Mikhail Botvinnik v Tigran Petrosian: head-to-head record and title matches

Rivalry · 1 title event

6th world champion · 1948–1957, 1958–1960, 1961–1963

Mikhail Botvinnik

9th world champion · 1963–1969

Tigran Petrosian

Botvinnik wins

draws

Petrosian wins

31 recorded games, 1951–1967. Score 14–17 to Petrosian. Source: chessgames.com

Their title match

Year	Winner	Score	Where	Format
1963	Tigran Petrosian	12½–9½	Moscow	Best of 24

How they compare

Botvinnik	Measure	Petrosian
1911	Born	1929
13	Years as champion	6
5 of 8	Title events won	2 of 3
4	Head-to-head wins	7
2	Wins with White	4
2	Wins with Black	3
2885 Oct 1945	Peak (Chessmetrics)	2796 Jul 1962
2913	On today's scale	2817
+115	Lead over No. 2 at peak	+32

A star marks the better figure. "On today's scale" and the lead are explained on the champions page.

Trophy cabinets

Botvinnik	Honour	Petrosian
5 1948, 1951, 1954, 1958, 1961	World titles	2 1963, 1966
–	Candidates	1 1962
–	Interzonals	1 1979*
6 1931, 1933, 1939, 1944, 1945, 1952	National	4 1959, 1961, 1969, 1975
6 1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964	Olympiad team	9 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974
2 1954, 1960	Olympiad board	6 1958, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1968, 1974
2 1961, 1965	European team	8 1957, 1961, 1965, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1983

Each year links to its source. * Shared title. World championship titles are title events won or kept. Olympiad board golds are the best score on a board. Most of these events didn't exist before the 1920s.

Decade by decade

1950s

1 – 3 – 1

1960s

3 – 17 – 6

Botvinnik wins – draws – Petrosian wins, per decade.

Every recorded game

Year	White	Result	Moves	Event
1951	Petrosian	½–½	100	USSR Championship
1952	Botvinnik	0-1	46	Training Match Tournament
1952	Petrosian	0-1	33	Training Match Tournament
1952	Botvinnik	½–½	22	Budapest
1955	Petrosian	½–½	20	USSR Championship
1963	Petrosian	0-1	40	Botvinnik - Petrosian World Championship Match
1963	Botvinnik	½–½	35	Botvinnik - Petrosian World Championship Match
1963	Petrosian	½–½	86	Botvinnik - Petrosian World Championship Match
1963	Botvinnik	½–½	24	Botvinnik - Petrosian World Championship Match
1963	Petrosian	1-0	48	Botvinnik - Petrosian World Championship Match
1963	Botvinnik	½–½	27	Botvinnik - Petrosian World Championship Match
1963	Petrosian	1-0	52	Botvinnik - Petrosian World Championship Match
1963	Botvinnik	½–½	55	Botvinnik - Petrosian World Championship Match
1963	Petrosian	½–½	55	Botvinnik - Petrosian World Championship Match
1963	Botvinnik	½–½	43	Botvinnik - Petrosian World Championship Match

Every game between them in the chessgames.com database (checked 2026-11-04): classical, rapid, blitz and exhibition games together, as the database records them.

Quick answers

Who won more games, Mikhail Botvinnik or Tigran Petrosian?

In the 31 games between them in the chessgames.com database (1951–1967), Botvinnik won 4, Petrosian won 7 and 20 were drawn: Petrosian leads. The count includes every recorded game, not only classical ones.

How many world championship matches did Botvinnik and Petrosian play?

1: 1963 (Petrosian won, 12½–9½).

All 18 rivalries·All 18 world champions