Reshevsky-Petrosian, Candidates Tournament, Zurich 1953
In the end of summer of 1953 fifteen strongest players in the world met in Switzerland in a double round robin tournament to establish the challenger in the World Championship match against Mikhail Botvinnik. With 30 rounds the Candidates Tournament in Zurich lasted almost two months and produced many highly interesting and creative games.
In the presented encounter from the second round, one of the favourites, Samuel Reshevsky, pressed hard with the white pieces against the youngest participant of the tournament. But already then it was clear that the 24-year-old Tigran Petrosian has an outstanding sense of danger, which helped him in this game to resist Reshevsky's pressure and defend successfully. Thanks to the high level of play, and especially Black's impressive idea in the middlegame, this game became one of the most famous in Petrosian's practice.