Forum

Tigran Petrosian was a legendary chess champion, an Armenian hero, and a creative genius. The legacy of Petrosian is at the same time profound and multifaceted. To Armenians around the world and in Armenia alike, Petrosian symbolized the overcoming of the difficulties faced by the Armenian nation, a nation which survived Genocide, the horrors of Stalin, and global dispersion to cheer their favorite son toward victory. For Armenians everywhere he embodied achievement of excellence in chess, the most intellectual and competitive of games. The boy who was born in Tiflis, embraced in Armenia, rose to the heights in Moscow, and loved by his compatriots around the world. He was a unique figure in modern Armenian history, and his relationship to Armenians around the world was similarly distinctive. After he lost both parents before he was 16, Petrosian became the adopted son of Armenians everywhere. Though some of his compatriots around the world had no particular understanding of the game of chess, they would flock to his tournaments held in the farthest reaches around the globe - from South America to Europe, from the Soviet Union to the USA. Everywhere, Petrosian was greeted with fanfare, exhilaration and cheer. His chess style was enigmatic, misunderstood, underappreciated. He died much too young, living life with passion and exuberance until cancer took him from us much too prematurely. Like any world champion, his legacy is immortal, his games are unique creations which will be loved forever, and we are the lucky ones to benefit from his genius. It is appropriate that the Grand Prix tournament in Jermuk, Armenia is held in Petrosian’s honor, on the occasion of his 80th anniversary. He would most definitely be present at this event, encouraging all participants to achieve the greatest heights in the game he loved.

Team Vote Chess Current Vote Chess Games NameOpponent# Players# MovesNext Move PETROSIAN.Vote.1 WOMAN CHESS PARADISE Group 12 22 2 days COOL The Cool Boys & Girls Chess Group 7 4 6 days

Matches in Progress NameOpponentPlayersScore% CompleteStatus Keres vs Petrosian Paul Keres - The Crown Prince of Chess 12 13 | 10 95.8% Winning Petrosian-The Dream.1 International team of chess.com 6 2 | 9 91.7% Losing Mikhail Tal Fans Open Challenge Mikhail Tal Fans 5 7 | 2 90% Winning Backgammon! Checkmate! 13 15 | 8 88.5% Winning CHESS CALABARZON vs TIGRAN PETROSIAN CHESS TEAM CHESS CALABARZON 10 2 | 9 55% Losing COOL The Cool Boys & Girls Chess Group 2 1 | 1 50% Tied Tigran Petrosian Chess Association 3 0 | 2 33.3% Losing TIGRAN PETROSIAN CHESS GROUP vs Harry potter fan club Harry potter fan club 3 0 | 0 0% Tied

Trophy TIGRAN PETROSIAN CHESS GROUP Open.1 - 2nd Place From: CHESScom on 07/04/2009 at 1:23pm "Congratulations! You have won 2nd place in the TIGRAN PETROSIAN CHESS GROUP Open.1 tournament with an overall record of 11-3-0."

TIGRAN PETROSIAN CHESS GROUP Open.1 1 2 days 6(2)->3 Open Registration TIGRAN PETROSIAN CHESS GROUP Open.2 1 1 day 6(2)->3 Open Registration WORLD CHESS GROUP Open.1 7 2 days 6(2)->3 Open Registration WORLD CHESS GROUP Open.2 2 1 day 6(2)->3 Open Registration CHRISTIAN CHESS WORLD Open.2 2 1 day 6(2)->3 Open Registration CHRISTIAN CHESS WORLD Open Group Tournament.1 5 2 days 6(2)->3 Open Registration CHESS KINGDOM Team Tournament only.1 3 2 days 6(2)->3 Open Registration FAMILY CHESS Open.1 3 2 days 6(2)->3 Open Registration AWARDCHESS FRIENDS. open.1 4 1 day 10(2)->3 Open Registration HOT LADY+BOY= LOVELY CHESS Open Tournament .1 3 2 days 6(2)->3 Open Registration WOMAN CHESS PARADISE Group.OPEN .1 1 2 days 6(2)->3 Open Registration FAST CHESS FANATS Team. Open.1 4 1 day 6(2)->3 Open Registration BUSINESS AWARD CHESS GROUP. OPEN.1 5 2 days 6(2)->3 Open Registration

WORLD CHESS GROUP AWARDCHESS Friends Upcoming Tournaments « News home Submitted My Upcoming Tournaments NamePlayersTime ControlFormatRating Range WORLD CHESS GROUP only.1 7/36 2 days 6(2)->3 Open BUSINESS AWARD CHESS GROUP Tournament only.1 5/36 2 days 6(2)->3 Open CHRISTIAN CHESS WORLD only Group Tournament.1 4/36 2 days 6(2)->3 Open FAST CHESS Team Tournament only.1 4/36 1 day 6(2)->3 Open CHESS KINGDOM Team Tournament only.1 3/36 2 days 6(2)->3 Open FAMILY CHESS GROUP Tournament only.1 2/36 2 days 6(2)->3 Open HOT LADY+BOY= LOVELY CHESS Tournament .1 2/36 2 days 6(2)->3 Open WOMAN CHESS PARADISE Group Tournament only.1 2/36 2 days 6(2)->3 Open WORLD CHESS GROUP only.2 2/36 1 day 6(2)->3 Open CHRISTIAN CHESS WORLD only.2 2/36 1 day 6(2)->3 Open TIGRAN PETROSIAN CHESS GROUP only.1 1/36 2 days 6(2)->3 Open TIGRAN PETROSIAN CHESS GROUP only.2 1/36 1 day 6(2)->3 Open AWARDCHESS FRIENDS. open.1 1/100 1 day 10(2)->3 Open

WOMAN CHESS PARADISE Group edit group profile Global International Date Formed: 2009-02-17 13:21:48# of Members: 11 Super Admin(s): AWARDCHESS Admin(s): DontViewMyProfile Avg. Rating: 1779Top Rated Players: PaulinevN (2533), estimable (2080), cats_dougs (1969) Matches in Progress: 0Vote Chess in Progress: 1

Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian Number of games in database: 1,915 Years covered: 1942 to 1984 Highest rating achieved in database: 2645Overall record: +691 -158 =1055 (64.0%)* * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games Based on games in the database; may be incomplete. 11 exhibition games, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic. MOST PLAYED OPENINGS With the White pieces: King's Indian (118) E92 E81 E80 E60 E91 English (97) A15 A16 A10 A13 A14 Queen's Indian (78) E12 E14 E19 E17 E15 Nimzo Indian (77) E41 E55 E40 E46 E54 English, 1 c4 c5 (56) A30 A34 A33 A37 A32 Queen's Gambit Declined (53) D37 D30 D35 D31 D38 With the Black pieces: French Defense (146) C07 C16 C11 C18 C15 Sicilian (134) B40 B81 B52 B92 B94 Caro-Kann (85) B17 B11 B14 B18 B19 King's Indian (68) E94 E67 E63 E62 E81 French Tarrasch (54) C07 C05 C09 C03 C08 Nimzo Indian (52) E54 E32 E43 E46 E56 NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?] Petrosian vs Spassky, 1966 1-0 Petrosian vs Pachman, 1961 1-0 Spassky vs Petrosian, 1966 0-1 Kasparov vs Petrosian, 1981 0-1 Keres vs Petrosian, 1959 0-1 Fischer vs Petrosian, 1959 1/2-1/2 Petrosian vs Botvinnik, 1963 1-0 Petrosian vs Fischer, 1971 1-0 E Terpugov vs Petrosian, 1957 0-1 Petrosian vs Smyslov, 1961 1-0WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: [what is this?] Petrosian-Botvinnik World Championship Match (1963) Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match (1966) Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Rematch (1969)GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?] Match Petrosian! by amadeus Road to the Championship - Tigran Petrosian by suenteus po 147 Tigran, Tigran, burning bright by sleepyirv Tigran Petrosian's Best Games by KingG MY TRIBUTE TO THE "IRON TIGER" by Malacha Petrosian v. the Elite by refutor P.H.Clarke: Petrosian's Best games by setuhanu01 Petrosian wins miniatures by ughaibu Endgames World champions - part three by Alenrama Ivankov69's favorite games by Ivankov69 Garry Kasparov's On My Great Predecessors Vol. 3 by Anatoly21 Crouching Tigran by Gregor Samsa Mendel Tigran V. Petrosian - A Stupendous Tactician by Resignation Trap WCC Index [Candidates Tournament 1959] by Resignation Trap Search Sacrifice Explorer for Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian Search Google® for Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian TIGRAN VARTANOVICH PETROSIAN(born Jun-17-1929, died Aug-13-1984) Georgia (citizen of Armenia) [what is this?] Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was born in Georgia in 1929, but soon relocated to Armenia, where his parents had been born. He became Armenian champion for the first time at the age of 17. His defensive playing style soon earned him the reputation of a player who was nearly impossible to defeat; this was substantiated by his victory in the Curacao Candidates Tournament of 1962, in which he did not lose a single game. The following year, he defeated Mikhail Botvinnik to become the 9th official World Chess Champion. "Iron Tigran," as Petrosian came to be known, retained his title in 1966 by defeating Boris Spassky. This marked the first time since 1934 that the World Champion had succeeded in winning a title match; all the intervening champions had either drawn or lost. Spassky, however, was able to qualify for another match and win the title in 1969. After losing the championship, Petrosian continued to compete internationally, and he was ranked among the top 20 players in the world until he died of cancer in 1984. page 1 of 77; games 1-25 of 1,915 Game Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Petrosian vs Kopelevic 1-0 24 1942 Tbilisi C97 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin 2. Petrosian vs Flohr 1-0 45 1942 Tbilisi A52 Budapest Gambit 3. Petrosian vs V Mikenas 0-1 41 1944 Tbilisi B05 Alekhine's Defense, Modern 4. Petrosian vs Nersesov 1-0 16 1944 Tbilisi (Georgia) C42 Petrov Defense 5. Bakhtadze vs Petrosian 0-1 27 1944 Tbilisi (Georgia) A28 English 6. Petrosian vs N Sorokin 1-0 23 1944 Tbilisi D33 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch 7. Petrosian vs A A Smorodsky ½-½ 40 1944 GEO-ch A28 English 8. Lolua vs Petrosian ½-½ 36 1945 Tbilisi C34 King's Gambit Accepted 9. A Blagidze vs Petrosian ½-½ 40 1945 Final I Category Tournament E40 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 10. Petrosian vs Rechko 1-0 39 1945 Leningrad (Russia) C07 French, Tarrasch 11. Petrosian vs Chachua 1-0 36 1945 Training Tournament D05 Queen's Pawn Game 12. Petrosian vs Korolkov 1-0 18 1945 Leningrad E10 Queen's Pawn Game 13. Petrosian vs M Shishov ½-½ 51 1945 Tbilisi-ch E06 Catalan, Closed, 5.Nf3 14. Seceda vs Petrosian 0-1 57 1945 Tbilisi (Georgia) A49 King's Indian, Fianchetto without c4 15. Grigoriev vs Petrosian 0-1 26 1945 Tbilisi B00 Uncommon King's Pawn Opening 16. Aganalian vs Petrosian 0-1 34 1945 Tbilisi A54 Old Indian, Ukrainian Variation, 4.Nf3 17. Petrosian vs Zeinalli 1-0 20 1945 Leningrad (Russia) A33 English, Symmetrical 18. Petrosian vs Kelendzheridze 1-0 19 1945 Training Tournmament C17 French, Winawer, Advance 19. Petrosian vs Dzaparidze 1-0 14 1945 Tbilisi C36 King's Gambit Accepted, Abbazia Defense 20. Petrosian vs N Sorokin 1-0 39 1945 Tbilisi D14 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Exchange Variation 21. Petrosian vs Mirtsaev 1-0 41 1945 Final I Category Tournament E00 Queen's Pawn Game 22. Petrosian vs Y Rudakov 1-0 32 1945 Leningrad (Russia) D10 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav 23. Petrosian vs Kotkov 1-0 19 1946 Leningrad (Russia) E10 Queen's Pawn Game 24. K Kalantar vs Petrosian 0-1 31 1946 Leningrad A48 King's Indian 25. Kasparian vs Petrosian ½-½ 47 1946 ARM-ch m A03 Bird's Opening page 1 of 77; games 1-25 of 1,915 REFINE SEARCH: White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Petrosian wins | Petrosian loses A free online guide presented by Chessgames.com < Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 63 OF 63 · Later Kibitzing > Dec-03-08 karoaper: I don't know about Davolni or WhiteRook, but Murphyman is definitely Armenian. He's probably sipping some '26 Ararat or Dvin, and listening to Sirusho at this very moment. Dec-04-08 fich: Thank you <karo>. If so, I would like to inquire something from him. :) Dec-04-08 Davolni: LOL <karoaper> ;) <fich> yes I'm armenian, i don't know about <whiterook> or <murphyman>. what is it that I can do for you? Dec-04-08 fich: <Davolni> Good day! Perhaps I might do my inquiry in a more private area, an email perhaps? Dec-04-08 KKDEREK: <fich: <Davolni>Good day! Perhaps I might do my inquiry in a more private area, an email perhaps?> hmmm..Nationalists gone wild! Dec-04-08 fich: <KKDEREK> First, I am not Armenian. Second, I want to ask something about Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian. I'm sure you Armenians know quite a lot about your hero (he is my hero, as well!). Dec-05-08 Davolni: <fich> my e-mail is davolni@hotmail.com please let me know if I can help you with something. ;) Dec-05-08 WhiteRook48: All I know about Petrosian is his name is Petrosian, and that's it Dec-09-08 fich: <Davolni> Thank you. I have emailed you. Dec-12-08 Poisonpawns: Petrosian went undefeated in 3 Russian championships 1954,1955,1958 then won it in 1959 and 1961.A quote "Positional play is my favorite strategy;even where i managed to secure a tactical success by a combination,such a result was only the consequence of careful stategic preparation" Petrosian,Tigran 1962 Dec-25-08 Murphyman: <fich> I am not Armenian, and have never been to Armenia. I am Scottish. Petrosian's writings, approach to the game and some of his great games (Game 7 Petrosian - Spassky 1966 for example) are the reasons why I got interested in finding out more about Armenia and its peoples. On a chess front, one cannot fail to be impressed by their support for their national hero in the 1960's and for the strength they show in the modern day game. Murphyman Dec-26-08 fich: Good evening. Thank you <Murphyman> for the bits of information. Even I have been mesmerized by the way Mr. Petrosian played his games. Dec-31-08 blacksburg: <All I know about Petrosian is his name is Petrosian, and that's it> you're missing out on a lot of really unique and creative games, then. Dec-31-08 Snow Man: Can anyone tell me where Petrosian is buried? I am interested in visiting his grave. Any information on this would be greatly appreciated. I am fully aware that this request sounds strange. Thank you and have a pleasant tomorrow. Dec-31-08 sleepyirv: Vagankovo Cemetery in Moscow. http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/to. Dec-31-08 fich: <blacksburg> Good evening. I have replied to you on Nezhmetdhinov's page. Thank you. Jan-13-09 arsen387: an interesting interview by Kramnik about all WCs http://www.kramnik.com/eng/intervie. here is a little excrept about Petrosian <We can call Petrosian the first defender with a capital D. He was the first person to demonstrate that it is possible to defend virtually every position. Petrosian contributed a defensive element to chess - an element that is being developed more and more today. He showed that chess contains an enormous number of resources, including defensive ones. Petrosian was a very intensive chess player who was hard to understand. I don't think he has been presented to the public in the correct way. He is one of the few chess players of whom I have failed to form a clear opinion after going through his games collection. There is something mysterious about Petrosian. He was a brilliant tactician and an excellent strategic player, although his positional understanding was not as good as Smyslov's. > Jan-13-09 arsen387: and interesting is what Smyslov himself told about Petrosian before Petrosian - Spassky 1969 match <The World Champion has penetrated deeper perhaps than anyone into the secrets of positional manoeuvring. He is finely sensitive to all the nuances of the struggle on the chess board. Who will win: Petrosian or Spassky? It is hard to say. I wish to make just one remark. There is a Russian saying: "Repetition is the mother of understanding." In 1954 I could not win the crown from Botvinnik, but three years later I succeeded in doing so. Why should not Spassky also do the same? He has every ground for achieving it.> either Kramnik is wrong, or Smyslov was too humble to claim his supremacy in positional play over the Champion :) Jan-27-09 mjmorri: >WhiteRook48: All I know about Petrosian is his name is Petrosian, and that's it> Between 1953 and 1980, Petrosian played in 10 consecutive world championship cycles at the candidates level or higher, a remarkable feat that has never been duplicated.

Garry Kasparov vs Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian "Weathering The Storm" (game of the day Feb-09-06) Tilburg (07) 1981 · Queen's Gambit Accepted: Janowski-Larsen Variation (D25) · 0-1 Given 28 times; par: 55 [what's this?] explore this opening find similar games 4 more Kasparov/Petrosian games PGN: download | view Help: general | java-troubleshooting TIP: Some people don't like to know the result of the game in advance. This can be done by registering a free account then visiting your preferences page, then checking "Don't show game results". Java Viewer: ChessTutor Chess Viewer Deluxe (Default) MistyBeach MyChess None (text only) Sjkbase What is this? For help with the default chess viewer, please see the Chess Viewer Deluxe Quickstart Guide. < Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 6 OF 6 · Later Kibitzing > Apr-08-06 twinlark: Yeah. Withholding what he knew, and what he knew he knew. What a waste of space. Apr-19-06 ycensor: I'm the decider here, and I've decided that donny rumsfeld is staying" It goes without saying that White 'had compensation' here. And this game was mentioned in the Test of (deadline) Time'. Jun-10-06 James Demery: First Fischer then Kasparov. I wonder if Petrosian got tired of pesky teenagers? Aug-28-06 aazqua: This is the funniest post I've ever read on this site. You go girl! >>> That is a very interesting point. You have to be a master in all areas. Like Tal lacked positional play, and Fischer had trouble mustering up an attack, and Kasparov's endings were childlike. I think that Blackburne had the overall jist of chess, he understood it more than anyone. Amaster in all areas. >>> Nov-02-06 netlava: Oh, and Petrosian lacked defensive technique. Feb-04-07 sfm: <tamar: Rumsfeld v Iraq: White to play and Stalemate in 3 Years> LOL! Brilliant! Mar-07-07 candide1500: <Oh, and Petrosian lacked defensive technique.> lol, always must tip my hat to good sarcasm Mar-07-07 JointheArmy: <tamar> LOL Mar-19-07 c o r e: "As we know, there are known knowns."(!) "We also know there are known unknowns." (!?) "But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know we don't know." (??) Don Rumsfeld, Secretary of (?). May-31-07 Knight13: Par score of 55 for Guess-The-Move? Dude, that's so low I got a 100 on this and back then I thought 100 was bad but then I guess I was wrong by 45 points. Aug-31-07 agany: 35...,Kc6!! is simply stunning. In Kasparov's 3rd volume of "My Great Predecessors", this move is highly regard by Garry. He says that, somehow, he is thankful to Petrosian because he made him see the infinite defensive resources of chess. Indeed, Petrosian at his best. Dec-21-07 chancho: Petrosian counterpunched Garry until he said 'uncle'! Interestingly, all the games these two played, had Gazza handling the white pieces. Jan-06-08 7Heaven: i can't understand. kasparov played a move and then,he resigned? perhaps,the game is not saved completely? and why did kasparov resigned anyway? (sorry, i missed earlier posts) Jan-06-08 ughaibu: Ask your grandad about "adjournment". Jan-06-08 ughaibu: Also, if you look carefully, you'll see that earlier posts have been preserved and are visible. Jan-06-08 capatal: The amazing genius of Petrosian. Defensively, understanding - understanding! Jan-19-08 7Heaven: can someone explain to me instead of insulting me? Mar-14-08 arsen387: How many times have you heard that when your K is under attack you should not make 'weakening' pawn moves! And look what Petrosian did. He pushed all his pawns and eventually all three pawns around his K were gone but... yeah, if you can defend like that, it's enough to become a World Champion! Incredibly tenacious defense! <7Heaven> Maybe the game was adjourned after 42-nd move and then Garry realized that this game is lost anyway and resigned? Besides, I think that player can resign also after making his move without waiting oponent's move. I don't know the rules but I tnink winner would not complain very much in that case:) Apr-02-08 Lion2gd4u: I thought Garry blundered. Kasparov played just the way Petrosian had expected him to play - hyper aggressive. Petrosian weathered Kasparov's storm, thats clear enough. What interests me besides Petrosian's brilliant technique is that it seems Kasparov made an Attack he knew would not succeed, at least i think he knew, and that he made this attack presumably because he had passed the point of no return, where was that point? Subtle? Could not Kasparov pose more threats?, it seems he could not.I gathered that Kasparov found himself without any real attacking chances; his pieces uncoordinated, and after maybe 30...b5 was in deep trouble. Is it generally the case that if an attack has failed even without material loss the attacker finds his position worse and the hunter becomes the hunted? Petrosian was like "water, shapeless formless" :D, yin and yang or something, the perfect antidote to kasparov's aggression. (But, Kasparov also Is Protean.) Aug-31-08 thesonicvision: an amazing lecture on this game can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1dZ. Aug-31-08 sbevan: <thesonicvision> thanks for the link! Sep-02-08 arsen387: you can't stop feel awe and amazement while analyzing this game, even after many times.. Jan-07-09 MartinII: Lion2gd4u, Kas resiged as he is already one piece down with no compensation. As a side note, Kas mentioned this experience and his encounters with Petrosian in his amazing book, "How Life Imiatates Chess". That time he has 2-0 career score against Petrosian, and thought that positional players dont have tactical skills, but kas claimed he was wrong. Positional players are also gifted tactically. After 2 successive defeats from Petrosian in an attacking game, Kas consulted Spassky on how to defeat Petrosian. Feb-25-09 andrewleef1: How do we post diagrams? Feb-25-09 amadeus: <andrewleef1>, insert the FEN code into your text, and it will automatically appear as a small diagram. FEN Help Page Kibitzing Tricks Jump directly to page # (enter number from 1 to 6) < Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 6 OF 6 · Later Kibitzing > A free online guide presented by Chessgames.com NOTE: You need to pick a username and password to post a reply. Getting your account takes less than a minute, totally anonymous, and 100% free--plus, it entitles you to features otherwise unavailable. Pick your username now and join the chessgames community! If you already have an account, you should login now. Please observe our posting guidelines: No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language. No spamming, advertising, or duplicating posts. No personal attacks against other users. Nothing in violation of United States law. See something which violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform an administrator. NOTE: Keep all discussion on the topic of this page. This forum is for this specific game and nothing else. If you want to discuss chess in general, or this site, you might try the Kibitzer's Café. Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors. Spot an error? Please suggest your correction and help us keep the database squeaky clean! Featured in the Following Game Collections [what is this?] Well he doesn't always WIN :-p even if he attacksfrom All-time favorites by Marvol crimsontide's favorite gamesby crimsontide 35....Kc6from 101 greatest moves ever played(by krabbe) by nfazli tex's favorite gamesby tex wonderful defensefrom tucak's favorite games by tucak ryszard ochodzki's favorite gamesby ryszard ochodzki Petrosian weathered the stormfrom maloophet's favorite games by maloophet Well he doesn't always WIN :-p even if it's a nice gamefrom Great games by (past, present and future) WC's by Marvol Game 46from Garry Kasparov: OMGP Vol.III by azaris King movesby khursh King activity!by Minor Piece Activity Kevin's Collectionby kevinludwig 35...Kc6!from DanielBryant's favorite games by DanielBryant Strategy/Defense Worthy of Steinitzfrom andrewjsacks' favorite games by andrewjsacks Petrosianby diemjay grincho13's favorite gamesby grincho13 More king centralization in the middle gamefrom Exceptions to the "rules" by Gregor Samsa Mendel 18...Nd5! (combo following)from Kasparov 1.d4 goodies. by Taidanii Iron Tigranfrom fav Smyslov & Petrosian games by guoduke Petrosian's powerful defencefrom twinlark's favorite games by twinlark plus 41 more collections (not shown)

Quotations In those years, it was easier to win the Soviet Championship than a game against "Iron Tigran". — Lev Polugaevsky[9] It is to Petrosian's advantage that his opponents never know when he is suddenly going to play like Mikhail Tal. - Boris Spassky He [Petrosian] have an incredible tactical view, and a wonderful sense of the danger... No matter how much you think deep... He will "smell" any kind of danger 20 moves before! - Robert Fischer We can call Petrosian the first defender with a capital D. He was the first person to demonstrate that it is possible to defend virtually every position. Petrosian contributed a defensive element to chess - an element that is being developed more and more today. He showed that chess contains an enormous number of resources, including defensive ones. - Vladimir Kramnik[10] Chess is a game by its form, an art by its content and a science by the difficulty of gaining mastery in it. Chess can convey as much happiness as a good book or work of music can. However, it is necessary to learn to play well and only afterwards will one experience real delight. - Tigran Petrosian I'm absolutely convinced that in chess - although it remains a game - there is nothing accidental. And this is my credo. I like only those chess games, in which I have played in accordance with the position requirements... I believe only in logical and right game. - Tigran Petrosian[11]

Tigran Petrosian From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Tigran Petrosian Full name Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian Country Soviet Union ( Armenia) Born June 17, 1929(1929-06-17)Tbilisi, Georgia, Transcaucasian SFSR, USSR Died August 13, 1984 (aged 55)Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR Title Grandmaster World Champion 1963-1969 This article is about the chess player. For the footballer, see Tigran Petrosyan (footballer). This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.Tigran Petrosian (Armenian: Տիգրան Պետրոսյան) (June 17, 1929 – August 13, 1984) was World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He is often known by the Russian version of his name, Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian (Russian: Тигран Вартанович Петросян). He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else.[1] He was a Candidate for the World Championship on eight occasions (1953, 1956, 1959, 1962, 1971, 1974, 1977 and 1980). He won the world championship in 1963 (against Botvinnik), successfully defended it in 1966 (against Spassky), and lost it in 1969 (to Spassky). Thus he was the defending World Champion or a World Champion candidate in ten consecutive three-year cycles. He won the Soviet Championship four times (1959, 1961, 1969, and 1975). He was arguably the hardest player to beat in the history of chess[2]. Contents [hide] 1 Early years 2 Moves to Moscow, Grandmaster 3 World title Candidate 4 World Champion 5 Olympiads and Team Championships 6 Later career 7 Chess legacy 8 Quotations 9 Notes 10 References 11 External links [edit] Early years A Soviet Armenian, Petrosian was born in the city of Tbilisi, Georgia, Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, USSR[3] and spent most of his childhood there. He learned the game of chess at the age of eight, after entering a local chess school at the Tbilisi Pioneer's Palace (currently known as Tbilisi Children's Palace). Petrosian's first coach was Archil Ebralidze. Petrosian's first important result was a shared 1st-3rd place at the 4th USSR Junior Championship, Leningrad 1945, with 11/15; he tied with Y. Vasilchuk and A. Reshko. In the 6th Armenian Championship, Yerevan 1946, Petrosian won the title with 9/10. But that same year at Leningrad for the Candidates to Masters event, he could only make 6.5/15 for a shared 8th-11th place. In the 7th Georgian Championship, Tbilisi 1946, Petrosian scored 12.5/19, and was second among Georgians; the winner Paul Keres (18/19) played hors concours ("far ahead of the competition"), and conceded just two draws, one of them to Petrosian. He failed badly at the USSR Championship semi-final, Tbilisi 1946, with just 6/17, for a shared 16th-17th place. Petrosian claimed the title in the 5th USSR Junior Championship, Leningrad 1946, with an unbeaten 14/15. In the 1947 Armenian Championship, Petrosian shared 2nd-4th places, with 8.5/11, behind Igor Bondarevsky, who played hors concours. In the 1948 Championship of Caucasian Republics, Petrosian placed 2nd with 9/12, behind winner Vladimir Makogonov. In the 8th Armenian Championship of 1948, Petrosian shared the title on 12.5/13 with Genrikh Kasparian. Despite growing up and starting his chess career in Georgia, Petrosian was regarded by his Soviet teammates as Armenian. For example when Bobby Fischer said he intended to beat "all the Russians" at the Bled 1961 tournament, Paul Keres told him that there were no Russians in the tournament: Mikhail Tal was a Latvian, Petrosian an Armenian, Efim Geller a Ukrainian, and Keres himself was an Estonian.[4] Western publications described Petrosian as an Armenian.[5] [edit] Moves to Moscow, Grandmaster A significant step for Petrosian was moving to Moscow in 1949, where he began to play and win many tournaments. Moscow, along with Leningrad and Kiev, were the three major Soviet chess cities. He won the 1951 tournament in Moscow, and began to show steady progress. By 1952 Petrosian became a Soviet and international Grandmaster in chess. Prior to taking up chess full time though, Petrosian was a caretaker and a road sweeper.[6] In 1952, he married Rona Yakovlevna Avinezar, a translator who was active in chess circles. [edit] World title Candidate His results in the triennial Candidates Tournament, held to determine the challenger to the world champion, showed a steady improvement: fifth at Zürich in 1953, equal third at Amsterdam in 1956, third in Yugoslavia in 1959. [edit] World Champion In the 1963 World Championship cycle, he won the Candidates tournament at Curaçao in 1962, then in 1963 he defeated Mikhail Botvinnik 12.5–9.5 to become World Chess Champion. His patient, defensive style frustrated Botvinnik, who only needed to make one risky move for Petrosian to punish him. Petrosian is the only player to go through the Interzonal and the Candidates process undefeated on the way to the world championship match. Petrosian shared first place with Paul Keres at the Piatigorsky Cup, Los Angeles 1963, his first tournament after winning the championship. Petrosian defended his title in 1966 by defeating Boris Spassky 12.5–11.5. He was the first World Champion to win a title match while champion since Alekhine beat Bogoljubov in 1934. In 1968, he was granted a PhD from Yerevan State University for his thesis, "Chess Logic". In 1969 Spassky got his revenge, winning by 12.5–10.5 and taking the title. He was the only player to win a game against Bobby Fischer during the latter's 1971 Candidates matches, finally bringing an end to Fischer's amazing streak of twenty consecutive wins (seven to finish the 1970 Palma de Mallorca Interzonal, six against Taimanov, six against Larsen, and the first game in their match). Nevertheless Petrosian lost the match. [edit] Olympiads and Team Championships Petrosian was not selected for the Soviet Olympiad side until 1958; he had already been a Candidate twice by that time. But he then made ten straight Soviet Olympiad teams from 1958 to 1978, won nine team gold medals, one team silver medal, and six individual gold medals. His overall performance in Olympiad play is impressive: +78 =50 −1 (only one game lost out of 139 played), for 79.8 per cent, the third all-time best performance after Mikhail Tal and Anatoly Karpov.[7] His Olympiad results are the following. Munich 1958, 2nd reserve, 10.5/13 (+8 =5 −0), board and team gold medals; Leipzig 1960, 2nd reserve, 12/13 (+11 =2 −0), board and team gold medals; Varna 1962, board 2, 10/12 (+8 =4 −0), board and team gold medals; Tel Aviv 1964, board 1, 9.5/13 (+6 =7 −0), team gold medal; Havana 1966, board 1, 11.5/13 (+10 =3 −0), board and team gold medals; Lugano 1968, board 1, 10.5/12 (+9 =3 −0), board and team gold medals; Siegen 1970, board 2, 10/14 (+6 =8 −0), team gold medal; Skopje 1972, board 1, 10.5/16 (+6 =9 −1), team gold medal; Nice 1974, board 4, 12.5/14 (+11 =3 −0), board and team gold medals; Buenos Aires 1978, board 2, 6/9 (+3 =6 −0), team silver medal. Petrosian also made the Soviet side for every European Team Championship held while he was alive, a total of eight selections, from 1957 to 1983. He won eight team gold medals, and four board gold medals. His totals in Euroteams play, according to olimpbase.org, are (+15 =37 −0), for 64.4 per cent.[7] His Euroteams results follow. Vienna 1957, board 6, 4/5 (+3 =2 −0), board and team gold medals; Oberhausen 1961, board 4, 6/8 (+4 =4 −0), board and team gold medals; Hamburg 1965, board 1, 6/10 (+2 =8 −0), board and team gold medals; Kapfenberg 1970, board 1, 3.5/6 (+1 =5 −0), team gold medal; Bath, Somerset 1973, board 2, 4.5/7 (+2 =5 −0), board and team gold medals; Moscow 1977, board 2, 3.5/6 (+1 =5 −0), team gold medal; Skara 1980, board 3, 2.5/5 (+0 =5 −0), team gold medal; Plovdiv 1983, board 3 3.5/5 (+2 =3 −0), team gold medal. [edit] Later career Along with a number of other Soviet Chess champions, he signed a petition condemning the actions of the defector Viktor Korchnoi in 1976. It was the continuation of a bitter feud between the two, dating back at least to their 1974 Candidates semi-final match which Petrosian withdrew from after five games while trailing 3.5-1.5 (+3−1=1). His match with Korchnoi in 1977 saw the two former colleagues refuse to shake hands or speak to each other. They even demanded separate eating and toilet facilities. Petrosian went on to lose the match and was subsequently fired as editor of Russia's largest chess magazine, 64. His detractors condemned his reluctance to attack and some put it down to a lack of courage. At this point however, Botvinnik spoke out on his behalf, stating that he only attacked when he felt secure and his greatest strength was in defence.[6] Some of his late successes included victories at Lone Pine 1976 and in the 1979 Paul Keres Memorial tournament in Tallinn (12/16 without a loss, ahead of Tal, Bronstein and others), shared first place (with Portisch and Huebner) in the Rio de Janeiro Interzonal the same year, and second place in Tilburg in 1981, half a point behind the winner Beliavsky. It was here that he played his last famous victory, a miraculous escape against the young Garry Kasparov.[8] Petrosian died of stomach cancer in 1984 in Moscow. Petrosian is buried in Vagankovo Cemetery and in 1987 13th World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov unveiled a memorial in the cemetery at Petrosian's grave which depicts the laurel wreath of world champion and an image contained within a crown of the sun shining above the twin peaks of Mount Ararat - the national symbol of Petrosian's native Armenia. [edit] Chess legacy He has two major opening systems named after him: the Petrosian variation of the King's Indian defence (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. d5) and the Petrosian system in the Queen's Indian Defence (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3). He is most famous for being one of the best players pioneering the theory of prophylaxis, years after Aron Nimzowitsch. His style of play was often highly strategical, notable for anticipating opponent's possible attacks, and he based many of his games on avoidance of error, content with accumulating small advantages. His games are now widely used for instruction in chess schools around the world. He was also the chief editor of the chess magazine, "Shakhmatnaya Moskva" ("The Chess Moscow") from 1963–66. [edit] Quotations In those years, it was easier to win the Soviet Championship than a game against "Iron Tigran". — Lev Polugaevsky[9] It is to Petrosian's advantage that his opponents never know when he is suddenly going to play like Mikhail Tal. - Boris Spassky He [Petrosian] have an incredible tactical view, and a wonderful sense of the danger... No matter how much you think deep... He will "smell" any kind of danger 20 moves before! - Robert Fischer We can call Petrosian the first defender with a capital D. He was the first person to demonstrate that it is possible to defend virtually every position. Petrosian contributed a defensive element to chess - an element that is being developed more and more today. He showed that chess contains an enormous number of resources, including defensive ones. - Vladimir Kramnik[10] Chess is a game by its form, an art by its content and a science by the difficulty of gaining mastery in it. Chess can convey as much happiness as a good book or work of music can. However, it is necessary to learn to play well and only afterwards will one experience real delight. - Tigran Petrosian I'm absolutely convinced that in chess - although it remains a game - there is nothing accidental. And this is my credo. I like only those chess games, in which I have played in accordance with the position requirements... I believe only in logical and right game. - Tigran Petrosian[11] [edit] Notes ^ Vasiliev 1974:27 and Kasparov 2004:7, 16, 62, 80 ^ (Edmonds & Eidinow 2004:48) ^ Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, Vol. 8, Tbilisi, 1984, pp. 51 ^ Larry Evans (October 1996). "The Tragedy of Paul Keres". Chess Life: 40.en.wikipedia.org:Tigran_Petrosian"> ^ "The madness of King Bobby". The Observer. January 12, 2003. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,870785,00.html. Retrieved on 26 September 2008.en.wikipedia.org:Tigran_Petrosian"> Pein, M. (14 June 2004). "Kasparov throwaway". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/05/08/result070508.xml. Retrieved on 26 September 2008.en.wikipedia.org:Tigran_Petrosian"> Pein, M. (8 May 2007). "A proud day for Armenia". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/05/08/result070508.xml. Retrieved on 26 September 2008.en.wikipedia.org:Tigran_Petrosian"> Weber, B. (January 19, 2008). "Bobby Fischer, Troubled Genius of Chess, Dies at 64". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/19/crosswords/chess/19fischer.html?_r=1&oref=slogin. Retrieved on 26 September 2008.2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2008%2F01%2F19%2Fcrosswords%2Fchess%2F19fischer.html%3F_r%3D1%26oref%3Dslogin&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Tigran_Petrosian"> ^ a b "Chess" Magazine - September 1984 ^ a b Petrosian, Tigran team chess records at olimpbase.org ^ Kasparov–Petrosian, Tilburg 1981 at Chessgames.com ^ Kasparov 2004, p. 80 ^ Kramnik Interview: From Steinitz to Kasparov, 2005, Official Site ^ Chess Champion of the World Tigran Petrosian [edit] References "Tigran Petrosian". Chess Champions. http://members.tripod.com/HSK_Chess/petrosian.html. Retrieved on August 14, 2005.2Fmembers.tripod.com%2FHSK_Chess%2Fpetrosian.html&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Tigran_Petrosian"> Twelve Great Chess Players and Their Best Games by Irving Chernev; Dover; August 1995. ISBN 0-486-28674-6 Edmonds, David; Eidinow, John (2004), Bobby Fischer Goes to War, HarperCollins, ISBN 978-0-06-051024-4en.wikipedia.org:Tigran_Petrosian"> Kasparov, Garry (2004), My Great Predecessors, part III, Everyman Chess, ISBN 978-1-85744-371-4en.wikipedia.org:Tigran_Petrosian"> Viktor Vasiliev Tigran Petrosian: His Life and Games. Zhizn Shakhmatista, 1969. B. T. Batsford, 1974. ISBN 0-7134-2818-X . World Chess Champions by Edward G. Winter, editor. 1981 ISBN 0-08-024094-1 [edit] External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Tigran Petrosian Tigran Petrosian at ChessGames.com OlimpBase Biography Spassky-Petrosian WCh 1966 Multimedia Annotated Game Preceded byMikhail Botvinnik World Chess Champion 1963–1969 Succeeded byBoris Spassky [hide] v • d • e World Chess Championships pre-FIDE 1886, 1889, 1891, 1892 (Steinitz) · 1894, 1897, 1907, 1908, 1910 (Jan-Feb), 1910 (Nov-Dec) (Lasker) · 1921 (Capablanca) · 1927, 1929, 1934 (Alekhine) · 1935 (Euwe) · 1937 (Alekhine) FIDE 1948, 1951, 1954 (Botvinnik) · 1957 (Smyslov) · 1958 (Botvinnik) · 1960 (Tal) · 1961 (Botvinnik) · 1963, 1966 (Petrosian) · 1969 (Spassky) · 1972 (Fischer) · 1975, 1978, 1981 (Karpov) · 1984-1985, 1986, 1987, 1990 (Kasparov) Split title Classical 1993, 1995 (Kasparov) · 2000, 2004 (Kramnik) FIDE 1993, 1996, 1998 (Karpov) · 1999 (Khalifman) · 2000 (Anand) · 2002 (Ponomariov) · 2004 (Kasimdzhanov) · 2005 (Topalov) FIDE 2006 (Kramnik) · 2007, 2008 (Anand) · Future: 2009, 2011