Bent Larsen, volume II - signed Add to Watch List Watching View Watchlist >

Jan Løfberg: Bent Larsen, Verdenmesterdrømme 1966-1972. Signed by Jan Løfberg.

In Danish. Algebraic notation. 564 games.

The second volume of this major work on chess grandmaster Bent Larsen covers the years when he rightfully dreamed of becoming World Champion. Between 1966 and 1972, he won tournaments at a pace and on a scale never seen before—earning him the title of the world’s best tournament player.

However, the semifinals of the Candidates Tournament proved to be the end of the road for these Danish dreams. In both 1968 and 1971, he was halted by a future World Champion: first by the Russian Boris Spassky, and subsequently by the American Bobby Fischer. In 1972, these two played a legendary match in Reykjavik. The book includes Bent Larsen’s own insightful account of this match — an event that transformed the game of chess forever.

This volume contains 564 of the 565 recorded games played by Bent Larsen during these seven years, making it a near-complete collection. The vast majority of the games are accompanied by commentary from the grandmaster himself.

In this volume, readers have the chance to replay Bent Larsen’s very best games. These include his two major victories over World Champion Tigran Petrosian at the 1966 tournament in Santa Monica. Bent Larsen was the first person to defeat World Champion Spassky — just as he was the last person to defeat Fischer in a tournament game.

In late 1967, Bent Larsen won four major tournaments in the span of just four months, relegating Soviet grandmasters to the runner-up spots on every occasion. This was something the Danes could truly appreciate; in almost every other sport, the Soviet Union would handily thrash us. For his achievements, Bent Larsen received the Chess Oscar, confirming his status as the "world's best chess player in 1967." 

Bent Larsen was one of the most successful Danes in the late 1960s. Whenever his name was mentioned on the radio or television, almost everyone in Denmark knew who he was and what he did. A 1968 Gallup poll placed him on a list of the ten most famous Danes.

Born in 1935, Bent Larsen was too old to be part of the "flower children," the hippie movement, or the youth rebellion. He lived with his wife, Lizzie, in a house in Gentofte, and they enjoyed a car and other comforts—amenities they could afford as members of the middle class.

The book also explores significant events and episodes from the chess master's life. Conflicts arose—both on and off the chessboard—in which Bent Larsen was involved. Sometimes he found himself drawn into disputes through no fault of his own; at other times, he entered into them quite deliberately. These controversies are described in detail in dedicated chapters.

1,112 pages paperback. Løfbergs Forlag, Copenhagen, 2024. Signed by the author. Condition brand new. Weight 1,160 g.

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