William Lombardy (4.12.1937 - 14.10.2017) - Fischer's only Chess teacher!!

"After reading every article of Bill, I always get the feeling that I actually learned something.....that I had broadened my understanding of Chess." - Kevin Spraggett 

Bill or William Lombardy would be remembered - if not for anything - his book titled "Understanding Chess - My System, my games, my life". 

If you have not read that.....you miss something......


He was a very unconventional teacher.....and his postulates defied conventional wisdom....and stood on their own merit....rebellious!!

.....a few of them....

"Castling is to be considered a waste of time, wrongly expended when there is almost always something more important to achieve! Thus castling is a passive move that nurtures the hope of King safety!"

"Analysis is not Chess. It is an emergency condition by which we solve immediate problems during a game of Chess....analysis is overrated"

"All weaknesses can be improved or transformed. The experienced player will learn to distinguish which weaknesses to avoid and which to endure"

"The Bishop (he doesn't even specify Queen's as Steinitz propounded!), in fact, may already be mobilised at its initial square"

"Trading pieces provides an illusion that one piece for another is an even trade. There is no such thing as an even trade"

"We believe that we make conscious decision, when in fact it is the subconscious pulling the strings"


Some of his moves float on thin air......like 21.Bc6!! in the following position

Lombardy - Kramer, USA Ch - 1957

Or take this one.....where Bill sacrifices a second pawn .....

Lombardy - Sherwin, NY - 1968

......and after Black grabbed  25......Qe4 played 16.Nf5!! offering Queen exchange doubling his f-pawn........
......and this game was played after he had already become a catholic priest....quitting professional Chess!


......or....

Benko - Lombardy, USA Ch - 1969

In the above position, Benko offered a draw after playing 22.Qe5-d4.

Bill, raised his hands.....and Benko too raised his hands to shake....but Bill took not the extended hands of Pal but the Bishop on b7 and put it on f3.......!!

and after 23.gf3 Rc4! ...clinched the game in 15 more moves.....possibly 22......Bg2! would have been quicker.....but certainly a move like Bf3!! should take precedence over anything....to preserve the art of playing Chess.......even if it is the second or third best option!


Lombardy's positional play was profound!  In the following position, against Portisch......

Lombardy - Portisch, Leipzig Olympiad - 1960

Lombardy played.....

16.Ne1!

The Knight retreats to create a nice niche on d4 for his counter part!

16......Ne7 17.f4! Be6 18.fe5 Ne5 19.Nf3 Nf3 20.Bf3 Bf7

21.Nd4!!

Challenging Black to decide whether the doubled central pawns would prove a serious weakness or the glaring dark squares weakened by the absence of that Bishop ...and most importantly the placement of his pawns on light squares....a serious one!

The doubled d4 pawn could be easily covered and most importantly, the dark squares....c5 in particular will fall in White's hands who can use them for as landing spot for the Rooks and mounting pressure!

Portisch naturally refuses the challenge!

21......Re8 22.Bb2 Qb6 23.Kh1! 

An 'unfortunate' necessity - to step away from spate checks - since he violated his own principle!!!    ;-)

23.....h5 24.Ra1 Ra8 25.Ra8 Ra8 26.Rc1 h4 27.Qc3 Rc8 28.Qd2 Rc1 29.Qc1 hg3 30.hg3 Qd6 31.Kg2

With the disappearance of the Rooks, White task gets simpler and pleasant and the main focus will now be on the dark squares irreparably weakened by the placement of Black's pawns on the light squares, in the absence of that Bishop which could have covered them......

31......Be8 32.Nc2! Bb2 33.Qb2 Nc6 34.Qb3 Bf7 35.Qc3 g5 36.Nd4 Nd4 37.Qd4 g4  38.Be2 Qh6 39.Bf1! Qa6 40.Kf2 Kh7 41.Qc5 Qa2 42.Be2 Qb1 43.Qb5 Qh1 44.Qb8 d4 45.Qe5

White's Queen is the absolute master of the dark squares.....from where it shoots at the weak light squares too.....did not Bronstein teach us that a weakness in dark square means the corresponding light squares are also weak and vice versa!?

45.....Kg6 46.Qd6 Kh7 47.Qf4 de3 48.Ke3 Qc1 49.Kf2 Qf4 50.gf4 Bd5 51.b5 Kg6 52.d4 Kf6 53.b6 Bb7 

54.d5!!

Never forget.....the beauty of Chess and life.... lies in parting with material......!!  

54.....Ke7 55.Bd3 Kd6 56.Bf5 Kd5 57.Bg4 Kc5 58.Bf3!

Finesse ......and Portisch resigned


Players like Lombardy many not have ruled the Chess world.....but they will certainly remain in the minds of Chess players for their original approach to Chess......which is the true purpose of learning an art! Reaching top is a trivial act....!