An Easy Win for Fischer

    This is another game Fischer played in the 1963/64 U.S. Championship. It’s mot especially brilliant, but it’s fascinating to watch how quickly Fischer switches from attacking on the Q-side to a decisive K-side attack. It also shows with what ease he was capable of dispatching a strong International Master. 

    As far as I know his opponent, Raymond Weinstein (born 1941), is still alive, but not long after this tournament he began to manifest symptoms of what has been described as schizophrenia, a severe mental disorder characterized by distortions in thinking, perception, emotions and behavior. In 1964 he killed an elderly roommate after an argument and since then he has been confined in a mental institution. 

 

[Event "1963/64 US Champ, New York"] [Site ""] [Date "1963.12.28"] [Round "?"] [White "Bobby Fischer"] [Black "Raymond Weinstein"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C96"] [Annotator "Reckless"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "1963.??.??"] { C96: Closed Ruy Lopez: Chigorin Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Na5 {This is the heavily analyzed Chigorin Variation that has been popular since the turn of the 20th century and it’s black’s primary defense to the Ruy Lopez. 9...Na5 chases the B from the a2–g8 diagonal and frees the c-Pawn for expansion.} 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 cxd4 {The classical followup is 11...Qc7 reinforcing e5.} 12. cxd4 Bb7 {This move is quite popular, but Fischer’s reply renders the B ineffective, so it has to retreat.} (12... exd4 13. Nxd4 Bd7 14. Nc3 Re8 {is not especially satisfactory because of black's isolated d-Pawn}) 13. d5 Bc8 {The main alternative, 13,,, Rc8, has nit produced any better results. White already has a significant advantage.} 14. Nbd2 g6 {An innovation, but nor a very good one and black will come to regret this weakening of his K-side. Most commonly seen here is 14... Qc7, but even then black is seriously handicapped because his light squared B is useless.} 15. b4 {Driving the B back to a square from which it has no future.} Nb7 16. a4 Bd7 17. axb5 axb5 18. Rxa8 Qxa8 {Now the Q has been induced to a position from which it, too, has no future. Can anyine expect Fischer not to win from this position?} 19. Re3 {Well played! With this move Fischer is going to play on both sides if the board.} Qc8 20. Ra3 Qc7 21. Nb3 Nh5 {About the only explanation for this move is that black had to move something.} 22. Bd3 Rc8 23. Qf1 Nf6 24. Bg5 Rb8 25. Ra7 Qd8 {Weinstein;s maneuvering has not been totally innocent. His threat is 26...Nxd5} 26. Qa1 { A clever way of nullifying the threat! Additionally, white now has a decisive advantage.} ({A pass to demonstrate the threat.} 26. Kh1 Nxd5 27. exd5 Bxg5 28. Nxg5 Qxg5 {and black has equalized. True he is a P up, but his position is badly cramped. However, in Shootouts using Stockfidh the result was five draws. }) 26... Qe8 (26... Nxd5 27. exd5 Bxg5 28. Nxg5 Qxg5 29. Rxb7 Rxb7 30. Qa8+ Kg7 31. Qxb7 {and white has won a piece.}) 27. Qa6 Qc8 {There was nothing to be done.} 28. Nxe5 {[%mdl 512] Engines suggest that a better way of finishing black off is initiating exchanges with 28.Na5, but Fischer's way is more ruthless.} dxe5 29. Bxf6 Bxf6 30. Qxf6 {Astonishing! Fischer has been attacking on the Q-side for the entire game and now suddenly the final blows come on the K-side. Black has two pieces between the R on a7 and the f7 square and it seems there is no way white's B can join the attack on f7, but watch what happens!} Qc3 31. Nc5 Nxc5 32. bxc5 Be8 33. Bf1 Qxc5 34. Re7 b4 35. d6 Qb6 36. Bc4 {Black resigned. It's mate in 4.} (36. Bc4 Qxf2+ 37. Kxf2 b3 38. Bxf7+ Bxf7 39. Qxf7+ Kh8 40. Qg7#) 1-0