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ANNOTATED GAME
The Magician from Riga
Mikhail Tal (2475) vs. Vladamir Simagin (2625)
Annotated by: tag1153
(1700)
Chess opening: Caro-Kann defence (B12)
Mikhail Tal (2475) vs. Vladamir Simagin (2625)
Annotated by: tag1153
(1700)
Chess opening: Caro-Kann defence (B12)
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Mikhail Tal was perhaps the best attacking player of all time. The eighth World Champion was a calculating monster who loved to sacrifice pieces during attacking combinations. The game that follows was played during the 23rd USSR Championship (about four years before he won the title). Living up to his reputation as "the attacker's attacker", Tal forces Simagin to move his king 20 times out of 44 total moves! Enjoy:) | |||||
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1. e4 |
Mikhail Tal was perhaps the best attacking player of all time. The eighth World Champion was a calculating monster who loved to sacrifice pieces during attacking combinations. The game that follows was played during the 23rd USSR Championship (about four years before he won the title). Living up to his reputation as "the attacker's attacker", Tal forces Simagin to move his king 20 times out of 44 total moves! Enjoy:) | ||||
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1... c6 |
Black appears to be leaning towards a Caro Kann. Or is he? | ||||
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2. d4 d6 |
!? One of Simagin's "pet" lines. Time to throw the book out of the window. | ||||
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3. Nc3 |
Simple development. A more positional approach was 3. c4 (hitting d5 while expanding on the queenside). | ||||
| 4 comments | |||||
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3... Nf6 |
Developing as well and preparing to castle kingside. | ||||
| 2 comments | |||||
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4. f4 |
?! While deliberately weakening his kingside, Tal sees the importance of the e5 square. | ||||
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4... Qb6 |
Applying pressure on d4, and restricting white's dark squared bishop. | ||||
| 2 comments | |||||
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5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Be2 Nbd7 |
Logical development by both players. | ||||
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7. e5 |
Tal tests the waters. | ||||
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7... Nd5 |
Threatening to double white's pawns on the c file. | ||||
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8. O-O |
Tal is not too worried about his pawns stacking up, so he secures his king. | ||||
| 1 comment | |||||
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8... Nxc3 9. bxc3 e6 |
?! Sort of slow. 9...g6 was more aggressive. | ||||
| 4 comments | |||||
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10. Ng5 |
! Is it possible that Tal sees a mating combination on the kingside this early? | ||||
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10... Bxe2 11. Qxe2 h6 |
?! In an attempt to kick out the knight, black creates a new weakness. | ||||
| 2 comments | |||||
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12. Nxf7 |
!! You must understand that chess was king (pardon the pun) in the former Soviet Union. This game was played before a big crowd of people. When Tal played 12. Nxf7, the place erupted. It got so loud in the hall that the arbiter threatened to kick out all of the spectators! Can you imagine being held "in contempt of court" at a chess match? | ||||
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12... Kxf7 |
Simagin takes the material advantage. Little did he know that his king was about to get very, very tired. | ||||
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13. f5 |
Since white owns the f file, he attempts to open it up. | ||||
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13... dxe5 |
?! It's tough to come up with anything better here. However, black is now officially in trouble. | ||||
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14. fxe6+ |
Black has to take the pawn to save the knight. But the real surprise comes next. Can you spot it without looking ahead? | ||||
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14... Kxe6 15. Rb1 |
!! WHAT??????????????????????????????? Tal is at -3 on material and he sacs a rook? A known lover of vodka, Tal may have seemed to his opponent to be totally drunk. Was this a total blunder? or a tactic so deep that only the Magician could see? | ||||
| 2 comments | |||||
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