Poonam Nath

Russian grandmaster and former chess world champion Boris Spassky passes away at 88

Digital Desk: Boris Spassky, the former World Chess Champion, died at the age of 88. The Russian Chess Federation acknowledged the news, calling it a "great loss for the country," but did not provide information on when he died or the reason for his death.

Spassky was the tenth world champion, having held the title from 1969 until 1972. In Reykjavik in 1972, he fell to American Bobby Fischer in what was dubbed "the match of the century".

RIP Boris Vasilievich Spassky

One of the most talented players of his generation, the 10th World Champion Boris Spassky has passed away at the age of 88.

Spassky was considered a chess prodigy. He attained the Grandmaster title at the age of 18 and made his debut in the… pic.twitter.com/zrZBePQeXg

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) February 27, 2025

When Fischer won the international chess championship in Iceland, the 29-year-old Brooklyn prodigy grabbed the United States' first world chess title.

The chess organization referred to Spassky's match against Fischer as "one of the most iconic" in the game's history. After defeating Spassky, Fischer refused to defend the championship, forfeiting it.

Spassky made his Candidates Tournament debut in Amsterdam in 1956, when he was 19.

Spassky competed for the Soviet Olympiad squad seven times between 1962 and 1978. After relocating to France in 1976, he went on to play in three Olympiads from 1984 to 1988.

Spassky defeated Paul Keres, Efim Geller, and Mikhail Tal at the 1965 Candidates before losing the title to Tigran Petrosian in Moscow in 1966. Spassky rose back to the top in the following phase, eventually winning the title in his second match against the ninth world champion.