Round of 16 Quarter-Finals Semi-Finals Final
1. Steinitz
v----------------------------Carlsen
16. Carlsen (+102.5)
v................................Tal
8.Tal (+8.5)
v----------------------------Tal (+79.5)
9.Petrosian
v...............................
6. Botvinnik (+66)
v----------------------------Botvinnik (+18.5)
11. Fischer
v.................................Botvinnik
13. Kasparov
v----------------------------Alekhine
4. Alekhine (+21.5)
3. Capablanca
v----------------------------Kramnik (+118)
14. Kramnik (+12)
v................................Kramnik
5. Euwe
v----------------------------Karpov
12. Karpov (+11.5)
v...............................
7. Smyslov (+18)
v----------------------------Smyslov (+11.5)
10. Spassky
v................................Smyslov
15. Anand
v----------------------------Lasker
2. Lasker (+50.5)
Semi-Finals
Match One: Tal v Botvinnik
Game One
Mikhail Tal - Mikhail Botvinnik
French Tarrasch
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2
As noted in part two of this series. when Tal 'played' Petrosian, there are 49 examples of Tal choosing 3.Nd2 in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, compared with 46 examples of the arguably more Tal-like 3.Nc3.
3...c5 4.Ngf3 Nc6
Botvinnik played this once and 4...a6 once, but lost with the latter and won with the former, so 4...Nc6 is chosen on tiebreak.
5.exd5
Tal played this and 7.Bb5 seven times each, in both cases scoring 79%, but his rating performance was much better with the text.
5...exd5 6.Bb5 cxd4
Botvinnik played this and 6...Bd6 twice each, scoring 50% with the latter but a win and a draw with the text.
 |
| Tal did not face 6...cxd4, so this is as far as we can go |
Game Two
Mikhail Botvinnik - Mikhail Tal
Nimzo-Indian
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4
There are 81 games in Mega20 in which Tal played the text, compared with 10 for 3...c5. He scored much better with the latter, but moves are chosen for 'games' in Champion Of Champions by popularity, not success.
4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.a3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 Bd6 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.b4 e5 10.Bb2 Bg4 11.d5
Botvinnik played the text and 11.dxe5 once each, drawing with the latter but winning with 11.d5.
11...Ne7 12.h3 Bd7 13.Ng5 Ng6 14.Ne6 fxe6 15.dxe6 Kh8 16.exd7 Qxd7 17.0-0 Qf5 18.Nd5 Ng8 19.Qg4 Qc2 20.Qe2 Qf5 21.Qg4 Qc2 22.Qe2 Qf5 23.e4 Qd7 24.Rad1 Rad8 25.Qg4 Qe8 26.g3 Nh6 27.Qh5 Ng8 28.Qe2 N6e7 29.Ne3 Nh6 30.Ng4 Nxg4 31.hxg4 Nc6 32.Kg2 Be7 33.Bd5 Nd4 34.Bxd4 exd4 35.Bc4 c5 36.b5 Bf6 37.f4 d3 38.Rxd3 Rxd3 39.Bxd3 Bd4 40.e5 g6 41.Rh1 Kg7 42.Qe4 b6 43.Bc4
 |
| We have reached the final position - Tal resigned here - of the third game from the Botvinnik-Tal world championship match of 1961 |
Here is the updated tournament bracket.
Round of 16 Quarter-Finals Semi-Finals Final
1. Steinitz
v----------------------------Carlsen
16. Carlsen (+102.5)
v................................Tal
8.Tal (+8.5)
v----------------------------Tal (+79.5)
9.Petrosian
v.....................................Botvinnik
6. Botvinnik (+66)
v----------------------------Botvinnik (+18.5)
11. Fischer
v.................................Botvinnik (+406.5)
13. Kasparov
v----------------------------Alekhine
4. Alekhine (+21.5)
3. Capablanca
v----------------------------Kramnik (+118)
14. Kramnik (+12)
v................................Kramnik
5. Euwe
v----------------------------Karpov
12. Karpov (+11.5)
v...............................
7. Smyslov (+18)
v----------------------------Smyslov (+11.5)
10. Spassky
v................................Smyslov
15. Anand
v----------------------------Lasker
2. Lasker (+50.5)
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