Publisher's Synopsis
If Bobby Fischer is the greatest chess player of our time, perhaps the greatest of all time, he is also only human. Sometimes he loses. Of the 576 tournament and match games Fischer has played since becoming United States Chess Champion at the age of 14, he has only lost 61. The patterns of his losses are as interesting as those of his victories; and this book is a comprehensive clear analysis of each of those 61 losing games.
Those who aspire to play the champion and to win will be in for some surprises here as they learn why Bobby loses and to whom. What openings give him the greatest trouble? Does he lose because he tries too hard, takes too many chances? Is it the weak player Fischer should fear or the world class competitor? Will it pay to confront Fischer with a wild, unbalanced strategy, or will a challenger fare best with the classical tries and true? Will you do better with Black or with White? What of the Samisch, the Najdorf, the King's Indian?
Divided into four parts of Fischer's chess life - youthful champion, Hope and Disappointment, Semi-retirement, and Artistry at the highest level - the text and diagrams analyze each game from both a chess and a psychological point of view. A special feature - "the losing moment", beyond which there was no salvation - caps each analysis. The book contains extensive analytical lists of the 61 losing games and ends with a list of do's and don't's when playing Fischer - whether in tournaments or in simultaneous exhibitions.
There is an old and valuable lesson in these pages: chess rewards hard work and determination as well as brilliance. All who would beat Bobby Fischer, in fact or fantasy, should start here.
