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Robert James Fischer vs Florin Gheorghiu
Buenos Aires (1970), Buenos Aires ARG, rd 3, Jul-21
Russian Game: Classical Attack (C42)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Oct-07-06  RookFile: Games like this put 6....Nf6 out of business.
Oct-07-06  aw1988: <RookFile> As a reputation or a known bad move?
Dec-22-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Mateo: <azaris: The key move that initiates Black's suffering is 9. c4!. Little by little all the doors are shut for Black until his pieces are relagated to passive resistance between his own wall of pawns. Only the lonely knight makes some incursions to the queen side until asked rudely to return forthwith (16. Ne4!).> I would write 16.Ne4!?. At first glance, it is a surprising move, because White allows Black to trade Knights. In a restricted position this is good for the defence. On the other side, if Black trades Knights, then White wins a tempo to impede Bf5. But another point is that Black could win the Bishop pair.

16...Nxd3? 17.Nxf6+ gxf6 18.Qxd3 destroys Black’s Kingside. But 16...Nh5 gives the Bishop pair to Black. This is why, considering everything, 16.Ne4 looks double-edged to me.

Dec-22-06  euripides: 9...Nc6 settles for a permanently rather passive structure and has not been repeated in this database.

After <16...Nh5>, does 17 Bxd6 work ? e.g. 17...Nxd3 18.Bxf8 Nxf2 19.Nxf2 and White gets a queen's side majority.

Dec-22-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Mateo: <euripides> <After <16...Nh5>, does 17 Bxd6 work ? e.g. 17...Nxd3 18.Bxf8 Nxf2 19.Nxf2 and White gets a queen's side majority.> Yes, this is good for White. But 18...Bxh3 is interesting in your variation. It is very complicated. Then:

1) 19.gxh3? Qxh3 20.Qxd3 Nf4 21.Qf1 Qxf3, Black wins a pawn.

2) 19.Ba3? Qg4 20.Ng3 Nxg3 21.fxg3 Qxg3, Black wins a pawn.

3) 19.Bxg7? Qg4 20.Ng3 Nxg3 21.fxg3 Qxg7 22.gxh3 Qxg3+ 23.Qg2 Qxg2+ 24.Kxg2 Nxb2, Black wins a pawn.

4) 19.Qxd3 (looks like the refutation) Bxg2!! is fascinating (the idea is Qh3 or Qg4). What to do?

4A) 20.Kxg2? Nf4, the fork wins the Queen.

4B) 20.Bc5? Qg4, Black wins.

4C) 20.Ng3 Nxg3! 21.Kxg2 Nh5! winning a pawn.

I may miss something. Very difficult to find this on the board, of course. But my conclusion is still that 20.Ne4!? is double-edged. By the way, thanks to your variation, we see the hidden ideas behind the surface in modern chess. If you don't analyse deep inside, you miss most of the beautiful things on the board.

Dec-15-11  WiseWizard: It's just so beautiful. This is chess.
Dec-15-11  King Death: This is typical Fischer conversion of an advantage. His opponent is faced with the predicament of a worse middlegame where he comes under a strong attack or going into an inferior endgame where he has no chance at all against Fischer's concise technique.
Dec-16-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  SteinitzLives: Wow, Fischers' tactical threats created positional advantages, and then his positional pressure created tactical opportunities:

Force play and Space play working together with Time to complete the classical package!

Jan-06-13  whiteshark: <Tuesday July 21, 1970. Buenos Aires>

A very relaxed Fischer (right) , awaiting his opponent's resignation (it came just a few moves later). GM Pilnik is looking on. Fischer had just captured the Romanian star's h-pawn with his Knight, completely destroying Black's game.


click for larger view

Notice how Fischer is seated in his chair--almost bored--drinking some water.

Related photo: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--6OOi50F0...

Article: http://kevinspraggett.blogspot.de/2...

Jan-06-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Anyone think Fischer was Gheorghiu's friend in this game?
Jul-14-16  RookFile: Gheorghiu played Fischer tough. A lot of guys would love to have his record against Fischer.
Jul-14-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: great game. So, what is his record against Fischer?
Jul-15-16  TheFocus: +1-1=2
Jul-15-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  diceman: <TheFocus: +1-1=2>

Pressing the "3 more games" button was
too sophisticated for HeMateMe.

May-22-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Jimmy720: This is my analysis of this game. Any constructive criticism is welcome.

1. e4 "The best by test!" - Fischer e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 The Petroff is often considered a drawing defense. 3. Nxe5 d6 Not (3... Nxe4 4. Qe2!) 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 White now has a space advantage Be7 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. h3! It now becomes clear that Black's LSB has almost nowhere to go. O-O 8. O-O Re8 Black keeps his pawn at d6, keeping White's knight out of e5 but also leaving Black cramped 9. c4! Fischer increases his space advantage. Nc6 10. Nc3 h6 11. Re1 Bf8 Black attempts to relieve his cramped position. 12. Rxe8 Qxe8 13. Bf4 Bd7 14. Qd2 Qc8 This sad queen move highlights how cramped Black's position is. 15. d5! Fisher increases his space advantage! Nb4 16. Ne4! Fischer knows when to break the rule "avoid exchanges when you have a space advantage." He exchanges Black's only good piece, denudes the Black king, and leaves Black's remaining knight looking silly. Nxe4 Not (16... Nxd3 17. Nxf6+) 17. Bxe4 Na6 The pitiful knight slumps away. 18. Nd4 Fischer slowly improves his pieces. Nc5 The knight finally gets a good post but it does not help his other pieces. Chess is a team effort. 19. Bc2 Fischer avoids the trade of his bishop. a5 Black cements his knight. 20. Re1 Qd8 21. Re3! White prepares his attack. b6 22. Rg3 Kh8 White threatened (23. Bxh6) due to the pin on the g-file. 23. Nf3! clearing the d4 square for the bishop or for the queen Qe7 If (23... Qf6) right away, then (24. Be3) preparing (25. Bd4) is strong. 24. Qd4 Qf6 now that that White's LSB is denied access to d4, Black can put his queen on f6. Now, however, this move ruins Black's pawn structure and hands the f5 square to White. As sad as this move is to make, the only other defense for Black would have been (24... f6) weakening the light squares. A sample line is (25. Nh4! Qf7 25. Ng6+ Kg8 26. Bxh6 gxh6 27. Nd4+) 25. Qxf6 gxf6 26. Nd4 Exploiting the weakness of the f5 square. Re8 27. Re3! now the trading of rooks would highlight Black's weaknesses. Rb8 The rook retreats back to passivity. 28. b3 A pattern to remember. The plan is to play a3 and then b4, kicking the knight away. If (28. a3), then (28... a5) stops b4 in its tracks. b5 Black finally lashes out and tries to equalize space on the queenside. However, this pawn break distrcats Black's LSB from its duties guarding the f5 square. 29. cxb5 Bxb5 30. Nf5 Bd7 Not (30... Kh8 31. Nxd6+ or Nxh6+) 31. Nxh6 Rb4 32. Rg3 Fischer ignores Black's threat by threatening mate. Bxh6 33. Bxh6 Ne4 The knight is uses to block the b1-h7 diagonal so that the king can move to h7, not to g8 where a discovered check would end the game. 34. Bg7+ Kh7 35. f3 A pin finsihes the game. 1-0

May-22-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  ChessHigherCat: <Jimmy720: This is my analysis of this game. Any constructive criticism is welcome.>

I think it's very good. I didn't understand why black played 24...Qf8 until you pointed out that f6 would be even worse (especially after 24. Na4, you might add).

You must have added the last sentence after the spellcheck: ...f3[.] A pin *finishes* the game.

May-22-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <jimmy720>

I like your notes to the end of the game better than your notes of the beginning.

Look at Mateo's posts from 2006. He gives a bunch of long, complicated, beautiful variations that might have come up if Gheorghiu had played 16....Nh5 and Fischer had responded 17.Bxd6. Is Mateo right that 16....Nh5 was strong for Black? Your notes don't even discuss the possibility. But if he is right, then maybe 16.Ne4 is not such a good move?

I'm not one-tenth the analyst Mateo is, but I showed the beginning of the game to Stockfish, and in fact it thinks that 16.Ne4 gives away much of White's advantage. The complications after 16....Nh5 17.Bxd6 Nxd3 18.Bxf8 Bxh3 (what a move!!) are in Black's favor. So instead White has to allow one of his bishops to be traded off, incidentally easing Black's cramped position and giving Black more play than he gets after 16....Nxe4? 17.Bxe4.

This isn't just nit-picking; it shows what I think is a flaw in your approach. Your notes basically present this game as a coronation. Fischer never does anything wrong. Gheorghiu doesn't seem to do much wrong either, but gets crushed anyway. Chess doesn't work like that!

In your notes, White somehow has a space advantage after his fifth move. But almost every time this position has come up, Black has played 5....d5 rather than Gheorghiu's 5....Be7. Black can also play 6.....d5 instead of 6.....Nf6. Does White have a space advantage then? Doesn't look like it to me!

<euripides > pointed out that no one else has tried 10....Nc6. What about the alternatives? Are they any better? Some really good players have tried them...

Incidentally, this is a famous antecedent -- you can bet Fischer knew about it. Tarrasch vs G Marco, 1898

May-23-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  tamar: <jimmy720> Good job. Your notes resonate how I initially go through a game that interests me.

How to improve? I always want to know if the notes are checked with engine analysis, and which engine. It turns some readers off, but guys like Eyal and Mateo usually give that information, despite the fact they are strong players themselves. (Mateo seems to have forgot this time:))

Another tip is to divide the post into small paragraphs to make reading easier.

Even better is to divide into several posts when dealing with a whole game.

May-23-17  Sally Simpson: Hi Jimmy,

As tamar suggests more windows (white space) to invite the reader in, Encourage them to look. At first I thought the original was a Chris Owen post.

The notes read OK but with this layout you would have caught the duplicate notes about 'space advantage' moves 5, 9, 15.& 16.

(I've changed nothing except space out the game, added diagrams and a header.)

R. Fischer - F. Gheorghiu, Buenos Aires (1970)

1. e4 ....

"The best by test!" - Fischer

2...e5 2. Nf3 Nf6

The Petroff is often considered a drawing defense.

3. Nxe5 d6

Not (3... Nxe4 4. Qe2!)

4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 ....

White now has a space advantage

5...Be7 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. h3!

It now becomes clear that Black's LSB has almost nowhere to go.


click for larger view

7...O-O 8. O-O Re8

Black keeps his pawn at d6, keeping White's knight out of e5 but also leaving Black cramped

9. c4! ....


click for larger view

Fischer increases his space advantage.

9...Nc6 10. Nc3 h6 11. Re1 Bf8

Black attempts to relieve his cramped position.

12. Rxe8 Qxe8 13. Bf4 Bd7 14. Qd2 Qc8


click for larger view

This sad queen move highlights how cramped Black's position is.

15. d5! ....

Fisher increases his space advantage!

15...Nb4


click for larger view

16. Ne4! ...

Fischer knows when to break the rule "avoid exchanges when you have a space advantage." He exchanges Black's only good piece, denudes the Black king, and leaves Black's remaining knight looking silly.

16...Nxe4

Not (16... Nxd3 17. Nxf6+)

17. Bxe4 Na6

The pitiful knight slumps away.

18. Nd4 ....

Fischer slowly improves his pieces.

18...Nc5

The knight finally gets a good post but it does not help his other pieces. Chess is a team effort.


click for larger view

19. Bc2 ...

Fischer avoids the trade of his bishop.

19....a5

Black cements his knight.

20. Re1 Qd8 21. Re3! ....


click for larger view

White prepares his attack.

21...b6 22. Rg3 Kh8

White threatened (23. Bxh6) due to the pin on the g-file.

23. Nf3! ....


click for larger view

clearing the d4 square for the bishop or for the queen. If (23... Qf6) right away, then (24. Be3) preparing (25. Bd4) is strong.

23...Qe7

If (23... Qf6) right away, then (24. Be3) preparing (25. Bd4) is strong.

24. Qd4 Qf6


click for larger view

now that that White's LSB is denied access to d4, Black can put his queen on f6. Now, however, this move ruins Black's pawn structure and hands the f5 square to White. As sad as this move is to make, the only other defense for Black would have been (24... f6) weakening the light squares.

etc...etc...

May-24-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Jimmy720: Thank you. How do you add diagrams?
May-24-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  WannaBe: <Jimmy720>
Kibitzing Tricks
May-26-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Jimmy720: Thank you, WannaBe.
May-26-17  RookFile: It is worthwhile to mention that Petrosian got a good game by playing ...c6 rather than ...Nc6 in a similar setup. But, Fischer may have played that one a little incorrectly.

...c6 is a perceptive move because it does something about white first of all getting in d5 followed by Nd4. It also sets up a possiblity of ...b5 by black.

Fischer vs Petrosian, 1971

May-26-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <RookFile> Cool, thanks, I forgot about that one.
Oct-27-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  kingscrusher: Exploiting space advantage against solid pawn structure example in Steans "Simple Chess"
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