Boris Spassky (Tenth World Chess Champion) Bio

Boris Spassky

Tenth World Chess Champion

Boris Spassky was the tenth World Chess Champion. He was born January 30, 1937. Spassky is a Russian, formerly French, formerly Soviet chessgrandmaster. He held the title from 1969 to 1972. Boris Spassky is known as one of the greatest living chess players, and is the oldest living world champion.

            Boris Spassky was a well-rounded champion who excelled in all areas of the game. He was not an opening expert in terms of depth of knowledge, but Spassky did play a wide variety of systems well throughout his career. His play was flexible and adaptable to the situation at hand, which made him a difficult opponent to prepare for.

            It is characteristic that Spassky has never in his life started a game with 1.Nf3. He must have considered it a 'semi-move', real moves being only those that lead to an immediate fight. All of those notorious opening peculiarities (such as avoiding this, that, and the other and preventing the other that and this) seemed repulsive to him. Boris Spassky was the first great chess player to use both 1.e4 and 1.d4 with equal success. He managed to employ these moves more harmoniously than any other world champion.

Spassky versus Fisher

1972

1. e4c5 2. Nf3d6 3. d4cd4 4. Nd4Nf6 5. Nc3a6 6. Bg5e6 7. f4Qb6 8. Qd2Qb2 9. Nb3Qa3 10. Bf6gf6 11. Be2h5 12. O-ONc6 13. Kh1Bd7 14. Nb1Qb4 15. Qe3d5 16. ed5Ne7 17. c4Nf5 18. Qd3h4 19. Bg4Nd6 20. N1d2f5 21. a3Qb6 22. c5Qb5 23. Qc3fg4 24. a4h3 25. ab5hg2 26. Kg2Rh3 27. Qf6Nf5 28. c6Bc8 29. de6fe6 30. Rfe1Be7 31. Re6