[Event "Bled-Zagreb-Belgrade Candidates"] [Site "Bled, Zagreb & Belgrade YUG"] [Date "1959.09.18"] [Round "8"] [White "Mikhail Tal"] [Black "Vasily Smyslov"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "USER"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "B10"] [Opening "Caro-Kann Defense: Breyer Variation"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/KJ5Vxrwu/ZzzKXjLn"] [Orientation "white"] { After seeing a couple of games from Tal's youth of relatively (and I want to emphasize the word relatively) lower competetive importance, in this encounter, we will completely change the script and examine a very famous and celebrated game Tal played against the formidable Vasily Smyslov in the 1959 Candidates Tournament. --- You have to remember that in the 1950s, Smyslov was very much in his prime, playing three matches against Botvinnik (1954, 1957 and 1958) for the World Championship title and winning one of them. And even though he didn't start very well in the 1959 Candidates Tournament, he was very much considered to be a favourite in such a long marathon (28 rounds) and had already defeated Tal in their first game. --- Thus, Tal - who didn't have a brilliant start to the tournament either - was very much seeking his revenge and trying to prove that his swashbuckling style can not only work against "lesser" masters, but also against the world's very best. --- Let's take a look at this historical encounter that also had enormous competetive significance. } 1. e4 { Of course, no 1.d4 or 1.c4 shennanigans this time. } 1... c6 { Smyslov is known for his contributions to the Ruy Lopez - an opening he used to play a lot with both colours. However, 1...e5 was not his only reply against the king's pawn opening as throughout his career he also regularly employed both the Sicilian and Caro-Kann. He already played 1...c6 in the previous round of the tournament against Fischer, so it surely didn't come as a major surprise to Tal. } 2. d3 { A peculiar opening choice. This line is relatively innocuous, but Tal (and Koblents) probably had his (their) reasoning behind this choice. } 2... d5 3. Nd2 (3. Nf3 { is all the rage these days, but it was a bit too extravagant for 1959. }) 3... e5 { A very principled reply against this King's Indian Attack setup by White (it is precisely this move White tries to avoid by playing 3.Nf3 first). } 4. Ngf3 Nd7?! { But this is a serious inaccuraccy, that kinda demonstrates the level of opening play at the time. Black allows White to open up the center under favourable circumstances. } (4... Bd6 { is the main move here. The point is that after } 5. d4 exd4 6. exd5 { the knight on b8 has the possibility to recapture on c6 and also the bishop on c8 is not blocked, so Black can play numerous reasonable moves, the most precise probably being } 6... Nf6) 5. d4 dxe4 (5... exd4 6. exd5 { now works in White's favour due to the poor positioning of the knight on d7 that is not defending the pawn on c6 and also blocking in the bishop on c8. } { [%cal Rc8h3] }) 6. Nxe4 exd4 7. Qxd4 { It is true that White has losta tempo in moving the d-pawn twice in the opening and that now all the central pawns have been exchanged, but now White has a nice lead in development. Furthermore, since Black played c6, the d6 square has been weakened and it is actually not super easy for Black to deal with this. } 7... Ngf6 { A natural developing move can't be too bad. } (7... Nc5 { Trying to resolve the central tension immediately is not too good as after } 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 { White has numerous good possibilities, the simplest of which seems to be } 9. Nxc5 Bxc5 10. Bf4 { When castling long is coming next, then also Ng5 is on the table and White has a nice lead in the development. }) 8. Bg5 { Continuing the development and preparing castling long, while increasing the pressure on the knight on f6. } (8. Nd6+ { White could have also jumped with the knight immediately, but moving the bishop first is definitely playable, as long as it is followed up by the knight jump to d6. }) 8... Be7 9. O-O-O?! { But here this is a bit imprecise as it allows Black to castle without any issues. } (9. Nd6+ { Jumping with the knight seemed very simple and positional - forcing Black to give up the dark-squared bishop. After } 9... Bxd6 10. Qxd6 { It is difficult for Black to castle and the endgame after } 10... Ne4 11. Bxd8 Nxd6 12. Bc7 { Is quite miserable as White has the bishop pair and slight lead in development. }) 9... O-O 10. Nd6 { Now this knight jump doesn't come with the same effect as Black is not forced to capture it. } 10... Qa5 { This is a bit overzealous on Smyslov's part. However, this does change the character of play and invites tactical complications where the value of each move is significantly increased. } (10... h6 { Forcing the bishop on g5 to declare its intentions and then moving the d7 knight was a healthier way toward equality. } 11. Bh4 Nb6 { While Nbd5 is also an idea. } { [%cal Gc8e6,Gb6d5] }) 11. Bc4 { The bishop is very active on this diagonal, placing pressure on f7 and also defending the a2 pawn. } { [%csl Ga2][%cal Rc4f7,Rd6f7,Gc4a2] } 11... b5 { Very provocative! Black is inviting White to capture on f7, claiming that this exchange is not at all so unfavourable for him. } (11... Nb6 { Was the alternative way of playing, however after something along the lines of } 12. Bb3 Nbd5 13. Nxc8 Raxc8 { White has a clear advantage due to the bishop pair and the active pieces in the center. }) 12. Bd2 { A very typical Tal move and a very surprising counter. The idea is to eventually reposition the bishop to c3 and aim at the black king. } (12. Bxf7+ { Capturing on f7 is suggested by the engine. At first glance, it seems as if it is initiating an unfavorable exchange for White that we are already taught as beginners to avoid, but it transpires that situation is not at all so simple due to Black's lack in development and poor piece coordination. The line continues } 12... Rxf7 13. Nxf7 Kxf7 14. Rhe1 Qxa2 15. Rxe7+ Kxe7 16. Qe4+ Kd8 17. Qxc6 { And Black has an extra piece, but his king is terminally weak and his rook is under the attack for the moment, so White definitely has ample compensation. The engine continues the line with } 17... Rb8 18. Bf4 Qa1+ 19. Kd2 Qa5+ 20. Ke2 Qb6 21. Nd4 { And claims that White retains the advantage in a position where Black has to find virtaully the only moves to survive. There is no denying Tal would thrive in a position like this, so it is a bit surprising to see him not going for something like this. }) 12... Qa6 { Maintaining the control over the a2 pawn. } { [%cal Ra6a2] } 13. Nf5 { The point of White's idea. Now the knight is placed on an active f5 square with the gain of tempo. } 13... Bd8 14. Qh4 { Basically burning all the bridges and sacrificing the piece in order to create some nasty kingside threats. It has to be said that Tal is objectively not risking that much at this particular point as his play is quite dangerous, but when you consider how good the position could have been after the earlier Nd6 knight jump, it does seem a bit unecessary. --- Then on the other hand, if Tal wasn't such a daredevil, we probably wouldn't be analyzing this (as well as many other) games of his. } 14... bxc4 { Of course - what else? } 15. Qg5 { Mate on g7 is now threatened, but Black does have some defensive ideas. } { [%cal Rg5g7] } 15... Nh5 { Defending the g7 pawn and giving the piece back is an attempt to play for the win. Even though many people associate Smyslov with quiet, positional play, he was a brilliant calculator/tactician in his own right, so it is natural that he was tempted to play for more than a draw - especially if you take into the account that he had beaten Tal in the first round of this tournament. } { [%csl Gg7][%cal Gh5g7] } (15... g6 { was the other way of dealing with the threat, when after } 16. Nh6+ { Black has hardly anything better than } 16... Kg7 { And here White should probably repeat with } (16... Kh8 { is too risky as after } 17. Bc3 { the knight on f6 is exposed and there are already some nasty Rxd7 threats in the position. }) 17. Nf5+ (17. Bc3 { Now doesn't work as the f6 knight is defended by the king. After } 17... Qxa2 18. Rxd7 Bxd7 { Black is just winning. }) 17... Kg8 18. Nh6+) 16. Nh6+ (16. Qxh5 { would be losing for White as after } 16... Nf6 17. Qg5 Bxf5 18. Qxf5 Qxa2 { Black manages to exchange virtually all the relevant attacking pieces and is just left with a won position. }) 16... Kh8 17. Qxh5 Qxa2 (17... gxh6 { as it decisively weakens the king. After } 18. Qxh6 { It is hard to stop all the ideas (Bc3, Ng5). } { [%cal Gd2c3,Gf3g5] }) (17... Nf6 { Was playable here, though, when after } 18. Qc5 { Attacking the rook on f8. } 18... Nd7 19. Qd6 Qxa2 20. Bc3 { The position is extremely tense and complicated, although Black can seemingly hold the balance with the very difficult move } 20... Bf6 21. Bxf6 gxf6 { And the engine gives eternal zeroes here, of course. }) 18. Bc3 { The culmination of this sharp and famous tactical skirmish. } 18... Nf6?? { A fatal blunder, overlooking Tal's devious reply. } (18... Bc7 { It was absolutely necessary to remove the bishop on d8 and avoid the threat. Now White probably has to go for the draw with } 19. Nxf7+ Kg8 20. Nh6+ { as playing for more might backfire. Note that the knight is immune as after } 20... gxh6 21. Qg4+ Kf7 22. Rxd7+ { Black will get mated shortly. }) 19. Qxf7 { Smyslov surely missed this idea, diverting the rook on f7. } 19... Qa1+ { What else? } (19... Rxf7 20. Rxd8+ { Leads to a quick mate: } 20... Ne8 21. Rxe8+ Rf8 22. Rxf8#) 20. Kd2 Rxf7 (20... Qxd1+ { also doesn't work due to } 21. Rxd1 Rxf7 22. Nxf7+ { [%cal Rf7h8,Rf7d8] } 22... Kg8 23. Nxd8 { And White remains a piece up! }) 21. Nxf7+ Kg8 22. Rxa1 Kxf7 { Now Black is "only" an exchange down, but his pawns are also weak and there is no hope. } 23. Ne5+ Ke6 24. Nxc6 Ne4+ 25. Ke3 Bb6+ 26. Bd4 { And here Smyslov decided to throw in the towel. A marvellous, fascinating game that demonstrated that even the great players like Smyslov (albeit out of form) can succumb to Tal's psychological pressure and hurricane like pressure over the board. ---After this game, the path of the two competitors diverged. Tal would go on to score a very convincing tournament victory and then beat the great Botvinnik in the 1960 World Championship match, while Smyslov would finish with a mediocre performance and slowly be overshadowed by the talented generation in the 1960s and would not seriously fight for the World title all the way until his resurgence in the 1980s (and his final Candidates match against Garry Kasparov - in 1983!). } 1-0