He represented the Iraqi national team in the Chess Olympiad on three occasions, 1972 in Skopje, 1974 in Nice and 1984 in Thessaloniki.[1] In the 1972 Olympiad he played the top board for Iraq which eventually finished second last, Taha scoring 4 wins, 4 draws and 9 losses.[2] However his upset win over the grandmaster Walter Browne in the match against Australia was spectacular and became part of the chess education for all Iraqi chess players,[3] and Simon Webb in Chess for Tigers selected this game as one of two examples of "How to trap Heffalumps", in a chapter on how to play against opponents who are considerably stronger than oneself.