Category: Full Game Analysis

Giulio Cesare Polerio was an Italian chess theoretician and player who lived in the sixteenth century in the Kingdom of Naples. He has gained significant recognition as the author of seven influential Codexes, labeled A to G, which played a crucial role in shaping the narrative of chess history and the development of chess theory.

In December 1937, Alekhine recaptured the title from Euwe in a convincing manner with an impressive score of ten wins, four losses, and eleven draws. Among the many remarkable games played during this highly significant match, one of the most noteworthy and shortest ones deserves our attention.

Undoubtedly, the thirteenth game of the World Chess Championship between Robert Fischer and Boris Spassky, renowned as The Match Of The Century, stood out as an exceptionally arduous, challenging, and technically demanding encounter. It might even be considered the most formidable and taxing game, not only within the match itself, but also among all the previous World Championship matches.

The pun was intentional. It doesn’t happen every century that two elite grandmasters cross paths in a tournament, with one of them experiencing defeat twice due to making the same losing move in two distinct positions.

It is rumored that the writing of the article was preceded by Fischer’s defeat in 1960 against Boris Spassky, the future rival for the World Championship title, during the tournament in Mar del Plata (where Fischer and Spassky shared first place). They played the Kieseritzky Gambit, and Fischer chose the Berlin Defense.

The game chosen for today’s article comes from the famous match between Morphy and de Rivière. It showcases an excellent illustration of the perpetual pursuit concept.

Dubbed as Petrov’s Immortal, this specific chess game stands out as an extraordinary showcase of castling, making it a noteworthy piece of chess history. It serves as a valuable resource for beginners seeking to delve into the intricacies of the game, providing insights into the rules of castling, the art of sacrificing material for an attack, and the strategic construction of a mating net.

The renowned game played by Adolf Anderssen, the unofficial World Champion at the time (prior to the title being officially bestowed upon Wilhelm Steinitz), introduced a remarkable chess tactic known as Anderssen’s Mate.

Game 5 of the 1996 match turned out to be a pivotal moment, as it marked a turning point. The opening of this game followed the pattern of the Scotch Four Knights Game, which combines elements from both the Scotch Game and the Four Knights Game.

Although Byrne captured Fischer’s queen, the young prodigy more than made up for the loss by securing numerous other pieces in return. The game’s conclusion served as a remarkable exhibition of effective coordination among the remaining pieces, ultimately leading to a checkmate in a splendid display of skill and strategy.