On February 28, the Russian Chess Federation announced the legendary Boris Spassky's passing at the age of 88.
Andrei Filatov, President of the Russian Chess Federation, told TASS news agency:
A great personality has passed away; many generations of chess players have studied his games and legacies. This is a big loss for the country.
Spassky was born in 1937 in Leningrad. He was recognized as a chess prodigy since he was a child, winning the Grandmaster title at the age of 18 and debuting at Candidates in Amsterdam in 1956 at the age of 19.
In 1969, at the age of 32, Spassky won his only world championship title when he defeated compatriot Tigran Petrosian with a score of 12.5 - 10.5. He became the 10th chess king in history.
Spassky held the title until 1972, before losing to American grandmaster Bobby Fischer for 12.5 - 8.5 in the "match of the century", held in Iceland during the peak of the Cold War.
The confrontation between an American and a Soviet at that time attracted unprecedented attention from the media. The competition took place with the participation of major media companies. According to FIDE (World Chess Federation), the match was broadcast to 50 million viewers worldwide.
Spassky competed for the Soviet national team in 7 Olympics (1962-1978), winning a total of 13 medals (team and individual). In 1976, he moved to France with his third wife, becoming a French citizen in 1978.
The 10th chess player competed for the French team in 3 Olympics (1984-88). In 2012, Spassky returned to Russia.
Spassky has won against other famous grandmasters such as Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov in his career. After the rematch against Fischer in 1992, he rarely plays professional chess.
