MIkhail Tal Resigned in this Game!?

"Every  Chess Master Was Once s Beginner."- Irving Chernev

 Mikhail Tal vs. Sodell (URS, 1950; 0-1; After 23.___Ne6 -

The game of chess is easy to learn but difficult to master. Even with the emergence of computers capable of imitating and even going beyond the human mind, the game of chess has remained mysterious to, at least, myself. The magical tactics and combinations and subtle strategies make the game of chess a very unique form of exercise for the mind.

And, I really admire chess masters who can create such magical combinations on the chessboard. One of these masters is former World Chess Champion Mikhail Tal. The chess games of Tal show how can chess be both magical and entertaining at the same time. But to play like Tal, you got to have a very deep understanding of tactics and combinations. Something that will take years of study and practice.

While Tal is known for his creativity on the chessboard, he was once a beginner just like us. Tal first learned the basics of the game and he then progressed to more complicated attacks. 

Just look at his game when Tal was just thirteen (13) years old. You can see from this game how Tal was developing into one of the most brilliant attacking players that played the game of chess. Tal resigned in this game despite the fact that he has a Queen, Rook, and Knight against Sodell's two (2) rooks, a pair of Knights, and a Bishop. Tal still has winning chanced. But, for reasons known only to Tal, he accepted defeat after 23 moves.

Perhaps Tal saw that his position is definitely losing despite having the powerful Queen. Most beginner chess players will not resign as long as their Queen is still on the chessboard. But for Tal, it is not the number of pieces that count. What is more important is the dynamics or tension that exists on the chessboard.

Chess is indeed a very beautiful game. The emergence of computers may have revealed the unknown in the opening, middlegame, or endgame or had discovered the best defense to an otherwise indefensible attack, the magic there is in chess has remained intact. The human desire to create something unique, even in chess, continues without fail. Chess is a game that will continue to entertain for generations.  

The emergence of the internet has proven that chess played online is the future of this game.