Finally I should like to say that in analysing fairly deeply a large number of Spassky’s games, it was a pleasant experience to view games from before the computer age, from a time when ‘theory’ stopped and the ‘real’ game began much earlier than is the case today.

In Spassky’s best games it was possible to see harmony being established on the board, gradually everything seemed to be in the right place at the right time. It is a sensation very similar to what one feels when admiring works of art.

The Structure of the Book

The structure of this book will be different fr om my last one (about Anand), where after a description of his style of play the games were presented chronologically, with brief details of Anand’s career interspersed.

We will begin with a discussion of Spassky’s style, illustrated with game extracts which can also be used as training exercises. Then come the forty annotated games, grouped to match some of Spassky’s statements: “My forte was the middlegame”, which can be seen in his handling of the initiative, his ‘universal style’ and his specialisation in certain open-ings, which he explained thus: “I played my systems and did not particularly like to learn new ones. I relied on my skill in the middlegame. By the way, it was the same for Capablanca. Overall, of course, I knew the openings badly, but in my own systems I felt confident”. Spassky also pointed out that his games had contributed towards a better understanding of the Ruy Lopez, which he played with both colours.

In the game annotations I have included many references to other games by Spassky which are relevant to the opening used, as well as a few games by other great champions, even in the form of supplementary games in so me cases. These are closely related to the main game and contribute to a better understanding of it. The supplementary games are annotated in less detail.

That being said, the 40 games are organised as follows:

• Chapter 1: Universal Style (7 games)
• Chapter 2: Initiative and Attack (7 games)
• Chapter 3: Ruy Lopez (7 games)
• Chapter 4: Sicilian Defence (5 games)
• Chapter 5: Exchange Variation against the Grünfeld (3 games)
• Chapter 6: Sämisch Variation against the King’s Indian (3 games)
• Chapter 7: Queen’s Gambit (3 games)
• Chapter 8: King’s Gambit (3 games)
• Chapter 9: Leningrad Variation against the Nimzo-Indian (2 games)

Boris Spassky is one of the greatest chess players in the history of the game.

He was the World Champion for three years, after winning the title by beating Tigran Petrosian.

His name is forever linked with his great rival Bobby Fischer and their epic 1972 ‘Match of the Century’, which did so much to popularize the game throughout the world.

Over the board, Spassky is renowned for his universal style, as he was equally skilled in all phases on the game.

In Spassky’s best games his pieces seemed to combine together in perfect harmony, and he produced a number of memorable masterpieces.

In this book, Grandmaster Zenón Franco examines in detail Spassky’s chess style, selects and studies his favourite Spassky games, and demonstrates how we can all improve our chess by learning from Spassky’s play.

Move by Move provides an ideal platform to study chess. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to improve your chess skills and knowledge.

• Learn from the games of a chess legend
• Important ideas absorbed by continued practice
• Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

Zenón Franco is a Grandmaster from Paraguay, now living in Spain. He represented Paraguay, on top board, in seven Chess Olympiads, and won individual gold medals at Lucerne 1982 and Novi Sad 1990. He’s an experienced trainer and has written numerous books on chess.