Former world champion Vasily Smyslov passed away

Vasily Smyslov, the seventh world chess champion, who was known for both the artistry of his play and the solidity of his technique, died Saturday at a hospital in Moscow. He was 89.

The cause was heart failure, according to the Russian television station NTV.

Mr. Smyslov, though he held the championship for just a year, from April 1957 to May 1958, was one of the most successful and durable tournament and match players of the generation that came of age after World War II.

Full article in NY Times

And a post on the New York Times Chess Blog