World Chess Championship 1966

The 1966 World Chess Championship was played between Tigran Petrosian and Boris Spassky in Moscow from April 9 to June 9, 1966. Petrosian won.

1964 Interzonal Tournament

An interzonal tournament was held in Amsterdam in the Netherlands in May and June 1964. Originally, 5 spots in the Candidates tournament were on the line, but since ex-champion Mikhail Botvinnik declined to take part, 6 players qualified.

1964 Interzonal Tournament

		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	Total	Tie break
1	Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)	-	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	17	179.00
2	Bent Larsen (Denmark)	½	-	1	½	0	1	0	½	1	½	1	1	1	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	17	178.00
3	Boris Spassky (Soviet Union)	½	0	-	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	0	½	1	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	17	172.25
4	Mikhail Tal (Soviet Union)	½	½	½	-	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	17	171.00
5	Leonid Stein (Soviet Union)	½	1	½	½	-	0	1	½	0	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	16½
6	David Bronstein (Soviet Union)	½	0	½	½	1	-	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	16
7	Borislav Ivkov (Yugoslavia)	½	1	½	½	0	½	-	½	½	½	0	1	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	15
8	Samuel Reshevsky (United States)	½	½	0	½	½	½	½	-	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	14½	144.25
9	Lajos Portisch (Hungary)	0	0	0	½	1	½	½	½	-	½	0	½	½	1	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	14½	138.00
10	Svetozar Gligorić (Yugoslavia)	0	½	0	½	0	½	½	½	½	-	½	1	1	½	1	½	1	½	1	1	0	1	1	1	14
11	Klaus Darga (West Germany)	0	0	1	½	½	0	1	½	1	½	-	0	½	1	½	1	½	½	1	1	½	½	1	½	13½
12	Levente Lengyel (Hungary)	0	0	½	½	0	½	0	½	½	0	1	-	½	½	1	½	1	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	13
13	Ludek Pachman (Czechoslovakia)	½	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	½	0	½	½	-	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	½	½	12½
14	Larry Evans (United States)	0	½	½	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	½	-	1	½	0	1	1	1	½	½	1	½	10
15	Georgi Tringov (Bulgaria)	½	½	0	0	0	½	½	½	0	0	½	0	0	0	-	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	9½
16	Pal Benko (United States)	½	½	0	0	0	½	½	½	0	½	0	½	½	½	½	-	½	0	1	0	1	½	½	½	9
17	Héctor Rossetto (Argentina)	½	0	½	½	0	0	½	0	½	0	½	0	0	1	0	½	-	½	½	½	0	1	0	1	8	82.00
18	Alberto Foguelman (Argentina)	½	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	½	½	0	0	½	1	½	-	0	0	1	1	0	1	8	76.50
19	István Bilek (Hungary)	0	½	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	1	-	½	1	1	½	½	8	72.75
20	Oscar Quiñones (Peru)	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	½	1	½	-	½	1	½	1	7
21	Yosef Porath (Israel)	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	1	½	0	0	½	½	0	1	0	0	½	-	0	½	½	5½
22	Francisco José Pérez (Cuba)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	½	0	0	0	0	1	-	1	1	5
23	Bela Berger (Australia)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	1	1	½	½	½	0	-	0	4½
24	Zvonko Vranesic (Canada)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	½	½	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	0	1	-	4

Since FIDE rules only allowed a maximum of three players from the same nation to qualify from the interzonal, Stein and Bronstein were ineligible. Instead Ivkov qualified. The sixth and final place in the Candidates Tournament was decided in a 3 game playoff in which Portisch beat Reshevsky 2½-½.

1965 Candidates tournament

After the controversy surrounding the previous Candidates tournament, the 1965 tournament was the first to be played as a knock-out series of matches.

As the loser of the last championship match, Mikhail Botvinnik was seeded directly into the tournament, along with the 2nd and 3rd placed players from the previous Candidates tournament, Keres and Geller. Botvinnik declined, so the other two were joined by the top 6 from the Interzonal.

1st Round

Semifinals

Final

Riga, Apr 1965

Boris Spassky

6

Paul Keres

4

Riga, May-June 1965

Boris Spassky

5½

Moscow, Apr 1965

Efim Geller

2½

Vassily Smyslov

2½

Efim Geller

5½

Tbilisi, Nov 1965

Boris Spassky

7

Bled, June-July 1965

Mikhail Tal

4

Bent Larsen

5½

Borislav Ivkov

2½

Bled, July-Aug 1965

Bent Larsen

4½

Bled, June-July 1965

Mikhail Tal

5½

Lajos Portisch

2½

Mikhail Tal

5½

Spassky won, earning the right to challenge champion Petrosian for the title.

Larsen and Geller played a third place playoff in Copenhagen, Denmark in March 1966. Larsen won 5-4.

1966 Championship match

The match was played as best of 24 games. If it ended 12-12, Petrosian, the holder, would retain the Championship.

World Chess Championship Match 1966

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	Points
Tigran Petrosian (Soviet Union)	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	0	1	½	1	0	½	12½
Boris Spassky (Soviet Union)	½	½	½	½	½	½	0	½	½	0	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	½	1	0	½	0	1	½	11½

Petrosian retained his title.

External links

• 1966 World Chess Championship at the Internet Archive record of Graeme Cree's Chess Pages