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21. Nxd4 Qd5
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When in doubt, centralise. Black threatens to win back a piece and tip the balance back in his favour (...Bxd4 or ...Qxd4). |
 
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22. Be3
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[AK] "Here Portisch could have improved with 22.Bb2 or 22.Nac2. However, it isn't easy to choose the best continuation in such brain-racking complications." Sure, White dared not take on e4: 22.fxe4?? Qxd4! 23.Qxd4 Bxd4 24.Be3 Bxe3 ! with much the better game for Black. Yet it is hard to say that Kotov's suggestions are better (or worse) than the move played. The fact is, Portisch is meeting Tal's berserker attack coolly and competently... |
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22... Rc3
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(?!) Throwing in the reserves. Is it enough? We'll soon find out! |
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23. Ndc2
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(!) Played with utter sang-froid. Surely Black hasn't enough after this? In an editorial comment on the game Ray Keene [RK] asked "Why not 23.fxe4 Qxe4 24.Bf2 - ?" Possibly the answer is that 24...Bh3 25.Nf3 Rxa3 would have kept Black well in the fight. Portisch absolutely refuses to panic. |
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23... Qf5
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Meanwhile, Tal sideslips to his left, the better to assault the White king. |
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24. g4
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(!?) Fine, but 24.Bd4 would have closed down the dark long diagonal. Portisch probably thought it could wait until the BQ had been driven off. |
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24... Qe6 25. Bd4 h5
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(! - according to Ray Keene and Co.) But Tal must have been feeling pretty desperate by now. Just about all Black's resources are in action and battering away at the White position, yet there doesn't seem to be the slightest chink in White's armour. Everything is hanging together strongly. This infantry assault must have been Tal's last hope... |
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26. Bxg7
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(!) Bravo! Portisch will not be hustled. There's nothing against taking the bishop - so he'll take it. Not only does this represent a reduction in material whilst well ahead, but it also has the effect (relatively speaking) of localising Black's attack. No longer is there a threat of discovery against the a1-rook. |
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26... hxg4
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(! - again Keene, Hartston and Barden append an exclam). Yet after White's next they admit that White could here have won with this line: 27.Bxc3 g3 28.Qd4 gxh2 29.Kh1 Ng3 30.Kxh2 Qh3 31.Kg1 Qh1 32.Kf2 Qh2 33.Ke3 Nf5 34.Kd2 Nxd4 35.Nxd4. Black wins White's queen, but his own will be no match for White's 2 rooks and 2 knights, even with 2 extra pawns to help her. |
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27. Nd4
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(!?) Should be good enough, surely (?), but the obvious bishop capture, as observed in the previous note, must have been very tempting. |
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27... Qd5 28. fxe4 Qxe4
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[AK] "An unbelievable position! White is up a rook and 2 pieces. But this is just the beginning of the clash [I'll bet Lajos Portisch didn't feel that way - IAD]. It seems that the best defence is 28.e3 Rxe3 29.Ndc2." But maybe Black would do better by 28.e3 Rxa3. |
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29. Nf3
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(!) Portisch isn't afraid of complications, that's clear! If 29...Rxa3, say, 30.Bb2 Re3? 31.Qd4 etc. And if 29...gxf3?? 30.exf3 and Black must be running out of attack: 30...Qxf3 31.Bxc3 Qxc3 32.Rxe7 plus/minus. |
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29... Qe3+ 30. Kh1 Bc6
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(!?) Objectively speaking, probably 30...Kxg7 is as good as any. But Tal seems to figure he hasn't time for this, and throws his last available reserve into the fray. |
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31. Rf1
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(??) At last! The first crack appears in the adamantine edifice that Portisch has erected. He didn't dare play 31.Bxc3?? gxf3! 32.exf3 Bxf3 33.Qxf3 Qxf3 34.Kg1 Qxc3 as with 3 passed extra pawns to help, Black's Queen ought to be at least a match for White's knight and two rooks. But maybe 31.Nc2 or 31.Qd4 would have kept Black at bay. Of the latter move, RK had this to say: "31.Qd4? gxf3 32.Qxe3 f2 33.Qf3 Rxf3 wins for Black. " But instead of 32.Qxe3?? in this line, White has 32.Qxc3!! with the idea 32.Qxc3 Qxc3 33.Bxc3 f2 34.e4! fxe1=Q 35.Rxe1 and a simple win for White. |
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31... Rxa3
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(!?) Astonishing! Did the master of the time element in chess miss something? The irony is that in seeking to defend the critical point in his game, f3, Portisch gave time for Black to exploit that very weakness: 31...gxf3!! 32.exf3 Kxg7! 33.Nc2 Bxf3 34.Rxf3 Qxf3 35.Qxf3 Rxf3. Black emerges with 3 pawns for the knight and at least an even game. #### Less good (however spectacular) would have been 31...Kxg7?! straight away: 32.Nc2! gxf3!! 33.Nxe3 fxe2 34.Kg1 exd1=Q 35.Nd1 and Black's 3 extra pawns are less of a match for a whole rook. |
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32. Qc1
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Attacking at once a3, c6 and e3. What can Black do now? |
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32... gxf3
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[AK] "White cannot exchange queens: 33.Qxf3? fxe2 34.Kg1 exf1=Q 35.Rxf1 Rxe3 and Black is better." A whole lot better, it seems to me! |
2 comments
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33. Qxc6 Qxe2
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Now that the bishop at c6 has met his quietus, his lay brother at f3 takes over his duties... |
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34. Rfg1
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There was just no time to save the g7-bishop... |
2 comments
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34... Kxg7
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AK: "Tal has regained part of what he gave away, and White is only up a rook. However, Black's strong pawns are good compensation." RK: "And the clock...?" But Black is already looking fairly safe, though he seems too thin on the ground to expect a win. |
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(2340)