Game of the Century (chess)

The Game of the Century is a chess game that was won by the 13-year-old future world champion Bobby Fischer against Donald Byrne in the Rosenwald Memorial Tournament at the Marshall Chess Club in New York City on October 17, 1956.

In Chess Review, Hans Kmoch dubbed it "The Game of the Century" and wrote: "The following game, a stunning masterpiece of combination play performed by a boy of 13 against a formidable opponent, matches the finest on record in the history of chess prodigies.

"[1] Donald Byrne (1930–1976) was one of the leading American chess masters at the time of this game.

He won the 1953 U.S. Open Championship, and represented the United States in the 1962, 1964, and 1968 Chess Olympiads.

[3] Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) was at this time a promising junior facing one of his first real tests against master-level opposition.

His overall performance in the tournament was mediocre,[4] but he soon had a meteoric rise, winning the 1957 U.S. Open on tiebreaks, winning the 1957–58 U.S. (Closed) Championship (and all seven later championships in which he played), qualifying for the Candidates Tournament and becoming in 1958 the world's youngest Grandmaster at age 15.

He won the world championship in 1972, and is considered one of the greatest chess players of all time.

In this game, Fischer (playing Black) demonstrates noteworthy innovation and improvisation.

Fischer pounces with brilliant sacrificial play, culminating in a queen sacrifice on move 17.

Byrne captures the queen, but Fischer gets copious material for it – a rook, two bishops, and a pawn.

At the end, Fischer's pieces coordinate to force checkmate, while Byrne's queen sits useless on the other side of the board.

White: Donald Byrne   Black: Bobby Fischer   Opening: Grünfeld Defence (ECO D92) 1.