However, beyond the board, Misha harassed extra chess issues, which he had to deal with all his life. Mikhail Tal, genius and figure (Wikimedia Commons) Before the general uproar, a new world champion, the youngest in history until that moment, had been crowned very deservedly.
But the Riguense did not get upset against his so encumbrado rival, led the champion to positions that were not to his liking, took the lead from the beginning and finally obtained a clear victory by 12.5 to 8.5.
MODERN CHESS OPENINGS COURSE SERIES
In almost all of Tal's games, the combinatorial tension and the spectacular sacrifices, some of them were true and objectively incorrect, but that infused his game, beyond the results, a unique vivacity and that made him a true idol of the chess community.Īfter having imposed with authority in the Interzonal of Portoroz 1959 and in the Candidates Tournament in Yugoslavia that same year, reaching the top after a series of wins and outstanding positions in every tournament in which he participated, it was time to challenge the champion of the world, the father of the Soviet chess school, the revered Mikhail Botvinnik.ĭespite Tal's triumphs and the overwhelming thrust of his game, Botvinnik appeared, a priori, as the great favorite of the match, which took place in Moscow in March 1960. The brilliant game, not speculative, risky and overwhelming of this genius of the board, did not recognize antecedents in the master arena of such a high level (exception probably made of his compatriot Nezhmetdinov, an exceptional attacking player, who however did not achieve great sporting achievements ). Mikhail Tal, genius and figure (Wikipedia)Īnother factor, apart from his youth, contributed to the beginning of the construction of the aura of legend that still reached in life and that still involves his memory: his spectacular style. Curiously, on the other side of the world and at the same time, another little genius, a few years younger than him, was advancing with his feats on the board: Bobby Fischer. Therefore, Tal's performance stood out even more in view of his "short" age at that time. To fully understand the surprise of the chess world, you have to put yourself in the context: in the 50s the average age of the best players in the world was around thirty years or more, unlike what is happening today, where Ages are noticeably lower and several of the most prominent are only twenty.