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Tal vs Geller in the Open Ruy

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Against Efim Geller's Open Spanish, Mikhail Tal uses a short exchange sequence to draw a black rook onto d5. One queen move then creates two pairs of threats.

On this page
  1. Critical decisions
  2. Replay with move-by-move board facts
  3. PGN
  4. Sources and checking
  5. Continue with another game
White
Mikhail Tal
Black
Efim P Geller
Event
Budva
Year
1967
Result
1-0
Opening
C81 Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack

Opening reference: Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack (C81).

In this game, 20 half-moves are labelled opening, 27 middlegame and 0 endgame. The score contains 12 captures and 0 checks or mates; before a recorded move, the position offered a median of 39 legal choices. The source score ends after 24.Qf3 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.

Critical decisions

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. 6.d4 — Moves 5-8 — the Open Spanish6.d4 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  2. 13.Be3 — Develop the bishop13.Be3 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  3. 17.Nc3 — Develop the knight17.Nc3 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  4. 21.Ng5 — Move 21 — Ng5, eyeing f721.Ng5 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.

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Mikhail Tal vs Efim P Geller, 1967

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...O-O

  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...e5 Claim central space

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from e7 to e5; from there it controls d4 and f4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · e5 Nf3 Nc6 d4.

  3. 2.Nf3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from g1 to f3; from f3 it attacks Black's pawn on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf3 Nc6 d4 exd4.

  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 d4 exd4 Nxd4.

  5. 3.Bb5 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: White develops the bishop from f1 to b5; from b5 it attacks Black's knight on c6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bb5 a6.

  6. 3...a6 Create pressure on b5

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from a7 to a6; from a6 it attacks White's bishop on b5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · a6.

  7. 4.Ba4 Create pressure on c6

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from b5 to a4; from a4 it attacks Black's knight on c6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ba4 Nf6.

  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 O-O Nxe4 d4.

  9. 5.O-O Kingside castling

    Board fact: White castles kingside, moving the king to g1 and the rook to f1. The move changes king safety and develops the rook in one turn.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · O-O Nxe4.

    Moves 5-8 — the Open SpanishBlack takes the e4-pawn with 5...Nxe4. White restores the pawn later with 8.dxe5 and develops the queen and rook toward the d-file rather than trying to punish the capture immediately.
  10. 5...Nxe4 Exchange on e4

    Board fact: Black's knight takes the pawn on e4; from e4 it attacks White's pawn on d2 and White's pawn on f2; black is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxe4 d4.

  11. 6.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 e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d4 b5 Bb3 d5.

  12. 6...b5 Create pressure on a4

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from b7 to b5; from b5 it attacks White's bishop on a4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · b5.

  13. 7.Bb3 Create pressure on f7

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from a4 to b3; from b3 it attacks Black's pawn on f7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bb3 d5 dxe5 Be6.

  14. 7...d5 Claim central space

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from d7 to d5; from there it controls e4 and c4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d5 dxe5.

  15. 8.dxe5 Exchange on e5

    Board fact: White's pawn takes the pawn on e5; the move changes the central pawn contact; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · dxe5 Be6 Nbd2 Nc5.

  16. 8...Be6 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from c8 to e6; from there it controls d5 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Be6 c3 Bc5 Qe2.

  17. 9.Qe2 Create pressure on e4

    Board fact: White moves the queen from d1 to e2; from e2 it attacks Black's knight on e4 and Black's pawn on b5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qe2 Be7 c3 O-O.

  18. 9...Be7 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from f8 to e7; from there it controls c5, d6 and f6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Be7 c3 O-O Nd4.

  19. 10.Rd1 Rook on the semi-open d-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from f1 to d1; the rook now works on a semi-open d-file; from d1 it attacks Black's pawn on d5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rd1 O-O c3 Qd7.

  20. 10...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.

Middlegame · 11.c4 to 24.Qf3

  1. 11.c4 Change the pawn structure

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from c2 to c4; the move changes the central pawn contact; from c4 it attacks Black's pawn on b5 and Black's pawn on d5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · c4 bxc4 Bxc4 Bc5.

  2. 11...bxc4 Exchange on c4

    Board fact: Black's pawn takes the pawn on c4; the move changes the central pawn contact; Black accepts doubled pawns on the c-file; from c4 it attacks White's bishop on b3; black is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · bxc4 Bxc4.

  3. 12.Bxc4 Recapture on c4

    Board fact: White's bishop recaptures the pawn on c4; from c4 it attacks Black's pawn on a6 and Black's pawn on d5; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxc4 Qd7 Nc3 Nxc3.

  4. 12...Bc5 Create pressure on f2

    Board fact: Black moves the bishop from e7 to c5; from c5 it attacks White's pawn on f2.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bc5 Be3 Bxe3 Qxe3.

  5. 13.Be3 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: White develops the bishop from c1 to e3; from e3 it attacks Black's bishop on c5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Be3 Bxe3.

  6. 13...Bxe3 Exchange on e3

    Board fact: Black's bishop takes the bishop on e3; from e3 it attacks White's pawn on f2; black is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxe3 Qxe3 Qb8 Bb3.

  7. 14.Qxe3 Recapture on e3

    Board fact: White's queen recaptures the bishop on e3; from e3 it attacks Black's knight on e4; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qxe3 Qb8 Bb3 Qb6.

  8. 14...Qb8 Create pressure on b2

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from d8 to b8; from b8 it attacks White's pawn on b2.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qb8 Bb3 Qb6 Nbd2.

  9. 15.Bb3 Create pressure on d5

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from c4 to b3; from b3 it attacks Black's pawn on d5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bb3 Qb6 Qxb6 cxb6.

  10. 15...Qb6 Create pressure on e3

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from b8 to b6; from b6 it attacks White's queen on e3 and White's bishop on b3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qb6 Qxb6.

  11. 16.Qe2 Create pressure on e4

    Board fact: White moves the queen from e3 to e2; from e2 it attacks Black's knight on e4 and Black's pawn on a6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qe2 Ne7 Nc3 Nxc3.

  12. 16...Rad8 Improve the rook

    Board fact: Black moves the rook from a8 to d8; from there it controls d5 and d6.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Rad8 Nc3.

  13. 17.Nc3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from b1 to c3; from c3 it attacks Black's knight on e4 and Black's pawn on d5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nc3 Nxc3 bxc3 Qa5.

  14. 17...Nxc3 Exchange on c3

    Board fact: Black's knight takes the knight on c3; from c3 it attacks White's queen on e2 and White's rook on d1; black is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxc3 bxc3 Ne7 Bc2.

  15. 18.bxc3 Recapture on c3

    Board fact: White's pawn recaptures the knight on c3; the move changes the central pawn contact; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · bxc3 h6.

  16. 18...Ne7 Reroute the knight

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from c6 to e7; from there it controls d5, c6 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ne7 Bc2 Rb8 h3.

  17. 19.Rab1 Rook on the open b-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from a1 to b1; the rook now occupies the open b-file; from b1 it reinforces the rook on d1.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rab1 Rb8 Nd4 c5.

  18. 19...Qa5 Create pressure on a2

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from b6 to a5; from a5 it attacks White's pawn on a2 and White's pawn on c3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qa5 Rbc1.

  19. 20.c4 Change the pawn structure

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from c3 to c4; the move changes the central pawn contact; from c4 it attacks Black's pawn on d5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · c4.

  20. 20...Rfe8 Rook on the semi-open e-file

    Board fact: Black moves the rook from f8 to e8; the rook now works on a semi-open e-file; from e8 it reinforces the rook on d8.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; dxc4 ranked higher · Rfe8 Ng5.

  21. 21.Ng5 Create pressure on e6

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

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ng5.

    Move 21 — Ng5, eyeing f721.Ng5 increases the pressure on f7 and eyes e6. Black answers 21...Ng6, but the central exchanges that follow expose the d-file.
  22. 21...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: Recorded move; c6 ranked higher · Ng6 Qh5.

  23. 22.cxd5 Exchange on d5

    Board fact: White's pawn takes the pawn on d5; the move changes the central pawn contact; from d5 it attacks Black's bishop on e6; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Qh5 ranked higher · cxd5 Bxd5.

  24. 22...Bxd5 Recapture on d5

    Board fact: Black's bishop recaptures the pawn on d5; from d5 it attacks White's bishop on b3 and White's pawn on g2; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxd5 Rxd5 Rxd5 e6.

  25. 23.Rxd5 Recapture on d5

    Board fact: White's rook recaptures the bishop on d5; the rook now occupies the open d-file; from d5 it attacks Black's queen on a5 and Black's rook on d8; white is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxd5 Rxd5 e6 fxe6.

    Move 23 — Rxd5, drawing the rook in23.Rxd5 Rxd5 exchanges White's rook for the bishop on d5 and draws Black's d8-rook onto that square. The recapturing rook now stands on the b3-f7 diagonal.
  26. 23...Rxd5 Recapture on d5

    Board fact: Black's rook recaptures the rook on d5; the rook now occupies the open d-file; from d5 it attacks White's pawn on e5; black is ahead by 2 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxd5 e6 fxe6 Nxe6.

  27. 24.Qf3 Create pressure on d5

    Board fact: White moves the queen from e2 to f3; from f3 it attacks Black's rook on d5 and Black's pawn on f7.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Qf3.

    Move 24 — Qf3, the double attack24.Qf3 makes the geometry clear: queen and bishop both attack the rook on d5, and both also attack f7. Geller resigned in the position recorded here.

PGN

[Event "Budva"] [Site "?"] [Date "1967.??.??"] [White "Tal, Mikhail"] [Black "Geller, Efim P"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Qe2 Be7 10. Rd1 O-O 11. c4 bxc4 12. Bxc4 Bc5 13. Be3 Bxe3 14. Qxe3 Qb8 15. Bb3 Qb6 16. Qe2 Rad8 17. Nc3 Nxc3 18. bxc3 Ne7 19. Rab1 Qa5 20. c4 Rfe8 21. Ng5 Ng6 22. cxd5 Bxd5 23. Rxd5 Rxd5 24. Qf3 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 sha256:10ef8646456d8cb8416453c18476574d4f5ed8ca42ed2de65b4737383cfa0402 and pins it in the selection manifest.
Exact Figshare tags:
White="Tal, Mihail"; Black="Geller, Efim P"; Event="YUG-URS"; Date="1967.??.??"; Result="1-0".
Reviewed display mapping: white Tal, Mihail → Tal, Mikhail; event YUG-URS → Budva. 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 or a substitute for the authored notes. No termination is inferred where the imported score does not preserve one.

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