The World Champion: Mikhail Tal's Best Games 2 9781907982798

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Citation preview

Mikhail τats Best Games 2

Ίhe World Champion By

Tibor Κarolyi

Quality Chess www.qualitychess.co. uk

First edition 20 1 5 by Quality Chess UK Ltd Copyright © 20 1 5 τibor Karolyi

The World Champion All rights reserved. Νο part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. Paperback ISBN 978- 1 -907982-79-8 Hardcover ISBN 978- 1 -907982-80-4 All sales or enquiries should be directed to Quality Chess UK Ltd, Suite 247-248, Central Chambers, 1 1 Bothwell Street, Glasgow G2 6LY, UK Phone +44 1 4 1 204 2073 e-mail: [email protected] website: www. qualitychess.co.uk Distributed in North America by National Book Network Distributed in Rest of the World by Quality Chess UK Ltd through Sunrise Handicrafts, ul. Poligonowa 35Α, 20-8 1 7 Lublin, Poland Typeset by Jacob Aagaard & Colin McNab Proofreading by Daniel McGowan Edited by Andrew Greet Cover design by www. adamsondesign.com Photos for cover and page 342 provided by Oleg Pervakov and 64 magazine Photo page 64 provided by Georgy Tal Estimated World Ratings by Jeff Sonas at www.chessmetrics.com Printed in Estonia by Tallinna Raamatutrίikikoja LLC

Contents Key to symbols used & Bibliography

Preface

Acknowledgements

1960

1961 1962

1963 1964

4

5

6 7

67

103 125 149

1965

181

1967

235

1966 1968 1969

1970

1971

Summary ofResults Tournament and Match Wins Classification Game lndex by Page Number Game lndex by Tal's Opponents Alphabetical Game Index- Non-Tal games Name Index

207 259

283

295

317

340

341

343 344 348 350

351

Key to symbols used ;!;

;

± + +-+

iii

� CD

? ?? !! !? ?!

#

White is slightly better Black is slightly better White is better Black is better White has a decisive advantage Black has a decisive advantage equality with compensation with counterplay unclear a weak move a blunder a good move an excellent move a move worth considering a move of doubtful value mate

Bibliography Ίhe following books were especially useful in my research for the second volume. Botvinnik: Match Revansh Botvinnik- 7άl 1961, Galeria 2002 Cafferty & Taimanov: Yhe Soviet Championships, Cadogan Chess 2008 Κasparov: My Great Predecessors Part 2, Everyman Chess 2003 Κhalifman (ed.) : Mikhail 7άl games 1949-1962, Chess Stars 1 994 Κhalifman (ed.) : Mikhail 7άlgames 1963-1972, Chess Stars 1 994 Koblencs: Vospomenanie Shakhmatista, Fizkultura i Sport 1 986 Landau: Love and Chess, Russian Chess House 1 998 Mueller & Stolze: Zaubern wie Schachweltmeister Michail 7άl, Olms 20 1 Ο Sosonko: Russian Silhouettes, New ln Chess 200 1 Tal: Life and Games ofMikhail 7άl, Everyman Chess 1 997 Tal: 7άl- Botvinnik 1960, Russell Enterprises 200 1 Vasiliev: Zagadka 7άlia, Fizkultura i Sport 1 973

Preface to Volume 2 Ίhe World Champion is the middle volume of our three-part investigation into Mikhail Tal's life and career. We will rejoin the story after the climactic events of Ίhe Magic ofYouth, where Tal's superb score of 20/28 at the 1 959 Candidates tournament earned him the right to challenge Botvinnik for the world title. Tal's 1 960 match against Botvinnik was the most eagerly anticipated world championship match in decades. Not only was it a clash between generations; it also featured two strong personalities with diametrically opposing chess philosophies. Tal stunned the chess world (not to mention Botvinnik) with his ferocious attacking style in a way unlike any other player before him. Tal's career probably featured the most dramatic ups and downs of any world champion. After losing the rematch to Botvinnik he was still one of the strongest players in the world, but his performance was hampered by extensive health problems. Tal's maverick personality and bohemian lifestyle made him a fan favourite, but were not necessarily conducive to success over the chessboard. Despite the health problems and other challenges he faced, Tal remained one of the world's best and most popular players throughout the 1 960s and early 70s. Ι hereby invite you to turn the page and enjoy the next phase of the story ofTal's life and magical chess ability. Tibor Κarolyi Budapest, June 20 1 5

Acknowledgements First Ι would like to thank Georgy Tal, the son of the legend, who supplied some photographs and other information that Ι would otherwise never have been able to obtain. Ι am also especially grateful to my former trainer Peter Szilagyi, who offered support, encouragement and many helpful suggestions along the way. Natalia Edzgveradze helped to raise my motivation when it was needed, as well as explaining certain things written in Russian. Michail Vrona provided some material in Russian, and explained some of the subtle details of his mother tongue when Ι did not understand them. John Marble helped me to express certain things in better English. Yacov Konoval was kind enough to provide endgame analysis using a seven-piece tablebase. Ι am also grateful to Dennis Monokroussos, whose love for Tal's magic reminded me that it was worth the effort to complete the project. Ι am also grateful to the following people who faced Tal over the board, and/or knew him personally, who kindly shared their memories about him. Here are their names in alphabetical order: Jon Arnason, Yuri Averbakh, Zurab Azmaiparashvili, Laszlo Barczay, Pal Benko, Istvan Csom, Henryk Dobosz, Josif Dorfman, Jeno Dory, Gyozo Forintos, Shlomo Giterman, Dmitry Gurevich, Mikhail Gurevich, Attila Groszpeter, Etvin Haag, Julian Hodgson, Franz Hoelzl, Vlastimil Hort, Borislav Ivkov, Lasha Janjgava, Vlastimil Jansa, Albert Kapengut, Dieter Keller, Edvins Kengis, Kalle Κiik, Michal Konopka, Viktor Korchnoi, Nikolay Κrogius, Bojan Kurajica, Ljubomir Ljubojevic, Iivo Nei, Oscar Panno, Jack Peters, Amador Rodriguez, Oleg Romanishin, Anthony Saidy, James Sherwin, Yasser Seirawan, Gennady Sosonko, John van der Wiel, Herman van Riemdijk, Imre Varasdy and Jouni Yrjola. Various other people helped, either by providing snippets of useful information, or by putting me in touch with other contacts. Once again, Ι list them in alphabetical order: Jimmy Adams, Yochanan Mek, Radislav Atanasov, Alexander Bakh, Gunnar Bjornsson, Jure Borisek, Ivan Bottlik, Marc Bourzutschky, Andrea Bracci, 0ystein Brekke, Jurgen Brustkern, Alberts Cimins, Tristan Cox, Tomas Delega, John Donaldson, Karlheinz Eisenbeiser, Richard Forster, Llanos Guillermo, Peter Gyarmati, Dale Haessel, Robert Hίibner, Michael Κhodarkhovsky, Giorgi Κhomeriki, Iakov Konoval, Tomasz Lissowski, Gad Markovich, Anna Milankov, Marco Nickel, Ashot Nadanian, Dmitry Oleinikov, Urcan Olimpiu, Rene Olthof, Slavisa Peric, Oleg Pervakov, Ian Rogers, Ίhorbj0rn Rosenlund, John Roycroft, Harry Schaack, Tamas Schenker, Gerhard Schroeder, Niklas Sidmar, Jeremy Silman, Petter Stigar, Peter Szakolczay, Martin Weteschnik and Laszlo Zsinka.

1960 Lead-up to tbe World Championship Tal's championship match against Botvinnik was scheduled to start on the 1 5th of March, which gave him a preparation period of roughly a hundred days following his last tournament of 1 959. Towards the end of the year, Tal and Botvinnik met with the organizers to agree on the match conditions. Tal recalls that he agreed to all of Botvinnik's suggestions, even though he found it odd to have to write the sealed move on two separate scoresheets. (Botvinnik wanted there to be a spare copy, in case the main envelope containing the move was to disappear.) February 1 960 saw the death of Janis Κruzkops, Tal's junior trainer, who was discussed on page 1 2 of the first volume. Tal did not write a great deal about his early trainer, but news ofhis passing must have come as a shock. We will never know the full significance of Κruzkops' contribution to Tal's amazing rise, but the Κruzkops - Balins game included in the first volume shows that he was a skilled attacking player who might well have played a key role in the development of his legendary pupil. Unsurprisingly, neither Tal nor Botvinnik participated in the Soviet Championship, which lasted a month and finished near the end of February. It was won by Korchnoi in his home city of Leningrad. The following year it took place in Moscow and was won by Petrosian, who lived in the host city. The list of Soviet Championship winners from 1 95 8 until the early sixties indicates that playing in one's home city was a distinct advantage. Tal wisely kept Koblencs as his main helper, assisted once again by Averbakh. (As the reader may recall from the first volume, Averbakh had played several training matches with Botvinnik in the 1 950s, but later worked as Tal's second at the 1 959 Candidates tournament, having obtained Botvinnik's permission.) Tal's wife recalls that Κirillov and Bagirov also contributed to Tal's preparation. According to Kapengut, Koblencs asked Boleslavsky to join them, but the esteemed player and theoretician answered "What Tal needs is a nanny - not a coach." Ι contacted Georgy Tal to ask his mother how much Tal trained. Here is his reply: 'Άfter having received your letter, Ι asked my mother about how many hours a day father was training. The answer was 'Άbout 24." Ι can only add that apparently his lifestyle never changed. From the early morning until late at night he was playing chess, with short periods of reading and - if my mother was able to persuade him - eating."

8

The World Champion

Match Preparations Tal and Koblencs only published one training game, although they probably played many more. Tal was White ίη a sharp Caro-Κann, but the cσmplicatiσns petered out to an early perpetual. Ι also fσund a telegraphic game against the East German player Stσltz. Playing against the Sicilian, Tal reached a pσsition resembling what would nσw be called an English Attack. Tal sacrificed a pawn with g5-g6 and won quickly. This type of line-clearing sacrifice is recognized as a cσmmon mσtif nσwadays, but Tal was one of the pioneers σf it. Tal writes that they investigated Bσtvinnik's games after 1 948. lt is safe to assume that they paid most attention to his previσus world champiσnship matches. Tal did nσt believe that σpenings wσuld play a decisive role, although he and his team obviσusly still put a lot of effort into preparing. Botvinnik hardly ever played 1 .e4, σther than against weaker players ίη less important events, sσ it was a safe bet that 1 .d4 would be his chσice. He had employed bσth the Fianchetto and Samisch against the Κing's Indian, but the big question was which system he would use against the Βeησηί. With the black pieces, Mikhail Mσiseyevich's main weapσn against 1 .e4 was the Winawer French, but he had also had success with the Classical Sicilian and Caro-Κann. Despite his iηteηsive preparations fσr the match, Tal writes that he remained huηgry for chess. Brσnstein predicted that the first player to win a game would gσ ση to wίη the match. Many commentators believed that the player whσ managed to impose his style ση the oppoηent would emerge as the victor. Wσuld Bσtviηnik be able tσ griηd his oppσηeηt dowη frσm a slightly better pσsitiσn? Tal's yσuth wσuld be aη impσrtant factor ίη such cases. Despite being οηe σf the uηdisputed titaηs of the game, the fσrty-nine-year-old Botviηηik could hardly hσpe to match the energy levels σf a challeηger less than half his age. Another σbviσus questiσn was whether Botvinnik would be able to cope with Tal's attackiηg wizardry. Bσtvinnik won a lot of games by squeeziηg his σppoηents in slightly better eηdgames, but Tal says he noticed that Botvinηik sometimes focused tοσ much on the strategic elemeηts σf the positioη, which could leave him vulnerable ίη the eveηt σf a tactical confrσηtation. Kσbleηcs described Βσtνίηηίk as a great player who always thiηks ίη advance aηd carefully plaηs his next 'move' ίη life. Kσblencs alsσ spσtted that Reshevsky's dyηamic play had caused Botvinηik prσblems, even though Botvinηik maηaged to turn things around ίη Reshevsky's time trouble. Sadly for the chess wσrld, Bσtvinηik played very little when he was Wσrld Champioη. ln the whole of 1 959 he oηly played six seriσus games at a team competition, aηd ίη the early part of 1 960 he played twσ games agaiηst Korchnoi ίη a team event, losiηg σηe game aηd drawiηg the other. Nevertheless, Botviηηik was still the reigning champiση, with a wealth of match experieηce οη his side. Οη the other haηd, Tal was a blaziηg comet who had riseη thrσugh the chess ranks like ησ οηe befσre him, and his competitive results ίη recent years had been magnificent.

Ίhe Match Tal did ηοt arrive ίη Mσscow uηtil the day of the openiηg ceremσny. Apart frσm his trusted secσnds, Tal was alsσ accσmpaηied by his wife, Sally. Βσtνίηηίk's secσnd was Grigσry Goldberg,

1960

9

Mikhail Tal - Mikhail Bσtviηηik

whσ had previσusly assisted him iη his matches agaiηst Smyslσv. Aside frσm beiηg a Master iη chess, Gσldberg was a fσrmer Mσscσw Tenηis Champiση. Ίhe match was to be cσηtested σver tweηty­ fσur games, with Bσtviηηik retaiηing his title ίη the eveηt σf a tie. Ίhe veηue was the Pushkiη theatre. Kσbleηcs mentiσns that peσple whσ were uηable to σbtain tickets cσuld still fσllσw the games ση a large demσηstratiση bσard near the venue. Kσbleηcs meηtioηs that they were pleased wheη the drawing σf lσts gave Tal the white pieces ίη the first game. He recalls that, nσt lσng befσre the match, Tal said, "Maestrσ, dσ yσu remember the last time Ι wσn a game ίη the first rouηd? Ιη the last Sσviet Champiσηship Ι lσst; ίη Zίirich a zerσ; ίη the Spartakiad as well; aηd ίη the Caηdidates tσurηament Ι was beaten like a child by Smyslσv." Kσbleηcs explaiηs that, rather thaη beiηg a ηegative statemeηt, he and Tal bσth understσσd that a first-rσuηd victσty was ησt esseηtial, aηd that aηy early setback cσuld be σverturηed. Οηe hσur befσre the first game, Kσblencs left Tal's roσm to give his prσtege sσme peace. While he was waitiηg ίη his σwη rσσm, he decided tσ check Euwe's publicatiση ση the latest σpeηίηg develσpmeηts. He found an article ση the Freηch Winawer, featuriηg a Φdl idea that had beeη played ίη the 1 959 Caηdidates tσurnameηt. Just half aη hour befσre the game, Kσbleηcs hurried back tσ Tal's rσom aηd shσwed him the idea. "Crazy variatiση, isη't it?" Tal cσmmented. Accordiηg tσ Koblencs, Tal always liked paradσxical ideas. "Misha, the most impσrtant thing is to bluff. If this variatiσn occurs, play quickly to make him think that this liηe was a ceηtral part σf σur preparatioη!"

tl Mikhail Tal - Mikhail Botvίnnik Moscow (Ι) 1 960

l.e4 Ίhe reader may recall from the previous volume that, at the clσsing ceremony of the Candidates tournament, the victorious Tal had announced that he would play 1 .e4 ίη his first game against Botvinnik, and that he would win the game! His first mσve keeps the first part of the prσmise, althσugh Averbakh called it childish. l ... e6 Bσtvinnik stays true tσ the Freηch Defeηce, which had beeη his maiη weapση agaiηst l .e4 ίη wσrld champiσnship matches. 2.d4 d5 3.tLic3 Tal did nσt adσpt any ηew σpenings fσr this match. Ίhe text mσve had been his preferred chσice since the qualifyiηg stage σf the 1 956 Sσviet Champiσηship. 3 ...ib4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 .ixc3t 5 . . . .ia5 is the Armeηian Variatiσn, which Bσtvinnik emplσyed successfully ίη his first match agaiηst Smyslσv, sσ Tal wσuld have beeη ready fσr it. Tal even used it himself ίη a famous game: 6.b4 cxd4 7.'Wg4 'Δ e7 8.bxa5 dxc3 9.'Wxg7 :!Ξ!g8 1 0.'Wxh7 'Δ bc6 l l .'Δ f3 'Wc7 1 2 . .ib5 .id7 1 3 .0-0 0-0-0 14.!g5 .

10

The World Champion

14 ... ll:\xe5 1 5 .ll:\xe5 .ixb5 1 6.ll:\xf7 .ixfl 1 7.ll:\xd8 E:xg5 1 8.ll:\xe6 E:xg2t 1 9.Wh 1 'We5 20.E:xfl 'Wxe6 2 1 .Φχg2 'Wg4t Yz-Y2 Fischer­ Tal, Leipzig (ol) 1 960. Both players handled the complications flawlessly.

9 . . . cxd4 1 0.ll:\f3 ll:\c6 1 1 .g4 ll:\fe7 1 2. gxh 5?! 1 2.cxd4 would keep the position balanced.

6.bxc3

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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6 'Y!!c7 Up to this point in his career Botvinnik had mainly preferred 6 . . . ll:\e7, although he did play the queen move ίη his most recent match against Smyslov. •••

6 . . . ll:\e7 Tal faced this move ίη several games, including a few against Petrosian. Ι will show a few highlights, using a memorable game from 1 957 as the main line. 7.'Wg4 ll:\f5 Petrosian keeps the position closed, avoiding the sharpest lines in which Tal would have been at home. 8 . .id3 h5 9.'Wh3 Α later game continued: 9.'Wf4 'Wh4 1 0.ll:\e2 Wxf4 1 1 .ll:\xf4 ll:\e7 1 2 . .ie2 h4 1 3.ll:\h5 Φf8 1 4 . .ig5 cxd4 1 5 .cxd4 b6 1 6.0-0-0 .ia6 1 7 . .ixa6 ll:\xa6 1 8.g4 ll:\g6 White was better ίη Tal - Petrosian, Moscow 1 983, although Tal did not make the most of his position and they agreed a draw ten moves later.

b

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1 2 . . . 'Wc7 After 1 2 . . . Wa5! 1 3.0-0 dxc3 Black has an edge. 1 3 . .if4 ll:\g6 1 4.'Wg4 ll:\xf4! 1 5 .Wxf4 dxc3 1 6.Wg5 'We7! Petrosian had a finely tuned sense for aborting the initiative of his opponents. 1 7 .'Wxg7 'Wf8?! But now the great Armenian player goes too far to force a queen exchange. lnstead 1 7 . . . E:xh5! would have given Black a good position.

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1 8 .'Wg5 'Wh6 1 9.E:g1 'Wxg5 20.E:xg5 .id7 2 1 .Φe2 Φe7 22.Φe3! Tal uses his king well ίη the endgame. lt is not yet threatening anything, but it has potential. 22 ... E:af8 23.E:ag1 .ie8

Petrosίan wants to elimίnate the h5-pawn, but he should have aimed for play on the queenside: 23 . . . 2"1c8! 24.lίJd4 lίJxd4 25.Φχd4 b6 26.2"11 g3 2"\c5 and the position is roughly equal. 24.lίJd4! Exchanging the knight will increase the significance ofTal's superior bishop and king.

3 1 .h6 b6 32.Φχc3 White wins the first pawn, and the second is not far away. 32 . . . Φgs 33.i,g6 a5 34.Φd4 Φfs 35.c3 Φgs 36.h7t Φg7

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11

Mikhail Tal - Mikhail Botvίnnik

1 960

f

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24 . . . f5 ? Petrosian opens the diagonal for his bishop, but he also exposes his seventh rank and renders his pawn structure too rigid. 24 . . . f6! is better, and 25.2"1g7t i,f7 26.lίJxc6t bxc6 27.i,g6 fxe5 28.2"1g3 reaches a highly unusual type of endgame which is probably balanced. 25.lίJxc6t! i,xc6 If 25 . . . bxc6 26.2"\b 1 ! White invades along the b-file, for instance 26 . . . 2"\fgS 27.2"1b7t Φfs 28.2"\xgSt Φχg8 29.2"\bs Φg7 30.Φd4 and Black has serious difficulties. 26.Φd4! Tal improves his king. 26 . . . f4? 26 . . . i,e8 27.i,e2 a6 28.2"1g7t 2"\f7 29.Φχc3 leaves Black passive, but the text move just creates aπ additional weakness without producing any counterplay. 27.2"1g7t 2"\f7 28.2"1g8 2"1xg8 29.2"1xg8 2"1f8 30.2"\xfS Φχf8 Eliminating the rooks enables Black to control the h-pawn, but on the other hand it increases the domination ofWhite's king.

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37.i,f7! Tal ties the enemy bishop to the defence of the e6-pawn. 37 . . . i,d7 38.i,g8 i,c8 39.Φd3 i,d7 4Ο.Φe2 Φhs 4 1 .Φf3 b5 42.Φχf4!? Tal shows confidence in his calculations, choosing the flashy option which allows Petrosian to promote to a queen. Most players would surely prefer 42. Φe2 followed by marching to d6, which would have won the game without any drama. 42 . . . d4 43.cxd4 b4 44.axb4 a4 8

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45.d5! Obviously Tal had calculated this breakthrough when he captured the f4-pawn.

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Ίhe World Champion

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45 a3 46.dxe6 a2 47.exd7 a 1 ='W 48.d8='W . . .

White promotes in time, and Black has no chance to give a perpetual. 48 . . . 'Wc l t 49.'ίt>f5 'Wb l t 50.'ίt>e6 'Wg6t 5 I .'ίt>d7 1-0 Tal - Petrosian, Moscow 1 957.

7.'Wg4 Tal sticks to his normal choice, which best suits his style. He later commented that 7.lt:\f3 would have been complicated enough, but insufficiently sharp. It is also worth pointing out that Botvinnik had performed magnificently against the latter variation, scoring eight wins and three draws without a defeat. 7 f5 8.'Wg3 «te7 Botvinnik had used this move once before, drawing the 1 4th game of his 1 957 match against Smyslov. •.•

9.Y!!xg7 9.�d2 was Smyslov's choice, but Tal goes for the more challenging alternative. Ίhe resulting unconventional position certainly suits his style, but on the other hand Botvinnik was renowned for his brilliant opening preparation.

l l .td7! Botvinnik improves over l l . . . lt:\ bc6, which had been played by Petrosian against Gligoric, instead aiming to activate his bishop on a4. Tal mentions that he had considered this possibility before the game. .••

12.Wfh5t Tal follows Koblencs' instruction and plays quickly. According to the maestro, Botvinnik did not like it when his opponent was well prepared. 12 liJg6?! 1 2 . . . 'ίt>d8 is better, and was tried by Botvinnik in the return match a year later. In the present game Tal planned to answer it with 1 3.�g5 , but by the following year he preferred 1 3.lt:\f3. See Game 1 3 in the next chapter for further details. ••.

13.lt:\e2 1 3.'Wh7 would have repeated the position, but Tal remarks that this would have been a humiliating creative defeat, signifying " . . . an admission that Ι was rattled after my opponent's very first innovation."

9 ... ggs 10.'Wxh7 cxd4

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Tal repeats Gligoric's idea from Euwe's article. He later opined that twenty years earlier players would not have played such a king move in the opening. Koblencs must have been happy to see their 'deeply prepared' variation occur on the board.

13 d3?! Botvinnik arranges for his bishop to go to a4 with check, but it is not worth the price of a pawn plus improving White's structure. •..

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14.cxd3 .ta4t?! Tal states that 1 4 . . . lt:\ c6 would have given Black full compensation. Ι do not believe he has enough for two pawns after 1 5 .d4, but it was a better try than the game continuation.

13

Mikhail Tal - Mikhail Botvinnik

1960

1 7 . . . lί'Jgxe5!? 1 8 .dxe5 d4 Out of the blue, Black has a strong initiative for the piece. Nevertheless, White should remain ση top with careful play. 1 9.cxd4 Ei:xd4 20 . .ib2 lί'Jxe5 2I.lί'Jxd4 lί'Jxf3t 22.lί'Jxf3 �a5t 23.lί'Jd2 With a rook, bishop and knight against a queen, White should eventually win, as long as he takes suitable care over the next few moves.

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15.Φel Ίhe king is not ideally placed in the centre, but it is also not ίη too much danger. 15 ...�xe5?! Botvinnik cannot resist taking a central pawn, but doing so accelerates White's development. 1 5 . . . lί'Jc6 Ίhis would have been a better practical try, and it would at least have forced Tal to defend for a while. 1 6.d4 1 6.f4? is too weakening, and after 1 6 . . . 0-0-0 Black has good prospects for counterplay. 1 6 . . . 0-0-0 1 7.�f3 After 1 7 . .ig5 Ei:d7 1 8 .�h3 lί'Ja5 White is still better, but Black has some activity for the pawns.

�-mι.m �� � � 7 tll';� � sJ.aΎ

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6c3 69.'it>e3 :gd3t 70.'it>f4 :gf3t 7 I .'it>g5 :gxg3 72.Φχf5 :gd3 73.'it>xg4 is a draw. 68.:gxf5 If 68.:gbs :gd3 69.:gb5 'it>d4 70.:gb6 :gf3t 7 1 . 'it>g2 :gc3 Black wins, as his rook will give a check on the second rank. 68 . . . :gc6 69.:gf4 'it>xb3 70.:gxg4 c4! The Nalimov tablebase confirms that Black is winning. However, it is worth showing the winning continuation, as some of the details would be hard to find over the board.

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78 . . . :gg3!! This is the only move to win. lt creates a mutual zugzwang. 79.'it>f2 'it>d2 80.'it>xg3 c l =Wf Even after promoting to a queen, Black is only narrowly winning. 8 1 .:gf5 Wfe l t 82.'it>g4 Wfe2t 8

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7 1 .:gg8 c3 72.:gbst Φa2 73.:ga8t Φb2 74.:gbst ΦcΙ 75.g4! .After 75.'it>f3 c2 76.g4 'it>d2! 77.:gb2 'it>d3 Black wins the rook and easily restrains the g-pawn. 75 . . . c2 76.Φe2! :gc4 77.g5 :gg4! 78.:gb5

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If the king could reach g6 then the position would be a draw. 83.'it>f4 Wfh5 84.:ge5 Wfg6! 85 .:gf5 'it>e2 86.:gf6 Wfh5 87.g6 8

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87 . . . Φe l !! The only winning move. 88.g7 Wi'h7 89.2':1f7 Wi'g6!-+ The black king will approach along the h-file, leading to the eventual win of the g-pawn.

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59 ... lίJ d2t 60. Φ e3 6Ο.Φg5 leads to the same outcome: 60 . . . tZJf3t 6 Ι .Φh5 (6 1 .Φg6 f4-+ is mentioned by Razuvaev) 6 l . . . lZJ d4 62.i.d3 Φf6 63 .2':1c8 (63 .i.c4 lZJxb3-+) 63 . . . 2':1xb3 64.i.xf5 lZJxf5 65.2':1xc5 2':1xg3

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Tal removes aπ important pawn, making his c-pawn a potentially decisive force. Botvinnik tries to fight back on the kingside, but he is too slow.

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6 U:!: est Φ d7 62. � e5 Φ d6 63. �xf5 lίJ d4 64. � f2 lίJ xc2t Tal simplifies to a winning rook ending. 65. � xc2 Φ d5 66. � h2 Also after 66.2':1f2 Φe5 67.2':1f8 2':1b3t 68.Φf2 Φd4 69.2':1f4t (or 69.2':1d8t Φc4) 69 . . . Φd3 70.2':1xg4 c4 7 l .;';g6 Φd2 72.g4 ;iΞ%d3! 73.2':1e6 c3 White has no chance of survival.

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66.2':1c6t (After 66.2':1c4 2':1h3t! 67.Φχg4 2':1h4t Black wins the rook, as Tolush points out) 66 . . . Φe5 67.2':1c5t Φe4 68.2':1c4t lZJ d4 69.Φh4 !Ξ\gl 70.2':1a4 Φe3 Black frees the knight and wins.

60 ... lίJ xb3

83

Mikhail Botvinnik - Mikhail Tal

196 1

66 ... � e4t! Tal finds the only winning move. The check is crucial, as it forces White's king to an inferior

Ίhe World Champion

84

square \vhile keeping the g4-pawn defended. Insread 66 . . . :!Ξib3t 67.i>f4 c4 68.i>xg4 would only draw.

67. Φ d2 c4 68. :!Ξi h8 :g d4t! Once again Tal finds the only move. 69. Φ e3 :g d3t 70. Φ f4 c3

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71. :g d8t White has nothing better than checking, but doing so improves Black's king. 7 1 .i>xg4 c2 72.:!Ξid8t (after 72.:!Ξic8 :!Ξid4t! the rook gets to c4) 72 ... i>c4 73.:!Ξic8t i>b3 74.:!Ξixc2 i>xc2 75.1iff4 lifc3 76.g4 lifd4 77.g5 litd5 78.1iff5 :!Ξif3t wins for Black.

7Ι Φ c4 72. :g cst Φ b3 73. :g bst Φ a2 74. :g c8 Φ b2 75. g bst Φ cι Botvinnik resigned, as he loses the ensuing race by a long way. Tal's endgame technique was masterful. He claims he had still not given up hope of turning the match around. 0-1 .••

Ίhe next game was a marathon affair. Botvinnik equalized with the Caro-Kann, but he somewhat impatiently simplified the position and gave Tal the initiative. Tal increased the pressure and could have won the endgame,

but he and Koblencs uncharacteristically overlooked something ίη their adjournment analysis. Tal nevertheless kept good winning chances, and the game was adjourned a second time. Botvinnik found a defensive possibility, but he did everything possible to conceal it. He called his friends and told them he would lose the game, and when he arrived at the board his body language suggested he was doomed. Botvinnik even refrained from bringing coffee for the game, and made his moves quickly, all to reinforce the impression that he expected to have to resign ίη a few more moves. Tal pressed hard with his extra pawn, but he walked right into Botvinnik's trap involving a stalemate defence, which Tal only noticed when it was too late, and he had to settle for a draw in 1 2 1 moves. Soon after the match, Botvinnik wrote ίη an article that it was not until the stalemate idea became real ίη the game that he became certain he would win the match. He admitted that he, like Tal, was exhausted by this stage of the match, and anything might have happened ifTal had won the game. Botvinnik would certainly have remained the favourite, but Tal would have had some chances. Botvinnik said that after the marathon draw, Tal was no longer the same Tal. Botvinnik later wrote that he usually did not resort to the kind of psychological tricks he used to feign hopelessness at the start of the final playing session. On the other hand, as Botvinnik writes, "Later Ι learned the well­ known hypnotist Wolf Messing had been summoned from Riga to 'help.' However, they forgot that Ι was short-sighted, so of course Ι did not notice that Messing was in the audience . . . "

Tal needed to win the last four games to retain his title, which was virtually impossible. ln Game 2 1 Tal went for a risky set-up against

196 1

85

the Samisch aηd Βοtνίηηίk sοοη got a serious advaηtage, which he coηviηciηgly coηverted to victory. lt is iηterestiηg that Tal did ηοt offer a draw. Botviηηik thus wοη the match by a score of 1 3-8 to regaiη the world title. It was a huge disappoiηtmeηt for Tal, but wheη οηe loses by a five-poiηt margiη, there caη be ηο doubt that the oppoηeηt played better.

Ιη stark coηtrast to Βοtνίηηίk, who took ηumerous steps to improve his chaηces, Tal was a mere shadow of the destructive force he had beeη twelve moηths before. Wheη the match was first aηηouηced he was overcoηfideηt, aηd speηt his time writiηg a book aηd giviηg simuls rather thaη prepariηg for a highly motivated Botviηηik.

Match Conclusions

Tal would later claim that he prepared properly for the match. Perhaps he was reactiηg defeηsively to the criticisms he had received, or maybe he was beiηg gracious ίη defeat aηd did ηοt waηt to make excuses to detract from Botviηηik's achievemeηt. Whatever the reasoηs, all the evideηce poiηts to the coηtrary of what Tal claimed. Botviηηik weηt as far as to say that Tal did ηο serious work ση his opeηiηgs for two years, aηd that he did ηοt play a siηgle ηew system with aη origiηal idea ίη all that time. The words are harsh, aηd Ι coηsider the statemeηt aη exaggeratioη, but there is still some truth ίη it. Had Tal beeη fully healthy theη he might have got away with beiηg uηprepared, but his kidηey problems, aloηg with his hospitalizatioη due to the flu after Game 8, robbed him of much of his eηergy.

Tal scored 5Yz/ 1 0 as White, with three wiηs, five draws aηd two losses: a reasoηable if uηspectacular tally. With Black, ση the other haηd, he scored just 2Υ21 1 1 , with two wiηs, οηe draw aηd eight defeats. Το call this a poor score would be aη uηderstatemeηt, eveη allowiηg for the fact that, after a certaiη poiηt ίη the match, Tal took some extra risks by playiηg to wiη with the black pieces. Botviηηik chose his opeηiηgs iηtelligeηtly aηd prepared well, but he still made some aηalytical mistakes which Tal might well have exploited had he himself prepared properly. Το give credit where it is due, Tal geηerally played well ίη eηdgames. Botviηηik's biggest problem ίη the first match was time trouble, but this time he almost completely eradicated it. He fell iηto zeitηot oηly ίη Games 2 aηd 1 9, both of which he lost. After the match Botviηηik held a press coηfereηce. Amoηg other thiηgs, he emphasized how hard he worked ση his physical coηditioηiηg. Kobleηcs says he wished Tal would have beeη preseηt to hear that commeηt. Aside from improviηg his fitηess aηd driηkiηg coffee to maiηtaiη his alertηess ίη the fifth hour of play, Botviηηik also worked hard ση his opeηiηgs aηd adapted his match strategy by exchaηgiηg queeηs at almost every opportuηity, ίη order to avoid the kiηd of complicated middlegames ίη which Tal was at his best.

Το summarize, τhere are several factors which may have coηtributed to Tal's poor preparatioη. His overcoηfideηce aηd lack of focus towards the eηd of 1 960 has already beeη discussed, aηd his subsequeηt illηess must have takeη away much of the time aηd eηergy that could otherwise have beeη speηt ση traiηiηg. We should also ηοt forget that Tal had receηtly become a youηg father. Although this aspect of his life must have brought him a great deal of happiηess, it was yet aηother major distractioη from the match. Οηe also gets the impressioη that Tal's relatioηship with Kobleηcs had chaηged. Ι ηoticed that Tal ofteη refers to Kobleηcs wheη

Ίhe Wσrld Champiση

86

discussing his career up to aηd including the 1 960 match, but wheη it cσmes to the 1 96 1 match he seldσm mentions him. Maybe Tal was being respectful ίη nσt meηtiσniηg the Maestrσ in cσnηectiσn with his failures. Hσwever, there are also reasoηs tσ believe that Tal no lσηger paid as much attentiση to his trainer. ***

Let me cite bσth σf the players, begiηηiηg with Tal: "Playing against Βσtνίηηίk, all the time Ι felt myself to be, at best, a studeηt. We are all schσσlchildreη, students, pσstgraduates perhaps, but he is the prσfessσr." Βσtνίηηίk later recalled: 'Ά year later ίη the returη match Ι was able to demonstrate that the creative flaws σf the talented player from Riga were more impσrtant thaη his phenomenal calculating ability; ίη the first match Ι was able to demoηstrate this perhaps σηly once, ίη the niηth game." Much later, Βσtνίηηίk also said ίη an interview for New in Chess, 'Άfter their matches with me, Βrσηsteίη, Smyslov and Tal ηο lσηger showed their former streηgth. Ι am to blame fσr this, since Ι exposed them, aηd then everyone uηderstood how to play agaiηst them." Ι think Βσtνίηηίk's statemeηt has a graiη σf truth to ίt, but it ignores the fact that Tal did nσt play aηywhere near his full ability ίη the rematch. Ίhe fact that a third Tal - Botνinnik match ηever happened is a loss to the chess world. Ι thiηk the third Κasparσv - Κarpov match was their best: each player was aware of the streηgths aηd relative weaknesses σf his opponeηt, aηd they prσduced a truly fasciηating match. Ι thiηk if Tal had beeη ίη gσσd health aηd devσted himself fully, he would have beeη the favσurite to defeat Βοtνίηηίk, who was approachiηg fifty years of age.

Ίhere is ησ doubt that the two matches left a legacy, and one caη oηly speculate about the ways ίη which it cσuld have iηflueηced future geηeratiσηs. Perhaps Botνiηnik's success with the Carσ-Κaηn agaiηst aη aggressive σpponeηt inspired Κarpov, who used it with great results agaiηst the youηg Andrei Sokolσv ίη the 1 987 Candidates final. Κramnik wrote a forward to a boσk ση the 1 96 1 match, aηd maybe his iηvestίgatiσn of the match played a rσle ίη his strategy to swap queeηs against Kasparov, just like Βοtνίηηίk did agaiηst Tal. ***

When they arrived ίη Riga, Kobleηcs drove Tal hσme. He was happy tσ be back with his family. Kobleηcs meηtions that even ίη the mσst depressiηg situatiση, Tal's sense σf humσur did ηοt desert him, as he said tσ his mother, "Ι became the youngest ever Ex­ World Champiσn." Tal's mother laughed affectionately, hugged him aηd thaηked him fσr the coηsolatioη. Tal maiηtaiηed his perspectίve: "My wife will remaiη my wife, and Ι will still be the father of my sση" were his words, according to the film Zhetrva Korolieva. Tal iηdeed became the youηgest ever ex­ champion. His reigη was the shσrtest, lastiηg six days less than that σf Smyslov. Tal was still a youηg aηd σptίmistic man, aηd he must surely have believed he wσuld regaiη the tίtle. Sadly it did ησt happeη, but what he achieved at such a youηg age is ηoηetheless amaziηg, aηd eηsures that chess history caηησt be writteη without Tal's ηame.

European Team Championship Less than six weeks after the match had eηded, Tal travelled to the Germaη city ofOberhausen for the Eurσpean Team Champiσηship. Ίhis time he played ση the secσηd board behiηd Botνinnik. Ίhe Sσviet team was seeded to

Roman Toran Albero - Mikhail Tal

196 1

the final, where the teams played each other twice. Tal's first opponent was Toran Albero of Spain, who played a total of thirteen games against world champions. He did not manage to win a game, but he scored five draws and eight losses. This was his first meeting with Tal. Their lifetime score from the Spanish player's point of view was one draw and three defeats.

Roman Toran Albero - Mikhail Tal

87

24 . . . Wι'h6!, but he evenrually won after further adventures ίη Filip - Tal, Sochi 1 973.

4.d4 e4?! This is too ambitious. Black should maintain the tension with 4 . . . �e7, and he will normally wait for the knight to appear on f3 before playing . . . e4 so that it comes with tempo. 5.6 tiJ f6 6..ig2 exf3 7. tiJ xf3 White also stands better after 7.exf3 c6 8.t"Δge2 g6 9.0-0 �g7 1 0.t"Δf4.

Oberhausen 1 96 1

l.c4 e5 2. lίJ c3 d6 Tal had never played this move before, and he would only repeat it a few times ίη his career. 3.g3 f5 ln a subsequent game Tal preferred 3 . . . �e6, and an exciting battle ensued: 4.b3 d5 5 .�g2 d4 6.t"Δ b 1 t"Δc6 7.d3 Wι'd7 8.a3 a5 9.Wι'c2 �e7 1 0.t"Δd2 f5 1 1 .t"Δ gf3 t"Δh6 1 2.0-0 0-0 1 3 .�b2 t"Δg4 1 4.2"i:ad 1 2"i:ad8 1 5 .2"i:fe 1 �c5 1 6.t"Δg5 e4 1 7.t"Δfl Wι'e7 1 8.t"Δxe6 Wι'xe6 1 9 .h3

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1 9 . . . e3!? 20.hxg4 f4! 2 1 .�d5 ? White should have tried something else, although Black had promising play for the piece ίη any case. 21 . . . 2"i:xd5 22.cxd5 exf2t 23.Φχf2 fXg3t 24.Φg1 Wι'xg4? Tal overlooked the crushing

7 ... g6 This seems like Black's best chance to obtain a harmonious position. Tal says he played this move because he was concerned about the plan of d4-d5 followed by t"Δd4. He hoped that by giving his opponent a chance to attack on the kingside he would divert his attention away from that plan. 8.0-0 �g7 9.e4?! White opens the position too early. Tal gives 9.d5 as an improvement. White has another attractive option: 9.�f4! 0-0 1 0.Wι'd2 2"i:e8 1 1 .2"i:ae 1 �d7 1 2.�g5 Black's position is rather passive.

9 ... fxe4 lO. tlJ g5 0-0 l l . tlJ gxe4

Th e World Champion

88

Tal prefers to take with the other knight, and indeed after 1 I.ltJ cxe4 liJxe4 1 2.i.xe4!? ;Ξ;xfl t 1 3.'\MI'xfl i.xd4t 1 4.Φh 1 White has a promising initiative for the pawn.

ι ι ... � χe4 12. j3xf8t �xf8 13. � xe4

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 ι

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 ι

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16 ... j3xe3! Spotting this move is simple, but to calculate it precisely requires a lot of skill. a

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13 ... � c6! Tal finally starts developing his queenside. 14.�e3 �f5 1 5.�d2 Tal suggests 1 5 .liJg5 at once. 1 5 ... j3 e8! Black has a lovely position, and his pieces stand rather menacingly. 16. � g5?! This move is not yet losing, but it leads to serious difficulties for White. Tal suggests 1 6.liJc3, but it was an uncharacteristic tactical oversight, as this move loses outright to 1 6 . . . :gxe3! 1 7.i.xc6 :gd3!. White's only route τ ο equality is 1 6.:gf1 !. The point is that 1 6 . . . '\MI'e7 can be met by the tactical defence 1 7.i.f2!, when Black cannot 'vin a piece on e4.

17.�d5t White has to play this check, as 1 7.i.xc6? is refuted by the brilliant 1 7 . . . '\MI'e7!! 1 8.i.d5t Φf8 1 9.liJxh7t Φe8 when Black's king can hide from the checks in the centre. Tal remarks that 20.Φf2 i.h6 2 1 .:ge1 leads to an ending, but Ι am sure he would have found the easily winning 20 . . . :gd3! had the position arisen at the board. I7 ... Φ hs ιs. � f7t

1 96 1

Roman Toran Albero - Mikhail Tal

Tal sacrifices his queen to avoid perpetual check. His four remaining pieces coordinate remarkably well in attacking White's king.

20.'1We2! Toran Albero finds the best square for the queen; it takes away the e4-square from the enemy bishop. Ι checked three other options: 20.'1Wf4 j,xd4t 2 1 .Φfl (2 l .Φhl j,e3 22.'1Wf3 'Ue5 23.'1Wxb7 'Uxf7-+) 2 1 . . . j,e3 22.\Wh4 Φg7 23.g4 (23.E:e l E:d4) 23 . . . E:d4 24.'1Wg3 j,d3t 25 .Φg2 j,f4 Black is winning. 20.'1Wg5 j,xd4t 2 1 .Φg2 8

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23 . . . E:d2!! After this wonderful move White's position is hopeless.

20 ....ixd4t 2 1 . Φ g2

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BJ.U i

- -- "� 4)- �� � .r� . ��" "' � �;"Ψ� , Β � �� � ;;� �� � ���� �;?/'?; �:?/"' �! �� ��:?!-� Δ �F§ �� -- - �� ��. �.�Δ

%

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2 l . . . Φg7! Black threatens to win a third piece for the queen. However, taking the bishop is only the secondary threat: if 22.j,d5 ? j,e3! 23 .'1Wh4 E:d4 Black traps the queen. Another beautiful line is: 20.'1Wg2 j,xd4t 2 1 .Φh1 'Ue5 22.j,d5 The bishop seems to be escaping, but there is a sting in the tail. 22 . . . c6 23 .j,e4

22. E: dl The Spanish masrer rries ro exchange Tal's rook. Saving the bishop is also no fun for White: 22.j,d5 j,g4 (Also afrer 22 . . . c6 23.E:d l cxd5 24.E:xd3 j,xd3 25 .�d2 Φg7 [25 . . . dxc4?? 26.\Wf4!+-] 26.cxd5 �e4t 27.Φfl j,c5 Black has good chances with three pieces against the queen.) 23 .�fl (In the event of 23.'1Wc2 E:e3 24.E:d l j,b6 25 .E:d2 E:e l 26.h4 j,e3 27.E:d3 E:gl t 28 .Φh2 j,f3 Black attacks with roo many pieces.) 23 . . . 1Ξi:d2t 24.Φhl E:f2 25.�e l E:xb2 26.E:d l j,xd l 27.'1Wxd 1 j,b6 Black is somewhat better.

22 ... E: e3 Tal remarks that "The concluding manoeuvres are not without interest." a

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The World Champioπ

23.�fl ? λfτ:er 23.Wff2 tt'l g4 24.Εϊχd4 tt'lxf2 25.Φχf2 ;;e4 Black gets a wiππiπg eπdgame with aπ exrra pawπ.

Despite beiπg two pawπs dowπ, White has good chaπces το draw the opposite-coloured bishop eπdgame.

The best defeπce is: 23 .Wfd2! Now Black caπ wiπ the queeπ with forceful play, but his activity evaporates. 23 . . . �e4t Mter 23 . . . �b6 24.b4! �e4t 25 .Φh3 White escapes with a draw, as 25 . . . tt'lxf7? is refuted by 26.c5! . 24.Φh3 tt'lf3 24 . . . Εϊd3 25 .Wfh6 forces Black το take a perpetual. 25.Wff2 Εϊd3 26.Wfe2 Eϊxd l 27.Wfxd l

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23 .ie4t! Black's pieces coordiπate beautifully το eπd White's resistance. •••

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27 . . . tt'lgl t! lt is quite aπ uπusual way to wiπ the queeπ. 27 . . . Φg7 28.�d5 tt'lgl t 29.Wfxgl reaches aπ opposite-coloured-bishop eπdgame where White should have little trouble drawiπg a pawπ dowπ. 28 .Φh4! 28.Φg4? allows a spectacular tactical refutatioπ: 28 . . . �f5 t 29.Φf4 tt'l h3t! 30.Φf3 �g4t!-+ 28 . . . �f6t 29.Φg4 �f3t 29 . . . �f5t 3Ο.Φf4 tt'lh3t 3 1 .Φe3 �g5t 32.Φd4 �f6t leads to a draw by perpetual check. 30.�xf3 tt'lxf3 3 l .Φxf3 �xb2

24. i> h3 g e 25.YHe2 .i5t White resigned, as afτ:er 26.Φg2 Eϊf2t 27.Wfxf2 hf2 Black has aπ overwhelmiπg material advantage. Ιπ his first game as aπ ex­ world champioπ, Tal rediscovered his ferocious attackiπg ideπtity. 0-1 In the next two games Tal was unable to get much play going against Trifunovic and Filip, and both games were drawn fairly peacefully. Things then got worse as he was beaten by the up-and-coming Portisch. ln the next round Tal sacrificed a piece for the initiative against Lothar Schmid, but the German graπdmaster kept τhe balance and safely obtained a draw. Tal claimed that the loss of the title did not affect his confidence, but his 50% score from τhe first five games at Oberhausen bears little resemblance το his performances at previous team events. Things improved slightly, as Tal won his return game against Toran Albero before being

1 96 1 rested agaiηst Czechσslσvakia. There fσllσwed a sσlid draw agaiηst Gligσric, aη eηdgame wiη σver Pσrtisch aηd aη iηterestiηg draw agaiηst Schmid, part σf which is iηcluded ίη the cσmmeηts to Game 1 6 belσw. Tal thus fiηished ση 5 llz/9, which was mσre respectable thaη his scσre at the halfway pσiηt, but still a disappσiηtmeηt σverall. The Sσviet team tσσk the gσld medal, but Tal σηly received aη iηdividual brσηze medal behiηd Pσrtisch aηd Schmid. Tal's biggest prσblem was that he was uηable tσ create eησugh play wheη his σppσηeηts lσσked fσr safety. lt was clear that he wσuld ηeed tσ speηd mσre time prepariηg weapσηs ίη the σpeηiηgs. The cσηtrast betweeη Tal aηd Bσtviηηik highlights the relatiσηship betweeη ηatural taleηt aηd traiηiηg. Κramηik writes that Bσtviηηik was ησt a geηius, but he was able to play like a geηius. Tal was a geηius, but withσut sufficieηt wσrk ση his chess he played like a ηση-geηius.

Bled Tal's ηext eveηt was aη extremely strσηg all­ play-all, which was billed by the σrgaηizers as the "Tσurηameηt σf the Ceηtury." Ιη the first game Tal played the Κiηg's Iηdiaη agaiηst lvkσv aηd wση a beautiful pσsitiσηal game, a fragmeηt σf which caη be fσuηd ση page 2 1 1 σf the first vσlume. He suffered a setback ίη the ηext rσuηd, hσwever, agaiηst the eighteeη-year-σld Fischer. Tal claims he wrσte the cσrrect sixth mσve ση his scσresheet, but made the wroηg mσve aηd gave Fischer aη immediate σppσrtuηity to seize the iηitiative. The Americaη tσσk his chaηce aηd Tal was uηable to recσver. Tal bσuηced back with a wiη σver Olafssση: see the ησtes tσ Tal - Najdσrf ίη the previσus chapter ση page 56. Tal theη played a ηew idea ίη the Nimzσ aηd drew with Geller, giviηg a hiηt that he had wσrked ση his σpeηiηgs after

91

the Bσtviηηik match. He fσllσwed it with cσηviηciηg wiηs σver Mataησvic aηd Bertσk. Ιη the ηext rσuηd Tal gσt aη edge agaiηst Trifuησvic but was uηable tσ breach the defeηce. He theη defeated Udσvcic befσre takiηg twσ quick draws with Keres aηd Petrσsiaη. With ηίηe games left tσ play, Fischer was leadiηg with ?llz/ 1 0, half a pσiηt ahead σf Tal, Gligσric aηd Keres. Ιη the eleveηth rσuηd Tal gσt aη edge agaiηst Gligσric, but the latter fσuηd a clever way tσ fσrce perpetual check. Ιη the ηext game Tal played riskily agaiηst Dσηηer, but maηaged to σutplay him ίη the eηsuiηg tactical cσmplicatiσηs; see the ησtes tσ Game 2 ίη the previσus chapter ση page 1 6. Tal theη wση a cσmplex game with the Marσczy Biηd agaiηst Parma; the game will be shσwη ίη the third vσlume, ίη the ησtes to Tal - Paehtz, Halle 1 974. Ιη the fσurteeηth game Tal tσσk sσme risks ίη aη effσrt to create wίηηίηg chaηces agaiηst Darga, but the Germaη player gave up his advaηtage to simplify to a draw. Tal theη had a full-blσσded game with Bisguier, which he eveηtually wση after playiηg the eηdgame beautifully. Οηe caη feel the effect σfBσtviηηik ση Tal's play ίη this game. Tal fσllσwed up with a σηe-sided victσry σver Germek, fσllσwed by a hard-fσught wiη agaiηst Pachmaη. This late surge left him a pσiηt clear σf Fischer with twσ games to play. Ιη the peηultimate rσuηd Tal made a quick draw with Black agaiηst Pσrtisch. lt was aη uηderstandable decisiση, as Fischer faced Petrσsiaη, but maybe the Tal σf twelve mσηths befσrehaηd wσuld have tried to beat Pσrtisch as well. Meaηwhile Fischer pulled σff a great victory, ησtwithstaηdiηg the fact that Petrσsiaη bluηdered. This meaηt that Tal was half a pσiηt ahead σf Fischer befσre the last rσuηd. Tal wσuld have

92

Ίhe World Champion

rhe \vhire pieces against Najdorf, while Fischer had Black against Ivkov. Ίhe young American demonstratively took Najdorf aside to prime him for the game, most likely preparing the Argentinian grandmaster for the Sicilian Defence. Not long before the game, Fischer approached Tal and predicted that he would lose to Najdorf, and that his own game would end in a draw.

8 ... J.e6 9.0-0 0-0

Mikhail Tal - Miguel Najdorf Bled 1 96 1

l .e4 c5 2. tι! f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. tι! xd4 tι! f6 5. tι! c3 a6 Several opening systems are named after players who rarely used the lines named after them; for instance, Smyslov rarely played 9 . . . h6 in the Ruy Lopez, while Shabalov only had two games with 7.g4 against the Meran. Ίhe same could not be said about Najdorf though, as 'his' Sicilian remained his primary weapon against l .e4 for most of his career. 6.J.e2! Tal wisely opts for a set-up he had not employed before. His chosen move not only avoided any lines that Fischer might have recommended to Najdorf, but it also leads to a safer type of position, and thus was more appropriate for Tal's tournament situation than an aggressive system that might have led to risky, double-edged complications.

10 J.xf6 1 1 .'%Yd3!? Tal does not hurry to occupy the d5-square with his knight, and instead develops in a way that prevents Black from developing his knight to d7. •••

l l ... !Δ c6 12. tι! d5 J.g5 13. � fdl Φ hs Tal had experienced the black side of this variation a few weeks earlier. His game continued 1 3 . . . �c8 1 4.c3

6 ... e5 ln the forties Najdorf preferred 6 . . . e6, but in the fifties he switched to the text move. a

7. !Δ b3 J.e7 s.J.g5 According to the database, Najdorf had never encountered this position before.

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14 . . . g6 (Nowadays 1 4 . . . lί:J e7! would be recognized as a standard manoeuvre that brings Black a good position) 1 5 .lί:Jd2 Φh8

Mikhail Tal - Miguel Naj dorf

196 1

1 6.l0e3 2Ξic7 1 7.l0f3 2Ξid7 1 8.l0xg5 '1Wxg5 1 9.'1Wc2 f5 when the posίtίon was balanced. An interestίng tactical skirmish ensued, but the game was eventually drawn ίη Schmid Tal, Oberhausen 1 96 1 .

14.c3 f5 15.�f3

� 8 � - Β" % �,� �. Υ. ... �" ·� �- � 7� � � �� ""' %� ���� 6 • -ι � �5 �� m� lZJit;;�%ι � � Δ � �� 111J!5!�" ! 11111�1 � 11111�1 ?JΓ� 32 111 �Δ � itt!J � itt!J. Δ ittJ � ;;" . %rfl"" ��"" %� �-

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�--

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�" - -� g h

1 S �xd5? There ίs absolutely no need for Black to make this exchange. lt would have made much more sense to either challenge the d5-outpost with 1 5 . . . l0e7, or sίmply maίntaίn the tensίon wίth 1 5 . . . g6. .•.

16.'\WxdS fxe4 17.Wfxe4 White's domination over the light squares makes the posίtίon unpleasant for Black. 17 ...Wfe7 1 8.'\WdS!? Tal prepares to exchange his knight, which ίs not contributίng much to his posίtίon. The immediate 1 8.l0d2? would be a terrible mistake due to 1 8 . . . d5!. 1 8.2Ξid5 !Ξ\ad8 1 9.2Ξi:ad l !Ξ\f6 20.'1Wd3 was another way to maintain the upper hand.

93

8 �- � � � ι 111��ι"111��111�;a""�%"-1111-t• �� 6 ι m� lj)w� �� � � 5 Β mv------Y%� %� . . .. ,%� �� �%% 1111111 �111 32 ��� � - �� Δ w�1�w� Δ -W!J' 1

4 1

--�--

�

��- - %� r. - - %= - a

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19. tlJ d2!? Tal makes the unprejudiced decίsίon to allow the exchange of Black's bad bishop. lt makes a lot of sense, as the knight was not doing much on b3. The disappearance of Black's bishop might make his d6-pawn harder to defend ίη the future. Black can hardly refuse the exchange, as the knight could become extremely powerful on e4 or c4. 19 �xd2 20. � xd2 '1Wc7 2 1 . � e1 lt looks as though Tal might be plannίng to transfer his rook via e4 to the kingside, bur in fact he has another plan ίη mind. •..

Ίhe World Champion

94

menrioning rhar Fischer's position was quite bad ar rhis point.

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24 ... g xf3 25 ..bf3 g f6 26 ..ie4 26.a4!? 'Wf7 27.b4 is also interesting. 26 ...�f7 Najdorf continues his policy of exchanging pieces. If he had waited with a move like 26 . . . 'We7, then Tal could have improved his position on both sides of the board with moves like a2-a4, b2-b4, g2-g3, h2-h4 and Φg2.

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31 .b5! Tal tries to get closer to the b7-pawn. 31 ... axb5 After 3 l . . . a5 32.E:d l b6 33.b4! Black has problems.

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27.�b3!? Tal decides to change the pawn structure. Another way to keep a risk-free advantage is 27.g3 'Wxd5 28 . .ixd5 Φf8 29.ge2!, when the possibility of f2-f4 makes it hard for Black to centralize his king. 27 ... �xb3 28.axb3 � d8?! Ίhe immediate 28 ... Φf7 is better. 29.b4 Φ f7 30. g d5 Φ es?! Najdorf wants to use his rook to defend along the seventh rank. Ίhe natural 30 . . . Φe6 is much better: 3 1 .b5 (After 3 l .g3 tί:Jc6 Black should be able to hold) 3 l . . . a5 32.b6 tί:Jc6 Followed by . . . E:f8-a8, with good drawing chances.

32. g xb5 g f7 33. g b6 Φ d7 34 ..id5 g f4?! Having played the whole game fairly passively, Najdorf has had enough of it and decides to activate his rook. Unfortunately for him, it is not rhe right moment. Black should prefer 34 . . .E:f6, followed by . . . Φc7 to kick the rook away, with decent chances to hold. 35.g3 g a4? Ίhis move is consistent, but it is also most probably the decisive error. 8

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95

Mikhail Tal - Miguel Naj dσrf

1 96 1

36 .ixb7! Tal explσits the uηfσrtuηate placemeηt σf the eηemy rσσk ση the a-file. Black can wίη back the pawη ίη a few mσves, but the traηsfσrmatiση briηgs additiσηal beηefits tσ White.

41 ... g 8!

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Νο other commentator seems to have mentioned this move, but it seems to keep Black ίη the game. Ίhe king not only defends the f7 -pawn, but also steps off the diagonal of the c2-bishop. Ι considered three options for White:

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25 .'We3 After 25.lL!f6t hf6 26.e5 i.g7 27.:1'!ad l White certainly has compensation, but it is difficult to tell if it is enough for an advantage. 25 . . . gxh5 26.'Wxc5 'Wb8 26 . . . lL! g6 27.e5 is similar. 27.e5 'Wa7

a) 2 1 .lL!d3? is unconvincing: 2 l . . . lL!c8 22.c4 (22.f4 c4) 22 . . . bxc4 23.bxc4 lL!d6 Black's counterplay comes ίη time. b) 2 l .f4 .tg7

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Despite the inevitable queen exchange, White's fabulous pawns give him interesting compensation, despite being a rook for three pawns down.

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1 963

1 29

Mikhail Tal - Theodor Ghitescu

c) It is also worth seeing what happens ifWhite plays the way Tal did in the game: 2 1 .c4 i.g7 22.E!:ad l �b6 White can consider sacrificing one more piece:

In this remarkable position White has four connected passed pawns against rwo pieces. The continuation might be: 29 . . . lίJ h7 30.d6 E!:ad8 3 l .e6 Φhs The position remains unclear.

2 I .f4 Vf!e7 Ghitescu defends the f7 -pawn, but this type of guard duty is rarely a desirable role for a queen, which is why Ι prefer defending with the king as in the previous note.

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23.lίJxf7!? 23.lίJf3 lίJh7 24.e5 gives White decent compensation for the piece, although it is hard to say if it enough for an advantage. 23.f4 E!:ab8 (23 . . . i.c8 can be met by 24.lίJf3 followed by e4-e5) 24.Φh2 (Mter 24.d6 lίJ c6 25.lίJxc6 i.xc6 26.e5 lίJd7 Black seems to be able to keep the balance) 24 . . . E!:ed8 25 .lίJxd7 lΔxd7 26.e5 Black's pieces are passive, but he has decent defensive chances. 23 . . . Φχf7 24.e5 lίJf5 25 .i.xf5 25 .e6t?! is premature in view of 25 . . . i.xe6 26.dxe6t E!:xe6 and Black is safe. 25 . . . gxf5 26.�f4 bxc4 27.bxc4 8

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22.c4 .ig7 23.lt!f3 Having strengthened his centre, Tal clears the way for his pawns to advance. In his notes he prefers 23.E!:ad l as it would not allow 23 . . . lίJ d6 with the same piece sacrifice as in the game, ση account of 24.t2Jc6. However, 23 . . . t2J b6! looks reasonable for Black. Ι also checked 23.lίJxd7 lίJxd7 24.e5 lίJcb6 25 .i.d3, but the counter-sacrifice 25 . . . lίJxe5 26.fXe5 i.xe5 leaves Black with a good position.

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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23 ... bxc4 Tal was somewhat naively anticipating 23 . . . lίJh5?? 24.lίJh5 i.xal 25 .e5 when White wιns.

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27 . . . Φg8 28.lίJxf5 i.xf5 29.�xf5

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24.bxc4 t!J d6 Ghitescu forces a direct confrontation in the centre.

1 30

Ίhe World Champion

25.e5 25 .Ad3 would force Black to go for a wild position with an unusual material imbalance: 25 . . . llJfxe4! 26.Axe4 Axal 27 ..ixg6t fxg6 28.E:xe7t E:xe7 29.Wfa5 E:c8 30.Wfxa6 liJ e8 Black should not be worse. 25 ... c!Lixc4 26.V!Yc3 26.Wfd3 can be met by 26 . . . .ib5, and even 26 . . . liJb2!? seems playable.

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27.gac1ι gads? Ίhe Romanian player gets ready to sacrifice the knight, but he chooses an unfortunate way of doing it. Correct is: 27 . . . liJ b6! 28.d6 Ι am certain that Tal would have chosen this instead of 28.exf6 Wfxf6 29.Wfxf6 ixf6 30.ltJe4 Φg7 (or 30 . . . ig7) when Black has a reasonable position as the c5-pawn cannot be taken. 28 . . . ltJ fd5 29.Wfxc5 Wfa7 29 . . . Wfd8 30.Wfd4 hardly seems like an improvement for Black. 8

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26 ...j,b5 Ghitescu wants to give back the piece as late as possible. He had other playable options as well: 26 . . . tiJ b6 27.d6 liJ fd5 28.Wfxc5 Wfd8 (28 . . . E:ac8 29.Wfxc8 E:xc8 30 ..ixg6t fxg6 3 l .dxe7 reaches a wild but roughly equal endgame) 29.Wfd4 E:c8 Black seems to get organized.

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30.Wfd4 E:ec8 3 I .ib3 ic4 32.f5 Ίhe position remains extremely complicated. Objectively White's compensation probably offers no more than a balanced game, but in a practical game it would be hard to defend against Tal.

Returning the piece with 26 . . . ltJxe5!? seems like Black's safest option: 27.ltJxe5 (After 27.E:xe5 Wfd6 28.E:dl Φg8 Black has nothing to worry about) 27 . . . ltJxd5 28.Wfd2 .ie6 (28 . . . ltJxf4 29.liJxg6;!;) 29.f5 (White has to go for the tactical fight, as 29.liJh5 ih8 is nothing) 29 . . . gxf5 30.liJxf5 ixf5 3 I .ixf5t Φg8 32.id7 ixe5 33 .ixe8 Wfd6! White has good chances to hold the ensuing position a pawn down, but Black should not be in any danger of losing. a

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1963

131

Mikhail Tal - Theodor Ghitescu

28.d6! Now White takes over.

32 ... lL!xe5 33.fxe5 Wfd7 34.llJf4! ixeS

28 llJxd6 28 . . . 1We6? 29.f5! wins. .••

29.exd6 Wfb7 Tal prefers 29 . . . \WfS, and mentions that he intended 30.1Wxc5. Α likely continuation is 30 . . . 2"!:xe 1 t 3 1 .ttJxe 1 E:c8 32.1Wa7 when White is somewhat better. 30.lL!eS! 30.1Wxc5 E:xe l t enables Black to pick up the d6-pawn after 3 1 .2"!:xe 1 1Wd5 or 3 l .ttJxe l 1Wc6.

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3S.ixg6t! Tal demolishes the black kingside. 3S ... Φhs Taking the piece was not any better: 35 . . . fxg6 36.1Wxg6t Φh8 37.2"!:xe5 E:xe5 38.1Wf6t White wins. 36.ixf'7! Tal attacks beautifully. 36 ...id4t 37.�xd4 �xel t 38.Wfxel

He should have moved the knight to another square: 30 . . . ttJ d5 3 1 .1Wf3 E:xd6 32.Wh2! This subtle move avoids checks in the future. 32 . . . ic6 33.ttJe4 E:dd8 34.ttJxc5 White has an edge as his knights are strong.

3 1 .lL!hS! Now Tal is in his element, as he seizes the chance to raid the enemy kingside. 31 ih8 32.Wfg3! The attack on g6 forces Black to take on e5 . ••.

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38 ...Wfxf7 If 38 . . . cxd4 39.1We5t Wh7 40.\We4t Wh8 4 1 .1Wg6 1Wxd6 42.tιJe6 White wins.

1 32

Ίhe World Champion

39.We5t Wg7 Black avoids an immediate checkmate, but he has no hope of surviving. 40.Wxc5 J.c6 4U ΞΜ2 Ghitescu resigned. Tal describes his play in this game as easy and unstrained, and attributes it to his hunger for chess after going without a tournament for the first half of the year. 1-0 Tal's four-game winning run ended against Flesch, who avoided mainstream theory. Tal got away with taking some risks and later won a pawn, but the Hungarian player solidly held the draw. Tal then failed to get an advantage against Szabo and took a quick draw, but in the next round won an eventful game against Laszlo Barczay. Ίhe Hungarian player was kind enough to share his memories ofTal: "Ι played him twice; the second game was in Tallinn in 1 98 1 . He saw things on the board faster than anybody else. He did not calculate like a machine, but he captured the essence of the position." Barczay told me a story about a game of his against Petursson. In a complicated position, Barczay saw the possibility for a tactical combination. He calculated it for a long time, but evenrually rejected it after realizing it did not quite work. During Barczay's long think, he noticed that Tal passed by the table and looked at the position for a short while. When Barczay saw Tal later in the evening, he was amazed when Tal told him that the combination did not work, and proceeded to remember all of the supporting variations along with correct evaluations. Barczay also mentioned that he was able to spend some evenings with Tal at different events over the years. He enjoyed Tal's company and the stories he told, such as when the people of Riga carried him on their shoulders when he arrived home after the first Botvinnik match.

During the event Tal was suffering from toothache, and he went to get the problem tooth taken out by a dentist, Dr Kolozs, who happened to be an enthusiastic amateur player. Kolozs arranged for Tal to play some blitz games at his dental surgery, immediately after the tooth was extracted. Tal's opponent was not Kolozs, but rather Κadas, who was known in Hungary as a blitz specialist. Barczay recalls that Tal gave Kadas odds of five minutes to one, and yet still won the match 4-1 . It was an amazing showing, even if Barczay partially attributes the dominant result to Kadas's nervousness at facing Tal. With the exception of his toothache, Tal did not exhibit any signs of poor health in Miskolc. Ι asked Barczay, who told me he was unaware of any such problems, and mentioned that Tal was not drinking much, apart from one or two glasses of wine at the closing ceremony. Another Hungarian grandmaster, Peter Dely, recalled that Tal and Bronstein took daily visits to Miskolc's famous cave spa. ***

In the next round Tal failed to get an advantage against Lengyel, and was lucky not to lose after trying too hard to win from a dead equal position. He followed up by taking a quick draw with Bronstein, before winning a good game against Forintos. Tal then went on a rampage, overcoming resistance from Lokvenc, Dely, Honfi (my junior trainer) and Bilek, before closing the tournament with a quick draw with Fuchs. Tal's final score of 1 21/2/ 1 5 saw him win the tournament by two full points ahead of Bronstein. Even if the opposition was not the strongest, it was an impressive performance. Tal won ten games and drew five, and the only times he got into any danger were when he tried too hard to win from equal positions.

1963

Soviet Team Spartakiad Tal started the preliminary of the Moscow event by winning with White against Getman, as shown on page 292 in the notes to Tal Suetin. ln the second round, however, he got carried away attacking with White against Lutikov, who played well and punished Tal with a superb counterattack. ln the third round Tal played the Semi-Tarrasch against the freshly crowned World Champion Petrosian. Tal equalized, but tried too hard to complicate things, and allowed Petrosian to win a pawn and eventually the game. Tal might have played riskily for the sake ofhis team, who were heavily outrated by their Moscow opponents on the other boards. Tal rebounded with a relatively easy win over Ustinov, followed by a hard-fought victory over Gurgenidze in the final preliminary round. Tal's Latvian team qualified in the B-group, where they fought for seventh to twelfth places. Ι was unable το ascertain what happened in the first round of the final section. The Chess Stars book contains a crosstable which indicates that Tal lost a second game to Lutikov, but in the game section they leave it blank and start with the second round from the final. The database also contains no record of Tal playing in that round, so perhaps he had a bye. ln the next round Tal was Black against Mnatsakanian. The Armenian player attempted a fancy breakthrough, but Tal found its refutation and won. ln the third round Tal beat Grushevsky, although the game score is incomplete. His final score was 5/7, not including the first round of the final, in which Tal may or may not have played.

Capablanca Memorial Just a few weeks later Tal flew to Havana, the Cuban capital, for a tournament consisting

1 33

of twenty-one games. He mentions that he was worried beforehand, as his previous tournament in that region of the world had been Curacao, where health problems led to one of his worst ever performances. This time, however, his health was not an issue, although his busy tournament schedule and jetlag meant that maintaining his energy would be a challenge. ln the first round Tal got a winning advantage against Pachman but, in his own words, he " . . . failed to win a won pawn(!!) ending." Pawn endings can certainly be difficult, but it should not have been beyond Tal to find the winning idea in this particular one. Tal won in the second round against Jimenez, but the game was not easy. Tal claims that these two games made him understand that he was not in his best form. Nevertheless, he won his next game against Barcza before drawing a tough battle with O'Kelly. Tal then won fairly convincingly against Perez and De Greif, before suffering a setback against Trifunovic. Prior to the game, Tal prepared the Queen's Gambit with Geller's help but, while in the lift of the building ο η his way το the playing area, a question entered Tal's head: why not play the Κing's Gambit instead of the Queen's? Tal indeed played that sharp opening, but was lost within fifteen moves and soon had to resign. ln the next round Tal held Korchnoi to a draw, then defeated Robatsch; the latter game will be mentioned in the third volume, in the notes to Tal's win over Spassky at Tilburg 1 980. Tal then suffered a setback, as he equalized but then went wrong and lost to lvkov. He bounced back to defeat Wade, then scored an excellent victory with Black against Geller. Tal's next opponent was Letelier Martner, who scored two draws and three defeats against world champions. This was the only time he faced Tal.

Ίhe World Champion

1 34

Mikhail Tal - Rene Letelier Martner Havana 1 963

l.e4 e5 2.llJf3 llJ c6 3.J.b5 a6 4.ia4 d6 Ίhe Deferred Steinitz is not an especially popular system, so it is interesting that Tal faced it as many as five times ίη 1 963. Ίhis was mainly due to the Hastings tournament, where he faced it ίη his first three consecutive White games. 5.c3 id7 6.d4 llJge7 7.ib3 h6

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8 . . . exd4 9.cxd4 lί:Jxd4 1 0.\Wxd4 lί:Jc6 1 1 .ixf7t Typical stuff for the Tal of the mid-fifties. 1 1 . . . Wxf7 1 2 .iWd5t ie6 1 3 .iWh5t Wg8 14.0-0 lί:Je5

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1 5 .lί:Jf5 g6 1 6.iWh3 gxf5 1 7.exf5 Such situations were nothing out of the ordinary for Tal ίη his early showings at the Soviet Championship. Ίhere is no doubt that the sacrifice is objectively unsound, but Tal keeps playing and evenωally trips his opponent up. 1 7 . . . ic4 1 8 .f4 lί:J d7 1 9.Ei:f3 ig7 20.lί:Jc3 lί:J f6 2 1 .ie3 c5 22.if2 b5 23.ih4 b4 24.lί:Je4 id5 25.ixf6 ixf6 26.Ei:e 1 id4t 27.Wh 1 Ei:h7 28.Ei:g3t Ei:g7

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8... g5? Ίhe Cuban player commits an error, and not a small one. Let's see one previous and one subsequent Tal game from this variation:

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29.Ei:g6 Ei:xg6 30.fxg6 iWf8 3 1 .iWd7 ig7 32.lί:Jg3 Ei:d8 33 .iWg4 Ei:e8 34.Ei:d1 ixa2 35.f5 c4 36.h4 d5 37.Ei:fl if6 38.iWd 1 d4 39.iWa4 ib3 40.\Wc6 iWe7 4 1 .lί:Jh5 Ei:f8 42.iWd5t Wh8 43.lί:Jxf6 iWxf6 44.\Wb7 Having been dead lost earlier ίη the game, Tal has now equalized. 44 . . . '1Wg7 45 .iWxb4 Wg8 46.h5

1 35

Mikhail Tal - Rene Letelier Martner

1 963

1 2.ixe7 ixe7 1 3.0-0 Black is in big trouble. Tal's move is also strong though.

ι ι ...ΥΝcs

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46 . . . '1Mrd7?? 47.f6! Tal exploits his opponent's blunder. 47 . . . '1Wg4 48.f7t Φg7 49.1Mfc5 1Mfh4t 50.Φg1 1-0 Tal - Bannik, Leningrad 1 956. Ten years after the main game, an altogether different type of battle ensued: 8 . . . lί:\a5 9.ic2 c5 1 0.dxc5 dxc5 1 1 .'1Mrf3 lί:\g6 1 2.lί:\f5 1Mff6 1 3 .tίJd2 lίJ e7 14.0-0 g6 1 5 .lί:\xe7 ixe7 1 6.'1We3 :§:d8 1 7.b3 '1Mrg5 1 8.'1Mre2 ib5 1 9.c4 id7 8

�.s ·� �� �� •��r� � � r"//- ���-� ��-- - �-Υ-��Ζ/.iν ' ,,p . , s aY: w � w � � / - - � ΔΖ� ΔΖ� - - -%� - - �� �� �� �� �;ς//-; ��,;-;;: �� -� Δ B�;�'Vw� Δ wl§

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"'?Je;�"' ... .... z� /-(' � � -��

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20.tίJb l ! Tal obtained an edge and went ση to win in Tal - Keres, Moscow 1 973. One can certainly notice a change in his style over the period of almost two decades between these two games.

9.YNh5! :§:h7 10 .ixg5 Tal captures a pawn and seriously weakens rhe enemy king. •

ιo ... exd4 l l .f4!? l l .lί:\f5 is simpler, and after 1 1 . . . '1Wc8

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12.f5 dxc3?! 12 . . . lί:\a5 is an idea to remove the powerful bishoρ, but 1 3.lί:\g6! is a powerful reply. Instead Black wants to bring his knight to e5, but he allows another white piece to develop with tempo. 13.lbxc3 lbe5

Ίhe World Champion

1 36

1 4.,ie3! is best, and after 14 ... tl'\ g8 1 5 ."We2 �f6 1 6.tl'\f3 White has a large advantage.

14 tl'\g8? 1 4 . . . tl'\d3t! Ίhis would have made White's task a lot more complicated. 1 5 .Φd2 tl'\g8 .••

I6)2�g6!? Tal favours the exciting continuation over the prosaic winning of a pawn with 1 6.tl'\f3 tl'\ f6 1 7."Wh4 "Wd8 1 8.tl'\xe5 "We7 1 9.tl'\xd7. 16 ii.d6 17.ht'7t! Tal sacrifices the bishop to open up his opponent's king, giving the spectators a taste of the magic they came to see. •••

Ι7 Φχtϊ ιs.tl:}ds Another piece gets closer to the enemy king. •••

ιs Φg7 19.0-Ο �f6 2o.tl:}xf6 Φχf6 •••

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1 6.ii.d4 Tal might also have been tempted to try the fabulous 1 6.ii.h8!?, intending to meet 1 6 . . . tl'\ c5 with 1 7.tl'\g6!. Here too, the position is dangerous for Black, without being immediately decisive. 1 6 . . . c5 1 7.tl'\d5! 1 7 .ii.e3 c4 is decidedly unclear. 1 7 . . . cxd4 1 8 .Φχd3 ii.b5t 1 9.Φd2 "Wd8 Black's position looks suspicious, but White has no immediate way through.

15 .be5! dxe5 •

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8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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2 I .ti}xe5!! Tal offers a second piece to remove the last defensive pawn. Actually it is quite trivial to see that Black cannot take the knight, but the idea is nonetheless beautiful. 21 ... Wfe8! Letelier Martner finds the most resilient defence. Saving the bishop was weaker: 2 1 . . . ii.e8 22.tl'\ g6 Φg7 23."Wf3 Φg8 24.e5 White's mobile pawns pose a serious threat to Black's king.

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1 37

Mikhail Tal - Rene Letelier Martner

1963

2 1 . . . "\WgS is also unsatisfactory: 22.lbxd7t Εί:χd7 23."Wxh6t! (23.e5t!? leads to an interesting confrontation, but is less convincing) 23 . . . We7 24.f6t Wd8 25 .Eί:ad 1 "Wf7 26."Wg5 White is ready to push his e-pawn, with an extremely dangerous initiative.

22.c!lJxd7t! Εί:χd7 8

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23.e5t!! Tal drags the bishop into a pin. The move also has a hidden purpose which will become apparent a few moves later. 23 ...he5 24."1Wxh6t Φf7 25.gael Εί:d5? Defending the pinned bishop is an understandable reaction, but it gives up the seventh rank. 25 . . . Eί:ad8! This way Black brings his last piece into play while keeping the other rook in a position to control the h7 -square. 26.Wh 1 ! 26.Εί:e4? runs into 26 . . . �xh2t. 26 . . . Εί:d5 26 ... Eid2 27."Wg6t wfs 28."Wg5 Wf7 29.f6 "Wg8 30.Εί:χe5 leaves White a pawn up, and after 30 . . . "Wxg5 3 1 .Εί:χg5 Εί:f2 32.Eig7t Wxf6 33.Eί:xf2t Φχg7 34.g4 he has decent winning chances.

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27.'!Wh7t Necessary to prevent . . . "Wh8. 27 . . . c:tf6 28 .g4 �g8 29."Wh6t 29.g5t?! looks tempting, but after 29 . . . "Wxg5 30.:Ξ:g1 :Ξ:5d7! 3 1 ."Wh3 Εί:d3! Black is fine. 29 . . . c:te7 30.f6t Φf7 3 1 ."Wh5t "Wg6 32.Εί:χe5 �xh5 33.:Ξ;e7t c:t fs 34.gxh5 Εί:χh5 34 . . . ;Ξ;8d7 3 5 .:Ξ:fe 1 ! is unpleasant. 35.:B:f2 :Ξ:g5 36.h3 White is pushing for the win, but Black still has chances to resisr.

26."1Wh7t! Tal gives a precise check. The immediate 26.Εί:e4? runs into 26 . . . M2t! "'hen White will be forced to take a perpetual. 26 ... Φf6 8

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1 38

Ίhe Wσrld Champiση

Νσw we caη see the additiσηal beηefit σf the e4-e5 sacrifice: it vacated the e4-square fσr the rσσk. Cσmpare 27.�e3?? wheη 27 . . . hh2t 28.Φh 1 (σr 28.Φχh2 Wfxe3) 28 ... Wfxe3 29.Wfg6t Φe7 wiηs fσr Black.

27 .id4t?! Black had tσ mσve the bishσp as �g4 was a lethal threat. 27 . . . .ixh2t wσuld have prσlσηged the eηd, althσugh White still wiηs after: 28.Φh 1 ! (28 .Φχh2? Wfxe4 29.Wfg6t Φe5 30.Wfe6t Φd4 3 1 .�d 1 t Φe3 32.�xd5 [32.�e 1 t Φf2! 33.�fl t Φe3! fσrces a repetitiση] 32 . . . Wfxe6 33.fxe6 �e8 Black has drawiηg chaηces) 28 . . . Wfxe4 29.Wfg6t Φe5 (29 . . . Φe7 30.f6t alsσ wiηs the queeη) 30.Wfe6t Φd4 3 1 .�d l t Φe3 32.�e l t White wiηs. ...

My guess is that Letelier Martηer had iηteηded to take ση h2 but, wheη he saw it was ησt wσrkiηg, he prσbably just played the σηly alterηative he cσuld thiηk σf withσut stσppiηg to appreciate that it lσses eveη mσre quickly.

2s.Φhι Ίhe Cubaη player resigηed, as he lσses his queeη after 28 . . .Wfxe4 29.Wfg6t Φe7 (29 . . . Φe5 30.Wfe6) 30.f6t. Tal played aησther amaziηg game, displayiηg magic ίη a way that very few players caη. 1-0 Ιη the 1 4th rσuηd Tal faced Calerσ, whσ wσuld eveηtually fiηish ίη last place. Tal equalized with the Βeησηί aηd gradually σbtaiηed aη advaηtage, but bluηdered his queeη just befσre the time coηtrσl aηd was uηable to recσver. Fatigue had caught up with Tal. Ίhe first persση whσ weηt tσ cσηsole him was Kσrchηoi. Tal recovered to wiη aη iηterestiηg game agaiηst Uhlmaηη, theη he defeated two of the lower-rankiηg players ίη Gilberto Garcia aηd Bσbotsov. Ιη the 1 8th rouηd Tal gσt ίηtσ

trσuble agaiηst Cσbσ, but sacrificed his queeη to stay ίη the game, aηd eveηtually managed tσ hσld what shσuld have beeη a lost positioη. Tal eηded the tourηameηt stroηgly, defeatiηg Darga, Ortega (whσ bluηdered a piece ση mσve 9) aηd Brodermaη. Tal's fiηal score σf 1 6/2 1 gave him equal secoηd place with Geller aηd Pachmaη. Kσrchησi wση the tourηameηt, half a pσiηt ahead. Tal showed his class, but there were times wheη tiredηess tσσk its tσll, aηd his three defeats prσved to be too maηy. ***

Apart from participatiηg ίη the tσurnameηt in Havaηa, Tal aηd Korchησi both gave simuls. Amoηg Korchηoi's oppσηeηts was Che Guevara, who was an eηthusiastic but weak chess player. Before the start σf play, a Cuban σfficial iηfσrmed Korchησi that Guevara wσuld be extremely happy tσ draw with him. Kσrchησi ηodded. Later that eveηiηg, Tal asked Kσrchηoi hσw he did. 'Ί wοη them all" was the reply. 'Άgaiηst Che Guevara tσσ?" asked Tal. 'Ύes - he dσesη't have the faiηtest idea what to do agaiηst the Catalaη!"

Alekhine Memorial Tal's ηext eveηt was the Alekhiηe Memσrial ίη Mσscσw. Tal writes that it took place right after Havaηa, but accσrdiηg tσ the Chess Stars bσσk there was a break of just over a moηth betweeη the twσ eveηts. Tal started as White agaiηst Kuijpers. Tal recalls that, the day before the game, at the birthday gatheriηg σf a frieηd, sσmeσηe light-heartedly expressed a wish for Tal to sacrifice sσmethiηg. "What piece aηd οη what square?" replied Tal, jokiηgly. "Well, let's say a knight ση e6." Ιη the game Tal imagiηatively but iηcσrrectly

1963

1 39

Vassily Smyslov - Mikhail Tal

sacrificed an exchange. Later he riskily avoided a perpetual and Kuijpers could have won by force, but the Dutch player blundered and Tal caught his king. Amusingly, 37.lt:le6 was the move that forced Black's resignation, though it did not involve a sacrifice. When Tal made his way to the hotel foyer, he was greeted enthusiastically by the same group of friends: "Good man! Did you purposely finish the game by putting the knight on e6?" Tal had actually forgotten all about the conversation during the game, but he played along with the joke and replied: "What would you like me to sacrifice tomorrow, and where?" ln the second round Tal drew a quiet game against Antoshin. He dryly explains that this was because nobody requested a sacrifice this time. ln the third round Tal was able to put Keres under some pressure, but the great Estonian player found a clever way to simplify and hold a draw. Tal won a back-and-forth game against Antoshin, then tried hard to beat Balcerowski but had to settle for a draw. ln the sixth round Tal was White against Gligoric, who played the Najdorf. lnterestingly, Gligoric chose a set­ up that Fischer had used against him in 1 959; Gligoric won that encounter, but evidently he thought Black's position was okay. However, Tal deviated by sacrificing a piece on e6, which was a novelty at the time, although it was subsequently repeated several times. Ίhe Yugoslav grandmaster was unable to cope with the problems, and Tal won convincingly. ln the next round Tal was Black against Smyslov. Το make this clash of former world champions more piquant, Smyslov was leading the tournament with 5 Yz/6, a full point ahead of Tal. Smyslov completely outplayed Tal ίη the opening and middlegame, and we will jump ahead to the endgame where Tal showed his remarkable defensive skills.

Vassily Smyslov - Mikhail Tal Moscow 1 963

I.ctf3 tLJf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 b6 4 ..ig2 .ib7 5.0-0 c5 6.�c3 fi.e7 7.d4 cx:d4 8.�xd4 tLi c6 9.�f4 �b8 IO.�xbSt gxb8 l l .J.f4 gc8 12.tLib5 � e4 13.gadl J.c5 14.tLid2 tLixd2 15.gxd2 /i.b4 16.gd3 e5 17.J.e3 !i.a6 ιs.gb3 .if8 1 9.J.xc6 gxc6 20.tLixa7 J.xc4 2l .gc3 J.b4 22.gc2 b5 23.�xc6 dxc6 Tal's situation appears hopeless: a full exchange down for no compensation, against one of the greatest endgame players of all time, who also happened to be ίη great form ίη the tournament. Even though White's rooks have no open files and Black's king is nearer the centre, there is no question that Black is lost.

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24.gdι White can think about gιvιng back the exchange with 24.:!:%fc 1 !? Φd7 25.:!:%xc4 bxc4 26.:!:%xc4, when he should win with the extra pawn. Ίhe strongest move of all is 24.a4!, as opening a file for the rooks should ease White's task considerably.

The World Champion

1 40

24 ... Φe7 Tal improves his king a bit, not minding exchanging the pair of bishops. 25.b3 J.d5 26.J.c5t hc5 27,gxc5 Φe6 28.f3 After 28.e4!? !xe4 29.a4 White would have decent chances with the passed pawn, but Smyslov obviously felt there was no need to do anything as drastic as giving up a pawn at this stage.

33 .. ,ga8 34,gcl Soon White will manage to activate his rook, but it will come too late. 34...J.d5 35. Φe3 Smyslov starts transferring his king to the queenside. ln the event of 35 .!'1c3 g5 36.!'1e3t Φf6 37.Φe l h5 Black's position shows no sign of being broken.

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Smyslov should have taken the opportunity to create a passed pawn and open lines for his rooks: 33.a4! bxa4 34.bxa4 gas 35 .!:ω c5 (35 . . . ga5 36.!'1b2) 36.a5 c4 Maybe Smyslov felt that the c-pawn might have some potential, but after 37.!'1a3 White's advantage should be enough to win.

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30 ... e4! Tal ensures that the bishop will remain stable in the centre. lt is already becoming difficult for White to open the position for his rooks. 3 1 .fxe4 3 l .Φf2 ge8 maintains Black's resistance. 31 ... he4! 32.gd2t Φe6 Of course Tal prevents the rook from invading on d7. 33.Φf2? Tal writes that Smyslov wanted to win without giving the slightest chance.

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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35 ... Φe5! Black's king stands superbly, and blocks any invasion by its counterpart. White's task of finding a winning plan is becoming increasingly difficult. 36.Φd3 gbs 37.Φc3?! b4t 38.Φb2 Moving the king away from the centre allows the black king to dominate there. 38 ... g5! Tal does not just wait, but improves his prospects on the kingside.

141

Mikhail Tal - Nikola Padevsky

1963

times. He had lost one previous game to Tal, and their one subsequent encounter was drawn.

Mikhail Tal - Nikola Padevsky Moscow 1 963

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40 ... f4! Tal continues his active defence. 4 1 .gxf4t Φχf4 42.ga7 Φe3 43.gc2 Smyslov sealed this move but offered a draw before resumption, which Tal accepted. By this stage Tal believed he was not worse, and he would almost certainly have continued 43 . . . :1:!:e8 intending to push the kingside pawns. Some might say that he was lucky to be able to hold the endgame, but he grabbed his chances and defended in the best possible way. '12-Vz

Tal followed with a win over Jimenez followed by a complex draw against Hort. ln the next round he won a double-edged game against Vladimirov. ln the eleventh round Tal was pressing with an extra pawn against Szabo, but the Hungarian grandmaster found a magical defence, sacrificing three pawns to force a perpetual check in the endgame. Tal's next opponent was Padevsky. Ίhe Bulgarian grandmaster faced all the world champions from Euwe to Κarpov, apart from Spassky and Fischer. From a total of nineteen games, he won one, drew nine and lost nine

l .e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�c3 .ib4 4.e5 b6 Later in his career, Tal had a convincing win against a related system: 4 . . . VNd7 5 . lί:J f3 b6 6 . .id2 .if8 7 ..ie2 ia6 8.0-0 c6 9.ixa6 lί:Jxa6 I O.tί:Je2 lί:Je7 1 1 .lί:Jf4 g6 1 2.:1:i:c 1 ! b5 1 3.:1:i:e l h6 1 4.We2 tί:Jc8 8

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1 5 .a4! Tal makes his opponent worry about weaknesses all oνer rhe board. 1 5 . . . lί:J c7 1 6.axb5 cxb5 1 7.E;ai Ae7 1 8 .tί:Jd3 Φf8 1 9.h4 Φg7 20.h5 � b6 2 l .tί:Jh2 lί:J c4 22 . .ic l a5 23.lί:Jg4 lί:Je8 24.b3 lί:J b6 25 ..ie3

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The World Champion

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2 5 ... gxh5 26.t2Jh2 Φ f8 27.'1Wd2 lb g7 28.�xh6

a4 29.'1Wf4 Φg8 30.�xg7 Φχg7 3 l .�e3 Tal went on to catch his opponent's king in Tal ­ Karlsson, Yerevan 1 980.

32.t2Jxh5t? gxh5 33.'Wf6t Φg8 Tal had to settle for a perpetual check in Tal - Petrosian, Leningrad 1 977.

s.'!Wg4 �m 6.�g5 In a later game Tal almost created a masterpiece, but allowed Petrosian to escape: 6.t2Jf3 '!Wd7 7.a4 t2J c6 8 .�d2 t2J ge7 9.�e2 l2J f5 1 0.0-0 h5 1 1 .'Wf4 g6 1 2 .�b5 �h6 1 3.t2Jg5 t2JfXd4 1 4.�ad 1 'ίt>f8 1 5 .�xc6 t2Jxc6 1 6.t2Jce4 �xg5 1 7.t2Jxg5 �a6 1 8.�fe 1 Φg8 1 9.b4 �c4 20.b5 t2J d8 2 1 .�b4 'We8

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9 ...h6 10.�d2 0-0-0 l l .h4 � ge7 12.0-0-0 f5?! Padevsky tries to free his position, but his last move creates serious weaknesses.

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22.�e4!! �xb5 23.axb5 dxe4 24.c4 c5 25.t2Jxe4 'Wf8 26.t2J f6t 'ίt>g7 27.�c3 (27.�e l ! is better, as 27 . . . t2J b7 28.�d7 wins) 27 . . . t2J b7 28.'Wf3 (The difference here is that 28.�d7? allows Black to defend with 28 . . . �d8) 28 . . . t2J a5 29 .�d7 �d8 30.�xa7 t2Jxc4

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3 1 . . . �a8

13.exf6 gxf6 14.gdel gg8 1 5.'1Wxe6 gxg2 I6.Wfe3 Φbs

17.�fl !? Tal's move is strategically justified, but it allows a direct confrontation leading to a playable position for Black. Instead 1 7.�eg1 !

143

Mikhail Tal - Nikola Padevsky

1963

Ei:xgl t 1 8 .Ei:xgl gives White an advantage without any complications.

17 Ei:g8 Padevsky avoids complications but ends up in a worse position with no counterplay. .••

1 7 . . . tlJf5! 1 8.'1Wd3 Ei:xf2 should have been tried. Obviously there is a risk that the rook will be trapped, but it turns out that Black has enough resources: 1 9 ..ih3 .ia6! ( 1 9 . . . .ic8 20.Ei:e3! enables White to trap the rook, for instance after 20 . . . h5 2 l . .ie l ) 20.'11Mxa6 Ei:xf3

19 i.c8 20.h5! VNe8 2 1 .i.f4 The bishop takes up a menacing outpost, eyeing the weakness which will cause Black's downfall. •••

21 VNxh5 22 . .!LJ b5 Ei:d7 23.VNc3! Tal directs even more force towards the c7-pawn. •.•

23 i.b7 24. .!lJ e5 .!LJxe5 25.dxe5! d4? 25 . . . .ig7 avoids an immediate loss, but after 26.l2Jd4 Ei:dd8 27.ixf5 White is a pawn up with a better position. •••

One can only guess as to whether Padevsky was being naive with his last move, or if he considered his position hopeless and decided to give Tal an opportunity to finish the game in style.

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2 l .tlJe2 (After 2 l .Ei:efl Ei:xh3 22.Ei:xh3 tlJcxd4 Black has two pawns for the exchange and can keep the balance) 2 1 . . . '\Wh7 22.'1Wa4 c;Ώb7 23 . .ig4 Ei:f2 24.Ei:efl Ei:xfl t 25.Ei:xfl tlJxh4 Black gets away with it.

ιs.i.h3 f5 19.VNd3! Tal opens a path for his dark-squared bishop.

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26.e6! Tal ignores the attack ση his queen in order to maximize the energy of all the other pieces. 26 dxc3 27.exd7 i.g7 28 .!LJxc7 With no defence against the multitude of threats, Padevsky resigned. 1-0 •.•

•

In the next round Tal had Black against Liberzon. Tal recalls that, upon reaching a

1 44

The World Champion

dra,νish endgame, his opponent went to talk to his family who were among the spectators. This infuriated Tal, who decided to play for a win in what he calls a ridiculous way. Perhaps he was too harsh on himself in his choice of words, but he indeed made some careless moves, and subsequently lost a pawn and the game. In the penultimate round Tal faced Matanovic. The Yugoslav grandmaster played fifty-one games against all the world champions from Euwe to Κasparov, scoring rwo wins, thirty­ seven draws and rwelve losses. Prior to this game he had scored one win and one loss against Tal. They had four subsequent games, all of which were drawn.

Mikhail Tal - Aleksandar Matanovic Moscow 1 963

l .e4 e5 2.c!LJf3 tL! c6 3.J.b5 a6 4.J.a4 c!LJ f6 5.0-0 J.e7 6.1Ξiel b 5 7 .ib3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 lLJa5 IO.J.c2 c5 l l .d4 f!c7 1 2.c!LJbd2 .id7 13.c!LJfl ι:'ife8 14.b3 g6 1 5.J.g5 tL!h5 16.he7 ι:'ixe7 17.lLJe3 c!LJf6 •

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This surprising moνe prepares to attack the f7-pawn with the help of a timely lLid5. It takes a good deal of imagination to come up with such an idea and there is a lot of power to it, although Black should have enough resources to defend.

18 ... cxd4 Tal was surely planning to meet 1 8 . . . h6 with 1 9.dxc5 dxc5 20.lLid5! lLixd5 2 1 .exd5, when 2 1 . . . lLi b7 22.lZJe4 lZJ d6 23.lZJf6t Φg7 24.'\Wf3 leaves White with an edge. 19.cxd4 ι:'ic8?! 1 9 . . . lZJ c6! is simpler and stronger. Α logical continuation is 20.dxe5 dxe5 2 I .lLid5 lZJxd5 22.exd5 lZJ d4 when Black is safe and the position is balanced.

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20.1Ξicl h6? Matanovic wants to send the knight back, but this move only weakens Black's king while failing to achieve its aim. The subtle 20 . . . lLi b7!? would have prepared for the lLid5 idea by controlling the d6square: in the event of 2 I .dxe5 (2 1 .'1Mfd2 '1Mfc3 is nothing) 2 l . . . dxe5 22.lZJd5 lZJxd5 23.exd5 '\Wb6 Black is doing all right. However, White can maintain some advantage by returning to positional mode with 2 l .lZJf3!.

21 .dxe5 dxe5 2 1 . . _:gxe5 is a positional concessίon, and after 22.tt:\f3 :ge6 23.tt:\d4 White is clearly better.

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22.tΩd5! Ίhis forceful move brings White's whole position to life. lt echoes Tal's strong tt:\d5 move against Unzicker ίη the final game of the 1 960 chapter on page 62. 22 ... �xd5 23.exd5 tΩb7 23 . . . W'b8 24.d6 :gee8 25.tt:\xf7 Φχf7 26.W'd2 tt:\c6 27.W'xh6 wins. Mter 23 . . . W'b6 24.d6 :gee8 White only has one way to keep the advantage, but it also wins the game:

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25 .i.xg6!! White breaks through.

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24.�xf7! Tal's sacrifice demolishes Black's kingside with animal power. 24 ... :gxf7 24 . . . Φχf7 25 .i.xg6t Φχg6 26.:gxc7 :gxc7 27.d6 wins. 25.hg6 �d6 26.J.xf7t i>xf7 27.gxc8 hc8 White can win slowly with his material advantage, but of course Tal takes the opportunity to hunt down Black's exposed king.

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Mikhail Tal - Aleksandar Matanovic

1963

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28.�c2 i.d7 29.�h7t Φ:m 30.:ge3 Ίhe king is caught, so Matanovic resigned. 1-0

Ίhe World Champion

1 46

In rhe lasr round Tal had a quier draw wirh Pierzsch. His final score of l OYz/ 1 5 gave him second place behind Smyslov. Tal was awarded a prize for inreresting play, which he felt he deserved. In some games he indeed played well, although he was not at his magical best, and there were times when he his play suggested he was tired.

3 . . . E: 1 h3! (Α fabulous move, although 3 . . . Wfxg4 4.fxg4 E:xa1 also wins) 4 ..ixd7 E:xg3t Black's attack is decisive. 2 . . . E:xh3 3.E:xh3 Wfxg4t Black's pieces invade and the contest is over. 4.Φh2 E:xh3t 5.Wfxh3 llJf3t 6.Wfxf3 Wfxf3 0-1 Bitman - Tal, Moscow (blitz) 1 963.

Hastings Tal subsequently took part in the blitz tournament at the Moscow Central club, which he won with a dominating score of 1 7Yz/ 1 9 games, two-and-a-half points ahead of Κholmov. Here is the pretty finish of one of his games.

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1 . . . llJxg4! Tal opens up White's king with this sacrifice. 2.fxg4 Taking with the bishop allows a more attractive finish: 2 . .bg4 E:xh 1 3 . .ig3 (3 . .ixd7 E:8h2#)

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Tal ended the year at the Hastings tournament, which started in December and ended in January of 1 964. ln the first round Tal defeated Hindle, then drew an interesting game with Gligoric, in which both players sacrificed an exchange before equality was reached. ln the third round Tal was under pressure against Bely, but was able to hold. He then won convincingly agianst Brinck-Claussen. Ίhere followed a quick draw with Κhasin, followed by successive wins over the brothers John and Norman Littlewood. ln the penultimate round Tal scored a comfortable win over Franklin, then finished with a solid draw against Lengyel. Tal's final score of 719 gave him first place, half a point ahead of Gligoric. lt was a good performance, although his wins came against players who were nowhere near his league, and he did not have to do anything special to defeat them. Ίhere was also a blitz tournament, where Tal surprisingly finished as the runner­ up behind Gaprindashvili.

1963 Summary Tal did not play any games in the first six months of the year, so it is remarkable that his total number of games (including the Hastings tournament that ran into 1 964) was higher than in the previous year. With the white pieces he achieved a devastating score of twenty-seven wins, five draws and two defeats. Tal relied on 1 .e4 even more heavily than in previous years. He scored well against all defences, but his perfect 8/8 against the Sicilian is especially noteworthy. With the black pieces Tal scored fourteen wins, sixteen draws and four defeats. He scored extremely well against 1 .e4; the Sicilian remained his primary weapon, although he did not use the Najdorf at all, instead favouring the Paulsen. ln the closed games he achieved a more modest plus score. Tal won two tournaments in 1 963, and came second in two others. His magic shone especially brightly in Miskolc. However, when admiring Tal's impressive statistics for the year, we should keep in mind that many of his opponents were outmatched, and he did not face many of his Soviet rivals.

1963 Resώts Miskolc ( 1 st place) : 1 2Yz/ 1 5 (+ 1 0 =5 -Ο) Soviet Team Championship (Board 1 ) : 5/7 (+5 =0 -2)* Capablanca Memorial, Havana (2nd-4th place) : 1 6/2 1 (+ 14 =4 -3) Alekhine Memorial, Moscow (2nd-3rd place) l OYz/ 1 5 (+7 =7 - 1 ) Hastings ( 1 st place) : 7/9 ( + 5 =4 -0) *This score does not include one round where Ι was unable to confirm whether Tal lost or had a bye.

Total 76. 1 % (+4 1 =20 -6)

D Wins • Draws • Losses

1964 Simώtaneous Exhibitions After the Hastings tournament Tal remained in England for a few more days, during which he gave three simultaneous displays, in London and Birmingham. It is hard to do full justice to Tal's masterly exhibition play; ση the Internet there is even video footage of Tal giving a blindfold simultaneous, which amply demonstrates his remarkable memory and powers of recall. His charming personality endeared him to players and spectators alike, and he clearly enjoyed playing against amateurs as much as they enjoyed playing against him. Ι will present one brilliant example that Ι found in New ln Chess magazine. The author of the article, Jimmy Adams, describes how Tal was warmly and enthusiastically applauded the moment he entered the area of the London department store which was hosting the event. Jimmy has edited a number of my books over the years, so Ι contacted him and asked him about his experience of facing Tal. He told me that although Tal was a chain smoker and physically of slight build, he was a hundred percent fit for chess, and simply raced around the boards!

Mikhail Tal -Jimmy Adams London (Simultaneous) 1 964

l .e4 c5 2.tι!f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tι!xd4 a6 5.tιlc3 'flc7 6 ..ie2 tι!f6 7.0-0 d6 8.f4 tιlbd7 9 ..if3 .ie7 I O ..ie3 ltl b6 l l .'flel tί)c4 12 . .icl gb8

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1 50

The World Champion

13.b3! Tal plays the best move, driving back the annoying knight; he may well have looked at this position in home analysis at some point. There is no way that Adams could have imagined, when putting his rook ση b8, hσw maηy times he wσuld have cause tσ regret the pσsitiση of this vulηerable piece . . . 1 3 ...�c5!? lt is usually a gσσd strategy to mix thiηgs up ίη such exhibitioηs, as it may prσve difficult fσr the player faciηg multiple σppσηeηts tσ maiηtaiη coηtrol σf the tactical cσmplicatiσηs. Tal is ηοt a ησrmal simul-giver thσugh.

16 .ie3!? Tal arrives at the bσard aηd plays a reasσηable mσve, but it is ηeither the best ησr the σηe he σrigiηally iηteηded. •

Mter the simul had eηded, Tal admitted he had momeηtarily forgσtteη his pre-plaηηed 1 6.b4!!. Ιη the pσst mσrtem Tal aηd Jimmy played σut the fσllσwiηg mσves as if playiηg a real game: 1 6 . . . Wfa7 ( 1 6 . . . Wfb6 fails to 1 7.Wfg3! llJd7 1 8.ie3 exd4 1 9.ixd4 Wfxb4 20.Wfxg7 �f8 2 1 .ih5 with a crushiηg attack) 1 7.ie3 exd4 1 8.llJxd4 Wfa8 1 9.if4 Wfa7 20.Wff2 �a8 2 l .e5 llJ d7

I4.c!ί:Jce2 c!L!e5? This is a witty idea. This type σf pseudσ­ sacrifice mσre σfteη σccurs wheη the black rook staηds ση d8 aηd the white queeη ση d l . 1 4 . . . e 5 shσuld have beeη preferred. The cσηtίηuatίση might be: 1 5 .c3!? ( 1 5 .Wfc3 exd4 1 6.Wfxc4 slightly favσurs White as well) 1 5 . . . llJ b6 1 6.fXe5 dxe5 1 7.a4!? exd4 (after 1 7 . . . Wfc7 1 8 .a5 σr 1 7 . . . 0-0 1 8 .a5 White is clearly better) 1 8.cxd4 Wfc2 1 9.Wfg3 �a8 20.e5 0-0 2 1 .exf6 ixf6 The f3-bishσp gives White aη edge.

1 5.fxe5 dxe5

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22.ie3 Wfb8 23.ixb7 Wfxb7 24.Wfxf7t Φd8 25.llJxe6 mate!

16 ...exd4 17.J.xd4 �c7 18.e5 lLJ d7 19.c!L!g3 This is aη uηusual square for a white knight agaiηst the Scheveηiηgeη.

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1 964

1 51

Mikhail Tal - Jimmy Adams

19 ...i.c5 20.hc5?! 20.c3! is strσηger, but please remember this is a simultaηeσus game. After 20 . . . l2Jxe5 2 1 .l2Je4 i.xd4t 22.cxd4 l2Jxf3t 23.�xf3 White's pieces are extremely active. 20 ...�xc5t 2 1 .Φhι �xe5? Black grabs the pawη and prepares tσ swap σff the eηemy bishσρ, but he is beiηg tσσ ambitiσus. Earlier ση, Jimmy had heard σηe spectatσr whisper tσ aησther that maηy peσple had still ησt castled. He shσuld have kept this ίη miηd aηd heeded the warηiηg! Either 2 1 . . . Wxe5 22.Wb4 Wc5 23 .Wd2 0-0 σr 2 1 . . . 0-0 22.t2Je4 Wxe5 wσuld have beeη all right fσr Black.

his dazzliηg play. Jimmy eveη writes that this was the σηly game he ever eηjσyed lσsiηg!

24...�c7 24 . . . Wd4 is ησ better due tσ 25 .�g5 (25 . c3 is alsσ gσσd eησugh) 25 . . . 0-0 (25 . . . f5 26.�xf5 decides) 26.c3 Wd8 27.Wg3 aηd White wiηs. 25.gc5! Tal gaiηs aη impσrtaηt tempσ. 25 ...�f4 26.�e2 At last the queeη steps σff the first raηk. Jimmy fiηally gets a chaηce tσ castle, but it is tοσ late tσ save his kiηg. 26 ... 0-0 27.gf1 �h4

22)ί� e4! �xf3 23.E:xf3 �e5 The ceηtralized queeη makes a pleasiηg impressiση, especially as she ties her cσuηterpart tσ the defeηce σf the a 1 -rσσk. Neither 23 . . . We7 24.Wg3 ησr 23 . . . Wc7 24.Wb4 wσuld have beeη much help to Black.

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28.gh5! lt is the fσurth time that Tal uses a rσσk tσ gaiη a tempσ by attackiηg the eηemy queeη. a

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24.E:f5!! Tal fiηds a fabulσus way tσ seηd the queeη σff balaηce, by puttiηg his rσσk ση a square where it is eη prise to twσ differeηt pieces. Tal's widespread pσpularity was a ηatural cσηsequeηce σf bσth his lively persσηality aηd

28 ...�e7 29)ί:Jf6t Checkmate is immiηeηt, sσ Black resigηed. The New in Chess article cσηtaiηs a ηumber σf σther games frσm the simul, equally replete with imagiηatiση. 1-0 After the exhibitiση had beeη cσmpleted, Tal stayed ση to talk aηd aηalyse with his

1 52

The World Champion

opponents. Jimmy Adams told me, "We saw from the expression on his face, how much pleasure he got from surprising us with his tactical ideas! He was very charismatic and spoke English well enough for us juniors to appreciate his wit and humour." Ι am sure many others over the years have felt the same way."

Reykjavik From England, Tal flew to Reykjavik with the women's world champion, Gaprindashvili, who had played in the Hastings B-tournament. In the first round Tal exploited a blunder by Johannessen to score a quick win with Black. He followed with a win over the similarly named Johannsson, before beating a third Icelandic player in Solmundarson. In the fourth round Tal was White against Gligoric, who was his biggest rival in the tournament. Tal got an advantage against the Chigorin variation of the Ruy Lopez, and later obtained a dangerous attack. Gligoric was unable to cope, and Tal was able to win an exchange and the game. In the next game Tal avoided a draw against Kristinsson by sacrificing his queen! It was something of a bluff, but he got away with it and won anyway. Tal then advanced to 6/6 by defeating Wade; the game will be shown in the notes to Tal - Tseshkovsky, Riga 1 979, in the final volume. Tal's winning streak was briefly halted by Palmason, who played solidly. In the next round Tal sacrificed material against Bjornsson, who misplayed the position and paid the price. Tal followed up with wins over Gudmundsson and Thorbergsson. After the ninth round, news arrived from Moscow that Nona Gaprindashvili was to be awarded the title of Honoured Master of Sport of the USSR. Tal organized a small banquet,

inviting several players from the tournament to celebrate the award. Tal's next opponent was none other than Gaprindashvili herself. Tal offered a draw before the game, but the Women's World Champion refused, saying that Tal was obliged to fight for first prize. Like a few of Tal's opponents in this event, Gaprindashvili chose the Chigorin system against the Ruy Lopez. The position was balanced for a long time, but Gaprindashvili unnecessarily sacrificed a pawn and found herself in a lost position. Tal intentionally did not press the clock a few times, not wishing to win on time. Tal recalls that Gaprindashvili told him, 'Ίf you do it again, Ι will resign right away." Tal firmly converted his advantage into a win. When Ι asked Gaprindashvili in an interview who her favourite player was, she said Tal, and went on to speak warmly about him, as both a player and a person. Tal ended the tournament with further victories against Olafsson and Asmundsson to win the tournament with the amazing score of 1 2Jh/ 1 3 . In some of the games he took considerable risks, but got away with it because his opponents were nowhere near his league. However, to score 3/3 against Gligoric, Olafsson and Gaprindashvili was aπ excellent achievement for any player in the world. Despite Tal's resounding success, the tournament was not strong enough to serve as ideal preparation for his next event . . .

Amsterdam lnterzonal The 1 964 Interzonal was Tal's first in six years. Ι was unable to ascertain whether Koblencs was with him; neither Tal nor the Maestro mention whether or not he was. The tournament bulletin also does not mention

1964

1 53

Laj σs Pσrtisch - Mikhail Tal

it. Ι fiηd it mσre likely that Kσbleηcs was ησt there. Six players were tσ qualify, but the 1 959 ruliηg prσhibitiηg mσre thaη three players frσm the same cσuηtry frσm qualifyiηg was still ίη effect. Tal alsσ meηtiσηs that " . . . there was the ησt­ exactly-clever rule σf the fσrced draw." Ίhis refers to the fact that the drawiηg σf lσts was ησ lσηger raηdσm; rather, the Sσviet players received pre-allσcated ηumbers to eηsure that they wσuld all face σηe aησther ίη the early rσuηds. FIDE implemeηted this ruliηg after Fischer cσmplaiηed that the Sσviets wσuld ησt σηly agree draws with each σther wheη it suited them, but alsσ that the Sσviet chess federatiση wσuld fσrce certaiη players tσ thrσw their games ηear the eηd σf the eveηt, σηce it was clear which Sσviet players were ίη cσηteηtίση tσ qualify. Ίhe ηew system was a radical way tσ avσid such prσblems, but it alsσ had sσme ηegative pσiηts fσr the σther cσmpetitors, as it meaηt mσst σf them wσuld have tσ face all five Sσviet σppσηeηts ίη coηsecutive games. Tal started the eveηt with aη uηeveηtful draw with Black agaiηst Brσηsteiη. Ίhe game lasted thirty mσves, but the result may well have beeη prearraηged. Ιη the secσηd rσuηd, befσre faciηg his ηext Sσviet σpρσηeηt, Tal had Black agaiηst Pσrtisch. Ίhe Huηgariaη graηdmaster shares the recσrd with Kσrchησi fσr haviηg faced the mσst wσrld champiσηs: twelve ίη total, startiηg with Bσtviηηik aηd fiηishiηg with Anaηd. He score is tweηty-six wiηs, 1 6 1 draws aηd fifty-five lσsses. Previσusly Tal had beateη Pσrtisch twice, with σηe draw aηd σηe defeat. Ίheir lifetime scσre frσm Tal's pσiηt σf view was ηίηe wiηs, eighteeη draws aηd five lσsses.

Lajos Portisch Mikhail Tal -

Amsterdam 1 964

ι.ftH3 c!ί)f6 2.g3 d6 3.d4 g6 4.J.g2 J.g7 5.0-0 0-0 6.c4 J.g4 Pσrtisch plays several variatiσηs agaiηst the Κiηg's Iηdiaη, the Fiaηchetto beiηg σηe σf his regular chσices. Tal had ησt played this particular reply befσre, aηd he ηever repeated it. 7.� c3 �c8 s.geι ges Tal writes that he waηted to play the σρeηίηg σrigiηally, ίη σrder to reach aη uησrthσdσx pσsίtίση where he cσuld play fσr a wίη. Nevertheless, his chσseη mσve had beeη used by Taimaησv agaiηst Smyslσv ίη 1 956.

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9.�b3!? Pσrtisch puts pressure ση the b7-pawη, imprσviηg ση the afσremeηtiσηed game, ίη which Black σbtaiηed aη excelleηt ρσsίtίση aηd agreed a draw sσmewhat prematurely. 9 ... c!ί) c6 9 . . e5?? is a bluηder due to I O.dxe5 dxe5 1 U2:\xe5 . .

The World Champion

1 54

9 . . . c6 is not so bad, but I O.il.e3 liJbd7 l l .h3 leads to a pleasant game for White.

17.ha8 Portisch increases his material advantage.

IO.d5! tLi a5 l l .�a4 b6 12.tLid2! Having provoked a weakening of Black's queenside, the Hungarian number one defends the c4-pawn, anticipating Tal's next move.

17 ...�xa8 18.�cb5 gc8 19.�dl! Portisch correctly targets the d4-pawn without giving Black a tempo. 1 9 .'1Mfd3 J.f5 20.Wff3 il.e4 2 1 .'1Mfb3 allows 2 l . . . d3! (but not 2 l . . . ltJd5 22.ib2 ltJc3 23.�ac l il.d5 24.'1Mfc2 il.c6 25 .'1Mfd3 when Black may as well resign) 22.8 dxe2 23.fxe4 ltJxe4 24.ie3 ixal 25.�xa l a6 when the position remains complicated, although White should still win with accurate play.

12 ... il.d7 13.�c2 c6

8 --� �. ��-� -·­ �-�� � 7 �-�� •J.. r � • � • �.� �.� ?� & � 6 Α� � � �!rιι8) :� � �� 4 �� if� ��if�% �� 3 d""�---� � �- �- %� 2 �- �-� %�1��-J[j � � 1 �� �� if�� %....

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14.b4! �xc4? Tal sacrifices the knight for rwo pawns, but it is unsound. He should have settled for a slightly worse position after 1 4 . . . ltJb7. 1 5.tLixc4 cxd5 16.tLia3 d4!? Objectively this is a mistake, but Tal is determined to stir up complications, even if it requires being a rook down! Ι cannot think of another game at such an important event in which anyone played so riskily. Mter 1 6 . . . ih3 1 7.il.b2 a5 1 8 .bxa5 �xa5 1 9 .�ec l White is well on the way to consolidating with his extra piece. 16 . . . a5!? was perhaps the best try, but after 1 7.b5 if5 1 8 .'1Mfb3!? ( 1 8 .'1Mfd2 also favours White) 1 8 . . . ltJe4 1 9.ltJxe4 dxe4 20.il.e3 il.e6 2 1 .'1Mfb l White is clearly better; Black can win back an exchange, but White's pieces will dominate.

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19 ... � e4 20.f3 According to Tal, a while after the game, after regaining his coolness, Portisch told Tal that he had expected him to resign at around this point. Maybe this belief that the result was a foregone conclusion caused the Hungarian grandmaster to relax, as the text move is the first small step ίη the wrong direction for him. Ίhere is no need for White to advance a pawn in front of his king. White should have taken the pawn without weakening the kingside: 20.ltJxd4! ltJc3 2 1 . ΊΜf d3 e5 22.ltJ b3 Black has virtually nothing for the rook.

1 55

Lajos Portisch - Mikhail Tal

1964

20 a6 2 1 .�xd4 'l'd5 22.Ae3 lt is hard to comment on Portisch's moves as every sensible option wins, but Tal still manages to keep some life in the position. •••

22 ..ib2! would have made things simpler. After 22 . . . lί:J c3 (22 . . . lί:J g5 23.e4) 23 . .ixc3 gxc3 24.tί:Jb3 'l'g5 25.gcl White exchanges the enemy rook, and even a magician will find it impossible to create anything with so few pieces remaining.

25 . . . .ixc3 26.hxg3 White wins, as 26 . . . '1'h3 can be met by 27.Φf2.

24 ...'i'e6 25 ..id4 Exchanging the g7-bishop is sensible, although 25.E;cl h5 26.tί:Jbl is also good enough.

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25 h5!! Tal manages to stir up matters by biting at W'hite's kingside pawn chain. •••

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22 gc3 23.� dc2 '1'5 24.g4 This should be good enough to win, but it is the second time that Portisch has unnecessarily loosened his kingside.

26-.bg? hxg4! Tal does not bother to recaprure the bishop, and leaves t\\'O other pieces hanging, surprising his opponent b�· gi,·ing away more material.

24 ..id4! White can exchange the bishop at once. 24 . . . tί:Jxg3! Tal had probably planned this imaginative yet losing shot. Mter 24 . . . tί:J g5 25 . .ixc3 .ixc3 26.gcl .ia4 27.1Mi'd3 White brings Black's play to a halt. 25 . .ixc3! 25.hxg3? 1Mi'h3 26 . .if2 .ie5! soon forces a draw. Mter 25 . .ixg7 1Mi'g5 26 . .ih6! lί:Jxe2t 27.Φh l White is winning in view of lines like 27 . . . gxf3 28.gxe2! or 27 . . . .ic6 28.tί:Jd4!!, but there is no need for such antics.

27.�d4 Portisch's move is okay, but 27 . .ixc3! is more convincing. Tal would surely have played 27 . . . g3!, threatening . . . 1Mfh3, but after 28.1Mi'd4! the mating threat gives White time to defend: 28 . . . gxh2t 29.Φh ι lί:Jg3t 3Ο.Φχh2 1Mi'h3t 3 Ι .Φgι 'IMfh i t 32.Φf2 1Mi'h2t 33.Φe3 tί:J f5 t 34.Φd2 Black wins the queen, but White will have two rooks and two knights for it, and his king is safe; in short, he is completely winning.

•.•

27 ... '1'd5 28.fxe4 'l'xe4 Tal is a rook and two pieces down, but he has real attacking chances.

Ίhe World Champion

1 56

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29.lί::! :6 !? Ίhis move was criticized, but it does ηοt waste the wίη. Ίhe followiηg optioηs are also good eηough:

30 ....ic6!! Rather thaη capture either ofWhite's haηgiηg pieces, Tal iηstead poses fresh problems by briηgiηg his bishop ίηtο the attack.

29.lί'Jac2 Φχg7 (29 . . . e5 30.'%!Fd2 !!h3 3 I .if6 wiηs) 30.'%!Fd2 !!h3 3 I .!!fl e5 32.'%!fg5 White's counterattack is enough to ηeutralize Black's play, aηd his material advaηtage will decide.

3I .!!fH Portisch defeηds f3, but gives away his advaηtage. He should have seηt the queeη away from the great square it occupies.

29.ih6 e5 (29 . . . g3 30.lί'Jf3+-; 29 . . . !!xa3 30.e3 e5 3 I .lί'Jf5! !!d3 32.lί'Jg3 '%!fd5 33.'%!Fc2+-) 30.!!cl !!xa3 3 l .!!c7 !!h3 32.!!xd7 Black's attack ruηs out after 32 . . . !!xh6 33.'%!Fc l or 32 . . . g3 33.lί'Jf3.

3 I .'%!Fd4!? is good eηough, as loηg as White aηswers 3 l . . . gxf3 with 32.'%!Fxc3!, crucially attacking the super-bishop.

29 '%!Fe3t Accordiηg to Kotov, by this poiηt Portisch was becomiηg iηcreasiηgly ηervous. •.•

3Ο.Φhι Ίhis move is good eηough, but 30.Φg2! would have beeη more pragmatic, as defeηdiηg the f3-poiηt with an additioηal piece would threateη to take the c3-rook, preveηtiηg Tal's idea ίη the game. 30 . . . gxf3t (30 . . . ic6 3 I .ixc3+-) 3 l .exf3 '%!fg5 t 32.Φh l Φχg7 33 .'%!Fd4t White keeps a wίηηίηg material advantage.

3 I .lί'Jc2! '%!ff2 32.id4! is eveη more conviηciηg, aηd after 32 . . . gxf3 33.ixf2 fxe2t 34.Φgl White wiηs easily.

31 ... gxa3?! Haviηg beeη objectively lost for so much of the game, Tal fiηally makes a mistake. Perhaps the teηsion got to him once he seηsed the possibility of a positive result. lt is hard to explaiη the decision to capture the relatiνely useless knight ση a3. Crucially, his choseη move allows Portisch to target the mighty bishop ση c6. 3 1 . . . gxf3! is obvious aηd stroηg: 32.exf3 (32.!!xf3 Φχg7) 32 . . . Φχg7 33.lί'Jc2 ixf3t 34.'%!fxf3 '%!fxf3t 35.!!xf3 !!xf3 White must

1 57

Lajos Portίsch - Mikhail Tal

1964

battle for a draw. lt would have been especially tough for Portisch to fight for equality after having a wίnning posίtίon for so long.

This ί s the only move, and not an easy one to see ίη advance. 34 . . . .ixf3t 35 .'Wxf3 'Wxf3t 36.Εϊχf3 Εϊχf3 37.Eϊc8t Φh7 38 . .if8 White has some wίnning chances as Black's king ίs not safe.

32 gxf3 Tal has to gίve up the bishop and remaίn a rook down, but he gets enough pawns. .•.

33.V9xc6 V9xe2 34.ggl 34.'Wc8t Φχg7 35 .'Wh3 e6 is also balanced, as Black's four extra pawns are a match for a rook. 34 ... Φχg7 The position has finally stabilized; Black's four pawns and safer king offer equal chances agaίnst White's rook.

32.V9cl!? Portίsch goes for safety. 32.Εϊc 1 ! This tempo-gaining move gives White the better chances, provided he follows ίt up correctly. 32 . . . gxf3 32 . . . .ib7?? 33 . .id4! 'We4 34.'Wc2 wίns for White. 33.exf3 Εϊd3 33 . . . .ixf3t 34.Εϊχf3 'Wxf3t 35.'Wxf3 Εϊχf3 36 . .id4 f5 37 . .ixb6 favours White, as after 37 . . . Εϊa3 38 . .id8! can be played. 8

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35.gael V9d2 36.gdl V9e2 37.gdel V9d2 At this poίnt, under severe tίme trouble, the players agreed a draw: an understandable outcome, as ίt would have been risky for either of them to play ο η. Tal's genίus certainly shone ίη this tremendously excίting game. Nevertheless, to give up so much material against a world-class opponent like Portίsch was hugely risky; even such a magicίan as Tal could hardly expect to

1 58

The World Champion

get away with playing this way in every game. After the game, Portisch perplexedly asked Tal whether White could have played better. The fact that he asked such a question (obviously his position was winning earlier!) shows how much the stress of a game can distort the perception of even a top player. Tal writes that, following this game, he always got the sense that Portisch was somewhat afraid of him. Y2-lf2

ln the next rounds Tal drew with his compatriots Stein, Spassky and Smyslov. All three games lasted between thirty and forty moves, but none of them were at all exciting. My guess is that the results were prearranged, but that the players went through the motions of playing more moves because of Fischer's complaints that the Soviets made no effort to fight each other. ln the sixth round Tal was Black against Pachman, who gifted a piece with an early blunder and soon had to resign. Tal also won his next game against Fougelman, but the latter was winning for a long time before blundering. Despite the favourable result, the game was poor. ln the eighth round Tal held a worse position against Gligoric. Then he defeated Porat and Perez, although in both games he benefited from his opponents' oversights. Tal followed up with a nice miniature against Benko, who overlooked a sweet tactical trick. ln the next round Tal scored his fourth win in a row against Bela Berger from Australia, but Tal did not play well at all: he played the opening badly and was lost by move 1 2, but later in the game Berger blundered away the game in one move. ln the Porτisch game Tal generated his own luck with his resourceful play, but here the blunder was entirely down to his opponent. At roughly the halfway point Larsen was leading with 9Y2/ l 2, but he had yet to face

a Soviet opponent. Tal and Spassky shared second place, half a point behind. Smyslov, Bronstein, lvkov, Reshevsky and Stein formed a chasing pack, a further half a point behind. ln the 1 3th game Tal had White in a sharp Sicilian against Bilek. Tal offered an imperfect but highly dangerous piece sacrifice. lnstead of taking up the challenge, Bilek refused the piece, which was suicidal, and Tal crushed him. Tal then drew against another Hungarian, Lengyel, in a game where both players had their chances. Tal's next opponent was Reshevsky; he writes that it was a special pleasure to meet the great American grandmaster. Tal got a winning position, but then wasted his advantage and had to settle for a draw. ln the next round Tal faced Evans, another American, who made a tactical error before the time control and was duly punished. Tal's North American tour continued against Vranesic. The Canadian player undertook a pawn weakness to exchange queens, but Tal had no problem switching to technical mode, winning the pawn and the game. Tal followed with a solid draw with Black against Ivkov, then a slightly disappointing draw against Rosetto. Curiously, this was the first time in the tournament that Tal dropped a draw against a substantially weaker opponent. Even though he was dead lost in a few games, those opponents still blundered and allowed Tal to win in the end! ln the 20th round Tal made a solid draw with Black against Larsen. He finished the tournament with a comfortable win over Quinones, a draw against Darga, and a quick win over Tringov. Tal's final score of 1 7/23 left him in equal first place with Larsen, Smyslov and Spassky. Stein was just half a point behind, but he did not qualif)r for the Candidates as there could be no more than three qualifiers from the same country.

1964

1 59

Anatoly Bykhovsky - Mikhail Tal

Tal won eleven games ίη total, and drew the other twelve. Despite the impressive score, however, he did not play anywhere near his best. There were flashes of inspiration, but none of his wins were against any of his main rivals, and he could easily have suffered four defeats had it not been for serious mistakes by his opponents. Α glance at the final crosstable would seem to indicate that Tal massacred the lower-ranking players ίη the field, but the reality is that he was losing or drawing several of these games before his opponents blundered.

chess federation. Bykhovsky worked with many young Soviets who would go on to become great players; for example, he assisted Κasparov when he won the 1 980 World Junior Championship. He played two world champions, Tal and Petrosian, losing a single game against each of them.

Tal was not pleased with his performance. The cause of his questionable form remains a mystery, but Ι doubt that his health was to blame this time. ln the 1 962 Curacao tournament, where Tal was suffering from poor health, in some games he played great chess before running out of energy. ln Amsterdam, by contrast, his play was generally mediocre by his standards. Still, at least he achieved the main goal of qualifying for the Candidates matches the following year.

l .e4 cS 2.tΩf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tιJxd4 tΩf6 s.tΩc3 a6 6.j,e2 e6 7.f4 Y!fc7 8.0-0 tΩ bd7

Anatoly Bykhovsky - Mikhail Tal Κίslovodsk 1 964

.ί. � -� �� 87 W#)� -lEιlB' #.�-. --- � 6� r•��- - - �-rw ""' %�/�-----;�-�

�� : �.�m!� % --3 � �m- - - ;� � - -� %%"' "' � 2� �j[j� ��� ���%" ���

Κislovodsk Just a fortnight or so after the lnterzonal, Tal took part in a tournament ίη the city of Κislovodsk in the North Caucasus, where the novelist-historian Solzhenitsyn was born. ln the first round Tal equalized carefully to draw with Black against Stein, who was the other pre-tournament favourite. ln the next game Tal quickly got a winning advantage against Liberzon, winning his opponent's queen for some pieces. lt took him a while to convert the advantage, but the result was never ίη doubt. ln the third round Tal faced Bykhovsky, a Soviet master who would go on to become a prominent junior trainer for the Soviet

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The database indicates that Bykhovsky always played this way with White, so Tal must have anticipated it. He had used the set­ up with the knight on d7 before, but he also developed the knight to c6 in some subsequent games.

9 .tf3 Tal must have had an improvement in mind over his play ίη the following well-known game, ίη which he was beaten ίη his own style: 9.g4 b5 1 0.a3 .tb7 l l . .tf3 lί'i c5 1 2.Y!fe2 e5 1 3.lLif5 g6 1 4.fxe5 dxe5 1 5 .lί'i h6 lί'i e6 1 6 . .tg2 .tg7 •

Ίhe World Champion

1 60

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1 7.�xf6! ixf6 1 8 .t2J d5 'Wd8 1 9.'Wf2 t2J f4 20.ixf4 exf4 2 l .e5! ixe5 22.�e l f6

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1 9 . . . ixg5 ! 20.t2Je6 hc1 2 1 .tι\xc7 �xe2 22.tι\xe2 ixb2 23.fxg6 fxg6 24.�fl hg2t 25.Φχg2 �c8 26.�f7 t2Jgf6 27.tι\d5 �xc2 Ίhe endgame is balanced, but Tal went on to outplay his opponent and win ίη Korelov Tal, Yerevan 1 962.

IO.Φhl 8

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23.t2Jxf6t! 'Wxf6 24.'Wd4 Φf8 25.�xe5 'Wd8 26.�f5t gxf5 27.'Wxh8t Φe7 28 .'Wg7t Φe6 29.gxf5t 1-0 Nezhmetdinov - Tal, Baku 1 96 1 . Το defeat Tal in his own free-flowing, sacrificial style was an extremely impressive feat, and it only happened exceedingly rarely throughout his career.

9 ...J.e7 Tal deviates from a game he played two years earlier: 9 . . . �b8 1 0.a4 ie7 1 1 .Φh 1 0-0 1 2.'We2 �e8 1 3.g4 Φh8? 1 4.g5 tι\g8 1 5 .ig2 b6 1 6.�f3 ib7 1 7.�h3 g6 1 8.f5 exf5 1 9.exf5 ? ( 1 9.'Wf2±)

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IO t2Jf8?! According to the database, this move was first played by Lehmann ίη 1 96 1 . Later that year it was tested by some leading players, but Tal was the first to try it since then. Overall the move scores well for Black, but there are a couple of games from the nineties ίη which strong White players demolished Black's set-up. ...

l l .g4

161

Anatoly Bykhovsky - Mikhail Tal

1 964

My impression i s that 1 1 .νfle 1 ! i s White's best option, intending to transfer the queen to g3.

ι ι ... h6 1 2.5 Bykhovsky takes away the g6-square from the knight. 1 2 ... e5 13.�de2 In 20 1 1 Ι wrote an article on the 6.j,e3 e5 7.lί:\de2 variation, in which the knight usually goes to g3; Ι was surprised to discover how many extra options it provides for White. Among others, the knight may go to h5, or after lί:\d5 followed by exd5 (after Black exchanges) , the e4-square can become a nice outpost.

1 4.Φg2 j,b? 1 5 .h4 0-0-0! reveals another advantage of moving the b-pawn only one square. Black's king is pretty safe, and he is ready to meet 1 6.g5 hxg5 1 7 .hxg5 with 1 7 . . . d5!, taking over the initiative.

14 ....ib7 15.�g3 lί:\ 8d7 16.Y*fe2 1 6.lί:\h5!? was worth considering. 1 6 gc8 17.a4 .•.

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13 ... b6 Tal deviates from a previous game, Bisguier - Gligoric, Bled 1 96 1 , in which Black played 1 3 . . . j,d? followed by , ,j,c6 and eventually won.

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17 ... Y*fc4! In a few moves White will be ready for g4-g5 , so Tal needs to act before it becomes a threat. Exchanging queens helps to get closer to White's soft points. ιs.gfel Y*fxe2 19.gxe2 gc4 In another of Tal's Najdorf garnes, his rook arrived on c4 ίη a more adventurous way:

It would be interesting to know how Tal assessed 1 3 . . . b5. Perhaps he rejected it as he wanted to avoid a confrontation ση the queenside, as might happen after 14.a4 b4 1 5 .lί:\d5 or 14.b4 j,b? 1 5 .a4.

14.Ae3

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The World Champion

1 62

1 8 .lίJd2 E:ac8! 1 9.E:c4 YMxc4 20.lLJxc4 E:xc4 2 1 .�fL.?! E:b4 22.g4 E:xb2 Tal went on to win after a fluctuating fight ίη Shmit - Tal, Riga 1 97 1 . The game is ίη the database, but Ι was unable to find out what kind of event it was played ίη, or if it was a rapid game.

the h4-pawn, but controlling the e4-square would give compensation for it. (23.�c 1 ? is worse, as after 23 . . ..!LJgf6 24.Φg2 E:fc8 White is under serious pressure.) 23 . . . .!LJgf6 (23 . . . hh4 24.lLJge4) 24.lLJge4 The position is double-edged.

20. E: dl?! Bykhovsky trίes to clamp down on the d5square, but the rook move fails to prevent Black's plan. Ι would prefer 20.Φg2 0-0 2 1 .h4.

22 d4! Now Black takes over. •••

20 0-0 2 1 .h4 ••.

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23.gxf6 �xf6 24 .id2 dxc3 25.hc3 g fc8 26.he5 After 26. Φg2 E:8c5 Black would be almost winning. •

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21 d5! Tal carries out the breakthrough regardless of the huge force White has directed towards the d5-square. ..•

22.g5? Bykhovsky tries to keep the posιtιon rational. Taking the pawn ether way would lead to a complex position, with White having to sacrifice a pawn ίη some cases. 22.lίJxd5 �xd5 (22 . . . lLJxd5 23.exd5 E:xa4 is also complicated) 23.exd5 lLJxg4 24.�g1 �xh4 25.lLJe4 .!LJgf6 White has some play for the pawn. 22.exd5 lLJxg4 23.�g1 White is likely to drop

26 E:xc2 27. E: dd2 E: xd2 28. E:xd2 •••

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28 g c4! ••.

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Anatoly Bykhovsky - Mikhail Tal

1964

1 63

Tal acts promptly, before White can get organized with b2-b3.

29. � Μ4 29.b3 �b4 wins a pawn. 29 � clt 29 . . . �c2 30.b3 Ac6 is also excellent for Black. •••

30. Φ g2 g c2t 3 1 . Φ h3 gxb2 32. g c4! Having lost a pawn, Bykhovsky tries to obtain counterplay by invading ση the seventh rank. 32 ... g b3? Having strategically outplayed his opponent, Tal commits an error which might have squandered his advantage. 32 . . . �d2! would have enabled him to consolidate his extra pawn, with excellent winning chances.

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33. Φ g2? Bykhovsky probably overlooked Tal's 35th move. 33 .�c7! would have given White a lifeline: 33 . . . �xf3 (After 33 . . . Af8? 34.Ad l it is White who is playing for a win) 34.�xb7 Ac5

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35 .�b8t! (35.ixf6 gxf6 36.Φg2 �a3 37.l2Jh5 Ad4 leaves Black with some winning chances) 35 . . . Φh7 36.�b7! The position is equal, for instance 36 . . . l2Jxe4 37.�xf7 id6 38.�xg7t Φh8 39.id4 and White is safe.

33 ... � d7 34 ..ixg7 34.�c7 l2Jxe5 35 .�xe7 l2Jxf3 36.�xb7 l2Jxh4t leaves White two pawns down. 34 ... Φχg7 35. g c7

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35 ...j,c6!! With this lovely finesse Tal keeps his material advantage. Bykhovsky was probably expecting 35 . . . l2Je5, when 36.�xe7 l2Jxf3 37.l2Jh5t Φf8 38.�xb7 l2Jxh4t 39.Φf2 leaves White with enough activity to make up for the missing pawn.

Ίhe World Champion

1 64

36. � h5t? 36.f6t! would have enabled White to win back the piece, albeit in rather unfavourable circumstances. After 36 . . . Axf6 37.�h5t Φf8 38.�xc6 �b2t 39.Φh3 Ae5 Black should be winning, but there is still some work to do.

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37... �xf3! Tal wins a piece outright, and the game is over. 38. � c7 � d3 39.e5 .tds 0-1 Tal followed with draws with White against Bradvarevic, who defended well in a slightly inferior position, and with Black against Averbakh. In the sixth round Tal faced Fichtl and chose 1 .d4, which had become an increasingly rare choice for him. Tal employed a minority attack and increased his advantage until his opponent collapsed. In the next round Tal was Black against Gyula Κluger, the oldest participant. Tal writes that he was unable to complete an event without going on an adventure; Ι assume he was referring to his decision to meet 1 .d4 with the Schmidt Benoni. Κluger played a great game and Tal was comprehensively beaten.

Readers of Κarpov's Strategic Wins can find a fragment of the Κluger - Tal game given on page 263 of the first volume, in the notes to Karpov's win over Korchnoi in the final game of their 1 978 world title match. Tal was one of Κarpov's seconds at the time, and Κluger told me he believed Tal had shown their game to Κarpov as a model example against Black's set­ up. The opening and early middlegame phases are indeed rather similar. . . Tal recalls that after h e lost i n round 7 people were already starting to congratulate Stein on winning the event! However, in the next game Tal scored a quick win over Ciocaltea while Stein suffered a defeat. Tal followed this win by grinding down Κhasin and scoring a final convincing win over Fuchs. Tal's final score of 7Yz/ 1 1 gave him first place, half a point ahead of Stein, who dropped behind after drawing with Averbakh in the final round. Tal's form was still not close to his magical best, but it was a definite improvement over the way he played in Amsterdam.

Soviet Team Championship semi-final Tal's next event took place in Tallinn. In the first round he was White against Lutikov, and quickly obtained a winning position after an unsuccessful opening experiment from his opponent. Later Tal allowed his opponent back into the game, but eventually caught him in an endgame. Ι personally experienced how much the people of the Estonian capital loved Tal, but he had to do without their support for the next game, as he faced their local hero Keres. Prior to this game, Keres boasted a dominant record against Tal, comprising seven wins, twelve draws and just two defeats. It was an impressive feat, even if one of the wins was from 1 954, when the young Tal was nowhere near reaching his full potential, and two of

1 65

Mikhail Tal - Paul Keres

1 964 them came ίη the 1 962 Curacaσ tσurηameηt where Tal was ill.

1 9.J.xb6 Wxb6 20.\We2 J.d7 2 1 .ga3 J.e7 22.gea1 J.b5 23.J.d3 J.xd3 24.\Wxd3 a5 25.llJc4 Wa6 26.\Wfl Tal wση a pawη aηd weηt ση tσ wίη the game, Tal - Kσlarσv, Uppsala 1 956.

Mikhail Tal - Ρaώ Keres

b) 12 ... llJb6 1 3 .axb5 axb5 1 4.llJbd2 c5 1 5 .dxc5 dxc5

Tallinn 1 964

l .e4 Sσ far Tal had beeη White against Keres ίη twelve games, but had ησt yet wση a siηgle σηe σf them. l ... e5 2.�f3 tl1 c6 3 ..ib5 a6 4.J.a4 ll1 f6 5.0-0 .ie7 6. g eι b5 7 ..ib3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 tt1 d7 Keres usually favσured the Chigσriη Variatiση. He had σηly played the text mσve σηce befσre, ίη 1 947, sσ there is ησ way Tal cσuld have aηticipated it. IO.d4 J.f6 Readers σf the first vσlume may recall that Tal wση a remarkable game agaiηst Ρaηησ after I O . . . llJd?; see page 366 σf Ίhe Magic ofYouth. l l .a4! J.b7 Tal alsσ had sσme iηterestiηg games after l l . . . llJa5 1 2 .J.c2:

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Tal reached this pσsίτίση ίη twσ games: b 1 ) The first cσηtinued: 1 6.\We2 c4 1 7.llJh2 J.g5 1 8 .:!:%d 1 Wf6 1 9 .llJdf3 J.xc 1 20.:!:%dxc 1 J.e6 2 1 .:!:%a3 llJ b7 22.:!:%ca 1 Εϊχa3 23.:!:%xa3 Wf4 24.\We 1 llJ d7 25 .:!:%a6 llJ bc5 26.:!:%c6 Εϊa8 27.\Wd 1 llJb3?? Α lσsiηg bluηder ίη aπ equal pσsίtίση.

a) His first game ίη this variatiση cσηtiηued: 1 2 . . . J.b7 1 3 .d5 bxa4? 1 4.gxa4 c6 1 5 .J.e3 cxd5 1 6.exd5 J.c8 1 7.llJbd2 llJ b7 1 8.b4 llJ b6

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28 . .ixb3 Wxe4 29.:!:%xe6! fxe6 30.\Wxd? Tal weηt ση το cσηvert his material advaηtage, Tal - Averbakh, Κiev 1 964. a

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1 66

Ίhe World Champion

b2) The nexτ year Tal deviated: 1 6.tιlh2 c4

1 7.tιlg4 .ixg4 1 8.hxg4 .ig5 1 9.tιlf3 .ixc 1 20.'!Mfxc 1 '!Mfc7

1 5 . . . tιlc4 was used by Κarpov το draw with Κasparov ίη 1 990, and subsequenτly became τhe most popular move ίη the position. 8

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2 1 .'Mfe3 tιld7 22.:B:ed 1 tιlc6 23.b3 tιla5 24.b4 tιl c6 The posίtίon was equal, but Tal managed to wίn ίη Tal - Portisch, Bled (8) 1 965.

� � Ε �� -r••-�-----� -- �

�!•il•••r � r� - - - %-- --- �� 4 !Β .ο"Δ'Β •. 3 . fW '•�• Δ �D�:•,�D� ι �tij�"if�� � 8

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12.a:x:b5 a:x:b5 13. :B:xa8 �xa8 14.d5 tιl a5 Μ a regular user of the Chigorίn Varίation, Keres was used to moving his knight to this square. 1 5 .ic2 g bs? Later the same year, Stein showed a better way for Black to play: 1 5 . . . .ie7 1 6.tιla3 c6 1 7.dxc6 .ixc6 1 8 .'1We2 '!Mfa6 1 9 .tιld2 :B:b8 20.b4 tιl b7 21 ..id3 tιld8 22.tιl b3 tιlf6 23.tιla5 .id7 The positίon is equal and Black drew comfortably ίη Tal - Steίn, Κίeν 1 964. •

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1":\ 16."Z.Ja3! Tal finds an effectίve way to force a concession ση the queenside.

16 J.a6 17.b4! tιl c4 18. tιl xc4 bxc4 The c4-pawn ίs weak, but White still needs to find a way το organize his play agaίnst ίt. The way Tal manages ίt is exemplary. •..

19.J.a4! Fίrst Tal arranges to exchange the light­ squared bishops, removing a key defender. 19 tιl b6 20 .ic6 .ib7 •..

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Mikhail Tal - Paul Keres

1 964

2 1 .hb7! Surprisingly, the preceding moves had all been played before. Tal's move is a serious improvement over Vasiukov - Geller, Κiev 1 957, where White played 2 1 .b5. 2 1 ...tyxb7 22.J.e3 g as After 22 . . . Wa6 23.Wa l lt1 a4 24.ge2 Wb5 25.ga2 ga8 26.li:Jd2 te7 27.Wfl the c4-pawn soon falls. 23.tye2 ty a6 24. t!Li d2 Tal methodically tightens the screw c4-pawn.

ση

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24 ... t!Li a4 8

27. tί:l a5! Not long ago Black moved his own knight to a5 , but now it is the white knight that utilizes it as an outpost. 27 ... h6 28. g cl g bs Black has to defend against !!c6. 29. tί:! c6 g a8 30. tί:! a5 g bs 3 1 .tye2 After briefly repeating the position Tal turns his attention to the kingside, in order to stop Black from exchanging bishops. 3 1 ....id8 3 1 . . . tg5 ? runs into 32.txg5 hxg5 33 .Wg4 li:J d4 (33 . . . f6 34.lt:Jc6) 34.!!c4! and White wins a pawn. 32.g3 .if6 33.h4! With the last two moves Tal freezes Black's bishop. Now his queen is free to return to the queenside.

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25. t!Li xc4! Tal gives up the c3- for the c4-pawn in order to uncover a new weakness. Perhaps Keres underestimated the significance of that element. Trying to win the pawn would waste the advantage, as 25.!!cl does not even prevent 25 . . . llJxc3 .

25 ... t!Li xc3 26.tyd3 tί:! b5 Ίhe knight defends the c7-pawn, but White can increase the pressure.

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33 ... Φ h7 34. Φ g2 Φ gs 35.tyd3 Φ rs 36.tyfl Φ gs 37.tye2 J.ds 38.tyd3 .if6 39.tyfl It would be interesting to know why Tal killed time over the last few moves; it does not seem like the kind of game where he would have been in time trouble, and he did not usually delay taking action before sealing a move. With this being a team event, it is possible that the team captain told him to

The World Champion

1 68

make sure that the position remained winning at the point of adjournment.

39 ... h5 Keres suddenly changes the structure. Waiting and doing nothing would not have saved the game either: 39 . . . Φf8 40.�al �e8 4 1 .f3 (4 I .ltJc6 '1Mfb7 42.�a5 lίJd4 43.�a7 Wc8 44.'1Mfd3 is also good enough) 4 1 . . . Φg8 42.lίJc6 '1Mfb7 43.'1Mfc4 Black's position is about to fall apart. 8

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4o. g aι g es 41.'1Mfc4 g6 42.'1Mfe2 Here the game was adjudicated in favour of Tal. The reason for adjudication rather than an adjournment was that Keres became ill. Ι was unable to find out exactly who decided the outcome; whoever it was judged the position correctly, as White is indeed winning. Ι will quote the analysis from the Chess Stars book. It is unattributed, but it may have come from the adjudication judgement. 42 . . . Φh7 43.'\Mffl Φg7 44.lίJc6 '1Mfb7 45 .�a5 tίJd4 46.'1Mfa6 [46.�a7 '1Mfc8 47.'1Mfc4 looks even more convincing.] 46 . . . Wxa6 47.�xa6 lίJxc6 (47 . . . �c8 48.Axd4 exd4 49.Φf3 wins) 48.dxc6 �b8 49.�a7 �xb4 (49 . . . Ad8 50.�b7) 50.�xc7 �xe4 5 l .�c8 Black soon has to sacrifice his rook for the c-pawn. 5 1 . . . �c4 52.c7 �c6 53.Aa7 d5 54.Ab8 White wins. 1-0

Tal followed with a win with White over Hermlin. In the next round he was pressing with Black against Mikenas, but eventually had to settle for a draw. He then made a peaceful draw with Black against Petrosian, before finishing with a win with White over Roizman. Tal's final score of 5/6 was impressive. ***

Tal was expecting his next event to be the Tel Aviv Olympiad, but he was surprised and angered to be left out of the team. "Ι was angry with the whole world and Ι was burning with the desire to gain revenge." Tal does not say why he was left out the team, or if an explanation was even offered. The Soviet line-up was extremely strong, consisting of Petrosian, Botvinnik, Smyslov, Keres, Stein and Spassky. Still, only Petrosian, as the reigning world champion, could be considered an automatic choice on the first board. Tal was a recent world champion; he had shared first place in the Interzonal and won his most recent tournament. The other team members were all great players, but to place Tal below all of them appears strange. We can only speculate as to why Tal was left out. Perhaps his Jewish origin had something to do with it; might the Soviet authorities have been afraid that the Israelis would celebrate Tal as their own hero? According to the film Zhertva Korolieva, Tal was called by the authorities in 1 964, and told that his extramarital affairs were not befitting of a Soviet celebrity who was known around the world. Tal said his personal life was separate from his chess career; perhaps being left out from the team was a punishment for his defiance, although he and Sally would soon separate in any case. Whatever the reason, Tal makes it clear that being excluded from the team was a painful experience for him.

1964

Vassily Smyslov - Mikhail Tal

Soviet Team Championship ln the first round of the Soviet Spartakiad, Tal came out with guns blazing against Petrosian. The reigning world champion went for a safe version of English Opening with a symmetrical pawn structure, but Tal found a way to unbalance the position by giving up two pieces for a rook and a pawn. Despite the complications, the position remained roughly equal and was eventually drawn by repetition. ln the second round Tal once again played aggressively, sacrificing first a pawn and later two pieces against Geller. The grandmaster from Odessa missed a way to refute the attack and allowed himself to be mated before the time control. Tal's next opponent was Smyslov, one of the players who had been selected ahead of him for the Olympiad team. Since their 1 963 encounter, which was covered in Game 24, they had drawn one game, in which τal was pressing as White, but Smyslov held.

Vassily Smyslov - Mikhail Tal Moscow 1 964

1 .c4 g6 2. � c3 J.g7 3.g3 Earlier in his career Smyslov played l .e4 a lot, but in 1 963 and 1 964 he mainly played closed openings. 3 ... c5 4.J.g2 tlJ c6 5.b3 e6 6.J.b2 � ge7 7. � a4?! Smyslov decides to neutralize Black's dark­ squared bishop, but it costs him two tempos. 7 ...J.xb2 8. � xb2 0-0 9.e3 d5! Tal gains space in the centre.

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10. t2J f3 � f5 1 1 .0-0 b6 12. � a4 The knight did not stand well ση b2. 12 ...J.b7 13.cxd5 exd5 Recapturing with the queen is also possible, but Tal goes for the option that leads to a more unbalanced position. 14.d3?! 1 4.d4!? would have equalized: 14 . . . cxd4 1 5 .exd4 ( 1 5 .g4?! lί:\h4 1 6.tlJxd4 tlJxd4 1 7.W'xd4 f5 would be dangerous for White) 1 5 . . . W'f6 1 6.tlJc3! 1'!ad8 1 7.W'd3!? White manages to keep the position balanced, as after 1 7 . . . lί:\fxd4 1 8.tlJxd4 tlJxd4 1 9 .1'!ad l he will restore material equilibrium. According to Tal, Smyslov wanted to play d4 under more favourable conditions. Unfortunately for him, such a moment never occurs in the game. 8

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1 70

The Wσrld Champiση

14 Y*ff6! Tal hσlds back the d-pawη aηd secures his space advaηtage. •••

1 5.Y*fd2 g ad8 16. g fdl With hiηdsight 1 6.1Ξ!fe l shσuld have beeη preferred, as ίη the game Smyslσv's rσσk will ησt staηd well. 16 g fe8 17. g ab l 1 7.d4? lσses a pawη after 1 7 . . . cxd4 1 8 . exd4 lίJfxd4! 1 9.lίJxd4 lίJxd4, siηce 20.'Wxd4? allσws the well-knσwη mσtif 20 . . . 1Ξ!e l t!. •••

lt lσoks like Smyslσv wanted to prepare b3b4, but he will ηοt accomplish it. Tal prefers 1 7.1Ξ!ac l , but Black wσuld maiηtaiη an edge after 1 7 . . . d4 or 1 7 . . . 1Ξ!e7.

Oηce agaiη, 1 8.d4?! does ησt work: 1 8 . . . lίJe4! 1 9.'Wb2 i.c8! This is a subtle switch. 20.dxc5 (20.h3 i.xh3) 20 . . . 'Wxb2 2 l .lίJxb2 lίJ c3 Black wiηs the exchaηge for oηly σηe pawη. lmprσviηg the knight with 1 8.lίJ c3!? lσoks White's best σptίση, for iηstaηce: 1 8 . . . d4 (After 1 8 . . . lίJ b4 1 9.d4 lίJe4 20.'Wb2 i.a6 2 l .lίJ e l lίJxc3 22.'Wxc3 lίJxa2 23.'Wd2 lίJ b4 24.1Ξ!al White has cσmpeηsatiση fσr the pawη) 1 9.lίJd5 'Wg7 20.lίJc7 (20.e4 lίJb5) 20 . . . 1Ξ!e7 2 l .lίJd5 1Ξ!ed7 22.e4 lίJb5 23.1Ξ!bc l lίJe5 24.lίJxe5 'Wxe5 Black has a small advaηtage. 8

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1 8 d4! Tal cemeηts his space advaηtage. .•.

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17 c!LJ d6 Alsσ promisiηg is 1 7 . . . d4!? 1 8 .e4 lίJd6, wheη Black has several reasσηable plaηs. The knight may gσ to b5 aηd c3, while the bishσp may go either to a6, or to c8 aηd perhaps g4. White must alsσ wσrry abσut the prospect σf . . . 'Wg7 aηd . . . f5 . •••

18. c!LJ el Smyslov waηts tσ chaηge the pawη structure ίη the ceηtre.

19.e4 Y*fe7 20. c!LJ c2 f5 Tal coηceηtrates ση the kiηgside. Black caη also press ση the queeηside with 20 . . . lίJb5!? 2 1 .f4 lίJ b4, wheη he maiηtaiηs aη edge. 21 .exf5 lί:! e5!? Tal goes fσr the mσst dyηamic σptίση, but the simple 2 l . . . lίJxf5 is alsσ strσηg: 22.ge 1 'Wd7 23.lίJb2 lίJd6 (σr 23 . . . b5 24.f4 lίJce7 aηd Black is clearly better) 24.1Ξ!xe8t 1Ξ!χe8 25 .1Ξ!e l (25 .f4 lίJb5) 25 . . . lίJe5 White's positioη is mσre thaη uηpleasaηt. 22.f4 tί:J f3t 23.J.χθ J.xB 24. g eι

Vassily Smyslov - Mikhail Tal

1964

171

Black will have to defend a bad endgame. 28.lΔel Tal had planned a magical move to keep his attack going.

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24 .. .'�e2?!! ln Tal's words, 'Ίt is not often that one has to sacrifice queen for rook, in order to transpose into . . . a superior minor piece endgame." Although Tal's idea is wonderful, it is worth pointing out that 24 . . . 'Wc7!? is a somewhat less imaginative but perhaps more effective way of continuing the attack. White has two main replies: a) 25.fxg6?! seems too risky: 25 . . . ib7 26.h3 (Mter 26.gxh7t Φh8 27.h3 'Wxh7 Black's attack is too strong) 26 . . . 'Wc6 27.Φh2 (27.'Wh2 iΔ f5) 27 . . . 'Wf3 Black wins. b) 25.E!:xe8t E!:xe8 26.E!:e l is the best chance, although after 26 . . .gxf5 27.E!:xe8t lΔxe8 28.iΔb2 ib7 29.lΔ e l b5 White has to suffer for long time.

25. gxe2 gxe2 26.'�xe2?! With time trouble approaching, Smyslov instantly decides not to calculate the consequences of keeping the queen. 26.'Wc l ! l f followed up correctly, this would have equalized. 26 . . . E:g2t 27.Φf1 E:xh2 Mter 27 . . . iΔxf5? 28.lΔel E!:xh2 29.iΔxf3

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28 . . . id5!! But not 28 ... iΔxf5 ? 29.lΔxf3 lΔxg3t 30.Φgl E!:h l t 3 Ι .Φf2 when White keeps the extra piece. By calmly retreating his bishop, Black prepares to take on f5 with the knight, bringing another piece into the attack. White must play accurately to survive: 29.g4! This is not the only way to hold, but it is the easiest to understand. a) 29.fxg6? iΔf5 30.E!:b2 (30.Φgl E!:hl t 3 1 .Φf2 lΔ e3-+) 30 . . . E!:h i t 3 l .Φf2 lΔe3 White is in serious trouble. b) 29.E!:b2? E!:h i t 30.Φf2 �xf5! (Kasparov's suggestion is stronger rhan Tal's 30 . . . E!:e8) 3 l .lΔc3 (3 l .g4 lΔe3-+) 3 l . . . dxc3 32.'Wxc3 E!:e8 Black wins. c) 29.iΔb2 : �e8 30.l0c4 (30.g4 E!:ee2 3 I .fxg6 E!:ef2t 32.Wgl hxg6 33.a4 E!:d2-+) 30 . . . hc4 3 l .bxc4 �xf5 32.E!:b2 �xg3t 33.Φgl Black can win wirh 33 . . . E!:xb2 or with 33 . . . E!:ee2. d) 29.lΔxc5 !? is aπ odd choice, but it also seems to be enough to hold. My main line continues 29 . . . bxc5 30.g4! (30.'Wxc5 leads to some insane complications, but eventually Black comes out on top) 30 . . . lΔ b7 3 1 .fxg6 E!:h l t 32.Φf2 E!:e8 33.E!:b2 E!:e3 34.gxh7t

The World Charnpion

1 72

�xh7 and Black will give perpetual check. lnterestingly, White's two drawing possibilities appear to have escaped the attention of all other cornrnentators.

3 l . . . hxg4 3 1 . . . 1:'!xc5 32.Wd l defends. 32.� d7 1:'!xc l 33.1:'!xc l Φg7 34.�e5 g3 35 .1:'!c7t White is active enough to draw.

26 J.xe2 27. � b2 gxf5! Tal does not worry about counting pawn islands, as it is more important to keep the knight on d6 to oppose White's �c4 plan. •••

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29 . . . h5! My Singaporean pupil Tan Weiliang came up with this idea to fight for the f5-square. lt is incredible that Black has time for such a move, but it is still not enough to win. 29 . . . 1:'!e8 30.�xc5 1:'!ee2 3 l .�e4 .ixe4 32.dxe4 d3 33.�xd3 1:'!xa2 34.Φgl 1:'!ag2t 35.Φfl 1:'!a2 only gives Black a repetition. 29 . . . gxf5 30.g5 (30.�xc5 1:'!c8!) 30 . . . 1:'!e8 3 1 .1:'!b2 1:'!h l t 32.Φf2 1:'!h2t 33.Φg3 1:'!h l 34.Φf2 1:'!e3 Black's pieces are menacing, but after 35.�xc5 1:'!eh3 36.�d7 Ι do not see a knockout punch, and White seems to hold. 30.�xc5! 1:'!c8! 3 l .fxg6 Also after 3 l .Wa3!? bxc5 32.Wa6 1:'!c6 33 .Wxa7 (33.Wa5 1:'!c8!) 33 . . . hxg4 34.Wd7 White is in the game.

28. g el J.h5 29. tl:! c4 29.�a3!? seems like a better try, for instance: 29 . . . b5 30.1:'!e5 1:'!c8 3 l .Φf2 (3 1 .1:'!e6 1:'!e8 32.1:'!xd6 1:'!e l t 33.Φg2 1:'!e2t 34.Φgl 1:'!xb2 35.�xb5 White holds.) 3 1 . . . 1:'!c6 32.� b l .if7 33.�d2 lt seems White would be no worse and no better here than in the game. 29 .lί� xc4! Tal is happy to sirnplify to aπ endgarne where his bishop can target the enemy pawns fixed on light squares. ••

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30 g e8! White's pawns will become even rnore sensitive without rooks on the board. ..•

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3 1 . Φ f2 1:'!xel 32. Φ xel ?

1 964

Tal points out that 32.llJxe 1 ! offers better defensive prospects, although he does not state firmly whether or not it is enough to draw. Α logical continuation is 32 . . . Φf7 33.llJf3 Φf6 34.llJe5 ie8 35.Φe2 when the kingside is perfectly blocked. Ι find it unlikely that Black can break through on the queenside, so Ι believe Smyslov's last move was indeed the decisive error.

36.Φb3 id l t 37.Φa3 bxc4 38.dxc4 ie2 39.Φb3 a5 40.a4 Φf7 White is in trouble. 36.a3 Φd6 37.Φd2 Φc6 38.Φc2 Φb6 39.llJg2 ie2 40.llJh4 bxc4 4 1 .dxc4 Axc4 42.llJxf5 Φc6 Black has good winning chances. 36 . . . bxa4 36 . . . b4 37.a5 is hardly an improvement for Black. 8

32 ... Φ f8 33. Φ d2 Φ e7 34. � eι

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1 73

Vassily Smyslov - Mikhail Tal

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34 a6! Tal poses a tough dilemma: should White allow . . . b5, or prevent it at the cost of fixing another pawn on an exposed square? •••

35.a4 Tal only says that it would be dangerous to allow . . . b5, but putting another pawn in jeopardy is not exactly a safe option. Smyslov obviously thought his best chance was to block the queenside and try to maintain a fortress ο η the kingside. 35 .Φc2 b5 36.a4!? White could try to set up a fortress by sacrificing the a-pawn. Other tries are no better: 36.cxb5 axb5 37.a3 Φd6 38.Φd2 c4 39.h3 c3t 40.Φc2 ie2 Black seems to be winning.

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37.Φb2 ie2 38.Φa3 id l 39.Φb2 Φf6! Black has to strive for penetration on the kingside. In the event of 39 . . . Φd6 40.Φcl ig4 4 1 .Φb2 Φc6 42.Φa3 id l 43.Φb2 Φb6 44.Φa2 Φa5 45.Φa3 h6 46.llJg2 Black cannot invade. If 46 . . . ie2 47.llJ e 1 White cannot be placed in zugzwang, as his king can safely retreat to b2, since . . . Φb4 will be met by llJ c2t driving back the king. 40.h3 40.Φa3 Φg6 wins in the same way as the next note. 8

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Ίhe World Champion

1 74

4Ο Φg6 4 1 .Φc l Simply waiting with 4 1 .Φa2 is not good enough: 4 1 . . . Φh5 42.Φa3 .ie2 43.Φχa4 .ifl 44.Φa5 .ixh3 45 .Φχa6 Φg4 46.Φb5 Φχg3 47.Φχc5 Φχf4 48.Φχd4 h5 49.c5 Φg3 Black wins the race. 4 1 . . . .ie2 42.Φd2 ifl 43.lί:\f3 ixh3 44.lί:\e5t Φf6 45.lί:\d7t Φe7 46.lί:\xc5 a3 47.Φc2 .ifl Ι think Black is winning. . . .

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However, i t is important to start the bishop manoeuvre with the white king on b3 instead of a3, hence the black king's triangulation .

43. Φ a3 Φ f6 44. Φ b3 .ies 45. � g2 After 45.lί:\f3 .ih5 46.lί:\e5 .id l t 47.Φa3 Φe6 48.lί:\c6 ic2 49.lί:\e5 h6! 50.g4 .id l Black's play for zugzwang prevails. 45 ....ih5 46. Φ c2 .ie2 47. tt! el .if1 48. tt! f3 48.h4? loses trivially to 48 . . . .ie2, when Black intends to return the bishop to c6 and invade with the king via g4.

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35 ... a5! Tal fixes another enemy pawn on a square the colour ofhis bishop. Note that 35 . . . ie8? 36.a5 bxa5 37.lί:\f3 would give White real drawing chances, as the knight seals the kingside from e5 while also defending the d3-pawn. 36. Φ c2 .ies 37. Φ b3 .ic6! Tal keeps the knight passive. 38. Φ a3 Φ f6 39. Φ b3 Φ g6 4Ο. Φ a3 Φ h5 41 .h3 Ίhe position was adjourned here, with resumption scheduled for just a few hours later. Tal says that the analysis carried out with his helpers convinced them that if the pawn stood on h6, the position would be a draw. 4ι ... Φ g6 42. Φ b3 Φ g7! Tal's plan is to put his king on f6 and transfer the bishop to h5 in order to invade on d l .

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48 ...J.xh3 Tal removes the pawn which stops his invasion. 48 . . . h6? leads to some fascinating endgame possibilities, but Ι think it surprisingly allows White to draw. Ίhere are two main defensive tries: a) 49.lί:\e5? .ixh3 50.Φd2 50.lί:\d7t wins back the pawn, but the knight gets trapped. 50 . . . Φe7 5 1 .lί:\xb6 Φds! 52.lί:\d5 .ig2 53.lί:\f6 Φe7 54.lί:\gst Φe6 5 5 .lί:\xh6 .ih3 56.Φd2 Φf6 Black wins, as Emms pointed out. so . . Φe6 5 1 .Φd l .

1 964

Vassily Smyslov - Mikhail Tal

1 75

57.gxh4 g3 58.Φe2 g2 59.Φf2 c4 Black wins the race. Also after 5 5 .Φel b5 56.cxb5 c4 57.f5 h4 58.f6 h3 59.Φf2 h2 6Ο.Φg2 cxd3 6 1 .f7 Φe7 62.b6 d2 63.b7 h l ='Wt Black wins.

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5 l . . . J.g4t! This allows White to enter a pawn ending. lt wins for Black, but only thanks to great finesse which was found by the Soviet master Shatskes. 52.ll:Jxg4 After 52. Φc2? .ih5 White is in zugzwang. 52 . . . fxg4 53.Φe2 8

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53 . . . h5 53 . . . Φf5 Tal says he saw during the game that the direct break on the kingside was not sufficient to win. 54.\t>fl h5 5 5 .Wgl h4? 56.gxh4 Φχf4 57.Φg2 g3 5 8.h5 Φg5 59.Φχg3 Φχh5 6Ο.Φh3 White holds. 54.\t>dι Φd7 5 5 .Φe2! The e2-square is the best place for White's king, as it can run to stop a black pawn on either flank, while also avoiding being hit by a promotion with check, as might occur if it was on the first rank. ln the event of 5 5 .Φd2 b5! 56.cxb5 h4

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5 5 . . . Φd8!! This subtle move keeps the king in the middle of White's future passed pawns and brings White into zugzwang. 56.Φel If the king goes τ ο d2 or f2, it will have to lose a tempo after a breakthrough on the opposite flank. 56 . . . b5! 57.cxb5 c4 58 .b6 h4 59.f5 h3 60.f6 h2 Black promotes with a check and wins. b) Although the above line is nice, White has an amazing resource which escaped the attention of other commentators: 49.h4!!

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1 76

The World Champion

This move looks incredibly ugly, but it seems to hold. 49 . . . ie2 After 49 . . . ig2 50.tiJh2 Φe6 5 1 .Φb3 Black is unable to get to d l with his bishop. 50.liJ g l ! Another seemingly ridiculous move, but it sets up an unbreakable fortress. 50.tlJe5? ih5 sets up a zugzwang: 5 I .tiJd7t (5 I .Φb3 id l t 52.Φa3 ic2 wins) 5 1 . . . Φe7 52.tiJxb6 (52.tiJe5 Φe6) 52 . . . Φd8!Πrapping the knight. 53.tiJd5 if7 Black wins. Funnily enough, 50.tiJh2!? ih5 5 I .tiJfl ! also seems good enough to hold, but it is slightly more complicated, so Ι will focus ση the simpler drawing line. 50 . . . ih5 50 . . .ig4 paralyzes the knight, but after 5 l .Φd2 ih5 52.Φc2 Black has no way to invade.

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so ... Φ g7! Tal takes away the f8-square from the knight. s ι . tΩ g5 Φ g6 52. Φ d2 J.c6 53. Φ ci .ig2! Tal does not take the a-pawn as he does not want to allow the knight to get to e5. 54. Φ d2 Φ hs 55. tΩ e6 This is rather a desperate attempt, but other moves do not help either. 55.Φe2 Φg4 56.Φf2 ic6 57.tiJf7 ixa4 58.tiJh6t Φh5 59.liJxf5 id7 60.tiJd6 a4 6 I .liJe4 a3 62.tiJd2 ia4 The a-pawn promotes.

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5 I .tiJh3! The knight will secure the kingside from f2. 51 ... ie8 52.Φb3 ic6 53.tiJf2 Black cannot penetrate.

55.tiJf7 Φg4 56.tiJh6t Φχg3 57.liJxf5t Φχf4 58.tlJe7 Φe5 Despite having liquidated all pawns from the kingside, White's position is still lost:

49. � g5 J.g2 50. tΩ xh7t Black still has no material advantage, but he has gained control over the crucial g4-square.

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1 964

1 77

Vassily Smyslov - Mikhail Tal

59.Φc2 (59.lLic8 ic6! 60.lLixb6 Φd6 and the knight is trapped.) 59 . . . Φe6 60.lLig6 ic6 6 Ι .Φb3 Φf6 62.lLif4 Φf5 Ίhe king goes to e3 and Black wins.

65 ... a2 66. Φ cι Φ χf4 With two passed pawns, Black wins effortlessly.

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ss ... Φ g4 Twenty-four moves after the rooks were exchanged, Tal invades with his king. lt required a lot of preparation, but now the outcome is decided.

56. tΩ c7 .ic6 57. tί) d5 Φχg3 58. tί) e7 .id7 Tal mentions that 5 8 . . . ixa4? was a much more difficult win because of 59.lLixf5t Φχf4 60.lLie7. 59. tί) d5 .ixa4 60. tί) xb6 .ie8 Ίhis is a slight inaccuracy, but it does not jeopardize the result. Tal points out that 60 . . . ic6! 6 I .lLid5 Φf3 62.lLie7 id7 63.lLid5 a4 is a simpler win. 6I. tί) d5 Φ f3 62. tί) c7 Ίhe knight will capture the c-pawn, but Black's pawns are too fast for it to make a difference. 62 ... .ic6 63. tί) e6 a4 64. tί) xc5 a3 65. tί) b3 65.lLie6 doesn't help, as after 65 . . . a2 66.lLixd4t Φχf4 67.lLic2 ia4 68.lLial Φg3 White can resign.

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67. Φ b2 Φ e3 6S. tί) a5 .ieS 69.c5 f4 70.c6 .ixc6 7I. tί) xc6 f3 72. tί) e5 f2 Smyslov resigned. Tal was proud of this memorable win and, even fifteen years later, he said that this game afforded him the greatest aesthetic pleasure. Tal's amazing imagination was evident in his middlegame queen sacrifice, and his endgame play was virtually flawless. Ίhe game also seemed to calm him down after the Olympiad disappointment, as his remaining games in the Spartakiad did not feature the same over-the-top ferocity as in the earlier rounds. Ι noticed that Tal's annotations were less detailed than normal for this game. Perhaps he was so fond of the game that he did not want to spoil the mysteries of it by digging for the final truth about some of the variations. 0-1 In the second half of the event Tal scored a win over Borisenko, followed by draws against Stein and Botνinnik. His final score of 4Υ2!6 was excellent, considering that five of his opponents were among the best players in the world.

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The World Champion

Before Tal's next major event, he took part ίη a blitz tourηameηt ίη Riga tσ cσmmemσrate the aηηiversary σf the October Revolutiσn. Tal shared first place with the tweηty-year-σld Albert Κapeηgut, whσ had beeη pσsted ίη Riga fσr his σbligatory service ίη the Red Army. The orgaηizers decided that the twσ players should play a fσur-game miηi-match to determiηe the overall wiηηer. Κapeηgut wσn the match 2Yz-1 Yz. After the match Tal iηvited him to his apartment so that he cσuld have a chance σf reveηge! Kapeηgut tσld Tal that, years befσre, he had faced him ίη a simultaηeous exhibitioη, aηd Tal remembered the game. They wσuld gσ ση to play maηy more blitz games σver the course of the twσ years that Κapeηgut remained ίη Riga.

Soviet Cbampionship Final Ίhe twenty-eight-year-σld Tal was the youηgest player ίη the 1 964 champioηship, which took place ίη Κiev. lt was a strσng tourηameηt, as always, although it was missiηg five of the six Olympiad team members. The exception was Steiη, whσ returned to defeηd the title he had wση the previσus year. ln the first rσuηd Tal had White agaiηst Broηsteiη. Α complicated Freηch Winawer ensued, but Tal sacrificed material fσr insufficieηt play aηd subsequently paid the price. ln the ηext twσ games Tal drew with Boriseηkσ aηd Petersσηs, but ίη bσth cases his oppσηeηts might have dσηe better. ln the fσurth rσuηd Tal maηaged to wίη a tough game agaiηst Vasiukov. Ιη the ηext game Tal stumbled agaiη, as he gσt ίηtο τrσuble agaiηst Lutikσv and swiftly weηt dσwη. However, he bσuηced back with aη excelleηt victory over Κrσgius; the game will be shσwη ίη the fiηal volume, ίη the ησtes to Tal - Spassky, Tilburg 1 980. Tal theη wση aη excelleηt game ση the black side σf a

Ruy Lopez agaiηst Suetiη. Tal was theη held to a draw by Steiη, who improved ίη Keres's play; a fragmeηt of the game was shσwη ίη the ησtes to Game 30 ση page 1 66. Unfσrtuηately, at arσuηd this stage of the eveηt Tal's health took a turη fσr the wσrse. He writes that he caught a cσld, but there must have beeη a bit more to it, as fσur of his remaiηiηg games had to be pσstpoηed, iηcludiηg the ηext three. He even had to play some of the remaiηing games ίη his hotel roσm as he was nσt well eησugh to gσ to the σfficial venue. Tal's ηext σppoηeηt was Liadiaηsky ίη rσuηd 1 2. Tal's play shσwed ηο sigηs of illηess, as he fouηd aη imagiηative attack which his oppσηent was unable tσ cσpe with. He follσwed with a draw with Baηηik aηd a wίη over Shamkovich. Ι was uηable to ascertain the exact scheduliηg, but sσmewhere arσuηd the middle of the eveηt Tal caught up with his three missiηg games. ln the first of them he lσst a lσηg battle agaiηst Korchησi, but ίη the σther two games he defeated Sakharov aηd Bakuliη. Ιη the 1 5th round Tal was Black agaiη Leiη. Ίhe game remained balanced thrσughσut, aηd a draw eηsued. Tal theη σutplayed Οsησs ίη aη eηdgame. Ιη the ηext game Tal was clσse tσ defeat agaiηst Gσldeησv, but ηarrσwly maηaged to cliηg ση fσr a draw. Ιη the peηultimate rouηd Tal defeated Averbakh; a fragmeηt of the game caη be fσuηd ση page 1 65 ίη the ησtes to Tal - Keres earlier ίη the chapter. He ended with a solid draw with Black agaiηst Κhσlmσv. Tal's final score of 1 2!/2/ 1 9 left him ίη third place. Cσηsidering that he was ill, it was a superb result. Korchnoi wοη the eveηt with a splendid scσre of 1 5 . Brσηsteiη tσσk the silver medal with 1 3, aηd Steiη fiηished ίη fσurth place with 1 2.

1964 Summary Just like the year befσre, Tal scored magηificeηtly with the white pieces: frσm a tσtal σf thirty­ ηiηe games, he scσred thirty wiηs, eight draws aηd just σηe defeat. He coηtiηued το rely almσst exclusively ση his kiηg's pawη το begiη the game. Agaiηst 1 . . . e5 Tal scored a sτuηηίηg fσurτeeη wiηs aηd fσur draws with ησ defeats. Agaiηst the Siciliaη he scored seveη wiηs aηd twσ draws: the exact same perceηtage scσre σver half as maηy games. Fσr maηy years ησw, Tal's wίηηίηg perceηtage agaiηst the Siciliaη was sσ high that peσple started το call it "Sicilicide" το play that defeηce agaiηst him. With the black pieces Tal scored fifteeη wiηs, tweηty draws aηd three lσsses. Cσmpared with the previσus year, he wση mσre games with Black aηd lσst fewer. As usual, he did well with the Siciliaη, scoriηg six wiηs, five draws aηd just σηe defeat. Agaiηst 1 .d4 he relied almσst exclusively ση the Kiηg's Iηdiaη aηd did ησt play a siηgle Nimzσ. Tal wση three τourηameηts ίη 1 964, but his amaziηg wίηηίηg perceηtages are slightly misleadiηg, as his fσrm was erratic at times. Ι thiηk he played his best chess ίη Sσviet team eveηts, especially the Spartakiad where he produced his faηtastic wίη σver Smyslσv.

1964 Resώts Reykjavik ( 1 st place) : 1 2Υ2/ 1 3 (+ 1 2 = 1 -0) Amsterdam ( 1 st-4th places) : 1 7/23 ( + 1 1 = 1 2 -Ο) Κislσvσdsk ( 1 st place) : 7Yz/ 1 0 (+6 =3 - 1 ) Sσviet Team Cup Prelimiηary: 5/6 (+4 =2 -Ο) Sσviet Team Cup fiηal: 4V2/6 (+3 =3 -Ο) Sσviet Champiσηship, Κίeν (3rd place) : 12Υ2/ 1 9 (+9 =7 -3)

Tσtal 76.6% (+45 =28 -4)

Ο Wins 8 Draws 8 Losses

1965 Latvian Championship Riga For the first time ίη seven years, Tal decided to take part ίη the Latvian Championship. He probably felt that it would make for a suitable training event before his upcoming Candidates quarter-final match against Portisch. Tal won his first game with White against Zhuravlev. ln the second round, with Black against Petkevich, Tal experimented with the Scandinavian Gambit but his opponent steered the game into a Panov Caro-Κann. White swapped off his isolated d-pawn early, and Tal held the draw in a simplified position with a few careful moves. ln the third round Tal was White against Peteris Grave, who played no other world champion and only has a few other games ίη the database. We will skip ahead to the complex endgame where Tal was able to finish with a flourish.

�� 32 j Mikhail Tal - Peteris Grave Riga 1 965

l .e4 c5 2.tZH3 � c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. � xd4 e5 5. � b5 a6 6. � d6t .ixd6 7.YMxd6 YNf6 8.YM a3 YMg6 9.J.e3 YMxe4 10. tL! c3 YMb4 1 1 .YMxb4 � xb4 12.0-0-0 � e7 13.J.c5 � bc6 14. � e4 d5 15. � d6t Φ d7 16. � xf7 �Η8 I7. � g5 !3 f5 ιs.h4 h6 19.J.d3 hxg5 20.J.xf5 t tL! xf5 2I .hxg5 Φ e6 22. !3 hs b5 23.f4 Tal was fond of giving up two minor pieces for a rook. The present position is rather unclear, but on the next move Black makes a mistake from which he never recovers. 8

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Ίhe World Champion

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23 ...J.b7? 24. :8:xa8 ha8 25.g4! lt! fe7 26.f5t Φ f7 27.Ε:hι Φ gs 28.g6! d4 29. E: h7 � d5 30.g5 � d8 3 1 .J.d6 lt! c6

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32.J.f8! There are other winning moves, but Tal finds the most direct and eye-catching option. 32 ... Φχf8 33. E: hst Φ e7 34. :8:xa8 Tal takes back the bishop while setting up an irresistible breakthrough. 34... Φ d6 35.f6! Creating a deadly passed pawn. 35 ... gxf6 36.g7 lt! ce7 37. :8:xa6t 1-0 ln the next round Tal pressed for a long time against Mileika, but had to settle for a draw after failing to convert a pawn-up endgame with rook and opposite-coloured bishops. Tal then scored convincing wins over Petersons, Grants and Κiriakov, all of whom committed errors that Tal ruthlessly exploited. ln the eighth round Tal played a Sicilian against Κapengut, and found an interesting way to give up his queen for rook and bishop. The position was balanced, but eventually Tal was able to capitalize ο η a mistake by Gelfand's future junior trainer. ln the next game Tal took

some risks and could have ended up worse against Shmit, but managed to come out on top in the tactical confrontation and register his fifth consecutive victory. Tal's next opponent was Κirillov, who succeeded in exchanging pieces and obtaining a peaceful draw. ln the eleventh round Tal won an attacking game against Harijs Skuja. ln the next round Tal was pressing with Black against Κlovans, but the latter defended well and drew. ln the penultimate game Tal started a tactical firework against Gipslis, but it resulted in a rook endgame where Tal's extra pawns were meaningless due to his inferior structure, and a draw ensued. ln the final round Tal had the better chances against Roberts Skuja, but missed some chances and allowed his opponent to escape with a draw. Tal's undefeated score of 1 0/ 1 4 gave him sole first prize, half a point ahead of Gipslis and a whole point ahead of Κlovans and Shmit. Overall it was a decent performance, although there were some games in which his opponents, who were far from world class, were able to withstand the pressure in slightly worse positions. Tal could be sure that his opponents in the Candidates matches would resist even more tenaciously.

Candidates Quarter-Final Match versus Portisch Following his success at the Amsterdam lnterzonal the previous year, Tal continued his quest to regain the world crown. The eight qualifiers were split into two separate groups, each of which would produce one finalist. For each group, the quarter- and semi-final matches were scheduled to take place at the same venue, with roughly a week's rest period in between matches. However, the two groups were contested about six weeks apart from one another. This meant that by the time Tal

1965

arrived in Bled to contest his quarter-final match, Spassky had already emerged as the final opponent of whoever should emerge victorious from Tal's group. Spassky had beaten Keres and Geller by 6-4 and 5 1h-2Yz respectively. Tal must have kept a close eye on the matches, especially as they took place in his home city of Riga. Tal's quarter-final opponent was Portisch. The match started in June, and the subsequent semi-final would run well into July. Tal did not only prepare for Portisch, but also for Ivkov and Larsen, who squared off in the other semi­ final. Tal expected the Yugoslav grandmaster to emerge as the winner. Tal had every reason to be optimistic about the outcome of the quarter-final. Portisch was an extremely strong player, but he had not yet established himself in the world's top ten. Tal even goes so far as to say that his main worry was that the match would be somewhat short. Portisch had White in the first game, which began l .c4 c5 . Α5 would later become clear, the Hungarian grandmaster's strategy for the match was to copy Botvinnik's opening selection against the same opponent. Soviet commentators liked to characterize Portisch as the 'Ήungarian Botνinnik", and Tal also writes that the two players have similar styles. However, Portisch himself told me that he considered the main similarity to be in opening selection. Ι think Portisch's opening in the first game was not the best choice, as he was not as good as Botνinnik at 'doing nothing'. Tal equalized easily and then avoided a repetition. By the time the game was adjourned, Portisch was a pawn down and it was not clear if he would hold. We will look at the second game, which took place before the first was resumed.

Mikhail Tal - Lajos Portisch

1 83

Mikhail Tal - Lajos Portisch Bled (2) 1 965

I .e4 c6 Portisch copies Botνinnik. Tal admits that it came as a complete surprise, and that he had not even bothered to think in advance about what he might do if Portisch played this way. Ι found it interesting that Tal contradicted himself in his book, first stating that Portisch played the Caro-Kann for the first time, but later saying that Portisch "rarely'' adopted this opening. Ι checked the database and found that Portisch had answered l .e4 with l . . . c6 in seventeen games prior to using it against Tal. His results against strong opponents were not great, as he lost to Fischer, Spassky, Geller and Najdorf. If Tal really was unaware of these games, it must be considered a serious oversight, and a possible indication that he did not rake Portisch seriously as aπ opponent. However, my best guess is that he was aware of the games, but he did not refer to them in his book, as he wanted to entertain the readers with the story in the next note . . . 2. tl1 c3 d5 3. tί:l f3 Tal shares the story of how he chose this particular line. The previous year he had assisted Zara Nakhimonskaya, a female player from Riga, at the Soviet Women's Championship. They prepared the Caro­ Κann against Konoplieva, who responded by developing both knights. Nakhimonskaya obtained a decent game, but was unfamiliar with the type of position that ensued, and subsequently went wrong and lost the game. Tal thought that something similar might happen to Portisch. By the way, my curiosity led me to find out that the 1 964 Soviet Women's Championship

The World Champion

1 84

was held in Tbilisi, a few thousand kilometres away from Riga. Tal must have had his reasons for working as a second, but travelling such a long distance to assist another player could be seen as a questionable decision from the point of view ofTal's aim to reclaim the world championship.

3 ... dxe4 Portisch had played this move against Fischer in the 1 962 Interzonal, and he subsequently employed 3 . . . i.g4 in the same event against Geller. He lost both games. In the sixth game of the present match, Portisch switched to the latter move and drew without any problems. 4. c!b xe4 i.g4 5.h3 Α year later, Tal produced a nice victory with a different move: 5 .d4 e6 6.i.d3 tιld7 7.i.f4 tLidf6 8.tLieg5 i.d6 9.Υ;!ι'd2 i.xf3 1 0.lLixf3 tLie7?! Black should have taken the opportunity to reduce the tension by exchanging on f4. l l .i.e5! Υ;!ι'c? 1 2.0-0 tLig6 1 3.ί'!fe 1 0-0-0 1 4.ί'!ad 1 tLig4 1 5 .i.xd6 ί'!χd6 1 6.c3 ί'!hd8 1 7.b4 Φbs

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25.dxc5 Υ;!ι'χc5 26.tLixf7 tLi f4 27.tLixd6 ί'!χd6 28.Υ;!ι'c2 lLixg2 29.Φχg2 V;!fd5t 30.Φg1 V;!{f3 3 1 .ί'!d 1 1 -0 Tal - Pfleger, Palma de Mallorca 1 966.

5 ....ixf3 6.�xf3 When Ι investigated Portisch's games, Ι noticed he is a master of the bishop pair. In this game he has to give his opponent the privilege of the two bishops without creating double pawns. 6 c!b d7 7.d4 c!b gf6 s.J.d3 c!b xe4 9.�xe4 e6 10.0-0 J.e7 1 1 .c3 � f6 12.�h4 Tal subsequently said that the queen should have gone to e2, and Κasparov agrees. .••

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1 8 .g3! tιl f6 1 9.i.fl tLi e7 20.i.g2 Tal fortifies his kingside and points his bishop towards the other wing. 20 . . . tLif5 2 1 .tLie5 h6 22.ί'!b 1 g5 23.ί'!ec 1 tLid5 24.b5 c5 Black keeps the b-file closed, but loses material.

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12 c!b d5 13.�g4 J.f6 14. ί'! el Tal says he had been planning 1 4.'We4, but changed his mind because of 14 . . . tιl e7. .••

14 'VMb6! Portisch finds a subtle move which ties Tal's dark-squared bishop to the defence of the b2pawn. Α couple of decades later, Karpov held similar positions against Κasparov with ease. ••.

1 5.c4 Tal subsequently suggested 1 5 .a3, while Kasparov prefers 1 5 .:B:e2. 1 5 � b4 Tal was intending to meet 1 5 . . . tί'1 e7 with 1 6.d5!? cxd5 1 7.cxd5 lί'Jxd5 1 8.Wa4t with compensation for the pawn, as Black must forfeit the right to castle. •••

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Both Portisch and Tal saw this possibility quickly, but neither of them wanted a draw according to Tal. Remember that the first game was still adjourned at this point, and Portisch may have expected to lose it, which would explain his eagerness to play for a win. Another interesting line is: 1 7 . . . .ie7!? 1 8 . .ig6t! Tal spent a lot of time calculating this fantastic possibility. 1 8 . .ig5 is also playable: 1 8 . . . "1Wc7 1 9 . .ixh7! This move is not mentioned in any annotations Ι have seen. ( 1 9.:B:e 1 ? lί'Jxd3 20 ..ixe7 Wd7 wins for Black) 1 9 . . . "\Wd? (After 1 9 . . . Φd8 20 ..id2 Wid7 2 1 .We4 White has three pawns and an ongoing initiative for the rook) 20.We4 :B:xh7 2 1 .:B:e 1 0-0-0 22 ..ixe7 White restores approximate material equality and the position is balanced. 8

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1 85

Mikhail Tal - Lajos Portisch

1965

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16. :B:xe6t! Tal writes that he and Koblencs had noticed that Portisch had a good feeling for positional nuances, but was less comfortable when dealing with sudden tactical changes. The sacrifice is imaginative, but not as risky as many of Tal's combinations, as White does not risk losing. 16 fxe6 17.'VMxe6t Φ f8? Portisch overestimates his chances. He later admitted that he had missed Tal's 23rd move. •••

The safest and best continuation is 1 7 . . . Φd8! 1 8 .Wd6t ( 1 8 . .if5 ? "1Wc7 1 9 . .if4 Wfe7) 1 8 . . . Φe8 when White must deliver a perpetual check.

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1 8 . . . Φds 1 8 . . . hxg6? 1 9.�g5 Wfc7 20.:B:e 1 wins for White. 1 9 . .if5 Wfxd4 1 9 . . . Wic7? 20.Af4 Wic8 2 1 .We4 traps the queen. 20 . .if4 Se8 2 1 .:B:e 1 !? Kasparov points out that White can force a repetition with 2 1 . .ie5 Wd2 22 ..if4 if he wants it. 2 1 . . . g6

Ίhe World Champion

1 86

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22.j,g4! Dvoretsky found this tricky idea, which forces Black to find a few Όnly moves'. Tal says he considered 22.j,e3 "1Wd6 23.j,xa7 "1Wxe6 24.j,b6t Φc8 25 .j,xe6t Φb8 26.j,d7 in his calculations; a sensible continuation is 26 . . . llJ d3 when Black has counterplay. However, had they got closer to this line over the board, Tal would surely have noticed the refutation 23 . . . 'it>c7! when Black keeps an overwhelming material advantage. 22 . . . llJ d3 23.2Ξί:e4 "1Wxf2t 24.Φh2

1 9 .j,g6!? is an interesting alternative which has not, to my knowledge, been mentioned by any other commentator. Compared with the game, Black's kingside pawns are weaker but he gets the h-file for his rook. 1 9 ... hxg6 20.c5 llJ d3 2 1 .cxb6 llJxf4 22."1We3! (22."1We4? 2Ξί:h4) 22 . . . llJd5 23."1Wa3t 'it>f7! (23 . . . j,e7 24."1Wf3t 'it>g8 25.bxa7 2Ξί:a8 26."1We4 Black faces problems as he his pieces are not connected) 24.bxa7 j3a8 Black seems to be able to get organized.

19 lίl xd3 20.cxb6 Tal says he originally planned 20.j,h6, but rejected it when he noticed 20 . . ."1Wxb2 (20 . . . \Wc7!? 2 1 ."1Wxf6t Φg8 22.j,xg7 looks balanced as well) 2 1 ."1Wxf6t 'it>e8 when White has no more than a perpetual. •.•

20 lί:\ xf4 2 1 .\Wg4 lί:\ d5 22.bxa7 As Tal points out, not many c-pawns make it to the a7-square. Ίhe pawn causes real problems for Black, who will need to play accurately to bring his pieces into play. •..

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24 . . . "1Wg1 t!! 25 .Φχg1 j,c5t Black escapes to an equal endgame.

18.i.f4 j3 d8 After 1 8 . . . "\WdS ? 1 9.2Ξί:e 1 j,e7 20.j,b 1 White is ready to bring his rook into the attack, and Black has no good defence. 19.c5

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22 Φ e7? Kasparov cites Portisch: 'Ί saw the strong move 22 . . . g6!, but Ι decided to remove my king from the danger zone, especially since checks by the heavy pieces are not dangerous. But Ι overlooked the quiet move of the b-pawn." .•.

Mikhail Tal - Lajos Portisch

1965

Uηfortuηately for Portisch, his kiηg escapes the daηger zoηe oηly to stumble iηto the suicide zoηe. Ίhis error viηdicates Tal's hope that a suddeη uηbalaηciηg of the positioη would lead to a wσrseηiηg σf Pσrtisch's play. 23 . . . Wf7? alsσ places the kiηg iη a daηgerσus area, and after 24.E:e l g6 25.b4 White is clσse tσ wiηηiηg. As the abσve quσte makes clear, the best defeηce is: 22 . . . g6! 23.a4!? White caη try to weakeη the c6-pawη. After 23.b4 Wg7 24.E:e l h5! Black gets σrgaηized. 23.E:e l Φg7 24.a8=Wi (24.b4 E:hf8) 24 . . . E:xa8 25 .Wfd7t Φh6 26.Wfxb7 is equal accσrdiηg tσ Kasparσv. 23 . . . Φf7 24.a5

1 8ϊ

White could alsσ gσ fσr a similar idea after activatiηg his pieces: 23.E:e l t Wd6 24.E:e6t Φc7 25 .Wlg3t Φb6 26.Wla3 Φc7 27.b4! aηd Black is lσst.

23 ... � a8 23 . . . Wd6 is ησ better iη view σf 24.b5 Φc7 25 .Wfg3t E:d6 26.bxc6 bxc6 27.E:b l aηd White iηvades decisively ση the b-file. Αrοηiη suggested 23 . . . 'Δ c7 24.E:e l t Φf7 25 .Wfg3 'Δd5, but 26.b5 cxb5 27.Wι'b3 wiηs. 24. � el t Φ d6 25.b5! White weakeηs the c6-pawη, but alsσ threateηs b5-b6 to defeηd the a7 -pawη. 25 ... � xa7 25 . . . E:hd8 is met by 26.b6! 'Δχb6 27.E:bl aηd White wiηs. 8

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24 . . . h5! Ίhe σηly mσve. After 24 . . . E:he8 25.a6 b6 26.E:c l E:e6 27.Wι'g3 Black has ησ good defeηce agaiηst Wfb8. 25.a8=Wf E:xa8 26.Wfd7t 'Δ e7 27.E:a3 E:ab8 Black staηds all right.

23.b4! Tal prepares tσ σpeη the queeηside aηd sσfteη the c6-pawη.

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26. � e6t Φ c7 27. �xf6! Pσrtisch resigηed, as he was abσut to lσse the roσk ση h8. Ίhis was the σηly piece which had ηοt beeη recruited to help the defeηce, but it became a target iη the eηd. Ίhis was aη impσrtaηt wiη aηd aη impressive game, although Ι thiηk it has beeη sσmewhat σverrated by sσme commeηtators. Ι caη thiηk σf several Tal masterpieces that cσηtaiη greater artistic value. Ι-Ο

1 88

Ίhe World Champion

Thus Tal drew first bloσd in the match, althσugh he did nσt have everythiηg his σwη way, as he missed a cσuple σf wiηs ίη the adjσurηmeηt aηd allσwed Pσrtisch tσ cliηg ση fσr a draw. Ιη the third game Tal equalized with the Nimzσ Iηdiaη. Tal writes that Kσbleηcs fσrbade him tσ play the Κiηg's Iηdiaη, as it wσuld have beeη tοσ σbviσus a target. At σηe pσiηt Tal cσuld have simplified tσ a drawη σppσsite-cσlσured­ bishσp pσsίtίση, but he elected tσ play ση. Hσwever, sσme ill-timed simplificatiσηs haηded Pσrtisch the advaηtage, which the Huηgariaη graηdmaster cσηverted cσηviηciηgly. Ιη the ηext game Pσrtisch switched to the Freηch Defeηce aηd met 3.lL\c3 lL\f6 4.ig5 with 4 . . . dxe4. Tal fσuηd aη iηterestiηg tempσrary piece sacrifice, which sσση became aη exchaηge sacrifice fσr aη σηgσίηg iηitiative. Pσrtisch defeηded well fσr a while, but eveηtually the pressure prσved tσσ much fσr him aηd he bluηdered. Ίhe game caη be fσuηd ση page 1 07 σf the first vσlume, ίη the ησtes tσ Tal - Veder, Riga 1 95 1 . By the way, Tal meηtiσηs that Pσrtisch subsequeηtly asked him why he did ησt chσσse a particular alterηative ση mσve 1 4 (which was just σηe mσve befσre the key sacrifice) . Tal said that the mσve did ησt eveη cσme tσ his miηd, sσ he was surprised wheη Pσrtisch iηfσrmed him that he had played that mσve agaiηst Βeηkσ at Curacaσ 1 962! Ιη the fifth game Tal surprised Pσrtisch with a liηe ίη the maiη Nimzσ Iηdiaη, which he says he had σηce used ίη a juηiσr tourηameηt ίη 1 953. Fσr a lσηg time the pσsitiση was balaηced, but Pσrtisch gradually tσσk σver aηd wση a pawη. He made a few iηaccuracies ίη the lσηg adjσurηmeηt sessiση, aηd Tal eveηtually escaped with a draw. Tal says he gσt the impressiση that this game brσke Pσrtisch, aηd his disappσiηtmeηt affected his play ίη the remaiηiηg games.

Ιη the ηext game Pσrtisch chσse a differeηt variatiση ίη the Carσ-Κaηη aηd equalized cσmfσrtably. Tal kept the game gσiηg uηtil the time cσηtrσl, wheη they agreed a draw ίη a still­ equal pσsitiση. Ιη the seveηth game Pσrtisch seemed tσ lσse his eηergy; he played timidly agaiηst the Nimzo-Iηdiaη aηd allσwed Tal to take σver. Pσrtisch lσst σηe pawη fσllσwed by aησther, aηd resigηed at the pσiηt σf adjσurηmeηt. Ίhe match was as gσσd as σver. Ίhe eighth game turηed σut tσ be the last. Pσrtisch maηaged to equalize ίη a maiη liηe Ruy Lσpez, but Tal decliηed a repetitiση, shσwiηg that he waηted tσ put aη eηd tσ the match. Sure eησugh, Pσrtisch gradually fell iηto difficulties aηd eveηtually had to resigη. Tal's 5Jh-2Yz victory was aη excelleηt result agaiηst a strσηg σppσηeηt. Ίhe quality σf his play was gσσd, aηd he made the mσst σf the psychσlσgical elemeηt σf match play tσ apply pressure at the right mσmeηts.

Candidates Semi-Final Match versus Larsen Befσre the quarter-fiηals Tal had cσηsidered Ivkσv the favσurite agaiηst Larseη, but the Daηe prevailed by 5Jh-2Yz. Kσbleηcs recalls that Tal felt iηcredibly tired after the Pσrtisch match, aηd that Larseη's qualificatiση was sσmewhat easier. He alsσ meηtiσηs that Tal σηly had a week betweeη matches tσ recσver his eηergy, ησt tσ meηtίση prepare fσr the surprise σppσηeηt. Tal was accustσmed tσ life ίη a big city, aηd he suggested tσ Kσbleηcs that they ask Lσthar Schmidt tσ drive them to Ljubljaηa aηd speηd the week there. Hσwever, he was surprised wheη the Maestrσ suggested stayiηg ίη Bled. Kσbleηcs thσught that the fσσd aηd σverall liviηg cσηditiσηs ίη Bled were sσ gσσd that there was ησ pσiηt ίη leaviηg.

1965

Apart from resting and preparing before the semi-final match, Tal had also taken to playing table tennis, which offered an enjoyable way to do some physical exercise, which is something he had been prone to neglecting at previous events. Unfortunately, not long before his first game against Larsen, he slipped while playing and picked up a wound, which subsequently became infected. By the time he arrived at the board, he was suffering from a high temperature and fever. Larsen opened with l .d4, and Tal responded with the Κing's Indian. With hindsight, it may not have been the best choice, taking in account Tal's weakened condition. Larsen played a system that he had not used before. Tal fell into a passive position and resigned just after the time control. Before we look at the second match game, Ι will present Larsen's impressive career statistics. He played a broad spectrum of world champions, beginning with Euwe and ending with Topalov and Anand, missing only Kramnik. He won twenty-five of these games, drew seventy-seven and lost sixty-eight. Before the match Tal boasted a superb personal score of three wins and two draw against Larsen, with no defeats. Their lifetime score from Tal's point of view ended at eleven wins, nineteen draws and seven defeats. Tal did not obtain anything special from the opening of the second game, and we will skip ahead to the middlegame. When we join the game Tal has a slight space advantage, but the simplified nature of the position means that Black should be okay.

1 89

Mikhail Tal - Bent Larsen

Mikhail Tal - Bent Larsen Bled (2) 1 965

l.e4 e5 2. tiJ f3 lLJ c6 3.�b5 liJ f6 4.0-0 d6 5.d4 �d7 6. liJ c3 exd4 7. ctJ xd4 �e7 8.b3 lLJ xd4 9.'1Wxd4 hb5 lO. liJ xb5 liJ d7 1 1 .�a3 a6 12. liJ c3 �f6 13.'1W d2 0-0 14. � adl � e8 15. � fel liJ b6 1 6.�b2 '!Wd7 17.a4 '!Wc6 18.a5 liJ d7 19.�al � e6 20. liJ d5 �xal 2 1 . �xal � ae8 22.f3

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23 ... f5? Tal and Koblencs both make the puzzling claim that Larsen played for a draw in this game. Ι find this strange, as the text move appears to be an overoptimistic attempt to wrest the advantage and, in any case, Larsen was renowned for never playing to draw. Black should have challenged the strong knight with 22 . . . tiJ f6. Tal gives 23.c4 as better for White, but after 23 . . . l2Jxd5 24.cxd5 '1Wc5t 25.Φh 1 Εί:6e7 White does not have anything real. Tal also mentions that the knight can return to c3 but, with so many minor pieces having been exchanged, Ι think Black should easily be

The World Champion

1 90

able το live wiτh his slighτ spaτial disadvanτage.

23. g e3! Tal embarks on a forcing sequence which culminaτes in an advanτage for him. 23 ...fxe4 24. j3 c3! � c5

28 . . . lί:\g5!! 29.:B:xc6 29.lί:\f4 :B:2e3 30.:B:xc6 :B:xd3 3 l .cxd3 bxc6 Black is a pawn up. 29 . . . lί:\h3t 30.Φh l lί:\f2t 3 I .Φgl lί:\xd3 32.:B:xc7 lί:\ e l ! The knight takes the sixth step o f the tango, and the dance is still not over.

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25. � f4! This viτal intermediate move attacks the rook and, crucially, covers the e2-square. Larsen probably overlooked it in his calculations. Larsen was most likely banking on: 25.b4 exf3! Black could take over with this zwischenzug. 26.gxf3 :B:e2 27.1M!d4 27.1M!g5 ? h6 28 .1M!h5 :B:8e5 Black wins. 27 . . . lί:\e6! 28.1M!d3

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33.:B:a3 lί:\xc2 34.:B:d3 lί:\ e l ! The knight has completed a remarkable trip. 35.:B:dc3 :B:d2 Black is clearly better.

25 ... e3? Larsen pins his hopes ση his passed pawn, but it will not hurt White. 25 . . . :B:e5! Reducing the number of pawns would have given Black chances to save the game. 26.b4 exf3! Neither player noticed this strong possibility. 26 . . . e3 was Larsen's original plan, but then he noticed 27.1M!d4 (The simple 27.1M!e2!? is decisive as well) 27 ... g5 28.lί:\h5 lί:\e6 29.1M!xe5! and White wins. Larsen told Tal after the game that the last move is the one he had missed until it was too late. 27.gxf3 Also after 27.bxc5 :B:xc5 28.:B:xf3 :B:xc2 29.1M!d l White has somewhat better chances, but it will be hard to convert the advantage into a win.

191

Mikhail Tal - Bent Larsen

1965

White is still not winning the knight, but he catches the c7 -pawn in the pin.

27 e2 28. g el Y1Ya4 Black avoids the loss of the piece, but does not change the final outcome. •••

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27 . . . �g5t 28.Φh ι 28.Φf2 is well met by 28 . . . d5! 29.�gl �f5 30.�xc5 'Wh6 3 l .�g4 c6 when Black has good compensation, as White's coordination is poor. 28 . . . ltJe4! 29.fxe4 'Wxe4t 30.liJg2 'Wxb4 3 I .'Wxg5 'Wxc3 32.'Wd5t Φh8 White does not have many pawns left, so Black has some drawing chances.

26.Y1Yd4 :S e5 If 26 . . . �h6 27.�e l ! (but not 27.b4 g5!) White takes over on the e-file.

29. :S c4 ltJ d7?! The correct continuation is 29 ... ltJe6 30.ltJxe6 �8xe6 3 l .�xc7 'Wb5 when White's extra pawn should be enough to decide the game. Larsen probably thought about this and decided to roll the dice instead, but his position swiftly collapses. 30. :Sxc7 � f6 3 I .Y1Yxd6 Y1Ya2 32.h4 � d5 ln time trouble Larsen gives up an exchange, but his position is hopeless anyway as White is poised to capture more pawns. Tal mentions that he was planning to meet 32 . . . h6 with 33.Φh2 when Black has no useful moves.

26 . . . :Sf6 is well met by 27.b4 e2 28.�el Wa4 29.�c4 ltJ e6 30.ltJxe6 �exe6 3 1 .�xc7 when White is a pawn up with good winning chances. 8

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33. :S c5 � xf4 34. :Sxe5 :S f8 35.g3 Υ1Υfϊ 36.gxf4 Y1Yxf4 37. :S lxe2 Here Larsen resigned. Tal mentions that he planned to meet 37 . . . Wxf3 with the small combination 38.'Wxf8t! which he jokingly calls "brilliant." There is perhaps a grain of truth in his light-hearted remark; it is not a difficult

1 92

Ίhe World Champion

move, but the temporary queen sacrifice is attractive nonetheless. 1-0 ln the third game Larsen offered a Catalan, but Tal instead went for a version of the Benoni with an early . . . b5. At one point Tal provoked Larsen to win his queen for a rook and a piece with unclear consequences, but Larsen kept the game on a solid course. Ίhe game remained equal and a draw ensued. Ίhe fourth game became rather famous, at least for its opening moves. Larsen switched to the Alekhine and, after l .e4 lt:lf6 2.e5 lt:ld5 3.d4 d6 4.lt:lf3 dxe5 5 .lt:lxe5, proceeded to play the extremely provocative 5 . . . lt:l d7, allowing a knight sacrifice on f7. Tal spent fifty minutes thinking about it, but was unable to find an attacking line that satisfied him, and eventually decided to trust Larsen's preparation. Tal went for a quieter continuation, but Larsen easily equalized and got a comfortable position with a substantial time advantage. Tal claims that during the game he started to think back to a critical position after the 6.lt:\xf7 sacrifice and believed he had found a win. Ίhis distraction did not help his play, and he drifted into a losing endgame. Curiously, Tal and Koblencs started the adjournment session by analysing the knight sacrifice in the opening. Ίhen they shifted to the adjourned position. Ίhey thought it was lost, but Tal eventually managed to find some drawing possibilities. Ίhey continued analysing throughout the night. Ίhe hard work paid off, as Tal managed to save what had seemed like a hopeless rook endgame. Tal thinks that he was helped by Larsen's overconfidence. lnterestingly, they ended up in a queen endgame after mutual pawn promotions, and Tal could have captured a pawn to leave himself a spare a-pawn. The position was still a draw, but Ι find it a bit surprising that he did not take the pawn and

force Larsen to suffer through a few defensive moves. Tal mentions that after the game he wanted to surprise Larsen with a new opening, and he duly played the Grίinfeld for the first time in his life. Larsen responded with the .if4 system. Unfortunately for Tal, his inexperience with his new opening showed, and he never equalized. Larsen played well and convincingly converted his advantage to retake the lead in the match. ln the sixth game Larsen played the Alekhine a bit differently than before. Funnily enough, this time Tal did sacrifice a knight, albeit on move 16 rather than move 6. Larsen was unable to cope with the problems and Tal crushed him to level the match score. The game can be found on page 253, in the notes to Tal's win over Vasiukov at the 1 967 Soviet Championship. ln the seventh game they repeated the Benoni variation of the third game. Tal got the better of the complications and Larsen found himself in a difficult position with his clock running down. Tal missed a few wins, and eventually Larsen's resolute defence enabled him to draw aπ unpleasant endgame. ln the next game Larsen switched to the Scheveningen, and Tal responded with a kingside fianchetto. Later he simplified to a slightly better endgame, but Larsen was never in real danger of losing and the game was soon agreed drawn. The penultimate game began as a solid Symmetrical English, but then it became rather sharp. ln the middlegame Tal mistakenly lashed out on the kingside; it was such a bad decision that Larsen would later remark that he thought Tal had gone mad - and Tal did not disagree! Tal got into a lost position, but he managed to escape into a pawn-down ending. Koblencs

1 96 5 writes that i n the evening, after the game was adjourned, Tal preferred not to eat in the restaurant as he did not want to be around a lot of people. lnstead they went to the room where Tal usually played table tennis. They did not speak, but just sat sombrely. Α tear appeared in Tal's eyes. Then some Yugoslav people noticed their sadness and came to ask them if the adjournment was lost. Tal answered that it was not lost, and his tear dried. lt lifted his mood, and he and Koblencs searched diligently for defensive resources. Ίhe resumption was full of tension. Larsen carelessly simplified to a pawn-up rook ending where Tal had good chances to draw, but then Tal made a mistake and the position became losing again. However, after a subsequent error from the Dane, Tal managed to cling ση and salvage half a point. Koblencs recalls that Larsen appeared completely drained of his vitality when the game ended. With just one game to go, the match was tied at 4Yz-4Yz. Tal had the slight advantage of the white pieces, and he writes that he was generally confident about his ability in decisive games. Curiously, Kasparov states that in the event of a draw the winner would be decided by a coin toss, while Koblencs writes that the match would have continued until somebody won a game. Ίhe latter scenario would seem more sensible and fair to the players, but either way the extreme tension meant that this game would be a true test of character for both of them. Koblencs writes that Tal was relaxed and composed before the game.

1 93

Mikhail Tal - Bent Lars en

Mikhail Tal - Bent Larsen Bled ( 1 0) 1 965

l .e4 c5 2. � f3 � c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. � xd4 e6 s. � c3 d6 6 .ie3 � f6 Larsen repeats a set-up that he had used a few times in the last couple of years; for example, he beat Gligoric with it in one game. •

7.f4 .ie7 8.�f3 Unlike in the 8th game, Tal goes for a sharp line. 8 ... 0-0 According to the database, this variation was still in its infancy; the present position had occurred only six times prior to 1 965. Later 8 . . . e5 became the main line.

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9. 0-0-0 Tal and Koblencs anticipated the Sicilian, and they played some training games in it. Here is one such example: 9 ..ie2?! Maybe in the early days of this variation it was not clear whether White could justifY long castling. Tal and Koblencs probably

1 94

Ίhe World Champion

analysed the position after the game and concluded that the bishop move is not necessaryo 9 o o o.id7 l Oo0-0-0 ttJxd4 1 1 o.ixd4 .ic6 1 2og4 'Wa5 1 3og5 ttJd7 1 4o:B:hg1 b5 1 5 o'Wh5 ? 1 5 oa3! is bettero 1 5 o o ob4 1 6o:B:d3 bxc3 1 7o.ixc3 'Wxa2!! Ίhe exclamation marks are not for the objective strength of the move, but rather for Koblencs' expert judgement as a trainero He actually saw that 1 7o o .'�a4 was the strongest move, but still played the inferior option which allowed Tal to wipe out his kingside in wonderful styleo

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1 8 o:B:h3! .ixe4 1 9og6! .ixg6 20o'Wxh7t! On playing this move, Tal triumphantly stood up from his chairo 20o o o.ixh7 2 1 o:B:xg7t i>h8 22o:B:hxh7# After producing such a pretty finish, Tal became happier and more confidento Koblencs showed perfect judgement in allowing Tal to win by making a plausible error, allowing a refutation that would have been easy to overlook; in other words, not letting Tal guess what his true intentions were as a trainero

9 .'�c7!? Larsen tries to get by without spending time οη oa6o He did the same thing in previous games, including his win over Gligorico ••

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lO. llJ db5!?

Tal temporarily misplaces his knight in order to reach a position where the moves o o o'Wb8 and o o oa6 have been played for Blacko His move has been repeated by some strong players, although 1 0og4 and 1 0o:B:g1 have been more popularo

10 .. .'�b8 l l .g4 a6 12. tL! d4 tL! xd4 13.hd4 b5 After 1 3o o oe5 14og5 .ig4 1 5 o'Wg3 White has scored well. 14.g5 tί) d? 1 5 ..id3 Tal considered 1 5 oa3 with the continuation 1 5 o o ob4 1 6oaxb4 'Wxb4 E:b8 1 8 o:B:d3 'Wxb2t 1 9οΦd 1 0 Ίhe appealed to Tal, but after the calm White is in some troubleo

possible 1 7o'Wh5 position 1 9o o o:B:e8

1 5 ... b4 1 5 o o o.ib 7 led to an impressive win for White a few years later: 1 6o'Wh3 E:d8 1 7o:B:hg1 e5 1 8ottJd5 .ixd5 1 9oexd5 g6 20of5 exd4 2 1 ofxg6 hxg6 22o.ixg6 ttJ f8 23o.ixf7t i>xf7 24og6t Φg7 25o:B:dfl .if6 26o:B:xf6 1-0 Suetin Jimenez Zerquera, Havana 1 9690 8

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16. t[} d5!??! Tal does not shy away from a risky sacrifice, even at the most critical possible moment in the matcho According to Koblencs the auditorium

1 95

Mikhail Tal - Bent Larsen

1965

went silent. Objectively the sacrifice is unsound, but finding the best defence ίη home analysis is entirely different from doing so over the board ίη a high-pressure situation. Ίhe sacrifice shows Tal's optimism; despite having played poorly in a complex tactical position ίη the previous game, he remained confident that he could get the better of Larsen in another sharp situation. ln his annotations, Tal points out that this sacrifice has a positional aspect, as several of Black's pieces are shut out of play on the queenside, while the open e-file will make it hard for Black to organize the defence, as well as preventing the black king from walking away. Tal recalls the internal monologue that he used to make up his mind: 'Ίf in the end, Misha, you are destined to lose this match, there is no need for the reason to be cowardice."

16 ... exd5 17.exd5 f5 Ίhe sacrifice had to be accepted, and Black's options are limited by the threat of a double attack with Wfe4. Nevertheless, Larsen has a few options to defend. 17 . . . id8?? is not one of them, as after 1 8.Wfh5 g6 1 9.Wfh6 White breaks through.

1 8.Wfh3 Tal is rather vague about this position, saying only that White could continue with the text move or 1 8 .h4; he calls the queen move more active. 1 8.h4? is actually not much of a challenge at all: 1 8 . . . lLic5 19.h5 lLixd3t 20.!'!:xd3 if5 2 1 .hxg6 fxg6 22.!'!:xh7 Φχh7 23.!'!:e3 Here Black has several ways to refute the attack: 23 . . . '\WdS, 23 . . . E:a7 and even 23 . . . Φg8!? 24.E:xe7 E:f7 are all good enough. 1 8 .E:de l ! ? is the most menacing according to Κasparov, but Black can still defend: 1 8 . . . id8 1 9.'Wh3 (1 9.h4 is well met by either 1 9 . . . ib6 or 1 9 ... lLic5) 19 ... lLie5 (Black must avoid 1 9 . . . ib6?? 20.ixg6!! fxg6 2 1 .!'!:e7 and White wins) 20.'Wh6 ib6 2 l .fxe5 ixd4 22.E:e4 if2! Κasparov points out that Black can win by organizing a defence along the seventh rank. 1 8 . . . E:e8! 18 . . . lLif6 1 9.'Wh6 lLih5 20.E:he l (20.ie2 !'!:e8! 2 1 .ixh5 if8 traps the queen) 20 ... '\Wb?!! is a sophisticated defence which also wins, but Black has το navigate some tricky variations and the main line is much easier το understand. 1 9.E:de l 1 9.'Wh4 lLic5 is nothing for White.

1 7 . . . g6! Although Larsen's move is okay, the text seems like the most convincing way to refute the attack. Ίhis position generated a lot of attention from commentators. 8

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1 9 . . . lLie5 20.Wfh4 20.Wfh6 if8 defends easily. 20 . . . lLixd3t 2 l .cxd3 if5 Black is a piece up for nothing.

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1 96

Ίhe World Champion b) 1 8 . . . /iJxf6 1 9.:B:hg l :B:f7 20.:B:de l 1Wb7 8

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ιs. g del ! Ίhe exclamation mark i s for the practical value of Tal's choice. Even though it gives Black a chance to consolidate with his extra material, the problems proved too much for Larsen over the board. 1 8.gxf6!? takes some of the tension out of the position, but the advantage is that White opens both the g-file and the d3-h7 diagonal. Black has to solve some problems after either of the plausible recaptures: a) 1 8 . . . .ixf6 1 9.1We4 g6 20.:B:hgl :B:f7 2 1 .1We8t /iJf8 22 . .ixg6 hxg6 23.:B:xg6t .ig7 8

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2 l . .ixf6! :B:xf6 (2 1 . . . .ixf6? loses to 22.:B:e8t :B:f8 23 ..ixh7t) 22.1We4 Ίhe double attack enables White to restore material equality. 22 . . . g6 23.1Wxe7 1Wxe7 24.:B:xe7 :B:xf4 White is more active, but Black has decent chances to hold the endgame. 8

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18 ... :B: f7? Larsen loses his way in the complications and tension that Tal created.

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24.1Wxf7t! (24.:B:dgl .ig4! defends, although White can still transpose to the main continuation by giving up his queen) 24 . . . 'it>xf7 25.:B:xg7t 'it>e8 26.:B:e l t .ie6 27.dxe6 Black is skating on thin ice.

1 8 . . . .id8! is Black's strongest continuation, and it was played in a game thirty-two years later. lt is worth examining two options for White: a) 1 9 ..ixg7? 'it>xg7 20.1Wh5 Κasparov and Nikitin, in their 1 984 book

1 965

1 97

Mikhail Tal - Beηt Larseη

ση the Scheveηiηgeη, evaluated this pσsίtίση as wίηηίηg fσr White, based ση the threat σf '%Vh6t aηd g5-g6. Hσwever, Black has a faηtastic defeηce. Mσst prσbably they σverlσσked it, althσugh it is ησt uηheard σf fσr strσηg players tσ leave σut such details ίη σrder tσ mislead their future σppσηeηts.

b) 1 9.'%Vh5! This is the better way to cσηtiηue the attack, aηd the σηe Tal was iηteηdiηg tσ play. 1 9 . . . lί:J c5 20 ..ixg7 lί:Jxd3t 20 . . . Φχg7? 2 I .'%Vh6t Φg8 22.g6 '%Vc7 23.E:hgl wiηs. 2 I .Φb l ! 8

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20 . . . E:g8!! The rσσk cσvers the g7-square. Κasparσv corrects himself by giviηg this mσve ίη My Great Predecessors. 2 I .'%Vh6t 2 I . .ixf5 lί:Jf8 wiηs. 2l . . . Φh8 22.g6 lί:J f6 23.E:hgl E:a7 24.E:e3 '%Vb6 25.E:eg3 lί:Jg4 8

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2 I . . . lί:Jxe l ? This is a mistake, but Ι have giveη i t as the maiη liηe because σf the wσηderful eηtertaiηmeηt value σf the wίηηίηg liηe. 2 I . . . lί:Jxf4? is refuted by 22.'%Vh6. Best play is 2 1 . . . '%Vc7! 22.hf8 lί:Jxe l 23.E:xe l '%Vf7 24.'%Vxf7t Φχf7 25 . .ixd6 a5 wheη White is wσrse, but he has sσme chances to hσld with three pawηs fσr a piece. 22.g6 Φχg7 23.'%Vxh7t Φf6 24.g7 af7 24 . . . E:e8 25 .'%Vh4t wiηs. 8

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Black ηeutralized his σppσηeηt's attack and weηt ση tσ wίη ίη Geeηeη - Buhr, Belgium 2007. lt wσuld be iηterestiηg tσ knσw if Buhr prepared the imprσvemeηt σr fσuηd it σver the bσard.

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25 .g8=lL1 Checkmate! Οηe can σηly imagiηe what the crσwd's

Ίhe World Champion

1 98

reacrion would have been if Tal had delivered mare by promoring το a knighr!

19.h4! Ir rurns our rhar Black has no good defence against the slow but deadly plan of h4-h5 and g5-g6. 1 9.i.xf5 ? would be premarure because of 1 9 . . . � f8 .

1 9 ....ib7 1 9 . . . �c5 20.h5 gives Black a choice oflosing lines: 8

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a) 20 . . . Wa7 2 l .g6 l!f8 22.i.xc5 dxc5 (22 . . . Wxc5 23.l!xe7) 23.h6! White wins. b) 20 . . . �xd3t 2 l .Wxd3 i.f8 (2 l . . . Wb5 22.g6) 22.g6 l!c7 23 .h6! White opens up the king decisively, as Κasparov points out. 8

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Ίhe sharper continuation to which Tal refers is: 20.g6!? hxg6 2 l .h5 g5 22.i.xf5 i.f6 22 . . . l!xf5 ? goes down more quickly: 23.l!xe7 �e5 24.h6 Wf8 (24 . . . �xf3 25.h7t Φfs 26.h8=Wt Φχe7 27.Wxg7t Whiτe checkmates in three) 25.1Ξ!χb7 �xf3 26.hxg7 White wins. 8

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20.J.xfs ! Tal chooses the simplest of a few possible winning moves. Kasparov cites Tal: "Ίhis can be attributed το competitive considerations. Had this position not been reached in the last game of the match, Ι would have played more sharply."

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23.i.e6 i.xd4 23 . . .Wf8 Tal mentίons that he calculated this far during the game: "Ι decided, ίη order το avoid gettίng ίητο tίme trouble, not to spend tίme ση the calculatίon of long and complicated varίatίons." My analysis contίnues 24.i.xf6 g4 25.Wxg4 �xf6 26.Wg5 Φhs 27.i.xf7 Wxf7 28.h6 g6 29.f5 and White wίns. 24.i.xf7t 24.fxg5 ?! allows 24 . . . We8! (τal wrote 24 . . . Wf8, but ίt was probably a typo as 25.g6 wίns) 25 .Wg4 �c5 when Black is living dangerously, but he ίs alive. 24 . . . Φχf7 25 .1Mfe4 Wds 25 . . . � f6 26.We6t Φf8 27.h6 wίns.

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1 99

Mikhail Tal - Bent Larse n

1965

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26.'1Wxd4 '!Wf6 27.'1Wxf6t l2Jxf6 28.fxg5 l2Jxd5 Black can keep fighting, but Tal would have been the clear favourite to convert his advantage in his favourite type of endgame with rook against minor pieces.

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25.gxe7!! '!Wxe7 26.ggl g6 27.f5 '!We l t 28 .gxe l gxh5 29.ggl t White will pick up the bishop to reach an easily winning endgame.

2 1 . gxe7

The quickest route to victory would have been: 20.h5!

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lt is interesting that Tal does not mention this move at all. The attack is crushing, for instance 20 . . . '\Wf8 2 1 .g6 gf6 22. gxh 7t Φχh7 23.ghg l .ic8 24 ..ixf5t gxf5 25.gxg7t and White wins.

20 ... gxf5 20 . . . l2J f8 allows a direct refutation: 2 I . .ixh7t! (τal's 2 1 .'1We4 is also good enough, but the text move is more convincing) 2 1 . . . l2Jxh7 22.g6 '!We8 (22 . . . l2J f6 23.gxf7t Φχf7 24.gxe7t Φχe7 25.ge l t Φf7 26 ..ixf6 White's attack breaks through) 23.'1Wh5 l2J f8 24.gxf7t '!Wxf7

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2I .c!i:J e5 Larsen has ηο choice; 2 1 .. _gf7 22.gxf7 Φχf7 23.g6t hxg6 24.h5 wins, as Tal points out. ••

22.'Y;V e4 'Y;Vf8 23.fxe5 g f4 24.'Y;Ve3 g e 24 . . ..ixd5 also loses: 25.exd6 gxd4 (25 . . . ixh l 26.gxg7t) 26.'1Wxd4 .ixh l 27.b3 if3 (27 ... ge8 28 .'1Wxg7t!! is a nice detail) 28 .'1Wc4t Φh8 29.gf7 '!Wxd6 30.gxf3 Black is not only a pawn down, but also suffers from weak pawns and a vulnerable back rank. Larsen decides to go two pawns down in order to keep the opposite-coloured bishops on the board. The fact that he was down to

200

Ίhe World Champion

seven minutes to reach move 40 made a miracle comeback all the more unlikely.

25.Yf e2 Yfxe7 26.Yfxf3 dxe5 8

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27, g el! Tal wins a second pawn and keeps his attack. Ίhe outcome is decided. 27 ... g ds 28. gxe5 Yfd6 29.Yff4 g f8 30.Y!Ye4 b3 Desperation. 3l .axb3 g fl t 32. Φ d2 Y!Yb4t 33.c3 Yfd6

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34 .ic5! Tal plays for the gallery. •

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34...Yfxc5 35. g est g f8 36.Y!Ye6t Φ hs 37.Yff7 Larsen resigned. Το win the game and the match with a back-rank combination must have made Tal's achievement all the more satisfying. Koblencs waited at the exit, where he met the overjoyed Misha. As Tal approached the Maestro he laughed with both charm and a hint of guiltiness, subtly apologising for putting his trainer through such a nerve­ wracking experience. Ίhey laughed and hugged each other, neither of them saying a single word. 1-0 Ίhus Tal won the match 5Yz-4Yz. lt required a bigger effort and was a closer affair than most experts predicted. Still, Tal got the result he needed, and even produced some magical moments along the way. However, he must have known he would need to improve his overall performance if he was to defeat Spassky and go ση to challenge Petrosian.

Candidates Final Match versus Spassky Ίhe match to determine Petrosian's challenger was to be contested over twelve games, rather than the ten of the previous two qualifying matches. Tal's past record against Spassky was poor: prior to the match, he had beaten Spassky just once, drawn five games and suffered five defeats. Even if the last three games were drawn and Tal's last loss was in 1 96 1 , it was still not an encouraging history. On the plus side, Tal had an advantage in big-match experience. Ίhe starting date was the first of November, so Tal had several months to prepare, although Spassky had even more time, as he had secured his place in the final before Tal had even played his first quarter-final game.

1965

Tal writes that before the match a problem was identified ίη his lung, and the doctors sent him to Crimea. Apart from Koblencs, he was also visited by Shamkovich. Tal recalls that he did not spent much time working on chess, as the medical checking took up a lot of time. Along the way Tal had a friendly conversation with Spassky regarding the upcoming match. Tal proposed the Georgian capital of Tbilisi as the match venue; evidently, the time he spent in Tbilisi working as Nakhimonskaya's second left him with a favourable impression of the city. Spassky happily agreed to the venue. It would be interesting to know Koblencs' opinions about the match, but unfortunately he says nothing about it in his book. Ι was, however, informed by Κapengut that Tal considered inviting him to be his second, but decided against it as he thought a twenty-year­ old was too young for the role. Κapengut said he laughed when he heard that the twelve­ year-old Κarjakin was assisting Ponomariov in his 2002 world championship match against Ivanchuk; what would Tal have made of that? Tal was White in the first game, and Spassky chose the Marshall Attack. Tal deviated from an earlier game where he defeated Suetin, but Spassky was ready with an important novelty and went on to hold a comfortable draw. Surprisingly, Tal claims that he had an advantage, maybe even enough to win. Ι failed to see any advantage for him, and the fact that Spassky's new idea has been repeated in more than sixty games, with generally fine results for Black, suggests that Tal's evaluation was much too optimistic. Here is the second match game.

Boris Spassky - Mikhail Tal

20 1

Boris Spassky - Mikhail Tal Tbilisi (2) 1 965

l.e4 c5 2 .c!ίΗ3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. � xd4 a6 5 )ί:J c3 Y!fc7 6 ..id3 � c6 Both players enter a variation with which they have previously been successful. 7..ie3 Spassky deviates from a game he played the previous year: 7.lίlb3 lί\ [6 8.f4 d6 9.0-0 fi.e7 I O.'Wf3 fi.d7 l l .fi.e3 0-0 1 2.g4 g6 1 3 .:gae l :gac8 14.:ge2 b5 1 5 .:gg2 b4 1 6.lίle2 a5 1 7.g5 lt:\h5 1 8 .lίlbd4 lίlxd4 1 9 .lίlxd4 e5 20.lίlf5 fi.xf5 2 l .exf5 exf4 22.fi.xf4 lίlxf4 23.'Wxf4 d5 24.Y!fh4 Ίhe position is balanced, but White eventually prevailed ίη Spassky - Milic, Belgrade 1 964.

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7... � f6 8.0-0 b5 9. � b3 Geller had chosen 9.Y!fe2 against Tal at Curacao 1 962; the game ended in a draw, although Tal was better for much of it. Tal could hardly have been surprised by Spassky's choice, as it is similar to the way he played against Milic.

202

Ίhe World Champion

9 ....ie7 IO.f4 d6 l l .'�f3 0-0!? Tal is in no hurry to develop his bishop to b7; in the event that the white queen goes to h3, the bishop might prove useful on c8. Moreover, Black may wish to accelerate plans such as . . . liJ b4, or . . . liJ d7 followed by . . . .if6. 12.a4 b4 13. � e2 e5 14.f5

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14 ... d5!? 14 . . . llJ a5 seems safer, but Tal wishes to provoke an early confrontation by opening the centre. 15. � g3 After 1 5 .exd5 e4! 1 6 ..ixe4 llJe5 1 7.Wff4 .id6 Black has compensation for the pawn. ιs ... � a5!? 1 5 ... l!d8 is well met by 1 6.exd5 liJxd5 1 7.f6! .ixf6 (after 17 . . . liJxf6 1 8 .liJe4! Black has problems) 1 8.liJh5 and White has serious compensation for the pawn. Ι suspect that 1 5 . . . d4 is objectively Black's best option, but Tal was evidently not in the mood for a closed position.

16.exd5 .ib7 17. � e4

1 7 . . . l!ad8 is correct, and after 1 8.liJxf6t ( 1 8.liJbc5 .ixd5 1 9.liJxa6 Wfc8 is fine for Black) 1 8 . . . .ixf6 1 9 . .ie4 llJ c4 20 . .if2 .ia8 Black has some compensation for the pawn.

18 ..ig5?! Spassky plays a reasonable move, but misses a better one. 1 8 .liJxf6t! .ixf6 1 9 ..ixc4! Wfxc4 20.l!ad l would have simplified the position i n White's favour; with every piece exchange, the role of his extra d-pawn becomes greater. 20 . . . l!ad8 (Neither 20 . . . Wfc7? 2 I .Wff2 nor 20 . . . Wfxc2? 2 I .liJc5 are any good for Black) 2 I .liJa5! White is a pawn up for very little.

18 ... � xb2 Tal wins back the pawn. 19.d6? 1 9.liJxf6t .ixf6 20 . .ixf6 gxf6 2 1 ..ie4 llJ c4 would have led to a balanced position. Tal politely writes that Spassky made a mistake in his calculations, but Ι would be more inclined to call it a blunder. Still, the way Tal exploits it is impressive.

203

Boris Spassky - Mikhail Tal

1965

25 ... g fd8 26. g el Aa7t 27. Φ g2 g d6 Tal is not only a pawn up, but his pieces also stand better.

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28. g ffl � c4 29. Φ h3 ll:l e3 30. g f3 ll:\ xc2 Tal wins a second pawn. Απ alternative winning continuation is 30 . . . gc3! with the aim of paralysing the white pieces. If followed up correctly, this would have been more convincing that Tal's choice, for instance: 3 I .ib7 (3 U Ξ�e2 2"1d l ) 3 1 . . . \t>g? 32.ie4 2"1d7 33.2"1e2 2"1dc7 White is hopelessly lost.

1 9 .. .'�xd6! Could Spassky have overlooked this move? Black's other tries are simply losing, so it would have been rather naive to think that Tal would simply have allowed 1 9.d6 without having an answer in mind. 20. � xd6 20 ..ixf6 is met by the intermediate 20 . . . YNb6t! when Black is also winning. 20 ...i.xf3 2 1 . gxf3 .ixd6 22 ..hf6 gxf6 The opposite-coloured bishops give White a bit of hope, but no more. 23.Ae4 g ac8 24.a5 Ab8 25.g3 25 .Φfl would have resisted a bit more stubbornly.

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3 l . g cl g c4 32. g d3? Spassky fails το go for the best practical chance: 32.j,xc2 :!"!dc6 33.lt::ω j,d4 34.2"1b3 \t>g7 35.2"1d l j,xa l 36.j,d3 j,d4 37.hc4 2"1xc4 White faces an unpleasant endgame, but he has genuine drawing chances. 32 ...J.d4 33. g xc2 The other simplification also offers White little hope: 33.�xd4 exd4 34.2"1b3 �e3 35.2"1xc4 �xc4 36.2"1xb4 �xa5 37.j,d3 \t>f8 (37 . . . �c6?? 38.2"1b6) 38.\t>g2 �c6 39.2"1b6 \t>e7 Black should win.

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33 ... g xc2 34. g xd4 exd4 35 ..ixc2 d3 36.Adl Tal has reached yet another winning endgame with rook and pawns against two minor pieces.

The World Champion

204

lt only takes him a few more accurate moves to end White's resistance. 8

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36 ... j3 d5! 37. Φ g4 j3 e5 The rook stands perfectly on e5, as it ties the knight to the a5-pawn, cuts off the white king and prepares to attack the bishop. 38. Φ f4?! Now the defence collapses. 38 ..if3 would have freed the bishop, although the final result will be the same: 38 . . . d2! (38 . . . �e2 39.Φf4 Φf8 40.h4 Φe7 4 I.ltJ d4! enables White to resist; Black's best seems to be 41 . . . �e l 42.liJb3 �e5! reverting to the ... d2 plan.) 39.Φf4 (39.liJxd2 �xa5-+) 39 . . . Φf8 40.h4 Φe7 4 1 .g4 h6 42.h5

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42 . . . Φd7! White is in zugzwang. 43.Φg3 �e3 44.liJxd2 �a3 Black will soon win the a-pawn, and his connected passers will decide.

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38 ... j3 e2! This cute move paralyses the bishop and sets up a zugzwang. 39.h4 h5 40. � c5 40.Φf3 �el wins. 40 ... j3 el 4I ..ixh5 Spassky resigned without waiting for 4 l . . . d2. 0-1 ln the next game Spassky switched to the Breyer against the Ruy Lopez. Tal claims he mixed up the move order, which allowed Black to equalize. The position became completely equal and Tal offered a draw, but Spassky declined. lt would later transpire that Bondarevsky, Spassky's trainer and second, instructed him to play on and on in equal positions to make Tal get sick of them during the match. Tal only became aware of it after the match, and he praises Bondarevsky as a trainer. The tactic paid off, as Tal made a mistake a few moves before the time control. He still had good drawing chances going into the adjournment, but he lost his way and Spassky was able to convert his advantage.

1 965

205

The fourth game took place on Tal's birthday; Spassky even presented him with a gift before the start of play. Spassky switched to l .d4, Tal equalized with the Nimzo-Indian and the game was soon drawn. ln the fifth game Spassky reverted to the Marshall Attack. Tal prepared well to reach a pawn­ up endgame with four rooks and opposite-coloured bishops, but he failed to do much with his advantage. Tal was rightly disappointed with his play ίη the endgame. ln the next game Spassky went back to l .e4. Tal repeated the Paulsen and got close to equality, but slipped into a passive position. An unpleasant adjournment ensued, but Tal finally managed to hold a draw after some suffering. Tal mentions that he and Koblencs considered switching to l .d4 in the seventh game, and that they had prepared for several of Spassky's systems. However, Tal also explains that he had noticed Spassky had faltered in a few final-round games when the stakes were high; in order to exploit this perceived weakness, Tal and Koblencs devised a strategy to keep the score of the match even, ίη order to raise the tension and strike a killing blow at the tail end of the match. That is why Tal felt it was better not to alter the character of the match by choosing a different first move. Spassky repeated the Marshall, having found a way to improve on their previous game. Tal got no advantage and Spassky even obtained a symbolic edge, but Tal firmly held the draw. ln the eighth game Tal easily equalized in a Queen's Indian, and on this occasion Spassky was content το agree an early draw rather than play the game out. ln the ninth game Tal avoided the Marshall with the 8.a4 variation. Spassky played passively and soon fell into serious trouble, but Tal uncharacteristically failed to do anything with his queenside domination. Later Tal made a few horrible moves, which he subsequently blamed on nervousness. Spassky's play ίη the adjourned session was not flawless, but it was good enough to score a crucial victory. Tal had three games to equalize the match, and he would be Black in two of them. ln the tenth game Spassky chose a timid sideline against the Sicilian. Of course Tal easily got a playable position, but he impatiently tried his luck by opening the position. The plan backfired and Spassky firmly converted his advantage. ln the eleventh and final game, Spassky switched back to the Breyer. Tal took far too many risks in a desperate attempt to play for a win, and Spassky won convincingly - although he later admitted to Tal that he felt extremely nervous during the game. Tal praises Spassky's play and calls it his best game of the match, but to refute such an incorrect attack should be nothing out of the ordinary for a world-class player. The match ended in a 7-4 victory for Spassky, but the majority of the match was much more closely contested than the final score suggests. Tal was unable to find his best form, but things could easily have been different had he converted the substantial advantage that he held for much of the ninth game. Tal biggest problem was that his nerves let him down at some crucial moments. This might have been the result of side-effects from his recent medication, or perhaps he was drinking more than he should have. On the plus side, Tal says that after the event the doctors told him that he had recovered from his lung problem and was in a good state of health.

1965 Summary 1 965 was an unusual year for Tal, as he played only one tournament due to having three Candidates matches. His total number of games was obviously less than in previous years, and his winning percentages were also lower, which was to be expected due to the high calibre of his match opponents. With the white pieces Tal scored twelve wins, seven draws and three defeats. The overall percentage is good, but the problem was that all three ofTal's defeats came in his final match against Spassky. The final one can be excused, as it came from taking risks when Tal had to win at all costs, but the other two defeats came from positions τhat a world-class player should hardly ever lose. Just like in previous years, Tal almost always opened with 1 .e4. As usual, he did well against the Sicilian, scoring three wins and a draw. However, his results against 1 . . . e5 were disappointing, with two wins, three draws and three defeats. With the black pieces Tal scored four wins, thirreen draws and four losses. It is a reasonable tally, taking into account that it includes three tough matches, although there were also some games where Tal was unable to achieve a positive result against weaker opponents in Latvia. Tal achieved a modest plus score against 1 .e4, and a slight negative score in closed openings. For the first time in a few years, Tal mainly relied ο η τhe Nimzo-Indian, scoring one win, three draws and one loss. He lost his only game with the Κing's Indian, and his sole Grίinfeld experiment was not a success. Tal produced some magical games in 1 965, but his level in quiet positions and endgames was worse than in previous years. Tal won his only tournament and was victorious in two out of his three matches, but he must have felt unsatisfied at the end of the year, having failed to win the right to challenge Petrosian for the world title.

1965 Resώts Latvian Championship, Riga ( l sr place) : 1 1 / 1 4 (+8 =6 -Ο) Candidates quarter-final versus Portisch, Bled: Won 5 Υ2-2Υ2 (+4 =3 - 1 ) Candidate semi-final versus Larsen, Bled: Won 5 Υ2-4Υ2 (+3 =5 -2) Candidates final versus Spassky, Tbilisi: Lost 4-7 (+ 1 =6 -4)

Total 60.5o/o (+ 1 6 =20 -7)

D Wins • Draws • Losses

1966 Sarajevo Tal's first event of the year was a tournament in Sarajevo. lt started in the middle of March, more than a year after Tal's previous tournament (the 1 965 Latvian Championship) had finished. Tal's first opponent was Mato Damjanovic. During the Spassky - Tal match, the Yugoslav grandmaster commented in an interview that Tal plays the opening like a good grandmaster, the middlegame better than a good grandmaster, and the endgame like an ordinary master. Ίhis displeased Tal. Ίhe ex-world champion opened with 1 .d4, and was met by the Ragozin Defence. Damjanovic meant what he had said, and sought to exchange queens at the expense of his pawn structure. Tal countered his opponent's criticism in the best possible way, by firmly converting his advantage. ln the second round Tal was Black against Minev, who played for safety and was able to simplify to obtain an uneventful draw. Tal's next opponent was Gasic. Apart from the game we are about to see, the Yugoslav master had one other game against a world champion: a draw against Petrosian.

Mikhail Tal - Bozidar Gasic Sarajevo 1 966

l .e4 c5 2. tίΗ'3 tι! c6 Later in the year Tal would win a nice game in a main-line Dragon: 2 . . . d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.liJxd4 liJf6 5.liJc3 g6 6.ie3 ig7 7.f3 liJ c6 8.Wfd2 0-0 9.ic4 id7 1 0.h4 :!Ξϊc8 1 1 .ib3 Wfa5 1 2.h5 liJxh5 1 3.g4 liJ f6 14.0-0-0 ltJe5 1 5 .ih6 ixh6 1 6.:!Ξϊχh6 :!Ξϊχc3 1 7.bxc3 :!Ξϊc8 1 8 .Φb2 b5 1 9 .:!Ξϊdh 1 liJ c4t 20.ixc4 bxc4 2 1 .:!Ξϊxh7 liJxh7 22.Wfh6 e6 23.f4 e5 24.g5 ie8 8

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The World Champion

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25.lί:Je6! 1-0 Tal - Wade, Palma de Mallorca 1 966.

33.d5! exd5 34.E!:xg6t! fXg6 35 . .ixd5t 1-0 Tal - Mista, Dubna 1 973.

3.d4 c:x:d4 4. � xd4 g6 5. � c3 Tal varied his responses to the Accelerated Dragon, sometimes favouring this move and other times the Maroczy.

b) 9 ... lί:Jxd4 10 . .ixd4 .ie6 1 l .Wd2 Wa5 1 2.0-0-0

5 ...j,g7 6.J.e3 � f6 7.J.c4 'i;Ya5 7 . . . 0-0 8 . .ib3 d6 (8 . . . a5 is a major option, but Tal never faced it) 9.f3 occurred in several ofTal's games: a) 9 . . . .id7 1 0.'1Wd2 E!:c8 1 1 .0-0-0 lί:Je5 1 2.h4 h5 1 3 . .ig5 lί:J h7 1 4 . .ih6 .ixh6 1 5 .Wxh6 E!:xc3 1 6.bxc3 Wa5 1 7.lί:Je2 .ib5 1 8 .E!:he 1 lί:J f6 1 9.E!:d4 E!:c8 20.E!:b4 e6 2 1 .lί:Jd4 i.d7

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Tal reached this position in three games, via slightly different move orders. He won them all: b l ) 1 2 . . . a6?! is a strange choice, just wasting a tempo. 1 3 .h4 b5 1 4.Φb 1 E!:fc8 1 5 .E!:he l .ixb3 1 6.cxb3 b4 1 7.lί:Jd5 lί:Jxd5 1 8 ..ixg7 lί:Jc3t 1 9.bxc3 bxc3 20.hc3 E!:xc3 2 l .E!:e3 E!:ac8 22.E!:xc3 Wxc3 23.Wxc3 E!:xc3

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22.We3 b5 23.Φb2 E!:c5 24.lί:J e2 lί:J c6 25.Wf4 lί:J e8 26.a3 Wc7 27.E!:d4 lί:Jxd4 28.cxd4 E!:c6 29.g4 lί:Jg7 30.gxh5 lί:Jxh5 3 1 .'1Wh6 a5 32.E!:g1 a4

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24.E!:c 1 E!:e3 25 .E!:c7 Tal converted his endgame advantage in Tal - Portisch, Oberhausen 1 96 1 .

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b2) 1 2. . .b 5 1 3.Wb l b4 1 4.lί:Jd5 i.xd5 1 5 .exd5 Wb5 1 6.E!:he 1 a5 1 7.We2 Wxe2 1 8.E!:xe2 a4 1 9.i.c4 E!:fc8

1 966

Mikhail Tal - Bozidar Gasic 8

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Tal reached this position respective games continued:

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b2 1 ) 20.i.b5 :!Ξ!:a5 2 1 .i.xf6 i.xf6 22.i.c6 a3 23.b3 Φf8 At this point Tal is certainly not better, but he finds a way to create problems for his opponent.

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29.:!Ξ!:h4 :!Ξ!:b6 30.:!Ξ!:h6 :!Ξ!:c8 3 1 .f4 lί:J c5 32.:!Ξ!:h3 e6 33.:!Ξ!:e3 :!Ξ!:cb8 34.:!Ξ!:d4 h5 35 .:!Ξ!:e2 f5 36.:!Ξ!:c4 lί:J e4? 37.dxe6 d5 38.i.xd5 lί:J c3t 39.:!Ξ!:χc3 bxc3 4Ο.Φc2 White went on to win in Tal ­ Κhasin, Baku 1 96 1 . Let's return to the game. Gasic's move forces White to abandon the plan of long castling, but commits the black queen at an early stage.

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24.c4! bxc3 25 .Φc2 :!Ξ!:a7 26.b4 e6?! 27.b5 exd5 28.b6 :!Ξ!:e7 29.:!Ξ!:χe7 Φχe7 30.:!Ξ!:e 1 t i.e5 3 1 .b7 :!Ξ!:b8 32.f4 Tal went on to win, Tal - Larsen, Zίirich 1 959. b22) 20.b3 Φf8 2 1 .g4 lί:J e8 22.i.b5 axb3 23.cxb3 ixd4 24.:!Ξ!:χd4 lί:J c7 25 .ic6 :!Ξ!:ab8 26.:!Ξ!:c4 lί:J a6 27.g5 :!Ξ!:c7 28.:!Ξ!:ee4 Φg7 Once again White has no advantage, but Tal keeps playing and eventually his opponent makes a mistake:

IO i.d7 Later the same year ίη Κislovodsk, another of Tal's opponent's would try a different plan: 1 0 . . . lί:Jxd4 1 1 .i.xd4 ie6 1 2.f4 a6 1 3.'Wf3 'Wh5 1 4 .'Wf2 :!Ξ!:ac8 1 5 .:!Ξ!:ae 1 ic4? ...

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The World Champion 8

13 ... tί:l a5 Gasic deviates the aforementioned game, in which Stein played 1 3 . . . t2Jb4.

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1 3 ... b5! was played by both Stein and Reshevsky ίη 1 967. lt became the main line, and has scored well for Black.

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1 6.e5! dxe5 1 7.�xe5 Wι'h6 1 8 . .ixc4 �xc4 1 9.�xe7 Tal won a pawn and later the game in Tal - Sτefanov, Κislovodsk 1 966.

14. tί:l de2 b6?! This is too passive. Black should prefer either 1 4 . . . l2Jc4 1 5 . .ixa7 Wι'a5 or 1 4 . . . t2Jxb3 1 5 .axb3 a6.

l l .f4 1 1 .�e 1 is the other main move, hoping to exert pressure along the e-file after a future l2Jd5. ll ... g acs 12.�6 �h5 Just like Damjanovic, Gasic tries to exchange queens early. 1 2 . . . l2Jxd4 1 3 . .ixd4 .ic6 is Black's other main line.

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15.5! Tal cuts off the black queen from the queenside. 1 5 .e5!? looks tempting, but 1 5 . . . dxe5 1 6.l2Jg3 Wι'h4 1 7.fxe5 l2Jh5 1 8 . .ixf7t Φh8 is unclear.

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1 5 ... g5 This is virtually forced, as Black cannot allow l2Jf4. f

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13.�f2 Sakharov had used this move to defeat Stein ίη the previous year's Soviet Championship. Tal was probably aware of the game.

16.�g3 h6 Ίhe attempt to solve Black's problems by tactical means with 1 6 . . . .ib5? runs into a powerful reply: 1 7 ..ixg5! .ixe2 1 8.�f4! �xc3 1 9.bxc3 h6 20 ..ixf6 exf6 2 1 .�e l Black loses material.

1 966

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17.VNh2! Tal places his queen ση an unconventional square in order to prepare g2-g4, emphasizing the poor position of the black queen. 17 ... � c4 18.J.d4! Tal is aiming for more than a slightly better ending. Gasic was probably anticipating 1 8 .�xc4 :Ξχc4 1 9.g4 tί'1xg4 20.hxg4 '1Mfxg4t 2 1 .'1Mfg2 '!Mfxg2t 22.i>xg2 �c6 when Black has reasonable compensation for the piece.

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24.lί'Jd5!! Ίhis queen sacrifice is White's only way to keep the advantage. 24 . . . tί'J g3t 25 .'1Mfxg3 '1Mfxg3 26.fxg7 :Ξe2 27.lί'Jf6t i>g6 28.�xf7t! i>xf7 29.lί'Je4t Wf4 30.:Ξxf4t gxf4 3 l .lί'Jxd6t White has good winning chances ίη the ensuing endgame.

19 ... � c4 20. � d5! Tal proceeds with his plan to divert the f6knight in order to trap the black queen. 20 ... � xd5 2 1 .g4

1 8 ... � xb2! Taking the pawn seriously weakens White's queenside. Gasic was right to avoid 1 8 . . . tί'J d2?! 1 9.g4 lί'Jxg4 20.hxg4 '!Mfxg4t 2 1 .'1Mfg2 '1Mfxg2t 22.i>xg2 lί'Jxfl 23.:Ξxfl when Black is doing okay materially, but White's minor pieces are perfectly coordinated and Black will soon find himself under attack.

19. :Ξ ael Tal defends the e2-knight, but the immediate 1 9.tί'Jd5! was stronger. Ίhe critical line continues: 1 9 . . . '1Mfxe2 20.tί'Jxe7t i>h7 2 l .�xb2 '1Mfe3t (2 l . . . :Ξcd8 22.:Ξfe l Wb5 23.:Ξad l also leaves Black with major problems) 22.Φh l lί'Jxe4 23.f6 :Ξfe8

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21 ...hd4t? lt looks as though Gasic trusted Tal's idea and did not look for a hole in it. Had he done so, he might have found a wonderful way to turn the tables: 2 l . . . Wh4! 22.�f2 �e5!! 22 . . . tί'Jde3 23.hb4 lί'Jxfl 24.:Ξxfl gxh4

21 2

The World Champion

25.ltJf4 is unsatisfactory for Black, as the knight is extremely powerful. By inserting the text move, Black drives the white queen back and places the bishop ση a square where it keeps the white knight under control, leading to an improved version of the above line. 23 .\Wh l 23 .\Wg2? ltJde3 is obviously not an option for White.

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23.exd5 Tal chooses the simplest win. 23.ltJf3 \Wxe l 24.l!xe l ltJ f4 This would also have been good enough, as Black's fortress is not too difficult to crack. 25 .h4 f6 26.hxg5 ! After 26.ltJd2 b5! Black is worse, but he can continue to resist. 26 . . . hxg5 27.\Wh6 There is no defence, for instance:

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23 . . . ltJ de3! 24.t.xh4 ltJxfl 25 .hg5 25.l!xfl gxh4 favours Black. 25 . . . hxg5 26.l!xfl ltJd2 27.l'!:d l ltJxb3 28.cxb3 l'!:c2 29.\Wf3 Black has a solid position with enough material and activity for the queen; White will have to worry about drawing the game rather than winning it.

22. c!Li xd4 Y*fh4

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27 . . . Φf7 27 . . . l'!:f7 28.ltJxg5 wins. 28.e5! dxe5 29.l'!:xe5 Black's position falls apart.

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1 966 Tal's plan of trapping the queen prevails, so Gasic resigned. He could have rescued his queen with 24 . . . :B:c3! but after 25.ll:\f3 :B:xf3 26.:B:xf3 dxe5 27.1Mfxe5 h5 28 .:!:'!:g3 Black has no real chance to survive. 1-0 ln the fourth round Tal won with White against Pachman, who got a reasonable position before making a serious mistake which cost him the game. ln the next round Tal was pressing with Black against Pietsch of East Germany, but his opponent played well to hold. ln the next round Tal played the Anti­ Marshall and got an advantage against Jansa, but the young Czech player managed to develop a kingside attack with the help of a bluffed pawn sacrifice which Tal did not take. Tal turned down a draw, but made some errors and Jansa punished him. ln the seventh round Tal played the Sicilian against Mestrovic and won an exciting game, which will be shown in the notes to Damjanovic - Tal in the 1 974 chapter of Ίhe Invincible. However, in the next game Tal suffered a setback as he played too aggressively against Janosevic, who defended well and beat him. ln the next game Tal beautifully outplayed Matulovic and eventually won a rook endgame. Α fragment of the game can be found on page 253 of the first volume. Tal mentions that he was asked after the game why he did not exchange the last pair of rooks. "Because Ι had not studied pawn endings yet" was his jocular reply. ln the next game Tal faced Bogdanovic, who played the Najdorf. Ίhe game was double­ edged for a long time, but eventually the Yugoslav player made a mistake and Tal simplified to a winning endgame which he duly converted. Tal then drew quickly with lvkov before facing the Yugoslav player Ciric,

Mikhail Tal - B ozidar Gasic

21 3

who was leading the tournament, a point and a half ahead ofTal. Tal surprised him by meeting the Sicilian with the Rossolimo, which he had never done before. Tal quickly got a big advantage and, despite a few inaccuracies, eventually caught the black king after a time scramble. Tal ended the tournament with convincing wins over Honfi (my junior trainer) and Ong Jok Hva, before taking a quick draw with Kotov in the last round. His final score of 1 1 / 1 5 was enough to share first place with Ciric.

Κislovodsk After a break of around three months, Tal played a tournament in Κislovodsk. ln the first round with White against Lutikov, Tal went for a risky plan involving planting a knight deep in enemy territory with no escape route. He failed to follow it up correctly and subsequently had to give up the knight for insufficient compensation, leading to his defear. ln rhe second round Tal faced Simagin, who played solidly wirh rhe whire pieces and obtained a dra\v. Tal's next opponent was Mark Taimanov, a great player who twice qualified as a world championship candidate. Taimanov also tied for first place in two Soviet Championships, in 1 952 and 1 956. ln the former he lost the playoff to Botvinnik, but in the latter he defeated Spassky and Averbakh. Taimanov faced eight world champions from Euwe to Κarpov, and defeated six of them. His total score against them is fourteen wins, sixty-three draws and forty-four defeats. His lifetime score against Tal is three wins, nine draws and seven losses.

Ίh e World Champion

214

Mikhail Tal - Mark Taimanov Kislovodsk 1 966

l .e4 Ίhis was the sixth time Tal had faced Taimanov with the white pieces, and he chose the same opening move in all of them. l ... c5 2. � f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. tι! xd4 tι! f6 5. � c3 tι! bd7 Taimanov had already tried this rare move twice in 1 966, so Tal must have anticipated it. Petrosian had played it once against him in Bled, but that game was probably a prearranged draw. 6.Ac4 ffc7 7.ffe2! Tal avoids committing his bishop for the moment. The queen is ideally placed on e2, defending the e4-pawn and supporting a future e4-e5.

9.i.d5! Tal allows the bishop to be exchanged in order to accelerate his development. 9 ... tι! xd5 9 . . . �b7 This leads to problems of a different kind. 1 0.�xf6! ll:\xf6 1 0 . . . gxf6? 1 1.'1Wh5 is horrible for Black. l l .tιldxb5 '11M b 6 1 2.�xb7 '11Mxb7 1 3.ll:\d4 White has won a pawn. Black's best bet is to play something like 1 3 . . . g6 and hope to get some compensation, although White must be better. If, however, Black stubbornly tries to maintain material equality, he runs into huge problems: 1 3 . . . '11Mxb2? 14.'11M c4! '11M b 7 Taking both rooks leads to disaster: 14 . . . '11Mxal t 1 5 .i>e2 '11Mxh l 1 6.'11M c 6t Φd8 1 7.'11Mxa8t Φc7 1 8.'11M a7t Φc8 1 9 .'11Mxa6t i>d8 20.'11M b7 Black is soon mated. 1 5 .2:'!b l '11M c 8 1 5 . . . '11M d7 1 6.ll:\d5 tιlxd5 1 7.exd5 is also winning for White.

7...a6 8.Ag5 b5?! 8 . . . e6 is better. Taimanov was probably looking for an original position that did not resemble conventional theory, but the plan backfires.

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1 6.'11M a4t! '11M d7 1 7.ll:\cb5! Black is caught, for instance: 1 7 . . . 2:'!c8 1 8.ll:\c7t! i>d8 1 9.ll:\c6t Black will have to either give up his queen or be checkmated. a

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10. � xd5 f!b7 1 1 .0-0-0 Tal develops quickly.

1 966

215

Mikhail Tal - Mark Taimanov

l l ... e6? Ίhis pawn move presents White with a target, without threatening to capture the knight. l l . . . ll'\ b6! lt was necessary to challenge the d5-knight without creating a pawn weakness. lt looks risky for Black to exchange his only developed minor piece, but White does not seem to have a forcing breakthrough. 1 2.!:1he l After 1 2.lLixb6 'Wxb6 1 3.!:1he 1 'Wc5 White's lead in development gives him the better chances, but Black has a playable position with no obvious weaknesses. 1 2 . . . ll'\xd5 12 . . . e6? 1 3.f4! can be compared with the game. 1 3.exd5 f6 1 4.J.f4 After 1 4.J.h4 Wxd5 1 5 .ll'\e6 Wxe6 1 6.'\Wf3 'Wxa2 1 7.'Wxa8 'Wa l t! 1 8 .Φd2 'Wa5t 1 9.Φe2 'Wc7 Black survives. 1 4 . . . Wxd5 8

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12.f4! Black would love to develop some pieces, but neither of his bishops can move. 12 ... � c5 1 2 . . . h6? is refuted by 1 3 .ll'\xe6! . 13.!:1hel Tal brings his last undeveloped piece into play.

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1 5 .J.xd6!? If 1 5 .lLi b3 Wxg2 1 6.!:1gl 'Wh3 1 7.J.xd6 Φf7 White has play for the pawn, but Black is in the game. Also after 1 5 .lLif3 Wxa2 1 6.J.xd6 !:1a7 1 7.!:1d3 !:1d7 Black is alive. 1 5 . . . 'Wxd6 1 6.'Wh5t 1 6.ll'\xb5 'Wf4t 1 7.Φb l axb5 1 8.'Wxb5t Φf7 1 9.'Wd5t e6 20.'Wxa8 J.c5 Black gets organized.

13 ... g a7 14. � f5! This attacking move pleases the eye, although 1 4.'\Wh5! and 14.f5! are also strong. Looking at the number of pieces in play for each side, it is hardly surprising that White has several good options. 14 ... f6 Taimanov is almost paralysed, so he probably decided he may as well win a piece as compensation for the horrible position he had to endure. 1 5 ..ixf6 ?! White is still doing well after this move, but it was not the most precise.

Th e Wσrld Champiση

216

Either 1 5 .llJxf6t gxf6 1 6.�xf6 σr 1 5 .llJxg7t �xg7 1 6.llJxf6t wσuld have beeη a mσre cσηviηciηg way tσ wiη.

ιs ... gxf6? Taimaησv was clearly haviηg a bad day, as he failed tσ fiηd his best aηd last chaηce to survive. 1 5 . . . exd5! wσuld have kept him in the game: 1 6.�xg7 (After 1 6.exd5t Φf7 1 7.�xg7 �xf5 1 8.�xh8 "1Wc8! Black has suddeηly achieved gσσd cσσrdiηatiση aηd aηy result is pσssible) 1 6 . . . llJxe4 ( 1 6 . . . �xg7? 1 7.llJxd6t) 1 7.�xh8 �xf5 1 8 .g4 White is sσmewhat better, but the fiηal σutcσme is far frσm clear. 16. llJ xf6t Φ ds 17. lt! xd6 .ixd6

E!:d8 2 1 .f5! would have dσηe the jσb mσre quickly.

20 ... lt! xf6 21 .exf6 The f6-pawη is extremely stroηg. 2I ... Φ bs 22.�e5 Φ aS 8

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23.g4! White's easiest wίηηίηg plaη is tσ advaηce his pawη majσrity. 23 ... E!: f8 24.g5 E!: f7 25.h4 E!: c7 26. E!: d8 Tal wisely avoids the hasty 26.h5 "1Wf3 27.g6? (27.E!:b6 still wiηs) 27 ... hxg6 28.hxg6 "1Wg2 wheη Black wiηs the g-pawη. a

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18.e5! An impσrtaηt fiηesse. Taimanσv may have beeη baηkiηg ση 1 8.E!:xd6t Φc7 1 9 .e5 Φb8 wheη Black caη fight ση.

26 ...� c6 Νσw 26 . . . "1Wg2 caη be met by 27.c3 b4 28."1Wxe6 aηd White wiηs.

18 ... � d7 19. E!:xd6 The dust has settled, aηd White has a wίηηίηg pσsitiση: he has three pawηs fσr the piece, while Black suffers frσm pσσr cσσrdiηatiση aηd an uηsafe kiηg. 19 ... Φ c7 20. E!: edl This is gσσd eησugh to wίη, but 20."1We3! a

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1 966

Mikhail Tal - Mark Taimanov

27.'1'e2! Tal defends the c2-pawn and gets ready to push his pawns on the kingside. 27 '1'c5 28.'1' e4t fL. Φd5 65 .Φg3 Φe5 66.Ei:xg4 White wins. 1-0

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Tal claims that this position is drawn, but there is a huge hole ίη his assessment: 6 I .j3h5 ! (6 UΞ!:g6? Φf5 would indeed be a draw) 6 1 . . . Φf6 62.h4+-

56 Φb7 Up to this point, both players had moved fairly quickly since the adjournment, but Gligoric spent a lot of time on this move. 56 . . . Φχc5 does not offer much resistance: 57.Ei:a7 g5 58.Ei:h7 Φd4 59.Ei:xh6 Φe5 60.1:'!g6 Φf4 6 l .Φf2 White wins easily. •.•

57.j3g3!? g5 58.j3e3 Ίhe rook will reach out for the h6-pawn. 8

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58 Φc6 If 58 . . . i.e4 59.Ei:b3t the rook goes to b6.

6I .hxg4 fxg4 62.j3xh6 If Black's king could reach the f4-square the game would be drawn, but it is too far away.

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Ίhis final win secured Tal's match victory by the score of 5 Y2-3Yz. Qualifying for the next stage was a success, but Tal must have known he would need to raise his game if he was to enjoy similar success in the following match.

Candidates Semi-Final Match versus Korchnoi With a dominating score of eight wins to one, with eight draws, Viktor Korchnoi had proved himselfTal's toughest opponent to date. Το add to the pressure on Tal, his potential opponent ίη the final, Boris Spassky, also boasted a convincing plus score against him. Apart from his impressive personal score against Tal, Korchnoi had also finished ahead of Tal ίη two recent tournaments. Still, Korchnoi must have felt himself under a certain amount of pressure to maintain his impressive record. Ίhe fact that Tal had already been world champion, whereas Korchnoi had yet to scale the ultimate heights ίη the chess world, meant that the stakes were somewhat higher for the grandmaster from Leningrad. Tal prepared with Sosonko and Koblencs, both of whom assisted him during the match ίη Moscow. Osnos was Korchnoi's second.

270

Ίhe World Champion

Both players had roughly six weeks in which to prepare. Tal explains that he decided to play reservedly, as he considered Korchnoi to be at his best when defending and counterattacking, but less confident when he had to take the initiative himself. One cannot ignore the fact that Tal himself was no longer such a great player in high-stakes situations, as indicated by his weak play in the penultimate game of the Larsen match, as well as the final three games of his match against Spassky in 1 965. Tal does not draw attention to this in his book, but one can observe his gradual shift away from playing sharply in every game. Sosonko writes that Tal would eat lunch roughly two hours before each game, before returning to his hotel room where he would remain alone before going to the match area. ln the first game Tal opened with l .d4, which he had never previously tried against Korchnoi. Tal took no risk whatsoever, but neverrheless built up a positional advantage. Later they reached a fascinating pawn endgame where Tal had some chances to win, but he allowed Korchnoi to escape with a draw. Despite the missed opporrunity, Tal says he was encouraged by the game, as it showed his cautious strategy could work well. ln the second game Korchnoi tried the Catalan, but Tal equalized and drew easily. Sosonko was a Catalan expert, and his positive influence could be felt in Tal's play. ln the third game they repeated the opening of the first, but Korchnoi and Osnos may have underestimated the power of Tal's seemingly innocent set-up. At the end of the opening Korchnoi fell for a prepared trap, and he consumed an hour and a half on his fourteenth move. Tal won a pawn for nothing and seemed to be cruising towards victory, but he committed some errors and allowed his nemesis to escape. Perhaps his poor record against Korchnoi played a role.

Tal says he arrived to the next game somewhat softened. He undertook an isolated pawn in the Nimzo-Indian, but made some questionable moves and used an awful lot of time. At one point Korchnoi gave him a chance to save the game, but Tal missed it and his position collapsed. After a long discussion with Koblencs and Sosonko, Tal decided to return to l .e4. Α Ruy Lopez ensued, and Korchnoi equalized. After a small firework Tal could have forced a draw, but he mistakenly decided to play ση, allowing Korchnoi to take over and win his second game in a row. Despite the seemingly disastrous turn of events, there was acrually a positive aspect for Tal, as he was able to relax in the knowledge that the match was effectively over as a contest. He was, after all, two points down, and would only have the white pieces in two of the last five games. Korchnoi played a Catalan in the next game, and the position became complicated. Tal writes that Korchnoi wanted to demolish him with another win. Tal was worse, but Korchnoi got into trouble after allowing him to sacrifice an exchange. Tal took control and, despite a few inaccuracies, went on to win. Tal claims that this game shook Korchnoi's confidence and he uncharacteristically started playing to draw the remaining games. ln the seventh game Korchnoi surprised Tal with the Accelerated Dragon. Tal obtained a small edge, but Korchnoi held the position without much trouble. Korchnoi writes in his Chess is my Life book that Tal asked for the help of a doctor during play, but all the doctor did was sit close to the board. According to Korchnoi, the doctor might even have been trying to hypnotise him, but at the very least he was supporting Tal. ln Korchnoi's words, "Ι asked that he be reseated away from the stage,

1 968

and the control team headed by Herman Fridstein complied with my request." ln the next game Korchnoi was able to exert pressure without any risk, but Tal defended well and managed to draw. ln his last White game, Tal opened with l .e4 again. Korchnoi went for another Ruy Lopez and smartly chose the Marshall move order, making Tal wonder about his intentions. Tal avoided the Marshall with 8.a4, but he got no advantage. Α subsequent inaccuracy allowed Korchnoi to press, but Tal was never in real danger and a draw was agreed in the adjourned session. Ίhis left Tal a point behind, with Black in the final game. Tal claims he arrived at the board calmly. He chose the Leningrad Dutch - a reasonable choice in a must-win game. Korchnoi made a mistake in allowing a Benoni-type structure. Tal claims that Korchnoi played for a draw, but Ι see no evidence of that. ln fact Korchnoi played ambitiously and moved forwards, but in the complex position he made a positional error which handed the initiative to Tal. At one point Tal could have obtained a substantial, possibly decisive advantage. (Korchnoi says he was totally lost, but that is an exaggeration.) However, he unnecessarily sacrificed a pawn and squandered his superiority. lt seems to me that Tal's nerves let him down. By the time the game was adjourned, Tal had no real winning chances. He played on and even risked losing, but Korchnoi did not mind repeating moves. ***

Ίhis final draw meant that Korchnoi won the match by the score of 5 Υ2-4Υ2. Neither player had reason to feel especially satisfied with the result. Korchnoi may have won, but Tal spoiled one clearly winning position, as well as two other games in which he had good winning chances. If one compares the level of their play

with Fischer's at the Sousse lnterzonal, one can easily see that the American performed on a higher level. Sosonko writes that after the event they went to visit friends in Moscow. Ίhey did not have air tickets to Moscow, but the airline staff recognized Tal and allowed the two of them to travel without a ticket in the pilots' cabin! Korchnoi was dissatisfied with his play, especially from a creative point of view. Not long after the match, he publicly called Tal a highly routine player. τϊgran Petrosian was the chief editor of 64 at the time, and he used the famous Soviet chess magazine as a platform to defend his predecessor. Ι have not seen the magazine in question, but Korchnoi mentions that the world champion did it anonymously. Tal's comment was that he knew Korchnoi would sometimes says things that he didn't really mean. Maybe deep inside it was a good motivator forTal: he loved to entertain the fans, and Korchnoi's criticism may have helped him to realize he needed to give up morphine and concentrate more on his chess. Tal was indeed able to conquer his morphine addiction, as mentioned in the previous chapter. Later in the year when Korchnoi faced Spassky for the right to challenge Petrosian, Tal became the official correspondent for 64 magazine. Korchnoi expressed his dissatisfaction; Tal found it amusing.

Κarseladze Memorial Tal was not selected for the Soviet team at the Lugano Olympiad. His next event was the Κarseladze Memorial tournament in Gori, a small Georgian town where Stalin was born. Karseladze had been the junior trainer ofNona Gaprindashvili. ln the first round Tal had White against Bokuchava. Tal sacrificed a pawn in a Sozin Sicilian, but soon ran out of play. He had a

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Ίhe World Champion

chance τ ο get back in the game, but blundered a piece before the time control and lost. Tal recovered with a solid draw against Geller, followed by wins over Mukniashvili, Gurgenidze and Gufeld. Ίhe last of them featured some interesting sacrifices, and will be shown in the notes to Tal's 1 975 win over Dvoretsky in the final volume. Tal extended his winning streak against Dzindzichashvili, Chikovani and Mikadze, before having a bye in the ninth round. ln the penultimate round Tal played a Reti against Levon Grigorian, and a reversed Benoni ensued. Ίhey created huge complications and Tal got a winning advantage, but he spoiled it in the adjourned position and could only draw. ln the last round Tal took a quick draw against Gaprindashvili to secure first place. He finished with 7Υ2/ 1 0, half a point ahead of Geller. Apart from the first round, Tal's play was generally of a high standard.

ln the penultimate round Tal faced Mikenas. Ίhe Lithuanian grandmaster played all the world champions from Capablanca το Karpov, with the exception of Fischer. He won seven of these games, drew fourteen and lost eighteen. Previously he had done well in his five games against Tal, winning twice and drawing the other three. Ίhis was their final meeting across the board.

Vladas Mikenas - Mikhail Tal Riga 1 968

l .d4 c!ί)f6 2.tl:Jf3 g6 3 ..ig5 .ig7 4.tl:J bd2 0-0 5.e4 d6 6 ..id3 c6 7.0-0 Y!lc7 s.geι e5 9.dxe5 dxe5 IO.tl:J c4 b5

Soviet Team Championship Α few days after his 32nd birthday, Tal played

for the Latvian team at the Spartakiad in his home city of Riga. Tal's first opponent was Igor Zaitsev, who equalized in an Anti-Marshall. Tal turned down a draw, but allowed his opponent το take over. Tal missed some drawing chances in a difficult endgame, and eventually lost. ln the second round Tal came under pressure against Bronstein's King's Gambit, and eventually succumbed in the endgame. Tal recovered from his poor start with a quick draw as White against Stein, followed by a good win with Black against Hermlin. He followed with uneventful draws against Polugaevsky, Geller, Keres and Κholmov, some or all of which may have been prearranged. ln the ninth round Tal drew his fifth consecutive game. Ίhis one was more of a battle, but Tal was unable to squeeze anything out of his small edge against Shamkovich.

l l . .J.xf6 12.tl:Je3 a6 13.a4 ga7 14.Y!id2 .ie6 15.h3 tl:J d7 16.tLig4 .ig7 17.axb5 axb5 18.gxa7 Y!lxa7 19.Y!ic3 h5 20.tl:Je3 Y!fc5 Having obtained a slight positional plus, Tal does not mind exchanging queens. .

Vladas Mikenas - Mikhail Τal

1 968

24 ... B:a3 25.tiH3 �c5 26.�b2 lt is difficult to suggest an improνement: 26.ll:J d2 .ih6 is unpleasant, and 26.\t fl i s well met by 26 ... 5! intending 27.ll:Jd2 fxe4 28.ll:Jxe4 ll:Jxe4 29 . .ixe4 .ic4t and White loses the rook. 8

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2 0i:Jg5? The Lithuanian grandmaster wants to exchange the light-squared bishop. White could have minimized his disadvantage with 2 1 .'Wd2 .ih6 22.E:a l or 2 l .'Wa5 .

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26 ... f6! Tal avoids a pitfall: 26 . . . 5? looks tempting, but would actually be premature due to 27.ll:Jd2 .ih6 28.ll:Jdc4!! and White fights his way back into the game.

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27.Φfl?! This hastens the end, but White was ίπ trouble anyway.

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Tal dares to put his bishop ση the edge of the board, where it will soon be pinned, correctly judging that White cannot exploit it.

23.E:al B:a8 24.ttldl Neither 24.c4 b4 nor 24.ll:Jc4 ll:J c5 ease White's suffering.

27 �xe4! 27 . . . 5 also gets the job done, but Tal chooses the more beautiful win. .••

28.c4 28 . .ixe4 allows 28 . . . .ic4t of course. 28 ttl d6 29.cxb5 cxb5 30.ttld2 •..

The World Champion

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Mikhail Tal - Igor Zaitsev

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Alma-Ata 1 968

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30 ... e4! Tal opens the long diagonal and the garne is over. 3 1 .lC!xe4 �xe4 32.hb5 :5 33.gxa2 �d2f Mikenas resigned. 0-1 ln the last round Tal defeated Mosionzhik, as shown ση page 277 ίη the notes to the next main game. Tal was not pleased with his overall performance, although his final score of 6/ 1 1 at least represents a decent recovery after losing his first two garnes.

Soviet Championship The Soviet Championship started on the 30th of December, just six days after the previous event finished. The host city was Alma-Ata, the Κazakhstani capital at the time. ln an echo of the Spartakiad, Tal's opponent ίη the first round was Igor Zaitsev. The grandmaster who later becarne a great theoretician and Κarpov's second faced all the world champions from Smyslov to Κasparov, with the sole exception of Fischer. He scored one win, eleven draws and seven losses. His recent victory against Tal was their only game thus far. Their lifetime score from Tal's point of view was two wins, three draws and one defeat.

l.e4 e5 2.lC!f3 � c6 3.Ab5 a6 4.Aa4 tC!f6 5.0-0 Ae7 6.1Ξ!:el b5 7 .Ab3 0-0 8.c3 d6 Zaitsev usually preferred 8 . . . 0-0, but rarely played the Marshall. Tal had recently been avoiding the Marshall, so it would be interesting to know why Zaitsev did not keep that option open, if only as a bluff. 8 d6 9.h3 h6 lt was not until 1 974 that Zaitsev first played the variation that now bears his narne. •••

Tal went on to win another nice game ίη the sixth round of the same event: 9 . . . tLi a5 1 0.�c2 c5 1 1 .d4 Wfc7 1 2.tLibd2 tLi c6 1 3.a3 lίJd7 14.dxe5 dxe5 1 5 .a4 lίJb6 1 6.axb5 axb5 1 7.Ei:xa8 tLixa8 18 . ./ίJ fl tLi b6 19 . ./ίJ e3 �e6 8

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20.lίJd5! τϊme and again, Tal was able to seize the initίative with a powerful lίJd5 move ίη this pawn structure. 20 . . . tLixd5 2 1 .exd5 Ei:d8 22.�xh7t Φf8 23.�e4 W!d6 24.'\Μι'c2 hd5 25 .�xd5 Wfxd5 26.Wih7 �f6 27 . ./ίJ g5 tLie7 28.tLie4 ./ίJg8 29.�e3 �e7 30.lίJg3 Ei:d6 3 1 . ./ίJ f5 Ei:g6

1 968

Mikhail Tal - Igor Zaitsev

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the previous year. According to the database, it was Tal who introduced this move.

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32.Wxg8t! 1-0 What a lovely finish! Tal Cherepkov, Alma-Ata 1 968.

IO.d4 ges ι O L!bd2 .if8 12.tί�fl .id7 13.tL!g3 c!LJ a5 14 .ic2 c!LJ c4 The position is almost identical to Tal Gligoric, as covered in Game 49, but here the black bishop is on d7 instead ofb7. This means that blocking the centre with d4-d5 will be less attractive but, conversely, the bishop may not be so well placed if the centre remains more open. •

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19 .id3!? Tal finally deviates from his Geller game. His chosen move is not stronger, but at least Zaitsev would not have analysed it as much before the game. •

1 9 .lίJd2 E:ad8 20 .We2 lίJh7 2 l .h4 .ie7 22.lίJf5 .ixf5 23.exf5 .ixh4 24.E:ad l 8

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15.b3 ln light of the differing placement of the black bishop, Tal diverges from the path he chose against Gligoric. 15 c!LJb6 16 .ib2 Tal had played all this before, against Geller •••

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24 . . . bxc4 25.lίJxc4 E:xd l 26.E:xd l lίJxc4 27.Wxc4 .if6 28 . .ia3 Tal got aπ advantage, although he subsequently spoiled it and had to fight for the eventual draw in Tal - Geller, Moscow 1 967.

Ίhe World Champioη

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19 ... �ad8?! Ίhis is rather a superficial move, as the rσσk turηs σut tσ have ησ real fuηctiση ση the d-file. Black could have saved time with 1 9 . . . b4!, iηteηdiηg to traηsfer the knight tσ d4 mσre quickly. 20.νΒc2 lt:\ c8 2 l .a3 a5 22.lt:\fl lt:\ a7 23.lt:\e3 lt:\ c6 24.lt:\d5 νΒd6 Black is ησt wσrse.

25.g3 �d3 Tal had a few games ίη the maiη-liηe Spaηish where he put his knight οη h6. Usually it wσrked well fσr him, but this time Black caηησt get away with the same idea, as after 25 . . . lt:\ h3t 26 . .ixh3 .ixh3 White wiηs a pawη with 27.lt:\xe5!. 26 ..ixd3 YNxf3

20.'iNc2! b4 Mter 20 . . ..ic6 2 1 .lt:\fl σηe caη see the pσίηt σfWhite's previσus twσ mσves: bσth c4 aηd e4 are well prσtected, sσ lt:\ e3 caη be played ηext. 2ι.l[lfJ. Tal starts playiηg fσr his favσurίte knight maησeuvre tσ d5 . 8

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27.a3! Tal explσits Black's lack σf cσσrdiηatίσn ση the queeηside.

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27 bxa3 27 . . . a5!? 28.axb4 axb4 might have given better prσspects to survive, by keepiηg the pσsίtίση as clσsed as possible. .••

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2l �h5 22.�e3 �f4 23 .ifl YNd6 24.h4! Tal prepares to kick the f4-knight. •••

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24 ... YNf6?! Ίhe queeη will nσt dσ eησugh ση the kiηgside aηd its fσrce will be missed ση the queeηside. 24 . . . f6 is a better try, althσugh White remaiηs ση tσp after: 25.a3! a5 Now the black rσσk wσuld actually staηd better ση a8. 26.axb4 axb4 27.lt:\d5 lt:\ e6 28.�a6 White has the iηitiative.

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Nevertheless, after 29.�a6 �b8 30 . .ie2 Wf6

277

Mikhail Tal - Igor Zaitsev

1 968 3I . .ig4 White has a clear advantage as his knight will soon go to d5, while Black's will not reach d4. If Black exchanges on d5, then recapturing with the c-pawn will expose Black's weaknesses on the queenside.

8

won three games in just two weeks by using the same motif: a knight jump to d5 in the Ruy Lopez, as a means of changing the pawn structure and unleashing the power of the other pieces. Tal used the idea with versatility, winning on the queenside in the present game and the centre and kingside in the other two.

30 ... �xd5 30 . . . Wc6 3 l . .ic3 :B:d6 32.:B:ea l leaves Black too passive.

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30.lLJd5! Just a week beforehand, Tal had won another Ruy Lopez game with a timely lίJdS. Here is the finish:

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3 1 c4 Zaitsev decides that passive defence would not offer much hope, so he swaps off one of his weaknesses. .•.

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25.lίJd5 lίJxd5 26.exd5 ιi\ e7 27.ιi\xe5 :B:xd5 (27 . . . :B:e8 28.f4+-) 28.lίJd7! .ih4?! 29.g3 :B:xd l 30.Wxd l lίJg6 3 l . .ixg6 fxg6 32.gxh4 1-0 Tal - Mosionzhik, Riga 1 968. Adding the present game and the Cherepkov game (see the notes to move 9), it means Tal

32.bxc4! Tal correctly judges that his two connected passed pawns will be worth more than the exchange. 32 ..ixa3 33.ha3 Φhs 34.c5 V!fe7 35.:B:dl

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The World Champion

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47 ... .if5 48.�b3 .ie6

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36.d6 �f7 37.c6 fxe4 38.�xe4 38.d7 should also win, but the pawηs are so stroηg that Tal does ηοt eveη waηt to allσw Black to give up his bishσp for them. 38 ....if5 39.�e3 .icS 40 ..ic5 �e6 4I ..ih5 ι;gs Tal iηtelligeηtly waited uηtil after the time coηtrol before advaηciηg his pawηs. Νσw he has time to calculate to a clear win.

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49.c8=�! Zaitsev resigηed tσ this eye-pleasiηg mσve. Tal says that after this "fairly gσod" game he was ίη a cheerful mσod ση New Year's Eve. 1-0

42.d7! .ixd7 43.ι;d6! Ίhis small fiηesse leads to a straightforward wίη.

Ιη the second rouηd Tal made a solid draw with Black agaiηst aησther Zaitsev, Alexaηder. Ιη the ηext game Tseshkσvsky ambitiously sacrificed sσme material, but was unable to create much play aηd Tal beat him. Ιη the fσurth rσuηd Tal had a cσmplicated game agaiηst Κhσlmσv, and accepted his σppσηeηt's draw offer while iη time trσuble. He fσllowed with a draw frσm a slightly wσrse positioη with Black agaiηst Leiη. Ιη the ηext rouηd Tal wσn a ηice game agaiηst Cherepkov, which was shσwη iη the ησtes to Tal - Zaitsev abσve. Tal fσllσwed with a shσrt but well-coηtested draw against Bagirσv. Tal theη suffered a surprise defeat against Platσησv, who played excelleηtly despite beiηg ση a lσw score before the game. He theη lσst aηother game agaiηst Κlovans, before drawiηg with Averbakh aηd beatiηg Nikitiη.

43 ...�f5 44..ig6 �g4 4S ..ib6 .ies 46.ι;χd8 .ixg6 47.c7 The c-pawη is far too strσηg.

Tal's ηext oppσηeηt was Gurgeηidze. Ιη his ησtes Tal makes several positive cσmmeηts abσut his oppoηeηt, although it has to be

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1 968

Mikhail Tal

said that the Georgian player had become an excellent client for him: after their 1 959 encounter (see page 38 1 of lhe Magic ofYouth) they drew their next game, but Tal won the next four in a row before the present meeting.

Mikhail Tal - Bukhuti Gurgenidze Alma-Ata 1 968

l .e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.lt1c3 b5?! Ίhe psychological battle actually started well before the clock was pressed. Gurgenidze had played several games with this weird variation of the Caro-Kann, and some of the other Georgian players asked Tal's opinion about it. Tal was not shy about expressing his low opinion of it: he knew that the Georgian players would tell their compatriot. Tal claims that he did not look at the idea at home, but Ι would not take this statement too seriously. 4.a3 dxe4 s.lt1xe4 J.f5 6.J.d3 he4 7.he4 lLJf6 8.J.d3 e6 9.lLJf3 J.e7 IO.'�e2 lLJbd7 1 1 .0-0 0-0 12.1:'!:el E:e8 13.lt1e5 lt1xe5 14.dxe5 lt1 d5 15.'1Mfg4 a5 Tal has obtained an advantage, but now he risks it in the hope of getting something more substan tial.

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16.h4!? Ίhe threat of h4-h5 and �h6 means rh.;.r Black is virtually compelled to accept rhe sacrifice. Tal may have taken into accounr the fact that Gurgenidze did not like to defend. Ι wonder ifTal would have played rhe same way if he had been facing Korchnoi! White can maintain an edge by calmer means with 1 6.�d2 or 1 6.a4. Objectively these options are probably srronger than Tal's imaginative idea.

16 ... hh4 17.g3 J.e7 18.Φg2 g6? Tal's gamble pays off, as Gurgenidze fails to find the best defence. 1 8 . . . �f8? 1 9.E:h 1 f5 20.'\Wh5 h6 2 1 .'1Wg6 wins, as Tal points out. Tal does not mention Black's best option: 1 8 . . . '1Wc7! Attacking the e5-pawn. 1 9.:§:h 1 ( 1 9.�xh7t Φχh7 2o.E:h 1 t Φgs 2 1 .'1Wh5 [2 1 .�f4? �d8 22.'1Wh5 Φf8 Black's king runs away] 21 . . . f5 White has no more than a perpetual check) 1 9 . . . '1Wxe5 20.�xh7t (After 20.E:xh7 �f6 the king can walk to rhe centre) 20 . . . Φf8 2 1 .�d3 White has compensation for the pawn, but it is not clear if he can claim an advantage.

The World Champion

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19.ghl .if8 1 9 . . . Wfc7? is too slow due to 20.gxh7! Wfxe5 2 l .!!xf7! and White wins. 20 ..ig5 Tal points out that 20.!!xh7? Φχh7 2 l . .tg5 allows Black to stay in the game with 2l . . . tιl e3t!. 20 ...�c7

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2 l ,gxh7! This impressive shot demolishes Black's kingside. 21 ... �xe5?! 2 1 . . ..tg7 was the last chance to resist. Best play continues: 22 . .tf6! hf6 (Mter 22 . . . tιlxf6 23.exf6 .txf6 24 . .txg6 .tg7 25 .!!ah l Wfe5 26 ..te4 White breaks through) 23.exf6 tιlxf6 24.Wfxg6t! fx:g6 25.!!xc7 White wins a pawn and should have little trouble converting his advantage in the endgame, but Black could play on for a while longer. 22,gxf7! Tal continues his destruction of Black's kingside. He also considered 22.!!ah l .tg7 23 . .th6, but was right to reject it on account of 23 . . ..txh6 24.!! l xh6 tιlf6 25.!!xg6t Φf8.

22... xf7 23..ixg6 t gs 24.he8 J.g7 25.J.d7 The game is essentially over, and the remaining moves can pass without comment. 25 ... tl1 c7 26.hc6 gf8 27,gdl �c5 28.J.f3 �xc2 29.gd7 gf7 30.!!d8t gf8 3 I .J.f6 �h7 32 ..ie4 �h6 33.J.g5 �h8 34.gd7 Finally Gurgenidze resigned. 1-0 ln the thirteenth game Tal was Black against Osnos, who was Korchnoi's second. The Fianchetto Κing's lndian transposed to a Modern Benoni, in which Tal gradually took over and expertly paralysed his opponent, who resigned after the time control. ln the next round Tal obtained a nice position against Liberzon, but unnecessarily sacrificed a pawn. He regained it, but his advantage disappeared. He squeezed for a long time but was not able to win. ln the next game Tal got a comfortable position against Lutikov, but made some mistakes and lost. Tal mentions that his kidney started to cause problems again. Ι believe that playing two strong events in quick succession also probably took its toll on Tal's energy levels. ln the sixteenth round Tal attempted a sacrificial attack, but Vasiukov defended well and beat him. ln the next game Tal played riskily against Podgaets, but he escaped with an eventual draw. ln the penultimate round Tal had some pressure against Sakharov, but his opponent defended well to hold. Tal finished with a quick draw against Polugaevsky. Tal's final score of 1 0Y2/ l 9 gave him equal sixth place. lt was a not a good result for him, especially considering that the tournament was missing most of the Soviet stars. Tal was impressive in some games, but fatigue and ill health took their toll.

1968 Summary Tal claims that he struggled with his health throughout the year. There is no reason ro doubr :,.

�ur it raises the question as to why he raised his number of games from the previous year. Of the available games (bearing in mind that at least one and possibly more ofTal's rraining games against Κholmov are missing from the database) , Tal scored thirteen wins with Whire, wirh t\venty-one draws and six defeats - by far his lowest percentage score in recent years. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Tal's results is that he did not win a single game against the Sicilian, scoring just four draws and rwo defeats. In closed openings Tal scored a solid, if uninspiring, rwo wins and ten draws. He developed his bishop to g2 more often than before, probably due to Sosonko's influence. With the black pieces Tal scored eleven wins, rwenty draws and six defeats. Against 1 .e4 he scored three wins, six draws and four losses - a far cry from previous years when he made a heavy plus score with the Sicilian. Tal did much better against closed openings, scoring eight wins, fourteen draws and just rwo losses. He mainly relied on the Nimzo-Indian, but also reverred to old weapons such as the Κing's Indian, Modern Benoni and Semi-Tarrasch in some games, as well as the Dutch on rare occasions. 1 968 cannot have been a satisfying year for Tal. Any pleasure that came from beating Gligoric must have been wiped out by the disappointment of losing το Korchnoi. Tal's tournament results were mediocre for one with his high standards: he was victorious at Gori, and played reasonably at Wijk aan Zee, but his results at the rwo Soviet events at the end of the year (and the start of 1 969) were disappointing.

1968 Results Wijk aan Zee (2nd-4th place) : 9/ 1 5 (+5 =8 -2) Training match versus Κholmov, Riga: Drew 1 Yz-1 Yz (+0 =3 -0)* Candidates quarter-final match versus Gligoric, Belgrade: Won 5 Yz-3Yz (+3 =5 - 1 ) Candidates semi-final match versus Korchnoi, Moscow: Lost 4Yz-5 Yz (+ 1 = 7 -2) Karseladze Memorial, Gori ( 1 st place) : ?Yz/ 1 0 (+6 =3 - 1 ) Soviet Team Championship, Riga (Board 1 ) : 6/ 1 1 (+3 =6 -2) Soviet Championship, Alma-Ata (6th- 1 0th places) : l OYz/ 1 9 (+6 =9 -4) * Only three games were traceable, but indications are rhat the training match took place over at least four games, and possibly more.

Total 57.8% (+24 =4 1 - 1 2)

D Wins

8 Draws 8 Losses

1969

. ·�

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Qualifying Match versus Larsen Tal and Larsen had both lost ίη the semi-final stage of the previous year's Candidates matches, and the qualifying system dictated that they would contest a match for the right to take part in the next Interzonal tournament. The match started early in March, ίη the Dutch town of Eersel. Tal had Black ίη the first game and equalized with the Tarrasch Defence. At one point Larsen won a pawn, but Tal was safe thanks to his two bishops and the game was drawn. In the second game Larsen played the Philidor and held firmly. In the third game Tal had a golden opportunity to take control, but he mistakenly sacrificed a piece and Larsen punished him to take the lead in the match. The fourth game was a Rauzer. Larsen had doubled f-pawns, and both players used up a lot of time. Tal gambled with a piece sacrifice, but ran out of play and lost. The next game was an extremely sharp main-line Κing's Indian. Tal sacrificed a rook and later avoid a perpetual. Larsen missed a win, and later made a mistake ίη time trouble, allowing Tal to catch his king and halve his deficit ίη the match. Unfortunately for Tal, he suffered another Rauzer mishap in the next game, as he went wrong after using up too much time. In the next game Larsen played solidly against the Κing's Indian. Tal tried for a long time to create chances, but eventually agreed a draw ίη the second adjourned session. In the eighth game Larsen surprisingly played a dubious line of the Alekhine which gives White good attacking chances. In a wild position Tal wanted to stop Larsen castling short, but he forgot that the Dane had already moved with his king. Tal's play evaporated and he had to resign after the time control. Tal thus lost the match S Y2-2Y2. Larsen deserves credit for playing well and smartly changing his style from one game to the next. On the other hand, Tal's poor play is indicative of his ongoing health problems. His White repertoire also proved insufficient for this level of competition. By the way, Ι noticed that Tal generally mentions the name of his helpers for those events where he was successful, but does not name them for events where he performed modestly. It shows what a kind character he was, but Ι was still curious as to whether anyone assisted Tal. Ι asked Sosonko, who told me that Koblencs was with Tal in Eersel.

Soviet Championship Tal spent the next few months in a Riga hospital, but he still managed to carry out his duties as correspondent of the Petrosian - Spassky match for 64 magazine by dictating the articles from his bed. He also played a game with Black against the readers of Pioneerskaya Pravda, which ended in a spectacular perpetual check. Tal then went to a Moscow hospital, where it was determined that he would require an operation

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The World Champion

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his kidney. Tal was given a date for the procedure, but he also learned that the expected recovery time would render him unable to take part in the Soviet Championship, which was also the wnal qualifier for the next world championship cycle. Despite his ongoing discomfort, Tal decided to cancel the operation and enter the championship. The tournament took place in Moscow, starting early in September and finishing in the middle of October. Gennady Sosonko was Tal's second. Tal started with a fairly lacklustre draw with White against Zhukhovitsky. In the second round Polugaevsky came up with a new idea in a main line of the Semi-Tarrasch, and went ο η to win after Tal failed to find the right antidote. ln the third game Tal failed to get an advantage and had to take a draw against Alexander Zaitsev. He then took a quick draw with Liberzon. Tal writes that his colleagues tried several times to convince him to withdraw. ln the next round Gufeld handled the Sicilian in a risky way, which suggests that Tal's poor health was visible to all. Tal got the type of advantage which would normally be fatal for his opponents, but he went wrong and was lucky to escape with a draw. ln the next round Smyslov played harmlessly in the Symmetrical English, but Tal played poorly and lost. So far he had barely been recognizable. Tal's next opponent was Κholmov, who we first encountered ο η page 1 5 of Ίhe Magic oJYouth. Apart from their encounter in a simultaneous exhibition in 1 949, they had scored one win each with thirteen draws - not including the unknown games from their training match the previous year. After the following encounter, they would go ο η to draw four more games.

Mikhail Tal - Ratmir Κholmov Moscow 1 969

I .e4 e5 2.tL!f3 tΩ c6 3.J.b5 a6 4.J.a4 t[}f6 5.0-0 J.e7 6.gel b5 7.J.b3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 tL!a5 IO.J.c2 c5 l l .d4 ffc7 12.tΩ bd2 tL!c6 13.a3 cxd4 14.cxd4 exd4 15.tL!b3 tL! d7 I6.tL!bxd4 tL!xd4 17.tΩxd4 J.f6 18.J.e3 Earlier in 1 968 Tal played the white side of this variation against both Averbakh and Vasiukov, but scored only half a point. Κholmov had been copying Averbakh's play, but Tal's last move deviated from that game.

20.gcl gac8 20 . . . Wfb7 would have given better chances to stay in the game, although White is still better. 2 I .f4! Tal seizes the initiative by playing against Black's knight, while also making use of the pressure along the c-file. Ι would imagine he

1 969

Mikhail Tal - Ratmir ΚholmoY

probably reached this posίtίon ίη his home analysis after the Averbakh game.

21 ... tlJ c6 2 l . . . l2J g6?? 22.e5 wίns material.

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22.e5! Tal surprίses his opponent with a brilliant move. 22 ... dxe5 23. tlJ xc6 .txc6 24 ..te4! This ίs why Tal sacrificed the pawn. The pίn ίtself is not lethal, but combining ίt with White's kingside attack ίs virtually winning. Black's last few moves were forced, but now he faces a choice.

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27.'1Wh5!! This fantastic ίntermediate move forces a fatal weakening of the kingside. Without ίt White would have no advantage, for ίnstance 27.'1Wf3 :Sfc8 28 .iLd5 (28.'1Wf5 g6; 28.:Sdl '1Wc7) 28 . . . iLxa3 and Black ίs safe. 27 . . . h6 After 27 . . . g6 28.'1Wf3! the pawn on g6 only looks like a small difference, but it changes the outcome completely: 28 . . .:Sfc8 29.iLd5 iLxa3 30.e6! White catches the king. 28.'1Wf5! White forces the pawn to advance to g6. 28 . . . g6 29.'1Wf3 :Sfc8

24 :Sfd8?! Κholmov may have been aίming to hold the posίtίon a pawn down, but his move does not offer maxίmal resistance. ..•

24 . . . '1Wb7 Black escapes one pίn, only to be caught ίη another. Nevertheless, this would have forced White to make some difficult moves to maίntaίn the advantage. 25.:Sxc6! :Sxc6 26.fxe5 iLe7

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30.iLxh6! 30.iLd5 and 30.:Sfl can both be met by 30 . . . iLg5! . 3 0 . . . '1Wb6t 30 . . . iLxa3? 3 l .e6! fxe6 32.'1Wg4 wίns. 3 1 .iLe3 White is a pawn up and is close to wίnnίng.

The World Champion

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8

3 I .j,f4 Φ gs 32.b4 �h4?! 32 ... i.e7 33.E:c7 .if8 34.Φh2 g6 would have enabled Black to offer sterner resistance.

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33. Φ h2! Having placed his b-pawn on a defended square, Tal makes his second prophylactic move in a row, preventing enemy checks.

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25.Wg4! j,d7 25 . . . Wfb7 loses in a familiar fashion: 26.E:xc6! E:xc6 27.fxe5 j,e7 28.Wff5 ! g6 29.Wff3 E:dc8 30 . .id5 .id8 3 l .e6 White wins. 26 ..bh7t Φ f8 27.j,f5 Tal is satisfied with winning a pawn. Had he been ίη his best form, he would most likely have found 27.Wfh5! Wfb8 28.E:xc8 E:xc8 29 . .id2 and White wins.

27...Wb7 28.fx:e5 E:xcl 29. E:xcl � 30.Wxf5 Wd5 Κholmov has managed to stabilize his position, and it requires both effort and skill from White to convert his advantage. Tal is up to the challenge. 8

33 ... E: e8 34. g c7 �f2? lt looks as though Κholmov was trying to avoid weakening himself with . . . g6, but his last move allows a quick win. 8

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35. E: c8! Tal uncovers a win by exploiting the back rank and the fact that the f2-bishop is unprotected. 35 ... E: f8 35 . . . E:xc8 36.Wfxc8t Φh7 37.Wfc2t! wins the bishop.

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36.j,g5! Tal creates two threats with one move. Black cannot defend against both of them, so Κholmov resigned. 1-0

1

Tal lost his next game with Black against Savon, but came back to defeat Lutikov, who played

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1 969

uηusually pσσrly. Ιη the ηext game Platσησv played a rσσk sacrifice which shσuld σηly have beeη gσσd eησugh fσr a perpetual, but Tal bluηdered aηd lσst. Ίhere fσllσwed a dull draw agaiηst Geller, fσllσwed by a lσss tσ Taimaησv which dragged Tal dσwη tσ 'miηus three' - his wσrst ever staηdiηg ίη the champiσηship. Tal came back to wiη a teηse game agaiηst Kupreichik, fσllσwed by a back-aηd-fσrth struggle agaiηst Vasiukσv which eηded wheη the latter failed tσ make his fσrtieth mσve ίη time iη a balanced pσsitiσn. Hσwever, he theη suffered a setback agaiηst Balashσv, whσ equalized with the Najdσrf aηd explσited Tal's subsequeηt mistakes. Ιη the sixteeηth rσuηd Tal scσred aη excelleηt victσry σver τukmakσv, which caη be fσuηd ση page 337 σf the first vσlume. He fσllσwed it with a quick wίη σver Alexaηder Zaitsev, whσ had a bad day, aηd theη a quick draw with Black agaiηst Petrσsiaη. Ιη the ηiηeteeηth rσuηd Tal was pressiηg agaiηst Steiη. Ίhe game was adjσurηed, aηd resumptiση did ησt take place uηtil after rhe ηext game had finished, sσ we will switch to that eηcσuηter. Ιη the ηext rσuηd Tal was cσmpletely σutplayed by Furmaη, but the latter bluηdered aηd allσwed Tal to take σver. Tal had gσσd wίηηίηg chaηces, but theη he cσmmitted a bluηder σf his σwn, frσm which he cσuld ησt recσver. After this huge disappσiηtmeηt Tal had to resume his game agaiηst Steiη. Despite what he describes as a "complete lack σf eηthusiasm" fσr playiηg, he maηaged to σbtaiη sσme wίηηίηg chaηces, but theη σverlσσked a small cσmbiηatiση which gave Steiη a draw. Ιη the ηext rσuηd Tal had a bye. He eηded the tσurηameηt with shσrt, pσssibly prearraηged, draws with Gipslis aηd Averkiη. Tal fiηished with l OYz/22; it was the first time siηce Curacaσ 1 962 that he scσred less thaη

fifty perceηt ίη a tσurηament. τal·s illηcs5 \\" "-.; σbviσusly the maiη reasση fσr rhe disappσinring result, althσugh it was alsσ ησticeable rhar hc struggled tσ get any advaηtage with \X'hire wheη his σppσηeηts played seηsible σpeηiηgs. Ίhe fact that Tal was able tσ wίη six games ίη such a strσηg eveηt, despite his illηess, is iηdicative σfTal's special taleηt aηd streηgth. ***

After the tσurηameηt had eηded Tal travelled tσ Tbilisi, where he uηderweηt aη σperatiση to remσve his prσblem kidηey. Ίhis 'mσve' shσuld have beeη made twσ σr three years earlier. Ίhe σperatiση was a success, and Tal claims that after the fifth recσvery day he already waηted tσ play. His health aηd mσσd σbviσusly imprσved a lσt. Sσmehσw, while Tal was ίη hσspital, a rumσur spread thrσugh Yugσslavia that he had passed away. Wheη Tal heard abσut it he called sσme σf his frieηds and repeated the famσus wσrds σf Mark Twain: "Repσrts σf my death have beeη greatly exaggerated." Tal must have eηjσyed entertaiηiηg his frieηds with this jσke aηd, ησw that his health shσwed sigηs σf imprσviηg, he must have relished the prσspect σf eηtertaiηiηg chess faηs with his play.

Goglidze Memorial Thilisi Tal's ηext aηd fiηal eveηt σf the year was the Gσglidze Memσrial ίη Tbilisi. lt started ση 1 7 December, just σver twσ mσηths after the Sσviet Champiσηship eηded. Ίhe big questiση was whether Tal had giveη himself eησugh time to recσver frσm the remσval σf his kidηey. Tal started with a quick draw with Black against Hσrt. He fσllσwed with a wίη σver Haag aηd a draw agaiηst Ciσcaltea. Ιη the ηext game, hσwever (which was his secσηd Black ίη a rσw) , Tal tσσk tσσ maηy risks aηd lσst

The World Champion

288

to Gurgenidze. He followed with solid draws against Κholmov and Fuchs, before scoring a convincing win over Gufeld. Tal's next opponent was Dzindzichashvili. The Georgian-born grandmaster played all the world champions from Botνinnik to Karpov, apart from Fischer. He won one of these games, drew thirteen and lost four. Prior to this game, he had lost once to Tal. Their three subsequent encounters at classical time limits were all drawn.

I3.hf6 gxf6 I4.V!!f3 0-0-ο ιs.V!!f2 Φ bs 16.b4! Dzindzichashvili comes up with an imaginative attempt to open the queenside. 1 6.tϊ:\a4?! is a thematic idea, but here it fails to meet the demands of the position in view of 1 6 . . .dxe4 1 7.ixe4 f5 1 8.id3 c5 when Black is extremely active.

Roman Dzindzichashvili Mikhail Tal -

Tbilisi 1 969

l.e4 c5 2. � f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. � xd4 � c6 5. � c3 Vf!c7 6 .ie3 a6 7. � xc6 bxc6 8 .id3 � f6 9.0-0 d5 Both sides have played the opening fairly naturally. •

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IO ..ig5 .id6 ι ι . Φ hι .ib7 12.f4 8

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16 c5! Tal allows an opening of the queenside in order to activate his bishops. •••

18.Vf!xc5 1 8 .Wfe l !? avoids the queen exchange and keeps some attacking chances along the b-6le, but Black's pieces are well placed and he can maintain a good position with either 1 8 . . . :B:c8 1 9. tϊ:\ d l Φa7 or 1 8 . . . Wfa5 .

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12 h6!? Tal does not mind provoking the doubling of his pawns, as he is putting his con6dence in his bishop pair and strong pawn centre. •.•

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17.bxc5 Vf!xc5!? Tal does not win a tempo, but instead aims to exchange queens.

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18 hc5 19. :B: ab l Φ a7 20.exd5 .••

Roman Dzindzichashvili

1 969

-

Mikhail Τal

25. tlJ c5?! Dzindzichashvili ambitiously srarrs ro tοω: matters in the centre. He must have calculared quite far, but it looks as though Tal was able ro judge the ensuing endgame with a more subrle sense.

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20 exd5!? Tal gives up on a preferable pawn structure in order to avoid opposite-coloured bishops. •••

2 1 . tlJ a4?! Dzindzichashvili tries to create some play on the queenside, but the simple 2 l .Ei:fe 1 looks preferable. 21 i.e3 22. Ei: b3 Ei: bS 23.i.e2 After 23.Ei:fb l �c6 the likely rook exchanges would help Black, as the significance of the bishop pair would grow. .••

•..

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26.c4? Dzindzichashvili takes the bait. He should have settled for 26.li:Jd3 �d6 27.Φgl when Black is a pawn up and has the two bishops, but White nevertheless has realistic chances to hold.

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23 Ei: he8 24.i.f3 i.xf4 24 . . . d4 is a good alternative, and after 25 .�xb7 Ei:xb7 26.Ei:xb7t Φχb7 27.Ei:b l t Φa7 28.g3 Ei:c8 29.Ei:b2 Black is somewhat better. ••.

25 i. c6! Tal sets a trap. Ι believe he had already visualized the position arising after his 32nd move.

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25 .Ei:fb l Ei:ed8 (25 . . . �c6 26.Ei:xb8 �xb8 27.li:J c3 Ei:e5 28 .Ei:d l White probably gets away with it) 26.c4 �c6 27.li:Jc3 Ei:xb3 28.axb3 d4 29.li:Jd5 �xd5 30.�xd5 would be joyless for White.

26 i.d6! Tal forces a winning ending with this subtle intermediate move. •.•

27. 2"i:xb8 White has no choice as 27.cxd5? �b5 wins.

290

The World Champion

27 . g xb8 28.cxd5 J.b5 29. g cl g c8 30. � b3 gxcl t 3 I . tι! xcl J.c4! Tal indirectly defends the f7-pawn. Ι am sure Dzindzichashvili calculated this far ahead, but he misjudged the position; White is virtually a half a pawn ahead, but it does him no good whatsoever. ..

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32.g3 After 32 . .id l ixd5 33.ib3 !e6 White will soon lose the a-pawn. 32 ... Φ b6! Black's king gets ready to defend the a-pawn when it gets to the fifth rank. Soon Black's bishops and a-pawn will decide the outcome ση the queenside; Ι think this is the element that Dzindzichashvili did not appreciate in advance. 33. Φ g2 J.a3 34. tι! b3 a5 35.d6 White's next few moves postpone the end, but they hardly create any hope to survive. 35 hd6 36. Φ f2 a4 37. tι! cl J.a3 Tal's play prevails. •..

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38.J.e2 J.e6 39.J.dl hcl 40.ha4 J.xa2 Having passed the time control, Dzindzichashvili resigned. This game was special news for those who studied it enough to appreciate the significance. They would have realized that after the operation Tal was again able to show his magic. Ίhis game may not be a wild attacking one; nevertheless it is evident that Black's play was special. 0-1 In the next game Tal won convincingly against Masic; then he extended his winning streak after beautifully outplaying Lein. Tal's next opponent was Suetin. Ίhe Russian grandmaster played a string of Soviet world champions from Botνinnik to Spassky. Suetin scored four wins, eighteen draws and seventeen defeats against them. Before this game he had lost twice and drawn six games against Tal. Ίhey played two subsequent games, winning one each.

1 969

Mikhail Tal - Alexeν Suerin

Mikhail Tal - Alexey Suetin Tbilisi 1 969

l .e4 c5 2. tίΗ3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. lt! xd4 a6 s.i.d3! Ίhis was the first time Tal played this flexible move. Ίhe absence of kidney pain probably gave him more time and energy to work on his openings; his White repertoire certainly needed a boost. Previously Tal favoured 5 . tίJ c3. Here are some of his highlights with the knight move: a) 5 . . . b5 6.�d3 �b7 7.0-0 Vfic7 8.E:el tίJc6 9.tίJxc6 νfixc6

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1 8. tίJ d5 cxd5 1 9.exd5 �f5 20.νfif3 �xc2t? 2 1 .Φχc2 νfixa2 22.�xc4 E:c8 23.E:d4 Tal went on to win, Tal - Mileika, USSR 1 958. b2) Despite the above success, Tal generally preferred 6.�e2, after which he faced two replies: b2 1 ) 6 . . . b5 7.a3 �b7 8.f4 d6 9.0-0 tίJ f6 1 0.�f3 tίJ bd7 1 1 .νfie2 h6 1 2.Φh 1 e5 1 3.fxe5 dxe5 1 4.tίJd5 νfic4 1 5 .νfixc4 bxc4 1 6.tίJf5 tίJxd5 1 7.exd5 From this position Tal beautifully builds up pressure and wins the c4-pawn:

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b) 5 . . . νfic7 is the main line, when Tal tried two different moves:

1 7 . . . g6 1 8.tίJe3 tίJ b6 1 9.�d2 E:c8 20.E:ae 1 �g7 2 1 .�a5 tίJd7 22.�e2 0-0 23.�xc4 Tal went on to convert his advantage in Tal - Vranesic, Amsterdam 1 964.

b l ) 6.g3 �b4 7.�d2 lίJc6 8.lίJxc6 dxc6 9.νfig4 �f8 1 0.0-0-0 e5 l l .νfie2 tίJ f6 1 2.h3 b5 1 3.f4 �e6 14.fxe5 lίJd7 1 5 .�f4 νfia5 1 6.Φb 1 tίJb6 1 7.�e3 lίJ c4

b22) 6 . . . tίJf6 7.0-0 reaches a final branching point where Black must decide where to develop his king's bishop:

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The World Champion

b22 1 ) 7 ... :JJ.e7 8.f4 d6 9.:1J.e3 lt:l c6 I O.Wfe 1 :JJ.d7 1 1 .Wfg3 g6 1 2.�ad 1 h5 1 3.h3 h4 1 4.Wff2 ι!Lih5 1 5 .f5 ι!Li e5

Tal smartly avoids the knight exchange. Suetin tries to solve his development problems, but he soon runs into trouble.

7 ... � g6?! 8.0-0 Tal does not bother arranging long castling. Black's last move invited f4-f5, so it makes sense to have a rook behind the pawn.

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1 6.ι!Lixe6? The sacrifice is both incorrect and unnecessary, but Tal gets away with it after his opponent's poor reaction: 1 6 . . . :JJ.xe6? 1 7.fxe6 fxe6 1 8.:1J.xh5 Tal went on to win from this advantageous position in Tal - Getman, Moscow 1 963. b222) 7 ... :JJ. b4 8.:1J.g5 hc3 9.:JJ.xf6 gxf6 1 0.bxc3 Wfxc3 1 1 .�b 1 lt:l c6 1 2.lt:lxc6 dxc6 1 3 .�b3 Wfc5 1 4.Wfd2 h5 1 5 .�d 1 Φe7 1 6.�d3 Wfb6 8

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8 ... b5 9 ..ie3 d6 IO.f4 fi.e7 1 1 .�h5! With this excellent move Tal adds force to a future f4-f5, and also makes it scary for Black to castle as the rook may quickly go to h3. l l ....tf6 12. g adl Tal develops his last piece and threatens e4-e5 .

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1 7.e5! 1 -0 Tal - Harnann, Κislovodsk 1 966.

s ... � e7 6. � c3 Tal decides against gaining space with c2-c4.

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Mikhail Tal - Alexe\- Sueriπ

1 969

14. g d2!? Tal opts for a versatile move, which enables him to choose between doubling his rooks on either the d- or the f-file. Ι can imagine that Suetin had used a lot of time on the somewhat unusual opening, and Tal wanted to keep him guessing about how he would build his attack. 14... tιl ce7 1 4 . . . ib7 looks more natural. Moving an already developed piece seems odd when so many of Black's pieces remain on their starting squares. 15. tι! d4 .id7?? Suetin was already having a tough game, but this awful move loses almost instantly. 1 5 . . . 0-0?! looks too dangerous after 1 6.f5 tLie5 1 7.E!:f4! followed by E!:h4. Perhaps the best chance is 1 5 . . . Wfxc3! ? 1 6.f5 tLie5 when White is clearly better, but Black can still fight.

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1 8 ...he6 1 9.fxe6 g6 8

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20.YNxe5! The queen sacrifice is beautiful. 20 dxe5 21 .exf7t Suetin resigned, as his king is caught. 1-0 •..

Tal commented, with his characteristic humour, that the game was not bad for a dead man. One can see why the game pleased him, although it must be said that Suetin played well below his usual level.

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Tal's move is pretty, bur nor diιti.cul:

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16.f5! All ofWhite's pieces are in play, so this is the perfect time to start an attack against Black's disorganized forces. 16 ...exf5 17.exf5 tι! e5 1 8. tιl e6!

ln the next game Tal impressively ourplayed Shamkovich on the black side of a Closed Sicilian, but he missed a finesse at a crucial moment which enabled his opponent to hold a draw. The thirteenth game took place after the turn of the new year 1 970. Tal tried to press from an equal position against Kostro, but the Polish player held firm and drew. ln the penultimate round Tal got the better of Spiridonov in a main-line Κing's lndian and eventually caught the Bulgarian player's king. ln the final round Tal played a quick draw with Bronstein. Tal's final score of 1 OYzl 1 5 gave him equal first place with Gurgenidze.

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The World Champion

The Tal of the Goglidze Memorial, who no longer had to worry about a problem kidney, performed like a completely different player from the one who lost meekly to Larsen and finished in the middle of the pack in Moscow. His latest performance showed that, if only he could keep his drinking and smoking under control, he might once again become one of the greatest forces in chess.

1969 Summary Tal only played forty-five games in 1 969; the low number is mainly attributable to the considerable periods of time he spent in hospital between events. His poor health clearly impacted on his performances: with the white pieces he achieved only a modest plus score of eight wins, ten draws and four losses, and he even made a slight minus score against the Sicilian. With the black pieces Tal scored six wins, nine draws and eight losses. He made a slight plus score with the Sicilian, but lost several games in closed openings. Nevertheless, the way Tal played in Tbilisi following his operation gave some cause for optimism, as his magic was on display in several games. 1969 Resώts

QualifYing Match versus Larsen, Eersel: Lost 2Yz-5Yz (+ 1 =3 -4) Soviet Championship, Moscow ( 1 4th- 1 5th places) : I O!Iz/22 (+6 =9 -7) Goglidze Memorial, Tbilisi ( 1 st-2nd place) : I O!Iz/ 1 5 (+7 =7 - 1 )

Total 52.2o/o (+ 1 4 = 1 9 - 1 2)

Ο Wins • Draws • Losses

1970

Rating 2 6 'i�

Although Tal's marriage to Sally Landau had effectively ended several years before, it was not until 1 970 that they officially divorced. From some point ίη the late sixties until 1 970, Tal had a relationship with a Georgian lady, the story of which involves a lot of question marks. They were married ίη 1 970, but divorced almost immediately. There was even a rumour that the woman left Tal during their honeymoon after her former lover came to their hotel room. Tal's first tournament of 1 970 was the Georgian Championship in Poti, which took place in March. Oespite being a national championship, it was organized as a round robin tournament featuring players of different nationalities. Several of the players were Georgian of course, but others are listed in the database under the vague term "Soviet", so Ι was unable to determine exactly how many nationalities were involved. IfTal had been engaged to a Georgian woman, it could explain why he was invited to participate. Ι was unable to find out whether the marriage and subsequent separation happened before or after the championship. As you will notice from the description below, the records indicate that Tal had the same colour in consecutive games a few times, which is odd for a round robin tournament. Assuming that the records are correct, the following explanation is most likely. Tal mentions that he was ση an extremely tight schedule; his next tournament actually started before the Georgian Championship was due to finish, so he arranged to play two games on some days. IfTal played a second game against a player who had a bye that day, it could account for the unusual colour sequence. Tal started with White against Gurgenidze. In a sharp Sicilian Tal sacrificed a pawn followed by a piece, but made a few inaccuracies and reached a lost, but still sharp, position. After a long fight the game simplified to a draw. In the second game Tal beat Ozindzichashvili with Black, but the moves are not available. In the next round Tal tried to press against Ubilava, but had to settle for a draw. Tal's draw ίη the fourth round against Chechelian is not available. In the fifth round Tal played the Κing's Indian against Buslaev. Tal concentrated a bit too much on the kingside, allowing his opponent to take over on the other flank and score an upset. Tal won his next game with White against Izvoshchikov, but the moves are not available. In the seventh round Tal had White again, and defeated Tamaz Georgadze. In the next round Tal outplayed and beat Bokuchava with the Sicilian. He then won with Black against Mikadze, but the moves are not available. In the tenth round Tal was White against Levin. He used his favourite device of giving up two pieces for a rook and a pawn, and got his reward when his opponent blundered before the time control. Tal's next opponent was Yuri Chikovani. They had never played before, and Tal won their one subsequent contest. Chikovani faced no other world champions.

The World Champion

296

Yuri Chikovani Mikhail Tal -

Poti 1 970

l .g3 g6 2.i.g2 i.g7 3. tiJ f3 e5 4.0-0 tlJ e7 S.c4 tlJ bc6 6. tiJ c3 d6 7.d3 h6 8. � bl i.e6 9.b4 VNd7 lO.cS!? In an otherwise normal reversed Closed Sicilian position, Chikovani advances his pawns in a slightly unconventional way. Tal exposes the slight drawback in White's idea. 10 ... 0-0 l l .bS

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17. tiJ d5 Ideally White would prefer to keep his defensive bishop in such situations, but the black bishop would remain dangerous on h3, and White's f2-pawn would be vulnerable. Therefore Chikovani decides to exchange another attacking piece while temporarily diverting the black queen. 17 ...i.xg2 18. tlJ xe7t VNxe7 1 9. Φ χg2 tiJ fS 20.VN b3t Φ h7 2 1 . tlJ e4?!

12.cx:d6 cx:d6 13. � el f5 1 3 . . . LLJxf3t 1 4.i.xf3 d5 is also pleasant for Black, but Tal prefers to start a pawn storm against the enemy king. 14. tiJ d2 � ac8 15.i.b2 f4 16.VNa4 i.h3 Tal steadily builds his attack.

The game continuation demonstrates that the knight has no value here.

2l ...VNd7 22. � bcl White would like to play 22.VNd5, but 22 . . . 2"ί:c2 is an annoying reply.

Yuri Chikovani - .\ 1ikhaii Τ�

1970

22 ... gxcl 23. gxcl d5 24. c!LJ d2 W/fΊ After sending back the knight, Tal creates a threat against the f2-pawn. 25. g f1 g5

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29. Φ gι Wih3 30.W!b ι Chikovani defends the b2-bishop. a

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26.Widl? Chikovani wants to play ii.a3 without allowing tb d4 with a big tempo. However, he should have left his queen on b3 in order to tie the black queen to the defence of the d5-pawn. 26.Φgl looks better, although Black still has fine prospects after 26 . . . g4, intending . . . h5 followed by . . . h4 or . . . ii.h6.

26 g4 Tal's kingside play grows more and more dangerous. •.•

27 ..ia3?! This loses time, but White was already in trouble, for instance 27.Φgl ΊWh5 28.'1Wb3 (28.'\Wal '1Wh3 29.ii.xe5 f3 30.exf3 tbh4! 3 l .gxh4 gxf3 wins) 28 . . . tb d4 29.ii.xd4 exd4 30.a4 :B:f5 and White is unlikely to survive. 27 g c8 28 ..ib2 Wfh5! The queen's penetration to h3 is decisive. •..

30.a4 can be used to illustrate what may happen if the bishop remains unprotected: 30 . . . e4! 3 l .ii.xg7 (3 1 .dxe4 tbe3 32.fxe3 fxg3 wins) 3 l . . . f3 32.exf3 tb h4 33.gxh4 gxf3 White will soon be mated.

30 ... g f8? Tal's move is good enough to win, but it is surprising that he overlooked a direct win with 30 . . . tbh4! 3 1 .gxh4 f3. Perhaps time trouble was a factor. 3 I .Wfc2 g fΊ 32.Wi c5 32.'1Wc8 does not help because of 32 . . . e4! 33.dxe4 dxe4 34.ii.xg7 (34.tbxe4 f3) 34 . . . f3! and White is caught. 8

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Ίhe World Champion

32 ... � h4! Despite being two moves late, Tal finds the knockout punch. 33.gxh4 θ ! 34. exf3 gxf3 35. � xf3 V:Vg4t 36. Φ hι V:Vxf3t 37. Φ gι .if8 0-1

chose the Paulsen Sicilian. Tal obtained a nice advantage, but he missed several chances to increase it and eventually drew. ln the second game Tal played the Semi-Tarrasch. Najdorf sacrificed a pawn for reasonable compensation and offered a draw. Tal declined, but soon went wrong and allowed Najdorf to catch his king. Here is the third game.

Tal's twelfth-round White win versus Dzhanaev is not recorded. ln the next round Tal defeated Gedevanishvili ίη an Alekhine; see the notes to Tal's 1 967 win over Vasiukov on page 25 1 . ln the final round Tal won with Black against Neuronov, who paid the price for an unsound pawn sacrifice. After winning his final game, Tal immediately departed for Belgrade for his next event. His final score was 1 1 / 1 4, but when he left Poti he did not know where this would place him ίη the rankings. He would later read ίη 64 magazine that he had won the tournament, half a point ahead of Gurgenidze, Dzindzichashvili and Ubilava. Overall Tal's play did not seem as inspired as at the Goglidze memorial, but he still did well to win the tournament, especially considering that he played two games on some days.

Mikhail Tal - Miguel Najdorf Belgrade (3) 1 970

l .e4 c5 2. � f3 � c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. � xd4 e6 5. � c3 V:Vc7 6.g3 Tal deviates from the first game of the match. 6 ... a6 6 . . . lLJ f6? 7.lLJdb5 led to trouble for Tal against Fischer at Bled 1 96 1 . 7 ..ig2 � f6 8.0-0 d6 9. g eι .id7

USSR versus Rest of the World Tal was selected on the ninth board for the Soviet team against the rest of the world. Each participant would play four games against the same opponent; Tal's adversary was Najdorf. Tal praises the conditions of the event in Belgrade, where virtually all the leading players participated. Since their game at Bled 1 96 1 (see page 92) , Tal and Najdorf had drawn one game ίη 1 967. The next four games would be their last against one another. ln the first game Tal had White, and Najdorf

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10. � xc6! The exchange is well timed. ιo ... bxc6 I O . . . i.xc6 1 1 .lLJd5! is more than unpleasant.

1970

Mikhail Tal - .\ 1iguei :\:.i.i C..: �-

l l . tίl a4 e5 Tal prefers l l . . . !::i: b 8! 1 2.c4 c5. 12.c4 .ie7?! 1 2 . . . c5 is still the lesser evil, as Tal poiηts out.

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25. lb xe6 Tal keeps exchaηgiηg pieces. 25 VMxe6 26.b3 YMe7 27.fMc3 :g b4 28.h4 Tal likes this mσve, but Ι thiηk he had a better σηe: 28 .a3! !::i: d4 29.!::i: xd4 exd4 30.1Mfxd4 1Mfxa3 3 l .b4! Black's positiση is highly uηpleasaηt. .•.

13.c5! Tal breaks up Black's pawη chaiη. 13 0-0 14.c.xd6 .ixd6 1 5 ..ig5 Tal says ίη his ηotes that 1 5 .i.e3 is stroηger, but White's advaηtage, based οη his better queeηside structure aηd σutpost ση c5, remaiηs preseηt after the game coηtiηuatiση. .•.

15 i.e7 1 6.YM c2 h6 17 ..ie3 :g ab8 18. :g acl :g fd8 1 9.h3 Tal thought a lσt abσut which piece to place ση c5. Later he suggested 1 9 .i.c5 as a slight improvemeηt. ••.

1 9 tίl h7 20 ..ic5 Tal exchaηges pieces ίη σrder to solidif}r his coηtrol over the c5-σutpσst. •••

20 .ie8 2 l . :g edl :gxdl t 22. :gxdl tl:\ g5 23.he7 YMxe7 24. tίl c5 tίl e6 Tal prefers 24 . . . !::i: b 5 25.!::i: c l tίl e6, wheη he rates Black's defeηsive chaηces as slightly better thaη ίη the game. •..

28 f6 Black could exchaηge a pair of pawηs, but it wσuld ησt solve his prσblems: 28 . . . a5 29.a3 !::i: b 8 30.1Mfxa5 !::i:xb3 3 l .a4 Black has a passive pσsitioη aηd the a-pawη is daηgerous. •••

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29. :g d3? Tal iηteηds to put his queeη ση d2 aηd iηvade ση the eighth raηk. Hσwever, he shσuld have takeη the σpportuηity to clamp dσwη ση

300

Ίhe World Champion

the queenside with 29.a3!? E:b8 30.b4 with a clear advantage.

29 ... Φ h7 Taking the king off the back rank is reasonable, but it is not yet necessary. Black should have taken steps to liquidate the queenside with 29 . . . a5!. After the natural 30.'�d2 Black even has the luxury of choosing between two acceptable continuations:

30 . . . a5! Once again, swapping the a-pawn was the best chance, although it is not quite as effective here as ση the previous move. 3 l .h5 Mter 3 I .i.f5t g6 32.i.h3 h5 Ι do not see how White can improve his position, and 32 . . . a4! ? might work as well. 3 1 . . . i.xh5 32.1:'!d7 8

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a) 30 . . . c5!? 3 1 .a3 E:d4 32.E:xd4 cxd4 33.Wfxa5 White has won a pawn, but Black's passed pawn is strong, and after 33 . . . d3 or 33 . . . i.f7 any result is possible. b) 30 . . . a4 3 1 .E:d8 Φf7! 32.bxa4 (Also after 32.i.fl axb3 33.axb3 E:xe4 34.i.c4t Φf8 Black's position looks safe enough) 32 . . . E:xa4 33.E:b8 E:d4 Black is fine.

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30 ..ih3 lt is too late to switch plans with 30.a3, as after 30 . . . E:b7! 3 1 .b4 E:c7 White is unable to maintain the bind. 30 ....tg6? Najdorf activates his bishop and goes after the e4-pawn, but this is not enough to justify the loss of both queenside pawns.

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32 . . . Wff8! 32 . . . Wfe8?! is worse due to 33.i.f5t i.g6 34.Wfxc6 E:d4 35 .i.xg6t Wfxg6 36.E:xd4 exd4 37.Wfd5 and Black has nothing for the pawn. 33.Wfxc6 i.g6 34.'Wc7 E:d4 34 . . . i.xe4?? loses to 35 .E:d8 . 35.E:xd4 exd4 36.'Wxa5 i.xe4 37.i.f5t i.xf5 38.Wfxf5t Φh8 39.a4 Wfd6 Black has decent drawing chances. 8

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Mikhail Tal - Miguel

1 970

b) The simpler and correcτ "-a,- is: 3 S : � :c.:: ­ �xf5 39.i.xf5t g6 40.i.xg6t :i g:-

3 1 . � d7! Tal invades decisively.

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35. � d6! With a few powerful moves, Tal finds a forced win. 35 ....ih5 36.�d3 e4 37.� d5 .ig4?! 37 . . . i.f3! would have given White a final chance to go wrong: a) Tal calls 38.i.xf5t? the more elegant way, but it would actually waste White's advantage: 38 . . . \t>hs 39.g4 E:h l t 4ο.Φg3 E!:gl t 4 1 .Φf4? Tal ends his analysis here, but overlooks 4 l . . . E!:d l when Black is the only one with winning chances.

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4 1 .g4 E:h l t 42.Φg3 E:gl t 43.Φf4 E!:xg4t 44.Φf5 White wins.

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38. g ds �f6 39.�gst Φ g6 40.�est Φ h7 4I ..ixg4 fxg4 42.�g8t Φ g6 43. � f8 �e7 Najdorf sealed this move but resigned without resumption. The simplest winning continuation is 44.E!:e8 followed by E!:e6(t) when White either forces a quick mate or wins the queen. 1-0 The Soviets' overall lead was reduced in the third round, so it was decided that they should play safely in the fourth. Tal played the Κing's lndian, but he handled the Fianchetto variation solidly. Nevertheless, his slightly

The World Champion

302

inaccurate handling of the opening enabled Najdσrf to get aη edge. At mσve 24 Tal σffered a draw. Najdσrf thσught fσr fσrty-five minutes, duriηg which he cσηsulted his team captaiη, Euwe, twice. Eveηtually the Pσlish­ Argentiηiaη graηdmaster accepted the draw, σηly tσ claim immediately that he had been wίηηίηg - a huge exaggeratiσn, althσugh he was certainly a bit better. Tal's 2-2 scσre ίη the miηi-match was ησt a great result agaiηst a sixty-year-σld σppσηent. The Sσviet team wση by the narrσwest pσssible margiη σf 20Y2- l 9 Y2. Fischer was the σutstandiηg perfσrmer fσr the rest σf the wσrld: playiηg ση Bσard 2 (behiηd Larseη, ση accσuηt σf the latter's receηt σutstaηdiηg tourηameηt perfσrmances) , the Americaη scσred twσ wiηs aηd twσ draws agaiηst Petrσsian.

Mikhail Tal - Viktor Κorchnoi Herceg Νοvί (Blitz) 1 970

l .e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. � d2 cS 4. � gf3 a6 S.exdS exdS 6 ..ie2 c4 7.0-0 .id6 s. g el ttl e7 9.b3 bS I O.a4 c3 I ι.lί) fl b4 12. ttl e5 0-0 13.J.f4 f6 14. ttl d3 .ixf4 15. � xf4 �d6 16 ..16 � bc6? 1 6 . . . ga7! wσuld have prevented what fσllσws.

Herceg Novi After the team eveηt there was a majσr blitz tournameηt ίη Herceg Νσνί, which featured several σf the cσmpetitσrs frσm the Belgrade eveηt. Tal recalls, "Τwσ years agσ maηy σf us played blitz with Fischer, and quite successfully. . . ln geηeral, it caηnσt be said that his play created a big impressiση then." Tal's first σppσηeηt was ησηe σther thaη Fischer himself. ln the first game Tal had Black; he σverestimated his pσsίtίση, allσwiηg Fischer to wiη a pawη and the game. Ιη their secσnd game Tal was better, but the Americaη turned a lσss ίηtσ a wίη in a remarkable rσσk eηdgame. Tal selects twσ σf his games frσm the eveηt in his bσσk: a wίη σver Reshevsky and the fσllσwing clash with Κσrchησί.

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17. tL1 e3!! Tal wiηs the d5-pawη σut σf the blue, thaηks tσ this fabulσus mσve which leaves the f4knight eη prise. 17 ... �xf4 18. � xd5 tL! xdS 19 ..ixd5t Φ hs 20 ..ixc6 g a7 21.� e2!? Typically fσr him, Tal dσes ησt sit ση his material advaηtage, but σffers his extra pawη. 21 ...�xd4? True tσ his σwη style, Κσrchησί captures it, but ίη dσiηg sσ he accelerates his demise. 22. g adl �c5

Mikhail Tal - Atanas Kolaroγ

1970

town of Κapfenberg. ln the first game Tai b;.;.: _ : up a huge attack with Black against Plachetka. but the Czech player managed to neurralize the pressure and escape with a draw. Tal '"as rested for the second match against Hungary. ln the third round Tal faced Kolarov of Bulgaria, who faced three world champions, the others being Smyslov and Spassky. He drew one and lost five against them. Previously he had lost rwice to Tal in the fifties, and this would be their last game.

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23.�e8! Tal exploits the weak back rank. 23 ... g af7 24. g d5! �b6 25.�xf7 Korchnoi resigned. What a devastating finish! 1-0 Tal ended the tournament in second place with 1 4Υ2/22, half a point ahead of Korchnoi and a point ahead of Petrosian. The tournament winner can best be described by quoting Tal again: 'Ίη the Yugoslav blitz tournament Fischer performed splendidly. The American grandmaster scored a stunning 1 9/22 victory; on top of that he scored 2-0 wins against all three of the former world champions [Tal, Petrosian, Smyslov] , proving that he was already the best player in the world."

Mikhail Tal - Atanas Κolarov Kapfenberg 1 970

l .e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. � c3 g6 Having previously lost to Tal in a Breyer Ruy Lopez and a Sicilian, for this game Kolarov switches to a system that he had never played before, and would never use again. 4. � f3 .ig7 5.h3 dxe4 Kolarov goes for a slightly worse but solid position. 6. lL! xe4 � d7 7 ..ic4 � gf6 8. lL! xf6t lL! xf6 9.0-0 0-0 IO. g el .if5 l l . lL! e5 .ie4 12 ..ig5 .id5

ΑΒ far as Ι can tell, this was the last time

that Fischer and Tal played each other, and it may well have been the last time they met personally.

Eωopean Team Championship After a busy but successful month, Tal was selected on the seventh Soviet board for the European Team Championship in the Austrian

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13.J.d3! After developiηg ηaturally, Tal retreats his bishσp ίη σrder to preveηt Black from exchaηgiηg pieces.

Ιη the eveηt σf 1 7 . . . Φh8 White should avoid 1 8.�xe6? ση accouηt of 1 8 . . . li:)c5!, but he caη keep some advaηtage with 1 8.�e l σr 1 8 . .ic4.

1 8.J.c4t i> h8 19.dxe5 �c7

13 J.e6?! Tal prefers 13 . . . �d6 σr 13 . . . b5. •••

14.c3 � d7? 1 4 . . . �c8 looks preferable. Kolarσv's move is rather ηaive; obviσusly it is ίη Black's iηterest to exchaηge pieces, but White caη easily avσid it. Ι fiηd it slightly surprisiηg that Tal does ησt criticize this mσve at all. 15. c!LJ f3! g e8?! Kσlarov must ησt have beeη expectiηg what follows, as the roσk move helps White ίη the eηsuiηg pσsitioη. Both l 5 . . . lM6 aηd 1 5 . . . li:)b6 lσok preferable. 8

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20.J.fϊ! Tal preveηts Black from shoriηg up his defeηces with . . . e6. Moreover, the bishop poses daηger for Black's kiηg. 20 g f8 2 1 .e6 t[} f6 Tal meηtioηs 2 1 . . . li:)e5 22.li:)xe5 .ixe5 aηd calls the pσsitioη teηable fσr Black, as 23 . .ixe7?? is impσssible due to 23 . . . .ih2t 24.Φh l �xe7. However, White caη do better with 23 .�e3!. Now . . . .if4 is preveηted aηd Black is left virtually paralysed, for example: .••

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16. gxe6! Tal makes what would ηοw be cσηsidered a textbook positioηal exchaηge sacrifice. White wrecks his oppσηeηt's pawη structure, weakeηs his kiηg aηd prepares to domiηate ση the light squares. 16 fxe6 17.�e2 e5 Kolarσv chaηges the pawη structure, but Tal is ready for it. •.•

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1970

Mikhail Tal - Aranas

23 . . . 1'!ad8 24.1'!e l �f6 (24 . . . �g7 25 .'1Wg3!! White wins back the exchange; also after 24 . . . 1'!d5 25.c4 �h2t 26.Φh l Black loses the exchange and will remain a pawn down) 2 5 .�xf6t exf6 26.�xg6! White is winning.

}(ο: � � -.

25. tlJ e5! Tal's move is not the onl:γ \\·a:· ω is the most elegant.

'•'.-�:-.. ::-

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25 tlJ h5 Ίhe rook cannot be saved, as 25 . . . Ξιt·s 26.tlJxg6t \Ώg8 27.tlJxe7t wins the queen. •.•

26. tlJ xf7t Φ g8 27.fi.xe7 Tal wins a second pawn and the outcome is decided. 27 � e8 •.•

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22 VN a5 22 . . . 1'!ad8 23.'1Wh4 is similar. •..

23. 1'! el VN d5 24.VNh4 � xf7 With the pressure on his position becoming unbearable, Kolarov tries to save himself by returning his extra material.

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28. tlJ d6?! Tal says he had been expecting his opponent to resign. His move is slightly careless as it allows Black to regain one of the lost pawns, but fortunately it also enables White to create threats against the king. 28 .'1Wb4 b6 29.'1Wd6 would have kept both pawns, resulting in an easy win.

28 .if6 29 ..ixf6 VNxd6 30 .ig5 � xe6 Black wins back one of the pawns, but he cannot keep his position together. Kolarov was also ίη time trouble. .•.

•

Ίhe World Champion

306

added another team gold to their collection.

Soviet Cup

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32.Ί1*rb3! Φ rs 32 . . . b6 would also be met by 33.1Ξid l . 33. � dl Ί1*fe5 34 .ih6 � d6 35. � xd6 Kolarov resigned. Ίhis game reminded me of Karpov's win over Larsen at Tilburg 1 979, in which the world champion sacrificed an exchange under similar conditions - the game is annotated in detail in 1he Making of α Champion, starting ση page 283. Karpov had most likely seen this game of Tal; Ι wonder if Tal had also seen a game involving such a sacrifice, or ifhe found the idea over the board. 1-0 •

In the next game Tal won convincingly with White against Holm of Denmark. In the fifth round against Spain, Tal had White for the third successive game; perhaps it was part of the team's strategy to give their most dangerous attacking player White in several games. He took full advantage, as Bellon Lopez made a losing blunder as early as the fifth move, and had to resign after Tal's fourteenth. Tal kept his winning streak against Golz of East Germany. Ίhis time he was Black and got into trouble in a Κing's Indian, but he gradually turned it around and won. In the final round Tal had a solid draw with Black against Bukic. Tal's final score of 5/6 gave him a gold medal for his board, and of course the Soviet Union

Tal's next tournament was the Soviet Cup in Dnipropetrovsk. It was an elimination event, which was unusual in those days. Each round was to be contested over a four-game mini­ match. Ίhe time control was close to normal, but slightly faster than most classical events of the era. In the event of a 2-2 draw, the players would contest a two-game mini-match at a rapid time limit. If the score remained even the rapid games would continue until the nex victory.

�

Tal was seeded into the second round, where he faced Bagirov. Tal nicknames his opponent the Baku Fortress and in the first game he lived up to the moniker, drawing solidly with White in a Nimzo Indian. In the second game Tal surprised his opponent with 2.c4 against the Caro-Kann. Later he got an initiative and successfully went after Bagirov's king to take the lead. In the third game Tal equalized with the Semi-Tarrasch and offered a repetition. Bagirov avoided it, but soon found himself in trouble and went down. Strangely, the rules stipulated that the fourth game had to be played, even though it could not affect the result of the round. Unsurprisingly, the players agreed a quick draw. Tal's opponent in the last sixteen was Gufeld. In the first game Tal played the Accelerated Dragon and lost a pawn in the middlegame, but he managed to survive the unpleasant position and eventually hold the endgame after 97 moves. Tal mentions that after the second time control Gufeld marked his scoresheet at the next twenty-move interval, but Tal warned him that there was no third time control - a fine demonstration of sportsmanship.

1970

Ιη the secσηd game Tal gσt aη edge agaiηst the Pirc, but the iηitiative shifted tσ the Geσrgiaη graηdmaster. Gufeld may have beeη shσrt σf time, as he σffered a draw iη a clearly better ρσsitίση, which Tal accepted. Ιη the third game Tal equalized ίη a Siciliaη aηd drew quickly. Ιη the fσurth Tal played mσre aggressively agaiηst the Pirc, aηd Gufeld's ηerves seemed to desert him, as his ρσsίtίση weηt frσm playable tσ lσst withiη a few mσves. Tal toσk full advaηtage aηd bσσked his place ίη the quarter-fiηal. Tal's ηext σρρσηeηt was Savση. Ιη the first game Tal had played riskily ίη the Mσderη Βeησηί aηd gσt ίηtσ trσuble, but he fσuηd aη iηgeηiσus queeη sacrifice. Mσderη cσmputers caη piηpσiηt the refutatiση, but Savση did ησt fiηd it aηd agreed to a draw. The secσηd game was agreed drawη as early as mσve 1 7, but it featured sσme early excitemeηt befσre it simplified. Ιη the fiηal ρσsίtίση Savση arguably shσuld have played ση. Ιη the third game Tal played sσlidly ίη the Semi-Tarrasch aηd a quick draw eηsued. Ιη the fσurth game Tal gσt ησ advaηtage agaiηst the Carσ-Κaηη, but this time Savση σutplayed him aηd wση iη sixty mσves. Tal was thus elimiηated at the quarter-fiηal stage. Brσηsteiη weηt ση tσ wίη the tσurηameηt after defeatiηg Savση iη the semi-fiηal.

Bσris Gulkσ

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Mikhail Τal

taleηts. They σrgaηized aη event in Sochi . iro:-:-: mid-Octσber to early Nσvember, pitting sen�n leadiηg grandmasters against seven σf the besr yσung players. Apart frσm Tal, the established grandmasters iηcluded such great players as Kσrchnσi aηd Stein. The yσungsters were sσme σf the best in the country, althσugh it is nσticeable that the niηeteen-year-old Κarpσv was nσt amσng them; perhaps he was takiηg part ίη aησther tσurnameηt at the time. Ι fσuηd sσme cσηflicting accounts σf the σrderiηg σf Tal's σppσneηts, sσ the fσllσwiηg sequence is my best attempt tσ make sense σf thiηgs. Ιη the first rouηd Tal was Black against Tukmakσv. Tal failed tσ equalize in a Nimzσ­ Indian, but maηaged to reduce his disadvantage and the game was drawn. Ιη the next rσund Tal was White agaiηst Kupreichik, and chσse the Marσczy Bind against the Accelerated Dragσn. Black tried tσ play actively with . . . f5, but Tal beat him cσnviηciηgly. Tal's third σρρσηeηt was Gulkσ, whσ wσuld gσ ση to becσme Sσviet Champiσn in 1 977. Gulkσ faced all the wσrld champiσns frσm Smyslσv thrσugh tσ Tσpalσv and Anand, missing σnly Fischer. He wσn six σf thσse games, drew twenty-seven and lσst fifteen. This was Gulkσ's first meeting with Tal. Their lifetime scσre frσm Tal's pσiηt σf view was fσur wins, six draws and ησ defeats.

Grandmasters versus Young Masters Thrσughσut 1 970, the Sσviet Chess Federatiση did ησt seηd Tal to a siηgle iηdividual tσurηameηt σutside its bσrders (apart frσm the Herceg Nσvi blitz, which fσllσwed ση frσm the Belgrade team eveηt) . Οηe pσssible reasση was that Fischer had started tσ becσme irresistible, while sσme σf the tσp Sσviet players were iη decliηe, which led the Sσviet authσrities tσ fσcus mσre ση prσmσtiηg their best yσuηg

Βοήs Gώko - Mikhail Tal Sochi 1 970

l.d4 � f6 2.c4 g6 3. � c3 d5 4.cxd5 � xd5 5.e4 � xc3 6.bxc3 J.g7 7.J.c4 0-0 8. � e2 c5 9.0-0 � c6 ιo.J.e3 'f!c7 ι ι .'flcl J.d7 12. g bι cxd4 13.cxd4 g ac8 14.J.b5 'fla5

The World Champion

308

15.Wlb2 g fd8 1 6 ..td2 Wlb6 Black has obtained a comfortable position, but White should be okay after placing the bishop ση e3 or c3 to support his centre. Gulko has other ideas.

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17.Wfa3?! i.xd4! Tal allows the exchange of his prized bishop in order to capture a central pawn. The decision requires fine positional judgement as well as precise calculation.

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1 9. g xb6 White has no choice, as 1 9 . .tb4 Wxc6 20 . .txc5 Wxc5 2 l .Wxc5 E:xc5 22.E:fd l (22.E:xb7?? .tb5! wins) 2 2 . . . E:cc8 leaves him a pawn down for nothing. 19 ...i.xa3 20.i.xd7 g xd7 2l.i.b4 Gulko faced an unpleasant choice, as 2 l .E:b3 E:xd2 22.E:xa3 E:xe2 23.E:xa7 E:b2 reaches another joyless endgame for White. 2l ...axb6 22.i.xa3

Taking the pawn the more natural way leads to an equal game: 1 7 . . . lίJxd4 1 8 . .txd7 lίJxe2t 1 9.Φh l ( 1 9 . . . Wc5 20 ..tb4) 20 . .txc8 E:xd2 2 l . .txb7 lίJ c3 22.E:b2 Wc7! Black has enough compensation to maintain the balance, but that is all.

18.i.xc6 In the event of 1 8.lίJxd4 Wxd4 1 9 . .te3 Wxe4 20 . .td3 We5 2 l .E:xb7 lίJ d4 22.Wxa7 .te6 Black's powerful centralization is more significant that White's bishop pair. White has chances to hold, but it will not be easy. 1 8 ....tc5! This intermediate move is one of the key points ofTal's previous move.

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22 ... g c4!? Tal probably wanted to provoke f2-f3 in order to create threats along the second rank, but 22 . . . E:c2! 23.lίJg3 E:xa2 would have been objectively stronger.

1 970

Boris Gulko

23. tί) g3?! Tal's previous move pays off, as the knight will be stuck a long way from the queenside. 23.f3! looks frightening, but it would have helped White's king to come to the centre. 23 . . . �d2 24.Φf2 Φf8 25 .�al �cc2 (Also after 25 . . . �a4 26 . .ic l �axa2 27 ..ixd2 �xal 28.liJc3 White can resist) 26.�e l �xa2 27 . .ib4 �dc2 28. Φe3 lt is not clear if Black can hurt White.

23 ... � a4 24..icl �xa2 25 ..ie3

λ 1ikhai; Τi

28 ... b3 The pawn is too strong. 29. g c3 h5! Tal makes sure that his king will caught. 29 . . . e5! is a good alternative.

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25 ... g b2! Tal correctly judged, in advance, that Black has excellent winning chances. Tal was always strong in positions with a material imbalance, and he especially enjoyed positions with a rook against two minor pieces. lt is worth noting that a middlegame with the same material balance might well favour White, as he could aim to coordinate his pieces in a kingside attack, with particular emphasis on the weak dark squares. In the endgame this plan is unlikely to succeed, while the advancing b-pawn becomes much more significant. 26. g cι b5 27. Φ fl b4 28. '.!? eH! 28.ltJe2 b3 29.ltJd4 e5 30.ltJf3 f6 also appears to be winning for Black.

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30.e5 30.h4? loses to 30 . . . �d6 followed by . . . �a6, so Gulko decides to give up a pawn ίη order to activate his knight. 30 ... g d5 3 I . tί) e4 � b5?! Tal goes for the direct plan of pushing his b-pawn. lt works well in the game, but it gives White an opportunity to resist. Objectively it is better to take the pawn with either 3 l . . . �xe5 32.liJd2 f5 or 3 I . . . �a5 32.�cl �xe5. ln both cases White's pieces are organized and Black lacks an immediate win, but he should have excellent chances to convert his material advantage with careful play.

32.e6? Gulko may have thought his position was hopeless, but he actually had a good chance to resist: 32.�c8t! This subtle move forces Black's king to an unfavourable square.

310

The World Champion

32 . . . Φg7

This is the obvious move, but it makes it trickier to capture the e5-pawn. 32 . . . Φh7 is playable, but it may allow an unpleasant check ση g5. 33.Φdl (33.e6? gb l t 34.Φe2 b2-+) 33 . . . ga2 (33 ... gxe5 ?? 34.i.d4) 34.gcl Black has no direct win; for instance, if 34 . . . gxe5, 35.lbg5 t wins back some material and keeps the game alive. 33.gcl gd5 Also after 33 . . . ga5 34.Φd l White is still fighting. 34.lbd2 gxe5 35.gc7 White avoids collapsing. 8

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32 ... g b 1 t! 33. Φd2 b2 Black wins by a crucial tempo, as his pawn will promote with check.

Champion faced all the world champions from Smyslov to Anand, with the exception of Fischer. He won six of these games, drew eighteen and lost thirteen. Ίhis was his first game against Tal, who would become by far his most problematic opponent from the champions. Ίheir lifetime score from Tal's point of view is seven wins, two draws and one defeat.

Vitaly Tseshkovsky - Mikhail Tal Sochi 1 970

l .e4 e5 2. ltH3 � c6 3 ..ib5 a6 4..ia4 � f6 5.0-0 .ie7 6. g eι b5 7 ..ib3 0-0 Tseshkovsky is one of only a few players who played the same first move virtually exclusively throughout his career. Tal was well aware that Tseshkovsky liked to attack, which is why he employs the Marshall move order. 8.d3 According to the database, Tal only played the Marshall three times in his career. Even when his opponents allowed it with 8.c3, he generally reverted to the main closed line with 8 . . . d6. Perhaps he would have made an exception for Tseshkovsky in view of his opponent's aggressive sryle.

34..id4 g dιt Gulko resigned. 0-1 ln the fourth game Tal was White against Podgaets. He did not bother to use his main weapon versus the Alekhine, but won convincingly all the same; see page 252 for the game. ln the fifth round Tal was Black against Tseshkovsky. The furure two-time Russian

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Vitaly Tseshkovsky - Mikhail Tai

1 970

8 ... d6 9.c3 lL1 a5 ιo.J.c2 c5 Tal had lost a few previous games with the main Chigorin variation, but the present version should be slightly more comfortable for him, as White has committed to an early d2-d3. ι ι . liJ bd2 � e8 12. liJ fl J.f8 13. l2J e3 J.b7 Tal's last three moves have been preparing . . . d5.

Tseshkovsky's ambitious attacking plan is ris .as if it comes to a standstill Black maY rak.: over in the centre. . .

20.J.b2 �ad8 2 1 .tίJxe5 would have led ro equality, with litt!e chance for either side to take over.

In his notes Tal expresses a preference for 1 3 . . . ltJ c6 or 1 3 . . . g6 but, as Ι have said many times, one should not pay too much attention to the comments of active professional players regarding openings.

14.b4 cxb4 1 5.cxb4 liJ c6 1 6.a3

It was not too late for 22.tίJf3!, which would have led to a balanced game.

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1 6 ... d5! Tal plays actively in the centre. 17. ltJ xd5 1 7.exd5 ?! is weaker due to 1 7 . . . tίJ d4!. 17... ltJ xd5 1 8.exd5 Wfxd5 19.J.b3 Wfd7 20. lL1 g5?! An interesting role reversal has taken place: quite often in the Chigorin Variation it is Black who undertakes an isolani and looks for active piece play, but here it is White who has done so.

22.tίJe4? Tal writes that this gives White an advantage, but Ι believe he wanted to disguise the true assessment of the position. 22 . . . tίJe6! Tal analyses: 22 . . . Wfxd3? 23.�e3 J.xe4 (23 . . . Wfd4 24.tίJf6t Φh8 25 .Ei:g3 J.c5 [25 . . . Wfxa l 26.Wfxh6t] 26.J.xh6 g6 27.J.f8t! gxh5 28.Ei:g8 White delivers a checkmate in Tal's analysis) 24.Ei:xd3 J.xd3 Tal claims he was going to play this, but after 25 .J.xh6! gxh6 26.Wfg4t J.g7 27.Wfd7 tίJe6 28.J.xe6 fxe6 (28 . . . Ei:xe6 29.Wfxd3 e4 30.Wfd5 +-) 29.Wfxd3 e4 30.Wfg3 Black is lost. Ι am almost certain that Tal saw the text move, but Ι believe he did not want ro

The World Champion

312

enlighten his rivals about the assessment of the opening.

27.:ge3 '1Mfxe3 28.'1Mfh4t Φg8 29.fxe3 lίJxf8-+ Black has τοο much material for the queen. 8

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23.'1Mfg4 23.hh6? is refuted by 23 . . . �xe4. Alternatively, if 23.:gd l tίJd4 24.�a2 a5 Black takes over. 23 . . . '1Mfxd3! 23 . . . Φh8 is safe, but Black can play more ambitiously. 24.lίJf6t 24.:ge3 '1Mfd4 25 .:gb l �xe4 26.'1Mfxe4 '1Mfxe4 27.:gxe4 tίJd4 Black is a pawn up for very little. 24 . . . Φh8 25 .�xh6 gxf6 25 . . . '1Mfxb3?? 26.�xg7t would be rather embarrassing. 26.�xf8 8

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22 .id5 Tal neutralizes Tseshkovsky's attack. He coώd have looked for more with: 22 . . . '\Mff5! Tal calls this move tempting, but it actually wins. 23.:gh3 e4!! White's pieces are split into two groups, and his back rank is weak. Black can exploit these factors with this powerful advance. Tal only mentions 23 . . . �c8? 24.:gf3 g6 25.:gxf5 gxh5 26.:gxf7 hxg5 (26 . . . lίJe6 27.�d5 :gbg 28.lίJxe6+-) 27.:ge7t �e6 28.:gxe8 �xb3 29.�xg5 and White wins. ...

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f///� h6 45.a3 g sg7 46. g d6t Φ h7 47. E!xh5t gxh5 4s .ixhs g g5 49. g d7t i> h6 50 .ie2 .iel 5 I .h4 g g6 52.h5 •••

The focal point of this encounter is the fascinating endgame, so we will skip directly to it.

•

•

Mikhail Tal - Κaren Grigorian Leningrad 1 97 1

l .e4 c5 2. � c3 d6 3. � f3 a6 4.d4 cxd4 5. � xd4 � f6 6 ..ie2 e5 7. tΩ b3 .ie7 8.0-0 Ο-Ο 9.J.g5 .ie6 ιo.J.xf6 hf6 ι ι .� d3 � c6 12. � d5 .ig5 13 .if3 g c8 14.c3 tΩ e7 15. tΩ xe7t he7 16. g fel � d7 17. � d2 g6 ιs. tΩ fl f5 19. tΩ e3 f4 20. tΩ d5 .i ds 2 1 . g adι �f7 22.�e2 h5 23. g d3 Φ g7 24. g edl g hs 25.g3 g5 26.gxf4 gxf4 27. Φ hι Φ h6 2s.J.g2 g g8 29.�fl hd5 30. gxd5 .ic7 3 1 .� d3 g cd8 32.b4 �g6 33 .if3 �f6 34.c4 �g5 35.�fl g g6 36. g 5d3 g dg8 37.c5 dxc5 38.bxc5 .ia5 39. g b3 g 6g7 •

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52 ... g c6?! Grigorian opts for active defence, but he risks too much. He should have simplified to a pure opposite­ coloured-bishop ending: 52 . . . gg7! 53.E!xg7

1 97 1

329

Mikhail Tal - Κareη Grigσriaη

Φχg7 54.Φg2 .ic3 (54 . . . a5 ? 5 5 . .ia6!) 5 5 .c6 bxc6 56 ..ixa6 Φh6 Ι thiηk Black caη hσld.

56.Φa4! E1xa2t?? 57.Φb5 :1:1a3 58.b4!! 1 -0 Tal - Κirillσv, Riga 1 956.

53. Φ g2 gxc5 54. � M6t After 54.:1:1xb7 :1:1c6! Black has deceηt drawiηg chaηces.

55 ... g c2 56. c.b fl ! J.xf2 Alsσ after 56 . . . .ic3 57.h6 :1:1d2 5 8 . .if5t Φh8 59.:1:1e6 :1:1d8 6Ο.Φe2 White caη press.

54 ... Φ h7

57.J.f5t c.b hs ss.h6! Ιη three mσves, Tal has created a seriσus attack σut σf almσst ησthiηg.

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55.J.g4! Tal gσes after the eηemy kiηg. Fσr such aη attackiηg player, Ι was surprised at hσw rare aη σccurreηce this was iη Tal's eηdgames. By cσηtrast, wheη Ι wrσte my bσσks abσut Κarpσv Ι was surprised at hσw σfteη the twelfth wσrld champiση checkmated his σppσηeηts iη eηdgames.

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58 ...J.h4 59. g e6 g cs 60. gxe5 g bs 6 1 . c.b g2 b5 62. c.b f3 a5 63. c.bxf4 Tal misses aη σppσrtuηity tσ imprσve his situatiση ση the queeηside: 63.a4! bxa4 (63 . . . b4 64.:1:1xa5 b3 65.e5+-) 64.:1:1xa5 .ig5 65 .h7 White's advaηtage shσuld be eησugh tσ wiη.

Let me shσw σηe example where Tal was able to catch his σppσηeηt's kiηg with little material ση the bσard:

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330

Ίhe World Champion

65. ��Μ7! Tal does not worry about the loose a-pawn and keeps building his attack.

a) 69 . . . b4 70.e7 ig5 Black threatens to take the e-pawn.

65 ....ba3 After 65 . . . b4 66.axb4 a4 67.b5 a3 68.:Ba7 ic i t 69.Φg4 White wins. 66.e5 j,cι t 67.Φ e4?! Tal comes up with an imaginative yet flawed plan to attack the king. White can win by using his e-pawn to win the bishop, and only then going after the king: 67.Φg4! :Bg8t 68.Φh4 :Bf8 69.ig6 ia3 70.e6 a4 7 1 .e7 ixe7t 72.:Bxe7 Despite the two pawns ο η the queenside, Black has no defence, for instance: 8

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72 . . . a3 (72 . . . :Bb8 73.Φg5 b4 74.if5 b3 75 .Φg6 gives White a mating attack) 73.Φg5 b4 74.if5 a2 75 .:Bh7t Φg8 76.:Ba7 White stops the pawns and wins.

67 ... a4 68.i.e6?! Faced with the choice between two promising continuations, both of which fall close to the fine line between winning and drawing, Tal makes an unfortunate choice. 68.e6! a3 69 . .ig6 would have won, albeit in more complicated fashion than the line above. Black may try advancing either pawn:

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7 1 .:Bb7!! Ίhe point of this brilliant move is not to occupy the b-file, but to leave the d-file. Ίhe reasoning becomes clear when we compare the following line: 7 1 .e8='Wt :Bxe8t 72.ixe8 a2 73.:Ba7 b3 74.ig6 (74.:Ba8 Φh7) 74 . . . ixh6 Despite being a rook down, Black can hold. Ίhe attempt to play for mate with 75.Φf5?? even loses to 75 . . . ie3! when the attack on the rook gains a vital tempo. 76.:Ba6 b2 Black wins. 71 . . . :Ba8 72.e8='Wt :Bxe8t 73.ixe8 a2 8

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74.ig6!! Unlike when the rook was on the d-file, this move now yields an immediate mate threat. 74 . . . ixh6 75 .:Bh7t! Ίhis decisive intermediate check forces Black's king onto the a2-g8 diagonal.

1 97 1

33 1

Mikhail Tal - Κareη Grigoriaη

75 . . . Wg8 76.2"ι:a7 b3 77 . .tf7t White wiηs.

77.2"ι:c2 Ει:d8 78.Wf6 Eι:f8t 79.Wg6 Ει:e8

b) 69 . . . a2 70.2"ι:h7t! Wg8 7 1 .2"ι:a7 b4 72.2"ι:χa2 b3 Ίhis is a hard pσsitiση to judge ίη advaηce. White has just σηe rσute to victory: 8

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80.e7!! Ίhis lσvely fiηesse seals the victσry. 80 . . . .td6 8 1 .2"ι:c4 .ta3 82. Wf6 .td6 83. We6 White wiηs.

73.h7t! Ι alsσ aηalysed 73.2"ι:f2, 73.2"ι:a7 aηd 73.2"ι:g2, but ίη all three cases Black caη ηarrσwly hσld a draw. 73 . . . Φh8 73 . . . Wg7 74.Ει:g2 .ta3 (74 . . . b2 75 .We5) 75 .Wd5 White prσbably wiηs. 74.Ει:f2! .ta3 75 .We5 b2 76 . .tb 1

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76 . . . Ει:f8 After 76 . . . .te7 77.2"ι:c2! the roσk is headiηg fσr c7. After sσme preparatiση, White will wiη the bishσp fσr the e-pawη. With rσσks ση the bσard, the resultiηg pσsitiση with aη extra bishσp is wίηηίηg.

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68 ....ixh6? Grigσriaη is happy to get rid σf the pawη, but he shσuld have kept White's kiηg at bay from his σwη with 68 . . . Ει:f8!. Ίhe defeηce relies ση the fact that White is uηable to fσrce a wίηηίηg versiση σf the eηdgame with rσσk aηd bishσp versus rσσk. White has twσ maiη tries: a) 69 . .td5 .txh6 70.e6 .tg5 Black will be able tσ sacrifice his bishσp fσr the last pawη uηder favσurable cσηditiσηs. b) 69 ..tf7 lσσks frighteηiηg, but it is ησt

The World Champion

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decisive: 69 ... Φh7! (69 ... .txh6? 70.e6 wins) 70.e6 Aa3 7 l .e7 (7 Ι .Φf5 Φχh6) 7 l . . .Axe7 72.E:xe7 Φχh6 and Black gets away with it

69. Φ f5! Tal creates serious threats against the king. 8

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7 I .e6 Φf8 72 . .ig6 Ag5 73.E:f7t White sends the king το the corner, where it will be caught. 73 . . . Φgs 74 . .ih7t Φhs 75.Φχg5 E:xe6

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69 ... E: b6 lt is tempting to try and take White's last pawn at once, but 69 . . . Ag7? loses immediately to 70.Φg6! with mate to follow. 70 ..id5? Tal's move looks good enough, but it allows an amazing defence. He could have won with: 70 . .if7!! The advantages are that the bishop is closer to Black's king and does not block the rook's movement along the d-file. Black has two defensive tries: 7Ο . . . Φg7 70 . . . .if8 7 l .e6 E:c6 (7 l . . . b4? loses το 72.E:d l !, highlighting the disadvantage of Tal's move; also 7 l . . . Φh7 72.Ag6t Φg8 73.Φf6 wins) 72.e7 Axe7 73.E:xe7 Φg7 (73 . . . E:c2 74.id5+-) 74 . .ie6t! Φh6 75.Φf6 The two black pawns do not alter the fact that the position is winning for White. 75 . . . a3 (75 . . . E:b6 76.E:e8 Φh7 77.E:d8+-) 76.E:e8 E:c7 77.E:g8 b4 78.E:g6t Φh5 79.E:g2 Φh4 80.E:g4t Φh5 8 l .E:xb4 White wins.

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76 ..if5! E:d6 77.E:e7! White prepares to cut off the rook with Ae6. 77 . . . Φg8 78 . .ie6t Φf8 79.Φf6 E:d l so.E:h7 E:fl t 8 I . .if5 E:gl 82.E:b7 E:el 83.E:xb5 The tablebase confirms that White wins.

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1 97 1

Mikhail Tal - Κaren Grigorian

70 Affi 71 .e6 b4! Grigorian advances the correct pawn. •••

7 1 . . . a3 ? is insufficient: 72.e7 :Axe7 73.:B:xe7 b4 (73 . . . :B:h6 74.Φg5 :B:h3 75.Φg6 :B:g3t 76.Φf6 :B:h3 77.:B:e8t i>h7 78 ..ie4t catches the black king)

333

72 . . . Φg8? 73.:B:b7 :B:d6 74 ..ic4 would not be sufficient. 8

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My main line continues: 74 . . . :B:c6 (74 . . . b3 75 .:B:b8 :B:c6 76 . .ib5 transposes) 75 .:B:b8 b3 76 . .ib5 :B:d6 77 . .ixa4 b2 78 . .ic2 :B:a6 79 . .ib l :B:d6 (79 . . . :B:a7 80 . .ia2! i>h7 [80 . . . :B:xa2 8 1 .e7] 8 l .:B:xf8 :B:xa2 82.:B:b8+-) 80 . .ia2 :B:a6

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74 . .ie6! :B:xe6 75.Φχe6 a2 76.:B:a7 b3 77.Φf7! b2 (77 . . . Φh7 78.:B:a6!+-) 78.:B:a8t! i>h7 79.:B:xa2 White wins.

72. Φ f6 After 72.e7 .ixe7 73 .:B:xe7 b3 the b-pawn is too close to promotion for White to have time to set up the mating net.

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8 l .:B:xb2! White is able to leave the rook hanging, since 8 l . . . .ig7t 82. i>f5 .ixb2 83.e7t wins.

73. Φ t7 73 . .ie4 Φg8 defends.

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72 ... b3! Grigorian defends well,

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73 ... b2 74.il,e4 b l =Yf 75.hb l 76. Φ xffi a3

:B:xbl

Ίhe World Champion

334

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stop the pawn from reaching the second rank, and the position is a draw after 8 l .Wfh5 a2 or 8 l .Wfa8 a2.

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78 g fl t 79. Φ es a2 80.e7 Φ g7! The king must leave the eighth rank.

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77. g d2! 77.ga7 :B:b3 is a simple draw. lnstead Tal takes his best chance, threatening mate while trying to stop the black pawn from reaching the second rank. Ίhe position looks winning, but Black has a miraculous escape. 77 g b2!! Ίhe move itself is not so difficult to see, but the amazing point is that Black can allow the white pawn to promote.

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•••

78. g dι Ίhe other possibility is 78.e7 but, here too, Black narrowly holds: 78 . . .gxd2 79.e8=Wf E!:f2t 80.Φe7t

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81 g d2t! Black sacrifices his rook to force a perpetual check. •••

82. gxd2 al=Wf 83. g g2t 83.e8=Wf Wfa4t does not change anything. 83 ... Φ f6 84.e8=Y!Y Y!Ya4t The players agreed to the inevitable draw. Grigorian won the prize for the best ending, and the way he resisted was indeed impressive. Tal made a few key errors and must have been disappointed with the outcome, but the way he attacked showed a lot of imagination. 1/2-1/2

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80 . . . Φg7 What a position! lt is rare for a queen to be rendered so ineffective with so few pieces on the board. White has no way to

ln the next round Tal played the Sicilian against Geller and sacrificed a pawn. Geller used a lot of time thinking, and eventually went wrong before the time control. Tal converted his advantage ίη the endgame. Tal's next opponent was Κarpov. Tal played the Queeήs lndian, and

1 97 1

335

Mikhail Tal - Wolfgang Uhlmann

both the future aηd the ex-world champioη were content with a quick draw. Α sigηificaηt poiηt is that Tal's previous four games had all been hard-fought affairs ίηνσlνίηg adjσurηmeηts. Tal meηtiσns that there was σηe day wheη he had tσ play three separate adjσurηed sessiσηs. Althσugh the quick draw with Κarpσv must have helped Tal tσ regaiη sσme eηergy, it was prσbably ησt eησugh fσr him to fully recσver. He iηdeed lσst his next game with Black agaiηst Steiη, althσugh it must be said that the Ukrainiaη grandmaster played excelleηtly. Ιη the fiηal rσuηd Tal gσt aη edge agaiηst Smyslσv, but was uηable tσ dσ aηythiηg with it aηd tσσk aη early draw. The twσ players tied fσr secσηd place ση 1 3Υ2/2 1 behiηd the surprise wiηηer, Savση. Whσ knσws what the final σutcσme wσuld have beeη had Tal cσηverted his wίηηίηg pσsίtίση agaiηst Savση ίη the very first rσuηd?

Alekhine Memorial Tal had rσughly a mσηth ίη which tσ rest and prepare fσr this strσηg tσurηameηt ίη Mσscσw. Almσst all σf the top Sσviets were preseηt, apart frσm Βσtνίηηίk. Several σf the wσrld's tσp fσreigη players alsσ played, with the ησtable exceptiση σf Fischer, whσ had speηt the year destrσyiηg three wσrld-class players ίη Caηdidates matches, drσppiηg just 2Υ2 pσiηts ίη 2 1 games. Tal started disastrσusly with Black agaiηst Olafssση, refusiηg a draw, σηly tσ bluηder ίηtσ a back-raηk checkmate ίη twσ mσves. Ιη the ηext rouηd Tal gσt ησ advaηtage agaiηst Leηgyel, but the Huηgariaη player badly misplayed the eηdgame aηd eveηtually lσst. ln the third game Tal chσse the Leηiηgrad Dutch agaiηst Gheσrghiu, demσnstratiηg his ίηteηtίση tσ wίη. The Rσmaηiaη played sσlidly aηd gσt a clear pσsitiσηal advaηtage, but was cσηteηt tσ accept Tal's draw σffer.

Ιη the ηext game Tal σbtaiηed a better pawη structure agaiηst Rσbert Byrηe, aηd gradually iηcreased the pressure uηtil his σppσηeηt cσllapsed. Ιη the fifth rσuηd Tal tried tσ stir up chaηces with Black agaiηst Balashσv, but was uηable tσ make headway aηd the game was drawη. ln the ηext rσuηd Tal prσduced aη attackiηg gem agaiηst Uhlmaηη. Siηce their 1 967 eηcσuηter, which was featured ίη Game 44, this was their first meetiηg acrσss the bσard.

Mikhail Tal - Wolfgang Uhlmann Moscow 1 97 1

l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. tLJ d2 c5 4. � gf3 � c6 4 . . . cxd4 was Uhlmaηη's chσice ίη the afσremeηtiσηed game.

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