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Paul Keres vs Robert James Fischer
Curacao Candidates (1962), Willemstad CUW, rd 14, May-24
Sicilian Defense: Chameleon (B20)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jan-08-09  WhiteRook48: wow so this guy can force Fischer into a draw!! Amazing!! Or maybe was Fischer playing for a draw? No, that can't be.
Jan-20-09  WhiteRook48: amazing 73. Bh3 here.
Feb-16-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  IMlday: In Fischer's 2007 notes he still considers 56..Rh3+ as ? but his 1969 suggestion 56..Rxa3 also ? because of 57.Qe6! aiming for perp. So he likes now the simplifying idea to take the ♕s off by 56..Rf3! 57.Kg1 Rf4 58.Qe5+ Qxe5 59.dxe5 and then Black plays to trade p/e5 for p/g4, collect the a-pawn, set up p/h3 and K/h4 and finally force the B to c6 when the R hits that square to enforce ..a7-a5! and eventually (105..h2+) winning.
Mar-19-09  WhiteRook48: 73... Qxh3+!
Apr-23-09  JonDSouzaEva: See Mrs Alekhine's page for the reasons why "My 61 Memorable Games" is not the work of Fischer. User: Mrs. Alekhine
Sep-12-09  TheMacMan: this games pretty funny, funny comments from fischer too,
Jun-22-10  elohah: 13...Bxe2? - NOOOOOOO, Bobby!

Not AGAIN!

Jun-22-10  elohah: It doesn't MATTER if Bobby could have justified this move on move 26 by playing the better 26...Nf5! (p. 228, 60MG), 13...Bxe2? is a BAD move, do not play Chess like this, kids!
Jun-22-10  tonsillolith: Another boring game from Drawl Keres and Bobby Drawscher...
Jul-08-12  RandomVisitor: After 59.Bd7


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Rybka 4.1 x64:

[-1.61] d=21 <59...g2> 60.Qxg2 Qxg2+ 61.Kxg2 Kf6 62.Kf2 h3 63.Bc6 Ke5 64.Nh2 Rd3 65.Nf1 Kd6 66.Nh2 Rc3 67.Nf3 Rb3 68.Nh2 Rd3 69.Nf3 Ra3 70.Bb7 Rb3 71.Bc6 Rc3 72.Nh2 Ke5 73.Nf3+ Kf4 74.d6 Rc2+

Aug-29-12  TheFocus: This is game 37 in Fischer's <My 60 Memorable Games>.
Jun-02-13  AhBengI: Has anyone tried 72...Qc4+? I couldn't find any analysis of that move.
May-04-14  newzild: Some notes from running this game quickly through Stockfish:

1) The computer agrees with Fischer's own observation that the plan Bg4xe2 was weak. It was better to position the light-squared bishop on e6, either move 12 or move 13. Prior to the exchange, Stockfish thought Fischer had close to a one-pawn advantage (-0.96).

2) Instead of 20...Qc7, Stockfish prefers to open the a-file with 20...a6.

3) 22. Nh2? was a mistake, for reasons too arcane to reproduce here, but note that this knight ends up blocking the Bb2. The computer prefers 22. Ng3.

4) 30. Nxd4? was a bad mistake, increasing Black's advantage from half a pawn to 1.25 pawns. It could have been refuted by 30...Qd8! After the White knight moves, Black plays Nc2-d4, White exchanges knights on that square, and Black's queen recaptures with check (and an attack). Fischer's 30...Bxe5? gave the advantage to White.

5) White's plan of moving his king to the h-file was weak. After 39. Kh2? the advantage shifted back to Black - until he played 39...Rf4?

6) Much stronger than 40. Qe7+? was 40. Qe5+! Kh7 41. Ng5+.

7) The position was dead equal for many moves until 53. Kg3?

8) 56...Rh3+? gave up most of the advantage, as Fischer noted. Better was 56...Rf3! 57. Kg1 Rf4 58. Qe5+ Qxe5 59. dxe5 Rf5 60. d6 Re6, with two strong passed pawns.

9) After 58. d5, best was 58...Rf3, with advantage to Black.

10) Stockfish's moves match the players for most of the remaining game until 72. Qe5!! Stockfish prefers 72. Bg3!!, which also draws, e.g.. 72...g1=Q 72. Bf5+! with similar perpetual check/stalemate themes to the game (72...Qxf5 73. Qg7+!!)

Jul-09-14  Howard: So, therefore, Fischer's 56...Ra3 would not have won after all, correct ?
Aug-29-14  Howard: So would 56...Rxh3 or 56...Rf3 have been the better move ?

And now it appears (see above) that 72.Qe5 !! was NOT the only way to draw ?!

Nov-26-15  drleper: This has already been mentioned, but worth a diagram or two I think. Stockfish 6 finds another way to draw with 72.Bg4!


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and a great finish; 72... g1=Q 73. Bf5+ Qxf5


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74. Qg7+


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K or Q takes and stalemate :)

Nov-26-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  kingscrusher: drleper: Incredible to find a new comment on this game just today - I am about to upload a detailed video annotation for this game at my channel youtube.com/kingscrusher - I will post the link soon. Amazing there is still interest here - it is amazing what resources engines find now to cast new perspecitves on these classic dramatic encounters.
Jan-10-16  Joker2048: One of the most unusual draw..
Good game.
Jul-21-16  Caissanist: The <Mrs. Alekhine> forum died years ago. Much of that discussion has since moved over to the M61MG Wrestler chessforum page, which Chessgames is keeping up permanently even though hardly anyone seems to think the topic worth discussing anymore.
Jun-11-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <drleper> Yes, Yusupov also mentions 72.Bg4 as another drawing line, as you described it.

After 72.Qe5, Yusupov says that the "main line" is 72...Qf2+ 73.Kh3 g1=Q 74.Bf5+ Kh6 75.Qf6+ Kh5 76.Bg6+! Qxg6 77.Qg5+ Kxg5 stalemate.

Apr-07-20  anjumskhan: Methodical Keres tried something different to take Fischer off-guard, and succeeded in getting B-N vs R endgame.
Apr-07-20  RookFile: In other words, he succeeded in hanging onto a draw by the skin of his teeth.
Apr-07-20  Petrosianic: Yeah, Fischer misjudged it and thought he had more than he did.
Apr-07-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  harrylime: In other words...

The Soviet Communist School of Chess 1 v 0 Robert James Fischer

Oct-19-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  louispaulsen88888888: Well, yeah Harrylime, for the time being, but 10 years later, a different story.
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