When we discuss the playing style of the great players, we tend to focus on the things that make them different from one another. But every great player is a fantastic tactician, a great endgame player, and a fine positional player.
Yes, this is true. Any grandmaster will play the board rather than his or her preferences when play is clear-cut. However, I was also interested in the choice of opening. The Reti opening is very rarely aggressive or tactical, in my experience, which makes it inherently interesting when discussing Mikhail Tal. Was he, perhaps, in a mood for a prolonged positional struggle with some traces of dynamism?
Hello!
It seems that, even among world chess champions, few players generate the interest Mikhail Tal generates even to this day. He is known for daring plans, extraordinary imagination, dazzling sacrifices, and a personality to match. However, is this the whole story? After all, in order to be world chess champion, especially in order to defeat Botvinnik, one must have a strong all-around game. Mikhail Tal is no exception. In particular, he played this nice ending in their first match.
This game, barring the hypermodern opening, is played with a bit of a classical flair that reminds me of Capablanca's games. In particular, it includes probably as many positional finesses as tactical finesses.
What I wish to discuss is the unique nature of Tal's chess and what made him the world champion he became.