Forever Chess GamesForever Chess Games Logo
CreateGiftsProductsGamesPlayersOpeningsTop 100FAQ

Explore

  • Players
  • Openings
  • Famous Games
  • Top 100 Games
  • World Championships

Create

  • Create Visualisation
  • How It Works
  • Gift Ideas

Eras

  • 1880s – Classical
  • 1960s – Fischer Era
  • 1990s – Kasparov Era
  • 2020s – Modern

Info

  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use

© 2026 Forever Chess Games. All Rights Reserved

  1. Home
  2. /Players
  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

View Print
FCGFCG
1-0

Tal, Mihail vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 23th

1960

View Print
FCGFCG
1-0

Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Smyslov, Vassily

World Championship 21th

1957

View Print
FCGFCG
0-1

Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Smyslov, Vassily

World Championship 20th

1954

View Print
FCGFCG
1-0

Smyslov, Vassily vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 21th

1957

View Print
FCGFCG
1-0

Smyslov, Vassily vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 22th

1958

View Print
FCGFCG
0-1

Tal, Mihail vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 24th

1961

View Print
FCGFCG
0-1

Smyslov, Vassily vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 20th

1954

View Print
FCGFCG
1-0

Tal, Mihail vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 24th

1961

View Print
FCGFCG
1-0

Bronstein, David I vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 19th

1951

View Print

Games (891)

Search & Filter All Games →
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Szabo, Laszlo
1/2-1/2
Tel Aviv olm fin-A 1964 A29
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Liberzon, Vladimir M
1-0
URS Spartakiad 1964 E89
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Simagin, Vladimir
1/2-1/2
URS Spartakiad 1964 A10
Yanofsky, Daniel Abraham vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Tel Aviv olm fin-A 1964 B09
Taimanov, Mark E vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
URS-chT 1963 E43
Kholmov, Ratmir D vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
URS-chT 1963 B07
Gipslis, Aivars vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
URS-chT 1963 B06
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Buslaev, Aleksander
1-0
URS-chT 1963 A13
Danov, Vladimir vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
URS-chT 1963 A36
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Shofman, Mikhail
1-0
URS-chT 1963 A25
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Stein, Leonid
1/2-1/2
URS Spartakiad 1963 E84
Krutikhin, Yury P vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
URS-chT 1963 B75
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Uhlmann, Wolfgang
1/2-1/2
Varna olm 1962 C05
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Robatsch, Karl
1-0
Varna olm 1962 A21
Kokkoris, Hristos vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Varna olm 1962 B74
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs O'Kelly de Galway, Alberic
1/2-1/2
Varna olm 1962 A14
Uhlmann, Wolfgang vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1-0
Varna olm 1962 E12
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Donner, Jan Hein
1/2-1/2
Varna olm 1962 A24
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Padevsky, Nikola
1/2-1/2
Varna olm 1962 E59
Johansson, Martin vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
Varna olm 1962 B15
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Pomar Salamanca, Arturo
1-0
Varna olm 1962 A08
Filip, Miroslav vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Varna olm 1962 E14
Unzicker, Wolfgang vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Varna olm 1962 B08
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Gligoric, Svetozar
1/2-1/2
EU-chT 1961 A25
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Gligoric, Svetozar
1/2-1/2
Hastings6162 1961 A36
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Wade, Robert Graham
1-0
Hastings6162 1961 C77
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Pachman, Ludek
1-0
EU-chT 1961 E69
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Szabo, Laszlo
1/2-1/2
EU-chT 1961 A36
Pachman, Ludek vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
EU-chT 1961 A30
Perez Perez, Francisco Jose vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
EU-chT 1961 B06
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Penrose, Jonathan
1-0
Hastings6162 1961 E89
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Unzicker, Wolfgang
1-0
EU-chT 1961 D34
Unzicker, Wolfgang vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1-0
EU-chT 1961 C19
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Bisguier, Arthur Bernard
1-0
Hastings6162 1961 A14
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Aaron, Manuel
1-0
Hastings6162 1961 A04
Szabo, Laszlo vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
EU-chT 1961 E44
Barden, Leonhard William vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Hastings6162 1961 C02
Robatsch, Karl vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Hastings6162 1961 C19
Littlewood, John Eric vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Hastings6162 1961 B75
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Perez Perez, Francisco Jose
1-0
EU-chT 1961 B20
Flohr, Salo vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
Hastings6162 1961 E24
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Donner, Jan Hein
1/2-1/2
Leipzig olm prel 1960 D78
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Eliskases, Erich Gottlieb
1-0
Leipzig olm prel 1960 C99
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Schmid, Lothar
1-0
Leipzig olm fin-A 1960 A43
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Lombardy, William James
1/2-1/2
Leipzig olm fin-A 1960 E89
Neikirkh, Oleg vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Leipzig olm fin-A 1960 B88
Aaron, Manuel vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Leipzig olm prel 1960 A46
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Kostjoerin, Anatole
1-0
Leipzig olm prel 1960 A25
Tamburini, Mario vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
0-1
Leipzig olm prel 1960 E82
Botvinnik, Mikhail vs Ivkov, Borislav
1/2-1/2
Leipzig olm fin-A 1960 A16
PreviousPage 9 of 18Next

Explore More

All PlayersAll OpeningsFamous Games