Scored Chess Set: Bobby Fischer Vs Samuel Reshevsky

Here is a famous match played between Bobby Fischer and Samuel Reshevsky in 1958 at the United States Championship. As you go over this game, I recommend that you have a chess board and you need to know algebraic chess notation to understand these moves. Enjoy.

1. e4 As Bobby Fischer once said, “1.e4 is better on the evidence”

1. c5 This is the Sicilian Defense. Black tries to control the d4 square and prevents White from getting the ideal pawn center.

2. Nf3 The most common follow-up move to 1 …. c5. White prepares to play d4 and then exchange one of his central pawns for an active position.

2. Nc6 Black plays this move to save d5 for one tempo instead of two. Normally he would play d6 as a second move and then advance the pawn to d5 now he will play d5 later and save a move.

3. d4 White tries to exchange this pawn on d4 for an active position with his knight on d4.

3. cxd4 There really is no good alternative here.

4. Nxd4 Now White has exchanged one of his central pawns for an active position.

4. g6 This is the Accelerated Dragon Variation. Black prepares to fianchetto with his bishop on g7, where he will fire down the a1-h8 diagonal.

5. Be3 Develop a bishop to add another layer of protection to the knight.

5. Nf6 Black forces White to immediately play Nc3 to defend his e4 pawn so that he does not have time to play c4 and enter a Maroczy Bind.

6. Nc3 White defends the pawn.

6. Bg7 Black fianchetto the bishop on g7.

7. Bc4 White blocks the d5 square so that Black cannot play d5 and instantly activate his pieces in the short term.

7. 0-0 Black simply lunges and saves his king.

8. Bb3 White sets a trap by tempting Black to play Na5, in which case he would lose himself completely after an impressive tactical sequence and at the same time move his bishop back to a more stable safe square.

8. Na5 So Black shamelessly falls into this trap out of the temptation of being able to cut White’s powerful light-squared bishop. However, you won’t have time to do this and will now see a brilliant tactical sequence from Fischer that ensures you a winning edge.

9. e5 Chase Black’s knight to the terrible e8 square that disconnects Black’s queen and rook and occupies the only safe square where Black had to place his queen …

9. Ne8 There was no other safe square to go to, but now …

10. Bxf7 + !! This brilliant sacrifice will soon win White over the enemy queen.

10. Kxf7 The only decent answer here. Rxf7 leads to Ne6 where White wins the queen.

11. Ne6! But this comes anyway. Black cannot take the knight with the king because they would be checkmate after Kxe6 Qd5 + Kf5 g4 + Kxg4 Re1 + Kh4 (Kf5 Rg5 #) Bg5 + Kh5 Qd1 + Rf3 Qxf3 #.

11. dxe6 The only way to get something for the queen besides the bishop.

12. Qxd8 Black can resign here. Your king is in a terrible place, he is behind in development, his pieces are placed in terrible squares, and he is badly materialized. However, Reshevsky continues to play.

12. Nc6 Repositioning the knight on a better square and attacking the queen at the same time.

13. Qd2 However, this is easily resolved.

13. Bxe5 wins a pawn, but Black is still lost here.

14. 0-0 Why not?

14. Nd6 Repositioning one of his bad pieces again.

15. Bf4 When you’re up on material, trade pieces but not pawns.

15. Nc4 Attempt to chase the defender away from the bishop.

16. Qe2 But now, instead of the bishop, White will capture the knight.

16. Bxf4 Black exchanges.

17. Qxc4 White recovers the lost material.

17. Kg7 It comes off the pin. It is never good to stay in a bind, since that’s where the tactics come from.

18. Ne4 White centralizes his knight.

18. Bc7 Black reposition his knight on a better square. Bishops generally like to be away from the action.

19. Nc5 Threatens the e6 pawn.

19. Rf6 Now that Black defends.

20. c3 Reduces the effectiveness of a later Be5.

20. e5 Black opens the diagonal for the light-squared bishop. All you can do in this position is improve the quality of your pieces and wait for a tactical sequence to emerge.

21. Rad1 White occupies the open e-file with his rook. Towers like to be in open files.

21. Nd8 Black is trying to reposition the knight on the d6 square through a d8-f7-d6 route where he will be most active.

22. Nd7 However, White will have none of this and reposition his own knight on a more active square.

22. Rc6 Attacks the queen and forces her to move.

23. Qh4 Now White is the one making the threats, attacking the e7 pawn.

23. Re6 Protect the pawn.

24. Nc5 attacks the rook. Initiative is a dynamic advantage, so you must keep it up by continually making threats.

24. Rf6 The only way to keep the e7 pawn protected.

25. Ne4 The harassment of the enemy tower continues.

25. Rf4 He attacks the queen but now loses the pawn. If Re6 again, Ng5 wins more material for White.

26. Qxe7 + White captures the pawn with a check.

26. Rf7 Defend the king and attack the queen.

27. Qa3 White places the queen in a safe place, away from further attacks.

27. Nc6 The time when the knight would have been good on d6 has long since passed, so he goes back to c6, where he is more active.

28. Nd6 White is exchanging pieces.

28. Bxd6 Black is forced to accept.

29. Rxd6 White recaptures with the rook putting it in a more active position, possibly planning to double his rooks.

29. Bf5 Black finally finishes his development, 29 enters the game.

30. b4 White is going to chase the knight.

30. Rf8 Preparing to play Rd8 where after the exchange of rooks, the black knight will not end up on d8.

31. b5 Force the knight to move.

31. Nd8 There aren’t exactly many good squares to move the knight.

32. Rd5 Attacking the now defenseless e5 pawn.

32. Nf7 What does Black defend?

33. Rc5 Threatening to move the rook to the seventh rank.

33. a6 Threatening to take a pawn and gain a tempo by attacking the queen.

34. b6 Fischer will have none of that and simply advance the pawn.

34. Be4 Protect the b7-pawn.

35. Re1 Moves the rook to a more active file with tempo.

35. Bc6 It prevents the rook from reaching the seventh rank.

36. Rxc6 !! Black will recover and then White will have a powerful passed b-pawn.

36. bxc6 Black cannot afford to lose any more material.

37. b7 The passed pawns need to be pushed.

37. Tab8 The only move that takes the rook out of danger and prevents the b-pawn from advancing.

38. Qxa7 White is happy to win free pawns. This also protects your pawn.

38. Nd8 Black desperately wants to get rid of that pawn, as it is completely blocking his pieces.

39. Rb1 Fischer simply defends.

39. Rf7 Add the last attacker to the pawn that Fischer can no longer defend.

40. h3 A major hit or escape for the king against a back row checkmate.

40. Rfxb7 Black finally gets rid of that pawn.

41. Rxb7 White captures the rook.

42. Rxb7 Black regains the rook.

43. Qa8 And now White is about to win another piece. Note that move h3 proved to be very important as otherwise Black could now checkmate on b1 with the rook.

I hope you enjoyed this game and got something out of yourself. This trap that Bobby Fischer used is very useful to know if you see the Accelerated Dragon a lot. Good luck in your chess improvement!