Botvinnik, Mikhail
World ChampionMikhail 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
Featured Games
1-0
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Smyslov, Vassily
World Championship 22th
1958
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Tal, Mihail vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
World Championship 23th
1960
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Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Smyslov, Vassily
World Championship 21th
1957
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Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Smyslov, Vassily
World Championship 20th
1954
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Smyslov, Vassily vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
World Championship 21th
1957
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Smyslov, Vassily vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
World Championship 22th
1958
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Tal, Mihail vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
World Championship 24th
1961
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Smyslov, Vassily vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
World Championship 20th
1954
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Tal, Mihail vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
World Championship 24th
1961
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Bronstein, David I vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
World Championship 19th
1951
View PrintGames (891)
Search & Filter All Games →Dubinin, Peter Vasilievich vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2URS-ch12 1940 D97
Stolberg, Mark Moiseevich vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-ch12 1940 E48
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Ragozin, Viacheslav
1-0Leningrad m 1940 D94
Lilienthal, Andor vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1-0URS-ch12 1940 E19
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Ragozin, Viacheslav
1/2-1/2URS-ch12 1940 E21
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Boleslavsky, Isaak
1-0URS-ch12 1940 E68
Mikenas, Vladas vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1-0URS-ch12 1940 E35
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Veresov, Gavriil N
1-0URS-ch12 1940 C48
Ragozin, Viacheslav vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2Leningrad m 1940 E35
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Konstantinopolsky, Alexander
1-0URS-ch12 1940 B85
Ragozin, Viacheslav vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2Leningrad m 1940 C98
Bondarevsky, Igor vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1-0URS-ch12 1940 E29
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Rudakovsky, Iosif
1-0URS-ch12 1940 B83
Ragozin, Viacheslav vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2Leningrad m 1940 C05
Ragozin, Viacheslav vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2Leningrad m 1940 E33
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Levenfish, Grigory
1-0URS-ch12 1940 A28
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Petrovs, Vladimirs
1-0URS-ch12 1940 C05
Lisitsin, Georgy vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2URS-ch12 1940 C97
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Gerstenfeld, Eduard Issakovich
1/2-1/2URS-ch12 1940 A34
Makogonov, Vladimir Andreevich vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1-0URS-ch12 1940 A93
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Ragozin, Viacheslav
1-0Leningrad m 1940 A90
Panov, Vasily N vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-ch12 1940 C00
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Ragozin, Viacheslav
1/2-1/2Leningrad m 1940 D19
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Ragozin, Viacheslav
1-0Leningrad m 1940 A28
Kotov, Alexander vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2URS-ch12 1940 E35
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Ragozin, Viacheslav
1/2-1/2Leningrad m 1940 C77
Ragozin, Viacheslav vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1Leningrad m 1940 D82
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Ragozin, Viacheslav
1/2-1/2URS-ch11 1939 A94
Kotov, Alexander vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-ch11 1939 E33
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Bondarevsky, Igor
1/2-1/2URS-ch11 1939 D59
Lisitsin, Georgy vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2URS-ch11 1939 C49
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Yudovich, Mikhail Sr
1/2-1/2URS-ch11 1939 E72
Tolush, Alexander V vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-ch11 1939 D82
Rabinovich, Ilya Leontievich vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-ch11 1939 C19
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Panov, Vasily N
1-0URS-ch11 1939 C49
Dubinin, Peter Vasilievich vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-ch11 1939 C90
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Kan, Ilia Abramovich
1-0URS-ch11 1939 E24
Makogonov, Vladimir Andreevich vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2URS-ch11 1939 E37
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Romanovsky, Peter Arsenievich
1/2-1/2URS-ch11 1939 E06
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Chistiakov, Alexander Nikolaevi
1-0URS-ch11 1939 D37
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Chekhover, Vitaly
1/2-1/2URS-ch11 1939 D35
Pogrebissky, Iosif vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-ch11 1939 C19
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Levenfish, Grigory
1/2-1/2URS-ch11 1939 D35
Belavenets, Sergey Vesevolodovi vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2URS-ch11 1939 C19
Tolush, Alexander V vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-ch sf 1938 C02
Mazel, Isaak vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-ch sf 1938 A19
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Bondarevsky, Igor
1/2-1/2URS-ch sf 1938 E70
Sokolsky, Alexey vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-ch sf 1938 D94
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Kasparian, Genrikh
1-0URS-ch sf 1938 A34
Veresov, Gavriil N vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-ch sf 1938 E35