World Chess Championship 1951

The 1951 World Chess Championship was played between Mikhail Botvinnik and David Bronstein in Moscow from March 15 to May 11, 1951. It was the first match played under the supervision of FIDE; and the first to use a qualifying system of an Interzonal and Candidates Tournament to choose a challenger - a system which stayed in place until 1993.

Defending champion Challenger
Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik
David Bronstein
David Bronstein
Soviet Union Mikhail Botvinnik Soviet Union David Bronstein
12 12
Born 17 August 1911
39 years old
Born 19 February 1924
27 years old
Winner of the 1948 World Chess Championship Winner of the 1950 Candidates Tournament
1948 1954

Botvinnik was the defending champion: he was 39 years old, had been a world leading player in the 1930s and World Champion since 1948. The challenger, David Bronstein, was 27 years old and relatively new to top-level competition.

The match ended in a 12–12 tie (5 wins each, and 14 draws), meaning Botvinnik retained the title of World Champion. Writing in 1973, Israel Horowitz described the match as "perhaps the most interesting match ever played for the world championship".[1]

1948 Interzonal tournament

An interzonal tournament was held at Saltsjöbaden in Stockholm, Sweden, in July and August 1948. The top eight finishers qualified for the Candidates tournament.

1948 Interzonal Tournament
1234567891011121314151617181920Total
1 David Bronstein (Soviet Union)x1½1½½½½½½1½½1½1½11113½
2 László Szabó (Hungary)0x½½1½1½½1½111½1½½1012½
3 Isaac Boleslavsky (Soviet Union)½½x½½½01½1½½1½½½111½12
4 Alexander Kotov (Soviet Union)0½½x½½½½½½1½½½½1111½11½
5 Andor Lilienthal (Soviet Union)½0½½x11½½½0½½½1½1½½111
6 Igor Bondarevsky (Soviet Union)½½½½0x½½10½1½0½½1½1110½
7 Miguel Najdorf (Argentina)½01½0½x½½101½0½1½½1110½
8 Gideon Ståhlberg (Sweden)½½0½½½½x½0½11½½½½1½110½
9 Salo Flohr (Soviet Union)½½½½½0½½x½½½½½½½1½1110½
10 Petar Trifunović (Yugoslavia)½00½½101½x½½01½½1½1½10
11 Vasja Pirc (Yugoslavia)0½½01½1½½½x½½010½1½½
12 Svetozar Gligorić (Yugoslavia)½0½½½000½½½x1½111½01
13 Eero Böök (Finland)½00½½½½0½1½0x½½½½111
14 Viacheslav Ragozin (Soviet Union)00½½½11½½01½½x00½0½1
15 Daniel Yanofsky (Canada)½½½½0½½½½½00½1x0½½½1
16 Savielly Tartakower (France)00½0½½0½½½10½11x0½½½8
17 Ludek Pachman (Czechoslovakia)½½0000½½00½0½½½1x1½1
18 Gösta Stoltz (Sweden)0½00½½½0½½0½01½½0x½½
19 Lajos Steiner (Australia)0000½00½00½10½½½½½x½
20 Erik Lundin (Sweden)01½½00000½½0000½0½½x

The four players tied for sixth place were to have played off for three spots in the Candidates tournament, but Bondarevsky had to withdraw due to illness, so the other three qualified automatically.

1950 Candidates tournament

The 1950 Candidates tournament was held in Budapest, Hungary in April and May 1950. The players who finished second through fifth in the 1948 championship tournament (Smyslov, Keres, Reshevsky, and Euwe) were seeded directly into the tournament, along with Reuben Fine, who had been invited to the 1948 tournament but declined, and the top eight finishers from the Interzonal.

It has been written that the two American players, Reshevsky and Fine, were prevented from travelling to Hungary by the US State Department, with travel restrictions due to the Cold War;[1] However, Reshevsky said in 1991 that he could have gone but did not want to.[2] Euwe declined due to work commitments, and Bondarevsky due to illness.[1]

1950 Candidates Tournament
12345678910Score
1 David Bronstein (Soviet Union)xx= =0 1= 11 11 =0 1= =1 == 112
2 Isaac Boleslavsky (Soviet Union)= =xx1 == == =1 == == 1= 11 112
3 Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)1 00 =xx= =1 == 10 1= 1= == =10
4 Paul Keres (Soviet Union)= 0= == =xx= =1 01 == == 1= =
5 Miguel Najdorf (Argentina)0 0= =0 == =xx= == =1 1= 1= =9
6 Alexander Kotov (Soviet Union)0 =0 == 00 1= =xx= 11 01 01 =
7 Gideon Ståhlberg (Sweden)1 0= =1 00 == == 0xx= == == =8
8 Andor Lilienthal (Soviet Union)= == 0= 0= =0 00 1= =xx1 0= =7
9 László Szabó (Hungary)0 == 0= == 0= 00 1= =0 1xx1 07
10 Salo Flohr (Soviet Union)= 00 0= == == =0 == == =0 1xx7

The co-winners then played a 12-game rematch in Moscow in July and August 1950. In the event of another tie, the first decisive game would determine Botvinnik's challenger for the title.

Candidates playoff, 1950
123456789101112Points1314Total
 David Bronstein (Soviet Union) 1½½½½½10½½0½6½1
 Isaac Boleslavsky (Soviet Union) 0½½½½½01½½1½6½0

Bronstein thus earned the right to challenge the reigning champion.

Boleslavsky's strategy

Going into the final round of the Candidates tournament, Boleslavsky had a half point lead over Bronstein. Boleslavsky had white against Stahlberg, and offered a short draw when he was in a good position, which Stahlberg accepted.[3] This gave Bronstein the opportunity to catch him, which he did, with a brilliant win against Keres.[4] It has been said, by both Bronstein and by Yuri Averbakh, that Boleslavsky allowed Bronstein to catch him. Averbakh said that Boleslavsky had a very poor record against Botvinnik, and hoped that a tie would mean a 3-way match between Botvinnik, Boleslavsky and Bronstein, although this did not eventuate.[5]

It has also been speculated that the result of the Bronstein-Boleslavsky match was pre-arranged by the contestants.[6]

1951 Championship match

Conditions

The match was played as best of 24 games. If it ended 12-12, Botvinnik, the holder, would retain the Championship.

Match

World Chess Championship Match 1951
123456789101112131415161718192021222324Points
 Mikhail Botvinnik (Soviet Union) ½½½½011½½½01½½½½0½1½001½12
 David Bronstein (Soviet Union) ½½½½100½½½10½½½½1½0½110½12

Botvinnik retained the championship.

Highlights

Botvinnik-Bronstein, Game 5
abcdefgh
8
h8 black king
d7 white rook
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
b5 white knight
c5 white pawn
f5 black rook
b4 white pawn
g4 black knight
d3 black pawn
g3 white pawn
c2 black knight
g2 white king
h2 white pawn
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Bronstein took the early lead in Game 5. Black (Bronstein) here played 39...Nce3+, and Botvinnik resigned because it is mate next move.
Bronstein-Botvinnik, Game 6
abcdefgh
8
d8 white knight
b7 black pawn
a5 black pawn
c4 white pawn
f4 black king
b3 white king
c3 white pawn
e3 black pawn
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
In Game 6, Bronstein (white) made one of the worst ever blunders in world championship play. He played 57 Kc2??, apparently expecting 57...Kf3 58 Ne6 e2 59 Nd4+ (however this line also leads to a win for black with correct play), but resigned when Botvinnik (black) played 57...Kg3, after which 59 Nd4 is not check. 57 Ne6+ was a simple draw. The blunder so upset Bronstein that he played weakly, and lost, in Game 7.[1]

References

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