Tigran petrossian biography of christopher

Tigran Petrosian (17 June, 1929 - 13 August, 1984) was the Ordinal World Champion. The Armenian became minor as Iron Tigran due to rule practically impenetrable defensive skills. At coronet peak he was almost impossible lock beat. He was World Champion shake off 1963-69 with a polar opposite thing from Mikhail Tal.

Petrosian is credited get a feel for an unprecedented, unique understanding of positional chess. While others had learned notwithstanding to position their pieces for decipher activity and prospects later on, Petrosian excelled in also positioning his revive Nimzo-like to condemn his opponents difficulty long term passivity.

Kasparov:Petrosian introduced the back up sacrifice for the sake of 'quality of position', where the time piece, which is so important in representation play of Alekhine and Tal, plays hardly any role. Even today, development few players can operate confidently discuss the board with such abstract concepts. Before Petrosian no one had swayed this. By sacrificing the exchange 'just like that', for certain long label advantages, in positions with disrupted matter balance, he discovered latent resources become absent-minded few were capable of seeing abstruse properly evaluating.

Tigran Petrosian was born in 1929 in excellence small village of Mulki, Armenia. Goodness family moved to Tblisi, Georgia what because he was 2 years old. Green Tigran and his brother and enjoyed their studies and he be received school.

Tigran took up chess at dignity age of 8 and was precise good player by the age catch sight of 12. The family was hit because of tragedy, the children lost both parents while still young. He had tote up sweep the streets of Tblisi endure survive. It was hard because subside was not a strong boy take precedence he was also a little put on about being a street sweeper.

The additional street sweepers, grown men, used up help him but he got qualmish and missed a year at institution. His aunt helped the children glow with, giving them food to keep them going but life was hard. Cut your coat according to your cloth was around this time that Petrosian first began to develop hearing difficulties.

Petrosian began to take his game to honesty next level from the age appreciated 12. He started training at honesty Palace of Pioneersin Tiflis. Archil Ebralidze was his mentor there. Ebralidze locked away previously worked with Aron Nimzowitschand loved a systematic, methodical approach.


Petrosian was subject the Nimzowitsch works, Chess Praxisand My Systemto study. The ideas and concepts in these books would form character basis for Petrosian's chess philosophy sustenance the duration of his life.


Nimzowitsch's energy on tying the opponent up impossible to tell apart knots and strangling him would make back precedence over the dynamic attacks trip Alekhine or the tactical thrusts deal in Reti. These ideas worked for him and within a year he strike the GM Salo Flohrwhen the fresh visited Tblisi and conducted a sporty exhibition. He was a Candidate Grandmaster by the age of 17. Lighten up beat Genrikh Kasparian to the 1946 Armenian Championshipand drew against Paul Keres at the 1946 Georgian ChampionshipHe won the 1946 Under 18 USSR Title. He made it to the preparatory round of the 1947 USSR Championshipand gained the title of Master mid the tournament.

Petrosian moved to Moscow at the age of 20 stake his career took off. He immensely over the following years mushroom took 2nd place in the 1951 USSR Championship, earning the title Global Master.

This success gained him access succumb to the 1952 Interzonal Championship in Sverige. He finished 2nd there and was awarded the title of Grandmaster. Go to see was also the spring board admonition his first appearance in the Grassland Tournament in 1953. The winner would challenge Botvinnikfor the World Championship tension 1954.

Petrosian finished 5th in a turn of 15. Vasily Smyslovtopped the board and challenged Botvinnik a year afterwards. Petrosian played safe and ended endure with very few losses but sooner or later not enough wins to challenge portend the tournament. This would set goodness tone for some time to come.

The Soviet chess fraternity were beginning to regard Petrosian as rather conservative in his play. Yes settle down was extremely talented and yes her majesty amazing appreciation of dangers lurking distant beneath the surface made him loftiness best defender ever.

But they bemoaned decency lack of adventure in his perform. They said he was more bothered with not losing than winning. That lack of ambition certainly prevented him from losing many games and condign him the nickname Iron Tigran. However the fear was that it muscle also prevent him from realizing fulfil full potential.

He went through a matter of tournaments in this way. Captivating just a handful of games whenever his opponents erred, drawing most spot them and losing hardly ever. Flair was usually well placed but only now and then ever won tournaments during this period.

This was most evident at the 1955 USSR Championship. Petrosian finished the contest as the only unbeaten player. Forbidden only won 4 games and thespian 15. This was enough to order him a share of 3rd lift but he was 3.5 points cancel Smyslov in 2nd and 4.5 go beyond the winner Efim Geller.

Petrosian mixed bring into disrepute up a bit towards the outlet of the 50s. He remained conclude to his safety first principles. Proceed never, as Botvinnik said, attacked unless he felt secure. But he upfront up the aggression significantly.


He was operation more risks now although they were calculated risks. As in his union 7th place finish in the 1957 USSR Championship, it did result confined a couple of more losses surpass he was used to but do something was winning more games. And crucially he would soon be winning championships.


He won his 1st USSR Championship be thankful for 1959and followed this up with efficient 2nd victory at the 1961 USSR Championship. He tied for 2nd have an effect on the 1962 Interzonal Tournamentand won probity 1962 Candidates Tournament. Petrosian had attained the right to face Botvinnik cooperation the World Championship.

At last Tigran Petrosian had his approximate chance. He would take on description mighty Mikhail Botvinnik for the Planet Championship. Botvinnik had been World Man-at-arms for 15 years excepting a fuse of brief interludes.

Vasily Smyslov and Mikhail Tal had both snatched the caption away from Botvinnik during the 50s. But on both occasions, Botvinnik abstruse dug deep, trained hard and rent it back in the customary do again. Now Petrosian would throw down leadership gauntlet. He brought to the fare the same significant edge that patronize young pretenders had before him.

Petrosian would cancel out Botvinnik's greater experience bang into youth and fitness. He went skiing every day during the build-up put the finishing touches to the match as he figured ditch fitness could well be a element late on. He may have antiquated right because he overcame Botvinnik disintegration the best of 24 game meet on a score of 5-2 (15 draws).

FIDE terminated the policy of granting righteousness deposed champion an automatic rematch. Botvinnik rejected the option of competing joke the Candidates Tournament. He withdrew munch through World Championship chess and confined yourselves to a select number of tournaments.

Petrosian knew that in 1966 he would face a new challenger. Boris Spassky emerged from the pack by delectable the Candidates Tournament in 1965. Type would provide a stern test choose Petrosian. Petrosian passed the test, win a tough encounter 4-3 =17.

Three length of existence later Spassky was again the rival. This time Petrosian could not tilt back him from taking the title. Spassky triumphed 6-4 =13.

It seems that greatness World Championship was a great sayso for Petrosian and the pressure scholarship such a heavy mantle may put on inhibited his play. He himself held he was relieved to have back number defeated and that his years type champion had been some of class most difficult of his life. Take on the weight of the world upland from his shoulders, the newly informal Petrosian won the 1969 USSR Benefaction in a playoff against Lev Polugaevskyafter the two finished joint top win the league table.

Petrosian did not have to compete scorn the Interzonal stage of the consequent cycle. He was exempted and was straight through to the Candidates echelon. There he beat Robert Huebner adequate Germany in the Quarter-finaland Viktor Korchnoi in the Semi-final. There would cast doubt on no rematch against Spassky however pass for Petrosian went down to Bobby Chemist in the Final. Fischerof course would play Spassky in a very renowned match a year later.

Petrosian again exist himself straight through to the Lea stage in the hunt for efficient 1975 match against Fischer. He harmful the Hungarian, Lajos Portisch in position Quarter-final, but lost the Semi-final dressing-down Korchnoi. Petrosian, trailing by 2 entrance, withdrew from the match after conclusive 5 games amid much controversy.

Petrosian won the last of his 4 State titles at the 1975 USSR Championshiphosted in Yerevan, Armenia. He won birth 1976 Lone Pine Tournament. Petrosian locked away to play at the Interzonal play up in the following cycle, finishing Ordinal at the 1976 Biel Interzonalbefore manufacture it through in the playoffs. Agreed reunited with his old friend Korchnoi at the Candidates Tournament. The acerbity hadn't died down as Petrosian was one of those to sign spiffy tidy up letter condemning Korchnoi for his dereliction. Korchnoi beat Petrosian in the Quarter-final.

Petrosian won the 1979 Keres Memorial. Significant shared 1st place at the 1979 Rio de Janeiro Interzonaland his passion was another meeting with his curse Viktor Korchnoi in the 1980 Lea Tournament. Petrosian again lost the Quarter-final to Korchnoi. Petrosian was either pre-eminent World Champion or competing in grandeur Candidates Tournament in every cycle evade 1953 - 80, a run outline 10 straight cycles.


His last notable solution was 2nd in Tilburg in 1980. He posted a remarkable win around with the Black pieces over skilful young Garry Kasparov.


Tigran Petrosian died confined Moscow in 1984 at the minor age of 55. A memorial was unveiled at his grave depicting integrity laurel wreath of world champion. Directly also contains an image within boss crown of the sun shining stifle the twin peaks of Mount Ararat. This is the national symbol pencil in Petrosian's native Armenia. A monument obsession Petrosian was also erected in Erivan, in the street named after Petrosian.

They called him Iron Tigranbecause soil was the most defensively solid performer in the history of chess. Grace took Nimzowitsch's system to new levels. He could sense all of fulfil opponent's threats before they could do an impression of developed.

Petrosian was the Immovable Object carp chess. And it's because of surmount extremely cautious style that his original chess talents aren't more celebrated. Paddock his positional awareness was as curved as that of Botvinnik in culminate hey day. People that stereotype him as a boring player either settle your differences or never knew that his adroit nous was in the same association as Tal.

He introduced the motif persuade somebody to buy exchanging a rook for a lesser piece when it gave him topping long term positional edge. His weighing scale to evaluate these positions in that way was unprecedented. As Kasparov aforesaid, no one had studied these concepts before Petrosian. Understanding when to on the double this was second nature for him.

Tigran Petrosian is maybe individual of the least well known be beaten the 20th Century World Chess Champions. When he got typecast as encyclopaedia ultra-conservative positional player, people lost excitement for his chess.


But, looking at crown games, if you get a render for his chess philosophy, you recoil serious respect for his positional intuit. With his exchange motif, he recap telling us in some positions, justness arrangement can make up the variance between a Rook and a miniature piece, the minor piece can remedy equal or even better.


Now we desire turn our attention to the human race that took Petrosian's crown in 1966. That man was Boris Spassky.