The story behind the game
In the sixth game of the 1972 world championship in Reykjavík, Bobby Fischer used a quiet opening to reach a position of lasting pressure against Boris Spassky. The lesson is how structural weaknesses, active rooks and well-timed pawn breaks reinforce one another.
Take these ideas to your next game
- A damaged pawn structure gives your pieces targets.
- Improve every piece before looking for a final combination.
- A pawn break should open lines for pieces already ready to use them.
- When converting an advantage, restrict counterplay as you improve your attack.
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.
Good strategic play gives a piece a task before it creates a threat. Fischer plays 18.Nd4, increasing central pressure. The later exchange on e6 changes Black’s pawn structure and gives White fixed targets. Follow the sequence as a plan: improve the piece, provoke a concession, then build pressure against the resulting weaknesses. The move is useful because of the position it leads to, not just its central appearance.
A pawn break connects structural targets to active pieces. After …fxe6, 20.e4 challenges the centre. White’s later f4 and e5 gain space and prepare an attack on the kingside. A damaged pawn structure is only a potential weakness until your pieces can use it. Ask which files and diagonals will become useful after the central pawns move.
Prepare the pieces, then open their lines. Fischer’s 26.f5 puts the kingside structure under pressure. After …exf5, Rxf5 activates a rook on the fifth rank, and the other rook soon joins the f-file. The important order is preparation before the break: the bishop, queen and rooks are already able to exploit the changes.
An advantage becomes decisive when the threats reinforce one another. The game continues 37.Qe4. After …Nf6, White sacrifices an exchange on f6 and the exposed black king becomes the focus. The finish is supported by the earlier structural play and rook activity. When reviewing the saved alternatives, ask how each line handles counterplay as well as how it attacks.
Result: 1-0. The recorded score ends here; it does not imply checkmate.
Think through the turning points
Move 18: Improve with a purpose
Which central square makes White’s knight more useful? In the game: Nd4. Good strategic play gives a piece a task before it creates a threat. Fischer plays 18.Nd4, increasing central pressure. The later exchange on e6 changes Black’s pawn structure and gives White fixed targets. Follow the sequence as a plan: improve the piece, provoke a concession, then build pressure against the resulting weaknesses. The move is useful because of the position it leads to, not just its central appearance.
Engine-supported alternatives
Nd4 Nf6 Nxe6 fxe6 Rc2 c4 Qxe7 Rxe7 b3 Rec7 Rfc1 Nd7 · +0.29 · depth 19
h3 Qf8 b3 a5 Qa4 Nb6 Qf4 a4 Bd3 axb3 axb3 Nd7 · +0.12 · depth 19
Rfd1 Nf6 h3 g6 Rc2 Rac7 Rdc1 Bf5 Bd3 Bxd3 Qxd3 c4 · +0.10 · depth 19
Move 20: Open the next phase
How should White challenge the centre after Black’s pawn structure changes? In the game: e4. A pawn break connects structural targets to active pieces. After …fxe6, 20.e4 challenges the centre. White’s later f4 and e5 gain space and prepare an attack on the kingside. A damaged pawn structure is only a potential weakness until your pieces can use it. Ask which files and diagonals will become useful after the central pawns move.
Engine-supported alternatives
e4 Qd6 exd5 exd5 h3 Nf6 Bd3 Rc6 b3 Nh5 Rfe1 Rf7 · +0.65 · depth 17
b3 a5 e4 dxe4 h3 Ne5 Bg4 Nxg4 hxg4 a4 Rc4 Rd8 · +0.21 · depth 17
h3 c4 · +0.13 · depth 17
Move 26: Break where the pieces are ready
Which pawn break can make White’s active pieces more effective? In the game: f5. Prepare the pieces, then open their lines. Fischer’s 26.f5 puts the kingside structure under pressure. After …exf5, Rxf5 activates a rook on the fifth rank, and the other rook soon joins the f-file. The important order is preparation before the break: the bishop, queen and rooks are already able to exploit the changes.
Engine-supported alternatives
a4 Rd8 Rf2 Nd7 Qxe6 Qxe6 Bxe6 Rc7 g3 Nb6 Kg2 g6 · +2.58 · depth 20
f5 Qg5 fxe6 Ng6 Rce1 a4 Qf5 Qxf5 Rxf5 axb3 axb3 Re7 · +2.40 · depth 20
Rce1 a4 f5 Qg5 fxe6 axb3 axb3 Ng6 Rf7 Rba8 Qf5 Qxf5 · +2.31 · depth 19
Move 37: Keep every threat connected
How can the queen support the final phase without abandoning the attack? In the game: Qe4. An advantage becomes decisive when the threats reinforce one another. The game continues 37.Qe4. After …Nf6, White sacrifices an exchange on f6 and the exposed black king becomes the focus. The finish is supported by the earlier structural play and rook activity. When reviewing the saved alternatives, ask how each line handles counterplay as well as how it attacks.
Engine-supported alternatives
Rf7 Rxf7 exf7 Qxf7 Rxf7 Rxf7 Qe4 Nf8 Qa8 h5 Qd5 Rf4 · +6.02 · depth 20
Qe4 Nf6 Rxf6 gxf6 Rxf6 c4 Rxh6+ Kg8 Bxc4 Rxc4 bxc4 d3 · +5.35 · depth 20
R5f4 Qg8 Bxh7 Kxh7 Qe4+ g6 Rf6 h5 Rg3 Rg7 Rg5 Qe8 · +4.74 · depth 19
Every piece has a part to play.
In the sixth game of the 1972 world championship in Reykjavík, Bobby Fischer used a quiet opening to reach a position of lasting pressure against Boris Spassky. The lesson is how structural weaknesses, active rooks and well-timed pawn breaks reinforce one another.
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Accessible evaluation values & provenance
Stockfish 17.1 · 75,000 nodes per position; 1,000,000 at key moments. Actual depth 13–20. Positive centipawns favour White; mate scores remain separate. Selective search is evidence, not proof.
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