Learn from the best. Mikhail Botvinik and which pieces to trade

Today we are gonna have a look at a highly instructive game of Botvinik.  If you like closed positions and maneuvering then you will enjoy it. 

Interactive chess board at the end of the post.

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Interesting choice by Botvinik.

The Pomar system. Botvinik loved the formation with Bg2 and Nge2 not only in the King's Indian Defence but in other openings too. Similar to the Pomar system is the Botvinik system in the English opening.

7...exd4 8.Nxd4 Nc6 9.Nc2 (9.Nde2 is better) occured nine years later in another game of Botvinik.

8.d5 c6 9.h3 Bd7 10.dxc6⩲ is the alternative. And it is not bad.

10...c6 11.dxc6 Nxc6 12.Qxd6 Nd4 and now:

13.O-O-O Nxe2+ 14.Nxe2 Qc8 15.Kb1! Qxc4 16.Nc3±

13.Nxd4?! gives Black sufficient play on the dark squares: 13...exd4 14.Qxd4 (14.Bxd4 Ne8 15.Qd5 Nc7 16.Qd6 Ne8 and there is nothing better than draw with repetition) 14...Ng4 15.Qd2 Nxe3 16.Qxe3 Be6=∞ and Black has stratigic compensation for his two (!) sacrificed pawns.

10...a6 preparing the typical queenside counterplay was perhaps a little better: 11.g4 b5 12.Ng3 b4 (12...bxc4 doesn't make much of a difference. h2-h4, g4-g5 will come anyway)

13.Nce2 a5 14.h4 c6 15.g5 Ne8 16.h5 with a very interesting battle ahead. The computer likes White here but the drafty white king might offer chances later to Black for a counterattack.

Thus, instead of the traditional Black attack on the kingside, we see White expanding on the kingside!

13...h5 was the correct way to deal with White’s activity on the kingside. After 14.h3 Nc5 15.Be3 White retains his space advantage, whilst after 14.gxh5 Nxh5 15.Ng3 Nf4! (inviting White to grab a pawn but in compensation Black will activate his dark bishop and dominate the dark squares) 16.h4 f6 17.Bxf4 exf4 18.Qxf4 f5!=∞ Black reduces White’s advantage to minimal with obvious compensation on the dark squares for the pawn.

Black is very slow on the queenside, where he tries to establish his knight on c5 with the help of the a-pawn.

A very commital move which according to the engine throws the advantage away, nevertheless let's not forget that this is a game between humans and it's totally understandable that Botvinik wants to prevent a possible b6-b5 thrust. His king is gonna find shelter on the queenside after all. True, the knight on b4 can stay there now without any harrass from the white pawns, but what can it do there on its own?15.h5 h6 16.Bxh6 Nc2+ 17.Qxc2 Bxh6 18.hxg6 Kg7 19.gxf7 Rh8=∞ and despite White being a pawn up things aren’t clear, as Black dominates on the dark squares. Certainly not an easy position to play for a human with White.

15.Ng3 c6 16.h5 b5 objectively favours White but surely looks like Black aquires some activity on the queenside and that is what Botvinik wanted to avoid.

15...h5 would had equalised on the spot according to the computer.

With the clever idea to take back on h5 with the knight and then the f7-f5 will come easily.

A remarkable decision! We all know how important the dark squared bishops are in KID structures for both sides. For White the dark squared bishop is the "good" bishop, the one with the greater mobility. Just compare the bishop on g5 with the bishop on g2. And of course the mission of the dark squared bishop in the KID is to eliminate his black colleague on g7. Any other exchange of the white dark squared bishop means that the black dark squared bishop has the potential to dominate the dark squares, which is exactly what happens in the game. Then, why did Botvinik allowed that with the exchange on f6?

Botvinik’s decision to take on f6 wasn’t short sighted. He didn’t just think "oh lets take on f6 and then on h5 and open the g-file". Not at all. He saw deep in the position ahead and evaluated the resulting position. I strongly believe that the a5-pawn was a major factor to this decision. With the pawn on a5 he foresaw that the black queen in order to cooperate with the black dark squared bishop has to move on a dark square allowing White to exchange his "bad" bishop on g2 with the bishop on d7. And when the light squared bishops are gone then the knight from c3 can jump to b5 and stay there comfortably as none of the pawns can hit it! From b5 the knight attacks the base of black’s pawn chain, which means that a black piece must always be occupied with the protection of the pawn.

The other important factor which Botvinik forsaw was that after taking on f6 he would then take gxh5 and Black would be able to take back only with his g-pawn meaning that after the exchange of the light squared bishops the beautiful outpost on f5 will be available for the other white knight.

The disappearance of his "bad" bishop and the two beautiful outposts for his knights weighed to Botvinik as enough compensation for the concession of the dark squares to his opponent. White’s pawns after all are all on light squares!

Everything looks alright in Botvinik’s plan apart from one small detail. Is Black really obliged to take back on h5?

As it turns out Black can sacrifice a pawn in order to open the f-file and retain control over the f5-square with the pawn on g6.

19...gxh5 20.Qh6 Bg7 21.Qxh5 f5 22.Bh3 fxe4 23.Bxd7 Qxd7 24.Nxe4! and White has a minimal edge.

19...Kg7 20.hxg6 fxg6 21.h5 Qd8 and Black is doing alright on the kingside but there 's still plenty of play for both sides.

Black restored the material balance however, his queen doesn’t control any more the h3 square. 20...g5 was even stronger the idea being that the h5-pawn will provide cover for the black king.

First of all Botvinik makes sure his king is safe and his rooks connected.

And now he happily exchanges the queens and the light squared bishops.

Everything according to the plan.

And there it is. The white knight ties down a black rook, which means that White will have superior forces on the other side of the board.

Botvinik creates targets for his rooks very logically.

Everything is crystal logic. Black is outnumbered on the kingside and soon the white rooks will invade.

28...Rh8 29.Rgh3 Rxh3 30.Rxh3 Nc5 was a better try.

The knight takes the wrong route and Black misses a golden chance to equalise.

30...Nc5+ 31.Kc2 Na6 releases the black rook free and equalises.

Switching to the f-file with tempo.

Black finally collapses. With 33...Rf6 Black is holding alright but I don’t think any human would last for long.

A classic example of which pieces to trade and when.