The chess games of Robert James Fischer

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Robert James Fischer

Fischer

The Championship Season: Bobby Fischer in 1972.

Number of games in database: 1,072
Years covered: 1953 to 1992
Last FIDE rating: 2780
Highest rating achieved in database: 2785

Overall record: +421 -85 =245 (72.4%)*
* Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database. 321 exhibition games, blitz/rapid, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS

With the White pieces:

Sicilian (197)
    B90 B32 B88 B44 B77
Ruy Lopez (122)
    C92 C69 C95 C98 C97
French Defense (79)
    C19 C18 C11 C16 C15
Ruy Lopez, Closed (75)
    C92 C95 C98 C97 C89
Caro-Kann (52)
    B11 B10 B18 B13 B14
French Winawer (47)
    C19 C18 C16 C15 C17

With the Black pieces:

Sicilian (121)
    B92 B99 B90 B97 B93
King's Indian (117)
    E80 E62 E97 E60 E67
Sicilian Najdorf (82)
    B92 B99 B90 B97 B93
Nimzo Indian (23)
    E45 E40 E46 E43 E58
Grunfeld (20)
    D79 D86 D98 D80 D90
English (18)
    A16 A15 A10 A19

Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   D Byrne vs Fischer, 1956 0-1
   Robert E Byrne vs Fischer, 1963 0-1
   Fischer vs Spassky, 1972 1-0
   Fischer vs Myagmarsuren, 1967 1-0
   Fischer vs Fine, 1963 1-0
   Fischer vs Benko, 1963 1-0
   Letelier vs Fischer, 1960 0-1
   Fischer vs Tal, 1961 1-0
   Fischer vs Panno, 1970 1-0
   Spassky vs Fischer, 1972 0-1

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: [what is this?]
   Spassky - Fischer World Championship Match (1972)

NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS: [what is this?]
   US Championship 1963/64 (1963)
   Skopje (1967)
   Stockholm Interzonal (1962)
   Buenos Aires (1970)
   Vinkovci (1968)
   Netanya (1968)
   Palma de Mallorca Interzonal (1970)
   Rovinj/Zagreb (1970)
   Fischer - Spassky (1992)
   Mar del Plata (1960)
   Zurich (1959)
   Mar del Plata (1959)
   Curacao Candidates (1962)
   Havana (1965)
   Bled-Zagreb-Belgrade Candidates (1959)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   -ER Fischer by fredthebear
   1964 Fischer simul exhibition tour by gauer
   Fischer vs The Russians by wanabe2000
   Match Fischer! by amadeus
   Match Fischer! by dwinco
   Bobby Fischer: Selected Games from 1955-1992 by fernando.laroca
   Bobby Fischer: Selected Games from 1955-1992 by wanabe2000
   Bjelica_125 by Gottschalk
   Russians versus Fischer by Anatoly21
   Robert Fischer's Best Games by demirchess
   Robert Fischer's Best Games by Patca63
   Robert Fischer's Best Games by KingG
   Robert Fischer's Best Games by Jaredfchess
   A Legend on the Road (I) by MissScarlett

GAMES ANNOTATED BY FISCHER: [what is this?]
   Petrosian vs Pachman, 1961
   Unzicker vs Fischer, 1962
   Korchnoi vs Fischer, 1970
   Fischer vs Julio Bolbochan, 1962
   Zukertort vs Steinitz, 1886
   >> 16 GAMES ANNOTATED BY FISCHER

Search Sacrifice Explorer for Robert James Fischer
Search Google for Robert James Fischer

ROBERT JAMES FISCHER
(born Mar-09-1943, died Jan-17-2008, 64 years old) United States of America (federation/nationality Iceland)

[what is this?]

Robert James ("Bobby") Fischer was a chess prodigy born on March 9, 1943 in Chicago.

At 13, he won the stunning brilliancy D Byrne vs Fischer, 1956, which Hans Kmoch christened "The Game of the Century." At 14, he won the US Championship (1957/58), making him the youngest U.S. Champion ever. At age 15, Fischer became both the youngest grandmaster (at the time) and the youngest candidate for the World Championship.

Fischer's victory qualified him for the Portoroz Interzonal (1958). He tied for 5th-6th, which sufficed to advance him to the Candidates Tournament to decide the challenger to World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik. It also made him, at 15, the youngest grandmaster ever - a record that stood until Judit Polgar broke it in 1991. At the Bled-Zagreb-Belgrade Candidates (1959), Fischer finished fifth out of eight, the top non-Soviet player.

Fischer won the US Championship all eight times he played, in each case by at least a point. In the US Championship (1963/64) he achieved the only perfect score (11-0) in the history of the tournament.

He won the Stockholm Interzonal (1962) 2� points ahead of Efim Geller and Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian. This made him a favorite to win the Curacao Candidates (1962), but he only finished fourth, behind Petrosian, Geller, and Paul Keres.

In a famous article in Sports Illustrated magazine, The Russians Have Fixed World Chess, Fischer accused the Soviets of cheating: Petrosian, Geller, and Keres had drawn all 12 of the games among themselves at Cura�ao. Because of this, he refused to play in the next Candidates cycle. He did play in the Sousse Interzonal (1967), but left it while leading, because of a scheduling dispute occasioned by Fischer's refusal to play on Saturday, his Sabbath.

He won the Palma de Mallorca Interzonal (1970) by a record 3� points. The following year, he shocked the chess world by sweeping the Fischer - Taimanov Candidates Quarterfinal (1971) and Fischer - Larsen Candidates Semifinal (1971) by identical 6-0 scores, the only perfect scores in the history of the Candidates Matches. He also won the first game of his Candidates final against former World Champion Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian, giving him a modern record of 20 consecutive wins at the highest level of competition. He won the Fischer - Petrosian Candidates Final (1971) by 6�-2� to advance to the World Championship match against reigning champion Boris Spassky. This also gave him a FIDE rating of 2785, making him at that time the highest-rated player in history.

In Reykjavik, he won the Fischer - Spassky World Championship Match (1972) by 12�-8� to become the 11th World Chess Champion. In 1975, Fischer forfeited his title after FIDE refused to meet his conditions for a World Championship match with Anatoly Karpov. He then virtually disappeared from the public eye for nearly 20 years.

After ending his competitive career, he proposed a new variant of chess and a modified chess timing system. His idea of adding a time increment after each move is now standard, and his variant "Fischerandom" (or "Chess960") is gaining in popularity.(2)

Fischer resurfaced in 1992 to play a match against his old rival Spassky in Yugoslavia. Fischer won Fischer - Spassky (1992) 10-5 with 15 draws. The United States considered that Fischer, in playing this match in Yugoslavia, violated U.S. Treasury Department regulations that forbade transacting business with Yugoslavia. Fischer evaded authorities for twelve years until July 13, 2004, when he was arrested in Japan. On March 22, 2005, he was granted Icelandic citizenship and finally freed from Japan. He died of renal failure in Iceland on January 17, 2008 at the age of 64. Gravestone photo: http://www.sjakkfantomet.no/wp-cont....

Fischer's anthology, My 60 Memorable Games, was published in 1969. It has been described as a "classic of objective and painstaking analysis,"1 and is regarded as one of the great classics of chess literature.

(1) Hooper & Whyld. The Oxford Companion to Chess. 1992

(2) Wikipedia article: Bobby Fischer

(3) User: jessicafischerqueen 's YouTube documentary of Fischer http://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Last updated: 2018-09-23 15:50:12

page 1 of 43; games 1-25 of 1,072

Game	Result	Moves	Year	Event/Locale	Opening
1. D Mayers vs Fischer	1-0	17	1953	Blitz Game	C33 King's Gambit Accepted
2. J Altusky vs Fischer	0-1	8	1954	Offhand Game	C71 Ruy Lopez
3. Fischer vs J Altusky	1-0	12	1954	Offhand Game	E90 King's Indian
4. A W Conger vs Fischer	1-0	12	1955	Correspondence Game	E70 King's Indian
5. A Humphrey vs Fischer	½-½	33	1955	US Amateur Ch	E61 King's Indian
6. Fischer vs K Warner	0-1	28	1955	Lincoln ch-US jr	B58 Sicilian
7. W Whisler vs Fischer	½-½	25	1955	Lincoln ch-US jr	E80 King's Indian, Samisch Variation
8. J Thomason vs Fischer	0-1	23	1955	Lincoln ch-US jr	E90 King's Indian
9. Fischer vs D Ames	½-½	28	1955	Lincoln ch-US jr	C47 Four Knights
10. Fischer vs V Pupols	0-1	44	1955	Lincoln ch-US jr	C40 King's Knight Opening
11. Fischer vs Franklin Saksena	1-0	22	1955	Lincoln ch-US jr	C53 Giuoco Piano
12. Fischer vs K Vine	½-½	36	1956	New York Manhattan	B32 Sicilian
13. Fischer vs S Baron	1-0	53	1956	New York Manhattan	C98 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin
14. Fischer vs M Pavey	0-1	52	1956	New York Manhattan	A07 King's Indian Attack
15. A Turner vs Fischer	1-0	53	1956	New York Manhattan	E68 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Classical Variation, 8.e4
16. W Whisler vs Fischer	0-1	28	1956	?	E87 King's Indian, Samisch, Orthodox
17. J Tamargo vs Fischer	0-1	40	1956	New York Manhattan	B22 Sicilian, Alapin
18. Fischer vs J A Casado	½-½	48	1956	Simul, 12b	B32 Sicilian
19. Fischer vs E Nash	0-1	51	1956	US Amateur Championship	A05 Reti Opening
20. K Blake vs Fischer	0-1	20	1956	Philadelphia ch-jr (09)	B59 Sicilian, Boleslavsky Variation, 7.Nb3
21. C Grossguth vs Fischer	0-1	29	1956	US Junior Ch.	B92 Sicilian, Najdorf, Opocensky Variation
22. A M Swank vs Fischer	0-1	43	1956	57th US Open	B20 Sicilian
23. Fischer vs H Gross	½-½	17	1956	57th US Open	A04 Reti Opening
24. C F Tears vs Fischer	½-½	45	1956	57th US Open	B25 Sicilian, Closed
25. Fischer vs P Lapiken	1-0	19	1956	57th US Open	A04 Reti Opening


page 1 of 43; games 1-25 of 1,072

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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 104 OF 104 · Later Kibitzing>
Nov-24-19		saffuna: <No, you said "after each game."> OK I was wrong. I was trying to remember. Here's what Frank Brady wrote in "Endgame": <There were few Fischer tirades while playing, but Bobby continued to lose friends and make enemies as a result of his press conferences. He gave nine before the match ended, not counting brief comments that were made jointly with Spassky after each game.> "Brief comments after each game."

Nov-24-19		beatgiant: <WorstPlayerEver>,<saffuna> Or you both could just check here Fischer - Spassky (1992) where one of our intrepid chess historians has already done the research for us. It says: "Press conferences are held every Monday. Questions for Fischer are submitted in advance in writing. He chooses which questions to answer. Spassky answers oral questions."

Nov-24-19		saffuna: Thank you, <beatgiant>.

Nov-24-19		WorstPlayerEver: <beatgigant> I said they gave 10 press conferences. Stand corrected. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob...

Nov-24-19		WorstPlayerEver: Organizer of 1992 F-S match https://en.chessbase.com/post/fisch...

Nov-24-19		harrylime: Robert James Fischer is the GREATEST ever chess player .. Discuss ....

Nov-24-19		WorstPlayerEver: Bobby was a genius. Unfortunately genius has a strong tendency to lock themselves in their own reality.

Nov-24-19		harrylime: <<WorstPlayerEver: Bobby was a genius. Unfortunately genius has a strong tendency to lock themselves in their own reality.>> I'm NOT interested in YOU or your opinion on social meeeeeedja... Robert Fischer IS the GREATEST ..

Nov-24-19		AylerKupp: <<harrylime> I'm NOT interested in YOU or your opinion on social meeeeeedja..> Here's a news flash for you, nobody is interested in YOUR opinion either. You have, after all, expressed it ad nauseum over the years, and have never provided any basis for it. Although, of course, you have a right to express your opinion anytime you want to, including on these pages, as long as you adhere to <chessgames.com>'s posting guidelines. Just why do you think that Robert James Fischer is the GREATEST ever chess player? Discuss ....

Nov-24-19		WorstPlayerEver: Dick Cavett Show: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zIE3C...

Nov-24-19		harrylime: <<AylerKupp: <<harrylime> I'm NOT interested in YOU or your opinion on social meeeeeedja..> Here's a news flash for you, nobody is interested in YOUR opinion either. You have, after all, expressed it ad nauseum over the years, and have never provided any basis for it. Although, of course, you have a right to express your opinion anytime you want to, including on these pages, as long as you adhere to <chessgames.com>'s posting guidelines. Just why do you think that Robert James Fischer is the GREATEST ever chess player? Discuss ....>> lol lol lol I cant be arsed .. lol lol lol RJF is the GREATEST ..

Nov-24-19		WorstPlayerEver: <AylerKupp> True, nobody's interested in fake lollers.

Nov-24-19		WorstPlayerEver: Bobby on 60 minutes (excerpt): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uniN-...

Nov-24-19		WorstPlayerEver: A State of Mind (1986): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8S3lK...

Nov-24-19		HeMateMe: It is curious that the anti-human Fischer would actually sit before reporters before and after some chess games and take a few questions. I can only surmise that because the opponent was a diminished Spassky, a man Fischer no longer feared, Bobby Fischer somewhat let down his guard.

Nov-24-19		harrylime: Gotta be a TOP TEN BOBBY HATERS comin sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo- oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo- oooooooooooooooooooooooooooon Just sayin loike

Nov-24-19		harrylime: Robert James Fischer has done MORE for chess than ANYONE alive or dead. He is THE GREATEST chess player .

Nov-25-19		MissScarlett: <Hazz> always wins in the end.

Nov-25-19		WorstPlayerEver: I prefer Capa. At least his variation of chess became not popular. Capa did not have to smuggle with time. Increments made chess BORING AS HELL. They wasted a lot of money. Typical inventions of a guy who became more interested in himself and his fancy clothes than in chess. After all. Similar to what happened to the US. Ironically. Now chess players are sockpuppets of the engines. The truth, the end.

Nov-25-19		Absentee: Maybe it's just me, but I find it a little hard to follow your train of thought.

Nov-25-19		WorstPlayerEver: <Absentee> Well, my main point is: what is wrong with time? Nothing. What do these increments add? Nothing. It's just silly. A limit is a limit, does not need to be confused IMO. Added complication. That said, the chess world likes confusion and to complicate things. Which I find ironic; chess is complicated enough on its own.

Dec-11-19		todicav23: I'm always puzzled how people think Fischer was crazy, he lived in his own world, etc. Most people think it's crazy to refuse one million dollars for a shampoo ad. Yet, most people are perfectly fine living in a world where the environment is slowly being destroyed, billions of animals are killed for food, billions of people suffer from poverty while the lucky ones can afford anything they want. Most of Fischer's actions are explained by one thing: he had strong principles and he didn't like people to take advantage of him and his hard work. That's why he stopped playing. He felt that he made chess popular all by himself and he refused to believe that his ideas to improve the game are not accepted. Just look at chess today. People don't care about it. Unlike other sports, chess has not evolved to be shown on TV. It's mostly about memorization. In reality, no one cares about a novelty at move 30 in the Berlin Defense. So many games are not interesting. Draws are a big problem. Fischer was not only a great chess player. He also had revolutionary ideas about how to improve chess. He recognized the problem of draws and opening preparation. He had the idea that draws should not be counted. He introduced the increment clock and Fischer Random Chess. In an interview in 1972 he said that he is willing to make changes so chess will be suitable to be shown on TV. Chess had the potential to become popular, like tennis for example. But it needed to evolve. Starting with a random position in order to avoid opening preparation was absolutely necessary. New pieces (for example a piece that moves like a knight and bishop) could have been introduced in order to make the game more tactical and exciting. Classical games should have been shorter, 2-3 hours at most. FIDE did nothing to make chess more popular. They should have made everything to keep Fischer in the game. 50 years later and chess is stuck in the 19th century. Now it's just too late...

Dec-11-19		keypusher: <todicav23> No one, ever, thought Fischer was crazy because he refused one million dollars for a shampoo commercial. People thought he was crazy because he believed Bekins Moving and Storage teamed up with da Jooz to steal his stuff, etc. In other words, they believed he was crazy because he was crazy, not because he was principled or courageous. I find blaming Fischer's problems on the chess world tiresome. If Fischer had wanted to change chess he could have had limitless resources at his disposal by snapping his fingers. He didn't. Your proposals amount to playing more quick chess, which is ubiquitous at this point anyway, and moving the pieces around in the starting position. I've enjoyed recent FischerRandom events, and I hope to see more of them, but the notion that any of that would have any impact on the 99% of the world for whom chess will never be anything more than little plastic men sitting on a board is delusional. Chess is less popular now because there are livelier distractions available and the Cold War is over. Recognizing that Bobby Fischer was bonkers is not to blame.

Dec-12-19		Joshka: <todicav23> You are spot on. Fischer was totally correct in predicting the out come of what chess, particularly World Championship level anyway, as we witnessed during the fiasco of the last Carlson Match, all games drawn. Folks, especially potential chess fans want BLOOD!! DRAWS have killed the sport. Folks also want DRAMA. The only way to put drama back in the game are to have MATCHES played instead of tournaments. FISCHER's CLOCK also provides the benefit of more time if you move quickly. I play on the ICC and the time increment is a great benefit and it's so enjoyable to play under these controls. Thanks for your comments.

Dec-12-19		Absentee: <Joshka: Folks, especially potential chess fans want BLOOD!! DRAWS have killed the sport. Folks also want DRAMA.> Maybe pro wrestling would be more up their alley.

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