< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 59 OF 59 · Later Kibitzing>

Sep-21-18

PhilFeeley : Odd that such photo would be allowed so late in the game. It would never be allowed now - except with live video.

Sep-21-18

MissScarlett : < The picture appeared on page 11 of the Lima News, Feb. 12, 1957, and also appeared in the Hammond Times of Feb. 24, 1957.> The earliest example I can find is February 11th in the <Index Journal> (Greenwood, S.C.) but it features numerous times in smaller American papers over the next few weeks, always accompanying the same Associated Press report.

Sep-21-18 karik : So the Dec 1956 issue of Chess Review wasn't published before Feb 11 1957?

Sep-21-18

Check It Out : <Sally Simpson> Thanks for posting this from the 1958 Time magazine: <"In the cosmopolitan cant of chess players, it is legend that masters of the game are all meshuga—Yiddish for a little batty. But when they talk of Brooklyn's Bobby Fischer, the newly crowned U.S. champion, the kibitzers are moved to uncommon awe. Bobby, they declare, is ganz meshuga, which is to say that he is quite addled. Though he celebrated his 15th birthday only last week, he already shows all the marks of the great grand masters of one of the oldest, most intricate games known to man. A floppy, abrupt young gangle-shanks, he stumbles through the physical world of school and subways and summer vacations in a tangle of arms and legs not quite under control. But in the neatly ordered empire of the chessboard, he moves with vast precision. Swiftly he picks his way among the possibilities; haughtily he sidesteps the traps. Experts compare his aggressive, scientific style to that of Russia's famed Alekhine, his flair for combinations to the touch of the U.S. master, Morphy. He eclipsed such comparative greybeards as Samuel Reshevsky, 46, and Arthur Bisguier, 28, to win the U.S. title."> The first thing I thought of was the extreme Swedish metal band, Meshuggah. The writing is different than you might find this day and age. A bit more sophisticated. I didn't realize that Fischer was already thought of as "meshuga" at the young age of 15. I assumed that came much later in his career. <A floppy, abrupt young gangle-shanks...> What a terrifically visual description; and then to contrast that with his sublime chess piece movement is just good writing. Poor ol' Bisguier, to be called a greybeard at 28, even if "comparatively".

Sep-21-18

Sally Simpson : Hi Check It Out,

It is good writing and reading. I read most of the whole magazine on other subjects. Excellent. I also enjoy reading the Victorian and Edwardian chess notations as well. They seem to have a charm all of their own and of course 'Three Men in a Boat' (pub 1889) is one of the two non-chess books I have read thrice. (Catch 22 is the other.) These days text speech is murdering the language and although I use 'sacced' I still shudder and look over my shoulder for my English teacher every time I type it. Not yet used sac-bak (to return material) but I will one day.

Sep-22-18

MissScarlett : < So the Dec 1956 issue of Chess Review wasn't published before Feb 11 1957?> Chess periodicals do have a reputation for unreliability of issue, but no, the AP article was evidently inspired by <Chess Review> . They cite Kmoch's 'game of the century' tag, and he's quoted, <For his age, I don't think there is any better chess player in the world. He is a genuine prodigy and one of the best players in our club. [...] The outlook is brilliant. If he continues to proceed the way he has the past year or two, he's likely to become one of the greatest players of all time.> As to who took the photo, and who now holds the picture rights, one can only guess.

Dec-19-18 MrJafari : I found a last move to be part of the game of the century!: 41.B.a3!?

Feb-12-19 cliffordagoodman : The game of the century!! (last century)

This century?? Probably alphabay(sp?)

alphazero!! versus anyone!!

Feb-12-19

Dionysius1 : Last century - maybe. This century - no, the game was played before this century started. alphabay? No - you're ranting. alphazero!! versus anyone!! No, I think alphazero is no more.

Feb-15-19

Dionysius1 : Only one ! for 11...♘a4 is a bit mean. It took me an hour in bits and pieces to work through all the pins and forks and overloading motifs that make 12. ♘xa4 a bad move, and it's a pleasure just reminding myself of them. Unless that was a known theme with this opening (the ♘ ♘ ♘ version), surely this is a stunning discovery on its own. I don't usually try to learn a chess game by heart, but for this one I make and exception.

Feb-15-19

Dionysius1 : Sorry <cliffordagoodman> . I don't think I made much of a go at interpreting your gnomic utterance. Still not sure what you can have meant, but what the hey, time has passed.

Apr-20-19

Joshka : Amazing all Byrne has to do is take that knight on his 18th move and Game of The Century never happens!

Apr-20-19 crazyim5 : If ever our beloved game of Chess is shown to aliens as a showcase of human intelligence this game would be my pick!

Jun-22-19

thegoodanarchist : Professor Donald Byrne did not achieve the title of IM until 1962. However, when this game was played it was already 2 years after Donald Byrne defeated Grandmaster Yuri Averbakh in a 4-game match. Per Byrne's bio:

<Byrne played on five US Olympiad teams, but his greatest over the board success was the defeat of Yuri Averbakh (+3, =0, -1) in the 1954 USA versus USSR match played in Moscow.> Based on such a fine result against a GM of Averbakh's stature, I venture to say Byrne was at least IM strength when this game was played.

Jun-22-19

thegoodanarchist : <crazyim5: If ever our beloved game of Chess is shown to aliens as a showcase of human intelligence this game would be my pick!> Not a bad choice, but I would probably go with

Botvinnik vs Tal, 1960

Jun-27-19 Patzer Natmas : Game featured in "New in Chess - Tactics Training - Bobby Fischer" Solve for black on move 17...

Jul-23-19 Chesgambit : Windmill and mate

Oct-02-19

laskereshevsky : I spend my two penny about this ultra-famous game... Dont know if somebody already reported about a relatively unknown game, wich i dont find here on CG, played in the occupied territory by the germans during bellic period, the II mondial war. Precisly in Warsaw/Cracow 1942 between Russher-Walcicer. I see it first in the book 107 CHESS BATTLES 1939-1945 by Alexander Alekhine, the game number 76 in th book... Having this game 59 pages of kibitzing maybe is possible somebody had already discuss it... in the position

click for larger view reached after 15.♔e1-f1, black played 15... ♗e6!

click for larger view ... The position is not the same but the similarity is interesting... the ♔in F1, the move♗E6 attacking the ♗ in c4 when the black ♕ was threathened by the WBS♗, even if here on A3 there on B6, and all arise from a Gruenfeld Defense... Its a well know fact that Fischer was an ardent reader and researcher, would be nice to know if this game was in his knowledge, maybe found in same book or booklet or games collection with this game, and in case if he found inspiration from this in playing the stunning combination against Byrne. But unfortunattly Bobby is no more between us and can not fulfill this curiosity...

Oct-10-19 seneca16 : I second Simpson's comment about the excellent writing in the Time piece. One of my professors was saying he preferred Edwardian translations of philosophical classics wherever possible because the Edwardians were all such fine writers, whereas today's translators make everything labored and lumpy. btw it was gracious of Byrne to let Fischer mate him rather than resign.

Oct-10-19 m.okun : Bobby is only 13 years old!

Nov-04-19 chessrookstwo : Great game period.

Feb-09-20 asiduodiego : I think the most impressive thing about this game is the fact that Bobby won it with such mastery being just 13 years old. It's a great game, but I think also we need to address the fact that Byrne played the opening in a very sloppy way. 11. Bg5? it's such an ugly move. It violates two principles. First, you should try not to move the same piece twice in the opening. Second, it neglects king safety, given that the pin in f3 is troublesome for such purposes. This is not at all in detriment of Bobby's brilliance in this game. I think 11 ... Na4!! is one of the best and more beautiful punishments for lack of good development in chess history, and it's a monument to the brilliance of Bobby Fischer. In my opinion, the real "Game of the Century" for Bobby Fischer at least, is the famous game with the other Byrne. In that game, Bobby came out with an attack which actually seemed from thin air, in a somewhat symmetrical position, and in the end, he won in a position in which two masters in other room commenting the game thought he was losing. Brilliant stuff.

Feb-29-20 MordimerChess : Thank you all for comments, nice lecture. I would also leave some contribution to this beautiful game and I leave my analysis: https://youtu.be/iXXrnCAON-8

At the end I mention about famous interview, where responding to an interviewer's question about how he was able to bring off such a brilliant win, Fischer said: "I just made the moves I thought were best. I was just lucky." Actually it's possible that he said the truth about it. Keep in mind that he was not so lucky in 4 other games in this tournament, which he lost. So his chess abilities were unstable and unpredictable and that's normal in this age. If you check the games of young Magnus Carlsen or Alireza Firouzja, there are a lot of incredible games but also some miserable ones among them. Just two cents.

Jump to page # (enter # from 1 to 59)



search thread:

