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Tigran's Army
In Armenia Petrosian is a national hero- imposing statues are erected in his honour and public squares named after him. The victorious Armenian team from Turin was captained by the Armenian defence minister and when they returned to Erevan a crowd of thousands greeted the newly crowned laureates in the streets.
My new book on Petrosian is called Petrosian vs the Elite and contains only games against the worlds best players - no easy victories against neophytes and also- I am delighted to say - no repetition of games from Peter Clarke's masterpiece from 1963--Petrosians Best Games of Chess --which has been republished by Hardinge Simpole and is available from Chessville.
To celebrate the Armenian champion's achievement and ongoing influence and to give a flavour of the notes in my book, here is one of his most interesting victories, played in Los Angeles in 1966:
Miguel Najdorf - Tigran Petrosian 2nd Piatigorsky Cup, Santa Monica 1966 King’s Indian Defence
2 c4 g6 3 g3 …
A solid move inviting the Yugoslav Variation, which favours ...c5 so that the fianchettoed bishop maintains its optimum range.
3 ... c5 4 d5 d6 5 Nc3 Bg7 6 Bg2 00 7 Nf3 …
Preferring this development to 7 Nh3, which has been tried by Candidates veteran Benko, because the knight has a choice of more useful squares, such as d2 and e1. After the latter move, White could attempt a Q-side expansion with Nc2 or Nd3, followed by Rb1 and b4.
7 ... Na6 8 00 Nc7 9 a4 …
Hindering the thematic ...b5.
9 … Rb8 10 h3 …
This is criticised by Najdorf as premature. Instead of this defensive pawn push, he advocates the plan outlined in the note to his seventh move. However, 10 e4 is more natural, intending the slower build-up Nd2 with an eventual f4, when any central advance has sufficient support.
10 ... b6
If 10...a6 11 a5, after which a move by the black b-pawn would leave Petrosian with an isolated a-pawn in the wake of axb6, albeit for some freedom of movement.
Black plays to avoid this, while retaining the option of keeping his Q-side pawns intact.
11 e4 a6 12 e5 …
This is an ugly-looking move, played without a real plan and lacking the back-up of the f-pawn. Concern over the threatened 12...b5 was responsible for this over-reaction, yet a grand-master of Najdorf’s stature could have been expected to proceed calmly with 12 Nd2, intending e4 and an occupation of c4 by this knight following exchange on b5.
12 ... Nd7! 13 exd6 exd6 14 Bg5 f6
14...Nf6 is less committal, but White cannot readily exploit the hole created on e6. Meanwhile, Black seeks to manoeuvre a knight to f7 and initiate action on the K-side.
15 Bf4 Ne8
Petrosian rejects the immediate 15...Ne5 in view of 16 Nxe5 dxe5 17 Be3 (threatening 18 a5) 17...a5 18 f4, and plays to fill d6 with the remaining knight if its companion is taken.
16 h4 …
Amusingly, the players differ over this move. White condemns the advance as a weakening of his K-side, and describes it as a consequence of selecting a faulty plan. Black, however, sees only the positive aspects of Najdorf’s idea, noting that it is aimed against the intended ...g5 and that now the g2-bishop can go to h3.
16 ... Ne5 17 Nd2 …
If White now plays 17 Nxe5 dxe5 18 Be3 Nd6 19 b3 a5 Black has an excellent game.
17 ... Nf7 18 Re1 …
At this point Petrosian remarks that although White has made no obvious mistake, he has no prospects. The assessment may seem rather sweeping, but. Black is clearly doing well even though he has no piece beyond his second rank. A study of the position reveals that the black army is ready to move against the tempting white K-side targets, and Petrosian’s trademark g-pawn flank advance heralds this mobilisation.
18 ... g5! 19 hxg5 fxg5 20 Be3 Ne5 21 Nce4 h6 22 Ra3 …
The f3-square will soon need the support of this rook.
22 ... Ng4 23 Qc1 Rb7
Joseph Blackburne used to say, wryly, that he never attacked before moving his queen’s rook, and here the World Champion serenely directs this piece to a more aggressive location. For a comparison, reference should be made to Petrosian’s monumental game against Keres from the Bled Candidates Match of 1959 where similar ‘Arabian’ deployments were carried out by our hero to beat his formidable opponent.
An alternative to the text move is the direct 23...Nxe3, removing an important guardian of the dark squares.
24 Bf3 Rbf7 25 Bxg4 …
White must have hated doing this, but he makes this concession in the face of pressure on the f-file. Najdorf’s control of e4 provides him with some consolation.
25 … Bxg4 26 Qb1 a5
Preventing line-opening distractions on the Q-side. It is fascinating to observe that despite Black’s opening preparations for an offensive on this wing, White’s early central gesture has caused Black to switch his attention to the opposite flank. Such flexibility is the result of Petrosian’s deep positional understanding, and indeed, this quality can be seen in the play of all the great champions.
27 Qc1 Be5
Apparently making progress, but the correct plan for Black is to eliminate one white knight and direct his queen to the K-side. Petrosian gives the following line: 27...Nf6 28 Nxf6+ Qxf6 29 Rb3 Qg6 30 Rxb6 Qh5 when Black is winning (31...Rxf2 is threatened). However, White can live on after 30 Kg2. Black’s best then is the careful 30...Rb7, followed by ...Bd7, …Qf5, ...Be8 and an eventual …h5. The superiority of the black minor pieces and the greater command of space enjoyed by Black’s forces as a whole would virtually assure him of victory.
After the move chosen Petrosian, possibly locked into positional-crush mode, continues the constriction process when he should have been more aware of the disruptive potential concealed in White’s position.
28 Kg2 Qd7 29 Rh1 Qf5
This is a rare lapse for a master who turned prophylaxis into high art! Black had to be content with 29...Bg7.
30 Bxg5! …
Equalising neatly. The f3-square is under White’s control, and the bishop on g4 can be dropped to restore material parity.
30 … hxg5
30...Qxg5 would set a trap, as 31 Nxg5 Rxf2+ 32 Kg1 Bd4 wins. However, 31 f3 or f4 hold, although Black retains his queen for attacking purposes.
Much more courageous is the Tal-like 30...Qxf2+ 31 Nxf2 Rxf2+ 32 Kg1 hxg5 (an obligatory interruption of the attack, as now 32...Bd4 is met by 33 Be3, a resource surely seen by Najdorf before playing 30 Bxg5!)
There are a number of candidate moves here: 33 Nb3 to guard against ...Bd4 is answered by 33...Ng7, threatening 34...Bxb2, or 33 Ne4 Re2! 34 Qxg5+ Ng7 when White cannot take on g4 without allowing 35...Bd4+, mating quickly. After 35 Rd3 Rxe4 Black is fine. Also possible is 33 Rh2 Bd4 34 Rxf2 Rxf2 35 Kh1 Nf6!
Best for White is 33 Rd3 Be2 34 Re3 Bd4 35 Qc2 (threatening mate) 35...R2f5 36 Qe4 Bd1! (if 36...Ng7 37 Qxd4!) when the draw by repetition is called for - 37 Qe6+ R5f7 38 Qg6+ Rg7 38 Qe6+. None of these fascinating ideas were mentioned in the players own notes!
31 f3 Nf6 32 fxg4 Qxg4 33 Qd1 Qxd1 34 Rxd1 Nxe4 35 Nxe4 …
In football parlance, this is the start of the second half with the score level at one-all, the advantage conferred by Petrosian’s previous subtle manoeuvreing having been negated by a tactical surprise. Black will have to coax out a win all over again.
35 ... g4 36 Rd2 Bd4 37 Ra1 Re7 38 Nf2 …
Both players are hastening to beat the clock, and White stumbles. Better is 38 Nxd6 followed by 39 Nb5.
38 ... Re3 39 Nxg4 Rb3 40 Nh2 Rb4 41 Re1 Rxc4 42 Re6 …
The safest way to draw is 42 Re4 Rxa4 43 Rg4+, for Black cannot allow 43...Kf7 44 Rf4+ Ke7 45 Re2+. After 42 Re4 White can follow up at some point with Nf3, when the positional balance is maintained.
42 ... Rxa4 43 Rxd6 Rb4 44 Rc6 a4 45 d6 …
White was tempted to play 45 Nf3 as 45...Rxb2 46 Rxb2 Bxb2 47 Rxb6 a3 48 Ra6 c4 49 Ne1 holds. However, 45 Nf3 is met by 45...Bxb2 (the capture Petrosian felt he should have made on move 44) 46 d6 a3 47 d7 Rd8 48 Ng5 Bc3 49 Rc8 Bf6 50 Ne6 Rb2 51 Rxb2 axb2 52 Rxd8+ Bxd8 53 Nxd8 b8Q 54 Ne6 Qc7+ and the d-pawn falls to a check wherever the king goes.
45 ... Kf7
The obvious, and best, way to deal with the d-pawn.
46 Nf3 Ke6 47 Nxd4+ cxd4 48 d7+ …
The doomed pawn is given up in this fashion so as to leave the black king cut off on its second rank.
48 ... Kxd7 49 Rh6 Rf5 50 g4 Rd5
Nothing is gained by 50...Rfb5 51 Kf3 Rxb2 52 Rxd4+.
51 Kf3 d3 52 Rf6 …
There is a saying that all rook and pawn endings are drawn, but in this case the half point is hard to obtain for the defender.
52 ... b5 53 Rf4 Rc4 54 Re4 Kc6 55 Ke3 Rc2 56 g5 Rc1 57 Rg4 …
Najdorf thought this was best, disliking the position arising from 57 Rxd3 Re1+ 58 Kf4 Rxd3 59 Rxe1 Rd2. His opponent, however, suggests 57 Rd4 to get rid of the d-pawn, when indeed a draw appears to be likely.
57 ... Re1+ 58 Kf2 Re8 59 g6 Kc5 60 g7 Rdd8 61 Kf3 b4 62 Kf2 Kb5 63 Kf3 a3
A crisis is reached. White’s next move is the result of fatigue, and a probable reluctance to have a permanently guarded black passed pawn so near its queening square. Yet 64 b3! followed by checking on the g-file would have kept out the enemy king, as the vital a4 and c4 squares would be controlled by the pawn. For example, 64...a2 65 Rxa2 d2 66 Rg5+ Kb6 67 Rg6+ Kc4 68 Rg5+ draws, as Black cannot move to the queen’s file without losing the d-pawn and the game. With the disappearance of the last white Q-side soldier, the game is technically lost.
64 bxa3? bxa3 65 Kf2 Rg8 66 Ke3 Rd7 67 Rxd3 …
If 67 Ra2 d2 68 Rxd2 Rxd2 69 Kxd2 a2 70 Rg1 Rxg7 71 Ral Rg2+ 72 Kc3 Ka4.
67 ... Rxd3+ 68 Kxd3 a2 69 Rg1 Rxg7 70 Ra1 Rg2 71 Kc3 Ka4
Tragically for Najdorf, he is one tempo short.
72 Rh1 Ka3 73 Rf1 Rg8 74 Rh1 Rc8+ 0-1
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