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Jeff Sarwer vs Joshua Waitzkin
"Searching for Bobby Fischer" (game of the day Oct-01-07)
US Primary Championship 1986  ·  King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack (E76)  ·  1/2-1/2


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Kibitzer's Corner
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Feb-03-08   cruiseyleemorph: Wow alot of interesting stuff here and great to see you Jeff come onto here to post on your own page lol. That must be so weird. I myself just saw the film searching for Bobby Fischer as when I heard of his death I just thought thats a film ive wanted to see for a while so I rushed onto ebay and got it. That game at the end Jeff is that a real game or a made up game for the film? I would say the latter to make the story more interesting and add amazement also as its some ending for a chess game. I will have a look for it after this post but I am sure it was for the film only.
Feb-03-08   cruiseyleemorph: I thought some people might find this link very interesting! I was looking around to see if I could find anything on the game in the film they played as was interested to the position Josh in the film had to work out and how they got to that amazing end with the queen promoting and forking the king. Some blunders as I thought in whites play and it not forced as it seemed to be portrayed in the film. And I am sure Jeff will come on and tell us he would not have fell for this old trick aye lol. Many mistakes in whites play atleast 3 I think. Can anyone work what white should have done instead? I will post soon the moves white should have played if nobody works them out.

http://www.avlerchess.com/chess-ana...

Feb-06-08   Gegga: This is not the correct game, <cruiseyleemorph>. Have a look at this site http://jeffsarwer.com . Here is the correct game. The game that was played in the movie is listed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search... It was made for the movie.
Feb-08-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  jeff sarwer: hi, the games against waitzkin posted here on chessgames are correct, the same as on my website.
Feb-08-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  thezimboman: Would Waitzkin not have won the knight with . 35) Ba4+ ... 36) Bxe6 bxa3
37) Bb3-a2 or something.
Would this be dangerous, I mean I don't know why he didnt play that move.
Feb-08-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  thezimboman: Sorry, Sarwer would have won the knight w/ 35) Ba4+ , rght?
Apr-06-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  SetNoEscapeOn: <thezimboman>
I think that if white checks and then takes the knight, black will take on a3 obtaining 2 pawns for the piece. He will then be able to walk his king towards white's c pawn, because if the white king moves from the kingside then g5 followed by f4 will come.
Apr-25-08   chessqueenie: Excuse me, could anybidy comment on move 12 by White - bringing out the queen.. does it have an attack attached that i cannot see? (it is traded soon after)
Apr-25-08   Riverbeast: <chessqueenie> Check out Jeff Sarwer's notes above. He said this was the first time he had played this opening, and he didn't know any theory, which I would have guessed because neither side really played the best moves in the opening.

Jeff's move 7. e5 is not best (even though it looks aggressive at first) because it makes his center more vulnerable to being broken up after 8...c5 (which Josh did play)

Still, after Jeff played 9.dxc5, the stronger move for Josh would have been dxe5 (take the 'e' pawn!) and white's center is already collapsed. White would be worse already.

I think the queen move you're asking about on move 12 was just an attempt to try to hold on to his center, because black threatened to take the knight on f3, followed by the pawn on e5

May-14-08   meliihhh: Mr. Sarwer, Mr. Waitzkin talks quite positively about you,when he analyzes this game (in a chess game,as a tutorial) and he says you are a very strong player..So I find it QUITE INAPPROPRIATE that you say "he went to the bathroom,crying",etc etc. I remember crying myself when I lost a tournament ,when I was a kid,but that is perfectly understandable! This game would decide the champion of the tournament,and a draw would suffice for Mr. Waitzkin. Moreover,he did draw this game,ALTHOUGH CRYING, and he won the championship. So maybe you cried afterwards. I don't want to sound offensive, but I think you should show some respect.
May-14-08   Riverbeast: <meliihhh> He's just telling the truth as it happened. Maybe you shouldn't cry so much.

Sarwer has said positive things about Josh also.

And I doubt Jeff cried too much about drawing this game, since he went on to win the world under-10 championship.

Don't forget, it was Jeff Sarwer and his family who was ostracized by all the yuppie families at Dalton, and denigrated in the book and the movie -not the other way around.

Aug-08-08   Blunderman: Does it really matter? If I remember correctly Josh beat Jeff in their rematch?

Why do people hate on Josh so much? He is a phenomenal player as is Jeff.

Aug-17-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  SetNoEscapeOn: Very important moment in the amazing story of Josh Waitzkin (and Mr. Sarwer).

Btw, am currently reading The Art of Learning, and Josh confirms that he did cry in the bathroom. There's no problem with relating the fact that a little kid cried.

Jan-16-09   HannibalSchlecter: Hi Jeff, In Josh's book he said that you had shaved your head and while playing chess you chanted under your breath "kill kill kill!" Were you really that intense?
Jan-16-09   Granny O Doul: <Hannibal> Actually, he was chanting the Sanskrit word "khil" (meaning "glean") as a mantra. He was determined to glean the rewards of his efforts at the board.
Mar-30-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  MichaelJHuman: In the book, it sounds like Josh's father did not think Josh knew this variant.

I am surprised Jeff's notation implies he also did not know the variant well. I had figured he had prepared it.

Mar-30-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  MichaelJHuman: Well, I read Jeff's comments, and he makes it sound like he knew little opening theory. I would guess he underplays his knowledge there a bit, but I can also believe his memory was probably amazing. I could see where he simply played the opening moves from memory, without knowing all the lines.

I can see where someone might want to avoid this opening for black, if they did not know how to deal with white's 4 pawn attack :)

Mar-30-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  MichaelJHuman: Trying to correlate the game to the book, looks like 39. b5, might be the move where Bruce says 'That was a mistake.'

I base that on it being a pawn push to the 5th rank, and my own chess program showing an increase in black's score after the move. Before 39. b5, Sigma showed white up more than a pawn.

In the book, Bruce suggests a bishop move to "increase pressure." Sigma chess suggests 39. Kd4

Mar-30-09   rcs784: Am I missing something, or does black have an alternative draw with 58...Nxb5 59. cxb5 (59. Kxg3 Kxc6 60. cxb5+ Kxb5 draw, or 59. Bxb5 g2 and black is winning) g2 60. Bxg2 Kxb5 draw? It seems to me this is another way to draw the position after 58. Bc6. Anyone else noticed this?
Apr-26-09   TheTamale: <pacelli: I always thought Waitzkin was a pooff.> Thank you for that outstanding and thought-provoking comment. No doubt you'd like a chance to put the gloves on and teach him a lesson... he's a world class martial artist, but I'm sure he'd be no match for you.
Jul-01-09   WhiteRook48: I was thinking 59 Ke3 g2 60 Bxg2 Kxc4! =
Jul-04-09   WhiteRook48: I suggest 7 Bd3
Aug-17-09   Axmann: Is it just me... or was 63. Ke3 a HUGE HUGE HUGE blunder? Why didn't he just move his pawn to c3, promote it to a queen, and eventually checkmate Waitzkin?
Aug-17-09   Jim Bartle: It's just you.

This happens to me sometimes, getting the board backwards...the pawn can only go to c5.

Aug-18-09   Axmann: Wow, yep. Got the board backwards.

I was freaking out there for a second lol.

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