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Classic game replay

Mikhail Tal vs Georgy K Borisenko, 1964

This replay preserves the complete 83-ply score of Tal playing White across 42 numbered moves. The board can be advanced one ply at a time; the notes stick to observable board changes rather than guessing at the players’ intentions.

On this page
  1. Practice positions
  2. Replay with move-by-move board facts
  3. PGN
  4. Sources and checking
  5. Continue with another game
White
Mikhail Tal
Black
Georgy K Borisenko
Event
URS Spartakiad
Year
1964
Result
1-0
Opening
B68 Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Neo-Modern Variation

Opening reference: Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Neo-Modern Variation (B68).

In this game, 20 half-moves are labelled opening, 60 middlegame and 3 endgame. The score contains 17 captures and 0 checks or mates; before a recorded move, the position offered a median of 37 legal choices. The source score ends after 42.Re4 with the recorded result 1-0. Its termination tag was not retained, so this record does not infer whether the game ended by resignation, time or another cause.

Practice positions

The daily trainer uses a short set of positions from this complete score. Each link goes to the exact half-move rather than only the numbered move.

  1. 12.axb4 — Exchange on b412.axb4 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  2. 15.Bb3 — Create pressure on e615.Bb3 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  3. 20.Ng5 — Create pressure on e620.Ng5 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  4. 31.Rd2 — Rook on the semi-open d-file31.Rd2 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  5. 38.Nc7 — Create pressure on e638.Nc7 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.

Replay with move-by-move board facts

The board, fact panel and transcript use the same legal score. “Fixed engine check” means Stockfish 17.1, one thread, a fixed 25,000-node search and 3 candidate lines. It compares moves under one reproducible setting; it does not claim to reconstruct a player’s thoughts.

♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜
Mikhail Tal vs Georgy K Borisenko, 1964

Start position

Use Previous and Next on the board, or select a move in the transcript. The board fact and fixed engine check remain visible until you choose another move.

Opening · 1.e4 to 10...b5

  1. 1.e4 Claim central space

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from e2 to e4; from there it controls d5 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6.

  2. 1...c5 Advance the c-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from c7 to c5; from there it controls d4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · c5 Nc3 Nc6 Nf3.

  3. 2.Nf3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from g1 to f3; from there it controls d4 and e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf3 e6 c3 d5.

  4. 2...Nc6 Develop the knight

    Board fact: Black develops the knight from b8 to c6; from there it controls d4 and e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nc6 Bb5.

  5. 3.d4 Change the pawn structure

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from d2 to d4; the move changes the central pawn contact; from d4 it attacks Black's pawn on c5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d4 cxd4 Nxd4 Nf6.

  6. 3...cxd4 Exchange on d4

    Board fact: Black's pawn takes the pawn on d4; the move changes the central pawn contact; Black accepts doubled pawns on the d-file; black is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · cxd4 Nxd4 Nf6 Nc3.

  7. 4.Nxd4 Recapture on d4

    Board fact: White's knight recaptures the pawn on d4; from d4 it attacks Black's knight on c6; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxd4 Nf6 Nc3 d6.

  8. 4...Nf6 Develop the knight

    Board fact: Black develops the knight from g8 to f6; from f6 it attacks White's pawn on e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf6 Nc3 e6 Nxc6.

  9. 5.Nc3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from b1 to c3; from there it controls d5 and e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nc3 d6 Nd5 e6.

  10. 5...d6 Advance the d-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from d7 to d6; from there it controls e5 and c5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d6 Nd5 e6 Nxf6+.

  11. 6.Bg5 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: White develops the bishop from c1 to g5; from g5 it attacks Black's knight on f6.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Bg5 e6.

  12. 6...e6 Advance the e-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from e7 to e6; from there it controls d5 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · e6 Qd2.

  13. 7.Qd2 Reposition the queen

    Board fact: White moves the queen from d1 to d2; from there it controls d4, c3 and d3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qd2 a6.

  14. 7...a6 Advance the a-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from a7 to a6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · a6 O-O-O Nxd4 Qxd4.

  15. 8.O-O-O Queenside castling

    Board fact: White castles queenside, moving the king to c1 and the rook to d1. The move changes king safety and develops the rook in one turn.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · O-O-O Bd7.

  16. 8...Bd7 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from c8 to d7; from there it controls c6 and e6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bd7 Be2 h6 Bh4.

  17. 9.f4 Advance the f-pawn

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from f2 to f4; from there it controls e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · f4 h6.

  18. 9...Be7 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from f8 to e7; from there it controls d6 and f6.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Be7 Be2 b5.

  19. 10.Nf3 Improve the knight

    Board fact: White moves the knight from d4 to f3; from there it controls d4 and e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf3 b5 e5 b4.

  20. 10...b5 Advance the b-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from b7 to b5; from there it controls c4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · b5 Kb1.

Middlegame · 11.a3 to 40...Qxd3

  1. 11.a3 Advance the a-pawn

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from a2 to a3.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · a3.

  2. 11...b4 Create pressure on c3

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from b5 to b4; from b4 it attacks White's knight on c3 and White's pawn on a3.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; h6 ranked higher · b4 axb4.

  3. 12.axb4 Exchange on b4

    Board fact: White's pawn takes the pawn on b4; the move changes the central pawn contact; White accepts doubled pawns on the b-file; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · axb4 Nxb4.

  4. 12...Nxb4 Recapture on b4

    Board fact: Black's knight recaptures the pawn on b4; from b4 it attacks White's pawn on c2; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxb4.

  5. 13.Bc4 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: White develops the bishop from f1 to c4; from c4 it attacks Black's pawn on a6 and Black's pawn on e6.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Kb1 ranked higher · Bc4 Qc7.

  6. 13...Qc7 Create pressure on c4

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from d8 to c7; from c7 it attacks White's bishop on c4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qc7 Bb3.

  7. 14.Qe2 Reposition the queen

    Board fact: White moves the queen from d2 to e2; from there it controls e4, c4 and d3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qe2 Rb8 e5 d5.

  8. 14...Rc8 Rook on the semi-open c-file

    Board fact: Black moves the rook from a8 to c8; the rook now works on a semi-open c-file; from c8 it reinforces the queen on c7.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Rc8 Bb3 a5 Bxf6.

  9. 15.Bb3 Create pressure on e6

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from c4 to b3; from b3 it attacks Black's pawn on e6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bb3 O-O e5 dxe5.

  10. 15...O-O Kingside castling

    Board fact: Black castles kingside, moving the king to g8 and the rook to f8. The move changes king safety and develops the rook in one turn.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · O-O.

  11. 16.e5 Change the pawn structure

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from e4 to e5; the move changes the central pawn contact; from e5 it attacks Black's knight on f6 and Black's pawn on d6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · e5 dxe5 Nxe5 Bb5.

  12. 16...dxe5 Exchange on e5

    Board fact: Black's pawn takes the pawn on e5; the move changes the central pawn contact; Black accepts doubled pawns on the e-file; from e5 it attacks White's pawn on f4; black is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · dxe5 Nxe5 Bc6 Nxc6.

  13. 17.fxe5 Recapture on e5

    Board fact: White's pawn recaptures the pawn on e5; the move changes the central pawn contact; from e5 it attacks Black's knight on f6; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · fxe5 Nfd5 Bxe7 Nxe7.

  14. 17...Nfd5 Create pressure on c3

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from f6 to d5; from d5 it attacks White's knight on c3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nfd5 Bxe7 Nxe7 Qe4.

  15. 18.Bxe7 Exchange on e7

    Board fact: White's bishop takes the bishop on e7; from e7 it attacks Black's rook on f8 and Black's knight on b4; white is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxe7 Nxe7.

  16. 18...Nxe7 Recapture on e7

    Board fact: Black's knight recaptures the bishop on e7; from e7 it reinforces the rook on c8; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxe7 Qe4 a5 Ng5.

  17. 19.Qe4 Create pressure on b4

    Board fact: White moves the queen from e2 to e4; from e4 it attacks Black's knight on b4 and Black's pawn on h7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qe4 a5.

  18. 19...a5 Advance the a-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from a6 to a5; from a5 it reinforces the knight on b4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · a5 Ng5 Ng6 Rd6.

  19. 20.Ng5 Create pressure on e6

    Board fact: White moves the knight from f3 to g5; from g5 it attacks Black's pawn on e6 and Black's pawn on f7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ng5 Ng6 Qd4 Rfd8.

  20. 20...Ng6 Create pressure on e5

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from e7 to g6; from g6 it attacks White's pawn on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ng6 Rhf1 Qa7 h4.

  21. 21.Rhe1 Improve the rook

    Board fact: White moves the rook from h1 to e1; from there it controls e4 and e3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rhe1 Rb8.

  22. 21...Rcd8 Rook on the open d-file

    Board fact: Black moves the rook from c8 to d8; the rook now occupies the open d-file; from d8 it reinforces the rook on f8.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Rb8 ranked higher · Rcd8 Qg4 Rc8 Rd4.

  23. 22.Rd6 Rook on the open d-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from d1 to d6; the rook now occupies the open d-file; from d6 it attacks Black's bishop on d7 and Black's pawn on e6.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Rd6 Rb8.

  24. 22...Bc6 Create pressure on e4

    Board fact: Black moves the bishop from d7 to c6; from c6 it attacks White's queen on e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bc6 Qd4 Rde8 g3.

  25. 23.Qd4 Create pressure on b4

    Board fact: White moves the queen from e4 to d4; from d4 it attacks Black's knight on b4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qd4 Rde8 g4 h6.

  26. 23...Bd5 Create pressure on b3

    Board fact: Black moves the bishop from c6 to d5; from d5 it attacks White's bishop on b3 and White's pawn on g2.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Nxe5 ranked higher · Bd5 Nxd5.

  27. 24.Bxd5 Exchange on d5

    Board fact: White's bishop takes the bishop on d5; from d5 it attacks Black's pawn on e6; white is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Nxd5 ranked higher · Bxd5 exd5 Rxg6 fxg6.

  28. 24...exd5 Recapture on d5

    Board fact: Black's pawn recaptures the bishop on d5; the move changes the central pawn contact; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · exd5 Rxg6 fxg6 Ne6.

  29. 25.Rxg6 Exchange on g6

    Board fact: White's rook takes the knight on g6; from g6 it attacks Black's pawn on g7; white is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxg6 fxg6 Ne6 Qf7.

  30. 25...fxg6 Recapture on g6

    Board fact: Black's pawn recaptures the rook on g6; the move changes the central pawn contact; Black accepts doubled pawns on the g-file; black is ahead by 2 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · fxg6 Ne6 Qf7 Nxd8.

  31. 26.Qh4 Create pressure on b4

    Board fact: White moves the queen from d4 to h4; from h4 it attacks Black's knight on b4 and Black's pawn on h7.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Qh4 h6.

  32. 26...h6 Create pressure on g5

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from h7 to h6; from h6 it attacks White's knight on g5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · h6 Ne6.

  33. 27.Ne6 Create pressure on c7

    Board fact: White moves the knight from g5 to e6; from e6 it attacks Black's queen on c7 and Black's rook on d8.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ne6 Qf7.

  34. 27...g5 Create pressure on h4

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from g6 to g5; from g5 it attacks White's queen on h4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · g5 Qd4 Qf7 Nxd8.

  35. 28.Qd4 Create pressure on b4

    Board fact: White moves the queen from h4 to d4; from d4 it attacks Black's knight on b4 and Black's pawn on d5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qd4 Qf7 Nxf8 Qxf8.

  36. 28...Qe7 Create pressure on e6

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from c7 to e7; from e7 it attacks White's knight on e6.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Qf7 ranked higher · Qe7 Nxd8.

  37. 29.Nxf8 Exchange on f8

    Board fact: White's knight takes the rook on f8; white is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Nxd8 ranked higher · Nxf8 Qxf8.

  38. 29...Qxf8 Recapture on f8

    Board fact: Black's queen recaptures the knight on f8; from f8 it reinforces the rook on d8; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qxf8 e6 Qf5 Re2.

  39. 30.Rd1 Rook on the semi-open d-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from e1 to d1; the rook now works on a semi-open d-file; from there it controls d4 and d3.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; g4 ranked higher · Rd1.

  40. 30...Qf5 Create pressure on c2

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from f8 to f5; from f5 it attacks White's pawn on c2 and White's pawn on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qf5 Rd2.

  41. 31.Rd2 Rook on the semi-open d-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from d1 to d2; the rook now works on a semi-open d-file; from there it controls d4 and d3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rd2 Rc8 Qe3 Re8.

  42. 31...Qe6 Create pressure on e5

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from f5 to e6; from e6 it attacks White's pawn on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Qe6 b3.

  43. 32.Kb1 Reposition the king

    Board fact: White moves the king from c1 to b1; from b1 it reinforces the pawn on b2.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Kb1 Kh7 b3 Nc6.

  44. 32...Rf8 Rook on the open f-file

    Board fact: Black moves the rook from d8 to f8; the rook now occupies the open f-file; from there it controls f3, f4 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Rf8 b3 Rf4 Qe3.

  45. 33.b3 Advance the b-pawn

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from b2 to b3; from there it controls c4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · b3 Rf4 Qe3 Rf5.

  46. 33...Rf4 Rook on the open f-file

    Board fact: Black moves the rook from f8 to f4; the rook now occupies the open f-file; from f4 it attacks White's queen on d4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rf4 Qe3 Rf5 Re2.

  47. 34.Qe3 Create pressure on f4

    Board fact: White moves the queen from d4 to e3; from e3 it attacks Black's rook on f4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qe3 Rf5 Re2 Nc6.

  48. 34...Rf5 Rook on the open f-file

    Board fact: Black moves the rook from f4 to f5; the rook now occupies the open f-file; from f5 it attacks White's pawn on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rf5 Re2 Rf4 Rd2.

  49. 35.Re2 Improve the rook

    Board fact: White moves the rook from d2 to e2; from there it controls e3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Re2 Rf4 Rd2 Rf5.

  50. 35...Kh7 Reposition the king

    Board fact: Black moves the king from g8 to h7; from h7 it reinforces the pawn on g7.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Kh7 g3.

  51. 36.Nb5 Reroute the knight

    Board fact: White moves the knight from c3 to b5; from there it controls d4, c3 and d6.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Nb5.

  52. 36...Nc6 Create pressure on e5

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from b4 to c6; from c6 it attacks White's pawn on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Nc6 Nd4 Nxd4 Qxd4.

  53. 37.Qd3 Create pressure on f5

    Board fact: White moves the queen from e3 to d3; from d3 it attacks Black's rook on f5 and Black's pawn on d5.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Qd3 Nb4 Qe3 Rf4.

  54. 37...Kg8 Reposition the king

    Board fact: Black moves the king from h7 to g8; from g8 it reinforces the pawn on g7.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Nb4 ranked higher · Kg8 Nc7.

  55. 38.Nc7 Create pressure on e6

    Board fact: White moves the knight from b5 to c7; from c7 it attacks Black's queen on e6 and Black's pawn on d5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nc7 Qf7 Qxd5 Qxd5.

  56. 38...Qd7 Create pressure on c7

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from e6 to d7; from d7 it attacks White's knight on c7.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Qd7 Nxd5.

  57. 39.Nxd5 Exchange on d5

    Board fact: White's knight takes the pawn on d5; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxd5 Kh8.

  58. 39...Kh8 Reposition the king

    Board fact: Black moves the king from g8 to h8; from h8 it reinforces the pawn on g7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Kh8 Qb5.

  59. 40.Nf4 Improve the knight

    Board fact: White moves the knight from d5 to f4; from there it controls d5, d3 and e6.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Nb4 ranked higher · Nf4 Qf7.

  60. 40...Qxd3 Exchange on d3

    Board fact: Black's queen takes the queen on d3; from d3 it attacks White's rook on e2 and White's pawn on b3; black is ahead by 8 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Qxd3 Nxd3 Nd4 Rf2.

Endgame · 41.Nxd3 to 42.Re4

  1. 41.Nxd3 Recapture on d3

    Board fact: White's knight recaptures the queen on d3; from d3 it reinforces the pawn on e5; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxd3.

  2. 41...Nd4 Create pressure on e2

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from c6 to d4; from d4 it attacks White's rook on e2 and White's pawn on b3.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Nd4 Re4 Ne6 Ra4.

  3. 42.Re4 Create pressure on d4

    Board fact: White moves the rook from e2 to e4; from e4 it attacks Black's knight on d4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Re4 Rf1+ Kb2 Ne6.

PGN

[Event "URS Spartakiad"] [Site "?"] [Date "1964.??.??"] [White "Tal, Mikhail"] [Black "Borisenko, Georgy K"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 Be7 10. Nf3 b5 11. a3 b4 12. axb4 Nxb4 13. Bc4 Qc7 14. Qe2 Rc8 15. Bb3 O-O 16. e5 dxe5 17. fxe5 Nfd5 18. Bxe7 Nxe7 19. Qe4 a5 20. Ng5 Ng6 21. Rhe1 Rcd8 22. Rd6 Bc6 23. Qd4 Bd5 24. Bxd5 exd5 25. Rxg6 fxg6 26. Qh4 h6 27. Ne6 g5 28. Qd4 Qe7 29. Nxf8 Qxf8 30. Rd1 Qf5 31. Rd2 Qe6 32. Kb1 Rf8 33. b3 Rf4 34. Qe3 Rf5 35. Re2 Kh7 36. Nb5 Nc6 37. Qd3 Kg8 38. Nc7 Qd7 39. Nxd5 Kh8 40. Nf4 Qxd3 41. Nxd3 Nd4 42. Re4 1-0

Sources and checking

Score source: Chess Database, version 1 by Ana Schaigorodsky (2016), licensed under CC BY 4.0. LibreChess selected the exact score identified by sha256:258a672487b1ca64b81e997e653d3457eb40544663c82b6e2e806233b1479b3b and pins it in the selection manifest.
Exact Figshare tags:
White="Tal, Mihail"; Black="Borisenko, Georgy K"; Event="URS Spartakiad"; Date="1964.??.??"; Result="1-0".
Reviewed display mapping: white Tal, Mihail → Tal, Mikhail. LibreChess parsed the main line with chess.js and stores normalised SAN. Source comments, side variations and termination detail were not retained.

LibreChess checks every SAN move with chess.js and compares the result and move sequence with a stored reference. The engine comparison was calculated offline from the fixed settings above; it is not a source for historical claims. No termination is inferred where the imported score does not preserve one.

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