Mikhail Tal, known as Mischa, (Riga, 9 November 1936 – Moscow, 28 June 1992) was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.
Tal played in 21 Soviet championships, winning it six times, a record only equalled by Botvinnik. He was a member of eight Soviet teams which won the gold medal in chess Olympiads. He won the individual gold medal five times.
He holds the records for both the first and second longest unbeaten streaks in competitive chess history.p43 Many authorities consider him to have been the greatest attacking player of all time.