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
1-0 Boris Spassky vs Suetin, Alexey S 1958 · URS-ch25 · Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Simagin's Improved Variation The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Tolush, Alexander V 1958 · URS-ch25 · Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Traditional Line The Soviet School ½-½ Taimanov, Mark E vs Boris Spassky 1958 · URS-ch25 · Dutch Defense: Classical Variation, Ilyin-Zhenevsky Variation, Winter Variation The Soviet School 1-0 Kotov, Alexander vs Boris Spassky 1958 · URS-ch25 · King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Closed Variation The Soviet School 1-0 Gurgenidze, Bukhuti vs Boris Spassky 1958 · URS-ch25 · Sicilian Defense: French Variation The Soviet School ½-½ Gipslis, Aivars vs Boris Spassky 1958 · URS-ch25 · French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, Smyslov Variation The Soviet School 1-0 Geller, Efim P vs Boris Spassky 1958 · URS-ch25 · Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer Defense, Zaitsev Hybrid The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Fuchs, Reinhart 1958 · WchT U26 · French Defense: Winawer Variation, Classical Variation ⚙ Analysed The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Sanguineti, Raul 1958 · WchT U26 · Ruy Lopez: Open Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation ⚙ Analysed The Soviet School ½-½ Boris Spassky vs Mikhail Botvinnik 1959 · URS-chT · Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Traditional Variation The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Mikhail Tal 1959 · URS-chT · Ruy Lopez: Closed, Karpov Variation The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Mikhail Tal 1959 · Riga · Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense The Soviet School ½-½ Mikhail Tal vs Boris Spassky 1959 · URS-ch26 · Benoni Defense The Soviet School 1-0 Vasily Smyslov vs Boris Spassky 1959 · Alekhine mem · Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Opocensky Variation The Soviet School 0-1 Szabo, Laszlo vs Boris Spassky 1959 · Budapest-Leningrad m · King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Benoni Defense, Advance Variation The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Nezhmetdinov, Rashid 1959 · URS-chT · Old Indian Defense: Two Knights Variation The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Mnatsakanian, Eduard A 1959 · URS-chT · Slav Defense: Geller Gambit The Soviet School 0-1 Ufimtsev, Anatoly vs Boris Spassky 1959 · URS-chT · Indian Defense The Soviet School ½-½ Gurgenidze, Bukhuti vs Boris Spassky 1959 · URS-chT · Ruy Lopez: Bird Variation The Soviet School ½-½ Geller, Efim P vs Boris Spassky 1959 · URS-chT · King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation The Soviet School ½-½ Boris Spassky vs Bronstein, David I 1959 · Alekhine mem · French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Blackburne Defense The Soviet School 1-0 Boris Spassky vs Olafsson, Fridrik 1959 · Alekhine mem · Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense The Soviet School ½-½ Aronin, Lev Solomonovich vs Boris Spassky 1959 · Alekhine mem · Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Main Line The Soviet School ½-½ Boris Spassky vs Milev, Zdravko 1959 · Alekhine mem · Ruy Lopez: Closed, Kholmov Variation The Soviet School