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Lev Polugaevsky vs Mikhail Tal
"Lev and Let Die" (game of the day Mar-28-2013)
USSR Championship (1969), Moscow URS, rd 2, Sep-07
Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense. Exchange Variation (D41)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 36 times; par: 61 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Feb-15-12  kia0708: awesome play by <Polugaevsky> ! it made my day
Apr-13-12  whiteshark: "And indeed, in the later game Polugayevsky - Tal, Black suffered a swift catastrophe after missing the best defence <18...Rc6!>"

Kasparov in MGP3

May-15-12  srag: I have read an interview in which Tal stated he was trying hard to forget his 1969 games.
May-27-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  LoveThatJoker: In MGP3, Kasparov also added the following quote from Geller in his analysis after 25 e6!!,

Kasparov: White spent literally only a few minutes on these 25 moves. 'Glancing at this position, I could not believe my eyes: it had been reached that morning on Polugaevsky's board in his hotel room! His analytical work in this variation resembles the best examples of Botvinnik's work.' (Geller)

LTJ

Mar-28-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: Great game by Polu. it's a little surprising how often Black used to allow 16.d5!; the database has a surprising number of games, and Black's results are dismal.
Mar-28-13  himadri: Δ nice find
Mar-28-13  morfishine: Another great win by...oops, got it backwards, Tal lost :(
Mar-28-13  kevin86: Tal bights the dust...rare.
Mar-28-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <kevin86> To Tal's regret, in games with this opponent, by no means so-the score in decisive games was 8-2 Polugaevsky.
Mar-28-13  YetAnotherAmateur: <Cercatore: Why not 22. ... Kxh5> <Buttinsky: If 22...Kxh5 23 g4+ leads to checkmate after 23...Kh6 or g6 or h4.>

I'm not so sure it's immediate checkmate, but it's still very bad for black:

22. ... Kxh5
23. g4+ Kh6
24. Nxf7+ Kh7
25. Qh2+ Kg8
26. Nxd8

Mar-28-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  scormus: Wow, some game by Lev. Tal got .... Talled?
Mar-28-13  gars: "I have been trying to forget all the games I played in 1969", said Tal in an interview.
Mar-28-13  RookFile: Yet another game where black's bishop on b7 is useless. A goal of mine when playing black is to develop it differently, in order to swap it for some random piece of white's.
May-23-13  Tomlinsky: Polugaevsky practically killed this line at the top level with this game. Vallejo-Pons revived the variation thinking that he could do a better job than Tal but the result was equally disastrous...

Ponomariov vs Vallejo-Pons, 2009

Sep-17-13  Dragi: Polugaevsky was Tal s nightmare
Nov-20-13  Eduardo Bermudez: Polugaievsky: 8 Tal: 2
Dec-10-14  kia0708: WOW, the great Tal was so nicely outplayed. Quite impressive.
Mar-25-18  LivBlockade:


click for larger view

The finish might be ...37. ♖c1+; 38. ♔h2 ♗e6; 39. h6 ♗f7; 40. h7+ ♔xh7; 41. ♘e5 winning a piece.

Feb-21-20  paavoh: <It's a little surprising how often Black used to allow 16.d5!; the database has a surprising number of games, and Black's results are dismal.> Indeed. 9 wins, 6 draws, no losses. Perhaps 16.- Qe7 as played in Nickel-Golod is a try? A Nickel vs V M Golod, 2003
Jun-03-20  carpovius: Geller is a storyteller
Apr-20-24  nezhmet: Engines like 33...Rc7! 34. Re6 d4!! (deflection) 35. Nxd4 Kh6 with decent chances to hold.
Mar-13-25  andrea volponi: 18...Qe7!? (only move: 18...Rc6 kasparov-19Bxh7!!+ andrea volponi +- .).
Mar-14-25  FM David H. Levin: <(only move: 18...Rc6 kasparov-19Bxh7!!+ andrea volponi +- .).>

On 18...Rc6 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Ng5+ Kg6 21. h4 f5, how should White continue? Or do you see an improvement for White in this line?

Mar-14-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  beatgiant: <FM David H. Levin> 18...Rc6 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Ng5+ Kg6 21. h4 f5 <22. Rd3>. How can Black's king break out of the net?
Mar-14-25  FM David H. Levin: <<beatgiant>: <FM David H. Levin> 18...Rc6 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Ng5+ Kg6 21. h4 f5 <22. Rd3>. How can Black's king break out of the net?>

I thought that Black might survive despite his king's being in the net, but now I think this was overoptimistic.

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