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E60 King's Indian

King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation. Immediate Fianchetto

Robert Eugene Byrne vs Robert James Fischer, 1963

0-1, 21 moves ("The Brilliancy Prize")

[Event "US Ch."]
[Site "-"]
[Date "1963.12.18"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "3"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "Robert Eugene Byrne"]
[Black "Robert James Fischer"]
[ECO "E60"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "42"]
1. d4 {Notes from various sources.} Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 c6 4. Bg2 d5 5. cxd5 {5.Qb3 maintains more tension. -- Fischer} cxd5 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. e3 O-O 8. Nge2 Nc6 9. O-O b6 10. b3 {It's hard for either side to introduce an imbalance into this essentially symmetrical variation. Deadeye equality also ensues afer 10.Nf4 e6 11.b3 Ba6 12.Re1 Rc8 13.Ba3 Re8 14.Rc1 (Stahlberg-Flohr, Kemeri 1937) -- Fischer} Ba6 11. Ba3 {After White's 11th move I should adjudicate his position as slightly superior, and at worst completely safe. To turn this into a mating position in eleven more moves is more witchcraft than chess! Quite honestly, I do not see the man who can stop Bobby at this time. -- K.F. Kirby, South African Chess Quarterly} Re8 12. Qd2 e5 {! I was a bit worried about weakening my QP, but felt that the tremendous activity obtained by my minor pieces would permit White no time to exploit it. 12...e6 would probably lead to a draw. -- Fischer} 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Rfd1 {"Add another to those melancholy case histories entitled: The Wrong Rook." -- Fischer ~ "This is very much a case of 'the wrong rook'. One can understand Byrne's desire to break the pin on the e2-knight, but this turns out to be less important than other considerations. Fischer spends a lot of time and energy analysing the superior 14. Rad1!, but still comes to the conclusion that Black can keep the advantage." -- John Nunn} Nd3 {Now it's all systems go for the Fischer rocket. -- Robert Wade} 15. Qc2 {There is hardly any other defense to the threat of ...Ne4. -- Fischer} Nxf2 {! The key to Black's previous play. The complete justification for this sac does not become apparent until White resigns! -- Fischer} 16. Kxf2 Ng4+ 17. Kg1 Nxe3 18. Qd2 {Byrne: As I sat pondering why Fischer would choose such a line, because it was so obviously lost for Black, there suddenly comes...} Nxg2 {!! This dazzling move came as the shocker... the culminating combination is of such depth that, even at the very moment at which I resigned, both grandmasters who were commenting on the play for the spectators in a separate room believed I had a won game! -- Robert Byrne} 19. Kxg2 d4 {!} 20. Nxd4 Bb7+ {The King is at Black's mercy. -- Fischer} 21. Kf1 {In a room set aside for commentaries on the games in progress, two grandmasters were stating, for the benefit of the spectators, that Byrne had a won game. Byrne's reply to Fischer's next move must have been jaw dropping! -- Wade} Qd7 {And White resigns. Fischer writes: "A bitter disappointment. I'd hoped for 22.Qf2 Qh3+ 23.Kg1 Re1+!! 24.Rxe1 Bxd4 with mate to follow shortly."} 0-1

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