Life and Games of Mikhail Tal is one of my favorite chess classics, and I believe all chess players should read it. The book, an autobiographical collection of games, offers a unique insight into the attacking genius, allowing you to learn directly from him.
Written by Mikhail Tal himself, it presents both the philosophical aspect of chess and the games from Mikhail Tal’s perspective.
It is one of my best chess books of all time.
About the Writers of the Book
Mikhail Tal was the 8th world champion and was the youngest world champion in history when he won the title. He is popularly known as the magician from Riga and was born in 1936 in Riga, Latvia.
He was regarded as one of the best chess players of all time and had an impressive tournament career.
Apart from chess, Mikhail Tal excels as an author, showcasing his likable personality in his writing.
Book Content Summary
The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal is 498 pages long and comprises nine chapters that cover Tal’s early life, chess career, and life until his passing.
The book follows an interview format, where the interviewer/journalist maintains anonymity throughout the text. The journalist is friendly and poses relatable, common questions, ensuring accessibility for all players.
The book begins with Tal established as a chess player, and a part of the book has left a lasting impact on me.
“I prefer to make my annotations ‘hot on the heels’, as it were, when the fortunes of battle, the worries, hopes and disappointments are still sufficiently fresh in my mind. Much as I would like to, I cannot say this about these few games which will be given below. In fact, if the annotator should begin to use phrases of the type: ‘in reply to…I had worked out the following variation…’, the reader will rightly say ‘Grandmaster, you are showing off’, since the ‘oldest’ of these games is now more than 25 years old, and even the ‘newest’ more than 20. Therefore, I would ask you not to regard the following ‘stylised’ annotations too severely.”
Various themes were covered in the book and incorporated:
- Storytelling: The book covers famous chess stories and not-so-famous ones surrounding the World Champion.
- Passion for chess: This book features games played by Tal, which fuels a unique passion for the game, considering Tal’s playing style.
- The human side of the game: The book doesn’t shy away from discussing Tal’s day-to-day struggles as a chess player, including his health issues.
- Humor: one of my favorite stories in the book is Tal and the Hippopotamus Story. The book presents humor throughout, making it easy to read and follow.
Pros of the Book
The practicality of the games shown in this book would be appreciated by anyone reading it. Tal’s annotations are among the best; he gives his honest opinion of the position and how he understands it.
Engaging with this book will undoubtedly enhance your tactical skills and attacking abilities.
Cons of the Book
Although this is a valuable and essential read, it still has minor drawbacks.
The annotations can sometimes be inaccurate, given that they were written before chess engines existed.
Hence, critically analyze the book’s positions to deepen your understanding of the content. Avoid blindly accepting the annotations; instead, ensure you set up the positions on a chessboard for a hands-on learning experience.
Exploring endgame or opening-focused books may be more effective for those seeking to get better at chess than game collections. So, anyone dedicated to seeing improvement can look into endgame, middle-game, or opening-focused books.
Final Thoughts
One of my favorite quotes from the book is,
“You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.”
This quote reflects Tal’s approach to Chess.
This tactical flair is what you absorb as you read this book. The depth of strategy in Tal’s game and his reasoning and approach to evaluating positions are ones that every chess player should learn from.
For anyone who appreciates this book, you will fall in love with his other book, Study Chess with Tal.