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Mikhail Tal
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<h2 id="early-years">Early years</h2> <p>Tal was born in Riga, Latvia, into a <a href="/facts/Jewish/T9Y4wE6A">Jewish</a> family.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> According to his friend <a href="/facts/Gennadi_Sosonko/AcIkkTT2">Gennadi Sosonko</a>, his true father was a family friend identified only as "Uncle Robert";<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> however, this was vehemently denied by Tal's third wife Angelina.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> Uncle Robert had been a taxi driver in <a href="/facts/Paris/DrNHpwnA">Paris</a> in the 1920s and had lost all his family in <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>. His mother, Ida Grigoryevna, was the eldest of four sisters; Tal frequently visited the <a href="/facts/Netherlands/y8xn5stT">Netherlands</a> to see his aunt, Riva, and another of his aunts settled in the <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a> but visited Riga.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> </p> <p>As a child, Tal joined the <a href="/facts/Latvian_Academy_of_Sciences/cXY9pCdI">Riga Palace</a> of <a href="/facts/Pioneer_movement/aWUGg3A2">Young Pioneers</a> chess club. In 1949, he played <a href="/facts/Ratmir_Kholmov/No88yWDV">Ratmir Kholmov</a>, a young master who had recently competed in the prestigious <a href="/facts/Chigorin_Memorial/1s6W0bj2">Chigorin Memorial</a> in 1947, in a <a href="/facts/Simultaneous_exhibition/z1K2zXaB">simultaneous exhibition</a>. Tal used an imaginative combination to win his game at the age of 13.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> </p> <p><a href="/facts/Alexander_Koblencs/bnJpoeTa">Alexander Koblents</a> began tutoring him in 1949, after which Tal's game rapidly improved, and by 1951 he had qualified for the <a href="/facts/Latvian_Chess_Championship/hQFgrH51">Latvian Championship</a>. In the 1952 Latvian Championship, Tal finished ahead of his trainer. Tal won his first Latvian title in 1953, and was awarded the title of Candidate Master. He became a Soviet <a href="/facts/Chess_master/aJf3nwPA">Master</a> in 1954 by defeating Vladimir Saigin in a qualifying match. That same year he also scored his first win over a grandmaster when <a href="/facts/Yuri_Averbakh/n16GsDKI">Yuri Averbakh</a> lost on time in a <a href="/facts/Draw_(chess)/Q5fysWBJ">drawn</a> position. Tal graduated in <a href="/facts/Literature/CmUDxokU">Literature</a> from the <a href="/facts/University_of_Latvia/2JmVBr9f">University of Latvia</a>, writing a thesis on the satirical works of <a href="/facts/Ilf_and_Petrov/gLkcR0kk">Ilf and Petrov</a>, and taught school in Riga for a time in his early twenties. He was a member of the Daugava Sports Society, and represented Latvia in internal Soviet team competitions. </p><p>In 1959, he married 19-year-old Salli Landau, an actress with the Riga <a href="/facts/Young_Spectator%27s_Theatre/5ruhusBF">Youth Theatre</a>; they divorced in 1970. In 2003, Landau published a biography in <a href="/facts/Russian_language/ETXrTgHV">Russian</a> of her late ex-husband. </p> <h2 id="soviet-champion">Soviet champion</h2> <p>Tal made his first significant appearance at the <a href="/facts/1956_USSR_Chess_Championship/0p8aN0zW">1956 USSR Chess Championship</a>, sharing 5th–7th place with <a href="/facts/Lev_Polugaevsky/zJf3NWwm">Lev Polugaevsky</a> and Ratmir Kholmov.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> <a href="/facts/Grigory_Levenfish/THJcYxE7">Grigory Levenfish</a> called him "the most colourful figure of the championship" and a "great talent" who strove for "sharp and complicated play".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> However, he was criticised by the media for taking unnecessary risks and having restricted creative views.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> Tal then went to play on board three at the students' championship in <a href="/facts/Sweden/u3qC7lyj">Sweden</a>, scoring 6 out of 7.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> </p><p>He became the youngest player to win the <a href="/facts/1957_USSR_Chess_Championship/u2LLnB6T">1957 USSR Chess Championship</a>, at the age of 20. He had not played in enough international tournaments to qualify for the title of <a href="/facts/International_Grandmaster/NalWpE97">Grandmaster</a>, but <a href="/facts/FIDE/8oWF3499">FIDE</a> decided at its 1957 Congress to waive the normal restrictions and award him the title because of his achievement in winning the Soviet Championship. At that time the <a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto">Soviet Union</a> was dominant in world chess, and Tal had beaten several of the world's top players to win the tournament.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> </p><p>Tal made three appearances for the USSR at Student Olympiads in 1956–1958, winning three team gold medals and three board gold medals. He won nineteen games, drew eight, and lost none, for 85.2 percent.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> </p><p>He retained the title of champion at the <a href="/facts/1958_USSR_Chess_Championship/m3DdzBW8">1958 USSR Chess Championship</a>, and competed in the <a href="/facts/World_Chess_Championship_1960/vMgoblJs">World Chess Championship 1960</a> for the first time. He won the 1958 <a href="/facts/Interzonal/9Nt1F9wG">Interzonal</a> tournament at <a href="/facts/Portoro%C5%BE/awwz458v">Portorož</a>, <a href="/facts/Socialist_Federal_Republic_of_Yugoslavia/PXRlHx9q">Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia</a>, then helped the Soviet Union to win the <a href="/facts/13th_Chess_Olympiad/xHvlaRfX">13th</a> <a href="/facts/Chess_Olympiad/W200Xq2h">Chess Olympiad</a>, being its fourth consecutive victory in <a href="/facts/Munich/Pr6zw2ev">Munich</a>, <a href="/facts/West_Germany/oCydk787">West Germany</a>. </p> <h2 id="world-champion">World Champion</h2> <p>In 1959, Tal won a very strong tournament in <a href="/facts/Zurich/dXpgq7df">Zurich</a>, <a href="/facts/Switzerland/LcGuxeTe">Switzerland</a>. Following the Interzonal, the top players carried on to the <a href="/facts/Candidates%27_Tournament/9GYMywX5">Candidates' Tournament</a>, Yugoslavia, 1959. Tal won with 20/28 points, ahead of <a href="/facts/Paul_Keres/ddeYPDKp">Paul Keres</a> with 18½, followed by <a href="/facts/Tigran_Petrosian/2V8BUSDG">Tigran Petrosian</a>, <a href="/facts/Vasily_Smyslov/EDsBP9t2">Vasily Smyslov</a>, <a href="/facts/Bobby_Fischer/J2gfeEyD">Bobby Fischer</a>, <a href="/facts/Svetozar_Gligori%C4%87/yWuNkXzW">Svetozar Gligorić</a>, <a href="/facts/Fri%C3%B0rik_%C3%93lafsson/fWHRWhRt">Friðrik Ólafsson</a>, and <a href="/facts/Pal_Benko/27qNdh4g">Pal Benko</a>. Tal's victory was attributed to his dominance over the lower half of the field;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a> whilst scoring only one win and three losses versus Keres, he won all four individual games against Fischer, and took 3½ points out of 4 from each of Gligorić, Olafsson, and Benko.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a> When Benko arrived for his match with Tal, he wore dark glasses in order to avert the gaze of Tal, which could be intimidating. In response and as a joke, Tal wore large sunglasses which he borrowed from a member of the crowd.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24"><sup>24</sup></a> </p><p>In 1960, at the age of 23, Tal defeated the strategically-minded <a href="/facts/Mikhail_Botvinnik/u86laK7F">Mikhail Botvinnik</a> in a World Championship match, held in Moscow, by 12½–8½ (six wins, two losses, and thirteen draws),<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25"><sup>25</sup></a> making him the youngest-ever World Champion (a record later broken by <a href="/facts/Garry_Kasparov/NNjULdHH">Garry Kasparov</a>, who earned the title at 22, and broken again by <a href="/facts/Gukesh_Dommaraju/DgSQLXFw">Gukesh Dommaraju</a> who earned the title at age 18). Botvinnik, who had never faced Tal before the title match began, won the return match against Tal in 1961, also held in Moscow, by 13–8 (ten wins to five, with six draws).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26"><sup>26</sup></a> In the period between the matches Botvinnik had thoroughly analysed Tal's style, and turned most of the return match's games into slow wars of maneuver or <a href="/facts/Chess_endgame/ntY8zsJ0">endgames</a>, rather than the complicated tactical melees which were Tal's happy hunting ground.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27"><sup>27</sup></a> Tal's chronic <a href="/facts/Kidney/HBspPrv9">kidney</a> problems contributed to his defeat, and his doctors in Riga advised that he should postpone the match for health reasons. Yuri Averbakh claimed that Botvinnik would agree to a postponement only if Tal was certified unfit by Moscow doctors, and that Tal then decided to play.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28"><sup>28</sup></a> His short reign atop the chess world made him one of the two so-called "winter kings" who interrupted Botvinnik's long reign from 1948 to 1963 (the other was Smyslov, world champion 1957–58). </p><p>His highest <a href="/facts/Elo_rating_system/elxHsGzk">Elo rating</a> was 2705, achieved in 1980. His highest Historical Chessmetrics Rating was 2799, in September 1960. </p> <h2 id="later-achievements">Later achievements</h2> <p>Soon after losing the rematch with Botvinnik, Tal won the 1961 <a href="/facts/Bled/AfdKpmYf">Bled</a> supertournament in <a href="/facts/Socialist_Federal_Republic_of_Yugoslavia/PXRlHx9q">SFR Yugoslavia</a>, by one point over Fischer, despite losing their individual game, scoring 14½ from nineteen games (+11−1=7) with the world-class players Petrosian, Keres, Gligorić, <a href="/facts/Efim_Geller/oXK2v4Ly">Efim Geller</a>, and <a href="/facts/Miguel_Najdorf/qRg3XWk7">Miguel Najdorf</a> among the other participants. </p><p>Tal played in a total of six Candidates' Tournaments and match cycles, though he never again earned the right to play for the world title. In 1962 at <a href="/facts/Cura%C3%A7ao/upV1jGtJ">Curaçao</a>, <a href="/facts/Netherlands_Antilles/5bmWIKqe">Netherlands Antilles</a>, he had serious health problems, having undergone a major operation shortly before the tournament, and had to withdraw three-quarters of the way through, scoring just seven points (+3−10=8) from 21 games. He tied for first place at the 1964 <a href="/facts/Amsterdam/Xdd393bz">Amsterdam</a> Interzonal to advance to matches. Then in 1965, he lost the final match against <a href="/facts/Boris_Spassky/bYKcY5rN">Boris Spassky</a>, after defeating <a href="/facts/Lajos_Portisch/2bhYmVUa">Lajos Portisch</a> and <a href="/facts/Bent_Larsen/lwelUtl1">Bent Larsen</a> in matches. Exempt from the 1967 Interzonal in <a href="/facts/Sousse/25ULznTb">Sousse</a>, Tunisia, he defeated Gligorić 5½-3½ in Belgrade in 1968, but then lost the semi-final match against <a href="/facts/Viktor_Korchnoi/wu69VWqR">Viktor Korchnoi</a> in Moscow. </p><p>Poor health caused a slump in his play from late 1968 to late 1969, but he recovered his form after having a <a href="/facts/Nephrectomy/Q985WUur">kidney removed</a>. He won the 1979 Riga Interzonal with an undefeated score of 14/17, but the next year lost a quarter-final match to Lev Polugaevsky, one of the players to hold a positive score against him. He also played in the 1985 <a href="/facts/Montpellier/jz011snV">Montpellier</a> (<a href="/facts/France/CxIeIKM3">France</a>) Candidates' Tournament, a <a href="/facts/Round-robin_tournament/H38kuuaG">round-robin</a> of 16 qualifiers, finishing in a tie for fourth and fifth places, and narrowly missing further advancement after drawing a playoff match with <a href="/facts/Jan_Timman/XvFKvbcJ">Jan Timman</a>, who held the tiebreak advantage from the tournament proper. </p><p>From July 1972 to April 1973, Tal played a record 86 consecutive games without a loss (47 wins and 39 draws). Between 23 October 1973 and 16 October 1974, he played 95 consecutive games without a loss (46 wins and 49 draws), shattering his previous record. These were the two longest unbeaten streaks in competitive chess for more than four decades,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29"><sup>29</sup></a> until <a href="/facts/Ding_Liren/ack2Qc5X">Ding Liren</a> broke the record in 2018 with 100 games, although with far fewer wins than either of Tal's streaks (29 wins, 71 draws). </p><p>Tal remained a formidable opponent as he got older. He played <a href="/facts/Anatoly_Karpov/b5jAyz9S">Anatoly Karpov</a> 22 times, 12 of them during the latter's reign as World Champion, with a record of +0−1=19 in classical games and +1−2=19 overall. </p><p>One of Tal's greatest achievements during his later career was an equal first place with Karpov (whom he seconded in a number of tournaments and world championships) in the 1979 <a href="/facts/Montreal/uQQaWd1b">Montreal</a> (<a href="/facts/Canada/cWWFM8oc">Canada</a>) "Tournament of Stars", with an unbeaten score of (+6−0=12), the only undefeated player in the field, which also included Spassky, Portisch, <a href="/facts/Vlastimil_Hort/dF4ttfl8">Vlastimil Hort</a>, <a href="/facts/Robert_H%C3%BCbner/C07UVBFA">Robert Hübner</a>, <a href="/facts/Ljubomir_Ljubojevi%C4%87/RctrzpSn">Ljubomir Ljubojević</a>, <a href="/facts/Lubomir_Kavalek/V4dtk3yL">Lubomir Kavalek</a>, Jan Timman and Larsen. </p><p>Tal played in 21 <a href="/facts/USSR_Chess_Championship/UUckKkX2">Soviet Championships</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:30" href="#fn:30"><sup>30</sup></a> winning it six times (1957, 1958, <a href="/facts/1967_USSR_Chess_Championship/c2qC0MjM">1967</a>, <a href="/facts/1972_USSR_Chess_Championship/TkSxc5aB">1972</a>, <a href="/facts/1974_USSR_Chess_Championship/PELsAq4R">1974</a>, <a href="/facts/1978_USSR_Chess_Championship/R2SxwwYL">1978</a>). He was also a five-time winner of the International Chess Tournament in <a href="/facts/Tallinn/IBLBVtHt">Tallinn</a>, <a href="/facts/Estonian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic/b1mDzA7F">Estonian SSR</a>, with victories in 1971, 1973, 1977, 1981, and 1983. </p><p>Tal also had successes in <a href="/facts/Blitz_chess/lga7H592">blitz chess</a>; in 1970, he took second place to Fischer, who scored 19/22, in a blitz tournament at <a href="/facts/Herceg_Novi/lRqQH9es">Herceg Novi</a>, SFR Yugoslavia, ahead of Korchnoi, Petrosian and Smyslov. In 1988, at the age of 51, he won the second official <a href="/facts/World_Blitz_Chess_Championship/eWtewHet">World Blitz Championship</a> (the first was won by Kasparov the previous year in <a href="/facts/Brussels/tNzHrQYP">Brussels</a>, <a href="/facts/Belgium/YKuMXP5j">Belgium</a>) at <a href="/facts/Saint_John,_New_Brunswick/GKg2aueF">Saint John</a>, Canada, ahead of such players as Kasparov, the reigning world champion, and ex-champion Anatoly Karpov. In the final, he defeated <a href="/facts/Rafael_Vaganian/Vy4a51dd">Rafael Vaganian</a> by 3½–½. </p><p>On 28 May 1992, at the Moscow blitz tournament (which he left the hospital to play), he defeated Kasparov. He died one month later. </p> <h2 id="team-competitions">Team competitions</h2> <p>In Chess Olympiad play, Mikhail Tal was a member of eight Soviet teams, each of which won team gold medals (1958, <a href="/facts/14th_Chess_Olympiad/X0VNHSCW">1960</a>, <a href="/facts/15th_Chess_Olympiad/z9CqM7Su">1962</a>, <a href="/facts/17th_Chess_Olympiad/A4dRtNPB">1966</a>, <a href="/facts/20th_Chess_Olympiad/6YvmG1Iq">1972</a>, <a href="/facts/21st_Chess_Olympiad/eI1ReEh7">1974</a>, <a href="/facts/24th_Chess_Olympiad/m1X7LaGW">1980</a>, and <a href="/facts/25th_Chess_Olympiad/chKpLEav">1982</a>), won 65 games, drew 34, and lost only two games (81.2%). This percentage makes him the player with the best score among those participating in at least four Olympiads. Individually, Tal won seven Olympiad board medals, including five gold (1958, 1962, 1966, 1972, 1974), and two silver (1960, 1982).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:31" href="#fn:31"><sup>31</sup></a> </p><p>Tal also represented the Soviet Union at six <a href="/facts/European_Team_Chess_Championship/MoIxjrEX">European Team Chess Championships</a> (1957, 1961, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1980), winning team gold medals each time, and three board gold medals (1957, 1970, and 1977). He scored 14 wins, 20 draws, and three losses, for 64.9%.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:32" href="#fn:32"><sup>32</sup></a> Tal played board nine for the USSR in the first match against the Rest of the World team at <a href="/facts/Belgrade/Xeaz5zIy">Belgrade</a>, SFR Yugoslavia in 1970, scoring 2 out of 4. He was on board seven for the USSR in the second match against the Rest of the World team at <a href="/facts/London/KozCCsy9">London</a>, <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a> in 1984, scoring 2 out of 3. The USSR won both team matches. He was an Honoured Master of Sport.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:33" href="#fn:33"><sup>33</sup></a> </p><p>From 1950 (when he won the Latvian junior championship) to 1991, Tal won or tied for first in 68 tournaments (see table below). During his 41-year career he played about 2,700 tournament or match games, winning over 65% of them. </p> <h2 id="health-problems-and-death">Health problems and death</h2> <p>Tal was a <a href="/facts/Alcoholism/KGPzpChp">heavy drinker</a> and <a href="/facts/Chain_smoking/yptX3r0Y">chain smoked</a>. His already fragile health suffered as a result, and he spent a great deal of time in the hospital, including an operation to remove a kidney in 1969.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:34" href="#fn:34"><sup>34</sup></a> He was also briefly addicted to <a href="/facts/Morphine/8ngpXHDc">morphine</a>, prescribed due to intense pain.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:35" href="#fn:35"><sup>35</sup></a> </p><p>On 28 June 1992,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:36" href="#fn:36"><sup>36</sup></a> Tal died in a Moscow hospital, officially of a <a href="/facts/Bleeding/CGyFMU0F">hemorrhage</a> in the <a href="/facts/Esophagus/XWa7WoWn">esophagus</a>. His friend and fellow Soviet grandmaster <a href="/facts/Gennadi_Sosonko/AcIkkTT2">Gennadi Sosonko</a> reported that "effectively his entire organism had ceased to function."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:37" href="#fn:37"><sup>37</sup></a> </p><p>Tal had the congenital deformity of <a href="/facts/Ectrodactyly/3Aoc4Bag">ectrodactyly</a> in his right hand (visible in some photographs). Despite this, he was a skilled <a href="/facts/Piano/lRI60lQK">piano</a> player.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:38" href="#fn:38"><sup>38</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="playing-style">Playing style</h2> <p>Tal was known as "The Magician from Riga", and his style of play was very aggressive and involved heavy calculation. His approach over the board was very pragmatic—in that respect, he is one of the heirs of ex-world champion <a href="/facts/Alexander_Alekhine/37I5jUKd">Alexander Alekhine</a>. He often <a href="/facts/Sacrifice_(chess)/zBtU8hoK">sacrificed</a> <a href="/facts/Glossary_of_chess/bh0g4wCP">material</a> in search of activity and initiative<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:39" href="#fn:39"><sup>39</sup></a> which is defined as the ability to make threats to which the opponent must respond. Many masters found it difficult to refute Tal's ideas, looking at how many problems he created, though deeper post-game analysis found flaws in some of his calculations. The famous sixth game of his first world championship match with Botvinnik is typical in that regard: Tal sacrificed a knight with little compensation but prevailed when the unsettled Botvinnik failed to find the correct response. Tal's style of play was so intimidating that <a href="/facts/James_Eade/BFL0Wxxt">James Eade</a> listed Tal as one of the three players whom contemporaries were most afraid of playing against (the others being Capablanca and Fischer). However, while Capablanca and Fischer were feared because of their extreme technical skill, Tal was feared because of the possibility of being on the wrong side of a soon-to-be-famous brilliancy.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:40" href="#fn:40"><sup>40</sup></a> Although Tal's sacrifices were formidable, his style of play was very risky, contributing to his negative record against world-class defensive players. These included Spassky, Petrosian, Polugaevsky, Korchnoi, Keres, Smyslov, and Stein. (Tal has a positive record against Fischer with his four wins from the 1959 candidates tournament, when Fischer was only 16 years old, but never beat Fischer again.) </p><p>Although his playing style at first was scorned by ex-world champion Vasily Smyslov as nothing more than "tricks", Tal convincingly beat many notable grandmasters with his trademark aggression. Prevailing against Tal's aggression required extraordinary ability. It is also notable that he adopted a more sedate and positional style in his later years; for many chess lovers, the apex of Tal's style corresponds with the period (approximately from 1971 to 1979) when he was able to integrate the solidity of classical chess with the imagination of his youth.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:41" href="#fn:41"><sup>41</sup></a> </p><p>Of the current top-level players, the Latvian <a href="/facts/Alexei_Shirov/j4w35Bs9">Alexei Shirov</a> has been most often compared to Tal. In fact, he studied with Tal as a youth. Many other Latvian grandmasters and masters, for instance <a href="/facts/Alexander_Shabalov/v8Al4c3f">Alexander Shabalov</a> and <a href="/facts/Alvis_V%C4%ABtoli%C5%86%C5%A1/Rr7BKUzD">Alvis Vītoliņš</a>, have played in a similar vein, causing some to speak of a "Latvian School of Chess".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:42" href="#fn:42"><sup>42</sup></a> </p><p>Tal contributed little to opening theory, despite having a deep knowledge of most systems, the <a href="/facts/Sicilian_Defence/hJtITHK5">Sicilian</a> and the <a href="/facts/Ruy_Lopez/6dTFrQEu">Ruy Lopez</a> in particular. There are a few openings named after him, however, such as the Tal Variation in the <a href="/facts/Caro%E2%80%93Kann_Defence/h42SKa7l">Caro-Kann</a> and in the <a href="/facts/Sicilian_Defence,_Scheveningen_Variation/bqeg4axV">Sicilian Scheveningen</a>. But his aggressive use of the <a href="/facts/Modern_Benoni/kRXFvElc">Modern Benoni</a>, particularly in his early years, led to a complete re-evaluation of this variation. A <a href="/facts/Nimzo-Indian_Defence/lwEGIaXu">variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defence</a> also bears his name. </p> <h2 id="notable-games">Notable games</h2> <ul><li>Tal vs. <a href="/facts/Alexander_Tolush/neL6VKBr">Alexander Tolush</a>, USSR Championship, Moscow 1957, <a href="/facts/King%27s_Indian_Defence/DpScggtv">King's Indian Defence</a>, <a href="/facts/King%27s_Indian_Defence,_S%C3%A4misch_Variation/jlzkmKlo">Sämisch Variation</a> (E81), <a href="/facts/Algebraic_notation_(chess)/gU96RuM3">1–0</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:43" href="#fn:43"><sup>43</sup></a> In a critical last-round game, Tal spares no fireworks as he scores the win that clinches his first Soviet title.</li> <li>Boris Spassky vs. Tal, USSR Championship, Riga 1958, <a href="/facts/Nimzo-Indian_Defence/lwEGIaXu">Nimzo-Indian Defence</a>, Sämisch Variation (E26), <a href="/facts/Algebraic_notation_(chess)/gU96RuM3">0–1</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:44" href="#fn:44"><sup>44</sup></a> Spassky plays for a win to avoid a playoff for an Interzonal berth, but Tal hangs on by his fingernails before turning the tables in a complex <a href="/facts/Glossary_of_chess/bh0g4wCP">endgame</a>; with the win, he captures his second straight Soviet title.</li> <li>Tal vs. Vasily Smyslov, Yugoslavia Candidates' Tournament 1959, Caro–Kann Defence (B10), 1–0.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:45" href="#fn:45"><sup>45</sup></a> A daring piece sacrifice to win a <a href="/facts/Glossary_of_chess/bh0g4wCP">brilliancy prize</a>.</li> <li>Robert James Fischer vs. Tal, Belgrade, Candidates' Tournament 1959, Sicilian Defence, <a href="/facts/Sicilian_Defence,_Najdorf_Variation/dn74BW9u">Fischer–Sozin Attack</a> (B87), 0–1.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:46" href="#fn:46"><sup>46</sup></a> Their games from this period are full of interesting tactics.</li> <li>Mikhail Botvinnik vs. Tal, World Championship Match, Moscow 1960, 6th game, <a href="/facts/King%27s_Indian_Defence/DpScggtv">King's Indian Defence</a>, <a href="/facts/King%27s_Indian_Defence/DpScggtv">Fianchetto Variation</a>, Classical Main line (E69), 0–1.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:47" href="#fn:47"><sup>47</sup></a> An excellent sample of Tal's style from the first Botvinnik–Tal match. Tal sacrifices a knight for the attack and Botvinnik is unable to find a good defence in the given time; his 25th move is a mistake that spoils his game.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Istv%C3%A1n_Bilek/vAvlfbnc">István Bilek</a> vs. Tal, Moscow 1967, <a href="/facts/King%27s_Indian_Attack/IWT6RA3E">King's Indian Attack</a>, Spassky Variation (A05), 0–1.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:48" href="#fn:48"><sup>48</sup></a> A risky <a href="/facts/Glossary_of_chess/bh0g4wCP">counterattack</a> is crowned with success, winning a brilliancy prize.</li> <li>Boris Spassky vs. Tal, Tallinn tt 1973, Nimzo-Indian Defence, <a href="/facts/Nimzo-Indian_Defence/lwEGIaXu">Leningrad Variation</a> (E30), 0–1.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:49" href="#fn:49"><sup>49</sup></a> A game fuelled with tactics from its first moves. Black attacks in the <a href="/facts/Glossary_of_chess/bh0g4wCP">centre</a> and then starts a <a href="/facts/Glossary_of_chess/bh0g4wCP">king chase</a>.</li> <li>Tal vs. Tigran Petrosian, 8th Soviet Team Cup, Moscow 1974, rd 5, <a href="/facts/Pirc_Defence/kkIpHary">Pirc Defence</a>, <a href="/facts/Pirc_Defense/kkIpHary">Classical System</a>, (B08), 1–0.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:50" href="#fn:50"><sup>50</sup></a> Tal destroys perhaps the greatest defensive player of all time in a <a href="/facts/Glossary_of_chess/bh0g4wCP">miniature</a>.</li> <li>Tal vs. <a href="/facts/Joel_Lautier/htaDXc0j">Joel Lautier</a>, Barcelona 1992. In his final tournament before his death at age 55, the Magician from Riga produces one last masterpiece against a Grandmaster from the next generation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:51" href="#fn:51"><sup>51</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="writings">Writings</h2> <p>Tal was a prolific and highly respected chess writer, penning a number of books and serving as editor of the Latvian chess magazine <i>Šahs</i> ("Chess") from 1960 to 1970. His books are renowned for the detailed narrative of his thinking during the games. American Grandmaster <a href="/facts/Andrew_Soltis/RH4GD6X5">Andrew Soltis</a> reviewed his book on the world championship match as "simply the best book written about a world championship match by a contestant. That shouldn't be a surprise because Tal was the finest writer to become world champion." <a href="/facts/New_Zealand/4mpSlJdg">New Zealand</a> Grandmaster <a href="/facts/Murray_Chandler/j98gaBbq">Murray Chandler</a> wrote in the introduction to the 1997 reissued algebraic edition of <i>The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal</i> that the book was possibly the best chess book ever written. </p> <h2 id="score-with-some-major-grandmasters">Score with some major grandmasters</h2> <p>Only official tournament or match games have been taken into account. '+' corresponds to Tal's wins, '−' to his losses and '=' to draws. Winning records in bold. </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto"></a> <a href="/facts/Mikhail_Botvinnik/u86laK7F">Mikhail Botvinnik</a>: +12−12=20</li> <li><a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto"></a> <a href="/facts/David_Bronstein/bYeW13lY">David Bronstein</a>: +12−8=19</li> <li><a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5"></a> <a href="/facts/Bobby_Fischer/J2gfeEyD">Bobby Fischer</a>: +4−2=5</li> <li><a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto"></a> <a href="/facts/Efim_Geller/oXK2v4Ly">Efim Geller</a>: +6−6=23</li> <li><a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto"></a> <a href="/facts/Anatoly_Karpov/b5jAyz9S">Anatoly Karpov</a>: +0−1=19</li> <li><a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto"></a> <a href="/facts/Garry_Kasparov/NNjULdHH">Garry Kasparov</a>: +1−2=9</li> <li><a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto"></a> <a href="/facts/Paul_Keres/ddeYPDKp">Paul Keres</a>: +4−8=20</li> <li><a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto"></a> <a href="/facts/Viktor_Korchnoi/wu69VWqR">Viktor Korchnoi</a>: +4−13=27</li> <li><a href="/facts/Denmark/KVtykzsw"></a> <a href="/facts/Bent_Larsen/lwelUtl1">Bent Larsen</a>: +12−7=18</li> <li><a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto"></a> <a href="/facts/Tigran_Petrosian/2V8BUSDG">Tigran Petrosian</a>: +4−5=35</li> <li><a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto"></a> <a href="/facts/Lev_Polugaevsky/zJf3NWwm">Lev Polugaevsky</a>: +2−8=22</li> <li><a href="/facts/Hungary/YRedQLtI"></a> <a href="/facts/Lajos_Portisch/2bhYmVUa">Lajos Portisch</a>: +9−5=18</li> <li><a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto"></a> <a href="/facts/Vasily_Smyslov/EDsBP9t2">Vasily Smyslov</a>: +3−4=21</li> <li><a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto"></a> <a href="/facts/Boris_Spassky/bYKcY5rN">Boris Spassky</a>: +6−9=27</li> <li><a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto"></a> <a href="/facts/Leonid_Stein/frw2qInC">Leonid Stein</a>: +0−3=15</li> <li><a href="/facts/Argentina/aFSA5bAk"></a> <a href="/facts/Miguel_Najdorf/qRg3XWk7">Miguel Najdorf</a>: +3−1=5</li> <li><a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5"></a> <a href="/facts/Pal_Benko/27qNdh4g">Pal Benko</a>: +8−1=3</li> <li><a href="/facts/East_Germany/PwI902Q6"></a> <a href="/facts/Wolfgang_Uhlmann/QpUFVt31">Wolfgang Uhlmann</a>: +4−0=3</li> <li><a href="/facts/Socialist_Federal_Republic_of_Yugoslavia/PXRlHx9q"></a> <a href="/facts/Borislav_Ivkov/pSwp0NIg">Borislav Ivkov</a>: +3−1=11</li> <li><a href="/facts/Socialist_Federal_Republic_of_Yugoslavia/PXRlHx9q"></a> <a href="/facts/Svetozar_Gligoric/yWuNkXzW">Svetozar Gligoric</a>: +10−2=22</li></ul> <h2 id="tournament-and-match-wins-or-equal-first">Tournament and match wins (or equal first)</h2> <h3>1950–1965</h3> <table><tbody><tr><th>Year</th><th>Tournament / Championship</th><th>Match / Team competition</th></tr><tr><td>1950</td><td><a href="/facts/Riga/PCWbJn2h">Riga</a> – Latvia Junior championship,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:52" href="#fn:52"><sup>52</sup></a> 1st</td></tr><tr><td>1953</td><td>Riga – 10th Latvian championship, 1st (14½/19)</td><td>Leningrad, Soviet Team Championship final, board 2, 1st–2nd (4½/7)</td></tr><tr><td>1954</td><td></td><td>Match with Vladimir Saigin for the title of Soviet Master (+4−2=8)</td></tr><tr><td>1955</td><td>Riga – 23rd Soviet Championship Semifinal, 1st (12½/18)</td></tr><tr><td>1956</td><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Uppsala/X3HzSeYN">Uppsala</a> – World students team championship, board 3 (6/7)</td></tr><tr><td>1957</td><td><a href="/facts/1957_USSR_Chess_Championship/u2LLnB6T">Moscow – 24th URS-ch</a>, 1st (14/21)</td><td><a href="/facts/Reykjav%C3%ADk/bKLzL94g">Reykjavík</a> – Wch-team students, board 1 (8½/10)<a href="/facts/Baden_bei_Wien/IJhH1QCM">Baden, Austria</a> – European Team Championship, board 4, 1st–2nd (3/5)</td></tr><tr><td>1958</td><td><a href="/facts/1958_USSR_Chess_Championship/m3DdzBW8">Riga – 25th URS-ch</a>, 1st (12/19) <a href="/facts/Portoro%C5%BE_Interzonal_1958/vMgoblJs">Portorož Interzonal</a>, 1st (13½/20)</td><td><a href="/facts/Varna,_Bulgaria/uDqsApHF">Varna</a> – Wch-team students, board 1 (8½/10)<a href="/facts/13th_Chess_Olympiad/xHvlaRfX">Munich 1958</a> Olympiad, board 5 (13½/15)</td></tr><tr><td>1959</td><td>Riga – Latvian Olympiad, 1st (7/7) <a href="/facts/Z%C3%BCrich/dXpgq7df">Zürich</a> tournament, 1st (11½/15)<a href="/facts/Bled/AfdKpmYf">Bled</a>–<a href="/facts/Zagreb/KPf8bzLI">Zagreb</a>–<a href="/facts/Belgrade/Xeaz5zIy">Belgrade</a> – Candidates tournament, 1st (20/28)</td></tr><tr><td>1960</td><td></td><td>Moscow – Match for the World title with <a href="/facts/Mikhail_Botvinnik/u86laK7F">Mikhail Botvinnik</a> (+6−2=13)<a href="/facts/Hamburg/kmAAsYtT">Hamburg</a> – Match West Germany vs. USSR, 1st (7½/8)<a href="/facts/14th_Chess_Olympiad/X0VNHSCW">Leipzig 1960</a> Olympiad, board 1, silver medal (11/15)</td></tr><tr><td>1960/61</td><td><a href="/facts/Stockholm/sD74W4Pm">Stockholm</a> tournament, 1st (9½/11)</td></tr><tr><td>1961</td><td><a href="/facts/Bled/AfdKpmYf">Bled</a> tournament, 1st (14½/19)</td></tr><tr><td>1962</td><td></td><td><a href="/facts/15th_Chess_Olympiad/z9CqM7Su">Varna 1962</a> Olympiad, board 6 (10/13)</td></tr><tr><td>1963</td><td><a href="/facts/Miskolc/q3CfUgSq">Miskolc</a> tournament, 1st (12½/15)</td><td>Moscow, USSR Spartakiad, board 1, 1st (6/9)</td></tr><tr><td>1963/64</td><td><a href="/facts/Hastings_International_Chess_Congress/Fn5WAtYb">Hastings</a> Premier tournament, 1st (7/9)</td></tr><tr><td>1964</td><td><a href="/facts/Reykjav%C3%ADk/bKLzL94g">Reykjavík</a> tournament, 1st (12½/13) <a href="/facts/Amsterdam/Xdd393bz">Amsterdam</a> Interzonal, 1st–4th (17/23) <a href="/facts/Kislovodsk/zY9XjEKx">Kislovodsk</a> tournament, 1st (7½/10)</td><td>Moscow, USSR Club Team Championship, board 1, 1st (4½/6)</td></tr><tr><td>1965</td><td>Riga, Latvian championship, 1st (10/13)</td><td>Bled – Quarter-final Candidates Match with <a href="/facts/Lajos_Portisch/2bhYmVUa">Lajos Portisch</a>: (+4−1=3) Bled – Semi-final Candidates Match with <a href="/facts/Bent_Larsen/lwelUtl1">Bent Larsen</a> (+3−2=5)</td></tr></tbody></table> <h3>1966–1977</h3> <table><tbody><tr><th>Year</th><th>Tournament / Championship</th><th>Match / Team competition</th></tr><tr><td>1966</td><td><a href="/facts/Sarajevo/IzawfJRg">Sarajevo</a> tournament, 1st–2nd (11/15)<a href="/facts/Palma_de_Mallorca/FhG4zSs3">Palma de Mallorca</a> tournament, 1st (12/15)</td><td><a href="/facts/17th_Chess_Olympiad/A4dRtNPB">Havana 1966</a> Olympiad, board 3 (12/13)</td></tr><tr><td>1967</td><td><a href="/facts/Kharkiv/25Gd4znl">Kharkiv</a> – 35th URS-ch, =1st (12/15)</td><td>Moscow, USSR Spartakiad, final B, 1st (6/9)</td></tr><tr><td>1968</td><td><a href="/facts/Gori,_Georgia/4Ts7uFMh">Gori</a> tournament, 1st (7½/10)</td><td>Belgrade – Quarter-final Candidates Match with <a href="/facts/Svetozar_Gligori%C4%87/yWuNkXzW">Svetozar Gligorić</a> (+3−1=5)</td></tr><tr><td>1969/70</td><td><a href="/facts/Tbilisi/vcF15SbW">Tbilisi</a> – Goglidze memorial tournament, 1st–2nd (10½/15)</td></tr><tr><td>1970</td><td><a href="/facts/Poti/YXVJVegD">Poti</a> – Georgian Open championship, 1st (11/14) <a href="/facts/Sochi/F3DEnHv7">Sochi</a> – Grandmasters vs. Young Masters, 1st (10½/14)</td><td>Belgrade – World vs. USSR, board 9 Match with <a href="/facts/Miguel_Najdorf/qRg3XWk7">Miguel Najdorf</a> (+1−1=2) <a href="/facts/Kapfenberg/rB8EadEM">Kapfenberg</a>, European Team Championship, board 6 (5/6)</td></tr><tr><td>1971</td><td><a href="/facts/Tallinn/IBLBVtHt">Tallinn</a> tournament, 1st–2nd (11½/15)</td><td>Rostov-on-Don, USSR Club Team Championship, board 1, 1st (4½/6)</td></tr><tr><td>1972</td><td><a href="/facts/Sukhumi/5Qv22rds">Sukhumi</a> tournament, 1st (11/15) <a href="/facts/Baku/oUVVcRN1">Baku</a> – 40th URS-ch, 1st (15/21)</td><td><a href="/facts/20th_Chess_Olympiad/6YvmG1Iq">Skopje 1972</a> Olympiad, board 4 (14/16)</td></tr><tr><td>1973</td><td><a href="/facts/Wijk_aan_Zee/RNbjzrD1">Wijk aan Zee</a> tournament, 1st (10½/15) Tallinn tournament, 1st (12/15) <a href="/facts/Sochi/F3DEnHv7">Sochi</a> – <a href="/facts/Mikhail_Chigorin/WgupUu55">Mikhail Chigorin</a> memorial, 1st (11/15) <a href="/facts/Dubna/mn37rc4l">Dubna</a> tournament, 1st–2nd (10/15)</td><td><a href="/facts/Bath,_Somerset/mHppKuoG">Bath</a>, European Team Championship, board 6, silver medal (4/6)</td></tr><tr><td>1973/74</td><td>Hastings tournament, 1st–4th (10/15)</td></tr><tr><td>1974</td><td><a href="/facts/Lublin/MIuLH9pa">Lublin</a> tournament, 1st (12½/15) <a href="/facts/Halle,_Saxony-Anhalt/hJ3EBuMn">Halle</a> tournament, 1st (11½/15)<a href="/facts/Novi_Sad/g5F2natr">Novi Sad</a> tournament, 1st (11½/15) Leningrad – 42nd URS-ch, =1st (9½/15)</td><td><a href="/facts/21st_Chess_Olympiad/eI1ReEh7">Nice 1974</a> Olympiad, board 5 (11½/15)Moscow, USSR Club Team Championship, board 1, 1st (6½/9)</td></tr><tr><td>1976</td><td></td><td>Stockholm, Match with <a href="/facts/Ulf_Andersson/PeMo3aMx">Ulf Andersson</a> (+1=7)</td></tr><tr><td>1977</td><td>Tallinn – <a href="/facts/Paul_Keres/ddeYPDKp">Keres</a> memorial, 1st (11½/17) <a href="/facts/Leningrad/pNuCBxaM">Leningrad</a> 60th October Rev., 1st–2nd (11½/17) Sochi – Chigorin memorial, 1st (11/15)</td><td>Moscow, European Team Championship, board 4 (4½/6)</td></tr></tbody></table> <h3>1978–1991</h3> <table><tbody><tr><th>Year</th><th>Tournament / Championship</th></tr><tr><td>1978</td><td><a href="/facts/Tbilisi/vcF15SbW">Tbilisi</a> – 46th URS-ch, 1st (11/17)</td></tr><tr><td>1979</td><td><a href="/facts/Montreal/uQQaWd1b">Montreal</a> tournament, 1st–2nd (12/18)Riga Interzonal, 1st (14/17)</td></tr><tr><td>1981</td><td>Tallinn – Keres memorial, 1st (12½/15) <a href="/facts/M%C3%A1laga/9lpQKS8w">Málaga</a> tournament, 1st (7/11)Moscow, Soviet Team Championship, board 1, 1st (7/9) Riga tournament, 1st (11/15) <a href="/facts/Lviv/R1U4V6mY">Lviv</a> tournament, 1st–2nd (9/13)</td></tr><tr><td>1981/82</td><td><a href="/facts/Porz/36wFKMQP">Porz</a> tournament, 1st (9/11)</td></tr><tr><td>1982</td><td>Moscow tournament, 1st (9/13) <a href="/facts/Erevan/9pWddYcY">Erevan</a> tournament, 1st (10/15) Sochi – Chigorin memorial, 1st (10/15) <a href="/facts/Pforzheim/I3pc0s1d">Pforzheim</a> tournament, 1st (9/11)</td></tr><tr><td>1983</td><td>Tallinn – Keres memorial, 1st (10/15)</td></tr><tr><td>1984</td><td><a href="/facts/Albena/Lm8W86Tx">Albena</a> tournament, 1st–2nd (7/11)</td></tr><tr><td>1985</td><td><a href="/facts/J%C5%ABrmala/WWNhoABH">Jūrmala</a> tournament, 1st (9/13)</td></tr><tr><td>1986</td><td><a href="/facts/West_Berlin/TNTMYYlN">West Berlin</a> open, 1st–2nd (7½/9) Tbilisi – Goglidze memorial, 1st–2nd (9/13)</td></tr><tr><td>1987</td><td><a href="/facts/Termas_de_R%C3%ADo_Hondo/D6wX8LWl">Termas de Río Hondo</a> (Argentina), 1st (8/11) Jūrmala tournament, 1st–4th (7½/13)</td></tr><tr><td>1988</td><td><a href="/facts/Chicago/yPMokrXH">Chicago</a> – National Open, 1st–6th (5½/6) <a href="/facts/Saint_John,_New_Brunswick/GKg2aueF">Saint John</a> – <a href="/facts/World_Blitz_Chess_Championship/eWtewHet">World blitz Championship</a>: 1st</td></tr><tr><td>1991</td><td><a href="/facts/Buenos_Aires/9lUVmS7f">Buenos Aires</a> – <a href="/facts/Miguel_Najdorf/qRg3XWk7">Najdorf</a> memorial, 1st–3rd (8½/13)</td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="book-titles">Book titles</h2> <ul><li>Tal, Mikhail (2001) [1970]. <i>Tal–Botvinnik, 1960</i>. Russell Enterprises. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 1-888690-08-9.</li> <li>Tal, Mikhail (1973). <i>World Championship: Petrosian vs. Spassky 1966</i>. Chess Digest.</li> <li>Tal, Mikhail (2003) [1975]. "Mikhail Tal, The Score Isn't Everything, Victory in the Ending". In Keene, Raymond (ed.). <i>Learn from the Grandmasters</i>. Batsford. pp. 5–16. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0713481382.</li> <li>Tal, Mikhail (1997) [1978]. <a href="https://archive.org/details/lifegamesofmikha00tals"><i>The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal</i></a>. <a href="/facts/Everyman_Chess/vTvpjfrs">Everyman Chess</a>. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 1-85744-202-4.</li> <li>Tal, Mikhail & Alexander Koblencs (2013) [1978]. <i>Study Chess with Tal</i>. Batsford. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1849941099.</li> <li>Tal, Mikhail & Viktor Khenkin (1979). <i>Tal's Winning Chess Combinations: The Secrets of Winning Chess Combinations Described and Explained by the Russian Grandmaster Mikhail Tal</i>. Simon and Schuster. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0671242628.</li> <li>Tal, Mikhail; Roshal, Aleksandr; Chepizhny, V. (1980). <i>Montreal 1979: Tournament of Stars</i>. Pergamon Press. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0080241328.</li> <li>Tal, Mikhail & E.B. Edmondson (1981). <i>Chess Scandals: The 1978 World Chess Championship</i>. Pergamon Press. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 008024145X.</li> <li>Tal, Mikhail (1988). "The chess calculator's confession". In Estrin, Yakov; Romanov, Isaac (eds.). <i>The World Champions Teach Chess</i>. A & C Black. pp. 102–112. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0713655968.</li> <li>Tal, Mikhail; Damsky, Iakov; Neat, Ken (tr.) (1994). <i>Attack with Mikhail Tal</i>. Everyman Chess. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 1-85744-043-9.</li></ul> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/List_of_Jewish_chess_players/jYrUBvPD">List of Jewish chess players</a></li></ul> <h2 id="notes">Notes</h2> <p>Bibliography </p> <ul><li>Sosonko, Genna (2001). <i>Russian Silhouettes</i>. New In Chess. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 9056912933.</li> <li>Tal, Mikhail (1997). <i>The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal</i>. Gloucester Publishers. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-85744-202-1.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Garry_Kasparov/NNjULdHH">Kasparov, Garry</a> (2003). <i><a href="/facts/My_Great_Predecessors/vS4xnS0z">My Great Predecessors</a>, part II</i>. Everyman Chess. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 1-85744-342-X.</li></ul> <h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Irving_Chernev/pI2JYA2u">Chernev, Irving</a> (1995). <i>Twelve Great Chess Players and Their Best Games</i>. New York: Dover. pp. 76–91. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0-486-28674-6.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Joseph_Gallagher/UqYUFLs1">Gallagher, Joe</a> (2001). <i>The Magic of Mikhail Tal</i>. <a href="/facts/Everyman_Chess/vTvpjfrs">Everyman Chess</a>. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 1-85744-266-0. This covers Tal's career post 1975, and can therefore be seen as a sort of sequel to Tal's own autobiography and games collection, which covers his career up to that point.</li> <li>Kirillov, Valentin (2017). <i>Team Tal: An Inside Story</i>. Moscow: Elk and Ruby Publishing House. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-5-950-04330-7.</li> <li>Landau, Sally (2019). <i>Checkmate! The Love Story of Mikhail Tal and Sally Landau</i>. Moscow: Elk and Ruby Publishing House. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-5-604-17696-2.</li> <li>Winter, Edward G., ed. (1981). <i>World chess champions</i>. Pergamon. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0-08-024094-1.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikiquote has quotations related to <i>Mikhail Tal</i>. <p> Media related to Mikhail Tal at Wikimedia Commons </p> <ul><li><a href="https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=14380">Mikhail Tal</a> player profile and games at <a href="/facts/Chessgames.com/nWjKcbLq">Chessgames.com</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Tal,%20Mikhail%20N.">Mikhail N. Tal</a> FIDE rating history at OlimpBase.org</li> <li><a href="http://www.chess.com/news/garry-kasparov-talks-about-mikhail-tal-and-soviet-chess-history-1340">Kasparov interview about Tal</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Latvian: Mihails Tāls; Russian: Михаил Нехемьевич Таль, romanized: Mikhail Nekhem'yevich Tal, IPA: [mʲɪxɐˈil nʲɪˈxʲemʲɪvʲɪtɕ ˈtalʲ] <a href="/wiki/Latvian_language" target="_blank">/wiki/Latvian_language</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Tal's gravestone has 27 June as the date of his death. All other sources consulted give 28 June, including Kasparov, Garry, My Great Predecessors, part II, p. 382, and The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, p. 6. <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Zubok, V. M. (2011) Zhivago's children: the last Russian intelligentsia, Harvard University Press, ISBN 0674062329 <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Clarke, P. H. (1969) Tal's Best Games of Chess, Bell, ISBN 0713502045 <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Zubok, Vladislav. Zhivago's Children. Harvard University Press, 2009. p. 179 ISBN 9780674033443 <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Burgess, Graham; Nunn, John; Emms, John (2004). The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games (2nd ed.). Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-1411-5. <a href="0-7867-1411-5" target="_blank">0-7867-1411-5</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Evans, Larry (1970). Modern Chess Brilliancies. Fireside. ISBN 0-671-22420-4. <a href="0-671-22420-4" target="_blank">0-671-22420-4</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Soltis, Andrew (2002) Chess Lists Second Edition, 2nd ed., McFarland & Company, Jefferson, North Carolina and London, pp. 43–44, ISBN 0786412968. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Official FIDE Ding, Liren (CHN) Individual Calculations full report". <a href="https://ratings.fide.com/hist.phtml?event=8603677" target="_blank">https://ratings.fide.com/hist.phtml?event=8603677</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Sosonko, p. 21. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSosonko (help) <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Sosonko, p. 22. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSosonko (help) <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>"ВДОВА ВОСЬМОГО ЧЕМПИОНА ėМИХАИЛА ТАЛЯ АНГЕЛИНА: "ДО МЕНЯ СО ВСЕМИ СВОИМИ ЖЕНЩИНАМИ МИША ЖИЛ НЕ БОЛЬШЕ ДВУХ ЛЕТ, А СО МНОЙ – 22 ГОДА. НАВЕРНОЕ, ПОТОМУ, ЧТО Я НЕ СТЕРВА"" [Angelina, widow of eighth world champion Tal: "Before me, Tal didn't live with any woman for more than two years, but with me, 22 years. Probably because I'm not a bitch."]. Archived from the original on 23 November 2009. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20091123072603/http://www.facts.kiev.ua/archive/2009-11-20/101796/index.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20091123072603/http://www.facts.kiev.ua/archive/2009-11-20/101796/index.html</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Sosonko, p. 22. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSosonko (help) <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Tal, p. 18. sfn error: no target: CITEREFTal (help) <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Chess School (youtube) (19 April 2012). "How good was Tal when he was 12? Kholmov vs Tal" – via YouTube. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82plo8S6Rdo" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82plo8S6Rdo</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Kasparov, p. 383. sfn error: no target: CITEREFKasparov (help) <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>Kasparov, p. 383. sfn error: no target: CITEREFKasparov (help) <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Kasparov, p. 383. sfn error: no target: CITEREFKasparov (help) <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>Kasparov, p. 388. sfn error: no target: CITEREFKasparov (help) <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>Clarke, Peter H. (1991). Mikhail Tal – Master of Sacrifice. B.T.Batsford Ltd. p. 4. ISBN 0-7134-6899-8. <a href="0-7134-6899-8" target="_blank">0-7134-6899-8</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>"World Student Team Chess Championship :: Mikhail Tal". OlimpBase.org. Retrieved 24 October 2013. <a href="http://www.olimpbase.org/playersy/o8maieuc.html" target="_blank">http://www.olimpbase.org/playersy/o8maieuc.html</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:22"><p>Horowitz, Al (1973). The World Chess Championship, A History. Macmillan. p. 188. LCCN 72080175. <a href="/wiki/Israel_Albert_Horowitz" target="_blank">/wiki/Israel_Albert_Horowitz</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:23"><p>"1959 Yugoslavia Candidates Tournament". mark-weeks.com. <a href="http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/5860$cix.htm" target="_blank">http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/5860$cix.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:24"><p>Hartston, William (2 July 1992). "Obituary: Mikhail Tal". independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2020. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-mikhail-tal-1530878.html" target="_blank">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-mikhail-tal-1530878.html</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:25"><p>Hartston, William (2 July 1992). "Obituary: Mikhail Tal". independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2020. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-mikhail-tal-1530878.html" target="_blank">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-mikhail-tal-1530878.html</a> <a href="#fnref:25" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:26"><p>Hartston, William (2 July 1992). "Obituary: Mikhail Tal". independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2020. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-mikhail-tal-1530878.html" target="_blank">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-mikhail-tal-1530878.html</a> <a href="#fnref:26" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:27"><p>McFadden, R.D. (29 June 1992). "Mikhail Tal, a Chess Grandmaster Known for His Daring, Dies at 55". The New York Times. <a href="https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0D91739F93AA15755C0A964958260" target="_blank">https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0D91739F93AA15755C0A964958260</a> <a href="#fnref:27" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:28"><p>Kingston, T. (2002). "Yuri Averbakh: An Interview with History – Part 2" (PDF). The Chess Cafe. <a href="http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles183.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles183.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:28" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:29"><p>Soltis, Andrew (2002) Chess Lists Second Edition, 2nd ed., McFarland & Company, Jefferson, North Carolina and London, pp. 43–44, ISBN 0786412968. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:29" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:30"><p>Including the 1983 final when Tal had to withdraw after five games <a href="#fnref:30" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:31"><p>"World Student Team Chess Championship :: Mikhail Tal". OlimpBase.org. Retrieved 24 October 2013. <a href="http://www.olimpbase.org/playersy/o8maieuc.html" target="_blank">http://www.olimpbase.org/playersy/o8maieuc.html</a> <a href="#fnref:31" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:32"><p>"World Student Team Chess Championship :: Mikhail Tal". OlimpBase.org. Retrieved 24 October 2013. <a href="http://www.olimpbase.org/playersy/o8maieuc.html" target="_blank">http://www.olimpbase.org/playersy/o8maieuc.html</a> <a href="#fnref:32" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:33"><p>The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, revised and updated edition, by Mikhail Tal, 1997, London, Everyman Chess. <a href="#fnref:33" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:34"><p>Sosonko, p. 23 <a href="#fnref:34" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:35"><p>Sosonko, p. 25 <a href="#fnref:35" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:36"><p>Tal's gravestone has 27 June as the date of his death. All other sources consulted give 28 June, including Kasparov, Garry, My Great Predecessors, part II, p. 382, and The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, p. 6. <a href="#fnref:36" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:37"><p>Sosonko, p. 30 <a href="#fnref:37" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:38"><p>Sosonko, p. 24 <a href="#fnref:38" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:39"><p>Hartston, William (2 July 1992). "Obituary: Mikhail Tal". independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2020. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-mikhail-tal-1530878.html" target="_blank">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-mikhail-tal-1530878.html</a> <a href="#fnref:39" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:40"><p>James Eade. Chess for Dummies. For Dummies. <a href="#fnref:40" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:41"><p>Kramnik, V. (2005). "Kramnik Interview: From Steinitz to Kasparov". Vladimir Kramnik. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2008. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080512052013/http://www.kramnik.com/eng/interviews/getinterview.aspx?id=61" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20080512052013/http://www.kramnik.com/eng/interviews/getinterview.aspx?id=61</a> <a href="#fnref:41" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:42"><p>Watson, J. (1 August 2007). "Shabalov Enters Elite Company With Fourth U.S. Championship Title". US Chess Federation. Section "The Champion Speaks" – interview with Alexander Shabalov <a href="http://main.uschess.org/content/view/313/164" target="_blank">http://main.uschess.org/content/view/313/164</a> <a href="#fnref:42" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:43"><p>"Mikhail Tal vs. Alexander Tolush, USSR Championship, Moscow 1957". Chessgames.com. <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1139349" target="_blank">http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1139349</a> <a href="#fnref:43" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:44"><p>"Boris Spassky vs. Mikhail Tal, USSR Championship, Riga 1958". Chessgames.com. <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1128406" target="_blank">http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1128406</a> <a href="#fnref:44" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:45"><p>"Mikhail Tal vs. Vasily Smyslov, Yugoslavia Candidates' Tournament 1959". Chessgames.com. <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1139475" target="_blank">http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1139475</a> <a href="#fnref:45" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:46"><p>"Robert James Fischer vs. Mikhail Tal, Belgrade, Candidates' Tournament 1959". Chessgames.com. <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044107" target="_blank">http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044107</a> <a href="#fnref:46" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:47"><p>"Mikhail Botvinnik vs. Mikhail Tal, World Championship Match, Moscow 1960". Chessgames.com. <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1032537" target="_blank">http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1032537</a> <a href="#fnref:47" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:48"><p>"István Bilek vs. Mikhail Tal, Moscow 1967". Chessgames.com. <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1027628" target="_blank">http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1027628</a> <a href="#fnref:48" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:49"><p>"Boris Spassky vs. Mikhail Tal, Tallinn 1973". Chessgames.com. <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1128896" target="_blank">http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1128896</a> <a href="#fnref:49" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:50"><p>"Mikhail Tal vs. Tigran Petrosian, 8th Soviet Team Cup, Moscow 1974". Chessgames.com. <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1107032" target="_blank">http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1107032</a> <a href="#fnref:50" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:51"><p>"Mikhail Tal vs. Joel Lautier (1992)". Chessgames.com. <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1089819" target="_blank">http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1089819</a> <a href="#fnref:51" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:52"><p>Alexander Khalifman et al, "Mikhail Tal – 8th World Champion" (PC-CD); "Complete Games of Mikhail Tal 1936–1959", p. 5 <a href="#fnref:52" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>