Most people say Kasparov is the best ever, and that's fine. But Tal's chess is far more dynamic and beautiful. An artist isn't rated by the number of paintings he produces. Tal has fewer wins, but he produces more masterpieces than anyone else. For me, Mikhail Tal is the best chess player ever.
Move 15: ouch!! The opponents of Tal were often afraid, or at least suspicious when he sacrified a piece; are, the opportunities of making mistakes after 15...fxe6 16.Rhf1 are scaring; only 16..Bf6 could then save the day... Maybe... But how to anticipate all by tactical calculations? Spassky or Ficher could have done it, possibly; but I guess that playing against Spassky or Fischer, Tal would have made a different choice at move 15... Even if accepting the sacrifice would not have lead to a lost position for Tal, and that's what I like specially... Thank you anyway for this nice chess battle, Historical Chess Videos!
So glib and facile ... aggression and sacrifice are wonderful, but the follow-up must be accurately calculated - in the mind's eye and within the time limit. Else, there is a vicious backlash in the form of counterplay after the onslaught is parried. Having said that, a 'sac' does succeed in unsettling your opponent and defence is more daunting than attack in chess.
