Spassky Variation in the Caro-Kann Defence

Boris Vasilievich Spassky born January 30, 1937) is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972. He is known as one of the greatest and oldest living chess players.

Spassky won the Soviet Chess Championship twice outright (1961, 1973), and twice more lost in playoffs (1956, 1963), after tying for first during the event proper. He was a World Chess Championship candidate on seven occasions (1956, 1965, 1968, 1974, 1977, 1980, and 1985). He was a part of the Fischer-Spassky chess match in 1972, one of the most famous chess matches in history.

Spassky's reign as world champion lasted three years, as he lost to Fischer of the United States in 1972 in the "Match of the Century". The contest took place in Reykjavík, Iceland, at the height of the Cold War, 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 Spassky World championship was the most widely covered chess match in history, as mainstream media throughout the world covered the match. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger spoke with Fischer urging him to play the match, and chess was at its apex. The match could not have occurred without Spassky's tremendous sportsmanship, accommodating many demands of Fischer, refusing to use these demands as an opportunity to win by forfeit.

Going into the match, Fischer had never won a game from Spassky in five attempts, losing three. In addition, Spassky had secured Geller as his coach, who also had a plus score against Fischer. However, Fischer was in excellent form, and won the title match convincingly (+7 -3 =11), with one of the three losses by default.

The match could be divided into halves, the first won convincingly by Fischer, and the second a close battle. Before Spassky, Taimanov, Larsen, and Petrosian, had lost convincingly to Fischer, but Spassky maintained his composure and competitiveness.

Spassky was considered an all-rounder on the chess board, and his adaptable "universal style" was a distinct advantage in beating many top grandmasters. He gained the grandmaster title at the age of 19 and was then the youngest to hold the title. He had played against all notable chess players from the 1950s to 1980s, many of  whom have their names attached in many chess openings like Taimanov, Keres, Geller, Tal, Smyslov, and the list could go on. The game below is one of his classic games.

The above was supposed to be an intro for these three games we are using as references for a game we are playing in Team Vote Chess. This is the Spassky Variation in the Caro-Kann Defence played by GM Akopian. In this opening,  GM Vladimir Akopian casually beat his lower rated opponent but couldn't find away to win against GM Evgeny Bereev.

I am now playing with Gambit Lines. I encourage my friends to join Gambit Lines where views from everyone are heard. There are team captains who moderate discussions well. Every move is openly analyzed and questions are properly entertained. I will be happy to see my friends from all the groups that we meet at the Gambit Lines and continue the fun in TVC.