Petrosian

Petrosian scored twice on breakouts in the last 35 seconds of the third quarter to give Cleveland a commanding seven-goal lead.

Sasoon Petrosian said he hasn’t seen a single skateboarder on the street since he moved into his house along one of the steepest stretches of Hermano Drive eight years ago.

He won or shared 12 Yugoslavian national titles, played in 15 Olympiads, won a slew of major tournaments, and defeated a string of world champions over the board, including Max Euwe, Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov, Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian and Bobby Fischer.

Tal and Petrosian, close friends, quickly drew all of their games, thereby conserving their energy.

There was the brooding Mikhail Tal, he of the disconcerting stare; Bent Larsen, his blond hair brushed straight back; Mikhail Botvinnik, who looked like a conservative businessman; the Czechoslovakian Vlastimil Hort, just a few months younger than Fischer; Bobby’s friend Svetozar Gligoric, the handsome, mustached Serbian whose personality made him one of the most popular players; and the swarthy Tigran Petrosian, whom Bobby was about to play.