Boris Spassky
(1937- )

Spassky became 10th world champion from by defeating Petrosian in 1969 and lost the crown in 1972 in Reykjavik, Iceland, to Bobby Fischer in the most famous match of all time. World junior champion and a world title candidate by age 18, Spassky showed an early hyper-aggressive brilliance (King’s Gambits were a specialty) that matured into seamless universality. He played openings, middlegames and endings equally brilliantly. His stunning 15th move against David Bronstein was immortalized in the film classic “From Russia with Love.”