Zürich 1953

Zürich 1953 is the usual shorthand for the 1953 Candidates Tournament, played in Neuhausen and Zurich, Switzerland. A Candidates Tournament determines who earns the right to challenge the world champion. Vasily Smyslov won this edition and faced Mikhail Botvinnik for the title in 1954. Their match was drawn, so Botvinnik retained the championship.

The tournament also became famous as study material. David Bronstein's book about the event examines its games with an emphasis on explaining the plans and decisions of top players, not merely listing variations, meaning alternative sequences of moves that could have been played. The book helped turn “Zürich 1953” into a cultural reference that can point either to the great tournament or, depending on context, to the celebrated book about it.

It should not be confused with a World Championship match such as Reykjavík 1972. Zürich 1953 selected the next challenger; the title match came afterward.