Botvinnik – Move by Move by IM Cyrus Lakdawala

June 25, 2023

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Botvinnik – Move by Move by IM Cyrus Lakdawala

Botvinnik: Move by Move by IM Cyrus Lakdawala is published by Everyman Chess which I purchased at a bargain price of Euro 11.98 from Debestezet.

Why was there such a massive discount from the listed GBP 19.99 or USD 29.95 selling price? I have no idea and decided it would make a fine addition to my rapidly growing library.

Botvinnik - Move by Move by Cyrus Lakdawala. — Botvinnik – Move by Move by Cyrus Lakdawala.

I was delighted with the purchase as the book lacks endless computer variations, and Cyrus Lakdawala has an exciting writing style with his witty comments.

Cyrus Lakdawala & has game against Mikhail Botvinnik

Position from GM Botvinnk v IM Cyrus Lakdawala.

I had the black pieces in this position from a 1977 simultaneous game against Botvinnik.

Fortune finally smiled on me. Just look at White’s trapped gl-bishop and rook, glued to their posts indefinitely, and his pathetic, stray, sick lamb of an h pawn, about to fall by the wayside. If victorious, I imagined a wondrous destiny:

1. The city of Montreal throws a parade in my honour.

2. Popular kids at high school remorsefully seek absolution for past indiscretions toward

your humble writer, and high five me incessantly.

3. Curvy high school cheerleaders, aghast at not earlier recognizing my unseen depths, fall tearfully to their knees, hands prayerfully clasped, imploring forgiveness and begging me for dates.

4. My stubborn case of acne finally clears up.

In the game, Botvinnik’s position stretched elastically, yet never snapped. Alas, none of my dreams came to pass – wait; my mistake; the acne did in deed clear up – since Botvinnik hung on like grim death, complicated into a firestorm, and in tacit partnership with your writer’s incompetence, managed rudely to steal the point from your deserving writer.

When you are so utterly outmatched (even with receiving simul odds) by a legendary opponent, it’s not such a bad idea to factor in crushing disappointment. Nevertheless, I remember leaving the building teary eyed.

I discovered, as did Botvinnik’s opponents in this chapter, that achieving a superior or winning position against Botvinnik didn’t necessarily equate to actually scoring the point against the legend. In this chapter, we examine just how Botvinnik regains his mojo when under attack or struggling in an inferior position.

GM Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik

A little about GM Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, who was affectionately called ‘The Patriarch of Soviet Chess‘. He was born on 17th August 1911 in St Petersburg and became the 6th World Champion in 1948. He held the world title, with two brief interruptions for the next fifteen years, during which he played seven world championship matches.

He lost to Vassily Smyslov in 1957 but regained the title in 1958. He lost the title to Mikhail Tal in 1960 but regained it in 1961. He finally lost the crown to Tigran Petrosian in 1963.

He won the Soviet Chess Championship six times and various other international events.

The book with sixty games has six sections;

Botvinnik on the Attack
Botvinnik on Defense
Riding the Dynamic Element
Botvinnik on Exploiting Imbalances
Botvinnik on Accumulating Advantages
Botvinnik on Endings

I present a sample of games to highlight Botvinnik’s unique and universal chess style. You must buy this fantastic book if you are a children’s chess coach.

Mikhail Botvinnik v Gyorgy Szilagyi

A beautiful game illustrating the power of white square control.

Antonio Angel Medina Garcia v Mikhail Botvinnik

Another interesting game by Botvinnik. It is instructive how Botvinnik whips up an attack with so few pieces on the board.

Mikhail Botvinnik v Jose Raul Capablanca

I have enclosed this site which has all the games in the book to help you with your review and enjoyment. A sample of the book can be downloaded Botvinnik – Move by Move sample pages.