Mikhail Botvinnik (1911–1994) was the sixth World Chess Champion (1948–1957; 1958–1960; 1961–1963) and the founder, the "Patriarch," of the Soviet Chess School. He played for the Soviet Olympiad team from 1954 to 1964, and the team won gold medals each time. Botvinnik started playing chess during the Soviet “Chess fever” in 1924–25. He became a chess master at 16 and the Soviet chess champion at 20.
Emanuel Lasker playing against Mikhail Botvinnik (1935)International Chess Federation (FIDE)
In the mid to late 1930s, he entered the world chess elite by excelling in the strongest international tournaments. Simultaneously, he earned a degree in electrical engineering and defended his thesis.
His challenges to Alekhine for a match failed twice: in 1939/40 due to WWII and in 1946 due to Alekhine’s death. However, in 1948, Botvinnik won the match-tournament against the five strongest players in the world, becoming the world champion. He briefly lost his title twice (to Smyslov in 1957 and Tal in 1960) but regained it in rematches (1958 and 1961).
Collage dedicated to Mikhail Botvinnik being crowned World Chess Champion for the third time in 1954, drawing a match against Smyslov, after previously winning the crown in a tournament in 1948 and defending it in 1951 in a match against Bronstein.
Cover of "Chess in the USSR" from 1958
Mikhail Botvinnik, after losing his chess crown to Vasily Smyslov, exercised his right for a rematch. In the 1958 rematch held in Moscow, Botvinnik reclaimed his World Championship title.
After losing to Petrosian in 1963, Botvinnik focused on the intersection of chess and computer science, aiming to create an "electronic grandmaster." Botvinnik's research focused on "selective searches" in chess, using general principles to determine worthy moves, a necessary approach given the limitations of early Soviet computers. Although initially promising, this method fell short as more powerful computers could later perform comprehensive searches.
Botvinnik's PIONEER program, which aided in planning power station maintenance, earned him an honorary degree in mathematics from the University of Ferrara in 1991.
Autograph of Mikhail Botvinnik by Mikhail BotvinnikInternational Chess Federation (FIDE)
Botvinnik's autograph
Botvinnik's signature chess combination
Botvinnik – Capablanca. Netherlands 1938
30.Ba3! Qxa3 31.Nh5+! First, he sacrificed the bishop, now he gives away the knight. 31…gxh5 32.Qg5+ Kf8 33.Qxf6+ Kg8 34.e7 Qc1+ Now it is only the matter of running away from the checks. 35.Kf2 Qc2+ 36.Kg3 Qd3+ 37.Kh4 Qe4+ 38.Kxh5 Qe2+ 39.Kh4 Qe4+ 40.g4 Qe1+ 41.Kh5 1-0
The Chess World Speaks: Opinions on Botvinnik
"We all consider ourselves students of Botvinnik, and future generations will learn from his games." - Tigran Petrosian
"Botvinnik was undoubtedly one of the greatest champions, a genuine innovator who created an entire era in chess. His style was one of deep strategy, based on serious opening and psychological preparation, fine technique, and accurately regulated positional and combinative decisions." - Garry Kasparov
"He was the first to consider complex preparation for competitions: not only openings but also sleep, regimen, and physical readiness. In that, he was certainly a pioneer." - Vladimir Kramnik
Caricature “Before the rematch” between Tal and Botvinnik (1961) by G. KovanovInternational Chess Federation (FIDE)
The 1961 caricature “Before the rematch” by G. Kovanov portrays Mikhail Tal and Mikhail Botvinnik as two knights crossing their swords.They stand atop rooks near the Moscow River, while a massive crowd of spectators cheers from the opposite bank.
Timeless chess tips from Botvinnik
Chess cannot be taught. Chess can only be learned.
You need to play in competitions where opponents are a little stronger than you, otherwise you can fail and get psychologically injured.
Chess is not only a game of pieces but also of people – psychology matters.
Dive deeper: explore Botvinnik's legacy through these videos
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