1948 World Championship Tournament memorabilia
The 1948 World Chess Championship was a pivotal event in the history of chess, marking the transition of control over the championship title to FIDE. After the death of the previous champion, Alexander Alekhine, a quintuple round-robin tournament was held in The Hague, Netherlands, and Moscow, Soviet Union. Here is all the different memorabilia from the Moscow part of the tournament where Botvinnik became the 6th World Chess Champion
Related exhibits
World Championship Tournament 1948 program
Tournament programs served as a source of brief information on the current state of events for the spectators who came to watch the tournament live. It usually had the schedule, tournament table and pairing for the day, and was sold at the tournament venue. On this program from the 1948 World Championship Tournament one can see a handwritten note that reads “13/V-1948. г. Москва. Колонный зал Дома Союзов” (“13th of May, 1948. Moscow. Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions”). The 1948 World Chess Championship was a tournament held to determine the new World Chess Champion following the passing of the previous titleholder, Alexander Alekhine, in 1946. The tournament commenced in The Hague, Holland, and later continued in Moscow, USSR. Five players participated in the championship: Mikhail Botvinnik, Paul Keres, Max Euwe, Samuel Reshevsky, and Vasily Smyslov. Mikhail Botvinnik convincingly won the event with 14 out of 20, three points above runner up Smyslov.
Period
1948Place
Moscow, USSR
Category
Posters and caricatures
World Championship Tournament 1948 caricature
The 1948 World Chess Championship was a tournament held to determine the new World Chess Champion following the passing of the previous titleholder, Alexander Alekhine, in 1946. The tournament commenced in The Hague, Holland, and later continued in Moscow, USSR. Five players participated in the championship: Mikhail Botvinnik, Paul Keres, Max Euwe, Samuel Reshevsky, and Vasily Smyslov. In the caricature by B. Efimov, the championship resembles a medieval jousting match. Three Soviet knights—Botvinnik and Smyslov astride their trusty steeds, with Keres atop an elephant—face off against two Western contenders. American Samuel Reshevsky rides a chariot drawn by both horse and elephant, while Dutch player Max Euwe is lurking from the tower in the form of a chess rook. It is worth noting that in Russian, the bishop chess piece is called an elephant, explaining the exotic choice of transportation for some of the players.
Bulletin of the 1948 World Championship Tournament
The 1948 World Chess Championship was a tournament held to determine the new World Chess Champion following the demise of the previous champion, Alexander Alekhine, in 1946. This event marked a significant shift: the International Chess Federation (FIDE) took control of the World Championship title and the cycle of tournaments leading up to it. Five formidable players participated in the championship: Mikhail Botvinnik, Paul Keres, Max Euwe, Samuel Reshevsky, and Vassily Smyslov. Each player faced the others five times. The tournament took place in both The Hague, Holland, and Moscow, USSR. Mikhail Botvinnik, widely regarded as the favorite due to his pre-war achievements, emerged victorious with 14 out of 20 points. His win marked the beginning of an era of Soviet dominance in international chess, which would persist for over two decades.
Period
1948Place
Moscow, USSR
Category
Souvenirs and memorabilia
World Championship Tournament 1948 stamp
USSR postage stamp with a face value of 40 kopecks dedicated to the 1948 World Chess Championship. It was a tournament held to determine the new World Chess Champion following the passing of the previous titleholder, Alexander Alekhine, in 1946. The tournament commenced in The Hague, Holland, and later continued in Moscow, USSR. Five players participated in the championship: Mikhail Botvinnik, Paul Keres, Max Euwe, Samuel Reshevsky, and Vasily Smyslov. Mikhail Botvinnik convincingly won the event with 14 out of 20, three points above runner up Smyslov.
Period
1948Place
Moscow, USSR
Category
Souvenirs and memorabilia
Postcard with the Soviet participants of the 1948 World Championship Tournament
In the USSR, a special card was issued to honour the Soviet participants of the 1948 World Championship Tournament. The second part of this prestigious event took place in Moscow. The commemorative card features photographs of the eventual winner, Mikhail Botvinnik, alongside Vasily Smyslov and Paul Keres. It also indicates the event – World Championship Match-Tournament, Hague, 1 March - Moscow, 15 May, 1948. The circulation of the card was a whopping 50,000 copies.
The final arbiter protocol of the 1948 World Championship Tournament
The final protocol, issued by the arbiter team of the 1948 World Championship Tournament in The Hague and Moscow, informs about the results of the event and proclaims Mikhail Botvinnik as the world chess champion. Russian original text: ПРОТОКОЛ ЗАСЕДАНИЯ СУДЕЙСКОЙ КОЛЛЕГИИ МАТЧ-ТУРНИРА НА ПЕРВЕНСТВО МИРА ПО ШАХМАТАМ Москва, 18 мая 1948 г. § 1. Судейская коллегия матч-турнира на первенство мира по шахматам: главный судья гроссмейстер М. ВИДМАР (Югославия), гроссмейстер А. КОТОВ (СССР), Н. КОРТЛИВЕР (Голландия), К. РЕВЕ (США) и секретарь коллегии А. ПРОРВИЧ (СССР) составила настоящий протокол о нижеследующем: Матч-турнир на первенство мира по шахматам, проведенный в соответствии с решением XVIII конгресса Международной шахматной федерации в период с 2 марта по 16 мая 1948 г. в Гааге и Москве, закончился победой гроссмейстера БОТВИННИКА Михаила Моисеевича (СССР), набравшего 14 очков из 20 возможных и тем самым завоевавшего звание ЧЕМПИОНА МИРА по шахматам. Второе место занял гроссмейстер СМЫСЛОВ В. (СССР) – 11 очков, третье и четвертое места разделили гроссмейстеры КЕРЕС П. (СССР) и РЕШЕВСКИЙ С. (США) – по 10,5 очка и пятое место занял гроссмейстер ЭЙВЕ М. (Голландия) – 4 очка. Матч-турнир на первенство мира по шахматам проводился в полном соответствии с положением, утвержденным на XVIII конгрессе Международной шахматной федерации. В процессе проведения матч-турнира никаких конфликтов не было. § 2. На основании изложенного судейская коллегия матч-турнира на первенство мира по шахматам постановляет: Утвердить спортивные итоги матч-турнира. Считать, что звание ЧЕМПИОНА МИРА по шахматам завоевал гроссмейстер М. М. БОТВИННИК (СССР). Настоящий протокол с приложением таблицы результатов матч-турнира на первенство мира по шахматам передать по одному экземпляру Международной шахматной федерации, Всесоюзной шахматной секции, Шахматной федерации Соединенных Штатов Америки и Шахматной федерации Голландии. Документ заверен подписями главного судьи М. Видмара, а также членов судейской коллегии Котова, Кортливера, Реве и секретаря коллегии Прорвича. Translation into English: PROTOCOL OF THE MEETING OF THE ARBITER PANEL OF THE MATCH-TOURNAMENT FOR THE WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP Moscow, May 18, 1948 § 1. The arbiter panel of the World Chess Championship Match-Tournament: Chief Arbiter Grandmaster M. VIDMAR (Yugoslavia), Grandmaster A. KOTOV (USSR), N. CORTLEVER (Holland), K. REVE (USA) and Secretary of the Board A. PRORVICH (USSR) drew up this protocol as follows: The World Chess Championship match-tournament, held in accordance with the decision of the XVIII Congress of the International Chess Federation in the period from March 2 to May 16, 1948 in The Hague and Moscow, ended with the victory of Grandmaster Mikhail Moiseevich BOTVINNIK (USSR), who scored 14 points out of 20 possible and thereby won the title of World Chess Champion. The second place was won by Grandmaster V. SMYSLOV (USSR) – 11 points, the third and fourth places were shared by Grandmasters KERES P. (USSR) and RESHEVSKY S. (USA) – 10.5 points each, and the fifth place went to Grandmaster EUWE M. (Holland) – 4 points. The World Chess Championship match-tournament was held in full compliance with the regulations approved at the XVIII Congress of the International Chess Federation. There were no conflicts during the match-tournament. § 2. On the basis of the foregoing, the arbiter panel of the World Chess Championship match tournament decides: Approve the sports results of the match-tournament. Consider that the title of WORLD CHESS CHAMPION was won by Grandmaster M. M. BOTVINNIK (USSR). This protocol with the table of results of the match-tournament for the World Chess Championship is to be handed over one copy each to the International Chess Federation, the All-Union Chess Section, the Chess Federation of the United States of America, and the Dutch Chess Federation. The document is signed by the Chief Arbiter M. Vidmar, arbiters Kotov, Cortlever, Reve and the secretary of the panel Prorvich.
