Vasily Smyslov

Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov (Васи́лий Смысло́в) (born March 24, 1921) is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was World Champion from 1957 to 1958. He is known for his positional style and, in particular, for 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, Grünfeld Defence, Ruy Lopez, and Sicilian Defense.

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. After winning the candidates tournament in Zurich 1953, he played a match with Botvinnik for the title the following year. It ended in a draw, meaning that Botvinnik retained his title. They played again in 1957 (Smyslov had again won the candidates tournament, in Amsterdam 1956), and this time Smyslov won by the score 12.5–9.5. The following year, Botvinnik exercised his right to a rematch, and he won the title back with a final scoreline of 12.5–10.5.