World Chess Championship 1966
 
Defending champion
Challenger
 
Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Petrosian
Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky
  Soviet Union Tigran Petrosian Soviet Union Boris Spassky
 
12½Scores11½
  Born 17 June 1929
36 years old
Born 30 January 1937
29 years old
  Winner of the 1963 World Chess Championship Winner of the 1965 Candidates Tournament
A Soviet stamp dedicated to the World Chess Championship 1966

A World Chess Championship was played between Tigran Petrosian and Boris Spassky in Moscow from April 9 to June 9, 1966. Petrosian won.

1964 Interzonal Tournament

Opening of the interzonal tournament in Amsterdam. Left-right: Mikhail Tal, R. van den Bergh (city official), Vasily Smyslov and Max Euwe

An interzonal tournament was held in Amsterdam in the Netherlands in May and June 1964. Six spots in the Candidates tournament were on the line.

1964 Interzonal Tournament
123456789101112131415161718192021222324Total
1 Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)½½½½½½½1111½1½½½½11111117
2 Bent Larsen (Denmark)½1½010½1½111½½½11½1111117
3 Boris Spassky (Soviet Union)½0½½½½1110½1½11½111111117
4 Mikhail Tal (Soviet Union)½½½½½½½½½½½1111½111111117
5 Leonid Stein (Soviet Union)½1½½01½01½1½1111½½½111116½
6 David Bronstein (Soviet Union)½0½½1½½½½1½½1½½111½111116
7 Borislav Ivkov (Yugoslavia)½1½½0½½½½011½½½½111½11115
8 Samuel Reshevsky (United States)½½0½½½½½½½½½1½½1½½1111114½
9 Lajos Portisch (Hungary)000½1½½½½0½½111½1½1111114½
10 Svetozar Gligorić (Yugoslavia)0½0½0½½½½½11½1½1½11011114
11 Klaus Darga (West Germany)001½½01½1½0½1½1½½11½½1½13½
12 Levente Lengyel (Hungary)00½½0½0½½01½½1½1½½1111113
13 Luděk Pachman (Czechoslovakia)½000½½0½½0½½½1½111111½½12½
14 Larry Evans (United States)0½½000½00½0½½1½0111½½1½10
15 Georgi Tringov (Bulgaria)½½000½½½00½000½1½½1½½11
16 Pal Benko (United States)½½000½½½0½0½½½½½0101½½½9
17 Héctor Rossetto (Argentina)½0½½00½0½0½0010½½½½01018
18 Alberto Foguelman (Argentina)½000½00½0½½½00½1½0011018
19 István Bilek (Hungary)0½00½00½½00½00½0½1½11½½8
20 Oscar Quiñones (Peru)0000½½0000000001½1½½1½17
21 Yosef Porat (Israel)000000½001½00½½0100½0½½
22 Francisco José Pérez (Cuba)0000000000½00½½½00001115
23 Béla Berger (Australia)000000000000½00½11½½½00
24 Zvonko Vranesic (Canada)0000000000½0½½0½00½0½014

Since FIDE rules only allowed a maximum of three players from the same nation to qualify from the interzonal, Stein and Bronstein were ineligible. Instead Ivkov qualified. The sixth and final place in the Candidates Tournament was decided in a 4-game playoff in which Portisch beat Reshevsky 2½–½.

Bobby Fischer, the winner of the previous Interzonal in 1962, declined his invitation, despite qualifying by winning the 1963–64 US Championship.[1]

1965 Candidates matches

After the controversy surrounding the previous Candidates tournament, the 1965 tournament was the first to be played as a knock-out series of matches.

Two players were seeded directly into the tournament: Mikhail Botvinnik (loser of the last championship match) and Paul Keres (2nd place in the 1962 Candidates). Botvinnik declined, and his place was taken by Efim Geller, who finished 3rd in the 1962 Candidates.

QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
Riga, Apr 1965
Soviet Union Boris Spassky6
Riga, May–June 1965
Soviet Union Paul Keres4
Soviet Union Boris Spassky
Moscow, Apr 1965
Soviet Union Efim Geller
Soviet Union Vasily Smyslov
Tbilisi, Nov 1965
Soviet Union Efim Geller
Soviet Union Boris Spassky7
Bled, June–July 1965
Soviet Union Mikhail Tal4
Denmark Bent Larsen
Bled, July–Aug 1965
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Borislav Ivkov
Denmark Bent LarsenThird place
Bled, June–July 1965
Soviet Union Mikhail Tal
Hungary Lajos Portisch
Denmark Bent Larsen5
Soviet Union Mikhail Tal
Soviet Union Efim Geller4

Spassky won, earning the right to challenge champion Petrosian for the title.

Larsen and Geller played a third place playoff in Copenhagen, Denmark in March 1966. Larsen won 5–4.

1966 Championship match

The match was played as best of 24 games, with the champion (Petrosian) retaining the title in the event of a 12–12 tie.

While Petrosian retained the title with a 12–10 lead after Game 22, he and Spassky decided to play the final two games anyway.[2]

This was the first World Chess Championship match since 1934 in which the reigning World Chess Champion defeated his opponent.

World Chess Championship Match 1966[3]
123456789101112131415161718192021222324Points
 Tigran Petrosian (Soviet Union) ½½½½½½1½½1½½0½½½½½01½10½12½
 Boris Spassky (Soviet Union) ½½½½½½0½½0½½1½½½½½10½01½11½

References

  1. Frank Brady, Profile of a Prodigy (2nd ed.). David McKay. OCLC 724113, pp. 80–81
  2. From Morphy to Fischer (Batsford, 1973), Israel Horowitz, p.231
  3. "Petrosian vs Spassky 1966". Retrieved 1 July 2016.
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