Boris Spassky, Chess Champion Who Lost 'Match of the Century,' Dies at 88

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Boris Spassky, Chess Champion Who Lost ‘Match of the Century,’ Dies at 88
When Mr. Spassky, a Russian, played Bobby Fischer, an American, in Iceland at the height of the Cold War, the media attention reduced them to pawns in a wider drama.


Boris Spassky in 1973, a year after he lost to Bobby Fischer in a match that drew worldwide attention. Evening Standard, via Hulton Archive/Getty Images

By Dylan Loeb McClain
Feb. 27, 2025

Boris Spassky, the world chess champion whose career was overshadowed by his loss to Bobby Fischer in the “Match of the Century” in 1972, died on Thursday in Moscow. He was 88.

His death was announced by the International Chess Federation, the game’s governing body, which did not cite a cause. Mr. Spassky had suffered a major stroke in 2010 that left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

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When they played the first match, in Reykjavik, Iceland, Mr. Fischer, with his brash personality, was something of a folk hero in the West. He was widely portrayed as a lone gunslinger boldly taking on the might of the Soviet chess machine, with Mr. Spassky representing the repressive Soviet empire.

The reality could not have been further from the truth. Mr. Fischer was a spoiled 29-year-old man-child, often irascible and difficult. Mr. Spassky, at 35, was urbane, laid back and good-natured, acceding to Mr. Fischer’s many demands leading up to and during the match.


Mr. Spassky left the Reykjavik Chess Hall after Mr. Fischer failed to appear for the second game of the world chess championship in 1972. Mr. Fischer refused to play unless the television cameras recording the match were turned off. Associated Press

{snip}

A version of this article appears in print on March 1, 2025, Section B, Page 11 of the New York edition with the headline: Boris Spassky, 88, Dies; Soviet Champ Who Lost ‘Match of the Century’. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

[JoseBalow]

1. This is a pretty good synopsis of the Match of the Century

(7:45)


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