Elegy about Michael Tal

...Tal's over-the-board improvisations, the irrationality of his sacrifices coupled with all his outward appearance, his deep-set (demonic, or if you want, Paganini-like) eyes made his opponents falter. Some people were even sure that Tal possessed hypnotic powers.Well, the language of literature or cinema is easier to understand that the language of chess, but I would risk to say that in the silent movements of Tal's pawns and pieces there was some rebellious spirit, a strong wish to take in or even swallow some spiritual oxygen which was characteristic of the early 60s. It is highly symptomatic that as soon as the oxygen valves had been shut off, other chess players came in Tal's place, and chess was, to a large extent, robotized. (more...)