[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