07 March 2009

Fischer - Euwe, OL 1960

The next game in 18 Memorable Games is game no.20 in My 60 Memorable Games and no.58 in Predecessors IV. The PGN is given below, along with punctuation from the notes of both Fischer and Kasparov.

[Event "14th Olympiad (Final)"]
[Site "Leipzig"]
[Date "1960.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Fischer, R."]
[Black "Euwe, M."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B13"]

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4 {BF: !?} 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qb3 {GK: !} 8...Bxf3 9.gxf3 e6 {GK: !} 10.Qxb7 Nxd4 11. Bb5+ Nxb5 12.Qc6+ {GK: !} 12...Ke7 13.Qxb5 Nxc3 {GK: ?!} 14.bxc3 Qd7 15.Rb1 {BF: !; GK: !} 15...Rd8 {BF: ?; GK: ?} 16.Be3 Qxb5 17.Rxb5 Rd7 18. Ke2 f6 19.Rd1 {BF: !; GK: !} 19...Rxd1 20.Kxd1 Kd7 21.Rb8 {BF: !; GK: !} 21...Kc6 22.Bxa7 g5 23.a4 Bg7 24.Rb6+ {GK: !} 24...Kd5 25.Rb7 Bf8 26.Rb8 Bg7 27.Rb5+ Kc6 28.Rb6+ Kd5 29.a5 f5 30.Bb8 {GK: !} 30...Rc8 31.a6 Rxc3 32.Rb5+ {GK: ?!} 32...Kc4 {GK: ?} 33.Rb7 {GK: !} 33...Bd4 34.Rc7+ Kd3 35. Rxc3+ Kxc3 36.Be5 {GK: !} 1-0

There aren't many sequences with a difference of opinion. Kasparov repeats all of Fischer's punctuation, except on 6...Bg4, which he called 'the main reply'. Kasparov also points to 13...Nxc3 as the move that landed Euwe in trouble. Worth a closer look is the sequence starting 32.Rb5+.

Fischer made a memorable comment on the position after his 15th move: 'Horrible as White's Pawn structure may be, Black can't exploit it because he'll be unable to develop his Kingside normally. It's the little quirks like this that make life difficult for a chess machine.' A search on the phrase -- "make life difficult for a chess machine" -- returns pages where other players have noted it.

To play through the complete game, see...

Robert James Fischer vs Max Euwe, Leipzig Olympiad Final 1960
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1008400

...on Chessgames.com.

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