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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great addition to any chess lovers library!, September 26, 2002
This review is from: Tal-Botvinnik 1960 (Paperback)
This is a really fine book. I agree with the other reviewers and will try not to just repeat what has already been said above. There are so many things to enjoy about this book- the notes and comments by Tal are magnificent. It is very interesting to get "inside his head" as he discusses not just the moves, but moods and psychology of the players and match. The type font and the diagrams are all first rate. In addition to the 21 games contested during the actual world championship, there are another 23 supplemental games between Tal and Botvinnik included at the end of the book. The notes to the moves are just the right mix of words and analysis. Many modern books go overboard on analysis and skimp on the verbal commentary. This might be fine for players rated 2000 USCF and above (if you don't know what this means - trust me you aren't rated up there!), but for the vast majority of players it just sets the head spinning and provides no useful cues to help evaluate a position. This book has enough analysis to be useful, but backs it up with much verbal commentary explaining the motives behind the magic (er, the moves) by Tal. If you are looking to pluck down $ 20.00 or so for a great chess book, this one should be on your list of candidates!
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic recount of the match by Tal., July 3, 2006
This review is from: Tal-Botvinnik 1960 (Paperback)
Indeed this is a great book and Tal's comments allows a reader to get the feel for what was going on during 1960 Championship Match. You'll get 21 thoroughly annotated games.
I want to warn potential buyers who plan to get a new book directly from Amazon. The new 2003 edition does NOT have the last section "Additional Games" and contains only 212 pages. If you preview Amazon pages, the Table of Contents refers to the 2000 edition and contains that last section. So, buyers beware. I tried Amazon customer service but they have no control over what edition gets picked. In fact, it seems that 2000 edition is no longer available from Amazon.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Be blown away!, September 26, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Tal-Botvinnik 1960 (Paperback)
This Tal classic is considered one of the greatest chess books ever written, and certainly the best match book ever written. When you read this book, you feel as YOU are playing the match against Botvinnik, with all of the ups and downs that go with it. Tal splendidly explains the psychology behind each game, and often times behind individual moves. And of course the notes to the chess are great. They are both very complete and instructive. This match was also important theoretically since in most games the Caro-Kann (when Tal is white) and the King's Indian Defense (Tal is black) are played and each side attempts to improve upon the theory of the time. Despite the large number of draws (13/21) most of the games were extremely hard fought and are very entertaining. I also like how all of the games of the return match in 1961 are given in the back of the book. These games give a more complete picture of the Tal-Botvinnik rivalry. A few minor quips. 1) No match table. (I wrote one in myself next to the Table of Contents) 2) The binding quality is poor and there are typographical errors, even in this new "2001" edition. 3) If you own Tal's Life and Games, there is repetition of two games. All in all, this is an absolute must-have for any chess library. Buy it!
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