The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union
At one point of time, the game of Chess meant everything to the Soviet Union. It is well known that once, the Soviet Union were a chess powerhouse was more than four decades.
But how did this start? Who started it? And why has Russia fallen, from it's once powerful position, to a team that hasn't won a Championship since 2006?
NOTE: In this blog, I might use the terms "Soviet Union" and "Russia" as the same thing. Sorry if you got offended or something like that.
Who started the Soviet Reign?
It all started with Vladimir Lenin, the first head of the Soviet Union. He believed that chess was a game for the powerful and the wise, and hence told his people to publicize chess as much as possible.
Vladimir Lenin
After six years of this training, Alexander Alekhine became the first Soviet to win a World Championship. After Alekhine's amazing performances, more people were inspired to play the game, and chess became a literal academic subject in most schools. Everyone, rich or poor, was trying their best to become as strong as possible. They spent their time in the most efficient way possible, and soon, no other country could compete.
The World Championships became "Who is the better Soviet player?" because no other country was able to produce the prodigies that the Soviets were. Every World Championship became a Soviet versus Soviet event, and the gap between the Soviets and the rest of the world widened and widened.
From 1927 to 1990, there were only two World Championships where a Soviet did not win. In forty-nine years of active chess, only five years were not under the Soviet reign.
1927 - 1937
ALEXANDER ALEKHINE
Alexander Alekhine was a Russian-French Former World Champion. Alekhine was a "renegade" as he left the Soviet Union in 1925 and moved to Paris. At Paris, he even made some anti-Soviet statements.
Alexander Alekhine
Even though he left the Soviet Union, he learnt everything he knew from there, and that's why I'm still considering him as a Soviet great.
1927
The 1927 World Chess Championship was held in Buenos Aires from September 16 to November 29, between José Raul Capablanca and Alexander Alekhine.
Alekhine won, 6 - 3. This was the first time a Soviet had won the World Championship.
1929
The 1929 World Chess Championship was played between Efim Bogoljubov and the titleholder, Alexander Alekhine. From September 6 to November 12, the match was held in Wiesbaden, Heidelberg, Berlin, Hague, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
In this World Championship, Alekhine was the one who chose his opponent in the Championship. It would either be Capablanca or it would be Bogoljubov. Alekhine chose Bogoljubov and won the Championship 15.5 - 9.5.
1934
The 1934 World Chess Championship was contested between challenger Efim Bogoljubov and titleholder Alexander Alekhine and was a rematch of the 1929 Championship. From April 1 to June 14, the competition was contested in several cities and towns around Germany, with Alekhine retaining his title.
1935
The 1935 World Chess Championship was played between Max Euwe and titleholder Alexander Alekhine. From October 3 to December 16, it played in many cities and towns around the Netherlands. Euwe shockingly won after coming back from a three-point deficit in the ninth game.
Finally, a non-Soviet player would have the title. But it would not last for long...
1937
From October 5 to December 4, 1937, the 1937 World Chess Championship was held in the Netherlands between Max Euwe and Alexander Alekhine. In this match, Alekhine recovered his title as the Champion.
Due to the second World War and other events, most major chess events had been cancelled. The next World Championship would only be held in 1948, after the War.
1948 - 1961
MIKHAIL BOTVINNIK
Mikhail Botvinnik was a Soviet Chess Grandmaster. He was the sixth World Champion.
Mikhail Botvinnik
Botvinnik was born in Finland (then part of the Soviet Union) and died in Soviet-Russia (Moscow).
1948
Alexander Alekhine died in 1946, so the situation was very confusing. The previous format, where there would be a Challenger and Defender, could not be done this time. So, it was held as a round-robin tournament.
There were five players in this tournament - Euwe, Smyslov, Keres, Botvinnik, and Reshevsky. There were three Soviets, one American and one Dutch person.
(From left to right) Euwe, Smyslov, Keres, Botvinnik and Reshevsky.
Botvinnik won the tournament with 14/20, and Smyslov came second with 11/20. Max Euwe had performed very poorly, with only 4 points out of 20. This crowned Botvinnik as the 6th World Champion and the second Soviet World Champion.
1948 CONTROVERSY
It was said that Keres had been forced to play badly against Botvinnik by the Soviet Union. These accusations had been debunked by Stalin and Keres himself.
1951
This was the first World Championship between two Soviet players. Mikhail Botvinnik and David Bronstein played in the 1951 World Chess Championship in Moscow from March 15 to May 11, 1951. It was the first match played under FIDE's supervision.
Botvinnik vs Bronstein
The match was tied, and hence Botvinnik retained his title. There were some minor controversies about some of the games leading to this Championship. People were saying that the matches had been fixed (the result was decided before the game), but it wasn't confirmed.
Some believe that this was one of the best World Championships to ever happen.
1954
From March 16 to May 13, 1954, Mikhail Botvinnik and Vasily Smyslov fought in the 1954 World Chess Championship in Moscow. Again, the Championship was between two Soviet players.
The match was tied, so Botvinnik won the Championship again.
1957 & 1958
The 1957 World Chess Championship was played between Mikhail Botvinnik and Vasily Smyslov in Moscow from March 5 to April 27, 1957. This was the second match between Botvinnik and Smyslov, following 1954.
This time Smyslov won, 12.5 - 9.5. His reign would not last for long though, because in a rematch between Smyslov and Botvinnik in 1958, Botvinnik regained his title.
1960 & 1961
The 1960 World Chess Championship was played between Mikhail Botvinnik and Mikhail Tal in Moscow from March 15 to May 7, 1960. Again, it was a Soviet versus Soviet match-up.
Mikhail Tal won the Championship, but again, it was not for long. Mikhail Botvinnik, once again, regained his title in 1961.
Many say that the reason that Tal did not win in 1961, was because he had an illness which he completely ignored.
1963 - 1969
TIGRAN PETROSIAN
Tigran Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian chess grandmaster. He was the ninth World Champion.
Tigran Petrosian
Petrosian was born in Soviet-Georgia (now Armenia) and he died in Soviet-Russia (Moscow).
1963
The 1963 World Championship was played between Botvinnik and Tigran Petrosian. Petrosian won the event, 12.5 - 9.5.
Petrosian was the player who finally ended Botvinnik's championship reign.
1966
The 1966 World Chess Championship was played between Tigran Petrosian and Boris Spassky in Moscow from April 9 to June 9, 1966. Petrosian and Spassky, were again, both Soviets.
Petrosian won this Championship, 12.5-11.5.
1969 - 1972
BORIS SPASSKY
Spassky was born on January 30, 1937, in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia). Spassky is the oldest surviving World Champion (as of 21-10-23).
Boris Spassky
1969
Tigran Petrosian and Boris Spassky competed in the 1969 World Chess Championship in Moscow from April 14 to June 17, 1969. Petrosian and Spassky were fighting for the world title for the second time in a row. Spassky won the world championship and became the tenth World Chess Champion, reversing the previous result (1963).
Spassky vs Petrosian
1969 CONTROVERSY
There was a controversy about this Championship because Bobby Fischer, who was leading the 1967 Interzonal tournament, (the tournament which selects the people who would play in the Candidates tournament) withdrew from the tournament due to a dispute with the arbiters. FIDE said that because Fischer withdrew before he had played half of his games, the results of his games were not included in the final standings. Basically, they made it like he wasn't there from the beginning, which many people thought was questionable.
1972 - 1975
BOBBY FISCHER
Robert James Fischer was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion.
Fischer
You might have noticed that there had not been a non-Soviet World Champion in thirty-two years. For the last two decades almost, even the challengers were the Soviets. This all changed when Fischer challenged Boris Spassky in 1972. This match was called the Match of the Century and it took place in Reykjavík, Iceland. Before the match began, Fischer had already accused the Soviets of "fixing world chess".
Everyone considered Fischer the favourite for this Championship. But the first game surprised many, as Spassky beat Fischer.
Fischer made a huge mistake in that game, and he had almost brought down everything which was going for him.
To Spassky's undelight though, Fischer played extremely well for the rest of the championship and defeated him 12.5 - 8.5. Fischer had done it. He had broken the Soviet streak...
1975 - 1984
ANATOLY KARPOV
Anatoly Karpov is a Russian and former Soviet chess grandmaster and former World Chess Champion. He was the 12th World Champion. He was born in Soviet Russia and is considered one of the greatest chess players in the world.
Karpov
1975
The 1975 World Chess Championship was cancelled owing to a disagreement over match structure. On June 1, 1975, Fischer was scheduled to face Karpov in Manila.
Fischer refused to play the standard "Best of 24 games" match and, after FIDE failed to reach an agreement, surrendered his championship instead. On April 3, 1975, Karpov was declared World Champion by default. The Soviets were back at it again.
1978
The 1978 World Chess Championship was played between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi in Baguio, Philippines from July 18 to October 18, 1978. Karpov won, thereby retaining the title.
Korchnoi vs Karpov
There were many controversies in this Championship - Yoghurt, black magic, hypnotism and criminals.
1981
The 1981 World Chess Championship was played between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi in Merano, Italy from October 1 to November 19, 1981. Karpov won this Championship 6 - 2.
1984 - 1990: Kasparov vs. Karpov
GARRY KASPAROV
Garry Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Chess Champion. He was the 13th World Champion.
Kasparov
1984
The World Chess Championship of 1984 was a match between challenger Garry Kasparov and defending champion Anatoly Karpov in Moscow from 10 September 1984 to 15 February 1985 for the World Chess Championship title.
1985
The 1985 World Chess Championship was played between Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov in Moscow from September 3 to November 9, 1985. Kasparov won, to become the thirteenth and youngest world champion at the age of 22.
1986
The 1986 World Chess Championship was played between Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov in London and Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) from July 28 to October 8, 1986. Games 1-12 were played at the Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly, London, and games 13–24 at the Hotel Leningrad. Kasparov won. There was some drama before this World Championship because there was only a 3-month gap between the WCC of 1985 and this one.
1987
The 1987 World Chess Championship between Karpov and Kasparov was played in Seville from October 12 to December 19, 1987. Before the 24th game, Kasparov was down 12–11, but in the 24th game, Kasparov made a comeback by using the English Opening to win the final game to retain his title.
1990
The 1990 World Chess Championship was a repeat of the last four World Championships. It was once again, Karpov vs. Kasparov. And Kasparov won once again.
1990 - Present
After 1990, the Championships split into the PCA matches and the FIDE matches. This split continued till 2006.
Kramnik was the man who dethroned Kasparov in 2000.
2006
Vladimir Kramnik played against Veselin Topalov and won the World Championship of 2006. It had a cheating scandal, which I covered in this blog. That World Championship was the last Championship a Russian/Soviet player would win.
2007 - 2013
In 2007, Vishy Anand from India won the Championship, and his reign lasted till 2013. During his reign, he defeated two Soviet players - Kramnik and Topalov.
Veselin Topalov
2013 - Present
During Magnus Carlsen's reign, he faced two Soviet players - Ian Nepomniachtchi and Karjakin. In the 2023 World Championship, Ding Liren defeated Nepo and became the second Asian person to win the World Chess Championship.
The Downfall
The downfall of Soviet-powered chess started when the USSR started to break up, and the top Soviet chess players moved to different countries. When these people left the Soviet Union, they spread all of the knowledge they had gotten from the Soviet training. It was no longer a closed playing field between the Soviets again and again because everyone was on the same playing field. Everyone had the same resources and could use them efficiently.
If you were to see all of the countries which were once part of the Soviet Union, you would see that almost all of them are pretty good at chess (Ukraine and Poland are prime examples). The rigorous Soviet training had also decreased, and with not many new chess players, there would be no one to come to the top.
This isn't to say that Russia is not great anymore, but they are definitely not as good as they once used to be.
