In 1971 Robert James Fischer defeated Mark Taimanov by the sensational score of 6– 0 in Vancouver, but the match games were far more competitive and tension-filled than the final score would suggest. Twenty years later Taimanov put pen to paper, reflecting on the experience. Exactly 50 years after the match, this is the first English translation of Taimanov’s original Russian text.
Taimanov, one of the elite Soviet grandmasters of his time, provides a richly detailed, honest and emotional account of the drama on and off the board. Despite the catastrophic match score, his love for the game of chess is evident throughout. Taimanov also discusses his early acquaintance with Fischer from 1960, including detailed annotations of both of their pre-1971 games, as well as the personal consequences of the match result.
With fascinating additional archive material and analytical contributions from some of the brightest young stars of the American chess scene today, I was a Victim of Bobby Fischer is the ultimate insight into one of the most famous matches in chess history.
Content:
005 Publisher’s Foreword
007 A Necessary Foreword (1993)
009 Preface (1992)
Bobby Fischer, as I Knew Him
013 1) Fischer - In Life and at the Chess Board
029 2) His Personal Development - Talent, Character, Image
035 3) The Pinnacle of a Career
047 4) Breakdown
The Long-Suffering Duel
053 5) ‘Civil Execution’
057 6) On the Eve of the Match
063 7) The Start - Game 1
075 8) Endgame Catastrophe - Game 2
095 9) The Most Bitter Game - Game 3
109 10) Agony - Game 4
123 11) “I’m sorry” - Game 5
139 12) The End - Game 6
The Aftermath
153 13) The Origins of Fischer’s Reclusion
155 14) Postscript
Appendices
161 15) Translator’s Notes
167 16) Additional Games
189 17) Additional Material
195 18) 45 Years Later
201 19) 12 Interesting Positions - by GM Jacob Aagaard
207 20) Thoughts and Solutions
247 Name Index
