MARK RUBERY CHESS

In 1988 Mikhail Tal visited the United States for the first time after having won the firstWorld Blitz Championship held in St Johns Newfoundland. He gave lectures at both the Marshall and Manhattan chess clubs in front of standing room only audiences before conducting simultaneous displays. He then fielded the following the following questions with an American slant:

Q. How do you remember Bobby Fischer?

Tal. When I played Bobby for the first time he was barely 15 and he was not yet 20 when we played our final tournament game. This was not the ‘real Bobby’ of 1970. Of course he was a real chess genius. He was fanatical about the game, but it is also important to remember he was a real gentleman during games.

Q. Is Fischer the best player in history?

Tal. You cannot compare chess strengths among players of different eras. I can talk about my favourite players-Morphy, Lasker and Alekhine. Q. A common judgment about you is that you are relatively weak in the endgame. Pal Benko said that while you tricked him many times over the years, he feels that things go differently when he gets you into an ending. Tal. Benko? Well, of course. But he should say that I am also sometimes weak in the opening and middlegame. As everyone says though: between the opening and the ending the gods have placed the middlegame. I thank those gods.

Q. If you had to do something differently, what would you change?

Tal.

I don’t think there is anything. Well, maybe I would have postponed my return match with Botvinnik after I became ill. But I think-maybe I would have played anyway. I have no real regrets. My chess life and career has, I think, been successful enough.

Q. Can you name a few of your favourite opponents and some of your favourite games?

Tal.

I have always enjoyed playing David Bronstein and Viktor Korchnoi is also an interesting opponent. My favourite games? I like especially my win over Oscar Panno in Portoroz 1958 and the final game of my match with Bent Larsen in 1965. Many of my early games against Botvinnik, Fischer and Smyslov are memorable for me. With the contest delicately poised at 4.5-4.5 Tal shows immense nerve and verve to win the final game and take the match. Tal,Mikhail - Larsen,Bent [B82]

Candidates sf1 Bled (10), 1965 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 0–0 9.0–0–0 Qc7 10.Ndb5 (10 g4 Nxd4 11 Bxd4 e5 12 fxe5 fxe5 13 Qg3 Qa5 14 Bxe5 Be6 Timman-Salov, 1997 led to a drop of popularity in this line for White)…Qb8 11.g4 a6 12.Nd4 Nxd4 13.Bxd4

b5 14.g5 Nd7 15.Bd3 b4 16.Nd5!? (A positional piece sacrifice that leaves White’s bishops dangerously aiming at the kingside)…exd5 17.exd5 f5?! (17…g6 was thought to be better and it is a moot point if White’s attack will crash through in time after 18 Rde1 Bd8 19 h4) 18.Rde1 Rf7 19.h4 Bb7 20.Bxf5 Rxf5 21.Rxe7 Ne5 22.Qe4 Qf8 23.fxe5 Rf4 24.Qe3 Rf3 25.Qe2 Qxe7 26.Qxf3 dxe5 27.Re1 Rd8 28.Rxe5 Qd6 29.Qf4 Rf8 30.Qe4 b3 31.axb3 Rf1+ 32.Kd2 Qb4+ 33.c3 Qd6 34.Bc5! Qxc5 35.Re8+ Rf8 36.Qe6+ Kh8