Riddle solved: Fischer was winning!

Five months after the Palma de Mallorca Interzonal (1970) qualifier, the quarterfinals of the Candidates Matches was held. American GM Bobby Fischer faced the experienced Soviet star Mark Taimanov in a ten-game match, which was held in in Vancouver, Canada.

We described the background of the match, which Fischer won 6:0, in our previous article and asked our readers to help solve one of the great mysteries of chess history: in the key game four was Taimanov's move 42...Kd8 a terrible mistake? In the adjournment had the mighty Soviet analysts missed a way to save the game?

Now, with the help of our readers, we can confidently say: the old riddle is solved: Fischer was always winning!

I would like to admit that this time I underestimated the strength of the modern engines and overestimated the complexity of the position. Before our sessions it was not so clear in Let's Check, but now it has changed thanks to the efforts of the readers. The results are:

1. Fischer was always winning in the adjourned position;
2. The main winning idea is to exchange rooks under favorable circumstances;
3. Black can only avoid this by making his rook passive, and then White can invade sooner or later with his king;

The winning proof provided by Kevin Cotreau (ChessBase handle PhishMaster) is clear and elegant, and much easier than Charles Sullivan's old proof from Endgame Corner 106. Without his analysis I was not able to find his clear logical proof.

You probably know that in our replay boards there are a large number of functions you can use to really appreciate the games. Recently we published a comprehensive tutorial on how to get the most out of the live broadcast game viewer. Learn about all the powerful features and buttons that make the ChessBase's replay one of the best watching experiences around.

One big advantage is that you can start an engine (fan icon) that will help you to analyse. You can get multiple lines of analysis by clicking the + button to the right of the engine analysis window. The "!" key, incidentally, shows you the threat in any position, which is incredibly useful in the case of unclear moves.

There is one more thing you can do. It is a lot of fun, but also a serious challenge: Click on the rook icon below the notation window. This will allow you the play the above position against Fritz, at your level of playing strength (e.g. "Club Player"), right here on the news page. Note that your analysis, in which you can delete, move or promote lines, is stored in the notation as new variations. In the end you will find the game with your analysis in the cloud. So nothing is ever lost.

About the winner

Kevin Cotreau, 58, is from Merrimack, NH. He has been a USCF Master for more than 30 years, and a three-time New Hampshire State Chess Champion. He was in the U.S. Air Force for eight years as a Russian linguist from 1980-1988, which can be handy as a chess player.

Kevin bought his first computer, a 486/50, back in 1991 – specifically to run ChessBase. "I really enjoyed learning about computers," he says, "I guess you could say that ChessBase is the reason I have a career now, as it steered me into my chosen field: I have been primarily self-employed as a computer network consultant since (I am actually a lot better at computers than I ever was at chess)."

Well, what happened to his chess? "One year after my last state championship in 2003, my only child, a fantastic daughter, came along, and I focused on being a great dad. Only last year did I start playing tournaments again. It was a rough start (rust and age), but I have done better in each of successive tournament. I am attaching one recent game that was maybe my best game ever, if you are interested." Indeed we are:

Great stuff, Kevin. Hope you will write more often for us.