When Mr. Spassky, a Russian, played Bobby Fischer, an American, in Iceland at the height of the Cold War, the media attention reduced them to pawns in a wider drama.

Spassky chess battle — an iconic Cold War clash in which Fischer stunned the world, ending Soviet dominance and reshaping chess history forever.

His 1972 match against American Bobby Fischer is considered one of the most famous duels in the history of the game as well as a metaphor for the competition for Cold War supremacy.