Vease, you're mistaken too... Tal wasn't a Latvian, he was a Jew, as a lot of Soviet era GMs. It was one of those (not so many) fields where they were not discriminated, and choose it to succeed.
Why Russians are Good in Chess?
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He was Latvian and Jewish, I fail to see why these are mutually exclusive.
Dec 30, 2012
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#64
Ohhh! Nice to see my post surfaced again like some kinda message in a bottle !! 
mb68 wrote:
Vease, you're mistaken too... Tal wasn't a Latvian, he was a Jew, as a lot of Soviet era GMs. It was one of those (not so many) fields where they were not discriminated, and choose it to succeed.
Judaism is a religion, not a nationality. You are correct otherwise though, maybe a better topic title is 'Why were so many great players Jewish?'
Lets Not Start Slinging Racial or Religious Pies Around.
The Jews were Good Because they Lived in that Area of Mother Russia, And Chess & Russia go Hand in Hand...
And Thats the End of it...
The Soviet state took advantage of a Russian cultural heritage, they didn't invent it. Take a look at the great Russian chess players who learned to play before the 1917 revolution.
...There were great russian players. There were great german players. American, spain and italian ones were also. Alekhine was a word champion, but he's the 4th.
I am talking about the difference, and I believe difference is simple - chess was pushed to the russian MASS culture. Pushed by Stalin, AFAIK.
@Stevie65
We can fly! But only once and down from the roof :(