Boris Spassky

1937– Soviet Union / France World Champion 1969–1972

World champion 1969–1972, the great universal player who could attack like Tal and grind like Petrosian. He applauded Fischer's Game 6 in Reykjavik from his own side of the board — one of sport's most graceful gestures in defeat.

2,230games
713won · 32%
1,300drawn · 58%
217lost · 10%
1952–2009span

Games in the Archive

2,230 games
0-1 Chepukaitis, Genrikh vs Boris Spassky 1952 · URS-ch sf · King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Staunton Line The Soviet School ½-½ Ciocaltea, Victor vs Boris Spassky 1953 · Bucharest · Italian Game: Paris Defense The Soviet School 0-1 Boris Spassky vs Milev, Zdravko 1953 · Bucharest · Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Spassky Variation The Soviet School ½-½ Petrosian, Tigran V vs Boris Spassky 1953 · Bucharest · Slav Defense: Exchange Variation The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Radulescu, Mihai 1953 · Bucharest · Queen's Gambit Declined: Been-Koomen Variation The Soviet School 0-1 Troianescu, Octavio vs Boris Spassky 1953 · Bucharest · Center Game: Paulsen Attack Variation The Soviet School ½-½ Boris Spassky vs Sajtar, Jaroslav 1953 · Bucharest · Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Simagin's Improved Variation The Soviet School ½-½ Stoltz, Goesta vs Boris Spassky 1953 · Bucharest · Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Szabo, Stefan 1953 · Bucharest · Semi-Slav Defense: Noteboom Variation The Soviet School ½-½ Barcza, Gedeon vs Boris Spassky 1953 · Bucharest · Slav Defense: Quiet Variation The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Reicher, Emanoil 1953 · Bucharest · Semi-Slav Defense: Moscow Variation The Soviet School 1-0 Sliwa, Bogdan vs Boris Spassky 1953 · Bucharest · Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Rabinovich Variation The Soviet School 0-1 Boris Spassky vs Filip, Miroslav 1953 · Bucharest · Dutch Defense: Rubinstein Variation The Soviet School ½-½ Boleslavsky, Isaak vs Boris Spassky 1953 · Bucharest · Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Spassky Variation The Soviet School ½-½ Boris Spassky vs O'Kelly de Galway, Alberic 1953 · Bucharest · Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, O'Kelly Variation The Soviet School 0-1 Barda, Olaf vs Boris Spassky 1953 · Bucharest · Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense, Kingside Move Order The Soviet School 0-1 Szabo, Laszlo vs Boris Spassky 1953 · Bucharest · King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Classical System, Neo-Classical Line The Soviet School ½-½ Boris Spassky vs Tolush, Alexander V 1953 · Bucharest · Old Indian Defense: Ukrainian Variation The Soviet School 0-1 Vladimirov, Boris T vs Boris Spassky 1953 · URS-chT · Queen's Gambit Accepted: Smyslov Variation The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Vasily Smyslov 1953 · Bucharest · Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Golombek, Harry 1953 · Bucharest · Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation The Soviet School 0-1 Mikhail Tal vs Boris Spassky 1954 · URS-chTJ · English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Estrin, Yacov 1954 · Leningrad · Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Wormald Attack The Soviet School ½-½ Polugaevsky, Lev vs Boris Spassky 1954 · Leningrad · Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Main Line The Soviet School