Thank you for sharing . . . the legend lives on!
Fischer in Chicago 1964
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Vậy tức là cô gái 17 tuổi thua Fisher trong thế thắng. GHÊ ĐẤY. FISHER THÍ HẬU CŨNG GHÊ.
Great stuff...are any of the games preserved?
FYI, have you seen Edward Winter's https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/index.html ?
Another fascinating look at an all time great and most enigmatic players...
What timing! I just bought the book "A Legend On the Road" by John Donaldson. I haven't started reading it yet, but this will help to motivate me. Thanks for the post, BG.
BORING talk about cheeseburgers, not some old chess game
Mar 23, 2020
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#12
dashkee94 wrote:
What timing! I just bought the book "A Legend On the Road" by John Donaldson. I haven't started reading it yet, but this will help to motivate me. Thanks for the post, BG.
Donaldson is a fine historian and a good writer. His book of Fischer's simul tour should be a worthwile reading.
Mar 24, 2020
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#15
camter wrote:
Where have you been. BG?
You are a joy to read always!
I've been here: https://www.chess.com/forum/view/community/chess-images
Mar 24, 2020
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#17
pawn2020pin wrote:
It's an interesting one to analyze as well.
Fischer's 14. Nxc5 has mind-blowing possibilities. Sillar's 15...Bxh1 looks like a mistake to me. f7xN seems better.
batgirl wrote:
camter wrote:
Where have you been. BG?
You are a joy to read always!
I've been here: https://www.chess.com/forum/view/community/chess-images
"Joy to read" Hear Hear!
Mar 24, 2020
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#20
Very cool historic photo. I am very curious if anyone knows what some of the chess boards and chess sets are seen in the picture. Particularly the two players closest to the camera. One has a funny small board that appears to be plastic. And the closest board shows a folding board set.
Interesting enough, one of Fischer's opponents that first day was 16 year old Kate Sillars who at that time was the Illinois Women's Champion and the U.S. Women's Open Champion.
Kate's father was Robertson Sillars who wrote a Chess Life column called Reader's Showcase.
In the 1970s, Kate played under her married name , Katherine Gasser. Living in Massachusetts, she's currently the older woman chess player in that state (see the Boylston Chess blog for a photo).
As women's champion of Illinois, 16 year old Kate played Fisher in a well-known simul game during the 1964 simul tour- a won game that she lost. It was published by Al Horowitz in his NY Times column of April 26, 1964 in which he wrote:
In a whirlwind of combinations, with both players attaining peaks of fantasy, Fischer, on the white side of a Sicilian Defense, takes the measure of Kate Sillars, the 17‐year‐old women's champion of Illinois.
. . . and . . .
The climax and crucial point is reached with 17. N‐B5. Black then has a clear exchange plus. Besides, she has retained her two bishops. Theoretically, victory is in sight. But White still has one main chance to becloud the issue, and his immediate threats are not answered by Black in the most practical manner.
The simul took place at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago.
Here's Fischer's/Siller's crazy game:
Most interesting to me, however, is the summary presented by the Illinois Chess Bulletin, April 1964 (which I've excepted here and which appears to be no longer available online):
This issue will be devoted entirely to the first simultaneous exhibitions in Chicago of the nonpareil of American chess, the brightest star since the meteoric splendors of Morphy, 21-year-old Robert J. Fischer, U. S. Champion since he was 14 and an International Grandmaster at 15, the youngest in history!
On Sunday, March 22, there were 71 opponents and an appreciative crowd gathered in the spacious grand ballroom of the Edgewater Beach Hotel. Promptly at 2 p.m., Fischer entered, and (after some preliminary remarks by the genial emcee, Bob Lerner) gave an hour’s lecture on a victory of his over the ex-world champion Tahl. He then went through 7½ hours of play, without sitting down or stopping to eat; and amassed a score of 56 wins, 4 losses, and 11 draws, a fine record against what he later called “the toughest” opposition he had ever faced in a simul. It included 2 masters, 5 experts, 7 A’s, 13 B’s, 10 C’s, and 34 unrated. (Bobby averaged about 10 seconds per move compared with 10 min. per move for his opponents.)
On Monday, he repeated his performance at 7 p.m. in the Michigan Room of the Edgewater. His lecture covered a crucial game with Reshevsky. Then he polished off 54 games in 3½ hours (!), winning 49, losing 1, and drawing 4. His opposition, though not as strong as Sunday’s, included 3 experts, 2 A’s, 5 B’s, 3 C’s, and 41 unrated.
Fischer, by the way, was born in Chicago on March 9, 1943, and learned the game at the age of 6…. His lectures were received with close attention and applauded at the end, as was his exhibition play, by spectators and players alike…. He autographed score sheets, chess boards, etc., for young and old. Frequently he showed opponents who had lost or drawn how they could have drawn or won…. One must dismiss as untrue all the articles on Fischer depicting him as brash, offensive, impolite, a juvenile delinquent rampant. Actually, he was always courteous though reserved; showed a sense of humor; answered questions as honestly as he could; and never lost his aplomb, even when the questions were foolish ones. He was very popular here and made a good impression on all…. He never objected to any of the oddly hued and shaped sets used by some players (some sets were very confusing, especially in color; in fact, Bobby laughingly admitted that he made a capture on one board of what he thought was his opponent’s Queen. It turned out to be a Knight! But he won anyway)…. After the grueling 8½ hours on Sunday, he wanted to go out and play billiards!! Unfortunately Bob Lerner couldn’t find a place open. But Bobby looked a bit exhausted after the Monday display; perhaps the accumulation of his efforts finally told on him…. He has tremendous energy and drive, a burning absorption in the game, a natural for a future world champion should he be given a fair chance[….]
On Sunday he gave 11 draws to the following (USCF rating and club affiliation is given if known): 1. F. Bender (A, Gompers Park); 2. S. Crown (Rogers Pk.); 3. W. Fulk (A, Gompers); 4. W. Grombacher (A, Evanston YMCA); 5. A. Karklins (Expert); 6. L. Manter, Jr. (B, Central Y); 7. N. Schoenfeld; [8. J. Sullivan;] 9. S. Silverman (B); 10. N. Sturm; and 11. J. Warren (expert, Gompers). Losses were to 1. Geo. C. Dibert, Chicago CC veteran; 2. N. Goncharoff (A); 3. B. Sax (A); and 4. R. Tobler Jr. (expert, Ill. Jr. Champ, Gompers).
On Monday, he drew with 1. C. Garwin (expert, U. of Chicago); 2. G. Kral (A, Goss Printing Press Co.); 3. W. Wagenthals (A, Gompers); and 4. P. Wolf (expert, Gompers). His only loss was to Gary Thornell, Great Lakes sailor and Morton Grove resident (C, Chess Unlimited CC).
Combining both days, draws were garnered by 4 experts, 6 A’s, 2 B’s, and 3 unrated. Losses were to 1 expert, 2 A’s, 1 C, and 1 unrated. A players obviously did most of the damage, but three losses were to juniors (Tobler, Sax, and Thornell) as well as 2 draws (Karklins, Manter Jr.), clearly indicating that Chicago’s younger generatoin may carve itself a mark in the future.
The Lerner Newspapers […] have been devoting much space to chess and Fischer. They gave the widest publicity to the simuls, thus insuring their success. The Chicago Chess Foundation cooperated, furnishing the sets and boards where needed (courtesy of Gompers Park, Chicago Park District), and handled the ticket-taking at the door, proceeds of which went to the Foundation for future activities[….]