Mark Taimanov

Mark Taimanov
Full name Mark Evgenievich Taimanov
Country Soviet Union
Russia
Born February 7, 1926
Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Title Grandmaster
FIDE rating 2386
Peak rating 2600 (July 1971)

Mark Evgenievich Taimanov (Russian: Марк Евгеньевич Тайманов; born 7 February 1926, Kharkiv) is a leading Soviet and Russian chess player and concert pianist.

Career

Chess

He was awarded the International Grandmaster title in 1952 and played in the Candidates Tournament in Zurich in 1953, where he tied for eighth place. From 1946 to 1956, he was among the world's top ten players. He played in 23 USSR Chess Championships (a record equalled by Efim Geller), tieing for first place twice. In 1952 he lost the playoff match to Mikhail Botvinnik, while in 1956, he beat Yuri Averbakh and Boris Spassky for the title. He is probably best known for his 6–0 loss to Bobby Fischer in the 1971 World Championship Candidates match. However, few players have beaten six world champions (Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov, Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian, Spassky, and Anatoly Karpov) as Taimanov has.

After his loss to Fischer, the Soviet government was embarrassed, and, as Taimanov later put it in a 2002 interview, found it "unthinkable" that he could have lost the match so badly to an American without a "political explanation".[1] Soviet officials took away Taimanov's salary and no longer allowed him to travel overseas. The official reason given for punishing Taimanov was that he had brought a book by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn into the country, but that explanation was secondary in nature. The officials later "forgave" Taimanov, and lifted the sanctions against him. Fischer's 6–0 win against Bent Larsen later in 1971 may have helped change their minds.

He has opening variations named after him in the Sicilian Defence, Modern Benoni and Nimzo-Indian Defence. He has written books on two of his named variations, as well as an autobiographical best games collection.

Music

Taimanov was a top concert pianist in the Soviet Union. With his first wife, Lyubov Bruk, he formed a piano duo, some of whose recordings were included in the Philips and Steinway series Great Pianists of the 20th Century.[2]

Personal life

Taimanov was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, to Jewish parents.[3] His mother, a piano teacher, introduced him to music. His family moved to Saint Petersburg when he was 6 months old.[4] Eleven years old, he played a young violinist in the 1937 Soviet film "Beethoven Concerto".[5]

He remarried late in life and became the father of twins at the age of 78.[6][7] Fifty-seven years separate his oldest child and his twins.[8]

See also

References

  1. "Interview with Mark Taimanov – My life with chess and music". ChessBase. Retrieved 2009-07-08. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  2. "Going strong at 85 – Mark Taimanov's birthday". ChessBase.com. 2011-02-16. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  3. JINFO (1985-08-16). "Jewish Chess Players". Jinfo.org. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  4. "Прославленный гроссмейстер Марк Тайманов: 'И мой сын, и внучка обожают возиться с малышами'" (Russian). JewishNews.com.ua., accessed October 31, 2011.
  5. "Mark Taimanov at 85". Chess in Translation. 15 February 2011.
  6. Марк Тайманов."Победа" от Микояна, шахматы от Фиделя (in Russian). Sport-Express. Retrieved 2009-08-21. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  7. "Однажды с... / Марк Тайманов" (Russian). Channel One, accessed October 31, 2011.
  8. "ChessBase News | Going strong at 85 – Mark Taimanov's birthday". Chessbase.com. 2011-02-16. Retrieved 2013-10-20.

External links