Boris Spassky

BORIS SPASSKY. Russian chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. In the three world championship matches finals he played : 1) 1966, he lost to Tigran Petrosian. 2) In 1969, he then defeated Petrosian in to become world champion. 3) In 1972, he lost to Bobby Fischer in their famous match of that year. He won the Soviet Chess Championship twice outright (1961 & 1973) and twice lost in playoffs (1956 & 1963) after tying for first place during the event proper. He was a World Chess Championship candidate on seven occasions (1956 / 1965 / 1968 / 1974 / 1977 / 1980 and 1985). In addition to his candidates wins in 1965 and 1968, he reached the semi-final stage in both 1974 and 1977. He emigrated to France in 1976, becoming a French citizen in 1978. He continued to compete in tournaments, but was no longer a major contender for the world title. He lost an unofficial rematch against Bobby Fischer in 1992. In 2012 he left France and returned to Russia. He is the oldest living former world champion