Copyright © 2020 by John Donaldson All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Donaldson, John (William John), 1958- author. Title: Bobby Fischer and his world / by John Donaldson. Description: First Edition. | Los Angeles : Siles Press, 2020. Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020031501 ISBN 9781890085193 (Trade Paperback) ISBN 9781890085544 (eBook) Subjects: LCSH: Fischer, Bobby, 1943-2008. | Chess players--United States--Biography. | Chess players--Anecdotes. | Chess--Collections of games. | Chess--Middle games. | Chess--Anecdotes. | Chess--History. Classification: LCC GV1439.F5 D66 2020 | DDC 794.1092 [B]--dc23 Cover Design and Artwork by Wade Lageose a division of Silman-James Press, Inc. www.silmanjamespress.com [email protected] CONTENTS Acknowledgments xv Introduction xvii A Note to the Reader xx Part One – Beginner to U.S. Junior Champion 1 1. Growing Up in Brooklyn 3 2. First Tournaments 10 U.S. Amateur Championship (1955) 10 U.S. Junior Open (1955) 13 3. Ron Gross, The Man Who Knew Bobby Fischer 33 4. Correspondence Player 43 5. Cache of Gems (The Targ Donation) 47 6. “The year 1956 turned out to be a big one for me in chess.” 51 7. “Let’s schusse!” 57 8. “Bobby Fischer rang my doorbell.” 71 9. 1956 Tournaments 81 U.S. Amateur Championship (1956) 81 U.S. Junior (1956) 87 U.S Open (1956) 88 Third Lessing J. Rosenwald Trophy Tournament 90 Part Two – Breakthrough! 101 1. A Match with Euwe 103 2. The Sensational Summer of 1957 111 New Western Open (1957) 113 U.S. Junior (1957) 115 Lina Grumette 119 U.S. Open (1957) 121 3. U.S. Championship 1957 (A Fitting End to a Great Year) 127 4. 2626! Bobby’s Rating Surge 134 5. A Break from Tournament Play 136 vii viii BOBBY FISCHER AND HIS WORLD Part Three – Grandmaster and Candidate 145 1. USSR and Yugoslavia 147 Moscow 152 Janošević and Matulović 157 A World Class Player 162 2. The Great Dane 167 3. Under Surveillance 183 4. Team Tournaments 189 World Student Team Championship 189 Leipzig Olympiad 195 Fischer’s record in the Chess Olympiads 203 5. BBC Consultation Game 207 Part Four – The Early Sixties 213 1. On His Own 215 Regina and the Walk for Peace 215 On the Beach 218 2. Reshevsky vs. Fischer 221 The Battle of the Generations 221 The Match 228 3. Antisemitism 247 4. Portrait of a Genius as a Young Chess Master 254 5. Bobby Fischer at Eighteen (A Personal Recollection) 261 6. “There was open collusion.” 269 Curaçao 1962) 269 Incident with Benko 280 7. Goodbye to the Swiss 283 Western Open (1963) 283 Poughkeepsie (1963) 295 A Chess God Passes Judgement 302 U.S. Championship 1963/64 305 8. Fischer Lectures 313 9. Capablanca Memorial (1965) 317 Part Five – The Late Sixties 331 1. The Hedgehog 333 2. My 60 Memorable Games 341 3. U.S. Championship 1966/67 351 4. Move West Young Man 361 The Apartment 361 contents ix The Library 364 5. “He walked into the room, and everything changed” 369 6. Think Ahead, Be Aggressive, and Take Advantage 378 7. Tidbits and Chats 382 8. Fischer as Black against the Maróczy Bind 386 Part Six –The World Championship Cycle 421 1. Negotiations 423 2. Fischer vs. Mark Taimanov 435 Off to Meet Fischer 435 Fischer Dossier 436 3. Fischer vs. Bent Larsen 447 5. Fischer vs Tigran Petrosian 455 6. Fight for the Crown 463 Game 1 and the Pivotal Game 13 463 Who was Bobby’s Second? 470 Part Seven – The Dark Years 473 1. A Brief Period of Sunlight before the Darkness 475 2. The Worldwide Church of God 485 3. Robert J. Fischer, Plaintiff 491 4. The Greenblatt Program 501 5. Alienation 511 The Last Meeting with Viktor Korchnoi 511 Zuckerman, Kavalek, and Lombardy 513 San Francisco with Biyiasas, Browne, Brandwein, and Buff 516 Quest for Companionship 521 “Mackie’s back in town...” 523 6. Liars, Cheaters, and Prearranged Games 525 Part Eight – Comeback 531 1. Why Bobby Fischer Came Back by Lou Hays 533 2. “Perfection has no style.” 551 3. Training Match with Gligorić 555 4. Training Game with Torre 578 5 Fischer vs. Spassky Two (The Rematch) 583 Grandmasters Critique Fischer–Spassky Two 591 Part Nine – Adrift 595 1. A Bookstore in Argentina 1996 597 2. Bobby Reviews Kasparov 600 x BOBBY FISCHER AND HIS WORLD 3. The Day Bobby Lost His Treasures 609 Fischer’s Claim 613 Collecting Fischer 615 Sneider and Ellsworth 619 William Lombardy 620 4. “I Will Not Mention Chess.” 625 Epilogue 631 Index of Names 633 LIST OF GAMES Part One–Beginner to U.S. Amateur Champion (1) Dan Mayers–Fischer, 1953, King’s Gambit 5 (2) Fischer–Jacob Altusky, 1954 or 1955, King’s Indian 6 (3) Jacob Altusky–Fischer, 1954 or 1955, Ruy Lopez 7 (4) Albert Humphrey–Fischer, 1955, King’s Indian 12 (5) Fischer–Sanford Greene, 1955, Sicilian 13 (5a) Fischer–Donald Byrne, 1957, Sicilian 13 (6) Fischer–Viktors Pupols, 1955, Latvian Gambit 23 (7) Fischer–Briska!? or Winkelman!?, 1955, Two Knights 29 (8) Fischer–Franklin Saksena, 1955, Giuoco Piano 31 (9) Ron Gross–Anthony Saidy, 1966, Dutch 39 (10) Anthony Wayne Conger–Fischer, 1955, King’s Indian 45 (11) Fischer–Isaac Spector, 1956, Sicilian 53 (12) Pat(?) Smith–Fischer, 1956, Four Knights 54 (13) Juan Florido–Fischer, 1956, Giuoco Piano 64 (14) Dr. Albert Jenkins–Fischer, 1956, Sicilian 68 (15) William Lombardy–Sammy Reshevsky, 1956, Ruy Lopez 77 (16) John Collins–Edward Lasker, 1960, Queen’s Gambit 78 (17) Fischer–J.F. Bacardi, 1956, Catalan 82 (18) Richard Riegler–Fischer, 1956, Sicilian 84 (19a) Karl Forster–Fischer, 1956 85 (19b) Aben Rudy–Fischer, 1956 86 (19c) Fischer–Aben Rudy, 1956 86 (20) Bobby Fischer–Eliot Hearst, 1956, Ruy Lopez 96 (21) Joe Tamargo–Fischer, 1956-57, Sicilian 98 Part Two – Breakthrough! (22) Fischer–Max Euwe, 1957, Ruy Lopez 105 xi xii BOBBY FISCHER AND HIS WORLD (23) Igors Garais–Fischer, 1957, Sicilian 125 (24) Sammy Reshevsky–William Lombardy, 1957, King’s Indian 131 (25) Fischer–John Collins, 1958, Ruy Lopez 138 (26) Anthony Saidy–Fischer, 1958, King’s Indian 140 (27) John Collins–Fischer, 1957, Sicilian 142 (28) John Collins–Fischer, 1957 or 1958, Sicilian 143 Part Three – Grandmaster and Candidate (29) Fischer–Bent Larsen, 1958, Sicilian 167 (30) Fischer–Bent Larsen, 1959, Caro-Kann 177 (31) Jonathan Penrose–Fischer, 1960, Sicilian 198 (32) Fischer and Leonard Barden–Jonathan Penrose and Peter Clarke, 1960, Sicilian 209 Part Four – The Early Sixties (33) Fischer–Sammy Reshevsky, 1961, Sicilian 231 (34) Fischer–William Addison, 1957, Caro-Kann 236 (35) Fischer–Sammy Reshevsky, 1961, Sicilian 237 (36) Sammy Reshevsky–Fischer, 1961 239 (37) Fischer–Pal Benko, 1962, French 271 (38) Fischer–James Sherwin, 1958, Ruy Lopez 276 (39) Jaan Ehlvest–Ljubomir Ljubojević, 1989, French 278 (40) Arthur Bisguier–Fischer, 1963, King’s Indian 292 (41) Fischer–Matthew Green, 1963, Sicilian 298 (42) Fred Wilson–Walter Browne, 1963, Göring Gambit 303 (43) Edmar Mednis–Fischer, 1963, Giuoco Piano 307 (44) Fischer–Rodolfo Cardoso, 1958, Caro-Kann 314 (45) Fischer–N.N., 1963, Pirc 316 (46) Fischer–Ratmir Kholmov, 1965, Ruy Lopez 321 Part Five – The Late Sixties (47) Louis Paulsen–Paul Morphy, 1857, Ruy Lopez 333 (48) Julio García Soruco–Fischer, 1966, Sicilian Najdorf 334 (49) Fischer–Ulf Andersson, 1970, Larsen’s Opening 335 (50) Michels–Fischer, 1970, Sicilian 338 list of games xiii (51) Larry Evans–Fischer, 1965/66, Nimzo-Indian 343 (52) Fischer–Pal Benko, 1965/66, Ruy Lopez 344 (53) Arthur Bisguier–Fischer, 1965/66, Torre 345 (54) Fischer–Bernard Zuckerman, 1965/66, Sicilian 346 (55) Anthony Saidy–Fischer, 1965/66, Nimzo-Indian 347 (56) Fischer–Robert Byrne, 1965/66 , French 348 (57) Sammy Reshevsky–Fischer, 1965/66, Nimzo-Indian 348 (58) Fischer–Nikolay Minev, 1966, French 352 (59) Nicholas Rossolimo–Fischer, 1966/67, Sicilian 355 (60) Robert Byrne–Larry Evans, 1965/66, Sicilian 357 (61) James Tarjan–Sal Matera, 1967 376 (62) Bent Larsen–Fischer, 1971, Sicilian 388 (63) Mato Damjanović–Fischer, 1970, Sicilian 395 (64) Tigran Petrosian–Fischer, 1970, Sicilian 405 (65) Renato Naranja–Fischer, 1970, English 410 (66) Julio Saadi–Fischer, 1960, English 414 (67) Zbigniew Doda–Fischer, 1965, English 416 Part Six –The World Championship Cycle (68) Fischer–Mark Taimanov, 1971, Sicilian 441 (69) Mark Taimanov–Fischer, 1960, Nimzo-Indian 442 (70) Mark Taimanov–Fischer, 1971, Grunfeld 443 (71) Fischer–Bent Larsen, 1971, French 451 (72) Fischer–Tigran Petrosian, 1971, Sicilian 458 (73) Boris Spassky–Fischer, 1972, Nimzo-Indian 464 (74) Boris Spassky–Fischer 1972, Alekhine 466 Part Seven – The Dark Years (75) Fischer–Greenblatt Program, 1977, King’s Gambit 503 (76) Greenblatt Program–Fischer, 1977, Sicilian 504 (77) Greenblatt Program–Fischer, 1977, Sicilian 505 (78) Garry Kasparov–Ljubomir Ljubojević, 1990, Nimzo-Indian 525 (79) Vassily Ivanchuk–Garry Kasparov, 1989, Sicilian 528 (80) Anatoly Karpov–Lajos Portisch, 1989, Queen’s Gambit 529 xiv BOBBY FISCHER AND HIS WORLD Part Eight – Comeback (81) Zarkov–Bobby Fischer, 1992, Queen’s Pawn 541 (82) Svetozar Gligorić–Fischer, 1992, King’s Indian 557 (83) Svetozar Gligorić–Fischer, 1992, King’s Indian 561 (84) Svetozar Gligorić–Fischer, 1992, King’s Indian 563 (85) Svetozar Gligorić–Fischer, 1992, Queen’s Indian 565 (86) Svetozar Gligorić–Fischer, 1992, Queen’s Indian 567 (87) Fischer–Svetozar Gligorić, 1992, Ruy Lopez 569 (88) Fischer–Svetozar Gligorić, 1992, Ruy Lopez 570 (89) Fischer–Svetozar Gligorić, 1992, Ruy Lopez 571 (90) Fischer–Svetozar Gligorić, 1992, Ruy Lopez 573 (91) Fischer–Svetozar Gligorić, 1992, English 575 (92) Eugenio Torre–Fischer, 1992, Sicilian 578 (93) Fischer–Boris Spassky, 1992, Ruy Lopez 584 (94) Boris Spassky–Fischer, 1992, Benoni 586 (95) Fischer–Boris Spassky, 1992, Sicilian 588 Part Nine (96) Evgeny Vasiukov–Boris Lebedev, 1960, Philidor 601 (97) Anatoly Karpov–Garry Kasparov, 1990, King’s Indian 604 (98) Edmar Mednis–William Lombardy, 1978, Sicilian 621 (99) Raymond Keene–Leonid Stein, 1972, Grünfeld 626 INTRODUCTION In the spring of 2013, I was invited by officers of the Marshall Chess Club to view a collection of material donated to the club by Bobby Fischer’s brother- in-law.