Mark Evgenievich Taimanov (1926–2016) was a Russian/Soviet chess grandmaster and concert pianist. He was born and raised in Russia and received piano training at the Leningrad Conservatory. As a chess player, he achieved numerous accomplishments and records throughout his career. In chess, he won the USSR Championships twice, in 1956 and 1958 and was a two-time World Chess Championship Candidate. He earned the title of International Grandmaster in 1952.
He was part of the Soviet team that won the gold medal in five Chess Olympiads. He was equally known for his sparkling playing style, which was full of ingenuity and imbued with fantasy. Taimanov was defeated by Bobby Fischer in 1971 during a Candidates Match, a match still greatly remembered among chess circles. Despite the impediments presented by this loss, Taimanov resumed his chess career, particularly in international tournaments.
Furthermore, Taimanov was also an accomplished concert pianist, formed a piano duo with his first wife, Lyubov Bruk, and they were considered one of the world's leading piano duos. Their interpretation of the Mozart sonatas has been considered second to none. Taimanov maintained throughout his life a stoic view in the face of adversity, as evidenced by his quote: “I had the rare fortune of living two lives, one dedicated to music, and the other to chess."
Taimanov was married four times and had three children, one of whom was a son born to him and his fourth wife when he was 78. He died on November 28, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Russia.