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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
how petrosian became world champion, 17 July 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Petrosian's Best Games of Chess, 1946-63 (Hardinge Simpole Chess Classics) (Paperback)
this book is the companion volume to clarkes book on tal also published by hardinge simpole. clarke was a strategic player himself not a tactician so he was even more in tune with petrosian than with tal. once again as with the tal book the games are carefully and attractively annotated using real words and ideas. it is the sort of book you could retire with to a desert island and get hours and hours of enjoyment from. petrosian won the world championship from botvinnik in 1963 thus effectively ending the latters reign which had been in force on and off since 1948. petrosians gasmes are full of subtle art and will particularly appeal to lovers of the endgame, however there are also plenty of slashing attacks in this book when petrosian was provoked. there are wins against botvinnik tal smyslov keres fischer and gligoric. students of the kings indian defence will ceetainly find plenty to fascinate them. clarke was a russian language expert and so had access to soviet comments which makes his notes as authoritative as they can be,
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Synopsis, 6 July 2007
This review is from: Petrosian's Best Games of Chess, 1946-63 (Hardinge Simpole Chess Classics) (Paperback)
Peter Clarke's book on Tigran Petrosian is the indispensable counterpart to his classic volume on Mikhail Tal. Tal and Petrosian could not have been more dissimilar, yet Clarke treats each subject with equal mastery. Tigran Petrosian was at first a modest amateur player who, nevertheless, believed that ultimately he had a field marshal's baton in his knapsack - and he set out to prove it. Not for him the sudden and dramatic storming of the highest chess bastions - Petrosian gradually moved up the ranks, perfecting his ultra strategic style and focussing on the elimination of loss, rather than victory at all costs. This softly-softly approach brought Petrosian the world crown and enabled him to retain it for six years, thus outperforming Smyslov, Tal, Spassky and Fischer. The games in this book, which bring us to Petrosian's successful match against Botvinnik, demonstrate an ethereal beauty of which few other champions were capable.
Peter Clarke won numerous silver medals in the British Championships, he represented England in the World Championship cycle and he played top board for England in the Chess Olympiad at Havana 1966. He is a fluent Russian reader and his notes access the very best of contemporary Soviet commentary.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best chess games of a World Champion, 29 July 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Petrosian's Best Games of Chess, 1946-63 (Hardinge Simpole Chess Classics) (Paperback)
Peter Clarke, a great chess player in his own right, annotates and discusses with great sensitivity the best games of chess by World Champion Tigran Petrosian. A great strategian, Petrosian worked his way diligently to the top through admirable persistance and determination, allowing him to finally take the crown from Botvinnik. A classic anthology.
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