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?
This week’s show (for Premium Members only)
