Chess Strategy And Tactics:Mikhail Tal'S Amazing Games

Learn Lessons From Mikhail Tal’s Games: Attacking Strategies, Tactics, Openings and Brilliant Tactical Combinations

What you'll learn

Be able to play more creative fun and effective attacking style chess - entertaining, spectacular, dramatic, and combinational style of play in particular :)

Be able to see why Tal is thought to have given more joy to the Chess World than all the dry technicians combined

Be able to understand many of Mikhail Tal's tactics and combinations and demystify some of the magic Tal was known for

Be able to improve one games tactically and positionally

Be able to pick up a lot of useful opening theory and systems still popular today - e.g. English symmetrical with early d5 plan for a reverse Maroczy bind

Be able to play the King's Indian Defence with key Mikhail Tal model games

Be able to play the Modern Benoni Defence with key Mikhail Tal model games

Be able to play the fun "Scotch Four Knights variation" of 1.e4 with key Mikhail Tal model games

Be able to understand the power of default attacking Queen moves like Qc2 (even from 1.d4 opening) or Qc7 as black which hit King soft spots immediately

Be able to become more acutely aware of opportunies based on King soft spots and two parallel "diagonals of death" leading to h7/h2 and h2/f2 squares

Be able to understand how Kingscrusher felt creating this course was like an aesthetic experience akin to going on hot dates with a beautiful woman :)

Be able to unsderstand more than Tal was not just a tactician but also a magician making his games not only instructive but also entertaining

Be able to take a deeper attacking perspective on principles such as central control - seeing implications for King x-raying

Be able to see evidence that the majority of Tal's sacrifices were completely sound and the more unsound ones could be called "speculative"

Be able to see evidence that sometimes Tal's sacrifices are completely unsound but win anyway!

Be able to see how tactics and combinations are set up as well as seeing lots of key tactical variations behind the scenes

Be able to more easily get the kind of attacking positions where forced mates will arise from

Be able to "promote" King x-rays into major attacking opportunities more easily from Tal's examples

Be able to make use of Tal's pet move on the 6th turn Bg5 with more confidence against the Sicilian Najdorf

Be able to explore systematically in chronological order an amazing treasure trove of Tal's games

Be able to appreciate more one of the greatest chess artists the chess world has ever seen

Be able to appreciate games as though they were like Shakespearean plays with dramatic conclusions at the end

Be able to appreciate seemingly unbelievable games let alone the key variations behind the scenes of unseen brilliancy

Be able to appreciate that World champion Mikhail Tal even 20 years later and with health issues can be in the top 10 players officially in the World

Be able to play even the English opening with 1.c4 and still get a crushing King Attack wherever the King castles :)

Be able to emulate Mikhail Tal more in positions which Tal excelled in

Be able to similarities of playing style between Paul Morphy, Alexander Alekhine and Mikhail Tal more clearly

Be able to create such complexity that normal calculating of variations becomes impossible making opponents nervous, mistake-prone, and losing

Be able to see that almost up until his death he remained in the chess ratings top 10-20 players of the world

Be able to see great game examples from arguably one of the greatest attacking players the world of chess has ever seen

Be able to see more clearly how complications on the chess baord can result in problems very difficult to solve by opponents in the time limit

Be able to play more easily exciting sacrifices that would induce spectator noise and excitement more than many other ways of playing

Requirements

Know how the pieces move

Description

Dive into the mesmerizing world of chess through the brilliant moves of the 8th World Chess Champion, Mikhail Nekhemyevich Tal, whose unpredictable, attacking style of play earned him the title "The Magician from Riga". This course, presented by FIDE CM Kingscrusher, aims to not just celebrate Tal's spectacular games but also extract valuable lessons from them to enhance your own chess journey.Mikhail Tal's games stand as a testament to his unique combinatory style and audacious sacrifices, a beacon of creativity and flair in the chess world. His ability to use complexity as a weapon against his opponents and his bold, sometimes 'incorrect' sacrifices, opened a new dimension in chess strategy. This course embraces Tal's philosophies and principles, aiming to translate his 'magic' to enthusiastic chess players eager to learn from one of the greatest tacticians of all time.Tal's games often transcended the bounds of traditional opening theory, making them rich sources of strategic and tactical knowledge. His games, played primarily as a 1.e4 player, are teeming with attacking chess, daring sacrifices, and tactical brilliance, often more featured in chess literature than any other player's.Through a detailed analysis of Tal's games, this course presents an innovative perspective on chess - where the complexity and 'incorrect' sacrifices are not mistakes but strategic tools, where the chessboard transforms into a 'deep dark forest' with its own unconventional logic, where chess becomes a test of character and psychological endurance as much as a battle of wits.As you navigate this course, remember Tal's profound insight: "You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.”So, embark on this journey with us into the enigmatic mind of Mikhail Tal, where each move promises to be a lesson in creativity, courage, and chess tactics that defy conventional wisdom. Let's explore the beautiful chaos of Tal's games, and in the process, discover a new, exciting way to view and play chess.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction

Lecture 2 Game selection criteria

Lecture 3 Complexity as a weapon and the role of intuition

Lecture 4 Analysis principles used for complex games

Lecture 5 A sharp eye for tactics, combinations and opponent King soft spots!

Lecture 6 Exploiting and encouraging opponent self-destruct moves!

Lecture 7 An attacking mindset and perspective on principles

Section 2: 1949- Mikhail Tal was around 12 years old

Lecture 8 Ratmir Kholmov vs Tal - Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation

Lecture 9 Janis Klavins vs Tal - French Defense: Rubinstein Variation

Lecture 10 Knight on f5! - Tal vs M Strelkov -French Defense: Rubinstein Variation

Lecture 11 Reverse Carlsbad structure - Tal vs Leonov - Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange var.

Section 3: 1950 - Mikhail Tal around 13 years old

Lecture 12 Mikhail Tal vs Miglan - Spanish Game: Open. St. Petersburg Variation

Section 4: 1951 - Mikhail Tal around 14 years old

Lecture 13 An exchange sacrifrice - N Darsniek vs Mikhail Tal - Semi-Slav Defense

Lecture 14 Addressing a pin - Gutnikov vs Mikhail Tal - Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation

Lecture 15 Nd5 Springboard - Mikhail Tal vs Gradus - Spanish Game: Closed Variations

Lecture 16 Reverse Maroczy bind! - Berg vs Mikhail Tal - English Opening: Symmetrical

Lecture 17 A lucky turnaround - Tal vs Aivars Gipslis - Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad

Section 5: 1952 - Mikhail Tal was around 15 years old

Lecture 18 In 15 collections || Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation (D37)

Lecture 19 Underdeveloped pieces - Tal vs Birjanis - Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights

Lecture 20 In 17 collections || Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation. General (B56)

Lecture 21 a4 target - Aevski vs Mikhail Tal - Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation

Lecture 22 In 14 collections || Queen's Indian Defense: Classical (E18)

Lecture 23 Qc2 power for attack later - Tal vs Lozov - Queen's Indian Defense: Classical

Lecture 24 In 20 collections || Pirc Defense: General (B07)

Lecture 25 e4 break - Mikhail Tal vs Segal - Dutch Defense: Classical Variation. General

Lecture 26 In 13 collections || Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation (C47)

Lecture 27 f5 pawn sac - Tal vs Artur Darznieks - Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation

Section 6: 1953 - Mikhail Tal was around 16 years old

Lecture 28 A disaster move - Gradus vs Mikhail Tal - King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto

Lecture 29 A thorny bishop - Mikhail Tal vs Igors Zdanovs - Four Knights Game: Scotch

Lecture 30 A necessary Queen exchange - Mikhail Tal vs Georgy Ilivitsky - Sicilian Defense

Lecture 31 A crushing pin - Eduard Gufeld vs Mikhail Tal - Spanish Game: Closed Variations

Section 7: 1954 - Mikhail Tal was around 17 years old

Lecture 32 A crushing pawn move -Mikhail Tal vs Vladimir Saigin - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf

Lecture 33 Diagonal of death - Anatolij Bannik vs Mikhail Tal - King's Indian Attack

Lecture 34 Aiming at softspots -Mikhail Tal vs Semenkin - English Opening: Anglo-Dutch Def.

Lecture 35 Exploiting lack of Nc3 for early b5 - Janis Mileika vs Tal - Benoni Defence

Section 8: 1955 - Mikhail Tal was around 18 years old

Lecture 36 A principle breaking g4 - Azerbaev vs Mikhail Tal - Caro-Kann Defense: Advance

Lecture 37 A powerful exchange sac - Dmitry Rovner vs Tal - French Defense - Tarrasch

Lecture 38 A passed pawn stopped - Rosenberg vs Tal - Gruenfeld Defense: Three Knights

Section 9: 1956 - Mikhail Tal was around 19 years old

Lecture 39 A magical Knight sacrifice! - Szukszta vs Tal - King's Indian Defense: Saemisch

Lecture 40 Only a pawn up - Mikhail Tal vs Nils Mogren - King's Indian Defense: Saemisch

Lecture 41 e5 break plan - Tal vs Giorgadze - King's Indian Defense: Saemisch

Lecture 42 Dangers of castling Q-side - Chukaev vs Tal - King's Indian Defence: Averbakh

Section 10: 1957 - Mikhail Tal was around 20 years old

Lecture 43 Thorn pawn attack - Eugenio Szabados vs Tal - English Opening: Agincourt Defense

Lecture 44 The power of Qc7 - Kyosti Rannanjarvi vs Tal - Indian Game: Knights Variation

Lecture 45 Enormously complex and baffling Sicilian defence training game - Tal vs Koblents

Section 11: 1958 - Mikhail Tal was around 21 years old

Lecture 46 Punishment of a punishment - Tal vs Klavins - Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer

Lecture 47 An anti-English Opening system - Andrejs Petersons vs Tal - English Opening

Lecture 48 An interesting battery choice - Tal vs Kampenuss - Pirc Defense: Classical

Lecture 49 Sicilian Najdorf unsound bishop sac - Klavins vs Tal - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf

Lecture 50 Milner Barry Gambit vs French! - Tal vs Nei - French Defense: Advance Variation

Lecture 51 Forcing move awareness needed - Tal vs Bent Larsen - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf

Lecture 52 King in center exploited - Tal vs Aivars Gipslis - Sicilian Defense: Kan

Lecture 53 Exploiting x-ray for material gain - Tal vs Larsen - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf

Lecture 54 A slow a6 move punished - Tal vs Milev - Tarrasch Defense: Symmetrical Variation

Lecture 55 Exploiting missing f7 pawn - Tal vs A Russell - Scotch Game: Göring Gambit

Lecture 56 Forcing moves can win on the spot! - Tal vs Tringov - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf

Section 12: 1959 - Mikhail Tal was around 22 years old

Lecture 57 c5 break and f-file sharing- Tal vs Fischer -King's Indian Defense - Round 6

Lecture 58 d5 liberational pawn break - Fischer vs Tal - Sicilian Defence - Fischer-Sozin

Lecture 59 Bishop exchange leads to tailored pressure plan - Tal vs Fischer - Kings Indian

Lecture 60 Active operations before castling risk- Fischer vs Tal - Sicilian Defense -Rd 27

Lecture 61 Pin and win - Abrosimov vs Mikhail Tal - Sicilian Defense: Kan. Knight Variation

Lecture 62 An intuitive knight sacrifice - Kupper vs Tal - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf

Lecture 63 To take is a mistake - Tal vs Smyslov - Caro-Kann Defense: Breyer Variation

Lecture 64 Central pawn wedge considerably improves attacking resources - Tal vs Benko

Section 13: 1960 - Mikhail Tal was around 23 years old - year of becoming World Champion!

Lecture 65 Queenside surface area responsibility - Troeger vs Tal - 1960 - Staunton Gambit

Lecture 66 Unprotected rook on a1 - Unzicker vs Tal - Spanish Game: Morphy Defense. Breyer

Lecture 67 A self-clearance move exploited - Tal vs Najdorf -Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen

Lecture 68 Light square bishop without counterpart - Tal vs Unzicker - Spanish Game

Lecture 69 WC Match #1 - Keeping pieces active -Tal vs Botvinnik - French Defense: Winawer

Lecture 70 WC Match #6 - Game had to be moved away to quiet room! - Botvinnik vs Tal - KID

Lecture 71 WC Match #7 - Precision in Endgame needed - Tal vs Botvinnik - Caro-Kann

Lecture 72 WC Match #11- Strategic Double Fianchetto-Tal vs Botvinnik - Kings Indian Attack

Lecture 73 WC Match #17- Iconic 12.f4 move keeping complexity- Tal vs Botvinnik - Caro-Kann

Lecture 74 WC Match #19 - Counterplay cutting move - Tal vs Botvinnik - Dutch Lenningrad

Section 14: 1961 - Mikhail Tal was around 24 years old

Lecture 75 Allowing a pin can be fatal - Tal vs Johansson - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf

Lecture 76 Queen sac for two pieces! - Albero vs Tal - English Opening: King's English

Lecture 77 a6 Structure vs b-file Piece activity - Bertok vs Tal - Benoni Defense

Section 15: 1962 - Mikhail Tal was around 25 years old

Lecture 78 A counter piece sacrifice - Mikhail Shofman vs Mikhail Tal - Pirc defence

Lecture 79 Opposite side castling - Tal vs Barcza - French Defense: Classical

Lecture 80 Checkmating pieces in effect! - Khodos vs Tal - Queen's Gambit Accepted

Section 16: 1963 - Mikhail Tal was around 26 years old

Lecture 81 Great out of the Kan with Black - Paoli vs Tal - Sicilian Defense: Kan

Lecture 82 King in the Center exploit - Tal vs NN - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf. Polugayevsky

Lecture 83 Opening piece blunder - Ortega vs Tal - Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation

Lecture 84 Too many pawn moves - Tal vs Broderman - Caro-Kann Defense: Main Line

Section 17: 1964 - Mikhail Tal was around 27 years old

Lecture 85 Intuitive but a little optimistic - Tal vs Teslenko - French Defense: Winawer

Lecture 86 Point to King - Tal vs Springall - Queen's Gambit Declined - Albin Countergambit

Lecture 87 Slaying the dragon - Tal vs Boardman - Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation

Lecture 88 Greek Gift sacrifice - Mikhail Tal vs E W Jaggs - French Defense: Winawer

Lecture 89 Tal emulates Paul Morphy! - Tal vs Pratten - King's Gambit: Accepted

Lecture 90 King in center too long - Tal vs Kalton - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf

Lecture 91 Being too clever can backfire - Svein Johannessen vs Tal - King's Indian Defense

Lecture 92 A slight risk to celebrate diagonal - Tal vs Ingi Johannsson - Spanish Game

Lecture 93 Not brave enough for d6 - Solmundarson vs Tal - King's Indian. Fianchetto

Lecture 94 Light square grip - Tal vs Wade - Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan. Sveshnikov

Lecture 95 d6 weak but lots of piece activity - Pachman vs Tal - Sicilian Defense

Lecture 96 Giving up the bishop pair - Tal vs Benko - Caro-Kann Defense: Karpov. Smyslov

Lecture 97 Keeping the king around - Tal vs Bilek - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation

Lecture 98 Punishments of Punishments - Tal vs Tringov - Modern Defense: Two Knights

Lecture 99 Noah's Ark Trap Avoidance - Tal vs Ciocaltea - Spanish Game: Modern Steinitz

Section 18: 1965 - Mikhail Tal was around 28 years old

Lecture 100 In 20+ collections || Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen. Tal Variation

Lecture 101 One wrong move decisive - Tal vs Koblents - Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen

Lecture 102 In 8 Cs || Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange. Positional Variation (D35)

Lecture 103 Pawn sac needed - Tal vs Kiriakov - Queen's Gambit Declined

Lecture 104 In 135+ Collections || Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack (B10)

Lecture 105 Amazing sacrifices by both sides - Tal vs Portisch

Section 19: 1966 - Mikhail Tal was around 29 years old

Lecture 106 Trapping a queen - Mikhail Tal vs Bozidar Gasic - Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian

Lecture 107 Tricks behind the scenes - Tal vs Pachman - English Opening: Agincourt Defense

Lecture 108 Najdorf Trap Alert! - Mikhail Tal vs Ong Yok Hwa - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf

Lecture 109 Dark square disaster - Mikhail Tal vs Svend Hamann - Sicilian Defense: Kan

Lecture 110 A dynamic Ruy Lopez Gambit! - Mikhail Tal vs Alfredo Olivera - Spanish Game

Lecture 111 A recipe vs fianchetto bishop - Tal vs Laccourreye -English Opening: Symmetrical

Lecture 112 Outrageous dark square grip opportunity - Tal vs Wade - Sicilian Defense: Dragon

Lecture 113 Pawns on light squares - Segovia vs Tal - Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation

Section 20: 1967 - Mikhail Tal was around 30 years old - FIDE 2650 - Rank #4 in world

Lecture 114 Extinguishing major threats when material down - Tal vs Geller - Spanish Game

Section 21: 1968 - Mikhail Tal was around 31 years old - FIDE 2650 - Rank #5 in world

Lecture 115 Exotic opening play punished - Gurgenidze vs Tal - Sicilian Defense:Canal Attack

Lecture 116 A model Isolated Queen's Pawn game - Tal vs Chikovani - Caro-Kann Defense

Lecture 117 A dynamic perspective on central control - Hermlin vs Tal - Benoni Defense

Section 22: 1969 - Mikhail Tal was around 32 years old - FIDE 2610, Rank #10 in world

Lecture 118 g4 dynamic play - Tal vs Gulko - Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen. Tal Variation

Lecture 119 A bit of magic! - Tal vs Sviridov - Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation

Lecture 120 Active operations before castling punished - Tal vs Zaitsev - French Defense

Lecture 121 Blunder induced pressure - Tal vs Gufeld - Sicilian Defense: Paulsen

Lecture 122 A nice Queen Sac! - Tal vs Suetin - Sicilian Defense: Kan. Modern Variation

Section 23: 1970 - Mikhail Tal was around 33 years old - FIDE 2590, Rank #15 in world

Lecture 123 Beautiful even if flawed - Mikhail Tal vs Salnikov - French Defense: Tarrasch

Lecture 124 Space advantage - Tal vs Gedevanishvili - Alekhine Defense: Saemisch Attack

Lecture 125 Pressure points and infiltration - Ivkov vs Tal - King's Indian Defense

Lecture 126 Weak d5 pawn - Tal vs Korchnoi - French Defense: Tarrasch Variation

Lecture 127 Exploiting dark square weaknesses - Tal vs Uhlmann - Benko's Opening

Lecture 128 Asking for a pin to be exploited - Tal vs Bellon Lopez - Sicilian Defense

Lecture 129 Exploiting a fianchetto bishop downside - Barcza vs Tal - King's Indian Attack

Lecture 130 Exploiting dark square weaknesses- Tal vs Myagmarsuren - Queen's Gambit Accepted

Lecture 131 Undermining center at expense of K safety - Nikolaevsky vs Tal - English Opening

Section 24: 1971 - Mikhail Tal was around 34 years old - FIDE 2610, Rank #13 in world

Lecture 132 Material and the Attack - Tal vs Krogius - Spanish Game: Marshall Attack

Lecture 133 Where exactly is Bishop without counterpart? Tal vs Uhlmann - French Defense

Section 25: 1972 - Mikhail Tal was around 35 years old - FIDE 2625, Rank #9th equal in world

Lecture 134 Need to prove Knight on rim is dim or not- Tal vs Hermlin - King's Indian Attack

Lecture 135 Dark square strategy - Bernard Simon vs Mikhail Tal - Pirc Defense: Classical

Lecture 136 Avoiding Sharp Theory - Tal vs Gonzales - Sicilian Defense: Rossolimo Attack.

Lecture 137 The h7 soft spot - Tal vs Timman - Pirc defence by transposition

Lecture 138 Gambit to punish provocative opening - Tal vs Zilberstein - Modern Defense

Lecture 139 Punishing active operation with K in center - Tal vs Mukhin - Sicilian Defense

Section 26: 1973 - Mikhail Tal was around 36 years old - FIDE 2660, Rank #2nd equal in world

Lecture 140 Celebrating a central wedge pawn - Mikhail Tal vs NN - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf

Lecture 141 Offering a center pawn with Check - Tal vs NN - Alekhine Defense: 4 Pawns attack

Lecture 142 A deep dark forest with Tal's king involved - Tal vs Donner- English Opening

Lecture 143 Technique win - Hartoch vs Tal - Zukertort Opening: Pirc Invitation

Lecture 144 f6?!- Westerinen vs Tal -Sicilian Defense: French Variation. Westerinen Attack

Lecture 145 Opening up a closed position - Tal vs Bronstein - Pirc Defense: Byrne Variation

Lecture 146 Early attack - Tal vs Vaganian - French Defense: Tarrasch Variation. Guimard

Lecture 147 Avoid self-deflection if possible! - Tal vs Platonov - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf

Section 27: 1974 - Mikhail Tal was around 37 years old - FIDE 2635, Rank #7th in world

Lecture 148 A powerful deflection exploiting pawn hook - Tal vs Chandler - Scandinavian

Lecture 149 Slaughtering the Dragon with doubled pawns - Tal vs Bodha - Sicilian Defence

Lecture 150 An easy to play Opening plan - Tal vs Wiseman - Sicilian Defense: Canal Attack

Lecture 151 Thorn Pawn - Tal vs Bridges - Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack

Lecture 152 Winning a key pawn out of opening - Tal vs McCulloch - Spanish Game: Steinitz

Lecture 153 A surprising Knight sacrifice - Tal vs Hughes - Sicilian Defense: Chekhover

Lecture 154 Forced mate in 7- Tal vs NN (Bernard Williams)- Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer

Lecture 155 A large number of tempo gainers - Tal vs Searle - Latvian Gambit: Accepted

Lecture 156 Castling into an attack - Tal vs NN - St. George Defense

Lecture 157 Castling where there are weaknesses - Tal vs Giorgadze - English Opening

Lecture 158 King Soft spots vs Bishop pair - Tal vs Petrosian - Pirc Defense: Classical

Lecture 159 A trapped bishop and then soft spot attack - Tal vs Knaak - Spanish Game

Lecture 160 The threat of a threat of mate in 1 - Tal vs Paehtz - Sicilian Defense: Accelera

Lecture 161 Seemingly crude but very effective - Tal vs Ilijc -Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack

Lecture 162 A simplifying rook sac tactic - Tal vs Mejic - Spanish Game: Morphy Defense

Lecture 163 Castling Queenside is risky - Moehring vs Tal - Kings Indian Defence: Averbakh

Section 28: 1975 - Mikhail Tal was around 38 years old - FIDE 2645, Rank #4th equal in world

Lecture 164 Precision when needed - Mikhail Tal vs NN - Sicilian Defense: Kan

Lecture 165 Ripping open the K in center - Tal vs Gregory - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf

Lecture 166 Losing central control early - Tuzovsky vs Tal - Modern Defense

Lecture 167 Taking away King escape squares creates luck!- Tal vs Petrosian - French defence

Lecture 168 Punishing weakness of last move - Tal vs Vargas - Caro-Kann Defense: Classical

Lecture 169 A cute knight positional move - Tal vs Andersson - Sicilian Defense: Paulsen

Lecture 170 Exposing a vacuum of weaknesses - Mariotti vs Tal - Sicilian Defense: Paulsen

Lecture 171 Prevention and prophylaxis - Tal vs Martinez - Spanish Game: Cozio Defence

Section 29: 1976 -Mikhail Tal was around 39 years old - FIDE 2615, Rank #11th equal in world

Lecture 172 Bishop at end of Fishing pole - Tal vs Byrne - Sicilian Defense: Chekhover

Section 30: 1977 - Mikhail Tal was around 40 years old - FIDE 2620, Rank #6th= in world

Lecture 173 Bypassing dynamic play with pressure moves - Poutiainen vs Tal - English Opening

Lecture 174 A few inaccuracies creating crushing position - Gonzalez vs Tal - Sicilian

Lecture 175 Lurking King soft-spot opportunities - Beliavsky vs Tal - Sicilian Defense

Lecture 176 Rare Sicilian Nimzovich variation - Tal vs Zaitsev - Sicilian Defense: Nimzovich

Lecture 177 A dangerous outside passed pawn - Kuzmin vs Tal - Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen

Lecture 178 Important Tempo Gainer moves - Tukmakov vs Tal - English Opening: Symmetrical

Section 31: 1979 (Jan)- Mikhail Tal was around 42 years old - FIDE 2615, Rank #8th= in world

Lecture 179 Be careful of self-pins - Tal vs Christiansen - English Opening: Agincourt Defen

Lecture 180 King in center too long - Tal vs Larsen - Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer

Lecture 181 The upside of "Hanging Pawns" - Spassky vs Tal - Queen's Indian : Spassky System

Lecture 182 Maroczy bind leads to strong knight and attacking infiltration - Tal vs Rantanen

Section 32: 1980 (Jan)- Mikhail Tal was around 43 years old - FIDE 2705, Rank #2= in world!

Lecture 183 Consolidation and Counterplay removal - Tal vs Mochalov - English Opening

Section 33: 1981 (Jan)- Mikhail Tal was around 44 years old - FIDE 2555, Rank #29 in world

Lecture 184 Relentless soft spot pressure & tempo gaining - Tal vs Miles - Caro-Kann Defence

Section 34: 1982 (Jan)-Mikhail Tal was around 45 years old - FIDE 2605, Rank #10th= in world

Lecture 185 Risks of castling queenside- Tal vs Bronstein -Caro-Kann Defense: Bronstein var.

Lecture 186 Captures and square vacation - Huebner vs Tal - Spanish Game: Exchange

Lecture 187 Visually crushing leads to concrete crush -Tal vs Van der Wiel - English Opening

Lecture 188 Important deflection tactic - Lputian vs Tal - Queen's Gambit Accepted

Lecture 189 Playing against Isolated Queens Pawn - Pribyl vs Tal - Sicilian Defense: Alapin

Lecture 190 Knight on e5 and attack plays itself- Tal vs Abramovic - Queen's Gambit Exchange

Lecture 191 Pawn sac creates King in center issues - Tal vs Van Der Wiel - English Opening

Lecture 192 Super aggressive Opening Variation - Tal vs Velimirovic - Benoni Defense

Lecture 193 Exploiting piece configuration issues - Tal vs Psakhis - Tarrasch Defense

Lecture 194 Right moves in right order needed! - Tal vs Psakhis - Queen's Indian Defense

Section 35: 1983 (Jan)-Mikhail Tal was around 46 years old - FIDE 2620, Rank #7th= in world

Lecture 195 Punishing Sleepy pieces - Pytel vs Tal - Zukertort Opening

Section 36: 1984 (Jan)-Mikhail Tal was around 47 years old - FIDE 2620, Rank #8th in world

Lecture 196 Beware of soft-spots around King! - Tal vs Plaskett - English Opening

Section 37: 1985 (Jan)-Mikhail Tal was around 48 years old - FIDE 2565, Rank #24th= in world

Lecture 197 Pawn sac for strong control- Tal vs Sisniega - Sicilian Defense: Richter Rauzer

Lecture 198 Chain reaction of weaknesses of last move - Tal vs Korchnoi - Sicilian Defense

Section 38: 1986 (Jan)-Mikhail Tal was around 49 years old - FIDE 2600, Rank #14 in world

Lecture 199 A caro-kann opening trap - Tal vs Oll - Caro-Kann Defense: Karpov Variation

Lecture 200 A useless bishop pair - Tal vs Mnatsakanian - Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch

Lecture 201 A bishop sac opening up King - Tal vs Donchev - English Opening: Anglo-Indian

Lecture 202 Exploiting an unprotected piece- Tal vs Gonzalez - Caro-Kann Defense

Section 39: 1987 (Jan)-Mikhail Tal was around 50 years old - FIDE 2605, Rank #11 in world

Lecture 203 Bad bishop of french provides solidity on light squares - Tal vs Granda Zuniga

Lecture 204 Build compatible advantages to current ones - Tal vs Quinteros - Pirc Defense

Lecture 205 Removing the defender of h7 - Tal vs Quinteros - Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack

Lecture 206 f7 softspot attack even from quiet opening - Tal vs Baillo - Slav Defense

Lecture 207 Classic attacking bishop pair - Tal vs Sygulski - Spanish Game:Closed Variations

Section 40: 1988 (Jan)-Mikhail Tal was around 51 years old - FIDE 2630, Rank #8 in world

Lecture 208 Pawns don't go backwards - Tal vs Sveshnikov - Tarrasch Defense

Lecture 209 Greedy opening play punished - Tal vs Amparan - Sicilian Defense:Anti-Sveshnikov

Lecture 210 Provoking pawn chain weaknesses - Meyer vs Tal - Rat Defense: English Rat

Lecture 211 Solid opening play provokes weakening pawn moves - Nogueiras vs Tal - QGD

Lecture 212 An over-active opening bishop move when K in center - Tal vs Timman - Tarrasch

Lecture 213 Knight sacrifice to dislocate resources- Tal vs Andreopoulas - Sicilian Defence

Lecture 214 Two knights vs Two bishops but White has dangerous thorny pawns - Tal vs Forbis

Section 41: 1990 (Jan)-Mikhail Tal was around 53 years old - FIDE 2585, Rank #36 in world

Lecture 215 Materialism in opening delays castling - Tal vs Meduna - Caro-Kann Defense

Section 42: 1991 (Jan)-Mikhail Tal was around 54 years old - FIDE 2565, Rank #62 in world

Lecture 216 Seal of approval for Smith Morra Gambit - Tal vs Neibults - Sicilian Defense

Lecture 217 Solid appearances can be deceptive! - Tal vs Dzindzichashvili - Sicilian Defense

Lecture 218 Not so easy to trap queen - Tal vs Rogers - French Defense: Rubinstein

Section 43: 1992 (Jan)-Mikhail Tal was around 55 years old - FIDE 2525 - Rank #173

Lecture 219 Solid setup and accurate defence - Lukovski vs Tal - Trompowsky Attack

Lecture 220 Classic c3 undermine tactic - Gonzalez vs Tal - Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian

Lecture 221 Not safely getting pawn back - Tal vs Luna - Caro-Kann Defense

Lecture 222 Tal's last recorded game vs Garry Kasparov - May 28th 1992 - Moscow Blitz

Section 44: PGN Downloads

Lecture 223 Course Annotated Games PGN File to download

Section 45: Conclusions and philosophical points

Lecture 224 Conclusions

Section 46: Bonus

Lecture 225 Bonus Lecture

Beginner to Intermediate chess players