 |
| Skuja |
For his entire career Mikhail Tal (1936-1992, 55 years old) was known and admired for his style of sharp play and lack of compromise and in this early game his opponent suffers the consequences of his dubious opening.
Tal’s opponent was Roberts Skuja (1910-1984, 74 years old) who was born into a peasant family and all his life he was an agricultural worker. He learned to play chess at age 14. Also known as a problemist,
in 1927, he became the champion of Aluksne, a small town in NE Latvia. From 1930 to 1971, he participated eighteen times) in the Latvian Championship. His best result was sharing 2nd-3rd place in 1950. After the Second World War, he was the Latvian rural sports association's strongest player.
[Event "Latvia Champ, Riga"]
[Site ""]
[Date "1958.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Mikhail Tal"]
[Black "Roberts Skuja"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B01"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 18"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1958.04.13"]
{B01: Scandinavian Defense} 1. e4 d5 {Back in the old days I knew this as the Center Counter Defense. It was a Skuja favorite.} 2. exd5 Qxd5 {This is the main line and statistically it yields nearly the same results as 2...Nf6} (2... Nf6 3. d4 Nxd5 4. Nf3 g6 5. c4 Nb6 6. Nc3 Bg7 {is an entirely different game.}) (2... c6 {I sometimes play this completely unsound gambit in omline games and it has yielfed moderate success.} 3. dxc6 e5 4. cxb7 Bxb7 5. Nc3 Bc5 6. Bb5+ {This is almost always played.} Nc6 {Black has no compensation for the P, but things can get tricky if white getys careless.}) 3. Nc3 Qa5 {The main line although 3...Qd6 is sometimes seen. Again, the results do not indicate that one is better than the other.} 4. d4 e5 $6 {The usual 4...Nf6 servers black better. The text opens up the game too soon.} 5. Nf3 {[%mdl 32] White often plays 5.dxe5, but this is definitely best because it applies pressure on the e-Pawn.} Bb4 6. Bd2 {This move, breaking the annoying pin, is the most effective.} (6. Nxe5 Bxc3+ $6 7. bxc3 Qxc3+ 8. Bd2 Qxd4 {and black has equalized.}) (6. dxe5 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 Nc6 (7... Qxc3+ 8. Bd2 {and white is much better.}) 8. Bd3 Nxe5 9. O-O Nxd3 10. Qxd3 Nf6 11. Re1+ Be6 12. Bg5 {White's freeer position compensates for his shattered Ps.}) 6... exd4 7. Qe2+ Ne7 8. Nxd4 O-O 9. a3 $1 {This is a great little move! While 10.axb4 is not a threat, after 10.Nb3 leaves black is a difficult position.} Bd6 (9... Kh8 {A pass to demonstrate white's threat.} 10. Nb3 {and no natter where the Q goes white wins the B.}) 10. Ndb5 {Another really swell move that and attacks the B. the retreat of the Q} (10. Ncb5 Qa4 11. Nxd6 cxd6 12. Bb4 {Stronger was 12.Nb5} Nbc6 13. Nxc6 Qxc6 14. O-O-O Nd5 15. Qc4 Nxb4 16. Qxb4 Bf5 17. Qc4 d5 18. Qxc6 bxc6 19. Bd3 Bxd3 20. Rxd3 {White has let black escape and the players agreed to a draw in Hubley,R-Felber,R in a 1995 online game in IECG.}) 10... Qb6 11. O-O-O {This not only tucks the K away, bit it places the R on the d-fi;e and threatens the B.} Be6 12. Bg5 {Adding more pressure to d6.} Ng6 13. Nxd6 cxd6 {Here the engine wants white to play on the Q-side with Be3 and Qb5, but Tal didn't play that way. Instead, he attacks black's K.} 14. h4 {[%mdl 32] Very nice from the himan stand point! Tal starts a fierce P-storm that also leaves him with a significant, if not quite a winning advantage.} Nc6 15. Be3 {Continuing the attack is much stronger than snatching the P on d6.} ({Less strong is} 15. Rxd6 Nd4 16. Rxb6 Nxe2+ 17. Bxe2 axb6 18. Be3 Rfe8 19. Bxb6 {with a B+2Ps for the R.}) 15... Qa5 16. h5 {Tal would rather attack than win a P.} Nge5 {White's position is already won.} 17. Rh4 {Tal stumbles! He should have pushed home his attack with 17.h6!, but Skuja's next move allows Tal to correct his mistake. After 17...h6 white's advantage would not have been mearly so great.} d5 18. h6 g6 {The engine's way os still maneuvering on the Q-side with Ea4 and Qb5, but, agin, that wasn't the Tal way. Tal} 19. f4 {Adding another P to the attack still leaves white with a huge advantage.} Nc4 20. f5 $1 Nxe3 (20... Bxf5 21. Rxd5 Qc7 22. Rxc4 {wraps it yp.}) 21. Qxe3 Bxf5 22. Nxd5 Rad8 23. b4 Qa4 24. Qc3 {Defends c2 and threatens mate. Black has absolutely no defense.} Ne5 {Skuja tries one last trick hoping Tal will take the N.} (24... Qxc2+ 25. Qxc2 Bxc2 26. Kxc2 {and black is a piece down.}) 25. Ne7+ (25. Qxe5 $4 Qxc2#) 25... Kh8 26. Qxe5+ f6 {Tal now has a problem-like finish.} 27. Qxf6+ $3 {[%mdl 512]} Rxf6 {Black resigned befire white could reply.} (27... Rxf6 28. Rxd8+ Qe8 29. Rxe8+ Rf8 30. Rxf8#) 1-0
