The Game of the Century, Part 1

Today we are going to see a game which is known as the "Game of the Century". That's the last century, the twentieth. Who will play the game of the twenty-first century? Who knows, maybe you!

Bobby Fischer played the game of the twentieth century. You might have already heard his name - he is probably the most famous chess player ever. Most great chess players are famous in the chess world, but Fischer is famous in the general population, like a rock star.

Why was this game called the "Game of the Century"? Well, check it out and you should see why. By the way, Bobby Fischer was only thirteen years old when he played this game!

Fischer has played the Gruenfeld Defense - one of his favorite defenses. Black allowed White to occupy the center with pawns. But this took time, so Black is ahead in development. White's last move, 11.Bg5, was a bad idea. Instead of moving already-developed pieces again, White should hurry up to get castled. Of course, Donald Byrne knew that (he was an international master, not a bad player either!) but he thought he could get away with it. By playing a very shocking move, Fischer shows that he cannot!

White is just about to castle. Will he escape? It's Black's move, and he finds a way to keep White off balance.

White can no longer castle. He is also down a pawn. But I think Donald Byrne was optimistic here. After all, both Black's queen and knight are under attack. It seem like he is just going to lose his knight. Has Byrne tricked his young opponent, or did Fischer have everything planned out? Find out in "The Game of the Century, Part 2".