Botvinnik's Games Part 1 - Botvinnik-Pilnick, 1952

M. Botvinnik - Pilnick Carl [D54]

Hungary/It, Budapest 1952

This is one of the games that deeply impressed me - several years ago. White's moves are natural, and yet Black's defeat in the hands of the world champion seems inevitable.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Rc1 h6 7. Bh4 b6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bd3 Bb7

10. f3 Botvinnik was one of the first players who started to play this pawn structure with the knight on e2 and short castling 10... c5 11. Nge2 Nbd7 12. O-O Re8 13. Bf2 Bd6 14. Re1 a6 15. Ng3 Qb8 16. Kh1 cxd4

17. exd4 Now it transpires that white's pieces are much better placed, Black's f5 is weak, the b1 -h7 diagonal is also potentially a useful path for White's attack 17... Rxe1+ 18. Qxe1 Nf8 19. Nce2 Ne6 20. Nf5 Bf8 21. Be3 Ne8 22. Qh4 Qd8 23. Qg4 Kh8

24. Nf4 With all minor pieces on the board White's attack is doomed to be dangerous. 24... Qg5 25. Nxe6 Qxg4 26. fxg4 fxe6 27. Nh4 Now Black just escapes to a very bad endgame.. 27... Kg8 28. Ng6 Bd6 29. g5

29... hxg5 30. Bxg5 Nf6 31. Kg1 Rc8 32. Rf1 Rc7

33. Bxf6 gxf6 34. Rxf6 Rc1+ 35. Rf1 Rc7 36. g3 b5 37. Re1 Bc8 38. Ne5 Kg7 39. Kg2 b4 40. h4

40... a5 41. g4 1-0