Asbury Park Press Asbury Park, New Jersey Sunday, June 06, 1971 - Page 46
The Chessboard - Favorite Line Gains Point
Grandmaster Bobby Fischer of the United States, employed one of his favorite defenses in defeating Mark Taimanov of the Soviet Union in the first game of their candidates match at Vancouver.
On Taimanov's opening with 1. P-Q4, Fischer elected to set up the King's Indian Defense, forcing the Russian's resignation in 40 moves. Under the circumstances, one might have expected Fischer to choose the King's Indian or the Gruenfeld Defense, since he has scored many successes with both of these fighting defenses.
Here is the score of the first match game:
3. Nc3 Bg7
The potency of this bishop, bearing down on the long diagonal, can be ignored by White only at great peril.
8. d5 … This advance is thought to give White his best chance of gaining an edge in the opening.
9. Bd2 … So far all book and all well known to even the average player. But here White varies from the more usual 9. N-K when 9. … N-Q2; 10. N-Q3, P-KB4; 11. P-B3, P-B5; 12. B-Q2, P-KN4; 13. R-B, N-KN3; 14. N-N5, P-QR3 runs into advantage for Black. With the text White seeks untrodden paths. There followed 9. … Ne8 10. Rc1 f5 (Black's strategy is clear—to mount a strong kingside attack before White can start action on the opposite wing); 11. exf5 gxf5 12. Ng5 (White seeks a post for his king's knight at K6) h6 13. Ne6 Bxe6 (it is hard to say how White expects to maintain the pawn about to appear at K6) 14. dxe6 Qc8 15. Qb3 c6 16. Bh5 and now the White king's pawn fell with 16. … Qxe6.
19. Qa6 Rxb2 Black has gained a pawn and White has little if any compensation for it.
21. Qa3 White seeks counterplay against the Black queen's pawn. Now came 21. … Rb7 22. Bf4 (White's big guns are trained on the target queen's pawn, but the target disappears) …
26. Qe3 Kh7 (Black easily parries White's threats, all the while building up an imposing position).
28. Ba6 Rb6 and white played 29. Rc7 (see diagram) Qa4! (A fine defensive move and an attacking move. The average player, attacked on the seventh rank might have been inclined to keep the queen at home. The text confronts White with a number of problems.)
30. Rxg7+ (Although this is the sacrifice of the exchange White has played for, it appears to have little chance of success.)
32. Be2 (Suddenly White realizes he has left his king's bishop hanging. There followed 32. … Rfb8 33. Nxf5 Rb1 (now it is a matter of exchanging down until White has no force left to attack with); 34. Rxb1 Rxb1+ 35. Kh2 Qd7 36. Nd4 Qd6+ 37. g3 Qb4 38. Nc6 Qb6 39. Nxa7 Qxe3 40. Bxe3 Re1 and White resigned.
