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January 1968
- (Bobby Fischer 1968 Blog) (★) (Image) The Guardian London, Greater London, England Wednesday, January 03, 1968 - Page 12, “Champion Falls Into Chess Trap”
- (Bobby Fischer 1968 Blog) (★) (Image) The Leader-Post Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Thursday, January 04, 1968 - Page 10, “Popularity of game increases in Western countries: Russian-dominated chess world challenged”
- (Duplicate) (★)
Times Colonist Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Thursday, January 04, 1968 - Page 25, “Soviet Experts Challenged: Grants Key to Growth Of West Chess Hopes”
- (Duplicate) (★) The Brandon Sun Brandon, Manitoba, Canada Thursday, January 04, 1968 - Page 12, “Soviet Supremacy In Chess Declines”
- (Duplicate) (★) The Province Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Wednesday, January 10, 1968 - Page 25, “Chess: West Challenges Soviet Supremacy”
- (Duplicate) (★) The Ottawa Journal Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Saturday, January 27, 1968 - Page 44, “Soviet Chess Supremacy May Be on the Wane”
- (Bobby Fischer 1968 Blog) (★) (Image) The Gazette Montreal, Quebec, Canada Saturday, January 06, 1968 - Page 11, “Ejected, Rejected And Resurrected”
- (Bobby Fischer 1968 Blog) (★) (Image) The Press Democrat Santa Rosa, California Sunday, January 07, 1968 - Page 29, “Keres The Feared”
- (Bobby Fischer 1968 Blog) (★) (Image) The Signal Santa Clarita, California Wednesday, January 10, 1968 - Page 14, “Temperament In Tunisia”
- (Bobby Fischer 1968 Blog) (★) (Image) The Indianapolis News Indianapolis, Indiana Thursday, January 11, 1968 - Page 44, “Chess Master: The Ghost of Bobby Fischer”
- (Bobby Fischer 1968 Blog) (★) (Image) The Guardian, London, Greater London, England, Friday, January 12, 1968 - Page 2, “The Chessmaster of 1967”
- (Bobby Fischer 1968 Blog) (★) (Image) The Courier-Journal Louisville, Kentucky Sunday, January 14, 1968 - Page 42, “Textbooks Are Suggested For Intermediate Players”
- (Bobby Fischer 1968 Blog) (★) (Image) The Central New Jersey Home News New Brunswick, New Jersey Sunday, January 14, 1968 - Page 9, “Expert or Wood Pusher--This Chess Club Has Room for You”
- (Bobby Fischer 1968 Blog) (★) (Image) Bennington Banner Bennington, Vermont Monday, January 15, 1968 - Page 4, “Emotional Intellectuals”
- (Bobby Fischer 1968 Blog) (★) (Image) The Courier-Journal Louisville, Kentucky Sunday, January 21, 1968 - Page 42, “Data Is Given On Textbook By Fischer”
- (Bobby Fischer 1968 Blog) (★) (Image) The Press Democrat Santa Rosa, California Sunday, January 21, 1968 - Page 13, “Report From Tunisia: Before Fischer's Finish”
- (Vague Mention) (★) Star Tribune Minneapolis, Minnesota Sunday, January 21, 1968 - Page 69 “Novel Way to Make a Game of Reading” “It would be interesting to know the source of the game he describes (Did he put it together himself?) The inspiration for Prim is more apparent; this fictional wizard is sure to remind you of Bobby Fischer, both in strategy and some incidents.”
- (Vague Mention) (★) The Circleville Herald Circleville, Ohio Monday, January 22, 1968 - Page 8, “Crossword Puzzle”
June 17, 1968
July 1968
August 01, 1968
Boys' Life Aug 1968 — Check-Mate by Bobby Fischer — Hi. I think maybe some of you would like to know why your solutions to the very tough puzzler in March were wrong. Below is the problem. White was to mate in three. A lot of you wrote in the tempting 1. Q:e4 as the solution. It's true this works against 1 . . . R:e4? 2.cd=Q (or rook) Re8 3. fe=rook or queen ☓. But instead of 1 . . . R:e4, 1 . . . Rb8#!, for example, prevents the mate in two. Actually after 1. Q:e4 white doesn't even threaten mate in two moves! So almost any move by black will suffice, like 1 . . . h2 and if 2. Qg2 Re2＋! etc.
Someone wrote in 1. Q:c5＋ but this just fails after 1 . . . d6 and now white has lots of tries but I see no mate in two. For example, 2 Q:d4 Re5!! or 2. Qd5 Re6! and in either case 3. cd=Q＋ is not mate because of 3…Re8!
Another try you sent was 1. Rg7 threatening simply 2. h7 and 3. h8&9868;Q mate! But black has the key resource 1 . . . Rb8 and on 2. h7 Rb2＋ staves off the mate until white's fourth move. Another try was 1. Qh2. This, incidentally, was what I thought the solution was at first because now 1 . . . Rb8 is met by 2. cb⚌Q or rook and mates black on the next move. But 1 . . . Be7 holds for black; if then 2. Qg3 Bg5! or 2. Qe5 Bf6! and no mate in three. Another try—1. Nh4, threatening 2. Ng6 mate—is met by Ke7!!
One reader thought 1. Rh8 was a mate, but K:f7 is an easy escape. Another try was 1. cd⚌Q R:d8 2. Qc4 followed by 3. Rh8 was mate but 2 . . . d5! thwarts this try.
Finally, others thought 1. Qc4 d5! 2. Q:c5 ＋ Rd6! etc—but black can get away. The answer Qf2 that we ran in June was the foolproof first move.
Dear Mr. Fischer:
…Have you ever played a computer? What do you think of the chance of a computer of grandmaster strength, and possibly becoming world champion? Michael Ventriglia, Fullerton, Calif.
I've never played a computer. Eventually, though, I think a computer can become champion. After all, it can't be as hard as getting a man on the moon. But I hope it doesn't happen during my lifetime! Incidentally, here's an example of a computer game. Black's game was a disgrace to the human race. The computer (white) was called MacHack IV, and it took on Landey, the man.
Dear Mr. Fischer:
Can you settle an argument between me and my friend over our chess game? Please tell me if someone calls checkmate, yet there is a piece which he overlooked that can block the checkmate, does he lose the game for calling checkmate? Mary Smith, St. Joseph, Mo.
No penalty for calling checkmate if the other player has a way out.
Dear Bobby Fischer:
One question: What is the penalty for touching one or more of your opponent's pieces? Terry Orlando, Independence, La.
The first of your opponent's pieces that you touch and can legally be removed from the board, you must capture. If the first can not be legally captured, then the second—if legally capturable—must be taken. If neither can be legally captured, there's no penalty. Suppose (diagram below) you play Bb5 (Ruy Lopez opening) and while you still have your hand on the piece, you decide on the Guico Piano. You simply move the bishop to C4. Then, when you take your hand off it you've completed your move. One thing more. When one of your pieces or your opponent's pieces isn't squarely in its box, you say “I adjust” (J'adoube) and you can touch it.
A few columns back I asked you fellows to send in some interesting games you've played and said I'd choose those I liked best to comment on in the column.
The first is from Ron Hill, of Grant's Pass, Oregon. Ron's comment was that the outstanding thing about the game was the queen-bishop sacrifice. Here's how the game went.
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d4 ed 4. Q:d4 (Nf3 is a better developing move.) 4 . . . Nc6 5. Qd2 Bb4! (Good move. Takes away developing square for white knight, because if 6. Nc3 N:e4! 7. B:f7＋, K:f7, 8. Qd5 check, Kf6!! and black's in good shape. Taking the white knight is taboo. Do you see why?) 6. c3 Bc5 7. Nf3 d5? (Black should castle and he must win the “e” pawn because if 8. e5 then Re8! and that's it. Up to here black has played beautifully but now inexplicably he starts giving things away! 8. B:d5! N:d5 9. ed Q:d5?? 10. Q:d5! Bg4!? 11. Ng5!? Rd8!? (This move must have taken nerves of steel.) 12. Q:c5?? (He had a mate in one!) 12…Rd1 checkmate!
This game had unusual twists and wild turns and it was impossible to tell the outcome until the very last move. Black started off playing a very good game but he had a bad patch in the middle that should have cost him checkmate.
Now for our puzzler from Albert Renn, Kassel, Germany. White is to move first and mate in three.
Just send me white's first move, together with the date you received your August Boys' Life Address: Bobby Fischer, Boys' Life, New Brunswick, N.J. O8903. The first ten of you with correct first move will get my autographed photo.
Read More
October 1968
"Bobby Fischer at the “Jelaš” picnic area near Vukovar, 1968. (15 kilometers from Vinkovci). He sits in the middle between Minić and Matanović." [Fischer na izletištu "Jelaš" u blizini Vukovara, 1968. godine. (15 kilometara od Vinkovaca) Sjedi u sredini između Minića i Matanovića.] Caption by Pero Sentic. Original b/w photographer, unknown.
The theater where Fischer played in 1968. Fischer received $2,000 extra for his appearance at the tournament and the organizers had to urgently install fluorescent bulbs! Vinkovci is a city in the Republic of Croatia (Croatia). [Teatar u kojem je igrao Fischer 1968. godine. Fischer je dobio 2.000$ ekstra honorara za nastup na turniru i organizatori su pod hitno morali instalirati fluroscentne žarulje! Vinkovci su grad u Republici Hrvatskoj (Croatia)] Caption by Pero Sentic. Original b/w photographer, unknown.
