| Bobby Fischer-Viktors Pupols U.S. Junior Open, Lincoln (7) 1955 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bobby was greatly interested in double King-pawn openings. He not only played the standard Ruy Lopez, but also the King's Gambit and 3.Bc4 in tournament practice. During 1964 his repertoire was broadened, at least for simultaneous exhibitions, with the addition of the Vienna Game. Dr. Leroy Dubeck, whose term as USCF President (1969-1972) coincided with Bobby's World Championship run, had much unpublished Weaver Adams analysis on the Vienna which he and Fischer looked at a couple of times in the early 1960s. 2...f5 Bobby would probably have played 3.Bc4 against 2...Nc6. 3.Nxe5 Qf6 4.d4 d6 5.Nc4 fxe4 6.Nc3 The opening sequence of this game is sometimes given as 6.Ne3 and 7. Nc3, but, as Pupols points out, Black might be able to avoid ...Qg6 by answering 6.Ne3 with 6...Nc6. 6...Qg6 7.Ne3 This blockading move is often attributed to the "Great Blockader" Aron Nimzovich who was born in Riga, Latvia. 7...Nf6 8.Bc4 Grandmaster Tony Kosten, in his book on the Latvian Gambit, prefers 8.Be2. 8...c6 9.d5 This stops ...d6-d5, but yields the e5-square. The more Nimzovichian strategy was to allow Black to play ...d5 and then attack the pawn chain with c2-c4. 9...Be7 Here, 9...c5 yields the b5-square. 10.a4 Nbd7 11.a5? The plan of a2-a4-a5 loses valuable time. 11...Ne5 12.Be2 12.Ba2 c5 and White doesn't control b5. 12...O-O 13.O-O Bd7 14.Kh1 Kh8 15.Nc4 Nfg4 16.Qe1 Rf7 This loses a tempo. Pupols suggests 16...Rf5 17.Bxg4 Nxg4 18.Nxe4 cxd5. And 16...Bh4!? is another try. 17.h3 Nf6?! Black could have played the very interesting piece sacrifice 17...Nf3!. The position after 18.Qd1 Raf8 19. hxg4 Qxg4 20.gxf3 exf3 21.Ne3 fxe2 22.Qxe2 Qh3+ 23.Kg1 Rf3 leaves Black with very strong threats of 24...R8f4 and 24...R8f6. 18.Nxe5 dxe5 19.Bc4 Rff8 20.Be3 Nh5 21.Kh2 Bd6 22.Bb3 Nf4 Necessary. 23.Bxf4? This exchange brings Black's dark-squared Bishop to life and gives him strong mobile pawns on e4 and f4. A better try is 23.Rg1, meeting 23... Qh5 with 24.Qf1. 23...exf4 24.Qxe4? This should lose immediately. The ugly 24.f3 had to be played, but Black would, of course, have a large advantage. 24...f3+ 25.g3 Bf5? Here, 25...Qh6! or 25...Qh5! would have won immediately, as 26.h4 is met by 26...Rf4! with the threat of 27... Rxh4+, mating. 26.Qh4 Rae8 27.Rae1 Be5 Avoiding exchanges. 28.Qb4? Black is only slightly better after 28.dxc6 bxc6 29.Rg1 Bxc2 30.Qb4. The text should lose immediately. 28...Qh6 29.h4 g5? Black had a forced win with 29... Bxg3+, as 30.fxg3 Qd2+, 30.Kh1 Bxh4, and 30.Kxg3 Qg6+ all lead to mate. 30.Rh1? Bobby misses a chance to put up strong resistance with 30.Rxe5! Rxe5 31.Qd4 Qg7 32.hxg5 cxd5 33.Nxd5. 30...gxh4 31.Kg1 h3? This mistake, which closes lines for the attack, overlooks two forced wins. Black had much better in 31... Bxg3! 32.Qd4+ Be5 33.Rxe5 Qg7+ or if 33.Qxh4 Bh2+! (Pupols) or 31...Qg7! 32. Rxe5 hxg3 33.Ne4 gxf2+ 34.Kxf2 Qxe5 35.dxc6 Bxe4. 32.dxc6? Better is 32.Ne4, although Black would still have a large advantage after 32...Bxb2 33. Kh2 Be5. 32...bxc6? Pupols overlooks 32... Bxg3! Black wins after 33.Qd4+ Be5 34.Rxe5 Qg7+ 35.Kf1 Rxe5. 33.Qc5? This wastes valuable time with the Queen. White should have brought his Knight to the defense with 33.Ne4. 33...Qg7? The contestants have a blind spot for ...Bxg3. 33...Bxg3! is crushing, e.g., 34.Qd4+ Be5 35.Rxe5 Qg7+ 36. Kf1 Rxe5 37.Ne4 c5. 34.Kh2 Qf6 35.Qxa7 Bd4 36.Qc7 Bxf2 36...Be5 allows White to resist with 36.Rxe5. 37.Rxe8 Rxe8 38.Rf1 Bd4 The time control was 45 moves in two hours. For the following phase, White had only two minutes on his clock; Black, but one. 39.Rxf3? Bobby had to play 39.Qf4. After the text Black has a powerful shot. 39...Bxc3? Pupols misses a chance to conclude the game in brilliant fashion. Black has a forced win with 39...Bg1+!! White loses whether he captures the Bishop or not: 40.Kh1 Be4 41.Qf4 Bxf3+ 42.Kxg1 Re1+ 43.Kf2 Qxf4 44.gxf4 h2 45.Kxe1 h1=Q+ or 40. Kxg1 Qd4+ 41.Kf1 h2 42.Kg2 h1=Q+ 43.Kxh1 Re1+, mating. 40.bxc3 Re2+ 41.Kh1 Be4 42.Qc8+ Kg7 43.Qg4+? White could have drawn with 43. Qd7+ Kh6 44.Qxh3+ Kg7 45.Qd7+ Kh6 46.Qh3+. After the text, Black has a significant advantage. 43...Qg6 44.Qd7+? Bobby misses the last chance to continue the fight. White had to play 44.Qf4, when Black has two choices, though neither one leads to a forced win. On 44...Bxf3+ White has 45. Qxf3 Rg2 46.Qe3 Qxg3 47.Qe7+ Kh6 48.Qf8+ Qg7 49.Qf4+ Rg5 50.Qh4+ Kg6 51.Qe4+. The alternative is 44...h5 45.Qe5+ Kh7 46. Qe7+ Qg7 47.Qxe4+ Rxe4 48.Rf7. 44...Kh6 0-1 {time} |