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Mikhail Botvinnik vs Vasily Smyslov
4th Soviet Team Cup (1964), Moscow URS, rd 4, Oct-15
English Opening: King's English. Two Knights' Variation Smyslov System (A22)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
Nov-26-05  Chess Addict: Did you see that pawn formation near the end?
Very strange, though typical of Botvinnik.
Many of his games consist of unusual pawn structures.
Jul-22-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: Pretty mating net in endgame.
Apr-27-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Afternoon: Typical example of the great imagination and fight these two brought to bear on each other. Note how Smyslov's ...e3 sacrifice anticipates the great K vs. K struggles two decades later, and Botvinnik's bizarre King side formation after 17 moves in response. It's also funny how Botvinnik's e-pawn doesn't advance until move 43.
Apr-27-08  outsider: botvinnik found two things amusing in this game:
1. they played "sicilian" : 43. e2-e4 43... c7-c5
2. botvinnik's secret move was 43. e2-e4, and it was evident (he states this in his own annotations). how could a team of analysts fail to see a mate in two was beyond his comprehension
Apr-27-08  whiteshark: Better was <33.Rf7+>


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with <33...Kxh6 34.Bxe3+ Kh5 35.Rh7+ Kg4 36.Nf2+ Kf5 37.Rxc7 > when white is ♙♙ up.


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Jun-04-15  ToTheDeath: This game just proves what every English player refuses to admit- e4 wins!
Jun-04-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <ToTheDeath: This game just proves what every English player refuses to admit- e4 wins!>

But black played e4 and lost.

Jun-04-15  1 2 3 4: <offramp> that was very creative.
Apr-07-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Morning: Botvinnik held the World Championship for parts of three decades, but if you showed me the position after White's 18th and asked me to guess the player's rating, I would guess less than 1600 ELO.
Oct-03-22  jerseybob: <An Englishman: Typical example of the great imagination and fight these two brought to bear on each other. > Just curious: why do you extol B&S in this post(from April of '08), but 10 years later, in April of '18, they've been demoted to a pair of patzers? (I agree with the first post BTW.) Botvinnik's brilliance in this game amazes me every time I replay it.
Oct-03-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: why can't WC chess these days be this interesting?
Oct-03-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: white will mate with R-h4+.
Oct-04-22  jerseybob: <HeMateMe: why can't WC chess these days be this interesting?> Here's my theory for what it's worth: the players play too much chess, and since the top players are always playing each other the epic quality is gone. Faster time limits make for sloppier games. Of course that's my selfish fan outlook. From the players' standpoint it's never been better with money being made.
Jul-07-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  WTHarvey: White mates in 3.


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44. ?

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