Tal-Botvinnik, 1960 (Paperback)

~ Mikhail Tal (Author), Al Lawrence (Foreword) "I must confess to the readers that my spirits, right up until the beginning of the match, were not too high..." (more)
Key Phrases: King's Indian, Caro-Kann Defense, White's Knight (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Tal did not move pieces by hand; he uses a magic wand! -- Ragozin

Product Description

One of the greatest books ever written about a world championship match. Take a trip with the Magician from Riga as he invites you to share his thoughts and feelings as he does battle for the world title.

International Grandmaster Andy Soltis: "Mikhail Tal's splendid account of his world championship match victory is one of the masterpieces of the golden age of annotation - before insights and feelings and flashes of genius were reduced to mere moves and Informant symbols. This is simply the best book written about a world championship match by a contestant. That shouldn't be a surprise because Tal was the finest writer to become world champion."

Misha is no longer with us, but his highly acclaimed, deeply annotated account of his ascent of Mount Olympus continues to impress and intrigue players of all generations and strengths.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Russell Enterprises (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888690089
• ISBN-13: 978-1888690088
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #596,470 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be blown away!, September 26, 2001

By A Customer

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!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic recount of the match by Tal., July 3, 2006

By	Bambulik "coral" (Virginia) - See all my reviews

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the very best ..., July 10, 2003

By	A.J. Goldsby I "A.J.G." (Pensacola, FL (U.S.A.)) - See all my reviews

This book is quite simply a treasure.

I used to have an older copy of this same book, but after nearly 30 years it practically disintegrated, so I purchased a new copy.

The first thing was that I was impressed by the quality of this new edition. A nice flex-cover, clear, white pages with a very clear font, diagrams ... nothing seems to have been missed. You even get a few black-and-white photographs.

The games are as carefully and lovingly annotated as any player could want. (Sometimes there is literally a comment after every move!) Additionally, you get a constant update as to the times the players took on each move. (Any serious tournament player could try to model themselves from this ... knowing when to think and when not to is important information for any competitor in rated events. Most books do NOT give you this kind of information!)

Some reasons NOT to buy this book:
# 1.) If you are a bare-bones beginner, there are many much better books out there that are probably better suited for teaching you the game. (But I do not see how anyone who seriously applied himself or herself would not improve after a careful study of this book.)
# 2.) Do not buy this book thinking casual study will turn you into this type of player. These two were the paragon of chess. Studying these games will help you improve, but statistically your chances of playing at this level of chess is very small, the odds are greater that you will win a lottery. (But the explanation ... AFTER EVERY MOVE - in some cases - will certainly be an eye-opener for most students.)
# 3.) Don't buy this book thinking it is the latest in chess theory, many of these lines are NOT being played today!!!

The main reason you would want to purchase this book is that you love the game and would like to study Tal's exquisite notes ... some of the best ever written by a competitor at this level. THIS IS QUITE POSSIBLY THE BEST BOOK ON ANY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH - - - PERIOD!!!!! I would think that this is a book you would come back to again and again and again!