Tigran Petrosian

Biography (1929–1984)

Tigran Petrosian (1929-1984) took up chess at the age of 8 and quickly excelled. A fine positional player and brilliant tactician, he was known for his solid style and nicknamed "Iron Tigran." Petrosian participated in three Candidates tournaments before finishing first in Curacao (1962), earning the right to challenge the World Champion. In 1963, he dethroned Botvinnik (+5-2=15), and three years later defended his title in the match against Spassky (12½-11½).After losing the world championship title to Spassky in 1969, Petrosian remained active in chess. He won the Soviet Championship four times (1959, 1961, 1969, and 1975) and was a member of the Soviet Olympiad team ten times (1958-1978). Even in his post-championship years, he continued to achieve impressive tournament victories, including a memorable defense against a young Garry Kasparov in Tilburg in 1981.

Notable game

This was the tenth game of the 1966 World Chess Championship match, which Petrosian won

Play like a champion!

Black to move.

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Want chess advice?

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Chess is a game by its form, an art by its content, and a science by the difficulty of mastering it. It can bring as much happiness as a good book or a piece of music.

I'm absolutely convinced that in chess—although it remains a game—there is nothing accidental. This is my credo. I only enjoy those chess games where I have played according to the position's requirements. I believe in logical and correct play.

On Petrosian

Petrosian is not a tiger that pounces on its prey; rather, he is a python that strangles its prey or a crocodile that waits for hours for the right moment to deliver a decisive blow.

If Tal sacrifices a piece, take it. If Petrosian sacrifices a piece, don't take it.

Perhaps the ninth world champion was most dangerous in counterattacks: he often allowed his opponents to display their aggressive intentions, only to exploit their positional weaknesses and launch his own counterattacks.

The subtlest positional chess player, defensive virtuoso, deep psychologist—this is a shield that is very difficult to break through.

In essence, he was a strategist, yet inherently a tactician. One of Petrosian's greatest advantages was that his opponents never knew when he would suddenly switch to playing like Mikhail Tal.

Petrosian is good at seeing and eliminating danger 20 moves before it occurs!

Petrosian knew how to create combinations as well as Tal, but kept this gift hidden and played purely positional.

Petrosian's body of work offers numerous valuable insights that will help young players master the secrets of higher chess mastery.