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Classic game replay

Robert James Fischer vs Robert E Byrne, 1971

This replay preserves the complete 51-ply score of Fischer playing White across 26 numbered moves. The board can be advanced one ply at a time; the notes stick to observable board changes rather than guessing at the players’ intentions.

On this page
  1. Practice positions
  2. Replay with move-by-move board facts
  3. PGN
  4. Sources and checking
  5. Continue with another game
White
Robert James Fischer
Black
Robert E Byrne
Event
Manhattan blitz
Year
1971
Result
1-0
Opening
B57 Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation, Anti-Sozin Variation

Opening reference: Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation, Anti-Sozin Variation (B57).

In this game, 20 half-moves are labelled opening, 31 middlegame and 0 endgame. The score contains 13 captures and 1 checks or mates; before a recorded move, the position offered a median of 37 legal choices. The source score ends after 26.Rxe7 with the recorded result 1-0. Its termination tag was not retained, so this record does not infer whether the game ended by resignation, time or another cause.

Practice positions

The daily trainer uses a short set of positions from this complete score. Each link goes to the exact half-move rather than only the numbered move.

  1. 10.Qd3 — Create pressure on d610.Qd3 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  2. 12.Rfd1 — Rook on the semi-open d-file12.Rfd1 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  3. 20.h4 — Advance the h-pawn20.h4 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  4. 25.exf5+ — Capture with check on f525.exf5+ was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.

Replay with move-by-move board facts

The board, fact panel and transcript use the same legal score. “Fixed engine check” means Stockfish 17.1, one thread, a fixed 25,000-node search and 3 candidate lines. It compares moves under one reproducible setting; it does not claim to reconstruct a player’s thoughts.

♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜
Robert James Fischer vs Robert E Byrne, 1971

Start position

Use Previous and Next on the board, or select a move in the transcript. The board fact and fixed engine check remain visible until you choose another move.

Opening · 1.e4 to 10...Qb4

  1. 1.e4 Claim central space

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from e2 to e4; from there it controls d5 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6.

  2. 1...c5 Advance the c-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from c7 to c5; from there it controls d4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · c5 Nc3 Nc6 Nf3.

  3. 2.Nf3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from g1 to f3; from there it controls d4 and e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf3 e6 c3 d5.

  4. 2...Nc6 Develop the knight

    Board fact: Black develops the knight from b8 to c6; from there it controls d4 and e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nc6 Bb5.

  5. 3.Nc3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from b1 to c3; from there it controls d5 and e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nc3 e5 Bc4 Be7.

  6. 3...d6 Advance the d-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from d7 to d6; from there it controls e5 and c5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d6 Bc4 Nf6 d4.

  7. 4.d4 Change the pawn structure

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from d2 to d4; the move changes the central pawn contact; from d4 it attacks Black's pawn on c5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d4 cxd4 Nxd4 e6.

  8. 4...cxd4 Exchange on d4

    Board fact: Black's pawn takes the pawn on d4; the move changes the central pawn contact; Black accepts doubled pawns on the d-file; from d4 it attacks White's knight on c3; black is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · cxd4 Nxd4.

  9. 5.Nxd4 Recapture on d4

    Board fact: White's knight recaptures the pawn on d4; from d4 it attacks Black's knight on c6; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxd4 Nf6.

  10. 5...Nf6 Develop the knight

    Board fact: Black develops the knight from g8 to f6; from f6 it attacks White's pawn on e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf6 Bg5 e6 Qd2.

  11. 6.Bc4 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: White develops the bishop from f1 to c4; from c4 it attacks Black's pawn on f7.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Bc4 g6.

  12. 6...Qb6 Create pressure on d4

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from d8 to b6; from b6 it attacks White's knight on d4 and White's pawn on b2.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; e6 ranked higher · Qb6 Be3.

  13. 7.Nxc6 Exchange on c6

    Board fact: White's knight takes the knight on c6; from c6 it attacks Black's pawn on a7 and Black's pawn on e7; white is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Be3 ranked higher · Nxc6 bxc6 Qe2 e5.

  14. 7...bxc6 Recapture on c6

    Board fact: Black's pawn recaptures the knight on c6; the move changes the central pawn contact; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · bxc6 O-O.

  15. 8.O-O Kingside castling

    Board fact: White castles kingside, moving the king to g1 and the rook to f1. The move changes king safety and develops the rook in one turn.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · O-O e6 Bd3 Ba6.

  16. 8...e6 Advance the e-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from e7 to e6; from there it controls d5 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · e6 Bg5 Qc5 Bxf6.

  17. 9.Bf4 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: White develops the bishop from c1 to f4; from f4 it attacks Black's pawn on d6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bf4 Qxb2.

  18. 9...Qxb2 Exchange on b2

    Board fact: Black's queen takes the pawn on b2; from b2 it attacks White's rook on a1 and White's knight on c3; black is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qxb2 Qf3 e5 Bg5.

  19. 10.Qd3 Create pressure on d6

    Board fact: White moves the queen from d1 to d3; from d3 it attacks Black's pawn on d6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qd3 Be7 Rfd1 d5.

  20. 10...Qb4 Create pressure on c3

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from b2 to b4; from b4 it attacks White's knight on c3 and White's bishop on c4.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Qb4 Rab1.

Middlegame · 11.Rab1 to 26.Rxe7

  1. 11.Rab1 Rook on the open b-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from a1 to b1; the rook now occupies the open b-file; from b1 it attacks Black's queen on b4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rab1 Qc5 Rfd1 Be7.

  2. 11...Qc5 Create pressure on c4

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from b4 to c5; from c5 it attacks White's bishop on c4 and White's pawn on f2.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Qa5 ranked higher · Qc5 Rfd1 Ng4 Bg3.

  3. 12.Rfd1 Rook on the semi-open d-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from f1 to d1; the rook now works on a semi-open d-file; from there it controls d3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rfd1 Be7 Na4.

  4. 12...e5 Create pressure on f4

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from e6 to e5; from e5 it attacks White's bishop on f4.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · e5 Be3 Qa5 Bg5.

  5. 13.Bg5 Create pressure on f6

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from f4 to g5; from g5 it attacks Black's knight on f6.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Be3 ranked higher · Bg5 Be7 Bxf6 gxf6.

  6. 13...Be7 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from f8 to e7; from there it controls d6 and f6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Be7 Bxf6.

  7. 14.Bxf6 Exchange on f6

    Board fact: White's bishop takes the knight on f6; from f6 it attacks Black's bishop on e7 and Black's pawn on e5; white is ahead by 2 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxf6 gxf6 Nd5 Bd8.

  8. 14...gxf6 Recapture on f6

    Board fact: Black's pawn recaptures the bishop on f6; the move changes the central pawn contact; Black accepts doubled pawns on the f-file; from f6 it reinforces the pawn on e5; black is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · gxf6 Nd5.

  9. 15.Ne2 Reroute the knight

    Board fact: White moves the knight from c3 to e2; from there it controls d4, c3 and f4.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Nd5 ranked higher · Ne2 O-O.

  10. 15...Be6 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from c8 to e6; from e6 it attacks White's bishop on c4.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; O-O ranked higher · Be6 Bxe6.

  11. 16.Bxe6 Exchange on e6

    Board fact: White's bishop takes the bishop on e6; from e6 it attacks Black's pawn on f7; white is ahead by 2 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxe6 fxe6 Qh3 Kf7.

  12. 16...fxe6 Recapture on e6

    Board fact: Black's pawn recaptures the bishop on e6; the move changes the central pawn contact; Black accepts doubled pawns on the e-file; black is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · fxe6 Qh3.

  13. 17.Rb7 Rook on the open b-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from b1 to b7; the rook now occupies the open b-file; from b7 it attacks Black's bishop on e7 and Black's pawn on a7.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Qh3 ranked higher · Rb7 Kf7 Qb3 d5.

  14. 17...Kf7 Reposition the king

    Board fact: Black moves the king from e8 to f7; from there it controls e6 and f6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Kf7 Rdb1 h5 h4.

  15. 18.Rdb1 Rook on the open b-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from d1 to b1; the rook now occupies the open b-file; from b1 it reinforces the rook on b7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rdb1 h5 h4 d5.

  16. 18...d5 Change the pawn structure

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from d6 to d5; the move changes the central pawn contact; from d5 it attacks White's pawn on e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d5 Ng3.

  17. 19.Ng3 Reroute the knight

    Board fact: White moves the knight from e2 to g3; from there it controls e4 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ng3 h5.

  18. 19...h5 Advance the h-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from h7 to h5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · h5 h4 a5 Qf3.

  19. 20.h4 Advance the h-pawn

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from h2 to h4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · h4 a5 Qf3 Rh6.

  20. 20...a5 Advance the a-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from a7 to a5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · a5 Qf3 Ra7 Rb8.

  21. 21.Qf3 Create pressure on f6

    Board fact: White moves the queen from d3 to f3; from f3 it attacks Black's pawn on f6 and Black's pawn on h5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qf3 Ra7.

  22. 21...Kg6 Reposition the king

    Board fact: Black moves the king from f7 to g6; from there it controls f5 and f6.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Kg6 c3 Ra7 Rb8.

  23. 22.R1b3 Rook on the open b-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from b1 to b3; the rook now occupies the open b-file; from there it controls c3, d3 and e3.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · R1b3 Qd6.

  24. 22...a4 Create pressure on b3

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from a5 to a4; from a4 it attacks White's rook on b3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · a4 Rc3 Qd6 Nxh5.

  25. 23.Rc3 Create pressure on c5

    Board fact: White moves the rook from b3 to c3; from c3 it attacks Black's queen on c5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rc3 Qd6 Nxh5 Rag8.

  26. 23...Qd6 Reposition the queen

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from c5 to d6; from there it controls d5, e5 and c5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qd6 Nxh5 Rag8 Rxc6.

  27. 24.Nxh5 Exchange on h5

    Board fact: White's knight takes the pawn on h5; from h5 it attacks Black's pawn on f6; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxh5.

  28. 24...f5 Change the pawn structure

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from f6 to f5; the move changes the central pawn contact; from f5 it attacks White's pawn on e4.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Rag8 ranked higher · f5 exf5+ exf5 Rxe7.

  29. 25.exf5+ Capture with check on f5

    Board fact: White's pawn takes the pawn on f5; the move checks Black's king; the move changes the central pawn contact; White accepts doubled pawns on the f-file; from f5 it attacks Black's pawn on e6; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · exf5+ Kh6 Ng3 e4.

  30. 25...exf5 Recapture on f5

    Board fact: Black's pawn recaptures the pawn on f5; the move changes the central pawn contact; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · exf5 Rxe7 Rag8 Rb7.

  31. 26.Rxe7 Exchange on e7

    Board fact: White's rook takes the bishop on e7; the rook now works on a semi-open e-file; from e7 it attacks Black's pawn on e5; white is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxe7 Rag8 Rb7 c5.

PGN

[Event "Manhattan blitz"] [Site "?"] [Date "1971.??.??"] [White "Fischer, Robert James"] [Black "Byrne, Robert E"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 d6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Bc4 Qb6 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. O-O e6 9. Bf4 Qxb2 10. Qd3 Qb4 11. Rab1 Qc5 12. Rfd1 e5 13. Bg5 Be7 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Ne2 Be6 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Rb7 Kf7 18. Rdb1 d5 19. Ng3 h5 20. h4 a5 21. Qf3 Kg6 22. R1b3 a4 23. Rc3 Qd6 24. Nxh5 f5 25. exf5+ exf5 26. Rxe7 1-0

Sources and checking

Score source: Chess Database, version 1 by Ana Schaigorodsky (2016), licensed under CC BY 4.0. LibreChess selected the exact score identified by sha256:4ec6c13d95ede369223b8085e418b23fd6f489c56596d4f6ef2b7ff77893b23c and pins it in the selection manifest.
Exact Figshare tags:
White="Fischer, Robert James"; Black="Byrne, Robert E"; Event="Manhattan blitz"; Date="1971.??.??"; Result="1-0". LibreChess parsed the main line with chess.js and stores normalised SAN. Source comments, side variations and termination detail were not retained.

LibreChess checks every SAN move with chess.js and compares the result and move sequence with a stored reference. The engine comparison was calculated offline from the fixed settings above; it is not a source for historical claims. No termination is inferred where the imported score does not preserve one.

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