CM, Keshav27

Mikhail Tal was born in Riga, Latvia in 1936. He would come to be known as the “Magician from Riga” for his unique tactical style. It was an approach that would win him several fantastic games, not to mention the championship of the world in 1960.

Longtime poor health, due in large part to a lifestyle full of drinking and smoking, would sadly cost Tal his life in Moscow in 1992 at just 55 years old. But it was not before he left an indelible mark on chess, not only in his success at the board but also through his personality and writings. His 1975 autobiography, The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, is considered a classic. (All Tal quotes below are from the 1997 “Everyman Chess” edition of The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal.)