Boris Spassky

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Boris Spassky bigraphy, stories - Russian chess grandmaster

Boris Spassky : biography

January 30, 1937 –

Boris Vasilievich Spassky (also Spasskij; ; born January 30, 1937) is a Russian, formerly French, formerly Soviet chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. He is known as one of the greatest living chess players, and is the oldest living world champion.

Spassky won the Soviet Chess Championship twice outright (1961, 1973), and twice lost in playoffs (1956, 1963), after tying for first place during the event proper. He was a World Chess Championship candidate on seven occasions (1956, 1965, 1968, 1974, 1977, 1980, and 1985).

Spassky defeated Tigran Petrosian in 1969 to become World Champion, then lost the title in the Fischer–Spassky match in 1972.

Early life

He was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) to a Russian mother and father, and learned to play chess at the age of five on a train evacuating from Leningrad during World War II. He first drew wide attention in 1947 at age ten, when he defeated Soviet champion Mikhail Botvinnik in a simultaneous exhibition in Leningrad.http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=7883 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 several hours a day with master-level coaches. He set records as the youngest Soviet player to achieve first category rank (age ten), candidate master rank (age eleven), and Soviet Master rank (age fifteen). In 1952, at fifteen, Spassky scored 50 percent in the Soviet Championship semifinal at Riga, and placed second in the Leningrad Championship that same year, being highly praised by Botvinnik.

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. It generally believed that he began to lose ambition once he became world champion. Some suggest the first match with Fischer took a severe nervous toll, but others disagree, and claim that as he was a sportsman who appreciated his opponent’s skill. He applauded one well-played game of Fischer, and defended Fischer when he faced jailing.

Spassky has been described by many as a universal player.http://crestbook.com/en/node/1783http://www.chessintranslation.com/2012/05/anands-whychess-interview/http://www.kramnik.com/eng/interviews/getinterview.aspx?id=61 Never a true openings expert, at least when compared to contemporaries such as Geller and Fischer, he excelled in the middlegame and in tactics.

Spassky succeeded with a wide variety of openings, including the King’s Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.f4, an aggressive and risky line rarely seen at the top level. 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 in that opening played between Spassky and David Bronstein in 1960 in which Spassky ("Kronsteen") was victorious.

His contributions to opening theory extend to reviving the Marshall Attack for Black in the Ruy Lopez (1.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.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.e4 c5 2.Nc3). Another rare line in the King’s Indian Attack bears his name: 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 b5!?

Notable chess games

  • Fischer seems to equalize in a sharp game, but he makes a small mistake and Spassky capitalizes.
  • One of three wins by Spassky over Geller in this match using the same variation, which is one of Spassky’s favorites.
  • Aggressive style of play and combinations show Spassky at his heights.
  • Another short win over a noted grandmaster.
  • Fischer tries the Grunfeld again against Spassky, and the game is remarkably similar to their 1966 encounter.
  • Fischer’s only loss in his favourite Poisoned Pawn variation.
  • Spassky lost the match, but he started strongly with this win.