Notes in italics are from the book.
Ilya Kan - Mikhail Botvinnik
Moscow 1936
Sicilian Dragon
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.Be3 Nc6 8.Nb3!?
Am idea deserving serious attention. White has in mind an immediate pawn-attack on the kingside, while Black has no better continuation than 8...Be6 and 9...0-0, as otherwise White will castle short, and then a well-known variation unfavourable to Black will result.
More popular than the text were, and still are, 8.Qd2 and especially 8.0-0. For what it is worth, Stockfish17 very marginally prefers the former, while Dragon1 favours the text.
8...Be6
It is hard to know what Botvinnik's "well-known variation unfavourable to Black" may be. Certainly nothing obvious jumps out from ChessBase's 2024 Mega database.
9.f4 0-0 10.g4!?
 |
| How should Black meet White's pawn-storm? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
10...Na5?!
In reply to White's flank attack, Black should have undertaken an active counterattack in the centre by 10...d5! Now White's attack grows dangerous.
The text is by far the commonest continuation in Mega24, but is strongly disliked by Stockfish17 and Dragon1. They suggest 10...Rc8 or 10...a5, but reckon Botvinnik's recommendation is a mistake thanks to the reply 11.f5. This was played later the same year at Nottingham in the game Alexander Alekhine - Botvinnik, which continued 11...Bc8!? 12.exd5 Nb4, after which the engines reckon 13.Bf3 gives White the upper hand, as subsequent games seemed to show.
11.g5 Ne8
This is unquestionably better than 11...Nd7 as afterwards the knight can occupy g7, where it is useful for defence.
The latter move is almost five times more popular in Mega24, and is the top choice of Stockfish17, whereas Dragon1 agrees with Botvinnik's assessment.
12.Qd2
White determines the queen's position prematurely. The correct move is 12.Bd4 at once, as [Jan] Foltys played against [Erich] Eliskases (Poděbrady, Czechoslovakia, 1936).
The engines marginally prefer Kan's move.
12...Rc8!?
Sacrificing the a7 pawn. White refuses the sacrifice, for after 13...Bc4 it would lose several important tempi and relinquish the initiative to Black.
The engines agree 13.Bxa7? is a mistake, but reckon the correct reply is 13...Bxc3!? 14.bxc3 Nc4 or the immediate 13..Nc4. The problem with 13...Bc4, according to them, is the simple 14.Bd4, when they reckon White is at least equal.
13.Bd4 Nc4
Stronger is 13...Bc4, eg 14.0-0-0 is followed by 14...Bxe2 15.Nxe2 (or 15.Qxe2) Nc4, and the knight's strong position gives Black opportunities of counterattack.
The engines prefer the text, but agree with Botvinnik's analysis of his main variation, with the major exception that they reckon meeting 15.Qxe2 with ...Nc4 gives White a winning attack starting with 16.h4. Instead they recommend 15...e5!?, claiming complete equality.
14.Bxc4 Rxc4 15.0-0-0 Qd7 16.Qd3 Rc8!?
After this passive move the initiative passes to White. Black should have continued 16...b5 with an approximately equal game.
The engines agree 16...b5 is a little better, but reckon White anyway has an edge.
17.h4 Bg4
Black must prevent the opening of the h file.
18.Rd2
Retreat to e1 would be more exact. The rook's position on the same diagonal as the king provides Black with combinative possibilities.
18...b6?!
Botvinnik does not comment on this defensive move, but it seems a serious mistake. The engines give 18...f5, albeit awarding White a slight edge.
19.Nd5
If 19.Bxg7 then 19...Nxg7 20.Nd5 Be6 21.Nd4 Rc5, and Black has fully equal play.
The engines prefer 19.Bxg7, their point being to meet 19...Nxg7 with 20.Rg1!?, eg 20...f5 21.e5 Rfd8 22.Qd5+ Qe6 23.Nd4!? Qxd5 24.Nxd5, claiming White has the upper hand.
19...e5
With passive play Black would be slowly asphyxiated after f5.
20.Bc3
Apparently 20.f5 is also without danger to Black, because of 20...exd4 21.f6 Nxf6 22.gxf6 Bh6 23.Ne7+ Kh8 24.Nxc8 Rxc8.
The engines agree with the assessment of the result of that line, but reckon sacrificing the exchange with 23.Kb1!? Bxd2 24.Qxd2 gives White a slight edge.
20...f5?!
The engines reckon Black needed to play 20...Nc7 or possibly 20...f6.
 |
| Position after 20...f5?! |
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
An extremely sharp and complex position has arisen. To 21.fxe5 Black can simply reply 21...dxe5.
The engines continue 22.Qa6! with what seems a winning advantage as Black has apparently unsolvable problems saving his queen without losing material, eg 22...Nd6 23.Bb4 Rcd8 24.Qa3! Nc4 25.Ne7+ Qxe7 (or 25...Kf7 26.Rxd7 Nxa3 27.Rb7! etc) 26.Bxe7 Nxa3 27.Rxd8, winning the exchange.
Possibly strongest of all now for White is 21.exf5 Bxf5 22.Qe2, and White preserves his knight at d5. The continuation White chooses gives the advantage to Black.
21.gxf6?! Nxf6 22.Nxf6+ Rxf6 23.Qd5+?
Nothing in 23.fxe5 Rf3 24.Qd5+ Be6 25.Qxd6 Bh6 26.Nd4 Rh3!, and White does not get adequate compensation for the exchange.
The engines reckon this line gives White full compensation.
23...Rf7!
The move that decides the game! If now 24.Qxd6 then 24...Qxd6 25.Rxd6 exf4, or 24.fxe5 Be6 25.Qxd6 Bh6, and White is in a bad way.
Now White makes a pawn sacrifice, which gives him nothing and only speeds up his loss.
24.h5 gxh5 25.Rg1
In sacrificing the pawn White evidently overlooked that after 25.fxe5 dxe5 26.Qxd7 Bxd7 27.Rxh5 Rf1+ 28.Rd1 Rxd1 29.Kxd1 Bg4+ he is a rook down.
25...Qc6 26.fxe5 dxe5!?
The strong passed h pawn secures Black the win. So there is no sense in complicating the game by winning the exchange at the price of laying bare his king's position.
In other words, Botvinnik is saying that 26...Bh6, while it may be objectively stronger, as the engines agree, increases the chances of Black going wrong.
27.Qxc6 Rxc6 28.Rd5 Rcf6 29.Nd2
The continuation 29.Bxe5 leads to loss of material because of 29...Rf1+ 30.Rxf1 Rxf1+ 31.Kd2 Rd1+.
29...Bh6 30.b3 Rf2 31.Kb2
31.Rxe5 does not save the game because of 31...Rh2 ( to defend the h5 pawn), followed by 32...Rff2.
31...Re2?
Botvinnik does not comment on this. It seems both players missed that this throws away Black's advantage, which would remain more-or-less decisive, according to the engines, after 31...Bg5 or 31...b5.
32.Nc4 Rff2 33.Rd8+ Bf8
The engines slightly prefer moving the king, or 33...Rf8.
 |
| How should White continue? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
34.b4?
White's game is lost, but even so he should have chosen 34.Rc8, although here also the advance of the h pawn is decisive.
The engines reckon 34.Rc8?? is even worse than the text, but that 34.Kb1 gives complete equality, and 34.Be1! may even lead a to a tiny edge, eg 34...Rxc2+ 35.Kb1 Rxc4! (moving the f2 rook along White's second rank allows 36.Rf1) 36.bxc4.
34...Rxc2+ 35.Kb3 Rg2 36.Rf1?
Better are 36.Rxg2 and 36.Bxe5!
36...Rcf2 37.Rxf2 Rxf2 38.Nxe5 Be6+ 39.Ka4 Rxa2+ 40.Kb5 Rc2 41.Rd3 h4 42.Bd4 Bg7 43.Ra3 h3 44.Rxa7 h2 45.Ra8+ Bc8 46.Ra1 Bh3 47.Nf3 Bxd4 48.Nxd4 Rf2 0-1
