Reshevsky – Botvinnik Match

    The other day found me wondering if Samuel Reshevsky could have become World Champion if he had been able to play a match against Mikhail Botvinnik. Did the Soviet) hegemony in chess which lasted from 1948 until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 have anything to due with it? 

    Apparently not. Reshevsky never became World Chess Champion for a number of reasons. First, he was not a full time professiona; player; he was a Certified Public Accountant. Reshevsky wrote that the CPA exam was more challenging that any chess game he ever played. Statistically the pass rate is only about 50%. 

    Chess-wise Reshevaksy was notorious for having chronic time trouble issues that were often related to his consuming a massive amount of time in the opening which were always a weakness. Pal Benko told how that one time when he served as Reshevsky’s trainer to worked on openings they would work on them in the morning, break for lunch and then resume. By that time Reshevsky had forgotten almost everything they had studied in the morning. 

    Of course, Reshevsky and Botvinnik never played a match, but in their careers they met fourteen times and Reshevsky scored +2 -5 =7 for a total score of 5.5-8.5.

    Chessmetrics estimates Botvinnik’s highest ever rating to have been 2885 on the October 1945 rating list placing him at #1 in the world. By comparison, Reshevsky’s highest ever rating was 2785 on the October 1953 rating list where he was#1 in world. So it’s likely that had they met in a match Botvinnik would have won. 

 

    In the following game from the 1948 World Championship match/tournament that was held in The Hague and Moscow. Reshevsky’s inspired defense scores the point. 

 

[Event "World Champ, The Hague/Moscow"] [Site ""] [Date "1948.04.18"] [Round "14"] [White "Mikhail Botvinnik"] [Black "Samuel Reshevsky"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E29"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "1948.03.02"] [EventType ""] [EventRounds ""] [EventCountry "URS"] [Source ""] [SourceVersion ""] [SourceQuality ""] { E29: Nimzo-Indian: Saemisch Attack} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 {In their first encounter in an earlier round Reshevsky played 4...d5 and lost.} 5. a3 {A predictable move from Botvinnik.} Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Nc6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Ne2 b6 {Thia ia by far the most common move here. Black reserves the option of opening up the game with ...d5 or keepoing it closed with ...d6} 9. e4 {The idea is to play Bg5 and e5 and initiate a K-side P attack.} Ne8 {Reshevsky plays what at the tine was a novel idea, but today is routine;avoids the pin and forces white to select another plan,} 10. Be3 {Threatening to win the c-Pawn.} d6 {This is what is known as the Wyvill Formation, It is a P-structure where white does not have a P on the b-file and doubled c-Pawns and a P on d4 or d5. Aside from the Nimzo-Indian it can also arise from the French, Winawer Variation. White usually teies to build up a K-side attack using an idea like f4-f5 while black targets the P on c4.} 11. O-O Na5 {There is probably nothing wrong with this move, but back in the old days Nimzovich warned against it as long as there is tension in the center. Therefore, 11...Ba6 is the other option. It's splitting hairs.} 12. Ng3 {To support the advance of the P to f5.} (12. f4 {is the also possible. After} Ba6 13. f5 exf5 14. Rxf5 Bxc4 15. Bc2 {White wants to preserve this B for a possible attack...it aims at h7.} Be6 {The chances are completely equal.}) 12... Ba6 13. Qe2 Qd7 {The purpose of this move is to continue the attack on the P on c4 by ...Qa4} 14. f4 {White compensates for the loss of the P on c4 with a strong K-side attack.} f5 {A very fine move that was made possible by 9...Ne8! It hinders white's K-side attack and prevents him from opening up the f-file.} 15. Rae1 {With this move Botvinnik's new idea is to break through in the center by advancing his d-Pawn.} g6 {Black has to play this in order to defend the f-Pawn in the event white plays d5 attacking its supporting P.} 16. Rd1 {Indirectly threatening the Q.} (16. d5 Ng7 17. dxe6 Qxe6 18. exf5 gxf5 {White has no attack and both sides have weak Ps...the chances are equal.}) 16... Qf7 {A dual purpose move: it moves the Q to a safer square and protects the e-Pawn.} (16... Qa4 {sttscking the c-Pawn was also playable. After} 17. d5 {things get complicated.} Ng7 18. dxe6 Bxc4 19. exf5 gxf5 {It's a messy position and probably not one Reshevsky would like even though the chances are equal.}) 17. e5 {Advancinf the d-Pawn doesn't accomplish anything, so Botvinnik tries advancing the e-Pawn.} Rc8 {An attack on the P on c4 by ...Qa4 is no longer possible, but this move renews the thratened attack with the idea of ...cxd4} 18. Rfe1 {In order to reposition the N to e3.} dxe5 {The idea of this move is to be able to bring his N and R on f8 into play.} (18... cxd4 {is also playable, but after} 19. Bxd4 $1 {Activates the b.} dxe5 20. Qxe5 Ng7 21. c5 Bxd3 22. Rxd3 {Black has failed to win the P on c4 and this unclear and somewhat messy position offers no advantage to either side.}) 19. dxe5 Ng7 20. Nf1 Rfd8 21. Bf2 Nh5 22. Bg3 {He prefers this to opening up the long diagonal with 22.g3} {Returning to the old ...Qa4 idea.} Qe8 23. Ne3 Qa4 $2 {This move is not so good even though it enables black to exchange Qs whenever he wishes. Doubling Rs on the d-file (by say ...Rc7-d7) was better.} 24. Qa2 {This move, protecting the P, falls in with black's plan.} (24. Rf1 {baits a trap.} Rxd3 25. Qxd3 Nxc4 26. Nxc4 Bxc4 27. Qd6 Re8 (27... Bxf1 28. Qxe6+ Kg7 29. Rd7+ Kh6 30. Qe7 {wins.}) {White has the advantage.} 28. Rfe1) (24. Rf1 Nxg3 {is worse.} 25. hxg3 {and white's K-side attack will prevail/}) 24... Nxg3 25. hxg3 h5 {To nullify the strength of g4} 26. Be2 (26. g4 hxg4 (26... fxg4 27. f5 gxf5 28. Qf2 Qe8 29. Qh4 Rc7 30. Bxf5 Rxd1 31. Rxd1 Nc6 (31... exf5 32. Rd8) 32. Be4 Rd7 33. Rxd7 Qxd7 34. Qxh5 {White is winning.}) 27. Qf2 Nxc4 28. Bxc4 Bxc4 29. Qh4 Rxd1 30. Rxd1 Bb3 31. Rd3 Qe4 32. Rd8+ Rxd8 {draws} 33. Qxd8+) 26... Kf7 27. Kf2 Qb3 {[%mdl 2048]} 28. Qxb3 Nxb3 {The exchange of Qs has left black with a slightlu favorable ending, but the position is far from won.} 29. Bd3 Ke7 {Why not go after the P on c4?!} (29... Na5 30. Be2 Rxd1 31. Rxd1 Ke7 32. Bd3 Rd8 33. Ke2 {In this difficult position in Shoorouts white scored +0 -2 =3, so his position, while very difficult to defend, is not totally without hope.}) 30. Ke2 $2 {After this passive move black gets the advantage.} (30. g4 {This followed by Rh1 would give white ssufficient play on the h-file that a draw wpuld not be out of the question.} hxg4 {with equal chances.} 31. Rh1 Rh8 32. Bc2 Na5 33. Ba4 Rxh1 34. Rxh1 Rf8 35. Rh7+ Rf7 {with equal chances.}) 30... Na5 31. Rd2 Rc7 32. g4 Rcd7 $1 {Black's advantage has grown into a winning one.} 33. gxf5 {Faced with ...Bxc4 white has to try to complicate.} gxf5 {...and he is successful, but doesn't realize it!!} (33... Nxc4 $3 {wins after} 34. f6+ Kf7 35. Red1 Nxd2 36. Bxa6 Ne4 {and black is up the exchange.}) 34. Red1 $2 {[%mdl 8192] This is a serious mistake that immediately decides the game.} (34. Rdd1 {holds. For example, after} Rh8 35. Rh1 {There is no way for black to gain an advantage.}) 34... h4 {White can't move a piece without allowing ...Bxc4} 35. Ke1 Nb3 {Black is clearly winning.} 36. Nd5+ exd5 37. Bxf5 Nxd2 38. Rxd2 dxc4 {The P is finally captured.} 39. Bxd7 Rxd7 40. Rf2 Ke6 41. Rf3 Rd3 42. Ke2 {White resigned. A titanic struggle!} 0-1