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28th May,1992.
The traditional Moscow Blitz Tournament is in full swing. The field is
led by World Champion Kasparov himself who has beaten one opponent after
another. But this time there is a kind of electricity in the air.
Seated opposite him is a pale emaciated figure who appears to be a shadow of
himself. It is only the burning eyes that offer a glimpse of the fire
within. For it is none other than Mikhail Tal, former World Champion
and a legendary player in his own time. The crowd watches with bated
breath. Few are aware that the Latvian genius is critically ill and
nearer death's door than ever before. In fact he has sneaked out of
the hospital to participate in his beloved tournament. The play begins
and Kasparov is soon treated to a hussar-like cavalry charge. It
appears that the World Champion is going to be mated. The alert Garry
beats off the dashing attack, retaining the extra material.... only to
overstep the time limit! A stunned Kasparov extends his hand in
congratulation. Pandemonium breaks out in the hall.....
That game was to be Tal's swan song. A month later, on 28th June
1992 he breathed his last in a Moscow hospital and was buried in his native
Riga, the city that he loved. The maestro is gone, but the magic still
lingers.
 This
CD offers ample proof of that magic. There are 2592 games played by
Tal presented in Informant style. Every serious tournament and match
game played by him may be found here with detailed notes. The
annotations in the CD are based on contemporary sources. They were
prepared before the computer era, however, the analysis can be checked by
the in-built engines.
Discerning readers should know that the entire collection is based on the
4-volume set: Mikhail Tal Games by Soloviev (Chess
Stars,1994.) The annotations, in essence, are the same.
However, it is easier to make analytical revisions and add updates to the
games. Books lack the flexibility of the electronic format.
The second part of the CD is Play as Tal. It has
a series of exercises based on themes like attack on the king, strategical
methods and endgame technique. There are as many as 260 quiz positions
for solving.
The CD offers no account of Tal's life, however it offers thumbnail images
for each year of his career (1949-1992). Thus there are as many as 45
mini-portraits of Tal in this set. What is missing in the CD is the
extraordinary human drama surrounding the games.
 The
Candidates' Tournament 1959 was one of the greatest triumphs of his career.
It was a star-studded field with eight players: Smyslov, Keres, Petrosian,
Tal, Gligorich, Benko, Olafsson and a 16-year-old Bobby Fischer! (
Misha beat him 4-0 !) The event began rather ominously for Tal with
losses to Smyslov and Keres. But he picked up pace with courage and
confidence. By the end of the second cycle it was already clear that
the real struggle for the first place lay between Tal and Keres.
The third cycle of the Tournament commenced in Zagreb.
Harry Golombek, recounts:
"If the audience had been surprisingly large at Bled, then they were still
more impressive in their numbers at Zagreb where popular enthusiasm for
chess is clearly very great indeed. The hall of play had some 700
seats but all tickets were sold well in advance and it was the custom for
the crowds to assemble outside the playing room at each session.......
Spectators got their money's worth in excitement in the first round at
Zagreb. Despite Tal's wonderful record it was an open secret that
Smyslov was rather contemptuous of his play which seemed to him to allow
to too great a role to chance and luck. In fact a few days before he
had given an interview to a reporter of the Zagreb Evening News in
which he indicated how lucky he thought Tal had been thus far in the
tournament and that he regarded it as part of his duties as a grandmaster
to beat Tal in a proper manner when next they met.''
Tal-Smyslov, from Round 8, which was won by Tal in 26 moves.
Photo from the collection of Riccardo Andreis,
Images of Caissa.
Here is what happened:
Vasily Smyslov -Mikhail Tal [B42]
Candidates Tournament 1959
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6
       
  
 
      
The Paulsen Variation of the Sicilian Defence. It is a deceptively
simple, but flexible system.
5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nxc6 bxc6
6...dxc6 is a reasonable alternative.
Tal played it against Keres in a later round.
7.0–0 d5
7...d6 is sharper according to Kasparov.
8.Nd2
This unhurried move allows Black sufficient counterplay.
8.c4! immediately opening up the centre is better according to Kasparov.
8...Nf6 9.Qe2 Be7
9...a5 ! 10.Re1 Be7 11.b3 a4 12.a3 Qb6 13.Bb2 axb3 14.cxb3 Ba6 = is an
interesting suggestion by Boleslavsky.
10.Re1 0–0 11.b3 a5
The annotators on this game held this move to be dubious.
But Kasparov judges the game to be even.
12.Bb2 a4
I believe this move to be the culprit. Black cannot afford the
luxury of this advance without first completing his development with
12... Re8 or 12...Bb7. - NSH
13.a3
Necessary as Black was threatening to play... a3 himself.
13...axb3?!
13...Re8 is preferable, although after 14.exd5 ! 14...cxd5 (14...exd5
? 15.Bxf6) 15.b4± White has the upper hand.
14.cxb3 Qb6 15.exd5!
15...cxd5
15...Nxd5 with the idea of 16... Nf4 is better. Now:
-
16.Qh5 f5 is good for Black.
-
16.Qg4 Bf6 17.Qe4 g6 18.Bxf6 Nxf6 19.Qe5 Nd5 20.Ne4 f6. Black is
not without resources.
-
16.Qe5 Bf6 17.Qe4 g6 18.Bxf6 Nxf6 19.Qf3 Qd4 20.Ne4. White is
certainly better.
16.b4 Nd7
Preparing to play ...e5 to prevent control of d4 by the White bishop.
Not 16...Ba6 ? 17.b5±
17.Nb3!
17.Bxh7+ Kxh7 18.Qh5+ Kg8 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.Qg4+ Kh7 and White should be
content with perpetual check. Any attempt to mate the king will
only land him in trouble. 21.Re3 Qxe3 22.fxe3 Rg8 23.Qh5+ Kg7
24.Rf1 f5! and Black has the upper hand.
17...e5
Not 17...Bb7 18.Bd4 Qd8 19.Na5± Or 17...Ba6 18.b5 Bb7 19.a4
Bb4 ? 20.Qg4+-
18.Bf5!
White cannot win a pawn with 18.Bxe5 ?! 18...Nxe5 19.Qxe5 Bf6 20.Qxd5
Bb7 21.Qc5 Qxc5 22.Nxc5 Bxa1 23.Rxa1 and the position i has become
murky.
18...e4 19.Rec1!
19.Bxg7 ?! 19...Kxg7 20.Qg4+ Kh8 21.Bxd7 Rg8 only confuses matters.
19...Qd6
Not 19...Ba6 20.Qd2 Nf6 21.Bd4 Qd8 22.Nc5 Bc4 ? 23.Nxe4+-
20.Nd4± Bf6
20...Ba6 ? fails to 21.b5 Bb7 22.Bxh7+ Kxh7 23.Nf5 Qe6 24.Qh5+ Kg8
25.Bxg7+-
and 20...Ne5 is met by 21.Nb5 Qf6 22.Bxh7+ ! 22...Kxh7 23.Qh5++-
21.Rc6 Qe7
Both 21...Qe5? and 21...Qf4 ? are met by 22.Rxc8+-
22.Rac1 h6
22...Be5 23.Bxh7+ ! 23...Kxh7 24.Qh5+ Kg8 25.Nf5 Qe8 26.Rh6 ! 26...gxh6
(26...g6 27.Rh8+) 27.Nxh6+ Kg7 28.Nf5+ Kg8 (28...Kf6 29.g4
! 29...Rh8 30.Rc6+ Qe6 31.Qxh8+ Kg5 32.Qh4+ Kf4 33.Qg3+ Kg5 34.f4+
exf3 35.Qh4+ Kf4 36.Bc1+ Ke4 37.Qe1+ Kd3 38.Qe3# #) 29.Qg5+
Kh7 30.Rc3+- !
23.Rc7 ! 23...Be5 24.Nc6 Qg5 25.h4!
25...Qxh4
Black must lose material:
-
25...Qxf5 ? 26.Ne7++-
-
25...Qf6 ? 26.Bxe5+-
-
25...Qxc1+ ? 26.Bxc1 Bxc7 27.Ne7+ Kh8 28.Nxc8 Raxc8 29.Bxd7+-
26.Nxe5 Nxe5 27.Rxc8 Nf3+ !?
''This ingenious resource seriously weakens White's kingside, but should
not have been sufficient to save the game.' '- Golombek
28.gxf3 Qg5+ 29.Kf1 Qxf5 30.Rxf8+ Rxf8 31.fxe4 dxe4 32.Qe3 Rd8 33.Qg3
g5 34.Rc5?!
Running into unnecessary danger. 34.Qc3 ! 34...f6 35.Qb3+ Kh8
36.Rc6 Rd3
Analysis Diagram: after 36...Rd3
37.Rc8+ ! 37...Qxc8 38.Qf7+- (with the threat of 39.Bf6#) would have
won.
34...Rd1+ 35.Kg2
35.Ke2 Qd7 36.Qc3 Rd2+ !=; 35.Ke2 Qd7 Or 36.Rc8+ Kh7 37.Rh8+ Kg6 38.Rg8+
Kh5 ! 39.Qh2+ Kg4 ! And now the silicon friend gives 40.Qg2+ Kh5
41.Qxe4 Qd2+ 42.Kf3 Qd3+ 43.Qxd3 Rxd3+ 44.Ke2 Rb3 45.Bg7 Rxa3 46.Rh8
Kg6, and Black has survived.
35...Qe6
36.b5?!
Smyslov again misses an easy win with 36.Qb8+ ! Kh7 37.Qc8+- !
36...Kh7 37.Rc6
Not 37.Qh3 ? 37...Rg1+ 38.Kh2 Rh1+–+
37...Qd5
Threatening 38...e3+, and if 39.Qf3 Rg1+. To put an end to this
last hope and force a won ending, Smyslov played:
38.Qe5??
The last chance to win was with 38.Qe3 Rd3 39.Qb6 e3+ 40.Kh2+- or with
the picturesque variation 38.Qh2! e3+ 39.Kg3 Qxc6 40.bxc6 e2
Analysis Diagram: after 40...e2
41.Qh5 ! 41...Rg1+ 42.Kf3+-
38...Rg1+!
39.Kh2
39.Kxg1 Qd1+ 40.Kh2 Qh5+ 41.Kg2 Qf3+ =
39...Rh1+! 40.Kg2 Rg1+ ½–½
Tal recalls,
''Up to a certain point Smyslov played the game brilliantly, and
completely outplayed me, while in addition I had only 2-3 minutes left for
some 15 moves. I had nothing to lose, there was no time for
hesitation, and I only attempted to complicate my opponent's task in any
way possible. And then, with my flag horizontal, and a further four
moves still to make. Smyslov ran into almost the only swindle I had
managed to think up. As I later found out, he had seen my rook
sacrifice on g1, but on h1-no.
Smyslov is normally imperturbable at the board, but here after my 39th move,
...Rh1+, his face changed, and after thinking for some three minutes, he
made his reply and slammed his clock with furious force. Some of the
pieces fell over, but contrary to my normal practice, I first gave check
with my rook on...g1, pressed my clock, and then only began to restore
order on the board. White could no longer escape from perpetual
check.'' (The Life and Games of
Mikhail Tal)
 The
second game is vintage Tal. The notes to this game are based on the
annotations in the CD, and I have also made grateful use of Kasparov's fine
commentary on the game in his book
My Great
Predecesssors II.
Mikhail
Tal - V.Lyavdansky [B83]
USSR Championship1964/65
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6
The Scheveningen Variation of the Sicilian Defence.
6.Be2 Be7 7.0–0 0–0 8.f4 Nc6 9.Be3 Bd7 10.Qe1
10.Nb3 is a major alternative.
10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc6 12.Bd3
Or 12.Qg3 g6=
12...g6 ?!
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