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Vasily Smyslov

XIV Schach-Olympiade Leipzig, 1960

VASILY SMYSLOV (born Mar-24-1921, died Mar-27-2010, 89 years old) Russia PRONUNCIATION: [what is this?] Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov was born in Moscow. His father Vasily Osipovich Smyslov was a strong amateur player. A talented singer, Smyslov narrowly missed joining the Bolshoi Opera. Opera's loss was the chess world's gain. He was awarded the Soviet Grandmaster title in 1941. He won the Moscow Championship in 1942 and 1944-45. He first beat Botvinnik at the 1943 Moscow Championship. Smyslov finished second to Botvinnik at the FIDE World Championship Tournament (1948). He shared first with David Bronstein at the USSR Championship (1949). He won the Chigorin Memorial (1951) by 1.5 points. Smyslov earned the right to challenge Botvinnik for the world championship by winning the Zuerich Candidates (1953), two points ahead of Bronstein, Samuel Reshevsky, and Paul Keres. He and Botvinnik tied the Botvinnik - Smyslov World Championship Match (1954), which resulted in Botvinnik retaining the title. Smyslov shared first place with Keres at Hastings (1954/55). He tied for first with Efim Geller at the USSR Championship (1955), but lost the playoff. Smyslov won the Amsterdam Candidates (1956) by 1.5 points over Keres, thus again securing the right to challenge Botvinnik. He and Botvinnik shared first at the Alekhine Memorial (1956). Finally Smyslov wrested the world championship from Botvinnik, winning the Botvinnik - Smyslov World Championship Match (1957) by three points. Under the then-existing rules, Botvinnik had the right to a rematch a year later. It proved a disaster for Smyslov. He lost the first three games of the Smyslov - Botvinnik World Championship Rematch (1958), and went on to lose the match, and the championship, by two points. Smyslov tied for first with Bronstein and the young superstar Boris Spassky at the Alekhine Memorial (1959). He was only able to finish fourth at the Bled-Zagreb-Belgrade Candidates (1959), won by the meteoric Mikhail Tal, who would go on to defeat Botvinnik for the championship. Smyslov shared first with Ratmir Kholmov at the Central Chess Club International (1960), and with Evgeni Vasiukov at the Central Chess Club International (1961). He won Moscow (1963), a point ahead of Tal. He won Stockholm (1963/64), half a point ahead of Isaac Boleslavsky. Smyslov once again put himself on the road to a potential world championship when he won the Amsterdam Interzonal (1964) (tied with Tal, Spassky, and the Dane Bent Larsen). He tied for first with Wolfgang Uhlmann of East Germany at the Capablanca Memorial (1964). He suffered a stinging defeat in the Geller - Smyslov Candidates Quarterfinal (1965), losing by three points. Smyslov won many more tournaments. He won Havana (1965), half a point ahead of Geller, Robert James Fischer, and Borislav Ivkov. He won Mar del Plata (1966), ahead of Leonid Stein. He won Monte Carlo 1969. In 1982 at the Las Palmas Interzonal Tournament, Smyslov finished second and qualified for the Candidates Matches, and at age 61 advanced past Robert Huebner in the quarter-finals (winning the spin of a roulette wheel to decide the tied match), then defeating Zoltan Ribli in the semi-final, before losing to challenger Garry Kasparov, just over a third his age, in the final. Smyslov crowned a remarkable career by becoming the first Senior World Champion at Bad Worishofen in 1991. Crosstables and other info can be found here: [rusbase-1] [rusbase-2] http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/48$... [rusbase-3] http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/525... http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/525... [rusbase-4] [rusbase-5] http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/555... [rusbase-6] http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/646... Smyslov Videos: Singing, playing piano, beating Botvinnik (1957) http://www.britishpathe.com/record.... Receiving World Championship Laurels (1957) http://www.britishpathe.com/record.... Walking with Keres in the Netherlands (1948) http://www.britishpathe.com/record.... Wikipedia article: Vasily Smyslov ############################## <Revision and Expansion> of this bio under construction by JFQ. Beginnings His father was an "Economic Engineer" working in the "Department for the Preparation of Securities" <125 Games, 1> Lived in a small flat in an old house on the outskirts of Moscow. Highlight of our life was a 'Schroeder' piano, on which my father used to play. He began teaching me piano and chess <125 Games, 2> Autumn 1938- 1st year student at the Moscow School of Aviation <Romanovsky xii> "Starting in 1948, I seriously studied singing under Professor Konstantin Zlobin, whom I met by chance in Leningrad in 1947, when I was playing in the 15th USSR Championship. For many years I took lessons from him, and even appeared in a singing competition in the Bolshoi Theatre. But, as in the life of my father, singing remained something for my own satisfaction." <125 Games, 17> Father Vasily Osipovich Smyslov taught him to play chess at age 7. <125 Games, 1> After winning a rook odds match against his Uncle Kirill, he was given Alekhine's "Best Games" as a prize. Inscription: 'To the winner of the match, to future champion Vasya Smyslov' <125 Games, 1> Soviet Grandmaster Summer of 1935 participated in 1st chess event. Unrated players in chess club of Gorky Park. He won this and two more, by the end of the summer he was 3d Category. <125 Games, 4-5> Fall 1935, joins the Moskvoretsky House of Pioneers. <125 Games, 5> "In 1936 he entered the second category, and in the autumn of the same year the first category." <Romanovsky, xi> In 1937- 1. <Moskvoretsky House of Pioneers Championship 1937> (Fall) 1st, 11-0. Had earned <1st Category rank> in autumn 1936 -<Smyslov> on his "happiest moment": At the championship of the Young Pioneers Stadium, where I won all 11 games, didn't give away a single draw, and there were strong players there, almost all of them became masters, I kept the tournament table from that event." <Sosonko> pp.126-27 Jan. 1938- Leningrad- Smyslov won the USSR under 18 Championship. <Averbakh p.34> Grigory Levenfish gave him 1st prize of an inscribed clock, which "continues to count out the time of my chess career.<125 Games, 9> Shared 1-3 places with Anatoly Ufimtsev and Mark Stolberg in the <Gorky National 1st Category Tournament 1938 (2d group)> [rusbase-7] This result earned him the Candidate Master title. <Romanovsky, xi> Shared 1st with Sergey Belavenets, ahead of Grandmaster Andre Lilienthal at <18th Moscow Championship 1938>, awarded Master Title. <125 Games, 9> <[rusbase-8]> Finished 3d in the USSR Championship (1940), Finished 3d in the USSR Absolute Championship (1941) "in accordance with the norms in existence, for these two successes I was awarded the title of USSR grandmaster." <125 Games, 9-10> 1st International tournament Groningen 1946. Groningen (1946) "third place... behind Mikhail Botvinnik and Max Euwe opened the way for my participation in the battle for the World Championship." <125 Games, 11> World Champion Smyslov's 2d in the <1948 WCC> seeded him into the <Budapest 1950 Candidates Tournament>. Budapest Candidates (1950) They were to be joined by the unsuccessful invitees to the 1948 Championship, but only Vasily Smyslov and Paul Keres took their places.<nescio> Smyslov: "3d place in the <Budapest 1950 Candidates Tournament> gave me the automatic right to a place in the next Candidates Tournament." <125 Games, 12> 1st in the <Zurich Candidates Tournament 1953> Zuerich Candidates (1953) 1954 <World Championship Match> Botvinnik - Smyslov World Championship Match (1954) Drew Botvinnik, who retained championship on draw odds. Candidates Cycling Theoretical Contributions -<Grunfeld Defense, Smyslov variation (D99)> 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 Bg4 8.Be3 <Nfd7> http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches... This plan was developed in preparation for the <1948 WCC>. Smyslov: "The point of the plan, involving the transfer of the king's knight to b6, and the development of the other knight at c6, lies in piece pressure on White's pawn centre."> <125 Games, 11> === -<Ruy Lopez, Closed, Smyslov Defense (C93)> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 <h6> http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches... === -<Slav Defense: Smyslov Variation (D16)> 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 <Na6> === -<Ruy Lopez Fianchetto Defense (C60)> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 Smyslov revived this line at <Szolnok 1975> === Treachery === Personality ############################# Sources [<1> Vasily Smyslov, "Smyslov's 125 Selected Games" Ken Neat transl. Cadogen, 1983 2 P.A. Romanovsky, "Vassily Vassilievitch Smyslov." Published in Vasily Smyslov, "My Best Games of Chess (1935-1957)" P.H. Clarke ed., transl. (Routledge and Kegan Paul 1958), pp. xi-xxvii (First published as "Izbrannie partii" in Russian in 1952) 3 P.H. Clarke, "V.V. Smyslov, 1952-57." Published in Vasily Smyslov, "My Best Games of Chess (1935-1957)" 4 Yuri Averbakh "Centre-Stage and Behind the Scenes" Steve Giddins transl. New in Chess, 2011 5 Genna Sosonko "The World Champions I Knew." New in Chess, 2013 6 Edward Winter, ed. "World Chess Champions." Pergamon Press, 1981 7 Andrew Soltis, "Soviet Chess 1917-1991" McFarland, 1997 8 Harry Golombek "The World Chess Championships of 1957 and 1958" Hardinge Simpole, 1958 9 Smyslov Interview by Vladimir Anzikeev for "Shakhmatnaya Nedelia" (Chess Week). Translated by Zoya Vlassova. First appeared in "Chess Today" No. 1045. 10 Mikhail Botvinnik, "Botvinnik's Complete Games (1942-1956) and Selected Writings (Part 2)" Kean Neat ed., transl. Olomouc, 2012. -Originally published in Mikhail Botvinnik, "Match Botvinnik-Smyslov" (Fizkultura i sport, Moscow 1955) 11 Mikhail Botvinnik "Achieving the Aim" Bernard Cafferty, transl. Pergamon, 1981 12 Dmitry Plisetsky and Sergey Voronkov, "Russians vs. Fischer" Ken Neat transl. Everyman Chess, 2005 Tournament Sources [-<18th Moscow Championship 1938> <[rusbase-9]> -<Gorky National 1st Category Tournament 1938 (2d group)> <[rusbase-10]> ############################ Last updated: 2025-03-30 05:38:14

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page 1 of 113; games 1-25 of 2,820  Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. K Gerasimov vs Smyslov 0-1 22 1935 Moscow Pioneer Home championsip D05 Queen's Pawn Game 2. G Dzagurov vs Smyslov   1-0 32 1935 Moscow Pioneer Home championship C29 Vienna Gambit 3. S Belavenets vs Smyslov   ½-½ 34 1937 Clock simul, 6b E32 Nimzo-Indian, Classical 4. Smyslov vs Averbakh 1-0 24 1938 junior tt E17 Queen's Indian 5. Smyslov vs Rekach 1-0 23 1938 18th Ch Moscow (sf - 5) B10 Caro-Kann 6. N Zanozdra vs Smyslov 1-0 30 1938 Ch URS (juniors) B17 Caro-Kann, Steinitz Variation 7. Smyslov vs V Zak 1-0 36 1938 All Union First Category A43 Old Benoni 8. Smyslov vs N Rudnev   1-0 43 1938 All Union First Category C10 French 9. Smyslov vs Lilienthal 1-0 56 1938 18th Ch Moscow C11 French 10. Smyslov vs A Chistiakov ½-½ 32 1938 18th Ch Moscow C12 French, McCutcheon 11. Smyslov vs M Yudovich Sr   1-0 49 1938 18th Ch Moscow B20 Sicilian 12. A S Sergeev vs Smyslov   1-0 64 1938 18th Ch Moscow A47 Queen's Indian 13. Smyslov vs S Kogan   ½-½ 37 1938 18th Ch Moscow C42 Petrov Defense 14. V Baturinsky vs Smyslov 0-1 34 1938 18th Ch Moscow C45 Scotch Game 15. Averbakh vs Smyslov 0-1 24 1939 19th Ch Moscow A06 Reti Opening 16. Smyslov vs Panov   0-1 43 1939 19th Ch Moscow C84 Ruy Lopez, Closed 17. Smyslov vs I Kan   ½-½ 31 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training C43 Petrov, Modern Attack 18. Smyslov vs A Konstantinopolsky 1-0 57 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training C77 Ruy Lopez 19. Alatortsev vs Smyslov 0-1 40 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training E47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 20. Smyslov vs V Makogonov ½-½ 49 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training B10 Caro-Kann 21. S Belavenets vs Smyslov 0-1 36 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training D02 Queen's Pawn Game 22. Smyslov vs Ragozin 0-1 35 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense 23. Panov vs Smyslov ½-½ 42 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training C77 Ruy Lopez 24. Smyslov vs V Goglidze 1-0 80 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training B83 Sicilian 25. Reshevsky vs Smyslov 1-0 70 1939 Leningrad / Moscow training D51 Queen's Gambit Declined  page 1 of 113; games 1-25 of 2,820

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< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 47 OF 54 ·  Later Kibitzing> Mar-15-12    brankat: <ewan14> Which he probably was. Although that would be a close call. There were also Petrosian, Tal, Larsen, Fischer, Geller, Korchnoi was just getting in gear. Mar-15-12    alexmagnus: <Korchnoi stayed in the top-10 through 1991 (aged 60), but quickly flew by top-20 into the top-50 tier afterwards.> Quickly? Elo lists his last top-20 appearance as late as at the age of 68. Mar-15-12    alexmagnus: Funnily, the names in <brankat>'s totally unrelated list, save for Fischer, are all examples of chess longevity. Tal and Petrosian were both top players till their respective deaths at around 55 each. Geller became Soviet champion at 54, Korchnoi was top-20 at 68 and top-100 at 75... Btw, as for chessmetrics, it has one player who <peaked> in his mid-60s or even mid-70s, depending on whether we take rating or ranking peak. Celso Golmayo Zupide. Mar-15-12    ewan14: The ' sixties ' Surely Petrosian only Spassky had a good record against Tal , esp. 1965 Larsen . esp. 1968 Fischer , Geller ( definitely ) and managed to beat Korchnoi in the 1968 Candidates final Mar-15-12    alexmagnus: As for chess longevity: Najdorf's highest rankings: (age range / ranking): 20-30: 13 30-40: 2 40-50: 3 50-60: 11 60-70: 21 70-80: 67 Smyslov's, as the page subject: 10-20: 10 20-30: 2 30-40: 1 40-50: 3 50-60: 8 60-70: 9 70-80: 118 80-90: 600 Lasker: 20-30: 1 30-40: 1 40-50: 1 50-60: 1 (for the last time at 58y0m) 60-70: 6 (at 66y4m) Mar-15-12    alexmagnus: Korchnoi: 10-20: 104 20-30: 5 30-40: 1 40-50: 2 50-60: 2 60-70: 12 70-80: 30 Mar-16-12    Everett: <alexmagnus: <Korchnoi stayed in the top-10 through 1991 (aged 60), but quickly flew by top-20 into the top-50 tier afterwards.> Quickly? Elo lists his last top-20 appearance as late as at the age of 68.> Interesting. I used chessmetrics. Did you not notice? There is even a graph provided. Also, just because one popped up again for a month or three in the top 20 does not equal consistent and sustained performance, which is what I thought this thread was emphasizing. Finally, top 50 may simply mean 21st, 22nd, etc... so it is not a massive slight to Korchnoi... Mar-16-12    alexmagnus: I saw that you used chessmetrics, I just find it weird chessmetrics isn't too impressed from Korchnoi's series of tournament victories in late 1998/early 1999 (which brought him to 17th place on Elo rankings). Mar-17-12    beatgiant: <one of only two or three men to have retained top ten strength beyond age sixty> How about Steinitz? He was probably top 10 continuously from 1863 until his death in 1900 in his mid-sixties. Mar-24-12    brankat: Happy Birthday and R.I.P. Vasily Vasilievich! Mar-24-12    talisman: happy birthday champ...reading about your 57 right now. Mar-24-12    Penguincw: R.I.P. 7th World Chess Championship, Vasily Smyslov. Don't forget when you won the title: Botvinnik-Smyslov World Championship Return Match (1957). Mar-24-12    AVRO38: Any plans for a Smyslov Memorial Tournament? If the Russians can honor Tal and Botvinnik with memorial tournaments, you'd think they could at least honor an actual Russian World Champion like Smyslov. Apr-02-12    Dr. Yes: I was trying to post a very high compliment to Smyslov and got many interesting opinions and comments. I don't believe much in chessmetrics and someone mentioned how they delist inactive players. Generally, a top five or ten player might have a chance in a WCC match, but outside of top that, almost no chance, so I really respect Smyslov's longevity, not sure about Korchnoi's or Steinitz's beyond age 60. There were plenty of young tigers appearing on the scene but they may have been shunted off to other pursuits. Apr-22-12    beatgiant: <Dr. Yes> If we don't use chessmetrics and just seek "top 10 or credible WCC possibility for 30 years," I'd add Keres and Botvinnik (both from around 1935 to 1965) to that list. Apr-27-12    beatgiant: And there's also Tarrasch (maybe about 1888 - 1918), although you might consider him more of a <19th century> than <20th century> chess player. Apr-27-12    beatgiant: Also Korchnoi (1956-1986) should probably qualify. Apr-27-12    parisattack: <Dr. Yes: ... so I really respect Smyslov's longevity, not sure about Korchnoi's or Steinitz's beyond age 60. > Any common thread stylistically amongst players who have still played great chess late 50s ->? Apr-29-12    beatgiant: <parisattack> Great idea for a Game Collection: "sextagenarian masterpieces"! A quick search of the Game Collections didn't turn up anything similar. As for style, they seem to span a wide spectrum. Of course it helps if the player's style is universal enough to keep working well through many decades. But more importantly, the player has to remain alive, in good health, and active in chess long enough. For example, Alekhine died in his mid-fifties, and the main part of Fischer's career ended by the time he was 30. Apr-29-12    JohnDahl: Averbakh, NIC interview, May 1997: <With Smyslov I've been friends ever since 1935, when he was still a boy and I met him with his father. We played together in this championship and were living in the same room. I was astonished when he started to look for the title for the second time in the eighties. He asked me to be his coach and I wondered what his reasons were. Then I understood. He didn't like to be a veteran. It was his big challenge to show the world that he could do this a second time. He is deeply religious and believes in his destiny. He believes that it is God who supported him. Never before did he work so hard. Eight hours a day. I was terribly tired after these sessions, but he saw all this as his predestination.> Apr-29-12    parisattack: Lasker and Korchnoi great fighters/defensive players...Smyslov not known particularly in that regard. Positional players mixed...Fischer, as you say. Capablanca slid, Karpov's rating basically fell off a cliff. But Botvinnik played some of his finest games in the late 1960s after he lost the title. Reshevsky still a factor into the late 1960s. Interesting chart: http://www.chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/... May-04-12    JohnDahl: Kasparov in OMGPII devotes 120 pages to his chapter on Smyslov. He ends with this tribute: <The unprecedented chess career of this great master, like a magic crystal, absorbed an entire century: from meetings with the elderly Fedor Duz-Khotimirsky (born 1881), a contemporary of Chigorin and the author of sensational wins over Lasker and Rubinstein in St Petersburg 1909 - to his unique match with the 13-year-old French boy Etienne Bacrot (born 1983), who was already on the verge of becoming a grandmaster. From the stagecoach era to the computer age.> He quotes Botvinnik: <In the period 1953-58 Smyslov was undoubtedly the strongest tournament fighter. His talent was universal - he could play subtly in the opening, go totally onto the defensive, attack vigorously or manoeuvre coolly. And this is to say nothing about the endgame - here he was in his element. Sometimes he took decisions that were staggering in their depth... The combination of good calculation of variations, boldness, independence and natural health made Smyslov invulnerable at that time.> Nakamura's take: <kind of boring> Jun-24-12    The Rocket: <"So if Smyslov was the best player in the world in the fifties ( according to Botvinnik )"> So botvinnik concidered Smyslov to be better than himself? I have always thought of them as equal Jun-24-12    HeMateMe: Perhaps one can be the best player, but not world champion, because they cannot beat the incumbent in a long match? I guess that would mean that world champion is defined by two measures, 1) tournament record and rating, 2) best match player. Jun-24-12    RookFile: Only problem is that Reshevsky was better than both of them in the 1950's. Jump to page #   (enter # from 1 to 54) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 47 OF 54 ·  Later Kibitzing>

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