Understanding before Moving 167: Chess history in a nutshell (48)

by ChessBase
3/3/2024 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books on chess training and strategy. In the 167th episode of his ChessBase show "Understanding before moving" Herman continues his series "Chess history in a nutshell" and continues to look at the legacy of Mikhail Tal. | Photo: Pascal Simon

Key Concepts of Chess - Pawn Structures Vol.1 and 2 Key Concepts of Chess - Pawn Structures Vol.1 and 2

In this two-part course the emphasis will be on typical pawn-structures.

More...

Mikhail Tal (3)

This will be the last episode, in which we look at games of the world champion who played perhaps the most entertaining chess of all: Mikhail Tal. With his daring style, his psychologically interesting but often dubious sacrifices, he deservedly earned his nickname: "the Magician or the Wizard of Riga". The way he defeated the virtually unbeatable Mikhail Botvinnik in the 1960 World Championship match was sensational. The fact that he lost the revenge match a year later fairly and without a chance did not spoil the fun.

The combination player Pur Sang, who was Tal, made sure that chess was followed worldwide. His creative attacks captured the imagination and many players tried to imitate him. It is therefore inevitable that we end this episode with some of his beautiful combinations, which you can try to solve. And remember what Tal said: "There are two kinds of combinations: the correct ones and mine!"

White has quite a few attacking pieces in the diagram position. What would you play with White?

Master Class Vol.10: Mikhail Botvinnik

Our experts show, using the games of Botvinnik, how to employ specific openings successfully, which model strategies are present in specific structures, how to find tactical solutions and rules for how to bring endings to a successful conclusion

This week’s show (for Premium Members only)

Links

More by Herman Grooten and "Understanding before Moving"...


Reports about chess: tournaments, championships, portraits, interviews, World Championships, product launches and more.