Mikhail Tal widely known as the"Magician from Riga," is the 8th World Chess Champion, aninstructor, editor and writer. He wrote Attacking with Mikhail Tal, Learn from the Grandmasters” etc.
He was born on November 9, 1936, in Riga, Latvia,Tal’s family had an enduring passion for chess. His father taught him chess at the age of 6. He frequently visited Riga Chess Club, where they watched local masters play intense matches, young Mikhail quickly developed a deep fascination for the strategic complexities of chess.
Tal demonstrated exceptional talent and a deeppassion for chess from a young age. His unorthodox playing style, characterized by daring sacrifices and tactical brilliance, captivated chess enthusiasts worldwide and earned him a reputation as one of the most creative and imaginative players in the history of the game. Tal's rise to prominence in the chess world was rapid.
In 1956, Tal made his first significantappearance at the USSR ChessChampionship, where he tied for 5th–7th placewith Lev Polugaevsky and Ratmir Kholmov. He was marked there “the most colorfulfigure of the championship and a "great talent" who strived for "sharp and complicated play.
In 1957, he became a youngest Soviet chesschampion at the age of 20. There, he received the Grandmaster title for winning the championship, decided by FIDE its 1957 Congress to waive the normal restrictions, even though he had not played enough international tournaments to qualify for the title of Grandmaster. At that time theSoviet Union was dominant in world chess, and Tal had beaten several of the world's top players to win the tournament.
In 1960, at the age of 23, Tal achieved hisgreatest triumph by winning the World Chess Championship, dethroning the reigning champion, Mikhail Botvinnik. Despite losing the championship to
Botvinnik in a rematch the following year, Tal's victory had a lasting impact on the chess world, as it showcased his remarkable tactical skills and unyielding fighting spirit.
From October 1973 to October 1974, he played 95consecutive games without a loss (46 wins and 49 draws), shattering his previous record. Then Ding Liren broke the record in 2018 with100 games, although with far fewer wins than either of Tal's streaks (29 wins, 71 draws).
In June 27, 1992, at the age of 55, he died andburied at Jewish Cemetery at Riga, Latvia.
There are 2946 games listed in the chessbase.
Let’s look of his best games which feature in our GMG page.
https://www.chess.com/blog/gmgchessacademy/mikhail-tal-the-8th-world-chess-champion
By Coach Gerald Ferriol