Lesson
White to move. Main line: 1. e4 c6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 e5 4. Ngf3 Nd7 5. d4 dxe4 6. Nxe4 exd4 7. Qxd4 Ngf6 8. Bg5 Be7 9. O-O-O O-O 10. Nd6 Qa5 11. Bc4 b5 12. Bd2 Qa6 13. Nf5 Bd8 14. Qh4 bxc4 15. Qg5 Nh5 16. Nh6+ Kh8 17. Qxh5 Qxa2 18. Bc3 Nf6 19. Qxf7 Qa1+ 20. Kd2 Rxf7 21. Nxf7+ Kg8 22. Rxa1 Kxf7 23. Ne5+ Ke6 24. Nxc6 Ne4+ 25. Ke3 Bb6+ 26. Bd4
Tal castles queenside and plants the knight on d6, forcing Black’s queen away while his bishops aim toward the king. The surprising 14.Qh4 allows ...bxc4 because White’s attack gains more time than the captured bishop costs.
The knight leap 16.Nh6+ and queen raid on h5 and f7 create a forcing sequence. Smyslov counterchecks with ...Qa1+, but Tal calculates through the exchange sacrifice and reaches a favorable material ending after 22.Rxa1.
The attack does not end in mate; it transforms into a winning position with active knights and rooks. That transition is the teaching point: combinations can aim for a favorable endgame, and accurate calculation must include the position after the checks stop.