Prepare against Mikhail Botvinnik
Israel · World #2,664 classical · FIDE ID 2805650
Our database contains 1,354 games by Mikhail Botvinnik, covering Apr 2003 to Jul 2026. Below you'll find Mikhail Botvinnik's most-played openings with White and Black, career performance record, notable wins and top events — everything you need to scout Mikhail Botvinnik before a game. You can open the same data in the free interactive preparation workstation, which builds a move-by-move opening tree from every game.
Ratings
| Time control | Current | Peak | Peak date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classical | 2,352 | 2,385 | Feb 2020 |
| Rapid | 2,328 | 2,349 | Oct 2014 |
Performance record
| Split | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 1,354 | 615 | 535 | 191 | 45.4% |
| As White | 695 | 345 | 270 | 75 | 49.6% |
| As Black | 659 | 270 | 265 | 116 | 41.0% |
Move-by-move preparation stats
Straight from the preparation tree built over all of Mikhail Botvinnik's games — the same tree the interactive prep board lets you walk to any depth. Scores are from Mikhail Botvinnik's side.
First moves as White (695 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| d4 | 332 | 47.8% | 67.2% |
| c4 | 195 | 28.1% | 71.3% |
| e4 | 88 | 12.7% | 72.7% |
| Nf3 | 67 | 9.6% | 66.4% |
| g3 | 13 | 1.9% | 92.3% |
Main lines as White
- 1.d4 — 48% of White games, 67.2% score
- …Nf6 (59% of these games) — Botvinnik usually continues c4 (66.9% score)
- …d5 (32% of these games) — Botvinnik usually continues c4 (65.9% score)
- …e6 (4% of these games) — Botvinnik usually continues c4 (81.8% score)
- 1.c4 — 28% of White games, 71.3% score
- …Nf6 (45% of these games) — Botvinnik usually continues Nc3 (75.4% score)
- …e5 (16% of these games) — Botvinnik usually continues Nc3 (74.1% score)
- …g6 (12% of these games) — Botvinnik usually continues g3 (62.5% score)
As Black against 1.e4 (311 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| c5 | 89 | 28.6% | 61.8% |
| e6 | 86 | 27.7% | 62.8% |
| e5 | 66 | 21.2% | 61.4% |
| c6 | 40 | 12.9% | 55.0% |
| g6 | 19 | 6.1% | 81.6% |
| d6 | 10 | 3.2% | 80.0% |
As Black against 1.d4 (262 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 151 | 57.6% | 62.6% |
| d5 | 56 | 21.4% | 67.0% |
| e6 | 42 | 16.0% | 54.8% |
| g6 | 10 | 3.8% | 55.0% |
| f5 | 2 | 0.8% | 100.0% |
| d6 | 1 | 0.4% | 0.0% |
Mikhail Botvinnik's chess games
All 1,354 games by Mikhail Botvinnik in the Chess.ceo database (Apr 2003 - Jul 2026) are free to browse, search and replay: filter by opening, opponent, event or date on the player page, or step through any game on the analysis board. Record: 615 wins, 535 draws, 191 losses.
Openings as White
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D37 | Indian Defense | 70 | 36/26/7 | 51.4% |
| D13 | Slav Defense | 68 | 36/27/5 | 52.9% |
| A30 | English Opening | 63 | 28/27/8 | 44.4% |
| E51 | Nimzo-Indian: Rubinstein System | 53 | 27/19/5 | 50.9% |
| A25 | English Opening: Reverse Sicilian | 42 | 22/18/2 | 52.4% |
| E68 | King's Indian Defense | 25 | 11/9/5 | 44.0% |
| A34 | English Opening: Symmetrical | 23 | 8/12/3 | 34.8% |
| E81 | King's Indian: Sämisch | 22 | 14/5/3 | 63.6% |
| E23 | Nimzo-Indian Defense | 20 | 13/5/1 | 65.0% |
| A42 | Modern Defense | 18 | 9/6/3 | 50.0% |
Openings as Black
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C18 | French: Winawer Variation | 51 | 25/15/10 | 49.0% |
| B63 | Sicilian | 48 | 21/16/10 | 43.8% |
| D44 | Slav Defense | 47 | 22/21/4 | 46.8% |
| C98 | Ruy Lopez: Closed | 35 | 13/16/6 | 37.1% |
| E18 | Queen's Indian Defense | 32 | 10/15/7 | 31.3% |
| D90 | Grünfeld Defense | 31 | 9/14/7 | 29.0% |
| B08 | Modern Defense | 30 | 18/5/6 | 60.0% |
| E35 | Nimzo-Indian: Classical Variation | 28 | 10/13/5 | 35.7% |
| C08 | French: Tarrasch Variation | 27 | 7/17/3 | 25.9% |
| A91 | Horwitz Defense | 24 | 6/13/4 | 25.0% |
Notable wins
| Date | Opponent | Elo | Event | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1970 | Milan Matulovic | 2,560 | URS-World Match | B06 |
| Jan 2013 | Alon Greenfeld | 2,540 | chT-ISR 13 | D80 |
| Dec 2011 | Yehuda Gruenfeld | 2,480 | chT-ISR 1112 | E94 |
| May 2008 | Ilya Khmelniker | 2,469 | chT-ISR 08 | A22 |
| Jan 2020 | Alexander Kaspi | 2,456 | chT-ISR | D25 |
Top events
| Event | Year | Games | Score | TPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botvinnik-Ragozin Match | 1951 | 50 | 36.5 | – |
| chT-ISR | 2023 | 39 | 19 | 2,359 |
| Botvinnik-Symslov Match | 1954 | 24 | 12 | – |
| Botvinnik-Furman Match | 1963 | 24 | 15.5 | – |
| ch-World 18 Botvinnik-Bronstein | 1951 | 24 | 12 | – |
| Botvinnik-Averbakh Match | 1957 | 24 | 14.5 | – |
| World-ch21 Botvinnik-Symslov Match | 1958 | 23 | 12.5 | – |
| Smyslov-Botvinnik Match | 1957 | 22 | 9.5 | – |
Interactive opening tree from all 1,354 games, weak-spot detection and engine analysis.
Start preparationFrequently asked questions
Where can I find Mikhail Botvinnik's chess games?
1,354 games by Mikhail Botvinnik, from Apr 2003 to Jul 2026, are free to browse and replay move by move — no signup needed. The preparation view groups them into an opening tree showing every line Mikhail Botvinnik has played.
What does Mikhail Botvinnik play on the first move as White?
Across 695 games with White in our database, Mikhail Botvinnik opens with 1.d4 (48% of games), 1.c4 (28% of games), 1.e4 (13% of games). Against 1.e4 as Black, Mikhail Botvinnik answers 1...c5 (29% of games), 1...e6 (28% of games), 1...e5 (21% of games). Against 1.d4: 1...Nf6 (58% of games), 1...d5 (21% of games), 1...e6 (16% of games).
What openings does Mikhail Botvinnik play as White?
As White, Mikhail Botvinnik's most-played openings in our database are: Indian Defense (70 games, 51.4% win rate); Slav Defense (68 games, 52.9% win rate); English Opening (63 games, 44.4% win rate). The full breakdown of 695 games with White is in the table above.
What openings does Mikhail Botvinnik play as Black?
As Black, Mikhail Botvinnik most often plays: French: Winawer Variation (51 games, 49.0% win rate); Sicilian (48 games, 43.8% win rate); Slav Defense (47 games, 46.8% win rate). See the table above for the top ten Black openings across 659 games.
What is Mikhail Botvinnik's FIDE rating?
Mikhail Botvinnik is currently rated 2,352 in classical chess, 2,328 in rapid. Peak classical rating: 2,385 (Feb 2020).
How many games has Mikhail Botvinnik played?
Our database contains 1,354 games by Mikhail Botvinnik, covering Apr 2003 to Jul 2026. Overall record: 615 wins, 535 draws, 191 losses (45.4% win rate).
How do I prepare against Mikhail Botvinnik?
1,354 games by Mikhail Botvinnik reveal their opening repertoire, most-played lines, and the variations where they score worst — the raw material for targeted preparation. The interactive opening tree lets you walk every line to any depth.