Vasily Smyslov

Smyslov – Rudakovsky · 1945 · 1–0

14th Soviet Championship, Moscow 1945 — a model Sicilian attack that entered the textbooks: 17.Nd5 plants a dominating knight, then the f5–f6 pawn lever and 23.Qh4 tear open Rudakovsky's king.

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Smyslov – Kottnauer · 1946 · 1–0

Groningen 1946, Smyslov's first great international event — a crushing 21-move miniature: the central break 13.e5 and the knight thrusts 16.Nc6 and 18.Nc5 demolish Kottnauer's Scheveningen Sicilian.

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Smyslov – Euwe · 1948 · 1–0

World Championship Tournament, The Hague/Moscow 1948 — Smyslov beats former World Champion Max Euwe in an Open Ruy Lopez, the passed pawn 18.e6 and 19.Rd7 paralysing Black; Smyslov finished second in the event that crowned Botvinnik.

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Petrosian – Smyslov · 1949 · 0–1

17th Soviet Championship, Moscow 1949 — the first meeting of two future World Champions; as Black, Smyslov outmanoeuvres Petrosian from a Scheveningen Sicilian and wins the endgame.

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Keres – Smyslov · 1953 · 0–1

Zürich Candidates 1953 — a decisive late-round game in the tournament Smyslov won to earn his first title match: as Black he beats back Keres's kingside storm (20.Rxh7) and counters with the passed c-pawn, 25...c2 winning.

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Smyslov – Botvinnik · 1954 · 1–0

World Championship match 1954, Game 9 — widely regarded as Smyslov's finest game of the match: a sharp French Winawer in which the tactics around 19.Qxe4 and 21.Bb5+ net a winning material advantage, the h-pawn running home by move 25.

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Botvinnik – Smyslov · 1954 · 0–1

World Championship match 1954, Game 14 — one of the most famous games in championship history ('The Peasant's Revolt'): out of deep home preparation in the King's Indian, 20...Bb7! offers the queen, and after 21.Rb1 Nf3+ 22.Kh1 Bxa8 23.Rxb2 Smyslov nets three minor pieces for the queen and wins.

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Smyslov – Bronstein · 1956 · 1–0

Amsterdam Candidates 1956 — a hard-fought 57-move win over David Bronstein from the tournament Smyslov won by 1½ points, securing his second World Championship match with Botvinnik.

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Uhlmann – Smyslov · 1956 · 0–1

Alekhine Memorial, Moscow 1956 — an 18-move miniature: as Black, Smyslov's knight raid 13...Nd4, 15...Nc2 and 16...Nxa1 wins the exchange, and 18...Ba3 leaves Uhlmann's queen trapped.

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Smyslov – Botvinnik · 1957 · 1–0

World Championship match 1957 — from the match Smyslov won 12½–9½ to become the seventh World Champion; he beats Botvinnik in Botvinnik's own Grünfeld, the far-advanced c6-pawn and the exchange sacrifice 23.Rxd5 deciding.

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Fischer – Smyslov · 1959 · 0–1

Candidates Tournament 1959 (Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade) — as Black against the 16-year-old Bobby Fischer's Sozin Sicilian, Smyslov refutes Fischer's 28.Bxh6 sacrifice and wins the endgame; a win over a future World Champion.

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Smyslov – Spassky · 1959 · 1–0

Leningrad–Moscow match 1959 — a 22-move win over future World Champion Boris Spassky: a Maróczy-bind squeeze in which the break 18.f5 cracks Black open and Spassky resigns by move 22.

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Smyslov – Tal · 1969 · 1–0

37th Soviet Championship, Moscow 1969 — Smyslov beats former World Champion Mikhail Tal in his own element, the endgame: from a queenless Symmetrical English he nurses a passed c-pawn home to victory.

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Smyslov – Karpov · 1971 · 1–0

39th Soviet Championship, Leningrad 1971 — the 50-year-old Smyslov overruns the rising 20-year-old Anatoly Karpov, marching the passed d-pawn d5–d6–d7 to queen it in 29 moves.

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Smyslov – Ribli · 1983 · 1–0

Candidates semifinal, London 1983 — at 62 Smyslov plays the finest game of a match that carried him to within one round of the world title, a cascade of sacrifices (28.Rxe6+, 31.Nd5+) overwhelming Zoltán Ribli.

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Smyslov – Ivanchuk · 1988 · 1–0

55th Soviet Championship 1988 — at 67, Smyslov outplays the 19-year-old rising star Vasyl Ivanchuk, the rook lift 28.Re7 and precise technique defeating an opponent nearly fifty years his junior.

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