The New York Times New York, New York Thursday, June 24, 1965 - Page 32
Chess: Fischer Plays 26 Experts And Suffers Only 2 Losses
Grand Master Bobby Fischer, the 22-year-old United States champion, recently faced 21 international experts, members of the United Nations chess club, plus five local players, in a simultaneous exhibition at the Church Center of the United Nations. The event, arranged through the courtesy of TAG, Inc., a producer of games, found the champion in spirited form.
Fischer played 1 P-K4 on every board and ended with 21 wins, three draws and two losses, to the club secretary, Luis Loayza of Peru, and to Vladimir Vakula of the Soviet Union.
The following games are from the exhibition.
Fischer encountered a stubborn, if unorthodox, opponent, when Gerardo Martinez, as Black in a French Defense, played the bizarre 2 … B-N5ch.
This loss of time allowed Fischer to obtain the bishop-pair after 9 NxB, QxN. After 11 B-Q3, moreover, White was completely developed and had an attack in hand.
Black was not overawed and refused to crumple easily. He even managed a sort of counter with 14 … P-N5.
But after 18 Q-K1ch, K-B1, it appeared that Black had reached the end of his rope. Note 23 … PxB, saddling Black with tripled pawns. But Black had no choice: If 23… QxB; 24 Q-K8 would mate.
Fischer's star move was 27 P-Q5, giving up a pawn to establish his knight on a dominant square with 28 N-Q4. Still Black refused to concede the hopelessness of his position and forced White to play cautiously after 33 … B-R6; 34 R-B2.
Finally, White's 36 N-B3 could not be overcome. Had Black tried 36 … R-B5; 37 Q-N3 would have sufficed.
Loayza as Black in a Caro-Kann, organized his defenses confidently and actively reached a middle game where White's impending king-side assault was countered by a dangerous queen-side demonstration.
The climax was 17 … P-QB4; 18 P-KN4, PxP.
But white erred when Black played 22 … R-N4ch. Instead of the text move, 23 K-R1, which lost, he should have played 23 B-N2. This would have left the issue in balance, because now Black was in danger of being mated.
Curiously, then, the hasty 23 … RxBch can be rebuffed by 24 K-B1, when Black remains in great danger. In the above line, if 23 … B-B3, White could at least draw by 24 P-R7ch, KxP 25 Q-R5ch, etc.
