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White to Play

Pete Tamburro on

Published in Chess Puzzles

Today is your chance to match wits with the Magician of Riga, otherwise known as the late world champion, Mikhail Tal. Black has more than enough material for the queen, so how does Tal meet this challenge? BTW, that white pawn on e7 is not a misprint! It’s been sitting there for NINE MOVES!


This was from Tal-Keller, Zurich, 1959: 1.Rb7+ Kxb7 2.Qd7+ Kb8 3.e8Q+ Rxe8 4.Qxe8+ Kb7 5.Qd7+ Kb8 6.Qxc6 and Black Resigned as the white queen will gobble up all the black pawns and queen one of her own. Now, that was the short story version. If you’re curious how that pawn got there and go to stay there and want the whole novel, here’s the entire game score: 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.d4 c6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.a4 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.Be2 a6 10.0–0 Bb7 11.d5! cxd5 12.exd5 b4? 13.a5 Qc7! 14.dxe6 bxc3 15.Nd4! Rg8! 16.Qa4+! Kd8 17.g3 Bd5 18.Rfd1? Kc8 19.bxc3? Bc5 20.e7 Nc6? 21.Bg4+? Kb7 22.Nb5 Qe5 23.Re1 Be4? 24.Rab1 Rxg4 25.Rxe4 Qxe4 26.Nd6+ Kc7 27.Nxe4 Rxe4 28.Qd1 Re5? 29.Rb7+!! Kxb7 30.Qd7+ Kb8 31.e8Q+ Rxe8 32.Qxe8+ Kb7 33.Qd7+ Kb8 34.Qxc6 1–0

 


Send questions and comments to PTamburro@aol.com.

 

 

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