# World Chess Championship 1951

The 1951 World Chess Championship was played between Mikhail Botvinnik and David Bronstein in Moscow from March 15 to May 11, 1951. It was the first match played under the supervision of FIDE; and the first to use a qualifying system of an Interzonal and Candidates Tournament to choose a challenger - a system which stayed in place until 1993.
Botvinnik was the defending champion: he was 39 years old, had been a world leading player in the 1930s and World Champion since 1948. The challenger, David Bronstein, was 27 years old and relatively new to top-level competition.
The match ended in a 12–12 tie (5 wins each, and 14 draws), meaning Botvinnik retained the title of World Champion. Writing in 1973, Israel Horowitz described the match as "perhaps the most interesting match ever played for the world championship".

## 1948 Interzonal tournament

An interzonal tournament was held at Saltsjöbaden in Stockholm, Sweden, in July and August 1948. The top eight finishers qualified for the Candidates tournament.
    1948 Interzonal Tournament 1234567891011121314151617181920Total 1 David Bronstein (Soviet Union)x1½1½½½½½½1½½1½1½11113½ 2 László Szabó (Hungary)0x½½1½1½½1½111½1½½1012½ 3 Isaac Boleslavsky (Soviet Union)½½x½½½01½1½½1½½½111½12 4 Alexander Kotov (Soviet Union)0½½x½½½½½½1½½½½1111½11½ 5 Andor Lilienthal (Soviet Union)½0½½x11½½½0½½½1½1½½111 6 Igor Bondarevsky (Soviet Union)½½½½0x½½10½1½0½½1½1110½ 7 Miguel Najdorf (Argentina)½01½0½x½½101½0½1½½1110½ 8 Gideon Ståhlberg (Sweden)½½0½½½½x½0½11½½½½1½110½ 9 Salo Flohr (Soviet Union)½½½½½0½½x½½½½½½½1½1110½ 10 Petar Trifunović (Yugoslavia)½00½½101½x½½01½½1½1½10 11 Vasja Pirc (Yugoslavia)0½½01½1½½½x½½010½1½½9½ 12 Svetozar Gligorić (Yugoslavia)½0½½½000½½½x1½111½019½ 13 Eero Böök (Finland)½00½½½½0½1½0x½½½½1119½ 14 Viacheslav Ragozin (Soviet Union)00½½½11½½01½½x00½0½18½ 15 Daniel Yanofsky (Canada)½½½½0½½½½½00½1x0½½½18½ 16 Savielly Tartakower (France)00½0½½0½½½10½11x0½½½8 17 Ludek Pachman (Czechoslovakia)½½0000½½00½0½½½1x1½17½ 18 Gösta Stoltz (Sweden)0½00½½½0½½0½01½½0x½½6½ 19 Lajos Steiner (Australia)0000½00½00½10½½½½½x½5½ 20 Erik Lundin (Sweden)01½½00000½½0000½0½½x4½
The four players tied for sixth place were to have played off for three spots in the Candidates tournament, but Bondarevsky had to withdraw due to illness, so the other three qualified automatically.

## 1950 Candidates tournament

The 1950 Candidates tournament was held in Budapest, Hungary in April and May 1950. The players who finished second through fifth in the 1948 championship tournament (Smyslov, Keres, Reshevsky, and Euwe) were seeded directly into the tournament, along with Reuben Fine, who had been invited to the 1948 tournament but declined, and the top eight finishers from the Interzonal.
It has been written that the two American players, Reshevsky and Fine, were prevented from travelling to Hungary by the US State Department, with travel restrictions due to the Cold War; However, Reshevsky said in 1991 that he could have gone but did not want to. Euwe declined due to work commitments, and Bondarevsky due to illness.
    1950 Candidates Tournament 12345678910Score 1 - 2 David Bronstein (Soviet Union)xx= =0 1= 11 11 =0 1= =1 == 112 1 - 2 Isaac Boleslavsky (Soviet Union)= =xx1 == == =1 == == 1= 11 112 3 Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)1 00 =xx= =1 == 10 1= 1= == =10 4 Paul Keres (Soviet Union)= 0= == =xx= =1 01 == == 1= =9½ 5 Miguel Najdorf (Argentina)0 0= =0 == =xx= == =1 1= 1= =9 6 Alexander Kotov (Soviet Union)0 =0 == 00 1= =xx= 11 01 01 =8½ 7 Gideon Ståhlberg (Sweden)1 0= =1 00 == == 0xx= == == =8 8 - 10 Andor Lilienthal (Soviet Union)= == 0= 0= =0 00 1= =xx1 0= =7 8 - 10 László Szabó (Hungary)0 == 0= == 0= 00 1= =0 1xx1 07 8 - 10 Salo Flohr (Soviet Union)= 00 0= == == =0 == == =0 1xx7
The co-winners then played a 12-game match in Moscow in July and August 1950. In the event of another tie, the first decisive game would determine Botvinnik's challenger for the title.
Candidates playoff, 1950 :
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Points | 13 | 14 | Total |
| David Bronstein (Soviet Union) | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 6 | ½ | 1 | 7½ |
| Isaac Boleslavsky (Soviet Union) | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 6 | ½ | 0 | 6½ |
Bronstein thus earned the right to challenge the reigning champion.

### Boleslavsky's strategy

Going into the final round of the Candidates tournament, Boleslavsky had a half point lead over Bronstein. Boleslavsky had white against Stahlberg, and offered a short draw when he was in a good position, which Stahlberg accepted. This gave Bronstein the opportunity to catch him, which he did, with a brilliant win against Keres. It has been said, by both Bronstein and by Yuri Averbakh, that Boleslavsky allowed Bronstein to catch him. Averbakh said that Boleslavsky had a very poor record against Botvinnik, and hoped that a tie would mean a 3-way match between Botvinnik, Boleslavsky and Bronstein, although this did not eventuate.
It has also been speculated that the result of the Bronstein-Boleslavsky match was pre-arranged by the contestants.

## 1951 Championship match
### Conditions

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

### Match

World Chess Championship Match 1951 :
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Points |
| Mikhail Botvinnik (Soviet Union) | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 12 |
| David Bronstein (Soviet Union) | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 12 |
Botvinnik retained the championship.

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