Mikhail N. Tal; Former World Chess Champion

Mikhail N. Tal, 55, the Soviet chess grandmaster and former world champion who was dubbed the “Riga Magician” for his surprise moves. Although not considered the best player from the former Soviet Union, Tal was “indisputably the most popular” in the country where chess is a national pastime, the newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta said. Tal, born in Riga, Latvia, won world titles in 1957 and 1958 and remained a formidable figure on the world circuit almost until his death. Tal became famous for making unexpected and seemingly irrational moves that he was able to turn to his advantage. In Moscow on June 28 after what was described only as a long siege of ill health.