Alexander Alexandrovich Kotov (Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Ко́тов; (12 August [O.S. 30 July] 1913 – 8 January 1981) was a Soviet chess grandmaster and author. He won the Soviet chess championship, was a two-time world championship candidate, and wrote many books about chess. Kotov held important positions in the Soviet Chess Federation and wrote most of his books during the Cold War. His work is considered some of the best ever in this field.

Early life

Kotov was born in Tula, which was part of the Russian Empire at that time, to a large family from the working class. In 1939, he moved to Moscow to study engineering, and during this time, he spent a lot of time studying chess.

Chess career

Kotov is best known today as an author, but he also had many successful performances as a chess player. One of his early achievements was finishing second in the 1939 USSR Championship, where he narrowly lost to Mikhail Botvinnik in the final round. This result earned him the Soviet Grandmaster title, making him the third Soviet player to hold the title after Botvinnik and Grigory Levenfish. Kotov became Moscow champion in 1941. He shared the Soviet title with David Bronstein in 1948 and won the Venice tournament in 1950, finishing ahead of Vasily Smyslov.

The first Candidates Tournament in 1950, held in Budapest, determined who would challenge the World Champion (Botvinnik). Kotov scored 8 and a half points out of 18. He qualified for the tournament by finishing fourth in the 1948 Interzonal Tournament in Stockholm, scoring 11 and a half points out of 19. In 1950, the World Chess Federation awarded him the title of International Grandmaster, which was the first year the title was granted. At the time, he held positions in the Soviet Chess Federation.

Kotov’s most notable achievement came at the 1952 Saltsjöbaden Interzonal, where he won with a score of 16 and a half points out of 20. He finished three points ahead of Tigran Petrosian and Mark Taimanov, who tied for second place, and did not lose a single game. In the next Candidates Tournament in Zürich, he scored 14 points out of 28 and was the only player to defeat the tournament winner, Smyslov.

Kotov represented the USSR in the Chess Olympiads of 1952 and 1954, helping the team win gold medals. He played as the second reserve board both times. In 1952, he scored 2 out of 3 games, and in 1954, he scored 4 out of 6. After 1960, Kotov competed only in tournaments outside the USSR. These included a shared first place with Svetozar Gligorić at Hastings in 1962, finishing half a point ahead of Smyslov. In his later years, Kotov played in very few tournaments.

Writings

Kotov often spoke positively about the Soviet political system in his books. For example, the 1958 book The Soviet School of Chess (written with Mikhail Yudovich) said, "The rise of the Soviet school to the top of world chess is a natural result of socialist cultural development." At that time, statements like this were so controversial that Western publishers added notes to translations of his books for English-speaking readers. Dover Publications' 1961 paperback version of The Soviet School of Chess was sent mainly to Western countries and included an introduction that said, in part:

Kotov was even called a KGB agent by Fedir Bohatyrchuk in his 1978 book My Way to General Vlasov.

Even though Kotov wrote about politics, his books were helpful and written in a friendly way. He often used stories from real-life events involving famous grandmasters, most of whom he knew personally. Also, he did not hesitate to talk about his own mistakes if it helped make a point clearer. In Think Like a Grandmaster, he shared several examples where his opponents won against him. In one case, a serious mistake turned a certain win into an immediate loss. These interesting and educational stories helped his books stay popular with chess players from many countries and skill levels.

Kotov greatly admired World Champion Alexander Alekhine and wrote a detailed four-volume series about Alekhine's life and career, titled Shakhmatnoe Nasledie A.A. Alekhina. These books were published between 1953 and 1958 and translated into Czech, German, Serbian, and Spanish. The work helped improve Alekhine's reputation in the Soviet Union.

His most famous books are Think Like a Grandmaster, Play Like a Grandmaster, and Train Like a Grandmaster. Think Like a Grandmaster, translated from Russian by Bernard Cafferty and published by Batsford in 1971, is especially well-known. This book does not explain where to place pieces on the board or tactical ideas, but instead focuses on how to think during a game. Kotov's advice to identify possible moves and carefully examine them to create an "analysis tree" is still widely used today.

Kotov also contributed to the Yugoslav series Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO), which started in 1974, and to the related games book series Chess Informant as an analyst.

In his 1971 book Think Like a Grandmaster, Kotov described a situation where a player spends a long time thinking in a difficult position but fails to find a clear plan. When time runs out, the player makes a quick, poor move, often a serious mistake.

Books authored

• Alexander Alekhine by Alexander Kotov, four books, published in Moscow from 1953 to 1958.
• The Art of the Middle Game, by Paul Keres and Alexander Kotov (translated from Russian by Harry Golombek), published in London by Dover in 1962, ISBN 0-486-26154-9.
• Think Like a Grandmaster, by Alexander Kotov (translated from Russian by Bernard Cafferty), published in London by Batsford in 1971, (Algebraic Edition: 2003), ISBN 0-7134-7885-3.
• Play Like a Grandmaster, by Alexander Kotov (translated from Russian by Bernard Cafferty), published in London by Batsford in 1973, (Algebraic Edition: 2003), ISBN 0-7134-1807-9.
• World Championship Interzonals: Leningrad—Petropolis 1973, by R.G. Wade, L.S. Blackstock, and Alexander Kotov, published in New York by RHM Chess Publishing in 1974, ISBN 0-213-42851-2.
• Train Like a Grandmaster, by Alexander Kotov (translated from Russian by Bernard Cafferty), published in London by Batsford in 1981, ISBN 0-7134-3609-3.
• Chess Tactics, by Alexander Kotov (translated from Russian and edited by John Littlewood), published in London by Batsford in 1983, ISBN 0-7134-2562-8.
• Grandmaster at Work, by Alexander Kotov (first English edition), published in Macon by American Chess Promotions in 1990, ISBN 0-939298-86-4.
• The Soviet School of Chess, by Alexander Kotov and Mikhail Yudovich, published in Los Angeles by University Press of the Pacific in 2001, ISBN 0-89875-415-1.
• The Science of Strategy, by Alexander Kotov, published by Quality Chess Europe in 2019, ISBN 978-1-78483-080-9.

Playing style

Kotov played with an aggressive style and was not afraid of facing complex situations on the chessboard, even when playing against very strong opponents. He preferred closed openings when playing as White and had great success using the Sicilian Defence when playing as Black.

Notable games

• In the Leningrad Championship of 1938, Kotov played against Alexander Tolush in a game using the Neo-Grünfeld Defence (D76), which ended in a 1–0 victory for Kotov. Tolush was known for his attacking style, but he was defeated in this game.
• During the USSR Championship in Moscow in 1949, Kotov faced Tigran Petrosian in a Queen's Gambit, Exchange Variation (D36) game that ended 1–0. Petrosian, who later became World Champion, lost this game after falling into an opening trap and resigning after only 13 moves.
• At the Budapest Candidates Tournament in 1950, Kotov played against Paul Keres in a Nimzo-Indian Defence, Saemisch Variation (E24) game that ended 1–0. Kotov was performing at his best and secured a costly loss for Keres.
• In the Zurich Candidates Tournament of 1953, Yuri Averbakh defeated Kotov in a game using the Old Indian Defence (A55), with the result 0–1. Kotov’s most famous game involved a bold sacrifice of his queen as Black, creating long-term pressure that led to a checkmate. This game won the first Brilliancy Prize (also called the Beauty Prize in Bronstein’s tournament book) and is considered one of the greatest games from the highly respected Zurich tournament.