The Bobby Fischer biopic “Pawn Sacrifice,” which we wrote about here last week, offers another extra kick for the serious chess fan, giving the full Hollywood treatment to one of the American game’s most interesting and underappreciated players — William Lombardy, who was Bobby’s sorely tried second in the 1972 title match with Spassky in Reykjavik.
Right up there with Ruy Lopez as one of the greatest Catholic priest/chess players, Lombardy had a resume as a rising junior star that rivaled that of Fischer, who was six years his junior. Arthur Bisguier and Andrew Soltis, in their book “American Chess Masters from Morphy to Fischer,” noted that “in the late 1950s, there was some doubt as to which of the teenage champions was better: Lombardy or Fischer.”
Consider: Before he walked away from full-time chess to study for the priesthood, Lombardy won the World Junior Tournament in Toronto in 1957 with a Fischeresque 11-0 score. He anchored the gold medal U.S. Student Olympiad team in Leningrad three years later, defeating (as the movie notes) Spassky in their individual encounter.
The movie gets a few significant things wrong about Fr. Bill, played by Peter Sarsgaard. For one, he was not recruited as Fischer was preparing his quest to take down Spassky; Fischer, from Brooklyn, and the Bronx-born Lombardy had known each other from their early days as rising masters in New York City. Lombardy was a kind of unofficial coach from their early days together.
Lombardy was actually a last-minute substitute as second in Iceland after Fischer parted ways with GM Larry Evans, who had backed him in the candidates’ matches. Lombardy received wide praise for his help in the Reykjavik match, as Fischer saved several dicey adjourned positions after he built up a big early lead against Spassky.
Still, the movie serves as an excellent excuse to review some of Lombardy’s best efforts at the chessboard. Despite his religious vocation (he would eventually leave the priesthood and now lives in New York City with his family), Lombardy continued to write, coach and compete occasionally in top-level events, remaining a remarkably dangerous opponent despite his lack of consistent practice.
In a 1978 event played in the same town where he helped Fischer win the world crown, Lombardy played a beautiful combination to take down the strong Soviet GM Lev Polugaevsky. Not surprisingly, the priest shows in this English Opening he knows how to employ his bishops.
The early positional sparring leaves White with a clear space advantage, leaving Polugaevsky cramped but compact on the defense. After continual prodding, Lombardy comes up with a neat trap to exploit Black’s misplaced pieces.
White appears to be losing a pawn after 28. Na7!? Bxb2 29. Qxb2 Rcc7 30. Nc6, but a knight sacrifice rocks Black’s game and liberates White’s pieces after 30…Bxc6 31. dxc6 Rxc6 (see diagram) 32. Nxe4! fxe4 (White is also much better after Rc8 33. Nxd6 Nxd6 34. Bxb7 Rxb7 35. Ra7! Nd6 36. c5) 33. Bxe4, hitting the loose knight on g6 and skewering Black’s rooks.
But the deeper geometry of Lombardy’s idea shines through after 33…Ne7 34. Ra8! Rcc7 (Rbc7 35. Bxc6 Rxc6 36. Qe2 Rc7 37. Qe6+ Kh8 38. Qg6!) 35. Bg6!!, and Black resigns as both 35…Nxg6 36. Rexe8 and 35…Rc8 36. Rxc8 Nxc8 37. Rxe8 are hopeless.
Lombardy-Polugaevsky, Reykjavik, Iceland, February 1978
1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 5. a3 Ba5 6. g3 Nc6 7. Bg2 O-O 8. O-O Qe7 9. d3 h6 10. e3 d6 11. b3 Bd7 12. Bb2 Rab8 13. d4 cxd4 14. exd4 Rfc8 15. b4 Bd8 16. Rfe1 Qf8 17. Qd3 Ne7 18. Nd2 b6 19. Nb3 a5 20. d5 e5 21. Nb5 Ne8 22. Rac1 axb4 23. axb4 Rb7 24. Nd2 Ng6 25. h4 f5 26. Ra1 e4 27. Qb3 Bf6 28. Na7 Bxb2 29. Qxb2 Rcc7 30. Nc6 Bxc6 31. dxc6 Rxc6 32. Nxe4 fxe4 33. Bxe4 Ne7 34. Ra8 Rcc7 35. Bg6 Black resigns.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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