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Summary: Very nice book, but advanced tactically.
Review: A very nicely written book, interesting side-looks from a truly great player. The only thing which might stop someone from buying it would be its high tactical complications. Often Tal will rattle off a variation and write " would obviously not work". However, he doesn't bother to explain it, assuming the reader understands why the variation can't be played. This is ok for an advance reader, 1800-2400+ range. But for the average player it maybe very difficult in some positions, especially complex endgames to see why white or black has a win. Overall a good book that anyone would learn something from, but the amount learned will vary with skill.
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Summary: Cool
Review: A wonderful chess book on one of the all time greats.
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Summary: One of the most entertaining, informative tactical books
Review: After reading this book, my eye for tactical possibilities has increased immensely. I was previously accused of being a "too tight" positional player. Since adopting (albeit w/o the calculating genius of Tal) a much greater willingness to make violent moves, I've been able to push my rating from 1940 to 2175 and hope to soon achieve the master ranking.
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Summary: TAL CHESS BOOKS ANNOTATION BY TAL
Review: any person who loves chess and is unaware of Mikhail Tal and has not read books written by Tal , hasnt played over games of this russian genius has no right to call himself a chess lover.
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Summary: The greatest chess book ever written?
Review: Asides from two or three great German chess books, ( Dreihundret Schachpartie by Tarrasch, Die Hypermoderne scachpartie by Tartakover, and Carlsbad 1907 by Marco), which have not been translated into english, Tals magnificent game collection/autobiography must rank as the greatest chess book in English. Only Bronstiens, Fischers and Alekhines gamecollections can even begin to rival it for instuction, humor, and personal insight. Even though it only follows the attacking genius' career through 1975, and therefore does include his two greatest tournament victories ( Montreal and Riga, 1979) what is included is unforgettable. It is wonderful that Cadogan has brought out a new edition of this out of print classic.
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Summary: Maybe one of the greatest books ever written!
Review: Do you love chess? Are you totally infatuated by the game? Would you like to learn tactics? BUY THIS BOOK? YOU BET! I met Tal. I played chess with him. He was a bona-fide, authentic genius. And no other GM can come close to his love of the game. There are also many GREAT stories in here. Be entertained. Seriously There is more chess in here than you can shake a stick at. Its a HUGE book. I rate this in "The Ten Best Chess Books Ever Written." (See my web site.) And if you want to improve your tactics, buying this book and studying it thoroughly is almost guaranteed to raise your rating! Check it out!
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Summary: Great book, lousy binding!
Review: Easily the best autobiographical chess work I've seen. Tal's love of chess oozes from each page, and his light-hearted approach to a serious game is refreshing. The games are interesting, sometimes amusing, and always instructive. I only have one issue with this printing, and that's the horrible binding. The spine cracks easily if the book isn't held gingerly, and pages will fall out shortly thereafter. Very shoddy, especially in a book of this price. I still recommend it, because its content is so fantastic, but handle it with care.
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Summary: Must-read despite horrible binding
Review: Every chessplayer has to own this book, for the writing (Tal has often been called the best writer among the World Champions) as well as the amazing games. You'll have fun and improve your play! The binding is beneath comment... Strange, because I have an older Cadogan book (Smyslov's 125 Selected Games), which was well-constructed.
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Summary: Buy this book!
Review: Excellent book. You've got to get a chessboard now and start analysing the games, no matter if you are a master or a patzer: I guarantee the joy! The only problem is that the Cadogan edition is a thick paperback, prone to fall apart rather easily.
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Summary: A true classic.
Review: I bought "The Life and games of Mikhail Tal" on the advice of many chess authors who have mentioned it in their works. I felt that if many Grandmasters rate it as the best chess book ever written, I probably wouldn't be dissapointed. I wasn't. The book is at once a superb peice of annotations and an insightful look into the life of one of the most beloved figures in chess history. It is a rare treat to be transported so vividly into the situations during some of the most famous games of modern chess, from the viewpoint of one of the players. Enjoy!
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