Traps, Tricks & Mistakes: Over-Confidence

Today’s game is famous because it was the introduction of one of the greatest chess players into the world elite. The game received the impressive name of “Game of the Century”. It took place in New York, 1956. Donald Byrne, playing White, faced Bobby Fischer in round 8 of the “Third Rosenwald Trophy”.

It is worth mentioning that Fischer had a modest score in that tournament, but his victory over D.Byrne appeared in all chess publications at that time. Moreover, Fischer was 13 and this tournament was the first time he played against the best American chess players.

The focus of today’s post is the mistake related to over-confidence when an experienced player plays against a young one.

If the way Fischer conducted his pieces is impressive, not less it is the fact that he was only a 13-years-old schoolboy, while D.Byrne was the best American chess player at that time.

In respect to that, ex-world champion Max Euwe wrote: “There is nothing special when a GM plays with over-confidence against a young player in full progression and as a result, he faces difficulties during the game. Chess history is plenty of similar cases. But what doesn’t happen every day is that a schoolboy clearly surpasses an experimented GM in tactical combinations.”

It is always worth remembering the old proverb: “There is no weak opponent!”