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    Rivalry · 4 title events

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

    Mikhail Botvinnik

    v

    7th world champion · 1957–1958

    Vasily Smyslov

    Mikhail Botvinnik v Vasily Smyslov

    29

    Botvinnik wins

    52

    draws

    24

    Smyslov wins

    105 recorded games, 1940–1969. Score 55–50 to Botvinnik. Source: chessgames.com

    Their title matches

    YearWinnerScoreWhereFormat
    1948Mikhail Botvinnik–The Hague (1–10), Moscow (11–20)Quintuple round-robin tournament with 5 players
    1954Mikhail Botvinnik12–12MoscowBest of 24
    1957Vasily Smyslov12½–9½MoscowBest of 24
    1958Mikhail Botvinnik12½–10½MoscowBest of 24

    How they compare

    BotvinnikMeasureSmyslov
    1911Born1921
    13Years as champion1
    5 of 8Title events won1 of 4
    29Head-to-head wins24
    18Wins with White17
    11Wins with Black7
    2885 Oct 1945Peak (Chessmetrics)2800 Sep 1956
    2913On today's scale2830
    +115Lead over No. 2 at peak+21

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

    Trophy cabinets

    BotvinnikHonourSmyslov
    5

    1948, 1951, 1954, 1958, 1961

    		World titles1

    1957

    –Candidates2

    1953, 1956

    –Interzonals1

    1964*

    6

    1931, 1933, 1939, 1944, 1945, 1952

    		National1

    1949*

    6

    1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964

    		Olympiad team9

    1952, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1970, 1972

    2

    1954, 1960

    		Olympiad board4

    1952, 1960, 1964, 1968

    2

    1961, 1965

    		European team5

    1957, 1961, 1965, 1970, 1973

    –Senior1

    1991

    Each year links to its source. * Shared title. 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.

    Decade by decade

    1940s7 – 9 – 1
    1950s20 – 38 – 22
    1960s2 – 5 – 1

    Botvinnik wins – draws – Smyslov wins, per decade.

    Famous games between them

    Vasily Smyslov v Mikhail Botvinnik, World Chess Championship 1954, game 9 · 1–0

    A queen sacrifice that blew up one of Botvinnik's favourite variations.

    Mikhail Botvinnik
    Vasily Smyslov

    Start position

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    42. 1–0

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

    Mikhail Botvinnik v Vasily Smyslov, World Chess Championship 1954, game 14 · 0–1

    Deep home preparation, then a queen sacrifice; the win changed the theory of the variation.

    Vasily Smyslov
    Mikhail Botvinnik

    Start position

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    34. 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

    YearWhiteResultMovesEvent
    1940Smyslov½–½48USSR Championship
    1941Smyslov0-142USSR Absolute Championship
    1941Botvinnik½–½54USSR Absolute Championship
    1941Smyslov0-160USSR Absolute Championship
    1941Botvinnik½–½15USSR Absolute Championship
    1943Smyslov1-050Moscow Championship 1943/44
    1943Smyslov½–½66Sverdlovsk
    1943Botvinnik1-040Sverdlovsk
    1944Smyslov0-140USSR Championship
    1945Botvinnik1-031USSR Championship
    1946Botvinnik1-050Groningen
    1947Smyslov½–½41Moscow
    1948Smyslov½–½44FIDE World Championship Tournament
    1948Botvinnik½–½79FIDE World Championship Tournament
    1948Smyslov0-141FIDE World Championship Tournament

    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 Vasily Smyslov?

    In the 105 games between them in the chessgames.com database (1940–1969), Botvinnik won 29, Smyslov won 24 and 52 were drawn: Botvinnik leads. The count includes every recorded game, not only classical ones.

    How many world championship matches did Botvinnik and Smyslov play?

    4: 1948 (Botvinnik won, 14–6); 1954 (Botvinnik won, 12–12); 1957 (Smyslov won, 12½–9½); 1958 (Botvinnik won, 12½–10½).

    All 18 rivalries·All 18 world champions