Boris Spassky

Boris Spassky
Spassky at the Thessaloniki Olympiad, 1984
Full name	Boris Vasilievich Spassky
Country	Soviet Union (until 1982) France (1982–2013)[1] Russia (since 2013)[2]
Born	(1937-01-30) January 30, 1937 (age 87) Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Title	Grandmaster (1955)
World Champion	1969–1972
FIDE rating	2548 (November 2024) [inactive]
Peak rating	2690 (January 1971)
Peak ranking	No. 2 (January 1971)

Boris Vasilievich Spassky (Russian: Бори́с Васи́льевич Спа́сский, romanized: Borís Vasíl'yevich Spásskiy; born January 30, 1937) is a Russian and former Soviet chess grandmaster who was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. Spassky played three world championship matches: he lost to Tigran Petrosian in 1966; defeated Petrosian in 1969 to become world champion; then lost to Bobby Fischer in a famous match in 1972.

Spassky 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, Spassky reached the semi-final stage in 1974 and the final stage in 1977.

Spassky immigrated 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. Spassky lost an unofficial rematch against Fischer in 1992. In 2012, he left France and returned to Russia.