Willempie wrote on 05/11/07 at 08:40:44:


Surely that was the young Bobby?

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 05/11/07 at 04:03:04:


They had rapid back in those days?? not sure really, but I do know he was among the best lightning players around, somewhere up there with Fischer, Tal, Korchnoi etc.

Apparently Kramnik could learn a little from Petrosjan with regards to tactics. Two mates missed

(1) Kramnik,V (2772) - Aronian,L (2759) [A60]
Rapid Match Yerevan ARM (5), 06.05.2007
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 b5 6.Nd2 Nxd5 7.Bg2 Nc7 8.Bxa8 Nxa8 9.b4 c4 10.a4 Bxb4 11.Qc2 Bb7 12.Ngf3 a6 13.axb5 axb5 14.Qb2 Qf6 15.Qxb4 Qxa1 16.0-0 Qa6 17.Bb2 f6 18.Ba3 d6 19.Nd4 Nc7 20.Rb1 0-0 21.Nxc4 bxc4 22.Qxb7 Qxa3 23.Qxc7 Qc5 24.Rb7 Qxc7 25.Rxc7 d5 26.Nf5 Na6 27.Rxg7+ Kh8 28.Ra7 Nb4 29.Rc7 h5 30.Kg2 Re8 31.e3 Nd3 32.f4 Ra8 33.Kh3 Ra5 34.Kh4 Rc5 35.Rd7 Kg8 36.Kxh5 Kf8 37.Nd6 c3 38.Kg6 Rc6 39.Kxf6 [39.Rf7+ Kg8 40.Re7 Nxf4+ (or 40...Ne5+ ) 41.gxf4 Rc8 42.Rg7+ Kf8 43.Kh7 Rc7 44.Rxc7 c2 45.Rf7# ] 39...Kg8 40.Kg6 Kf8 41.Kf6 Kg8 42.g4 Nc5 43.Rd8+ Kh7 44.Kf7 Rc7+ [44...c2 also wins] 45.Kf6 Rc6 [45...c2 46.g5 Nd7+ and the c-pawn queens and wins, since White has no serious mating attack.] 46.Kf7 Rc7+ 47.Kf6 Rc6 1/2-1/2

(2) Aronian,L (2759) - Kramnik,V (2772) [D12]
Rapid Match Yerevan ARM (6), 06.05.2007

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Bg6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.g3 Nbd7 9.Bg2 dxc4 10.Qe2 Nb6 11.0-0 Bb4 12.Bd2 0-0 13.Ne4 Qe7 14.Bxb4 Qxb4 15.Nc5 Rab8 16.Rfc1 Rfd8 17.Qc2 Nfd7 18.Ne4 e5 19.a3 Qe7 20.Re1 Nf6 21.Ng5 exd4 22.exd4 Qd6 23.Nf3 Re8 24.Re5 Nfd7 25.Ra5 a6 26.Rd1 Rbd8 27.Bf1 Re7 28.Rg5 Qf6 29.Kg2 Rde8 30.h4 Qe6 31.a4 Qe4 32.Qc1 f6 33.Ra5 Qe6 34.Qc2 Qe4 35.Qc1 Kh8 36.Re1 Qg4 [36...Qxf3+ 37.Kxf3 Rxe1 38.Qc2 Rxf1 39.Qxg6 Re7 40.Rh5+ Kg8 41.Qh7+ Kf7 was a line that looked promising for Black.] 37.Rxe7 Rxe7 38.Bxc4 Nxc4 39.Qxc4 Qe4 40.Qb3 c5 41.dxc5 Qc6 42.Qc3 Re2 [42...Ne5 43.b4 (or 43.Qe3 Rd7 threatening devastating ...Rd3) 43...g5 44.hxg5 fxg5 45.b5 Qd5 ] 43.b4 Ne5 44.b5 Qe4 45.c6 Nd3 [45...Ng4 46.cxb7 Rxf2+ 47.Kg1 Qe2 48.b8Q+ Kh7 and White will be mated, even with two queen on board.] 46.Qxd3 Qxd3 47.cxb7 Re8 48.bxa6 Qb3 49.Rc5 Kh7 50.Rc8 Rg8 51.Nd4 Qb6 52.Rxg8 Kxg8 53.Kg1 [53.a5 Qc7 54.Kh2 Kh7 55.Nc6 Qxc6 56.b8Q Qxa6 57.Qb6 ] 53...Kh7 54.Nc6 Qb1+ 55.Kg2 Qe4+ 1/2-1/2

When people talk of Tal's style, they are usually referring to the "young Tal" who won so many spectacular games between about 1957 and 1963.  In fact his style morphed dramatically in the early 1970s and he became a solid "positional" player.   

Tal's calculating abilities were able to crush the best computers of his day, and even now his best games baffle the computers.   

I don't remember whether it was Tal or another World Champion commenting on Tal who said that Tal would analyse a move and play it if he didn't find a refutation to it.  That is, he would play moves that he thought may be unsound but couldn't prove.  He trusted that his calculating abilities were at least as good as his opponent's and if he couldn't find a refutation then his opponent would most likely not find one either.   

This is the opposite to the way players such as Petrosian approached a position.  Petrosian would play a move only after making sure it was sound.

Tal was one of chess' greatest analysts, and this hurts his reputation today.  He almost never gave himself credit for his great sacrifices.  Rather, he would say that it was interesting or possibly unsound and give variations to back up his claim.  He was usually the first to find flaws in his play (probably in part because the Soviet establishment attacked his games as "immature" as late as 1961).

I have book copies of the complete games of only a few players, and I'm proud to say that I own the complete games of both Tal and Petrosian.   

(Yeah, I know that anyone who owns chessbase has the fairly complete collections of almost every player ever.  But the books are still special to me.)

So it is, Viking. Glanced at Tal's LIfe and Games last night and he's interesting about it - says he was playing for two results from early on and Keres very keenly sensed this and about move 15 began playing for the win. It won a best game prize, it seems.

Keres certainly was. Interesting to reflect how chess life would have gone if Keres had won this tournament, which he should have done really. Tal was extraordinarily lucky in it, and not entirely the sort that you make, either.

If I am not mistaken this is one of the games from Chess for Zebras....
(..but it is most likely commented in many other books as well...)

Keres was a fantastic player...

IMJohnCox wrote on 05/02/07 at 21:48:58:

Your comment reminded me of this game. Afterwards the supposed comment by Keres was: "Not so much fun when it's your king that's running all over the board - now is it?!"

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade"]
[Date "1959.09.07"]
[Round "24"]
[White "Tal,Mihail"]
[Black "Keres,Paul"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Eco "D34"]
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 c5 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Nf6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Nc3 0-0 
9.Bg5 Be6 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.Na4 Bb6 12.Nxb6 axb6 13.Nd4 h6 14.Bf4 Qd7 15.a3 Bh3 16.Qd3 Rfe8 17.Rfe1 Bxg2 18.Kxg2 Re4 19.Nf3 Rae8 20.Bd2 d4 21.e3 Qd5 22.exd4 Rxd4 23.Rxe8+ Nxe8 24.Qe2 Nd6 25.Be3 Rd3 26.Kg1 Nc4 27.Ne1 Rb3 28.Rc1 Nxe3 29.fxe3 Qe5 30.Ng2 Rxb2 31.Qd3 Qe6 32.Nf4 Rb3 
33.Rc3 Rxc3 34.Qxc3 Qe4 35.Qb3 b5 36.Qxb5 Qxe3+ 37.Kf1 Qf3+ 38.Kg1 Qe3+ 39.Kf1 g5 40.Ne2 Ne5 41.Qxb7 Nd3 42.Qc8+ Kg7 43.Qf5 Qd2 44.Nd4 Qe1+ 45.Kg2 Qe3 46.Qd5 Qf2+ 47.Kh3 Qf1+ 48.Kg4 Nf2+ 49.Kf5 Qd3+ 50.Ke5 Ng4+ 51.Kd6 Qxa3+ 52.Kc7 Qe7+ 53.Kc8 Ne3 54.Qb5 Qe4 55.Qb2 Kg6 56.Qb6+ f6 57.Ne6 Nc4 58.Qa6 Ne5 59.Nc7 Qc2 60.Qd6 Qxh2 61.Nd5 Qf2 62.Kb7 Qxg3 63.Qxf6+ Kh5 64.Qe6 Ng4 65.Ne7 Qf3+ 66.Kc8 Kh4 67.Nf5+ Kh3 68.Kd8 h5 69.Qg6 Ne5 70.Qe6 Ng4 71.Qg6 Ne5 72.Qe6 Qd3+ 73.Nd4+ Ng4 74.Qd5 Nf2 75.Kc8 h4 76.Qe5 Qe4 77.Qf6 Qf4 78.Nf5 Ne4 79.Qe6 Qg4 0-1