Alexander Kotov
Notable Games

Alexander Kotov

15 celebrated games · 328 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 328 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1939.04.28 Kotov, Alexander vsYudovich, Mikhail Mikhailovic 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defense, Vienna Variation 31 moves URS-ch11 Final The 1939 Soviet Championship, where the unheralded Kotov finished a sensational second behind Botvinnik to announce himself. A Ragozin Queen's Gambit Declined crowned by the rook sacrifice 25.Rf5 and a king hunt that drags Black's king all the way to e3.
  • 1944.06.14 Kotov, Alexander vsBronstein, David Ionovich 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Classical Variation 31 moves URS-ch13 Final A King's Indian at the 1944 Soviet Championship: Kotov cracks open the kingside with 17.f4 and 18.Nxf5 to beat the young David Bronstein, the future 1951 World Championship challenger.
  • 1946.08.30 Botvinnik, Mikhail vsKotov, Alexander 0-1 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation 24 moves Staunton Memorial Groningen 1946, the great post-war Staunton Memorial tournament: a 24-move demolition with the black pieces of Mikhail Botvinnik — soon to be World Champion — in the Sämisch Nimzo-Indian, 22...Rxe3 and 23...Qxg3+ forcing resignation.
  • 1946.09.07 Kotov, Alexander vsEuwe, Max 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Sämisch Variation 45 moves Staunton Memorial At Groningen 1946 Kotov felled both leaders: after crushing Botvinnik he beat former World Champion Max Euwe in the final round, grinding a Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange into a won endgame and leaving Euwe half a point behind Botvinnik for first.
  • 1948.07.19 Kotov, Alexander vsTartakower, Saviely 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, Main Line, Alekhine Variation 81 moves Interzonal-01 A wild, hard-fought win over the veteran Savielly Tartakower at the 1948 Saltsjöbaden Interzonal, the event that carried Kotov into his first World Championship Candidates cycle.
  • 1949.10.16 Kotov, Alexander vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Positional Variation 13 moves URS-ch17 Final A celebrated 13-move miniature from the 1949 Soviet Championship: the future World Champion Tigran Petrosian walks into a Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange trap (9.Nxd5!) and resigns a piece down.
  • 1950.05.09 Kotov, Alexander vsKeres, Paul 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation 33 moves Candidates Tournament The 1950 Budapest Candidates Tournament, with Kotov near the peak of his form: a Sämisch Nimzo-Indian in which the knight march 16.Nf4–g6–h8 and 19.Qh7+ shreds Paul Keres's king.
  • 1952.09.25 Kotov, Alexander vsUnzicker, Wolfgang 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System 30 moves Interzonal-02 From Kotov's overwhelming 16½/20 triumph at the 1952 Saltsjöbaden Interzonal — three points clear and unbeaten — a Nimzo-Indian kingside assault against Wolfgang Unzicker sealed by 27.Nxg7 and 28.Bxh6+.
  • 1952.10.16 Kotov, Alexander vsBarcza, Gedeon 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Pomar System 31 moves Interzonal-02 Also from the dominant 1952 Interzonal: a King's Indian in which Kotov sacrifices a knight with 21.Ndf5 to blow open Gedeon Barcza's castled king.
  • 1953.09.23 Averbakh, Yuri L vsKotov, Alexander 0-1 Old Indian Defense: Normal Variation 51 moves Candidates Tournament Kotov's Immortal and a brilliancy prize of the legendary 1953 Zurich Candidates Tournament: the astonishing queen sacrifice 30...Qxh3+!! launches a king hunt in the Old Indian; Averbakh resigns after 51...Rg8, with Kotov playing the black pieces.
  • 1953.10.07 Kotov, Alexander vsSmyslov, Vasily V 1-0 English Opening: Agincourt Defense 40 moves Candidates Tournament At the same Zurich Candidates, Kotov was the only player to defeat the tournament's winner — future World Champion Vasily Smyslov — squeezing home an English Opening with the exchange sacrifice 20.Rxd5.
  • 1953.10.11 Kotov, Alexander vsReshevsky, Samuel Herman 1-0 Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 67 moves Candidates Tournament A patient Queen's Indian win over Samuel Reshevsky, one of the West's strongest grandmasters, at the 1953 Zurich Candidates Tournament.
  • 1953.09.16 Kotov, Alexander vsTaimanov, Mark E 1-0 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense 36 moves Candidates Tournament An English Opening win over Mark Taimanov from the 1953 Zurich Candidates, the tournament that stands as the high-water mark of Kotov's playing career.
  • 1958.02.11 Kotov, Alexander vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Closed Variation 34 moves URS-ch25 Final A Sämisch King's Indian kingside storm (8.g4, 13.h5, 26.Qh7+) that beats the 21-year-old Boris Spassky — a future World Champion — at the 1958 Soviet Championship.
  • 1971 Kotov, Alexander vsKholmov, Ratmir D 1-0 Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System 32 moves URS Games A late-career win at 58 over the formidable Ratmir Kholmov: a Queen's Indian in which Kotov's bishop pair takes over a sharp middlegame and decides the endgame.
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