This is the fifth book about the work of Mikhail Tal, covering seven years (1980-1986) full of contrasts, hopes and disappointments. After the triumphant 1979, when Tal, according to the International Chess Press Association, rose to second (following A. Karpov) position in the top ten contenders for the chess Oscar, followed by 1980, as a result of which the Riga resident fell out of the top ten. What is this? Sunset? It didn’t happen at all - the very next year Tal won all the competitions in which he participated, and did not lose a single one of the 74 games played, gaining 53 points (71.6%)! One cannot help but note an alarming symptom - Tal’s unusual peacefulness in a number of tournaments (Bugoino, 1980 - 8 draws in 11 games, Tilburg, 1980 - 9 out of 11, Niksic, 1983 - 12 out of 14, Lvov, 1983 - 12 out of 13, Sochi, 1984 . - 10 out of 14...), moreover, more and more often peace agreements were concluded before the 20th move. There was no longer enough energy for all the tournaments, for all the games. And yet, during this period, Tal not only upset his fans. Two - the seventh and eighth - Olympic gold medals were won, victories were won in 14 international tournaments, many excellent games were played. Compiled by V. F. Kirillov