TWIC is 30. First issue 17th September 1994.
Bent Larsen (Petrosian win)
Larsen's great win against Petrosian
IM Malcolm Pein - Monday 20th September 2010
Malcolm Pein looks at one of Bent Larsen's two great wins against Tigran Petrosian at the 2nd Piatigorsky Cup of 1966.
Today I will examine Bent Larsen's second victory over the ninth world champion Tigran Petrosian at the 2nd Piatigorsky Cup held in Santa Monica, California in 1966. Some of the notes are taken from the wonderful 'Bent Larsen's Best Games of Chess' which as far as I know, is only available in descriptive notation. Perhaps some entrepreneurial chess publisher will rectify that omission.
The tournament was a ten player double round all play all and was won by Boris Spassky, who had just failed to wrest the world title from Petrosian but was to do so three years later. Spassky was undefeated on 11.5/18, with Bobby Fischer on 11/18. Larsen was third on 10/18 and might have won the tournament had he not, typically, spurned draw offers in several games he went on to lose.
The prize fund of $20,000, with $5,000 to the winner, was probably the biggest in chess history at the time.
Larsen had scored just one point from his previous five games and described how he felt that the Soviet players understood the King's Indian better than him. His novel 8...Na6 was an over the board inspiration. Larsen wrote that he was prouder of this game than of his queen sacrifice against the same opponent which was given here on Saturday.
T Petrosian - B Larsen
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.d4 d6 6.e3 c6 7.Nge2 a5 8.b3 Na6 9.0-0 e5 10.Bb2 Re8 11.a3 Rb8 12.h3 h5 13.Qc2 Be6 14.Kh2 Qc7 15.Rac1 b5!
(Black is equal - Larsen. Petrosian thought for 30 minutes but his replay was passive and Larsen gradually takes over the board)
16.cxb5 cxb5 17.Qd1?!
(17.Ne4 Qxc2 18.Nxf6+ Bxf6 19.Rxc2=)
17...Qe7 18.Nb1 Bd7 19.Nd2 e4! 20.Nf4 d5 21.Qe2 Qd6 22.Rc2 Rec8 23.Rfc1 Rxc2 24.Rxc2 h4!
(Black has advanced in the the centre and the queenside. Now he probes the kingside)
Bent Larsen
 |  | | | | |  | |
| | |  | |  | | |
 | | |  | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | |  | |  | | |
| | | | | | | |
|  |  | |  | | |  |
| | | | | | | |
Tigran Petrosian
Position after 24...h4!
25.Nf1
(25.gxh4? Nh5)
25...hxg3+ 26.fxg3 b4 27.a4 Rc8 28.Rxc8+ Bxc8 29.h4
(To stop g5)
29...Nc7 30.Bh3 Bxh3 31.Nxh3 Bf8 32.Kg2 Qc6 33.Qd1 Bd6 34.Nf2 Ne6 35.Bc1 Ng7 36.Bd2 Nf5 37.Kh3 Qc8 38.Kg2 Kg7 39.Nh1 Nh6 40.Be1 Qa6 41.Nf2 Nf5 (G
ame adjourned. Larsen analysed and only slept for two hours)
42.Qd2
(42.Bd2 Nh5 43.g4 Nxh4+ 44.Kh3 Nf3 45.gxh5 Qc8+ 46.Kg2 Qf5‚ wins - Larsen)
42...Bb8 43.Nd1 Ng4 44.Kg1 f6 45.Kg2 g5! 46.Nf2 Ngh6 47.hxg5 fxg5 48.Nd1 Kg6 49.Nh2 g4 50.Qc2 Bd6 51.Nf1 Ng8 52.Nh2 Nf6 53.Nf1 Kh5 54.Nh2 Kg5 55.Nf1 Nh5 56.Bf2 Nf6 57.Be1 Nh5 58.Bf2 Qa8! 59.Be1 Qh8 60.Qc6 Bxg3! 61.Bxg3 Nhxg3!
0-1
Bent Larsen
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Tigran Petrosian
Position after 61...Nhxg3! and if 62.Nxg3 Qh3+ 63.Kf2 Qxg3+ 64.Ke2 Qxe3+! 65.Nxe3 Nxd4+
