Comments on https://lichess.org/@/ruylopez1000/blog/bronstein-vs-botvinnik-the-rivalry/yFOCgsjq
Interesting topic. Very informative.
Great sense of chess history and intricacies which are in URSS in the past .
Great blog , go on !
This is a great article, but I'll make some adjustments.
Alekhine participated in tournaments organized by Nazi Germany. He wrote articles for a German newspaper on the topic: “Aryan and Jewish chess.”
But he was still offered a world championship match in Moscow. But he refused, offering London.
And this happened after the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
Of course, not everyone in the Soviet Union was thrilled with this idea)))
Интересно
Clap clap, great article.
Your hand must have ached after that long of typing!
I'll write this wearing my "KGB, still watching you" T-shirt from Krakow Poland.
Botvinnik peak strength was lost to WW2. And, he probably peaked as a player in 1948 when he won the World Championship. Although he didn't dominate tournaments afterwards, he did play more world championship matches than anyone (except Kasparov) and at an age where his peak ELO would have dropped 50 points. Botvinnik beating Tal in his rematch despite a 25 year difference in age will probably never be duplicated.
Botvinnik greatest advantage over his opponents was as a politician,with his only challenger in that field Max Euwe. The rematch clause and the 12-12 tie the champion maintains the title was helpful in Botvinnik in not having to go through a grueling path of playing candidate matches. It wasn't until the rise of Karpov that another Soviet player got involved to get the full backing of the Soviet machinery.
Enjoyed your article, Ruy. It's a bit like writing a Raymond Chandler mystery novel with conclusions one has to make on their own.