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Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster who was the seventh World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions. Smyslov twice tied for first place at the USSR Chess Championships, and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won is an all-time record. In five European Team Championships, Smyslov won ten gold med…
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culture · Soviet chess grandmaster (1921–2010) · chess player · singer · non-fiction writer · chess composer · writer · journalist · Grandmaster · also Vasily Smyslov, Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov, Smyslov
Born 24 March 1921 · Died 27 March 2010 · Q104148
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s unsound style, but it was the younger man who triumphed. Soviet officials, who preferred a Russian to the Latvian Tal as candidate, were then scandalised when the normally staid Smyslov whose wife, Nadezhda Andreevna, had stayed at home in Moscow, started a public relationship with a Yugoslav woman grandmaster that affected his play. His failure in Yugoslavia seemed to mark the end of Smyslov
Awarded world chess champion (1957).
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“s unsound style, but it was the younger man who triumphed. Soviet officials, who preferred a Russian to the Latvian Tal as candidate, were then scandalised when the normally staid Smyslov whose wife, Nadezhda Andreevna, had stayed at home in Moscow, started a public relationship with a Yugoslav woman grandmaster that affected his play. His failure in Yugoslavia seemed to mark the end of Smyslov”
Washington Times: Celebrating chess great Vasily Smyslov at 100
The Daily Telegraph: Vasily Smyslov
The Guardian: The late Vasily Smyslov was the composed champion of the 1950s
The Guardian: Vasily Smyslov obituary
Died 2010-03-27.
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Smyslov won the inaugural World Senior Chess Championship
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And first equal at Copenhagen (Politiken Cup) 1986 with Chernin, Pigusov and Cserna
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Queens Gambit, Semi-Tarrasch Defence (), 1-0 The finest game of Smyslov's semi-final win, featuring several sacrifices
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At the age of 62, he reached the Candidates' Final (the match to determine who plays the champion, in that case Anatoly Karpov), losing 8½–4½ at Vilnius 1984 to Garry Kasparov, who was 21 at the time, and who went on to
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Won at São Paulo and finished with a share of second at Buenos Aires, behind Andersson
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When all three eclipsed the efforts of then–world champion Anatoly Karpov
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(behind Geller), a first place at Szolnok (also 1975), and a multi-way share of second at the large Lone Pine Open of 1976 (Petrosian won)
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Topped the Capablanca Memorial in Cienfuegos
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And on board four at London in 1984, with the Soviets winning both matches
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(behind Petrosian and Polugaevsky) and in 1971, was joint runner-up with Tal, behind Savon
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Was second (behind Fischer) at Monte Carlo, won at Moscow, and finished second (behind Stein) at the city's Alekhine Memorial tournament
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There were victories at Mar del Plata and at the Rubinstein Memorial in Polanica-Zdrój
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But returned with a vengeance for Lugano 1968, and made a phenomenal 11/12 for another gold medal as second reserve
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Resulted in a share of first with the East German, Uhlmann
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Was second at Sochi (Chigorin Memorial) behind Polugaevsky
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But was back in 1964, following a first-place tie at the Amsterdam Interzonal, with 17/23
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Returned for Tel Aviv 1964, on third board, and won the gold medal with 11/13
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However, she remained in Moscow during the 1959 Candidates tournament when, to the consternation of Soviet authorities, the normally staid Smyslov had a flagrant affair with a woman grandmaster that affected his play.
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But finished fourth in the qualifying tournament held in Yugoslavia, which was won by the rising superstar Mikhail Tal
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Was a joint winner in both 1960 (with Kholmov) and 1961 (with Vasiukov), and won outright in 1963
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Awarded world chess champion (1957).
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A victory shared with his constant rival, Botvinnik
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Won a training tournament in Gagra and finished third at Bucharest, behind Tolush and Petrosian
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Was second behind Kotov at Venice and in 1951, won the Chigorin Memorial, held in Leningrad
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And again in 1955 (with Bronstein and Geller respectively)
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Placed second behind Botvinnik and in 1947, shared third with Bondarevsky, finishing behind Keres and Boleslavsky
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While still a teenager, he finished third behind Bondarevsky and Lilienthal
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When he was 17, Smyslov won the USSR Junior Championship
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Born 1921-03-24.
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