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James Sherwin vs Bobby Fischer
United States Championship (1966/67), New York, NY USA, rd 9, Dec-26
King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation. Classical Main Line (E69)  ·  0-1

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
Notes by Stockfish 9 v010218 (minimum 6s/ply)better is 11...Nc5 12.Rb1 = +0.50 (30 ply) ⩲ +1.19 (23 ply) after 12.b3 Qc7 13.Be3 h6 14.Rb1 b6 15.Qd2 Kh7 16.Rbc1 Bb7 better is 13.Be3 h6 14.Bf1 Qc7 15.Qc2 Nb6 16.a4 Nbd7 17.Qd2 Kh7 ⩲ +1.35 (21 ply) ⩲ +0.79 (21 ply)better is 17.Qd2 Qc8 18.Kh2 Qc7 19.Rb3 Reb8 20.Reb1 a5 21.Bg5 h5 ⩲ +1.32 (22 ply)better is 17...h6 18.Qc2 g5 19.Kg2 Ng6 20.Be2 g4 21.hxg4 Nxg4 ⩲ +0.65 (22 ply)better is 18.Qd2 Nh5 19.Rb2 Qc8 20.Rb3 a5 21.b5 f5 22.exf5 gxf5 ⩲ +1.31 (20 ply)better is 18...h6 19.Qd3 g5 20.Nd2 Ng6 21.Bg2 Qc8 22.f3 Qc7 23.Qc2 ⩲ +0.65 (23 ply) ⩲ +1.36 (23 ply) after 19.Qd2 Nf6 20.Rb2 h5 21.Qd3 Qc8 22.Reb1 a5 23.b5 Qc7 better is 23...Qc7 24.Rb1 Rb8 25.Rxb8 Qxb8 26.Nh4 Qc8 27.Bg2 Nf6 = +0.25 (22 ply)better is 24.Qb2 Qd8 25.Rb3 Bg7 26.Qb1 Qf6 27.Rb7 f4 28.gxf4 h6 ⩲ +0.86 (20 ply) 24...Rb8 25.Rxb8 Qxb8 26.Bg2 Qd8 27.Kg1 Bg7 28.Qc1 Nf6 = +0.22 (21 ply)better is 25.Qb3 Be8 26.Bd3 Bd7 27.Bh6 f4 28.Bf1 fxg3+ 29.fxg3 Qd8 ⩲ +1.04 (22 ply) 25...Rb8 26.Qb1 Rxb2 27.Qxb2 Qd8 28.Bd3 Nh5 29.Qb7 Bc8 = +0.30 (22 ply)better is 26.Qb1 Nh5 27.Bh6 f4 28.Rb3 Bf6 29.Rb6 Be7 30.Bg2 Qd8 ⩲ +1.12 (18 ply) ⩲ +0.59 (22 ply) after 26...Be8 27.Ng5 h6 28.Nf3 g5 29.exf5 Nxf5 30.Ne4 Bg6 better is 27.Qc2 Rb8 28.Rxb8 Qxb8 29.Bd3 Ba5 30.Bg5 Nh5 31.Bh6 f4 ⩲ +0.83 (23 ply) 27...Rb8 28.Qxc8 Bxc8 29.Rxb8 Bxb8 30.Bd3 Bc7 31.Kg2 Bd8 = +0.15 (25 ply) ⩲ +0.99 (23 ply) after 28.Qb3 Be8 29.Qc2 Rb8 30.Rxb8 Qxb8 31.Bh6 Bd8 32.Bd3 Bd7 better is 30...Bd8 31.Bg5 Bxg5 32.Nxg5 Ra7 33.exf5 gxf5 34.Nc3 e4 = +0.46 (24 ply)better is 31.exf5 gxf5 32.Nh4 e4 33.Be2 Bd8 34.Bf4 Bf6 35.Rb3 Be5 ⩲ +1.00 (23 ply)= +0.39 (23 ply)better is 32...Bd8 33.Nf3 a5 34.Ng5 Ba6 35.Bd3 e4 36.Nxe4 Ne5 = +0.28 (24 ply) 33.Bc2 Rb8 34.Rxb8 Bxb8 35.g4 Nge8 36.Kg3 Bc7 37.Nb2 Bd8 ⩲ +0.87 (26 ply)= -0.24 (28 ply) 38.Nf3 Nxe4 39.Bh6 a5 40.Nfd2 Nxd2 41.Nxd2 Ba6 42.a4 Kf7 = -0.08 (26 ply) ⩱ -1.15 (30 ply) 41.Rb6 Rf8 42.Kg1 Bf2+ 43.Kg2 Bd4 44.Be1 Rf3 45.Ne2 Ba1 ⩱ -1.17 (27 ply) ∓ -2.04 (27 ply) 43.Bd2 Bf2 44.Rb8+ Kf7 45.a4 Bd4 46.Ba5 Be3 47.Rb7+ Ke8 ∓ -1.96 (25 ply)-+ -3.07 (26 ply) after 43...Kf7 44.Rb7+ Kf8 45.Rb8+ Ke7 46.Bd2 Rf2+ 47.Kg1 Re2 better is 44...Be1 45.Rb8+ Kf7 46.Bd2 Rf2+ 47.Kg1 Re2 48.Bxe1 -+ -2.79 (28 ply) ∓ -2.02 (30 ply) 50.Rb8+ Kc7 51.Rf8 a5 52.Rf7+ Kb6 53.Rf6 Rb3 54.Rxf4 ∓ -2.35 (31 ply)-+ -3.73 (31 ply)better is 51...Rb3 52.Rxf4 Rb2+ 53.Kg3 Bd1 54.Rf6 Ke7 55.Re6+ Kd7 -+ -4.30 (33 ply) ∓ -2.45 (30 ply) 55.Kh1 Rxa3 56.Rxf4 a5 57.Kg2 a4 58.Nf1 Rc3 59.Rf7+ Kc8 ∓ -2.12 (27 ply) 55...Re3 56.Kf1 Re2 57.Nb3 Rxe4 58.Nd2 Re2 59.Nb3 Rc2 -+ -3.07 (31 ply) ⩱ -0.95 (29 ply)better is 57...a5 58.a4 Rc3 59.Rxf4 Rc2+ 60.Rf2 Rxc4 61.Ng3 Rxa4 ⩱ -1.20 (29 ply) ⩱ -0.65 (32 ply)better is 59.Rf7+ Ke8 60.Rxh7 Bxc4 61.Ng3 Bb5 62.Rh8+ Kf7 63.Rh7+ = -0.23 (32 ply) ⩱ -0.74 (31 ply) 67.Rg7 c4 68.Rxg6 c3 69.Re6+ Kd7 70.Nf5 Kc7 71.Ne3 c2 = -0.21 (33 ply)-+ -3.42 (29 ply)better is 69...a5 70.Re6 a4 71.Rxe5 Kd6 72.Re8 Kxd5 73.Ra8 Ra1 -+ -3.94 (31 ply) ∓ -2.35 (28 ply) after 70.Rf6 Rxd5 71.Kf3 Rd6 72.Rf8 Ke7 73.Rb8 Rd4 74.Ne2 Rd8 73.Rf8 a5 74.Ke3 Bb5 75.Rg8 Rd3+ 76.Kf2 Kf7 77.Rb8 Bc6 ∓ -2.25 (24 ply)better is 73...Rb6 74.Ne2 Rb2 75.Ng3 Rb3 76.Ke3 Ra3 77.Rc7 a5 -+ -3.17 (26 ply) ∓ -1.98 (25 ply) 76.Rg8 Kd5 77.Ne4 Rc6 78.Rd8+ Kc4 79.Nd6+ Kc5 80.Ne4+ ∓ -1.61 (23 ply)-+ -2.57 (26 ply) after 76...a5 77.Rg8 Rd3+ 78.Kf2 Kf7 79.Rb8 Bc6 80.Rb6 Rc3 77...a5 78.Ne4 Rd3+ 79.Kf2 Bc6 80.Nf6 Kf7 81.Rc8 Rc3 -+ -2.90 (25 ply) ∓ -1.67 (25 ply) 81.Ke2 Rxg3 82.Rxc6 Rxg5 83.Kf2 Rf5+ 84.Kg3 Rf6 85.Rc1 -+ -3.00 (28 ply) 81...Ba8 82.Kh3 Rf2 83.Kh4 Bd5 84.Rb1 a5 85.Nf1 a4 86.Re1 -+ -5.42 (27 ply)-+ -3.03 (26 ply) after 82.Kf1 a5 83.Ne2 Rc4 84.Ke1 Ke6 85.Kd2 Kf5 86.Nc1 Be4 84...Rc2 85.Ra5 Ke6 86.Ke3 Kd6 87.Ng1 Rc1 88.Ne2 Rc5 -+ -4.22 (28 ply) 85.Ke1 Ke6 86.Kd2 Kf5 87.Ra5 Be4 88.Nc3 Rd4+ 89.Kc1 Bc6 -+ -2.63 (26 ply)-+ -4.05 (25 ply) after 85...Ke7 86.Ke1 Kd6 87.Ra5 Rc5 88.Ra7 Rc1+ 89.Kd2 Rg1 -+ mate-in-10 after 97.Rc5 Ra1+ 98.Kh2 e2 99.Rc3+ Ke4 100.Rc4+ Kd30-1

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35437 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Aug-19-05  BobbyBishop: After 70. Rxd5, what was Sherwin possibly hoping for by playing on? Black up 2 pawns, not to mention B vs N. Perhaps he was simply playing on out of spite after acquiring only 1/2 a point out of his last 6 games with Bobby boy.
Aug-19-05  RookFile: Well, I think the end of the game is a little amusing. After 98... a2, I bet Sherwin sat there and tried to
think of every possible stalemate scheme there was. Turns out there isn't anything good for him. I wonder if Bobby played it this way to tease him a little bit.
Nov-02-05  BobbyBishop: There's an amusing story told in Andrew Soltis' book Bobby Fischer Rediscovered. He was talking about a game he (Soltis) had played against Sherwin in which James T had finally gotten to employ a line in the Sicilian he'd been working on for several months. He claimed that he'd invested about 20 hours working out the kinks. Fischer all of a sudden appears and watches Sherwin's analysis. Here's how it appears in the book: When matters got interesting around move 17, Fischer stopped the show by asking "whadya got on this?" and moved a white piece. Sherwin had an answer but it was quickly demolished by a few quick Fischer follow-ups. This happened a move later in the game and then again. After the 4th time he'd refuted a Sherwin move, Fischer asked, "You spent 20 hours on this?" Classic Bobby...
Nov-02-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: Sherwin played this game all the way to the Lucena position after missing a draw at move 78:

Fischer vs J Sherwin, 1958

You could argue he dragged this one out too.

J Sherwin vs Fischer, 1958

Nov-02-05  RookFile: Another way of looking at that
story about Fischer and Sherwin is,
it shows the difference in calculation
ability and strength of analysis between a super GM and an IM.
Sep-19-14  Ke2: 100... a1Q#
Dec-29-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  OBIT: After 70...Rxd5 Sherwin is two pawns down, but Fischer has only three pawns left, and they're all isolated. I think Sherwin is correct to play on, hoping that a draw somehow falls out of the sky. With that said, Sherwin has three very long losses to Fischer in the chessgames database, of 72 moves, 90 moves, and 100 moves. Clearly, he is a glutton for punishment.

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