World Chess Championship 1957

World Chess Championship 1957

	Defending champion	Challenger
	Mikhail Botvinnik	Vasily Smyslov
	9½ Scores 12½
	Born 17 August 1911 45 years old	Born 24 March 1921 35/36 years old
	Winner of the 1954 World Chess Championship	Winner of the 1956 Candidates Tournament
← 1954 1958 →

A World Chess Championship was played between Mikhail Botvinnik and Vasily Smyslov in Moscow from March 5 to April 27, 1957. Botvinnik had been World Champion since 1948, while Smyslov earned the right to challenge by winning the 1956 Candidates tournament. This was the second World Championship match between the pair, after the drawn 1954 match.

Smyslov won the match and became the seventh World Chess Champion. However he lost the title in the 1958 rematch.

An interzonal tournament was held in Göteborg, Sweden, in August and September 1955. The top nine finishers qualified for the Candidates Tournament.

1955 Interzonal Tournament

		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	Total	Tie break
1	David Bronstein (Soviet Union)	x	1	1	½	1	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	15
2	Paul Keres (Soviet Union)	0	x	1	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	0	1	½	½	1	13½
3	Oscar Panno (Argentina)	0	0	x	½	0	1	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	½	13
4	Tigran Petrosian (Soviet Union)	½	½	½	x	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	12½
5	Efim Geller (Soviet Union)	0	½	1	½	x	½	½	1	½	0	½	½	½	0	1	½	1	1	1	½	1	12	111.75
6	László Szabó (Hungary)	½	½	0	½	½	x	½	½	½	½	½	0	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	12	108.50
7	Miroslav Filip (Czechoslovakia)	½	½	½	½	½	½	x	½	0	½	½	½	1	½	0	1	½	½	½	1	1	11	104.00
8	Hermann Pilnik (Argentina)	½	½	½	½	0	½	½	x	0	½	½	½	½	1	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	11	102.50
9	Boris Spassky (Soviet Union)	½	0	0	½	½	½	1	1	x	1	0	0	½	1	½	½	1	0	1	1	½	11	102.50
10	Georgy Ilivitsky (Soviet Union)	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	0	x	½	0	0	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	1	10½	100.50
11	Luděk Pachman (Czechoslovakia)	½	0	0	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	x	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	1	½	½	10½	99.25
12	Miguel Najdorf (Argentina)	½	0	0	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	½	x	0	0	0	½	½	1	½	1	0	9½	94.00
13	Carlos Guimard (Argentina)	½	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	½	1	½	½	x	½	1	0	1	½	0	½	1	9½	89.50
14	Braslav Rabar (Yugoslavia)	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	0	0	½	½	1	½	x	½	½	½	0	0	1	0	9	93.50
15	Andrija Fuderer (Yugoslavia)	0	0	½	½	0	0	1	0	½	½	0	1	0	½	x	1	1	1	1	0	½	9	81.25
16	Wolfgang Unzicker (West Germany)	0	0	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	0	½	½	1	½	0	x	½	½	½	1	1	8½
17	Gideon Ståhlberg (Sweden)	0	1	½	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	½	½	0	½	0	½	x	1	½	½	1	8	74.00
18	Arthur Bisguier (United States)	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	1	½	½	0	½	1	0	½	0	x	½	1	1	8	70.50
19	Antonio Medina (Spain)	0	½	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	½	1	1	0	½	½	½	x	0	0	5½	53.25
20	Jan Hein Donner (Netherlands)	0	½	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	0	1	0	½	0	1	x	½	5½	49.25
21	Bogdan Śliwa (Poland)	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	½	1	0	1	½	0	0	0	1	½	x	5½	48.50

Ilivitsky won a 6-game match against Pachman (1–0 with 5 draws) to qualify as first reserve for the Candidates.^[1]

The 1956 Candidates tournament was held in Amsterdam in the Netherlands in April and May. As the loser of the last championship match, Smyslov was seeded directly into the tournament and joined by the top nine from the Interzonal. Smyslov won, once again becoming the challenger in the 1957 championship match.

With two rounds remaining, the leaders were Smyslov 10, Keres 9½, Geller 9.^[2] In the penultimate round, Keres lost in a winning position against Filip,^[3] while Smyslov and Geller drew their games, giving Smyslov a full point lead. Smyslov also won his final game, against Pilnik, to ensure victory.^[4]

1956 Candidates Tournament

		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Score
1	Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)	xx	= =	= =	0 =	= =	= 1	1 1	= 1	1 =	= 1	11½
2	Paul Keres (Soviet Union)	= =	xx	= =	= =	= =	= 1	= =	= 0	1 =	1 =	10
3-7	László Szabó (Hungary)	= =	= =	xx	1 =	= =	= =	= 1	0 =	= =	0 1	9½
3-7	Boris Spassky (Soviet Union)	1 =	= =	0 =	xx	= =	= 1	0 =	= =	= =	= 1	9½
3-7	Tigran Petrosian (Soviet Union)	= =	= =	= =	= =	xx	0 =	0 1	1 =	= =	1 =	9½
3-7	David Bronstein (Soviet Union)	= 0	= 0	= =	= 0	1 =	xx	= 1	1 =	= =	= 1	9½
3-7	Efim Geller (Soviet Union)	0 0	= =	= 0	1 =	1 0	= 0	xx	1 1	= 1	1 =	9½
8-9	Miroslav Filip (Czechoslovakia)	= 0	= 1	1 =	= =	0 =	0 =	0 0	xx	1 0	= 1	8
8-9	Oscar Panno (Argentina)	0 =	0 =	= =	= =	= =	= =	= 0	0 1	xx	1 =	8
10	Hermann Pilnik (Argentina)	= 0	0 =	1 0	= 0	0 =	= 0	0 =	= 0	0 =	xx	5

The match was played as best of 24 games. If it ended 12-12, Botvinnik, the holder, would retain the Championship. Smyslov won.

World Chess Championship Match 1957

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	Points
Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)	1	½	½	0	0	1	½	1	½	½	½	1	0	½	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	12½
Mikhail Botvinnik (Soviet Union)	0	½	½	1	1	0	½	0	½	½	½	0	1	½	½	½	0	½	½	0	½	½	9½

Wikimedia Commons has media related to World Chess Championship 1957.

• 1957 World Chess Championship at the Internet Archive record of Graeme Cree's Chess Pages