Editing Mikhail Botvinnik (section)

== World Champion ==
Botvinnik strongly influenced the design of the system which would be used for World Championship competition from 1948 to 1963.<ref name="Winter2003Interregnum">{{cite web
 | url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/interregnum.html
 | title=Interregnum
 | author=Winter, E.
 | date=2003–2004
 | publisher=Chess Notes
}}</ref><ref name="Sorcerer">{{cite book
 | title=The Sorcerer's Apprentice
 | year=1995
 | publisher=Cadogan Chess
 | location=London and New York
 | last1= Bronstein | first1= David | last2=Furstenberg | first2=T. 
 | author-link1=David Bronstein
}}</ref> Viktor Baturinsky wrote: "Now came Botvinnik's turn to defend his title in accordance with the new qualifying system which he himself had outlined in 1946." (This statement referred to Botvinnik's 1951 title defence.)<ref>''Botvinnik's Best Games 1947–1970'', by Mikhail Botvinnik, introduction by Viktor Baturinsky, p. 2, translated by Bernard Cafferty; Batsford Publishers, London 1972</ref>

On the basis of his strong results during and just after World War II, Botvinnik was one of five players to contest the [[World Chess Championship 1948|1948 World Chess Championship]], which was held at [[The Hague]] and Moscow. He won the 1948 tournament convincingly—with a score of 14/20, three points clear—becoming the sixth World Champion.<ref name="Weeks1948WorldChampionshipTournament">{{cite web | url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/48$c$wix.htm | title=World Chess Championship: 1948 FIDE Title Tournament | author=Weeks, M. }}</ref> While he was on vacation in [[Riga]] after the tournament, an eleven-year-old boy called [[Mikhail Tal]] paid a visit, hoping to play a game against the new champion. Tal was met by Botvinnik's wife, who said the champion was asleep, and that she had made him take a rest from chess.<ref name="SportsIllustrated1960NodForATitle" /><ref>Grandmaster Tal tells a different version of events in his autobiography, "The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal". 1997. Reprint ed. Everyman Chess, 2013, p. 21.</ref> In 1950, Botvinnik was one of the inaugural recipients of the [[international grandmaster]] title from FIDE.

Botvinnik held the world title, with two brief interruptions, for the next fifteen years, during which he played seven world championship matches. In 1951, he drew with [[David Bronstein]] over 24 games in Moscow, +5−5=14, keeping the world title, but it was a struggle for Botvinnik, who won the second-last game and drew the last in order to tie the match.<ref name="WeeksBotvinnikBronstein1951">{{cite web | url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/4951$wix.htm | title=World Chess Championship: 1951 Botvinnik–Bronstein Title Match | author=Weeks, M. }}</ref> In 1954, he drew with [[Vasily Smyslov]] over 24 games in Moscow, +7−7=10, again retaining the title.<ref name="WeeksBotvinnikSmyslov1954">{{cite web | url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/5254$wix.htm
 | title=World Chess Championship: 1954 Botvinnik–Smyslov Title Match | author=Weeks, M. }}</ref> In 1957, he lost to Smyslov by 9½–12½ in Moscow,<ref name="WeeksSmyslovBotvinnik1957">{{cite web | url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/55571wix.htm
 | title=World Chess Championship: 1957 Smyslov–Botvinnik Title Match  | author=Weeks, M. }}</ref> but the rules then in force allowed him a rematch without having to go through the [[Candidates' Tournament]], and in 1958 he won the rematch in Moscow;<ref name="WeeksBotvinnikSmyslov1958">{{cite web | url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/55572wix.htm
 | title=World Chess Championship: 1958 Botvinnik–Smyslov Title Match  | author=Weeks, M. }}</ref> Smyslov said his health was poor during the return match.<ref name="JWatsonBkRev81">{{cite web | url=http://www.chess.co.uk/twic/jwatsonbkrev81.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509200543/http://www.chess.co.uk/twic/jwatsonbkrev81.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=2008-05-09 | title=Book Reviews by John Watson | author=Watson, J. | publisher=chess.co.uk }}</ref> In 1960, Botvinnik was convincingly beaten 8½–12½ at Moscow by Tal, now 23&nbsp;years old,<ref name="WeeksTalBotvinnik1960">{{cite web | url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/58601wix.htm
 | title=World Chess Championship: 1960 Tal–Botvinnik Title Match | author=Weeks, M. }}</ref> but again exercised his right to a rematch in 1961, and won by 13–8 in Moscow.<ref name="WeeksBotvinnikTal1961a">{{cite web | url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/58602wix.htm
 | title=World Chess Championship: 1961 Botvinnik–Tal Title Match | author=Weeks, M. }}</ref> Commentators agreed that Tal's play was weaker in the rematch, probably due to his health, but also that Botvinnik's play was better than in the 1960 match, largely due to thorough preparation. Botvinnik changed his style in the rematch, avoiding the tactical complications in which Tal excelled and aiming for closed positions and endgames, where Tal's technique was not outstanding.<ref name="chessgamesTalBotvinnik1961">{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=54393 |title=Tal vs. Botvinnik 1961 |website=[[Chessgames.com]]}}</ref><ref name="KeeneDivinskyWarriors" /> Finally, in 1963, he lost the title to [[Tigran Petrosian]], by 9½–12½ in Moscow.<ref name="WeeksBotvinnikTal1961b">{{cite web | url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/6163$wix.htm
 | title=World Chess Championship: 1963 Petrosian-Botvinnik Title Match | author=Weeks, M. }}</ref> [[FIDE]] had by then altered the rules, and he was not allowed a rematch. The rematch rule had been nicknamed the "Botvinnik rule" because he twice benefited from it.

Though ranking as formal World Champion, Botvinnik had a relatively poor playing record in the early 1950s: he played no formal competitive games after winning the 1948 match tournament until he defended his title, then struggled to draw his 1951 championship match with Bronstein, placed only fifth in the 1951 Soviet Championship, and tied for third in the 1952 [[Géza Maróczy]] Memorial tournament in [[Budapest]]; and he had also performed poorly in Soviet training contests.<ref name="CreeSovietChampionship1920To1991" /><ref name="avlerchessChessOlympiad1952">{{cite web | url=http://www.avlerchess.com/chess-misc/USSR_first_entered_Chess_Olympiad_in_1952_287587.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011195138/http://www.avlerchess.com/chess-misc/USSR_first_entered_Chess_Olympiad_in_1952_287587.html | url-status=usurped | archive-date=October 11, 2008 | title=USSR first entered Chess Olympiad 1952}}</ref> However, he lost only five of over thirty games in the two tournaments; three of the four who finished ahead of him in the 1951 championship were future world champions Smyslov and Petrosian and a leading world championship contender (and winner in both tournaments) Paul Keres; and he finished ahead of Petrosian and even with Smyslov in 1952. Botvinnik did not play in the Soviet team that won the 1952 [[Chess Olympiad]] in Helsinki: the players voted for the line-up and placed Botvinnik on second board, with Keres on top board; Botvinnik protested and refused to play.<ref name="Bronstein2007ChessforDadsJailers" /><ref name="BotvinniksBestGames1947To1970">{{cite book | author=Botvinnik, M.M. | translator=Bernard Cafferty|year=1972 | title=Botvinnik's Best Games 1947–1970 | publisher=Batsford | isbn=978-0-7134-0537-8}}</ref> Keres' playing record from 1950 to early 1952 had been outstanding.<ref name="CreeSovietChampionship1920To1991" /><ref name="avlerchessChessOlympiad1952" />

Botvinnik won the 1952 Soviet Championship (joint first with [[Mark Taimanov]] in the tournament, won the play-off match).<ref name="CreeSovietChampionship1920To1991" /> He included several wins from that tournament over the 1952 Soviet team members in his book ''Botvinnik's Best Games 1947–1970'', writing "these games had a definite significance for me".<ref name="BotvinniksBestGames1947To1970" /> In 1956, he tied for first place with Smyslov in the 1956 Alexander Alekhine Memorial in Moscow, despite a last-round loss to Keres.