Botvinnik's 97 Secret Games?

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25th June 2009, 07:00pm

#1

by AWARDCHESS
Los Angeles United States

Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 16714

Botvinnik's Secret Games
97 Hidden Games Played Between 1937 and 1970
by Jan Timman

Botvinnik's Secret Games

Our Price: $ 24.95

Publisher: Hardinge Simpole Publishing, 2006
Edition: Paperback medium
ISBN 13: 9781843821786
ISBN: 1-84382-178-8
Language: English

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25th June 2009, 07:00pm

#2

by AWARDCHESS
Los Angeles United States

Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 16714

What you think about it?

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25th June 2009, 07:02pm

#3

by crazy_attack
sunnyvale United States

Member Since: Sep 2008
Member Points: 1057

crazy, especially the price

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25th June 2009, 07:10pm

#4

by AWARDCHESS
Los Angeles United States

Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 16714

The Secrets cost a lot of $$$!

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25th June 2009, 07:12pm

#5

by AWARDCHESS
Los Angeles United States

Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 16714

Mikhail Botvinnik was the ultimate boy scout of chess - always prepared!

Indeed, his advance preparation for his key matches was feared by the greatest. It even involved the radio blaring while he was playing training games as well as having nicotine-puffing opponents blow smoke in his eyes during practice games, in order to acclimatise himself for the real thing.

Botvinnik’s training games were a well guarded secret only shared by a few trusty colleagues, such as the Grandmasters Ragozin, Averbakh and Furman. The Soviet state was a monument to paranoia at the best of times, but suspicion multiplied when world titles hinged on secrecy, and these games have lain hidden for decades after they were played.

Botvinnik was World Champion three times, from 1948-1957, 1958 -1960 and 1961 -1963.

His final championship victory against Tal in the 1961 revenge match counts as one of the highest scoring rating performances in the history of chess. It was of course based on the most meticulous preparation, not least in the psychological sphere of seeking to find and play positions which were not to Tal’s taste.

Jan Timman, well-known for his admiration of Botvinnik, has gathered all of Botvinnik secret training games and annotated a number of them. In addition he has compared these training games with games of the important matches and/or tournaments that they invariably preceded, and drawn interesting conclusions.