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Botvinnik, Mikhail Moiseyevich |
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One
of the best chess player of the 20th century, selected by
the readers of Chess Informant |
Birth:
Aug 17, 1911, Kuokkala, Russia
Death: May 5, 1995, Moscow, Russia
International Grandmaster, 1950
USSR Champion, 1931, 1933, 1939, 1941, 1944, 1945, 1952
World Champion, 1948-1957, 1958-1960, 1961-1963 |
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The
most important results:
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1935
Moscow 1st-2nd
1936 Nottingham 1st-2nd
1938 Amsterdam (AVRO) 3rd
1946 Groningen 1st
1947 Moscow 1st
1948 The Hague/Moscow 1st
1954 Moscow (m), Smyslov 12:12
1957 Moscow (m), Smyslov 9,5:12,5
1958 Moscow (m), Smyslov 12,5:10,5
1960 Moscow (m), Tal 8,5:12,5
1961 Moscow (m), Tal 13:8
1961/62 Hastings 1st
1962 Stockholm 1st
1963 Moscow (m), Petrosian 9,5:12,5
1963 Amsterdam 1st
1965 Nordwijk 1st
1966/67 Hastings 1st
1969 Wijk aan Zee 1st-2nd |
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The
Man - The Monument |
A match
'USSR vs. the rest of the World' |
I am
looking at the photograph of the participants of a match 'USSR vs.
the rest of the World'. Four ex and one current World Champions are sitting
in the front row. The others are standing.
I can see Mikhail Botvinnik's head sticking out from the third row. Botvinnik
is standing in the third row! |
| On a wall
of the House of Chess in Moscow, there are thirteen photographs of The
World Champions. The photo of Mikhail Botvinnik caught my eyes with its
magnetic power. With his strong hand shake and scrutinizing and concentrated
look, Botvinnik observes the person he meets for the first time.
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Cartoon by J. Prokopljevic |
| He
keeps the gusle* he was given in Montenegro on a special spot in his flat.
In the thirties,
when it was an absolute rarity in the USSR for a private person to own
a car, the government gave him one. He showed me a document stating that
Mikhail Botvinnik was granted a monthly purchase of petrol in the amount
of several dozens of litres. The document was signed by J.V. Stalin.
Mikhail Botvinnik was granted a monthly purchase
of petrol in the amount of 250 l.
Botvinnik was a Chairman
of the Soviet-Dutch Association. After being invited to visit the Netherlands,
he applied for the passport and visa. The Sports Minister told him that
his application would be considered. To this, Botvinnik replied: "Tomorrow
at noon I'm coming back to collect my passport and visa.
If the documents are not ready by then, I'm calling a press conference
to announce my withdrawal from the membership in the Soviet Chess Federation."
The next day at noon sharp, his passport and visa were ready. Only Mikhail
Botvinnik could speak with the Soviet Minister like that. |
Botvinnik-Bronstein, 1951 |
On one
occasion, Kasparov made a list of his ten closest friends, among which were
his mother, Botvinnik and some others. Later, during the Soviet Championship,
in a dispute, acting as a referee of the tournament and according to his
own conscience, Botvinnik arbitrated against Kasparov. |
After that incident, their relationship was spoilt for good. Botvinnik never
made concessions and compromises to the detriment of principles. It was
the way he lived and this made him a monument during his lifetime. |
| Botvinnik
always propounded four conditions on which success of chess players depended:
talent, character, good health and special preparations. Kotov summarized
in two words the entire Botvinnik's contribution to chess: 'SCHOLARLY NATURE'. |
Smyslov-Botvinnik, 1958 |
| The chess
history records dual behavior of chess players in their old age. Some stay
devoted or bound to competitive chess. The others however, including Botvinnik,
after realizing that their talent and knowledge are not decisive, but staying
awake on a night after a lost match, they do not to want to drag their names
on the margins any more. |
He turned
the last page of his life and devoted himself to studying the use of computers
in chess. Could computers play better than Grandmasters one day? Yes,
they could', says Botvinnik. 'Yet chess will still be played. People invented
cars and planes but they are still competing in a 100 and 1000 meters
runs'.
*(a Balkan musical instrument)
By
A. Matanovic |
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Botvinnik - Alekhine [D
41]
Amsterdam 1938
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 c5 5.cd5 Nd5 6.e3 Nc6 7.Bc4 cd4 8.ed4
Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Re1 b6?! [10...Nc3! 11.bc3 b6 Botvinnik] 11.Nd5!
ed5 12.Bb5 Bd7? [12...Bb7! 13.Qa4 Rc8 14.Bf4 a6! Kasparov] 13.Qa4
Nb8 [13...Rc8 14.Bd2! a6 15.Bc6 Bc6 16.Qa6± Kasparov] 14.Bf4
Bb5 15.Qb5 a6 16.Qa4 Bd6 17.Bd6 Qd6 18.Rac1 Ra7 19.Qc2 Re7 20.Re7 Qe7
21.Qc7 Qc7 [21...Qe6!? 22.h3±] 22.Rc7 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 gf3 33.gf3 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.Nd5 Rd6 45.Rg5 Nb4 46.Nb4 ab4 47.Rh5 Rc6 48.Rb5 Kc7 49.Rb4 Rh6 50.Rb5
Rh4 51.Kd3 1-0
Botvinnik - Capablanca [E
49]
Amsterdam 1938
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3
d5 5.a3 Bc3 6.bc3 c5 7.cd5 ed5 8.Bd3 0-0 9.Ne2 b6 10.0-0 Ba6 11.Ba6 Na6
12.Bb2? [12.Qd3!] 12...Qd7
13.a4 Rfe8? [13...cd4!? 14.cd4 Rfc8! Botvinnik] 14.Qd3 c4?
[14...Qb7! Botvinnik] 15.Qc2 Nb8 16.Rae1 Nc6 17.Ng3 Na5 [17...Ne4
18.Nh1! f5 19.f3± Botvinnik] 18.f3 Nb3 19.e4 Qa4 20.e5 Nd7 21.Qf2
g6 22.f4 f5 23.ef6 Nf6 24.f5 Re1 25.Re1 Re8 [25...Rf8 26.Qf4 Qa2 27.fg6
Qb2 28.g7 Kg7 29.Nf5 Kh8 30.Qd6 Rf7 31.Qf6+- Botvinnik] 26.Re6! Re6
[26...Kg7 27.Rf6! Kf6 28.fg6 Kg6 (28...Ke7 29.Qf7 Kd8 30.g7) 29.Qf5
Kg7 30.Nh5 Kh6 31.h4! Rg8 32.g4 Qc6 33.Ba3!+-] 27.fe6 Kg7 28.Qf4 Qe8
29.Qe5 Qe7 30.Ba3!! Qa3 31.Nh5! gh5 32.Qg5 Kf8 33.Qf6 Kg8 34.e7 Qc1 35.Kf2
Qc2 36.Kg3 Qd3 37.Kh4 Qe4 38.Kh5 Qe2 39.Kh4 Qe4 40.g4 Qe1 41.Kh5 1-0
Botvinnik - Euwe [D
49]
The Hague/Moscow 1948
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3
c6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dc4 7.Bc4 b5 8.Bd3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5 cd4 11.Nb5 ab5
[11...Ne5= Botvinnik] 12.ef6 Qb6 [12...gf6!] 13.fg7 Bg7 14.0-0
Nc5 15.Bf4 Bb7 16.Re1 Rd8? [16...Nd3!? 17.Qd3 Bf3 18.Qf3 0-0 19.Qg3
f6 unclear Keres] 17.Rc1 Rd5 18.Be5 Be5 19.Re5 Re5 20.Ne5 Nd3 [20...Rg8!
Keres] 21.Qd3 f6 22.Qg3! fe5 23.Qg7 Rf8 24.Rc7 Qc7 25.Qc7 Bd5 26.Qe5
d3 27.Qe3 Bc4 28.b3 Rf7 29.f3! Rd7 30.Qd2 e5 31.bc4 bc4 32.Kf2 Kf7 [32...c3
33.Qc3 d2 34.Qc8 Ke7 35.Qd7+-] 33.Ke3 Ke6 34.Qb4 Rc7 35.Kd2 Rc6 36.a4
1-0
Botvinnik - Tal [E
80]
Moscow (m/21) 1961
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 Nbd7 6.Be3 e5 7.Nge2 0-0 8.d5
Nh5 9.Qd2 f5 10.0-0-0 a6 11.Kb1 Ndf6 12.ef5 gf5 13.Ng3 Qe8 14.Bd3 Ng3
[14...Qg6 15.Nh5 Qh5 16.h3 f4 17.Bf2±; 14...e4!? 15.Nh5 Nh5 16.fe4
f4 Botvinnik] 15.hg3 c5 16.Bh6 Qg6 17.g4 b5 18.Bg7 Kg7 19.Rh4 bc4 20.Bc2
h6! 21.Rdh1 Qg5 22.Qg5 hg5 23.Rh6 fg4 [23...e4!? 24.fe4 (24.gf5
Bf5 25.fe4 Bh7 unclear) 24...Ng4 25.Rd6 white stands slightly better
Botvinnik] 24.fg4 Bg4 25.Rg6 Kf7 26.Rf1 Ke7 27.Rg7 Ke8 28.Ne4 Nd7 [28...Ne4
29.Ba4] 29.Nd6 Kd8 30.Rf8 Nf8 31.Nc4 Bd7 32.Rf7 Kc7 33.d6 1-0
Petrosian-Botvinnik, 1963
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