The Unstoppable American: Bobby Fischer’s Road to Reykjavik

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Kevin Thurlow
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Re: The Unstoppable American: Bobby Fischer’s Road to Reykjavik

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Aug 11, 2021 8:10 am

"Those two games were played when Fischer was aged 17 and 15 respectively."

I think if you're young and playing in your first interzonal, you're entitled to take a short draw to get off the mark.

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JustinHorton
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Re: The Unstoppable American: Bobby Fischer’s Road to Reykjavik

Post by JustinHorton » Wed Aug 11, 2021 8:21 am

You surely are, but Fischer's announced plan was to beat the patzers and draw with the grandmasters, and he had the White pieces.
Matt Mackenzie wrote:
Wed Aug 11, 2021 12:11 am
That last game was when he wasn't feeling well, though he didn't use that as an excuse at the time.
Also he had the Black pieces and a twenty-move draw against a world champion is a result in those circumstances. Curiously he was on the Black side of the Accelerated Dragon, having been on the White side against Benko.
IM Jack Rudd wrote:
Tue Aug 10, 2021 9:49 pm
How curious to see a draw in that particular opening.
Neikirch also drew with the Berlin against Milic, who tried 5 Re1, the previous year. He played it once more at Portorož, losing to Gligorić and was similarly unsuccessful against Kupper at the Munich Olympiad: both those players went down the main line and Neikirch tried the Be6-d5 manoeuvre which was considered best at the time but has now been discarded. Chessgames has one later Neikirch Berlin, in 1965 when he finally won with the opening against Vasyukov after 6 dxe5 - recently the choice in a number of very quick top-level draws - employing the risky 7...d6 line.

Interesting that Fischer eschewed 8 Qxd8.
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

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Nick Ivell
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Re: The Unstoppable American: Bobby Fischer’s Road to Reykjavik

Post by Nick Ivell » Wed Aug 11, 2021 9:45 am

I just wanted to dispel the notion that Bobby never had quick draws. Even he fancied the occasional day off.

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