AThe Sydney Morning Herald Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Thursday, July 13, 1972 - Page 4
Chess: Fischer the Underdog
Reykjavik, Wednesday. — Bobby Fischer, the fiery U.S. challenger for Boris Spassky's world chess title, found himself the underdog when the opening game was adjourned last night.
The Soviet title-holder withstood a final test of nerves—Fischer came to his place at the chessboard seven minutes after Spassky had made his opening move—and went on to exploit a risky capture by the American.
He ended the evening with a chance to win today what is otherwise likely to be a drawn game.
Fischer has no chance of victory.
The turning point came when Fischer thrust across the board with a bishop to capture a pawn. It was a risky venture and he was duly punished by the loss of the bishop.
The game resumes at 3 a.m., Sydney time, Thursday. The second game in the series of 24 is scheduled for the following day.
At the start of play last night, Fischer staged a last-minute protest against the facilities.
As the grey-suited Spassky pushed his pawn to queen four at the appointed time punched his clock and walked off the stage, Fischer and his advisers were arguing with the organisers.
Irate Icelandic officials said afterwards that Fischer had demanded that the front 10 rows of audience seating be removed. They said that when the organizers refused he shouted: “I'm not going to be dictated to by little Icelanders.”
He strode in to play just as the near-capacity audience of 2,500 was sensing a new postponement.
The following are the moves of the game, with notes for the “Herald” by Terrey Shaw, the New South Wales champion, and John Purdy, former Australian titleholder.
1. d4(a) Spassky is equally at home in king's pawn and queen's pawn openings, but Fischer is generally agreed to feel more comfortable defending king's pawn games.
1. … Nf6
2. c4 e6(b) Already a surprise! Fischer in the past has continued from here with the aggressive Grunfeld defence, but apparently intends to avoid Spassky's prepared lines.
3. Nf3 d5
4. Nc3 Bb4
5. e3 O-O
6. Bd3 c5(c) Now the opening is finally settled: the famous Nimzowich defence, one of the most complicated lines Black can choose. Fischer at this stage is playing to win.
7. O-O Nc6
8. a3 Ba5
9. Ne2 dxc4
10. Bxc4 Bb6
11. dxc5 Qxd1(d) Disappointing for the spectators. The early exchange of queens robs the game of attacking possibilities. Fischer probably considered that Spassky had maintained the normal edge of the first move and that exchange of queens would remove the pressure.
12. Rxd1 Bxc5
13. b4 Be7
14. Bb2(e) Spassky has won the race to get his rooks “looking at each other.”
14. … Bd7
15. Rac1!(f) Not 15. BxN, as Black, by recapturing, attacks White's rook, thus foiling White's attempt to win the bishop.
15. … Rfd8
16. Ned4 Nxd4
17. Nxd4 Ba4
18. Bb3 Bxb3
19. Nxb3 Rxd1+
20. Rxd1 Rc8
21. Kf1 Kf8(g) Both players bring their kings to the centre now that it is safe.
22. Ke2 Ne4
23. Rc1 Rxc1
24. Bxc1 f6
25. Na5 Nd6
26. Kd3 Bd8
27. Nc4 Bc7(h) From later events it is plain that the obvious 27. … K-K2 was preferable to develop the king. A draw would have been almost certain.
28. Nxd6 Bxd6
29. b5 (see diagram) Bxh2(i) Now Fischer overreaches himself. He tries to manufacture victory from nothing.
30. g3 h5
31. Ke2 h4
32. Kf3 Ke7
33. Kg2 hxg3
34. fxg3(j) The bishop is lost, and now Spassky shows his fine end-game technique. It is interesting to speculate on how Fischer could have deliberately played into this position.
34. …Bxg3
35. Kxg3 Kd6
36. a4 Kd5
37. Ba3 Ke4
38. Bc5 a6
39. b6!(k) White must avoid exchanging pawns to retain the win. A bishop, of course, cannot force mate on its own.
It seems an almost certain win for Spassky. He will exchange his king's pawn, then set up a blockade of the Black pawns, finally sacrificing his bishop for one of them and taking the other with his king. He will then race his king to the other side and queen his knight's pawn. For instance: 41. PxP KxP; 42. P-R5 P-K4; 43. K-R3 K-B6; 44. K-R2 P-K5; 45. K-N1 K-K7; 46. K-N2 P-K6; 47. B-N4 K-Q8; 48. K-B3 P-K7; 49. K-B2 P-N4; 50. B-K1 P-N5; 51. B-N4 P-N6; 52. KxNP P-K8(Q)ch; 53. BxQ KxB; 54. K-B4 K-Q7; 55. K-K5 K-B6; 56. K-Q6 K-N5; 57. K-B7 KxP; 58. KxP and White queens first.
39. … f5
40. Kh4 f4 (Adjourned)
