Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov (Russian:Васи́лий Васи́льевич Смысло́в,romanized: Vasíliy Vasíl'yevich Smyslóv; 24 March 1921 – 27 March 2010)[1] was a Soviet and Russianchess grandmaster who was the seventhWorld Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was aCandidate for theWorld Chess Championship on eight occasions (1948, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1965, 1983, and 1985). Smyslov twice tied for first place at theUSSR Chess Championships (1949, 1955), and his total of 17Chess Olympiad medals won is an all-time record. In five European Team Championships, Smyslov won ten gold medals.
Smyslov remained active and successful in competitivechess well over the age of sixty. Despite his failing eyesight, he remained active in the occasional composition ofchess problems and studies until shortly before his death in 2010. Besides chess, he was an accomplishedbaritone singer.
Smyslov was born in Moscow, into aRussian family. He first became interested in chess at the age of six. His father,Vasily Osipovich Smyslov, worked as an engineering technician and had represented the St. Petersburg Technical Institute in intercollegiate chess competitions. The senior Smyslov, who had also studied chess for a time under the tutelage ofMikhail Chigorin, became his son's first teacher, and gave him a copy ofAlexander Alekhine's bookMy Best Games of Chess 1908–1923. The future world champion would later write that this book became his constant reference, and that "...I was later to read everything that my father had in his library:Dufresne's handbook, separate numbers of the Soviet chess magazinesChess andChess Sheet, the text-books ofLasker andCapablanca, and the collections of games of Soviet and international tournaments. The games of the great Russian chess master M. I. Chigorin made an indelible impression on me; it was with interest that I read the various declarations on questions of strategy byA. I. Nimzovitch; I studied attentively the genius of prominent Soviet masters."[2]
Smyslov's competitive chess experiences began at the age of 14, when he started taking part in classification tournaments. In 1938, when he was 17, Smyslov won the USSR Junior Championship. That same year, he tied for 1st–2nd places in theMoscow City Championship, with 12½/17. However, Smyslov's first attempt at adult competition outside his own city fell short; he placed 12th–13th in theLeningrad–Moscow International tournament of 1939 with 8/17 in an exceptionally strong field. In the Moscow Championship of 1939–40 Smyslov placed 2nd–3rd with 9/13.
In his first Soviet final, the 1940USSR Chess Championship (Moscow, URS-ch12), he performed exceptionally well for 3rd place with 13/19, finishing ahead of the reigning championMikhail Botvinnik. This tournament was the strongest Soviet final up to that time, as it included several players, such asPaul Keres andVladas Mikėnas, from countries annexed by the USSR following theNazi–Soviet Pact of 1939.
The Soviet Federation held a further tournament of the top six from the 1940 event, and this was called the 1941 Absolute Championship of the USSR, one of the strongest tournaments ever organized. The format saw each player meet his opponents four times. The players were Botvinnik, Keres, Smyslov,Isaac Boleslavsky,Igor Bondarevsky, andAndor Lilienthal. Smyslov scored 10/20 for third place, behind Botvinnik and Keres. This proved that Smyslov was of genuine world-classGrandmaster strength at age 20, a very rare achievement at that time.
World War II forced a halt to most international chess, but several tournaments involving Soviet players only were still organized. Smyslov was exempted from military service due to being severely nearsighted, and he won the 1942 Moscow Championship outright with a powerful 12/15. AtKuibyshev 1942, he placed second with 8/11. In a strong field atSverdlovsk 1943, Smyslov tied for 3rd–4th places with 8/14. In the 1943–44 Moscow Championship, Smyslov tied for 3rd–4th with 11½/16. He finished second in the 1944 USSR Championship at Moscow (URS-ch13) with 10½/16. He emerged as champion from the 1944–45 Moscow Championship with 13/16. By this juncture, Smyslov had advanced into the group of the top three Soviet players, along with Botvinnik and Keres, who were playing in Nazi-occupied Europe during the war.
As the war ended, organized chess picked up again. But Smyslov's form hit a serious slump in the immediate post-war period. In the 1945 USSR Championship at Moscow (URS-ch14), Smyslov was in the middle of the very powerful field with 8½/17; the winner was Botvinnik, with Boleslavsky and the new starDavid Bronstein occupying second and third places. AtTallinn 1945, Smyslov had the worst result of his career, scoring just 6½/15 in a not especially strong field. It was little better in the Moscow Championship of 1945–46, as he could only score 7½/15 for a tie of 7th–11th places, as Bronstein won. Then in the Moscow Championship of 1946, Smyslov scored just 8½/15, for a tie of 3rd–6th places, as Bronstein won again. During this period he scored just 31/62 in those four tournaments, for 50%.
Nevertheless, Smyslov's earlier strong results secured him one of the five Soviet places in the first really strong post-war international tournament, atGroningen, Netherlands, in August 1946. This event, theHoward Staunton Memorial, was won by Botvinnik with 14½/19, half a point ahead of former World ChampionMax Euwe. Smyslov finished third with 12½/19, and this reconfirmed his status as one of the world's top players.
Once he was back playing in Soviet events, however, Smyslov found it tough going for a while. In the next Soviet Championship (URS-ch15,Leningrad 1947), he tied for 3rd–4th places with 12/19, as Keres won. AtPärnu 1947, Smyslov scored 8/13, tying for 4th–6th places, as Keres won again. AtWarsaw 1947, Smyslov scored 6/9 to tie for 2nd–5th places; the winner wasSvetozar Gligorić. In theMikhail Chigorin Memorial tournament, Moscow 1947, Smyslov tied for 3rd–4th places, with 10/15, as Botvinnik won.
His results showed a consistent pattern of high finishes against strong company, but with virtually no tournament championships. Smyslov had never actually won an adult tournament (other than the Moscow City Championship) before he played in the 1948 World Championship Tournament.
Smyslov was one of the five players selected to compete for the1948 World Chess Championship tournament to determine who should succeed the lateAlexander Alekhine as champion. His selection was questioned in some quarters, but this criticism was amply rebutted when he finished second behindMikhail Botvinnik, with a score of 11/20.
With his second-place finish from the 1948 World Championship, Smyslov was admitted directly into the 1950Budapest Candidates' tournament without needing to play in qualifying events. Smyslov scored 10/18 for third place, behind Bronstein and Boleslavsky, who tied for first place. Smyslov's third place automatically qualified him into the next Candidates' tournament. He was awarded the InternationalGrandmaster title in 1950 byFIDE on its inaugural list.
After winning theCandidates Tournament inZürich 1953, with 18/28, two points ahead of Keres, Bronstein, andSamuel Reshevsky, Smyslov played a match with Botvinnik for the title the following year. Sited at Moscow, the match ended in a draw, after 24 games (seven wins each and ten draws), meaning that Botvinnik retained his title.
Smyslov again won the Candidates' Tournament atAmsterdam in 1956, this time by 1½ points. This qualified him for a second world championship match against Botvinnik in 1957. Assisted by trainersVladimir Makogonov andVladimir Simagin, Smyslov won the title, scoring 12½–9½. The following year, Botvinnik exercised his right to a rematch, and regained the title with a final score of 12½–10½. Smyslov later said his health suffered during the return match, as he came down withpneumonia, but he also acknowledged that Botvinnik had prepared very thoroughly.[3] Over the course of the three World Championship matches, Smyslov had 18 wins to Botvinnik's 17 (with 34 draws), yet was only champion for a year. Nonetheless, Smyslov wrote in his autobiographical games collectionSmyslov's Best Games, "I have no reason to complain of my fate. I fulfilled my dream and became the seventh world champion in the history of chess."[3]
Smyslov did not qualify for another World Championship, but continued to play in World Championship qualifying events. He was a Candidate in 1959, but finished fourth in the qualifying tournament held inYugoslavia, which was won by the rising superstarMikhail Tal. He missed out in 1962, but was back in 1964, following a first-place tie at the AmsterdamInterzonal, with 17/23. However, he lost his first-round match toEfim Geller.
In 1983, at the age of 62, he reached the Candidates' Final (the match to determine who plays the champion, in that caseAnatoly Karpov), losing 8½–4½ atVilnius 1984 toGarry Kasparov, who was 21 at the time, and who went on to beat Karpov to become world champion in 1985. He had beatenZoltán Ribli 6½–4½ in the semifinal, but drew his quarter-final match againstRobert Hübner 7–7, with the advancing player (Smyslov) determined only by the spin of aroulette wheel. His final Candidates' appearance was theMontpellier 1985 tournament, where he did not advance.
Smyslov was a frequent competitor at theSoviet Championships and enjoyed some notable successes. In 1940, while still a teenager, he finished third behind Bondarevsky and Lilienthal. At the 13th Championship in 1944, he placed second behind Botvinnik and in 1947, shared third with Bondarevsky, finishing behind Keres and Boleslavsky.
He was a joint winner of the contest in 1949 and again in 1955 (with Bronstein and Geller respectively). Whilst the 1949 title was shared, the 1955 title was awarded to Geller after a play-off.
Much later in his career he showed that he could still mount a credible challenge; he took a share of third place in 1969 (behindPetrosian andPolugaevsky) and in 1971, was joint runner-up with Tal, behindSavon. He was ranked by FIDE as one of the top 15 players in the world from the late 1940s into the early 1980s, a stretch of almost 40 years.
Smyslov maintained an active tournament schedule throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, registering many top three finishes in some of the most prestigious tournaments of the period.
In 1950, he was second behindKotov atVenice and in 1951, won the Chigorin Memorial, held inLeningrad. He shared third place with Botvinnik at Budapest (Maróczy Memorial) in 1952, behind Keres and Geller. In 1953, he won a training tournament inGagra and finished third atBucharest, behindTolush and Petrosian. At the 1954–55 edition of theHastings Congress, he shared first place with Keres. AtZagreb 1955, he was sole winner, two clear points ahead of the field. He continued his winning streak at Moscow's Alekhine Memorial in 1956, a victory shared with his constant rival, Botvinnik. During this period, there were several triumphs in his city of birth, when he shared first place with Bronstein andSpassky at the inaugural edition of the Moscow Central Chess Club international tournament series (sometimes also referred as anAlekhine Memorial) in 1959, was a joint winner in both 1960 (withKholmov) and 1961 (withVasiukov), and won outright in 1963.
His good form continued throughout the 1960s. There were shares of second place atDortmund 1961 (behindTaimanov) and atMar del Plata 1962 (behind Polugaevsky). He traveled again to Hastings at the end of 1962, and scored third place behind Gligoric and Kotov. In 1963, he was second atSochi (Chigorin Memorial) behind Polugaevsky. His visit toHavana's Capablanca Memorial in 1964 resulted in a share of first with the East German,Uhlmann. He took outright first at the same tournament the following year. In 1966, there were victories at Mar del Plata and at theRubinstein Memorial inPolanica Zdroj. In 1967, he was second (behindFischer) atMonte Carlo, won at Moscow, and finished second (behindStein) at the city's Alekhine Memorial tournament. He placed third the same year at the Capablanca Memorial in Havana (behindLarsen and Taimanov) and finished third again atPalma de Mallorca 1967 and Monte Carlo 1968, the latter two events both being headed by Larsen and Botvinnik. This was also the year he repeated his previous success at Polanica Zdroj, finishing first outright. His next trip to Hastings also ended in triumph, as he took clear first at the 1968–69 edition. The 1960s drew to a close with victory at Monte Carlo 1969 (shared withPortisch) and a share of third place at Skopje 1969 (with Uhlmann and Kholmov, behindHort andMatulović).
While less prolific than in previous decades, Smyslov played many strong tournaments in the 1970s and even into the 1980s and beyond. He was joint runner-up with Hort, Gligoric andKorchnoi atRovinj/Zagreb 1970, behind Fischer. A winner atAmsterdam 1971, he came third at the Alekhine Memorial (Moscow) in the same year, behind Karpov and Stein. AtLas Palmas 1972, he was second equal with Larsen, behind Portisch and in 1973, topped the Capablanca Memorial inCienfuegos. First place followed atReykjavík 1974; at the Venice tournament of the same year, he finished second behindLiberzon. Then followed a second place at theAlexander Memorial (Teesside) in 1975 (behind Geller), a first place atSzolnok (also 1975), and a multi-way share of second at the largeLone Pine Open of 1976 (Petrosian won). He finished third behindRomanishin and Tal at Leningrad in 1977, when all three eclipsed the efforts of then–world champion Anatoly Karpov. In 1978, he won atSão Paulo and finished with a share of second atBuenos Aires, behindAndersson. As the 1970s ended, he took first place at Berlin 1979, this time shared withCsom.
Notable outcomes for 1980 included joint first places at San Miguel (withBrowne,Panno, Jaime Emma) and atCopenhagen (the Politiken Cup, withMikhalchishin). In the same year he finished second atBar, behind Petrosian, and second atBaguio, behindTorre. At Moscow 1981, he joined Kasparov and Polugaevsky in second place, behind Karpov. A further Hastings visit in 1981–82 resulted in a share of second place, withSpeelman, behindKupreichik. He was first atGraz in 1984 and first equal at Copenhagen (Politiken Cup) 1986 withChernin, Pigusov and Cserna. He played atReggio Emilia over the New Year of 1986–87 and shared second spot with Hort, Chernin and Spassky, behind Ribli. At Hastings in 1988–89, he took a share of third withGulko and Speelman, behindShort and Korchnoi.
Smyslov remained on FIDE's top 100 list until he was 70 years old. His tournament appearances were fewer in the 1990s, but results included a share of first place at Buenos Aires 1990 and a share of second atMalmö (Sigeman) in 1997, behind Hellers.
Smyslov represented the Soviet Union a total of nine times atchess Olympiads, from 1952 to 1972 inclusive, excepting only 1962 and 1966. He contributed strongly to team gold medal wins on each occasion he played, winning a total of eight individual medals. His total of 17 Olympiad medals won, including team and individual medals, is an all-time Olympiad record, according to olimpbase.org.
AtHelsinki 1952, he played second board, and won the individual gold medal with 10½/13. AtAmsterdam 1954, he was again on second board, scored 9/12, and took the individual bronze medal. AtMoscow 1956, he scored 8½/13 on second board, but failed to win a medal. AtMunich 1958, he made 9½/13 on second board, good for the silver individual medal. AtLeipzig 1960, he was dropped to first reserve, and made a great score of 11½/13, which won the gold medal.
After missing out on selection in 1962, he returned forTel Aviv 1964, on third board, and won the gold medal with 11/13. He missed selection in 1966, but returned with a vengeance forLugano 1968, and made a phenomenal 11/12 for another gold medal as second reserve. AtSiegen 1970, he was first reserve, and scored 8/11 for the bronze medal. His final Olympiad wasSkopje 1972, where at the age of 51 he played third board and scored 11/14, gaining the silver medal.
His overall Olympiad score is an imposing 90 points in 113 games (+69−2=42), for 79.6%. This performance is thefifth all-time best for players participating in at least four Olympiads. Smyslov also represented the USSR in five European Team Championships, and emerged with a perfect medals' record: he won five team gold medals and five board gold medals. His total score in these events was +19−1=15, for 75.7%. From olimpbase.org, here is his European teams' data.
Vienna 1957: board 1, 3½/6 (+2−1=3), board and team gold medals;
Oberhausen 1961: board 5, 8/9 (+7−0=2), board and team gold medals;
Hamburg 1965: board 4, 6/9 (+3−0=6), board and team gold medals;
Kapfenberg 1970: board 5, 5/6 (+4−0=2), board and team gold medals;
Bath, Somerset 1973: board 6, 4/5 (+3−0=2), board and team gold medals.
Smyslov played for the USSR in both the 1970 and 1984 matches against teams representing the Rest of the World. He was on board six atBelgrade in 1970, and on board four at London in 1984, with the Soviets winning both matches.
Smyslov congratulatesYuri Averbakh at his 80th birthday and presents him with a book of his own chess studies.
In 1991, Smyslov won the inauguralWorld Senior Chess Championship. With a FIDE rating still around 2400 as of the year 2000, the 80-year old grandmaster participated in what was to be his final tournament, the Klompendans Veterans Vs. Ladies Tournament inAmsterdam. The highlight of the match was his rout ofZsofia Polgar, leaving the all-time record between the two as +5–1=3. Some of the matches were adjourned early as draws due to his failing eyesight, and Smyslov officially retired from competitive play after this tournament. HisElo rating after this event was 2494.
Smyslov died ofcongestive heart failure in a Moscow hospital on the morning of 27 March 2010, three days after his 89th birthday. Reports circulated that his final years were spent in near-poverty and that he could not afford badly needed eye surgery. It was also reported that Smyslov and his wife Nadezhda mostly lived on income from renting their apartment and that no one checked on them or provided care.[14]
A variation of the Closed Ruy Lopez is named after him. The line runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 h6. In theGrünfeld Defence, the continuation 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 Bg4 8.Be3 Nfd7 is known as the Smyslov Variation, and remains a major variation. Smyslov also successfully revived the Fianchetto Defence to theRuy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6) in the 1970s. In theSlav Defence, the sideline 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 Na6 is named the Smyslov Variation. Finally, a variation of theKing's Indian Defense is named after him, which proceeds with the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 0-0 5.Bg5 d6 6.e3.
A baritone, Smyslov only decided upon a chess career after a failed audition with theBolshoi Theatre in 1950. He occasionally gave recitals during chess tournaments, often accompanied by fellow grandmaster and concert pianist Mark Taimanov. Smyslov once wrote that, as in music, he tried to achieve harmony on the chess board, with each piece assisting the others.[16] He also recorded operatic arias.[17]
Dutch insurance companyInterpolis once released an EP sung entirely by Smyslov on their record label imprint Interpolis Verzekeringen to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Interpolis chess tournament. The EP, titledSchaakgrootmeester Vassily Smyslov Zingt (english:Chess Grandmaster Vassily Smyslov Sings), contains vocal covers of traditional Dutch songs accompanied by orchestra conducted byHarry van Hoof.[18]
For more than 50 years, Smyslov was married to Nadezhda Smyslova, a woman three years his senior whose first husband was executed during a Stalinist purge in the early 1940s. They met in 1948. Nadezhda had a son from her first marriage, an aspiring chess player who competed at the World Junior Championship. Vasily and Nadezhda had no children of their own. She often accompanied her husband at major tournaments to provide moral support.[19][20] However, she remained in Moscow during the 1959 Candidates tournament when, to the consternation of Soviet authorities, the normally staid Smyslov had a flagrant affair with a woman grandmaster that affected his play.[21] Smyslov's stepson, Vladimir Selimanov, represented the USSR at the 1957 World Junior Championship at Toronto, where he finished 4th. Selimanov died by suicide in 1960.[22]
