chessgames.com
Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing
Anthony Saidy vs Robert James Fischer
"The 11th Hour" (game of the day Apr-20-2018)
US Championship (1963/64), New York, NY USA, rd 11, Jan-01
English Opening: Symmetrical. Anti-Benoni Variation Spielmann Defense (A33)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Click Here to play Guess-the-Move
Given 22 times; par: 118 [what's this?]

explore this opening
find similar games 7 more A Saidy/Fischer games
PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

TIP: To access more information about the players (more games, favorite openings, statistics, sometimes a biography and photograph), click their highlighted names at the top of this page.

PGN Viewer:  What is this?
For help with this chess viewer, please see the Olga Chess Viewer Quickstart Guide.
PREMIUM MEMBERS CAN REQUEST COMPUTER ANALYSIS [more info]

A COMPUTER ANNOTATED SCORE OF THIS GAME IS AVAILABLE.  [CLICK HERE]

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jun-05-14  Phony Benoni: Another contemporary source: "Sports Illustrated", January 13, 1964, p. 15, gives <47...N-K5> (47...Ne4).

Edward Winter's Chess Note. no. 7031, http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/... , also notes that Saidy confirmed 47...Ne4 in a letter published by Larry Evans in his Chess Life column in 1986.

Winter also notes that Saidy contributed an introduction to the game in Mueller's 2009 book about Fischer which uses 47...Nh5, but surely contributing an introduction does not imply that Saidy was familiar with the given score or analysis.

There seems to me no doubt that 47...Ne4 (47...N-K5) was the move, and that 47...Nh5 probably stems from an error in translating the score into algebraic..

However, I don't buy the theory that Fischer couldn't have made the mistake. Remember that, according the Kmoch's account, Saidy's sealed move (44.Be1) was totally unexpected. A combination of mild shock, tension, and fatigue can do strange things to even the finest chess mind. While it didn't in this case, it would have been very possible..

Jun-05-14  RookFile: Agreed, anybody can make a mistake. However, in this case, it was unexpectedly pleasant for Fischer.
Jul-26-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  yiotta: How many of us would have been satisfied to play 56...f2 instead of going the extra step and completely eliminating any resistance with 56...Ne3 and 57...Nf5?
Jul-26-14  Mating Net: <How many of us would have been satisfied to play 56...f2> I would like to think that I would at least look for something stronger than the tempting ...f2. I suspect Fischer rejected ...f2 immediately in favor of ...Ne3 and a total stranglehold on the position.
Jul-26-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  yiotta: <Mating Net-I suspect Fischer rejected...f2 immediately> I think so too, masters of all crafts are never satisfied with "just good enough".
May-13-16  newzild: <How many of us would have been satisfied to play 56...f2>

56...f2 drags the game out because it allows White to play 57. Bxf2 followed by Kb4-Kc5-Kb6 etc, attacking Black's queenside pawns and hoping to promote the pawn on a4.

May-13-16  RookFile: It's an unbelievable endgame. You look at the position after move 28 and get worried for white because he's got too many pawns on the same color as his bishop. Saidy is no dummy - he starts moving his pawns to the light squares, yet loses anyway. Fischer keeps the pressure up and provokes him into one mistake, which is all he needs.
Nov-18-16  denopac: This game was cited by Magnus Carlsen as the first game to come to mind when asked at the press conference after game 6 of the Karjakin match to choose his favorite Fischer game. He said that he was impressed by Fischer's handling of the knight vs. bishop ending.
Nov-19-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <yiotta: How many of us would have been satisfied to play 56...f2 instead of going the extra step and completely eliminating any resistance with 56...Ne3 and 57...Nf5?>

Any competent player will observe that Fischer's method at the finish is the clean way to the full point.

Feb-16-17  Howard: Last night I looked at Marin's excellent Learn From the Legends to see which "version" of Fischer's 47th move that he had, and it was....47...Nh5.

He even analyzes the "position" in detail, arguing that Saidy could have come close to drawing, but not quite.

A lot of us no doubt remember the infamous typo in Fischer's M60MG regarding the Fischer-Tal game from the 1959 Candidates. Back in 1978, Pal Benko remarked in CL&R regarding that error, "It's hard to erase a misprint once it appears in the literature." Well put!

To put it another way, someone goofed regarding Fischer's 47th move, and as a result, the error (and the misleading analysis) has been passed on from book to book.

Mar-24-17  whiteshark: Daniel ♔ has analysed this endgame, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shx...
Sep-19-17  Xeroxx: Robert James Fischer (?)
0 Inaccuracies
0 Mistakes
0 Blunders
3 Average centipawn loss

That's pretty good.

Nov-02-17  kishore4u: Excellent endgame!!!
Dec-05-17  GT3RS: Fischer easily one of the greatest endgame player after the mighty Capa of course.
Dec-05-17  ughaibu: I'm beginning to think that you might be one of the most boring posters. After the great Harry, of course.
Jan-06-18  GT3RS: And I think you're my most annoying follower to date. It's good to follow your superiors, but damn stay in your lane until called upon ok? That's your first lesson. :)
Apr-20-18  The Kings Domain: Nothing special but a Fischer game is always worth the play.
Apr-20-18  Howard: Keep in mind that Capablanca's alleged endgame prowess has been, arguably, overrated. Ironically, Fischer was one of those who argued that Capa's strong suit was in the middlegame, not the endgame.

Andy Soltis argued likewise in a 1984 CL column, as I recall.

Apr-20-18  fisayo123: Classic stuff for GOTD. One of the greatest endgames of all time.
Apr-20-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sneaky: Stockfish says that Saidy could have kept the balance with 44.Ke2 Nxg4 45.Bg1 Kf5 46.Kf3 b5 47.axb5 axb5 48.b3 Kg5 = 0.00 (66 ply) But instead 44.Be1? and it's curtains. I really don't underhand the complexities.

It seems like the rule is, when Fischer has a bishop, of course he wins — bishops are better than knights! And he provides a textbook demonstration of how bishops beat knights in endings. But when he has a knight, then it's all "bishop, schmishop!" and he goes on provides a demonstration of how pawn structure and king placement can make the knight superior.

Aug-07-18  deSitter: The controversy over move ..47 is just another example of how compressed algebraic notation is a PITA. I still prefer traditional English notation. I never understood what all the controversy about notation is. Both systems are trivial to understand, but mistakes are far more likely in compressed algebraic, and there is no doubt that it is harder to read.
Aug-07-18  Howard: Someone made a similar point in Larry Evans on Chess back in the mid-70's, to which Evans replied, "Tradition dies hard."

I grew up with descriptive, personally, but I resigned myself to algebraic eventually. No big deal, by my view.

Apr-30-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: Is 56...f2 still a forced win for black (though not the most accurate move)?
Oct-06-22  Helios727: Is this the game that Fischer used to justify his claim that a similar Karpov-Kasparov endgame was pre-arranged, since of course nobody but himself could win this type of ending? The Karpov-Kasparov game in question might have been this one Karpov vs Kasparov, 1984
Oct-06-22  Helios727: Oh, someone in the comments on the other game confirmed that Fischer was using this game with Saidy to justify his claim.
Jump to page #    (enter # from 1 to 3)
search thread:   
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

  1. No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
  2. No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
  3. No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
  4. Nothing in violation of United States law.
  5. No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
  6. No trolling.
  7. The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
  8. Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

Blow the Whistle

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.


NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific game only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

This game is type: CLASSICAL. Please report incorrect or missing information by submitting a correction slip to help us improve the quality of our content.

Featured in the Following Game Collections[what is this?]
Ruylopez's favorite games
by Ruylopez
Knight dominates Bishop
from armarosis' favorite endgames by armarosis
Bishop vs Knight
from Endgames World champions - part four by Alenrama
Game 73
from Garry Kasparov's On My Great Predecessors (4) by AdrianP
Fischer Favorites
by atrifix
Fischer's 11-0 sweep
by OBIT
Some Aspects of the Endgame
from Positional Chess Handbook I by monopole2313
A33
from Great Games by ECO Code by biglo
End game: Exploiting the bad bishop. Start at move 23.
from Foodfight's Chess Club Games by foodfight
Did RJF know he could win this ending? If so, how?
from Experimental collection by DrNyet
Game 51
from Move by Move - Fischer (Lakdawala) by Qindarka
Eleven and Zilch! B vs. N.
from One Hundred and One Great Endgames by Nasruddin Hodja
Fischer's 56 - Ng2-e3! final touch on good knight vs bad bishop
from Fischer: best player ever? by notyetagm
fischer best games
by brager
Round Eleven, January 1st
from US Championship 1963/64 by suenteus po 147
Robert Fischer's Best Games
by KingG
US Campionship ,New York 1964 (11-0)
from Bobby Fischer: Selected Games from 1955-1992 by wanabe2000
11-0 Fischer's Greatest Acheivement in US Chess
from Fischer Favorites by Micah Tuhy by micahtuhy
good N vs bad B
from Endings by totololo
C3 F
from "Learn from the Legends" - Mihail Marin by Karpova
plus 124 more collections (not shown)

Home | About | Login | Logout | F.A.Q. | Profile | Preferences | Premium Membership | Kibitzer's Café | Biographer's Bistro | New Kibitzing | Chessforums | Tournament Index | Player Directory | Notable Games | World Chess Championships | Opening Explorer | Guess the Move | Game Collections | ChessBookie Game | Chessgames Challenge | Store | Privacy Notice | Contact Us

Copyright 2001-2023, Chessgames Services LLC