The Great Escape of Boris Spassky
According to Boris Spassky himself, he had spent the past two years or so under what was effectively "house arrest" under his wife, ever since suffering a stroke in September of 2010. With the help of some friends, he escaped their home in France and made it to back to Russia, where he hopes to live out his days. Spassky even thinks someone (he doesn't say who) may have been trying to kill him, at least during the period when he was in the hospital recovering from the stroke.
Quite the story. Whether or not it's true, I hope he finds safety, good health and happiness back in Moscow.
[HT: Brian Karen]
[N.B. There's another big non-chess story featuring a legendary chess player, and I suspect that many if not most or even all of you know already about it. The story seems to me too crude for a blog that I wish to keep kid-friendly; my apologies to those of you who wished to see it on here. Suffice to say that the prominent parties directly involved in the story - but not the chess figure - both behaved disgustingly.]
Reader Comments (6)
The good news is he wrote his autobiography! He must have many stories.
Thanks for keeping your blog kid-friendly. I'm not a kid, but it's nice to be able to go someplace that doesn't cater to the kind of thing you are talking about.
Dennis I understand believer's objection to what PR did - but if the Church starts behaving like an organ of the State then it must be prepared to take on criticism.
[DM: Quite the contrary: even the church asked for leniency. And one shouldn't have to be a believer to object; I'd find it equally distasteful if someone did that in a house of worship of a religion I completely disagreed with. P.S. While Christian, I'm not Eastern Orthodox.]
I feel very concerned for Mr. Spassky. Over my many years I have seen older people after suffering a severe illness begin to live in a fantasy. Their friends become their enemies and their long time enemies are seen as friends. It never ends happily. Hopefully his real friend in Russia will find a way to help him find his way back to health.
[DM: Hopefully the Russians are his friends, rather than the ones who took him away from the person acting in his best interest (his wife).]
The Spassky story is certainly strange...one would think he'd be the last of the former Soviet players to ever go back to live in Russia. There is probably a lot more to the story...or perhaps I am a paranoid Chess player.
[DM: There could be. I have my doubts, and have heard from others who wonder as well.]
Another interview appeared today with his sister (it will soon be translated to English I'm sure). She says that several days ago she visited him in France and he was happy and looked better than expected. Apparently some people bribed his housekeeper and kidnapped him to bring to Russian consulate. Maybe a battle for inheritance?