June 17, 1972 Larry Evans on Chess

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Reno Gazette-Journal Reno, Nevada Saturday, June 17, 1972 - Page 5

EVANS ON CHESS

A. Zarur, Brazil
Problem: (June/17/1972) White mates in two.
Stockfish Analysis.

Fischer Lore
From the moment he exploded upon the world as a 13-year-old prodigy, Bobby Fischer brought more excitement and vitality to the scene than any other player since the legendary Paul Morphy. Each Fischer game is a struggle from opening to ending: there are no easy draws if he can help it. Small wonder so many books appear on him.
Profile of a Prodigy by Frank Brady (McKay $1.95) traces Fischer's stormy career through 1964. Six booklets Bobby Fischer his games and his openings cover the period 1955 through 1971 ($13, Chess Digest, Box 21225E, Dallas, Tx 75211). And in his classic My 60 Memorable Games (Simon & Schuster, $6.95) Fischer annotates his own best efforts, including 3 losses, from 1957-67.
If I had to choose his most brilliant game it would be #48, for which I contributed this preface in Fischer's own collection:
K. F. Kirby, editor of the South African Chess Quarterly, summed up the astonishment and admiration of the chess world when he wrote: ‘The Byrne game was quite fabulous, and I cannot call to mind anything to parallel it. After White's 11th move I should adjudicate his position as slightly superior, and at worst completely safe. To turn this into a mating position in 11 more moves is more witchcraft than chess! Quite honestly, I do not see the man who can stop Bobby at this time …’ And one can add nothing to Byrne's own words: ‘And as I sat pondering why Fischer would choose such a line, because it was so obviously lost for Black, there suddenly came 18…NxB. This dazzling move came as the shocker…The culminating combination is of such depth that, at the very moment at which I resigned, both grandmasters who were commenting on the play for the spectators in a separate room believed that I had a won game!’

U.S.A. Championship 1963/4 Gruenfeld Defense
White: R. BYRNE 1 P-Q4 2 P-QB4 3 P-KN3 4 B-N2 5 PxP 6 N-QB3 7 P-K3 8 KN-K2 9 0-0 10 P-N3 11 B-QR3 12 Q-Q2 13 PxP 14 KR-Q1(a) 15 Q-B2 16 KxN 17 K-N1 18 Q-Q2 19 KxN 20 NxP 21 K-B1(b) 22 Resigns (c)	Black: FISCHER N-KB3 P-KN3 P-B3 P-Q4 PxP B-N2 0-0 N-B3 P-N3 B-QR3 R-K1 P-K4! NxP N-Q6! NxP! N-N5ch NxKP NxB! P-Q5! P-N2ch Q-Q2!
(a) Correct is 14 QR-Q1! (b) Fischer gives 21 K-N1 (or 21 K-B2, Q-Q2! 22 QR-B1, Q-R6 23 N-B3, B-KR3) BxNch 22 QxB, R-K8ch! 23 K-B2, QxQch 24 RxQ, RxR wins. (c) If 22 Q-KB2, Q-R6ch 23 K-N1, R-K8ch!! 24 RxR, BxN 25 QxB, Q-N7 mate.

PROBLEM SOLUTION: 1 Q-05! If 1…RxN 2 R-N5. If 1…PxP 2 Q-Q3.

April 08, 1972 Larry Evans on Chess

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Reno Gazette-Journal Reno, Nevada Saturday, April 08, 1972 - Page 5

EVANS ON CHESS

E. Holladay, U.S.A.

Problem: (04/08/1972) White mates in two.
Stockfish Analysis.

Will Bobby Whip Boris?
Chess in America is riding to popularity on the broad shoulders and tempestuous personality of Bobby Fischer. A legend at 29, he is the highest rated player in history.

Chess in Russia has always been the national pastime and no foreigner even has had a crack at the title since 1948. But come June, Boris Spassky must defend his crown in a 24-game match lasting 2 months.

Indeed, London bookmakers favor Bobby 6-to-5. Yet the champion has an edge: in the event of a 12-12 deadlock he retains his title. At stake is not only an awesome purse of $150,000 (2/3 to the winner) but Soviet chess supremacy.

“I now feel a sense of mission to win the championship,” says Bobby. “Spassky's good, but I think I'm the best around. I don't say that to brag. I think it's true. I love the game — and I hate the Russians because they've almost ruined it. They only risk the title when they have to, every 3 years,”

Boris, 35, candidly admits he wouldn't be surprised if he lost, despite a phenomenal past record of 3 wins, 2 draws and no losses against his cocky challenger. Perhaps he is counting on Bobby to become reckless, as in their last encounter at the chess Olympiad in 1970. After frittering away an opening advantage, the American ace made a desperate stab to win at any price—spurning easy draws.

Gruenfeld Defense
White: SPASSKY 1 P-Q4 2 P-QB4 3 N-QB3 4 PxP 5 P-K4 6 PxN 7 B-QB4 8 N-K2 9 B-K3 10 0-0 11 R-B1 12 P-KR3 13 P-B4 14 Q-K1 15 B-Q3 16 P-N4 17 BxP 18 N-N3 19 BxB 20 B-B2 21 Q-K2 22 PxP 23 N-K4 24 N-N5 25 RxB 26 R-K1 27 N-K4 28 N-B6ch 29 QxP 30 Q-K4 31 P-N5 32 R-KB1 33 RxR 34 Q-Q4 35 N-Q5ch 36 R-B2 37 R-K2 38 R-K8ch 39 R-B8ch	Black: FISCHER N-KB3 P-KN3 P-Q4 NxP NxN B-N2 P-QB4 N-B3 0-0 Q-B2 R-Q1 P-N3 P-K3 N-R4 P-B4 PxKP B-N2 N-B5 QxB Q-B3 PxP P-QN4 BxP BxBch R-Q3 Q-N3 R-Q5 K-R1 R-Q3(a) R-KB1 R-Q7 Q-B2 NxR R-Q1 K-N1 N-B5 R-Q3 K-B2 Resigns(b)
(a) Rejecting a draw: 29… R-Q8! 30. Q-B7! RxRch 31. K-N2, N-K6 ch 32 K-N 3, N-B4ch! 33. PxN, R-N8ch 34 R-N2, Q-K6ch 35 K-R2, RxRch, etc. (b) If 39 … KxR 40. Q-R8ch, K-B2 41 NxQ wins the Queen.

PROBLEM SOLUTION: 1 NxP!