[Event "World Championship"] [Site "?"] [Round "9"] [White "Smyslov"] [Black "Botvinnik"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C17"] [Opening "French: Winawer, 5.a3"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 {Normally Black captures at c3, but this retreat leads to complications with a very unbalanced pawn structure.} 6. b4 cxd4 7. Qg4 Ne7 8. bxa5 dxc3 {White's queenside pawns are very weak, and the pawn at c3 is an annoyance, but White will pick up g7 and h7 and have an outside passed pawn.} 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 Nd7 {This knight belongs on c6. Now White will execute a very simple plan: advance the h-pawn until it becomes a queen! Of course he will have to be careful in the execution of the strategy.} 11. Nf3 Nf8 {Botvinnik proposed 11...Qc7 as an improvement, but Smyslov correctly points out that White has a strong reply: 11...Qc7 12.Bb5! Rxg2?! 13. Kf1 Rg8 14.Rg1 Rxg1+ 15.Kxg1 and the pin makes it very hard for Black to develop.} 12. Qd3 Qxa5 13. h4 { Here we go! It turns out that Black's pawn at c3 just gets in the way.} 13... Bd7 14. Bg5 {Black is prevented from castling, and the control of the h4-d8 diagonal keeps Black pinned down. Smyslov uses this fact and his h-pawn to win the game in fine style.} 14... Rc8 15. Nd4 {Black was going to try and wiggle out with a combination of Rc8-c4- e4+ and the placement of a knight at f5. This stops both plans.} 15... Nf5 {Now White does not want to capture immediately, because the Nf8 would occupy the new hole at e6. But how to answer the threat of Nf5xd4 and Bb5?} 16. Rb1 Rc4 {Smyslov considers 16.. .b6 best, but it is hard to blame Botvinnik, for what follows is truly inspired.} 17. Nxf5 exf5 18. Rxb7 Re4+ {How does White win? If White is to move in this position then Rb8+ is fatal. That's really all one needs to know in order to finish the game brilliantly.} 19. Qxe4 dxe4 20. Rb8+ Bc8 21. Bb5+ Qxb5 { 21...Nd7 22.Rxc8+} 22. Rxb5 {Now the game is over, not because of the exchange, but rather because of the flying h-pawn which was the cornerstone of White's strategy.} 22... Ne6 23. Bf6 Rxg2 24. h5 Ba6 25. h6 {It is only fitting that the pawn has the final say. After the bishop captures the rook there is no way to stop the pawn from queening.} 1-0