The Nice Bobby

    In 2008, the late National Master James R. Schroeder (1927-2017), a man with an acerbic outward demeanor, but who basically had a good heart, wrote an article on Bobby Fischer (1943-2008) which he concluded with the statement, "Because of severe life-time mental illness it would have been best if Fischer had died after becoming world champion, as he had no other reason to live."

    Schroeder also made the observation, "Because he had achieved his one goal in life, he could not play any more serious chess because he might lose. It’s amazing that a person who was irrational to the point of being insane could be one of the best players of all time." 

    In 1968, people weren't so harsh when they spoke of Fischer. He won tournaments at Netanya, Israel with an undefeated score of 11.5-3.5 and then at Vinkovci, Yugoslavia with a score of 11-2. 

    After that, his only other game was when, as a favor to Arnold Denker, he agreed to play for the Manhattan Chess Club in their Metropolitan League team match against the Marshall Chess Club. To Denker's surprise, he agreed to do it for free. iFischer defeated Dr. Anthony Saidy and after that he stopped playing for 18 months. It was also the year his classic My 60 Memorable Games was published. 

    Vinkovci 1968 was Fischer's fifth consecutive tournament victory and his score was a full two points ahead of the second place finishers Hort and Matulovic. Back in those days no tournament was as interesting as one with Fischer playing and at Vinkovci, a small town near Belgrade, before the start if the tour

 

 

    And, at this tournament Fischer was at his best, not only in his play, but he gave a lot of interviews and signed hundreds of autographs. One Yugoslav journalist said that at Vinkovci Fischer took the time to speak to everyone, he was kind and the people love him. That’s not the Bobby Fischer most people think of!

    In spite of his results Fischer wasn’t satisfied with his play, claiming that if he had played the last games better he could have won by four points! 

    His opponent in the following game was Yugoslav GM Milan Matulovic (1935 - 2013) who was the third strongest Yugoslav player for much of the 1960s and 1970s behind Svetozar Gligorić and Borislav Ivkov. Ten years earlier, in 1958, he played, and lost (+1 -2 =2), a four game training match with Fischer. He was Yugoslav Champion in 1965 and 1967. 

     Matulović was involved in some controversies. He often, as in this game against Fischer, played on in hopeless positions. After the 1970 Interzonal at Palma de Mallorca, he was accused of throwing his game against Mark Taimanov in return for a $400 bribe. As a result, Taimanov advance to the Candidates matches. It didn't do Taimanov any good; he was overwhelmed by Bobby Fischer 6–0. 

    In his game against István Bilek at the Sousse Interzonal in 1967, Matulovic played a losing move, immediately recognized it as such and took it hack claiming he was adjusting his pieces. Bilek complained, but the new move was allowed to stand, earning kim the moniker of "J'adoubovic". Reportedly this taking back of moves happened several times, including in a game against Fischer. 

    Matulovic was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and served nine months in prison for a car accident in which a woman was killed. He had a sharp attacking style as demonstrated in this game against Fischer. 

 

[Event "Vinkovci"] [Site ""] [Date "1968.09.09"] [Round "?"] [White "Milan Matulovic"] [Black "Robert Fischer"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B91"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "1968.09.07"] {[%evp 13,80,16,17,-3,-4,-13,-11,-83,-77,-76,-78,-84,-86,-84,-79,-91,-109,-122, -84,-105,-70,-108,-99,-165,-150,-142,-141,-170,-166,-259,-258,-242,-242,-321, -310,-320,-312,-351,-326,-417,-394,-479,-442,-538,-498,-514,-498,-555,-561, -552,-544,-568,-565,-625,-624,-615,-614,-698,-681,-711,-705,-683,-683,-924, -900,-902,-874,-837,-798] B91: Sicilian} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 e5 {In an earlier tournament, Monaco 1967, Fischer played 6...g6 against Matanovic but ,amaged to get only equal play.} 7. Nde2 {More flexible is 6,Bb3 because the N is in a passive position on e2. The idea behind placing the N on e2 is with the vague hope that it may support the N on c3 in the fight for d5.} Be7 8. Bg5 {Matulovic jad prepared this as a surprise. 7.Bg2 is normal.} Nbd7 {Black has support the N on f6 with this N becaise it keeps an eye on the important square d5.} 9. Bh3 {This is the point of 7.Bg5... white;s Bs create an immediate po sitional threat to make good use of the hole on d5 for his N on d5.} b5 {[%mdl 32] This aggressive move by Fischer is an unpleasant surprise for white.} (9... O-O 10. Bxd7 Bxd7 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nd5 { is the thematic line, but the position is only equal.}) 10. a4 {This move only helps b;ack acgieve an aggressive position. White should continue with his strategy.} (10. Bxd7+ Bxd7 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nd5 {with equal chance.}) (10. Nd5 {at once is also feasible. After} Nxd5 11. Qxd5 Rb8 12. Bxd7+ Bxd7 13. Bxe7 Kxe7 {the chances are also equal.}) 10... b4 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. Qxd5 Rb8 { Thisposition is better for black than the one after 10.Nd5 because black;s P on b4 restricts white's N.} 13. Bxe7 (13. Be3 Bb7 14. Qd3 Nc5 15. Bxc5 dxc5 16. Qxd8+ Rxd8 17. f3 O-O {White's pieces are very passive, especially his N.}) 13... Kxe7 {This is the correct recapture because white's hope was in putting pressure on the d-Pawn, but now with the K defending the d-Pawn andm at the same time, being quite safe on e7 any pressure will not be effective and the poor placement of white's pieces will make defense difficult.} 14. Qd2 (14. Bxd7 Qxd7 15. O-O {is no better because white's pieces still have no activity.} ) 14... Nf6 {[%mdl 2048]} 15. Bg2 {This is a strategic error, White should exchanfe black's strong .} (15. Bxc8 Qxc8 16. f3 {and black's advantage ism at least, jept to a minimum.}) 15... Bb7 16. Qd3 Qb6 {White's position lools defensible because black;s own B is not especially active and he still has to find a favorable set uo his Rs and Q. Howeverm for his part white has few prospects of obtaining any play and must content himself with trying to defend his poosition. The point is that in spite of his less than stellar play, white is far from lost.} 17. O-O {This is a poor move. 17.a5 isolating black's d-Pawn was better.} a5 18. Rfd1 Ba6 19. Qd2 Rhc8 {Very quickly black's pieces have begun to show some signs of life.} 20. h3 h5 21. b3 {Over the last few moves white has managed to develop a condiserable positional disadvantage.21. Rac1 was obviously better.} Bxe2 $19 22. Qxe2 Rc3 23. Rd3 Rbc8 {[%mdl 32]} 24. Rxc3 Rxc3 {White is now strategically lost.} 25. Kh2 Qc5 26. Ra2 {What a miserable place for the R.} (26. Rc1 g6 {White is reduced to shifting pieces.}) 26... g6 27. Bf1 Qd4 28. f3 Re3 29. Qg2 {White could resign here with clear conscience but true to his nature, Matulovic chooses to play on no mstter what. } Qd1 30. Bc4 Qxf3 31. Qxf3 Rxf3 {[%mdl 4096]} 32. Kg2 Re3 33. Bd3 {White is hopeful.of playing 34.Kf2 snaring the R.} Nxe4 34. Bxe4 Rxe4 35. Kf2 d5 { White should resign.} 36. Ra1 d4 37. Rd1 Re3 38. h4 Rc3 39. Rd2 Ke6 40. Kg2 f5 {White resigned. Finally!} 0-1