Spassky Turns 70

Today is the 70th birthday of Boris Spassky, the world champion of chess from 1969-72. (Hat tip: Susan). His career has had so many triumphs, it's unfortunate Spassky is remembered primarily for the high-profile defeat he suffered at the hands of Bobby Fischer in 1972. He's a great champion, and he continues to be active in chess. In fact, when he suffered a minor stroke recently (from which he has recovered, I believe) Spassky was giving a chess lecture at the Mechanics Institute in San Francisco. Read more at Chessbase.

Happy birthday, Mr. Spassky, and many happy returns of the day.

Chess Notes from Hither & Yon: “Got chess?” is the rhetorical question coming out of Lansing, Michigan, and the answer is a resounding affirmative for the city, which will host a weeklong chess festival in March. Even DaMare is involved. What a great idea! Can we have something like this in Chicago? . . . The 64 Square Jungle, the leading chess blog in Illinois and the Midwest, provides some perspective, courtesy of GM Dmitry Gurevich, to a chess controversey that has festered in the media.