Chess Strategy and Tactics: Mikhail Tal's Amazing Games
What you'll learn
- Be able to play more creative fun and effective attacking style chess - entertaining, spectacular, dramatic, and combinational style of play in particular :)
- Be able to see why Tal is thought to have given more joy to the Chess World than all the dry technicians combined
- Be able to understand many of Mikhail Tal's tactics and combinations and demystify some of the magic Tal was known for
- Be able to improve one games tactically and positionally
- Be able to pick up a lot of useful opening theory and systems still popular today - e.g. English symmetrical with early d5 plan for a reverse Maroczy bind
- Be able to play the King's Indian Defence with key Mikhail Tal model games
- Be able to play the Modern Benoni Defence with key Mikhail Tal model games
- Be able to play the fun "Scotch Four Knights variation" of 1.e4 with key Mikhail Tal model games
- Be able to understand the power of default attacking Queen moves like Qc2 (even from 1.d4 opening) or Qc7 as black which hit King soft spots immediately
- Be able to become more acutely aware of opportunies based on King soft spots and two parallel "diagonals of death" leading to h7/h2 and h2/f2 squares
- Be able to understand how Kingscrusher felt creating this course was like an aesthetic experience akin to going on hot dates with a beautiful woman :)
- Be able to unsderstand more than Tal was not just a tactician but also a magician making his games not only instructive but also entertaining
- Be able to take a deeper attacking perspective on principles such as central control - seeing implications for King x-raying
- Be able to see evidence that the majority of Tal's sacrifices were completely sound and the more unsound ones could be called "speculative"
- Be able to see evidence that sometimes Tal's sacrifices are completely unsound but win anyway!
- Be able to see how tactics and combinations are set up as well as seeing lots of key tactical variations behind the scenes
- Be able to more easily get the kind of attacking positions where forced mates will arise from
- Be able to "promote" King x-rays into major attacking opportunities more easily from Tal's examples
- Be able to make use of Tal's pet move on the 6th turn Bg5 with more confidence against the Sicilian Najdorf
- Be able to explore systematically in chronological order an amazing treasure trove of Tal's games
- Be able to appreciate more one of the greatest chess artists the chess world has ever seen
- Be able to appreciate games as though they were like Shakespearean plays with dramatic conclusions at the end
- Be able to appreciate seemingly unbelievable games let alone the key variations behind the scenes of unseen brilliancy
- Be able to appreciate that World champion Mikhail Tal even 20 years later and with health issues can be in the top 10 players officially in the World
- Be able to play even the English opening with 1.c4 and still get a crushing King Attack wherever the King castles :)
- Be able to emulate Mikhail Tal more in positions which Tal excelled in
- Be able to similarities of playing style between Paul Morphy, Alexander Alekhine and Mikhail Tal more clearly
- Be able to create such complexity that normal calculating of variations becomes impossible making opponents nervous, mistake-prone, and losing
- Be able to see that almost up until his death he remained in the chess ratings top 10-20 players of the world
- Be able to see great game examples from arguably one of the greatest attacking players the world of chess has ever seen
- Be able to see more clearly how complications on the chess baord can result in problems very difficult to solve by opponents in the time limit
- Be able to play more easily exciting sacrifices that would induce spectator noise and excitement more than many other ways of playing
Requirements
- Know how the pieces move
Description
Dive into the mesmerizing world of chess through the brilliant moves of the 8th World Chess Champion, Mikhail Nekhemyevich Tal, whose unpredictable, attacking style of play earned him the title "The Magician from Riga". This course, presented by FIDE CM Kingscrusher, aims to not just celebrate Tal's spectacular games but also extract valuable lessons from them to enhance your own chess journey.
Mikhail Tal's games stand as a testament to his unique combinatory style and audacious sacrifices, a beacon of creativity and flair in the chess world. His ability to use complexity as a weapon against his opponents and his bold, sometimes 'incorrect' sacrifices, opened a new dimension in chess strategy. This course embraces Tal's philosophies and principles, aiming to translate his 'magic' to enthusiastic chess players eager to learn from one of the greatest tacticians of all time.
Tal's games often transcended the bounds of traditional opening theory, making them rich sources of strategic and tactical knowledge. His games, played primarily as a 1.e4 player, are teeming with attacking chess, daring sacrifices, and tactical brilliance, often more featured in chess literature than any other player's.
Through a detailed analysis of Tal's games, this course presents an innovative perspective on chess - where the complexity and 'incorrect' sacrifices are not mistakes but strategic tools, where the chessboard transforms into a 'deep dark forest' with its own unconventional logic, where chess becomes a test of character and psychological endurance as much as a battle of wits.
As you navigate this course, remember Tal's profound insight: "You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.”
So, embark on this journey with us into the enigmatic mind of Mikhail Tal, where each move promises to be a lesson in creativity, courage, and chess tactics that defy conventional wisdom. Let's explore the beautiful chaos of Tal's games, and in the process, discover a new, exciting way to view and play chess.
Who this course is for:
- Beginner to Intermediate chess players
Instructor
- 4.6 Instructor Rating
- 2,444 Reviews
- 11,692 Students
- 30 Courses
Tryfon Gavriel, also known as "Kingscrusher" on the Internet. I am a FIDE Candidate Master (CM), and British Regional Chess Master, and run a popular Youtube channel for many years with over 114k+ Subs as of 2021 and a Silver Button Award.
I have done many shows on commercial chess servers. I am also the Webmaster of the correspondence-style chess server Chessworld which emphasizes game quality and research.
Playing experience
Over 35 years of playing activity both online and offline. Peak ICC blitz rating of 2625 (18-Jun-1999). Peak ICC 5 min auto-pairing of 2383 (29-Jun 2012). ECF Grading peak classical: 212 (A) ECF. Peak Rapid rating: 217 (C).
Lichess marathon top 10 finishers in 4 marathons so far. Top 50 finisher in 7 marathons so far. Top 100 finisher in 4 marathons so far. And top 500 in 1 marathon so far. Won quite a few tournaments at lichess - in fact giving me 3rd rank overall behind Lance5500 and papasi in a recent detailed statistical blog analysis titled "Lichess Marathon Statistics".
One of my earliest Over-the-board achievements in Chess was winning the Lloyds Under 18 national UK tournament in 1989. My trophy was awarded to me by Grandmaster and Ph.D. Mathematician Dr John Nunn.
Teaching experience
I have done teaching in Schools and also have done teaching online with several Lichess students on a regular basis, and have a very good coaching rating at lichess.
Other experiences
Played twice in the main British Chess championship. Many of my Youtube viewers claim big rating increases after watching my videos.
Best skills
I particularly love attacking chess, chess tactics, and combinations, and it is probably no accident that my "Complete Guide to Chess Tactics" has been a best-seller shortly after its release here at Udemy.
In general, I will try and give you greater enthusiasm for the game and in particular the dynamic attacking, aggressive tactical aspects of playing chess. My favorite heroes are mainly Attacking style tactical players: Paul Morphy, Alexander Alekhine, Mikhail Tal, Bobby Fischer, and Garry Kasparov. if you want to be a dynamic aggressive attacking style player, I may be able to encourage you and find you relevant resources on that path. The dynamic aggressive attacking players were particularly strong tactically and would often trade off pawn structure neatness and material to try and checkmate the opponent's kings. Checkmate does win the game :) They were masters of finishing combinations naturally as they sought to reduce the king's safety of the opponent in various ways including bringing the King out for often beautiful mating combinations.
Chess Openings
In terms of concrete openings to make use of potentially teaching here at Udemy through courses. I like Solid openings on such as the London System. I also like provocative openings like the Knight's Tango systems to encourage weaknesses from opponents. I am also at faster time controls especially, particularly fond of aggressive openings and gambits. For example, the Smith-Morra Gambit vs the Sicilian Defence, and other gambits can be used aggressively even with the black pieces such as the Albin Counter Gambit. Gambits vary of course in soundness and it is important to teach what "ticks many boxes" for use in various time controls. Also, I like surprising opponents with openings such as the Nimzo-Larsen attack, the King's Indian Attack, The London System, and Queen's Knight attack system 1. Nc3, all of which I have courses for here at Udemy.
In the search for the ideal courses to provide you, I like to search within myself for my core strengths and passions within the passion of Chess.
I truly hope you enjoy my courses and they improve your chess and your enjoyment of chess generally - and life generally :)