into a simple trap.
Robert James Fischer vs Raymond Weinstein
United States Championship (1960/61), New York, NY USA, rd 1, Dec-18
French Defense: Winawer. Advance Variation (C19) 1-0
1. Fischer's B-QB4 attack against the Sicilian is so much feared in master chess circles that few players are now willing to risk 1. … P-QB4 against him.
2. Fischer prefers this to the more popular 7. Q-N4.
3. Castling KR has the disadvantage that Black's natural counter attack by … P-KB3 would then weaken his king's position. Castling QR also has its drawbacks because of the open QN file, but Black reasons that the fixed pawn chain and White's doubled QBP's make an attack difficult to carry out.
4. Not 12. … QxRP because of 13. Castles KR, Q-N4; 14. KR-N1, winning at least a piece.
5. The apparently logical plan of 13. … P-R4 (preventing White's P-KN4 and only then … N-B4 is met by 14. PxP PxP; 15. N-R4 and White maintains his pressure against the central pawns.
6. An interesting moment. Attacking players would prefer 14. KR-N1 here which indeed is the recommended move in Keres' book on the French. Fischer usually prefers to work for control of a large area of the board before continuing with a direct attack. Here his idea is to improve the mobility of the bishops and tie Black to the defense of his center; the QN file can be occupied by the White rooks later.
7. A loss of time which he has to retract two moves later. Instead he should maintain his knight with 14. … P-KR4, which indicates that White should have played P-KN4 a move earlier.
8. Preferring to admit that his fourteenth move was inaccurate rather than deprive himself of the useful maneuver … R-KB1 - B2.
9. Black cannot concede his K4 to the White pieces by 20. … RxP; 21. N-K5.
10. The regrouping of this bishop is reminiscent of the Turton problem theme. White has the powerful threat of 22. Q-B4.
11. Overlooking that the QRP, whose capture during the previous few moves would have led to the trapping of the Black queen or a winning White break-through at QR7, is now really threatened. Better here is the immediate 24. N-R4, NxN; 25. BxN and if 25. … QxRP; 26. B-N3.
12. Parrying the threatened R-R1 and obliging White to change his plan.
13. Within sight of safety, a fatal blunder. With 28. … K-R1 Black could consolidate his extra pawn and start playing for a win.
14. For if 30. … PxR; 31. QxPch K-B1; 32. Q-N7 mate.
15. Another mistake, but there is no adequate defence against the combined assault of the White pieces. If 32. … P-Q5; 33. B-N2 is deadly, white if 32. … Q-Q3; 33. R-K1.
16. White's back rank combination of 33. … RxQ; 34. R-N8ch would also operate after 33. … R-K1; 34. QxB.
