Editing Mikhail Tal (section)

==Soviet champion==
Tal made his first significant appearance at the [[1956 USSR Chess Championship]], sharing 5th–7th place with [[Lev Polugaevsky]] and Ratmir Kholmov.{{sfn|Kasparov|p=383}} [[Grigory Levenfish]] called him "the most colourful figure of the championship" and a "great talent" who strove for "sharp and complicated play".{{sfn|Kasparov|p=383}} However, he was criticised by the media for taking unnecessary risks and having restricted creative views.{{sfn|Kasparov|p=383}} Tal then went to play on board three at the students' championship in [[Sweden]], scoring 6 out of 7.{{sfn|Kasparov|p=388}}

He became the youngest player to win the [[1957 USSR Chess Championship]], at the age of 20. He had not played in enough international tournaments to qualify for the title of [[International Grandmaster|Grandmaster]], but [[FIDE]] decided at its 1957 Congress to waive the normal restrictions and award him the title because of his achievement in winning the Soviet Championship. At that time the [[Soviet Union]] was dominant in world chess, and Tal had beaten several of the world's top players to win the tournament.<ref>{{cite book |author=Clarke, Peter H. |title=Mikhail Tal – Master of Sacrifice |publisher=B.T.Batsford Ltd |year=1991 |isbn=0-7134-6899-8 |page=4}}</ref>

Tal made three appearances for the USSR at Student Olympiads in 1956–1958, winning three team gold medals and three board gold medals. He won nineteen games, drew eight, and lost none, for 85.2 percent.<ref name="olimpbase">{{cite web |url=http://www.olimpbase.org/playersy/o8maieuc.html |title=World Student Team Chess Championship :: Mikhail Tal |website=OlimpBase.org |access-date=24 October 2013}}</ref>

He retained the title of champion at the [[1958 USSR Chess Championship]], and competed in the [[World Chess Championship 1960]] for the first time. He won the 1958 [[Interzonal]] tournament at [[Portorož]], [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]], then helped the Soviet Union to win the [[13th Chess Olympiad|13th]] [[Chess Olympiad]], being its fourth consecutive victory in [[Munich]], [[West Germany]].