SC Week 2/5: Unzicker - Fischer, Varna 1962 (Outposts)

 "The most usual way to counter an enemy outpost is to cover it with as many pieces as possible so that when he occupies it with a piece you can capture enough times to force him eventually to recapture with a pawn."

Michael Stean

Notes and Observations

Aside from the absence of a-pawns, Unzicker is structurally identical to Fischer - Gardia and exactly the same pieces remain on the board. The difference is that it’s White’s queen on d5. Fischer is happy to give White the d5 outpost, confident that he will be able to generate sufficient counterplay. An outpost is only a problem if it is useful - even if it’s in the centre of the board.

Stean: "If the knight reaches d5 he is lost". Fischer can't cover the square with pieces so it's Plan B - putting White under constant pressure.  Unzicker never gets a chance to draw breath let alone manoeuvre his knight to the killing square.

In this structure the Be7 is bad not dead. Once Fischer managed to get the bishop into the game it tempted Unzicker open up his second rank - the decisive weakness.

Reminder

Fischer’s notes to this game are in My 60 Memorable Games (#42).

Matulovic - Fischer, Vinkovci 1968 is another instructive example of Bobby giving up an outpost on d5 and then preventing White from occupying it.

Stean's notes to that game can be found in Learn from The Grandmasters (Batsford 1975).