Alexander Petrov

Alexander Dmitrievich Petrov ( _ru. Александр Дмитриевич Петров) (February 12 1794 in Biserovo, near Pskov – April 22 1867 in Warsaw) was a Russian chess player, chess composer, and chess writer.

Petrov was born into a noble family and is usually remembered as the first great Russian chess master. From 1804, he lived in Saint Petersburg. In 1809, he defeated Kopev and Baranov, Petersburg’s leading chess players, and became Russian champion at the age of 15.

He is an author of the first chess handbook in Russian ("Shakhmatnaya igra (...)", St Petersburg 1824). He also analysed with Carl Friedrich von Jänisch the opening that later became known as the Petrov's Defense or Russian Game (C42).

From 1840 he lived in Warsaw (then Russian Empire), where successfully played against top Warsaw chess masters: Alexander Hoffman, Piotrowski, Szymański, Siewieluński, Hieronim Czarnowski, Szymon Winawer, etc. [Litmanowicz, Władysław & Giżycki, Jerzy (1986, 1987). Szachy od A do Z. Wydawnictwo Sport i Turystyka Warszawa. ISBN 83-217-2481-7 (1. A-M), ISBN 83-217-2745-x (2. N-Z).]

Petrov won matches against D.A. Baranov (4: 2) in 1809, Carl Jaenisch (2 : 1) at St Petersburg 1844; Prince Sergey Semenovich Urusov (3 : 1) at St Petersburg 1853 and (13,5 : 7,5) at Warsaw 1859; and Ilya Shumov (4 : 2) at St Petersburg 1862. [http://members.shaw.ca/edo2/players/p104.html Edo Historical Chess Ratings]

During the January Uprising (1863–1864), he left Warsaw for Vienna and Paris. Among others, he played a match with Paul Journoud at Paris 1863. [ [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=16013 No Archiving Spiders Allowed ] ]

Petrov died in 1867, and was buried in the Russian Orthodox cemetery in Warsaw.

His most well-known problem is "The Retreat of Napoleon I from Moscow" (St Petersburg 1824).Chess diagram|=
tright|
= 8 | | |kd|nd| | | | |= 7 | | |pd| | | |pd| |= 6 |nl| | | |pd|rd|bl| |= 5 |nd|nl|pl| | | | | |= 4 |pd| |pd|pl| |rd|pd| |= 3 | | | | |bd| | | |= 2 | |pd|pl| | |pd| |kl|= 1 | | | | | | | |ql|= a b c d e f g h
Alexandr Petrov's "The Retreat of Napoleon I from Moscow", a few moves before checkmate.

Notable games

* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1257910 Alexander Hoffman vs Alexander Petrov, Warsaw m 1844, Italian Game, Classical Variation, Center Atttack (C53), 0-1] Petrov's Immortal
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1257913 Alexander Petrov vs Carl Friedrich von Jaenisch, St Petersburg 1844, Russian Game, Modern Attack, Center Variation (C43), 1-0]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1371166 Alexander Petrov vs Prince Dmitri Semenovich Urusov, Paris 1852, Italian Game, Classical Variation, Albin Gambit (C53), 1-0]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1257915 Alexander Petrov vs Prince Sergey Semenovich Urusov, St Petersburg 1853, Italian Game, Classical Variation, Albin Gambit (C53), 1-0]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1336325 Alexander Petrov vs Szymański, Warsaw 1953, French Defense, Exchange, Monte Carlo Variation (C01), 1-0]

References