Mikhail Botvinnik

Mikhail Moiseevich Botvinnik (??????? ?????????? ??????????) (August 17, 1911 - May 5,1995) was a Jewish Russian International Grandmaster and long-time World Champion of chess.

World Champion

Not surprisingly, Botvinnik continued to build on these successes and went on to hold the title of World Champion on three separate occasions (1948-57, 1958-60, 1961-63). His longevity at the top level of chess is attributed to his extreme dedication to study. Pre-match preparation and post-match analysis had not featured quite so prominently in the armoury of many of his predecessors, but this was Botvinnik's real strength. Technique over tactics, endgame mastery over opening traps. His adoption and development of solid opening lines in the Nimzo-Indian Defence, Slav Defence and Winawer French Defence stood up to the severest scrutiny and he was able to focus on a narrow repertoire of openings during his most important matches, frequently guiding the game into well chosen areas of preparation. There were many "secret" training matches against masters of the calibre of Salo Flohr, Yuri Averbakh and Viacheslav Ragozin. It was the unveiling, many years later, of the details of these matches that provided the chess historian with a fascinating new insight into Botvinnik's reign.

Related Topics:
Endgame - Opening - Nimzo-Indian Defence - Slav Defence - French Defence - Salo Flohr - Yuri Averbakh - Viacheslav Ragozin

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It is perhaps surprising that Mikhail Botvinnik is not widely regarded as a contender for the title of best player of all time. On the one hand, his achievements were undoubtedly impressive and it should be remembered that his main rivals, the younger Paul Keres, David Bronstein, Vasily Smyslov, Mikhail Tal and Tigran Petrosian were all formidable players in their own right. He also inaugurated a new trend with his deep opening preparation and training system.

Related Topics:
Paul Keres - David Bronstein - Vasily Smyslov - Mikhail Tal - Tigran Petrosian

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On the other hand, critics point to his rare appearances in post-World War II tournaments while world champion, and his mediocre record in world title defence matches - out of five title defences, he lost three matches (to Smyslov in 1957, Tal in 1960 and Petrosian in 1963) and struggled to draw the other two (against David Bronstein in 1951 and Smyslov in 1954). He did, however, win two world title matches as the challenger, beating the reigning world champions Smyslov in 1958 and Tal in 1961.

Related Topics:
David Bronstein - 1958 - 1961

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There is also a popular perception that Botvinnik's play was based on correctness rather than the intuitive or the spectacular, an opinion not improved by accounts of his often gruff demeanour and seemingly cold, calculating personality when compared to the genial Tal - although Reuben Fine, one of the strongest players in history not to have won the world title, wrote that Botvinnik's collection of best games was one of "the three most beautiful".

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Three factors contributed to his patchy record. Firstly, World War II broke out just as Botvinnik was entering his prime - had the war had not interrupted international chess competition, Botvinnik would almost certainly have challenged Alexander Alekhine to a world championship match in the early 1940s, and might therefore have won the title as many as eight years before he eventually claimed the crown in 1948. Secondly, he was one of the only world-class chess players who at the same time had a long and distinguished career in another field - the Soviet government decorated him for his achievements in engineering, and Fine has recounted stories which strongly imply that Botvinnik was as committed to engineering as he was to chess. Finally, previous world champions had been free to avoid their strongest competitors, in much the same way heavyweight boxers do to-day; Emanuel Lasker became notorious for holding on to his title for as long as possible, repeatedly ducking title matches from the likes of José Raúl Capablanca. When FIDE took control of the world championship in 1948, Botvinnik became the first world champion who was forced to play his strongest opponent every three years; even with this added challenge, Botvinnik still held the world title longer than any of the players who followed him, other than Kasparov.

Related Topics:
Alexander Alekhine - Fine - Emanuel Lasker - José Raúl Capablanca - FIDE - Kasparov

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