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

These are all the games Mikhail Tal played at the <Leipzig Olympiad 1960>, in correct round order.

The German Chess Federation organized the 14th Olympiad in the historic city of Leipzig. Alluding to Napoleon's famous defeat at Leipzig by Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden, chess historian Árpád Földeák summed up the event: "Thus the 'Battle of Nations' was relived once again on a peaceful field..." In conjunction with the tournament, the Stadtgeschichtlichen Museum organized an exhibit called "Chess Through the Ages."1

In the two years since the last Olympiad, Tal had become world champion, and now took his throne on the USSR first board, followed by Mikhail Botvinnik, Paul Keres and Soviet champion Viktor Korchnoi. Vasily Smyslov and Tigran V Petrosian occupied the reserve boards.2 The preliminaries were played 17-27 October, and Tal sat out the first 3 rounds. He joined the fray with a victory over future FIDE president Florencio Campomanes, but gave up three draws before the finals, played 28 October - 9 November.1 Tal didn't mind drawing Robert James Fischer in final round 5, however, remarking that "it was only after this encounter that he began to respect me."3 Tal went on to finish well, except for the last round, when he unaccountably lost to the untitled Englishman Jonathan Penrose. This loss cost him the gold medal on 1st board, which went to Karl Robatsch. Tal explained that the final round came a day before his birthday, which he wanted to be free. But the Soviet team captain insisted he play, prompting Tal to joke that he would therefore lose the game.3

Tal settled for the silver medal with a more than respectable score of +8 -1 =6. The USSR finished 1st over USA, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Argentina, West Germany and East Germany.2

Notes

1 Árpád Földeák, "Chess Olympiads 1927-1968" Robert Ejury , Jeno Bochkor and Peter Clarke transl. (Dover 1969), pp.286-289

2 Olimpbase "14th Chess Olympiad: Leipzig 1960" http://www.olimpbase.org/1960/1960i... http://www.olimpbase.org/1960/1960u... http://www.olimpbase.org/1960/1960f...

3 Mikhail Tal, "The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal," p.167

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More "Tal at the Chess Olympiads":

Game Collection: Tal at the Uppsala Student Olympiad 1956

Game Collection: Tal at the Reykjavik Student Olympiad 1957

Game Collection: Tal at the Varna Student Olympiad 1958

Game Collection: Tal at the Munich Olympiad 1958

Game Collection: Tal at the Varna Olympiad 1962

Game Collection: Tal at the Havana Olympiad 1966

Game Collection: Tal at the Skopje Olympiad 1972