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Vasily Smyslov

XIV Schach-Olympiade Leipzig, 1960

VASILY SMYSLOV (born Mar-24-1921, died Mar-27-2010, 89 years old) Russia PRONUNCIATION: [what is this?] Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov was born in Moscow. His father Vasily Osipovich Smyslov was a strong amateur player. A talented singer, Smyslov narrowly missed joining the Bolshoi Opera. Opera's loss was the chess world's gain. He was awarded the Soviet Grandmaster title in 1941. He won the Moscow Championship in 1942 and 1944-45. He first beat Botvinnik at the 1943 Moscow Championship. Smyslov finished second to Botvinnik at the FIDE World Championship Tournament (1948). He shared first with David Bronstein at the USSR Championship (1949). He won the Chigorin Memorial (1951) by 1.5 points. Smyslov earned the right to challenge Botvinnik for the world championship by winning the Zuerich Candidates (1953), two points ahead of Bronstein, Samuel Reshevsky, and Paul Keres. He and Botvinnik tied the Botvinnik - Smyslov World Championship Match (1954), which resulted in Botvinnik retaining the title. Smyslov shared first place with Keres at Hastings (1954/55). He tied for first with Efim Geller at the USSR Championship (1955), but lost the playoff. Smyslov won the Amsterdam Candidates (1956) by 1.5 points over Keres, thus again securing the right to challenge Botvinnik. He and Botvinnik shared first at the Alekhine Memorial (1956). Finally Smyslov wrested the world championship from Botvinnik, winning the Botvinnik - Smyslov World Championship Match (1957) by three points. Under the then-existing rules, Botvinnik had the right to a rematch a year later. It proved a disaster for Smyslov. He lost the first three games of the Smyslov - Botvinnik World Championship Rematch (1958), and went on to lose the match, and the championship, by two points. Smyslov tied for first with Bronstein and the young superstar Boris Spassky at the Alekhine Memorial (1959). He was only able to finish fourth at the Bled-Zagreb-Belgrade Candidates (1959), won by the meteoric Mikhail Tal, who would go on to defeat Botvinnik for the championship. Smyslov shared first with Ratmir Kholmov at the Central Chess Club International (1960), and with Evgeni Vasiukov at the Central Chess Club International (1961). He won Moscow (1963), a point ahead of Tal. He won Stockholm (1963/64), half a point ahead of Isaac Boleslavsky. Smyslov once again put himself on the road to a potential world championship when he won the Amsterdam Interzonal (1964) (tied with Tal, Spassky, and the Dane Bent Larsen). He tied for first with Wolfgang Uhlmann of East Germany at the Capablanca Memorial (1964). He suffered a stinging defeat in the Geller - Smyslov Candidates Quarterfinal (1965), losing by three points. Smyslov won many more tournaments. He won Havana (1965), half a point ahead of Geller, Robert James Fischer, and Borislav Ivkov. He won Mar del Plata (1966), ahead of Leonid Stein. He won Monte Carlo 1969. In 1982 at the Las Palmas Interzonal Tournament, Smyslov finished second and qualified for the Candidates Matches, and at age 61 advanced past Robert Huebner in the quarter-finals (winning the spin of a roulette wheel to decide the tied match), then defeating Zoltan Ribli in the semi-final, before losing to challenger Garry Kasparov, just over a third his age, in the final. Smyslov crowned a remarkable career by becoming the first Senior World Champion at Bad Worishofen in 1991. Crosstables and other info can be found here: [rusbase-1] [rusbase-2] http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/48$... [rusbase-3] http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/525... http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/525... [rusbase-4] [rusbase-5] http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/555... [rusbase-6] http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/646... Smyslov Videos: Singing, playing piano, beating Botvinnik (1957) http://www.britishpathe.com/record.... Receiving World Championship Laurels (1957) http://www.britishpathe.com/record.... Walking with Keres in the Netherlands (1948) http://www.britishpathe.com/record.... Wikipedia article: Vasily Smyslov ############################## <Revision and Expansion> of this bio under construction by JFQ. Beginnings His father was an "Economic Engineer" working in the "Department for the Preparation of Securities" <125 Games, 1> Lived in a small flat in an old house on the outskirts of Moscow. Highlight of our life was a 'Schroeder' piano, on which my father used to play. He began teaching me piano and chess <125 Games, 2> Autumn 1938- 1st year student at the Moscow School of Aviation <Romanovsky xii> "Starting in 1948, I seriously studied singing under Professor Konstantin Zlobin, whom I met by chance in Leningrad in 1947, when I was playing in the 15th USSR Championship. For many years I took lessons from him, and even appeared in a singing competition in the Bolshoi Theatre. But, as in the life of my father, singing remained something for my own satisfaction." <125 Games, 17> Father Vasily Osipovich Smyslov taught him to play chess at age 7. <125 Games, 1> After winning a rook odds match against his Uncle Kirill, he was given Alekhine's "Best Games" as a prize. Inscription: 'To the winner of the match, to future champion Vasya Smyslov' <125 Games, 1> Soviet Grandmaster Summer of 1935 participated in 1st chess event. Unrated players in chess club of Gorky Park. He won this and two more, by the end of the summer he was 3d Category. <125 Games, 4-5> Fall 1935, joins the Moskvoretsky House of Pioneers. <125 Games, 5> "In 1936 he entered the second category, and in the autumn of the same year the first category." <Romanovsky, xi> In 1937- 1. <Moskvoretsky House of Pioneers Championship 1937> (Fall) 1st, 11-0. Had earned <1st Category rank> in autumn 1936 -<Smyslov> on his "happiest moment": At the championship of the Young Pioneers Stadium, where I won all 11 games, didn't give away a single draw, and there were strong players there, almost all of them became masters, I kept the tournament table from that event." <Sosonko> pp.126-27 Jan. 1938- Leningrad- Smyslov won the USSR under 18 Championship. <Averbakh p.34> Grigory Levenfish gave him 1st prize of an inscribed clock, which "continues to count out the time of my chess career.<125 Games, 9> Shared 1-3 places with Anatoly Ufimtsev and Mark Stolberg in the <Gorky National 1st Category Tournament 1938 (2d group)> [rusbase-7] This result earned him the Candidate Master title. <Romanovsky, xi> Shared 1st with Sergey Belavenets, ahead of Grandmaster Andre Lilienthal at <18th Moscow Championship 1938>, awarded Master Title. <125 Games, 9> <[rusbase-8]> Finished 3d in the USSR Championship (1940), Finished 3d in the USSR Absolute Championship (1941) "in accordance with the norms in existence, for these two successes I was awarded the title of USSR grandmaster." <125 Games, 9-10> 1st International tournament Groningen 1946. Groningen (1946) "third place... behind Mikhail Botvinnik and Max Euwe opened the way for my participation in the battle for the World Championship." <125 Games, 11> World Champion Smyslov's 2d in the <1948 WCC> seeded him into the <Budapest 1950 Candidates Tournament>. Budapest Candidates (1950) They were to be joined by the unsuccessful invitees to the 1948 Championship, but only Vasily Smyslov and Paul Keres took their places.<nescio> Smyslov: "3d place in the <Budapest 1950 Candidates Tournament> gave me the automatic right to a place in the next Candidates Tournament." <125 Games, 12> 1st in the <Zurich Candidates Tournament 1953> Zuerich Candidates (1953) 1954 <World Championship Match> Botvinnik - Smyslov World Championship Match (1954) Drew Botvinnik, who retained championship on draw odds. Candidates Cycling Theoretical Contributions -<Grunfeld Defense, Smyslov variation (D99)> 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 Bg4 8.Be3 <Nfd7> http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches... This plan was developed in preparation for the <1948 WCC>. Smyslov: "The point of the plan, involving the transfer of the king's knight to b6, and the development of the other knight at c6, lies in piece pressure on White's pawn centre."> <125 Games, 11> === -<Ruy Lopez, Closed, Smyslov Defense (C93)> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 <h6> http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches... === -<Slav Defense: Smyslov Variation (D16)> 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 <Na6> === -<Ruy Lopez Fianchetto Defense (C60)> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 Smyslov revived this line at <Szolnok 1975> === Treachery === Personality ############################# Sources [<1> Vasily Smyslov, "Smyslov's 125 Selected Games" Ken Neat transl. Cadogen, 1983 2 P.A. Romanovsky, "Vassily Vassilievitch Smyslov." Published in Vasily Smyslov, "My Best Games of Chess (1935-1957)" P.H. Clarke ed., transl. (Routledge and Kegan Paul 1958), pp. xi-xxvii (First published as "Izbrannie partii" in Russian in 1952) 3 P.H. Clarke, "V.V. Smyslov, 1952-57." Published in Vasily Smyslov, "My Best Games of Chess (1935-1957)" 4 Yuri Averbakh "Centre-Stage and Behind the Scenes" Steve Giddins transl. New in Chess, 2011 5 Genna Sosonko "The World Champions I Knew." New in Chess, 2013 6 Edward Winter, ed. "World Chess Champions." Pergamon Press, 1981 7 Andrew Soltis, "Soviet Chess 1917-1991" McFarland, 1997 8 Harry Golombek "The World Chess Championships of 1957 and 1958" Hardinge Simpole, 1958 9 Smyslov Interview by Vladimir Anzikeev for "Shakhmatnaya Nedelia" (Chess Week). Translated by Zoya Vlassova. First appeared in "Chess Today" No. 1045. 10 Mikhail Botvinnik, "Botvinnik's Complete Games (1942-1956) and Selected Writings (Part 2)" Kean Neat ed., transl. Olomouc, 2012. -Originally published in Mikhail Botvinnik, "Match Botvinnik-Smyslov" (Fizkultura i sport, Moscow 1955) 11 Mikhail Botvinnik "Achieving the Aim" Bernard Cafferty, transl. Pergamon, 1981 12 Dmitry Plisetsky and Sergey Voronkov, "Russians vs. Fischer" Ken Neat transl. Everyman Chess, 2005 Tournament Sources [-<18th Moscow Championship 1938> <[rusbase-9]> -<Gorky National 1st Category Tournament 1938 (2d group)> <[rusbase-10]> ############################ Last updated: 2025-03-30 05:38:14

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page 1 of 113; games 1-25 of 2,820  Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. K Gerasimov vs Smyslov 0-1 22 1935 Moscow Pioneer Home championsip D05 Queen's Pawn Game 2. G Dzagurov vs Smyslov   1-0 32 1935 Moscow Pioneer Home championship C29 Vienna Gambit 3. S Belavenets vs Smyslov   ½-½ 34 1937 Clock simul, 6b E32 Nimzo-Indian, Classical 4. Smyslov vs Rekach 1-0 23 1938 18th Ch Moscow (sf - 5) B10 Caro-Kann 5. Smyslov vs Averbakh 1-0 24 1938 junior tt E17 Queen's Indian 6. N Zanozdra vs Smyslov 1-0 30 1938 Ch URS (juniors) B17 Caro-Kann, Steinitz Variation 7. Smyslov vs V Zak 1-0 36 1938 All Union First Category A43 Old Benoni 8. Smyslov vs N Rudnev   1-0 43 1938 All Union First Category C10 French 9. Smyslov vs A Chistiakov ½-½ 32 1938 18th Ch Moscow C12 French, McCutcheon 10. V Baturinsky vs Smyslov 0-1 34 1938 18th Ch Moscow C45 Scotch Game 11. Smyslov vs S Kogan   ½-½ 37 1938 18th Ch Moscow C42 Petrov Defense 12. Smyslov vs Lilienthal 1-0 56 1938 18th Ch Moscow C11 French 13. Smyslov vs M Yudovich Sr   1-0 49 1938 18th Ch Moscow B20 Sicilian 14. A S Sergeev vs Smyslov   1-0 64 1938 18th Ch Moscow A47 Queen's Indian 15. Averbakh vs Smyslov 0-1 24 1939 19th Ch Moscow A06 Reti Opening 16. Smyslov vs Panov   0-1 43 1939 19th Ch Moscow C84 Ruy Lopez, Closed 17. Smyslov vs I Kan   ½-½ 31 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training C43 Petrov, Modern Attack 18. Smyslov vs A Konstantinopolsky 1-0 57 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training C77 Ruy Lopez 19. Alatortsev vs Smyslov 0-1 40 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training E47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 20. Smyslov vs V Makogonov ½-½ 49 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training B10 Caro-Kann 21. S Belavenets vs Smyslov 0-1 36 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training D02 Queen's Pawn Game 22. Smyslov vs Ragozin 0-1 35 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense 23. Panov vs Smyslov ½-½ 42 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training C77 Ruy Lopez 24. Smyslov vs V Goglidze 1-0 80 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training B83 Sicilian 25. Reshevsky vs Smyslov 1-0 70 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training D51 Queen's Gambit Declined  page 1 of 113; games 1-25 of 2,820

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< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 54 OF 54 ·  Later Kibitzing> Aug-31-17    Nerwal: <Play over sufficient of his best games > Yes, it's best to make your own opinion and impressions by looking at his games. I like Smyslov vs H Steiner, 1946 for instance. His pieces seem always perfectly placed, the exchange deficit is not felt at all. Aug-31-17    Gypsy: <His last name means OF THE MISS or DESCENDENT OF THE INCORRECT.> Nonsense! :-) In slavic languages, <smysl> generally means <sense>. Consider this (Czech) usage of the root word: Pet <smyslu> = Five <senses> Toto nedava <smysl> = This does not make <sense> <Smysl> toho vseho = The <meaning/purpose> of it all Nov-17-17    thegoodanarchist: The photo of Smyslov here on his player page is much better than the photo of him shown on the return WC match page Botvinnik - Smyslov World Championship Return Match (1957) (where he looks like the Soviet version of Gomer Pyle) Nov-17-17    thegoodanarchist: After reading this: < offramp: His first name is the equivalent of the western BASIL. His last name means OF THE MISS or DESCENDENT OF THE INCORRECT. His name in English would probably be BASIL FAULTY.> and this: < Gypsy: <His last name means OF THE MISS or DESCENDENT OF THE INCORRECT.> Nonsense! :-) In slavic languages, <smysl> generally means <sense>. Consider this (Czech) usage of the root word: Pet <smyslu> = Five <senses> Toto nedava <smysl> = This does not make <sense> <Smysl> toho vseho = The <meaning/purpose> of it all> All is clear. The translation of "Smyslov" is that <offramp> has lost his senses! Mar-12-18    N.O.F. NAJDORF: Maybe you're right, GIA, since even Stalin's first name (not to mention Goebbels') was Joseph (same as Ossip). According to http://www.jinfo.org/Chess_Champion... Smyslov's mother was Jewish, although the claim has been disputed. Sep-16-18    dumbgai: The most underrated world champion IMO. Smyslov is often overlooked on all-time great lists but he actually has a pretty amazing track record. Mar-24-19    Ironmanth: RIP, Grandmaster. Jul-01-19    diagonal: Smyslov, Bronstein, Geller, ... the newest victims, having lost last week their <Memorable Games> cg. rubric, <Notable Tournaments> and <Game Collections>, too, as already Morphy, Steinitz, Emanuel Lasker, Tarrasch, Bogoljubov, Botvinnik, Flohr, Fine, Reshevsky, Gligoric, ... and Kramnik, Mamedyarov, Nakamura, Artemiev, or Wesley So, amongst many other prominent players. @ <Chessgames>: Please restore it, many thanks! Jul-13-19    Chesgambit: very strong chess player Mar-24-20    Pyrandus: Great GM! (The Hungarian GM, Portisch was a talentuat Singer, too!) Mar-24-20    botvinnik64: Happy Birthday Vassily and Happy Birthday Yasser Seirawan (60!). Mar-24-20    eternaloptimist: Happy Heavenly Birthday to the former World Chess Champ & 1 of my favorite chess players of all time...Vassily Smyslov!! I’m looking forward to meeting him in Heaven Oct-25-20    Sally Simpson: *** Just been reading Ray Keene's latest article in 'The Article.' https://www.thearticle.com/chess-cr... As always interesting and food for thought. Ray says he could find no chess link from Nostradamus which prompted me to do a bit of surfing. Found nothing to say otherwise but I did stumble upon this... http://britishchessnews.com/2020/04... Apparently Smyslov believed in the prophecies of Nostradamus, (fair enough) and that chess originated in Atlantis. Again, fair enough. The game was invented by The Gods. Think I'll say Atlantis next time I'm asked this question from a non-player. (usually I answer with it was a Mrs. Agnes Peabody, a housewife from Grimsby or some other such nonsense.) *** Mar-24-21    MissScarlett: Happy centenary! Mar-24-21    Diademas: It's User: TheFocus' job to wish dead chessplayers Happy Birthday. Mar-24-21    perfidious: While thereby jacking up his post count into the bargain. Aug-20-21    Albertan: Smyslov Memorial Blitz:Nepomniachtchi 1st,Karpov beats Karjakin: https://www.chess.com/news/view/smy... Aug-20-21    harrylime: Smyslov is a massively great chess player ... He's never mentioned as a "great" player ... But he is/was. Aug-20-21    harrylime: <<Diademas: It's User: TheFocus' job to wish dead chessplayers Happy Birthday.>> Is he still around ?? I hope so . Aug-20-21    harrylime: In Todays' chess world Smyslov would be either a World Champion , or very very close. Oct-14-21    Helios727: Boleslavsky was #2 in the 1950 candidates tournament, with Smyslov as #3. Yet, Smyslov got to play in the 1953 candidates tournament without playing in the interzonal first. Does that mean they originally allowed more than the top 2 candidates to be seeded into the next candidates tournament? Oct-14-21    Retireborn: <Helios> According Wiki, Bronstein, Boleslavsky, Smyslov, Keres, Reshevsky, and Najdorf were all seeded into 1953 because they had played in the 1950 candidates. Also Euwe, because he played in the 1948 tournament. Sep-25-23    Caissanist: For those wondering, while <TheFocus> was still around when <harrylime> asked, he had largely stopped posting, probably due to health issues. He passed in February 2022: Nikolai Brunni . Dec-11-23    jerseybob: <thegoodanarchist: The photo of Smyslov here on his player page is much better than the photo of him shown on the return WC match page Botvinnik - Smyslov World Championship Return Match (1957)(where he looks like the Soviet version of Gomer Pyle)> Many Soviet Bloc hairdos were very Pylish. Dec-03-24    Gottschalk: Susan is rejecting games for statistical reasons, because she likes round numbers. Stop that crazy woman! Put her in a straitjacket! [Event "Cup Moscow(team)"] [Site "Moscow (Russia)"] [Date "1945.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Kotov Alexander (RUS)"] [Black "Smyslov Vassily (RUS)"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D15"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "1945.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e3 b5 6. a4 b4 7. Na2 e6 8. Bxc4 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qe2 Bb7 11. Rd1 a5 12. e4 c5 13. dxc5 Qc7 14. e5 Ne4 15. Be3 Nd7 16. Rac1 Nexc5 17. Bb5 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Nxe5 19. Qe2 Rfd8 20. f4 Ng6 21. Qc4 Rac8 22. Rd2 Rxd2 23. Bxd2 Rd8 24. Be3 Rd5 25. Qf1 Bd6 26. g3 Ne7 27. Bc4 Nf5 28. Qf3 Nxe3 29. Qxe3 Rf5 30. Bd3 Rf6 31. Rc4 Qe7 32. Nc1 g6 33. Bc2 Nd7 34. Nd3 Rf5 35. Kg2 Rd5 36. Rc8+ Nf8 37. Qb6 Kg7 38. Qd8 Qb7 39. Kf1 b3 40. Bb1 Rxd3 41. Bxd3 Qf3+ 42. Kg1 Qxd3 43. Qxa5 Qb1+ 44. Kg2 Qxb2+ 45. Kh3 Qf6 46. Rc6 b2 47. Qb5 Bb4 0-1 Jump to page #    (enter # from 1 to 54) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 54 OF 54 ·  Later Kibitzing>

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