This week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast features a narration from “The Essential Sosonko”, a collection of chess portraits based on personal stories authored by chess grandmaster Genna Sosonko. In this episode Sosonko draws up a portrait of the ninth World Champion Tigran Petrosian. Lauded by the Armenian populus as a national hero, Tigran often found himself accompanied by fans wherever he went.

Petrosian turned prophylaxis into a trademark of his playing style, which gained him the nickname “Iron Tigran” as well as several tribute books. Refining many defensive and prophylactic ideas, he raised the positional Exchange sacrifice into an art form.

"The Main Thing Is Happiness" focuses on Petrosian's personal background. Born in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, to parents from Armenia, he lived in Moscow for most of his life. This begs the question as to Petrosian's nationality, especially now that the Soviet Union as an entity no longer exists.

Enjoy this week’s episode of the New In Chess Podcast! Remember, you can find us on popular platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, making it convenient for you to browse the chapters and listen to your favourite parts.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:17 Petrosian was celebrated

as an Armenian hero

06:33 The reception by the people when Petrosian became World Chess Champion

10:35 "Our Tigran": Petrosian did not belong to just one country

12:31 Petrosian the Polyglot

13:56 AD BREAK

14:29 Petrosian's friendship with composer Arno B

abajanian

15:46 The Armenian-Jewish combination

17:02 Khrushchev's joke and Mikoyan's warning

19:31 How Petrosian's life might have been if he had still been alive today

22:35 Petrosian in anticipation of his demise