{"id":2757,"date":"2023-08-02T09:30:13","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T09:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forwardchess.com\/blog\/?p=2757"},"modified":"2023-10-19T13:41:52","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T13:41:52","slug":"bobby-fischer-explained-and-some-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forwardchess.com\/blog\/bobby-fischer-explained-and-some-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Bobby Fischer Explained: And some stories<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Review of Bobby Fischer Explained: And some stories<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChess is a matter of subtle judgment \u2013 knowing when to punch and knowing when to duck.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 <\/em>Bobby Fischer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The year 2022 marks the 50th<\/sup> anniversary of the Fischer-Spassky World Championship match<\/a>, and it\u2019s therefore fitting that several major books on Fischer were published this year. The author of the current book Bobby Fischer Explained: And some stories<\/strong>, GM Zen\u00f3n Franco, writes about the motivation for this book as follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018A few years ago I rejected the idea of writing a book about Fischer’s games because I felt that so much had already been written about him that it would be difficult for me to bring anything new to it. But I changed my mind; I think that a new study using the \u201cMove-by-Move\u201d format, is appropriate for commenting on his games and is useful for both learning and teaching.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Bobby<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
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View Book<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The book starts with a brief introduction to Fischer\u2019s playing style, which includes quotes from other players, particularly some insightful comments by Vladimir Kramnik. The 14th<\/sup> World Champion writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018There was a moment when he had everything at once: energy, force, preparation, playing strength… As though all the rays converged in one point! He just had no weaknesses – how to play against such a man?! All great chess players have that period when they are on top of every aspect of their game; I think that Fischer peaked during that Candidates cycle and the Spassky match.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main part of the book is the discussion of 60 of his games. These games cover most of his career and include the period 1956 \u2013 1992, with the latter year being the date of the rematch against Spassky. Each game includes various exercises where the reader is asked questions about the current position. The questions can be specific tactical questions, like finding the winning move, or more general ones, like finding a good plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answers and other annotations to the games are mostly reasonably concise, and they don\u2019t normally overwhelm the reader with deep computer-generated analysis. However, complex annotations are required in some cases to establish the correct details of a position. This approach makes the book more accessible to a range of players. The games also include relevant background material to the games, which is sometimes quite humorous, and a selection of annotations from other commentators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The background stories provide some interesting insights into Fischer\u2019s psychology as he was making his charge to the World Championship and his constant rivalry against the top Soviet players. An example of this is the background to Fischer\u2019s return to chess in 1970 in the famous \u2018Match of the Century\u2019, after a long period of inactivity. The author writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Nonetheless, Fischer’s anxiety before playing was palpable, as Taimanov relates. Fischer arrived half an hour late to play his first game against Petrosian, \u201cwhite as a sheet,\u201d and he even hesitated before making his first move. After that, though, everything changed: his body language became once more that of the formidable fighter he was, and his tension was forgotten\u2026 Fischer wrote a letter to his friend Walter Browne, in which he told him how nervous he felt, not having played for some time, but that when he saw Petrosian’s face he calmed down. \u201cHe looked scared!\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Fischer
Fischer vs Petrosian 1970. Credit chessgames<\/a><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The final part of the book contains an homage to Fischer via a poem and a summary of his career. The book also includes a good range of photos,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two examples from the book are given below, with annotations from the book. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bobby Fischer Explained: And some stories Example 1<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n

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