After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 Fischer experimented with 6.Bc4, which can easily transpose into Najdorf and Sozin lines I have already covered.
So 6.Bc4 would be a good choice for someone who wants to cut down on learning new material.
But Fischer's main weapon against the Scheveningen was 6.g4!?, which is also the analysis engine Stockfish12's choice.
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| Position after the aggressive 6.g4!? |
Black develops the queen's knight with 6...Nc6!?
A popular continuation that has been played by Kasparov, but it is not liked by Stockfish12 or my other main analysis engine Komodo11.01.
7.g5 Nd7 8.Be3
The main move. Fischer also tried 8.Ndb5!?, when the main line continues 8...Nb6 9.Bf4 Ne5 10.Qh5 Ng6 11.Be3 a6 12.Nd4 with a position the engines reckon is level, although Fischer beat Enver Bukić with it at Skopje (Yugoslavia) 1967.
8...Be7 9.h4 a6
Somewhat more popular, at least in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, is 9...0-0, but castling into White's attack is not to everyone's taste, and the engines much prefer White after the mainline continuation 10.Qd2 a6 11.0-0-0 (winning, according to Stockfish12).
10.Qd2 Nde5 11.0-0-0!?
More popular today is 11.Be2, which the engines like, but they reckon the text is even stronger.
11...Qc7 12.f4 Ng4 13.Bg1 Nxd4?!
The engines prefer 13...h5, which was played in later games, but reckon White has at least the upper hand after several lines including 14.Be2 bd7 15.f5 g6 16.Nxc6 bxc6 17.f6, when White's extra space and better coordination are big factors.
14.Qxd4 e5 15.Qd2 exf4 16.Nd5 Qc6 17.Qxf4
White has a large advantage, and Fischer went on to win in a 1964 simul.
Black prepares queenside counterplay with 6...a6
7.g5 Nfd7 8.Be3 b5 9.a3 Bb7 10.Qd2!?
Later games saw 10.h4 become popular, but Fischer's choice also seems to give White an advantage and is less likely to be known by blacks.
10...Be7 11.h4 Nc5 12.f3 Qc7 13.0-0-0 Nbd7
All this was seen in Fischer - Miguel Najdorf, Olympiad (Leipzig) 1960, when Fischer continued with the speculative 14.Bxb5!? axb5 15.Ndxb5 Qc6 16.Nxd6+ Bxd6 17.Qxd6, which does seem better for White, although the game was drawn in 59 moves. However the engines reckon White should be more patient with 14.h5 and await developments.
Black counters in the centre with 6...d5?!
Meeting a flank attack with counterplay in the centre is a classic response, but it does not seem to work here.
7.exd5!
More popular is 7.Bb5+, but the text is stronger as the simple 7...Bd7 is an effective answer to the latter.
7...Nxd5 8.Bb5+ Bd7 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.Qe2+ Qe7 11.Be3
White has a lead in development and a target at d5. He is much better, according to the engines. Fischer - Samuel Reshevsky, US Championship (New York) 1966-67, continued 11...g6 12.Bxd7+! Nxd7 13.Nb5 (1-0, 43 moves).
Black counters in the centre with 6...e5!?
7.Nf5
A popular alternative runs 7.Bb5+ Bd7 8.Bxd7+ Qxd7 9.Nf5, which the engines reckon is better for White.
7...h5
Fischer - Maurice Lister, Simul (Toronto) 1964, went 7...g6 8.Ne3 Nc6 9.h3 (9.g5!?, 9.h4!?) Be6 10.Nd5 Bg7 11.Be3 0-0 12.Qd2 with an unclear position (the result is also unclear - all the sources I found have Fischer resigning when he is clearly winning).
The text is the main move.
8.Bg5!? hxg4 9.Nd5 Bxf5 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.exf5
White has more than enough compensation for a pawn, according to the engines.
Black holds up g5 with 6...h6
This is now Black's main response, but was not faced by Fischer.
The main line runs 7.h4 Nc6 8.Rg1 h5 9.gxh5 Nxh5 10.Bg5 Nf6 11.Qd2 Qb6 12.Nb3 with what the engines reckon is an excellent position for White (winning, according to Stockfish12).
The engines suggest Black can improve with 8...d5!? 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxd5 Qxd5, although still giving an edge to White.
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