Vasily Smyslov

Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov (???????? ????????) (born March 24, 1921) is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was World Champion from 1957 to 1958. He is known for his positional style and, in particular, for his precise handling of the endgame, but many of his games feature spectacular tactical shots as well. He has made enormous contributions to chess opening theory in many openings, including the English Opening, Grünfeld Defence, Ruy Lopez, and Sicilian Defense.

Further reading

• {{Book reference | Author=Winter, Edward G. (ed.) | Title=World chess champions | Publisher=Pergamon | Year=1981 | ID=ISBN 0080249041}}
• {{Book reference | Author=Chernev, Irving | Title=Twelve Great Chess Players and Their Best Games | Publisher=Dover | Year=1995 | ID=ISBN 0486286746}}