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Vasily Smyslov vs Mikhail Botvinnik
Moscow Championship (1943/44), Moscow URS
Spanish Game: Open. Dilworth Variation (C82)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
Notes by Stockfish 9 v010218 (minimum 6s/ply)better is 13...Bxf2+ 14.Kxf2 Qxf6 15.Kg1 Rae8 16.Qf1 g5 17.h3 g4 = 0.00 (31 ply) ⩲ +0.60 (26 ply) 15.Qd3 Qf5 16.Qxf5 Bxf5 17.Bd1 Be4 18.b4 Bb6 19.a4 Rae8 ⩲ +0.84 (23 ply)= 0.00 (27 ply) 17.Bb3 Qd6 18.Qg3 Ne5 19.Ne4 Qd7 20.Nc5 Qd6 21.Bf4 Bxf3 = +0.28 (23 ply) ⩱ -0.55 (25 ply) 21...Qb6 22.Ndf3 Nxg2 23.Bb3 Ne3 24.Bxe3 Rxe3 25.Bxd5+ = -0.27 (28 ply)better is 22.Nb3 c4 23.Nd4 b4 24.Kh2 Bg6 25.Bxg6 hxg6 26.Bxf4 Qxf4 ⩲ +0.72 (26 ply)better is 22...Bxf3 23.gxf3 b4 24.Bxf4 Qxf4 25.Qxf4 Rxf4 26.Rd1 = +0.08 (26 ply) ⩲ +0.62 (27 ply) 24...Bxf3 25.gxf3 Ree8 26.Bd2 Rf7 27.Qg4 g6 28.f4 d4 = +0.38 (28 ply) ⩲ +1.30 (24 ply) 26...Rfe8 27.Nd4 Re5 28.Bxh5 Rxh5 29.Nf3 Rf5 30.Re1 Rxe1 ⩲ +0.62 (27 ply) 27.Rc1 Rd8 28.Be1 Qf4 29.Qxf4 Rxf4 30.Kg3 Rff8 31.Bf2 d4 ⩲ +1.46 (29 ply) 27...Bxd1 28.Nxe4 dxe4 29.Rxd1 Rd8 30.Kg1 Rd3 31.Qb8+ = 0.00 (35 ply)+- +2.75 (30 ply) 28...Qe5 29.Qxe5 Rxe5 30.Kg3 Kh7 31.Bf3 Rfe8 32.a4 d4 ± +2.25 (28 ply)better is 29.Be3 g6 30.Bg4 d4 31.cxd4 Rxe3 32.Qxe3 cxd4 33.Qe6+ +- +4.13 (30 ply)+- +2.61 (26 ply) after 29...a5 30.Rf1 Qe7 31.Re1 Rxe1 32.Bxe1 c4 33.Bxd5+ Kh8 30...b4 31.Re1 Rxe1 32.Bxe1 Rf5 33.cxb4 cxb4 34.Qb8+ Kh7 +- +2.74 (22 ply)+- +4.01 (27 ply) 32...Qxa7 33.Qxe5 Qb8 34.Qxb8 Rxb8 35.Be3 c4 36.Bxg5 Re8 +- +2.96 (31 ply)+- +4.60 (27 ply) after 33.Bh5 Re6 34.Qxd6 Rxd6 35.Bxg5 Rc6 36.Bf3 Rf5 37.Be3 33...Qb8 34.Rd7 Kh8 35.Bh5 Kg8 36.h4 Re4 37.Bxg5 Qxg3+ +- +4.19 (26 ply)better is 34.Bf4 Rde8 35.Bf5+ Kg8 36.Bg6 Qxg6 37.Bxe5 b4 38.Rxg7+ +- +10.22 (32 ply)+- +4.01 (27 ply) after 34...Kh8 35.Be2 Qf6 36.Bxb5 c4 37.Ba4 Rf8 38.Be3 Re7 better is 40.Qb1 Kh6 41.Qxd3 b4 42.Qc2 Qe3 43.Kh2 Qe5+ 44.g3 Qd6 +- +4.97 (38 ply)+- +2.70 (29 ply) after 40...g6 41.Qc3 Qf1+ 42.Kh2 Qf4+ 43.Kg1 Qe3+ 44.Kh1 Qf2 41...Qd4 42.b3 Kh6 43.g3 Qd6 44.Qf3 g6 45.Kg2 Kg7 46.Qb7+ +- +2.83 (34 ply)+- +4.74 (27 ply)50...Kh6 51.Qxd2 Qg2+ 52.Kd3 Qd5+ 53.Kc2 Qc6+ 54.Kb1 Qd7 +- +4.82 (28 ply)1-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35437 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Feb-24-05  chess man: Black will lose the d-pawn and eventually the game.
Feb-24-05  chess man: Oh and by the way, nice game by Smyslov!
Jun-13-05  Kangaroo: To the best of my knowledge, the game had nothing to do with Alekhine memorial. Played in 1943, this was the game from the tournament in Sverdlovsk, I assume. Perhaps, the unofficial championship of the Soviet Union took place there.
Jun-13-05  Resignation Trap: Wait a minute! Alekhine Memorial ?? Alekhine was still alive in 1943, and furthermore he was considered a traitor and a renegade in the USSR at that point in history. As far as I know, the USSR didn't "rehabilitate" Alekhine until 1956.
Feb-28-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Richard Taylor: Great game by Smyslov -
Feb-28-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Benzol: Could White have played ♗f4 a move or two earlier than at move 36?
Feb-16-09  outsider: This is NOT from Sverdlovsk. There, Botvinnik had +7=7-0, and +1=1 with Smyslov
May-03-09  WhiteRook48: Ouch!
Aug-09-09  King.Arthur.Brazil: This game is one of the book of Smyslov's best. 32. Ta7! as 27.Ng5 was a kind of moves that Botwinnik (and nobody expects), and that make Smyslov catch an nice win. 36...gxf4?? Bf5+ (Rxf5 Qxg7++) Kh6 Qh4++! 36...Re1+ (37.Kh2?? Qxf4 wins) 37.Qxe1 recover a quality again (1B x 1P).There's not much after this.
Nov-21-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: This sort of risky play by black seems unusual, for Botvinnik, at least by reputation. I haven't seen this early exchange sac much in GM play, at least not in the strongest events. Smyslov makes Misha pay.

I'm always amazed by these WWII tournaments. The German army was still in occupation of much of western Russia, and the Soviets had experienced huge losses of manpower and industry/agriculture. Yet, there was time for a chess tournament. I guess Joe felt that "doing something normal" during these times would help people feel normal.

I read somewhere that even when Moscow was directly besieged, in 1941, with huge numbers of retreating troops and industrial components headed east of the Urals, the theaters in Moscow were still performing ballet and opera.

Nov-21-11  King Death: <HeHateMe> There's nothing wrong with the Dilworth, but Black's best move is 13...Bf2+ 14.Kf2 Qf6. White can then play 15.Nf1 or 15.Nb3.

Botvinnik put in for time off when he wanted to prepare for any events he played. Most of his time was spent in his field of electrical engineering.

Oct-02-12  DarthStapler: Smyslov's first win over Botvinnik in the database
Jan-25-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  Richard Taylor: <Benzol: Could White have played Bf4 a move or two earlier than at move 36?>

Smyslov comments in his book that he missed the combination at move 34. Kh1 due to being in some time pressure.

I played this game over again today, I'd forgotten it, and it took me some time to see the start of the combination (albeit I was tired) but I am pretty certain that Botvinnik missed it also. It is an unusual one although the R looking at g7 gives a clue!

Jan-25-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  Richard Taylor: So 34. Bf4! wins.

He also comments that 15.Qd3 would have led to a better endgame for White.

He said that Botvinnik had wanted to try the Nxf2 line out so they were committed to a sharp struggle.

Jan-25-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  Richard Taylor: 33. ... Qb8 holds it seems.
Jan-25-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  WCC Editing Project:

On the identity of this tournament:

=======

<Kangaroo:> To the best of my knowledge... this was the game from the tournament in Sverdlovsk, I assume. Perhaps, the unofficial championship of the Soviet Union took place there.

<outsider:> This is NOT from Sverdlovsk. There, Botvinnik had +7=7-0, and +1=1 with Smyslov

========

<outsider> is correct.

This game was played in the <23d Moscow Championship 1943-44>.

Cross table: http://al20102007.narod.ru/ch_repub...

This was Smyslov's first career victory over Botvinnik, and Botvinnik's only loss in the tournament.

<Botvinnik> 1st with +11 -1 =3

<Smyslov> 2d with +7 -0 =9

====

-Edward Winter ed., "World Chess Champions" (Pergamon Press 1981), p.147-8

Apr-10-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  WCC Editing Project:

Another note of interest about this game and the <23d Moscow Championship 1943-1944>.

Although Botvinnik won the event, Smyslov was actually the "official" winner because Botvinnik was from Leningrad, not Moscow.

Apr-11-14  Petrosianic: <Although Botvinnik won the event, Smyslov was actually the "official" winner because Botvinnik was from Leningrad, not Moscow.> That makes Smyslov the Moscow champion, but not the winner of the tournament. We had club championships like that all the time. Open tournament, and the highest finishing club member wins the title (often not the same person who won the tournament).

Botvinnik played in the tournament hors concours, similar to the way Keres played in the 1946 Georgian Championship.

Apr-11-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  WCC Editing Project: <Petrosianic>

Interesting. Thanks for posting the correct distinction in this, and other similar cases.

That's an interesting tournament you mention- http://al20102007.narod.ru/ch_repub...

The top three finishers were "hors concours"!

Keres, Mikenas, and Zagoriansky.

So that would make this interesting character the <Georgian Champion> of 1946: Archil Silovanovich Ebralidze

Jun-27-14  zydeco: Smyslov says 15.Qd3 was a better defense and 18....h5 gave black better possibilities for attack. Smyslov has a painstaking defense from move 14 to 26. Botvinnik missed 27.Ng5! -- and could have prevented it with 26....Bg6.
May-15-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  nizmo11: This is Game 23 in Terekhov's book on Smyslov.
To the previous comment:

According Terekhov: "It appears that after 18...h5! 19.h4 Qd6 White's position is lost." [ convincing analysis is given.] He also tells that Russian amateur Larin discovered in 1958 that 28.Ng5 was a actually a mistake after which Botvinnik had a defense 27...Bxd1! 28.Nxe4 dxe4 29. Rxd1 Rd8! and it turns out that White cannot get rid of the pin without losing the bishop.


click for larger view

The above two were not the only mistakes in the game, from the concluding comments to game: "Game full of drama, but also full of errors -not only by the players, but by commentators as well!."

May-15-21  macer75: Never heard of these people.

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