Botvinnik : 100 Selected Games

Rating:
Summary: Botvinnik, The Iron Strategist
Review: Botvinnik, The Iron Strategist

Botvinnik was one of the greatest all-time players. He was, by his own self-admission sometimes prone to tactical oversights ... especially after a long lay-off from chess. But yet he could play at a level few other GM's could match. Why was this?

A friend gave me a book on Botvinnik several years ago and encouraged me to study this great player. And while he may not have been the greatest tactician to ever play the game, he did something few players did. He was a magnificent planner.

He had a short-term plan, a medium range plan, and a long term plan for any position. Sometimes, he had a plan within a plan, within a plan. In fact, he could plan circles around the average GM.

This book contains a few errors in analysis. Its not organized as well as it could be. The opening are somewhat dated. Yet I could recommend this book to nearly any chess player wanting to improve his game. The games are thoroughly explained and very well annotated. If you are not a tactician who sees every shot, perhaps you could learn to plan like Botvinnik. Your game will definitely improve after reading this book. Learn the iron logic of the man who inspired entire generations of Soviet schoolboys to play chess.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Book Everyone Should Own...
Review: First let me Warn you about the old notation... If you dont know descriptive notation, that might throw you a bit... If you can deal with that, then fine... I really personally dont like it, but there is more to this book... Botvinnik Im not a huge fan of or anything like that... Still reading this book I found a few helpful things to say least... The price is really low and anyone just about can afford it... You can get a file with all these games in modern notation so that makes it easier... This book taught me how to use a Pseudo Gruenfeld vs. (1 c4) The sad English... Just for that simple facts and the few games in book with it... I think its worth picking up...

To be honest I just think there are some chess books everyone should own... The book has an endgame study at the end which might be interesting to some. I am not sure if it is outdated or anything like that. Still seeing how they saw things in the past can be helpful. I like how Botvinnik talks a bit about his life besides chess. Sure maybe some might not agree with all he says or how he said things. Still he was World Champion I believe 3 times or something like that. Maybe there was a dark side to some of that... The guy in his time was one of the Best Chess players. I am not a fan of him, still I very much enjoy my time reading this book. I do not really care so much if the games are old and theory. I was glad to learn to use Gruenfeld vs. English from this book... Also the FACT a former World Champion Botvinnik used it helped convince me to give it a try. I only wish the Gruenfeld book I bought had least 1 chapter covering using it vs. English.... If you are just looking for cutting edge modern theory, this book might not appeal to you... If you care about chess history get this book.

I would say any rating can enjoy this book. I got it as one of my early books when I was new to chess. I did not know any notation really, so the descriptive was even more confusing to me :)... Still even without really knowing much about the game I enjoyed the book. Just reading it and stuff I found helped inspire me to keep playing. Also seeing some of the human side of him was rather interesting. Do not get this book thinking it will make you a World Champion. Still I am sure many World Champions past and present own or have owned this book :)...

Rating:
Summary: An under-rated book by a great champion.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: An under-rated book by a great champion.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: An all-time classic, though somewhat dated
Review: Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik was probably the most respected and feared world champion of modern times. In this respect, he certainly rivals Karpov and Kasparov, while his demeanour was more dignified than the latter's. Someone described the essential quality of Botvinnik's style as "iron logic", and that sums up the games in this collection.

A long time has passed since those days, and the names of the players will mostly be unfamiliar. The openings, too, may seem old-fashioned - but there is value in this. It's a chance to learn exactly what can happen if you play such-and-such a move, which nobody does nowadays. Moreover, Botvinnik's methodical building up of positional advantages has never been bettered and will reward patient study. Just where it looks most effortless, that is where the magic is hidden!

Rating:
Summary: A must for any comprehensive chess course
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Botvinnik is Brilliant!
Review: This book is one of the best game collections. His strategy is like a brick wall...he defends perfectly yet always has perfect plans and makes things look easy. Botvinnik clearly explains what he's doing with each move along with analysis. Get this book!

Rating:
Summary: Must Have Classic
Review: 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.