World Chess Championship 1966

At the Chess World Cup 1966 World Champion Tigran Petrosian successfully defended his title against Boris Spassky.

Prehistory

Petrosian became world champion Mikhail Botvinnik in the match against in the previous World Chess Championship 1963. Spassky had already participated in the 1956 Candidates Tournament in Amsterdam and a split 3rd - 7th Reaches space. In subsequent cycles for the World Cup in 1960 and 1963 respectively missed by one point of qualifying for the Interzonal. For the 1966 World Cup, he succeeded finally take its place in the round of the World Championship Candidates.

Qualification

Mode

In 1962, the FIDE had the rules for the World Cup reformed: In the meantime, the challenger of the World Champion had been determined in a Candidates Tournament. After the Candidates Tournament in Curaçao in 1962 Bobby Fischer had alleged that the Soviet players have played with each other prearranged draw lots, so as to save their strength for the fight against him. In order to make such manipulations impossible, the mode has been changed: the World Championship Candidates determined the challenger now by fighting match in a knockout system.

Of the eight candidates six were determined in Interzone tournament of Amsterdam. A special certain that no Chess Federation was allowed to make more than three of these candidates. The first four places went to Vasily Smyslov, Bent Larsen, Boris Spassky and Mikhail Tal. Because Smyslov, Spassky and Tal came from the Soviet Chess Federation, went Leonid Stein and David Bronstein, the number 5 and 6 reached, empty-handed; for they advanced by the Yugoslav Borislav Ivkov and the Hungarian Lajos Portisch. The other two candidates places went to Paul Keres and Efim Geller, who had the positions 2 and 3 is in the Candidates Tournament in 1962. Former world champion Mikhail Botvinnik had renounced his place.

Candidates competitions

Organization and rules

The competition was held in Moscow. The race was scheduled for 24 games, which would retain his title in a tie Petrosian.

Course

The match began on April 9. After six outbuildings, there was the first victory for the defending champions, after two further draw again. On lap 13 Spassky scored the first victory in the match - his first win against Petrosian at all. On lap 19 he was able to force a tie. But then drew it and Petrosian had claimed at the score of 12:10 his title. Since none had reached the 12 ½ -point mark, has continued to play. Spassky still managed a victory, and on June 9, sat a draw the final point.

Follow

The following World Cup cycle, Spassky again qualified. In the World Chess Championship 1969, he was then to dethrone Petrosian.