Vasily Smyslov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vasily Smyslov
Smyslov in 1977
Full name	Vasily Vasilyevich (Vasilievich) Smyslov
Country	Soviet Union
Born	(1921-03-24)24 March 1921 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died	27 March 2010(2010-03-27) (aged 89) Moscow, Russia
Title	Grandmaster
World Champion	1957–58
Peak rating	2620 (July 1971)

Vasily Smyslov (Russian: Васи́лий Васи́льевич Смысло́в, tr. Vasíliy Vasíl'yevich Smyslóv; March 24, 1921 – March 27, 2010) was a famous Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster. He was the World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. Smyslov tried to win the World Chess Championship eight times. He also tied for first place twice at the USSR Chess Championships.

Smyslov holds a record for winning 17 medals at the Chess Olympiads. He also won ten gold medals in five European Team Championships. He continued to play chess and succeed in tournaments even after he turned sixty. Besides chess, Smyslov was also a talented baritone singer.

Early Life and Chess Beginnings

Vasily Smyslov was born into a Russian family. He became interested in chess when he was just six years old. His father, Vasily Osipovich Smyslov, was an engineering technician. He had played chess for his college team. Smyslov's father also learned chess from the great master Mikhail Chigorin. He became Vasily's first chess teacher.

His father gave him a book by Alexander Alekhine, a future world champion. Smyslov later said this book was always with him. He also read many other chess books and magazines from his father's library. He especially liked the games of Mikhail Chigorin. He also studied the ideas of Aron Nimzowitsch and other Soviet masters.

Smyslov started playing in chess tournaments when he was 14. In 1938, at age 17, he won the USSR Junior Championship. That same year, he tied for first place in the Moscow City Chess Championship. His first big tournament outside Moscow was in 1939. He finished 12th in a very strong competition. But he quickly improved, taking second place in the Moscow Championship of 1939–40.

Chess During World War II

Smyslov played very well in his first Soviet final in 1940. He finished third, even ahead of the champion, Mikhail Botvinnik. This was the strongest Soviet tournament at that time. It included players from countries that had joined the USSR.

In 1941, the Soviet Federation held an "Absolute Championship." Only the top six players from the 1940 event competed. Each player played their opponents four times. Smyslov finished third, showing he was a world-class player at just 20 years old. This was a rare achievement.

World War II stopped most international chess. But Soviet players still had tournaments. Smyslov did not have to join the military because of his eyesight. He won the 1942 Moscow Championship. He also did well in other tournaments during the war. By 1944, Smyslov was one of the top three Soviet players.

After the war, Smyslov had a tough time in some Soviet tournaments. But he proved his skill at the 1946 Groningen tournament in the Netherlands. He finished third, confirming he was one of the world's best players.

Journey to Become World Champion

Smyslov was one of five players chosen for the 1948 World Chess Championship. This tournament decided the new champion after Alexander Alekhine passed away. Smyslov finished second, right behind Mikhail Botvinnik.

Because he finished second in 1948, Smyslov got to play directly in the 1950 Candidates Tournament. He finished third, which meant he qualified for the next Candidates' tournament too. In 1950, FIDE gave him the official title of International Grandmaster.

Smyslov won the Candidates Tournament in Zürich in 1953. He was two points ahead of other strong players. This win meant he would play Mikhail Botvinnik for the world title in 1954. Their match in Moscow ended in a draw after 24 games. Each player won seven games, and ten were drawn. Because it was a draw, Botvinnik kept his title.

Becoming World Champion

Botvinnik vs. Smyslov (right) at the World Chess Championship 1957

Smyslov won the Candidates' Tournament again in 1956. This led to another world championship match against Botvinnik in 1957. With help from his coaches, Smyslov won the match with a score of 12½–9½. He became the new World Chess Champion!

The next year, Botvinnik had the right to a rematch. He won the title back with a score of 12½–10½. Smyslov later said he faced challenges during the return match. He also said that Botvinnik had prepared very well. Even though Smyslov was only champion for a year, he was happy. He wrote that he had fulfilled his dream of becoming the seventh world champion.

Later World Championship Attempts

Smyslov at the Amsterdam Interzonal in 1964

Smyslov did not win another World Championship. But he kept playing in the qualifying events. In 1959, he was a Candidate but finished fourth. The young star Mikhail Tal won that tournament. Smyslov missed out in 1962. But he returned in 1964, tying for first place at the Amsterdam Interzonal tournament. However, he lost his first match to Efim Geller.

In 1983, when he was 62 years old, Smyslov made it to the Candidates' Final. This match decided who would play the champion, Anatoly Karpov. Smyslov lost to Garry Kasparov, who was only 21 at the time. Kasparov later became world champion in 1985. Smyslov had beaten Zoltán Ribli in the semifinal. He drew his quarter-final match against Robert Hübner. Smyslov advanced only because of a random spin of a roulette wheel! His last Candidates' appearance was in 1985, but he did not advance further.

Soviet Championships and Other Tournaments

Smyslov often played in the Soviet Championships. He had many great successes there. In 1940, as a teenager, he finished third. In 1944, he was second. In 1947, he shared third place.

He was a joint winner of the championship in 1949. He also tied for first in 1955. Smyslov was ranked by FIDE as one of the top 15 players in the world for almost 40 years, from the late 1940s to the early 1980s.

Smyslov played in many important tournaments throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. He often finished in the top three. He won the Chigorin Memorial in 1951. He shared first place at the Hastings Congress in 1954–55. He was the clear winner at Zagreb in 1955. He also shared first place with Botvinnik at the Alekhine Memorial in Moscow in 1956. He won several tournaments in his hometown of Moscow.

His strong play continued into the 1960s. He won at the Capablanca Memorial in 1964 and 1965. He also won at Mar del Plata and the Rubinstein Memorial in 1966. In 1967, he won in Moscow. He ended the 1960s with victories at Monte Carlo and Hastings.

Karpov (left), Euwe (bottom) and Smyslov at the 1977 Tilburg chess tournament

Smyslov continued to play well in the 1970s and beyond. He won in Amsterdam in 1971. He topped the Capablanca Memorial in 1973. He won at Reykjavík in 1974 and at Szolnok in 1975. In 1977, he finished third in Leningrad, even ahead of the world champion, Anatoly Karpov. He won in São Paulo in 1978 and in Berlin in 1979.

In the 1980s, he shared first place at San Miguel and Copenhagen in 1980. He was first at Graz in 1984. He continued to play in tournaments even in the 1990s. He shared first place in Buenos Aires in 1990.

Team Competitions

Smyslov played for the Soviet Union nine times at the chess Olympiads. He played from 1952 to 1972. He helped his team win gold medals every time he played. He also won eight individual medals. His total of 17 Olympiad medals is an all-time record!

Here are some of his amazing Olympiad results:

• Helsinki 1952: He won the individual gold medal.
• Amsterdam 1954: He won the individual bronze medal.
• Munich 1958: He won the individual silver medal.
• Leipzig 1960: He scored very high and won the gold medal.
• Tel Aviv 1964: He won another gold medal.
• Lugano 1968: He had an amazing score and won another gold medal.
• Siegen 1970: He won the bronze medal.
• Skopje 1972: At 51 years old, he won the silver medal.

His overall score at the Olympiads was very impressive. It is the fifth-best performance ever for players who played in at least four Olympiads. Smyslov also played for the USSR in five European Team Championships. He won five team gold medals and five board gold medals in these events.

Smyslov also played for the USSR in matches against teams representing the Rest of the World in 1970 and 1984. The Soviet teams won both matches.

Final Years and Retirement

Smyslov congratulates Yuri Averbakh at his 80th birthday and presents him with a book of his own chess studies.

In 1991, Smyslov won the first-ever World Senior Chess Championship. He continued to play chess even when he was 80 years old. In 2000, he played in his last tournament, the Klompendans Veterans Vs. Ladies Tournament in Amsterdam. He played very well against Zsofia Polgar. Smyslov officially stopped playing competitive chess after this tournament.

Vasily Smyslov passed away on March 27, 2010, in Moscow. He was 89 years old.

Chess Style and Legacy

Smyslov was known for his "positional style" of play. This means he was very good at placing his pieces to control the board. He was especially skilled at the endgame, the final part of a chess game. But he also had many games with exciting tactical moves.

He used common openings for his time, like the Ruy Lopez and English Opening as White. As Black, he often played the Sicilian Defense and Nimzo-Indian Defense. Smyslov made big contributions to chess opening theory. Several chess variations are named after him:

• The Smyslov Variation in the Closed Ruy Lopez.
• The Smyslov Variation in the Grünfeld Defence.
• The Smyslov Variation in the Slav Defence.
• A variation in the King's Indian Defense.

Stanley Kubrick even named a character after Smyslov in his famous movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Opera Singing

Smyslov was a talented baritone singer. He almost chose a career in music instead of chess! He even auditioned for the famous Bolshoi Theatre in 1950 but was not accepted. He sometimes gave singing performances during chess tournaments. His friend, Grandmaster and pianist Mark Taimanov, often played the piano for him. Smyslov once wrote that he tried to create harmony on the chessboard, just like in music.

Personal Life

Smyslov with wife at the 1956 Candidates Tournament

Vasily Smyslov was married to Nadezhda Smyslova for over 50 years. They met in 1948. Nadezhda had a son from a previous marriage who was also a chess player. Vasily and Nadezhda did not have any children together. Nadezhda often traveled with her husband to his big tournaments to support him.

Books by Smyslov

• Vasily Smyslov (2003) Smyslov's Best Games, Volume 1: 1935–1957
• Vasily Smyslov (2003) Smyslov's Best Games, Volume 2: 1958–1995
• Vasily Smyslov (1997) Endgame Virtuoso
• Vasily Smyslov (1995) Smyslov's 125 Selected Games
• Grigory Levenfish and Vasily Smyslov (1971) Rook Endings

Notable Games

• Tigran Petrosian vs Vasily Smyslov, USSR Championship, Moscow 1949: Smyslov won against a future World Champion.
• Vasily Smyslov vs Efim Geller, USSR Championship, Moscow 1951: Smyslov showed his skill in the Closed Sicilian opening.
• Paul Keres vs Vasily Smyslov, Zurich Candidates' Tournament 1953: Smyslov won a key game to help him win the tournament.
• Vasily Smyslov vs Mikhail Botvinnik, World Championship Match, Moscow 1954, game 9: Smyslov made a stunning move, sacrificing his queen to win.
• Mikhail Botvinnik vs Vasily Smyslov, World Championship Match, Moscow 1954, game 14: Smyslov used deep preparation and clever tactics, including another queen sacrifice, to win a beautiful game.
• Vasily Smyslov vs David Bronstein, Candidates' Tournament, Amsterdam 1956: Smyslov won a crucial game to qualify for the championship match.
• Vasily Smyslov vs Mikhail Tal, Candidates' Tournament, Yugoslavia 1959: Smyslov gave the young star Tal a lesson in their first game.
• Robert Fischer vs Vasily Smyslov, Candidates' Tournament, Yugoslavia 1959: Smyslov showed the 16-year-old Fischer new ideas in an opening Fischer often used.
• Vasily Smyslov vs Boris Spassky, Moscow vs Leningrad team match 1960: Smyslov quickly defeated Spassky.
• Vasily Smyslov vs Anatoly Karpov, USSR Championship, Leningrad 1971: Smyslov, 30 years older than Karpov, won in just 29 moves.
• Vasily Smyslov vs Zoltán Ribli, World Championship Candidates Semi-final, London 1983: A great game from Smyslov's semifinal win, with several sacrifices.

Images for kids

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  Smyslov in 1977

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  Botvinnik vs. Smyslov (right) at the World Chess Championship 1957

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  Smyslov at the Amsterdam Interzonal in 1964

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  Karpov (left), Euwe (bottom) and Smyslov at the 1977 Tilburg chess tournament

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  Smyslov congratulates Yuri Averbakh at his 80th birthday and presents him with a book of his own chess studies.

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  Smyslov with wife at the 1956 Candidates Tournament

See also

In Spanish: Vasili Smyslov para niños