This is a really fine book. I agree with the other reviewers and will try not to just repeat what has already been said above.

There are so many things to enjoy about this book- the notes and comments by Tal are magnificent. It is very interesting to get "inside his head" as he discusses not just the moves, but moods and psychology of the players and match.

The type font and the diagrams are all first rate. In addition to the 21 games contested during the actual world championship, there are another 23 supplemental games between Tal and Botvinnik included at the end of the book.

The notes to the moves are just the right mix of words and analysis. Many modern books go overboard on analysis and skimp on the verbal commentary. This might be fine for players rated 2000 USCF and above (if you don't know what this means - trust me you aren't rated up there!), but for the vast majority of players it just sets the head spinning and provides no useful cues to help evaluate a position.

This book has enough analysis to be useful, but backs it up with much verbal commentary explaining the motives behind the magic (er, the moves) by Tal.

If you are looking to pluck down $ 20.00 or so for a great chess book, this one should be on your list of candidates!

With the advent of computers, it is easy for writers to produce books that contain copious amounts of analysis. Never mind that in many cases, the annotations are often of the "look at me analyzing a position that never happened to show you that I can analyze" variety.

This book is not such a case. Tal concentrates on the here and now of the match, occasionally going into some detail (It should be noted that Tal had no computer help when he wrote this, not that it would be needed) but usually giving verbal descriptions of the position and the psychological apsects of playing certain moves/openings.

It would be a shame not to own this book.

This Tal classic is considered one of the greatest chess books ever written, and certainly the best match book ever written. When you read this book, you feel as YOU are playing the match against Botvinnik, with all of the ups and downs that go with it. Tal splendidly explains the psychology behind each game, and often times behind individual moves. And of course the notes to the chess are great. They are both very complete and instructive.

This match was also important theoretically since in most games the Caro-Kann (when Tal is white) and the King's Indian Defense (Tal is black) are played and each side attempts to improve upon the theory of the time.

Despite the large number of draws (13/21) most of the games were extremely hard fought and are very entertaining. I also like how all of the games of the return match in 1961 are given in the back of the book. These games give a more complete picture of the Tal-Botvinnik rivalry.

A few minor quips. 1) No match table. (I wrote one in myself next to the Table of Contents) 2) The binding quality is poor and there are typographical errors, even in this new "2001" edition. 3) If you own Tal's Life and Games, there is repetition of two games.

All in all, this is an absolute must-have for any chess library. Buy it!

Former World Chess Champion and Mastermind M.M. Botvinnik analyses the games at the 1941 ussr absolute championship with great attention to detail. At this tournament, where all the great Russian playes of the time met head to head, Botvinnik triumphed - thus creating the start of his amazing reign. In this volume, Botvinnik extracts the secrets of each game, whilst objectively analysing his own. This edition published by Hardinge and Simpole.

the ussr absolute championship 1941 was one of the strongest chess tournaments ever held-botvinnik smyslov and keres were in it for a start and the players all met each other 4 times so it became a titanic struggle.botvinnik wrote the notes to this book-having won the event-and they are truly magnificent.his analysis is amazingly deep and authoritative as befits a future world champion. it was also a great dry run for botvinnik for his assault on the world championship in 1948.

the notation is descriptive but the book is well printed and very well stocked with exceptionally clear diagrams. everyone interested in the ussr, in the history of chess and in some really great games by top players annotated by a supreme expert will want to own this book.no chess library worth the name is complete without it.

Soviet Chess expert Bob Wade collects and annotates the tough games of the Botvinnik-Petrosian 1963 World Championship. In this volume, the exciting tension between the aggressor Botvinnik and the patient and persitent Petrosian is clear throughout. Wade examines the games to expert level, providing a clear understanding of how Petrosian took the world title from a supposedly unbeatable champion. A fundamental work and a Hardinge and Simpole chess classic.

petrosian beat botvinnik in moscow 1963 to become the 9th world chess champion. in this book international master bob wade annotates every game with great care and also takes into account the best soviet sources of information.for lovers of endings this book is a must-the fifth game -won by petrosian - is probably the most subtle endgame ever played in a world chess championship. i also very much liked the inclusion of training games played by botvinnik which otherwise might have been lost to chess history!

I purchased this book recently at a local used book store, just a few blocks away from the University of Chicago campus: Thus, it can be found though it may take some effort. Nonetheless, if you manage to find it, you will think your toil well rewarded, for this is an excellent book---one of the great Botvinnik's last works. It features good analysis of some of the most well know and studied games in the history of chess---for example, Polugaevsky Karpov, 2nd match game and Karpov Spassky 8th and llth match games. The author and interesting subject matter make this a worthwhile read.

For years this book sat on my shelf unopened. Before playing through the games and studies in this outstanding work I was under the impression that Botvinnik was a dry positional player. Nothing could be further from the truth. The games are highly instructive with outstanding analysis. Just by playing through them my play has gained some solidity and my endgame is more exact. The endgame studies will delight you. A very fine additional to the volume those studies were.

First let me Warn you about the old notation... If you dont know descriptive notation, that might throw you a bit... If you can deal with that, then fine... I really personally dont like it, but there is more to this book... Botvinnik Im not a huge fan of or anything like that... Still reading this book I found a few helpful things to say least... The price is really low and anyone just about can afford it... You can get a file with all these games in modern notation so that makes it easier... This book taught me how to use a Pseudo Gruenfeld vs. (1 c4) The sad English... Just for that simple facts and the few games in book with it... I think its worth picking up...

To be honest I just think there are some chess books everyone should own... The book has an endgame study at the end which might be interesting to some. I am not sure if it is outdated or anything like that. Still seeing how they saw things in the past can be helpful. I like how Botvinnik talks a bit about his life besides chess. Sure maybe some might not agree with all he says or how he said things. Still he was World Champion I believe 3 times or something like that. Maybe there was a dark side to some of that... The guy in his time was one of the Best Chess players. I am not a fan of him, still I very much enjoy my time reading this book. I do not really care so much if the games are old and theory. I was glad to learn to use Gruenfeld vs. English from this book... Also the FACT a former World Champion Botvinnik used it helped convince me to give it a try. I only wish the Gruenfeld book I bought had least 1 chapter covering using it vs. English.... If you are just looking for cutting edge modern theory, this book might not appeal to you... If you care about chess history get this book.

I would say any rating can enjoy this book. I got it as one of my early books when I was new to chess. I did not know any notation really, so the descriptive was even more confusing to me :)... Still even without really knowing much about the game I enjoyed the book. Just reading it and stuff I found helped inspire me to keep playing. Also seeing some of the human side of him was rather interesting. Do not get this book thinking it will make you a World Champion. Still I am sure many World Champions past and present own or have owned this book :)...

Ok - i agree with many that thought that Botvinnik had no outstanding talent. Then why did he succeed so long ? The answer is method: you go through his games and are not amazed as in Tal's but he leads you through the logic of the position. Playing logically does not mean stereotyped or predictable: Botvinnik introduced the wildest variation in the Semislav; he was one of the first to adopt k-side expansions w/ g2-g4 in queen-pawn opening- even uncovering his king. Careful study of this book will repay much more than study say Shirov's games: it does describe wonderfully the way to handle typical key positions and themes. The only annoying thing is that Botvinnik uses too much the tone of an "illuminated teacher" that knows the absolute truth; don't be fooled when he says that the opponent's position is lost already from the late opening. This is not how chess work- even at superGM level.

A very detailed overview of Botvinnik's career covering his "Golden Years". The book covered the period between 1948 to 1970 whereby he became World Champion and went through the trials and tribulations of losing the championship and winning it back in a rematch on two occasions. This book clearly showed the mental strength of a great player - of his ability to stand up after falling down! The games demonstrated the maturity of Botvinnik over the years. Similar strategic ideas were referenced to earlier games in the book or to his other masterpieces. The analyses were brief and straight to the point. It may be a little difficult for beginners to understand the notes without the guidance of a chess player with considerable strength. This book is most suitable for an intermediate and master strength player. The brief introduction given by Bernard Cafferty at the beginning of the book serves little purpose. It is not Botvinnik's story that is interesting but his games!