Citizendia
Your Ad Here

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. Algebraic chess notation is used to record and describe the moves in a game of Chess.
Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky, 1989
Full name Boris Vasilievich Spassky
Country Soviet Union, France
Born January 30, 1937 (1937-01-30) (age 71)
Leningrad, Soviet Union
Title Grandmaster
World Champion 1969-1972

Boris Vasilievich Spassky (also Spasskij) (Russian: Бори́с Васи́льевич Спа́сский) (born January 30, 1937) is a Russian-French chess grandmaster. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River The title Grandmaster is awarded to extremely strong Chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. See also Development of the World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the Board game Chess Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Chess is a recreational and competitive Game played between two players. The title Grandmaster is awarded to extremely strong Chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. See also Development of the World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the Board game Chess

Spassky won the Soviet Chess Championship twice outright (1961, 1973), and twice more lost in playoffs (1956, 1963), after tying for first during the event proper. This is a list of all the winners of the USSR Chess Championship. He was a World Chess Championship Candidate on seven occasions (1956, 1965, 1968, 1974, 1977, 1980, and 1985). See also Development of the World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the Board game Chess A candidate is the prospective recipient of an Award or honor or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position for example to be elected

Contents

Early life

He was born in Leningrad, and learned to play chess at the age of five on the train evacuating from Leningrad during World War II. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Spassky was the most impressive Soviet chess prodigy since Mikhail Botvinnik. Chess prodigies are children who play Chess so well that they are able to beat Masters and even Grandmasters often at a very young age Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik (mʲixaˈiɫ̺ mʌiˈs̺ʲɛjɛvʲiʧʲ bʌt̺ˈvʲin̺n̻ʲik Михаи́л Моисе́евич Ботви́нник) ( &ndash May He first drew wide attention in 1947 at age ten, when he defeated Soviet champion Botvinnik in a simultaneous exhibition. His early coach was Vladimir Zak, a respected master and trainer. During his youth, from the age of ten, Spassky often worked on chess for up to five hours a day with Master-level coaches. This article discusses the number five. For the year 5 AD see 5. The hour (symbol h) is a unit of Time. It is not an SI unit but is accepted for use with the SI LEVEL is a Computer and video games Magazine originating in the Czech Republic with branches in Romania and Turkey This article refers to the act of coaching people For other uses of the word see Coach (disambiguation Coaching -a definitionProminent He set records as the youngest Soviet player to achieve First Category rank (age 10), Candidate Master rank (age 11), and Master rank (age 15). A chess master is a Chess player of such skill that he/she can usually beat Chess experts who themselves typically can nearly always prevail against most amateurs At age 15 in 1952, Spassky scored 50 percent in the Soviet Championship semi-final at Riga, and placed second in the Leningrad Championship that same year. Riga (Rīga riːga) the Capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava.

Towards Grandmastership

At age 16, Spassky scored very impressively in 1953 at a strong international tournament in Bucharest, Romania, finishing tied 4th-6th with 12/19, as the winner was his future trainer Alexander Tolush. Bucharest ( Romanian: Bucureşti) is the Capital city, industrial and commercial centre of Romania. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Alexander Kazimirovich Tolush ( 1 May 1910 – 3 March 1969) was a Soviet Russian Chess grandmaster. He was awarded the title of International Master by FIDE. The title International Master is awarded to outstanding Chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national Chess federations around the In his first attempt at the Soviet Championship final, URS-ch22, Moscow 1955, at age 18, he tied for 3rd-6th places with 11½/19, as the joint winners were Vasily Smyslov and Efim Geller. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov (Васи́лий Васильевич Смысло́в (born March 24, 1921, in Moscow) is a Russian Chess Efim Petrovich Geller (Ефим Петрович Геллер March 8 1925 &ndash November 17 1998) was a Soviet Chess This excellent result qualified him for the Goteborg Interzonal later that year. Gothenburg ( Swedish:) /jœte'bɔrj/ is a city, a municipality, and an urban area on the west-coast of Sweden. Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation

At age 18 he won the World Junior Chess Championship held at Antwerp, Belgium, with a dominant score of 14/16, and became a Grandmaster, a record at the time. The World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 Chess tournament (players must have been under 20 years old on 1 January in the year of competition organized ||-||-||-||} Antwerp ( Dutch:, French: Anvers) is a City and Municipality in Belgium and the capital of the The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The title Grandmaster is awarded to extremely strong Chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. Spassky competed for the Lokomotiv Voluntary Sports Society. Lokomotiv (Локомотив English Locomotive) the All-Union Voluntary Sports Society of Rail transport workers' Trade Unions, one of the By his tied 7th-9th place, with 11/20, at the 1955 Goteborg Interzonal, he qualified into the 1956 Candidates' Tournament, held in Amsterdam. Gothenburg ( Swedish:) /jœte'bɔrj/ is a city, a municipality, and an urban area on the west-coast of Sweden. Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation The Candidates Tournament was a triennial Chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE as the final contest to determine the challenger for the Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west There, he finished in the middle of the ten-player world-class field, tied 3rd-7th places with 9½/18, astonishing for a 19-year-old. Expectations for him were very high, and this put pressure on the young star. At the 1956 Soviet final, URS-ch23, held in Leningrad, Spassky tied for 1st-3rd places on 11½/19 with Mark Taimanov and Yuri Averbakh, but Taimanov won the further playoff to become champion. Mark Evgenievich Taimanov (Марк Евгеньевич Тайманов (born February 7, 1926, Kharkov) is a leading Russian Chess Yuri Lvovich Averbakh (born February 8, 1922, in Kaluga, Russia) is a Russian Chess Spassky then tied for first with Tolush in a strong Leningrad tournament later in 1956. In the 1957 Soviet final, URS-ch24 at Moscow, Spassky finished tied 4th-5th with 13/21, as Mikhail Tal won; Spassky had to that point finished ahead of Tal, who began his meteoric rise with this title. Mikhail Tal (Mihails Tāls Михаил Нехемьевич Таль Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal, mʲixa'iɫ̺ n̻ʲɛ'xɛmjɛvʲiʨ t̺al̻ sometimes transliterated Mihails

Qualification heartbreaks

But Spassky then went into a comparative slump. He lost to Tal in a very nervy last-round game in the 1958 Soviet final, URS-ch25 at Riga, after having had the advantage for much of the game, and having missed a difficult win after adjournment. Riga (Rīga riːga) the Capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava. He had earlier refused a draw offer from Tal, the eventual champion, which would have left him in a fourth-place tie with Averbakh, necessitating a further playoff between the two for Interzonal qualification.

Spassky tied for first place at Moscow 1959 on 7/11 with Smyslov and David Bronstein. David Ionovich Bronstein (Дави́д Ио́нович Бронште́йн February 19 1924 &ndash December 5 2006) was renowned as a leading He just missed winning the title at the next Soviet final, URS-ch26 at Tbilisi 1959, finishing half a point behind champion Tigran Petrosian and in a tied 2nd-3rd place with Tal, on 12½/19. Tbilisi (ˌtbiˈliːsi in Georgian: თბილისი is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari Tigran Petrosian (Տիգրան Պետրոսյան ( June 17, 1929 &ndash August 13, 1984) was World Chess Champion from 1963 Some consolation was provided by his impressive victory at Riga 1959 with 11½/13, well ahead of Tal, who had in the meantime qualified for a 1960 World title match with Champion Mikhail Botvinnik. Riga (Rīga riːga) the Capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava. Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik (mʲixaˈiɫ̺ mʌiˈs̺ʲɛjɛvʲiʧʲ bʌt̺ˈvʲin̺n̻ʲik Михаи́л Моисе́евич Ботви́нник) ( &ndash May Spassky was in the middle of the pack at the next Soviet final, URS-ch27 at Leningrad, with 10/19, as fellow Leningrader Viktor Korchnoi won. Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi (also Korchnoy Kortchnoy Kortschnoi etc Spassky journeyed to Argentina, where he tied for 1st-2nd places at Mar del Plata 1960 with Bobby Fischer on 13½/15, and he beat Fischer in their head-to-head game, their first meeting. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Mar del Plata has a rich history of Chess tournaments most notably their international chess tournament and open tournament Robert James "Bobby" Fischer ( March 9 1943 – January 17 2008) was an American -born Chess Grandmaster

Another crushing disappointment for Spassky came at the key Interzonal qualifier, the Soviet final URS-ch28 at Moscow 1961, where he again missed advancing by one place, finishing tied 5th-6th with 11/19, as Petrosian won. The Soviet vanguard at this time was extraordinarily deep with world-class players.

Resurgence with trainer change

Spassky decided upon a switch in trainers, from the volatile attacker Alexander Tolush to the calmer strategist Igor Bondarevsky. Alexander Kazimirovich Tolush ( 1 May 1910 – 3 March 1969) was a Soviet Russian Chess grandmaster. Igor Zakharovich Bondarevsky ( Russian: Игорь Захарович Бондаревский) ( May 12, 1913, Rostov-on-the-Don, This proved the key to his resurgence. He won his first of two USSR Championships, URS-ch29, at Baku 1961, with a powerful 14½/20. USSR Championship Soviet Top League - football competition Soviet Hockey League - Top league of Soviet hockey Soviet Championship Baku (Bakı sometimes known as Baqy, Baky, Baki or Bakü, is the capital the largest city and the largest port of Azerbaijan Spassky tied 2nd-3rd at Havana 1962 with 16/21, behind winner Miguel Najdorf. Havana ( IPA: aˈβana officially Ciudad de La Habana, is the Capital city, major port and leading Miguel Najdorf (born Mendel (Mieczysław Najdorf in Grodzisk Mazowiecki near Warsaw, Poland, April 15, 1910 &ndash He placed joint 5th-6th at Yerevan 1962, URS-ch30, with 11½/19. Yerevan (Երևան Երեւան or Երեվան ˌjɛrəˈvɑːn sometimes written as Erevan, Iravan, Erewan, Ayrivan, and Erivan At Leningrad 1963, the site for URS-ch31, Spassky tied for 1st-3rd with Leonid Stein and Ratmir Kholmov, but Stein wound up the playoff winner. Leonid Zakharovich Stein (Леонид Захарович Штейн November 12 1934 – July 4 1973) Soviet Grandmaster Ratmir Dmitrievich Kholmov ( Russian: Ратмир Дмитриевич Холмов, Lithuanian: Ratmir Cholmovas German: Ratmir Cholmow ( Spassky won at Belgrade 1964 with 13/17, ahead of Korchnoi and Borislav Ivkov. Belgrade (Београд Beograd is the Capital and largest city of Serbia. Borislav Ivkov (born November 12, 1933 in Belgrade) is a Serbian Chess Grandmaster. He was fourth at Sochi 1964 with 9½/15, as Nikolai Krogius won. Sochi (Сочи ˈsotɕɪ is a Russian Resort city, situated in Krasnodar Krai just north of the southern Russian border Nikolai Krogius (sometimes spelled Nikolay) (born Saratov, July 22 1930 is a Russian Chess Grandmaster, Psychologist

Then, in the 1964 Soviet Zonal at Moscow, a double-round event and one of the strongest tournaments ever organized, Spassky won with 7/12, to advance to the Amsterdam Interzonal the same year. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation At Amsterdam, he tied for 1st-4th places, along with Tal, Vasily Smyslov, and Bent Larsen, on 17/23. Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov (Васи́лий Васильевич Смысло́в (born March 24, 1921, in Moscow) is a Russian Chess Jørgen Bent Larsen (born March 4 1935, Thisted) is a Danish Chess Grandmaster. He qualified for the Candidates' Matches the next year. The Candidates Tournament was a triennial Chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE as the final contest to determine the challenger for the With Bondarevsky, Spassky's style broadened and deepened, with poor results mostly banished, yet his fighting spirit was even enhanced. He added psychology and surprise to his quiver, and this proved enough to send him to the top.

World Champion

Spassky was considered an all-rounder on the chess board, and his adaptable "universal style" was a distinct advantage in beating many top Grandmasters. In the 1965 cycle, he beat Paul Keres at Riga 1965 with careful strategy, triumphing in the last game to win 6-4 (+4 =4 -2). Paul Keres ( January 7, 1916 – June 5, 1975) was an Estonian Chess grandmaster. Riga (Rīga riːga) the Capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava. Also at Riga, he defeated Efim Geller with mating attacks, winning with 5½/8 (+3 =5 -0). Efim Petrovich Geller (Ефим Петрович Геллер March 8 1925 &ndash November 17 1998) was a Soviet Chess Then, in his Candidates' Final match (the match which determines who will challenge the reigning world champion for the title) against Mikhail Tal the legendary tactician (Tbilisi 1965), Spassky often managed to steer play into quieter positions, either avoiding former champion Tal's tactical strength, or extracting too high a price for complications. Mikhail Tal (Mihails Tāls Михаил Нехемьевич Таль Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal, mʲixa'iɫ̺ n̻ʲɛ'xɛmjɛvʲiʨ t̺al̻ sometimes transliterated Mihails Tbilisi (ˌtbiˈliːsi in Georgian: თბილისი is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. He won with 7/11 (+4 =6 -1). This led to his first World Championship match against Tigran Petrosian in 1966. Tigran Petrosian (Տիգրան Պետրոսյան ( June 17, 1929 &ndash August 13, 1984) was World Chess Champion from 1963 Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar.

Spassky won two tournaments in the run-up to the final. He shared first at Sochi 1965 with Wolfgang Unzicker on 10½/15. Sochi (Сочи ˈsotɕɪ is a Russian Resort city, situated in Krasnodar Krai just north of the southern Russian border Then he tied for first at Hastings 1965-66 with Wolfgang Uhlmann on 7½/9. The Hastings International Chess Congress is an annual Chess congress which takes place in Hastings, England, around the turn of the year

Spassky lost the final match in Moscow narrowly, with three wins against Petrosian's four wins, with the two sharing 17 draws. However, a few months after the match, Spassky finished ahead of Petrosian and a super-class field at Santa Monica 1966 (the Piatigorsky Cup), with 11½/18, half a point ahead of Bobby Fischer. The Piatigorsky Cup was a triennial series of double round-robin grandmaster Chess tournaments held in the United States in the 1960s Robert James "Bobby" Fischer ( March 9 1943 – January 17 2008) was an American -born Chess Grandmaster Spassky also won at Beverwijk 1967 with 11/15 ahead of Anatoly Lutikov, and shared 1st-5th places at Sochi 1967 on 10/15 with Krogius, Alexander Zaitsev, Leonid Shamkovich, and Vladimir Simagin. The Corus chess tournament takes place every year usually in January in a small town called Wijk aan Zee, part of the larger Beverwijk in the province of North Sochi (Сочи ˈsotɕɪ is a Russian Resort city, situated in Krasnodar Krai just north of the southern Russian border Leonid Aleksandrovich Shamkovich ( Russian: Леони́д Алекса́ндрович Шамко́вич June 1 Vladimir Simagin (born Moscow June 21, 1919, died Kislovodsk September 25, 1968) was a Russian Grandmaster

As losing finalist in 1966, Spassky was seeded into the next Candidates' cycle. In 1968, he faced Geller again, this time at Sukhumi, and won by the same margin as in 1965 (5½/8, +3 =5 -0). Sukhumi, also spelled as Sukhum ( Abkhaz: Аҟəа Aqwa; სოხუმი Sokhumi, Сухуми/Сухум is the capital He next met Bent Larsen at Malmö, and won with 5½/8. Jørgen Bent Larsen (born March 4 1935, Thisted) is a Danish Chess Grandmaster. The final was against his Leningrad rival Viktor Korchnoi at Kiev, and Spassky triumphed with 6½/10. Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi (also Korchnoy Kortchnoy Kortschnoi etc Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the

This earned him another challenge against Petrosian, at Moscow 1969. Spassky's flexibility of style was the key to his eventual victory over Petrosian by two points in the 1969 World Championship, by adopting Petrosian's negative style. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Spassky won with 12½/23.

During Spassky's three-year reign as World Champion, he won several more tournaments. He placed first at San Juan 1969 with 11½/15. San Juan (saŋ hwaŋ (from the Spanish San Juan Bautista, " Saint John the Baptist " is the Capital and largest municipality in He won a very strong tournament at Leiden 1970 with 7/12. "Leyden" redirects here For other uses see Leyden (disambiguation. Spassky shared 1st-2nd at Amsterdam 1970 with Lev Polugaevsky on 11½/15. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west Lev Abramovich Polugaevsky ( Russian: Лев Абрамович Полугаевский) (sometimes transliterated as Lyev Polugayevsky) ( He was third at Goteborg 1971 with 8/11, behind winners Vlastimil Hort and Ulf Andersson. Gothenburg ( Swedish:) /jœte'bɔrj/ is a city, a municipality, and an urban area on the west-coast of Sweden. Vlastimil Hort (born 12 January 1944) is a Chess grandmaster of Czech nationality Ulf Andersson (born June 27[[ 951]] in Västerås Sweden) is a leading Swedish Chess player He shared 1st-2nd with Hans Ree at the 1971 Canadian Open Chess Championship in Vancouver. Hans Ree (born November 15 1944 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch Grandmaster of Chess and is a columnist and chess writer for the NRC Handelsblad The Canadian Open Chess Championship is Canada 's Open Chess championship first held in 1956 and held annually since 1973 usually in mid-summer Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal

Spassky's reign as a world champion only lasted for three years, as he lost to Bobby Fischer of the United States in 1972 in the "Match of the Century". Robert James "Bobby" Fischer ( March 9 1943 – January 17 2008) was an American -born Chess Grandmaster The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The World Chess Championship 1972 match between challenger Bobby Fischer and defending champion Boris Spassky in Laugardalshöll, Reykjavík The contest took place in Reykjavík, Iceland, at the height of the Cold War, and consequently was seen as symbolic of the political confrontation between the two superpowers. For the Greater Reykjavík Area see the Greater Reykjavík Area. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Going into the match, Fischer had never won a game from Spassky in five attempts, while losing three times. In addition, Spassky had secured Geller as his coach, and Geller also had a plus score against Fischer. However, Fischer was in excellent form, and won the title match convincingly, with 12½/21. Although Spassky did lose the title match, he performed much better than had the three other Candidates (Mark Taimanov, Bent Larsen, and Tigran Petrosian) whom Fischer had defeated convincingly on his approach to the finals. Mark Evgenievich Taimanov (Марк Евгеньевич Тайманов (born February 7, 1926, Kharkov) is a leading Russian Chess Jørgen Bent Larsen (born March 4 1935, Thisted) is a Danish Chess Grandmaster. Tigran Petrosian (Տիգրան Պետրոսյան ( June 17, 1929 &ndash August 13, 1984) was World Chess Champion from 1963

Continued to challenge

Spassky continued to play some excellent chess after losing his crown, winning several championships. In 1973, he tied 1st-3rd at Dortmund on 9½/15, along with Hans-Joachim Hecht and Ulf Andersson. Dortmund (ˈdɔʁtmʊnt is a City in Germany, located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Hans-Joachim Hecht (born January 29, 1939, Luckenwalde) is a German Chess player and twice the national champion Ulf Andersson (born June 27[[ 951]] in Västerås Sweden) is a leading Swedish Chess player A very important victory for him was the 1973 Soviet Chess Championship at Moscow (URS-ch41). This is a list of all the winners of the USSR Chess Championship. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of He scored 11½/17 to finish ahead of a super-class field.

In the 1974 Candidates' matches, Spassky first defeated American Robert Byrne in Puerto Rico with 4½/6 (+3 =3 -0). Robert Eugene Byrne (born April 20, 1928, New York City) is a leading American Chess player a Grandmaster, and a Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} But he then lost the semi-final match to the up-and-coming Anatoly Karpov in Leningrad, (+1 -4 =6). Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (Анатолий Евгеньевич Карпов born May 23, 1951) is a Russian Chess grandmaster Karpov had publicly acknowledged that Spassky was superior, but had nevertheless outplayed him over the board. However, Spassky's chances were badly damaged by the defection of his coach Efim Geller to Karpov's side before the match. Efim Petrovich Geller (Ефим Петрович Геллер March 8 1925 &ndash November 17 1998) was a Soviet Chess Spassky's play lacked its usual assuredness in this match; he had to be wondering whether Geller had betrayed his secrets to Karpov.

In 1976, Spassky had to return to the Interzonal stage, failed to qualify from the Manila Interzonal, but was seeded into the Candidates' matches when Fischer declined his place. The City of Manila Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation Spassky won an exhibition match with rising Dutch Grandmaster Jan Timman at Amsterdam 1977 with 4/6. Jan Timman (born December 14, 1951) is a Dutch Chess Grandmaster who was one of the world's leading players from the late 1970s to Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west He triumphed narrowly in extra games in his first Candidates' match over Vlastimil Hort at Reykjavík 1977 with 8½/16. Vlastimil Hort (born 12 January 1944) is a Chess grandmaster of Czech nationality For the Greater Reykjavík Area see the Greater Reykjavík Area. This match saw Spassky fall ill, exhaust all of his available rest days while recovering; then the healthy Hort, in one of the most sportsmanlike acts in chess history, used one of his own rest days, to allow Spassky more time to recover; Spassky eventually won the match.

Spassky won an exhibition match over Robert Hübner at Solingen 1977 with 3½/6, then defeated Lubomir Kavalek, also at Solingen, by 4/6 in another exhibition match. Robert Hübner (born November 6, 1948 in Cologne, West Germany) is a respected German Chess Grandmaster, chess writer Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr Lubomir (Lubosh Kavalek (Lubomír Kaválek born August 9 1943) is a noted Czech - American His next Candidates' match was against Lajos Portisch at Geneva 1977, and Spassky won again with 8½/15, to qualify for the Candidates' final. Lajos Portisch (born April 4, 1937 in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary) is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking But at Belgrade 1977, Spassky lost to Viktor Korchnoi, +4 -7 =7. Belgrade (Београд Beograd is the Capital and largest city of Serbia.

Spassky, as losing finalist, was seeded into the 1980 Candidates' matches, and faced Lajos Portisch again in Mexico. Lajos Portisch (born April 4, 1937 in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary) is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. After 14 games, the two players were tied at 7-7, but Portisch advanced since he had won more games with the Black pieces. Spassky missed qualification from the 1982 Toluca Interzonal with 8/13, finishing half a point short in third place behind Portisch and Eugenio Torre. Eugenio Torre (born November 4, 1951) is a Chess Grandmaster. The 1985 Candidates' event was held as a round-robin tournament at Montpellier, France, and Spassky was seeded in as an organizer's choice. Montpellier ( Occitan Montpelhièr) is a City in the south of France. He scored 8/15 to tie for 6th-7th places, behind joint winners Andrei Sokolov, Rafael Vaganian, and Artur Yusupov, but only four players advanced to matches. Andrei Yurievich Sokolov (Андрей Юрьевич Соколов born March 20, 1963 in Vorkuta) is a French Chess Grandmaster Rafael Artemovich Vaganian, also transliterated Vahanyan (Ռաֆայել Վահանյան Рафаэль Артёмович Ваганян is an Armenian Artur Mayakovich Yusupov ( de Jussupow; born February 13, 1960 in Moscow, Soviet Union) is a German This was Spassky's last appearance at the Candidates' level, 29 years after his first qualification in 1956.

International team play standout

Spassky played five times for the USSR in Student Olympiads, winning eight medals. He scored 38½/47 (+31 =15 -1), for an outstanding 81. 9 percent. His complete results, from http://www.olimpbase.org/playersy/59pz3v1e.html (1955, 1957, 1958, 1960), and from http://www.olimpbase.org/1962y/1962urs.html (1962), follow.

Spassky played twice for the USSR in the European Team Championships, winning four gold medals. He scored 8½/12 (+5 =7 -0), for 70. 8 percent. His complete results, from http://www.olimpbase.org, follow.

Spassky played seven times for the Soviet Olympiad team. He won 13 medals, and scored (+45 =48 -1), for 73. 4 percent. His complete results, from http://www.olimpbase.org, follow.

Spassky played board one in the USSR vs. Rest of the World match at Belgrade 1970, scoring 1½/3 against Larsen. There have been three Chess matches featuring Russia (USSR vs Rest of the World. Belgrade (Београд Beograd is the Capital and largest city of Serbia.

Spassky then represented France in three Olympiads, always on board one. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. For Thessaloniki 1984, he scored 8/14 (+2 =12 -0). Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη), Thessalonica, or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia At Dubai 1986, he scored 9/14 (+4 =10 -0). Dubai (in دبيّ,) is one of the seven emirates and most populous city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE Finally at Thessaloniki 1988, he scored 7½/13 (+3 =9 -1). Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη), Thessalonica, or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia He also played board one for France at the inaugural World Team Championships, Lucerne 1985, where he scored 5½/9 (+3 =5 -1). Lucerne ( Italian Lucerna) is a city in Switzerland. It is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne

Later career

Spassky's later years showed a reluctance to totally devote himself to chess. He relied on his natural talent for the game, and sometimes would rather play a game of tennis than work hard at the board. Since 1976, Spassky has been happily settled in France with his third wife; he became a French citizen in 1978, and has competed for France in the Chess Olympiads. The Chess Olympiad is a Biennial Chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other

But Spassky did score some notable triumphs in his later years. He tied for first at the elite tournament Bugojno 1978 on 10/15, with World Champion Anatoly Karpov. Bugojno (Cyrillic Бугојно is a town and municipality of the same name in central Bosnia and Herzegovina on the river Vrbas. He was clear first at Montilla-Moriles 1978 with 6½/9. Montilla a Town and Municipality of southern Spain, in the province of Córdoba, 32 miles south of the provincial capital Córdoba Moriles is a town in the province of Córdoba ( Andalusia, Spain) At Munich 1979, he tied for 2nd-4th places with 8½/13 behind Yuri Balashov. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Yuri Sergeyevich Balashov (Юрий Сергеевич Балашов born March 12, 1949) is a Russian Chess grandmaster. He tied for 1st-2nd at Baden-Vienna 1980 on 10½/15 with Alexander Beliavsky. Baden is a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Alexander Henrikhovich Beliavsky (sometimes transliterated as Belyavsky born December 17, 1953) is a Ukrainian Chess grandmaster. He won his preliminary group at Hamburg 1982 with a powerful 5½/6, but lost the final playoff match to Anatoly Karpov in extra games (Learn From Your Defeats, by Anatoly Karpov, Batsford 1985). Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Batsford_Stud_Imagejpg|right|125px|Batsford Stud Farm]] Batsford is a village and Civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England His best result during this period was clear first at Linares 1983 with 6½/10, ahead of World Champion Karpov and Ulf Andersson, who shared second. The annual Linares chess tournament, usually played around the end of February takes its name from the city of Linares in the Jaén province of Andalusia Ulf Andersson (born June 27[[ 951]] in Västerås Sweden) is a leading Swedish Chess player At London Lloyds' Bank Open 1984, he tied 1st-3rd with John Nunn and Murray Chandler, on 7/9. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. John Denis Martin Nunn (born April 25, 1955 in London) is one of England 's strongest Chess players and once belonged to the world's Murray Graham Chandler (born 4 April 1960, Wellington New Zealand) is a New Zealand Chess grandmaster who has played internationally He won at Reykjavík 1985. For the Greater Reykjavík Area see the Greater Reykjavík Area. At Brussels 1985, he placed second with 10½/13 behind his old rival Korchnoi. Brussels (Bruxelles pronounced; Brussel pronounced) officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is At Reggio Emilia 1986, he tied for 2nd-5th places with 6/11 behind Zoltan Ribli. The Reggio Emilia chess tournament is a Chess tournament played in Reggio Emilia, Italy Zoltán Ribli (born September 6, 1951 in Mohács) is a Hungarian Chess grandmaster and three times Hungarian Champion. He swept Fernand Gobet 4-0 in a match at Fribourg 1987. Fribourg ( French) (Freiburg or de Freiburg im [[Üechtland]], often Fribourg) is the capital of the Swiss canton of He tied for 1st-3rd at Wellington 1988 with Chandler and Eduard Gufeld. Wellington (ˈwælɪŋtən is the Capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area, the Eduard Yefimovich Gufeld ( March 19, 1936, Kiev, Soviet Union – September 23, 2002) was a Ukrainian Spassky maintained a top ten world ranking into the mid-1980s.

However, Spassky's performances in the World Cup events of 1988 and 1989 showed that he could by this stage finish no higher than the middle of the pack against elite fields. At Belfort WC 1988, he scored 8/15 for a joint 4th-7th place, as Garry Kasparov won. Belfort (Beffert is a town and commune of northeastern France, Préfecture (capital of the Territoire de Belfort Garry Kasparov (Га́рри Ки́мович Каспа́ров) (born as Garry Kimovich Weinstein on April 13 1963 in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet At Reykjavík WC 1988, he could manage just 7/17 for a joint 15th-16th place, with Kasparov again winning. For the Greater Reykjavík Area see the Greater Reykjavík Area. Finally, at Barcelona WC 1989, Spassky scored 7½/16 for a tied 8th-12th place, as Kasparov shared first with Ljubomir Ljubojevic. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia Ljubomir Ljubojević ( Serbian Cyrillic: Љубомир Љубојевић is a Grandmaster of Chess.

Spassky played in the 1990 French Championship at Angers, placing fourth with 10½/15, as Marc Santo Roman won. The French Chess Championship is the yearly national Chess tournament of France Angers is a city in the Maine-et-Loire department in northwestern France about 300 km south-west of Paris. At Salamanca 1991, he placed 2nd with 7½/11 behind winner Evgeny Vladimirov. Geography The city lies on a mountain by the Tormes River which is crossed by a bridge 150 m long built on 26 arches fifteen of which are of Roman origin, while Evgeny Vladimirov (born 20 January 1957) is a Chess Grandmaster from Kazakhstan. Then in the 1991 French Championship, he scored 9½/15 for a tied 4th-5th place, as Santo Roman won again.

In 1992, Bobby Fischer, after a 20-year hiatus from chess, re-emerged to arrange a "Revenge Match of the 20th century" against Spassky in Montenegro and Belgrade; this was a rematch of the 1972 World Championship. Montenegro ( British English) Montenegrin / Serbian: PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE LANGUAGES WITHOUT CONSENSUS ON THE TALK PAGE! Belgrade (Београд Beograd is the Capital and largest city of Serbia. At the time, Spassky was rated 106th in the FIDE rankings, and Fischer did not appear on the list at all (owing to his 20-year inactivity). Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national Chess federations around the This match was essentially Spassky's last major challenge. Spassky lost the match with a score of +5 -10 =15. Spassky then played young female prodigy Judit Polgar in a 1993 match at Budapest, losing narrowly with 4½/10. Judit Polgár (born July 23, 1976) is a Hungarian Chess grandmaster. Budapest ( also /ˈbʊ-/) is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary it serves as the country's principal Political,

Spassky continued to play occasional events through much of the 1990s, such as the Veterans versus Women series.

On October 1, 2006, Spassky suffered a stroke during a chess lecture in San Francisco; his wife Marina reported several days later that Spassky was doing well. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city In his first major post-stroke play, he drew a six-game rapid match with Hungarian Grandmaster Lajos Portisch in April 2007. Fast chess, also known as blitz chess, lightning chess, bullet chess and rapid chess, is a type of Chess game in which each side is Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Lajos Portisch (born April 4, 1937 in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary) is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned

Legacy

Spassky's best years were as a youthful prodigy in the mid 1950s, and then again as an adult in the mid to late 1960s. He seemed to lose ambition once he became World Champion. Perhaps since the climb had been so difficult, through so many super-strong Soviet players, he had little left at that stage. The first match with Fischer took a severe nervous toll; his preparation was largely bypassed by Fischer. He keenly felt the disappointment of his nation for losing the title.

Never a true openings maven, at least when compared to contemporaries such as Geller and Fischer, he excelled in the middlegame with highly imaginative yet usually sound and deeply planned play, which could erupt into tactical violence as needed. In Chess the word " opening " has two common meanings both of which are discussed in this article The middlegame in Chess refers to the portion of the game that happens immediately after the opening (usually the first move after the procession of moves that In Chess, a tactic refers to a short sequence of moves which limits the opponent's options and may result in tangible gain

Spassky succeeded with a wide variety of openings, including the King's Gambit, 1. The King's Gambit is a Chess opening that begins 1 e4 e5 2 f4 White offers a pawn to divert the Black e-pawn e4 e5 2. f4, an aggressive and risky line rarely seen at the top level. Indeed, his record of 16 wins (including wins against Bobby Fischer, David Bronstein, and Anatoly Karpov), no losses, and a few draws with the King's Gambit is unmatched. His contributions to opening theory extend to reviving the Marshall Attack for Black in the Ruy Lopez (1. The Ruy Lopez, called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game outside English speaking countries, is a Chess opening characterised by the moves The Ruy Lopez, called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game outside English speaking countries, is a Chess opening characterised by the moves e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. c3 d5), developing the Leningrad Variation for White in the Nimzo-Indian Defence (1. The Nimzo-Indian Defence is a Chess opening characterised by the moves 1 d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bg5), the Spassky Variation on the Black side of the Nimzo-Indian, and the Closed Variation of the Sicilian Defence for White (1. The Sicilian Defence is a Chess opening that begins with the moves 1 e4 c5 2. Nc3). Another rare line in the King's Indian Attack bears his name: 1. The King's Indian Attack (KIA is a Chess opening system for white most notably used by Bobby Fischer. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 b5!?

Spassky is respected as a universal player, a great storyteller, a bon vivant on occasion, and someone who is rarely afraid to speak his mind on controversial chess issues, and who usually has something important to relate.

Trivia

The chess game between "Kronsteen" and "McAdams" in the early part of the James Bond movie From Russia With Love is based on a game[1] played between Spassky and David Bronstein in 1960 in which Spassky ("Kronsteen") was victorious. James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story From Russia with Love, released in 1963 is the second Film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Sean Connery as David Ionovich Bronstein (Дави́д Ио́нович Бронште́йн February 19 1924 &ndash December 5 2006) was renowned as a leading

Notable chess games

Further reading

External links

References


Preceded by
Tigran Petrosian		 World Chess Champion
1969–1972		 Succeeded by
Bobby Fischer
Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national Chess federations around the ChessGamescom is a large Chess community on the Internet with over 100000 members Tigran Petrosian (Տիգրան Պետրոսյան ( June 17, 1929 &ndash August 13, 1984) was World Chess Champion from 1963 See also Development of the World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the Board game Chess Robert James "Bobby" Fischer ( March 9 1943 – January 17 2008) was an American -born Chess Grandmaster
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic