Master
Which title was conferred to Tigran Petrosian in 1947?
Tigran Petrosian Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian ( ; ; June 17 , 1929 – August 13 , 1984 ) was a Soviet Armenian Grandmaster , and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969 . He was nicknamed Iron Tigran due to his almost impenetrable defensive playing style , which emphasized safety above all else . Petrosian is credited with popularizing chess in Armenia . Petrosian was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions ( 1953 , 1956 , 1959 , 1962 , 1971 , 1974 , 1977 and 1980 ) . He won the World Championship in 1963 ( against Mikhail Botvinnik ) , successfully defended it in 1966 ( against Boris Spassky ) , and lost it to Spassky in 1969 . Thus he was the defending World Champion or a World Championship Candidate in ten consecutive three-year cycles . He won the Soviet Championship four times ( 1959 , 1961 , 1969 , and 1975 ) . Early life . Petrosian was born to Armenian parents on June 17 , 1929 , in Tiflis , Georgian SSR ( present-day Georgia ) . As a young boy , Petrosian was an excellent student and enjoyed studying , as did his brother Hmayak and sister Vartoosh . He learned to play chess at the age of 8 , though his illiterate father Vartan encouraged him to continue studying , as he thought chess was unlikely to bring his son any success as a career . Petrosian was orphaned during World War II and was forced to sweep streets to earn a living . It was about this time that his hearing began to deteriorate , a problem that afflicted him throughout his life . In a 1969 interview with Time magazine , he recalled : He used his rations to buy Chess Praxis by Danish grandmaster Aron Nimzowitsch , a book which Petrosian later stated had the greatest influence on him as a chess player . He also purchased The Art of Sacrifice in Chess by Rudolf Spielmann . The other player to have had an early effect on Petrosians chess was José Raúl Capablanca . At age 12 he began training at the Tiflis Palace of Pioneers under the tutelage of Archil Ebralidze . Ebralidze was a supporter of Nimzowitsch and Capablanca , and his scientific approach to chess discouraged wild tactics and dubious combinations . As a result , Petrosian developed a repertoire of solid positional openings , such as the Caro–Kann Defence . After training at the Palace of Pioneers for just one year , he defeated visiting Soviet grandmaster Salo Flohr at a simultaneous exhibition . By 1946 , Petrosian had earned the title of Candidate Master . In that year alone , he drew against Grandmaster Paul Keres at the Georgian Chess Championship , then moved to Yerevan where he won the Armenian Chess Championship and the USSR Junior Chess Championship . Petrosian earned the title of Master during the 1947 USSR Chess Championship , though he failed to qualify for the finals . He set about to improve his game by studying Nimzowitschs My System and by moving to Moscow to seek greater competition . Grandmaster in Moscow . After moving to Moscow in 1949 , Petrosians career as a chess player advanced rapidly and his results in Soviet events steadily improved . He placed second in the 1951 Soviet Championship , thereby earning the title of international master . It was in this tournament that Petrosian faced world champion Botvinnik for the first time . Playing White , after obtaining a slightly inferior position from the opening , he defended through two adjournments and eleven total hours of play to obtain a draw . Petrosians result in this event qualified him for the Interzonal the following year in Stockholm . He earned the title of Grandmaster by coming in second in the Stockholm tournament , and qualified for the 1953 Candidates Tournament . Petrosian placed fifth in the 1953 Candidates Tournament , a result which marked the beginning of a stagnant period in his career . He seemed content drawing against weaker players and maintaining his title of Grandmaster rather than improving his chess or making an attempt at becoming World Champion . This attitude was illustrated by his result in the 1955 USSR Championship : out of 19 games played , Petrosian was undefeated , but won only four games and drew the rest , with each of the draws lasting twenty moves or less . Although his consistent playing ensured decent tournament results , it was looked down upon by the public and by Soviet chess media and authorities . Near the end of the event , journalist Vasily Panov wrote the following comment about the tournament contenders : Real chances of victory , besides Botvinnik and Smyslov , up to round 15 , are held by Geller , Spassky and Taimanov . I deliberately exclude Petrosian from the group , since from the very first rounds the latter has made it clear that he is playing for an easier , but also honourable conquest—a place in the interzonal quartet . This period of complacency ended with the 1957 USSR Championship , where out of 21 games played , Petrosian won seven , lost four , and drew the remaining 10 . Although this result was only good enough for seventh place in a field of 22 competitors , his more ambitious approach to tournament play was met with great appreciation from the Soviet chess community . He went on to win his first USSR Championship in 1959 , and later that year in the Candidates Tournament he defeated Paul Keres with a display of his often-overlooked tactical abilities . Petrosian was awarded the title of Master of Sport of the USSR in 1960 , and won a second Soviet title in 1961 . His excellent playing continued through 1962 when he qualified for the Candidates Tournament for what would be his first World Championship match . 1963 World Championship . After playing in the 1962 Interzonal in Stockholm , Petrosian qualified for the Candidates Tournament in Curaçao along with Pal Benko , Miroslav Filip , Bobby Fischer , Efim Geller , Paul Keres , Viktor Korchnoi , and Mikhail Tal . Petrosian , representing the Soviet Union , won the tournament with a final score of 17½ points , followed by fellow Soviets Geller and Keres each with 17 points and the American Fischer with 14 . Fischer later accused the Soviet players of arranging draws and having ganged up on him to prevent him from winning the tournament . As evidence for this claim , he noted that all 12 games played between Petrosian , Geller , and Keres were draws . Statisticians pointed out that when playing against each other , these Soviet competitors averaged 19 moves per game , as opposed to 39.5 moves when playing against other competitors . Although responses to Fischers allegations were mixed , FIDE later adjusted the rules and format to try to prevent future collusion in the Candidates matches . Having won the Candidates Tournament , Petrosian earned the right to challenge Mikhail Botvinnik for the title of World Chess Champion in a 24-game match . In addition to practicing his chess , Petrosian also prepared for the match by skiing for several hours each day . He believed that in such a long match , physical fitness could become a factor in the later games . This advantage was increased by Botvinnik being much older than Petrosian . Whereas a multitude of draws in tournament play could prevent a player from taking first place , draws did not affect the outcome of a one-on-one match . In this regard , Petrosians cautious playing style was well-suited for match play , as he could simply wait for his opponent to make mistakes and then capitalize on them . Petrosian won the match against Botvinnik with a final score of 5 to 2 with 15 draws , securing the title of World Champion . Reigning World Champion . Upon becoming World Champion , Petrosian campaigned for the publication of a chess newspaper for the entire Soviet Union rather than just Moscow . This newspaper became known as 64 . Petrosian studied for a degree of Master of Philosophical Science at Yerevan State University ; his thesis , dated 1968 , was titled Chess Logic , Some Problems of the Logic of Chess Thought . In 1966 , three years after Petrosian had earned the title of World Chess Champion , he was challenged by Boris Spassky . Petrosian defended his title by winning rather than drawing the match , a feat that had not been accomplished since Alexander Alekhine defeated Efim Bogoljubov in the 1934 World Championship . However , Spassky would defeat Efim Geller , Bent Larsen , and Viktor Korchnoi in the next candidates cycle , earning a rematch with Petrosian , in Moscow in 1969 . Spassky won the match by 12½–10½ . 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 semifinal match in which Petrosian withdrew after five games while trailing 3½–1½ 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 Russias 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 . 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 ) . He shared first place ( with Portisch and Hübner ) in the Rio de Janeiro Interzonal the same year , and won 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 . Personal life and death . Petrosian lived in Moscow from 1949 . In the 1960s and 1970s , he lived at 59 Pyatnitskaya Street . When asked by Anthony Saidy whether he is Russian , Petrosian replied : Abroad , they call us all Russians . I am a Soviet Armenian . In 1952 , Petrosian married Rona Yakovlevna ( née Avinezer , 1923–2005 ) , a Russian Jew born in Kyiv , Ukraine . A graduate of the Moscow Institute of Foreign Languages , she was an English teacher and interpreter . She is buried at the Jewish section of the in Moscow . They had two sons : Vartan and Mikhail . The latter was Ronas son from the first marriage . His hobbies included football , backgammon , cross-country skiing , table tennis , and gardening . Petrosian died of stomach cancer on August 13 , 1984 , in Moscow and is buried in the Moscow Armenian Cemetery . Deafness . Petrosian was partially deaf and wore a hearing aid during his matches , which sometimes led to strange situations . On one occasion he offered a draw to Svetozar Gligorić , which Gligorić initially refused in surprise , but then changed his mind in a few seconds and re-offered the draw . However , Petrosian did not even respond , instead went ahead and won the game . As it turned out , he switched off his hearing aid , and did not hear when Gligorić re-offered the draw . In 1971 , he played a candidates match against Robert Hübner in a noisy area in Seville , which did not disturb him , but frustrated Hübner so much that he finally withdrew from the match . Recognition and legacy . At the time of his death , Petrosian was working on a set of chess-related lectures and articles to be compiled in a book . These were edited by his wife Rona and published posthumously , in Russian under the title Шахматные лекции Петросян ( 1989 ) and in English as Petrosians Legacy ( 1990 ) . In 1987 , World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov unveiled a memorial at Petrosians 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 Petrosians Armenian homeland . On July 7 , 2006 , a monument honouring Petrosian was opened in the Davtashen district of Yerevan , in the street named after Petrosian . Petrosian was also honoured on the third banknote series of the Armenian dram , with his image on the 2,000 dram banknote . 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 : ( only one game lost , to Robert Hübner , out of 129 played ) , for 79.8 per cent , the third all-time best performance after Anatoly Karpov for 80.1 per cent ) and Mikhail Tal for 81.2 per cent ) . His Olympiad results follow : - Munich 1958 , 2nd reserve , 10½/13 board and team gold medals ; - Leipzig 1960 , 2nd reserve , 12/13 board and team gold medals ; - Varna 1962 , board 2 , 10/12 board and team gold medals ; - Tel Aviv 1964 , board 1 , 9½/13 team gold medal ; - Havana 1966 , board 1 , 11½/13 board and team gold medals ; - Lugano 1968 , board 1 , 10½/12 board and team gold medals ; - Siegen 1970 , board 2 , 10/14 team gold medal ; - Skopje 1972 , board 1 , 10½/16 team gold medal ; - Nice 1974 , board 4 , 12½/14 board and team gold medals ; - Buenos Aires 1978 , board 2 , 6/9 team silver medal . Petrosian also made the Soviet team for the first eight European Team Championships ( 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 for 64.4 per cent . His Euroteams results follow : - Vienna 1957 , board 6 , 4/5 board and team gold medals ; - Oberhausen 1961 , board 4 , 6/8 board and team gold medals ; - Hamburg 1965 , board 1 , 6/10 board and team gold medals ; - Kapfenberg 1970 , board 1 , 3½/6 team gold medal ; - Bath , Somerset 1973 , board 2 , 4½/7 board and team gold medals ; - Moscow 1977 , board 2 , 3½/6 team gold medal ; - Skara 1980 , board 3 , 2½/5 team gold medal ; - Plovdiv 1983 , board 3 , 3½/5 team gold medal . Playing style . Petrosian was a conservative , cautious , and highly defensive chess player who was strongly influenced by Aron Nimzowitschs idea of prophylaxis . He made more effort to prevent his opponents offensive capabilities than he did to make use of his own . He very rarely went on the offensive unless he felt his position was completely secure . He usually won by playing consistently until his aggressive opponent made a mistake , securing the win by capitalizing upon this mistake without revealing any weaknesses of his own . This style of play often led to draws , especially against other players who preferred to counterattack . Nonetheless , his patience and mastery of defence made him extremely difficult to beat . He was undefeated at the 1952 and 1955 Interzonals , and in 1962 he did not lose a single tournament game . Petrosians consistent ability to avoid defeat earned him the nickname Iron Tigran . He was considered to be the hardest player to beat in the history of chess by the authors of a 2004 book . Petrosian preferred to play openings that did not commit his pieces to any particular plan . As black , Petrosian enjoyed playing the Sicilian Defence , Najdorf Variation and the French Defence . As white , he often played the English Opening . Petrosian would often move the same piece multiple times in a few moves , confusing his opponents in the opening and threatening draws by threefold repetition in the endgame . In a game against Mark Taimanov during the 1955 USSR Chess Championship , Petrosian moved the same rook 6 times in a 24-move game , with 4 of those moves occurring on consecutive turns . He had a strong affinity for knights rather than bishops , a characteristic that is attributed to the influence of Aron Nimzowitsch . A number of illustrative metaphors have been used to describe Petrosians style of play . Harold C . Schonberg said that playing him was like trying to put handcuffs on an eel . There was nothing to grip . He has been described as a centipede lurking in the dark , a tiger looking for the opportunity to pounce , a python who slowly squeezes his victims to death , and as a crocodile who waits for hours to make a decisive strike . Boris Spassky , who succeeded Petrosian as World Chess Champion , described his style of play as such : Petrosian reminds me of a hedgehog . Just when you think you have caught him , he puts out his quills . Petrosians style of play , although highly successful for avoiding defeats , was criticized as being dull . Chess enthusiasts saw his ultraconservative style as an unwelcome contrast to the popular image of Soviet chess as daring and indomitable . His 1971 Candidates Tournament match with Viktor Korchnoi featured so many monotonous draws that the Russian press began to complain . However , Svetozar Gligorić described Petrosian as being very impressive in his incomparable ability to foresee danger on the board and to avoid any risk of defeat . Petrosian responded to his criticisms by saying : They say my games should be more interesting . I could be more interesting—and also lose . Petrosian was , in the words of future World Champion Vladimir Kramnik , the first defender with a capital D . Another consequence of Petrosians style of play was that he did not score many victories , which in turn meant he seldom won tournaments even though he often finished 2nd or 3rd . However , his style was extremely effective in matches . Petrosian could also occasionally play in an attacking , sacrificial style . In his 1966 match with Spassky , he won Game 7 and Game 10 this way . Boris Spassky subsequently stated : It is to Petrosians advantage that his opponents never know when he is suddenly going to play like Mikhail Tal . ( Tal was known as the most aggressive attacker of his era. ) The positional exchange sacrifice . Petrosian was known for his use of the positional exchange sacrifice , where one side sacrifices a rook for the opponents bishop or knight . Kasparov discussed Petrosians use of this motif : One of Petrosians most famous examples of the positional exchange sacrifice is from his game against Samuel Reshevsky in Zurich 1953 ( see diagram ) . Reshevsky , as White , appears to have an advantage due to his strong , which may become mobile after Bf3 and d4–d5 . Petrosian realized he was in a difficult position because of the passive placement of his pieces , relegated to defensive roles . He further understood that White might also advance on the with h2–h4–h5 , provoking weaknesses that would make it more difficult to defend later on . Faced with these threats , Petrosian devised a plan to maneuver his knight to the square d5 , where it would be prominently placed in the centre , and blockade the advance of Whites pawns . With the rook vacated from e7 , the black knight is free to move to d5 , where it will be attacking the pawn on c3 , and help support an eventual advance of his pawn with ...b5–b4 . The game was eventually drawn on move 41 . Contributions to opening theory . Petrosian was an expert against the Kings Indian Defence , and he often played what is now known as the Petrosian System : 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.d5 . This variation closes the centre early in the game . One of the tactical ideas for White is to play Bg5 , pinning Blacks knight to his queen . Black can respond by either moving his queen ( usually ...Qe8 ) or by playing ...h6 , though the latter move weakens Blacks kingside pawn structure . Two of Blacks responses to the Petrosian Variation were developed by grandmasters Paul Keres and Leonid Stein . The Keres Variation arises after 7...Nbd7 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 g5 10.Bg3 Nh5 11.h4 , and the Stein Variation begins an immediate queenside offensive with 7...a5 . The Queens Indian Defence also has a variation developed by Petrosian : 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 , with the idea of preventing ...Bb4+ . This system received much attention in 1980 when it was used by the young Garry Kasparov to defeat several grandmasters . Today the Petrosian Variation is still considered the most pressing variation , with the greatest score in Master games . Other Petrosian variations can be found in the Grünfeld Defence after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5 , and the French Defence after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Qd7 . Some authorities refer to a variation of the Caro–Kann Defence with his name , along with former world champion Vassily Smyslov : the Petrosian–Smyslov Variation , 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 . Quotes . - In those years , it was easier to win the Soviet Championship than a game against Iron Tigran . — Lev Polugaevsky - It is to Petrosians advantage that his opponents never know when he is suddenly going to play like Mikhail Tal . — Boris Spassky - He [ Petrosian ] has 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 ! — Bobby Fischer - 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 - Im 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 - During tournament analysis sessions players all speak at once , but whenever Petrosian said anything , everyone would shut up and listen . — Yasser Seirawan - I associate Tigran Petrosian with Warne Marsh . A unique style of play which , it seemed , was too calm and dull , while in reality it was deep and cunning . — Levon Aronian