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Mikhail Botvinnik vs Vasily Smyslov
Smyslov - Botvinnik World Championship Rematch (1958), Moscow URS, rd 4, Mar-13
Gruenfeld Defense: Russian. Smyslov Variation (D98)  ·  1/2-1/2

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White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
Notes by Stockfish 9 v010218 (minimum 6s/ply)9...Nc6 was played in L Pasko vs Wei Yi, 2014 (0-1)10.Qd3 was played in S Nedeljkovic vs B Milic, 1947 (1-0)better is 15...Qe7 16.h3 Be6 17.Qb5 Rfc8 18.Ng5 a6 19.Qxb7 Rab8 = 0.00 (28 ply) 16.Qxb7 Qa5+ 17.b4 Qxa2 18.Ng5 Rfb8 19.Qc6 Nf8 20.Nxe6 ⩲ +0.67 (26 ply)= -0.12 (28 ply)better is 22.Ra1 Rfd8 23.Rhc1 Bf8 24.f3 Bb4 25.Bg5 Kg7 26.Nc4 h6 = -0.18 (27 ply)better is 22...a4 23.Rc1 Ra5 24.Bc4 Bd7 25.Bb6 Raa8 26.Bd3 Bh6 ⩱ -0.83 (28 ply)= -0.08 (30 ply) 28.b3 Bd7 29.bxa4 Rxa4 30.Rxa4 Bxa4 31.Nc4 Nxc4 32.Bxc4 ⩱ -0.53 (31 ply) ∓ -1.82 (28 ply) 53.Kb4 Ke5 54.g4 Be2 55.Kxa4 Bxg4 56.Kb4 Be2 57.Kc3 Kf5 ⩱ -0.98 (42 ply) ∓ -2.36 (42 ply) after 53...h5 54.Kd2 Ke6 55.Bc7 Kf5 56.Bd6 Bf1 57.Be7 c3+ 55...h5 56.Bc7 Kg4 57.Ke3 c3 58.bxc3 Kf5 59.c4 Bxc4 ∓ -2.27 (44 ply) ⩱ -1.32 (45 ply)better is 61...Ba2 62.Kd4 Be6 63.Ke3 Bd7 64.Kd4 Bc6 65.Kc5 Bb7 ∓ -1.58 (54 ply) ⩱ -1.00 (55 ply) after 62.Be7 Kf5 63.Bg5 Kg4 64.Be7 h6 65.Bd8 Bd3 66.Bf6 Kf5 77...Bf7 78.Kc3 Bd5 79.Kb4 Bb3 80.Kc3 Ke2 81.Bg1 Kf3 ⩱ -0.99 (61 ply)= 0.00 (104 ply)82...axb3+ 83.Kc1 Kf2 84.Kb2 Kf3 85.Kc3 Ke4 86.Kb2 Kd3 = 0.00 (67 ply)1/2-1/2

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35437 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Mar-20-08  Knight13: Barely are there any games where the queen mess around in the opening and nothing interesting happens.
Jan-31-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  WCC Editing Project:

<Botvinnik's> narrative about this eventful game:

<"...in the next game, the 4th- it was adjourned in a <<<winning position>>> for Smyslov...">

Adjourned position- (Source: -Mikhail Botvinnik, "Three World Chess Championship Matches: 1954, 1957, 1958" I.Y. Botvinnik, ed., Steve Giddins transl. (New in Chess 2009), pp.203-204)

Botvinnik sealed <45.Kc3>:


click for larger view

-<"...In addition I had become unwell, and Senkevich [the official match doctor] advised me not to show up for the resumption... Of course, I couldn't accept this suggestion, since to miss the resumption was not sensible- all the same this would be recorded as a time-out, and in one just one day I would not get better.. <<<I preferred to play (seeing as the position was hopeless, I would only have to make a few moves),>>> and to use the illness certificate the following day, a Saturday- then I would also be able to stay in bed on the Sunday (the adjournment day) and the Monday (a rest day)- and all for one time-out. Of course, the doctor couldn't object to such a decision... On the resumption, against expectation, I had to make not a few moves, but as many as 40! My opponent committed two inaccuracies and missed the win.">

Mikhail Botvinnik "Botvinnik's Complete Games (1942-1956) and Selected Writings (Part 2)," pp.33-34

-According to Botvinnik, the losing inaccuracy:

55...Kg4


click for larger view

<"Missing the win, because now White manages to regroup. Immediately after the game, Smyslov pointed out <<<the winning move 55...h5,>>> which creates a zugzwang (56.Ke3 c3! 57.bxc3! Ke6 and... Kd5). Black instead decides to exchange the c4 pawn for that on g3, but this only leads to a draw...">

VARIATION: position after the suggested winning line 55...h5 56.Ke3 c3! 57.bxc3! Ke6-


click for larger view

-Mikhail Botvinnik, "Three World Chess Championship Matches: 1954, 1957, 1958," pp.204-205

Feb-21-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: This was game 4. Smyslov had lost the first three. I am sure he was upset at only drawing this game. Not a good start for a WC match.
Feb-21-16  Howard: Plus, as Botvinnik later remarked, Smyslov scored one point more than Botvinnik in the games after Game 3, but what good did that do him ?

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