chess-The Oxford Companion to Chess - First Edition by David Hooper & Kenneth Whyld

248 PETROSY N
H|DNER (+ 1=6) and Korchnoi (+r=9) bur losr ro
EscsRi in 1974 he defeated rcRrscH (+3=8 2),
th en losr to Korchnoi : and in 1977and l9S0helosl
to Korchaoi in the quaner linal matches
Altogethe. in rhe period 1969to l980hccntercd
23 nrong internaiional lournamentsi winning or
shandg eight Iirsl.nd nine second pnzes. His best
.chievements vere: Srn Antonio 1972 6r(
(+6:9) equalwith (ARmv and Portisch; Amstffdam
19?3. fist (+6:8 l) equar with puN,N.i
Manila 1974. catesory 12, second (+s-9) after
vAsw(ovr Milan 1975, calegory 14, seond
(+2=9) equal silh (arpov and ,iuBor.v,a aftcr
Po ischi Biel 1976. a caiego.y 12 i.te.zonal,
F@nd (+6=12 t) equal with ?ortnch and Tal
aller LARSEN: Tallinn 1979, fi6t (+8=8)i Rio dc
Janeiro inte,onal 1979.6st (+6=11) cqual wilh
Hnbncr and Porikchi Las Palmas 1980. fi6t
( +6= 5) equal witb Getler and MILES I and Yerev.n
1980, first(+6=9) equal vith sEsHKovsn. In 1981
he look secondplacc (+3=8) aftcrDELyAvsxY in a
catego.y 15 tou.namenl at Tilburg In USSR
championships Petosyan scored +4=13 and
shared second plae in 1973, and son (+6:8 l)
for the fourrb tim€ and ar his lhi.teenrh atrempt in
1975. He played lrequendy lor Soviel teans,
usuauy with cx.ellent resultsi in len Olynpiads
fton 1958 io 19?8 he son pdzes for the hiehest
score sn dnes and nade a iemarkable lotal lor tbe
ren tevents: +?9=50 1
Influenced by N r MTrwrrscE \ w orks, Petrosran s
style is largely charaderizcd by pRopsrNrs: the
anticipation of any ptan his opponenr might devisc.
He prelers lon-committal play. graduall improving
thc position oI his nen, and keeping hisopiions
open so that hc is ready to pounce when the ti,ne is
npe. In the opening phasc he does not stnve
urduly tor lhe initiative, seeking s.ope for B.nculre
ralher than sharp play. Like all great
mastes he can pla], any kiod oI game should the
need arhe, but hisplefcrcnce is lor a close gane in
which gain of space and cont.ol of ke_\, squares .re
of nore importance than dme. Iiis mnsiderable
endgame skill is thc necessary @n@nitant. His
cautious and deeply positional stylc is not widely
apprecialed. He draws nany ganes. partly perhaps
becauseollhe neAative charaderistiGolbis
stylej butalso bccausc.on occasion, he has sbown a
lack of fiehting spi.it D.aws may be ol little
aeouni in, mnlch orevenin a m2r.hf.nrn,m.nr
of leading rasle$ (e.9. the Curaeao Ca.didares'
tournament)j but thc loss of hatf a point is oI
ereater significance in oihercvcnts. Fron 1952 to
1980 heplayedin6oie than40strong internariooal
tour.aments andj unusually tor a leading naster.
*on nore second p.izes 05) than lisl pnzes (11).
Petosyan {as chief ediror ofthe Russian reekly
magei.e 6? frod i968 ro 197?iau€gcd1y this posl
was taken from hin as punishment lor losi.g 10 lhe
'ienegrde Ko.chnoi (Mar. i977), but indolence
Pelrosyan playine rtthc Alcklins Memoial Tournancnr, Mosos_ 1971