35
votes
Accepted
Why can white not mate in this position from Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (frame 73)?
The bishop on c2 can be moved to h7 to block the check.
- 465
30
votes
Accepted
Did Bobby Fischer actually write "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess"?
Basically, no.
It was co-authored by Stuart Margulies and Don Mosenfelder, and while Fischer may have contributed a little, it is generally accepted that he just lent his name to the project.
Soltis,...
- 32.4k
25
votes
Why did Bobby Fischer resign his title?
Bobby Fischer did not resign the title, although it may have looked that way.
As the New York Times reported at the time:
The International Chess Federation stripped Mr. Fischer of his title and gave ...
- 94.5k
20
votes
In Fischer-Petrosian 1971 game 7, why did Fischer give up his good knight for a bad bishop?
This is a very famous position. Well, here are some reasons, and there are quite a few:
Since this was a Candidate’s Match to qualify to play Spassky, it comes down to exact calculation above all. ...
- 32.4k
18
votes
Accepted
Did Fischer really have a 180 IQ?
From Quora: What was Bobby Fischer's IQ? (2018):
Short answer: In 1958, when Fischer sat a Stanford-Binet test at the age of 15, his score was 180-187. But in today’s terms, Bobby Fischer’s IQ ...
- 1,284
17
votes
16
votes
Accepted
What is the opening value of 1. e4 in 2020?
It's still one of the best moves White can play. There's no clear consensus on whether 1.e4 or 1.d4 is better, but it's played frequently at the top level. Due to advancements in theory, I'd say 1.e4 ...
- 19.8k
15
votes
Did Spassky stand up and applaude at Fischer after the famous Tartakower game?
Yes.
The game itself was majestic, by far the best to date. Harry Golombek
described it as "a masterpiece through and through." Fischer was able
to create and then remorselessly exploit ...
- 399
14
votes
Did Bobby Fischer castle with a pawn promoted to a rook?
Not Fischer. But there is the infamous Tim Krabbe vertical castling problem:
http://www.futilitycloset.com/2009/12/11/outside-the-box/
Although it appears this was already illegal as of the problem'...
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14
votes
Why did Bobby Fischer play the Queen's Gambit as White vs. Spassky?
Spassky had an entire squad of Soviet grandmasters trying to find holes in Fischer's repertoire. So it made a lot of sense to surprise them. He also avoided the sharp King's Indian and went for the ...
- 19.2k
14
votes
Accepted
Why did Bobby Fischer quit chess after the match with Spassky?
There is no real definite answer for this question. Many people have floated different theories, most of which borrow bits and pieces from each other. It is quite possible that his mental struggles ...
- 706
13
votes
Why did Bobby Fischer resign his title?
Fischer wanted to play under a first-to-ten-wins format. This was the format of the first world championship match between Steinitz and Zukertort. The argument for this format is that it forces ...
- 26.1k
12
votes
What were Fischer's 179 demands for a World Championship rematch?
If it was only about the 1975 match, It could have been a mistake by the video editor. As far as many sources from the web, there were only 3.
Not counting the draws, first to win 10 games wins the ...
- 588
11
votes
Accepted
Are there any chances that the Fischer who reappeared in 1992 was not the real one?
At the very least we know that in 1992 a man that looked and sounded like an aged version of Bobby Fischer played Boris Spassky in a match, and won it. Assuming that this old man was actually not ...
- 7,978
10
votes
Why did Bobby Fischer play the Queen's Gambit as White vs. Spassky?
Another idea is that it was strategy at it's deepest. He waited until the most important match of his career to use this part of his opening repertoire. In "Fischer-Spassky, Reyjavik 1972" C.H.O'D ...
- 294
10
votes
How to use dice to determine starting position in Fischer Random?
Several methods to do so are described on Wikipedia. For example:
Roll all the dice in one throw and place White's pieces as follows:
Place a bishop on one of the eight squares (counting from the ...
- 24.8k
9
votes
Accepted
Weakest player to ever beat the mature Bobby Fischer?
Summary:
Cesar Munoz from Ecuador is the last untitled player to beat Fischer, in 1961. Kovacevic is the last non-grandmaster to do that in 1970, but obviously he was already very strong. Janosevic ...
- 15.8k
9
votes
Did Spassky stand up and applaude at Fischer after the famous Tartakower game?
Svetozar Gligoric, who was there, wrote in his book on the match:
With thousands of spectators applauding Fischer's classical style win in the sixth game, Spassky did the same, while offering his ...
- 446
9
votes
Accepted
Is Bobby Fischer hanging a knight?
I would not normally answer this question since the other answer points out the basis for the first move of the variation, but only the first move. It left out why white is so lost in that variation, ...
- 32.4k
8
votes
Accepted
Playing Styles of Fischer and Botvinnik
Botvinnik believed in peer review. He would write up annotations for his games, and publish them hoping for feedback from other players. He also recommended to his students that they annotate their ...
- 1,337
8
votes
Why did Bobby Fischer quit chess after the match with Spassky?
He had mental problems. But he is still one of the greatest chess players of all time.
Joseph Ponterotto has even written a book about Fischer's mental problems - A Psychobiography of Bobby Fischer
...
7
votes
Accepted
Bobby Fischer and the U.S
It is not so much that Fischer got exiled as much as it was that he chose to exile himself (though yes, out of a certain necessity). He was indicted by a U.S. court for ignoring sanctions against ...
- 23.4k
7
votes
Accepted
What did Bobby Fischer mean in this quote?
It means that even he, Bobby Fischer, was susceptible to overlooking his opponent's good replies.
From the book, "Counterplay: An Anthropologist at the Chessboard", here is a quote on page 74:
"So ...
- 32.4k
7
votes
Why can white not mate in this position?
Based of your question it appears that you have correctly assessed and identified the critical piece holding blacks position together. The Bishop on c6.
Rxc6 - Removing the Defender.
[FEN "4r1k1/...
- 2,363
7
votes
Accepted
Karpov-Kasparov matches prearranged?
No evidence to support this
It's hard to prove a negative, but I've seen a lot of coverage of Karpov-Kasparov and none of them even hinted that the matches were pre-arranged. Fischer is the only ...
- 26.1k
6
votes
Why did Bobby Fischer quit chess after the match with Spassky?
Fischer declared in several media channels that his goal, all of his life, had been to become World Chess Champion. Once he had accomplished that, he concluded that playing chess competitively was no ...
- 3,347
6
votes
Who did Nigel Short really play on the ICC in 2001 when he thought he was playing Fischer?
Well, as of 2021 a much more concrete answer can be provided: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/mv0vz5/solving_the_fischer_chess_games_in_2001_gm_nigel/
In short (pun not intended):...
- 2,269
6
votes
Accepted
Where did Bobby Fischer live in New York?
In 1955, his address was 560 Lincoln Place, Brooklyn. Source:
http://tartajubow.blogspot.com/2015/09/bobby-fischer-lived-here.html
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Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible