- Hardcover: 226 pages
- Publisher: Bell (1949)
- Language German
- ASIN: B0007E39Y8
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
harry golombek is one of the greats of chess literature-probably the best wrting ever to come from any chess player stems from him. he wrote for the times the observer and the british chess magazine as well as producing a huge number of very readable books such as bios of capablanca and reti.
this book is one his masterpieces-an authoritative account of the match tournament to decide who should become world champion after alekhine died in possession of the title. botvinnik won ahead of smyslov keres reshevsky and euwe-it may have been the strongest tournament of all time-but the notes cetainly do it justice with every game painstakingly annotated and the drama of the competition -which golombek attended- described in great detail.
a modern controversy has arisen as to whether keres who had played in nazi tournaments threw his games to botvinnik who was a staunch communist and favourite of stalin. watch out therefore for golombeks pithy and sometimes caustic comments about the five games betwen keres and botvinnik!
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Mikhail Botvinnik, disciple of Josef Stalin and iron man of Soviet chess, seized the chess crown in 1948 in the 'famous five' Match Tournament. This was held to settle the question of the World Championship after reigning champion Alexander Alekhine had died in possession of the title. 1948 ushered in a long period of control of world chess by FIDE, the world chess federation, backed, in turn, by the powerful chess federation of the USSR , the land where chess had become the iconic national game. Botvinnik dominated the field, easily outdistancing his main rivals Smyslov, Reshevsky and Keres , while the hapless Dr. Max Euwe , former world champion , whose sudden and dramatic descent from world class chess was made brutally apparent by this event, was left trailing in last place, 6.5 points adrift of the field. Inspiration and controversy alike still surround the 1948 match tournament . At a time when more than one player claims to be world champion and rival organisations have their own champions, the resolution brought about by the match tournament is often regarded as the holy grail of world title definition. Yet critics also persist in seeing this system as flawed. Why for example was the Polish grandmaster Miguel Najdorf not invited when US Grandmaster Reuben Fine dropped out? Was it because Najdorf had defeated Botvinnik in a recent tournament? Worse, unsubstantiated rumours abound that Paul Keres, an enthusiastic participant in Nazi-controlled competitions of the early 1940s, came under pressure to lose games in Moscow - the very heart of the Soviet Empire - to Stalin's protégé Botvinnik.
Harry Golombek, the author of this book, was on the spot throughout and at the very epicentre of all the action. Here he annotates every game and follows every nuance. An International Master and British Champion, Golombek had a fluent knowledge of Russian and was alert to every key variation and possibility. Here are all the games, annotated in detail, of an historic and controversial event. Readers can make up their own minds on the evidence - was Botvinnik the dominating titan of his day or was his triumph founded on the elimination of a dangerous rival and on political favouritism extended by the most powerful man in the Soviet Empire?
Harry Golombek, the author of this book, was on the spot throughout and at the very epicentre of all the action. Here he annotates every game and follows every nuance. An International Master and British Champion, Golombek had a fluent knowledge of Russian and was alert to every key variation and possibility. Here are all the games, annotated in detail, of an historic and controversial event. Readers can make up their own minds on the evidence - was Botvinnik the dominating titan of his day or was his triumph founded on the elimination of a dangerous rival and on political favouritism extended by the most powerful man in the Soviet Empire?
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is perhaps one of the most interesting chess tournaments of the 20th century. The ‘Famous Five’ tournament, held to establish a new world champion after the legendary Alekhine’s death, pitted Botvinnik, Smyslov, Reshevsky, Keres and Euwe against each other (although Botvinnik was almost as far ahead of his competitors as Euwe was behind them) in a historic clash, the politics of numerous associations each backing a champion miring the tournament in intrigue.
Despite the superb game played by Botvinnik, who would reign virtually unchallenged through the 50s, this book allows its readers to question the political undertones behind the victory of Stalin’s favourite player. Najdorf, who had defeated Botvinnik was not invited to this series, and it was alleged that Keres was pressurized to lose in Moscow (in the heart of Stalin’s power). Golombek is a true artist when it comes to chess coverage, and his columns in The Times and The Observer are a testament to his skill, as is this book. As a specialist in Soviet chess, and an expert at the tricky annotation of games, Golombek builds up interest and tension, and he never disappoints.
Despite the superb game played by Botvinnik, who would reign virtually unchallenged through the 50s, this book allows its readers to question the political undertones behind the victory of Stalin’s favourite player. Najdorf, who had defeated Botvinnik was not invited to this series, and it was alleged that Keres was pressurized to lose in Moscow (in the heart of Stalin’s power). Golombek is a true artist when it comes to chess coverage, and his columns in The Times and The Observer are a testament to his skill, as is this book. As a specialist in Soviet chess, and an expert at the tricky annotation of games, Golombek builds up interest and tension, and he never disappoints.
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