Customer Reviews

My 60 Memorable Games

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Robert James Fischer is probably the greatest player of all time, his only rival being Kasparov (or perhaps Capablanca or Alekhine depending upon one's criteria). It is, therefore, only reasonable that a selection of his best games should rank as one of the greatest chess books. However, this work is more than a mere game collection: In it we have a chance to see a true genuis (IQ 187) at work. I am, hence, willing to say that it is the greatest chess book. The annotations are simply flawless, but this flawlessness is not their most impressive quality. One begins to feel, as perhaps one does only in two other works (The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal and Paul Keres' The Quest for Perfection) that he is actually in the mind of a great player. I specifically remember being struck by his annotations to his game against Robert Byrne, quite possibly the greatest game ever played. I actually began to feel my understanding of chess expand as I studied Fishcer's ideas at the board; going over this game for the first time, I found that his commentary made this almost incomprehensible game seem simple. This book offers the rare opportunity to enter a great player's mind (in my view, the greatest) and make your own ever so slightly more like his. I would also suggest My Best Games of Chess by Alexander Alekhine.

If you can find this out of print book anywhere - grab it immediately!

It is a collection of heavily annotated games that Fischer felt contained something special, memorable, or instructive. He even included several losses.

Each game starts out with a commentary by Grandmaster Larry Evans, who describes the setting, the players, their moods, standings, etc. prior to the game.

This is followed by the complete game scores with detailed notes penned by the Great Bobby himself. There is enough material in this book, coupled with enough variety of openings, that one could nearly create an opening repertoire from reading this book alone. (preferable with some reference to modern sources for potential improvements.).

I know for a fact that countless talented players have been inspired by this classic for years. I have heard that an algebraic version was printed a few years back and then discontinued abruptly. (I have only seen the descriptive notation).

In any case, this book truly belongs in the library of any serious player.

My edition is Faber paperbacks 1972 and covers the period 1957-1967. I always tell people that it is the best (money) that I've ever spent! IM Larry Evans introduces all of the 60 games with titles like "Slaying the dragon", "Peekaboo strategy" and "Meat and potatoes". Although, of course, it is the annotations given by Fischer that make the book - highly recommended.

I own the Faber paperback version. Love his chess. Pretty balanced, down to earth style. Not dry and dull like Capa or Botvinnik, neither is it too speculative and complex like Tal. More like a aggressive positional with scope for tactics - an in between of the above players. I have modelled my play on his style and i had been playing better chess. I dislike studying all those opening books with plentiful variations and theories, but through this book I learnt something about The Sicilian Najdorf and the KID and Sozins which I still play, and develop my own ideas based on the way Fischer handled those openings. Have to admit that this book is full of heavy analysis and variations which my limited abilities cannot fathom everything or visualise too far ahead, the analysis notes helps in the practice of calculating variations in the manner prescribed by Kotov in his book Think Like a Grandmaster as not many games books are filled with all kinds of variations and sub variations. Apart from the book being more for the stronger or advanced player's study, lesser players like myself can gain quite a fair bit of ideas and insight in just playing through and appreciating the games and ideas as played by Fischer or his opponents. If you are only going to own just 1 chess book, then own this one. Pity it is no longer in print. Get hold of the Faber version if you can. Its the original one.

This is a tremendous book.Fischer's games and analysis are great,as one would expect,and the introductions by Larry Evans are superb.This is a treasure to last a lifetime.

I am a bit amazed by some of the earlier reviews that describe this book as overrated and criticize Fischer's writing and annotations. This book is the greatest, clearest resource for modern chess ideas imaginable. Fischer has a surprisingly down to earth style with even a hint of humor. The annotations are immensely valuable and tediously thorough. The introductions to the games by Larry Evans are exciting and inspire a love of the game. Anyone wishing to learn the Sicilian or King's Indian defenses should regard this book as the authoritative reference. I also recommend finding a copy with the original descriptive notation instead of the algebraic. Descriptive notation allows you to play through the games easily with the board flipped, and this book is great for learning to play as black.

'My 60 Memorable Games' is a fantastic collection from one of the great players in the history of chess. But, if one happens to run into the Batsford edition of the book, don't trust it at all. Fischer has publicly spoken as to how Batsford has ruined his book. Here is the website where Fischer talks about it. http://home.att.ne.jp/moon/fischer/
It is true. It seems like the people at Batsford are purposely trying to ruin his credibility. They are trying to make him look like an idiot, like a no-good potzer. Nonetheless, the games are awesome and immortal. Fischer should publish a new edition of this book with 40 extra games. He should add the games from 1968 to 1972 and the games from the 1992 rematch.

I love chess even though I don't play it very often. But this book is a masterpiece of instruction. Although Bobby Fischer was way above my level -- and almost everybody's level -- he explained his moves in clear and precise language and explores why he chose one tactic over another. I enjoy following the lines he avoided.
He was a brilliant player and this book is an amazing opportunity to see what he was thinking. One of my favorite chess books ever.

I agree with all of the positive remarks in the previous reviews.
This book is magical. I still remember the names that Larry Evens
gives to each game some 30 years after reading the book. This one
chess book was responsible for me to go from a novice 1600 rated player to a expert almost overnight. The clarity of Fischers approach to the game and his marvelous annotations completely changed my understanding of the game. It is a pity that such a gifted player and writter turns out to be such a creep in real life.

This is the first non-beginners' chess book I ever read. Since it was the only chess book I had at the time, I read it over and over until I inadvertently memorized most of it. I can't say that it's the best chess book ever written. There are a few I like better, but this book was the right one for me at the time (1972).

I was a terrible player when I first read this book. Eventually I went on to become a pretty good one. I don't know how much credit Fischer gets. He probably would have told me to get a real job, but I loved the game no matter how awful I was.

I had the Descriptive Notation version in 1972. Sometime I lost it, but a few years ago, I managed to get a copy of it in hardback at a used bookstore for a couple of bucks. No, I am not offering it for sale.