Predecessors XII: Botvinnik-Smyslov 1954

In his Spectator column for 4 July 2009, entitled Triple Crown, Ray Keene annotated the second game of the 1954 World Championship match between Botvinnik and Smyslov. (You may recall that a game from their 1958 match, notes from which were twice plagiarised by Ray in the Times, was the subject of a column last month.)

The introduction was devoted to discussing a new book on the three matches Botvinnik played against Smyslov, published by New In Chess and with notes translated into English by Ray's associate Steve Giddins.

The introduction is a little misleading, though, since the notes in the column come not from the New in Chess book but from Part II of My Great Predecessors.

In that work, notes to the second game of the 1954 match appear on pages 220-222. They also, of course, appear in the Spectator column. They also appear in Ray's Times column for 25 February 2011

which is plagiarised from the same source.

1. White's move ten.

My Great Predecessors:

Spectator 2009:

Times 2011:

No "at the most appropriate moment" or "confusion in the Black ranks" in the Times piece, but it does appropriate most of Botvinnik's words without mentioning that they are Botvinnik's.

2. Black's move twelve.

My Great Predecessors:

Spectator 2009:

Times 2011:

This time the Spectator also manages to appropriate, by which we mean plagiarise, Botvinnik as well as My Great Predecessors.

Menawhile in the Times, Ray mangles

A mistake, increasing the effect of black's main idea

so that it reads

This is a mistake which has the effect of increasing White's main idea

instead. What is "increasing [an] idea"? Why bother changing what you plagiarise if it makes you look like an illiterate?

3. White's move sixteen.

My Great Predecessors:

Spectator 2009:

Times 2011:

4. White's move eighteen.

My Great Predecessors:

Times 2011:

Nothing for the Spectator. Pity, there was a nice short note it could have plagiarised.

5. White's move twenty.

My Great Predecessors:

Spectator 2009:

Times 2011:

It's the last Spectator note, though there are two more in the Times. It's notable that 2009 is quite an early date for plagiarism in Ray's Spectator columns, though it was not of course the first time it had occurred. This was towards the end of Matthew d'Ancona's period as editor: the systematic, regular plagiarism appears to have taken place since.

6. Black's move twenty.

My Great Predecessors:

Times 2011:

7. White's move twenty-three.

My Great Predecessors:

Times 2011:

The end, too, for the unfortunate column. But when will it be the end for the more-than-fortunate columnist?

[Thanks to Pablo Byrne and Angus French]

[Ray Keene plagiarism index]

[Ray Keene index]