2. He played the Morra Gambit
3. Opponents were more likely to meet Fischer's 1.e4 with 1...e5 than with 1...c5
There are 570 games in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database in which Fischer had the white pieces.
He played 1.e4 in 525 of those games - in other words, 92.1% of the time.
Opponents replied 1...Nc6 three times (0.6%), 1...Nf6 and 1...g6 each eight times (1.5% each), 1...d6 10 times (1.9%), 1...d5 11 times (2.1%), 1...c6 49 times (9.3%), 1...e6 65 times (12.4%), 1...c5 179 times (34.1%) and 1...e5 192 times (36.6%).
So 1...e5 was more popular than 1...c5, albeit by only 13 games, or 2.5% of all those games in which Fischer opened with his "best by test" 1.e4.
If Fischer were still playing, I have no doubt these figures would look very different. The Sicilian is today far and away more popular at all levels than any other option against 1...e5.
But as Fischer's stats suggest, that was not the case only a few decades ago, a fact reflected in chess books of the time treating 1...e5 as the main move after 1...e4 (just as many years earlier, 1...d5 used to be more popular than 1...Nf6 in reply to 1.d4).
The surprising stat from Fischer's openings, at least to me, is how few times he faced the French.
That defence was supposed to be something of a bogeyman for Fischer, and it is true that 1...e6's score against him of 35% is considerably better than the next-best replies of 1...c6 (27%), 1...c5 (26%) and 1...e5 and 1...d5 (both 23%).
At one point Fischer famously switched to meeting the French with 2.d3, turning the opening into a King's Indian Attack.
This might seem a natural fit as Fischer extensively played the King's Indian Defence as Black, and publications on the KIA often give the impression that Fischer was a longtime devotee.
In fact he played 2.d3 just four times, although admittedly he won all four.
His troubles in the French came specifically after 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 - the Winawer, which scored 44% against Fischer.
Here is the last time he faced it.
Fischer - Bent Larsen
Candidates' semi-final 1971
1.e4 e6!?
This was the first game of a six-game match. Larsen had announced beforehand he had several opening surprises in store for the American, and this was the first of them. As far as I can discover, Larsen only played the French 11 times in his career - the same as for 1...Nc6.
2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Ne7
Most popular is 4...c5, but the text is usually a harmless transposition.
5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.a4
Fischer always played this or 7.Nf3; he never went pawn-hunting with the main move, 7.Qg4.
7...Nbc6 8.Nf3 Bd7 9.Bd3 Qc7
James Shewrin played 9...Qa5 in a loss to Fischer at the 1960-61 US championship.
10.0-0 c4
This was Edmar Mednis's choice in a win over Fischer at the 1962-63 US championship.
11.Be2 f6 12.Re1!?
Fischer varies from the 12.Ba3 of his game against Mednis.
12...Ng6?!
Larsen arguably goes wrong immediately. 12...0-0 13.Ba3 would have transposed to the Mednis game, but Fischer may have had something else in mind for move 13 - playable choices include 13.exf6 and 13.Rb1.
13.Ba3 fxe5
Winning a pawn and hoping to weather the inevitable attack. Stockfish10 at first suggests the miserable-looking 13...Qd8, but comes to prefer the equally unappetising 13...Nge7. Komodo10 also quite likes the latter, but narrowly prefers 13...Qa5. In each case the engines give White the upper hand.
14.dxe5 Ncxe5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Qd4 Ng6 17.Bh5
17.Qxg7 restores material equality, but looks dangerous after 17...0-0-0.
17...Kf7?
A strange choice when Black again had 17...0-0-0, one point being that 18.Qxa7 is met by 18...b6. The queens come off after 19.Qa8+ Qb8 20.Qxb8+ Kxb8, although Timman reckons 21.a5 gives White a substantial advantage.
18.f4 Rhe8
Pachman points out that trying to bolster the d pawn with 14...Bc6? fails to 15.f5 exf5 16.Re7+.
19.f5 exf5 20.Qxd5+ Kf6 21.Bf3?
This lets Black off the hook by unpinning the knight too early. Correct was 21.Bd6, when the mainline, according to the engines, is 21...Qd8 22.Bf3 Be6 23.Qd4+ Kf7 24.Reb1, after which White gets his pawn attack and has a continuing attack.
21...Ne5 22.Qd4 Kg6 23.Rxe5 Qxe5
Not 23...Rxe5?? 24.Bd6.
24.Qxd7 Rad8
Black completes his development and has equality, according to Stockfish10, although Komodo10 gives an edge to White.
25.Qxb7 Qe3+ 26.Kf1 Rd2
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| How did Fischer save himself from mate-in-one? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
27.Qc6+ Re6 28.Bc5 Rf2+ 29.Kg1 Rxg2+ 30.Kxg2 Qd2+ 31.Kh1 Rxc6 32.Bxc6 Qxc3
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| Who stands better? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
Material is roughly equal - White has rook and two bishops for queen and two pawns. But this material balance normally favours White from a positional viewpoint as his pieces can gang up on Black's pawns. But here White's king is very exposed, making it tricky for White to safely coordinate his forces. The engines keep to their earlier verdicts - equal, according to Stockfish10; a slight edge for White, according to Komodo10. However, the game continuation suggests Komodo10 is right and, if anything, underestimates White's advantage.
33.Rg1+ Kf6 34.Bxa7 g5?
White's a pawn is too fast for Black to be able to afford this. An anonymous ChessBase annotator gives ...f4, but that also seems too slow. The engines prefer king centralisation, eg 34...Ke5 35.Bb8+ Kd4 36.Bc7 Kc5, although now they agree White is better.
35.Bb6 Qxc2 36.a5
White is wining.
36...Qb2 37.Bd8+ Ke6 38.a6 Qa3 39.Bb7 Qc5 40.Rb1 c3 41.Bb6 1-0
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