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Soviet chess grandmaster Boris Spassky (Bobby Fischer’s rival in Reykjavik) dead at 88

Source: Meduza

Chess grandmaster Boris Spassky, who was the tenth World Chess Champion and held the title from 1969 to 1972, has died at the age of 88. 

Russian Chess Federation President Andrey Filatov called Spassky’s death “a great loss for the country,” telling the news agency TASS, “A great figure has passed away; generations of chess players have learned and continue to learn from his games and creative legacy.”

Boris Spassky during a match in Geneva, August 22, 1977
Boris Spassky during a match in Geneva, August 22, 1977
Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Spassky became the world chess champion in 1969, defeating Tigran Petrosian in Moscow. In 1972, he lost the title to American Bobby Fischer in Reykjavik. Spassky won the Soviet championship twice, in 1961 and 1973.

He emigrated to France in 1976 and represented the country in three Chess Olympiads. Spassky returned to Russia in 2012 and obtained Russian citizenship a year later.

Russian Minister of Sports Mikhail Degtyarev and World Chess Federation Director General Emil Sutovsky have also expressed their condolences on Spassky’s passing.