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Boris Spassky

BORIS SPASSKY (born Jan-30-1937, died Feb-27-2025, 88 years old) Russia PRONUNCIATION: [what is this?] Boris Vasilievich Spassky was born in Leningrad, USSR. As a child, in 1943, he escaped from the siege of the city by German forces. Spassky first attracted international attention by finishing equal fourth at Bucharest (1953), celebrating his sixteenth birthday during the event. (Alexander Tolush won, his finest career achievement.) In 1955 Spassky won the World Junior Chess Championship. Spassky tied for third at the USSR Championship (1955) with World Champion Botvinnik, future champion Tigran Petrosian, and Georgy Ilivitsky, half a point behind Smyslov and Geller, who tied for first. Spassky's performance at the Gothenburg Interzonal (1955) made him, up to that date, both the youngest grandmaster ever, and the youngest ever to qualify for the Candidates tournament. Smyslov won the Amsterdam Candidates (1956). In 1956, Spassky tied with Mark Taimanov and Yuri Averbakh for first place at the USSR Championship (1956). He fell ill and finished last among the three players in the playoff. Many people expected Spassky to be world champion before his 25th birthday, but his fifth place in the Soviet Championship of 1958 was not enough to qualify him for the Portoroz Interzonal. This was due to a last-round loss to Mikhail Tal (Spassky vs Tal, 1958), which shook him deeply. After winning one of the four semi-finals by finishing equal first with Rashid Nezhmetdinov Leningrad champion of 1959 [rusbase-1] and 1961 [rusbase-2] and finally Soviet Champion in 1961 [rusbase-3]. Winner of the Russian Zonal [rusbase-4]. Spassky shared the first place with Smyslov and Bent Larsen at Amsterdam 1964 http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/646.... In 1965 he eliminated Paul Keres, Efim Geller and Mikhail Tal. He faced Tigran Petrosian in the Petrosian - Spassky World Championship Match (1966), but narrowly lost. As the losing player in the title match, Spassky automatically qualified for the next Candidates cycle, where he overcame Geller, Larsen and Korchnoi. He again faced Petrosian in the 1969 World Championship, and this time prevailed. Spassky's style of play can be described best as lively and adaptable; this produced many brilliant victories. A position based on his victory in 1960 against David Bronstein was used in the James Bond movie, From Russia With Love. His polite, friendly disposition and entertaining games made him one of the most popular world champions. In the West, his tournament victory at Santa Monica 1966 is the most remembered http://www.worldchesslinks.net/ezqa.... In 1972, Spassky was challenged by Robert James Fischer for the World Championship; Spassky lost, 12½-8½, ending the reign of nearly 25-year Soviet hegemony over the World Championship. In the next year Spassky won the Soviet Championship ahead of many world-class grandmasters, [rusbase-5], including Anatoly Karpov. In the next series of Candidates matches, Spassky defeated Robert Byrne, but lost to Karpov in their 1974 semifinal match. In 1977 he lost the Candidates final to Viktor Korchnoi, after eliminating Vlastimil Hort and Lajos Portisch. In 1992, Spassky played a rematch with Fischer for US $5 million and lost once again, 10 to 5 (with 15 draws). Spassky died in Moscow on February 27, 2025. Wikipedia article: Boris Spassky https://nsn.fm/sport/umer-10-i-chem... Last updated: 2025-02-28 17:12:50

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page 1 of 100; games 1-25 of 2,498  Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Korchnoi vs Spassky 1-0 12 1948 Leningrad B71 Sicilian, Dragon, Levenfish Variation 2. Spassky vs Rodgaisky 0-1 8 1948 URS B45 Sicilian, Taimanov 3. Spassky vs Shman 1-0 35 1948 Trud Ch D37 Queen's Gambit Declined 4. Smyslov vs Spassky 1-0 21 1948 Simul B76 Sicilian, Dragon, Yugoslav Attack 5. Spassky vs A Nikitin   ½-½ 20 1949 Ch URS (team) (juniors) A18 English, Mikenas-Carls 6. Korchnoi vs Spassky 0-1 51 1949 Leningrad Junior Championship B71 Sicilian, Dragon, Levenfish Variation 7. V Liavdansky vs Spassky 0-1 51 1949 Leningrad Junior Championship B23 Sicilian, Closed 8. Spassky vs S Avtonomov 1-0 21 1949 Leningrad Junior Championship D28 Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical 9. Spassky vs A Vilup 1-0 27 1949 Leningrad Junior Championship D30 Queen's Gambit Declined 10. V P Zakharov vs Spassky   1-0 55 1949 Leningrad Junior Championship B74 Sicilian, Dragon, Classical 11. Spassky vs Polugaevsky   ½-½ 15 1950 USSR Junior Team Championship D31 Queen's Gambit Declined 12. M Aizenshtadt vs Spassky 0-1 33 1951 Chigorin Memorial qual-12 D50 Queen's Gambit Declined 13. Y Gusev vs Spassky 0-1 24 1951 URS-ch qf A00 Uncommon Opening 14. Y Estrin vs Spassky 0-1 19 1951 URS-ch qf C44 King's Pawn Game 15. G Chepukaitis vs Spassky 0-1 35 1952 Minsk C31 King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit 16. Korchnoi vs Spassky 0-1 47 1952 Leningrad Championship D10 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav 17. Levenfish vs Spassky ½-½ 32 1952 Leningrad Championship D71 Neo-Grunfeld 18. Furman vs Spassky 0-1 36 1952 Leningrad Championship D43 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav 19. Spassky vs J Yuchtman 1-0 28 1952 URS-chT Juniors E28 Nimzo-Indian, Samisch Variation 20. Taimanov vs Spassky ½-½ 59 1952 Leningrad Championship D45 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav 21. N Kopilov vs Spassky   0-1 38 1952 Leningrad Championship D44 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav 22. N Vedenski vs Spassky   0-1 38 1952 Leningrad Championship D22 Queen's Gambit Accepted 23. B Vladimirov vs Spassky 0-1 27 1953 Leningrad D25 Queen's Gambit Accepted 24. Spassky vs Smyslov 1-0 35 1953 Bucharest E31 Nimzo-Indian, Leningrad, Main line 25. Petrosian vs Spassky ½-½ 15 1953 Bucharest D10 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav  page 1 of 100; games 1-25 of 2,498

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< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 66 OF 99 ·  Later Kibitzing> Feb-02-12    AlphaMale: Who appointed Caissanist as oracle? Feb-02-12    TheFocus: <AlphaMale><Who appointed Caissanist as oracle?> Perhaps you should read some books about the match. Feb-02-12    AlphaMale: Which books? Feb-02-12    TheFocus: <Alpha> Were you born stupid or just fell into the habit? Feb-02-12    AlphaMale: Which books? Feb-02-12    AlphaMale: A simple question, yet so difficult. A bit like, 'When did you stop beating your mother?' Feb-02-12    talisman: <AlphaMale> Gligorich mentions it in his book "Chess Match of the Century". Feb-03-12    AlphaMale: Any others? But to clarify, am I right in thinking that the recording in question was done by closed-circuit cameras and not the high-quality film cameras of Chester Fox? Feb-03-12    TheFocus: <AlphaMale> <But to clarify, am I right in thinking that the recording in question was done by closed-circuit cameras and not the high-quality film cameras of Chester Fox?> Yes, by closed-circuit. The quality is not as good as the cameras of Chester Fox. If you saw any pictures of the third game, the one that took place in a small room, you would see the type of quality the closed circuit was. Feb-03-12    King Death: Poor <AlphaMale> is spoiled by modern technology, he can't put up with 70s closed circuit TV. He'll get over it. Feb-03-12    AlphaMale: <Yes, by closed-circuit. The quality is not as good as the cameras of Chester Fox.> Have you actually seen any of this footage? What indication is there that some or all of these game recording were preserved and are extant? Feb-03-12    TheFocus: Well <Alpha> I deleted that because I had no reason to insult your Mom. I do apologize. Feb-03-12    TheFocus: It wasn't funny, and I hoped to delete it before you saw it. Feb-04-12    offramp: < Caissanist: The first game had a film crew in the hall. Bobby hated the noise they were making and refused to play any more games with the crew present.> They were shouting and yelling and banging - it was like when the Three Stooges decorated that library... Feb-04-12    offramp: It must be nearly a hundred hours of lo-fi 40-year-old CCTV footage; a spectacularly Warholian experience. Feb-13-12    brankat: Perhaps we should ask <harrylime> for a definitive answer. He knows everything there is to be known about Bobby :-) Feb-13-12    M.D. Wilson: I'm sure <harrylime> can find the tapes from among his personal Bobby Fischer collection. Feb-13-12    Caissanist: Brad Darrach is hardly an unimpeachable source, but for what it's worth here is his telling of the story of the CCTV tapes: <All through the match Fox and Stein had gloated privately over their ace in the hole: a secret videotape of the match captured from the closed-circuit TV system. But on the last day of the match, when Fox showed up to collect his tapes, the engineer who had made them said Fox could have them when he paid the bill. Fox blew his stack and in the hearing of hostile witnesses called the man a liar and a thief. The engineer swore that Fox would never get those tapes--which were worth at least $200,000 in potential rentals. They sit today in an Icelandic bank vault, a complete, high quality film of the match that may never be shown.> I do recall reading something of the same thing in newspapers and/or magazines at the time, but Darrach's account is the only one I now have access to. Mar-09-12    laurenttizano: Hi!I'm from the Philippines,I have a rating 1900.is that ok. My target 2900 if possible. spassky is the best! long live Mr./Sir Boris from C.N.C.A 2055! Mar-17-12    Dr. Yes: Yes, I'm old enough and lucky enough to have lived through the Fischer/Spassky match, and I do remember that the match was video-taped. However,(fyi) Brad Darruch does not exist. Mar-17-12    ewan14: If Botvinnik can say Smyslov was the best player ( or similar ) of the fifties despite the fact he was only world champion for a year then Spassky can be the player of the sixties Mar-17-12    HeMateMe: Is there a statistic computed that calculates tournament victories per GM tournaments competed in (at classical time controls)? I'm thinking Fischer would lead this group. He was a monster in the '60s, when he chose to play. Either he or Kasparov would win. In fact, if you consider that Fischer was playing GM tournaments at age 14 and compute the above ratio--wins per events competed in--starting at age 18, which is a better parameter, BF might come out ahead of GK. Mar-25-12    Eduardo Bermudez: "Boris Spassky was my first chess idol. 1969, when I started to play chess, was precisely when he became World Champion, and my dad supported him" G. Kasparov Mar-27-12    Dionysius1: In the photo on the headpage here for Boris, I can't imagine how his Q has got to c6. Did he just pick it up because someone wanted a picture do you think? Or is it some daft form of KID where the Q has found its way out from behind the pawns (I know, I know...) Mar-27-12    Phony Benoni: <Dionysius1> That's c5. Looks like one of those KID/Pirc lines where Black plays ...c5 and answers dxc5 with ...Qa5 and ...Qxc5. I don't see any Spassky games in the database with that sort of position, but judging by his expression and the nearness of the spectators it's likely to be a post-mortem or casual blitz game. Jump to page #   (enter # from 1 to 99) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 66 OF 99 ·  Later Kibitzing>

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