Botvinnik — chess genius and hard worker

by Stephan Oliver Platz
11/8/2018 – In a day or two, Fabiano Caruana will challenge Magnus Carlsen. Will there be the new World Chess Champion by the end of the month? Commentator STEPHAN OLIVER PLATZ examines some history of the sixth World Champion, chess legend Mikhail Botvinnik, including select games against Capablanca, Alekhine, Reshevsky and Portisch. | Photo: J.D. Noske, Nationaal Archief, von li: Max Euwe, Vasily Smyslov, Paul Keres, Mikhail Botvinnik and Samuel Reshevsky.

Our experts show, using the games of Botvinnik, how to employ specific openings successfully, which model strategies are present in specific structures, how to find tactical solutions and rules for how to bring endings to a successful conclusion

Learning from the past

On this occasion, I would like to look back a bit in the history of chess and take a closer look at one of Carlsen's predecessors, Dr. Mikhail Botvinnik. 70 years ago, in 1948, he became World Champion, but already in the 1930s he belonged to the absolute world top. Let's examine how he did it and why he was so successful.

Mikhail Botvinnik was born on August, 17th, 1911 in the small village of Kuokkala, which is today part of Saint Petersburg. When he started playing chess, he was already 12 years old. Nevertheless, he made rapid progress and won two years later a nice game against  the World Champion José Raúl Capablanca during  a simultaneous exhibition in Leningrad, as St. Petersburg was then called.

 
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1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 Bb4 A good move, although rarely played. 5...Be7 leads to the main variations of the Queen's Gambit Declined. 5...c6 6.Nf3 Qa5 is Pillsbury's so-called "Cambridge Springs" variation. 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Qb3 c5 8.dxc5 Qa5! 8...Bxc5 9.Nxd5 9.Bxf6 Nxf6 10.0-0-0? The white king is in danger on the queenside. Therefore 10.Bd3= is better. 10...0-0 11.Nf3 Be6 12.Nd4 Rac8 It is obvious now that the white king on the c-file is misplaced. This is why Capablanca tries to keep the c-file closed. 13.c6 Bxc3 14.Qxc3 14.cxb7? Bxd4+ 15.bxc8Q Rxc8+ 16.Kb1 Be5-+ threatening Rb8, d4 or Ne4. After 14.bxc3 bxc6 the c-file is closed, but the b-file is opened instead which is good for Black. 14...Qxa2 15.Bd3 bxc6 16.Kc2 Threatening to win the queen by 17.Ra1. c5 17.Nxe6 17.Ra1? is now useless because of cxd4 18.Rxa2 dxc3-+ 17...Qa4+! This is much better than 17...fxe6 18.Ra1 d4 19.Rxa2 dxc3 20.bxc3 18.b3 Qa2+ 19.Qb2 Qxb2+ 20.Kxb2 fxe6 The 14-year-old Botvinnik came out of the complications a pawn up. 21.f3 Rc7 22.Ra1 c4 23.bxc4 dxc4 24.Bc2 Rb8+ 25.Kc1 Nd5 26.Re1 c3 27.Ra3 27.Re2!? 27...Nb4! 28.Re2 After 28.Rg1 Black will nevertheless win the g-pawn by Nxc2 29.Kxc2 Rb2+ 30.Kc1 Rcb7! 31.Rd1 Rxg2 28...Rd8 29.e4 Rc6 30.Re3? Speeding up the defeat, but after 30.Rxa7 Rd2 31.Rxd2 cxd2+ 32.Kd1 Rxc2 Black is a piece up, too. 30...Rd2! 31.Rexc3 Rxc2+ 32.Rxc2 Rxc2+ and White resigned. 0–1
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Capablanca,J-Botvinnik,M-0–11925Simultaneous exhibition in Leningrad

Botvinnik's way to the top

In 1931, the only 20-year-old Botvinnik won for the first time the Soviet championship and repeated this success in 1933.

Botvinnik in 1936

In Moscow 1935, Botvinnik won his first major international tournament. Among 20 participants, he shared first and second place with Salo Flohr with 13 points out of 19 followed by two former World Champions, Dr. Emanuel Lasker (12½) and José Raúl Capablanca (12). The Austrian grandmaster Rudolf Spielmann ended up fifth (11). Thus, the 23-year-old Botvinnik joined the narrow circle of top grandmasters of that time and became a potential World Championship candidate.

In Moscow 1936, Botvinnik finished second with 12 out of 18 behind Capablanca (13), but well ahead of Flohr (9½), Lilienthal (9), Ragozin (8½) and Lasker (8). The tournament had only half as many participants as in the previous year, namely ten, but two rounds had to be played.

In the tournament of Nottingham 1936, Mikhail Botvinnik came back to the top. He shared the first prize with Capablanca, the world champion from 1921–1927. Both made 10 points out of 14, closely followed by Dr. Max Euwe (the reigning world champion), Reuben Fine and Samuel Rehesvsky (9½ each).  The tournament was incredibly strong. Among the 15 participants were two more former World Champions, Dr. Alexander Alekhine (he finished sixth with 9 points) and Dr. Emanuel Lasker (he and Salo Flohr shared seventh and eighth place with 8½ points each).

Photo (above): Botvinnik in 1936 Nationaal Archief, Den Haag, ANEFO [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Central Committee promotes the young chess talent

Immediately after the tournament, Botvinnik sent a telegram to the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin:

Dearly Loved Mentor and Leader ... I am immensely happy to announce that a representative of Soviet chess has shared first place in the tournament with former World Champion Capablanca. Fueled by your big call 'Get and overtake', I am glad that I managed to make it happen.

In his memoirs, Botvinnik wrote a lot about Nottingham 1936, but he did not mention this telegram. Of course, he had every reason to thank the party, for they actively promoted and supported aspiring chess talents. For his participation in Nottingham Botvinnik asked to be allowed to take his wife. This was not self-evident but was allowed because his results at the tournament in Moscow in 1936 had improved after his wife had come to the last three rounds.

Botvinnik: "Immediately I was given passports, tickets and money. It was quite a lot of money: travel money, about GBP £100, as for People's Commissars." (A)

Botvinnik on Capablanca

It is interesting in this context, what Botvinnik said about the 47-year-old Cuban former World Champion:

Capablanca was not as pretty then as he was in his youth; he had grown fatter, his sparse hair had turned a little grey. He was still charming. (...) Professionally, he did not engage in chess. His talent was as great as he was convinced of himself - at the chessboard he always knew the situation. It had been the same in adolescence as well, but with the inevitable weakening of the ability to evaluate the variations, Capablanca began to think of chess, not just during a game. During the tournaments, he looked closely at the opening systems and came up with new ideas." According to Botvinnik, Capablanca was "extremely dangerous, especially in the endgame.

The game between Capablanca (White) and Botvinnik took place on August 17th, 1936, Botvinnik's 25th birthday, and was not very eventful. One piece after the other was exchanged, and after only 29 moves, a perfectly balanced queen ending was on the board. Botvinnik wrote in his memoirs that he was a little surprised that Capablanca accepted his draw offer:

Maybe a young Capablanca would have started playing for a win, but the older one thought of accepting the proposal. Then the analysis of the game began, and Capablanca gave me a lesson in the queen endgame. How masterfully he centralised his queen and king without paying any attention to the loss of a pawn! But apparently I defended myself in a satisfactory manner, because Capablanca shook my hand after half an hour: 'Yes, a draw was inevitable!' (B)

"What a clever guy"

A pretty episode happened on the last day of the tournament. Let's hear what Botvinnik had to say about it:

Capablanca and I were in the lead with an equal number of points. I played against a weak participant, Winter, Capablanca against Bogolyubov. Some moves had been made, Capablanca took me aside and we walked around the hall. 'You have a good position and I have a good position,' he said. 'Let's both draw and share the first place.' Well, I thought, what a clever guy, Winter is not Bogoljubov. 'Of course, I'm ready to accept your proposal, but what will they say in Moscow?'.

So they kept on playing, but neither Botvinnik nor Capablanca won this last game. (C)

Capablanca in 1930

Capablanca 1930 | Photo: Unknown (Keystone-France) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The AVRO Tournament 1938

The organisers, the Dutch radio company AVRO, considered this event as a candidate tournament to determine the next challenger of World Champion Dr. Alexander Alekhine. In the previous year, he had dethroned the Dutch World Champion Dr. Max Euwe and thus regained his title. Botvinnik was a favourite for 1st place, but he made a silly mistake in his game with Euwe and ended up "only" third with 7½ out of 14 behind the two winners Paul Keres and Reuben Fine (8½ each). Alekhine, Euwe and Reshevsky shared 4th to 6th place (7 each), Capablanca was seventh (6) and Flohr eighth and last (4½).

In this tournament, Botvinnik won brilliantly against Capablanca and his successor, World Champion Dr. Alekhine. Both games can be found with detailed comments by Garry Kasparov in the "MegaBase":

 
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1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e3 Nc6 7.Bc4 cxd4 8.exd4 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Re1 b6 11.Nxd5 exd5 12.Bb5 Bd7 13.Qa4 Nb8 14.Bf4 Bxb5 15.Qxb5 a6 16.Qa4 Bd6 17.Bxd6 Qxd6 18.Rac1 Ra7 19.Qc2 Re7 20.Rxe7 Qxe7 21.Qc7 Qxc7 22.Rxc7 f6 23.Kf1 Rf7 24.Rc8+ Rf8 25.Rc3 g5 26.Ne1 h5 27.h4 Nd7 28.Rc7 Rf7 29.Nf3 g4 30.Ne1 f5 31.Nd3 f4 32.f3 gxf3 33.gxf3 a5 34.a4 Kf8 35.Rc6 Ke7 36.Kf2 Rf5 37.b3 Kd8 38.Ke2 Nb8 39.Rg6 Kc7 40.Ne5 Na6 41.Rg7+ Kc8 42.Nc6 Rf6 43.Ne7+ Kb8 44.Nxd5 Rd6 45.Rg5 Nb4 46.Nxb4 axb4 47.Rxh5 Rc6 48.Rb5 Kc7 49.Rxb4 Rh6 50.Rb5 Rxh4 51.Kd3 1–0
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Botvinnik,M-Alekhine,A-1–01938AVRO7

The "Mega" is the database every serious chessplayer needs. The database contains 7.6 million games from 1500 to 2018, in highest quality standard, full of top level analyses and completely classified.


In 1941, 1944 and 1945 Botvinnik won the Soviet championship, and he also won in Groningen in 1946 with 14½ out of 19 ahead of former World Champion Max Euwe (14) and Vasily Smyslov (12½). A few months earlier, on March 24, 1946, World Champion Dr. Alexander Alekhine had died, and now Botvinnik was widely considered the one who would probably become his successor.

1948: Finally World Champion

In 1948, while Stalin was still alive, Botvinnik finally decided to overtake and became the World Chess Champion. In a World Chess Championship tournament, organised for the first time by FIDE, five participants played five games against each other. The tournament took place from March, 2nd, 1948 to May, 16th, 1948. The first half was played in The Hague and the second in Moscow. Botvinnik won convincingly with 14 out of 20 ahead of Smyslov (11). Samuel Reshevsky and Paul Keres tied for 3rd and 4th place with 10½ each. Former World Champion Euwe ended up fifth and last with only 4 points.

Harold C. Schonberg wrote about Botvinnik's preparation in his book Grandmasters of Chess:

When he was preparing for a match, he went for a walk two hours a day — exactly to the minute. Then breathing exercises followed, and their duration was also exactly defined. Finally, a planned time span for theory and analysis had to be completed. Nothing was allowed to interrupt the schedule. His chess activity, his scientific work and his private life — everything was ordered and calculated. (D)

In addition to the detailed analysis of all games of his opponents and the preparation of variations and their testing in training games Botvinnik's preparation also included aspects which had not much to do with chess. Schonberg reports of a training match against Grandmaster Vyacheslav Ragozin for the purpose of arming himself against smoking opponents: "Ragozin's main task was to blow smoke into Botvinnik's face." (E) This measure is incomprehensible today, but at that time the chess players were allowed to smoke during their games, which could indeed become a problem for a convinced non-smoker. But back to the 1948 World Chess Championship...

Botvinnik or Reshevsky?

The five games between Botvinnik and the American grandmaster Reshevsky were especially hard-fought. Reshevsky, born in 1911 in Ozorkow, Poland, had made a name for himself at a young age as a chess wonder child. In 1920, his family emigrated to the United States, so Reshevsky represented the United States of America at the 1948 World Chess Championship.

When the participants had moved from The Hague to Moscow, where the second half of the tournament was to take place, the members of the Central Committee were worried that Reshevsky might win. Botvinnik was summoned to comment. Botvinnik began with the sentence: "Reshevsky can become World Champion" and described what happened next: "Everybody froze." But Botvinnik managed to dispel the concerns: "I explained that Reshevsky is a natural, a primal chess player, but limited in his understanding of chess — not universal enough; above all, he had an innate athletic flaw — he could not divide his time properly during a game, time trouble came into his game." (F)

Harold C. Schonberg characterised Reshevsky's playing style as follows, confirming Botvinnik's assessment:

He was the only former chess wonder child who did not tend to an open, classic style of play. Instead, he favoured nested, complicated positions. (...) Reshevsky fought for minimal positional advantages; if necessary, he tried to crush his opponent with sheer stamina even if the game dragged on for more than a hundred moves. (...) In another point, too, he was different from the other famous prodigies: he played infinitely slowly. (G)

Reshevsky at the 1948 World Championship | Photo: JD Noske, Nationaal Archief

Let's have a look at Reshevsky's dramatic fourth game against Botvinnik from round 19. In a French defence, Reshevsky (White), after just 20 moves, reached one of those "nested" positions with a blocked centre and interlocking pawn chains. The closed position allowed him to omit castling and launch a king's attack. However, after a premature manoeuvre, Botvinnik seized the initiative and could have easily won a second pawn. Instead, he also launched an attack, which he could complete excellently due to a mistake made by White. Botvinnik summarized the reasons for Rehevsky's defeat as follows:

In the early stages of the game Reshevsky played in a very subtle way, but in the choice of his opening — French defense — he made a mistake: I played this opening for more than twenty years. At the crucial moment, my partner made a mistake and the preponderance went to black. In time trouble Reshevsky worsened his position even more,  and could not change it later in the game. (H)

 
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1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Qc7 7.Qg4 f5 7...Ne7!? 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 10.Ne2 Nbc6 11.f4∞ 8.Qg3 cxd4 9.cxd4 Ne7! 9...Qxc2?! 10.Bd2 Qc7 11.Rc1 Nc6 12.Bb5 Kf7 10.Bd2 10.Qxg7? Qc3+-+ 10...0-0 11.Bd3 b6 Preparing Ba6 in order to get rid of the bad bishop. 12.Ne2 White cannot afford to play 12.c3 Ba6 13.Bb1? because of Qc4! 14.Kd1 Qf1+ 15.Kc2 or 15.Be1 Rc8 15...Nbc6 and Black is better. 12...Ba6 13.Nf4 Qd7 13...Bxd3? is a grave error, for after 14.Nxe6 White threatens not only to win the queen, but also to checkmate on g7. 14.Bxa6 Nxa6 15.Qd3 Nb8 16.h4 Starting a king's attack. By playing 16.0-0 Reshevsky could have chosen a quieter path. 16...Nbc6 17.Rh3 17.h5!? Rac8 18.h6 g6= 17...Rac8 18.Rg3 Kh8 19.h5 Rf7 20.h6 20.a4 Nd8! 21.a5 b5= 20...g6! 20...gxh6? unnecessarily opens the h-file for his opponent, and Black would not even be able to hold the extra pawn on h6. By 20. ..g6! Botvinnik not only keeps the h-file closed, but also prevents Nf4-h5-f6. 21.Rc1 Rff8 22.Ne2 After 22.c4? dxc4 23.Rxc4 Rfd8 Black would get plenty of counterplay on the d-file. 22...Nb8 23.Kf1 Rc4 24.Kg1 Nbc6 25.Bg5 Ng8 26.Re1 Qf7 27.c3 Na5 28.Nf4 Rc6 29.Bf6+? Too early! First White should double his rooks on the e-file by 29.Rge3 Then 30.Bf6+ is a real threat. Black's best defense is Nc4 , e.g. 30.R3e2 Ne7! 30...Nxa3? 31.Bf6+! Nxf6 32.exf6+- 31.Bf6+ Kg8 32.Nh3 Rfc8 33.Ng5 Qe8∞ 29...Nxf6 30.exf6 Nc4! Now White can no longer play Rge3. The pawn f6 can wait, there is no need to take it at once. 30...Qxf6? 31.Rge3!+- 31.Qb1!? A pretty trap, but Botvinnik avoids it. Qxf6 After 31...Nxa3? 32.Qb4! surprisingly White gets the upper hand, e.g. Nc4 or 32...Nc2? 33.Qa4! Nxe1 34.Qxc6 Re8 35.Re3 Nc2 36.Rxe6 Rg8 37.Re7 Qf8 38.Rg7! winning 33.Rxg6! (this marvellous rook sacrifice is possible, because White's queen is attacking Rf8) Rd6! 33...hxg6? 34.Nxg6+! Qxg6 a pretty variation is 34...Kg8 35.Qxf8+ Qxf8 36.Nxf8 Kxf8 37.h7 and the h-pawn cannot be stopped 35.Qxf8+ Kh7 or 35...Qg8 36.Qe7! Nd6 37.Rxe6+- threatening Rxd6 and f7 36.Qe7+! Kg8 36...Kxh6 37.f7+- 37.h7+! (sacrificing the h-pawn to dislodge the king where he can no longer prevent f7) Kh8 37...Qxh7? 38.Qe8# 38.f7 and there is no satisfactory defense against 39.f8Q 34.Rg7 Qxf6 35.Nxe6! Re8 after 35...Qxh6 36.Re7! Rg8 37.f4 the threat 38.Ng5 is advantageous for White. 36.Qa4 with a much better game for White. Black must not take the knight on e6: Rexe6? 37.Qe8+! Rxe8 38.Rxe8+ Qf8 39.Rxf8# 32.a4? By playing 32.Qb5 Rd6 33.Nd3! Reshevsky could reduce White's advantage. If Nxa3 , then 34.Qa6 Nc4 35.Qxa7 or even 35.Ne5!? 32...g5! 33.Nd3 f4!? Botvinnik is not satisfied with winning the pawn on h6, but rather tries to attack the adverse king. 33...Qxh6 34.Rh3 Qf6 with two extra pawns for Black was good enough 34.Rh3 g4 35.Rh1 Rc7 35...g3! should have been played 36.Qc2 36.f3? is bad on account of Rfc8 threatening both 37. ..Ne3 and 37. ..Na3 36...Nd6 37.Ne5 Rc7 and Black is clearly better. 36.Qd1! Qg6 36...f3! 37.g3 Nd6 38.Ne5 Ne4 38...Rg8!? 39.Rxe4! dxe4 40.Qc1! Black has won the exchange. White's only hope is his strong knight on e5 36...g3!? 37.fxg3 fxg3 38.Qg4 Nd2 39.Qxg3 Rxc3 40.Rh3 Qxd4+ 41.Kh2 Ne4 42.Qg4 Rf5∞ A wild position, but far from clearly won, because the Black king is not safe either. 37.Rh4! f3 38.g3 Rcf7 39.Nf4? We'll see that this is the wrong square for the Knight. 39.Ne5! Nxe5 40.Rxe5 would have given Black trouble to convert his extra pawn. 39...Rxf4! A stunning sacrifice. Probably Reshevsky had expected a retreat of the Black queen, e.g. 39...Qg8 40.Nxe6 or 39...Qf5? 40.Rh5 Qf6 41.Rxe6 Qd8 42.Rxd5+- or 39...Qg5? 40.Nxe6+- 40.gxf4 Rxf4! After 40...g3? 41.Qxf3! Nd2 42.Qg2! Rg8 43.fxg3 Qd3 44.Rh3 Nf3+ 45.Kf2 Nxe1 46.Kxe1 White would have got a black eye, but not more. 41.Qb1 Rf5 Threatening 42. ..g3! 42.Qd3 The queen shall go to f1 in order to help her king. Or 42.Kh2 Qg5 , and 43.Kg3? would produce a pretty mate Qf4# 42...g3! Now White is lost in all variations while Black can win in many ways. 43.Qf1 gxf2+ 44.Kxf2 Rg5 Threatening to mate in 2 moves by 45. ..Rg2+. 45.Qh3 45.Kxf3 Nd2+ 45...Rg2+ 46.Kxf3 46.Kf1? Nd2# 46...Nd2+ 47.Ke3 47.Kf4? Qg5# 47...Rg3+ and White resigned. After 47...Rg3+ the following moves might be played: 48.Kxd2 or 48.Qxg3 Qxg3+ 49.Kxd2 Qxh4 50.Rxe6 Kg8-+ 48...Qd3+ 49.Kc1 Qxc3+ 50.Kd1 Rxh3 51.Rxe6 51.Rxh3 Qxh3-+ 51...Rd3+! after 51...Rxh4? the trap would have been successful 52.Re8# 52.Ke2 Rd2+ 53.Kf1 Qf3+ and mates next move. 0–1
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Reshevsky,S-Botvinnik,M-0–11948World-ch1719

At the end of the fourth round, Botvinnik had already collected enough points that Reshevsky could only catch up with him, but could not overtake him, and only if he had won all the remaining games and Botvinnik himself had lost all. The "danger" that an American could become world champion was averted.

Botvinnik had become World Champion deservedly. This is evident from the fact that he had won against all participants of the World Championship tournament: 1-0 with 4 draws against Smyslov, 4-1 against Keres, 2-0 with three draws against Euwe and 3: 1 with one draw against Reshevsky. What an amazingly low number of draws for a World Championship!

In this context, it should be mentioned that in 1948 yet another American had the chance to play for the world title, namely grandmaster Reuben Fine, who had won the AVRO tournament in 1938 with Keres. He had been invited to the World Championship tournament, but he had cancelled his participation. Let's wait and see if Fabiano Caruana will do better against Magnus Carlsen than Reshevsky did in 1948 against Botvinnik.

1968: Botvinnik wins brilliantly against Portisch

Botvinnik also worked as an electrical engineer and devoted himself to his doctoral thesis in this field for three years after winning the World Chess Championship in 1948. Despite the associated more or less long breaks, Botvinnik retained his title until 1963, apart from two one-year interruptions. He twice played 12:12 against David Bronstein (1951) and Vasily Smyslov (1954). In 1957 he was defeated by Smyslov and 1960 by the chess wizard Mikhail Tal, but in both cases, Botvinnik won back his title one year later. Only in 1963, he was finally replaced by the Armenian Tigran Petrosian as World Champion. Petrosian won 5:2 with 15 draws, and this time there was no rematch.

Similar to his idol Lasker, Botvinnik was able to maintain his playing strength for a very long time. The following game against the Hungarian grandmaster and multiple World Championship candidate Lajos Portisch proves that. It was played in Monte Carlo 1968:

 
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1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Be6 The opening theory recommends 5...Nb6 5...Nxc3 6.bxc3 only strengthens White's centre. 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.0-0 Nb6 7...Be7 8.d4! 8.d3 Be7 9.a3 a5 9...0-0= 10.Be3 0-0 11.Na4 Nxa4 11...e4!? 12.Ne1! exd3 13.Nxd3 Nc4 14.Bc5 Re8= 11...Nd5!?= 12.Qxa4 Bd5 12...Bf6! 13.Bc5 Re8= 13.Rfc1 13.Qb5 Nd4 and the game is even, e.g. 14.Nxd4 Bxg2 15.Ne6 fxe6 16.Kxg2 Qd5+! 17.Qxd5 exd5= 13...Re8 14.Rc2 Bf8 15.Rac1 Nb8? Black is convinced that the white rook must not take the pawn on c7. Therefore he retreats his queen's knight preparing 16. ..c6. 15...h6 would have been much better. The White pieces cannot enter g5, and Black's king gets another empty square (h7). 16.Rxc7! The ex-World Chess Champion from the Soviet Union ignores the threatening imprisoning of his rook. Bc6 This is what Portisch wanted: Trapping White's rook in order to win the exchange for a pawn. But Botvinnik has found a tactical refutation: After 16...Nc6 17.Rxb7 Nd4 18.Nxd4 Bxb7 19.Bxb7 exd4 20.Bxd4 Rb8 21.Bf3 White has two strong bishops and three pawns for the exchange. 17.R1xc6! bxc6 After 17...Nxc6 White also plays 18.Rxf7! , e.g. Kxf7 18...Nd4 19.Rd7! 19.Qc4+ Kg6 19...Re6 20.Ng5++- 19...Ke7 20.Bg5+ winning the queen 20.Qg4+ Kf7 20...Kf6 21.Bg5++- 21.Ng5+ Kg8 21...Kf6 22.Qf3+ Kg6 23.Qf7+ Kh6 24.g4 g6 25.Qxh7# 22.Qc4+ Kh8 23.Nf7+ Kg8 24.Nh6+! Kh8 25.Qg8# 18.Rxf7! h6 After 18...Kxf7 19.Qc4+ Black loses his queen or he is mated, e.g. Kg6 Other moves are weaker, e.g. 19...Qd5 20.Ng5+ attacking king and queen at the same time 19...Re6 20.Nxe5+! Ke8 20...Kf6 21.Qh4+! and mates next move 20...Ke7 21.Bg5+ 21.Qxe6+ Qe7 22.Bxc6+ Nxc6 23.Qxc6+ Kd8 24.Bb6+ Qc7 25.Qd7# 19...Kf6 20.Bg5+ winning the queen 20.Qg4+ Kf7 or 20...Kf6 21.Bg5+ and again, Black's queen is lost 21.Ng5+ Qxg5! Black must sacrifice his queen or he will be mated: 21...Kg8 22.Qc4+ Qd5 23.Bxd5+ Kh8! 24.Nf7+ Kg8 25.Bxc6 Nxc6 26.Nh6+ Kh8 27.Qg8# 21...Kf6 22.Qf3+ Kg6 23.Qf7+ Kh6 24.g4 g6 25.Qxh7# 21...Kg6 22.Be4+ Kf6 23.Qf5+ Ke7 24.Qe6# 21...Ke7 22.Qe6# 22.Qc4+! (a useful check) Re6 23.Bxg5 Nd7 24.Bh3+- winning the exchange. 19.Rb7 Qc8 19...Qd5 20.Nd4!+- 19...e4!? 20.Nh4 Qc8! 20...exd3? is bad on account of 21.Qc4+ Kh7 or 21...Kh8 22.Ng6+ Kh7 23.Be4+- 22.Be4+ Rxe4 22...Kh8? 23.Ng6+ Kh7 24.Ne7+ Kh8 25.Qg8# 23.Qxe4+ Kg8 24.Qe6+ Kh7 25.Qxh6+! Kg8 26.Qe6+ Kh7 27.Qg6+ and wins 21.Qc4+ Qe6 22.Qxe4 Qxe4 23.Bxe4+- 20.Qc4+ Kh8 20...Qe6 21.Nxe5! Qxc4 22.Nxc4+- 21.Nh4 21.Rf7! looks even better. Then 22.Nh4 is threatening, but also 22.Bxh6!, e.g. Na6 21...Qe6? loses on the spot because of 22.Rxf8+!+- 22.Bxh6! gxh6 22...Re6 23.Bh3+- 23.Qe4 Bg7 24.Ng5! a pretty knight sacrifice forces mate hxg5 25.Qg6 Rg8 26.Qh5+ Bh6 27.Qxh6# 21...Qxb7? Allowing a pretty finish. 21...Qe6! was much tougher 22.Qe4 Black has a rook for a bishop and two pawns, but the white position is clearly superior. How shall Nb8 be developped without losing c6? Furthermore White is threatening Bxh6 and Ng6+ as well, e.g. Ra6 22...Nd7 23.Qxc6 23.Ng6+ 23.Bf3 is good, too. Nd7? 24.Bg4+- 23.Bxh6!? c5 23...gxh6? 24.Qh7# 23...Qxh6? 24.Ng6+ Kg8 24...Kh7 25.Nxf8+ 25.Qc4+ Kh7 26.Be4+- 24.Bd2 Nd7 25.Bf3+- 23...Kg8 24.Nxf8 Rxf8 a pretty variation is 24...Kxf8? 25.Bh3! Qxh3 25...Qf6 26.Qh7+- 26.Qf3+ Kg8 27.Qf7+ Kh8 28.Qxg7# 25.Bc5 Re8 26.Bh3! Qf6 26...Qxh3? 27.Qg6+- 27.d4 Ra8 28.f4+- 22.Ng6+ Kh7 23.Be4! Now Black cannot avoid a discovered check by a move of the white knight. Bd6 24.Nxe5+ g6 24...Kh8 25.Nf7+ 25.Bxg6+ Kg7 or 25...Kh8 26.Nf7+ Kg7 27.Nxd6+- If Black tries to save his queen, he will be mated, e.g. Qe7 or 27...Qd7 28.Nxe8+ Kxg6 29.Qg8+ Kf5 30.g4+ Ke5 31.f4# 28.Nxe8+ Kxg6 29.Qg8+ Kh5 30.h3! and there is no defense against the threatening mate. 26.Bxh6+! Well played. Black resigned, because his queen is lost: 26.Bxh6+ Kxh6 26...Kh8? 27.Nf7+ Kg8 28.Nxd6++- 26...Kf6? 27.Qf4+ Ke6 28.Bf7+ Ke7 29.Qg5# 27.Qh4+ Kg7 28.Qh7+ etc. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Botvinnik,M-Portisch,L-1–01968Monte Carlo7

The cancelled match with Bobby Fischer

In 1969 there were long negotiations for a match Botvinnik against Bobby Fischer. What a pity that this match did not come to pass! Botvinnik had suggested to play 16 games against the American, but Fischer insisted that the winner should be the one who scored six wins without limiting the total number of games. After all, Botvinnik would have agreed with 18 games, but Fischer refused again. Botvinnik wrote about this in his memoirs:

No matter how the match would have gone (Fischer would probably have won), the American could learn a lot from me (...) I told him that I'm not able to play more than eighteen games, and I suggested a compromise: we should play up to six won games, but if eighteen games were too few, the winner would be determined by point majority. Fischer did not accept that too. Now many realised that Fischer had a manic fear of starting the match." (I)

In fact, Botvinnik and Fischer played only one single tournament game against each other during the 1962 Chess Olympiad in Varna. After a dramatic fight and 68 moves, it ended in a draw.

The "Patriarch"

In 1970, Botvinnik ended his career as a professional chess player and devoted himself to the development of a chess program, a project he had already started in 1963. In addition, he successfully trained and promoted young chess talents. The World Champions Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik were students of his chess school. Botvinnik died on May 5th, 1995 in Moscow at the age of 83. He was respectfully called the "patriarch."


References

  • (a) Michail Botvinnik, "Schacherinnerungen" (Düsseldorf 1981), S. 64 ff.
  • (b) Michail Botvinnik, "Schacherinnerungen" (Düsseldorf 1981), S. 72-73
  • (c) Michail Botvinnik, "Schacherinnerungen" (Düsseldorf 1981), S. 74
  • (d) Harold C. Schonberg, "Die Großmeister des Schach" (Frankfurt/M. 1976), S. 222
  • (e) Harold C. Schonberg, "Die Großmeister des Schach" (Frankfurt/M. 1976), S. 226
  • (f) Michail Botvinnik, "Schacherinnerungen" (Düsseldorf 1981), S. 155-156
  • (g) Harold C. Schonberg, "Die Großmeister des Schach" (Frankfurt/M. 1976), S. 206-207
  • (h) Michail Botvinnik, "Schacherinnerungen" (Düsseldorf 1981),  S. 157
  • (i) Michail Botvinnik, "Schacherinnerungen" (Düsseldorf 1981),  S. 255-256

Stephan is a passionate collector of chess books and for years he has been successfully playing as an amateur for his German club. The former musician and comedian works as a freelance journalist and author in Berlin and in the Franconian village Hiltpoltstein.

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