Checkmate! The Love Story of Mikhail Tal and Sally Landau

by Sally Landau

*****Short-listed for the English Chess Federation Book of the Year prize 2019*****

Sally Landau, born in 1938, Vitebsk, Soviet Union, was Mikhail Tal’s first wife, a highly talented actress and singer. Sally and Misha were married from 1959 to 1970 in a period that encompassed Tal’s two world championship matches with Botvinnik as well as many of his greatest tournament performances.

Sally’s breathtaking story, first published in Russia in 1998 and which has been reprinted multiple times, is a memoir of her time with Tal, with whom she remained friends long after they divorced right up until his death in 1992. Full of detail about Tal and their life together, it is a tale of triumph and tragedy, love, parenthood, sorrow, jealousy, betrayal and revenge. Colored by a historical and social background including the Second World War, the Soviet chess scene, Rigan high society, the shadow economy in the Soviet Union, and Jewish emigration, it contains a fascinating portrait of Misha’s mysterious family and is illustrated with photos from Sally’s private archive. And it all just happens to be true…

Genres: Chess

223 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2019

Reviews

[Gaynor Evans]

I read it because my husband, a huge chess and Tal fan got it for me. As someone who doesn't really like the game but is fascinated by the players, it was slightly meh. Written by his ex wife it doesn't paint a pretty picture of Tal, with his chain smoking, women chasing and his continuous ill health. I would have rather have read a straight biography about him than this rather "poor me" one clothed within what is basically Sally Landaus biography that happens to mention Mikhail Tal. Disappointed!

[Reader]

A truly remarkable book on the Great M Tal.

Chess players are all aware of his games and his general ill health. After decades of playing, most people are not aware of the man or the father or the husband. This book changes all that. It shows his humanness and his faults and also demonstrates what we all knew really that, he was not very practical and his life was really just chess The chapter on his death is quite detailed and difficult at times to read but it is needed,

[Josh Sherman]

Four stars from a Tal fan, but this book should appeal to anyone interested in "memoir." I appreciate Landau's natural tone and style. It's good, conversational writing that recounts her time spent with an incomparable character.

[Joka Malany Kokora]

Extremely great!

[idk man]

I will always speak fondly of this book. Its intangible regret taught me things that normally would take many more years to understand.