Boris Spassky facts for kids

In this article, the patronymic is Vasilievich and the family name is Spassky.

Quick facts for kids Boris Spassky
Spassky in 1983
Full name	Boris Vasilievich Spassky
Country	Soviet Union (until 1982) France (1982–2013) Russia (from 2013)
Born	(1937-01-30)January 30, 1937 Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died	February 27, 2025(2025-02-27) (aged 88) Moscow, Russia
Title	Grandmaster (1955)
World Champion	1969–1972
FIDE rating	2548 (June 2025) [retired]
Peak rating	2690 (January 1971)
Peak ranking	No. 2 (January 1971)

Boris Vasilievich Spassky (Russian: Бори́с Васи́льевич Спа́сский; January 30, 1937 – February 27, 2025) was a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. Spassky played in three world championship matches. He lost to Tigran Petrosian in 1966. Then, he defeated Petrosian in 1969 to become world champion. Later, he lost his title to Bobby Fischer in a very famous match in 1972.

Spassky won the Soviet Chess Championship twice (in 1961 and 1973). He also tied for first place two other times, but lost in special playoff games. He was a World Chess Championship candidate seven times. This means he was one of the top players trying to earn the right to challenge the world champion. He reached the semi-finals in 1974 and the final in 1977. In 1976, Spassky moved to France and became a French citizen in 1978. He kept playing in tournaments but was no longer a main challenger for the world title. In 1992, he played an unofficial rematch against Fischer. In 2012, he moved back to Russia from France.

Early Life and Chess Beginnings
Chess Career Highlights
Life Since 2000
Legacy in Chess
Personal Life
- Beliefs
- Death
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Chess Beginnings

Spassky was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Russia. He learned to play chess at age five. This happened on a train that was evacuating people from Leningrad during the siege of Leningrad in World War II. During the war, he lived in an orphanage in Siberia.

He first became well-known in 1947 when he was 10 years old. He defeated the Soviet champion Mikhail Botvinnik in a special chess event in Leningrad. Spassky's first coach was Vladimir Zak, a respected chess master. From age 10, Spassky often spent many hours a day studying chess with high-level coaches. He set records for being the youngest Soviet player to reach certain chess ranks. He was a first-category player at 10, a candidate master at 11, and a Soviet Master at 15. In 1952, at 15, Spassky did very well in a Soviet Championship semi-final. He also placed second in the Leningrad Championship that same year.

Chess Career Highlights

Spassky was known for being a very flexible player. He could play well with both the White and Black pieces. His most common openings were the Sicilian Defence and the Ruy Lopez. He was able to beat six different undisputed World Champions at least twice. These champions included Vasily Smyslov, Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian, Bobby Fischer, Anatoly Karpov, and Garry Kasparov.

Becoming a Young Grandmaster

Spassky in 1956

Spassky first played in an international tournament in 1953 when he was sixteen. This was in Bucharest, Romania. He tied for fourth place. In the same year, he was given the title of International Master by FIDE, the world chess organization.

In 1955, Spassky played in his first Soviet Championship final. He tied for third place, which allowed him to play in the Gothenburg Interzonal later that year. An Interzonal is a big tournament where players try to qualify for the World Championship.

In the same year, he won the World Junior Chess Championship in Belgium. By sharing seventh place at the Gothenburg Interzonal, Spassky qualified for the 1956 Candidates' Tournament. This automatically made him a Grandmaster, and he was the youngest player at that time to earn this title.

Facing Challenges

After becoming a Grandmaster, Spassky had some difficult years in chess. He didn't qualify for the next two Interzonals (in 1958 and 1962). This meant he couldn't play for the World Championship.

In 1958, he lost a key game to Mikhail Tal in the Soviet championship. This loss stopped him from qualifying for the Interzonal. Spassky tied for first place in a tournament in Moscow in 1959. He also shared second place in the 26th Soviet final in 1959, finishing behind Tigran Petrosian.

In 1960, Spassky traveled to Argentina. There, he shared first place with Bobby Fischer at the Mar del Plata tournament. He even defeated Fischer in their first game against each other.

Becoming a Top Contender

Spassky decided to change his coach. He started working with Igor Bondarevsky, a calmer player focused on strategy. This change helped him a lot. He won his first Soviet title in 1961.

Spasski (standing) and Larsen (with black), Amsterdam (June 1964).

In 1964, Spassky won the Soviet Zonal tournament in Moscow. This allowed him to move on to the Amsterdam Interzonal in the same year. At Amsterdam, he tied for first place with Mikhail Tal, Vasily Smyslov, and Bent Larsen. All of them qualified for the new Candidates' Matches. With his new coach, Spassky's playing style became stronger and more complete. He also learned to use psychology and surprise in his games, which helped him reach the top.

Challenging for the World Title

Spassky was known as a "universal player" because he could adapt his style to beat many different top grandmasters. In the 1965 Candidates' matches, he defeated Paul Keres and Efim Geller. Then, in the Candidates' Final, he played against Mikhail Tal. Spassky often guided the games into quieter positions to avoid Tal's strong tactical play. He won the match and earned the right to challenge the World Champion.

Spassky played a tough match against Tigran Petrosian for the World Chess Championship in 1966. He lost this match, with Petrosian keeping his title. After this, Spassky played very well in other tournaments. He finished ahead of Petrosian and Bobby Fischer at the Piatigorsky Cup in 1966.

As the losing finalist in 1966, Spassky automatically qualified for the next Candidates' cycle. In 1968, he again defeated Geller and then Bent Larsen. The final match was against his rival Korchnoi. Spassky won this match, which meant he would get another chance to play Petrosian for the World Championship in 1969. Spassky's flexible style was key to his victory over Petrosian, and he became the new World Champion.

World Champion

After winning the title, Spassky played in several tournaments. He won in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1969. In March–April 1970, Spassky played for the Soviet team in the famous USSR vs World event in Belgrade. He played against Bent Larsen. He also won a tournament in Leiden in 1970, beating Mikhail Botvinnik, who was playing his last serious tournament.

The Match of the Century: Spassky vs. Fischer

Spassky was World Champion for three years. He lost his title to Bobby Fischer of the United States in 1972. This match is famously known as the "Match of the Century." It took place in Reykjavík, Iceland. This was during the Cold War, so the match was seen as a symbol of the competition between the two superpowers.

Spassky agreed to many of Fischer's demands, even moving one game to a side room. The Fischer vs. Spassky World Championship was the most watched chess match in history. News outlets all over the world reported on it. Even the US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, spoke with Fischer to encourage him to play.

Before the match, Fischer had never beaten Spassky in five tries. Spassky also had Efim Geller as his coach, who had a good record against Fischer. However, Fischer won the title match with a score of 12½ to 8½.

After the Championship

Albin Planinc vs. Boris Spassky in 1973

In 1973, Spassky tied for first place at a tournament in Dortmund. He also won the 41st Soviet Chess Championship in Moscow. In the 1974 Candidates' matches, Spassky first defeated American Robert Byrne. However, he then lost the semi-final match to Anatoly Karpov.

Spassky in 1980

In 1976, Spassky played in the Interzonal tournament in Manila. He didn't qualify for the Candidates' matches directly, but he was chosen to play after Bobby Fischer declined his spot. Spassky won a match against Dutch Grandmaster Jan Timman in 1977. He also won his quarterfinal Candidates' match against Vlastimil Hort. During this match, Spassky became ill, but Hort showed great sportsmanship by using one of his own rest days to give Spassky more time to recover. Spassky eventually won the match.

Spassky then won against Lajos Portisch to reach the Candidates' final. In the final, he lost to Korchnoi in 1977–78. Spassky continued to play in Candidates' events in 1980 and 1985, but he did not qualify for the final stages again.

Playing for Teams

Spassky at the Thessaloniki Olympiad, 1984

Spassky played for the USSR in many team events. He played five times in Student Olympiads, winning eight medals, mostly gold. He also played twice for the USSR in the European Team Championships, winning four gold medals.

Spassky played seven times for the Soviet team in the Chess Olympiads, which are like the Olympics for chess. He won thirteen medals in total. He played on the top board for the USSR in the 1970 Chess Olympiad, where the team won gold. He also played board one for the USSR in the famous USSR vs. Rest of the World match in 1970.

After moving to France, Spassky represented France in three Chess Olympiads. He played on board one for France in each of these events.

Later Career and Life

Spassky in 1989

In his later years, Spassky did not focus on chess as much as before. He moved to France in 1976 and became a French citizen in 1978. He lived with his wife near Paris.

However, Spassky still had some great wins. In 1978, he tied for first place with Anatoly Karpov at a tournament in Bugojno. He also won tournaments in Montilla–Moriles (1978) and Reykjavík (1985). In 1983, he won the Linares tournament, finishing ahead of Karpov. His chess rating was among the world's top ten throughout the early 1980s.

In 1992, Bobby Fischer returned to chess after 20 years. He arranged a "Revenge Match of the 20th century" against Spassky. Spassky lost the match, but he earned a lot of money from it. In 1993, Spassky played against the young chess star Judit Polgár and lost by a small margin. He continued to play in occasional events throughout the 1990s.

Life Since 2000

Spassky in France in 2009

On October 1, 2006, Spassky had a minor stroke during a chess lecture. In 2007, he played a six-game match against Hungarian Grandmaster Lajos Portisch and drew.

On March 27, 2010, at 73 years old, he became the oldest living former World Chess Champion after Vasily Smyslov passed away. On September 23, 2010, Spassky suffered a more serious stroke that affected his left side. He went back to France for a long recovery program. On August 16, 2012, Spassky returned to Russia and lived in Moscow.

In 2016, he gave a public speech at the opening of the Tal Memorial chess tournament. He spoke fondly of Mikhail Tal.

Legacy in Chess

Spassky, 2009

Spassky was at his best in the mid-1950s and the mid-to-late 1960s. He was known for his sportsmanship, even applauding Fischer during their 1972 match. He was also a strong supporter of Fischer later in life.

Many people describe Spassky as a "universal player." This means he was good at all parts of the game. He wasn't just an expert in openings, but he was excellent in the middle part of the game and with chess tactics.

He was not only one of the greatest players of the Soviet era and the world, but also a true gentleman. His contributions to chess will never be forgotten.

—Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE president

Spassky used many different chess openings successfully. He even used the King's Gambit, an aggressive and risky opening rarely seen at the top level. A chess game in the James Bond movie From Russia With Love was based on a game Spassky played using this opening.

He also helped develop new ideas in chess openings. For example, he helped bring back the Marshall Attack for Black in the Ruy Lopez opening. He also developed the Leningrad Variation for White in the Nimzo-Indian Defence.

Spassky was played by actor Liev Schreiber in the 2014 film Pawn Sacrifice, which was about the 1972 match with Bobby Fischer.

Personal Life

Boris Spassky was married three times. He had a daughter from his first marriage and a son from his second marriage. His third marriage was in France in 1975 to Marina Yurievna Shcherbachova. They had a son in 1980.

His younger sister, Iraida Spasskaya, is also a very good player. She was a four-time champion of the Soviet Union in Russian draughts (checkers).

Spassky once talked about his calm approach to chess. Bobby Fischer noted that Spassky kept the "same dead expression whether he's mating or being mated." This meant it was hard to tell what he was thinking during a game.

Beliefs

In 2006, Boris Spassky said he was an Orthodox Christian. He also described himself as a monarchist, meaning he supported a system with a king or queen, and a Russian nationalist.