Boris Vasilyevich Spassky (Russian:Борис Васильевич Спасский; January 30, 1937 – February 27, 2025) was a Sovietchess grandmaster who was the tenthWorld Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. Spassky played three world championship matches: he lost toTigran Petrosian in1966; defeated Petrosian in1969 to become world champion; then lost toBobby Fischer in a famous match in1972.
Spassky immigrated to France in 1976 and became aFrench citizen in 1978. He continued to compete in tournaments, but was no longer a major contender for the world title. Spassky lost an unofficialrematch against Fischer in 1992. In 2012, he left France and returned to Russia.
Boris Vasilyevich Spassky was born inLeningrad, into aRussian family, on January 30, 1937.[3][4] His father, Vasili Vladimirovich Spassky, served in the military.[5] He came from the family of Vladimir Alexandrovich Spassky, a prominentRussian Orthodox priest of theKursk Governorate, later aprotoiereus of the Russian Church (since 1916), as well as a State Duma deputy (1912–1917) and an active member of theUnion of the Russian People.[6][7][8] Boris's mother, Ekaterina Petrovna Spasskaya (née Petrova), was a school teacher. She was born in the Ryadnevo village of theGdov district (nowPskov Oblast) as anillegitimate daughter of Daria Ivanovna Ivanova (from a local peasant family) and Andrei Kupriyanovich Kupriyanov, a landlord who owned houses inSaint Petersburg andPskov. After some time Daria Ivanovna fled to St. Petersburg, leaving her daughter with Petr Vasiliev, a relative of hers, who raised Ekaterina under the surname of Petrova. She joined her mother later on.[9][10]
Spassky learned to play chess at the age of five on a train evacuating from Leningrad during thesiege of Leningrad inWorld War II. During the war, he was sent to an orphanage inSiberia.[11] He first drew wide attention in 1947 at age 10, when he defeated Soviet championMikhail Botvinnik in asimultaneous exhibition in Leningrad.[12] Spassky's early coach was Vladimir Zak, a respected master and trainer.[13] During his youth, from the age of 10, Spassky often worked on chess for several hours a day withmaster-level coaches. He set records as the youngest Soviet player to achieve first category rank (age 10), candidate master rank (age 11),[citation needed] andSoviet Master rank (age 15).[13] In 1952, at 15, Spassky scored 50 percent in the Soviet Championship semi-final atRiga, and placed second in theLeningrad Championship that same year, for which he was highly praised by Botvinnik.[citation needed]
As a statistic encompassing all of the games of his career, Spassky's most-played openings with both the White and Black pieces were theSicilian Defence and theRuy Lopez.[14]
Spassky made his international debut in 1953, aged sixteen, inBucharest,Romania, finishing tied for fourth place withLászló Szabó on 12/19, an event won by his trainer,Alexander Tolush.[15] At Bucharest he defeatedVasily Smyslov, who challenged for the World Championship the following year. In the same year, Spassky was awarded the title ofInternational Master byFIDE at its congress in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.[16] In his first attempt at theSoviet Championship final, the 22nd in the series, held in Moscow 1955, Spassky tied for third place with 11½/19,[17] after Smyslov andEfim Geller, which was sufficient to qualify him for theGothenburgInterzonal later that year.[citation needed]
By sharing seventh place with 11/20 at Gothenburg,[20] Spassky qualified for the 1956Candidates' Tournament, held inAmsterdam, automatically gaining the grandmaster title, and was then the youngest to hold the title. At Amsterdam, he tied for third place with four others in the ten-player field, scoring 9½/18.[21] At the 23rd Soviet final, held in Leningrad in January–February 1956,[22] Spassky shared first place on 11½/19, withMark Taimanov andYuri Averbakh, but Taimanov won the subsequent playoff to become champion,[23] defeating Spassky in both their games. Spassky then tied for first in a semifinal for the 24th Soviet championship, thereby qualifying.[24]
Spassky then went into a slump in world championship qualifying events, failing to advance to the next twoInterzonals (1958 and 1962), a prerequisite to earn the right to play for theworld championship. This crisis coincided with the hard three final years of his first marriage before his divorce in 1961,[25] the same year that he broke with his trainer Tolush.[citation needed]
In the24th Soviet final, played at Moscow in January–February 1957, Spassky shared fourth place with Tolush, as both scored 13/21.[26]
Spassky's failure to qualify for thePortoroz Interzonal came after a last-round defeat at the hands ofMikhail Tal, in a nervy game in the 1958 Soviet championship,[27] held atRiga. Spassky had the advantage for much of the game, but missed a difficult win afteradjournment, then declined adraw. A win would have qualified Spassky for the Interzonal, and a draw would have ensured a share of fourth place withYuri Averbakh, with qualification possible via a playoff.[citation needed]
Spassky tied for first place at Moscow 1959 on 7/11, with Smyslov andDavid Bronstein.[28] He shared second place in the 26th Soviet final with Tal, atTbilisi 1959, finishing a point behind championTigran Petrosian, on 12½/19.[29] Soon after Spassky notched a victory at Riga 1959, with 11½/13, one-half point in front ofVladas Mikėnas.[30] Spassky finished in a tie for ninth at the 27th Soviet final in Leningrad, with 10/19, as fellow LeningraderViktor Korchnoi scored his first of four Soviet titles.[31] Spassky travelled toArgentina, where he shared first place withBobby Fischer, two points ahead of Bronstein, atMar del Plata 1960 on 13½/15,[32] defeating Fischer in their first career meeting. Spassky played on board one for the USSR at the 7th Student Olympiad in Leningrad,[33] where he won the silver,[34] but lost the gold toWilliam Lombardy, also losing their individual encounter.[35]
Another disappointment for Spassky came at the qualifier for the next Interzonal, the Soviet final, played in Moscow 1961,[36] where he again lost a crucial last-round game, this toLeonid Stein, who thus qualified, as Spassky finished equal fifth with 11/19, while Petrosian won.[citation needed]
Spassky decided upon a switch in trainers, from the volatile attacker Tolush to the calmerstrategistIgor Bondarevsky. This proved the key to his resurgence. He won his first of two USSR titles in the 29th Soviet championship atBaku 1961, with a score of 14½/20, one-half point ahead ofLev Polugaevsky.[37] Spassky shared second with Polugaevsky atHavana 1962 with 16/21, behind winnerMiguel Najdorf.[38] He placed joint fifth, withLeonid Stein at the 30th Soviet championship held inYerevan 1962, with 11½/19.[39] At Leningrad 1963, the site of the 31st Soviet final, Spassky tied for first with Stein andRatmir Kholmov,[40] with Stein winning the playoff, which was held in 1964.[41] Spassky won atBelgrade 1964 with an undefeated 13/17, as Korchnoi andBorislav Ivkov shared second place with 11½.[42] He finished fourth atSochi 1964 with 9½/15, asNikolai Krogius won.[43]
Spassky (standing) and Larsen (with black), Amsterdam (June 1964).
In the 1964 Soviet Zonal at Moscow, a seven-player doubleround-robin event, Spassky won with 7/12, overcoming a start of one draw and two losses, to advance to theAmsterdam Interzonal the same year.[44] At Amsterdam, he tied for first place, along withMikhail Tal,Vasily Smyslov andBent Larsen on 17/23, with all four, along withBorislav Ivkov andLajos Portisch[45] thus qualifying for the newly createdCandidates' Matches the next year. With Bondarevsky, Spassky's style broadened and deepened, with poor results mostly banished, yet his fighting spirit was even enhanced. He added psychology and surprise to his quiver, and this proved enough to eventually propel him to the top.[citation needed]
Spassky was considered an all-rounder on the chess board, and his adaptable "universal style" was a distinct advantage in beating many top grandmasters. In the 1965 cycle, he beatPaul Keres in the quarterfinal round atRiga 1965 with careful strategy, triumphing in the last game to win 6–4 (+4−2=4).[46] Also at Riga, he defeatedEfim Geller with mating attacks, winning by 5½–2½ (+3−0=5).[47] Then, in his Candidates' Final match againstMikhail Tal atTbilisi 1965, Spassky often managed to steer play into quieter positions, either avoiding former champion Tal's tactical strength, or exacting too high a price for complications. Though losing the first game, he won by 7–4 (+4−1=6).[48]
Spassky lost a keenly foughtmatch to Petrosian in Moscow, with three wins against Petrosian's four, with seventeen draws,[51] though the last of his three victories came only in the twenty-third game, after Petrosian had ensured his retention of the title, the first outright match victory for a reigning champion since the latter ofAlekhine's successful defences againstBogoljubov in1934.[52] Spassky's first event after the title match was the fourth Chigorin Memorial, where he finished tied for fifth withAnatoly Lein as Korchnoi won.[53] Spassky then finished ahead of Petrosian and a super-class field atSanta Monica 1966 (thePiatigorsky Cup), with 11½/18, half a point ahead ofBobby Fischer, as he overcame the American grandmaster's challenge after Fischer had scored 3½/9 in the first cycle of the event.[54] Spassky also won atBeverwijk 1967 with 11/15,[55] one-half point ahead ofAnatoly Lutikov, and shared first place at Sochi 1967 on 10/15 with Krogius,Alexander Zaitsev,Leonid Shamkovich, andVladimir Simagin.[56]
As losing finalist in 1966, Spassky was automatically seeded into the next Candidates' cycle. In 1968, he faced Geller again, this time atSukhumi, and won by the same margin as in 1965 (5½–2½, +3−0=5).[57] He next metBent Larsen atMalmö, and again won by the score of 5½–2½ after winning the first three games.[58] The final was against his Leningrad rivalKorchnoi atKiev, and Spassky triumphed (+4−1=5),[59] which earned him anothermatch with Petrosian. Spassky's final tournament appearance before the match came at Palma, where he shared second place (+10−1=6) with Larsen, a point behind Korchnoi.[60] Spassky's flexibility of style was the key to victory over Petrosian, by 12½–10½, with the site again being Moscow.[61]
In Spassky's first appearance after winning the crown, he placed first atSan Juan, Puerto Rico, in October 1969 with 11½/15, one and one-half points clear of second.[62] He then played the annual event at Palma, where he finished fifth with 10/17. While Spassky was undefeated and handed tournament victorLarsen one of his three losses, his fourteen draws kept him from seriously contending for first prize, as he came two points behind Larsen.[63] In March–April 1970, Spassky played first board for the Soviet side in the celebratedUSSR vs. World event atBelgrade,[64] where he scored +1−1=1 in the first three rounds against Larsen beforeStein replaced him for the final match, as the Soviets won by the odd point, 20½–19½. He won a quadrangular event atLeiden 1970 with 7/12, a point ahead ofJan Hein Donner, who was followed by Larsen andBotvinnik, the latter of whom was making his final appearance in serious play.[65] Spassky shared first at theannual IBM event held inAmsterdam 1970 withPolugaevsky on 11½/15.[66] He was third atGothenburg 1971 with 8/11,[67] behind winnersVlastimil Hort andUlf Andersson. He shared first withHans Ree at the 1971Canadian Open in Vancouver. In November and December, Spassky finished the year by tying for sixth withTal, scoring +4−2=11, at the Alekhine Memorial in Moscow, which was won by Stein andAnatoly Karpov.[68]
Spassky's reign as world champion lasted for three years, as he lost to Fischer of the United States in 1972 in theWorld Chess Championship 1972,[69] popularly known as the Match of the Century. The contest took place inReykjavík,Iceland, at the height of theCold War,[70] and consequently was seen as symbolic of the political confrontation between the two superpowers. Spassky accommodated many demands by Fischer, including moving the third game into a side room. The Fischer vs. Spassky world championship was the most widely covered chess match in history, reported upon by mainstream media throughout the world. Secretary of StateHenry Kissinger spoke with Fischer urging him to play the match, and chess was at its apex.[citation needed]
Going into the match, Fischer had never won a game from Spassky in five attempts, losing three.[71] In addition, Spassky had secured Geller as his coach, who also had a plus score against Fischer. However, Fischer won the title match 12½/8½ (+7−3=11), with one of the three losses by default.[72]
The match could be divided into halves, the first won convincingly by Fischer, and the second a close battle. Before the match, Fischer had defeatedMark Taimanov, Bent Larsen, and Tigran Petrosian, but Spassky maintained his composure and competitiveness. It has been suggested that Spassky's preparation was largely bypassed by Fischer, since Spassky and his team wrongly expected Fischer to always play 1. e4 openings as White.[73]
According to Reshevsky, the match as a whole was disappointing. "It was marked by blunders by both players. The blunders committed by Spassky were incredible. In two games, for example, Spassky overlooked a one-move combination. In the first, he was compelled to resign immediately, and, in the other, he threw away all chances for a win. Fischer was also not in his best form. He made errors in a number of games. His play lacked brilliance, but his defense was excellent."[74]
In February–March 1973, Spassky finished equal third at Tallinn with 9/15, three points behindTal;[75] he tied for first atDortmund on 9½/15 (+5−1=9) withHans-Joachim Hecht andUlf Andersson.[76] Spassky finished in fourth place at the annual IBM tournament held inAmsterdam,[77] one point behind winnersPetrosian andAlbin Planinc. In September, Spassky went 10/15 to finish second to Tal in the Chigorin Memorial at Sochi by a point.[78] In the41st Soviet Championship[79] at Moscow, Spassky scored 11½/17 to win by a full point in a field which included all the top Soviet grandmasters of the time.[citation needed]
Spassky in 1980
In the 1974 Candidates' matches, Spassky first defeated AmericanRobert Byrne inSan Juan, Puerto Rico, by 4½–1½ (+3−0=3);[80] he then lost the semifinal match toAnatoly Karpov in Leningrad, despite winning the first game, (+1−4=6).[81] In Spassky's only tournament action of 1974, he played at Solingen, finishing with 8½/14 (+4−1=9), thus sharing third withBojan Kurajica, behind joint winnersLubomir Kavalek andPolugaevsky, who scored 10.[82]
During 1975, Spassky played two events, the first being the annual tournament at Tallinn, where he finished equal second withFridrik Olafsson, scoring 9½/15 (+5−1=9), one point behindKeres,[83] the last international event won by the latter before his sudden death in June 1975. In October–November, Spassky finished second toGeller at the Alekhine Memorial in Moscow with a score of 10 points from fifteen games (+6−1=8).[84]
In 1976, Spassky was obliged to return to the Interzonal stage, and finished in a tie for tenth place inManila,[85] well short of qualifying for the Candidates matches, but was nominated to play afterFischer declined his place. Spassky won an exhibition match with Dutch grandmasterJan Timman atAmsterdam 1977 by 4–2.[86] He triumphed in extra games in his quarterfinal Candidates' match overVlastimil Hort atReykjavík 1977 by 8½–7½.[87] This match saw Spassky fall ill,[88] exhaust all his available rest days while recovering; then the healthy Hort used one of his own rest days, to allow Spassky more time to recover; Spassky eventually won the match.[citation needed]
Spassky won an exhibition match overRobert Hübner atSolingen, 1977 by 3½–2½,[89] then defeatedLubomir Kavalek, also at Solingen, by 4–2 in another exhibition.[90] His next Candidates' match was againstPortisch atGeneva 1977, and Spassky won by 8½–6½, to qualify for the final.[91] AtBelgrade 1977–78, Spassky lost toKorchnoi, by (+4−7=7).[92] In this match, Spassky fell behind 2½–7½ after losing the tenth game; however, he then won four consecutive games. After draws in games fifteen and sixteen, Korchnoi won the next two games to clinch the match by the score of 10½–7½.[citation needed]
Spassky, as losing finalist, was seeded into the 1980 Candidates' matches, and faced Portisch again, with this match held in Mexico. After fourteen games, the match was 7–7, but Portisch advanced since he had won more games with the black pieces.[93] Spassky narrowly missed qualification from the 1982 Toluca Interzonal with 8/13, finishing half a point short, in third place behind Portisch andEugenio Torre,[94] both of whom thus qualified. The 1985 Candidates' event was held as a round-robin tournament atMontpellier, France, and Spassky was nominated as an organizer's choice. He scored 8/15 to tie for sixth place withAlexander Beliavsky, behind joint winnersAndrei Sokolov,Rafael Vaganian, andArtur Yusupov, and once again – one-half point short of potentially qualifying via a playoff.[95] This was Spassky's last appearance at the Candidates' level.[citation needed]
Spassky played five times for the USSR in Student Olympiads, winning eight medals. He scored 38½/47 (+31−1=15), for 81.91 percent. His complete results are:
Lyon 1955, board 2, 7½/8 (+7−0=1), team gold, board gold;
Reykjavík 1957, board 2, 7/9 (+5−0=4), team gold, board gold;
Spassky played twice for the USSR in the European Team Championships, winning four gold medals. He scored 8½/12 (+5−0=7), for 70.83 percent. His complete results are:
Vienna 1957, board 5, 3½/5 (+2−0=3), team gold, board gold;
Spassky played seven times for the Soviet Olympiad team. He won thirteen medals, and scored 69/94 (+45−1=48), for 73.40 percent. His complete results are:
In his later years, Spassky showed a reluctance to devote himself completely to chess. In 1976, he immigrated to France with his third wife; he became a French citizen in 1978, and competed for France in theChess Olympiads. Spassky later lived with his wife inMeudon near Paris.[105][106][107]
Spassky did, however, score some notable triumphs in his later years. In his return to tournament play after the loss to Korchnoi, he tied for first atBugojno 1978 on 10/15 withKarpov,[108] with both players scoring +6−1=8 to finish a point ahead ofTimman. He was clear first atMontilla–Moriles 1978 with 6½/9.[109] AtMunich 1979, he tied for first place with 8½/13,[110] withYuri Balashov,Andersson andRobert Hübner.[111] He shared first atBaden in 1980, on 10½/15 withAlexander Beliavsky.[112] He won his preliminary group atHamburg 1982 with 5½/6, but lost the final playoff match to Anatoly Karpov in extra games.[113] His best result during this period was clear first atLinares 1983 with 6½/10,[114] ahead of Karpov andUlf Andersson, who shared second. At London Lloyds' Bank Open 1984, he tied for first withJohn Nunn andMurray Chandler, on 7/9. He won atReykjavík 1985. AtBrussels 1985, he placed second with 10½/13 behind Korchnoi. AtReggio Emilia 1986, he tied for 2nd–5th places with 6/11 behindZoltán Ribli. He sweptFernand Gobet 4–0 in a match atFribourg 1987.[115] He finished equal first at the Plaza tournament in the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts at Wellington in 1988, with Chandler andEduard Gufeld.[116] Spassky'sElo rating was in the world top ten continually throughout the early 1980s[117][118][119] until it dropped out in 1983,[120] and intermittently throughout the mid 1980s[121][122][123] until it dropped out for the final time in 1987.[124]
However, Spassky's performances in the World Cup events of 1988 and 1989 showed that he could by this stage finish no higher than the middle of the pack against elite fields. He participated in three of the six events of the World Cup. AtBelfort, he scored 8/15 for a joint 4th–7th place, asGarry Kasparov won.[125] AtReykjavík, he scored 7/17 for a joint 15th–16th place, with Kasparov again winning.[126] Finally, atBarcelona, Spassky scored 7½/16 for a tied 8th–12th place, as Kasparov shared first withLjubomir Ljubojević.[127]
In 1992, Bobby Fischer, after a twenty-year hiatus from chess, re-emerged to arrange a "Revenge Match of the 20th century" against Spassky inMontenegro andBelgrade; this was arematch of the 1972 World Championship. At the time, Spassky was rated 106th in theFIDE rankings, and Fischer did not appear on the list at all, owing to his inactivity. Spassky lost the match with a score of +5−10=15, earning US$1.65 million for losing the match.[130]
Spassky then played the 16-year-old prodigyJudit Polgár in a 1993 match inBudapest, losing narrowly by 4½–5½.[131]
Spassky continued to play occasional events through much of the 1990s, such as the Veterans vs. Women match in Prague, 1995.[132]
On October 1, 2006, Spassky suffered aminor stroke during a chess lecture in San Francisco.[133] In his first major post-stroke play, he drew a six-gamerapid match with Hungarian GrandmasterLajos Portisch in April 2007.[134]
On March 27, 2010, at 73 years old, he became the oldest surviving former World Chess Champion upon the death ofVasily Smyslov.[135]
On September 23, 2010,ChessBase reported that Spassky had suffered a more serious stroke that had left him paralysed on his left side.[136] After that he returned to France for a long rehabilitation programme.[137] On August 16, 2012, Spassky left France to return to Russia under disputed circumstances[138][139] and took up residence in an apartment in Moscow.[140][141]
On September 25, 2016, he made a public speech at the opening of theTal Memorial tournament. He said he had "the very brightest memories" of Mikhail Tal and told an anecdote from the15th Chess Olympiad about Soviet analysis of an adjourned game between Fischer and Botvinnik. He was described by Chess24 as being 'sprightly'.[142]
Spassky died in Moscow on February 27, 2025, at the age of 88.[3][4]
Spassky's best years were as a youthful prodigy in the mid-1950s, and in the mid- to late 1960s. He applauded Fischer in Game 6 of their 1972 match,[143] and defended Fischer when the latter was detained nearNarita Airport in 2004.[144]
Spassky has been described by many as a universal player.[145][146][147] Never a trueopenings expert, at least when compared to contemporaries such as Geller and Fischer, he excelled in themiddlegame and intactics.[148]
He was not only one of the greatest players of the Soviet era and the world, but also a true gentleman. His contributions to chess will never be forgotten.
Spassky succeeded with a wide variety of openings, including theKing's Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.f4, an aggressive and risky line rarely seen at the top level.[13] The chess game between "Kronsteen" and "McAdams" in the early part of theJames Bond movieFrom Russia With Love is based on a game in that opening played between Spassky andDavid Bronstein in 1960 in which Spassky ("Kronsteen") was victorious.[150]
His contributions to opening theory extend to reviving theMarshall Attack for Black in theRuy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d5),[151] developing the Leningrad Variation for White in theNimzo-Indian Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bg5),[152] the Spassky Variation on the Black side of the Nimzo-Indian, and the Closed Variation of theSicilian Defence for White (1.e4 c5 2.Nc3).[citation needed] A variation of the B19 Caro-Kann (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5) also bears his name,[153] as does a rare line in theKing's Indian Attack (1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 b5!?).[154]
Boris was married three times. His first wife (1959–1961) was Nadezda Konstantinovna Latyntceva. Their daughter was born in 1960. His second wife was Larisa Zakharovna Solovyova. She gave birth to a son in 1967. His third marriage, in 1975 in France, was to Marina Yurievna Shcherbachova, granddaughter of the Russian war general andWhite movement activistDmitry Shcherbachev. Their son was born in 1980.[157][158]
His younger sister Iraida Spasskaya (born November 6, 1944) is a four-time champion of the Soviet Union inRussian draughts and the world vice-champion ininternational draughts (1974).[159]
In an interview to a Western journalist Spassky talked about his psychological approach to chess:
I prefer to have good relations with my opponent. My chess suffers if I have to play a man I consider unfriendly. When I am in form my style is a little bit stubborn, almost brutal. Sometimes I feel a great spirit of fight which drives me on. But deep down I lack faith in myself. I have often found that I have caught the basic idea of a position, the correct plan, but my great weakness is that I fail to follow the logical pattern through from beginning to end.
Bobby Fischer once wrote that "Spassky sits at the board with the same dead expression whether he's mating or being mated. He can blunder away a piece and you are never sure whether it's a blunder or a fantastically deep sacrifice."[160]
During his meeting with fans inKaliningrad in 2005 Spassky stated about theeconomic and social decline of Russia in the 1990s: "If only I knew what was going to happen to our country, I would've joined the Communist Party."[161]
In 2005 Spassky signed theLetter of 5000 addressed to the Prosecutor General of Russia, along withIgor Shafarevich,Vyacheslav Klykov,Vasily Belov and other activists. The petition suggested that all religious and national Jewish organizations that functioned on the territory of Russia according to theShulchan Aruch codes should be shut down for extremism, warning about a "hidden campaign of genocide against the Russian people and their traditional society and values".[162] He later tried to distance himself from the petition, saying that signing the petition was a mistake.[163]
… я – убежденный монархист, и в советские годы им оставался и никогда этого не скрывал. Считаю, что величие России связано с деятельностью национальных лидеров, какими были наши цари. …
… А по своим убеждениям я – русский националист, и ничего тут страшного нет, не бойтесь. Утверждают, что русский националист – это большая бяка, обязательно антисемит, расист, национал-большевик. Нет – для националиста существуют Бог и уважающие друг друга нации. …
… Что радует в современной России – церкви оживают …
Translation:
English (translation)
I'm a convinced monarchist, I remained a monarchist during the Soviet years and never tried to hide that. I believe that the greatness of Russia is connected to the activity of the national leaders represented by our tsars.
As for my views—I'm a Russian nationalist, and there's nothing scary about it, don't be afraid. Some say that Russian nationalist is a nasty thing, most definitely an antisemite, a racist, a national-Bolshevik. No; for a nationalist God exists and nations that respect each other.
What pleases me in modern Russia is that the churches are coming back to life.
^Stepanov A.D., Ivanov A.A. (2008).Black Hundred. A Historical Encyclopedia 1900—1917. Moscow: Institute of the Russian Civilisation, 640 pages.ISBN978-5-93675-139-4
^The nameSpasski, from Old Russianspasti to save, was a surname adopted by Orthodox priests, affirming their dedication to Jesus Christ as Saviour.A Dictionary of Surnames, OUP, 1988.
^"URS-ch sf 1956".365Chess.com.Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. RetrievedOctober 20, 2013.
^As Boris Spassky said: "I had a very hard three years from 1959 to 1961. My nervous energy was completely destroyed for three years, and I could do nothing right" (Cafferty 1972, p. 21)
^"Spassky, who never joined the Communist Party, may have been considered politically unreliable. The authorities were particularly unhappy when he lost to William Lombardy of the United States in 1960 at the world students' championship matches. They charged that he had not trained conscientiously enough, had not prepared properly." Schonberg 1973, p. 255.
^"USSR Championship 1961a". Chessgames.com. February 11, 1961.Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. RetrievedOctober 20, 2013.
^"URS-ch29 1961".365Chess.com.Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. RetrievedOctober 20, 2013.
^Reshevsky 1972, p. 4, "Spassky's preparation for the match was ostensibly inadequate. He expected his opponent to play only the king pawn opening when Fischer conducted the White pieces. But Fischer surprised him when he switched to the queen pawn opening. Spassky was definitely not at all prepared for the latter."
^mishanp on (November 26, 2010)."Bits and Pieces #1". Chessintranslation.com.Archived from the original on November 29, 2011. RetrievedNovember 12, 2011.
^"Spassky to Bush: Arrest me!".chessbase.com. August 10, 2004. Archived fromthe original on September 28, 2015. RetrievedOctober 7, 2015.I would not like to defend or justify Bobby Fischer. He is what he is. I am asking only for one thing. For mercy, charity. If for some reason it is impossible, I would like to ask you the following: Please correct the mistake of President François Mitterrand in 1992. Bobby and myself committed the same crime. Put sanctions against me also. Arrest me. And put me in the same cell with Bobby Fischer. And give us a chess set.
Di Felice, Gino (2010).Chess Results, 1956–1960: A Comprehensive Record With 1,390 Tournament Crosstables and 142 Match Scores, With Sources. McFarland.ISBN978-0-786-44803-6.
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