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Questions tagged [tal]

Mikhail Tal (1936-1992) defeated Mikhail Botvinnik in 1960 to become the eighth World Chess Champion. Arguably regarded as the strongest attacking player the game has ever seen, 'The Magician from Riga' had the ability to conjure incredible attacks from seemingly unremarkable positions.

Mikhail Tal (1936-1992) defeated Mikhail Botvinnik in 1960 to become the eighth World Chess Champion. Arguably regarded as the strongest attacking player the game has ever seen, 'The Magician from Riga' had the ability to conjure incredible attacks from seemingly unremarkable positions.

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How do you judge a sacrifice?

I have been looking at several of Mikhail Tal's games recently, as they are exciting to analyze. Often Tal makes sacrifices in surprising positions, and almost always the computer finds that the positions are quite close despite the massive…
EPN
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What is the origin of Tal's expression "They can only take one at a time"?

The expression refers to aggressive attacking style where one side leaves multiple pieces attacked, but the opponent cannot take full advantage of it since "they can only take one at a time". Was this said by Tal in an interview or in a book…
Joe
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Why is Byrne vs. Fischer (1956) regarded as the "Game of the Century"?

(This is the game in question.) Is it because it was played by a 13-year-old Bobby Fischer? Would it have been different if it were played by a much older player? Who labeled it the "game of the century" and did this game between Tal and Smyslov…
xaisoft
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Should I practice openings of a famous player if I want to play like them?

I have always liked the way Mikhail Tal played and I noticed on chessgames.com, that his most played openings are: As White: Sicilian (B46, B43, B82, B32, B40) Ruy Lopez (C92, C95, C93, C96, C84) Caro-Kann (B14, B17, B18, B12, B10) French Defense…
xaisoft
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Games of Mikhail Tal under the influence of alcohol

It is commonly known that Mikhail Tal was an alcohol addict and also had a morphine addiction for a short time. Are there any games where he played under the influence of drugs that affected his play, or had any troubles regarding this matter with…
Don
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Why is Tal talking about 10. Qf7 when 10.... N5f6 is possible?

I am picking from the book "Attack with Mikhail Tal" Chapter 1, pg 6. Tal annotates the steps and his thought process on the Tal-Larsen 1965 match. [FEN ""] 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 dxe5 5. Nxe5 Nd7 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qh5+ Ke6 8. c4…
Soham
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Why Rashid Nezhmetdinov didn't achieve a grandmaster title?

Rashid Nezhmetdinov is one of the greatest chess player of all time. He destroyed Mikhail Tal many times. I know he was a great attacker but Tal also a great attacker. But why Rashid did not succeed as Tal did?
Imran
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What is chess style?

People talk about chess stylet. Obviously, some players such as Tal or Shirazi sought out highly tactical positions but is there anything more to it than that? The only alternative to being a tactician appears to be a positional player. Are there…
ToddM
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Which Book should I choose

After watching a good deal of annotated games of Mikhail Tal on YouTube, I've finally decided to go in deeper by the means of 3 of his most famous books Life and Games of Mikhail Tal Study Chess with Tal Attack with Tal Even after having bought…
user12487
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Can anyone of us pinpoint the thinking Algorithm of Mikhail Tal?

I have read how grandmasters think, but I do not play like them. I have read about their systems of thinking, and other things, and how to emulate any of the top GMs; but I would like to see if there are a list of steps where Tal's style can be…
Seth Projnabrata
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