Bobby Fischer vs Edward D Stepans (1957)

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Bobby Fischer vs Edward D Stepans
58th US Open (1957), Cleveland, OH USA, rd 2, Aug-06
Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation. Yugoslav Attack Main Line (B77) · 1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 2 OF 3 · Later Kibitzing>
May-19-05		Shokwave: Missed today's puzzle entirely. Never gave Nxc6 more than a quick glance.

May-19-05		myratingstinks: knights trump. this is an example of why I utterly despise playing against kinghts & so love playing with them.

May-19-05		KingV93: Saw the whole thing right away ! ;) Reminds me of a game I played the other day....as black !

May-19-05		RookFile: So, 12. Nxc6 Qxc6 13. Nd5, and correct for black is 13... Qd7 losing the exchange to 14. Nb6 Qb7 15. Nxa8 Qxa8. A winning advantage for white, especially someone as strong as Fischer, but maybe Black can put up more resistance.

May-19-05		Gravity: Hello. How is every one today???

May-19-05		aw1988: Fine, Gravity, although please remember this is not a website for general chat. We are leaning more towards chess. Of course, pleasantries are always welcome.

May-19-05		sfm: Funny, after the "typical" 11.-,b5 comes a position which we have seen the like of so many times. Now white is going to play 12.h4 etc. and the usual who-mates-who-first battle will begin. But no, surprise! Black is already lost. I suppose the best defense would have been 13.-,Qd7 14.Nb6,Qb7 15.NxR,QxN and black can still play on and hope for a miracle...

May-26-05		patzer2: Fischer's 12. Nxc6!! deflection uses the threat of a skewer or knight fork to decisive advantage: <12. Nxc6!! Qxc6 13. Nd5! Kh8> (13... Qb7 14. Nxf6+! Bxf6 15. Bd5 ; 13... Rb8?? 14. Nxe7+ ; 13... Qd7 14. Nb6 ; 13... Nxd5? 14. Bxd5 ; 13... Qe8 14. Nc7 Qc6 15. Nxa8 Qxa8 ) <14. Nxf6 e6> (14... Bxf6 15. Bd5 ; 14... exf6 15. Bd5 ) <15. Bh6 Bb7> (15... Bxf6 16. Bxf8 ) <16. Bxg7+ Kxg7 17. Ng4 f5 18. exf5 Rxf5> (18... exf5 19. Qd4+ ; 18... gxf5 19. Rhe1 fxg4 20. Rxe6 Rf7 21. Qg5+ Kf8 22. Rexd6 Qc7 23. Qh6+ Ke8 24. Re1+ Re7 25. Bf7+ Kxf7 26. Qxh7+ Kf8 27. Qh8+ Kf7 28. Rf6#) <19. Qxd6 h5 20. Qe7+ Rf7 21. Qxf7+ Kxf7 22. Ne5+ Ke7 23. Nxc6+ Bxc6 24. Rhe1 Bd7 25. Rxd7+ 1-0>

Feb-12-08		Weadley: Hello... I do not think any one has explained the previous question: Why does black not re-capture the knight on move ...13. Thanks

Feb-12-08		EdwardChisam: Weadley, 14. Nxf6 Bxf6 15. Bd5 and the a8 rook will be lost. Is this the question you were asking?

Feb-13-08		Weadley: I must be slow... I do not see anything that can take the a8 rook?

Feb-13-08		Weadley: Ahhhh OK... the Queen is skwered and must move. thank you User: EdwardChisam

Mar-17-10		buk2: "...I do not think any one has explained the previous question: Why does black not re-capture the knight on move ...13." because then the bishop captures the knight at d5 and skewers Black's Queen and rook.

Aug-02-10		Damianx: It might be a case of who mates first wins when u play it it never was when Fisher played it it was a case of Fisher always mates first

Mar-07-13		FSR: I can't see how Black can save his bacon after 12.Nxc6 Qxc6 13.Nd5, when White threatens both 14.Nxe7+ and 14.Nxf6+ Bxf6 15.Bd5. The best I can see for Black is dropping the exchange with 13...Qb7 14.Nxf6+ Bxf6 15.Bd5 Qb8.

Mar-07-13		FSR: <Damianx: It might be a case of who mates first wins when u play it it never was when Fisher played it it was a case of Fisher always mates first> Not always. Fischer vs C Munoz, 1960 Fischer vs Geller, 1967 Fischer vs Geller, 1967

Mar-07-13		Sneaky: I imagine that 15.Ng4 would be sufficient but 15.Bh6! Is even better. I love how when Fischer gets an advantage he doesn't relax for a second... instead he starts to put the clamps on extra tight.

Mar-07-13		Bartimaeus: There's some nice tactics in this POTD winning material for white. Had less trouble with this as opposed to yesterday. 12. Nxc6 Qxc6 13. Nd5 and now black has couple of bad choices as white is threatening two things : A) Nxe7+ forking Queen and King B) ...Nxd5 Bxd5 winning the exchange The Queen can't go anywhere to save the loss of exchange. 1) 14... Qd7 Nb6 2) 14... Qe8 Nc7 3) 14... Qb7 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Bd5 Pure tactics that should come intuitively to folks who love playing / have faced often the Sicilian Dragon.

Mar-07-13		al wazir: I found 12. Nxc6 Qxc6 13. Nd5, and thought that was all there was to it because of the threats of 14. Nxf6 Bxf6 15. Bd5 and the various ♘ forks. I didn't realize that there was a chance of winning even more material, let alone a mate threat in the offing. Fischer knew the Sicilian inside and out, from both sides. I bet this was a trap he had studied as part of his preparation

Mar-07-13		Bartimaeus: <al wazir: I didn't realize that there was a chance of winning even more material, let alone a mate threat in the offing.> The Knight on d5 poses an incredible number of threats and can win varying degrees of material depending upon Black's response but i don't see any immediate mating line. Which mate threat are you referring to ?

Mar-07-13		agb2002: The material is identical. Black is probably considering the plan Nxd4, Bd7, Rfb8, a5, a4, etc. or something similar. If the knight on f6 disappeared the square d5 would be defenseless and White could carry out the maneuver 12.Nxc6 Qxc6 13.Bd5 winning the rook on a8. This suggests 12.Nxc6 Qxc6 13.Nd5 with the double threat 14.Nxe7+, winning the queen, and 14.Nxf6+ followed by 15.Bd5: A) 13... Qb7 14.Nxf6 Bxf6 15.Bd5 wins the exchange. B) 13... Qd7 14.Nb6 wins the exchange. C) 13... Kh8 14.Nxf6 Bxf6 15.Bd5 wins the rook on a8. D) 13... Nxd5 14.Bxd5 also wins the rook. E) 13... Rf8 14.Nxf6+ Bxf6 15.Bd5 as in C. F) 13... Ra7 14.Bxa7, etc.

Mar-07-13		morfishine: I imagine the Book notes state: "12.Nxc6 and White wins" White wins a clean exchange after <12.Nxc6 Qxc6 13.Nd5 Qb7 14.Nxf6 Bxf6 15.Bd5 Qb8 16.Bxa8> ********** PM: 11...b5 was the fatal error; In the game, Black lost a piece which makes me wonder if my line improves or is flawed; Probably doesn't matter much: Go down a piece or an exchange against Fischer and you are pretty much toast

Mar-07-13		gofer: Yesterday I wrote... < Unfortunately, the <Crafty EGT> website throw out this POTD every couple of weeks. So its not difficult when you have seen it before many times... > Well okay. I was a day early... :-) http://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-puz...

Mar-07-13		Abdel Irada: <<•>How not to play the Dragon<•>> By springing this trap in his pet variation of the Yugoslav Attack, Fischer gave his opponent a "free" opening lesson that cost the latter at least the exchange. (This, of course, is why Black has to exchange on d4 before playing ...b5 in this line.) <<•> 12. Nxc6, Qxc6 > Black has to recapture. If he tries to interpolate with a counterattack, his situation only becomes worse: (a) 12. ...b4? 13. Nxb4 or (b) 12. ...a5?! 13. a4 and White wins essentially as in the text. <<•> 13. Nd5 ... > Now Black does have choices, six of them, in fact. Unfortunately, they all lose at least the exchange. Note that White threatens 14. Nxe7, winning the queen, so anything Black does must prevent this. <<•> (1) 13. ...Qb7 14. Nxf6†, Bxf6 15. Bd5, Qb8 16. Bxa8, Qxa8 17. Bd4 > White has won the exchange, and with his last move blunts Black's counterplay. From here, White's attack with h4-h5 will go ahead as planned and at leisure, since Black has no adequate threats of his own. Other defenses are no better. < (2) 13. ...Nxd5? 14. Bxd5 > Here White wins an entire rook. < (3) 13. ...Qd7 14. Nb6, Qb7 15. Nxa8 > Here, too, White wins the exchange, and will continue with 16. Bh6 and the stock kingside pawn storm. < (4) 13. ...Qe8 14. Nc7, Qc6 15. Nxa8 > This transposes to line (3) and the outcome will be the same. < (5) 13. ...Re8? 14. Nxf6†, Bxf6 15. Bd5 > As in line (2), White picks up a full rook. < (6) 13. ...Kh8? 14. Nxf6, Bxf6 15. Bd5 > Again White comes out a rook to the good. And so opening theory is verified through the bitter tuition of practical punishment for error. Black cannot play ...b5 without first interpolating an exchange of knights on d4. (And even this contains a positional pitfall, since White can exchange bishop for knight on f6 and ruin Black's pawn structure: 11. ...Nxd4 12. Bxd4, b5?! 13. Bxf6, Bxf6 14. Nd5 . To make matters worse, Black's d-pawn will fall, leaving him a pawn down and in a worse position.)

Mar-07-13		Abdel Irada: In the game, apparently Black tried to complicate his way out of the mess, with disastrous results. Although it made little difference to the final outcome, the text must be regarded as murder-suicide, for Black unquestionably cooperated in arranging his own demise.

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