How Did Mikhail Tal's Opponents Sleep at Night?

[@TruthSurge]

I don't understand why 6:48 is brilliant. Why can't the knight just take the pawn?

[@DavidBrack-c9v]

I was trying to figure that out, too. It looks like if the knight takes the pawn, white can check with Qe4 then push the d4 pawn, and perhaps support that center with Rd1. I don't see anything definitive about giving up that b4 pawn, but maybe taking it would've led to some additional dangerous options for white . I hope someone in the comments can explain exactly why the black knight can't take the pawn.

[@chessdawg]

If the knight takes the pawn then Rb1 is one winning idea. If the knight moves then simply Rb7 check and after the king moves Qe6 and black is completely lost with threats of mate on f7 and the threatened advance of the a-pawn. If black plays Rd4 defending the knight and attacking white's queen, then Tal can play Qg3 with the threat of Qb8 which would win a rook. If the rook at h8 takes the queen on b8 then the pawn would recapture and promote to another queen. I should definitely have shown this in the video.

[@DavidBrack-c9v]

Thanks for your explanation.@@chessdawg

[@TruthSurge]

@@chessdawg ok, I get it. I think chess is all about whether you DANGLE a piece where it has no defender and the next move it can be attacked and won OR attacked and it basically is a pin of another piece - in this case a pawn but worse, with check and allowing the rook into tender spots on the black side with the queen already poised. It's just so many things to consider with just one move. I would have never thought to move that pawn like that just looking at attacking moves because to me, that just looks as if you are losing a pawn for no reason so I guess I just don't have enough patience to see BEYOND the immediate move and into the consequences of various next moves. Thanks for the explanation!

[@thebellcurve3437]

My guess is that at D5 the knight is near the center of the board and thus controls important active squares. Tal is attempting to lure the black knight away from that centralized position but Portisch did not take the bait.

[@primeobjective5469]

“I like to grasp the initiative and not give my opponent peace of mind.” - Mikhail Tal

[@jogzyg2036]

The only thing Tal cared about less than his health was the lives of his knights.

[@dusanpogacar1399]

I enjoed in this game. I like the way how Tal was played. Hello from Slovenia. I live 10km near Bled, where this game was played. Bled is a small Town with lake and it is one off the most beautifull place in Evrope with many turists.

[@thebellcurve3437]

Pro level game analysis and presentation with great visuals. Nice work!

[@bring-out]

Great game! Better call ChessDawg!

[@ferdinangenius]

Great YT place. I like your way to develop the games. Easy, calm, clear.

[@joshuamphande2272]

Excellent commentary as always Love how you say Portishch

[@varkony60]

We in Hungary are very proud of the achievements of our Portisch :) But this was brutal...

[@MartinZanichelli]

My favorite player is Ribli. I would like to play so solid and positional as him.

[@varkony60]

@@MartinZanichelli Nice to read it. He grew up some miles from my hometown Mohács, by the river Danube.

[@Veaseify]

So many classic attacking wins like this turn out to be defensible with best play according to chess engines, sadly its why you don't really see much of these speculative sacrifices in modern times when all GM's use engines for analysis and a lot of games are won in the endgame rather than the middlegame.

[@mikecantreed]

Players are just better at calculation these days. Even a strong but not top GM would mop the floor with Tal calculation wise. I guess you could argue the engine was a training tool to develop that skill but it’s not directly related.

[@kshitiz6376]

@@mikecantreed That's not true.

[@Ebobster]

This whole game from rook sac onward is a wonderful example of Tal’s brilliant relentless pressing of his attacking initiative. Who amongst us does not dream of playing one game this way? Yet such was Tal he had many. Tal’s gift was not just his imagination but most pronounced in finding the initial sac but the more subtle yet still deadly follow up moves. Master the art of subtly pressing the initiative if you want to play like a genius!

[@tomas-wi8dy]

thank you!

[@shoumyajitroy5102]

Dear Sir...gr8 video...need more instructive video on caro-kan 2 knights from white side...thank u

[@uthoshantm]

Michael Tal's games are uniquely brilliant. I feel completely desoriented when following his games even whith clear commentaries such as this one.

[@YingTou1]

I also enjoy your English. "Scrub" as a noun - new word of the day to this non-native - thanks.

[@altonbrek]

Lots of therapy! 😮

[@markhughes7927]

Tal’s opponents became noted buyers of ‘My Pillow’ - that’s in the annals of history.

[@CatKebab]

nice game

[@skirk248]

They didn’t

[@michaelmassaro4375]

They sacrificed their sleep

[@Theodicy101]

What a great game from Tal, the master attacker. Thanks for another well-done and instructive video.

[@exoplanet11]

Its amazing that a game so unbalanced could be so equal, by modern computer analysis for so long. My hat is off to you, GM Portisch, for contending with Tal and giving us this great game.

[@markiyanhapyak349]

Niiice, NICE…!

[@dannistor7294]

Lajos [layosh] Portisch

[@sniffableandirresistble]

Why couldn't the knight just take on that B4 move?

[@reamartin6458]

Cigarettes 🚬

[@jefftaylor1186]

Guys like Yasser Serawan slept pretty well after beating Tal all the time.

[@davidschneide5422]

NumbersignEyeballHeartChessDawg

[@OIP_1]

ooh i am going to try that rook sac idea

[@michaelmassaro4375]

Re6 broke the whole game open for Tal incredibly trading a Rook for two pawns was the beginning of the end Black moving his Queen to b6 helped pave the way for Tal’s attack Tal is a Favorite for sure Incredible Style thanks for the Game

[@ashoksafaya5397]

Looks like cooked game.

[@BrutallyHonestBloke]

Although not a big deal i would suggest using for example google translate to find out correct pronounciation of foreign names. It is kind of funny what people from english speaking countries can come up with. You are far from worst and this was not that far from correct but still might be worth consideration. Nice video as usual!

[@skakofilsanonims4434]

Poor analisis compared with any other channel. Ben Finegold is noy the best at all but covers key lines you don't even mention, like Kd8 or b4