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Mikhail Tal vs Vasily Smyslov
"Tal Tales" (game of the day Apr-10-05)
Bled-Zagreb-Belgrade Candidates (1959)  ·  Caro-Kann Defense: Breyer Variation (B10)  ·  1-0
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Mikhail Tal vs Vasily Smyslov (1959)

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 5 OF 5 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jul-25-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  talisman: <thegoodanarchist> and this game coming after smyslov saying, that he felt it his duty, to teach tal a lesson; that he was playing incorrectly and his style was nothing more than a bag of tricks. 26 moves later it's kind of like the walt frazier, keith hernandez commercial....Reeeeeeefuted!
Jul-25-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: <thegoodanarchist> "The Game of the Century" is hyperbole. I don't think Kmoch necessarily considered D. Byrne-Fischer the best game played in the 20th century - which was little more than half over, incidentally. Much of the reason he was so taken with the game was that it was played by a 13-year-old kid.
Jul-25-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <FSR> At the same time, have you ever read Levy's How Fischer Plays Chess?

In that work, the comment is written-and I'm paraphrasing this-'....had the game been played by two....men in the Barnet League, it is doubtful whether it would have been considered worthy of publication'.

Along with numerous other caustic retorts throughout the book, one gets the distinct impression that Levy was jealous of Fischer's place in the sun.

Jul-25-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  thegoodanarchist: interesting stuff.
Jul-25-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: <perfidious> I have the book, and a vague recollection of a quote along those lines. I'll have to take a look at it when I get home. If he really said something like that about D. Byrne-Fischer, it's an absurd statement.
Jul-25-11  gars: <FSR> and <perfidious>: I quote from page fifteen of Levy's book: "In my opinion, however, the game, attractive though it is, can in no way be held in such high exaltation. It was merely the fact that the combination was created by a thirteen-old boy that brought the game so much publicity. Had it been played in the Barnet League between two sixty-year-old men it is doubtful whether it would have been considered worthy of publication".
Jul-25-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Shams: From where I stand, Levy exaggerates much more than Kmoch did.
Jul-25-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: <Shams> I second that emotion. D. Byrne-Fischer is a great brilliancy, and would still be a great brilliancy if a strong GM were playing Black.
Jul-25-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: A.J. Goldsby in his site on D. Byrne-Fischer notes that in <The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games> Nunn, Emms and Burgess give the game 13 points out of a possible 15. They only give two games a perfect 15, and three games a 14. Soltis ranks the game No. 28 in his book <The 100 Best Chess Games of The 20th Century, Ranked>. I'm guessing that there aren't any games by 60-year-olds playing in the Barnet League in those books.
Jul-26-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <FSR>, <<Shams: From where I stand, Levy exaggerates much more than Kmoch did.>

No question in my mind about this.

<FSR:...I'm guessing that there aren't any games by 60-year-olds playing in the Barnet League in those books.>

Absurd, indeed; Levy could have taken a lesson in humility from his biographical subject Gligoric, a model of professionalism as well as a top-class GM.

I'd say the odds are agin' it, but as Yogi Berra said, 'One word says it all; you never know'.

<gars> Thanks for reproducing the quote to aid my tired old memory.

Jul-29-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  thegoodanarchist: <FSR: A.J. Goldsby in his site on D. Byrne-Fischer notes that in <The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games> Nunn, Emms and Burgess give the game 13 points out of a possible 15. They only give two games a perfect 15, and three games a 14. Soltis ranks the game No. 28 in his book <The 100 Best Chess Games of The 20th Century, Ranked>. I'm guessing that there aren't any games by 60-year-olds playing in the Barnet League in those books.>

Well don't leave us hanging, FSR! What are those 5 games that Nunn, Emms and Burgess ranked higher??

Sep-29-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  numbersguy70: Amazing. Fritz 12 has black slightly better after move 13, and takes 5 minutes to find 14.Qh4 as a drawing or better move. Of course, drawing requires black to play perfectly, which he manages until 18...Nf6 which allows +3.8 move 19.Qxf7!

More amazing still is that Tal HAD to see this at move 14, as only Qe5 holds even and other moves leave black clearly ahead after move 19.

Sep-29-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  sevenseaman: Tal is a bottomless fount of ingenuity, a personification of the game itself.

<Amazing. Fritz 12 has black slightly better after move 13, and takes 5 minutes to find 14.Qh4 as a drawing or better move.>

Thank heavens the analysing machines do not know its <Tal> who is playing. Their lack of concern for identity lends fairness to their output.

Sep-29-11  DrMAL: < FSR: A.J. Goldsby in his site on D. Byrne-Fischer notes that in <The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games> Nunn, Emms and Burgess give the game 13 points out of a possible 15. They only give two games a perfect 15, and three games a 14. Soltis ranks the game No. 28 in his book <The 100 Best Chess Games of The 20th Century, Ranked>. I'm guessing that there aren't any games by 60-year-olds playing in the Barnet League in those books.> LOL. Seems to me number scores are better for wine. That way, drunk on numbers one can start rounding, get a few backwards or forget altogether.
Sep-29-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  andrewjsacks: Smyslov is probably the most underestimated World Champion, and this is one of the ten best games ever played. So there. If Tal had stayed healthy, he would have been World Champion a long time.
Sep-29-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  andrewjsacks: Thank you.

Interesting.

A lot of mysteries in this life....

Dec-31-11  Dymdez: Why doesn't Smyslov check on move 20 by taking rook? That's an even game?
Dec-31-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Shams: <Dymdez> Either way, Black emerges down an exchange.
Jun-09-12  vinidivici: dude, whats up with black 15...g6?
Jun-09-12  Octal: <vinidvici>: It seems as though 15 ... g6 16 Bc3 threatens 17 Rxd7 Bxd7 18 Qh6 gxf5 19 Ng5.
Jun-10-12  vinidivici: <octal> wow thats deep.
Dec-14-12  standingtal: It's strange seeing things in the cold light of computer analysis. A dazzling array of attacks is diminished to the simple blunder of 18. Nf6 where things would have remained equal with Bf6, had Smyslov seen the queen sac.
Feb-01-13  itsdroyo: If 15...g6 ,then what?
Feb-01-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  Shams: <itsdroyo> Your question was answered just a few posts before you asked it.
Feb-01-13  itsdroyo: Oh goodness, I didn't even see that. Thx.
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