The Most Magical King Hunt in Chess History

A king hunt is usually associated with sacrifices, wild calculations, and—of course—lots of checks pushing the enemy king into the open. But in today’s game, the World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik carries out a completely unique king hunt, forcing his opponent’s king into a mating net without a single check. How is that even possible, you might wonder? Well, according to Grandmaster John Nunn, some sort of black magic might be involved. Let’s dive in and find out how this magic works. Support the Channel:   / chesswisdom   Botvinnik vs Gligoric, Moscow Olympiad 1956 1. c4 g6 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nh6 6. h4 d6 7. d3 Rb8 8. h5 Bd7 9. Bxh6 Bxh6 10. hxg6 hxg6 11. Qc1 Bg7 12. Rxh8+ Bxh8 13. Qh6 Bxc3+ 14. bxc3 e6 15. Ng5 Ke7 16. Kd2 Be8 17. Qg7 Kd7 18. f4 Qe7 19. Rh1 Nd8 20. Ne4 Kc7 21. Rh8 Bc6 22. Nf6 Kb6 23. Bxc6 Nxc6 24. Rh7 Nd8 25. Qxg6 Ka6 26. a4 Ka5 27. Qg5 Kxa4 28. Rh1 Kb3 29. Qh4 Kb2 30. g4 1-0