Vasily Smyslov a Chess Legend
Vasily Smyslov defeated Botvinnik to become the 7th world chess champion (1957-58). His reign was short since he lost the rematch the following year. Nonetheless, Smyslov remained a top chess player until he retired in 2000. He still holds the record of most Chess Olympiad medals with a total of 17.
Smyslov is known for his positional style and technical skills in the endgame. He was certainly not afraid of tactical complications. His ‘immortal’ game against Botvinnik from their 1954 world championship is a wonderful example. Let’s have a look.
Smyslov made important contributions to chess theory. Variations in the Closed Ruy Lopez, King’s Indian, English, Grünfeld, Queen’s Gambit and Slav are named after him. No wonder why Vasily Smyslov is best described as the ‘Chess Legend’.
That’s all for today. Stay on top of COVID-19 by following the WHO Guidelines and keep contributing to chess for the better part of your life like Vasily Smyslov, the chess legend.
