Marc Taimanov, the Piano Player

     In a recent post I mentioned that among the Russian players of the 1950s Larry Evans declared that the only true attacking players were Bronstien and Geller and that the only really dynamic players were Taimanov, Spassky and Korchnoi.  

     It occurred to me that Marc Taimanov's accomplishments are virtually unknown today except that he lost to Bobby Fischer by the unprecedented score of 6–0 in their candidates quarter-final in Vancouver in 1971. There is one book of his best games that I know of: Taimanov's Selected Games that was published by Everyman in 1995. It contains 60 deeply annotated games that reveal his approach to chess.

     In 1970, at the age of 44, Taimanov qualified for the match by defeating the Yugoslav GM Milan Matulovic in the final round at the Palma interzonal. Matulovic's feeble play and the great speed great speed at which he played lead to the rumor that he had sold the point for $400. 

     After Taimanov's crushing defeat by Fischer Soviet officials immediately began seeking a political explanation. They regarded it as inconceivable that a Soviet player of Taimanov's stature could be wiped out that easily. As a result, when he returned home he was searched at the border and was found to be carrying US currency as payment for an article for a Dutch magazine written by his friend and trainer Salo Flohr, and worse, a book by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. 

     The result was that 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. 

     Fischer's overwhelming match wins in which he skunked Larsen and Taimanov and then decisively defeated Tigran Petrosian by a score of 6.5-2.5 may have helped contribute to the authorities' change of mind and they forgave Taimanov and lifted the sanctions against him.

     Mark Evgenievich Taimanov (February 7, 1926 - November 28, 2016) was one of the leading Soviet players and was among the world's top 20 players from 1946 to 1971. 

     Born in Leningrad, one of four children, his father was a construction engineer who built several theaters in the city and his mother was a musician who taught him to play the piano. 

     When he was studying at music school, he was offered the part of a young violinist in the 1937 film Beethoven Concerto. With no knowledge of the piano he had to learn everything from scratch, but the film was a success and was awarded a prize at a 1937 Paris cinema festival. 

     A few months later he was invited to the official opening of the Leningrad Pioneers Palace, where he was asked to select an activity so he joined the Leningrad chess school, whose director at the time was Botvinnik. Taimanov was the city’s best junior by 1941, when the school closed because of the second world war and he was evacuated before the German siege began. 

     In 1945 he resumed his music studies in Leningrad and by 1953 he had become a GM and world championship candidate finishing in the middle of that year’s candidates’ tournament in Zurich. 

     In the meantime he and his first wife had advanced from concerts across the USSR to performances abroad. Taimanov won the USSR chess championship in 1955 and was popular, optimistic, respected and considered a chess diplomat. 

     Taimanov was married several times and had one son with his first wife, Bruk; the marriage ended in divorce. His second wife, Lyulya, predeceased him. In the 70s he was briefly married to Jane Averbakh, daughter of Yuri Averbakh. That marriage also ended in divorce. At the age of 78 he and his fourth wife, Nadezhda Bakhtina, had twins, Misha and Dima. 

     His dual career continued throughout the 1950s and 60s. He used to say that when he gave concerts he was taking a rest from chess and when he played chess he was resting from the piano. 

 

Taimanov and Wife on the piano 

     After his "rehabilitation" in 1973 Taimanov made a new career as a solo pianist and achieved new chess successes. In his 60s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, he played in more tournaments than in his best years and won the World Senior Championship in 1993 and 1994. 

     At the age of 87, he launched a St. Petersburg chess academy for young talents. Taimanov was known for sometimes giving impromptu piano recitals at closing ceremonies and was sometimes accompanied by opera singer Vasily Smyslov. Taimanov authored several books on opening play, wrote commentaries for the Russian press on all five title matches between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. His favorite players were Alexander Alekhine, Mikhail Tal and Garry Kasparov.

     The following game was player in the 1952 Stockholm Interzonal where Taimanov was undefeated, scoring +7 -0 =13. It's a fighting game played against the Dutch Master Lodewijk Prins who unsuccessfully tried to ensnare Taimanov in a rare and sharp variation.

Mark Taimanov - Lodewijk Prins

Result: 1-0

Site: Stockholm Interzonal

Date: 1952.09.25

Queen's Gambit Declined

[...] 1.d4 ♘f6 2.c4 e6 3.♘c3 d5 4.♗g5 c5 5.cxd5 cxd4

5...♕b6 has also been played in this position. 6.♗xf6 gxf6 7.e3 ♕xb2 8.♗b5+ ♗d7 9.♗xd7+ ♘xd7 10.♘ge2 cxd4 11.♖b1 ♕a3 12.exd4 Taimanov-Geller, Leningrad Championship 1952. White is better.

6.♕xd4 Black's gambit, while not quite correct, is not easy to refute over the board. 6...♗e7 7.e4 ♘c6 8.♕e3

8.♕d2 ♘xe4 9.♘xe4 exd5 10.♗xe7 ♕xe7 11.♕xd5 O-O 12.f3 ♘b4 with equality. Smyslov-Geller, USSR Championship 1955.

8...♘xd5

8...♘b4 was played in Borisenko-Keres, USSR Championship 1955. 9.♗b5+ ♗d7 10.♗xd7+ ♕xd7 11.♕d2 exd5 12.♗xf6 ♗xf6 13.exd5 ♗xc3 14.♕xc3 ♘xd5 the position is equal, but white has to avert some formidable threats.

9.exd5 ♗xg5 10.f4 ♘b4 11.O-O-O ♗e7 12.dxe6 ♕c7

12...♕a5 At the time this was the recommended move, but after 13.exf7+ ♔f8

13...♔xf7 is worse on account of 14.♗c4+ ♔f8 15.♘f3 ♘c6 16.♘e5 and white is practically winning.

14.♗c4 black's position is not good.

13.exf7+ ♔f8

13...♔xf7 This leads to incredibly sharp play. 14.♘f3

14.a3 ♘a2+ 15.♔c2 ♗f5+ 16.♗d3 ♘xc3 17.bxc3 ♗xd3+ 18.♖xd3 black is better. Hybl,J-Blatny,F/Prague 1963

14...♘xa2+ 15.♔b1 ♗f5+ 16.♔xa2 ♕a5+ 17.♔b3 ♕b4+ 18.♔a2 ♕a5+ 19.♔b3 1/2-1/2 Varnusz,E-Navarovszky,L/Budapest 1965

14.a3 ♘a2+ In this sharp position it looks like black has a dangerous attack, but Taimanov manages to keep things under control. 15.♔b1 ♘xc3+ 16.♕xc3 ♗f5+ 17.♗d3 ♕xc3 18.bxc3 ♖d8 19.♔c2 ♖xd3

19...♗d7 was (threatening . ..Ba4+) slightly better. 20.♖b1 ♗a4+ 21.♔d2 ♗c6 22.♘f3 ♗xf3 23.gxf3 b6 with roughly equal chances. In fact, 7 games from this position resulted in draws in Shootouts using Stockfish.

20.♖xd3 ♔xf7

20...♗xa3 21.♘f3 ♔xf7 22.♖b1 ♖b8 23.♘e5+ ♔g8 24.♘c6 ♖c8 25.♖xb7 is good for white.

21.♘f3 ♗xd3+ 22.♔xd3 ♖d8+ 23.♔c2 ♖d5 24.a4 ♖a5 25.♔b3 b5 26.♘e5+ ♔f6 27.axb5 ♖xb5+ 28.♔c4 ♖b2 29.g3 a5 30.♖a1 h5 This is a serious mistake that lands black in big trouble. (30...♖xh2 31.♘g4+ His move prevents this.) 31.♖xa5 ♖xh2 Black has managed to force several exchanges in the hopes of increasing his drawing chances. However Taimanov keeps finding ways to attack even in this seemingly peaceful position. 32.g4 ♗d6 33.g5+ ♔e6 34.♘f3 ♖f2

34...♗xf4 would make things somewhat tougher for white. 35.♘xh2 ♗xh2 36.♔d3 h4 37.♔e4 h3 38.♖a6+ ♔f7 39.g6+ ♔e7 40.♖a7+ ♔f6 41.♖f7+ ♔xg6 42.♖f3 ♗c7 43.♖xh3 This is a tablebase win for white.

35.f5+ ♔f7 36.♖a7+ ♔g8 37.♖a8+ ♗f8 38.♘d4 h4 39.f6 Brilliant and unexpected. The threat is 40.Ne6 and so black's reply is forced. 39...gxf6 40.g6 ♔g7 There is really no good defense against the threat of 41. Ke6

40...♖g2 41.♘f5 h3 42.g7 ♖xg7 43.♘xg7 h2 44.♖a1 ♗xg7 45.♖h1 with a won ending.

41.♘e6+ ♔xg6 42.♖xf8 ♔h7

42...h3 43.♖h8 ♔f5 44.♘d4+ ♔g4 45.♔d3 h2 46.♔e3 ♖a2 47.♘f3 ♔g3 48.♘xh2 with a won ending.

43.♖d8 h3 44.♖d3 h2 45.♖h3+ ♔g6 46.♘d4 f5 47.♔d3 f4 48.♔e4 Facing a hopelessly lost ending Prins resigned. (48.♔e4 ♖a2 49.c4 ♔f6 50.c5 ♔e7 51.♖h7+ ♔d8 52.c6 etc.)

Powered by Aquarium