Boris Spassky's Dazzling King's Gambit - Best Of The 60s - Spassky vs. Bronstein, 1960
Q: Who is the only player to have beat a reigning world champion in a serious, classical game with the King's Gambit?
A: Rudolf Charousek (He defeated Emanuel Lasker.)
But who is the most SUCCESSFUL modern (since the world championships began) player with the King's Gambit? That answer is probably Boris Spassky! He defeated both Bobby Fischer and Anatoly Karpov with this romantic opening, and in this game against David Bronstein, he produced a true masterpiece. The game so inspires that it has even be used in the movies, specifically in the James Bond film, "From Russia With Love."
Top 10 Games of the 1960s
- #1: ???
- #2: ???
- #3: ???
- #4: ???
- #5: ???
- #6: ???
- #7: ???
- #8: Spassky vs. Bronstein, 1960
- #9: Gufeld vs. Kavalek, 1962
- #10: Korchnoi vs. Udovcic, 1967
- See also: Top 10 of the 1970s, Top 10 of the 1980s, Top 10 of the 1990s, Top 10 of the 2000s, and Top 10 of the 2010s
Bronstein shows no interest in hanging on to the extra pawn and quickly gives it back to complete development and castle. However, his chosen method leaves Spassky with some pressure and Spassky capitalizes on the opportunity with strong and accurate moves like 10.Ne4!
On the critical 15th move, Spassky plays one of the greatest and most shocking moves in chess history, 15.Nd6!! This move is not even the strongest in the position, but it is the scariest, and Bronstein flinches with 15...Nf8? After the blow 16.Nxf7! the game rapidly concludes in Spassky's favor.
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