chessgames.com

Laszlo Szabo vs Robert James Fischer
Buenos Aires 1970  ·  English Opening: Symmetrical. Symmetrical Variation (A36)  ·  0-1
To move:
Last move:

Click Here to play Guess-the-Move
Given 3 times; par: 53 [what's this?]

explore this opening
find similar games 4 more Szabo/Fischer games
PGN: download | view Help: general | java-troubleshooting

TIP: If Java is not installed or isn't working, a small red "X" usually appears where the game should be. Most Java problems can be resolved by downloading and (re)installing Java from www.java.com.

PGN Viewer:  What is this?
For help with this chess viewer, please see the Pgn4web Quickstart Guide.

Kibitzer's Corner
Dec-12-03  fred lennox: 9...Na5, N on the rim is dim - for the opponent! 24 Nd4 position slightly favors black with R on c2 and B on g7. 24 Bxd4 Fisher finds a forcible continuation by exchanging his important bishop for a knight. 26 Re1 is forced. (Rd1 27...Be2) 28 Rxb5 black slightly furthers his advantage for the pawns are on one side favoring the knight. With ...Ne2+...Nc3 it is decisive. Rf8 can go to d8 to d2. In my humble opinion this is one of the greatest knight games ever, in brilliancy, subtlety and depth.
Jul-13-04  offramp: Yes... One of Fischer's greatest ever games. Almost like magic!
Mar-23-05  offramp: I am surprised that this hasn't been kibitzed more often...
Sep-13-05  ajile: People are comparing this as equal to the Immortal Game with Byrne.

..please

=: /

Sep-13-05  Steppenwolf: Not worth much. Looks like run of the mill GM sunday blitz.
Sep-13-05  paladin at large: <this is one of the greatest knight games ever, in brilliancy, subtlety and depth. > The black knight certainly does an excellent job of enabling the black rooks to snuggle in on the seventh rank.

Speaking of heroic knights brings to mind a different kind of game where the knight plays a starring role: Some day, when I have time, I will submit the legendary Capablanca-Ravinsky game, a clock simul from 1935, featuring 30 moves by Capablanca's knight in a blockade game to remember.

May-16-06  RookFile: I was playing this over, the whole sequence of play from moves 14 to 24 is really something. Fischer's games are often marked by DEEP calculation of complicated lines by RJF.
Jul-08-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: In Chernev's book on the best chess players, he asks this question about Fischer:

<How does Fischer always manage to get his rooks on the 7th rank?>

Position after 31 ... Rdd2:


click for larger view

Jul-01-07  2Towers: <notyetagm> In Chernev's book on the best chess players, he asks this question about Fischer: <How does Fischer always manage to get his rooks on the 7th rank?>

I think the answer is simply, " It's the stroke of his (Bobby) genius."

May-13-10  SpiritedReposte: Great Fischer game! Everything just flows together perfectly. The initial 15. ...Qc7 and 16. ...Qc5 idea is deep. Thats GM chess!
May-13-10  ckeckmate: Szabo mentioned that Fischer had several exausting games prior to this one and thought Fischer should be pretty tired. Thus, around the 25th move, Szabo offered a draw that Fischer rejected by saying "Too early".
May-13-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Marmot PFL: If Szabo had seen what was coming he might have survived with 30 Rb3 or 30 Rb7 followed by Kg1 and Rf1, passive though it is. 30 Rc5? looks superficially like a good pin, but its really white's rook that's in trouble as Kg1 loses to Ne2+.
Jun-07-11  joelsontang: It would have been a draw after 24.Nf4. White loses by force after 24.Nd4.

Someone said Fischer's play at Buenos Aires 1970 was just all-rounded: Like Capablanca, he made something out of nothing against Szabo; like Tal, he unleashed a sacrifice against Panno; like Petrosian, he manoeuvred mercilessly against Matulovic.

Jun-07-11  Petrosianic: <I think the answer is simply, " It's the stroke of his (Bobby) genius.">

Or maybe the even simpler answer is that he doesn't. The majority of Fischer games that don't feature Rooks on the 7th rank. Chernev tended to gush a bit about the world champions. I remember one Petrosian game he annotated where he acted like playing the Winawer was some bold new idea.

Jun-07-11  fab4: <Petrosianic>

I agree. But you're dealing with myths and legends emanating from the greatest player in chess history. It's as a matter of course.

Jun-07-11  ughaibu: Petrosianic: you may want to comment on the kibitzing here: G Swathi vs Short, 2011
Jun-07-11  fab4: <ughaibu>

lol.. It was YOU who accused RJF of 'bad sportsmanship' over the board , and yet when confronted could'nt 'back it up' ..

Yet you still trawl up this thread ?!!

Jun-07-11  ughaibu: I guess you really are as thick as you appear. At least, I cant think of any way that a person less thick could imagine that pretending to be so thick would be strategically effective. Can you?
Sep-30-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Cemoblanca: After Fischer took the World Championship title from Spassky, Spassky later commented "Fischer has a burning desire to win every game."

This can be seen again in this game: He has literally burned off the board like an alien! ;0)


Now on DVD
NOTE: You need to pick a username and password to post a reply. Getting your account takes less than a minute, totally anonymous, and 100% free--plus, it entitles you to features otherwise unavailable. Pick your username now and join the chessgames community!
If you already have an account, you should login now.
Please observe our posting guidelines:
  1. No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
  2. No spamming, advertising, or duplicating posts.
  3. No personal attacks against other users.
  4. Nothing in violation of United States law.
Blow the Whistle See something which violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform an administrator.


NOTE: Keep all discussion on the topic of this page. This forum is for this specific game and nothing else. If you want to discuss chess in general, or this site, you might try the Kibitzer's Café.
Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
Spot an error? Please submit a correction slip and help us eliminate database mistakes!
This game is type: CLASSICAL (Disagree? Please submit a correction slip.)

Featured in the Following Game Collections [what is this?]
Games by Fisher
by gothic
Nice!
from Genius?!! by Rocafella
Buenos Aires 1970, Round #11
from Bobby Fischer's Road to the World Championship by WeakSquare
Saba
from 25 Learned games by fran2k
Cultus' favorite games
by Cultus
Game 79
from Bobby Fischer Rediscovered (Andy Soltis) by AdrianP
Losing without errors
from offramp's favorite games by offramp
Interesting Games
by Easy Point
round 11, (August 4, Tuesday)
from 1970 Buenos Aires by TheFocus
Incredible positional foresight
from Grega's favorite games by Grega
A bit of t-Rook-ery
from Robert James Fischer by Hootey
How does Fischer always manage to get his rooks on 7th rank?
from 7th heaven! 7th rank above all! by notyetagm
Fischer at his finest.
from Inspiring Games! by SpiritedReposte
Buenos Aires 1970
from Bobby Fischer: Selected Games from 1955-1992 by wanabe2000
Fischer Favorites
by atrifix
Which pieces to keep and which to whip off
from Fischer's Finest by morphyvsfischer
Art of War's favorite games 4
by Art of War
infiltration of a knight and pair of rooks
from chess strategems iv - under construction by gauer
Robert Fischer's Best Games
by KingG
Chapter 4 (White to play, move 24)
from Shereshevsky's Endgame Strategy by hms123


home | about | login | logout | F.A.Q. | your profile | preferences | Premium Membership | Kibitzer's Café | Biographer's Bistro | new kibitzing | chessforums | Tournament Index | Player Directory | World Chess Championships | Opening Explorer | Guess the Move | Game Collections | ChessBookie Game | Chessgames Challenge | Little ChessPartner | privacy notice | contact us
Copyright 2001-2013, Chessgames Services LLC
Web design & database development by 20/20 Technologies