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 →Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Szabo, Laszlo
1/2-1/2Tel Aviv olm fin-A 1964 A29
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Liberzon, Vladimir M
1-0URS Spartakiad 1964 E89
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Simagin, Vladimir
1/2-1/2URS Spartakiad 1964 A10
Yanofsky, Daniel Abraham vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1Tel Aviv olm fin-A 1964 B09
Taimanov, Mark E vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-chT 1963 E43
Kholmov, Ratmir D vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-chT 1963 B07
Gipslis, Aivars vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-chT 1963 B06
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Buslaev, Aleksander
1-0URS-chT 1963 A13
Danov, Vladimir vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1URS-chT 1963 A36
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Shofman, Mikhail
1-0URS-chT 1963 A25
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Stein, Leonid
1/2-1/2URS Spartakiad 1963 E84
Krutikhin, Yury P vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2URS-chT 1963 B75
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Uhlmann, Wolfgang
1/2-1/2Varna olm 1962 C05
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Robatsch, Karl
1-0Varna olm 1962 A21
Kokkoris, Hristos vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1Varna olm 1962 B74
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs O'Kelly de Galway, Alberic
1/2-1/2Varna olm 1962 A14
Uhlmann, Wolfgang vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1-0Varna olm 1962 E12
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Donner, Jan Hein
1/2-1/2Varna olm 1962 A24
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Padevsky, Nikola
1/2-1/2Varna olm 1962 E59
Johansson, Martin vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2Varna olm 1962 B15
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Pomar Salamanca, Arturo
1-0Varna olm 1962 A08
Filip, Miroslav vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1Varna olm 1962 E14
Unzicker, Wolfgang vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1Varna olm 1962 B08
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Gligoric, Svetozar
1/2-1/2EU-chT 1961 A25
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Gligoric, Svetozar
1/2-1/2Hastings6162 1961 A36
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Wade, Robert Graham
1-0Hastings6162 1961 C77
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Pachman, Ludek
1-0EU-chT 1961 E69
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Szabo, Laszlo
1/2-1/2EU-chT 1961 A36
Pachman, Ludek vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2EU-chT 1961 A30
Perez Perez, Francisco Jose vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2EU-chT 1961 B06
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Penrose, Jonathan
1-0Hastings6162 1961 E89
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Unzicker, Wolfgang
1-0EU-chT 1961 D34
Unzicker, Wolfgang vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1-0EU-chT 1961 C19
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Bisguier, Arthur Bernard
1-0Hastings6162 1961 A14
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Aaron, Manuel
1-0Hastings6162 1961 A04
Szabo, Laszlo vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1EU-chT 1961 E44
Barden, Leonhard William vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1Hastings6162 1961 C02
Robatsch, Karl vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1Hastings6162 1961 C19
Littlewood, John Eric vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1Hastings6162 1961 B75
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Perez Perez, Francisco Jose
1-0EU-chT 1961 B20
Flohr, Salo vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2Hastings6162 1961 E24
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Donner, Jan Hein
1/2-1/2Leipzig olm prel 1960 D78
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Eliskases, Erich Gottlieb
1-0Leipzig olm prel 1960 C99
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Schmid, Lothar
1-0Leipzig olm fin-A 1960 A43
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Lombardy, William James
1/2-1/2Leipzig olm fin-A 1960 E89
Neikirkh, Oleg vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1Leipzig olm fin-A 1960 B88
Aaron, Manuel vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1Leipzig olm prel 1960 A46
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Kostjoerin, Anatole
1-0Leipzig olm prel 1960 A25
Tamburini, Mario vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1Leipzig olm prel 1960 E82
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Ivkov, Borislav
1/2-1/2Leipzig olm fin-A 1960 A16