Fischer is not the same as he was
Miguel Najdorf, Clarín, Saturday, November 28, 1992, p. 50
Perhaps I shouldn’t write like this. As with all competitions, chess has its “fan clubs”: if I speak well of Boca Juniors, the River Plate fans will get angry (none other than the President is a River Plate’s fan). Yet I have to speak about what the 1992 Fischer vs. Spassky match meant. There is no doubt that Fischer, due to his eccentricities off the board, aroused enormous enthusiasm and gained a “fan club”, probably the biggest in the chess world.
Bobby, for personal (or unknown) reasons, retired for 20 years. He didn’t play in any official competitions. The press exploited his absence, enhancing his myth, sometimes by spreading fake news. Twenty years is a long time. My daughters, both psychiatrists, said to me: “Dad, one day ‘Bobby’ will play again; his vanity won’t allow him to end in oblivion”. And they were right. Twenty years later, at 49, he came back. For fabulous money figures and against the one who was his last rival at the peak of his glory: Boris Vasilievich Spassky. He, too, after 20 years, look at chess with a certain skepticism.
Fischer’s closest associates did everything they could, during those 20 years, to bring him back. I must confess that I was pessimistic about his comeback. But... finally... he was back... and he’s not the same as he was. The progress and momentum of chess over those 20 years brought radical changes. The computers, everyone is a professional now, prize moneys are exorbitant, etcetera.
Press and executives are interested in maintaining the “Bobby Fischer myth” — they make a lot of money on it — but as a player, I must say that Bobby was a genius; now he plays like many other masters. I asked Kasparov what he thought, and he said to me: “I do not focus on him personally but rather on his games, and they are very poor now”.
A month ago Fischer and Spassky played 30 games in the former Yugoslavia, and some offered a glimpse of what they were like 20 years ago. I must acknowledge that this kind of matches benefit us all: there’s more liveliness and new sponsors appear. Now there’s talk of a Fischer vs. Kasparov match. Garry Kimovich said to me, “It’s worth it to me if there is a lot of money. It wouldn’t be a match, it would be a breeze for me”. I disagree; I believe Kasparov would win, but it wouldn’t be that easy.
I believe the best game of the match was the eleventh, which they played in Sveti Stefan (first part of the encounter). It’s worth watching again:
Miguel Najdorf, Clarín, Saturday, November 28, 1992, p. 50
Perhaps I shouldn’t write like this. As with all competitions, chess has its “fan clubs”: if I speak well of Boca Juniors, the River Plate fans will get angry (none other than the President is a River Plate’s fan). Yet I have to speak about what the 1992 Fischer vs. Spassky match meant. There is no doubt that Fischer, due to his eccentricities off the board, aroused enormous enthusiasm and gained a “fan club”, probably the biggest in the chess world.
Bobby, for personal (or unknown) reasons, retired for 20 years. He didn’t play in any official competitions. The press exploited his absence, enhancing his myth, sometimes by spreading fake news. Twenty years is a long time. My daughters, both psychiatrists, said to me: “Dad, one day ‘Bobby’ will play again; his vanity won’t allow him to end in oblivion”. And they were right. Twenty years later, at 49, he came back. For fabulous money figures and against the one who was his last rival at the peak of his glory: Boris Vasilievich Spassky. He, too, after 20 years, look at chess with a certain skepticism.
Fischer’s closest associates did everything they could, during those 20 years, to bring him back. I must confess that I was pessimistic about his comeback. But... finally... he was back... and he’s not the same as he was. The progress and momentum of chess over those 20 years brought radical changes. The computers, everyone is a professional now, prize moneys are exorbitant, etcetera.
Press and executives are interested in maintaining the “Bobby Fischer myth” — they make a lot of money on it — but as a player, I must say that Bobby was a genius; now he plays like many other masters. I asked Kasparov what he thought, and he said to me: “I do not focus on him personally but rather on his games, and they are very poor now”.
A month ago Fischer and Spassky played 30 games in the former Yugoslavia, and some offered a glimpse of what they were like 20 years ago. I must acknowledge that this kind of matches benefit us all: there’s more liveliness and new sponsors appear. Now there’s talk of a Fischer vs. Kasparov match. Garry Kimovich said to me, “It’s worth it to me if there is a lot of money. It wouldn’t be a match, it would be a breeze for me”. I disagree; I believe Kasparov would win, but it wouldn’t be that easy.
I believe the best game of the match was the eleventh, which they played in Sveti Stefan (first part of the encounter). It’s worth watching again:
Robert James Fischer – Boris Vasilievich Spassky
The Revenge World Chess Championship Match of the Twentieth Century; match game 11; Sveti Stefan, September 20, 1992
Sicilian Defence B31
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. 0-0 Bg7 6. Re1
e5
7. b4!! The novelty. Prepartion or improvisation? Bobby said he found it at the board. The idea is old. That has echoes of the old Evans Gambit and the ancient Sicilian Wing Gambit. Very well-known is 7. c3.
7. ... cxb4 8. a3 c5?! Better was 8. ... b3, without opening a file for White.
9. axb4 cxb4 10. d4 exd4 11. Bb2 d6 12. Nxd4 Qd7 13. Nd2 Bb7 14. Nc4 Nh6
7. ... cxb4 8. a3 c5?! Better was 8. ... b3, without opening a file for White.
9. axb4 cxb4 10. d4 exd4 11. Bb2 d6 12. Nxd4 Qd7 13. Nd2 Bb7 14. Nc4 Nh6
15. Nf5! A coup in the style of the Bobby of 20 years ago.
15. ... Bxb2 16. Ncxd6+ Kf8 17. Nxh6 f6. After 17. ... Bxa1 18. Qxa1 Qd6 19. Qh8+ Ke7 20. Qxh7 White would retain a large initiative.
18. Ndf7 Qxd1 19. Raxd1 Ke7 20. Nxh8 Rxh8 21. Nf5+ gxf5 22. exf5+ Be5 23. f4 Rc8 24. fxe5. The simplest. If 24. Rd2 Rc5 25. Rde2 Ra6 [sic] with some problems.
24. ... Rxc2 25. e6 Bc6 26. Rc1 Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Kd6
15. ... Bxb2 16. Ncxd6+ Kf8 17. Nxh6 f6. After 17. ... Bxa1 18. Qxa1 Qd6 19. Qh8+ Ke7 20. Qxh7 White would retain a large initiative.
18. Ndf7 Qxd1 19. Raxd1 Ke7 20. Nxh8 Rxh8 21. Nf5+ gxf5 22. exf5+ Be5 23. f4 Rc8 24. fxe5. The simplest. If 24. Rd2 Rc5 25. Rde2 Ra6 [sic] with some problems.
24. ... Rxc2 25. e6 Bc6 26. Rc1 Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Kd6
28. Rd1+. Absolute precision. Black must control the passed e-Pawn, and that’s impossible... Furthermore, White will gain Black’s a-Pawn.
28. ... Ke5 29. e7 a5 30. Rc1 Bd7 31. Rc5+ Kd4 32. Rxa5 b3 33. Ra7 Be8 34. Rb7 Kc3 35. Kf2 b2 36. Ke3 Bf7 37. g4. The winning move; Black could resign here.
37. ... Kc2 38. Kd4 b1=Q 39. Rxb1 Kxb1 40. Kc5 Kc2 41. Kd6 1–0. This game shows Fischer’s style, just like 20 years ago, but now he’s not the same as he was. He’s bald and pot-bellied; and besides, his play is not constantly brilliant: it has ups and downs.
28. ... Ke5 29. e7 a5 30. Rc1 Bd7 31. Rc5+ Kd4 32. Rxa5 b3 33. Ra7 Be8 34. Rb7 Kc3 35. Kf2 b2 36. Ke3 Bf7 37. g4. The winning move; Black could resign here.
37. ... Kc2 38. Kd4 b1=Q 39. Rxb1 Kxb1 40. Kc5 Kc2 41. Kd6 1–0. This game shows Fischer’s style, just like 20 years ago, but now he’s not the same as he was. He’s bald and pot-bellied; and besides, his play is not constantly brilliant: it has ups and downs.
(English translation by I, Robot)
Fischer and Spassky answering questions at a press conference. Photos: MN Press. |
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