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Bobby Fischer vs Arthur Bisguier
"Merlin and Arthur" (game of the day Jul-24-2017)
United States Championship (1957/58), New York, NY USA, rd 5, Dec-23
French Defense: Winawer. Advance Variation General (C16)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
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Jun-03-11  DrMAL: 32...Qxd4 was OK as was 33...Qa1

34...Ra3 was a blunder

34...Qa2 (only move) leads to an extra pawn for white, along with bishop versus knight, but probably a draw.

e.g., 35.Nd7+ Kb7 36.Qd1 Qe2 37.Qc1 Ra2 38.Nxb6 Nxb6 39.Rxb6+ Kc8

Nov-27-12  piroflip: Bobby misses the simple 26. Na4 here.
Of course he didn't have an engine like the rest of us.
Nov-28-12  diceman: <piroflip: Bobby misses the simple 26. Na4 here.

Of course he didn't have an engine like the rest of us.>

Yeah, his was better.

Mar-06-13  Garech: Definitely GOTD material.

-Garech

Mar-06-13  Garech: "Arthur and Merlin"

-Garech

Mar-27-14  thegoodanarchist: <Garech: "Arthur and Merlin"

-Garech>

Great Pun! Why not submit it here:

Pun Submission Page

Jul-24-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: A very good game and a good pun! Well done, Garech!

<piroflip: Bobby misses the simple 26. Na4 here. Of course he didn't have an engine like the rest of us.>

But he plays it next move, and I don't think it makes a huge difference.

Later, in this position,


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Black could have won a piece with 32...Qh3. White would have to take the f-pawn with 33. Qxf3 and then 33...bxc5. But then White plays the stultifying 34. Rb1+.


click for larger view

Jul-24-17  thegoodanarchist: And of course this game obeys my rule of thumb for the French Defense:

"In the French Defense, the first player to castle will lose the game. Unless his name is Magnus Carlsen"

Jul-24-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: Fischer says that he thought the Winawer could be beaten positionally. But he always seems to be taken off piste and the game goes into a tactical mêlée.

Fortunately he was almost always too strong a player to lose a French mêlée.

Jul-24-17  kevin86: White picks up a loose rook and wins the game.
Jul-24-17  Strelets: <offramp> He considered the Winawer French to be fundamentally unsound because Black either trades off or loses time retreating the good dark-squared bishop (its light-squared counterpart being a well-known source of trouble for Black in the French) and concedes space on the kingside.
Jul-24-17  RandomVisitor: After 30...Ra2 white emerges from the mess a pawn up, but the game is far from over:


click for larger view

Stockfish_17061704_x64_modern: <6 hours computer time>

<+0.98/54 31.Nc5+ Kb8 32.Nd7+ Kb7 33.Rd1 Rb2 34.Qxf3 Rb1 35.Rf1> Rxf1+ 36.Kxf1 Qc2 37.Qc3 Qd1+ 38.Be1 h6 39.g3 g4 40.Qb2 Qd3+ 41.Qe2 Qxd4 42.Nf6 b5 43.cxb5 cxb5 44.Nxg4 b4 45.Nf6 Nb6 46.Qe4+ Qxe4 47.Nxe4 Na6 48.Ke2 b3 49.Kd3 Kc6 50.f4 Kd5 51.Nc3+ Kc6 52.Bf2 Nb4+ 53.Ke4 Nc4 54.Nb1 h5 55.Kd4 Na5 56.Kc3 Kb5 57.Be1 h4 58.Bd2 hxg3 59.hxg3 Nd5+ 60.Kb2 Nb7 61.Kxb3 Nc5+ 62.Kc2 Ne4 63.Kd3 Nxg3 64.Nc3+ Kc6 65.Kc4 Nxc3 66.Bxc3

Feb-17-18  jaimenarin: Nice game by Bobby
Feb-17-18  RookFile: I thought Bisguier played a good game with interesting ideas. It's kind of like Marshall playing Capa. The champ wins but it's still a very interesting fight.
Mar-30-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  tpstar: White to Play and Win after 39 ... Qxc4.

Probably a time pressure blunder by Black right at the time control.

May-23-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sally Simpson: I know the first Russian G.M. Fischer beat was this game: Fischer vs Keres, 1959.

But who the first actual holder of a G.M title that Fischer beat?

Was it Fischer vs Bisguier, 1957. Bisguier was awarded the GM title in 1957. This game was played late in December 1957

May-23-18  Howard: If I remember correctly, this game was one of about 20 that was annotated in Bobby Fischer's Chess Games.
May-23-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sally Simpson: Hi Howard,

I have that book (somewhere) I was wondering if this was Bobby's first GM scalp. (cannot recall it saying so in the book.)

May-23-18  Howard: It did not say so in that book.
May-24-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sally Simpson: Still not 100% sure if this was Bobby's first win v a holder of the G.M. title.

Frank Brady in 'Endgame' says Fischer first GM scalp was Reshevsky vs Fischer, 1957 but that was a blindfold simul.

Bisguier himself does a section on Bobby in 'The Games of Robert J. Fischer' by Wade & O'Connell but no mention of his potential place in chess history.

(I suppose it is nothing to brag about - maybe he was still seething about: "Arthur Bisguier was originally proclaimed the winner, and was driving back to New York with the first place trophy before a recalculation gave the title to Fischer instead." 58th US Open (1957))

Soltis has 3 Fischer - Bisguier games but not this one so he has missed the chance to slip in the note 'this was Bobby's first win v a Grandmaster.' (if indeed that is the case.)

Apart from the one thousand and one unqualified Fischer professors of psychoanalysis I know there are one or two genuine Fischer experts who frequent this site.

Hopefully one can confirm or correct me.

May-24-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  harrylime: How old was Bobby when this game was played?
May-24-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sally Simpson: Born in 1943 so he was 14.
May-31-18  jabinjikanza: Good show by fischer
Jan-08-23  ValWill: Howard- Yes, this game is referenced in his book: "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" (pp.127-128). Referring to Moves 33 and then 34 (answer, page 128). Questioning Move 34- Would you Capture Black's Queen (sitting in a1) with your Rook? He shuffled over 4 squares only with his Rook. -And you're right, he only mentioned that Bisguire was a former US Champ...no shade thrown.
May-06-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: Fischer and Bisguier had played twice before. In the 1956 Rosenwald tournament (famous for Fischer's "Game of the Century" against Donald Byrne), Bisguier had smashed Fischer with the Four Pawns Attack against Bobby's King's Indian. In the 1957 U.S. Open, Bisguier played 6.Be2 against Bobby's Najdorf, and they drew. But beginning with this game, Fischer simply owned Bisguier, scoring 13/13. https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che...
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