Vasily Smyslov
Notable Games

Vasily Smyslov

20 celebrated games · 991 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 991 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1945 Smyslov, Vasily V vsRudakovsky, Iosif 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Modern Variation 28 moves URS-ch14 Final 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.
  • 1946.08.30 Smyslov, Vasily V vsKottnauer, Cenek 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation 21 moves Staunton Memorial 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.
  • 1948.05.03 Smyslov, Vasily V vsEuwe, Max 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack 26 moves World-ch17 Tournament 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.
  • 1949.10.17 Petrosian, Tigran V vsSmyslov, Vasily V 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation 46 moves URS-ch17 Final 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.
  • 1953.10.13 Keres, Paul vsSmyslov, Vasily V 0-1 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System 28 moves Candidates Tournament 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.
  • 1954.04.03 Smyslov, Vasily V vsBotvinnik, Mikhail 1-0 French Defense: Winawer Variation, Retreat Variation, Armenian Line 25 moves World-ch19 Botvinnik-Symslov +7-7=10 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.
  • 1954.04.15 Botvinnik, Mikhail vsSmyslov, Vasily V 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Classical Variation 33 moves World-ch19 Botvinnik-Symslov +7-7=10 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.
  • 1956.04.25 Smyslov, Vasily V vsBronstein, David Ionovich 1-0 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, King's Knight Variation 57 moves Candidates Tournament 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.
  • 1956.10.12 Uhlmann, Wolfgang vsSmyslov, Vasily V 0-1 Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Quiet Line 18 moves Alekhine Memorial-01 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.
  • 1957.03.19 Smyslov, Vasily V vsBotvinnik, Mikhail 1-0 Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Smyslov Variation 28 moves World-ch20 Smyslov-Botvinnik +6-3=13 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.
  • 1959.10.13 Fischer, Robert James vsSmyslov, Vasily V 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack 48 moves Candidates Tournament 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.
  • 1959 Smyslov, Vasily V vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Maróczy Bind, Réti Variation 22 moves Match/City Leningrad-Moscow 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.
  • 1969.09.14 Smyslov, Vasily V vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Double Fianchetto 42 moves URS-ch37 Final 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.
  • 1971.09.27 Smyslov, Vasily V vsKarpov, Anatoly 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation 29 moves URS-ch39 Final 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.
  • 1983.12.01 Smyslov, Vasily V vsRibli, Zoltan 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line 41 moves Candidates sf Smyslov-Ribli +3-1=7 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.
  • 1988.07 Smyslov, Vasily V vsIvanchuk, Vassily 1-0 Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian 52 moves URS-ch55 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.
  • 1944.01 Smyslov, Vasily V vsKotov, Alexander 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Closed 42 moves Moscow-ch23 Moscow 1944 — a 42-move win with White against Alexander Kotov. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part II, game 83 (PDF page 571).
  • 1945.09.03 Reshevsky, Samuel Herman vsSmyslov, Vasily V 0-1 Slav Defense: Alekhine Variation 71 moves Match/Nation URS-USA (8-2) (7,5-2,5) Radio 1945 — a 71-move win with Black against Samuel Herman Reshevsky. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part II, game 85 (PDF page 583).
  • 1953.09.09 Geller, Efim P vsSmyslov, Vasily V 0-1 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation 54 moves Candidates Tournament Zuerich 1953, Candidates round 7 — a 54-move win with Black against Efim P Geller. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part II, game 92 (PDF page 629).
  • 1957.04.13 Botvinnik, Mikhail vsSmyslov, Vasily V 0-1 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Slav Formation 69 moves World-ch20 Smyslov-Botvinnik +6-3=13 World Championship 1957, game 17 — a 69-move win with Black against Mikhail Botvinnik. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part II, game 111 (PDF page 770).
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