The story behind the game
Game eleven of the 1972 match is a useful antidote to judging development by forward moves alone. Spassky first retreats a knight to clear the c-pawn’s path, then advances pawns with attacks on Fischer’s queen. Black creates threats against the king, so every gained tempo must be checked against the counterplay.
Take these ideas to your next game
- A retreat can clear a pawn’s useful route.
- A pawn advance with tempo may attack more than one piece.
- Compare threats against the queen with checks against the king.
- Advanced central pawns can restrict defensive pieces.
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.
Nb1 clears c3 for the c-pawn and gives the knight a new route. The retreat does not make the position quiet. Black can play in the centre while White reorganizes. Compare this route with the other saved knight retreat, then follow how the pawn on c2 eventually advances with threats against Black’s pieces.
c5 gains time by attacking two black pieces. The attacks do not remove the need to calculate Black’s threats elsewhere. The queen retreats while the knight remains defended, and the black pawns keep moving near White’s king. Compare the forcing sequence rather than counting the pawn fork as an automatic material gain.
a4 attacks the queen while the kingside counterplay continues. Black’s reply advances a pawn near White’s king instead of saving the queen immediately. White must account for the intervening check after the pawn captures. Reconstruct both sides of the board before concluding that an attack on the queen ends the calculation.
c6 restricts the bishop while White’s queen remains near the black king. The advanced pawn is useful through its effect on defensive squares. Black’s rook on h3 still has attacking possibilities, so compare the checks and captures for both sides. The recorded bishop retreat is followed by further central exchanges and a rook entry.
Result: 1-0. The recorded score ends here; it does not imply checkmate.
Think through the turning points
Move 14: Clear the c-pawn’s path
Which retreat by the c3-knight clears the way for a later c-pawn advance? In the game: Nb1. Nb1 clears c3 for the c-pawn and gives the knight a new route. The retreat does not make the position quiet. Black can play in the centre while White reorganizes. Compare this route with the other saved knight retreat, then follow how the pawn on c2 eventually advances with threats against Black’s pieces.
Engine-supported alternatives
Nd1 Rc8 Rb1 b5 Ne3 Be7 c4 Qb4 Qd1 Qc3 Rf3 Qb4 · +0.22 · depth 18
Rab1 · +0.06 · depth 18
h3 Rc8 Rf3 Be7 Rd1 b5 Nb1 Qb4 Qe3 h4 · -0.34 · depth 17
Nb1 Qb4 · -0.08 · depth 21
Move 22: Advance with a double attack
Which advance by the c4-pawn attacks both the queen on b6 and the knight on d6? In the game: c5. c5 gains time by attacking two black pieces. The attacks do not remove the need to calculate Black’s threats elsewhere. The queen retreats while the knight remains defended, and the black pawns keep moving near White’s king. Compare the forcing sequence rather than counting the pawn fork as an automatic material gain.
Engine-supported alternatives
c5 Qd8 Bf3 Nb5 a4 h3 g3 Bg7 axb5 Bxa1 Rxa1 axb5 · +2.92 · depth 19
Bf3 Bg7 c5 Bb5 Qe3 Qa7 dxe6 O-O Bd5 Rfe8 Nf3 fxe6 · +2.12 · depth 19
Qc3 fxg4 c5 Qc7 Qxh8 Nf5 d6 Qc6 Nd4 Nxd4 Qxd4 h3 · +1.60 · depth 18
Move 24: Attack the queen again
Black’s queen has reached b5. Which a-pawn move attacks it? In the game: a4. a4 attacks the queen while the kingside counterplay continues. Black’s reply advances a pawn near White’s king instead of saving the queen immediately. White must account for the intervening check after the pawn captures. Reconstruct both sides of the board before concluding that an attack on the queen ends the calculation.
Engine-supported alternatives
a4 Qxf1+ Rxf1 Rh5 dxe6 fxe6 cxd6 h3 Kg1 hxg2 Rc1 Bc6 · +3.70 · depth 19
Qxh8 Nf5 Rac1 h3 gxh3 Qd3 hxg4 Qxd5+ Rf3 Ne7 Qc3 Ng6 · +1.29 · depth 19
cxd6 Rh6 Nc5 Rc8 Nde4 h3 Rfe1 Rxc5 Qxc5 Qxc5 Nxc5 Bxd6 · +0.88 · depth 19
Move 28: Make the central pawns restrict the defence
Which advance by the c5-pawn attacks the bishop on d7? In the game: c6. c6 restricts the bishop while White’s queen remains near the black king. The advanced pawn is useful through its effect on defensive squares. Black’s rook on h3 still has attacking possibilities, so compare the checks and captures for both sides. The recorded bishop retreat is followed by further central exchanges and a rook entry.
Engine-supported alternatives
dxe6 Ne3+ Kg1 Bxe6 Rfe1 Be7 Qe5 Nf5 Ne4 Nh4 Qh8+ Bf8 · +4.10 · depth 20
bxa6 bxa6 dxe6 Ne3+ Kg1 Bxe6 Rfe1 Be7 Qe5 Nf5 Ne4 g3 · +4.09 · depth 20
Ne4 Be7 Qe5 Bxb5 dxe6 Ne3+ Kg1 g3 Nxg3 f6 Qxe3 O-O-O · +3.86 · depth 20
c6 bxc6 Rxa6 Rd8 bxc6 Bxc6 Rxc6 Be7 Rxe6 fxe6 Qxe6 Ne3+ · +4.29 · depth 23
Every piece has a part to play.
Game eleven of the 1972 match is a useful antidote to judging development by forward moves alone. Spassky first retreats a knight to clear the c-pawn’s path, then advances pawns with attacks on Fischer’s queen. Black creates threats against the king, so every gained tempo must be checked against the counterplay.
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 12–20. Positive centipawns favour White; mate scores remain separate. Selective search is evidence, not proof.
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