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Mikhail Tal’s French Defense Wins in 26 Moves

August 29, 2025 NHaselton Chess Lectures

ChessNetworkFri, August 29, 2025 8:50pmURL:
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This is a sharp chess game between Dmitry Rovner and Mikhail Tal from 1955. A 19 year old Tal plays the French Defense and handles the Tarrasch variation with a quick opening of the f-file. What follows is classic Tal as he launches an attack that tears apart Rovner’s king position and forces resignation after just 26 moves.
#MikhailTal #FrenchDefense

I’m a self-taught National Master in chess out of Pennsylvania, USA who was introduced to the game by my father in 1988 at the age of 8. The purpose of this channel is to share my knowledge of chess to help others improve their game. I enjoy continuing to improve my understanding of this great game, albeit slowly. Consider subscribing here on YouTube for frequent content, and/or connecting via any or all the below social medias. Your support is greatly appreciated. Take care, bye. 🙂

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PGN
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ne2 Qb6 8. Nf3 cxd4 9. cxd4 f6 10. exf6 Nxf6 11. O-O Bd6 12. Nc3 O-O 13. Re1 Bd7 14. Nb5 Bb8 15. Nc3 Bd6 16. Bg5 Rae8 17. Re2 Ng4 18. h3 Rxf3 19. gxf3 Nh2 20. Kg2 Nxd4 21. Re3 h6 22. Bh4 Bf4 23. Bg6 Bxe3 24. Bxe8 Nhxf3 25. Bxd7 Nxh4+ 26. Kf1 Qxb2

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