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Fischer's Patent

  • GM Gserper
  • | Sep 2, 2012
  • | 15370 views
  • | 59 comments

The year is 1959 and a rising chess star beats one record after another one. The youngest GM in history, the youngest Candidate for the World Title...  Still the main accomplishments of Bobby Fischer's career are in the future and for now he just amazes the Chess World with his beautiful play and ideas.

Here is how he demolished one of the World's strongest GMs:


When you analyze the game and Fischer's annotations that I borrowed from his iconic book "My 60 Memorable Games" you cannot help but notice the Rxh5 sacrifice.  Indeed it is a typical White attacking idea and as Fischer's puts it: "I've made this sacrifice so often, I feel like applying for a patent".  Indeed, just one year before this game Fischer beats another elite Grandmaster with the same sacrifice:



In annotations to his 22.Rxh5! move Fischer quotes GM Fine:  "In such positions, combinations are as natural as a baby's smile."

You can notice that even though the Rxh5 sacrifice doesn't lead to a checkmate by force, the damage caused to Black's Kingside makes Black's defense really hopeless.  These days the Rxh5 sacrifice is common knowledge and I cannot think of any strong chess player who wouldn't do it at least once.  Here is one of the early games of Anatoly Karpov:



You shouldn't think that the Rxh5 sacrifice happens only in the Dragon variation of the Sicilian Defense.  Whenever you see a fianchettoed Bishop, you should start thinking about the Rxh5 sacrifice!  Here is an example of a very early sacrifice:




Even though it is mostly White who does this sac, sometimes Black can do a similar sacrifice too. The next game made a very strong impression on me since I was watching it live (Alexander Khalifman played his masterpiece on the next table).  So, it was the Soviet Junior Championship and Black was in a must win situation...



I hope my dear readers you'll be able to use Fischer's patent, especially because in chess you don't need to pay royalties to the inventor Smile


Comments


  • 9 months ago

    Eternity_08

    Watch out! Do not miss victory chance R for N on h5 and R for B on e6! Very good set of games!

  • 9 months ago

    Mischa

    From reading this artical you would think Fischer was the first to play this idea... err nope,  not even the 2nd, or 3rd, or 4th.....

  • 9 months ago

    kingcrash

    Moro on a good day plays like that.

  • 9 months ago

    SamChesster

    Genius at the game of chess..... his antics off the board were just that off a mad man, possibly bipolar!!

  • 9 months ago

    mikeatgl

    Bearlok1. No I'm not Jewish. Curious guess.

    Calling Fischer's delusions mere antisemitism might help you resolve the cognitive dissonance that comes with appreciating his brilliance at the game of chess -- or maybe it's no big deal for you -- but his rantings were not garden variety bigotry. I'd urge you to explore the subject a little more deeply by doing some reading.

    Are you aware he claimed that Jews were trying to drive elephants to extinction because their trunks represented uncircumcized penises?

  • 9 months ago

    bearlok1

    @mikeatgl, are you Jewish? And since when does ranting about Jews make one insane? It goes on everyday by very sane people. Are Jews who rant about gentiles or "goyim" everyday, insane? Because we all no there's plenty of that going on by rabbis and such. I think that you're having difficulty understanding is why Fischer was a self-loathing Jew, and that's why you claim he was insane!

  • 9 months ago

    ZeusFaber

    "The Arabs are also Semites and I'm definitely not anti-Arab."

    -- Robert James Fischer, when asked about anti-Semitism

  • 9 months ago

    tozion

    I thought this was called the saint george attack?  I know Karpov used it against the dragon all the time. Im not sure this is Fishers idea but an idea he learned and used against the dragon.

  • 9 months ago

    mikeatgl

    My issue is that to say that Fischer "just had different viewpoints" or that his rantings are beyond our comprehension because he was a chess genius... these are the statements that actually excuse his behavior.

  • 9 months ago

    mikeatgl

    It seems like we're having a semantic disagreement over the definition of the word "insane" here.

  • 9 months ago

    Jaglavak

    mikeatgl ,

     

    Anti-semitism isn't bizzare. Its a common affliction, like racism, that's why it has a name. Being a racists or an anti-semite, or denying the holocaust doesn't make you insane.

    Neither does bizarre behavior make you insane (though it may be evidence of insanity).

    I need evidence that Fischer was not capable of controlling his behavior to believe he was insane. He did not die ranting and spewing hate. He kept his money, knew the consequences of his behavior, and he could still have given me odds of Knight and move.

    Well, maybe not a knight, but you get my drift.You article presents no evidence that Fisher's behavior was insane; that is a jugment you made (or were just repeating).

    I am suggesting you and others are doing so because you you identify with him but he made his choices you don't identify with. Instead of calling him on his b.s. beliefs, you rescue him by calling him insane. This save-a-racist attitude is what is ridiculous and common. Do you coinsider most anti-semites and holocaust deniers insane? If so, you have a very idiosyncratic definition of insanity.

    Fischer chose to be an anti-semite and wear a tin-foil hat. There are millions of people who freely believe the same things as Fischer. Fischer's behavior show defects of character, that is, behavior is due to the choices freely chosen, not imposed by some organic illness.  Fischer's has contempt and and hostility towards his fellow man. Hell, that just makes him a Libertarian Laughing

     

  • 9 months ago

    dinakshi96

    why i cant open pgn files when i download on chess.com

  • 9 months ago

    rajshekharsharma

    mikeatgl well, this is not a proper platform to discuss about it.  However, I may like to say that mere words expressed in a specific situation should not be taken as a token of one's overall persona and ideology. And, just try to see and analyze the scenerio with a positive attitude; intelligence and wisdom usually seeks respect and attention - and when this does not happen - frustration is very natural.  sometimes, the negativity prevailing in the atmosphere can cause a very sane and knowledgable person to react weird.  And, as Pagal said - when we fail to understand, most often we take it negative.  anyway, we are here to enjoy chess and no point in venturing into something which does not belong here.  Happy chessing Smile

  • 9 months ago

    Tumorang

    From these feature of game about 'rook sacrifice in h file', and from last article about another took sacrifice by Rex6, looks like we found the  phylosophy is "...when were in attacking position, we don't need castle (rook) as much when we were in defensive position."

  • 9 months ago

    jsmwnyc

    Good article. Thank you. Enjoy chess. 

  • 9 months ago

    mikeatgl

    Rajshekharshama, luckily we have Fischer's own words to help us.

  • 9 months ago

    rajshekharsharma

    this is ridiculous; those who knew nothing about fischer and having information through media only are claiming as if they could read the mind of genuis.

  • 9 months ago

    mikeatgl

    Jaglavak, an article detailing some of Fischer's bizarrest behavior is not a non sequitur when we're discussing whether or not Fischer was insane. Defending his sanity or chalking up his anti-semitism to "character" (whatever that means), really just makes people want to point out the truth. 

    We can all agree that he was a brilliant chess player. It doesn't diminish his victories to recognize his eventual collapse. Here's another example, an interview with Fischer in which he denies the holocaust happened and complains that he received no compensation for "Searching For Bobby Fischer": http://youtu.be/sZsZ-_EpQ-w

    It's people who deny the truth of Fischer's illness that derails the conversation, because the rest of us have a responsibility to speak up. Then again, maybe I'm feeding the trolls. :)

  • 9 months ago

    chessdoggblack

    Getting back to Bobby Fischer is very refreshing for all chess players. Thank you very much.Cool

  • 9 months ago

    Jaglavak

    You are correct pagan idol, Fischer never went insane. He was able to keep his fortune, elude extradition to the US, and get married.  He had no problems in directing his own life. In my country, when a member of  the majority does something morally repugnant, that person's sanity is questioned first and not his character. People will say (and repeat), "See, it was circumstances beyond Fischer's control that made him an anti-semite, not his character."

    This is almost never done when a minority is the perpetrator: a minority's character is immediately impugned,  his or her sanity is never up for discussion.

    Americans lose all reason justifying this contradiction .

    Notice the non sequitor hyperlink mikeatgl used to justify his ridiculous claim.

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