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  3. /Botvinnik, Mikhail

Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Champion

classical era

Mikhail Botvinnik, the "Patriarch of Soviet Chess," held the World Championship across three reigns (1948-1957, 1958-1960, 1961-1963), twice reclaiming the title in rematches after losing it. His iron-logical, deeply analytical style and scientific approach to preparation established the template for modern competitive chess training. As a legendary coach, he mentored three future World Champions -- Karpov, Kasparov, and Kramnik -- leaving an unparalleled legacy in chess education.

Total Games

891

Wins

406

Draws

375

Losses

110

45.6% wins42.1% draws12.3% losses

Most Played Openings

D94 - Grünfeld Defense: Flohr Defense13A36 - English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System13D13 - Slav Defense: Exchange Variation12B12 - Caro-Kann Defense12C19 - French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation12E35 - Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Noa Variation11D35 - Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense10C15 - French Defense: Winawer Variation10C08 - French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open System10A30 - English Opening: Wing Gambit10

Most Faced Opponents

Smyslov, Vassily94 gamesTal, Mihail44 gamesBronstein, David I30 gamesPetrosian, Tigran V27 gamesFlohr, Salo27 gamesRagozin, Viacheslav24 gamesLevenfish, Grigory19 gamesKeres, Paul19 gamesKan, Ilia Abramovich15 gamesReshevsky, Samuel Herman14 games

Featured Games

FCGFCG
1-0

Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Smyslov, Vassily

World Championship 22th

1958

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FCGFCG
1-0

Tal, Mihail vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 23th

1960

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FCGFCG
1-0

Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Smyslov, Vassily

World Championship 21th

1957

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FCGFCG
0-1

Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Smyslov, Vassily

World Championship 20th

1954

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FCGFCG
1-0

Smyslov, Vassily vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 21th

1957

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FCGFCG
1-0

Smyslov, Vassily vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 22th

1958

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FCGFCG
0-1

Tal, Mihail vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 24th

1961

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FCGFCG
0-1

Smyslov, Vassily vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 20th

1954

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FCGFCG
1-0

Tal, Mihail vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 24th

1961

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FCGFCG
1-0

Bronstein, David I vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 19th

1951

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Games (891)

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Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Borisenko, Georgy K
1/2-1/2
URS-ch22 1955 E66
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
URS-ch22 1955 A04
Antoshin, Vladimir S vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
URS-ch22 1955 C19
Flohr, Salo vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
URS-ch22 1955 A90
Averbakh, Yuri L vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
URS-ch22 1955 C15
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Kan, Ilia Abramovich
1-0
URS-ch22 1955 A20
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Salo, Toivo
1-0
Amsterdam olm 1954 E69
Unzicker, Wolfgang vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
Amsterdam olm 1954 C17
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Minev, Nikolay N
1-0
Amsterdam olm 1954 D47
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Pirc, Vasja
1-0
Amsterdam olm 1954 E42
Alexander, Conel Hughes vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
Amsterdam olm 1954 B37
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Porath, Yosef
1/2-1/2
Amsterdam olm 1954 D35
Szabo, Laszlo vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
Amsterdam olm 1954 D36
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Stahlberg, Gideon
1-0
Amsterdam olm 1954 A14
Parliaros, D. vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Amsterdam olm 1954 D02
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Taimanov, Mark E
1/2-1/2
URS-ch20 playoff-1pl 1952 D46
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Boleslavsky, Isaak
1/2-1/2
URS-ch20 1952 E68
Sliwa, Bogdan vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Budapest 1952 A36
Moiseev, Oleg L vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
URS-ch20 1952 D93
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Barcza, Gedeon
1/2-1/2
Budapest 1952 E49
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Pilnik, Herman
1-0
Budapest 1952 D54
Szily, Jozsef vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1-0
Budapest 1952 C08
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs O'Kelly de Galway, Alberic
1-0
Budapest 1952 A07
Platz, Hans vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
Budapest 1952 E35
Troianescu, Octavio vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Budapest 1952 D94
Lipnitsky, Isaak vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
URS-ch20 1952 C98
Kan, Ilia Abramovich vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
URS m training 1952 C05
Taimanov, Mark E vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
URS-ch20 playoff-1pl 1952 A85
Szabo, Laszlo vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
Budapest 1952 A94
Aronin, Lev Solomonovich vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
URS-ch20 1952 C48
Taimanov, Mark E vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1-0
URS-ch20 playoff-1pl 1952 E58
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Kan, Ilia Abramovich
1/2-1/2
URS m training 1952 E68
Kottnauer, Cenek vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Budapest 1952 E85
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
URS-ch20 1952 A11
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Byvshev, Vasily Mikhailovich
1/2-1/2
URS-ch20 1952 D35
Golombek, Harry vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Budapest 1952 A21
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Stahlberg, Gideon
1/2-1/2
Budapest 1952 D35
Ilivitzki, Georgi A vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
URS-ch20 1952 E01
Taimanov, Mark E vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
URS-ch20 playoff-1pl 1952 D45
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Konstantinopolsky, Alexander
1-0
URS-ch20 1952 B01
Suetin, Alexey S vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
URS-ch20 1952 B63
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Taimanov, Mark E
0-1
URS-ch20 1952 E40
Tolush, Alexander V vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
URS-ch20 1952 C05
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Kan, Ilia Abramovich
1-0
URS-ch20 1952 A30
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Taimanov, Mark E
1-0
URS-ch20 playoff-1pl 1952 E40
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Gereben, Erno
1-0
Budapest 1952 A13
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Goldenov, Boris Petrovich
1-0
URS-ch20 1952 A13
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Simagin, Vladimir
1/2-1/2
URS-ch20 1952 A25
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Benko, Pal C
1/2-1/2
Budapest 1952 D13
Kasparian, Genrikh vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
URS-ch20 1952 C01
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