Game Of The Week
This week's game comes from the book by David Edmonds and John Eidinow called Bobby Fischer Goes To War, How A Lone American Star Defeated The Soviet Chess Machine. I was travelling across the country this past week to my sister's 25th Anniversary party at the Cubs vs Nationals game (Cubs won!) and back to my Uncle's funeral in Pasadena. I figured that I would have little to no chance to play chess or go over games for a week. So, being the chess nut that I am, I had to bring a chess book on the plane to keep my mind occupied.
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| Bobby Fischer Goes To War |
The book was a Christmas present from my Dad in 2006. I always intended to read it, as Fischer and Spassky are my favorite chess players, but somehow it got tucked away on the shelf just to collect dust.
Of course, being an American chess player, it is only natural to like Bobby Fischer. However, one might think that having the same first name as Paul Morphy might tip my sympathies towards him, but I prefer the more recent champion, with whom I have a more personal connection.
Bobby Fischer is my dad's twin. Well, sort of. They were both born on March 9, 1943.
My connection with Boris Spassky includes the fact that he not only won the title in the year of my birth (1969) but also we are both 10th chess champions. He was, of course, the 10th World Chess Champion. The lesser-known fact is that I became the 10th City Speed Chess Champion.
It was the thought of two cross-country flights that provided me the incentive to knock the dust off the book. It is mostly about the off-the-board drama of the 1972 World Chess Championship. It describes how the Soviets tried to help the reigning champion, Boris Spassky, retain the title despite his efforts to do it his own way. It also points out how the American government did next to nothing to help the challenger, Bobby Fischer, who probably would have done it his own way even if they had.
However, there are some elements of the actual chess games included in the book. It pointed out some of the key blunders in the match, most of which occurred in the first half when the drama was most active.
Game 1: 29...Bxh2 - Fischer 0-1
Game 5: 27. Qc2 - Spassky 0-1
Game 8: 15...b5 - Spassky 0-1
Game 14: 27...f6 - Spassky 0.5-0.5
The authors seemed to indicate that Bobby's "nonchess" tactics played a significant role in his first half dominance. He got Boris to blink. However, he never got him to crack.
The second half was a far more even contest, with Fischer only getting a 1 game advantage in 11 games (+2-1=8). With his poor pre-match preparation clearly in the rear-view mirror, Spassky was able to demonstrate that he could hold his own with Bobby with an unprecedented string of draws in a World Chess Championship (7).
While the movie Pawn Sacrifice highlighted Game Six as the climactic moment, this book preferred Game Ten.
"One thinks, for example, of the magnificent game ten, apparently so effortless, so economical, so unshowy - yet so beautiful."
D. Edmonds & J. Eidinow
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| White to move |
Game Ten
This Week In Chess
Place, Tweed vs Whipps Rapid Online, Score
1 "#1 jfoxhoot (1717)" 4.0
2 "#2 msmcgough (1623)" 3.0
3 "#3 pretbram (1587)" 2.0
4 "#4 ValerietheValiant (1482)" 2.0
5 "#4 Czechmate1972 (1709)" 2.0
6 "#6 grahamjcjg (764)" 1.0
7 "- dustybear (1815)" 1.0
8 "- runnermeep (1131)" 0.0
9 "- knightmassey (1729)" 0.0
10 "- CosmicNovaGalaxy (1626)" 0.0
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