Today is the anniversary (April 4, 1975) of FIDE declaring Anatoly Karpov, the Russian challenger, to be world chess champion after Bobby Fischer forfeited his title.
Which is your one all-time favorite game of Fischer and which is your one all-time favorite game of Karpov? Just one game for each player please 🙂
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Fischer, Karpov. There are lots of good answers to both parts of this question.
the game i won against Bobby Fischer in my dreams was pretty interesting 🙂
Robert Byrne – RJ Fischer, US Championship, 1963. When Byrne resigns, he’s a piece up and it’s not obvious that he is losing! It’s like magic.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 c6 4. Bg2 d5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. e3 O-O 8. Nge2 Nc6 9. O-O b6 10. b3 Ba6 11. Ba3 Re8 12. Qd2 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Rfd1 Nd3 15. Qc2 Nxf2 16. Kxf2 Ng4+ 17. Kg1 Nxe3 18. Qd2 Nxg2 19. Kxg2 d4 20. Nxd4 Bb7+ 21. Kf1 Qd7 0-1
It’s a Fischer-Petrosian game from Fischer’s demolition of Petrosian in the 1971 Candidates’ Match. I’ll have to look it up tonight when I get home, but it’s a thing of beauty.
Robert Byrne – RJ Fischer, US Championship, 1963.
They play a dull symmetrical opening, Black isolates a pawn to open things up, Black sacs a piece, they make some more quiet moves, White resigns.
It’s an easy game. Seriously, I still marvel at this game all these years later.
Problem with Fischer is that people love what he did, but very few people have more than a passing acquaintance with more than a handful of his games. You see the same dozen or so over and over again, and nothing else.
I bet if you asked “What’s your favorite Fischer game that wasn’t against Donald Byrne, in the 1972 match or in My 60 Memorable Games”?, a lot of people would struggle to come up with any answer at all.
Fischer vs Donald Byrne . Game of the Century 1958. uncontested. Karpov has never played an interesting game in my opinion
spaski-fischer 1972 wcc alekhines defence
“I bet if you asked “What’s your favorite Fischer game that wasn’t against Donald Byrne, in the 1972 match or in My 60 Memorable Games”?, a lot of people would struggle to come up with any answer at all.”
Based on this comment, which may be accurate, perhaps the original question from Susan should then not be wasted on us, but put forth to a few GMs, or others who have studied Fischer. I would love pointers to other exciting games.
Or maybe Susan’s original intent was to pool from the collective knowledge of people who read this blog, and have those submit games other than the 61 anonymous mentioned. Maybe we should spend more time studying Fischer’s games and less time reading blogs so we can contribute more and ramble less. (I meant that kindly).
This not an attack on anonymous, just a conversation. As a chess amateur, I rather enjoy when someone drops me a pointer to an interesting game, recent or historical. It motivates me to download a PGN and have a look.
And since I am on Susan’s blog, I will mention I have promised myself to have a long look at Sophia’s “Sack of Rome” (I think it is called). I hope there are enough materials on that tournament which will provide an immersive and exiting experience, having missed it entirely. If not, I will simply walk through the PGNs myself and try to imagine what happened.
I might as well ask.. If anyone knows of an archive covering this tournament, please drop me a pointer. Thanks.
Ah! I found it! Game 7 of his candidates’ match with Petrosian in 1971. It’s an evergreen lesson in how to attack isolated pawns.
Because I’m a Modern Benoni fan, perhaps my favourite is Game 3 in the 1972 Match. But Spassky played weakly in that game.
Perhaps Game 5 (the Nimzoindian) was Fischer’s best game in that match.
But for an overall best Fischer game, I find it hard to disagree with those who say Robert Byrne – Fischer US Ch. 1963.
For the person who wants a game outside of ’60 Memorable Games’, the 1972 Match, and not against Byrne, I suggest Larsen – Fischer Santa Monica 1966. Great game! I cannot understand why Fischer didn’t include this in his book – it’s better than quite a few others that are there. And memorable too, as it was crucial in enabling Fischer to head Larsen off for 2nd place.
I cannot go with the 7th game of the 1971 Fischer – Petrosian Candidates match.
Petrosian played the opening very weakly. I think Fischer could have just taken the Exchange and won easily.
As for Karpov, hard to say.
Maybe the 27th game of his first match with Kasparov. Karpov conjured up a win out of what looked like absolutely nothing. Quite extraordinary.
Game 6, Fischer-Spassky 1972.
The game itself isn’t the most exciting chess ever played, but it was a psychological masterpiece.
to the person who said karpov hasnt played any interesting games, well he´s an amateur obviously; he has a couple of good games from he´s early years. and he crushed topa or anadn i thin k when he was around 42years old.
i think from karpov i would choose the game he won against 12yearold and future world chm Gkasparvo. magic!!
and from bobby, one of hes against tal, simple fireworks at its greatest!!! prbly 61annee.
jb.
Karpov-Kasparov (m/27) 1984 has been something of a fan favorite over the years. It doesn’t exactly send my pulse racing, but Karpov certainly deserves credit for contriving to squeeze a win out of a total nothing position.
For those of you looking for beautiful Fischer games outside the realm of the 1956 game vs. D. Byrne, My 60 Memorable Games, or the 1972 match, here are a few:
1
2
3
4
(Yeah, yeah. It says only one favorite game for each player. Call me a hijacker, then.)
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Anonymous said…
Fischer vs Donald Byrne . Game of the Century 1958. uncontested. Karpov has never played an interesting game in my opinion
>>
Translation: “I’m not familiar enough with Karpov’s games to pick one. Heck, I don’t even know much about Fischer’s, beyond the 2 or 3 that everybody knows.”
“Heck, I don’t even know much about Fischer’s, beyond the 2 or 3 that everybody knows.”
Got that right. He claimed that the Donald Byrne game was 1958, when in fact it was 1956.
Fischer – Stein 1-0, 1966;
Karpov – Kasparov 1-0, 5th m.g. of the 1985 match.