Best by test: e4

According to Bobby Fischer, e4 is the best opening move. As is well known, Fischer claimed 1. e4 to be the best by test. And the best way to continue was the Ruy Lopez for Bobby just like for many other players before and after him. Fischer himself used to play the exchange variation that was not considered a valid try to play for an advantage before the GM Fischer showed how to play the opening.

Bobby Fischer - A Child Prodigy

Bobby Fischer was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 9, 1943. His mother, Regina Wender, was an American citizen of Polish Jewish descent. She was born in Switzerland but raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She later became a teacher, nurse, and physician. Fischer's birth certificate listed Hans-Gerhardt Fischer, a German biophysicist, as Fischer's father. The couple married in 1933 in Moscow, USSR, where Wender was studying medicine. They divorced in 1945 when Bobby was only two years old. In the following years, he grew up with his mother and older sister, Joan. In 1948, they moved to Mobile, Arizona, where Regina was teacher in an elementary school. The following year they moved to New York, where she worked as an elementary school teacher and nurse.

In May 1949, the six-year-old Fischer learned how to play chess together with his sister. Only a month later, he saw his first chess and now he started to play chess on his own. At age seven, he began to play chess seriously. He first joined the Brooklyn Chess Club where he received instruction from its president, Carmine Nigro. He later (in June 1955) joined the Manhattan Chess Club, that was one of the strongest clubs in the whole world.

Later, when Bobby was already famous in the whole world, he told in an interview that when he was about 11 years old he realized he was a promising chess player. See the following interesting interview for some more interesting pieces of information!



When Bobby was thirteen, John W. Collins started to coach him. Collins had already coached several top players, including future grandmasters Robert Byrne and William Lombardy.

Life of Bobby Fischer

Robert James "Bobby" Fischer (March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008) was an American chess Grandmaster, and the eleventh World Chess Champion. Already as a teenager, he was a chess prodigy. In 1972, he became the first, and so far the only, American to win the official World Chess Championship defeating defending champion Boris Spassky (USSR) in a match held in Reykjavik.

Chess fans around the world were disappointed, when in 1975, Fischer failed to defend his title against Anatoly Karpov.

After this, he did not play competitive chess until 1992, when he won a rematch against Spassky. The competition was held in Yugoslavia, which was then under a strict United Nations embargo. Breaking the embargo, led to a conflict with the US government. Fischer never returned to United States.

In his later years, Fischer lived in Hungary, Germany, the Philippines, and Japan. During the 2004–2005 time period, after his US passport was revoked, he was detained by Japanese authorities for nine months under threat of extradition. After Iceland granted him citizenship, the Japanese authorities released him to that country, where he lived until his death in 2008.

Fischer - Tal 1960

The following game is a draw, but what a draw!

Fischer plays white against Mikhail Tal who was the World Champion in 1960-1961. Tal was a wild attacking player and famous for his incredible sacrifices. "The Magician of Riga" is still considered by many as the greatest attacking player of all times.

Fischer and Tal played eleven games against each other. Tal won four, Fischer two, and five games were drawn.

Keres - Fischer 1959

Paul Keres (1916-1975) is the greatest Estonian player of all times. He belonged to the world elite since the 1930s when he won the AVRO tournament in 1938. Still today, Paul Keres is a famous figure in Estonia, where people see his portrait every day on the local banknote of five kroons.

Fischer demonstrates here how to play and win against the London System.

Fischer - Geller 1961

This game is another white win by Bobby Fischer. The black was Efim Geller (1925-1998), who was during his best years of the best players in the world. He won twice the USSR Championship (in 1955 and 1979), six times a candidate for world championship, four times champion of Ukraina, twice seniors' world champion. Furthermore, he coached both Boris Spassky and Anatoly Karpov.

This game was played in Bled in 1961.

Fischer - Najdorf 1962

Bobby Fischer played very often variations with Bc4 against the Sicilian defence. In this game, he chooses another system to combat the Najdorf Sicilian played by Miguel Najdorf himself.

This time we see the system with 6. h3 in action. Many class players around the world still use this system to fight the Najdorf. It can't be bad if our hero decided to use it against Najdorf!

Fischer - Larsen 1958

Fischer beats Bent Larsen in 31 moves playing white against Sicilian Dragon in this game played in the interzonal tournament in Portoroz, Yugoslavia. Thirteen years later they would play in the semifinal for the world championship. Fischer famously won that match 6-0!

Fischer - Reshevsky 1958

This is a game young Bobby Fischer won with white against Samuel Reshevsky, one of the best western players of the era. Bishop sacrifice on move 10 is something to remember!



Even in case of 10. ...Rxf7 or Kh8, Ne6 wins the black queen!

Fischer - Euwe 1960

In this game, Bobby Fischer wins against former world champion Max Euwe playing Panov-Botvinnik attack (B14) against Caro-Kann defense.

Robert James Fischer (1943-2008)

Robert James "Bobby" Fischer (1943-2008) was the eleventh world champion (1972-1975) in chess. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest chess players ever. This blog is dedicated to grandmaster Bobby Fischer and his games.

Play through the games played by our hero in five decades both against world class opponents and against lesser players. Become a better player following him like thousands of chess players have done before you!