Some Pictures

Picture 23:

Picture 24:

Picture 1 is M. Botvinnik and S. Flohr. I guess that's Flohr on the far left so I don't know who Botvinnik is playing. Picture 5 is P. Romanovsky, and he must be one of the men sitting, but I really can't tell which. He would've been 53 in 1945. Here's another pic of him:

Botvinnik-Flohr. By the opening I believe this is their game in Moscow, 1944.

Edit: On second thought they look a little old for 1944...hard to date this.

 splendid display of chess history.please contact me at msendil_mgt@rediffmail.com for collaboration

picture 20 , from which game of Tal is it ? From the chessboard position I searched many games of Tal having white on Riga Ch 1955 but no luck

5 years late man.

It was a game in the semifinals of the USSR championship in Riga in 1955 (won by Tal). I'll leave it to you to find which game.

Thanks Batgirl for the answer , now I checked by position (white pawn a6 - black pawn a7) all white games of Tal from that championship and neither of them ever had pawns like that.The only game i couldn't check was Tal-Gurgenidze (unavailable to all sources)...so...is that the game?

I really want to learn Russian. I spent too much time on the first one and this is what I came up with though I'm sure the last word really means something else in Russian. I also had to use trial and error on a couple of the words:

1: Со старшими коллегами С. Флором и М. Ботвинником – уже гроссмейстер и шахматный принц

According to Google:

With older colleagues S. Flora (Flohr) and M. Botvinnik - already grandmaster and chess Prince

2: Рихард(ъ?) Рети в начале пути

Richard Reti at the beginning

М. Ботвинник и В. Рагозин. Идет подготовка к матчу на первенство мира с Д. Бронштейном (Москва, 1951 г)

M. Botvinnik and V. Ragozin . Preparations for world championship match with D. Bronstein ( Moscow, 1951 )

4. Одна из первых турнирных встреч В. Рагозина с П. Кересом (Ленинград, 1939 в.)

One of the first tournament meetings with V. Ragozin P. Keres (Leningrad , 1939 ).

 5. Радиоматч СССР – США (1945). В штабе по проведению соревнования. Слева
Л. Ромоновоский, в центре – руководитель технической службы Н. Фелдман

Thanks Martin.

It's kind of fun, isn't it? 

Some years ago I did a 5 part article on the beginnings of Russian chess and 90% of the information I garnered from Russian books.  I had to type everything out on a virtual Cyrillic keyboard, then put that through a translator.  I spent hours on a single paragraph sometimes.  Oddly enough, the Russian translations in this multi-step process came out better than most translations from the Romance language, Italian.  Translating from Russian is not an easy process but it's somehow gratifying.

7. «Детский сад» 1953 года. А. Гипслис и Таль

"Kindergarten" in 1953 . A. Gipslis and Tal

That has to be a literal translation by Google. Not sure what it really is.

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8. Когда мы были молодыми

When we were young

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9. Г. Рабинович, М. Ботвинник, Г. Гольдберг, М. Тайманов, Ленинград, клуб И. М. Чигорина, 1948 год

G. Rabinovich , M. Botvinnik , G. Goldberg , M. Taimanov , Leningrad club IM Chigorin , 1948

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10. В лаборатории ЦНИЭЛ. 1947

In TSNIEL laboratory. 1947

I think the acronym might be wrong.

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11. «Поначалу наши отношения были совершенно нормальными... Мы не были близки – но и не конфликтовали» (Карпов)

"At first our relationship was perfectly normal ... We were not close - but not in conflict " ( Karpov )

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12. Соперники: Пауль Керес и Пауль ШмидТ

Opponents: Paul Keres and Paul Schmidt

You never cease to amaze me Batgirl. You are an excellent researcher. I love chess history. Thanks for the great pictures, and your tireless dedication. I actually met Spassky. The Russians loved their chess, so many great champions. Spassky was a cool guy. Very athletic, and very personable. He had a great sense of humor. He was a 1st class ambassador for chess.

I really liked the way he moved his pieces also, which I have never seen anyone else do. It was artistic, and he would lift the piece with his palm held upward, and between middle finger, and ring finger at approximately second joint of his right hand, gently lifting it almost like dancing or caressing the piece.

Well that was the sense I felt, as he moved his pieces, not rushing and fondly as if it was of a loving, kind, fond nature. Very unique, what a great guy and player.

13. В кругу юных соотечественников

In the circle of young compatriots

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14.  Карлсбад, 1911. Справа налево: К. Шлехтер, победитель турнира Р. Тейхман муниципальный советник Карлсбада В. Тиц

Carlsbad , 1911. From left to right : Karl Schlechter , tournament winner R. Teyhman (Teichmann) councilor Carlsbad V. Tietz

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15.  Уютная обстановка дома создавала хорошее настроение, 1968

Cozy atmosphere at home has created a good mood 1968

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16.  Вася Смыловс отцом, 1935

Vasily Smylovs father 1935

I took the liberty of placing Vasily there ... Google translated it as Bob. Appears that form is a nickname for Vasily, Vasya?

Yeah, it is kind of fun. Though it is time consuming. I really need to learn the correct pronunciation of the letters so I can kind of verbalize them to myself when doing it. It would probably go faster.

I basically did it the same way you did after trying to take pictures and having Google Translate do it on my phone. It kind of worked but would have taken taken even longer to clean up.

If no one does the rest of them I may do a few more tomorrow night

Added, Thanks Martin for your contributions as well, as for everyone elses also. 

I wanted to add this to my previous post also. About the way Spassky moved his pieces. While I really liked the way he moved his pieces, I believe I understand why I got the sense I did. It was as though he was fondly remembering the many times he had moved that particular piece, and there was also a hint of sadness behind it. Perhaps because of the circumstances he lost his crown.

I haven't reflected on the sense I felt a great deal, but now when I see him playing in my minds eye, the fondness I sensed he had when he moved his pieces, must of been tinged with sadness, and loss as well.

I have always been blessed with picking up on certain things within others.

While I can't verify it, and I didn't commit on it at the time. I kind of feel sad for him after his loss to Fischer, and the way he was treated afterwards. That in, and of itself would make a great story.