Brilliant Games : Fischer vs Spassky 1972

As part of my improvement program I am looking at some of the greatest games in history.

The games are taken from the book, Winning Chess 'Brilliancies' by Yasser Seirawan. Yasser gives a thorough examination of each move which I have shortened for this blog.

The whole game will be broken down into separate diagrams to make the process more manageable.

Making History

The 1972 World Chess Championship between the controversial figure of Bobby Fischer from the USA and the reigning Champion Boris Spassky from the USSR caught the attention of the World Media. This was the Cold War being played out on a chessboard. The pressure on each player was enormous, the weight of two great opposing Nations on their shoulders. Described by a close friend of Fischer's as a 'Symphony of Placid Beauty', Game 6 is the most celebrated of the match.

This victory marked the first time that Bobby Fischer had gone up in the match. The score now became 3-5-2.5 in favour of the challenger and he never looked back. A stunned Boris Spassky joined the audience after the game to applaud Fischer's victory. It was, after all, an extroadinary technical achievement. Fischer played perfectly throughout, topping the game of with a prosaic exchange sacrifice. Around the chess world, grandmasters were awed at the simplicity and precision of Fischer's play. He became a chess legend.