ACF OFFICE BEARERS

The following ACF non-elected office bearer positions remain vacant:

• Olympiad Appeal Coordinator
• Ergas Training Squad Coordinator

The ACF is seeking expressions of interest from anyone wishing to fill either of these positions. Please contact ACF Secretary, Jey Hoole             jeydh4@hotmail.com, or ACF president Gary Wastell gwastell@netspace.net.au  as soon as possible if you are interested.

2008 OLYMPIAD SELECTIONS

The 38th FIDE Chess Olympiad will be held in Dresden, Germany, from 12-25 November 2008.

I am writing to advise strong players intending to apply for the Olympiad teams for Australia for 2008 of the expected date on which applications for selection will close. This will have a bearing on any intending applicants who are short of game practice and need to get rated games played by that deadline to meet the ACF's 20 games rule which comes into effect at this Olympiad.

The intended selection deadline is Friday 20 June 2008. If any change to this is expected I will notify it to this list, but I do not expect it to change.

The 20 games rule, adopted a few years ago but only now coming into effect, requires each applicant for the Australian Olympiad teams to have played 20 rated games in the previous year by the selection deadline (ie 20 June 2007 - 20 June 2008). The definition of a rated game includes any game rated by the ACF and/or FIDE that is not a rapid play game. A game rated by another federation (eg BCF) will also count where requested, provided that an adequate formula for converting that federation's ratings to either ACF or FIDE ratings exists. Of course, any game can only be counted once.

Players should also note that the number of players per team has been changed. Both open and female teams will now consist of five players each, of whom four will play in each round.

I expect to declare applications open, via the ACF Newsletter and via a post to the Olympiad Notices thread on the ChessChat forum (http://chesschat.org/showthread.php?t=7026) around early April.

Best regards,
Kevin Bonham
ACF Selections Co-Ordinator (Non-Junior Events)
k_bonham@tassie.net.au

ACF SELECTIONS EMAIL LIST

A backup email list exists for people interested in receiving calls for applications for adult-event selections when these are sent out. I may also use this list to send out advance information about upcoming events for which selections will be called, before the formal selections process has been determined. This list will be additional to, and not a replacement for, use of the ACF Newsletter to call for selections.

TO JOIN THIS MAILOUT LIST:

Simply email k_bonham@tassie.net.au with "join selections mailout list" in the subject field of your email, and I will add you to the list for the next email (messages are sent infrequently, and mainly in the leadup to particular FIDE events). If you wish to join from a different or any extra email addresses, include a note to that effect. You can unsubscribe or change email address by emailing me at any time.

THE FINE PRINT:

The list is intended as a backup for the process of announcing calls for selection in ACF Newsletter only. Anyone with an interest in applying for ACF selections is expected to subscribe to the ACF email newsletter and remain subscribed at all times to the best of their ability. All care will be taken with the upkeep of this list, but as email is not completely reliable, no responsibility for delivery failures of emails sent to the address subscribed will be accepted. Subscribers are responsible for ensuring their email address remains current, and any address that bounces repeatedly will be dropped. This list will not cover junior-only events.

I hope this list will assist in ensuring more players are aware, well in advance, of upcoming opportunities to represent Australia.

Best regards to all,
Kevin Bonham
ACF Selections Co-Ordinator (Senior Events)
k_bonham@tassie.net.au

MYER TAN AUSTRALIAN CHESS GRAND PRIX

http://www.chessaustralia.com.au/grandprix/

The provisional list of 2007 Myer Tan Grand Prix prizewinners was published in the January/February 2008 issue of Australasian Chess. The ACF Grand Prix Director, Brian Jones, has now provided a final list:

Coming Grand Prix Events

EVENTS CALENDAR

2008 Gold Coast Tin Cup

The 2008 Gold Coast Tin Cup is for players rated under 1750. Come join this fun event where the titled players can only watch and wish that they were playing. February 16 & 17th at Somerset College Sports Pavillion, Somerset Drive, Mudgeeraba (300m west of Somerset College). Prizes include $500 for 1st, $200 for 2nd and $100 for third. Rating groups will have $100 for 1st and $60 for 2nd. New this year is the awarding of medals for 1st, 2nd and 3rd for the divisions for players under 1000 (no cash prizes for these divisions). For details and an entry form just visit Tin Cup entry form, email outreachchess@bigpond.com or call Peter Bender on 07 5556 0434.

March Madness Open

Venue Zillmere & Districts Community Sports Club, O'Callaghan Park, 360 Zillmere Road, Zillmere, Qld, 4034.
Format 7 rounds.
Entry fee Open $60, Under 1000 $50. ($10 discount if paid by 14/2/08. $10 surcharge to unregistered players on 1/3/08).
Prizes Open $600; $500; $400; $300; $200 (+ rating group prizes). Under 1000 $125; $100; $75.
Registration 8.30-9.00am 1/3/08.
Session times 4 rounds on Saturday, 3 rounds on Sunday, starting at 9.30am.
Rate of play 60 mins + 10 secs per move.
Enquiries Gail Young, 0411 704 815, qwcl@hotmail.com
Webpage http://www.caq.org.au/htm/2008MarchMadnessOpen.pdf

Doeberl Cup

Venue Hellenic Club of Canberra, Matilda Street, Woden, ACT, 2606.
Format Premier Tournament 9 round Swiss. Major, Minor and Senior Tournaments 7 round Swiss. Under 1200 Tournament 6 round Swiss.
Entry fee Premier $140 (Free to GMs, IMs, WGMs and WIMs). Major, Minor & Senior $120 (U/18 $80). Under 1200 $60.
Prizes Premier $4000, $2500, $1500, $800, $500, $400, $350, $300, $250, $200. Major $1,500, $800, $450, $250, $150, $100. Minor $750, $400, $250, $150, $100 & Unr $100. Senior $450, $300, $150, $100.
Registration By midday, 19/3/08.
Session times Premier Thursday 1.00pm, 7.00pm; Friday 1.00pm, 7.00pm; Saturday 10.00am, 3.00pm; Sunday 10.00am, 3.00pm; Monday 9.00am. Major, Minor & Senior Friday 1.00pm, 7.00pm; Saturday 10.00am, 3.00pm; Sunday 10.00am, 3.00pm; Monday 9.00am. Under 1200 Friday 1.00pm, 4.00pm, 7.00pm, Saturday 10.00am, 1.00pm, 4.00pm.
Rate of play Premier, Major, Minor & Senior 90 mins + 30 secs. Under 1200 60 mins + 10 secs.
Enquiriesinfo@doeberlcup.com.au
Webpage http://www.doeberlcup.com.au

Sydney International Open

http://www.chessaustralia.com.au/open/index.cfm

COMPLETED EVENTS

Australian Schools Teams Championships

The winners:

• Secondary Open Champions - Balwyn High (Vic)
• Secondary Girls Champions - North Sydney Girls High (NSW)
• Primary Open Champions - Hawker Primary (ACT)
• Primary Girls Champions - Curtin Primary (ACT)

The home page for the event is here.

2008 Australian Chess Championship

Chief Arbiter, Charles Zworestine's round summaries continue... Readers impatient to see the full results, or play over some of the games mentioned, can visit the tournament website.

A great turnout saw 74 people competing for the 2008 Australian Lightning Championships, with great prize money providing a big incentive for the young guns, who came out firing. The top seeds were GM Dejan Antic, IMs George Xie and Stephen Solomon, and FMs Igor Bjelobrk and Vladimir Smirnov. There was also a very strong contingent of the usual younger and junior players, with the top two (Moulthun Ly and Max Illingworth) being joined by the previous winner, Junta Ikeda.

Round 1 saw a few upsets, most notably Sherab Guo-Yuthok downing Justin Tan, but otherwise the other top boards all went to rating. Business as usual in Round 2, with no major upsets on the top 10 boards. Similarly in Round 3, no upsets at the top end other than Sam Chow beating George Xie, and Ed Agulto being taken down by Rick Lopis.

After Round 4, four people emerged on 4/4: Stephen Solomon after beating Ron Scott, Sam Chow after defeating Igor Bjelobrk, Vlad Smirnov after beating Max Illingworth, and Moulthun Ly joining them after beating Rick Lopis. Half a point behind them was Dejan Antic, who took a half point bye in Round 1 to be on 3.5/4 after Round 4.

The leaders were whittled down to two in Round 5, when Stephen Solomon beat Moulthun Ly, and Sam Chow lost a pawn and was ground down by Vladimir Smirnov. Dejan Antic was still hot on their heels, with 4.5/5, after beating Ivan Zirdum. There was a large contingent on 4/5 chasing them as well.

Vladimir Smirnov emerged as a clear leader after Round 6, comfortably defeating Stephen Solomon. George Xie handed Dejan Antic his first loss, meaning that Vlad had a full point lead over a group of 6 chasing him. These included Jason Hu, after beating Igor Bjelobrk in a rook and minor piece endgame, Sam Chow, who defeated Ron Scott, and Dusan Stojic, who downed Max Illingworth.

The pack drew closer, as in Round 7, Vladimir Smirnov could only draw with Jason Hu in a queen and pawn ending. He now led on 6.5/7 over George Xie, who accounted for Dusan Stojic; Stephen Solomon, who beat Jesse Noel Sales; and Sam Chow, who beat Ronald Yu. Moulthun Ly defeated Dejan Antic to move on to 5.5/7.

Round 8 saw Vlad relinquish the lead, with his first loss, at the hands of George Xie. This left Xie and Solomon first on 7/8, after the latter beat Sam Chow. Half a point behind were Vlad Smirnov and Moulthun Ly, the latter beating Jason Hu.

Draws on the top 2 boards made the race even closer, allowing more people to catch the leaders. George Xie and Stephen Solomon drew, as did Moulthun Ly and Vlad Smirnov. This still left Xie and Solomon first on 7.5/9; but now Max Illingworth, who beat Igor Bjelobrk, Jesse Noel Sales, who beat Jason Hu, and Sam Chow, who defeated Neil Wright, joined Vlad Smirnov and Moulthun Ly to move within half a point on 7/9.

In the penultimate 10th round, both leaders lost! George Xie was beaten by Moulthun Ly, and Max Illingworth beat Stephen Solomon. They were joined on 8/10 by Sam Chow, who beat Jesse Noel Sales. Stephen Solomon, George Xie and Ronald Yu were lurking half a point behind, so it was leading to a very tense last round...

Moulthun Ly defeated Max Illingworth in Round 11, after Max allowed his king and queen to be forked. This left Moulthun hanging on the result of Board 2, to see if he could be caught. Sam Chow beat Justin Tan after he just picked off material in the endgame, meaning he and Moulthun were equal first. George Xie beat Ronald Yu to take clear third, as Stephen Solomon was not able to account for Igor Bjelobrk to keep up. This left Sam Chow and Moulthun Ly on 9/11 in equal 1st place. A playoff was necessary to decide the title.

After drawing White in the first round, Moulthun started applying huge pressure to Sam's position, until Sam sacrificed a piece dubiously, and never recovered. In the second game, Sam had White and had to beat Moulthun to stay alive in the playoff. After an unusual opening, which saw both sides pushing their kingside pawns very early, Moulthun castled kingside with no f- or g-pawns! His ploy worked, as Sam committed some inaccuracies trying to continue his attack, and was left down material. This was a game which Moulthun duly won without too much trouble, winning the playoff 2-0 and thus becoming 2008 Australian Lightning Champion!

We knew the Championships were hotting up after today’s top board clash between Stephen Solomon and Herman van Riemsdijk, which was one of the most interesting games of the entire tournament! Attacking violently in the opening (he sacrificed a piece), Solo missed a brilliant Nxd5 win and allowed Herman enough counterplay to force a tricky ending; Herman was then better in Stephen’s time pressure, but missed his own forced win in the ending; and after all that, the game ended in a draw! This left Solo still outright leader by a point on 6/7 from a group of 4 players on 5/7, which included Dejan Antic who took seemingly forever to grind down Tristan Boyd in an ending a pawn up, but with all pawns on the same side of the board. Also up there were Herman; Moulthun Ly, who won an initially drawish endgame with two pieces for a rook against Tomek Rej; and George Xie, who turned an early initiative into a winning attack against Jesse Sales. The four players still within touching distance on 4.5/7 were Darryl Johansen and Igor Goldenberg, who drew a slow manoeuvring hedgehog position by repetition of position; Sam Chow, who got at Ben Lazarus’ king in the middle of the board; and Max Illingworth, who got an attack through on Gary Lane’s king for a brilliant upset win.

After Ronald Yu and Paul Broekhuyse agreed an early draw in a double rook ending, Felix Klein upset Igor Bjelobrk by getting his attack through first after they castled opposite sides. Greg Canfell’s active pieces won pawns then an exchange to beat Michael Morris; Ascaro Pecori won a pawn and eventually scored an upset win against Junta Ikeda; and Doug Hamilton won a piece to a tactic to beat Dusan Stojic. Stuart Booth and Jason Hu drew by repetition, while Malcolm Pyke’s passed pawns beat Vincent Suttor’s extra piece. Gareth Charles won pawns to beat Michael Wei, and David Hacche crunched Romeo Capilitan’s king stuck in the middle of the board. Barak Atzmon-Simon won an ending to relegate James Morris to the bye (created when Israel Yadao forfeited to Gareth Oliver and withdrew from the event due to “urgent business reasons”), while Hani Malik scored his first win by successfully attacking Andrew Bird’s king.

In the Major we got an outright leader for the first time, after James Watson played a beautiful attacking game to simply smash Johny Bolens! This left James on 6/7 a half point ahead of Tim Hare, who drew a long struggle with Phil Viner after the latter could not quite cash in on an extra pawn due to Tim’s two bishops; Dizdarevic, whose queenside pawns crushed Kevin Sheldrick; and Sanghoon Lee, who won a rook to a knight fork threat to beat Blair Mandla. Six players were on 5/7 and also still in contention, including Adrian Rose and Jason Cohn who drew a knight vs bishop ending. Lots of upset draws lower down: Herman Rachmadi (vs Svetozar Stojic), Stephen Myers (against Michael Dunn) and John Alkin (vs Vasil Tulevski). The best upset wins were again by juniors: Joshua Lau stunned Alex Jule, and Luthien Russell shocked Milan Ninchich.

The Minor remained interesting after wins on the top three boards resulted in a three way tie for first on 6/7 going into Round 8. Howard Duggan beat David Evans, and Bob Liang took care of Tom Accola; while Anthony Villanueva took rather longer before disposing of Patrick Beahan. Three players (Evans, Beahan and Michael Courtney) were still up there on 5/7, while an upset draw by Andrew Pan against David Beveridge kept them in the hunt on 4.5/7… Meanwhile a Fischer Random Allegro (10 minutes each) took place in the evening and saw Neil “Tricky” Wright triumph on 6/7, from Blair Mandla on 5.5 and George Xie, Nick Chernih and Johny Bolens on 5. The big news was Blair, who stunned George and Neil (the top two seeds) in his last two games; it appears that he actually knows a bit about this Fischer Random stuff…

Clearly MM likes endings with two pieces for a rook (and some pawns) – today against the Solo leader he ended up in such an ending for the third time in the event! This time he was only able to draw, leaving Solo still in the lead on 6.5/8. Breathing down his neck on 6/8 were Dejan Antic, who turned a positional advantage into a winning passed h-pawn to beat George Xie; and Herman van Riemsdijk, who won a tactical melee (eventually winning his opponent’s queen) against Igor Goldenberg. Joining MM on 5.5 was Mighty Max Illingworth, who stole yet another upset win against Tomek Rej when the latter swapped from a possibly drawn knight ending into a lost king and pawn ending! But Darryl Johansen failed to join them, failing to cash in on an advantage against Sam Chow when the latter’s counterattack resulted in a perpetual check.

A few significant upsets this round, as Felix Klein beat Greg Canfell in a bit of a lucky escape: Greg had a winning attack but blundered, and ended up in a lost endgame a piece down instead. Doug Hamilton stunned Gary Lane by winning a pawn and an ending, while Jason Hu did something similar to the beleaguered Iggy Bjelobrk in a cute endgame where he was two pawns up but had tripled f-pawns! Jesse Sales beat Ascaro Pecori after the latter blundered a rook to a tactic; Ronald Yu and Tristan Boyd had a quick draw; Gareth Oliver won a long bishop vs knight endgame with a superior king position against Paul Broekhuyse; while Ben Lazarus and Malcolm Pyke drew a rook ending by repetition. Junta Ikeda won a queen ending against Gareth Charles; Stewart Booth had the two bishops in an ending and looked better against David Hacche, but blundered pawns to lose; and Barak Atzmon-Simon smashed Dusan Stojic’s queenside for another upset win. Michael Morris got at Hani Malik’s king; Michael Wei’s central connected passed pawns won a bishop ending against Romeo Capilitan to relegate him to the bye; and Andrew Bird and Vincent Suttor drew a wild game that eventually settled into a drawn endgame.

James Watson had to fight like a tiger to maintain his outright lead in the Major, sacrificing the exchange for a pawn to obtain a blockade against Sanghoon Lee; he made it very hard for himself by unnecessarily sacrificing his passed h-pawn, but ended up drawing bishop and a-pawn vs rook and a-pawn in a 100 move game! So 6.5/8 for James, with six players breathing down his neck on 6/8 just half a point behind. These were Sanghoon Lee; Tim Hare and Dizdarevic, who drew their individual game; Adrian Rose, who won an exchange to a knight fork to beat Dick Voon; Yongtae Kim, whose sharp play stunned Johny Bolens; and Jason Cohn, who upset Viner in a knight vs bishop ending by exploiting his weak pawns. Blair Mandla joined a group of 3 players on 5.5/8 (the others being Sheldrick and Mendes da Costa) by fighting back from a terrible opening where he lost a piece to complicate and eventually upset Henk Jens. Lower down, Joshua Lau’s two bishops stunned Ganesh Viswanath to join a large group of players on 5/8.

Round 9 of the Minor saw us reduced to two joint leaders on 7/8, after Howard “Gunner” Duggan beat Anthony Villanueva and Bob Liang defeated Patrick Beahan. Howard’s queenside pawn majority overwhelmed Anthony; while Bob, in a difficult double rook ending a pawn ahead, benefited from a Patrick error to win two more pawns and win the game easily! This left Bob and Howard with a Board 1 showdown on 7/8, a point ahead of Anthony and Michael Courtney on 6/8 after Michael beat Richard Davies. The draw between David Evans and David Beveridge denied Evans (5.5/8) the opportunity to join the group on 6/8. Andrew Pan scored an excellent upset draw with the top seed Abel Urdanegui, while Mario Pleno also performed well above his rating in his upset victory over Vince Chiara.

Continued next issue...

2008 Australian Junior Chess Championships

Here are the title winners for the Championships and supporting events. Congratulations to all! We hope to have a detailed report in the next ACF Newsletter.

Official site

OVERSEAS NEWS

ROBERT JAMES FISCHER, 1943-2008

Bobby Fischer: The Times obituary

from Times Online, January 18, 2008, by GM Raymond Keene.

Bobby Fischer, the brash, unschooled chess genius from Brooklyn who toppled the might of the Soviet chess system before his 30th birthday, is the only North American World Champion and was the only non-Soviet or non-Russian title-holder between the Second World War and the victory of the Indian Viswanathan Anand in October last year.

Fischer's taking of the World Championship from Boris Spassky in 1972 was hailed as a symbolic moment for American hopes in the Cold War, and in many ways, Fischer's story epitomised the self-reliant, frontier ideals of America. (It also inspired Chess, the musical.) Yet Fischer was a deeply disturbed man, and the dream evaporated after his victory in Reykjavik. Dramatically, Fischer renounced chess after failing to agree terms for his defence of the title and did not play a single competitive game for 20 years. Instead he descended into paranoia, characterised by hate-filled and poisonously anti-Semitic outbursts against his own country.

Robert James Fischer was born in Chicago in 1943 to a Jewish mother and a German father (though his actual paternity has been a subject of speculation). His parents split when he was 2, and he moved with his mother and sister to New York. He took up chess aged 6 and soon became obsessed with the game, eventually dropping out of high school.

He won the US Championship at 14, thus qualifying for the World Championship Candidates' Tournament of 1958, and becoming, at the age of 15, the youngest grandmaster in the world in the process. He performed very creditably, but the top Soviet players who dominated world chess had no problem in handling him, and he was crushed 7-1 in his games against Tal and Petrosian.

His reaction to a renewed failure in the 1962 qualifying event in Curaçao was passionate, accusing the elite contenders of playing as a team, and refusing to countenance participation until the tournament system had been replaced by a series of matches. His participation in matches and tournaments thereafter often featured similarly brusque demands, and his career was interrupted more than once by long periods of withdrawal from international chess.

When he did play, it was obvious that a remarkable talent had emerged. His sharp, clear and vigorous style, his breathtaking speed of play and massive determination at the board made him a legend even before he won the world title. He first sprang to prominence when he won a brilliant game at the age of 13 in 1956 against the American master Donald Byrne. This game involved an amazing queen sacrifice, it went round the world and became known as the game of the century. It propelled Fischer's career in a way that no amount of first prizes in tournaments could possibly have done. He once won the US Championship with an 11-0 score and, in the Candidates' Matches of 1970-1, he succeeded in winning his first two matches against Taimanov and Larsen by six games to nil.

Fischer's World Championship match with Spassky was also characterised by his detailed demands and his near-refusal to play. After nerve- wrenching brinkmanship, Fischer finally condescended to sit at the board, persuaded by a personal telephone appeal from Henry Kissinger and the injection of considerable last-minute extra funds by British millionaire Jim Slater.

He began to play magnificent chess, which he backed up with an extraordinary battery of off-the-board protests that must have put great psychological pressures on both players. Fischer did not turn up for the second game, which was awarded to Spassky by forfeit; for the third game, Fischer insisted on the exclusion of all TV and film cameras and that the game should be conducted in a small closed room.

Had Spassky refused, the subsequent history of world chess might have been very different; Fischer won his first ever game against Spassky and quickly went on to establish a lead in the match. The Russians ultimately and belatedly retaliated by having the hall swept for electronic and chemical equipment and X-raying the players' chairs. The result of this exercise in paranoia was the discovery of two dead flies in a light fitting.

The match ended in an emphatic victory for Fischer, yet, after his recent Candidates' performances, the 12½-8½ score actually lost him rating points.

The sixth game was widely regarded as the most elegant. The Argentine connoisseur Grandmaster Miguel Najdorf compared it to a symphony by Mozart. Harry Golombek, chess correspondent of The Times, who was present at the match added: “One very nice touch was that Spassky joined in the applause at the end. Fischer being human was affected by this, but as he subsequently told a friend, he had to hurry away to hide his feelings. ‘What a gentleman Spassky is,' Fischer is reported to have said. However, he wanted to restrain such feelings for fear that they would interfere with the tigerish quality which he regarded as essential for crushing an opponent.”

Fischer's demands performed one lasting service to the followers of chess and to his fellow-professionals. The vast size of modern prize funds is a direct result of his insistence that chess players should be paid on a scale comparable with champions in other sports. And his cult of invincibility created a massive upsurge in the popularity of chess, particularly in the West, having shown that the Soviet stranglehold on the game could be broken.

The contest seemed to have strangely traumatic effects on both players: Spassky subsequently disappeared into a shell of caution, Fischer into selfimposed exile, like that of Paul Morphy, the earlier American genius. He forfeited his title after refusing to defend it against Anatoly Karpov in 1975.

He lived a peripatetic existence, abandoning conventional chess and promoting both his own form of the game, involving a semi-random arrangement of the pieces on the first rank, and a method of time control involving time being added after each move: the latter has achieved greater currency in chess circles.

He did not even visit a chess club or chess event as a spectator until his profitable but competitively meaningless “return match” with Spassky in Yugoslavia in 1992. But Yugoslavia was then the subject of US sanctions, and Fischer was threatened with prison if he took part - a warning he literally spat on at a press conference. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he never returned to the US.

Fischer surfaced occasionally elsewhere, condemning the “stinking Jews” whom he accused of plotting to dominate the world (the Holocaust was dismissed as “a money-making invention”), and the “brutal, evil dictatorship” of the US. On Filipino radio in 2001 he hailed the attacks of September 11 as “wonderful news. It is time to finish off the US once and for all.”

In 2004 he attempted to fly out of Japan, where he had been living with his long-term Japanese partner, Miyoko Watai, head of the Japan Chess Association. The US authorities had, however, revoked Fischer' passport, apparently without telling him, and he was detained at Narita airport. He was held for almost nine months while the US attempted to have him extradited.

The Icelandic government, with fond memories of 1972, offered him residency. This was not enough for the Japanese, but after Iceland's parliament unanimously voted to give him full citizenship, he was flown to Reykjavik, where his arrival was broadcast live and crowds turned out to greet him. Iceland's welcoming of Fischer drew strong international criticism, but the Icelandic ambassador to the US said the decision was a humanitarian one, unrelated to Fischer's noxious views. Fischer, he said, should be “considered the subject of pity, rather than hatred”.

Bobby Fischer, chess champion, was born on March 9, 1943. He died of kidney failure on January 17, 2008, aged 64.

Donald Byrne - Robert James Fischer
III Rosenwald, New York 1956 (8)
(Notes from R.G. Wade & K.J. O'Connell, Bobby Fischer's Chess Games, 1972.)

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.d4 0-0 5.Bf4 d5 6.Qb3 dxc4
  Also 6...c5 7.dxc5 Ne4!
7.Qxc4 c6 8.e4 Nbd7
  8...b5 9.Qb3 Qa5 10.Be2 b4 11.Nd1 c5 12.0-0 Ba6 of Bisguier - Benko, US Ch. 1963/64 is a more effective way of treating White's hybrid opening play.
9.Rd1 Nb6 10.Qc5 Bg4
  Threatening ...Nfd7 followed by ...e5 reinforced by ...Bxf3 and, if need be, ...Qe8.
11.Bg5?
  11.Be2 followd by 12 0-0 would have been more prudent.
  The bishop move played allows a sudden crescendo of tactical points to be uncovered by Fischer. The basis of these points is that if the white knight was not on c3 then Black would have ...Nxe4 suddenly attacking both the white B/g5 and the Q/c5. White, however, has the excellent defensive possibilities of Qa5 or Qc1. White's defensive possibilities would be shaken if the black knight was not on b6 because Black would have the possibility of ...Qa5+ while White's Qa5 would no longer be feasible. The combinations that Fischer's next move initiates are evolved from these considerations.
  Fischer's overall aim is to open up the centre while the white king is uncastled and to break up White's pawn centre.
11...Na4!! 12.Qa3
  If 12.Nxa4 Nxe4 and now:
a) 13.Qc1 Qa5+ 14.Nc3 Bxf3.
b) 13.Bxe7 Nxc5 14.Bxd8 Nxa4 15.B/8 moves Bxf3 16.gxf3 Nxb2.
c) 13.Qxe7 and now:
c1)13...Qxe7 14.Bxe7 Rfe8 15.Be2 Rxe7 16.0-0 Rd8 with pressure against White's d-pawn and the two bishops.
c2) 13...Qa5+ is also possible e.g. 14.b4 Qxa4 15.Qxe4 Rfe8 16.Be7 (16.Ne5 Qxd1 mate) 16...Bxf3 17.gxf3 Bf8 advantageously regaining the sacrificed material.
d) 13.Qb4 Nxg5! 14.Nxg5 Bxd1 15.Kxd1 Bxd4 16.Qd2 Bxf2 with a clear material advantage.
12...Nxc3 13.bxc3 Nxe4!!
  This sacrifice of the exchange to force open the e-file is a natural consequence of the previous combination.
14.Bxe7 Qb6!
  This is much stronger than 14...Qe8 when White would have time to play 15.Rd3 to follow up with ...Re3.
15.Bc4!
  If instead 15.Bxf8 Bxf8 16.Qb3 Nxc3! 17.Qxb6 (17.Qxc3 Bb4) 17...axb6 18.Ra1 Bxf3 19.gxf3 Ba3 20.Kd2 Bb2 21.Re1 Nd5 gives Black a very stong attack.
15...Nxc3
  For if 16.Qxc3 Rfe8 recovers the piece.
16.Bc5! Rfe8+ 17.Kf1
  Byrne must have expected that Black would have to opt out with 17...Nb5 when 18 Bxf7+ would give White a winning attack.
17...Be6!!
  This is the counter that raises this game to an immortal level.
  At its simplest there is the Philidor mate after 18.Bxe6 by 18...Qb5+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+ 20.Kf1 Ng3+ 21.Kg1 Qf1+! 22.Rxf1 Ne2#.
  Other White refusals are:
a) 18.Qxc3 Qxc5 exploiting the pin along the diagonal.
b) 18.Re1 when now ...Nb5 is effective.
18.Bxb6 Bxc4+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+!
  Taking the opportunity to improve the station of this knight.
20.Kf1 Nxd4+ 21.Kg1
  Or 21.Rd3 axb6 22.Qc3 Nxf3!
21...Ne2+ 22.Kf1 Nc3+ 23.Kg1 axb6 24.Qb4
  If 24.Qd6 Nxd1 25.Qxd1 Rxa2 followed by ...Ra1.
24...Ra4! 25.Qxb6 Nxd1
  Black has obtained rook, two bishops and a pawn for the queen.
26.h3
  If 26.Qxb7 Bd5.
26...Rxa2 27.Kh2 Nxf2 28.Re1 Rxe1 29.Qd8+ Bf8 30.Nxe1 Bd5 31.Nf3 Ne4 32.Qb8 b5 33.h4 h5 34.Ne5 Kg7 35.Kg1 Bc5+ 36.Kf1
  Or 36.Kh1 Ra1+ 37.Kh2 Bg1+ 38.Kh3 Ba7.
36...Ng3+ 37.Ke1 Bb4+ 38.Kd1 Bb3+ 39.Kc1 Ne2+ 40.Kb1 Nc3+ 41.Kc1 Rc2 mate.

Robert James Fischer - Boris Spassky
World Championship Match, Reykjavik 1972 (6)
(Notes from C.J.S. Purdy, How Fischer Won, 1972.)

  For nearly twenty years Fischer, like Spielmann, thought that any first move for White but 1.e4 was bloodless and contemptible, especially 1.d4. In the last few years he has occasionally used 1.c4 (the English Opening) and even Larsen's eccentric 1.b3, for surprise value.
  Here, too, he plays the English, but with the incredible intention of turning it into the despised Queen's Gambit Declined if allowed. Why? Clearly because he has noted Spassky's addiction to Tartakover's Defence, a system that is rigid enough to allow White to cook up prepared lines against it. Admittedly, it has hitherto withstood attempts to refute it.
1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5
  So far it's a Reti Opening by White, but now Fischer shows his hand.
3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7
  It is now a Queen's Gambit Declined, Othodox Defence, with White playing the Ragozin System so far. Now Fischer transposes into the Pillsbury Attack, normal play for 77 years.
5.Bg5 0-0 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 b6
  Tartakover developed this system after the older way, 7...Nbd7 8.Rc1 b6 9.cxd5 exd5 proved dubious because of Capablanca's nuisance move, 10.Bb5! If he stays home as yet, the knight usefully guards c6 and a6. There's another purpose, too.
8.cxd5
  If White defers this, Black can continually capture on d4 with pieces.
8...Nxd5
  This practically forces White to make a tempo-losing exchange of bishops. It is not playable on move 9 in the line given in the note to move 7, because Black would lose his c-pawn; that's the other purpose.
9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.Rc1 Be6
  Now that d5 is plugged with a pawn, the intended fianchetto development is not so good.
12.Qa4 c5 13.Qa3 Rc8 14.Bb5!
  White has carefully withheld this bishop till sure of its best square. Fischer's move may have been played only once before, Furman-Geller, USSR Championship 1969. Fischer considered it a long time, but he may have been foxing, i.e., following the Russian game while pretending to be improvising. Well, wouldn't you?
14...a6 15.dxc5 bxc5
  Black has what are called "the hanging pawns", which have elements of strength and weakness. They hold many central squares, but are targets for pieces. But neither of them can be blockaded, like an isolated pawn, unless and until its partner advances. They are part and parcel of Tartakover's Defence.
16.0-0 Ra7
  Geller unpinned with 16...Qb7, when the problem of protecting the c-pawn soon recurs. Fischer may have had an improvement on Furman's play which brought him a draw.
17.Be2 Nd7
  This doubly self-pins the c-pawn. Tal, in 64, suggests taking the bull by the horns with 17...c4 18.Qxe7 Rxe7 when 19.Nd4 can be met head on by 19...Nc6. A possible sequel is 20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.b3 Na5 22.bxc4 Nxc4 23.e4 when the obvious 23...Rec7 is rather upset by 24.Bg4. White has the edge.
18.Nd4! Qf8
  Why so retrograde? More progressive seems 18...Kf8, also 18...Nf8. There is also 18...Nf6 19.Nb3 c4. In all lines White has the preference but now it gets more decided.
19.Nxe6! fxe6 20.e4! d4?
  The weakening of the white diagonal proves fatal. Undoubtedly, both 20...Nf6 and 20...c4 were better. Tal gives some fascinating analysis in 64, 20...c4 21.Qh3 Qf7 22.Bg4 Re8 23.exd5 exd5 24.Rfe1 Ne5 (meriting consideration is 24...Rxe1+ 25.Rxe1 Kf8) 25.Bh5 g6 26.Qg3 Rae7 27.f4 Nd3 (he suggests that 27...Kh7 may be better); 28.Rxe7 Rxe7 29.Bxg6 Qxf4 30.Bf7+ Kxf7 31.Rf1 Qxf1+ 32.Kxf1 Re1+ 33.Qxe1 Nxe1 34.Kxe1 and this pawn ending may be a win for White.
21.f4 Qe7 22.e5 Rb8
  Not 22...Nb6 23.f5 exf5? 24.Qb3+
23.Bc4 Kh8
  A better chance was 23...Nb6; for if 24.Qxc5 Nxc4 25.Qxc4 Rxb2 26.Qxd4 (if 26.f5 Qg5), and now not 26...Rxa2 27.f5! Rd7 28.f6! but simply 26...Rab7. Tal suggests simply 24.Qb3! instead of 24.Qxc5.
24.Qh3 Nf8 25.b3 a5 26.f5! exf5
  Fischer handles the attack impeccably.
27.Rxf5 Nh7 28.Rcf1
  28.Rf7? Ng5.
28...Qd8 29.Qg3 Re7 30.h4 Rbb7 31.e6! Rbc7 32.Qe5 Qe8 33.a4 Qd8 34.R1f2 Qe8 35.R2f3 Qd8 36.Bd3 Qe8 37.Qe4 Nf6
  If 37...Rxe6, White gives up both rooks for mate.
38.Rxf6! gxf6 39.Rxf6 Kg8 40.Bc4 Kh8 41.Qf4 Resigns
  A tour de force by Fischer, but Tartakover's Defence cannot be as bad as this game makes it look.

CORUS CHESS TOURNAMENT 2008, WIJK AAN ZEE

Official site

Grandmaster group A, Final results:

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Grandmaster group C, Leading final scores:

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