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Tigran Petrosian vs Mikhail Botvinnik
Botvinnik - Petrosian World Championship Match (1963), Moscow URS, rd 17, May-06
Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System (E14)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Nov-15-06  Rama: Botvinnik tries hard but the move 23. d5! ..., stops him cold. There is a hidden back-rank threat after 23. d5! exd5, 24. Bxf6 Bxf6, 25. exd5 ..., and the Be8 is attacked.

Botvinnik's play is looking old-fashioned, somehow. Petrosian looks more innovative, more agile, more dynamic, belying his staid reputation.

Nov-15-06  euripides: Very interesting transformation of the pawn structure on moves 11-12, giving White the strong centre characteristic of the semi-Tarrasch as well as this Petrosian variation in the QID - a formation which would cause Petrisan grief as Black aainst Spassky in 1969. 29 Rb1 seems to throw the advantage away and the notes in Wade/O'Connell give it a ?.
Apr-04-08  Knight13: 5. a3, Petrosian's own little innovation.

9. Bd3 is better.

11. b5 is unnecessary.

Mar-11-14  zydeco: Botvinnik plays too slowly from move 13 to 16 and Petrosian gets a big advantage in the center. Korchnoi says that Petrosian blew it with 27.dxe6. Instead, he had 27.e5! and black can't play 27....exd5 because of 28.Qf5.
Mar-11-14  RookFile: I think Botvinnik did well not to get blown away in this game. This had 1-0 written all over it after white's d5 thrust.
Mar-12-14  SChesshevsky: <zydeco: Botvinnik plays too slowly>

I agree. I was thinking 18...Rfc8 a good example.

Maybe 18...Bb4 puts on more pressure since it looks like White can't afford a Kside pawn weakness.

Then if Petrosian plays something like 19. Be2 then ...Ne4 looks OK.

Maybe any of White's replies get his pieces out of position making a following...Rfc8 and the passed pawn stronger with exchanges.

Once Petrosian got the tempo and control of e4 blocking the diagonal, it appears a lot of Black possibilities were gone.

Mar-12-14  zydeco: I really like the way Petrosian plays this game -- it's probably his best opening play in the match. 4.a3! is one of those moves that he and Boleslavsky must have been very proud of: losing a tempo for development and playing prophylactically (on move 4!) with the idea that black's in a kind of zugzwang: any move he makes will be committal. Everything in white's opening feels dynamic and a kind of precursor to '70s chess: a string of retreats that strengthen the position; prophylactic play on the wings; and, eventually, a breakthrough in the center. 27.e5 seems like it would have led to a crushing advantage.
Feb-26-18  tgyuid: yeah; double-yeah

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