Botvinnik versus Smyslov – 12:12 The match ended in a draw (7 wins each, 10 draws) and Botvinnik kept the title.

The Russian grandmaster Vasily Smyslov (1921-2010) qualified to become the challenger for the world title by winning the Candidates Tournament in Zürich 1953. Botvinnik and Smyslov played 24 games 1954 in Moscow. The match ended in a draw (7 wins each, 10 draws) and Botvinnik kept the title.

Smyslov was a fine positional player who had great intuition. He was very strong in the endgame where he found surprising moves. He regarded chess as an art form, where creativity prevails over other factors.

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