Chess Problem No. 611 26 Jan 1961, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
The Guardian London, Greater London, England Thursday, January 26, 1961
Fischer Wins Again
Seventeen-year-old Bobby Fischer has won the United States championship for the fourth successive year, and has now played 44 games in this tournament without a single defeat. Bobby, with his single-minded dedication to chess (in Leipzig he'd never heard of Goethe) is the prototype of the fictional chessmaster but a rarity among real life ones. What makes him tick, to judge by the current Network Three broadcasts in which he is playing Clarke and Penrose in consultation, is his quick and detailed sight of the board combined with self-confidence in his own style and a ferocious will to win.
While Bobby has long been established as the top American player, this year's tournament was the first in which the younger generation really broke through. Lombardy, who was second, and Weinstein, third, are both in their early twenties and eclipsed the veteran Reshevsky, who could only finish equal fourth and failed to qualify for the interzonal tournament.
Robert James Fischer vs Hans Berliner
United States Championship (1960/61), New York, NY USA, rd 5, Dec-23
Alekhine Defense: Exchange Variation (B03) 1-0
1. Treating the Alekhine in an analogous fashion to the Grunfeld seems more promising than the orthodox development based on placing Black's bishops at K2 and KN5.
2. Penrose's successful piece formation against Tal seems to have charmed masters into adopting it in other openings besides the Modern Benoni. Here, however, a direct action against Black's king's side is the logical method of taking advantage of the displacement of Black's KN. A few years ago, Tal as White even chose 7. B-K3 B-N2; 8. P-KR4 in this position.
3. Black now sets up a mobile pawn centre.
4. Neither of the obvious continuations 12. … N-B4; and 12. … P-B4 are satisfactory in view of the concealed strength of White's queen's side majority. If 12. … N-B4; 13. BxN BxB; 14. P-B5 PxP; 15. BxP R-K1; 16. N-N3 B-QB1; 17. P-Q6, when White's passed QP and control of Q5 clearly outweigh Black's two bishops, while if 12. … P-B4, the weakening of the white diagonal allows 13. P-B5 P-B5 (13. … N(N3)xP; 14. NxN NxN; 15. B-QB4 wins); 14. PxQP QxP; 15. N-K4 with much advantage to White (15. … QxP; 16. BxN PxB; 17. B-B4.
5. The best chance, Black permits a passed pawn, always less dangerous in the centre than on the wing, and has the two bishops in consolation. If instead 15. … Q-B2; 16. P-QN4 P-QR4; 17. P-QR3 (better than 17. PxP N-B4), and Black is gradually smothered.
6. Sound judgment, if the knight reaches Q3, it blockades the passed pawn and supports attacks on either wing.
7. If 18. … P-K5; 19. N-N3 B-Q2; then not 20. NxP P-B4; 21. NxP B-Q5ch; but 20. P-B5 and the black KP becomes weak.
8. In his haste to blockade the QP Black overlooks a tactical finesse. After the preferable 19. … Q-Q2; 20. P-KR3 P-KR4; 21. Q-B3 QR-K1; he may still hold on in spite of the badly weakened king's side.
9. If 20. … B-R1; 21. N-N3, White either overruns the centre (21. … B-Q2; 22. B-B4 Q-K2; 23. R-K1 Q-N2; 24. B-Q6 P-B4; 25. BxR QxR; 26. QxQ BxQ; 27. BxP) or advances his QP (21. … B-B1; 22. B-B4 Q-Q1; 23. P-Q6 B-K3; 24. N-K4 P-N3; 25. Q-Q3 followed by QR-Q1).
10. In this type of position the bishops of opposite colour actually increase White's advantage, for he can combine the advance of the passed pawn with mating threats.
11. There seems no constructive plan and many traps to avoid. e.g., 27. … Q-K7; 28. QxQ RxQ; 29. P-KN4 B-K5; 30. RxP R-N7ch; 31. K-B1, with a forced mate.
12. At last the patiently nurtured pawn begins its decisive advance.
13. An attractive finish to a powerful game by Fischer; if 36. … BxR; 37. BxR and the pawn cannot be stopped.
