Video Description

Mikhail Tal unleashes a very aggressive attack right in the opening — his kingside pawns march to the 5th rank, both bishops are aimed at the enemy king, and the queen together with the rook join the attack as well. At first glance, it might seem that Tal’s opponent, former World Champion Vasily Smyslov, is doomed. But actually, Tal’s furious attack is premature. As Smyslov himself noted, “Tal was unable to restrain his temperament.” With perfectly coordinated, active pieces, Smyslov launches a counterattack that turns out to be even more dangerous than Tal’s attack. Step by step, Tal’s threats are parried. What follows next is a true masterclass in chess strategy — with his sophisticated positional play, Smyslov completely paralyzes Tal. Let’s dive in and see how deep strategy triumphs over unjustified aggression. Support the Channel: https://www.patreon.com/c/ChessWisdom Tal vs Smyslov, USSR Championship 1977 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 Be7 8. Nxe5 Nxe5 9. dxe5 Bb7 10. Qg4 O-O 11. f3 Ng5 12. f4 Ne4 13. f5 Kh8 14. Rf3 Bc5+ 15. Kf1 d6 16. f6 g6 17. Qh4 dxe5 18. Ke2 Qd4 19. Rh3 Qf2+ 20. Qxf2 Nxf2 21. Rh4 Ne4 22. Bh6 Nxf6 23. Bxf8 Rxf8 24. Kf1 Rd8 25. c4 g5 26. Rh3 g4 27. Rc3 b4 28. Rc1 Rd4 29. g3 Bf3 30. a3 a5 31. axb4 axb4 32. Ra5 Nd7 33. Bc2 e4 34. Re1 Bb6 35. Ra8+ Kg7 36. Rd8 f5 37. Ba4 Ne5 38. Rxd4 Bxd4 39. Nd2 Bxb2 40. Nb3 Bc3 0-1