Author Description

There were many controversies concerning this event that are still debated and discussed today. It was a matter of prestige for the Soviet Union that a Soviet player win to prove the superiority of the Soviet system. However, Stalin decided that the match was to be decided by having the best player win and rejected proposals to fix the matches. Reshevsky was leading at some point and they were seriously concerned that an American and moreover a Jew might win. However, finally Reshevsky was defeated over the board, not by some fixing. What raised eyebrows is that Botvinnik defeated Keres by 4-0. Botvinnik was a Jew and while that was a strike against him, Botvinnik was a staunch supporter of Communism. People I have spoken to who knew Botvinnik have said that Botvinnik really believed in Communism and was not faking it.