Boris Avrukh: "prophylactical thinking", in principle this
move is quite good, as Black queen is well-
placed on e7. It's quite flexible approach, Prophylactical thinking because Black keeps all options open. There is only one small problem, Black completely overlooked White next move. If Black really The following game, which has been played wanted to place queen on e7, first 9...a6 was in 19th century, together with nice essential. Obviously Black has other plans at comments by Mark Dvoretsky in his book his disposal: 9...Ne4, following by 10...f5, "Methods of Chess training" volume 1 made Nf6–h6 (g6) ... etc, trying to seize initiative a very deep impression on me and on the kingisde. Or, finally, 9...c5 significantly influenced my play. challenging White center.
Zukertort : Blackburne, London 1883
XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+-trk+0 1.c4 For me the topic of the examined game is 9zplzpnwqpzpp0 "Prophylactical thinking", what does it mean 9-zp-vlpsn-+0 exactly? We are definitely all familar with term "prophylactics" and everybody have 9+-+p+-+-0 went through the games of Karpov and 9-+PzP-+-+0 Petrosian, who considered to be great "prophylactical players". Here in my article 9+PsN-zPN+-0 we will take this issue forward and a bit 9PvL-+LzPPzP0 deeper. Prophylactical thinking is the way to anticipate your opponent ideas and even 9tR-+Q+RmK-0 long-term plans. In my opinion this is one of the elements, that makes difference between xiiiiiiiiy really strong and good players. We are all 10.Nb5! Ne4 11.Nd6 cd6 12.Nd2 pay attention, to concrete threats, created by It's obvious, that White should chase off , or last move of our opponent and also we exchange Black "annoying" knight, from always try to figure out the plan behind his this point of view White last move looks last moves, but do we try to realize our very logical, nevertheless Dvoretsky pointed opponent long-term plans, do we ask how he out, that more accurate would have been will react after our move? 12.Ne1 (with idea 13. f3), logically 1...e6 2.e3 Nf6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Be2 Bb7 5.0–0 explaining, that in position with space d5 6.d4 advantage it makes sense to avoid Through very strange move order we exchanges. No doubts, this rule is correct, reached normal position of Queens Indian but I always claim, that we should figure our 4.e3 line, with one small difference: White concrete variations, so here I disagree with bishop placed on e2, instead of usual d3 Mark, since after 12...Qg5!, or even square, but here we can make discount, as 12...dc4!? 13.bc4 Qg5 White has no this game has been played 130 years ago! comfortable way to protect e3 pawn, for 6...Bd6 7.Nc3 0–0 8.b3 Nbd7 9.Bb2 Qe7?! example: 13.Qd3 (Or 13.Qc1 Rfc8 14.f3 This is already the first example of Nef6 and White queen is obviously
Doubling rooks along c-file is pointless, Maybe 22...Qf6± was more stubborn. since there are no squares to penetrate into 23.f5! White camp. As we already know it was After Black weakened his position by means nessessary to play 17...a5!, with two ideas: of 20...g6 White last move allows him to 18...Ba6 and 18...a4. launch decisive attack. 18.e4 Rac8 19.e5 Ne8 23...Ne4 24.Be4 de4 25.fg6 XIIIIIIIIY A big positional mistake would be 25.f6? Qf7 with decent position for Black. 9-+r+n+k+0 25...Rc2 9zpltr-wqpzpp0 25...hg6 loses to 26.Rg3+–. 26.gh7 Kh8 9-zp-+p+-+0 Many players might have seen this position from different sources and indeed starting 9+-+pzP-+-0 from here White managed to launch a 9-+-zP-+-+0 beautiful attack on Black king. 27.d5! e5 28.Qb4!! R8c5 9+P+L+P+-0 Black gets mated by force after accepting 9PvL-wQ-+PzP0 queen sacrifice 28...Qb4 29.Be5 Kh7 30.Rh3 Kg6 31.Rg3 Kh6 (31...Kh5 32.Rf5 Kh6 9+-+-tRRmK-0 33.Bf4 Kh7 34.Rh5#; 31...Kh7 32.Rf7 Kh6 xiiiiiiiiy 33.Bf4 Kh5 34.Rh7#) 32.Rf6 Kh5 33.Rf5 Kh6 34.Bf4 Kh7 35.Rh5#. 20.f4? 29.Rf8!? A remarkable moment. It's amazing, that 29.Qe4+–. Dvoretsky didn't notice it in first edition, but 29...Kh7 30.Qe4 Kg7 31.Be5 Kf8 32.Bg7 managed to correct it in second one. It's Kg7 33.Qe7 1:0. amazing, that this tempting move loses all the advantage! And as always the In next game I would like to show how I "prophylactical thinking" would seriously used "prophylactical thinkng". help here. What can be more natural than to push f-pawn lauchning the attack on the Avrukh : Summerscale, London 2010 kingside, but if we ask what Black can do in order to stop White attack, we can easily 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cd5 ed5 5.Bg5 understand the problem. c6 6.e3 Be7 7.Bd3 Bg4 The most simple solution was 20.g4!, I wasn't familar with this move, which has following by advance of f-pawn. been played more than 300 times on 20...g6? practice. During my thought I realized very Black misses a golden chance to change the quickly, that Black main idea is to get his charachter of the game. After 20...f5! with bishop to g6 via h5–square and to swap the key point, that after 21.ef6 (In case of light-squared bishop's. My serie of next 21.g4 g6 follwing by Ng7 and Kf7 I don't moves directed against Black idea. believe White has real chances to break 8.Qb3!? Qb6 9.Qc2 Bh5 through.) 21...Nf6 22.f5 Black has 22...Ne4!, with normal position. 21.Re3 f5 22.ef6 Nf6
FIDE Surveys – Boris Avrukh 3
XIIIIIIIIY much better, as White has serious development advantage, Black king still in 9rsn-+k+-tr0 the center and short castle is hardly possible, 9zpp+-vlpzpp0 nevertheless after Black last move I realized, 9-wqp+-sn-+0 that if Black manage to secure his king on the queenside by playing Nb6, Bd7 and 0– 9+-+p+-vLl0 0–0 I will have absolutely nothing. 9-+-zP-+-+0 16.Kb1! Nb6 17.Rc1 Bd7 18.Qb3! White last three moves were directed against 9+-sNLzP-+-0 Black long castle. 9PzPQ+-zPPzP0 18...h5 It transpires, that 18...0–0–0 is impossible in 9tR-+-mK-sNR0 view of double attack 19.Qa3. xiiiiiiiiy 19.h3 a6 10.f4!N Again Black is ready to castle, but it's not in A strong novelty found over the board, that White plans. put a lot of questions over Black idea. I have 20.Qb4! Nec8 to admit, that "prophylactical thinking" Black is trying to find some safe place for really helped me to find it. his king, but evantually fails to do it. 10...Ng8 21.Rhe1 A sad necessity, but White was already Threatening 22.e4. threatening to trap Black light-squared 21...Qd6 22.Qa5 Kf8 bishop by means of h3, g4 etc... XIIIIIIIIY 11.Nh3 Another interesting option would have been 9r+n+-mk-tr0 11.Nd5 Qa5 12.Nc3 Bg5 13.fg5 Qg5 9+p+l+pzp-0 14.Qf2. 9psnpwq-+-+0 11...Bg4 12.Be7 Ne7 13.Nf2 Bc8 14.0–0–0 Nd7 15.g4 Qc7 9wQ-+p+-+p0 XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-zP-zPP+0 9r+l+k+-tr0 9+-sNLzP-+P0 9zppwqnsnpzpp0 9PzP-+-sN-+0 9-+p+-+-+0 9+KtR-tR-+-0 9+-+p+-+-0 xiiiiiiiiy 9-+-zP-zPP+0 23.Rc2! I was not interested to remove tension on the 9+-sNLzP-+-0 kingisde by playing 23.g5, so I decided to 9PzPQ+-sN-zP0 make prophgylactics against Black idea of playing 23...hg 24. hg Rh2, at the same time 9+-mKR+-+R0 transfering the rook to e2. xiiiiiiiiy 23...Rb8 This is the key moment in the game. Until now I was pretty sure, that my position is FIDE Surveys – Boris Avrukh 4 Now 23...hg4 24.hg4 Rh2 runs into nice 10...a6 11.Bf1 Qc7 25.Nfe4! de4 26.Rh2 ed3 27.Ne4, with Black last two move are quite normal for decisive attack. Sicialian type of position, especially taking 24.Rce2 into account, that we are ready to meet 12. Now everything is ready for coming Nd5 with 12...Nd5 13.ed5 Nb8, with breakthrough in the center. complex game. 24...Qc7 25.e4! hg4 26.hg4 Qf4 27.ed5 12.Nh2 Black position is hopeless. Thematic idea for this kind of 27...g6 28.Nfe4 cd5 29.Rf2 Qc7 30.Ng5 pawnsturcutre, White knight is heading for Nd6 g4 challenging Black knight. In case of XIIIIIIIIY knight's swap an inportant defender of d5 square will be removed in White favour. 9-tr-+-mk-tr0 XIIIIIIIIY 9+pwql+p+-0 9r+l+-trk+0 9psn-sn-+p+0 9+pwq-vlpzp-0 9wQ-+p+-sN-0 9p+nzp-sn-zp0 9-+-zP-+P+0 9+-+-zp-+-0 9+-sNL+-+-0 9-+-+P+-+0 9PzP-+-tR-+0 9+-sN-+-+P0 9+K+-tR-+-0 9PzPP+-zPPsN0 xiiiiiiiiy 9tR-vLQtRLmK-0 31.Qc5! 1:0. It's really looks like a nice attacking game, xiiiiiiiiy but actually a deep "prophylactical thinking" 12...Bd8! was a reason of White success. One of the most amazing moves in the openings I ever met. From the one hand it's It's quite remarkable, but this method of prophylactical, as we anticipate White idea "prophylactical thinking" works in the and we ready to meet it, from another hand openings as well, this is my favourite it's very ambitious and Black is trying to example. activate his dark-squared bishop via a5, or b6 squares. Volokitin : Avrukh, Biel 2000 It's clear, that White is better after 12...Be6 13.Nd5 Bd5 14.ed5 Na5 15.b3!, Smirin : 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Kotronias, Gausdal 1990. Quite decent for Nc6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nf3 h6 8.0–0 Be7 9.Re1 0– Black is 12...b5 13.Ng4 Ng4 14.hg4 Be6 0 10.h3 15.Nd5 Qb7, as happened in the game This line has been popular some ten years Baramidze : Meins, Heringsdorf 2000, still I ago. I was intended to react with normal prefer White after calm 16.c3. 10...Be6 11. Bf1 Nb8, untill once I noticed 13.Ng4 the following remarkable idea:
FIDE Surveys – Boris Avrukh 5
Another line, which shows the point of Avrukh : Eljanov, Istanbul 2012 Black Bd8 move runs. 13.Be3 Be6 14.Nd5 Bd5! 15.ed5 Ne7 16.c4 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.d5 ed5 5.cd5 d6 b5! 17.b3 bc4 18.bc4 Nf5 19.Bd2 Qc5! and 6.Nc3 g6 7.Bg2 Bg7 8.Nf3 0–0 9.0–0 Qe7 Black easily solved his opening problems in This game was played in last Olympiad the game Rotman : Greenfeld, Ramat Aviv Instanbul 2012. I managed successfully to 2000. use my opneing preparation, which was very 13...Ng4 14.hg4 much connected with "prophylactical White compensation questionable after thinking". I have huge experience in this 14.Nd5 Qd7 15.hg4 Qg4. line, but I was facing this move for the first 14...Be6 time in my practice. Clearly underlining the concept. Black 10.Bf4 queen goest to d7 attacking White g4–pawn, In my well-known book "1. d4 Grandmaster while dark-squared bishop is ready to jump Repertoire" I always prefered idea of Nd2– over d8–a5 diagonal. c4, but definitely Pavel had prepared 15.Be3?! something at home, so I decided to change Inaccurate move, after which White gets the plan in favour of the Bf4 idea. worse position. Better would have been 10...Nbd7 15.Nd5 Qd7 16.Ne3!, follwing by knight jump to f5. In this case position would XIIIIIIIIY remain more or less balnced, as White has 9r+l+-trk+0 his own trumps. 15...Qd7 16.f3 9zpp+nwqpvlp0 XIIIIIIIIY 9-+-zp-snp+0 9r+-vl-trk+0 9+-zpP+-+-0 9+p+q+pzp-0 9-+-+-vL-+0 9p+nzpl+-zp0 9+-sN-+NzP-0 9+-+-zp-+-0 9PzP-+PzPLzP0 9-+-+P+P+0 9tR-+Q+RmK-0 9+-sN-vLP+-0 xiiiiiiiiy 11.a4! 9PzPP+-+P+0 Having done some serious homework on 9tR-+QtRLmK-0 this line, I remembered that eventually I came to the conclusion, that this useful xiiiiiiiiy prophylactical move is the most accurate 16…Ba5! one in this concrete position. White's main Black dark-squared bishop successfully choices here are 11. h3 and 11. Re1, but joined the play and Black enjoys better somehow I got the feeling that I needed the chances. pawn on h2 and rook on f1. 17.Re2 Ne7 18.Rd2 Rfd8 19.Qe2 d5! After 11.h3 Black has the idea 11...Nh5!? and Black took over the initiative. 12.Bg5 f6 13.Bd2 f5 14.e4 (Of course
The lesser evil for Black would be 17.Bf3 f5 18.a5 Rb8. 17...f5 A logical follow-up. In the event of 17...Nc5 Black should also reckon with 18.Ne4!? nevertheless there is nothing wrong with 18.a5. 18.a5 Now White's strategy becomes clear, Black's pawn structure on the queenside, especially the pawns b7 and d6 are long-term targets. 18...Qd8 19.Qa4 Nc5 20.Qa3 Bd7 21.Rb6 Qf6 22.Rc1 Rfe8 Black makes all natural moves, nevertheless I don't see any possibility for him to avoid the very bad position he eventually ended up in. XIIIIIIIIY 9r+-+r+k+0 9+p+l+-vlp0 9ptR-zp-wqp+0 9zP-snP+p+-0 9-+-+-+-+0 9wQ-sN-+PzP-0 9-+-vL-zPLzP0 9+-tR-+-mK-0 xiiiiiiiiy 23.Bf1! A very nice positional move, that kills Black's last chances to create counterplay connected with the knight move to d3. 23...Rac8 24.Nd1± and it's appered, that Black positionally lost and I managed to convert my advantage not without adventures.