Chess move by move

Mikhail Tal vs Z Pigit
URS 1953 · Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer (B62) · 0-1
In this game, the master tactician, Mikhail Tal, gives up all there is to give, except for the King, Queen (and King's Rook, sort of). It's action, action and no "cuts"! When the King's Rook is about to be captured, the Doctor realizes that the wrong diet has been prescribed. Time to resign. Enjoy!



Things start to happen as early as move 8 when Tal plays 8.e5, sacrificing a pawn in the hope of messing up Black's pawn structure(?). Tal was never a positional player, so that is an unlikely reason. But if Black takes the pawn, then moves like 9.Qf3 attacking c6 and f6 are possible. Black meets Tal's tactics with his own.
8...Qa5! If White takes the Knight with his pawn, Q takes Bishop.
9.Bb5! (Exclamation for the unexpectedness of the move, as well as the excitement.)The moves aims to block the Queens path to the Bishop on g5 as well as open up the diagonal f3-a8.
9...cxb5 Black accepts the sacrificed Bishop with the knowledge that the blocked rank will be opened next move, with an attack on two pieces.
10.exf6 He gets the pawn. So far, things are going according to plan(?)
10...b4 Pigit resumes the attack on the Bishop on g5, the pawn is attacking the knight on c3.
11.Qf3 protecting neither piece! Attacking the Rook on a8.
11...Qe5! Pigit wants to block the path of the White Queen, which he could have done by immediately playing d5. However, that would block off the attack on the Bishop on g5. With this move, he is still attacking the Bishop, and he will block the diagonal next move.
12.Nd4(!) Only Tal could see such moves. Good or bad! The knight or the Bishop, one of them is a goner. How about playing 12.Nd2 when the Bishop is "defended" by the attack on the Rook? Not Tal! So he defends with an attack. Protecting the Bishop?
12...d5. Blocking the diagonal and attacking the Knight that is defending the Bishop.
(annotation to be continued)