# World Chess Championship 1969

The 1969 World Chess Championship was played between Tigran Petrosian and Boris Spassky in Moscow from April 14 to June 17, 1969. This was the second consecutive time Petrosian and Spassky played for the world title. Spassky reversed the previous result; winning the world title and becoming the tenth World Chess Champion.

## 1967 Interzonal

The 1967 Interzonal Tournament was played in Sousse, Tunisia in October and November. The first six placegetters qualified for the Candidates, along with Boris Spassky and Mikhail Tal who were seeded into the Candidates matches as finalists of the previous tournament.
A major controversy occurred when Bobby Fischer, who was leading the tournament with seven wins and three draws in ten rounds, abandoned the event over a dispute with the organisers. Because Fischer withdrew before he had played half his games, the results of his games were not included in his opponents' totals.
Bent Larsen went on to win, with Korchnoi, Geller, Gligorić, and Portisch taking the next four places.
There was a three-way tie for sixth place among Samuel Reshevsky, Vlastimil Hort, and Leonid Stein, who played a round-robin playoff to determine the final place in the Candidates matches. In the event of a tie, the player with the best Sonneborn-Berger tie break from the Interzonal would qualify. The playoff ended in a three-way tie, so Reshevsky qualified.
    1967 Sousse Interzonal Tournament 12345678910111213141516171819202122TotalTie break 1 Bent Larsen (Denmark)-0½½01111½111½01½1111115½ 2 Viktor Korchnoi (Soviet Union)1-½½1½½½0½00½1111111½114136.00 3 Efim Geller (Soviet Union)½½-½½01½1½½1½½1½½1½11114135.75 4 Svetozar Gligorić (Yugoslavia)½½½-½½½1½½½½½11½½½111114135.00 5 Lajos Portisch (Hungary)10½½-½½10½½½½11½1½½11113½ 6 Samuel Reshevsky (United States)0½1½½-½½1½½1½½½½11011½13129.75 7 Vlastimil Hort (Czechoslovakia)0½0½½½-1½½1½½½½½½1111113120.25 8 Leonid Stein (Soviet Union)0½½00½0-½½½11½1111111½13117.00 9 Milan Matulović (Yugoslavia)010½10½½-011½10½½11½1112½ 10 Aleksandar Matanović (Yugoslavia)½½½½½½½½1-½1½½½½1½01½½12 11 Borislav Ivkov (Yugoslavia)01½½½½0½0½-0½½1½1½101111103.50 12 Henrique Mecking (Brazil)010½½0½0001-111½½½1½1½11102.50 13 Aivars Gipslis (Soviet Union)0½½½½½½0½½½0-½01½01½111093.75 14 Lubomir Kavalek (Czechoslovakia)½0½00½½½0½½0½-½1½101111090.00 15 Duncan Suttles (Canada)10000½½01½001½-½10½1½19½ 16 István Bilek (Hungary)00½½½½½0½½½½00½-½½10119 17 László Barczay (Hungary)½0½½00½0½00½½½0½-½1½½18 18 Robert Byrne (United States)000½½0000½½½101½½-1½½07½ 19 Miguel Cuéllar (Colombia)00½0½100010001½000-0116½61.00 20 Lhamsuren Myagmarsuren (Mongolia)00000000½01½½001½½1-016½54.50 21 Ortvin Sarapu (New Zealand)0½0000000½0000½0½½01-½4 22 Slim Bouaziz (Tunisia)00000½0½0½0½00000100½-3½
    1968 Los Angeles playoff 123Total 1 Samuel Reshevsky (United States)-========4 2 Vlastimil Hort (Czechoslovakia)====-=0=14 3 Leonid Stein (Soviet Union)=====1=0-4

## 1968 Candidates matches

Spassky won the Candidates Tournament – as he did in the 1966 cycle – earning the right to challenge Petrosian for the World Championship a second time.
| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
| Sukhumi, June 1968 | Sukhumi, June 1968 | Sukhumi, June 1968 | | | | | | |
| Boris Spassky | Boris Spassky | 5½ | | | | | | |
| Boris Spassky | Boris Spassky | 5½ | Malmö, July 1968 | Malmö, July 1968 | Malmö, July 1968 | | | |
| Efim Geller | Efim Geller | 2½ | Malmö, July 1968 | Malmö, July 1968 | Malmö, July 1968 | | | |
| Efim Geller | Efim Geller | 2½ | Boris Spassky | Boris Spassky | 5½ | | | |
| Porec, May 1968 | Porec, May 1968 | Porec, May 1968 | Boris Spassky | Boris Spassky | 5½ | | | |
| Porec, May 1968 | Porec, May 1968 | Porec, May 1968 | Bent Larsen | Bent Larsen | 2½ | | | |
| Lajos Portisch | Lajos Portisch | 4½ | Bent Larsen | Bent Larsen | 2½ | | | |
| Lajos Portisch | Lajos Portisch | 4½ | | | | Kiev, Sep 1968 | Kiev, Sep 1968 | Kiev, Sep 1968 |
| Bent Larsen | Bent Larsen | 5½ | | | | Kiev, Sep 1968 | Kiev, Sep 1968 | Kiev, Sep 1968 |
| Bent Larsen | Bent Larsen | 5½ | | | | Boris Spassky | Boris Spassky | 6½ |
| Belgrade, Apr–May 1968 | Belgrade, Apr–May 1968 | Belgrade, Apr–May 1968 | | | | Boris Spassky | Boris Spassky | 6½ |
| Belgrade, Apr–May 1968 | Belgrade, Apr–May 1968 | Belgrade, Apr–May 1968 | | | | Viktor Korchnoi | Viktor Korchnoi | 3½ |
| Svetozar Gligorić | Svetozar Gligorić | 3½ | | | | Viktor Korchnoi | Viktor Korchnoi | 3½ |
| Svetozar Gligorić | Svetozar Gligorić | 3½ | Moscow, June–July 1968 | Moscow, June–July 1968 | Moscow, June–July 1968 | | | |
| Mikhail Tal | Mikhail Tal | 5½ | Moscow, June–July 1968 | Moscow, June–July 1968 | Moscow, June–July 1968 | | | |
| Mikhail Tal | Mikhail Tal | 5½ | Mikhail Tal | Mikhail Tal | 4½ | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| Amsterdam, May 1968 | Amsterdam, May 1968 | Amsterdam, May 1968 | Mikhail Tal | Mikhail Tal | 4½ | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| Amsterdam, May 1968 | Amsterdam, May 1968 | Amsterdam, May 1968 | Viktor Korchnoi | Viktor Korchnoi | 5½ | | | |
| Samuel Reshevsky | Samuel Reshevsky | 2½ | Viktor Korchnoi | Viktor Korchnoi | 5½ | | | |
| Samuel Reshevsky | Samuel Reshevsky | 2½ | | | | Bent Larsen | Bent Larsen | 5½ |
| Viktor Korchnoi | Viktor Korchnoi | 5½ | | | | Bent Larsen | Bent Larsen | 5½ |
| Viktor Korchnoi | Viktor Korchnoi | 5½ | | | | Mikhail Tal | Mikhail Tal | 2½ |
Larsen and Tal contested a third place playoff in the Dutch town of Eersel in March 1969, which Larsen won 5½–2½.

## 1969 Championship match

The match was played as best of 24 games. If it ended 12-12, Petrosian, the title holder, would retain the Championship.
World Chess Championship Match 1969 :
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Points |
| Boris Spassky (Soviet Union) | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 12½ |
| Tigran Petrosian (Soviet Union) | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 10½ |
Spassky won.