The people behind the game
Boris Spassky
A universal player at home in every kind of position. Lost the title to Fischer in the 1972 match in Reykjavík.
- Born
- 1937
- Died
- 2025
- Country connections
- Soviet Union
At the board
The games. The ideas.
Explore classic encounters and championship battles. Play every move, or jump straight to the moments that tell the story.
1972 · World championship · Game 6
A new kind of Fischer game
Fischer’s sixth game in Reykjavík begins with 1.c4 and develops into sustained central and kingside pressure.
Read the position
Every move sets the scene.
Use the controls to explore the full game, or select an annotated moment below. Each explanation describes the position immediately after its highlighted move.
Complete move list 41 moves
The journey
A remarkable path.
Spassky played three championship matches: two against Petrosian and one against Fischer. He later moved to France and became a French citizen. His career also included two outright Soviet championship victories, in 1961 and 1973. [1]
Explore the championship record →The championship record
Time with the crown.
- 1969–1972Open world championship
Reigns are periods of title ownership, not a count of championship victories. Open-ended reigns reflect the record checked on 18 October 2026.
Continue exploring
More from the collection.
1972 · Bobby Fischer vs Boris SpasskyFischer vs Spassky, game 6
Fischer, who almost always opened 1.e4, plays 1.c4 and outplays Spassky in a Queen's Gambit Declined. Spassky was reported to have joined the audience in applauding.
Sources & credits
Biographical details and title records checked . Country connections describe the player’s career and background, rather than a live federation listing.
Portrait: Rob Bogaerts for Anefo · CC0. Displayed in monochrome and cropped.
