America's Greatest

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The Press Democrat Santa Rosa, California Sunday, February 09, 1964 - Page 41

America's Greatest
In the seventh round of the recent United States Chess Championship, Bobby Fischer, the 20-year-old Brooklynite who won the tournament with the extraordinary score of 11-0, came up with something new and refreshing in his game with William Addison of Los Angeles.
The Ruy Lopez, or Spanish, opening has been considered for centuries the strongest opening for White, for it puts a sort of stranglehold on Black who has to play with all the brains and skill at his command in order not to lose the game positionally. That is why masters seek to defend themselves against 1. P-K4; with 1…P-QB4 (The Sicilian); 1…P-Q3 (The Pirc); 1…P-K3 (The French); 1…P-QB3 (The Caro-Kann,) etc.
Attacking Possibilities
In this game, Fischer plays a line that is generally held in low esteem because it gives White too many attacking possibilities; 1. P-K4, P-K4; 2. N-KB3, N-QB3; 3. B-N5, P-QR3; 4.B-R4, P-QN4; 5. B-N3, N-QR4 !!??. Now White is supposed to continue with 6. BxPch, KxB; 7. NxPch, K-K2; 8. P-Q4, which is supposed to give White a solid attack for the material he has sacrificed. The line 5…N-QR4 would seem to achieve at least equality, after which might follow 6. NxP, NxB; 7.RPxN, Q-N4; 8.P-Q4, QxP; 9.Q-B3, QxQ; 10.NxQ.
As is well-known, there is nothing new under the sun, but Bobby Fischer is bringing back old lines of play which have long gathered dust in the chess scrap heap. He has spruced them up with the sure Fischer touch and has given us something to marvel at!

Fischer Tops Field Here By 3½ Points

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New York Times, New York, New York, Monday, January 06, 1964 - Page 44

Fischer Tops Field Here By 3½ Points
The United States chess champion, Bobby Fischer of Brooklyn, topped his nearest rival by 3½ points after completion of all adjourned games in the 12-man championship round-robin over the weekend here.
Fischer won 11 straight games.
The rest of the field finished in the following order: second, Larry Evans, New York, 7½—3½; third, Pal Benko, New York, 7—4; fourth and fifth, Dr. Anthony Saidy, Puerto Rico, and Sammy Reshevsky, Spring Valley, each 6½—4½; sixth, Robert Byrne, Indianapolis, 5½—5½; seventh, Raymond Weinstein, Brooklyn, 5—6: eight, Arthur Bisguier, New York, 4½—6½; ninth and 10th William Addison, Los Angeles, and Edmar Mednis, New York, each 3½—7½; 11th, Robert Steinmeyer, New York, 3—8; 12th, Donald Byrne, State College, Pa., 2½—8½.
Three 10th-round games were completed at the Henry Hudson Hotel. Robert Byrne resigned to Weinstein without resumption of play, while Benko defeated Mednis when he reduced the position to a pawn ending with a pawn ahead. Reshevsky won from Steinmeyer when the latter could no longer stave off a decisive penetration.
Fischer won $2,000 and Evans $1,250 out of a total of $6,000, shared proportionately by the players.

Chess: Has the Ruy, After Centuries Been Equalized by Fischer?

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New York Times, New York, New York, Monday, January 06, 1964 - Page 44

Chess: Has the Ruy, After Centuries Been Equalized by Fischer?
Bobby Fischer, the 20-year-old Brooklynite who won the recent United States Chess Championship by the extraordinary score of 11—0, came up with a refreshing surprise in his seventh-round game against William Addison of Los Angeles.
Besides being a prime example of position effectiveness, this Ruy Lopez, with Fischer as Black, is of the utmost theoretical, even historical interest. One hesitates to say that here Fischer has shown how to destroy the White side of the Ruy; but perhaps he has demonstrated that Black achieves equality after 1 P-K4, P-PK4; 2 N-NB3, N-QB3; 3 B-N5, P-QR3; 4 B-R4,P-QN4; 5 B-N3, N-R4.
The pertinence of this line is that it cannot be refuted by 6 NxP. For 6 . . . NxB; 7 PRxN, Q-N4 recovers the pawn with equality. Heretofore, after 5 . . . N-R4, Black feared the tactical sacrifice 6 BxPch, KxB; 7 NxPch, K-K2; 8 P-Q4, which supposedly gives White an attack for the material sacrificed.
Wrote of New Line
It is no violation of secret that Fischer, in a recent issue of American Chess Quarterly, asserted that he had a line that absolutely equalized against the Ruy. But two questions remain: Did he play this equalizer line? And why did Addison refuse to try the bishop sacrifice?
In the game, Fischer quickly took the initiative. White's 11 P-K5 gave Black his chance for the sharp 11 ... P-QB4. If 12 QxBP, then 12...N-B4 wins the queen. Black's ... N-K3 initiated a permanent positional bind.
Disdaining to castle, Black immediately raided the king side. White managed to block a pawn-roller by 21 P-KR4, whereupon 21 ... Q-B3 forced an exchange of queens. This simplification enabled Black to control all essential lines.
The rest of the game was a sparkling example of logic.

Fischer Conquers Field In Tourney: He Is First in 70 Years to Match Chess Record

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New York Times, New York, New York, Saturday, January 04, 1964 - Page 20

Fischer Conquers Field In Tourney: He Is First in 70 Years to Match Chess Record
Bobby Fischer won his 11th straight game in the final round of the United States Chess Championship last night, giving him a perfect score, the first in a major tournament in the United States in 70 years.
Fischer defeated Dr. Anthony Saidy of Puerto Rico in 56 moves. The game had been started Thursday night and adjourned. Saidy, the last man who could have blocked Fischer's perfect score, had pondered his final, sealed, move before the adjournment for 40 minutes.
When the move was unsealed last night, however, it became apparent that it was the wrong one. Fischer himself sat down with Saidy after he had won the game to show Saidy that if he had made a different move he could have held Fischer to a draw.
Only a handful of spectators was on hand when Fischer won the final game, in contrast to the hundreds who had followed his play in previous games.
Fischer won $2,000 for placing first; Larry Evans won $1,000 for placing second.
At the age of 20 he has now won the United States championship for the sixth time, breaking a deadlock with Sammy Reshevsky, who has won it five times. Fischer first won the title when he was 14.
Not since 1893 when Dr. Emanuel Lasker won 13 games in a row has a player in a major United States championship won all his games. The following year Lasker went on to win the world championship.
Two games were completed in the final round at the Henry Hudson Hotel on Thursday night. Arthur Bisguier of New York defeated William Addison of Los Angeles in 38 moves of a Sicilian in Reverse. Larry Evans of New York won from Donald Byrne of State College, Pa., in 47 moves of a Gruenfeld Defense.
Four games were adjourned. Robert Steinmeyer of New York and Sammy Reshevsky of Spring Valley played 41 moves of a Neo Gruenfeld Defense, with Reshevsky having the better position. Raymond Weinstein of Brooklyn had five pawns for a piece in a King's Indian Defense with Robert Byrne of Indianapolis. Weinstein was favored to win. Pal Benko and Edmar Mednis, both of New York, were in a difficult position, reached by a Catalan Opening.

Fischer vs. Reshevsky

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The Boston Globe Boston, Massachusetts Sunday, January 05, 1964 - Page 80

Fischer vs. Reshevsky
Bobby Fischer seems a shoo-in for his sixth national championship in as many attempts. Fischer first won the title in the 1957-'58 tournament. He sat out the 1961-'62 tournament but came back with a splash last year.
Now he started with a string of seven wins bowling over in the process such perennial rivals as Sam Reshevsky and Robert Byrne. At this stage Addison, last year's sensation, Bisguier, Don Byrne, Steinmeyer, and Mednis are out of it. Reshevsky, R. Byrne, and Weinstein are teetering on the brink. The only players with any chance at all seem to be Benko, Saidy, and Evans, and their prospects are not exactly bright.
Fischer's lawyer accompanied him to the Reshevsky game in the Henry Hudson Hotel. Reshevsky, a smoker and pacer of note, had been plying his hobbies in his usual manner. Fischer and his lawyer protested, claiming the caged lion bit past the thinking Fischer's chair constituted an annoyance and distraction.
According to the New York Times the protest Reshevsky smilingly stopped his walks just short of Fischer's chair.
Reshevsky was the dominant figure in American chess from 1936 to the advent of Fischer. For several years after Fischer first won the national championship, attempts were made to promote a match between the old champion and the new. Finally in 1960 the Piatigorsky foundation succeeded in bringing about a match. The match ended in a tie (5½-5½) and a dispute. Reshevsky was awarded the match, but nothing had been proven. However, there is little doubt as to which is the major figure now.
Fischer has feuded with many chess organizers and organizations and there was doubt whether he would compete this year. But Bobby is embarking on his first coast to coast tour early this year and so possibly concluded it is better to take the title with him — better gate appeal.
Fischer's career reminds me in many ways of the careers of Capablanca and Lasker. The two older masters set standards thought beyond the capacity of chess organizations of their day. They set their terms and their terms were met. In this way Lasker and Capablanca gradually lifted the chessmaster from the shadows of financial disaster. Fischer appears to be doing something similar today. He is necessary to the success of any tournament in this country, so he makes demands that appear excessive. This has all the earmarks of a temporary nuisance and a long term blessing.
In an interview with Assiac (Heinrich Fraenkel) in 1960 Bobby Fischer described the following game as his favorite. It was played during the 1959 Mar del Plata tournament and Fischer's opponent was Hector Rossetto, sometime Argentine champion.
Bobby's classical demonstration of centralization, doubled rooks on the 7th rank, and finally, zugzwang is heartwarming to Nimzovitch fans.

Fischer Retains U.S. Championship

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The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Sunday, January 05, 1964 - Page 89

Fischer Retains U.S. Championship
U.S. champion Bobby Fischer, playing the finest chess of his career, won nine games in succession to clinch first place in the current tournament for the title at the Henry Hudson Hotel in New York.
Though two rounds are still to be completed at this writing, none of his 11 rivals could equal Fischer's total. Among Fischer's victims in this sensational streak were former champions Arthur Bisguier, Larry Evans and Samuel Reshevsky.
In second place at this stage was Pal Benko, with a score of 5-3. He had won three games, drawn four and lost to Evans. Benko was scheduled to face Fischer in the semi-final round.
Evans was in third place with 4½-2½ and two games adjourned. He was defeated by Raymond Weinstein as well as by Fischer. Reshevsky was tied with Dr. Anthony Saidy, each with 4-3 scores.
California champion William G. Addison lost to Reshevsky and Fischer in successive rounds to drop down to 2½-4½. Addison finished tied for third in last year's tournament, but is clearly not in the same form this time.
Other tallies after nine rounds, with some games adjourned, were: Weinstein, 4-4; Robert Byrne, 3½-3½; Bisguier 3-5; Robert Steinmeyer, 3-6; Donald Byrne, 2-5, and Edmar Mednis, 1½-6½.
Following are results of play last week and games from the tournament.