Mikhail Tal – too complicated to analyse?
10.07.2005
– The legendary Latvian world champion was famous for his intricate games. In his Monday night lecture on Playchess Dennis Monokroussos examines one of the most excruciating examples, a game Tal himself did not dare to annotate. But it worth a try, since it exemplifies the magic and ferocity of Tal's chess.
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Dennis Monokroussos writes:
For this week’s show, I’m going to present a game from my all-time
favorite player, Mikhail Tal. But not just any game, mind you, but one so complicated
Tal himself refused to annotate it for his chess autobiography. On the one
hand, this might seem hubristic on my part, but I’d prefer to put a more
optimistic cast on it: (a) at least I tried, and (b) there will probably be
mistakes in anyone’s analysis of this game. So I have nothing to lose
by trying!
Those of you familiar with The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal might know what
game I have in mind, but for those lacking that outstanding book, I’m
referring to his epic battle with the Swiss player Dieter Keller from Zurich
1959. Keller invites trouble by playing the ultra-sharp Botvinnik Variation
of the Semi-Slav, and he finds it in spades. Tal’s attack comes in wave
after wave, and although Keller defends exceptionally for a long time, he finally
cracks under the pressure – just when he had almost consolidated with
an advantage.
This is a game which will repay careful analysis, but in addition to its utilitarian
value, it’s a beautiful, brilliant game that exemplifies the magic and
ferocity of Tal’s chess at its best. Must-see chess!
Dennis Monokroussos'
Radio ChessBase
lectures begin on Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT, which translates to 02:00h GMT,
03:00 Paris/Berlin, 13:00h Sydney (on Tuesday). Other time zones can
be found at the bottom of this page. You can use Fritz or any Fritz-compatible
program (Shredder, Junior, Tiger, Hiarcs) to follow the lectures, or
download a free trial client. |
Dennis
Monokroussos is 38, lives in South Bend, IN (the site of the University
of Notre Dame), and is writing a Ph.D. dissertation in philosophy (in the philosophy
of mind) while adjuncting at the University.
He is fairly inactive as a player right now, spending most of his non-philosophy
time being a husband and teaching chess. At one time he was one of the strongest
juniors in the U.S., but quit for about eight years starting in his early 20s.
His highest rating was 2434 USCF, but he has now fallen to the low-mid 2300s
– "too much blitz, too little tournament chess", he says.
Dennis has been working as a chess teacher for seven years now, giving lessons
to adults and kids both in person and on the internet, worked for a number
of years for New York’s Chess In The Schools program, where he was
one of the coaches of the 1997-8 US K-8 championship team from the Bronx, and
was very active in working with many of CITS’s most talented juniors.
When Dennis Monokroussos presents a game, there are usually two main areas
of focus: the opening-to-middlegame transition and the key moments of the middlegame
(or endgame, when applicable). With respect to the latter, he attempts to present
some serious analysis culled from his best sources (both text and database),
which he has checked with his own efforts and then double-checked with his
chess software.
Here are the exact times for different locations in the world
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