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Tigran V Petrosian vs Boris Spassky
"Fit to be Tied" (game of the day Feb-02-2017)
Petrosian - Spassky World Championship Match (1966), Moscow URS, rd 12, May-06
Formation: Hippopotamus (A00)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Apr-24-08  timhortons: <knight 13> i just read it from here, maybe we can call it spassky since it is only him as a world champion use these

http://www.chessville.com/reviews/H...

"A 1964 game between Spassky and Ujtekly, muses Martin, may well have been the spark that led Spassky to play the Hippo twice in his World Championship match against Petrosian in 1966."

Apr-24-08  timhortons: *spassky set up
May-24-09  WhiteRook48: a brilliant game!!
May-24-09  khursh: Close fight !!!
Oct-05-09  WhiteRook48: 29 Rxg7! 31 Nf3!! 33 Bd4!!!
Dec-28-09  sillybilly47: In their book on the match, Golombek and Clarke state that Petrosian missed the win due to acute time pressure.
Mar-27-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <Petrosianic: He didn't agree to a draw. He was trying to get to Move 40, and in time pressure he overlooked the repetition. They didn't use the 3-move repetition in Soviet torunaments and as a result, Soviet players sometimes forgot about it in international events. Tal, in his book of the match, agrees it should have been a win for White.> That oddity may explain why
Fischer vs Petrosian, 1971 was drawn by the 3-move rule when Tigran had a very good position.
Dec-13-14  domradave: As Raymond Keene points out in his book on The Modern Defense, this is almost one of the greatest games ever played! Petrosian sacs the exchange on move 29 but can't find the correct follow-up. A shame!
Dec-15-15  MarkBuckley: In his notes to one of the WCC Hippo games, Tal comically cited a chess book which claimed that the opening is not used in serious games.
Sep-24-16  Howard: Kasparov confirms in MGP that Petrosian did miss a win here. Too bad, because he then would have had a three-point lead (and, remember, a 12-12 final score would have allowed him to retain his title) at that point.
Sep-24-16  RookFile: Don't cry too much for Petrosian, he won this match outright.
Sep-25-16  Howard: True! It was the first time since....1934 when a defending WC actually WON a match.
Sep-26-16  Aunt Jemima: 18.g4 forks the two knights but looks a little dangerous, yet I can't find a concrete refutation. If I were playing Spassky I would not play 18.g4 even if I couldn't see a clear refutation, but then again, if I were a world champion I may. With moves like 18.g4 we know from experience that it invites trouble but still, if there's no clear refutation it may be worth a bit of trouble.
Sep-28-16  RookFile: 18. g4 Ne3+ 19. fxe3 Bxg4 20. Be2 Qd7
Sep-28-16  RookFile: 18. Bd2 Bd7 19. g4 Nh4+ 20. Nxh4 Qxh4 21. gxh5 Qh3+ 22. Kg1 Qxd3
Oct-29-16  seeminor: 32.Qxd3 Bf5 33.Qe2 fxe3 34.Nxe5 exf2 35.Rg2
Feb-02-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: As many have mentioned, Petrosian could have played 32. Qd3, and it looks as if Black would then be forced to play 32...Bf5.


click for larger view

White could now play the simple 33. Qe2, taking his queen out of harm's way.


click for larger view

Black's queen is still attacked. She can't move to f6 owing to Bd4. But if she leaves the long diagonal, eg ...Qe7, then Bd4+ is deadly anyway.

So it looks as if Black would have to get rid of the bishop: 33...fxe3. But after 34. Nxe5 exf2 35.Rg2 Rae8 36.Qxf2 Rxe5,


click for larger view

I don't think Black has enough for the queen.

Feb-02-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  kevin86: perpetual check!
Feb-02-17  Robyn Hode: As Kasparov mentioned in Vol. III of My Great Predecessors, one has to strike at this type of opening by Spassky before it is fully set up.
Feb-02-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  ChessHigherCat: If 19. g4 to fork the knights then 20. Nh4+ Nxh4, 21. Qxh4 is losing for white, right?
Feb-02-17  stst: One rook down, White opted to exchange Q, and seized the R/B perpetual to make a draw.

Otherwise, the tenacity of Petro might warn down White. It was told that Petro was a tough guy - most able produce draws, guess that therefore Spa was very aware of that, hence ... a draw is not too bad a result.

Have to consult history, but sounded like Petro got the champ before Spa. And, Spa took it away from Petro later?

Jan-25-18  Justin796: Best game ever? Petrosian was skillful in squeezing out a draw, but I'll take a queen sacrifice any day. I suppose it's a matter of taste.
Mar-15-18  gars: <drunkenknight> On pages 176 and 177 of his book "Tigran Petrosian His Life and Games" Vik Vasiliev states that by the 31st move Petrosian was very near a windmill combination, but blundered and the game was a draw.
Sep-27-19  Chesgambit: petrosian mistake
Apr-08-20  imsighked2: I saw a nice video, "How to Fight the Hippopotamus Defense," that recommended 12 Nd2.
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