Mark Yevgenyevich Taimanov

Mark Taimanow, 1996
Association	Soviet Union (until 1991) Russia (from 1992)
Born	February 7, 1926 Kharkov
Died	November 28, 2016 Saint Petersburg
title	International Master (1950) Grand Master (1952)
Best Elo rating	2600 (July 1971)

Mark Evgenyevich Taimanow ( Russian Марк Евгеньевич Тайманов , scientific transliteration Mark Evgen'evič Tajmanov ; born February 7, 1926 in Kharkov ; † November 28, 2016 in Saint Petersburg ) was a Soviet , later Russian pianist and chess master .

Life

Mark Taimanow was born in Kharkov on February 7, 1926. His father was an engineer, his mother a singer. About half a year after Taimanov was born, his parents moved to Leningrad . Taimanov became known to the Soviet audience as early as 1936 at the age of ten when he played the leading role in Wladimir Schmidthof's film Beethoven's Concert . This remained the only film role in Taimanov's life.

pianist

Mark Taimanow received his pianistic (and chess) training as a youth in Leningrad. From the age of twelve he played works for two pianos together with his future wife Ljubow Bruk (1926–1996). Both were taught by Samari Sawschinski (1891–1968). Between 1941 and 1944, the Leningrad Music School and Conservatory were moved to Tashkent as a result of the German invasion . In 1948 Taimanow completed his piano studies with distinction.

The duo Bruk & Taimanow began extensive concert activities in the Soviet Union , recorded their entire repertoire (works for two pianos) for Melodija on records and thus became known outside of the Soviet Union. This was followed by guest appearances abroad in the GDR , Hungary and Czechoslovakia . At the beginning of the 1970s, the couple separated, which also meant the end of making music together. From then on, Taimanow performed as a soloist.

In 1998 Philips released a double CD in the series The Greatest Pianists of the 20th Century (No. 456 736-2) with recordings by the duo Bruk & Taimanow from 1959 to 1968.

Chess player

Mark Taimanow, 1970

Taimanow took part in 23 chess championships of the Soviet Union and was able to achieve first place in 1952, shared with Mikhail Botvinnik , and in 1956 (after a playoff). In 1952 he became a grandmaster .

In 1971 he was defeated by Bobby Fischer in the Candidates ' tournament, a qualifying competition for the 1972 World Chess Championship , with 0: 6. Thereupon he fell out of favor with the Soviet authorities, who considered it impossible that a Soviet grandmaster could lose with such a result, and accused him of political motives. All national titles were revoked from him and he was not allowed to play international tournaments for two years. Only when other players also lost significantly to Fischer were the sanctions gradually lifted. Taimanov commented on this with the words: "I really only had the music."

In 1993 and 1994 , at the end of his long career, he was twice senior world champion .

In May 2014 he opened a Taimanov chess school in Saint Petersburg . Former world champions Vladimir Kramnik , Alexander Zhukov and Gennady Timchenko took part in the ceremony.

Taimanov was considered an excellent opening theorist . The Taimanow variant 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 of the Sicilian Defense was named after him.

Taimanov was last performed at the FIDE as inactive because since one in January 2008. He Saint Petersburg discharged comparison struggle Seniors vs. Women has not played a rated game. His last Elo rating was 2386, Taimanow had his best Elo rating of 2600 in July 1971. Before the introduction of Elo ratings, his best historical rating was 2742; he reached it in January 1957.

National team

Taimanow won the chess Olympiad in 1956 and the European team championships in 1957, 1961 , 1965 and 1970 with the Soviet national team . In 1970 he was nominated for the USSR against the rest of the world on the seventh board of the Soviet team and defeated Wolfgang Uhlmann with 2.5: 1, 5.

societies

At the Soviet club championship Taimanow played for Iskra in 1954 , then for Burewestnik , with whom he became Soviet club champions in 1961, 1968, 1971, 1974 and 1976, won the European Club Cup in 1976 and reached the final of the European Club Cup in 1982 and 1984.

Private

In 2004, at the age of 78, Taimanov had twins, who were born to his fourth wife Nadja.

Significant games

Taimanow - Fischer , 1971

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

46.Rf1xf6 ?? Qe4 – d4 + (0: 1)

Karpov - Taimanov , 1977

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

38 ... Nf5 – g3 + !! (0: 1)

The diagram on the left shows the fifth game of Taimanow's fateful candidate match in Vancouver in 1971 against Bobby Fischer after 45 ... Kg7 – h6. In the diagram position White is no worse off and the game was after 46. f4 Qc7-+ draw end. Taimanow, who was already hopelessly 4-0 down, made a serious mistake which under normal circumstances should not have happened to a player of his level: Taimanow defeated with 46. Rf1xf6 ?? a black pawn , lost his rook through Fischer's double attack on his king and rook with 46.… Qe4 – d4 + (47. Rf6 – f2 Ra8 – a1 +) and gave up.

The diagram on the right shows the game between the then world chess champion Anatoli Karpov and Taimanow at the international anniversary tournament in Leningrad in 1977 after 37. Rb3 – b1. With the combination 38 ... Nf5 – g3 + !! Taimanow decided the game for himself. After 39. h2xg3 39.… Ra1 – a8 would have followed, after which White does not have sufficient defense against the threat of 40.… Ra8 – h8 mate . Even after 39. Qe1xg3 Ra1xb1 White is lost. Karpov gave up. Taimanow himself wrote in 1989: "This impressive final in a duel with the then almost invincible world champion is still the pride of my chess work today."

Publications

• Я был жертвой Фишера (I became the victim of Fischer) . Chess Forum (ШахФорум), St. Petersburg, 1993 (A book about the match against the American, which was so dramatic for him.)
• Вспоминая самых-самых… . Ludvig Nobel Foundation (Фонд Людвига Нобеля), St. Petersburg, 2003 (autobiography)
• Winning with Sicilian . Sportverlag Berlin , 1989, ISBN 978-3-328-00295-6 .
• Collaboration on several volumes of the Modern Opening Theory series published by Sportverlag Berlin

Web links

Commons : Mark Taimanow  - Collection of Images

• Literature by and about Mark Evgenjewitsch Taimanow in the catalog of the German National Library
• 20 questions with Mark Taimanov. March 2004, archived from the original on July 23, 2012 ; accessed on November 29, 2016 (English). 
• Joel Lautier: My life with chess and music: Interview with Mark Taimanow . chessbase.de, May 24, 2002.
• Replayable chess games by Mark Evgenjewitsch Taimanow on 365Chess.com (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Dagobert Kohlmeyer : Forever young: Mark Tajmanov turns 90 In: de.chessbase.com. February 7, 2016, accessed November 15, 2019.
2. ↑ Dagobert Kohlmeyer: In Memoriam Mark Taimanov (1926-2016) In: de.chessbase.com. November 28, 2016, accessed November 15, 2019.
3. ↑ Марк Тайманов (1926-2016). chesspro.ru, November 28, 2016, accessed November 29, 2016 (Russian). 
4. ↑ Василий Максимов (Wassili Maximow): Марк Тайманов. Между Евтерпой и Каиссой. lechaim.ru, February 2006, accessed November 29, 2016 (Russian). 
5. ↑ Willy Iclicki: FIDE Golden book 1924-2002. Euroadria, Slovenia 2002, p. 74.
6. ↑ Harald Grafenhofer: Interview with GM Mark Taimanov. 1998, accessed on July 31, 2013 (in Grießkirchen / Austria). 
7. ↑ В Петроградском районе открыли шахматную школу Марка Тайманова. In: gov.spb.ru. St. Petersburg City Council, May 23, 2014, accessed November 29, 2016 (Russian). 
8. ↑ Mark Taimanow's results at the Chess Olympiads on olimpbase.org, accessed on November 29, 2016 (English).
9. ↑ Mark Taimanow's results at the European Team Championships on olimpbase.org, accessed on November 29, 2016 (English).
10. ↑ Mark Taimanov's results at Soviet club championships on olimpbase.org, accessed on November 29, 2016 (English).
11. ↑ Mark Taimanow's results at European Club Cups on olimpbase.org, accessed on November 29, 2016 (English).
12. ↑ Taimanow: Winning with Sicilian . P. 68.