Was Fischer's reason for move 11...Nh5 a long term plan so that on move 16...hxg4 he would have his pawn trapping Spassky's King from slipping out his luft? This is the only reason I can see for it, and if that's the case, is it as incredible as it seems, to successfully set up such an obscure plan that would work out as expected five moves down the line, or have I just not studied enough games to know that that's common?
Spassky-Fischer, game 3, move 11...Nh5
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JPSterling
Mar 21, 2019
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#1
Mar 21, 2019
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#2
It is also a remarkable game in that it represents the very 1st time Fischer defeated Spassky. Some thought Spassky would successfully defend his title as he never previously lost to Fischer in tournaments. It took a very weird move 11......Nh5 to mix things up and give Black dynamic chances.
Mar 21, 2019
0
#3
Willingly creating doubled h-pawns is not an uncommon opening idea for black. In the 3. e5 French black plays Nh6 in many lines, daring white to capture. However it’s quite rare to do so in the Benoni, where black has already castled and has no means to use the g-file immediately. Note that 11...Nh5 is not remotely a game-winner or table-turner. All it does is creating more imbalances in an already imbalanced position, which favors Fischer’s style of play.