NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Vasily Smyslov

Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov (Russian: Васи́лий Васильевич Смысло́в) (born March 24, 1921, in Moscow) is a Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² (417. ... The title International Grandmaster is awarded to superb chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. It is a lifetime title, in chess literature usually abbreviated as GM or IGM (this is in contrast to WGM for Woman Grandmaster and IM for International Master). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² (417. ... Chess is a recreational and competitive game for two players. ... The title Grandmaster is awarded to world-class chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. ... The 1984 World Chess Championship was between Anatoly Karpov (left) and Garry Kasparov (right). ...

Early years

Smyslov learned chess from his father, Vasily O. Smyslov, a strong Candidate Master strength player. His rise was swift once he entered the competitive arena. The younger Smyslov won a Soviet Candidate Master tournament in his late teens, earning the National Master title.

In 1938, at age 17, Smyslov won the USSR Junior Championship. That same year, he tied for 1st-2nd places in the Moscow Championship, with 12.5/17. Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² (417. ...

Smyslov's first attempt at adult competition outside his own city must have been a disappointment; he could place only 12th-13th in the Leningrad - Moscow International tournament of 1939 with 8/17, but that field was exceptionally strong. He scored well again in the Moscow Championship of 1939-40, with 9/13 for 2nd-3rd places. Leningrad (Russian: Ð›ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ð½Ð³Ñ€Ð°Ð´) may mean: St. ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² (417. ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² (417. ...

War years

In his first Soviet final, the 1940 USSR Championship (Moscow, URS-ch12), he performed exceptionally well for 3rd place with 13/19, finishing ahead of the reigning champion Mikhail Botvinnik. This tournament was the strongest Soviet final up to that time, as it included several players, such as Paul Keres and Vladas Mikenas, from lands taken over by the USSR, as part of the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939. The Soviet Top League (Russian: ) was the top division of Soviet Union football. ... Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik (IPA: ; Russian: ) (August 17 [O.S. August 4] 1911 - May 5, 1995) was a Russian International Grandmaster and long-time World Champion of chess. ... Paul Keres Paul Keres (born January 7, 1916, in Narva, Estonia; died June 5, 1975, in Helsinki, Finland) was an Estonian chess grandmaster and one of the strongest chess players of all time, apart from the World chess champions. ... Vladas Ionovich Mikenas (17 April 1910 â€“ 1992) was a Lithuanian chess player and journalist. ... Molotov (left), Ribbentrop (in black) and Stalin The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, also known as the Hitler-Stalin pact or Nazi-Soviet pact, was a non-aggression treaty between Germany and Russia, or more precisely between the Soviet Union and the Third Reich. ...

The Soviet Federation held a further tournament of the top six from the 1940 event, and this was called the 1941 Absolute Championship of the USSR, one of the strongest tournaments ever organized. The format saw each player meet his opponents four times. The players were Botvinnik, Keres, Smyslov, Isaac Boleslavsky, Igor Bondarevsky, and Andor Lilienthal. Smyslov scored 10/20 for third place, behind Botvinnik and Keres. This proved that Smyslov was of genuine world-class Grandmaster strength at age 20, a very rare achievement at that time. Isaac Yefremovich Boleslavsky (1919 â€“ February 15, 1977) was a Ukrainian-Jewish chess grandmaster. ... Igor Zakharovich Bondarevsky (May 12, 1913, Rostov-on-the-Don, Russia â€“ June 14, 1979, Piatigorsk) was a Soviet Russian chess grandmaster in both over the board and correspondence chess, International Judge, trainer and author of chess books. ... Andre Lilienthal (born 5 May 1911) is a Hungarian chess grandmaster. ... Grandmaster and/or Grand Master could mean: In chess, an International Grandmaster. ...

The Second World War forced a halt to most international chess. But several tournaments involving Soviet players only were still organized. Smyslov won the 1942 Moscow Championship outright with a powerful 12/15. At Kuibyshev 1942, he placed second with 8/11. In a strong field at Sverdlovsk 1943, Smyslov tied for 3rd-4th places with 8/14. In the 1943-44 Moscow Championship, Smyslov tied for 3rd-4th with 11.5/16. He finished second in the 1944 USSR Championship at Moscow (URS-ch13) with 10.5/16. He emerged as champion from the 1944-45 Moscow Championship with 13/16. By this juncture, Smyslov had advanced into the group of the top three Soviet players, along with Botvinnik and Keres (who was playing in Nazi-occupied Europe during the War). Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² (417. ... This article is not about Samarra, which is in Iraq. ... Photograph of snow-covered Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburgs Church on the Blood, built on the spot where the Tsar and his family were murdered. ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² (417. ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² (417. ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² (417. ...

As the war ended, organized chess picked up again. But Smyslov's form hit a serious slump in the immediate post-war period. In the 1945 USSR Championship at Moscow (URS-ch14), Smyslov was in the middle of the very powerful field with 8.5/17; the winner was Botvinnik, with Boleslavsky and the new star David Bronstein occupying second and third places. At Tallinn 1945, Smyslov had the worst result of his career to date, scoring just 6.5/15 in a not especially strong field. It was little better in the Moscow Championship of 1945-46, as he could only score 7.5/15 for a tie of 7th-11th places, as Bronstein won. Then in the Moscow Championship of 1946, Smyslov scored just 8.5/15, for a tie of 3rd-6th places, as Bronstein won again. During this period he scored just 31/62 in those four tournaments, for 50 per cent. David Bronstein David Ionovich Bronstein (Ð”Ð°Ð²Ð¸ÌÐ´ Ð˜Ð¾ÌÐ½Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ‡ Ð‘Ñ€Ð¾Ð½ÑˆÑ‚ÐµÌÐ¹Ð½) (February 19, 1924, Bila Tserkva, Ukraine â€“ December 5, 2006, Minsk, Belarus) was renowned as a leading chess grandmaster and writer. ... County Harju County Mayor JÃ¼ri Ratas Area 159. ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² (417. ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² (417. ...

Nevertheless, Smyslov's earlier strong results secured him one of the five Soviet places in the first really strong post-war international tournament, at Groningen, The Netherlands, in August 1946. This event, the Howard Staunton Memorial, was won by Botvinnik with 14.5/19, half a point ahead of former World Champion Max Euwe. Smyslov finished third with 12.5/19, and this confirmed his status as one of the world's top players. Coordinates: Country Netherlands Province Groningen Area (2006) - Municipality 83. ... Motto: Je Maintiendrai (Dutch: Ik zal handhaven, English: I Shall Uphold) Anthem: Wilhelmus van Nassouwe Capital Amsterdam1 Largest city Amsterdam Official language(s) Dutch2 Government Parliamentary democracy Constitutional monarchy - Queen Beatrix - Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende Independence Eighty Years War - Declared July 26, 1581 - Recognised January 30, 1648 (by Spain... Howard Staunton Howard Staunton (April 1810â€“June 22, 1874) was an English chess master and unofficial World Chess Champion. ... Machgielis (Max) Euwe (last name is pronounced /Ã¸:wÉ™/) (May 20, 1901 â€“ November 26, 1981) was a Dutch chess Grandmaster and Mathematician. ...

Smyslov found it tough going for the next while however, once he was back playing in Soviet events. In the next Soviet Championship (URS-ch15, Leningrad 1947), he tied for 3rd-4th places with 12/19, as Keres won. At Parnu 1947, Smyslov scored 8/13 for a tied 4th-6th places, as Keres won again. At Warsaw 1947, Smyslov scored 6/9 to tie for 2nd-5th places; the winner was Svetozar Gligoric. In the Mikhail Chigorin Memorial tournament, Moscow 1947, Smyslov tied for 3rd-4th places, with 10/15, as Botvinnik won. Leningrad (Russian: Ð›ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ð½Ð³Ñ€Ð°Ð´) may mean: St. ... County PÃ¤rnu County Mayor Ahti KÃµo Area 32. ... Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Coordinates: , Country Poland Voivodeship Masovia Powiat city county Gmina Warszawa Districts 18 boroughs City Rights turn of the 13th century Government - Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz (PO) Area - City 516. ... Svetozar Gligorić (born February 2, 1923) is a chess grandmaster. ... Mikhail Chigorin (12 November 1850â€“25 January 1908) was a leading Russian chess player and the first grandmaster from Russia. ...

His results showed a consistent pattern of high finishes against strong company, but with virtually no tournament championships. Smyslov had never actually won an adult tournament other than the Moscow City Championship, before he played in the 1948 World Championship Tournament.

World title challenger

Smyslov played in the 1948 World Chess Championship tournament to determine who should succeed the late Alexander Alekhine as champion, finishing second behind Mikhail Botvinnik, with a score of 11/20. The 1948 World Chess Championship was a tournament played to determine a new World Chess Champion following the death of the previous champion Alexander Alekhine in 1946. ... Alexander Alekhine Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine (sometimes spelled Aljechin or Alechin) (IPA: ; Russian: ; other members of his family pronounce it , French: Alexandre Alekhine) (October 31 or November 1, 1892 â€“ March 24, 1946) was a Russian-born naturalized French chess grandmaster (officially naturalized in 1927 only three days before the World Champion... Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik (IPA: ; Russian: ) (August 17 [O.S. August 4] 1911 - May 5, 1995) was a Russian International Grandmaster and long-time World Champion of chess. ...

With his second-place finish from the 1948 World Championship, Smyslov was exempt into the 1950 Budapest Candidates' tournament. Smyslov scored 10/18 for third place, behind Bronstein and Boleslavsky, who tied for first place. Smyslov's third place exempted him into the next Candidates' tournament. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

After winning the Candidates Tournament in Zurich 1953, with 18/28, two points ahead of Keres, Bronstein, and Samuel Reshevsky, Smyslov played a match with Botvinnik for the title the following year. Sited at Moscow, the match ended in a draw, after 24 games (seven wins each and ten draws), meaning that Botvinnik retained his title. The Candidates Tournament was an annual chess tournament in which various chess players play against each other. ... Location within Switzerland ZÃ¼rich[?] (German pronunciation IPA: ; usually spelled Zurich in English) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 366,145 in 2004; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of ZÃ¼rich. ... Samuel Herman (Sammy) Reshevsky (born Szmul Rzeszewski, November 26, 1911, OzorkÃ³w, (then German Empire, today Poland) - died April 4, 1992, New York, USA) was a leading American chess Grandmaster. ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² (417. ...

World Champion

Smyslov had again won the Candidates' Tournament at Amsterdam in 1956, which led to another world championship match against Botvinnik in 1957. Assisted by trainers Vladimir Makogonov and Vladimir Simagin, Smyslov won by the score 12.5-9.5. The following year, Botvinnik exercised his right to a rematch, and won the title back with a final score of 12.5-10.5. Nickname: Motto: Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig (Valiant, Determined, Compassionate) Location of Amsterdam Coordinates: , Country Netherlands Province North Holland Government - Mayor Job Cohen (PvdA) - Aldermen Lodewijk Asscher Hennah Buyne Carolien Gehrels Tjeerd Herrema Maarten van Poelgeest Marijke Vos - Secretary Erik Gerritsen Area [1][2] - City 219 kmÂ² (84. ... Vladimir Andreevich Makogonov (August 27, 1904 - February 1, 1993) was a chess player from Azerbaijan. ... Vladimir Simagin (born Moscow June 21, 1919, died Kislovodsk September 25, 1968) was a Russian Grandmaster of chess. ...

Later World Championships

Smyslov didn't qualify for another World Championship, but continued to play in World Championship qualifying events. In 1959, he was a Candidate, but finished fourth in the qualifying tournament held in Yugoslavia, which was won by the rising superstar Mikhail Tal. He missed out in 1962, but was back in 1964, following a first-place tie at the Amsterdam Interzonal, with 17/23. But he lost his first-round match to Efim Geller. Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, ÐˆÑƒÐ³Ð¾ÑÐ»Ð°Ð²Ð¸Ñ˜Ð° in Cyrillic; English: Land of the South Slavs) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... Mikhail Tal (Latvian: ; Russian: , Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal, IPA: ) (November 9, 1936â€“June 28, 1992) was a Soviet-Latvian chess player, and the eighth World Chess Champion. ... Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation. ... Efim Petrovich Geller (March 2, 1925 â€“ November 17, 1998) was a Soviet chess player. ...

In 1983, at the age of 62, he went through to the Candidates' Final (the match to determine who plays the champion, in that case Anatoly Karpov), losing 8.5 - 4.5 to Garry Kasparov, who was 42 years younger, and who went on to beat Karpov to become world champion in 1985. He had beaten Zoltan Ribli 6.5-4.5 in the semifinal, but drew his quarter-final match against Robert Hübner 7-7, with the advancing player (Smyslov) determined only by the spin of a roulette wheel. Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (Russian: ) (born May 23, 1951) is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. ... Garry Kimovich Kasparov (Russian: ; IPA: ) (born April 13, 1963, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR) (now Azerbaijan) is a Russian chess grandmaster of Armenian descent and former World Chess Champion. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... ZoltÃ¡n Ribli (born September 6, 1951 in MohÃ¡cs) is a Hungarian chess grandmaster and three times national champion. ... Doctor Robert HÃ¼bner (born November 6, 1948 in West Germany) is a respected German chess Grandmaster and papyrologist (recognised as an expert in Egyptian hieroglyphics). ... A European Roulette wheel. ...

Other chess achievments

Smyslov won two Soviet championships. He tied for first and second places in the 1949 Soviet Championship (URS-ch17) at Moscow, with David Bronstein. At Venice 1950, he finished second with 12/15. He tied for first place with Efim Geller at Moscow 1955 in the URS-22ch, but lost the playoff match. Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² (417. ... David Bronstein David Ionovich Bronstein (Ð”Ð°Ð²Ð¸ÌÐ´ Ð˜Ð¾ÌÐ½Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ‡ Ð‘Ñ€Ð¾Ð½ÑˆÑ‚ÐµÌÐ¹Ð½) (February 19, 1924, Bila Tserkva, Ukraine â€“ December 5, 2006, Minsk, Belarus) was renowned as a leading chess grandmaster and writer. ... Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venezsia, Latin: Venetia) is a city in northern Italy, the capital of region Veneto, and has a population of 271,251 (census estimate January 1, 2004). ... Efim Petrovich Geller (March 2, 1925 â€“ November 17, 1998) was a Soviet chess player. ...

Smyslov represented the Soviet Union a total of nine times at chess Olympiads, from 1952 to 1972 inclusive, excepting only 1962 and 1966. He contributed mightily to team gold medal wins on each occasion he played, winning a total of eight individual medals. At Helsinki 1952, he played second board, and won the individual gold medal with 10.5/13. At Amsterdam 1954, he was again on second board, scored 9/12, and took the individual bronze medal. At Moscow 1956, he scored 8.5/13 on second board, but failed to win a medal. At Munich 1958, he made 9.5/13 on second board, good for the silver individual medal. At Leipzig 1960, he was dropped to first reserve, and made a great score of 11.5/13, which won the gold medal. After missing out on selection in 1962, he returned for Tel Aviv 1964, on third board, and won the gold medal with 11/13. He missed selection in 1966, but returned with a vengeance for Lugano 1968, and made a phenomenal 11/12 for another gold medal as second reserve. At Siegen 1970, he was first reserve, and scored 8/11 for the bronze medal. His final Olypiad was Skopje 1972, where at age 51 he played third board and scored 11/14, good for the silver medal. His overall Olympiad score was an imposing 90 points in 113 games, for just under 80 per cent. Location of Helsinki in Northern Europe Coordinates: , Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Charter 1550 Capital city 1812 Government - City manager Jussi Pajunen Area - City 187. ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ... Leipzig ( ; Sorbian/Lusatian: Lipsk from the Sorbian word for Tilia) is, with a population of over 506,000, the largest city in the federal state of Saxony, Germany. ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... Lugano is a city in southeast Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy. ... Siegen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... The church of St. ...

In 1991 Smyslov won the inaugural Senior World Chess Championship. He has played no competitive games since the 2001 Klompendans Veterans versus Ladies tournament in Amsterdam. His Elo rating following this event was 2494. Nowadays, his eyesight is very bad. Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Nickname: Motto: Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig (Valiant, Determined, Compassionate) Location of Amsterdam Coordinates: , Country Netherlands Province North Holland Government - Mayor Job Cohen (PvdA) - Aldermen Lodewijk Asscher Hennah Buyne Carolien Gehrels Tjeerd Herrema Maarten van Poelgeest Marijke Vos - Secretary Erik Gerritsen Area [1][2] - City 219 kmÂ² (84. ... The ELO rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess and Go. ...

Legacy

He is known for his positional style, and, in particular, his precise handling of the endgame, but many of his games feature spectacular tactical shots as well. He has made enormous contributions to chess opening theory in many openings, including the English Opening, Grunfeld Defence, and the Sicilian Defence. He has a variation of the Closed Ruy Lopez named for him: the line runs 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. Smyslov also successfully revived the Fianchetto Defence to the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6) in the 1970s. EndGame is the name of a 1997 story arc of the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book published by published by Archie Comics. ... The first moves of a chess game are the opening moves, collectively referred to as the opening or the book. ... The English Opening is the chess opening 1. ... The Grünfeld Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves (in algebraic notation) 1. ... This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. ... The Ruy Lopez, generally called the Spanish Game outside of English speaking countries, is a chess opening characterised by the moves (in algebraic notation): 1. ... The Ruy Lopez, generally called the Spanish Game outside of English speaking countries, is a chess opening characterised by the moves (in algebraic notation): 1. ...

Opera singer

Smyslov was a fine baritone singer, who only positively decided upon a chess career after a failed audition with the Bolshoi Theatre in 1950. He once said, "I have always lived between chess and music." On the occasion of a living chess game against Botvinnik, he sang to an audience of thousands. He occasionally gave recitals during chess tournaments, often accompanied by fellow Grandmaster and concert pianist Mark Taimanov. Smyslov wrote that he tried to achieve harmony on the chess board, with one piece assisting another. The Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow, Russia The Bolshoi Theatre (Russian: , Bolshoy Teatr, Large Theater) is a theatre and opera company in Moscow, Russia, which gives performances of ballet and opera. ... Mikhail Moiseevich Botvinnik (ÐœÐ¸Ñ…Ð°Ð¸ÌÐ» ÐœÐ¾Ð¸ÑÐµÌÐµÐ²Ð¸Ñ‡ Ð‘Ð¾Ñ‚Ð²Ð¸ÌÐ½Ð½Ð¸Ðº) (August 17, 1911 - May 5, 1995) was a Jewish Russian International Grandmaster and long-time World Champion of chess. ... Mark Evgenievich Taimanov (ÐœÐ°Ñ€Ðº Ð•Ð²Ð³ÐµÐ½ÑŒÐµÐ²Ð¸Ñ‡ Ð¢Ð°Ð¹Ð¼Ð°Ð½Ð¾Ð²) (born February 7, 1926) is a leading Russian chess player and concert pianist. ...

Notable Chess Games

The 16-year-old Fischer had honed this opening line into a formidable weapon, but here Smyslov shows him a few new wrinkles.

Books by Smyslov

Grigory Yakovlevich Levenfish (March 9, 1889 - February 9, 1961) was a leading Jewish Russian chess grandmaster of the 1920s and 1930s. ...

Contents

Early years

War years

World title challenger

World Champion

Later World Championships

Other chess achievments

Legacy

Opera singer

Notable Chess Games

Books by Smyslov

Further reading

External links

Contents

Early years GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

War years

World title challenger

World Champion

Later World Championships

Other chess achievments

Legacy

Opera singer

Notable Chess Games

Books by Smyslov

Further reading

External links

Early years