This collection is part of Game Collection: Tal's Tournament and Matches 1949-1973

These are all the games Mikhail Tal played at the <USSR Republics Team Championship 1959>, in correct round order.

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Hilary Thomas: "He seems to have relaxed- he lost to Keres, Spassky, and Nezhmetdinov and drew five games."

-Hilary Thomas, "Complete Games of Mikhail Tal 1936-1959" (Batsford, 1980), p.158 (pp.158-160)

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Tal: "We returned home (from Zurich 1959) to join the Latvian team, which was preparing somewhere by the sea in Riga for the USSR Spartakiad, when I had my first attack of kidney trouble. The doctors were unable to say anything definite immediately, but suggested that in any case I shouldn't play in the Spartakiad. I realised this would not be easy for me there on top board against Botvinnik, Spassky, Geller, Keres, Boleslavsky and other, but I decided that my participation would to some extent help the team. Although I took last place (for the first time in my life!) in teh team leader's tournament, scoring 2.5 out of 8, I nevertheless succeeded in saving a few points for our team in analysis, so that the lads considered that I had been justified in playing. (115)

I realsed, as early as the preliminary group, that I could not hope for much. I had only just sacrificed a knight on g7 against Keres, when I had a recurrence of the attack, and straight away the game ceased to be of interest. The following day exactly the same happened, and I am still sorry about this game: it could have been one of my best. Here is the second half of it, Spassky was White.

23...f6! 24.Qg4 f5! 25.Qh6 Nd6! 26.Nc2 Ne4 27.Nxb4 Nxb4 28.Ne1 c5! 29.Rb2 exd4 30.Qd1 g5 31.Bb2 Rc8 32.Rxc8+ Qxd8 f3 (D)

33...Qc3 (black wins easily after Nc3, and if 34.Qxd4 then 34...Ncxa2, when there is no defence against 35...Qc3.

(116)

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-<USSR Republics Team Championship 1959> In Moscow (6-15 Aug) Last place in the 1st board individual standings, behind Spassky, Nezhmetdinov, Gurgenidze, Botvinnik and Geller, with +0 -3 =3. Latvia finished 6th in "Final Group A," behind Moscow, Leningrad, Ukraine, RSFSR and Georgia. Di Felice, "Chess Results 1956-1960," pp.377-379; [rusbase-1] http://www.olimpbase.org/1959st/195... http://www.olimpbase.org/1959st/195... http://www.olimpbase.org/1959st/195... "The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal," p.115

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More "Tal at the USSR Team Championships":

Game Collection: Tal at the USSR Clubs Team Championship 1954

Game Collection: Tal at the USSR Republics Team Championship 1955

Game Collection: Tal at the USSR Clubs Team Championship 1961

Game Collection: Tal at the USSR Republics Team Championship 1962

Game Collection: Tal at the USSR Republics Team Championship 1963

Game Collection: Tal at the USSR Clubs Team Championship 1964

Game Collection: Tal at the USSR Clubs Team Championship 1966

Game Collection: Tal at the USSR Republics Team Championship 1967

Game Collection: Tal at the USSR Clubs Team Championship 1968

Game Collection: Tal at the USSR Clubs Team Championship 1971

Game Collection: Tal at the USSR Republics Team Championship 1972