PETROSIAN vs. the ELITE
Authors: Ray Keene and Julian Simpole
Batsford (2006)
299 pages
$20.95

Reviewed by Jeremy Silman

In my opinion, part of the fun of chess is the acquisition, study, and deification of chess heroes. Fischer, Kasparov, Karpov, Tal, Anand -- all of these have received more than their share of (deserved) worship. Personally, my choices have been a little off the beaten path. My two all time favorites: Emmanuel Lasker and the ninth World Champion, Tigran Petrosian.

Both were defensive geniuses and both were among the greatest endgame players of all time. In fact, I list Lasker in the top five endgame players in my book, SILMAN'S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE. Lasker has never had a book written about him that does him justice, though I understand that a monster tome on the second World Champion is in the works with IM and jeremysilman.com book reviewer John Donaldson taking part in the writing festivities.

Petrosian, on the other hand, has not been overlooked in this same manner. The most lusted after works on the Armenian ace are THE GAMES OF TIGRAN PETROSIAN, 1942-1965 volume one and THE GAMES OF TIGRAN PETROSIAN, 1942-1965 volume two edited and complied by E. Shekhtman (both published 1991, 480 and 448 pages respectively, hardback). These have long been out of print and are very hard to obtain.

Personally, my favorite Petrosian book is TIGRAN PETROSIAN: His Life and Games by V. Vasiliev (1974, 247 pages, English descriptive, hardback). The game selection and notes are excellent, and the biographical material is detailed and vividly brings the legend to life. Sadly, this one is also out of print and hard to obtain.

My next choice would be PETROSIAN'S GAMES OF CHESS by P.H. Clarke (1964, 207 pages, English descriptive, hardback). This one (a later edition came out in paperback with the new title: TIGRAN PETROSIAN MASTER OF DEFENCE) is gettable and can be bought on my site and found in many used bookstores.

Books like TIGRAN PETROSIAN WORLD CHAMPION by A. O'Kelly De Galway (1965, 112 pages, English descriptive, paperback) and PETROSIAN'S LEGACY by T. Petrosian (1990, 123 pages, paperback) can be found on Ebay or in used bookstores and are worthwhile purchases if the price isn't out of the ballpark.

PETROSIAN THE POWERFUL by A. Soltis and K. Smith (1990, 156 pages, paperback) is best avoided unless you get a great price in a used bookstore.

Finally, books that deal with Petrosian (but aren't solely about him) are:

HOW TO DEFEND IN CHESS: Learn from the World Champions by C. Crouch (2007, 223 pages, paperback, Gambit) -- Almost half the book is on Petrosian as a defender!
LEARN FROM THE LEGENDS by Mihail Marin (2004, 309 pages, paperback).
MY GREAT PREDECESSORS Part III by G. Kasparov (2004, 332 pages, hardback).

All three of these books are excellent and easy to find.

I should also mention an oddity: THE FINAL CANDIDATES MATCH, Buenos Aires, 1971 by Reuben Fine. This red pamphlet on the Fischer vs. Petrosian match has long been a collector's item but quite a few copies have recently surfaced.

Now, finally, we must address the new book PETROSIAN vs. the ELITE by Keene and Simpole. Though Keene wrote some classic books in his youth (his NIMZOWITSCH A REAPPRAISAL and FLANK OPENINGS should be in everyone's chess library), his later fare hasn't always been up to snuff. However, it should be noted that Keene was always a huge Petrosian fan, and his 12-page introduction in PETROSIAN vs. the ELITE shows his passion and respect towards the great Tigran. The hefty chapter on Tournament Tables (featuring 50 crosstables) is also a welcome addition.

This leaves us with the 71 annotated games, and it seems that the unknown Julian Simpole was largely responsible for these. Fortunately, it must be admitted that he did a solid job. The notes are a nice mix of prose and analysis, and while some games are treated rather sparsely, others are given far more care and attention.

Overall, PETROSIAN vs. the ELITE, though not in the same class as my top three choices (both volumes of THE GAMES OF TIGRAN PETROSIAN by Shekhtman, TIGRAN PETROSIAN: His Life and Games by V. Vasiliev, and PETROSIAN'S GAMES OF CHESS by P.H. Clarke) is a welcome addition to the "Petrosian family" of books. It is recommended for all those that wish to become acquainted with this amazing player, and is a worthwhile purchase even for those that already own all the books listed in this review.

Click to buy (or get more information about):

PETROSIAN VS. THE ELITE

GARRY KASPAROV ON MY GREAT PREDECESSORS, PART 3, $30.00

LEARN FROM THE LEGENDS by Marin, $31.99

HOW TO DEFEND IN CHESS by Crouch, $23.95