The story behind the game
Petrosian’s central pawns reach c5 and d6 while Fischer’s passed e-pawn threatens promotion. White permits that promotion in the recorded line and removes the new queen with a rook. The attack continues through the exposed black king, making this a lesson in calculating the whole sequence before counting material.
Take these ideas to your next game
- Use central passers to restrict a king.
- A promotion can be allowed if the new queen is removed.
- Calculate forcing checks before quiet recaptures.
- Bring the queen and bishop onto connected entry squares.
Read the complete annotated game
Full game transcript, including the result and the answers. Original explanations by chessgames.info; game score from the sources below.
c5 advances the passer while White keeps tactical threats. Black plays Qd2 in the recorded line, and White answers with Qa4+. Follow the queen’s checking route and the d-pawn’s next advance. The pawn move must be evaluated with that continuation, since White’s own king also faces central threats.
d6 increases the pressure from White’s central passer. The black queen moves to h5 while Black’s e-pawn threatens promotion. White’s rook on d1 and queen on a4 remain active. Calculate Black’s forcing pawn moves instead of assuming the advanced white pawn can simply continue to d7.
fxe3 is the strongest saved candidate; dxe7+ also receives credit. Petrosian played f4, attacking the bishop and allowing Black’s pawn to promote in the later sequence. The saved comparison prefers removing the e3 pawn or checking with the d-pawn. The recorded promotion tactic is worth studying, but f4 is not the required exercise answer.
Qf7+ uses the bishop’s support to approach the king. The bishop on a2 supports f7 along the same long diagonal. Black’s king moves to h6 in the recorded continuation, and White’s d-pawn captures on e7. Keep the checks and the passer connected instead of treating the queen move as a stand-alone threat.
Result: 1-0. The recorded score ends here; it does not imply checkmate.
Think through the turning points
Move 20: Make the central pawns dangerous
Which c-pawn advance supports a possible d6 advance? In the game: c5. c5 advances the passer while White keeps tactical threats. Black plays Qd2 in the recorded line, and White answers with Qa4+. Follow the queen’s checking route and the d-pawn’s next advance. The pawn move must be evaluated with that continuation, since White’s own king also faces central threats.
Engine-supported alternatives
c5 Qd2 Qa4+ Kf8 Rcd1 Qe2 g3 Rg8 d6 e6 Bxe6 fxe6 · +1.65 · depth 18
fxe3 Qc5 Kh1 f6 Qa4+ Kf8 Qc2 b6 Bb1 a5 Qf5 Qd6 · +0.80 · depth 18
Kh1 Qd2 · +0.43 · depth 18
Move 23: Advance with a threat to the bishop
Which d-pawn advance reaches the sixth rank? In the game: d6. d6 increases the pressure from White’s central passer. The black queen moves to h5 while Black’s e-pawn threatens promotion. White’s rook on d1 and queen on a4 remain active. Calculate Black’s forcing pawn moves instead of assuming the advanced white pawn can simply continue to d7.
Engine-supported alternatives
d6 Qh5 dxe7+ Kg7 fxe3 Bxh2+ Kf2 Rhe8 Rd7 Be5 Qe4 f6 · +1.99 · depth 19
g3 Rg8 d6 Kg7 Qb3 e6 fxe3 Kh8 Rf2 Qh5 Rdd2 Rab8 · +1.85 · depth 19
f4 Rg8 g3 Rxg3+ hxg3 Qg4 Qe4 e2 Rd3 exf1=Q+ Kxf1 Qh3+ · +0.11 · depth 18
Move 24: Remove the dangerous passer
Which pawn capture removes Black’s pawn on e3? In the game: f4. fxe3 is the strongest saved candidate; dxe7+ also receives credit. Petrosian played f4, attacking the bishop and allowing Black’s pawn to promote in the later sequence. The saved comparison prefers removing the e3 pawn or checking with the d-pawn. The recorded promotion tactic is worth studying, but f4 is not the required exercise answer.
Engine-supported alternatives
fxe3 Bxh2+ Kf2 Kg7 dxe7 Rhe8 g3 Rxe7 Qd4+ Kg8 Kg2 Bxg3 · +2.17 · depth 18
dxe7+ Kg7 fxe3 Qxh2+ Kf2 f5 Rd7 Rhe8 Bd5 Bf6 Ke2 Rxe7 · +2.01 · depth 17
f4 Bf6 Rd5 Qg4 dxe7+ Bxe7 Qc4 Qg6 Rb1 b6 c6 Rg8 · +1.51 · depth 17
Move 29: Bring the queen next to the king
Which queen check reaches f7? In the game: Qf7+. Qf7+ uses the bishop’s support to approach the king. The bishop on a2 supports f7 along the same long diagonal. Black’s king moves to h6 in the recorded continuation, and White’s d-pawn captures on e7. Keep the checks and the passer connected instead of treating the queen move as a stand-alone threat.
Engine-supported alternatives
Qf7+ Kh6 dxe7 Rhg8 Bb1 f5 Rxf5 Qe3+ Kh1 Rg6 Rf3 Qe1+ · +5.46 · depth 20
c6 Rhf8 cxb7 Rab8 dxe7 Qxe7 Rb1 Kh8 h3 Qc5+ Kh2 Rfd8 · -0.82 · depth 20
Kh1 Rhf8 Bb1 Qxc5 d7 Rad8 Bf5 Kh8 Qxb7 Qe3 Qc6 Rg8 · -1.29 · depth 20
Every piece has a part to play.
Petrosian’s central pawns reach c5 and d6 while Fischer’s passed e-pawn threatens promotion. White permits that promotion in the recorded line and removes the new queen with a rook. The attack continues through the exposed black king, making this a lesson in calculating the whole sequence before counting material.
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Accessible evaluation values & provenance
Stockfish 17.1 · 75,000 nodes per position; 1,000,000 at key moments. Actual depth 12–20. Positive centipawns favour White; mate scores remain separate. Selective search is evidence, not proof.
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