[News] RIP Boris Spassky

[Lenny Rider]

One for the teenagers.

Former Russian Chess Grandmaster whose 1972 World Chess Final against American Bobby Fischer was turned into the chess version of the Cold War, receiving global coverage, John Craven was all over it on Newsround.

Check Mate, sadly

RIP

 

[Gwylan]

I mentioned this on another group. In 1972, Spassky was seen as the Russian baddie against the hero of the west, Fischer. As it turned out, Boris was revealed as a pretty decent bloke, mentoring a new generation of players while Fischer turned into a raving maniac who wouldn't have been out of place on GB News - a sort of Matt Le Tissier of the chess board.

What a turnaround - RIP indeed

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

I recall at the time that their match(es) was(were) genuinely big news and helped bring chess a lot of publicity. RIP

 

[jcdenton08]

Retold in the musical “Chess”, using expy characters. Both real life players were really interesting blokes (the show’s story is a mess, but there are some good songs). Fischer was a complete and total knob

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

A song about him and his protagonist. Sort of.