World Chess Championship 1957

The 1957 World Chess Championship was played between Mikhail Botvinnik and Vasily Smyslov in Moscow from March 5 to April 27, 1957. Smyslov won.

1955 Interzonal tournament

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	Herman 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	Ludek 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

1956 Candidates tournament

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.

1956 Candidates Tournament

		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Score	Tie break
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	László Szabó (Hungary)	= =	= =	xx	1 =	= =	= =	= 1	0 =	= =	0 1	9½	86.00
4	Boris Spassky (Soviet Union)	1 =	= =	0 =	xx	= =	= 1	0 =	= =	= =	= 1	9½	84.00
5	Tigran Petrosian (Soviet Union)	= =	= =	= =	= =	xx	0 =	0 1	1 =	= =	1 =	9½	82.25
6	David Bronstein (Soviet Union)	= 0	= 0	= =	= 0	1 =	xx	= 1	1 =	= =	= 1	9½	81.00
7	Efim Geller (Soviet Union)	0 0	= =	= 0	1 =	1 0	= 0	xx	1 1	= 1	1 =	9½	78.75
8	Miroslav Filip (Czechoslovakia)	= 0	= 1	1 =	= =	0 =	0 =	0 0	xx	1 0	= 1	8	69.50
9	Oscar Panno (Argentina)	0 =	0 =	= =	= =	= =	= =	= 0	0 1	xx	1 =	8	69.00
10	Herman Pilnik (Argentina)	= 0	0 =	1 0	= 0	0 =	= 0	0 =	= 0	0 =	xx	5

1957 Championship match

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

External links

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