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Robert James Fischer vs Tigran V Petrosian
"King Leer" (game of the day Apr-16-2009)
Bled-Zagreb-Belgrade Candidates (1959), Bled, Zagreb & Belgrade YUG, rd 2, Sep-08
Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack. Mindeno Variation Exchange Line (B11)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 57 times; par: 116 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 6 OF 6 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Feb-20-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  OhioChessFan: <offramp> interesting thought and I'll take that under advisement, although I still think it was a totally hopeless position.
Feb-21-14  SChesshevsky: I'm guessing the way it played out was...

Fischer thought he was better at 23...Qxe5 and he's probably right.

Then around 31...Nxc5 he realizes he didn't have the right plan of attack and is now worse and tries to mix it up with Kside majority hoping to equalize.

Around 44...a5 he probably figures he's still got drawing chances depending on Black's play. 45. Bg4 would've been interesting.

As the a&b pawn advance he knows his chances are fading and he's scrambling for some counterplay.

Once 57...b3 and the protected passed pawn reaches the sixth rank, Fischer knows he's busted and he's looking for a perpetual or a way to move his advanced pawn.

I'm assuming he played on as long as possible because he thought he was better at one point and wouldn't want to lose after that if there's any chance to save the game, he probably did have some drawing possibilities to around move 48 or so, and he knew he'd have to eventually beat Petrosian to get to the top so why not see his technique OTB as it might come in handy later.

GM's, even teenage ones, usually have pretty good reasons for what they play.

Sep-18-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  kingscrusher: I have video annotated this game here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUT...

May-09-15  BeerBrand: @Eric Farley
This is 16-year-old version of Bobby Fischer. And Petrosian's age is almost double than that of Fischer on this tourn. So this is an amazing accomplishment for a 16-year-old.
May-09-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <Mudphudder: Fischer definitely wasn't the weakest of the world champs. Farthest from it, in my opinion.>

You are entitled to your opinion. I do have at hand some statistics about World Champions which suggest that you might have to revise your opinion.

May-09-15  Howard: So let's see 'em !
May-10-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <Howard: So let's see 'em !>

I am a bit busy at the moment.

Can anyone else give us Bobby Fischer's stats as World Champion and ex-World Champion, from 1973 to his death?

Too much of a task for me at the moment.

May-10-15  Howard: Very funny ! Admittedly, I didn't think of that "point".

As far as stats, Fischer did play three games against a computer program back in 1977 or 1978. Do those count ? He won all three, in fact.

Jun-11-15  sharpnova: Lol. I think the average adult male human, learning the game then training for one week, could beat the best computer in the 70's.
Jun-11-15  Howard: Oh, I would never go that far ! Computers were no pushover---not even in the mid-70's. Personally, I still remember a cover story in a 1974 or 1975 issue of Scientific American about computer chess.

By the way, IM David Levy played a well-known match against a computer program back in 1978---he won, but by his own admission it wasn't easy.

Nov-13-15  schttrj: It's like Petrosian took all the good squares from Fischer. And that bad bishop, Fischer just couldn't get him into action. In the very beginning of the game, Petrosian took a lot of territory. Fischer's pieces were crammped already.
Nov-13-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <fab4....The soviets identified weaknesses in Fischer's opening repertoire for this torunament, and this was one of them. His stubborn adherence to this variation of the caro kann which they knew was positionally suspect. The black knight was always superior to the white bishop on g2 and as soon as it got to e5 went on the rampage....>

Fischer's stubbornness when facing certain openings was a failing early in his international career, q v, the Winawer French, and this tendency was exploited to the full--even Keres, never an adherent of the Caro-Kann, took up the cudgels.

Nov-13-15  TheFocus: What is interesting is that they had to so seriously prepare for a 16-year-old. Even then, they knew they had a contender to reckon with.
Nov-13-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Yugoslavia 1959 was not Fischer's turn to shine, but I quite agree: the Soviets knew they would have their moment of reckoning with the young grandmaster.
Nov-13-15  Howard: Agreed, that at the age of 16 Fischer was hardly a "contender" for the world title. Keep in mind that he barely qualified for the Candidates that time around.
Nov-13-15  TheFocus: <Howard> <Keep in mind that he barely qualified for the Candidates that time around.>

How so? He tied with Olafsson (5-6=) with 12 points, right behind Petrosian and Benko (3-4=) who only scored a half point more.

So are really saying that the 3rd - 6th place finishers, which they were, just "barely" qualified?

Nov-13-15  Howard: Yes, that would be more accurate---probably should have been clearer.

But, it seems from looking at his games in the interzonal, that he was probably a bit lucky to qualify that time around.

Of course, in 1962 it was a different story.......

Jul-01-17  WilliamJE: I saw this game for the first time all the way back in the mid 70's when Edmar Mednis came out with his book- How to beat Bobby Fischer

Am I missing something at move 42?. Why doesn't Fischer play Qxc5+ if Qxc5 43 Rxb7+ Ka8 44 Rb5 discovered check. It's at worst a perpetual check because if either rook or Queen interposes on d5, white goes 45 Bxd5+

As I asked before, am I missing something?

Jul-25-17  Toribio3: Fischer played passively.
Jun-21-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  SteinitzLives: Safe to say young Bobby had not yet figured Tigran out yet. Black's pawn moves in the opening and the amazing utility of his knight moves in the middlegame are impressive.

Watching Fischers long and desperate looking Q moves is painful.

Petrosian's careful king walk with the two pawns leading him, despite heavy pieces on the board, shows the future world champs creativity and great calculation.

Black seems to have found ways to well time the use of every one of his advantages throughout this game.

Jun-21-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  Gregor Samsa Mendel: <WilliamJE>--You don't seem to post here anymore, so you may never see this, but after 42 Qxc5+ Qxc5 43 Rxb7+ Ka8 44 Rb5+ Rxf3 black wins.
Dec-25-18  DonChalce: 22...Nce5 should have been avoided. i do not know exactly but e5-disrupting the bond between the centre pawns and raising one of the rooks(preferably queen's side one) on the second rank and making intelligent use of the white square bishop just anything! i feel the game was really lost with that move.
Nov-01-21  RookFile: The problem with the opening is that the g2 bishop is a lousy piece in this setup. Fischer struggled and opened up possibilities for it and was better at one point. Then he lost his way.
Nov-19-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  technical draw: The 16 year old Fischer did not resign even in a really lost position against a tough Russian Grandmaster. Maybe he was hoping Iron Tigran would blunder. Not likely!
Nov-19-22  Olavi: <RookFile: The problem with the opening is that the g2 bishop is a lousy piece in this setup. Fischer struggled and opened up possibilities for it and was better at one point. Then he lost his way.>

After Black has pushed d4, e5 and c5, the variation is a reversed King's Indian, Fischer's great favourite, with Black having exchanged his better bishop on f3. That doesn't make it a good try for an opening advantage.

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