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Mikhail Tal vs Boris Spassky
Spassky - Tal Candidates Final (1965), Tbilisi URS, rd 1, Nov-01
Spanish Game: Marshall Attack. Modern Main Line (C89)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Feb-11-03  ughaibu: I think this must be the game that Tal meant when discussing the idea for his combination against Brink Clausen.
Feb-12-03  kingspawn: why did Tal accept a draw? i think he can win if he can get his king to his passed pawns.
Feb-12-03  ughaibu: As it's Spassky's move it must have been Tal who offered the draw. With only isolated pawns and bishops on opposite colours I doubt if it's much fun trying to win.
Feb-12-03  drukenknight: why doesnt Tal simply push the d pawn like: 35 d6?

I think Spassky waited too long to capture the B. 25....Nxd3 26 Nxe3 Rh6+ might be better.

Feb-13-03  mdorothy: On 35.d6, He probably wanted to protect the critical b4 square instead, because white could immediately place his bishop there, winning the pawn, for black only has a white colored bishop.
Feb-13-03  mdorothy: Maybe you have the moves mixed up, but black cant capture on d3 on his 25th move, for his black bishop is there. If you mean 25...Nxe3 26. Nxd3 Rh6+, I think blacks chances of keeping the c-pawn are very slim after 26. fxe3 instead. I don't have a lot of time to look at blacks attacking chances, so I can't rule them out, tho.
Feb-13-03  drukenknight: md has the correct line, I made a typo mistake. Ok so: 25...Nxe3 26 fxe3 hmmmm....
Dec-20-05  AlexanderMorphy: where does the marshall main line end in...as in which move does theory end in this game?
Dec-20-05  KingG: I would guess that at least the first 20 moves were theory.
Dec-20-05  zhentil: <AlexanderMorphy> I think some lines have been taken out to mid-30's.
Dec-20-05  AlexanderMorphy: yes i know the first 20 moves very well...however it is after the 20th move that i am not sure where exactly theory ends.
Dec-20-05  KingG: I think 18...Qh5 was the novelty.
Dec-20-05  AlexanderMorphy: yes i agree <kingG> i think we usually see bxa4
Dec-20-05  RookFile: Spassky was the world's leading expert on the Ruy Lopez Marshall system during these days.
Dec-20-05  KingG: He should have tried the Marshall against Fischer, not that i think it would have made much difference, but it would have been interesting.
Dec-20-05  RookFile: You're referring to the world championship match. You might have a point: in an Olympiad game, Spassky played the Marshall, and drew without difficulity. My guess is: Spassky was not afraid of the Marshall per se, but some line in the 'Anti Marshall' that Fischer might play, instead of going into the Marshall as he did here:

Fischer vs Spassky, 1966

Dec-20-05  KingG: <RookFile> Yes, but Fischer usually allowed the Marshall. He wasn't afraid of it like Kasparov.:-)

My guess is Fischer saw it the way he saw the Najdorf Poisoned Pawn: I get a pawn for free, and all i have to do is find some good defensive moves. Remember, the theory wasn't as advanced as it was now, so he no one was to know that it could be worked out to virtually a forced draw.

Sep-18-12  Conrad93: Most players would have resigned right after 23.Bd1.
Jun-06-13  Tamb0: Maybe I'm missing something here, but surely after
16. Qd3, black wins with ...16. Bf3 followed by ...17. Qg2#

The only way for white to avoid this is 17. Qxh7+, losing the white queen, but gaining a little time after ...17. QxQ.

I simply don't see another way out for white.

Jun-06-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Tamb0: Maybe I'm missing something here, but surely after 16. Qd3, black wins with ...16. Bf3 followed by ...17. Qg2#.....>

White is forced to play 17.Qf1, but this is the point of 16.Qd3.

Jul-22-15  ughaibu: White can play Qf1.
Jan-08-23  okiesooner: Writing in Chess Life (February 1966, page 47), commentator Bernard Zuckerman wrote “After the game Spassky said that he had seen the quickest way to draw [after 23. Bd1]: 23…Bxd3 24. Bxh5 Bxc4 25. Rxc4 Nxe3 26. fxe3 Bd2.” If this sequence draws, why would Black resign after 23. Bd1?
Jan-08-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: < okiesooner: ... If this sequence draws, why would Black resign after 23. Bd1?>

Are you responding to <Conrad93>'s comment from 2012? I think the answer is that his comment was rather nonsensical.

Jan-08-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: Tal just played 28.Nxc6, grabbing a protected pawn.


click for larger view

I stopped here for a while to figure out what white's responses to each of the two possible captures would be. It's an interesting non-conventional puzzle.

Against 28...Rxc6, the response is 29.Rb7, then 29...Rxc1+ 30.Bxc1 Bc6 31.Rxb4 looks better for white than what Spassky played in the game, since there will be no Nxe3 and Bd2 with the DSB killed.

Jul-13-25  TalSpassky: A Comment on this game was made by Tal in the Book �attack with Tal� Move 28

“Here White's light-square bishop is operating with an "X-ray" beam along the pawn-free a2-g8 diagonal, the d5 square is the key one in Black's de-fences, and it was in the hope of the "ricocher" 28 Nxc6 Rxc6 29 Ra8! that White made his 28th move. Black, however, saw through White's threat, replied 28..Bxc6, and managed to draw without difficulty.”

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