Boris Spassky, the Russian chess grandmaster who against his wishes became embroiled in a Cold War east-west tussle with American player Bobby Fischer, has died.
He was born 30 January 1937 in Leningrad, no birth time, with a military father, school teacher mother and a sister who won the Soviet draughts championship four times. He learnt to play chess on a train while he was being evacuated from Leningrad in 1942 and practised for five hours a day. When he was ten he beat the Soviet champion Mikhail Botvinnik in a simultaneous exhibition.
He was a Sun Aquarius square a Uranus in Taurus opposition Mars in Scorpio. His Neptune in Virgo (and Moon) opposed Saturn Venus in Pisces and was trine Jupiter Mercury in Capricorn. Determined, unconventional, surprisingly emotional.
In the famous 1972 match he lost to Fischer, there was ‘a clash of temperaments as well as the ideologies of their nations. Spassky was personable and gentlemanly; Fischer was given to histrionics and prepared to use gamesmanship.’
Fischer’s agitated carping and complaining unsettled Spassky. Fisher’s lawyer, Paul Marshall, later recalled: “All this nonsense … all this delay … all this haggling … had an adverse effect on Boris Spassky, who was a very straightforward, decent, certainly a brilliant chessman and very nice man … I think this was against his character.” Spassky lost and was shunned in the USSR but was relieved at being out of the limelight. He emigrated to France in 1976 and became a French citizen only returning home in recent years, some say forcibly.
At that 1972 match, transiting Neptune was conjunct his Mercury throwing his thinking off track. When he lost for a second time to Fischer in 1992 tr Uranus was square his Mercury.
Bobby Fischer, 9 March 1943 2.39 pm Chicago, Illinois, another child prodigy chess master, had a Pisces Sun trine Jupiter; and a do-or-die determined Pluto in Leo on his Ascendant opposition Mars square a 10th house Taurus Moon.
He became more disturbed the older he got, spouting conspiracy theories, getting paranoid, supporting the 9/11 terrorists, and running into increasing problems until he landed in Iceland where he died a few years ago.
In Spassky’s chart I see Mercury/Jupiter conjunct, while a few days ago we saw this conjunction in the opposite sign of Cancer in John Dee’s chart. I wonder if this aspect bequeaths the ability to construct entire mental kingdoms. Just a thought.