Tigran Petrosian became the 9th world champion in the history of chess after defeating title holder Mikhail Botvinnik in their match in 1963. Six years later, in 1969, he lost the title to Boris Spassky. But Petrosian remained one of the best players in the world for a long time, paticipating several times the Wch cycle.
In his games, the native-born Armenian excelled with a very correct playing style, avoiding tactical dangers and aiming to win through superior strategy. Legendary were Tigran Petrosian’s defensive skills. Considered a master of prophylaxis, he sensed dangers long before they actually became acute on the board. In his prime, Petrosian was almost invincible. If you want to improve your strategic skills and your defensive techniques, there just is no better teacher than Tigran Petrosian. Admired as a folk hero in Armenia, he has been emulated by many players there making the country a leading chess nation. Let our authors (Yannick Pelletier, Mihail Marin, Karsten Müller and Oliver Reeh) introduce you into the world of Tigran Petrosian.