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This is part three of a story on "Checkmate" (part 1 | part 2), a book authored by Sally Landau
Sally and Misha separated. Misha found his anchor in Gelya (Angelina) who was to be his wife for the rest of his life.
Sally was not so fortunate. Lonely and insecure, she drifted from one relationship to another. She was advised there would be better prospects for her singing career in Europe. She could not get her son out of the country and had to leave by herself. She wandered from one end of Europe to another, till she made Antwerp, Belgium her home.
She and Misha continued to remain the best of friends.
Indeed, Misha longed for her. He would try and meet her whenever he was participating in a tournament in Europe. The most poignant of those meetings was in 1981 at Malaga, Spain. Misha desperately wanted to see her and arranged for the whole trip. When they saw each other it was a kind of shock. They were no longer young. Both had grown old and felt dangerously ill. Both recovered soon enough and revived their spirits. They stayed together in the same hotel. She washed his lucky shirt every day. He refused to wear any other. He won the tournament and was happy. The opposition was not strong and the score was modest, 7/11 (+3 =8 -0). Still, it was a sweet victory in the company of Saska (as he always called her).The parting was sad; Misha tried to make up for it with a smile. Much of what they wished to say to each other remained unspoken.
The newly-weds surrounded by family and friends, Valentin Kirillov and Alexander Roshal | Photo: Svetlana Punte / "Gelya" Album
Now comes the surprising part of the whole story. On her return to Antwerp, Sally happened to meet Joe Kramarz, a prominent jeweller. Unlike other men, Joe treated her with exquisite courtesy and decency. He was aware of the vulnerability of her position and remained sensitive to her feelings. That won her over to him. They were soon to marry.
As it happened, Joe Kramarz was a chess fan, and Misha was his idol. He was stunned to learn that Sally was Misha’s wife before. He could not wait to see the legend and be introduced. When they finally met, Misha had a kind of heartburn, thinking he had lost Sally for good to this stranger. His apprehensions were wrong. Joe had a warm and generous spirit, and he made Misha feel welcome. Thus developed a rare camaraderie between the two men to the surprise and delight of Sally. On her part, she took care of the occasional pangs of jealousy on either side with tact and understanding. And there was mirth. They would sit and play chess.
Master Class Vol.2: Mihail Tal
On this DVD Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin, Oliver Reeh and Karsten Müller present the 8. World Chess Champion in video lessons: his openings, his understanding of chess strategy, his artful endgame play, and finally his immortal combinations.
Misha Tal, Sally Landau and Joe Kramarz having a good time
The result of course was predictable: Joe would lose five or six games in a row. A disappointing result. For him, it was still a dream come true, playing with his idol.
This friendship lasted seven years till Kramarz passed away. It was cancer.
Sally was heartbroken. Misha phoned her from the USSR and did his best to console her, telling her he was always there for her. Inwardly, he knew his own end was near.
To be continued...
