As in many of Mikhail Tal's games, this encounter with Geller produces a spectacular but likely unsound sacrifice that nevertheless leads to a dominant finish by the 8th World Champion. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 Black castling on the 7th move in the Closed Spanish is generally demonstrative of his intent to play the Marshall attack, 8...d5. 8.c3 d6 Black shows that he didn't intend the Marshall by transposing back to the main-line Closed Spanish. 9.h3 Nd7
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And the game has reached the 9...Nd7 variation of the Closed Ruy Lopez; Nunn calls the system "passive," but it was used by Karpov several times during the matches for the World Championship against Kasparov. Black will strive to eventually open the center, controlling e5 with moves such as ...Bf6 and ...Re8. He will also look to the queenside as a home for his roaming Knights, where the thematic Spanish break ...c5 is also a goal. 10.d4 This is the main line of the system. [playable is 10.d3 leaving central questions open 10...Na5 (10...Bf6 11.Nbd2 Nc5 12.Bd5 Bb7 13.Nf1 Ne7 14.Bxb7 Nxb7 15.Ne3+/=) 11.Bc2 c5 12.Nbd2 Nb6 13.Nf1 Nc6=; 10.a4 Bb7 11.d4= transposing back to 10. d4] 10...Bf6 One of the points of Black's Nd7 is to open up f6 for the Bishop [Black's only alternative here is 10...Nb6 the main line of which goes 11.Nbd2 Bf6 12.Nf1 Re8 13.N1h2 exd4 14.cxd4 Na5 15.Bc2 c5 16.b3 Nc6 17.Bb2+/= Black's main strategic goals have been achieved, but in this position White's central space and Bishop-pair are definite assets.] 11.a4!? opposing Black's queenside dreams and perhaps staking a claim to the a-file. 11...Na5 moves such as this and White's Nb1-d2-f1 maneouvre are typical of many variations in the Spanish. After White's d4, c5 is a nice home for the Knight and this move, of course, forces White's reply. 12.Bc2 Nb6 Another typical move from the ...Nd7 system. 13.axb5 [13.b4 is the main line, and according to modern theory, 13...Nac4 14.a5 Nd7 15.Bb3! exd4 16.cxd4 c5 17.Bf4 cxb4 is a just a clear advantage for White.] 13...axb5 14.Nbd2 c5 15.dxc5 [15.Nf1 cxd4 16.cxd4 exd4 17.Qd3 Be5 18.Bd2 Nc6 +/= ½-½ Jansa-Ivkov, Sochi 1980] 15...dxc5 16.Qe2 [16.Nh2+/= Tal-Mosionzhik, URS 1968] 16...c4
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17.Nh2 [17.Rd1 Qc7+/= (17...Qe7 18.Qe3 Qc7+/=) ; interesting is 17.Qe3] 17...Be7 [17...Qc7 18.Ng4 Be7+/=] 18.Ndf3 f6 19.Be3 Be6 20.Ng4 Qc7 This seems to be fairly equal, and both sides are for the most part just developing. Black has a little extra space, but then again, White's pieces are probably better placed. With such a great master as Tal, however, the accumulation of force on the kingside may spell disaster for his opponent, the esteemed Efim Geller. 21.Nh4 White now begins to focus his pieces against f5. 21...Nb7 looking for a better square. 22.Nf5 White's Knights look compellingly placed, but Fritz indicates that this position remains equal. White's c2 Bishop is inactive,compared to all four of Black's minor pieces, which hold the kingside (in the case of the bishops), and which intend queenside counterplay( in the case of the Knights). So far, Geller's handling of this variation has been instructive. [22.Qf3 Bc5 23.Nf5 Rfd8 is also o.k. The game is taking on a drawish characteristic; neither side is really able to break through.] 22...Nc5 [22...Bc5 23.Qf3 Rfd8 24.Rxa8 Rxa8 25.Bc1=] 23.Qf3 Kh8!? [23...Bxf5 24.Qxf5 Rfd8 25.Rxa8 Rxa8 26.Rd1 is still probably equal.] 24.Rxa8 Rxa8 25.h4?! White has conceded the a-file, but the focus is no longer on the Queenside, and his initiative on against the King grows a bit stronger. [25.Rd1 was the natural move after exchanging on a8. 25...Bf8 26.Kh2 Fritz 26...Ra2 27.Bc1 remains equal.] 25...Nba4!? [25...Bxf5 26.Qxf5 Ra2! 27.Bc1 Nba4 the Black Knights begin to fulfill their queenside duties 28.Ne3 g6 29.Qh3 Nxb2 30.Nd5 is unclear, meaning that the position is roughly equal but both sides have good chances.
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This is probably the kind of position that Tal dreams about handling: a pawn down with an unassailable d5 Knight, the Bishop pair and a somewhat weakened Black kingside.] 26.h5? already Fritz assesses this as a slight advantage in favor of Black. 26...h6 [26...Nxb2 27.h6 Bxf5 28.hxg7+ Kxg7 29.exf5 Rd8 is not quite clear (Fritz calls it equal) (29...Ra3?? 30.Qd5!+- threatening mate in 4) ] 27.Nh4 Nxb2 28.Bxh6 I don't think it's fair to award one of Tal's sacrifices two question marks, though the soundness of 28. Bxh6 is questionable. Fritz: -+ 28...Nbd3 29.Rd1 [29.Bxg7+ Kxg7 30.Bxd3 Nxd3 31.Rb1-+] 29...gxh6 30.Bxd3 cxd3 31.Qe3
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31...Bxg4 Black's winning plan is to just simplify; he already has an extra piece plus a passed pawn on the d-file; what more can he ask for? 32.Qxh6+ Tal leaves another piece behind in his quest for favorably decisive complications.Kg8 White runs out of checks if he goes for the perpetual. 33.Qg6+ Kh8 34.Qf7 Rg8?? Almost definitely a time-trouble mistake. Geller overlooks the coming mate in 5. [winning was 34...Bxh5 35.Qxh5+ Kg8 36.Qg6+ Kf8 37.Qh6+ Ke8 38.Qh5+ Kd7 39.Qg4+ Kc6 and White runs out of checks.] 35.Ng6+ Rxg6 36.hxg6 Ne6 [Holding out for a few extra moves was the much prettier 36...Bd6 37.g7+ Kh7 38.g8Q+ Kh6 39.Qfg6#] 37.Qh7#
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