Tactics in the Spanish (by Mikhail Tal)

Replay Game

Mihail Tal (2620) - Gennadi P Kuzmin (2550) [C99]

October Revolution 60/Leningrad (17) 1977

Trying to learn something about Chigorin variation of the Spanish opening, I looked up a couple of entertaining games from the database. This one struck me as unusually tactical for this opening.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 cxd4 13. cxd4 Nc6 14. Nb3 a5 15. Be3 a4 16. Nbd2 Nb4 17. Bb1 Bd7 18. a3 Nc6 19. Bd3 Na5 20. Rc1 Qb8 21. Qe2 Re8 22. Rc2 Bd8 This is all fairly standard stuff so far. 23. dxe5 dxe5 24. Bc5 Nh5 25. g3 Ra6 25... Bxh3 26. Bxb5 26. Nh2 Rh6 27. Ng4 Rg6 28. Kh2 Bg5 29. Qf3 Qd8 30. Rd1

30... Nf4? 30... Nf6! 31. Nxe5! Kuzmin's idea would have been justified if Tal took the sacrificed piece: 31. gxf4? Bxf4+ 32. Kh1 Qh4 33. Rg1 h5 34. Nh2 Rxg1+ 35. Kxg1 Bxd2 36. Rxd2

36... Qg5+ 31... Rxe5 32. gxf4 Nc6 33. Be3 Bh6

34. Rxc6! 34. fxe5? Nxe5 35. Qh5 Nxd3 and black can is still surviving 34... Bxc6 35. fxe5 Qxd3 36. Nf1 Bf4+

37. Bxf4! This is what could happen to someone who'd get involved in messy tactics against Mikhail Tal! 1-0 [Roman Jiganchine]