The story behind the game
In the fourth game of the 1972 championship, Fischer takes a queenside pawn while Spassky gains active diagonals and kingside space. Black uses a bishop check threat and an open h-file to keep the balance. The later rook exchange leads to a drawn bishop ending, illustrating how active defence can change shape as pieces disappear.
Take these ideas to your next game
- A pawn sacrifice needs concrete piece activity.
- An advanced bishop can attack the queen and restrict the king.
- Bring a rook onto the file opened by pawn play.
- Reassess compensation when a rook exchange changes the ending.
Read the complete annotated game
Full game transcript, including the result and the answers. Original explanations by chessgames.info; game score from the sources below.
Nc5 gains time against White’s queen and bishop. White exchanges the bishop for the knight, and Black’s other bishop recaptures with check. Black’s activity is part of the compensation for the missing pawn. Compare the resulting diagonals with the value of the queenside pawn White has taken.
Be3 gives the bishop influence near the white king. The bishop controls g1 through f2 and works with Black’s queen and h-pawn. White’s queen moves to g4 in the recorded game to address the pressure. Compare possible queen exchanges and king routes instead of assuming the advanced bishop is only attacking pawns.
Rh8 activates the rook on the file opened by pawn play. White’s knight moves to f3, and Black exchanges a bishop for it before entering with the queen. The rook’s pressure helps keep White occupied. Reassess the compensation after those exchanges rather than treating the earlier pawn sacrifice as permanently justified.
Rc7 permits a rook exchange that changes the defensive task. White captures on c7 and Black recaptures with the bishop. The resulting bishop ending still contains pawn breaks and king activity, and the recorded game is drawn. Check the actual pawn structure before applying a general rule about exchanging rooks when defending.
Result: 1/2-1/2. The recorded score ends here; it does not imply checkmate.
Think through the turning points
Move 16: Attack the queen with a knight
Which knight move attacks the queen on d3? In the game: Nc5. Nc5 gains time against White’s queen and bishop. White exchanges the bishop for the knight, and Black’s other bishop recaptures with check. Black’s activity is part of the compensation for the missing pawn. Compare the resulting diagonals with the value of the queenside pawn White has taken.
Engine-supported alternatives
Nc5 Qe3 Nxb3 Qxb3 a4 Qd3 Qd5 Rf2 Rac8 Nc3 Qa5 Qe3 · -0.33 · depth 18
Ba6 Bc4 Nc5 Qc3 Na4 Qe3 Rc8 b3 Nb2 Nd6 Nxc4 bxc4 · +0.27 · depth 18
Qb8 Qe2 · +0.34 · depth 18
Move 24: Restrict the king’s escape squares
Which bishop move takes an advanced square on e3? In the game: Be3. Be3 gives the bishop influence near the white king. The bishop controls g1 through f2 and works with Black’s queen and h-pawn. White’s queen moves to g4 in the recorded game to address the pressure. Compare possible queen exchanges and king routes instead of assuming the advanced bishop is only attacking pawns.
Engine-supported alternatives
Be3 Qg4 Qxe5 Qxh4 g5 Qe1 Qf4 Be2 Bb6 Rd3 Bc7 Qd2 · -1.14 · depth 18
g6 Ne4 · -0.95 · depth 18
Rd8 Rf1 Bxd6 exd6 Rxd6 Bd3 Rd4 Rf2 g6 Kg1 Kg7 c3 · -1.02 · depth 17
Move 29: Use the open h-file
Which rook move brings Black’s remaining rook to the h-file? In the game: Rh8. Rh8 activates the rook on the file opened by pawn play. White’s knight moves to f3, and Black exchanges a bishop for it before entering with the queen. The rook’s pressure helps keep White occupied. Reassess the compensation after those exchanges rather than treating the earlier pawn sacrifice as permanently justified.
Engine-supported alternatives
Rd8 · -1.43 · depth 19
Rh8 Nf3 · -1.28 · depth 19
a4 Nf3 Bxf3 Qxf3 Qxb2 Qe4 Re8 Rf1 Re7 Bd3 f5 Qxa4 · -0.73 · depth 19
Move 38: Choose the bishop ending
Which rook move offers an exchange on c7? In the game: Rc7. Rc7 permits a rook exchange that changes the defensive task. White captures on c7 and Black recaptures with the bishop. The resulting bishop ending still contains pawn breaks and king activity, and the recorded game is drawn. Check the actual pawn structure before applying a general rule about exchanging rooks when defending.
Engine-supported alternatives
Bf4 Rxf7+ Ke5 Ra7 Rxc2 Rxa5+ Kf6 Rb5 Rc1+ Kf2 Rc2+ Kf1 · +0.00 · depth 25
Bb2 Rxf7+ Ke5 Ra7 Rxc2 Rxa5+ Kf4 Bg6 Rd2 g3+ Ke3 Rb5 · +0.00 · depth 25
Rc7 Rxc7 Bxc7 Ke2 e5 Bf3 Ke6 g4 Kd6 a4 Kc5 Kd3 · +0.00 · depth 24
Every piece has a part to play.
In the fourth game of the 1972 championship, Fischer takes a queenside pawn while Spassky gains active diagonals and kingside space. Black uses a bishop check threat and an open h-file to keep the balance. The later rook exchange leads to a drawn bishop ending, illustrating how active defence can change shape as pieces disappear.
Look a little deeper
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Accessible evaluation values & provenance
Stockfish 17.1 · 75,000 nodes per position; 1,000,000 at key moments. Actual depth 12–25. Positive centipawns favour White; mate scores remain separate. Selective search is evidence, not proof.
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