10th World Champion, repeated winner of World Chess Olympiads, the legend of chess - Boris Spassky confirmed his participation in IV World Blitz Chess Championship. Mr. Spassky will take part in the Championship as the member of appellate committee. 

Boris Spassky is the world champion since 1969 till 1972, USSR champion of 1961 and 1973, six-time winner of World Chess Olympiads with USSR team.
It’s paradoxical, but Boris Spassky, who had been in Kazakhstan, will visit Almaty for the first time.
Boris Vasilievich Spassky was born in 1937, January, 30 in Leningrade. He was evacuated in Kirov region during the Great Patriotic war. There at the age of 5 he was taught the rules of the game, which made him world famous.
Spassky came to Leningrade’s pioneer chess school in 1946, where the famous trainer Vladimir Zak had been worked. Quick successes followed. Boris Spassky became the youngest first-grade chess-player and candidate to sports master. He wasn’t master of sports of USSR, he became international master at once! Boris Spassky became the youngest grand-master in the world in his 18, the world champion among young people, the participant of world crown challengers tournament. Previous chess history didn’t know so fast flight! 
Future had to be cloudless, but crisis times began for Spassky.  And only in 8 years, in 1963 Spassky began new climbing to the chess Olympus. His hard way lasted for 6 years. Great players of those time Paul Keres, Efim Geller, Mikhail Tal, Bent Larssen, Victor Korchnoi were beated by him. The final accord was match for the world crown with “iron” Tigran Petrosyan. And in 1969, June, 17 Boris Spassky  had been crowned with laurels! 
Spassky had never covered his negative relation to the USSR totalitarian system. He always expressed honestly in the face of big audience, which came to his public appearances. Officials didn’t excuse him after dramatic match with legendary Robert Fisher in 1972, when soviet grand-master loose. Boris Vasilievich was obliged to leave the country and is living in France since 1976. Now he often come to the motherland, and each of his visits is the holiday for all chess fancies. Spassky opens children schools, judges big international tournaments or participates as the member of appellate committee. In this case sportsman is indispensable. Spassky’s opinion is the conclusive in mostly conflict situations. Besides respect, which he gained in the chess world, he is the oldest (after Vassiliy Smislov) ex-world champion!