03/05/2025
HISTORY OF THE CHESS ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN MIKHAIL TAL AND BOBBY FISCHER
Mikhail Tal and Bobby Fischer, both legendary figures in the history of chess, met over the board on five occasions in official competition between 1959 and 1960, prior to Fischer's rise to the World Championship.
Their most significant encounters took place during the 1959 Candidates Tournament, held across Bled, Zagreb, and Belgrade. In this quadruple round-robin event, the two faced each other four times. Tal demonstrated clear superiority, defeating Fischer in three of their games and drawing the fourth, thus achieving a commanding score of 3.5–0.5. Tal would go on to win the tournament and subsequently claim the World Championship title in 1960.
The fifth and final recorded encounter between the two occurred during the 1960 Chess Olympiad in Leipzig. Once again, Tal emerged victorious.
In summary, across their five official games:
• Tal won four times
• One game was drawn
• Fischer did not win any games
Despite Fischer's later dominance in the chess world, including his eventual World Championship victory in 1972, Tal held a decisive edge in their personal rivalry. Their games remain a testament to Tal’s imaginative and dynamic style, which often outpaced Fischer’s developing prowess during those early years.
