Recommendations for Botvinnik book?
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froslap
May 20, 2018
0
#1
Does anyone have a recommendation for a book on the life and games of Mikhail Botvinnik?
The Moravia publishing house has published Botvinnik's autobiography in four volumes, 'Botvinnik's Best Games of Chess' - with the fourth volume covering articles and short pamflets written by Botvinnik. An absolutely astounding work, in my view. My only gripe about it concerns the production quality, which leaves a lot to be desired. Although they're hardback, the print quality is atrocious - looks like a laser printout on 'draft/ink saver' mode, and people in photos are often completely misidentified (ridiculously so, along the lines of 'Botvinnik-Flohr, match 1933' when it's actually Botvinnik-Tal, 1960, or something like that). Apart from that, it's great.
Mikhail Botvinnik: The Life and Games of a World Chess Champion
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708091625/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review927.pdf
Botvinnik: Move by Move
http://www.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Botvinnik-Move-by-Move-79p3823.htm
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7297.pdf
"... [annotated games are] infinitely more useful than bare game scores. However, annotated games vary widely in quality. Some are excellent study material. Others are poor. But the most numerous fall into a third category - good-but-wrong-for-you. ... You want games with annotations that answer the questions that baffle you the most. ..." - GM Andrew Soltis (2010)
Jan 14, 2019
0
#4
I found it. I ordered "Mikhail Botvinnik: The Life and Games of a World Chess Champion" by Andrew Soltis published by MacFarland & Company. This book is amazing! And it comes in hardcover.
Botvinnik: 100 Selected Games, by Mikhail Botvinnik. A Dover paperback edition is available new for around $16 on Amazon. It's in descriptive notation, but that takes almost no time to master
Jan 14, 2019
0
#6
Laskersnephew wrote:
Botvinnik: 100 Selected Games, by Mikhail Botvinnik. A Dover paperback edition is available new for around $16 on Amazon. It's in descriptive notation, but that takes almost no time to master
I had it and sold it. The book I referenced is much better if anyone is interested.
Jan 14, 2019
0
#7
I like how Andrew Soltis' book, Soviet Chess 1917 - 1991 places Botvinnik within the larger context of the chess movement in the Soviet Union.
There's even the rare antique "Botvinnik, the Invincible" by... Fred Reinfeld. In his earlier days, though, when he wrote a wide variety of books on chess rather than simply introductions for beginners.