And you thought Fischer Almost Always Played 1.e4

[Event “Palma de Mallorca Interzonal”]
[Site “Palma de Mallorca ESP”]
[Date “1970.12.08”]
[Round “21”]
[White “Robert James Fischer”]
[Black “Henrique Mecking”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “A03”]
[Annotator “Voja”]
[PlyCount “83”]
[EventDate “1970.11.09”]
[SourceVersionDate “2019.03.17”]

  1. b3 d5 2. Bb2 c5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. O-O e6 7. d3 Be7 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9.
    Ne5 Rc8 10. Nd2 O-O 11. f4 Nd7 12. Qg4 Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Bf6 14. Rf3 Qe7 15. Raf1
    a5 16. Rg3 Bxe5 17. fxe5 f5 18. exf6 Rxf6 19. Qxg7+ Qxg7 20. Rxf6 Qxg3 21. hxg3
    Re8 22. g4 a4 23. Nf3 axb3 24. axb3 Kg7 25. g5 e5 26. Nh4 Bd7 27. Rd6 Be6 28.
    Kf2 Kf7 29. Rb6 Re7 30. e4 dxe4 31. dxe4 c4 32. b4 Bg4 33. Ke3 Rd7 34. g6+ Kf8
  2. gxh7 Rxh7 36. Ng6+ Ke8 37. Nxe5 Bc8 38. Nxc4 Kd8 39. Nd6 Rg7 40. Kf2 Kc7
  3. Nxc8 Kxc8 42. Rd6 1-0

[Event “Exhibition Game”]
[Site “Siegen FRG”]
[Date “1970.09.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Robert James Fischer”]
[Black “Ulf Andersson”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “A01”]
[Annotator “Voja”]
[PlyCount “85”]
[EventDate “1970.??.??”]
[SourceVersionDate “2019.03.17”]

  1. b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. c4 Nf6 4. e3 Be7 5. a3 O-O 6. Qc2 Re8 7.
    d3 Bf8 8. Nf3 a5 9. Be2 d5 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nbd2 f6 12. O-O Be6 13. Kh1 Qd7
  2. Rg1 Rad8 15. Ne4 Qf7 16. g4 g6 17. Rg3 Bg7 18. Rag1 Nb6 19. Nc5 Bc8 20. Nh4
    Nd7 21. Ne4 Nf8 22. Nf5 Be6 23. Nc5 Ne7 24. Nxg7 Kxg7 25. g5 Nf5 26. Rf3 b6 27.
    gxf6+ Kh8 28. Nxe6 Rxe6 29. d4 exd4 30. Bc4 d3 31. Bxd3 Rxd3 32. Qxd3 Rd6 33.
    Qc4 Ne6 34. Be5 Rd8 35. h4 Nd6 36. Qg4 Nf8 37. h5 Ne8 38. e4 Rd2 39. Rh3 Kg8
  3. hxg6 Nxg6 41. f4 Kf8 42. Qg5 Nd6 43. Bxd6+ 1-0

Fischer played 1. c4 in the World Championship match. I know at least once he played 1. d4. I presume it was in a non tournament game, so not part of his canon of games. Perhaps against some random bloke he bestowed the honor of playing at a social function.

Larsen took 1 b3 back up after Fischer used it. He had stopped playing it for a while.

Larry Cohen

Bobby vs Ulf

  1. b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. c4 (SF & Komodo prefer 3 e3) Nf6 (Although SF 041118 at depth 37 plays the game move, SF 10 at depth 41 plays 3…d5, expecting 4 cxd5 Qxd5) 4. e3 (Komodo plays 4 Nf3) Be7 (Stockfish plays 4…d5) 5. a3 (Komodo plays the game move but Houdini plays 5 Nf3) O-O (This is the choice of the Dragon, but the Fish prefers 5…d5) 6. Qc2 Re8 (SF and Komodo both play 6…d5) 7. d3 (SF and Komodo both play 7 Nc3) 7…Bf8 (SF & Komodo both play 7…d5)

Ildar Ibragimov vs Mikhail Umansky

URS-sf Russia-ch 1989

  1. b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. c4 Nf6 4. e3 Be7 5. a3 O-O 6. Qc2 Re8 7. d3 d5 8. cxd5
    Nxd5 9. Nf3 Bg4 10. Be2 f5 11. O-O Bf6 12. h3 Bh5 13. Nxe5 Bxe2 14. Nxc6 bxc6
  2. Qxe2 Nf4 16. Qc2 Qxd3 17. Qxd3 Nxd3 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Nd2 a5 20. Rfd1 Red8
  3. Nc4 Rd5 22. Rab1 a4 23. b4 Rad8 24. Rd2 c5 25. b5 Kf7 26. Rbd1 Ke6 27. f4
    Ke7 28. b6 cxb6 29. Nxb6 R5d6 30. Nc4 Rd5 31. Kf1 Nb2 32. Rxd5 Nxd1 33. Rxf5
    Nc3 34. Kf2 Rd1 35. Rh5 Rc1 36. Kf3 Ke6 37. Rxc5 Rf1+ 38. Kg4 Ne4 39. Rb5 Rf2
  4. g3 Rf1 41. f5+ Kd7 42. Rd5+ Kc6 43. Rd4 h5+ 44. Kh4 Ng5 45. Kxh5 Rxf5 46.
    Kg6 Rf3 47. h4 Ne6 48. Rd6+ Kc5 49. Rxe6 Rxg3+ 50. Kxf6 Kxc4 51. Rb6 Rxe3 52.
    Rb4+ Kd5 53. Rxa4 Rf3+ 54. Kg6 Rg3+ 55. Kf6 Rf3+ 56. Kg6 Rg3+ 57. Kf5 Rf3+ 58.
    Kg5 Ke5 59. h5 Rg3+ 60. Kh6 Kf6 61. Rf4+ Ke5 62. Ra4 Kf6 63. Ra6+ 1-0

Armchair Warrior
xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/

“There are tough players and nice guys, and I’m a tough player.” – Bobby Fischer

It’s well-known that Fischer practically always played 1 e4, sometimes transposing to the KIA especially in earlier years. I’ve speculated that in 1970 Fischer was already preparing for a World Championship match where he would have to vary his openings - and 1 b3 was a way of proving to himself that he could defeat GM’s with even “less sharp” variations.

Fischer also played a “straight Reti” against Santasiere in 1956, transposed to a QP opening agains Di Camillo in 1957, played the white side of a fianchetto KID in a simul in 1970, and played QG/Slav against Hort in blitz in 1970, along with 40 or so Reti’s/KIA’s over his career.

This is a 50-65 year old “revelation.”