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Mikhail Botvinnik is one of the most important figures in chess history. The 6th World Champion actually lost his title 3 times but came back to beat Smyslov and Tal in rematches (there was no rematch against Petrosian) showing incredible will to win and learn from his mistakes.
Then he set-up the Botvinnik school of chess, notable students including Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov and Vladimir Kramnik. A fine track record. He also pioneered advances in chess computers.
In this video, IM Lawrence Trent takes a look at Botvinnik’s chess and examines one of the most instructive examples of planning and strategy available. (A common trait of Botvinnik’s play was clear, pure logic making his games a rich source of ideas).
As part of his course “Planning Unveiled: A Guide for Improvement”, IM Trent starts the analysis by looking at the imbalances in the position. What are each sides strengths and weaknesses? This allows us to narrow in on a plan of action with Lawrence pointing out that there are often 2 or more plans to choose from – selection then becomes a matter of style and preference.
In theory Botvinnik’s Bishop is “bad” – it’s on the same color squares as most of his pawns – and opponent Ilya Kan’s Bishop is “good”. However, Botvinnik has placed his Bishop outside of the pawn chain where it controls a few important squares. A weak, isolated a3 pawn has the potential to become an unstoppable passed pawn if White can eliminate Black’s weakest pawn, the backward b6 pawn.
There’s more to the position. White’s forces are more advanced and Black’s somewhat restricted. Is a Kingside attack possible? Of course Black gets moves too and it soon becomes clear that most attempts by White can be easily met.
This is where IM Trent discusses the topic of implementing the plan: finding the move order or combination of threats that allow a plan to work. He reveals the thought process Botvinnik used to discover the most precise continuation and we get to see a master strategist at work.
A memorable game packed full of useful lessons. Enjoy the video and check out the complete course here.