R.I.P. Mark Taimanov

[Cyberchess]

Probably best known for his eponymous variation of the Sicilian Defense, few chess players have led such an illustrious life and chess career as GM Mark Taimanov:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessopening?eco=B45

https://chess24.com/en/read/news/mark-t ... dies-at-90

Mark Taimanov Will Be Remembered Regards,
John

[Steve B]

Probably best known for his eponymous variation of the Sicilian Defense, few chess players have led such an illustrious life and chess career as GM Mark Taimanov:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessopening?eco=B45

https://chess24.com/en/read/news/mark-t ... dies-at-90

Mark Taimanov Will Be Remembered Regards,
John

Sadly i think he will be best remembered for his 6-0 loss to Fischer during the 1971 candidates tournament

History Can Be Cruel Regards
Steve

[Cyberchess]

Sadly i think he will be best remembered for his 6-0 loss to Fischer during the 1971 candidates tournament

History Can Be Cruel Regards
Steve

GM Taimanov would later explain:

“After that encounter they took away my ‘Honoured Master of Sport of the USSR’ title, banned me for some time from overseas trips and forbid me from being printed. The formal pretext for the punishment was supposed to be that the customs officers found a book by the then still Soviet writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn – ‘In the First Circle’. But, despite all that, I recall that encounter with Fischer with enormous pleasure. Yes, the sporting result was depressing, but I had no reason to be embarrassed by the content, the creative side of the games.…”

The Russian government was particularly harsh with Taimanov at the conclusion of the lopsided match.

Perhaps they failed to take into account the, soon to be self-evident, fact that Fischer in his prime was...

A Freight Train in Motion Regards,
John