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Robert James Fischer vs Paul Keres
Zuerich (1959), Zuerich SUI, rd 12, Jun-03
Spanish Game: Morphy Defense. Chigorin Defense Panov System (C99)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 44 times; par: 126 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jun-07-10  Blunderdome: Interesting position after 36. Kf2. Black is a pawn up but his pawns are terrible.
Jul-25-10  tentsewang: A very strong play by young Fischer at the time which brought thunder-quake in the chess world of russia.
Aug-22-12  csmath: Great Keres falls for two-move combination by 16-year-old Bobby. I guess Botvinnik would say "you need to work on those two-move tactics." Mind you it is a great positional game otherwise.
Aug-22-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: < csmath: Great Keres falls for two-move combination by 16-year-old Bobby. I guess Botvinnik would say "you need to work on those two-move tactics."....>

Anyone is capable of such errors: here's one from the Patriarch himself. Botvinnik vs Pachman, 1947

My guess would be that you would have us all believe you've never fallen into a two-mover yourself, as you sit in your perch On High and criticise a player you couldn't have touched on the best day of your life.

Aug-29-12  TheFocus: This is game 8 in Fischer's <My 60 Memorable Games>.
Oct-08-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Eggman: Carlsen just beat Caruana in this ending!
Oct-08-12  notyetagm: Game Collection: I MAKE YOUR PAWNS LOOK LIKE YOUR GRANDMA'S TEETH

Fischer vs Keres, 1959 23 Nf5-h6+! sham sacrifice destroys the Black pawns structure

Oct-09-12  csmath: <Carlsen just beat Caruana in this ending!>

These endings are essentially different.

Oct-10-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Eggman: <<These endings are essentially different.>>

Ain't neither!

May-28-13  hoodrobin: <AnalyzeThis: We all make mistakes.>

You meant: we make all mistakes. :-)

Jul-25-14  rickycota: Fischer had a better pawn structure even though Keres was a pawn up so Fischer exchanged queens and delivered a beautiful endgame
Apr-04-15  Howard: Anyone know of any computer improvements to this game ?

It looked pretty complicated at one point, so I wondered.

Aug-12-15  Serbon91: Could black play 38.Bxb5? It looks so simple,so I'm probablly missing something...
Aug-12-15  Serbon91: Ohh,know see,cannot take own pawn...God,time for bed...
Sep-28-15  sfm: <Serbon91: Ohh,know see,cannot take own pawn...> I know this so well from my own games. I mean, here we get all these great winning ideas, but some stupid little detail screws it all up.
Jan-07-16  SeanAzarin: Taking the Bait
Mar-29-17  Kent Swearingen: Fischer gives 41...Be6 a "!"" in MSMG, with the comment, "sacrificing a second Pawn for counterplay on the open QB-file", but Stockfish sees this as a serious error. It gives 41...Bf5 as equalizing at a depth of 45/75, but evaluates +1.54 after 41...Be6. Its move also sacs a Pawn for activity, but also forces the exchange of Bishops. Fischer later notes White's need to keep the Bishops on to avoid a draw. My only point: chess is hard.
Jun-18-18  Omnipotent00001: 66. Kxf4 is mate in 26 moves.
May-01-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sally Simpson: Been looking forward to replaying this one.

The difference in age (Bobby was 16, Paul 41) matters not. This is Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer on the banks of the Mississippi seeing who skim their flat pebble the furthest.

If you want to you can mouse click though this game in a minute. The Minute Waltz. But that (to me anyway) is like listening to ‘Nowhere Man’ at the wrong speed and missing the harmonic ‘ding’ at the end of Harrison’s guitar solo.

This is a full set game, live, moving the same pieces to very same squares they did. You are not watching a game of football on a video, you are there on the pitch marvelling at the ball control, wincing at some of the tackles, arguing with the ref and calling for the ball.

You get the ball, the players stop and watch you kick it right over the bar. (my analysis) they get their ball back and the game continues.

Too many moments. Not least the kid teasing the master with repeated moves to gain time on the clock.

I’ve picked this one because any two move trap in any game is my ‘ding’ moment.

Keres sitting there knowing a double two mover (one easy to spot, the other not quite so) is often a winner. They spot the first one, relax and thinking they can defuse it walk into trap No.2. That wait after setting such a trap is addictive. I’m an addict. (no known cure and I don't want one)

White to play.


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Both players have been trying to trip each other up. Two traps set by Keres. 34.Qxf5 Re1+ 0-1. Saw that one. 34.Bxf5 Rh6 0-1. but that one was a bit cheeky.

Fischer’s notes hint it was only a matter of time before he walked into one so he pulled the Queens off. ‘..his weak pawns cannot be concealed by tactical tricks.”

Then we get the adjournment and that study like ending. Some express a surprise at Keres forgetting his analysis. (the forgotten move is a check! 60..Bb1+ ) . The game would have been looked at that night by Keres and satisfied he had a draw he went off to join his chums in the bar.

It would have been continued a day or two later with another game in between.

Fischer of course (no chums and too young to go the bar) would have been pouring sweat on this adjourned game in his hotel room at every spare moment.

Jan-13-23  ValWill: They got the moves out of order.
Move 7: B-N3, 0-0 (not d6 as typed here)
Move 8: c3, d6 (not c3, o-o as typed here)..

-I'll work the game here and with the Book

Jan-13-23  ValWill: Nothing Matches!
"Games of Robert J. Fischer", "My 60 Memorable Games", and this website- LMAO!!!! all 3 have differing moves- the Games of book is way-off...shame...this was his first victory over a Soviet GM...and in a Ruy Lopez - basic beginning.
Dec-06-23  Mathematicar: What a positional grind by American youngster!
Feb-18-25  andrea volponi: 60...Rc5!? .draw for me.
Feb-19-25  Damenlaeuferbauer: This was the first time that young Bobby won against one of the Soviet giants. At least after this game they knew, that the "Brooklyn Eagle" would be a very serious contender for the chess crown.
Feb-19-25  andrea volponi: 60 Bf1!? Bf7 - Kxf4 =. draw for me .
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