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Born in 1911, Botvinnik was a scientific technician of chess, seeking to play in the most positionally solid manner. He worked very hard in his chess studies and thus was proficient in all areas of the game, including the psychology of creating positions that his opponents were uncomfortable in. Accusations have been made that players were instructed to lose against him - that he was "pre-selected" as champion by the Soviets. This was supposedly done because he was less controversial than other players, notably rival Paul Keres, sometimes called "the best player who never became World Champion." He died in 1995. He played one of the most famous winning combinations in chess history against Capablanca, and for decades he let people believe he had calculated it to its conclusion during the game. But, later in life he admitted that he had been unsure during the game whether the combination was good for better than a draw.
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