Mikhail Botwinnik (2 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. 120 pages with diagrams. Royal octavo(9 3/4" x 6 1/4") bound in original publishers black cloth with gilt lettering to spine and cover. (Bibliotheca van der Linde-Niemeijeriana: 3227) First edition. Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster. The sixth World Chess Champion, he also worked as an electrical engineer and computer scientist and was a pioneer in computer chess. In 1931, at the age of 20, Botvinnik won his first Soviet Championship in Moscow,[2] scoring 13½ out of 17. He commented that the field was not very strong, as some of the pre-Revolution masters were absent. In 1933, Botvinnik repeated his Soviet Championship win, in his home city of Leningrad, with 14/19, describing the results as evidence that Krylenko's plan to develop a new generation of Soviet masters had borne fruit.In his first tournament outside the USSR, the Hastings 193435, Botvinnik achieved only a tie for 5th6th places, with 5/9. Botvinnik placed first equal with Flohr, ½ point ahead of Lasker and one point ahead of José Raúl Capablanca, in Moscow's second International Tournament, held in 1935. In early winter, 1936, Botvinnik was invited to play in a tournament at Nottingham, England. Krylenko authorized his participation and, to help Botvinnik play at his best, allowed Botvinnik's wife to accompany him a privilege rarely extended to chess players at any time in Soviet history. Although his Soviet rivals forecast disaster for him, he scored an undefeated shared first place (+6=8) with Capablanca, ½ point ahead of current World Champion Max Euwe and rising American stars Reuben Fine and Samuel Reshevsky, and 1 point ahead of ex-champion Alexander Alekhine. Condition: Corners bumped, old book sellers ticket and previous owner's inscription to front paste down else very good.

Dr. E. Wildhagen, Hamburg 1959. Illustrated with chess diagrams. Orig. cloth. Near fine- with slight wear and stains to cloth. * Weltgeschichte des Schachs, Lieferung 23.