Nothing to Lose

Man has spent many centuries wondering whether there is life after death. Mikhail Tal gave his answer in the following game against Portisch:



It is quite clear that Tal has blown it. He is a rook down and, apart from a couple of doubled pawns, his only realy compensation is White's weakness on the light squares around his king. Portisch expected Tal to resign. Tal decided to battle on; he decided his position wasn't dead until it had been buried. (And in any case it wouldn't look very good to resign after only eighteen moves.)

Tal goes to war. his tactics are clear: frighten the daylights out of poor Portisch! Play continued from the diagram:

F. Portisch M. Tal
18 .......... Re8-c8
19 Qc2-d1 Nf6-e4
20 f2-f3

Why hasn't Tal resigned? Portisch is beginning to worry.

20 .......... a7-a6
21 Nb5xd4 Qa8-d5

Tal's only hope is to bring about such wild complications that Portisch will blunder.

22 Bc1-e3 Rc8-c3

Of course Portisch knows he is winning. But ... things are beginning to get just little tricky. There are rather too many pieces under fire.

23 Nd4-c2 Qd5-f5
24 g3-g4 Qf5-e6
25 Be3-d4 h7-h5

Tal ignores the various threats to his pieces and gets on with the job of smashing up White's king's position.

26 Bd4xg7 h5xg4

A rook and a knight behind, and with two more pieces en prise, Tal just bashes happily on.



27 Nc2-d4 Qe6-d5
28 f3xe4 Qd5xe4
29 Nd4-f3



If you dear reader are rather confused by what is going on in this weird game, don't worry! At least you haven't got the sight of Tal, a human stick of dynamite looking for somewhere to explode, sitting opposite you enjoying every minute of it. Nor have you got a clock ticking merrily away by your side. Portisch was not a happy man.

29 .......... Qe4-e3+
30 Kg1-h1 Bd7-c6

Portisch groans . . . Could he even be losing this wretched game?

31 Re1-f1 Rc3xa3
32 Qd1-c1 g4xf3
33 Qc1xc6

Deep in time trouble Portisch grabs, hopes, and prays...

33 .......... Qe3xe2
34 Rf1-g1 Kg8xg7
35 Ra1-e1 Qe2-d2
36 Re1-d1 Qd2-e2
37 Rd1-e1 Qe2-d2

Portisch is still a rook to the good. But is he winning? What can he do? Is he losing? There is no time to think. Help!



Portisch grovels for safety:

38 Re1-d1 Qd2-e2
39 Rd1-e1

And Portisch claimed a draw as the position had been repeated three times.

Tal had come back from the dead! A stunned Portisch looked doubtfully at his opponent and asked, 'Did I miss a win somewhere?' Tal just smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and waved his hands. There was no doubt Portisch had been well and truly swindled.

Tal's own comment on the game was '... he kept capturing my pieces, so... with nothing to lose... I smashed up his king's position.' The important words are '...with nothing to lose...' If you are material down and your position is lost then can hardly make matters worse by having a go at your opponent. Clearly you have no chance unless he makes a blunder or a series of small errors. You must make him go wrong. You must muddle his thinking. You must create a state of fear and panic in his mind. Tal showed you how: bring the pieces into conflict, go for tactics, go for complications, and go for the king by his throat! Remember, you have nothing to lose.




J. N. Walker, Chess for Tomorrow's Champions, 137-39.