Ronen’s Greatest Hits! - Vasily Smyslov

Vasily Smyslov

Opening: :

Player(s): Smyslov

Back to World Champion material this week! Born in 1921 in Russia, started playing at the age of 6, Vasily Smyslov made his entrance in the Gotha of chess at 19, when he placed third in the Soviet Chess Championship, behind Botvinnik and Keres. By the age of 20 he had already established himself as one of the strongest players around, and back then chess was not a game for kids, like it's nowadays. The highest moment of his career arrived in the mid 50's, when he won the Candidates' with an impressive score. Smyslov won 17 chess Olympiad medals, setting a record that will probably resist for... ever. He was known for his great positional approach to the game. His motto was 'I will make 40 good moves, and if you are able to match them, the game is drawn'. The resemblance with current world champion Magnus Carlsen's attitude toward the game is impressive. We rarely see Carlsen go for fireworks-fashion sacrifices; he plays incredibly well, and if his opponent makes a small mistake, he's done. Smyslov lived his last years in poverty, which is sad if you think about the modern chess champions, who are millionaires. Gm Har-Zvi takes us into Smyslov's world in this mini-series of his weekly show 'Ronen's Greatest Hits!'.