Tigran Petrosian
"Iron Tigran" — the ultimate defensive and prophylactic player.
Photo: Harry Pot / Anefo (Dutch National Archives) · CC0 1.0 (Public Domain)
Biography
Petrosian defeated Botvinnik in 1963, ending the era of automatic rematches, and successfully defended his title against Boris Spassky in 1966 before finally losing it to Spassky in 1969.
He was renowned above all for prophylaxis: anticipating and neutralizing an opponent's plans before they could even begin, often years ahead of the concept becoming mainstream teaching.
Playing Style
Extremely safety-first and prophylactic — famously difficult to beat, Petrosian drew a very high share of his games simply by never allowing his opponents any real counterplay in the first place.
Notable Games
Petrosian vs. Spassky
Petrosian's successful title defense, a showcase of his suffocating prophylactic style.
Fun Facts
- He was deaf in one ear from a childhood illness.
- "Prophylactic thinking" — defusing danger before it starts — is now standard teaching, largely thanks to him.