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Herman Pilnik vs Robert James Fischer
Mar del Plata (1959), Mar del Plata ARG, rd 10, Apr-03
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf. Opocensky Variation Traditional Line (B92)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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sac: 37...Rxf3 PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

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Kibitzer's Corner
Mar-21-05  lopium: What if 27.Nc6xRb8?
I don't see how can black makes a Queen.
So it permit an advantage?
Mar-21-05  maoam: <lopium>

After 27.Nxb8 I think Qxf2 28.Rxf2 a2 29.Nxd7 a1=Q is better for Black.

Jan-27-06  Jim Bartle: 27, Nxf8 Qxf2 28. Rxf2 a2 followed by ....Af5
Nov-08-07  sallom89: great pinning!
Apr-15-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  plang: 10 f3 is not even mentioned in Nunn's book on the Najdorf though, at the time of this game, it was one of the standard moves. Nowadays, 10 Qd2, 10 f4 and 10 Nd5 are the most popular options. Fischer felt that 14 Bxb6 was necessary because black could have obtained an advantage after 14 Qf2 with 14..Nc4 15 Bxc4..bxc 16 Bb6..Qc8
17 Na5..Nd7!. 27 Nxb8 would have failed to 27..Qxf2 28 Rxf2..a2 29 Rf1..Bf5 30 Rcc1..Rxb8. Fischer was critical of 29 Nxe5? recommending 29 Ra2..Rb2 30 Rxb2..Bxb2 31 Bb5! (with the idea of Ne7+) with a probable draw. 36 Re7 would have allowed white to defend longer.
Dec-07-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  kingscrusher: I have video annotated this game which is one of Fischer's My 60 memorable games:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NulaU...

Dec-07-08  M.D. Wilson: Nice one.
Mar-07-09  outplayer: 25.axb4 Rxb4 26.b3 Bxd4 27.Rxd4 Rxb3=
Jun-03-09  birthtimes: 27. Nxf8 Qxf2 28. Rxf2 a2 29. Rf1 Bf5 30. Rcc1 Rxb8
Jul-23-09  nrjnj: [-2.75: 37.Re8+ Kg7 38. Rb7 Rd2 39. Re3 Be4 40. Rxe4 Rxf3 41. Re1 Rff2 42. h3 Rf3 43. h4 Rh3+ 44. Kg1 Rxh4 45. Rb4 Rhh2 46. Re7 -1.12/17]
Jul-25-10  tentsewang: I remember Fischer once said Najdorf chastised him for missing a very good move somewhere in the end, though Fischer was clearly winning. What a fascinating game!! by young Fischer.
Aug-29-12  TheFocus: This is game 4 in Fischer's <My 60 Memorable Games>.
Jul-21-13  talwnbe4: Here the computer program Fruit 2.2.1 finds 35..e5-e4 preferable to Fischer's 35.. Rxd6 after a few seconds of thought. The point being 36. Bxe4 Rb1 36. Rxb1 ? Bxe4+ followed by picking the rook off on b1.
Apr-03-15  Howard: Let me took a closer look at 35...e4. That was around the time where Najdorf did indeed spot a quicker win which Fischer had apparently overlooked.
Apr-04-15  Howard: Yes, 35...e4 was the move that Najdorf "chided" Fischer for missing. Just looked it up last night.
Jul-14-15  victor antoni: ganar es ganar ok Najdorf..
Sep-19-16  Howard: If I remember correctly, however, Fischer doesn't really specify where Pilnik went wrong in this game.
Sep-19-16  ughaibu: Presumably there was a point beyond which Fischer no longer asserted that Pilnik could do something "with a bind".
May-29-18  Toribio3: Pin is mightier than a sword!
Dec-12-18  SpiritedReposte: Very straight forward play from fischer. <35. ...e4!> would have been a nice find to wrap up.
Apr-23-22  Sally Simpson: In Fischer's 60, Game Two he faulted Larsen for not chopping a Bishop with a Knight. In this game (G4) he faults himself for allowing Pilnik to exchange a Bishop for a Knight on b6.

No wonder this book went over my head in the early days. Which is better Bob, a Knight or a Bishop? (although TBH I cannot recall going over this one, though I did, I have notes scribbled on it in the margin of my 1969 edition.)

Pilnik, according to Bobby was playing for a draw and Bobby was doing his best to keep some tension in the game.

Pilnik seems to get sucked into thinking he can maybe win this. Allowing the passer on d6 and knowing it is not a winner is good chess. And surely the active White Rooks will at least get a blind swine 7th rank draw. No. Bobby had looked deeper.

The book ends with a variation and a note; '...cooks White's goose'

Did Fischer really write that smultz? That and other cliché’s (...'for the want of a nail the battle was lost.' [Game 2]) reek of Evans or Lombardy. (see the latter's 'Snatched Opportunities' you could easily be forgiven apart from the personal anecdotes from Fischer that this was the same guy who noted up M60. They have a similar ring to them.)

And I wonder how the foreign translators handled that Game 4 note; '...cooks White's goose'

'After the game white ate a cooked bird.'

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