World Chess Championship 1958

Defending champion Challenger

Vassily Smyslov Mikhail Botvinnik

Soviet Union Vasily Smyslov Soviet Union Mikhail Botvinnik

10½Scores12½Game 1062 moves →1Game 2041 moves →1Game 3066 moves →1Game 4½82 move draw½Game 51← 41 moves0Game 6049 moves →1Game 7½16 move draw½Game 8½41 move draw½Game 9½40 move draw½Game 10½44 move draw½Game 111← 24 moves0Game 12041 moves →1Game 13½41 move draw½Game 14068 moves →1Game 151← 55 moves0Game 16½36 move draw½Game 17½49 move draw½Game 18074 moves →1Game 191← 35 moves0Game 20½48 move draw½Game 21½23 move draw½Game 221← 38 moves0Game 23½41 move draw½

10½ Scores 12½

Game 1 0 62 moves → 1

Game 2 0 41 moves → 1

Game 3 0 66 moves → 1

Game 4 ½ 82 move draw ½

Game 5 1 ← 41 moves 0

Game 6 0 49 moves → 1

Game 7 ½ 16 move draw ½

Game 8 ½ 41 move draw ½

Game 9 ½ 40 move draw ½

Game 10 ½ 44 move draw ½

Game 11 1 ← 24 moves 0

Game 12 0 41 moves → 1

Game 13 ½ 41 move draw ½

Game 14 0 68 moves → 1

Game 15 1 ← 55 moves 0

Game 16 ½ 36 move draw ½

Game 17 ½ 49 move draw ½

Game 18 0 74 moves → 1

Game 19 1 ← 35 moves 0

Game 20 ½ 48 move draw ½

Game 21 ½ 23 move draw ½

Game 22 1 ← 38 moves 0

Game 23 ½ 41 move draw ½

Born 24 March 1921 36/37 years old Born 17 August 1911 46 years old

Winner of the 1957 World Chess Championship Former world champion

← 1957 1960 →

A World Chess Championship was played between Mikhail Botvinnik and Vasily Smyslov in Moscow from March 4 to May 9, 1958. Botvinnik won. Smyslov had unseated Botvinnik in the 1957 match, so he was entitled to this rematch a year later.

Botvinnik was eager to regain his title and spent the intervening year obsessively preparing. He surprised Smyslov with the Caro–Kann opening, which he was unprepared for. Botvinnik used the Caro-Kann in two of his opening three wins, and he adopted a more cautious style for the rest of the match after getting an early lead.

Background

The two had met in the two previous world championships, 1954 and 1957. Botvinnik had been world champion from 1948 to 1957, when he was unseated by Smyslov. This, by FIDE rules, entitled him to a rematch the next year without qualification. Botvinnik's comeback was seen emblematic of the perceived ideals of the golden age of Soviet chess.

The prize fund was established as 5,000 rubles to the winner.

Results

The match was played as best of 24 games. If it ended 12-12, Smyslov, the holder, would retain the Championship.

World Chess Championship Match 1958
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	Points
Mikhail Botvinnik (Soviet Union)	1	1	1	½	0	1	½	½	½	½	0	1	½	1	0	½	½	1	0	½	½	0	½	12½
Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)	0	0	0	½	1	0	½	½	½	½	1	0	½	0	1	½	½	0	1	½	½	1	½	10½

Botvinnik regained his title.

Games

Game 1: Smyslov-Botvinnik, 0-1

Game 2: Botvinnik-Smyslov, 1-0

Game 3: Smyslov-Botvinnik, 0-1

Game 4: Botvinnik-Smyslov, 1/2-1/2

Game 5: Smyslov-Botvinnik, 1-0

Game 6: Botvinnik-Smyslov, 1-0

Game 7: Smyslov-Botvinnik, 1/2-1/2

Game 8: Botvinnik-Smyslov, 1/2-1/2

Game 9: Smyslov-Botvinnik, 1/2-1/2

Game 10: Botvinnik-Smyslov, 1/2-1/2

Game 11: Smyslov-Botvinnik, 1-0

Game 12: Botvinnik-Smyslov, 1-0

Game 13: Smyslov-Botvinnik, 1/2-1/2

Game 14: Botvinnik-Smyslov, 1-0

Game 15: Smyslov-Botvinnik, 1-0

Game 16: Botvinnik-Smyslov, 1/2-1/2

Game 17: Smyslov-Botvinnik, 1/2

Game 18: Botvinnik-Smyslov, 1-0

Game 19: Smyslov-Botvinnik, 1-0

Game 20: Botvinnik-Smyslov, 1/2-1/2

Game 21: Smyslov-Botvinnik, 1/2-1/2

Game 22: Botvinnik-Smyslov, 0-1

Game 23: Smyslov-Botvinnik, 1/2-1/2

Smyslov said of his many battles against Botvinnik;

I have the feeling that all my life I have been playing only against Botvinnik. I am happy to have played almost a hundred games against such a remarkable player. We were both in our prime, and I think that the creative results of our meetings played a far from minor role in the development of chess thinking.

External links

at the Internet Archive record of Graeme Cree's Chess Pages