English victories against reigning World Champions

[MJMcCready]

Did an Englishman ever beat Botvinnik?

Raymond Keene did at Hastings when Botvinnik blundered a rook to a short combination. That was after Botvinnik had lost his title.

Thanks, I didn't know that. And I think the only Englishman to beat Petrosian was Nunn wasn't it?

[Matt Mackenzie]

Yes, that is correct - and it only took 20-odd moves too!

[MJMcCready]

Just looked at the game. It is rather strange. At worst he drops the exchange. Is that enough to justify resignation?

[Roger de Coverly]

Just looked at the game. It is rather strange. At worst he drops the exchange. Is that enough to justify resignation?

Checking with an engine, there are some alarming follow-ups.

For example after 20. .. Ne5 21. Bb5 Qe8 22. Bf4 Nf7 23. Bxe8 Qxe8 there's 24. d6

[Event "It (cat.14)"] [Site "Tilburg (Netherlands)"] [Date "1982.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Nunn John D M (ENG)"] [Black "Petrosian Tigran V (ARM)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D42"] 1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.cxd5 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nxd5 6.Nf3 Nxc3 7.bxc3 g6 8.d4 Bg7 9.Bd3 Nc6 10.O-O O-O 11.Re1 Bg4 12.Be4 Rc8 13.Bg5 Re8 14.Rb1 Qd7 15.h3 Bxf3 16.Bxf3 b6 17.Bg4 f5 18.Be2 h6 19.Bc1 Kh7 20.d5

[MJMcCready]

I wonder why they count him as Armenian in 1982. There was no Armenia then, it was part of the USSR.

[Nick Burrows]

While we're at it, which Englishman have beaten Spassky?

[Nick Ivell]

Off the top of my head, Miles beat Spassky twice. One of those games was a cracker.

[IM Jack Rudd]

Probably a database that uses modern countries for all players, even if not appropriate to the time period of the game in question.

[Nick Burrows]

[Event "Montilla-Moriles"] [Site "Montilla-Moriles"] [Date "1978.08.??"] [Round "2"] [White "Anthony Miles"] [Black "Boris Spassky"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E12"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "1978.??.??"] 1. d4 {Notes by Raymond Keene, with excerpts from Jan Timman, and Tony Miles. *** It was Boris Spassky who was partly responsible for the generally awakened interest in chess after 1972. This, of course, was a consequence of his sensational world title fight with Fischer. Six years later, the ex-world champion was to lose a brilliant game to one of the young men who had been inspired by the contest in Reykjavik. This great game was played at Montilla, the so-called 'Wine Tournament' (Torneo del Vino), August 15-24, 1978. In spite of his setback here, Spassky still won first prize with 6 1/2 out of 9, ahead of Miles, Gligoric and Hort on 6. At his best, Miles' style exhibited a broad penchant for attack. A tip-top Miles game always seemed to show him having unlimited reserves ready to throw into the offensive, however many exchanges had taken place beforehand. The following beautiful game against a former world champion is, in my opinion, his best. It demonstrates clearly not only Miles' quality of imagination but also the relentless formation of Tsunami, or attacking waves, which so magically appeared in his best games.} Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 3. c4 e6 4. Bf4 {"My latest anti-Nimzo-Indian variation. It has the merit of being completely untried at master level (consequently unanalysed) and having played it all of three times, I am now undoubtedly the world's leading authority on it. Indeed, after one or two more it will probably be named after me!" -- Tony Miles. "Miles had a patent on this system against the Queen's Indian." -- Timman} Bb7 5. e3 Be7 {"According to Chess Encyclopaedia 5. ..Ne4 is good for Black. I, of course, disagree as, it seems, do my opponents. " -- Miles. "Spassky goes for a passive set-up, allowing White to get a clear opening advantage." -- Timman} 6. h3 {"6 Nc3 Nh5! gives Black less trouble, otherwise Black might get the bishop pair." -- Timman} O-O 7. Nc3 d5 8. cxd5 exd5 {"8...Nxd5 9 Nxd5 Bxd5 10 Bd3 is slightly better for White, as in Browne-Miles, Amsterdam 1978. It was probably better to swap a couple of knights, but even then Black would feel the pressure." -- Timman.} 9. Bd3 c5 10. O-O Nc6 {The stage is set. White has prospects against Black's kingside, while Spassky has chances on the other side of the board.} 11. Ne5 c4 {!? "11.. .cxd4 12 Nxc6 Bxc6 13 exd4+=" -- Miles} 12. Bc2 a6 13. g4 {The signal for the attack. -- Timman} b5 14. g5 Ne8 {In the diagram, White has already burned his boats. Black has a dangerous queenside pawn majority and, by advancing his g-pawn, White has weakened his kingside. White has apparently staked all on attacking Black's king, rendered somewhat exposed by the forced retreat of the knight from f6 How should White pursue the attack? 15 Qh5 allows Black to play ...g6 (a move he intends to play anyway) with gain of tempo. The obvious attacking try is 15 Bxh7+ Kxh7 16 Qh5+ Kg8 17 g6 fxg6 (17...Nf6 18 gxf7+) 18 Nxg6 but Black can then defend satisfactorily by 18...Rf6 when 19 Nxd5 loses to 19...Rxg6+; 18...Nf6 19 Qh8+ Kf7 20 Nxf8 Qxf8 is also not bad for Black. So Miles played 15 Qg4, a multi-purpose move, transferring the queen to the kingside, defending the pawn on g5, vacating d1 for a rook and eyeing d7.} 15. Qg4 g6 16. Rad1 {"White prepares his assault with natural developing moves. The black counter-offensive on the queenside makes little difference." -- Timman} Ng7 17. h4 Bb4 {? Up to this point, the game had been fairly balanced, with White's kingside attack countered by defence in depth plus a black queenside pawn majority. But now Spassky removes a key defensive piece, clearly miscalculating the tactics that follow. Probably best is 17...b4 18 Ne2 f6.} 18. Nd7 {! "Already the final blow. But it needed accurate calculation."--Timman} Bc8 {"Forced. 18...Bxc3 19 Nf6+ Kh8 20 bxc3 followed by h5 is hopeless for Black. 18...f5 19 gxf6+/-" -- Miles} 19. Nxd5 {"19 Nf6+? Qxf6 20 Qxc8 Qe6!=+" -- Miles} Kh8 {"If 19...Bxd7 not 20 Nf6+, which is refuted by 20...Qxf6!, when White's queen would be hanging. Stronger would be 20 Qxd7 Qxd7 21 Nf6+" -- Miles. This game is replete with such delicate tactics.} 20. N5f6 Ra7 {Best. If 20...Be7 21 Be4 or 20...Ne8 21 Be5. Now White must lose the knight on d7, but his attack becomes decisive.} 21. d5 {Now the point of move 16 is revealed." -- Timman} Ne7 {If 21...Na5 22 h5! Rxd7 23 Qh4 gxh5 24 Be5 Re7 [24...Qe7 25 Qe4] 25 Bd4!+ -- Miles} 22. Be5 {! Now 22 h5 is not so clear, e.g. 22...Bxd7 23 Qh4 gxh5 with ...Ng6 to follow. With the point that 22...Bxd7 fails to 23 Qd4" -- Timman} Rxd7 {Not 22...Bxd7 23 Qd4!} 23. h5 {! "23 Qd4? Nc6! or 23 Nxd7? Qxd7 and ...Qg4+. The attack is still rolling along but it still requires accurate calculation." -- Timman. Despite exchanges the attack steadily mounts.} Rxd5 {"23...Rb7 24 Qf4+" -- Miles} 24. Qf4 {! The best square for the queen.} Rxd1 25. Rxd1 Qa5 {Though a piece ahead, Black is lost. The more natural 25...Qb6 allows 26h6 when the attacked knight cannot move because of Nd5+.} 26. Ne8 {! The death blow.} f6 {Or if 26...Rxe8 27 Qf6 Rg8 (27...Nef5 28 Bxf5 Rxe5 29 h6 Bf8 30 hxg7+ Bxg7 31 Rd8++) 28 h6 mates quickly: 28...Nef5 29 Bxf5 Bf8 30 Bxc8+.} 27. gxf6 Kg8 {If 27...Nxe8 28 f7+ or 27...Rxe8 28 f7! Rf8 29 h6 Nef5 30 Qxf5 Bxf5 31 hxg7#} 28. Nxg7 { If 28...Nc6 29 hxg6 soon forces mate. "And Black resigned, crushed. A magnificent attacking win, all the more considering that Spassky, together with Karpov, had won the first Bugojno tournament earlier that year"--Timman. Many players would find Miles' 18th or 19th moves more impressive than his fifteenth. But these moves were susceptible to precise calculation, whereas 15 Qg4 was not. 15 Qg4 stands out as a star move, because White displayed good judgement in rejecting the tempting 15 Bxh7+ and correctly chose to pursue the attack by slower means. I think this is Miles' best game.} 1-0

[MJMcCready]

That's quite some victory.

[Kevin Thurlow]

John Nunn's move 18 and 19 are rather Petrosianic aren't they?

[Neil Blackburn]

Both Tony's wins against Spassky were wonderful games.

[MJMcCready]

What was the first instance of an Englishman beating a world champion?

[Roger de Coverly]

What was the first instance of an Englishman beating a world champion?

World Champion current or World Champion past or future?

I seem to recall that Penrose's win against Tal in 1960 was hailed as the first English win against a current world champion in the 20th century.

[MJMcCready]

Yes, that's what I thought, certainly against the current world champion but I am not sure if a Brit beat Capablanca after he lost his title.