This article lists the times taken for the moves of Game 3 of the 1972 Fischer – Spassky World Chess Championship Match in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Click here for info on other games of this match.
Game 3, July 16-17, 1972
Spassky Fischer
White Black
1. d4 (0:00) Nf6 (0:09)
2. c4 e6
3. Nf3 c5
4. d5 exd5
5. cxd5 d6
6. Nc3 g6
7. Nd2 Nbd7
8. e4 (0:11) Bg7 (0:24)
9. Be2 (0:15) 0-0 (0:24)
10. 0-0 (0:15) Re8 (0:31)
11. Qc2 (0:17) Nh5 (0:40)
12. Bxh5 (0:40) gxh5 (0:40)
13. Nc4 (0:40) Ne5 (0:41)
14. Ne3 (0:43) Qh4 (0:48)
15. Bd2 (0:47) Ng4 (1:03)
16. Nxg4 (0:52) hxg4 (1:03)
17. Bf4 (1:04) Qf6 (1:04)
18. g3 (1:05) Bd7 (1:07)
19. a4 (1:07) b6 (1:11)
20. Rfe1 (1:10) a6 (1:11)
21. Re2 b5
22. Rae1 (1:23) Qg6 (1:16)
23. b3 (1:23) Re7 (1:24)
24. Qd3 (1:33) Rb8 (1:25)
25. axb5 (1:34) axb5 (1:25)
26. b4 (1:35) c4 (1:30)
27. Qd2 (1:41) Rbe8 (1:33)
28. Re3 (1:55) h5 (1:35)
29. R3e2 (2:04) Kh7 (1:45)
30. Re3 (2:04) Kg8 (1:47)
31. R3e2 (2:04) Bxc3 (1:48)
32. Qxc3 (2:04) Rxe4 (1:49)
33. Rxe4 (2:06) Rxe4 (1:51)
34. Rxe4 (2:10) Qxe4 (1:51)
35. Bh6 (2:12) Qg6 (1:51)
36. Bc1 (2:13) Qb1 (1:57)
37. Kf1 (2:20) Bf5 (2:00)
38. Ke2 (2:20) Qe4+ (2:10)
39. Qe3 (2:21) Qc2+ (2:10)
40. Qd2 (2:22) Qb3 (2:11)
41. Qd4 (2:48) Bd3+ (s) (2:20)
0-1
The time control for the games of this match was 40 moves in 2 1/2 hours followed by 16 moves per hour thereafter.
(s) after a move indicates a sealed move.
Spassky spent 26 minutes on his 41st move, and played it just before the end of the first 5-hour playing session. So Fischer either had to reply quickly, or seal his move when instructed by the arbiter. He sealed his move.
At the start of the second session on the following day, the arbiter played Fischer’s sealed move on the board and started Spassky’s clock, with Fischer absent. Spassky waited a few minutes, then resigned and left. Soon, Fischer showed up, quickly completed the formalities, and then hurried out. That is the way I remember it; Fischer and Spassky never faced each other at this adjournment session.
Note on moves 1-18:
After Spassky’s 8th move, I started to jot down the times, having seen Spassky’s clock on the closed circuit TV. After Fischer’s 18th move, while Spassky was thinking, the TV showed 1:07 on Fischer’s clock, according to my notes. Although my time for Spassky was OK, I was somehow short by 9 minutes on Fischer’s time, which I had recorded as 0:58.
I could not figure out how my 9-minute error occurred, until October 31st, 2008, when I read the excellent posting at Chess Base By Prof. Christian Hesse.
This posting explained that the aribiter had actually started the clock on time and Spassky had immediately played 1. d4. And it was not until 5:09, nine minutes later, that Fischer played his reply, 1. … Nf6.
In the hall, we were looking at a stage with nobody there, but watching on the closed circuit TV. I don’t remember seeing anything on the closed circuit TV until just before Fischer sat down, so I assumed the game started late.
In fact, I didn’t even know where the players were. But I was so thrilled to see them play that I didn’t care!
I probably saw Spassky’s Spassky’s clock time and calculated Fischer’s clock time using my mistaken start time. That is, until I could actually see Fischer’s clock on the TV after his 18th, and saw that my time for Fischer was 9 minutes too short.
Using Prof. Hesse’s information, I have assumed that my mistaken start time was the cause of my 9-minute error, and that the error was made for moves 8-18. In these notes, I have corrected Fischer’s times for these moves. The times for move 1 are according to the ChessBase article.
For other games of the match, see the Fischer – Spassky Times Home Page
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