In Moscow, Boris Spassky, the 10th World Chess Champion, passed away at the age of 88.
Spassky became a grandmaster at the age of 18, and in 1969, at the age of 32, he won the world championship by defeating Tigran Petrosian.
Spassky lost the crown in 1972, when he was defeated by American Bobby Fischer—the only champion from outside the Soviet Union in the post-war period.
In 1976, Boris Spassky moved to France, while retaining his Soviet citizenship and the right to compete for the USSR. However, starting in 1984, he switched federations and began representing France.
In 2012, the former champion returned to Russia, where he spent the remainder of his life.