Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky | |
---|---|
Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | |
Title | Grandmaster (1955) |
World Champion | 1969–1972 |
FIDE rating | 2548 (April 2024) [inactive] |
Peak rating | 2690 (January 1971) |
Peak ranking | No. 2 (January 1971) |
Boris Vasilievich Spassky (Russian: Бори́с Васи́льевич Спа́сский,
Spassky won the
Spassky immigrated to France in 1976, becoming a French citizen in 1978. He continued to compete in tournaments but was no longer a major contender for the world title. Spassky lost an unofficial rematch against Fischer in 1992. In 2012, he left France and returned to Russia.
Early life
Spassky was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) to Russian parents. His father, Vasili Vladimirovich Spassky, served in the military.[3] He came from the family of Vladimir Alexandrovich Spassky, a prominent Russian Orthodox priest of the Kursk Governorate, later a protoiereus of the Russian Church (since 1916), as well as a State Duma deputy (1912–1917) and an active member of the Union of the Russian People.[4][5][6] Boris' mother Ekaterina Petrovna Spasskaya (née Petrova) was a school teacher. She was born in the Ryadnevo village of the Gdov district (now Pskov Oblast) as an illegitimate daughter of Daria Ivanovna Ivanova (from a local peasant family) and Andrei Kupriyanovich Kupriyanov, a landlord who owned houses in Saint Petersburg and Pskov. After some time Daria Ivanovna fled to Petersburg, leaving her daughter with Petr Vasiliev, a relative of hers, who raised Ekaterina under the surname of Petrova. She joined her mother later on.[7][8]
Spassky learned to play chess at the age of 5 on a train evacuating from Leningrad during the
Career
As a statistic encompassing all of the games of his career, Spassky's most-played openings with both the White and Black pieces were the Sicilian Defence and the Ruy Lopez.[10]
Spassky has beaten six undisputed World Champions at least twice (not necessarily while they were reigning): Vasily Smyslov, Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian, Bobby Fischer, Anatoly Karpov, and Garry Kasparov.
Young grandmaster
Spassky made his international debut in 1953, aged 16, in
The same year, he won the
By sharing seventh place with 11/20 at Gothenburg,
Uneven results
Spassky then went into a slump in world championship qualifying events, failing to advance to the next two
In the 24th Soviet final, played at Moscow in January–February 1957, Spassky shared fourth place with Tolush,[22] as both scored 13/21, while Mikhail Tal won the first of his six Soviet titles, which began his ascent to the world title in 1960.
Spassky's failure to qualify for the
Spassky tied for first place at Moscow 1959 on 7/11, with Smyslov and
Another disappointment for Spassky came at the qualifier for the next Interzonal, the Soviet final, played in Moscow 1961,[32] where he again lost a crucial last-round game, this to Leonid Stein, who thus qualified, as Spassky finished equal fifth with 11/19, while Petrosian won.
Title contender
Spassky decided upon a switch in trainers, from the volatile attacker Alexander Tolush to the calmer strategist Igor Bondarevsky. This proved the key to his resurgence. He won his first of two USSR titles in the 29th Soviet championship at Baku 1961, with a score of 14½/20, one-half point ahead of Lev Polugaevsky.[33] Spassky shared second with Polugaevsky at Havana 1962 with 16/21, behind winner Miguel Najdorf.[34] He placed joint fifth, with Leonid Stein at the 30th Soviet championship held in Yerevan 1962, with 11½/19.[35] At Leningrad 1963, the site of the 31st Soviet final, Spassky tied for first with Stein and Ratmir Kholmov,[36] with Stein winning the playoff, which was held in 1964.[37] Spassky won at Belgrade 1964 with an undefeated 13/17, as Korchnoi and Borislav Ivkov shared second place with 11½.[38] He finished fourth at Sochi 1964 with 9½/15, as Nikolai Krogius won.[39]
In the 1964 Soviet Zonal at Moscow, a seven-player double
Challenger
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 in the quarterfinal round at Riga 1965 with careful strategy, triumphing in the last game to win 6–4 (+4−2=4).[42] Also at Riga, he defeated Efim Geller with mating attacks, winning by 5½–2½ (+3−0=5).[43] Then, in his Candidates' Final match against Mikhail Tal at Tbilisi 1965, Spassky often managed to steer play into quieter positions, either avoiding former champion Tal's tactical strength, or exacting too high a price for complications. Though losing the first game, he won by 7–4 (+4−1=6).[44]
Spassky won two tournaments in the run-up to the final. He shared first at the third Chigorin Memorial in Sochi, in 1965 with Wolfgang Unzicker on 10½/15,[45] then tied for first at Hastings 1965–66 with Wolfgang Uhlmann on 7½/9.[46]
Spassky lost a keenly fought
As losing finalist in 1966, Spassky was automatically 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 (5½–2½, +3−0=5).[53] He next met Bent Larsen at Malmö, and again won by the score of 5½–2½ after winning the first three games.[54] The final was against his Leningrad rival Korchnoi at Kyiv, and Spassky triumphed (+4−1=5),[55] which earned him another match with Petrosian. Spassky's final tournament appearance before the match came at Palma, where he shared second place (+10−1=6) with Larsen, a point behind Korchnoi.[56] Spassky's flexibility of style was the key to victory over Petrosian, by 12½–10½,[57] with the site again being Moscow.
World Champion
In Spassky's first appearance after winning the crown, he placed first at San Juan, Puerto Rico in October 1969 with 11½/15, one and one-half points clear of second.[58] He then played the annual event at Palma, where he finished fifth with 10/17. While Spassky was undefeated and handed tournament victor Larsen one of his three losses, his fourteen draws kept him from seriously contending for first prize, as he came two points behind Larsen.[59] In March–April 1970, Spassky played first board for the Soviet side in the celebrated USSR vs World event at Belgrade,[60] where he scored +1−1=1 in the first three rounds against Larsen before Stein replaced him for the final match, as the Soviets won by the odd point, 20½–19½. He won a quadrangular event at Leiden 1970 with 7/12, a point ahead of Jan Hein Donner, who was followed by Larsen and Botvinnik, the latter of whom was making his final appearance in serious play.[61] Spassky shared first at the annual IBM event held in Amsterdam 1970 with Polugaevsky on 11½/15.[62] He was third at Gothenburg 1971 with 8/11,[63] behind winners Vlastimil Hort and Ulf Andersson. He shared first with Hans Ree at the 1971 Canadian Open in Vancouver. In November and December, Spassky finished the year by tying for sixth with Tal, scoring +4−2=11, at the Alekhine Memorial in Moscow, which was won by Stein and Anatoly Karpov,[64] the latter's first top-class success.
Championship match with Fischer
Spassky's reign as world champion lasted for three years, as he lost to Fischer of the United States in 1972 in the World Chess Championship 1972,[65] popularly known as the Match of the Century. The contest took place in Reykjavík, Iceland, at the height of the Cold War,[66] and consequently was seen as symbolic of the political confrontation between the two superpowers. Spassky accommodated many demands by Fischer, including moving the third game into a side room. The Fischer vs Spassky World championship was the most widely covered chess match in history, reported upon by mainstream media throughout the world. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger spoke with Fischer urging him to play the match, and chess was at its apex.
Going into the match, Fischer had never won a game from Spassky in five attempts, losing three.[67] In addition, Spassky had secured Geller as his coach, who also had a plus score against Fischer. However, Fischer won the title match 12½/8½ (+7−3=11), with one of the three losses by default.[68]
The match could be divided into halves, the first won convincingly by Fischer, and the second a close battle. Before the match, Fischer had defeated Mark Taimanov, Bent Larsen, and Tigran Petrosian, but Spassky maintained his composure and competitiveness. It has been suggested that Spassky's preparation was largely bypassed by Fischer, since Spassky and his team wrongly expected Fischer to always play 1. e4 openings as White.[69]
According to Reshevsky, the match as a whole was disappointing. "It was marked by blunders by both players. The blunders committed by Spassky were incredible. In two games, for example, Spassky overlooked a one-move combination. In the first, he was compelled to resign immediately, and, in the other, he threw away all chances for a win. Fischer was also not in his best form. He made errors in a number of games. His play lacked brilliance, but his defense was excellent."[70]
Ex-champion (1973–1985)
In February–March 1973, Spassky finished equal third at Tallinn with 9/15, three points behind
In the 1974 Candidates' matches, Spassky first defeated American Robert Byrne in San Juan, Puerto Rico by 4½–1½ (+3−0=3);[76] he then lost the semifinal match to Anatoly Karpov in Leningrad, despite winning the first game, (+1−4=6).[77] In Spassky's only tournament action of 1974, he played at Solingen, finishing with 8½/14 (+4−1=9), thus sharing third with Bojan Kurajica, behind joint winners Lubomir Kavalek and Polugaevsky, who scored 10.[78]
During 1975, Spassky played two events, the first being the annual tournament at Tallinn, where he finished equal second with
In 1976, Spassky was obliged to return to the Interzonal stage, and finished in a tie for tenth place in Manila,[81] well short of qualifying for the Candidates matches, but was nominated to play after Fischer declined his place. Spassky won an exhibition match with Dutch grandmaster Jan Timman at Amsterdam 1977 by 4–2.[82] He triumphed in extra games in his quarterfinal Candidates' match over Vlastimil Hort at Reykjavík 1977 by 8½–7½.[83] This match saw Spassky fall ill,[84] exhaust all his available rest days while recovering; then the healthy Hort 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 by 3½–2½,[85] then defeated Lubomir Kavalek, also at Solingen, by 4–2 in another exhibition.[86] His next Candidates' match was against Portisch at Geneva 1977, and Spassky won by 8½–6½, to qualify for the final.[87] At Belgrade 1977–78, Spassky lost to Korchnoi, by (+4−7=7).[88] In this match, Spassky fell behind 2½–7½ after losing the tenth game; however, he then won four consecutive games. After draws in games fifteen and sixteen, Korchnoi won the next two games to clinch the match by the score of 10½–7½.
Spassky, as losing finalist, was seeded into the 1980 Candidates' matches, and faced Portisch again, with this match held in Mexico. After fourteen games, the match was 7–7, but Portisch advanced since he had won more games with the black pieces.
International team results
Spassky played five times for the USSR in Student Olympiads, winning eight medals. He scored 38½/47 (+31−1=15), for 81.91 percent. His complete results are:
- Lyon 1955, board 2, 7½/8 (+7−0=1), team gold, board gold;
- Reykjavík 1957, board 2, 7/9 (+5−0=4), team gold, board gold;
- Varna 1958, board 2, 6½/9 (+4−0=5), team gold;
- Leningrad1960, board 1, 10/12 (+9−1=2), team silver;
- Mariánské Lázně 1962, board 1, 7½/9 (+6−0=3), team gold, board gold.[92][93]
Spassky played twice for the USSR in the European Team Championships, winning four gold medals. He scored 8½/12 (+5−0=7), for 70.83 percent. His complete results are:
- Vienna 1957, board 5, 3½/5 (+2−0=3), team gold, board gold;
- Bath, Somerset 1973, board 1, 5/7 (+3−0=4), team gold, board gold.[94]
Spassky played seven times for the Soviet Olympiad team. He won thirteen medals, and scored 69/94 (+45−1=48), for 73.40 percent. His complete results are:
- Varna 1962, board 3, 11/14 (+8−0=6), team gold, board gold medal;
- Tel Aviv 1964, 2nd reserve, 10½/13 (+8−0=5), team gold, board bronze;
- Havana 1966, board 2, 10/15, team gold.
- Lugano 1968, board 2, 10/14, team gold, board bronze;
- Siegen 1970, board 1, 9½/12, team gold, board gold;
- Nice 1974, board 3, 11/15, board gold, team gold;
- Buenos Aires 1978, board 1, 7/11 (+4−1=6), team silver.[94]
Spassky played board one in the
.Spassky then represented France in three Olympiads, on board one in each case. For Thessaloniki 1984, he scored 8/14 (+2−0=12). At Dubai 1986, he scored 9/14 (+4−0=10). Finally at Thessaloniki 1988, he scored 7½/13 (+3−1=9). He also played board one for France at the inaugural World Team Championships, Lucerne 1985, where he scored 5½/9 (+3−1=5).
Later tournament career (after 1976)
In his later years, Spassky showed a reluctance to devote himself completely to chess. In 1976, Spassky migrated to France with his third wife; he became a French citizen in 1978, and has competed for France in the Chess Olympiads. Spassky later lived with his wife in Meudon near Paris.[95][96][97]
Spassky did, however, score some notable triumphs in his later years. In his return to tournament play after the loss to Korchnoi, he tied for first at
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. He participated in three of the six events of the World Cup. At Belfort, he scored 8/15 for a joint 4th–7th place, as Garry Kasparov won.[115] At Reykjavík, he scored 7/17 for a joint 15th–16th place, with Kasparov again winning.[116] Finally, at Barcelona, Spassky scored 7½/16 for a tied 8th–12th place, as Kasparov shared first with Ljubomir Ljubojević.[117]
Spassky played in the 1990
In 1992, Bobby Fischer, after a twenty-year hiatus from chess, re-emerged to arrange a "Revenge Match of the 20th century" against Spassky in
Spassky then played the 16 year old prodigy Judit Polgár in a 1993 match in Budapest, losing narrowly by 4½–5½.[121]
Spassky continued to play occasional events through much of the 1990s, such as the Veterans vs Women match in Prague, 1995.[122]
Life since 2000
On October 1, 2006, Spassky suffered a minor
On March 27, 2010, at 73 years old, he became the oldest surviving former World Chess Champion following the death of Vasily Smyslov.[123]
On September 23, 2010, ChessBase reported that Spassky had suffered a more serious stroke that had left him paralyzed on his left side.[124] After that he returned to France for a long rehabilitation programme.[125] On August 16, 2012, Spassky left France to return to Russia under disputed circumstances[126][127] and now lives in an apartment in Moscow.[128][129]
On September 25, 2016, he made a public speech at the opening of the Tal Memorial tournament. He said he had "the very brightest memories" of Mikhail Tal and told an anecdote from the 15th Chess Olympiad about Soviet analysis of an adjourned game between Fischer and Botvinnik. He was described by Chess24 as being 'sprightly'.[130] In recent years, he has been staying away from public eye.
Legacy
Spassky's best years were as a youthful prodigy in the mid-1950s, and in the mid- to late 1960s. He applauded Fischer in Game 6 of their 1972 match,
Spassky has been described by many as a universal player.
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.[136]
His contributions to opening theory extend to reviving the
Spassky was played by Liev Schreiber in the 2014 film Pawn Sacrifice.
Personal life
Boris has been married three times. His first wife (1959–1961) was Nadezda Konstantinovna Latyntceva. Together they have one daughter, Tatiana (born 1960). His second wife was Larisa Zakharovna Solovyova. She gave birth to a son, Vasili Solovyov-Spassky (born 1967). His third marriage, in 1975 in France, was to Marina Yurievna Shcherbachova, granddaughter of the Russian war general and a White movement activist Dmitry Shcherbachev. They have a son, Boris Spassky Jr. (born 1980).[137][138]
His younger sister Iraida Spasskaya (born November 6, 1944) is a four-time champion of the Soviet Union in Russian draughts and the world vice-champion in international draughts (1974).[139]
During his meeting with fans in Kaliningrad in 2005 Spassky stated: "If only I knew what was going to happen to our country, I would've joined the Communist Party."[140]
In 2005 Spassky signed the Letter of 5000 addressed to the Prosecutor General of Russia, along with Igor Shafarevich, Vyacheslav Klykov, Vasily Belov and other activists. The petition suggested that all religious and national Jewish organizations that functioned on the territory of Russia according to the Shulchan Aruch codes should be shut down for extremism, warning about a "hidden campaign of genocide against the Russian people and their traditional society and values". Spassky later called his signature a mistake.[141]
In 2006, Boris Spassky described himself as an Orthodox Christian, a monarchist and a Russian nationalist.
As for my views—I'm a Russian nationalist, and there's nothing scary about it, don't be afraid. Some say that Russian nationalist is a nasty thing, most definitely an antisemite, a racist, a national-Bolshevik. No; for a nationalist God exists and nations that respect each other.
I'm a convinced monarchist, I remained a monarchist during the Soviet years and never tried to hide that. I believe that the greatness of Russia is connected to the activity of the national leaders represented by our tsars.
What really makes me feel happy in modern Russia—churches come back to life.[142]
Notable games
- Boris Spassky vs. David Bronstein, USSR championship, 1960, King's Gambit Accepted, Modern Defence (C36), 1–0 Spassky defeats the former world championship contender with a spectacular rook sacrifice. The game was used, with some minor adjustments, in the opening scene of the James Bond film From Russia with Love.
- Boris Spassky vs. Bobby Fischer, Santa Monica 1966, Grunfeld Defence, Exchange Variation (D87), 1–0 Fischer seems to equalise in a sharp game, but he makes a small mistake and Spassky capitalises.
- Boris Spassky vs. Efim Geller, Sukhumi Candidates' match 1968, game 6, Sicilian Defence, Closed Variation (B25), 1–0 One of three wins by Spassky over Geller in this match using the same variation, which is one of Spassky's favourites.
- Boris Spassky vs. Tigran Petrosian, World Championship match, Moscow 1969, game 19, Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation (B94), 1–0 Aggressive style of play and combinations show Spassky at his heights.
- Bent Larsen vs. Boris Spassky, Belgrade 1970 (match USSR vs Rest of the World), Nimzo-Larsen Attack, Modern Variation (A01), 0–1 Another short win over a noted grandmaster.
- Boris Spassky vs. Bobby Fischer, Siegen Olympiad 1970, Grunfeld Defence, Exchange Variation (D87), 1–0 Fischer tries the Grunfeld again against Spassky, and the game is remarkably similar to their 1966 encounter.
- Boris Spassky vs. Bobby Fischer, World Championship match, Reykjavík 1972, game 11, Sicilian Defense, Najdorf, Poisoned Pawn Variation (B97), 1–0 Fischer's only loss in his favourite Poisoned Pawn Variation.
- Anatoly Karpov vs. Boris Spassky, Candidates' match, Leningrad 1974, game 1, Sicilian Defence, Scheveningen Variation (B83), 0–1 Spassky lost the match, but he started strongly with this win.
References
- ^ "Spassky, Boris V." OlimpBase.
- ^ "Transfers in 2013". FIDE.
- ^ 10th World Champion Boris Spassky: My Knowledge of Chess Openings Was Really Bad Archived April 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine interview in the Sovetsky Sport newspaper, January 20, 2012 (in Russian)
- ^ Spassky Vladimir Alexandrovich Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine in the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church of the XX Century database by Saint Tikhon's Orthodox University (in Russian)
- ISBN 978-5-93675-139-4
- ^ The name Spasski, from Old Russian spasti to save, was a surname adopted by Orthodox priests, affirming their dedication to Jesus Christ as Saviour. A Dictionary of Surnames, OUP, 1988.
- ^ Boris «The Tenth»: I'm Not Even a Pskovian, I'm a Gdovian Archived April 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine interview by the Pskovskaya Pravda newspaper on the Euruchess.org: Russian Chess Portal of the EU, November 27, 2011 (in Russian)
- ^ Iraida Spasskaya. Champion — Sister of a Champion by Mikhail Mikhailov, a local historian for the Virtual Museum of the Sverdlovsky Urban Settlement, 2007 (in Russian)
- ^ "ChessBase News | Boris Spassky: a chess legend turns seventy-five". Chessbase.com. January 30, 2012. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "The chess games of Boris Spassky". chessgames.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
- ^ "Bucharest 1953". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "FIDE Regulates Future Events". Chess Life. Vol. VIII, no. 4. October 20, 1953.
- ^ "URS-ch22 1955". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Wch U20 prel-A 1955 – 365Chess.com Tournaments". 365chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Wch U20 final-A 1955". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Gothenburg Interzonal 1955". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Candidates Tournament 1956 – 365Chess.com Tournaments". 365chess.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "URS-ch23 1956". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "URS-ch23 playoff-1pl 1956". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "URS-ch sf 1956". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ As Boris Spassky said: "I had a very hard three years from 1959 to 1961. My nervous energy was completely destroyed for three years, and I could do nothing right" (Cafferty 1972, p. 21)
- ^ "URS-ch24 1957 – 365Chess.com Tournaments". 365chess.com. January 24, 1957. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "URS-ch25 1958". 365Chess.com. January 13, 1958. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Alekhine mem 1959". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "URS-ch26 1959". 365Chess.com. January 9, 1959. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Riga 1959". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "URS-ch27 1960". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Mar del Plata 1960". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ Di Felice 2010, p. 490
- ^ "Spassky, Boris: World Student Team Chess Championship". Wojciech Bartelski & Co. 2003. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- ^ "Spassky, who never joined the Communist Party, may have been considered politically unreliable. The authorities were particularly unhappy when he lost to William Lombardy of the United States in 1960 at the world students' championship matches. They charged that he had not trained conscientiously enough, had not prepared properly." Schonberg 1973, p. 255.
- ^ "USSR Championship 1961a". Chessgames.com. February 11, 1961. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "URS-ch29 1961". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Capablanca mem 1962". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "URS-ch30 1962". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "URS-ch31 1963". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "URS-ch31 playoff-1pl 1964". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Belgrade 1964". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Chigorin mem 1964". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Moscow zt 1964". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Amsterdam Interzonal 1964". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Candidates qf3 1965". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Candidates sf2 1965". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Candidates final 1965". 365Chess.com. November 1, 1965. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Chigorin mem 1965". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Hastings 6566 1965". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "World Championship 26th 1966". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "World Championship 15th 1934". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Sochi Chigorin mem 04th 1966". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Piatigorsky-Cup 2nd 1966". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Hoogovens 1967". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Sochi 1967". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Candidates qf4 1968". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Candidates sf2 1968". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Candidates final 1968". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Palma de Mallorca 1968". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "World Championship 27th 1969". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "San Juan 1969". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Palma de Mallorca 1969". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "USSR vs. Rest of the World 1970". chessgames.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Leiden 1970". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "IBM 1970". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Gothenburg 1971". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Alekhine mem 1971". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Boris Spassky". chessgames.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
- ^ "History of the World Chess Championship – Fischer vs Spassky 1972 – The Match of the Century". chessgames.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ "Chess games between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer before 1972 (no page title)". chessgames.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ISBN 0-85152-914-3. Archived(PDF) from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ Reshevsky 1972, p. 4, "Spassky's preparation for the match was ostensibly inadequate. He expected his opponent to play only the king pawn opening when Fischer conducted the White pieces. But Fischer surprised him when he switched to the queen pawn opening. Spassky was definitely not at all prepared for the latter."
- ^ Reshevsky 1972, p. 3
- ^ "Tallinn 1973". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "FRG-ch int 1973". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "IBM 1973". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Chigorin mem 1973". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "URS-ch41 1973". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Candidates qf3 1974". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Candidates sf1 1974". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Solingen 1974". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Tallinn 1975". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Moscow 1975". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Manila Interzonal 1976". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Amsterdam m 1977". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Candidates qf4 1977 – 365Chess.com Tournaments". 365chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ "Solingen m1 1977". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Solingen m2 1977". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Candidates sf2 1977". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Candidates final 1977". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Candidates qf3 1980". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Candidates Tournament 1985". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ Wojciech Bartelski. "Olimpbase records 1955–1960". Olimpbase.org. Archived from the original on September 22, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ Wojciech Bartelski. "Olimpbase records 1962". Olimpbase.org. Archived from the original on November 24, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ a b Wojciech Bartelski (January 1, 2011). "Olimpbase records". Olimpbase.org. Archived from the original on March 12, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ Friedel, Frederic (August 18, 2012). "Boris Spassky, fearing death, 'flees' to Russia". ChessBase / Chess News. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
- ^ Khariton, Lev (November 27, 2007). "No Regrets: Boris Spassky at 60". Archived from the original on May 20, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
- ^ "Boris Spassky at Hay-on-Wye". May 26, 2008. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
- ^ "Bugojno 1978". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Montilla 1978". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "FRG-ch int 1979". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ Grand Strategy Biographic appendix by Boris Spassky
- ^ "Baden 1980". 365Chess.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ Learn From Your Defeats, by Anatoly Karpov, Batsford 1985)
- ^ "Linares 1983". chessgames.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
- ^ "Chess games between Boris Spassky and Fernand Gobet in 1987 (no page title)". chessgames.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
- ^ "Plaza (1998)". chessgames.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
- ^ "FIDE Rating List :: January 1982". OlimpBase (original data from FIDE). Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ^ "FIDE Rating List :: July 1982". OlimpBase (original data from FIDE). Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ^ "FIDE Rating List :: January 1983". OlimpBase (original data from FIDE). Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ^ "FIDE Rating List :: July 1983". OlimpBase (original data from FIDE). Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ^ "FIDE Rating List :: January 1986". OlimpBase (original data from FIDE). Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ^ "FIDE Rating List :: July 1986". OlimpBase (original data from FIDE). Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ^ "FIDE Rating List :: January 1987". OlimpBase (original data from FIDE). Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ^ "FIDE Rating List :: July 1987". OlimpBase (original data from FIDE). Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ^ "Belfort World Cup 1988". chessgames.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ^ "Reykjavik World Cup 1988". chessgames.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ^ "Barcelona World Cup 1989". chessgames.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ^ "Angers 1990 – 65ème championnat de France". Heritage des Echecs Francais. Archived from the original on May 2, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ^ "Montpellier 1991 – 66ème championnat de France". Heritage des Echecs Francais. Archived from the original on May 2, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ^ "Fischer Beats Spassky and Carves a New Niche for Himself in Chess". New York Times. November 6, 1992. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Polgar – Spassky (1993) Archived February 8, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, Chessgames.com
- ^ "chess". independent.co.uk. The Independent. July 28, 1995. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
- ^ "Vasily Smyslov". Chess24. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
- ^ "Chess News – Boris Spassky in grave condition". ChessBase.com. September 23, 2010. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ mishanp on (November 26, 2010). "Bits and Pieces #1". Chessintranslation.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ "Boris Spassky, fearing death, 'flees' to Russia". ChessBase.com. August 18, 2012. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ "Spassky's sister: help save my brother!". ChessBase.com. August 23, 2012. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
- ^ "Spassky surfaces – on Russia 1TV's Tonight Show". ChessBase / Chess News. January 30, 2013. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
- ^ McGourty, Colin (March 4, 2016). "Boris Spassky: "I'm waging a war"". Chess24. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
- ^ McGourty, Colin. "Spassky stars as Mamedyarov crushes Tal blitz". Chess24. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-671-21397-8.
- ^ "Spassky to Bush: Arrest me!". chessbase.com. August 10, 2004. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
I would not like to defend or justify Bobby Fischer. He is what he is. I am asking only for one thing. For mercy, charity. If for some reason it is impossible, I would like to ask you the following: Please correct the mistake of President François Mitterrand in 1992. Bobby and myself committed the same crime. Put sanctions against me also. Arrest me. And put me in the same cell with Bobby Fischer. And give us a chess set.
- ^ "KC-Review of 2012 with Sergey Shipov". Crestbook. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ mishanp on (May 11, 2012). "Anand's WhyChess interview". Chessintranslation.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "The most important interviews by GM Vladimir Kramnik, World Chess Champion 2000–2007". Kramnik.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ "Spassky–Bronstein". Chessbase.com. August 29, 2004. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ Evgeni Gik. "Boris Spassky: The Chess King With Very Independent Views" Archived June 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine by RIA Novosti, January 30, 2012 (in Russian)
- ^ Who Would Marry a Chess Master? Archived August 15, 2016, at the Wayback Machine on Chess.com, January 20, 2013
- ^ Andrei Napreenkov. Iraida Spasskaya Is Having a Birthday! Archived June 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine by the Draughts in Russia website, 2004 (in Russian)
- ^ Yes, My Wife Is French... Archived September 28, 2012, at the Wayback Machine by Komsomolskaya Pravda, January 21, 2005 (in Russian)
- ^ Outrage in Russia as Spassky puts name to rabidly anti-Semitic petition Archived October 16, 2018, at the Wayback Machine by Bojan Pancevski, The Telegraph, April 10, 2005
- ^ Boris Spassky, The Tenth World Chess Champion. A Legendary Champion Paid a Visit to The Legendary Magnitka Archived 2016-06-10 at the Wayback Machine by Olga Platonova for Magnitogorsky Metall, a Magnitogorsk city newspaper, 2006-01-21 (in Russian)
Bibliography
- Di Felice, Gino (2010). Chess Results, 1956–1960: A Comprehensive Record With 1,390 Tournament Crosstables and 142 Match Scores, With Sources. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-44803-6.
- ISBN 0-397-01004-4.
Further reading
- Spassky's Best Games by Bernard Cafferty, Batsford, 1969.
- World chess champions by ISBN 0-08-024117-4
- ISBN 978-0-7134-2409-6.
- ISBN 0-486-28674-6.
- No Regrets: Fischer–Spassky by Yasser Seirawan; International Chess Enterprises; March 1997. ISBN 1-879479-08-7
- Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time by David Edmonds and John Eidinow; Ecco, 2004.
- ISBN 1-85744-371-3
- Raetsky, Alexander; Chetverik, Maxim (2006). Boris Spassky: Master of Initiative. ISBN 1-85744-425-6.
External links
- Boris V Spassky chess games at 365Chess.com
- Boris Spassky player profile and games at Chessgames.com
- Boris Spassky Chess Olympiad record at OlimpBase.org
- Interview with Boris Spassky at GrandMaster Square
- Chessbase report of Spassky's stroke
- "Boris Spassky" by Edward Winter