WHERE BOTVINNIK (BLACK) RESIGNED GAME

David Mayer

July 18, 1955

Where novice chess players—faced with a board like the one below—might exhaust another couple of dozen moves before a decision, Grandmasters can foresee inevitabilities far in advance. Here the two forces might appear roughly even. Each player has lost his queen. Each retains one rook. But Reshevsky (white) has a bishop and five pawns remaining, while Botvinnik has a knight and four pawns. Moreover, the white pawn in the far left file is in an excellent position to march ahead to become a queen. Botvinnik studied his situation, resigned the game.