After 74...f2, White's another try is 75. Rf4 but Black's strong reply is 75...Rxd4!, 76. Rxd4 Ke2, 77. Re4+ Kf3, 78. Re8 f1=Q, 79. Rf8+ Kg2, 80. Rg8+ Kf2, 81. Rf8+ Kg1, 82. Rg8+ Qg2+ (forcing White to give up his own remaining rook for the Black Queen and leaving Black with two connected pawns up).

I had -- and have -- no sympathy with Serbian nationalism or with Milosevic's attempts at ethnic cleansing and annexation. Nevertheless, it seems to me that what Fisher did was in the nature of a thought crime. (Pun intended.) The sanctions you cite had the purpose of changing Serbian behavior by causing *economic* pain; but while the chess match benefited Serbia/Yugoslavia publicity-wise, it did nothing to help their economy. In fact, it worsened their balance of trade and reduced their foreign currency holdings to the tune of $5 million.

That is the greatest post of all time. period.

One poster here suggests Fischer probably had the whole K+Q vs K+R ending memorized. That would have been utterly impossible. Walter Browne probably thought he knew the ending cold until he ran into the Bell Labs computer. However, one night might have been enough time for Fischer to work out all the winning lines for the adjourned position - he doesn’t have to know the whole ending, just this particular position. Having said that, I'm wondering if Fischer would have done this, thinking the win was “simple technique”, and decided to go bowling instead.

It is important to realize that this game was played before tablebases came into existence. (That would have ruled out, for example, Fischer calling up Ken Thompson and saying, "Hey, what's the easiest way to win this?") In fact, before the first K+Q vs K+R endbase tablebase was created, the general opinion of the endgame was that it wasn't that difficult to win. In the first edition of "Basic Chess Endings", Fine states the winning technique is to put the player with the rook in zugzwang, forcing the rook and king to separate. As the tablebases demonstrate, it’s a lot more complicated than that - optimal defensive play generally revolves around separating the king and rook at strategic times.

On the other hand, Spassky’s knowledge of this endgame was also pre-tablebases, so he probably would not have offered optimum resistance. So, I’m thinking that, even if Fischer’s doesn’t play perfectly after the adjournment, he still wins because Spassy doesn’t offer the best resistance.

No, that's not Fischer of 1972. He was still analyzing the adjourned position of game 21, AFTER Spassky had resigned, and he was already world champion, looking for more tricks, even at the closing ceremony. And that was his attitude for all the adjourned games in that time period.

Changing the subject, I recently read that Spassky was not worried about losing this game after the adjournment. In fact he did not take Fischer's chances seriously. Spassky says that the fact that Fischer thought for an hour before a move should have made him suspicious, but it didn't.

Yes, the point being that after the knight is driven away from d3, White doesn't have the resource of Ne5+ etc.; his situation remains hopeless after, e.g., 35.Nxd5 exd5 36.Rxd5 Rxe1 37.Bxe1 a3.

<37)..R-g8 38)R-f4 K-e8 39)Rh4 R-a7 with the idea R-f7 and K-d7-c6 R Byrne and white has no counter play.> Actually, as Kasparov noted, instead of 39.Rh4 White has the brilliant 39.c4!! and after bxc4 (39...Bxc4 40.d7+) the other white rook can invade on the b-file. So Fischer's 37...Rh8! Still appears to be the correct choice, allowing Black to keep playing for a win.

click for larger view

And the white rook is trapped in the middle of the board.

Browne was in a money bet with IBM programmers, that he could win in 50 moves againt the rook. He actually failed to do it in 50, but gave the IBM people a forced wining variation to finish the Q vs. R ending, so they gave him the wager.

One of the participants in this was my college calculas teacher, a 2300 hundred strength player. The IBM people set up at his home, Browne was in another part of the country.

Of course now, the chess player could just hook up with Shredder or Rybka or maybe the best version of fritz and quickly pocket the money.

The two grandmasters sat juxtaposition
Carefully analyzing the complicated condition
That their moves had led them to in this advanced rendition Of the Alekhine Defense

The world was transfixed on who would win.
Would it be Fischer or Spassky again
For this game ran off the board and through the skin Of all peoples in the opposing cultures

While adjourned experts agreed, by all means a draw
But a deeper truth emerged and begin to gnaw
and race through the mind of Fischer who saw
his winning advantage.

Trapping and cunning he whittled his way
Through a maze of deception that carried away
his opponent to the false hope of victory that day
Leaving him seated staring at the board long after the match was over

Game 13 hailed by Botvinnik as Fischer’s highest creative achievement His level of genius had left the Soviets in bereavement Of the world title and the intellectual containment
Of their philosophical dominance in the world

Fischer had theoretically slammed the door
And even though they would play several more
Spassky was like a dead man walking through the door
Marching to his ultimate demise

But the dance of victory was short and sweet
As soon Bobby Fischer would find his retreat
In exile - never to defend or repeat
his title of World Chess champion

<66. Rh8??>

... then black can play...

<66. ... Rxh8 67. gxh8=Q a1=Q+>

<67. Rh8?>

... then black replies...

<67. ... c3+! 68. Ka1 f3!!>

Note that white can't take the rook, because he gets mated: <69. Rxg8?? c2 70. Kb2 a1=Q+ 71. Kxa1 c1=Q#>, so he has nothing better than returning to the first rank:

<69. Rh1 Ke4>

Black exploits the fact that the white king is confined to a1.

<70. Rc1 Kd3 71. Rf1 Ke2 72. Rc1 c2>

At last, the white king can move again, but black has made quite a lot of progress with his pawns.

<73. Bc5>

Otherwise, <73. ... f2> wins a rook.

<73. ... Rxg7 74. Kb2 Rb7>