|
| Title: |
Botvinnik - Tal,
Moscow 1961 |
Author:
Mikhail Botvinnik |
Language:
 |
Pages: 126 |
| Cover:
Paperback |
Published: 2004 |
| Publisher:
Edition Olms |
Homepage: http://www.edition-olms.com |
| Price:
£ 12,99 |
ISBN: 3-283-00461-7 |
| Reviewed by:
Soren Sogaard |
Date: 26/9 2004 |
|
Quick-Review: Botvinnik - Tal, Moscow 1961
As was the case with the book about the match Botvinnik
- Bronstein in 1951 this book is compiled and edited by Igor
Botvinnik. It is not a book that was written by Mikhail Botvinnik
after his match, but a collection of articles, facts, notebooks,
annotations and a press conference with Botvinnik after the match. You get a good
picture about the thoughts and preparations Botvinnik made for this
match. "The professor" decided to make use of his right
for a return match against Tal who won heavily against him in their
1960 match.
There are of course several reasons for Botvinnik's win in 1961,
and Botvinnik gives one opinion about the reason in the chapter
"Press Conference":
"Then, it seems to me, his deficiency is that he works
little. Previously he worked more, prepared better, and developed
opening systems. If one looks at his play during the last two
years, nothing new is evident, he has not managed to create any
new, original variations. He tried playing the variation with
e4-e5 in the Caro-Kann Defence. This variation is really not so
threatening, and also it is not enough to prepare only one
variation for such a match. This, of course, gave me the
opportunity on each occasion to prepare something new for him and
all the time to vary. This made my work easier during the games.
Chess of the last few years differs from the
chess of earlier times in that players have learned to study chess
well, and to prepare well for the moment when they sit down at the
board and play a game. If Tal had been well prepared, if he had
spent a lot of time on the study of typical positions, then, of
course, his great talent would have made him significantly more
dangerous than now, when, in my opinion, he is simply not working
much. No second can work for a player; the player must himself
work."
That Tal didn't work as hard as Botvinnik was of course one of
the reasons. However, the worst thing for Tal was that he was ill
shortly before the match. Botvinnik only comment on this was that he
was told that Tal was ill, and he demanded a doctor's certificate.
Tal didn't want to do this so he accepted to play because he
believed that he would win even if he was in very bad shape! Kramnik
of course know about Tal's physical shape and at the end of the
preface he writes:
"From the chess point it would have been very
interesting to see how the return match would have proceeded, had
the two players been in equally good form. I am convinced that
this encounter, possible one of the most interesting in the entire
history of chess - to bring together the Tal of 1960 with the
Botvinnik of 1961. Unfortunately, history decreed otherwise."
OK, Tal was ill and this book only sees the match from
Botvinnik's point of view. If you know this and accept that the book
is one-sided, then I can warmly recommend it to everybody. The
insights given by his assessment of his opponent and his opening
preparations before, during and after the match and of course the
games are a good reason to buy this book. Ohhh.... Botvinnik won 13
- 8.
Contents
- Preface by Vladimir Kramnik (2 pages)
- Botvinnik about Tal (1 page)
- From Botvinnik's Memoirs (2 pages)
- Revenge (1 page)
- M. Tal (a brief assessment) (1 page)
- From the Regulations for the Return Match (1 page)
- Match Table (1 page)
- Game 1 - 21 (68 pages)
- Botvinnik's Diary Notes during the First Match with Tal
(1 page)
- Michael Botvinnik's Opening Course (33 pages)
- First Notebook
- Second Notebook
- Press Conference by Mikhail Botvinnik (6 pages)
- Translator's Notes (2 pages)
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