Mikhail Botvinnik v Mikhail Tal: head-to-head record and title matches

Rivalry · 2 title events

6th world champion · 1948–1957, 1958–1960, 1961–1963

Mikhail Botvinnik

8th world champion · 1960–1961

Mikhail Tal

Botvinnik wins

draws

Tal wins

44 recorded games, 1960–1966. Score 22–22. Source: chessgames.com

Their title matches

Year	Winner	Score	Where	Format
1960	Mikhail Tal	12½–8½	Moscow	Best of 24
1961	Mikhail Botvinnik	13–8	Moscow	Best of 24

How they compare

Botvinnik	Measure	Tal
1911	Born	1936
13	Years as champion	1
5 of 8	Title events won	1 of 2
12	Head-to-head wins	12
9	Wins with White	9
3	Wins with Black	3
2885 Oct 1945	Peak (Chessmetrics)	2799 Sep 1960
2913	On today's scale	2826
+115	Lead over No. 2 at peak	+24

A star marks the better figure. "On today's scale" and the lead are explained on the champions page.

Trophy cabinets

Botvinnik	Honour	Tal
5 1948, 1951, 1954, 1958, 1961	World titles	1 1960
–	Candidates	1 1959
–	Interzonals	3 1958, 1964*, 1979
–	Blitz	1 1988†
6 1931, 1933, 1939, 1944, 1945, 1952	National	6 1957, 1958, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978*
6 1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964	Olympiad team	8 1958, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1972, 1974, 1980, 1982
2 1954, 1960	Olympiad board	5 1958, 1962, 1966, 1972, 1974
2 1961, 1965	European team	6 1957, 1961, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1980

Each year links to its source. * Shared title. † Held before FIDE's official series (blitz events of 1970, 1988 and 2000; the 2000 and 2002 World Cups). World championship titles are title events won or kept. Olympiad board golds are the best score on a board. Most of these events didn't exist before the 1920s.

Famous games between them

Mikhail Botvinnik v Mikhail Tal, World Chess Championship 1960, game 6 · 0–1

From the 1960 match that made Tal world champion at 23.

Mikhail Tal

Mikhail Botvinnik

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0–1

Arrow keys step through the moves; click any move to jump to it. Pieces by Colin M. L. Burnett (BSD licence).

Every recorded game

Year	White	Result	Moves	Event
1960	Tal	1-0	32	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Botvinnik	½–½	44	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Tal	½–½	37	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Botvinnik	½–½	40	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Tal	½–½	43	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Botvinnik	0-1	47	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Tal	1-0	52	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Botvinnik	1-0	41	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Tal	0-1	58	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Botvinnik	½–½	60	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Tal	1-0	72	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Botvinnik	½–½	72	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Tal	½–½	16	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Botvinnik	½–½	22	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match
1960	Tal	½–½	41	Botvinnik - Tal World Championship Match

Every game between them in the chessgames.com database (checked 2026-11-04): classical, rapid, blitz and exhibition games together, as the database records them.

Quick answers

Who won more games, Mikhail Botvinnik or Mikhail Tal?

In the 44 games between them in the chessgames.com database (1960–1966), Botvinnik won 12, Tal won 12 and 20 were drawn: level. The count includes every recorded game, not only classical ones.

How many world championship matches did Botvinnik and Tal play?

2: 1960 (Tal won, 12½–8½); 1961 (Botvinnik won, 13–8).

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