D. Byrne - R.J. Fischer
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Easily one of the prettiest games
ever played.
(Brilliancy prize winner and "The Game of The
Century.")
Reinfeld calls it the greatest game by a chess prodigy ever!
I place this game firmly in the list
of, "The Ten Best Games of Chess
Ever Played."
(Other GM's have also expressed this opinion.)
***
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1. Nf3,
Tricky. We start off as a Reti.
I think D. Byrne was looking to use transposition as a weapon here.
[
The normal move order
to reach a Grunfeld is:
1.d4
Nf6; 2.c4
g6;
3.Nc3
d5; etc. ].
1...Nf6; 2.
c4
g6; 3.
Nc3
Bg7; 4.
d4
0-0; 5.
Bf4!?, (Maybe - '!')
A very potent line today, but
in those days the theory of
the Grunfeld was in its infancy.
[
The move 5.e4,
leads instead
to a King's Indian Defense. ].
5...d5; ('!') Transposing to the Grunfeld.
6. Qb3!?, (Very interesting.)
White is playing a variant of,
"The Russian System."
(Many annotators have awarded
this move an exclam.)
[
6.cxd5!?
Nxd5; 7.Nxd5
Qxd5; 8.Bxc7
Nc6!; 9.e3
Bf5!;
(Black has good "compensation" for the material.)
The 'Main' "book line" here is the move: 6.e3!? ].
6...dxc4!;
Producing a favorable version of
the Boleslavsky-Hort Variation.
[
The move: 6...c6!?;
produces a completely different
type of game,
as it gives White
the option of fixing the Pawn
Structure with
'Pawn takes Pawn.' (P-at-c4xP-at-d5.) ].
7. Qxc4
c6!?; (Maybe - '!')
This is a good move and enters a
slightly better than normal variation
of the
"Boleslavsky-Hort Variation."
8. e4
Nbd7!?; (Maybe - '!')
Fischer is setting a trap,
according to Chernev.
Many annotators criticized this
move, citing 9. e5, as now giving
White a large advantage. But all the
annotators that said this ...
missed a tactic.
9. Rd1!?, (Maybe - '!')
Very nice, centralizing the Rook.
(But it was probably better ... and a little safer ... to play Be2 instead.)
[
9.e5
Nd5!,
(Or 9...Nb6?!; 10.exf6
Nxc4; 11.fxg7
Kxg7; 12.Bxc4,
"+/="
Or
9...Nh5?;
10.Be3, "+/"
) 10.Nxd5!?
cxd5; 11.Qxd5?!,
(11.Qb3
Nb6;
12.Be2
h6; 13.0-0
Be6; "~")
11...Nxe5!; The tactic many Masters missed.
12.Qxd8
Nxf3+!; 13.gxf3
Rxd8; "/+" (Maybe "-/+")
Black should probably win.
(He will annex the d-pawn,
and White's Pawn Structure
is still a mess.) ].
9...Nb6; (Maybe - '!')
Black wins a tempo off the White
Queen to develop his QB.
10. Qc5!?, (Interesting.)
White clamps down on the Black
Q-side and pressures key dark
squares.
Several GM's - including Soltis - give this move an exclam.
Fred Reinfeld gives it a question mark!
[ Safer was: 10.Qb3 Be6; 11.Qc2, "+/=" (Maybe "=") ].
10...Bg4!; 11.
Bg5?!, (Plausible, but <maybe> the losing move.)
A very aggressive move meant to
clamp down on the dark squares
and intimidate Black enough to
prevent him from seriously
considering
the Pawn Advance,
... Pawn @ e7 to e5.
But it back-fires on Byrne.
***
(Many Masters have given this
move a question mark. But I am
sure that judgment is MUCH
too harsh! Donald Byrne was
playing
very aggressively, surely
going for the win.
Besides, most MASTERS ...
do NOT play Fischer's next move,
unless they are already familiar
with this game. I know; I have
probably
tested this position on
HUNDREDS of different players!).
***
"Very plausible: the idea is that
11...Nbd7?; would lose Black's KP."
- Fred Reinfeld.
"Fischer's reply to this move must
have given Byrne the
shock of his
young life!"
- Irving Chernev.
[
With the simple and safe:
11.Be2!, "+/=" White would
still keep
a small advantage. ].
11...Na4!!,
(Maybe - '!!!' or even '!!!!')
I consider this to be perhaps
the most brilliant and amazing move
ever made on the chessboard.
It is incredible ... and a very original concept.
It has the added value of looking like the most crass and basest of blunders.
12. Qa3!, (Maybe forced.)
Probably the best, ...
all things considered.
[
If White plays 12. NxN, the
main line will go:
12.Nxa4?!
Nxe4; 13.Qxe7
Qa5+;
14.b4, Forced. ( 14.Nc3??
Nxc3; 15.bxc3?!
Rfe8; "-/+" wins White's Queen.
).
14...Qxa4; 15.Qxe4
Rfe8;
16.Be7, Forced.
(16.Ne5??
Qxd1#
). 16...Bxf3!;
17.gxf3
Bf8!;
(17...Bf6??; 18.Bxf6!
Rxe4+; 19.fxe4
Qxb4+; 20.Ke2
Re8;
21.f3,
"+/=").
18.Be2
Rxe7; 19.Qb1
Rae8;
20.Rd2
Qb5; 21.Qb2!
Bh6;
22.Rc2
Qd3!; 23.Rg1
Bg7; "/+"
(Maybe "-/+".) ].
12...Nxc3; 13.
bxc3
Nxe4!;
(Really - '!!')
Another shot.
Fischer is willing to sacrifice an exchange to open the e-file.
14.Bxe7,
Practically the only good
move for White.
[
14.Qxe7?
Qxe7;
15.Bxe7
Rfe8; "/+" (Maybe "-/+")
and Black wins. ].
14...Qb6!,
Again the best.
(And in keeping with the thematic
idea of pressurizing the dark squares.)
[
In the early days, before they
got so strong, computers would
always play:
14...Qd7!?;
even
after thinking for several hours! ].
15. Bc4!,
GM Rowson says this is the best,
and gives this move an exclam.
"Active defense," says GM J. Rowson.
[ 15.Bxf8!? Bxf8; 16.Qb3 Nxc3!; Black has "comp." ].
15...Nxc3!,
Again the sharpest and best.
[ 15...Rfe8!? ].
16. Bc5, (Maybe - '!')
Again, probably the best.
(And practically forced.)
[
16.Bxf8?!
Bxf8; (With both an
initiative and a strong attack.)
17.Qxc3??
Bb4; "-/+" ].
16...Rfe8+; 17. Kf1, Definitely forced.
[ 17.Kd2?? Ne4+; 18.Kc2 Nxc5; "/+" (Maybe "-/+") ].
Now what?
(Many Masters who were actually
watching this game felt Black was
lost here!)
17...Be6!!; (Maybe - '!!!')
The shot heard ...
" 'round the world!! "
(GM R. Fine liked this move so
much he gave it FOUR (4) ...
exclamation points.!!)
Many great and well known
Grand-Masters, such as M.
Botvinnik, R. Fine,
S. Flohr,
(and many others); have called
this,
"One of the most magnificent
moves ever played on a chessboard."
[
Not 17...Nb5?!; 18.Bxf7+!
Kxf7; 19.Qb3+!?,
("+/-") which wins for White.
( Even better may be: 19.Ng5+!
Kg8; 20.Qb3+
Kh8; 21.Nf7+
Kg8;
22.Nh6+
Kh8; 23.Qg8+
Rxg8; 24.Nf7#.
The famous, "Smothered Mate!" )
].
18. Bxb6,
White has nothing better than
to take the Queen.
[
18.Bxe6?
Qb5+; 19.Kg1,
(19.Ke1
Qe2#
). 19...Ne2+; 20.Kf1
Ng3+;
21.Kg1
Qf1+!
; 22.Rxf1
Ne2#. This time ...
BLACK gets a smothered mate!!!
Or 18.Qxc3?!
Qxc5!; "-/+" ].
Black now grabs a little material ...
and makes sure his Knight
on c3
will be guarded by his Bishop
on g7 - by eliminating the White
Pawn
on d4; and he does it all ...
WITH CHECK!!!
18...Bxc4+!; 19.
Kg1
Ne2+!; 20.
Kf1
Nxd4+; 21.
Kg1
Ne2+;
22. Kf1
Nc3+; 23.
Kg1
axb6!;
A nice "in-between move."
24. Qb4, (Box?)
Practically the only
square for the White Queen.
[ 24.Qc1?? Ne2+; 25.Kf1 Nxc1+; ("-/+");
Or 24.Qb2?? Ne2+; 25.Kf1 Bxb2; "-/+"
Or 24.Qd6!?
Rad8!; 25.Qxd8!?
Ne2+;
26.Kf1
Nd4+; 27.Kg1
Rxd8;
28.Nxd4
Bxd4; "/+" (Probably "-/+")
Black should win easily.
(He has 2 Bishops and
2 Pawns for the Rook!) ].
24...Ra4!;
One more shot.
Black guards his Bishop
and hits the Queen.
The Queen has no good squares, so White
goes ahead and grabs a pawn.
[ 24...Rxa2!?; 25.Qxc4, "~" ].
25. Qxb6
Nxd1;
Black now has a Rook, Two (2)
Bishops, and a Pawn for the Queen.
Additionally White's pieces are
very uncoordinated, his back rank
insecure;
and White drops more
buttons in an effort to activate
his pieces.
The rest of the game turns
into a humorous,
"Hunt For Red October."
(The hunt for the White King.).
(Pac-Man chess!)
Fischer was probably enjoying
himself here.
28. Re1 Rxe1; 29. Qd8+ Bf8; 30. Nxe1 Bd5!; 31. Nf3 Ne4;
32. Qb8 b5; 33. h4 h5!; 34. Ne5 Kg7; 35. Kg1 Bc5+;
36. Kf1
Ng3+;
Fischer does not find the quickest
mate here.
Either he was pressed
for time, or he was intent on setting
up
a problem-like mate for this
wonderful masterpiece.
[
Quicker was:
36...Rf2+; 37.Ke1,
(37.Kg1?!
Rf4+; 38.Kh2
Rxh4#).
37...Bb4+; 38.Kd1
Bb3+;
39.Kc1
Ba3+; 40.Kb1
Rf1#. ].
37. Ke1 Bb4+; 38. Kd1 Bb3+; 39. Kc1 Ne2+; 40. Kb1 Nc3+;
41. Kc1 Rc2# (Check-Mate!!) 0 - 1
I consider this to be the 6th greatest chess game ever played.
Copyright (c), A.J. Goldsby. © 2001.
One of the greatest games of chess ever played. (PERIOD!)
To me, this easily compares ...
- favorably! - ... to a great painting, or
a
magnificent concerto; by any
of the Masters ...
of any other art form!!!
GM Hans Kmoch - who at the time
this game was played - was
considered
THE most pre-eminent chess writer
and authority in the world!
Kmoch - right after this game was
played - dubbed this game:
"THE GAME OF THE CENTURY!!!"
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where I examine this game in GREAT
detail!!!
(But there is only 1 diagram, so you have to use a
chess board & set!)
This
is a MUCH shortened copy of the game than the version that exits in my
database.
(I had to shorten it for publication. The other version was simply
too difficult to convert to an HTML [re-play] document.)
The
original "ChessBase" file contains a look at the opening of this game,
"The Reti Opening."
This would be an asset to have, if you wanted to study this
opening.
If you would like a copy of this game, please contact me.
Copyright, (©) A.J. Goldsby I. © A.J. Goldsby, 1985 - 2013.
Copyright (©) A.J. Goldsby, 2014. All rights reserved.
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