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Mikhail Tal vs Vasily Smyslov
USSR Championship (1977), Leningrad URS, rd 7, Dec-??
Spanish Game: Open Variations (C80)  ·  0-1

8
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1
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White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
0-1

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
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Kibitzer's Corner
Jan-10-06  larsenfan: No comments in such a game by two world champions?
Does anyone know if the black line has been refuted? It seems very playable, and it is clear that Tal did not find the way...
Nov-06-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: Nearly three years too late, I agree with <larsenfan>. Black doesn't really sacrifice the Exchange, he ahem, exchanges a Rook for Bishop and 2 pawns. The most impressive aspect of this game is how one of the greatest attacking players of all time ends up with all of his pieces bottled up into one tiny corner of the board after 29...Bf3.
Jul-25-16  Eusebius: This was just not Tal's best day. What else can you say.
Jul-26-22  Zugzwangovich: This incomprehensible-to-me note was given by David Levy on pg. 143 of the March 1978 Chess Life and Review:

"On 13...Bc5+ Tal intended 14 Be3, and not 14 Kh1 Kh8 15. Nc3 because of 15...Nf2+ 16. Rxf2 Bxf2 17. Bg5 f6 18. ef gf 19. Bh6 Rg8, when Black has a material advantage and the attack."

Are we supposed to believe that Tal would, rather than submit to an exchange loss, throw away a piece with check for absolutely nothing?

Jul-26-22  ChessHigherCat: <Zugzwangovich> Yeah, I didn't see why not 13, Bc5+. then I saw it was Tal so I ran the fish and it gave its divine sanction. The only justification for 14. Be3 that I can think of would be accelerated development to get the rook out, but it doesn't seem worth it here (agree that Levy's comment is a bit of a Tal tale).

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