Attachments for Tal Mikhail Nekhemievich. Chess player Mikhail Tal - biography, career, achievements Mikhail Tal of the party

Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal (Latvian: Mihails Tāls). Born November 9, 1936 in Riga - died June 28, 1992 in Moscow. Soviet and Latvian chess player, grandmaster (1957), 8th world chess champion (1960-1961).

Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1960), six-time champion of the USSR (1957, 1958, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978), champion of Latvia (1953, 1965), eight-time winner of chess Olympiads as part of the USSR team, six-time European champion and three-time world champion among students in the team standings, winner of interzonal tournaments (1958, 1964, 1979), candidates tournament (1959), participant in two matches for the world championship and seven matches of candidates, winner of 44 international tournaments, journalist, editor-in-chief of the Chess magazine (1960 -1970).

Mikhail Tal was born in Riga to Nehemiah and Ida Tal, who were cousins ​​to each other. According to a number of Tal's biographers, Mikhail's real father, which both he and his circle of acquaintances knew about, was a family friend, Robert. At the same time, Tal's widow Angelina and daughter Jeanne denied this. At the age of six months, he was very seriously ill with meningitis. Tal learned to read at the age of three and had the ability to do mathematics (already at the age of five he multiplied three-digit numbers in his mind). In 1941, the Tal family was evacuated to the village of Yurla (now the Komi-Permyatsky District of the Perm Territory). They lived in Yurla until 1945. When he was seven years old (according to other sources - ten), his father taught him to play chess.

Tal studied at the Riga Secondary School No. 22 and at the same time attended the chess club of the Riga Pioneers' Palace, where his coach was Janis Kruzkops, candidate master. At the age of 13 - a member of the youth team of the Latvian SSR; at 17 - the champion of the republic. At the USSR team championship (1953) he shared 1st-2nd place on the 2nd board and got the right to a match for the title of master of sports of the USSR, which he won (1954) against the multiple champion of Belarus V. Saigin. In 1955, he took 1st place in the semi-final of the 23rd USSR Championship and made his debut (1956) in the All-Union Championship: 5-7th place.

In the fall of 1956, Tal shared 5th-6th places in the semi-finals of the All-Union Championship, and the following year he again took part in the final tournament (24th USSR Championship). At the start, Tal won several victories, including over Bronstein, a participant in the world championship match. In the middle of the tournament, he lost two games and was slightly behind, but at the finish line in a personal game he defeated one of the leaders, Keres, and topped the table along with Bronstein and Tolush. In the last round, Tal and Tolush played each other and Tal won with a spectacular attack. Since Bronstein drew the last game, Tal became national champion. For this success, he was awarded the title of grandmaster. Tal's game was distinguished by an aggressive style and a willingness to take risks, which attracted fans.

Tal's subsequent performances - the world championship among students (1957) and the European championship (1957) - were also successful. The 25th national championship (1958) again ended with the victory of Tal. At the interzonal tournament in Portoroz, Tal needed not only to get into the top six, but also to take no lower than the second place among Soviet grandmasters, since, according to the decision of FIDE, more than four chess players from one country could not participate in the Candidates Tournament, and Keres and Smyslov had already secured this right . Tal took first place with 13½ points out of 20, losing only to Matanović and half a point ahead of Gligoric and a point ahead of Benko and Petrosyan. In the same tournament, a fifteen-year-old took sixth place. Tal confirmed the right to fight for the title of world champion at the 13th Olympiad in Munich, showing the absolutely best result: 13½ points out of 15 (1958), 26th USSR Championship in 1959 (2-3rd place) and at the international tournament in Zurich - 1 -th place, 1959. In the Candidates Tournament (Bled - Zagreb - Belgrade (Yugoslavia), 1959) Tal won (20 out of 28, Tal won micromatches against Smyslov, Gligoric, Fischer, F. Olafsson and Benko, tied with Petrosyan and lost the micromatch only to Paul Keres) and won the right to a match with the world champion.

The match for the title of world champion in most of the twenty-four games started on March 15, 1960 at the Pushkin Theater in Moscow. Before this match, Tal had never played with each other. Tal won the first game, followed by several draws. The sixth and seventh games were also won by Tal, and the sixth - thanks to the incorrect sacrifice of a knight for a pawn. Botvinnik won the next two games. The eleventh game became important, which Tal won in the classical manner, gradually building up his positional advantage and then making a strong endgame. This was followed by a series of draws, and finally, in the seventeenth game, Tal went for an aggravation and, in time trouble, Botvinnik overlooked a tactical blow. Tal's advantage again grew to three points and he brought the match to victory. After a draw in the twenty-first game on May 7, the match ended ahead of schedule with a score of 12½:8½ (6:2 in wins).

Tal became the youngest world champion(only in 1985, Kasparov surpassed his record). The new champion in Riga was greeted by crowds of people. Tal's success was explained by the fact that he forced Botvinnik into positions that were uncomfortable for him, forcing him to leave the railroad tracks. For the sake of complicating the game, Tal made material sacrifices or worsened his position, but this worked repeatedly over the board, Botvinnik chose non-optimal continuations, which Tal used.

As a champion, Tal competed at the 14th Olympiad in Leipzig (1960) and won the international tournament in Stockholm (1961). In the rematch, Tal lost to Botvinnik, who played excellently (lost 10 games, won only 5).

During 1961, Tal won a very strong tournament in Bled (14½ out of 19; Fischer, to whom Tal lost the only game, was a point behind, Keres, Petrosyan and Gligoric - by two) and shared 4-5 places with Vasyukov in the next USSR championship. As an ex-champion, Tal was admitted to the Candidates Tournament in Curacao, but illness prevented him from competing. Two months before the tournament, Tal underwent kidney surgery, and after three laps, when Tal had three wins, eight draws and ten losses, he dropped out of the tournament. In 1962, Tal was included as the second substitute in the Soviet team at the Varna Olympiad and took first place on his board (+7 -0 \u003d 6), and also shared 2-3 places in the USSR championship (Korchnoi won). The following year, Tal won the Astalos Memorial in Miskolc, Hungary, and commentated on the match between Petrosian and Botvinnik.

At the beginning of the new Candidates cycle (1964-1966), Tal shared 1st-4th places with Smyslov, Spassky and Larsen in the interzonal tournament, which allowed him to qualify for the Candidates matches (this system replaced the Candidates tournaments). Tal beat Portisch ahead of time (5½:2½) and with great difficulty - Larsen (5½:4½, in the decisive game Tal sacrificed a piece in the opening and Larsen did not find the right defense). In the final match against Spassky, Tal lost 4:7.

Tal Mikhail Nekhemievich (1936-1992) - Russian athlete, chess player, 8th world chess champion, international grandmaster (1957), Honored Master of Sports (1960). World champion (I960-61), six-time champion of the USSR (1957-78), journalist.

Grew up as a brilliant child. Already at the age of seven he multiplied three-digit numbers and was able to repeat word for word the lecture of his father, a well-known doctor in Riga. Education began in the third grade. At the age of 15 he received a matriculation certificate and entered the Faculty of Philology of the University of Riga.

Mikhail started playing chess at the age of ten. At the age of 17 he became the champion of Latvia, and at the age of 21 he won the USSR championship (1957). His game was characterized by quick thinking, accuracy of calculation of variations, puzzling combinations with a cascade of victims. In 1958, he confidently led the interzonal tournament in Portoroz (Yugoslavia) and received the right to participate in the world championship. He was especially successful in playing games in Yugoslavia, where several chess clubs were named after him during the life of the athlete. In 1959, he won the Candidates Tournament, which was held in three cities - Bled, Zagreb, Belgrade. Tal scored 20 points out of 28 possible and overtook his rival P.P. Keres in the final by one and a half points.

In 1960, in Moscow, he played a match for the world championship with M. Botvinnik, won it with a score of 12.5: 8.5. and became the eighth in history and the youngest world champion. A year later (1961) a rematch took place between Botvinnik and Tal. The latter turned out to be psychologically unprepared for the fight and lost it with a score of 8:13.

In 1961 he won a major international tournament in Bled. For almost a quarter of a century (1962-85), the chess player remained among the contenders for the world championship. He successfully combined his sports career with journalistic activities. He starred in the popular science film "Seven Steps Beyond the Horizon" (1969), which told about his session of simultaneous blind play on 10 boards with first-class chess players.

Tal was the winner of about 40 international tournaments, 8 times as a member of the USSR national team he became the leader of the World Chess Olympiads (1958-1982). In 1988 he won the first unofficial world blitz championship (each player was given 5 minutes to complete the game), beating world champion G. Kasparov and ex-world champion A. Karpov.

From 1960 to 1970, he was the editor-in-chief of the Shahe magazine in Riga. In the last years of his life, the athlete was seriously ill, but this did not affect the quality of his game, which became even more professional. For achievements in the field of chess, Tal was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor (1960) and the Order of Friendship of Peoples (1981).

Brief Biographical Dictionary

"Tal Mikhail" and other articles from the section

Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal (1936-1992) - an outstanding Soviet and Latvian chess player, VIII world chess champion, six-time champion of the Soviet Union, multiple winner of chess Olympiads as part of the USSR national team, six-time European champion. For 10 years he headed the Chess magazine.

"The Magician from Riga" is one of the many nicknames of Mikhail Tal

Mikhail Tal was born in Riga on November 9, 1936. His parents had a medical education and were cousins ​​to each other. Perhaps that is why there was a genetic glitch that left the champion's right hand three-fingered. According to another version, the real father of the grandmaster was a certain Frenchman Robert, who cohabited with the Tal family. Therefore, the boy was actually raised by two fathers, although he always called Nehemia Tal dad.

From an early age, fate prepared great trials for him. Already at the age of six months, Misha fell ill with a severe infection, similar in clinical signs to meningitis. Despite the fact that there was little chance of survival, he remained alive and soon began to demonstrate rare abilities.

Already at the age of three, Tal was reading, and at five he easily multiplied three-digit numbers. He also had a phenomenal memory, easily memorizing large passages of text the first time. It is not surprising that the child prodigy was taken to school immediately in the third grade, and he was able to enter the Faculty of Philology at the University of Riga at the age of 15. The boy got acquainted with chess at the age of 6, but then he did not experience much excitement. Everything changed three years later, when a relative who came to visit gave him a “childish mat”.

From the age of ten, capable Mikhail began to study in a chess circle at the Riga Palace of Pioneers. His first mentor was Janis Karlovich Kruzkops. At the age of 13, Tal joined the Republican youth team, and at the age of 17 he won the Latvian championship.

Carier start

In 1957, Tal won the union championship for the first time and received the title of grandmaster. The defeated young player turned out to be authoritative at that time Alexander Tolush and David Bronstein. Then success came to Mikhail at the European Championships. True, fate again decided to test the chess player for strength - his father died. Tal's legs gave out from grief and he fell ill for a while, refusing to eat. The mother saved her son from severe depression by helping him participate in the youth blitz tournament. The result exceeded all expectations - 17 points out of 17 possible and a new interest in life.

In 1958, he again had no equal in the union championship. This was followed by an interzonal tournament in Portoroz, where Tal had to be the first or second among the Soviet players. Mikhail overfulfilled the norm and became the best among his compatriots. Later, he confirmed the right to challenge the world chess crown at the 13th Olympiad in Munich, showing the best result.

In 1959, the Candidates Tournament was held in Yugoslavia. None of the rivals perceived Tal as a serious opponent. However, in his fights, the Rigan worked real miracles. For example, in a game, he sacrificed his queen and forced his opponent to resign on the 26th move.

Tal — Smyslov

Candidates Tournament, Yugoslavia, 1959

The youngest champion

The fight for the title of world champion took place in March 1960 in the capital's theater. Pushkin. The stern and strong-willed Botvinnik, who ideally fits into the image of an authentic Soviet grandmaster, opposed the impulsive and always ready to take risks Riga genius, who preferred to live by his own rules. Botvinnik failed to find an antidote against Tal's onslaught, losing with a score of 8.5:12.5 points. Mikhail was declared the VIII world champion, becoming the youngest owner of the chess crown at the age of 23 (he broke this record only in 1985).

In 1961, Mikhail won a very representative tournament in Bled, losing only once to Fischer. The final result -14.5 out of 19 points spoke for itself. However, shortly after returning home, the chess player underwent kidney surgery.

Tal was the owner of the championship title for a short time. In 1961, a rematch took place, in which M. Botvinnik won a convincing victory with a score of 10:5. In many ways, Tal was prevented from showing a good result by an old illness, to which a heart attack was added. Interestingly, Mikhail asked to postpone the meeting, but Botvinnik demanded information only from Moscow clinics, and offended Tal decided to play at his own peril and risk.

After the championship

In 1962, the Candidates Tournament was held for Curaçao (an island in the Caribbean Sea in the Lesser Antilles group). The USSR was represented by Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosyan, Viktor Korchnoi, Paul Keres and Efim Geller. Bobby Fischer and Pal Benko participated from the USA, Miroslav Filip represented Czechoslovakia. Tal dropped out due to illness after the third round of the competition - in the seven remaining games, he was counted defeats. Naturally, in this situation, there could be no talk of any high result.

The only chess player who visited Tal in the hospital was. This gesture touched Mikhail deeply (Curaçao, 1962)

In the championship cycle of 1964-1966, Tal performed quite well, sharing 1-4 places in the interzonal tournament. Then, not without difficulty, he defeated the candidates Portisch and Larsen in the matches, but lost 4:7 in the final match.

The disease continued to haunt the chess player and in 1969 he had a kidney removed. Chess remained the only salvation during periods of protracted pain. He gladly accepted invitations to participate in tournaments, where he could escape from the illness that tormented him. A few months after the operation, Mikhail won the next competition.

The next series of successes awaited the grandmaster only at the end of the 70s, when in 1978, for the last time, he managed to win the championship of the USSR, share the palm with the "Tournament of Stars" in Montreal (1979) and take 2-3 places at the Keres Memorial . In 1988, Tal became the first world blitz champion, ahead of A. Karpov and G. Kasparov. He again proved that he has no equal, although many rivals thought otherwise.

Real genius

With his appearance, he perfectly personified the stereotypical idea of ​​a genius - negligence in appearance, disregard for trifles, complete ineptitude in everyday life, a phenomenal concentration on the main thing, as well as a sizzling and wild look. However, his incomparable game, which intertwined excitement, improvisation and the accuracy of calculating the options for a move, left no doubt that we were facing a real genius.

The look of a genius...

Unlike many colleagues who tried to play as rationally as possible, Tal awed the audience with his risky moves and unexpected sacrifices. Journalists and experts came up with new epithets for the grandmaster - chess Paganini, magician, alien. In fact, many of Mikhail's sacrifices turned out to be incorrect upon deep analysis. However, in this way he acquired tactical initiative, forcing the enemy to come up with new methods of defense and forcing him to make mistakes. “Many victims do not need a specific calculation at all,” Tal said. That is how he unsettled Botvinnik in the world championship match.

Over time, the sharp combination game began to give way to a more universal style with deep ideological ideas and well-balanced strategic plans.

In 1968, an amazing session of blind play on 10 boards was organized at the Kyiv Film Studio. This action was organized as part of a TV project about human superpowers. In response to a request to find a hero for this duel, the chess federation advised Tal. As a result - seven wins with three draws.

A fragment of the film "Seven Steps Beyond the Horizon" (1968), in which Mikhail Tal conducts a session of simultaneous blind play.

Chess achievements

Mikhail Tal - VIII world champion (1960-1961) and eight-time champion of chess Olympiads. Along with Botvinnik, he is a six-time champion of the Union. He won over 20 solo victories in major tournaments, including Bled (1961), Miskolc (1963), Reykjavik (1964), Wijk aan Zee (1973), Malaga (1979) and several others. In addition, in another two dozen tournaments, he shared first places. Tal won six times the European Championship and three times the interzonal competitions.

Personal life

During the celebration of the new year 1959, Tal meets the famous Latvian actress and singer Sally Landau. In order for the girl to pay attention to him, he arranged “random” meetings with her and sent friends. As a result, the young people got married, and in 1960, his beloved wife, whom Tal called Saska, gave birth to his son George. The chess player doted on the child, inventing different nicknames for him. One of them - the Goose Tal loved especially. But the birth of a child did not save this marriage, and in 1970 the couple broke up.

Sally and Mikhail playing chess

Georgy Tal - son of Mikhail Tal and Sally Landau

After a short fictitious marriage with the Georgian Ira, which happened at the initiative of the latter, Mikhail married the typist Angelina, who gave birth to his daughter Jeanne in 1975. They met during one of the USSR championships, in which Tal acted as a commentator, and his future wife took shorthand of his speech. Gelya turned out to be a very important person in Tal's life, creating a reliable stronghold for him in everyday life, where the great chess player was completely irrelevant.

At the end of the 1980s, Tal began to think more and more about his fate, and the more he thought about it, the less he observed the regime. He spends sleepless nights playing poker, eating without restrictions and smoking five packs of cigarettes a day. Unable to withstand such a rhythm, the wife leaves for Germany with her daughter, and soon Marina's last passion appears in Mikhail's life.

Tal was known for his love affairs. He was credited with novels with actress Larisa Sobolevskaya, dancer Mira Koltsova and pianist Bella Davidovich.

Actress Larisa Sobolevskaya and actor Pavel Kadochnikov in the film Big Family (1954)

Who was the favorite woman of the world champion? According to people who knew Mikhail Tal closely, he carried quivering love and tenderness for his first wife Sally throughout his life.

Forever faithful to chess

In 1992, during a tournament in Barcelona, ​​Tal became ill and was urgently taken to Moscow. The state of the grandmaster caused great fears of doctors - he could die at any moment. It was all the more surprising to learn that the chess player had escaped from the walls of the hospital to a blitz tournament taking place at that time in Moscow. This competition will be won by Garry Kasparov, but the only defeat he will suffer is from Tal.

Tal — Kasparov

Moscow, 1992

This is the last game played by Mikhail Tal in official tournaments. It is possible that this is the last game in his life, but its weight is all the more enormous, since this is how Mikhail Nekhemievich, a month before his death, defeated the reigning world champion. The fact that Kasparov lost on time does not beg for victory either. As he himself admits (see the video above), he could not solve the problems that the terminally ill Tal created for him on the board in time.

On June 28, 1992, the eighth world champion died. Mikhail Tal is buried at the Shmerli Jewish cemetery in Riga (Latvia).

• Being in her seventh month of pregnancy, Mikhail's mother Ida Tal lived in the country and, once falling asleep, woke up from a large rat running next to her. The woman was terrified. Then she thought it was a sign from above. Again, this thought came to her mind immediately after the birth of the child, when she saw that he had only three fingers on his right hand.
• Once, the famous journalist Yakov Damsky doubted the phenomenal memory of Tal, who was able to memorize over a thousand pages of text. The chess player offered to take any page in the read book and read the first line. Further, Michael reproduced the entire text unmistakably himself.
• Tal has always had great quirks. For example, he could easily mix up his shoes or ask his wife for a long time in what order to wash.
• Even after the divorce from S. Landau's first wife, Tal continued to communicate with her and with every phone call he sang the words from the song: "I didn't tell you all the words."
• In 2014, the opera "Mikhail vs. Mikhail" appeared in Riga, dedicated to the match between Botvinnik and Tal for the chess crown.

Fragment of the opera "Mikhail against Mikhail". Thus, the inhabitants of Riga decided to remember their great countryman Mikhail Tal

Video

Meeting of the two-time champion of the USSR Mikhail Tal with fans in Riga (1958).

Mikhail Tal about Vladimir Vysotsky and the song.

Games with comments

Fischer - Tal (Sicilian Defence)

Belgrade, 1954

(LOSSED OPPORTUNITIES<<Эта одна из четырёх партий, которые Фишер проиграл Талю, победителю турнира, завоевавшего право оспаривать шахматную корону у Ботвинника. Остроумный Таль, когда кто-то попросил у него автограф, в шутку поставил кроме свой подписи и подпись Фишера. «А что такого? — завил он. — Я столько раз бил Бобби, что имею право расписаться за него!» Внимательное изучение примечаний Фишера поможет нам ясно уловить отзвуки сильного волнения, переполнявшего его во время этого напряжённого поединка. Он упускает победу в дебюте и затем несколько раз проходит мимо ничейных возможностей, словно желая в наиболее драматичной форме показать, как можно проиграть отличную позицию, допуская незначительные на вид просчёты>> (L. Evans).) 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 (This move brought me success many times.) e6 7. Bb3 ((In one of 7. O-O Be7 8. Bb3 Qc7 9. f4 b5 10. f5 b4 11. fxe6 $5 ((unfavorable for White and) 11. Nce2 e5 12. Nf3 Bb7) 11. ... bxc3 12. exf7+ Kf8 13. Bg5 Ng4!(, and Black should win.)) 7... b5! (You need to hurry with this move ({В нашей партии из второго круга Таль играл слабее:} 7... Be7? 8. f4 O-O 9. Qf3 Qc7 {и теперь} 10. f5! ({в партии чёрные захватили инициативу после} 10. O-O? b5 11. f5 b4! 12. Na4 e5 13. Ne2 Bb7) 10... e5 ({но не} 10... Nc6 {из-за} 11. Be3 {с сильным давлением}) 11. Nde2 b5 12. a3 Bb7 13. g4 {давало белым сильную атаку.}) 8. f4 $5 ({Против Олафссона (Буэнос-Айрес, 1960 г.) я продолжал} 8. O-O Be7 ({если} 8... b4 {, то} 9. Na4 Nxe4 10. Re1 Nf6 11. Bg5 {с атакой}) 9. Qf3 $5 Qc7 (9... Bb7 10. Bxe6!) 10. Qg3 b4 11. Nce2 g6 12. c3? (12. Bh6!) 12... Nxe4 13. Qe3 Nf6 14. cxb4 O-O { с обоюдоострой игрой}) ({В партии Р. Бирн — Эванс (первенство США, 1967 г.) белые продолжали} 8. Qf3 {, но не смогли ничего получить:} Bb7 9. Bg5 b4 10. Na4 Nbd7 11. O-O Qa5 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. Rfe1 Be7 {.}) 8... b4! {Косвенно подрывая центр белых.} 9. Na4 Nxe4 ({Возможно и} 9... Bb7 {.}) 10. O-O g6? ({ Правильно здесь} 10... Bb7 {.}) 11. f5! {Этот ответ оказался для Таля неожиданным. Король чёрных, застрявший в центре вскоре станет объектом неприятельских атак.} gxf5 ({Если} 11... exf5 {, то} 12. Bd5 Ra7 13. Nxf5! gxf5 14. Qd4 {.}) 12. Nxf5! {!}<<Почти всю партию Фишер играл в стиле Таля, но вся его беда была в том, что Таль защищался не в стиле Фишера, а изыскивал единственные спасающие контршансы!>> (V. Panov).) Rg8 (Having lost his balance, Tal does not defend in the strongest way.) ((It was better to play) 12... d5 13. Nh6 Bxh6 14. Bxh6) ((<но не>) 12...exf5? 13. Qd5 Ra7 14. Qd4 (.)) 13. Bd5! Ra7 (13... exd5 14. Qxd5 Bxf5 15. Rxf5 Ra7 16. Qxe4+ Re7 17. Qxb4 Re2 18. Bg5! Rxg5 19. Rxg5 Qxg5 20. Qxb8+ (— V. Panov.)) 14. Bxe4? ((Correct here) 14. Be3! Nc5 15. Qh5! Rg6 (15... Nxa4 16. Bxa7 exd5 17. Rae1+) 16. Rae1! ( , and all White's pieces fall on the king (indicated by Kevitz).)) 14 ... exf5 15. Bxf5 ((Probably it was better to avoid exchanges by) 15. Bd5) ((or ) 15. Bf3 (.)) 15... Re7! (A rare way to protect the king.) 16. Bxc8 Qxc8 17. Bf4? ((We should have chosen a simple one) 17. c3! (, and if) Qc6 (, then) 18. Rf2) (( impossible) 17. Qxd6? (because of) Rxg2+ 18. Kxg2 Re2+ 19. Kf3 Bxd6 20. Kxe2 Qxc2+ (.)) 17... Qc6! 18. Qf3 Qxa4! (How unexpected that I could hardly believe my eyes ({Я ожидал} 18... Qxf3 19. Rxf3 Re2 20. Rf2 Rxf2 21. Kxf2 {, и после а2-а3 белые могли бы рассчитывать на использование многочисленных слабостей в лагере чёрных.}) 19. Bxd6 Qc6! {Таль вдохновенно защищается.} 20. Bxb8 Qb6+ ({После} 20... Qxf3 21. Rxf3 Bg7 22. c3 {белые оставались бы с лишней пешкой.}) 21. Kh1 Qxb8 {Каждый ход вызывал в зале шум и свист. Позднее я узнал, что среди зрителей было много спортивных болельщиков. Видимо, не состоялся какой-нибудь футбольный матч, и шахматы в тот день оказались в центре внимания в Белграде.} 22. Qc6+ ({Многие комментаторы полагали, что ход} 22. Rae1 {выигрывал партию. Сам Таль признался, что он считал свою позицию после этого хода безнадёжной. Однако ход} Kd8! {спасал чёрных во всех вариантах} ({плохо} 22... Rg6? {из-за} 23. Qxf7+ Kd7 24. Rd1+! Rd6 25. Rxd6+ Kxd6 26. Rf6+!) {Я проанализировал эту позицию вдоль и поперёк и не могу предложить ничего лучшего, чем} 23. Rd1+ Kc7! (23... Kc8? 24. Qc6+) 24. Qf4+ (24. Rd4 Qb7!) 24... Kb7 25. Rd6 Qc7 26. Qxb4+ Kc8 27. Rxa6 Qb7! 28. Qxb7+ Kxb7 29. Raf6 Rg7=) 22... Rd7 23. Rae1+ ({Чёрным удавалось защититься после} 23. Rad1 Bd6 24. Rxf7 (24. Rf6 Rg6? 25. Rdxd6? Qxd6! { (то есть:} 26. Rxd6 Rgxd6 27. Qe4+ Re6 28. Qa8+ Rd8 {— В. Лебедев)}) 24... Qc7) ({Если же} 23. Rxf7 {, то} Qd6 {.}) 23... Be7 {Наконец Таль !}<<развил>> his bishop.) ((Losing) 23... Kd8 24. Rxf7! Be7 25. Rfxe7 Rxe7 26. Rd1+ (.)) 24. Rxf7 Kxf7 25. Qe6+ Kf8! ((I only considered) 25... Kg7 (, after ~~it wins easily) 26. Qxd7 (.)) 26. Qxd7 ((To win black velo) 26. Rf1+ Kg7 27. Rf7+ Kh8 28. Qxd7 Rd8 ( (() 28... Rxg2! (— V. Lebedev))) 29. Qg4 Qe5 (.)) 26... Qd6 27. Qb7 Rg6 a draw.) 28. c3! (With each exchange, Black's extra piece will become increasingly worthless.) a5 (28... bxc3 29. Qc8+ Bd8 30. Qxc3=) 29. Qc8+ (Wrong idea.) ((White achieved a draw with) 29. cxb4! Qxb4 ( 29... axb4 30. a3!bxa3 31. bxa3 Qxa3 (with a draw)) 30. Qf3+ Kg7 31. Qe2 (due to the unreliable position of the black king.)) 29... Kg7 30. Qc4 Bd8 31. cxb4 axb4 (( In case) 31... Qxb4 32. Qe2 (a draw would be guaranteed for White.)) 32. g3? (White creates additional difficulties for himself.) ((It is unclear how Black would have won the game after) 32. Qe4 Bc7 33. Qe7+ Kg8 34. Qe8+ Qf8 35. Qe4 (.)) 32... Qc6+ 33. Re4 Qxc4 34. Rxc4 Rb6! (I looked over this move. Now Black has winning chances.) ((I counted only on) 34... Be7? 35. a3! (, getting rid of the b4-pawn (if) b3 (, then) 36. Rc7 ( and 37. Rb7))) 35. Kg2 Kf6 36. Kf3 Ke5 37. Ke3 ((Now to) 37. a3 (of course) b3 (.)) .) 37... Bg5+ 38. Ke2 Kd5 39. Kd3 Bf6 40. Rc2? (Too passive,) ((but I didn't want to<<замораживать>> pawns on the queenside through) 40. b3 (although this was probably the best chance. If) Be7 (then) 41. Rd4+ (preserving draw possibilities.)) 40... Be5 41. Re2 Rf6 42 .Rc2 Rf3+ 43. Ke2 Rf7 44. Kd3 Bd4! (Move after move Tal takes over the space.) 45. a3 ((If) 45. b3 ( , then) Rf3+ 46. Ke2 Rf2+ 47. Kd3 Rxc2 48. Kxc2 Ke4 (.)) 45... b3 46. Rc8 (( Hopeless and) 46. Re2 Rf3+ 47. Kd2 Bxb2) ((or) 46. Rd2 Rf3+ 47. Ke2 Rf2+) 46... Bxb2 47. Rd8+ Kc6 48. Rb8 Rf3+ 49. Kc4 Rc3+ 50. Kb4 Ba1 51. a4 ( ((Mistake here!)) 51. Rc8+ Kb6 52. Rxc3 b2 53. Rb3) 51... b2! (White resigned.) ((On (after) 51... b2! ()) 52. Kxc3 (follows) b1=Q+! (Theme<<вскрытого шаха>>.}) 0-1

He perfectly fit the stereotypes of a genius: a burning look, carelessness in appearance, complete concentration on the most important thing and inattention to the little things in life. Mikhail Tal occupied the world throne for a very short time, but is still considered a true genius of chess, the personification of their highest meaning as a game based both on excitement, improvisation, insight, and on the methodical calculation of options.

His main human achievement was that he remained optimistic and benevolent towards others to the end, despite the suffering and ailments that accompanied him throughout his short life.

Not like everyone else

Eccentricity accompanied him from birth - his right hand was three-fingered, which his friends jokingly called proof of Tal's alien origin. More practical biographers see the reason for such an anomaly in the fact that his parents were blood relatives - cousins ​​​​and sisters, which is fraught with genetic failures.

Mikhail Tal was born on November 9, 1936 in Riga, in a family of doctors. As he said later: "I played with fate with black pieces." Her first move was dangerous: six months after birth, the boy fell ill with an infection similar to meningitis. Parents, as doctors, understood the meager chances of survival, and they also knew that such inflammation affects the brain in unexpected ways, sometimes greatly increasing its efficiency in the case of a successful outcome of the disease. The child survived.

Shortened childhood

By the age of five, he could multiply three-digit numbers in his head, and he was already reading from the age of three. The Tal family spent the war in evacuation, in the Perm Territory. The boy was admitted to school immediately in the third grade, and at the University of Riga, at the Faculty of Philology, Mikhail Tal was enrolled, as an exception, from the age of 15.

Tal's memory was phenomenal. The boy literally reproduced the texts of the book, which, as it seemed to those around him, he skimmed through in minutes. The information that he considered especially valuable remained in his memory forever.

At the same time, Mikhail did not consider himself a child prodigy. His boyish interests did not differ from those of his peers - he loved to play football and spent a lot of time running with the ball, despite an early pathology in the kidneys. But gradually the main meaning appeared in his life - chess.

The beginning of the way

At the age of 6, Mikhail Tal, whose biography will now forever be associated with this ancient game, saw for the first time a board with figures. It happened when the child was at work with his father and was waiting in the waiting room of his doctor's office. Patients spent time playing chess while waiting for an appointment. His father showed him how the pieces move and introduced him to the basic rules. At first, the boy took the game calmly. Excitement, which later distinguished the future chess champion, boiled up in him when, at the age of 9, he received a “childish mate” from a visiting cousin.

From the age of 10, he began to go to the chess club at the Riga Palace of Pioneers. At the age of 12 he received the 2nd category, at 14 - the first, at the age of 17 he became a master. Tal's first chess teacher, Janis Kruzkops, was himself a supporter of combinational, active play. In the case of Mikhail, this was superimposed on outstanding abilities and a fiery temperament. Tal the chess player was never afraid of risky continuations that complicate the position. The legendary "incorrect" victims of Tal are also largely from his "pioneer" childhood.

Literature teacher

Interest in the study of literature and history, obviously, arose in Mikhail under the influence of his mother, Ida Grigorievna, who in her youth had an acquaintance with Ehrenburg, Picasso, and other humanities. The theme of the thesis, after the defense of which the young teacher Mikhail Tal was released from the university, was "Satire and humor in the works of Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov." Obviously, the brilliant sense of humor inherent in Tal, noted by everyone - both people who knew him for a long time, and those who barely knew him - had a solid foundation.

After receiving his diploma, he worked for some time at the school, but by that time chess had become the main profession. Philological training helped Tal a lot in his studies in journalism, in particular, when he edited the Chess magazine published in Riga, which was highly valued all over the world.

Sally

In his game, they always looked for an imprint of the influence of supernatural, demonic forces - Mikhail Tal's style was too bright, extraordinary, full of risk, boundless imagination and unpredictable intuitive insights. The losers sought an explanation for their failures in the hypnotic gaze of the master, in his psychic abilities. Those who knew Mikhail better, these attempts caused a smile - it was something else.

It's just that Tal the chess player was a product of his general attitude to life. The desire to achieve success as soon as possible, to know the fullness of sensations, incontinence in desires and means for their embodiment accompanied him all his life.

When preparations were underway for the most important duel with Botvinnik, who decided the fate of the world champion title, he carried out a whole operation to win the heart of the Riga beauty Shulamith Landau. Both goals were achieved: Sally became his wife, and he became the world champion.

Path to Olympus

Tal's rapid ascent to the top of the chess, as well as his quick acquisition of the ex-prefix to his world champion title, are legendary pages in the world. crown. In the future, he won the All-Union Chess Championship 5 more times.

The next stages of the path to the chess Olympus were international tournaments. Victories followed in the Interzonal Candidates Tournament in Portorož, Slovenia (1958) and at the 13th Chess Olympiad in Munich (1958). Tal won the international chess tournament in Zurich (1959) and the Candidates Tournament that took place in Yugoslavia in the same year, among which were all the then stars in this sport: Smyslov, Gligorich, Petrosyan, F. Olafson, Keres and the fifteen-year-old

The match for the title of world champion took place from March 15 to May 7, 1960 and ended in an early victory for 24-year-old Tal, who won 6 games, lost 2 and was the first to reach 12 and a half points.

The youngest world champion

Young and charismatic, witty and intelligent, with an unprecedentedly bold and energetic style of play, Tal became the idol of chess fans around the world. When the professional masters lost their surprise at the unexpected appearance of the “upstart”, when they got to know the new champion better, the feeling of sympathy for him became widespread and universal. Even the misanthrope and sociopath, well-known among grandmasters and the chess public, easily spent the whole day alone with Tal, playing blitz.

In Riga, Tal was met by a huge crowd, carrying a car with a young champion from the station. He willingly met with chess lovers of different ages in Riga and throughout the Union. Soon there were few people left in the USSR who were unfamiliar with the name Tal. Mikhail Nekhemievich also earned respect by the fact that he did not change his place of residence even in the most severe times, he never allowed himself to indiscriminately slander the country where he was born, although the courage of his statements abroad aroused constant interest in him from government agencies - at one time he was not allowed to travel.

Later life

In the course of preparations for the rematch with Botvinnik in the spring of 1961, the aggravation of Tal's kidney problems intervened. He was even offered to ask to postpone the match, but out of respect for his opponent, he agreed to all the conditions of Botvinnik. As a result, Tal was not ready for a new fight for the title and lost.

Subsequently, he repeatedly entered the fight for the world chess crown, but to no avail. He participated in A. Karpov's team in preparing him for matches with Korchnoi and Fischer, making a significant contribution to his gaining the champion title.

Despite the increasing health problems, he did not want to slow down the pace of life. After the birth of his son, his divorce from Sally, his second and third marriages, the birth of his daughter, he remained a dear person to everyone he met along his life path, behaving with women ingenuously and simply. He did not want to be deprived of simple and natural pleasures - tasty but unhealthy food, good alcohol, smoked a lot ... True, sometimes this was explained by the need to drown out constant pain. To relieve pain, one had to resort to strong medicines.

Gone undefeated

In 1988, M. Tal wins the world chess championship with shortened regulations and becomes the first world blitz champion. In his creative biography in 1970-80 there were periods when the unbeaten streak in various tournaments consisted of 90 games in a row, which is an impressive achievement for any master.

Tal also won the last official game in classical chess tournaments, it happened on May 5, 1992 in Barcelona, ​​his opponent was Vladimir Hakobyan. And shortly before his death, he literally escaped from the hospital to participate in the Moscow Blitz Championship, where he beat the then world champion Garry Kasparov. It was his last chess tournament. He passed away on July 28, 1992.

Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal remained in history not only as a brilliant chess player, one of the last romantics of this ancient game, but also as an outstanding person in terms of his personal qualities, of whom many people here and abroad keep good memory.

Mikhail TAL - Lajos PORTIS

6.

Mikhail TAL: Hans Joachim HECHT
Varna, Olympiad 1962

7.

Vasily SMYSLOV: Mikhail TAL
Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR 1964

8.

Mikhail TAL - Bent LARSEN
Bled Candidates Match 1965