Alexander Alekhine vs Tigran Petrosian
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Alexander Alekhine | Tigran Petrosian | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1892 | 1929 |
| Died | 1946 | 1984 |
| Country of birth | France | Russia |
| Star sign | Scorpio | Taurus |
Who they are
Alexander Alekhine
When Alexander Alekhine arrived in Buenos Aires in September 1927 to challenge José Raúl Capablanca for the World Championship, the chess world expected a formality. Capablanca had not lost a competitive game in eight years. Grandmasters whispered that chess had reached its apex in the Cuban — that the game, played perfectly, would always draw, and that Capablanca was the player who played perfectly. Alekhine, a Russian émigré living in France, was a fine attacking player, perhaps the best combinational talent of his generation, but attacking chess against someone who never made errors was considered…
Full biography of Alexander Alekhine →
Tigran Petrosian
Among the nine World Chess Champions who preceded Bobby Fischer, none was more mysterious or more misunderstood than Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian. Called "Iron Tigran" by his contemporaries, he held the world championship from 1963 to 1969 by mastering a form of chess so different from anything that had come before that even grandmasters who studied his games found them difficult to fully understand. He did not win by attacking, by brilliant sacrifices, or by tactical fireworks. He won by ensuring, with a near-supernatural foresight, that his opponents could never do anything to him at all.
Full biography of Tigran Petrosian →
What they share
- Both are held here under Sports.
- Same sub-field: Chess.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: France and Russia.
- 37 years separate their births (1892 and 1929).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alexander Alekhine or Tigran Petrosian?
- Alexander Alekhine. Alexander Alekhine was born in 1892, Tigran Petrosian in 1929.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alexander Alekhine is filed under Sports (Chess). Tigran Petrosian is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.