THE MASTERS

MIKHAIL TAL TACTICAL GENIUS

Alexander Raetsky & Maxim Chetverik

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CONTENTS I

Introduction 5

Mikhail Tal: A Short Biography 7

2 Simple but Effective 18

-' Stepping Up 24

4 Getting There! 17

5 Tal's World of Magic 52

6 Chess Wizardry 62

7 Endgame Magic 66

8 A Tasting of his own Medicine 74

9 Tal Tips 81

10 Sulutions to Puzzles 95

INTRODUCTION I

Weleome to the magical world of Mikhail Tal's chess combinationsl In this book you will fmd xxx examples of artistic chess per­formance by the eighth world champion. \Xle have tried to <:reate a little book of combina­tions, which at dle same time allows the reader ro improve his tactical ,,;sion and to

obtain an intimate knowledge of Mikhail Tal - one of the most popular of all world cham­pions.

It is our opinion that you cannot repro­duce a chess talent like Mikhail Tal, but that you can still learn from him and enjoy his creativity. Imitation is in itself not a goal to

be pursued, but at times it can be useful to

pretend to be someone else, and to walk in the footsteps of giants.

Because a gardener needs to learn about the roots as well as the flower, we have cho­sen to include many of the games in full for those who want to go deeper into dlese games. However, it is perfectly possible to be like the florist who prepares the flowers for selling, or sinlply the customer who enjoys the beautiful flower without worrying about how they got here. We are happy to let each reader choose what suits him best.

The structure of the book is as follows: e-ach chapter will discuss an aspect of Tal's combinational play and there will be several

examples. The reader then has the opportu­nity to solve a number of positions from the great man's games. If you need a little help, rou can consult the 'Tal Tip', which will give you a gentle push in the right direction.

Here is an example to whet your appetite.

Chukaev-Tal Soviet Championship, Tbilisi I <)S6

After the naruraJ 26 ..• 1:1e1 + 27 ..t>a2 we reach the moment for the combination. Black has several tempting continuations, some of them enough to secure me win. Tal, of course, found the quickest way to force 'X'hite to resign. What did the magician play?

5

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Tel Tip Black's queenside pawns play an important role in the mate as Tal demonstrated in the game. Also, notice that Black's bishop 'x­rays' the at-square.

Solution 27 ... 1Wxa3+!

Black now mates on the next move with 28 .. ":a1. This was definitely the fastest way to win the game. However, other moves did

6

also win for Black here (27 ... ii.xb2! is one of these).

\'Vhi.le working on this book, we have once again received technical support from Esben Lund and Jacob Aagaard, for which we are very grateful.

Maxim Chetvetik and Alexander Ractsky, Voronezh, August 2004

CHAPTER ONE I Mikhail Tal: A Short Biography

Before the triwnph of the knockout system and the subsequent general anarchy, the chess world was ruled, in turn, by thirteen kings. Mikhail Tal was on the thtone for a shorter time than any of the oth"rs. His rul" lastecl one year and five days - seven clays less than that of Vassily Smyslov. However, to tell the history of chess without including Tal is unthinkable. His style and manner of play were inimitable and a textbook for the preparation of a new Tal simply does not exist. His exc"llent book on the 1960 Bot­vinnik-Tal match deeply analyses a specific event without suggesting any systematic theories. Tal's unusually interesting commen­taries on his own games are also not of a textbook nature. In the book At/ack /ike Mikhail Ttll the journalist Yakov Damsky tries on the basis of Tal's gam"s to divide the theory of attack into elements. However, the thinking of the brilliant champion is hard to

reduce to categories such as 'wcakness of the back rank' or 'vulnerability of the t7-squar,,'. The features of the great mast"r of combina­tion stand out more vividly if you play thtough all of Tal's fighting games one after another. Probably even closer to lUlderstand­ing the Tal enigma were those fortunate enough to observe his play with their own eyes, following the creati,,;ty at the moment

of creation. It is sad that this is no longer possible. But just as Mozart left us the notes of his brilliant music, so Mikhail Tal, the Mozart of chess, has be<jueathed us his com­binations. It is not worth trying to imitate the inimitable. It is better simply to look and admire.

Jl.likhail Tal was born nn 9th November 1936 in Riga into the family of a doctor. prom his early years he was observed to have brilliant mathematical ability, an exceptional memory and perfect musical ear. Later his unique chess talent also revealed itself. At the age of seven l\ilisha learned the rules of th" game and chess soon pu~hed aside all other passions. It was in the post-war period that chess life in the Sovi"t Union rapidly began to be restored. Latvia was no exc"ption. The nine-year-old Misha joi.ned a chess club with an excellent trainer Yanis Kruzkop. l-lis pro­gr"ss was rapid: at twelve he maue his ddlUt in the Latvian junior te'lffi, at thirte"n h" achieved first category status and made his first appearance in the adult championship of Riga, and at fourteen he made his debut in the Latvian Championship.

At the age of fifteen Tal effectively chose his career. He became a student of philology, since a study of the exact sciences would have interfered with chess. Under the super-

7

Mikhsil Tsl: Tscticsl Genius

vision of the highly experienced trainer Alek­sandrs Koblencs, at the age of sixteen Tal became champion of Latvia. At seventeen Mikhail gained the right to a match for the master title, won it, and began his ascent through the qualifying stages to the fmal of the Soviet Championship. The debutant shared 5th-7th places, only a point behind th", winners - an excellent result for the nine­te",n-year-old junior!

'Thanks to his success in the Soviet Championship, Tal was included in the stu­dent team that participated in the World Team Championship. On board three he scored six points out of seven. One of his victims, Grandmaster Ivkov, published an article with the prophetil; heading 'Tal! Remember this name!'

Fame was already on the threshold. Early in 1957 Mikhail became Soviet champion. He defeated, among others, Bronstein, Keres, Tairnanov and Petrosian. For this success FIDE awarded Tal the title of International Grandmaster. The follm,,;ng year Tal de· fended his title in his native Riga. The top four qualified to the Interzonal Tournament. In the middle of the tournarm:nt Tal had only 50%, but he put in a splendid fmish and before the last round he was already assured of a place in the top four. In a dramatic struggle with Spassky, the Riga player was under threat of defeat, but in the end he won. This brought Tal his second successive vicwry in the Soviet Championship.

After the very difficult test in Riga. the In­terzonal Tournament in Porroroz proved for Tal to be virtually an easy stroll. The twice Soviet champion not only secured a place in the Candidates Tournament, but also took clear first place. There then followed a suc­cessful debut in the Olympiad in Munich, a share of 2nd-3rd places in the next Soviet Championship (Tal evidently considered that a third successive win would have been inde­cent) and victory in a very strong tournament in ZUrich.

8

The 1959 Candidates Tournament took place in Yugoslavia, a happy country for Tal. Eight players contested a four-cycle event. The deckling games perhaps proyed to be those between Tal and Smyslov, who was dreaming of pla}mg a fourth match for the champion's crown with Botvinnik. Tal lost in the first cycle and in the second he caught his opponent in a trap in a dubious position. In a winning position f!"Om the third cycle, in time trouble Smyslov overlooked a perpetual check, and in the last cycle he altogether suf· fered a disappointing defeat. Tal's main rival turned out to be Keres. However, in the end, with a score of 20 points out of 28, Tal fin· ished one and a half points ahead of the Es­tonian. The way to the throne was open.

Let us tum to the reasons for the rapid as· cent of l\fikhail Tal. He possessed a rare in­tuition and in addition he calculated varia· tions more deeply and accurately than the majority of his opponents. However, many of Tal's complicated combinations were in­correct! He could calculate faultlessly a far· from-obvious ten-move variation and not notice a hidden defence on the third move. Tal did not even bot.her too much about seeking a refutation. Driven by fervour, car· ried away by an unusual idea, he did not dis· dain bluff. In a concrete struggle, in positions lacking a clear strategic pattern and with the: pieces wlusuall)' pL"Ked, Tal's upponents would usually find an opportunity to go wrong. l\. strong, pt<·sem·day compute:r pro· gram would have: caused the young Tal con· siderable problems. But at that time the only awkward opponent for Tal was Korchnoi, a strong-willed tighter and top-class defender. It was not so unusual for l\fikhail to lose, including against comparatively weak oppo­nents. But thanks to his exceptional psycho­logical stability, he would often answer a defeat not simply with a win, but a series of WUlS.

Incidentally, the young Tal played the endgame splendidly. In positions with few

pieces there was no hindrance to deep calcu­lation. The myth about Tal's psychological influence on his opponents and especially about h}1>nosis is an obvious exaggeration. Players with solid nerves are impossible to

unsettle, whereas those with weak nerves had sufficient problems even without Tal. It was rather Tal who, in a way, was handicapped compared with his opponents, since from childhood he had serious problems ""ith his health. They even tried to persuade Mikhail's fiancee, Sally Landau, not to marry the sick young man, but Sally, in defiance uf her ad­visers, married her beloved and soon bore hiln a son.

Tal won the love of his admirers not only with his entertaining play, but also his fantas­tic personal charm. He was completely with­Out lUlY snobbery and he genuinely enjoyed human contact. \Vitty and artistic, Tal be­came the centre of attention in any company. He endea\'ourt:d not to enter into any rela­tions ,vith tht: Soviet authorities. The authori­ties b"came rt:conciled to the existt:nce of a cat that walked by himself and did not greatly bother them.

After each of his successes in his matches for the world championship, 1-likhail 13otvin­nik would plunge into scientific work in the field of dectrical engineering. His rare ap­pearances before the match with Tal were fairly successful, but only thanks tu his colus­sal strategic mastery. In tactical complications Botvinnik fdt less confident. Therefore the style uf Tal, who was capable of mudd}1ng the water in any situation, was awkward for ti,e world champion. In the opening Tal did not even hope for superiority. He cowlted only on avoiding Botvinnik's favourite set­ups and obtaining positions (0 his taste -perhapf. objectively inferior, but with tactical counter-chances. A Chessmdla.net relea~e

For Tal the first game was a good omen. He had developed the habit of beginning a tournament ,,,ith a loss, but in Moscow the challenger began with a good win. After four

Mikhail Tal: A Short Biography

draWl' he won the fantastically complicated sixth game. In a completely irrational posi­tion Botvinnik was unable to find a refuta­tion of the sacrifices made by Tal. Neverthe­less, after the ninth game the gap was re­duced to the minimum. Of the next seven games, Tal won one and drew six. The impa­tient player from Rigd could not endure this and in the seventeenth game he embarked on a risky venture in the opening. By accurate play Botvinnik gained a winning position, but in time trouble he overlooked a mate threat. The match concluded earlier than the allotted 24 games, Tal winning 121,/'-81/2.

The FIDE rules gave Botvinnik the right to a return match. After his unequivocal win in l %0, Tal underestimated his opponent the following year. But in his preparations for the return match, Bon;nnik successfully com­bined opening preparation wim over-the­board practice. At the Olympiad in l.eipzig, on [Op board Tal scored 11 points out of 15, but on the adjacent 2nd board Bot'. ... innik, who had eradicated his time trouble proh­lems, scored (01/, out uf 13. Tal did not ex­pend much energy on stud}1ng the openings and beti.)re me match he also feU ill. Botvin­nik opposed the postponement of the match and demanded that Tal should travel to Mos­cow for a medical examination. Not possess­ing the soune tough character as Botvinnik, the world champion agreed to play the match at the appointed rime. The challenger won the pre-match psychological duel.

In the return match, for the first and last time Tal levelled the scores after the second game. He bardy managed to hold out in the fourth and fifth games, but in tile seventh game Uotvinnik was irrepressible. '111e world champion won the eighth game, but he was unable to build on his success. On account of mistakes in the opening he lost three games in succession and the fute of the match WaS effectively decided. Subsequently the two players exchanged blows and the big difference in scores was retained. In the 20th

9

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

game Botvinnik saved a very difficult end­game on the 121st(!) move. The following day the challenger won the 21st game, and with it the match by a score of 13-8. Tal be­came the youngest ex-world champion in history.

It cannot be said that Tal suffert!d badly and for a long time after his defeat. In the autumn of 1961 he won the super­tournament in Bled. \'Vith 14'/2 points out of 21 he fInished a point ahead of Fischer and two ahead of Gligoric, Keres and Petrosian. In the marathon SOv-iet Championship in Baku, after 15 rounds Tal had only 50%, but a fast fInish (5 out of 6) brought him a wor­thy share of 4th-5th places. But due to at­tacks of his kidney illness, Tal was forced to have an operation. The subsequent 1962 Candidates Tournament on the exotic island of Curac;:ao was a disaster. For three of the four cycles Tal ,>vas engaged in a struggle for the last but one place. Everything that he painstakingly erected in the first four hours of play would collapse in the tifth hour. Due to unbearable pain, the Riga player withdrew from the tournament.

Now it is obvious that Tal no longer had any chances of regaining the crown. After Borvinnik's defeat at the hands nf Petros ian in 1963, the world champions became younger, full of strength, and the main thing - absolutely healthy players. Tal, who was still by no means old, did nor show any con­cern for his fragile health. He smoked con­stantly and drank, and due to his lengthy use of medicines he became increasingly depend­ent on them. This makes it all the.: mon: sur­prising that for three funher decades Tal achieved outstanding tournament successes and won numerous brilliant games.

Tal rose from the ashes in 1962 at the Olympiad in Varna. He made the best score among the second reserves and he won tile most brilliant game uf the Olympiad against the Gennan player Hechl. In 1963 Tal shared 2nd-3rd places in the Soviet Championship

10

and won tournaments in Miskolc, Hastings and Reykjavik. In the Interzonal Tournament in Amsterdam (1964) Tal shared fust place with Larsen, Smyslov and Spassl .... y v:ith the splendid result of 17 points out of 23. By the FIDE rules only three representatives of one country were allowed into the Candidates event. Tal had to win his last game in order to fInish half a point ahead of Stein. The Riga player did not simply \\;n: by sacrifIcing two pieces he tore apart tile position of the Bul­garian grandmaster Tringov as early as the 17th move!

In 1965 the Candidates Tournamcnt was replaced by matches. Tal's '-Iuarter-final op­ponent, the solid posi tional player Portlsch, was often unable to \\<;thstand the combina­tive onslaught of tile ex-world chrunpion. The allotted numb"r of 10 garnes was not e'·en rCLluin:d. 'Inc s"mi-final match with Larsen took a morc dramatic course. With the score standing al 4-4, Tal was very luck), in the ninth game. After thc adjournment Larsen fell into a simple lrap and missed a clear win. In the last game Tal made a not altogether correct piece sacrifice, bur only a modern computer program has been able to

demonstrate this. The Danish player did not exceed the bounds of human possibilities and was unable to ilisentangle himself.

For two thirds of the final Tal-Spassky match thiu!-,'S were evenly balanced, but then Tal lost three rinles in a n 1\\ •. The world championship match uf 19(,6 demonstrateo the superiority of the world champion Petro­sian over the challenger Spassky. It is possi­ble that Petrosian \\Tuuld also have beaten Tal, but in any case a match b"twecn the creative antipodes could havc becn highly intriguing.

At the Olympiad in Havana (1966) Tal's health was subjected to another scv<:re test. In a night-club he was hit on the h"ad with a bottle. He was obliged to miss the ticst four rounds, but the subsequent 13 g.tmes brought him 12 points!

In 1968 Tal took another step down from the chess throne. At any event, after losing the first game of his quarter-final march against Gligoric, Tal was not in a hurry to recoup his lusses. As he himself said, he twice... agreed premature draws so that he could hurry off to football matches. Never­theless, wins in the 7th and 9th games took Tal into the quarter-final. Here his old and awkward opponent Korchnoi blocked his path (5'/2-4'12).

In 1969 Tal altogether missed out on the qualifYing cycle. A match with Larsen for a place in the Interzonal Tournament ended in a clear defeat (2'/2-5'12). And in the Soviet Championship, which was also a Zonal Tournament, Tal did not even score 500/0. Finally he decided to have his diseased kid­ney removed. The operation was a success and a month later the ex-world champiun won a strong international wurnament in 1bilisi.

Early in the 1970s the marriage of Mikhail Tal and Sally Landau broke up. Tal's second marriage did not last long and a chess maga· zine employee, Angelina Perukhov, became his third ~dfe. The USSR always cared abour the:: moral make-up of its citize::ns. The twice­divorced Tal began travelling abroad signifi­cantly less.

Tal's results in the I 970s were very unsta­ble. In the 1971 Soviet Championship he shared 2nd-3rd places, but in the Alekhine Memorial in Moscow - only 6th-7th. But then came a series of 83 !,rames without de­feat. Tal won five successive first prizes, and pla};ng on board 4 at the Olympiad in Skopje he achieved the absolute best result - 14 pointS out of 16. II-foreover, the number of wins in tlus unbeaten series was much ),Tfeater than the number of draws!

The 1973 Interzonal Tournament in Len­ingrad ended in catastrophe - six defeats and a 50% score. In the Soviet Championship Tal scured only 'minus 1 '. And here there fol­lowed a new undefeated series of 93 g'dI11es in

Mikhail Tal: A Short Biography

seven tourruunents! Even when tills series was broken in Novi Sad, the Riga player won the wumament. Tal completed the triumphal year of 1974 as USSR champion.

In the super-tournament in lI.Wan (1975) Tal did not limit himself to his 'traditional' defeat in the first round, but added to it in the second. 5'/2 out of II after such a start was a favourable outcome. He was more successful in the Sm;et Championship - a share of 2nd-5th places. Compared with the previous one in Leningrad., the Interzonal Tournament in Biel (1976) was a success - a share of 2nd-4th places. However, in the additional event to determine the odd one out, it was Portisch and Polugaeysky who prevailed.

Tal's last brilliant surge came at the end of the 19705. In the 1978 Soviet Championship the Riga player won his sixth and last gold medal. In the double-cycle 'tournamc:nt of stars' in Montreal (1979) Tal shared first place with the world champion Karpov. He could have achieved an undefeated series uf 79 games, but it was broken by a dc:feat against an outsider in Tallinn.

Fears regarding the outcome of the next Inter/.onal Toumanlent in Riga were fortu­nately not destined to be realised. The com· pulsory pairings presented Tal with four So­~;et grandmasters at the start and he crushed them all! With the phenomenal result of 14 points out of 17 he tinished 2'/' points ahead of his nearest pursuc:r. This pursuer was Po­lugaevsky, who crushed Tal in th<: (:andidates quarter-tinal match (5'/2-2'/z). The fairy-t:ue came to an end.

In 1981 Tal produced an undefc:ated series of 80 games, but these were fr( 'm tourna­ments of modest strength. Th<: <:x-wllrid champion's play was gradually transfonned. He was physically unable to withstand tlle strain of lengthy all-play-all tournaments. 111erefore in the majority of games Tal satis· fied himself with short draws, in the hope of defeating the outsiders. The result was rour-

11

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

narnents where he was undefeated, but some where he also failed to win any games.

But Tal's play in the Interzonal Tourna­ments of the 1980s was very good. In Mos­cow (1982) he was third, but only two ljuali­£jed for the Candidates. In Subotica (1987) Tal finished only half a point behind the winning trio. In 1985 the ex-world champion qualified from the Interzonal Tournament to

the Candidates Tournament. Here he was let down by his fmish - half a point from twO games. Tal shared a qualifying place \'\rith Timman, drew a match with him and suf­fered on account of his inferior rje-break score.

The open tournaments rhar had become fashionable did not suit Tal, since they took too much energy. On the other hand, in view of rheir shortness, rapid and blitz tourna­ments were very much up Tal's street. He even won the tirst FIDE Blitz Wnrld Cham­pionship in 1988.

Tal played his last tournat11<:nt game on 5th May 1992 in Barcelona. G randmasrcr Akopian, who was playing Black, rejected the offer of a draw in the opening. Tal \\'()n an excellent game. He also managed rn play in a strong blitz tournament in :\loscow. 'l.vhere he finished behind only Kaspar. )'\- and Bareev, defeating the reigning \\,I.rId cham­pion Kasparov! After this Tal went into hospital, and did not come our.

The earthly journey of the eighth world champion concluded on 28th J u1y 1992.

Three games from Mikhail Tal forom his almost divine collection of games, we have chosen three to illustrate his original and complex style.

Tal-Panno Portoroz 1958

RtfyLopez

1 e4 e5 2 lDf3 lDc6 3 1<.b5 a6 4 ..r..a4 lLlf6 5 0-0 1<.e7 6 l:te1 b5 7 jLb3 d6 8 c3 0-0

12

9 h3 lLld7 1 0 d4 lDb6 11 jLe3 exd4 12 cxd4 lDa5 13 1<.c2 c5 14 e5?1

Tal is playing the opening in his usual very sharp style. However, better was 14 lLIc3 lLIac4 15 ~c I, when \,('hite has good chances of obtaining the hetter prospects. For exam­ple, 15 ... cxd4 16 4.Jxd4 oltf6 17 a4 bxa4 18 oltxa4 ~c7 19 b3 4.Je5 20 oltb2 oltb7 21 l:tel 'ifb8 22 lLIf5 l:tdH 23 olta3 \vith a slight edge in Gligoric-Olafsson. Bled 1959. 14 ... dxe5

After 14 ... lLIac4 15 exd6 'ii'xd6 16 'iVd3 'i!Vg6 17 dxc5 lLIxe3 18 'iVxe3 'iVxc2 19 'iVxc7 lLId5 20 'iVc5 "'xcS 21 lLIc3 White would emerge from the opening with some pres­sure. 15 lllxe5 lL\bc4

15 ... ~f6 16 lLIc3 lLIbc4 17 lLIxc4 lLIxc4 18 d.xc5 would leave \Vhite \vith a slight advan· tage. 16 'fi'd3

Whire has no advantage after 16 'ifh5, for example 16 ... £5 (16 ... g6 is also possible, and quite likely why Tal did not play this; after 17 lL\xg6 fxg6 1 R oltxg6 hxg6 19 'iixt-,>(J+ oJi>h8 all \'V"hite has is a perpetual check) 17 lLIxc4 lLIxc4 18 'if 0 cxd4 19 oltxd4 'ifxd4 20 'ifxa8 olth4 21 'iff3 'ifxh2 22lL1d2! 'ifxc2 23 'ifdS+ '\t>h8 24 'iff7! oltxf2+ 25 'it>h2! ~c5 26 :te8 ~d6+1 27 '1i.>h 1 olte61 28 l:txf8+ ~xt'8 29 'i!VxfB+ oltg8 30 lLIxc4 bxc4 31 l:tf1 'iVxa2 32 !Lc£5 a5 ,vith a likely draw - Kasparov. 16 ... f5

Also possible was 16 ... g6!? 17 ";'h6 liJxe5! 18 AxeS liJc6 19 iLxfB iLxfB 20 Ael liJxd4 ami the strong knight should easily outweigh the loss of the exchange. 17 .ltb3

Interesting is 17 ";'f4!?, after which Black has two ('ptions:

a) 17 ... liJxb2?! 18 'jic3 'ifxd4 19 iLcl! 'ilixc3 20 tZJxc3 ttJa4 21 ttJxa4 bxa4 22 ";'d2 gives \1Vhite some pressure.

b) 17 ... cxd4 18 ttJd2 ";'b4!? 19 lZ'lexc4 bxc4 20 liJxc4 iLxel 21 Axel liJxc4 22 'ifxc4+ 'it'h8 with a messy position - Dvoret-5(..1'·

17".f4 Black plays the opening very sharply. Also

possible were 17 ... iLe6 18 dxc5 liJxb3 19 'ifxb3 ':c8 20 liJxc4 ";'xc4 21 'ifc3 ami 17 ... iLf6 18 ttJxc4 ttJxb3! 19 'iWxb3 ~e6 20 uxc5 iLxc4 21 'iVc2, in both cases with a rather unclear position, though nothing like theb'nme. 1 B ~d2 lLlxb3

111e bishop must be eliminated. After 1 H ... ~f5?! 19 iLxa5 'ifxa.'i 20 'ir'c3 'ifxc3 21 lL'lxc3 cxd4 22 lZ'lxc4 bxc4 23 ";'xc4+ '!PhS 24 :'xe7 d'\c3 25 bxc3 White will be a pawn lip in the endgame.

19lLlc61? Truly amazing! Tal 'wins' the queen for

troops similar to the old red Russian AmlY! After 19 'iVxb3 ~f6 20 liJa.'\! iLxe5 21 :'xe5 iLe6 22 1:lxe6 liJxd2 23 'iWd3 'ii'xd4 24 'ilxd4

Mikhail Tal: A Short Biography

cxd4 25 Ad 1 b4 26 l:txd2 bxa3 27 :'xd4 axb2 28 l:[b4 l:tab8 29 l:leb6 the endgame would result in a peaceful draw. 19".lLlxa1 20 lLlxdB ~f5

Panno accepts the challenge. 2o ... iLxd8 was safe: 21 b3 liJxd2 22 lZ'lxd2 ..\tfS 23 liJe4 cxd4! 24 J:lxa 1 ";'b6 and Black is no worse -Kasparov. 21 'i!ff3 llaxdB 22 l:Ixe7 .lll.xb1 23 ~xf4 .l:lxd4

The attempt to create a passed pawn with 23 ... cxd4?! does not work after 24 b3 .11.6>6 25 bxc4 d3 26 'ilig3 d2 27 .1/..xd2 Axd2 28 'ifc3 :'d1+ 29 'it>h2 ";'fl 30 c5 and it is Black who is stnlggling. 24 'iWg4

After 24 'jig3 .1/..g6 25 .1/..eS ttJxe5 26 'jixe5 iLfl 27 'ifxc5 l:td 1+ 28 ~h2 .1t.xa2 \x'hite should settle for 29 l:txg 7 +! 'it>xg 7 30 'iWg5+ "'1th a perperual check - Dvocetskr. 24".iLg6 25 'iWe6+

25 ... ~f71 The right choice. After 25 ... ~h8?! 26 .li.e5

ltJxl:5 27 ''i!Vxe5 J:.gH 2H 'jixc5 liJc2 29 "a7 1'101+ 50 Wh2l:tel 31 l:txel liJxel 32 'Wxa6 1>4 33 a4 bxa3 34 bxa3 liJd3 35 f3 White has some chances - Kasparo\'. 26 'iVfS lDc2

26 ... ..;.g6? would have been bad after 27 l:lxg7+! <ti/xg7 28 iLh6+ 'it'xh6 29 'ti'xf8+ Wg5 30 'ii'xc5+ and White wins - Tal. Bur instead 26 .. 1ld5!? is very interesting: 27 'irg4 h5 28 'iVg3 l:!.d1+ 29 'it'h2 liJd2 30 "gS

13

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

lbf1+ 31 ~g1 h4 32 'ii'xh4 tbe3+ 33 ~h2 lbcIs and Black is slightly better - Kasparov. 27 b3 .i.g6

Maybe better was 27 .. .l:td1+!? 28 'iPh2 tbd2 29 iLxd2 1:txd2 30 "ii'xc5 tbd4 31 'ii'c3 l:td1 with a slight edge for Black according to Kasparov. 28 ':xg7+1 'itxg7 29 .i.h6+ ~xh6 30 'iixfB+ ~g5 31 bxc4 bxc4 32 g3 .lte4 33 h4+

Also possible was 33 f4+ 'iPg6 34 g4 h6 35 'iWe7, though after 35 ... tbe3! 36 'ii'e6+ 'iPg7 37 f5 tbd5 38 "g6+ ~f8 39 'it'xh6+ 'iPf7 40 'ii'g6+ ~e7 41 "e6+ ~f8 42 'iVxa6 c3 Black makes a draw - Kasparov. 33 ... r.t;>g4

Or 33 .. .<.t>g6 34 f3 iLd3 35 h5+ (even sharper is 35 g4!? h5 36 ~ l:td7! 37 'iWh6+ 'it'f7 38 'ii'xh5+ ~e6 39 li'e8+ ..t,>d6 40 g6 tbd4 and the position remains unclear) 35 ... ~xh5 36 'iVf6 tbe3! and Black is okay, as after 37 g4+? tbxg4 38 fxg4+ lixg4+ 39 'iPf2 Ji[g6 he would be much better - Kasparm-. 34 r.t;>h2 .i.f5

34 ... iLd5? is met decisively by 35 f3+ ~xO 36 'iVc8+ ..th5 37 ~f5+ Wh6 31) 'iVg5 matc:. 35 "f6

35 "xc5?! would be bad because of 35 ... :<121 36 "xc4+ tLld4 37 'it'gl .lte6 38 'i!Vxa6 iLxa2 and the ""inning chances are "vith Black, not White. 35 ... hS 36 'liVe5

After 36 'ii'xh6 ..to 37 'fi'f6 Black has 37 ... tbe31 38 fxe3 l:td2+ with perpetual check - Vukovic. 36 ... l:.te4

36 ... iLd3 37 "f6 .J1.f5 38 r..".. ",t;xo 39 'iVxf5+ '>ite3 40 "e6+! would give Wnite winning chances. 37 "g7+ <;1o>f3 38 "c3+ llJe3

38 ... ~f2 39 "'xc2+ ..tf3 would also give Black chances to draw - Tal. 39 ~g1 .i.g4 40 fxe3 h5!

Worse is 4O ... 'it>xg3? 41 "e1+ 'it>h3 42 Wf21 and White wins because after 42 ... Wxh4

14

43 'iVh 1 + the rook falls. Black's position also collapses after 40 ... l:txe3? 41 "f6+ We2 42 "ft+! ..t>d2 43 "'f4! as '>itf2 is coming. 41 'iVe1

41 .. .lbe3?1 It is of course yery tempting to take the

pawn, but Black should have aimed at a very basic fortress with 4t...lle6! 42 e4 d 43 'ti'xc3+ Wxe4 44 'ili'xcs ~d.'. when it is not possible to see any way rhar \'\11ire can create problems for Bhlck. 42 'lil'f1 + ~e4 43 'iWxc4+ 'iotif3 44 it'f1 + We4 45 'iWxa6 >t>d4?

After being under pressure for a long time it is no wol1ti<-r that Panoo is not a ble to

maintain the eLluilibrium. I Ie could still have saved me game as was later found wirh 45 ... :'xg3+ 46 'it>f2 litf3+! 47 'lifg2 '.t>d4 48 'iYd6+ '>itc4 49 ;14 ~b4 50 "';1(' :!.h3! 51 a5 c4 52 'ilVbCr+ Wa4 53 'tWa7 c.' 54 a6 iLf3+! 55

.,pf2! ~a3 56 "a'c5+ ~b2 57 'iVd4 >t>a2 and \,\'hite cannor win - Vukovic. 46 'ilVd6+ 'wt>c4 47 a4 ne1 + 48 '.t>f2 J:le2+ 49 ~f1 lla2 50 ,*,a6+ Wd4 51 a5 c4 52 'lWb6+ Wd5 53 a6 lIa 1 + 54 Wf2 c3 55 a7 c2 56 '*'b3+ >t>d6 57 'iWd3+ 1-0

Tal-Botvinnik World Ch'ship (Game 1), Moscow 1960

French Dt;fcnce

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 lLlc3 .i.b4 4 e5 c5 5

a3 .ltxc3 + 6 bxc3 'ilc7 7 'ilg4 fS B 'ilg3 l:iJe7 9 'itxg7 l:tgB 10 'ilxh7 cxd4 11 ~d1 .ltd7 12 'ii'hS + l:iJg6

12 ... ~d8 13 lDfI 'ii'xc3 14 l:ta2 lDbc6 15 l:tb2 <J;c7 16 J:tb5! gave White (and Tal) an attack in the 12th game of the 1961 match between the same two players. 13l:iJe2 d3?!

13 ... ~a4?! 14 lDt4 "xc3 15 Aa2 ~fl 16 .i.d3 is good for White, but interesting is 13 ... d.xc3!? 14 lDf4 q;fl 15 ~d3 'ii'xeS! (ls ... lDc6? 16 ~xfS! e'CfS 17 e6+! ~xe6 18 'ii'h7+ l:tg7 19 'ii'xg7+ Q;xg7 20 lDxe6+ and White wins - Tal) 16 g4 ll'lc6 17 gxfS exfS 18 ltb1 b6 19 ltbslDce7 20 l:tell:th8! 21 'ii'gS nagS 22 lDx/-,>u lDxg6 23 AxeS lDxes 24 'iff4 Ag1+ 25 ~e2 lle8 26 ~e3 lDxd3 27 'ii'c7 lle 7 28 ltxd5 .i.e6 29 'ifxc3 lDc1 + 30 .i.xc1 jLxd5+ with c<juality - Kasparov.

14 cxd3 .li.a4+ 14 ... lDc6 IS <14 4)a5 16 l:tbl would favour

W'hite - Black does not have enough fur his pawns. 1S ~e1 't!¥xeS

After Is ... lLlc6 16 f4 0-0-0 17 ~d2 it is hard to sec where Black ",-ill get counterplay. 16 .ltgS! l:iJc6

White is winning after 16 ... f4? 17 d4 'ii'fS 18 lDxf4. 17 d4 'iVlc7

White has a clear edge after 17 ... 'ifh8 18 lDf4. 1B h4!

MikhBil TBI: A Short BiogrBphy

The rook is developed along the third rank . 1 B ... eS 19 ::I.h3 "ilf7

After 19 ... f4? 20 ~f61 Black's position col­lapses. 20 dxeS l:iJcxeS

The pressure is very uncomfortable for Black. If 2o ... llh8? then 21 e6! 'ii'xe6 22 l:te3 11xh5 23 l'txe6+ <J;fl 24 lLtg6! and White wins. 21 l:te3 'it>d7

Black has no choice but to run. If 2l...l:th8? then 22 l:txe5+ 'it'd7 23 .l:te 7+! 'iixe7 24 'iixg6 and Black is busted. 22l:tb1 b6?!

This leaves the bishop hanf,..mg, allowing \X1hite to gain tempi later on. Better was 22 ... .i.c6, though after 23 lDd4 f4 24 l:txe5! lDxe.'i 25 'iixfl+ llJxfl 26 .i.xf4 J:tae8+ 27 >tid2 \,('hite has excellent winning chances -Tal. 23 Zi)f4 l:taeB

()r 23 ... l:th8 24 llJxg6! lLlxg6 25 'ii'e2 );lxh4 26 "'a6! and the weakness of the Llueenside surdy tells. 2411b4!

Gaining a tempo. 24 ... ..tc6 2S 'ild1! l:iJxf4 26 l:txf4 l:iJg6 27 l:td4 :xe3+ 2B fxe3 Q;c7 29 c4! dxc4

29 ... lLle7 30 cxd5 ~xd5 31 ~xe7 'iixe7 32 I'txd5 "'xe3+ 33 'ii'e2 and wins - Euwc. 30 .ltxc4 "t!Ig7 31 .ltxgB "ilxg8 32 hS 1-0

Black had had enough.

15

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Tal-Flasch Lvov 1981

Caro-Konn Dejence

1 84 c6 2 d4 d5 3 lLlc3 dxe4 4 lLlxe4 lLld7 5 lLlf3 lLlgf6 6 li:lg3 86 7 iLd3 c5 8 c3 cxd4 9 lLlxd4 iLc5 10 0-0 iLxd4 11 cxd4 0-0 12 iLg5

This variation gives White a good chance to develop an initiative. Black is organised in a way that makes it impossible to put pres· sure on d4 and therefore White has time to place his pieces as he desires. 12 ~ f4lL'1b6 13 1:ct ll'lbd5 14 ~e5 ~d7 15 lbh5 ll'lxh5 16 'iWxh5 g6 17 'iih6 f6 18 ~d6 1:f7 19 1:fet gave ~'hite good pressure in Adorjan-F1esch, Budapest 1971. 12 ... h6

12 .. :*,a5!? 13 h4?! h6 14 ~f4 b6 15 1:et .1b7 and Black was no worSe in Howell­Kumaran, Eastboume 1990. 13 iLf4lLlb6 14 iLc2

The piece sacrifice after 14 'iVd2 ll'lfd5 15 .liixh6 gxh6 16 'iWxh6 only results in a draw after 16 ... f5171ifg6+<.t>h818 'lWh6+. 14 ... lLlbd5

\X'hite has strong pressure following 14 ... .1d7 15 'it'd) 1:cH 16 ll'le4 l2)bd5 1 i .i.e5. 15 iLe5 'iib6 16 1i'd3

White could also cry to sacrifice a pawn with 16 .liib3!? ~d7 17 ll'lhS lL'IxhS 18 'i¥xh5 £G 19 .i.g3 'it'xd4 20 1:ad I, with good com· pensation. 16 ... lLlb4

16 ... .1d7 would be met by 17 ~xf6 lLIxf6 18 ll'lhS! 1XfdS (18 ... .I:I.fc8 19 lL'Ixf6+ brxf6 20 'iWh7+ '.t>ffi 21 ~b3! and Black is in trouble) 19 ll'lxf6+ gxf6 20 'iWh7+ '.ttll 21 dS! and Black has great problems - I(,lsparov. 171i'd2!

17 'iWf3? does not work: after 17 ... lL'Ixc2 18 .i.xf6 eS! 19 .i.e 7 ll'lxa 1 20 .ITl.xffi Wx ffi Black comes out on top. 17 ... lLlxc2

17 ... ll'lg4!? is probably okay for Black.

16

White should not over-stretch with 18 .i.xg7?!, as after 17.,,~xg7 19 ll'lhS+ ~gH 20 h3 lL'Ixc2 (20 ... e5 21 .i.b3 J:lds 22 d5 is not clear) 21 ~xc2 e5 22 "c5 exd4 2?> 'iWxbG axb6 24 hxg4 l:td8 the passed pawn gives Black a good game. 18 iLxf6!

IS 'iVxc2 ttJdS 19lL'1e4 Ad8 201:fdl iLd7 and Black has no problems. The bishop will be very strong on cG. 18 ... lLlxa1

Not 18 ... gxf6? 19 '*'xh6 and lLIhS is com­ing. 19lLlh5!

\,('hile is targeting g7 \\;th aU his ammuni· tion. 19 ... e5!

19 .. :ii'bS? would not work because of 20 4Jxg7 <it'h7 21 l:hal ~g6 22 'iWf4 'lWxb2 23 '1IlVg3+ Wxf6 (23 ... <it'h7? 24l:tfl "c22Sl2Jxe6 .tlg8 26 ll'lffi+! and Black is mated) 24 lL'IhS+ >!;~7 25 'ii'c7+ ~d7 26 'it'c5+ 'it>d8 27 'iWxfR+ <3;Jc7 21\ ~cS+ and \x'hite's anack is very strong. 20 dxe5 95!

20 ... ttJb3 is nul guud, as Black might need the tempo \VhilC will have to usc on 1:xa1 later on: 21 axb3 <;Ph7 22 tLlxg7 "1IVxb3 23 l'lct with an attack. 21 e6!?

Once again the sharpest choice - 'W'hitc wants to rctain the bishop. Also possible was 21 :'xa 1 ~g4! 22 tLlg3 Afd8! 23 .l¥_xdR l:txJ8

24 'Wc3 lIcs and Black is probably okay de­spite the pawn deficit. A further alternative is 21 iLe7 iLfS! 22 ibf6+ ~g7 23 iLxfR+ :xffi 24l'txal .ud8 25 "'c3 Ad3 26 "c2 'fi'a5 and l3lack has reasonable counterplay. 21 ... 'iWxe6

Alternatively: a) 21...fxe6? would weaken the king fatally:

22 'ifd3 l:hf6 2.' ltJxf6+ ~f7 24 ltJh5 'iVxb2 25 ~ 7+ 'Otte8 26 .ud 1 and Black will be mated.

b) 21...iLxe6 is met by 22 iLxg5! "c5 23 lLlf6+ 'it>h8 24 iLxh6 .ufd8 25 "f4 "c4! 26 l:hal "'xf4 27 iLxf4 iLxa2 28 iLe5 with an unclear b'llme - Kasparov. 22 h3!?

White is aiming to prevent ..... g4 due to the following line: 22 .uxa1 'fi'g4! 23 ibg3 Wlf4! 24 '/Wc3 ~g4 and Black is better. How­""er, an interesting alternative was 22 iLg 7!? flVg6 23 iLxfH .lte6 (23 ..... xh5?! 24 "d8 b6 25 iLh4+ 'it>h7 26 l:lxa1 is dangerous for Black) 24 .ltc7 "'xh5 25 .uxa1 and Black's worse king gives \X'hite some pressure. 22 ... 'i¥f5?!

Or: a) 22 ... 'iWxa2? is reckless. After 23 .i.xg5

1Wa(, 24 ltJf6+ ~h8 25 iLh4 <j;g7 26 'ii'd41 l:tg8 27 'ife4 Black cannot survive.

h) 22 ... iLd7 23 lIel 'ii'c6 24 iLc3 .i.fS 2S lLlf6+ <;toh8 26 litxa 1 looks dangerous for Black.

c) 22 ... b6 is right. After 23l:te1! 'fi'fS 24 g4 W'c2 25 "'d6 iLb7 26 iLc3 "'g6 27 ltJf6+ WhR \'Vhi!e is not bener - Kasparov. 231ba1 .\te6 24 ':e1 -'g6

24 ... UfcS!? 25 iLc3 .:tdB 26 'ii'e2 was pos­sible, thuugh \'(!hite dearly has enough com­pensation for the exchange. 25 g4 l:ac8 26 .ltc3!

26 iLe 7?! would be bad, as 26 ... :c2 27

Mikhail Tal: A Short Biography

"d4 .ua8 28 ibf6+ <j;h8 gives Wbite no ob­vious way to continue the anack other than ,vith perpetual check. 26 ... ':fd8 27 'i¥e3 J:[d3 28 1We5 ':cxc3 29 bxc3

29""~'h7? Black would also be los! after 29 ... lIxh3

30 :'d1 <j;h7 31ltJf6+ ~g7 32ibe4+ 'it'h7 33 .:td8 'fi'g7 34ibf6+ Wg6 35 lIgB, when it's all over.

Playable, however, ,"\{as 29 ... .ltxa2 30 1:al ltxh3 (30 .. J:td2? 31 ibf6+ ~ffi 32 c4! would win for \'Vbite) 31 ibf6+ (31 ~g2 Itxh5 32 gxhS 'iVc2 \1i;th a mess was also possible) 31...~g7 32 <;t;.>g2 lIh4 33 ltJh5+ ""h7 34 .:xa2 lIxg4+ 35 lLlg3 and Black has reason­able drawing chances, though he:! is of course worse. 30 tDf6+ ~g7 31 tDd5+

Also possible was 31 ltJd7+ ~g8 32 'Wb8+ <;t;.>g 7 33 'ii'tlH r,t>h 7 34 ltJeS and Black must resign. 31 .... "'h7?

A bcttt!r defence was offered by 3L.'Ji>rn, but \'Vbite:! could still win with 32 'fib8+ ""g 7 33ltJe7 'ii'h7 34 'ii'e5+ 'ifi>fB 3SltJfS! .axf5 36 gxfS ~g8 37 f6 "g6 38 'ii'e8+ ~h7 39 lIe7. 32 tlJe7 1-0

17

CHAPTER TWO I Simple but Effective

The magic of Mikhail Tal was not limited to

his combinational play. He had a certain way of playing for the initiative ";I1d an instinct for tinding beau[}' that cannot be duplicated. But even though we cannot replicate the road to the combinations he played, it is possible for us to solve the combinations, and thereby pretend to be Tal, if only for a brief moment.

In this chapter we will look at some of the sinlplest combinations played by Tal. They mainly consist of one-move tactics and should come easily to more experienced players. However, we believe that it is always good training to go through these kind of combinations. Even if nothing else, they keep your mind sharp and fresh.

Tal was a ma$ter of att.ack, and t:ven in positions ,-"here anything would have won, he had a tendency to find the most aesthetic road to victory.

In the diagram both players have a ronk and a l]Ueen. 'Ibest: positions were c:illed 'the fourth phase' by Romanovsky (the first three are the opening, middlegame and endgame) because' it is a hybrid between milkUegame and endgame. One of the key features in these positions is who has the initi'lrive ,md whose king is the safest. Here \1Vhite threatens 'iWe6+ but, unfortunately for him, it is Black's move. What is the most convincing line?

18

Bjornsson-Tal Reykjavik 19G4

Black m'lls tbe qul'l'II din'ct!y

33 .. .11f1 +! Tal never missed this kind of tactic. I L is

no coincidence that his trainer Koblencs \vrote a famous book on conlbinauof1s.

I laving said that, we need to remark that Black has oth<:r good possibilities, for in­stance 33 ... ~al+ 34 Wd2 lWc3+ 35 ..t>dl d3 and Black takes control of the al-hS iliago­nal, thus giving the black king a safe slluare on h8. Soon his rook will join the attack with deadly effect. The move in the ganle is more clear-cut, though. 34 'iVxf1 'ilfa1 + 0-1

Though this is a book about Tal's combi­nations it is worth noting that his style was not like that of Alekhine, where dynamic pressure would lead inexorably to :1 great combination. Rather he would go for unclear sacrifices, hoping that he would be better at playing thc arising position than his oppo­nent. Sometimes he was not, but most often he was. \Vhen commemators found refuta­tions to his sacrifices they wondered why his grandmaster opponents had failed to find these resources. The blame was attached to

his famous stare and his nickname The Ma­gician from Riga'. Tal was also reckoned by many to have hypnotic powers.

HowC'o-er, Tal would never decline to play more simple sacrifices like the following:

Tal-Menvielle f Tavana Olympiad 1966

Wbilc 10 p/~IY find win

\Vhite has a strong attacking pusition. Black still needs to c< .mplcte development of the clueenside and he lacks defenders for his king on the other wing. \X'hite uses this situa­tion to launch a decisive attack. 24iDxf6!

\X'hite has another direct approach with the same idea as in the game, namely 24 0,xe7. However, it is not so effcctive as it threatens nothing compared to the text move (in the game \X'hite threatens the rook on e8)

Simple but Effective

and Black has time for 24 ... 'iWe5. \X'hite still has an almost winning advantage after 25 0,d5, when he is a pawn up with a goud po­sition, hut in the game everything is decided at once on the kingside. 24 ... exf6 25 'iWxf6+ ~h6 26 .l:[d5 1-0

Black resigned, as after every cluecn retreat he ,vill he mated on h5.

An important part of the admiration tor Tal was based on his ability to always find the most beautiful way to finish off his oppo­nem. The following is such a case. JUSt about everything wins, but Tal decides to decide the game with a queen sacrifice.

Tal-Bailon West Berlin 1986

IV bile willS in .1!,/011·!

\'<;'hite again has a very prumislllg position. Tal concluded the game in attacking style, :llthough his position is so superior that other ways will do as well. In thl' game he played 301leS+

J\ more positional approach is to transfer the knight to d6 with 30 0,e8, for instance 30 ... l:tc8 31 0,d6 'ifa7+ 32 Wg2:f8 and now 33 l:te7 wins the ljueen or mates. Tal's com­binative idea in the game is not bad though! 30 .. .'.t>h7 31 'ifh6+1

A very nice queen sacrifice! 31 ... <.!<xh6 32 :hS matel

19

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Combinations for Solving Puzzle 1

Tal-Segal. Riga 1952

Wbite to pkry. White has a strong knight versus a bad bishop as well as a firm grip on the dark squares and active pieces. However, his rook is threatened, and the b4-pawn may prove to be weak. How can ~'hite ",,;n?

Tbe T<ll Tip is 011 p<lge 81 <llld Ibe sollltioll is OfJ p"ge 95.

Puzzle 2 Tal-Mista. Dubna 1974

Wbile 10 pI'!),. \X''hite has a strong attack on the kingside with CJueen and rook hovering around Black's king, while the bishop on b3 is also ready to join the action. Can you fmd the killer blow?

The T<ll Tip is on pt{ge 81 <llld the solution is 011

page 95.

20

Puzzle 3 Tal-Vooremaa. Riga 1971

Wbile 10 plc!y. ~'hite seems to be in trouble because Black not only threatens ... tLlxd7, but also a nasty discovered attack by moving his rook from e2. However, \"X'hite has a m()\'C that turns the tables. Can you spot it?

The T<ll Tip is OfJ p<lge 81 "nd the sohltiofJ iJ' 011

p,,?,e 95. Puzzle 4

Westerinen-Tal. Moscow 1982

Bhck 10 pkry. Black's rooks on \'\fh.ite's sec­ond rank are very active, and the bishop on c6 is a monster. It is time to take action. The opposite-coloured bishops means that White's defences crack on the light sCJuares. How does Black execute the decisive blow?

The Tal Tip is 011 page 81 "fJd lhe sollition is 011

page 95.

Puzzle 5 Muratov-Tal. Tallinn (Rapid) 1988

Black to Pk.ry. Once again Tal has succeeued in penetrating into his opponent's position ",~th his forces. Black's problem is that most of his remaining army are offside. Black is three pawns up, but \Vhite has better piece coordination. How does Tal prove that \V1Lite's compensation is inadequate?

The '/;11 Tip iJ 011 Pa.ge 81 tll1d Ibe solulion i.r 011

page 96. Puzzle 6

Tal-Paehtz. Halle 1974

lf7bile 10 pltry. Whi tc has sacrificeu a pawn and has a dangerous initiati\'e. His pieces are very active, just waiting to release their en­ergy in a decisive attack. How did Tal con­clude the game in his usual sacrificial style?

The Ttli Tip is (In Pa..ge 81 and lhe sohllion is on Pa.e.e 96.

Simple but Effective

Puzzle 7 Tal-Maidla. Riga 1987

Il7hite 10 plqy. Black has a rna terial advan­tage and also has strong threats against White's king, especially the vulnerable g2-square. It's 'W'hite move, though, and he can decide the game in his f;\Vour. How?

The Ttllli'p is 011 pa.ie 81 alld the .ro/liIiOIl is OIl j't{l!,l' 96.

Puzzle 8 Tal-Starodub. Petroza\'odsk (Simul.) 1984

Iv'bile II) ph)'. This is a vety sharp position \\~th opposite-coloureu bishops. Both kings have weak colour complexes around them, ready to be exploited by the enemy bishop in cooperation ~th the other pieces. How can \X'hite make usc of the advantage that he is the first to create threats?

The ']'01 Tip is 011 ptlge 82 and the solution is on ptlge96.

21

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 9 Barcza-Tal. Tallinn 1971

Black /0 pi'!}. The game is still in the open­ing phase and the fight is about the d4-square. White hopes to get rid of the annoy­ing knight on d4. How should Black react?

Tbe Tal Tip is on page 82 <lIId lb., SOil,/ifJII if 011

page 96.

Puzzle 10 Tal-Timman. Reykjavik 1'.188

Il7bile 10 pI'!}. \Vh.ite has a devc\opmenr ad· vantage and Black's king is still in the centre. White's position looks threatening, especially with dIe two centrally posted rooks on the d· and e-files. Black would like to exchange queens to relieve some of the pressure, so how should White continue here?

Tbe Tal Tip is on page 82 and fbe solution is 011

page 96.

22

Puzzle 11 Tal-Kupreichik. 50chi 1970

If/bite fo p1t9. Black's king feds very inst:­cure, and \Vhite's pieces arc taking up Weat­ening positions. How did Tal tind " way through?

Tb,. Tal Tip if fill p({~e 82 ,md tbe sollllioll is 011

ptlge 96.

Puzzle 12 Tal-Zeids. Latvian Championship, Ri),,>n 1<)55

If"bite to pia)'. At first glance l3lack ~eellls to be doing fine, as material is "<llIal and he has :l. secure king's position. Ilowev"r, " closer look shows that \Vhite's d()mination on me light squares can b" uscd tactically. I-Iow did White transfonn his advantage?

Tbe Ttl/ Tip is 011 J"l,gt' 82 <llId fbe ,W/U/iOIl is 011

page 97.

Puzzle 13 Tal-Wade. Tallinn 1971

IFhile 10 pI,,!),. After the logical sequence 39 .ltc4 e6 \Xlute has to find a way to continue the attack. How can the black defence be broken?

The Tal Tip is 011 pl~v,e 82 and the solutioll is (Iff page 97.

Puzzle 14 Tal-Botvinnik. World eh. (7), Moscow 1960

ll"bi/e 10 plllY. Black's p()~ition appears to be solid and White's knights on the l,dge of the board looks aw"·wardly placed. However, Tal had prepared a little: combination. \'V11at should White play?

The Tal Tip is on Pa.gc 82 affd Ihe SOllltiOIl is on p(/ge 97.

Simple but Effective

Puzzle 15 Tal-Levin. Georgia 1970

White 10 pl£!J. Black's last move, 34 ... liJfxdS, was a big rrUstake. It opened the diagonal for the bishop on c3 and now White has the possibility of launching a simple but ne,·ertbeless strong combination, which un­mediatdy decides the outcome of the game. \Vhat is it?

The Tal Tip is all page 82 and the solutioff is on page 98.

CHAPTER THREE I Stepping Up

In this chapter we move on to slightly more complex combinations. These are no longer than one-movers, and here we get a stronger feeling of Tal's magical play and morc elegant ideas. The following is a good example of this.

Tal-NN

Riga (Simultaneous display) 1959

In tlus posJOon many continuations ,,-in, but Tal plays a most beautiful combinative idea. The ganlc concluded 25 d6

The idea behind this -rook sacrifice be­comes evident on the next move. 25 ... ~xd3 26 d7+!

Black's queen is forced to d7, and White

24

executes a beautiful mate. 26 .. :iWxd7 27 'li'g8 mate!

i\!ost tournament players will still not be stunned by W"hite's ic\ea. To sacrifice one attacking piece in order to open a line for another is not that unusual. However, what is noticeable in Tal's style is that he very often steers ill the clirection of these combinations, and foresees them well ahead of his oppo­nents.

In the next example Tal has a prosaic win of the exchange at hand, but the pleasure of performing his almost trademark sacrifice of tt'lxf7 is simply irresistible.

Tal-Giorgadze 11)ilisi 1956

King's Indian Defence

1 d4 lt~f6 2 c4 96 3 ~c3 ~g7 4 e4 d6 5 f3 0-0 6 .lte3 e5 7 d5 c5?!

This move is asking for trouble. Nomlally White has to regroup his forces to start an attack on the kingside after Black closes me centre with ... cS, but here he is ready inmle­(liatel)'. 8 g4 h5 9 h3 ~a6 10 'i!t'd2 ~h7 11 0-0-0 h4?

Black tries to keep the position closed,

without success. 12 f4 exf4 13 ~xf4 0.c7 14 0.f3 :e8 15 l:te1 a6

Black's counterattack is just too slow. 16 85 dxe5 17 0.xe5 ~d7 18 ~d3

White's pieces £low to the right squares. 18 ... ~f6 19 :hf1

White has completed development and is ready to take action. 19 ..• :f8 20 0.e4 ~g7 21 0.xc5 ~c8 22 'it>b1 0.e8 23 ~h6 ~xh6 24 "iVxh6 'iVg5

\X'hite now concluded the game beauti­fully \\-;th 25 ttJxf71 1-0

Besides being two pawns up, White has an overwhelming position. A possible continua­tion could be 25 .. :ifxh6 26 llJxh6+ <3;g7 27 :1e7+1 'iii>xh6 28 :xb7+ ~xh7 29 l:lxffi and wins.

Another option was the simple 25 'ifxg5 lL'lxg5 26 lL'lcd7, winning the exchange.

Some world champions, such as Capab­lanca, Petrosian and Karpov, have always been willing to alIo,," their opponents to col­lapse by themselves, ,md play in !-ouch a way as to give them the necessary time to do so, whilst ensuring that all their active possibili­ties are taken away from them. Taking away active possibilities is called prophylaxis and is a strong tool for the positional player. For the attacking player there is another tool which is very useful, and which becomes

Stepping Up

natural over the years. \'<Ie arc:, of course, talking about rhe sacrifice!

Tal-Karlsson Yerevan 19HO Frmch Defence

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 0.c3 ~b4 4 e5 'iVd7 5 0.f3 b6

A rare sideline. 6 ~d2 .!tf81? 7 ~e2 .i.a6 8 0-0 c6 9 .!txa6 ttJxa6 10 0.e2 0.e7 11 0.f4 g6 12 :c1 b5 13 :e1 h6 14 "iVe2 lLIc8 15 a4 lLIc7 16 axb5 cxb5 17 :a1 .i.e7 18 0.d3 <;!;f8 19 h4 ~g7 20 h5 ttJb6 21 0.h2 ttJc4 22 ~c1 a5 23 0.g4 ttJ88 24 b3 0.b6 25 .i.e3

The game has come to an interesting criti­cal point. After b2-b3 Black has counter­chances on the queenside wirh ... a5-a4, but he has to tina a way to deal with the threat on h6 after 'WdZ. In the game he chooses to

weaken his kinb'Side structure in order to gain time. 25 ... gxh5!? 26 ILlh2 ~f8 27 'iWd2 ttJg7 28 ~xh6 a4 29 'iVf4 ~g8 30 ~xg7

The knight is not allowed to go to 15. 30 ... ~xg7 31 l'le3 I;th7 32 bxa4 bxa4 33 lLIc5 'iVc6 34 :g3+ ~h8 35 0.f3

Black is weak on the dark squares, even if he has a bishop to protect this colour com­plex. 35 .. .'ii'e8 36 0.g5 ~xg5 37 'li'xg5 .-d8

25

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

38 'iWf4 l:I.g7 39 l:I.xg7 ~xg7 40 l:I.a3 White's attack is already decisive.

40 ... h4 41 'irg4+ <;Pf8

White's position is so strong that several ways lead to the goal, but Tal chose the most forceful one. 42 tLJxe6+!

Also possible and sufficient to ",in is a slow continuation like 42 J:f3. 42 ... fxe6 43 lIf3+ 1-0

Black did not want to continue the mbery and therefore resigned. After 43 ... 'it>d~ (43 ... 'it>e7 44 'ifg7+ and mate in next move) 44 'ifxe6+ 'ike7 45 'ifxb6 White regains the invested material with a winning position.

Let us see another example of this drive in Tal.

Kristiansen-Tal Havana Olympiad 1966

Sicilian Defence

1 e4 c5 2 tLJf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tLJxd4 a6 5 ~d3 d6 6 0-0 tLJf6 7 ~e3 g6 8 c4 ~g7 9 tLJc3 0-0 10 h3 tLJc6 11 tLJxc6 bxc6 12 f4l:1.b8 13l:tf2l:1.e8 14 'iWf3 d5

Black is the firSt to do something in ~e

26

centre. The battle soon becomes sharp. 15 ~a7 l:tb7 16 ~c5 d4 17 tLJe2 tLJd7 18 jLd61?

W'hite boldly sacrifices a pawn to fight for the initiative. 18 ... l:I.xb2 19 c5 .liLf8 20 l:tc1 .liLxd6 21 cxd6 c5 22 'iWg3 .liLb7 23 e5 l:I.xa2

Black calmly takes pawn number two. 24 ~c4 l:ta4 25 f5 .l:l.xc4!

A strong exchange sacrifice. \Vith the Light-sljuared bishop gone, W1Ute's initiative clearly disappears. 26 l:I.xc4 exf5 27 l:I.x15 ~e4 28 :11 l:txe5

Black has a -winning advantage. He can slowly improve his position, whereas \Vhite has little counterplay. 29 'iW14 'ire8 30 tLJxd4

Desperation. 30 ... cxd4 31 .l:l.1c1 ~g7 32 l:I.c7 l:I.15 33 'ird2 lId5 34 ':'1 c6 'ire6 35 'irb4

Black converted his -winning advantage to

a decisive arrack on W'hite's king \\ith 35 ... .liLxg210-1

Ohjectively the strongest. \Xhite rcsigncJ as after 36 'It>xg2 .l':tg5+ 37 ~f1 l:f5+ 3H 'It>gl

~e3+ 39 'it>h2 %tf2+ 40 <it>h1 'i¥xh3+ 41 'It>gl

'iWg2 he is mated. 35 .. J:tg5!? was among the many other possible winning moves.

Stepping Up

Combinations for Solving Puzzle 16

Tal-Portisch. Candidates (2), Bled 1965

If/hile to play. Black has plenty of material to compensate the queen but, unfortunately for him, his king is not feeling safe at all. How did Tal take advantage of this?

Tbe Tal Tip is Oil page 82 alld lhe sollliion is all page 98.

Puzzle 17 Tal-Filip. Moscow 1967

Wbite 10 plqy. Black's last move, 26 .. 1la6?, was the decisive mistake: maybe the pressure of defending was too much for him. Tal does not let a chance like this one slip away. How did he punish Black?

Tbe Tal Tip is on page 82 and Ihe sollliion is on page 99.

Puzzle 18 Tal-Botvinnik. World Cit. (17), Moscow 1960

While 10 plqy. \,\'hite has sacrificed two pawns to create threats against Black's king. Botvinnik was in time trouble and didn't find the best response to \"X1hite's dubious play. Anyway, how did Tal continue before the game was adjourned?

Tbe Tal Tip is on page 82 alld the sO/lllioll is all page 99.

Puzzle 19 Tal-Chandler. Sochi 1982

While to pic!";. \'\'hite has a strong central­ised position, mainly due to the proud bishop on d5 and the knight on d4. Tal had a little surprise ready for Black that secured him a material gain. Can you guess what he played?

The Tal Tip is 011 page 82 mid the soiNlion is on page 100.

27

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 20 Tal-Keller. Ziirich 1959

While 10 play. Another typical Tal position. Black has much material for the queen, but his insecure king proves that \x'lUte's initia­tive is of grt:ater importa~ce. How did Tal use the power of the queen this time?

The Tal Tip is 011 Pt{I!,e 83 tllld the SOllitiOIi is 011

page 101.

Puzzle 21 Tal-Shabalov. Yumlala 1985

If'hi", 10 play. Black's position makes a clumsy impression. If he had time to double rooks un the d-file, he would be okay, but Tal finds a way to take advantage uf Black's temporary disruption to his pieces. \'Vhat did Tal play?

The Tal Tip is all page 8J alld the SOllltioll is Oil

page lot.

28

Puzzle 22 Tal-Holm, Kapfenberg 1970

IF'hile If) pl'(1·. A tactical onslaught has juSt begun, and material is still roughly level. Tal now sensed that the position \vas ready for a cumbination, and his next shows an original drawback of Black's position. 'Wnat ,vas Tal's beautiful idea?

The Tal Tip ir on pl{ge 83 tlnd Ihe .ro/utiOf/ is 01/

p'!I!,e 10'.

Puzzle 23 Chukaev-Tal. Riga 1955

J3/ack 10 1'''9'' Black has won a pawn anJ has the better position. \'\'hite's king is ex­posed, the <lucstion being how to l'xploit it. llow did Tal execute the decisive blow?

The Tal Tip is 011 page 83 alld the sollllion is on pa.l!,e 101.

Puzzle 24 Ambroz-Tal, Riga 1981

Black to p/q)'. \X/hite has an isolated and passed pawn on b3, which might prove ei­ther strong or weak, depending on how play develops. However, pawn structures are not thar important here, as Tal proved with his next move. ~'hat diu he play?

The Tal Tip i.r 011 pa,ge 83 and the solution is 011

page 101.

Puzzle 25 Ostrauskas-Tal. Vilnius 1955

Black to pl<!.)'. Black's auvantage is indisput­able. All his pieces occupy active posts while \1(lhite's pieces are tieu up protecting his stripped king. Hmvever, with the threat on the h3-bishop, \'<;'hite now hopes to swap queens. How did Tal avoiu this?

The Tal Tip is on page 83 and the solution is 011

page 102.

Stepping Up

Puzzle 26 Tal-Wade. Palma de Majorca 1966

W/hite to pi,!)" Both players haY<:, an attack going against the king. \'.;'hite's king looks insecure, and besides that his knight on d4 is threatened. However, \X'hite has the move and this is a more important issue. How did Tal continue the attack?

Tb, I'u/ Tip is 011 page 83 lIl1d the solution is 011

puge 102. Puzzle 27

Tal-Demedovich. Prokopjc\"sk (Simul.) 1972

[f"bite frt P/'9'. Black has offered the ex­change of bishops. If ~11ire caprures, Black ,"viII have a chance [() catch up in develop­ment. However, with all his pieces actively posted, ""hire shouldn't allow dus scenario. What did Tal play instead?

The Tal Tip is 011 pa,ge 83 alld tbe sO/liliotl is 011

page 102.

29

MIkhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 28 Ufimtsev-Tal, Moscow 1967

Black to pI'!)'. Black has sacriticed the ex­change and his pieces totally dominate the board. Just take a look at the two proud black knights in the centre. \X·'ith his last move, Wrute is trying to free himself with an exchange of knights. How did Tal react to

this? The Tal Tip is on pa,ge 83 and the SOllltiOll is on

page 102.

Puzzle 29 Naranja-Tal, Nice Olympiad 1974

Black to plqy. Black has concentrated all his remaining forces on the kingside. The white bastion is not easy to storm, it seems, but Tal found a breakthrough. How did he conclude the attack?

The Tal Tip is 011 page 83 llnd the solutioll is 011

page 102.

30

Puzzle 30 Tal-Johansson, Stockholm 1961

rVhite to pI'!)'. Another t)pical Tal position. He had the gift of developing pieces smoothly whilt: his opponents lacked behind in development, making concessions like ... 'it>f8 in dle diaf,'fam position. How did Tal convert his superior position here?

The Tal Tip is on page 83 and the solution is 011

page 102.

Puzzle 31 Tal-Kiriakov, Riga 1965

White to pI'!)'. 'Ihis position is symmetrical, and Black appears to be quite solid. How­ever, in such positions the evaluation de­pends on who has the more active pieces. \X'hat should White play here?

The Tal Tip is on page 83 and the solution is Ofl

pa,ge 102,

Puzzle 32 Tal-Tringov. Amsterdam 1964

White to play. The opening is hardly over, and Tal has already sacrificed a piece to de­velop a dangerous initiative. At the same time, both his bishops are hanging. The game continuation shows that Black ,-vas a bit too greedy, though. How did Tal punish that?

Tbe Ta/ Tip i.r Oil P'W 83 and tbe sO/lIlioll is on page 103.

Puzzle 33 Tal-Mohrlok. Varna Olympiad 1962

White 10 pt,y. \Vhite has huilt up an attack­ing position, but with his last move, threaten­ing the white knight nn d4, Black hopes to

gain some time to organise :1 successful de­fence. Does Taller Black get away '-\>;th that?

The Tal Tip is O!I p'{i',e 84 and the SO/UtiOll is Of/

page 103.

Stepping Up

Puzzle 34 Niebult-Tal. Latvia 1954

Black to pit!)'. \'Vllite has just capnJ!C;d on c5, expecting Black to recapture with the pawn. Instead Tal launches a typical King's Indian way of attack against \X'hite's king. How did he proceed? .

Tbe Tal Tip is on Pql!,c 84 (/nd tiN .roilltioll i.r OIl

pqgc 104.

Puzzle 35 Miezis-Tal. Riga 1958

Black to p/'!Y. Black has an overwhelming position despite being two pawns down. 'Ibe knight on e4 C~lllOt be driven away, and the rest of Black's army is also active. \'s/hite's pieces are passive, trying to shel ter the king. How did Tal execute the tina! attack?

The Tal Tip is on page 84 and the solution is Of/

page 104.

31

Mlkhllll Till: Tscticsl Genius

Puzzle 36 Tal-Zilberg. Riga 1949

W"hitc to pl'!Y. Tal has managed to strip his opponent's king to the bones and also has a dangerous passed pawn. Black has two bish­ops for a rook, but again ,material is secon­dary to ~'hite's initiative. Black has offered an exchange of 'lueens, but this is not in W'hite's interest. \~'hat should \"X'hite play?

The Tal Tip is on page 84 atld the so/ution is 011

page 104.

Puzzle 37 Tal-Shmit, Latvia 1965

While to play. Black threatens mate on g2. W'hite can capture the bishop on h3, but Tal played another move that leads to a forced mate. ~at did he do?

Tbe Tal Tip is on Pa.ge 84 and Ibe soilltion is 011

page 104.

32

Puzzle 38 Tseshkovsky-Tal, Sochi 1970

Black to pl'!Y. The position seems about equal at first glance. Black's rooks are the more active, but \~te has a strong knight on c5 compared to Black's on dB. However, Black has a continuation that sho,""s the su­periority of his position. Can you Spot it?

The Tal Tip is 011 p'{ge 84 alld tbe solution is on

pa.~e 105. Puzzle 39

Chukaev-Tal. l1.1ilisi 1956

BI,"'k to p"9. \Vhite has just threatened the bishop un c4. It is difficult lO guess what \X'hite counted on here. Of course Tal was nut happy to retreat to f5, after which his pawn strUcture would be drunaged with tLlxf5. He had something else in mind. ~at?

The Tal Tip is 011 page 84 atld tbe JO/llt;r)fJ is on page 106.

Puzzle 40 Unzicker-Tal, Hamburg 1960

Blafk 10 plqy. The pos\tlon looks quiet at first glance, but a stann is about to break out. .. If only Wbite had a few tempi to com­plete development, he would be tine. \Vell, he hasn't, as it is Black to move. How did Tal punish White for his opening play?

Tbe Ttl! 'lip iJ 011 pt{~e 84 al/d tbe .roill/iol/ is 011 p,{~e 106.

Puzzle 41 Tal-Nievergelt, Zlirich 1959

lf7hite to pit!}" Black has juSt offered a swap of queens. His position makes a clumsy im· pression, so maybe it's a good idea to seek salvation in the endgame, However, Tal found no reason to exchange queens bad. Where did he move his queen?

The Till Tip is 011 page 84 alld tbe solution ir 011 page 106.

Stepping Up

Puzzle 42 Tal-Petrosian. Moscow 1974

(Fhi!e to pl<!)'. Black has trea ted the opening disastrously, and now tries [0 catch up with his lack in development. But \X'hite's pres­sure against f7 and on the open tiles in the centre 'luickly breaks down Black's defences. I-low?

Tbe Tal Tip i.r rm p'{l!,e 84 ,ltJd tbe .roilltion ir Of}

pt/,ge to? Puzzle 43

Spassky-Tal, Montreal 1979

lllt,ck 10 P"!y. Wbite's posItion doesn't make that bad an impression: His pieces are ba~ically well located and his king's position appears to be quite safe. However, Tal shows ~;th his next mm'e that this is not the case! W11at did he plav?

Tbe Tal Tip is 011 ptl .. ~r 84 allti Ihe .roll/ti01l is 011

Pa.r.e 10?

33

Mlkhs/l Ts/: Tscticsl C:ienlUS

Puzzle 44 Averbakh-Tal. Riga 1951:!

Black to p~. Black's position is promising, wim an extra pawn and attacking possibili­ties. But at some point he will have to trans­fonn me advantage into something more concrete, and me game has reached this criti­cal moment. What should Black play?

The Tal Tip i.r on page 84 alld the solation is on page 107.

Puzzle 45 Gradus-Tal. Riga 1953

Black /0 p~. White threatens me bishop on c4 and if it retreats, White will have an excellent position after :tad I. However, Black has a strong reply to \Vhite's last move. Can you spot it?

The Tal Tip is on page 85 and the sollltion is Oil

page 108.

. ~4

Puzzle 46 Tal-Szabo. 50chi 1973

White /0 play. \~'hite's king on Ll2 doesn't make too good an impression. The bishop on b4 is threatened as welJ, so Black seems to have adequate counterchances here:. Any suggestions for \'Vrute?

Tbe 'la/ Tip is on page 8') and Ih,' sO/lIlioll ir on page 108.

Puzzle 47 Tal-Pasman. Riga 1953

Wbile 10 plil)" \\'hite has sacrificed PlclllY of material hl:re:. Block has two knights whereas \'V'hite has put his tru~t in the cOIUle:cted passed pawns on /1,7 and h6 supported by me rook and (Iueen. Earlier Black could have defended belter, but now he is lost after White's next move. W'hat did Tal play?

The Tal Tip is 011 page 85 tlnd tbe sO/fltion i.r on page 109 .

Puzzle 48 Tal-Kampenuss. Latvia 1953

Wbife 10 pi,!)'. Black's material compens:l­tion in this po~ition is principally adequate, with the bishop pair and a pawn versus W'hite's knight and tonk. The problem for him is his lack of coordination and that \'<'hite is able to improve his position from the diagram. \','hat did Tal play?

The Tal Tip is Oil p'{ge 8; alld Ibe solution is 011

p'~gr 109.

Puzzle 49 Tal-Suetin. Thilisi 1969

Wbite 10 p"!)" Black diJn't treat the opening well and \'\fhite ha~n't sacrificed anything (yet) to obtain this promising position. Tal now concluded the game in style. How?

The Tal Tip i.f Oil P'lgc 85 ami Ihe solutioll is 011

pllJ!,e 109.

Stepping Up

Puzzle 50 Tal-Vooremaa. Tallinn 1971

If/hile 10 pi,!)" Again Tal has sacrificed with disrespect to material. His benefits are Black's lack of queenside development and a king stuck in the centre. HO\\i did Tal con­tinue the attack?

The Tal Tip is on page 85 and fhe soll/tion is on page 109.

Puzzle 51 Tal-Lyavdanskv. Kiev 1964

IFNI< 10 pi,!)'. \,;hite has a strong position with a dangerous passed pawn un e7 and a centrally posteJ tluecn. Tal neady combined the threat of promoting the pawn with a kingside attack. How?

The Tal Tip is 011 p'J,ge 85 a11d the SOltlti011 is on page 110.

35

Mlkhllil Till: Tllc r/clIl Genius

Puzzle 52 Ljubojevlc-Tal. Las Palmas 1975

Block to plqy and drdlv/. This position shows Tal from another side. With the black pieces he has long been under pressure from Ljubo­jevic, and now he has to lind a resource that saves the game. What did he play?

The Tal Tip is 01/ page 85 and the sollltion is fIIJ

p{J,ge 110.

36

CHAPTER FOUR I

Getting There!

In this chapter We ,\-ill look at some moder­atdy trick'y combinations played by Tal. TIlese are the kind of combinations that can appear randomly in a tense struggle, without either of the players being able to anticipate them. They can also arise when one side has long-term pressure when:, eventually, the defender can no longer a"oid some kind of fatal end. Finally, dley can also arise from pure blunders.

The tirst example seeS Tal playing cat and mouse wid! dlc Hungarian grandmaster Bilek.

Tal-Bilek Amsterdam 1964

5 ici/jflll Defelice

1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 dS 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 IOfS 5 lbc3 a6 S Jtg5 lbbd7 7 Jtc4 hS B ~xf6 lbxf6 9 'ii'e2 eS 10 0-0-0 'iflc7 11 f4 a5 12 lbd5 lbxd5 13 exd5 Jta 7 14 fxe5 dxe5 15lbe6!? '1!i'd6

Black was afraid of accepting the s,ICrifice, but after 15 ... fxe6 1(, 'Wh5+ Wd?1 nodling is clear. This king move is Black's only chance, as staying on me kingside he will suffer from White's dominance on the light squares. Af­ter 17 dxe6+ 'it>c6 18 ~he1 W1lite has com­pensation for me piece and Black's position

is diftlcult to play. Srill, nodling is clear and it Seems to be a better chance man me game c()ntinuat.i()n.

16lbxg7+ '~fB 17lbeS+ It>e8 18 .l:thf1 Now \~1lite simply has a winning advan­

tage. 1B ... Jtg5+ 19 It>b1 b5 20 Wh5 .ltf4 21 ii.b3 a5

~[an}' moves here lead to a ,vin for White, but Tal, in typical style, chooses an aesdlt,tic pam: 22 lbc7 +! 'i¥xc7

22 ... 'it>dH 23 lDxaS. 23 d6 1-0

The point behind the knight sacrifice. Next comes d6-d? and the queen enters me attack on f7 wim dealUy effect.

37

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Tal had a great love of chess beauty. In the following example against a Belorussian grandmaster, he decides to take the direct route against the king instead of \\o-inning a piece with his passed pawn. AClually there is no reason to be surprised by this. Tal always preferred going for the king and sacriticing material instead of winning it.

Tal-Kuprelchik USSR Team Championship 1981

Kin.g's Indian Attack

1 lilf3 lilf6 2 g3 d5 3 ~g2 tDc6 4 0-0 e5 5 d3 ~g4 6 h3 ~f5 7 tDc3 'lid7 8 'iii>h2 h6 9 e4 ~e6 10 exd5 tDxd5 11 lle1 lilxc3 12 bxc3 ~d6 13 d4 exd4 14 tDxd4 tDxd4 15 cxd4 c6 16 c4 0-0

White's next move is logical. He has an extra pawn in the centre, and at some point he will play d4-d5 to create a passed pawn in the centre. Another consideration for '-'<'hite is where to place his pieces, but Tal plays the move he has to play sooner or later. 17 d51 cxd5 18 iLb2 ~c5

18 ... Jxc4? loses on the spot to 19 'it'd4 f(i 20':xe6!. 19 cxd5 .>tf5 20 'lid2

Now \X'hile develops smoothly. He has a small advantage due to his d-pawn, his next goal being to create other targets. 20 ... .l:tac8 21 llac1 f6?!

21...b6! is a much better move. 22 ~d4! ~a3

After 22 ... ..Itxd4 23 'iVxd4 b6 24 l:txcH Itxc8 25 d6 \X-lute is very active and Black's position is unpleasant. 23 .I:xc8 J:txc8 24 ~xa7 'iWa4

Black has sacrificed a pawn to activate his pieces. The bishop on a7 is threatened, but Tal keeps up with play. 25 d61

Now the fS-bishop is also loose. 25 .•. ~h8 26 'lid5 ~d7 27 iLe3

\X'hite has a winning advantage. Black's compensation is not enough.

38

27 ... 'llVc4 28 'iVxb7 ~e6

There are many good moves here, bur Tal again fmus the most forceful one. 29 iLxh6!

Also goou was 29 d7!? :tu8 30 ..Itb6 .l:I.xu7 31 'iVaH+ '1t>h7 32 'iVxa3, as well as many other oplions. 29 ... gxh6 30 'li'e7 iLf7 31 'iWxf6+ 1-0

White's rook will enler the atTack sool1er or lat~·r. 31...WgH 32 Itc4! is a goou example.

Tal was the master of surprise, no doubt about il. In the following example he could have \von with many moves, but we are sure that the possibility of a beautiful bishop sacri· fice completely clouded his c:yes 10 aU othc:r "pporruniries.

Tal-NN L'SSR (Simuitanc:, >us display) 1964

W'hite has a strong attack, but the way he concludes the game is built on brilliant tacti­cal imagination. Tal played 1 iLb6!1

1 'iVf8+ 'it>f6 2 iLd4+ e5 3 'iVhB+ .::tg7 4 .i.xe5+ '-ot>xe5 5 'ii'xg 7+ also wins, bur is slower. 1 ... 'ii'xb6

Black has a choice between two evils, as the yueen cannot protect d8 and as simulta­neously. This is the point hehind Tal's imagi­native idea.

1 ... axb6 2 'iVd8 is an immediate mate. 2 'ii'h4+ Itf6 3 'iVxb4+ 1-0

\X'nite mates next rno,·c.

As you might have noticed we have used those combinations by Tal which have pos­sible alternative solutions as introductory materi:J for the chapters. Just because they are of little usc in a training context does not mean that we should disregard them for their beauty. The next example appeals greatly to us, but as \X'hitc could han: defended much better, we.: dl'cider! not tl) include it as an exercise.:, but only as an example of chess beauty,

Pytel-Tal Yurmala 1983 E'!.l!,lish Opmil{1!,

1 lLlf3 cS 2 c4 lLlc6 3 li.'lc3 g6 4 e3 d6 S d4 ~g7 6 dS lLleS 7 li.'ld2 fS 8 ~e2 tt:\f6 9 h3 e6 10 f4 li.'lf7 11 dxe6 ~xe6 12

Getting There!

.lif3 0-0 13 0-0 :b8 14 a4 dS 1S cxdS li.'lxdS 16 li.'lxd5 .lixd5 17 e4 .lie6 18 'ilt'c2 'ilfh4 19 li.'lb3 fxe4 20 .lixe4

Mayhe \X'hite was counting on a consoli­dating move like ... h7-b6 or a knight move like ... ltJd6, eyeing the d4-square ,oja £5 . I lowevcr, Tal treated this position more dy­namically.

20 ... li.'lg5!! 21 fxgS? Much better was 21 l:a3!. The knight on

h3 is supported and the rook is developed into the game via the third rank. After 2l...ltJxe4 22 'iVxe4 'ife7 Black has the bishop pair in an open position, but his ad­\'amage is not yet alarming. After the move in the game \X'hite just loses.

21 'iLf3 ltJxf3+ 22 :'xf3 c4! prepares ... iLd4+ and ... iLdS with a crushing attack. 21 ... l:txf1 + 22 'iPxf1 J:lf8+ 23 .lif3 .lic4+ 0-1

\Vhite rc::signed as he is mated after 24 '-ot>gl 'lWel+ 25 Wh2 iLeS+ etc.

39

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Combinations for Solving Puzzle 53

Tal-Keres, Tallinn 1973

White 10 pl'!Y. ~'hite has a winning positiun. He is an exchange up, with attacking possibilities. How did Tal finish Black off?

The Ttil Tip is on page 85 and Ihe soll,Iioll is on page 110.

Puzzle 54 Tal-Unzicker, Stockholm 1961

Wbite 10 pili)'. \X'hitc ha~ a strong poslUun with good central control. However, Bhlck wants to capture on dS and then ~Inwly free himself and imprnv<: his minor pieces, which at the moment are now clumsily placed in front of his cooks. White reacts '-)uickly. How?

The Tal Tip is 011 pa,~e /15 lIml tbe .roilltioll is on page 110.

40

Puzzle 55 Tal-Balashov, Moscow (Rapid) 1987

While to pl..'),. Black has the long. term ad­vantages with an extra pawn and the bishop pair. Howen:r, the shon-term advantages an:

on \X'hire's side, ,,,,ith a lead in development and better piece coordination. Black's lack of pieces to c.Idend his king pro,·ec.l to be the decisive factor, but how did Tal punish this?

Tbe Tal Til' is 0" P<{W 1I'i mid Ibe solutio" is 011

p,!v,c 110. Puzzle 56

Tal-Smyslov, Bled 1959

Wbile to pltg. \'V"hite's attack has been going on for quite a while now, and Black has been constandy under pressure. Finally \'(fhire fmds the decisive way through. How?

The Tal Tip is 0" page 8.5 £md the solution is on p,{l',e 110.

Puzzle 57 Tal-Sveshnikov. Tallinn (Rapid) 1988

If/bile 10 plqy. Black has weakened his king position with ... h6 and ... gS. However, this may not be a big problem if Black's pressure on the d-file against White's centre diverts \Vhite from his possibilities to create threats against Black's king. Where should White move his bishop?

The Tal Tip is on page 85 and tbe soilltion is 011

page 110. Puzzle 58

Tal-Botvinnik, World Ch. (11), Moscow 1960

Wbilc to ploy. Botvuulik has been under pressure for a long time, and Tal's slow build up has forced him to weaken the position in front of his king. How did Tal deliver the decisive blow?

The Tal Tip is on Pll..f!,c 85 ami Ibe solution is on page 112.

Getting There!

Puzzle 59 Tal-Mescarlnas. Lvov 1981

Wbile 10 p/~l')'. \Vh.ite has a strong position with many tempting continuations. One is far better than the other, though, and Tal saw it. Can you see a direct way to Black's king?

Tbe Tal Tip is on page 85 and Ibe soilltion ir 011

page 113. Puzzle 60

Romanlshin-Tal. Leningrad 1977

Hltlck 10 plIlY. Being two pawns down and about to lose a piece after 4lxb 7 and 'iixe5, Black has [0 look tor something extraordi­nary to save the game. Acmally, the first pawn sacrifice Black made gave hUn active play, and by the second he probablr already had the game continuation in mind. What did Tal play?

Tbe Tal Tip is 011 page 86 lind the sou,/ion is 011

page 113.

41

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 61 . 'Larsen-Tal, BUhTOjno 1984

Black to plqy. \'V1~ite has jusr caprured a black pawn on d4. His position was bad with the two majestic pawns on d4 and e3, but the move played by \X'hirl: hasvcns the end. How did Tal punish the Danish grandmaster?

The Tal Tip is on p,(~e 86 and the .mllltion is 0'1

page 113. Puzzle 62

Tal-NN, Smolemk (Simulraneous) 19H3

IVbile 10 pl<!JI. \'<'Iure's position is superior. He has active and centrally posted pieces amI is a pawn up. In comparison, the black piece:s on the back rank don't make too good an impression. White converted his advantage: into a full point 'W-jth a nice combination. How?

The Tal Tip is on Pa.I!,c 86 tlnd Ihe sollilion is on page 113.

42

Puzzle 63 Tal-Chikovani, Gori 1968

If'bile 10 pi (II'. 'll1is !S a typical isolate:d queen's pawn position that has gone: wrong for Black. \V'ith his last move, threate:ning the bishop on g5, Black ,vants to sacrifice to get counterchanccs againsr \X'Iure's king after ... lL\g4, e:yeing h2. Iinweyer, ir is \'Vbire who seize:s the iniriarin·. I low?

J7)( Ttll Tip i.f 01/ p«(~e 86 and the SOllitiOIl i.f 011

pagl'114. Puzzle 64

Tal·Geller, Budva 1967

l/7bile 10 play. Here Black appe:ats to be: okay. He has centrally posted pieces and pressure against the weak e5-pawn. However, White is to move, and Tal had prepared a nice little combination. How did he proceed?

The Tal Tip if 011 p'(I'! 86 and Ihe SOlllholl is on

page 114.

Puzzle 65 Tal-NN. Stuttgart (Simultaneous) 1958

IVbit. to pI'!!. Black has juSt captured a white rook on hI, and now Tal plays an original combination worth remembering: Black is now punished for not having castled! How did Tal conclude?

T"be Tal Tip is on Pa.ge 86 and Ihe .rollilion is on page 114.

Puzzle 66 Tal-Malich. Varna 195H

lPbile 10 r"!Y. \X'hite has a good position. With opposite-coloured bishops on tht: buard, \Vhite has full control of the light squares. With his next move Tal seizes con­trol of the dark s<juart:s as well, after which Black's king finds no peace. What did he play?

The Tal Tip i.r on pa~l!,e 86 and the sollilion is on page 114.

Getting There/

Puzzle 67 Tal-Gipslis. Riga 1958

lt7hile to pkfy. Some might find this ext:rcise more difficult than some of the others. \'Vhite has a strong position with centrally postt:d picct:s: ~ lis rooks occupy the two central files and tht: bishop points towards Black's king. How should \'Vhite continue?

"HJP 7 ill Tip is on pa.W 86 and fbi' .rolll/iOlt is on page 115.

Puzzle 68 Tal-Platonov. Duhna 1973

WI)ife fo pIa)'. \V'hite has sacrifict:d a piece in his attack against tht: black king. Black's queen and rook have entered \'\-'hite's posi­tion via the queenside, and now he is prepar­ing to case the tension a bit ,vith a rook ex­change. How did Tal react to this?

The Tal Tip i.r on page 86 and the sO/lllion is on page tH.

43

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 69 Tal-Shamkovich. Baku 1972

IFhile In plllY. \Vhire has a strong attack against Black's king. \Vi~ his last move, ... 'it>g7-f8, Black hopes to consolidate his rather shaky position anJ complete the de­velopment of the queensiJe soon thereafter. How shoulJ \X/hite use his temporary devel­opment advantage?

The Tal Tip i.r 011 ptJ.l!,e 86 alld Ibe .roluliOIl is on page 115.

Puzzle 70 Tal-Koblencs. Yunnah (rmining) 1976

I/?"bifc 10 plqy. Again Tal comes up with a creative move in a Sicilian. Black threatens e2 and seems to have raken over the initiative. The combinative idea in this game is similar to the one in Puzzle 65. W'hat did Tal play?

The Tal Tip is on p'{ge 86 alld Ibe solulioll is 011

page 116.

44

Puzzle 71 Tal-Zaitsev. Moscow 1969

Wbile /0 pl,~y. Black has just captured a bishop on g5. If White recapntres, Black plans to castle short anJ thereby complete development. Tal came up with another move, though. What move?

The Tal Tip is on pa.e,e 87 alld the solutiofl i.r fin page 116.

Puzzle 72 Tal-Toran. Oberhausen 1961

Wbite lopl'!y. Unformnately for his oppo­nent, this is a typical Tal scenario. Tal has completeJ Jevelopment, whereas his oppo­nent's king is sruck in the centre - this is an even worse case than usuaU How should White proceeJ?

The Tal Tip is on page 87 afld the sollilion is on ptl,.".e 116.

Puzzle 73 Tal-van der Wiel. Moscow 1 ~H2

IFhlfe to pk[Y. Tal has sacrificed the pawn for the sake of initiative. Black's king is still in the centre, and he is 'weak on the dark squares around it. Besides that, \vbite's knight is clearly the better then its counter­part. Any suggestions?

The Tal Tip is on pa.ge 87 tllId the .rollilion i.r 011

!>'W! 117.

Puzzle 74 Tal-lozov. Riga 1952

Il7hile to pl,~y. The opening phase is hardly over, and already the stonn breaks out. How did Tal handle the threat of his knight un e5?

T be Tal Tip is 011 p(l,ge 87 and the solUtiol1 is 011

"a.ge 117.

Getting There!

Puzzle 75 Tal-Speelman. Subotica 1987

Wnite to pia)'. In this position Tal has found nu reason to castle just yet; maybe the g-file can be used fur the rook. Anyway, it's not Wbite's king that is in danger here. It's \'.;bite who has built lip a threatening attack against Black's king. How did Tal proceed?

Tbe Tal Tip is nil p'{l!,e S 7 (lml tbe snllllion is 011 pa,f!,e 118.

Puzzle 76 Tal-Zilberstein. L;SSR 197'>

Il7hite to pia)'. TI,e Poisoned Pawn Varia­tiun of the Najdurf Sicilian is a va)' sharp opening choice. Black grabs the pa,vll on 1>2 and White gets a dangerous initiative - Black often has to defend for a whik. How did Tal continue here?

The Tal Tip is 011 p".~e 87 ,11Id tbe SOllllioll is VII

page 118.

45

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 77 Tal-Kozlov. Riga (Rapid) 1973

White to plqy. White is the exchange up with attacking chances. Black has his chances as well, as the light squares around 'Wbite's king are weak, but \Vhite' is first to attack. What did Tal play to open lip the black king?

The Tal Tip is 011 page 87 alld the solutioll is 011

page 118. Puzzle 78

Hjartarson-Tal. Manila 1990

Bhck to pfqy. With his last move, White threatened the pawn on e5, and protecting the pawn is very awkward for Black. \Vith opposite-coloured bishops on the board, Black should instead turn to the queenside and the white king. Can Black break White's defence?

The Tal Tip ir on page 87 and fhe solutioll is on page 119.

46

Puzzle 79 Tal-Podgaets. Sochi 1970

117hite fo p/q)'. The black anny makes a clumsy, uncoordinated impression. The queen's rook still hasn't moved and the king is in the centre. \Villte now wins material with a basic combination. How?

The Tal Tip is on pa.ge 87 alld fbe SOIJltiOl1 is on page 119.

Puzzle 80 Tal-Dzindzichashvili. New York 1')9 I

IVhite to play. This is a l)picu I<)P position wherc 'Wbitc tries his luck on the kingside whereas Black strives for an endgame, seek­ing to exchange pieces to reduce \Vbite's attacking potential. Here Tal ha.~ succeeded in building up a strong att.'lck. How did he continue?

The Tal Tip ir on page 87 and fbe solution is on

Pa..ge 119.

Puzzle 81 Tal-Bilek. Hungary 1963

jf"/bite /0 pia),. With his last move, Black threatened the white bishop on b3. It is not clear how \XThite can save the bishop, so Black must have felt happy here, believi.ng he was on his way to victory. Suggest a m(lve for Willte.

The ./ i,l Tip is ()Il page /I 7 and dJe .rollltiOIl is 01/

page 119. Puzzle 82

Tal-Ghitescu. Ilung-ary [%3

IVhit" to pld),. This time Black doesn't lack behind in development. 'I11e problem is his king posicion, where he lacks defending forces. Black has just taken a pawn on eS - a very brave decision against the great magi­cian. How did Tal punish Black's greed?

The Tal Tip is on page 87 and the solulion i.r on pa.go 120.

Getting There!

Puzzle 83 Tal-Matanovic. Moscow 1963

W'bite to plqy. Any bishop move by White is met by .. .'ilixcl, while \1Vltite also has to con­sider the fate of his knight on gS. \1V'hat should \XThite play?

The Tal Tip is on p(~~e 87 and the .rollliion is on p{~ge 121.

Puzzle 84 Tal-Plaskett. Soc hi 19H4

IVbite to pIt!)'. The middlegame has hardly be,l,'lln, ,md already Black finds himself in serious trouble after \X'hite's next move. \X'hat tlid Tal play in this position?

The Tal Tip is on page 88 and the .rolulion is on pa.ge 121.

47

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 85 Tal-NN. Berlin (Simultaneous display) 1974

While 10 plqy. The e::valuation of the posi­tion depends on whedle::r Black can catch up wim development on me queenside. For me sake of me:: le::ad in development, Tal has sac­rificed a pawn, and he l{uickly has to show mat me inve::sune::11l was worth it. \,{'hat did he play here?

The Tal Tip is on Pa.ge 88 and Ibe soilltion is nn

page 122. Puzzle 86

Tal-Velimirovic. Teslic 1979

Wbile to piqy. Tal has sacrificed a piece for me sake of me initiative and attacking possi­bilities against Black's king. His task now is to find a way to let me queen join me attack. How did he continue me attack?

The Tal Tip is on page 88 and the soluhan iJ· all

page 122.

48

Puzzle 87 Bonsch-Tal. Halle 1974

Hla,'k to pk~y. Bom sides are attacking here. The simultaneous threat on f8 and h7 means that \'C'hite's position looks promising. How­ever, Black has me move, and he shows that his attack is stronger. How?

The Tal Tip is on/"w 88 tlNd Ibe solution i.r on P'Jgc 122.

Puzzle 88 Kristinsson-Tal. Rerkja~-ik 1964

Black In pi,!>,. As compensation for the three pieces, White has a queen and two dan­gerous passe::d pawns on me queenside. \X'hat counts in this position is not rnate::riaI, but activity, and against a passive queen like this, a rook and two minor pieces are simply toO

much. f low did Tal conclude me attack? The Tal Tip is on page 88 and the solution is Oil

page 122.

Puzzle 89 Thorbergsson-Tal. Reykjavik 1964

Blat-k 10 play. Black has a strong attack, but it is not easy to see how he can get to White's king. How should he c(mtinue?

Tbe Tal Tip i.r OIl Pa.ge 88 alld Ibe SOllltiOIl is on page 123.

Puzzle 90 Tal-Taimanov. Yerevan 1962

White 10 pI,!),. White's queen has penetrated into Black's position. \X'ith his last move, Black threatened the knight on c3. r low should White react if he wants to keep the initiative?

Tbe Tal Tip is OIl page 88 and Ibe SOllltiOIl is on page 124.

Getting There!

Puzzle 91 Tal-Tlmman. Skopje Olympiad 1972

lV'bi/e 10 play. Black's last muve was ... ll:IxeS and it turns out to be the decisive mistake. Before this move Black's position made a clwnsy impression, although a ,,,in for \x'hite was not in sight. However, after the mistake by Black, things are clear enough. How should "VOite punish Black's careless play?

Tbe Tal Tip is on page 8S mid tbe slIllItion is 011

page 124. Puzzle 92

Tal-Benko. Bled 1959

lV'bite 10 pltry. 'X'hite has sacrificed a pawn for the initiative. Black has just captured an· other pawn, when instead he should have been dealing ,vith White's attack on the king­side. How did Tal punish this greed?

The Tal Tip is on pa.l!,e 88 allti Ibe sollltion is 011

page 124.

49

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 93 Khasin-Tal. Leningrad 1956

Black /0 plqy. W"hite has juSt played 'ii'f2-f3. After Black's queen moves he hopes to re­capture the knight on d3 'with good pros­pects. Tal had foreseen this move and had a strong reply ready. How did he respond?

The Ta/ Tip is on page 88 and Ihe .roiulirm i1 on

page 125. Puzzle 94

Evans-Tal. Amsterdam 1964

BIa.k /0 plqy. Black appears to have noth­ing. White threatens an exchange of rooks, after which it is difficult to bdieve that Black will win the resulting llucen endgame. How­ever, Black is to move and the white king is rather shaky on g4. How did Tal take advan­tage of this?

The Tal Tip ;1 on pat.' R8 and Ihe solution is on page 126.

50

Puzzle 95 Nogueiras-Tal, Brussels 1988

Black /0 plt.f)' . . I"hings lonk bad for Black af­ter White's previous move lUd8. Black has to careful about both ell and f5 and his queen is threatened too. However, but Tal had every­thing under control. flow diJ he react?

The Ttl/ Tip i.f 01/ p{(~e 88 and Ilu sob,h(m ir 01/

p'Jge 127.

Puzzle 96 Tal-Donner. Wijk aan Zee 1~6H

White In pk!v. Tal has once again built up a very strong attacking pusition. We wonder what it is with Tal m.d the opponent's king's sruck in the centre of the board! How does White strengthen his attack further?

Tile Ta/ Tip i.f 011 Pa.ge 89 tlnd the 1oiuti01l i101/

page 127.

Puzzle 97 Tal-Schmidt. Culogne 1981

Wbile to play. Black's position is not very promising, with a rook like mat on h6 and passiye pieces in general. On me other hand, White's set-up is yery active and aggressive. If Black succeeds in holding the position on the kin~idc, maybe \X'hite's queensidc pawns can he an ohject of altack later on. But now it is Tal to ml)\·e ...

. / /J,' 'J;'; "l'il' is 011 p,!~,. 89 (wd the .rollilion is 011

I'a.ge I2X.

Getting There!

Puzzle 98 Tal-NN. England (Simultaneous) 1974

lV'bile 10 p/qy. Black threatens White's queen and it is not so obvious where it should go. All me squares seems to be infe­rior to g4. However, Wrote has built up a strong position in the centre, so mayhe there is an alternative solution to the prohlem?

The Tal Tip is 011 page 89 and tbe sol/(tion is 011

pfl,(J,e 128 .

51

CHAPTER fiVE I Tal's World of Magic

After the previous wann, up material, we have now arrived at the truly wonderful a.nd magical combinations. In this chapter you will experience some true Tal wizardry, as in the following example, where White can win in more rhan one way, but Tal decides on rhe road leaving most pieces en prise.

Tal-Grigorian Yerevan 1982 English Openif(g

1 c4 e5 2 tLIc3 tLIf6 3 tLIf3 tLIc6 4 g3 iLb4 5 tLId5 a5 6 iLg2 d6 7 0-0 0-0 B e3 iLe5 9 b3 <tJxd5 10 exd5 <tJb4 11 d4 exd4 12 tLIxd4 iLxd4 13 exd4 %le8

13 ... c6 is also possible, wirh rhe idea rhat after 14 d.xc6 bxc6 Black wants to play on the light squares with ... .Jil..e6-dS. If 15 aJ ttJdS 16 iixdS cxdS rhen Black has compensation due to rhe opposite-coloured bishops. 14 a3 tt:la6 15 iLd2! b6 16 b4

Now Black's pieces are a bit misplaced. 16 ..• tLIb8

Another possibility for Black \vas to enter rhe following endgame, a pawn down, but with chances of survival: 16 ... axb4 17 ;L'(b4 .Jil..d7 18 J:!.el .i.bS t 9 .i.f1 'ii'd7 20 l:[xe8+ 'iVxe8 21 ,i,xbS 'iixbS 22 'iVf1 'iVxf1+ 23 ~xf1 bS 24 l:ta5 ~f8 25 l:LxbS 1:(b8.

52

17 bxa5 bxa5 18 1:1e1 a4?! 19 'iWh5 iLd7 20 iLe4

20 .Jil..gs is less clear. r\frcr 20 ... f6 21 ,i,e4 ':xe4 22 ':xe4 fxg5 23 ]:lae I \'V'hite has the initiative, but it's probably nor enough for an

advantab't:: 2:1 ... g(l 24 'iVh6 'iWfll 25 'iVxgS ttJa6 26 I:f4 ~f5 27 g4 h6 28 'iVe7 (28 'iVh4? g5) 28 ... 'ilfxe7 29 1.'.t.xe7 :il..c2 and Black is OK. 20 ... g6

A seriolls weakening 01' the dark stluares around the king. 21 'iWh6 'iff6 22 il.g5 'lWxd4 23 'ifh4! 'lWg7 24 iLh6 'ifh8

\Vhite's position is superior. He has sacri­ficed a pawn, but as compensation he has activity, a developmenr advantage and con­trol of the dark s(luares. Now the simple 25

.ltd3! is very strong. Black cannot develop his queenside, as 2S ... ttJa6 loses to 26 iLxa6 l:txa6 27 l:txe8+ .ltxeH 28 'ilie7. Meanwhile, \Vhite can just improve his position step by step. Instead Tal converted the advantage with the creative move ... 25 ~f5!? 'ifc3 26 :xe8+ ~xe8 27 :c1 'lli'e5 28 'ifd8 gxf5

29 It'f1 1-0 \'(nite threatens Iln and this cannot be

pre\"t:mt:d. If 29 ... lf'ld-:" .,0 "ii'xaH tnfR rhen \X,lute plays 31 ];tel iLb5+ .U 'it>g2!.

These complc.:x combinations differ from those earlier in th" book in thar tht: soln:r mUSt not unly spot rh" theme, but must also cross the boundaries of what is normal and what is not. 111<: following two-piece combi­nation (thuugh dcclined) illustrates the imaj.,.jnation we arc dealing with here.

Pomar-Tal L,s Palm as 1975

QJleen:r PilII'll Openif!1!,

1 liJf3 96 2 d4 iLg7 3 g3 dS 4 .Ji:.g2 :';,d7 5 0-0 e5 6 dxe5 dxe5 7 l£lc3 tLigf6 8 lbd5 0-0 9 l£lxfS+ 'iVxf6 10 ~g5 'Wb6 11 xu,1 'li'e6 12 a3 e4 13 l£ld4 \!Ve5 14 ~e3 lbf6 15 ~f4 'ifh5 16 iLxc7 ~h3

Tal is never afraid of sacrificing a pawn, as long as he gets active piece play. 17 ~f4 l£lg4 18 f3 exf3 19 lDxf3 nad8

Tal's World of Magic

20 'li'c1 :fe8 Black's pieces flow to natural squares. In

comparison, the rook and queen on the queenside make a sad impression. 21 iLxh3 'li'xh3 22 :d 1

Tal transformed his activity into some­thing concrete after 22 ... lbxh2!

A famastic combination involving many sacrifices. \'<'hite understands this and settles for returning the pawn. 22 ... iLd4+!? wa~ also a good mOVe: 23 l:txd4 l:txd4 24 ~ fI 'iIf x fl + 25 ..ti>xfi l:tde4 and Black will eventually 'W1n. 23 l:txd8

1 f 23lDxh2 then 23 ... l:txe2! 24l1xd8+ .ltffi and \\'hite cannot avoid mate. 23 ... tl\xf3+ 24 exf3 lbd8 25 c3

Avoiding ... iLd4, but now Black activates rhe bishop on the other diagonal. 25 ... iLh6! 26 'iff1 'li'xf1 + 27 :xf1

Ar last \X'hite has freed himself on the ljueenside and has exchanged queens. But the price he had to pay was too high, as the endgame is very unpleasant for him. 27 ... iLxf4 28 gxf4 :d2

Black has the more active position and a berrer pawn structure. 29 ::tf2

This shortens the pain, but Black was well on his way to winning anyway. 29 .. Jbf2 30 <;Pxf2 b5 31 a4 bxa4 32 ~e3 h5 33 f5 g5 34 c4 f6 35 Wd4 ~7 0-1

53

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Combinations for Solving Puzzle 99

Tal-Speelman, Reykjavik 1988

Il7bz'le 10 pi'!}. Of course. \Vhite could re­treat the knight here, but that's not in the spirit of the eighth world champion, and it is certainly not what brought our attention to

this exercise. But what did Tal actually play here?

The Tal Tip is on page 89 <lIId tlx solution is OIl

Mge 129. Puzzle 100

Tal-Hjartarson, Reykjavik 1987

l17hile to pk(y. White has won a pawn, but it seems that it was poisonous and that Black had pL'lOned a strong pin. \\'hat can \'V'h..ite do to prevent getting humiliated?

Tbe Tal Tip i.r OIl page 89 and Ibe sollltiOll is 011

page 129.

54

Puzzle 101 Tal-Szymczak, Lublin 1974

Wbile 10 pl{!)'. Tal has sacrificed material to obtain the initiati,·c. \X,bite has bishop and two pawns for two knights, which are mo­

mentarily out of play on the edge. The prob· lem for \Vhite is how to let the rook join in the attack. \"('hat should \X'hite play?

Tbe Tal Tip is 011 pew X9 and Ibe ,wlllti(JII is 01/ p{W',m.

Puzzle 102 Tal·Andersson, Stockholm 1')76

l17bile 10 pltiY. \X/jth Black's king surrounded by very weak dark squares, \X/hire's position looks promising. However, Black is a pawn up, and if he can organise a defence, the fu­ture doesn't look roo bad. \'X'hat did Tal pL'lY?

Tile Tal Tip is on page 89 fIIld Ibe solt/lion is OIl

ptJ,ge 130.

Puzzle 103 Tal-Kupreichik. Soviet Ch., Moscow 1969

If'hite to pi,!]. \'Vhite has sacriticed the ex­change, but in compensation he dominates the light s<Juares and has prospects of an attack nn this colour cumplex. Maybe Black counted ollly on the obvious move tLlxt7, but Tal chose another move. \\'hat did the La[\'ian wizard play?

Tbe 1,'; Tip is 011 1"(1'/ 89 and tbe .rolt/lion i.r 011

!>I(I!I' 131. Puzzle 104

Tal-Gedevanishvili. Georgia 1970

White 10 pit!]. \\'hite has built up a strong attack king, and for that he gladl}' sacrificed a pawn. Black seriousl}' lacks in uevclopment, and his queen is separated from the rest of the army on a2. How diu Tal continue?

The Tal Tip is 011 page 89 and the sontlion is on p'(ge 131.

Tal's World of Magic

Puzzle 105 Tal-Averbakh. Riga 1961

White to pit!]. Tal must have seen the game continuation far in advance, as the knight on gS has no '-vay to retreat. ~'hite has to sacri­fice, but how?

The J;'; Tip is on p«(ge 89 ,md the sollltiOIl is on pa.p,e 132.

Puzzle 106 Tal-Hecht. Varna Olympiad 1')(,2

IFhilr 101''':1'. Tal has sacrificed his <Iucen, and at the moment he has only a mi.nor piece for it, and his bishop on h4 is hanging! I low­ever, hc had foreseen everything. How did he continue?

Tbe Tal Tip is 011 page 89 alld the solutioll is Of}

pa.~e 132.

55

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 107 Tal-Korchnoi. Reykjavik 1987

IVhite to pltry. Wbite is a pawn up. but Black threatens the knight qn £5, and it is not clear what Wbite should do. Black seems to have good compensation for the pawn. However, Tal had a little surprise for Black. W"hat did he play?

The Tal Tip is 011 pO;l!,e 89 and the SOllltioll is on page 134.

Puzzle 108 Tal-Golombek. Mwuch Olympiad 1958

While to pltry. Wbitc has a very strong at­tacking position, but it aU depends on Ius ability to include other pieces in the attack on Black's king. The knight on c5 is threatened. How should White react to tllis?

The Tal Tip is on page 90 and the solutioll is on page 134.

56

Puzzle 109 Kudrin-Tal. Titograd 1984

Hltlc/tc 10 pia)" tlnd d,WI'. \X,11ite has made a temporary bishop sacrifice to \\;n the pawn on a7, and now he threatens both of Black's rooks. Ilere Tal USes his tactical skills to solve the problems in a radical ,\·a),. How?

The Ttll Tip iJ- 01/ /'''./},c 90 tllld the Hlllltion is on p(~l!,e 134.

Puzzle 110 Varasdy-Tal. West Berlin 19H6

Blade 10 pltf)" Black has an activc position. His pieces arc located nn thc kinb~ide, point· ing at Wbite's king. Material is egual but Wbite does have :l strong passed pawn on the queenside, S0 Black has to seek his chances in an attack. How should Black con­tinue?

The Tal Tip is 011 pt.(l?,e 90 and fbe sol filion is 011

p".ge 134.

Puzzle 111 Timman-Tal. Tallinn 1973

Black to plqy. In this type of position the possible g4-push nonnally secures White the better chances, hut here \,{'bite's king feels insecure and Black, who has concentrated his forces on the kingside, has strong pressure fLle. How did Tal conven his advantage?

The Tal Tip i.r all pf{p,e 90 and Ihe solutioll is rJII

P<{P,t 1 J5. Puzzle 112

Tal-Vasiukov. Riga 1955

1V'IJ/i" 10 p~y. Black sacrificed the exchange Some moves ago. With a pawn and a strong dark-squared bishop, Black has compensa· tion if things develop slowly. However, Black should have exchanged queens earlier, and now he is punisheu for this mistake. How?

The Tal Tip is OIl page 90 and Ihe solution is 011

p<{f!,e 135.

Tal's World of Magic

Puzzle 113 Tal-Hartston. Hastings 1974

While to plqy. A typical Sicilian positIOn, where \Vhite has won the strategic battle in the imponant question: will the e5-pawn prove to be weak, or will \'{;hite's initiative prove it's worth? How did \1C'hite proceed with the attack?

The '1,,1 Tip is nn Pf{I!,' 90 lIlId tbe sollltiOIl is Oil

p,!ge 135.

Puzzle 114 Bannik-Tal. Riga 1955

Rk"k to pk!y. Positionally \Vhite is better due to Black's weak d6-pawn, out Tal had foreseen this position when he let Wrute take on e7. How should Black continue his assault on \1CThite's king?

The Tal Tip is all page 90 fllld Ihe SOllllioll is Oil

page 135.

57

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 115 Gulko-Tal. Sochi 1970

Black to pl"Y. This is a difficult exercise. Black has two ways of capturing the pawn on d4, both opportunities leading to material imbalances. It's Ol1e thing ItO calculate the lines exacdy. <juite another to judge the re­sulting positions properly. \X'hat should Black play?

The "fal Tip ir 011 pl{~e 90 IIl1d the so/utiol1 iJ 011

p"g,e 136. Puzzle 116

Splridonov-Tal. Tbilisi 19(19

Black to pltry. Black's pieces can hardly be improved upon, 50 he is ready for action. To get to White's king, Black has to destroy the pawn structure in front of it. How should Black proceed?

The Tal Tip is OIl pal,e 90 alld the sO/l(tiOll is 011

page 137.

58

Puzzle 117 Tal-Olaf 55011. Bled 1961

II/bile 101'''9. Wbite's position looks prom­ising. his pieces are active and Black's king seems to be in danger. But \'{!hite still has to prove that his initiative is worth the ex­change. How did Tal do this?

The Tal Tip is Oil page 90 al1d the SO/l(tiOIl ir on ptI.!',e 137.

Puzzle 118 Tal-Padevsky. Moscow 1963

IFhilr lop/a)'. Widl the pawn sacrifice ... dS­d4, Black wants to get his knight to dS with tempo. If allowed to do this, he will have good chances to seize the initiative. Tal wantS to be the Olle to lead the way, so how did he react here?

Tbe Tal Tip is 011 p,J,gc 90 alld the sO/l(lioll is on page 138.

Puzzle 119 Hoelzl-Tal. Malta Olympi.'ld 1980

Block to pl..I)'. \'\'hite has no light-squared bishop, and Black only needs to protect the pawn on f3 before he can execute mate on g2 in two more moves. How did Tal use the weakness of the light squares?

The Tal Tip is on page 90 and the somtion is 011

N~e 139. Puzzle 120

Honfi-Tal. Sukhumi 1972

Black to plqy. Black's majur pieces arc placed on the open tiles on the 'Iucenside, ready to attack \'\'hite's king. His bishop on c4 is threatened, and here the challenge for Black is what to do with the bishops? The first question is where should he move the light-squared one?

The Tal Tip is 011 Pa.f!,c 90 and the solutioll is 011

page 139.

Tal's World of Magic

Puzzle 121 Tal-Klaman. Soviet Championship,

Moscow 1957

IPhile to pl<!J. Black's king hasn't castled, but the black pawn mass seems to provide him with a perfect shelter. However, Tal proved that this is not the case. \'\'hat did he play?

TlJe Tal Tip i.f 011 page 91 alld the sollitioll is 011

p'{l!,f 119.

Puzzle 122 Tal-Campomanes. Leipzig Ulympiad 1<)60

W·Nk to pltfY. Again Tal's opponent has failed to get his lung into safety. Tal made use of this v:ith active play, boldly sacrificing to keep rhe initiative. What did he play?

The Till Tip is 011 page 91 lind the SOh{tiOII i.f 01/

p{{l!,e 140.

59

Mlkhllil Till: Tllctical Genius

Puzzle 123 Tal-Brlnck Claussen,

Havana Olympiad 1966

White to pftry. Wbite's h-pawn has been ex­changed for Black's a-pawn. lbis gives Wbite the opportunity to create iU1 outside passed pawn later. However, Tal ,vasn't thinking about the endgame when he played the fol­lm.ving move. What did he play?

The Tal Tip i.r on page 91 and tbe soilltion is on

Pa.ge 140.

Puzzle 124 Tal-Zaichik, Thilisi 1988

While 10 pftry. Black hopes to exchange the bishop on c3, as this piece exerts unpleasant pressure against the black king. Did Tal allow Black to do this?

The Tal Tip is 011 page 91 alld Ihe SOhftiOIl is on page 140.

60

Puzzle 125 Rytov-Tal, Tallinn (Rapid) 1976

Black 10 play. Black has a good position. He controls the d4-square, and the \'{bite bishop on e2 is not a good piece. He has also forced a weakening of the white king's position and now uses this small weakness to develop an

initiative. How did Black proceed? The Tal Tip i.r (11/ P'W 91 and tbe .mllltioll is 011

page 141.

Puzzle 126 Mukhin-Tal. Moscow Olympiad 1972

Black 10 pftry. Here Black has a small lead in development. Often the king is well placed in the centre in this type of position, but here Black can use his small advantage to attack Wbite's king. How?

The Tal Tip is 011 page 91 alld the sohftion is on

page 141.

Puzzle 127 Tal-Vuhtman.

Soviet Champion~hip, Thilisi 1956

Wbite to pl«Y. Things look bad for \'<'hite here, with Black's pressure on his kingside and especially the threat to exchange on 0. How!:ver, Tal had foreseen this and had something in mind. \X'hat was it?

Tbe Tal Tip i.f 011 p't~e 9' alld the .fo/Illioll is 011

page 142.

Tal's World of Magic

61

CHAPTER SIX I Chess Wizardry

In this chapter you ,"",ill have dle chance to

solve five of Mikhail Tal's greatest combina­tions. After me difficult job of following his footstepS in me previous chapter, you will now have me chance to mimic his greatest achievements, such as me follo"'ing:

Tal-Rantanen Tallinn 1979 Sicilian D~fel/ce

1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 lLlc6 3 ~b5 e6 4 0-0 lLlge 7 5 lLlc3 a6 6 ~xc6 lLlxc6 7 d4 cxd4 8 lLlxd4 d6 9 :e1 ~d7 10 lLlxc6 bxc6 11 ~g4 e5 12 'iVg3 f6 13 ~e3 ~7 14 .l:ad1 ~e7

Black's position appears to be "ery solid,

62

so how should \V'hitc continue from here? He improves his knight and simultaneously mreatens me pawn push c2-c4-c5. 15lLla4! .l:b8 16 b3 :e8 17 c4 c5

Black tries to keep dle position closed, but now me knight finds a brilliant outpost on ciS. 18lLlc3 .lll.f8 19 f4 '~g8

20 :f1 White slowly improves the position of all

his pieces. Tal prepares fnr the opening of me f-tile, and mere fore the rook is better placed on f1 man on e I. Nonce also mat he waits to occupy the dS-square wim me knight, as at the moment it docs a good job protecting e4. Black has very little prospectS of cOWlterplay and he can only wait passively

for White to do something. 20 ... 'ii'c8 21 fxe5

'JG'lute is ready. Within few moves his pieces become vcry active. 21 ... fxe5

Or 21...dxeS 22 l:txf6 ~g4 23l:txf8+ lLi.f8 24 l:tdS and Black's pawns will fall like ripe appks. 22 lLld5 ~h8 23 1:f7 iLg4

Tal now played a strong, creative move. He must have seen the variation right.to the end. 24 lLlf6!

The simple 24 Udfl, ,vjth ideas similar to

game, also wins. l3lack is not mated, but \X'hile forces a dearly superior position after 24 ... iLh5 25 iLh61 'iVg4 (25 ... iLxt7 26 l:txt7 gxh6 27 lDf6 mates) 26 'i¥xg4 iLxg4 27 lDc7 :lec8 21:1 lDxa6 ::ta8 29 lDc7 :tabS 30 ~g5.

Chess Wizardry

White is not only a pawn up, he also has the more active pieces. 24 ... gxf6 25 'iWh4 ~g7 26 iLh6

26 ... iLxd1 Or 26 ... l:tgR 27 1:txd6. W'hite simply pro­

ceeds with the attack as if nothing has hap­pened. Black is a piece up, but he cannot organise a deferce properly. For example, after 27 ... nb 7 \x'hite ,.vins back the invested material: 28 iLxg7+ (or 21:1 l:tdxf6 ':xt7 29 l1xn ~cR 311 l:txg7) 28. . .l:Lxg7 29 l:txb7 'it'xb 7 30 %:d8+ l:tg8 31 l:txg8+ 'it>xg8 32 ~xg4+. \Xl,itt: is a pawn up in this <.jut:t:n endgame. lIe should \-",in, but precise: techni­cal play is rellLtired. 27 ~xg7+ Wg8 28 iLh81

\~'hite matt:s within thrt:e moves. 28 .. .'tlxf7 29 'ii'xf6+ >t>g8 30 'ii'g7 mate 11-0)

63

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Combinations for Solving Puzzle 128

Tal-Hubner. Montreal 1979

White to play. With his last move, Black has offered the exchange of bishops. This would of course be to Black's benefit, as the:: bishop on f4 is exerting much press~re on the h2-b8 diagonal. What can \x'hite play to a\'oid the exchange of this valuable bishop?

The T"I Tip is on pl{f?,e 9' alld the .w/llfiOll i.r 011

P"ll 143. Puzzle 129

Tal-Gurgenidze. Alma-Ata 196R

White to play. W'hite is a pawn down, but has a strong attack on the kingside including the use of the half-open h-file. How did Tal continue here?

The Tal Tip is on page 91 alld tbe SO/UtiOIl is 011

page 144.

64

Puzzle 130 Tal-Najdorf. Leipzig Olympiad 1%0

lFhilC to pl'D'. White has strung pressure on the kingside but Black also has trumps, in­cluding a beautifully posted knight on ,,4. How did Tal exploit his initiative?

The Ta/ Tip is 011 p,~g" 91 tlnd Ib" J{)/IIIiOIl is 011

P'{~f 145.

Puzzle 131 Tal-Suttles. Sukhurni 1<)72

W'hilc 10 pl.!)'. TIus position l"oks reasona­bly quiet, with \X'hite::'s main ad\-antage being the control uf the only opcn file on the board. Tal's next move, huwever, is a bolt from the:: blue. Wbat did he play?

Tbe Tal Tip is on P'lf!! 91 (lftd Ibe sollltiDlr is 011

page 145.

Puzzle 132 Tal-Uhlmann. Moscow 1971

IV/Jite 101'1(/),. A typical Tal position. Black has two extra pawns but his king is still in me middle of the board and \,{'hite's pieces are very active. I low did Tal exploit his obvious lead in den,lopmem?

The T ul Tip if 1m p,{~e 91 and the soluhrm i.r 01/

Pa.l!f 145.

Chess Wizsrdry

65

CHAPTER SEVEN I

Endgame Magic

In the previous chapters ~ve have seen Tal sacrifice almost every piece in every way eve::r invented. The Larvian ~vizar<] ,vas known fur his artistic and chaotic styIC, which produced all of these wonderful pieces of chess art. But what about his rechnical abilities? How did he play in the endgame?

Tal-Smirin USSR 1990

King's Indian Do/ena·

The story about this game was that Smirin had said that all you needed to do against Tal was to get the queens of the board; then you could never lose. Tal took this as a challenge and convincingly showed his young oppo­nent that it is not a wise idea to underesti­mate a world champion. 1 lDf3 lDf6 2 c4 g6 3 lDc3 iLg7 4 e4 d6 S d40-0 6 SLe2 eS 7 dxeS!

Just because I do not write like God. peo­ple assume I would not he able to' is what the famous American writer Hemingway once said. Here Tal proved that just because he didn't especially ",,-ish to play endgames, it didn't mean he couldn't. 7 ... dxeS 8 'iIIxd8 lhd8 9 .i.gS c6!?

A more interesting line than the solid 9 .. ':e8.

66

10 lDxeS :te8 11 0-0-0 lDa6 12 1:.d6! A new move at the time. and probably

'-Iuite strong. 12 ... :txeS

12 ... ~ffi 13 :txfG :'xe5 with compensa­tion was suggested by Tal. bm 1.'1 4Jxt7!, a Tal-like sacri fice in tilt: endgame, would have ended til at story. , 3 .i.xf6 .:.i:.xf6 14 Yxf6 tZlcs 1S l:!.d6!

15 f4 l:txe4! is nice, while 15 f3 ~_e() 16 f4 :'xe4 17 ~xe4 ~xe4 l!l :'xec, fxeC, 1<) lild 1 would have given W'hite a slight advantage. However. Tal's way of play is stronger. 1S ... lLIxe4 16 lld8+ ~g7 17 lDxe4 l:1xe4

18.i.f3! HI ~d3 lIe7 is not that bad for Black. The

c4-pawn is less of an impurtance here.

18 .. .lb<:4+ Or 18 ... l:[e7 19 l:thdl! and Black cannot

free himself easily. 19 ~d2 <:S?

This does not make a lot of sense. The idea, of course, is ... l:td4+, but this is not good enough. Better was 19 ... b6! 20 llcl :'xc1 21 'it'xc1 ~b7 22 J:d7 l:tb8 23 l:c7, when Black is worse but can comfort himself ",ith being a pawn up for the moment. 20 J:I.<:11

Black's plan is re\'ealed after 20 l:e I? :'c2+1 21 'it>xc2 ~f5+ 22 l:.d3 c4 and the endgame is roughly level. 20 ... J:l.x<:1?

The last cluJl1Ce was rhe uncomfortable 2U ... J:.d4+ 21 lhd4 cxd4 22 1:tc7 ~e6 23 b3 \\ith a clear advantage for W'hite, but Black still has some actiyity and some chances. 21 ~xc1

Now Black cannot free himself; eventually he will lose material. 21 ... hS 22 h4 l:I.b8 23 J:l.e8 f6 24 .i.dS gS 2S g3 gxh4 26 gxh4 '.t.>g6 27 Wd2 bS

27 ... .i.e6 2::1 .JiLe4+. 28 It>e3 b4 29 a3 bxa3 30 bxa3 as 31 I#;>f4 a4 32 f3

It's zugzwang! 32 ••. lt>g7 33 iLe6 iLxe6 34 l1xb8 iLb3 35 l:tbS 1-0

So Tal did know how co play the endgame. But like Kasparov and Alekhine, rhe two

Endgame Magic

world champions with a style closest to Tal, he played them dynamically. He still had the same alenness for tactical possibilities, as can be seen from the following example.

Oim-Tal Pamu 1971

Black's bishop on h6 appears to be bad, but more important in the position are his active possibilities on the b-file. If \x'hite could exchange a pair of rooks and knights. the resulting knight versus bishop endgame would be better, but he can't ... 42 liJac3 l:tb8 43 liJe2 g4 44 f4 l:txb2 45 ttJd4 g3 46 'itot1 liJg4 47 liJtS J:l.b4 48 ttJgS

Black now decided this endgame with a nice tactical trick. 48 ... ttJxe3+ I

48 ... ~xgS 49 fxgS ttJeS with an extra a-

67

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

pawn was also good enough, though slower. If White plays 50 l:xe7?, he loses at once to

50 ... :tb1+ 51 ~e2 h3 and the pawns cannot be stopped.

The game continuation is more dear-cut though. 49 tLlxe3 1:lxf4+ 50 tLlf3

50 ... h31 51 J:.c8+ ~g7 0-1 Either the h-pawn promotes or White will

lose both knights after 52 ).,'Xh3 l'1xD+ 53 ..tg2:xe3.

Players who like to tak" many risks will ac­tually have to be very strong in the endgame in order to stay on top or pull on th" hreaks and fight for half-a-point. Or they ,,,;ll, like the rest of us, have to be able to 'rake: the money and run'.

Tal understood very wdl what good tech­nique is: to win the game as easily as possible. And to win at once is often the <:asiest way to do so, as in th" follo\.V;ng example.

Tal-Brakmanis USSR 1959 Gil/oco Piano

1 e4 e5 2 tLlf3 tLlc6 3 ~c4 ~c5 4 b4 ~xb4 5 c3 ~e7 6 d4 tLlf6 7 dxe5lZ\g4 8 'ifd5 0-0 9 h3 tLlh6 10 0-0 d6 11 exd6 cxd6 12 "irh5 1Wa5 13 iLd5 iLe6 14 D.d 1 lUe8 15 iLf4 J:.ad8 16 tLlbd2 'ifxc3 17 g4 'iff6 18 JLe3 JLxd5 19 exd5 lZ\e5 20

68

tLlxe5 'ifxe5 21 1Wxe5 dxe5 22 iLxh6 gxh6 23 tLle4

'W'hite's advantage: is obvious: a stron~

knight on ,,4 and a passed pawn on d5. H~ also dominut"s on th~ light ~'-Iuares, while Black has some pawn wcakness"s too. 23 ... 'it>g7 24 d6 iLf8 25 J:.ac1 nd7 26 '.t>g2 J:.ed8 27 nc7 b6 28 J:.d3 J:[xc7 29 dxc7 J:.c8 30 lId7 iLb4

The passed pawn on c7 is \·ery dan).,lCrous . \x·hite only n<:eds to ",:ti\"ate his knight to

protect the promotion slluare (with tUa 7 or

tUd6) and mack ,dll los<: his rook. Right now Black's bishop dominates the knight, SO

\Vhite has to distract it a bit. 31 a3!

Also possible was 31 \t>g3 b5 32 f4 cxf4+ 33 Wxf4 as 34 'it>e5 a4 35 ttJd6 ~xd6+ 36 ).~xd6 b4 37 l:tdH and \Xl,ite \\'i.n~. 31 ... iLxa3 32 tLlc3 a5

If 32 ... a6 then \'{'hite plays 33 lL)d5 ~c5 34 l:td8. 33 lZ\b5 ~b2 34 lZ\d6 J:.xc7 35 llxc7 a4 1-0

Black resi!-,'11Cd, as h<: is mat<:J wi thin ti,·c moves with 36 ttJf5+ ..t>g6 37 l:tc6+ f6 38 !'tc7 WgS 39 r,tog3 and 1tg7.

An important part of the endg-.une is the pawn breakthrough, which is complerely t.."lctical in nature. Here is an cxample from Tal's hanJ.

Khanov-Tal Riga 1955

Sici/iall Delella

1 e4 c5 2 tLlc3 tLlc6 3 g3 g6 4 .1g2 .1g7 5 d3 d6 6 tlJge2 tlJf6 7 0-0 0-0 8 h3 tlJe8 9 .1e3 tlJd4 10 'iVc1 :b8 11 a4 a6 12 i.d2 b5 13 axb5 axb5 14 tLlxd4 cxd4 15 Illd5 iLb7 16 iLh6 iLxd5 17 exd5 tlJf6 18 i.xg7 ~xg7

White:'s bishop on g2 is rather baJ at the moment, shut in by its own pawns. \\fhite has some: pressure on the t:. file abrainst e7, but this pouu is not particularly difticult for Black to defenJ. \X'hitt: should really do something to tight for the: dark squares, but he fails to do so in the g,une. 19 "ii'f4 "ii'b6 20 lUe1 :fe8 21 :e2 b4 22 ::tae1 "ii'a7! 23 b3 l:tb5 24 "ii'h4 :a5 25 l1;'h2 :a1 26 :xa1 "ii'xa1 27 g4 'it'd1

Black has a soliJ advantage due [() his dark-slluared control. 28 iLf3 h6 29 'ii'g3 'iVc1 30 iLg2 g5 31 iLf3 ~'f8 32 'ii'g1 "iWxg1 + 33 Wxg1 nc8 34 <ot>g2 :c5

Endgame Magic

Black wins a pawn and with it the game. 35 ~g3 tlJxd5 36 .1xd5 :xd5 37 l:te4 e5 38 h4 ~g7 39 hxg5 hxg5 40 l:te2 ~g6 41 f3 :c5 42 <;trf2 f5 43 ~g3 l:tc8 44 :h2

Black's position is close to winning, but he has to find the right plan. Tal breaks through with a pawn sacrifice to create weaknesses in \X'hitc:'s camp.

44 ... f4+ 45 ~h3 45 It>g2? ':xc2+ loses right away.

45 ... e4! The Jecisive breakthrough. Not 45 ... :'hH+

46 'it'g2 l:txh2+?? 47 'it.>xh2 J5 48 'it>g2 e4 4'.1 'it>f2 ,mu Black cannot 'win, as \,\;'h.ite has built a fortress. 46 fxe4

\Y,lute can also carntre with 46 dxe4 but tht:n Black penetrates with 46 ... :c3 47 :'f2 J.1 4H cxu3 l:.xb3 with a won endgame after 4'.1 u4 l:tc3 50 :'a2 b3. 46 ... ~6 47 :f2 :h8+ 48 II;>g2 l:th4

Aftt'r fxe4 the major weakness is g4. 49~f3 :h3+ 50 We2 We5 51 nf1 :g3 52 ~f2 :xg4 0-1

69

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Combinations for Solving Puzzle 133

Tal-Averkin, Soviet Ch., Moscow 1973

White to pkfy_ Black has just played ... l:lc4. He plans to regain the lost pawn, after which his active pieces would assure good pros­pects. However, Black's king on f5 is marc exposed than it is active! \}i'hat did Tal play?

The Tal Tip is on page 91 all(/ Ihe SOlliholl is 011

page 146. Puzzle 134

Tal-Pytel. Lublin 1974

While to pl<!y. Black's previous move C.·.'it>dS-eS) was the decisi,·e misrake although, with a pawn majority on the '1ueenside and bishop versus knight, ~te was clearly better anyway,. How did Tal conclude the game?

The Tal Tip is on page 91 and the solulioll is 01/

page 146.

70

Puzzle 135 Tal-Dely, Hungary 1963

IFbile 10 pia)·. \X·lute is a pawn up ",;th an acrh-e position. Tal now simplified the posi­cion eyen marc, and the win became obvi­ous. How did he do that?

The Tal Tip I:' 01/ page 92 and Ibe .rOillh(1II is·oll

PtJ..~1" 1-17.

Puzzle 136 Tal-Olafsson. Bled 1959

If-'hite 10 play. \Vhite's bishop on bS is threatent:d, but \}illite has a strong mov<· that shows up Black's bad picce coordination. %ar is the:: winning continuation for \X'hite?

The Tal Tip is 011 page 92 alld the SOllilioll is 0'/

Pf/f," 147.

Puzzle 137 Medina Garcia-Tal. Palma de Majorca 1966

Black to play. Without the queens on the board, the pawn structure could favour White, who has an outside passed pawn. However, in this concrete position Black's pawn is already on h3, and it decides the outcome of the hoame. How?

The '[~" Tip i.f 011 pu.ge 92 alld the sollltioll is 011

p({~e 148. Puzzle 138

Rashkovsky-Tal. Sochi 1973

Black. to pl.:,>'. Black is two paw~ up in this double rook endg-.une. White hopes to gen­erate some active play to compensate for the deficit, but with his last king move he be­came over-active. How did Tal punish White for his careless king move?

The Tal Tip is nil page 92 alld the solutioll is 011

page 149.

Endgame Magic

Puzzle 139 Tal-Antoshin. Kharkov 1967

WlJite to play. So far White has shown great strategic Wlderstanding in this cndgame. Now he forces a win. How did Tal continue?

The Tal Tip i.r on p'w 92 alld tbe soitlfioll is 011

pqge 149.

Puzzle 140 Pinter-Tal. Taxco 1985

Black to plqy. Black has just played ... c5-c4, forcing \\"hitc 10 capture ",;th the h-pawn. In this position Tal showed what was important and what wasn't. How did he proceed?

The Tal Tip is 011 pa .. f!,e 92 and the solution is 011

page 150.

71

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 141 Krlmer Yu-Tal. Vilnius 1955

Black to pfqy. Black sacrificed the h-pawn and turned his anention [0 the queenside and the centre instead. Now he 'has a strong con­tinuation that wins back the invested material with a superior position. \X'hat did Tal play?

Tbe Tft! Tip is 011 pa,~e 92 and tbe solution l:r all

page 151.

Puzzle 142 Tal-Pribyl. Tallinn 1973

White /0 pl{ry. Black must have expected a retreat of the bishop on d5. Instead \Vh.ite played an aggressive move that takes advan­tage of the long a I-h8 diagonal. \Vhat was White's surprise for Black?

Tbe Tal Tip i.r on p{Jge 92 and tbe solution is 011

page 151.

72

Puzzle 143 Tal-Sisniega. Ta..'<co 1985

IF hit, 10 plqy. White has sacrificed a pawn for initiative. How did he continue from the diagram position?

'I'll,> '/;,j Tip is 011 pa,g<' 92 (Illd tbe .roll/tion i.r 1)//

p,{p,e 151.

Puzzle 144 Tal-Trifunovic. Palma de Majorca 1966

IFblic 10 pkry. \'fhite's position is won, but Tal finds the most convincing way to \-jcw!"}·. \'ifhat did the ex-wmld champion play?

The Ta/ Tip is on page 92 tlnd tbe so/"tioll is 011

pa,YlI52.

Puzzle 145 Tal-Bronstein. Thilisi 1959

tV'hite 10 plt!J .. Black looks okay, but ",,;th his next move Tal changed the nature of the position and obtained a small advantage. 'Wllat did he play?

The Tal Tip is on page 92 a"d Ihe solution is on page ISJ.

Puzzle 146 Gipslis-Tal. Vilnius 1955

B/u,k 10 p~y. The following treatment of the final phase of the endgame demands a lot of calculating power, as many variations end up as pawn races. How did Tal make sure that his pawns were the fastest?

The Tal Tip ir on pt{f!,e 92 and the solution is 0" page TSJ.

I::ndgame Magic

Puzzle 147 Tal-Etruk. Riga 1954

IV'bile 10 pia),. \Vhite is the exchange up, but the protected knight on d3 plus a pawn seem to give Black compensation. HOVv-ever, in this position W'hite can obtain b"Ct a decisive advantage. How?

The T"I Tip is on Prl,fI,c 92 and the solutinn is Ofl

p'l,ge 154.

73

CHAPTER EIGHT I A Taste of his own Medicine

The course of a game of chess, like life, does not always run smoothly. It, like Tal, you live by the sword then you must be prepared to

die by it too; In this chapter you will get the chance to wield the sword and to $Iay the eighth world champion - with a little assis­mnce from the great players who got the chance in the real world. This is the moment when you can get the better of the great Tal - the chance is yours!

Klasup-Tal Riga 1953

Ki1(i',s Indian D~/imce

1 d4 tDfS 2 c4 gS 3 g3 jLg7 4 jLg2 0-0 5 tDc3 dS S tDf3 lDcS 7 0-0 jLg4 S d5 t):Ja5 9 4Jd2 c5 10 h3 jLd7 11 'irc2 eS 12 b3 exd5 13 cxd5 b5 14 ..Ii.b2 llcS 15 g4 hS 1S tDce4 ~e7 17 lDxfS+ ..Ii.xfS 1S S<.xfS 'ilr'xfS 19 liJe4 'i+'e5 20 'iVd2

Threatening both on as and h6. Black's best chance to create counterplay is 20 ... B!? 20 ... b4?! 21 'irxhS :tfdS 22 g5 'i+'g7 23 liJfS+ 'it<fS 24 'irh4 ..Ii.b5 25 lWg3 jLxe2 2S nfe1 ..Ii.b5 27 a4 iLaS

White's position is overwhelming, espe­cially because of the knight on f6. White now played a nice little combination, although 28 1:[e4, with the idea of a slow build up with

74

Uacl, also wins - Black has no good defence.

2S :IeS+ J:txeS 29 ·iWxdS+ J:te7 30 J:te1 \'.;ihite v.~ns back the material with a ovcr·

whdming position. 30 ... 'lWhS 31 11xe7 ~g7 32 ~xaS c4 33 fIIxa7 "lifS 34 'Wd4! liJxb3

:~4 ... ~xe7 leads to mate after .15 lZlh5+ ~~f8 36 'WhH. 35 ~e5 c3 3S ..Ii.e4 WhS 37 41d7+ "tfg7 3S tLlfS ];tfS 39 'lWf4 1-0

The check on h4 is deaJly.

With a style like Tal's, you are expecred to

crash and burn from time to time. Often you just end up short in the endgame, but some· timcs you will mstc your own medicine ;till!

die by the sword you live by.

Tal-Tseshkovsky Sochi 1970 R1Iy upez

1 84 85 2 tiJf3 tiJeS 3 .I1o.b5 as 4 ~a4 tiJfS 50-0 b5 S ~b3 ~b7 7 d3 ~e7 8 l:te1 0-09 tiJbd2 dS 10 e3 tiJa5 11 .I1o.e2 e5 12 tZJf1 l:te8 13 tiJg3 ~f8 14 d4 exd4 15 cxd4 tiJd7 1S tiJf5 exd4 17 tiJ3xd4 .!De5 18 b3l:te8 19 .I1o.b2 gS 20 f4?!

Tal sacrifices for the sake of the in..itiatiw, but Black is ready to meet \,{'hite's offensi\·e. 20 ... gxf5 21 fxe5 dxe5 22 tiJxf5 'ii'xd1 23 .I1o.xd1 lDcs 24 ~g4 lDb4 25 l:tad1 :tc2

Now Black takes over the initiative. 2S l:te2 ~e5+ 27 .t>f1

27 ... .I1o.xe4! The simple 27 ... .!:!.xe2 is less clear after 28

i(.x,,2 iLxe4 29 lLld6 SLxd6 .,() l:txd6 c;t>g7 31 a3 lLlc6. Now Black wants to play ... t7-f6 with a solid position and every chlUlCe to conven the extra pawn. Howe\'er, it's White's move, and 32 SLg4!? (or 32 a4!?) gives him compensation due to his active his hops. 28.J:lxe4?!

28 l:td7 offered better chances for resis­tance. 28 ... l:tf2+ 29 ~e1

White's position is hopeless after 29 ~gl l:txb2+ 30 ~h I lLlxa2. 29 ... .!De2 mate 10-1}

A Taste of his own Medicine

There were some players who were good at playing against Tal. The list includes Po­IU)..,>aevsky and Korchnoi, who looked for tlaws in the wizard's inspirational sacrifices, and often had the ability to out-calculate him. However, sometimes it was also possible to get a fierce attack going against the Latvian's king, as he would often go for positions in­volving attacks on both Hanks.

Gufeld-Tal 'n,ilisi 1959

fV.1J' Lopez

1 e4 e5 2 lDf3 4JeS 3 ~b5 as 4 ~a4 lDfS 5 .I1o.xcS dxcS S d3 tiJd7 7 lDbd2 ~e7 8 tiJc4 .>i.fS 9 ,*,e2 e5 10 .I1o.d2 0-0 11 g4 b5 12 lDe3 gS 13 h4 lDb8 14 0-0-0 tiJeS 15 l:tdg1 ~e6 16 Wb1 lDb4 17 ~xb4 cxb4 18 9 5 iLg 7 19 ttJg4 f5 20 gxfS . .i.xg4 21 llxg4 'ilYxf6 22 l:h3

Black's position is critical at this stage, as \\'hite's attack on the k..ings..ide looks very danger()us. To c()unter this. Tal stans an attack on rhe other \\ing. 22 ... a5 23 h5 Ua6 24 hxg6 hxg6 25 l:tg2 b3 26 axb3 a4 27 ttJh4 axb3 28 l:txg6 l:.fa8 29 exb3 '*'f7

Black has opened up the position on the tjueenside, but it is not really dangerous. Now \X'hitt: proceeded on the kingside with 30·l:txg7+!

The direct approach. White's position is

75

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

so strong that other moves will do as well, for instance 30 Jillig3 llxg6 31 J:txg6 (Black is allowed some counterplay, but it is nothing special) 31...'i!Vxb3 32 ttJf5 'iVa2+ 33 Wc2 'iVa4+ 34 'it>d2 and White's king escapes. leaving him with a winning position. 30 .• .'~xg7 31 tLlf5+ >PgB 32 'iWg4+ l:tg6 33 tLle7+ Wg7 34 tLlxg6

In this line Black has no chance to create counterplay. 34 ... 'ifxb3 35 tLlxe5+ ~f6 36 'ifg6+ ~xe5 37 d4+ 1-0

Black resigned in view (If 37 .. .'~xd4 38 l:Lcb3.

By me end of his career Tal had to com­pere with many youngsters who had grown up admiring his games, analysed them and understood what he was a)l about. Probably Tal would have torn them apart had he still been in a strong physical state, but his health was always his Achilles' heel.

Here a young man gets the better of him.

M. Gurevich-Tal Manila 1990

Queen's GaR/bit

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 tLle3 e5 4 exd5 exd5 5 tLlf3 tLle6 6 g3 tLlf6 7 ~g2 ~e 7 B 0-0 0-0 9 .Ji.g5 exd4 1 0 tLlxd4 h6 11 ~e3

The main line Tarrasch. 11 ... .l:eB 12 :e1 .Ji.fB 13 'lIfa4 tLle5 14 .l:I.cd 1 .Ji.d7 15 'ilfb3 .Ji.c6 16 tLlxc6 bxc6 17 .Ji.d4 l:tbB 1 B 'ifc2 'iWa5 19 'iff5 .l:I.xb21?

A clever try to seize the initiative. W'hite, however, has an effective reply.

76

20 tLlxd51 On 20 .i.xeS Black has me strong 20 ... d41.

\'«hite's queen is unprotecred on f5 and Black wins back rhe piece with an active position. White's move in the game is far stronger and gives him the better chances. 20 .. .lbe2 21 tLlxf6+ gxf6 22 .Ji.e4 ~g7 23 'iWh7+ '.t>fB 24.1:le1 f5 25 .Ji.xe6 :e7

\'qhjte has a good position, with me bishop pair and active possibilities agAinst Black's exposed king. There are a couple of good moves here, Gurevich choosing 26 ~b51?

26 '1Pg2 is a good prophylactic move against ... ttJf3. 26 ... tLlt3+ 27 .j,lg2 tLlxd4 28 :teB+ ':e8 29 ~xeB 'iWd5+ 30 'ot>h3

So far, so good. Black has to take on e8 and me position is simplified. 30 ... llxe8 31 ':xe8+ '.t>xeB 32 'iWxg7 'ife4 33 f4 tLle6 34 'iWe5 'iWe2 35 llt3 35 .. .'~fB 36 l:tb3 1-0

White is an exchange up, is well coordi­nated 'Uld now turns his attcntk,n to Black's king.

A Taste of his own Medicine

Combinations for Solving Puzzle 148

Portisch-Tal, Moscow 1967

While 10 play. Tal's last move (15 ... a6) was the decisive mistake. With a temporary sacri­fice, \X'rute can ,,;11 material. How should he play?

Tile 'Ji,l Tip i.f 011 page 92 and Ibe SOllllioll is on page 154.

Puzzle 149 Tal-Lutikov, S""iet Team eh., !\loscow 1963

Bklck to 1'/'1)" \X'hite has sacriticed a pawn for an attack, but insteaJ it is Black who first finds a way to the opponent's king. I low?

The Tal Tip is on page 9 J and tbe sollllion is on page 154.

Puzzle 150 Tal-Abramov, Petrozavodsk (Simultaneous display) 1984

Black to pl,!y. Black has a passed c-pawn, but more important is his attack. Gi~'en rime, Wl,ire's cllunrerplay on the light slluares coulJ be dangerous, especiaUy as t7 is a weak point. What should Black pia):?

Tbe Jill Tip is MI p,~W 93 alld tbe .rolution is on pag" 15'5".

Puzzle 151 Tal-Smyslov, Herceg Novi (Blitz) 1970

Black /0 pltly. Both players have active play, but the black knight all f4 gives Black better prospects of a successful kinf,'"Side attack. In fact, Black has a strong continuation right away. How should he proceeJ?

The Tal Tip is on Pa.ge 93 and the sollllion is Oil

pa,ge 155.

77

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 152 Romanishln-Tal. Tallinn 1977

If/bite to plqy. \",(!hjtc has sacrificed the ex­change to get his knight to fS, an excellent outpost. How should White proceed?

Tb. J~" Tip is on pa~~e 9} and tbe solutioll is on page 15.;.

Puzzle 153 Tal-Darsnlek. Riga 1950

Black to pf<!J'. T f \'Vl1ite had one more move here, his position wouldn't be bad at all. 1 Ie would play a rook to the open d-llie to

strengthen the outpost on d5."However, it's Black to move. How did he take advantage of his slightly better development.

The Tal Tip is on page 93 and the somtion is 011

page 155.

78

Puzzle 154 Unzicker-Tal. Milan 1975

White to play. \Vhit" has built lip a strong attacking position. Huw can he make lise of this before Black catches up in development and organises a defence?

The Tal Tip is 011 P'{gf 93 and tbe .mlllfllJII i.r on page 155.

Puzzle 155 Tal-Anand. Cannes 19H9

Black to p/t.I)" Black has both a malerial and a positional advantage. \Virh his pre\"il.lus move (35 'i¥b5) \Xlhite threatens tn penetrate with his queen into Black's camp. How should Black rcact to this?

The Tal Tip i.r on pflge 93 ,md /~ SOllltiOIl is on page 156.

Puzzle 156 Tal-Gligoric, Candidates Match

(Game 1), Belgrade 1968

Black to p~. \X'hile's set-up on the king­side looks very dangerous, but Black has a strong defensin: resource that puts a ques­tion mark to \~'hite's eager attacking play. lIow should Black continue?

Tht ./;t/ Tip is on pa.l!,e 93 and tbe sollition is on page 156.

Puzzle 157 Tal-Vaganian, Lenitlp'ad 1974

Black /0 play al/d draw!. r\ dozen moves ago White won the exchange, but since then Black has been able to generate a lot of coun­tcrplay. Now Tal's opponent played a little combination. What is it?

The Tal Tip is on page 93 and the sollllion is on page 158.

A Taste of his own Medicine

Puzzle 158 Tal-Olafsson, Las Palmas 1975

Wack to pi,!)'. It is difficult to say what Tal had overlooked in this position, but the combination carried out by Black is not easy to sPO(. The ex-world champion would have been proud if he had played it himself.

Tbe Tal Tip is 011 page 93 and tbe sobllion is 01/

p'{1!,f 158.

Puzzle 159 Nezhmetdinov-Tal, Baku 1961

IPbite 10 pf<!J'. II p till now Whi te has played very aggressively :md Tal has been on the defensive. Now \'\fhite continues in an active style. How should he proceed with the at­tack?

The Tal Tip is 01/ page 9} and tbe sollilion is on

page 158.

79

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 160 Korchnoi-Tal. 'o'"ere,-an 1')(,2

(I"'"/t,, to I'll). \'("hit<· h .. , built lip ,I "Iong anaci-,llIg POSItlOIl, bUI Tal has slIcccn.led in

gcneratlJlg pkllf\" 0' .-rHlOlerpla\". Howe"er, \\rllie IIO\\" WillS With a prLTTI' comblnaoull. flo\\"-

7hl~ -I~J/ lip /1 fJ"/"{J;l' 9.1 and Iht rnlul7fiflll 0"

I't.I,!!!, / >'J. Puzzle 161

Polugaevsky Tal, StJ\;e' Lhalllpi(lnsrup, Tblli" 1<).'>6

lIi,ilc t" 1'1,,). \\'Ith It" 1.1>1 mo".: ( ... ka(l) Tal pinnl'd \\llIle', klughl Oil h'>. He Il()W

threatens to capture on h\ \vh("1l tilt." pa\\'n

till d4 {"lb. Howe""r, \\1,lIe h;ld prq"LCed a long and coml'ucated Cllfllbinarinn wuuung ;1

pawn. \'<'hal was it? J hr Tal 'Tip fj ()n l'{~l!.t· I)" tlnd tI,t' '(Jilt/inn IJ 01/

/,(~I!,e I 'i<).

80

Puzzle 162

Tal·Vaganian, Wodd Blil7, S<UHlJohn I')K~

HltJ(.k. 10 /,1.."1). 'I'hl~ I ... a gilllH.' frf )nl tht: tUl:

of Ille \\'"rld 1\ht7 Championship. Tal wa~ s ,)bst:Ssed ,IhoUI hi", Ihal he \\"lIllld oilen pla \\·1th che<;,<;, jourllJiish ill the rllc )rrllng. onl

uking a hrcJ.k In pb\".In attcrfl')fHI g.Hllt- Irl

Candidates m,lI.:h: \\'hlle ,ecms I(J he \\'1/1

IIllIg, but \' ~)!<Iruan ;ICIlJ"lIl" had a laS! ,",", rhal could han' Irdp"d hIm ,,;n. \X'har was ir

I 'hI' J (1/ ·r~" IS 0'1 pl~I~t' 94 dlui ti'e 'fl/litl')" {, (;

/)u.~' /61J.

Puzzle 163 lutikov·Tal. KIl'\' I '){)4

II" "If, II} /,k~'. \\',' .Ut: \"t:n h,'rpl" t{) he ,Ihl 10 elld "mh Olle Ilf the mo" bn1lialll "Impl< cumbinaoon, e,'er "·ell. \X'lIh a I);"h ,)1 hghl IUllg, I ,II ok,,\, sellds Tal palkilig. I-low:,

-fht, -ral J lp 1.1 'If' P"IJ/ ()4 tu,d tht' !(I.'tduJII If (J

/,tl,I!/ I (j(J.

[ CHAPTER NINE I

Tal Tips

Puzzle 1) Tal-Segal. Riga I 'J.:;2 Note rl1<' I""irjon 01 Hlack', king and 'I"cTn. Tlu, " .1 job tor a trICk\, klUght oneL: il Icad,,:-.

d,c' lJcal '''1'''''''''

Puule 21 Tal-Mista. Dublla I q- ~

Tilllt: I .... e\'("r~ (hlllg here", ~UIJ tilt: pre:,,~ure (In Ihe ~ tilt- C.UI be. u',eli lor ·.l)llwUuflg olhl"r rh.ln

pinning the ~! P;I\\"T1

Puzzle 3) fal' Vooremaa. I{lg.l I 'J-I

\X"hllt· (1II1J~, .1 \\'~l!' to ,lctl\':lh: Ill" dark '-'I.pl.lrnl bhbop .. uhl BLil k Ixlll llid up \\1111 h;,Lk rank

p"'lbl,·",,'

Puzzle 4) Westerinen-Tat. t'.IO.'·1 "" I 'IH~ Hecall~.t: (If the \-ulner.lhlc 1-'~lCk r.ink, HLll k II.IS II) fH()( (T,I \\;,h telllp(), Bla( k (Iced .... II) fllut .1

war for Ihe '-luc:t:1l In loin Ihe .Itrack. ~ln1Ldt.lnt·()ush unJenllllllng T.he: lotn'''' ,uuunJ \\"hilc'·;

kmg.

Puule 51 Muratov-Tal. Talll"" ""1',,11 I 'J};};

\Vlth IInil Ihl' 'jun:n and knight I' II 11 It I).! 11\ dlt· .macl.., \\ h,tt'''' kltlf~ l.tl1 h.Hdll' Iw chn:klll.ltcd. HII\\T\Tt, BLlI.k can nl.1ht· Iht.: cd Ihl' P(H1f pl.u t.:11lt"Tll Ilf \\'hire's kin,l!. ,lnd lIIH.'t.'tl fClr ., little.

I CIITdlll1.1tlflll that ·'(.'l-:..1tT'. hllll;1 dn'isi\'l' tll:Ht'n,d ,1C..h .Ult .. l,l',l'.

Puz.zle 61 Tal Paehtz. Hall.- I'rl \\'hlft· ..... c..llIl'l.'ll threatens to 1f1\,~ldl' on ,he: dark "'yuan:::.. Yuu ~,h(,uld ,·"n~idc,t \,:hle h "f\\'h,lt"o;

fl'ln.llning 11It'lX~ h,';;r JtL1Lh.., un the other 1·l)luUJ LOlliplex.

Puz.zle 71 Tal Mikhail-Maldla. Riga 1')H7

If the t~ 1'''\\,11 \\'trcn'l Ihert', \\ hltt' \\ould t'Xt'ultt' Ult: lIIate <':1,,11' ...

81

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 81 Tal-Starodub. Petrozavodsk (Simultaneous display) 1984 The dark squares around Black's king are terribly weakened, so it is natural that \Vhite execute~ the decisive blow here. Note that the rook on e8 is unprotected: if ~!hite could moye the bishop on e7 with tempo ...

Puzzle 91 8arcza-Tal. Tallinn 1971 \Vhitc's knight on f3 might prove a bit loose after Black's next move! Another clue is to look for unprotected white pieces.

Puzzle 101 Tal-Timman. Reykjavik 1988 I\1aybe ~te shouldn't be so afraid of a queen swap if he can \~;n material. Again it is a good advice to look for unprotected black pieces, and in this ca'e it is noteworthy that dle bishop on e6 is pinned and thus loses much of its power.

Puzzle 111 Tal-Kupreichlk. Sochi 1970 Try to get rid of Black's best defender!

Puzzle 121 Tal-Zeids. Latvian Championship, Rib>:!. 1955 Note that the black ~)ueen is IInuefendeu - this is the clue to \X'hite's combination.

Puzzle 131 Tal-Wade. Tallinn 1971 The most efficient way to conclude the anack is ro distract the queen.

Puzzle 14) Tal-Botvinnik. Worlu Championship (Game 7), Moscow 1%1) \Vhite's pieces can haruly be improved any further, so he pruceeued with a clever ronk ~acri· ficd

Puzzle 151 Tal-levin. Georgia 1970 The rooks and the bishop are so well placed. 'nus can be used with deadly effect!

Puzzle 161 Tal-Portisch. Candidates Match «(;ame 2), Bled 1965 \Vhite can ",in material 'W;rh the following linle combination. 111e rook on h8 is more exposed than it looks at first sight!

Puzzle 171 Tal-Filip. l'vfoscow 1967 The pusitiorung of Black's king and queen (Ill the same Lliagon:tl should give White a clue about what to do.

Puzzle 18) Tal-Botvinnik. World Championship (Gamel7), Moscow 1960 With a rook sacrifice Wllite clears the way for his l)Ueen. As play moves on, it is noteworthy that the rook on c8 is unprotected.

Puzzle 191 Tal-Chandler. Sochi 1982 The d4-knight and dS-bishop are the cornerstones of the combination.

82

Tal Tips

Puzzle 20) Tal-Keller. ZUrich 1959 The queen has to enter Black's position before Black is coordinated. For this purpose, White doesn't refrain from temporary sacrifices.

Puzzle21I Tal-Shabalov. Yurmala 1985 \X'ith a tricky knight move, White opens up other possibilities for his other pieces.

Puzzle 22) Tal-Holm. Kapfenberg 1970 Black's queen and knight are so clumsily placed that his king is effectively trapped after \Xnite's move in the game.

Puzzle 23) Chukaev-Tal. Riga 1955 Black needs to open another file to get to White's king. This might happen in a brutal way.

Puzzle 24) Ambroz-Tal. Riga 1981 After an exchange on a3, the bishop is now unprotected. Tal makes fuiluse of this fact.

Puzzle 25) Ostrauskas-Tal. Vilnius 1955 Black ,",,"ins Wlute's queen with a combined attack uf bishop and rook.

Puzzle 26) Tal-Wade. Palma de Majorca 1966 Before playing the obvious moves, one should look for other candidates. Here \v'hite can make a typical sacrifice that clears the seventh rank for the rook.

Puzzle 271 Tal-Demedovich. Prokopjevsk (Simultaneous display) I 'J72 One should not necessarily care about the unprotected bishop on bS. Instead \Vhite can play his own plans, dictating the course of the brame. White breaks down Black's dt:fenccs \\~th a brilliant sacrifice.

Puzzle 281 Uflmtsev-Tal. Moscow 1967 With a piece sacrifict:, Black's queen enters the attack with tempo and \'(nite is mated.

Puzzle 291 Naranja-Tal. Nice Olympiad 1974 Black sacrifices the knight in order to give space to the hea~1' piect·s. An important point when calculating lines is that the bishop on e3 is unprotected.

Puzzle 301 Tal...Johansson. Stockholm 1961 \'Vhite crashes through with a sacrifict:.

Puzzle 311 Tal-Kiriakov. Riga 1965 \'Vhite has a direct approach here, using his initiative to launch an attack aj,,,unst Black's king.

Puzzle 321 Tal-Trlngov. Amsterdam 1964 :\s many of\Vhite's pit:ces arc en prise, there is only one way: forwards!

83

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 33) Tal-Mohrlok, Varna Olympiad 1962 The knight on d4 might not be the most important feature in the position. Try to look for soft spots in the black camp, especially the light squares. White can considerably improve his worst placed piece.

Puzzle 34) Niebult-Tal, Larvia 1954 Black attacks on the dark squares, and later the light-squared bishop joins in. Don't be afraid to

sacrifice to weaken the dark sCluaresl

Puzzle 35) Miezis-Tal, Riga 1958 The game is not surprisingly decided on the light squan:s. Try to search for an ideal s(luan: for the black queen, even if this involves a sacrifice.

Puzzle 36) Tal-Zilberg, Riga 1949 The simultaneous threat of a queen swap and on c2 forces White to proceed with tempo ,ill the way.

Puzzle 37) Tal-Shmit, Latvia 1965 Either White will have to check all the way to mate, or maybe more to the point. he \,;11 have to distract the bishop on h3.

Puzzle 38) Tseshkovsky-Tal, Suehi 1970 Black's move must have shocked White. It seems he rhought that his king's pusition wa~ rather safe ...

Puzzle 39) Chukaev-Tal. lbilisi 1956 You ~hould tum your attention to the queenside. where White\ king is located. Black can strengthen the pressure even funher by bringing another piece into the attack.

Puzzle 40) Unzicker-Tal, Hamburg 1960 Look fur unprotected white pieces: this is the clue to Tal's combination!

Puzzle 41) Tal-Nievergelt, Zurich 1959 The queen is able to creare decisive threats from une particular stluare before Black gets time to organise a defence. The bishop on c8 needs protection, thus making its defender imnmhile.

Puzzle 42) Tal-Petrosian, Moscow 1974 White threatens mate on h7 after 'ifh4, hut Black has nne way 1O avuid this scenario. -111e!e' fore, W'hite shuuld try to remove a defender of Black's king.

Puzzle 43) Spassky-Tal. Montreal 1979 The knight threatens Black's bishop, and maybe Black should come up with something other than a mere retreat.

Puzzle 44) Averbakh-Tal. Riga 1958 Black should not be afraid to seek complications!

84

Puzzle 451 Gradus-Tal. Riga 1953 White's queen is a bit shaky on d4!

Puzzle 461 Tal-Szabo. Sochi 1973 Black's king is not too safe either!

Puzzle 471 Tal-Pasman. Riga 1953 Black's back rank is a bit vulnerable, and White should improve his worst placed piece.'

Puzzle 481 Tal-Kampenuss. Latvia 1953 \'Vhite's worst placed piece is the knight, and he can improve it with tactical me:=ans!

Puzzle 491 Tal-Suetin. 'lbilisi 1969 \X'rute's que:=e:=n is under attack and has to move. White wants to attack fl, and with a beautiful saClifice he gives Black nn time to create counterplay.

Puzzle 501 Tal-Vooremaa. Tallinn 1971 \X'lute cuts off Black's queen from the defence with a well-timed sacrifice.

Puzzle 511 Tal-lyavdansky. Kiev 1964 White, decides the game in his favour ,,.ith a temporary sacrifice.

Puzzle 521 ljubojevic-Tal. Las Palmas 1975 111t: fewe:=r the pieces defending WillIe's king, the less it is defended!

Puzzle 531 Tal-Keres. Tallilm 1973 \X'hite smashes his way through to Black's king with a rook sacrifice.

Puzzle 541 Tal-Unzicker. Stockholm 1961 Without a light-squared bishop, Black suffers defeat on this colour complex.

Puzzle 55) Tal-Balashov. Muscow (Rapid) 1987 Rot ,ks are not everything in tlus world!

Puzzle 561 Tal-Smyslov. Bled 1959 Black has problems on the:= back rank!

Puzzle 571 Tal-Sveshnikov. Tallinn (R.'lpid) 1988 \X-1Jirc plays a classic sacritice to be able to enter the black king's position with his que:=en.

Puzzle 581 Tal-Botvinnik. World Championship (G.'lme 11), Moscow 1960 \X/hite can strip Black's defences even mure, which might let the queen penetrate into Black'f position.

Puzzle 591 Tal-Mascarinas. Lvov 1981 Try to imagine where your 'lueen would like to go, if given the opporturury!

85

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 60) Romanishin-Tal. Leningrad 1977 Try to find a weak spot in White's king's position. This is the key to force the draw by perpet­ual check.

Puzzle 61) Larsen-Tal. Bugojno 1984 Beware of possible sacrifices by White. Instead, Black should be the one to sacrifice tu secure victOry.

Puzzle 62) Tal-NN. Smolensk (Simultaneous display) 1981 A goou muve would be a bishop retreat to b3, but \X'hite has something more forceful.

Puzzle 63) Tal-Chikovani. Gori 1968 Black doesn't have many defenders on the kingside. \'V'ith the help uf White's other pieces, White's <Jueen quickly gets at Black's king.

Puzzle 64) Tal-Geller. Budva 1967 Try to find a weak spot in the black king's position. \'Vith a timely sacrifice, White can remove a defender. .

Puzzle 65) Tal-NN. Stuttgart (Simultaneous display) 195H If \X'hite simply. recaptures on hi, he has nothing special, so one should look out for some­thing less ordinary. Again it is a good idea to look for unprotected pieces (as mentioned earlier, they tend to drop!) and here we find the <Jueen on as and the bishop on g 7. White uses these teatures to the maximum.

Puzzle 66) Tal-Malich. V,una 1958 Black lhn::atens mate on b2, but \'Vhite is not imercsted in weakening his king's position un­necessarily. Look li)r other sulutions to the problem.

Puzzle 67) Tal-Gipslis. Riga 1958 The bishop on c3 is strong as it points toward a weak point in the black king's position, namely g7. Tal's move in the game simply improves his queen and keeps maximum flexibility, which make things rather difficult fur BhlCk.

Puzzle 68) Tal-Platonov. Dubna 1973 Look for an aggressive approach, but be aware of possible counterplay by Black. Which white piece needs to be improved the most?

Puzzle 69) Tal-Shamkovich. Baku 1972 Black's dark-squareJ bishop has no oppunent and is a very important piece in dle defence of the black king. If White can distract this bishop, the way to the king is open.

Puzzle 70) Tal-Koblencs. Yurmala (Training game) 1976 The best way to meet a threat is to make a threat of your own, and this concept fits in fine here. Instead of the passive l:te 1, White finds a more aggressive approach.

86

Tal Tips

Puzzle 71) Tal-Zaitsev. Moscow 1969 With his next move Tal catches Black's king in the middle of the board, where it is exposed to a dangerous attack.

Puzzle 721 Tal-Toran. European Team Ch., Oberhausen 1961 \'(ihite removes Black's last shelter in front of dle king.

Puzzle 73) Tal-van der Wiel. Moscow 1982 White finds a forceful way to let the a I-rook join t.he attack.

Puzzle 74) Tal-Lozov. Riga 1952 \Vith a timely sacrifice, \X!hite secures dle dominance of the light syuar!:"s and starts a danger. ous attack.

Puzzle 751 Tal-Speelman. Subotica 1987 Once again Tal destroys the pawn formation in front of Black's Icing.

Puzzle 761 Tal-Zilberstein. LlSSR 1973 Black's (Iueen is not safe at all on a4.

Puzzle 771 Tal-Kozlov. Riga (Rapid) 1973 \'{fhite opens up dle position ,.vith a sacrifice that clears the seventh rank. ~ote also dle nu­merous unprotected black pieces.

Puzzle 781 Hjartarson-Tal. l\Ianila 1990 White's pawn chain around the king provides him with a good shelter on the dark s'-Iuares. II Black can hreak it, he will tint! the way to the king.

Puzzle 791 Tal-Podgaets. Sochi 1970 1\ CJueen check on g8 yields nothing as the rook on a8 is protected. But \Vhite has a stronger first move that makes the plan work after all.

Puzzle 801 Tal-Dzindzichashvlli. New York 1991 White has a tactical shot that removes the shelter in front of Black's king.

Puzzle 811 Tal-Bilek. HWlgary 1963 \vhite destroys Black's defence on lhe dark squares with a heautiful sacriflce. The Black rook on a5 and the bishop on cH will not participate in the defence (Black's bishop is light squaredl).

Puzzle 821 Tal-Ghitescu. IlLUlh'-ary 1963 White removes the shelter in front of Black's king with a piece sacritice.

Puzzle 831 Tal-Matanovic. Moscow 1963 White seizes the initiative willi a timely sacrifice.

87

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 84) Tal-Plaskett. Sochi 1984 Black's king is not as safe as it appears. With this in mind, White's next move is not too diffi­cult to see. Besides, the a I-rook would like to go to e 1.

Puzzle 85) Tal-NN. Berlin (Simultaneous display) 1974 This is a classical sacrifice. Black lacks defenders on the kingside.

Puzzle 86) Tal-Velimlrovlc. Teslic 1979 The pin on the c8-h3 diagonal looks unpleasant for \Vhite, as he cannot free the rook easily. But Tal showed that this pin is in fact more unpleasant for Black, as his king is on the same diagonal.

Puzzle 87) Bonsch-Tal. Halle 1974 Black cannot defend White's two threats simultaneously, so he has no other choice but to sac­rifice if he wants to seize the initiative.

Puzzle 88) Kristinsson-Tal. ,Reykjavik 1964 The pressure on the long a8-h 1 diagonal and the weakness of the g3-square are the dues to

Black's move.

Puzzle 89) Thorbergsson-Tal. Reykjavik 1964 The first move is obvious, but afterwards you shouldn't be afraid of sacrificing one of the mi· nor pieces!

Puzzle 90) Tal-Taimanov. Yerevan 1962 There is no time to move the knight, as the weakness of the c2-square then makes it impossi­ble for White to use his rooks actively. Instead White should play forcefully with the rest of his army.

Puzzle 91) Tal-Timman. Skopje Olympiad 1972 Black threatens to take on £3. White's classic attacking set-up with 'ii'h4 and ii.h6 is especially dangerous ifhe can put further pressure on h7.

Puzzle 92) Tal-Benko. Bled 1959 Tal opens the way to the killgside for his queen with a clearance sacritice.

Puzzle 93) Khasin-Tal. Leningrad 1956 Black has no time to move the queen, as "''hite then obtains a good game. Instead he executes a decisive counterblow.

Puzzle 94) Evans-Tal. Amsterdam 1964 In one move White exchanges rooks, so Black should look for something forceful.

Puzzle 95) Nogueiras-Tal. Brussels 1988 Black can effectivdy meet White's threat with another threat.

88

Tal Tips

Puzzle 961 Tal-Donner. Wijk aan Zee 1968 White can hardly improve his rooks, so the question is how he should let the knight join the attack.

Puzzle 971 Tal-Schmidt. Cologne 1981 \xrhite gets to Black's king by smashing his light-squared structure. lrus is not so solid as it appears!

Puzzle 981 Tal-NN. England (Simultaneous display) 1974 White crashes through to Black's king with a timely knight sacrifice.

Puzzle 991 Tal-Speelmen. Reykjavik 1988 SometiInes an attack on the queen can be a useful way to gain a tempo!

Puzzle 1001 Tal-Hjartarson. Reykjavik 1987 You only need so many pieces around the king to win.

Puzzle 1011 Tal-Szymczak. Lublin 1974 The black queen is a very dominating piece on f6, defending Black's king so well. With a bril­liant rook sacrifice, White distracts the queen to continue the attack.

Puzzle 102) Tal-Andersson. Stockholm 1976 Accuracy is required! Given tiIne, Black's cwo next moves are ... l:tg8 and ... lLlffi.

Puzzle 103) Tal-Kupreichik. Soviet Championship, Moscow 1969 White attacks on the light s~luares, and in cooperation with the queen, "ften only one minor piece is needed to conclude the attack. White sacrifices one of his minor pieces to weaken Black's king and simultaneously let the queen enter the attack.

Puzzle 1041 Tal-Gedevanishvili. Georgia 1970 Black's biggest problem is his lack of defensive forces around his king. \X'ilh a strong sacrifice, \Vhite's attack on the dark slluares becomes irresistible.

Puzzle 105) Tal-Averbakh. Riga 1961 The bishop on f6 is somewhat loose. and with a forceful move \V}utc also tinus a way to im­prove his worst piece - the bishop on c2 - considerably. \Vhere would this bishop like to gu?

Puzzle 106) Tal-Hecht. Varna Olympiad 1962 \Vhite has to create further threats quickly, and he has a strong bishop mm'e. opening the d­file for his a J-rook.

Puzzle 1071 Tal-Korchnoi. Reykjavik 1987 Try to get the other white pieces to join in the attack, both the knight on f2 and the rook on £1.

89

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 108) Tal-Golombek. Munich Olympiad 1953 The pawn on f6 is as strong as a piece in tlus position. \Xl}ute needs one more piece to join rhe attack, so the fate of the knight is decided ...

Puzzle 109) Kudrin-Tal. Titograd 1984 Look at the white king's position. Black needs om: more piece to j"in in the attack.

Puzzle 110) Varasdy-Tal. West Berlin 1986 \X'lute threatens to undermine c4 v,,;th l:[xd3, but maybe tlUs threat is not so strong if Black can devdop threats of his o\vn.

Puzzle 111) Timman-Tal. TaJlilm 1973 Black cannot strengthen his position further, so it's time to take action.

Puzzle 112) Tal-Vasiukov. Riga 1955 \x'hite finds a weak spot in the black king's position.

Puzzle 113) Tal-Hartston. I'astings 1974 An important point "when cakulating the sacrificial line is that the qlleen un c1:\ will be lUlpro·

tected at some point.

Puzzle 114) Bannik-Tal. Riga 1955 Black has to find a way to let the rook 011 cM join the attack (the rook nn f8 is need cd «I pro· tt:ct the king).

Puzzle 115) Gulko-Tal. Soclu 1970 Tal used his rooks very well. and one can say he was a specialist in the material imbalance of rook n:rsus bishop and knight.

Puzzle 116) Spiridonov-Tal. Tbilisi 1969 Black storms \X'llitc's barricades with a sacrifice

Puzzle 1171 Tal-Olafsson. Bled 1961 \V1ute's main aim is to weaken the black king's position, and to do this he has t(l desrroy rhe pawn structure. \X'hite's e·pawn can hdp him achieve this goal.

Puzzle 1181 Tal-Padevsky. Moscow 196" With an inventive <lueen sacrifice, Tal suddenly crc,ues many threats against the enemy king.

Puzzle 119) Hoelzl-Tal. Malta Olympiad 198() Black can protect the pawn on f3 with active play. Look for ,ul<:rnativt: ways, and do nor bt: afraid to sacrifice a thing or two!

Puzzle 120) Honfi-Tal. Sukhwni 1972 Black should move the bishop with tempo. Try to see if the bishop can thrt:aten an~'rhing when it moves.

90

Puzzle 1211 Tal-Kleman. Soviet Championship, Moscow 1957 W'hite needs to open up files for his rooks dO'N"Tl to Black's king.

Puzzle 1221 Tal-Campomanes. Leipzig Olympiad 1960

Tal Tips

Given the time, Black would like to play ... e7-e6 to secure the ourpost on e4 for the knight and also to castl<:. \X'hite does not allow this.

Puzzle 1231 Tal-Brinck Claussen. [-[avana Olympiad 1966 White uses the pin on the a2-gH diagonal and the fact that the rook Oil tlH is unprotected.

Puzzle 1241 Tal-Zaichik. Thilisi 1988 Black's position would be quite good after the exchange of dark-s'juaretl bishops, so of course Tal did not allow this to happen. Instead he removed Black's only defender of his king.

Puzzle 125) Rytov-Tal. Tallinn (Rapid) 1976 This might seem insignificant, but the bishop on b2 is unprotected. These things always count, and Tal used exactly this feature in the f()llm~~ng combination ...

Puzzle 126) Mukhin-Tal. l\Ioscow Olympiad 1972 White's most important piece is the light-squared bishop. Black should seek to exchange it at any cost!

Puzzle 127) Tal-Yuhtman. Soviet Championship, Thilisi 1956 Pirsl of all, tind a way to save yoursdf. Tht:n be aware of tricks.

Puzzle 128) Tal-Hubner. l\Iontreal 1979 \,\"jth a temporary sacrifice, White makes sure that the right pien,s are exch;rnged. \,\'hire wants to exchange his knight for the black bishop.

Puzzle 129) Tal-Gurgenidze. A1ma-Ata 1968 \"'nite breaks through v.>ith a classic sacrifice.

Puzzle 130) Tel-Nejdort. Leipzig Olympiad 1 <J60 \Xc'hite cannot do much while Black's superb knight remains nn C'4.

Puzzle 131) Tal-Suttles. Sukhumi 1972 If Black's rook wcre nO! on the tirst rank, i'{dH+ would be a good tn.,\,C'.

Puzzle 132) Tal-Uhlmann. Moscow 1971 \X'hite's attack would be even stronger if the e6-pawn were fl. It • In the board.

Puzzle 1331 Tal-Averkin. Soviet Championship, Moscow 1973 The rook on c4 is unprotected, and Black's king is caught in a mating net!

Puzzle 134) Tal-Pytel, Lublin 1974 The c-pawn is a winner!

91

Mikhail Tal; Tactical Genius

Puzzle 135) Tal-Oely. Hungary 1963 White can force the exchange of bishops and win a pawn if Black avoids a queen swap.

Puzzle 136) Tal-OIafsson. Bled 1959 Once again activity and cooperation between the pieces arc more ,-a1uable than the 'numerical value' of the pieces. \Vhite ",-ins with a timely exchange sacritice.

Puzzle '137) Medina Garcia-Tal. Palma de ~1ajorca 1966 After a queen swap Black can promote thc pawn within a fcw movcs!

Puzzle 138) Rashkovsky-Tal. Sochi 1973 White's king is stuck in a mating r.et!

Puzzle 1391 Tal-Antoshin. Kharkov 1967 The pawns on g7 and h6 have been the long-teml problem for Black. as they arc placed on !ht: colour complex of\X1hite's extra bishop - the dark-squarcd onc.

Puzzle 1401 Pinter-Tal. Taxco 1985 The first priority is the attack on the f2-pawn. Black should bc awarc that his pawn on f3 is on a light square and can therefore be attacked by \'<'hire's bishop.

Puzzle 1411 Krimer Yu-Tal. Vilnius 1955 Whites queenside pawns becomt: an object of atTack!

Puzzle 1421 Tal-Pribyl. Tallinn 1973 Precise calculation is needed aftt:r \X'hite's ncxt nlovt:, a temporary sacritlct:.

Puzzle 1431 Tal-Sisniega. Taxco 1985 After the capture of the e6-pawn, \'I/'hitt: has an ill-between muve lhm makt:s tht: combination work out well.

Puzzle 1441 Tal-Trifunovic. Palma de Majurca 1<J(,6 \""hite sacrifices a pawn to disrupt Black's pieces.

Puzzle 1451 Tal-Bronstein. Thilisi 1959 White develops a piece and offers Black the chance to enter a rook versus bishop and knight ending where \Vhite's rooks arc "ery acrive.

Puzzle 1461 Gipslis-Tal. Vilnius 1955 The h-pawn is not enough to win. Black needs more forces to join 111.

Puzzle 1471 Tal-Etruk. Riga 1954 White sacrifices back the exchange and is winning in the rt:sulting rook endg.une.

Puzzle 1481 Portisch-Tal. Moscow 1967 The as-knight is trapped, and Black plans to op"n up the a-tilt: to give it the needed support.

92

Puzzle 1491 Tal-Lutikov, Soviet Team Championship, Moscow 1963 Black weakens the dark colour complex around \'<'hite's king ,,,;th a timely sacrifice.

Puzzle 150) Tal-Abramov. Perrozanxlsk (Simultaneous display) 19H4 The weak point in \VlUte's position is £2.

Puzzle 151) Tal-Smyslov, Herceg Novi (Blitz) 1970 Black sacrifices a piece to get to W'hite's king.

Puzzle 152) Romanishin-Tal. Tallinn 1977

Tal Tips

It is not clear how W'hite can bring his rook to join the attack, but fortunately for him ,h.., rook is not needed!

Puzzle 153) Tal-Darsniek. Riga 1950 White's queen and king are both placed on the long a8-h I diagonal.

Puzzle 154) Unzicker-Tal, .Milan 1975 Black's kingside has to be destroyed to develop an initiative. Later the weakness of c6 and the unprotected rook on a8 will be of significance.

Puzzle 155) Tal-Anand. Cannes 19R9 Black forces W'hite to defend for many moves with a pClwl'rful sacrifict: to open up the king's position.

Puzzle 156) Tal-Gligoric. Candidates Match (Game I), Belhrrade 196H 'nle bishop on ffi plays a dec;:isive role.

Puzzle 157) Tal-Vaganian, Leningrad 1974 Black upens up the white king's position and SeCures a draw.

Puzzle 158) Tal-Olafsson, Las Palma., 1975 \'(hite's back r-.lnk is vulnerable, and \\;th a clever <\ueen 1110\"1:: Black wins a decbive tempo on the yueen.

Puzzle 159) Nezhmetdinov-Tal. Baku 1961 The most important thing in the position is to upell the files in the c"mre down to Black's king.

PuZZle 160) Korchnoi-Tal. Yerevan 1962 Material is not important here. \VlUte sacrifices tu gain time, and his attack proves m(lre dan­gerous than Black's pawns on the queenside.

Puzzle 161) Polugaevsky-Tal, Soviet Championship, Thilisi 1956 White moves his queen out of the pin. Notice that the black knight on g4 is unprotected.

93

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 162' Tal-Vaganian. World Blitz Championship, Saint John 19HH Do not let the white king get away!

Puzzle 163,lutikov-Tal. Kiev 1964 If the pawn on f7 becomes a queen ...

94

CHAPTER TEN I Solutions to Puzzles

Puzzle 1)

Tal-Segal. Riga 1952

29 llxd7! \'\ihite removes the defender of e6. Also

good was the less spectacular 29 .:tee8! with the srune idea as in the game. Now 29 ... :xc5 30 .l:.g8+ 'i.t>hG 31 ifd2+ g5 32 bxc5 leaves \\'b.ile an exchange up with a continuing attack. 29 ... l:xd7

2'J .. .l:txc5 30 lht7+! leaves \X'hitc a rook up. 30 lLle6 + 1-0

White "vins the queen.

Puzzle 2)

Tal-Mista, Dubna 1<)74

34%bg6+! Another solution to the exercise is the

~Iowcr 34 J1Lxd5 with the point 34 ... 1:.xc2+ 35 'ibh 1 The Black counterattack is easily stopped and now he has no defence against the crushing rook sacrifice on g6; for in­Stance, 35 ... il.e6 36 ILxg6+! fxg6 37 he6+ wins the house. 34 ... fxg6 35 ~xd5+ 1-0

Note that Wrote's attack proceeded with­OUt loss of tempo - after the rook sacrifice

the pawn on ds was caprured v.-ith check. Now there is no defence, as after 3s ... J1Le6 36 JiLxe6+ 'if'n 37 'iVxg6+ Black is soon mated.

Puzzle 3 Tal-Vooremaa. Riga 1971

34 'ifxf8+1 1-0 A nice little combination! After 34 ... Wxtll

35 J1Lh6+ <;Pe8 (35 ... ~g8 doesn't help either) 36 :a8+ \'Vrote mates on the next move. Note how 'VI'hite used his entire am1)" in the assault on Black's king: after the '1uecn sacri­fice the dark-squared bishop wa.' activated, protecting g7 and thus keeping Black's king on the back rank. The rook on a I was acti­vated on the a-file, aHd the light-slluared bishop on f:i was participating as well, pro­tecring the rook on d7.

Puzzle 4 Westerinen-Tal, ]I.\()SC"W 1982

36 ... l:txh2+! 0-1 White resigned due to 37 ~xh2 (notice

the pin of the knight on £3; 37 Wgl 'if'xg3 is mate!) 37 .. :iVg2 mate. Black found the g2 square for his queen. and the attack wall exe­cuted well on the light s'luarcs.

36 .. .l%.xg3?? basically uses the same idea,

95

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

the only problem being that it is without check! Black is mated after 37 'i!¥c8+.

Puzzle 5 Muratov-Tal. Tallinn (Rapid) 1988

31 ... 'Wxg3! 0-1 White 'resigned in view of 32 fxg3 4::le3+.

Those trid .. y knights! \Vhite saw no point in continuing the battle being a rook and three pawns down.

Puzzle 6 Tal-Paehtz, Halle 1974

21 Itxe6! 1-0 If Black recaptures, he will be mated:

21...fxe6 22 'iVf6+ <;t>e8 (22 ... <;t>g8 23 ~xe6 mate!) 23 iLc6 mate.

21 ~xe6?! is not the best. After 21...fxe6 22 ~f6+ <;t>g8 23 'iVxe6+ <;t>g7 the white rook cannot join the attack easily.

21 'iVh8+ <;t>e7 leads to nothing as the rook on b8 is protected from the wstant queen on h2.

21 'iVf6!? is another, slower solution to the

problem. Black is allowed some time to or­ganise a defence, bur he doesn't succeed: 21...'i!Vh6+ (21...~xd5 22 fVh8 matc!) 22 'it'd 'iVg7 23 J:txe6 and \"'hite wins.

Puzzle 7 Tal-Maidla, Riga 1987

1 1IVxg6+! 1-0 1...fxg6 (no better is 1..:~g7 2 .l;tc8 mate) 2 l:le8 mate. A nice cooperation of\X'hite's two rooks!

Puzzle S Tal-Starodub, Petrozavodsk (Simultaneous display) 1984

26 'ifhS+! 1-0

Black resigned due to the forced line 26 ... <;t>xh8 27 ~f6+ 'it>g8 28 Ilxe8 mate.

Puzzle 9 Barcza-Tal, Tallinn 1971

9 ... iLh3! 10 <t:lfxd4?! Of course not 10 ~xh3?? tDxf3+ anu

\'VlUte loses the queen. Also not working is 10 tDh4 ~xg2 11 tDxg2 tDf3+, when Black again 'wins the queen. 10 0-0 offered ""'rute better chances, eyen though he losts the

txchange after 1O ... t2Jxf3+ 11 ~xf3 ~xf1. In the game, however, he simply loses a piece. 10 ... iLxg2 11 ltg1 exd4 12 <t:lxd4 c5 13 <t:lb5.1l.f3 14 g4

White hopes to trap the bishop on £1, which has bravely entered enemy territory. However, Black plays actively and giYe" Willte no time for this. 14 ... d5 15 iLxc5 :rcS

Anuthcr piece is brought into action. 16 iLa3 dxe4 17 dxe4 'ifb6! 1S .1l.xe7 'ifxb5 19 iLxfS 'Wxb2 20 .icxg7 It>xg7

Actually Wl1ite has a material auvanrage here, but now Black's initiatiye is decisive. The bishop on f3 is a hrianr nn the light square,. 21 J:!.c1 J:!.dS 22 'iWe3 'iWxc2!

\Vhite cannot avoid matc::. 23 Wf1 lld1 + 0-1

\\Vlute resih'tled in yiew of 24 Z!.xd 1 'tWxdl+ 25 'iVel 'tlVd3+ 26 'ife2 'iVxe2 mate!

Puzzle 10 Tal-Timman, Reykjank 1981'

20 ri.c1! 1-0 Black resigned as he loses a whole rook af­

ter 20 ... :Wxa3 21 .:Lxd\+ 'it'd7 (Or 21...'lo>e7)

22 Ilc7+ <;t>d8 23 bxa3. 20 'lWa4+? 'lWc6 leads White nowhere. The

trick ""~th l:l.c1 doesn't work nnw, as \~'hite's quc::en is unprotected on a4.

Puzzle 11 Tal-Kupreichik, Sochi 1970

27 llxf5! 1-0

~~------------------------------------------------------------------------96

Black, resigned due to 27 ... gxfS 28 'iVe6+ (Black has no defence against the deadly cooperation of \x'hite's queen and knight) 2fl ... 'it>g7 (28.,."'f8 29 'iVf6+ leads to mate as well) 29 "'f6+ ~g8 30 CiJe7 mate.

27 'iVe6+ 'it>h8 28 l:txfS! is a variation of the same combination: 28 ... gxfS 29 'ii'f6+ Itig8 30 ti)e 7 mate.

Puzzle 12 Tal-Zeids, Latvian Championship, Riga 1955

28 liJxf71 l:txd5 After 28 .. Axf7 29 1.:!.d8+ the queen is sud­

denly en prise (loose pieces tend to dropl). 29 cxd5 'ilVd7 30 liJg5

White has \von a very important pawn and simultaneously has kept his dominance on the light squares. The d-pawn now decides the game quickly. 30 ... c4 31 d61 c3

After 3L.'iVxd6 32 'iWf7+ Wh8 33 'ii'xc4 Wbite wins further material due to the threat oflLlt7+. 32 'lWdS+ 1-0 Black is mated \\;thin fe'\.\' moyes.

Puzzle 13 Tal-Wade, Talfum 1971

We start with 39 ~c4 a6

Equally h"pe\t:ss IS 39 ... ~d5 40 li'If5! .1xc4 41 ltxc4 'iVh 7 42 CiJxe 7+ r.t>hH 43 IiJgu+ 'it>g8 44 ti)xf8 with a decisive material advantage for \'<'hite. 40 ~xa61

Distraction from the g6-square. 4O ••. 'ii'xa6 41 'ilVg6+ 1-0

Black resi)"'lled because of 41...'it.>h8 42 :(e7 'iVe 1+ 43 lDfl with mate to follow.

Puzzle 14

Tal-Botvinnik, World Championship (Game 7), Moscow 1960

Solutions to Puzzles

26 l:txd7+1 tDxd7 27 l:I.xd7+ Ito>xd7 28 lDf6+

\x'hite obtains two knights for a rook. but matters are far from clear. 28 ... .ti'd6 29 tDxg8 l:tcS

A perfect outpost for the rook: here it at­tacks c2 and simultaneously protects g5. 30 tDh6 f6 31 tDg4 ~xc2?!

31 ... fS is better, for instance 32 lDe3 f4 33 CiJc4+ We7 with a complex game ahead. ~'hite still needs to obtain full coordination between his pieces. With active pieces and pawns on both wings Black seems to have plenty of cOl\Oterplay. 32 tDxf6 ~xb3 33 axb3 l:tbS

34 tDxgS! l:txb3 34 ... :xg5 35 CiJe4+ loses on the spot.

35 f4 White's two knights neatly follow the f­

pawn to the promotion square. Black's pawns never really become a threat for White. 3S ... lIb1 + 36 ~a2 l:tb2+ 37 <bt3 l:.b3+ 38 <;t;>g4 l:tb2 39 g3 bS 40 lDfe4+ ~dS 41 f5 b4 42 f6 l:ta2 43 f7 J:.a8 44 tDh7 b3 45 lDd2 b2 46 ~f3

White has full control of both promotion squares. 46 ... ~d4 47 ~e2 cS 48 f8'if J:.xf8 49 tDxf8 c4 50 tDe6+ ~dS 51 lDf4+ ~d4 52lDb1 1-0 and Black finally resigned.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------97

Mikhail Tal: TBctical Genius

Puzzle 16 Tal-Levin, Georgia 1970

3611Fxd51 The queen is itnrnune because of

3s ... lDxdS 36 1:.e8+ and 37 :th8 mate! 35 ... ~f4 36 'ii'e4

White has a winning advantage. 36 ... g5 37 J&.f6 d5 38 .d3 iih2+ 39 ~g2c4

Any queen move is sufficient to secure the full point, but White saw a way to conclude the game quickly by tactical means. Tal played the brilliant 40.f5!

Both gS and e 7 are hanging, so Black ac­cepted the sacrifice. 40 ... lillcf5 41 :e8+ 1-0

Black resigned in view of 41...Wh7 42 gxfSl, when Black will have to sacrifice the house to avoid immediate mate on h8.

Puzzle 16 Tal-Portisch, Candidates Match (Game 2), Bled 1965 CaTV-/vmn Difence

1 e4 c6 2 ll:lc3 d5 3 itJf3 dxe4 4 itJxe4 iig4 5 h3 iixf3 6 1Wxf3 itJd7 7 d4 itJgf6 8 ~d3 itJxe4 9 .xe4 e6 10 0-0 J&.e7 11 c3 itJf6 12 "iVh4 itJd5 13 -.g4 iif6 14 l:te1 .b6 15 c4?litJb4

Or 1S ... lLle 7 16 dS! cxdS 17 cxdS lLlxdS 18

98

'iVa4+ a11<.1 Black's king will be stuck in the centre. 16 l:txe6+ fxe6 17 'li'xe6+ '1t.>f8

The defence 17 ... iLe7 gives White a strong attack after 18 .lig6+! (but not 1 8 .ligS? 'it'c7 19 1:.el lLlxd3! 20 Ji.xe7 'iVd7! and Black wins) 18. . .'~d8 (the point of\X'hitc's pre\-ious move is that the defence Black used before doesn't work here: 18. .. hxg6 1 <) ~g5 'ii'c7 211 1:.e1 and now 20 ... lLld3? is met by 21 'ii'xg(,+ and 22 1:.xe7) 19 iLfS iVxd4 20 ~f4 l:.d! 21 1:.el (21 iLe5 'ii'd2 22 ~f4 'iVd4 with an im· mediate draw) 21 ... g6 22 iLg41 (Dvoretsky) 22 ... lLld3 23 l:le4 'Wxf2+ 24 Wh2 'ii'gt+ 25 'i&<xgl ~cS+ 26 .lie3 l:lxe6 27 :.!.xe6 as ,,~th roughly even chances. 18 iif4l:[d8

Or: a) 18. .. l:te8?! 19 .lid6+ iLe7 2(J :tel 'iWd8

21 l:td! and the threatening check on f3 de­cides.

b) IR .. :ild8?! 19 liel gS! 20 iLd6+ ~g7 21 ixb4 and \\'hite has a strong initiative. 19 c5 itJxd3! 20 cxb6 <t:lxf4 21 'lWg4<t:ld5 22 bxa7 ~e7?

22 ... g6 and Black is no worst·. 23 b41 11a8?

23 ... lLlc7!? 24 .l:!.e1 + Wd6 25 b51ba7

2611e6+ <j;c7 27 l1xf61 1-0 White checks on g7 next and wins [he

rook. Black then has inadequare compensa­tion for the queen so he resihTflcd.

Puzzle 17 Tal-Filip, Moscow 1967 CtllTJ-Kann Dtjimce

, e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 lLlc3 dxe4 4 lLlxe4 lLld7 5 lLlf3 lLlgf6 6 lLlg3 e6 7 ~d3 iLe 7 8 'We2 c5 9 0-0 0-0 10 ltd1 cxd4 11 Illxd4 lte8 12 b3 ~b6 13 iLb2 lLlf8 14 IOf3 ~d7 15 lLle5 ltad8 16 lLle4 lLlxe4 17 . be4 ~c81 18 'lWh5 lLlg6

If 18 ... fG? White mates with 19 itxh7+! liJxh7 20 'ilff7+ ..ti>h8 21 lLJg6!. The move IB ... g6? is no better. 19lLig4! f6 20 iLxf6!.

Tal now played an interesting sanitke with consequences not easy to foresee. 19 'l:Ixf7!?

Less convincing is 19 iLxg6 hxg6 20 'ii'f3 ltffil 19 l:xd8 ':xdll, with the idea that 20 .f)xf7 is strongly met with 2() ... J:lffi! ,md after 21 iLxg6 hx).,..() 22 'ifh!H 'it>xf7 23 ~xg7+ ~e8 24 'ilfxg6+ J:tn Black is doing okay. White has three pawns for the piece, but his attack is not very strong anymore. Black has the long-teml advanta!,'C if he can get his pieces out, when the extra piece will show its worth. 19 ___ <jo>xf7 20 't/fxh7 e5 21 l'lxd8 l:txd8 22 Wit51

White clearly has compensation for the piece, and in practice Black's position is very difficult to play. 22 ... 'lWe6

Or 22 ... 'ii'f(, 23 f4! Xth8 24 ..Ilxg6+ 'it>g8 25

-

Solutions to Puzzles

..-xes and \'V'hite has won back the piece and has a winning advantage. Better for Black was the active continuation 22 ... l:ld21 23 l:tf1 iLcs 24 'it>h 1 lIxf2 25 l:I.xf2+ .1i..xf2 and, after 26 iLds+, simply 2G ... 'it>e7. \'\'ith the rooks off the board, Black's king is rather less ex­posed. 23 h3!

Wbite keeps the tension in the position. Black is nor allowed to play ... 'ilfg4 . 23 ... iLc5 24 It;>h1 ~d4 25 J:td1 J:td6 26 .lta3 :a6

27 l'lxd4! 1-0 Black resigned, as 27 ... exd4 and 27 ... l:txa3

arc both ans~vereJ by 28 .ltds, winning the clueen.

Puzzle 18 Tal-8otvinnik, World Championship ((;ame 17), Moscow I'JGO e,ITJ-Kann Deji!1Jce

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 !bc3 dxe4 4 tDxe4 iLf5 5 t.t:Jg3 iLg6 6 iLc4 e6 7 t.t:J1e2 lLlf6 8 !bf4 .>td6 9 lLlxg6 hxg6 10 .>tg5 lLlbd7 11 0-0 Wa5 12 f4?! 0-0-013 a3 Wc7 14 b4lbb6

14 .. J:r.de8 is better. 15 .>te2 .iJ..e7 16 ~d3 !bfd5?

Botvinnik missed a strong opportunity here with 16 .. _cs! 17 bxcs l:txd4 18 cxb6 .I:1xd3 19 bxc7 ..Ilcs+ 20 ~h 1 l:txg3 21 .1i..xf6 tte3, when Black's acti\-it}· secures him the

99

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

better chances. 17 .i.xe7 'iVxe7 1 B e4 ttJf6

The piece sacrifice Is ... lLlxc4 19 'ilt'xc4 'iWh4 is not enough after 20 .:to lLlxf4 21 h3 lIxd4 22 'ii'c5!. 19 l:lab1? 'iVd7! 20 l:lbd1 ~bB 21 "'b3 'ile7 22 a4 l:lh4 23 a5 ttJeB 24 "ii'e3 ttJe7 25 .e5 l:lhhB 26 b5?! exb5 27 'iVxb5 a6 2B "'b2 l:ld7 29 e5 ~aB 30 .i.f3 ttJc6 31 ~xc6 "'xe6 32 l:lf3 'i/fa4 33 l:tfd3 ::teB 34 l:lb1 "'xa5 35 l:lb3 'ile7 36 'iVa3 ~a7

36 ... 'ii'dS is better. 37 l:lb6 'iVxf4 3B ttJe2

Better for White is 38 'ii'b4 't!fxd4+ 39 'ii'xd4 l:txd4. After 40 l:txb7+ 'it>aS 41 c6 l:tc4 42 l:txf7 l:tSxc6 43 J:.xg 7 lLlg4 the endgame is equal. 3B ...... 84 39 'ilb3 'ilfd5

It should be noted that Black could srill have defended successfully with the cool 39 ... o;t>aS. After 40 h3 lLld5 (also good enough is 4O ... 'ii'd5!? 41 't!fa4 J:!.c6) 41 1.:!.xb 7 'ilixbl+ 42 'i¥xbl Ihb7 Black has all the chances to convert the advantage ((I a full point. \Vhite's pawns ace stopped and the a­pawn is soon ready to advance.

40 ::txa6+! <;i;>bB The alternative capture 40 ... bxa6 leads to

mate after 41 1i'b6+ o;t>aS 42 'iWxa6+ l:!.a7 43 't!fxcSI. 41 "'a4 1-0

Black resigned as \Vhite's attack is too strong.

100

Puzzle 19 Tal-Chandler. Snchi 1982 Sefl/i-S /a11 De/ence

1 ttJf3 ttJf6 2 e4 e6 3 ttJe3 d5 4 d4 c6 5 ~g5 h6 6 .\txf6 'ilxf6 7 e3 l"ild7 B ~d3 "'dB 9 0-0 .\te7 10 e4 dxe4 11 iLxe4 b5 12 .\tb3 b4 13 ttJa4 .\ta6 14 d5 exd5 15 ttJd4 l:te8 16 exd5 cxd5 17 %te 1 0-0 18 ~xd5 ~d6

19 !l:le6! fxe6 20 iLxe6+ \V'hite cashes in on dC, and ~\;ns a pawn.

20 ... ~hB 21 'ilfxd6 The unprotected bi~hop on aCl gives \\ ~irc

another tempo, secunng rhe win oj another pawn. 21 ... .\tb5 22 "'xb4 il.xa4 23 'li'xa4

\V'hite has a wuming advantage; all he has to dn is to neutralise Bbck's slight initiative. 23 .. .tZle5 24 "iWxa7 !l:lxe6 25 Axe6 'Wd2 26 l:tee1 nc2 27 Af1 1:!.xb2 28 a4

\V'hite is back behind the wheel. 2B ... 'iWd5 29 l:tad1 .e5 30 'iWe3 'Wf6 31 l:td2 :tb4 32 a5 '/Wa6 33 Ila2 l:lf5 34 'We7 l:tbb5 35 "'dB+ ~h7 36 "iWd3 <;t>hB 37 l:te1

White combines an attack on Black's Icing with the advance of rhe a-pawn. Black can· not withstand the pressure for long. 37 ... :f8 38 l:le5 l:tfb8 39 lIxb5 l:txb5 40 l:lb2 1-0

Black resigned due to 4O ... lIxaS 41 1:b8+ and mate.

Puzzle 20 Tal-Keller. Zurich 1959

29 J:lb7+! ~xb7 30 'lWd7+ 111e invasion square.

30 ... it'bS 31 eS'lW + lbeS 32 'lWxeS+ \'Vhite has won back the cook, and now he

wins another minor piece and the game. 32 ... lPb7 33 'lWd7+ WbS 34 'lWxc6 1-0

Black's position is hopeless.

Puzzle 21 Tal-Shabalov. Yurmala 1985

26 tUxe6! f}(e6 t)r 26 ... l:txd2 27 .liLxd2 and Black's queen

is threatened. gi,;ng hinl no time to capture the annoying knight on e6. W'hite ,'';us mate­ri;!..I and has a winning advantage after 27...'i!Vxe528lbxc7. 27 :txdS ixdS 2S 'lWxdS 'it'fS 29 :t<l1

All \\ 11ite's piect:s join the attack. 29 ... lt'lc4 30 b4 'lWa4 31 iLc5+ 'iitgS 32 f4 b6 33 if2 11f7 34 :td4! It'lxa3 35 :td6 :'xf4 36 l1xe6 J:tfS 37 iLxb6 It'lc4

Now \'\'hite fini~ht:s off rhe gamt: in style: 38 :txe8 :txe8 39 .ltd5+ 1-0

Mate follows, either on cS Dr h4.

Puzzle 22 Tal-Holm. Kapft:nuerg 1970

26 'lWeS!

Solutions to Puzzles

A beautiful queen sacrifice: Black cannot ayoid disaster on the back rank.

26 iLxg7+ ~xg7 27 hxg4 leaves W'hite two pawns up ",,jth a good position, clearly sufficient to win the game. 26 ... 11xeS 27 :txe8 id7 2S :td8 1-0

Puzzle 23 Chukaev-Tal. Riga 1955

49 ... lt'la4+! 50 bxa4 If\\'hite's king moves, a discovered knight

check will decide. 50 ... :tb7+ 0-1

\X,1lite's king is stripped bare, and the co­operation of the queen and rook is too

strong.

Puzzle 24 Ambroz-Tal. Riga 1981

36 ... lt'lxe4! 37 f3 After 37 'iVxe4 d5 White's queen cannot

do anything to help the loose bishop on a3 and Black will follow up with ... jt,xa3. A pawn lip, \";th better pawn structure and bishop yersus knight, Black would '-'.rin easily. 37 ... .f)f6 38 ib2 d5

The rest is hopeless for W'hite. He has no cuunterplay, and besides, the b-pawn now becomes the next target of attack. 39 J:lc1 nb8 40 ltlc6?! 'lWxb3 0-1

Puzzle 25 Ostrauskas-Tal. Vilnius 1955

31 ... iLg2+! 32 Wxg2 l1f2+ 33 ~xf2 'iWxh2+

Black wins the:: bishop on c2 ;15 well. \x-'hite could resign here. 34 Wf3 'ii'xc2 35 J:l.e3 'iWh2 36 ltle2 It'ld3 37 It'lg3lt'le5+ 38 Wf4 'iWh4+ 0-1

At last White throws in the towel. Black mates on f6 next move.

101

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 26 Tel-Wede. Palma de Majorca 1966

25 <iJe61 1-0 Black resigned in ~,ew of 25 ... fxe6

(25 ... .:b8+ 26 'it>c1 doesn't help Black) 26 1Wxh7+ ~f8 27 'iih8+ 'i;;e7 28 1:[h7+ (here it is, the benefits of the knighr sacrifice) 28 ... Ji.t7 (or 28 ... 'it>d8 29 'i!ff6 mare!) 29 "'f6+ with mare follou,ing soon.

Puzzle 27 Tal-Demedovich. Prokopjevsk (Simultaneous display) 1972

23lllxf7! 'ot>xf7 24 'ifg5 Black's king is now in serious danger, and

Whire also has an eye on the loose rook on h8. 24 ... e5 25 'iVg7 + 'ot>e6 26 f7 1-0

Instead of the greedy and straightforward 26 'i!fxh8, White prepares for the rook to enter the attack via g6. Black has no defence, so he resigned here.

Puzzle 28 Ufimtsev-Tal. Moscow 1967

27 ..• Jih3+! 28 'it>xh3

28 ... <iJg5+! 0-1 28 ... lLJf2+ wins the queen, but why b'O for

the smaller crown of the two? White is mated within a few moves, so he resigned.

102

Puzzle 29 Naranja-Tal. Nice Olympiad 1974

40 .. .lj)xg3! 41 hxg3 l:lxg3

42 'li'xe4 42 l:hg3 leads to mate after 42 ... 'ifxg3+ 41

..t>hl ':h5, while 42 :tff2 is no better than th" game continuation. 42 .. Jbg2+ 43 'li'xg2 ii'xe3+ 0·1

White is forc"d to offt'r th" exchange of queens with 44 1Wf2 (44 ..t>hl lo:;e5 to

44 ... 1:[h5+) but no\\' Black combines the at­tack on the king with the positional threat oi (Iuccning the c-pawn: 44 ... 1Wxt2+! 45 ':xf2 c2 46llfl 1:[d5 the pawn cannot be SlOpped.

Puzzle 30 Tal-Johansson. Stockholm 1961

21 l:lxe6! Also possihle is the slow build lip ,-,ith 21

!tde1 !? Black's position is so awkward that he cannot :I\"oid a decisive sacrifice on e6. 21 ... fxe6 22 tDxe6+;.t>g8 23 ltd3 1-0

White calls for rhe last force to join rhe al­

rack. Thcfl' is no defence to ng.~.

Puzzle 31 Tal-Kiriakov. Riga 1965 Queen's Caflllnl Deditlcd

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 lllc3 lDf6 4 cxd5 exd5 5 Jig5 ~b4 6 e3 0-0 7 ~d3 c5 8 lOge2

h6 9 ~h4 exd4 10 tilxd4 tile6 1 1 0-0 Ii'lxd4 12 exd4 .\te6 1 3 ~e2 iLe7 14 'iVd3 96 1 S ];tte1 ]:te8

16 :lxe6! 1-0 Black resi!,'l1cd in vicw of 1() ... fxe6 17

'i'xg()+ It>ffi (17 ... <it>h8 1 R SLxf('+ oltxf6 19 'i'h 7 mate!) 18 'it'xh6+ 'iPgR 19 'iWg()+ 'it>f8 20 i.g5! and Black has no reasonable defence against olth(.+.

Puzzle 32 Tal-Tringov. Amsterdam 1964 Modml n~/fnce

1 e4 g6 2 d4 il..g7 3 tZle3 d6 4 ~t3 e6 S .1gS "iWb6 6 'i¥d2 'ilfxb2 7 l:.b1 'i¥a3 8 .1c4 'lIfaS 9 0-0 e6 10 l:.fe1 a6 1 1 ~f4 e5 12 dxeS dxeS 13 'ii'd6 'ii'xe3 14 ];ted1 li)d7

15 iLxf7+1

Solutions to Puzzles

White actually announced mate within four moves here. 1S ... 'iPxf7 16lLlgS+ lto>e8 17 "e6+ 1-0

Black resigned in view of 17 .. .'it'd8 18 1LJf7+ Wc7 19 'it'd6 mare! Asked the <Juestion on how he felt ahout having so many pieces en prise, Tal replied that his opponent could only capture one at a time. Tal saw this as a problem for his opponent, nor for himseltl

Puzzle 33 Tal-Mohrlok. Varna Olympiad 1962 .I'ici/ian Difmee

1 e4 eS 2 lLlf3 lLle6 3 d4 exd4 4 lLlxd4 tilt6 S tile3 d6 6 ~gS e6 7 Wd2 iLe7 8 0-0-0 0-0 9 tilb3 'ii'b6 10 f3 a6 1 1 g4 %.1d8 12 ~e3 'lIfe7 13 gS lLld7 14 h4 bS 1 S g6 fxg6 16 hS gxhS 17 l:.xhS tilt6 18 %.1gS tileS 19 'ifg2 ~f8 20 ~e2 tile4 21 ~xe4 bxe4 22 lLld4 l:.b8 23 l:th1 ];tb7 24 ];th6! ~t7

If 24 ... g(, \V'hite plays 25 ':hxg6+! hxg6 26 ':xg6+ 'it>f7 27 'WgS with dangerous threats: 27 ... lLJh7 2R 'Wh5 tbf() 29 ':xf6+ 'it>xf6 30 tbf5!! leads to mate. 2S l:.h4 .b6 26 lLld1 'ifc7 27 f4 h6 28 :lg6 l:.e8 29 fS eS

More resistance was offered with 29 ... exfS 30 exfS J:te5 31 SLf4 l:hfS, although White keeps a very dangerous initiative after 32 ~xd6! 'Wxd6 (32 ... ~xd6? 33 J:txg7+ loses the <Jueen) 33 tbxfS ~xfS 34 J:lxf6+ 'ii'xf6 35

103

Mlkhllll Till: Tllctical Genius

.xb7+. White remaIDS on top although Black has counterplay due to the bishop pair and passed pawns on the kingside. The best for Black now is probably to go for the end­game with 35 ...... e7!? 36 "iVxe7+ (36 "iihl!?) 36 ... .ilxe7 37 l:xc4 h5, with counterchances. 30 ttlc3! "dB

The point of the previous play was 30 ... exd4 31 l:txf6+!, White sacrificing every­thing only to let the knight occupy d5: 31...gxf6 (after 31...<.t>xf6 the knight enters with gain of tempo and Black is quickly mated: 32 tZ:\d5+ ~f7 33 "iVg6+ cot>g8 34 tZ:\f6+ "'h8 35 'iWh 7 mate~ 32 tZ:\dS. Black's queen is threatened, the king is cut off from the escape route to the queenside and \X'hite threatens mate with 1Wg6. 31 tZ'lc6 1-0

If the queen moves, White concludes the games \vith the by-now familiar rook sacritice on f6. Suddenly none of the \X'hite pieces is hanging; instead they find themselves on ideal squares!

Puzzle 34 Niebult-Tal. Latvia 1954 Kill,g:r Indian Dqence

1 d4 ttlf6 2 c4 g6 3 ttlc3 iJ..g7 4 e4 d6 5 ttlf3 0-0 6 1<.e2 e5 7 d5 llJh5 B g3 ttld7 9 0-0 a5 10 ttle1 ttlc5 11 iJ..g4 f5 12 exf5 ttlf6 13 1<.h3 gxf5 14 \Ph1 f4 15 1<.g2 ttlg4 16 f3 ttlh6 17 ttld3 ttlf5 18 ttlxc5

104

18 ... ttlxg3+1 19 hxg3 fxg3 20 ~g1 li'h4 21 l:te1

The only way to avoid immediate mate. 21 .. :iVh2+ 22'it>f1 iJ..h3! Black wins back the invc~ted material With interest. The bishop cannot be taken due to matc on £2. 23 \Pe2 'ilt'xg2+ 24 It>d3 lbf3+ 25 l:te3 :txe3+ 26 iJ..xe3 dxc5

Black has a winning advantage. As soon as

the as-rook joins d,e game, \'(,'hire's dap arc numbered. 27 'li'h5 l:tf8 28 .l:l:g1 "ii'h2 29 li\e4 1<.f1 + 0-1

W'hite loses the queen.

Puzzle 35 Miezis-Tal. Riga 1958

62 ... tZ'lxg3+! Black's positilln is so good, that a mm'!:

like 62 ... f4!? also wins. Still, the move in the game is more to the point. 63 'iWxg3 'it'h1 + 641Wg1 'it'h3+ 0-1

White is mated next move. One can call that an execution on the light squares!

Puzzle 36 Tal-Zilberg. Riga 1949

26 tZ'le6+ A double check - Black has to movc the

king. 26 .•. Wxt7 27 'iWg7+! 'it>xe6 28 l:I.h6+

The rook joins in the attack and Black IS

mated. 28 ... iJ..g6 29 'lWxg6+ rtiie7 30 l:th7+ IiIt8 31 'lWg7+ ~e8 32 'lWd7+ Iti>f8 33 nh8 mate 11-01

Puzzle 37 Tal-Shmit. L-tlvia 1<J65

31 tZ'ld7+! 1-0 White distracts the bishop and has time

for a quiet move. Black resigned as he saW the mate Tal was about to execute. On

31.. . .i.xd7 Tal planned 32 li.h6!. when mate is inevitable. 3l...~e8 loses after 32 'iVg8+ Sri.f8 33 'iVxfB mate.

Puzzle 38 Tseshkovsky-Tal. Sochi 1970 Ruy I.opez

1 e4 eS 2 tLlf3 tLlc6 3 il.bS as 4 il.a4 tLlfS 5 0-0 ie7 S l:te1 bS 7 ib3 0-0 8 d3 dS 9 c3 tLlaS 10 ic2 cS 11 tLlbd2 l:te8 12 lLlf1 il.f8 13 tLle3 il.b7 14 b4 cxb4 1S cxb4 tLlcs 1S a3

Or 16 ~b.' lLlxb4 17 tngs l:te7 18 lLlfS J:ld7 ,vith a complex g .. me - \x'hite has acti,'e play for the pawn. 1S ... dS 17 tLlxdS

17 exdS is dubious in view of 17 ... lLld4. 17 ... tLlxdS 18 exdS "xdS 19 il.b3 "d7 20 ttJgS! 20 ... tLld8 21 "hS hS

21..:iffS is good ior \X'h.ite after 22 g4! 'lWg6 23 "ifxg6 hx),,>u 24 ~b2. 22 J:te3?!

22lLle4!. 22 ... il.dS! 23 ixdS 'ifxdS 24 tLle4 nes 25 J:tg3 "'h8 2S iLe3

\'\rute should avoid the exchange of bish­ops. Belter was 26 .i.d2 with equality. 2S ... as 27 iLcs ixcS 28 ll'lxcs I:tf6 29 :f1 axb4 30 axb4

30 ... l:txf2! 31 :e1 Or: a) 31 :'xf2lita1+ 32l:tfl 'iVd4+ and \X'h.ite

Solutions to Puzzles

is mated. b) 31 'it'xf2 'iVd4+ 32 ~f3 (or 32 ~e2

l:ta2+) 32 .. :ii'f4+ 33 '>t>e2 (the king is forced nn to the second rank, and Black's rook en­ters with deadly effect) 33 ... l:ta2+. 31 .. .1:11432 h3

The pawn on e5 is poisonous: 32 'iVxe5?? 'iVxeS .'B l:txe5 l:ta1+ and mate. Instead \X'hlte makes some breathing space for' his king. 32 .. .1;(a1 33 !ba1 "d4+ 34 <Ji.h2 "xa1 3S d4! tLlcS

(lthe::r moves are bad and lead to a white advantage: 3S ... 'iVxd4? 36 l:td3, 35 ... l:txd4? 36 lLlb.1, as well as 3S ... exd4? 36 'ife5 1:f6 37 'iV eH+ 'It;h 7 38 lLld7. 3Sll'leS!?

Or 36 dS :ctn .17 l:te3 'ird4 and Black wins more material an..! keeps his active position. 3S .. .1%f1 37 l:txg7 lIh1 + 38 ~g3 'ii'e1 + 39 ~g4 "e2+ 40 <;Ph4

40 ..... xhS+!? 4o .. :ii't2+ 41 .Ilg3 'iVf6+ is even more

cI"ar-l·ut. hut Tal decided tn exchange gueens. A strange decision, as he nonnally doesn't miss a opponunity like this! 41 'it>xhS 11f 1

Bad is 4I...fxe(,? 42 l1c7! and \X'h.ite se­cures the draw due to his active pieces. He threatens mate after ~g6, which forces Black to give up his extra minor piece. 42 dS ll'ld8 43 <t>xh6 ll'lxeS!

lbis is better than 43 ... fxe6?! 44 .:td?,

105

:Mlkhllll TII/: Tactical Genius

which is not absolutely clear. White's activity gives him some compensation, although probably not enough. 43 ... I:tf6+?! 44 <;t>g5 l:txe6 45 dxe6liJxe6+ 46 Wf6liJxg7 47..ti>xe5 also gives \'V"hite some hope of survival. 44l:th7+ ~g8 45 dxe6

White has won back his piece, but the joy doesn't last for long. Probably Tal calculated this to the end when he decided to exchange queens. 45 ... l:tf6+ 46 ..t>g5 %lg6+ 47 'iPf5 ~xh7 48 exf7 ~g7! 0-1

W'hite can win back rhe rook after 49 fB~+ ","xfB 50 ~xg6, but then Black's e­pawn decides the outcome after 50 ... e4.

Puzzle 39 Chukaev-Tal, Thilisi 1956 King s I mlian Difelice

1 d4 lllf6 2 c4 g6 3 lllc3 ~g7 4 e4 d6 5 ~e2 0-0 6 .i.g5 c5 7 d5 e6 8 'iVd2 exd5 9 exd5 'ii'b6 10 lllf3 ~f5 11 lllh4 llle4 12 lllxe4 .i.xe4 13 0-0-0 li'\a6 14 f3

14 ... li'lb41 15 fxe4 There is nothing better.

15 ... li'lxa2+ 16 ~b1 16 'it>c2? allows mate after 16 .. :~i"xb2+ 17

'it>d3 "iVb3+ 18 'lWc3 "xc3. 16 ... li'lc3+ 17 ~c1 li'lxe4

White's queen cannot simultaneously pro­tect b2 and g5. Black wins back the material with a winning advantage.

106

18 Vc2 li'lxg5 19 li'lf3 li'lxf3 20 .i.xf3 a5 The opposite-coloured bishops don't help

Wlute; in fact the opposite is true. Black plans to undennine b2 - the last defender of the dark stjuares - after which his attack \\~II be decisive. 21 1!d3 a4 22 %le1 'iVb4 23 :1e7 :1fe8 24 l:txe8+ %lxe8 25 <;1i>b1 b5 26 :1a3

Black now mates after ... 26 ... %le1 + 27 ~a2 'ii'xa3+! 0-1

Puzzle 40 Unzicker-Tal. Hamburg 1960

19 ... li'lfxd5! 20 exd5 e4 \Vhoops! The ro"k on a 1 is hanging. The

combination by Tal is only a temporary sacri­fice, but the bendits include activc piece play and a nunerablc white pawn on J5 instead of a solid centre. 21 lLlxe4 il.xa1 22 il.g5 f6 23 ie3

If the bishop now returns to e5. \'<?hite has some active phlY to compensate for the mi­nOf material loss. Instead Tal plays to seize the initiative. 23 ... li'lxd5! 24 %lxa1 li'lxe3 25 'Wxe3 iLxe4 26 .li.xe4 d5 0-1

Clarit}~ng Black's aclvama!'c. 'lhe marenal plus easily com'cns to a hill puinr.

Puzzle 41 Tal-Nlevergelt, Zurich 1 'JS')

34 'ii'h6! %ld8 Not 34 ... llxh6 35 ::txcH+ '#VhH 36 ncxb8+

and mate next move. 35.1ixa6

111e white attack plays itself. 35 ... il.d2 36 'lit6

Of course not 36 'ir'xd2? il,x:16 and Hlack is off the hook. With the text move \X'hite instead puts more pressure on Black, as nnw the rook on dll is threatened as ,"vell. 36 ... 'iWd7 37 .i.xc8 1-0

Black resigned in view of 37 .. .1'hcll 38 lta6+ l'lxa6 39 'iVxa6+ 'ika7 4() 'iWxc8+.

puzzle 42 Tal-Petrosian. Moscow 1974

22lbd7! Not 22 'iWh4? lLlf6!.

22 ... ..Itxd7 After 22 ... 'ikxd7 23 ifh4 Black cannot

avoid mate on h7. Therefore the knight had to be eliminated, other-vise it could have moved to f6, defending h7. 23 ..Itxf7+ 1-0

But nnw this move is possible after the te­capture on d7 with the bishop. Black re­signed due to 23 .. Jlxt7 24 "iYxt7+ ~h8 25 'ilrxg6 .l1/..fS 26 lLlf7+ ~gR 27 lLlh6+ '>PhS 2H lZ'lxfS.

Puzzle 43 Spassky-Tal. Montreal 1979

20 ... ..Itxh2+! 21 ~xh2

21 .. .l::th5+! The twist to this classical combination.

21...tl'lg4+ 22 'it'g3! does not work. 22~g1

Or 22 '\t>g3 tLIe4+ 23 ~xc4 'iWh4+ 24 <t.>n 't!Vxe4+ 25 'it>g3 'ifh4 mate! 22 ... lt)g40-1

Spassk-y resi.',rned because his pieces are too far away from the kingside to organise a defence, for instance 23 n 1:1h1+1 24 '>Pxhl 1I'h4+ 25 ~gl "iVh2+ 26 Wf1 'tlib1 mate.

Solutions to Puzzles

Puzzle 44 Averbakh-Tal. Riga 1958 Modem Benoni D~follce

1 d4 'ilf6 2 c4 a6 3 It)c3 c5 4 d5 axd5 5 cxd5 d6 6 e4 g6 7 .i.a2 .i.g7 8 It)f3 0-0 9 0-0 :'e8 10 'iWc2 It)a6 11 ..Itf4 It)b4 12 'iWb 1 It)xe4

Koblencs gives 12 ... tLIhS \3 oltgs f6 14 ~e3 f5 1S a.1! fxe4 16 a..xb4 t!xO 17 ~xO cxh4 18 lLle4 with advantage to \',;rhite. 13 It)xa4 .i.f5 14 It'lfd2 It)xd5 15 .i.xd6?

White should have instead played 15 iLg3 "WIe7 16 .l1/..o (better is 16 .l1/..bS iLxe4 17 4.)xe4 li'xe4 18 iLxt:s 'iVxeS 19 iLxd6 'ti'c6 20 .l1I..g3 c4 amI Black has compensation for the exchange du" to his activity on the queenside) 16 ... l:ad8, when the game is un­

clear. 15 ... It)f6! 16 .i.f3

16 .s1l.xc5 tLIxe4 17 tpxe4 ~x,,4 is good for Black as well. 16 ... tL)xe4 17 It)xe4 .i.xe4 18 .i.xe4 ~xd6 19 'iWc2 l:te7 20 ..Itf3 :'ae8 21 nad1 .i.d4

Black is a pawn up, has a strollg bishop on dol and controls t.he c-tile. The presence of opposite-coloured bishops gives him pros­pects of an arrack. especi.-illy as f2 is a weak point. 22 a4 b6 23 b3 :'e5 24 :'d2 h5 25 :'e2 lbe2 26 .i.xe2 h4 27 Wh1 .f4 28 g3 'li'f6 29 'i!Vd1 Xtd8 30 .i.g4

107

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

30 ..• .i.xf2! 31 'iWe2 l:td2! 32 li'e8+ Not 32 "xd2 "'c6+ wim mate to follow.

White cannot block me long diagonal after accepting me rook sacrifice. 32 .. .'~g7

Black has won a pawn and his attack is srill going strong. 33 gxh4 'ifd4 34 .i.h3 'iWd3 35 iig2 l:td1 0-1

Puzzle 45 Gradus-Tal. Riga 1953 Killg's Indian Difence

1 d4 lZlfS 2 lZlf3 gS 3 c4 .i.g7 4 lZlc3 0-0 5 g3 dS S .i.g2 lZlbd7 7 0·0 e5 8 e4 exd4 9 lZlxd4 lZlc5 10 h3 l:te8 11 l:te1 a5 12 b3 cS 13 .ltf4 a4 14 b4 lZleS 15 lZlxeS .ltxeS 1S .ltxdS .ltxc4 17 e5 lZld7 18 'iWd4

18 ... ll'\xe5! 19 nxe5 l:txe5 20 iixe5 "it'xd4 21 .ltxd4 iLxd4 0·1

This basic trick is wdl known from the Averhakh Variation of the King's Indian. W1lite simply resigned, as the endgame is hopeless after the further 22 Rcl Jil..xc3 23 .thc3 il..xa2.

Puzzle 4S Tal-Szabo. Sochi 197.' Iv/odem Ddi:nce

1 e4 gS 2 d4 .ltg7 3 lL\c3 dS 4 f4 as 5

108

lL\f3 b5 S .ltd3 iLb7 7 'iWe2 c5 8 dxcS dxc5 9 e5 lZlcs 10 iLe3 lL\d4 11 fud4 cxd4 120-0-0 b4 13lZle4lZlhS 14 iLxd4 0-0 15 iic5 'iWa5 1S iLxe 7 lUe8 17 iLdS

Another line is 17 ttJf6+ il..xf6 1 B exf6 "'xa2 19 "'e5 l:lad8! 20 b3 ttJg4! 21 'itb2 'irxb2+ 22 "'xh2 tDf2 23 il..xd8 l:txd8 with approximate equality. 17 ... 'iWxa2 18 .i.xb4 iLxe4 19 li'xe4itJg4

19 ... l%ac8 is better, although White re­

mains on top after 20 'itrd2 "xb2 21 l:tbl "a2 22 l:Lil "'e6 23 l:txa6. It seems that there is no way to exploit the posicion of White's king, and W1lite's material superiority begins to count. 20 .ltc4 iVa 1 + 21 >Pd2 'iWxb2

Instead of ...... xb2, Black could have played the active 21...l:tad8+. However, after 22 ~e211xdI 23 il..xt7+! (the same combina­tional idea as in the game) 23 ... Wx f7 24 'ii'c4+ 1Ie6 25 "'ci+ "'g8 26 "ifc8+ -iitf1 27 :txd 1 Black is ready to resign.

22 .ltxf7 +! Wxf7 23 'lWd5+ nes 24 'lWb7+

\lC'hite will regain one of the black rooks -with check! 24 ... 11e725li'xe7+

Also possible was 25 e6+ 'it-gB 26 "'xa8+ il..f8 27 'iie4. 25 .. .'~g8 2S 'iWeS+ 'it>h8 27 'lIfc4

White has won a pawn and the exchange with his little combination and now he wants to coordinate his pieces fully. Black sacrifices

[0 avoid this, but it's simply nor enough. 27 ... lLlxeS 28 fxeS 'ii'xeS 29 e3 as 30 'We6 litb8 31 ::thel .Ji.h6+ 32 We2 'ii'fS+ 33'i11e4

\~'hite is ready to rake over the initiative again. 33 ... 'ii'c8 34 ::td7! axb4

Or 34,.:fi'xd7 35 "'e5+ and the rook nn bS is hanging. 3S it'eS+ ~g8 36 it'e6+ 1-0 Black \\~Jl be mated soon.

Puzzle 47 Tal-Pasman. Riga 1953

33 ::td3 it'a8 34 'ii'xe4! 'ii'xe4 3S l:I.dB+ <;1(f7 36 gBit' + 'iiif6 37 ::td6+

Suddenly Black's king is out in the open. 37 ... ~fS 38 'ii'g6+ '.t>f4 39 g3+J;>e3 40 J:td3+

l:llack loses his queen. 40 ... 'iWxd341 'ii'xd3+ <M2 1-0

Puzzle 48 Tal-Kampenuss. Latvia 1<)5.'

29lLle4!

29 lLlh5? 'lWxb2 is no improvement t')r \'Vhite. Tn.e knight docs little un h5 where",s Black has won an important pawn. 29 ... dxe4 30 'iVc4+ 'iiieB 31 lbe4+!

Better than the simple 31 'lWxc5. 31.. . ..Ite7 32 _g8+

Take a look i1t \X'11ite's active heavy pieces on tl1e open tiles and compare it to Black's passive set-up. 32 ... 'lWf8 33 ::txe7+! <Jiixe7 34 Itel+ Wd6 3S 'iWxf8+ '-J.c7 36 'lii'xg7 cS 37 f6 1-0

Puzzle 49 Tal-Suetin. 'lbilisi 196<) Sicilian Difence

1 e4 cS 2 lLlf3 e6 3 d4 exd4 4 lLlxd4 a6 5 .Ji.d3 lLle7 6 lLlc3 lLlbe6 7 lLlb3 lLlg6 B 0-0 bS 9 ~e3 d6 10 f4 11.e7 11 1!rhS j/,f6

Solutions to Puzzles

12 ::tadl 11.xe3 13 bxc3 'ii'e7 14 li:td2 lLlce 7 1 S lLld4 .Ji.d7 16 fS exf5 17 exfS lLleS 18 lne6 11.xe6 19 be6 g6

20 'iWxeS! 20 .ltxb5+!? axb5 21 "'xe5 \\~[h the same

idea as in tlu: g.lme, but also to deliver matc if the queen sacrifice is accepted after 2l...dxe5?? 22 ext/+ coPm 23 .lth6 matc, is \'ery nice, but Black dot:sn't have to take the queen. Instead he can play 21...0-0-0, al­though \v'hite is clearly better here as well. 20 ... dxeS 21 exf7+ 1-0

Black resigned Jue to 2l...coPd7 (2 t...'.i.·fH 22 il.hC) matc) 22 il.f5+ ~c6 23 .ltc4+ and Black will soon lose almost all his pieces ex· cept his <Iueen! The remaining position after 23,..lLld5 24 ~xd5+ Wd7 25 ~xag+ We6 26 HrW llxfR 27 l:!.xffi is quite funny. and of course ahsolutely hopdess for Black.

Puzzle SO Tal-Vooremaa. Tallinn 1971

27lLle6+! 'ii'xe6 Also hopd"" is 27,..<1.",,6 21-\ Itxt7 lLlxt7

29 'iWxflH <l;c7 30 'ii'xf7+ .>td7 31 flee6. t\

lypical scenario: due to his i.niciaci\'e, \'Vhitt: wins back the invested material. and with a continuing attack. After 31...11d8 32 'lWei there is no point in continuing the fight. 28 be6 Itxf6 29 :f7 1-0

Black loses the rest of his developed army, and with it the g.lme.

109

Mikhail Tal: Tacticsl Genius

Puzzle 51 Tal-Lyevdansky. Kiev 1964

32 l:xh7+! 'it'xh7 33 lff7+ ~h6 34 1Wxe8

The pawn will ine,,;tablr promote. Black's only hope is a perpetual. 34 ... 1ff2 35 'iihS+ <bg5 36 h4+!

No back rank mate. 36 ... 'it>g4 37 eS'if 'iff1 + 38 ',l;>h2 'iWf4+ 39 'it>g1 'iVc1 + 40 <bf2

There is no perpetual. 40 ... iff4+ 41 'ot>e2 1-0

Puzzle 52 Ljubojevic-Tal. Las Palmas 1975 JitiJial1 Deftl1t'e

1 e4 c5 2 lLJf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLJxd4 4..)f6 5 lLJc3 d6 6 g4 a6 7 g5 lLJfd7 8 h4 b5 9 h5 b4 10 lLJce2 .lio.b 7 11 ~g2 lLJc5 12 lLJg3 lLJbd7 13 f4 .lio.e 7 14 'iii g4 h6 1 5 g6 0-0 16 gxf7 + l::txf7 17 ~e3

17 l2:\xe6 lbxe6 IH 'Wxe6 !,';ves Black a dangerous initiati\"e after 1 H ... ~h4 19 iVg4 ~xg3+ 20 ~xg3 'ilVe7. 17 ... 'iWc7 180-0 .liI.f6 191LJxe6

The game becomes vcry sharp no\\'.

19 ... lLJxe6 20 'ii'xe6 ~xb2 21 l:tad1 lLJf6 22 'iixd6 lLJg4 23 .lio.b6 'iWxc2 24 '/We6 lLJf6 25 lLJf5 l::teS 26 l:tdS l:txdS 27 .i.xdS .lio.xe4 2S ~xe4 lL'Ixe4 29 :iLb6 'iit'd3 30 Iile1

110

30 ... lLJd6! Deflecting the knight from the defence of

g3. Now after ... 31 lLJxd6 "g3+ 32 ~h1 'iWf3+ 33 ~g1 YZ-YZ

... a <!raw was agrt:ed.

Puzzle 53 Tal-Keres. Tallinn 1973

42 l:thxh6! lLJe4 Or 42 ... gxh6 and now: a) 4311xh6 f6 (the threat was lO simply re­

lurn with the rook) 44 l:txf6 'ilg7 45 l:txfB+ Wxfll 46 'il'c8+ ~f7 is not clt:ar. \'V'hite has mall)' pawns for the knight and an active qut:en, but his own king on hI is not secure at all.

h) 43 h4! and Black cannot organise a proper defence. 43 'ifh5 gxh6 44 Xlxh6 1·0

Black resigned as mate follows.

Puzzle 54 Tal·Unzicker. Stockholm 1961

24 .:bf7+1 ~xf7 25 'iWb3+ 'it>f8 1-0 Black resigned without waiting for the ob­

\'ious move 26 lbg5. Black is mated by force after 25 ... 'lPgG 26 lbh4+ <Ji>h5 27 'il'f3+ ~xh4 2H 'il'g3+ ..th5 29 'il'g5!.

Puzzle 55 Tal-Balashov. Moscow (Rapid) 1987

1 l:txh7+! It's male in fivd

1 .. :~xh7 2 'ifh5+ 'ito'gS 3 llxe6 'fib4 4 llh6+ 1-0

Due to 4 .. :'-xc4 511h8 matd

Puzzle 56 Tal-Smyslov. Bled 1959 CrIIV·Konfl D~(ence

1 e4 c6 2 d3 d5 3 lLJd2 e5 4 lLJgf3 lDd7

5 d4 dxe4 6 lLlxe4 exd4 7 'iVxd41 lLlgf6 8 ~g51Le7 9 0-0-0 0-0 10 If)d6 'iVa5

ltl...ttJd5 is better: 11 h4 f6 12 .ltc4lD7b6 gives Black an equal game. 11 ~c4 b5?

After 11...'Wc5 White only has a slight ad­vantage. 121Ld2! '/ia6 13lLlf5!! ~d8

Or 13 ... bxc4 14lDxe7+ c;f;>h8 15 ..tibl wirh a dangerous initiative and active possibilities on the kingside. 141fh4! bxc4

14 ... lDd5 15 lDg5 h6 16 lDxh6+ gxh6 17 'iWxh6 .ltxg5 18 'il'xg5+ 'it>h8 19 ic3+1 lDxc3 20 l:ld4 and White wins. 15 'ifg5 lLlh5

Anorher entertaining line is 15 ... ),,6 16 tLlh6+ 'it>g7 17 ..Itc3 'ili'xa2 18 lDh4 'ii'aH 19 ""d2 'il'a4 20 lD4rs+ Wh8 21 lDg4 'ii'b5 22 tLlxf6 'ili'xfS 23 'it'xfS gxfS 24 lDxd7+ .t>gH 25 tLlxf8 \\;rh a decisi..-e plus for \X'hite. 16 lLlhS+ ~h8 17 '1i'xh5

17 ... 'iVxa2? Not rhe best. Also bad is 17 ... gxh6? 18

'ii'xh6 .ltf6 19 iLc3 iLxc3 20 lDg5! and While mates on h 7.

Better was 17 ... .ltf61 and now: a) 18 lDxf7+? ..t>g8 19 lD3g5 .ltxg5 20

tLlxg5 lDf6! and Black holds. b) 18 lDg5! wm6 (or lB ... .i.xg5 19 'Wxg5

'ii'xa2 20 .ltb4! c5 21 lLJrs l'.tg8 22 lLJd6 lit'S 23 .ltc3 f6 24 'ir'd5 wirh a continuing attack) 19 'iVxh6 .ltxg5 20 .ltxg5 f6 21 lIhe 1 and

Solutions to Puzzles

there is no defence against ixf6+ and l:te7. 18 ~c3lLlf6

Or 18 ... f6 19 .l:.he1 wiru1ing.

19 'iVxf7! 'iVa1 + 19 ... l:txf7 20 l:txd8+ tLlg8 21 lLJxt7 mate

was one point of White's combination. 20 <Ot>d2 l'Z.xf7 21 lLlxf7+ <Ot>g8 22 l'Z.xa1 <j.'xf7

23lLle5+ \V\1ite has a wi.llJUng material advantage.

Black fought lin for a while before tinally resigning. 23 ... weS 24 lbxc6 lLle4+ 25 We3 1Lb6+ 26 ~_d4! 1-0

Puzzle 57 Tal-Sveshnikov. Tallin.n (Rapid) 1988 Semi-'[~Jrrtlsch Df/imce

1 d4 d5 2 lLlf3 lLlf6 3 c4 e6 4 e3 c5 5

111

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

~c3 ~c6 6 a3 cxd4 7 exd4 iLe 7 8 ~d3 dxc4 9 ~xc4 0-0 10 0-0 a6 11 ~g5 b5 12 ~b3 :a7 13 'lid3 J:!.d7 14 J:!.adl ~b7 15 :fel hS 16 ~h4 g5 17 iLg3 ~a5

18 iLxe6! iLxf3?! Better was 18 ... fxe6 19 ~g6+ ~h8 20

ttJe5, although \,«lute still has a decisive at­tack. 19 ~g6+ 'it>h8 20 "tIi"xhS+ LDh7 21 ...tf5 1-0

It's mate next move.

Puzzle 58

Tal-Botvinnik. World Championship (Game 11), Moscow 19611 Hili Openi,tl!,

1 ~f3 ~f6 2 g3 g6 3 .~g2 iLg7 4 0-0 0-o 5 c4 c6 6 b3 ~e4 7 d4 d5 8 iLb2 iLeS 9 ttJbd2 ~xd2 1 0 ~xd2 tDa6 11 I;J.acl 'fi'd6 12 ttJe5 J:l.fdS 13 rtfdl llac8 14 'lia5! dxc4!

Not 14 .. :~c7? 15 ttJxc6!. 14 .. :~b4 gives \X'hite a small advantage af­

ter 15 ~c3 'ilVxa5 16 iLxa5 b6 17 cxd5 due to

his possibilities in the centre. 15 ~xc4 'WIc7 16 'l:!Ye1 'l:!YbS 17 e4 iLxc4! 18l'hc4

Not 18 bxc4 c5. 18 ... ~c7

If now 18 ... c5, White replies 19 e5!. 19 ~h3 e6 20 ~c1 'Was 21 iLg5 lIe8 22 li'd2 f5! 23 iLh6 ~xhS

112

Unfortunately Black has to exchange the dark-squared bishops, as 23 ... .lli.h8 is ~et bv 24 exfS exfS 25 .lli.xfS!. . 24 'ifxh6 lle7 25 J:!.e1 .l:l.fS 26 .c:c5 "1ii'd8! 27 :l:[e5 ttg7 28 "1ii'd2 "lWd6 29 iLf1 l:I.d7 30 exf5 :xf5 31 J:t5e4 :f6?

Better was 31...J::.d5! 'W1.th e<lual prospects. 32 h4 <;tg7 33 h5 gxh5 34 Iih4 o;t>gS 35 iLd3 J;lg7 36 J:te5 I;J.ff7 37 ~h6 fie7 38 J:!.exh5 ttJd5 39 "li'd2 ttJf6 40 l:i:h6 "lWd6 41 J:!.f4 'iVfS

Black was not tempted by 41...ttJg4 42 iLxh7+! 42 ... ~fH 43 ZIxt7+ lrxt7 44 l:tg6 .li!.xt2 45 Ilg8+ <3;n ..J.6 'iWd3, when Black's king is by far the more exposed. 42 'ife3 ~d5 43 l:xf7 'iWxf7 44 'iWe5 ttJc7 45 "1ii'c5! "1ii'f3

If Black had played ..J.5 ... a6 instead then 46 'tIib6, when b7 is very weak. Also, 46 ... 4JdS? is not possible in vie~\" of 47 ~dR+ 'il'ffi 48 iLxh7+! i:txh7 49 Wt'xffi+ WxtE 50 !l.xh7.

46 .ltxh7+! .l:l.xh7 47 'iWg5+ 'it>hS 48 "iWdS+ <;tg7 49 llxh7+ <;i;xh7 50 'Wxc7+ <;t-g6 51 'WIxb7

The endgame is wun for \'Vhite; he only needs to overcume a few techn.ical problems. 51 ... 'l:!Ye4 52 '/:!Ya6! 1It'b1 + 53 Wg2 'lII'e4+ 54 'it'f1 'WIb1 + 55 ~e2 "1ii'c2+ 56 Wf3 'iY'f5+ 57 We3 "1ii'g5+ 58 We2 'ilfh5+ 59 Wd2

There are no mure annoying checks, and \v'hite is ready to take uver the initiative. 59 .. .'ito>f6 60 'li'xc6 "li'a5+ 61 'WIc3 'Wxa2+

62 q;>e3 <j;>f7 63 d5! exd5 64 "c7+ ~e6 65 'iVc6+ ~e7 66 "xd5

The connecteo passed pawns on the king­side will be decisive. 66 ... 'iVa1 67 'iVe4+ ~f7 68 <j;>f4 "c1 + 69 'it;>g4 'iVa1 70 'iVd5+ 'it>f8 71 ~5 "b1+ 72 Wf6 1-0

Puzzle 59 Tal-Mascarinas, Lvoy 1981

28 ..Itc7! "xc7

29l:th8+ 1-0 Black resigned due to the line 29 ... 'it>xh8

30 'ifh6+ c;i;>gS 31 'iVh 7+ 'it>f8 32 'iVhs mate.

Puzzle 60 Romanishin-Tal. Leningrao 1977

26 ... 'iVh3! 27 "xe5

SDlutiDns to Puzzles

Of course not 27 lLlxb7?? lLlf3+ 2S .llxf3 exf3 and mate on g2. 27 ... J:xf2!

The f2-square was the weak pointl 28 ~xf2 'iVh2+ 29 ~f1 l:tf8+ 30 'iVf4 l:txf4+ 31 gxf4..1tc8

Black has a perpetual when he Waflts, but with this move Tal tests his opponent one laS! time. 32l:ted1!

Now \'<-lute's king has an escape route \;a eland Black forces perpetual. 32 ..... h1 + 33 Iiff2 "xh4+ 34 ~g1 "g3+ 35 'iPh1 "h3+ 36 ~g1 "g3+ 37 ~h1 "h4+ 38 ~g1 YZ-YZ

Puzzle 61 larsen-Tal. Bugojno 1984

The immeJiate check with 2tL.lLlf3+? is bao: 29 'iVxf3 'it'xf3 3U l:txg7+ <ott!"H (30 ... 'it9>hH .,1 1l~,'6+ mates) 31 l:tn and \X1ute wins. Therefore Tal played 28 ... e2! 0-1

Lirsen resigned in "iew of the following \'ariations:

a) 29l:tcxc2lLln+. b) 29 'ii'xe2lDf3+ 30 'ilixf3l:Xxcl+. This is

why the e-pawn had to he sacrificed: with, mt this last point rhat the rook on c:1 is hanging, the queen sacrifice on f3 works out well for \X'hire (see above). Now, though. Wl,ite loses everything after the seljuelKe 31 c,t>t2 l:tft + 32 'it>xfl 'it'xf3t 33 lLlf2 'it'xg2t 34 'it>xg2 SLxd4_

c) EllllaUy bad b any other ljuecn move, for example 29 'it'a 1 lLlf3+ .,0 'it>h 1 tZJxd4, and if 31 'it'xd4 Black simply exchanges e\'e­I)·thing with .'l...'it'xg2+1 32 'iii>xg2 SLxd4. leaving lum a rook up.

Puzzle 62 Tal-NN. Smolensk (Simultaneous) 1983

1 li'lxf61 1 .Ilb3 IS also better for White, hut the

1 13

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

move in the game is decisive. 1 •.. l:txf6 2 exf6! 'liVxe4 3 f7 h6 4 fS'IiV + ~h7 S~gS+

White mates within a few moves. S ... ~g6 6'IiVf7+ c,PgS 7'IiVhS mate C1-0)

Puzzle 63 Tal-Chikovani. Gori 1968 Caro-Kann D~ence

1 c4 c6 2 e4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 d4 lLlf6 5 lLlc3 e6 6 lLlf3 ~e7 7 cxdS lLlxd5 S ~d3 lLlc6 9 0-0 0-010 l:te1lLlf6 11 a3 b6 12 ~e2 ~a6 13 ~g5 :teS 14 'iWd2 'it'd6 15 ltad 1 IUdS 16 ~b 1 'iVbs 17 'iWe2 g6 1S ~a2h6

19 ~xe6! hxgS 19 ... fxe6 20 'irxg6+ is even worse.

20 'ii'xg6+ ~hS 21 'iWh6+ o;t>gS 22 tDxgS .IlfS

Black can protect his weak point at f7, but he is helpless against the long-tenn attack that \V'hite ~Iuiedy builds up. After 22 ... fxe6 White plays 23 'ii'g6+ with mate on the nc:xl move. 23 l:te4 1-0

Mate cannot be avoided after 'uh4 and 'ifhS.

Puzzle 64 Tal-Geller. Budva 1967

23 l:txd5! l:txd5 24 "f3 1-0

114

The unpleasant pressure against f7 forced Black to resign at this stage. A bit too early maybe, although his position is critical after 24 ... Itexe5 25 'iYxf7+ cJth8 26 h4!. White simply threatens h4-h5, and neither of the Black rooks is able to move. For instance, 26 ... :'e1+ 27 c;Ph2! l:txbl 28 'iVe8+ and mate, while 26 ... :tdS? allows a well known mate with 27 't\Vg8+ ':'xg8 28liJf7!

Puzzle 65 Tal-NN. Stuttgart (Simultaneous) 1958

16 gxf6!! llxd1+

17 lLlxd1! Brilliant!

17 ... 'lWxd2 1S fxg7 The threat of g8'ti' mate is so strong thaI

Hlack loses everything. 1S ... ~e6 19 gS'tW + ~d7 20 1i'xcS+ '.t>xcS 21 ~xd2 1-0

\X'hile remains on top ~\;th two extra mi­nor pieces.

Puzzle 66 Tal-Malich. Varna 19511

2411xeS+! fxe5 24 ... dxe5 is met by 25 d6+ <ot>d8 26 'ifh6

~vjth a quick mate. 2S 1I6gS+ 'it>fS 26 'i!¥f6

Black is helpless to the invasion of White's pieces. After

26 ... l:tg8 27 .ote6 1-0 Black resigned, as marc rial losses are inevi­

table. 27 ... :'c7 28 "iVd8+ is worth noticingl

Puzzle 67 Tal-Gipslis. Riga 1958

22 'iWg21 The ideal s~luare for the gueen: it eyes

both g7 and a8. 22 "ifg4 .Jtf6 23 fxe6 dxe6 24 W'xe6+ "ifxe6 25 ':xe6 .Jtxc3 26 bxc3 gives \x'hite good winning chances in this double rook endgame, although Black has chances for survival. However, the game continuation is more clear-cut. 22 ... iLf6 23 .i.xf6 l:lxf6

Now the rook has left the back rank, Black's queen is suddenly inflexible, as it has to protect the rook on aB. This is the difficult part: sometimes you don't see something direct, but then the improvement of your pieces and/or the restriction of your oppo­nent's pieces opens up new possibilities. l.ompare the queens: \X'hite's exens pressure both along the g-tile and the long diagonal, whereas its counterpart is passive and immo­bile. 24 l:txd7! "ii'xd7 25 'iWxa8+ l:lf8 26 'iWxa6 1-0

Black saw no point in continuing the game.

Puzzle 68 Tal-Platonov. Dubn .. IIJ73 Siciliall D~fillce

1 e4 e5 2 lDf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 /tJxd4 lOf6 5 lDe3 a6 6 .otg5 e6 7 f4 "iYb6 8 'iVd2 'iixb2 9 lDb3 'iWa3 10 .otxf6 gxf6 11 .i.e2 lDe6 12 0-0 .itd7 13 iLh5 olk.g71? 14 IIf3

Another possibility is 14 l:tad l!? 0-0 15 'iVxd6 "ifxd6 16 :Xd6 :ad8 with roughly equal play. 14 ... 0-0 15 l:taf1 lDa5 16 l:th3 /tJxb3 17 axb3 l:tae8 18 ~h1 f51 19 exf5

Solutions to Puzzles

19 e5 is best answered by 19 ... ~c6!' 19 ... 'ii'b4 20 f6 iLxfS 21 f5 l:txe3

21 ... ex5 weakens the pawn strucrure, but Black opens up the cR-h3 diagonal fur his light-squared bishop. After 22 l:tff3 f4 Black has the advantage. 22l:lg3+ Wh8

Had Black played the far better 22 ... .Jtg71, the );.un<:: would have remained unclear after 23 f6 nO! 24 :'xg7+ 'it>hR 25 'ife2 Ihf1+ 26 "it'xfl ~c3.

23 'iWhSI 1-0 Bad is 23 fxc6? l:t.O!! and Black kecps an

extra piece after 24 'iVc2 (24 "ir'xb4 :'xfl is mate) 24 ... l'.l.xfl+ 25 "ifxfl fxe6.

Aftcr 23 'ifh6!, however. Black in1fficdi­atdy rcsigned in view of 23 .. ~g3 (othcr continuations also lose) 24 .ltb06!, when mate on h 7 Ilr ffi follows.

Puzzle 69 Tal-Shamkovieh. Baku 1972

25 llxf4! iLxf4 Black cannot ignore the ruok and con­

tinuc the development of his llueenside. I r. for instance, 25 ... .ltd7 \Xlute wins by force after 26 l:I.xn+! 'it>xn 27 'ufl+ cj;;e7 '28 g6+ cj;;d6 29 ~4+ with a guick mate. The move 25 ... b6 is best answered by the simple 26 IXf2 followed by .ltg6. 26 'iVhS+ We7 27 "ikf6+

Black has no cover on the dark sguarcs.

115

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

27 ... ~8 28 g6 Threatening g7 mate!

28 ... Jt.h6 29 l:.f1 1·0 Black resigned as he cannot avoid mare:

29 ... l:tdS 30 'iWhS+ ~e7 31 !!.xt7+ Wdo 32 'ifd4+ ~c6 33 'it'c5!

Puzzle 70 Tal-Koblencs, Yurmala (Training) 1970

1 f6!! l:l:xe2 1 ... iLxf6? loses to 2 "il'xd6+ Wic7 3 Wixc7+

~xc7 4 iLf4+ and the rook on h2 is hanging. Also bad is l...gxf6? 2 g7 ~g2 3 :tgl and the pawn CUillot be stopped. 2 fxg7 l:txd2 3 Jt.xd2 'i'e2

3 ... fxg6 4 gS'iV 'ilYcs offered more resis­tance. 4 'it>c1 1-0

1be pawn promotes and \v1ute remillI1S the exchange up.

Puzzle 71 Tal-Zaitsev, Moscm.v 1969 French Defonce

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 tLJd2 c5 4 lL\gf3 /i)c6 5 exd5 exd5 6 ..I1I.b5 ~e7+ 7 ..I1I.e2 'i'c7 8 0-0 cxd4 9 ttJb3 ..I1I.d6 10 ttJbxd4 a6 11 c4 ttJf6 12 Jt.g5 ttJe4 13 cxd5 ttJxd4 14 'i'xd4 ttJxg5

15 'iVxg7! ttJxf3+ 16 ixf3 Notice that White won a tempo with this

116

exchange on f3 as the rook now comes to el with check. 16 ... J:!.f8 17 I!ac1

17 ..• ..I1I.xh2+ No chances are offered by 17 ... WidS due

to IS IHeI+ iLe7 19 "Wfo and ~'hite wim. 'There is no way to stop the d-pawn. 18 'it>h1 'iWd6 19 g3

White simply regains the material. Given a couple of mewes, Black's king ",-ill not find shelter anyway. 19 ... ~xg3 20 fxg3 ..I1I.f5 21 .l:l.fe1+ 1·0

Black resigned as his position is hopeles~, for instance 2l...~d7 22 lIe0' iLxe6 23 dxeo+ and \'\rute wins.

Puzzle 72 Tal-Toran, European Team Ch., Oberhallsen 1901

21 ttJxd6! ..txd6 Or: a) 21...'iWc5+ 22 Wid and White has a win­

rung ad,·anlage. b) 21...iLxf3 22ltJxt7 mate!

2211xd6+ Bad is 22 'iWe3? iLcS! 23 'ife7+ 'iVxe7 24

fxe7+ Wc7 25 eSii ILxeS 26 ~xe8 (winning the exchange) because of 26 ... ~c5+!' After White's king moves to a light square, a

bishop check "vins the rook on eS. 22 'iVa3, however, is another perfectly

possible solution. White wins after 22 ... 'iVb6+

23 Wf1 Wc 7 24 llxd6! 'ifxd6 25 lie 7+ Wc6 26 JLg2+. 22 .. :it'xdS 23 'ii'xb7 l:[b8 24 'iVxf7

\'(.'h.ite has two pawns for the exchange, better coordination and a dangerous attack against the enemy king. 24 ... llxb2 2S 'iVg7

2S .. .lbe2 25 .. J:tffi was the onlv chance (0 continue

the game, although aft~r 26 "ili'e7+ "ili'xe7 27 &e7+ We8 28 exffiif+ Wxtll White should win easily. 2S 'iWxh8+ >t;e7 27 'i!fe8+ 1-0

Puzzle 73 Tal-van der Wiel. Moscow 1982 English Opening

1 c4 lZlfS 2 lZle3 eS 3 lZlf3 bS 4 e4 ~b7 5 ~d3 eS S 0-0 lZle6 7 eS lZlg4 8 ~e4

Solutions to Puzzles

'iie8 9 d3 lZlgxeS 10 lZlxeS lLlxe5 11 f4 lZle6 12 fS gS 13 ~gS gxfS 14 ~xf5 iLe7 1S 'iWhS ~xgS 1S 'ii'xgS lLle7 17 iLe4 iLxe4 18 lZlxe4 'WeS

19 J:[xf7! Wxf7 20 '*'fS+ Wg8 21 "i!i'xe7 Threatening mate on f6.

21 ... llf8 22 lif1 1-0 Black resigned, as after the rook swap he

has (0 sacrifice the <.Jueen to a\·oid mate.

Puzzle 74 Tal-lozov. Riga 1952 ClIa/lln 0Petlit(g

1 e4 eS 2 4'.f3 dS 3 d4 4'.fS 4 g3 ~e7 S iLg2 0-0 S 0-0 b6 7 lZle3 iLb7 8 lZleS "i!i'e8 9 exdS ll\xdS 10 lDxdS iLxdS 11 e4 iLb7 12 'it'e2 eS 13 d5 l:!.d8 14 ~h3 'li'e7 15 iLf4 iLd6

16 lDxf7! >t;xf7 17 iLxeS+ WeB 18 eS

117

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

With this move, a path to the kingside is opened up for White's queen. 18 •.. ~f8

18 ... ~xeS is met by 19 "ifxh 7 r.3;;e 7 20 l:lfe1. 19 "iVxh7 l::txd5

Black hopes to create a blockade on the light squares. but Tal ignores the rook sacri­fice and proceeds with the attack. 20 'iWg6+ 'it>d8 21 ~g5+ ~e7 22 'iWf7! ltJd7

Or 22 ... JtxgS 23 'iff8 mate! 23 'liVg8+ 1-0

Black is mated after 23 ... lLlfB 24 'iWxfB. An interesting point about the game continua­tion is that Tal concluded the attack without the rooks, although we saw in some lines that one or both rooks had to juin in.

Puzzle 75 Tal-Speelman. Subouca 1987

22 ~xg6! 22 lXdl!? was also strong. but after

22 .. :ifxd1+ 23 ~xdl bxc.1 24 'tIIVxc3 4ld7 Black would have been able to offer more resistance. 22 ... bxc3

Or 22 ... fxg6 23lbxg6 <Jtg7 24 ~h7 mate! 23ltJexf7

With a mate threat on h8. 23 ... 'Wd2+ 24 Wf1 Ibf7 25 ~xf7+

25 lLlxf7 ~fB and Black survives. 25 ... Wg7 26.1:.g1

White's rook joins in the attack \dth deadly effect. 26 ... 'ilNxg5 27 l:txg5+ ~xf7 28 bxc3 e5?! 1-0

Black resigned before ~'hile could play 29 'Wxc8.

Puzzle 76 Tal-Zilberstein. USSR 1973 Sicilian Difence

1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4

118

ltJf6 5 ltJc3 a6 6 ~g5 e6 7 f4 'ifb6 8 ii'd2 'iVxb2 9 ltJb3 'iVa3 1 0 ~xf6 gxf6 1 1 ~e2 h5 120-0 ltJc6 13ltJb1 'liVa4 14 c4 'iVb4 15 'ii'e3 ~g7 16 a3 'ifa4 17 'iVg3 <Jo>f8

18 ltJc3! 'ii'xb3 19 J:[fb1 'liVc2 20 J:[a2 Black's queen is trapped ...

20 ... h4 21 'ilVe1 'liVxa2 22l.i'xa2 ... and his compensation is inadecluate.

22 ... f5 23 exf5 exf5 24 ~f3 ~d4+ 25 Wh1 ltJdS 26 ltJc3 ~d7 27 It\d5 lLIe6 28 'ilVb4

Now \Vlute is fully eoordimltt'd (JIlee again and seizes the initiativt'. 2S ... ~c6 29 'iVxd6+ 'it'g7 30 ltJc7! .!bxc7 31 iVxd4+ 'itog6 32 J:l.g1 l:tadS 33 iVe5 1-0

Black resigned dut' to 3.L.tDcC\ 34 ~xe6 bxc6 35 g4. After the 0pl'ning of the g-ftIe, I3lack's positioll falls apan.

Puzzle 77 Tal-Kozlov. Riga (Rapid) 1973

30 ~xh6! gxh6 Or 30 ... ~d5 31 :!'xd5 exd5 32 'tW'gS! ,dth

too many threats against the black Icing. 31 'iVe4

With simulraneous threats on c4, h7 and h7. 31 ... ~d5 32 'lWh7+ ~S 33 nxd5 .!Df6

If 33 ... exdS then 34 ]:le7 decides. 34 'iVhS+ <be7 35 'ii'xcS

Loose pieces tend to drop om 3S ... lDxdS 36 'lWxb7+ Wf6 1-0

Black\ situation is hopeless.

Puzzle 78 Hjartarson-Tal. Manila 1990

31 ... iLxa3! 32 bxa3 'iVxa3+

33 >tid2 On 33 Wbl Black replies 33 ... l:I.xc3! (the

~reedy )3 ... 'llfb3+ 34 Wal 'WIVa4+ 35 Wb2 i+'xe4 is kss cOn\·incing, as it gives White a breathing space; after, for instance, 36 lIdel '1!i'f4 Black should sriU \\lin the endgame quite easily) )4 'lWxe5+ f6 35 gxf6 l:I.b3+ 36 c;t>c2 Wa2+ 37 Wei J:.cS+ and he mates next move.

33 ... .l:tfd8+ 34 'ite1 .l:txd1 + 3S >t;>xd1 'lWa4+ 0-1

Black \vins back the piece on the next mo\'<, \\;th ... 'iVxe4 and the attack stiu going strong.

Puzzle 79 Tal-Podgaets. Sochi 1970

27 ':xb6! Also possible, but not quite as good, is 27

WgS+ \\o;th the idea 27 ... Wc7 2S l:txb6 l:I.xgS 29l:1.b7+ WdS 30 l:txd7+ l:txd7 31 l:tb8+ 'i;c7 32 lhg8. \'Vrute is a piece up after this long forced sequence, but after 32 ... l:hd4 Black has some compensation, although White

Solutions to Puzzles

remains on top. 27 ... axb6 28 'iWg8 + 'lWe8

Or 2!L.~c7 29 'ii'xaS. 29 'it'xh7 1-0

Compared to 27 'ii'gS+, this line is clear­cut after 29 ... l:I.xa3 30 l:I.xb6 ~c8 .'II 'ii'b7+ '.t>dS 321i'bS+ ~e7 .13l:1.b7+.

Puzzle 80 Tal·Dzindzichashvili. New York 1991

23 .l:txg71 "'xg7 24 iLxh6+ "'h7 A better try was to accept the challenge

with 24 .. .'it>xh6 25 ttJxt7+ ~g7 26 ttJxd6 jLxd6 27 g3 ncl. Black has a rook and two

knights for the Ljueen, but his king in this wide open position is exposed. In positions like uus, the llueen is worth plen ry of mate­rial, and besides, White has extra three pawns. 2S'iWh3

25 ttJxt7! is eVen stronger. 2S .. .llJg8 26 .lil.f8+ 1-0

Black resigned as mare will soon follow.

Puzzle 81 Tal-Bilek. Hungary 1%3 ,H"dem neli'l1rf

1 e4 d6 2 d4 g6 3 .!Dc3 iLg7 4 .!Df3 c6 S iLc4 .!Df6 6 e5 dxeS 7 .!DxeS 0-0 8 0-0 .!Dbd7 9 f4 'iWc7 10 'iWf3 a6 11 :e1 e6 12 iLb3 cS 13 iLe3 cxd4 14 iLxd4 .!DxeS 15 fxeSI .!Dd7 16 .!De4 iLxeS

16 ... ttJxe5 loses immediately to 17 41f6+. 17 iLxeS 'iWxeS 18 ned 1

As compensatinn for the pawn, \1(ihite has natural development and the iluriarive. 18''''''g7 19lDd6 'iVcS+ 20 Ii?h1 lbeS

Not 20 ... ttJf6? 21 .xf6+!, followed by a knight fork on e4. 21 15'f4 f6 22 llf1 as 23 h4 J:ta6

If 23 ... a4?1 White continues 24 ttJes+ AxeS 25 .xf6+ ~g8 26 l:I.dS ':xd8 27 Vi'xd8+ 'i;g7 2H .f6+ <J.>g8 29 h5 gxh5 (29 ... axb3?? 30 h6) 30 'ii'g5+ WhS 31 1:.f7

119

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

ll:lxfl 32 'iWxcs (whoops!) and 'X'hite wins. Black cannot take the bishop as mate on f8 is threatened. 24lLle4 ~e7 25 h5 h6 26 'i!Vg3 a4

27 J:txf6! J:[xf6 The alternative 27 ... axb3? 2R nxffi Wxffi

29 'iVxeS bxa2 is insufficient due to 30 ~h8+ <3;f7 31 l:H1+. 28 'i!Vxe5 axb3 29 axb3

Black is a rook up, but he cannot free himself from the pin on dle knight along the eS-h8 diagonal.

29 ... b6 With the idea ... l'.IaS.

30 b4 1-0 and Black simply resigned as he has no

good answer to .un, ""inning back the rook, after which a deaJly attack on the dark squares will follow. 30 ... .i.b7 doesn't work either because of 31 ll:lxf6 'iixf6 32 .l:[d7+.

120

Puzzle 82 Tal-Ghitescu, Hungary 1963

&!yLopez

1 e4 e5 2 lLlf3 4Jc6 3 il..b5 a6 4 il..a4 lLlf6 5 0-0 il..e7 6 l:te1 b5 7 il..b3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 h6 10 d4 l:te8 11 lLlbd2 il..f8 12 lLlf1 il..d7 13lLlg3lLla5 14 il..c2 c5 15 b3 g6 16 il..e3lLlc6 17 d5 0,e7 18 'i!Vd2\t;h7 19 il..xc5!

TIus piece sacrifice is very promising: \'qh.ite obtains strong central control. 19 ... dxc5 20 lLlxe5 ttJc8 21 f4 'i!Ve7 22 c4! il..g7 23 lLlf3

23 .l:!.acll was both more natural and a bet· ter move. After 2.1 ... ll:ld6 24 ..Iil.d3 Black has a difficult position. 23 ... bxc4 24 bxc4 lLld6

Black gives back the piece to free himself. 25 e5 lLlxc4 26 'iWc3 .i.b5 27 J:Iad1 l:tadB 28 d6 4'lxd6 29 exd6 'ili'b7

29 ... ~tl\!? 30 lLle5 lLld7 31 lLlh5! .i.h8 32 "iJ'g3 lLlxe5 33 fxe5 ~d7 34 lLlf4! .i.xe5

35.:.txg6+! 111e only way, as Black threatened to sim­

plify wim exchanges. But it's certainly good enough! 35 ... ~h8

No better is 3S ... fxg6 36 ~xg<i+ \t>h8 37 l'.IxeS ILxeS 38 'ilVf6+. 36 .i.xf7 .i.d4+

Born 36 ... 'iixf7 37 ll:lg6+ and 36 ... ~xf4 37

.uxe8+ l:!.xe8 38 'ii'xf4 lead to a decisive ad­vantage for Wlute. 37 lIxd4! llxe1 + 38 'ili'xe1 "xf7

Or 38 ... cxd4 39 'ii'e5+ Wh7 40 'ii'e4+ Wh8 41 'iVg6! 'ii'xd6 42lt::1e6 and \Vhite mates. 39 "e5+ "g7 40 'ili'xe5

1be smoke has finally cleared and \X'bite remains two pawns ahead \vith a superior position. 40 ... ~e6 41 l:[d2 1-0

Puzzle 83 Tal-Matanovie. Moscow 1963

24 ~xf7! lIxf7 25 ~xg6

25 ..... d6 25 ... 'ii'xcl 26 iLxt7+ ~xf7 27 'ifh5+ wins

Black's queen. After, say, 27 .. .';J;;e7 28 'ifxe5+ <¥;t7 29 'iVe7+ 'ittg6 .,() l1xcl lhcl+ 31 Wh2 Black's uncoordinated amlY cannot put up ade<luate n:sistance. 26 ~xf7+ ~xf7 27 ~xe8 ~xe8 28 'ii'e2

Wbitt: has a rook and t\vo pawns for t\vo minor pieces, but m',re imponancly he has the initiativt:. The queen move thre-.uens the bishop on c8 and thus ,l,.]vt:s \'{bite time tu penetrate into Black's camp. 28 ... ~d7 29 'iVh7+ \Pt8 30 lte3 1-0

It should be noted that Tal was a true master with the heavy pieces. Positions like the above (a rook against bishop and knight) often appeared in his games, and he treated these positions brilliantly.

Solutions to Puzzles

Puzzle 84 Tal-Plaskett. Suchi 1984 bnglisb Opening

1 e4 e5 2 g3 tOe6 3 .JiI.g2 f5 4 e3 ~f6 5 lLle3 .JiI.b4 6 ~ge2 0-0 7 0-0 .JiI.xe3 8 ~xe3 f4 9 exf4 exf4 10 d4 fxg3 11 fxg3 d6 12 ~d5 h6 13 'it'd3 ~e6

1 4 ~xh61 .JiI.xd5 14 ... gxh6 fails to 15 'iVg6+ <'phil 16 It::Ixf6,

so Black tries something else. 15 exd5 tOb4 16 "g6 "e7 1 7 a3

17 ... lLle2 17 ... lt::Ibxd5 is strongly mt:t by 18 l:tat:l

'it'17 19 iLxd5!. 18 ~xg7 'it'xg7 19 'it'xe2

The combination is over, and Whitt: has a ""-inning matt:rial advantage. 19 ... 11ae8 20 llae1 ~g4 21 l:txf8+ llxf8 22 'ii'd2 'ii'g6 23 h3 llf2 24 "d1 1-0

121

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

A strong, quiet move - these are always the most difficult to find. Now Black threat­ens mate beginning with ... iLg4+. 37 ~xg6

37 .lth6 frees f4 for the king, but Black wins after 37 ... .ltg4+ 38 'it>f4 iLhS. Now \Vhite cannot both prevent mate on g4 and e3 in a reasonable way. 37 ... 'iVg4+ 38 ~f2 .xf4+ 39 ""g1 hxg6 0-1

Suddenly it is Black who has an extra piece!

Puzzle 90 Tal-Taimanov. Yerevan 1962

22 lbd7! ..Ii.xd7 23 ltxd7 'iWc4 24 b3 "iVf1 + 25 llld 1

Black cannot defend f7 without loss of material. 25 ... llld6 26 .xd6 'iVg2 27 'tWd5

\,('hite has a material superiority and the initiative. Black could have resigned ar this stage. 27 .. .'it>h8

27 ... .:£8 is answered with 28l:!.xf7!. 28 "xf7 l:tgB 29 'in15 'iWxe4 30 .iLf3 .f4+ 31 llle3 J:la6 32 ..Ii.d5 nb8 33 J:[f7 "iVd4 34 "iVf3 "iVa 1 + 35 'it'd2 'llVd4+ 36 ~e2 "iVc5 37 a4

White is ready to execute the final attack. 37 ... na7 38 g6 J:la6 39 l:txg71 llxg6

39 ... 'it>xg 7 leads to mate after 40 'ii f7+

124

'it>h6 41 'i¥xh7+ ~gS 42 h4+ 'it>f4 43 'ilkh6. 40 l:txg6 hxg6 41 'iYf6+ ~h7 1-0

Finally Black resigned.

Puzzle 91 Tal-Timman. Skopje Olympiad 1972 Pin- Do/i-nee

, lllf3 g6 2 e4 d6 3 d4 tLlf6 4 tLlbd2 ..Ii.g7 5 ..Ii.c4 0-0 6 'iYe2 c6 7 ..Ii.b3 ..Ii.g4 8 85 dxe5 9 dxe5 llld5 10 0-0 llld7 11 h3 ..Ii.f5 12 l:te1 'iWc7 13 lllf1 :Lad8 14 lllg3 ..Ii.e6 15 'iYe4 lUeS 16 'iVh4 f6 17 ..Ii.h6 lllxe5

1 B l:txe5! fxe5 19 l/Ig5 \X'hite threatens both the bishop on e6

'U1d capturing on h7 after an exchange of dark-sl.Juared bishops. 19 ... ..Ii.f6

Black cannot avoid material losses, as 1 () ... iLc8 loses to 20 .1b:g7 cj;xg7 21 .xh7+ Wtt, 22 l2JSe4+ wee. 23 ~xg6+ Wd7 24 lDc5

l1'~ltc.

20 ll'lxe6 1-0

Puzzle 92 Tal-8enko. Bled 1959 S c/J",id Benoni

1 e4 c5 2 ll'lf3 g6 3 d4 iLg7 4 d5 d6 5 ll'lc3 lllf6 6 ..Ii.b5+ lllbd7 7 a4 0-0 8 0-0 a6 9 ..Ii.e2 nb8 10 lle1 llle8 11 ..Ii.f4 Ci:Jc7 12 ..Ii.f1 b5 13 'ifd2 lIe8 14 h3 lDf6 15 .tIad1 ..Ii.d7

Black can ",in a pawn with IS ... b4 16 ttJbl lZ'lhS, but after 17 ~h2 ~xb2 18 eS White gets a strong initiative. 16 e5!?

16 axbS is a slightly better move. 16 ... b4 17 lLle4

17 ... lLlxe4 17 ... lZ'lfxdS is very dangerous li)r Black: 18

exd6 exd6 1<) .l1.c4! lLlxf4 (19 ... .l1.c6 is met by 20 li~hd6 with a big adyantage: all of White's pieces ar" well placed and the pressure on fl is unpleasam) 20 .il..xI7+! I.Pxfl 21 ttJxd6+ ~g8 22 lilxeH.

It is fi.1I1ny how these positions repeat themsc\\"es: again wt: han: (lne with rook and pawns \"t:rsus two minor pIeces. Tal played these positions well, but it should be noted that in many cases they came from a tactical se(luenct: what: he kept the initiat.ive after the material imbalance had been t:stablished. Play could continue:

a) 22 ... ttJxe8 23 'il¥xf4. Take a look at the wfferem:e in the activity of the pieces. ~'hite's (Iu"en eyes the ronk nn hR, the knight on e8 looks oJd and the pin on the d­file is annoying. Black will soon lose material.

b) 22 ... ttJcd5 23 ttJxg7 Wxg7 24l:te4 gives White a strong initiarive as weU. 111e Black knights look active, but in fact they are merely exposed. 18 l:[xe4 iixa4 19 iLh6! iLh8

On 19 ... il.xc2 White sacriliccs everything to mate the black king: 20 Ith4! il.xd I 21

Solutions to Puzzles

.l1.xg7 ..Itxf3 22 'iVh6 .l1.h5 23 ltxhS! gxhS 24 'iVgS and mate will soon follow. 20 l:[de1 f6?

Better was 20 ... e6! 21 dx,,6 llxe6 22 ttJgS dxc5 and Black has no problems. 21 e6 f5 22 :h4 ~xb2

23 iU8! lbf8 24 'ilVh6 \,"'hire is winning, as Black has no good

way to defend h7. The pawn on e6 is a thorn in RIack's side, di~;ding the board in two and rhus pre,·cnring him from getting more dc­fcnsi\"e forces to the kingside. 24 ... :f7

1\ sad necessity. 25 exf7+ o;t>xf7 26 'ilVxh7+ ~g7 27 l:I.h6 'ilVg8 28 't!i"xg6+ .ti8 29 lLlg5 'iVxd5 30 l:h8+! 1-0

Black resigned in view of 30 ... il.xh8 31 0:Jh7 mat,,!

Puzzle 93 Khasin-Tal. Leningrad 1956 Sid/i,m Defonce

1 e4 c5 2 liJf3 lLlc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLlxd4 lLlf6 5 4:\c3 d6 6 ~c4 e6 7 0-0 a6 8 ~e3 'ilVc7 9 ~b3 ~e7 10 f4 b5 11 f5 lLlxd4 12 'ilVxd4 0-0 13 fxe6

13 lXad 1 is suggested as an improvement by Koblencs. 13 ... ~xe6

After 13 ... &e6 14 llJds lLlxdS 15 il.xd5 Wbite has a small advantage due to Black's

125

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

somewhat exposed central pawns. 14 l:I.ad1 l:I.ac8 15 'it>h1 l:lfd8 16 lLld5 .i.xd5 17 exd5 lLld7 18 'iWf4 ~f6 19 ~d4 l:te8

After 19".iLxd4 20 .l:!.xu4 lDe5 21 c3 J::!.e8 22 iLc2 the domination of the dark squares and a strong knight on e5 promises Black good prospects at first glance. However, \X'hite's play on the kingside is not to be un­derestimated and indeed \'IV'hite's chances are preferable. 20 c3 ,!;te7 21 ~c2 ..iil.xd4 22 'iWh4

Better was the simple 22 ~xd4. 22 ... lLlf8 23,!;txd4

In this position it is more difficult for \Vhite to create play against Black's king. The position is unclear. 23 ... :e2 24 .)tf5 ~ce8 25 J:rb4 ~d2 26 ~e4 'iWe7 27 'i!fe1?

This move drops a pawn. \"''hite should ha.ve continued 27 'it'f4 ':e2 28 'it'S. 27 ... l:txd5 28 ~f2 l:te5 29 .)td3 lLld7 30 ,!;tf4 lLlc5!

Black has won a pawn, and now the knight enters the game with great effect. Black has an almost decisive advantage. After Willte's next move, there is no longer any doubt! 311bf7?

Slightly better for White was 31 ~bl J::!.e2 32 'it's :el, although his position remains very difficult. 31 ... lLlxd3 32 'iWf3

126

32 .. .1:1e1! 33 'iWd5 Or 33 I:txe7 !!'xft+ 34 'iYxft ~xe7 fol­

lowed by "J;tel and Black wins . 33 ... ~xf7

Also possible was 33".'&t>hB with the iuea 34 "xd3 'iii'x£7! and Black wins. 34 'iWxf7 + 'it>h8

Again White cannot prevent the loss of his queen due to the threat of ".l:::te! after th" exchange on ft. 35 ..t>g1 l:txf1 + 36 'iWxf1

Note that 36 ~xft lite! is matc! 36 .. .1:[e1 0-1

Puzzle 94 Evans-Tal. Amsterdam 1964 Siaiian Defonce

1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 e6 3 lLlc3 a6 4 .l1l.e2 b5 5 d4 cxd4 6 lLlxd4 ~b7 7 a3 'iWc7 8 0-0 lLlf6 9 'iWd3 d6 10 .)tg5 lLlbd7 11 'iWe3 ~e7 1211ad1 0-013 f4 ,l;!.ac8 14 g4lllb6 15 .)txf6 S<.xf6 16 g5 ~xd4

16".iLe7 appears to be too slow after 17 f5 e5 18 lDb3! 4:lc4 19 iLxc4 bxc4 2U f6 cxb3 21 fxe7 iYxe7 22 cxb3 and \Vhite has a go<xl position. 17 ,l;!.xd4 e5 18 lld2 exf4 19 llxf4 llfe8 20 'Wf2 ~e7!

An interesting option was 20 ... d5!? 21 exd5 lDxd5 22 lDxd5 SL.xu5 23 l:txd5 l.'txe2 24 'it'xe2 ~xf4 25 c3, when Black shmtld be slightly better due to \Vhitc's exposed king. The move in the game is stronger though. 21 h4

Not 21 'iVxb6? 'iVxg5+ with the point 22 l::tg4 'iii'xJ2 23 'iVxb7 ~xc3 24 bxc3 'iVxe2 and Black wins due to White's many we.'lk­nesses. 21 ... lLlc4 22 .l1I.xc4 J:1xc4 23 l1d4 l:I.ec8 24 l:txc4 llxc4 25 'iWa7 'iWd7 26 Wf2 d5?!

27 lLlxd5 Here White had a chance to stay in the

game with 27 %1£5 dxe4 28 ,l;[dS e3+ 29 <;i;>et 'if c 7 30 'it' xe3! 30".iLc6 wi th unclear CO!'lse-

quences.

27 ... :'xc2+ 2B ..t>g3 ':'cB 29 l:tf6 29 hS?! is a bad idea after 29 .. .1:(d8 30 h6

~xd5 31 'li'd4 and \,\'hite's pressure against g7 is non-existent. After 3L.1i'h3+ 32 'it>xh3 iLe6+ followed by .. Jlxd3 Black wins the endgame easily. 29 ... :'aB 30 'tWcS l:tdB 31 l:tb6 ~xdS 32 exdS 'tWfS 33 'iWd6 'tWd3+ 34 ~g2 'lVc2+ 3S ·J;>g3 'tWb3+ 36 Wf4 :'eB 37 :'b8?

\Vhite's desire to exchange rooks is under· standable due to his exposed king, but better was 37 'tIfeS. After 37 ... 'iWc4+ 38 'it>g3 'irc8 39 'iWd4 g6!, howeyer, Black still has every chance to convert his advantage to a full point. 37 ... 'iWe3+ 38 'it>g4

3B ... fS+! 39 gxf6 And nut 39 'it>hS? when lhe game is ter·

minated by 39 ... 'ir£3 mate! 39 ... hS+ 40 <l.'xhS

Again White has to take the bait. as 40 'it;>f5 'iWe4+ 41 ~g5 'ifg4 is male. 4O .. :.f3+ 41 Wg5 'ii'xf6+!

This little combinative trick is logical. as it 5hows lhe immobility of Wbite's <{ueen: Af· ter \Vhite played l:r.b8, his queen momentarily lost the ability to work anywhere other than on the h2-b8 diagonal. Black used the in­flexibility of \1V'hite's queen to win the game quickly. 42'IVxf6 gxf6+ 43 Wxf6 .lb:b8 44 d6

Black still has to play precisely for another couple of moves.

Solutions to Puzzles

44 ... ~B 4S h5 l:tb7 46 'it>e6 l:!.h7! 47 ~dS

47 u7 2:1h6+ foliowed by ... ~e7 wins. 47 .. .'.t.>eB 48 <;Pe6 .J;'dB 0-1

Puzzle 9S Nogueiras·Tal. Brussels 19HH

26 ... l:!.dS! 0-1 \1G'hite resigned, although he can still fighl

on in dle ellUh'llme after 27 tDxf7 l:txd3 28 tDgS l:1.xd+ 29 lXxc::l Itd2. \'>;!ith an cxtr'l pawn plus an actin' rook, mack has every chance [0 win the game.

The continuation 2( •... %txcl+ 27 J:txd :dS! 28 li'Ixti llxd3 is hetter for Black as well, blll the main continuation reduces \Vhite's "ptillns.

Puzzle 96 Tal-Donner. Wijk aan Zee 196H F ren(h De(f1Icc

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 lLIe3 ib4 4 eS cS S a3 .>txc3+ 6 bxc3 'ii'e7 7 ttJf3 b6 B a4 ~a6 9 .i.xa6 li)xa6 10 'lVe2 I'llbB 11 as bxaS 1 2 .>ta3 lLId7 13 dxc5 I'lle 7 14 c6! 14 .. :ii'xc6 lS 0-0 'iVxe3 16 lIfdl .!Dc6 17 ~d6 'ii'e4 1 B 'lie3 'ife4 19 'lVb3 ttJb6 20 c4! 'lVxc4 21 'lVa3 'iVa6 22 lIacl lIcB 23 .!Dd21 f6

Another possibility was 23 ... tDd4 24 <bh \! 24 ... tDf5 25 Axc8+ 'iWxcs 26 1:1c1 iVd8 27

127

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

.i.cs f6 28 'iVxaS fxeS 291Wxa7 lfjd7 30 ~a3 tD.e7 31 l:I.c7 and White has a winning posi­tion as Black is unable to free himself with­out great losses. 24 exf6 gxf6 25 "iWf3 >ttd7

Other options are: a) 2S ... ~f7?! 26 1i'hS+ cj;g7 27 l:lc3 and

the rook joins the attack. b) 25 ... lfjd7 261Wg4 "'d8 271Wxe6l:te8 28

'ilixdS 'lWe2 29 lfjc4 'lWe6 30 lfjxa5! 'iixd5 31 lfjb7 mate. 26 "iWxf6 J:[he8

Had Black played 26 .. .'it>xd6 instead then the following line was possible: 27 lfje4+ 'Yt;;c7 28 lfjc5 'iWe2 29 'ifg7+ 'it>d6 30 lfjb7 mate. Very nice indeed!

27 lLle4 Also possible is 27 'iVt7+ lfje 7 28 lfje4, al­

though it is not at all de.lr whether the queen should be on f7 or not. In the game Black played . ..EDe7 anyway, so maybe "Iif7 is just a waste of time. J iowever, \~te's position is probably still winning. 27 ... lLle7

If Black plays 27 ... dxe4 the execution ",>ill take place on the dark squares: 28 'ifg7+ lfje7 (or 28 ... l:.e7 29 ixe7+ lfjd5 30 ig5+ ~e8 31 .:xd5 exd5 32 liIxc6 and mate on e7) 29 ~xe7+ lfjd5 30 if6+ ~d6 31 ~e5 mate. 28 lLlc5+ J:[xc5 29 ~xc5 lLlc4 30 ..i.xe7 1-0

Black resigned due to the line 30 ... l:Lce7 31 l:.xd5+.

128

Puzzle 97 Tal-Schmidt. Cologne 1981

39lLlxf7! l:txf7 40 lLlxg6 J:[xg6 After 40 ... 'iVe8 a possible continuation is

41 lfjxh4+ 'it>fE 42 tDg6+ ~g7 43 l:g3 with numerous thn:ats. 41 "iWxg6+ 'iPf8 42 J:[xf7+ "iWxf7 43 "iWh6+ "iWg7 44 "iWxh4

White has transformed his attack into a favourable endgame. The rook and three pawns dearly outweigh Black's two knights. White also still has prospects of attack against the bare enemy king. 44 ... ~e8 45 ~d3 "iWa7 46 ..Itxc4 bxc4 47 l:te3

Logical play by Tal. After the exchange on c4 the rook joins in the arrack. 47 ... ..Itf7 48 J:[f3 ""e8 49 "iWh8+ ~e7 50 g4lLld8

SO ... 'iixd4 51 1Wf6+ ~vins the bishop. 51 g5 "iWxd4 52 g6!

White plays as actively as possible. 52 ... ..i.xg6 53 .f8+ 'it>d7 54 '/Wd6+ IPcS 55 J:[f8 'i¥h4 56 "iWxe6+ ""c7 57 1Wd6+ ~c8 58 'iWxg6 1-0

Puzzle 98 Tal-NN. England (Simultaneous) 1974

16 lLlxe6!1 ..Ite7 If Black accepts the queen sacrifice with

16 ... hxg4, White's attack becomes very dan-

geruus: 17 ~xb5+ We7 (not 17 ... axbS?? 18 'Dc7 matel) 18 'Dxf8+ 'ife6 (again Black is mated after 18 .. .'~xf8 19 l:tdl) 19 lLIxe6 fxe6 (Black has survived the first srorm, but the next is already on the way) 20 ~c4 and \Vhite has a pawn plus the initiative. Still, this would have been a better chance for Black.

After the game continuation, Tal con­cludes the attack in classical fashion. 17 il..xb5+!

17 ~g3!? was also strong. 17 ... axb5 18lLlc7+ 1-0

Black is mated after 18 .. .'~H! 19 .l:tdS+! ~xdS 2011e8.

Puzzle 99 Tal-Speelman, Reykjavik 1988 Modrm Dtftnce

1 e4 d6 2 d4 g6 3 4:lf3 il..g7 4 iLe2 4:lf6 5 4:lc3 0-0 6 0-0 c5 7 d5 lLla6 8 :l.e1 4:lc7 9 il..f4 b5

\X'ith this tactic Black has freed his posi­tion and ellualises. 10 4:lxb5 4:lxe4 11 t"iJxc7 'ilxc7 12 iLc4 4:lf6 13 :l.b 1 lIe8 14 h3 a5 15 'ifd2 'ifb6 16 :e3 .!ta6 17 i.:.)(a6 'iifKa6 18 :be1 <M8 194:1g5 "ifb7 20 c4 'ifb4 21 'ife2 h6

22lLlxf71! Typical Tal - W"hite now seizes the initia­

tive. 22 .l:tb3 hxgS! was less clear. 22 .. .'otxf7 23 llb3!

The following rook manoeuvre is the bril-

Solutions to Puzzles

liam point of \Xrute's play. 23 ... 'ifa4 24 'ile6+ Iiif8 25 :l.b7

Wllite only wants to exchange rooks after l:txe7 under more advantageous circum­stances. Now ~xd6 is threatened, and it turns out that Black has no good way of de­fending this square. 25 ... 'ifxc4

Or: a) 2S ... :1ac, 26 :txt:i the7 27 'iWxe7+ c;!;>gR

28 ~xh6!? and the rook on a6 looks rather stupid, far away from the kingside. 28 'iWb7 is another way ot exploiting the rook's awk­ward position.

b) 2S ... :tadS? f.uls to 26 :txe7 .l:lxe7 27 'iVxe7+ and the rook on d8 is hanging. 26 il..xd6 lOg8 27 ':e3 iLf6 28 :l.f3 Iiig7 29 iLxe7

Another good option W,15 29 ~e5, as Black cannot defend e7 anyv:ay. After 29 ... :ta6 30 ~xf6+ 'Dxf6 31 .the7+ :txe7 3~ 'iVxe7+ 'it>g8 33 el6 \X'hite's attack is decisive. 29 ... lIxe7 30 :I.)(e7+ 4:lxe7

Or J(L~xe7 31 :17+ 'it'h8 .12 'Wx!,>u and it's soon mate. Notice how \X·rutt: attacks Black on the light squares. 31 'jir'Kf6+ '.tg8 32 'iff7+ <j;h8 33 'WIxe7

\'\rute has restored material e<juality but, as 111 m,my other cases, the attacking player kccps the initiau\·c. Black is dcfenceless against tbc' final assault from the: rook and queen. 33 ... 'Wxd5 34 J:l.f7 1-0

Puzzle 100 Tal-Hjartarson, Rc:ykjavik 1987 lVry IflpeZ

1 e4 e5 2 4:lf3 t"iJc6 3 iLb5 a6 4 ~a4 4:lf6 5 0-0 iLe7 6 :e1 b5 7 ~b3 0-0 8 c3 d6 9 h3 4:la5 10 Jic2 c5 11 d4 'ilic7 12 4:lbd2 Jid7 13 4:lf1 cxd4 14 cxd4 lIac8 15 4:le3 4:lc6 16 d5 4:lb4 17 Jib1 a5 18 a3 4:la6 19 b4 g6 20 Jid2 axb4 21 axb4 'tWb7 22 iLd3 4:lc7 23 4:lc2 4:lh5 24 iLe3 l:ta8 25 'ii'd2 J:l.xa1 26 4:lxa1 f5 27 iLh6

129

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

lllg7 28 ~b3 f4 29 It:\a5 'li'b6 30 ':c1 :a8 31 'ilc2 ~ce8 32 'ifb3 .1<.f6 33 ~c6 ~h5 34 'lWb2 ~g7 35 i<.xg7 \t>xg7 36 l:tc611

A traditional Tal sacrifice, which surpris­ingly wins the b-pawll. However there are some imponant details that needs to be cov­ered. 36 ... 'ifa6 37 ':xb5

37 1:tc3!? gives White a clear edge. 37 ... li:Jc7

Or 37 ... iLxc6 38 u.xc6 lLlc7 3'1 naSi ..wxd3 40 :xaSlbxa8 41 'iVaI!, ,-vhich forces Black to seek counterplay with the rather desperate 41...tLlg3!? However, this loses after 42 fxg3 fxg3 43 'iVa 7+ 'it>h6 44 'it>h I!, when Black has no defence againsr the white pawns.

that Black is worse! 38 ... 'ifxd3 39 ~cxe51

39 lbfxe5? 'ifd1+ 40 <;t>h2 .i.xc6 41 lbxc6+ lbf6 42 e5 :xbS 43 exf6+ ~t7 44 lbxbS 'ii'xd5 and Black is still in the game. 39 ...• d1+

Or 39 ... dxe5 40 'iVxeS+ lbf6 41 'ii'e7+ ..t>h6 42 i¥f8+ 'it>h5 43 'iVxf6 and White wins. 40 ~h2 .:I.a1

Black's last chance is this counterattack, but now Tal has a forced mate in five. 41 lDg4+ I!.>f7 42 liJh6+ ~e7 43 liJg8+! 1-0

Black resigned in view of 43 .. :"'17 44 lbg5 [nate!

Puzzle 101 Tal-Szymczak. Lublin 1974

32 J:!.xd6! :tc1 + 32 .. :"e5 33 'iVg8+ 'it>e7 34l:1d7+ lbxd7 35

'iYxcH lDf6 36 'iVxb7+ lLlc7 37 'iVb4+ 'iVd6 38 'iVxa4 and \x'hite has a winning endgame. 33 ~h2 'lWe5+ 34 f4 'li'xd6

Black's queen is away from the action, and now her counterpart takes over. 35 'li'g8+ l!.>e7 36 'li'e8+ 'it7f6 37 ~h5l!

This is the real point behind \X'hite's play. Mate on t7 is threatened, and Black has no h'Oud defence. Neither of the black knights are helpful, and both rook and ~lueen mo\'es also fail, as we shall see. 37 ... 'li'xe6

Or: a) After 37 ... .:c7 rhe rook blocks the es­

cape route for the king: 3H 'i6'g6+ cj;e7 39 'iff7+ 'it>d8 40 'iVcR mare!

b) 37 ... 'fiIc7 is answered \vith 38 e7! "xe7 39 'iVb>{) mate. 38 'li'f8+ 1-0

It's mate next move

Puzzle 102 38 l:lb8!! Tal-Andersson. Stockholm 1976

38 lbfxe5 'i6'a 1+ 39 'i!fxa 1 l::txa 1+ 40 Wh2 It'lxb5 41 lbxd7 It'lc3 and it's not at all clear 25 ~b6!

130

The idea behind this move is to leave the black knight unprotected; this will be of sig­nificance later 011. The straightforward 25 'i!Vh6 is not dangerous for Black: 25 ... .!':!.g8 26 l:!.h4 (26 ~xh7+?? Wxh7 27 .!':!.h4+ is not mate: 27 ... 'ifhS! and Black wins) 26 ... tLlrn and Black survives. 25 ... ~c8

Of course not 25 . ..lLlxb6? 26 'i!Vh6 .l:tg8 27 .!':!.h4 and White wins. TI1e knight is heading for fS, and therefore the bishop on b6 cannot be captured. 26 'iWh6 J:[g8

27 l:.d4! nus is the point: Black's C]ll(::en cannot

simultaneously protect the knight on d7 and the h5-square. 27 ... lt:lxb6

27 .. Y'§c6 loses directly to 28 'iWxh7+! fol­lowed by mate. 28 J:[xd5 It:lxd5 29 1:[f3 J:[c3

The only defence >lhraU1st the queen sacri­fice on h7, but now \Vlute simply ",-ins posi­tionally. Black hasn't adcl]uatc compensation for the queen. 30 .I:lxc3 It:lxc3 31 'i!Ve3 b4 32 'Wa7 ~f8 33 'iWc5 1:[b8 34 'Wd6 1-0

Puzzle 103 Tal-Kupreichik. Soviet Championship, Moscow 1969

30 It:lxh7! ~xh7 31 il..xf7

Solutions to Puzzles

The threat on g6 can only be prevented by Black's next move. 31...'it>g7? 32 'iWxg6+ 'it>rn 33 'iYxf6 is of course just bad, and White will mate very 50011.

31 ... J:lg8 32 ~xg8+ ~xg8 33 it'xg6+ ~g7 34 h4

White has four (!) passed pawn for the bishop. Black's only counterplay is to create a passed pawn on the queenside, but this plan is simply too slow. 34 .. :i!Vc3 35 h5 'litf6 36 'ti'xf6! ~xf6 37 ..t;>f3

\Vl1ite's king fights against Black's passed pawn on the queenside - White's four passed pawns need no help from the king. 37 ... ~f7 38 ~e4 '>te6 39 f4 a5

After 39 ... a6 40 g4 bS 41 cxb5 axb5 42 gS .l1I.a1 43 f5+ 'it>f7 44 'ittdS the endgame is easily "'-inning for \Vlute. 40 g4 b5 41 cxb5 1-0

Puzzle 104 Tal-Gedevanishvili. Georgia 1970 Akkbine De/elle<

1 e4 It:lf6 2 e5 It:ld5 3 It:lc3 e6 4 d4 It:lxc3 5 bxc3 d6 6 f4 c5 7 ttJf3 cxd4 8 cxd4 dxe5 9 fxe5 il..b4+ 1 0 ~d2 'lWa5 11 ~d3 It:lc6 120-0 ixd2 13 It:lxd2 'lWc3 14 J:1f4 0-0 15 Wh1 It:le7 16 It:le4 'ii'b2 17 J:tb1 "iltxa2

18lt:lf6+! gxf6 19 ~xh7+ ~h8 Black tries to prevent the wlute queen

131

Mlkhsil Tsl: Tactical Genius

joining in the attack. If 19 ... ~xh7 20 'ifhS+ ~g8 21 l:tgl Black has no defence against White's numerous threats. 20 .l::th4~g7

21 "iVc1! The ljueen enters dle attack Oil the dark

sCluares, whilst protecting the rook on b 1. 21 ... lLlg8 22 .i.xg8 1-0

Black resigned, as the only way to avoid mate is to sacrifice the queen, which is of course hopeless.

Puzzle 105 Tal-Averbakh. Riga 1961 Rlty Lopez

1 e4 e5 2 lLlf3 lLlc6 3 .i.b5 a6 4 .i.a4 lLlf6 5 0-0 .i.e7 6 .l::te1 b5 7 .i.b3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 .!Z:la5 10 .i.c2 c5 11 d4 "iVc7 12 lLlbd2 .!Z:lc6 13 dxc5 dxc5 14 lLlf 1 %:dB 1 5 'ife2 g6 16 lLle3 l1bB 17 lLlg5

Whi te eyes the f7 -square. It is hard to say how far Tal saw when he played this move, bur positionally it is sound and logical. Should Black chase away the knight, his king­side will be weakened further. The position is quite closed, so there is time for such ma­noeuvring. 17 ... .i.fB 18 W'f3

But from here Tal must have seen me game continuation, as the knight cannot re­treat anymore. 1B .•. .i.g7 19 lLld5! 'iVd6

132

19 ... lLIxdS 20 exdSlLIaS was worth a try.

20 .\te3 h6 21 lLlxf6+ .i.xf6 . 21...'iVxf6 is stronger, although White is

dearly better after 22 'iVxf6 .ltxf6 23 lLIo. Both c5 and h6 are hanging, and it is hard to believe that Black's activiry on the queenside is adequate compensation. 22 ':'ad1 "iVe7

23 .i.xc5! nxd1 24 l::txd1 'iVxc5 25 "iVxf6 hxg5

Black is a piece up, but now the white bishop comes alive. 26.iLb3!

This is a brilliant square. After the sacrifice Black no longer has ... c5-c4. 26 ... .:.b7 27 "iVxg6+ ~B 28 'ii'h6+ 1-0

Black n:signed ,mel a closer look at the po­sition shows that this decision is nor toO

early. A possible line is 28 ... <j;eH 29 l:I.d5! (forcing Black's 'Iueen 10 a much inferior sljuare) 2<J .. :i!t'h6 30 l:!.d6 :Xc7 (or 3() ... ~d7 31 "ii'h8+ <j;e7 32 "*f6+ 'it>e8 33 ~xf7+ and mate within a few moves) 31 'ifh8+ <i;e7 32 f!h6!. \X'hite's rook has worked its way into Black's position and now 'ilff6 foUowed by 1:[h8 is threatened. Because of Black's bad piece coordination, this threar is decisive.

Puzzle 106 Tal-Hecht. Vama Olympiad 1962 .Qllcm S Indiall Defence

1 d4 lLlf6 2 c4 86 3 lLlf3 b6 4 lDc3 .i.b4

5 ~g5 ~b7 6 e3 h6 7 3Lh4 3Lxc3+ 8 bxc3 d6 9 lLld2 e5 10 f3 "e7 11 e4 lLlbd7 12 ~d3 lLlf8 13 c5

An interesting pawn sacrifice. White opens up the position and forces Black to

place a pawn on c5 before the Black knight reaches eG. 13 ... dxc5 14 dxe5 "xe5

The queen is vulnerable here, and W'hite will win another tempo later on with It:Ic4. 15 "a4+ c6?

15 ... lt:I6d7 is better. StiU, \Vhite has the ini­tiative after 16 'if' c2. 160·0

16 •.. lLlg6 The greedy 16 .. :iixc3?! is very dangerous,

as it helps White develop the initiative at a price of only a pawn. Both 17 ii..a6 and 17 It:Ic4 bS 18 It:Id6+ 'iPd7 19 It:IxbS cxb5 20 iLxb5+ are possible, and with Black's king

Solutions to Puzzles

stuck in the centre, he will face problems.

17lLlc4 "e6 17 ... b5? is bad in ,;ew of 18 lDxeS bxa4 19

It:Ixg6 fxg6 20 e5 and ,,;th bishop pair, an active position and strong central pawns, \Vhite has a winning advantage.

After 17 ... 'ti'e6 \VIlite begins a very deep combination. 18 eS! bS 19 exf61! bxa4 20 fxg7·:g8

21 3Lf51! Simply fantastic! White offers Black fur­

ther material. 21 ... lLlxh4

'There are three main alternatives that Tal had to consider:

a) After 2l...'if'xc4 While wins by force: 22 .:tfeH 'if'e6 23 l::txe6+ fxe6 24 ~xgG+ 'it>d7 25 1:1..1 1+ <t;c7 (there arc no prospects after 25 ... <l;dl 26 ~(6) 26 ~g.1+ It>b6 27 %:tbH 'it>a6 2H ~d3+ It>a5 29 Sl..c7 mate!

b) 21...'iVxfS 22 It:Id6+ Wd7 23 It:IxfS It:Ixh4 24 %:tad 1+. One brilliant point about the sacrifice Tal made was that he had seen that he would evcn gain an advantage in the arising endgames, mainly due to his activity, but also the stmemral plusses as Black's queenside pawns arc weak. 24 ... <.t>e7 25 It:Ixh4 l:I.xg 7 26 Afe I and White has great chances to convett his advantage into a full point.

c) 2l...lt:Ixh4 22 .i.xe6 fxe6 23 It:Id6+ was probably Black's best try. Still, \'V'h.ite is much better ,-yhen his knight arrives at c5 after

133

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

joining in the attack. 1 f 19 .. .cJi)xh 7 20 'lih5+ <it>g8 21 Ag1 Black has no defence against White's numerous threats. 20 .l:l.h4 <j,;g7

21 'iWc1! The queen enters the attack on the dark

squares, whilst protecting the rook on bI. 21 ... lLlg8 22 .i.xg8 1-0

Black resigned, as the only way to avoid mate is to sacrifice the queen, which is of course hopeless.

Puzzle 105 Tal-Averbakh, Riga 1961

RtryLopez

1 e4 e5 2 lLlf3 lLlc6 3 Ab5 a6 4 Aa4 lLlf6 5 0-0 Ae7 6 .l:e1 b5 7 Ab3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 lLla5 10 Ac2 c5 11 d4 "iic7 12 lLlbd2 lLlc6 13 dxc5 dxc5 14 lLlf1 .l:d8 15 'li'e2 g6 16 lLle3 l:tb8 17 lLlg5

White eyes the f7-square. It is hard to say how far Tal saw when he played this move, but positionally it is sound and IOlo,rica!. Should Black chase away the knight, his king­side will be weakened further. Tne position is quite closed, so there is time for such ma­noeuvring. 17 ... .i.f8 18 'lif3

But from here Ta! must have seen the game continuation, as the knight cannot re­treat anymore. 18 ... Ag7 19 lLld5! 'iWd6

132

19 ... lOxd5 20 exd5 lOa5 was worth a try. 20 .i.e3 h6 21 lLlxf6+ AxfS

21..:iVxf6 is stronger, although White is clearly better after 22 li'xf6 .li.xf6 23 ltJD. Both c5 and h6 are hanging, and it is hard to believe that Black's activity on the queenside is adequate compensation. 22 llad1 'lie7

23 Axc5! .l:xd1 24 llxd1 ~xc5 25 "iVxf6 hxg5

Black is a piece up, but now the whire bishop comes alive. 26 Ab3!

TIus is a brilliant s<.Juare. After the saCrifice Black no longer has ... c5-c4. 2S .. Jlb7 27 '/WxgS+ ~f8 28 'iWhS+ 1-0

Black resigned and a closer look at the po­sition shows that this decision is not too early. 1\ possible line is 28 ... WeI:1 29 .l:I.d5! (forcing Black's clueen to a much inferior sCluare) 29 .. :ti'b6 30 11d6 I:!.c7 (or 30 ... .li.d7 :'1 'ifhS+ We7 32 'iff6+ 'it>e8 33 .li.xf7+ and mate within a few moves) 31 'iVh8+ 'it>e7 32 llh6!. \'\'lute's rook has worked its wa\' into Black's position and now ~f6 fo\low~d by nhS is threatened. Because of Black's bad piece coordination, tlus threat is decisive.

Puzzle 10S Tal-Hecht, Varna Olympiad 1962 Quem s Indian Dqence

1 d4 lLlfS 2 c4 eS 3 iLlf3 bS 4 lLlc3 ~b4

5 ~g5 ~b7 6 e3 h6 7 ~h4 ~xc3+ 8 bxc3 d6 9 lDd2 e5 10 f3 'IJIe7 11 e4 It:\bd7 12 ~d3 lLlf8 13 c5

An interesting pawn sacrifice. \Vhite opens up the position and forces Black to place a pawn on c5 before the Black knight reaches e6. 13 ... dxc5 14 dxe5 "xe5

The ljueen is vulnerable here, amI \~rute will win another tempo later on ",,-jth tLlc4. 15 "a4+ c6?

15 ... tLl6d7 is better. Still, \Vhite has the ini­tiative after 16 'ii'c2. 160-0

16 ... lt:\g6 The greedy 16 ... 'iVxc3?! is very dangerous,

as it helps White develop the initiative at a price of only a pawn. Both 17 ~a6 and 17 tLlc4 b5 18 tLld6+ 'it>d7 19 tLlxb5 cxb5 20 ~xb5+ are possible, and with Black's king

Solutions to Puzzles

stuck in the centre, he will face problems. 17 lLlc4 'lIVe6

17 ... b5? is bad in ,iew of 18lOxe5 bxa4 19 lOxg6 tXg6 20 e5 and with bishop pair, an active position and strong central pawns, \X'hite has a winning ad,-antage.

After 17 .. :ife6 \'(;rute begins a very deep combination. 18 e5! b5 19 exf6!! bxa4 20 fxg7'llg8

21 ~f5!! Simply fantastic! \X'rute offers Black fur­

ther materiaL 21 ... lLlxh4

There are three main altemath-es that Tal had to consider:

a) After 2 t..:ifxc4 WlUte -wins by force: 22 .u.fe1+ 'iWe6 23 %he6+ fxe6 24 iLxg6+ 'it'd7 25 .u.dI+ Wc? (there are no prospects after 25 ... ~d:\ 26 ~(6) 26 ~g3+ ~b6 27 l:tb1+ ~a6 2~ ~d3+ ~a5 29 ~c7 mate!

b) 2L.'ifxf5 22 tLld6+ ~d7 23 lbxf5 tLlxh4 24 l'ladl+. One brilliant point about the sacrifice Tal made was that he had seen that he would even gain an alh-antage in the arising endgames, mainly due to his activit)', but also [he structural plusses as Black's queensiJe pawns are weak. 24 ... ~c7 25 tLlxh4 l:txg7 26 Itfe1 and White has great chances to convert his advantage into a full point.

c) 2LtLlxh4 22 ~xe6 fxe6 23 lOd6+ was probably Black's best try. Still, White is much better when his knight arrives at c5 after

133

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

ti:Jxb7. 22 ~xe6 ~a6!? 23 llJd6+ IPe7 24 ~c4! l:I.xg7 25 g3

'X!hite is practically a pawn up on the kings ide due to Black's pawn weaknesses on the other wing. 25 ... lPxd6 26 ~xa6 llJf5 27 l:I.ab1 f6 28 ;;tfd1 + lPe7 29 l:I.e1 + 'it>d6 30 IPf2

Take a look at ""'hite's active pieces and compare them to Black's! 30 ... c4 31 g4 llJe7 32 l:I.b7 l:tag8 33 ~xc4 llJd5 34 ~xd5 cxd5 35 l:lb4 l:lc8

35 ... £5, with active play on the kingside, was a better try. 36 l:I.xa4 l:I.xc3 37 l:I.a6+ 'it>c5 38 .I:lxf6 h5 39 h3 hxg4 40 hxg4l:1.h7 41 g5

Now White is wiIUling. 41 ... l:th5 42 l:I.f5 l:I.c2+ 43 Ii'g3 Ii'c4 44 l:I.ee5 d4 45 g6 l:I.h1 46 l:tc5+ IPd3 47 l:I.xc2 ~xc2 48 <M4 .I:lg1 49 .1:I.g5 1-0

A brilliant game by Tal!

Puzzle 107 Tal-Korchnoi. Reykjavik 191-17

34llJh6+! IPg7 354:lfg4 hxg4 36l:txf7+! TIle point of the combination: \\'hitc ob­

tains a decisive attack for the piece. 36 .. .'~xh6 37 'ii'xfS+ <;t>g5 38 h4+ 'iilxh4 39 'ili'h6+ 'ifh5 40 g3+ IPxg3 41 'ii'f4+ q,;,h4 42 'l!kf2+ g3 43 l:I.f4+ 'it>g5 44 'ii'xg3+ IPh6 45 l:th4

\'Vlute "'IDS Black's queen, and his material advantage decides. 45 ... :'xe4 46 l:I.xh5+ IPxh5 47 'l!kxc7

The rest is easy and needs no commen­tary. 47 ... llJe6 48 'iWb7 l:I.e5 49 a4 4:lf4 50 'ilVf3+ IPg5 51 b4 l:I.e1 + 52 1to>t2 l:I.b1 53 b5 l:I.b2+ 54 lPe1 Wf5 55 'iWc3 J:tb4 56 b6 llJd5 57 'ilVcS+ 1-0

Puzzle 108 Tal-Golombek. Munich Olympiad 1951-1

30 l:tf4! bxc5

134

Or 30 ... ti:JdS 31 llxh4 ti:Jxf6 (u.Js is the point: Black wants to remove the arUloying f6-pawn; he then hopes to exchan!,'I! knights and obtain some time to free himself) 32 'ifxf6 Itxh4 (but unforrunately for Black, White has a very strong reply) 33 ti:Jxe6+! We8 34 ti:Jg7+ 'it'f8 3Sll"lxfS! and White wins, as the knight is very powerful on fS. If 35 ... ~h7, the rook on d1 joins in the attack at"h:r 36 "1!ke7+ 'it'g8 37 J:td3. One beautiful finish is 37 ... 'iib8 '38 l:lg3+! 'ifxg3 39 ~xd8 mate! 31 l:I.xh4

White forces the rook away from the pro· tection of g 7 and then forces mate. 31 ... l:txh4 32 'ilVg7+ <;!;eS 33 'ii'g8+ \t>d7 34 'l1fxf7+ IPd6 35 'l!ke7+ 1-0

Black resigned, as he will be matetl.

Puzzle 109 Kudrin-Tal. Titograd 191-14

22 ... l:I.c4! 23 'ii'xa7 l:h4 TIus is the point. Now \'<'hite cannot

avoid perpetual check. 24 gxh4 'l!kf4 25 .tig2 4:lxh4+ 26 \t>g1

tLlf3+ 'Ihis combination is also mad" possible

because of the white bishc 'p on fl. 27 '*"g2 tLlh4+ Yo-Yo

Puzzle 110 Varasdy-Tal. West Berlin 191-16

36 .. Jbg3! 37 .l:[xd3 exd3 38 l:I.xc4 So far, so good. Now comes the point of

the combination. 38 ... l1xg2+! 39 <;t;>xg2 'l!kd5+ 40 .tih2

Notice that the pawn on d3 protects the very important e2-square. \'V1ute is mated after 40 wn 'ifh I! 40 ... 'iWh5+ 41 .tig3 -.f3+ 42 'iPh4 .l:[g6!

Tne quiet move. White's king is helpless on the edge of the board. 43 .i..d2 'lWxf2+ 44 ~h5 'ii'e2+ 0-1

Mate on h2 follows.

Puzzle 111 Timman-Tal. Tallinn 1973

27 ... lLlxf41 28 gxf4 "iWxf4+ 29 Iitg1 'iff3 White is totally disorganised. The piece

sacrifice has opened up further possibilities for Black - now he threatens to let the bishop join the attack after ... f5-f4. The cen­tral pawns are also very powerful themselves. 30 1!if2 'iVxh3 31 .!:tb1 f4 32 .!:tb2 f3 0-1

Puzzle 112 Tal-Vaslukov. Riga 1955

24 .!:txf7! bxe4 25 .!:tef1 This is better rhan the more forcing 25

Axfl:!+?! 'Otxfl:! 26 l:tfl+ 'Otg7 27 'i6'f7+ '>1;>h6, when Black holds on thanks to his counter­play on rhe llueenside. After 28 "xe7 cxb3 29 'Mixd7 bxa2 30 'i6'h.3+ ~g7 White has nothing more than perpetual check. 25 ... .!:te8 26 .!:tf8+ Iith7 27 'ii'g8+

Now there is much more bite in the \Vh.ite's attack. 27 ... <;t>h6 28 .l:txe8 .lixe8 29 'ilt'xe8

\'{rute has won the exchange and still has an attack. He has time to strengthen his posi­tion, as Black has no sllch counterplay on the gueenside as in the note to \Vh.ite's 25th move.

29 ... exb3 30 axb3 iL.f6 31 'ilt'f8+ ~h7 32 'iWf7 + Iith6 33 'iVd5

Black could have resigned here - the win is just a matter of tcchnigue. 33 ... 'Wa2 34 'ii'd3 as 35 W'e4 Iitg7 36 g3 1i'b2 37 'iWd3 'ii'a2 38 J:te1 'ii'f2 39 .!:tf1 1i'b2 40 'ii'f3 'ii'e2 41 .l:!.f2 'ii'b1 + 42 ~g2 '>t>t7 43 h4 ~e8 44 h5 g5 4S h6 <oW8 46 'ii'f5 'ifxb3 47 ii'e8+ <3;f7 48 h7 1-0

Puzzle 113 Tal-Hartston. Hastings 1974

24lbf71 lbf7 24 .. .'it>xf7 allows 25 ~xg6+ 'it'g8 26 "'h 7

mate.

Solutions to Puzzles

25.i.xg6 White threatens mate 111 two. Black can

defend againsl tlus, but rhe problem is his queen on c8! 25 ... lLlfS 26 .i.xf7+ 'it'xf7 27 'ifh7+ 1-0 Black resigned in view of 27 ... 'it>e8 28 'i6'xh5+ Wf8 29 'iVh8+. winning the queen.

Puzzle 114 Bannik-Tal. Riga 1955 King's Indian Dejimct

1 d4 lLlf6 2 lLlf3 g6 3 e4 .i.g7 4 lLle3 0-0 5 g3 d6 6 i/.g2 e5 7 0-0 lLle6 8 h3 exd4 9 lLlxd4 lLlxd4 10 'ii'xd4 .i.e6 11 1i'h4 l:te8 12 b3 ~\h5 13 .lid2 'ii'd7 14 .!:tae1 .i.f6 15 iL.g5 .i.xg5 16 'ii'xg5 iL.xh3 17 .lixh3 'ii'xh3 18 'ii'xe 7

18 ... lLlxg3! 19 fxg3 'ii'xg3+ 20 <3.>h1 J:tee81

Not 20 ... l'tc5?? 21 ti:ld5!. 21 'ii'xb7 .l:te5 22 'lWg2 .l:IhS+ 23 Wg1 'iWe3+ 24 "f2 'ifh6!

A very strong move that Black had II.> see in advance. Black threatens to win the l\Ueen after both ... nh 1+ and ... l:tg5+, but the real strength of t1Us move is that it also serves a second purpose: it eyes the rook on cl. Tal had a brilliant imagination and calculated very well, but great attacking moves Like t1Us also come from positional understanding (the maximum flexibility of the pieces), which is important to master. And one will find many

135

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

moves like this in Tal's games. 25 'ifxa7 'ii'g5+ 26 'it>f2 .l:l.h2+ 27 ~e1

White is mated aftet 27 c;t>f3 l:th3+ 28 'ii.>f2 'ifg3. 27 .. :lfxc1+

Whoops! The rest of the game needs no discussion. 28 lLId1 'ifc2 29 'ife7 'ii'xa2 30 .l:l.f2 'ii'a5+ 31 ~f1 l:th1 + 0-1

Puzzle 115 Gulko-Tal. Sochi 1970 Griinftld Deftnce

1 d4 lLIf6 2 c4 g6 3 lLIc3 d5 4 cxd5 lL\xd5 5 e4 lLIxc3 6 bxc3 ~g7 7 ~c4 0-0 8 lLIe2 c5 9 0-0 lLIc6 10 ~e3 'ii'c7 11 'iWc1 ~d7 12 J:b1 cxd4 13 cxd4 :tacS 14 ~b5 'iWa5 15 it'b2 .lUd8 16 ~d2 'iWb6 17 'iWa3

17 ... ~xd41 Another option is the queen sacrifice

17 ... ~xd4 18 .Jtxd7 ~xe2+ 19 Whl 'it'xbl 20 l:r.xbl IIxd7 21 ~b4 b6 22 g3, when Black's position is solid, but no more than that. He has rook, knight and pawn for the queen, but he lacks control of the light squares. After, for instance, 22 ... l:tcc7 23 'it>g2 h6 24 l:te1 ~d4 25 ::tct tbc2 26 "i¥b3 ~xb4 27 l:txc7 lihc7 28 'iWxb4 the most likely result is a draw.

The move played by Tal gives more win­ning chances with rook versus bishop and

136

knight. 18 ~xc6 i.c5 19 l::txb6 ~xa3 20 ~xd7 J:txd7 21 ~b4

After 21 l:tb3 IIxdZ 22 ~xa3 .!:xe2 23 1:[xa7 l:lb2! Black has tht: more activt: posi· tion. He can t:asily double rooks on tht: st:,·· enth rank, whereas \Vh.ite's rooks don't co­operate quitt: as well. All in all, a vcry un­pleasant endg-ame for \X'hitt:. 21 ... axb6 22 ~xa3

This is the situation that Tal had tu evalu· ate wht:n chose the variation. Actually, he had to foresee another couple of moves, as Black wins a pawn by force after 22 •.. l:lc4 23 lLIg3

W'hi te cleverly ayuids this weakening 23 f3?!, which opens up thc second rank to g2, a point much more difficult to defend than f2. 23 ... :%a4 24 ~c1 J:xa2

One very important point about this posi· tion is that \Vh.ite's two minor pieces are passive, have difficulties finding good squares and cooperate badly. This is why Black's b­pa,vn quickly uecolllt:s a puwerful force. 25 iLe3 J:tb2 26 llc1 b5 27 '>W1

27 t:5!?, to activate the knight via e4, was worth a try. 27 ... b4 28 ~e171 b3 29 J:tc3 h5 30 115 J:td5 31 lLIe4 llb5 32 e6

This push comes too late now. 32 ... 1:tb1+ 33 ~d2 b2 34 Ad4 :%d1+ 0-1

White resigned because the pawn is queening.

Puzzle 116 Spiridonov-Tal. Thilisi 1969 King's Indian Defence

1 illf3 g6 2 d4 ~g7 3 c4 d6 4 illc3 ~f6 5 e4 0-0 6 ~e2 e5 7 0-0 illbd7 8 d5 illc5 9 'iWc2 a5 10 illd2 ~h6 11 illb3 ~xc1 12illxc5?!

Now Black keeps his dark-squared bishop. White should have caprured on c1. 12 ... ~h6 13 illd3 illd7 14 ~g4

\1Vhite wants to exchange the light-squared bishops to sttengthen his conttol of the light squares. Of course Black doesn't allow this -at least not for the moment. 14 ... f5 15 ~h3 'ifh4 16l:tae1 illf6 17 f3 l:I.f7 18 'iif2 ii'h5 19 c5 fxe4!

Black no'w develops a sttong initiative on the kingside. 20 iLxcB e3 21 'iVc2 l'.:I.xcB 22 "a4 l:I.cfB 23 cxd6 cxd6 24 illc1

24 l::Le2 is sttongly met ",;th 24 ... e4!. 24 ... e2!

Black gi\"es back the pawn to activate his bishop. 25 l:I.xe2 illg4! 26 h3 ille3 27 l:I.fe1 b5 2B 'lWxb5

2B ... l1xf3! Another good move for Black was

2B ... lLIxg2, which also tears \1Vhite's defences apart: 29 :txg2 :xf3 30 'i!fe2 'i!rxh3 and White cannot defend against all of Black's threats.

Solutions to Puzzles

29 gxf3 "xf3 30 illd3 'iWg3+ 31 ~h1 'iVxh3+ 32 ~g1 e4!

A nice point: the knight has no squares, and if the pawn is captured, Black also wins material (or mates). 33 illxe4 :'f1 + 34 :'xf1 "xf1 + 35 ¢>h2 'iWxe2+ 36 ~ef2 ~f4+ 0-1 \'Qhite will either lose his queen or be mated.

Puzzle 117 Tal-Olafsson. Bled 1961 ,I"id/ian D~ret/(e

1 e4 c5 2 iDf3 illc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lDxd4 e6 5 illc3 'ikc7 6 iLe3 a6 7 a3 lDf6 B f4 d6 9 'Wf3 iJ..e7 10 iLd3 0-0 11 0-0 ~d7 12 :ae1 b5 13 'ifg3 Wh8 14illxc6 iLxc6 15 e5

Dubious is 15 ~d4?! eS 16 fxeS lLIhS, when Black is doing well. 15 ... illg8

Better was IS ... lLIeB. 16 'lWh3 illh6 17 f5 illxf5 18 Itxf5 exf5 19 SLxf5 g6 20 SLd4 WgB

Had Black instead played the better defen­sive move 20 ... 'i!¥dB, his chances for a suc­cessful defence would have been good:

a) If 21 'iih6?! dxeS 22 1LxeS+ iLf6 23 .l:le3 l:tg8! \1Vhite will not deliver mate, and so he remains material down.

b) On 21 e6+ Black defends well with 21....i.f6 22 'ifh4! fxe6 23l:txe6 ~eS!!'

c) Also 21 exd6+ fails in view of 21 ... ~f6

137

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

22 'iFh4 .i.g7! and Black holds on. Now the piano plays a different rune ...

21 e6! .i.g5 21...f6 is strongly met hy 22 iLxg6! hxg6

23 'iWh6 iLeS 24 l:[e3 'ii'c4 25 :h3 'ifxd4+ 26 <.t>h 1 and mate cannot be avoided. 22 exf7 + J:[xf7 23 .i.xg6! l:tg7

Of course not 23 ... hxg6?? 24 'iVhs mate, hut the move 23 ... l:e7, with dle idea 24.l:.eCl l:tg7!?, is interesting because \'<bite doesn't have a queen check on e6 now. Still, \x'hite ha~ other ways to proceed ,\,;th the attack. 24 ge6+ ~h8 25 .i.e8!

\Vh.ite exchanges the strong bishop on c6 to dominate on the light squares. Even in highly tactical positions like dus one, posi­tional considerations have to be made. 25 ... h6

Black cannot take on eH, as he will be mated on the hack rank.

138

26 .i.xc6 'Wxc6 27 lLle4 :e8 28 W'g6 l:tee7 29 h4 W'd5 30 .i.xg7+ llxg7 31 'iVxd6

\'V'hite exchanges into a winning endgame. 31 ... 'ilVxd6 32 lLlxd6 .i.xh4 33 l:I.e8+ :g8 34 tDf7+ <;to>h7 35 l1xg8 <;to>xg8 36 tDxh6+ <,Ph7 37 tDf5 .i.g5 38 b3 1-0

Puzzle 118 Tal-Padevsky. l',,[oscow 1963 French Deflnce

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 lLlc3 ~b4 4 e5 b6 5 'iVg4 ~f8 6 ~g5 'iVd7 7 lLlf3 tDc6 8 83 i<.b 7 9 ~d3 h6 1 0 ~d2 0-0-0 11 h4 tDge 7 12 0-0-0 f5 13 exf6 gxf6 14 :de1! :g8

If 14 ... f5, \\'hite replies 15 'i!Yhs .::tg8 16 g3 ~g4 17 'it'n!. Black has attacked d4, but hi~ weakness on eCl is more important. If it falls, he will have several other pawn weaknesses to worry abollt. 15 'ifxe6 nxg2

Bad is lS .. :iVxe6 16 ~xe6 .l:'t.xg2 17 iLe3, when \X'hite's pieces dominate the board. 16 'iVe3

16_ .. \t>b8 16 ... 1!g4, with the idea of sacrificing the:

exchange, is a better try. After 17 .ltfl tt'lfS IS 'iVd3 lbfxd4 19 iLh3 lbxf3 20 'ii'xD fSl? Black will have some compensation for the exchange. For example, his light-squared bishop on h 7 will he strong. It all depends

whether or not White can create a passed pawn on the kingside or create active play on the open files with his rooks, but it seems that Black is ready to meet this. 17 ~f1 11g8 18 .Iil.h3 f5

IS ... ttJf5 19 'llfd3 iLcS loses because of the pin: 20 h5! iVh7 21 ttJh4 and \x'hite wins material. 19 'iVd3 ~c8 20 h5 'iVe8 21 .lit.f4 'lWxh5 22 li:lb5 l:d7 23 'ii'c3 .lit.b7 24 li:le5 li:lxe5 25 dxe5 d4

26 e6! dxc3 27 exd7 iLg7 28 li,xc7 1-0 Black resigned due to 28..:i6'f3 29 ttJd5+

WaS 30 .Jtg2!. A brilliant point. White im­rro\"(" his bishop, mld the following knight manoeuvre is decisive: .,O ... 'it'xg2 31 ttJc7+ Wb8 32 lLIc8+.

Puzzle 119 Hoelzl-Tal. Malta Ulympiad 1980

29_ .. f4! This move serves te.> weaken \XI'hite's king­

side. 29 ... h4!? also looks good, although it does nothing to protect f3 right away. How­ever, Black's position is so good that he can afford this small loss of time. 30 ~xf4

On 30 exf4 Black has many winning con­tinuations, one of the prettiest being 30 ... 1:[e3!. 30 ... g5 31 .lit.xg5 l:f8!

Black attacks on the light squares, and he

Solutions to Puzzles

only needs to protect the pawn on f3 to exe­cute mate on g2. The bishop on g5 is irrele­vant, as it cannot help \X!rute to defend. 32 ~f4 iLxd4! 33 li:ld5

Or 33 exd4 lIxf4! and f3 is protected once again. 33 ... ~xa1 1-0

Black has won a rook.

Puzzle 120 Honfl-Tal. Sukhumi 1972

27 ... ~e2! 28 'ii'xe2 After 28 l:tc3 .ltxd1 29 l:Ixc7 l:Ixc7 Black

has many ideas. He threatens to double rooks on the a-ille, and the b-pawn is hanging as well. White is under a heavy attack and has very little counterplay.

21:1 l:txe2 is bad in view of 28 ... 'llfa5 and mare next move. 28 ... 'ii'a5 29 :tc3 'iWa2+ 30 Wc2 l:xc3+ 31 ~xc3 ~b4+! 32 ~xb4 'ii'a5+ 33 Wc4 'ii'a6+ 0-1

A deep point of Black's first move: Black threatened mate in many lines, but the un­

protected queen (after the capture of the bishop on (2) caused White's defeat in the end.

Puzzle 121 Tal-Klaman. Soviet Championship, Moscow 1957

23 ~xf5! exf5 If Black continues his own play on the

queenside with, say, 23 ... a5, then the logical continuation is 24 Jtxe<l fxeC> 25 ttJxc6 iLxe6 26 llxc6 'it>d8 27 f5 when White has three pawns for the piece and a strong attack. 24 l:xe7+! Wxe7 25 :e1+ ~d8 26 'iWh4+ f6 27 'iWh6

White wins back the invested material, with a winning advantage. 27 ... 'ii'a5 28 li:lb3 'ii'd5 29 'lIi'xf8+ <t.c7 30 'ii'xf6 l:e8 31 l:tc1 ~a4 32 'ii'd4 'tIib7 33 lXd1 l:le6 34 'iVc4+ 1-0

139

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

Puzzle 122 Tal-Campomanes. Leipzig Olympiad 1960

23 lIxd5! lbxg5 24 'tWb5+ <;!(f7 25 lIt1 +

25 ... ~gS 2s ... Wg8 is no better: 26 'iWxb7 J:le8 27

'iWd7 'iYg6 28 gxhs 'iWxhs 29 g4 "ii'g6 30 'iWxe8+!'iVxe8 31 l:txgS+ and the endgame is winning for White. 2S "iVd3+ <;PhS 27 l:I.h1 1-0

Black has no defence. Notice that Black got no time to develop - h.is rooks are still in their initial positions!

Puzzle 123 Tal-Brinek Claussen. Ilavana Olympiad 1966 Smri· T arm.rch Difetlce

1 ti:Jt3 li)fS 2 e4 e5 3 tOe3 tOeS 4 e3 eS 5 d4 d5 S a3 exd4 7 exd4 iLe7 B ~d3 0-o 9 0-0 dxe4 1 0 ~xe4 bS 11 "iVd3 ~b7 12 lid 1 %:teB 13 ~a2 'fIe7 14 ~g5 IUdB 15 'iVe2 ti:Jd5 1S lbxd5 exd5 17 'iWd31 'iVdS 1B ~xe7 CiJxe7 19 lote1 lbgS 20 g3 lIeB 21 h4! 'tWfS 22 h5 lbf8 23 lIxe8 lIxe8 24 lbe5 'tWg5 25 'iWf3 fS 2S lbe4!

26 iLxdS+?! is dubious: 26 ... iLxds 27 'iVxdS+ !le6 28 "'d8 "ii'xhs when White has lost the initiative and has to retreat the knight from es. Instead he keeps the symmetry. In this position activity is the most imponam feature, and here White has the initiative.

140

2S ... lId8 27 lIe1 iLeB 2B lbe3 ~eS 29 %:te1

White's pieces arc well placed. Now \Xfh.ite wants to penetrate to the seventh. rank. 29 ... ~f7 30 hS 'iVxhS 31 lIc7 'iVg5 32 l:txa 7 CiJgS

33 ti:Jxd5 ~xd5 34 J:l.a8! iLxa2 A more srubborn defence was 34 ...... c1+

35 'itg2 iLxa2 36 l:txd8+ Wt7 37 'iib7+ (or 37 "'e4 ttJe7 38 1:I.d7 iLe6 39 l:txc7+ Wxe7 40 ds 'iWc8 41 'it'f3 ..t>t7 42 "'xe6+ 'iW:u,6 43 dxe6+ 'it>xe6 \\;th an equal pawn ending) 37 . ./ue7 38 nd7 'iWcI and Black holds on. His pieces are about to become coordinated, whereas White's initiative will soon vanish. 35 lotxdB+ ~f7 3S 'ii'eS!

lbis is why 34 ... 'iWct had to be played. If 36 ~7+?!, Black holds the draw: 36 ... ttJe7 37 nd7 f5 38 dS 'it>e8 39 d6 'ilfc1+ and Black gives perperual. 3S ... lbe7 37 'tWe8+ '.t>eS 3B J:l.cB

Suddenly Black's king is in great danger in the middle of the board. 3B ... l!fd5 39 1te3 "iVd7 40 :e3+ 'it'dS 41 "ilfb8+ WeS 42 a4 tOd5 43 lIe1 'lWdS 44 %:te1 + ~d7 45 'ii'e8+ 1·0

45 ... Wc7 46l:1.el+ '>itt7 47 'iYe8 is mate.

Puzzle 124 Tal-Zaiehik. Thilisi 1988

25 iLxf6! iLxe1 26"iVh5 gxfS Or 26 ... h6 27 'ifg4 g6 28 iLx~ fxg6 29

'Wxg6+ Wfll 30 'ii'xh6+ 'it>e8 (if 30 ... c;t>f7, Black drops his queen after 31 'Wg7+) 31 'iWh8+ 'iti>d7 32 'WxaS 'ii'xf4 (threatt:ning mate, but \"C'hitt: wins aftt:r ... ) 33 lLlc5+. 27 "iit'xh7+ IPf8 28 'iWh8+ ~e7 29 'iVxa8

\Vh.ite has won back the uwested material '-vith ulterest. Black's king is still in danger, and the prest:nct: of opposite-coloured bish­ops doesn't makt: his task easier. 29 ... ~f2 30 1<.b5 tUd4 31 'iVe8+ >t>d6 32 'ilVf8+ '.toe6 33 tUc5+ '.1.>f5 34 1<.d7+ lLle6 35 'iVxf7 'iVxc5 36 'iVxeS+ Wxf4 37 "iit'xf6+ 'ot>e3

If \'V'hite succeeds in exchanging llueens here:!, the:! endgame would be easily wiIming due to the two connected passed pawns on the kinb'Sidc. Black's only chance is the passed d-pawn, but it is not too dangerous. 38 'iVg5+ Iitd3 39 1<.eS <jwoc4 40 'iVf4+ 1<.d4 41 'iWe1 + ~b4 42 'it'xe5+ 'i!ixc5 43 b3 'ot>dS 44 iLe8 ·.to>e5 45 g3 <j,>e4 4S wg2 Ji.e5 47 Ji.b71

Making it difficult for the <I-pawn to n1ove. 47 ... ~b4 48 h4 1<.c3 49 <jwoh3 iLe1 50 g4 'ot>e5 51 g5 d4 52 1<.aS iLb4 53 Wg4 <;t;e4 54 gS JU8 55 ~g5 1-0

One of White's pawns promotes.

Puzzle 125 Rytov· Tal. TaIlUm (Rapid) 1976

23 ... ll'lxg3+! 24lLlxg31t'h4+

Solutions to Puzzles

24 ... e4! was the most accurate execution of the combination, as 25 lLlxe4 ..Itxb2 26 :tc2 ..Ite5 does not give White any counterplay. 25 'ittg1 e4! 2S iLxg7

Perhaps better is 26 lLlxe4!? 'iWh3 27 ':£2 ..Itxb2 28 1:[h2. Black's strongest line here is 2S ... .l:txe4! 29 l:txh3 :'xe2 and Black wins becaUSe:! of 30 'ii'fllLlxh3+ 31 'ifxh3 ..Itxc1. 2S ... e3! 27 J:.e2 'iVh3 28 Ji.d1 e2

This is a pawn with willpowt:r! 29 'iWf2 exfHW + 30 ll'lxf1 c;to>xg7

Black is the t:xchange up. Notice thm Black has remained \vith his good piece (the knjght on f4). whereas White still has his bad light-slluared bishop. 31 'iVd2 'iVh4 32 'iWe3+ 'iVfS 33 'iVxfS+ ~xfS 0-1

Puzzle 126 Mukhin-Tal. Moscc"", ()Iympiad 1972

1 d4 tUfS 2 c4 eS 3 tUe3 Ji.b4 4 e3 0-0 5 lLlge2 d5 6 a3 iLe7 7 tUf4 eS 8 iLd3 dxe4 9 iLxe4 tUbd7 10 tUd3 e5 11 dxe5 tLlxc5 12 lLlxe5 iLxc5 13 'iVxd8 l:txd8 14 b4 1<.e 7 15 ~b2 1<.d7 1S 'itte 2 Itae8 17 Ji.d3 ~eS 18 f3 tUd7! 19 tUe4

19 b5 leads to a black advantage after 19 ... lLle5 20 bxc6lLlxd3 21 cxb7 ':'bS. 19 .. .f5 20 tUd27

Or 20 lLlf2 ..Itb5!. 20 ... tUbS 21 iLd4

Instead of the text move, White had two

141

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

other main alternatives: ~d3!' a) 21 b5 :txd3! 22 bxc6 l:tcd8 23 ~d4

l:txd2+ 24 ~xd2 e5 25 cxb7 exd4 26 :thc1 dxe3+ 27 'it'xe3 l:tb8 and Black has a winning advantage.

b) 21 lLlb3 l:txd3! (again this exchange sac­rifice is strong: the weakening of the light squares in White's camp is a problem time and time again) 22 'it'xd3 ~b5+ 23 'it>d2 lLlc4+ 24 ~c1 lLlxe3+ 25 <;t.>d2 lLlc4+ 26 'it'c1 lLlxb2+ 27 'it'xb2 ..I1I..f6+ and Black wins back the exchange with a winning endgame.

21 ... e5! 22 ~e5 If the pawn sacrifice is accepted, \V'hite's

king gets into real trouble: 22 ~xe5 ':xd3! 23 ~d3 .ltb5+ 24 'it'd4 lL'la4! (the king is trapped in the middle of the board) 25 Wd5 (25 e4 doesn't work either in view of 25 .. .1:td8+ 26 We3 ':d3+) 2S ... Wn 26 .ltd4 SLf6! 27 .ltxf6 gxf6! 28 <;t.>d6 ':::'c6+ 29 Wd5 :c7! 30 lL'le4 :d7+! 31 lL'ld6+ 'it>e7 and White is mated next move. 22" .l:lxd3 23 <t>xd3

After 23 .ltxe7 .ltb5 24 SLc5 lL'la4 25 :thc1 l:txa3+ White loses further material. 23.,,~b5+ 24 <t>e2 tLla4 25 'it>b3

Another possibility was 25 ~d 1, when Black slowly improves his pieces: 25 ... ..I1I..f6 26 e4 b6 27 ..I1I..e3 litc3 28 .ltf2 lL'lb2+ 29 ~el lLld3+ 30 ~e2 litc2 31 'it'd 1 ..I1I..a4 and Black Wlns. 25 ... b6 26 tLle4

Or 26 ..I1I..xe7 l:tc3+ 27 'it'a2 'uc2+ 28 ~bl

142

Very beautiful! There is no way to prevent ... lL'lc3 mate

Instead \Vhite tries to free himself racli­cally, but it COStS him too much material. 26".bxe5 27 l'Llxe5 exb4 2B nae1 tLle5+ 29 Wxb4 a6 0-1

Puzzle 127 Tal-Yuhtman. Soviet Championship, Thilisi 1956 Siciliall D~feflce

1 e4 c5 2 ILlf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tLlxd4 li:Jf6 5 tLle3 a6 6 ~g5 tLlbd7 7 ~e4 h6 B :iLxf6 tLlxf6 9 'il'e2 e6 10 a3 ~e7 11 ~b3 ~d7 12 0-0 'tlVa5 13 lbd1 'ifh5 14 'ilie1 g5 15 e5 tLlg4 16 tLlf3 :iLe6

17 _~d5!! Closing the diagonal of the strong c6-

bishop. Black cannot take op. dS, as the pin on the e-file will '.vin hack the invested mate­rial.

17 ltJdS?! seems quite similar, but after 17 ... dxeS! 18 tDc7+ ~f8 19 h3 iLxo 20 gxO 'ii'xh3 the best White has is to allow Black to give perpetual check. Actually, after 21 fxg4 "*,xg4+ 22 'it>h2 'ifh4+ 23 ~g2 Black could e,'en consider a double-edged middlegarne with 23 ... l:tc8!? 17 ... lLlxeS

The only move. 17 ... d.xeS 18 iLxc6+ bxc6 19 h3 tDf6' 20 ~xeS gi"es White a clear ad­,-antage. 18 lLlxeS exdS 19 lLlxdS iixdS 20 llxdS dxeS 21 :xeS 0-0

Black gets his king into safety, but a pawn duwn and with a worse king', position, Black's disadvantage is decisive. However, Tal begins playing less than immaculately. 22 lbe7 l:tac8 23 'iWe4 bS 24 Ite1 .l:l.cd8 2S c4

\X'hite wants to create a passed pawn on the queenside. 2S ... bxc4 26 'lWxc4 'iWg6 27 1:ta7 1:fe8 28 .l:xe8+ lbe8 29 g3 .l:e6 30 Wg2 llf6 31 1:.aS+ Wh7 32 lldS .:1xf2+?

Black falls into the trap, losing wirhout a tlght. Black should have done nDtiling, when it would still be difficult for \X'rute to \\;n tile g.une. 33 Wxf2 'ii'f6+ 34 ~e3 'ii'xdS 3S 'ii'd3+ 'ii'xd3+ 36 ~xd3

1be pa'l.vn endgame is winning for W'hitc, primarily because Black's king is very far away from \'Vhite's potential passed pawn on the queens ide. 3S ... <.t>gS 37 'iPe4 WlS 38 g4 WeS 39 b4 hS 40 gxhS fS+ 41 'Ot.>d4 ~S 42 a4 g4 43 bS 1-0

Puzzle 128 Tal-Hubner. Montreal 1979 Caro-Kaml Deftnce

1 e4 cS 2 d4 dS 3 lllc3 dxe4 4 lLlxe4

Solutions to Puzzles

JtfS S lllg3 JtgS S h4 h6 7 iDf3 lLld7 8 hS Jth7 9 Jtd3 Jtxd3 10 'ii'xd3 iDgf6 11 Jtf4 ~aS+ 12 Jtd2 'iVc7 130-0-0 e6 14 llle4 0-0·0 1S g3 lLlxe4 1S 'ii'xe4 lllfS 17 'ii'e2 cS?

It was better to play P ... iLd6 18 c4 :he8 19 .:th4 cS 20 iLc3 a6 21 'it'b 1 cxd4 22 tDxd4 il.cs 23 .:tel iLxd4 24 iLxd4 eS 25- iLc3 iVd7 with equality. 18 dxcS JtxcS 19 l:lh4! Wb8?

Black would still be okay after the line 19 ... 'fWe7! 20 .:tc4 ~b8 21 tDeS l:tdS! 22 iLf4 iLd6. 20 Jtf4 Jtd6

21 IlxdS! lhdS 22 lLleS! Both lDxf7 and tDc4 are threatened,

securing \'Vhite tile desired exchange of '1llnor pieces. 22 ... lta8

Or.

a) 22 ... IDtd8 23 tDc4 lDe8 24 lDxd6 tDxd6 2S .:tg4! is similar to the game.

b) 22 ... ltJdS 23 lDxf7! tDxf4 24 lhf4 1%£8 2S lDxd6 ll.xf4 26 gxf4 'Wxd6 27 'ifeS with a won pawn ending. 23 lllc4llle8 24ll:g4 'lJie7

After 24 .. .l1g8 25 lDxd6 lD.xd6 26 'fWd3 l:[d8 27 lhg7 White has a winning material and positional advantage. 2S lLlxdS lllxdS 2S llxg7

White has won a pawn, and the bishop is clearly superior to the knight. Now h6 is a serious weakness.

143

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

26 .. .lZlfS 27 %:tg4 %:td8 28 iLeS f6 29 iLc3 eS 30 b3! a6 31 ~b2 'ire6 32 'irc4! 'i!fe8 33 :96 :lc8 34 'lWa4! ~d8

Or 34 ... 'ii'xa4 35 bxa4 l:lc6 36 g4 :ctb6+ 37 ~c1 l:r.c6 38 ~xeS! and \Vh.ite wins. If Black caprures the bishop, \X!hite exchanges every­thing to a won pawn ending. If not, the pawn on f6 falls as well. 3S'iWe4!

Bad is 35 g4? tLld6 36 ':xh6 tLlbS! with unclear play - Black is suddenly very active. 3S ... llJd6 36 'iWd3 'iWc7 37 ~b4 llJbS

"lbe sacrifice 37 ... e4 38 'YWxd6 ~xc2+ 39 ~a3 ~C\+ 40 'it'a4 b5+ 41 WaS doesn't work for Black: the king escapes and White wins. 38 l:1xf6 as

38 ... tLld4 allows the rook sacrifice 39 l':txa6+! bxa6 40 'ii'xa6+ 'it>b8 41 St.d6, win­ning the queen. Also, if 38 ... e4 39 ~xe4 iVg7 'V:'hite has the strong reply 40 'ii'g6!. 39 iLd6 llJxd6 40 l:1xd6 e4 41 'li'd2 1-0

Black has no more tricks.

Puzzle 129 Tal-Gurgenidze. Alma-Ara 1968 Caro-Kann Defelice

1 e4 c6 2 d4 dS 3 llJc3 bS 4 a3 dxe4 S llJxe4 XLfS 6 iLd3 iLxe4 7 iLxe4 llJf6 8 iLd3 e6 9 llJf3 XLe 7 10 'li'e2 llJbd7 11 0-o 0-0 12 .l:l.e1 ~e8 13 llJeS llJxe5 14 dxeS llJdS 15 'lWg4 as

1S ... g6 is better. Then if \"X!hite plays 16

144

h4?!, Black can capture the pawn,. Following 16 ... ~xh4 17 g3 St.e7 18 'it'g2 hS it is not entirely clear if \Vhite will break through on the kingside, though he does have compensa· tion. 16 h4! ~xh4 17 g3 ~e7 18 Wg2 96

Or: a) 18 ... b4 allows the sacrifice 19 St.xh7+

~xh 7 20 'i!VhS+ Wg8 21 lIh 1 with good prospects for a kingside attack.

b) 18 ... St.f8 19 Ithl f5 20 ~5 h6 21 iVg6 'it>h8 22 ~xh6 gxh6 23 llxh6+ ..Itxh6 24 l:lh 1 tLle3+ 25 fxe3 "WWd5+ 26 e4 and White mates. 19 :lh1 XLf8 20 ~g5!

Black survives after 20 l::txh 7?! 'it'xh 7 21 ~g5 tLle3+! 22 fxc.> i¥d5+ 23 ~e4 'i!Vxe5 24 'ii'h4+ 'it>g8 25 ..I1i.f6 'iVh5. 20 ... 'lWc7

The alternatives were not too encouraging either: a) 20 ... ~e7 21 lirxh7 ~xg5 22 :ctahl Wf8 23 ..I1i.xg6 and Whitt: wins.

b) 20 ... tLle7 21 ..I1i.xg6 fxg6 22 't'ixe6+ Wh8 23 J:txh7+ Wxh7 24 I;Ihl+ ..I1i.h6 25 I;lxh6+ 'it'g7 26 St.f6+ \t>xh6 27 ~h3 mate.

21 l!xh7! 'tWxe5 a) After 21...\t>xh7 \Vhite wins with 22

nh1+ c,t>g8 23 ~f6 tLlxf6 24 exf6 'ii'eS (24 ... ~d7 25 'it'gl! - threatening 'iVh4 -2S ... 'i!Vd5 26 ~xg6!) 25 ~xg6 'i!Vxf6 26 ~h7+ ~h8 27 'i!Vg8 mate.

b) 21...il.g7 22 ~f6 ~xf6 23 exf6 tLlxf6 24 'iVxg6+ fxg6 2S lhc7 and White has a

winning endgame. 22 ltxt7! Wxt7 23 .li..xgS+ WgS

An important point is that \X'hite wins af­ter 23 ... Wxg6 24 ~f4+ Wf6 25 'ilh4+1. 24.li..xeS

Now it's game over. 24 ... .li..g7 25 .li..d7 t:iJc7 2S .li..xcS l:tfS 27 ltd1 'Wc5 2S iU3 'ii'xc2 29 l:td7 1:lf7 30 ltdS+ lttS 31 .li..tS 'Wh7 32 .li..e4 'ii'hs 33 .li..g5 'iWhS 34 nd7 1-0

Puzzle 130 Tal-Najdarf. Leipzig Olympiad 1960

21 l:txe4! dxe4 22 .ltfS!! \'<'hite attacks on the dark squares, of

which he will have total superiority once dle g7-pawn drops. It's true that Black also has a dark-squared bishop as well, but this is far away from the kingside. Black cannot organ­ise a defence in time. 22 ... 'iWbS

Or 22 ... l:Ltb8 23 ttJe7+! Wh8 (23 ... <;,t>EB 24 fixh7 gxf6 25 ttJd5 and \,rute -w-ins) 24 'iVh6 l:gH 25 ttJf5 ~xd4+ 26 iLxd4 f6 27 ttJxg 7 ~xg 7 28 ~xf6 -w-ith a winning attack as well as a material advantage. 23 ..Ii.xg7 lUeS 24 iLe5 'iWgS 25 t:iJhS+ 'itffS 2S f5 1-0

Black simply resigned here, as \'<'hite gradually builds up the attack. Ar some point his position just f.'lils apart, for example 26 ... 'iVc6 27 'iVhs 'ii'c4 28 iLd6+ ne7 29l:td1 leaves Black unable to defend himself. Still, it was probably a little early to resign.

Puzzle 131 Tal-Suttles. Sukhumi 1972

27 .~xa5! .c.xa5 2S l:tdS+ iLfS 29 'lWd2 The queen eyes the h6-square and the un­

prorected rook on as. At the same time \Vhite secures the d-fiJe. 29 ... 'iWc7

29 ... 'iVb6 30 ttJg5!, with the idea of'it'd7, wins even more quickly.

Solutions to Puzzles

30l:teS! Again 'iib6 is threatened. Notice that

Black's rook and knight are totally out of play. 30 ... 'it>g7

The unly move. 31 'iWg5 lta7

Other moves lose in a similar fashion. 32 'iWfS+ WgS 33 t:iJg5

Black has no defence against the sacrifice on h 7 followed by mate. He chooses to give up the queen, but this is of course hopeless. 33 ... 'iWd7 34 l:tdS b6 35 .Ibd7 ltxd7 36 b3 .li..g7 37 'iWf3 h6 3S 'iVa8+ .li..tS 39 tLle4 l:td1 + 40 Wh2 tLlb2 41 tLld6

Black's major problem is O. 41 ... t:iJd3 42 'iWt3 1-0

Puzzle 132 Tal-Uhlmann. Moscow 1971 French Defence

1 e4 eS 2 d4 d5 3 tLld2 c5 4 tLlgt3 tLlc6 5 .li..b5 dxe4 6 tLlxe4 .li..d7 7 .li..g5 'iWa5+ S tLlc3 cxd4 9 tLlxd4 .li..b4 10 0-0 ..Ii.xc3 11 bxc3 'iWxc3

12 tLlf5!! exf5 Black chooses to test Tal's idea. Another

possible line is 12 ... 'i!fcS 13 ttJd6+ WEB 14 ~e3 'iVe5 (14 ... 'i!fd5 15 ttJxb7 ttJf6 16 c4 'W'xdl 171:!.fxd1 and Black will never survive) 15 :bl! (Black has problems controlling White's knight) 15 ... liJf6 16 It:Ixb7 Wg8 17

145

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

ttxs with a winning attack. 13 :e1 + ~e6 14 'iVd6 a6

14 ... liJf6 15 ]::tadl! leaves black \",ithout a defence: 15 ... a6 16 Sl.xf6 gxf6 17 llxe6+ fxe6 18 "ifxe6+ 'Wti'£8 19l:!.d7 and White wins. 15.i.d211

The bishop is transferred and White ob­tains a winning attack. 1 5 ... "iixe2 16 ~b4 axb5 17 'iVf8 + ~d7 18 :ed1 + ~e7 19 'llVxa8 1-0

Black resigned, despite the computer ini­tially believing the position to be equal. However, after 19 .. :ifa41? 20 ~d6+ '.t>b6 21 "'£8 "ifh4 22 ~c5+ ~c7 23 :tac1 \,{'hite has an absolutely winning attack.

Puzzle 133 Tal-Averkin, Soviet Championship, Moscow 1973 Caro-Kann Difence

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 tt:le3 dxe4 4 tt:lxe4 .i.f5 5 tt:lg3 ~g6 6 ~e4 tt:lf6 7 tt:lf3 tt:lbd7 80-0 e6 9 tt:lg5 h6 10 tt:lh3 ~d6 11 tt:lf4 ~xf4 12 ~xf4 0-0 13 ~b3 as 14 e4 l:e8 15 :e1 'llVb6 16 e5 1ib5 17 ~e2 il.xe2 18 "iixe2 b6 19 il.d6

The d5-square is an excellent outpost for Black's knight. Black's only problem is that he has two knights, and Tal cleverly avoids the exchange of one pair of knights. 19,..a4 20 :ae1 'iVb4 21 :ed1 bxe5 22 a3 "iib7 23 dxe5 :a5 24 1::td4 l:.tb5 25

146

:b1 1:1a8 26 l:.te4 'llVa6 27 tt:le2 tt:ld5 28 tt:ld4 .l:tb7 29 ne1 tt:l7f6 30 'We2 :e8 31 il.e5 tt:ld7 32 ~g3 tt:l7f6 33 J:[4e2 'llVxe2 34 :xe2 tt:le7 35 il.d6 tt:lfd5 36 ~f1 na8 37 1:te4 na6 38 'ot>e1 tt:le8 39 il.g3 tDa7 40 ~d1 tt:lb5 41 ~f31 iDde7 42 ~e1 f6 43 J:lb4 J:[ba7 44 ..i.xe7

\Vhite transfonns the position and actio vates his pieces. 44,..iDxe7 45 lld2 e5 46 J:[d8+ ~h7 47 J:[e4 tt:le6 48 1::td6 l::te7 49 tt:le1 iDd4 50 iDe2 iDb3+ 51 'it>d1 .l:l.a5 52.1:1.xe6

White has won a pawn, but Black imme­diately restores material equality. 52,..:d7+ 53 ~e1 lidS 54 tt:lb4 J:[dxe5 55 :4xc5 iDxc5 56 \t>d2 'i!;>g6 57 ~e3 :b5

mack has a good g'llle, but he soon bc-comes too ambitiolls ... 58 f3 ~f5 59 :c7 '>Pg6 60 l:te7 h5 61 h4 J:lb8 62 :a7 :b5 63 :a8 'itf5 64 .l:l.h8 g6 65 nc8 g5 66 g3 gxh4 67 gxh4 iDe6 68 :a8 l:.c5 69 J:[xa4 :c47?

Now the game t:ndt:d ahruprly_ 70 iDd5! l:lxa4 71 ~Je7 mate!

Puzzle 134 Tal-Pytel, Lublin 1974 RI!yLopez

1 e4 e5 2 tt:lf3 tt:lc6 3 il.b5 a6 4 ~a4 d6 50-0 tt:lf6 6 Ite1 ~d7 7 ~xe6 bxc6 8 d4 exd4 9 e5 dxe5 10 tt:lxe5 il.e6 1 1 iDxe6

'lWd5 12 'lWf3 'lWxf3 13 gxf3 \\'hite wins the pawn on d4, but the weak­

ened pawn stnIcture gives Black counterplay. 13 ... Ji.e5 14 b4 Ji.b6 15 Ji.b21Od5 16 a3 0-0 17 lOxd4 lOf4 18 lOd2 J:tad8 19 lOxe6 fxe6 20 lOe4 lOh3+ 21 ~g2 lOf4+ 22 ~f1 J:td5?! 23 J:tad1 J:th5 24 nd7 J:lf7 25 nd8+ J:lf8 26 J:txt8+ '&t>xt8 27 J:le4 g5 28 Ji.e1 '&t>e7 29 lOxb6 exb6 30 ~g1 J:lh4 31 e4 It>d6 32 Ji.e3 b5 33 c5+ ~d5 34 litd4+ It>eS

3S c6! 4.jd5 36 l:I.xdS+! 1-0 Black resigned in \;ew of 36 ... 'i:t>xd5 :)7 c:

2"Ic4 38 iLc5 and the pawn queens.

Puzzle 135 Tal-Dely, Hungary 1963

IVi)' 11lpez

1 e4 e5 2 lOf3 lOe6 3 .i.bS a6 4 .i.a4 lOf6 5 0-0 bS 6 Ji.b3 .i.e7 7 d4 d6 8 c3 Ji.g4 9 h3 Ji.hS 10 dS lOaS 11 Ji.c2 e6 12 dxe6 '§e7 131Obd2 0-014 J:le1 llad8 15 'lWe2 l7\xe6 16 lOt1 dS 17 exdS tZlxd5 18 lOg3 Ji.g6 19 Ji.xg6 txg6 20 lOe4 h6 21 a4 fib7 22 axbS axbS 23 lId1 lOt6 24 llxd8 J:lxd8 2S lOfd2 '&t>h8 26 lOxf6 gxf6

The problem for Black is his somewhat exposed kingside, which will tell later. 27 4.:Ib3 '\t>h7 28 4.:laS 'lia6 29 b4 l':tdS 30 'i!¥f3 Itd6 31 .i.e3 fS 32 g4 We8 33 4.:lxe6 l':txe6 34 :a7 .I:le7 3S J:txe7 'iixe7 36 gxfS gxfS 37 '§xfS+ ~g7 38 'iie6 Ji.gS

Solutions to Puzzles

39 .i.eS .i.f6

40 Ji.f8+! ~xt8 NOl 40 ... 'it>g6? 41 'iigS+ and all the re­

maining pieces will be exchanged, as 4L.~f5 42 'iVg4 is male! 41 'lWxf6+ We8

If Black tries 10 ayoid the exchange of queens, he loses another pawn on h6 without compensation. Still, it was a better chance, as the pa".'t1 ending is certainly lost. After 41 ... 'it>g8 42 'iVg6+ 'it>hS 43 'iVxh6+ ~g8 Black can still put up some resistance. 421ih8+ Wd7 43 ifg7+ ~e8 44 'ifxe7+

The easiest way [0 v.-in. 44 ... lt>xe7 4S f3 ~d6 46 ~f2 1-0

Puzzle 136 Tal-OIafsson, Bled 1959 S iciliall D'!frIlCt

1 e4 eS 2 lOf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 4.:Ixd4 4.:If6 5 4.:Ie3 a6 6 Ji.gS e6 7 f4 h6 8 Ji.h4 '+Wb6 9 a3 4.:Ie6 10 Ji.12 VJle7 11 VJl13 Ji.e7 12 0-0-0 Ji.d7 13 94 gS 14 4.:lxe6 Ji.xe6 1S 1xgS hxg5 16 Ji.d4! :!.h6 17 h4 ttJd7 18 h5 -.a5

lS ... lLIe5 is a better move. 19 Ji.e2 bS 20 J:th11 16 21 lOa2 VJle7 22 'iVb3 ~7 23 VJle3 J:tg8 24 'ifo>b1 4.:IeS 2S 4.:Ie3 'ifo>g7 26 J:td2 J:[b8 27 ]:tfd1 Ji.e8 28 4.:Ia2 as 29 VJle3! VJlxe3

It was better [0 avoid the queen swap with 29 ... lLIc6. In the game White quickly devd-

147

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

ops strong pressure against Black's queenside pawns. 30 .i.xc3 :taB 31 b4 .1c6 32 bxa5 .i.xe4 33 .i.b4 <;i;f7

33 ... ltJf3 leads to a white advantage after 34 l:txd6! iLxd6 35 l:(xd6. Being the ex­change down is not important. White's pieces work well together and his initiative on the queenside is very strong. After 35 ... fS 36 ltJc3 White is on top. However, Black could have obtained equal chances with 33 ... iLf3! 34 iLxf3ltJxf3 35l:(g2 fS. 34 tDc3 iLc6 35 tDxb5 .1xb5 36 .1xb5 d5 37 c4! .l:bB 38 a6 .l:hh8 39 'it>a2 .i.xb4 40 axb4 dxc4

18 'lWd2 a5 19 b3!? Now the gatne becomes sharper.

19 ... .1xb3 20 lLlxb5 'lWxc2 21 tDxd6 .i.xd6 22 'lIixd6 lLlxe4 23 'lIixe5 lUeB 24 1!Yd4 lLlf6

A position with a symmetrical pawn struc­nlre has arisen. \Vhite has the bishup pair, which would be of significance if he could exchange the hea,:y pieces. However, this is not the case, and the evaluation of the posi­tion depends on who has the mon, active play. 25 l:tc1 'lWf5 26 .1f2 l:!.xc1 27 llxc1 h5 2B 'it>g1 h4 29 .ltf3 h3 30 l:!.e1 1.1xe1 + 31 .1xe1 .1d5 32 ..Iii.xd5 4:lxd5 33 .1xa5

41 J:td7+! tDxd7 42 l:lxd7+ '/iIt'b1 + 34 ~f2 'lIih1 35 ~e2 "Yi'xh2+ 36 Black has to retreat to the back rank, after '/iIt'f2 'il'h 1 37 'tWf3

which his rooks don't couperate. ACnially, the rook on h8 is not worth much for many moves to conle. 42 ... 'it>fB 43 a7 1-0

Black resigned, as after 43 .. J::k8 44 SLc6 his position is lost.

Puzzle 137 Medina Garcia-Tal, Palma de Majorca 1966 Sid/ian Difimce

1 e4 c5 2 tDf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tllxd4 a6 5 tDc3 'il'c7 6 93 tllf6 7 .192 .lte7 B 0-0 0-0 9 '/iIt'e2 d6 10 ..Iii.e3 tllc6 11 ]:tad1 .ltd7 12 f4 .l:ac8 13 Wh1 b5 14 a3 tllxd4 15 .ltxd4 e5 16 .lte3 .lte6 17 J;tfe1 .i.c4

148

37 .. :iVxf3+! 3B <;i;xf3 tlle3 0-1 \Vb..ite resigned, as he has no defence

against ... h3-h2-hl~.

Puzzle 138 Rashkovsky-Tal. Sochi 1973 Gnmfeld Defence

1 d4 g6 2 c4 li)f6 3 lbc3 d5 4 cxd5 lbxd5 5 e4 lbxc3 6 bxc3 iLg7 7 iLc4 0-0 8 lbe2 lbc6 9 0-0 b6 10 iLe3 iLb 7 11 ~d2 lba5 12 .i.d3 e6 13 iLh6 c5 14 iLxg7 Wxg7 15 'it'f4 lbc6 16 iLb5 ~f6 17 ~xf6+ Wxf6 18 dxc5 bxc5 19 lbc1

An interesting position has arisen. It's roughly equal, but Tal proved to be the bet­ter endgame player. 19 ... li)a5 20 J:l.e1 J:!.ab8 21 e5+ ";'g7 22 tZ'Ib3 .i.xg2 23 c4 lbxb3 24 axb3 .i.b7 25 :lxa7 J:!.fd8 26 'it>f1 .i.f3 27 ~d7 J:!.xb3 28 iLxe6 J:!.b7 29 J:l.a3 fxe6 30 J:!.xf3 J:!.d4 31 J:l.f6 J:!.e7 32 J:!.a1 J:!.e4 33 f4 J:!.xc4 34 ~e2 nc2+ 35 Wd3 J:!.xh2 36 J:l.c1 Ith3+ 37 We4

37 ... J:!.d7! 'l1u-eatening mate on d4.

38 J:!.xc5 J:!.dd3 0-1 White resigned as he is mated after 39

l'1c 7+ Who 40 f5 WgS! 41 fxgo J::!.he3.

Puzzle 139 Tal-Antoshin. Kharkmr 1967

Rt~ l.opeZ

1 e4 e5 2 lbf3 lbc6 3 .i.b5 a6 4 ~a4 lbf6 5 0-0 lbxe4 6 d4 b5 7 iLb3 d5 8 dxe5 iLe6 9 c3 iLc5 10 lbbd2 0-0 11 ~c2

Solutions to Puzzles

lbxd2 12 ~xd2 f6 13 exf6 J:!.xf6 14 lbg5 iL f5 1 5 b4 1<.b6 16 iLb3 lbe 7 17 a4 J:!.b8 18 axb5 axb5 19 J:!.e1 c6 20 ~e2 lbg6 21 lbf3 h6 22 lbd4 iLxd4 23 cxd4 'it'd7 24 f3 J:!.e6 25 ~f2 J:!.be8 26 ~d2 .i.d3 27 J:!.xe6 J:!.xe6 28 J:!.e1 J:!.xe1 + 29 .ilxe1

An interesting endgame has arisen. At first sight \X'h.ite's pawns on b4 and d4 appear to be weak, as they art: posted on the same col­our as the dark-squared bishop, but this is not the case. They are actually strong, as they are easy to protect and they hold back Black's three pawns. White has a majority on the kingside, and it is much easier for him to use this than Black's on the queenside. Another important feature of the position is that Black's kingside pawns are placed on dark squares. This will be of significance later ... 29 ... ~e6 30 'it'd2 'it'e2?!

Pt:rhaps 30 ... tLlf4!? 31 'it'xe2 1<.xe2 32 ~f2 .ild3 33 ~e3 iLb1 34 h4

White has a small but lasting advantage. 34 .. .'~f7 35 h5 lbe7 36 g4 lbc8 37 .ild1 lbd6 38 1<.e2 lbc4+ 39 Wf4 We6 40 .ilf1 lbb2 41 1<.c3 lbc4 42 iLh3 .,pt6 43 1<.e1 lbb2 44 1<.d2 lbc4 45 iLc1

\X'h.ite is soon ready for the g4-gS push. If White's bishop reached the d7-square, Black is doomed, so he seeks counterplay. 45 ... c51? 46 bxc5 1<.d3 47 c6 b4 48 c7 lbd6 49 ~e3 .ilaS 50 'iPd2 'it;>g5 51 'iPe1 + 'iPh4 52 .i.f1 .ilxf1 53 'i.t>xf1 \t>g3 54 'iPe2

149

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

b3 55 ~d3! <;Pxf3

56 .>txh6! It>xg4 56 ... gxh6 57 g5 wins.

57 .>txg7 It>xh5 58 .lte5 tDe8 59 >Pe3 \t>g6 60 >Pxb3 ~f7 61 '.t>b4 ..t7e6 62 It'b5 It'd7

This would bc a theoretical dr:\\.\' without the d-pawns, but now \'<;'hite wins with thc help of zugzwang. 63 ~a6 ~e6 64 .>tf4 tDe7 65 ~a7 tDe8+ 66 It>b8 <;t>d7 67 li<b7 tDe7 68 .>te1 1-0

Black resigned due to 68 ... tZ:Ic8 69 ~a3.

Puzzle 140 Pinter-Tal. Taxco 19H5 King's Indian Defef/ce

1 d4 tDf6 2 e4 d6 3 tDe3 tl'lbd7 4 e4 e5 5 tDf3 g6 6 .>te2 .>tg7 7 0-0 0-0 8 ~e3 e6 9 'ii'e2 'fIIe7 10 :tfe1 exd4 11 ~xd4 tl'le5 12 tDd2 :te8 13 :tad1 h5 14 h3 ~h6 15 .>tf1 ~f4 16 tDf3 tDfd7 17 .>te3 .ltxe3 18 lhe3 tDe5 19 'ii'd2 ~e6 20 b3 li)xf3+ 21 lbf3 l:ad8 22 "ii'h6 .>te8 23 nd5 'fIIf8 24 'lWxf8+ Wxf8 25 Ild4 tl'le6 26:td2

Black has no problems in this King's In­dian endgame. 26 ... tDg5 27 :te3 f5 28 ned3 tDxe4 29 It)xe4 lbe4 30 l:txd6 l:txd6 31 l:txd6 ne6 32 l:td8+ :te8 33 l:txe8+ ~xe8

It is hard to believe that \X'h.ite should lose this position! However, Black's king is a bit

150

more active, so White should at least be care­ful. 34 e5?! f4 35 g3 f3! 36 h4 <;t>e7 37 .>td3 .It f5 38 .lte4

The pawn ending is lost for \X/hite Jue to

Black's active king. 38 ... ~f6 39 <;t>t1 It>e5 40 It>e1 ~d4

Now the c-pawn is an object of attack. 41 It>d2 a5 42 ~f7 >Pxe5 43 It>e3 b5 44 a3 b4+ 45 axb4+ axb4+ 46 \t>d2 ~d4 47 ~e8 e5 48 .>tb5 ~e4 49 .>ta6 ~d5 50 ~e2 ~e5?!

After a short trip towards the kingsidc that bru1b'5 nothing, Black fmds the right way to ",i.n the game. 51 .ltb5 'iti>f5 52 ~d7+ .lte6 53 .ltb5 ~g4 54 .ltf1 ~d5 55 It>b2 <;t>f5 56 ~e2 ~e4+ 57 ~d2 It>e5 58 ~a6 ~d5 59 iLe4+ It>d4 60 .>tb5 ~f5 61 .lta6 .lte6 62 'iPe2 e4

At last! 63 bxe4

63 ... b3+! After the natural 63 ... ~xc4 White has

countcrplay ,\i.th 64 jLb7 jLd5 65 ~a6, when it's hard for Black to reach £2. 64~b2Wd3

Black uses the c4-pawn as a shelter to get to f2. 65 e5+ It>d2 66 e6 ~e1 67 e7 o;i;>xf2

Black is \\-inning now. 68.lte4

The straightforward 68 c8'" loses after 68 ... .llxc8 69 ~xcH 'it>xg3 etc.

68 ... .i.g4 69 .i.d3 A last try.

69 ... <;1>g1 70 .i.xg6 f2 71 .i.xh5 f1'l1i' 0-1

Puzzle 141 Krimer Yu-Tal. Vilnius 1955

26 ... liJxb2! 27 <;1>xb2 After 27 tbd4 Black plays 27 ... h4! 28

tbxe6 bxc3 29 tbb3 ~e4 30 tt'lf4 d5, dominating in the centre. 27 ... l:txc3 28 liJe5+ .i.xe5 29 1:[xe5 .l:!.xc2+ 30 'it;>xc2 dxe5

The whole exchange operation has left Black with a winning advantage. 31 >ti>c3 .i.d5 32 a3 a5 33 f3?!

It was better to stay passive. 33 ... ~e7 34 g4 ~f6 35 ~c2 e4 36 g5+ <;1>g6 37 fxe4 .i.xe4+! 38 ~c3

\X1lite loses after 38 tbxe4 fxe4 :W Wc3 a4 because he cannot stop both the a- and c­pawns. 38 ... .i.d5 39 'ot>d4 b4 40 axb4 axb4 0-1

Puzzle 142 Tal-Pribyl. Tallinn 1973 GriinJeld Difence

1 liJf3 liJf6 2 c4 g6 3 liJc3 d5 4 cxd5 lLIxd5 5 g3 .i.g7 6 .i.g2 0-0 7 0-0 c5 8 It\xd5 'ilt'xd5 9 d3 liJc6 10 .i.e3 Axb2 11 J:tb1 .i.f6 12 "fia4 'ilt'd7 13 .i.xc5 lLId4 14 'it'd1 liJxf3+ 15 .i.xf3 l:tb8 16 SJ..xa7 Ila8 17 .i.e3 l:lxa2 18 '/Wb3 .l:!.a5 19 l:tfc1 h5 20 .i.h6 l:le8 21 .i.d2 };ta8 22 SJ..e4 'it'a4 23 'ilt'd5 'lIi'a2 24 .i.f4 'lIi'xd5 25 .i.xd5 e5 26.i.d2

\'vhite has the small advantage in this t·nd· game, as the b 7 -pawn is a weakness. 26 ... l:te7 27 l:[b6 Wg7 28 h4 nd7 29 .i.e4 .i.e7 30 l:tc4 .i.d6 31 .i.c3 f6 32 .i.b2 l:tb8

\Vhite's pieces are ideally placed, and he is ready to strike in the centre. 33 d4 exd4 34 l:lxd4

Now f6 is weak too.

Solutions to Puzzles

34 ... .i.e7 35 J:l.d5 l:txd5 36 .i.xd5 .i.d8 37 .l:!.b3 b5 38 l:te3 .i.b7 39 .i.b3 .i.c6 40 .l:!.e6 .i.d7 41 J:l.d6 l:lb7 42 e4

Now \\'hite wants to open up the black king's position further. 42 ... .i.e7 43 .l:!.a6 .i.e8 44 e5 f5 45 J:!.a8 .i.c6 46 nc8 .i.f3 47 Ilc3 .i.e2 48 .i.d5 nd7

49 e6!! nxd5?! 49 ... .:td8 also fails to save Black after 50

llc7+ Wf1! 51 ~f6!! .ltxf6 (or 51. .. l:lxd5 52 .ltxe7+ ~e8 53 ~f6 l:td8 54 l:[h7 and it's soon mate) 52 l:t17+ '&t>g8 53 l:txf6 ltxd5 54 e7 l:te5 55 l:!.f8+ Wg7 56 dl'W :1xc8 57 l::txeH .ltc4 58 l::tb8. Now passive defence won't save Black, so his only chance is to activate his king on the quecnside and advance the b­pawn. However, this shouldn't he enough to save the game. 50 l:tc8+! Af6

Or 50 .. .';Ph7 51 .:th8 matt"! 51 l:lc7+ r,t>g8 52 .i.xf6 1-0

Black resigned as \X'hite \\~11 he the first to mate after 52 ... 11d1+ 53 'it>h2 ~t] 54 :c8+ 'it>h 7 55 J:th8.

Puzzle 143 Tal-Sisniega. Taxco 1985 .Sid lian Defence

1 e4 c5 2 liJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 liJxd4 liJf6 5 liJc3 liJc6 6 .i.g5 e6 7 '/Wd2 .i.e7 8 0-0-0 0-0 9 liJb3 a5 10 a4 d5 11 i<.b5

151

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

~e4 12 ~e4 dxe4 13 'iWxd8 iLxd8 14 hd8 iDxd8 15 iDe5 f5 16 :d6 Wf7 17 l:thd1 ~e7 18 ~d7 :f7

19 iDxe6! ~xd7 20 tOe7 The point: \'Vrute wins the exchange.

20 ... iLxa4 21 lbxaB lbe6 22 lbb6 ~eB 23 :6d5 ~e6 24 :xa5 ..t.;>f6 25 llJd5+ ~g6 26 tOe3 1-0

Puzzle 144 Tal-Trifunovie. Palma de J',.lajorca 1966 Queen's Indian DifeJ/ce

1 c4 llJf6 2 lbf3 e6 3 g3 b6 4 ~g2 ~b7 5 0-0 ~e7 6 d4 0-0 7 lbe3 ll'Ie4 B ~d2 d5 9 exd5 exd5 10 lbe5 lLlxe3 11 ~xe3 lbd7 12lt)d3 ~d6 13 b4 e6 14 a4 a6 15 'iWb3 :eB 16 :a2 b5 17 lbe5 lbxe5 18 dxe5 bxa4 19 'iWb2 ~fB 20 lba4 ~e8 21 1:fa1 :bB 22 ~d4 h5 23 h4 11e6 24 ~f3 g5 25 hxg5 '/i'xg5 26 'iWe1 'iWf5 27 'ii'f4

~'hite wants to play the endgame. Black's pawns on the queenside are nn light s<Juares and are vulnerable to attack. 27 ... 'iWxf4 2B gxf4 ~g7 29 itxg7

Yes, please! 29 ... Wxg7 30 ~h2 :g6 31 :g1 Yxg1 32 ~xg1 h4 33 e3 ~f6 34 iLe2 :taB 35 ~g2 q;e7 36 ~d3 1i.>f6 37 f3 :a7 3B e4

Unfortunately for Black, he cannot keep the tension in the centre as ~te threatens to exchange on d5 and then play b4-b5. 38 ... h3+?!

152

There was no need for this check. 39 Wg3 dxe4 40 fxe4 :aB 41 ~f1 iLd7 42 e5+ cJ;e7 431ba6 :hB 44 :a2 f6

45 e61 After 45 exf6+ Wxf6 46 :112 l:tg8+ 47

Wf2 nh8 \X"hite has only a small advantage. 45 ... ~xe6

After 45 ... Wxe6 46 .ltxh3+ f5 47 :ta6 %:tcB 48 .ltg2 \Vhitc has a winning enUgame. Both of Black's pawns are on light squares and will soon come under attack. 46 :a7+ .il.d7

Or 46 ... Wd8 47 l;taH+ Acs 48 .lta6 'it>c7 49 :'xc8+ JlxcH 50 il.xc8 'it'xc8 51 Wxh3 \\~th a winning pawn ending.

47~h2

~te now threatens b4-bS. 47 ... l:1h5 4B b5! l:1xe5 49 iLxh3 f5 50 bxe6 lIxe6 51 iLxf5 :d6 52 >t>g3

Next W'hite exchanges everything and

wins the pawn ending. 52 ... ~eS 53 l:txd7 l:txd7 54 .1<.xd7 + 'Wt>xd7 55 'Wt>g4 '>t>e6 56 ~g5

Taking the opposition. 56 ... 'iti7 57 ~f5 1-0

Puzzle 145 Tal-Bronstein. Thilisi 1959

2S .1<.h6+! <;!o>gS Black declines the sacrifice. lf 28 ... ..ti>xhG

29 lOxf7+ ~g7 30 lOxd8 :xd8 31 J:[a5 Black's p:1wn weaknesses on the qut:t:nside cannot be dt:fended. 29lZlc6ltcB 30 :tad1 l:lxc6 31 J:lxd5

Black faces rhe same problem as before: the queensidt: pawns art: very weak. 31 ... f6 32 l:txb5 g5 33 l:txb3 ~f7 34 l:tb7 l:!.e6 35 l:txe6 ~xe6 36 h4 l:tgS 37 f4 ~c5+ 3S 'M1 gxh4 39 l:tb5 11cS 40 f5+ ~d6 41 b4 h3 42 l:txc5 h2 43 .1<.f4+ 1-0

Finally Black resigned.

Puzzle 146 GipsJis-TaJ. Vilnius 1955 Sicilian DifC1lce

1 e4 c5 2 lZlf3 lZlc6 3 c3 d5 4 exd5 "xd5 5 d4 .1<.g4 6 .1<.e2 e6 7 0-0 lZlf6 B h3 iLh5 9 .1<.e3 cxd4 10 lZlxd4 .1<.xe2 1 1 'iWxe2 lZlxd4 12 iLxd4 iLe 7 13 llld2 0-0 14 :tlfd1 "f5 15 .1<.xf6 iLxf6 16 llle4 l:tabS 17 l:td7 a5 1S a4 1i'e5 19 lZlxf6+

Solutions to Puzzles

gxf6 20 'ilVxe5 fxe5 21 l:te1 White has a clear edge in this double rook

endgatnt: due to his active rook on the sev­enth ranle It is really impressive that Tal ac­tually wins this game! 21 ... f6 22 c4!

Preventing any counterplay on tht: queen­side ,vith ... b5. 22 ... ltf7 23 l:ted1 l:tcS 24 b3 l:tc7 25 l:txc7 ltxc7 26 l:td6 ~f7 27 ~1 f5 2B g3 ~6 29 l:tb6 f4 30 gxf4 exf4 31 We2 ~f5 32 f3 ~e5 33 'Wt>d3 ltd7 + 34 ~c3 ~f5 35 l:tb5+ e5 36 l:txa5 ltd1

Dlack's activity gives him plenty of coun­terplay. The position is sharp and unclear. 37 l:td5 l:th1 3S a5 l:txh3 39 l:td3 1:1g3 40 ..ti>d2 l:tg2+ 41 ~e1 :l.b2 42 c5 h5 43 ..t>f1 h4 44 11c3 h3 45 <;!o>g1

45 ... e41 46 a6 Or: a) 46 fxe4+ ..t>g4 47 a6 f3 48 axb7 f.2+ 49

'>ir>fl h2 50 ':g3+ 'itth4 ano Black wins: after White promotes, he will be checkmated.

b) 46 c6 bxcG 47 l!Ic5+ 'itte6 48 fxe4 f3 and again Black's pawns oecioe. 46 ... e3 47 axb7 :l.b1 + 4S '.t.>h2 e2 49 :e3!

The best try. White loses immediately after 49 b8'it' 1:thl+ 50 ..t>xhl el'ii'+ 51 ~h2 'iVg3+ 52 'itthl 'iVg2 mate. 49 ..• fxe3 50 bS'iIV l:th1 + 51 'Wt>xh1 e1'li' + 52 ~h2 "f2+ 53 ~xh3

Now there is no mate on g3.

153

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

53 ... 'iVxf3+ 54 'it'h2 e2 55 'Wf8+ ~e4 56 'iVe8+ ~d3 57 'iVb5+ 'it'e3 0-1

Puzzle 147 Tal-Etruk. Riga 1954 l'Jimzo·lndian Defence

1 d4 tLlf6 2 e4 e6 3 tLle3 il.b4 4 f3 d5 5 a3 Axe3+ 6 bxe3 e5 7 exd5 tLlxd5 B dxe5 'Wa5 9 e4 tLlxe3 10 'iWd2 tLle6 11 Ab2 tLla4 12 'iWxa5 tLlxa5 13 il.xg7 J:!.gB 14 il.e5 tLlxe5 15 J:td 1

White's dark-squared bishop is very strong in this position. 15 ... il.d7 16 tLlh3 b6 17 tLlf4 ~a4 18 lId4 tLle6 19 ~xa4 tLlxe5 20 lld4 <j;e7 21 il.e2 J:!.adB 22 lld2 tLle6 23 nb2 ~d4 24 <j;t2 f5 25 ~b5 tLle5 26 <j;e3 l:tgdB?! 27 tLld5+ n4xd5 2B exd5 f4+ 29 <j;e2 exd5 30 'it'd1 tLle4 31 ~xe4 dxe4+ 32 lld2 tLld3 33 'it'e2 b5 34 l:[b1 l:I:bB 35 'Ot>e3 'it>d6

36 l:lxb5! l:lxb5 37 <j;xe4 <j;e6 38 'it>xd3 l:lb3+ 39 <j;e4 l:lxa3 40 ;t>xf4 1-0

White's connected pawns on the kingside are too strong.

Puzzle 148 Portiseh-Tal. Moscow 1967 King's Indian Defence

1 lLlf3 tLlf6 2 e4 g6 3 d4 .iog7 4 g3 0-0 5 Ag2 d6 6 lLle3 lLle6 7 0-0 Af5 B lLle1 e5

154

9 d5 tLla5 10 e4 ~g4 11 'iWd3 e5 12 il.d2 lLlh5 13 tLle2 ~d7 14 tLlb5 ~xb5 1 5 exb5 a6?

16 b6! "liVxb6 17 ·lWe3 "liVb5 1B "liVxa5 "lIixb2 19 J:lfe1

Black has 110 C0l11p"11sation for the loss of a piece. 19 ... b6 20 "liVa4 "lWb5 ·21 'iVxb5 axb5 22 a3 l:I:a4 23 J:i:ab 1 lL"\f6 24 f3 1-0

Puzzle 149 Tal-Lutikov. Soviet Team Championship, Moscow 1963

31 .. Jbf2!

32 'lWhB+ If 32 'it>xf2 Black's initiative develops

smoothly after 32 .... ~Jc4 33 'It!Ve4 ~g5. 32 ... 'it'e7 33 tLlxg7 "lIixe3 34 'l!¥eB+ '.t>d6 35 'li'fB+ We6

Soon White has no more checks, so he tries a last trick ... 36 Jte4+ 'ii'xe4 37 'iVa8+

... but he threw in the towel after 37 ... ~b7 0-1

Puzzle 150 Tal-Abramov. Petrozavodsk (Simultaneous display) 1984

26 ... l:txf2! 27 l:xf2 'iVa 1 + 28 'itrh2 Jte5 0-1

Solutions to Puzzles

dangerous duo, for instance 33 ... '1PfB 34 lLJg6+ ~g8 35 'iVh8+ and White \\oms hack the exchange. ",",'ith three extra pawns, \'Vhite wins easily .

Puzzle 153 Tal-Darsniek. Riga 1950

22 ... l:xd5! 23 exd5 ~d4 24 it'd1 Jtxd5+ 25 'iti>f1 Jtc4+!

Black opens up a route for his queen. 26 <;i;>g1 ~f3+ 0-1

Tal resigned, as he must give up his yueen Nice geometry that shows the weak dark to ayc)id matc.

syuares!

Puzzle 151 Tal-Smyslov. Herceg Novi (Blitz) 1970

33 ... ~xh3+! 34 gxh3 l:xh3 Black ,"\~ns back the knight on g4 \\o~th an

irresistible artack. 35 'iid4 .!:td3 36 W'b6 'ifxg4+ 37 <;t>f1 .!:th3 38 'fIc6 l:thf3 39 'ii'c5 'ifh4 0-1

Puzzle 152 Romanishin-Tal. Tallinn 1977

29 ti'lxh6! .l:tb8 29 ... 'Ot>xh6 loses to 30 'iVh4+ 'iii'g6 31

'iVg4+, when the rook on f3 drops. 30 ti'lf5 'iVc3 31 'ifh4+ ~g8 32 'ii'h5 nd8 33 ti'le7+ 1-0

White's queen and knight make a very

Puzzle 154 Unzicker-Tal. tvlilan 1975

24 l:xt71 .!:txt7 25 'iWxg6 'ii'g7 26 ti'ld6+ Jtxd6 27 iLxc6+ We7 28 .l:!.xt7+ 'iVxf7 29 'iVxh6

Much better than the primitive 29 'ii'xf7+?

155

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

'iPxfl 30 iixa8, when me endgame is still winning, but it takes another 50 moves. The move in the game mreatens mate in a few moves. 29 ... ..te5

If 29 ... :b8 then 30 ~xg5+ 'ii'f6 31 iVxf6 matel 30 'ili'xg5+ ~d6 31 ..txa8 'iJlc7 32 'ili'xe5+1 1-0

Puzzle 155 Tal-Anand. Cannes 1989

35 ... lZ:le3+1

36 ~g1 After 36 fxe3 'iVc2+ 37 'it'h3 Black mates

with 37 ... .:h4+! 38 'it'xh4 (or 38 gxh4 :'£3+ 39 ~g4 'ii'g2 mate) 38 ... 'ifxh2+ 39 'it>g4 'ifh5. 36 .... c2

36 ... lLIxcl 1 allows some counterplay after 37 'iVd7, although Black is still winning. 37 :f1 :xd30-1

There is no chance of a counter blow, as 38 'iVd7 is sLrongly met by 38 ... iVxf2+! 39 ':xf2 ':dl+ and mate next move.

Puzzle 156 Tal-Gligoric. Candidates l\fatch (Game 1), Belgrade 1968

~Lopez

1 e4 e5 2 lZ:lf3 lDc6 3 ..tb5 a6 4 iLa4 lZ:lf6 5 0-0 ~e7 6 :e1 b5 7 iLb3 d6 8 c3 0-0

156

9 h3 h6 10 d4 :e8 11 lDbd2 ~f8 12 lZ:lf1 ~b7 13 lZ:lg3 lDa5 14 iLc2 lZ:lc4 15 a4 d5 16 b3 dxe4 17 lDxe4 lDxe4 18 ..txe4 ~xe4 19 l:txe4 'iJld5 20 :g4 lZ:la5 21 ~xh6 lDxb3 22 :a3 bxa4 23 ':'xa4 l:tab81

24 :xa6? 24 ~e3 is stronger.

24 ... exd4? There was no need to exchange inunedi­

atdy. 24 .. ..l:taS is better. 25 cxd4?

Slightly better was 25 tt:\xd4 lLlxu4 26 cxd4, bur maybe Tal wanted to keep me knight fur a kingside attack.

25 ... c5? It was stronger to fIrst occupy the a-file

and then push in the centre: 25 .. .11a8 26 l:txa8 :'xa8 27 'iVd3 c5 with mutual chances. 26 ~e3 :b4 27 :g5 'iWb7 28 .:th6! lZ:lxd4

28 ... g6 is another option. Abramov gives 29 l:thxg6+ fxg6 30 llxg6+ Ji..g7 31 lLlg5 l:te7 32 'ii'h5 'fi'd5 33 'ii'h7+ (or 33 l:txg7+ ~xg7 34 'ii'h7+ 'it>f8 35 'ii'hS+ 'iVg8 36 'ii'f6+ ~eS 37 'i6'c6+ 'it>f8 with equality) 33 .. .';t>fB 34 lLle6+ with unclear consequences.

In the game Black chooses a more active approach. 29 lDxd4 l::tb 1 30 jLc 1

30 ... 'ifb2 This active move is better than 30 ... cxd4,

when White's initiative is very dangerous after 31 'i6'h5 l:txc1+ 32 '1t>h2. Black has to

play very precisely here: a) 32 ... .ltd6+?1 33 l:txd6 'i6' c 7 34 'iVh61

(White's attack continues) 34 ... g6 35 l:.gxg6+ fxg6 36 'i6'xg6+ 'it>f8 37 "ifh6+ 'it>gS 3S g3 (Black's extra rook is not relevant compared to the position of Black's king; the power of White's queen and rook is too strong) 38 ... :e7 39 :g6+ <3;;f7 40 'i6'h7+ <3;;e8 41 it'g8+ 'it>d7 42 'i6'd5+ and White wins.

b) 32 ... 'ii'c7+ is a more sober option. After 33 g3 g6 34 .:thS+ <i;g7 35 'i6'h6+ 'iii'f6 36 'iVh4 Black can force the draw with 36 ... 1:.h1+! (not 36 .. .';t>e6? 37 'i6'e4+ 'it>f6 3S 'i6'xeS 'it>xg5 39 l:txfB 'it>f6 40 'ii'e4 ~g 7 41 l:teS and White has a winning attack) 37 'it>g2 l:tg1+. If White takes the rook with 38 'it>xg1 there follows 38 ... 'ii'c1+ 39 'it>h2 'i6'xg5 and Black wins. 31 'ifh5?

Better was 31 lLlb3 with the possible con-

Solutions to Puzzles

tinuation 31..."'e2 32 'i6'd5 1:.e6 33 l:th4 "'e1+ 34 'it'h2 .i.d6+ 35 iLf4 'ii'gl+ 36 'it>g3 l:te3+ 37 'li'g41, given by Tal himself. He ob­,,;ously overlooked something when he played 'i6'h5.

31 ... 'ifxc1 + 32 ~h2 .l1<.d6+! It is possible that Tal had overlooked this

move? 33 l::txd6 "tWf4+ 34 l::tg3 "tWxd6

Black has a winning material advantage. 35lDf5

35 ... l::tee11 Or maybe this one? If Black didn't have

this move, \X'hite's posit jon would be prefer­able. 36 "tWxf7+

Forced. Of course not 36 lLlxd6 :h 1 mate! 36 •.. ~xf7 37 lDxd6+ ~e6 38 I!.g6+ ~d5 39lDf5

157

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

White has some chances of counterplay, but with a couple of precise moves there is no doubt about the result. 39 ... :b71 40 lLle3+ :xe3! 41 fxe3.1:1.c7

The pawn cannot be stopped. 42 'iPg3 c4 43 ~f4 c3 44 e4+ <;t>c4 45 l:ta6 c2 46 :a 1 ~d3 0-1

Puzzle 157 Tal-Vaganian. Leningrad 1974 Queen's Indian Defence

1 lLlf3 lLlf6 2 c4 b6 3 d4 e6 4 lLlc3 .il.b 7 5 .il.g5 .il.b4 6 e3 h6 7 .il.h4 g5 B .il.g3 ll)e4 9 'iVc2 .il.xc3+ 10 bxc3 d6 11 .il.d3 f5 12 d5 exd5 13 cxd5 .il.xd5 14 lLld4 'iVf6 15 f3 lLlxg3 16 hxg3 lLld7 17 .li..xf5 0-0-0 1B 'iVa4 a5 19 ~f2 .li..b7 20 g4 'fIIe7 21 lLlc6

White has a clear advantage. Black's only chance is the exchange sacrifice. 21 .. .'ifg7 22 lLlxd8 rLxdB 23 'iVd4 'iVfB 24 .l':th3 'iPbB 25 l::tah 1 'ilVf7 26 a4

26 'ifd2 was more solid. 26 ... <!Lle5 27 l::txh6 'iVa2+ 2B \t>g3 'iVe2 29 l::thB l::txhB 30 l::txhB+ 'iPa7 31 .il.e4

31 ... lLlxf3! Forcing a draw.

32 'iWd3

Or 32 .ltxf3 Ji..xf3 33 gxf3 'iVe1+ and Black draws by perpetual check. 32 ... lLlg1 33 'if<h2 lLlf3+ 34 \t>g3 lLlg1 %-%

158

Puzzle 158 Tal-Olafsson. Las Palmas 1975

22 ... 'iVf4! 23 l:te7 23 'iVxf4? ltd1+ mates.

23 ... :fB 24 'iVa5 If 24 't'ie2 Black wins with 24 ... iLxf3 25

iVxf3 (25 gxf3 'ii'g5+ drops the rook immt:­diateiy) 25 ... 'i!i'd6! in view of the double threat on e7 and d1. 24 ... :d1 + 25 tLle1 'iVg5 0-1

Black eyes both as and e7.

Puzzle 159 Nezhmetdinov-Tal. Baku 1961 .Iid/iall D,,(ence

1 e4 c5 2 It)f3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 It)xd4 lLlf6 5 It)c3 e6 6 .il.e2 a6 7 0-0 'iVc7 8 f4 tLlbd7 9 g4 b5 10 a3 J/,b7 11 .il.f3 It)c5 12 'iVe2 e5 13 lbf5 g6 14 fxe5 dxe5 15 lbh6! l2Je6 16 .il.g2! .1I.g7 17 J:txf6!

White sacrifices the exchange. 17 ... iLxf6 1B 4'\d5 'iVdB

1 H ... ,iLxdS offered more chances. After 19 exdS lLld4 20 'iWf2 'iVb6 21 g5 Black can ex­change queens and go for the endgame with 21...lLle2+ 22 'it>fl 'ii'xf2+ 23 ~xf2 lLld4 24 gxf6 lLlxc2 25 Ita2 although, with two bish­ops for a rook., \Vhite still has all chances to Win.

19 'iVf2 lbf4? 20 J/,xf4 exf4 21 e5! iLxe5 21...iLxd5 22 exf6! Ji..xg2 23 l:e1+ wins.

22 :te1 f6 If Black plays 22 ... ~xd5 23 l:txe5+ ~e6

White's attack proceeds with 24 ~c6+ 'iii>f8 25 JtxaS 'ii'xa8 26 'iVd4 'it>g7 27 l:tf5+! (very nice - Black is mated) 27 ... 'iitxh6 2S :h5+ gxh5 29 'ii'f6 mate.

23lbxf6+! 'ifxf6 241t'd4! CG(C.S-) Black cannot castle, the bishop on e5 falls

and White::'s attack is irresistible. The:: bishop on b 7 is less relevant. 24 .. .';lo>f8 25 :txe5 "ird8

Black has no time for 25 ... ~xg2, while:: af­ter 2S ... ltdS \"\!hite wins the:: quee::n with 26 l:tc8+! <t/g7 27 l:te7+. 26 :ctf5+ gxf5 27 'iWxh8+ <Jle7 28 1t'g7+ ..t.>e6 29 gxf5+ 1-0

If 29 ... 'it>d6 30 ttJt7 + Black lose::s his queen.

Puzzle 160 Korchnoi-Tal. Ye::re::van 1962

Solutions to Puzzles

50 :ctxd7! The greedy 50 'ii'xt7+?! 'Ot>xf7 51 ltxd7+ is

not the:: best. Afte::r 51...~e6 52 lte7+ 'it>d5 the outcome of the game:: is not yet clear. 50 .. :iWxd7 51 e61t'a7

The:: counterattack 51...'iib5+ is not good enough e::ither. Afte::r 52 ..t>h4 'ii'b7 (or 52 ... g5+ 53 'it'h5 'ii'e::8+ 54 'it'xg5 ltb5+ 55 'iPh4 and \"\!hite is re::ady to matc Black's king) 53 'ii'n! Black has no defence against d6-d7 or e::6-e::7 followed by mate on either g7 or fB. 52 'ife5 axb2 53 e7

Threatening mate:: on g7. 53 .. .'~f7 54 d7! 1-0

Black resigned in view of 54 ... iVxd7 55 iff6+ 'Ot>e8 56 'iffB mate or 54 ... bl'ii' 55 eSif+ :'xeS 56 dxe8'ii mate!

Puzzle 161 Polugaevsky-Tal. Soviet Championship, Tbilisi 1956 S etJli·TarraJch Defence

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 lbc3 c5 4 e3 ll\f6 5 ll\f3 ll\c6 6 a3 cxd4 7 exd4 iLe7 8 iLd3 dxc49 iLxc4 0-0 100-0 b6 11 1t'd3 iLb7 12 :d1 :ctc8 13 iLa2 'iic7 14 iLg5 :ctfdS 15 'ife2 ll\g4 16 ll\b5 iLa6

17 "xe6! This wins a pawn, but the story is not ye

over. 17 ... .i.xb5

17 ... fxe6 leaves White with a winning posi

15S

Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius

(ion after If! .ixe6+ 'it>f8 19 tt'\xc7 ltxc7 20 i..xg4. 18 'iVxg4 ~e2

'111is, of course, had (0 be taken into ac­count. 19 i..xe7 'lWxe7 20 ':'e1 ~xf3 21 'li'xf3 'lWd7

Both players have sem this far. The pres­sure on d4 seems to give Black coumerp!a\', but Poluj.,rae\·sky had seen furthcr. 22 dS!

\X''hite tcmporarily sacrifices the exchange to seize the initiative. 22 ... ttJd4 23 'lWd3lLlc2 24 ~b1! lLlxe1

Not 24 .. :i!VxdS?? 25 'ii'xd5 ':xd5 26 i..xc2 llxc2 27 :tel) mate! 2S 'ii'xh7+ ..ti8 26 ~fS "iixdS

111C knight cannot he protected as 26 ... 'iVe7?? leads to mate after 27 'iWh8. 27 J::txe1

The threat of mate forces Black to give back the exchange. 27 ... f6 28 ~xc8 :'xc8

With a pawn up and a insecllrc bbck king, \X'hite should win. However, Tal manages [() save half-a-point.

the queens on, after which the game would have been practically winning. 31 ... :txd3 32 ':'c1 llb3 33 :c2 'it>g8 34 g4 'itih7 3S '1t>g2 Wh6 36 f3 as 37 '~g3 a4 38 ~c4 l:I.xb2 39 l:xa4 ~b3 40 lIa8 '.ilh7 41 'itf4 bS 42 We4 J::tc3 43 J::taS b4 44 axb4l:ic4+ 4S WfSl:xb4 46l:1.a7 l:b3 47 f4 .!::tbS+ 48 ~e6l:1.b4 'h-Yz

Puzzle 162 Tal-Vaganian. World Blitz Championship, Saint John 1988

29 h4 :d8 30 hS 'lWd3 27 ... 'lWxh2?

31 'iYxd3?! In the rook endgame Black has real

chances of Sllrvi"al' \x'hite should have kept

Black can win with 27 ... l:g1+!! 2f! ~xgl "it'xh2+ 29 ~f1 'iWh 1 mate. 28 ·.i,>e1 ~aS+ 29 lhaS lbxa5 30 liJf6+ 'ittf7 31 l:td7+ \t>xf6 32 'lWc3+ "eS 33 i..d4 Itxd4 34 "xd4 "xd4 35 l:I.xd4 liJb3 36 c61 1-0

Puzzle 163 Lutikov-Tal. Kie,' 1964

24 ~xb7+ ~xb7 25 iVxd8!1 l:I.xd8 26 lbd7 + :'xd7 27 f8W'

White is a piece up and winning. 27 ... 'iYd4 28 'lWf3+ ~a7 29 "e4 "b6 30 ~f1 iVd6 31 g3 g5 32 .e3+ ~88 33 liJe4 'lWd1 + 34 ~g2 1-0