(Boris Vasil’evich Spasskii). Born Jan. 30, 1937, in Leningrad. Soviet chess player. Grand master of the USSR and international grand master (1956); Honored Master of Sport (1964). Journalist. Spassky graduated from Leningrad State University in 1959. He was chess champion of the USSR in 1962 and 1973 and world champion from 1969 to 1972, defeating T. V. Petrosian. He also held the world youth championship title in 1955.