Here is a recipe that every chess player will like: Take a deep bowl. Put in one hundred of Tal's games (annotated by the late World Champion) and mix in an additional one hundred positions. Blend well and then slowly let the mixture absorb an in-depth autobiography written in Tal's typically humorous and playful style.

The result, of course, is perhaps the greatest chess book ever written. The games and notes alone would make this a classic, but you can toss your chessboard away and spend many fascinating nights just reading the words of this sparkling chess legend.

Having known Tal personally, I found him to be exactly as I had imagined: funny, charming and full of life. In fact, in a world where most players have grudges against most other players (Kortchnoi hates everyone, Kasparov hates Karpov, Shirov hates Kasparov, Fischer thinks everyone is out to get him, etc., etc.), Tal was the only chess personality who appeared to be loved by virtually everyone (even Fischer adored the guy!).

This book brings him to life in several respects: you hear many references to his "illness," which of course was brought about by his love affair with the bottle (his addiction to cigarettes didn't help him either). You get to follow his rise to the top, his descent, and his efforts (practical, psychological and physical) to wade through various candidate matches.

As is common in most chess autobiographies, you don't get much of a sense about his life away from the game. However, in Tal's case we can forgive him simply because chess WAS his life! The guy ate and breathed the game. If he wasn't playing in a tournament he was playing blitz or talking about the latest chess news; nobody adored chess as much as Tal did!

This absolute delight with chess shines through in his writings and often reminds me of why I started playing in the first place. If you haven't read this book, you're missing something really special: an affirmation and explanation of why we sit like statues for hours pushing silly little pieces around with reverence in our eyes.

As far as I know, this book is out of print (has there been a new edition since R.H.M went out of business?), but it should rank on top of the "used bookstore list."

NEW CADOGAN EDITION:

1) Previously out of print, Cadogan has done us all a favor by bringing perhaps "the greatest chessbook ever written" back into the bookstores.
2) Diagrams are moved about and extra diagrams are added. This can only be an improvement.
3) The old English descriptive notation has (thankfully!) been changed to algebraic.
4) The typesetting job in the Cadogan edition is superior to the original RHM edition.
5) His tournament results are listed to the time of his death (1992), compared to the original edition which only gave results up to 1975 (the time of its publication). Now that I've told everyone that this book is available again (and should be bought immediately!), I would like to discuss one more thing.

My review of the "Nunn version" of Fischer's My 60 Memorable Games stirred up a lot of emotions. Mr. Nunn was understandably unhappy and many readers seem to have gone berserk (anti-Nunn emblems around each arm!), showing me something akin to a religious frenzy.

Since then I have gotten e-mails of people who negatively rave about anything Nunn does, evidently thinking that he makes a habit of repeating his errors from the Fischer book. Allow me to set the record straight!

John Nunn, aside from being a world-class player, is one of the best chess writers in the world. His editorial work on the Keres books, Alekhine's book and Capablanca's games has vastly improved each of those classics. The fact that he made a mistake on the Fischer book (I have certainly made more than my share of errors) was fairly reported and that, I had hoped, would be that.

For those carrying a grudge around, please let it go! His work on this famous Tal volume has improved it, and Dr. Nunn should be given the respect that he has repeatedly earned.

In general, when I see Nunn's name attached to a project, I immediately feel that my money will be well spent. As buyers of chess books, you should place the same trust in Nunn as I do.

Remember that my reviews exist to help you make informed choices about specific titles. I have no interest in vendettas (especially against a man who has done so much for chess) and I can only hope that certain excitable readers calm down and let a bit of reality hit them on the head.

 

YOU CAN FIND THIS BOOK AT