Risk that produced brilliancy: Roman Toran Alberto vs Mikhail Tal

English Opening: Roman Toran Albero vs Mikhail Tal [A21]
EU-chT Oberhausen 01, 1961
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 3.g3 f5 4.d4 e4 5.f3 Nf6 6.Bg2 exf3 7.Nxf3 g6 8.0--0 Bg7 9.e4 fxe4 10.Ng5 0--0 11.Ngxe4 .Nxe4 12.Rxf8+ Qxf8 13.Nxe4 Nc6 14.Be3 Bf5 15.Qd2 Re8 16.Ng5 Rxe3 17.Bd5+ [17.Qxe3 Bxd4] 17...Kh8 18.Nf7+ Qxf7 Tal isn't interested in a draw. [18...Kg8 19.Ne5+ Kh8 20.Nf7+ Kg8 21.Ne5+=] 19.Bxf7 Rd3 [19...Bxd4 20.Kg2 Be4+ 21.Kh3=] 20.Qe2 Bxd4+ 21.Kg2 Ne5 22.Rd1! Re3 23.Qf1 [23.Qf2 Ng4] 23...Be4+ [23...Nxf7 24.Rxd4] 24.Kh3 [24.Kg1 Rxg3#] 24...Rf3 25.Qe2 Bf5+ 0--1
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Please watch: "The Best Game Played On Lichess | Lichess Game of the Month: December 2023"
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[@domenickpalmieri3230]

"pause the game and find best continuation for tal" why bother dudes gonna sacrifice his queen for a pawn then turn his knight into a pegasus and fly over to checkmate or something anyway

[@himanshubaluni524]

hahahahha ...exactly😂😂

[@jimbob8949]

Domenick Palmieri When watching a Tal game one must turn of their rationale and logic, when finding the "killah move". i.e just play the opposite of sensible.

[@bomenorange.]

And moves his king forward

[@rizzumz]

Absolutely hilarious.. I had to pause the video from laughing

[@InfectedKnife]

this comment made me laugh out loud haha!

[@Daggerfall40]

Insanity. Pure insanity. Only Tal would exchange a queen for a minor piece with his only compensation being he can play on instead of settle for a draw lol.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

A queen for two minor pieces and nasty attack. It wasn't that far off an equal trade on the face of it.

[@مرتضىالدراجي-خ2غ]

heelfan1234 you must see his game against bobstov 1957

[@thedaveastator7939]

I agree that it's a pretty ballsy decision. Though heelfan has a point. Overall the exchange comes to 1 queen for a bishop, a knight and a pawn. With the additional positional compensation of immediate attacking chances. Black also has the bishop pair and white doesn't have a dark-squared bishop, making black's king much more defensible. I think I would of made the same choice.

[@fiction0711]

@@thedaveastator7939 nah you wouldn't.

[@VeritasForYou]

when Tal's game is reviewed, Mato asks for the "killa move", it is the most easy thing to guess: all you need to do is turn of the logic and play most ridiculous move and it will appear to be the best!

[@luciotargino5187]

"You have one, tú, tree pieces!" His accent is really nice hahaha

[@boat6float]

Yep. That's how I spotted Rook takes Bishop.

[@exoplanet11]

First "Critical Moment" in the game: The only reason I knew Tal would sacrifice his Rook was that there was no way to sacrifice his Queen.

[@aoznes]

:'D

[@Loots1]

queen f7

[@dagogl1044]

😂

[@elmohead]

I think if Tal never picked up chess, he would be touring the world with his death metal band.

[@octavianeandracles5868]

+elmohead he would still play chessboxing completely drunk between two concerts.

[@BlackmanTheJock]

He would sacrifice his band to have a better band.

[@jabr6349]

BlackmanTheJock best comment! LoL

[@falandocomasparedes]

After each Tal's game analysis by you, Mato, I understand more why you love his games so much. Another great video! Thanks!

[@malonchirara813]

he decided he had enough torture for the day :) :) :)

[@mohakmehta]

Alberto decided that he had enough torture for the day ! That was the best quote so far Mato !

[@123UncleRuckus]

Honestly, Tal has to be my favourite chess player ever. His attacking brilliance never ceases to amaze.

[@scottrackley4457]

Tal plays like he's god toying with you

[@RobertLoeder]

Tal would charge Hell if all he had left was a bishop, knight and a couple pawns! His are some of the greatest games. Tal and Morphy are my favorites because of their relentless attacks and counter intuitive style to sacrifice pieces to advance their attack.

[@cwgriffin1]

Thank you for bringing this game to our attention. It has everything that you find amazing in a Tal game. With a lot guts. I don’t think that I would be sacrificing a queen to avoid a draw.

[@imrozzahan7328]

Taking no risk is the biggest risk- Mark Jukerbarg.

[@GoUtes92]

The bizarre thing is that's true.

[@imrozzahan7328]

+Preston Thompson You are right. This is a bizarre truth.

[@jacobdrollinger4802]

Been a subscriber to Mato for years now, and I never get tired of his analysis of Tal's games. Hence, here I am 11 years later , looking at this game.

[@v.gopalakrishnan350]

What a game by the great master Tal! The queen sacrifice left me stunned!

[@pengasus]

Truly ingenius. I couldn't find any of Tal's moves. What a joy to see the board from his eyes... I wish he lived another 100 years to leave behind more gems like this.

[@bobajaj4224]

for Tal,,, every piece is a queen, so what if he loses one?

[@lllllMlllll]

every piece is a queen?!!! he just sacrificed his queen!!!!

[@luisfernandoyepezsilva3245]

He would lost killing!😂👌

[@grayswandir47]

I went to upvote this and saw that I had already upvoted it sometime in the past. Thanks for posting and keep up the good work.

[@Moronvideos1940]

Thank you Mato. I have made your site my KZbin home page because you are an excellent analyzer with a gold voice. Thanks !

[@MatoJelic]

Thank you

[@cardogkitchen4106]

lol Alberto decided he had enough torture for today

[@LJLMETAL]

Tal is a tactical genius

[@rosse.weiler8420]

Thank you Mato! Love your narrative, enjoy so much the pace of how you present the videos and learning quite a bit from the whole thing.

[@alvinweasel]

Thanks Mato for making what would other wise be very difficult to understand, easier.

[@cormuinoraghallaigh1832]

Thanks Mato. Very instructive and entertaining as always!

[@Lightn0x]

Your videos send me shivers down my spine when I hear "And in this position, [..] resigned" or "And [..] found.. a killer move!" .. The way you say it is just brilliant .

[@najamkhan4730]

Tal is no doubt one of the best players of all times.

[@AugustinDelgado]

.... and Alberto resigneeeed.

[@filter80808]

Fantastic game and illuminating narration as always. Thanks, Mato!

[@Requiredfields2]

Tal: I got this. Have my queen, forget the draw!

[@johnnypastrana6727]

Mato, another great video on the genius of Mikhail Tal...my God what imagination and gifted insight...I can't see any of what Tal sees.

[@bogdansikach7709]

Like the titles of your videos. Thank you for your work.

[@MatoJelic]

Thank you for a compliment

[@muddassirghoorun4322]

And we have reached critical position of the game... Best commentator ever!

[@MatoJelic]

Thank you

[@AR-qj4el]

Really brilliant, I enjoyed so much watching this game. Thanks Mato.

[@frankroto]

your videos are outstanding. Thank you!

[@ClaytonWhiteOriginalMusic]

You always post the most interesting games. It's a pleasure watching every video.

[@cristiangamboa2037]

your videos are very enjoidable, I like you analise some variations which makes it interesting, but not so many like other chanels, that makes it complicated.

[@alexandercermak5139]

Mato your videos are amazing. I learn so much from them. Thank you :)

[@Noxxros]

What a geat game! But Mato its a shame that one user always dislikes your videos! Your videos brought me back to chess, and its always such a pleasure watching them! And it seems like I am not alone with that thought! Please keep up your good work!

[@snizshizzle]

Wow I am loving these Tal videos. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite players.

[@diogenes_of_sinope]

Amazing attack by one of the last romantic heroes of chess, Mikhail Tal.

[@evechrzan9919]

+Hamlet Elsinore romantic heroes of chess ? mniam :)

[@stylezofom]

i love Mato's sense of humor, even though i have to wait for him to say 'just kidding' most of the time. Keep up the great work Mato, i think watching your vids is the smartest thing i do everyday :)

[@SharonBhara]

thanks mato ive really enjoyed your games on tal i hope theres more to come.

[@kittycalisonnypatch]

Mato, i just want to say thanks for all your videos! I have always loved chess and played nearly my whole life, but now i am realizing there are killer moves in almost every game! Keep up the good work and thanks! P.S.- More Tal games please:)

[@locutusdborg126]

Wonder if Tal ever played Short. Tal and short!!!

[@pneumatic00]

Spectacular. Such an incredible combination coupled with incredible risk: Only from the mind of Tal.

[@MrBoobcube]

I have learned to play chess, for mato has shown me! WE LOVE YOU MATO - The chess learning community P.S. Please include more videos of Morphy and Polgar! I know you plan to make more videos of Morphy's games but I just want to reinforce how much they would be appreciated. Also, I don't know too much about chess but Polgar seems to have a one of the best intuitions about chess and I would really love to be exposed to more of her games if you are narrating.

[@MatoJelic]

He calculated and trusted in his ability

[@Naveen_Anan]

Tal's attack is fantastic after the opening; a unique way that he organizes his forces and plans the attack

[@marcezchi8421]

As always good video. Keep up, Mato.

[@dimethylethyltritolu]

doubled bishops can be very annoying, even before the end game, especially if the king is exposed in this way. nice video, mato.

[@MatoJelic]

Thank you

[@hedlik]

amazing review ! Thanks from a chess noob , not an ultranoob - thanks to you , Mato ! :) ! Have a great time !

[@leo-ff95]

First time hearing you chuckle 😊

[@amadeuswinqvist2893]

Wow i actuelly had the correct answer for once. Proud! Love your vids, really captures the suspense of a good game.

[@MatoJelic]

I'll take this as a compliment

[@MatoJelic]

děkuji

[@anjobee5798]

very nice narration lol. your explanation fits tal's game.

[@deepisdeepak]

"Hi, this is Ma To! ... " :)

[@joshofsteel4650]

hilarious!

[@roddychristodoulou9111]

Another masterclass from tal that left me speechless

[@gunz300]

I'm not Tal so in the critical position my first thought was Kh8 to avoid the windmill.

[@m0skit0]

Wow, brilliant attack as usual from Tal. What a genius!

[@MatoJelic]

Thank you for your suggestion. I have a list of games which I want to do. But surly I can make videos of Rashid Nezhmetdinov. Very soon.

[@GoUtes92]

It's bold but it's so beautiful that it almost puts a tear in my eye.

[@MatoJelic]

In that case I will not respond. Thank you for all your comments today.

[@SterlingSilverArcher]

Mato you're great! I really appreciate your analyses. If you could commentate on more Mikhail Tal games I would like that very much, I find his games are like works of art.

[@jojihue5777]

If I have Tal's brain, I would not mind taking the risk for more than thousand times :D once again, thanks Mato for your chess video. I learned a lot. :)

[@MatoJelic]

Vishwanathan's games are coming up in may 2012.

[@faissaless8083]

Please show this to Carlson and Anand

[@ledzeppeman]

Dana Huffer Tal would most likely lose out in the opening. The advent of modern computer analysis enables an incredible opening depth to people like Carlsen and Anad. That's why top ratings get higher over time. Also, Carlsen has an in depth analysis of this game available.

[@MrSupernova111]

If Tal was alive today he would have access to the same information in addition to his "killa moves." Please don't be a fool.

[@MatoJelic]

Thank you for your comment

[@death8dealer]

3:00 your joke got me again i almost scream no when you said would you move the king

[@KJVWordofGod]

Of all the games you have posted, this is my favourite. The games of Judit Polgar are very interesting but I very much admire Tal's grit and how he played the game to WIN. I believe Tal has the best winning record against Bobby Fischer of any other player.....not that is something.

[@aggelosandrianosofficial]

so beautiful game!thank you

[@mninawa1]

great lessons and insight

[@skuazzie]

Thank you Mato!

[@SorcererTim45]

this video makes me feel dumb for not knowing how to play chess, yet smart for listening to two geniuses play chess

[@dhruvshangari1664]

tal is a super tactical player we all enjoy watching his games

[@MatoJelic]

No, it is OK to click on ads

[@shadedness]

Extraordinary game by Tal!

[@ruuudeboiii]

mato...u r amazing!

[@MatoJelic]

Of course.

[@legochickenguy4938]

Wow I got the last move too. I'm on a roll today

[@ullianintutions]

What a player! My all time favorite Tal.

[@jackd.ripper7613]

I can imagine one or two variation to checkmate. For Tal to see 4 or more variations to checkmate looking so many moves ahead.... I'm convinced he was Fischer's equal.

[@nazlone]

Jack D. Ripper If anybody can be considered Mohammad Ali of chess....it can only be Tal or Fisher

[@chadw7994]

Nazir Lone lol Tal is do or die... Ali was hit and not get hit.. Ali was a technical boxer, but Tal was far more than just technical chess :) Tal deserves a Roy Jones in a boxing ring with brass knuckles instead of gloves, and also flying ability like a unicorn, don't forget the horn either :D but I get your point :) it's not surprising to see an opinion like the greatest of chess was Mikhail Tal

[@onetoonemarketing6095]

+Nazir Lone Tal has a positive record vs Fischer. Tal has the upper hand. Yeah yeah yeah, you can only speculate that Fischer was still young when he got beat by Tal but that is only speculation. Truth of it all is Fischer was always Tal's child.

[@fscii71]

If only top pros today would call upon the spirit of Misha to inspire them to take such great and beautiful risks...

[@Philiopantheon82]

Tal, Tal, Tal, Tal......I have so much Tal in my lap that I cant contain them!!! This is a divine mind who can play God in the olympus

[@nathanielhobson2630]

Stunning

[@anunkash5185]

I wouldn't go for "half a point" because when i play i play to win or lose. of course i'm not Tal so i'd lose, but hey.

[@WAPBodie]

When Tal sacrifice a piece, his opponent know that end is coming soon.

[@ADREANO1]

Excellent game thanks for posting

[@xeco1999]

Mato , God bless you mate

[@brasildiogo93]

Because of Tal I love sacrificing pieces based entirely on intuition in 3 min blitz only to checkmate a few moves later.

[@arturoliveira2749]

Brilliant!

[@fra403]

Tal you just became one of my favorite chess players. prepare to be studied!

[@jaydeepdatir6593]

Hi Mato, brilliant stuff and I love your analysis and presentations. Just was curious to know whether this was a sound sacrifice. Is there a refutation by the computer analysis? Is there a better move for White instead of 20. Qe2 (I can think of 20. Qxd3 and White gets a Rook for a Knight) Sincere thanks for the good work that you keep doing!

[@wildmansamurai3663]

Great video

[@jungidabzki]

this is difficult and risky... marvelous game from Tal !

[@andyman268]

How did Tal know that Alberto would be reluctant to trade his queen, given that Tal had already given up his? Crazy. Tal was on another level...

[@pepemou1124]

Amazing! But the name of the white player is Román Torán, not Alberto. His second surname is Albero, he was president of the Spanish chess federation ( and a strong player) and was known as Román Torán. Thanks for these awesome videos.

[@MatoJelic]

On the score sheet it says ALBERO. So I left it like that.