Mark Taimanov 1926 - 2016

Mark Taimanov, Grandmaster, former USSR Champion, and noted concert pianist, has passed away at the age of 90. One of the worlds top players from the 1950's to the 1970's he qualified for two Candidates series, but famously lost to Fischer in 1971, 6-0. For a while after that match he was on the outer with the USSR government, but after Fischer beat Petrosian and Spassky, was somewhat rehabilitated.
Born in 1926 he became a GM in 1952 and was an active player until 2003. Away from chess he was also an acclaimed concert pianist, often performing with his first wife, who he met as a 19 year old music student.
Taimanov was also noted as an opening theoretician, with a number of opening lines baring his name. The Taimanov Sicilian is the most well known, but he also had lines in the Gruenfeld, Modern Benoni and the Nimzo Indian named after him.
In the following game he defeated Walter Brown with a nice attack, possibly because Browne did not play the Taimanov variation (4. ... Nc6). After wrecking Browne's pawn structure, Taimanov found some nice attacking moves and Browne's position eventually collapsed.


Taimanov,Mark E (2500) - Browne,Walter S (2555) [E54]
Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee, 1981

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bd3 d5 7. O-O cxd4 8. exd4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Rc1 Nbd7 12. Qe2 Rc8 13. Ne5 h6 14. Nxd7 Qxd7 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Rfd1 Qc6 17. Qg4+ Kh7 18. Nd5 f5 19. Nf6+ Kh8 20. Qh3 Kg7 21. Nh5+ Kh8 22. Qg3 Rg8 23. Qe5+ f6 24. Qxf6+ Kh7 25. d5 Qe8 26. Nf4 Bd6 27. dxe6 Rf8 28. Qh4 Qc6 29. Bf1 Qxc1 30. Rxd6 1-0