Robert James Fischer vs Herman Pilnik (1959) Chill, Pil

Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players ·

Kibitzing

Chessgames premium membership fee will increase to $39 per year effective June 15, 2023. Enroll Now!

Robert James Fischer vs Herman Pilnik
"Chill, Pil" (game of the day Dec-03-2019)
Santiago (1959), Santiago CHI, rd 12, May-05
Sicilian Defense: Fischer-Sozin Attack. Leonhardt Variation (B88) · 1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Given 74 times; par: 44 [what's this?]

explore this opening	find similar games	1 more Fischer/Pilnik game
	PGN: download \| view \| print	Help: general \| java-troubleshooting

TIP: If you missed a Game of the Day, you can review the last year of games at our Game of the Day Archive.

For help with this chess viewer, please see the Olga Chess Viewer Quickstart Guide.

PREMIUM MEMBERS CAN REQUEST COMPUTER ANALYSIS [more info]

A COMPUTER ANNOTATED SCORE OF THIS GAME IS AVAILABLE. [CLICK HERE]

Aug-27-05		abcpokerboy: Oops! Always a shock when you stumble into allowing a mate in 2, regardless of how stron your opponent is!

Mar-05-06		zev22407: An elegant game,first Fischer controls the d5 point, than he attacks the black king with his pawns and at last a Queen sacrifice and mate.

Jan-01-08		hedgeh0g: So why does Pilnik start sacrificing pawns after move 23?

Jun-05-08		Xeroxx: Because he is desperate.

Jun-05-08		RookFile: It's hard to blame him - white's whole army is attacking his king, and he has zero counterplay. He was already dead at this point.

Aug-26-09		WhiteRook48: Fischer would always bring down the Sicilian

Dec-08-10		Llawdogg: Beautiful queen sacrifice setting up a sort of sideways back rank mate.

Aug-23-11		Garech: Great positional play from Fischer; his middlegame control of d5 permits the decisive kingside pawnstorm. Precise as always! -Garech

Sep-11-11		juan31: 16 años de edad tenia el Gran Maestro Internacional de Ajedrez en este partido, ¿alguna duda de su genialidad? como dice el dicho, su conocimiento del ajedrez provino del cielo del ajedrez

Oct-05-16		zydeco: This is a real massacre. It's interesting that the Sozin Sicilian is no longer regarded as a particularly dangerous system. In games with Fischer, even experienced grandmasters looked helpless against it.

Mar-30-18		tpstar: White to Play and Win after 32 ... Qxd5. <It's interesting that the Sozin Sicilian is no longer regarded as a particularly dangerous system. In games with Fischer, even experienced grandmasters looked helpless against it.> 18. Rd3 is a nice Rook lift over to the Kingside, versus routinely winning the backward d Pawn with 18. Rxd6. Then 24. Rg2 is the final preparation for the Kingside assault.

Mar-30-18		perfidious: <zydeco....It's interesting that the Sozin Sicilian is no longer regarded as a particularly dangerous system....> A view which, in large part, came to be largely as the result of Fischer vs Spassky, 1972.

Sep-04-18		jabinjikanza: Fischer hammered herman.good end game.

Sep-04-18		WorstPlayerEver: I think Fischer missed the crusher 18. f6 here. 18. f6 Bxf2+ 19. Rxf2 gxf6 20. Kh2 click for larger view 20... Kg7 21. Rf5 Qc5 22. Rdf1 Qd4 23. Rh5 Rh8 24. Qf3 Raf8 25. Qf5 Qe3 26. g5 hxg5 27. Kg2 d5 28. Rf2 gxh4 29. Kh1 d4 30. Nd5 Bxd5 31. Rxh7+ Rxh7 32. Qxf6+ Kg8 33. Rg2+ Qg3 34. exd5 click for larger view ----- 18. f6 Bxf2+ 19. Rxf2 Nxf6 20. g5 hxg5 21. hxg5 Nh7 22. g6 click for larger view ---- 18. f6 Nxf6 19. g5 Nh7 20. gxh6 gxh6 21. Rxd6 click for larger view ------ 18. f6 Nxf6 19. g5 Nh7 20. gxh6 g6 21. Kh2 click for larger view Bxf2 22. Rxf2 Qd8 23. Qg4 Kh8 24. Bxf7 Qe7 25. Rdf1 Rac8 26. Nd5 Bxd5 27. exd5 b5 28. Kg1 g5 29. b3 Qd8 30. Be6 Rxf2 31. Rxf2 Rc7 32. Rg2 Qf6 33. hxg5 Qxg5 34. Qxg5 Nxg5 35. Rxg5 Rxc2 36. Rg8+ Kh7 37. Bf5+ Kxg8 38. Bxc2 click for larger view ----- 18. f6 gxf6 19. Kh2 click for larger view 19... Kg7 20. Be1 Bd4 21. Nd5 Qd8 22. c3 Bc5 23. Bd2 now pawn h6 is a goner click for larger view A. 23. Bd2 Bxd5 24. Bxd5 Qd7 25. Rf5 Rg8 26. b4 Bb6 27. Rdf1 click for larger view B. 23. Bd2 Rh8 click for larger view 24. Nxf6

Sep-04-18		WorstPlayerEver: 18. Rd3 is pretty inventive, nice try, but tiny modern chess paragraphs show that chess has no remorse for any attempt of inventivity nowadays, I'm afraid. 18. Rd3 Bxf2+ 19. Rxf2 Kh8 20. g5 g6 21. f6 Qc5 22. Kh1 h5 click for larger view 23. Qe1 Rad8 24. a3 Rd7 25. Kg2 Rfd8 26. Nd5 Bxd5 27. Bxd5 Nf8 28. Qb4 Kg8 29. Qb3 Re8 30. Rfd2 Qc8 31. Rc3 Qb8 32. Qa4 a6 33. Qc4 b5 34. Qb4 Rc8 35. Rdd3 Ra7 36. a4 bxa4 37. Qxa4 a5 click for larger view ---- 18. Rd3 Bxf2+ 19. Rxf2 Kh8 20. g5 g6 21. Rxd6 click for larger view 21... Rad8 22. Rd3 Rxd3 23. Qxd3 Qc5 24. Kf1 b5 25. Nd5 b4 26. Qg3 Qd4 27. gxh6 Qxe4 28. Nxb4 Qh1+ 29. Qg1 Bb5+ 30. c4 Qxh4 31. cxb5 Qxb4 32. fxg6 Qxb5+ 33. Ke1 Qb4+ click for larger view 34. Kd1 Qd6+ 35. Rd2 Qxg6 36. Qxg6 fxg6 37. Rd7 a6 click for larger view 38. Bc4 a5 39. Rg7 Nf6 click for larger view ------ 18... Bxf2+ 19. Rxf2 Kh8 20. g5 g6 21. gxh6 click for larger view 21... gxf5 22. Rxf5 Qb6+ 23. Kh2 Bd7 24. Rxf7 Rxf7 25. Bxf7 Nf6 26. Nd5 and White is winning. ------ 18. Rd3 Bxf2+ 19. Rxf2 Kh8 20. g5 g6 21. gxh6 gxf5 22. Rxf5 Qb6+ 23. Kh2 Rg8 24. Rxf7 Qg1+ mate in six for Black. click for larger view -24. Qd1 Qd8 click for larger view Just to illustrate all 18. Rd3 complications are futile; 18. f6 stays on top.

Dec-03-19		Steve.Patzer: Pil went downhill after 15.....Bb6

Dec-03-19		Absentee: This was a good one.

Dec-03-19		cunctatorg: That was a massacre.

Dec-03-19		RandomVisitor: After 12.Qe2 click for larger view Stockfish_19112400_x64_modern: <50/62 05:37 +0.13 12. ... b5 13.Nxb5 Bxb5 14.Qxb5 Nxe4 15.f5 Bf6> 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17.Rad1 a6 18.Qc6 exf5 19.Qd5 Qxb2 20.Qxf5 Rae8 21.Bxf7+ Kh8 22.Qd5 Re7 23.Qd4 Qxd4+ 24.Rxd4 Rfxf7 25.Rxf7 Rxf7 26.Rxe4 h6 27.Ra4 d5 28.Ra5 Rc7 29.Rxd5 Rxc2 30.Ra5 Rc6 31.h4 Kh7 32.Kf2 Kg8 33.Kf3 Rf6+ 34.Kg3 Rc6 35.Ra3 Kf7 36.h5 Kf6 37.Kh4 Kf7 38.Ra5 Kf6 39.g4 g6 40.hxg6 Kxg6 41.a4 Kg7 42.Kh5 Rf6 43.g5 hxg5

Dec-03-19		HeMateMe: There was a quote from (I think) Pilnik in Frank bradys book <profile of a prodigy> where he says "Fischer is a genius, a monster." I like that.

Dec-03-19		Honza Cervenka: I wonder why Bobby avoided quite obvious 20.Rxd4 exd4 21.Bxd4. Black is toast here, as after 21...f6 22.g6 white wins the second piece for Rook, and the attack still goes on. For example, after 22...Rfe8 white can continue 23.Qf3 (of course he can take the Knight as well) 23...Nf8 24.Bxf6! gxf6 25.g7+! Kxg7 26.Qg3+ with mate.

Dec-03-19		Honza Cervenka: 18.Rd3 is definitely nice and good move but immediate 18.g5 was not worse.

Dec-03-19		RookFile: 15...Bb6? was an interesting moment. Evidently black wanted to prevent something like Bh4 and Bxf6 and white dominates the d5 square. But that e7 bishop would have been a good kingside defender, so the Bb6 play was off base.

Dec-03-19		RandomVisitor: <It's interesting that the Sozin Sicilian is no longer regarded as a particularly dangerous system. In games with Fischer, even experienced grandmasters looked helpless against it.> After 7.Bb3 Stockfish offers an opinion... click for larger view Stockfish_19112400_x64_modern: <54/84 4:59:52 +0.13 7...Be7 8.Be3 0-0 9.0-0 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Bd7 11.f4 Bc6> 12.a4 a6 13.a5 Nxe4 14.Nxe4 Bxe4 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Qd4+ Bf6 17.Qxe4 d5 18.Qe1 Bxb2 19.Rd1 Qf6 20.Rf3 Rac8 21.f5 Qe5 22.Qb4 Kh8 23.fxe6 Rg8 24.Bxd5 Rxc2 25.Rg3 Rxg3 26.hxg3 Qe3+ 27.Kh2 Qh6+ 28.Qh4 Qxh4+ 29.gxh4 fxe6 30.Bxe6 Be5+ 31.Kh3 Bc7 32.Rd5 Rc6 33.Bc8 Rc3+ 34.Kg4 Rg3+ 35.Kh5 Rxg2 36.Rc5 Bd6 37.Rg5 Rxg5+ 38.hxg5 Bb4 39.Bxb7 Bxa5 40.Bxa6 Bd2 41.Bd3 Kg7

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
Nothing in violation of United States law.
No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
No trolling.
The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.

NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific game only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

This game is type: CLASSICAL. Please report incorrect or missing information by submitting a correction slip to help us improve the quality of our content.

Featured in the Following Game Collections[what is this?]

Game 9
from Bobby Fischer Rediscovered (Andy Soltis) by AdrianP

twang!!!
from Karl Marx Artiaga's favorite games by Karl Marx Artiaga

Page 192 (White to move: 33.?)
from Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess by RonB52734

Veme en donde Puedas
from Juegos Bonitos by binshkeerfortt

The early version of the Sozin. Fischer wrings out the win.
from Fischer Favorites by atrifix

Bobby Fischer with white {sicilian}
by lemgelo

kingside pawn storm
from Fischer playbook by insanecharka

Brooklyn Bobby
by chocobonbon

Cornered Again???
from Manuel G. Vergara's favorite games by Manuel G. Vergara

Round Twelve
from Santiago 1959 by suenteus po 147

njsking's favorite games
by njsking

Games by Fisher
by gothic

Games by Fisher
by tkrunner

Great game . K-side Pawn movements of White.
from Sicilian Najdorf : Sozin by ISeth

Bjelica_125
by Gottschalk

Ato's favorite games
by Ato

Ataque Sozin
by Jarocadar

Game 9: Bobby Fischer Rediscovered by Andrew Soltis
from -ER Fischer by fredthebear

Sicilian Fischer-Sozin Attack. Leonhardt Var (B88) 1-0 Q sac!
from yFredthebear's h-file attacks, more Greek gifts by fredthebear

plus 25 more collections (not shown)