by Mikhail Tal, 496 pp. (Everyman Chess 1997)

Mikhail Tal, the "Magician from Riga", was the greatest attacking World Champion of them all, and this enchanting autobiography chronicles his extraordinary career with charm and humor. Dazzling games are interspersed throughout with anecdotes and witty self-interviews, and in typically objective fashion he relates both the ups and downs of his encounters.

Tal's annotations in this book are a world apart from ordinary game collections. No reader could fail to be swept along by his passion and vitality as he sets the scene for an encounter and then recounts every psychological twist and turn.