FORMER chess grandmaster Boris Spassky has died aged 88.
The Russian became world champion in 1969.
AFPBoris Spassky, left, took part in the ‘match of the century’ in 1972[/caption]
GettySpassky had been the oldest living World Chess Champion prior to his passing[/caption]
He still held the title as he took part in the “match of the century” against American Bobby Fischer in 1972.
The contest was inevitably a political one, given the Cold War conflict between the east and the west.
Chess had been dominated by the former, having had Soviet world champions dating back to 1948.
But that streak was broken when Fischer defeated Spassky to take his title.
Confirming Spassky’s passing, the Russian Chess Federation called it a “great loss for the country”.
No cause of death has yet been confirmed.
Spassky was a prodigious talent in chess from a young age, becoming a grandmaster at just 18.
Born in St. Petersburg, he later moved to France in 1976 – becoming a French citizen two years later and representing them in three Olympiads during the 1980s.
He would never reclaim his world title, but did rematch Fischer in 1992.
Spassky went on to lose again to the American, who had been unranked following a lengthy hiatus.
Following decades spent in Paris, Spassky returned to Russia in 2012, following a deterioration in his health.
Prior to his passing, Spassky had been the oldest living World Chess Champion.
Having twice suffered from strokes, he was seldom seen in the public eye during his latter years.
Spassky’s match with Fischer continued to resonate decades on.
It famously inspired Walter Tevis’ novel “The Queen’s Gambit” – which went on to be adapted into a hit Netflix series starring Anya Taylor-Joy.
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