Python strategy, paperback/tigran petrosian

Tigran Petrosian is a titan of chess history.

All agree he was a genius of strategy, defense and sacrifice, but didn t he take too many draws? Possibly so, but when Petrosian selected and annotated his best games, that flaw disappeared, leaving only brilliance and profound chess understanding.

As Garry Kasparov said: ``My games with the 9th World Champion broadened my understanding of chess.

Had it not been for these two defeats, I would possibly not have reached the top in chess.

`` This book is an English translation of a Russian classic that is a favorite of many grandmasters, including Mihail Marin and Levon Aronian.

A literal translation of the Russian title might be The Strategy of Soundness but Python Strategy is a better fit for Petrosian s more ambitious games.

As another World Champion, Max Euwe, once wrote: ``Petrosian is not a tiger that pounces on its prey, but rather a python that smothers its victim.