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Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik
(August 17, 1911 – May 5, 1995)

      He was the leading Russian international grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Botvinnik laid the foundation for Russian supremacy in the game. Botvinnik was also a prominent electrical engineer aside from having a distinguish chess career. Botvinnik was among the first 27 chess players to be awarded with the grandmaster title in 1950 by FIDE. And, shortly after receiving the title on the academic side, he received a doctorate degree on 1951.

            After decades of playing in top flight chess, he became an eminent chess author and one of the pioneers of computer chess, and a great chess teacher in his later years. Botvinnik played an influential role as a leading member of the coaching system that enabled the Soviet Union to dominate top-class chess during that time. Among his famous pupils includes World Champions Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik. 


The 1961 World Chess Championship, produces some gems like this game between an attacker (Tal) and a positional player (Botvinnik):

Books written by Botvinnik:

• Botvinnik, M.M. (1960). One hundred selected games. Courier Dover. ISBN 0486206203. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (1972). Cafferty, B.. ed. Botvinnik's best games, 1947–1970. Batsford. ISBN 0713403578.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (1973). Garry, S.. ed. Soviet chess championship, 1941: Complete text of games with detailed notes & an introduction. Dover Publications. ISBN 0486221849.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (1973). World Championship: The Return Match Botvinnik vs. Smyslov 1958. Chess Digest Magazine.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (1973). Alekhine vs. Euwe return match 1937. Chess Digest.
• Matanovic, A.; Kazic, B., Yudovich, M., and Botvinnik, M.M. (1974). Candidates' matches 1974. Centar Za Unapredivanje Saha.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (1978). Anatoly Karpov: His Road to the World Championship. Elsevier. ISBN 0080211399.
• Botvinnik, M.M.; Estrin, Y. (1980). The Gruenfeld Defense. Rhm Pr. ISBN 0890580170.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (1981). Cafferty, B.. ed. Achieving the Aim. Pergamon Press. ISBN 0080241204.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (1981). Selected Games: 1967–1970. Pergamon. ISBN 0080241239.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (1982). Marfia, J.. ed. Fifteen Games and Their Stories. Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, U.S.A: Chess Enterprises. ISBN 0931462150.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (1985). Botvinnik on the Endgame. Chess Enterprises. ISBN 0931462436.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (1996). Neat, K. and Stauss, E.. ed. Half a Century of Chess. Cadogan Books. ISBN 1857441222.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (2000). Neat, K.. ed. Botvinnik's Best Games Volume 1: 1925–1941. Moravian Chess. ISBN 807189317.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (2000). Neat, K.. ed. Botvinnik's Best Games Volume 2: 1942–1956. Moravian Chess. ISBN 8071893706.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (2000). Neat, K.. ed. Botvinnik's Best Games Volume 3: 1957–1970 - Analytical & Critical Works. Moravian Chess. ISBN 8071894052.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (2002). Championship Chess : Match Tournament for the Absolute Chess Championship of the USSR, Leningrad-Moscow 1941. Hardinge Simpole. ISBN 9781843820123.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (2004). Match for the World Chess Championship Mikhail Botvinnik-David Bronstein Moscow 1951. Edition Olms. ISBN 3283004595.
• Botvinnik, M.M. (2004). Botvinnik, I.. ed. World Championship Return Match: Botvinnik V. Tal,Moscow 1961. Olms. ISBN 9783283004613.

References: Wikepedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Botvinnik