Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal sometimes transliterated Mihails Tals or Mihail Tal; November 9, 1936 – June 28, 1992)[1] was a Soviet-Latvian chess Grandmaster and the eighth World Chess Champion.
Widely regarded as a creative genius and the best attacking player of all time, he played in a daring, combinational style.[2][3] His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability. Every game, he once said, was as inimitable and invaluable as a poem.[4] He was often called "Misha", a diminutive for Mikhail, and "The magician from Riga". Both The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games (Burgess, Nunn & Emms 2004) and Modern Chess Brilliancies (Evans 1970) include more games by Tal than any other player. Tal was also a highly regarded chess writer. He also holds the records for both the first and second longest unbeaten streaks in competitive chess history.[5]
Widely regarded as a creative genius and the best attacking player of all time, he played in a daring, combinational style.[2][3] His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability. Every game, he once said, was as inimitable and invaluable as a poem.[4] He was often called "Misha", a diminutive for Mikhail, and "The magician from Riga". Both The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games (Burgess, Nunn & Emms 2004) and Modern Chess Brilliancies (Evans 1970) include more games by Tal than any other player. Tal was also a highly regarded chess writer. He also holds the records for both the first and second longest unbeaten streaks in competitive chess history.[5]