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Carl Grossguth vs Robert James Fischer
US Junior Ch. 1956  ·  Sicilian Defense: Najdorf. Opocensky Variation (B92)  ·  0-1
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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jan-25-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  technical draw: <lordhazol> I believe you mean 15. Qxe3? However that loses to 15..Bg5 (winning at least the exchange)
Aug-25-04  wall: 19.Na4 looks bad. White should play 19.Rxd8+. The losing move is 29.Nb2?? White should simply play 29.Rc1. After 29...Rxd3! if 30.Kxd3 Rc3+ 31.Ke2 Rxc2+ 32.Kd3 Rzb2 wins. If 30.cxd3 Rc2+ 31.Kf1 e2+ wins. If 30.Nxd3 Rxc2+ 31.Ke1 Bg3+ 32.Kf1 e2+ wins.
Aug-26-04  Cyphelium: <wall> 29. Rc1 loses as well, as black can play 29.- Rxd3 anyway: 30. Kxd3 (30. cxd3 Rxc1)30.- Rd6+ and now either 31. Kc4 e2 32. Re1 Rd2 followed by Bg3 or 31. Ke2 Rd2+ 32. Ke1/f1 Bg3 followed by e2.
Oct-05-04  morphyvsfischer: It's amazing how 14 0-0-0?? simply kills White. 14 Bxd4! is a better move, attempting to point out the d4 pawn's weakness and making the f4 post a less viable Knight/Bishop post at the cost of a slight lost of time with his Knight and a little trouble with his a1 rook getting into play. This at least beats simply allowing all of Black's forces grouping around the King.

16 Nc5?? and 18 Rhf1? were very bad moves, allowing the knight to get to d4 quicker, exchanging off White's most important minor piece for Black's least important minor piece. (Black doesn't want to give the king an escape square without a gain of tempi) h4! could have been played for an attempt to keep the Bishop off the c1-h6 diagonal, as the Knight already had trouble going to d4. Black still has an advantage, though, after ...g5!, but at least it gets rid of a potential White weakness and gives Black a new one.

Dec-10-04  delterp: The positional nightmare of tripled pawns and a young Bobby Fischer still wins. He has an option of reducing the tripled mess to only a doubled complex on move 20, but he declines! Why? Rooks love open files and the tripled pawns control many important central squares. Plug this one in Fritz and see if IT comes up with 20)...Rxd4!
Jan-25-06  fraternidad: 11. g4?! is the first inaccuracy of this game allowing 11...d5! which is known to atleast equalize no matter what White does.

Accurate is 11. 0-0-0, with the idea of 12. g4.

Mar-05-06  mac17: Bravo for tripled central pawns, but dont try it yourself....for Fischer no gamble,,,for rest,,,quite a gamble!!
Feb-04-07  IMDONE4: nice job by a 13 yr old fischer, demonstrating when to push d5 in the najdorf
Mar-25-07  gloomunster: Why did Grossguth take the knight with his rook?
Jul-22-07  backyard pawn: <gloomunster> Capturing with the rook does leave Black down the exchange, but otherwise he is down a piece:

The knight was threatening to capture the bishop on e2. The bishop can't be protected because the e3 pawn controls the access squares.

So if the bishop moves 20. Bd3, then e2 forks the two rooks. So then 21. Bxe2, Nxe2+ and Black has exchanged his Bishop for a pawn.

Bummer either way.

Jul-22-07  backyard pawn: Also, notice how Fischer prepared this by chasing off the White Knight which was protecting the bishop with 18...., b4!

Ironically, the final losing move at the end occurs as the same knight moves to protect the same bishop it had earlier abandoned. Both knight moves led directly to the loss of material, and to the loss of the game.

Sep-01-07  amntony: Dear Gloomunster,

It's a good question, I think Mr. Grossguth got caught in the embarassing situation in which the important King's Bishop could not fulfill his blocking role on the 7-th rank!

Love,
Anthony

Jul-15-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  TheFocus: Opponent's name is Carl Grossguth.
Oct-28-09  SugarRaySam: I believe Fischer made a mistake in the opening :
8...0-0 is the mistake because of

9.Na4 -» Threatening 10.Nb6 Ra7 11.Nd5 Ra8 12.Nxe7+ = winning the important Black Bishop

So : 9...Nbd7 -» Blocking Be6 for Black

10.c4! -» Preventing b5 and crushing Black's development,

Eventualy playing f3 so Bb7 will be useless and developping a sweet Queen side attack

Sep-04-10  invas0rX: White n00b!!!
Dec-26-11  Zugzwangovich: It might be worth noting that if White tries to save the exchange on move 20 by putting one of the rooks on e1, then 20...Bh4 snags the ox anyway.
Dec-26-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  harrylime: Cool game.
Dec-26-11  Zugzwangovich: Fischer's first-ever use of the Najdorf Sicilian that made it to the history books.
Aug-08-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Cemoblanca: To be "Gross" is not "Gut" enough! ;0) Nice game!!!
Aug-08-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <TheFocus: Opponent's name is Carl Grossguth.>

Strange indeed how this was passed down; I remember Wade et al giving his full name forty years ago. A slip has been submitted.

<Cemoblanca> At least he isn't Der Teufel: Juergen Teufel.

Aug-08-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Cemoblanca: <perfidious> I bet that the name of his wife is Angel or something in this direction! :D
Aug-08-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Cemoblanca> Ever heard of the 1987 film Angel Heart? It was the vehicle out of Cosby material for Lisa Bonet and featured Robert DeNiro as Louis Cyphre.
Aug-08-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Cemoblanca: <perfidious> Ohhh... with the good "old face" Mickey Rourke as Harry Angel! ;0) Well, I can't remember the whole plot, but I know 1 thing for sure: Lisa Bonet looks still hot! ;0) & by the way: De Niro is 1 of my favorite actors!
Oct-23-12  ElGuaro: I fail to see how the game could continue from here; white can capture black's rook with four pieces!
Oct-23-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: < ElGuaro: I fail to see how the game could continue from here; white can capture black's rook with four pieces!>

All roads lead to Rome after the young Fischer's denouement, destroying the bad bishop which holds his opponent's game together for the moment:

30.Nxd3 Rxc2+ 31.Ke1 Bg3+ 32.Kf1 e2+;

30.cxd3 Rc2+;

30.Rxd3 Rxc2+ and

30.Kxd3 Rc3+ 31.Ke2 Rxc2+ all are winning for Black.

Signed, your humble correspondent, Mr Lou Cyphre

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