Dedicated to Mikhail Tal
WorksheetEvery click puts together 20 new puzzles of The Magician at random to print – or 10, 30 or 40, 10 a page, with a page of solutions if you like.As a PDF: choose “Save as PDF” in the print window of the browser.Dedicated to Mikhail Tal: 548 of his sacrifices from tournament and match games, each with the verdict of Stockfish.
His life
Mikhail Tal was born in Riga in 1936. In 1960 he beat Mikhail Botvinnik in the world championship match and became world champion at 23 – the youngest in history at the time. He lost the return match a year later.
He became famous for his sacrifices. He gave up pieces to open lines and attack the king, trusting that his opponent would not find every trap at the board. Not every one of his sacrifices stands up to today's engines – but over the board they were often almost impossible to refute.
Despite serious illness he played until shortly before his death in 1992. His games are still a school of attack.
548 positions from Tal's tournament and match games in which he gave material. Each shows his move and the verdict of Stockfish – move the mouse over the move to see how the game went on.
The game on chesstotelesThe game on chesstotelesAt this move, with board and notation – in a new tab.
A sacrifice: the opponent takes the piece Tal puts there (or takes back after Tal's capture), afterwards Tal has at least a piece or two pawns less and does not win it back on his next move; if the material comes back within four moves, it is a combination. If Tal already stood lost before the move, his move is defence and no sacrifice – such positions are left out. Besides, positions of a list that do not follow the rule: a piece left standing. Stockfish 19 calculates at depth 18 before and after Tal's move. Correct: the best move or at most half a pawn worse; defensible: up to one and a half pawns worse, the position stays about level; speculative: afterwards up to two pawns worse; incorrect: below that. The games come from the collection of Ana Schaigorodsky (CC BY 4.0), tournament and match games only.
