Botvinnik: 100 Selected Games (Paperback)

~ Mikhail Botvinnik (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Learn chess from a World’s Champion! These 100 games were selected and annotated by Botvinnik himself as the best games he played before becoming World Champion in 1948. Includes contests against Alekhine, Capablanca, Euwe, Keres, Reshevsky, Smyslov and others. Author explains his theories, the development of Russian chess and six end game studies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; annotated edition edition (June 1, 1960)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486206203
• ISBN-13: 978-0486206202
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #198,353 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An under-rated book by a great champion., March 30, 2002

By	Paul Weaver (Portland, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews

For years this book sat on my shelf unopened. Before playing through the games and studies in this outstanding work I was under the impression that Botvinnik was a dry positional player. Nothing could be further from the truth. The games are highly instructive with outstanding analysis. Just by playing through them my play has gained some solidity and my endgame is more exact. The endgame studies will delight you. A very fine additional to the volume those studies were.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have Classic, October 31, 2004

By	P. Rechmann "PR" (NRW) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a must have for every serious chess player. Botvinnik's annotations are excellent with a very good balance between variations and verbal explanations. On top, he is undogmatic and very objective (much more so than e.g. Alekhine). He even tells you when he overlooked something. In this way you get a true picture of what really happened in a game and how the fight and initiative flow back and forth. The chess is quite modern. What I like most is that in these times the fight starts around move 8 already, while modern players head for starting positions way beyond move 15 or so.

This collection is incredible value for money. It tops many expensive modern instructional books.

After reading this book I am considering to get the whole three volume Botvinnik epos.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any comprehensive chess course, June 20, 2001

By	Mauro Casadei (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Ok - i agree with many that thought that Botvinnik had no outstanding talent. Then why did he succeed so long ? The answer is method: you go through his games and are not amazed as in Tal's but he leads you through the logic of the position. Playing logically does not mean stereotyped or predictable: Botvinnik introduced the wildest variation in the Semislav; he was one of the first to adopt k-side expansions w/ g2-g4 in queen-pawn opening- even uncovering his king. Careful study of this book will repay much more than study say Shirov's games: it does describe wonderfully the way to handle typical key positions and themes. The only annoying thing is that Botvinnik uses too much the tone of an "illuminated teacher" that knows the absolute truth; don't be fooled when he says that the opponent's position is lost already from the late opening. This is not how chess work- even at superGM level.