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The career of Boris Spassky  was  overshadowed by his great contemporaries, Fischer and Tal.  The contribution of the former world champion to chess is yet to be appreciated in the post-Fischer era.  This CD is a salutary effort in that it makes the entire oeuvre of Spassky available to chess players.  While 1965 games contain brief annotations, 400 Best Games have deep analysis by Khalifman in Informant style.  It may be assumed that much of the analysis is derived from the book Boris Spassky’s 400  Selected Games (Chess Stars).

The annotations are a refreshing change.  In several cases the games have been critically examined afresh, overturning old evaluation and judgment.  For this reason alone the CD is valuable.

The training module, Play like Spassky has 185 positions based on a variety of themes like attack on the king, active defense, positional sacrifice and transition into the ending.  It has both aesthetic and instructive value.

It remains to point out only a few minor blemishes.  The games are arranged in chronological order.  However, within the same year games of the same event are not always found together.  On more than one occasion games have been added at the end of the year.  Obviously there has been some haste in tracing  games from the past and assembling them together in one place.

Secondly, the collection of 50 photographs fails to make an impression as the black-and-white images are too tiny and often blurred.

As the CD offers no biographical detail, a brief outline of his career would not be out of place here.

Spassky was born on 30 January, 1937 in  Leningrad (now restored to the original St. Petersburg) of  the former Soviet Union.  His parents were divorced,  and he was brought up by his mother.  He was coached by Zak, Tolush and Bodarevesky in his formative years.  He became the World Junior Champion in 1955 at the age of 18.  He participated in the Candidates’ Tournament at Amsterdam next year.  Although success eluded him here, he beat the winner of the tournament Smyslov.  In the same year he also tied for the First place with Averbakh and Taimanov in the 23^rd USSR Championship.  Then came the jinx.  Spassky could not qualify for the World Championship Candidates’ cycle for the next eight years, in spite of several valiant efforts.  It was only in 1965 that he became a Candidate.  Then began a spectacular ascent to the Chess Olympus.  He beat Keres, Geller and Tal in succession and became the Challenger for the World Championship.  He lost the Match to the reigning World Champion, Tigran Petrosian, after a hard-fought struggle.  Next year he won the Santa Monica Tournament ahead of Fischer and Petrosian   Thereafter Spassky resumed his efforts to win the World Championship.  He beat Geller, Larsen and Korchnoi  in Candidates Matches, and once again became the Challenger for World Championship.  He beat Petrosian in a tough match and became the World Champion in 1969.  There followed a period of decline.  Spassky was no longer his confident self when he played the World Championship Match against Fischer in 1972.  After losing the title he did show that he was not a spent force by winning the Soviet Championship the following year.  But it was the beginning of the end.  He lost the Candidates’ Match to Karpov next year.

He did become a Candidate again in 1977, beating Hort and Portisch.  However, he lost to Korchnoi in a match marred by controversy.  Spassky’s last fling at the World Championship cycle was in 1980, when he drew the match with Portisch, and the latter qualified by tie-break.  Twenty years after the historic match in 1972 Spassky played a return match with Fischer and lost again.

In spite of these defeats  in two matches Spassky has remained a friend of Fischer.

Recently he was active in campaigning for Fischer’s release from detention in Japan.  For the past several years he has lived in France.

What is missing in this CD is the extraordinary human drama surrounding the games.  Consider the following scene, described by Leonard Barden, taken from his article, Portrait of a World Champion, in the January 1970 issue of Chess Life & Review:

The 1958  USSR  Championship, also a zonal tournament, was held in Riga, and in the last round Boris had to meet a young Latvian named Mikhail Tal who was playing inspired chess  in front of his home town supporters in defense of the title which he had won the previous year.  Spassky needed a win to be sure of an Interzonal place.  The bitterly fought game was adjourned after 40 moves, and both players stayed up all night to analyze.

Boris described to me what happened next day:  “The game was adjourned, and I had a good position; but I was very tired from analyzing and went to resume next morning unshaven.  Before I played important games I usually tried to bathe, to put on a good shirt and suit, and to look comme il faut.  But on this occasion I had analyzed incessantly and came to the board  looking very disheveled and fatigued.  Then I was a like a stubborn mule.  I remembered that Tal offered me a draw, but I refused.  Then I felt my strength  ebb away, and I lost the thread of the game.  My position deteriorated, I proposed a draw, but Tal refused.  When I resigned  there was a thunder of applause, but I was in a daze and hardly understood what was happening.  I was certain the world went down; I felt that there was something terribly wrong.  After this game I went on the street and cried like a child.  I remembered that in 1951 when I lost to Smyslov in his clock simultaneous was the last time I cried, and I promised myself then never to cry again, but after losing to Tal I couldn’t keep my word.”

And what about Tal?  (from Life and Games of Mikhail Tal):

We analyzed until five o’clock in the morning.  There appeared to be no direct win for White, but my position was highly unpleasant.  Then my second sent me off to sleep for about three hours.  The resumption was in the morning, at nine.  My difficulties began while still on the approach to the tournament hall.  Despite the fact that  it was a weekday there was a mass of fans around the entrance, and it was practically impossible to fight one’s way through…

Out of the corner of of my eye I could see Petrosian in a new suit, a white shirt and a tie,  apparently all ready for his interview as Champion.  In the small buffet behind the stage Spassky was feverishly drinking kefir (a sour milk product similar to yoghurt - Translator’s note) – it seemed that he too had only slept a little.  The game was resumed…. After we had played about fifteen moves, …. with both kings under fire, he offered a draw in a somewhat changed voice.  To be honest, I was embarrassed.  In the first place I  had always held a certain sympathy for Boris.  And secondly, I very much wanted to play in the lightning tournament which was about to begin.  But everyone, myself included, had been carried away by the game, and besides, to agree to a draw would have been unethical from the chess point of view:  for the first time in the  game I had a chance to play for a win ….

All this flashed through my mind for 30-40 seconds, and then I declined the offer.  And immediately I saw how Spassky, who always plays, I would say, with theatrical calmness, began to get nervous……. and indeed it was all over within five moves, with my king, which had broken out of captivity, taking part in the execution of his white colleague.  The fans went wild….

Strange though it may seem, it was after our tragic encounter in the Championship that Boris and I became friends.”

Here is the critical position of the game :

56.Kf2 Re6 57.Rc8?

Missing 57.Qb8! Kf6 58.g4 hxg4 59.fxg4 Re4 60.Qh8+ Ke7 61.Qf8+ Kf6 62.Ra6+ Re6 63.g5+ Kf5 64.Qa3!! +-

Analysis Diagram: After 64.Qa3!!

64…Rxa6 (64...Re4 65.Qf3+ Rf4 66.Rf6#) 65.Qf3+ Ke6 66.Qf6#  A superb analytical discovery.

57...Rd6?±

Black in turn fails to notice the opportunity to fight for a draw.  57...Rb6 58.Qf8+ Kf6 59.g4 Rb2

58.Qf8+ Kf6 59.Re8?

Here is the second missed win. 59.g4! hxg4 60.fxg4 Re6 61.Rc3+-

59...Re6 60.Qh8+ Kf5 61.Qh6 Kf6

Not  61...Rxe8 62.Qg5+ Ke6 63.Qe5#

62.Qh8+ Kf5 63.Rd8?

63.Qh6 Kf6 64.Rg8 Ke7 65.Qg5+ and White is somewhat better.

63...Qc6! 64.Rc8 Qa6 65.Kg3?

Missing a draw with 65.Rc1 Qe2+ 66.Kg3 Qd2 67.Rc5=

65...Qd6+ 66.Kh3 Re1 67.g3??

White had to play  67.g4+ hxg4+ 68.fxg4+ Kf4 69.Rc3 (not 69.Qh6+? Ke4 70.Re8+ Kf3 wins- Tal)

67...Rg1??

Black in turn misses a win with 67...Qa6 68.g4+ Kf4 69.Qh6+ Kxf3 70.Rc3+ Ke4 71.Kg3 Qf1-+

68.f4 Re1 69.Rc2?!

Here is the last chance for  fighting for a draw. 69.Re8 Rxe8 70.Qxe8 Qe6 71.Qa4

69...Qe6 70.Rf2

This leads to capitulation. But there is nothing left.  After 70.Qc8 Qxc8 71.Rxc8 Re4 72.Rf8 the ending  is lost for White.

70...Rh1+ 71.Kg2 Qe4+ 72.Rf3 Kg4 73.Qc8+ f5 0-1
 

Tragedy struck again in the 1961 Soviet Championship.  Spassky had to win against Stein in the last round to qualify for the Interzonal, but he attacked nervously and unsoundly, to adjourn with a lost position.

He analyzed  found no chances to draw, went to Stein and offered to resign.  Stein could not understand :  “What is the proposal ?”   he asked.  Boris resigned, and asked Stein how he intended to continue after adjournment.  Stein showed him “something terrible.”  Boris drew his own moral : “I understood that I resigned too early; it is necessary to fight to the last drop of blood in chess.”

( 41…. g4 was the sealed move.)

The  score in the CD wrongly adds the subsequent moves of analysis as the actual moves of the game.

42. hxg4 hxg4 43.a5 ! Kb5 44.Kd3 Bh4  45. Be1 +-

But why not 43… Kd5? After 44. Kd3 f5 45.a6 Kc6 46.Be3 Ba5! with a defense: 47.Kc4 Be1 ! 48. a7 Kb7 49. Kd5 g3 50. fxg3 Bxg3 51.. Bxf4! =

Here Spassky saw a winning line 44.a6 Kc6 45.f5! after which the g-pawn falls, since 45…Kb6 is met by 46. Ba5 +!

Analysis Diagram: after 46.Ba5+

Spassky was certain Stein had found it in home analysis too.  But his opponent hadn’t!  A case of fatal misunderstanding.

(Analysis by Soltis in his monumental work Soviet Chess, a  McFarland title)

Subsequent years saw the young vulnerable Spassky develop as a tough fighter and a mature grandmaster.  He was acclaimed for his universal style.  Although a player in the classical mould, he transformed himself  to be an astute psychologist.   Both Fischer and Kasparov became his victims, bamboozled by his imaginative daring in dubious positions and succumbing to him in the end.  In this respect his play resembles that of Dr. Lasker.

Spassky - Fischer, Siegen 1970
Grünfeld Defence [D87]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 Nc6 9.Be3 0-0 10.0-0 Qc7 11.Rc1 Rd8 12.h3

Spassky had beaten Fischer with 12.Qe1 in Santa Monica 1966.  Anticipating an improvement from  Fischer, he varies first.  Nowadays 12.Bf4 is preferred.

12...b6 13.f4 e6 14.Qe1 Na5

14...Bb7 15.Qf2 Na5 16.Bd3 f5 was played in Gligorich-Smyslov 1959.

After  17.e5? c4 18.Bc2 Nc6 19.Rfd1 Ne7 Black enjoyed an advantage.

15.Bd3 f5 16.g4!?

After 16.e5? c4 17.Bb1 Bb7 Black has initiative.16.Qf2 is a reasonable alternative. But Spassky wants to engage Fischer in a complex struggle.

16...fxe4 ?

This is bad.  Leonid Stein improved on Fischer’s play and attempted 16...Bb7 17.Ng3 Qd7 18.gxf5 cxd4 19.fxe6 Qxe6.against Spassky in Moscow 1971.  After 20.f5 he should have played 20… gxf5 ! with favourable complications for Black.  Instead  he chose  20...Qe7? and the game ended in a draw.

17.Bxe4 Bb7 18.Ng3 Nc4 19.Bxb7 Qxb7 20.Bf2 Qc6 21.Qe2 cxd4 22.cxd4 b5 23.Ne4! Bxd4 24.Ng5 Bxf2+

The contemporary annotators blamed this move and recommended 24...Bb6. But after 25.Nxe6 Re8 26.f5 White dominates the board.

25.Rxf2 Rd6 26.Re1 Qb6

Black could also have tried 26...e5 !? 27.fxe5 Re8 28.exd6 Rxe2 29.Rexe2 Nxd6 30.Ne6 h6 (30...Nf7? 31.Rxf7) 31.Rf8+ Kh7 32.Ng5+ Kg7 (32...hxg5?? 33.Re7+ Kh6 34.Rh8#) 33.Ne6+ =

27.Ne4

Not  27.Nxe6 Re8 28.f5 Rd2 29.Qf3 Rxa2 30.Ref1 Rxf2 31.Rxf2 Qe3 32.Qxe3 ( Not 32.Qb7 Qe1+ 33.Kg2 Ne3+) 32...Nxe3 33.Nc7 Re5 with active play.

27...Rd4 28.Nf6+ Kh8

The alternative is 28...Kg7 29.Qxe6 Qxe6 30.Rxe6 Rf8 31.Ne8+ Kf7 32.Rfe2 Rxf4 33.Re7+ Kg8 34.Rg7+ Kh8 35.Rxa7 R4f7  =

29.Qxe6 Rd6

29...Qxe6 30.Rxe6 Kg7 31.g5 Rf8 32.Re7+ Rf7 33.Rxf7+ Kxf7 34.Nxh7 and the ending  is  lost  for Black.

But the big discovery in this CD is the following variation which was supposed to be winning for White.  It doesn’t !

29...Rd1!

Analysis Diagram: after 29...Rd1!

30.Qf7! Rxe1+ 31.Kg2 Ne3+ 32.Kf3!  (Not 32.Kg3 Nf5+ 33.gxf5 Qe3+ 34.Kg2 Qe7-+) 32...Qc6+ 33.Kg3 Rg1+ 34.Kh4 Rxg4+ 35.hxg4 Qh1+ 36.Kg5 Nxg4!

Analysis Diagram: after 36...Nxg4!

37.Kxg4 (If 37.Nxg4Qh5 38.Kf6 Qf5 39.Ke7 Qc5 40.Ke6 Rf8 41.Qd7 Qb6 42.Ke5 Rd8 43.Rd2 Rxd7 44.Rxd7 Qc5 45. Rd5 Qc7 46.Rd6 and Black should win.) Qg1+ 38.Kh3 Qh1+ 39.Kg3 Rd8 (Not 39...Qg1+? 40.Rg2 Qe1+ 41.Kg4 Qh1 42.Re2+-) 40.Nd7 Qg1+ 41.Rg2 Qe1+ =

30.Qe4 Rf8?

Missing 30...Rad8 ! 31.g5 Rd2 32.Ree2 (32.Ref1?! Qe3) 32...Rxe2 33.Qxe2 Qe3   After 34.Qxe3....Nxe3 35.Re2 Nf5 36.Rc2 Ra8 37.Rc7 Ng7 38.Rb7 a6 39.Kf2 is good for White.  So Black plays 34…Rd1+! winning a valuable tempo.  35.Kg2 Nxe3+ 36.Kf3 Nf5 37.Ke4  it is difficult for White to make progress.

31.g5 Rd2 32.Ref1 Qc7 ?

Not 32...Nd6 33.Qe5 Qd4 34.Qe7+-

32...Rxf2 33.Rxf2 Qe3 34.Qxe3 Nxe3 35.Rd2 is also good for White.

32...Kg7  is better, with a fighting chance to hold the draw.  For example, 33.f5!? 33...Rxf2 34.Rxf2 Qe3 35.Qh4 h5 ! 36.gxh6+( 36.fxg6 36...Qe1+ 37.Kg2.Ne3+ 38.Kh2 Nf1+) Qxh6 37.Qxh6+ Kxh6 38.Ng4+ Kg5 39.fxg6 Rd8 (39...Rxf2? 40.g7) 40.g7 Kg6 =

So White should  tighten his grip with  33.h4! Qd4 (33...Rxa2 34.Qe7+ Rf7 35.Qe8 Rf8 36.Qxf8+ Kxf8 37.Nd7+ Ke7 38.Nxb6) 34.h5 Qxe4 35.h6+ Kh8 36.Nxe4  with the upper hand in the ending.

33.Rxd2! Nxd2 34.Qd4 Rd8

If  34...Nxf1? 35.Ne8+ -

34...Qb6? 35.Qxb6 axb6  36.Rc1! Nc4 37.a4! Rd8 38.axb5 Rd4 39.Ra1 Na5 40.Re1 Rxf4 41.Re7 Rh4 42.Kg2 Nc4 43.Kg3 Nd6 44.Rd7 (44.Kxh4 Nf5+ 45.Kg4 Nxe7) 44...Nf5+ 45.Kh2 Ne3 46.Rb7+-

35.Nd5+ Kg8 36.Rf2 Nc4 37.Re2 Rd6

If 37...Qb6?

Analysis Diagram: after 37...Qb6?

38.Re8+! Rxe8 39.Nxb6 +-

38.Re8+ Kf7 39.Rf8+! 1-0

If 39… Kxf8 40.Qh8+ Kf7 41.Qxh7+ wins the queen.
 

Kasparov-Spassky, Tilburg 1981
King’s Indian Defence [E74]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 Bg7 6.Be2 0-0 7.Bg5 b5?! 8.cxb5 a6 9.a4 Qa5 10.Bd2 Nbd7?

Too slow.10...Qb4!? entering complications is the only way of continuing the game.

11.Ra3! Bb7 12.Nf3 axb5 13.Bxb5 Qc7 14.0-0 Ng4 15.Bg5! Ngf6 16.Nd2 e6 17.Nc4 exd5 18.exd5 Rad8 19.a5 h6 20.Bh4 Ne5 21.a6 Ba8

Spassky has been positionally outplayed and instead of passive defense, offers a superb demonstration on the king’s side.

22.Re1 g5 23.Bg3 Nfd7 24.a7! f5! 25.Bxe5 Nxe5 26.Nxe5 dxe5 27.Ra6 e4! 28.Bc4 Qf7 29.Nb5 Kh7 30.Re6 Qb7 31.Qh5 Rf6 32.Rxf6 Bxf6 33.g4?!

This move weakens the king’ side and  offers Black counter-chances along b7—h1 diagonal and also b7-b2-h2 axis for the Black queen.

33.f3! breaking up Black’s pawn phalanx and opening the f-file for the rook would have won more easily.

33...f4 34.h4!

Not 34.Rxe4? Rxd5!

Analysis Diagram: after 34...Rxd5!

35.Bxd5 Qxd5 36.f3 Qd1+ 37.Kf2 Bxe4 38.Qf7+ Bg7 39.fxe4 Qd2+ = Kasparov

34...Kg7

Not 34...Qd7? 35.hxg5 Bxg5 36.Rxe4 Bxd5 37.Bxd5 Qxd5 38.Re7+!

Analysis Diagram: after 38.Re7+!

38...Bxe7 39.Qxd5 Rxd5 40.a8=Q +-

35.Nc3?

Missing a win with 35.d6! e3

Analysis Diagram: after 35...e3

36.f3! Rc8 (36… Rf8 also loses to 37.Nc7 Qxf3 38.Ne6+) 37.Nc7 Rxc7 38.dxc7 Qxc7 39.Bd3 Qf7 40.Qxf7+ Kxf7 41.Be4 +-

35...e3!

36.Bd3 exf2+ 37.Kxf2 Qxb2+ 38.Re2?

38.Ne2! Bd4+ 39.Kf1 f3 40.Qg6+ Kf8 41.Qf5+ Kg7 42.Qxf3 Rf8 43.Bf5 would have consolidated White’s position.

38...Qxc3 39.Qg6+ Kf8 40.Qxh6+ Bg7 41.Qxg5 Qf6?

41...Qd4+ 42.Kf1 Qf6 43.Re4 Qxg5 44.hxg5 Rxd5 45.Rxf4+ Ke7 46.Bg6 Kd8 is rather better.

42.Qxf6+ Bxf6 43.Bc4

Perhaps  43.g5 Bd4+ 44.Kf3 Bxd5+ 45.Be4 Bxe4+ 46.Kxe4 Be3 47.Ra2 Ra8 48.Ra4 c4 49.Rxc4 Rxa7 50.Kf3 Kg7 51.Rc6 != is a reasonable alternative.

43...Bxh4+ 44.Kf3 Rd7 45.Ra2?

Missing 45.Rh2! Bf6 46.g5 Bg7 47.Ra2  with better chances of a draw.

45...Bg5 46.Ke4 Rf7 47.Ra5 Kg7 48.Rxc5 Kf6

48...Rxa7? offers white needless counter-chances after 49.Kf5 Be7 50.Rc8.

49.Rc8 ?!

49.Ra5 Ke7  50.Kd4 Bh4 still  offers a fighting  chance for a draw.

49...Rxa7 50.Rf8+ Kg7 51.Rc8 Kf6 52.Rf8+ Kg7 53.Rc8 Bb7 54.Rc7+ Kf6 55.Kd4 Bh4! 56.d6 Bf2+ 57.Kc3 Be4! 58.Re7 Rxe7 59.g5+ Kg6 60.dxe7 Bc6 61.Kb4 Bb6 62.Bb3 Bd7 63.Bd5 Be8 64.Bc4 f3 65.Bd3+ Kxg5 66.Bb5 f2 0-1
 

Highly  Recommended.
 

Editor's Note: The product reviewed here is also available as a set: Six World Champions (reviewed at Chessville by Rick Kennedy) which includes programs devoted to six great chess champions: Emanuel Lasker, Jose Raul Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine, Mikhail Botvinnik, Mikhail Tal and Boris Spassky.  The CD on Mikhail Tal has also been reviewed here at Chessville by Prof. Havanur.

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