172. 173. THE HUNDRED. GREAT. LATVIANS. The artist and musician at the
chess desk. Mikhail Tal was very musical and gifted with an outstanding artistic ...
THE HUNDRED GREAT L AT VIANS
Mikhail
TAL
An outstanding journalist, an excellent master of word. Mikhail Tal can give interviews without ever repeating himself. He provided information on events in chess tournaments to many press agencies and chess journals of the world, and did so in a sharp-tongued manner, interestingly and concisely
1936—1992 Chess player, the eighth World Chess Champion
M
ikhail Tal lived for chess, in chess, and devoted his life
From 15 March to 7 May 1960, he played against World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik and won 12.5—8.5. Thus M. Tal became the eighth World Chess Champion. Their rematch from 15 March to 12 May 1961 ended in his losing the title, 13—8, back to Botvinnik. He was a brilliant chess reporter. From 1960 to 1970 he was the editor-in-chief of the journal Šahs (Chess; published in Latvian and Russian). Thanks to Mikhail Tal and Aivars Ģipslis, the journal was very popular in the whole world. He was a witty journalist and commentator, as well as the author of the fascinating books “The Botvinnik—Tal Match” (1960), “Into the Fire of Attack” (1978) and “When the Pieces Turn Alive” (1983). Mikhail Tal popularised chess by delivering lectures and giving simultaneous exhibition plays in the remotest parts of the world — in community houses, sports palaces, coal-mines and aboard a ship. He became the first World Champion in blitz chess as he won the first World Blitz Championship in Saint Johns, Canada, in 1988; with all world’s top chess players participating, including A. Karpov and G. Kasparov. M. Tal defeated R. Vaganian 3.5—0.5 in the final.
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Mikhail Botvinnik for the title of World Chess Champion. Mikhail
to this wonderful game. He was called a genius of attacks and
Tal won, becoming the eighth World Chess Champion. His
combinations. His play was characterised by taking initiative
fans staged a jubilant welcome for him in Riga. M. Botvinnik
at all costs, disregarding sacrifice, boldly creating obscure and
offered a rematch. M. Tal suffered from an exacerbation of
sharp situations, and at the same time employing refined
a kidney disease, and M. Botvinnik won back the title of World
attacking skills and an ability to harmonise the moves towards
Champion, scoring 13—8.
a common goal. Mikhail Tal’s motto in chess was: “Sacrifice for the sake of not falling a victim yourself!” Mikhail Tal is considered a chess romantic whose talent can
Tal had an unique memory and erudition. In 1958 he graduated from the Faculty of Philology of the University of Latvia. He was a witty journalist and commentator, an author of
never be outrivaled and has been compared with chess masters
numerous articles and an obliging lecturer. A gentleman and
like Paul Charles Morphy and José Raúl Capablanca.
a knight in chess, he was an absolute authority to be heeded
Mikhail Tal was born on 9 November 1936 in the family of a Riga doctor Nekhemia Tal. Mikhail Tal’s childhood is veiled in legends: at the age of three he learned to read; aged five he
by all parties of the restless and contradiction-torn kingdom of chess. In 1965 Mikhail Tal had another chance of becoming the
could do mental multiplication of three-digit numbers; he started
World Chess Champion. He won the candidates tournament,
school in the third grade. His father taught him the game of chess
defeated Lajos Portisch and Bent Larsen, and played against
when he was seven, but his first coach was Jānis Krūzkops at the
Boris Spassky in the final. B. Spassky beat M. Tal, then Tigran
Riga Pioneers’ Palace, later to be succeeded by Aleksandr Koblenz
Petrosian, and ended as the World Champion.
who guided him through all his important competitions. Aged twelve, Mikhail Tal had concluded that he was
The Kiev Film Studio made a film “Seven Steps behind the Horizon” about the capacity of human brain. Mikhail Tal had to
invincible in chess. On learning that World Chess Champion
give a blind simultaneous display at ten chessboards in the film.
Mikhail Botvinnik was on holiday in Jūrmala, M. Tal, with the
Tal won 7—3; he had a fantastic memory.
chessboard under his arm, set out to show the champion a serious game. He had managed to sneak past the sanatorium guard, but the grandmaster was having his afternoon nap and
Mikhail Tal died on 28 June 1992 in Moscow and was buried in Šmerlis Cemetery in Riga.
grandmasters, as well as three World Champions in international
game of chess against Botvinnik was at a World Championship.
draughts: Andris Andreiko, Guntis Valneris and Zoya Golubeva.
In 1956 Mikhail Tal and his peer Aivars Ģipslis shared
The world of chess is familiar with the Latvian Gambit, worked
the 2nd—3rd place at the Latvian SSR Championship and Tal
out by Kārlis Bētiņš and Fricis Apšenieks, and the Nimzowitsch
became a master. In 1957 he won the USSR Championship,
Defence by the Riga chess player Aron Nimzowitsch.
principal adversaries and becoming a grandmaster. In the autumn of 1959 he won the candidates tournament in Yugoslavia and became the challenger against
Riga meets its Champion of the World. Mikhail Tal after his victory over Mikhail Botvinnik in the battle for the throne of chess, returned to Riga by train on 10 May, 1960. He was met by thousands of the admirers of his talent
The master of simultaneous game. Mikhail Tal has a phenomenal memory. He could play simultaneous games “in blind” without looking at chessboards, or opponents, at tens of tables
With the family. Mikhail Tal with his wife, an actress of the Riga Youth Theatre Sally Landau, in his flat in 1965
Apart from Mikhail Tal, Latvia has produced twenty chess
his relatives refused to admit the insistent boy. Thus Tal’s first
scoring fourteen points in twenty-one games, winning all the
Friends and the legends of Latvian chess. Two international Grandmasters were in Latvia in the 1960s and 1970s: Aivars Ģipslis and Mikhail Tal. Pictured: Aivars Ģipslis is playing with the future Champion of the wWrld, Boris Spassky, Mikhail Tal is watching the game
The artist and musician at the chess desk. Mikhail Tal was very musical and gifted with an outstanding artistic talent. His moves with the chess pieces on the board created “whirls” on the chess board; his companions and admirers of his talent compared them with the works of art
A loving and caring father. Mikhail Tal was joyful, friendly and kindhearted. He cared for his children, and communicated gladly with children from the entire world, willingly teaching the basics of the game of chess
The shift of two generations in chess. The moment when Garri Kasparov sat at the chess table in the USSR Championships may be regarded as a new beginning in chess. It is symbolic that G. Kasparov had to battle fiercely with Mikhail Tal in the championships
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