Refuting The King's Gambit IV

NOT withstanding his Bust of the King's Gambit in The American Chess Quarterly, Fischer had a surprise in store two years later when he faced Larry Evans, one of the driving forces behind the magazine.

Fischer - Evans

US Championship (New York) 1963

King's Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.f4!? exf4 3.Bc4!?

Fischer's choice of the Bishop's version of the King's Gambit over the much-more popular Knight's could hardly have been predicted by Evans, who responded with the principled:

3...Qh4+

The point of White's beginnerish-looking play is that after ...

4.Kf1

... White will gain time hitting the black queen.

4...d6 5.Nc3!?

According to Viktor Bologan in Bologan's Black Weapons In The Open Games (New In Chess 2014), "Fischer was not satisfied with this move, mostly because he was caught by surprise when Black answered with ..."

5...Be6

... which Bologan awards an exclamation mark.

Unfortunately Bologan does not explain how Fischer would have varied, and the latter's games in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database are no help as subsequent opponents did not play the queen check. Perhaps Fischer would have played the natural 5.Nf3, when the main move in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database, 5...Qh5, is disliked by Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 on account of 6.Nc3, eg 6...Be6 7.Be2 Nf6 8.d4 with an unclear position.

6.Qe2 c6!?

This may be a tad slow. The engines reckon Black should develop a knight, eg 6...Nd7, and if 7.Nb5, perhaps the move Evans was worried about, then 7...0-0-0!?, when 8.Nxa7+ Kb8 9.Nb5 Ngf6 leaves Black powerfully ahead in development and equal on material.

7.Nf3 Qe7 8.d4 Bxc4 9.Qxc4 g5!?

The engines agree with 9...g5!?, which is about opening a diagonal for the black bishop as much as holding on to the f4 pawn

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10.e5

Hoping to open lines to exploit White's lead in development and the awkward line-up of the black monarchs on the e file.

10...d5

Keeping lines closed, and doing it with tempo on the white queen.

11.Qd3

The engines prefer 11.Qb3!?

11...Na6 12.Ne2!? Nb4 13.Qd1 0-0-0 14.c3 Na6

How should White proceed?

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15.h4!?

Playing on the side where your king has its address is usually frowned on, but Fischer, I presume, wanted to get at Black's awkward pawn-structure before Black could complete development and be better placed to defend it.

15...g4 16.Nh2 h5 17.Nxf4 Qxh4?

Temporarily winning a pawn, but the engines prefer 17...Qd7!?

18.Kg1

Freeing a square for the h2 knight, and protecting the king's rook.

18...Nh6 19.Nf1 Qe7 20.Nxh5

White has won his pawn back and threatens to go a pawn up.

20...Rg8 21.Nfg3 Rg6?!

The rook is a target here. The engines suggest 21...c5 or 21...Qe6.

22.Nf4 Rg5 23.Be3 Nc7?!

The engines suggest 23...f6.

24.Qd2 Rg8

Again the engines suggest ...f6, but it seems Black is losing material no matter what, eg 24...f6 25.exf6 Qxf6 26.Nfh5.

25.Nfe2

After a series of what seem sub-optimal moves, Black is losing  a piece.

25...f6 26.exf6 Qxf6 27.Bxh6 (1-0, 36 moves)