Mikhail Tal - Tactical Genius

Did you ever notice how some famous GM games are more interesting to play through than others? For instance, tell me you have a Tartakower or Nimzowitsch game and I'm sorry, but I just can't get that excited. But tell me you have a Fischer, Alekhine, or Tal game you want to show me and woo-hoo!, break out the milk and cookies because I know I'm in for a real treat! And Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius by Alexander Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik is loaded with enough tasty treats to satisfy the most demanding of palates.

Raetsky, a Russian IM has put out several other books including, Meeting 1. e4, and Chetverik, a Russian FM, who co-wrote English...e5 with Raetsky, have created that rare book that is both instructive AND entertaining. Of course, the entertaining part is expected given that their subject is considered the most exciting sacrificial attacker in our games history.

Tal was nicknamed the "Wizard from Riga," but today his nickname might have been "The Harry Potter of Chess" as many of his attacks were truly magical in the way he seemed to create crushing attacks seemly out of thin air. There's no doubt about it, Dumbledore would have been proud of this wizard!