Tal vs Larsen

 A really nice game by Tal. Everyone knows he played amazing sacrifices.

 The sacrifice in this game is however, based on positional factors.

 I don't know  a lot of players who would give a whole piece

just to control a file! 

1.e4 c5

2.Nf3 Nc6

3.d4 cxd4

4.Nxd4 e6 

5.Nc3 d6 

6.Be3 Nf6

7.f4 Be7 

8.Qf3 O-O 

9.O-O-O Qc7 

10.Ndb5 Qb8 

11.g4 a6 

12.Nd4 Nxd4
13.Bxd4 b5 

14.g5 Nd7 

15.Bd3 b4 

The next move is a shocker. Guess what it is! 

16.Nd5 ! exd5 

17.exd5 

 {The piece sacrifice is a positional one, since it has been used to
erect an invisible barrier on the e-file. A number of squares
on it (e5 and e6) are controlled by white pawns, and a white
rook will soon be moved to e1. -- Iakov Damsky} 

17...  f5  Closing the b1-h7 diagonal.

18.Rde1 Rf7
19.h4 Bb7 

20.Bxf5 Rxf5 

Even a piece up, black can hardly do anything agaisnt white's kingside attack!

21.Rxe7 Ne5 

Black probably gave back the piece to get time to bring his pieces near his king.

22.Qe4 Qf8  

23.fxe5 Rf4
24.Qe3 Rf3 

25.Qe2 Qxe7 

26.Qxf3 dxe5 

27.Re1 Rd8 

28.Rxe5 Qd6
29.Qf4 

{! The d5 pawn is immune. After 29 ...Bxd5 30. Re8+ White wins the queen.
White is now 2 pawns up, but Tal manages to finish the game in style 

29...  Rf8 

30.Qe4 b3 

31.axb3 Rf1+ 

32.Kd2 Qb4+ 

33.c3 Qd6
34.Bc5!

White has a mating attack! Nice deflection by Tal

34...  Qxc5

35.Re8+ Rf8 

36.Qe6+ Kh8 

37.Qf7 1-0

Black will be either be mated or suffer huge material loss.
The only try, in my opinion, to stave off mate for a couple of moves is: 37... Qf2+ 38. Qxf2 Rxe8 39. Qf7 Rb8 40 Qc7 winning the bishop, leaving black with a rook for a queen and 3 pawns.