Vintage Botvinnik

    One of the earliest game collections I has was Botvinnik’s 100 Selected Games and it along with Reshevsky On Chess had the covers worn off. A lot of today’s players don’t like Botvinnik's book; they whine that it’s in descriptive notation and complain that Botvinnik’s annotations are dry and of a positional nature and the games are not as exciting as those played by Tal or Fischer. But, that was Botvinnik’s style. Also, as with all these old books, even those about Tal and Fischer, the annotations are flawed. While that is true, the fundamentals are valid. 

`Botvinnik's opponent in the following game was Vsevold Tauzer (1908-1941, 33 years old), the Ukrainian champion in 1927 and joint champion in 1933. He finished sixth in the USSR Championship of 1933 in which this game was played. 

    After 1937, ill health brought Rauzer's playing career to an end as he was confined to a mental hospital where he he died during the siege of Leningrad in 1941. 

    Botvinnik got off to a poor start, but in the 4th round he got going with this game, one of his best games in the tournament. He ended up winning it a point ahead of Vladimir Alatortsev. 

    I have been unable to locate the game, but it has been reported that Fyodor Duz-Chotimirsky, who apparently didn’t like Botvinnik, played on for over 100 moves in, depending on the story, either a drawn Rook and Pawn ending or a Rook vs, Rook ending. Botvinnik does not seemed to have been an especially likable fellow, but Duz-Chotimirsky deserved his next to last place finish for such unsportsmanlike conduct. 

    This game is vintage Botvinnik. Let then Czech, late Soviet, GM Salo Flohr explain it. He recalled seeing this game and being “delighted by the energy, power, complex and exact calculation, depth of strategy and fantasy.” He added, “I had the feeling that in the Soviet Union they play chess that is somehow different, new, more interesting and deeper than in the West.”

 

[Event "USSR Championship, Leningrad"] [Site ""] [Date "1933.08.19"] [Round "?"] [White "Vsevolod Rauzer"] [Black "Mikhail Botvinnik"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B74"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "1933.??.??"] {B74: Sicilian Dragon: Classical System} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 {Like American Master Weaver Adams tried to do some 20 years later Rauzer tried to prove that 1.e4 wins by force. It wasn't until several years later that he introduced the varication that bears his name, 6. Bg5. He also later introduced his anti-Dragon system with f2-f3, Be3, Qd2 and 0-0-0.} (6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O {is the main line in the Rauzer systen.}) (6. f3 g6 7. Be3 Bg7 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O {After 10.Bc4 white actually performs quite well.}) 6... g6 7. Be3 Bg7 8. Nb3 Be6 9. f4 O-O 10. O-O Na5 11. Nxa5 Qxa5 12. Bf3 Bc4 13. Re1 Rfd8 14. Qd2 {We are finally running out of games in the database. Aside from Botvinnik's next move 14...Rac6 has been played.} Qc7 ( 14... Rac8 15. Qf2 Nd7 16. Rad1 Qb4 17. Nd5 Bxd5 {is equal. Oertel,T (2048) -Richter,D (2008) Arendsee 2008}) (14... e5 {Kiiks interesting. 15.fxe5 doesn't seem to offer much so...} 15. f5 {looks promising practically speaking. After takiung about anf hour break to run out to Chik-fil-A for lunch I returned to find this analysis...} gxf5 16. exf5 d5 17. Kh1 d4 18. Bh6 Bxh6 19. Qxh6 Rd6 20. Bxb7 Rb8 21. Qg5+ Kh8 22. Ne4 Nxe4 23. Bxe4 f6 24. Qh6 Qd8 25. b3 Bd5 26. Rad1 Bxe4 27. Rxe4 Rc8 28. Rg4 Qe7 29. Rd3 Rdc6 30. Rdg3 Rxc2 31. h4 R2c7 32. Rg7 Qxg7 33. Rxg7 Rxg7 34. Qxf6 Rc1+ 35. Kh2 Rc2 36. Kg1 Rcxg2+ 37. Kf1 d3 38. Qd8+ Rg8 39. Qf6+ {with a deraw.}) 15. Rac1 {An odd looking T move. Perhaps it was in his mind to try and advance the c-Pawn.} e5 {Soviet GM and future World Correspondence Champion (1956-59) Viacheslav Ragozin attached a "!" to this move saying, "Now 16.fxe5 dxe5 17. Qf2 is nothing much. “Rauzer, probably, anticipated with pleasure the methodical exploitation of the (supposedly) fatal weakness at d6," Actually the position is dead equal.} 16. b3 (16. f5 {still does not amount to anything.} d5 17. exd5 (17. Nxd5 {is a blunder.} Bxd5 18. exd5 e4 19. Be2 Nxd5 20. Bg5 (20. Bh6 e3 21. Bxe3 Nxe3 22. Qxe3 Bd4) 20... Be5 21. Bxd8 Rxd8 22. g3 (22. h3 Bf4) 22... Bxg3 23. hxg3 Qxg3+ 24. Kh1 Qh4+ 25. Kg1 e3 26. Qa5 Nf4 27. Bf1 Qf2+ 28. Kh1 Rd2 {wins}) 17... gxf5 18. Rcd1 {with equal chances.}) 16... d5 {Another Soviet GM, Alexey Suetin, write that this “is based most of all on intuition.” Actually, besides the text black can play 16...rxf4 or 16///Be6 which are equally accrptable as the moves are all evaluated at nearly 0.00.} 17. exd5 e4 {Forced. Retreating the B would lose!} (17... Ba6 18. fxe5 Nd7 (18... Qxe5 19. Bb6) 19. d6 Qa5 20. Nd5 Qxd2 21. Bxd2 Nxe5 22. Bf4 Nxf3+ 23. gxf3 {White is a P up with what should prove to be a winning position.}) 18. bxc4 {This move was analyzed Albert Becker's 1929 opening book on the Sicilian and it recommended 18.Nxe4} (18. Nxe4 {Neither better nor worse than Rauzer's move.} Nxd5 19. Bc5 Nc3 20. Qe3 Nxe4 21. Bxe4 Bd5 {with complete equality.}) 18... exf3 19. c5 Qa5 $1 20. Red1 {Adyer this black gets a slight advantage which was all Botvinnik needed. He thought 20;Qd3 would favor white} (20. Qd3 {This is the top choice of the Reckless enginem but iy yields no advantage after} Rac8 21. gxf3 Nd7 22. Ne4 f5 {Moving the N is solid, but more interesting is...} 23. d6 $5 fxe4 24. fxe4 Rxc5 25. e5 {White has two Ps for a N and the position is unclear. Five Shootout ganes ended in draws.}) 20... Ng4 {While this position is technically equal white is walking on a tightrope. There is only one move that doesn't lose!} 21. Bd4 {I don't believe any analyst pointed out that this loses.} (21. Ne4 {Black can either trade Qs or capture the a-Pawn, but neither move leads to any advantage.} Qxd2 22. Bxd2 Bd4+ 23. Kh1 fxg2+ 24. Kxg2 f5 25. Nd6 b6 26. h3 Nf2 27. Rf1 bxc5 28. c3 Rxd6 29. cxd4 Ne4 30. dxc5 Rxd5 31. Be3 {with equal chances/}) (21. Ne4 Qxa2 22. Bf2 (22. gxf3 Nxe3 23. Qxe3 Rxd5 {with equal chances/}) 22... fxg2 23. c4 {with equal chances.}) 21... f2+ {[%mdl 512] Mow 22/Bxf2 loses ro 22...Bxc3} 22. Kf1 {A quick glance at the position may give the impression that white's situation is not too bad. His K is not immediately threatened and his pieces look to have the center under control, but black has a decisive advantage.} Qa6+ {It's quite possible this move escaped Rauzer's attention.} 23. Qe2 {Threatens to win with Qxa6.} Bxd4 24. Rxd4 Qf6 {[%mdl 128] The Q joins the attack.} 25. Rcd1 Qh4 26. Qd3 Re8 27. Re4 f5 28. Re6 Nxh2+ 29. Ke2 Qxf4 {White resigned.} (29... Qxf4 30. Qe3 Qc4+ 31. Qd3 f1=Q+ 32. Rxf1 Rxe6+ 33. dxe6 Qxe6+ 34. Kf2 Nxf1 35. Kxf1 Re8 {Black is the exchange up which is all Botvinnik needs.}) 0-1