Mikhail Botvinnik

1911 - 1995
6th World Champion
1948 - 1957, 1958 - 1960, 1961 - 1963
Mikhail Moiseevich Botvinnik was born in St Petersburg, Russia in 1911. He learned to play chess at the age of 12. An electrical engineer by training, he was the first Russian to hold the World Championship title after he won the 1948 tournament following the death of Alexander Alekhine. He held on to the world title until his defeat by Petrosian in 1963, except for two occasions when he lost the title for one year, to Smyslov (1957 - 1958) and Tal (1960 - 1961).
Generally regarded as the Patriarch of the Soviet Chess School, his style was based on rigorous opening preparation, deep calculation, and accurate endgame technique. Students of his school include Anatoli Karpov, Garry Kasparov and many more.


Games
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[White "Mikhail Botvinnik"]
[Black "Jose Raul Capablanca"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5
exd5 8.Bd3 O-O 9.Ne2 b6 10.O-O Ba6 11.Bxa6 Nxa6 12.Bb2 Qd7
13.a4 Rfe8 14.Qd3 c4 15.Qc2 Nb8 16.Rae1 Nc6 17.Ng3 Na5 18.f3
Nb3 19.e4 Qxa4 20.e5 Nd7 21.Qf2 g6 22.f4 f5 23.exf6 Nxf6 24.f5
Rxe1 25.Rxe1 Re8 26.Re6 Rxe6 27.fxe6 Kg7 28.Qf4 Qe8 29.Qe5 Qe7

30.Ba3! Qxa3
31.Nh5+! gxh5
32.Qg5+ Kf8 33.Qxf6+ Kg8 34.e7 Qc1+
35.Kf2 Qc2+ 36.Kg3 Qd3+ 37.Kh4 Qe4+ 38.Kxh5 Qe2+ 39.Kh4 Qe4+
40.g4 Qe1+ 41.Kh5 1-0

[White "Mikhail Botvinnik"]
[Black "Lajos Portisch"]

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Be6 6.Nf3 Nc6
7.O-O Nb6 8.d3 Be7 9.a3 a5 10.Be3 O-O 11.Na4 Nxa4 12.Qxa4 Bd5
13.Rfc1 Re8 14.Rc2 Bf8 15.Rac1 Nb8 16.Rxc7 Bc6


17.R1xc6!! bxc6



18.Rxf7!! h6
19.Rb7 Qc8 20.Qc4+ Kh8
21.Nh4! Qxb7 22.Ng6+ Kh7
23.Be4 Bd6 24.Nxe5 g6 25.Bxg6+ Kg7 26.Bxh6+!! 1-0

[White "Mikhail Botvinnik"]
[Black "Milan Vidmar"]

1. c4 {Notes by Alekhine} e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7
5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Bd3 {The variations starting with 7
Rc1 have been so much analysed of recent years that the
text-move, though it allows the immediate ...c5, offers better
fighting chances.} c5 8. O-O cxd4 {As the Black pieces are not
developed so as to attack the isolated d-pawn, the better
policy here is the usual line 8...dxc4 9 Bxc4 a6 10 a4 Re8.}
9. exd4 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nb6 11. Bb3 Bd7 {The beginning of a
risky plan, in view of White's prospects of a K side
attack. The haf-pinning of his king's knight, which seems so
harmless at the moment, will in a few moves become extremely
disagreeable for Black. It was wiser therefore to clear the
situation at once by 11...Nfd5 without much danger in the near
future.} 12. Qd3 {! Intending, if 12...Nfd5; 13 Bc2.} Nbd5
13. Ne5 Bc6 14. Rad1 Nb4 {? A second mistake, after which
White's attack becomes tremendously strong. A lesser evil was
...Rc8 in order to answer 15 Qh3 with ...Nxc3 16 bxc3 Be4.}
15. Qh3 Bd5 {This does not solve the problem of the defence,
as White preserves his powerful king's bishop.} 16. Nxd5 Nbxd5
17. f4 {!} Rc8 {Or ...g6 18 Bh6 Re8 19 g4, etc.} 18. f5 exf5
19. Rxf5 Qd6 {? Losing immediately. The only move was ...Rc7,
after which White would increase his pressure against f7 by 20
Rdf1 followed eventually by Qh4 with decisive advantage.}


20. Nxf7 {! Simple and neat. Black cannot avoid serious
material loss.} Rxf7 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. Rxd5 {Much stronger
than 22 Bxd5.} Qc6 {Or 22... 22...Bxd4+ 23 Kh1.} 23. Rd6 Qe8
24. Rd7 1-0


[White "Mikhail Botvinnik"]
[Black "Vitaly Chekhover"]

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.b3 Nf6 4.Bb2 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Be2 c6 7.O-O
Nbd7 8.Nc3 a6 9.Nd4 dxc4 10.bxc4 Nc5 11.f4 Qc7 12.Nf3 Rd8
13.Qc2 Ncd7 14.d4 c5 15.Ne5 b6 16.Bd3 cxd4 17.exd4 Bb7 18.Qe2
Nf8 19.Nd1 Ra7 20.Nf2 Qb8 21.Nh3 h6

22.Ng5! hxg5
23.fxg5 N8d7



24.Nxf7 Kxf7 25.g6+ Kg8 26.Qxe6+ Kh8 27.Qh3+ Kg8 28.Bf5 Nf8
29.Be6+ Nxe6 30.Qxe6+ Kh8 31.Qh3+ Kg8

32.Rxf6! Bxf6
33.Qh7+ Kf8
34.Re1! Be5
35.Qh8+ Ke7 36.Qxg7+ Kd6 37.Qxe5+ Kd7 38.Qf5+ Kc6
39.d5+ Kc5 40.Ba3+ Kxc4 41.Qe4+ Kc3 42.Bb4+ Kb2 43.Qb1#

Juz hav a look at the final Position of the Black King!!!!
1-0



[White "Mikhail Botvinnik"]
[Black "Paul Keres"]

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bc5 5.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 6.Kxf2 Nxe5
7.e4 c5 8.d3 d6 9.h3 h5 10.Be2 Nh7 11.Kg2 h4 12.g4 Ng5 13.Be3
Bd7 14.Qd2 Ne6 15.b4 b6 16.Rab1 Bc6 17.Rhf1 Bb7 18.Kg1 Nc6
19.Nd5 Ncd4 20.Bd1 f6 21.Kh2 Bc6 22.a4 a5 23.bxa5 bxa5 24.Qf2
Ra7 25.g5 O-O 26.g6 f5

Take a look at the Position and make a wild guess..!!!



27.Rb8!!!! 1-0

[White "Mikhail Botvinnik"]
[Black "Alexander Alekhine"]

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. O-O O-O 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

[White "Mikhail Botvinnik"]
[Black "David Bronstein"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Nh3
Bxh3 8.Bxh3 Nc6 9.Bg2 e6 10.e3 O-O 11.Bd2 Rc8 12.O-O Nd7
13.Ne2 Qb6 14.Bc3 Rfd8 15.Nf4 Nf6 16.Qb3 Ne4 17.Qxb6 axb6
18.Be1 Na5 19.Nd3 Bf8 20.f3 Nd6 21.Bf2 Bh6 22.Rac1 Nac4
23.Rfe1 Na5 24.Kf1 Bg7 25.g4 Nc6 26.b3 Nb5 27.Ke2 Bf8 28.a4
Nc7 29.Bg3 Na6 30.Bf1 f6 31.Red1 Na5 32.Rxc8 Rxc8 33.Rc1 Rxc1
34.Nxc1 Ba3 35.Kd1 Bxc1 36.Kxc1 Nxb3+ 37.Kc2 Na5 38.Kc3 Kf7
39.e4 f5 40.gxf5 gxf5 41.Bd3 Kg6 42.Bd6 Nc6 43.Bb1 Kf6 44.Bg3
fxe4 45.fxe4 h6 46.Bf4 h5 47.exd5 exd5 48.h4 Nab8 49.Bg5+ Kf7
50.Bf5 Na7 51.Bf4 Nbc6 52.Bd3 Nc8 53.Be2 Kg6 54.Bd3+ Kf6
55.Be2 Kg6 56.Bf3 N6e7 57.Bg5 1-0

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