Boris Spassky
Notable Games

Boris Spassky

20 celebrated games · 893 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 893 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1960.02.20 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsBronstein, David Ionovich 1-0 King's Gambit Accepted: Modern Defense 23 moves URS-ch27 Final 27th USSR Championship, Leningrad 1960 — Spassky's most celebrated King's Gambit. The knight leap 15.Nd6 and the sacrifice 16.Nxf7! tore open Bronstein's king in 23 moves; a position from this game was later re-created on the board in the James Bond film From Russia with Love.
  • 1960.03.30 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsFischer, Robert James 1-0 King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Berlin Defense, Rubinstein Variation 29 moves Mar del Plata International-23 Mar del Plata 1960 — Spassky beat the 17-year-old Bobby Fischer with the King's Gambit in their first encounter. The loss in this 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 Kieseritzky line is often cited as the spur for Fischer's article 'A Bust to the King's Gambit.'
  • 1965.11.22 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations 41 moves Candidates f Spassky-Tal +4-1=6 1965 Candidates final — a Closed Sicilian win over former World Champion Mikhail Tal. Spassky exchanged into a superior ending and queened a passed c-pawn (39.c6, 41.Rc6) to take the match +4−1 and earn his first shot at the world title.
  • 1966.06.06 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 French Defense: Classical Variation 31 moves World-ch25 Petrosian-Spassky +4-3=17 1966 World Championship match — a French Defence win over titleholder Tigran Petrosian during Spassky's first, narrowly lost, title challenge. After 15.Qg5 forced the queens off, he converted the ending with a passed b-pawn (30.b5, 31.Bc6+).
  • 1968.04 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsGeller, Efim P 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Closed 32 moves Candidates qf Spassky-Geller +3-0=5 1968 Candidates quarterfinal — one of three Closed Sicilian wins with which Spassky swept Efim Geller +3−0. The f-file attack crashed through with 23.Rxf6! and 25.Nxf7!, exposing Geller's king to a decisive assault.
  • 1968.07.09 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsLarsen, Bent 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Closed 52 moves Candidates sf Spassky-Larsen +4-1=3 1968 Candidates semifinal — a hard-fought Closed Sicilian against Bent Larsen. Spassky broke through on the kingside and ground out a sharp minor-piece endgame in 52 moves on the way to a +4−1 match victory.
  • 1968.09.19 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Panno Formation 35 moves Candidates f Spassky-Kortschnoj +4-1=5 1968 Candidates final — the King's Indian Sämisch win over Viktor Korchnoi that made Spassky the challenger. Castling long, he stormed the kingside with h4–h5 and finished with 34.Ne6+ and 35.Qh6+.
  • 1969.04.23 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Exchange Variation 30 moves World-ch26 Spassky-Petrosian +6-4=13 1969 World Championship match — a Semi-Tarrasch win over Tigran Petrosian in the match that made Spassky the tenth World Champion. He seized the centre with 15.d5 and drove the passed d-pawn to the seventh rank (22.d7).
  • 1969.06.04 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 24 moves World-ch26 Spassky-Petrosian +6-4=13 1969 World Championship match, Game 19 ('Taming the Tiger') — a 24-move Sicilian crush that swung the match Spassky's way. He castled queenside, stormed with 15.g4 and 18.f5, broke open the centre with 21.e5, and mated after 23.Qg6 and 24.Ng5.
  • 1970.09.19 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsFischer, Robert James 1-0 Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Classical Variation 39 moves Olympiad-19 Final A Siegen Olympiad 1970 — Spassky's celebrated last win over Bobby Fischer before their 1972 title match. In a Grünfeld Exchange he won the two bishops, planted the knight on f6 (28.Nf6+), and broke through with 29.Qxe6 and 39.Rf8+.
  • 1970.03.29 Larsen, Bent vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 0-1 Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Modern Variation 17 moves Match/Team URS-World 20,5-19,5 USSR vs Rest of the World, Belgrade 1970 — one of the most famous miniatures ever played. Answering Larsen's 1.b3 on board one, Spassky (Black) attacked at once, deflected with 14…Rh1!, queened on g2, and forced resignation in just 17 moves.
  • 1972.08.06 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsFischer, Robert James 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation 31 moves World-ch27 Fischer-Spassky +7-3=11 1972 World Championship match, Game 11 ('Crime and Punishment') — Spassky met Fischer's Poisoned Pawn Najdorf head-on. The surprising retreat 14.Nb1 caught Fischer unprepared and Spassky trapped his queen, handing Fischer his only defeat ever as Black in the Poisoned Pawn.
  • 1977.07 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsPortisch, Lajos 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer Defense, Zaitsev Hybrid 40 moves Candidates sf Spassky-Portisch +4-2=9 1977 Candidates semifinal — a Ruy Lopez Breyer win over Lajos Portisch. Spassky sacrificed a knight on the kingside with 27.Nxh5, tore open the black king, and mopped up with the two bishops (38.Rxf8+, 39.Bxd6+) to help win the match and reach the Candidates final.
  • 1985.10 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsSeirawan, Yasser 1-0 King's Gambit Accepted: Bonsch-Osmolovsky Variation 32 moves Candidates Tournament Montpellier Montpellier Candidates 1985 — at 48, Spassky was still wheeling out his beloved King's Gambit, even walking his king to f2 (8.Kf2). He outplayed Yasser Seirawan in the resulting complications to win in 32 moves.
  • 1988 Andruet, Gilles vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 0-1 Bogo-Indian Defense: Exchange Variation 28 moves Bundesliga 8788 Bundesliga 1987–88 — a late brilliancy from the 51-year-old former champion. Playing Black in a Bogo-Indian, Spassky lifted his rook with 25…Ra3, planted a knight on e5, and landed the queen on f3 (28…Qf3) to force resignation.
  • 1958.01.14 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsPolugaevsky, Lev 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 41 moves URS-ch25 Final Riga 1958 — a 41-move win with White against Lev Polugaevsky. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 49 (PDF page 94).
  • 1969.04.21 Petrosian, Tigran V vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 0-1 Tarrasch Defense: Classical Variation, Spassky Variation 41 moves World-ch26 Spassky-Petrosian +6-4=13 World Championship 1969, game 4 — a 41-move win with Black against Tigran V Petrosian. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 75 (PDF page 140).
  • 1972.07.11 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsFischer, Robert James 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bernstein Defense 56 moves Reykjavik Match 1972 Reykjavik 1972 — a 56-move win with White against Robert James Fischer. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part IV, game 102 (PDF page 897).
  • 1973.10.06 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsTukmakov, Vladimir B 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 35 moves URS-ch41 Final Moscow 1973 — a 35-move win with White against Vladimir B Tukmakov. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 80 (PDF page 151).
  • 1981.10.06 Kasparov, Garry vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Benoni Defense, Advance Variation 66 moves Interpolis-05 Tilburg 1981 — a 66-move win with Black against Garry Kasparov. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 84 (PDF page 158).
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