A repertoire based on his games will suit attacking players who are happy burning the midnight oil on opening research.
White
Open 1.e4 with the aim of playing a mainline Spanish: 1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 (much more common in Fischer's games than 4.Bxc6) Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3, continuing with a quick d4.
Against the Marshall Attack: 7...0-0 8.c3 d5 Fischer played 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6, scoring best with the main line 12.d4 Bd6 13.Re1 Qh4 14.g3 Qh3 15.Be3.
Against the Open Variation: 5...Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.exd5 Be6 he mostly played 9.c3.
Against the Steinitz Deferred: 4...d6 he liked 5.c3 with a quick d4.
In limited experience against the Berlin: 3...Nf6 he was happy taking on what is now known as the Berlin Wall: 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nxe5, once playing the main move 8.Qxd8+ and once playing 8.Qe2.
No other black third move was played against Fischer more than once, according to ChessBase's 2020 Mega database.
Against the Sicilian: 1...c5 Fischer liked open lines with Bc4, eg 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 and 2...Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4.
Against a Dragon set-up, eg 2...d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 Fischer favoured 6.Be3 and 7.f3.
Against a Sveshnikov set-up, eg 2...Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 he played 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5.
Against 2...e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 he liked 5.Nb5 d6 6.Bf4 e5 7.Be3. Against 4...e6 he varied, playing almost equally 5.Bd3, 5.c4 and 5.Nc3.
Against the French: 1...e6 he normally continued 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3, meeting the mainline Winawer: 3...Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 with positional lines, eg 6...Ne7 7.a4 and 6...Qc7 7.Nf3.
Against the Classical: 3...Nf6 he liked 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7, once continuing 6.h4 and once 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.f4. Most opponents instead played the Burn: 4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7, Fischer continuing 6.Bxf6, meeting 6...Bxf6 with 7.Nf3 and 6...gxf6 with 7.g3!? Against the McCutcheon: 4...Bb4 he liked 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Qg4.
Against the mainline Rubinstein: 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 Fischer liked 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Bd3.
Against the Caro-Kann: 1...c6 he liked the Two Knights Variation: 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 meeting the main reply 3...Bg4 with 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3. Only one game saw 4...Bh5, Fischer replying 5.exd5 cxd5 6.Bb5+ Nc6 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5. Against 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 Fischer liked 5.Nxf6+ e6 (he did not face 5...gxf6, at least in Mega20) 6.Bc4.
Against the Scandinavian: 1...d5 he liked to meet 2.exd5 Nf6 by transposing to a Panov-Botvinnik with 3.c4 c6 (he did not face the Icelandic Gambit: 3...e6) 4.d4 cxd5 5.Nc3, and he liked to meet 2....Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5/d8 with 4.d4.
Against the Pirc: 1...d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 Fischer usually played the Austrian Attack: 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3, also playing 4.f4 against a Modern set-up, eg 2...g6 3.Nc3 Bg7.
Against Alekhine's Defence: 1...Nf6 Fischer usually played the Exchange Variation: 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6.
Black v 1.e4
Play the Siclian: 1...c5, aiming for a Najdorf: 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6.
Fischer usually met 6.Bg5 with 6...e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.0-0-0 Nbd7. There are more than 7,000 games with this position in Mega20. After the main continuation 10.g4 b5 11.Bxf6 Nxf6 12.g5 Nd7 (more than 2,800 games in Mega20), Fischer only once faced the modern favourite 13.f5, replying 13...Nc5 14.f6 gxf6 15.gxf6 Bf8. Today attention is focused on 13...Bxg5+, while the analysis engines Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01 suggest 13...0-0. This is definitely a variation where independent research might well be necessary.
Fischer liked to meet 6.Be2 with 6...e5 7.Nb3 Be7, continuing against the main variation 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3 with the standard 9...Be6 or the somewhat unusual 9...Qc7, with the two lines sometimes transposing.
Against 6.f4 he liked 6...e5 7.Nf3 Qc7, against 6.g3 he liked 6...e5 7.Nde2 Be7 8.Bg2 0-0 9.0-0 Nbd7 and against 6.Be3 he liked 6...e5 7.Nb3 Be7.
Fischer's own favourite sixth move against the Najdorf, 6.Bc4, was rarely played against him, but when it was he liked 6...e6 7.Bb3 b5.
In general, where it was possible in the Najdorf, Fischer preferred ...e5 to ...e6.
Against the Hungarian Variation: 4.Qxd4 Fischer played 4...Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6.
Against the Moscow Variation: 3.Bb5+ he played 3...Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7.
Against the Closed Variation: 2.Nc3 and 3.g3, he generally fianchettoed his king's bishop, but not immediately, a typical line running 2...d6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6.
Against the Alapin: 2.c3 he played 2...Nf6, and the one time in Mega20 he faced the Morra Gambit: 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 he declined with 3...Nf6.
Black v 1.d4 and Others
Fischer liked the King's Indian: 1...Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 0-0, usually meeting 5.f3, 5.Nf3, 5.Be2 and 5.f4 with 5...0-0.
After 5.f3 0-0 6.Be3 he had most success with 6...Nc6 7.Nge2 a6.
After 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 he usually played 6...e5, meeting 7.0-0 with 7...Nc6 and meeting 7.d5 with 7.Nbd7. He only faced 7.Be3 four times, playing four different replies - perhaps 7...Nc6 is the most consistent repertoire choice.
If White avoided the main line by fianchettoing with 3.g3, Fischer generally replied 3...Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0, when the most common continuation was 5.Nc3 d6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.0-0 e5.
Against 2.Nf3, the only alternative to 2.c4 Fischer faced more than once, he usually went for a King's Indian set-up with 2...g6 etc.
He also normally used King's Indian set-ups against the English: 1.c4 and the King's Indian Attack: 1.Nf3, 2.g3, 3.Bg2.
Here is Fischer using his beloved King's Indian Defence against Hungarian grandmaster László Szabó.
Szabó - Fischer
Olympiad (Leipzig) 1960
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 0-0
Fischer sometimes played this instead of his usual choice 4...d6. Normally it involves a harmless transposition, but here Szabó decides to try something a little different.
5.Bg5!? d6
Fischer pointed out in My 60 Memorable Games that 5...h6 6.Be3! (Fischer's punctuation) lets White set up an improved Sämisch with f3 as "the inevitable Qd2 will be more effective than usual."
6.Qd2!?
This is today very much the main move, having been played by Kasparov and Kramnik, but Fischer reckoned simple development with 6.Be2 is better.
6...c5
Fischer awarded this an exclamation mark. He quite likely knew the game Szabó - Hodja Bujan, Zonal Tournament (Czechoslovakia) 1954, which went 6...Re8 7.f4!? c6 8.Nf3 Qa5!? 9.Be2 with an unclear position (1-0, 33 moves).
7.d5 e6 8.Bd3 exd5 9.Nxd5
 |
| Fischer wrote of this position: "In this opening variation Black must play sharply. White has a space advantage, but he temporarily lags in development." |
9...Be6 10.Ne2 Bxd5
Fischer: "Releasing the tension and, by forcing White to recapture with a pawn, eliminating the backward d pawn on a (half)-open file."
11.exd5 Nbd7 12.0-0 Ne5 13.f4?
Fischer: "This lemon, weakening e3 and e4, came as a pleasant surprise. Szabó misjudges White's attacking prospects." Fischer said the position would be even after 13.Nc3, and this verdict proved correct in subsequent games.
13...Nxd3 14.Qxd3 h6 15.Bh4 Re8 16.Rae1
Fischer said 16.Nc3 "is the best of a bad choice," although he reckoned Black is better after the same continuation as in the game.
16...Qb6 17.Bxf6?!
Fischer said 17.b3 Ne4! "gives Black a nice bind," but that may be the lesser evil.
17...Bxf6 18.f5 g5 19.b3 Qa5
Fischer: "A nettlesome manoeuvre!"
20.Rc1?
As Fischer and the analysis engines Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01 point out, White's best try is the passive 20.Qb1!?
20...Qxa2 21.Rc2 Re3! 22.Qxe3 Qxc2 23.Kh1 a5 24.h4 a4 0-1
Fischer: "White's pawns fall like ripe apples." And if White defends b3 with 25.Nc1, Black simply pushes on with 25...a3.
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