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In his autobiography, Lombardy explains his relationship to Fischer: "Since Bobby, when I first met him at age 11 1/2, actually at that time stated that he would be world chess champion, I believed it was my job as his friend and confidant to do everything legitimately in my power to ensure that the young player's dream would come true!...Furthermore, I voluntarily served as Bobby's coach and second at the 1958 Portoroz Interzonal, when Bobby, at age 15, qualified for the world championship candidates' tournament and thus became the youngest Grandmaster ever. As far as the record goes, that record goes unbroken!"<ref>Lombardy 2011, p. 220.</ref>
In his autobiography, Lombardy explains his relationship to Fischer: "Since Bobby, when I first met him at age 11 1/2, actually at that time stated that he would be world chess champion, I believed it was my job as his friend and confidant to do everything legitimately in my power to ensure that the young player's dream would come true!...Furthermore, I voluntarily served as Bobby's coach and second at the 1958 Portoroz Interzonal, when Bobby, at age 15, qualified for the world championship candidates' tournament and thus became the youngest Grandmaster ever. As far as the record goes, that record goes unbroken!"<ref>Lombardy 2011, p. 220.</ref>


Lombardy served as Fischer's coach from 1954 through the 1972 World Chess Championship Match.
⚫
Lombardy served as Fischer's coach from 1954 through the 1972 World Chess Championship Match. Lombardy states: "Suffice to say, I was the only person on the intimate inside during that Match of the Century...let me point out that there were 14 adjourned games. Bobby [Fischer] and I worked together on those adjourned positions without making a single technical error!... For little renumeration, I dedicated my services in the Icelandic capital to guarantee that Bobby followed through and finished the match victoriously" <ref>Lombardy 2011, pp. 219-220.</ref>

Many in the chess community think that Jack Collins was Bobby Fischer's coach (as well as a coach for William Lombardy, [[Robert Byrne]], [[Donald Byrne]], and Raymond Weinstein.<ref name="nytbio">{{cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04EEDB1F3DF937A35751C1A9679C8B63 | title= John W. Collins, 89, Dies; Was Fischer's Chess Tutor | publisher=New York Times | author=Dylan Loeb McClain | date=2001-12-04}}</ref>

According to Lombardy, this is false:

"Jack Collins was not in any way capable of teaching me, the Byrne Brothers, Raymond Weinstein, let alone Bobby Fischer. All had entered his home in friendship and were already superior masters, far past the ability of Collins to impart anything but trivial knowledge. I said this less vehemently in ''My Seven Chess Prodigies'' where I practically wrote my corresponding chapter!" <ref>Lombardy 2011, p. 219.</ref>


== 1972 Spassky-Fischer World Championship Match ==
== 1972 Spassky-Fischer World Championship Match ==


In 1972, Fischer was scheduled to play a match against Spassky for the world championship. However, Fischer had a falling out with [[Larry Evans]], who had been Fischer's [[list of chess terms#S|second]] in his successful matches against [[Tigran Petrosian]] and [[Bent Larsen]]. Fischer called upon Lombardy to help him with the match. Although Lombardy was still a priest, he was allowed to take time off from the priesthood to go to [[Reykjavík]], [[Iceland]] to serve as the official second to Fischer during the [[World Chess Championship 1972]], between Fischer and Spassky. Nevertheless Fischer often did not make use of his services. [[Don Schultz]] remembers the following conversation: Lombardy to Fischer 'That's a difficult position. Let's go back to the hotel and analyze it.' Fischer replied 'What do you mean, analyze? That guy's a fish. Let's go bowling.' According to Lombardy, this story is inaccurate. Fischer won the match and became world champion.
In 1972, Fischer was scheduled to play a match against Spassky for the world championship. However, Fischer had a falling out with [[Larry Evans]], who had been Fischer's [[list of chess terms#S|second]] in his successful matches against [[Tigran Petrosian]] and [[Bent Larsen]]. Fischer called upon Lombardy to help him with the match. Although Lombardy was still a priest, he was allowed to take time off from the priesthood to go to [[Reykjavík]], [[Iceland]] to serve as the official second to Fischer during the [[World Chess Championship 1972]], between Fischer and Spassky.
[[Don Schultz]] remembers the following conversation: Lombardy to Fischer 'That's a difficult position. Let's go back to the hotel and analyze it.' Fischer replied 'What do you mean, analyze? That guy's a fish. Let's go bowling.' According to Lombardy, this story is inaccurate. Fischer won the match and became world champion.

⚫
Lombardy states: "Suffice to say, I was the only person on the intimate inside during that Match of the Century...let me point out that there were 14 adjourned games. Bobby [Fischer] and I worked together on those adjourned positions without making a single technical error!... For little renumeration, I dedicated my services in the Icelandic capital to guarantee that Bobby followed through and finished the match victoriously" <ref>Lombardy 2011, pp. 219-220.</ref>


== Later career ==
== Later career ==
Line 92: Line 102:
==References==
==References==
{{Refbegin|colwidth=60em}}
{{Refbegin|colwidth=60em}}
* {{cite book
|last=Collins|first=John W.|authorlink=John W. Collins
|title=My Seven Chess Prodigies
|year=1974
|publisher=Simon and Schuster
|isbn=0-671-21941-3
}}
* {{cite book
* {{cite book
|last=Lombardy|first=William
|last=Lombardy|first=William

Revision as of 17:51, 4 August 2013

William Lombardy
William Lombardy (Leipzig, 1960)
Full nameWilliam James Lombardy
Country United States
Born (1937-12-04) December 4, 1937 (age 86)
New York City
TitleGrandmaster

William James Lombardy (born December 4, 1937) is an American chess grandmaster, writer, teacher, and former Catholic priest.

Early career

He won the 1956 Canadian Open Chess Championship. In 1956, at the age of 18, he lost a match versus Samuel Reshevsky by the score of 3.5-2.5. In 1957, Lombardy became the first American to win the World Junior Chess Championship. He won the tournament in Toronto with a perfect score of 11-0, the only time such a result has been achieved.

Team competitions

Lombardy played first board for the U.S. Team that won the 1960 World Student Team Championship in Leningrad, USSR, the first time a U.S. team won that event (they would win again at Haifa 1970, where Lombardy was also present). Lombardy defeated future world champion Boris Spassky in their individual game. Lombardy won a gold medal for best result on first board in that event with a score of 12-1. [1]

Lombardy represented his country in seven Chess Olympiads, won three U.S. Open titles and played in nine U.S. Chess Championships. He finished second in the 1960-61 U.S. Championship behind Bobby Fischer and ahead of Raymond Weinstein in a star-studded field. With this result, Lombardy qualified to compete in the Interzonal tournament to be held in Stockholm for the right to advance to a match for the world championship. However, Lombardy decided to retire from tournament competition and become a Roman Catholic priest. Before retiring, he lost a match to Larry Evans by the score of 5.5-4.5. Lombardy was ordained in June, 1967.[2]

Relationship with Bobby Fischer

Starting in September 1954, [3] William Lombardy began coaching an 11 1/2-year-old Bobby Fischer. In his autobiography, Lombardy notes: "We spent hours in our sessions, simply playing over quality games", and that he "tried to instill in Bobby the secret of [his] own speedy rise. Eidetic Imagery and Total Immersion."[4]

In his autobiography, Lombardy explains his relationship to Fischer: "Since Bobby, when I first met him at age 11 1/2, actually at that time stated that he would be world chess champion, I believed it was my job as his friend and confidant to do everything legitimately in my power to ensure that the young player's dream would come true!...Furthermore, I voluntarily served as Bobby's coach and second at the 1958 Portoroz Interzonal, when Bobby, at age 15, qualified for the world championship candidates' tournament and thus became the youngest Grandmaster ever. As far as the record goes, that record goes unbroken!"[5]

Lombardy served as Fischer's coach from 1954 through the 1972 World Chess Championship Match.

Many in the chess community think that Jack Collins was Bobby Fischer's coach (as well as a coach for William Lombardy, Robert Byrne, Donald Byrne, and Raymond Weinstein.[6]

According to Lombardy, this is false:

"Jack Collins was not in any way capable of teaching me, the Byrne Brothers, Raymond Weinstein, let alone Bobby Fischer. All had entered his home in friendship and were already superior masters, far past the ability of Collins to impart anything but trivial knowledge. I said this less vehemently in My Seven Chess Prodigies where I practically wrote my corresponding chapter!" [7]

1972 Spassky-Fischer World Championship Match

In 1972, Fischer was scheduled to play a match against Spassky for the world championship. However, Fischer had a falling out with Larry Evans, who had been Fischer's second in his successful matches against Tigran Petrosian and Bent Larsen. Fischer called upon Lombardy to help him with the match. Although Lombardy was still a priest, he was allowed to take time off from the priesthood to go to Reykjavík, Iceland to serve as the official second to Fischer during the World Chess Championship 1972, between Fischer and Spassky.

Don Schultz remembers the following conversation: Lombardy to Fischer 'That's a difficult position. Let's go back to the hotel and analyze it.' Fischer replied 'What do you mean, analyze? That guy's a fish. Let's go bowling.' According to Lombardy, this story is inaccurate. Fischer won the match and became world champion.

Lombardy states: "Suffice to say, I was the only person on the intimate inside during that Match of the Century...let me point out that there were 14 adjourned games. Bobby [Fischer] and I worked together on those adjourned positions without making a single technical error!... For little renumeration, I dedicated my services in the Icelandic capital to guarantee that Bobby followed through and finished the match victoriously" [8]

Later career

Lombardy won or tied for first in the U.S. Open Chess Championship three times. He took clear first at Chicago 1963 and twice tied with Pal Benko; first at Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico in 1965 and then at Lincoln, Nebraska in 1975.

In 1978 and 1979, Lombardy served as the lead instructor at an "all day", week-long chess camp at Michigan State University. This was perhaps the first camp of its type in the United States and attracted juniors from all over the country.

In addition to his victory against Spassky, Lombardy scored at least one win against such world-class players as Ulf Andersson, Pal Benko, Walter Browne, Robert Byrne, Larry Christiansen, Larry Evans, Vlastimil Hort, Victor Korchnoi, Bent Larsen, Ljubomir Ljubojević, Tony Miles, Lev Polugaevsky, Lajos Portisch, Samuel Reshevsky, and Jan Timman.

In the early 1980s, Lombardy left the active ministry and subsequently married. He has one son. He is now retired and lives in the East Village of New York City, where he focuses on his writing and offers chess lessons.

Opening contributions

This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

In the first round of the World Junior Championship Lombardy defeated the Soviet representative Vladimir Selimanov in a variation of the Ruy Lopez that now carries his name. The Lombardy Variation takes place after the following moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c6. This is Lombardy's most publicized opening contribution. He essayed the move in at least nine official tournament games, scoring three wins, four draws and two losses.

Autobiography

In November 2011 Lombardy self-published his autobiographical game collection: Understanding Chess: My System, My Games, My Life. The book is available online at William Lombardy's website: http://www.gmlombardy.com.ar and at http://www.newinchess.com/Understanding_Chess-p-7202.html

Notable games

Notes

  1. ^ Lombardy 2011, p. 116
  2. ^ Lombardy 2011, p. 150
  3. ^ West, Jim (2011-11-22). ""Understanding Chess" by GM Lombardy, Chess Blog by National Master Jim West". jimwestonchess.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2013-7-3. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ Lombardy 2011, p. 23.
  5. ^ Lombardy 2011, p. 220.
  6. ^ Dylan Loeb McClain (2001-12-04). "John W. Collins, 89, Dies; Was Fischer's Chess Tutor". New York Times.
  7. ^ Lombardy 2011, p. 219.
  8. ^ Lombardy 2011, pp. 219-220.

References

Bibliography

  • Lombardy, William (1972). Modern Chess Opening Traps (1st ed.). David McKay.
  • Lombardy, William (1978). Modern Chess Opening Traps (2nd ed.). David McKay. ISBN 0679144005.
  • Lombardy, William (1973). Snatched Opportunities on the Chessboard. Batsford. ISBN 0713403659.
  • Daniels, David; Koltanowski, George; Lombardy, William (1975). US Championship Chess, with the Games of the 1973 Tournament. David McKay. ISBN 067913042X.
  • Daniels, David; Lombardy, William (1975). Chess Panorama. Chilton. ISBN 0801960789.
  • Lombardy, William (1977). Chess for Children, Step by Step: A New, Easy Way to Learn the Game. Little Brown & Co. ISBN 0316530905.
  • Lombardy, William (1978). Guide to Tournament Chess. David McKay. ISBN 0679130497.
  • Lombardy, William (2011). Understanding Chess: My System, My Games, My Life. Russell Enterprises. ISBN 978-1-93649-022-6.

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