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Mikhail Tal vs Yrjo Rantanen
"Rantanen Raving" (game of the day Aug-09-2005)
Keres Memorial (1979), Tallinn URS, rd 16, Mar-14
Sicilian Defense: Nezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack (B30)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 6 ·  Later Kibitzing>
May-27-04  Jstone: Intense, very intense thinking by white.Had to be,cause if vhe couldnt come up with that puzzle solution;He was gone.I bet black hurt for a long time after that one.Hurt real bad.
May-27-04  rosinante: Can black save himself with 28...Bh5?
BTW, my first posting.
May-27-04  iron maiden: <rosinante> No, 28...Bh5 loses to 29. Qxh5 and Black can't stop Qxh7# next move. Welcome to the site, by the way.
May-27-04  filipecea: Does anyone can explain to me why 21...fxe5 instead of dxe5? Why giving white's rook such a huge file? Is this to avoid the "isolate pawn" on c5?
May-27-04  Brian Watson: <filipecea> 21..dxf5 would allow 22.Rxf6.
May-27-04  ruylopez900: Congrats to all who got it. It seems today's puzzle was just a matter of looking at various ideas :) (like the idea of imagining pieces where you want them, don't move them, just place them =D)
May-27-04  misguidedaggression: <masterwojtek: In chess most people think more than 3 or 4 moves ahead...> Not the people I like to play against! >:)
May-27-04  Dudley: <masterwojtec> Isn't it best to only think one move ahead-the best one? Seriously, most people don't think that far ahead in most game situations, only when it gets tactical.
May-27-04  rover: <Sneaky> Definitely a hard one. I didn't get it though I generally don't have problems with these puzzles. Except the Sunday ones of course.

I think the reason for this is that I, and I suspect that most other players too, mostly use pattern recognition and heuristics to solve puzzles or look for killer moves in games. I only use logic to organize all the patterns into a winning sequence not to actually look for resources.

Now, moving an attacking piece to the corner is counter-intuitive and the mate with B on h8(!) and Q on g7 is less common than one with B on f6 and Q on g7. Actually, I don't think I have any pattern where a supporting piece is in the opponents corner. Well, I have one now, I guess :)

May-27-04  Dudley: Maybe they do think far ahead all the time at master level but not at my class A level.
May-28-04  masterwojtek: If you dont think 3 moves ahead, than trust me, you are not in "class A level" Funny side note: Reti used to think only 1 move ahead. Sure...tell that to Alekhine (the greatest chess player that ever lived!)
May-28-04  marekg248: Black resigned after 28.Bh8 (according to the book of Tal's games from 1974-1979 published in Riga in 2001). But as a follow up demonstration it's OK.
May-28-04  ajile: 26...Bxd1 seems lame. Why not 26..Rg8?
May-28-04  Dudley: Well, I am not talking about how far I can calculate in a situation that needs calculation. I am just saying that many moves of typical games are made in a routine way, such as strengthening pawn moves, rooks to open files, centralizing knights, castling, etc. I don't waste a lot of time calculating when there is nothing in the game yet to calculate.
Aug-09-05  blackjacki2: When Tal makes a move like 24. Nf6, are his next few movies pretty instant? I'd assume once he had the combination down he could follow through in a matter of seconds
Aug-09-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  WannaBe: Black chose to not to castle... I have to wonder why... Can anyone tell me?!
Aug-09-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  al wazir: <WannaBe: Black chose to not to castle... I have to wonder why... Can anyone tell me?!> The king on f7 defends the g pawn. Otherwise the king's bishop can't move. Black *did* castle; he castled "by hand." It cost him a extra move. I think that might be the main reason why Tal brought the white queen out early.
Aug-09-05  whatthefat: <Dudley>
But that's nonsense. Some positions are certainly more tactical than others and require deeper calculation. But even in a fairly placid position, where plans take precedence over tactics, it pays to check the timing of your opponents plan with yours, as inevitably, some tactics are going to arise.
Aug-09-05  Marvol: Again, a pretty attack but like yesterday's Kasparov-Csom I think the defending is... absent.

Look at black's position after move 22! White has a queen, a rook, a bishop and a knight ready to strike at black's king. What has black to defend? Wow, a whopping... bishop. Great. Well played, dude.

I'm no expert but black's setup... why is black so adamant to get his rook to e8? I learned that you should put rooks on open files or files that will be opened. The e-file is closed and at the time black could open it (19. f4), he doesn't (19...Kg8). He also doesn't really need to defend the e-pawn as white can barely get at it and it's already defended by two pawns. That's two moves wasted.

I also don't see the point of playing (17)...c5, giving the vital square d5 to white - well why did black not play Be6 to trade that horse? And the rook on the b-file I suggest would have been better off at b7, defending the 7th rank.

Anyway I'm probably wrong coz I'm not a GM but just my tuppence worth...

Aug-09-05  Poisonpawns: Thats my boy!
Aug-09-05  Averageguy: This game is a good illustration of how good strategical play underlies all great attacks.
Aug-09-05  kevin86: It's strange how Tal plays:it seems he's always sacrificing something--and his position keeps getting stronger and stronger! Until the king is dead!

Adolph Anderssen was the master of the sac in the 19th century--Tal seems to have been the 20th century choice.

Aug-09-05  Chess Addict: Black shoud NOT have taken the bait.
Aug-09-05  Averageguy: <Chess Addict> <Black shoud NOT have taken the bait.> He had too, his rook and bishop were forked. Anyway, had he not acceptd the sac, we eould be robbed of a great game.
Aug-09-05  Gregor Samsa Mendel: <Averageguy>--I don't see a fork. Has anybody figured out what white would have played after 26...Rg8, suggested by <ajile> well over a year ago?
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