MARK RUBERY CHESS

The Russian Grandmaster Mark Taimanov (1926-2016) was one of the world’s ten best players during the 1950s and was a participant in the famous 1953 Zurich Candidates Tournament. At an early age he showed a talent for music which he continued to pursue in tandem with his chess career, giving numerous concerts as a highly regarded pianist. A pupil of Botvinnik and an expert in the Nimzo-Indian, Taimanov was known for his optimism on and off the board. Such confidence was rudely shattered when he was defeated 6-0 by Fischer in their Candidates Match in 1971, during the American’s inexorable march to the chess throne. This rout was not well received by the authorities back in the USSR and on his return his luggage was searched yielding a book written by the then banned author Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Excluded from the Olympiad team and having his salary as a chess profession withheld, Taimanov was famously quoted “At least I still have my music”.

He passed away in his hometown

St. Petersburg leaving his fourth wife Nadjeshda (55!) and two children aged 12 behind.

Karpov,Anatoly (2690) - Taimanov,Mark E (2530) [B28]

October Revolution 60 Leningrad (1) 1977

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4 e5 6.Nb3 Nf6 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.f3 0–0 9.Be3 d6 10.Rc1 b6 11.Bd3 Bc5 12.Qd2 Be6 13.Nxc5 bxc5 14.0–0 Nd4 15.Nd5 Nd7 16.f4 Rb8 17.f5 Bxd5 18.cxd5 Qb6 19.Rf2 f6 20.Rc4 a5 21.Ra4 Ra8 22.Qe1 Ra7 23.b3 Rfa8 24.Rb2 Qc7 25.Bd2 Nb6 26.Rxa5 c4 27.Bf1 Rxa5 28.Bxa5 Qc5 29.Bxb6 Qxb6 30.Kh1 cxb3 31.axb3 g6 32.fxg6 hxg6 33.b4 Kg7 34.b5 f5 35.exf5 Nxf5 36.Rb3 Qd4 37.b6 Ra1! 38.Rb1 … Ng3+! 0–1 (If 39 hxg3 Ra8! and the rook maneuver is as elegant as it is decisive

‘When I was playing chess I was resting from music and if I was making music I was taking a rest from chess. In other words my entire life has been one long holiday.’ (Mark Taimanov)