Endgame Riddle: Unzicker vs Botvinnik, Amsterdam 1954

by Karsten Müller
1/6/2022 – "One of the most difficult games I have ever played." That is how Mikhail Botvinnik described his encounter with Wolfgang Unzicker from Germany at the Chess Olympiad 1954 in Amsterdam. Botvinnik wound up in a difficult rook ending in which he was a pawn down. However, he managed to save the endgame, once again proving his analytical abilities and his endgame skills. But was the endgame really drawn? Or did Unzicker miss a win? Karsten Müller invites you to take a look at this fascinating endgame. | Photo: Botvinnik at the Chess Olympiad 1960 in Leipzig
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

W. Unzicker - M. Botvinnik, Chess Olympiad Amsterdam 1954

 
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48.h4 f5 After this move the game was adjourned and Botvinnik spent the night looking for a way to draw. First, with his second Salo Flohr, later on his own. 49.g3 Kf8 50.Rd7 e5 51.Kg2 Kg8 52.h5 Ra5 53.h6 Rb5 54.Rg7+ Kh8 55.Re7 Ra5 56.Kf3 Rd5 57.g4 e4+ 58.dxe4 fxg4+ 59.Ke2 d3+ 60.Kd2 Rd4 61.Re8+ Kh7 62.Re6 Ra4 63.Kxd3 Ra3+ 64.Ke2 Rf3 65.e5 Rf5 66.Ke1 Rf4 67.Rf6 Re4+ 68.Kf1 Rxe5 69.Kg2 Ra5 70.Kg3 Rg5 71.Kh4 Rg8 72.Kh5 g3 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Unzicker,W-Botvinnik,M-½–½1954C18Olympiad-11 Final A9

In the end Botvinnik escaped into a draw. But where did Unzicker miss the win? Or is the position after 48.h4 really drawn though Black's king is cut off along the seventh and Black is a clear pawn down?

What do you think? Please, share your ideas, thoughts and analyses in the comments!

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Karsten Müller is considered to be one of the greatest endgame experts in the world. His books on the endgame - among them "Fundamentals of Chess Endings", co-authored with Frank Lamprecht, that helped to improve Magnus Carlsen's endgame knowledge - and his endgame columns for the ChessCafe website and the ChessBase Magazine helped to establish and to confirm this reputation. Karsten's Fritztrainer DVDs on the endgame are bestsellers. The mathematician with a PhD lives in Hamburg, and for more than 25 years he has been scoring points for the Hamburger Schachklub (HSK) in the Bundesliga.

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