Bobby Fischer
‘Bobby’ Fischer was known as a threat to the Soviet domination of world chess for many years, but kept withdrawing from qualifying as the challenger over disputes with organizers. He finally qualified in 1971, having stormed past the other Candidates with huge scores, and beat Spassky in a match which was as dramatic off the board as on it.
In contrast to the real-life dramas, he played a very cool, rational sort of chess, no-nonsense and razor-sharp.
That game was from the 1963 US championships, which he won 11-0 against masters and grandmasters. His last-round game was this one:
I like that 19th move even better than crash-bang-wallop sacrifices.
He played the sharpest lines as Black and kept faith with the Ruy Lopez all his adult life — until he surprised everyone with a Queen’s Gambit in his match with Spassky.
A beautiful, flowing attack, which the spectators stood up to applaud. To his credit, Spassky also stood and clapped.