Mikhail Tal

Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal (Latvian: Mihails T?ls, Russian: ?????? ?????????? ????) (November 9 1936 - June 28 1992), born in Riga, Latvia, was the eighth World Chess Champion.

Soviet champion

He qualified for the Championship of the USSR in 1956, finishing joint fifth, and became the youngest player to win it the following year, at the age of twenty. He had not played in enough international tournaments to qualify for the title of grandmaster, but FIDE decided to waive the normal restrictions and award him the title anyway because of his achievement in winning the Soviet Championship.{{ref|gmtitle}}

Related Topics:
1956 - FIDE

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He retained the Soviet Championship the following year, and competed in the World Chess Championship for the first time. He won the interzonal tournament at Portoroz, then helped the Soviet Union to retain the Chess Olympiad.

Related Topics:
World Chess Championship - Portoroz - Chess Olympiad

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