Chess Tourists Guide Book

by Brian Almeida
Botvinnik's Complete Games 1924-1941, by Mikhail Botvinnik, Moravian Chess 2010, Figurine Algebraic Notation, Hardcover 396pp. $44.95 (ChessCafe Price: $38.95)

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This is the first of a new three-volume series of Mikhail Botvinnik's collected writings. Between 1984 and 1987, Botvinnik published his four volumes of Analytical and Critical Works (Analiticheskie i kriticheskie raboty); the first three volumes covered his best games and the fourth volume contained his collected writings. Moravian Chess published the first three volumes as Botvinnik's Best Games; the material in the fourth volume corresponds to the content of this new series. Altogether these six volumes will present a complete collection of Botvinnik's game annotations and writings. Aside from the 381 games published in the Best Games series, the Complete Games series will include all Botvinnik's known games, with annotations by Botvinnik where available. Botvinnik himself calls it a "guide" to the history of twentieth century chess and writes, "Whereas the first three books gave annotated games from 1925 to 1970, the present work is largely a collection of articles from periodicals, as well as extracts from my books. To avoid repetition, these extracts are sometimes given in abridged form. Some articles are published here for the first time. The material presented in this three-volume work is very diverse. Here there are analyses and compositions, pen-portraits and travel notes, and also creative problems."
Botvinnik's Best Games, Vol. 1 by Mikhail Botvinnik

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The contents are as follows:

Botvinnik's Best Games, Vol. 2 by Mikhail Botvinnik

Foreword Pen-portraits and Sketches Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin Emanuel Lasker Jos Ral Capablanca Max Euwe Paul Keres Nikolai Dmitrievich Grigoriev Vladislav Vasilievich Ragozin David Fedorovich Oistrakh Alexey Andreevich Lyapunov Abram Yakovlevich Model Grigory Abramovich Goldberg Alexander Alexandrovich Kotov Boris Fedorovich Podtserob Boris Borisovich Yuriev Viktor Mikhailovich Glushkov Vladimir Andreevich Makogonov Isaak Moiseevich Botvinnik Emil Grigorievich Gigels Creative Problems Definition of a combination My methods of preparing for competitions Regarding three critiques Is chess an art? Without any paradoxes How does a chess player develop? FIDE Matters

Botvinnik's Best Games, Vol. 3 by Mikhail Botvinnik

On matches for the world championship Suggestions for the conducting of world championship events Once more on the question of world championship regulations Difficulties in the chess world What sort of person should the President be? Is the FIDE President right? At the Chess Summit Spassky, Karpov and Butenko After the match The Candidates and Spassky Miracles and reality Before the match What was it that happened in Reykjavik? Fortune favours the strong About the Candidates On the eve of great events Three Interzonals Collected Games 1924-1941 Translator's notes Index of Opponents Index of Openings

In light of the upcoming Anand-Gelfand match, it is interesting to read the previously unpublished piece, "Thee Interzonals" in which Botvinnik writes "never in a match for the world championship has the challenger won, if he was older than the champion." Anand at forty-one is one year younger than Gelfand at forty-two; though Anand was six years the elder of both Kramnik and Topalov. Botvinnik continues, "only when the champion weakens and a young challenger brings with him new creative ideas should changes take place at the chess summit." Botvinnik has more to say with regard to age in the essay "Spassky, Karpov and Butenko," which was published in the Bulletin of the Central Chess Club (Byulleten TsShK) in 1969. He notes, "I have written many times about the two functions which a chess master performs when he sits down at the chess board. The first is the calculation of variations. At the age of 20 a master does this well and up to about the age of 35 he successfully copes with this task. The second function the ability to self-program develops later and to a different degree. At the age of 30 (hardly any sooner) a master begins to cope well with this task, and only after 45 does this ability also weaken. Thus when a player is past the age of 45, he is obliged, as drivers say, to slow down. The optimum strength of a chess master is usually at the age of 35-38. It is not hard to realise that a chess player's longevity depends mainly on his ability to self-program. In other words, to some degree a chess master must be a researcher." It is intriguing to note that "Spassky, Karpov and Butenko" was not published when it was first written in 1968 because "Petrosian did not agree with it." Returning to "Three Interzonals" we read, "From the practical point of view it is advantageous to be a researcher. When a master is well prepared, when he knows both himself and his opponent, when a chess fighter can disclose the aspects of his talent and cover his weak ones, simultaneously exploiting his opponent's weaknesses and avoiding positions in which his opponent is strong, with equality of talent this always gives the researcher the advantage over the practical player." He also noted that "the chess career of a researcher is usually some ten years longer than that of a practical player." Botvinnik considered Steinitz and Lasker to be researchers and Alekhine to be a "deep researcher." About Lasker he writes, "he studied not chess as such, but its practical aspect, and in particular his opponents. Lasker did not study himself. It was all the same to him what he played. At the board Lasker created positions which were difficult for his opponents." Here are Botvinnik's thoughts on some other players: On Fischer "a genius" whose "main strength is at the board" but lacks intellect.

On Karpov a "practical player" who "possesses a strong self-instruction program" but also "inadequate physical condition," a "tendency towards complacency" and a "lack of 'his own' fairly versatile theory of the openings." On Kasparov a "researcher," and that a "duel between Karpov and Kasparov will evidently be a duel between two tendencies in chess"; though he observed that "one cannot defeat Karpov without achieving eminence in positional technique. In this respect Kasparov has to work and work." On Hbner (and also Timman) "an impressionable person. When all is going smoothly for him on the board, he plays with great power. But when things are not working out, his spirits drop. Hence his lack of consistent results." On Short "He is just 17, he is undoubtedly talented, and sometimes his games afford genuine pleasure. But I have heard from English masters that Short hardly studies chess at all, devoting just a couple of hours a week to it." The games in this volume are not numbered; though a count from the index of opponents indicates about 320 full games. Games that appeared as part of the Best Games collection are referenced in the text with relevant page numbers but not duplicated. All games are given at least one diagram, with annotated games often having several. Given the prevalence of massive database game collections, one could question the inclusion of unannotated games; however, many of the games, especially earlier ones, are not even in ChessBase's Mega Database 2011. Here is one of the earliest annotated games: G. Abramovich M. Botvinnik Championship of the 157th Leningrad School March/April 1924 King's Indian Defence [E61] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 d6 5.Bf4 Nh5 Here it would have been more sensible to retreat the bishop, but this would have signified 'cowardice' on White's part, and would thereby have undermined the authority of a member of the chess society! 6.Qd2 Nxf4 7.Qxf4 Nd7 8.Ng5 Grisha remembered me from the previous school championship and wanted only to win the game as soon as possible. White's idea is simple: either Black will overlook the mate on f7, or after 8...f6 9 Ne6 he will lose his queen! 8...00 9.e3 h6 Of course, the immediate 9...e5 was better, but at the time I was unable to refrain from demonstrating to my opponent the futility of his knight manoeuvre to g5. 10.Nf3 e5 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Qe4 Nb6 Here I was obliged to think; I was not yet mature enough for the move 12...c6 or the variation 12...Nc5 13 Qd5 Qe7. However, I knew for sure that the pieces should be developed, and therefore I decided to open the diagonal for the bishop on c8. 13.Nb5 The course of the game has not taught White anything, and, having apparently decided that the first attack (8 Ng5) was parried accidentally, he sets a new trap: 13...c6 14 Rd1 Qe7 15 Nd6, which, however, was not dangerous for Black, since White has forgotten about the development of his kingside. But I did not want to allow the opponent's knight to go to d6. 13...a6 14.Rd1 Qe7 15.Nc3 c6

Defending both the d5-point, and the b7-pawn. Now the c8-bishop comes very strongly into play. 16.Be2 16 Qc2 should have been preferred, but would this not have signified a retreat? 16...Bf5 17.Qh4 Qb4 The absence of the white queen from the queenside begins to tell. 18.Rd2 g5 Winning the d8-square for the rook and further restricting the white queen. 19.Qg3 e4 Black squanders his advantage, but how could he refrain from such an 'active' move? 19...Rad8 20 a3 Qb3 was a simple and clear continuation. 20.Nd4 Rad8

[FEN "3r1rk1/1p3pb1/pnp4p/5bp1/1qPNp3/ 2N1P1Q1/PP1RBPPP/4K2R w K - 0 21"]

From the psychological point of view this move effectively decided the game. Grisha thought that he would easily 'smash' his opponent, and suddenly Black sacrifices a piece! He was completely depressed and almost immediately he made an irreparable mistake. 21.a3 Of course, it is bad to take the piece: 21 Nxf5 Rxd2 22 Kxd2 Qxb2+. 21...Qa5 22.Nxf5 At the present moment White had a good game, and he should have played 22 0-0 followed by 23 Rfdl; the move in the game loses quickly. Now Black could also have won easily by 22...Bxc3, but he was afraid of leaving the h6pawn undefended and therefore he chose another continuation. 22...Rxd2 23.Ne7+ Kh7! 24.Kxd2 Bxc3+ This exchange is decisive: White's extra piece is of no great importance. He loses after 25 bxc3 Rd8+ 26 Kc2 (26 Nd5 Nxd5 27 cxd5 Rxd5+ 28 Kc2 Qa4 +) 26...Qa4+. 25.Kc1 Bxb2+! 26.Kxb2 Qd2+ 27.Kb3 Qxe2 28.f4 An inexplicable move. However, in the event of 28 Rc1 the manoevre ...Rd8d3+ would have own. 28...Qxc4+ 29.Kb2 Na4+ 30.Kb1 Qd3+ 31.Kc1 Qc3+ 32.Kd1 Rd8+ 01 There is much content to be explored here. It could be that Botvinnik's

observations from the pen-portraits and travel notes can only truly be understood by someone who lived through those times and in the Soviet chess environment, but anyone who is willing to let Botvinnik be their guide is sure to enjoy this tour of twentieth century chess. Botvinnik's Complete Games 1924-1941 should be of interest to any serious student of chess or chess history. My assessment of this book: Order Botvinnik's Complete Games 1924-1941 by Mikhail Botvinnik

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