The World Chess Chamionship

B-N2; 21 R-N I? (21 BxB,QxB; 22 K-W, N-B&h; 23 R x N , QxR; 24 B-K7, H-EX; 25 BxP with some chanres to hold), N-B6ch; 22 K-R1, RxU!; 23 RxQ, NxBch; 24 K-R2, N-B6~h;25 K-R3, RxR- 3,;26 QxP,B-K5; 27 P-R4, K-N2; 28 £2-Ql, t3-K4; 29 QK7, K-Bt!; 30 P-R5, R-37;31 K-N2, N-QSch; 32 K-31,B-36; 33 R-NI, N-B3; Resigns (7herl.e is way to prevent u d~cisiveattack against White% KB2 Hy . . . B-Q5 and/or . . . N - K 4 x P . ) Unperturbed, Botvinnik camc back to win the next two games, so that after the sixteenth, Ire had a 9-7 lead. When the three Collawing garnes were drawn, it lmkcd as if Botvinnik was finally going to win his first match evcr. But Smydov cut the Iead to one point by winning thc twentieth game, and after two more draws, puIIed even again by wirinjllg 1hc twcnty-third:

K'ing's X~tdian,Reversed White: Smyslov Black: Botvinnik 1 P-K4, P-K3; 2 P-03, P-UB4; 3 N 4 2 , N-QH3; 4 P-KN3, P-KN3; 5 B-N2, B-P32; 6 KN-I33, KNK2; 7 O-E),0-0;8 P-B3, P-Q3; 9 P-QR4, P-TI$; 10 Q-N3, PQ4; I 1 PxQP, PxP;12 R-KI, P-Kl35; 13 N-131, B-N5; 14 PxP,BxN; 15 BxH, K-R1; 15 B-02, R-R3; 17 It-K6, BxP; 18 QR--K1, BxB; 19 WxB, N-B4; 20 B-N2, N-R5; 2 t QxQP, NxB; 22 QxN/2, QxP; 23 N-K4, R-U4?; 24 PIT-Q6, R-36;25 NxP, QR-RBI; 26 KxP, QB4; 27 R-Kg, K-N1; 28 IhRch, Resigns (28 . . . KxK; 29 N-KAch, K-NX;30 IV-NS', R-Q6; 31 Q x N , QxNch; 32 Q-N2 elc. or 28 . . . QxR; 29 N-K6, Q-R3; 30 N-:YS, R-B4; 31 R-K&h, K-h'2; 32 A;K6ch and 33 Q x N ) It, was obvious that Botvinnik was tiring rapidly, and i f Smyslov could win the twenty-fourth game hc would be the new world champion. But Botvinnlk 1?ad thc White pieces, and he quickly achieved a solid pasition that allowed Smysiov little opportunity for counterplay. When, in the following position Smydov proposed a draw and Botvinnik accepted, the champion had much the bctter of it. IM

World Chess Championship

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S o ouce again Botvinnik had failed to win a match, and once again hc bad remaincd his title. Cynical remarks to the effect that it was all a Communist conspiracy to prove that thc Soviet Union had a goodly supply of playcrs all of whom were entitled to be regarded as world champion were made in some quarters in the West, but were of course unpmvablc. At any ratc thc next match for thc litre was to havc a clecisivc rcsult. SmysXov promptly earned himself thc right to a rcmatch against Botvinnik by winning the 1956 Candidates' tournament in Arnsterdam. Because of a change in the rules only hc among the top finishers at Zurich was seeded directly into the Amsterdam toumammt; the rest necded to qualify froin thc Interzonal, held at Giiteborg, Sweden, in 1955. There wcre also several new faces at the Interzonal, among them eighteen-year-old Boris Spassky, who had qualified by tying for third, behind Gellcr and Srnyslov, in the XXlI Soviet Championship. At the time of the Goteborrg t o m a ment, Spassky had just won the world junior championship at Amstcrdrtila. Samuel Reshevsky was the only one of the seeded players who clwed not to participate. Winner at Ciokbosg wick a 15-5 scor~was David BronsLin, who scemed well prepared to have another go at the world championship, ahead of Keres ( 13%), Argentinian farmer world junior champion Oscar Panrio (1 3 ), Fetroslan 112% ), GdIcr and Sraba (both 12 ), Argentinian Herman Pilnik, Czecbnsiovakian Miroslav Filip, and Spassky (aU with 1 1j.