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Gedeon Barcza vs Mikhail Tal
Tallinn 11/5 1971  ·  Zukertort Opening: Kingside Fianchetto (A04)  ·  0-1
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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Oct-14-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  YouRang: Got it! I'm always worried when it's a "Tal" puzzle, expecially when it's a Friday Tal puzzle. He always makes incomprehensible moves. But today, the key move 21. Rd8! came rather easily. White's alternatives are rather limited and bleak (obviously he can't take the rook), so the follow-up wasn't hard to figure out. So, I'm 4/5 this week (missed Wed.).
Oct-14-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  kevin86: Tal,once again,shows his brilliance:First he sacs a rook-that cannot be taken;then he sacs a queen,ditto.Finally he forces a mate

24Rxd1 Qxd1+ 25 Re1 Qd3+ 26 Qd2 Qxd2#

Oct-14-05  grook: Couldn't white have castled after (9...Bh3) or is there something wrong with that?
Oct-14-05  notsodeepthought: <grook: Couldn't white have castled after (9...Bh3) or is there something wrong with that?> 10 0-0 N:f3+ loses the rook for a bishop, usually not a good tradeoff, unless white is Topalov...
Oct-14-05  EmperorAtahualpa: I was considering 21...Rd8 but I missed the essential follow-up combination of 22...Qxc1+ or 22...Qxc2. Great puzzle and very impressive play by Tal!
Oct-14-05  pggarner: White could have put up more resistance with 21.Rd1, but after 21... Rxc2, 22.Qd4+ QxQ, 23.RxQ Rc1+, 24.Kd2 RxR black is a clear bishop up. I agree with Topalove that Tal saw it all from 17 ... Qb6.
Oct-14-05  AlexanderMorphy: why does the puzzle say white to move, are we supposed to fin a way for white to lose...thats easy!
Oct-14-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: Tal didn't even bother to include this in _My Life and Games_.
Oct-14-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  YouRang: <AlexanderMorphy: why does the puzzle say white to move> That's funny, it said "Black to play" every time I've looked at it today...??
Oct-15-05  Makofan: This was easy. Since it was Tal, I tried to find a way to put a piece en prise, and ...Rd8 jumped out at once
Oct-16-05  AlexanderMorphy: yes my mistake sorry!
Oct-26-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  patzer2: The puzzle solution 21...Rd8! is a deflection which sets up a second key deflection 22. Qxc2! in a mating attack on the uncastled King.

perhaps of interest is the fact that Fritz 8 calculates a strong advantage for Black after 9...Bh3! and a sure win following Tal's 10...Bxg2! .

Oct-26-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  patzer2:


click for larger view

10...?
Tal to move and win.

Aug-25-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  chancho:


click for larger view

From the above position, Andrew Soltis wrote:

<"White only has a pawn for the piece, and the rest of the game score could have been ommitted with the comment "and Black won."

But what is remarkable is the way Black won. Instead of slowly exchanging pieces and avoiding complications,Tal sought a quick knockout with his extra piece in the middlegame. This required a bit of enterprising calculation, particularly at move 18 below. But by making the effort, Tal insured that the game would be resignable by move 23 not 43.">

From his book: The Inner Game of Chess pg 19.

Oct-02-06  Operation Mindcrime: <chancho> Well said. I'm busy putting together a collection of games from that very book - this one was a knockout.
Jan-15-09  chocobonbon: Not in _My Life and Games_? For nearly anyone else this would be their "Immortal Game" but, truth be told IMHO, all Tal's great combinations are immortal. Thank you, chessgames.com.
Oct-14-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  sevenseaman: How about 19. Rd8? I am at a loss to find an escape route for White; the game or the Q.
Nov-17-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  sevenseaman: No response so far to my last comment. To illustrate it better, the position;


click for larger view

In the position above, Black moves ... 19. Rd8 White has to lose his Q to postpone the mate threat... 20. Qe2#.

Nov-17-10  I play the Fred: What about 20 Qe3, then?
Nov-17-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sastre: 19...Rd8 20.Qe3 Qxb2 looks good for Black.
Nov-17-10  I play the Fred: Well, I was addressing <sevenseaman>'s post, the idea that white either loses his queen or gets mated after 19...Rd8. I wasn't trying to suggest that white can save his game or anything.

A cute little finish of the 19...Rd8 20 Qe3 Qxb2 line is 21 Bxg7? which looks at a glance like a viable defense, but the weak back rank allows the shot 21...Qxa1+!, with mate next move. I guess 21 Rc1 is the best chance, but 21...Bxf8 restores material and black's much superior position will tell quickly.

But my very narrow point was simply that 19...Rd8 wasn't a "wins next move" situation.

Nov-17-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sastre: <I guess 21 Rc1 is the best chance, but 21...Bxf8 restores material and black's much superior position will tell quickly> 21...Bc3+ 22.Kf1 Qb5+ 23.Qd3 Rxd3 is a quicker win.
Nov-18-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  sevenseaman: < I play the Fred: What about 20 Qe3, then?>

...20. Rxe3 21. fxe3 Qxe3. White does not get out of the woods.

Nov-18-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  sevenseaman: < I play the Fred> I have not claimed 'wins next move'. The whole and simplistic idea of ... 19. Rd8 is that it wins inexorably and that Qxb2 detour is redundant.

20. Qe3 delays mate but not by much. Resignation is in the air.

Sep-23-11  screwdriver: It looks like the Bh3 idea is used quite a bit by players using this opening or similar opening. If you're white, you need to be prepared for this kind of thing.
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