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Mikhail Tal vs Karen Grigorian
"Grigorian No-Chance" (game of the day Nov-11-2024)
Yerevan (1982), Yerevan URS, Apr-??
English Opening: King's English. Four Knights Variation Fianchetto Lines (A29)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 23 times; par: 43 [what's this?]

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sac: 28.Qd8 PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 1 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Feb-22-06  Autoreparaturwerkbau: 28.Qd8!! and black is so helpless ...
Aug-19-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  tamar: An impish last move by Tal 29 Kf1
Jan-23-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  alexrawlings: Nice game, could be a nice Wednesday puzzle with white to move at move 28.
Jan-23-10  destruct: 29.Kf1! nice move, setting up 30.f4.
Jan-23-10  outsider: from my point of view, the next move would have been 30.Re1
Mar-31-10  themindset: le coup tranquile
Mar-31-10  Spell Binder: Chessgames.com, could you please supply a pun here? "Grigorian Chants"
Mar-31-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  NM JRousselle: There are 2 threats, f4 and Re1.
Apr-01-10  mrkangaroo: god i love tal!!!!
May-20-10  goldfarbdj: I saw the first move, but I thought white could play 29 f4 immediately; I didn't see Tal's preparatory Kf1. (Now that I look at it again, I see that 29 ... Qe3+ 30 Kg2 Qe2+ 31 Kh3 Qh5+ is winning for black -- I had originally thought that after Kh3 black would be out of checks.)
May-20-10  wordfunph: how 'bout 28.Be6 to give way for Queen's invasion of e7 square....and 29.Qe7!
May-20-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: "Pin and win," said Reinfeld.
May-20-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: The main point is that if the Black Queen is no longer protecting the g7-square, then simply Qg5+ and White mates on g7.
May-20-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: 28...Qe2; 29.Be6 might work.
May-20-10  towsen: I thought 28.Be6 too but after Na6 29. Qe7 Bb5 30. Qxf7+ Kh8 I think black is ok, at least for the time being, unlike in the game
May-20-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  al wazir: How does white win after 29...Qe4 ? If 30. Re1, then 30...Qh1+ 32. Ke2 Qe4+, etc.
May-20-10  Tubba324: To <wordfunph>
I thought of 28.Be6 also, but it's no good. Black can play 28...fxe6 29.Qe7 Nd7 (defending f8) or even reject the sac and simply play 28...Qh5, I guess.
May-20-10  Tubba324: To <al wazir>
29...Qe4 30.Qg5+
May-20-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Breunor: After 29 ... Qe4, Tal mates with 30 Qg5 ch.
May-20-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  gawain: I guessed Qd8 but I sure did not see that Kf1 was needed next!
May-20-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Breunor: Maybe on 28 ... Qe2 white just playes 29. Bd3? I don't see anything better for black than going back to 29 Qe5 and then white can play 30 Kf1 as inthe game.
May-20-10  dzechiel: White to move (28?). Black is up a pawn. "Medium."

Don't you just love Tal? His imagination on the chessboard was stunning.

I looked at this position quite a white considering all sorts of moves. For a while I liked 28 Kf1 (threatening 29 Re1), but then noticed that 29...Bb5+ had that line ending in disaster. I also considered (and it may still be playable) 28 Qd8, but after 28...gxf5 29 Qg5+ Kh8 I think black can survive.

So then I tried to think like Tal. What sacrifice can I make that will upset my opponent the most? I found a lot in

28 Be6

This move doesn't threatening anything overtly on it's own, but it does provide cover for the white queen, who would like to invade on e7. On

28...fxe6 29 Qe7

and the dual threats of 30 Qxe8# and 30 Qf8# are too much for black to deal with. Moving the bishop instead with something like

28...Bb5

loses very quickly to

29 Qd8+ Be8 30 Qxe8#

However, black CAN play

28...Nc6

and this move is currently stumping me. I'm not seeing this tonight. Time to check and see how this went down.

=====

Great! Two of the moves that I considered and discarded are used in tandem. I should have see that. <sigh>

May-20-10  syracrophy: The king is a great attacking piece - use it! <29.♔f1!> Quiet and clean - but wait to see the next move! (:
May-20-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Jimfromprovidence: Tricky little puzzle. After 29 Kf1, (threatening 30 Re1) black is desperate to keep his queen on the e file to prevent mate.


click for larger view

Black's best try is 29... Nd7, giving up the rook. Now after 30 Qxa8, black tries 30...Qe4 (seeing 31...Qh1+) and a possible perpetual.


click for larger view

Now white has 31 Kg1 to foil that attempt.

May-20-10  Quentinc: I too wanted to play 28. Be6, because it seemed like the most Tal-like move. I was thinking that 28...fxe6 29. Qe7 Nd7 30. dxe6 won, but failed to see 30...Qf6. (At least I'm in some good company!)
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