Fischer Article on the death of the King's Gambit

In the summer of 1961, a new chess magazine, the "American
Chess Quarterly," began publication. Edited by Grandmaster
Larry Evans, it was "dedicated to the interests of the
professional chess player." The first issue contained an
article which not only put the magazine on the map, but which
became one of the most famous opening articles ever written.
Eighteen-year old U.S. Champion Bobby Fischer was smarting at
the recent defeat handed him by Boris Spassky at Mar Del Plata.
Bobby had played the Black side of the King's Gambit.

Spassky-Fischer
Mar del Plata
March 30, 1960
King's Gambit Accepted
1 e4 e5 2 f4 ef4 3 Nf3 g5 4 h4 g4 5 Ne5 Nf6 6 d4 d6 7 Nd3 Ne4 8
Bf4 Bg7 9 Nc3 Nc3 10 bc3 c5 11 Be2 cd4 12 O-O Nc6 13 Bg4 O-O 14
Bc8 Rc8 15 Qg4 f5 16 Qg3 dc3 17 Rae1 Kh8 18 Kh1 Rg8 19 Bd6 Bf8
20 Be5 Ne5 21 Qe5 Rg7 22 Rf5 Qh4 23 Kg1 Qg4 24 Rf2 Be7 25 Re4
Qg5 26 Qd4 Rf8 27 Re5 ("Incredibly, Black must lose a piece.
While trying to figure out what was going on in Spassky's head,
I blundered and lost the game!" - Fischer) 27...Rd8 28 Qe4 Qh4
29 Rf4 1-0 [This game is fully annotated by Fischer in "My 60
Memorable Games."]

Perhaps motivated by this loss, Fischer attacked the very
essence of the theory of the King's Gambit.

As a result of this article, the King's Gambit initially
virtually disappeared from grandmaster play. Eventually,
resources were found that rehabilitated the opening and it made
a gradual re-emergence. Nevertheless, the Fischer Defense to
the King's Gambit (as it is now called) still plays a vital
role in Black's treatment of this ancient opening.

We are pleased to present the entire article just as it
appeared thirty years ago (descriptive notation and all). It is
reprinted with the permission of GM Larry Evans.


A BUST TO THE KING'S GAMBIT
by U.S. Champion Bobby Fischer
International Grandmaster

Biographical Sketch of Bobby Fischer

In the winter of 1957 a bombshell burst upon the horizon of the
chess world when 15-year-old Bobby Fischer wrested the United
States National Title from defending Champion Arthur Bisguierg
and Grandmaster Samuel Reshevsky. True, he had previously shown
tremendous talent. He had tied with Bisguier and nosed him out
on a tie-break for the "Open" Title at Cleveland, but many
considered this a "fluke." No flash-in-the-pan, Bobby roundly
consolidated his position as the world's youngest Grandmaster
by winning the United States Title AGAIN in 1958 and AGAIN in
1959-60.

Bobby's international achievements are equally spectacular.
They include a solid second (to World Champion Tal) at the
powerful Zurich Tournament, 1959, and some notable victories
over Keres, Smyslov, Gligorich, Euwe and Unzicker, to name but
a few outstanding European Grandmasters. At Mar Del Plata,
1960, Bobby tied for first with Russia's Boris Spassky - again
ahead of a strong field. At this time of writing [Summer 1961]
Bobby has set off to lead the United States Team in the
Olympics at Leipzig, Germany, and he has recaptured the U.S.
title for the 4th time!

"Bobby Fischer's Best Games of Chess," published by Simon &
Schuster, contains a collection of some fine chess gems by the
youthful author.

A Bust to the King's Gambit

The King's Gambit has lost popularity, but not sympathy.
Analysts treat it with kid gloves and seem reluctant to
demonstrate an outright refuatation. "The Chessplayers Manual"
by Gossip and Lipschutz, published in 1874, devotes 237 pages
to this gambit without arriving at a conclusion. To this day
the opening has been analyzed romantically - not
scientifically. Moderns seem to share the same unconscious
attitude that caused the old-timers to curse stubborn Steinitz:
"He took the beauty out of chess."

To the public, the player of the King's Gambit exhibits courage
and derring-do. The gambit has been making a comeback with the
younger Soviet masters, notably Spassky (who defeated
Bronstein, Averbach and myself with it). His victories rarely
reflected the merits of the opening since his opponents went
wrong in the mid-game. It is often the case, also, as with
Santasiere and Bronstein, that the King's Gambit is played with
a view to a favorable endgame. Spassky told me himself the
gambit doesn't give White much, but he plays it because neither
does the Ruy Lopez nor the Giuoco Piano.

The refuatation of any gambit begins with accepting it. In my
opinion the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force.

1 P-K4 P-K4 2 P-KB4 PxP 3 N-KB3 P-Q3!

This is the key to a troublesome position, a high-class
"waiting move." At Mar Del Plata, 1959, I played 3...P-KN4
against Spassky, but this is inexact because it gives White
drawing chances in the ensuing ending: e.g., 4 P-KR4 P-N5 5
N-K5 N-KB3 6 P-Q4 P-Q3 7 N-Q3 NxP 8 BxP B-N2 and now 9 P-B3!
(replacing Spassky's 9 N-B3) 9...Q-K2 10 Q-K2 B-B4 11 N-Q2
leads to an ending where Black's extra Pawn is neutralized by
White's stranglehold on the dark squares, especially KB4.

Another good try, but also inexact, is the Berlin Defense:
3...P-KR3 4 P-Q4 P-KN4 5 P-KR4 B-N2 6 P-KN3 P-N5 (also playable
is 6...P-Q3 7 PxBP P-N5) 7 N-R2 PxP 8 NxP (8 QxP loses to
8...PxN 9 QxB QxP+ 10 K-Q1 Q-B3) 8...P-Q4 9 P-K5 B-B4 10 B-KB4,
where Black cannot demonstrate any advantage.

Of course 3...P-Q4 equalizes easily, but that's all.

4 B-B4

4 P-Q4 transposes, the only difference if White tries to force
matters after 4...P-KN4 5 P-KR4 P-N5 6 N-N5 (White also gets no
compensation after 6 BxP PxN 7 QxP N-QB3 or 6 N-N1 B-R3)
6...P-KB3! 7 N-KR3 PxN 8 Q-R5+ K-Q2 9 BxP Q-K1! 10 Q-B3 K-Q1
and with his King and Queen reversed, Black wins easily.

4...P-KR3!

This in conjunction with Black's previous move I would like to
call the Berlin Defense Deferred. By this subtle transposition
Black knocks out the possibility open to White in the last note
(to move 3).

5 P-Q4 P-KN4 6 0-0 B-N2 7 P-B3

Necessary to protect the QP. 7 P-KN3 is always met by P-N5.

7...N-QB3

Here there is disagreement as to Black's best move. Puc and
Rabar, Euwe, Keres, and most analysts give the text as the main
line and mention 7...N-K2(!) in passing. I think 7...N-K2 is
best because there is no reason why Black should not strive to
castle K-side: e.g., 8 P-KN3 P-Q4! 9 PxQP PxNP 10 PxP (if 10
N-K5 PxP+! 11 K-R1 0-0 12 P-Q6 QxP wins) 10...0-0 11 Q-N3 Q-Q3
12 K-N2 N-B4 wins. There is little practical experience with
this sub-variation.

8 Q-N3

If 8 P-KN3 P-N5 9 N-R4 P-B6 10 N-Q2, Euwe and other analysts
betray their soft-mindedness toward this opening by giving the
inferior 10...B-B3(?) 11 N(2)xP PxN 12 QxP - "unclear"!! This
is yet another example of sentimental evaluation - after
12...Q-K2 followed by B-R6 and 0-0-0 Black wins easily. The
Pawn on KB6 is a bone in White's throat so why force him to
sacrifice when he must anyway? 10...Q-K2 is the strongest move.

In this last variation (instead of 10 N-Q2) White can vary with
10 Q-N3 but then comes Nimzovitch's beautiful winning line:
10...Q-K2 11 N-B5 BxN 12 PxB (if 12 QxP R-N1 13 QxN+ Q-Q2 14
QxQ+ BxQ and Black has a winning endgame) 12...0-0-0 13 BxP
Q-K7 14 Q-K6+ (if 14 R-B2 NxQP! 15 RxQ PxR wins) 14...R-Q2! 15
R-B2 Q-Q8+ 16 R-B1 Q-B7 17 N-Q2 N-B3 (threatening N-Q1) 18 B-N6
(if 18 Q-N3 QxQ 19 BxQ P-Q4 with a winning endgame) 18...P-Q4
followed by N-K2 with a winning game for Black.

8...Q-K2 9 P-KR4 N-B3

Again theoretical disagreement. Perfectly good is 9...P-N5! 10
BxP (forced, not 10 KN-Q2 NxQP! 11 PxN BxP+ etc.) 10...PxN 11
RxP - given by analysts again as "unclear," but after N-B3
followed by 0-0, White has nothing for the piece.

10 PxP PxP 11 NxP NxKP

A wild position, but Black is still master.

12 BxP+

The game is rife with possibilities. If 12 NxN QxN 13 RxP Q-K8+
14 R-B1 Q-R5 15 BxP+ K-Q1 16 Q-Q5 N-K4! 17 PxN BxP (threatening
B-R7 and mate) 18 R-Q1 Q-N6 wins, owing to the threat of R-R8+.

12...K-Q1 13 NxN

Not 13 N-K6+ BxN 14 QxB QxQ 15 BxQ NxQP!

13...QxN 14 BxP

14 RxP also loses to 14...Q-K8+ 15 R-B1 R-R8+ 16 KxR QxR+ 17
K-R2 QxQB etc.

14...NxP

And Black wins...

Of course White can always play differently, in which case he
merely loses differently. (Thank you, Weaver Adams!)