I played Tal in a simul in 1988 four years before he died. I was a 1600 rated player at that time and at move 19 I actually saw a piece sacrifice for some space and movement. With my heart in my chest I thought this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity so I chopped the pawn with my bishop and Tal took the bait in about 2 milliseconds. Needless to say, I felt I was in a losing situation about 5 moves later... I made it to about move 35 in a seemingly losing endgame, and Tal actually paused for a whole two seconds, looked at me (he was scary) and said in broken English (Latvian) "Interesting..." He did not speak to anyone else from what I saw. I resigned a few moves later. I never found out what he saw or meant... perhaps it was "Why haven't you already resigned?" LOL. I believe Tal went 33-0-2 in the simul. [Event "Simo Demonstration"] [Site "Toms River New Jersey"] [Date "1988.03.11"] [Round "-"] [White "Mikhail Tal (IGM)"] [Black "M. Jacobs (1660)"] [Result "1-0"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. g3 Be7 8. Qa4+ c6 9. Bg2 O-O 10. O-O h6 11. Bf4 Re8 12. Rad1 Nbd7 13. Rfe1 Bf8 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Bd6 16. f4 Ng4 17. e4 Nxe5 18. fxe5 b5 19. Qb3 Bxe5 20. dxe5 Qb6+ 21. Kh1 d4 22. Ne2 c5 23. Qd3 Rxe5 24. b4 c4 25. Qxd4 Qxd4 26. Rxd4 Rae8 27. Nc3 a6 28. Rf1 g6 29. Kg1 f5 30. exf5 Bxg2 31. Kxg2 gxf5 32. Rd5 Re3 33. Rf3 Rxf3 34. Kxf3 Re6 { Tal pauses, says position 'Interesting'? } 35. Rxf5 Kg7 36. Ne4 Rc6 37. Rc5 Re6 38. g4 Kg6 39. h4 Kg7 40. Kf4 Kg6 41. h5+ Kg7 42. Rc7+ Kf8 43. Kf5 Rb6 44. Nf6 Rd6 45. Kg6 Rd3 46. Rf7# 1-0
I went through the game and indeed it's not quite clear what was interesting in that position which is totally lost. Perhaps he wanted to cheer you up for the brave (yet completely incorrect) sacrifice you made before.
Tal in his prime would do well today as then. His unpredictable style takes bookworms out of their element into that deep dark forest where 2+2=5 and the path leading out is only big enough for one.
Well said. Tal's games for inspiration, Pertrosian's games for logic, my own games for fun. I don't have to be the best to appreciate the best. No doubt that Tal is one of the best to ever have played this game.
Yes, tal was not a good positional player but excelled at solving positional problems thru tactical means and an excellent endgame player as well. He was a warrior poet in the chessboard!
@@ashishkumar-kc9ne ...exactly....what a line! By the way...are you the same person that uploads plenty of classical music video..? Great job...thanks a lot!
I have the book "Tal's 100 best games". Brilliant book. And there is a scene in this video where Fischer is visiting Tal in the hospital. He was the only tournament player to do so when that occurred. Fischer didn't hate the Soviet players so much, he hated the Soviet chess system. Tal was truly an attacking genius.
"We have to calculate but Tal just sees it on the board." I remember this line of Kasparov. This is one of the best lines that describes Tal very well.
Tal was my favorite. Still is. Met him at the American Open in 1988 in Long Beach. I ran Deep Thought II. He came over to look at it raven-eyed, journalistically, briefly. If I could rewind time, I would have offered GM Tal a two blitz games against DT and one regular timed game, all off the record, he as White. I suspect he would have demolished DT II and had a grand time. Now, the later descendent Deep Blue -- that's another story but no way to tell. Just my suspicions for one alternate past history. Would that we all could play as non-materialistically as GM Tal. Long live Misha! --Stuart
There's a psychological factor in chess that engines doesn't take in account during their analysis... like one consolidated grandmaster stated one day (Ivanchuk i think) computer moves are the "right" ones, but not always the most practical... Tal used to play for the initiative since the beginning, by sacrificing pieces and then not letting his opponents breath, thus requiring them to play the best move every time in order to react... in my opinion Tal would do really well today even against those boring computadorized players due to his dominance in this psychologic factor, since we're still playing against humans and not machines...
Fact 11 - Tal had the congenital deformity of ectrodactyly in his right hand (visible in some photographs). Despite this, he was a skilled piano player.
@@kurzackd The chess world politely ignores Tals condition. You notice most pictures either keep that hand out of the shot or take it from a flattering angle. The idea is that he isnt a GM that overcame something, he was just an all time world-great chess player. While an interesting fact for people wanting to know more about his life, his condition should never taint the talks about his chess career.
Love Tal. So much fun to play through his games, wondering what crazy sacrifice will come next. Interestingly, he and Fischer were good friends. During one of the many times Tal was hospitalized due to his illnesses, Fischer came to see him and brought a chess board so they could play. I believe there was a short clip in the video showing that.
When Mikhail Tal fell ill, Fischer was the only player who visited him in hospital, a gesture which touched Tal deeply, giving rise to the iconic photo of the two playing chess on Tal’s hospital bed used in this video :)
@@agadmator Strange it seems (now) to see old photos of Bobby Fischer, (in his youth) who looked more Russian (then, in said photos) than some of the Russians he was playing against. For sure, Bobby learned a lot from Russian chess masters over time, but especially Tal, I would presume. His visiting Tal in hospital speaks volumes re: his "heart," particularly considering the political "Cold-War" status/climate between the U.S. & U.S.S.R. (or CCCP if one prefers) chess federations and otherwise. #justsayin
@@kargs5krun Fischer was neither an ideologist nor a propagandist. How can a man from Manhattan look Russian ? That is simply imagination and association. Fischer was a real chess player and his friends were chess players, no matter where they came from. Bobby Fischer and Michail Tal in a Riga hospital is one of my favourite pictures because it shows how humanity can overcome political idiotism. So is the photo from Havanna chess Olympiad from 1966, when Bobby Fischer played against Fidel Castro in a show match. The Russian chess experts always treated Fischer with respect and a good sense of friendship.
Although my favorite is Fisher. I wouldn't for a second consider Tal to be inferior to anyone. The guy will take u on a ride of your life and when the dust settles u will remember the name "Mikhail Tal" and would consider yourself honoured to have played the legend. Thank u Tal for your beauty over the board.
agadmator's Chess Channel 100% agree :) I study a lot of his games, along with Bobby Fischer and a lot of other players during that era. Tal is up there with my favorite
Tal never had been training hard as fisher or karpov, he had life beyond the chess board, spent time with woman, drinks a lot and so on. Although he became would champion, thats why he is absolute genius.
0:57 shows the type of person Bobby Fischer really was. When Tal came up sick during a tournament he had to be hospitalized. None of the tournament players visited him in the hospital with the exception of Fischer, shown here playing blitz with Tal. A very classy gesture by Bobby. Tal and Bobby remained very good friends.
Between Nezhmetdinov and Tal I'm not sure you can find better company for attacking chess, and at the end of the day I think it's that style that keeps chess alive even today
If tal grew up in the same environment as the gms of today his great intellect would ultimately result in him memorizing the same lines and then adding his magic and the same goes with morphy
Tal beat Fisher in all four of their first meeting and Fisher's 19 consecutive wins were to prove he is unbeatable and insurmountable. Fisher and Tal respected each other.
Thank you for this video. Tal will always be my favorite chess player as well. 30 years have passed since he died, so many new grandmasters and world chess champions out there, and still, from time to time I keep watching some of his inspiring and awesome games again and again!! . When I watch his games fighting and improvising, I can't help saying THAT IS CHESS !!
Reading and replaying all the games in that Tal book right now. Recently saw on U-tube a video where a GM wouldn't even put Tal among the top 10. Pure poppycock I say dear boy. Agadmator; great video as always sir.
I Love this Magician from Riga a loootttt......He is a Legend.......True Talent....... Inspirational for every chess lover......thanks for doing such a video❤️
Thank you for this tribute to the unrepeatable genius that was Tal. He certainly possessed numerous qualities, all of them to the highest degree, and, furthermore, he possessed two more that are very difficult to find: bonhomie and charisma.
Tal would have domainted in any era.. Today.. Yesterday.. Tomorrow.. Doesn't matter.. And would have embarrassed some of the chess bookworms..women world champion also wouldn't be so interested in playing men if tal was here.
His unpredictable style who throw off those that memorise computer lines. He did the unexpected and he would still dictate games in this age in my view. My favourite player too.
The most unpredictable, sophisticated and insane player of all-time known for his unpredictable sacrifices that makes the opponent shocked The magician from Riga, The master of attacks , The one and only : Mikhail Nekhemyevich Tal
I've thought about your final question here for a while, and have come back to answer(though no one may ever read it). I don't believe "modern" chess is so different despite it being run through engines and analyzed endlessly. I believe that Tal would have been just as successful today. Why? I would actually liken Tal's style to another game that would seem to not correlate to chess, but I think in his case does; poker. My point is that Tal better than anyone else seems to be able to lead opponents down a specific line of thinking that appears to be going their way only to make some completely unexpected, unprepared for line of moves that ultimately leads to victory. The genius is not just in seeing all the permutations, but it is in leading his opponent to believe a progression of moves works then surprising them. In short, it is the chess version of a bluff, and he knew how to do it better than anyone, I would say ever.
Just seeing this now. Thanks Antonio, for doing this; I hope you will do more of them. I think Fischer and Tal are among my most favorites because of their geniuses, but also their charisma, and willingness to take huge sacrifices, calculated ahead by so many moves! You asked how well Tal would do among today’s field of players, and I would venture to say very well, since he has the ability to surprise his opponent with unconventional moves, and calculated sacrifices!
I appreciate the work that went into this video, although it omits 2 facts about Tal that strike me as being eligible (if not mandatory) for his "Top Ten" list. I'm quoting them from Wikipedia's article on Tal, (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Tal) which lists GM Soltis as the source in footnote 7: " From July 1972 to April 1973, Tal played a record 86 consecutive games without a loss (47 wins and 39 draws). Between 23 October 1973 and 16 October 1974, he played 95 consecutive games without a loss (46 wins and 49 draws), shattering his previous record. These are the two longest unbeaten streaks in modern chess history.[7]" Anyways, I still like this video but thought a few "also ran" facts were worth mentioning....
May be on top of some obscure mythological mountain Mikhail Tal and Bobby Fisher are playing an endless game of chess as lightning and Thunder rage around them the two greatest Chess masters of all time locked in an eternal battle oblivious to everything but the chessboard. in front of them. Long may they play in Eternity!
I'm a high school teacher and I regularly play my students. I love to take a Tal-like approach: attack, sacrifice, shock and awe. I could stretch it out, but it's more fun to go for the jugular. I'm no GM, but I feel the fun Tal must have had when he played. Also, he looked terrible at 55.
Gustavo Silva Cm Thank you very much. Fischer will be video number 10 in these series and I will do a giveaway in that video. Keres and Kholmov will also get their turn. But I am discouraged about Nezhmetdinov as Jessica Fischer did such an amazing video about him. be sure to look ut up. Maybe I'll do Rashid in after 20 videos, who knows. I am a big fan of him. He was good friends with Tal and his second in the match with Botvinik. Also, he always beat Tal in a beautiful attacking game when they played :)
Thank you for your quick answer. I own twelve books about Tal and I have studied two of them. He used to play fascinating chess. Presently I am inching my way through Tarrasch's "Three Hundred Chess Games" and as soon as I finish it I'll back to Tal's games. Unfortunately I am a weak player in the run to be weaker and weaker, because in less than two months I'll be seventy.
Tal is unique. He somethings thought in a way neither another human or computer could understand. He could wow a computer but not very often. This was a wonderful presentation.
To beat Tal, don't memorize the moves that are considered the best by the computer... but the ones considered best by Tal (including '?!' and '!?' moves). You'd need an engine that doesn't calculate, but an engine who sees. Like Tal saw. (Also: Great video!)
Thank you for this one. My favorite player too. A great personality too. You could just tell he was having fun on the board and off. The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal is a fantastic read.
Instead of Cringy Beth Harmon's political chess webseries. I think a Proper Web Series about The Sacrificing Chess Legend Mikhail Tal's life will be dope
thank you for the video Agad. i think that Tal would done will with todays players because after all he is a top chess player and he had his own special aura.
Tal is quickly becoming my favorite chess-master. The sacrifices earned does are “one of a kind” and the results after, are so complicated that I have to rewind. Note: rewind was not a thing is Tals time, haha. Amazing
Tal would be definitely able to dictate the tone of the battle in modern chess! Nevertheless of all chess engines, during the tournaments there are only two brains and a wooden chess board- the same on which Tal performed all his masterpieces.
Piate cez Deviate You said everyrhing, those engines just make a dry analysis of a position, it's funny how they point Tal's moves as bad ones but a few moves later they "change their mind". Chess engines are total joke when it comes to Tal's games...
+Anderson Nakamura Engines only do that because they assume perfect play BUT because Tal's opponent didn't refute it perfectly, the engine then favors Tal because he got out with a better position. If Tal used the same move on houdini in the exact same position, houdini would refute it perfectly and take the advantage. Tal knew his opponents didn't play perfectly especially under time pressure so he got away with Sacs like that.
I think Tal and Bobby would dominate in a world where people try to play like computers. They'd make a few odd moves that a computer could punish but would pull a human out of prep and into deep water where their dependency on memorization has left their creativity atrophied.
Tal is my favourite as well. I think Tal would have find a way in this day and age. I watched a video of one of Tal's game where he played positional chess rather than his usual attacking style. I am confident Tal would have been able to handle chess as it is played today.
Tal would be a contender in any game. Memorising computer lines is a different skill, not a bad one, but one that cannot deliver brilliance by itself. As you so often say yourself Antonio, as of move 8 or 10 or 12 or whatever, this is a completely new game. That is the thrill of chess. Every game has capacity to be a new game. It is in the new game that Tal's skill is revealed.
I think the question of how Tal would fare against modern engine line memorization is answered well be recent events: 1. One of the factors that sets Magnus Carlsen apart is his lack of reliance on engine vetted lines, leading his opponent off the pathways in the dark forest. In some cases it creates errors; in others in costs clock time. Both create small edges that Carlsen is excellent at exploiting. Second, engines are vulnerable. They can have blind spots. Look at how Stockfish fared against the anti-engine simulation learning in Alpha Chess Zero and how Leela is beginning to do the same. Engines have difficulty accurately assessing anti-positional moves, sacrifices and apparent errors. “No one in their right mind would strand their own night”. I bet Tal would. Shirov sacrificed his last piece because a) The sac accepted won the game; and b) the sac declined won the game. The Bishop was irrelevant as long as it contained the connect passed pawns. The fact is that Tal was an Einstein Of Chess. He saw the world differently; he asked different questions. He made opponents question themselves, second guess themselves. All these are competitive factors that are timeless.
Tal is just brilliant and personally I think he was the best tactical attacking player of all time. My top three chess champions of all time list is;- Fischer Tal Capablanca
No question that Tal would shred most GMs today. Everytime I play and get into a complicated tactical position I ask myself "What would Tal do?" I have come up with intuitive moves that conflict with my calculations and win. Try it!
Yes I think that he would beat most GM's in a match. Especially those that rely mostly on their positional skill. Tal would drag them into a tactical nightmare and they would not be able to play such positions as well as he could.
He was sick from birth. It’s a miracle that Tal lived to be 55, because he didn't care about his health at all. He drank a lot and smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. Death didn't bother him
Tal's games symbolise all the beauty that is chess. I like to think that Tal himself did not know what he would play in the game even when he was preparing and that is why he is so intuitive and unpredictable. His preparation could be totally different from the actual game and he would make it seem so smooth like skiing on ice...no doubt the greatest player ever
I think Tal would be able to find exploits in Modern chess computer lines. It was a natural or super natural ability that he possed!!! I believe!!! Great work Sr.!!!
I played Tal in a simul in 1988 four years before he died. I was a 1600 rated player at that time and at move 19 I actually saw a piece sacrifice for some space and movement. With my heart in my chest I thought this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity so I chopped the pawn with my bishop and Tal took the bait in about 2 milliseconds. Needless to say, I felt I was in a losing situation about 5 moves later... I made it to about move 35 in a seemingly losing endgame, and Tal actually paused for a whole two seconds, looked at me (he was scary) and said in broken English (Latvian) "Interesting..." He did not speak to anyone else from what I saw. I resigned a few moves later. I never found out what he saw or meant... perhaps it was "Why haven't you already resigned?" LOL. I believe Tal went 33-0-2 in the simul. [Event "Simo Demonstration"]
[Site "Toms River New Jersey"]
[Date "1988.03.11"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Mikhail Tal (IGM)"]
[Black "M. Jacobs (1660)"]
[Result "1-0"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. g3 Be7 8.
Qa4+ c6 9. Bg2 O-O 10. O-O h6 11. Bf4 Re8 12. Rad1 Nbd7 13. Rfe1 Bf8 14.
Ne5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Bd6 16. f4 Ng4 17. e4 Nxe5 18. fxe5 b5 19. Qb3 Bxe5 20.
dxe5 Qb6+ 21. Kh1 d4 22. Ne2 c5 23. Qd3 Rxe5 24. b4 c4 25. Qxd4 Qxd4 26.
Rxd4 Rae8 27. Nc3 a6 28. Rf1 g6 29. Kg1 f5 30. exf5 Bxg2 31. Kxg2 gxf5 32.
Rd5 Re3 33. Rf3 Rxf3 34. Kxf3 Re6
{
Tal pauses, says position 'Interesting'?
}
35. Rxf5 Kg7 36. Ne4 Rc6 37. Rc5 Re6 38. g4 Kg6 39. h4 Kg7 40. Kf4 Kg6 41.
h5+ Kg7 42. Rc7+ Kf8 43. Kf5 Rb6 44. Nf6 Rd6 45. Kg6 Rd3 46. Rf7#
1-0
OK THIS is one of the coolest comments ever!! thanks for sharing that great story!! You are in rare company
Great story! thanks for sharing.
wow this is so legendary
Wow you're a lucky man from the good old days.
I went through the game and indeed it's not quite clear what was interesting in that position which is totally lost. Perhaps he wanted to cheer you up for the brave (yet completely incorrect) sacrifice you made before.
No wonder "THE TAL MOVE" is considered to be the best compliment a move can get in chess..
Yes he cause he is awesome 😊😊
Coined by the great Antonio himself
Tal in his prime would do well today as then. His unpredictable style takes bookworms out of their element into that deep dark forest where 2+2=5 and the path leading out is only big enough for one.
Beautiful comment
+Tuan Nguyen agreed :)
That is not fscii71 comment .. It is Tal's quote .. !!
Well said. Tal's games for inspiration, Pertrosian's games for logic, my own games for fun. I don't have to be the best to appreciate the best. No doubt that Tal is one of the best to ever have played this game.
Yes, tal was not a good positional player but excelled at solving positional problems thru tactical means and an excellent endgame player as well. He was a warrior poet in the chessboard!
*"There are two types of sacrifices, good ones and mine"*
LOL
correct ones and mine it is...
LOL
😂😁😂
@@ashishkumar-kc9ne ...exactly....what a line! By the way...are you the same person that uploads plenty of classical music video..? Great job...thanks a lot!
@@vittoriomarano8230 unfortunately I am not that one...
Harry Houdini : I am the greatest magician.
Mikhail Tal: HOLD MY QUEEN.
This is 👌👌👌
hahahahahahahahahaaha
I would love hold the queen
Rather Hold my knight ....
very nice
I have the book "Tal's 100 best games". Brilliant book. And there is a scene in this video where Fischer is visiting Tal in the hospital. He was the only tournament player to do so when that occurred. Fischer didn't hate the Soviet players so much, he hated the Soviet chess system. Tal was truly an attacking genius.
You are very lucky for having such a nice book :)
@@agadmator Is the book hard to get?
"He was a man in who's presence others sensed their mediocrity"
Thats a compliment reserved for legends
"We have to calculate but Tal just sees it on the board." I remember this line of Kasparov. This is one of the best lines that describes Tal very well.
Tal was my favorite. Still is. Met him at the American Open in 1988 in Long Beach. I ran Deep Thought II. He came over to look at it raven-eyed, journalistically, briefly. If I could rewind time, I would have offered GM Tal a two blitz games against DT and one regular timed game, all off the record, he as White. I suspect he would have demolished DT II and had a grand time. Now, the later descendent Deep Blue -- that's another story but no way to tell. Just my suspicions for one alternate past history. Would that we all could play as non-materialistically as GM Tal. Long live Misha! --Stuart
+Stuart Cracraft Wonderful and rare story :) Thank you for sharing this.
Well Kasparov dismantled Deep Thought Easily..so I imagine that Tal vs DT2 would not have been too difficult for him.
kasparov9 why do you people call it deep thought?????? The computer program we all have always known was deep blue. Right????????
Ok. Kasparov is known to have beaten deep blue. But that doesn't make him unpredictable as the one & only TAL.
Rahul TN Deep Thought was before Deep Blue. It was renamed Deep Blue after IBM took control of the project because IBM has the nickname Big Blue.
Tal is a breath of fresh air amid the morass of analasys
Well said :)
Definitely. My favorite chess player
There's a psychological factor in chess that engines doesn't take in account during their analysis... like one consolidated grandmaster stated one day (Ivanchuk i think) computer moves are the "right" ones, but not always the most practical... Tal used to play for the initiative since the beginning, by sacrificing pieces and then not letting his opponents breath, thus requiring them to play the best move every time in order to react... in my opinion Tal would do really well today even against those boring computadorized players due to his dominance in this psychologic factor, since we're still playing against humans and not machines...
i will be like alphazero vs stockfish
if tal played today
Bobby wouldn't like this quote
He will have trouble with the grinders and long gamers, he would score great against the aggressive ones.
@@aesaehttr Why? Tal was never able to beat bobby past the age of 16.
Fact 11 - Tal had the congenital deformity of ectrodactyly in his right hand (visible in some photographs). Despite this, he was a skilled piano player.
May I ask your sources with regards to his ability at the piano?
i suck at piano and that's with 10 fingers
Top level dexterity. Imagine his dexterity if he didn't have that.
yeah, I was really surprised by the lack of mention of this fact. It really should have been the first thing to be mentioned.
@@kurzackd The chess world politely ignores Tals condition. You notice most pictures either keep that hand out of the shot or take it from a flattering angle. The idea is that he isnt a GM that overcame something, he was just an all time world-great chess player.
While an interesting fact for people wanting to know more about his life, his condition should never taint the talks about his chess career.
Love Tal. So much fun to play through his games, wondering what crazy sacrifice will come next. Interestingly, he and Fischer were good friends. During one of the many times Tal was hospitalized due to his illnesses, Fischer came to see him and brought a chess board so they could play. I believe there was a short clip in the video showing that.
When Mikhail Tal fell ill, Fischer was the only player who visited him in hospital, a gesture which touched Tal deeply, giving rise to the iconic photo of the two playing chess on Tal’s hospital bed used in this video :)
I can sometimes predict which pieces he will sacrifice and where. But I have no idea when he is going to do it.
@@agadmator Strange it seems (now) to see old photos of Bobby Fischer, (in his youth) who looked more Russian (then, in said photos) than some of the Russians he was playing against. For sure, Bobby learned a lot from Russian chess masters over time, but especially Tal, I would presume. His visiting Tal in hospital speaks volumes re: his "heart," particularly considering the political "Cold-War" status/climate between the U.S. & U.S.S.R. (or CCCP if one prefers) chess federations and otherwise. #justsayin
@@kargs5krun Fischer was neither an ideologist nor a propagandist. How can a man from Manhattan look Russian ? That is simply imagination and association. Fischer was a real chess player and his friends were chess players, no matter where they came from. Bobby Fischer and Michail Tal in a Riga hospital is one of my favourite pictures because it shows how humanity can overcome political idiotism. So is the photo from Havanna chess Olympiad from 1966, when Bobby Fischer played against Fidel Castro in a show match. The Russian chess experts always treated Fischer with respect and a good sense of friendship.
*"Little did they know little Hippo needed to drown for Tal to win the game."*
Although my favorite is Fisher. I wouldn't for a second consider Tal to be inferior to anyone. The guy will take u on a ride of your life and when the dust settles u will remember the name "Mikhail Tal" and would consider yourself honoured to have played the legend. Thank u Tal for your beauty over the board.
TAL vs MORPHY... My wildest dream.
In heaven bro
It is said that they play everytime now on heaven
I laughed
no you didnt just say that, i mean it was 3 years ago but still not you didnt
My vote is to tal
The type of player Tal was, NO computer has ever emulated. He would absolutely be a top tier chess player today, he played in the golden era of chess.
Not only that, he would bring the people back to chess. And bring fun back into it :)
agadmator's Chess Channel 100% agree :) I study a lot of his games, along with Bobby Fischer and a lot of other players during that era. Tal is up there with my favorite
No computer? ;)
I think google's alpha zero plays kinda like him. It does some fancy sacrifices and crazy tactics like him.
the comment was made before a0 came ...
"Despite the help from the police the game was still lost .. " .. nice segment-ending bitter-sweet line.
I don't know how well Tal himself would do today, but his exciting attacking style is alive and well- AlphaZero plays very much like Tal.
"He was the man in whose presence other sense their mediocracy."
Tal never had been training hard as fisher or karpov, he had life beyond the chess board, spent time with woman, drinks a lot and so on. Although he became would champion, thats why he is absolute genius.
that is what is special
Seems my virtues are quite similar to Tal's. Except for the chess...
0:57 shows the type of person Bobby Fischer really was. When Tal came up sick during a tournament he had to be hospitalized. None of the tournament players visited him in the hospital with the exception of Fischer, shown here playing blitz with Tal. A very classy gesture by Bobby. Tal and Bobby remained very good friends.
Between Nezhmetdinov and Tal I'm not sure you can find better company for attacking chess, and at the end of the day I think it's that style that keeps chess alive even today
Ljubo played like this when he was "on", not a patch on those two though
tal is truly magician player.. and if he play today... m sure he can beat each and everyone GM...
Disagree
agree
*Aggree👌*
Carleson smites
I don't wanna be the 70th person to like this comment.
Thanks for the video !! I wish a lot of success for your channel
Thanks a lot
Your fascination for Tal is contagious agadmator. Great videos and content. Looking forward to donating to your channel! Keep up the good work!!!
that was young Bobby Fischer sitting right next to the legend Mikhail Tal ! thanks for the photo
+sonic powerr Sure thing. Thanks for your comment :)
Can’t get enough of your Tal episodes.
No one can surpass Tal's attacking style
If tal grew up in the same environment as the gms of today his great intellect would ultimately result in him memorizing the same lines and then adding his magic and the same goes with morphy
Tal beat Fisher in all four of their first meeting and Fisher's 19 consecutive wins were to prove he is unbeatable and insurmountable. Fisher and Tal respected each other.
Thank you for this video. Tal will always be my favorite chess player as well. 30 years have passed since he died, so many new grandmasters and world chess champions out there, and still, from time to time I keep watching some of his inspiring and awesome games again and again!! . When I watch his games fighting and improvising, I can't help saying THAT IS CHESS !!
Reading and replaying all the games in that Tal book right now. Recently saw on U-tube a video where a GM wouldn't even put Tal among the top 10. Pure poppycock I say dear boy. Agadmator; great video as always sir.
I Love this Magician from Riga a loootttt......He is a Legend.......True Talent....... Inspirational for every chess lover......thanks for doing such a video❤️
Thank you for this tribute to the unrepeatable genius that was Tal. He certainly possessed numerous qualities, all of them to the highest degree, and, furthermore, he possessed two more that are very difficult to find: bonhomie and charisma.
Tal only know 2 things
1.Play Beautiful Sacrifices in chess
2.To Smoke
or in GMHikaru's words
"When he was bamboozling us with his moves, he was smoking."
3. To drink
Tal would have domainted in any era.. Today.. Yesterday.. Tomorrow.. Doesn't matter.. And would have embarrassed some of the chess bookworms..women world champion also wouldn't be so interested in playing men if tal was here.
Tal would win, because intuition beats experience and his intuition was exceptional
His unpredictable style who throw off those that memorise computer lines. He did the unexpected and he would still dictate games in this age in my view. My favourite player too.
The most unpredictable, sophisticated and insane player of all-time known for his unpredictable sacrifices that makes the opponent shocked The magician from Riga, The master of attacks , The one and only : Mikhail Nekhemyevich Tal
I've thought about your final question here for a while, and have come back to answer(though no one may ever read it). I don't believe "modern" chess is so different despite it being run through engines and analyzed endlessly. I believe that Tal would have been just as successful today. Why? I would actually liken Tal's style to another game that would seem to not correlate to chess, but I think in his case does; poker. My point is that Tal better than anyone else seems to be able to lead opponents down a specific line of thinking that appears to be going their way only to make some completely unexpected, unprepared for line of moves that ultimately leads to victory. The genius is not just in seeing all the permutations, but it is in leading his opponent to believe a progression of moves works then surprising them. In short, it is the chess version of a bluff, and he knew how to do it better than anyone, I would say ever.
Thought provoking and underrated comment
good comment
Just seeing this now. Thanks Antonio, for doing this; I hope you will do more of them.
I think Fischer and Tal are among my most favorites because of their geniuses, but also their charisma, and willingness to take huge sacrifices, calculated ahead by so many moves!
You asked how well Tal would do among today’s field of players, and I would venture to say very well, since he has the ability to surprise his opponent with unconventional moves, and calculated sacrifices!
I appreciate the work that went into this video, although it omits 2 facts about Tal that strike me as being eligible (if not mandatory) for his "Top Ten" list. I'm quoting them from Wikipedia's article on Tal, (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Tal) which lists GM Soltis as the source in footnote 7: " From July 1972 to April 1973, Tal played a record 86 consecutive games without a loss (47 wins and 39 draws). Between 23 October 1973 and 16 October 1974, he played 95 consecutive games without a loss (46 wins and 49 draws), shattering his previous record. These are the two longest unbeaten streaks in modern chess history.[7]" Anyways, I still like this video but thought a few "also ran" facts were worth mentioning....
Tal is the Greatest Chess Player of all time
You know a chess master is one of a kind when he actually goes on dates
May be on top of some obscure mythological mountain Mikhail Tal and Bobby Fisher are playing an endless game of chess as lightning and Thunder rage around them the two greatest Chess masters of all time locked in an eternal battle oblivious to everything but the chessboard. in front of them. Long may they play in Eternity!
Morphy is waiting for whoever wins, sitting comfortably with a bored look on his face.
Not only a great, great player but a very nice man with a great sense of humour by all accounts.
I studied Tal's Hundred Select games and Also Tigran Petrosian's 100 and I'm still Bamboozled !!! Thanks Agadmator , Jim Canada
Just here to say
Happy Birthday Mikhail The GOAT Tal
I'm a high school teacher and I regularly play my students. I love to take a Tal-like approach: attack, sacrifice, shock and awe. I could stretch it out, but it's more fun to go for the jugular. I'm no GM, but I feel the fun Tal must have had when he played.
Also, he looked terrible at 55.
I loved every second of this video! Congratulations! What about vidos of Fischer, Nezhmetdinov, Keres and Kholmov?
Gustavo Silva Cm Thank you very much. Fischer will be video number 10 in these series and I will do a giveaway in that video. Keres and Kholmov will also get their turn. But I am discouraged about Nezhmetdinov as Jessica Fischer did such an amazing video about him. be sure to look ut up. Maybe I'll do Rashid in after 20 videos, who knows. I am a big fan of him. He was good friends with Tal and his second in the match with Botvinik. Also, he always beat Tal in a beautiful attacking game when they played :)
Thank you for your quick answer. I own twelve books about Tal and I have studied two of them. He used to play fascinating chess. Presently I am inching my way through Tarrasch's "Three Hundred Chess Games" and as soon as I finish it I'll back to Tal's games. Unfortunately I am a weak player in the run to be weaker and weaker, because in less than two months I'll be seventy.
Tal is unique. He somethings thought in a way neither another human or computer could understand. He could wow a computer but not very often. This was a wonderful presentation.
Thank you very much :)
To beat Tal, don't memorize the moves that are considered the best by the computer... but the ones considered best by Tal (including '?!' and '!?' moves). You'd need an engine that doesn't calculate, but an engine who sees. Like Tal saw. (Also: Great video!)
In the era of chess, you could either be a blitz champion or standard champion, or you could be Mikhail Tal. Thanks for bringing this video.
"The Magician from Riga".. a phrase that now has meaning after watching this video
Tal never fails a game. He just sacrifice his king some times.....
The one and only king of sacrifice Mikhail Tal❤️❤️❤️
"Despite the help of the police." I laughed.
The shots with Fischer are very homely. It looks like Fischer was comfortable around him. Great shots.
Tal is literally the only Russian chess player who didn't annoy Fischer lol
Thank you for this one. My favorite player too. A great personality too. You could just tell he was having fun on the board and off. The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal is a fantastic read.
I think tal would have crushed today's GM with tal moves if he could remember every variation by heart and mind
- Riyano fernandes
Instead of Cringy Beth Harmon's political chess webseries.
I think a Proper Web Series about The Sacrificing Chess Legend Mikhail Tal's life will be dope
thank you for the video Agad.
i think that Tal would done will with todays players because after all he is a top chess player and he had his own special aura.
Tal is quickly becoming my favorite chess-master. The sacrifices earned does are “one of a kind” and the results after, are so complicated that I have to rewind. Note: rewind was not a thing is Tals time, haha. Amazing
Tal would be definitely able to dictate the tone of the battle in modern chess! Nevertheless of all chess engines, during the tournaments there are only two brains and a wooden chess board- the same on which Tal performed all his masterpieces.
Piate cez Deviate You said everyrhing, those engines just make a dry analysis of a position, it's funny how they point Tal's moves as bad ones but a few moves later they "change their mind". Chess engines are total joke when it comes to Tal's games...
+Anderson Nakamura Engines only do that because they assume perfect play BUT because Tal's opponent didn't refute it perfectly, the engine then favors Tal because he got out with a better position. If Tal used the same move on houdini in the exact same position, houdini would refute it perfectly and take the advantage. Tal knew his opponents didn't play perfectly especially under time pressure so he got away with Sacs like that.
Tal was also my favourite player
I think Tal and Bobby would dominate in a world where people try to play like computers. They'd make a few odd moves that a computer could punish but would pull a human out of prep and into deep water where their dependency on memorization has left their creativity atrophied.
Thanks for that video, Tal is one of my favs as well!
Tal is my favourite as well. I think Tal would have find a way in this day and age. I watched a video of one of Tal's game where he played positional chess rather than his usual attacking style. I am confident Tal would have been able to handle chess as it is played today.
On top of that, I just discovered that the speech is an almost verbatim copy of the Wikipedia article on Tal.
LMAO
7:20 Tal in his prime would break engine lines. He would take you out of book by move 6 on purpose just to make you think.
Tal would be a contender in any game. Memorising computer lines is a different skill, not a bad one, but one that cannot deliver brilliance by itself. As you so often say yourself Antonio, as of move 8 or 10 or 12 or whatever, this is a completely new game. That is the thrill of chess. Every game has capacity to be a new game. It is in the new game that Tal's skill is revealed.
R.I.P. Legend, great video man..
Thank you
@@agadmator was tal better than magnus and kasparov?
I think the question of how Tal would fare against modern engine line memorization is answered well be recent events:
1. One of the factors that sets Magnus Carlsen apart is his lack of reliance on engine vetted lines, leading his opponent off the pathways in the dark forest. In some cases it creates errors; in others in costs clock time. Both create small edges that Carlsen is excellent at exploiting.
Second, engines are vulnerable. They can have blind spots. Look at how Stockfish fared against the anti-engine simulation learning in Alpha Chess Zero and how Leela is beginning to do the same. Engines have difficulty accurately assessing anti-positional moves, sacrifices and apparent errors. “No one in their right mind would strand their own night”. I bet Tal would. Shirov sacrificed his last piece because a) The sac accepted won the game; and b) the sac declined won the game. The Bishop was irrelevant as long as it contained the connect passed pawns.
The fact is that Tal was an Einstein Of Chess. He saw the world differently; he asked different questions. He made opponents question themselves, second guess themselves. All these are competitive factors that are timeless.
Tal is just brilliant and personally I think he was the best tactical attacking player of all time.
My top three chess champions of all time list is;-
Fischer
Tal
Capablanca
harryrambler but Morphy though
harryrambler Yeap....Tal Fisher Capablanca Alekhine
Hey Anton.... You should create a Top 10's series, where you talk about the best chess players of all time...
Very well done. It's nice to know your favorite. Your videos are spot on and very entertaining.
best attacking grandmaster of all the time ......... huge fan of tal
Hippo stuff i watched in your video. Your chess energy is unbeatable! Keep it going. Thanks and we all followers are thankful to you.
Great post about one of the most fearless and greatest of tacticians in the world of chess.
@1:25 Tal's fingers look really weird.
Because he has only three
Talk had a physical condition in one of his hands.
I go cry in the shower after watching his games, so ashamed am I from seeing such magic.
Me too
My all time favorite chess player. I am no good in chess but this guy makes me want to play again, and again and again.
Huge Tal fan. He fascinates me.
No question that Tal would shred most GMs today. Everytime I play and get into a complicated tactical position I ask myself "What would Tal do?" I have come up with intuitive moves that conflict with my calculations and win. Try it!
Yes I think that he would beat most GM's in a match. Especially those that rely mostly on their positional skill. Tal would drag them into a tactical nightmare and they would not be able to play such positions as well as he could.
+Dan Kelly lovely said.
Dan Kelly couldn’t have said it better myself.
Great video about my favorite chess player. Thanks!
Thank you!
Pozz, može jedan video o Gata Kamsky ? Hvala :)
another great vid i am surprised i hadn't seen it yet. thanks AG
If Nepo can play wild today then so could Tal. But man I’ve seen 80 year olds that look younger than Tal did at 40
He was sick from birth. It’s a miracle that Tal lived to be 55, because he didn't care about his health at all. He drank a lot and smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. Death didn't bother him
Tal's games symbolise all the beauty that is chess. I like to think that Tal himself did not know what he would play in the game even when he was preparing and that is why he is so intuitive and unpredictable. His preparation could be totally different from the actual game and he would make it seem so smooth like skiing on ice...no doubt the greatest player ever
Thank You so much for this video!!!
He was truly one of the great ones ., he died much to young. RIP Misha .
I think Tal would be able to find exploits in Modern chess computer lines. It was a natural or super natural ability that he possed!!! I believe!!! Great work Sr.!!!
Vassily ivanchuk is able to do that.
Simply a great compilation, THX!
Thanks for this video. I love chess and now want to study Tal.
+Mike Keator Mission accomplished :)
Como muchos genios, tuvo una vida controversial, su obra ajedrecistica lo hace inmortal
I wondered why he was on ur page i wish that he seen this he would be happy u did awesome i love ur page
All i know abt chess is mikhail tal
Engine makes u dull if u just memorize the combinations.
Tal was the actual genius.
Though new to your channel I am thoroughly enjoying your game analysis and historical features like these. thank you!
Yes!!! Never enough Tal. How I wish he would return
I miss this serie!!
Your videos are greatly informative. Thanks for the great work.