Avoiding trades against Tal gets you mated in 18 moves.

August 13, 2020 NHaselton Uncategorized

Hanging PawnsThu, August 13, 2020 8:19amURL:
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Mikail Tal checkmates his opponent in 18 moves in a pretty messy game, in which his opponent did everything he could to keep the pieces on the board and go for the win himself.

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Klavins vs Mikhail Tal, Riga 1949, Rubinstein French

We are continuing the story on one of the most remarkable chess world champions, Mikhail Tal. This game was played in his first ever serious tournament, in Riga in 1949. He was 13 at the time, but his play (at least his tactical prowess) was already like of an experienced player.

He mated his opponent in 18 moves! His opponent, who was probably much higher rated, wanted to avoid trades and simplifications, and got punished for that.

He made several weird moves, delaying king safety issues, even though he had a chance to calm the position down and trade. Not a good idea against Tal!

#chess

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