World Chess Championship 1954
| Portraits |
 |
,_kop,_Bestanddeelnr_925-3008.jpg) |
|---|---|---|
| Mikhail Botvinnik | Vasily Smyslow | |
| nation |
.svg){kind=small}
|
|
| status | Defending champion world champion since 1948 |
challenger |
| Age | 42 years | 32-33 years |
In the 1954 World Chess Championship , Mikhail Botvinnik successfully defended his world title against Vasily Smyslow .
Smyslow had won the candidates' tournament in Zurich by two points and thus qualified as a challenger.
The match took place from March 16, 1954 to May 13, 1954 in Moscow's Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. The competition for the world championship was scheduled for 24 games. Of these, both opponents each won seven, ten others ended in a draw. The rules stipulated that in the event of a tie after 24 games, the world champion would keep his title.
Right at the start, the world champion pulled away with 3½ points from 4 games. Smyslow, however, put up with this series of defeats, and with a win in game 7 an impressive comeback began. After Botvinnik missed the win in the 8th game, Smyslow won three times in a row and took the lead 6: 5. Botvinnik had never lost three games in a row. But Botvinnik also showed taker qualities, and in the following 5 games he turned the match to 9: 7 with 4: 1 wins. As a result, Smyslow managed to equalize, but it was no longer enough to win the title. He did not succeed in doing this until 1957 .
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14th | 15th | 16 | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 21st | 22nd | 23 | 24 | Victories | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikhail Botvinnik (USSR) | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 7th | 12 |
| Vasily Smyslow (USSR) | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 7th | 12 |
literature
- Mikhail Botvinnik: Botvinnik - Smyslov. Three World Chess Championship Matches: 1954, 1957, 1958 . New In Chess, Alkmaar 2009. ISBN 978-90-5691-271-0 .
- Harry Golombek : World chess championship, 1954 . Macgibbon & Kee, London 1954
Web links
- Tournament report and games at chessgames.com. Retrieved November 6, 2012 .
- Opening (from 04:14 am) and award ceremony (from 02:52 am)
Comments and individual evidence
- ↑ March 24, 1954 was Smyslov's 33rd birthday