ANew York Times, New York, New York, Sunday, July 04, 1971 - Page 99
History of Fischer's Games in 1970 by Al Horowitz
When the chess journalists assembled at the Palma de Mallorca Interzonal tournament last year voted Bobby Fischer the top player of 1970, there were few dissenters—even on the Other Side. Indeed, if anyone had been so audacious as to dissent, the journalists could have produced wholly convincing statistics to back up their choice: In 1970 grandmaster Robert James Fischer scored 47 victories against top class opposition, drew 23 games, and lost only 3—a score of 80 per cent!
This amazing record encompassed a 3-1 score against former world champion Tigran Petrosian of the USSR in the match that pitted 10 Russians against a team from the rest of the world, first places in three international tournaments — Zagreb, Yugoslavia; Buenos Aires, and the Interzonal—and the second best score on first board at the chess Olympics at Siegen, West Germany; a truly remarkable achievement.
The story of Fischer's triumphs in the annus mirabilis has now found its way into permanent form. Edited by grandmaster Isaac Kashdan and published by the United States Chess Federation (479 Broadway, Newburgh, N.Y. 12550), “Fischer 1970” ($1.75) includes the score of every game played by Fischer in the events listed above, with a brief summary of each tournament and capsule commentary on the games. The true value of this well-produced, soft-cover publication—one is in doubt whether to call it a pamphlet or a book—lies, of course, in the games themselves, but the editor's achievement—to have presented them so that they fit clearly and lucidly into the context of the events in which they were played—is considerable.
Fischer's game against Yugoslav grandmaster Minic was played in the international tournament at Zagreb. In it, Bobby reverts to a variation of the Sicilian Defense that he used to play all the time, but, since he so radically broadened his repertory of openings about three years ago, he has tried it only infrequently. White's 14. P-KR4 is a little slow—more usual is 14. B-R3—and Fischer utilizes the slight respite afforded him to organize a fierce counterattack. In the ensuing complications Fischer, as Kashdan remarks, “always turned out to be a move ahead.”
The second game, in which Fischer defeats Argentinian grandmaster Oscar Panno, was played in the international tournament at Buenos Aires. Fischer scored 13 wins and 4 draws (no losses) to finish 3½ points ahead of the field. We quote Kashdan's introduction to this game in full: “When Panno moved on the queen-side, Fischer shifted his forces to the kingside. Several exchanges seems to simplify the game, but Fischer's attack then started in earnest, with a fine offer of a bishop, then a knight. Once Panno's king was exposed, his defense collapsed.”
As yet another example of Fischer's prowess, we present a game from the preliminaries of the chess Olympics at Siegen. The player of the Black pieces is William Hook, a former New Yorker now living in the Virgin Islands, for whose team he has played over the last several years.
Dragoljub Minic vs Robert James Fischer Rovinj/Zagreb (1970), Rovinj/Zagreb YUG, rd 3, Apr-14 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation. Main Line (B99) 0-1 https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044678 move 16. … O-O Robert James Fischer vs Oscar Panno Buenos Aires (1970), Buenos Aires ARG, rd 8, Jul-30 Formation: King's Indian Attack (A07) 1-0 https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044324 move 28. … Qe7 Samuel Reshevsky vs Robert James Fischer Palma de Mallorca Interzonal (1970), Palma de Mallorca ESP, rd 6, Nov-15 English Opening: Symmetrical. Anti-Benoni Variation Spielmann Defense (A32) 0-1 https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044693 move 29. Kg1 Robert James Fischer vs William Hook "Hook, Line, and Stinker" (game of the day Jul-19-2017) Siegen ol prel (1970), Siegen FRG, rd 5, Sep-09 French Defense: Winawer. Advance Variation (C18) 1-0 https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044303
