New York Times, New York, New York, Sunday, August 04, 1963 - Page 100
Chess: The Best From The Midwest
When the chips are down and the stake is first prize in an important tournament, United States champion Bobby Fischer shows his class.
In the recent Western Open at the Wenonah Hotel in Bay City, Mich., where 161 players competed in an eight-round “Swiss” system over the last Fourth of July, Fischer was tied for first place with Hans Berliner of Bethesda, Md., after seven rounds.
Each had scored 6½ points out of a possible 7, and therefore they were paired with each other in the eighth and final round. The victor would be the new Western Open champion and take over the crown of the defending champion, Robert Byrne of Indianapolis.
For Fischer, this was an ideal situation. In a similar test, last January, he had defeated Arthur Bisguier of New York in the final round of the United States invitational championship at the Henry Hudson Hotel to gain the title.
At Bay City, however, Fischer had the black pieces against the experienced Berliner. Adopting an ancient and little used variation of the queen's Gambit declined, Fischer outmaneuvered his opponent in a four queen-rooks- and pawns struggle, scoring 7½-½. His first place award was $750.
Berliner's loss dropped him to fourth place in the standing, below Byrne and Stephen Popel of Fargo, N.D. The latter two, with final scores of 7-1 each, were also exactly tied in tie-breaking preference points. Each received $375. The remainder of the $2,500 prize fund was divided among the various classifications of winners.
The success of the Bay City event was greatly due to the enthusiasm and organizing ability of the chief sponsor, Dr. J. Henry Hoffmann, president of the Hoffmann Houses Corporation. The other sponsors were the Milwaukee Chess Association and the Michigan State Chess Federation.
The games that follow are from the above event.
In the game Berliner vs. Fischer, Black, by exchanging numerous pieces without loss of time, soon overcomes White's first-move initiative.
Realizing he has made no progress and probably disliking a protracted struggle, White gambles with the nervous 17 Kt-K5. This tactic saddles him with doubled pawns and an inferior position. The situation, appraised theoretically, is that Black now has an easy win, if all the pieces could be traded off.
For Black has two pawns to one on the queen side, while his four pawns on the king side will hold White's five on that flank. If the board were stripped of pieces, Black would essentially be a pawn ahead.
As the game goes, Black does use his pawn majority in conjunction with queen maneuvers to bring about a simplification into a winning rooks-and pawns ending.
