WCC Overview

1886 - Steinitz-Zukertort World Championship Match 1889 - Steinitz-Chigorin World Championship Match 1890 - Steinitz-Gunsberg World Championship Match 1892 - Steinitz-Chigorin World Championship Rematch 1894 - Lasker-Steinitz World Championship 1896 - Lasker-Steinitz World Championship Rematch 1907 - Lasker-Marshall World Championship Match 1908 - Lasker-Tarrasch World Championship Match 1910 - Lasker-Schlechter World Championship Match 1910 - Lasker-Janowski World Championship Match 1921 - Lasker-Capablanca World Championship Match 1927 - Capablanca-Alekhine World Championship Match 1929 - Alekhine-Bogoljubov World Championship Match 1934 - Alekhine-Bogoljubov World Championship Rematch 1935 - Alekhine-Euwe World Championship Match 1937 - Euwe-Alekhine World Championship Rematch 1948 - FIDE World Championship Tournament 1951 - Botvinnik-Bronstein World Championship Match 1954 - Botvinnik-Smyslov World Championship Match 1957 - Botvinnik-Smyslov World Championship Return Match 1958 - Botvinnik-Smyslov World Championship Rematch 1960 - Tal-Botvinnik World Championship Match 1961 - Tal-Botvinnik World Championship Return Match 1963 - Petrosian-Botvinnik World Championship Match 1966 - Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match 1969 - Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Rematch 1972 - Fischer-Spassky World Championship Match 1975 - Karpov-Fischer World Championship Match 1978 - Karpov-Korchnoi World Championship Match 1981 - Karpov-Korchnoi World Championship Rematch 1984 - Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match 1985 - Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match 1986 - Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Rematch 1987 - Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match 1990 - Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match 1993 - Karpov-Timman FIDE World Championship † 1993 - Kasparov-Short World Championship Match 1995 - Kasparov-Anand World Championship Match 1996 - Karpov-Kamsky FIDE World Championship † 1998 - Karpov-Anand World Championship Match † 1999 - FIDE World Championship Knockout Tournament † 2000 - FIDE World Championship Knockout Tournament † 2000 - Kasparov-Kramnik World Championship Match 2001 - FIDE World Championship Knockout Tournament † 2004 - FIDE World Championship Knockout Tournament † 2004 - Kramnik-Leko World Championship Match 2005 - FIDE World Championship Tournament † 2006 - Kramnik-Topalov World Championship Match 2007 - FIDE World Championship Tournament 2008 - Anand-Kramnik World Championship Match

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Petrosian vs Spassky 1966 Moscow     Both colleagues and adversaries. In 1966 Tigran Petrosian met popular challenger Boris Spassky who entered the match a big favorite. Not only had Spassky convincingly defeated Keres, Geller and Mikhail Tal in candidates matches, he had also played model chess in a universal style. Spassky seemed equally at home in the wilds of the King's Gambit and other open games as in the thickets of the King's Indian and assorted closed positions. At a strictly personal level, if not to the manor born, Spassky was certainly to the gracious manner born. In the match Spassky achieved numerous promising positions only to run into a record number of exchange sacrifices and other sophisticated holding maneuvers. He thrashed about and found himself two points down after 10 games. He evened the score after game 19, but Petrosian won the 20th and 22nd games to clinch the title defense, +4 -3 =17.1 After failing to dethrone him in 1966, Spassky described Petrosian as, "first and foremost a stupendous tactician."2 The match took place in Moscow between April 9 and June 9, 1966. After the full 24 games, Petrosian defended his title of World Chess Champion. click on a game number to replay game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Petrosian ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 0 ½ Spassky ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 0 1 ½ FINAL SCORE:  Petrosian 12½;  Spassky 11½ Reference: game collection WCC Index [Spassky-Petrosian 1966] NOTABLE GAMES   [what is this?]     · Game #10     Petrosian vs Spassky, 1966     1-0     · Game #7     Spassky vs Petrosian, 1966     0-1     · Game #12     Petrosian vs Spassky, 1966     1/2-1/2 1 The Kings of Chess by Larry Parr 2 The Game of Tigran Petrosian Book review by Edward Winter, 1991

page 1 of 1; 24 games    Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Spassky vs Petrosian ½-½ 37 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match B19 Caro-Kann, Classical 2. Petrosian vs Spassky ½-½ 50 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match D59 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower 3. Spassky vs Petrosian ½-½ 43 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match B14 Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik Attack 4. Petrosian vs Spassky ½-½ 41 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match A14 English 5. Spassky vs Petrosian ½-½ 79 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match B14 Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik Attack 6. Petrosian vs Spassky ½-½ 15 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match D40 Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch 7. Spassky vs Petrosian 0-1 43 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match A46 Queen's Pawn Game 8. Petrosian vs Spassky ½-½ 23 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match A33 English, Symmetrical 9. Spassky vs Petrosian ½-½ 26 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match B14 Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik Attack 10. Petrosian vs Spassky 1-0 30 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match E63 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Panno Variation 11. Spassky vs Petrosian ½-½ 26 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match C10 French 12. Petrosian vs Spassky ½-½ 39 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match A04 Reti Opening 13. Spassky vs Petrosian 1-0 91 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match B19 Caro-Kann, Classical 14. Petrosian vs Spassky ½-½ 57 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match A05 Reti Opening 15. Spassky vs Petrosian ½-½ 55 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match B24 Sicilian, Closed 16. Petrosian vs Spassky ½-½ 49 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match B06 Robatsch 17. Spassky vs Petrosian ½-½ 29 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match B30 Sicilian 18. Petrosian vs Spassky ½-½ 33 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match E17 Queen's Indian 19. Spassky vs Petrosian 1-0 68 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match C11 French 20. Petrosian vs Spassky 1-0 41 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match E59 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Main line 21. Spassky vs Petrosian ½-½ 39 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match C11 French 22. Petrosian vs Spassky 1-0 35 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match A40 Queen's Pawn Game 23. Spassky vs Petrosian 1-0 31 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match C11 French 24. Petrosian vs Spassky ½-½ 77 1966 Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match E60 King's Indian Defense  page 1 of 1; 24 games      REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)

Oct-17-06    nikolajewitsch: <After failing to dethrone him in 1966, Spassky described Petrosian as, "first and foremost a stupendous tactician."> Interesting that Spassky already acknowledged that quality of Petrosian. I remember a statement by Kramnik, pointing out that Petrosian's defense skills required a high level of tactic calculation and that hence the often found charakterization of him as a purely positional player is misleading (or simply wrong) but i always thought that Petrosian's contemporaries had thought of him as exactly that. Ummhh, maybe they were smarter than we think back then.... Oct-17-06    RookFile: I think truer words were never spoken about Petrosian. To play the way he did, you better be awesome in your calculation skills. Oct-18-06    positionalgenius: All of these games are good.Its one of the best matches ever. Oct-18-06    AdrianP: Kasparov also has some very complimentary things to say about Petrosian's tactical ability (particularly in connection with defence), having got in his first two games (I think) against Petrosian what he thought were completely winning positions, only to have them turned around by a series of only moves from Petrosian. Oct-19-06    JointheArmy: <The match took place in Moscow between April 9 and June 9, 1996. After the full 24 games, Petrosian defended his title of World Chess Champion. > 1996? lol. Oct-19-06    chancho: I like this one. <Petrosian vs Spassky, 1966; Oct-19-06    suenteus po 147: <chancho> I'll see your preference and raise you mine: Petrosian vs Spassky, 1966 Nov-19-06    thegoodanarchist: Petrosian seems to make more exchange sacrifices than any other WC. At least, that is my initial impression. Nov-19-06    Ziggurat: <Petrosian seems to make more exchange sacrifices than any other WC. At least, that is my initial impression.> Yes, he is famous for it, and Kasparov devoted a section to this in On My Great Predecessors II. Nov-19-06    acirce: Mihail Marin has a chapter dedicated to Petrosian's exchange sacrifices in his excellent, highly interesting and instructive <Learn from the Legends>. Jan-26-07    Open Defence: <if not to the manor born, Spassky was certainly to the gracious manner born> <suenteus po> did you write the intro above ? Dec-28-07    armtwister: My Top 30 BEST chess players of all time!! 1.Robert James Fischer 2.Garry Kimovich Kasparov 3.Jose Raul Capablanca 4.Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine 5.Anatoly Yevegenavich Karpov 6.Micheal Nekhemiavich Tal 7.Emmanuel Lasker 8.Micheal Moiseevich Bottvinnik 9.Boris Veselevich Spassky 10.Tigren Varatanovich Petrosian 11.Vishwanathan Anand 12.Vesely Veselevich Smyslov 13.Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik 14.Paul Charles Morphy 15.William Stanitz 16.Max Euwe 17.Akiba Kielowicz Rubinstein 18.Vassily Ivanchuk 19.Paul Keres 20.Veselin Topalov 21.Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi 22.Alexander Morozevich 23.Efim Petrovich Geller 24.Bent Jorgen Larsen 25.David Ionovich Bronstein 26.Harry Nelson Pillsbury 27.Lev Abramovich Polugayevsky 28.Siegbert Tarrasch 29.Svetozar Gligoric 30.Samuel Herman Reshevsky Dec-28-07    RookFile: Those look like good names, although of course you can argue about the order. Dec-28-07    docofthree: you seem to favor contemporary players , morphy and even steintz i think should be much higher. Dec-28-07    slomarko: <armtwister> is it only my impression or are you spamming every page with your crappy list? Dec-28-07    Shams: <is it only my impression or are you spamming every page with your crappy list?> when you go to the trouble to look up all those middle names, you want exposure. Dec-28-07    slomarko: you mean exposure as in being kicked off CG for blatantly breaking posting guideline 2? and more importantly where is Morozevich's middle name? Dec-28-07    talisman: <armtwister>mister, it would be a crime not to find leonid stein in his prime on your list in your mind. Dec-29-07    apple pi: <talisman> NICE!!! <armtwister> Surprised Nimzo didn't make it, glad to see Tarrasch on the list! Oct-16-08    hovik2003: <slomarko> is right, this dude is all over with his personal declarations, and by the way it is a crime to put David Bronstein on 25th spot when he deserves to be ranked higher, and putting Petrosian bellow Botvinik and Spassky when he trashed both of this guys in a real (and not in imaginary pipedream) world championship match games! Mar-02-09    talisman: as spassky shows petrosian the pick and roll, in petrosian's biddie basketball office, petrosian is heard to say, "did you hear koufax and drysdale are holding out together for more money?". Mar-03-09    khursh: The term <best> is very vague here. <best> in what? So such lists will always raise debates. I prefer giving different adjectives to players. For example Fischer is the most <surprising> champion for me. No one expected that any chessplayer can play and win like Fischer did. Kasparov is the most <dominant> player, etc. However, I wish to see a list of bests based on <achievement> + <contribution to chess> + <dominance>. Mar-03-09    ewan14: How did Petrosian trash Spassky ? Apr-15-09    alshatranji: "if not to the manor born". Do you mean "not to the manner born"? Or you actually referring to the British sitocm? And what does the phrase actually mean in reference to Spassky?

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