Boris Spassky, Soviet chess master, who lost the Cold War Century game, dies at 88

MOSCOW – – Boris Spassky, the chess master from the Soviet, who was best remembered for his historical game from 1972 against Bobby Fischer, died in Moscow at the age of 88, the International Chess Association said on Thursday. There was no cause of death.

Spassky, generally considered one of the greatest chess players of all time, had the world championship title from 1969 to 1972 before he lost in a showdown from the Cold War that captivated the audience worldwide.

The event, known as “Match of the Century”, took place in Reykjavik, Iceland, and marked the first time that an American claimed the world chess title.

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What you say:

The international chess association, which monitors the game worldwide, said that Spassky “left an indelible sign for the game” and was significantly involved in the design of sport.

Former world champion Garry Kasparov reflected on Spassky's influence and wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Spassky “never friends and looked after about the next generation, especially those of us who, like him, did not easily fit into the Soviet machine”.

Spassky, who emigrated to France in 1976, was known for his versatile playing style and his adaptability. The Yugoslav Grand Master Svetozar Gligoric once noticed that Spassky's strength “lay in his colossal ability to adapt to the various styles of his opponents”, ” after To the Washington Post.

The “Match of the Century” from 1972 against Bobby Fischer

The background story:

His defeat from 1972 against Fischer was more than just a chess game-it became a symbolic struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, with Fischer's victory marking a big surprise in the Soviet-dominated world of chess. Fischer, known for his controversial personality and withdrawn nature, died in 2008.

The International Chess Association described Spassky's match with Fischer as one of the best -known moments in chess history and strengthened its place among the sizes of the game.

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