Editing Boris Spassky (section)

===Ex-champion (1973–1985)===
[[File:IBM-schaaktoernooi, Planinc en Spasski (rechts) met wedstrijdleiding, Bestanddeelnr 926-5874.jpg|thumb|[[Albin Planinc]] vs. Boris Spassky in 1973]]
In February–March 1973, Spassky finished equal third at Tallinn with 9/15, three points behind [[Mikhail Tal|Tal]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Tallinn_1973/23541|title=Tallinn 1973|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221531/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Tallinn_1973/23541|url-status=live}}</ref> he tied for first at [[Dortmund]] on 9½/15 (+5−1=9) with [[Hans-Joachim Hecht]] and [[Ulf Andersson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/FRG-ch_int_1973/23429|title=FRG-ch int 1973|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054645/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/FRG-ch_int_1973/23429|url-status=live}}</ref> Spassky finished in fourth place at the annual IBM tournament held in [[Amsterdam]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/IBM_1973/23437|title=IBM 1973|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054413/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/IBM_1973/23437|url-status=live}}</ref> one point behind winners [[Tigran Petrosian|Petrosian]] and [[Albin Planinc]]. In September, Spassky went 10/15 to finish second to Tal in the Chigorin Memorial at Sochi by a point.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Chigorin_mem_1973/23582|title=Chigorin mem 1973|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235348/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Chigorin_mem_1973/23582|url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[1973 USSR Chess Championship|41st Soviet Championship]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/URS-ch41_1973/23585|title=URS-ch41 1973|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224238/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/URS-ch41_1973/23585|url-status=live}}</ref> at Moscow, Spassky scored 11½/17 to win by a full point in a field which included all the top Soviet grandmasters of the time.{{Cn|date=February 2025}}

[[File:Boris Spasski 1980.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Spassky in 1980]]
In the 1974 Candidates' matches, Spassky first defeated American [[Robert Byrne (chess player)|Robert Byrne]] in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]], by 4½–1½ (+3−0=3);<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_qf3_1974/23624|title=Candidates qf3 1974|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045837/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_qf3_1974/23624|url-status=live}}</ref> he then lost the semifinal match to [[Anatoly Karpov]] in Leningrad, despite winning the first game, (+1−4=6).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_sf1_1974/23627|title=Candidates sf1 1974|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=December 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111221232431/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_sf1_1974/23627|url-status=live}}</ref> In Spassky's only tournament action of 1974, he played at Solingen, finishing with 8½/14 (+4−1=9), thus sharing third with [[Bojan Kurajica]], behind joint winners [[Lubomir Kavalek]] and [[Lev Polugaevsky|Polugaevsky]], who scored 10.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Solingen_1974/23730|title=Solingen 1974|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054517/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Solingen_1974/23730|url-status=live}}</ref>

During 1975, Spassky played two events, the first being the annual tournament at Tallinn, where he finished equal second with [[Fridrik Olafsson]], scoring 9½/15 (+5−1=9), one point behind [[Paul Keres|Keres]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Tallinn_1975/23915|title=Tallinn 1975|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=December 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208071116/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Tallinn_1975/23915|url-status=live}}</ref> the last international event won by the latter before his sudden death in June 1975. In October–November, Spassky finished second to [[Efim Geller|Geller]] at the Alekhine Memorial in Moscow with a score of 10 points from fifteen games (+6−1=8).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Moscow_1975/23984|title=Moscow 1975|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=May 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525054317/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Moscow_1975/23984|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1976, Spassky was obliged to return to the Interzonal stage, and finished in a tie for tenth place in [[Manila]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Manila_Interzonal_1976/24112 |title=Manila Interzonal 1976 |website=365Chess.com |access-date=October 20, 2013 |archive-date=October 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020155754/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Manila_Interzonal_1976/24112 |url-status=live }}</ref> well short of qualifying for the Candidates matches, but was nominated to play after [[Bobby Fischer|Fischer]] declined his place. Spassky won an exhibition match with Dutch grandmaster [[Jan Timman]] at [[Amsterdam]] 1977 by 4–2.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Amsterdam_m_1977/24166|title=Amsterdam m 1977|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304003255/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Amsterdam_m_1977/24166|url-status=live}}</ref> He triumphed in extra games in his quarterfinal Candidates' match over [[Vlastimil Hort]] at [[Reykjavík]] 1977 by 8½–7½.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_qf4_1977/24185 |title=Candidates qf4 1977 – 365Chess.com Tournaments |publisher=365chess.com |access-date=October 20, 2013 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230342/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_qf4_1977/24185 |url-status=live }}</ref> This match saw Spassky fall ill,<ref>{{Cite news |author=Harold C. Schonberg |date=August 14, 1972 |title=SPASSKY ILLNESS POSTPONES CHESS |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/14/archives/spassky-illness-postpones-chess-champion-following-pattern-of-other.html |access-date=June 8, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> exhaust all his available rest days while recovering; then the healthy Hort used one of his own rest days, to allow Spassky more time to recover; Spassky eventually won the match.{{Cn|date=February 2025}}

Spassky won an exhibition match over [[Robert Hübner]] at [[Solingen]], 1977 by 3½–2½,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Solingen_m1_1977/24268|title=Solingen m1 1977|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222750/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Solingen_m1_1977/24268|url-status=live}}</ref> then defeated [[Lubomir Kavalek]], also at Solingen, by 4–2 in another exhibition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Solingen_m2_1977/24269|title=Solingen m2 1977|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233032/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Solingen_m2_1977/24269|url-status=live}}</ref> His next Candidates' match was against [[Lajos Portisch|Portisch]] at [[Geneva]] 1977, and Spassky won by 8½–6½, to qualify for the final.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_sf2_1977/24315|title=Candidates sf2 1977|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233319/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_sf2_1977/24315|url-status=live}}</ref> At [[Belgrade]] 1977–78, Spassky lost to [[Viktor Korchnoi|Korchnoi]], by (+4−7=7).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_final_1977/24338|title=Candidates final 1977|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233639/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_final_1977/24338|url-status=live}}</ref> In this match, Spassky fell behind 2½–7½ after losing the tenth game; however, he then won four consecutive games. After draws in games fifteen and sixteen, Korchnoi won the next two games to clinch the match by the score of 10½–7½.{{Cn|date=February 2025}}

Spassky, as losing finalist, was seeded into the 1980 Candidates' matches, and faced Portisch again, with this match held in Mexico. After fourteen games, the match was 7–7, but Portisch advanced since he had won more games with the black pieces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_qf3_1980/21850|title=Candidates qf3 1980|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040926/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_qf3_1980/21850|url-status=live}}</ref> Spassky narrowly missed qualification from the 1982 Toluca Interzonal with 8/13, finishing half a point short, in third place behind Portisch and [[Eugenio Torre]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Toluca_Interzonal_1982/22359 |title=Archived copy |access-date=June 28, 2012 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220530/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Toluca_Interzonal_1982/22359 |url-status=live }}</ref> both of whom thus qualified. The 1985 Candidates' event was held as a round-robin tournament at [[Montpellier]], France, and Spassky was nominated as an organizer's choice. He scored 8/15 to tie for sixth place with [[Alexander Beliavsky]], behind joint winners [[Andrei Sokolov]], [[Rafael Vaganian]], and [[Artur Yusupov (chess player)|Artur Yusupov]], and once again – one-half point short of potentially qualifying via a playoff.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_Tournament_1985/19766|title=Candidates Tournament 1985|website=365Chess.com|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233404/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Candidates_Tournament_1985/19766|url-status=live}}</ref> This was Spassky's last appearance at the Candidates' level.{{Cn|date=February 2025}}