This collection is part of Game Collection: Tal's Tournament and Matches 1949-1973

These are 10 of the 14 games Mikhail Tal played in the <Tal-Saigin Master Title Qualification Match 1954>, in correct round order. Rounds 2,4,5, and 8 appear to be lost forever.

In September of 1953, candidate master Mikhail Tal played in the <USSR Republics Team Championship> in Leningrad. On 2d board for Latvia, he scored +3 -1 =3. Latvia finished 4th, behind Leningrad, RSFSR and Moscow, ahead of Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus and Estonia. Tal achieved his final master norm in this event, but so did Janis Klavins, who had scored better for Latvia on 3d board. Klavins was awarded the master title, but Tal was not.1

Tal had to wait until 1954 for a chance to play a 14-round master qualification match against Vladimir Saigin.

In the summer of 1954, Tal beat Saigin +4 -2 =8 in Riga.2 Although he should have received the Soviet master title at this point, in his autobiography Tal maintains that he was not actually awarded the title until after he played in the <USSR Clubs Team Championship 1954>, which was held 3-17 September in Riga:

"The year (1954) was concluded at home, in Riga, by the Team Championship of the Country, only this time for adults. Here for the first time I won against a Grandmaster, the USSR champion Yuri Averbakh. After this, still a candidate master, I drew a couple of games, and then received notification that I was a master."3

Yuri Averbakh, however, says this story is a myth, and that Tal was indeed awarded the master title shortly after his match with Saigin. Averbakh served on the "Qualification Committee" that evaluated Tal's result against Saigin.4

1 Mikhail Tal, "The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal," p.26; [rusbase-1] Di Felice, "Chess Results 1951-1955," pp.305-307

2 Tal, p.28; [rusbase-2] Di Felice, "Chess Results 1951-1955," p.409

3 Tal, pp.30-31

4 Yuri Averbakh, "Centre-Stage and Behind The Scenes" Steve Giddins transl. (New In Chess 2011), pp.143-144