Play Chess Against Tigran Petrosian

Tigran Petrosian (1929-1984), ninth world champion and the hardest player to beat of his era, sits across the board. Set the strength, clock, color and starting position, then press Start game.

Play Petrosian now

Portrait of Tigran Petrosian — Tigran Petrosian, 1929-1984.

Black · Tigran Petrosian10:00

Choose the settings, then press Start game.

White · You10:00

Tigran Petrosianhistorical player

Preparing the board.

Set the game on the right. Start unlocks the board and starts the side-to-move clock.

Set up your game against Tigran Petrosian

Tigran Petrosian stays selected. Choose the playing strength, clock, color and starting position.

OpponentTigran PetrosianStrength1500Clock10+5You playWhite

Opponent

Tigran Petrosian remains selected while you choose the settings for this game.

Tigran Petrosian1929-1984

Playing strength

Legend playing strength100-point steps

1500

1500Petrosian, 1500 Elo target2600

Time control

The first number is the starting time in minutes. The second is the increment after each completed legal move.

Your color

Starting position optional

All chess legends

Start game locks these settings and begins the selected clock. Change setup unlocks them for a new game.

About Tigran Petrosian

Tigran Petrosian (1929-1984), the ninth world champion, built his crown on the art of not losing. Born in Tbilisi to a poor Armenian family and orphaned during the war, he rose through the Soviet school to win the 1962 Curacao Candidates and take the title from Mikhail Botvinnik in 1963, then defended it against Boris Spassky in 1966. His genius was prophylaxis: he sensed danger before it existed and strangled attacks in their cradle, and his positional exchange sacrifices rewrote what masters believed possible.

World champion 1963-1969Beat Botvinnik 12.5-9.5, then defended against Spassky 12.5-11.5

Four-time USSR championWon the world's toughest national championship in 1959, 1961, 1969 and 1975

Iron TigranHis prophylactic style made him nearly impossible to beat at his peak

Master of the exchange sacrificeGave a rook for a minor piece as a positional weapon long before it was fashion

1929
Born in Tbilisi
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was born on 17 June 1929 to an Armenian family. Orphaned during the war, he found chess at the Tbilisi Pioneers Palace.
1952
Grandmaster title
Earned the grandmaster title in 1952, his defensive mastery already frustrating the best attackers in the USSR.
1959
Soviet champion
Won the USSR championship, the first of four national titles spread across sixteen years.
1962
Wins the Curacao Candidates
Went undefeated through the Curacao Candidates tournament to finish ahead of Keres, Geller and Fischer.
1963
Ninth world champion
Beat Mikhail Botvinnik 12.5-9.5 to take the crown, conceding only two games in the match.
1966
Defends against Spassky
Beat Boris Spassky 12.5-11.5, the first champion in three decades to win a title defense outright.
1968
Editor of 64
Took over the Moscow chess magazine 64 while still champion, beginning a long second career as an editor.
1969
Spassky takes the crown
Lost the rematch 10.5-12.5 in Moscow and handed the title to Boris Spassky.
1975
Fourth Soviet title
Won his fourth USSR championship, sixteen years after his first.
1984
Dies in Moscow
Died of cancer on 13 August 1984, aged 55. The chess house in Yerevan carries his name.