On Mar 27, 3:19 pm, wrote:
On Mar 27, 2:47 am, "Freelancer71" wrote:

Can anyone explain how/why Fischer lost is bishop in the first game of his
match against Spassky in 1972?
The fact that a bishop capturing the h2 or a2 pawn and getting trapped after
g3 or b3 is trivial. Everyone knows that. Did he really think he had chances
after sacrificing the bishop for two (or three?) pawns?

The Soviet GM Igor Bondarevsky said:

"I think there are three reasons:
"1. The american doesn't like to play positions without counter-
chances, aiming only for a draw. He always tries to change the course
of events, to obtain play of his own.
"2. Fischer's intuitive grasp of position is not without flaws. On
this occation it failed to indicate to him that taking the pawn gives
White enormous winning chances ...
"3. Fischer apparently miscalculated in the variation with the final
move 35.Bd2!, and yet the calculation was fairly simple. Here is a
vivid example to smash the myth of him being a computer."

I'm not sure how valid Bondarevsky's comments are, but thought they
were worth presenting.

There is also the problem that Fischer had caused all these problems -
postponements, the room, Kissinger, Slater - and the first game was
really really dull up to move 28. When he saw that there was ½ a
chance to make the game interesting he took it.