Monday, October 12, 2015

Caro-Kann Mood to Fight

A fighting spirit gives you a higher rating. Your opponents do not all resign quickly just because you show up. You need to make good moves. Just let the result happen. Don't cut it short. Before my rating surged past 2000 I was timid when playing stronger players. Once I learned to not offer draws my rating went up.

George E. Fawbush had a fighting spirit and almost never agreed to draws. GEF won frequently. He lost sometimes. He always fought hard. In my Caro-Kann Defence in the 4.c4 Panov Variation vs George Fawbush, I got a good position with the 5...g6 Gruenfeld type line. White chose the sharp 6.Qb3 idea but he went wrong ten moves later. Probably I offered the draw. I imagine Fawbush agreed because he stood worse. The other issue was that this game came from a Tennessee Chess Association event where he may have determined that he was not going to win. Five years later I beat Fawbush in a game analyzed by Arthur Bisguier.

Fawbush (2200) - Sawyer, corr TCA 1977 begins 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Qb3 Bg7 7.cxd5 0-0 8.Be2 Nbd7 9.Bf3 Nb6 10.Bg5 a5 11.Bxf6 [11.Nge2 a4 12.Qb5 Bd7=] 11...exf6 12.Nge2 Bf5 13.Qb5 Re8 14.0-0 Qd6 15.g4 Bd7 16.Qd3? [16.Qc5 Nc8 17.Ne4 Qb8=] 16...f5 17.h3 fxg4 18.hxg4 f5 [18...Rac8=/+] 19.Kg2 [19.Nb5 Bxb5 20.Qxb5 fxg4 21.Bxg4 Nxd5=/+] 19...fxg4 20.Bxg4 [20.Be4 Rac8-/+] 20...Bxg4 21.Qb5 Qf6
[Black stood better when a draw was agreed.] 1/2-1/2



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Monday, October 5, 2015

Pawn Sacrifice Fischer Movie

I enjoyed the "Pawn Sacrifice" movie about Bobby Fischer. The chess was accurate in its flavor and presented critical moves. Tobey Maguire as Fischer and Liev Schreiber as Boris Spassky fit great. Key characters are Regina Fischer (mother), Joan Fischer (sister), Carmine Nigro (teacher), Paul Marshall (lawyer), Father Bill Lombardy (grandmaster) and a girl ("Donna").

"Based on" movies slightly alter history to sell the best story instead of being a boring documentary. Here they built up Boris Spassky to make him a rival at Varna 1962 and world champion at the Piatagorsky in California a few years before he won the title.

Actually, at Varna 1962 Fischer drew world champion Botvinnik on board 1. Spassky was on board 3. The star was Tigran Petrosian on board 2 who later beat Botvinnik in 1963. Petrosian defended his title beating Spassky in 1966. Boris Spassky did not become world champion until 1969. In 1971 Fischer had to beat Petrosian to play Spassky.

Boris Spassky's famous crush of Fischer in 1960 and draws they played prior to 1972 did not make this story. Nothing is said of Pal Benko stepping aside to give Fischer his cycle spot. They do not mention that Fischer was higher rated in 1972. Minor details.

The movie has Fischer resign Game 1 dramatically after sacrificing his bishop. In reality, Bobby played on for a long time and almost drew it. Fischer took a lead in the match on Game 6 with 1.c4 which he only played a few times before. Boris Spassky applauded the win. Here is that Queens Gambit game.

Fischer - Spassky, Ch World (match) Reykjavik (Iceland) (6), 1972 begins 1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 0-0 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 b6 8.cxd5!? [Both 8.Bd3 and 8.Be2 score better than Fischer's move.] 8...Nxd5 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.Rc1 Be6 12.Qa4 c5 13.Qa3 Rc8 14.Bb5!? [The natural move 14.Be2 is more popular and scores better for White.] 14...a6 [14...Qb7!=] 15.dxc5 bxc5 16.0-0 Ra7 [16...Qb7=] 17.Be2 Nd7 18.Nd4 Qf8 19.Nxe6 fxe6 20.e4! [Pawn Sacrifice] 20...d4 [20...dxe4] 21.f4! Qe7 22.e5 Rb8 23.Bc4 Kh8 24.Qh3 Nf8 25.b3 a5 26.f5 exf5 27.Rxf5 Nh7 28.Rcf1 [Fischer did not fall for Spassky's trap 28.Rf7? Ng5!-+ and Black turns the tables.] 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 38.Rxf6 gxf6 39.Rxf6 Kg8 40.Bc4 Kh8
41.Qf4! 1-0



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