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Robert James Fischer vs Vasily Smyslov
Havana (1965)  ·  Spanish Game: Morphy Defense. Anderssen Variation (C77)  ·  1-0
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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
May-18-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <shams> The white rook is undefended on a6, but Fischer wants to keep it there, attacking black's knight, thus contributing to the messy black snarl of pieces in the middle of the board. So the idea of Kh1 is to rule out freeing possibilities like 1...Nd4 2 Rxd6 Nxf3+.
Dec-08-05  Saruman: Smyslov probably resigns because of 44.Bc1 Nd4 45.Rxb8 (simplifying:Nxb8 won as well) Rxb8 46.Nd7+ Ke7 47.Nxb8 Nb3 48.Ba3 c2 and now white can win with 49.b5+ Kd8 50.Na6 (covering c7) Kc8 51.Ke2 c1Q 52.Bxc1 Nxc1 53.Kd2 Nb3+ 54.Kc3 Nd4 55.Kc4 Kb7 56.Nc5+ Kc7 57.Kb4 Nc2+ 58.Kc4 g6 59.f4 Ne2 60.fxe5 Nxg3 61.Nxe6+ Kc8 62.Nc5 and here SigmaChess resigns.
Dec-08-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  al wazir: <Saruman: Smyslov probably resigns because of . . .> You must mean 45. Nd7 as an alternative to 45. Rxb8. Nice analysis. I can follow it without a board for about ten moves. I presume Smyslov could do better.

40...Nd4 might have enabled black to hang on. If 41. Nxe5 then 41...Bxe5 42. Nxe5 Kxe5 43. f3 Rd8 44. Ra5+.

Dec-18-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: 19 ?


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19 Kg1-h1!


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<keypusher: <shams> The white rook is undefended on a6, but Fischer wants to keep it there, attacking black's knight, thus contributing to the messy black snarl of pieces in the middle of the board. So the idea of Kh1 is to rule out freeing possibilities like 1...Nd4 2 Rxd6 Nxf3+.>

Excellent explanation.

Fischer's excellent 19 Kg1-h1! rules out the idea of the *freeing* <DISCOVERED ATTACK> ... Nc6-d4! Ra6xRd6 Nd4xNf3+, just as you said.

Fischer's play was razor-sharp tactically.

Dec-18-08  Riverbeast: For those of you who are interested.... at the Marshall Chess Club in NYC there is a beautiful old wooden chesstable with a plaque: it is the board Fischer used when he played this game, and the others at the Capablanca Memorial, via telex
Dec-18-08  Jim Bartle: Are non-members welcome to visit?
Dec-18-08  Riverbeast: <Jim Bartle> Of course!

<Paul Albert> also mentioned that some other Fischer memorabilia was recently donated to the Marshall by Russell and Joan Targ (Fischer's sister), including the original scoresheet from 'The Game of the Century'

I haven't been there recently, so I don't know if this new memorabilia is available for public viewing or not...Hopefully it is

Jun-07-11  Llawdogg: Wow! 19 Kh1! Fischer takes the time to prevent any counter play by Smyslov before proceeding with his own plans.
Aug-02-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Jim Bartle> Definitely; played several events there in the early 1990s.
Aug-29-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  TheFocus: This is game 51 in Fischer's <My 60 Memorable Games>.
Mar-26-13  Zugzwangovich: In M60MG Fischer gives the winning line as 44.Bc1 Nd4 45.Nd7+ Ke7 46.Nxb8 Nb3 47.Rb7+ Kd8 48.Rd7+ Ke8 49.Rxg7! What happens after 49...Kf8 leaving three White pieces en prise?
Mar-26-13  Nerwal: <Zugzwangovich> 49... Kf8 50. Bxh6 is devastating.
Mar-26-13  Zugzwangovich: <Nerwal> It is. Thank you!
Apr-16-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  PurdyGUDsoFAR: It is interesting that in the Spanish everyone is playing an early d3 nowadays,...
Apr-16-13  RookFile: Things come full circle. From black's point of view, we went through decades where the Ruy Lopez Berlin defense was antiquated and out of favor. Now today everybody wants to play it.
Apr-16-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  AylerKupp: If I remember correctly Fischer took a break from serious chess in 1964, playing only while giving simultaneous exhibitions. During this break he studied the games of, among others, Steinitz, and developed a high opinion of him. And 6.d3 in the Ruy (why, oh why, is this now referred to as the "Spanish Game" ?) was a favorite of Steinitz, aiming to accumulate small advantages rather than attempt to force the issue in the center. So I'm not all that surprised that Fischer played 6.d3 in 1965.

Carlsen's current style reminds me of Fischer. Always playing logically, not attempting to obtain significant advantages in the opening by taking risks, patiently accumulating small advantages, stopping all of their opponent's counterplay, and grinding out the wins. Of course, both Fischer and Carlsen were/are quite capable of pouncing on a mistake by an opponent and finishing a game in fine combinatorial fashion.

Apr-16-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  AylerKupp: <PurdyGUDsoFar> Yes, and everyone in the Sicilian seems to be playing the Rossolimo attack nowadays. Like <RookFile> said, what goes around, comes around.
Apr-16-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  Shams: <Ayler> <(why, oh why, is this now referred to as the "Spanish Game" ?)>

Because nobody likes having to pronounce 'Ruy'!

Apr-16-13  Petrosianic: As far as I know, it's pretty much always been called the Spanish Game in Europe, just like the Center Counter Defense has always been called the Scandinavian Defense in some areas.
Apr-16-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  TheFocus: Huey, Dewey, Louie and Ruy!
Apr-16-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  TheFocus: I knew one fellow who insisted on pronouncing it Rye Lopez.
Apr-16-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  Shams: <TheFocus> <Huey, Dewey, Louie and Ruy!> Nice!
Apr-16-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  AylerKupp: Thanks guys!. Maybe.

But this got me to thinking, usually a bad thing. Since it seems that more and more openings are named after places instead of people, it might be a good idea to be more consistent and change the name of all, or at least most, openings to conform. There are still quite a few holdouts as listed below, along with my suggestions for possible name changes:

Alekhine's Defense. Unfortunately, Russian Game is already taken (see Petrov Defense below). So, since Alekhine was born in Moscow, perhaps Moscow Defense is appropriate.

Benko Gambit. Since it's often referred to as the Volga Gambit, primarily by Volgans, it already has a well known alternate name.

Bird's Opening. Unfortunately English Opening is already taken so, since Henry Bird was born in Hampshire, Hampshire's Opening might be appropriate. And, since this is seldom played anymore, it's not really that important.

Evans Gambit. Since Captain William Evans was apparently the first person who played it and he was Welsh, calling it the Welsh Gambit would be appropriate. This was once described as "a gift of the gods to a languishing chess world" so perhaps Olympus Gambit or Valhalla Gambit might be equally appropriate.

Grunfeld Defense. This is also an Indian-type defense but we already have too many of those. Ernst Grunfeld introduced it into international play in Vienna, so the Vienna Defense would be appropriate and not likely to be confused with the Vienna Game. And the Neo-Grunfeld could then be called the Neo-Vienna.

Nimzo-Indian. This is a tough one. Only partially incorrect, it could be called the Latvian Defense since Aron Nimzovitch was born in Riga, Latvia. We already have a Latvian Gambit so perhaps the Latvian Defense might be appropriate. But Latvian-Indian just sounds too weird.

Petrov Defense. This is often called the Russian Game so we're OK here.

Philidor Defense. Andre Philidor was French, but we already have the French Defense so that's out. He was born in Dreux, France but hardly anyone knows where that is (I didn't). But Philidor began his chess career at the famous Café de la Regénce in Paris, so the Paris Defense would be most appropriate. Besides, they would both start with the same letter.

Pirc Defense. This is sometimes called the Ufimtsev or Yugoslav Defense, but the first one is a person and Yugoslavia no longer exists so it doesn't seem proper if we're starting a new naming convention to name it after a place that no longer exists, although that didn't stop me from suggesting either Olympus Gambit or Valhalla Gambit for the Evans Gambit. But since the Pirc is named after the Slovenian grandmaster Vasja Pirc, calling it Slovenian Defense might be appropriate.

Reti Opening. Richard Reti was born in what is now Pezinok in Slovakia so the Slovakian defense would be appropriate.

Richter-Veresov Attack. This is named after Kurt Richter (born in Berlin) and Gavril Veresov born in Minsk, so the obvious renaming is the Berlin-Minsk Attack. Which, unfortunately, is no improvement over its current name.

Robatch Defense. Karl Robatsch was born in Klagenfurt, Austria but renaming it the Klagenfurt Defense is a non-starter. But naming it the Austrian Defense would be OK. Too bad that Slovenia was not part of Hungary since, because this is occasionally called the Pirc-Robatch Defense, then renaming it the Austria-Hungary Defense would have made sense.

Torre Attack. This one is easy. Carlos Torre Repetto was born in Mexico so renaming this the Mexican Attack would be most appropriate.

Let me know what y'all think. :-)

Apr-17-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <AylerKupp:...But this got me to thinking, usually a bad thing....>

Don't I know it.....

Apr-17-13  Capabal: <why, oh why, is this now referred to as the "Spanish Game">

What do you mean "now"? Here is the name of this opening in assorted European languages:

Spanische Partie
Partie espagnole
Partita spagnola
Испанская партия [Ispanskaia Partita]
Španělská hra
Spansk åbning
Partida spaniolă
Spaans
Spansk öppning
Partia hiszpańska
İspanyol Açılışı
Spuenesch Partie
Ispaniškoji partija

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