The Attacking Mechanisms of Classical Grandmasters by GM Mihail Marin PGN Only Jun 13, 2025 Chessable

Behind Every Brilliant Sacrifice
Lies a Deeper Plan

Boom, sacrifice, check, mate. That’s how we imagine the crowning finish of an attack, as seen in puzzles and famous games. In practice, however, it is usually a little more complicated.

First, you have to prepare your attack with foresight. When the time finally seems right for the tactical strike, it doesn’t always lead to checkmate. Often, you have to find further attacking mechanisms and hidden resources to justify a sacrifice. And sometimes the situation is far too complex, even for masters, to calculate everything from start to finish.

See the following example:

From the effective initiation of the attack to the piece sacrifice
and successful conclusion of the king hunt
− there are many important decisions to be made.

In this course, you will practice such complex attacks. Step by step, you will initiate the attack, find the resources for both sides and bring it to a successful conclusion. In up to 18 sub-tasks per position, you will examine various motifs and possible side variations.

Author GM Mihail Marin breaks down tactical combinations into three different phases:

1️⃣ Introduction, i.e. the moves that prepare the combination,
2️⃣ Main sequence of the combination, not yet leading to the desired result,
3️⃣ Punchline – the final touch that justifies everything that came before.

Let’s see the phases in the game Mikhail Tal – Boris Spassky, Tilburg 1980:

1️⃣ How should Tal initiate the combination that comes to mind here?

2️⃣ The correct move in the previous position is 1.Nxh5.
The line continues with 1…gxh5 2.Rf5 Qe8, and now White needs to start the main sequence of the combination. How?

3️⃣ The main sequence from the previous position begins with 3.e5!
− a move that is necessary to justify the initial knight sacrifice.
After 3…dxe5 4.Bh6 Ra6 5.Bxg7 Kxg7 6.d6 f6 we reach this position.
What is the final touch here to make it all work?

Learn How to Build Up Your Attacks
With Human Logic

As training material, GM Mihail Marin has selected examples from the 1970s and 1980s − a time before engines, but when grandmasters’ calculation was already highly advanced. So rather than looking for obtuse engine lines, you’ll perfect your own calculation with human-oriented thought processes.

Let’s recap what you’ll get in this course:

⚔️ 66 game fragments from the 1970s and 1980s, demonstrating attacking chess at the highest level.

⚔️ 532 exercises, in which you will follow in the footsteps of the grandmasters and carry out their attacks yourself. Step by step, in up to 18 sub-tasks.

⚔️ Detailed analysis of side variations and defensive resources that you should be aware of in a real game.

⚔️ over 10 hours of video instruction where GM Mihail Marin explains all exercises step by step.

Author GM Mihail Marin is a three-time Romanian champion and Olympiad medalist, with a peak rating of 2616 FIDE. As a chess coach and second, he worked with top-players like Judit Polgar, with whom he has also co-created several courses. This is his first solo course on Chessable, originally published in German. It is the result of several decades of experience as a player, author, and coach.

This course is for everyone who wants to improve their tactical abilities and also their general understanding of the game’s complexities. It will strengthen your calculation skills as well as your intuition and creativity for speculative attacks, in the spirit of Mikhail Tal.