[Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade"] [Date "1959.09.22"] [Round "10"] [White "Fischer, Robert James"] [Black "Benko, Pal C"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "GM Markus Ragger"] [ECO "B57"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "53"] [GameId "2266463891076878"] [EventDate "1959.09.07"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "28"] [EventCountry "CRO"] [SourceTitle "Candidates"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bc4 {Fischer chose his classical plan with Bc4, a setup so closely associated with his name that it's often referred to as the 'Fischer Attack.'} Qb6 7. Nde2 {This move has not stood the test of time. Nowadays, moves like Nb3, Nxc6 or Ndb5 are preferred. At the time of the game, however, there were only two previous games, one of them played by Benko with Black.} e6 8. O-O Be7 9. Bb3 O-O 10. Kh1 {A useful and typical move in many Sicilians, it prepares the f4 push.} Na5 11. Bg5 Qc5 12. f4 b5 {Black has managed to play b5 without the usual preparatory move a6. From a theoretical perspective, this can be seen as a success for Black, but the result is a complex and sharp middlegame position.} 13. Ng3 b4 $2 {[#] Played on principle, but not the best move.} (13... Bb7 $1 {The strongest move in this position was played six years later by Robert Byrne. It gives Black a solid position, and since then the white setup has had few followers.} 14. Nh5 Kh8 $132) 14. e5 $1 {A classic clearance sacrifice: with this pawn offer, Fischer clears the e4-square for his knight.} dxe5 (14... bxc3 15. exf6 gxf6 16. Bh6 $18 {The mating threats force Black to give up at least the exchange.}) 15. Bxf6 gxf6 (15... Bxf6 {Looks more natural, but even then White gets a strong attack.} 16. Nce4 Qe7 17. Nh5 $1 {There's a threat of Nxf6 followed by Qg4 and mate on g7.} Bh4 (17... Kh8 18. Nhxf6 gxf6 19. fxe5 fxe5 20. Nf6 $18 {The threat of Qh5 followed by Qh7 mate is decisive.}) 18. fxe5 Kh8 19. Rf6 $1 {with a strong attack}) 16. Nce4 Qd4 (16... Qc7 17. Qh5 $1 {threatens Qh6 followed by Nh5.} exf4 18. Rf3 $1 {Defends the knight on g3 in a very unconventional way.} Qe5 19. Qh6 f5 20. Nh5 fxe4 21. Rh3 $16) 17. Qh5 $1 {[#] Threatens Qh6 combined with Nh5, bringing the rook to d1 is also in the air.} Nxb3 (17... Kh8 18. Qh6 exf4 (18... Rg8 19. Nxf6 $18) 19. Nh5 Rg8 20. Nexf6 Bxf6 21. Nxf6 Rg7 22. Rad1 $18) (17... exf4 {[#]} 18. Nf5 $1 {A brilliant sacrifice that opens the path for the rook to join the attack.} exf5 {You don't see a quadruple pawn every day.} 19. Rxf4 {There's a threat of Rh4 followed by Qh7. The rook on f8 can't move because of the weakness on f7. Black is left with sacrificing the queen, but even that doesn't save the game.} Qxe4 (19... fxe4 20. Rh4 $18) 20. Rxe4 fxe4 21. Qxa5 $18) (17... Kg7 18. Rad1 {When attacking, all pieces must join in. Rd1 brings the last white piece into the game} Qxb2 19. Qh4 $18 {White is threatening both Nxf6 and Nh5}) 18. Qh6 $1 {White doesn't even recapture, instead he threatens Nh5 followed by Qg7.} exf4 19. Nh5 f5 {[#]} 20. Rad1 {The final finesse of the game: with this precise intermediate move, Fischer secures a clear material advantage.} (20. Nef6+ Bxf6 21. Nxf6+ Qxf6 22. Qxf6 Nxa1 23. Rxa1 Bb7 $16) 20... Qe5 21. Nef6+ Bxf6 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. Qxf6 Nc5 24. Qg5+ Kh8 25. Qe7 $1 {I'd like to draw attention to this move: Despite the clear material advantage and the fact that many moves win, Fischer remained completely precise and that always pays off. Staying accurate even in winning positions saves a lot of trouble when it comes to converting the advantage.} Ba6 26. Qxc5 Bxf1 27. Rxf1 1-0 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade"] [Date "1959.09.29"] [Round "14"] [White "Tal, Mihail"] [Black "Benko, Pal C"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "GM Markus Ragger"] [ECO "A43"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "1r1qr1k1/2n1p2p/p2pP1pB/2pP1p2/bp5R/5N1P/1bPQ1PP1/4RBK1 w - - 0 23"] [PlyCount "3"] [GameId "2266463891076880"] [EventDate "1959.09.07"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "28"] [EventCountry "CRO"] [SourceTitle "Candidates"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[#]} 23. Bf8 $3 {This clearance sacrifice not only opens the way for the queen to reach h6, but also prevents Black from defending with ...Bg7.} Rxf8 24. Qh6 {Black is now forced to give up significant material to avoid mate, and Tal converted convincingly in just a few more moves.} 1-0 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade"] [Date "1959.09.08"] [Round "2"] [White "Tal, Mihail"] [Black "Gligoric, Svetozar"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "GM Markus Ragger"] [ECO "E89"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "r4rk1/1pq2p2/p2p1bp1/3Pp3/4P2P/nPNQ3B/P3K3/2R4R w - - 0 22"] [PlyCount "3"] [GameId "2266463891076882"] [EventDate "1959.09.07"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "28"] [EventCountry "CRO"] [SourceTitle "Candidates"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[#]} 22. Nb1 $1 {A classic discovered attack: White simultaneously threatens the knight on a3 and the queen on c7. Black has only one move to defend both at once.} Qa5 23. b4 $1 $18 {The idea behind Nb1! The ability to spot and calculate short tactical sequences accurately is what makes a strong player. Tal went on to convert his material advantage safely, even though the game continued for more than 20 moves} 1-0 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade"] [Date "1959.09.18"] [Round "8"] [White "Tal, Mihail"] [Black "Smyslov, Vassily V"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "GM Markus Ragger"] [ECO "B10"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "r1bb1r1k/p2n1ppp/2p4N/7Q/2p5/2B2N2/qPP2PPP/2KR3R b - - 0 18"] [PlyCount "16"] [GameId "2266463891076884"] [EventDate "1959.09.07"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "28"] [EventCountry "CRO"] [SourceTitle "100 Jahre Schach"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.04.19"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.04.19"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[#]} 18... Nf6 $2 {[#] Tal stayed true to his famous motto: ‘I lead my opponent into a deep, dark forest where 2 + 2 equals 5 – and he begins to doubt.’ The position had become as complex as it gets, and after countless tangled variations, Smyslov lost his sense of direction with the move Nf6. How did Tal punish this without mercy?} 19. Qxf7 $1 $18 {A beautiful queen sacrifice! The immediate threat is Qxf8, and if the rook moves from f8, White could even deliver a smothered mate with Qg8. If Black takes the queen with Rxf7, then Rd8# ends the game on the spot.} Qa1+ (19... Rxf7 20. Rxd8+ Ng8 21. Rxg8#) (19... Re8 20. Qg8+ Nxg8 21. Nf7#) 20. Kd2 Rxf7 21. Nxf7+ Kg8 22. Rxa1 Kxf7 {The smoke has cleared: White is simply up the exchange, and Black is left with multiple pawn weaknesses. It’s no surprise that Smyslov resigned just a few moves later.} 23. Ne5+ Ke6 24. Nxc6 Ne4+ 25. Ke3 Bb6+ 26. Bd4 1-0