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Mikhail Tal vs Eugenio Torre
Leningrad Interzonal (1973), Leningrad URS, rd 2, Jun-04
English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense. King's Indian Formation (A15)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Aug-07-06  rjsolcruz: This win says much of Torre, winning over former World Champion Tal in an Inter-Zonal.
Nov-10-06  JohnNash: If Tal Checked Torre with 65 Rh8+ and took and rook, do someone think that this could have been a draw???

Any opinions??

Nov-10-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  paulalbert: < John Nash > Definitely not, but it's an instructive illustration of the technique of winning K+P vs.K. After exchange of Rooks on h3 and KxP(h3) black K gets in front of his f pawn by going K-f4 Then e.g. Kg2.. Ke3, Kf1 Kf3 Black takes opposition and wins in textbook manner. Paul Albert
Nov-12-08  veerar: Good game by Torre,but 25.d4,followed by Rc2,seems to hold.
Jan-28-09  zanza: 65 Rh8+ is tricky, but still hopeless for White:

65... Kg5; 66 Rxh3 gxh3+; 67 Kxh3 Kf4! 68 Kg2 Ke3! ad Black promotes.

Jan-11-10  zanshin: Historic game - Tal should not have allowed <27...Rc1+> by exchanging Rooks earlier.
Jan-11-10  zanshin: <JohnNash: If Tal Checked Torre with 65 Rh8+ and took and rook, do someone think that this could have been a draw???>

Probably not, the Rybka 3 eval after <65.Rh8+> is [-5.12] (d=19)

Mar-21-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Joshka: So this was the game I believe that broke Tal's consecutive not losing streak at 86 or 87 games!
Mar-21-10  ughaibu: I think you're mistaken: Balashov vs Tal, 1973
Oct-03-11  wordfunph: after 55...h4

<This position is completely lost for white. That Tal refuses to resign could be due to recall of Torre-Karpov game in 1969 which ended in a draw though Torre was two pawns up. This time history will not repeat itself.>

taken from Leningrad Interzonal 1973 book by GM Eugene Torre & Edgar De Castro

Jul-17-12  iking: <JohnNash: If Tal Checked Torre with 65 Rh8+ and took and rook, do someone think that this could have been a draw???>

No, the black king can occupy the f3 square ultimately, with f5 pawn ready to ramble .... GM Tal have seen that one, opted for another try elsewhere that went to nought.

Oct-31-12  kardopov: A nice endgame technique by GM Eugene.
Eugene casts a shadow on Tal's greatness, winning 3 games and drawing the rest in all games they have played.
Oct-31-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: < kardopov: ....Eugene (Torre) casts a shadow on Tal's greatness, winning 3 games and drawing the rest in all games they have played.>

Is that right? In the same way that a pall may be placed over the reputations of numerous world champions who were minus against Geller-who, strangely enough, could not win the title, his best finish being equal second at Curacao?

Two of the three wins by Torre were in rapid games; do you believe those should count towards their overall record, as this one did? Seems like a distortion to me.

Had the two played a blitz match with Tal winning 10-3, would those games count too? Just curious.

Nov-01-12  kardopov: << kardopov: ....Eugene (Torre) casts a shadow on Tal's greatness, winning 3 games and drawing the rest in all games they have played.>

Is that right? In the same way that a pall may be placed over the reputations of numerous world champions who were minus against Geller-who, strangely enough, could not win the title, his best finish being equal second at Curacao?>>

What's wrong with my opinion? I think as it is, the way I accept Geller as Fischer's nemesis and Gulko as Kasparov antidote. Maybe I'm wrong but winning against one of the greatest is a thing worth remembering. I didn't mean that Tal is no longer great after his loss against Torre. To my mind, Tal remains one the greatest who ever played the game.

Mar-22-14  wordfunph: game pic from the book World Championship Interzonals Leningrad-Petropolis 1973 by Wade, Blackstock & Kotov..

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wordf...

0-1

Mar-22-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Two of the three qualifiers were awaiting the outcome, along with a near-miss in Smejkal.
Dec-15-14  kamagong24: what would i give to play and win even just a single game against the Mighty Tal !!!
Jan-18-15  kamagong24: now, this is a super great game by GM Torre!
Jun-01-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <kardopov> <perfidious> I'd put the emphasis on Torre's accomplishment here, without dwelling on what it meant for Tal. It was a bad tournament for Tal, he wasn't in great shape, but that doesn't take anything away from Torre. And of course, Torre's goal was not to have an effect on Tal's record, but on his own.

Once I beat an FM in the 2300s at an open tournament in Philadelphia at a time when my rating was a tad below 2200 (though I was a USCF master already). After my opponent resigned, I heard a friend tell him "wow, you must be very tired to lose to an expert!" I didn't say anything, but I had driven 6 hrs. earlier that day to make it to the game and I was pretty tired myself, besides being about 20 years older than him (plus, as I said, I was a master but was being demoted to expert). Only a fool thinks that a 100-150 point difference in rating is decisive, anyway. So, who knows, Tal had a bad tournament, but maybe Torre had a cold or something. It hardly matters. Great game by the Filipino legend in any event.

FWIW, the game I am talking about is this: T Bartell vs M Sana, 2009.

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