Rare video of Bobby Fischer analyzing – (2)
10/14/2013 – A month ago we published a rare video of the legendary American World Chess Champion Robert Fischer analysed a game. We asked our readers for information on the footage and for pointers to any other footage of this kind. Both were provided quickly. Today we provide a second video, and once again we have reconstructed Fischer's analysis so you can watch the video and simultaneously replay the moves he is talking about on a JavaScript board.
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Bobby Fischer annotates Paul Morphy vs Isouard/Brunswick
The front cover of "Tízezer Lépés
Morphyval" by Csaba Gerencsér (1995) and a portrait of
Paul Charles Morphy. Both were included in this
comprehensive article by Edward
Winter on the famous game.
The game Fischer discusses is one of the most famous in chess history. It is between the American master Paul Morphy and two strong amateurs, the German noble Duke Karl of Brunswick and the French aristocrat Count Isouard, who consulted together, playing as partners against Morphy. The game is often used by chess instructors to teach the importance of rapid development of one's pieces, the value of sacrifices in mating combinations, and other chess concepts.
The links to the videos below were provided by Edwin Meijer, Netherlands, who was the first to send them. Many thanks to the other readers who did so as well. We have captured all the moves and lines Fischer shows and present them in a JavaScript replay board, just below the video, so you can follow them as he speaks.
[Event "Paris it"] [Site "Paris"] [Date "1858.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Morphy, Paul"] [Black "Isouard/Brunswick, Karl"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C41"] [Annotator "Fischer,RJ"] [PlyCount "33"] [EventDate "1858.??.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "30"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.11.10"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Bg4 {This is a weak move already. Later Steinitz said you shouldn't move out your bishops before you bring out your knights, a very good rule for beginners.} ({The right move was} 3... Nd7) 4. dxe5 Bxf3 {He must give up his bishop} ({because if he takes:} 4... dxe5 5. Qxd8+ Kxd8 6. Nxe5) 5. Qxf3 ({Later on Steinitz said you should take with the pawn} 5. gxf3 dxe5 6. Qxd8+ Kxd8 7. f4 {and you play this endgame with two bishops. He gave one variation to support this:} Nf6 8. fxe5 Nxe4 9. Bg2 Nc5 {[%csl Gb7] defending the pawn} 10. b4 {[%csl Rb7][%cal Gg2b7] and take on b7 after the knight moves, wins. This is typical of Steinitz's ideas and a typical variation.}) 5... dxe5 6. Bc4 {[Laughs] I have a friend who shows this game and says "I can show you my game against the Duke of Brunswick". [The Morphy game Fischer is annotating was played at an opera house in Paris against two strong amateurs, the German noble Duke Karl of Brunswick and the French aristocrat Count Isouard].} Nf6 {To defend the mate [on f7].} ({It's funny: I played two [simultaneous] exhibitions here in Sarajevo, and both players played exactly the same:} 6... Qf6 {Maybe they were trying to lose the same way, as a joke or something.} 7. Qb3 b6 8. Nc3 c6 {[%csl Rd5][%cal Gc3d5] to prevent this} 9. Bg5 {A very good move.} Qg6 (9... Qxg5 10. Bxf7+ Ke7 11. Bxg8 {wins.}) 10. Rd1 {[%csl Rd8][%cal Gd1d8]} ({I couldn't castle:} 10. O-O-O Qxg5+ {[%csl Rc1]}) 10... Be7 (10... Nd7 11. Bxf7+ Qxf7 12. Qxf7+ Kxf7 13. Rxd7+ { and I win a pawn and the endgame.}) 11. Bxe7 Nxe7 12. Bxf7+ Qxf7 13. Rd8+ Kxd8 14. Qxf7 {Both played exactly the same, but different from here on [both lost of course]. Bjelica: "You think Morphy played better than you?" Fischer: "Well, we both won!"}) 7. Qb3 {This is already a winning move, because he is threatening two pawns. Now Black played a clever move:} Qe7 8. Nc3 ({Now if he takes} 8. Qxb7 Qb4+ {trade queens and play a long time in a lost endgame.}) 8... c6 9. Bg5 {[%csl Rb7,Rb8,Rf8] Now Black is in a zugzwang position here. He can't develop his [b8] knight because his pawn [on b7] is hanging, the bishop is blocked by the queen...} b5 {And now he finished with a beautiful sacrifice:} 10. Nxb5 cxb5 11. Bxb5+ Nbd7 (11... Kd8 12. Bxf6 {[%csl Rd8][%cal Gb3d5,Gd5a8] and Qd5+ and Qxa8}) 12. O-O-O {[%csl Rd7] He's threatening to take the knight.} Rd8 ({He can't castle:} 12... O-O-O 13. Ba6+ {[%csl Rb7] [%cal Gb3b7] and Qb7 mate.}) {He can't take with the knight or the queen, so} 13. Rxd7 Rxd7 14. Rd1 {[%csl Rd7,Rf6] Now White can simply take the knight and the rook and is two pawns ahead.} Qe6 15. Bxd7+ {Morphy was looking for a brilliancy.} (15. Qxe6+ fxe6 16. Bxf6 {is an easy winning ending.}) 15... Nxd7 16. Qb8+ Nxb8 17. Rd8# 1-0
Bobby Fischer discusses (mostly) Paul Morphy
The interviewer in both videos is the Serbian journalist FM Dimitrije Bjelica, and the material was most probably shot in Sarajevo in 1970. The language Bjelica is translating into for his audience, partially understood by Fischer, is Serbo-Croatian. Viewer Daniel Newman writes: "It's apparent that Fischer is frustrated by this interviewer because being rudely interrupted. I would go nuts, and yet Fischer kept his cool. A good interviewer always lets you finish your thought. This guy doesn't even let you finish a sentence, let alone complete a thought. This is why whenever possible translation is done using subtitles."
Previous article
28.9.2013 - Rare
video – Bobby Fischer analyses
Surely, we venture, you have not yet seen a video of the legendary American
World Chess Champion analysing a game. Well, here is a rare example: Bobby
Fischer explaining a miniature of Capablanca. We have reconstructed his
analysis so you can watch the video and simultaneously replay the moves
he is talking about on a JavaScript board. Historical footage.
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