Fischer - Spassky Game 12, 1972 WCH (D66)

"We've got an opponent now. We didn't have one before. It means we'll all be here a little longer - but Fischer will win anyway of course" - Fred Kramer  (Fischer's aide)

Psychologically the most interesting choice of opening variation in the whole match appears in this game. Spassky departed from his prior opening repetoire. Some of Fischer's knowledge of the QG must have been based entirely on studying Spassky's games. Possibly Fischer was on his own after this move. However he played according to "book" and showed the position after 18 moves isn't as equal for Black as commonly accepted - Chess World Championship, p. 205

The June 1972 cover of Chess Life prophetically predicted Fischer's adoption of an opening repetoire expanded beyond 1.e4. L to R: Spassky, Lenin, General Secretary Brezhnev and Premier Koysgin. You can see the full uncropped cover at http://chessforallages.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html