Tal vs Larsen • Candidates Tournament, Semifinal • Bled, Slovenia (1965) • Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen, Tal Variation (B82)
Francisco Yepes Barrera
1 min read
Anh Tuan Thomas - https://unsplash.com/photos/a-black-and-white-photo-of-chess-pieces-sf5slZKhBf0
Tal vs Larsen, played on August 8, 1965, was the decisive 10th game of their Candidates Semifinal match in Bled, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia), locked at 4.5-4.5.
Mikhail Tal (ex-world champion, USSR), after defeating Portisch 5.5-2.5 in the quarters, faced Danish powerhouse Bent Larsen (world #3), who’d crushed Ivkov 5.5-2.5.
First to 5.5 advanced to face Spassky in the final; sudden-death tiebreak if needed. Tension peaked after 9 grueling games.
Tal unleashed the Sicilian Scheveningen, Tal Variation (B82): 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3, sac’ing a knight with 16.Nd5!! exd5 17.exd5 to seal Larsen’s kingside.
The e-file barricade crushed Larsen in 37 moves: Bxf5 Rxe7 fxe5 Qf7, a positional masterpiece Tal called his finest, advancing to the Candidates final.
