World Chess Championship 1951

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World Chess Championship 1951
 
Defending champion
Challenger
 
Mikhail Botvinnik Mikhail Botvinnik 1962.jpg
Mikhail Botvinnik
David Bronstein David Bronstein in 1954.jpg
David Bronstein
  Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg Mikhail Botvinnik Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg David Bronstein
 
12Scores12
  Born 17 August 1911
39 years old
Born 19 February 1924
27 years old
  Winner of the 1948 World Chess Championship Winner of the 1950 Candidates Tournament
  1948
1954  

The 1951 World Chess Championship was played between Mikhail Botvinnik and David Bronstein in Moscow from March 15 to May 11, 1951. It was the first match played under the supervision of FIDE; and the first to use a qualifying system of an Interzonal and Candidates Tournament to choose a challenger - a system which stayed in place until 1993.

Contents

Botvinnik was the defending champion: he was 39 years old, had been a world leading player in the 1930s and World Champion since 1948. The challenger, David Bronstein, was 27 years old and relatively new to top-level competition.

The match ended in a 12–12 tie (5 wins each, and 14 draws), meaning Botvinnik retained the title of World Champion. Writing in 1973, Israel Horowitz described the match as "perhaps the most interesting match ever played for the world championship". [1]

1948 Interzonal tournament

An interzonal tournament was held at Saltsjöbaden in Stockholm, Sweden, in July and August 1948. The top eight finishers qualified for the Candidates tournament.

1948 Interzonal Tournament
1234567891011121314151617181920Total
1Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  David Bronstein  (Soviet Union)x1½1½½½½½½1½½1½1½11113½
2Flag of Hungary (1949-1956; 1-2 aspect ratio).svg  László Szabó  (Hungary)0x½½1½1½½1½111½1½½1012½
3Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Isaac Boleslavsky  (Soviet Union)½½x½½½01½1½½1½½½111½12
4Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Alexander Kotov  (Soviet Union)0½½x½½½½½½1½½½½1111½11½
5Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Andor Lilienthal  (Soviet Union)½0½½x11½½½0½½½1½1½½111
6Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Igor Bondarevsky  (Soviet Union)½½½½0x½½10½1½0½½1½1110½
7Flag of Argentina (civil).svg  Miguel Najdorf  (Argentina)½01½0½x½½101½0½1½½1110½
8Flag of Sweden.svg  Gideon Ståhlberg  (Sweden)½½0½½½½x½0½11½½½½1½110½
9Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Salo Flohr  (Soviet Union)½½½½½0½½x½½½½½½½1½1110½
10Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Petar Trifunović  (Yugoslavia)½00½½101½x½½01½½1½1½10
11Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Vasja Pirc  (Yugoslavia)0½½01½1½½½x½½010½1½½
12Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Svetozar Gligorić  (Yugoslavia)½0½½½000½½½x1½111½01
13Flag of Finland.svg  Eero Böök  (Finland)½00½½½½0½1½0x½½½½111
14Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Viacheslav Ragozin  (Soviet Union)00½½½11½½01½½x00½0½1
15Canadian Red Ensign (1921-1957).svg  Daniel Yanofsky  (Canada)½½½½0½½½½½00½1x0½½½1
16Flag of France (1794-1815, 1830-1958).svg  Savielly Tartakower  (France)00½0½½0½½½10½11x0½½½8
17Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Ludek Pachman  (Czechoslovakia)½½0000½½00½0½½½1x1½1
18Flag of Sweden.svg  Gösta Stoltz  (Sweden)0½00½½½0½½0½01½½0x½½
19Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Lajos Steiner  (Australia)0000½00½00½10½½½½½x½
20Flag of Sweden.svg  Erik Lundin  (Sweden)01½½00000½½0000½0½½x

The four players tied for sixth place were to have played off for three spots in the Candidates tournament, but Bondarevsky had to withdraw due to illness, so the other three qualified automatically.

1950 Candidates tournament

The 1950 Candidates tournament was held in Budapest, Hungary in April and May 1950. The players who finished second through fifth in the 1948 championship tournament (Smyslov, Keres, Reshevsky, and Euwe) were seeded directly into the tournament, along with Reuben Fine, who had been invited to the 1948 tournament but declined, and the top eight finishers from the Interzonal.

It has been written that the two American players, Reshevsky and Fine, were prevented from travelling to Hungary by the US State Department, with travel restrictions due to the Cold War; [1] However, Reshevsky said in 1991 that he could have gone but did not want to. [2] Euwe declined due to work commitments, and Bondarevsky due to illness. [1]

1950 Candidates Tournament
12345678910Score
1 - 2Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  David Bronstein  (Soviet Union)xx= =0 1= 11 11 =0 1= =1 == 112
1 - 2Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Isaac Boleslavsky  (Soviet Union)= =xx1 == == =1 == == 1= 11 112
3Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Vasily Smyslov  (Soviet Union)1 00 =xx= =1 == 10 1= 1= == =10
4Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Paul Keres  (Soviet Union)= 0= == =xx= =1 01 == == 1= =
5Flag of Argentina (civil).svg  Miguel Najdorf  (Argentina)0 0= =0 == =xx= == =1 1= 1= =9
6Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Alexander Kotov  (Soviet Union)0 =0 == 00 1= =xx= 11 01 01 =
7Flag of Sweden.svg  Gideon Ståhlberg  (Sweden)1 0= =1 00 == == 0xx= == == =8
8 - 10Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Andor Lilienthal  (Soviet Union)= == 0= 0= =0 00 1= =xx1 0= =7
8 - 10Flag of Hungary (1949-1956; 1-2 aspect ratio).svg  László Szabó  (Hungary)0 == 0= == 0= 00 1= =0 1xx1 07
8 - 10Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Salo Flohr  (Soviet Union)= 00 0= == == =0 == == =0 1xx7

The co-winners then played a 12-game match in Moscow in July and August 1950. In the event of another tie, the first decisive game would determine Botvinnik's challenger for the title.

Candidates playoff, 1950
123456789101112Points1314Total
Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  David Bronstein  (Soviet Union)1½½½½½10½½0½6½1
Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Isaac Boleslavsky  (Soviet Union)0½½½½½01½½1½6½0

Bronstein thus earned the right to challenge the reigning champion.

Boleslavsky's strategy

Going into the final round of the Candidates tournament, Boleslavsky had a half point lead over Bronstein. Boleslavsky had white against Stahlberg, and offered a short draw when he was in a good position, which Stahlberg accepted. [3] This gave Bronstein the opportunity to catch him, which he did, with a brilliant win against Keres. [4] It has been said, by both Bronstein and by Yuri Averbakh, that Boleslavsky allowed Bronstein to catch him. Averbakh said that Boleslavsky had a very poor record against Botvinnik, and hoped that a tie would mean a 3-way match between Botvinnik, Boleslavsky and Bronstein, although this did not eventuate. [5]

It has also been speculated that the result of the Bronstein-Boleslavsky match was pre-arranged by the contestants. [6]

1951 Championship match

Conditions

The match was played as best of 24 games. If it ended 12-12, Botvinnik, the holder, would retain the Championship.

Match

World Chess Championship Match 1951
123456789101112131415161718192021222324Points
Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  Mikhail Botvinnik  (Soviet Union)½½½½011½½½01½½½½0½1½001½12
Flag of the USSR (1936-1955).svg  David Bronstein  (Soviet Union)½½½½100½½½10½½½½1½0½110½12

Botvinnik retained the championship.

Highlights

Botvinnik-Bronstein, Game 5
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8
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Bronstein took the early lead in Game 5. Black (Bronstein) here played 39...Nce3+, and Botvinnik resigned because it is mate next move.
Bronstein-Botvinnik, Game 6
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8
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Chess nlt45.svg
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8
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In Game 6, Bronstein (white) made one of the worst ever blunders in world championship play. He played 57 Kc2??, apparently expecting 57...Kf3 58 Ne6 e2 59 Nd4+ (however this line also leads to a win for black with correct play), but resigned when Botvinnik (black) played 57...Kg3, after which 59 Nd4 is not check. 57 Ne6+ was a simple draw. The blunder so upset Bronstein that he played weakly, and lost, in Game 7. [1]

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References