Rating: 
Summary: The veredict is in! Best chessbook ever!
Review: This book has it all, Tal's autobiography told as a fictional interview, key positions of some games that are interesting to analyze and complete games with a thorough analysis.I remember that when my rating was 1500 USCF I got a book which had some games by Tal that were not analyzed and I couldn't understand a thing. It was funny, because with other players I could find some sense in the games, but with Tal, half the moves were unexplainable to me. This book helped me understand some of his games, and when you see the reason behind some of his moves explained and the analysis to support it, you will be awed! Although now I am a player rated 1800, there are still some sacrifices that are very tough to swallow, like the masterpiece in which Tal sacrifices his queen for a knight without any immediate compensation (a reviewer claims it is a queen for a bishop and another reviewer says there is no such game...well, it is a queen for a knight!). This book will fascinate you, I guarantee it! And you will open your mind to new tactical combinations and sacrifices that you had not considered in your wildest dreams!
Rating:
Summary: A Truly Great Book
Review: This book is pervaded with a literary and anecdotal air that is rarely found in Chess literature (and, as I see it, is much needed). One gets the sense that he is reading the work of a man who deeply loved life and who took great pleasure in those little disjoint stories of which it is comprised whether or not they occured at the board. This book reads like a true biography with brilliantly annotated games acting as much welcomed photographs. Upon seeing the position from Tal's 1959 Interzonal game against Fischer, anyone interested in Tal will be captivated to hear Tal speak of how he tricked Fischer into losing a won position. The games and stories presented in this volume compliment each other masterfully. Quite simply, this is one of the greatest chess books ever written: In it one finds both great chess and great comedy. One must conclude that Tal was not only a master of chess but also of the pen!
Rating:
Summary: Two Excellent Books in One Cover
Review: This book is really two books. It is arranged chronologically, with every chapter containing two part: first, the personal and "chessic" biography of Tal during the period discussed in the chapter, and then, a selection of games (annotated by him) played in that period.
The biographical section (wittily written as an interview between "journalist" and "chessplayer") is extremely well-written. It is choke-full both of funny anecdotes (e.g., how Tal lost the first game of the 1962 Olympiad to "a tactical shot by an unknown player"--a drunk hit him over the head with a bottle before the opening ceremony) and of serious, insightful observations about Tal's own playing style, the style of other masters, and what being a chess master in the USSR was like. We get to "see" not only Tal's personality and thought, but also that of Smyslov, Spassky, Botvinnik, Geller, Bronstein, and the rest.
And then there are the games. Analyzed by Tal himself, of course, long before computers, the analysis of the almost 300 games in the book is wonderful. It shows not only the lines Tal was considering, but also the psychology of the game, Tal's stylistic preferences, and so on. It is lightyears ahead of computer analysis--not because it is more accurate, but because Tal takes us into his mind and tells us the real reasons he chose move A over move B AT THAT MOMENT, giving us the feeling we are "in" the game.
Unlike so many chess books, it's positively EXCITING to follow Tal's annotations. The difference between them and Fritz's analysis is like the difference between reading the baseball statistics the next day or watching the commentators during the live game. The statistics are sometimes more accurate, but...
Each one of these parts would be well worth the price in itself as a seperate book. Together, they're amazing. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging chess reading
Review: This book, as many of the other reviewers have commented, is enjoyable to read in its own right even without the games. Tal comes across as self-effacing and amusing, for the most part; the inclusion of things like a diagram showing Tal blundering away a queen against Averbakh in a blitz game is a refreshing change from the egomania that seems to run rampant in high level chess. The book is broken up into nine chapters representing Tal's breakdown of his chess life into various eras. Each chapter has prose discussion of major events that Tal played in that time period, with lots of anecdotes and interesting asides. In these sections he occasionally inserts diagrams and partial game scores, with minor commentary.
The latter half of each chapter is dedicated to games and their annotation. All in all there are 100 annotated games. I have not, by any means, thoroughly studied all of them. But I have looked at a fair number, and the quality of the annotation is generally quite good. Tal employs the same clear writing style in his annotations that he does in the prose sections, and it makes for good reading. The games can frequently be difficult to follow for a mediocre player like myself, but they certainly look cool.
Many players stronger than myself say that careful study of this book will improve your play. After reading it, I found myself occasionally making sacrifices with absolutely no justification whatsoever, so it definitely did something. I plan to try to work through it thoroughly when I am a stronger player, but at the moment I feel I'm not making the best use of its lessons. Right now I'm giving Alekhine's best games a try instead.
As a final comment, I see many people have had problems with the binding. While it certainly doesn't look very sturdy, I have read the entire book and haven't had any pages fall out. Admittedly I'm not keeping it spread open doing long analysis sessions, so it might be more of a comment on me than on the book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book, Should Own...
Review: This is a great book that everyone should own that cares about Chess. Tal was one of the most exciting players to ever play the game of Chess. He came at a time when matches were just home preperation and memorization. This was not the way to play the game and he shattered Botvinnik. At a time when he was thought almost impossible to even consider beating. Also it was the ultimate challenge of Science vs. Humanity. Would the almost machine like logician be the victor over the Magician... The book is very well written and a real joy to read. I actually bought an original copy from 1976 of this book as well. I still have it wrapped up and kept very well. I bought it after getting the the newer version just to have. The cover on that book is different than one used for this version. What makes this so great is that Tal has a style to his writing unlike anyone else. Also he seems to be a bit nuts and that always helps the enjoyment. He actually takes the role of a journalist asking himself questions. So that is a bit of an odd thing if you consider it. Still he tries to explain situations and even what he is thinking sometimes. He comes off as being a really human person which is important. He makes it clear that he is not a machine he is mortal. He does not try to elevate himself and disrespect anyone etc. Some of the stories are very interesting also. He talks about a game vs. Fischer that most likely he was gonna lose. He explains how Bobby wrote down the move in almost russian notation and showed him. Hoping to get some sort of reaction I suspect. Tal knowing this was the move that just about beat him explains his thought process. The way he reacts causes Fischer to actually change his move and ends up losing or drawing to Tal. This is rather interesting esp since I think Tal had a + score over Fischer. He talks about another game where his opponent planned to wear dark glasses. He hears of this and decides to don his own sunglasses. What happens next you will have to get book to read :). The popular Hippo story is also a favorite of many of his fans. He talks about other not so happy topics as well. I had wrote a really long review for this book some time ago. Yet for some reason it got deleted so hope this one works out better. I have some other books from Tal I have yet to review as well. Reason it takes so long to review them is there is so much to the books. Makes it very difficult to explain just how good the book is. Maybe I am biased cuz Tal is one of my favorite players. Yet I really do not use any of his openings or anything. Just from this book and other things I guess it helped create a strong liking. I am not sure I can really explain it. Yet I know there was and still is something very special about Tal. I regret that I never got to meet him in person etc. Still if your just into the pure chess side of things the book is also good. He did play lots of great players and his career spanned a long time. So consider with great care picking up this book. I enjoy just reading this book, him talking about the games though is priceless.
Rating:
Summary: Very personal...
Review: This is not just a chessbook. It is a a complete biographical account of M. Tal's life and chess games. I am wholly satisfied with his notes on the games, how he shows his evolution in chess and how he displays his abilities of calculation. It is far more difficult to show a game with comments regarding it than just pasting some variations hurriedly. Tal explains what was going on in his mind while showing the different variations. In that sense, the book will not leave the amateur in the dark. A book replete of good humor and anecdotes... I recommend it because not only will you learn about chess but also entertain yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Very personal...
Review: This is not just a chessbook. It is a a complete biographical account of M. Tal's life and chess games. I am wholly satisfied with his notes on the games, how he shows his evolution in chess and how he displays his abilities of calculation. It is far more difficult to show a game with comments regarding it than just pasting some variations hurriedly. Tal explains what was going on in his mind while showing the different variations. In that sense, the book will not leave the amateur in the dark. A book replete of good humor and anecdotes... I recommend it because not only will you learn about chess but also entertain yourself.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic game collection
Review: This is one of my favorite chess books, one of the few I can't do without. The chess is spectacular, of course, but what makes this book a classic is the way Tal's wit and wisdom shine through. He's a funny, engaging writer. Unlike others reviewers, I haven't had any trouble with the binding (knock on wood). I can recommend this book without reservation--just don't expect to undertsand all of Tal's moves on the first--or second, or third--go around.
Rating:
Summary: Superb.
Review: This is the best-written chess book I have ever read. I am around 1700; this book would be great for anyone who knows how to move the pieces. Tal explains things on both a D level and Expert+.
Rating:
Summary: Superb.
Review: This is the best-written chess book I have ever read. I am around 1700; this book would be great for anyone who knows how to move the pieces. Tal explains things on both a D level and Expert+.
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