CHESS : BOTVINNIK DIES

Mikhail Botvinnik, the sixth world champion, died May 5 in Moscow at the age of 83. Botvinnik was the first grandmaster from the Soviet Union, the first Soviet world champion, and the last world champion to practice another profession.

A master at 16 and a dedicated Communist even earlier, Botvinnik was the only player allowed to represent Stalinist society in international chess in the 1930s. The pressure on him must have been tremendous; a poor result would have embarrassed his country, perhaps instituting a purge of chess officials or a loss of government support for the game. But Botvinnik rarely disappointed his party leaders. He fashioned a string of excellent performances in European tournaments, and, not coincidentally, chess in the Soviet Union blossomed. Botvinnik began negotiations for a match with world champion Alexander Alekhine, but World War II intervened.

In 1948, two years after Alekhine’s death, the World Chess Federation (FIDE) arranged a tournament of the world’s five best players to choose the next world champion. Botvinnik won with a great 14-6 score, three points ahead of his countryman, Vassily Smyslov. The Soviet government celebrated the success of its chess program, but the 36-year-old Botvinnik reacted unexpectedly. He gave up chess for three years to earn his doctorate in electrical engineering, and, for the rest of his life, he split his time between his two careers.

As a part-time player, Botvinnik barely held his title by drawing championship matches against David Bronstein in 1951 and Smyslov in 1954. When Smyslov (whom Botvinnik called “unbeatable” in the mid-1950s) dethroned him, 12 1/2-9 1/2, in 1957, many thought Botvinnik’s era had passed.

However, Botvinnik was not ready to retire. He requested a rematch and upset Smyslov, 12 1/2-10 1/2, in 1958. In an even more amazing comeback, he lost his title to Mikhail Tal in 1960 and again won the rematch. Botvinnik had been successful for three decades by outslugging opponents in complex positions, but, at age 49, he consciously altered his style to frustrate the more imaginative Tal.

Tigran Petrosian ended Botvinnik’s third reign as champion in 1963, and Botvinnik, irritated at FIDE’s decision to rescind the champion’s right to a rematch, announced his official retirement from championship competition. He continued to play successfully in tournaments until his full retirement in 1970, and then devoted himself to a fruitless quest to develop a master-strength chess computer program.

Botvinnik was a true hero of the Soviet Union, a stern figure who carried out his duties with unparalleled diligence. It is difficult to imagine how Soviet chess would have fared without him.

LOCAL NEWS

The Ventura County Championship will be held May 20-21 at Days Inn in Thousand Oaks, near the Ventu Park offramp of the 101 Freeway. It’s a four-round Grand Prix tournament, and one high finisher earns a spot in next month’s state championship qualifier. For more information, call Irving Besen at (805) 644-5050.

The Scholastic Team Championship at Warner School in Westwood last weekend drew an unexpectedly large turnout of 29 teams, comprising 116 players. Two teams won their first three matches, then drew each other in the final round. On tiebreak, “5-0” (William Surlow, Alex Schloss, Steven Cryer and Ross Kilroy) took first prize over “Kingbusters” (Casey McCracken, David Silldorf, Michael Krimper and Max Landaw).

The sixth All-American Scholastic tournament, a four-round event for students in grades K-9, takes place May 21 at All-American Burger, 1500 Westwood Blvd. in Westwood. For details, call John Surlow at (310) 479-8377.