MIKHAIL BOTVINNIK (born Aug-17-1911, died May-05-1995, 83 years old) Russia PRONUNCIATION: [what is this?] Mikhail Moiseevich Botvinnik was born in Kuokkala, near Viipuri (Today, Vyborg) in what was then Finland. He was raised in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). He learned the game early and progressed rapidly, winning the 1st of his 6 USSR Championships in 1931; the other 5 victories were in 1933, 1939, 1944, 1945 and 1952. He also won the Leningrad tournament of 1934, the Absolute Soviet Championship in 1941, and the Sverdlovsk super tournament of 1943. Other significant achievements include equal first with Salomon Flohr in Moscow 1935, 2nd at Moscow 1936 behind Jose Raul Capablanca, equal first with Capablanca at Nottingham 1936, 3rd at AVRO 1938, and first at Groningen 1946 before playing for the World Championship in 1948. He also won the Tchigorin Memorial tournament of 1947 and came equal first with Vasily Smyslov in the Alekhine Memorial of 1956.(1) With the death of Alexander Alekhine in 1946, the FIDE saw its chance to take control of the World Championship and invited six players to take part in a tournament to determine the championship. With Reuben Fine declining the invitation to play, Botvinnik won it ahead of Vassily Smyslov, Paul Keres, Samuel Reshevsky, and Dr Max Euwe in the quintuple round robin FIDE World Championship Tournament (1948). He retained the crown in 1951 against David Bronstein when he tied the match, by winning and drawing his last two games. He again retained it in 1954 against Vasily Smyslov by again drawing the match, however Smyslov turned the tables in 1957 by wresting the crown from Botvinnik. At the time, a defeated champion was entitled to a return match the following year and so in 1958, Botvinnik defeated Smyslov in a return match. Likewise, after losing to Mikhail Tal in 1960, Botvinnik defeated him in a return match in 1961. He lost the title for the last time to Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian in 1963. FIDE had eliminated the return match and so Botvinnik chose to retire from world championship play. 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 Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov and many more. Live footages of Botvinnik from 1933-1963 starting at the following link: Mikhail Botvinnik (kibitz #1197). Special edition of This Week in Chess devoted to Botvinnik and his career, assembled by Mark Crowther soon after Botvinnik's death in 1995: http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/... Wikipedia article: Mikhail Botvinnik (1) Crosstables of competitions mentioned in this paragraph are successively linked at [rusbase-1], [rusbase-2], [rusbase-3], [rusbase-4], [rusbase-5], [rusbase-6], [rusbase-7], [rusbase-8], http://www.worldchesslinks.net/ezig..., [rusbase-9], [rusbase-10], http://www.worldchesslinks.net/ezig..., http://www.worldchesslinks.net/ezig..., [rusbase-11], and [rusbase-12] Last updated: 2020-11-22 08:25:51

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page 1 of 48; games 1-25 of 1,200  Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Botvinnik vs I Kalinin 1-0 29 1924 Leningrad 2/3th cat C55 Two Knights Defense 2. Botvinnik vs N Begunov 1-0 32 1924 Leningrad 2/3th cat D30 Queen's Gambit Declined 3. Botvinnik vs N Timofeev 1-0 23 1924 Leningrad D26 Queen's Gambit Accepted 4. Botvinnik vs I Folga 1-0 37 1924 Leningrad A48 King's Indian 5. G Andreev vs Botvinnik 0-1 46 1924 Leningrad E60 King's Indian Defense 6. V Miliutin vs Botvinnik 0-1 23 1924 Ch Leningrad juniors D72 Neo-Grunfeld, 5.cd, Main line 7. S Kaminer vs Botvinnik 1-0 28 1924 Training Game D30 Queen's Gambit Declined 8. Botvinnik vs A Zilberman 1-0 48 1924 Leningrad jr D51 Queen's Gambit Declined 9. Botvinnik vs A Makhlin 1-0 28 1924 Leningrad 2/3th cat C62 Ruy Lopez, Old Steinitz Defense 10. G Abramovic vs Botvinnik 0-1 32 1924 Leningrad jr E61 King's Indian 11. Botvinnik vs S Kaminer 0-1 41 1924 Training Game E90 King's Indian 12. G Abramovic vs Botvinnik 0-1 17 1924 URS A80 Dutch 13. V Zbandutto vs Botvinnik ½-½ 43 1924 Leningrad 2nd cat C98 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin 14. Botvinnik vs B Rivlin 1-0 21 1925 Botvinnik-Rivlin Match D46 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav 15. Botvinnik vs B Rivlin 1-0 33 1925 Leningrad 1st cat D67 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, Bd3 line 16. G Yagdfeld vs Botvinnik 0-1 35 1925 Leningrad (1b and 2a category) D15 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav 17. B Yuriev vs Botvinnik 1-0 38 1925 Leningrad 1st cat D02 Queen's Pawn Game 18. Botvinnik vs M Shebarshin 1-0 32 1925 Leningrad 1st cat A50 Queen's Pawn Game 19. J Dobropistsev vs Botvinnik 0-1 35 1925 Leningrad 1st cat C98 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin 20. N Proskurin vs Botvinnik 0-1 36 1925 Leningrad 1st cat C90 Ruy Lopez, Closed 21. Botvinnik vs Y Zverev 1-0 38 1925 Leningrad 1st cat D92 Grunfeld, 5.Bf4 22. A Perfiliev vs Botvinnik 0-1 36 1925 Leningrad 1st cat C56 Two Knights 23. B Rivlin vs Botvinnik 0-1 32 1925 Leningrad 1st cat D51 Queen's Gambit Declined 24. Botvinnik vs S Kaminer 1-0 39 1925 Leningrad (1b and 2a category) D44 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav 25. A Vaits vs Botvinnik 0-1 31 1925 Leningrad 1st cat D51 Queen's Gambit Declined  page 1 of 48; games 1-25 of 1,200

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< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 30 OF 66 ·  Later Kibitzing> Dec-11-07    RookFile: The thing that impresses me most about Botvinnik is the fact that every day, for most of his life, he took a 1 hour walk. It shows what an ordered life he had, and also the benefits of exercise. Dec-11-07    brankat: <Rook File> In his book on Flohr-Botvinnik match, Botvinnik also gives a very detailed description of his regimen of preparations for tournaments and matches. Although parts of it would not be applicable today due to computer generated help, most of his methods are still quite valuable. <he took a 1 hour walk. It shows what an ordered life he had..> Indeed. This ordered life also, I think, reflects strong self-discipline, his sense of purpose and a firm commitment to success. All necessary "ingredients", and not only Chess-wise. Dec-11-07    Tacticstudent: <brankat, Rookfile> Botwinnik was a very disciplined master indeed. Dec-11-07    M.D. Wilson: One of the best, no doubt about it. Botvinnik obviously understood the inextricable link between mind and body. Not like the good ol' days when chess was accompanied by whiskey and cigar smoke. Dec-11-07    brankat: <M.D.Wilson> <Not like the good ol' days when chess was accompanied by whiskey and cigar smoke.> I just love the good ol' days! Betcha, I'll outlive my doctor :-) Dec-12-07    Ziggurat: <GeauxCool> Thanks for your efforts. Dec-16-07    M.D. Wilson: This very pertinent quotation perhaps sums up best Botvinnik's approach to the game: "If acoustics was a science that informed the world about sounds, then music was an art that revealed the beauty of that art; if logic was a science that revealed the laws of thought, then chess, in the form of artistic images, was an art that illuminated the logical side of thought." Botvinnik Dec-16-07    Open Defence: <M.D. Wilson> that is a beautiful quote Dec-17-07    ketchuplover: yyyyyyyup Dec-30-07    brankat: <M.D.Wilson> A very eloquent, and more importantly, very true expression of thoughts by M.Botvinnik! I like the quote so much, I'll borrow it and have it posted in my forum. I hope You don't mind :-) Dec-30-07    paladin at large: I like the second part of the quote very much, but the first part should have read: "If acoustics was a science that informed the world about sounds, then music was an art that revealed the beauty of that science;....." Jan-04-08    M.D. Wilson: Yes, <brankat>, it is a nice quote. In fact, I might place it on my page too. Yes, <paladin at large>, I think it should be science. Jan-05-08    brankat: <M.D.Wilson> <it is a nice quote. In fact, I might place it on my page too.> Great minds do think alike. I had put the quote in my profile a couple of days ago ;-) <..the beauty of that science..> Yes, the word is "science". Feb-09-08    brankat: No sign of life around here in more than a month. Pity. Feb-09-08    sneaky pete: <brankat> That's correct, experts have confirmed that Botvinnik is still dead. Feb-09-08    chancho: So is Fischer, and people still flock to his page... Feb-09-08    whiskeyrebel: I for one prefer the posting at this page over the last month to that at the padded Fischer ward. Feb-09-08    brankat: <Sneaky Pete> <..experts have confirmed that Botvinnik is still dead.> So much for eternal life. <whiskeyrebel> When posting on a page like this one, or Lakser's, Nimzo's, Steinitz's, Petrosian's, for instance, one needs to think first. At least a little. It is not usually a requirement for a Fischer, a Kramnik, or a Topalov site :-) Feb-09-08    Benzol: I'll come and join the more thoughtful posters on this thread. Feb-10-08    whiskeyrebel: "Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt" ..Abraham Lincoln Feb-10-08    M.D. Wilson: How many people include Botvinnik in their Best Player List? If so, where is he placed. Feb-10-08    brankat: <Doc Wilson> Higher than most :-) Feb-10-08    ughaibu: Fifth. Feb-10-08    Tomlinsky: <M.D. Wilson> My top five, ten for that matter, are all equal first each for different aspects that they brought to the art. Botvinnik is in there absolutely without question at all times. They are all artists that use the brush with a different but equally valid approach to my mind. The list also changes a little here and there depending on what pictures I am attracted to at any given point in time. Feb-10-08    Gypsy: A trouble with top-10 players lists is that they tend to start flamewars. So I'd like to propose something different, and ultimately more useful: (A) a list of Botvinnik's best games, and (B) a list of Botvinnik's best combo's. I mean these should all be trully the finest of extraordinary performances, not just everithing that he won. Let me kick off the list of his most sublime games. The first two 1. Botvinnik vs Capablanca, 1938 2. Botvinnik vs Portisch, 1968 will be on everyones list, including mine. (And probably in that order.) Then I'd like to nominate a personal favorite, 3. Botvinnik vs Keres, 1952 Jump to page #   (enter # from 1 to 66) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 30 OF 66 ·  Later Kibitzing>

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