Bobby Fischer was a chess Grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. Many consider him to be the greatest chess player of all time.
Below are several of Bobby Fischer’s greatest games from his early years. I put them in chronological order, in the first game Bobby Fischer is only 13 years old. In the last game he is 20 years old.
Be sure to bookmark this page so you can come back and study these important games.
The Game of the Century is a chess game played between 26-year-old Donald Byrne and 13-year-old Bobby Fischer in the Rosenwald Memorial Tournament in New York City on October 17, 1956.
Donald Byrne plays white as Bobby Fischer uses a hypermodern defense as black. Donald Byrne was one of the leading American chess masters at the time of this game and Bobby Fischer was a 13 year old boy.
Byrne makes a seemingly minor mistake on move 11, losing tempo by moving the same piece twice. Fischer pounces with brilliant sacrificial play, culminating in a queen sacrifice on move 17. Byrne captures the queen, but Bobby Fischer gets a rook, two bishops, and a pawn. At the end, Bobby Fischer’s pieces coordinate to force checkmate, while Byrne’s queen sits, useless, on the other side of the board.
A chess game played between 14 year old Bobby Fischer and James Sherwin at the US Chess Championship in New York City on December 27, 1957.
Bobby Fischer plays white as James Sherwin uses a ‘Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation’ as black. Bobby Fischer wins in 36 moves when James Sherwin resigns facing eminent defeat.
A chess game played between Rene Letelier and Bobby Fischer in the 14th Chess Olympiad in Leipzig, Germany on October 24, 1960.
Rene Letelier plays white as Bobby Fischer uses the King’s Indian defense as black. Bobby Fischer temps Rene Letelier into an aggression he can not manage and smartly picks apart his forces. Bobby Fischer has created a hopeless trap after 23 moves and Rene Letelier resigns.
A chess game played between Bobby Fischer and Mikhail Tal in the Bled Tournament held in Bled, Yugoslavia on September 4, 1961.
Bobby Fischer plays white as Mikhail Tal uses the Sicilian Defense: Paulsen. Bastrikov Variation as black. This is a wonderful game where Bobby Fisher dominates Mikhail Tal. Bobby Fisher has an offense that is amazingly strong. At one point Bobby Fisher sacrifices his queen and only captures Mikhail Tal’s rook. Bobby Fisher had such a dominant position it was inconsequential and was simply a continuation of his attack. With only his King and Queen left Mikhail Tal resigns after 47 moves.
Mikhail Tal would go on to win the Bled Tournament with a 14.5/19 to Bobby Fisher’s 13.5/19.
A chess game played between Bobby Fischer and Pal Benko in the 1963 US Chess Championship in New York City, NY on December 18,1963.
Bobby Fischer plays white as Pal Benko uses a modern defense as black. Pal Benko comes out strong developing his pieces with tempo. Bobby Fischer plays smart and is careful to develop in a defensive matter. On move 18 the game quickly falls apart for black. A devastating combination leads to Pal Benko’s resignation after 21 moves.
Bobby Fischer went on to win 11-0 in the 1963 US Chess Championship, the only perfect score in the tournaments history.
I hope you enjoyed these videos. These five games should be studied by any serious chess player. The person sitting across the chess board has studied them and will use the information gleaned from them against you.
