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 play performed by a boy of 13 against a formidable opponent, matches the finest on record in the history of chess prodigies."

Background

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. He became an International Master in 1962, and probably would have risen further if not for ill health. 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, 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. Byrne (playing White), after a standard opening, makes a seemingly minor mistake on move 11, losing a tempo by moving the same piece twice. 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, while Byrne's queen sits useless on the other side of the board.

The game

White: Donald Byrne Black: Bobby Fischer Opening: Grünfeld Defence (ECO D92) 1. Nf3 '''1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7''' 4. d4 0-0 5. Bf4 d5 (diagram) 6. Qb3 6... dxc4 7. Qxc4 c6 8. e4 Nbd7 '''9. Rd1 Nb6 10. Qc5''' 10... Bg4 11. Bg5 (diagram) 11... Na4 '''12. Qa3 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Nxe4''' '''14. Bxe7 Qb6 15. Bc4''' 15... Nxc3! '''16. Bc5 Rfe8+ 17. Kf1''' (see diagram) 17... Be6!! 18. Bxb6? (diagram) 18... Bxc4+ '''19. Kg1 Ne2+ 20. Kf1 Nxd4+ 21. Kg1 ''' '''21... Ne2+ 22. Kf1 Nc3+ 23. Kg1 axb6''' 24. Qb4 Ra4! 25. Qxb6 25... Nxd1 (see diagram) '''26. h3 Rxa2 27. Kh2 Nxf2 28. Re1 Rxe1 29. Qd8+ Bf8 30. Nxe1 Bd5 31. Nf3 Ne4 32. Qb8 b5''' '''33. h4 h5 34. Ne5 Kg7''' 35. Kg1 Bc5+ (see diagram) '''36. Kf1 Ng3+ 37. Ke1 Bb4+''' '''38. Kd1 Bb3+ 39. Kc1 Ne2+ 40. Kb1 Nc3+ 41. Kc1 Rc2 ''' Asked how he was able to pull off such a brilliant win, Fischer said: "I just made the moves I thought were best. I was just lucky."