Editing Mikhail Tal (section)

==Team competitions==
In Chess Olympiad play, Mikhail Tal was a member of eight Soviet teams, each of which won team gold medals (1958, [[14th Chess Olympiad|1960]], [[15th Chess Olympiad|1962]], [[17th Chess Olympiad|1966]], [[20th Chess Olympiad|1972]], [[21st Chess Olympiad|1974]], [[24th Chess Olympiad|1980]], and [[25th Chess Olympiad|1982]]), won 65 games, drew 34, and lost only two games (81.2%). This percentage makes him the player with the best score among those participating in at least four Olympiads. Individually, Tal won seven Olympiad board medals, including five gold (1958, 1962, 1966, 1972, 1974), and two silver (1960, 1982).<ref name="olimpbase"/>

Tal also represented the Soviet Union at six [[European Team Chess Championship|European Team Chess Championships]] (1957, 1961, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1980), winning team gold medals each time, and three board gold medals (1957, 1970, and 1977). He scored 14 wins, 20 draws, and three losses, for 64.9%.<ref name="olimpbase"/>
Tal played board nine for the USSR in the first match against the Rest of the World team at [[Belgrade]], SFR Yugoslavia in 1970, scoring 2 out of 4. He was on board seven for the USSR in the second match against the Rest of the World team at [[London]], [[United Kingdom]] in 1984, scoring 2 out of 3. The USSR won both team matches. He was an Honoured Master of Sport.<ref>''The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal'', revised and updated edition, by Mikhail Tal, 1997, London, Everyman Chess.</ref>

From 1950 (when he won the Latvian junior championship) to 1991, Tal won or tied for first in 68 tournaments (see table below). During his 41-year career he played about 2,700 tournament or match games, winning over 65% of them.