Two Kings

Recently, I took a lesson with Master Rich at the chess shop and had a lengthy discussion about the life and games of Bronstein. The point Rich made repeatedly was that Bronstein ought to have been recognized as a co-world champion when he drew with Botvinnik. Botvinnik, who was a party loyalist, and Bronstein the Jew, were tied—even at the end of the world champion match in 1951, but Botvinnik held the title with the theory that there cannot be two kings of chess. However, in chess…an open board with two kings on it is a draw… The moral of the story is that his life and games are instructive…and are worth a gander…particularly his famous contribution to the King's Gambit with a theoretically sound sacrifice on move eight in the King's Gambit Accepted which supposedly occurred to him while eating breakfast one day.