Defend Like Petrosian

This Defend Like Petrosian is an English-language paperback chess book about defensive play inspired by Tigran Petrosian, the 9th World Champion. It is written for players who want to cope better with pressure, spot threats more accurately and look for active defence instead of waiting passively for an opponent to go wrong.

What the book covers

Tigran Petrosian was one of the hardest players to break down, even for the strongest opponents. He was known for his resilience in difficult positions, his sharp sense of danger and his ability to turn defence into counterplay. In this book, Alexey Bezgodov examines those qualities and presents them in practical chess terms.

The book looks at key defensive ideas associated with Petrosian: how to withstand pressure, how to anticipate threats, when it can be right to move the king out of danger even if the route looks risky, and why it is sometimes worth giving up the exchange or weakening your own pawn structure if the position demands it. It also highlights less obvious defensive manoeuvres and the moments when a counterattack becomes possible.

Who it is for

This is a strong choice for ambitious amateurs and club players who feel their defensive play is weaker than their attacking play. Defence is often covered too briefly in training, so this book fills an important gap by focusing on how to save difficult positions and still score points when the game is not going your way.

What you will find inside

• practical guidance on chess defence,
• ideas inspired by Tigran Petrosian’s style,
• advice on spotting threats and coping with pressure,
• examples of active defence and counterattack,
• material suited to a wide range of chess players.

Key details

• Product type: chess book
• Title: Defend Like Petrosian
• Author: Alexey Bezgodov
• Language: English
• Format: paperback
• Page count: 272
• Subject: chess defence
• Focus: defensive play inspired by Tigran Petrosian