Solitaire Chess Quiz: Fisching for Tactics

Guten Morgen!  Today we are flying to Leipzig, Germany 1960 to play Solitaire Chess.  Mrs Jessica E Prescott (aka BoundingOwl) will show you a game from one of the strongest chess players of all time:  Bobby Fischer.  How do you compare with Genius?  Take out a pencil and paper and find out!  Here he is a few years before this game.

 

(NB:  Fischer got very strange as he got older.  He died in 2008 and was absolutely barking mad, people say.  Still, he is probably the best chess player ever!  I'm only going to talk about his chess today though, not his personality.)

 

 

 

In this game Fischer had black.  The opening is called "Nimzo-Indian."  Black gets castled very early, then strikes out in the center.

 

 

 

 

1. What would you play here?  Write down your favourite option for black.  Which piece is not developed?  How should you develop it?

A.  b6  B.  e5  C. Bd7

No peeking till you've written your choice down!

 

 

 

2. Black to move.  What's the best choice?  (Hint:  Do you remember what an intermezzo or zwischenzug is?)

A.  e4  B.  bxc6  C.  exd4

 

 

 

 

3. Your turn!  A.  bxc6   B.  Bg4   C.  h6

 

 

4.  Best move?  A.   Qe8   B.  Re8   C.  Bd7

 

 

 

5.  Black to move.  After this winner, white resigned!

A.  Bxh2+  B.  Bxc5  C.  Bh6

 

 

 

Do you know why white resigned?  (Bonus:)

A.  Because the game is lost.    B.  Because the queen is lost, then the game will be lost.  C.  Because his opponent is a fraidy-cat.

  (Many people were afraid of Fischer!)

ANSWERS!

1.   B. e5 is the best choice.  Open the center and let the bishop out.  5 points!  A. b6 hangs the knight on c6 (-3 points) and C. Bd7 doesn't really develop the bishop to a good square (2 points).  Don't develop just anywhere.  Make each move count.

2.  C. bxc4 is best.  This is a zwischenzug.  You'll get the bishop later. 5 points!  A. e4 loses because the bishop can just take it.  (0 points)  B.  bxc6 right away loses to dxe5 forking your knight and bishop!  Ouch!  (-3 points)

3.  A. bxc6 is correct.  Now take the bishop, of course!  5 points. B and C get 0 points.

4.  This one is hard.  Also if you chose Rb8 or h6 even though they are not choices that I listed, 5 bonus points for you!  Way to think on your own.  :)  Of the choices listed, B. Re8 is best.  5 points.  A.  Qe8 is not best because she will get kicked with Re1.  Rooks prefer open files (not queens as much).  2 points because at least you got out of the pin.  C.  Bd7 breaks the pin but retreating is not the best option!  2 points.

5.  A.  Bxh2+ 10 points!!  This is a beautiful discovered attack.  Did you see it?  B. Bxc5 gets 0 points and C. Bh6 gets -3 points.  You skewered the queen to the rook, but your bishop would be hanging!

BONUS:  All of the above?  Well, at least B.

How did you do? Laughing