Tigran Petrosian

Tigran Petrosian was born in Armenia on 17 June 1929 and became a Soviet grandmaster known for defense so relentless it earned him a nickname in steel. He reached the World Championship candidates tournament eight times starting in 1953, finally taking the crown in 1963 by defeating Mikhail Botvinnik. He defended it successfully against Boris Spassky in 1966, then lost it back to Spassky three years later. For a decade he was either champion or contender in ten straight three-year cycles, and he won the Soviet Championship four times between 1959 and 1975. He died on 13 August 1984, having sho…