BESTGdmES

OF THE YOUnG
GRdnDmdSTERS

CRdiG PRITCHETT
.D DdnnY KOPEC
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 Best Games
of the
Young Grandmasters
D ed icat i o n: To o u r parents and friends
 CRAIG PRITCHETT

DANNY KOPEC

Best Games
of the
Young Grandmasters

BELL CHESS BOOKS

London
 F i rst p u b l ished i n 1 980 b y
BEL L & H YM AN L I M I TED
D enmark H o u se
37-39 Queen Elizabeth Street
L o nd o n S E 1 2 Q B

© Cra ig Pritchett a nd D a n ny K opec 1 980

A l l rights reserved. N o part of this publication may

be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without the prior permission of
Bell & Hyman Limited.

Pritchett, Craig
Best games ofthe young grandmasters.
1. Chess- Collections ofgames
I. Title 11. Kopec, Danny
794.1'52 GV1452

ISBN 0-7135-1240-7
ISBN 0-7135-1259-8 Pbk

I S B N 0 7 1 35 1 240 7

Pri nted i n G reat Brita i n by

Bid d i es Ltd , G u i l d fo rd , Surrey
Contents

Introduction VI
0

1 Tony Miles 1
2 Jan T imman 31
3 Waiter Browne 59
4 Ulf Andersson 89
5 Robert Hubner 115
6 Zoltan Ribli 143
7 Ljubomir Ljubojevic 169
8 Gary Kasparov 193

Index of Openings 217

Index of Games 218
Introduction
M i les, Timman, Browne, And ersso n, H u b ner, R i b l i , Lj u b ojevic and
Kasparov ! You may d isagree with o u r c h o ice of g ra n d masters, b u t you
wil l a d m it that these names are exciting. They a re a cosm o p o l itan m i x .
They a re a m o ng t h e b est p l ayers i n t h e wo r l d , young o r old . O u r b o o k
inc l u d es their m ost characteristic a n d i nstru ctive gam es, a n d a lso describes
their personal ities and c hess h isto r ies.
The way o u r p layers t h i n k about and app roach the game is revea l i ng.
N o t o ne resemb les any of the others. Styl istic d ifferences a re marked .
Each has strugg led (and that is a key word ) to d iscover and deve l o p h is
own chess-p laying ind ividual ity. Each is u n iq u e . T h is i n d ividual ity of
app roach has a n ed u cational va lue. C l ear m od el s are very usefu l , and the
c l u b p layer can imp rove by m o d el l i ng t h is method as wel l as the ex cel l ent
ex a m p l es of o u r p l ayers. The sp irit of their chess is hard, h o nest wo r k ,
co nstant struggle, c o ntinual risk and you thfu l adventu re.
We a re indebted to many f riends and acquai ntances for their hel p . We
wo u l d particu larly l i ke to mention the f o l l owing: Oan G rego , who f i rst put
fo rwa rd the genera l idea ; J u l ietie B u ss, who co ntri b u ted the sketches; the
British Chess Magazine (and the late F reddy Rei l ly) who provided the
cover p hotog rap hs; P rofessor O o na l d M ichie, O r lvan Brat k o , Steffen
Zeuthen, Mark O r r, our pa rents, Pat i n ka , J osep h and A i l een.
Two b o o ks p rovided special insp i ratio n : Meet the Masters ( Bel l , 1 940 )
by ex-wo rld cham p i o n O r M a x Euwe, a nd The Younger School of Soviet
Chess by And rew S o ltis ( B e l l & Hyman ) . O ther c red its to a wid e range of
chess wo rks and the special ist chess p ress a re g iven i n the text.
Questio n nai res k i n d ly answe' r ed by our grandmasters also hel ped
co nsiderab ly, and J o h n N icho lso n must also be specia l l y than ked for
ed ito rial hel p . Oanny K o pec was ma inly resp o nsib le f o r the chapters on
Timman, B rowne, R i b l i and Kasparov, a n d C ra i g Pritchett for th ose on
M il es, Andersso n, H u b ner and Lju b ojevic. H owever at each stage of
.
writing, there was cons idera b l e d iscussio n and ex change of id eas. We
wou l d l i ke to tha n k o u rselves f o r a successfu l c o-o perati o n !

C.P. O.K.
1 Tony Miles
"I j u st play the l ittle wooden th ings"
There is noth ing over-elab o rate
about England 's lea d i n g grand master
Tony M i les. To h i m the task of
playing chess is n ot an especia l l y
complex o n e , b u t i s m o re si m p l y a
q u est i o n of push i n g the wood .
Theo ries, so ph isti cated open i n g
systems, p rofou n d kn owledge of
the game a re all far l ess i m p o rtant
to him than the si n g l e, over-the­
board idea that works. For M i l es
the central issue is to beat the
o p p o n ent. Po ints cou nt, n ot p h i lo s­
o p h ies, a nd he lays stress o n fact o rs
such as p hysical fitness, psych o ­
logical wel l-being and a general
rea d i n ess to b e a b l e to pou r a l l h is
energ ies into a specific ga m e being
p layed , m o re than o n necessar i l y
b o n i n g u p o n a l l the l atest gam es of
his next opponent. M i l es d o es not
sco rn resea rch , but he keeps it i n its
Ton y Miles
p lace. He has a n u ncluttered mind
and is a convi n ced b e l l igerent.
M i les freq uently refers to h i mself
as being 'lazy', but i n fact, when he
gets d own to a gam e there is no
harder worker than he is. H e may
ta ke th ings easy off the b oard , but
loc ked i n com bat, he is a d a ngerous
enemy . In b o x i ng terms, his play
m ight be l i kened to that of a wel l ­
tra ined , powerfu l ly-b u i lt , heavy­
weight champ i o n . H e can give as
good as he ta kes, and ca n knock
a nyone out i n a n i nstant.
M i les h i mself spea ks ( in a Sunday
Times interview, from which the
opening q u otat i o n is a lso taken)
about the 'street fighter ' in his
chess . l t has never departed h i m
si n ce i t became ingra i ned i n h is
sty le in the tough sch o o l of the
B ritish weekend t o u r na m ent circu it
2 Tony Miles
L i ke Waiter B rown e , si m ilarly
hardened in American Swisses,
M i les had to deve l o p a k i l ler i nsti n ct
and even lea r n how to gam b l e i n
occasi ona l ly d u b ious p ositions. This
ed ucation has stood him in good
stead even in the international
arena . M i l es, m o re than most
grand m asters, wi l l typica l ly gam b le
if he feels he can get away with it.
Aga inst the C h i n ese p l ayer Chi
Ch ing H su an, in the fo l l owing
game, he. d e l ig hts in an unabashed
swind le :
Chi-Miles, Bled/Portoroz 1979
1 e4 c5 2 4:lf3 d 6 3 d4 cx d4 4
4:lxd4 4:lf6 5 4:lc3 g6 6 .!le3 .!lg7 7
f3 0-0 8 �d 2 4:lc6 9 .!lc4 .!ld 7 1 0
h4 �cB 1 1 .!lb3 h 5 1 2 0-0-0 4:le5
1 3 .!lh6 .!lxh6 14 �x h 6 �xc3 1 5
bxc3 �c7 1 6 g4 �xc3 1 7 '\?lb 1 a 5
1 8 a3? ! ( A l l t h i s was k nown to
M i l es, b u t not to his o p p o nent. 1 8
gx h 5 a4 1 9 h xg6 a x b 3 20 cx b 3
sh o u l d be p layed , a lthough Black
has suffic ient reso u rces. ) 1 8 . . . a4 1 9
.!la2 �a8? ! ( 1 9 . . . �xa3 was bette r . )
2 0 g 5 ! 4:le8 2 1 4:lf5 ! .!l x f 5 22 exf5
�a6 23 fxg6 � b6+ 24 '\?;c l ! ( M i les
had expected 24 .!lb3?, wh ich
a l l ows 24 ... � x b3+! 25 cxb3 fxg6,
sta b i l ising B l ac k 's ki ngsi d e d efences
and inca rcerating White 's q u een .)
24 ... �e3+ 25 �d2 �xa3+ 26
'\?;d 1 �xf3+ 27 '\?le 1 �a3+ 28 '\?Id 1
�b 1 + 29 .!lxb 1 �3+ 30 '\?;c 1 !
4:lxg6?? ( O bjectively B l a c k had to
ta ke the d raw, but Wh ite was sh o rt
of t i m e . As M i les put it i n his New
Statesman co l u m n , . . . I d idn't feel
' ition u nti l he bega n seco ndary
l i ke a fine logical end [to the
game] , so relying o n h is time
troub le, I too k the so rt of gamb le
one sho u l d normally reserve for
five-minute games, weekend Swisses,
the B ritish Champ io nsh i p and that
so rt of t h ing .') 3 1 �dd l ? ( 3 1 �el
was co rrect, and if 3 1 . . . �a3+ 32
'\?Id 1 �b 2 33 ®e2, and Wh ite 's
k i n g is q u ite safe .) 3 1 ... �e3+ 32
�d2 ( O r 32 ®b2 a3+ 33 '\?;a2 �c3
and mates) 32 . . . �a3+ 33 '\?Id 1
�3+ 34 '\?;c 1 �x h 1 + 35 E!d 1 �f3
36 .!la2 e6 37 � d 3 �4+ 38 '\?lb 2
4:lg7 39 c3 �xh4 40 �f3 �e4 4 1
E!f6 �e2+ 4 2 '\?;a3 �c2 4 3 c 4 4:le5
44 g6 4:lxc4+ 45 .!lxc4 �c3+ 46
'\?ixa4 �xc4+ 0- 1 .
Tony M i les was b o r n on 23rd
Ap r i l 1 9 55 in B i rm ingham . Ea rly
po rtents of his competitiveness ca n
perhaps be read into a marked
interest i n a l l so rts of games and
sports. He l ea rned to p lay chess at
the age of five, but after p layi ng
'every night fo r a yea r ( unti l ) I got
b o red ', he l ost i nterest u nt i l fo u r or
five yea rs later. At p r i m a ry scho o l
he p l ayed footb a l l a n d cric ket, was
a keen swi m mer and too k part in
ath l etics. H e won the 'odd title '
( h i s own words) at swi m m i n g and
in the high j u m p . Chess scarcely
featu red at a l l . At the age of 9 or
1 0 h e reca l l s that so meone b rought
a chess set to sch o o l and that the
game b ecame a craze, b ut wh i l e he
was ab le to beat everyone includ ing
the teachers, h e d id not rea l l y beg i n
t o p lay i n o rga nised scho o l compet­
educat i o n at K ing Edwa rd 's Sch o o l
 Ton y Miles 3

i n B i r m i ngha m . Nowadays p r i mary fin ished i n a tie for 1 st/2nd p laces

scho o l chess is much better with H u g i n the ea rl ier N ice event,
organised than it was in M i les's d ay , and indeed headed h i m o n the tie
a n d i t was on ly in secondary b rea k . If one event b rought h i m
ed ucation that extensive c l u b and sq u arely t o t h e eye o f t h e inter­
league activities rea l l y f l o u rished . national se lecto rs, it was th is o ne .
At K ing Edwa rd 's, M i les cont i n u ed Later i n 1 97 1 , M i les was t o g o o n
to be interested in spo rts as we l l as and win the B ritish u nder-21 tit l e .
deve l o p ing a renewed interest in A s a resu lt of t h is and h is N i ce
chess. H is part icu lar sp o rting perfo rm ance, it was not l o n g b efo re
passio ns at th is age became rugby fu rther internationa l o p p o rtunities
and cricket. H e had a t r i a l for the were to fo l low. By the end of 1972
G reater Birm ingham rugby tea m at he was ea rmarked as a j u n i o r
the age of 1 4 . H owever, h is su ccess deserving o f special o p p o rtunities.
in other sp o rts and ga m es c o u l d not H e p l ayed at G ro n i ngen (fin ish ing
compare with h is g rowing a b i l ity at second to R o manish i n ) in the
chess . H e became B ritish u nder- 1 4 E u rpean J u n i o r C h a m p i o nsh ip in
champion i n 1 968, and h is incl i n ­ 1 972/3, and then , backed by funds
ations sta rted rap idly t o change . from the B r it ish Chess Federation
K i ng Edward 's m u st have had a and a l l ied sou rces, he was sponso red
particu larly beneficial effect u p o n on a trip to the U SA, where he
his chess deve l o p ment: one o f f i nished in h ig h p osit i o ns at Lone
t h e strongest p l aying scho o ls in Pine and in other b ig American
·

Eng land , it a lso had strong chess Swisses.

trad itions. The wel l-known p l ayer U lt i m ately M i les was chosen for
C . H.O 'D .Aiexander was the sch o o l's one of the two E n g l ish p laces at the
outstanding chess fo rmer p u p i l , and World J u n i o r to b e held in Teesside
the schoo l 's team a lso perfo rmed in J u ly 1 973. Befo re then ,
wel l at that time i n the national com mendab le local enterp rise , led
Sunday Times sch o o ls knock-out by veteran o rga niser R it son M a rry,
team com petitio n . managed to stage a Catego ry 6
Wh i lst st i l l a t scho o l in 1 97 1 , strength i nternational tou rnament
M i les sco red a good win in h is fi rst in h is h o m e town of B i rm i ngham .
(and stro ng) international j u n i o r M i l es su rp rised everyone by
tou rnament in N ice. P layed i n thoroughly d o m i n ating the event
A p ri l , this event p receded that and taking fi rst p lace. He reached
yea r's Wo rld J u n i o r C h a m p io nsh i p , h is 1 8th b i rthday at B i r m i ngham
which was t o be won b y t h e out­ and also sco red h is first IM norm .
si der Werner H u g of Switzerland . I f there were any l i ngering d o u bts
M i les, who at 1 6 was not yet a that here was a yo ung p layer of
serious cand idate f o r the E ng l ish p ro m ise , they were q u ick ly d ispel led
p l ace in the Wo rld J u ni o r, actu a l l y in the very fi rst rou n d , when the
4 Tony Miles
l ocal schoo l b oy to o k o n and ro u n d ly
defeated g rand master Art h u r
B isgu ier of the USA :
M iles-B isgu ier, Birm ingham 1 973
1 e4 e5 2 l£lf3 l£lc6 3 Ab 5 l£lf6 4
0-0 l£lxe4 5 d4 1£ld6 6 Axc6 d xc6 7
d xe5 l£lf5 8 �x d 8+ ®x d 8 9 l£lc3
®88 1 0 l£le2 Ae6 11 l£lf4 Ad 5 1 2
l£lxd 5 cxd5 1 3 � e 1 Ac5 1 4 Af4 c6
1 5 �ad 1 h6 1 6 h3 g5 1 7 Ac 1 ®87
1 8 l£lh2 �ag8 1 9 l£lg4 h 5 20
l£le3
20 . . . l£lh4? (20 . . . l£lxe3 was better .
B isgu ier misses M i les 's rep l y . ) 2 1
l£lxd 5+! ( A winning sacrifice based
on the strength of Wh ite 's 23rd
m ove.) 21 . . . c x d 5 22 � x d 5 b6 23
e6 ! f5 ( Bl ac k 's g-pawn was u nd er
attack .) 24 �d7+ ®f6 2 5 Ad 2 ®96
26 b4 Af8 27 e7 .flg7 28 �e6+
®h7 29 Axg5 l£lg6 30 � xa7 �e8
31 �d7 l£le5 32 �d 5 �hg8 33 f4
l£lc4 34 �xf5 Ad4+ 35 ®h2 l£le3
36 �f7+ �g7 37 �h6+ 1 -0 .
U nfo rtu nately M i les d i d not
p rove able to win the World J u n i o r
at Teessi d e . H e and t h e second
Engl ish j u ni o r Stean b oth b eat the
win ner Alexander Beliavsky of the
USSR, but the R u ssi a n , after
tra i l ing ea rly i n the tou rnament,
came back wit h a b l istering series of
wins, which j u st ena b led h im to p i p
Tony. H owever , M i les was sti l l
you ng en ough t o be ab le t o l o o k
fo rward t o co m peting aga i n next
yea r . He aga in won a stro ng
B i r m i ngham internationa l at Easter
in 1 974, and was a b l e to go to
Manila in the su mmer and b r ing
back the 1 974 Wo r l d J u n i o r tit l e .
M i les was abso lute ly keyed u p a n d
determi ned to d o wel l in the
Ph i l i p p ines a nd compensate for h is
d isappo intment in the previ o u s
yea r . He l itera l l y mowed d own t h e
f i e l d and w o n by a margin of 1 %
po ints i n a nine round f i na l .
After M a n i l a , M i les retu rned to
so me celeb rity in E ng land - and to
face two naggi ng p ro b lems. The
first of the latter was easy to so lve .
Sh o u l d he go for the grand master
title? The a nswer was, of cou rse,
yes. But the seco nd p r o b lem was
rather m o re thorny. What sho u l d
he d o about h is stud ies? M i les h a d
left K ing Edwa rd 's in 1 973 to g o u p
to Sheffield U niversity a nd a cou rse
in mathematics, but wh i l e h is chess
had continued to i m p rove, h is
stud ies had def i n itely suffered .
M i les has never been less than fra n k
about the reaso ns f o r t h is . H e
si m p l y d i d n o t w o r k h a r d enough .
I n the end , h owever , h is u niversity
so lved the p ro b lem for h i m . As he
d ropped out o f h is B .Sc . cou rse in
mathematics, he was p ro posed for
and was awarded a n H o no ra ry M .A.
for h is ach ievements i n chess - a

cou rse both u n i q u e and en l ig htened !
M i les received his h o n o rary M .A .
o n 1 2 J u ly 1 975. Shortly after, in
August, he went on to register h is
fi rst G M n o rm i n a tou rnament in
Lo n d o n , which he wo n ahead of
Tim man , Ad o rjan and Sax . He
co mpeted in two m o re g rand m aster
events in 1 97 5 , in Teesside and
N ovi Sad . H owever, his second
n o rm was to elude him u nt i l an
invitation ea rly in 1 976, after the
H astings tou rnament that yea r ,
too k him t o D u b na in t h e U SS R .
There h e p l ayed with g reat so lid ity
to finish in a tie f o r 3rd/6th p laces
and comp leted the second l eg of h is
title q u a l ification . H e was the fi rst
British p l ayer to win the title and
co l l ected £5,000 put u p b y financier
J im Slater fo r the fi rst B ritish
p l ayer to do so .
O n becom ing a grand m aster , M i les
at last too k a defin ite decisi on to
remain a p rofessi o n a l p laye r . H is
fina nces were so und and he cou ld
loo k f o rwa rd to a series of l u c rative
ventu res . N ot o n ly the fi rst ever
Engl ish grand master, he was a lso
the world 's you ngest h o lder of the
title, and as such i n g reat inter­
national demand . I nte rest focused
natu ra l ly u p o n h i m , and he was
pressed on h is u lt i m ate am b itions.
A fam ous rem ark he m ade at that
time was that he thought the next
logical step was 'to have a crack at
Kaq.JOv'. H e had time to b u i ld u p
exper ien ce. N ot chosen f o r o n e o f
t h e two Engl ish p l aces in the
1 975/6 World Cham p i o nsh ip cycle,
his fi rst chance to p lay for a p lace
Tony Miles 5
in the Cand idates wou ld be i n
1 978/9 .
M i les's resu lts i n the next two
yea rs were to be watched with g reat
interest . H is o utstanding resu lt in
1 976 was shared 1 st/2nd p laces at
Amsterdam a l o n g with V i kto r
K o rch no i . M i les was to get h is fi rst
crack at K a rpov ( in an i n d ivid u a l
ga me) a t Bad Lauterberg early i n
1 977. H e l o st bad ly, b u t a t 2 2
yea rs of age he was st i l l ea rning h is
spu rs. He was to l o se to Karpov
aga in at Las Pa l mas, at T i l b u rg a nd
i n the B B C TV series The Master
Game. Otherwise , h owever , 1 977
was to be an exce l l ent year for h i m ,
with firsts a t Lanzarote, Amsterd am
(aga i n ) and Biel, as we l l as a fine
2nd to K a rp ov at T i l b u rg .
1 978 was a cru c ia l yea r . l t was
i m p o rtant to b u i ld up p ro perly to
ensu re q u a l ification fro m the West
Eu ropean z o na l tou rnament at the
end of the yea r . M i les p layed i n no
less than ten fu l l international
events in 1 978 and was a b l e to find
the form necessary to q u a l ify, a l o ng
with T i m m a n , with whom he shared
1 st/2nd p laces, in the key zonal
q u a l ifier in Amsterd a m . The year
1 978 was a lso the yea r of his
marriage to the former J ana
Hartsto n , herse lf England 's lead ing
woman p layer.
In 1 979 M i les was one of the
favou rites to qual ify from the
I nterzo na l. H owever , h is fi rst
attempt to reach the Cand idates
was to end in u nhappy d isaster . The
si gns were not p ro p it i o u s in h is
early tou rnament p lay that year,
6 Tony Miles
and then at h o m e he fai led to win
the B r itish Champ ionsh ip , in which
he p layed j u st befo re leaving for
R iga . M i les was the b est p l ayer and
favo u r ite in the B ritish C h a m p i o n ­
sh i p , of cou rse, but he fai led t o
p lay the best chess in t h at event . H e
lost a game to another r ising talent,
1 4 yea r-o ld N igel S h o rt , a nd fin ished
i n f o u rth p l ace behind Bel l i n , who
won the title o n the tie b rea k ,
N u n n , a n d t h e p recociou s Sho rt . At
the R iga l nterz o na l M i les was to
spark o n ce o r twice, b u t was never
rea l ly to ignite . He fin ished in a
d isap p o inting share of 8th/1 Oth
p laces.
So M i les's c rack at K a rp ov wi l l
have to b e postponed . H owever,
g o i ng into the 1 980s, h e d id at l east
finally manage to beat the Wo rld
Cham p io n in an i n d ivid u a l game
( I l lu strative G ame 8) and remark­
ab ly so . Befo re t h is game, M i les
decided that there was a wea k ness
in K a r p ov's p lay against d o u b tfu l
but d o uble-edged B lack defensive
systems, and p l ayed a l m o st
m anically o n th is. The n o rm a l ly
u nflap pab le K arpov was taken
oomp lete ly aback and q u ite
uncharacteristica l l y fo l d ed .
M i les has a wry attitude to l ife,
and h as a l ready beg u n to b ounce
back from h is Higa l nterzonal
d isapp o intm ent. There is n o reason
at a l l why he shou ld not be an even
better p layer in one o r two yea rs'
time and o nce aga in becom e a
l i kely Cand idates q u a l ifier. The
on ly p o ssi b le obstacle m ight be that
often se lf-co nfessed lingering
'laziness'. But M i les's indo lence is a
defin ite ly re lative attrib ute . If
M i les does consid er that h is
m o rning sta rts at m i d d ay (as the
Sunday Times rep o rts) , then h e has
sti l l nevertheless found time not
o n ly to p lay chess and indu lge in
home ana lyses, but a lso to enter the
wo rld of chess writing, with a
b eg i n ners' b o o k ( Chess From
Square One , B e l l & Hyman ) , an
open i n g t reatise , and severa l tou rna­
ment b o o ks of h is a l ready pu b l ished ,
and a p o p u l a r chess co l u m n in the
wee k ly New Statesman. M i les is
not easi ly k n ocked out of h is stride.
H e can certa in ly i m p rove if he
wants to .
Koch iev-Miles
Manila 1 974
Sicil ian Defence, D ragon Variation
Few p layers p ressed to d isclose
their 'best' o r 'favou rite' game can
ever come u p with an a nswer. 'Best '
games a r e noto r i o u sly hard f o r
p l ayers t o d e c i d e o n , and perhaps
the most com m o n reply is the
evasive 'it h as sti l l to be p l ayed '.
But M i les certa i n ly h as a 'favou rite'
gam e . Writing in h is co l u m n in the
New Statesman , he revealed it, not
surp risingly, to be the game fro m
the pen u ltimate r o u nd of the 1 974
World J u n i o r C h a m p io n sh i p , which
c l i n ched him the tit l e . Not o n ly a
crucial game, it was a l so the out­
standing ach ievement of the who le
tou rnament.
1 e4 c5
2 41f3 d6
 Tony Miles 7

3 d4 cxd4 his m ater ia l , B l a c k gets the b isho p ­

4 �xd4 �f6 pair and p l ay aga inst White's ki ng­
5 �c3 g6 si d e pawns and q u eensi d e knights.
6 .ll e 3 .ll g7 1 2 .ll x f8 ®xf8
7 f3 0-0 1 3 exd5? !
8 'ltd 2 �c6 T h is m ove l ea d s to the o pening of
9 g4? ! the e-f i l e ; but aga i n st 1 3 4:la3, Miles
This is a much riskier m ove than gives 1 3 . . . b 5 1 4 l£ld 1 b4 1 5 l£lb 1
the usu a l a lter natives 9 .!lc4 and 9 .Q.b7 1 6 exd 5 l£:lx d 5 , and B lack has
0-0-0 . l t com m its Wh ite prematu rely m o re than a m p le positional co mp­
to an a l l-out attack . ensati o n for the exchange ; and if 1 3
9 ... e6 !? l£ld4 ! ? , B lack has 1 3 . . . l£lxe4 ! ,
M i l es had lost an ea r l ier gam e i nten d- i ng 1 4 fxe4 �h4+ 1 5 �2
aga inst J . Litt lewood with 9 . . . �d7 , �xf2+ 1 6 ®xf2 .!lxd4+.
and the text-m ove was the result of 13 . . . exd 5
so m e home ana lysis. The sha rpest 1 4 l£la3
of B l a c k 's o ptions, 9 . .. e6 p repares 1 4 l£ld4 ! ? n ow a l lows 1 4 . . . l£lxd4
to reply to Wh ite 's flan k attack 1 5 �x d4 �e7+, and if 16 .!le2
with an advan ce in the centre. I f l£le4 ! , or 1 6 4:le2 4:lxg4.
th is I i n e i s good , then 9 g 4 is 14 . . . b5
effectively refuted . 1 5 l£ld 1
1 0 �db 5 ! ? Faced with the th reat of 1 5 . . . b4,
l t i s n o t clea r that Wh ite h a s any­ there was noth ing better .
thing better. I f 1 0 0-0-0 d 5 1 1 g5? ! 15 . . . b4
( 1 1 �xc6 b x c6 is b etter , but B lack 1 6 l£lb1
has a strong centre . ) 1 1 ... �h5 1 2
ex d 5 �xd4 1 3 .!lxd4 .!lxd4 1 4 • .�.�
•• %� flj
L,;. .,
•
�xd4 �xg5+, and B l a c k has good B • Bt l1 t
play . t ·�· -�·
10 . . . d5
• BtB •
(I • B11B
Of cou rse , Black m u st be consis­

• • .11.
tent. Now if 1 1 g 5?! �h5 1 2 e x d 5
e x d 5 1 3 0-0-0 a6 .
11Hft� B ��
i.B45:� �-u.§
1 1 .ll c 5
This was the p o i nt of White's r�'4i �
'� rM �Q
p lay . H e m u st now have h o ped f o r
a passive react i o n , but instea d , 16 . . . .ll x g4 !
B l a c k reacts with an ambitious G a i n i n g a pawn . Wh ite cannot
exchange sacrifice. rep ly 1 7 fxg4? , as after 1 7 ... l£le4,
11 . . . a6! fo l l owed by 1 8 . . . �h4+, he is
Far better than either 1 1 ... :Be8? faced with u nsto ppab le th reats.
1 2 �d6 o r 1 1 ... �e7 1 2 e x d 5 . F o r 1 7 .ll g 2 'lte7+
8 TonyMiles

1 8 'lte3 {)e4 ! Although B l ac k 's k i ngside pawns

Blac k 's attack si m p l y d oes not have been slightly wea kened by
sto p ro l l ing. N ow if 1 9 fxg4 .11 d 4 White 's 25th m ove, B la c k has no
20 'l*e2 !:!e8 2 1 � 1 'lli'h 4, White is d ifficu lty in defend ing them and
defenceless aga i nst threats of . . . repu lses a l l White's th reats.
{)f2 and . . . {)g5. 1 9 c3 h a s a lso 27 ®h 1 {)f5
been su ggested , but after 1 9 ... 28 E!e4 *g5
'lli'h 4+ 20 � 1 .ll h 6 (20 . . . !:!e8 2 1 29 {)f3 *h6
fxg4 d4 i s a lso possi b l e ) , a nd i f 2 1 30 !:!h4 ! ?
'lli'd 3 {)e5 2 2 'lli'x d 5 !:! d 8 2 3 'lli'x e5 M o re of a gestu re t h a n anyth ing
(or 23 'lli' x e4 !:!x d 1 + 24 ®82 !:! x h 1 else . B lack cou l d i n fact p lay 30 ...
25 .ll x h 1 'lli' x h 2+ etc .) 23 . . . !:! x d 1 + {)xh4, and if 31 'lli'x e6+ ®h 8 32
24 ®82 !:!d2+! 25 {)xd2 'lli'f 2 + 26 'lli'e7 !:!f8 33 {)g5 !:!xf 1 + 34 .11 x f1
Wd3 'lli'x d 2+ and wins. .11 f 8 35 {)f7+ ®g7 etc.
19 fxe4 Axd 1 30 . . . 'lte3
20 {)d2 M i les relies i nstead u pon si m p l er
0 r if 20 ®x d 1 .11 x b 2 . After the methods. After the text-move, the
text-m ove, B lack wins a seco nd fu rther advance of h is d -pawn leads
pawn for the exchange, and rem a i ns to the win of a p iece .
with the b etter p osi ti o n . 3 1 !:!xb4 d2
20 . . . Axc2 32 {)xd 2 'll\"x h3
21 !:!c 1 d4 3 3 Axh3 E!xd2
The key to the d ecisive conso l id ­ With two m i n o r pieces a nd a
ation o f B lac k 's advantage i s the pawn fo r his r o o k , B lack is winning
adva nce of this pawn to d 3 . easi ly. A l l that is req u i red is d ue
2 2 'lth3 d3 care.
23 0-0 34 !:!e 1 Af8
Wh ite had no t i m e for 23 'lli'x h 7 , 35 !:!b8 1lf1
a l l owing 2 3 . . . 'lli'g 5 , w i t h w i n n i n g 36 !:!b7+ Ae7
threats. 37 .a. f 1 Aa4
23 �8 38 E!b6 AdS
24 e5 !:!d8 39 !:!e2 !:!d 1
25 e6 40 �2 A b5
White's e-pawn was d efenceless i n 41 E!f2 Ac5
t h e l o n g ru n a nyway, so White 42 E!b7+ ®f6
chooses to m a ke a d esperado of it. 43 Axb5 axb5
25 .11 x c6 'l!i'c5+ etc . , was, of cou rse, 44 E!e2 E!g 1 +
no i m p rovement . 45 ®h3 g5
25 fxe6 46 E!g2 E!d 1
26 E!ce 1 {)d4 Resigns

2 stronger. Then , after 9 . . . f6 1 0
Sax-Mi les
London 1 975
Sicilian Defence, 3 .!lb5
N ever one for half-measu res, M i les
app roached the fo l l owing gam e
with an unco m p ro m ising attitu d e .
Sax , a grand m aster known a n d
respected fo r h i s tactical flair, is
defeated in a rich tactical mel�e. i n
wh ich b o t h sid es showed great
sp i r it and i m agination . At the
London event, at which the game
was p l ayed , M i les was to ta ke first
prize and score his first G M norm .
H is p l ay was grand m aster ly th rough­
out, and he thoroughly d eserved it.
1 e4 c5
2 <tlf3 <ticS
3 .!lb5 'l!'lb6 ! ?
T h i s i s t h e sharpest possi b i l ity .
The so und , and genera l l y reco m m -
end ed , a lternative is 3 . . . g 6 , fo l l owed
by . . . .llg 7, . . . cttf 6 and . . . 0 -0 .
4 .!la4 g6!?
In later gam es, M i les has favou red
4 . .. e6 , with the i d ea of . . . ctlge7
and . . . d 5 . The text-m ove is
perhaps over-am bitious.
5 0-0 .!lg7
6 c3 e6
If 6 . . . l£lf6 7 e5 l£ld 5 8 d4 g ives
White a p l easant ga m e .
7 l"'!e l ctlge7
8 e5
This m ove puts p ressu re on Blac k 's
critical centra l b lack sq uares . Now
B lack has d ifficu lty facing the
stro ng positional th reat l£la3-c4 .
8 .. . 0-0
9 d4 ! ?
The im med iate 9 ctt a 3
Tony Miles 9
<ttc 4 �7 1 1 d4, B lack is denied the
active cou nterp lay he is ab le to
conjure u p i n the game.
9 .. . cxd4
10 cxd4 f6 !
Without th is m ove , Wh ite wou l d
remain in co ntro l of t h e b lack
sq ua res with a long term advantage.
1 1 <tta 3 . fxe5
1 2 <ttc4 'l!'lb4!
This is the m ove made possib le by
White's i naccu rate 9th m ove. Now,
however Wh ite p l ays, B lack has
go o d cou nter-chances.
1 3 b3?!
Tem pting, but 1 3 l£lcxe5 was
better, a lthough Black rep l ies 1 3 . . .
b5 1 4 .!lb3 'll:lJd6 , with t h e idea o f
1 5 . . . .ll b 7, with a so u n d game.
13 . . . l"'!xf3 !
Ad mitted ly this active move is
the o n ly go o d rep ly to White's
th reat of .ll a 3 , b u t it is nevertheless
a fine concept . I n the ma i n l i ne,
B lack c o l lects th ree minor p ieces
fo r the p rice of h is q u een , and
rema i ns with a very strong centre .
1 4 .!la3
Wh ite is now more or less
was c o m m itted to t h is m ove . If 1 4 gxf3
70 Tony Miles

41xd4, and Black th reatens 15 . . . M uch b etter than 2 3 ... .ll x b 1,

�xe1+; o r if 1 4 a3 ( 14 .ll d 2 � d 3 !
i s wo rse ) 1 4 . . . Etd 3 ! 1 5 a x b 4 ( 1 5
'lte2 41xd4 ) 1 5 ... � x d 1 1 6 � x d 1
41xd4 17 41d 6 41ef5 ! , a n d B l a c k has
a clear advantage .
14 . . . itxc4 !
Much better now than 14 . . . 'ltc3
15 �c 1 'ltd 3 16 gxf3, and White 's
p ieces a re too active.
1 5 bxc4 ftxa3
B la c k 's roo k has strayed a long
way from the kingsid e, but remark­
ably it remains safe o n a3. Wh ite
may now have ho ped to make
so m eth ing out of B l ac k 's backward
deve l o p m ent on the q u eensid e , b u t
B lack i s successfu l in d isenta ng l i ng
his p ieces.
1 6 dxe5 .ilxe5
l t is very i m p o rtant that B lack
can p lay this m ove, after which h is
advantage is clea r . White cannot
rep l y 1 7 �xe5? 41xe5 1 8 'ltd 6 ,
because of 1 8 . . . � xa4 1 9 'ltxe7 b 6
2 0 Et e 1 41f7 , and White h a s got
n owhere .
1 7 Et b 1 b6
18 h4 Ad4
B lack p laces h is hopes i n sou n d
central isat io n . H e p lans t o d ig i n
h is b ishop o n d 4 , a n d get h is white
sq uare bish o p o u t after . . . e5 and
. . . d6.
19 Ete4 e5
20 Ab3 d6!
B l a c k cal m ly a l l ows t h e d iscovered
chec k , as he is now a b l e to b y-pass
it by rep lying . . . d 5 .
21 c5+ d5
22 itf3 Af5
23 Etee 1 ®g 7 !
which a l l ows White to confu se
th ings by 24 .ll x d 5+ and 25 'ltxa 3 .
24 Etbd 1 bxc5
B lack has p icked up another
pawn , and Wh ite 's position is
rapid ly beco m i n g critica l . However,
B lack 's pieces a re sti l l not p roperly
co-o r d i nated , and there a re sti l l
n u m erous way t o g o wro ng .
25 itg3 .ll e 4!?
Centra l isati o n par exce l l ence ! But
it may have b een better sim p ly to
have m oved B la c k 's q u een's roo k .
After 2 5 . . . Etf8, which seems the
most natu ra l c h o i ce, fo l lowed by . . .
Etf6 i f necessary, B l a c k wou ld seem
b etter p l aced to avo id entering the
tactica l co m p l i cations that fo l low
the text . Wh ite 's o n ly dangerous
rep l y then a p p ea rs to b e 26 h 5 , but
not 26 Et x d4? ! cxd4 27 ftxe5
41xe5 28 'ltxe5+ '3Jf7 29 .ll x d 5+
( o r 29 'ltxd 4 fta6 ! ) 29 . . . 41xd5 30
'ltxd 5+ .ll e 6 31 'ltxd 4 ftxa2 etc .
l t is a lso worth noting, i n passi ng,
that 25 ... c4? ! fai l s to 26 Etxd4
exd4 27 ftxe7+ 41xe7 28 'ltd 6 !
2 6 Etxd4!
Without this m ove , Wh ite wou l d
be d o o m ed t o a slow death , b u t
 Tony Miles 77

with it he sti l l manages to c reate at ®d 7 3 8 �8 ! is u npalata b l e .

least p ractica l chances . 35 gxh5
26 . . . cxd4 36 'ltxh5+ �7
26 . . . 4:lf5 27 -�c3 4:lfx d 4 28 37 f4 !
�xc5 E!a5 29 �c3 resu lts in the O nce aga i n , Wh ite can o n ly put
d i m i n utio n of B lack 's centre and his b et o n one card . The q u estion is
leaves B l ac k 's rook o n a 5 awkward ly whether White's f-pawn is ab le to
p laced . The text-m ove is c l ea rer . match B lac k 's d -p awn fo r speed .
27 f3 .ll d 3 37 a6
28 E!xe5 ! 38 f5 d4
The rea l point of Wh ite 's play. 39 'ltg4 !
White's seco nd ex change sacrifice is Better than 39 �7?, a l l owi ng 39
o n ly an apparent offe r . Black . . . d 3 ! 40 f6 d 2 4 1 �xe7+ �6,
can not rep ly 28 ... 4:lxe5 ? , because and after either 42 �e8+ E!d7, o r
of 29 �xe5+ and d 5 fa l ls. 4 2 �e4+ wb 6 4 3 �e3+ Wb7 ,
28 . . . E!xb 3 ! B la c k 's king wi l l escape the White
H owever , this cou nter exchange checks a n d the d -pawn q u eens.
sacrif ice a l lows B lac k to reach an 39 . . . 1Je8
endgame, i n which he has roo k and
two m in o r pieces aga inst White 's
queen .
29 axb3 4:lxe5
30 'lhe5+ '3Jf7
31 'ltxd4 .ll b 5
32 'ltf4+ �8
33 'lth6 !
Although Wh ite is m ateria l l y wel l
beh i n d , h e has consi d erab le
positiona l com pensatio n . O rd i n a r i l y
roo k , two m in o r p ieces and a 40 'ltf4?
passed pawn as m ighty as B l ac k 's d ­ H ere, however , White sq uanders a
pawn wou l d w i n h a n d s d own d ec isive tem p o . l t seems he cou l d
aga inst a q u een , but here B lac k 's have d rawn this remarkab l e struggle
k i n g is out i n the o pen , and B lac k 's by 40 �g7 ! , and after 40 ... 4:lxf5
k ingside pawns are wea k . 4 1 �e5+ ®dB 42 �xf5 d3, Wh ite
33 E!d8 can sto p B l a c k 's pawn on d 2 .
34 'ltxh7 E!d6 40 . . . 4:lc8!
35 h 5 ! N ow, h owever , Wh ite wi l l n ot be
T h e o n l y m ove, a n d o n e which ab l e to p lay (or th reaten ) f6 with
opens possi b ly l ife-saving l i nes. ga i n of tem p o . B lack 's d-pawn ,
Black must exchange on h 5, as the therefore reaches d 2 , a n d the win is
alternative 35 . . . d4? ! 36 �h8+ clea r .
 12 Tony Miles

41 f6 d3 1 e4 c5
42 'ltf5 d2 2 f4 <ticS
43 f7+ 3 <tlf3 <tlf6
A last attem pt to keep o pen l i nes . 4 <tlc3 d5
I f 4 3 �xc8+ Wf7 , a nd after either 5 e5 d4!?
44 �c7+ o r 44 �b7+ 44 ... Etd 7 This is a d ifficu lt l i ne to p lay, as
wins. it leads to si m p l ified p ositi o ns i n
43 �8 w h i c h Wh ite possesses d istinct
44 ·ifhc8+ �f7 struct u ra l advantages. A so lid
45 'ltc7+ a l ternative is 5 . . . 4Jd7, to be
If 45 'i!tb7+ Etd7 46 �3+ ®e7 fo l l owed by 6 . . . e6 . Black need
47 �d1 , M i les gives the elegant 47 not fea r the rep ly 6 4:lxd5 ! ? ,
. . . a5, with the idea of . . . a4, and because o f the si m p l e 6 . . . 4Jd xe5
Black wins. I f 45 �5+ ®e7 . with eq uality .
45 ®96 6 exf6 dxc3
46 'ltc8+ Etd7 7 fxg7 cxd 2+
47 'lte8+ �d6 8 'ltxd 2 .ll x g7?!
Resigns T h e usual co nt inuation i s 8 ...
I f 48 �b8+ ®c6 49 �c8+ ®b 6 �x d 2+ 9 .Q. x d 2 .Q.xg7 10 0-0-0 ,
50 �b 8+ ®a5 etc ., o r if 48 �6+ after which B lack must h o p e that
®c7 49 �2+ ®b 8 50 �d l .Q.e2 . he ca n ach ieve sufficiently active
p lay fo r h is p ieces to be able to
offset the more static d isadvantage
of having three pawn islands to
3 defend to Wh ite 's two . The text­
M i les-G iigoric move fa i ls to i m p rove o n th is.
Tilb u rg 1 977 I ndeed , it rather leads to fu rther
Sici lian Defence , 2 f4 exchanges, a nd m erely accentuates
Like that eterna l experi m enter, the i m p o rtance of White's l o nger­
Bent La rsen , M i les is a l ways rea d y term stru ctu ral p l us.
t o ex p l o re theoretical byways. H is 9 'ltxd 8+ 4Jxd 8
main i nterest is to win the point, 9 . . . ®xd 8 is no better . B lack 's
and if an u n usu a l o pening va riati o n king wou l d then so on come u nder
wi l l u nsett le an o ppo nent, he i s n ot fire fro m White 's pieces.
one to shi r k the possi b l e risks 1 0 .ll b 5+!
invo lved in p laying it. Aga inst But this m ove a l so leads to a clea r
G l igo ric at T i l b u rg, he a d o pts one adva ntage. After t h e wh ite square
of Larsen 's favou rite 'anti-Sici l i a n ' b ishops d isa ppea r , B l ac k 's game has
m eth ods, 2 f4 . G l igoric had p re­ no b ite .
pa red an u nfortu nate c o u nter 10 .ll d 7
aga i nst it, which l ed into a d ifficu lt 1 1 Axd7+ �d7
endga m e . 12 c3 f5 ! ?
 Tony Miles 13

At least this m ove is a sp i r ited B lack puts u p the b est d efence he

attem pt to make so m eth ing of h is ca n . I f he spen d s time sav ing h is a ­
positio n . B lack creates wea knesses pawn , h is f-pawn co mes u nder fire,
in his cam p , but also eyes the e4 e.g. 19 ... a6 20 �h4 '.k6 21 �a7
sq uare. l t is d o u btfu l if there was 'il!?b6 22 �e7 ! , and 22 ... .llf 6? fa ils
anyth ing better . to 23 �e6+.
1 3 .ll e 3 'it'c6 20 laxa7 'it'b6
1 4 0-0-0 <ilf7 21 lad7 'it'c6
1 5 lahe 1 laad 8 ! ? 22 lad2 <ild6
Aga inst t h e i m med iate 1 5 . . . <ild6 , 23 lae2
M i les gives 1 6 .ll g 1 <ile4 1 7 <ild2, At the cost of a f o u rth pawn fo r
and after 17 ... �xd2 1 8 �xd2 .ll f 6 the Wh ite b ish o p , Black has
1 9 lae6+ wins. The text-move a l so managed to evict White 's r o o k from
has a m o re hid den d rawbac k , but, the seventh ra n k and now, at last,
once aga i n , there scarcely seem s manages to activate h i s knight.
anything better . White has to p repa re to make
1 6 laxd8 laxd8 grad u a l p rogress . Although h is
16 ... �xd8 wo u l d be retrograd e . t h ree q u eenside pawns a re a l l passed ,
After 1 7 .ll f 2, a n d n o w either 1 7 . . . they a re a l l bac kwa rd at p resent,
.llf 6 1 8 �e5+, o r 1 7 . . . e 6 1 8 .ll h 4, and , although he a l so has th ree
Blac k 's positi o n wou l d be hanging pawns to two on the k ingside,
by the m erest t h rea d . B l ac k 's fo rces a re wel l p l aced to
h o l d them bac k .
··�
- �-��
f@; � -·
- 23 . . . h5!?
��t -
�� . m��Et M i les criticised th is m ove after
.ti'. • •
""'""' '"'""'
the ga me, and suggested instead 23
• 11 .t. ... .!£)e4, with the idea o f ... �g8-g4,

• • �jl •
to fo rce White i nto p layi ng g3, and
o n ly then e m barking o n ... h 5-h 4,
••
R �� �-;-
g{).
-� R
.::O Jl"� • •• •
�L� to effect excha nges .
.!.!.W� �.!.!.��
.::. if�
24 h4 !
ji!•
.""'""�"&; ��ff
"' LJ %••''
• '--- -" This m ove, which G l igoric may
have overl o o ked , sho rt-c i rcu its a l l
1 7 .ll x c5 ! ea sy methods of si m p l ification o n
N ow, o n the other hand , l ightn i ng t h e k i n gsid e . White's k n ight i s a b l e
str i kes from a d ifferent d i recti o n . t o m a k e u se of g 5 .
After the text-m ove , White wins 24 . . . <ile4
m o re than sufficient m ateria l for 25 <ilg5
his sacrificed p iece . Incidenta l l y serving the d u a l
17 'it'xc5 p u r p o se o f u ndermining B lac k 's
1 8 laxe7 laf8 grip o n e4. I f B lack sho u l d ever
19 laxb7 .ll f 6 ! exchange on g5, White wi l l get a
14 Tony Miles

strong, passed g-pawn . so meth ing c o m p l etely d ifferent in

25 r�Jd5 m i n d , i .e . to p revent White p laying
26 ®c2 �a8 g3. The o n ly chance was 31 ... E!. h 8
27 a3 ct:ld6? ! w h i c h req u i res Wh ite aga i n t o slow
This m ove a l l ows White 's roo k to d own the pace of h is app roach by
penetrate i m m ed iate ly, although it p laying 32 E!.e3. In p layi ng the
must be sa i d that Wh ite was a l so text-move, B lack must have missed
th reaten ing to make effective in­ White's rep ly .
roads into t he Black p osit i o n with 32 b4!
ttie moves E!.e3-d 3+. Possib ly the N ow the win is easy, as Wh ite 's
best p ractical chan ce was to sacrifice pawns ga in tem p i to advance, o r ,
B lac k 's knight fo r White's th ree as in t h e ga m e , roo ks a re exchanged
q u eensi d e pawns. After 27 . . . l£lxc3 with an easy th ree pawns versus
21::1 b xc3 E!. xa3 29 l£lf3 E!. x c3+ 30 kn ight endga m e .
�2 ( M i les) , B lack is sti l l in great 32 . . . �xa3
d ifficu lt ies, but White must a l so 0 r if 32 . . . E!.a8 33 a4!
proceed with great care. 33 �a5 E!.xa5
28 E!.e6 ! Or 33 . . . E!.b3 34 ®c2, a nd B la c k 's
Now if 28 . . . l£le8 29 �3. o r 28 roo k is trapped .
. . . .Q.g7 29 E!.g6 .Q.h8 30 E!. h 6 . I n 34 bxa5 ct:le4
o rder not t o b e th rown back O r if 34 .. . Wb 5 35 Wd4,
c o m p l etely o nto the defensive, f o l l owed by g6 and we5 .
B lack has to exchange on g 5 . 35 'i!i>d4 r�Jd 6
28 Axg5 36 a6 <t:lc5
29 �e5+ \t>c6 37 a7 ct:le6+
30 hxg5 h4 38 ®c4 ct:lc7
Black has one last h o pe - l iq u id­ 39 g6 'i!i>e6
at ion o n the ki ngside. 40 'i!i>c5 Resigns
3 1 r�Jd3 �a4?

But this m ove m akes it c lea r that
B lac k 's last m ove was m ad e with
4
M i les Ljubojevi�
Bugojno 1 978
Queen's G ambit , Tarrasch D efence
M i les has a eo Id , no -no nse[lse
app roach when it c omes to c o m b i n­
·
atio ns. To h i m beauty is irrelevant
compared to the centra l q u estion of
whether a sacrifice is so u n d o r not.
In h is gam e against Ljubojevic at
Bugoj n o , he decides that one of h is
 Tony Miles 75

o p p o nent's typically i m aginative

com b i nations is si m p ly i n co rrect .
He takes h is king for a m arch o n
t h e wrong si d e o f h i s pawns to
p rove h is p o int, and wins in rem ark­
ab le fash io n .
1 c4 c5
2 �f3 �f6
3 �c3 e6
4 e3 d5
5 d4 �c6 White's king has to emerge i nto
6 cxd5 exd 5 the o pen . After 1 6 ®g l ? ilth4 17
7 .ile2 .ild6 l:!fe l -t!ih2+ 1 8 'i¥lf 1 -t!ih l + 1 9 \t>e2
8 0-0 0-0 -t!Jxg2 20 ®ell ( o r if 20 l:!f l �xe3)
9 b3 cxd4 20 . . . d 4 ! , and if 21 exd4 �xf2+ 22
10 �xd4 �xd4 !? �2 -t!JQ6+ 23 � 1 Et x e l + 24
The usual m ove here is 1 0 . . . a 6 , -t!ixe l �d3+, B lac k 's attack is
p reparing . . . -t!Jc7 . I n the iso lated decisive .
q u een 's pawn type of position 16 . . . *g5
which has arise n , exchanges with­ 1 7 '*d4 !
out clea r positional goals tend to There n ow begins a cold-blooded
fav o u r the b lockad ing sid e . H ow­ series of 'o n l y ' m oves . 1 7 g3? loses
ever , it soo n beco mes c l ea r that to 1 7 ... -t!ih5+ 1 8 ®92 -t!ih2+ 1 9
Lju b ojevic has so meth ing m o re 'i¥lf3 �xe3. 1 7 Et h 1 ? a l l ows 1 7 . . .
u n usua l in m i n d . d 4 ! 1 8 -t/J x d 4 (or if 1 8 �d l d x e3)
1 1 ihd4 l:!e8 1 8 . . . �xf2+ 1 9 ®h2 -t/Jh6+ 20 ®g 1
1 2 .11 b2 .1le5 �xh l .
1 3 '*d2 .11 g4 !? 17 *h5+
H ere it is. Lj u b ojevic plans a 1 8 l't1g3 �h6
sta rt l ing c o m b i natio n . 19 l:!h 1 !
1 4 .11 x g4! White 's o n ly method is cou nter­
But M i les is thoroughly sceptical attack . There is no simp ler d efence
and fo rces Blac k to show his hand . to the th reat of 1 9 ... �f5+.
N o w if 1 4 . . . �xg4 1 5 h3 �f6 19 . . . �f5+
Blac k 's game wou l d lac k p u nch . 20 l't1f4
Havi ng ex changed two mi no r p i eces Another 'on ly' m ove, but t h is
fo r no co rresp o n d ing i m p rovement time an easy o n e . N ow if 20 ...
in his p osit i o n , Black wou l d b eg i n -t/Jxh 1 2 1 Et x h 1 �xd4 22 exd4,
t o feel t h e wea k ness of h is d-pawn. B lack has i nsufficient c o m pensatio n
14 .ilxh2+ fo r h is mater ia l d eficit.
1 5 lf1xh2 �xg4+ (D) 20 '*o 6
1 6 lf1h3 ! 21 '*xd5 !
16 Tony Miles

G ra b b i ng a pawn , attacking to create a path to safety on the

B lac k 's knight and defend ing g2, q u eensid e for his k i n g . After the
and aga in there was no go o d text-move, B l ac k 's attack peters
a lternative. out.
21 . . . E!e6 27 E!f8+
22 'ltxf5! 28 �3 'ltf3+
N ot 22 g4? tz:Je 7 23 i!Yd2 ( if 23 29 �2 E!d8+
�h 5 i!Yc2) 23 ... E!f6+ 24 ®g3 30 ®c2 'ltd 3+
tz:Jf5+ 25 ®h3 h 5 ( M i l es) . and Black 31 ®c l E!c8
has a raging attack . Nor shou l d 32 E!dl
White choose 2 2 ®f3?, a l l owing 22
... E!ae8 (Th reatening 23 . . . tz:Jxe3 )
23 tz:Jd l tz:Je7, and if 24 i!Yh5 i!Ye4+,
fo l l o wed by 25 . . . .ilh6, as t h is a lso
l eads to d ifficu lties. With the
text-m ove, on the other hand ,
Wh ite is ab le to d raw the ven o m of
the Black attack, by givi ng up h is
q u een for ro o k and two m i n o r
pieces.
22 . . . E!f6
23 g4 ! 32 . . . 'ltxe4?
N ot 23 �xf6? �xf6+ 24 ®g3 This is a b l u nder, which l eads to a
i!Ye5+ 25 ®h3 ( O r if 25 ®f3 �5+ p rematu re end . B lack sho u ld have
26 ®e2? i!Yc2+; o r 25 ®94 i!Ye6+ p l ayed 32 . . . E!xc3+ 33 .ilxc3 ·

26 ®h4 �6+ 27 ®h3? i!Yxf2) 25 i!Yxc3+ 34 ®b 1 �3. after wh ich

. . . �h 5+ 26 ®g3 �e5+ and B lack White has a clea r advantage but sti l l
scram b les o ut with a d raw . n o clea r win . M i les suggests two
23 . . . E!xf5+ possib i l ities :
24 gxf5 'ltg2 ( i ) 35 E!he l ( Lj u b ojevic may we l l
25 E!af l ! have u nd er-est i m ated h is d rawing
White must sti l l be carefu l . 25 chances aga inst this move.) 35 .. .
tz:Je4? loses to 25 .. . E!e8 26 tz:Jf6+ �xf2 36 e5 �5+ 37 ®b 2 (O r if 37
( O r 26 f3 i!Yxb2) 26 . . . gxf6 27 ®cl �e6 38 E!d6 'U!e7 , or 37 'i¥181
E!ag l E!xe4++. N ow if 25 . . . E!d8 'U!e6 ) 37 . . . 'U!e6 38 E!d6 �5 39
(Th reatening 26 . . . E! d 2 ) 26 tz:Je4 ! E!f6 i!Yg4, and it is very d ifficu lt for
E!e8 27 tz:Jg3 . White to advance h is e-pawn with­
25 . . . g5+ out conced ing da ngerous checks to
26 fxg6 fxg6 the Black q u een .
27 e4 ! ( ii ) 35 E! d 8+ ®g7 36 E!d7+ ®f6 37
Alth ough the f-f i le has been E! h x h 7 i!Yxe4+ 38 ®b 2 'U!e5+ 39
o pened , Wh ite has fina l l y managed ®c2 i!Ye2+ 40 E! d 2 , which a l lows
 Tony Miles 17

White to conso l i date and escape 3 d4 Ab4

B l ac k 's checks, but which resu lts i n 4 e3
t h e d isappearance of h i s passed The sharpest m ove is 4 e4 , but
e-pawn , and leads to eno r m o u s then after 4 . . . Ab 7 , B lack gets
technica l d ifficu lties . good p l ay aga inst Wh ite 's e-pawn .
After t h e text-m ove it i s easy . Aga inst b oth 5 f3 and 5 Ad3, Black
33 l3.d8+ rflg7 can answer 5 . . . f5. Aga inst 5 'l*c2
34 l3.d7+ ®1'6 i*h4 6 .ad3 f5 is once aga i n st rong.
35 l3.hxh7 ite 1 + An o ld game, Tarta kower- R�t i ,
36 �2 itxf2+ Goteb o rg 1 920, i nstead conti n u ed
37 �b 1 itf 1 + 5 d 5 ! ?, but after 5 . . . i*e7 6 ile2
38 l3.d 1 itg2 4:lf6 7 i*d4 ex d 5 8 ex d 5 i*e4 ! 9
B lack has run out of checks, and 4:lf3 i*xd4 1 0 4:lxd4 c6, B lack had
now Wh ite 's p ieces ta ke over . After at least eq ual ity .
the text-move, Wh ite can fo rce the 4 ... Ab7
win of Blac k 's q u een . 5 4:le2 f5
39 4:ld5+ rflg5 0 ne of the adva ntages of the new
40 Af6+ Resigns defence is its flexib i l ity . With
Blac k 's king's k n ight st i l l u nde­
vel o ped , B lack is often able to get
in an ea rly . . . f 5 .
5 6 a3 AdS
O lafsson -M iles Al ready the ga me has ta ken o n a
Las Pal mas 1 978 novel aspect . O n d 6 B l a c k 's k i n g 's
English Defence b ishop is p laced m o re actively than
Large ly d u e to the p i o neer ing efforts o n e7 . Equally an exchange on c3
of M i les and other lea d i ng E n g l ish wou ld be passive.
players i n the 1 970s, a new d efence 7 d5 4:lf6
to 1 d4 and 1 c4 was b o r n . Based 8 4:ld4? !
on the o l d m ove 1 ... b 6 , which Better i s t h e stra ightfo rwa rd 8 g3,
itse lf was strongly favou red by and if 8 . . exd5 9 Ag2 0-0 1 0 c x d 5 .
.

another Eng l ish man , the R ev. J o h n
Owen , i n t h e m id d le of t h e n i n e­
teenth centu ry , a who le c o m p lex of
co herent and successfu l ideas was
bu i lt u p . Even strong p layers
suffered at the hands of the n ew
'E n g l ish '. F rid r i k O lafsson is a
vict i m in the fo l lowing, brightly
p l ayed gam e .
1 c4 b6
2 4:lc3 e6
Wh ite was p ro bab ly u nder the
i l l u si o n that he was th reatening to
win a pawn on e6, but B l ac k 's rep ly
shows he can safely ign o re it.
8 ... 0-0 !
9 dxe6 (D) 4:le4 !
This is the p o int of Blac k 's p lay.
Although Wh ite can win a pawn,
Black is far enough ahead in
devel o pment to ma k e a p rom ising
gam b it out of it.
18 Tony Miles

desperate attempt to stem the

advance of the active B la c k fo rces .
H e hopes to emba rrass Black's
q u een by h 5 .
15 . . . <tle4
1 6 h5
1 6 �c2? is out of the q u esti o n .
After 1 6 . . . .ll g 3! 1 7 fxg3 �xg3+
1 8 ®e2 �2+ 1 9 ®d 1 <tlg3, B l ack
is win n i n g materia l .
16 . . . 'ltg4
1 7 <tle5
1 0 �c2? White's m oves a re sti l l fo rced . 1 7
Wh ite had to p lay 1 0 <tlxe4 f x e4 �c2? aga i n l o ses to 1 7 . . . .ll g 3 !
1 1 .ll e 2. 1 t was abso lutely i m perative 17 . . . Axe5
to get his king into safety by k i n g­ Much better than 1 7 . . . <tlxc3? 1 8
si d e cast l i n g . <tlxg4 <tla4, after which Wh ite
10 <tlxc3 wrigg l es out of h is d ifficu lties with
1 1 �xc3 �f6 1 9 c5 ! , a nd if 1 9 ... <tlxc5 20 .ll c 4+
1 2 exd7 <tlxd 7 ®h 8 2 1 <tlh6 !
B lack h a s an exce l l ent ga m e. A l l 1 8 ihe5 Elae8!
h i s p ieces a re d evel o ped ex cept h is So that if 1 9 �xc7 f4 ! , and if
queen 's roo k , which itse lf is about then 20 �x b7 <tlxf 2 ! with a
to swing into action o n a centre decisive attack ( M i les ) .
f i l e . Wh ite , on the other hand , o n ly 1 9 'lth2 <tlxd2
has h is knight a nd q u een d eve l o p ed . 20 ®xd 2 f4!
I n a n o pen positi o n , such as this,
that spel ls tro u b l e .
1 3 Ad2 <tlc5
14 <tlf3
Wh ite co u l d not p lay 1 4 0-0-0 ? ,
because of 1 4 .. . <tle4 a n d both
Wh ite's q u een and f-pawn a re u nder
attack . W ith the text-m ove , Wh ite
offers a q u een exchange, but, of
cou rse , Black d ecl ines it.
14 . . . 'ltg6
1 5 h4 This m ove is sti l l strateg ica l ly
White is sti l l u na b l e to cast l e crush i n g . White's k i n g is hopelessly
q u eensi d e , a n d he cannot deve l o p caught i n the crossf i re of a l l Blac k 's
h i s k i n g 's b ishop b ecau se his g-pawn pieces .
is l o o se . The text-move is an a l m ost 2 1 exf4 Elxf4
 Tony Miles 79

22 -&g3 33 E!f4 �7
White's p o sition is one of abject A si m p le p reparat i o n for . . . -'lc6.
m isery. The text-move is abysm a l , Wh ite has ma naged to f ree h is
b u t clea rly White's k i n g need s p i ece k i n g 's roo k , but at a d isastrous cost
rei nfo rcement if Wh ite is to have to h is pawn-structu re. I n add iti o n ,
any chance at a l l of putting u p h is b ishop rema ins sta lemated . H is
resista nce . game is q u ite l o st .
22 . . . E!d4+? ! 34 E!f3 Ac6
B lack co u l d have won m o re 35 E!d3 E!f2
q u ick ly by keep ing q u eens o n the 36 E! d 1 Aa4
boa r d . After 22 ... *1f5 23 f3 E!d4+ 37 E!e 1 �6
24 ®£:1 E!ed8 25 i*e 1 , it seems as B lack m ight sti l l have chosen to
if M i l es over l o o ked the fo rce of the cont i n u e his restricting po I icy with
si m p l e co ntinuation 25 ... .Q.a6 , and 37 .. . -'lc2 , but now, with h is king
Wh ite no longer has any sensi b le rea dy to advance u p the board to
moves. O n the other hand , the tex t­ win White 's pawn on g3, it is no
move a l so wins, and that in an l o n ger necessa ry .
elega nt endga m e . Perhaps in the 3 8 Ad3
na m e of economy the text-move is Wh ite has noth ing better . I f 38
inaccu rate , but i n terms of aesthetics ®b 1 ®95 39 ®c 1 , for example, 39
that loss is a ga in . ... E!c2+ 40 Wb 1 E!xc3 wins easi ly.
23 �3 'itxg3+ 38 E!xg2
24 fxg3 c5 39 E!f l + �5
25 �b3 40 E!f3 Ac2
Wh ite has no alternative. H is 41 Axc2
pieces have no good m oves. O r if 41 -'lf 1 E!h2 42 E!e3 E!h 1
Although sti l l a pawn u p , h is game 43 E!f3 (43 E!e1 -'ld 3) 43 . . . ®94
is c o m p l etely co nstricted. Black can a n d wins:
pick u p mater ial a l m ost at wi l l . 41 . . . E!xc2
25 E!e3+ 42 E!f7
26 ca7a2 Ac8 B lack has an ea si ly w i n n i ng ro o k
27 E!h4 Ag4 a n d pawn endgame . I f 4 2 Wb 1 E!d 2
28 E!c 1 g5 43 ®£:1 E!d6, and B lack wins the
29 hxg6 hxg6 g-pawn by the manoeuvre ®g4-h 3 ,
Also possi b le was 29 . . . h 5 , and g5-g4 and ®Q2-f2.
B l ac k can win the g-pawn with h is 42 �4
k i n g. This position is certa in ly n ot 43 E!xa7 g5
without its h u m o rous si d e . Wh ite 's 44 E!b7 �g3
k i n g 's roo k is caught in a net . 45 E!xb 6 g4
30 E!c3 E!xc3 46 a4 �h4
31 bxc3 E!d2+ 47 a5 g3
32 ca7a1 Ad7 48 a6 g2
20 Tony Miles
49 � b l �f2
50 a7 �f8
So that si n ce Blac k 's roo k is a b l e
to wi n White's a-pawn , the w i n i s
clea r . B l ac k 's king wins White's
ro o k for his g-pawn .
5 1 'i!i'b2 �a8
52 ®c2 and White resigns
6 putting the q u esti o n to B la c k 's
M iles-Spassky
Manti lla 1 978
Queen's Indian Defence
At the annual 'to u rna m ent of the
wine' in M a nti l l a , M i les p l ayed a
truely vintage attac k i n g game aga i nst
Spassky. With his own invention 4
ilf4 aga inst B l ac k 's Queen 's I nd ian
D efen ce, he q u ic k ly wo rked u p an
i n itiative from the o pening and
then crashed through Spass ky's
defences when the latter went
wrong in the ea r l y m i d d lega m e . I n
the best trad it ion of h i g h q u a l ity
attack i n g games, M i les 's ser ies of
win n i ng moves is i m p ressively q u iet.
H is calcu lations were d eep and
strategica l ly based .
1 d4 4)f6
2 4)f3 b6
3 c4 e6
4 Af4
M i les had d i scovered this m ove i n
a footnote i n t h e Encyclopaedia of
Chess Openings. Strangely it had
been neglected before, yet it
devel o ps a p iece and is a ki n to the
same move , which was p o p u lar at
the time, in the O rt h o d o x Queen 's
G a m b it D ec l i ned . M i l es made the
m ove h is own in 1 978 and sco red
so me remarka b l e successes .
4 ... Ab7
5 e3 Ae7
M i les l o st a ga m e to U l f And ersso n
at the Buenos Ai res O l y m p iad after
5 . . . ilb4+ 6 4)fd 2 ( I f 6 4)bd 2 ile7 ,
and Wh ite's q u ee n 's kn ight has been
d isplaced .) 6 . . 0-0 7 .ild 3 ! ? d 5 ! ? 8
.
0-0 c5 9 a3 ilxd2+. I n l ater games
he was to p refer a n i m m ed iate 7 a3,
king's b ishop rather ea rlier.
6 h3
The p o i n t of this move is to
preserve Wh ite 's king's b ishop from
exchange aga i nst B l ac k 's k i ng's
kn ight after a possi b l e . . . 4) h 5 . T h is
contin u ation was not ment i o n ed i n
ECO a n d can b e rega rded a s M i les's
own in novation .
6 0-0
7 4)c3 d5
8 cxd5 exd 5 ! ?
T h e m o re natu ral recaptu re
wo u l d appea r to be 8 . 4)xd5, . .
wh ich leads to an easi ng exchange
of k n i g hts. After 9 4)xd 5 ilxd5 1 0
.ild 3 c5 ( B rowne a nd R ivas tried 1 0
. . . ilb4+ ! ? aga inst M i les in 1 978,
but regretted it after 1 1 ®e2 ! ild6
1 2 ilxd6, and White has a l ead i n
develo pment .) 1 1 0-0 ilb7, with
the idea of 1 2 ... 4)c6, Black was
a b l e to eq u a l ise CQmfo rta b l y i n
M i les- H u bner, England v West
Germany 1 979 .
9 .!ld3 c5
1 0 0-0 4)c6
1 1 4)e5 (D) c4 !?
This is th e most u nc o m p o m ising
m ove a n d sets the tone of the

fu rther strugg l e . B lack p l a ns a
pawn-storm o n the q u eensi d e .
White i s o b l iged to answer energet­
ica l l y on the other win g . Later in
the yea r , at the O ly m p iad , Spassky
preferred the m o re m od est rep ly 1 1
. . . a 6 . H owever, he a l so lost that
gam e , which cont i n u ed 1 2 �3
g e8 1 3 gad 1 cxd4 14 l£) x c6 .ll x c6
1 5 exd4 b 5 1 6 a3 l£)e4 17 .ll b 1
�b6 1 8 gfe 1 l£)xc3 1 9 �xc3 b 4 20
�g3 bxa3 2 1 b xa3 .lla 4 ! ? 22 ge l
�b2? 23 .ll x h7+ ! ®x h7 24 gxe7
gxe7 25 �h4+ ®98 26 �x e7
�x d4 27 .ll e 5 ! �b6 28 �g5 ! �h 6
29 �x h6 gxh6 30 gc3 ®f8 3 1
gc5! g d 8 3 2 .llf 6 g d 6 3 3 gc8+
.ll e 8 34 .ll d 4 ge6 35 g d 8 ®98 36
g x d 5 ge l + 37 ®h2 gd 1 38 g d 8
®h7 3 9 g 4 gd3 4 0 f4 h 5 4 1 f5 1 -0 .
1 2 .ll c 2 a6
1 3 g4 !
This aggressive m ove is o n ly good
because the centre is closed . White
m u st estab l ish a ki ngside hegemony
to offset Blac k 's advance o n the
queensi d e .
13 b5
14 g5 l£)e8
1 5 'itg4 !
Tony Miles 21
T h is move introduces White 's
queen i nto the atta c k and , by
th reateni n g 1 6 l£)d7 .ll c 8 17 �h4,
i n d uces Black to wea ken h is ki ng­
side pawns.
15 g6
1 6 gad 1 l£)g7
1 7 h4
Although g7 p rovides a u sefu l
sq u a re f o r B l a c k 's k i n g 's kn ight, the
b lack sq uare wea knesses caused by
B lack's 1 5th m ove a re even
weightier . M i les now suggests Black
shou l d try to d o so m et h i ng about
t h is and reco m mends 1 7 . . . b4 1 8
l£)e2 f6.
17 . . . Ab4?
This move, on the other hand , is
a blu nder, which a l l ows Wh ite to
em ba r k on a sacrificia l path . M o re
than just tactica l ly fau lty, it is
strateg ica l ly confused . H aving
embar ked o n a q u eensi d e pawn­
sto r m , B lack sh o u l d cont i n u e with
it .
1 8 l£)d7 !
Spassky su rely d i d not miss t h is
move, but he m u st have u nd er­
est i mated it . The i m med iate th reats
are 1 9 l£)xf8, 1 9 l£) x d 5 and 1 9
l£)f6+.
18 . . . .ll c 8
Spassky was p resu mab ly relying
o n the strength of t h is p i n . I f fi rst
1 8 . . . .ll x c3, White p lays the i nter­
m ed ia ry 1 9 l£)f6+.
1 9 l£)xd 5!
So that if 19 . . . .ll x d7 20 �xd 7 !
Pointless was instead 1 9 l£)f6+?
because of 1 9 . . . �xf6 20 �xc8
�e6 ! and Black wo u l d even have
so m e advantage.
22 Tony Miles
19 . . . �8
20 4)5f6 'Sa7
After 20 . . . �e7 21 �e4 ! is
strong ; or if 20 . . . 4)e7 21 �e5 .
After the text-move, it l o o ks as if
B lack wins a piece, but, in fact,
M i les had seen a l ittle farther, a n d
rea l ised that he cou l d gain decisive
co ntro l of e 5 .
21 d5!
T h e whole p o i nt of t h i s m ove i s
t o a l low White 's q u een 's bishop t o
enter t h e g a m e o n t h e l o n g b la c k
sq uare d iagona l . After that , Black i s
d efen celess aga inst t h e p u n ishing
adva n ce of White's h-pawn . Wh ite
d o es lose a p i ece, but h is positio n a l
tru m p o n t h e b lack sq ua res is
d ecisive c o m p ensati o n . B l ac k 's
p ieces find themselves u nco-
o rd i nated and co m p l etely u na b l e
to p o se a successfu l d efence .
21 . . . 4)e7
lt must be relatively best to p l ay
t h is k n ight to the k i n gsi d e . Aga inst
2 1 . . . 4)a5, M iles gives the convincing
refutati o n 22 h5! 'Sxd7 ( 22 . . .
Slxd7 2 3 �h4 g x h 5 24 �e5 �e7
25 4)xd7 'Sxd7 26 Slf6 , o r 24 . . .
� f 5 25 Slxf5 4) x f 5 2 6 �x h 5 ma kes
n o su b stantive d ifference.) 23 �h4
gx h 5 24 �e5 'Se7 ( O r if 24 . . . �e7
25 �e4) 25 �d4 ! , and Black is
co m p l etely h e l p l ess aga inst White 's
th reat of 26 4)xh 5 . E q u a l ly
inadeq uate is 2 1 . . . 'Sxd 7 22 d x c6
'Sxd 1 23 �x d 1 , and White has a
good extra pawn .
22 .ile5
This time 22 h5? fai ls because
after 22 ... �xd7 23 �h4 gxh5
Black has extra contr o l over g6 and
f5. H owever , against the text-move,
Blac k 's chances a re n i l .
22 . . . 'Sxd7
Or if 22 . . . il x d 7 23 �d4, th reat­
ening both 24 �xa7 and 24 4)xd7 .
23 h 5 !
H aving i nverted th is and h is last
move, Wh ite has denied B lack the
possi b i l ity of rep lying 23 . . . gxh5
because of the i m m ed iate 24 4)xh 5 .
At t h e same t i m e , B lack cannot
p revent Wh ite's major th reat of
si mply a dvancing h is h-pawn to h6.
23 . . . 'Sxd 5
2 4 *f4 !
N ot t h is time p laying to h 4 .
Wh ite 's queen h a s an a lternative
ro l e on the f-f i l e .
24 . . . 'Sxd 1
25 'Sxd 1 *a5
O r if 25 ... �6 26 h6 4)e6 27
4)d7+ f6 28 �xf6+ a n d wins.
26 4)e8 !
T h i s i s n o w t h e c l ea rest move. I f
Black rep lies 2 6 . . . 'Sxe8, White
wins by 27 �6 'Sg8 28 h 6 4)f5 29
Slxf5 �f8 30 �xc8 ; o r in t h is l i ne
if 27 ... 4)f5 28 Slxf5 'Sxe5 29 h6
Slf8 30 h xg7+ �xg7 31 'Sd8+ etc .
(analysis by M i les ) .
26 . . . f6

27 gxf6 r&rg8
Or if 27 . . . Et x e8 28 f7 ! Etf8 29
h6 l£)f5 30 �xf5 .ll x f5 31 h x g7++
( M i les) .
28 l£)xg7 Resigns
R esignation comes as no su rprise .
Alth ough o n ly o ne pawn d own ,
Blac k 's position is c o m p l etely in
shreds.
7 move and p repares the su pporting
Tem pone-M iles
Buenos Aires ( Ciarin) 1 979
English Defence
I n the 2nd Clarin I nternationa l , the
Argentinian Marcelo Tem p o ne
comes to grief aga inst M i les's
fav o u r ite E n g l ish D efence . Winner
of the 1 979 World Cadet Cham p i o n ­
sh i p , Tem pone had a d ifficu lt t i m e
in this his fi rst 'su per-class' grand­
master tou rna m ent . L i ke many
worthy names b efore h i m , h e over­
extend s his position aga inst M i les's
E ngl ish Defence i n a b i d to refute
··
B l a c k 's entire opening strategy.
M i les ma rsha ls h is forces co nvi n c­
ingly and metes out a t h o ro u g h
reb uff.
1 c4 b6
2 d4 e6
3 d5!?
T h e idea behind the a m bitious
text-move is to estab I ish a central
wedge of pawns based on control of
d 5 . I f Wh ite can carry through
su ch a strategy successfu l ly , B l ac k 's
p ieces wi l l find it d ifficu lt to
estab I ish effective outp osts. H ow­
ever, Blac k 's ho pes rest in the
Tony Miles 23
currently f l u id state of the o pposing
pawn st ructu res. H e can wo rry
White's position i n a n u m ber of
ways, one of the m o re u nusual of
these i n the cu rrent position being
the su rprisi ng q u een fo ray 3 . . .
�h4 ! ?
3 ... l£)f6
4 g3
The m o re co m m o n move here is
4 a3 , by which Wh ite expends a
tempo to p revent B l a c k 's next
move 5 i£lc3. Tempone's move is
a lso strateg ica l l y motivated by a
si m i lar desi re to su p p o rt h is centra l
pawns, b ut perhaps d oes not put as
many obstacles i n the way of
B l ac k 's fu rther devel o pment.
4 .ll b4+
5 .ll d 2 'fle7
6 .llg 2 c6!
M i les wastes n o time i n attacking
Wh ite's pawns. An i nteresting a lter­
native was 6 ... e x d 5 7 c x d 5 l£)e4,
after which Wh ite ca n mainta i n h is
powerf u l pawn o n d 5 by 8 l£)f3
l£)x d 2 9 l£)b x d 2 , but o n ly at the
cost of conced ing the b isho p-pair.
7 dxc6
Wh ite has to exchange h is d -pawn,
for if 7 l£)c3, Black ca n p roceed
energetica l ly with 7 . . . .ll a 6 ! , and if
8 �b 3? �c5 and wins a pawn , or 8
b3 ex d 5 9 cxd 5 0-0, and it is
d ifficu lt for W h ite to c o m p lete h is
deve l o p ment .
7 ... dxc6
8 l£)c3?!
Wh ite sho u l d have p referred 8
�2 (to cover e4) 8 .. 0-0 9 l£)f3
.
and 1 0 0-0 . After the text-move,
24 Tony Miles
B lack is a b l e to wo r k u p p lay
aga inst Wh ite's c-pawn .
8 ... 0-0
9 �f3 .11 a 6 !
T h is is an awkward m ove to m eet .
I f 1 0 '*b3? '*c5 and White 's c­
pawn fa l l s.
1 0 �e5?!
Re latively best was 1 0 b3,
a lthough after 1 0 ... El.d8 1 1 '*c2
e5 1 2 0-0 �bd7, Black c l early has
no p ro b lems. The text-m ove, o n the
other hand , l eads to u nfavou rab le
excha nges and an o pen position for
B lack in which he has a c l ea r l ead i n
deve l o p m ent. After t h e t e x t Wh ite
stands wo rse .
10 . . . El.d8
1 1 '«rc2 .11 d 6 !
S o that i f 1 2 f4? ! '*c7 . Wh ite is
q u ite u na b l e to mainta i n his kn ight
o n its o utpost on e5 a nd has no
a lternative but to accede in the
exchanges that f o l l ow.
1 2 �xc6 �xc6
1 3 .11 x c6 El.ac8
14 '«ra4
If 1 4 .11g 2 .11 x c4; or if 1 4 .11f 3
El. x c4 . I f 1 4 .11 b 5? ! .11 b 7 1 5 0-0 a6
1 6 .11 a 4 El. x c4, and White's k i n g 's
b ishop is h o pelessly p l aced .
14 . . . El.xc6 !
So that if 1 5 '*xc6? .llb 7 wins.
1 5 'itxa6 .11c 5 !
Although tem p o ra ri ly a pawn
d own , Black has such a grip on the
p o sit i o n that h e m u st at l east wi n
it back with advantage . The
i m med iate th reat is 1 6 . . . .11 x f2+,
a n d if 1 6 El.d 1 13cd6 1 7 .11 c 1 ( o r 1 7
.11 f 4 e5) 1 7 . . . �g4 1 8 e3 ( o r 1 8 0-0
.11 x f2+) 1 8 . . . �6. with wi n n i ng
t h reats. I f 1 6 e3, to p repare 1 7
0 -0-0, Black repl ies 1 6 . . . El.cd6 1 8
0-0-0 ( 1 8 El.d 1 ? '*d 7 ) 1 8 ... '*d 7 ,
a n d if 1 9 �b 1 �e4 wins.
1 6 0-0-0 �g4!
T h is m ove is much st ro nger than
1 6 ... .11 x f2, which a l l ows Wh ite to
recover h is balance with 1 7 .11g 5 .
N ow, i nstead , Wh ite's usefu l
d efensive knight is d rawn over to
the ki ngsi d e and exchanged off
aga inst Blac k 's k n ight. The resu lt is
that White's defences a re wea kened
a nd B l a c k 's p ressu re o n the queen­
si de persists.
1 7 �e4 �xf2
1 8 �xf2
Of cou rse , not 1 8 .11 g 5? f6 1 9
El. x d 8+ '*x d 8 20 �xf2 .11 x f2 2 1
.11 d 2 � 5 a n d wins.
18 . . . .11 x f2
1 9 .11 b 4
Or if 1 9 .11 c 3 El.dc8, and if 20 b 3
� 5+ 2 1 ®b2 b 5 .
19 '«rg5+
20 �b 1 El.dc8
2 1 '«rb5
There is not much to choose
b etween th is m ove and 2 1 '*xa7
El. xc4. B l ac k 's advantage derives not
o n ly from h is contro l of the c-f i l e
 Tony Miles 25

and m o re actively p laced p ieces, I n fact Black had a choice of

but a l so from his sou nder set of good moves. 29 . . . E!. xc4 was a l so
pawns. p ossi b le, si n ce i n t h is position 30
21 *g6+ � 2 can be answered by 30 .. .
22 � 1 *e4 E!.xc3 3 1 bxc3 E!.a7 and wi ns .
F ro m th is p owerfu l p ost , B l ac k 's 30 a3
q u een d o m i nates the b o a rd . White 's Of cou rse, if 30 cxb5 E!.xc3 and
e-pawn and his c-pawn a re i n 3 1 ... E!.a7 wins. H owever , even the
tro u b l e . text-move cannot sto p Black's over­
23 J;lhf1 a6 ! whe lming attac k .
M u c h the m ost accu rate m ove i n 30 . . . b4!
t h e positio n . Of cou rse , n o t 23 . . . 31 Axb4 .!ld4!
*xe2?? 24 'l*xc6 etc ., a n d n o t 2 3 This move was the p o i n t of the
. . . �xc4? ! 2 4 'l*xc4 E!.xc4 25 .ll c 3, advance of B l ac k 's b -pawn . N ow if
with 26 E!.d7 to fo l l ow, o r 23 . . . 32 E!. b 1 .!lxb2+, and Wh ite is q u ite
E!.xc4? ! 24 Ac3 �xe2 25 �d 7, a nd lost.
Wh ite has u n necessa ry cou nter­ 32 Ad2 E!.a7
chances. 32 . . . E!.b6 a l so wins, but the text­
24 *xa6 *xe2 move is much m o re aesthetic. The
25 .!lc3 h6! Wh ite queen cannot brea k h er
N ot 25 . . . E!.xc4? 2 6 b 3 , a n d i f 2 6 defence of a3, because of . . . E!.xa3+,
. . . �c2 2 7 'l*xc4 a n d wins. . .. i*d 3+ and mates, a nd is caught
26 *b7 E!.8c7 i n a neat carouse l .
N ow if 26 . . . E!. x c4? 27 't*g2 . 33 '*f8 E!.c8
2 7 *b8+ ®11 7 34 '*d 6 E!.d 8
28 '*f8? 35 *b4 J;lb8
H ere, however , White shou ld h ave 36 J;lfe 1
borne h is opponent's q u eensid e O r else Wh ite's b -pawn fa l ls.
th reats m o re ea rnestly i n m i n d . 2 8 36 E!.xb4
b3 was n o w fo rced , after which 37 J;lxe2 E!.xa3+
Blac k wou l d have to co ntent h i m ­ Resigns
se lf with t h e grad u a l advance o f h is Wh ite is elega ntly mated in two .
e-pawn (28 . . . f6 , 29 . . . e5 etc . ) .
This sti l l sh o u l d w i n t h e game for
him, b ut all i m m ed iate attacks a re
ru led out. 8
28 . . . f6 Karpov-M iles
29 *aS Skara 1 980
White may have intended 29 St George's D efence
Axf6? g xf6 30 't*xf6 , but it l o ses at M i les's b izarre victo ry over Karpov
o n ce to 30 . . . E!. d 6 . i n the 1 9 80 E u r o p ea n Team
29 . . . b5! C h a m p io nship F i n a l s at Skara was
26 Tony Miles
a l m ost u n rea l . An u nashamed
psyc h o l ogical p o i nt , the win was
ach ieved m o re by the methods of
R u ssian rou l ette than conventional
chess . M i les showed abso lutely n o
respect for the Wo rld C h am p i o n ,
a n d h is m oves f r o m t h e sta rt were
qu ite del iberate ly p rovocative .
Karpov showed a woefu l u n read iness
to ta ke u p any of h is o p p onent's
cha l lenges, even where it seem ed
that they m ight q u ite easi ly be
unso u nd . C o m p lete ly p u nch-d ru n k
i n the m idd le-game, h e si m p ly
b l u nd ered away a clea r p awn .
1 e4 a6? !
T h e i m m o rtal Ad o lp h Anderssen
used to p lay this move with B l ac k ,
a n d even wo n a fam o us game with
it aga i nst the legendary American
Pau l M o rphy. H owever , in those
days, it was not yet a lways
cu sto mary for White to have the
move, so that the m ove 1 . . . a6 was
the f irst move!
2 d4 b5
3 .[)f3 Ab 7
4 .11 d 3 .[)f6
5 'lte2 e6
By transpositio n , the o peni ng has
reached a main l in e p ositio n of what
the i ngen i o u s E n g lish master
M i chael Basman cal l s the 'St
G eo rge's D efence'. At Skara, the
rest of M i les's team -mates lab e l led
the opening 'The B i r m ingham
D efence', largely i n honour of
M i les 's home town , but they were
u nawa re that the red o u btab le
Basman had a l ready p ractised the
system i n forty of his ga rnes in
1 979. Basm a n , a nti-theoretician par
excellence , a nd a l o ng with G rand­
master G u rgen idze of the USSR
p robab ly j o int wo rld cham p ion in
t h is specia lised field , modestly
argued t h at h is claim to be the true
p io neer of the defence sho u l d be
respected and suggested the a ltern­
ative title 'St G eo rge's Defence'.
Since St G eo rge is Eng land 's patron
saint and M i les's b i rthday actua l ly
fal ls o n St Geo rge's day, t h is name
ref l ects b oth the system's ' Engl ish­
ness' and is eq u a l l y a trib ute to
M i les .
6 a4 c5!?
6 . . . b 4 is a safer a lternative . H ow­
ever , M i les's strategy was to co nfuse
Karpov, not to a l low h i m to slow
the ga me d own to p o sitio na l l ines.
The text-move offers a ga m b it o n
specu l ative g ro u nds. I n so me l i nes
B lack does get compensat io n ; i n
others, i t i s f a r l ess c l ea r .
7 dxc5 ! ?
l t is far from c l ea r whether Wh ite
can not si m p l y go a h ea d with 7 e5
�d 5 8 a x b 5 a x b 5 9 l3xa8 ilxa8 1 0
ilxb 5 . Another a lternative is 7 . . .
c 4 8 exf6 c x d 3 9 f x g 7 ilxg7 1 0
itxd 3, and although B lack has the
b ishop-pair, it is sti l l an o pen
q u esti o n whether they outweigh
the sacrificed pawn .
7 ... .11 x c5
8 .[)bd 2 ! ?
Karpov d ucks the co m p l ications a
seco nd t i m e . l t is sti l l not c l ea r t hat
White cannot p lay for the win of a
pawn with 8 e 5 <i:ld5 ( 8 . . . �g4 9
0-0 b4 1 0 h 3 h 5? ! 1 1 h xg4 hxg4 1 2
�g5 is i nsufficient. ) 9 axb5 axb 5
1 0 l3xa8 ilxa8 1 1 ilxb 5. After 1 1
 Tony Miles 27

. . . 'l*a5+ 1 2 c3 'l*a 1 ( o r 1 2 . . . 'l*a2 ) 1 6 �xf6+ 'l*xf6 1 7 4:lg5 ! , Wh ite

1 3 .Q.d 3, fo r exam p l e , White's st i l l has a l ittle the better of it .
position is a l ittle u nco mfo rtab le 12 flc7
but there is nothing concrete for 1 3 c4 bxc3
Blac k . Karpov's choice, h owever , is 14 �xc3 �xc3
certa i n ly not yet an erro r . H e p la ns 1 5 Axc3 �b4!
to b u i ld u p p ressure i n the centre . White has achieved h is aim of
8 ... b4 exchanging B l a c k 's knight o n d 5,
Of cou rse, Black co u ld not l eave b u t the cost has been a rather
his b -pawn en p r ise any l o n ge r . untidy pawn structu re on the
G iven time, even Karpov m ight ta ke q u eensi d e . b 4 is a particu larly
it! u sefu l square for B l a c k 's k n i g ht,
9 e5 �d5 whence it th reatens, u nder certai n
Basi ca l ly , Blac k 's grip on t h is ci rcu msta n ces, to replace i t s former
sq uare is the main p o i nt of St c o l l eague o n d 5 .
G eo rge's D efence. M i les ( and
· 1 6 Axb4
Basman, et of.) used to p l ay 1 ... b 6 White parts with the b isho p-pai r .
agai nst 1 e4, and f o u n d that B l a c k 's H owever, as this exchange i nvo lves
king's kn ight was a lways in great his less active q u een 's b ish o p , the
danger of being evicted from the transaction is rea d i ly u nderstand­
i m p o rtant d5 sq uare by c4 . H en ce able. I f 1 6 .ll b 1 !? Wh ite's q u een's
the b i rth of the idea of the extended r o o k is i n da nger of rema i n i ng
queenside fia n chett o , which perm its i nterned .
Black to anchor h is knight. 16 Axb4
10 �e4 Ae7 1 7 Elac 1 flb6
1 1 0-0 �c6 1 8 Ae4 0-0?!
1 2 Ad2? !
I n sp ite of the d ifficu lties i nvo lved,
Karpov d ecides that his b est p lan is
sti l l to play fo r c4 and to u nd er­
mine B l ac k 's knight on d 5 . H owever ,
rather m o re si m p l e and , acco rd ing
to M i les himself, rather m o re
dangerous is to p l ay f o r lo ng-term
p ressu re o n the dark sq ua res with
1 2 .llg 5. B l a c k 's o n ly reply is then
1 2 . . . 0-0 , and after 1 3 .Q.xe7 'l*xe7
1 4 'l*d 2 ( I f 1 4 �d 6 ! ? �f4 ! , and This is the m ost comp lex mo ment
now not 1 5 .Q.xh7+? �x h7 1 6 of the game. B lack cou l d p repare
'l*e4+ �g6 1 7 4:lxb 7 d 5 and wins. ) this m ove and eq u a l ise g radua l l y by
1 4 . . . f6 ( O r e lse White's dark 1 8 ... .ll x e4 1 9 'l*xe4 !!dB, fo l l owed
sq uare b i n d persists . ) 1 5 exf6 4:lxf6 by . . . .ll e7 and . . 0-0 . However,
.
28 Tony Miles
i nstead M i les offers White a E! xf4+ ! ? ®xe5) 27 . . . E! h B ( 2B i!l/h3
su rprising o p p o rtu nity.
1 9 <tlg5 ! ?
K arpov d o es n o t ta ke i t ! B u t h e
co u l d have p l ayed 1 9 .Q. x h 7+ ®x h7
20 4)g5+ ®g6 (20 . . . ®QB? 2 1 i!l/h 5
etc. is trivia l , and 20 . . . ®h6? 2 1
E!c4 etc . i s eq u a l l y futi le) 2 1 i!ltg4,
with a raging atta c k . N o d o u bt b oth
players consid ered this possi b i l ity,
and M i les, i n particu lar, must have
felt confid ent that his positi o n
cou l d have been d efended , b u t
thi ngs a re n o t a l l that si m p l e . Here,
i n a j o int a na l ysis b y the auth o rs,
are so m e p ossi b le l i nes, which d o
not p retend t o com p leteness, but
which d o enough to ind icate that
White 's attac king chances were
certa inly rea l :
(a ) 2 1 . . . f6? ! 22 4)x e6+ ®f7 23
<tlxfB ®xfB ( O r if 23 . . . .Q.xfB or 23
... E!xfB 24 i!l/x d7+ fo l l owed by 25
E!c7 a nd wins) 24 exf6 gxf6 25
i!ltxd7 E!dB 26 i!l/h7 , and Blac k 's
k i n g is fata l l y exposed .
( b ) 2 1 . . . f5 22 i!l/g3 (22 exf6?
®x f6 23 4)h7+ ®f7 24 i!l/h 5+ g6
25 4)g5+ ®e7, and B l ac k 's king
escapes), and now :
( b 1 ) 22 . . . f4? ! 23 i!l/g4 ®h6 (23
... E!f5? 24 4)xe6+) 24 i!l/h4+ ®96
25 i!l/h 7+ ®xg5 26 h4+ ®g4 27
i!l/g6+ ®xh4 2B g3+ fxg3 ( 2B ...
®h3 29 i!l/h 5++) 29 E!c4+ and
mates .
(b2) 22 ... ®h 5? ! 23 E!c4 ( 23
4)h7 ! ? ®h6 ! ) 23 . . . f4 24 i!l/h3+!
®xg5 25 i!l/h7 g6 (25 . . . E!f5 26
h4+ ®g4 27 i!ltg6+ ®xh4 2B E!xf4+
E! xf4 29 g3+ ®h3 30 i!l/h 5+ and
mates) 26 g3 ®f5 27 gxf4 ! (27
mate was the th reat, and if 27 ...
.Q.e4 2B i!l/h3+ ®xf4 29 i!l/h4+ ®xe5
30 E! x e4+ ®d6 3 1 E! x b 4 wins. ) 2B
i!ltf7+ ®g4 29 i!l/xg6+ ®f3 30 i!l/g3+
®e2 3 1 E!c2+ .Q.d2 32 E! x d 2+ ®x d 2
33 i!l/c3+ ®e2 34 E! e 1 mate.
( b3) 22 .. . i!l/d4? ! 23 h 3 (Also
possi b le is 23 4)xe6+ i!ltg4 24
4)xfB+, fo l l owed b y 25 E!c7) 23 . . .
®h 5 ! ? (23 . . . i!!td 5 ! ? 2 4 4)xe6+
®f7 25 4)f4 is wi n n i n g . ) 24 E!c7 ! ,
a n d i f 2 4 . . . .ll c 6 2 5 <tlxe6 ! , or if
24 . . . .Q.d5 25 <tlh7 ! , or 24 . . . i!l/d 5
25 4)f3 ®h6 26 i!l/h4+ etc .
( b4) 22 . . . .ll e7 (Th is seems to be
the best try ) 23 4)x e6+ (23 a 5 ! ? )
23 . . . ®f 7 2 4 i!l/xg7+ ®x e 6 ( 24 . . .
®eB? 2 5 i!ltg6+ E!f7 2 6 4)g7+) 2 5
i!ltg6+ .Q.f6, a nd n o w :
(b4i ) 26 exf6? E! gB 27 E!fe 1 +
.Q.e4 2 B E! x e4+ fxe4 2 9 i!l/x e4+
®xf6 a n d Black wins.
(b4i i ) 26 E!fe 1 ! .Q.e4 ( Black must
b lock the e-f i l e . ) 27 g4 ! (27 exf6?
E!gB b4i ) 27 ... ®e7 ( N ot 27 . . .
=
®xe5? 2B i!ltxf5+ o r 27 . . . i!ltd4? 2B
fled 1 i!l/x e5 29 gxf5+ etc . And if
27 . . . d5? 2B a 5 ! which either gains
Wh ite's roo k d ecisive access to c6
or just as dec isively d efl ects Blac k 's
q u een from the a7-g 1 d iago nal : e.g .
2B . . . i!l/b 7 29 exf6 E! xf6 30 gxf5+
�7 3 1 i!l/g3 ! , with th reats of E!c7+
and f3 ; o r if 30 . . . ®e5 3 1 f4+
®xf4 32 E! f 1 + ®e5 33 i!ltg3+ a n d
mates.) 2B exf6+ (2B g 5 ! ? E!aeB ! ?
2 9 exf6+ ®d B 3 0 h4 i s also
fasc i nati ng.) 2B. . . . ®d B (29 .. .
i!l/xf6? 30 i!l/xf5 a n d wins; o r 29 . . .
E! xf6? 30 E! x e4+ fxe4 3 1 � x e4+
a nd 32 i!ltxaB etc. ) 29 g 5 ! , and the
 Tony Miles 29

co m p l ications continue. 35 AdS

19 h6 36 �1 .ll e !>
20 .ll h 7+ �8 37 ®e1 �h8
21 .ll b 1 .ll e 7 38 f4
22 <tle4 �ac8 This leads to the fo rced loss of a
23 'ltd3?? seco nd pawn , but, i n a ny case ,
Karpov si m p l y puts a pawn en Wh ite was power l ess to prevent
prise ! H ow often d oes he ever d o Blac k 's roo k rea c h i ng the eighth
that? 23 <tlc3 was a so u nd a ltern­ ran k, after which B lack co u ld
at ive . Black has at least eq u a l ity , choose a l m ost at wi l l wh ich of
but sca rcely much m o re . White's pawns to ra ise the pressu re
23 �xc 1 aga inst .
24 �xc 1 'ltxb 2 gxf4
38
25 �e 1 39 <tlxf4 .ll c 6
O r if 23 �c7 .ll c 6 a n d Wh ite has
40 <tle2 �h 1 +
not h i ng.
41 ®d 2 �h2
25 'ltxe5
42 g3 .ll f 3
26 'ltxd 7 .ll b 4
43 �g8 �g2
27 �e3 'ltd5
44 '\Yil! 1 Axe2
F o rcing the q u eens off , after
45 .ll x e2 �xg3
which the endgame is co m p l etely
46 �a8
stra ightfo rwa rd .
28 'ltxd 5 .ll x d5 Of cou rse, if Wh ite exchanges
29 <tlc3 �c8 roo ks, B l a c k 's two connected
30 <tle2 g5 passed pawns a re sufficient to wi n
31 h4 ®g 7 the b ishops of opposite co l o u rs
32 hxg5 hxg5 endga m e .
33 .ll d 3 a5 46 . . . Ac7
34 �g3 �6 Resigns
35 �g4 The game was adjo u rned , but
Preventmg 35 . . . .ll c 4, which White did not return to conti n u e . If
wo u l d fo rce off white sq uare 47 �a7 Etc3, o r if 47 'i!W 2 Etg5 48
bishops and a l low B l ac k 's roo k to Eta7 Etc5, and i n both cases Black
penetrate; but Black has a l ternative has co nso l idated h is position and
means. his passed pawns wi l l wi n .
2 Jan T imman
" . . . he d oes not l i m it h imself, h e has ta lent, and hP. works hard "...
Ljubomir Kovolek (US Chess Life & Review)
Th is was L u b o m i r K avale k 's
response to a q uest i o n after the
1 975 Wijk aan Zee Tournament o n
what h e thought about J a n T i m man.
Certain ly T i m m an has few l i m it­
atio ns when he comes to the chess
board . H is theo retical contributions
can be found sp r i n k led t h roughout
a l m ost any m ajo r opening system .
Few p l ayers can b oast such a vast
reperto i re of complex o pen ing
variations which they m ight e m p l o y
to su rp rise , u pset, o r bam boozle
thei r opponents. When one t h i n ks
of T i m man , the wo rd 'novelty'
i m m ed iately comes to m ind . A
sym b o l which is freq u ently
attached to chess n ovelties is ' ! ?',
and th is sym b o l a lso c o m es to m in d
when rega rd ing Timman . B u t h is
capacity fo r find ing n ove l m oves
and conceptions sho u ld not be
m ista ken f o r the f l ag rant ' rambu nc­
tiousness' of y o ut h o r l esser talents.
He works hard and usu a l ly comes
to the board we l l -p repared with
either an opening or m i d d legame
i n n ovatio n , or a twist which m ight
particu larly cha l l enge the psych o­
logical constitution o f h is o p p o nent.
In a b road sense , T i m m a n can be
viewed as a 'p l ayer of ideas', wh ich,
when successfu l ly c o m b i n ed with
h is tactical capacities and h o m e
p repa rat ion, p resent o n e with a
marvel lo u s i m p ressi o n o f b o a rdwide
contro l and p rofu nd ity . Looking at
h i m o n e sees an a rtist , a man who is
happy creating, si m p ly for the sake
of c reating; a man who carries the
conviction that the chessboard is
the canvas whereby he can most
satisfacto r i ly exp ress h is a rtist ry .
Winning o r losing j u st g ives a h int
32 fan Timman
that h is 'c reatio n ' is g ood o r b ad ,
and hen ce h is i m m ense fighting
sp i r it may be a ref lect i o n of effo rts
to give an idea a fair chance fo r
eva l u atio n .
T i m m an is h ig h ly esteem ed by h is
chess co l leagu es . H is h o m e in
Amsterdam is a favou rite sto pping
p l ace fo r 'American' g randmasters
such as Kava lek and S ham kovich ,
who a lways retu rn h o m e refu rb ished
with Tim man ideas and noth ing b ut
p ra ise fo r h is talent. T here a re few
p l ayers who wou ld den y that he is
l i kely to be a serious W o r l d Champ­
ionsh i p contender i n t h e years to
come . Writing in Chess Life and
Review ( N ovember 1 978 ) , G l igoric
says of T i m m a n , ' H is resu lts in such
b ig tou rna m ents as Bugojn o , N i ksi c,
and Amsterdam wi l l be ha rd to
riva l , but even more i m p o rtant is
his way of p l aying ch ess, which is
an exam p le to his co l l eagues .:· So
we m ight ask , where d i d the found­
ati o ns for 'h is way of p laying chess'
come from?
Timman states that h is i d o l s were
Botv i n n i k a nd Smyslov , and later
F ischer, and even late r Alekhine !
This is very en l ighten in g , for when
we consider the featu res of a
typical T i m man ga me, s o m e co m b­
ination of the u n i q u e c hess charact­
erist ics fo r wh ich eac h of these
p l ayers is renowned can a l m ost
l itera l ly be p o i nted to . Botvi n n i k is
seen in the scientif ic manner in
which Timman a p p ro ac h es chess
strategy and in his effo rts to
ach ieve com p lete boardwide
co ntro l ; Smyslov g ives h i m so m e of
h is hypermodern and original
opening ideas; F ischer appears in
h is w i l l ingness to enter crucia l ,
sharp variations, h is fighting sp i r it,
and p recise endgame p lay ; and
fina l l y Alekhine is p resent in h is
c reative gen i u s and comb inative
abi l ity . Szab o g ives credence to this
last ana logy by p resenting the
fo l l owing A l e k h i n e q u ote befo re
Timman 's b ri l l iancy p ri ze game
aga inst Soso n k o from Amsterd a m ,
1 97 4 : 'I am happy when I can
create c o m p l ete ly alone.'
Timman-Soson ko, Amsterdam 1 974
1 e4 c5 2 ltlf3 d 6 3 d4 cxd4 4
ltlxd4 ltlf6 5 ltlc3 g6 6 .ll e 2 .ll g 7 7
.ll e 3 ltlc6 8 h 4 ! ? (Timman has
avo ided the p o p u l a r main l i nes
resu lting fro m 6 f3 b ecause they a re
Soso n k o 's specia l ity, and instead
reverts to the m ethods of Smy l ov
in h is 1 9 58 match against
Botvin n i k .) 8 .. . h5 9 f3 0-0 1 0
'l*d 2 d 5 1 1 ltlxc6 b xc6 1 2 e5
ltld7? ! ( E x perience has shown that
the B lack knight is m o re effective
from the 'b lockad e sq uare' e6,
which can be reached via . . . ltle8-c7,
with ... f6 st i l l possi b le as a cou nter
measu re. This m ove is p ro bably the
main so u rce of So so n ko 's tutu re
prob !ems.) 1 3 f4 'l*a5 1 4 g4
(Timman d o es not waste any time
in starting to attac k ! ) 14 . . . h xg4 1 5
h 5 ! g x h 5 1 6 E! x h 5 f5 (Soso n ko
p ro bab ly thought that th is move
conso l idates h is posit i o n , b u t it is
met with an u n p l easant su rp rise . )
1 7 .ll x g4! fxg4 ( B lack's o n ly
reasonab l e a lternative to accepting

the sacrifice was 1 7 . . . <tlb6, but
then after 1 8 .ll e 2 White 's attack
conti n u es.) 1 8 'l*d3 E!f7 1 9 e6 l£:lf6
20 exf7+ ®xf7 21 Ete5 ! (Stymying
any p otentia l counterp lay, si n ce 2 1
. . . l£:le4 can be m et by 2 2 'l*xe4 ! )
21 . . . E! b 8 2 2 0-0-0 E!b4 ( Based o n
a ser ious oversi ght which u nf o rtu n­
ate ly concea l s the depth of
Timman's p lay ; o n the better try
22 . . 'l*b4, White cou l d p lay si m p ly
. E!b 5 32 E!h4 1 -0 .
23 b 3 . ) 23 a3 E!c4?? 24 'l*xc4 1 -0 .
Tim man's devel o p m ent towards
his p resent positio n as eq ual fifth
on the F I D E rat i ng l ist ( 2625) was
an evolutio na ry p rocess over a
n u m b er of years. H e was b o r n i n
Amsterdam o n 1 4 D ecem ber 1 9 5 1 ,
l iving there for m o st of h is f irst 20
yea rs ; his chess ta l ents and i nterests
were a l ready q u ite a pparent at
sch oo l . I n a report in Chess (August
1 966) o n the 1 966 G l o rney C u p
Tou rnam ent (a Eu ropea n j u n i o r
tea m cham p i o nship). J o h n L ittle­
wood closes with 1 4-year -o Id
Timman's game aga inst Davies
(Wa l es). which he ca l l s 'remarkab ly
matu re'.
We'l l let the reader decide for
h i m self :
Timman-Davies, Glorney Cup 1 966
1 d 4 <tlf6 2 c4 g6 3 <tlc3 Ag7 4 e4
d6 5 f3 0-0 6 Ae3 l£:lbd7 7 'l*d 2 c 5
8 d 5 E! e 8 9 A d 3 a6 1 0 l£:lge2 l£:le5
1 1 a3 e6 1 2 0-0 exd 5 1 3 cxd 5 b 5
1 4 b4 c4 1 5 Ac2 'l*c7 1 6 a4 b x a4
1 7 E! xa4 Ad 7 1 8 E!a2 E!eb 8 1 9 f4
(Th is begins the k i ngsi d e o nslaught
which wi ns the game : I doubt
}an Timman 33
whether Jan Timman today wo u l d
be a b l e to p repare and carry o u t t h e
attack in a m o re convi ncing
manner ! ) 1 9 ... l£:leg4 20 Ad4! l£:le8
( I f 20 ... E!xb4 then 2 1 h 3 f o l lowed
by e5 with a raging attack .) 21 h 3
.ll x d4+ 2 2 'l*x d4 l£:lgf6 2 3 e5 l£:lh5
24 e6 ! fxe6 25 d x e6 Axe6 26 .ll e4
E!a7 27 f5 Af7 28 fxg6 hxg6 29
l£:ld 5 'l*d7 30 l£:lef4 l£:lxf4 3 1 E! xf4
H is parents approved of chess a s
long a s it d i d n o t result i n t h e
neg lect of schoolwo r k . H is sch o o l­
ing was co m p l eted with the a b i l ity
to spea k F rench , G erman, a n d
E ng l ish, and a rea d i ng ab i l ity in
Latin and G reek . An i nterest i n
l iterature was d evelo ped d u ring
these yea rs and has p ersisted . H ow­
ever, u p o n completing his schoo l i ng
T i m m a n d eclared h is 'l ib eratio n ' b y
b eco ming a chess professio na l . Th is
d i d not p lease h is parents, but when
he b ecame a grand master after the
1 974 N ice O ly m p iad , his vocation
was accepted by them .
Tim man attrib utes h is p rogress
b etween the yea rs 1 967 and 1 969
to week ly afternoon training
sessi o ns with the D utch I nter­
nat i o na l Master Bouwmeester. O ne
wonders how many cou ntries there
are o utsi d e of the Sovi et U ni o n and
the Eastern B l o c cou ntries where
t h is wou l d o ccu r on a regu lar basis?
H is m aj o r achievements around t h is
t i m e were c o m i ng t h i rd i n the 1 969
D utch Cham p i o nsh i p , obtaining a n
I M n o r m by coming fifth with 5/9
at H asti ngs 1 969-70, and receiving
34 }an Timman
the I M title after win n i n g Wij k aan
Zee 11 with 1 0/1 5 . l t is i nteresting
to n ote that i n 1 97 1 , D o n ner, then
H o l land 's to p p layer , partici pated
in Wij k aan Zee I . Less than 1 0
yea rs later Timman can be consi d ­
ered a p rimary contender fo r 1 st
p rize at Wij k aan Zee, whi le D o nner
no lo nger com mands auto matic
entry.
Tim man has had many tou rna­
m ent successes thro ughout the
1 970s. Listing them a l l wou l d be
beyond our purpose here, so
i nstead I wi l l o n ly mention h is m ost
i m p o rtant resu lts. Tim man 's victo ry
over the favo u rite , B rowne, in the
1 97 1 -2 Stoc k h o l m O p en , helped
ga i n h i m m o re serious i nternational
recogn itio n . There fo l lowed so m e
med io cre resu lts u nt i l he tied for
f irst at H astings 1 973-4 with 1 0/1 5 ;
then i n Septem ber-Octo ber 1 974 he
j u stified his g rand master title, just
received at the N ice F I 0 E Congress,
by tying fo r first with G u l ko at
So m b o r , Yugoslavia ( 1 0%/1 4) .
D esp ite general acc l a i m fo r his
tal ents, however , the chess wo rld
sti l l awa ited T i m m a n 's atta i n m ent
of co nsista nt, i m p o rtant successes.
A setback was his fa i l u re at the
1 975 Rey kjav i k Zona l tou rna m ent,
where he o n ly tied for 7th-9th with
7%/1 4. Then i n 1 976 he b ega n to
make his mark on the fo refront of
i nternational chess by co m i ng in
3rd at S k o pje behind Karpov and
U h l ma n n ; then i n 1 977 a 3rd at Wij k
aan Z ee I , 2nd at Bad Lauterb erg
behind Karpov, and a 3rd at Las
Pa lmas behind Karpov and Larsen ,
were resu lts which fu rther estab­
l ished h is strength .
An exam p le of h is p lay from that
period , a nd of his a b i l ity to t h row
his oppo nent off bala nce with a
n ovelty in a wel l -known variati o n ,
i s t h e f o l l owing ga m e :
Timman-lvkov, Geneva 1 977
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 l£lc3 c5 4 cx d 5
e x d 5 5 l£lf3 l£lc6 6 g3 l£lf6 7 �g2
�e7 8 0-0 0-0 9 d x c 5 �xc5 1 0
ilg5 d4 1 1 �xf6 �xf6 1 2 l£ld 5 !
(P revi o usly o n l y 1 2 l£le4 h a d b een
p layed i n t h is p osit io n .) 1 2 . . . �d8
1 3 l£ld 2 ! (The idea is revea l ed .) 1 3
. . . �e8 1 4 �c 1 �d6 1 5 l£lb3 �e5
1 6 l£lc5 (The Wh ite kn ights l o o k
very i m p ressive and they are - Black
finds it hard to co m p lete h is q ueen­
side devel o pment.) 1 6 .. . �bB 1 7
�a4 �d6 1 8 �fe1 �xc5 1 9 �xc5
�d6 20 b4 �d7 2 1 l£lf4 a6 22 �d 5
(Al l a l o ng , Wh ite ma i nta i ns a sl ight
pu l l due to his p ressu re o n the d­
pawn .) 22 ... �e7 23 a3 �ed8 24
�c2 �e8 25 �d 2 � x d 5 26 l£lxd5
�e5 27 e4! ( T i m man is p repared to
trade one advantage for another ;
with the p o sition o pening u p
B l ac k 's i nactive b ish o p and roo k
wi l l m o re easi ly b e ex p l o ited .) 27 . . .
dxe3 2 8 �xe3 �d4 2 9 �e 1 �d7
30 l£lf4 �6 31 �d 2 �eB 32 �e1
Wf8? (A time-p ressu re b lu nder and
Wh ite now wins by fo rce . With 32
... �d7 33 l£ld 3 [ 33 �h3 �d B 34
�d3 �eB ! is eq u a l . ] 33 ... b6 White's
advantage remains sma l l . ) 33 l£le6+ !
®QB 34 l£lc5 ®fB 35 � xeB+ 1 -0 .
Timman's typical non-tou rnament

day is u nsystematic and /aissez­
faire , as with Ljub ojevic, Andersso n
and M i les . I n 1 978 he married a
beautifu l African lady and they
n ow have a on e-yea r-o ld dau ghte r .
N o doubt these ad ded respo nsi b ­
i l ities fu rther e n ha nced h is app roach
and deter m i nation as a fu l l chess
p rofessi o na l . Perhaps as a resu lt of
these favou rab le cha nges in his
perso na l l ife, 1 978 was a lso a
tremendous yea r for T i m man ; 3 rd
at Bugojno ( Catego ry X I V ) behind
Ka rpov (beating h i m i n thei r
individual enco u nter) and Spassky ;
tied for 1 st at N i ksi c ( Category
X I I I ) with G u l k o (aga in ) ; 2nd at
T i l b u rg ( Category X I V ) ; and tied
fo r fi rst with M i les at the Amster­
dam Zona l with 1 1 YJ 1 4. H is
resu lts were so outstan d i n g that
G l igo ric's m onth ly c o l u m n in Chess
Life and Review i n N ovem ber 1 978
was entitled 'The R ise of Timman'.
it is my fee l i n g that the i m p rove­
ment in Timman's p lay si n ce 1 978
is most evident i n his endga m es. He
seems to have m o re confidence in
his ab i l ity to wi n a n endga m e
entered with o n ly a slight advantage,
and his o peni ngs have been m o re
gea red towards the use of end i ngs
as a wea po n . With t h is i n m ind ,
consid er the fo l l owing gam e from
the Amsterdam Z o na l :
Timman-Stean , Amsterdam (zonal)
1 978
1 c4 c5 2 4:lf3 4:lf6 3 4:lc3 d5 4
cx d 5 4:lxd5 5 e4 4:lb4 6 .llc 4 .ll e 6 7
.ll x e6 4:ld 3+ 8 ®1' 1 f x e6 9 4:lg5 4:lc6
(Ta l later i m p roved here with 9 . . .
fan Timman 35
�b6 ! aga inst Po l u ga evsky at the
R iga l nterzona l . ) 1 0 4:lxe6 �d7 1 1
4:lxc5 ! (A T i m m a n novelty . 1 1
4:ld 5, the p reviously p layed move,
is u nclea r . ) 1 1 ... 4:lxc5 1 2 � 5+ g6
1 3 �x c5 �d 3+ 1 4 WQ1 .ll g 7 ( H ere
1 4 ... 0-0-0 is much more accu rate .)
1 5 �b 5 Eld8 1 6 �xd 3 El x d 3 1 7
®f 1 0-0 1 8 'it>e2 (And the rest is
just a matter of tech n i q u e ... but
notice what acro batics the Wh ite
k i n g m u st perfo rm to ach ieve t h is ! )
1 8 . . . Eld7 1 9 f 3 4:ld 4+ 2 0 'it>d 1 g 5
2 1 d 3 g4 2 2 f 4 4:le6 2 3 ®c2 4:ld4+
24 'it>b 1 4:le6 25 'it>c2 (25 4:ld 5
co u ld a l so have been p layed with
advantage .) 25 ... 4:ld4+ 26 'it>d 1
4:le6 27 'it>e2 4:ld 4+ (27 . . . Elxf4 28
.ll e 3 ! ) 28 ®1'2 4:lc2 29 Elb 1 El x d 3
3 0 El d 1 g3+? 3 1 hxg3 .ll d 4+ 3 2
®1' 1 El x g3 33 4:l e 2 ( N ow i t is a l l
over .) 33 . . . El g 6 34 Elxd4 4:l x d 4 3G
4:lxd4 e5 36 4:lf5 Ele6 37 ®1'2 exf4
·
38 ®1'3 Elfe8 39 .ll d 2 1 -0 .
I n the ea rly 1 970s, T i m man was
a l ready rega rded as the most
ta lented of the you ng D utch
p layers, i n cl u d i ng Ligter i n k ,
La ngeweg, and R ee. H is conti n u ous
p rogress has b een closely fo l l owed ,
highly p ra ised , and strongly
su p p o rted by the D utch p u b l i c .
T h is was demo nstrated b y the
fo rmation of a 'Jan Tim man
C o m m i ttee' co ncu rrent ly with his
successfu l q u a l ificat i o n fo r the
1 979 l nterzo na l . The C o m mittee 's
goa l was to help T i m ma n i n h is
p reparat i o ns fo r the I nterz o na l in ·
R i o de Janei r o . There had been a
p recedent f o r t h is i n the fo rmation
36 fan Timman
of an 'Euwe C o m m ittee ' to a r ra nge
and su p p o rt Euwe 's p reparat i o ns
fo r a match with Alekhine i n 1 935.
As the fi rst D utch p layer si nce
Euwe to have a cha nce to q u a l ify
fo r the Cand idates, Timman was
g iven red carpet treatm ent . A su m
of 50 ,000 d o l lars was to be used
towa rd s his p reparations, i n c l u d ing
a 'secret tra i n i ng matc h ' with
Po l u gaevsky, and the costs of his
secon d , Andersso n . Timman won
the m atch 4%-3% (see I l lu strative
Game 8 ) .
The natu ra l cu l m i nation of a l l the
above-menti o ned successes wou ld
have been Timman's atta i n m ent of
one of the fi rst th ree p laces at the
1 979 R i o d e Janeiro l nterzona l , b ut
such was n ot to b e the wi l l of Lady
Caissa . Petrosian p layed the v i l l a i n
i n depriving one of 'o u r you ng
gra n d masters' of a p lace i n the
Cand idates. Certa i n l y H u b n er 's and
Po rtisch 's qual ificat i o n was hard ly
in d o u bt for most of the tou r na­
m ent, b ut Petrosian d i d not seem
parti cu larly i nterested , registering a
n u mber o f his usu a l l istl ess d raws.
Tim man started slowly, not wi n n i ng
his f irst gam e u nt i l R o u nd 8 , but
then he made a heroic su rge i n the
second ha lf of the to u rnament .
However , the m o m ent of truth
cam e with Petrosian and Timman
tied at 1 0% p o i nts going i nto the
last rou nd . Somehow Petrosian
managed to ca use enough p ro blems
f o r h is opponent l vkov, who went
fro m a better p ositi o n to o n e which
was equ a l , so that l vkov then got
i nto t i m e-p ressu re and lost !
T i m m a n , o n the other hand , had
o bta ined a won end i ng aga inst
G u i l lermo G a rc ia when , on move
40 , i n ti me-p ressure, he b l u ndered
in the fo l l owi ng p ositio n :
T i m man (Wh ite) p layed 40 ®g 1 ?
i nstead o f 40 g 3 h xg3+ 4 1 ®xg3
®d 8 42 �a4, which wou l d wi n ;
p lay cont i n u ed : 4 0 . . . ®d8 4 1 �a4
(Adj o u rned ) 41 .. !! x b 6 42 axb6
.
Axd5 43 �xc5 a 5 44 Wf l ®c8 45
Wf2 Wb8 46 g3 h xg3+ 47 ®xg3
Ax b 3 ! 48 �xb3 a4 49 �c l Wb7 50
Wf4 wxb 6 51 <®e5 a3 and Wh ite
cannot m a ke any p rogress.
So , what is the lesso n of R io ?
D o n 't get i nto t i m e-p ressu re? O r ,
experience cou nts? I ro n ica l ly, I
b e l i eve it is neither, but the fact
that T i m man was u nab le to win a
number of close end ings, thereby
losing the p reci o u s % po int he
needed in the end . Perhaps th is was
the fau lt of h is having chosen such
an 'endgame-o riente d ' second as
Andersso n , thereby resu lting i n h is
overco nfiden ce that so m e d rawn
end i ngs cou l d be wo n , and genera l
over-rel ia n ce o n endgames .

'That Tim man d i d not q u a l ify
was, it m ight be a rgued , n o great
traged y . He is sti l l y o u ng a n d may
wel l q u a l ify when the next cycle
co mes round . H o wever , he is
certa i n ly of the cal i b re to p lay i n
the Cand idates, a n d t h e ser ies of
Cand idates matches wil l b e a l l the
poorer for his absence.' T h is was
Harry G o lo m b e k 's su m mary at the
end of h is f i ne a rticle i n the British
Chess Magazine o n the R io d e
Janeiro I nterz o na l . l t might be
added that th ree yea rs is a l o n g
time t o wait : nevertheless, t h i s
a u t h o r ( D . K .) b e l ieves that t h e
futu re l ies with Timman .
1 com pare th is position with the
Timman-Hug
N ice O lympiad 1 974
F rench Defence, Winawer Variation
At the N ice O l y m p iad , T i m man
sco red a respectab le 50% o n fi rst
board . O ne victory which was
h i g h ly acc l a i m ed for its b oa rdwide
co u rage and origina l ity was the
fo l l owing effort from the p r e l i m in­
a r i as, against Hug of Switzer land .
T h is game is a cred it to both
p l ayers.
1 e4 e6
2 d4 d5
3 -tlc3 Ab4
4 e5 c5
5 a3 Aa5?!
A m ove co nsi d ered d u b ious by
theo ry . though it has a sma l l g ro u p
of devout exponents, o n e of whom
was Botvi nni k .
}on Timmon 37
6 b4
The sharpest m ethod fo r White .
N ow i f 6 . . . c x b 4 7 4:lb 5 ! , e .g . 7 . . .
-tlc6 8 a x b 4 .ll x b4+ 9 c3 .ll e 7 1 0
.ll d 3 etc ., o r 7 . . . b xa3+ 8 c3 .ll c 7 9
'l*g4 etc ., g ives Wh ite a d isti n ct
adva ntage.
6 ... cxd4
The m o re via b le m ove, but Wh ite
sti l l maintains a strong i n itiative.
7 iirg4
Aga i n the sharpest l i n e . 7 4:lb 5 is
a lso good .
7 ... -tle7
8 -tlb 5 !
Leaving B lack with l ittl e choice.
8 Ac7
9 iirxg7 l3.g8
1 0 iirxh7
At this p o i nt it is i nterest i ng to
main l i ne Winawer, where B la c k 's
k i n gsid e pawns are a lso decimated :
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d 5 3 4:lc3 .ll b 4 4 e5 c5
5 a3 .ll x c3+ 6 b xc3 4:le7 7 �4
cxd4 8 'l*xg7 l3.g8 9 'l*x h7 'l*c7 1 0
-tle2 etc . Wh ite 's advantage i n the
p resent positi o n over the main l ine
l i es in his less ragged queenside
pawn structure. In both systems
Wh ite 's e-pawn is not rea l ly en
p rise . Here if 1 0 ... .ll x e5 1 1 4:lf3
.ll f 6 1 2 .ll f 4 is much better for
Wh ite, o r 1 1 . . . 4:lbc6 1 2 4:lxe5
4:lxe5 1 3 .llf 4.
10 . . . 4:lbc6? !
H ere 1 0 . . a6 1 1 4:lxc7+ 'l*xc7 1 2
.
4:le2 .ll d 7 1 3 .ll b 2 4:lbc6 1 4 0-0-0
0-0 -0 1 5 4:lxd4 4:lxd4 1 6 .ll x d4 4:lf5
1 7 'l*h3 4:lxd4 1 8 l3.xd4 'l*xe5 is
considered unclea r . with Black
having com pensati o n f o r h is pawn
38 fan Timmon

(£CO) b ut T i m man g ives 1 9 i*e3 ! as p layed i n the gam e , o r 1 8 Ad3,

with advantage for Wh ite . As o r even 1 8 h4. N o w 1 8 4::l x d4
p layed , White secu res his e-pawn . 4::l x d4 19 i*x d4 0-0-0 ! is too
1 1 f4 a6 dangerous fo r Wh ite .
1 2 4:lxc7+ 'flxc7 1 8 'fld 2 E!.xg4
1 3 'f/d3 1 9 �2!
Another thought is the sidestep Very o r igina l ! The T i m man
1 3 � 1 ( aga inst 1 3 ... 4::l x b4 and m o na rch demonstrates h i s versa­
14 . . . i*c3+ ) , which can be t i l ity .
comfo rtab ly p layed and often 19 0-0-0
occu rs in these W inawer variations. 20 E!.g 1 ! ? E!.xg 1
13 Ad7 2 1 ®xg 1
14 4)f3 4)f5 T i m m a n has achieved a cast led
posi t i o n in a most u nusu a l manner .
H owever , si nce H u g cou ld have
obta i ned cou nterchances here with
21 ... 4::l e7 ! i nten d i ng ... Ac6 and
... 4::lf 5 , perhaps T i m ma n sho u ld
have stuc k to the m o re n o rmal 20
Ah3 fo l lowed b y E!. h g 1 .
21 . . . f6?!
22 exf6 E!.f8
B l ac k 's sharpest m ove 22 .. . e5
cou l d be-·met as fo l l ows : 23 fxe5
H u g 's i d ea is . . . 4::lc e7 fo l lowed b y 4::l x e5 24 i*f4 E!.g8+ 25 Ag2 Ac6
... Ab5 . T i m m a n , a n active p layer, 26 i*f5+ wb8 27 i*xe5 E!.xg2+ 28
who m ost of a l l str ives f o r m o b i l ity Wf 1 ! Axf3 29 i*xc7+ wxc7 30 f7
for his p ieces, finds an o rigina l way winning ( Ti mman , lnformotor) .
to m eet Blac k 's i ntent i o ns. 2 3 E!. e 1 E!.xf6
15 g4!? 24 E!.e4
N ow if 1 5 . . . E!. x g4 1 6 Ah3 E!.g8 Th is roo k perfo rms wo nderfu l l y
1 7 Axf5 is exce l l ent for W h ite, b ut on t h e 4th ran k in t h e fu rther
not 1 6 4::lg 5? E!.xg5 1 7 fxg5 4::l x e5 cou rse of the ga m e .
etc . 24 E!.g6+
15 . . . 4:le3 25 �2 'fld8
The o n ly way to keep so m e 26 a4!
cha nces for activity . Th is m ove has a n ice d u a l effect
1 6 Axe3 dxe3 in th reatening to l o o sen B l a c k 's
17 'flxe3 d4! k i ng and en ab l i ng the captu re of
Wel l p layed by Hug. H e does n ot the d -pawn .
lose t i m e with 1 7 . . . E!. xg4, when 26 . . . 'flb6!
Wh ite can choose b etween 1 8 Wf2 Hug tempts 27 a 5? ! when ... i*d 8
 jan Timman 39

wo u ld leave the issu e u nclea r . White a smal l b u t clea r wo rk ing

27 b5! axb 5 advantage due to B l ac k 's passive
2 8 axb5 d3+ and somewhat d iso rganised positi o n ,
29 'lte3 a n d t h e outside, passed h-pawn .
The point, fo r if now 29 ... Su rp risi ngly, 34 lf:Jd 4 just fai l s to
'lli'x e3+? 30 ®xe3 d x c 2 31 El.c4! win . The respo nses su ch as 34 . . .
wi ns a p iece . lf:lxd4, 3 4 . . . e x f 5 , o r a first ran k
29 'ltxb 5 q u een move can b e met by a
3 0 Axd3 'lth5 d ecisive q u een check o n e5 o r f4.
H owever, with 34 ... �h 5 ! Black
manages, by the s k i n of h is teet h ,
to get away w i t h an u n clea r
positio n : the main line is 35
lf:Jxc6+ .ll x c6 3 6 �e5+ ®G B 37
E!.a8+ �7 38 �d4+ .ll d 5 39 .llb 5+
®d 6 ! ! 40 El.d8+ ®c7 4 1 El.d7+ ®c8
o r 4 1 . . . ®b8 and the B lack king
l ives o n !
3 4 lf:Jd4 exf5
If 34 . . . lf:Jxd4 35 �e5+ leads to
3 1 f5 !? mate or the decisive loss of material
The a rtistic touch , which demon­ for Blac k .
strates a boardwide f l a i r and 35 lf:lb5+ Resign�
intends i nfi ltrat i o n of B l ac k 's I f 35 ... ®bB 36 El.a8+ ®xa8 37
posit i o n . I f 3 1 . . . exf5 32 El.h4 f4 lf:lc7+.
33 \%6 wins, or 31 ... �xf5 32
El.a4 is d ec isive. H owever, d u e to
Blac k 's possi b le reso u rce on m ove
33 in the ga m e cont i nuati o n , 3 1 2
El.a4 ! may have been stronger. G ulko-Timman
31 0 . . El.f6 Sombor 1 974
32 El.h4 F rench Defence
M ost i m p ressive is T i m m a n 's ever­ Soon after having h is G rand master
present desi re to co ntro l all board tit l e ratified at the F I 0 E Congress
secto rs. after the N ice O ly m p iad , Tim man
32 . . . 'lte8 sco red a marvel l o u s success by
33 El.a4! r3Jc7? wi n n i n g the annual to u rnament at
This m ove a l l ows a q u ic k , elegant So m b o r , Yugo slavia . The f o l lowi ng
f i n ish . 33 ... ®bB wou l d have gam e aga inst his main rival a nd
offered much tougher resistance. eventu a l eo -wi n ner was i n d i cative
Then 34 lf:Je5 exf5 3 5 lf:Jxc6+ El. x c6 of h is daring sty l e .
36 El.d4 as g iven b y T i m m a n , offers 1 e4 e6
40 fan Timman

2 d4 d5 co u ld be met with 1 3 'fie4! 4:lc6 1 4

3 4:lc3 Ab4 Etxd7 ®xd7 1 5 4:le5+ ®!: 8 1 6
4 Ad2 .ilxc6 b xc6 1 7 4:lgf7 etc . with Wh ite
N ot the m o st c o m m o n m ove better . O r 1 2 . . . 4:ld 7 1 3 'fie4 with
here , b ut one which invites an u nclea r posit i o n . 1 2 . . . 4:lc6 1 3
i m m ed iate co m p l i cations. .ilxc6+ b xc6 1 4 'fie4 .ild 7 1 5
4 ... dxe4 Etxd7 ! ®xd7 1 6 Etd 1 + Ad 6 ( 1 6 . . .
5 "ltg4 "ltxd4 ®!:8 1 7 'fixeS) 1 7 4:le5+ ®!:8 1 8
The m o re com m o n continuat i o n Etxd 6 ! ! ? 4:le7 ! wou l d be u nclea r
is 5 . . . 4:lf6 6 'ff x g7 Et g 8 7 'fi h 6 etc . a lthough 1 6 4:le5+ fo l lowed by 1 7
with co m p l icated p lay. T i m m a n 's 4:lgf7 o r 1 7 f4 see ms to offer Black
u ltra sharp snatch is not as risky as nothing b ut p r o b lems.
m ight appea r . 12 . . . c6
6 0-0-0 h5 1 3 Ac4 b5!
B l ac k 's m o st reliab le cont i n uation I f 1 3 . . . 4:la6? instead , Timman
i n this positi o n , forc ing the White g ives : 14 Axa6 b xa6 1 5 'fie4 Etb8
lady to declare her i ntentions. 16 'fic6+ ®f8 17 Etd4 e5 1 8 'fixe 7
7 "lth4? 'f:lb6? 1 9 Etd 8+ with mate next.
This q u een m ove is consi d ered The move played d istracts Wh ite
theo retical l y i n fer i o r to 7 'ffg 3 or 7 from h is p lans to p i l e up on the e­
�e2 ! ? ( Keres) . To the text, lv kov pawn a nd ga i ns m o b i l ity o n the
(in ECO) g ives : 7 ... Ae7 8 .ll g 5 q u eensi d e .
'ffc 5 9 4:lxe4 .ilxg5 1 0 4:lxg5 4:lc6 1 4 .!lxb 5 e5
with B l a c k b etter . 1 5 .!lc4 Ag4!
7 ... Ae7 This was the idea of T i m m a n 's
8 .!lg5 "lte5 ! previous move . Of cou rse 1 5 ...
This is T i m m a n 's i m p rovement o n 'f:lf4+? 1 6 'fixf4 exf4 17 Ethe1
t h e above variation , wh ich h e wou l d offer Wh ite j u st the p l ay he
considered u nclea r . desi res.
9 4:lxe4 f6 ! 1 6 "ltg3 4:ld7 !
Now the idea is revea led ! Wh ite is
losi n g a p i ece and m u st therefo re
reso rt to devi l ish means to find
so me compensatio n .
1 0 4:lf3 fxg5
Timman a lso b e l i eves 1 0 . . . 'f:lf5
with the idea ... 'f:lg4 deserves
attenti o n .
1 1 4:lexg5 "ltf6
1 2 .!lb5+!
G u l ko finds the o n ly way to keep
his chances a l ive . N ow 1 2 ... .ild7?
 jon Timmon 41

This move conso lidates B l a c k 's pawn wou l d seem p lausi b le consid­
posit i o n , a lthough it is sti l l ha rd to ering B lack 's erroneous 29th move ,
see where h is king wi l l be comfo rt­ b ut it tu rns out to b e fau lty i n that
able. the Wh ite roo ks become d islocated .
17 �f7 �h6 ! Correct was 32 l3.e3! (th reate n i ng
Pro bab ly a j o lt for G u l ko . N o w 33 l3.f3 and 33 l3.ea3) when Wh ite
1 8 �7xe5 wou ld lose to 1 8 . . . �f5 even mainta ins a sl ight advantage .
1 9 �xd7 \¥/h6+ ! 32 '3Jf7
1 8 �xh8 �f5 33 l3.xh5 rflg6
1 9 .ll f 7+ itxf7 34 l3.h 1 e4
Both sides' m oves are forced . I f N ow it is clea r how a l l of
1 9 . . . 'i¥tf 8 ? 20 �g6+ fo l l owed by Timman's pieces wi l l spring to l ife .
2 1 �xe5+. There a re a n u mber of th reats su ch
20 �xf7 �xg3 as . . . .ll d 4, ... l3.b 7 , ... �e5, o r ...
21 hxg3 '3lxf7 �b 6 . In this d ifficu lt position
22 l3.he 1 .ll f6 G u l ko ma kes a c o m p ro m ising m ove.
F ina l l y the tensi o n created by 35 b3? Ad4!
this comp lex o pen i n g variat i o n has 36 f3 Ac3
clea red and the position has been 37 l3.a4 �b 6
si m p l ified , with Blac k 's two b ishops 38 l3.a6 l3.d7
for roo k su re to te l l in t h e end . Blac k 's fo rces a re a l l participating
23 l3.d6 l3.c8 now. The e-pawn th reatens to
24 �d2 ®87 q u een .
25 l3.d3 .ll f 5?! 39 l3.d 1 Ab2+
A few such 'tec h n i ca l ' erro rs 40 c3Jxb2 l3.xd 1
( u nd oubted ly d ue to t i m e-p ressu re) 4 1 l3.xa7 �d 5
ensu e. Better was 25 . . . c 5 f o l lowed W h i l e this move d o es p reserve the
by . . . .ll e 6 . win , Timman gives the fo l lowi ng
26 l3.b3 variation demonstrati ng that 41 . . .
Better was 26 l3.a3 . 'i¥tf 6 was m o r e efficient : 4 2 fxe4
26 l3.c7 fxe4 43 l3.h7 �d 5 ( N ot 43 ... e3?
27 l3.a3 '3Jf7 44 l3.h6+ 'i¥tf5 45 l3.h 8 which is
28 l3.a5 g6 u nclea r . ) 44 Ef.h6+ �5 45 Ef. h 5+
29 �c4 rflg7? ®d 4 46 Ef.h6 e3 47 Ef.e6 Ef.e1 48 a4
Another t i m e-p ressure erro r . e2 49 a 5 �e3 .
After t h e wea lth of possi b i l ities o n 42 c4 e3
t h e fi rst 1 5 m oves this i s not With the p rospect of wi nning the
su r p r isi ng. exchange t h is can hard ly be deemed
30 �d6 '3Jf8 a sacrifice.
31 �xf5 gxf5 43 cxd5 e2
32 l3.h 1 44 l3.e7 e 1 =it
T h is lu nge fo r B l ac k 's loose h- 45 l3.xe1 l3.xe 1
42 }an Timman

46 dxc6 3
Timman-Ad orjan
Skopje 1 976
G riinfeld Defence
Timman is o n e of the wo rld 's
greatest G rU nfeld ex perts, and he
can often be f o u n d o n either side of
this sharp d efence . With the b road
centre offered to the fi rst p layer in
the E xchange Variat io n , he is a b l e
t o employ h is creative genius
towa rd s find ing many o rig inal
N ow a q u ite unusu a l m aterial attack i ng ideas. In the fo l l owi ng
situation has a r isen . B l ac k 's victo ry game, B lack is g iven o n ly o ne
is j u st withi n g rasp . chance to co m p li cate the issue , and
46 nes this he fai l s to d o . N otice that the
47 b4 nxc6 Timman ki ng n ever m oves i n th is
48 b5 ne6 game - there was no need , he was
49 ®c3 cans perfectly safe at h o m e o n e 1 . Some
50 c�Jd4 tfle1 notes d rawn u p o n T i m m a n 's in
51 a4 /nformator.
T i m man was m o re concerned 1 d4 �f6
about 5 1 wd 5, but he sti l l wou ld 2 c4 g6
have won after : 5 1 . Wd 7 52 a4
. . 3 �c3 d5
ne2 53 a 5 Wc7 54 aB wb6 55 wd 6 4 cxd 5 �xd 5
nxg2 56 W85 nxg3 57 f4 wx b 5 58 5 e4
wx f5 Wc6 ! T i m m a n wil l often p lay this,
The rest is rather stra ightfo rward . l ead ing i nto the E xchange Variat i o n ,
51 �d6 t h e sharpest system against t h e
52 a5 ne5 G rU nfeld .
53 ®c4 nc5+ 5 �xc3
54 �b4 nc2 6 bxc3 Ag7
55 g4 fxg4 7 Ac4 0-0
56 fxg4 nxg2 8 �e2 b6!?
57 a6 nxg4+ T h i s is a slower m ethod of p lay
58 �5 ®c7 than the n o r m a l 8 ... c5, and i nvites
59 b6+ ®c6 White to attack im med iate ly.
60 a7 �b7 Ad o rjan chooses to repeat th is
61 �b5 n9s dangerous l i ne after a bad ex perience
62 ®c5 nhs aga inst Timman i n Lond o n ( 1 975) ,
Resigns hard ly f ive m onths earl ier. O ne
White f i na l ly ru ns out of m oves. must wo nder what i m p rovement
 fan Timman 43

Ad orjan had i n m ind .

9 h4!
The logical reto rt to Blac k 's
slower m ethod of cou nteri ng
White's centre .
9 4:lc6
1 0 h5 4:la5
1 1 Ad3 e5!
Both sides a re p u rsu ing thei r
indicated plans : White, hav i ng
secu red a b i g centre, tries to main­
ta in it and attack o n the k i ngsid e . 1 5 e5!?
Black tries to destroy White's 1 5 f3 c5 1 6 l:!d 1 cxd4 17 Ah6
centre and o pen u p avenues to the wou ld now b e so mewhat u nclea r .
White king caught there. 15 Axg2
12 Ae3 ! 1 6 �gl Af3
Tim man d o es not g ive Ad o rjan a 1 7 4:lg3
chance to i m p rove o n their ea r l ier This is White's best chance of
enco u nter . That gam e went 1 2 obta i n ing a n attack fo r his pawn .
hxg6 fxg6 ( N ot 1 2 . . . h x g6? 1 3 17 . . . f5?
Ah6 when Petrisian p roceeded to But now, as often occu rs, the
mate Stean in Moscow, 1 97 5 . ) 1 3 defender, after having met the
.ll.e 3 exd4 1 4 cxd4 c5 1 5 d 5 ! ilxa 1 necessa ry th reats a n d even cou nt­
16 �xa 1 4:lc6 1 7 a3 �d6 1 8 f4 and ering, gets ti red and fa i l s to p lay
Black was soo n overru n by White's one last strong move, b l u ndering
massive centre. Then there was i nstea d . N ecessa ry was 17 ... 'lkh4 !
no cou nterplay, and Ad o rja n ( T i m m a n ) after which 1 8 4:lf5
was sou nd ly th rashed . H ere a �x h 5 1 9 4:lxg7 ®xg7 20 'lkc3
struggle ensu es ; Ad o rjan had wou l d b e u nclea r .
pro bab ly intended to i m p rove with 1 8 4:lxf5 l:!xf5
1 3 ... 'lllle7 . Timman's m ove a i m s at 1 9 Axf5 Axh5?!
mainta i n i ng the tensi o n . H ere a better try was 1 9 ... 4:lc4
12 . . . 'fle7 20 Ag5 ! 'flf7 21 'fld3 il x h 5 22
1 3 'fld2 Ae4 �f8 23 �g2 with Wh ite sti l l
T i m man a l so consi dered 1 3 l:! c 1 ! ? c l ea rly better tha n ks t o his
13 . . . exd4 exchange ahead .
14 cxd4 Ab7 ! 20 Ae4 �f8
Adorjan completes h is deve l o p ­ 21 �c l
ment and a p p l ies continuous White's adva ntage is n o w decisive .
p ressure to Wh ite's centre. O n 1 4 . . . 21 'flf7
c 5 1 5 l:! c 1 cxd4 1 6 il h 6 White 22 'flc2 c6
keeps the in itiative . 23 �g3 c5
44 fan Timmon

I f 23 . . . b 5 then 24 .Q.d3 fo l lowed conti n u ed 8 itd 2 e5 9 d 5 4:le7 1 0

by itc3 wi ns. Etad 1 Ad7 1 1 h3 b 5 ! ? a novelty
24 dxc5 AxeS leading to rough eq u a l ity . Later in
25 l3g5 itf6 1 977, after the p resent gam e , at
26 c6 l3c8 T i l b u rg the Karpov-T i m man Pirc
This loses, but so wou l d 26 . . . affa ir co nti n u ed after the sa me first
.Q.f4 after 2 7 .Q.xf4 itxf4 2 8 l3g3 ten m oves : 1 1 4:le1 ( m o re co m m o n
when White can coo l l y d efend . t h a n 1 1 h3) 1 1 ... 4:lg4 1 2 Axg4
27 itd 2 Resigns .Q.xg4 1 3 f3 Ad7 1 4 f4 Ag4 1 5 l3b 1
There are si m p l y too many c6 1 6 h 3 Ad 7 1 7 fxe5 ( P r i o r to this
th reats. move, play has fo l lowed Karpov­
Ad o rjan , Las Pa l mas 1 977, where
1 7 d x c6? was p l ayed ) 1 7 ... d x e5
when Karpov got the wo rse game
4 by playing 1 8 d 6? ! Most amaz i ng is
Liberzon-Timman how a l l the 'refined ' movements of
Bad Lauterberg 1 977 the Black q u een's b isho p are
Pirc-Robatsch D efence considered theory !
lt was d u r i ng 1 977 that Tim ma n 's 8 d5 .11 x f3
resu lts sta rted to shine consistent l y . 9 .11 x f3 4:le5
H is second p lace a t B a d Lauterberg 1 0 .11 e 2 c6
with 1 0/1 5 to Karpov 's remarkab le A l l these m oves have a comp lex
1 2/ 1 5 was far ab ove such sta rs as 'genea o logy' in the d eve l o p ment of
Soso n k o (8%) , H ii b ner, Liberz o n , the Pirc as a system . As the d iverse
G l igo ric (8) , M i les, Andersson (7Y2) va riati ons u ndergo experimentat i o n,
a1d Torre (6%) . Here is h is ga me new refinements continu ously
aga inst the always to ugh L iberzo n , evo lve . Of cou rse maj o r structu ra l
featu ring very sharp p lay with the d ifferences a r ise depen d i ng on
B lack p ieces. whether White p l ays an ea rly h3 to
1 e4 d6 prevent ... .Q.g4, o r whether o r not
2 d4 4:lf6 Black p lays . . . e5. This resu lts in
3 4:lc3 g6 su btleties a n d i m p rovements which
4 4:lt3 Ag7 translate a largely flex i b l e system
5 Ae2 0-0 i nto specific variati ons where one
6 0-0 Ag4 must keep up with 'the latest word '
7 Ae3 4:lc6 (e.g . the variation i n Karpov­
T i m man is a regu lar advocate of Timman, Ti i b u rg 1 977, has become
the Pirc and has made a n u m ber of very p o p u l a r ) . The moves here,
contributions to the theory of t h is si nce White made the choice 8 d 5,
system , as i n fact he has to many have been l ogica l l y fo rced . Black's
opening va riat i o ns. H is game aga inst last was necessa ry in order to get
Karpov at Amsterdam ( 1 976) so m e cou nterp lay aga inst White's
 fan Timman 45

onco m i ng f4. I f i nstead 1 0 . . . e6? 1 4 .ll f 1 a6

then 1 1 d x e6 fx e6 1 2 f4 and 1 3 1 5 g3
.Q.c4 fo l l owed b y f5 wo u l d be 1 5 E!b3 was sti l l a better move
decisive . here .
1 1 a4 15 . . . cxd 5
This move has been p l ayed 1 6 exd 5 �e5
befo re . The idea is that since B lack stands sl ightly b etter now.
Wh ite 's two b ishops are so n i cely 1 7 E!b3
a i m ed at B lac k 's q u eensi de, then lt is a l ready too late for t h is.
why not i n itiate an attack o n that
side with E!a3-E!b3 and reserve • • • • •*•
the m ove f4 i n case B la c k c l oses the
Bt. �t t l1 1
queensi d e with . . . c 5 . Here 1 1 f4
1 . �� . 1 .
• �.lfr.� · '• �
�ed7 1 2 d xc6 b xc6 and now 1 3
.Q.c4 , leading to eq ual ity after 1 3
. . . d 5 1 4 exd5 �b6 etc . , and 1 3
.ll f 3, lead ing to a sl ight a dvantage �•·.§ [S;··)l����z��·
�

for White after 1 3 . . . �b6 1 4 'l*e2
d 5 1 5 E!ad 1 e6 1 6 a4 �c4 1 7 .1lc5
in the gam e Matu l ovic- R u kav i n a ,
Sarajevo 1 97 1 , have b e e n tried .
This author ( D . K .) reco m mends 1 3
g4 ! ? as a new m ove.
11 . . . '«Ja5
1 2 E!a3 �ed 7
Tim man does not wa it to be
pushed .
1 3 E!e1 ? !
True, this move i s strateg ica l l y
deep i n p reparing p ressu re o n the
e-file, p rotecting the e-pawn , and
perm itting .1lf 1 , but it does not
keep with the req u i red pace of the
gam e . G o o d here were 1 3 E!b3 o r
1 3 i*b 1 ! ? with t h e idea 1 3 . . . c x d 5
1 4 b4 'l*c7 1 5 �xd 5 ( 1 5 exd 5 ! ?)
1 5 . . . �xd5 1 6 exd5 �b6 1 7 �b3 !
( 1 7 c4 ! ? �xc4 1 8 il:Yc2 E!fc8 1 9
E!c 1 �xe3 20 'l*xc7 E!xc7 2 1 E!xc7
�xd5 22 E!c4) 1 7 . . . E!fc8 1 8 c4 !
(D . K . ) .
13 . . . E!fc8
�����M
ii.'� � � � �
,,
rm ��
�� "g ?,C:S,.i;L.�
17 �e4!
A nice shot. Ugrinovic, i n
lnformator, gives t h e fo l lowing
i nteresting variatio ns : (i) 1 8 E! x b 7
E!xc3 ! ? 1 9 bxc3 �xc3 20 .1ld 2
'l*xd 5 2 1 .1lg2 'l*xb 7 22 .1lxc3 �c6
23 .1lxg7 ®xg7 24 .1lxc6 'l*xc6 25
E!xe7 =, o r 1 8 . . . �>tc3 1 9 bxc3
'l*xc3 with B lack sl ightly b etter ; o r
( i i ) 1 8 .1lb 6 �xc3 1 9 .1l x a 5 � x d 1
20 E! x d 1 E!xc2 2 1 E! x b 7 �g4
u nclea r . B!lt even th is ca n not be
ta ken as the final wo rd o n the
i nt ricaci es of the posit i o n , si nce the
si m p l e 1 9 b xc3 �xa4 20 .1ld4! is
a l so very i nteresting . N atu ra l ly on
1 8 �xe4 'l*xe 1 ! wins. Timman has
d o n e a fi ne j o b of activati n g B la c k 's
position to p rovi d e a l l these
possi b i lities.
1 8 .ll d 4 �c5
N ot 1 8 . . . �xc3? 1 9 .1lxc3 �xa4
46 fan Timman

20 �xb7 with White b etter . 32 . . . 'I'M2 was th reatened .

1 9 .ll x c5 "itxc5 32 . . . .ll x c3
20 �xb7 �eb B! 33 "itc2 "ita5
T h is was T i m m a n 's idea, g u a rant­ With the b etter q u ee n , better
eei ng exce l l ent Ben k o Gam bit-type roo k , better b isho p , and extra
p l ay o n the q u eenside rega rd less of pawn , Black can ex pect to wi n .
how White p l ays. 21 � b3 ! ? was the 34 .ll g 2 l:!b 2
best try here. 35 "ite4 "ita2
2 1 <tle4? ! "ita5 36 h4 �e2
N ow effectively two White r o o k s 37 "itf3 .ll f 6
are hanging ! Su rely this is an effo rt to reach
22 b4 iha4 the time contro l safely . 37 ... 'l*c2
23 l:!xbB+ �xbB l o o ks stro n g .
24 c3 "ita3 38 c3lg 1 "itc2
Of cou rse T i m man does not 39 .ll f 1 ?
accede to the exchange of q u eens : Black n o w wins a second pawn .
the B lack queen is m u ch m o re 39 itxd l
act ive than her cou nterpart . 40 itxe2 "itxd 5
2 5 f4 <tld7 41 calh2 c3lg7
26 "itc l "ita2 42 .ll g 2 "itc5
27 l:! d l a5! 43 .ll e 4 e6
T h i s f i n e m ove p r o m ises Black 44 .ll d 3 "itd4
the fa r su perio r ending, since 45 calh3 "itg1
White's queensi de pawns can be 46 "itfl "itxf 1
b lo c kaded . 47 .ll x f l
28 bxa5 "itxa5 The remai n i ng m oves a re j u st
29 calh l <tlf6 ca refu l , we l l -ca lcu lated techn i q u e .
30 "ital 47 .ll c 3
From the tactics of a few m oves 48 .ll e 2 .ll d 2
ago , the gam e has d rifted back i nto 49 .ll c 4 c3lf6
positiona l channels. Liberzon 50 calg4 h6
wou ld l i ke to 'd raw' Tim man i nto 51 c3lf3 .ll e 1
the roo ks and b ishops of o p posite White's pawns a l so happen to be
co l o u rs ending after 30 . . . 'l*xa 1 3 1 m o re exp osed .
<tlxf6+ .ll x f6 3 2 � x a l .ll x c3 33 52 .ll b 3 cale7
l:!c 1 . With m o re pieces on the 53 .ll c 2 f5
board , it is easier to e x p l o it the 54 c3lg2 c3lf6
wea knesses of White 's centra l 55 .ll a 4 e5
pawns and k i ngsi d e . 56 fxe5 d xe5
30 "itb6 ! 57 .ll e B e4
31 <tlxf6+ .ll x f6 58 .ll c 6 cale5
32 "ita2 59 AeB g5
 }an Timman 47

60 hxg5 hxg5 adva ntage, Black has hardly any

61 llg6 g4! chance of wi n n i n g . With the text
Tim man d oes not want to worry m ove B lack ho pes to delay .. . e6,
about the possi b i l ity of a d rawn and thereby give h is q u een's b ishop
end ing after 62 . . . f4? ! 63 gxf4+ a chance to get out.
gxf4 etc . 6 llf4 llg4
62 lle8 e3 7 *b3
63 lla4 llxg3! Wh ite immed iately tries to
64 ®xg3 f4+ e x p l o it the ab sence of the B lack
Resigns q u een 's bish o p a n d show that
O ne o f the B lack pawns is sure to B lac k 's last move was o n ly a n active
queen . gestu re .
7 ... <tla5
This is standard a n d p robably
B l ac k 's best . 7 . . . �d7 8 <tld2 e6 9
5 <tlgf3 a6 1 0 0-0 .il h 5 1 1 <tle5
Timman-Pomar ( Botvi n n i k i n ECO) wo u l d g ive
las Palmas 1 977 Wh ite a smal l wor k i ng edge .
Caro-Kann , Exchange Variation 8 *a4+ Ad7
Befo re t h is var iation was revital ised I f 8 . �d7 9 .ilb5 <tlc6 1 0 h 3 !
. .

by F ischer in h is fam o u s f irst m atch .il h 5 ( 1 0 . . . .ilf5 1 1 <tlf3 ) 1 1 g4 .ilg6

gam e agai nst Petrosian ( U SS R v.
The R est of the World , Belgrade
1 970 ) it mainta ined a rather
d rawish reputat i o n . H ere the
Spanish grandmaster attem pts to
imp rove o n Petrosia n 's p lay with
the n ovelty 1 0 ... <tlc4 . l t tu rns o u t
t o be i nco nseq u entia l , while
Tim man q u ick ly co nverts a central
co n g l o m eration i nto a k i ngside
massacre . This classic attacking
gam e was voted 6th b est in
1 2 <tlf3 f o l l o wed by <tle5 with a b i g
advantage fo r W h ite.
9 *c2 e6
The cat and mouse p lay con­
c l u d es, and White emerges victo rious
i n that B lack 's q ueen 's b ishop is
hemmed i n .
1 0 <tlf3 <tlc4
This is Po mar 's n ovelty . F ischer 's
co ntribution against Petrosia n was
after the usu a l 1 0 ... �b6 1 1 a 4 !
and not 1 1 <tlb d 2 .ll b 5 as =,

lnformator 23 . occu rred i n Maroczy-Capab lanca ,

1 e4 c6 La ke H opatcong 1 926.
2 d4 d5 1 1 0-0 AdS
3 exd5 cxd 5 1 2 Ae5!
4 .Q.d3 <tlc6 A batt l e fo r the e 5 sq u a re is now
5 c3 <tlf6 in p rogress. Timman p repares to
O ne thing is certa in in this recaptu re with the d -pawn if
variat i o n , that whi l e White may excha nges on that sq uare o ccu r : 1 2
find it hard to b u i l d up any cred i b le . . . .ilx e5? 1 3 d xe5 <tlg4 1 4 Axc4
48 fan Timman

fo l l owed b y 1 5 i*e4 with advantage . There is n o need for Wh ite to be

12 . . . 'f!/c7 sub t l e !
1 3 Ete1 �h5 20 . . . �f6
B lack wou l d l i ke to captu re o n e5 2 1 'f!/d 2
and then p lay . . . �f4 . Another N ow � x h 7 ! is th reatened .
m ove which d eserves attenti o n is 1 3 21 . . . �e4
... h6. B lac k 's last chance was to f ree h is
1 4 .ll x c4 dxc4 q u een for d efence with 2 1 . . . .ll d 5 ,
1 5 �bd 2 b5 a lthough i t is u n l i kely that this
16 �e4 defence wou ld have succeeded after
Tim man 's m inor p ieces a re a l rea d y 22 i*f4, e .g . 22 . . . �h5 23 � x h 5
idea l ly posted before Po mar has g x h 5 2 4 i*f6 !
attended to the pro b lem of king 22 �xe4 .ll x e4
safety . At this point it is safe to 23 'f!/f4!
co nclude that B lac k 's n ovelty has If now 23 . . . .llf 5 24 g4 f6 25
not succeeded . White 's contro l of �xg6 ! wou ld win .
the centre means that h e can shift 23 "ltb7
his attack to either sid e of the 24 'f!/f6 .ll x g2
board easi ly. 25 �g4
16 . . . .ll x e5 Had not T i m man p repared the
17 �xe5 0-0 co m i ng stu n n i n g f i n ish , there was
N ow a l l systems are 'go ' for the st i l l a chance for h i m to go wrong
attack o n the Black king. H o wever, by p layi ng 25 � h4? ! when after 25
there was no apparent way o ut for ... .ll e 4 26 �g4 h5! Black cou ld
Blac k . I f 17 . . . �f6 then 1 8 �g5 defend . i f now 25 . . . h 5 then 26
0-0 1 9 �g4 wins. I f 1 7 . . . h6 then � x h 5 g x h 5 27 �g5+ ®h8 28
1 8 �c5 �f6 19 �ex d7 �xd7 20 i*h6+ ®g8 a nd 29 �f6 mate .
� x e6+ fxe6 21 �g6+ ®e7 22 25 Etfe8
'l*x e6+ ®d 8 23 �d 5 ! wi ns, or here 26 �h6+ �8
if 1 8 . . . .ll c 6 then 1 9 �xe6 wins,
o r if 1 8 . . . .ll c 8 then 1 9 a4! is
crush i n g .
18 �e3
When White can so ca l m ly signa l
his i ntenti on to carry out the
m u rder of the B lack king, then you
know that Black m u st be in ser ious
tro u b l e .
18 . . . .ll c 6
19 �g5 g6
If 1 9 . . . �f6 20 �g4 wou l d win . 27 �f5 ! ! Resigns
20 Eth3 A beautifu l and conclusive stro ke.

1 1 either pawn captu res , then 28
l1 x h7 is i m m ed iate ly d ecisive.
6 In a p revious encou nter at Bad
Timman-Miles
Netherlands-England, 1 977
Sicilian Defence, D ragon Variation
There are a n u m ber of si m i la rities
between Jan Timman a n d Tony
M i les . They a re b oth very tal ented ,
young, aggressive p l ayers who
became gra nd m asters i n their ea rly
twenties . Both have been the
hig hest rated and m ost p r o m isi ng
wo rld title contenders in thei r
cou ntries since the m i d -70s. Both
have long b lo n d ish hair, a re stu rd i ly
b u i lt and give the appea rance of
'R ena issance men'. Timman has
achieved m o re, and p ro bably works
ha rder, though he d oes have a few
yea rs on M i les . He has a lso had
m o re so l i d back i n g fro m his
cou ntry, such as the Jan Timman
Com m ittee, while M i les has been
more or less on his own (see
cha pter 1 fo r m o re on M i les) .
When these two exciting p l ayers
meet over the board , a hard -fought,
most co m p l icated , tactica l battl e
i nvariab ly fo l l ows, where the p i eces
are flying a l l over. Proba b ly this is
because they a re both q u ite happy
to enter the sharpest va riati o ns such
as the Sici l ian D rago n which
fo l l ows.
1 e4 c5
2 4:lf3 d6
3 d4 cxd4
4 4:lxd4 4:lf6
fan Timman 49
5 4:lc3 g6
6 Ae3 Ag7
7 f3 4:lc6
8 'ltd 2 0-0
9 0-0-0 4:lxd4
Lauterb erg ( 1 977) with the same
co l o u rs, p lay went : 9 ... d5 1 0 ex d 5
4:lxd 5 1 1 4:lxc6 bxc6 1 2 Ad4 e 5 1 3
Ac5 Ae6 1 4 4:le4 �e8 1 5 h4 �b8
1 6 g4 f5? ! 17 gxf5 gxf5 1 8 4:ld6
�f8 (a new move ) 19 4:lc4 wh 8 20
�g 1 Af6 2 1 i*h 6 and Timman won
( i n 30 m oves) o n the k i ngside as in
the present ga m e , though not
b ef o re M i les m issed so me interest i ng
eau nterchances.
1 0 Axd4 Ae6
1 1 4:ld 5 !
A theo retica l novelty . The 'o ld '
m oves were 1 1 Wb 1 , 1 1 a 3 a n d 1 1
g4. T i m man's move is another
a p p roach which stresses centra l
contro l a n d slows d o wn B la c k 's
q u eensi d e cou nterp lay th rough
si m p l ifications, wh i l e sparing fo r
the t i m e b e i ng the tempo req u i red
for Wb 1 : it poses new p ro b l e ms.
11 Axd 5
1 2 exd5 I!c8
1 3 g4
A fine positi o na l atta c k i ng m ove
with the prospect of ga i n i ng vital
space o n the ki ngsi d e .
13 . . . 'ltc7
1 4 c3 e5? !
After t h is m ove T i m ma n can t u r n
h is attent i o n to a d i rect a ssa u lt o n
B l a c k 's sl ightly wea kened k i n gside
pawn fo rmatio n , a lthough i t was
not easy for Black to come u p with
a good p l a n , e .g . 1 4 ... i*a5 1 5 g 5 !
50 /an Timman

4:lh5 1 6 �xg7 4:lxg7 1 7 ®b 1 ( Maric stra its, e .g . 2 1 ... �8 22 i*x d 3 !

in lnformator) and Wh ite has an (stro nger than 22 g5 4:le8 23 'lli'x d 3
en du ring p l u s. i*c4 ! etc.) w i t h g5 to c o m e . Blac k 's
15 dxe6 fxe6 best chance fo r c o m p l ications
16 .ll d 3 e5 wo u l d now b e 22 . . . i*e5. N otice
17 �e3 d5 that Blac k 's pawn stru ctu re is a l so
18 �b 1 i r reparab ly wea kened i n these l i nes .
N ow it is clea r l y t i m e f o r White 20 . . . gxh 5
to tuck h is k i ng away . 2 1 gxh5 h6
18 . . . ®11 8? ! Fo rced , as it is the o n ly way to
M i les h o pes to p lay . . . e4, and th is meet 22 h 6 .
m ove dea ls with the variati o n 1 8 . . . 22 .ll e 2 �7
e4? 1 9 fxe4 d x e4 20 .!lxe4 ! , b u t 23 �dg1 ! �cd 8
T i m m a n n o w f i n d s a series o f 24 �g6 !
strong thrusts which render the This was the i d ea behind White's
who le i d ea fau lty . previous m ove . B l ac k 's position is
1 9 h4! e4 hopeless.
24 . . . 4:lxh 5
2 5 �xh 6+ !
S o m a n y of T i m m a n 's moves
si n ee 1 9 h4 receive ' ! ' because the
logic behind them f lows with such
ease .
25 .ll x h6
26 �xh5 . �f6
27 .!lxh6 'lllf7
28 fxe4! Resigns

20 h 5 ! !
Beautifu l ly timed , revea l i n g the
conceptio n b eg u n with T i m m a n 's
previous m ove . Now if 20 . . . exd3
there a re two p l ea sa nt wi n n i n g
co ntinuations for Wh ite : ( i ) 2 1 h 6 !
whereby not o n ly is the p iece
recovered , but a d ecisive attack o n
t h e d a r k sq u a res must a l so ensu e
e.g. o n 2 1 . . . .!l x h 6 2 2 � x h 6 !
fo l lowed b y .!l d 4 is soon conclusive.
( i i ) 21 hxg6, wh i l e not q u ite as
clea r as the ab ove variat i o n ,
evidently a l so p laces B lack i n d ire
7
Timman-Karpov
Bugojno 1 978
Queen's Gam bit D eclined ,
Alatortsev Variation
Timman's th ird p lace at Bu goj no
was h ig h l ighted b y h i s smashing 5th
rou nd victo ry over Karpov . This
resu lt was particu larly notewo rthy
i n view of the fact that Karpov
managed to f i n ish fi rst equ a l with
Spass ky ! lt was not j u st an off-

chance f l u ke. Games between the
p resent Wo r l d Cha m p ion and this
D utchman who a l ways poses a
th reat a re usu a l ly very i nteresting
and ha rd fought. Timman is the
attacker, with Karpov defend ing
and cou nter-attac k i n g if possi b le .
1 c4 e6
2 4)c3 d5
3 d4 Ae7
An old ' R u ssia n ' m ove o rder
which occ u r red a n u m ber of t i m es
i n the Botvi n n i k-Petro sian ( 1 963)
and Petrosia n-Spassky ( 1 966, 1 969)
Wo rld Champ io nsh i p m atches . O ne
ex p lanation for this m ove order is
to p rovo ke 4)f3 before .ll g 5 .
Another p o i nt i s to a l l ow the futu re
deve l o pment of the Black q ueen 's
bishop to f5 if Wh ite exchanges o n
d 5 . After t h e standard 3 . . . 4)f6 4
cxd5 exd5 5 .ll g 5 c6 6 e3 .llf 5
wou l d b e met strongly by 7 "tM3.
4 cxd 5 exd 5
5 .1lf4 4)f6
Karpov chooses not to p l ay 5 . . .
c 6 with t h e i d ea 6 . . . Af5 . I nstead
he transposes i nto normal l i nes of
the Exchange Variatio n , except
that the Wh ite q u een 's b ishop is o n
f4.
6 e3 0-0
7 itc2 c6
T i m man gives 7 ... c5 ! ? i n
lnformator 2 5 , b ut this wou ld not
su it Karpov's sty le.
8 Ad3 �e8
If 8 . . . 4)bd7 then 9 g4 with good
attacking chances .
9 4)f3 4)bd7
10 0-0-0
Signa l l ing that an exciting o p posite
}an Timman 51
wings battle i s t o fo l l ow .
10 . . . 4)f8
1 1 h3 Ae6
1 1 ... a 5 1 2 g4 a4 1 3 ®b 1 b 5 1 4
4)e5 .ll b 7 1 5 4)e2 had b een p layed
in Yudovich-Serg ievsky, U SS R
1 9 58, with Wh ite sl ightly better.
Karpov's move a lso had a p recedent.
1 2 ®b 1
T i m man ma kes o n e last prophy­
lactic move. After t h is he can
co n centrate on a k i ngsi de atta c k .
1 2 g4 �c8 1 3 4)e5 b 5 1 4 ®b 1 �a5
1 5 �hg1 a6 1 6 g 5 4)6d7 occu rred
in G utman-K i ovan , U SS R 1 970.
12 . . . �c8
1 2 ... b 5 o r c5 a l so need to be
consi d ered here.
1 3 4)g5 !
A typ i ca l T i m man m ove, with
b oth p ositiona l and tactical found­
atio ns. This fi rst 'u n p l easa nt
intruder' i nto Blac k 's camp can
o n ly b e o u sted with the wea ken ing
... h6. Then Wh ite wi l l have a target
f o r a pawn o nslau ght to fo rce o pen
fi les to the Black k i n g .
13 . . . . b 5?!
But t h is move is so mewhat obtuse
to the needs of the positio n .
C o rrect was 1 3 . . . Ad7 1 4 Ae5 h 6
1 5 4)f3 c 5 with Wh ite sl ightly
better. As p layed , T i m ma n 's attack
co ntinues u ndau nted , and Karpov
wi l l m iss his l i ght-sq uared b ish o p .
1 4 .1le5 h6
Of cou rse, o n 1 4 . . . g6 White has
a number of good continuat i o ns,
i n c l u d ing h4, g4, or f4.
1 5 4)xe6 4)xe6
1 6 g4 4)d7
1 7 h4!
52 fan Timmon

2 0 .!la6 .!le7
21 .!lxc8 itxc8
22 <tlg3 !
N ow T i m m a n is not o n l y the
exchange u p , but also attacking !
22 . . . f6

An exce l l ent pawn sacrifice, the

idea of wh ich is to p ry o pen the
h-f i l e . I f B lack accepts with 1 7 . . .
.!l x h 4 , then after 1 8 f 4 .!le7 1 9
.!lh7+ �8 20 .!lf5 Tim man o btains
the kind of attacking position he
had i n m i nd . 23 13.xh6 !
17 . . . b4? ! l t is not often that one sees
This "is actu a l ly q u ite a wea ken i ng Karpov ro uted l i ke th is. I f 23' .. .
move, which o n ly d rives the kn ight g x h 6 24 'l*g6+ �8 25 <tlf5 wins.
to a better sq uare and o pens up the 23 . . . <tlef8
possi b i l ity of .!la6 wi n ning the 24 13.h3 c4
exchange, a lthough it is d ifficu lt to O n 24 . . . fxe5 25 d x e5 it is clea r
find a good move for B lac k . that Wh ite 's pawn avala nche,
Perha ps 1 7 . . . <tlxe5 1 8 d xe5 a nd c o u p l ed with B l a c k 's wea kened
now . . . b4 wo u l d b e a better try. k i ng and vu l nerab le d-pawn , must
18 <tle2 .!lxh4 te l l i n the end . 0 r o n 24 . . . <tlxe5
19 f4 25 d x e5 'l*xg4 26 E!dh 1 Wh ite
l t would b e a m ista ke at this aga in has good attac king chances .
p o i nt to go after the exchange with 25 <tlf5
1 9 .!la6 , as after 1 9 . . . .!lxf2 B lack N o w Karpov rea l l y has noth ing
wou l d obta i n compensati o n . Now better than to ta ke the b ish o p .
Karpov needs to wo rry ab out the 25 fxe5
b oa rd wide t h reats. 26 fxe5 'ltc6
19 . . . c5 27 13.dh 1
1 9 ... <tlxe5 20 d xe5 wou l d sti l l Wh ite can win as he p l eases now.
have left B lack with many 27 . . • �6
p ro b l ems, the th reats i n c l u d i n g f5, 28 <tld6
g5, <tld4, or .!lf5 ; if now 20 ... c5 W i n n i n g , b u t 28 <tlxg7 ! was even
then 2 1 .!lc4 ! I f 1 9 . . . f6, si m p ly m ore b ruta l .
20 .Q.d 6 . 28 . . . <tldf8
 }on Timmon 53

29 �xe8 'itxe8 of that match was the 6th , wh ich

30 Elh5 'itc6 has strong si m i l a rities with the 1 3th
31 'itf5 a5 match game between F ischer and
I f 3 1 ... �e6 Timman i ntended Spassky. Both games a re rich with
32 e4 d x e4 33 ®'xe4 b3 34 d5 �a6 ideas, co m p l e x ities and errors. I n
35 a3 c3 36 d 6 c2+ 37 ®c 1 and the latter game F ischer had B lack i n
W, ns. a n A l e k h i n e 's D efen ce, the k i ng­
32 e6 pawn cou nterpart of the G rU nfel d .
This fo rces m atte rs. I n both open ings Black perm its
32 'itxe6 Wh ite a b ig centre in ex change for
33 'itxd 5 a4 active p iece p lay, and l ater cou nter­
34 Elc 1 play with levers aga i nst White's
Black's material deficit and centre . I n each of the two ga mes,
entangled p ieces m u st result in White ' l o st ' a q u eensid e pawn i n
resignatio n . The rema i n i n g moves exchange for a da ngero us-lo o k ing
were : centra l and ki ngside conf ig u rat i o n ,
34 c3 b ut fa i l ed to d e l iver an i m p o rtant
35 bxc3 bxc3 b low (e6) . So me n otes a re tra ns­
36 Elxc3 'itxd 5 lated from T i m man in Schook­
37 Elxd5 �e6 bulletin , October 1 97 9 .
38 catc2 �7 1 d4 �f6
39 Ela5 �g5 2 c4 g6
40 Elc6 �e4 3 �c3 d5
41 Elxa4 4 cxd5 �xd 5
Also 41 Elxg6 ®xg6 42 Ele5 wins. 5 e4 �xc3
41 �f6 6 bxc3 .ll g 7
42 Ela7 �d 5 7 Ac4 c5
43 Elxg6 ®xg 6 8 �e2 �c6
44 e4 �b4+ 9 Ae3 0-0
45 �b3 .ll f 8 10 0-0 .ll g 4
47 Elb7 Resigns Timman is a main expo nent of
t h is move, having e m p l o yed it to
equal ise aga i nst H a rt and Spassky
at N i ksi�. and later aga i nst Spassky
8 aga i n at M o ntrea l . I ts intent is to
Polugaevsky-Timman apply m o re i m m ed iate p ressu re on
'Secret Match ', Breda 1 979 d 4 than the fo rmerly m o re
(6th Game) c o m m o n 1 0 . . . �c7 1 1 1:k 1 El d 8
G riinfeld Defence etc . ; t h i s move a lso tem pts Wh ite
Just bef o re R i o , Tim man p l ayed a to attempt the we l l-known exchange
'sec ret matc h ' with Po lugaevsky. offer after 1 1 f3 �a 5 1 2 Ad 3 cxd4
Pro bab ly the most i nteresting game 1 3 cxd4 Ae6 1 4 d5 Axa 1 1 5 �xa 1 ,
54 }on Timmon
wh ich is considered u nclea r . 1 2
.ild 5 instead of 1 2 .il d 3 , as p layed
by H o rt a nd Spassky, is known
si nce 1 947 when R ovner b rought it
i nto p ractice. Then after 1 2 . . . cxd4
1 3 cxd4 .ild7 1 4 E!b 1 a6 1 5 .il x b7
E!a7 1 6 .ild5 .il b 5 ! B l ac k has good
p lay, a nd is so o n l i kely to recover
his pawn on d 4 .
1 1 d5!?
An i nteresting pawn sacrifice
which Timman had not seriously
co nsid ered .
11 4la5
1 2 .11. d 3 c4
13 .11.c 2 .11.x c3
14 E! b 1
T i m m a n felt that Wh ite wo u l d
n ot h ave enough f o r h i s pawn after
1 4 f3 .ilxa 1 1 5 ili'xa 1 .ild 7 1 6 .ilh6
f6 .
14 .11.g 7
1 5 f3 Ad7
16 f4 b5
The n o rm a l reaction to Wh ite's
centra l advance wou l d b e 1 6 . . . e6 ,
but then 1 7 d x e6 fx e6 1 8 e5 wou ld
leave Black with h o l es o n d 6 and
f6 , a l o ng with the king b isho p being
shut i n ; o r o n 17 . . . .ilxe6 1 8 f5
wo u l d give Wh ite a strong k i ng­
side i n itiative. As p layed , Timman
u n ites his q u eenside pawns, 're­
m i n d i ng ' Po lugaevsky that they
may c o u nt .
1 7 e5
A logical m ove, gai n i ng space and
restricting B l a c k 's king b ish o p , b u t
1 7 4ld4 l o o ks even better ,
contro l l i ng m a n y centra l squa res .
Po lu gaevsky's u nwi 1 1 ingness to p lay
this m ove now or o n the next m ove
is hard to e x p l a i n .
17 . . . a6
1 8 4lc3 E! b 8 ?
T i m ma n c r iticises this m ove. l t is
i ntended to p rovo ke 1 9 a3 so that
later he m ight sacrifice back a pawn
with ... 4lb3. Correct was 1 8 ...
E!c8, with the p l a n of retrieving the
knight via ... 4lb7-c 5 .
1 9 Aa7 E!b7
1 9 . . . !!aB (or c8) wo u l d be
strongly met b y 20 ili'd4 (th reat­
ening 2 1 .ilb6) .
20 Ac5 E!e8
21 itrf3 §b8
T i m man carefu l l y makes p repar­
atio ns f o r redeploying his knight,
si nce for the t i m e being he can
u nd e rta ke n o active measu res.
22 itf2 !
A g o o d m ove, p reparing f5
(aga i nst the co u nterstro ke ... ili'c8)
and su p p o rting the g 1 -a7 d iago nal .
22 . . . itc8
23 .11. a 7 !
Aga i n a strong m ove whose p o i nt
soon becomes evident.
23 . . . §a8
24 .11 b 6 4lb7
Po l u gaevsky has completed the
d a r k sq u a re b i n d he so ca refu l ly
cu ltivated , and the i n d i cated f o l l o w
u p i s 25 a4. T i m man then gives 2 5
. . . 4ld 6 a s an i nterest i ng way for
Black to put u p resista nce, e .g . 26
4la2 ! 4lf5 (26 ... 4lb7 27 a x b 5 a x b 5
28 4l b 4 with a d a r k sq u a re b i n d ) 27
g4 4lh6 28 h 3 and B lack has 28 . . .
.11 x g4 t o keep a d raw i n hand .
25 h3
Po lugaevsky p refers to method ic­
a l ly b u i ld up a k i ngsi d e o nslaught.

25 . . . Af5
This wou l d not have b een
possi b le had the Wh ite knight been
on d 4 .
2 6 �e4 itd7
T i m man slowly creeps out.
27 g4
Po lu gaevsky com p l etes the p retty
central and k i ngsi d e structu res he
lm been opting fo r . T i m man 's
co m m ent on this move : 'Ty p ical
o f Po lu gaevsky's aggressive sty le.
H e is not wo rried a b o ut the wea k­
nning of his fundamenta l kingsi de
pawn structu re.'
27 Axe4
28 .fl.xe4 �ac8
N ow we can co m pare Wh ite's
'p retty p ictu re' of a position with
Spassky-F ischer, 1 3th match ga m e
1 972.
Spassky-Fischer
fan Timman 55
Spassky fai l ed to d e l iver here
with 25 e 6 ! as d oes Po l u gaevsky i n
a few moves with the sam e stro ke.
I nstead he p l ayed 25 i*c3 .
2 9 a4
The i m m ed iate 29 e6 co u ld b e
met with . . . i*d 6 and t h e n o n 30 f5
T i m man intend ed the 'co o l ' 30 . . .
E!f8 . T h e text-m ove i s n o t as
effect ive as ea r l ier .
29 c3
30 axb 5 axb5
3 1 �fc l Ah6!?
H ere Timman reco m mends 31 ...
f6 with the idea that o n 32 e6 �d 6
33 � x b 5 i*a3 ! B lack has exce l l ent
chances with ... �d6 to f o l l ow.
Also o n 32 f5 fxe5 33 fxg6 �d 6 !
Black is in f i n e sha p e . With the
move p layed , T i m ma n wou ld l i ke
to tempt 32 g5 .fl.g7 33 ®!]2 �c4 !
etc . The exchange sa crifice 3 1 ...
�c4 32 .fl.d 3 i*x d 5 wou l d not be
effective after 33 .fl.xc4 i*xc4 34
i*d4.
32 g5 .11 g 7
33 ite3 h6
34 gxh6 Axh6
35 �xc3 �xc3
If 35 ... .fl.xf4 then 36 i*xf4 !
�xc3 37 e6 wo u l d q u ic k l y lead to
mate .
36 itxc3 �c8
If 36 . . . .1lxf4 37 e6 ! wo u l d aga i n
lead to a strong attack f o r Wh ite .
37 itg3?
But here Po l u gaevsky m issed h is
last win n i ng chance, 37 e6 !
Timman gives a na l ysis i nd icati ng
that Blac k wou ld l o se after 37 .. .
i*e8 o r 3 7 . . . fxe6 38 i*g3, b ut l et
us summarise h is effo rts by giving
56 }an Timman

Blac k 's best l i n e : 37 . . . �xe6 38 end fo r Po l u gaevsky, who has

d x e6 t!xc3 39 .ilxb7 t!xh3 40 played wel l but m issed so me
.ild 5 ! and Wh ite shou ld wi n . i m p o rtant o p p o rt u n ities .
37 . . . t!c4 42 d6 <i)xd 6
38 t!e l e6 ! l t i s amazing that t h i s kn ight,
And now Timman stri kes ! I f 39 which has been d o rmant for so
d6 <i)xd6 ! 40 ex d6 �x d 6 with long, now moves o n ly to sacrifice
B lack getting th ree pawns p l u s the itse l f .
attack for his piece; o r 39 �4 43 exd6 'l!\'xd6
t!xe4 fo l l owed by 40 . . . �x d 5 with 44 t!e8+? !
good co m p ensati o n for the Po l u gaevsky overestimates his
ex change . But Po lu gaevsky comes chances. With 44 ®h 1 a struggle
u p with a f i n e retort . wou l d sti l l h ave fo l l owed .
39 f5! 44 . . . �7
45 �dB?
Th is a l l ows Timman a wi n n i ng
tra nsit ion co m b i natio n . 45 � e 1
was the o n ly rea l chance.
45 .1lh2+
46 ®11 1 �c l+
47 .ll f l �xf l +
4 8 'l!\'xf l 'l!\'xb6
W i t h passed b-pawn a n d f-pawns,
a nd the wi de-o pen position of the
Wh ite k i n g , Black has a l l the
P o l u gaevsky i nsists o n keep ing h is wi nning chances.
pawn d u o ! 49 �d5 Ac7 !
39 . . . exf5 N ow 50 �xb 5 wo u l d l o se to 50
39 . . . t! x e4 ! ? wou ld be i nter­ . . . 'ltf 2 .
esti ng h ere . 50 �xb5 'l!\'c6+
40 .ll g 2 Af4 51 �1 .1lb6+
41 'l!\'f2? 52 �h2 'l!\'c2+
41 i*a3 was the last chance to 53 'l!\'g2 'l!\'c7+
h o l d the d raw after the fo l l owing Best . If 53 ... .ll c 7+ 54 ®g1 and
beautifu I vanat 1 o n given by Black d o es not wi n materia l .
Ti m ma n : 4 1 ... b4 42 e6 b x a3 43 54 'l!\'g3 .!lg 1 +
ex d7 a2 44 d 6 t! c 1 45 t!xc1 .il x c 1 And now the White r o o k goes. 54
4 6 .il x b 7 .ile3+ ! 47 .ll x e3 a 1 = i*+ ®h 1 a l lowed 54 ... �c l + 55 ®h 2
48 ®92 �b2+ 49 ®g3 �e5+ with a ilc7+.
perpetua l check ! 55 � 2 'l!\'c6+
41 . . . 'l!\'e7 56 �xg l 'l!\'xb 5
This spe l l s the beg i n n i ng of the 5 7 'l!\'h4+ �7
 fan Timman 57

58 �d4+ f6 63 itfc8 f3+

59 �a7+ ®h6 Resigns
60 �f7 itfe5 On 64 'ilflxf3 �5+ with a wo n
61 �2 f4 k i n g and pawn end i n g . An inter­
62 �f8+ �5 esting batt l e .
 "Chess is wor k "
H is name represen ts a fo l k lo re
character to chess p l ayers around
the world . He is d yna m i c , aggressive,
SUSp iCIO US, and yet friend ly .
Browne, l i k e F ischer , left H ig h
Schoo l in B ro o k lyn , choosing the
u n certa in l ife of a chess p layer.
Browne is a gam b l ing ga m esman .
H e ' l l p lay you at any game at sm a l l
sta kes, p o ker a n d b ackga m m o n at
h igher sta kes. l t was m o re l i kely a
fact than a ru m ou r, that a few yea rs
ago Waiter had to make most of h is
i ncom e from these two games, and
not from chess . A sad i m age fo r
U .S. chess !
G o n e are the days ( 1 970) when
B rowne wou l d p lay a nyone i n a
N ew York c l u b at 5- 1 time odds
fo r 50t a game. N ot that he is
i n capab le, but he has chosen to
steer h i m self to m o re p rofessio n a l
ways, a l l part of t h e matu ring
Wafter Browne
p rocess we have seen in h i m . The
U .S . O pen, wh ich was k n own as
'Browne's Tou rnament', has been
traded for the U .S. C h a m p i o nsh i p ,
a rather m o re serious event, which
B rowne has wo n three times in
1 974, 1 975 and 1 977. O f late his
l ife-styl e, tho ugh m o re organised ,
is by no means sta i d ! H e always
finds time for p leasu rab le thi ngs,
b lend ing them with serious
tau rnament p reparation, and ma i n­
tai n ing fa irly strict d isc ip l i nes
regar d i ng sleep, f o o d , a l co h o l ,
ex erc ise, and tou rnament p repar­
ati o n . Perhaps a l o ng with this
p rofessi onal ism has come a strong
sensitivity for good tournament
conditions, and he is easily upset
by n oise, p o o r l ighting a n d gl o ssy
p ieces.
He has final ly ti red of a l l the
weekend Swisses with their
60 Wafter Browne
contin uous p ressu res, a n d vows to
cut d own on them . B rowne has
won every m aj o r O pen title in the
U .S.A. F ro m them there is now
little, except f o r m oney, f o r h im to
gain , and everyth ing to lose .
I nstead , he i n co ncentrati ng o n
m o re serious, higher goals. I n a
cand id interv iew in Chess Life and
Review January 1 978, he states :
' i t's a b it saving m yself, b ut it's j u st
a p layer of my c lass shou l d n 't h ave
to p lay in Swisses . i t 's so rt of a
deva l u atio n . i t's l i ke putting o n a
sh ow . . . I m ean I win 80 per cent of
the Swisses I p lay i n ! '
L i ke most good chess p layers,
B rowne is a m ost co m p l icated
perso na l ity . Often i n co m p re­
hensi b le in the p u b l i c eye , but m o st
l i keab le on a o n e-to-one b asis. At
once he is nervo us, confident,
insecu re , and rem ark ab le. H e is
cutting d own o n those incred i b le
time scram b les when he wo u ld
have to p lay about twenty m oves
in a m i nute , going th rough an
end less series of nervous tantru ms,
sha k i n g , and g r i m acing a l m ost to
the po i nt of comed y . B rowne
ackn owledges that he is beco m ing
m o re p ractica l . A l l -night p o ker and
backga m m o n sessions d u ring a
tou rnam ent a re a thing of the past .
Though B rowne i s m e l l owing a s h is
chess matu res, he st i l l i m p resses o n e
a s a m ost l ively cha racte r . H is
confidence and h igh se lf-app raisa l
may seem arrogant to so m e , b u t
when you 're the favourite i n nea r ly
eve ry tou rnam ent, the m an every­
one wants to ta ke a notch fro m ,
th is is not su rp risi ng, and perhaps
even necessary. H is other b est
su p p o rter is h is A rgentinian wife
R aq u e l , whom he married in 1 974.
B rowns's great tou rnament
experience h as made h i m awa re of
a l m ost any facto r which cou ld
affect h is chess p lay , and he spea ks
o pen ly about them . Rega rd ing
hea lth : 'I thin k a hea lthy perso n
c a n p lay better chess a n d that 's
why I th i n k in America it's very
d ifficu lt. i t 's d ifficu lt to maintai n a
hea lthy o u t l o o k i n p laying Swisses
a l l the time i n t h is co u nt ry . Because
it's very tense, the cond it ions are
very p o o r .' (Chess Life and Review
January 1 978) . H e fee ls h is ea rly
chess. deve l o p ment was sl owed
d own by poo r physical hea lth
comb ined with many late night
card sessions. N owadays B rowne
tries to p lay tennis a l m ost every
other day, eats we l l , sleeps we l l ,
a n d takes long wa l ks. ' I rea lise the
connect i o n between the body and
m in d , you must b e i n good shape.'
Th is writer ( D . K . ) remembers b e i ng
lectu red about how b risk wa l k ing
deve l o ps the sto mach m u sc l es as we
were wandering from restau rant to
restau rant in Toro nto aro u nd mid­
night, search i ng fo r a 'su itab le'
stea k . B rowne shares La rsen's
o p i n i o n that a chess p l ayer must
have a stro ng sto mach and be ab le
to adjust to d ifferent c l i m ates. He
fee ls t h is had a lot to d o with h is
med iocre resu lt at the M a n i l a I nter­
zonal in 1 976. A typ ica i ' B rownian'
q u i p : ' . . . Whenever my o p ponent
wants, I ' l l buy him a b ig stea k
 Wafter Browne 61

d i nner b efo re I p lay h i m . Let h i m p laying any game without foremost

try t o p lay after that ! ' a strong desi re to wi n . I n so me of
H is ex perience has a lso m ad e h im these games t h is d esi re certa i n ly
wary of p ossible injustices that over-shad ows his real a b i l ity . l t is
m ight occu r i nvo lv ing a ny aspect o f no secret that Waiter is welcome at
tou rnament chess. l t i s true that any p o ker tab l e !
Browne received little fo rmal Yes, fo l l owing i n F ischer's foot­
ed ucatio n , but he is a se lf-made steps, B rowne left H ig h Sch o o l
su ccess, who has learned j u st what early, t o t h e d isap p o i ntment of h is
he needs to know b y acq u ir i ng the parents. H is comments regard ing
to ugh d isc i p l i ne req u i red fo r chess a nd card s rather than sch o o l :
wee kend Swisses . H e is i n fact very ' . . . So together I was m a k i n g so me
good with n u m bers, having p icked b read , d o ing what I l i ked to d o , so
up most of h is statistics and why the h e l l should I go to schoo l?
p robab i l ity fro m p laying p o ker and . . . A lso I wasn 't d o ing we l l , if I was
backga m m o n , a nd from constantly d o i ng we l l there wou ld h ave b een a
f igu ring out the p otential net choice, but there was no choice. I
inco m e of tou rnaments. H e has q u it at 1 6 , but as far as I 'm
never had a chess tra i n er or m ento r, concerned I q u it at 1 4.' A typ ica l ly
and he hand les a l l h is chess b usi ness p ragmatic attitude fro m B rowne. I n
perso na l l y . recent years we can see m o re and
B rowne is one of t h e few Western m o re si m i la rities between B rowne
grandmasters who as a chess and F ischer, though there wi l l
p rofessi onal h as b een successfu I i n a lways b e so me fu ndamenta l d iffer­
lead i n g a 'n o rm a l fam i l y l ife' with a ences. They are both essential l y
h o u se and car in Berkeley, c lassi cal posit i o n a l p l ayers, w h o
C a l ifo rnia. Th is stab i l isat i o n has p refer c larity rather t h a n wi ld
req u i red about ten yea rs of great comp l i cati ons. Yet the a b i l ity to
d r ive and determ inatio n . He is p rod uce so me o riginal tactical f l a i r
p ro u d to own a p o o l tab le a nd is a lways there . They a re most
asp ires to m ove i nto a b igger h ouse , d evastating with a smal l but clear
with perhaps a ten nis cou rt, a advantage . They b oth a re m o st
swi m m ing p o o l , and m o re l and . u n co mfortab le in d efend i ng
A typ ical non-tou rnament Waiter patiently in p assive positi o ns. We
Browne d ay : five to si x h o u rs of characterise B rowne as essential ly a
chess stu d y ; two h o u rs of tennis ; 'tech nica l p l ayer,' that is , he is a
th ree exce l lent meals th rown in , h ard wo rker, who a lways seeks the
with a few h o u rs of T.V. and an su rest p ath to victory, n ot the most
h o u r of poo l shoot i n g . Back­ o rigin a l , sha rpest , o r p rettiest .
gam m on , p o ker, poo l , sc rabb le and Therein lies the d ifferen ce . To
ten n is a re all p layed for 're laxat i o n ' B rowne , 'chess is wo r k ' , to F ischer,
th o ugh it i s d iffi cu lt to i m agine h im 'chess is l ife'. F ischer is a gen i u s,
62 Wafter Browne
B rowne a n in cred ib le character . H e
i s very we l l p repared a n d wi l l enter
long theo retica l variations with
so me TN (theo retical n ovelty )
p repared after m ove 20. Yet when
faced with d ifficu lt over -the-b oard
prob lems, he can st i l l find the
necessa ry u nique so lutio n . B rowne
has always been much m o re the
ai i-American boy, but as he sett les
and m atu res, this characteristic
slowly d isap pea rs. Both F ischer and
B rowne have few friends among
U .S. p layers, and b oth h ave chose n
t o l ive in t h e State o f C a l if o rnia .
O ne deve l o p m enta l d ifference
wh ich m u st not be ove r l o o ked is
B rowne's l ong-time b reed ing
grou nd , the weekend Swiss tou rna­
ment. Su rely there can b e no
tougher test of one's nerves,
stam i na and p ractica l ity , not to
m ention chess strengt h . I n the
sh o rter events, with 4-6 rou nds, it
is d eterm ination and p recisi o n
which p lay a k e y ro l e . O ne can
rarely aff o rd serious erro rs, for o ne
loss wi l l knock you out of fi rst
p lace. I n the l o nger events, 7-1 2
ro u nds, there is usu a l l y a most
deman d i n g p laying sched u le, where
p hysi ca l condition and concen­
tration p lay as b ig a ro le as sheer
a b i l ity . Arguab ly, th is is true for a l l
fo rms of tou rnam ent chess, b ut few
wou ld deny that Swisses are
tougher o n the nerves . B rowne has
p roven h i m se lf q u ite u p to the
demands of weekend Swisses. He
has p roduced many b ri l l ia nt
victo ries just when the tou rnament
req u i red them . We sha l l p resent
some of the most exciting of these
Swiss wins in the next few pages .
0 n the internati o n a l scene,
B rowne's resu lts have been so me­
what varied , fine victo ries being
interspersed with very med io cre
resu Its. H e obta i n ed h is g rand­
master tit l e b y p u l l i ng o ff a su rp rise
2nd p lace f i n ish at San J u a n , Puerto
R ico, 1 969 , behind Spassky, h aving
held the advantage a nd then
d rawing h is game agai nst the then
World C h am p i o n . G ood successes
on the international front seemed
to come every few years. H is next
b ig su ccess was a fi rst at Venice
( 1 97 1 ) , ahead of H a rt. G l igo ric,
Rad u l ov a nd Kava l e k ; then he had
to wa it u ntil the 1 974 Wij k aan Zee
to u r nament in H o l l a n d , wh ich he
won 1 % p o i nts ahead of a field of
1 0 grand masters. I n F isc her 's
absence, 1 974 was a lso a su perb
yea r on the American co nti nent
with fi rsts at Lone Pine (Ca l ifornia ) ,
t h e U .S . Cham p i o nsh ip ( C h icago ) ,
a n d the Pa n-American C h a m p i o nsh ip
(Winnipeg ) , the last two 1% p o ints
a head of the field . H owever, these
fine resu lts were often o n ly after a
number of u n i m p ressive finishes
d own in the m i d d l e of the field .
Certain ly the l nterz o na l at M a n i la
( 1 976) where B rowne was not close
to q u a l ifying, was one su ch b ig
d isap p o i ntment. Since then B rowne
has been m o re co nsistently nea r the
top of the internatio nal tou rna­
m ents when he p lays i n them . This
is demo nst rated by his 2nd p lace
finish at the Euwe M e m o r i a l ( 1 975)
behind K a rp ov, and h is first p l ace
 Waiter Browne 63

fin ish at the very strong R ey kjavik 1

to u rnament ( Feb ., 1 978) ahead of G ilden-Browne
M i les, H o rt, O lafsso n , Larsen , National Open 1 972
Lombardy, Po lu gaevsky, K u z m in , Sicilian D efence, Najdorf Variation
Smej k a l , etc . H e rou nded off 1 978 I n 1 972 B rowne wo n the N atio nal
with a q u ite respecta b l e 5th -6th O pen and p l ayed so me m o st
p l ace tie at the Buenos A i res exciting chess, his last ro u nd ga me
tou rnament fo l lowing the aga inst Larry G i lden p robab ly being
O ly m p iad , one p o i nt beh ind the the best. So me n otes a re based on
winner, Andersso n . B rowne's annotatio n s in CL& R ,
D u e to a m isundersta n d i n g over August 1 972 .
p laying cond iti o ns with tou rnament 1 e4 c5
d i recto r l saac K ashd a n , B rowne d id 2 4)f3 d6
not p articipate in the 1 978 U .S. 3 d4 cxd4
Cham p i o nsh i p . Perhaps because t h is 4 4:lxd4 4:lf6
was an I nterz o n a l q u a l ifying event, 5 4:lc3 a6
and having won the l ast th ree U .S. 6 .ll c4 b5
Champ io nshi ps, Browne felt very N o rm a l here i s 6 .. . e6, but
strongly that he shou l d b e a l lowed Browr.e does not fea r 7 .ll d 5 4:lxd 5
a q u a l ifying p lace without partici­ 8 e x d 5 g6 9 0-0 .ll g7 1 0 § e 1 0-0 1 1
pating, as mentio ned i n h is 1 978 .llg 5 §e8, fee l i n g that B lack has
Chess Life and Review i nterview. co m pensati o n fo r his bac kwa rd e­
However, desp ite his F ischer-l i ke pawn in his two b isho ps.
withd rawa l , he has not received 7 .ll b3 e6
F ischer-l ike treatment, i .e . none of 8 0-0 .ll e 7
the th ree U .S. q u a l ifiers, Kava l e k , 9 §e1
Tarja n , and Sham kovich , e x p ressed S i n ce 9 f4 and 9 'ltf3 are m o re
a wi l l i ngness to f ree a p lace for h im . usu a l , B rowne suspects that G i lden
I n 1 970 the U .S .C . F . 'bought' a has so meth ing novel p la n n ed .
p lace in the l nterzona l for F ischer 9 0-0
by paying Ben ko $1 000 . As a 1 0 .ll g 5
resu lt of this rather u nfo rtu nate Wh ite has chosen the most
i n cident regard ing the U .S . Champ­ aggressive d e p l oyment of h is
ionsh i p , Browne h u rt o n ly h i mse l f , b ishops, which is rarely seen against
in that he wi l l have to wait a n other the Najdo rf, u n less so mething
th ree years fo r a c rack at the Wo rld exceptiona l is p l a n ned . Usu a l ly
Champ i o nsh i p . Wh ite waits to see where this
b ishop w i l l p lay its best ro le i n the
gam e .
10 . . . .ll b 7
1 1 a4 !?
The p re l u d e to a h igh ly i ngenio u s
64 Wafter Browne

but fau lty sacrifice ( B rowne ) . H ow- g2.

ever, i f Wh ite p l ays t h e cautio us 1 1 16 . . . l!e8
a3 to sto p ... b4, then B l a c k can I f 1 6 ... l!xf2 1 7 "ite3 and Black
co mfo rtab ly co m p lete his deve l o p ­ has noth ing ( B rowne) .
ment with . . . <'tl b d 7 o r . . . <'tlc6 . 1 7 -&-f3
11 b4 Aga i n the o n ly move, th is time
1 2 <'tla2 <'tlxe4 saving h is b ishops.
1 3 <'tlxe6 ! ! ? 17 . . . <'tld7 !
The p o i nt of Wh ite 's 1 1 th m ove, Th is is the perfect move i n this
and p robab ly a p repared o pen i n g position ( B rowne) . Black c o m p l etes
co ncept i o n , which on l y b lossoms his develo pment, ta kes ca re of h is
after the next few fo rced moves. back ran k , a nd assu res h imself of a
B rowne overl o o ked this when he very act ive position fo r h is pawn
p layed 1 2 ... <'tlxe4. m inus.
13 fxe6 1 8 Axd7 l!xe7
1 4 AxeS+ ®11 8 19 Ah3
1 5 Axe7 Perhaps better was 1 9 Ag4, but
The cu l m inati o n of G i lden 's then after 1 9 ... l!ae8 (th reaten i ng
rem arkab le idea is that if 1 5 .. . 20 . . . <'tlg 5) B rowne gives 20 "ite3
"itxe7 1 6 Ad 5 ! wins, but Browne <'tlf6 ! 2 1 "itxe7 l! x e7 22 l! x e7
now g ives us a su rprise of his own , Ad 5 ! th reatening 23 . . . "itd4 . O r if
which i s the o n ly m ove, and 1 9 Af5 l!f8 wins.
extremely strong. 19 . . . l!ae8
20 -&-e3
Black th reatens 20 . . . <'tlg5 . What
can Wh ite d o ? I f 20 i*f4 <'tlxf2 ! 2 1
l!xe7 <'tlxh3+ 22 ®h 1 Axg2+ 23
®xg2 <'tlxf4+ wins ( Brown e ) .
20 . . . <'tlg5 !
Anyway !
2 1 itxe7 <'tlxh3+
22 gxh3 l!xe7
23 l!xe7
Wh ite has two rooks and a bad
15 itb6 ! ! pawn fo r the queen . H is l o o se
Sudden ly i t is White's k i ngsi de posit i o n , with a wea kened ki ngside
which is vu l nerab le. T h is demon­ and bad kn ight m u st spe l l defeat.
strates B rowne's ab i l ity to so lve Browne shows h is typica l ly smo oth
d ifficu lt over-the-board p rob lems. tech n i q u e for such positions.
16 -&-e2 23 itc6
The o n ly move . If 1 6 Axf8 24 f3 itc5+
'l*xf2+ 1 7 ®h 1 <'tlg3+ and mate on 25 ®1' 1 ith5 !
 Wafter Browne 65

D efend ing and attack i n g ! amazing 1 7-1 sco re, ced ing on ly
26 �xb4 lixf3+ two d raws, end ing u p 1 % p o i nts
27 !Yle l h6 ahead of the field .
B la c k now plans to wipe out We present h is exciting ga m e
White's ki ngside pawns a nd q u een aga i nst Larsen , with so m e notes
me of h is own . b o rrowed from B rowne's a rticle i n
28 E!a3 lih l + Chess Life and Review ( October
29 �2 't'txh 2+ 1 972 ) .
30 �d l 1 d4 �f6
Perhaps 30 E!e2 wou l d h o l d o u t 2 �f3 c5
longer, b u t Wh ite wou l d st i l l be 3 d5 d6
lost. 4 �c3
30 . . . a5 ! This is typ ical of Larsen, a i m ing
D ecisive, b ecause the k n ight m u st at the more u nusual Beno n i
either assu me a passive position posit i o ns w h i c h resu lt when Wh ite
aga i n o r the Wh ite h-pawn m u st go. d o es not play c4.
If 3 1 E! x b7 'l*h 1 +. 4 g6
31 �a2 lih l + 5 e4 Ag7
32 E!el Af3+ 6 Ab5+ �fd7
33 �2 't'txh 3 This is the sharpest choice, wh i l e
34 �c l h5 6 . . . il d 7 i s a lso p laya b l e . H owever,
arl White so o n resigned . 6 ... �bd7 wou l d offer no p ro m -
A typ ical B rowne win when it is ising futu re for the k n ight.
m ost needed in the last rou nd of a 7 a4
big Swiss. Accu rate, in that . . . a6 a nd . . . b 5
i s deta i ned .
7 0-0
8 0-0 �a6
2 9 Af4? !
Larsen-Browne I ntend i ng a n ea rly e5, but si nce
U .S.O pen 1 972 th is plan can not b e rea l ised , 9 E!e1
Benoni wou ld have been less co m m ittal ,
1972 was a very good year for a l l owing f 1 for the bisho p .
B rowne, as he also won th e U .S. 9 ... �c7
O pen with 1 0%- 1 %, a p o int a hea d 1 0 ile2 f5 !
of the field . U p o n entering the This is one of those rare posit ions
to u r nament he had two goals: to when this m ove wo rks o u t wel l fo r
beat La rsen, and to win the tou rna­ Black i n the Beno n i . N o rmally the
ment. In fact he did ach ieve both wea kness o n e6 is too much to be
goals, beating Larsen in b r i l l iant withstood , b u t here Wh ite's b i sho p
sty l e . Browne a lso won the U .S. o n f 4 i s vu l nerable, a nd White's
Open b l itz tou rna m ent with an d-pawn wi l l be vertical l y iso lated
66 Wafter Browne

and d ifficu lt to p rotect. 15 . . . l::! x f3 !

1 6 gxf3?
1 6 .llc 4+ was mandato ry, after
which 1 6 . . . §f7 1 7 .ll x f7+ ®xf7
1 8 'l!ltxc3 �f6 1 9 l::! a e 1 ! offers
a p p ro x i mate ly eq u a l cha nces .
16 . . . �e5
1 7 Ac4+
Too late now! But if 1 7 'l!ltx c3
�xf3+ 1 8 ®h 1 �xg5 with a m ulti­
tu de of pawns fo r the exchange.

1 1 exf5
On 1 1 .ll c 1 B rowne considered 1 1
. . . f4 fo l l owed b y . . . �e5 to b e
strong .
11 . . . l::! x f5
12 Ag5
I ntend ed to restrai n ... e6.
12 . . . Axc3!
B rowne is p laying non-standard
moves aga i nst an o p ponent who is
renowned for h is b izarre positiona l 17 . . . e6 ! !
p lay. A s a genera l ru le such m oves This stu n n i ng move stresses the
are bad , b u t B rowne sh ows his h e l p l essness of Wh ite 's situatio n .
ab i l ity to recognise the except i o n a l 1 8 *xc3
cases, w i t h precise c a l c u l a t i o n to There is noth i ng better . If 1 8
bac k h i m u p . ®Q2? �xc4 1 9 'l!ltf4 �d 5 ! 20 'l!lth4
1 3 bxc3 �xd 5 'l!ltf8 2 1 'l!ltxc4 .ll d 7 fo l l owed by . . .
I f now 1 4 .ll c 4 then 1 4 . . . �b6 1 5 'l!ltf5, . . . .ll c 6 and .. . l::! f 8, as given
.lla 2 c4 ! 1 6 a5 �xc3 1 7 'l!lte 1 �xa2 ! by B rowne, is crush i n g .
1 8 a x b 6 ax b 6 is winn ing for B lack 18 *xg5+
( B rowne) . 1 9 �h 1 b6
1 4 Ad3 �xc3 20 §fd 1 ?
1 5 *d2? Better wou l d have been 20 §fe 1 ,
1 5 'l!lte1 wou l d offer White at least preventi ng B lac k 's next
chances d u e to the p ressu re o n the manoeuvre.
e-pawn , then if 1 5 ... l::! xf3 1 6 20 *f4
.ll x e7 'l!lte8 1 7 gxf3 �e5 1 8 .ll c4+ 2 1 l::! x d 6 �xf3
�xc4 ( not 1 8 . . . ®97 1 9 'l!ltxc3 N ot 21 . . . �xc4? 22 l::! d 8+ Wf7
with a p i n ) 1 9 'l!ltxc3 'l!ltxe7 20 23 'l!lth 8 when Black must settle for
'l!ltxc4+ .lle 6 21 'l!ltf4 l::! f 8 with a n a perpetu a l , o r 2 1 .. . .ll b 7? 22
u nclea r positi o n . .ll x e6+ '#ifS 23 .ll d 5 . B rowne
 Wafter Browne 67

finished the game in typi ca l l y calcu l ated , few p l ayers can be

eff icient sty le : considered B rowne's su perio rs.
22 �d8+ �7 Ta ke h is fam o us 'Sacrificia l O rgy'
23 � 2 "«rg5+! ga m e aga inst Bernard Zuckerman ,
24 �h3 which B rowne an notated i n Chess
I f 24 � 1 �xh2+ fo l lowed b y . . . Life and Review ( Ma rch 1 974) .
�xd B . I f 24 '\tlh 1 �d4 ! 2 5 �xd4 1 d4
i!b7+ 26 f3 cxd4 a n d wins B rowne varies between d -pawn
( B rowne) . I f i nstead 24 ... �h5 in and e-pawn openi ngs depend i ng o n
answer to 24 '\tlh 1 then 25 �f8+ t h e oppo nent a nd situatio n . Later
'\tlxf8 26 �6+ and Black m u st we sha l l p resent some exam p l es of
wo rk harder to wi n . h is m o re recent tu rn to excl usively
24 "«rh4+ d-pawn openings.
25 �2 �d4 1 d5
26 �xd4 Ab7+ 2 c4 e6
27 Ad5 Axd5+ 3 �c3 Ae7
28 �xd5 "«re4+! 4 �f3 �f6
Much better than 28 . . . ex d 5 29 5 Ag5 0-0
�3+. 6 e3 �bd7
29 f3 "«rxd 5 7 i!d3
30 a5 b5 A classical Quee n 's Gambit
31 �e1 �d8 Decl i ned , but here Wh ite u su a l ly
32 �e2 "«rg5+ p lays 7 E!c 1 , saving a tempo if
33 �2 �d 1 Black i ntends to p lay ... d x c4 .
34 �e 1 "«rh4+ 7 dxc4
And the g reat Dane resigned . 8 Axc4 c5
9 0-0 a6
N ow we are entering positions of
the Queen 's Gamb it Accepted , with
3 Wh ite a tempo d own , b ut having his
Browne-Zuckerman q u een 's bishop on g5 instead of
Atlantic Open , New York 1 973 behind h is e-pawn .
Queen's G ambit Declined 10 a4 cxd4
Browne is mai n ly a .so u nd , 11 exd4 �b6
positional p layer who em p l oys 12 Ab3 Ad7
tacti cs to t ra nspose from one type 13 �e5
of adva ntage to an u lt i m ately Browne rejected 1 3 a 5 �bd5 1 4
clea rer one, as F ischer, rather than �x d 5 �xd5 1 5 A x d 5 exd 5 1 6
for the sa ke of sheer c o m p l icatio ns, Axe7 �x e7 because he was i n a
as T a I . However, when a deep 'must wi n ' situatio n , and was
co m b i nation p resents itself, req u ir­ wi l l ing to gam b le o n co m p l ications
i ng many tactica l o p erations to be fo r a bigger advantage . This i s
68 Wafter Browne

B rowns's g reat asset from h is yea rs 22 �c3 �b d5

of Swiss tou r na m ent experience - 23 �e5 !
the a b i l ity to co m e through i n h ig h ­ A pawn sacrifice wh i ch B rowne
p ressu re last rou nd situat i o ns. must m a ke in order not to be
13 . . . Ac6 ! d i st racted from his k i ngsi d e attac k .
The opening is essentia l l y over, 23 �xc3
a n d B lack 's ga m e seems to have n o 24 bxc3 .il.xa4
g reat p ro b lems. H is idea w i t h this 25 ite2
m ove is that if White ta kes the N ow Wh ite obviously th reatens
b ish o p , then Black will have p lay 26 �xf7 and if 25 ... ilb 3? 26 c4
via the half-o pen b -fi le and the d 5 wins. Probab ly best is 25 . . . ilb5 26
sq uare. c4 .Q.d7 , though it's u n l i ke ly Black
14 .il.c2 �bd 5 co u ld d efend for l o n g after 27 ilg5 .
1 5 .ll b 1 ! 25 0 • • .il.d7
Zuc kerman e x p ected 1 5 E!e1 26 .il.g5 �d5
here, but B rowne felt 1 5 . . . �b6 B rowne gives 26 . . . \\99 7 as
was a good response . offering m o re resistance, but then
15 . . . � b4? ! how is B lack to a nswer 27 �e3 and
This m ove gauges a l l the sq uares all its th reats?
of the Wh ite k i n g 's b is h o p , and
p repares to recaptu re o n c6 with
the k n ight to o pen an attack on the
d-pawn . The m i nus side is that the
bish o p st i l l reigns su p reme on the
b 1 -h7 d iagona l , a n d the Wh ite
q u een 's roo k can enter the game
via a3. B rowne p referred 1 5 ... E!c8 .
16 E!e1 g6
17 .il.h6 E!e8
18 E!a3 itd6
19 �e2 ! E!ad8 27 �xf7 ! !
20 E!h3 The first of a series of ex p l o sive
A 'l o n g move' which m a kes n o sacrifices . If 27 . . . ®xf7 28 E! x h 7+
secret of Brown e 's u ltimate i nten­ \\99 8 29 'lte4 is c l ea r enough , o r o n
tions. 2 7 . . . �xc3 28 �d 2 ! i s qu ite
20 . . . itd 5 effective, as given by Browne.
2 1 �f3 ita5 27 . . . .il.xg5
A con cession to avo id �c3 o r The o n ly move, b u t how is Wh ite
�f4 . T h e B lack q u een h a s a now to conti n u e , with . . . �f4
d ifficu lt time finding a safe haven ; l o o m i ng? I nstead of recaptu ring,
d 5 is b etter su ited as an o utpost for B rowne offers more materia l .
a l esser p iece . 28 E!xh7 ! !
 Wafter Browne 69

The spectato rs were wo nderi ng th reatens mate , forcing Black 's

whether B rowne had lost his head rep l y .
in a l l this generosity ! Zucker m a n , 33 "itf4
on th e other han d , si m p l y l o o ked 34 l£lxd7+ 'Sxd7
shocked . Browne gives the fo l l ow­ 35 "ith 8+ ®e7
ing variations : 36 "itxe8+ 'iYlf6
( i ) 28 . . . l£lxc3 29 �d3 wins. 37 'i*xd7 �g6
( i i ) 28 ... l£le7 29 .11 x g6 ! l£lxg6 30 38 "itxe6+ .11f 6
�h 5 and now (a) 30 . . . �5 3 1 39 "ite8+ ®11 6
l£lxg5 'Se7 3 2 g4 ! � 6 33 l£le4 ! and 40 g3 'il:\'b4
wins ( p robab ly the most i m pressive 41 'Sel a5
of Browne's calcu lati o ns) . ( b ) 30 . . . 42 'Se6 'i*b2
l£lf4 3 1 'S h 8+ ®g7 3 2 �h7+ ®f6 43 'il:\'f7 ®g 5
33 l£le5 'Se7 ( o r . . . 'Sf8) 34 l£lg4 44 h4+ ®g4
mate ! 45 'il:\'g6+ �h3
( i i i ) 28 . . . l£lf4 29 �g4 �x c3 30 46 "itf5 mate
'Sf 1 ®x h7 3 1 l£lxg5+ ®97 32
�xf4 'Sf8 33 �e5+ ®h6 34 �e4
and wins. We a d d the main va ri­
ati o n i f Black i n d u lges : 4
( iv ) 28 . . . ®x h7 29 �h 5+ ®98 30 Browne-Bisguier
�x g6+ ®f8 3 1 l£lxg5 'Se7 ( If 3 1 . . . U .S. Championship 1 974
®87 3 2 'S xe6+ ! ) 3 2 �h6+ and Petroff D efence
wins. We now tu rn o u r attent ion to
28 l£lf6 B rowne's more recent d o m i nati o n
29 .11 x g6 ! of t h e U .S. Cha m p i o nsh i p . C l ea r l y
Browne tops off the attac k with t h e decisi o n t o ta ke over t h is
an offer which cannot b e refu sed . to urnament was a conscious effort
29 . . . l£lxh7 to p rove h i mself as a wo rld class
30 "ith 5 p layer, and he has succeeded !
N ote that the B lack k i n g 's b ishop I ndeed F ischer is the o n ly other
is p i n ned . p l ayer to win the U .S. Champion­
30 "itxc3 shi p th ree times i n su ccessi o n . I n
3 1 'il:\'xh7+ 'iYlf8 so d o i ng B rowne prod uced a
32 'Sf1 "itxd4 nu mber of fine wins. Of these, the
33 l£le5 ! effo rts aga i nst B isgu ier ( 1 974) a nd
M u ch more effective than 33 R . Byrne ( 1 977) m u st b e considered
l£lxd8 'Se7 etc . Six m oves after the the most b r i l l ia nt atta c k i n g ga mes.
fi rewo rks bega n , B rowne is sti l l a 1 e4 e5
ro o k d own a nd finds a d e l i cate 2 l£lf3 l£lf6
touch ! This m ove b locks the B lack Bisgu ier , a many times U .S.
q u een 's protect i o n of h8 and C h a m p i o nship part i c i pant, is not
70 Wafter Browne

averse to d raws. I n fact i n 1 975 h e A perfectly natu ra l m ove to sta rt

managed to d raw a l l 1 2 of his blockading Wh ite 's d -pawn , but it
gam es ! The Petroff D efen ce is a a l l ows B rowne to exp ose the wea k
good way to ind icate these l i n k i n B l ack 's positio n . W ith h ind­
i ntentions. sight, 1 3 ... i*d 6 sho u l d eq ual ise .
3 �xe5 d6 1 4 Ah6 ! !
4 �f3 �xe4 The o n ly move which demon­
5 d4 strates that Wh ite 's lead i n d evelop­
The idea of this m ethod of p lay m ent is significant. The point is
fo r Wh ite is that if Black cont i n u es that if 1 4 . . . g x h 6 1 5 1::! e 5 i*d 7 1 6
.
sym m etrica l l y , Wh ite wi l l keep a n 1::! a e1 fle6 1 7 d 5 cxd 5 1 8 1::! xe6
edge by u nderm ining t h e k n i g h t o n fxe6 1 9 i*x h 8+ flf8 20 i*f6 !J.e7
e4. Therefo re F ischer- G heo rg h i u , 21 1::! xe6 and wins. Or if 1 4 . . . fle4
Mar del Plata 1 970, continued 5 . . . 1 5 flxg7 1::! g 8 1 6 flf6 ! Axf6 ( 1 6 . . .
fle7 6 Ad3 �f6 7 0-0 0 -0 8 c 4 with flxf3 1 7 1::! xe7+ ®f8 1 8 g3 A h 1 1 9
a spatial edge for White . f3 ±) 1 7 1::! xe4+ i*xe4 1 8 1::! e 1 and
5 d5 Wh ite is su perio r ( B rowne, CL &R
6 Ad3 Ae7 October 1 97 4 ) .
7 0-0 �c6 14 . . . 1::! g 8!
To d eter 8 c4 . Th is m ove, found after 45
8 c4 m i nutes of d e l i b erati o n , puts u p the
Anywa y ! Bisgu ier , who has most resistance.
played the Petroff many times , was 1 5 1::! e 5 *d 7
u n i m p ressed with a l l this, expecting 1 6 Etae 1 Ae6
that B la c k cou l d eq u a l ise with h is 1 7 �g5 ! !
two b ishops. O nce aga in B rowne finds the o n ly
8 �b4 m ove wh ich keeps the advantage . I n
9 cxd5 �xd3 contrast, 1 7 flg5 offers noth i ng
10 *xd3 *xd 5 after 1 7 . . . Ad 6 ( not 1 7 ... 0-0-0?
11 Ete1 Af5 1 8 Axe7 i*xe7 1 9 d5 +- ) .
12 �c3 �xc3 F requently a b ri l l ia n cy is character­
13 *xc3 c6? ised by the recu rrence of so me
p retty tactical m otif - see how i n
the fo l l owing variations g iven by
B rowne the m ove d 5 fits the b i l l :
( i ) 1 7 . . . gxh6 1 8 �xe6 fxe6 1 9
1::! xe6 1::! g 7 20 d 5 ! ®f8 2 1 i*xg7+ !
( this too ! ) 2 1 .. . ®xg7 22 1::! xe7+
etc . wins;
( ii) 1 7 ... flf6 1 8 �xe6 Axe5 1 9
ti)c5 wins;
( ii i ) 1 7 ... .ll x g5 1 8 Axg5 h 6 1 9
 Wafter Browne 71

.ll h 4 g 5 20 .Q.g3 �8 (20 . . . 0-0-0 t h is race .

21 d 5 .ll x d 5 22 !!e7) 2 1 Et x e6 ! 34 !!e8 !!f l
fxe6 2 2 d 5( ! ) a n d wins. 35 ®g 2 Etf6
17 . . . 0-0-0? 36 g5 Etg6
N ot su rp risi ngly after a l l the 37 h7 Etxg5+
above variations, B isgu ier p ro b a b l y 38 ®f3 !!h5
overl o o ked Browne's next m ove . 39 h8-lt Etxh8
1 8 �xf7 ! .llx f7 40 !!xh8 Resigns
If 1 8 . . . g x h 6 1 9 !! x e6 !!deS 20 A most co m p lete Wa iter B rowne
�e3 wins. effo rt - origina l ity we l l-b l ended
19 !!xe7 "ltxd4 with d epth of calcu latio n .
20 laxf7
N ot 20 �3 Etd7 o r 20 �h3+
WIJ B which offer Black m o re
chan ces for su rvival with his active 5
q u een . N ow if 20 . g x h 6 21 � 3
.. Browne-R .Byrne
'l*b6 2 2 �e6+ \t>b8 23 �e5+ \t>a8 U .S. Championship 1 977
24 !!xh7 wou l d win easi ly enough . Dutch D efence
20 "ltxc3 The fo l l owing gam e has a l ready
21 bxc3 gxh6 ap peared in n u m erous p laces, but
22 Et b 1 ! because it must rate as one of the
This refinement removes B lac k 's best attac king games of the decade ,
o nly potentia l sou rce of cou nter­ we p resent i t here too , with so me
play fo r h is k i ngsid e m ess. n otes based o n Browne's (CL & R ,
22 . . . !!g5 March 1 978) and Byrne's (New
This m ove a l l ows Wh ite to gain a York Times , 3 O ctober 1 977) a nd
tem po and a p p l y so m e typ i ca l l y lnformator 24 ( Byrne & Mednis) .
p recise 'B rown ia n ' calcu lat i o ns. Tru e , Byrne d i d not p lay we l l i n
23 h4 !!b5 t h e o pening, b ut Browne never let
24 !!xb 5 cxb5 h i m off the hoo k , and was a lso
25 Etxh7 !!d 1 + prepared to wor k with strictly
26 ®11 2 Etd2 p ositional adva ntages. The reader
27 Etxh6 Etxa2 sho u l d a lso note Browne's a b i l ity
There is n o tu rning back at this to o bta in vehem ent attacks with
stage, b ut Black is just too slow. the su pposed ly ta mer d-pawn
28 h5 Etxf2 o penings, as in the Zuckerman
29 Eth8+ ®&7 gam e .
30 h6 ®b6 1 d4 f5
31 ®h3 a5 2 �c3 ! ?
32 g4 b4 B rowne got his ideas for t h is
33 cxb4 axb4 m ove fro m the Leni ngrad tou rna­
O ne can sense ti m e-p ressu re in ment a few m o nths ea rl ier. This
72 Wafter Browne

shows the necessity for the m odern t h e bac kwa rd h -pawn wi l l leave
day gra n d master to be co nstantly Black in d i re stra its. O b serve how
awa re of va riati o ns p layed all over the exchange at move fo u r has
the world . determ i n ed fu rther play, and h ow
2 ... 4:lf6 q u ic k ly Wh ite can ex p l o it B lac k 's
3 .ll g 5 d5 b loc ked pawns after a few deve l o p­
To p revent White from p laying an i ng m oves .
ea rly e4, whi l e th reatening . . . 4:le4 . 9 ... 'ltb6
4 Axf6 exf6 Recognising possi b le l o ng-term
5 e3 passivity, Byrne goes i n fo r co m p l i­
At first it seems Wh ite has given cations, hoping to entice 1 0 0-0-0
B lack a goo d game, with the two when after 1 0 .. 0-0-0 1 1 g4 fxg4
.

bisho ps, a ha lf-o pen e-f i l e , and 1 2 h xg4 he does not have to p lay
p otentia l fo r u n d o u b l i n g and 1 2 ... .llf7 .
opening the game with ... f4 . O n 1 0 g4
fu rther i nspect i o n we see that
Wh ite can p revent ... f4, and can
focus his attenti o n o n the f i x ed
pawn o n f 5 .
5 ... Ae6
A so l i d -l o o k i ng m ove, though t h is
bishop has no good futu re.
6 Ad3 g6
7 'ltf3 !
B l ocking . . . f4 a n d eyei ng f 5 .
7 ... c6
8 4:lge2 10 'ltxb 2?!
This is the open i ng fo rmatio n 11 Etb 1 'lta3
Browne has b een a i m ing for, with 12 gxf5 Af7
possi b i l ities of 4:lf4 and h4-h 5 o r 13 Etxb7 Ab4
h3 a n d g 4 to fo l low. 14 0-0 !
8 ... 4:ld7 Much b etter than 1 4 ®d 2, fo r the
9 h3! king is rea l ly safe now, and Wh ite
B rowne shows h i s hand ! 9 h 4 wi l l later need a centra l b rea k to
wou l d actua l ly have l e d n owhere win .
after 9 ... h 5 1 0 4:lf4 .ll f7 . N ow 9 14 . . . 0-0-0?
. . h 5 can be strongly m et b y 1 0 g4 !
. Playing fo r 1 5 .ll a 6? .ll x c3 1 6
h x g4 1 1 h xg4 fxg4 1 2 .ll x g6+ ®e7 i*g 3 4:le5 ! giving B lack good
1 3 *'g2 . If B lack tries passive cha nces. Best was 14 ... .ll x c3 1 5
resistance with 9 . .llf 7 1 0 g4 fxg4
. . Etb3 *'xa2 1 6 Et xc3 Etc8, though
1 1 h x g4 ®"b6 1 2 0-0-0 0-0-0 , then White mainta i ns a clea r positi o n a l
the idea of Eth3 and p i l i ng up o n su per i o rity with 1 7 ®h 2, 1 7 4:lf4,
 Wafter Browne 73

o r 1 7 t614 as given by B rowne . 25 e6! Resigns

Byrne u nder-esti m ated the fo l low­ But this is too much . If 25 ...
ing o nslaught. �x b 7 26 �xc6+. I f 25 . . . E!d6 26
1 5 E!xb4 ! E!xc7+ ®xc7 27 exf7 .
1 6 Aa6+
1 7 E! b 1
F o rced aga i nst 1 8 t614+.
1 8 E!b 7+ 'iY?t:8 6
1 9 E!b3+ Browne-F ischer
To gain time on the c l oc k . Rovinj/Zagreb 1 970
19 ®c7 Alekhine's Defence
20 E!b 7+ 'iY?t:8 I n 1 970, F isc her made h is then
21 e4 ! ! l o ng-awa ited retu rn to i nternational
to u r na m ent p lay at R ovir.j/Zagreb ,
'The Tou rnament of Peace'. I n
R o u n d 1 5 Brown e , then a 'fresh '
2 1 -yea r-o ld G . M . , met F ischer fo r
the first a nd o n l y t i m e to date . A
tu m u ltuous battle to o k p lace.
lasting 98 moves . F ischer seemed
to stand wel l d u ri ng the first 20
m oves of t h is Alekh ine's D efence,
but then had to d efend a d ifficu lt
excha nge-d own end ing from the
The d ecisive b rea kth ro u g h c o m es adjourn ment at move 45. F i na l ly
i n the centre . Black is h e l p l ess B rowne m issed a win i n the th i rd
agai nst a l l the th reats, incl u d ing sessi o n at m ove 88( ! ) wh ich F ischer
si m p l y 22 e x d 5 cxd5 23 E!b 6+. I f p o i nted out. We p resent the ga me
2 1 . . . d x e4 2 2 <i.lxe4 � 5 2 3 c4 with few notes due to its l ength .
�a5 24 <i.ld 6 mate . If 21 . . . E!dg8 1 e4 <i.lf6
22 ex d 5 gxf5+ 23 Wf1 �h 2 24 2 e5 �d5
d x c6 and B lack c o l l a pses ( B rowne) . 3 d4 d6
The actual finish is even m o re 4 <i.lf3 g6
devastati n g . 5 Ae2 Ag7
21 <i.lb8 6 c4 <i.lb6
22 <i.lb5 ! cxb5 7 exd6 cxd 6
23 '1Wc3+ �c6 8 <tlc3 0-0
If 23 . . . �c6 24 E!xf7+ and m ates 9 0-0 �c6
in two . 10 Ae3 Ag4
24 e 5 ! '1Wc7 11 b3 d5
I f 2 4 . . . fxe5 25 d xe5 d4 26 12 c5 �ea
�xd4 . 13 h3 Axf3
74 Wafter Browne

14 Axf3 e6 28 f!fe 1 f4? !

15 "«rd 2 �8e7 28 . . . � 7 was m o re so lid , with
16 �b5 �f5 White sti l l better in the l o ng ru n . If
17 Ag4 aS 28 ... �xa2? 29 E! xe6 E! x e6 30
18 Axf5 axb 5 .ll x d 5 etc .
19 Ac2 29 a3 �c6
30 E!xe6 fxg3
31 Axd5 gxf2+
32 ®xf2 ®11 8
33 f!e3 b4
34 axb4 �xb4
35 Axf3 f!a2
36 f!b3 �c6
37 ®g 3 E!g8
N ow White is clearly b etter, but
F ischer puts u p tough resista nce.
O ne gets the i m p ress ion up to here
19 . . . l:!a3 that he has got h im self i nto tro u b l e
1 9 . .. b4 ! ? was su ggested by D . b y try i ng to o hard to win .
Rein harth . 38 �4 l:!f8+
20 b4 f5 ! 39 �4 f!f7
2 1 Ab3 "«rf6 40 Ag4 l:!e7+
2 1 . . . f4 seem s to assu re Black the 41 ®d3 f!a4
better game after 22 Axf4 4:lxd4 42 f!a 1 f!xd4+
etc. 43 Axd4 Axd4
22 *d3 f4 44 f!a8+ ®g7
23 Ac1 f!a6?! 45 fibS
23 . . . E! x b3 ! ? wou ld give B lack The sea led m ove .
exce l lent p lay fo r the exchange 45 Af2
after White's d-pawn fa l ls. As it 46 Af5 �e5+
tu rns o ut, Wh ite gets to keep his 47 ®c3 Ae 1 +
d -pawn . 48 ®d4 �c6+
24 Ab2 f3 49 ®c4 Ah4
25 g3 *f5 50 Ac8 �d8
26 -«rxf5 51 f!a2
F ischer is p layi ng in a very Why not 51 f!a 7? Perhaps
d o u b l e-ed ged manner to try to get Browne was r ight, b ecause after 5 1
an advantage, b ut he's m issed his . . . E!c7 52 Axb7 Af2 White's p ieces
chances and i nstead finds his are so c l u msy it seems h e can 't win !
centre co l lapsi n g . O ne trap is 5 3 E!7a5? �xb7 54 E!a7
26 gxf5 �d6+.
27 E!ad 1 �xb4 51 . . . f!c7
 Wafter Browne 75

52 Ag4 Ae7 83 Ad5 �c5+

53 CSi'd5 �c6 84 CSi'b6 �a4+
54 l3.ab 2 �d8 85 �5 �c5
55 l3. b 1 Af8 86 CSi'b 5 CSi'd 8
56 l3. 1 b 2 Ae7 87 l3.f7 �8
57 l3.g2 �8
58 l3.a2 �7
59 l3.a8 .ll h 4
60 l3.b8 l3.f7
61 l3.b2 (s) �6
62 l3.b6+ �7
63 l3.b3 h5
64 .ll c 8 Ae7
65 l3.b5
To day Browne wo u l d have m o re
confiden ce i n the roo k a n d b ishops
of o pp osite co l o u rs end i ng a pawn 88 c7?
up (which we d iscu ss later as The 88 l3.h7 ! as g iven by F ischer after
Browne End ing) after 65 l3.8xb7 the ga m e , wou l d have wo n , e .g . 88
<i:lxb7 66 .ll x b7 ( N ot 66 l3.xb7 . . . <i:ld3 89 Ae4 <£lf2 90 .ll g 2 .ll e 5
.ll x c5 ! =). 91 l3.h5 Af4 92 l3. h 8+ ®c7 93
65 l3.f3 l3.h7+ ®c8 94 c7 h 1 = '1'* 95 .ll x h 1
66 .ll x b 7 l3.xh3 .ll x c7 9 6 ®c 6 .ll e 5 97 l3.f7 !
67 c6 l3.c3 Browne's missing of t h is possi b i l ity
68 l3.a8 h4 can p ro bab ly be e x p l a i ned by
69 l3.a4 h3 fatigue .
70 l3.c4 h2 88 �d 3
71 l3.b 1 l3.xc4 89 �6 h 1 =it!
72 ®xc4 .ll d 6 90 Axh 1 �e5+
73 �5 .ll g 3 91 CSi'b6 .ll c 5+
74 .ll c 8 �7 92 ®xc5 �xf7
75 .ll h 3 CSi'e 7 93 ®b6 �d6
76 l3.c 1 �6 94 Ad5 �7
77 l3.a 1 CSi'e 7 95 .ll c 6+ �8
78 l3.f 1 �f7 96 Ad 5 �7
79 .ll g 2 �g5 97 .ll b 3 �8+
80 �5 �e6+ 98 CSi'b7 �e7
81 CSi'b6 .ll c 7+ D raw
82 CSi'b7 Ad6 A fasci nati ng gam e .
76 Wafter Browne

7 1 3 g4 fx g4 1 4 fxg4 h 6 1 5 h4 .ll d 7
Furman-Browne 1 6 g5 hxg5 17 h x g 5 <ilh 7 1 8 E!xf8+
Wijk aan Zee 1 975 .ll x f8 1 9 .ll g 4 with Wh ite h o l d ing
King's Indian Defence a spatia l edge . There is noth ing
Browne senses a n i m osity fro m most wro ng with B rowne's move, and
of his Amer i can chess co l l eagues at perhaps it p resents the most
the to p , though this o n ly tends to dangers for Wh ite .
b u i ld up his fighting spirit even 1 3 E!c 1
befo re a to u r na m ent begins, Also possi b le is 1 3 c 5 .
whereas he finds Eu ro pea n p layers 13 g5
much nicer, and therefo re it is m o re 14 c5 <ilg6
d ifficu lt to deve l o p his 'ki l ler 1 5 cxd6 cxd6
i nstinct ' . H owever, view the fo l l ow­ 1 6 <ilf2?!
ing ga me aga i nst the late R ussian Here Wh ite ta kes time out to try
G randmaster Semyu n F u rm a n , and to slow B lack d own o n the ki ngsi de,
see if you th i n k he finds it d ifficu lt but better was 1 6 <ilb5 when 1 6 . . .
to try to beat R ussians . (So m e 'ltb6+ ca n b e met by 1 7 <tlf2, a n d
n otes based on Cvet kovic, Wh ite 's i nfi ltrat i o n i s q u icker .
lnformotor 20) . 16 . . . a6!
1 <ilf3 <ilf6 This fine m ove points out the
2 c4 g6 d ifference i n Wh ite's set-u p . When
3 <ilc3 Ag7 the Wh ite q u ee n 's b ishop is o n the
4 e4 d6 g 1 -a7 d iagona l , it can help uti l ise
5 d4 0-0 the h o l e left on b6 after such a
6 .ll e 2 e5 m ove .
Browne often plays the K in g 's 1 7 "itb3 h5
I nd ian aga i nst 1 d4, as we l l as the 1 8 h3 <ilh4
Ben o n i , a nd o n occasi o n the B la c k 's attack p roceed s in rhythm
N im z o - l n d ian and the Ben ko wh i le White's seems at a sna i l 's pace
Gambit. d ue to h is 1 6th m ove .
7 0-0 <ilc6 1 9 E!c2 E!f7
8 d5 <ile7 20 E!fc 1 .ll f 8
9 <ile 1 <ild7 F reeing the roo k 's activity on the
10 <ild3 f5 seco nd ra n k . Later the b ishop
11 .ll d 2 <ilf6 m ight come i nto the ga me by ...
12 f3 f4 .ll e 7-d 8-b 6 .
Other m oves here a re 1 2 . . . c5 2 1 <ila4 b5
and 1 2 . . . \t>h 8 ( Ftac n i k - G e l l e r , 22 <ilb6 "l!\'xb6
S o c h i 1 977) . After t h e f o r m er 23 E!xc8 E!xc8
move, in Cvet k ovic-Piachetka, Sta ry 24 E!xc8
Smo kovec 1 977, p l ay conti n u ed : I n retu rn for Wh ite 's active ro o k ,
 Wafter Browne 77

B lack has obta i n ed a n exce l lent 30 4:lxe4!

d iagonal fo r his q u een . 3 1 fxe4 f3
24 . . . g4 32 .ll x f3 4:lxf3
25 l!c6 33 fsd 1
F o rced . N ot 25 h xg4 h xg4 26 The o n ly move. Not 33 4:lc 5?
fxg4 4:lxe4 27 .ll e 3 �b7 ! 4:ld4, or 33 gxf3 g2+ 34 ®xg2
25 . . . fsa7 E!g7+.
26 .ll a 5 33 4:ld4
This is the on ly way to d ivert 34 E!c1
Blac k 's a n n oying q u een . Perhaps Wh ite sho u ld have sacri­
26 . . . g3 fi ced the ex change with 34 �x h 5 ! ?
27 .ll b 6 fsb8 i n sea rch of c o m p l ications.
N ot 27 . . . gxf2+? 28 .ll x f2 and 34 . . . E!h7
29 .ll x h4 wi n n i n g . 35 4:lb4
28 4:ld3 Better was 35 .ll c 3, to remove
I f 28 4:ld 1 E!b7 28 .ll a 5 �a7+ 30 Blac k 's k n ight when possi b le .
Wf 1 4:lxe4 ! 3 1 fxe4 f3 32 �e3 (32 35 fsf7
.ll x f3 4:lxf3 33 gxf3 g 2+ wins) 32 . . . 36 fse 1 fsf4
fx e2+ 3 3 ®x e2 4:lxg2 3 4 �xa7 37 4:ld3 fsh4
E! xa7 35 Wf3 4:lf4 36 ®xg3 E!g7+ Th reatening . . . 4:lf3 iJ 5 .
with Black better in the end ing . 38 �1 E!f7
H owever, i n this l i n e if 30 ®h 1 39 .ll b 6 .ll h 6
instead of 30 Wf 1 , then it is not 40 E!c8+ �7
clea r j u st how B rowne i ntended to 41 E!c3 fsf6 !
p ro ceed , fo r the sam e c o m b i nati on N ot 4 1 . . . .ll d 2 42 �x d 2 �xe4
does n ot wor k . 43 E!c7 4:le2+ 44 ®h l E! xc7 45
28 E!b7 .ll x c7 4:lf4 46 4:le 1 4:l x h 3 47 �c2
29 .ll a 5 fsa7+ wi n ni ng .
30 � 1 4 2 E!c7 E!xc7
I f 30 Wf 1 , then the sam e con­ 43 .ll x c7 4:lf3+!
clusi o n with ... 4:lxe4, as given Wins a pawn with a crush i n g
above, d o es wo r k here . positi o n .
-=,.....,....
44 gxf3 fsxf3
45 .ll b 6 fsxd 3
T h e rest is straightforwa rd .
46 fsfl .ll e 3+
47 .ll x e3 fsxe3+
48 �g2 fsxe4+
49 �g3 h4+
50 �h2 fsf4+
51 fsxf4 exf4
52 �2 �6
78 Waiter Browne
53 �3 �5
54 b4 ®11 5
55 ®g4 ®114
56 'itlxh4 f3
Resigns
8 centre .
Browne-Miles
Tilburg 1 978
E nglish Defence
I n the second 'su pergra nd m aster '
tou rnam ent ( E io average 2592)
held at T i l b u rg , H o l land , in
Septem ber 1 978, B rowne fin ished
i n the m id d l e of the i l lu strious
twelve-p layer field with an even
sco re , 6Y2-6%; o n ly th ree p o i nts
sepa rated fi rst (7) and last p lace
(4) . H e was tied with H a rt and
Spassky, ahead of La rsen , R i b l i ,
Soso n k o a n d Lju b ojevic, and
producing the m ost b ri l l iant ga m e
of t h e event with his effo rt against
M i les.
In th is u n usu al opening i n itiated
by 1 . . . b6 which M i les often p lays,
Browne shows that he is fu l l y
prepa red by d iving into the co m p l i ­
cati o ns offered b y 4 . . . f5 . The
gam e is a classical attac k i ng gem
where Wh ite p lays d own a roo k fo r
many moves , never a l l owing the
defender any resp ite.
1 c4 b6
2 d4 e6
3 e4
Aga i nst C h r ist iansen i n the 1 977
U .S . Cham p i o nsh i p , B rowne p layed
3 d 5 and after 3 . . . .ll a 6 ! ? 4 e4 exd 5
5 exd 5 4:lf6 6 4:lc3 ( 6 a 3 ! ;!;) 6 . . .
.ll b 4 , even though Black had
eq u a l ised , B rowne sco red a b ri l l ia nt
victo ry to guarantee h i m self fi rst
p lace.
3 ... .!lb7
4 .!ld3
This is White's most a m b itious
attem pt to mainta i n his b road
4 f5
Black wastes n o time i n st r i k i ng
at White's centre pawns.
5 exf5 !?
And now B rowne b egins what we
may consider an attempt to refute
the entire variat i o n .
5 .!lxg2
6 '&'h5+ g6
7 fxg6 .!lg7
8 gxh7+ �8
The last few m oves have been
fo rced . For co m pariso n , the ga me
Lomba rdy-Rega n , U .S. O pen , N ew
Y o r k 1 974 went : 1 d 4 b 6 2 e4 .ll b 7
3 .ll d 3 f5 4 exf5 .ll x g2 5 i*h 5+ g6
6 fxg6 .ll g 7 7 gx h7+ Wf8 8
hxg8= �+ �xg8 9 'l*g4 .ll x h 1 1 0
4:lc3 "iM8 after which the then 1 4-
year-o ld R egan had so me wi nning
chances . though the ga me ended in
a d raw.
9 4:le2 Axh 1
1 0 .!lg5 4:lf6
I f 1 0 ... 4:le7 1 1 4:lf4 with a
wi nning attack .
1 1 '&'h4
The persistent p i n of Blac k 's
k n ight o n f6 a n d wea k ness of
g6 causes his d em ise, though
he m i sses one i m p o rtant alternative
which c o u l d c l o u d the issu e.
11 . . . 4:lc6
 Wafter Browne 79

1 2 4)f4 !? 2 1 'lth4!
1 2 4:>d 2 e5 1 3 0-0-0 is c ritica l . Conti nu ing the si m p le wi n n i ng
After 1 2 4:>f4 4:>xd4! h a s su b se­ motif.
quently been d iscovered , which is 21 .ll g 7
u nc l ea r after 1 3 4:>g6+ '3ilf7 1 4 22 fxe5 dxe5
�x d4 !! x h 7 ! 23 !!f 1 'it'd7
12 Su rely B l ack co u ld resign instead .
13 24 4:>exfS+ AxfS
14 25 4:>xfS+ ®1:8
2S Ae4 cS
27 'lth3+ �7
28 AxeS+ Resigns

9
Browne-Bellon
Las Palmas 1 977
Caro -Kann Defence
1 5 4:>d2 We have seen so me b r i l l iant attack­
G u a rd i ng the f3 sq u a re towards i ng effo rts from B rowne, as we l l as
tra p p ing the b ish op o n h 1 with so me good positi o na l chess capped
0-0-0 and !! g 1 , and d efending by fine endga m e p l a y . N o netheless
aga i n st the sim p l ifying th reat . . . we st i l l classify h i m as essentia l l y a
.il h 6 after Wh ite p l ays 0-0-0 . 'techn ical ' p layer . J u st as a
15 e5 mathematicia n can translate an
1S 0-0-0 4:>xd4 exp ressi o n from o n e form to
17 !!xh 1 another which is m o re manageab le,
Wh ite now has a c l ea r p osit i o na l so Browne wi l l apply h is 'tech nical
su perio rity . manoeuvres ' to b r i ng him closer to
17 . . . 4:>eS victory, as this and the fo l l owing
1 8 f4 ! dS games wi l l d e m onstrate .
I f 1 8 ... 4:> x g 5 t h e n White h a s 1 e4 cS
such a st ro ng positi o n that b oth 1 9 2 d4 d5
fxg5 and 1 9 �xg5 wou l d win 3 4:>d2 dxe4
easi ly . N ote the si m i la rity i n 4 4:>xe4 4:>fS
purpose between B rown s 's pawn 5 4:>xf6+ gxfS
th rust here a n d 21 e4 ! ! in the S Ae2 Af5
Byrne gam e ; eac h con c l u d es the 7 4:>f3 'ltc7
attac k d ecisively . 8 0-0 eS
1 9 4:>e4 4:>xg5 9 c4 4:>d7
20 'ltxg5 .ll h S 10 Ae3 AdS
80 Wafter Browne

1 1 c5 Ae7 Ah6+ Wh8 25 .ilf8+ a n d Wh ite

1 2 l£ld 2 0-0 mates next m ove .
1 3 f4
Blac k 's p ro b lem in th is position is
that he has no effective levers, i .e .
.. . e5 is never possib le beca u se of 10
his loose b ishop o n f5. In a d d it i o n Radulov-Browne
he is u nab le to uti l ise the d 5 sq uare Wijk aan Zee 1 974
which Wh ite has ced ed i n o rder to Sicil ian Defence
ga i n other ter r ito ry . 1 e4 c5
13 . . . Ag6 2 l£lf3 d6
3 d4 cxd4
•• . �·· 4 'ltxd4 a6
�� t
� � · ll'� t �
.j .... � �t
. Other reaso na b l e m oves here a re
'-- -�.�i•.I mi• 4 . . . <tlc6 and 4 . . . .ild 7 .
•• D • • 5 c4 l£lc6

•• jf.�
�. �� ��. z.�
,.. �g?L -
­
� lP� 6 itd2 g6
� , � 7 l£lc3 .ilh6
'i!"ili�� ·�w_j'.j;;L
M. . . "7{\';g
..!1. ii;L.�
.
�' .
:
��
g ..!1. �
��
8 'ltc2
This m ove was considered a
��� ��D �
� � 'H �
� -�

,t::!, g t:::; novelty at the time, though it is

1 4 f5!
14 h4 is another strong i d ea , but
Browne sets u p a p retty f i n ish .
of no specia l co nseq uence except
that the q u een m ight later find
herself u nder f i re fro m a roo k .
N o rm a l i s 8 'l1\td 1 .ilg7
= .

14 .ilxf5 8 .ilg7
15 E!. xf5 ! exf5 9 h3 l£lf6
16 Ad3 E!.fe8 10 Ae2 0-0
17 Axf5 l£lf8 11 0-0 .ile6
18 l£le4 ®h8 12 E!.d 1 'lta5
19 'lth 5 l£lg6 13 l£ld5 E!.fc8
20 E!.f 1 E!.g8 N ot 1 3 . . . .ilxd 5 1 4 cx d 5 -l£lb4?
21 E!.f3 ih5? 1 5 'l1\tb3 win n i n g ; or 1 4 . . . 4)a7 1 5
Of cou rse 21 . . . E!.g7 wou l d have .ild2 �d 8 1 6 .ilc3 E!.c8 1 7 'l1\ta4 ;!;
su rv ived l o nger, though then B lack ( M inev i n lnformotor 1 7 ) .
m u st give back the excha nge after 1 4 .ild2 'ltd 8
22 .ilh6, when Wh ite wo u l d remain 1 5 .ll c 3 .ll x d5
with the far su perior position . This 16 exd5
is p recisely the 'tech n i cal ' aspect in I f 1 6 c x d 5 <tla7 1 7 <tld4 b 5 1 8
Browne's p l ay . 'l1\td 3 <t!d7 and Black is b etter .
2 2 'ltxh 7+! ! Resigns 16 l£la5
I f 22 ... 'it>xh 7 23 E!. h 3+ 'it>g7 24 1 7 b3?
 Wafter Browne 81

So m ewhat better was 1 7 'l*a4 31 'ltxd 2 e5

4::l x c4 1 8 .ilxc4 b 5 1 9 .il x b 5 a x b 5 32 a4 d5
2 0 'l*x b 5 l:!c5 2 1 'l*e2 4::l x d 5 =F. 33 ita5 itd 6
17 . . . b5 34 b4 d4
1 8 4::ld 4 4::lx d5 35 'it11
N ot 1 8 ... b x c4 1 9 b x c4 4::l x c4 20 I f 35 b5 then ... d3 36 'l*d 2 a x b 5
4::lc 6 wi nning, o r 1 9 ... 'l*c7 20 3 7 a x b 5 e 4 with . . . 'l*c5 to fo l l ow
.ll x a5 �xa5 2 1 4::l c 6 'l*c7 22 l:!ab 1 wins.
when Wh ite is bette r . 35 d3
19 cxd 5 b4 36 'it'e1 itd4
20 4::lc 6 37 'it'd 1 itc3
38 itc5 itxc5
39 bxc5 'it18
40 g4 f5
Resigns

11
Browne-E ising
Mann heim 1 975
Pirc Defence
20 . . . l:!xc6 ! 1 e4 d6
H ere if 20 . . . 4::l x c6 2 1 .ilxg7 4::l d 4 2 d4 g6
22 'l*b2 4::l x e2+ 23 ®h 1 4::l c 3 24 3 4::lc 3 Ag7
.ilh6 l:!c5 25 l:!d4 with cou nter­ 4 4::lf 3 4::lf 6
chances. 5 Ae2 0-0
21 dxc6 bxc3 6 0-0 c6
Black has much the better M o re recently the variation 6 . . .
chances, with his soo n -to-b e two .ilg4 7 .ile3 4::lc 6 8 �d 2 e5 9 d 5
pawns for the ex change . 4::le 7 h a s beco m e very p o pu lar,
22 .11 f3 l:!c8 though White a lways seems to
23 itd3 4::lx c6 mainta i n a sl ight edge .
24 .ll x c6 l:!xc6 7 h3 <i)bd7
The rest was fai r l y straight- 8 a4 e5!
fo rward tech n i q u e : An i m p rovement over the u su a l 8
25 l:!ac 1 e6 . . . 'l*c7 , as Black ca n now wa it to
26 ite3 c2 see where his q u een wi l l be b est
27 l:!d2 itc7 p laced .
28 'l*d3 Ah6 9 dxe5 dxe5
29 l:!cxc2 .ilxd2 10 .ile3 ite7 !
30 l:!xc6 itxc6 B lack i nsists o n . . . 4::l c 5 and even
82 Wafter Browne

th reatens . . . "t'*b4 .
1 1 ii'd3 !
A n ovelty which aga i n demon­
strates that B rowne is a lso an
origina l thin ker who so lves new
p ro b lems over the board . This
q u een thrust nips Blac k 's rather
straightfo rward i ntentions i n the
bud, si n ce if 1 1 ... 4:Jc5 then 1 2
"t'*c4 and 1 2 . . . 4:Je6 is not possi b le
because the e-pawn is lo ose .
H owever, a viab le a lternative m ight rema mmg a p iece u p . Wh ite gets
be 1 2 . . . 4:Ja6 . A l so possi b le here is m o re than enough for his q ueen .
1 1 ... 4:Jh 5 , which is much m o re 14 E!xd3
so lid than the d u b io u s game contin­ 1 5 E!xa8+ E!d8
uati o n : 16 E!xd 8+ 'ltxd 8
11 . . . 4:lb6? ! 1 7 4:Jxe5 4:ld7
1 2 a5! H ere if 1 7 ... 4:Jxe4 1 8 4:lxc6 !
A m ove with m o re profo u nd bxc6 1 9 4:Jxe4 .!l. x b 2 20 E! b 1 and
co nseq uen ces than a re at first wins.
evident . 18 4:Jxd7 ii'xd7
12 . . . .!l.e6 !? 19 E! d 1 i!Je7
B l a c k p layed t h i s m ove with 20 4:Ja4 .!l.e5
i nsp i red b r i l l ia n ce , si n ce he rea l ised Wh ite now has a wi n n i ng material
too late that his intended 1 2 . . . superiority , b u t h e m u st b e ca refu l .
E! d 8 d oes not wo rk d u e t o 1 3 .!l.c5 ! B rowne's o rigina l ly i ntended 2 1 f4
Then i f 1 3 . . . E! x d 3 1 4 .!l.xe7 a n d wo u l d lea d to g reat co m p l icat i o ns
wi ns; o r i f 1 3 . . . "t'*e8 then 1 4 "t'*e3 after 2 1 . . . "t'*b4 ! 22 fxe5 "t'*xe4! 23
wins the a-pawn . So E isi ng .ll h 6 .ll d 5 ! and now 24 E!xd 5
contin ues with the i d ea of trap p i ng wo u l d not be clear ( Browne) ; but
the Wh ite q u een . 24 .llf 3 "t'*x a4 25 .ll x d 5 cxd 5 25
1 3 axb6 ! E! x d 5 is strong .
B rowne is not a su perficia l p layer, 21 b3 .ll d 6
and m u st b e fu l l y co nvi nced of the 2 2 h4!
sou nd n ess of his o p p o n ents' Ta king advantage of the fact that
co m b i nations. H e wi l l frequ ently Black's q u een is tied d o wn .
accept material (as F ischer) b ecau se 22 f6
he si m ply sees m o r e . 23 h 5 gxh 5
13 . . . E!fd 8 2 4 .ll x h5 f5
1 4 E!xa7 ! Black is trying to o pen u p the
The cu l m i natio n of B rowne's position in order to a l low h is q u een
idea . N ow if 1 4 . . . E!ab8? 1 5 i*a6 ! to make so me th reats.
 Wafter Browne 83

25 Af3 examp les which we have fo u nd

Wh ite co nso l idates effectively. having si m i la r attributes, there
Browne bases this m ove's so u n d n ess seems to be a good reaso n to def i n e
on the calcu lation 25 . . . fxe4 26 ' T h e B rowne Ending'. T h is enta i ls
Axe4 Ah2+ 27 ®x h 2 'l*h4+ 28 rooks and b ishops o f o p posite
�1 'l*xe4 29 ci)c5 �xc2 30 E!d 8+ co l o u rs, with B rowne having an
®f7 3 1 ci)x b7 with the th reat of extra pawn and p laying fo r a w i n .
ci)d 6+ and b 7 wi n n i ng easi l y . T h i s i s a very d ifficu lt end i ng to
25 )fJf7 wi n because i nvaria b ly the stronger
26 exf5 Axf5 si d e cannot affo rd to exchange
27 E!d2 ®1)6 roo ks, fo r then a d rawn b isho ps of
28 ci)b 2 Ab4 o pposite co l o u rs end i ng wi l l occu r.
29 E!e2 Ac5 B rowne is p repared to manoeuvre
30 ci)c4 Axe3 fo r m any m oves i n o rd e r to make
31 E!xe3 itb4 sma l l positio nal gai ns, which when
32 Ae4 accu m u lated can assu re h im of
Wh ite si m p l ifies into an ending victo ry . We con c l u d e with two
which m u st be won i n the l o n g ru n . examp les wh ich h ig h l ight the
32 Axe4 deve l o p m ent of B rowne's tech n i q u e
33 E!xe4 itc3 fo r th is e n d i n g .
34 E!e6+ ®1) 5 1 e4 c5
35 E!e2 )fJf6 2 ci)f3 ci)c6
36 g3 itd4 3 d4 cxd4
37 ®1)2 h5 4 ci)xd4 ci)f6
38 f3 h4? 5 ci)c3 d6
B lac k has been in t i m e-p ressu re 6 Ag5 Ad7
fo r many m oves, and this is a 7 i6'd 2 ci)xd4
ser ious e r ro r as a resu lt . 8 itxd4
39 E!d2 itc5 At th is time Weinstei n was a
and B lac k lost o n t i m e . regu l a r e x p o nent of t h i s va riat i o n ,
a lso p layed by R o bert Byrne.
8 ita5
9 f4 E!c8
12 10 e5 d xe5
Browne-Weinstein 11 fxe5 e6
Atlantic Open , New York 1 970 12 exf6 i6'xg5
Sicilian Defence, Rauzer Variation 13 �e4 i6'a5+
I n Leonard Barden's b o o k How to 14 c3 g6
Play the Endgame in Chess he has 15 Ac4 l6'b6
two cha pters entitled ' F ischer's Th is seems the o n ly so l i d way to
Endga m e ' and 'Petrosi a n 's End­ meet the th reat of 1 6 ci)d 6+. F o r
gam e'. Based o n a n u mber of exa m p l e if 1 5 . . . Ac6 1 6 0-0-0 a n d
84 Waiter Browne

B lack wi l l find it very hard to pawns wi l l d isappea r .

comp lete his d eve l o p ment. 25 !!d 5
16 0-0-0 'tlxd4 26 axb5 axb5
17 E!.xd4 .ilc6 27 E!.b4 Ae3
18 ®&2 a6 28 .ilxb5 E!.f5
19 E!.hd 1 .ilxe4+ Of cou rse 28 ... E!.d2+ 29 ®b 1
20 E!.xe4 Ah6 E!. xg2? 30 .llf 1 loses q u i c k ly fo r
20 ... E!.d8 wo u l d not be a ny B lack, though 28 . . . E!.d 2+ fo l l owed
better , because Black wou l d sti l l by 29 . . . E!.f2 may be a slight
have great d ifficu lty i n getting his i m p rovement over the ga m e .
k i n g 's roo k into the gam e after 2 1 29 E!.e4 Ab6
E!.ed4 without a l lowing a White 30 .ile2 E!.xf6
roo k to penetrate o n d 7 . I f Black 31 b4 �8
p lays 2 1 .. . E!.xd4 22 E!. x d 4 and 32 c4
then sits tight, Wh ite can then f o rce Wh ite must make h is passed
penetrati o n by getti ng h is b ishop pawns cou nt .
onto the long d iagona l . 32 ®e7
2 1 h4 0-0 33 c5 .ilc7
22 E!.d7 b5 34 .ilf3 !
The Black q u eensid e pawns L i m it i n g B lack 's roo k , b u t
beco m e q u ite exposed after th is, Browne must a l ready be certa i n
but Wei nstei n p robab ly fo u nd 22 . . . that he c a n w i n after the roo ks g o
E!.b8 to o passive to b ea r . Also 22 . . . off .
E!.fd 8 ? ! can be met by 23 E!. x b 7 34 E!.f4
E!. d 2+ 24 'itt 3 E!.xg2 25 E!.xe6 ! with 35 E!.xf4 Axf4
fav o u rab le co m p l ications. 36 ®d3 f5
23 .ild3 E!.fd8 37 b5 e5
24 llxd8+ llxd8 38 Ad5 e4+
25 a4! 39 ®&4 ®d7
40 b6 Ae3
41 c6+ ®d6
42 c7 ®d7
43 .ilb7 Resigns

The e x p l o itation of B la c k 's 22nd
m ove, after which his q u eensi de
13
Browne-Segal
Pan-American Championsh ip 1 975
Petroff's D efence
This game i l l u strates how B rowne
can count o n his co m p l ete ga me
 Wafter Browne 85

effo rt to cu l m i nate i n this end i ng o f k n i ght wi l l have a c l ea r path to e5

roo ks and bishops of o p posite via l£ld2-f3. I f B lack p revents th is
co l o u rs. Play fo l lows B rowne­ manoeuvre with ... f6, then h is
B isgu ier , U .S. Cha m p i o nship 1 974 k i n g 's b ishop beco mes very bad .
( p resented ea rl ier ) for the first ei ght 15 Ae2
m oves. 1 6 13.e 1 Ab5
1 e4 e5 17 ifra5 Af6
2 l£lf3 l£lf6 1 8 Af4 Ac4
3 l£lxe5 d6 Black correct ly depended on t h is
4 l£lf3 l£lxe4 m ove fo r cou nterplay. C lea rly there
5 d4 d5 is noth i ng specia l i n 1 9 .ll e 5 .ll x e5
6 Ad3 Ae7 20 !! x e5 !!ab 8 ! or in 1 9 'l!lxc7
7 0-0 l£lc6 'l!lxc7 20 .ll x c7 .ll x b 3 21 a x b 3
8 c4 l£lf6 .ll x d 4 etc . ( B rowne ) .
9 c5!
With this so mewhat d o u b le-edged
m ove Browne unbalances the
posit i o n , o pting fo r a considerab le
spatia I advantage .
9 . . . 0-0
1 0 Ab5
A natu ra l contin uatio n , with the
idea of relea si ng the p ressu re o n d4
and h o p i ng to ta ke over e5. Perhaps
fo r these reaso ns Black sho u l d have
p layed 9 . . . a 6 . 1 9 l£ld2 ! ?
10 Ag4 T h i s move i s exce l l ent for its
1 1 AxeS bxc6 n u m erous ideas ( l£lxc4 as we l l as
1 2 l£lbd 2 l£le4 l£lf3-e5 ) and the 'sacrifice' of
1 3 ifra4 ! Wh ite 's d -pawn . B rowne g ives a
An i m p o rtant m ove wh ich nu mber of va riations ste m m i ng
ensu res that White wi l l mainta i n fro m : 1 9 . . . .ll x d 4 ! 20 l£lxc4 d x c4
so m e advantage. 2 1 !!ad 1 !!ad S ( not 2 1 . . . .ll x f2+
13 l£lxd 2 22 wxf2 'l!lf5 23 g3 g 5 24 !!e5 and
1 4 l£lxd2 ifrd 7 wins ) which we suggest that the
1 5 l£lb3 ! reader finds fo r h i mse lf rather than
This m ove is actu a l l y rather d eep rep ro d u ce them here . Browne con­
and tricky. The rea l i ntention is c l u d es : 'Perhaps the Q P was o n ly
not l£la5, but to a l low the q u ee n 's psycho logica l l y tab oo ! ' (CL & R ,
b ishop to deve l o p . Black is a l so Feb ruary 1 975 ) . F o r th is reaso n
m isled i nto ' i m p rovi n g ' h is own 1 9 l£ld 2 sti l l receives a '?'. Another
b ish op with . . . .!1e2-b 5. Then the asset of the m ove, not to be over-
86 Wafter Browne

l o o ked , is that 'The B rowne 36 l3.xc6

E n d i n g ' a lready comes i nto co nsi d ­ O b serve how in contrast to the
eratio n . above note, the game continuation
19 Ad3 leaves Black with n o c o u nterp lay .
20 l3.e3 Ag6 36 .ll c 4
21 41f3 .ll e 4 37 l3.c7 aS
What else? The c-pawn is th reat­ 38 l3. b7 Ab5
ened , as is 41e5 . I f 38 ... l3.e8 B rowne gives 39 c6
22 41e5 AxeS 'Se2+ 40 t3;;g 3 .ll b 5 41 c 7 l3.c2 42
23 .ll x e5 l3. fc8 .llc 5 and wins.
Even though the p osition o f the 39 Ab8!
bishops is sym m etrica l , Blac k 's 'Sea l i ng the to m b b efo re adjou rn-
q u eensi de wea knesses wi l l a l ways ment' ( B rowne ) .
keep h i m tied d own . 39 �5
24 l3.ae 1 h5 40 l3.b6 Ad7
25 .ll g 3 l3.e8 41 l3.d6!
Black had to l ose a pawn anyway . Browne begins the winning
White was th reatening f3, 'Se7 and manoeuvre . H e wi l l extricate
also 'S b 3 , l3.b7. Blac k 's roo k in o rder to advance h is
26 i!Jxc7 i!Jxc7 c-pawn .
27 .ll x c7 f6 41 . . . .ll e 6
28 f3 .ll g 6 41 . . . l3. x b 8 42 'S x d7 j u st ma kes
29 �2 thi ngs easi er f o r Wh ite, but B lack is
N ote how Browne is getting the lost a nyway. The f i na l moves were :
advantage, p iece fo r p iece, a nd how 42 .llc 7 .llf 7
the b ishops i n particu l a r d iffer in 43 c6 'Sc8
effectiveness. 44 Ab6 h4
29 �7 45 c7 �6
30 .ll d 6 l3.xe3 46 �3 �5
31 l3.xe3 .ll b l 47 g4+ hxg3
32 l3.e7+ �6 48 hxg3 �5
33 a3 49 Aa5 f5
N ot 33 l3.c7 ? l3. b 8 ! 34 l3.xg7+? 50 l3.xa6 Ae8
t3;;x g7 35 .ll x b 8 .ll x a2 36 .ll x a7 51 l3.d6 Ab5
with a d rawn bishops of o pposite 52 l3.xd 5 l3.e8+
co l o u rs end i n g . I n additi o n , after 53 ®d 2 .ll a 6
34 b3 ( i nstead of 34 l3. xg7+? ) the 54 l3.d8 l3.e2+
issue was not clea r to B rowne's 55 �d l Resigns
satisfaction .
33 .ll c 2 F inal ly to conc l u d e th is chapter
34 l3.c7 Aa4 with a l ittle a necdote : B rowne and
35 b3 Axb3 this author ( D . K . ) were b oth

partici pating i n the 1 976 U .S.
O p en , F a i rfax , W. V i rg i n i a . In the
pen u lt i m ate round B rowne was
p l aying e x - R u ssian G rand m aster
Leon i d Sham kovich . The ga me was
adjou rned after the n o rmal five­
h o u r p laying sessi o n ; B rowne was a
pawn u p i n , as you m ight have
guessed , a rooks and b ishops of
o p p osite co l o u rs end ing. Adjou rn­
ments were to be p l ayed out at
1 0.00 a .m . the next m o rn i n g , and
i n the m eanti m e B rowne and I had
made a ten n is arrangement fo r
4.00 p .m . that day. When I arrived
Wafter Browne 87
at the h otel to meet B rowne f o r o u r
tennis match , I was g reeted b y
so me poo lside chess p l ayers :
'Waiter is not going to be a b l e to
p lay tennis today. Last we hea rd ,
he was sti l l p laying o u t h is m o rn i ng
adj o u r n ment .' When I then checked
i n at the p laying venue, I learned
that B rowne had m i ssed so me
defin ite wins and had j ust {fina l ly)
con ceded Sham k ovich a d raw after
testing out h is d efence i n roo k a n d
b ishop aga inst roo k . Tota l game
time : 1 1 h o u rs. The in cred ib le
Waiter B rowne .
4 Ulf Andersson
"And ersso n 's chess sty l e co nsists i n p lay ing chess bac kwards ! "
M a ny chess p layers a re o f a stra ight­
fo rwa rd variety . As Bo ris Spassky
o n ce put it , i n a 1 970 i nterv iew
with Keene and Levy , ' . . . We a re
p r i m itive . . . have an idea . . . a p lan
. . . and . . . b o o m boom b o o m .' Some
p l ayers, though , a re m o re ind ivid u a l ,
l i ke Tigran Petrosian , f o r exam p le ,
whose cryptic, hyper-f l e x i b le sty le
Spassky l i kened in the same i nter­
view to the tem p erament of 'a very
n ice cat (that after) p o m pom p o m
bec o m es a tige r . '
But have y o u ever hea rd o f
anyone p laying 'bac kwa rd s'?
This description of Swed ish
grandm aster U lf Andersson 's style
of p lay was put to m e ( C . P . ) at the
1 974-5 H ast ings congress by
tou rnament o rganiser B i l l D u nphy,
who added that U lf h imself had
to ld h i m that was how he p layed
pace Bill Dunphy
chess. I sh o u ld add that t h is view
was expou nded by M r D u nphy at
arou nd 2 a . m . d u ring a N ew Year's
party given at h is home , so that
perhaps neither of the conversation­
a l ists was at h is most lucid . But h is
p o int was a good o n e .
B riefly, he exp lained , steadying
h is hand o n the f i rep lace, Andersso n
sets out h is game with respect to
the endga m e . H e constru cts
endga me-fav o u rab le pawn structu res
and then manoeuvres and exchanges
in and aro u nd them u nt i l the
endgame-p l u s arises . After that
comes the conversi o n , via an
exce l l ent tech nique, of advantage
i nto win .
C l utch ing fo r d ea r l ife at the
D u n p hy hat-stan d , I exp ressed
d issent. A l l my i n b o rn Scottish
scepti cism to ld me no grandmaster
90 Ulf Andersson
wou ld ever ad m it to p l aying
'backwa rds'. 'Ask him then ! ' the
happy host tri u m p hantly cried .
And i n wa l ked U lf h im se l f . At f i rst
the g randmaster e x h ib ited on ly
confusi o n , b ut t h is was d o u btless
d u e to my u nfam i l ia r Scottish
accent at an inapprop riate t i m e of
the yea r fo r a Scotsm a n . I
p ro ceeded to ex p lain the concept
of 'backwa rd ' chess p lay. To my
su rp rise , he m o re or less agreed that
what M r D u nphy had sa id conta ined
m o re than a g rain o f t ru th . A m isty
fog prevents m e reca l l i ng any
fu rther particu l a rs of what was
p roving to be a most remarkab le
revelati o n . After yea rs of getting
p o o r chess p layers u p to p l ay o n
N ew Year's day, t h e o rganisers had
sen sib ly d ecided to m ake it a free
day, and I was m a k i n g the m o st o f
it. . .
U lf Andersso n was b o rn o n 27th
J u ne 1 952. O f slight b u i l d a nd
modest b u t dete r m ined perso n a l ity,
he has spent the who le of h is l ife,
except fo r o n e yea r spent in Cuba,
in the Swed ish town o f A rboga. lt
was h is father who taught h im the
m oves, and he visited the local
town chess clu b . At the club there
were club tou rnaments o n ce o r
twice a week , wh i l e every s o often
there wou ld be m atch es against
other towns. Andersso n grad u a l l y
i m p roved h is p lay t i l l in t h e late
1 960s it was c l ea r that he was ab le
to compete with the best p l ayers in
Sweden .
At th is ea rly stage in h is career,
Andersson 's sty le was much m o re
conventiona l . H e ten d ed to p lay 1
e4 with the Wh ite p ieces, so met h i ng
which virtu a l l y d isap p ea red from
h is to u r nament p racti ce in the
1 970s. H e was st i l l the so u n d ,
strateg ical p layer he i s today, and
spu rned fo rced , c o m b i nationa l l ines
and u nnecessa ry tactics, b u t the
same accent o n cauti o n , and the
long-term view to the endgame,
were not q u ite as p ro n o u nced as
they were to beco me.
These si m p l e means perm itted
h i m to sco re his first maj o r
successes i n chess a n d m a k e the
transition from amateu r to fu l l-time
p rofessi o na l . In 1 969, he won the
Swed ish Championsh i p , and reached
a p l ay-off fo r the I nterzonal a l o ng
with Po rtisc h , Smej kal and lvkov
by sco ring 1 3%/ 1 7 a nd f i n ishing in
a tie fo r 2nd p lace at the R aach
Zona l . Th is latter resu lt was to win
him th e title of I nternational
Maste r . H e had to wait u nt i l 1 972
bef o re achieving the g rand master
title, but h is resu lts grad u a l ly
i m p roved u nt i l the award seemed
a l m ost inevita b l e .
l t wo u ld be p o i nt l ess l isting a l l
the events such a n active p l ayer a s
And ersso n h a s p l ayed in , but one
to u rnament resu lt, at that time,
stands out a m o ngst the others. I n
1 97 1 Andersso n was to tie f o r 1 st
and 2nd p laces with H o rt, ahead of
World C h a m p i o n Bo ris Spassky, at
G otebo rg , in Swed en . Such a
success o n h is h o m e so i l must h ave
affo rded h im p articu lar p leasu re. l t
a lso h e lped t o estab l ish h is celeb rity

i n Sweden, which has b een partic­
u la rly kind to h i m , and fo l l o ws h is
p rogress i n a way which can o n ly b e
t h e envy o f to p B r itish a n d
American p l ayers.
Andersso n was never one f o r over­
i ntensive, d ry study, a n d after
ga i n i n g his grand master title, his
app roach to the gam e was, and
rem a i ns, to p lay a l most conti n u a l
chess. O n ly t h e occasi o n a l resu lt,
it was true, was o utsta n d i n g , b ut
Andersso n 's p lay was to deve l o p a
stu b b o rn routine and consistency .
He was sti l l l ea rning h is trade i n h i s
own ti m e a n d h i s own way . F irst
prizes, which were to c o m e his way,
were so m ething o f a b onus.
l t was at this time, too, that
Andersso n 's style was to b egin to
change. N ot over night, b ut
grad ual ly, the m ove 1 e4 was to b e
rep laced in h i s reperto ire by ca refu l
flan k openings. J u st as u n obtrusively
the sam e flan k openi ngs beca m e
i m b ued with so m ething specifical ly
'Andersso n '. Befo re too long there
was a recognisab ly 'Andersso n '
sty le o f o pen ing, which ep ito m ised
his n ew-found 'bac kward ness ' !
H ere is a typica l exam p l e of t h is
sty le of p lay in actio n . At the
height of h is fascination with the
'hedgehog' pawn-structu re, which
he sets u p i n this game and wel l-nigh
made his own , Andersson seem ed
to head for this type of game with
both the White and B lac k p ieces :
Andersson-Estevez, Cienfuegos 1 975
1 c4 4::lf 6 2 4::lf 3 c5 3 e3 g6 4 b3
.ll g 7 5 .ll b 2 0-0 6 .ll e 2 4::l c 6 7 a3 b 6
U/f Andersson 91
8 0-0 .ll b 7 9 d 3 4::l e 8? ( Better 9 . . .
d5, a nd after 1 0 cx d 5 , w e have the
b asi c pawn structu re of Andersso n 's
new system . See a lso I l l u strative
G a m e 5 i n the Lju bojevic chapte r . )
1 0 .ll x g7 4::l x g7 1 1 4::l c 3 e6 1 2 d 4 !
(Andersson wou l d ra rely m a k e such
m oves u n less he was su re of an
advantage . H ere Black can n ot get i n
. . . d 5 u nder favo u ra b l e ci rcu m ­
stances, a n d remains with a passive
position .) 1 2 ... cxd4 1 3 4::l x d 4
4::l x d 4 1 4 'l*xd 4 4::l f 5 1 5 'l*d 3 � 6
1 6 Etad 1 Etfd 8 1 7 e 4 4::l g 7 1 8 f4
'l*e7 ! ? 1 9 'l*d6 ! "itrx d 6 20 Et x d 6
�8 2 1 �2 '3Je 7 22 Etfd 1 4::l e 8 23
Et6d4 d 6 24 e5 ! d x e5 25 Et x d 8
Et x d 8 26 Et x d 8 ®x d 8 2 7 f x e 5 f 6
28 exf6 4::l x f6 2 9 .Q.f3 ! .ll x f3 30
®xf3 4::l d 7 31 '3Je3 a6 32 b4 '3Je7
33 ®d4 4::l b 8 34 4::la 4 4::l d 7 35 c5
b xc 5+ 36 4::l x c 5 ! 4::lb 8 37 a4 4::lc 6+
38 ®c4 4::l b 8 39 4::l e 4 4::l d 7 40 a 5 !
(The m o re 'o utside' a n outsid e
passed pawn i n t h e endgame, the
m o re effective it genera l l y is.) 40 . . .
h6 4 1 b 5 1 -0 .
With h is newly fo rged methods,
Andersso n 's resu lts were to
i m p rove. H e was spo ken o f as a rea l
potentia l Wo rld C h a m p i o ns h i p
cha l lenger . I n 1 975, i n a d d ition to a
1 st p l ace at C ienfu egos, he defeated
Larsen 5%-2% in a match in Stock­
h o l m , and q u a l ified fo r a p lace in
the 1 976 l nterz o na l i n B i e l by
tieing 2nd/3rd with Pa devski i n
Pu l a , a n d su bsequently beating h i m
i n a p l ay-off match . H owever , at
B i e l , he co u l d o n ly manage to f i n ish
8th , and hopes of advancement to
92 Ulf Andersson
the Ca ndidates m atches at th is
stage were sud den ly dashed .
At a b o ut this t i m e , m o reover , h is
o p p onents a l l bega n to u nderstand
how to d ea l with h is pecu l ia r hedge­
hog openings, and a n a la r m i ng
i n crease in d raws with the Wh ite
p ieces appea red in his p lay . I n 1 977
a crisis set i n . At Bad Lauterberg , i n
1 977, Andersson was t o amass
fou rteen d raws a nd o n e loss, which
Karpov, the tou rna m ent wi n ner,
was to castigate 'a sad tota l ' .
'(Andersso n ) p lays t h e sa m e type o f
game,' t h e Wo rld Cham p i o n
co nti nued , ' i n which , whether he be
Wh ite o r B la c k , h is p ieces as a ru le
proceed no fu rther than the t h i rd
ran k . As befo re, he ra rely loses . . .
but ( he) h a s (also ) co m p lete ly
sto pped wi n ni n g . '
C lea rly Andersso n 's n ew m ethods
needed at l east refinem ent . F o rt u n­
ate ly, he has been a b l e to a p p l y
h i mself to the c o r e of the p ro b lem .
Since 1 977, he has b roadened h is
opening reperto ire with the White
p ieces and no l o nger confi nes
h i m self to na r row st rategic paths.
As 1 978 wo re o n , it beca m e
appa rent that h is chess h a d found a
new i ncisiveness . H e sco red th ree
fi rsts in 1 978, at D o rt m u n d ,
Malg ret d e l Mar and a t t h e f irst
'Ciarin ' I nternationa l i n Buenos
Ai res, and his 9/1 2 on the to p
b oard at the B u enos Aires 0 lym p iad
i m med iate ly p reced ing the latter
event was an eq u a l l y i m p ressive
resu lt . I n 1 979 his su ccesses
co ntin ued - 1 st at Hastings, and
1 st/4th equal at M u n ich . G o ing i nto
1 980 , he aga i n shared 1 st and 2nd
p laces at the H asti ngs tou rnament,
which was apparently b eg i n ni ng to
p rove h is special p reserve.
Andersso n 's stand ing today is once
m o re i n the ascendant. H is 'bac k­
wa rdness ' t h r ives o n a new l ease of
l ife !
But one maj o r event is m issing i n
t h e l ist of Andersso n 's 1 979 co mp­
etit i o ns . H e decli ned to play i n the
Wo r l d Cha m p i o ns h i p q u a l ification
cycle and m issed a chance of
competing in the 1 979 l nterzonals.
A co ntroversia l decisi o n , which
greatly d isa p p o i nted h is Swed ish
fans especia l ly , the reaso n was that
he had decided to become the
second of his good friend Jan
T i m man in h is bid to q u a l ify for a
cha l lenge against Karpov, and had
she lved h is own a m b itions at l east
tem p o ra r i l y .
But there were possi b l y d eeper
e x p l a nations, and these a re a l l tied
u p with the larger and sti l l o pen
q u est i o n of j u st how far Andersson
can o r is wi l l i ng to go to fu rther his
own assa u lt o n the chess wor l d 's
greatest crown . O ne factor co nsist­
ently m issi ng in And ersso n 's ma ke­
up has a lways b een a certa i n lack of
perso na l d r ive, and i n Karpov's
wo rds o nce m o re, 'To b e a wo rld
cham p i o n you ca n't s i m p l y be a
strong p l ayer. You have got to b e a
stro ng hu man being ! ' Andersso n
has never been a 'stro ng human
being' i n Karpov's sense. H is is one
of the p u rest l oves f o r the game. He
scarcely cares about b ecom i ng World
C h a m p i o n . H e j u st loves p laying !

Andersso n plays and p l ays . H e
can have no riva l as t h e p layer
consistently i nvo lved in the l o ngest
games in a tau rnament, and he
has a gen ius for d iscover ing ways of
sharpening even the most si m p l e
positi o ns. H e is one of t h e wor l d 's
greatest endgame specia l ists, and
has enriched the theo ry of i nnu mer­
a b l e a reas of the endga m e , inclu d i n g
t h e d rawn b ut d ifficu lt roo k versus
ro o k a nd b ish o p ending, in which,
i n p ract i ca l p lay, he has often won
with the stro nger si d e even aga i nst
gran d master co m p et it i o n .
Everyone has his own favou rite
Andersso n sto ry when it comes to
th is aspect of his ga m e . My own
co m es from the 1 975 Pu la Zonal
where he p l ayed a n i ncred i b le d raw
with W l od i m ierez Sc h m idt of
Poland .
Andersso n had the Black p ieces .
Sch m idt, a hab itual ly p eacefu l
p l ayer , d id l ittle to u p set h i m . By
about m ove 20 , And ersso n had set
up his favou rite 'hedgehog' l i n e of
pawns o n the third ra n k and had
co m p lete ly equal ised . Sch m idt
wo u l d d o not h i ng and it soo n
beca m e clea r he wou ld be happy
with a d raw. As usu a l , h owever,
Andersso n just wanted to p lay and
a series of manoeuvres b ega n , with
both sides sh ifting thei r p ieces
around i n and about their pawns .
This state of affa i rs, with a l l the
pieces sti l l o n the b o a rd , cont i n u ed
for another 37 m oves, before
Andersso n f i na l ly co m m itted h i m ­
se lf to 5 8 . . . g 6 . O n m ove 6 5, Black
lau nched a sacrif i cia l attack in the
U/f A ndersson Q3
Position after 58 g6
...
centre, so that by about m ove 80,
b oth si des were i nvo lved i n the k i n d
of co m p l ex m i d d legame situation
m o st p layers get i nto so me 50
m oves ea rl ier. Andersso n , having
been u p a l l night ana lysi ng the
ga m e and find ing 'noth ing', was
co m p l ete ly exhausted . The tou rna­
m ent a rb iter had accused him of
u nsportsma n l i ke behav i o u r befo re
m ove 58. (This was i n cred i b ly
stu p id , and neither p layer, in fact,
actua l l y u ndersto od what he was
saying at the t i m e ; b ut the
contro l l er had j u st witnessed
Andersso n 'stea l ' a fu l l p o int fro m
Padevs k i , i n a d rawn roo k p l u s f­
and h -pawn versus roo k endga m e ,
o n t h e 1 2 1 st m ove , as a d irect
resu lt of confusi ng h is o p p o nent i n
t i m e p ressure ! ) A d ifficu lt endga me
ensued . Sch m idt held o n , and d rew
on m ove 1 20 !
Andersso n is happy j u st t o b e a
chess p l ayer, and it is d ifficu lt to
see h im chal l enge fo r the World
Cham p io ns h i p u n less his overa l l
focus is changed . Carefu l , cautio u s,
b u t dangerous and co nti n u a l l y
i m p roving, h e h a s a l l the ab i l ity
req u i red of a wo r l d -beater, except
94 Ulf Andersson

the i cy reso lve. h is o p p o nent's patience a nd eel-l i ke

Things m ay change, Perhaps h is manoeuvring ab i l ity . Gain ing no
C u ban wife wil l spu r h i m o n . advantage out of the open ing, in
Andersso n 's yea r i n C u b a , i n th is, thei r f irst encou nter , K o rchnoi
1 975/6, where he too k u p t h e post let h is p osit i o n s l i p towa rd s the
as trainer to the best Cuban p layers, end of the first p l aying sessio n , and
was as a resu lt of a d ea l with the m isju d ged the transit i o n i nto a
Cuban auth o r ities, so that he cou ld m i n o r p iece end i n g . Andersso n gave
get h is wife out. H is co u rtsh ip was h i m a lesso n in p recisi o n and a lert
as tidy a p iece of wo rk as any of h is endgame p lay .
best endgames . They met at 1 d4 4)f6
Camaguey, in 1 974, where h i s wife· 2 c4 e6
to-be fo l lowed his ga mes with avid 3 g3 .ab4+
i nterest . C o m p lete ly engrossed in 4 4)d 2 c5
his ga mes, as ever, he a l m ost over· 5 dxc5 4)a6 !?
loo ked her , but then , just as a N ot rea l ly the best move.
su btle nuance in one of h is Andersso n 's method i nvo lves
positi o ns co mes i nto h is ken , he reta king with h is knight o n c5 and
su d den ly noticed her, and the result u lt i m ately giving u p the b ishop-pair.
was to change his l ife ! Better is 5 . . . 4)c6 , with the idea of
F o r the you ng p layer, Andersso n 's . 0-0 , ... ilxc5 and ... d 5 .
. .

sty le is a m o d e l of vigi lant effo rt . 6 .ag2 0-0

H e has no equ a l i n p l ay i n 7 4)f3 4)xc5
sim p l ified positio ns, a n d h i s p lay 8 0-0 d5
'bac kwards' to better endgames is 9 cxd5 exd 5
marked by great a rtistry and fight. 10 a3 .axd2
H e is a much m o re matu re and 11 .axd 2 �e8
u n iversa l p l ayer than he used to be 12 .ae3 4)ce4
and his tactical p lay is m o re shar p . 13 �c l .1le6
H e c a n l o o k 'bac kwa rds' t o the 14 .ad4! ?
futu re with g reat confidence. H is Better here was 1 4 4)d4 ! , which
ta lent is truely u n iq u e. wo u ld have given Wh ite a clear
advantage . Wh ite wou ld then
th reaten 1 5 4)xe6 , fo l l owed by 1 6
ild4, after wh ic h , in the l o ng ter m ,
1 B l ac k 's knights wo u ld b e u nder·
Korchnoi-Andersson m in ed in the centre, and Wh ite's
Wijk aan Zee 1 971 b ishop-pair wou l d come i nto its
Catalan v. Bogolju bow Indian own . As p layed , however, Wh ite is
I n his ea r l i est ga mes with Andersso n , never ab le to sha ke B lack 's g r i p o n
n o less a figure than V i kto r t h e key centra l squ a res. Although
K o rchnoi had great prob lems with White tries to m a ke so meth ing of
 U/f A ndersson 95

his contro l of the c-file, B l a c k is 36 �d 2 ®17

ab le to cou nteract h is eff o rts there . 37 "itc 1 Etxc3
14 �d6 38 "itxc3 "itd7
15 Ete 1 �fe4 39 .!ld3!?
16 "itb3 "ite7 Wh ite sho u l d have co nsid ered 39
17 Eted 1 �f5 �b2, and if 39 .. . �c6 40 .llc 3,
18 Etc2 b6 p reserving h is q u een 's b isho p . After
19 Etdc 1 Eted 8! B l ac k 's reply, it p roves i m p o ssi b le
By vacating e8 fo r his q u een , to prevent its exchange aga i nst
B lack is ab le to face u p roo ks o n Black's q u een 's k n ight. I ndeed ,
t h e c-f i l e . Wh ite has no effective White is em barrassed a s to h ow b est
means of raisi ng the tensi o n . to d efend it .
20 e3 "ite8 39 �c6
21 Afl Etac8 40 Af l "itc8
22 Aa6 Etxc2 4 1 �f3 �xd4
23 "itxc2 h6 42 "itxd4
24 �e5 �ed6 U nf o rtu nately, White cou l d not
25 "itc7 f6 rep ly 42 'l*xc8? i ntend i n g 43 �xd4
26 �f3 Etd7 because of the i ntermezzo 42 .. .
Alth ough White sti l l has n o m ina l �xf3+. N ow, a lthough Wh ite sti l l
co ntro l of the c-file, there is no reta ins the b lo c kade o n d4, B la c k 's
p o i nt of b rea kthrough o n it. B lack 's active q u een at l east compensates
powerfu l centra l i nflu ence remains f o r it .
intact. Wh ite has noth i ng. 42 . . . "itc 1
27 "itc2 "ith 5 43 "itd2?
28 Ae2 "itf7 K o rchno i 's f irst rea l erro r . H e
29 a4 Etd8 m u st have over l o o ked Black's 44th
30 "itb3 �c4 move co m p l etely . N ecessa ry was 43
31 "ita2 "ite7 �d 2, and neither side has a ny rea l
32 b3 �a5 advantage .
33 Etc3 �d6 43 "itxd 2
34 "ita3 Etc8 44 �xd 2
35 Aa6 Etc7
Better than 36 . . . Etxc3 37 Axc3
�c6 38 �d4, which a l l ows White to
mainta i n an edge . White's knight
wou l d be the much better m in o r
piece t o have posted o n t h e b lock­
ad i n g square d4. The p resent
postings of White 's knight and
q u een 's b ishop a re remarkab ly
i n effective.
96 Ulf A ndersson

44 . . . d4! Wh ite is l o st , b u t th is m ove ma kes

A neat l itt le m ove, which effects B l ac k 's task a lot easier . After the
a t h o rough transfo rmati o n . If 4 5 text, Black is able to b lockade
exd4 4:lf5 46 b4 4:lxd4, Black has White 's ki ngsi d e pawns co m p letely.
the better chances owi ng to his 60 4:ld 5
act ive king and the wea kness of 61 .ll a4 4:lf6
Wh ite 's adva nced q u eensi de pawns. 62 .ll d l ®15
N either 46 .ll c 4 4:lxd4 47 .ll x e6+ 63 ®e3 b5
®xe6 nor 46 .ll e 2 4:lxd4 47 .ll d l is 64 ®13 h5
any i m p rovement, w h i l e K o rc h n o i 's 65 .ll e 2 b4
actua l reply leaves B lac k 's p re­ 66 .ll a 6 �e6
viously wea k d -pawn a strong 67 .ll c4+ �d 6
passed pawn . 68 �3 �5
45 e4 f5! 69 .ll b 3 a5
An i m p o rtant coro l l a ry . The text­ 70 �d3 �b5
m ove leads to o pen l i nes, which 71 �d4 a4
a l low Blac k 's b ishop and king to 72 .ll c4+ �a5
beco me active . 73 .ll d 3 a3
46 exf5 .ll x f5 Resigns
47 .ll g 2 ®e6
48 .ll a 8 .ll c 2
49 4:lf3?
Better was 49 f4 . Now B la c k 's 2
d -pawn assu mes d ecisive st rengt h . Korchnoi-Andersson
49 . . . d3! Hastings, 1 971 /2
5 0 ®11 .ll d 1 ! Bogoljubow-h1 dian Defence
Th reatening 5 1 . . .ll x f3, after
. Almost exact ly a yea r after the
which Blac k 's king has a c l ea r path p revio us ga m e , K o rc h n o i aga i n
to the key sq uare d 4 . Wh ite see ks faced Andersso n with t h e Wh ite
to avo id this d isastrous st rateg ical p ieces . The resu lts were a l mo st
tu rn of events, b ut, in so d o i ng , exact ly the sa m e ! K o rc h n o i again
loses a pawn . got nowhere i n the o pening, p ressed
51 4:ld4+ ®e5 hard , but co m p r o m ised h is position.
52 4:lc6+ ®16 Andersso n 's rock-l i ke d efen ce aga i n
53 �1 .ll x b3 triu m p hed .
54 4:lb4 .ll x a4 1 d4 4:lf6
55 4:lxd3 .ll c 2 2 c4 e6
56 �2 .ll x d3 3 4:lf3 .ll b 4+
57 �d3 4:le8 4 Ad2 i!!re7
58 .ll c 6 4:lc7 5 g3 0-0
59 f4 �e6 6 .ll g 2 .ll x d2+
60 h4? 7 4:lbxd2

I f 7 'i¥tx d2, with the i d ea of 8
<£lc3, B lack d o es best to p lay 7 . .
<£Je4 fo l l owed by 8 . . . f5 transposi ng
i nto an equa l isi ng variati o n of the
D utch D efen ce .
7 d6
8 <£lf 1 !?
N ot a h a p p y i n n ovatio n . The
usu a l l i n es i nvo lve 0-0 , e4, and after
... e5, d 5 . White has a space advant­
age and chances of a pawn stor m o n
t h e k i ngsi d e . B lack has a so lid
posit i o n , the better b ish o p , a nd
after moves such as . . . a 5 , . . . <£la6
and . . . c6 , chances of cou nterplay
on the q u eensi d e .
8 �bd7
9 �e3 �e4
1 0 0-0 f5
1 1 �e l
Wh ite 's prob lem is how to ga in
grou nd effectively i n the centre .
The i m m ed iate p r i o r ity is to evict
Blac k 's king's knight from the
i m p o rtant e4 square. However , with
his queen's knight awkwa rd ly
i m ped ing his e-pawn , he f i n d s it
d ifficu lt to increase his central
contro l . Black is ab le to demon­
strate a comfortab le eq u a l ity .
11 . . . �df6
1 2 f3 �g5
I n this and si m il a r positions,
Black frequently b r i ngs back his
k n i g ht i nto the central a rena via
g5 and f7 .
13 'l"d2 h6
14 !!c l c5
15 �1 c2 b6
16 E!fd l A b7
17 b4 !!ad S
Black has co m p leted his d eve l o p -
U/f A ndersson 97
m ent and sta nds wel l . H is 'ho l l ow'
. centre, aga in typ ical o f this kind
of opening, is easi ly defensi b le ,
and a d m its of no i m m ed iate
wea k po ints. Left to his own
devices, Black wou ld p repare the
stab i l isi ng move .. . e5. K o rc h n o i 's
reply is an attempt to cut across
t h is p l a n .
1 8 d5!? g6
Also possi b le was 1 8 ... exd 5 1 9
c x d 5 g6. The latter m ove was, i n
a n y case , essentia l . B l ac k 's f-pawn
abso lutely req u ired p rotectio n . The
sl ight wea keni ng of B la c k 's ki ngside
is not e x p l o itab le .
1 9 dxe6 �xe6
20 E!bl ®11 7
2 1 �d 5
An i nterest i ng a lternative was
2 1 E!b3, with the i d ea of 22
E!d 3 . Black cou l d cont i n u e 2 1
. . . �g 5 22 E!d 3 �f7 , with a n eq u a l
ga m e .
21 Axd 5
22 cxd 5 �c7
23 e4?
H ere , however , K o rc h n o i sho u ld
have p referred 23 b x c 5 bxc5 24
E!b 7 . Play might contin u e 24 . . . a 6
25 <£Je3 E! d 7 , a nd b oth si d es have
cha nces. After the text-move, Wh ite
never manages to b u i l d up suff icient
kingsi d e p ressu re to c o m pensate for
B l ac k 's contro l of the e 5 sq uare,
and, i n particu lar, for the perman­
ently d i m i n ished p ossi b i l ities for h is
ham p ered b isho p . F ro m t h is p o i nt
o n , Wh ite d rifts into d ef i n ite
tro u b l e .
23 fxe4
24 fxe4 �a6
98 U/f Andersson

25 a3 l3.de8 the text-move, wo u l d aga in be

26 l3.f 1 met b y 40 ... l£lg5 , a nd Wh ite's
So that if 26 . . . l£lxe4? 27 �d 3 e-pawn fa l l s .
and wins. K o rc h n o i has managed 4 0 Ag2 l£le5
to open the p ositi o n and achieve 41 l£le3
a certa i n initiative, but in the 41 l£lxe5 *xe5 42 �4 is no
next few m oves Andersson is bette r . After 42 . . . *d 4+ 43 Wf l
ab le to neutra l ise a l l Wh ite 's ser i o u s ( o r 4 3 � 2 *xf2+ 4 4 'i¥txf2 l£ld 7
th reats. with a won endga m e) 43 . . . c4! ,
26 l£ld7 Wh ite can n ot reply 44 *x d6,
27 Ah3 l£le5 because o f 44 ... *d 1 + 45 Wf2 l£lg4
28 'ite2 l£lc7 mate .
29 l£le3 !!xf 1 + 41 . . . '3lg1
30 l3.xf 1 l3.f8
31 l3.f4 l£le8
32 l£lg2 l£lg7
33 'itf 1 l3.f7 !
B la c k has contro l of the e5
sq uare and cou nterba lances White 's
occupation of the f-f i l e . Wh ite
sti l l contro ls a l itt le m o re space,
but B lack 's pawns a re so u nd er
and , if he co u l d effect a genera l
excha nge, h is passed c-pawn wo u l d
b e a m o rta l danger i n a n y end­ 42 g4?
ga m e . R oo ks wi l l inev ita b l y d is­ After this move, the game is
a p p ea r , after Black p lays a futu re . . . demonstrab ly lost, but even after
l£lh5. the better 42 �4 *b 7, B lack has
34 bxc5 bxc5 a n enormous advantage .
35 l£le3 l£lh 5 42 l£lxd 5 !
36 l3.xf7+ l£lxf7 43 g5 l£lxe3
37 l£lc4 l£lg7 44 gxh6+ '\t>f8
38 'itf4 l£lh5 45 'itf4+ '3lg8
39 'ith4 46 'itxe3 ®h7
If Wh ite p l ays 39 � 1 , B l a c k d oes 47 'itf4 c4
not repeat m oves, but p l ays 39 . . . Th is pawn is u nsto ppab l e . Wh ite 's
l£lf6 4 0 � 4 l£lg5 and 42 . . . l£lg xe4. b ishop is a l a m enta b l e p iece .
I f 39 �g4 �6 activates B lac k 's 48 'itd2 'itc7
q u een with effect . 49 'itc3 'itb 6+
39 . . . l£lf6 50 'it>f1 'itb 3
Of co u rse, not 39 . . . *x h4? 40 Resigns
gxh4, because o f the th reat of
41 Ae6 . 40 Ae6, in rep ly to

3 1 0 e 5 ?:le4! , and if 1 1 ?:lc3 ?:lx c3 1 2
Andersson-Portisch
Skopje 1 972
Sicilian Defence
Brief attac king gam es are not
co m m o n i n Andersso n 's p ractice .
H owever , occasi o na l ly , they d o
cro p u p . Aga inst Po rt isch , i n t h e
fo l l owing g a m e , he destroys h is
o p p onent's ea rly m i d d lega me
positio n , after the latter had made
severa l i naccu rate moves i n the
opening. Character istica l l y , the
ga me sti 11 bears as much a positional
as a tactical sta m p . White 's sacrifices
arise from the logic of the posit i o n ,
rather t h a n fro m a susta ined ,
com b i national b l itz k rieg.
1 e4 c5
2 ?)f3 d6
3 Ab 5+ ?:lc6
4 0-0 Ad7
5 �e 1 ?:lf6
6 c3 a6
7 Afl
R ecently, the sharper ga m b it
a lternative, 7 Axc6 Axc6 8 d4
Axe4 9 Ag5, has been favo u r ed .
Andersso n 's move is m o re carefu l .
7 ... e5?!
The idea behind this m ove has
m o re point when White's k i n g 's
b isho p has retreated to a4. Then
the p ositi o n ta kes o n the cha racter
of the C l o sed Variat i o n of the
M o rp h y D efence to the Ruy Lopez .
With White's king's b ishop o n f 1 ,
Wh ite has g reater sco pe for d eve l o p ­
i ng a n ear l y i n itiative o n t h e q u een­
si d e . B lack has two better a ltern­
atives i n ( i ) 7 ... e6 8 d 4 cxd4 9
cx d 4 d 5 ! ( the key sta b i l isi ng m ove )
U/f A ndersson 99
b xc3 Ae7 , o r ( ii ) 7 . . . g6 8 d4 cxd4
9 c x d 4 d5! 10 e5 ?:le4 .
8 h3
N ot at o n ce 8 d 4 ! ? , because of 8
. . . cxd4 9 cxd4 Ag4 !
8 ... h6?!
An u nwarra nted l u x u ry . Black
shou ld conti n u e his d eve l o p ment
without delay. C o rrect was 8 . . .
Ae7 , a nd after 9 d 4 fJc7 1 0 a4,
White 's advantage is m i n i m a l .
9 d4 'lflc7
1 0 a4
I nd i cating c lea rly the advantage
of having White's k i n g 's b isho p out
of the way on the ki ngsi d e . With
this move , Wh ite begi ns a n action
o n the queensi d e , wh ich severe ly
restricts Blac k 's p rospects of
cou nterp lay.
10 . . . g6?
T h is was not one of Po rti�ch 's b est
d ays. 1 0 . . . Ae7 1 1 ?:la3 0-0 was
abso lutely essentia l , although after
1 2 d x c 5 ( 1 2 ?:lc4 b5 1 3 ?:le3 cxd4
1 4 cxd4, and if 1 4 ... ?:lxd4 1 5
?:lxd4 cxd4 1 6 fJx d4 bxa4 1 7 ?:lf5 !
i s a lso possi b le ) 1 2 . . . d x c 5 1 3 ?:lc4,
Wh ite has the m u c h freer game .
1 1 ?:la3 Ag7
1 2 dxc5 dxc5
1 3 ?:lc4
So that if 1 3 . . 0-0 1 4 fJd 6 ! , and
.
if 1 4 . . . fJx d 6 1 5 <£>xd6 b 6 ( o r 1 5
. . . �ab 8 1 6 Ae3 ) 1 6 ?:lc4, and
Wh ite wins a pawn . The resu lt of
Black 's k i n g 's b ishop fianchetto has
been the tota l co l lapse of his b lack
sq uares. Even m o re d isastrously, h is
k i n g has nowhere to ru n .
13 . . . �b8
7 00 U/f A ndersson
1 4 b4!
A m ove of p i le-d riving fo rce. The
i m med iate 14 <tld6+ ®e7 1 5 <tlc4
Elfd 8 etc ., wo u ld , of cou rse , a l l o w
B lack to get h is king into relative
safety and escape the worst , but the
text-m ove d rives home White's
advantage on the b lack sq uares
decisively, and a l l ows White to
attac k the B lack k i n g .
14 . . . cxb4
15 cxb4 Ae6
After 1 5 . . . <tlxb4, White has the
choice between 1 6 Aa3 a5 1 7
<tlcx e5, fo l lowed by 1 8 Elc 1 , with
a n overwhe l m ing positiona l super­
iority, and 1 6 <tlcxe5, and if 1 6 . . .
<tlc2 1 7 Af4 <tl x e 1 1 8 �xe 1 , wit h
crushi ng th reats. I f 1 5 . . 0-0 1 6 b 5
. Andersso n 's su btle fee l fo r the
fo ll o wed by Aa3 l ea d s to a win .
1 6 <tld6+ rfle7
1 7 Aa3 !
So that if 1 7 . . . �xd 6 1 8 b 5 <tlb4
1 9 �xd 6+ ®x d6 20 Axb4+ ®c7
2 1 Elac 1 +, and White's fo rces crash
th rough . An error wou ld have been
1 7 b5?, a l lowing 1 7 . . . <tlb4 and 1 8
... a 5 .
17 . . . <tle8
O r if 1 7 . . . b 5 1 8 a x b 5 El h d 8 1 9
b xc6 Elxd6 20 b 5 .
1 8 <tlxb7 !
The tide of Wh ite 's fo rces can n o
longer be tu rned . I f 1 8 . . . Elxb7 1 9
b 5+ <tld 6 20 Elc l , and the p i ns o n
t h e B lack knights a re q u ite l etha l .
18 'itxb7
19 b 5+ ®1'6
20 bxc6 'itc7
If 20 .. �xc6, the seco nd k n ight
.
sacrifice 21 <tlx e5 ! sea ls B lack 's
fate . After 2 1 . . . ®x e5 22 f4+ ®xf4
(or 22 ... ®f6 23 � 4 mate) 23
�3+ ®85 24 �g3+ ®f6 (or 24 . . .
®d4 25 Elad 1 mate) 25 e5+ ®f5
26 Ad 3+ and mates .
2 1 <tlxe5
Winning also i n t h is positio n .
N o w if 2 1 . . . �x e5 22 �3+ Af5
23 exf5, and if 23 ... �xf5 24
Ae7+, or if 23 . . . ®x e5 24 f4+ etc .,
as i n the va riati o n above .
Black Resigns
4
Andersson-Radulov
N ice 1 974
Reti 's O pening
positional nuance i n chess is wel l
b rought out i n t h is gam e aga inst
Rad u lov at N ice . He ado pts a n
o rigina l fo r m of Ret i 's O pening, i n
which h is o p p o n ent beco mes
i m patient a nd p rovides chances fo r
the fu l l fo rce o f R eti 's hyper­
m odern ideas to find a p p l icat io n .
White's p ressu re derives fro m f l a n k
action . Blac k 's q u eensi d e a n d
centre d isso lve . Andersso n 's su re
e x p l o itation of B la c k 's wea knesses
 U/f A ndersson 7 07

is b oth thorough a n d carried o ut 1 2 �e3

with so m e sty l e . N ot, of cou rse , 1 2 �ce5 �xe5 1 3
1 �f3 d5 �xe5 Axg2 1 4 ®xg2 i*d 5+ 1 5 �f3
2 c4 dxc4 which o n ly l eads to m i n d l ess
3 �a3 exchanges. The text-move on the
This was R 1hi 's i ntro ducti o n . other hand , mainta i n s the strategi c
Wh ite 's q u een 's knight , fro m the tensi o n , a n d a l lows Wh ite d i rectly
flan k , com es back i nto cent ral to p roceed with b 4 .
act i o n via c4, and ex erts p ressu re 12 . . . ffb 6!?
on the e5 square. After the game, b oth p layers
3 ... �f6 considered 1 2 ... �d 7 a better
A m o re a m b itious strategy, which m ove . After 1 3 b4 cxb4 1 4 axb4
co ntests Wh ite's p ress u re o n e5 �b 6 1 5 'ltb 3, Wh ite wo u ld st i l l
d i rectly , invo lves the m oves ... c5, have an edge , b u t Blac k 's q u eensi de
... �c6 , .. . f6 and ... e5. B l ac k 's l o o ks steadier. O n b 6 , B lac k 's
modest a i m , in th is game, is to q u een fu lfils a pu rely d efensive
achieve the free d eve l o p ment of his task , and is prey to p otentia l
pieces. harrassment by Wh ite's q ueen 's
4 �xc4 e6 roo k a nd m i n o r pieces.
5 g3 b6 1 3 b4 �d 7
6 Ag2 Ab7 1 4 Ac3 �ab8
7 0-0 Ae7 1 5 ffd 2 �d4
8 d3 The a lter native was 1 5 . . . cxb4 1 6
O nce aga i n , White chooses the a x b 4 Af6 1 7 Axf6 �xf6, after
a b so l ute ly gen u ine R eti move. The which Wh ite has the ta ngi b le
text-m ove ta kes away the e4 squ a re advantages o f a n extra pawn i n the
fro m possi b le use by Black 's p ieces, centre and an awkward bind o n
and a l l ows White to f i n ish his B l a c k 's queensi d e pawns . Agai nst
queenside devel o p ment. Blac k 's the text-move, Wh ite is able to ga in
p l a n wi l l clearly i nvo lve the m oves advantages of a d ifferent k i n d . H e
. . . c5 and . . . �c6 . White p repares a n opens p lay u p o n t h e q u eenside and
action o n t h e f l a n k t o u nderm ine i t . e x p l o its the wea kness of B la c k 's
8 0-0 b lack sq uares and pawns.
9 a3 c5 1 6 bxc5 �xf3+
1 0 Ad2 �c6 1 7 Axf3 �xc5 ! ?
1 1 �b 1 b5? 1 7 . . . Axc5 1 8 A x b 7 � x b 7 1 9
This i m pati ent move a l l ows White Ab 4 is strategica l l y si m i lar, but
to ca rry out his q u eensi de p lans may be tactica l ly m o re desi ra b l e .
with extra force. Better was the After t h e text-m ove, Wh ite i s a b l e
so l id 1 2 ... �d 5, restra in ing b4, and to occu py two i m p o rta nt b lack
if 1 3 �ce5 �xe5 1 4 �xe5 Af6 1 5 sq uares straight away.
�c4 'ltd 7 . 1 8 Ae5! �bc8
102 Ulf A ndersson

1 9 .!lxb7 itxb7 34 E!c 1 E!aa8

20 ·�joa5 aS 35 �c4 E!ab8
21 a4 ! 36 e3 �f5
An extrem ely powerfu l m ove, 37 �e5 �e7
which fo rces Black to advance h is 38 E!c7 E!e8
b -pawn to the vu l nera b l e squ a re b 4 39 E!c4 f6
a n d cede White's k n ight t h e u se o f 40 �d7 E!b d8
t h e excel lent post c4 . F r o m now 41 �c5 �c6
on, B lack is in g reat d ifficu lties . 42 d4
21 �d7
22 .ll d 4 b4
23 �c4 �b8?
B lack sho u l d have p refaced this
m ove with 23 . . . E!fd8. The
i m m ed iate move of B l a c k 's knight
a l l ows White to effect a favou rab l e
exchange of b ishops.
24 ite5! .ll f 6
25 "lte3 .ll x d4
26 itxd4 �c6
27 "ltb6! White 's sim p l est th reat is now 43
So that if 27 . . . 'l*xb 6 28 �xb6 �a6 . Faced with the l oss of his b­
E!c7 29 E!fc 1 , and B lack is l ost . pawn, B lack em ba rks o n a last gasp
27 . . . "ltd7 d iversi o n jn the centre .
28 E!b2 ! 42 e5
N ot 28 'l*xa6? �d4 29 E!b2 43 �b 3 E!c8
�xe2+ ! 30 E! xe2 'l*xd 3 , and B lack 44 d 5
wins ; but the text-m ove i eaves Also good was 4 4 E!bc2, a n d i f 44
Blac k 's q u eenside pawns i n d efens­ . . . �a7 45 d x e5 E! xc4 46 E!xc4
ib l e . E!xe5 47 E! x b 4 . H o wever,
28 �d4 Andersso n p refers to reta i n a l l his
29 E!e1 E!b8 pawns rather than a l l o w any
30 itxa6 E!a8 possib le over-si m p l ifyi ng excha nge .
31 itd6 "ltxd6 He j u d ges that B l ac k 's posit ion is
32 �xd6 E!xa4 lost anyway .
B lack has managed to m a i nta i n 44 �e7
materia l eq u a l i ty , b ut, in t h e l o ng­ 45 E!xc8 E!xc8
ru n , h is b -pawn is d o o m ed . In the 46 e4 E!c4
next few moves, White grad ual l y 47 �d 2 !:!d4
fo rces B lack 's knight b a c k a n d 48 �b3 E!c4
ta kes contro l of the c-f i l e . N ot 48 . . . E!xe4? , a l lowing 49 d 6 ,
33 1lg2 E!d8 and White wins i m mediate ly .
 U/f A ndersson 1 03

49 f3 'M7 3%/5 on to p board for Leningrad

so �as !!d4 at the USSR Sparta kiad . H e was
51 1lf2 �e8 a l so to win at M i la n , at which t h is
52 �b7 f5?! ga me was h is single d efeat.
B lac k 's position was cru m b l i ng , 1 e4 c5
and White 's i m m ed iate th reat was 2 �f3 e6
53 <tlc5 , with the idea of 54 <tle6 o r 3 d4 cxd4
5 4 <tla6 . However, t h e text-m ove 4 �xd4 �c6
ma kes thi ngs easi er. 5 �b 5 d6
53 �3 �c8 6 c4
54 !!c2 �b6 Karpov is fond of this treatment
55 !!c6 of the Tai manov va riati o n . With his
The incu rsi o n of Wh ite 's roo k o n 5th and 6th moves, Wh ite erects a
the c-f i l e i s decisive . I f now 5 5 . . . Ma roczy B i n d pawn stru ctu re,
<tlc4+? 5 6 !!xc4. aga i nst which it is d ifficult for
55 �a4 B lack to create p l a y . Black has a
56 �d6+ �d7 so l i d positio n , but White has a t i ny
57 �c4 ! spatia l p lus, wh ich persists we l l i nto
O f cou rse, not 57 <tlxf5?, the m i d d l ega me.
a l lowing 57 . . . b3! etc . After the 6 �f6
text, h owever , B lack 's cause is l ost . 7 � 1 c3 a6
57 b3 8 �a3 Ae7
58 �xe5+ �dB 9 Ae2 0-0
59 !!c l ! 10 0-0 b6
And B l ac k 's r o o k is caught. 11 Ae3 Ab7
Black resigns 12 !!c l
I n his next ga m e as Wh ite i n this
p osit i o n , aga inst O lafsso n , at
Amsterdam in 1 97 6 , Ka rpov was to
5 p refer the im med iate 1 2 i*b3 .
Karpov-Andersson After 1 2 . . . <tld7 1 3 !!fd 1 <tlc5 1 4
Milan 1 975 i*c2 Af6 ! ? ( 1 4 ... i*c7 is a sou nd
Sicilian Defence,Taimanov a lternative ) , he offered a pawn with
Variation 1 5 !!ac 1 . B lack d ec l i n ed the offer ,
Andersson was the fi rst p l ayer to but after 1 5 . . . Ae5 ! ? 1 6 <£lab 1
i nfl ict a d efeat on Ka rpov after the i*h4 1 7 g3 i*f6 1 8 f4 ! Ad4 1 9
latter i n h er ited the Wo r l d C h a m p ­ i*d2 e5 20 �d 5 , fo u nd h i mself
io nshi p t i t l e from Bo bby F ischer by th rown back on the defensive .
defau lt, i n Apri l 1 97 5 . The World 12 . . . !!e8
Champion had gone through the This roo k serves a usefu l restra in­
tou rnament and won wit h o u t loss ing fu nction o n e8. I f Wh ite should
at Lj u b lja na-Po rto roz , and sco red ever i n d u lge i n a n over-hasty f3 or
7 04 Ulf A ndersson

f4, Black can often rep l y . . . d 5 ! , cou ld not sit back and a l l ow Wh ite
ga m b iting a pawn fo r cha nces o n to cont i n u e with his i ntended
the e-file a n d f8-a3 d iagona l . advance o n the q u eensi d e , b4 and
1 3 'l:tb3 <tld7 4:lb3, without putting u p a fight.
14 !Ud 1 gc8 Blac k 's maj o r intentio n , however,
1 4 ... 4:lc5 1 5 �c2 �c7 is a l so is based o n a p rofo u n d l y j u d ged
possi b l e . Wh ite can not rep l y 1 5 exchange sacrifice, which o ccu rs o n
.Q.xc5 b xc5 1 6 �x b 7??, a l l owing 1 6 move 27 . Although White wins
. . . l£la5. materia l , Black conju res u p an
15 gd2 "//Jc 7 attack o n the k i ngsi de, based o n a
16 'l:td 1 "//J b 8 central b l ockade.
17 f3 Aa8 25 cxd5 exd 5
18 �f 1 <tlce5 26 exd5 AdS
19 <tlab 1 27 4:lf 1
White has a slight advantage, b u t
B lac k h a s manoeuvred sensi b ly, a n d
i t is extremely d ifficu lt f o r White to
make anyth i n g of his spatia l
su per i o r ity . The great p ro b lem in
this variation is what to d o with
this knight. White cannot manoeuvre
it, via c2, to the d esi rab le square
d4, because after 1 9 4:lc2 �c7 , it
wo u l d have to m ove back to a 3
aga i n .
19 4:lf6 27 gxe3 !
20 ®h 1 h6 Wh ite sho u l d now seriously
21 gdd 1 Af8 co nsider 27 �x e3 Af4 28 �d4
22 4:ld2 gcd 8 Axc l 29 gxc 1 , decl i n i n g B l ac k 's
23 "//Jf 2 4:led7 second offer. H owever , after 29 ...
24 a3? ! b 5 30 4:le3 ( o r 30 gd 1 l£lb6 3 1 d 6
Karpov c o m es to regret this m ove. 4:le8 ) 30 . . . 4:lb6, B l a c k rega ins h i s
M o re ci rcu mspect wo u l d be the pawn with at l east equa l ity. Karpov
p reparato ry 24 4:lf 1 . The text-m ove decides to p lay fo r m o re .
a l lows B lack to free h is ga m e 2 8 l£lxe3 Axh2
co m p l etely by m ea ns of a daring 29 <tlf 1
pawn sacrifice. 29 4:lf5 was an i nteresting a ltern­
24 . . . d5! ative . After 29 ... Af4 30 l£le7+
Andersso n co u ld not possib ly ( Better than 30 gc2, after wh ich
have worked out a l l the ram ific­ 30 ... �e5 31 .Q.d 3 4:lc5, with
ati o ns of this posit ional ga mbit. I n th reats of ... l£lxd3 and ... g6, is
a sense, h e d id not have to , a s he wi n n ing) 30 ... <MS 31 l£lc6 .Q.xc6
 U/f A ndersson 105

32 d x c6 �5 33 'tt h 4 .ll x c l 34 �g5 4 1 .!£lf5 � h 5+ 42 ®9 1 .!£lg4 ! ,

� x c l .!£lc5 , the positi o n is u nclea r , th reatening 43 . . . .ll c 5+ 44 'ttx c5
b u t l o o ks safe eno u gh fo r B l a c k , �h l + ! and mates ( Ma ric) .
whose p ieces seem we l l -p laced to 40 'lte8
contend with White 's c-pawn . 41 �de l Ab7
29 .ll f4 42 ®g l .!£lh7 !
30 �c2 b5 When th is kn ight reaches g5, it
31 Ad3 .!£lb6 wi l l be th reatening possi b l e checks
32 Ae4 .!£lc4 o n f3 a nd h3, as wel l as au gmenting
33 a4 �ea the p ressure o n White's e-pawn .
34 axb5 axb5 Blac k 's q u een 's b ish o p is a lso
35 �e2 Ae5 th reatening to make its p resence
36 'itc5 .!£ld6 felt , by tra nsferring from the
A curious p osi tion has a risen , in q u eenside to the ki ngsi d e , via c 8 .
which , a lthough B lack has no 43 .!£lc 1 .!£lg5
pawns fo r h is exchange sacrifice, h is 44 .!£ld 2 Ab4
power o n the central d a r k squ ares is
fo r m i d a b l e . Over the board , the
p l ayers can o n ly g u ess at the so u n d ­
ness of such sacrifices . I nst i n ct a n d
good j u d gem ent are a t a p rem i u m .
37 .!£la2? !
After this m ove, Black is a b l e to
c l o se the e-f i le , and his advantage
appea rs to grow consid erab l y . A
better m ove was possi b ly 37 .ll b 1 ,
so that after 37 . . . b4 38 .!£le4,
White can keep the e-f i l e o pen . 45 'iYn2
B lack can rep l y , instead , 37 . . . �c8 G iving back the exchange , and
38 itf2 .!£lc4 , and the c o m p l ications going d own a pawn . But if 45 ®g2
conti n u e . f5 is overwhe l m i ng, o r if 45 'tt d 3
37 .!£ldxe4 .ll x d 2 46 �xd2 .ll x d 5 .
38 fxe4 Ad6 45 Axd2
39 'itc2 �e5 ! 46 �xd 2 .!£lxe4+
The o p p o rtu nity of using this 47 �xe4 �xe4
sq uare as a p o i nt of transfer to the 48 .!£le2 Ac8
k i n gsi de adds a new a n d da ngerous 49 .!£lc3 �e l
d i m ensi o n to B l ac k 's attac k . I n 50 .!£le2 �a l
a d d ition , a s the next m oves rap i d ly 51 �d4 'itd8
show, Wh ite's e-pawn is vu l nerab l e . 51 . . . .ll h 3 was possi b ly m o re
4 0 g3 accu rate . H o wever, Wh ite's o pen
40 .!£lg3? l oses at o n ce, after 40 . . . king is a l most certa i n to b e caught
106 U/f A ndersson

i n a net , so oner o r later. Although 6

Wh ite 's d -pawn poses a potentia l Andersson-Chi Ch ing Hsuan
th reat, the ra king power o f B lac k 's Buenos Aires 1 97 8
p ieces m o re than o ffsets i t . Pirc D efence
52 'ltfc6 Ad7 The yea r 1 978 was the yea r that
53 'ltfd 6 'ltfe8 the Peo p l e 's Repu b l i c o f C h ina
54 'ltff4 'ltfc8 j o i ned F I D E . An affab le C h i n ese
55 b4 Ah3 tea m too k part fo r the fi rst time i n
56 'ltfe4 Af5 t h e chess O ly m p ia d that yea r . Thei r
57 'ltfe3 'ltfc2 top p layer, C h i , p roved h i mself of
58 g4 Ad7 strong i nternatio n a l master ca l i b re .
59 'ltfe4 'ltfb3 H is game aga inst a dete r m i n ed
60 'ltfd3 'ltfb2 Andersso n , however, was o n e of
61 'ltfe4 �aS those he lost .
62 'ltfe3 �a2 1 �f3 g6
63 d6 �aS 2 d4 Ag7
64 �e4 Ac6 3 e4 d6
65 'ltfd4 'ltfb1 4 Ae2 �f6
66 �e 7 'ltfh 1 5 �c3 0-0
B l ac k 's lo ng-win ded manoeuvres 6 0-0
have fina l ly b o rne fru it. A l l th ree l t is ra re these d ays to see
of B l ac k 's p i eces now ta ke part i n And ersso n p layi ng White in a
t h e attac k . White d oes n o t have t h e position that n o r m a l l y arises from 1
reso u rce 6 7 d 7 ? because o f 6 7 . . . e4 ; but t h roughout h is career, he
'ltfh4+. has always b een fond of the modest
67 'ltff4 'ltfg2+ C lassical Variation against the Pirc .
68 cate 1 �a1 + Black chooses o n e of the most
69 ®tl 2 'ltfd 5+ fash i o nab le rep l ies .
70 'ltfd4 �a2+ 6 .a.g4
71 �c3 'ltff3+ 7 .1le3 �c6
72 �e3 �a3+ 8 'ltfd 2 e5
72 'ltff 1 is actu a l l y m u c h 9 dxe5
q u icker. White is co m p letel y tied No one is rea l ly su re how stro ng
u p , and m ight as we l l have resigned . this si m p l ifyi ng method is. lt was
73 �d2 �a2+ i ntrod uced by La rsen , i n a game
74 cate 1 'ltfh 1 + aga inst l vkov at Santa M o n ica in
75 �2 'ltfg2+ 1 966, and has caused g reat i nterest
76 cate 1 'ltfh 1 + ever si nce . O n the B B C TV ser ies,
77 �2 �a 1 The Master Game, i n · 1 978, h ow­
78 �c3 'ltfg2+ ever , La rsen was to revea l that the
79 cate3 'ltff3+ o n ly reaso n he p l ayed it was
Resigns becau se he was i l l at the time, and
 U/f A ndersson 107

wa nted to avo id c o m p l ications! after 1 6 <!lb 1 ( ! ) E!.d 8 17 E!. x d 8

Sharper is 9 d 5 . With the tex t­ i*x d8 1 8 c3 i*d 3 1 9 <!ld2, t h e
move, White is p laying fo r a t i ny p layers h a d transposed b a c k i nto
endga m e p lus. the p ositi o n a rising on m ove
9 ... dxe5 21 in the p resent game. An
1 0 E!.ad 1 itc8 u ntried a lternative is 1 5 .. . h 5 ! ? ,
lvkov p referred 1 0 . . . i*x d 2 1 1 with t h e idea o f neutra l ising Wh ite's
E!. x d 2 E!.fd 8 1 2 E!.fd 1 E!. x d 2 1 3 b ishops by . . . ®h7 and . . . .ll h 6 .
E!. x d 2 <!le8 , b u t after 1 4 <!ld 5 ! , 1 6 <!lb 5 !
Wh ite stands better . Later, 1 0 . . . An accu rate move , wh ich
i*e7 was tested out, but after 1 1 p revents prematu re si m p l ificat i o n .
.ll g 5 ! .ll x f3 ( o r 1 1 . . . i*e6 1 2 .ll x f6 B lack cannot rep ly 1 6 . . . E!. x d 1 + 1 7
i*xf6 1 3 <!ld 5 *d6 1 4 c3 E!.ad 8 ! ? i*x d 1 i*b4? , becau se o f 1 8 <!lxa7,
1 5 '®'g5 ! , Browne-Kaplan , Skopje a n d Wh ite is winning materia l .
1 972) 1 2 .ll x f3 <!ld4 1 3 <!ld 5 ! i*d6 16 . . . E!.c8
1 4 c3 ! <!lxf3+ 1 5 gxf3 <!l x d 5 1 6 17 c3
i*xd 5 *a6 1 7 E!. d 2 ( B rowne) , This move comp letely ta kes away
White contro ls the o n ly o pen f i l e d4 fro m u se by B l a c k 's knight.
on t h e board , and h a s good Wh ite 's knight can retu rn to the
chan ces . The text-move was i ntro ­ centre via a3 and c4 o r c2.
duced by Matu l ovic. 17 aS
1 1 itc 1 18 <!la3 E!.d 8
The a p p r o priate response. White 19 E!.xd 8 itxd8
is not o n ly i nterested in contro l of 20 <!lc4 itd 3
the d -f i le , b ut also i n ga i n i n g the 21 <!ld2
two b ishops, wh i l e , at the sa m e As in Petrosian-Sax , which now
ti me, p reventi ng B l ac k 's knight conti n u ed 21 . . . .ll f 8 22 '®'b 1 i*b5
fro m o ccu pying the active post d4. 23 i*c2 <!ld 8 24 i*b3 i*d 3 25 i*c4
I f White p lays 1 1 h3 i m m ed iate ly, i*d 6 26 i*e2 i*e6 27 i*d 3 <!lc6 28
B lack replies 1 1 . . . .ll x f3 1 2 .ll x f3 a3, a n d White had a c l ea r advantage.
E!.d8 1 3 i*c 1 <!ld4 , with good p l a y . 21 <!ld7
11 E!.d8 22 .ll d 1 <!lf8
12 E!.xd8+ itxd8 23 Ac2 itd7
13 E!.d 1 itf8 24 <!lf3 <!le6
1 4 h3 25 g3
N ow this m ove is good . B lack Wh ite p lays gra d u a l l y to restrict
m u st exchange o n f3, si nce if 1 4 . . . the scope of B l ac k 's knights. The
.ll e6 1 5 <!ld 5 ! two b ishops co nfer on h i m a sl ight,
14 . . . .ll x f3 b u t lasti ng advantage. Black need
1 5 .ll x f3 E!.d8 not necessa ri ly lose such positio ns,
Sax was to p lay 1 5 ... a6 against but it is never easy to d efend them .
Petrosian at Ta l l i n n , i n 1 979, but Above a l l , B lack has n o active
1 08 U/f A ndersson

chan ces, a n d m u st merely see to rea l ignment of h is p ieces, i n o rder

erecting as so u nd and so l i d a to achieve the pawn thrust f4.
bast i o n as possi b le, to frustrate 34 �cd 8
Wh ite 's every effo rt . 35 �b 2 c6
25 . . . �a5?! 36 �d3 �f7
W h i l e th is m ove does not l ead 37 f4
d i rectly to a loss, Black m isses the After this move, B l a c k must
chance of p layi ng 25 ... a 5 , bewa re of the b rea kt h rough possib­
fo l l owed by . . . b 6 . I n the endga m e , i l ity f5 .
w h i c h n o w fo l l ows, th is pawn­ 37 . . . �f8
structu re wou l d be a l ittle tougher 38 ®1'3 �e6
to crac k . l t was Ph i l id o r who first 39 Ab3 �fd8?
p o i nted out that pawns o n the This is the fata l erro r . Up to now,
wea ker wi ng were genera l l y best B l ac k 's d efence has b een based o n a
placed on the sam e co l o u r squ are as passive, but so u nd centra l isatio n ;
the defending sid e 's bisho p . This b ut here, h e had t o change the
was n o m i nor i nsi g ht ! nat u re of the position . C o r rect was
26 *d2 *xd2 39 . . . exf4 40 gxf4 f5. Then, after
I n t h e gam e between Petrosian 4 1 exf5 gxf5 42 .ll c 2, Wh ite has a
and Sax , B l a c k went to g reat pains ta rget on f5, a n d B l a c k 's manoeuv­
to avo i d exchanging q u eens. In fact , r i ng space remains l i m ited , b ut
Petrosia n used the th reat o f Wh ite wo u ld st i l l have to strive hard
exchanging q u eens as a mea ns to for a wi n .
d rive his o p p o nent 's q u een bac k .
H ere, B lack has n o good sq uare f o r I g • B .
h is q u een , and h a s noth i ng better 1• 1 •*• . t
than to exchange . If 26 . . . "i*c6 27
l t • t •�m t •
. · -
- �§!"�
� ••
� 5 . or 26 . . . i*b5 27 .ll d 3 'l*d7
'• . �
ft f.il • ft
28 .ll e 2 . �,
27 �xd 2 ®1'8 I Ji.l
28 b4 �c6 ii1
B
-•i�J�4J· �
• g • •
'· · "

29 �c4 ®e7
30
31
a4
h4
�d7
f6
• • • •
32 ®1' 1 Af8 40 f5!
33 ®e2 .ll d 6 E xactly t i m ed . The crucia l p o i nt
34 Ad2 is that Wh ite 's k i n g 's b isho p pene­
l t makes l itt le sense to exchange trates through to B l a c k 's k i ngsi d e .
off Blac k 's b isho p . After 34 �x d6 40 �f8
'it>xd 6 , White wo u l d o n ly cede m o re 41 �f2 ®97
space fo r B lack to manoeuvre . 42 Ag8!
I nstead , Wh ite p ro ceed s with a There is nothing that B lack can
 Ulf A ndersson 7 09

now d o to p revent Wh ite getting a n to ta ke part i n the fi rst ' C l a r i n '

outsi d e passed h-pawn . The I nternatio na l . T h i s was a powerfu l
i m med iate th reat is 43 .ll h 6 . event , which Andersso n d o m i nated
42 h5 with a d isp lay of tenacious and
43 g4 hxg4+ erro r-f ree p lay. Aga i n st B rowne, he
44 �g4 4)f7 resisted persistent pressu re o n his
45 fxg6 4:lxg6 ea rly m i d d legame positio n , to
46 h5 4:lgh 8 emerge , after B rowne over-p ressed ,
A h o r r i b l e sq uare fo r B l ac k 's with a p lus.
knight, but if 46 . . . 4:lf8 47 '3lf5 1 d4 4)f6
4:le6 (or 47 . . . .ll c 7 48 .ll x f7 �xf7 2 c4 e6
49 4:lg4) 48 4:lg4, and B l ac k 's 3 4:lf3 b6
position is j u st as bad . 4 g3 Aa6
47 'it't5 Ac7 This m ove has enjoyed g reat
48 Axf7 �f7 attent i o n recentl y . O rigina l ly intro­
O r if 48 . . . 4:lxf7 49 h 6 . d uced b y N i m z owitsch , it i njects a
4 9 4:lg4 Ad8 l ivelier q ua l ity i nto the game than
50 4:lh6+ ctle7 do standard l i nes with 4 ... .ll b 7.
O r 50 . . . �7 5 1 �6 . 5 ih4
5 1 Ae3 b6 The main a lternative is 5 b 3 .
52 Af2 Wh ite h a s t o ta ke i m med iate steps
Th reatening 53 .ll h 4. to defend his c-pawn , as B lack
52 4)f7 wou ld otherwise ta ke it : 5 .ll g 2?
53 4:lxf7 �f7 .ll x c4 6 4:le5 .ll d 5 with a safe extra
54 h6 b5 pawn .
Or if 54 ... .ll c 7 55 .ll h 4 .ll d 8 56 5 ... .ll b 7
h7 �7 57 .ll x f6+ etc . B l a c k can also ad o pt p lans
55 a 5 Ae7 i nvo lv ing . . . c6 a nd . . . d5. The idea
56 Ac5 Ad8 beh ind the text-m ove, h owever, is
56 . . . .ll x c5 57 b xc 5 , of cou rse , is q u ite d ifferent. B l a c k intends to
n o pa l l iative. After the text, it is co ntinue with ... c5 and ... cxd4,
zu gzwa n g . lea d i n g to an exchange of white
57 Ad6 R esigns squ are b ishops, and a c o m p act
'sma l l ' centre .
6 .ll g 2 c5
7 0-0
7 I n the main l ines of the Queen 's
Browne-Andersson I nd ia n , with Wh ite's q u een on d 1 ,
Buenos Aires 1 978 White wou l d no rma l ly answer
Queen 's Indian Defence B l ac k 's 6th m ove with d 5 , a nd if
I m med iate ly after the O ly m p iad i n . .. e x d 5 , 4:lh4 ( o r 4:lg5) , after which
B u enos Ai res, Andersso n stayed o n Wh ite regains h is pawn o n d5, with
1 10 U/f A ndersson

a centra l advantage . I n the given than by a d esi re to attac k o n the

positio n , however, 7 d5 si m p ly k i ngsi d e . Wh ite 's i m med iate th reat
loses a pawn . is to play 20 b4, which is u n p lay­
7 cxd4 a b l e at the m o m ent beca u se of the
8 <tlxd4 Axg2 reply 1 9 . . . g 5 ! 20 Ae3 <tle5 .
9 �g2 Ae7 19 . . . h6
10 <tlc3 0-0 20 h5
11 E!d 1 "f1c7 O nce aga i n 20 b 4? fa i led to 20 . . .
12 Af4 g5 ! , b ut after the text-move, the
A m o re d irect method was tried th reat is rea I .
in T i m man-R ib l i , T i lb u rg 1 978,
which conti nued 1 2 <tldb 5 iltc6+
1 3 f3 E!c8 1 4 Af4 <tle8 ! 1 5 E!ac 1
Af8 1 6 e4 h6 1 7 <tle2 d 6 % :%.
Wh ite 's a i m in the p resent ga m e i s
to a p p ly a m o re g rad ual p ressure i n
t h e centre .
12 "f1b7+
13 f3 a6
14 e4 d6
15 <tlde2 E! d 8
16 E!d2 <tlc6 20 . . . <tla5 !
17 E!ad 1 <tle8 This is t h e o n ly g o o d m ove . 20 . . .
18 a3 iltc7 2 1 b4! <tlb 8 2 2 E!c 1 ! leaves
lt is never easy for Wh ite to find Black u na b l e to ta ke Wh ite's pawn
a b rea kth rough in positions l i ke on c4, b ecause of the wi n n i ng
these . H e contro ls mo re space, b u t reply 23 <tld 5 .
B l ac k 's hedgehog-! i ke pawn 2 1 b3 "f1c7
structu re is extremely resi l ient. The Aga i n the o n ly move. Aga inst
'
text-m ove serves the u sefu l p u rp ose both 2 1 . . . iltc6 and 2 1 . . . .!H8, 22
of covering the b4 sq uare, a nd may e5! is much stronger than it is i n
serve a s a p re l i m i na ry to a later b4. t h e text.
18 . . . E!dc8 22 e5
B lac k 's d -pawn is adeq uately This m ove appea rs very p ro m ising
defended , so that B l ac k 's king 's si n ce if 22 ... d x e5 23 E!d7 ! iltc6 24
roo k can see k a m o re act ive d e p l oy­ E!xe7 gives Wh ite the better ga m e .
ment. On the c-f i le, Blac k 's roo k is 22 . . . E!d 8
ready for possi b l e cou nterp lay, But Black ca n st i l l hang o n . N ow
especia l l y aga i nst White 's c-pawn . Wh ite cou l d try 23 <tle4 d x e5 24
1 9 h4 .ll x e5 iltc6 ( not 24 ... iltxe5? 25
This m ove is motivated m o re by E! x d 8 E! x d 8 26 E! x d 8 .ll x d 8 27
genera l positional considerati o ns "lli'x e8+ etc .) b ut after 25 "lli'x c6
 U/f A ndersson 111

<i)xc6 26 !! x d 8 !! x d 8 27 !! x d 8 '*c2 .
.ll x d 8 28 .ll c 3 , t h e ga m e shou l d 30 gxf6
p robab ly be d rawn . 3 1 itb3
23 exd6 3 1 '*c2 '*b 7 32 '*e4 has been
White o pens the gam e , i n the suggested , b ut better is 31 ... '*e3 !
hope that his co m mand of space 31 . . . !!c8
and a p parently m o re act ive p ieces
wi l l g ive hi m good p lay . But, in
d o i n g so , so m e of the m o re h idden
disadvantages of his positi o n
beco m e sign ificant. I n particu lar,
Wh ite 's k ingsi d e position is poten­
tia l ly i nsecu re, a nd Wh ite 's q u een is
misplaced .
23 .ll x d6
24 <i)e4 .ll xf4
25 <i)xf4 !!xd2+
26 !!xd 2 �c6 B l a c k 's contro l of t h is f i l e ,
27 b4 cou p led with the power of B l a c k 's
Wh ite has to p lay this m ove to centra l ised knight, g ives h i m a clea r
a l low h is q u een to get bac k i nto the advantage .
game, b ut it wea kens c4, a nd a l l ows 32 !!e2 !!c l
B lack to force o pen l ines . 33 ite3 itc7
27 . . . �e5 34 itd4 !!c3
28 c5 �f6! 35 !!e3 !!c4
This su rprise m ove co m p letely 36 itd l !!c2+
eq u a l ises fo r Blac k . N ow Wh ite 37 �3
sho u l d p lay 29 '*c2 b x c5 30 '*x c5 An awkward post fo r W h ite 's
( o r 30 �xc5 '*c6 3 1 '*c3 �fd 7) king, but, u nfo rtu nate ly, 37 !!e2
30 . . . '*xc5 31 <i)xc5 �c4 32 !!d3 fai ls to 37 . . . !!c3.
�8, and chances a re b a l a nced . 37 !!c l
29 cxb6 !? itxb6 38 itd2 �7
30 �xf6+? 39 a4
This apparently plausi b le conti nu­ This m ove lea d s to the loss of a
atio n , however , strength ens Blac k 's pawn , b ut Wh ite had noth ing
hand consi d erab ly . M o re i m portant better . I f 39 '*e2 !! h 1 + 40 ®g2
than the fact that B l ac k 's ki ngside '*c 1 4 1 ifrf2 !!d 1 estab l ishes a
pawns a re b ro ken is the added terr if ic b ind , wh i l e 39 <i)d 3 fa i l s at
su p p o rt B lack 's d ou b led f-pawns o n ce to 39 ... !!h 1 +.
g ive to B lac k 's wel l -posted knight 39 itc4
o n e5, and the o pening of the c-f i l e . 40 �d 3 !!c2
White sho u l d sti l l have p layed 3 0 41 -&d 1 "ita2
1 12 U/f Andersson

42 *g l i n d u ce h i m to co -o perate in an
O r if 42 l£lxe5 �h2+ 43 W!J4 f x e5 u nexpected d e m ise .
44 � x e5 f5+ 45 �4 *c4+ 46 m3 1 c4 e6
ili'c3+ 47 �4 �d2 a n d wins. 2 c!£lf3 d5
42 c!£lxd3 3 d4 c!£lf6
43 �xd3 'itxa4 4 c!£lc3 Jle7
44 *b l E!.c4 5 Jlg5 0-0
45 �b3 *b5 6 e3 h6
46 g4 �d4 7 Jlh4 c!£le4
47 E!.b2 *d 5 Lasker 's idea , by which Black
48 �3 E!.d3 see ks a l l eviating exchanges . The
49 �f2 �b3 m ove offends aga i n st the begi nner's
W i n n i n g a seco nd pawn . The p rinci p le that p ieces sho u l d not be
gam e is n ow effectively over . m oved twice in the o pening, b ut, i n
50 *a l *d6+ t h e si m p l ified p osit i o ns that occu r,
5 1 �2 E!.xb4 it is not easy for Wh ite to e x p l o it
52 g5 the development tempo he gains.
Sheer d esperatio n . 8 Jlxe7 *xe7
52 hxg5 9 *c2
53 h6+ �6 Th is is not the most energetic
54 h7 E!.h4 m eth od , and has always been
B lack won o n time thought to a l low B lack to eq ual ise ,
if by grad ual means. The critical
variations arise after 9 cxd5 l£lxc3
1 0 bxc3 exd 5, by which · Wh ite
8 gai ns an extra pawn i n the centre .
Andersson-Pfleger 9 c!£lxc3
Mu nich 1 979 10 *xc3 c6
Queen's G am bit Declined , 11 Jld3 c!£ld7
Lasker's D efence 12 0-0 dxc4
I n positions other g rand masters 13 Jlxc4 b6
wou ld settl e for a d raw, Andersso n B l ac k 's plan is stra ightfo rward .
often goes on to extract a fu l l H e so lves the pro blem of the
point. I n the fo l lowing game, deve l o p m ent of h is q u een 's b ishop
Pf leger defends carefu l l y in the by fia n chetto ing it, and env isages
ea r l y stages, and reaches an eq ual ising exchanges in the centre
ap parently dead d rawn r o o k and after a future . . . c 5 .
knight endga m e , i n which the 14 �ac l Ab7
opposing pawns are i n a l m ost 15 E!.fd l c5
sym m etrica l bala nce. And ersso n 16 Ae2 E!.ac8
j u st manages to give his o p ponent 17 *a3 !
sufficient prob lems, however , to lt is sti l l not yet a l l p l a i n sa i l ing
 U/f A ndersson 7 73

fo r B la c k . The text-move, wh ich 26 . . . 'iflf8 !?

wou ld a l so have been strong aga i n st l t seems ha rsh to criticise t h is
either 1 6 . . . l::H c B o r 1 6 . . . 13fd 8, m ove, but with 26 . . . b5, and if 27
ex p lo its a m o m entary pin o n f3 b4 28 ®1'2 4:lb 6 , B lac k 's
B lack 's c-pawn . I n o rder to p roceed q u eensi d e wea knesses have been
with his main p l a n , B lack has to transfo rmed i nto a strengt h , and
wea ken his q u eenside pawns the ga me a ppea rs d ead .
sl ightly . This a m o u nts to a t i n y p l u s 27 f3 ®e7
o n ly , b ut a l lows Wh ite to p lay o n 28 'iflf2 4:lc5
with so m e p o i nt . 29 e4 4:ld7
17 a5 B lack has put fa ith in a m o re
18 4:ld 2 l'Wf6 passive defence, which sh o u ld a lso
19 .ll f 3 .ll x f3 be adeq u ate . H owever , the wea k­
20 4:lxf3 cxd4 ness of his q u eensi d e pawns sti l l
21 Elxc8 13xc8 gives Wh ite a t l east a theo retical
22 l'Wd6 a dvantage o n that wi ng , a n d , with
A move, which, at fi rst si ght h is n ext m ove, he contrives to give
appears stro n g , but whic h , i n fact, the i m p ressi o n (at least ! ) that he is
a lters l ittle aga inst the co rrect making g ro u nd on the k i ngsi d e .
B l ac k defen ce. 3 0 f4!
22 . . . l'Wd8 !
After this m ove , B l a c k d efends
his b-pawn , and is able to contest
Wh ite 's contro l of the d -f i l e .
2 3 4:lxd4 4:lc5
24 4:le2 '&xd6
A p erfectly good m ove . lt was
also p o ssi b le to co nsi der 24 . . . 4:lb7 ,
after which the endga m e f o l l owing
25 �xd B (25 �d 2 , a nd if 25 ...
�6 26 4:lc3 is perhaps a l ittle
better) 25 . . . 13xd8 26 13 x d 8+ U nder certa in circu msta nces,
4:lxd8 is not sufficiently i m balanced Wh ite w i l l n ow be a b le to p lay e5
to a l low Wh ite rea l win n i ng and t h reaten to ex p l o it the possi b le
chances. wea k n ess of the d 6 sq uare.
25 Elxd6 4:la4 30 . . . g5?!
26 Eld 2 But Black need n 't have been
Wh ite sta b i l ises his positi o n , and afra id of Wh ite 's th reats. This
Black remains with that sl ight u nnecessa ry move, which revea ls
wea kness on the q u eensi d e , but it itself to be part of a la rger plan to
hard ly seems possi b le that Wh ite activate B l ac k 's p ieces, merely
sho u l d win . resu lts in a fu rther wea keni ng of
7 74 Ulf A ndersson

the B lack positi o n , this t i m e o n the 41 k!.c2 k!.d8+ ( N ot 41 . . . k!. x c 2? 42

kingsi d e . There was sti l l time to ®x c2 ®d7 43 ®d3 ®c6 44 ®c4,
p l ay, o nce again , 30 . . . b 5, with the and Wh ite ga ins the o p positio n .) ,
idea of ... b4. and Black has, at l east , p ractica l
31 g3 gxf4 chances o f savi n g t h e d raw.
32 gxf4 4:lf6? ! 40 f5!
32 . .. b 5 was sti l l go o d . After th is fine move, however,
3 3 �3 k!.c4?! B lack is l o st. Wh ite 's i m med iate
Even now 33 ... b 5 was Black 's t hreat is to sta lemate Black 's kn ight
best chance . by p laying 4 1 f6+ and 42 ®84. If
34 4:lc3 b5 B lack rep l i es 40 ... 4:lf4+ 41 ®e4
N ow p layed in a position where 4:ld 5 42 k!.g2 ! , and Wh ite penetrates
Wh ite has co ntro l over d5 and can decisively o n the g-f i l e . I f 40 . . . f6
fo rce B lack 's knight to a l ess u sefu l 41 exf6+ ®xf6 42 fxe6 4:lf4+ 43
sq uare, after the desi rab le a dvance ®e4 4:lxe6 44 k!.f2+ ®e7 45 4:lf5+
of h is e-p awn . ®d7 46 k!.d 2+ ®c7 47 k!.c2+ ®b 8
35 e5! 4:lh5 48 E!xc8+ ®xc8 49 4:lxh6 etc .
36 4:le2 b4 40 exf5
37 �3 4:lg7 ?! 41 4:lxf5+ ®e6
This time the better a lternative 42 ®e4
was 37 . . . f6, although after 38 Th reatening 43 E!d6+ and 44
exf6+ 4:lxf6 39 ®d 3 k!.c8 40 4:ld4, E! x h 6 .
and if 40 ... 4:ld 5 41 ®e4 4:lf6+ 42 42 . . . E!c4+
®f3, Wh ite has made p rog ress, and 43 E!d4 E!c6
has tru ly concrete wea k n esses to Or if 43 . . . k!. x d 4+ 44 4:lxd4+
p l ay aga i nst. ®d7 45 4:lb 3 .
38 ®d3 k!.c8 44 E!d 5 !
39 4:ld4 4:lh 5? N ow if 44 . . . E!c4+ 45 4:ld 4+ etc .
N ow 39 . . . f6 ! ? is m et by 40 k!.c2 ! M ea nwh i le both 45 4:ld4+ a' n d 45
and if 40 . . . k!.xc2 4 1 ®xc2, and E!xa5 a re th reats.
Wh ite has exce l l ent wmnmg 44 . . . E!a6
chances in the knight and pawn 45 k!.d3! Resigns
endga m e . The best chance seems to B lack m u st l o se a who l e p iece
be 39 .. . 4:lf5 , and if 40 4:lxf5+ exf5 after 46 E! h 3 .
5
" I cannot rea l ly compete with the to p m asters . . .
As any perceptive j u d ge of chess
strength wi l l attest, R o bert H U b ner,
twice Wo rld Cha m p io nship candi­
date, a nd lead ing p layer in West
G ermany si nce the tu rn of the
1 970s, is beyond d o u bt one o f the
wo rld 's lead ing grand masters.
Possesso r of a n extremely p rofou nd
and origina l positional sty le, his
ta lents were a pparent at a very
ea rly age , and he received i nter­
national p laud its even as a j u n i o r .
A t t h e 1 967 Wo r l d J u ni o r
Cha m p io ns h i p i n Jerusa lem , C iocal­
tea , the Ro manian G h izdavu 's
seco n d , was to si ngle o ut H U b ner,
a lthough he did not wi n , as the
player who probab ly u ndersto o d
m o re a b o ut chess t h a n a n y of the
other competitors; while Keene,
writing about the same tou rnam ent,
was to l i ken H u bner's l u c i d p lay to
"
Robert Hiibner
that of a 'j u ni o r ' Smyslov . B o b by
F ischer, after the 1 970 I nterzonal
i n Pa l m a where H Ubner was an
u nexpected q u a l ifier for the 1 97 1
Candidates ser ies , reputed ly sa id
that the futu re was h is . Yet, desp ite
these and other paeans of p ra ise,
from such n ota b l e co m m e ntato rs as
G l igoric, who has the m o st d readfu l
perso n a l ta l l y of resu lts against h i m ,
H U bner has a lways remai ned
co nsistently self -effacing .
H U b ner, i n p r i nt a n d co nversatio n ,
has been m o re than even ex agger­
ated ly modest, and there is a strea k
i n his character which G o lo mb e k ,
i n The Times, h a s d escribed as 'a
k i n d of maso c h istic pessi m ism ',
which goes b eyond the b o u nds
(aga in G o l o m b e k ) of 'o bject ive
rea l is m ' . Lau dable in itse l f , such a
trait can lead to excessive fee l i ngs
1 16 Robert Hilbner
of i nadeq uacy . I ndeed , H U bner
f requ ently confesses to such
fee l i ngs in i nterviews, which are
often excruciatingly cand id . In a
1 979 i nterview i n Canadian Chess
Chat, H ii b ner described h i m self as
'a very wea k perso n (who) ca nnot
d o m a ny t h i ngs wel l . . . Playing chess
( is a f o r m ) of estab l ishing m yself i n
t h i s world . i t 's one a rea where I can
successfu l l y co m p ete with others
with out having the feeling that I 'm
tota l l y and utterly i nfer i o r . '
H U b n er 's p ersonal ity i s a puzz l e .
O ne i s never qu ite su re how
serio usly his 'co nfessions' of
i nadeq uacy sho u l d be ta ken . l t is
certa i n ly true that he ca n p lay chess
wel l . lt is equally true that he
excels i n the academic field . U ni q u e
a m o n gst t h e p layers i n t h is b o o k ,
he i s not a chess p rofessi o na l . A n
ex pert i n t h e science of translat i ng
ancient papyri written i n the G reek
language , he holds a n assistant
professo ria l post at Co logne
U n iversity , where he also gai ned a
d o cto rate . F o rtu nate ly, his excessive
'rea l ism ' and sh rewd u nd ersta nding
that as a n a m ateu r he is not l i kely
to be a b l e to d o m i nate the chess
wo rld d o not overwhe l m his
concentration at the b oa rd . H e may
play d own his achievements, b ut h e
contin u es to matu re and sco re even
greater successes. H U b ner manages
to co-ex ist with h is in ner confl icts
and is a b l e to harness the energies
they release f o r his own advance­
m ent.
H ii b ner's chess sty le m i r r o rs his
relentlessness. E lastic, p rofou n d , a l l ·
em b racing strateg ies backed u p b y
rigorous, m i n d st retch i ng ana lysis
characterise his best ga m es. He is
a m b itio us, but he a lways seeks to
p lay wit h i n a d efin ite positional
framewo r k . I f he is d rawn from
what he feels to b e the so u nd path ,
he wo rks fu rio usly at the b oa rd to
try to rega in a th read which he can
o n ce aga in beg i n to rewo r k i nto a
twi ne. O n ce he has an o p p o n ent i n
h is positional g rasp , he is utterly
devastating i n the resu lting demo ­
l iti o n . H e seems d rawn to the l o gic
of even the most b ewi l d er i ng
situations. H e b e l i eves i n his
a b i l ities to g rasp it. H ere is a n ea rly
exam p le of h is su reness i n great
c o m p l i cati o ns, in which he d ea l s a
lesso n to o n e of the most i magin·
ative rep resentatives of the you nger
Soviet schoo l :
Ku prei chik-HO bner, Sombor 1 970
1 e4 e6 2 d 4 d 5 3 e5 c5 4 c 3 4:l c 6 5
4:lf3 'l*b6 6 .!le2 cxd4 7 cxd4 4:lh6
8 4:lc3 4:lf5 9 4:la4 tml5+ 1 0 .!ld 2
.!lb 4 1 1 .!lc3 a6 1 2 g4? ! ( 1 2 a3 is
b etter, b ut K u p reich i k is a b o r n
tactician and i nva riab ly p refers t h e
comp lex path to the so lid .) 1 2 . . .
4:lfe7 1 3 'l*b3 h 5 ! ( T h i s m ove
assu res B l a c k g o o d cou nterplay .) 1 4
gxh5 Et x h 5 1 5 a 3 .!lxc3+ 1 6 b xc3
Etb8 1 7 4:lb6 .!ld7 1 8 h4 4:ld 8 1 9
Etg 1 Ab 5 ! 20 a4 .!lxe2 2 1 ®x e2
4:lc8 ! (Wh ite has occ u p ied b 6 , b ut
Black c rawls o u t with great i ngen­
u ity.) 22 4:lxc8 Etxc8 23 ®d3 Etf5 !
( N ow the wea knesses i n W h ite's
positi o n a re shown to be weightier
than th ose i n B l a c k 's.) 24 4:ld2

l3. xf2 25 l3.xg7 l3. h 2 26 l3.f 1 l3. x h4
27 l3.g8+ ®d7 28 �3 l3.h3+ 29
®82 l3.cxc3 30 l3. x d 8+ �x d8 3 1
l3.xf7+ ®c6 3 2 �b4 b 6 3 3 l3.f8?
( 33 a5! was best , although after 33
... l3. h 2+ 34 ®d 1 l3. x d 2+ 35 ®x d 2
l3.c4, B lack sti l l h a s wi n n i n g
chances .) 3 3 . . . �cl 34 l3. e 8 l3. h 2+
35 ®d 1 ®b7 ! ( N ow the game is
over . ) 36 <i)b3 l3.c 1 + ! 0- 1 .
H u bner was b o r n i n Co logne o n 6
N ovemb er 1 948. H e lea rned the
m oves at the ea rly age of f ive, an d ,
a t a t i m e when o p portu nities f o r
j u n i o rs were m u ch fewer t h a n they
a re n owadays, he was a b l e to make
a n ea rly mark i n the West German
j u n i o r ran ks. By 1 965, he was
i n d isputab ly a p layer of q u a l ity . I n
that yea r, h e was good enough to
be p icked for the sen i o r West
German team to p lay in the
H a m b u rg E u ro pea n Tea m Champ­
ionship F i na ls. H e a lso rep resented
West G ermany at the World J u n i o r
Champ ionshi p a t Barcelona, where
he q ual ified fo r the top F i na l
G ro u p .
I n those ea rly yea rs, he is
remem bered by West German
p layers as a particu larly i ntense and
ser i o u s you ngster, who not o n ly
too k h is (occasi o na l ) d efeats g reatly
to heart, and b rooded on them
u n ha p p i l y , b ut who was a l so
si m i larly ser ious i n his non-chess
l ife . H e l m ut N i:ittger, a lea d ing West
G erman o rga niser, once reca l l ed
that whi le other j u n i o rs read com ics
away fro m the b oa rd , the you ng
R o b ert H li b ner cou ld be seen
Robert Hubner 777
d evo u r ing H o mer in the o r iginal
G ree k .
1 968 was H u b ner's internatio n a l
b rea kthrough yea r . H e p l ayed in the
West German O ly m p iad tea m with
success at L u ga n o , b ut h is two
maj o r resu lts were at B li su m and
Ybbs, which too k p lace ea r l ier. At
Busu m , H u b n er wo n h is first
i m po rtant internat i o na l tou rna­
ment, undefeated , with 1 1 / 1 5 ;
whi le a t Ybbs, he won t h e 2nd
Board prize fo r the West G erman
Stu d ent tea m , which tied fo r fi rst
and seco nd p laces with the USSR i n
the Student Chess O ly m p iad . I n
1 967, h e had tied with Besser for
the West German Champ i o nsh i p ,
b ut t h is was n ot a particu larly
stro ng event, and d id not make h is
name as his resu lts i n 1 968 were to
d o . The yea r 1 968 estab l ished
H u b ner as an i nternational fo rce to
be reckoned wit h .
Events moved fast. I n 1 969,
H u b ner q u a l ified from the Athens
zona l , and , although otherwise
1 969 was to be a relatively u nd ist­
i ngu ished chess yea r , this was the
maj o r result i n the yea r's most
i mp o rta nt tou rnament. At th is
stage, however, no one was pre­
pared fo r h is resu lts i n 1 970, which
was the yea r i n which the y o u ng
West German elevated h i mself to
the fro nt-ra n k . I n August, he
c o m p lete ly d o m i nated a field of
'yo u ng masters' (u nder 26) at
So m b o r , fin ish ing two p o i nts ahead
of the field with 1 2%/1 5. The
greatest su rp rise, however, was to
f o l l ow at the Pa l m a l nterzo na l . F ew
7 78 Robert HObner
had expected H u b n er to f i n ish h i g h
enough to q u a l ify f o r a p lace i n t h e
1 97 1 Candidates matches, but
q u a l ify he did, and deserved ly so .
At Pa l m a , H u bner was to meet
Bobby F ischer for the first and
o n ly time. They p layed i n the first
rou n d , a n d the Amer ican was
u nab le to brea k d own his d ogged
defence i n a so l i d Caro-Kann . The
rest of the tou rnam ent too k note :
F ischer-Hiibner, Palma 1 970
1 e4 c6 2 d 3 d 5 3 l£ld2 g6 4 g3 £1g7
5 £1g2 e5 6 l£lgf3 l£le7 7 0-0 0-0 8
!! e 1 d 4 9 a4 c 5 1 0 l£lc4 l£lbc6 1 1 c3
£1e6 1 2 cxd4 £1xc4 1 3 d xc4 exd4
1 4 e5 'l*d7 1 5 h4 d 3 1 6 £1d2 !!ad S
1 7 £1c3 l£lb4 1 8 l£ld 4 ! ? !!fe8 1 9 e6
fx e6 20 l£lxe6 £1xc3 21 bxc3 l£lc2
22 l£lxd8 !! x d 8 23 i*d 2 l£lxa 1 24
!! x a 1 ®g7 25 !! e 1 l£lg8 26 £1d5
i*xa4 27 'l*x d3 !!e8 28 !! x e8
'l*xe8 29 ilxb 7 l£lf6 30 i*d 6 'l*d7
31 'l*a6 'l*f7 32 i*xa7 l£le4 33 f3
l£ld6 34 'l*xc5 l£lxb7 35 'l*d4+ ®g8
36 ®12 'l*e7 37 'l*d 5+ ®18 38 h 5
gx h5 3 9 'l*x h5 l£lc5 4 0 i*d 5 ®g7
41 'l*d4+ ®17 42 i*d 5+ ®g7 43
'l*d4+ ®17 44 i*d 5+ %-%.
U nfo rtu nate ly, after q u a l ifying
fo r the coveted p lace i n the Cand i d ­
ates, H u b ner's d ism issa l by
Petrosian in the first-ro u nd match
in Sevi l le i n 1 97 1 p roved to be
so m ething of an anti-cl imax . I n a
co ntentious atmosphere , H ii b ner
wa l ked out of the match after si x
d raws and a lost seventh ga m e .
H u b ner b lamed condit i o ns of p lay,
i n a cel la r beneath a no isy pave-
m ent overhead . The o rgan isers and
the a rb iter, H a r ry G o l o m b e k ,
b la m ed h is nervous attitu de a n d
perem pto ry resp o nse. N ot the l east
bizarre d eta i l i n the d ispute, whose
facts have sti l l never been fu lly
c l ea red u p , was that Petrosia n 's
deafness - he cou l d t u r n off h is
deaf-aid ! - rendered h i m i m m u ne to
the effects of the n o ise from the
pavement. H ii b ner wished to
change the venu e , b ut the
o rga nisers, the Soviets and the
a rb iter flatly refu sed .
H U b ner has always concerned
h i mself most i n chess with the
Wo rld Cham p io ns h i p cyc l e . After
his d eparture from the Cand idates
i n 1 97 1 , he mainta i n ed a low
p rofi le i n the chess wor l d u nt i l the
next l nterz o na l (for which as a
Candidate i n the p revious series he
received a seeded p l ace) i n 1 973.
H is o n ly maj o r success i n t h is
period was to win the to p Boa rd
p rize at the Sko pje O ly m p iad i n
1 972, where he g o t his revenge,
a m ongst his other victi ms, aga i nst
Petrosia n . Petrosia n , this time, was
o n the receiving end of the b i zarre.
In an easi ly d rawn positio n , he
overstepped the t i m e-l i m it , then
co m p la ined that h is flag had fal len
wel l b efore the m i n ute hand had
actually reached the h o u r . H is
co mp laint was over ru led , but he
was sti l l seen a ro u nd the next day
with the 'fau lty' t i m epiece.
H u b ner was devoting most of h is
t i m e i n these yea rs to h is stud ies.
The sharp ness d isa ppea red fro m h is
p lay, and i n the 1 973 l nterzo n a l i n

Len ingrad , won by Karpov and
K o rch n o i , he failed to reach o n e of
the q u a l ifyi ng p laces for the
Cand idates . Aga i n h is attention to
chess sta rted to wa ne. In a p ractice
match aga i nst K o rchnoi i n So l i ngen
after the l nterz o na l , K o rchnoi
c o m p l a ined b itterly that his
o p p onent had not rea l ly ta ken the
match seriously . K o rc h n o i wo n the
match 4Y2-3%, wh ich at fi rst sight
seems to ind icate a strugg l e , but in
fact K o rchnoi sca rcely exerted
himself, and wo n without much
d ifficu lty . Seeking a test to so me of
his key o peni ngs, K o rc h n o i had
b rought a great n u m ber of b o o ks
and other o pen ing theo ret i ca l
materia ls to So l ingen a nd offered
them to his o pp onent . H O b ner was
not i nterested . I n the second m atch
game, H u b ner went wro ng in the
adjo u rned sessi o n , cau si n g K o rc h n o i
t o ask h i m if he h a d n o t a na lysed a
particu l a r m ove . ' I never ana lyse
adjo u r n ment posit i o ns,' was
H O b n er 's su rp risi ng a nswer, after
which K o rc h n o i lapsed i nto
i ncred u l o u s si lence .
H a p p i l y . H O b ner 's ap petite fo r
the game retu rned . H e p layed I ittle
i n 1 974, b ut too k part i n th ree
gra n d m aster to u r nam ents in 1 97 5 .
O n ce aga i n , H O b ner had h is sights
set o n the ( 1 976) l nterz o na l . N ow
with h is docto rate behind h i m , and
with an acade m i c post i n h is home
town o f Co logne, he co u l d
a p p roach chess with ren ewed confi­
dence . U nf o rtunately, he was to
m eet with a t ragic reverse .
At f irst, it seem ed as if H u b ner's
Robert Hiibner 7 19
path i nto the Cand idates was g o i ng
to be sm oot h . I n the ea rly rou nds
of the l nterz o na l , in B i e l , Switzer­
land . he d isp layed a tou r na ment
form which l o o ked l i ke seei ng h i m
through . A l l was we l l u nti l the
fatefu l penultimate ro u nd , when, as
luck wou l d have it, H o b ner had
Wh ite agai nst h is old r iva l , Tigran
Petrosia n . I f H O b ner cou ld d raw
aga i nst Petrosian , it was a l most
certa in he wo u ld q u a l ify . H O b ner's
last ro u nd opp onent, Bent La rsen ,
was the tou rna ment l eader, who , i n
a l l l i ke l i h o o d , wo u ld n o t have
p rej u d i ced his own chances by
p layi ng for a win aga i nst h i m .
Petrosian had t o p lay a l l o ut, with
Black, agai nst H O b ner, to keep h is
own h opes a l ive . H e o p ened with a
co m p l etely irreg u l a r form of K i n g 's
F ianchetto D efence. H u bner
reacted sensi b ly, a n d began to b u i l d
u p a sub sta ntia l posit i o n a l advant­
age . Pet rosia n embarked on a
sacrificia l path, but reached a ho pe­
lessly lost positio n . Then ,
in cred ib ly, H O bner m issed a fo rced
mate i n fo u r, a su bseq u ently
wi n ning path and fou nd h i mself
c o m p lete ly lost . Petrosian went on
to win and q u a l ify for the Cand id­
ates. H O b ner m issed a Cand idates
p lace by half a p o i nt . The effect o n
his co nfidence was shatte r i n g .
The d iagram shows the cru cia l
posit i o n . H o b ner had been a l ittl e
sho rt of time, but n o t sufficiently
so to e x p l a i n the m oves that now
fo l low. Play cont i n u ed 37 g3?
( M issing 37 'lte8+ ®97 38 E!e7+
®h6 39 i*f8+ ®h 5 40 E! x h7 mate J
7 20 Robert Hiibner
Hiibner-Petrosian
37 . . . <tlxf4 38 'lflte8+? ? ( N ow 38
gxf4 'lfltxf4+ 39 <tlg3 is adeq u ate .)
38 ... ®!]7 39 �e7+ 'i!!i>h 6 40 <tlf2
( O r if 40 �8+ 'i!!tg 5 41 h 4+ 'i!!tg 4 !
a n d Wh ite i s lost, e.g. 4 2 .flf3+
®xf3 43 �e3+ .flxe3 44 'lfltx d 6
�c2+ etc . ) 4 0 . . . .flxf2 4 1 � x h 7+
®!] 5 ! 0-1 .
H O b ner h im self had no other
exp lanation for h is oversi ght than
that h e had si m p l y had a b l ind spot .
L i ke a footb a l l forward , who m isses
at p o i nt-b l a n k range, h e inex p l ica b l y
scooped t h e b a l l 'over the bar'. This
si ngle m oment had a most terri b l e
effect o n h i m . Utterly depressed
and d isencha nted with the ga m e
and its vaga ries, his chess appet ite
substantia l l y d i m i n ished o nce m o re .
But H O b ner c a m e bac k . E nticed
by invitati o ns to the g rad u a l ly
growi ng n u m b e r of 'su per' tou rna­
ments, in which p laying c o n d it i o ns
are su perb a nd h o n o raria substantia l ,
H O b ner too k part i n the Bad
Lauterberg and T i l b u rg events in
1 977, and at Bugoj n o , Ti l b u rg and
the B u enos A i res O ly m p iad i n 1 978.
Then , towards the end of the yea r ,
he felt sufficiently encou raged to
embark u p o n extended sabbatica l
l eave, aga i n chiefly with t h e World
Cha m p i o nsh i p q u a l ifying cyc le i n
1 979/80 in m i nd . The resu lts were
spectac u l a r . H O b ner swept th rough
to a Candidates p lace after Wij k aan
Zee, M u nich (a sha red 1 st p lace)
and M o ntrea l , via the Lucerne
Zonal and the R io d e Janeiro I nter­
zonal (which was fo l lowed a l mo st
i m med iately by h is partici pation at
T i l b u rg ) . H e had never p layed so
much co m petitive chess in such a
concentrated t i m espan befo re. l t
paid off with a most convincing
share of 1 st-3rd p laces at R i o .
F o r so meone who 'ca nnot rea l ly
compete with the t o p masters',
H O b ner has go ne fa r . When he
ma kes up h is m i n d to compete with
them , he has ind icated enough to
show he m ight go farther . He is
sou nd in a l l the maj o r depart m ents
of the gam e . He calcu lates d eeply
a n d p lays with often eff o rt l ess
speed . H e is t h o ro u g h ly c o m p etitive
and l i kes to confront his o p p o nents
with h is own l ittle twists in the
o penings. Although an a m ateu r , it
is n ot easy for the p rofessi onals to
p lay aga inst hi m . Yet, as an
a m ateu r , there m u st rema i n a
d o u bt, of cou rse, as to j u st how far
his ta lents wi l l b e able to d evelo p .
Can a n amate u r cha l lenge for
World Cha m p i o ns h i p h o n o u rs?
That is the q u est i o n , b u t it wou ld
not be rem iss to reca l l that great
a m ateu rs have d o n e so b efo re.
M i k ha i l Botv in n i k was not always a
fu l l -t i m e p laye r . N either was Max
Euwe, n o r was H O b ner 's i l l ustrious
G erman antecedent, E m manuel
Lasker . There is, indeed , a p roud
trad it ion of 'hero ic' amateu rism in

German chess, which goes right
back to T arrasch a n d p ersists to the
present -day. G iven an indu I gent
em p l o yer (and Co logne U niversity
wi l l h o pefu l l y remain su c h ) and the
perso na l d rive (and H u b ner has that
if he tu rns his m ind to it) , West
Germany's Robert H u b ner wi l l not
o n ly co ntinue to be ab le to
c o m p ete with the top masters, b u t
wi l l a l so increasingly b eat them .
1 the advance b4, Wh ite first had to
Hubner-Po dgaets
Sombor 1 970
King's I ndian Defence
H u bner wo n at So m b o r in spectac­
u l a r sty le, finishing a fu l l two
p o i nts a hea d of the rest of the
field . 'I co u l d n 't believe it . . .' he
wrote modest ly i n a rep o rt o n the
tou rna ment i n the Deutsche
Schachzeitung . But the fo l l owing
powerfu l ly p layed ga m e aga i nst an
opp onent wh o had fin ished i n a
share of 6th-1 Oth p laces in the
1 969 U SSR Cham p i o ns h i p fu l ly
i n d i cates why .
1 d4 4)f6
2 c4 g6
3 g3 Ag7
4 Ag2 0-0
5 4)c3 d6
6 4)f3 4)c6
7 0-0 Af5
8 b3 itc8
B lac k intend s to exchange off
Wh ite's king b ishop and see k
co u nterchances on the ki ngsid e .
H u b ner responds m odestly .
Robert Hiibner 121
9 Ab2 Ah3
10 e4 Axg2
11 ®xg2 e5
12 d5 4)e7
If 1 2 . . . 4)d 4 ! ? 1 3 4)xd4 exd4 1 4
'l*xd 4 E!e8 1 5 'l*d 2 4)xe4 1 6 4)xe4
E! x e4 1 7 .ll x g7 ®xg7 1 8 f3, and
Wh ite ca n hope to take co ntro l of
the e-f i l e .
1 3 ite2
Blac k 's p lan l i es in a pawn
advance on the ki ngside, wh i lst
Wh ite 's p lans l i e in an advance o n
t h e other wing . I n o rder to ach ieve
defend his pawn o n c4 . If
i m m ed iately 1 3 b4, Black gets
active chances with the energetic 1 3
. . . c6 ! , and if 1 4 d x c6 'l*x c6 1 5
'l*e2 E!fc8 1 6 4)d 2 4)d 7 fo l l owed
by 1 7 . . . f 5 . (Analysis by H ub n er . )
13 . . . 4)d7
14 b4 h6
A necessa ry p reparatio n , since if
i m m ed iate ly 1 4 ... f5? Wh ite has
the very strong respo nse 1 5 4)g 5 .
1 5 4)e 1 f5
The co nsistent m ove . I nterest i ng
was 1 5 . . . a 5 1 6 a3 axb4 1 7 axb4
E!xa 1 1 8 .ll x a 1 c5 ( H u b n er ) , but
after 1 9 4)b5 'l*b8 20 4)d3, and
if 20 ... cxb4 2 1 4)xb4 4)c5 White
reta ins a strong in itiat ive with 22
f4.
1 6 4)d3 4)b 6?
Black embarks on an over­
e lab o rate p lan . H is knight achieves
l ittle o n the q u eensi d e . N o better
was 1 6 . . . c6, because of 1 7 c5 ! ,
and if 1 7 . . . d x c5? 1 8 d 6 etc . ; b ut
H u b ner favo u red 1 6 . . . fxe4 1 7
4)xe4 4)f5, with the i d ea of 1 8 . . .
7 22 Robert Hilbner
c6, and if 1 8 c5 <tlf6 1 9 <tlxf6+
Axf6 and Wh ite 's advantage is
sma l l .
1 7 c5 <tlc4
1 8 f3 !
M u c h better than 1 8 Ac 1 , after
which B lack can co m p l icate matters
with th e active 1 8 . . . a 5 ! White
offers his bish o p g lad ly i n excha nge
fo r B lac k 's advanced knight. B l ac k 's
b isho p is not a powerfu l p iece, and
Wh ite 's knig hts soo n bear d own on
d6.
18 <tlxb2
19 <tlxb2 -&d7
20 <tlc4 !!f7
21 a4 !!af8
22 'itd3 !
White wou l d l i ke to p lay 22 <tlb 5
i m m ed iate l y , but he m u st first over­
p rotect d 5 . On 22 <tlb5? Blac k
would have the p ro m isi ng sacrifice
22 . . . f x e4 23 fxe4 d x c 5 24 b xc5
<tlxd 5 ! , which not o n ly d estroys
White's i m posing centre , b ut
gathers th ree pawns and gets a n
attack fo r B lac k 's p iece .
22 . . . h5
Passive p lay i s use less . I f B lack
p l ays 22 ... a6, White repl ies 23
cx d6 cxd6 24 <tlb6 �d B 25 a 5 and
26 b 5 is th reaten i n g . The o n ly
other active chance is 22 . . . g5, with
the i d ea of 23 . . . g4, aga inst which
H O b ner g ives 23 cxd6 cxd6 24 <tlb 5
<ticS 25 <tle3 a6 26 <tlc3 <tie 7 27
exf5 <tlxf5 28 <tlxf5 !!xf5 29 <tle4,
a n d White's k n i g ht on e4 g ives h i m
a n end u ring advantage .
23 <tlb 5 dxc5
I f 23 ... <ticS 24 <tla5 a6 25 <tlc3 is
strong ; a nd if 23 ... a6 24 <tlxc7.
The text-move is the o n ly cred i b le
attempt to k eep B la c k 's k i ngsi de
attack going, but Wh ite 's pawns in
the centre are m o re th reate n i n g .
24 bxc5 a6
25 <tlc3 f4
At t h is p o i nt b oth p layers were
getti ng i nto extreme time-tro u b le,
and B lack offered a d raw. H O b ner
d ecl i ned , sensi ng vict o ry .
26 d6 g5
I n o rder to enab l e h is k n ight t o
j o i n i n t h e attack . I f 2 6 . . . <tlc6,
one a m u si ng possi b i l ity is 27 <tld 5
<tld4 28 d xc7 fxg3 29 hxg3 �xf3
30 !!xf3 !! xf3 3 1 �xf3 ! <t!xf3 32
c8� �xc8 33 <tle7+ and wins
( H O b ner) .
27 !!ad 1 <tlg6
28 4:ld 5 g4
B lack has no a lternative . 28 . . . c6,
a l lowing 29 4:lcb 6 fo l lowed by 30
<tlc7 is st rategi ca l l y grueso m e .
2 9 dxc7 'ite6
Aga in fa reed , si nee 30 <tlf6+ was
threatened , and if 29 . . . gxf3+ 30
�xf3 fxg3 3 1 �xf7+ !! xf7 32
<tlf6+ etc.
30 4:ld6 fxg3
And a third fo rced m ove, si nce if
30 . . . gxf3+ 31 �xf3 fxg3 32
 Robert Hubner 123

itxf7+ is o n ce m o re win n i n g . b een made by H u ngarian p l ayers

3 1 �xf7 gxf3+ and the Russia n , M o iseev, in the
32 �g3 'itg4+ 1 950s and '60s. But H G b ner's
33 *F2 !!xf7 successes were to l ead to a n u n­
O r if 33 . . . "«Yg2+ 34 ®e 1 ; or 33 p recedented b u rst of popu larity for
. . . "«Yh4+ 34 ®e3 , and Wh ite 's k i n g the variation . F isc her used it i n his
si m p ly wa l ks free . fam o u s victo ry in the 5th match
34 � 1 .ll h 6 game against Spassky i n R eykjav i k
35 �b6 !!xc7 i n 1 972.
As good as a d m itting d efeat, b u t 1 d4 �f6
i f 35 . . . f2+ 3 6 !! xf2 "«Yg 1 + 3 7 "«Yf 1 2 c4 e6
etc . N ow B lack has no rea l c o m p ­ 3 �c3 .ll b 4
ensation for his lost exchange, and 4 e3 c5
Wh ite wins the game with ease . 5 .ll d 3 �c6
36 'itxf3 'itxf3 6 �f3 .ll x c3+
37 !!xf3 !!xc5 7 bxc3 d6
38 !!d8+ ®97 T h e sta rting posit i o n . Black
39 !!d7+ ®g 8 con ced es the b ishop-pair vo lu nt­
40 !!f6 !!c l + a r i l y and embarks on a b lockad ing
41 !!d l !!xd l + strategy . The effectiven ess of
42 �d l ®97 Wh ite 's b ishop-pair is d i m i n ished by
43 !!d6 .ll f4 the closed natu re of the positio n .
44 h3 .ll g 3 H is d o u b led c-pawns can b eco me a
45 �d 5 b5 long-term l iab i l ity , especia l l y in an
46 a5 Resigns endga m e .
8 e4
A space-ga ining manoeuvre, but
o n e which a l so leaves the centre
2 c o m p lete ly b locked to the benefit
Najdorf-H iibner of B l a c k 's kni ghts. R ecently ,
Wijk aan Zee 1 971 attention has b een focused o n the
N i mzo-lndian Defence m o re f l u id treatment i nvolving a
I n the fo I ! owing game aga i nst the pawn sacrifice after 8 0-0 e5 9 �d 2 .
veteran Argentinian G rand master B l a c k sho u l d d ecl i n e Wh ite's gamb it
Najd o rf , H Gbner ado pts the va ri­ and f i n ish his ki ngsi d e d evel o p ment.
ation of the N imzo- l ndian D efence Best l i n es of p l ay have not yet
which was to be popu l a rly c h r ist­ been esta b l ished for either side .
ened the ' H G b ner' variatio n . The 8 ... e5
idea was not enti rely o rigina l . 9 d5 �e7
I nd eed a co nceptual d ebt i s owed T h is is a critical move . Co ntra ry
to N i m z owitsch , and a n u m ber of to what one m ight e x p ect, B l a c k 's
experiments in the l ine had a l ready kni ght hastens to the k i ngsi d e , not
7 24 Robert Hiibner

to a 5 . The reaso n is two-fo Id . 0 n Wh ite sho u l d have p layed 1 3

the one hand , Black is in no ild2. After the text-move, Black is
p os1t 10n to augment effective a b l e to car ry out h is p l a n with­
pressu re o n Wh ite 's c4-pawn , at out h i n d rance. After 1 3 ild 2, he
least in the ea rly m idd lega m e , a n d , wou ld a lways have to ta ke i nto
o n t h e other hand , t h e ki ngsi de i s accou nt the dangerous possi b i l ity
t h e o n ly z o n e where b o t h sid es of a futu re itf3 .
have i m med iate p rospects of p lay. 13 Ah3
10 g3!? 14 0-0 0-0-0
A strange rep l y . The m o st f o rcing 15 !!b 1 '«rc7
m ove is 1 0 l£)h4, and after 1 0 . . . h 6 ! 16 f3 ®b 8
( B lack m u st fight f o r contro l o n the 17 �f2 !!hg8
ki ngsi d e . 1 0 . . . 0-0 1 1 itf 3 , and if 18 l£)e3 Ac8
1 1 . . . l£)g6 1 2 4:)f 5 , 1 eaves Wh ite the 19 ®1' 1 ! ?
i n itiat ive .) 1 1 f4 4Jg6 ! ( 1 1 . . . exf4 Wh ite is b iting o n g ra nite on the
1 2 ilxf4 g5 1 3 e5 ! is i n White's q u eensi d e , and he beg ins to find
fav o u r . ) 1 2 4Jxg6 fxg6 1 3 0-0 0-0, d ifficu lty in fo r m u lating a p l a n .
a co m p lex position resu lts, with With t h e text-move, he envisages
chan ces for both si des. A depend­ a futu re b reakth rough by B lack o n
a b l e m ove, b ut a lso m o re m o d est , is t h e kingsi d e , a n d therefo re sets a
1 0 4Jd 2 . cou rse with h is king for the centre .
10 . . . h6!? 19 !!df8
1 0 . . . i*a5 , and if 1 1 i*b 3 ilg4, 20 � 1 4Je8
o r 1 1 ild 2 4Jg6 1 2 h4 ilg4, is
si m p ler .
1 0 . . . 4Jg6 ! ? tu rned out bad ly in
an ea r l ier game, G l igo ric- K o rch n o i ,
fro m the sa me tourna m ent , which
continued 1 1 h 4 ! i*a 5 1 2 i*b 3 ilg4
1 3 4:)h2 ild7 1 4 ilg5 0-0 1 5 ilxf6 ,
and B lac k 's pawns had b een a p p rec­
iab ly wea kened .
1 1 4Jh4 g5
B l ac k 's i d ea is to repu lse Wh ite o n
the ki ngsi d e a n d find refuge f o r his With the d irect th reat of o pen ing
king on the q u eensi d e . I f now 1 2 u p the ga me with 2 1 . . . f5. In order
itt 3 4Jfg 8 ! 1 3 l£)f 5 l£)xf5 1 4 exf5 to p revent t h is, Wh ite now has to
4Jf6 1 5 0-0 i*a 5 1 6 ild 2 ild7 1 7 make so me positi o na l con cessi o n .
!!fb 1 0-0-0 and Black has at last After the ex change in the game, his
eq ual ised . pawn o n f5 beco mes wea k , and
1 2 4Jg2 'llra 5 B lack has longer-term h o p es of
13 'llr b 3? o pening u p fu rther l i nes of attac k
 Robert Hilbner 125

on the h · and t h e e-f i l es . 39 �2 E!xf2+

21 <ilf5 <ilxf5 40 Axf2 ith 2
22 exf5 f6 41 �2 <ila4
23 g4 E!h8 42 itd 2 Ae8
24 Ae3 h5 43 E!b 1
25 Af 1 E!f7 This move perhaps hastens the
26 h3 itd7 end . O ne of Wh ite's prob lems is
27 �2 <ilc7 that if he exchanges the maj o r
28 a4? p ieces, t h e resu l t wi l l b e a lost
Wh ite 's game was very u nco mfo rt· m i n o r p iece end i n g . The text l eads
ab le and a l m o st tota l l y passive . I n p recisely to that .
the circu msta nces this 'aggressive' 43 E!xb 1
m ove is who l ly u nderstandab l e , but 44 Axb 1 itf4
i n fact , it o n ly p rovides Black with 45 Ad3
a fu rther ta rget, and is strateg ica l l y , O r if 45 �d 3 <ilb 2 .
even a t t h is ju nctu re, t h e fata l 45 itxd 2+
m ista k e . 46 �d 2 <ilb 6
28 E!e7 47 CSJc 1 Aa4
29 E!e 1 <ila8! 48 Ac2 Ad 7 !
A tru ly N imzowitschian man· Avo i d ing the last tra p . I f 48 . . .
oeuvre. B l a c k 's p lan is to l u re A x c 2 4 9 ®x c2 <ilxc4 50 ®d 3 <ilb6
White's a-pawn fo rward a n d force 5 1 c4! co nfu ses the i ssu e .
its exchange agai nst h is b -pawn . 4 9 Ad 3
30 a5 itd8 O r if 49 Ab 3 Ac8 , a nd if 50 ®c2
31 ita3 E!hh7 Aa6 5 1 ®d3 <il x d 5 .
32 E!b 1 b6! 49 CSJc7
33 Ad3 E!b7 50 ®b 2 Ac8
34 axb6 51 ®b3 Aa6
O r if 34 a6, B lack 's roo k m oves 52 Ae3
and Wh ite's pawn fa l l s after a I f 52 ®c2 <ilxc4 ! , fo l lowed b y . . .
fu rther . . . <ilc7 . Ab 5 , . . . a6 a n d . . . <ilb 6 etc .
34 <ilxb6 52 <ilxd 5
35 E!a1 ith8 Resigns
36 CSJc2 hxg4
37 hxg4 Ad7
38 ita2 E!h2
l t is clea r by now that Wh ite 's 3
positi o n is lost. B lack d o m i nates Hiibner-Kavalek
the o n ly o pen f i l es, is to a l l i ntents Amsterdam 1 97 5
an o utside passed pawn u p , a nd has King's Indian Defence,
p lay against an i nsecu re king a nd Siimisch Variation
i m m o b i l e Wh ite pawns. German p layers a re p ro u n d of thei r
126 Robert Hiibner

Kampfgeist, wh ic h , rough l y trans­ 1 3 'ltb3 d xc5

lated , m ea ns their fighting sp irit. 14 'ltxb 8
H O bner 's sty le co nta ins not a l ittl e Th is was t h e position Wh ite had
of this aggressive compo nent, which b een a i m ing fo r . With a l l B lack's
perhaps acco u nts for the fu l l po int p i eces apparently bac kwa rd and
achieved i n this remarkab le game at co ngested , it scarcely seems as if he
Amsterda m aga i nst Kaval e k . This has sufficient active prospects in
was not a ga m e wo n b y o n e p layer 's ret u r n for h is pawn . But now comes
good m oves . lt was a slugging a most rude su rprise .
match , won as much by
psycho l o gy .
1 c4 4:lf6
2 4:lc3 g6
3 e4 d6
4 d4 Ag 7
5 f3 0-0
6 Ae3 b6
7 Ad3 a6
The idea of this o d d -l o o king
m ove, which at the t i m e was
beco m ing p o pu l a r d u e to recent 14 . . . 4:ld 6 !
ana lyses by G ufel d , is to create a A d iabo l ical move. O n e of B lack's
f l ig ht-sq uare for B lac k 's ro o k o n a7 reta rded p ieces su ddenly offers
in p reparation for the cou nter-move itself to tea r o pen l i nes . lt is Wh ite
. . . c5. 7 . . . c5? i m m ed iately is a who is now in g reat d a nger.
m ista ke. Wh ite rep l i es 8 e 5 , and 1 5 Ad 5?!
when Blac k 's knight m oves, p l ays C o u l d Wh ite ta ke Blac k 's knight?
.ll e 4. Kava lek 's fi rst thought was that
8 e5 !? after 1 5 exd6 ex d 6 1 6 4:lge2 Yf!e7
H O b ner seeks to refute Blac k 's (th reate n i ng 1 7 . . . .ll b 7 ) 1 7 Yf!b 3
opening co m p lete ly . The usu a l .ll x c3+ 1 8 4:lxc3 .ll b 7 1 9 0-0 ! .ll x e4
move i s 8 4:lge2, and o n ly after 8 . . . 20 Elae 1 f5 2 1 4:lxe4 fxe4 22 Yfle3
c5 9 e 5 . Ele8 23 f 5 ! , he wo u l d have rega i ned
8 4:le8 his p iece , but that Wh ite wo u ld
9 Ae4 Ela7 stand better . H u b ner a p parently
1 0 f4 c5 ! fea red 1 5 ... El x d 6 , after wh ich
A pawn sacr ifice, but c l ea r ly the Kava l e k , i n his notes in Chess
o n ly m ove to justify B l ac k 's Express , gives 1 6 4:lge2 Elb 6 1 7
open ing play. H O b ner remains Yfla7 El x b 2 1 8 Etd l Yf!a 5 1 9 !!c l
u n i m p ressed . .ll g 4 20 .llf 3 .ll x f3 2 1 gxf3 El x e2+
1 1 dxc5 bxc5 22 �xe2 .ll x c3, and Black has too
1 2 Axc5 Eld7 much fo r the exchange . H o wever,

i n t h is line, 1 8 0-0 seems b etter ,
and after 1 8 . . . .ll x c3 1 9 �x c3
'ltd4+ 20 ®Il l ·�-xc3 21 �xc5,
with a p layab le gam e . Th is a na lysis,
of cou rse, sca rcely ex hausts the
possi b i l ities; b ut ta k i n g the knight
may have b een White's b est chance .
After t h e text, he i s p r o ba b ly lost .
15 . . . e6? !
1 5 . . . �xc4 was p robab ly better .
After 1 6 .Q.xc4 E! b 7 1 7 �aB �d4
1 8 .Q.b3 �xf4 1 9 �ge2 �e5 20
0-0 c4 21 .lla 4 E! x b 2 22 �3 .ll b 7 ,
Kava lek h a d thought t h a t B lac k was
wi n n i ng ( i n d eed , if 23 �2 �a 5 o r
2 3 'l*g3 'l*c5+ 2 4 �2 i*a5 , White
is lost ) . b ut was afra id that there
m ight be an i m p rovement fo r
Wh ite (e.g. 20 E!d l ) . I n the post
m o rtem , however, both p layers
fai led to find a rea l i m p rovement .
1 6 .Q.c6 E!c7?!
B lack shou ld sti l l have p l ayed
1 6 . . . �xc4 . After 1 7 .ll x d7 �x d7
18 E!d 1 �c6 19 �f3 .ll b 7 20 E! d 8
�e3 , B lack 's position h a s i m m ense
attacking possi b i l ities . H O b ner sti l l
though h e was l o st .
1 7 0-0-0 E!xc6
1 8 E!xd6 E!xd6
19 exd6 !?
Wh ite now has so m e chances , and
H O b ner gam b les . The a lternative
was 1 9 i*x d6 �x d6 20 exd6 .ll x c3
( B lack m ight a lso t ry to preserve
the b ishop-pair) 21 bxc3 E! d 8 22
�f3 E! x d 6 23 E!d 1 , and Wh ite has
a d ifficu lt endga m e , but so m e
d rawi ng chan ces. With t h e text­
m ove, he sta kes everything on the
strength of his d -pawn .
19 . . . .ll x c3
Robert Hiibner 127
20 bxc3 ita5!?
Certa in ly tempting, but a lthough
B lack wo rks u p the most ferocious
attack aga inst White's bare king,
there does not seem to b e a wi n .
K avalek later felt that 2 0 . . . �6 2 1
� 2 ( If 2 1 �e2 e5 ! ) 2 1 . . . �xf4 22
�f3 �xc4 23 E!d 1 .ll d 7 24 \%7
�4 ( N ot 24 .. . �b5+ 25 �xb 5
axb5 2 6 �e5 E! d 8 27 a4! , and
Wh ite has chances . ) sho u l d with
care , sti l l b e sufficient to wi n .
2 1 �b2 .ll d 7
22 itb7 Ac6
There is no b etter a lternative at
this point; b ut B lack made a fata l
erro r of leaving h i mself with o n ly
t h i rteen m i n utes o n the c l o c k to
reach m ove f o rty .
23 *xc6 E!b8+
24 �2 itxa2+
25 �d3 E!b2
Kava lek c o u l d not find a mate .
I f 25 . . . E!b 1 26 d 7 E!d 1 + 27 ®e3
�d 2+ 28 ®f3 E!f l + 29 ®g3 i*xf4+
30 ®h3 'l*h6+, Black d raws by
perpetual check . Wh ite a l so m ight
consider 26 �f3 E! x h 1 27 d 7 E!d l +
2 8 ®83 .
26 d7
This time i f 2 6 �f3? E! x g 2 i s
winning fo r B l ac k . But the text­
move is sufficient to h o ld the d raw.
In tim e-tro u b le, h owever, Kavalek
fai l s to see it, and H O b ner even
manages to win .
26 itb 1 +
2 7 �3 ite l +
2 8 �3 E!d 2?
The o n ly way was 28 . . . �xc3+
29 ®g4 h 5+ 30 ®h4 ( N ot 30 ®g5,
a l lowing 30 ... �d4! , th reaten ing
128 Robert Hiibner
3 1 . . . ®g7, and B lack turns the
tab les. ) 30 ... g5+! 31 ®xh 5 �h8+
and Black has a perpetual chec k .
B u t h o w easy i t m u st have
b een to overl o o k Wh ite's next
move !
29 ®94 !
Wh ite 's m o st agg ressive move
si nce the opening ! I ncred i b l y ,
White's k i n g si m p l y marches to
safety on h 3 .
29 ®97
30 �h3 ! !!d 3+
3 1 g3 ft'd 1
O r if 3 1 . . . � 1 + 32 'l*g2 �xf4
33 �e2 �h6+ 34 ®g2 !! x d 7 ( o r 34
. . . !!d2 35 d 8='lW) 35 <t!f3 .
32 ft'xc5 ft'h 5+
M o re resistance was offered by 32
. . . � 1 + 33 ®h4 !! x d 7 , but after
34 'l&'e5+ ®98 35 �e2, Wh ite
wo u l d wi n comfo rta b l y , fo r
exam p le , 35 . . . �c l 36 wh 3 !!d l
37 c5 !! x g l 38 !! x g l �x g 1 39
�c4, and Wh ite's c-pawn wins the
gam e .
3 3 ft'xh 5 Resigns
4 9 b5
Portisch-Hiibner
Bugojno 1 978
N imzo-lndian D efence
Laj o s Portisch is o n e of the wo r l d 's
stead i est grand masters, renowned
especia l l y for his p rofo u n d know­
ledge of the o penings. At Bugoj n o ,
however , H O b ner's su btle treat m ent
of the open i ng caught him o u t .
H O bner emerged f r o m the o pening
with a tiny p l us, which he d ogged ly
held on to . Po rt isch grad u a l l y lost
the th read of the game, a n d H O b ner
crashed through h is defences with a
b r i l l iant attack .
1 d4 <£lf6
2 c4 e6
3 <i:lc3 Ab4
4 e3 b6
H O b ner had recent ly b een experi­
m enting with this l i n e , and it is
l i kely that Po rtisch had p repared
so met h i n g aga inst it.
5 <i:le2 Aa6
6 a3 Axc3+
7 <ilxc3 d5
8 b4!?
This move i s l itt le p layed a nd
loosen i n g . The usual m ove is 8 b 3 ,
with the idea of p reserv ing Wh ite 's
pawn on c4 .
8 ... 0-0
M o st autho rit ies reco m m end 8 . . .
.ll x c4, and after 9 .ll x c4 d x c4 1 0
'll1/e 2 'll1/d 7 ( 1 0 . . . c 5 is a lso p layab le)
1 1 'll1/x c4 'll1/c 6 1 2 'll1/x c6+ <ilxc6,
Wh ite 's b ishop-pair has been
e l i m inated a nd B l a c k has a so u nd
enough posit i o n . H o wever, H O b ner's
m o re comp lex app roach is a l so
p l ayab l e .
Wh ite mu st p lay this m ove i f h e
wishes t o swa p pawns on d 5 ,
with out a l lowing B lack t o exchange
off white-sq uared b isho ps. I n
genera l, if these b ishops d isa ppea r ,
B lack h a s a co mfo rtab le eq u a l i ty .
9 .ll b 7
1 0 cxd 5 <£lxd 5
1 1 <ilxd 5 fJxd 5
Wh ite has t h e b isho p-p a i r and an
extra pawn in the centre . H o wever,
 Robert Hiibner 129

B lack has a lead in d eve l o p m ent B l ac k 's knight is a p i l la r of

and e x ercises an i m p o rtant restra int strength . I f 22 k!e1 f4, and if 23 e4
on the white squar�s . Wh ite has l£le3 24 twd 2 1lc4 is strong ; wh i l e
nothi n g fro m the opening and if 22 t!\'d 2 t!\'d 6 , and Wh ite sti l l has
object ively stands slightly worse . the prob lem he has after the text­
1 2 f3 a6 m ove of how to get his k i n g 's roo k
1 3 Ad3 f5! i nto the ga me without creating
Not o n ly p reventing the trans­ so m e wea kness o n the k i ngsi d e .
parent threat of 1 4 Ae4, but a l so 22 . . . '*d 6
conti n u i ng B la c k 's p o l icy of white­ 23 *c2 Ab7
sq uare rest ra int. U na b l e to get i n K eeping Wh ite's q u een out of c6.
an i m m ed iate e4, W h ite h a s to 24 *c4 13f6
tu rn h is attention to B la c k 's th reats 25 g3?
o n the q u eensi d e . Showing sig ns of beg i n n i ng to
1 4 a4 axb5 wilt . Better was 25 E!.a 1 , with the
1 5 Aa3 si m p l ifyi ng 26 a5 in m i nd . Black
V i rtu a l ly o b l igato ry , si n ce if 1 5 may, i n fact , b est reply 25 . . . k! h 6
1lxb 5 1la6 , a nd B lack ach i eves the 26 g3 k!f6 , with the idea of ... h 5 .
a l l eviating exchange of white-sq uare I n p laying the text-move vo l u ntari ly,
b is h o ps and has a target to attack Wh ite a l lows Black to gai n so me
on a4. tem p i i n the attac k .
15 . . . b4!
Better than 1 5 ... k!f7 1 6 axb 5 ,
and Wh ite's b -pawn h a s a serious
cra m p ing effect o n B lack 's gam e .
1 6 Axb4 k!f7
1 7 k!c 1 Aa6 !
J u st i n t i m e . Wh ite u nd erstand­
a b ly now tries to avo id the ex­
change of b ishops, b u t i n d o i ng so ,
he a l lows B lack to m a k e f u rther
gains i n time.
1 8 Ac2 4:lc6 25 . . . h5!
1 9 Ab3 *d7 W i t h t h e fu rther advan ce of this
20 Ac3 pawn to h4, B lack opens u p pros­
20 Aa3 has been suggested , b ut pects of attack o n the g- and h-fi les.
after 20 . . . l£la5 2 1 .ila2 Ab 7 22 0-0 I n a d d itio n , Wh ite's k i n g 's roo k wi l l
Ad 5 etc., B lack reta ins a l ittle b e tied d own t o passive d efence.
initiative . 26 E!.hd 1 ?
20 l£le7 Wh ite sh o u l d sti l l p lay 2 6 k!a 1 .
21 �2 l£ld 5 The text-move aga i n loses t i m e .
22 Ad2 26 . . . h4
130 Robert Hubner

27 �g 1 �af8 ®8 1 ) 36 . . . E!c8 ! 37 .ll x d 6 (37

28 a5 �h6 i*xc8? i*xb 4 ! etc . is su icid a l ) 37 . . .
29 axb6 E! x c4, with t h e b etter cha nces.
29 a6 .\laB 30 .ll a 4 ®h 7 31 .ll c 6 Sim i la r , but rather better for
a lso had to be taken i nto consi der­ Black is, i n th is l ine, 36 �g2
atio n . After 31 ... .ll x c6 32 i*xc6 4)g4+ 37 ®8 1 E!h l + 38 ®82
i*a3 ! 33 i*c4 E!a8, h owever, B la c k E!c8 .
sti l l seems t o have exce l l ent 34 hxg3+
chances . 34 E!a 1 ? l oses to 34 . . . 35 hxg3 �h3
hxg3+ 35 h x g3 E!h2+; whi le 3 4 e4 36 �cl �f7
a l l ows the pro m ising exchange Preventing the possi b i l ity of a
sacrif i ce 34 ... fxe4 ! 35 .ll x h6 futu re i*c7 . The game has o n ce
i*xf3+ 36 ®e 1 ®x h6. m o re resu med its logica l cou rse ,
29 cxb6 and Wh ite has scarcely a con­
30 �a1 �7 structive m ove . If 37 �g2 4)g4+ ! 38
3 1 �a7 'llr b 8 fxg4 .ll e 4 39 i*c4 fxg4+ 40 ®g 1
32 �aa 1 4)f6 i*xg3 ! 4 1 i*e2 E! h 2 and wi ns. I f
B lac k 's p ressu re has m ou nted to a 3 7 i*c4, with the idea of 38 i*f 1 ,
pitch . There a re latent th reats o n 37 . . . 4)h 5 38 i*f 1 E! h 2+ 39 ®e 1
t h e h-. g - a n d f-fi les . White has 4)xg3. Wh ite chooses a n a lternative
fina l ly managed to o pen l i n es on move, but the resu lt is q u ite cata­
the q ueensid e , b ut fi nds t hat h e can stro p h i c .
d o nothing with them . H e is 37 Ae2
d o o med to passive defence , or the
i nterventio n of an erro r o n Blac k 's
part.
33 A d 1 'llr d 6?
And an error occu rs! B oth
p l ayers ap pea r to have b een in t i m e­
tro u b le. A l m ost anyth i n g wou ld b e
better than t h e text-move , f o r
exam p le t h e steady m ove 3 3 .. .
.ll d 5 .
34 'llr c 2?
Wh ite m isses his chance. He had
to p lay 34 .ll b 4. B lack can sti l l
retai n so m e advantage after 3 4 . . .
hxg3+ 35 h x g3 E! h 2+ ( N ot 35 .. .
4)g4+ 36 ®8 1 ! ) 36 ®f 1 ( o r 36
 Robert Hiibner 131

5 B lack th is possi b i l ity. He is ab le to

Hiibner-Hort
Wijk aan Zee 1 979
Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation
H a rt and H O b ner were to beco m e
clu b-mates i n 1 979 . B o t h p lay fo r
the West G erman Bu ndes l iga tea m ,
S G Po rz . They a na lyse together and
have b eco m e great friends, b u t that
sti l l d oes not sto p thei r gam es
together from bei ng hard-fou ght
and exciting . At Wij k aan Zee with
keep the central posit i o n f l u i d , and
o bta ins p rospects of p laying fo r a
d i rect attack .
12 . . . 4:lc5
1 2 .. . 4:le5 l o o ks inviting, but
after 1 3 i*h 3, the a p parent strength
of B lac k 's knight can be m is lead i n g .
M o re signif icant fact o rs a r e the
wea kness of B la c k 's cent ra l wh ite
sq ua res and the insecu rity of
B lack's k i n g . After 1 3 . . 0-0 , Wh ite
.

the White p ieces, H O b ner sh owed can p lay for a k i ngsi de attack with
an extremely strong desire to 1 4 i*h6, with the idea of 1 5 g 5 .
em erge with a wi n . Black does not have the defence
1 e4 c5 1 4 .. . i*d 8, b ecause of 1 5 4:lc6 !
2 4:lf3 d6 4:lxc6 1 6 �d 3, and White wi l l m ate .
3 d4 cxd4 S i m p l y bad is the a lternative 1 2
4 4:lxd4 4:lf6 . . . b4? , because of Simag i n 's
5 4:lc3 a6 suggest i o n 1 3 fxe6 ! b xc3 1 4 exd7+
6 Ag5 e6 Axd7 1 5 e5 � b 8 1 6 exf6 .ilf8 1 7
7 f4 Ae7 g5 ! , a n d Wh ite has a n overwhel m i ng
8 'itf3 'itc 7 posit i o na l su perio rity.
9 0-0-0 4:lbd7 1 3 fxe6 fxe6
10 g4 b5 14 b4 !
11 Axf6 gxf6 !? Although B l ack 's posit i o n is
A su rp rising cho ice, as this m ove su sp iciously l o ose , the p rob lem st i l l
has l o n g had a d u b i o u s reputati o n . remains how Wh ite sho u l d set
Although B lack gets a m assive about trying to e x p l o it it. H O b ner's
pawn -centre, Wh ite has a p r o m ising move is extremely o r i g i na l . H e
m ethod of p l aying to u ndermine it loosens h is own posit i o n , i n the
The most co m m o n reply is 1 1 . . . h o pe that by d islodg ing B lack's
4:lxf6 1 2 g 5 4:ld 7 . most effective p iece, h is knight, he
1 2 f5! wi l l rob Blac k 's p lay of its dyna­
This was the m ove that led to the m ism . 1 4 g 5 ( Bo leslavsky) and 1 4
decl ine i n p o pu l a r ity of B lack 's a3, p layed i n Capelan-Donner,
system . I f Wh ite hesitates, Black So l i ngen 1 968, a re the k nown moves.
wi l l b e ab le to cover the critical d5 14 . . . 4:la4
sq uare with ... Ab 7 ( p erhaps after 1 4 . . . 4:lb 7 is passive . H O b ner, i n
. . . b4) , and answer a su bsequent f5 /nformator, then suggests 1 5 �d3,
with the so lid . . . e5 . By p laying f5 wit h plans of g 5 o r 4:lce2-f4 i n
i m m ed iate ly, however, White denies p rospect .
132 Robert Hiibner
1 5 cilxa4 bxa4
1 6 r!d3!
This m ove is c ritica l . 1 6 g5? 0-0 !
wou l d over-extend Wh ite 's fo rces.
Wh ite 's p lan is to sit o n the pawn
position u nti l so m ething concrete
tu rns u p . I n the m ea nt i m e , h e can
ex ert p ressu re with his active
p ieces .
16 . .. 0-0
The natu ral m ove . M o re forcing
a lternatives seem to reb o u nd tactic­
a l l y . H O bner p rovides an exhaust ive
analysis in lnformator :
( i ) 1 6 . . . "itc4 1 7 e5 d xe5 1 8 �x a8
exd4 1 9 r!h3 �c7 20 .ll x a6 0-0 2 1
�e4 +-;
( i i ) 1 6 . .. "itb6 1 7 g 5 fxg5 1 8 .ll h 3
e 5 ( o r 1 8 . . . r!f8 1 9 "ith 5+ ®d8 20
.Q.xe6) 1 9 cile6 .llx e6 20 Axe6
"itx b4 ( 20 ... r!f8 21 "ith5+ ®d8 22
a3 a l l ows Wh ite to conso lidate
advantageously) 21 "itf7+ ®d8 22
!:!hd 1 r!a7 23 !:! x d 6+ .Q.xd6 24
�xa7 �a3+ 25 ®d 2 �b4+ 26 c3
"itb 2+ 27 ®d3 �b 5+ 28 ®c2 , and
after 28 ... �e2+ 29 ®c 1 , B lack has
ru n out of checks and is l o st ;
( ii i ) 1 6 . . . Ad7 1 7 g 5 fxg5 ( o r i f 1 7
. . . 0-0 1 8 g 6 h x g6 1 9 r!g 1 g 5 20
"ith 5 , with the idea of 21 r! h 3 +-)
1 8 � 5+ ®d 8 1 9 "itf7 �c4 20
.Q.h3 r!f8 (or 20 . . . �xa2 21 cilx e6+
Ax e6 22 .Q. x e6 "ita 1 + 23 ®d2
�x h 1 24 r! x d 6+) 2 1 cilxe6+ .Q. x e6
22 "itxe6 �x e6 23 .ll x e6, and
Wh ite has the better endga m e .
1 7 r!c3 "*b6
18 <ilc6 r!f7?!
Black cannot have been happy
with h is posit i o n . H is d evelop ment
is backwa r d , h is pawns a re without
motive force. H a rt 's m ove offers a
pawn to h is o p p o nent, i n order to
t ry to i nfuse so m e l ife back i nto h is
game , but b etter was probab ly 1 8
. . . .Q.d 8 ; although after 1 9 <ilx d 8
�x d 8 2 0 .Q.c4, Wh ite sti l l h a s the
better of it.
19 cilxe7+ r!xe7
20 Ac4!
Continu ing patiently to put his
faith i n si m p l e d evelo pment . 20
"itxf6? r!f7 2 1 "itg5+ r!g7 22 "itd 2
.Q.b7 ! , and if 23 Ac4 r!g6, a l l ows
Black u n necessary chances. N o w if
20 . . . �xb4, H O b ner g ives 21 r!f 1
r!f7 22 g5, and Wh ite has a n over­
whe l m i ng attack ; or if 20 . . . "itd4
2 1 r!d 1 "ite5 22 "itg3 ! , a nd B l ac k 's
centre pawns cru m b le .
20 . . . r!f7
21 a3
Co nso l idating his q u eenside
effect ively, p r i o r to the f i na l tu rn
of the positiona l screws.
21 r!aa7
22 r!d 1 r!ac7
23 '«rg3 r!c6
24 g5 fxg5
Or if 24 .. !:!g7 25 �h 3 , and
.
B l a c k 's wea kness o n e6 is decisive .
25 '«rxg5+ '\tlf8
 Robert Hubner 733

Wh ite 's p lay has b een extrem ely from the West G ro u p i n the 1 97B/9
tidy - spatia l advantage, c o m p let i o n Bu ndesliga series.
of deve l o p m ent w i t h th reats, 1 c4 e5
co nso l i datio n and fina l ly b rea k­ 2 <ilc3 <ilf6
through . N ow the wi n n i ng m oves 3 <ilf3 <ilc6
co m e with e lega nt si m p l icity . If 25 4 d3
... l:!g7 , Wh ite has a ch i l l i ng A modest move, which i nvites
co m b inatio n , 26 .ll x e6+ ! .ll x e6 27 B lack to p lay an O pen Sici l ia n with
l:! x c6 'l*xc6 2B i*d B+ �7 29 l:!f 1 + c o l o u rs reversed . B lack need not
®g 6 30 i*f6+ Wh 5 3 1 'l*x g7 and n ecessar i ly ta ke u p the offer. He
wins at o nce. has a so u nd a lternative in the closed
26 l:!dd3! system i nvo lving 4 .. . g6 and .. .
With t h e idea of 2 7 l:! f 3 , w h i c h i s .llg 7 ; while the enterp rising 4 .. .
wi nning even after 26 . . . WeB (27 .ll b 4, agai nst which Wh ite 's 4th
l:!f3 l:!xf3 2B l:!xf3 l:!xc4 29 i*Q7 m ove has in recent p ractice b een
etc . ) . B lack 's king is i rretrievab ly specifica l ly d irected , 1s a lso
ex posed . perfect ly p layab l e .
26 flc7 4 d5
27 l:!f3 l:!xc4 5 cxd 5 <ilxd 5
28 l:!xc4 Resigns 6 e3
M ate fo l lows after 28 . . . 'l*xc4 29 W ith 6 g3, Wh ite goes i nto a
�dB+ wg7 30 l:!g3+ wh6 31 'l*g5 . reversed D rago n Sici l ia n ; with the
text-move, Wh ite a d o pts the so l i d
Scheveni ngen .
6 .ll e 6
6 7 Ae2 Ae7
H u bner-Hecht 8 0-0 0-0
West German Bundesliga 1 979 9 Ad2 f5
English O pening 10 a3 fle8
The two g reat c l u b riva ls in the B lack m ight also co nsider 1 0 . . .
West G erman Bu ndes l iga a re S G a 5 , with t h e idea of . . . <ilb 6 , . . . .ll f 6
So l i ngen and S G Porz . Both are a nd . . . 'l*e7 . lt sho u l d not be
fu nded by wea lthy i n d ividuals a nd assu m ed because B lack is a tempo
pay appearance fees per ga m e to d own o n si m i la r positions with
their lead ing p l ayers. H U b ner's tea m , c o l o u rs reversed that he sta nds
Porz, bo asts h imself a nd Vlast i m i l necessa r i ly wo rse . O n the contra ry,
H a rt o n t h e to p two boards. this m erely req u i res i n the first
H echt 's tea m , S o l i ngen , can p arade i nstance that he a mend h is strategy
th ree grand m asters, H echt h i m se lf , given h is o p p onent's response .
Kava l e k and Westerinen . This g a m e 1 1 b4 a6
was p layed o n to p board in t h e 1 2 <ilxd 5!?
p l ay-off match fo r q ua l ificat i o n A k nown and trusted manoeuvre
134 Robert Hiibner
with the Blac k p ieces, but i n t h is
position it is too si m p l e a m ethod
to p ro m ise the first p layer m u c h
advantage. Wh ite poses m o re
d ifficu lt p ro b l ems by mainta i n i n g
t h e tension i n the centre . 1 2 �c2 ,
fo l l o wed by 1 3 !!ab 1 i s a good
a lternative ; while 12 �b 1 is
perhaps the m ost i nteresting c h o i ce .
After the latter m ove, B lack i s i l l­
advised to co ntin ue 1 2 . . . �6 ! ? ,
beca u se of Larse n 's cont i n u at i o n
(with colou rs reversed ! ) of 1 3 b 5 !
axb5 1 4 itx b 5 i£lxc3 1 5 Axc3 e4
1 6 d x e4 fxe4 1 7 i£le5 i£lxe5 1 S
Axe5, with advantage .
12 Axd 5
1 3 Ac3 .11 d 6
1 4 ii"d 2 ii"e7 !
This is m u ch b etter than the
stereotyped 1 4 .. . �g6 , wh ich
a l l ows Wh ite to cont i n u e with the
plan p repared by his 1 4th m ove,
viz . 1 5 a4 ! , with the idea of b 5 .
B l ac k 's prospects l i e primarily i n
the cent re, not i n reck less ki ngside
projects.
1 5 ii"b 2 ! ?
Wh ite has n o t h i n g a t this stage,
and it is hard to see a better m ove.
W ith the text-move, Wh ite
th reatens 1 6 b5 a nd fo rces B l a c k to
come to a decisio n in the centre.
1 5 !!ab 1 , so as to m ainta i n q u een­
sid e threats, is p lausi b le, b ut 1 5 . . .
e 4 1 6 d xe4 Axe4 seem s perfectly
good i n rep l y .
15 . . . e4
1 6 d xe4 fxe4
But not 1 6 . . . Axe4 in th is
positio n , because of 1 7 g3, and
Wh ite has the positiona l threat of
1 S i£ld 2 Ad 5 1 9 i£lc4, gai n i n g the
b ishop-p a i r .
17 i£ld2 i£le5
1 8 !!ad 1 Etae8?
F o rtu nately for chess , eq u a l
positi o ns d o n o t a lways lead i nevit­
ab ly to d raws. On th is and his next
move, B lack fai l s to see d eeply
enough into the p ositio n and over­
p lays h is hand .
H echt, i n Schach-Report, put this
d own to an idee fixe . H e was
m esmerised b y shad ows o n the
kingsi d e . l t is clea r that 1 S . . . <£Jf3+?
fai l s to 1 9 i£lxf3 ! exf3 20 Et x d 5
f x g 2 2 1 Etfd 1 ! � h 4 2 2 f 4 etc ., b u t
h e d i d n o t go on t o t h e logical
co n cl u si o n ( indeed , the co nsistent
conclusi o n cf. the n ote to Blac k 's
-
1 4th m ove a b ove) , that he shou ld
see k p lay e lsewhere . I nstead of the
text-move, H echt g ives two b etter
a lternatives, 1 S ... !!ad S, and if
1 9 Axe5 Axe5 20 �c2 b 5 ! , and 1 S
. . . i£ld 3 1 9 A x d 3 ex d 3 20 e4 Ac6
(to which H u b ner, in lnformator,
ad ds 2 1 e5 �g5 22 f3 Ae7 , with
the idea of ... !!adS and ... Ab 5 ) .
a nd , in b oth cases, play rema ins
tense and rough ly e q u a l .
1 9 ii"c2 !
 Robert Hiibner 135

H echt had overl o o ked this m ove Although B lack has a n o m i na l

co m p letely. He ha d b een ex pecting materia l advantage, Wh ite's power­
1 9 Axe5, aga i n st which 1 9 ... Axe5 fu l b isho ps, cont ro l of open l i nes
20 '*c2 b5! aga i n l ea d s to rough
· and potentia l centra l pawn-ro l ler
equal ity . After the b etter text-move co nvey the adva ntage to h i m . B lack
White si m p ly th reatens 20 4)xe4. has no ta rgets for cou nterp lay , and
In a d d iti o n , the sacrifice 1 9 . . . he was a l so b eco m i ng bad ly sh o rt
4)f3+ aga i n fa i l s t o 2 0 4)xf3 exf3 of t i m e .
21 E!xd5 fxg2 22 E!fd 1 '*h4 23 f4 24 . . . b5
etc . , a nd if 1 9 . . . 4)d 3 20 Axd3 2 5 E!d5 E!e8 !?
exd3 2 1 '*xd 3 Axh2+ 22 ®x h 2 Perhaps 25 . . . h 6 was a b etter
'l*h4+ 2 3 ®g 1 Axg2 2 4 '*c4+ chance, after which H O b ner
'*xc4 25 4)xc4 Axf1 26 ®xf 1 , and i ntended the regro u p i ng 26 E!fd 1 ,
White shou l d win. with the idea of Ag2 , e4 a nd
19 . . . �h4? f4. As the ga me actua l l y p roceeds,
C o m po u nd i ng h i s erro r . B lack Blac k 's k i ng gets into trou b l e
sees a chance to win Wh ite's q u ee n , as a result of t h e p ressu re o f White's
b u t does n o t consider deep ly pieces.
enough the effect o n h is positio n . 26 Af5 �h6
i t was sti l l possib l e to conti n u e 27 E!fd 1 Af8
so u nd l y with either 1 9 . . . 4)g6 28 E! 1 d4 �b 6
or 1 9 . . . 4)d7, with the idea of 29 E!d7 c5!?
. . . 4)f6, although aga i nst b oth White's 7th ra n k contro l is
moves, the reply 20 4)c4 ! ga ins d o m inating. If 29 . . . E!e7 30 E!dB,
Wh ite the b ish o p-pair a nd a certa in and White ta kes over the 8th .
advantage . 30 E!h4 E!e7
20 g3 ·�h3 The o n ly serious a lternative was
21 4)xe4 Axe4 30 . . . h6 31 E!g4 E!e7 , but after
22 �xe4 4)f3+ 32 E!xe7 Axe7 33 E!xg7+ ®fB
23 Axf3 E!xe4 34 E!g6 , fo l l owed by 35 Ae6
24 Axe4 ( H O b ner), B lack m u st lose at l east
his c-pawn and rema i ns c o m p l etely
lost .
3 1 Axh7+ 1Jf7
32 E!d5 f!e6
33 E!f4+ E!f6
O r if 33 . . . ®e7 34 E!df5, or 33 . . .
®BB 3 4 Ag8 E! h 6 35 E!e4+ Ae7 36
E!de5 ®fB 37 Ad 5 .
34 Axf6 gxf6
35 cid7+ 'l'e8
36 Af5 Resigns
136 Robert Hiibner
7 stands b etter after 7 .ll b 2 .ll g 7 8 e4 !
Hiibner-Balashov
R io de Janeiro 1 979
English O pening
H ii b ner's shared f irst p lace at the
R io l nterzonal was u nd o u bted ly
deserved . H e lost o n ly one game, to
Smej ka l , but was otherwise ra rely
i n serious trou b le . Against Balash ov,
he never let his o p p o n ent off the
hook after a d o u btfu l o pen i ng l ine.
Balashov, who ha d wo n t h e 1 978
U SS R Zonal in Lvov in su perlative
style, wriggled with great i ngen u ity ,
b u t i n the end to no ava i l .
1 c4 e5
2 4:lc3 d6
Smyslov's Variati o n . Because of
White's reply, the line is no l o nger
p o p u l a r . I ts ado ption by Balashov
was a l m ost certa i n ly fo r tactical
reaso ns. At this p o i nt in the t o u rna­
m ent, his own atte m pt to gai n o n e
of t h e Cand idates q u a l ifyi ng p laces
was f lagging.
3 d4 ! exd4
4 'ltxd4 4:lc6
5 'ltd2 !
Th is the who l e p o i nt of Wh ite's
play. Although Black has ga i ned
one tem p o , the m o re serious facto r
is the fact that White has m o re
co ntro l i n the centre. After the
text-m ove, White co nti n u es with a
qu eenside fianchetto , fo r the
su p p o rt of which his q u een is b est
placed on d 2 .
5 . . . 4:lf6
6 b3 .ll e 6 !?
Smyslov's origina l idea was to
conti nue 6 . . . g 6 . H owever , it is
now kn own that White si m p ly
and if 8 ... 0-0 9 .ll d 3 . Occasi o n a l
exper i m ents have b een made with 6
. . . a 5 , b u t aga i n after an i m med iate
occu pat i o n of the centre with 7 e4 !
and if 7 ... a4 8 E!b 1 a x b 3 9 a x b 3
g 6 1 0 g 3 , fo l l owed by .ll g 2 and
4:lge2, Wh ite has a def i nite plus.
Balashov's idea d iffers l ittle fro m
the latter l i ne. By conti nu ing
si m i larly, Wh ite ach ieves a c l ea r
spatia l a dvantage.
7 e4 a5
8 4:lge2 a4
9 E! b 1 axb3
10 axb3 g6
11 g3
Aga inst Balashov's l i n e, Wh ite
need not i m med i ate ly co m m i t his
q u een 's b ishop to b2. M o re i m p o rt­
ant is the rapid co m p letio n of h is
k i ngside d evelo p m ent. I n fact,
White's q u een b ishop never finds
itself o n b 2 i n this ga m e . With h is
q u een 's roo k o n b 1 , the space­
ga i n ing b4 is a lways a latent possib­
i l ity. White's q u een 's b ishop wo u ld
o n ly get i n the way o n b 2 .
11 .ll g 7
1 2 .ll g 2 0-0
1 3 0-0 4:ld7
F r o m Balash ov's p o i nt of view,
he stands objectively wo rse, but he
has mainta i ned a c o m p lex p osition .
The text-m ove confirms his funda­
menta l ly u nco m p ro m ising a p p roach
to th is game. He envisages a
d isposit ion of his p i eces i nvo lvi ng
the tra nsfer of this knight to the
a-fi l e .
1 4 4:ld5
This move is better than 1 4 4:lf4 ,
 Robert Hubner 137

which wea kens the d4 sq uare . After 2 1 Etd1 <tlxe3

1 4 <tlf4 <tlc5 1 5 <tlxe6 (Or 1 5 b4 22 Axe3 Ag4
<tla4 1 6 <tlxa4 Etxa4, and B lack has 23 Etd2 g5!?
active p l ay) 1 5 ... <tlxe6 ( 1 5 ... fxe6 Another controversia l m ove, b u t
is a lso not b ad ) . B lack has cou nter­ B l a c k scarcely h a s anyt h i n g b etter.
play. 24 <tle2 ilxe2
14 . . . <tlc5 25 Etxe2 �f6
1 5 b4 <tla4 26 Etd2 <tlc3
This is the point of B l ac k 's 27 h3 b5
play. 1 5 . . . <tld7 is p layab le, b ut Black h a s act ivated his knight a n d
wou l d be an a d m issi o n of strategic achieved . . . b 5 . U nfo rtu nate ly, his
defeat . fo rces are over -extended . N o b etter
16 �c2 <tle5 was 27 . . . Eta2 28 �d 3 Etxd 2 29
17 <tlef4 ild7 'i*xd 2 h6 30 f4 gxf4 31 gxf4 <tla4
18 Ete1 c6 (32 e5 was th reatened ) 32 Etd3
19 <tle3 <tlg4 !? <tlb2 ( o r 32 ... �a 1 + 33 ®h 2 <tlb2
34 Ad4! with a w i n n i ng advantage)
33 Ad4 ! <tlxc4 34 Axf6 <tl x d 2 35
Etg3 and wi ns ; o r if 27 ... <tla4 28
Eta3 <tlb6 (28 ... b5 29 c x b 5 cx b 5
3 0 �c6) 2 9 Et x a 8 <tl x a 8 3 0 ild4
�g6 31 Axg7 ®xg7 32 �d 3 and
wins .
28 cxb5 cxb5
29 ®h2!
Th reatening 30 .Q. d 4 , not
i m m ed iate ly possi b le because of 29
. . . <tle2+. B lack has no viab le
Every m ove of Blac k 's in t h i s defence. I f 29 ... <tla4 30 Etd5. Or if
ga me h a s a fo rcefu l p o i nt. He is l ed 29 . . . Eta2 30 �d 3 Et x d 2 31 �x d2
i nto making this exchange in o rder h6 32 f4 gxf4 33 gxf4 <tla4 34 Etd3
to g ive h i m self enough m anoeuvr ing <tlb 2 35 .Q.d4 ! Black 's actual cho ice
space to contin u e active l y . The resu lts i n the l oss of h is q u een for
te xt-m ove was criticised later , i nsufficient mater ia l . R esignat ion is
becau se as thi ngs tu rn out, the fo rced i n a few moves .
exchange of knights i nd uced a l so 29 Etac8
a l l ows White m ore sco pe to extend 30 ild4 �xd4
his space advantage . But if a nyth ing 31 Etxd4 Axd4
is to be criticised i n Blac k 's p lay, it 32 �d2 Af6
is su rely his enti re strategy , rather 33 �xd 6 Ag7
than any i n d ividual m oves . 34 e5 Etfd 8?
20 Etb3 �e7 35 Etxc3 ! Resigns
1 38 Robert Hiibner

8 i n d u ces White to m ove his queen

Hiibner-Smyslov
Tilburg 1 979
Queen's G am bit, Slav D efence
Also -ran at T i l b u rg was ex-wo r l d
cham p i o n Vassily Smysl ov, with
2%/1 1 . He got off o n the wrong
foot i n the first rou nd aga inst
H O b ner, who was fresh fro m h is
R i o success. I n a Slav D efence,
Smyslov had p repared a wrin k le in
one of the o pen i n g 's byways .
H owever, h e fai led to fo l l ow u p h is
idea co rrect l y , and l o st to a passed
pawn and the power of the two
b ishops.
1 d4 d5
2 c4 c6
3 4)c3 4)f6
4 4)f3 dxc4
5 a4 4)a6
Lasker 's plan , the main idea of
which is to wa it a move, so that
B l ac k 's q u een 's b ishop can be
develo ped to g4, instead of to f5
as in the main l i n e variations.
6 e4 .ll g4
7 .ll x c4 e6
8 .ll e 3 .11 b4
Smyslov 's wrin k l e . By putting
p ressu re o n White's e-pawn , B lack
away fro m the d efen ce of f 3 .
B lack c a n then exchange his
q u ee n 's b ish o p fo r Wh ite 's king's
knight, with resu lting dyna m i c
i m ba lance . 8 . . . 4)b 4 h a s b e e n t h e
usu a l a lternative .
9 ffc2
I n a later round of the to u rna­
ment. H o rt p l ayed the m o re
i m mediately test i ng 9 'l*d 3 . That
ga me cont i n u ed 9 . . . .ll x f3 1 0 gxf3
'l*a5 ! ? ( 1 0 ... 4)c7 may be
necessa ry .) 1 1 El.g1 ! ( H a rt 's han d ­
l i ng o f this g a m e i s i nstructively
i n cisive .) 1 1 ... 0-0 1 2 e5 ! <tle8 1 3
®e2 ! .ll x c3 ! ? ( 1 3 .. . <tlac7) 1 4
'l*xc3 ! 'l*d 8 1 5 'l*b3 El. b 8 1 6 El.g4
<tlac7 1 7 El.ag 1 b5 1 8 a x b 5 cx b 5 1 9
.ll d 3 f5 20 exf6 'l*xf6 2 1 .ll e4
<tld5(?) 22 .llg 5 �7 23 .ll h 6 ®h 8
24 El.xg7 <tlxg7 25 El.xg7 'l*xg7 26
.ll x g7+ ®xg7 27 .ll x d 5 ex d 5 28
'l*x d 5 , and Wh ite won .
9 .ll x f3
1 0 gxf3 0-0
1 1 0-0 c5
W ith this a n d h i s next move
Smyslov decides on an a m b itious
plan of cou nterattac k . lt so o n
becomes apparent that h e n o t o n ly
i ntends eq u a l ising excha nges i n the
centre with the text-m ove , but a l so
to open paths to the vicin ity of
Wh ite's k i n g .
12 d5 .ll x c3?
This was B l a c k 's p l a n , b u t he
s h o u l d b e co ntent with 1 2 ... ex d 5
1 3 <tl x d 5 <tl x d 5 1 4 .ll x d 5 'l*e7 .
Then he h a s a slight i nferi o r ity as a
resu lt of Wh ite 's two b ishops and
the u nhappy p laci ngs of h is m i n o r
 Robert Hilbner 139

p ieces, b u t h is position is so und . O r 26 . . . �xe4 27 .ll x e4 4)xc3 28

13 bxc3 exd5 Elc7 ! Black's k n ight is no match for
14 Elfd 1 'itc8 White's b ish o p .
15 exd 5 'ith3 27 'itxg6 hxg6
16 El ab 1 ! 28 Elc7 4)e2+
This m ove may have been what 29 ®fl 4)f4
B lac k either over l o o ked or u nder­
est i m ated . Since he can not d efend
his b-pawn actively, he has to
excha nge it fo r White's f-pawn .
H o p es fo r chances aga i nst White's
k i n g fai l thereafter to m ater ia l ise,
and White 's two b ishops and his
adva nced passed d-pawn begin to
d o m inate .
16 itxf3
17 .ll e 2 'ith3
18 Elxb7 c4
19 .ll f l 'ith5 30 .ll d 5! Resigns
20 ite2 If 30 .. 4)xd5 31 Elc8 , or 30 .
. . .

Any q u een exchange wi l l tend to 4)e6 3 1 .ll x e6 fx e6 32 Elc8 . An

accentu ate the d isorgan ised natu re e l o q u ent end to the ga m e .
of B lac k 's ga m e . N ot o n l y does
Wh ite po ssess the two b ishops and
a m ighty passed pawn , b ut B lac k 's 9
kn ig hts a re u nco o rd inated and his Portisch-H iibner
a- a nd c-pawns a re wea k . Abano Terme,
20 'itg6+ 1 0th Match G ame 1 980
21 .ll g 2 Elac8 Engl ish v. Tarrach
22 d 6 ! I n 1 980, o u r p l ayer, who 'ca n n ot . . .
B lac k 's a-pawn c a n wa it. T h e c o m p ete with t h e t o p m asters',
advance of White 's passed pawn is advanced to the F i nal stage of the
d ecisive . World C h a m p i o nsh i p Cand idates
22 4)c5 series. H u b ner st i l l protested h is
23 .ll x c5 Elxc5 good fo rtu ne and h is o p p o nents'
24 d7 Eld5 bad l u c k , but it rea l l y wil l not wash
25 Elxd 5 4)xd 5 a ny m o re ! H O b ner deserved ly b eat
26 'ite4! A d o rj a n 5%-4% in the q u a rter-finals
T h is t i m e t h e kiss of d eath . Black and Po rtisch 6%-4Y2 i n the sem i­
can no l o nger avoid the e xcha nge of finals. Yes, he d i d have a l ittl e good
q u eens. fo rtu ne i n some games, but overal l
26 . . . 4)xc3 h e p l ayed with fa r g reater reso lve
140 Robert Hubner
a n d p roved fa r m o re resou rcefu l
than h is two o p p onents. The
fo l l owing game was h is d ec isive
second win in the match aga i nst
P o rtisc h . l t was h i s m ost even and
em phatic perfo rmance i n a match
in which h e c onceded n o l oss.
1 c4 c5
2 4:lf3 4:lf6
3 4:lc3 e6
4 g3 4:lc6
5 Ag2 d5
6 cxd 5 4:lxd 5
7 0-0 Ae7
8 d4 0-0
This very so l i d variat i o n was
ado pted by both p l ayers in the
matc h . If Wh ite now excha nges on
d5 as i n the game, B lac k has a form
of the Ta rrasch Defence i n which
there a re th ree m i nor p ieces o n the
b oard i nstead of fou r . In the 7th
Match Game, with H u b ner Wh ite,
play instead continued 9 e4 4:ldb4
1 0 a3 cxd4 1 1 axb4 d x c3 1 2 bxc3
�7 1 3 .ll e 3 E!d 8 14 �2 .lld 7 1 5
E!fd 1 .ll e8 a n d B l ac k had c o m p l eted
his d evel o p ment and held Wh ite to
a co mforta b l e d raw.
9 4:lxd 5 exd 5
1 0 dxc5 Axc5
1 1 'itc2
The maj o r a lternat ive to this
move has been 1 1 a3. H owever, in
h is gam e aga inst Spassky at
Bugojno 1 978, Portisch ach ieved
l ittle from the opening after 1 1 . . .
.llf 5 1 2 b4 .ll b 6 1 3 .ll b 2 .ll e 4 a n d
B lac k 's centra l p resence balanced
the iso lat i o n of his d -pawn.
11 Ab6
1 2 E!d 1 !?
- ·.JL",
- & �:. ���-
- ra�_.. •
mta •tmt
11�· • •
• •1• •
• • • •
• • B4JH . ·�
l1. �� '0' . � �� � ��
..::. P�JNM ..::. w�.0. � *".�
��
�
-� �-
� t:=l - �
;.g;
This is a n i ntrigu ing p o i nt . The
sharpest al ternat ive here is 1 2 4:l g 5
g6 1 3 i*d 1 ( ! ) , which fo rces a
wea kening i n the Black k i ngside
pawns and p uts p ressu re o n Blac k 's
d-pawn . Benko -Peters, US C h .
1 975, ( b y t ranspositi o n ) a n d M i les­
Tarja n , R iga 1 979, then reached the
sam e posit i o n after 1 3 . . . .ll d 4 ! ? 1 4
i*b3 A f6 1 5 i*x d 5 4:ld4, after
which Ben ko chose to exchange
q u eens an d M i l es chose 1 6 ®h l .
I n neither gam e d id Black have a n
easy route t o eq u a l ity i n the
ensu ing c o m p l icati o ns; and the
q u est ions rema in what d id P o rtisc h
fea r and what d id H O b ner have i n
m in d ?
12 . . . 'itf6 !
H O b ner wastes no t i m e in reacting
sharply. Seiz ing o n the fact that h is
d-pawn cannot b e ta ken b ecause pf
a fo rk o n b4, h e activates h i s q u een
and particu larly renews the
posit i o na l th reat of ... Af5-e4 .
Po rtisch may have overloo ked o r
u nder-estimated this m ove i n h o m e
p repa rati o n . H e m a y have h a d a n
i m p rovement ready on the
p revio usly k nown game Stein­
Pa rma, USSR-Yu goslavia 1 97 1 ,
wh ich continued 1 2 . . . h6 1 3 b 3
 Robert Hilbner 141

.llg 4 1 4 .ll b 2 �cB 1 5 �d2 � e8 1 6 19 . . . aS!

e3, and now Parma reco m mended This sim p l e m ove fix es White 's
1 6 ... d4! a-pawn o n the b lac k squ a re a 5 . I n
13 Ag5 'lte6 the l o ng term , Black ca n certa i n l y
14 Af4 h6 h o pe t o w i n it.
15 'ltd3 �dB 20 �e 1 �ac8
16 a4? ! 21 h3 Ae6
This is a risky m ove wh ich 22 e3 Ab4
wea kens b4. Wh ite has no p a rticu l a r 23 �a 1 'ltd7
advantage o u t of t h e open i ng a n d 24 ®11 2 Af5
sh o u l d have co nta ined h i m self with 25 'ltb3 Axd2
1 6 a3, after which the game m ight 26 �xd2 d4 !
co nt i n u e 16 . . . �6 17 b4 .llf 5 1 8 Wh ite's prob lems are compou nded
�d2 ile4 with a rough equal ity. by B l ac k 's grip on the centre. After
H owever, it m u st b e sa i d that at the text m ove B lack esta b l ishes a
th is late stage i n the match Po rt isch far-advanced , passed d -pawn . I n
was a p o int beh ind and needed co nj u nct i o n with h is p ressu re o n
desperately to ach ieve a victo ry. An t h e q u eenside, t h is central c o ntro l
over-a n x iousness creeps i nto his gives Black a wo n game.
p l ay, of which H O b ner ta kes a 27 �fl d3
rut h l ess advantage. 28 �ed 1 'lte 7
16 i!Je7 29 'lta3 �b4
17 Ad2 Ag4 30 e4 Ae6
1 8 a5 Ac5 31 �d2 �d4
19 �ac 1 ? 32 �e3 �c5
33 �ad 1 'ltd8
White's a-pawn now d rops, and
with it h is chances of saving the
game.
34 �d5 Axd 5
35 exd 5 'ltxa5
36 'ltxa5 �xa5
37 l:lc 1 �c2
38 �cd 1 �b4
39 l:lc 1 g6
Po rtisch was t o b itterly reg ret 40 �c3
p lay ing this m ove. He had to p l ay Wh ite has no effective cou nter­
1 9 a6 , wh ich , though it wo u l d not p lay. H is d-pawn is too wea k , and
solve h is p ro b lems o n the q u eenside, Black 's p ieces are all m u ch better
wo u l d at l east sp read so m e p laced .
co nfu si o n i n the B l ac k r a n k s there 40 b6
as wel l . 41 f4 l:la 1
7 42 Robert Hubner

42 Af3 b5 . . . ®e7-d 6 .
43 ®92 Elc4 45 Elxc3
44 caJf2 cana 46 bxc3 �xd 5
45 Ad 1 47 Elxd3 �xc3
This m ove a l l ows Wh ite to resign 48 Ac2 b4
with a good co nscience. There was 49 ®83 a5
clearly no rep ly to the th reat of Resigns
6 Zoltan Ribli
" H e always tr ies to get the i n itiative and he feels safe when h is k ing is safe"
Ljubomir Kovolek (US Chess Life & Review)
Of cou rse, most p l ayers strive to
o bta i n the i n itiative, but R ib l i is the
so rt of p layer who see ks an i n i tiative
which is 'pu re', with out cou nter­
chances agai nst his own king .
Therefo re he is often q u ite co ntent
with very sm a l l advantages wh ich
may u lti mately be decisive i n the
endga me, a la Petrosian . Success in
suc h p lay req u i res utmost contr o l
o f t h e entire chessb oard . A s an
exa m p le, consider the fo l l owi n g
ea rly R i b l i ga m e fro m Wij k a a n Zee
1 1 where he tied fo r f i rst with 1 2/1 5 .
W.Schm idt-R ibli, Wijk aan Zee 1 1
1 972
1 4:lf3 g6 2 d4 4:lf6 3 c 4 .ll g 7 4 4:lc3
d5 5 c x d 5 4:l x d 5 6 .ll d 2 0-0 7 !!c 1
4:lb6 8 .llg 5 h6 9 .ll h 4 g 5 1 0 .ll g 3 c 5
1 1 e 3 4:lc6 ! (A system which R i b l i
has u sed su ccessfu l l y on sever a I
occasions.) 1 2 d x c5 .ll x c3+ 1 3 b x c3
i;Yxd 1 + 1 4 !!xd 1 4:la4 1 5 !!c 1
4:lxc5 1 6 4:ld4 4:le4 1 7 4:lxc6 bxc6
1 8 .ll c 4 4:lxg3 19 h x g 3 ®!]7 ( O ne
wo u ld b e incl ined to say that th is
p o sition is p retty eve n . ) 20 0-0 ?
(20 '3le2 ! was m u c h b ette r . ) 2 0 . . .
!! b 8 2 1 !!fd 1 !! b 2 2 2 !! b 1 !!c2 !
23 !! be l !! d B ! 24 !! xc2 !! x d l + 25
'3th 2 '3lf6 26 .ll e 2 Eta 1 ! 27 g4 .ll e 6
( N ow R i b l i 's sma l l advantage has
been translated i nto an end ing
where h is ro o k , b isho p a n d k i ng a re
super i o r to their cou nterparts.) 28
c4 '3185 29 ®!]3 '3ld6 30 '3lf3 a 5 3 1
'3184 '3lc 5 3 2 '3ld 3? (Al lowing a
n i ce stro ke.) 32 . . . !! x a 2 ! 33 !!c l
a4 34 f4 f6 35 .llf 3 a3 36 '3lc3
.ll x c4 37 .ll x c6 '3lxc6 38 '3lxc4
!! x g2 39 '3lb3+ '3ld 6 40 '3lxa3 0 - 1 .
l t is the p rem ise of this author
144 Zolton Ribli
( D . K . ) that there a re essentia l l y two
types of H u nga ria n gra n d master :
the tactica l , imaginative ones who
are q u ite co ntent to go i nto
u nbalancing co m p l ications, such as
Barczay, Szab o , and Sax ; a nd the
cautious, perfection ist ones who
see k to sq ueeze their opponents
i nto co m p lete zugzwang, such as
Po rtisch , Cso m , and R ib l i . H ow­
ever, H o rt describes R ib l i as a
'rational p layer', and in this sense
he is p ractical in a si m i lar way to
Karpov, who wi l l often choose to
ma�e a m ove wh ich o n l y sl ightly
i m p roves his positio n, rather than
sea rc h long for the 'b est ' move.
Such p layers avo id t i m e-p ressure
l i ke the p lague, since a loss as a
resu lt of it wou ld seem rather
irrationa l ; i nstead thei r o p p o n ents
are often in tro u b le with the c l o c k .
Such 'rational p layers' can a l so
often be fo u nd p laying long, p ro­
tracted end ings. G o o d m oves come
very q u ic k ly for p layers l i ke Karpov
and R ib l i . They avo id u nclea r o r
u nnecessa ry co m p l ications. Hence
we can see a paradox i n R i b l i 's two
app roaches to chess ; from o n e
a n g l e he is very precise, and fro m
another he is 'cautiously c u n n i n g ' .
R ib l i ad m its that h is chess i d o l is
Lasker, though his sty le, especia l l y
in recent yea rs, does n o t p o rtray
much of this. I nstead the i n f l u ence
of Capab lanca sh i nes through i n his
ga mes, particu larly with Wh ite . An
exam p le of his p red i lection for such
very 'Petrosianesq ue' themes as
knights wel l posted in the centre
b l oc k i n g pawns, o r si m p l y a k n ight
which is better than a b ish o p , is
the conti nuation from the d iagra m ­
med posi tion ta ken f r o m t h e 1 97 1
Wo r l d J u n i o r Championshi p at
Athens :
•r.S;t�s
."S'., •
� �s
,, ,,,;
a t a • t rs t
'"
t a.t.. a t •�•
• �t· •
• • 6 .
. �; �� . .
� �"-'- �-
�fl'.< � .!..!. -
. \"'� ��
- ·' .)-�' .!..!. ��--"���
.!..!. � �
·\t>· § �� •
,;, --� �--
Ribli-r/Jgoord
0 gaard ( Black) has j u st p l ayed 20
. .. ilg7? ! (fro m h 6 ) . m issi ng h is last
chance for the l i b erating 20 . . . d 4 !
The game continued : 2 1 g 3 ! ( F ro m
here R i b l i 's moves beg in t o flow
l i ke a ' H u ngarian R hapsody'. N o w
that Wh ite 's ki ngside pawn structu re
is so l i d ified , he need not fea r . . . d 4 .
0 gaard pro bab ly thought that
Wh ite m u st react to the th reatened
wea keni ng of h is q u eensi de pawn
structu re .) 2 1 . . . �f5 22 �b3 ®b8
( I f 22 . . . il x c3 B l ac k 's b ish op
is bad . ) 23 �d4 ilxd4 24 �x d4
( R i b l i has achieved h is a i m :
the good knight b lo c ka d i ng h is
opponent's pawns versu s th:e bad
b isho p behind them.) 24 ... f6 25
E!e3 �he8 26 � d e l h5 ( B lack
cou l d not fo rce ... e5, e .g . 26 . . .
�e7 2 7 i*b6 E!de8 2 8 �e2 ! ) 2 7 a4
ild 7 28 i*b6 ilc8 29 �e2 ! e5 30
�d 4 ( N ow B l ac k 's pos1t 1 o n
deterio rates q u ic k ly . ) 30 . . . i*d7 3 1
f x e 5 f x e 5 32 �xe5 E!xe5 33 �xe5
� h 8 34 E!e7 ! E!h6 ( N ot 34 .. .
 Zo/tan Ribli 145

r/Jxe7 35 4::lc 6+) 35 � x d 7 � x b 6· 36 they are ab le to wo r k together as

� x d 5 � h 6 37 a5 h4 38 4::lf 5 ilxf5 friends and sti l l m a i ntain the
39 � xf5 �g6 40 gxh4 �g2 4 1 h 5 necessa ry competitive sp i rit when
� x h 2 4 2 b 3 ®c7 4 3 wb2 �h3 44 p laying aga inst each other .
b4 1 -0 . Small wonder that the H u ngarians
were fina l ly able to wrestle the
R ib l i i s o n e of t h e 'new ' b reed of 1 978 O lympic t it l e i n B u enos Ai res,
H u ngarian gra n d masters who were Argentina, away fro m the R u ssia ns,
born after Wo r l d War 1 1 , a l o ng with the f i rst t i m e a Soviet team had not
Ad orja n , Sax , Farag o , Vadasz , etc . won a Chess O ly m p iad in which it
We m ight add that it was not a n had participated over a span of 32
easy cho ice i n se lecting R ib l i over yea rs. Since last win n i n g the G o ld
Sax a n d Ad orjan as the subject of M ed a l i n 1 928, H u ngary had often
this chapter . Sax is a very ta lented , b een in second p lace. R i b l i 's very
hard -wo r k i n g p layer who se main so l i d 69% ( 9-4) sco re on Board 2
strength is his a b i l ity to p l ay sharp behind Portisc h , a long with Sa x 's
m i ddlegame positions. Ad o rjan can 70% ( 8%-3%) o n Board 3 , were
b e good at posing tough over -the­ u nd o ubted ly key contributions to
board p ro b lems fo r his oppo nent, the H u ngarian tea m 's victo ry .
though he is not as we l l p repared as R i b l i considers h i mself a c o m p l ete
R ib l i and Sax are. H e is o ccasio na l l y chess professi ona l , and h is entire
p r o n e t o short d raws, h a s h a d so m e app roach demo nstrates this. He
health p r o b lems, a n d was so m ewhat works hard , conti n u o u sly stu d y i ng
l u c ky to find h i mself in the 1 980 a l l p hases of the game fo r months
Cand idates Matches. F o r these befo re a maj o r to u r na m ent or
reaso ns we thi n k R ib l i is the m o st matc h , f i na l ly ta k i ng a b reather a
l i kely successor to Po rtisch as few days before play . H is very
H u ngary 's top p layer . serious approach is a l so i l l u strated
The above g r o u p of you ng grand­ by the fact he d o es not p lay in
masters is character ised by d i l igen ce . n u merou s tou rna m ents in q u ick
H owever , such d i I igence is o n ly successio n , as Larsen , M i les, or
possi b le because it has o p u l ent Tim man m ight. I nstead he tries to
State sup p o rt (the Presid ent, Janos be p r i m ed for eac h event he partic­
Kadar is q u ite a chess enthusiast ) . ipates i n , and these a re carefu l ly
There i s conti n u o u s co nsu ltat i o n spaced out over t i m e . As a resu lt he
and ana lysis with t h e o lder grand­ d oes we l l in genera l , especia l ly
masters such as Barczay, Szabo , a nd when he need s to . Cases i n p o i nt
Po rt isc h , and a lso a close circle of a re : conti n u o u sly high p lacements
stu d y friends a m o ngst these you ng in the H u ngarian Cha m p i o nsh ip ,
gra n d masters. They wo r k system ­ the fine 1 978 O ly m p iad resu lt, and
atica l l y , cover ing specified themes, his h ig h sco res i n Man i la ( 1 976) and
u nder a f i x ed t i m e l i m it . This way R iga ( 1 979) l nterzonals. In Mani l l a
1 46 Zo/tan Ribli
his sco re of 1 1 %/1 8 was j u st short
of q u a l ifying fo r the Candidates
Matches. I n the recent R iga I nter­
z o na l , his 1 1 / 1 8 was sufficient to
tie for 3rd p lace with h is l o ng-t i m e
riva l Ad o rja n . Tragica l l y fo r R i b l i ,
after a Z%-Y2 l ead in t h e p lay-off
matc h , R ib l i then l ost 2 ga m es and
the match on tie-b rea k , thereby
again just m issi ng his chance to
p lay i n the Candidates Matches.
R ib l i , b o rn on 6 Septem ber 1 95 1
i n M o hacs, H u ngary, grew u p i n
Pecs, a n d si n ce 1 972 h a s l ived i n
Budapest , w h i c h h a s u nd o u bted ly
faci l itated the advancem ent of his
chess career . At sch o o l his main
i nterest was histo ry ; he spea ks
G erman a nd is lea rn i ng E ng l ish . H e
learned t o p lay f r o m h is father, n ot
belonging to a chess-p laying fam i ly
otherwise , b ut had fam i l y a p p rova l
of his chess i nterests .
Wh i l e there is l ittl e ind ication of
R i b l i 's having b een a prod igy, g reat
p ro m ise was shown in h is receiving
the title of H u nga ria n Chess Master
i n 1 967 , at age 1 6 , the you ngest
p layer ever to receive this h o n o u r .
B y 1 970, a t age 1 9 he received the
I nternationa l Master tit l e . Other
ea rly resu lt were : 1 968-9 E u ro pea n
J u n i o r Championsh i p , G ro n ingen ,
H o l la n d , 1 st-3rd eq u a l ; 1 969-70
E u ro pean J u n i o r Cha m p io nsh ip
(aga in G ro n ingen ) 1 st p lace; 1 97 1
World J u ni o r C h a m p i o nsh i p ,
Athens, 2nd p lace .
R i b l i 's b ig b rea kth rough as a
matu re p layer o n the i nternationa l
scene came i n March-Ap r i l 1 975 i n
his h o m e town , Budapest, where h e
tied for first w i t h Po l u ga evsky by
sco ring 1 OY2/1 6 ahead of Smej ka l ,
Po rtisch , Sax , Ad o rja n , Ma riotti ,
Szabo etc . U p ti l l then h is resu lts
in internati o na l tou rnaments had
b een u nspectacular, bu t there he
was the o n l y u ndefeated p layer and
sh owed enough self-confidence to
get Sax to resi gn i n o n l y 1 7 m oves,
n ot d own any materia l ! I n J u ne, at
the 3rd Vidmar Memoria l p layed at
Po rtoroz- Lju b lja na , he tied fo r
t h i rd behind Karpov ( 1 1 ) and
G l igo ric ( 1 0) , at 8Y2/ 1 5 eq u a l with
F u rman and H a rt, ahead of Pa rma ,
Portisch , Vel i m i r ovic, Lj u b ojevic,
Pla n i n c , etc . Later, in O ctober­
Novem ber, he wo n the R eykjav i k
Zona l tou rna ment with 1 1 / 1 4
a head of Pa rma, Liberzo n , O lafsso n ,
Poutianen , Zwa i g , Jansa , T i m ma n ,
etc . F inal ly t h is excel l ent yea r for
R i b l i co ncluded with his clea r
second b e h i n d Portisch in t h e
H u ngarian C h a m p ionsh i p with
1 2/1 5 .
I n the later 1 970s R i b l i had a
number of ups a nd downs, b u t
considering that he mai nta i n ed an
E L O rating cl ose to 2600 and the
ca l ib re of o p p osition faced , his
resu lts were o n the whole goo d ,
especia l ly in i m p o rtant events as
mentioned ea r l ier .
H is l ifesty le is h i g h l ig hted by
order, and t h is su its h is co mp letely
professi onal a p p roach to chess.
Good hea lth and p hysi ca l condition
a re mainta i n ed with so ccer, ten nis
and handba l l . A typica l R i b l i d ay
begins with ten nis at a b o ut 9 .00,
some chess tra i n i ng from 1 0 .00

u nti l an afternoon lu nch b rea k
(about 1 .30), m o re chess wor k , a
l ate afternoon wa l k with his wife
Kata l in (who m he married i n 1 974),
fo l l owed by so m e rea d i ng , cinema,
theatre o r other enterta i n m ent.
O nce a week R ib l i may g ive a si m u l ­
ta neo us ex h i b it i o n o r so m e other
'chess performance'. K ata l i n does
resea rch i n geography, fortu nate ly
l i kes chess, and spea ks many
languages. They have no ch i l d ren
and enjoy l eisu re time activities
such as natu re excu rsi o ns, v isits to
cast les, fortresses and towns, a n d
h isto ry i n genera l . Gardening i s a lso
a hobby . Altogether this g ives the
i m p ressi o n of a rep l ete, we l l ­
tem pered l ife.
R eviewing R i b l i 's opening and
m i d d lega m e pawn structu ral p refer­
ences, we find that he m ight b e
ca l l ed a Z O O M ( Zero h o u r fo r
O perative O pening M o d e ls) p layer .
This is a nam e for a n effo rt to
systematise p lay invo lving G rO nfeld
structu res coi ned by Steffen
Zeuthen and Bent La rsen i n their
book ZOOM 001 . Since R ib l i p lays
the Cata lan and other G rO nfeld
R everses with White , and the
G rO nfeld p roper with B la c k , he was
se lected fo r their b o o k as one of
24 grandmasters who have shown a
preference for such stru ctu res .
I n Chess Life and Review ( May
1 975) , Lasz l o Szab o says of R i b l i :
' R i b l i is a very fine conno isse u r of
the o penings ; a lthough he is a
posit iona l p layer he l i kes to catch
his o pponent in n ice o pening traps.'
Consider as an exam p l e of his
Zo/tan Ribli 147
astute o peni ng p lay and 'Z O O M
0 0 1 ' p references, the fo l l owi ng
gam e from the 1 974 H u ngaria n
Championsh i p , wh ich R ib l i won
outright with 1 2/1 5 .
Sapi-Ribli, H u ngarian Ch. 1 974
1 d4 <tlf6 2 c4 g6 3 <tlf3 �g7 4 g3
d5 5 cxd5 <tlxd5 6 �g2 <tlb6 7 <tlc3
<tlc6 8 e3 0-0 9 0-0 e5! ( R i b l i is
very fam i l ia r with th is G rO nfeld
l i ne, which has ea rned him severa l
f i ne wins.) 1 0 d 5 l£:le7 1 1 e4 �g4
1 2 h3 �xf3 (Al l t h is has b een seen
before and does not offer Wh ite
any adva ntage.) 1 3 �xf3 c6 !
( B lack stri kes i m med iately at
Wh ite 's centre .) 1 4 itb3 c x d 5 1 5
l£:lx d 5 ( O n 1 5 exd5 <tlf5 is a l so
u n p l easant for Wh ite .) 1 5 . . . <tlbx d 5
1 6 e x d 5 <tlf5 ! (This i s the t ra p ! ) 1 7
ili'x b7?? (Wh ite i n d u lges . ) 1 7 ...
<tld4 1 8 �g2 ili'd6 (Winning) 1 9 f4
e4 ! ( N ot 1 9 . . . E!fb 8? 20 itxf7+!
etc .) 20 f5 E!fb 8 0-1 .
See a lso the fo l l owing b rev ity
aga inst Lj u b ojevic :
R ibli-Ljubojevic, N i ksic 1 978
1 <tlf3 d 5 2 g3 c5 3 �g2 <tlc6 4 d4
(The G rO nfeld Reversed st ructu re is
entered . ) 4 ... e6 5 0-0 ili'b6? ! 6
d xc5 �xc5 7 c4 4Jf6 ( O n 7 . . . d x c4
8 <tl b d 2 with advantage . ) 8 c x d 5
<tl x d 5 9 e 4 <tlf6 1 0 <tl c 3 <tlg4 1 1
i*e2 �d7 1 2 �f4 ! ( Lj u b ojevic was
p repared to meet 1 2 <tla4 with . . .
<tld4 ! ; R i b l i p lays t o ta ke e5 from
the B lack kn ights.) 1 2 . . . e5 1 3 �g5
h6 ( A serious error which , after
Wh ite's i ntermez z o , a l l ows h i m to
148 Zo/tan Ribli
retreat his b is h o p with tem po . 1 3 . . .
f 6 was a b etter try, though B lack
sti l l cannot castle k i ngsi d e d u e to
itc4+ and i£la4 .) 1 4 i£ld 5 ! ita5 ( O n
1 4 . . . £lxf2+ 1 5 Etxf2 'i*xf2+ 1 6
-i*xf2 i£lxf2 1 7 !£le 7+ ®1'8 1 8 i£lxa8
wins a p iece .) 1 5 £ld2 -i*d8 1 6 £lc3
0-0 17 Etad 1 ! £le6 1 8 b4! (Th reat­
ening b 5 .) 1 8 . . . i£ld4 1 9 £lxd4
£lxd4 20 i£lxd4 exd4 2 1 Etxd4 Etc8
( B lack b lu nders i n a l o st posi t i o n . )
2 2 e5 h 5 23 h 3 1 -0 .
H owever , his problem through
the 1 970s, as faces m ost of u s, was
what to d o with Black aga inst 1 e4.
H is c h o ice of sha rp , co m p lex
Sici l i a n variat i o ns often resu lted i n
d isastrous l o sses (such as I l l u strative
G a m e 5) . N onetheless, if the m o re
so u n d ly based , yet p rovocative
m eth ods of I l lu strative G a m es 6
and 8 can be mainta i n ed and
fu rther e m phasised , there is no
d o u bt that R i b l i wi l l reso lve t h is
prob lem .
Barring u nfo reseen c i rcu m stances,
the class and hard wor k demon­
strated by the gam es which fo l l ow
leave l ittl e d o ubt that R ib l i wi l l be
a Candidate i n the d ecade to c o m e ,
and t h a t so meday he wi l l ta ke over
the posit i o n which Portisch has
held fo r so many yea rs as H u nga ry 's
leading p layer .
1 I n 1 0 m oves we can see that
R ib li-Tokaji -Nagi
H ungary 1 967
Sicilian D efence, Kan Variation
Here we see a gam e from 1 967
which represen ts 'ex p l o sive youth'.
Wh ite's aggressive p lay is i n itiated
by 9 a4! R i b l i seems to have a
p red i lecti o n fo r t h is m ove versus a n
early . . . b 5 in the K a n o r N ajd o rf
Sici l ia n .
1 e4 c5
2 i£lf3 e6
3 d4 cxd4
4 i£lxd4 a6
5 i£lc3 b5
6 .11 d 3 A b7
1 0-0 'lttc 7
8 Ete l
This open i n g m ove seq u ence
i nvo lving . . . b 5 , . . . £lb 7 a n d . . . itc7
is very risky for B l ac k . W h ite's
d e p l oyment is i n p reparat i o n f o r a n
ear l y centra l th rust suc h a s e 5 o r
i£ld 5 , confusi n g B lac k 's effo rts to
co m p l ete h is k i ngsi d e d eve l o pment.
8 ... d6
8 ... i£lc6 9 i£lxc6 'i*xc6 1 0 a 4 b4
1 1 i£ld 5 ! etc . a lso lea d s to a d isti n ct
advantage to Wh ite .
9 a4!
This energetic stro ke d is r u pts
B l a c k 's fu rther deve l o p ment by
tea ring o pen the q u eensi d e when
B lack is u n p repared . If n ow 9 . . .
b 4 ? 1 0 i£la2 d 5 1 1 e x d 5 £lxd 5 and
Wh ite has many strong m oves
ranging from the si m p le 1 2 £l d 2 to
1 2 £lf5 ! ? A l so str o n g was the
p rovocative 9 £lg5 !
9 bxa4
1 0 Etxa4
Wh ite has managed to d eve l o p
nea rly a l l his fo rces, i n c l u d i ng both
roo ks. Blac k 's posi t i o n is a l r eady
critica l .
 Zoltan Ribli 149

10 . . . �f6
1 1 �c4 'l!rd8
I f 1 1 . . . l£)c6 1 2 l£)d 5 !
1 2 �b4 'l!rc7
1 3 .ll g 5 !
The strength of this m ove l ies i n
B lack 's i nab i l ity to p l ay 1 3 . . . d 5,
e .g . 1 4 � x b 7 ! �x b 7 1 5 .ll x f6 gxf6
1 6 e x d 5 e5 1 7 d 6 ! (Maric,
lnformator) and White has a
winning posit ion si m i l ar i n d is­
position to the fam ous F ischer­ 23 exf5+ wins. O r o n 2 1 . . . �xc2
Najd o rf ga me ( 1 5th O ly m p iad , 22 �h B+ .ll f B 23 �c3 ! etc . wi ns.
Varna 1 962) , which was a lso a Or ( i i ) 20 . . . exd 5 21 exd5 .ll b 5 22
Sici l ia n K a n . �be3! �a7 23 .ll x b 5+ a x b 5 24 h4
13 . . . .ll e 7 with a won ga m e .
14 .ll c4 l£)c6 20 '«ra5
A better chance for l ong-term 21 �be3 fxe4
su N ival was offered b y 1 4 ... 0 -0 ! ? , 22 b4 ! 'l!rd 8
and if 1 5 .ll x e6 fxe6 1 6 i£)xe6 �cB 23 �xe4
1 7 i£)xf8 .ll x fB 1 8 .ll x f6 gxf6 1 9 Wh ite has a co m p l etely won
l£)d 5 l£)d7 with a n u nclea r posit i o n ga m e .
( M a ric ) . 23 . . . 'l!rd 7
1 5 �xc6 .ll x c6 24 �xe6 !
1 6 .ll x f6 ! gxf6 This is the icing o n the ca k e !
If 1 6 . . . .ll x f6 1 7 l£)d 5 ! �d B ( 1 7 24 �xe6
. . . .ll x d 5 1 8 ex d 5 e5 1 9 �a4 ± ) 1 8 25 'l!rg8+ .ll f 8
� b 3 with White a lso c learly b ette r . 26 �xe6+ fxe6
17 �b3 �g8? ! 27 �f6+ 'lle 7
This is an i naccu racy wh ich leads 28 i£)xd 7 .ll x d7
to B l a c k 's qu ick dem ise on the The rest is easy .
kingsi d e ; however , after 1 7 . . . h 5 29 itg5+ 'lle 8
B l a c k 's positio n , with wea k a- a n d 30 .ll e 2 .ll c 6
h-pawns a n d h i s king i n t h e cent re, 31 c4 .ll e 7
wo u l d not b e enviab le. 32 'l!rg6+ 'lld 7
18 'l!rh 5 �g6 33 .ll g4 �e8
1 9 'l!rxh7 f5 (D) 34 .ll x e6+ 'llc 7
20 i£)d 5 ! 35 h3 d5
The we l l - known sacrificia l st ro ke 36 .ll x d5 .ll d 6
which freq uently occu rs in such 37 g3 Ad7
Sici l i a n p osit i o ns. Now if : ( i ) 20 . . . 38 c5 Resigns
.ll x d 5 2 1 .ll x d 5 ex d 5 2 2 �h B+ .ll f B
150 Zo/ton Ribli

2 8 ... �xe5
Ribli-Karpov 9 !!xe5 d6!
H ungary 1 969 Better than 9 . . b xa4 1 0 �xd4
.

Ruy Lopez 0-0 1 1 �f5 ± .

This ga me shows R i b l i 's p ractical 1 0 !!e1
sty le. In the o peni ng, when the On 1 0 !! x e7+ 'l*xe7 1 1 Ab 3 c5
youthfu l R ib l i was sti l l p laying 1 e4, with B lack b etter . Or if 1 0 .fl.xb 5+
a su btle j u xtaposition of m oves a x b 5 1 1 !! x b 5 c 5 and the roo k is
proba b ly put K a rpov o n u nfa m i l ia r clea rly m isplaced . F i na l ly if 1 0 !!g5
gro u n d , lead ing to a d istinct �e4 ! 1 1 !!xg7 .fl.f6 with B l ack
advantage f o r Wh ite after 1 7 �xa4. aga in b etter .
True, Karpov may have m issed one 10 bxa4
co m p l icating cha n ce at move 1 5, 1 1 �xd4 ild7
but that was a l l he was a l l owed . 1 2 itf3 !
Although this advantage was Th is m ove secu res Wh ite the sma l l
m i n i m a l , th ro ughout there was but cont i n u ing advantage which he
l ittle chance that White cou ld l ose . wi l l carry i nto the endga m e .
The p lay seems si m p le, rem in iscent 12 0-0
of Karpov h i m self, Petrosi a n , o r 1 3 �c6 Axc6
F ischer, b ut the pervad ing t h e m e i s 14 itxc6 !!e8
t h e wea kness of Blac k 's sp l it q u een­ 1 5 �c3
side pawns. Perhaps th is is a sl ight i naccu racy
1 e4 e5 b ecause B lack can now comp l icate
2 �f3 �c6 the issu e with 1 5 . . . a 3 ! ? , then if 1 6
3 A b5 a6 b 3 d 5 , o r 1 6 b 4 a 5 ! 1 7 .fl.xa3 d 5 1 8
4 Aa4 �f6 !!ab 1 wit h a n u nclea r positi o n .
5 d4 Therefo re White sh o u l d have p layed
By p layi ng this m ove here Wh ite 1 5 'l*xa4.
avo ids the m a i n l i nes of the C l o sed 15 . . . itd 7?
and O pen Variations of the R uy B lack wi l l never get another
Lopez. H ere if 5 . . . �x e4 6 'l*e2 chance to get rid of h is wea knesses .
leads to u nusu a l p ro b lems for 16 itxd7 �xd7
Blac k . 17 �xa4 .ll f 6
5 exd4 18 .ild2 !!e6
6 0-0 Ae7 19 !!ad 1 !!ae8
7 !!e 1 b5 20 �1 �8
M o re co m m o n i n recent yea rs has 21 b3 !!xe 1 +
been 7 . . . 0-0 8 e5 �e8 9 Af4 and 22 .ilxe 1 !
now 9 ... b 5 1 0 Ab3 d5 with Black Of cou rse there is no reaso n for
having equal chan ces . Wh ite to a l low the rem ova l of a l l
8 e5! the roo ks. l t wi l l be easier t o wo rk
White m u st react en ergetical l y . o n B l a c k 's wea k pawns with the
 Zo/tan Ribli 151

added force. This posit i o n is very 29 ®e7

exem p l a ry of R i b l i 's style : Wh ite 30 g4 ! Ete5
has sma l l winning chances, Black 31 cxd6+ cxd 6
has n o ne. 32 <t}b6 !
Sudden ly B lac k 's positio n is
beyond repa i r .
32 ilf8
33 ilf4 E!.e6
34 !!cl !
N ow if ( i ) 34 . . . <t}e5 35 <t}d 5+
®d7 ( 35 . . . ®d B 36 ilg5+ o r 35 . . .
®B B 3 6 <t}c7+ ) 36 E!.c7+ wins; o r
( ii ) 3 4 .. . � d B 35 <t}d 5+ ®d7 36
E!.c7+ ®eB 37 E!.a7 wins.
34 d5
22 . . . E!.e5 3 5 <t}xd 5+ 'it>d7
23 c4 36 <t}c7 E!.e4
B l a c k 's pawns a re f i x ed . 37 ilg3 f5? !
23 . . . g6 A d esperate m ove, h o p ing for
l t is better for B lack to rush h is so m e so rt of cou nterplay.
king to the defen ce of the q u een­ 38 gxf5 gxf5
si d e . 39 <t}xa6 f4
2 4 ilb4 E!.f5? ! 40 ilh4 E!.e5
N o t su rprisi ngly Black wo u l d l i ke 41 E!.c4!
to i n itiate active m ea su res and keep B l ac k 's wea kness is revea led .
e5 for his m i n o r p ieces, but now 41 E!.f5
the r o o k b eco m es m isplaced . 42 b4!
25 Ad2! White must make his passed
Wh ite 's b ishop belo ngs o n e 3 pawns su perced e the apparent awk­
where it c a n eye b o t h si des of t h e wa rd ness of his stra nded m i n o r
board and keep B l ac k 's ro o k o ut . pieces .
25 . . . ild4?! 42 'it>d6
l t was b etter to a d m it the fai l u re 43 b5! E!.xb5
of his p revi o u s m ove with 25 . . . 44 E!.xf4 ilg7
E!.e5. 45 E!.f7 Ae5
26 ilh6+ ilg7 46 E!.xh 7 E!.a5
27 Ae3 <t}e5 47 <t}b4!
28 h3 <t}c6 This st roke helps si m p l ify Wh ite 's
29 c5 ! task . I f 47 . . . �d4 4B E!. h 5 is strong .
This stroke begins the next stage 47 <t}xb4
in the e x p l o itation of B l ac k 's wea k­ 48 Ae7+ ®e6
nesses . 49 Axb4 E!.xa2
152 Zo/ton Ribli

50 Ac5 .ll f 4 o lder m etho d s of p lay aga i nst the

51 ®92 Etc2 QGD.
52 .ll b 6 Etb2 8 h6
53 .ll d 8 .ll e 5 9 .ll h 4 c6
54 .ll h 4 Resigns 10 .ll d 3 dxc4
U nd o u bted ly a memorab le victo ry 11 .ll x c4 b5
fo r R i b l i . 12 .ll d 3 b4
Bef o re th is m ove the game had
transposed into F ischer-Spassky
( 1 2) . R eykjav i k 1 97 2 ; here Spassky
3 p layed 1 2 . . . b xa4 which is consid­
R ibli-Hennings ered best . The continuat i o n (a lso
Leipzig 1 973 p layed i n Sta h l berg-Capab lanca ,
Queen's Gam bit 1 936) 1 3 4:lxa4 'l*a5+ 1 4 4:l d 2 .ll b 4
I n the ea rly to mid-1 970s R i b l i 1 5 ilc3 c 5 ! is consi dered to l ead to
had n o t yet refined t h e d e l i cate equ a l ity . The move 1 2 ... b4 is
yet p ract ical sty le, l i kened to viewed as risky b ecau se B la c k 's
Petrosian 's, to which we have q u eenside pawns become d isjo i nted
beco m e accusto m ed . D u ring these and the c4 square is rel i nq u ished to
evo lutiona ry yea rs his p lay seemed White .
m o re cut -th roat than in recent 1 3 .ll x f6 ! gxf6
yea rs, with so m e b r i l l iant attacking If 1 3 . . . 4:lxf6 1 4 4:le4 with so me
gems i nterspersed with bad l o sses, advantage . Black must m a ke su re
n otab ly with the Black pieces. that he can get in . . . c5, otherwise
F i rst we sha l l p resent two games his ga me wou ld a l ready be positi o n ­
which won b r i l l ia n cy p r izes. a l ly h o peless.
1 c4 4:lf6 1 4 4:le4 f5
2 4:lc3 e6 1 5 4:lg3 c5
3 d4 d5 Black gets i n the necessa ry lever
4 .ll g 5 .ll e 7 b ut at a p rice : a wea kened k i ngsi d e .
5 e3 0-0 1 6 e4!
6 Etc l 4:lbd7 Po rtisch-Barcza , Budapest 1 960
7 4:lf3 a6 went 1 6 d5 .llf 6 1 7 d x e6 fxe6 1 8
8 a4 'l*b 3 �h 8 ! a n d Black obta i n ed a
Aro u n d the time of t h is game good ga m e . Quite typica l ly it is
Po l ugaevsky a nd Po rtisch had b een possib le that R ib I i came to the
playi ng a m atch in Po rto roz in board a r m ed with this i m p rove­
which b oth 8 a3 and 8 cx d 5 were ment over the p lay of the man he
p l ayed to no g reat advantage . Later hopes to succeed . N otice how t h is
at Mad rid , H a rt sprung the novelty move o pens u p a l l l i nes to B lack's
8 c5 ! ? on Po rtisch and won a fine k i n g . O n 1 6 . . . f4 1 7 4:lh5 cxd4 1 8
gam e . This text-m ove steers into g3 cont i n u es the excavat i o n of
 Zoltan Ribli 153

routes to the B l ac k k ing. W ith th is m ove Wh ite has

1S . . . cxd4 wrought a rea l b r i l l ia ncy . A l l roads
1 7 exf5 e5 lead to mate :
If 1 7 . . . ltlc5 1 8 � x c 5 ! .ilxc5 1 9 ( i ) 23 . . . ltlx h 5 24 f6+ a nd mate .
�c l ! wi ns. ( i i ) 23 .. . ilxc7 24 �xg2 �g8 25
1 8 �cS ! �g6 ! ! fxg6 26 fxg6+ �xg6 27
N ow on 1 8 . . . f6 1 9 ltlh4 ! ®h7 Slxg6+ ®98 28 �x h 6 Y!Je7 29
20 ltlg6 �g8 21 Ac4 �g7 22 ltlh5 ltlxf6+ �xf6 30 �h7+ ®f8 31 ltld7
wins ( U h l m a n n , /nformator) . mate .
18 . . . liltS ( i i i ) 23 . . . ilxe5 24 � xg2 ltlg8 25
1 9 "ltc 1 ! �g7+ Slxg7 26 f6+ ®h 8 27 fxg7
A stel lar move which has cropped mate !
up in a n u m ber of b r i l l ia nces over ( iv) 23 . . . ltlg8 24 � xf7+ � xf7 25
the yea rs. The great , so m ewhat f6+ 'il!?h 8 26 ltlxf7 m ate !
u nd errated , A k iba R u b i nstein The game conclu ded :
successfu lly e m p loyed the �c l ! 23 "itxc7
theme aga inst Capab la nca and 24 lilxfS+ ®g7
Lasker . 25 ltlh 5+
19 . . . �7 and Black resi gned as m ate fo l l ows
I f i nstead 1 9 ... .ilb7 then 20 sho rtl y .
�x h6 Axc6 21 ltlg5 and the th reat
of 22 lilh5 wins.
20 lilxe5 Ab7
21 �c7 ! 4
F ro m a d ista nce Wh ite m a i nta ins Qu interos- R ibli
b oardwide contro l . Bei ng a pawn Montilla 1 974
u p , Wh ite can a l so revert to N imzo-l ndian D efence
st ra ightfo rward positiona l p lay so I n M a nti l l a , Spain , 1 974 R i b l i d i d
that on 21 . . . �c8 22 �xc8 is n o t perform we l l , end ing u p tied
possi b le, or on 21 . . . Ad6 22 � x b 7 . for last with 4%/9 (though o n ly 5%
21 Axg2 was suff i cient for f i rst ) , b u t he d i d
22 �g 1 AdS receive t h e B r i l l ia n cy P r i z e fo r the
23 lilh 5 ! ! fo l l owing gem .
1 d4 liltS
2 c4 eS
3 ltlc3 ilb4
4 "itc2 c5
5 dxc5 0-0
Such stra ightfo rwa rd 'developing'
m et h o d s in the o pening by B lack
hold l itt l e da nge r . F req u ently i n
t h is and si m i lar variations o f the
N i m z o - l ndian White and B lack
154 Zo/tan Ribli

seem to be a p p roac h i ng the chess 1 2 . . . a 5 ! 1 3 Axa 1 axb4 with an

boa rd from two d ifferent p o i nts of u nc l ea r p osit i o n .
view : White p l ays i n the centre, 10 0 . . d5!
d eve l o p i ng h is q u eensid e f i rst , w h i l e 1 1 b4
t h e ki ngsi d e lags behin d ; B l a c k I f 1 1 f3 cil b 3 with il:lla 5+ to
devel o ps a p iece with every m ove, fo l l o w wins, o r 1 1 cxd 5 ex d 5 1 2
cast l es ea rly, accepts a modest il:llx d 5 .1le6 with Blac k 's lead i n
centre, and lastly so lves the deve l o p ment m o re t h a n co m p en­
problem of his q u ee n 's b isho p . O ne sating fo r h is pawn d eficit .
cou ld a l so view it as : White wa its 11 . . . 4:la4
for B l ac k na"ively to 'lay h is cards 1 2 f3 4:lec3
o n the tab le ' and then responds The o n ly way f o r Black to p rove
approp riate ly . h is su per i o rity . If 1 2 . . . 4:lf6 1 3 e4
6 Af4 4:la6 with advantage.
7 a3 Axc3+ 13 t!d3
8 itxc3 4:le4!? O r on 1 3 t!c 1 d x c4 1 4 il:ll x c4
T h e first p o i nt . Previ ously t h is 4:ld 5 with advantage .
was thought to b e an error beca u se 13 0 0 0 f6 !
of the strength of 9 il:lld 4 as given This is the consu mmat i o n of the
by lv kov. H o rt-lvkov , Petropo l is activities i nitiated by 1 0 ... d 5 . The
l nterzonal 1 973 went : 8 . . . 4:lxc5 9 wedge being created to su p p o rt
t!d 1 ! ? ( l vkov reco m m ends 9 b 4 ! Blac k 's k n ight o n c3 is p ictu resq u e .
b u t i t i s hard t o conceive why this 14 Ad2 e5.
move receives an ' ! ' when after 9 . . . 15 ith4 d4
4:lce4 1 0 il:lld 4 d 5 B lack i s not 16 e3 Af5
wo rse , e.g. 1 1 c5 4:lh 5 ! ? or 1 1 f3 17 .ll x c3
4:ld 6 1 2 e4 4:lxc4 1 3 Axc4 d x c4 1 4 If instead 1 7 exd4 .1l x d 3 1 8
il:ll x c4 .1ld7 with no da nger to .1lxd3 e4 ! is str o n g .
Black . ) 9 . . . d5 1 0 f3? ! .1ld 7 1 1 e3 17 4:lxc3
t!c8 1 2 b3 �b 6 1 3 b4 4:la4 1 4 il:llc 2 1 8 t!d2
a5 ! and Black a l ready has a won
gam e . N otice that the opening has
fo l lowed the d escri pti o n g iven in
the n ote a b ove. In these i nstan ces
Black wi l l freq uently win the ga m e ,
a lt h o u gh one is left with the
i m p ressi o n that there was m o re to
ad d to the o pen ing d iscussi o n .
9 itd4 4:laxc5
1 0 t!d 1
If instead 1 0 b4 4:lb3 1 1 il:llx e4
4:lxa 1 1 2 .1le5 ( 1 2 il:ll b 1 �6 etc . )
 Zo/tan Rib/i 7 55

O f co u rse White's positio n , with sha r p , co m p lex variations of the

its p itifu l ki ngside d eve l o p m ent, is Sici l ia n D efence with the B lack
hopeless , but now R ib l i concludes p ieces . When one enters su ch
elegantly and efficiently . variati o ns, n o def i nite so lution to
18 dxe3! ! its p ro b lems can b e ex p ected , j u st
1 9 Etxd8 Etaxd8 tests of so me ideas from the 'home
20 .ll e 2 lab o ratory'. The fo l lowing ga me
White's last two moves were aga inst Lasz l o Barczay, one of the
fo rced . sharp p l ayers of the 'o lder gener­
20 . . . Etd2 atio n ', i l l u strates this p o int.
N ow we can see the co m p l ete 1 e4 c5
help lessn ess of Wh ite 's situat i o n ; 2 �f3 d6
basi c th reats a re . . . .ll d 3 and . . . 3 d4 cxd4
Etfd 8 th reatening . . . Etd 1 + fo l lowed 4 �xd4 �f6
by m ate. I n the meanti m e the 5 �c3 a6
Wh ite queen is a m ere spectato r. 6 .ll g 5 e6
2 1 g4 7 f4 h6
If 2 1 ®1' 1 then 21 . . . 4:lxe2 22 8 .ll h 4 .!le 7
4:lxe2 Etd 1 + wins. 9 itf3 �bd7
21 . . . .ll d 3 10 0-0-0 itc7
What a noose surro u n d ing the 11 .ll e 2 Etb8
White k i ng ! This is the so-ca l l ed 'Browne
2 2 c3lf 1 �xe2 Variat i o n ' of the N ajd o rf character­
2 3 �xe2 Etxe2 ised by . . . h 6 .
24 'iftg 1 Etd8 1 2 itg3 Etg8!?
Resigns 1 3 Ethf 1 !
White is hel p l ess aga i nst a l l the
th reats on h is first and seco nd
ran ks ; e .g . 25 g 5 .ll e4 26 ®1'1 .ll x f3.

5
Barczay-R ibli
H u ngarian Championship 1 977
Sicilian D efen ce, Najdorf Variation
I n a 1 972 a rticle in Chess Life and
Review, R i b l i was criticised by This move was i ntrod uced b y
Ben ko for 'su perficia l and u n necess­ G refe i n his fa mous game agai nst
arily qu ick p lay'. Perhaps the B rowne in the 1 973 US Champ i o n­
tendency toward this kind of p lay shi p . There play continued : 1 3 . . .
is l i n ked with a p reference for long, g5? ! 1 4 fxg5 4:le5 1 5 4:lf3 b 5 1 6
156 Zoltan Ribli

�xe5 b4 ( I f 1 6 . . . d xe5 1 7 gxf6 ! ! 20 -I/Jxg7 Etf8

Et xg3 1 8 fxe7 Etg5 1 9 .ll h 5 ! -I/Jxe7 21 -1/JxhS gb6?
20 Et xf7 -I/Jxf7 21 .ll x f7+ ®xf7 22 Wh ite now has so me materia l
.ll x g5 h xg5 23 Etd8 wins, as g iven com pensation fo r the p iece and
by Maric.) 1 7 �xf7 ! b xc3 1 8 g xf6 ! Blac k 's p osition is critica l : p recise ly
Et xg3 1 9 fxe7 Etg5 20 .ll x g5 h x g 5 here was R ib l i 's chance of mak ing
2 1 �xd6+ 1 -0 . a fight of it aga i n with . . . -I/Jb6,
13 . . . b5 offer ing cou nterp lay b y .. . -I/Je3+
14 e5 and c reating a fl ight sq uare fo r h is
G e l l e r 's reco m m endat i o n here is king o n c7. Wh ite's best (according
1 4 f5, e .g . 1 4 . . . e5 1 5 �e6 ! ? ; how­ to Ben ko) wo u l d then be 22
ever, then the co m p l ications created Etd 3 .
by 1 4 . . . b4 m u st be considered . 22 �g5 Etf6
The ga m e cont i nuation 1 4 e5 23 -I/Jh8+ Etf8
fo l l owed b y 1 5 �xe6 ! ? is considered 24 �f7+ ®e8
'no rma l ' based (by transposition 25 -I/Jg7 Af6
from 14 �xe6) on the b r i l l ia nt 26 -I/Jg6 !
Lo mba rdy-Qu interos, M a n i l a 1 973 N ow o n 26 . . . Et xf7 27 Ah5 �c5
game, b ut Barczay c l a i m ed that he (or 27 ... �f8) 28 -I/Jxf6 wins.
was not awa re of this. 26 e4
14 dxe5 27 �d6+ ®d8
1 5 �xe6 fxe6 28 �xe4 Ae7
1 6 -I/Jg6+ ®d8 29 �g5
1 7 Axf6 !? N ote the versat i l ity of t h is knight
L o m ba rd y p layed 17 f5 a nd wo n as it visits g 5 for the seco nd time,
n i ce ly after 1 7 . . . exf5. R ib l i , who the o n ly d ifference being that the
u n l i ke Barczay was up o n theo ry , front e-pawn has been removed a nd
was p robab ly h o p i ng to try 1 7 . . . that Blac k 's ro o k is o n b 6 instead
-I/Jb6 after which it is n o t c l ea r that of b 8 .
Wh ite has co m pensat i o n for h is 29 . . . -I/Jc6
p iece . The fact that Ba rczay was Wh ite was th reatening a smothered
ab le to find yet another way for mate with 30 �f7+ ®e8 31 �d 6+
White to conti n u e demo nstrates the ®d B 32 -I/Je8+! !
flaws i n R ib l i 's app roach . 30 Ag4 Etf6
17 . . . Axf6 31 -I/Jg7 -I/Jc5
1 8 -I/Jf7 Eth8 32 Etfe 1 Etc6
I f 1 8 ... Ete8 1 9 Ah 5 wou Id win . 33 Etd2 -I/Jc4
1 9 �e4 34 �xe6+ ! Etcxe6
B lack 's responses seem fo rced . 35 AxeS Etxe6
Now 20 �xf6 gxf6 2 1 -I/Jxf6+ is 36 -111g B+ Af8
th reatened . 37 -I/Jxe6 -I/Jxf4
19 . . . £ie7 38 -I/Jb 6+ Resigns
 Zo/tan Ribli 157

6 cha l lenge White's a p p roach .

Vasjukov-Ribli 8 Ab5!?
Wijk aan Zee 1 973 8 e6 ! ? wou ld have b een consistent,
Pirc-Robatsch Defence but then 8 ... f x e6 9 4::lg 5 (9 Ab 5 ! ?)
In Wij k aan Zee I ( 1 973) R ib l i , sti l l 9 . . . 4::lg e5 wou l d p revent a captu re
o n l y an I . M . a m o ngst a n i l lustrious on e6 d u e to the cou nter . . . 4::ld 4 -
field of Elo average 2573, i n c l u d i n g a case where deve l o p ment a nd p iece
Ta l , Balashov, Vasj u kov, H o rt , co-o rd inatio n p resi de over pawn
Planinc, etc., managed to sco re a stru ctu re .
very respectab le 8/1 5 to finish tied 8 Ad7
for 6th-9th . M o re n oteworthy, 9 Af4 0-0
however , was the fo l l owing gam e 1 0 4::lc 3?
aga inst 3rd p lace fi nisher Vasj u kov, A lazy m ove which a l l ows Black
which shows his a b i l ity to p lay to seize the i nitiative. Correct was
so u nd chess, defend i ng when 1 0 h 3 4::l h 6 1 1 g4! when Wh ite
necessary and cou nterattacking , may have a sma l l p l us.
with the Black p ieces . B l ac k 's p l ay 10 . . . a6
is origina l a nd 'b road ', l eav ing o n e 1 1 Ac4 b5!
with the i m p ressi o n that White was N ow White gets pushed arou n d .
a lways a m ove beh ind , as if c hasing O n 1 2 Ad 5 b4 1 3 4::l e 4 4::l g xe5( ! ! ?)
b utterfl ies . m u st be considered , e .g . 1 4 4::l x e5
1 e4 g6 4::l x e5 1 5 Axe5 Ab 5 ! 1 6 itf3
2 d4 Ag7 Axe5! etc .
3 4lf3 d6 1 2 Ab3 b4
4 Ac4 4lf6 1 3 4::la 4
5 ite2 4lc6 ! 1 3 4::ld 5 cou l d a lso be m et b y . . .
B lack a l ready esta b lishes h i s a i m 4::la 5 with t h e idea of m eeting 1 4
t o p l ay a so l id , d i rect , equ a l ising 4::l x b4 with 1 4 . . . c 5 1 5 4::ld 5 Ae6.
opening and will not b e intim idated 13 . . . 4::la 5
by White's aggress i ve first few B lack has n o p ro b lems and . . .
moves . Ab5 is looming.
6 e5!? 14 0-0-0 ite8
White c o u l d also try a m o re q uiet 1 5 h3
a p p roach with 6 c 3 . What else to d o ? On 1 5 4::lc 5 Ab 5
6 ... dxe5! 1 6 �e1 4::l x b 3+ 1 7 a x b 3 a 5 ! with
N ot 6 . . . 4::l d 7? 7 Axf7+ ®xf7 8 the idea ... a4.
4::lg 5+ ®e8 ! 9 4::l e 6 4::l x d 4 ! 1 0 15 . . . Ab5!
4::l x g7+ ®f7 1 1 �c4+ ®xg7 1 2 N ot 1 5 . . . 4::l x f2 which wo u ld be
�x d4 ± as given by R ib li i n cou ntered by 1 6 El. x d 7 !
lnformator. 1 6 itd 2 4::lx f2
7 dxe5 4::lg4 1 7 itxf2 Axa4
Of cou rse this is the o n ly way to The f i rst 'rewa rd '. The reader wi l l
158 Zo/tan Ribli

observe that this b ishop wi l l b e the White k i n g via . . . a4.

most versat i l e p i ece in the game. ( ii ) To oust the kn ight fro m its
18 'ltc5 advanced p osit ion with the m ove . . .
Th is m ove a p p ea rs to atta c k !!a6.
everyth ing, b u t R ib l i demo nstrates ( i i i ) At the sa m e time the roo k wi l l
that it 's 'better to ta ke when the then be a b l e t o centra l ise v ia a6.
ta k i n g 's good '. N ote that the a-pawn is a l so
18 41xb3+ sacrificed .
1 9 axb3 .ll c 6 24 !!h2 !!a6
20 41d4!? 25 41xe7 !!e6!
White's o n ly chance fo r cou nter­ Of cou rse th is is a lso the o n ly
p lay . On 20 �x b4 a 5 fo l lowed by m ove - if the b isho p retreats then
... a4 ! 26 !! x h7+ wins .
20 . . . .ll x g2 26 41d5 .ll f 5
Wh ite 's kingsid e is a n n i h i lated . Again a good centra l ising move
2 1 !!hg 1 .ll x h3 played out of n ecessity . N ow o n 27
22 41c6 !iJxc7 � x e 5 ! 28 !iJxeB �xc5 29
Perhaps the hardest p o i nt in the t;Jxg7 ®x g7 30 .ll h 6+ ®gB 3 1 Axf8
gam e for B lac k . H e is u p n o l ess ®xf8 and wins ( R ib l i ) .
than 3 pawns but is so m ewhat 27 'ltf2 !
passively p laced . How to m a ke A nasty chea p o is p repared for 27
these pawns cou nt? ... �xe5, i .e . 28 �h4 h 5 29 !iJf6 !
22 . . . �8! �e7 30 �x h 5+!
M eet White's threats first and 27 . . . 'ltd 8!
then m a ke yo u r own ! A critica l stage a n d R i b l i finds the
23 !!d2 best move. I f now 28 � x h7+ ®xh7
29 �h2+ ®g7 30 �h 1 g 5 saves the
day .
28 t;Jf6
A last try for co m p l ications in the
hope that the a b sence of B l ac k 's
k i n g 's b ishop wi l l offer cou nterp lay.
28 . . . .ll x f6
N ot 28 . . . � xf6 29 �h4 h5 30
Ag5, or more a m u si n g wou l d be 29
. . . g5 30 Axg5 Ah6 3 1 �xh 6 � x h 6
32 A x d B � x h 2 33 .ll f 6 mate !
23 . . . a5! 29 exf6 'ltxf6
The sta r m ove of the ga m e as far 30 .ll g 5 'lte5
as R ib l i was co ncerned . There a re 31 'lth4 h5
th ree idea s behind it : 32 .ll f4 'lte4
( i ) To deve l o p an atta c k o n the 33 'ltg5 !!fe8!
 Zoltan Rib/i 7 59

N ow o n 34 E!.xh5+ ®g8 35 E!. h 2 Sa x . I n the 1 975 H u ngarian

E!.c6 wins ( o r 35 E!. g h 1 i*el + ! ) . C h a m pionsh i p , p l ac i ngs of these
34 lYlb 1 top fou r fo l lowed their ran k i ng (see
tab le at back of Ch\Jpter for m o re
d eta i ls) . The fo l l owi ng ga me aga i n st
Sax is indicative of R ib l i 's style
with the Wh ite p ieces.
1 4)f3 g6
2 e4 c5
3 c4 Ag7
4 d4 'lta5+!?
5 41c3
On 5 Ad 2 tMJ6 6 .ilc3 cxd4 7
.ilxd4 .ilxd4 8 i*x d4 i*xd4 9 41xd4
34 . . . a4! Black equal ises ( R ib l i , lnformator} ,
This caps R ib l i 's logical a nd b rave b ut deserving attention in this l i n e
p lay . is 6 41c3, and i f 6 . . . cx d 4 7 41d 5
35 'lth6+ with p ro misi ng p lay for the pawn .
On 35 E!. x h 5+ ®98 36 i*h6 5 ... 4)f6
i*d4 ! wins. 5 . . . 41c6 wou l d be m o re to the
35 catgB point.
36 'ltxh5 'lte 1 +! 6 Ad3 cxd4
37 ®82 7 41xd4 41c6
On 37 .ilc 1 .ilxc2+ ! 38 ®xc2 (38 8 41b3 'ltd B
®8 1 'l*xc 1 +) 38 . .. E!.c6+ etc . 9 Ae3 d6
37 axb3+ 10 h3?!
38 �b3 E!.e3+ In retrospect R ib l i p referred 1 0
39 Axe3 'ltxe3+ f3, bel ieving that it wo u l d give
40 c3 Ae6+ Wh ite a c l ea r advantage.
Resigns 10 41d 7
11 E!.c 1 0-0
12 0-0 b6
13 'ltd 2 41c5
7 14 E!.fd 1 Ab7?!
R ib li-Sax A ca l m develo ping move, but Sax
H u ngarian Championship 1 975 is actu a l l y wa l k i ng into a 'R i b l i
Sicilian D efen ce, Maroczy Bind sq u eeze'. Suggested by R i b l i was 1 4
Throughout the 1 970s R ib l i has . . . .ila6 ! 1 5 .ile2 ( N ot 1 5 41b 5 41xb3
achieved a high p lace i n the 1 6 a x b 3 .ilxb5 17 cxb5 41a 5 which
H u nga rian Championshi ps. H is wou l d be awkward f o r Wh ite) 1 5 . . .
main r iva ls to succeed Po rtisch , as .ilxc3 1 6 bxc3 a s equa l . Th is wo u l d
stated ea rl ier , were Adorjan and be q u ite a d ifferent position from
1 60 Zo/tan Ribli

the game.
1 5 Abl 4:le5
1 6 'lte2 Aa6
1 7 4:lb5!
But now Wh ite wou l d be strongly
p oised fo r entry on c6 if given
trip led b -pawns.
17 . . . 'itea
l a 4:l3d4 4:lc6
1 9 4:lxc6 'ltxc6
Black has tried to a l l eviate his
sl ightly cra m ped position with If 34 ... *x b 6 35 exd 5 exd 5 36
exchanges. 4:le7+ and 37 4:lx d 5 .
20 b4 4:la4 35 exd5 exd 5
Sax see ks co m p l i cati o ns to 36 �d l �ea
confuse the issue. 37 �xd 5
2 1 4:ld4 'ltea The first tang i b l e resu lt of Wh ite 's
22 'ltc2 b5! p ressure.
Not 2 2 . . . � c 8 2 3 b 5 .ll x d4 24 37 �e l +
*xa4 .ll x e3 25 fxe3 .ll b 7 26 *xa7 3a ®h2 'ltc7+
with a won gam e for Wh ite . 39 g3 h5
23 cxb5 Axb 5 40 h4 At6
24 a3! 41 ®92 ®g 7
An exce l l e nt m ethod of conso l i d ­ 42 b5 �a l
ating t h e q u eensid e a n d activating 43 �d l !
the k i n g 's b isho p . White m u st p repare the u se of the
24 . . . Ad7 extra pawn .
25 Aa2 4:lb6 43 �a3
26 Ab3 44 �d3 �a l
O ne can see how Blac k 's p ieces 45 'ltc4 "16'ca
are being rest ricted . 46 �t3 'lte6
26 �ea Sad ly fo r Blac k , this is the o n ly
27 'ltd3 Aa4 way to meet the th reat of 47 � xf6 ,
2a �xca 'ltxca e .g . 46 . . . �d 1 47 � xf6 ®xf6 48
29 �c l 'ltb7 i*c3+ ®e6 ( o r 48 . . . ®f5 49 4:le7+)
30 Axa4 4:lxa4 49 *e5+ and mate next m ove .
31 'ltc2 4:lb6 47 "16'xe6 Resigns
32 4:lc6 e6 Sa x p refers not to p r o l o n g h is
33 a4 (D) suffer ing . After 47 .. fxe6 48 m4
.

A l l part of the 'big squ eeze'. and possi b ly 49 �c4 fo l l o wed by

33 d5 4:la7-c8, Wh ite 's victo ry is just a
34 Axb6 axb6 m atter of t i m e .
 Zolton Ribli 1 61

8 Wh ite to use c5.

F u rman-R ib li 13 . . . f6!
Vidmar Memorial 1 975 Sudden ly Wh ite 's centre appea rs
G riinfeld D efence rather fragi l e .
The fo l l owing ga m e shou ld be 1 4 I!ac 1 Ae6
app reciated fo r its co nsisten cy in 1 5 *d2 *d7
fo l lowing a sound m id d l egam e B lac k 's position is i m p roving with
strategy - the b lockade of Wh ite 's every m ove, whi l e Wh ite sea rches
backwa rd d -p awn and uti l isation of for a reo rga n isatio n .
the d5 sq uare by the Black p ieces . 1 6 Ah6
l t has been selected to e m phasise F u rman decides to get rid of his
that R ib li is very comfo rtab l e in 'bad b ish o p ' and at the sa m e time
close endga m es, as the reader has h o p es so me ki ngsi d e prospects wi l l
no d ou bt a l ready surm ised . evo lve .
1 d4 4lf6 16 I!ad 8
2 c4 g6 1 7 Axg7 �g7
3 4lc3 d5 1 8 b3 b4
U nd ou bted ly R ib l i 's favou rite 1 9 4la4?
and most successf u l d efence with This kn ight wou l d certa i n ly
the Black p ieces. perfo rm better from e4.
4 4lf3 Ag7 19 . . . Ad 5
5 *a4+? ! Ad7 20 *e3 *c8
6 *b3 d xc4 A n i m p o rta nt m ove to free the
7 *xc4 0-0 k n ig hts.
8 e4 4la6 21 Ac4 �e6!
White has 'wasted ' a tem po with The knight i s excellently posted
5 *a4 in o rder to m isp lace B l ac k 's here.
bishop to d 7 . R ib li tries to p rove 22 Axd5 �xd 5
that the b ishop is not m isplaced 23 I!c4
and that the temp o is u sefu l . Both p layers correctly concentrate
9 e5!? �e8 on each other 's respective wea k­
1 0 Ae2 c6 n esses.
R i b l i b egins to estab l ish his out- 23 . . . �fd 8
post on d 5 . 24 I!e 1 f5!
1 1 0-0 4lec7 By closi ng the centre, Black
1 2 Ae3 b5 d e p rives Wh ite of any cou nterplay.
1 3 *d3 25 I!ec 1 c5!
An awkward positi o n for both This pawn sacrifice is very
sides ! Which is wea ker , Blac k 's c­ effective. R i b l i ga i ns co ntro l of the
pawn o r White 's d -pawn? Certa in ly on ly o pen f i l e while shutting off h is
B lack is in a better p osit i o n to u se o p p o n ent's ha lf-o pen f i le and
h is b lockade sq uare, d 5 , than is b lockade sq uare.
1 62 Zo/tan Ribli

k i ng is centra l ised , his kn ight is

attacking whi le the Wh ite k n ight is
d efen d i n g , d esp ite the fu nny
appea rance of both these knights
being on the edge for many m oves.
40 c6 l'ttd 6
4 1 ®xh4 ®xc6
42 ccYig5 i)c5
R i b l i wou ld l i ke to wi n the k i ng
and pawn ending with h is passed
26 dxc5? o utside h -pawn .
26 i)xc5 shou l d have b een p layed . 43 i)b2 e5
26 . . . �d t + 44 ®11 6 �5
27 i)e t itc6 45 ®xh7 �4
B la c k contro ls a l l the entry p o i nts. 46 ccYig6 i)d 3
28 h3 f4 47 i)c4 i)xf2
29 itf3 itxf3 48 '\MS i)d3
30 gxf3 �xc t 49 a3 e4!
31 �xc t g5 A move which had to be very
R i b l i 's entry into this endgame, a p recisely calcu lated , fo r it resu lts
passed pawn down , must be in a fu rther red u ct i o n of materia l
a p p lauded . H is primary com pen­ left to win .
sation is the p itifu l position of the 50 fxe4 bxa3
Wh ite k n ig hts, and the ab i l ity of h is 51 i)xa3 f3
k i ng to enter the game. 52 <tlc2+ 'ltc3
32 '\Mt ccYig6 53 i)e3
33 �c4 �d4! N ow Black just wins. Fu rman
Wh ite's e- and c-pawns must tries every possi b le m eans to
eventu a l l y cru m b l e . sacrifice h is knight for the a-pawn .
3 4 �xd4 i)xd4 53 ®xb3
35 i)d3 '\MS 54 ccYig4 f2
Centra l ising the king and keeping 55 '\M3 a5
the White c-pawn at bay is much 56 e5 <tlxe5+
m o re i m po rtant than g rab b ing the 57 ®xf2 a4
f-pawn . 58 �2 a3
36 ccYig2 i)c6 59 l'ttd 1 a2
37 h4 gxh4 60 <tlc2 ®b2
38 ®11 3 i)xe5 61 <tla t i)c4
39 i)xe5 ®xe5 62 i)c2 i)e3+
F ina l l y B lack is a pawn u p , but Resigns
m o re i m p o rtantly, the essentia I A neat p osit ional and endgame
featu res of the position p ersi st : h is d isplay.

9 p reparato ry to pu rsu ing choice ( i )
R ibli-Vaganian
Leningrad 1 977
King's I nd ian D efence
The fo l lowing two R i b l i games
a ppea r to have g reat si m i larities :
in b oth he is p layi ng W hite i n a QP
o pen ing against a strong o pp onent ;
i n both he sacrifices a q u eensid e
pawn i n o rder t o stifle the d evelop­
m ent of h is o p p o n ent 's q ueen 's
knight.
1 4lf3 4lf6
2 c4 g6
3 g3 Ag7
4 Ag2 0-0
5 0-0 d6
6 4lc3 c6
7 d4 *a5
8 h3 e5
9 e4
The basi c configu ration fo r the
classical fia nchetto variation has
been co m p leted . B la c k 's qu een
deploym ent on a 5 is the sharpest
and riskiest of the possi b i l ities ...
*a5, . . . �b6 , o r . . . �c7 . From a 5
there a re th ree idea s : ( i ) To t r y and
infiltrate Wh ite's q u eensi d e via c5
o r b4. Wh ite's su ccess wi l l then
freq uently hi nge on his ab i l ity to
sacrif i ce a pawn fo r the sa ke of
com p leti ng his q u eensi de develop­
ment, o r si m p ly to ta ke the i n it iative
in the centre. ( i i ) To cross over to
h5 to initiate an attack on the
Wh ite king. ( i i i ) To eye the centre
and q u eensi d e for f u rther d evelo p­
m ents whi le B lack cont i n u es his
m o b i l isation with ... 4lb d 7 .
9 exd4
B lack rel i n q u ishes the centre
Zo/ton Ribli 1 63
above.
1 0 4lxd4 *c5
F o rcing Wh ite 's respo nse . Of
cou rse 1 1 b3? wou l d be a b l u nder,
a l l owing 1 1 . . . 4lxe4.
1 1 <ilb3 *b4
On 1 1 . . . 'l*xc4? ! 1 2 'l*x d 6 with a
big lead i n d eve l o pment. The B lack
q u een tries to be as annoying as
possi b le . O nce set on this cou rse,
B la c k correctly p u rsues it, but R i b l i
m u st f i n d t h e way to p u n ish such
m ethods of p lay.
1 2 Ae3 a5?!
Yet another 'active' n o n -develop­
i ng m ove. H ere B lac k m ight try
1 2 . . . Ae6 1 3 e5 d xe5 1 4 Ac5
�xc4 1 5 Ete1 4la6 1 6 Af 1 Etfd 8 1 7
� 3 'l*x b 3 1 8 a x b 3 4lxc5 with
i nteresting compensation for his
q u een ( G el ler, lnformotor) , but 1 5
.ilxf8 is good fo r Wh ite.
1 3 <ild 2!
There were other comp l icat i ng
ways for Wh ite to conti nue i n o rder
to attempt to demonstrate an
a dvantage , e .g . 1 3 c5!? a4 14 4ld 2
d xc 5 1 5 a 3 ( 1 5 e 5 ! ? ) 1 5 . . . 'l*x b 2
1 6 4lxa4 with Wh ite m u c h better ;
R i b l i p refers to go to d 2 o n h is own
vo l it io n .
13 . . . *xb2?
But now Vaganian d ives i nto the
flame head fi rst . B etter was 1 3 . . .
a4. Then after 1 4 a 3 *a5 ( 1 4 .. .
�x b 2 1 5 4lxa4) Black wo u l d not
be i m med iate ly p u n ishab le fo r his
p revious � u een so rties.
14 4la4 *e5
On 1 4 ... �a3 1 5 4lb6 Eta6 1 6
c 5 ! etc . wou l d natu ra l ly fo l l ow.
1 64 Zoltan Ribli

1 5 c5 4:lfd7 30 �dd7 4:ld 8

N ot 1 5 . . . d xc5 1 6 4:lc4 i*e6 1 7 31 � b l
4:lcb6 ! with a won game . Vaganian Even though Wh ite seems o n ly to
continues his 'non -deve l o p ing' have replaced o n e r o o k on the 7th
ways . with another , the position is a
1 6 �b1 dxc5 'kn ight-mare' fo r B lack .
On 1 6 . . . 4:lxc5 1 7 4:lc4 fo l lowed 31 �eb B
by 4:lab6 and 4:lxd6 wi ns. 32 �bd l �b4
1 7 4:lc4 fle7 33 flc2 �ab8
1 8 4:lab 6 4:lxb6?! 34 .ll.c 4
This is too 'routine'. B lack
sho u l d try 1 8 ... �a7 ! ? Then 1 9
4:lxc8 �xc8 20 4:ld6 �c7 d oes not
offer Wh ite a c l i ncher .
1 9 4:lxb6 �a6?
By putting the roo k on this
square, the B lack knight is deprived
of any chance for m ob i l ity . 1 9 . ..
�a7 20 �c l 4:la6 wou l d be a better
try , a lthough after 21 i*e 1 or 2 1
*d2 B lack wou ld sti l l have
d ifficu lties. N ow Wh ite's fo rces a re idea l ly
20 .ll. f4 .ll. e 5 poised fo r the k i l l .
21 .ll.x e5 ibe5 34 �4b7
22 4:lxc8 �xc8 35 fld2 �xd7
23 �xb7 36 ihd7 c5
W h ite now has a. clea r advantage . 37 h4 a4
23 c4. 38 flxa4
24 "&e2 flc5 38 h 5 ! ?
25 �fb l �a8 38 �b4
26 Afl ! 39 fla6 fle7
Sudden ly this b ishop enters the 40 a3 �b8
ga me with lethal effect . Another 41 fld6 !
perhaps even m ore b rutal m ethod is R ib l i has accu mu lated enough
26 e5 ! ? advantages to h ea d for the ending
26 . . . 4:la6 and expect to win easi ly.
O n 26 . . . c3 27 *c4 a n yway . 41 flxd 6
27 flxc4 flf8 42 �xd 6 �8
28 �cl 43 �d7 ®1!8
To keep the knight u nder contro l . 44 �c7 � a8
45 a4 ·�
28 4:lc7 a
29 � d l 4:le6 46 .ll b 3 �b8
 Zo/tan Ribli 1 65

47 Ad 5 I!b l + and got the edge after 8 ... e6 9

48 ®g 2 I!al 4:le5 ile7 1 0 0-0 0-0 1 1 4:lxc4 c 5 1 2
49 I!a7 !!c l d x c 5 4:lb d7 1 3 c6 4:lc5 1 4 4:lb d 2
50 a5 I!a l �c7 1 5 �2 I!ad 8 . Tarrasch had
51 �3 R esigns tried 8 4:lfd 2 at M o ravska Ostrava
M o st notewo rthy th roughout this ( now Czechosl ova kia ) 1 923, after
gam e were the restrictions i m posed which G r O nfeld was a b l e to eq ual ise
on Black 's q u een 's kn ight. with 8 . . . �d 5 9 �c2 e6 1 0 4:lxc4
ile7 1 1 4:lb d 2 0 -0 1 2 4:lf3 c 5 etc .
8 frc2 b 3?!
A novelty by Po rtisch which
10 tu rns out to be d u b ious. 8 .. . e6 9
Ribli-Portisch ilxc4 ilxc4 1 0 �xc4 �d 5 is
H u ngary 1 97 8 co nsi dered eq ual by theoreticia ns.
Queen 's G am bit, Slav D efence The m ove p layEd renders h is b- a n d
So f i na l ly we co m e to t h is ga m e c-pawns rather wea k , and one
wh ich i s a must for a ny effort t o wou l d have thought that a p layer of
ffitisfactorily p resent Zo ltan R ib l i . Portisc h 's ca l i b re wou ld have a
I n H u nga rian c l u b m atch p lay specific motif behind such a comp­
( 1 978 ) he succeeds in beating the ro m ising m ove .
man he i d o l ises with fine p l a y . 9 frd 1 e6
1 c4 c6 If 9 . . . c5 1 0 4:le5 with advantage .
2 d4 d5 1 0 4:lbd 2 Ab4
3 4)f3 4)f6 1 1 Ae2 4:le4
4 4:lc3 dxc4 1 1 . . . i*d 5 with the idea ... c3
5 e3 b5 d eserves attention .
6 a4 b4 1 2 0-0 Axd2
7 4:lb 1 1 3 Axd2 0-0
7 4:la2 e6 8 ilxc4 ilb7 etc . is 1 4 Ab4 c5
kn own to lead to eq ual ity as in This is necessa ry becau se 1 4 .. .
Reshevsky-Smyslov, U SA- U SS R l:!e8 1 5 4:le5 wou ld be si m p l y too
1 945. good for Wh ite .
7 ... Aa6 1 5 Axc5
H ere 7 . . . a 5 has also b een p layed , On 1 5 dxc5 4:lc6 leads to a so l id
but leads to a c l ea r edge for White position for Blac k .
after 8 ilxc4 . 15 . . . 4:lxc5
As the reader can i m agine, such 1 6 dxc5 frxd 1
sharp , to the p o i nt , m eth ods of N ow 1 6 . . . 4:lc6 1 7 l:!c 1 wou ld be
p l ay in the Slav have a rich h isto ry adva ntageou s for Wh ite .
behind them . F o r exa m p le , Alekhine 1 7 I!fxd 1 c3
p l ayed 8 ile2 in t h is posit i o n This seems l i ke a st ro ke Po rtisch
aga i nst Euwe i n thei r 1 935 m atc h , m ight have b een cou nting o n .
1 66 Zo/tan Ribli

22 Ad5
23 e4 .1lc4
24 !!b2 !!fc8
25 .11 x c4 <tlxc4
26 !!xb3 !!xc5
27 !!b 5
A p o ignant m ove.
27 . . . !!cc8
27 ... !!c 7 was b etter, b u t wou Id
not have saved the ga m e .
28 �2 g6
1 8 Ab 5 ! 29 !!d 1 !
R ib l i shows h i s class. Aga i n a Ta king over the open fi les and
B lack q u een 's knight is stifl ed and sti l l eyeing the Black k n ight.
his c h o i ces a re u n pl easa nt . If 1 8 . .. 29 <tlb6
cxb2 1 9 !!ab 1 Ab7 20 !! x b 2 Ad 5 30 a5 <tla4
2 1 <tld2, o r if 1 8 . . . c2 1 9 !!d3 !!c8 3 1 <tle2!
20 !!xb3 !! xc5 21 !!c3, with Demo nstrating R ib l i '� canny
consi d erab le advantage for Wh ite in ab i l ity to switch between material
eac h case . a nd positional advantages ; thus o n
18 . . . Ab7 3 1 . . . <tl x c 3 32 <tl x c 3 !! x c 3 33 !! d 7
19 bxc3 Ae4! ? a6 3 4 !! b b 7 !! f 8 35 !!a7 !! a 3 36
U nder the circu m sta nces the b est !!xa6 !!c8 37 !!aa7 !!c2+ 38 ®g3
try . If 1 9 . . <tlc6 Wh ite has the
. ( Ugrinovi�, lnformator) shou ld be
p leasant choice of 20 <tld4 , 20 a5, enough to secu re victo ry, though
or 20 !!d2. B lack sho u l d try t h is l in e .
20 !!d2 <tlc6 31 aS
O n 20 . . . Ac2 21 !!e1 ( o r f 1 ) ! 32 !!b3 !!c7
with <tld4 to fo l l ow. R i b l i cou ld 33 !!db 1 !!aa7
now go wrong with 2 1 <tlg5? Ac2 ! 34 �3 <tlc5
22 !!xc2 (22 .1lxc6 !!ab 8 ! ) 22 . . . 35 !!a3
b xc2 2 3 .1lxc6 !!fd 8 ! 2 4 .1lf3 R etu rning to h is favou rite theme !
!!ab 8 and Black wins . 35 <tld7
2 1 <tld4! 36 !!a4 <tle5
N ow o n 2 1 . . . <tlxd4 22 exd4 .1lc2 37 !!bb4 !!c8
23 !!e1 with 24 Ad 3 to fo l l ow 38 h3 !!ac7
gives a win n i ng p l u s f o r White. 39 f4 <tlc4+
21 . . . <tla5 40 �d3 !!d7+
22 f3 41 <tld4 <tld6
Po rtisch 's o n ly cou nterp lay, the 42 !!b6 <tlb7
b-pawn , has been neutra l ised , and On 42 . . . <tlb 5 43 !!c4.
R ib l i sta rts to ta ke over new terra i n . 43 !!c4 <tlc5+? !
 Zo/ton Ribli 167

This eases White's task ( o n ly 49 nxa6 !

because R i b l i finds an a rtistic R i b l i decides to cal l it a p u re roo k
tou c h ) though 43 ... n xc4 44 ®xc4 end i ng si n ce the knight can d o no
�xa5+ 45 ®b4 wou l d sti l l win . harm - now it is tru ly i m m o b i l e !
44 r&�c2 ndc7 49 h4
45 e5 h5 50 naB+ ®97
4 6 �b3 ! 51 a6 nc4
Prepar i ng a n i ce fi nish . 52 a7 Ha4
46 �xb3 53 c4! Resigns
47 nxc7 �al + A f i ne p o i nt. Both pawns cannot
48 ®b2 §xc7 be sto pped from q ueening.
7 Ljubomir
Ljubojevic
" F ro m Lj u bojevirl one can ex pect any sort of foo lhard i ness"
Victor Korchnoi { Viktor Korchnoi 's Best Games, Philidor 1977)

What a n i ntro d u cti o n ! Can Lj u b o m i r Benon i . Everyone p l ays 8 . .ild7 9

. .

Lju bojevic, to p Yugoslav grand­ "'*b3 �7 h ere . N ot Lj u b ojevic. H e

master , rea l ly be 'fo o l hardy'? Try ch ose the startling 8 . . . ®e7? ! O n
to guess B lac k 's next move from the face of it , th is m ove, moving
the d iagram position , fro m the Blac k 's k i ng into the m id d le of a
ga m e K o rc h n o i - Lj u b ojevirl, Bath board choc k-fu l l of th reate n i ng
1 973 : Wh ite p ieces, seems palpably absu rd .
N o wonder K orch n o i wrote so
scat h i n g l y .
The ga me conti nued 9 4Jf3 :Be8
1 0 .ilb5 4Jbd7 1 1 0-0 a6 1 2 :Bfe 1
4Jb6, and now K o rchnoi suggests
that 1 3 "'*b3 ! a x b 5 1 4 4Jxb5 etc .,
resu lts in a lethal attac k . In fact,
he p layed the less effective 1 3 e5 ! ? ,
which a l l owed Lju b ojevic t o wriggle
out of his gravest d ifficu lties by
means of the i nge nious 1 3 . . . d x e5
The knowledgea b l e reader wi l l 1 4 �3 ®f8! 1 5 .ilxe8 exf4 1 6
recogn ise this a s a we l l -k n own 'l*xc5+ ®98 1 7 .ila4 4Jxa4 1 8 4Jxa4
posit ion arising after White's 8th 4Jxd5, with compensation for the
m ove in a l i ne of the Modern loss of the exchange. Lju bojevic
1 70 Ljubomir Ljubojevic

may have played a rid icu l o us m ove meta m o rphoses i nto a grueso me
i n the o pening, but K o rc h n o i o n ly caricatu re . Ta ke the fo l l owi ng
won this game after a long, hard­ ca lam itous ga m e , for exa m p l e,
fought endga m e . where it is hard to b e l i eve that the
O f cou rse , K o rc h n o i 's co m m ent p layer of the b lack pieces is m o re
must be seen i n perspective . adept than a wea kish c l u b player,
Lj u bojevic is fa r from being far less grandmaster Lj u bojeviC :
primarily 'foo l ha rdy'. Rather,
K o rc h n o i is putting h is finger on Uhlman n-Ljub ojevic, N iksic 1 978
the one maj o r wea kness i n the 1 c 4 c5 2 4:lf3 g6 3 d4 �g7 4 e4
armou ry of a p l ayer who is a h ig h ly cxd4 5 4:lxd4 4:lc6 6 �e3 d 6 7 4:lc3
enterp rising and ta lented tactician , a6? ! (What on ea rth is this move
always spo i l i ng fo r a fight. Lju b o ­ about? Thematic is the straight­
jevic's sty le is complex . H e feels h is fo rward d eve l o p i ng move 7 . . . 4:lf6 .)
natu ra l reso u rcefu l n ess wi l l enab l e 8 �e2 e6? ! (This is the point - b ut
hi m t o overco m e a l most any tactical B lack cannot affo rd to wea ken his
problems. H is play is remarkab ly b lack sq u a res, his d -pawn and lose
ex u berant, and , while he so m et i m es tem p i l i ke this.) 9 'ltd 2 4:le5 ! ? 1 0
overdoes it, as m u st be sa id o bject­ E!d 1 'ltc 7? ! (Any thoughts of
ively of his 8th m ove in the ga m e cou nterp lay aga i nst Wh ite 's pawn
aga i nst K o rc h n o i , he m ore than on c4 a re c h i meric . U h l ma n n
often b o u n ces bac k and saves h i m ­ suggests t h e lo osening 1 0 . . . f5, so
self - o r better ! When he d o es h i t that B l ac k 's d-pawn can be defended
form , his resu lts can be tru ly by a later . . . 4:lf7 .) 1 1 4:ld b 5 ! a x b 5
magnificent. Every so ofte n , how­ 1 2 4:lx b 5 'ltc6 1 3 4:lxd6+ ®e7 1 4
ever, and this is K o rch n o i 's p o i nt, 'ltb4 ®f6 1 5 f4 g 5 1 6 fxe5+ ®g6
h is p lay seems i ncred i b ly bad . 1 7 4:lxf7 ! 1 -0 . (An effective ha ra
Lj u b ojevic is not u nused to k i r i ! )
d isaster , and while this chapter
focuses o n the positive aspects of Lju b o m i r Lju bojevic was b o rn o n
h is chess a nd his strong p o i nts, no 2 N ovember 1 950 i n Titovo Uzice .
rou nded consideration of the Yugo­ H is 'ho me' town , however, is
slav 's sty le can o r sh o u l d avo id Belgrade, where he g rew up and sti l l
touchi ng o n the d istaff si de, which l ives today . A s a youth , h e was
is perhaps the main reaso n why he keen ly interested i n a l l spo rts and
has sti l l not qu ite b ro ken through enjoyed the cha l l enge of scho o l . H e
the tight ran ks of accred ited Wo r l d was a part icu larly g o o d footba l ler
Champio nsh i p cha l l engers. Let m e and p layed as a j u n i o r in the
underl i ne what a n u nusual p ro b lem famous ' R ed Star ' c l u b i n Belgrade.
this can someti m es be fo r Lju b ojevic. H e qual ified fo r a p lace i n the
N ot ofte n , but every now and Belgrade U n iversity Facu lty of
aga i n , Lj u b oj evic's marvel l o u s p lay B i o logy, and has always b een a

ta lented l i ngu ist , with especia l
fac i l ity i n Engl ish, Span ish , R u ssia n,
Ita l ia n and F rench .
Lj u b ojevic lea rned chess from a n
u ncle, but his i m m ed iate fam ily was
not interested i n the ga me and
mo re co ncerned about his genera l
ed ucatio n . They were, i n fact , i n h is
own wo rds, 'against chess'. Although
the ga m e is i m m ense ly p o p u l a r i n
Yugoslavia and there a re a l a rge
n u m ber of p rofessi onal p layers, it is
not genera l l y known that the state
does not guarantee their l ivel ihoods
in a w,ay co m m o n in the Soviet b l oc
co u ntries. As i n the West, chess is
not an easy ca l l ing in Yu goslavia,
and there a re many m o re secu re
ways of making a l iving for you ng
peo p l e , l i ke Lj u bojevic, who have a
good ed ucatio n a n d ta l ented m i nds.
Lj u bojevic was not a p ro d igy - h is
devel o p ment was grad u a l . H e c u l l ed
an extensive experience from the
many o p p o rt u n ities to p lay against
strong opposition provided i n
Belgrade, but he d id not i m p ress
u nt i l a relatively late stage. H is fi rst
significant i nternati ona l h o n o u r was
to be ch osen for the Yugoslavian
Stu d ents' tea m which too k second
p l ace to the U SS R in D resden in
1 969 . H e sco red the best resu lt on
boa rd 3, amassing 9Y:d1 3, i n c l u d i ng
the fo l lowing b right wi n with the
Black p ieces aga i nst a n other
'u n k n own ' you ng player who has
since r isen to the grandm aster ran k s :
Tarjan-Ljubojevi c, Students'
O lympiad , D resden 1 969
1 e4 c5 2 l£)f3 d6 3 l£)c3 l£)c6 4 d4
Ljubomir Ljubojevic 7 77
c x d 4 5 i£)xd4 l£)f6 6 .ll c 4 .ll d 7 7
.ll b 3 e6 8 .ll e 3 �5 9 0-0 l£)xd4 1 0
.ll x d 4 .ll c 6 1 1 .ll x f6 gxf6 1 2 f4 f5
1 3 ith 5 itc5+ 1 4 ®h 1 fxe4 1 5 f5
0-0-0 ! (A necessary, but p ro m ising
pawn sacrifice, by which B lack gets
strong pawns in the centre and an
active b ishop-pai r . ) 1 6 itxf7 d5! 1 7
fx e6? ! ( Better seems 1 7 itxe6+
®b 8 1 8 !!ad 1 . After the text,
Wh ite 's queen is effectively shut
out and B la c k 's centra l pawns
assu m e an enhanced i m p o rtance.)
1 7 ... .ll e7 ! 1 8 h 3 ! ? !!hg8 1 9 !!ad 1
e3 ! 20 l£)xd 5? e2 ! 2 1 i£)xe7+ itxe7
22 !! x d 8+ itx d8 23 e7 .ll x g2+
24 ®h 2 exf 1 =1£)+ 25 ®9 1
itd4+ 26 itf2 .ll d 5+ 27 ®xf 1
itd 1 + 0-1 .
After D resden, h is next i m p o rtant
test came d u ring the wi nter of
1 969-70 i n the Eu ropea n J u n i o r
Cha m p i o nship in G ro n i ngen . There
he fin ished i n 2nd p l ace behind
Ad o rj a n , ahead of Bel iavsky, who
sha red in a tie with th is auth o r
( C . P.) for 3 r d a n d 4th p l aces. This
was the tou rnament at which I was
first to get to know Lj u bojevic. I
was st ru c k , o n a perso n a l level , by
his i m m ense energy, gen u i n e grega r­
i ousness and considera b l e zest for
l ife. H e was, a nd remai ns, an o p en
and extrovert perso na l ity, who had
time and interest for everyb ody in
or con nected with the t o u r nament .
O n a chess leve l , I was i m p ressed by
h is q u iet deter m i natio n . Of h is
futu re, he wou ld si m p ly say, ' I am
a p rofessi ona l . I wa nt to become a
grand master . '
1 72 Ljubomir Ljubojevic
I got the fee l i ng Lju bojevic was
d isapp o inted not to win at G ro n ­
i ngen. H owever , he d id n o t
com p la i n , and , in truth , Ad o rjan
p layed the best and m ost p rofess­
ional chess in the tou rnament, and
was the deserving wi n ner. Lj u b o ­
jevic was main ly d isap p o i nted a s
fi rst p lace carried with it a coveted
i nvitation to the I BM M aster G ro u p
in t h e fo l l owing su m mer, w h i l e the
second p lace carried n o such p rize.
T h is was at a time when i nvitations
fo r asp i ring young p layers were at
a p rem iu m . A d ecade late r , there
a re , it seems, many m o re events to
go rou nd .
But 1 970 was, in any case,
destined to be Lj u b ojeviC's b reak ­
t h rough yea r . I nvited to t h e a n n u a l
Sarajevo g rand m aster event e a r l y i n
t h e yea r, Lj ub ojevic made t h e m ost
of h is o p p o rtu n ity to race t h rough
the field and tied fo r fi rst and
second p laces with former World
J u n i o r Cham p i o n , Bruno Pa rma. I n
a stroke, the 20-yea r-o ld candidate
m aste r and student from Belgrade
ach ieved the national m aster , i nter­
national master and i nternational
g rand master n o rms. H e a p p l ied to
F I D E for the awa rd of the g rand­
master title, but had to be content,
for the m o ment , with the inter­
national master awa rd . But it
seem ed on ly a matter of time
befo re the g rand m aster title wou ld
be h is.
A l m ost exact ly a yea r late r ,
Lj u b ojevic was to ga in t h e g rand­
master title by f i n ishing seco nd
behind Vaganian in another
p owerfu l field in Vrnja c ka Banja.
H e too k shared f i rst p lace with
Panno i n the p restigious Las Pa l m as
tou rnament later in the yea r , and
fin ished second/t h i rd in the Yugo­
slav Champ ionsh i p in early 1 972,
wh ich was a lso a q u a l ifying event
fo r the zonal stage of the World
C h am p ionsh i p e l i m i natio n cycl e .
H e was n o w an estab l ished
Yugoslavian sta r, n o l onger wa nting
for tou rnament invitatio ns, but
suffering from a su rfeit. In 1 972,
he p l ayed in eight i m p o rta nt events,
of which h is sco re of 1 5%/ 1 9 on
Board 3 for h is cou ntry i n the
S k o pje C h ess O ly m p iad , which a lso
wo n h i m the Board p r ize, was
p robably nea rest to h is h ea rt .
Since 1 97 1 /2 , with the exceptio n
of a period of national service from
the end of 1 97 6 u nti l the beg i n n i ng
of 1 978, Lj u bojevic has been an
extremely active and ex cit i ng
p rofessi o n a l g rand master . H is E l o ­
rating h a s hovered consistently
arou nd the 2600 mark, and he has
been regarded as one of those
p l ayers most l i kely to b rea k into
the se lect Cand id ates stage of the
World C h a m p io nsh ip e l i m i natio n
cycl e . H e has q u a l ified f o r a l l th ree
l nterz o n a l stages since then , b u t h e
has yet to b rea k i nto the top th ree
p laces in these events necessa ry to
guara ntee entry i nto the Candidates.
He came closest i n Manila i n 1 97 6,
where he finished 5th/6th with
R ib l i ; and it seemed as if he was
ru nning away with the event i n
Petro p o l is in 1 976, when he
su dden ly eo ! l apsed in the second

ha lf of the tou rnament, and ta i l ed
off to a d isap p o i nt i ng sha re o f 9th/
1 0th p l aces. R iga, in 1 979, where
he fin ished in 1 3th p lace, was
nothing sho rt of a thoroughgoing
d isaster . Lj ubojevic sti l l d oes not
seem to find it easy to cu rb the
ex cesses of h is natu ra l i nstincts and
em p loy the tight m ethods necessa ry
to q u a l ify from such powerfu l
events as the I nterzona ls.
Away fro m the World C h am p io n ­
ship cycl e , Ljub ojevic h as perfo rmed
with considerab le d isti ncti o n i n the
many i nternational tou rnaments in
which he has ta ken part . H e h as
q u ite a n u m ber of fi rst p laces to
h is cred it in events ra nging from
Las Pal m as, th rough Amsterdam to
Buenos Aires. H e fin ished 4th in
the first of the d ecade's 'su per'
tou rna m ents, behind K a rpov,
Po rtisch and Petrosian in M i lan i n
1 975, 4th/5th i n B u g o j n o i n 1 97 8 ,
a n d 4th in t h e fab u lous M ontrea l
tou rnament in 1 979. H e finished
p o o r ly i n a share of 1 Oth/1 1 th
p l aces in T i l b u rg i n 1 978; but in
such tournaments suc h fai l u res a re
relative. Who fin ished i n 1 2th and
bottom p l ace in T i l b u rg? N one
other than R ib li !
I f o n ly Ljubojevic can e l i m inate
the grosse r extravagancies of h is
chess style and get m o re so l id
ro utine into his p lay, there seems
l ittl e d oubt that he can advance h is
chess career fu rther. H e is resi l ient
enough to take h is reverses rea l istic­
a l ly , and has the capac ity to effect
rem ed ies . He seems to be ta king
steps i n these d i rections. H e appea rs,
Ljubomir Ljubojevic 1 73
for exam p l e , to be tu rning away
increasi ngly from such esoteric
opening systems as 1 b 3 and the
si m p ler o pen ga mes that have
p layed a significant but not a lways
successfu l part in h is opening
reperto i re in the 1 97 0s. N owadays
he adopts m o re of the 'standard '
o peni ngs, such as the R uy Lopez ,
Queen 's G a m b it, Engl ish and Reti
systems, which are both m o re
comp lex and d ifficu lt to meet, as
wel l as being (not by accident ! )
a l m ost the exclusive standbys of
such hard-wo r k i n g , l ead ing p l ayers
as Karpov, K o rc h n o i , Tal and
Po rtisch . Lj u bojevic k nows h i mself
that it is absu rd that such a debacle
as h is game aga inst U h l mann, given
ea r l ier in t h is chapter, should o ccu r
in the p ractice o f a p layer so strong.
H e is aware of h is sho rtcom i ngs -
we h ave not seen the best of h i m
yet !
1
Ljubojevic-Browne
Sarajevo 1 970
Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation
Lju b ojevic, in h is b reakth rough
g randmaster tou rnament, g ives a
warning of h is theoretical p repared ­
n ess in sharp variati o ns of the
Sic i l ia n . H is o p p onent, at the time,
was the wor l d 's you ngest h o lder of
the g randmaster tit l e . T h is was the
fi rst of many j o u sts b etween the
two t h roughout the 1 970s.
1 e4 c5
2 �f3 d6
1 74 Ljubomir Ljubojevic

3 d4 cxd4 p layed befo re in the game G u fe l d ­

4 4lxd4 4lf6 Piaton ov, U SS R Ch 1 969 , which
5 4lc3 a6 Black had wo n , but upon wh ich
6 .ll c4 e6 Wh ite cou l d have def i nitely
7 .ll b 3 b5 i m p roved . B rowne c l ea r l y wished to
8 0-0 .ll e 7 avo id p laying i nto Lj u bojeviC's
9 f4 .ll b 7?! home a na lysis, or perhaps had h is
Th is m ove is nowadays u nder a own ' i m provement ' ready, a lthough ,
cloud because of the dangerou s if so , Wh ite refuted it co m p l ete ly.
sacrificia l continuati o n e m p loyed i n Gufeld -Piato n ov now continued 1 7
t h e fu rther cou rse of t h i s game. 9 . . . ... '*e7 1 B .ll d 5 4ld4 1 9 '*h3 4lxc2
0-0 i s p referab le, a n d after 1 0 e 5 20 E!ad 1 !! d B 21 .ll x b7 '*xb7 22
dxe5 1 1 f x e5 4lfd7 1 2 '*h5 B lack E! x d 8+ ®xd B 23 E!d 1 + ®eB (23 ...
seems to have a d e pendab le choice ®e7 h as been suggested , but after
between 1 2 . . . l£lc6 and 1 2 . . . 4lc5 . 24 41d 5+ ®fB 25 � 5 ! , th reatening
10 e5! dxe5 b oth 26 '*xc2 and 26 '*e5 , B lack
1 1 fxe5 .ll c 5 appea rs to be lost.) 24 l£le4 ! E!g6 ,
B lack is fo rced into t h is sharp and now Wh ite sh o u l d play 25
choice , as 1 1 . . . 4lfd7 ( 1 1 ... 4ld5 '*x h7 ! ( i nstead of 25 l£ld6+? E! x d 6
1 2 �3 is a lso good for White) now 26 E! x d 6 .llf 4 2 7 E! d 3 h 6 ! and
fai l s to 1 2 E!xf7 ! ®xf7 1 3 4lxe6 B lack won ) , with the fo l l owi ng
'*b6+ 1 4 ®h 1 ®eB 1 5 l£lxg7+ ®d B possi b i l ities, acco rding to R u ssian
1 6 e6 , with a tremendous attac k . sou rces : ( i ) 25 . . . '*xe4 26 '*h B+
12 Ae3 4lc6 ®e7 27 '*dB+ ®e6 2B '*d 6+ ®f5
13 exf6 Axd4 29 E!d 5+; ( i i ) 25 ... �7 26 '*h S+
14 fxg7 ! Axe3+ ®e7 27 l£lc3 ! ; and ( i i i ) 25 . . . .ll d 4?
15 caJh 1 E!g8 26 '*xg6 !
16 �f3 E!xg7 17 Ad4
17 AxeS ! 18 .ll x f7+ �7
19 E!ad 1 ®1:8
20 .ll d 5 �b6
21 E!xd4!
U nfortu nate ly for Browne, t h is
move, based o n the fact that Black
cannot reply 2 1 ... l£lxd4 b ecause of
22 �B+ etc ., destroys h is hopes
utter l y . The conclusi o n is that the
who le variation is suspect. White's
attack seems at least we l l wo rth the
sacrificed p iece .
N one of this c o u l d have been new 21 �xd4
to either p layer . i t had a l l been 22 .ll x c6 ®b 8
 Ljubomir Ljubojevic 7 75

23 ilxb7 Elxb7 2 e5 .!£ld 5

24 Eld 1 *c5 3 d4 d6
25 .!£le4 *xc2 4 c4 .!£lb6
26 Eld8+ 5 f4 dxe5
D rawi ng Blac k 's king fata l ly into 6 fxe5 c5!?
the o p en , si n ce if 26 ... �7 27 7 d5 e6
'l!t'e3+ etc . 8 .!£lc3 exd 5
26 r3Jc7 9 cxd 5 c4
27 Eld2! *c6 10 .!£lf3 ilg4
28 i!H4+ \Y7c8 11 *d4 ilxf3
29 .!£ld 6+ r3Jc7 12 gxf3 Ab4
30 .!£lc4+ \Y7c8 13 Axc4 0-0
31 *f8+ \Y7c7 14 Elg1 g6!
32 *xa8 *f6 This was the move which must
33 .!£le3 *e7 have roc ked Bro nstei n . A l l the
34 .!£ld5+ Resign s m oves u p to th is p o i nt had been
ado pted in a wel l -k nown game -
which i nvo lved Lju bojevic as Wh ite !
- and which had seemed to d ea l
2 t h e who le va riatio n a devastati ng
Bronstein-Ljubojevic b low. I n that game, Lj ubojevic­
Petropolis 1 973 H o n f i , Caca k 1 97 1 , play had gone
Alekhine's D efence , Four Pawns 1 4 ... 'l!t'c7? 1 5 e6 f6 1 6 ilh6 ! 'l!t'xc4
Attack ( I f 1 6 . . . Ac5 1 7 d 6 ! , and if either
This m agnificent fighting game was 1 7 ... Axd4 o r 1 7 ... .!£lxc4 1 8
one of the most rem a r ka b l e gam es e7(+) ! wins. ) 1 7 El xg7+ ®h 8 1 8
of the 1 970s. l t had a crucial Elg8+ ! 1 .0 . Lju bojeviC's i m p rove­
bea r i n g on the stan d i ngs in the ment ma kes Wh ite 's task a lot m o re
tou rna m ent, and was a m o ra le­ d ifficu lt.
sa p p i n g b low to Lju bojevits hopes 1 5 Ag5
of q u a l ifyi ng for the Candidates ' 1 5 Ah6 .!£lc6 1 6 i*e4 .!£lxe5! is
M atches. The sense of d ra m a was good f o r Black , as in a l ittle-known
perfect. Lj u b ojevic created the correspondence ga m e , G ibbs-Stuart,
most fea rso me c o m p l i cati o ns o ut of 1 97 1 /2, which cont i n u ed 17 Axf8
a hai r-ra isi ng variati o n of the F o u r 'l!t'xf8 1 8 Ab5 'l!t'c 5 1 9 0-0-0 Axc3
Pawns' Attack , in which he had 20 bxc3 'l!t'xc3+ 2 1 'l!t'c2 'l!t'a 1 + 22
prepared a nove lty befo rehand . ®d 2 .!£lxf3+ 23 ®83 .!£l x d 5+ ! 24
Bro nstei n , caught c o m p l ete ly out ®xf3 i*f6+ 25 ®g3 �5+ 26 ®f2
of h is stride, h it back with a 'l!t'h4+ 27 Elg3 'l!t'x h2+ 28 Elg2
m a rve l l o usly i ntu itive r o o k sacrifice 'l!t'xg2+ and B l ack wo n .
that i n tu rn caught Lj u b ojevic off 15 *c7
guard . 1 6 Ab3!
1 e4 .!£lf6
I /(, I julmm/r Ljubojevk1
B ro nstei n cal m ly leaves a ro o k en
p r ise . In retu rn , he conju res up
u nfathomab le tactical co m p l ic­
ati o ns. The sacrifice may not be
so u nd , but the wel l -p repared
Lj u bojevi c n ow has to co m p letely
reorientate his own thi n k i n g , and
dea l with u nco mfo rtab le p r o b lems
he had not p reviously fo reseen .
16 . . . Ac5
1 7 "ltf4
.." ' .
g �-··g
�.. t • • t . t
' "
-- - ���f "• �. r.
·���£�ll�a•
. . .
��
-�� . it .
it �� • • ��
r.fj��""�• •a.
�� AP\ ·�fj�
t � - -!:
17 . . . Axg1
After the ga m e , 64 pub l ished an
ana lysis suggesting B lack cou ld
i m p rove with either of two a ltern­
ative l i n es : (i) 17 ... 1£18d 7 1 8 d6
*c6 1 9 0-0-0 ilxg1 20 �xg1 *c5
2 1 �e1 �ae8 ; and ( ii ) 1 7 . . . �e8
1 8 ilf6 1£18d 7 1 9 d 6 1£lxe5 ( But not
19 .. . *xd6? 20 ilxf7+ ! ®xf7 2 1
il e7+ ! etc . ) 2 0 ®f 1 ilxd6 2 1 l£lb 5
*c6 22 l£lxd6 *xd 6 23 �d 1 *c6
24 ilxe5 i*b 5+. N either l i n e is
convi nci ng, however. K eres, writing
i n Chess Life and Review, p o i nted
out the refutati o n of the f i rst - 22
e6 ! , and if 22 . . . fxe6 23 � x e6 !
�xf4 24 � x e8+, o r 2 2 . . . � x e6 23
� x e6 fxe6 24 ilx e6+ ®h8 25
*xf8+ ! , Wh ite m ating in both
var iations. As fo r the seco nd l ine,
K eres thought Wh ite wou ld sti l l
have the better of i t after the
fu rther 25 ®g2 *x e5 26 *xf7+
®h 8 27 �ge 1 *xb 2+ 28 ®h 1 ;
wh i le a later ga me, M a rjanovic­
F i l i powicz, Yu goslavia 1 974, varied
ea r l ier with 1 9 l£le4 l£lxe5? ( 1 9 .. .
�xe5 20 ilxe5 l£lxe5 2 1 ®e2 is
better, but sti l l u nsatisfacto ry for
Black.) 20 �xg6+ ! and Wh ite wins.
1 8 d6
A roo k down , Wh ite m u st react
with so me u rgency . 1 8 0-0-0 1£18d 7 !
1 9 � x g 1 *x e5 2 0 *xe5 l£lxe5, as
in G rii nfe l d -Letze lter, B u enos Aires
1 978, is to o slow; whi le i n the
ga me G heorg h i u - Lj u bojevic, M a n i la
1 973 ( p l ayed a l most i m med iate ly
after Petropo l is) Wh ite lost after 1 8
®e2? *c5 ! 1 9 � x g 1 *xg 1 20 ilf6
*92+ 21 ®e3 *x b 2 22 ®d3 1£18d7
23 l£le4 �ac8 24 *h6 l£lxe5+ 25
®e3 �c3+ 0-1 . But the rea l
q u est i o n posed by this last game is
what i m p rovement Lj u bojevic had
o n h is game against B ro nstei n ?
18 . . . "ltc8?
Six fu l l yea rs later, in the R iga
I nterzona l 1 979 , Lj u b ojevic revea led
his secret . H is o p p o nent, the i l l­
advised yo u ng I srae l i p layer
G r ii nfe ld , invited his Nemesis by
fo l l owing a l l the m oves u p t d here .
Pub l ished ana lysis i n d i cated that
the text-move was i nadequate, a nd
that the a lternative 1 8 . . . *c6 1 9
e6 ! 1£18d7 20 exf7+ ®g7 2 1 0-0-0 !
was a lso very pro m ising f o r Wh ite .
Lju b ojevic, h owever , p layed i nstead
1 8 . . . *c5 ! 1 9 l£le4 *d4 ! (Theory
o n ly co nsid ered 1 9 ... *e3+ 20
*x e3 ilxe3 2 1 ilxe3 1£18d 7 22
 Ljubomir Ljubojevic 1 77

.{!d4 and White has a b i n d , o r if 1 9 e7 b oth a l low 2 1 . . . i*f2+ a nd 22 . . .

. . . i*b4+? 20 � 1 ! and Wh ite is Axh2) 2 1 . . . ®9 7 a n d Black shou ld
win ning) and G ru nfeld found h i m ­ win ( K eres) .
se lf u nab le t o cou nter t h e i nfluence 20 4)e4 4)8d7
of B l a c k 's central ised q u een . The 2 1 E!c 1 twc6
gam e conti nued 20 E!d 1 i*xb 2 2 1 22 E!xc5 !
e 6 ( If 2 1 4)f6+ � 8 2 2 i*h4 Th is m ove is co m p l etely decisive.
i*xe5+ 23 � 1 i*x h2, o r if 22 4)g4 B l ac k 's king is now bare on the
f 5 ! and Black is win n i n g . ) 21 . . . k i ngsi d e .
4)8d 7 ! 22 e 7 i*x h 2 23 exf8=i*+ 22 <i)xc5
E! xf8 24 i*x h 2 .a x h 2 25 4)f6+ �7 23 4)f6+ ®11 8
26 <i)xd7 4)xd7 27 .ae7 E!e8 28 24 twh4 twb5+
�2 .ae5 29 E!c 1 4)c5 ! 30 E!d 1 25 ®83 h5
.{!f6 3 1 .axf6+ �xf6 32 .ac4 E! d 8 26 <i)xh 5 twxb3+
a n d Black won . A f i na l , q u i x otic gesture, but if
1 9 �2? 26 ... i*d 3+ 27 �2 g x h 5 28 .{!f6+
R e m em ber , b oth p layers in t h is and mates, or if 27 . . . 4)e4+ 28 f x e4
ga m e were confro nting the p ro b lems i*d4+ 29 ®92 i*x b 2+ 30 ®h3
fo r the f irst time. We now know *c3+ 3 1 4)g3+ etc . I n the moves
that 1 9 0-0 -0 ! is correct, after that fo l low, B lac k ta kes Wh ite u p
which White has good chances. to t h e time-co ntro l before con­
Keres g ives : ced ing the inevitab le and resigning
( i) 1 9 . . . .ac5 20 e6 ! 4)8d 7 ( O r 20 the game.
... fxe6 2 1 twe5 ! , and now 2 1 .. . 27 axb3 <i)d5+
4)d 5 22 d 7 ! , 2 1 . . . E!e8 22 ile7 a n d 28 ®d4! 4le6+
2 1 ... E!f7 22 Axe6 4)8d 7 2 3 29 ®xd5 4lxg5
.axf7+ ®xf7 2 4 twe7+ ®g8 25 .{! h 6 30 4:>f6+ �7
a l l w i n i m med iately.) 2 1 e 7 etc . 31 '&'xg5 E!fd8
( i i ) 1 9 ... twc5 2 0 e6 ! 4)8 d 7 21 32 e6 fxe6+
exf7+ ®97 22 Wb 1 !, and the threat 33 ®xe6 E!f8
of 23 4)e4 is very strong ; 34 d7 a5
( i i i ) 1 9 ... 4)8d7 20 E! x g 1 *c5 2 1 35 4lg4 HaS+
E! e 1 E!ae8 2 2 e6 ! with a raging 36 ®85 E!f5+
attack . 37 '&'xf5 gxf5
19 . . . Ac5? 38 d 8='&' fxg4
C o r rect, aga in with h i n d sight, was 39 '&'d7+ ®11 6
1 9 . . . i*c5 ! (aga in activating B l a c k 's 40 '&'xb7 E!g6
q u een ) . Then if 20 4)e4 i*b5+ 2 1 41 f4 R esigns
®e 1 ( O r 2 1 Wd 2 4)c4+ 2 2 i:ixc4 By way of postscript, Lj u bojevi�
i*x b 2+! etc .) 2 1 . . 4)8d 7 seems
. (cra z i ly?) to o k o n ly 55 m i n utes to
so u nd enough fo r B lack ; o r if 20 p lay the whole of th is a mazing
e6 4)8d7 2 1 exf7+ (21 exd7 a nd 2 1 ga m e !
1 78 Ljubomlr Ljubojevic

3 1 1 dxc6
Ljubojevic-Durio
Orense 1 974
Ruy Lopez, Classical Defence
A spa r k l i n g attacking ga m e , which
was voted best gam e of the ha lf­
yea r covered by vo I. 1 7 of the
periodical Chess lnformotor, Lju b o ­
javits wi n over D u rao is a f i n e
exam p l e of t h e susta ined co m b i n ­
ational energy Lju b o jevi� c a n release
even from the si m p l est of positio ns.
lt is g reat enterta i n m ent.
1 e4 e5
2 <i:lf3 <i:lc6
3 Ab5 Ac5
4 0-0 <i:ld4
5 <i:lxd4 Axd4
6 c3 Ab6
7 d4 c6
8 Aa4 d6
9 <i:la3 Ac7 !?
G iven by m ost of t h e boo ks, b ut
the si m p le 9 . . . <i:lf6 is a lso worth
consideratio n , and if 1 0 d5 0-0 1 1
d x c6 <i:lxe4 1 2 illtd 5 <i:lc5 , o r 1 2
.Q.c2 <i:lxf2 !
1 0 d5!
A n interesting attempt t o tie
B lack d own and i m p rove o n the
'standard ' 1 0 f4 , as in the game
Parma-Zu id ema, Wij k aan Zee 1 964,
in which Black repl ied energetica l l y
by 1 0 . . . �h4 ! 1 1 .Q. d 2 <i:lf6, with
an act ive d eve l o p m ent of his p ieces .
10 . . . Ad7?
B lack rep l i es with a b l u nder. H e
h a d to p lay 1 0 . .. <i:le7 , s o t hat h e
c a n castle, a lthough after 1 1 f4 ! ,
virtu al ly necessitating 1 1 . . . exf4 1 2
.Q.xf4, Wh ite has the m o re co mfo rt­
ab le gam e .
bxc6
D r if 1 1 ... Axc6 1 2 .Q.xc6+ b xc6
1 3 �4 ! , with f4 to fo l low, is good
for Wh ite .
1 2 <i:lc4 "llle 7
1 3 f4!
I f B lack finds time to conso l idate
h is pawns in the centre, he wi l l
stand wel l ; b u t the text-move
ma kes th is i m possi b le . Wh ite
a l ready has a d angerous i n it iative .
13 <i:lf6
1 4 fxe5 dxe5
1 5 b3!
Offering a pawn for the attack
and the p rospect of contro l of the
a3-f8 d iagona l . K ingsi de cast l i ng is
now prevented a nd Black has
nothing better than to put a b rave
face on it and take what materia l
com pensation he can get.
15 Ab6+
1 6 c31h 1 <i:lxe4
1 7 Aa3 "llle 6
1 8 "lll d 3!
F o r one fleeting mo ment, Black
actua l l y th reatened 1 8 ... <i:lg3+ !
The text-move parries that th reat
a nd p repares to answer 1 8 . . . <i:lf2+
b y 1 9 � xf2 .Q.xf2 20 <i:ld6+ ®d 8 2 1
�3 .
18 . . . f5
1 9 �ae 1 !
The key to B l a c k 's d efen ces is h is
powerf u l knight o n e4. Wh ite, h ow­
ever , is ready to sacrifice the
exchange i n o rder to destroy that
b u l wa r k , after wh ich he wi l l be
m aster of the b lack sq u ares and
B l a c k 's king will be vu l nerab le to
attack . The i m med iate th reat is 20
� x e4 ! f o l lowed by the crush ing
 Ljubomir Ljubojevic 1 79

2 1 4:ld6+. 25 ... cxb5 26 i*86+ and mates

19 . . . Ac7 next move, or if 25 ... E!.df8 26
Axd6 i*f 1 + 27 Axf1 Et xf 1 + 28
i*Q1 Et xg l + 29 \t>xg 1 , and Wh ite
wins the e-pawn , and the endga me
with ease .

4
Ljubojevic-Ree
Amsterdam 1 975
Sicilian Defence, Sozin Attack
20 E!.xf5 ! F ine tech n i q u e is a p rerequ isite fo r
This a lter native exchange sacrifice success these days. Ljubojevic
dem o l ishes B la c k 's p ositio n . B l ac k 's possesses these ski l ls, and can ra ise
k i ng ru ns to the q u eensi d e , but is them to aesthetic levels. A pawn u p
a lso t rac ked d own there . in a d ifficu lt endga m e i n the
20 . . . 'lbf5 fo l l owing game, he so lves his
21 E!.xe4 0-0-0 p ro b lems by launch ing a finely
B lack has noth i n g better , a lthough calcu l ated mating attac k . H e mates
after the text Wh ite is a b l e to f i n ish Black j u st bef o re the latter q u eens
in b ri l l ia nt fashio n . The th reat was one of h is pawns.
22 Axc6 Axc6 23 Et x e5+ ! etc ., a n d 1 e4 c5
if 22 . . . Etd8 2 3 i*e2 ( K rnic) wi l l 2 4:lf3 d6
resu lt i n a n effo rt less wi n . 3 d4 cxd4
22 4:ld6+ Axd6 4 4:lxd4 4:lf6
23 'lta6+ �c7 5 4:lc3 4:lc 6
24 'ltxa7+ �8 6 Ac4 'ltb6
7 4:lde2 e6
8 0-0 Ae7
9 Ab3 0-0
10 Ag5 4:la5
11 4:lg3 'ltc5!?
I n t h e ga me Lju b o jevic- R i b l i ,
S k o pje 1 972, B lack h a d chosen the
circumspect 1 1 ... 'l*c7 . R ee has a
m o re aggressive i d ea , wh ich, how­
ever, a I so proves dangerously
looseni n g .
25 Ab5 ! ! Resigns 1 2 'ltd2 b5
B la c k has abso lutely n o a nswer. If 1 3 E!.ad 1 4:lxb 3
1 80 Ljubomir Ljubojevic

M in i c criticises th is m ove , and .llg 6 2 4 h 4 , with t h e th reat of 2 5

suggests i nstea d 1 3 . . . b4 14 ci:la4 h5.
'lMJ 5 . H owever, 1 5 .ll x f6 gxf6 1 6 22 ci:lh 5 Etg5
f4, with the i d ea of 1 7 f5, sti l l 23 ci:leg3 Af8
seems t o give Wh ite a p u l l . Blac k 's 24 'l!i'f6+ 'l!i'xf6
q u een is not h a p p i l y p laced i n t h is 25 ci:lxf6 Etc8
whole va riati o n . 26 ci:ld7 !
1 4 cxb3 Ab7 Having si m p l ified the position , it
1 5 Etc 1 'l!i'b6 does see m , at last , as if Black has
made so me rea l p rogress. H owever,
Lj u b ojevic sti l l finds sufficient
resou rces in the positi o n to p o se his
o p ponent tough p ro b lems. The
text-move lead s to a desirable
exchange of a Wh ite b-pawn f o r
Blac k 's d -pawn . B lack cannot reply
26 . . . .ll e 7 , b ecause of the neat l ittle
trick 27 Etxc8+ .ll x c8 28 Etc 1 !
.ll x d 7 29 Etc7 and wi ns.
26 Ag7
1 6 ci:lh5 ! 27 Etxc8+ AxeS
Ta k i n g advantage of t h e absence 28 Etxd6 Axb2
of B la c k 's q ueen fro m the 2nd 29 f4!
ran k , this m ove virtu a l l y o b li ges N ow comes the beg i n n i n g of the
B lack to concede a pawn . He c o u l d decisive phase. The text-move lea ds
t r y 1 6 . . . b4 1 7 Axf6 .ll x f6 1 8 to the exchange of o n e of B lack's
ci:lxf6+ gxf6 1 9 <tla4 i!ib5 20 Etfe1 b ishops. I n so d o ing, it seems, at
Etfd 8, but after 21 Etc4 a 5 22 Ete3, f irst, as if Wh ite is a lso activati ng
his position is i n a state of c o l l a pse . B l ac k 's roo k . But the fu l l p o i nt of
H e chooses the most p ractical Wh ite's p lay revea ls a deeper p lo t .
cou rse, which maintains h is b ishop­ 29 Eta5
pair a nd leaves White's extra pawn 30 4le5 �7
d o u b led . 31 4:lc4! Etxa2
16 'itih8 32 Etd8 Aa6
17 Axf6 gxf6 33 4:lxb 2 Etxb2
18 'l!i'h6 Etg8 34 4:lh5+ 'itih6
19 <i:lxf6 Etg7 35 g4!
20 Etfd 1 b4 Now Wh ite 's u lti mate goal
21 ci:le2 'l!i'd8 beco m es clea r . Wh ite th reatens 36
Consid erab ly wea ker, u nf o rtu n­ Etg8, 37 ci:lf6 a nd 38 g5++. In face
ate ly, is 2 1 . . .ll x f6 22 itxf6 .ll x e4,
. of this turn of events, B l a c k 's roo k
because of 23 <tlg3, and if 23 . . . must desert the cherished 7th ran k
 Ljubomir Ljubojevic 181

fo r the immed iate d efence of h is 5

king. U hlmann-Ljubojevic
Amsterdam 1 975
'Ljubojevic-Andersson ' D efence
Lj u b o jeviC's most i m p o rtant contri­
bution to 'theo ry' i n the 1 970s was
the p o pu larisati o n , a long with U l f
And ersso n , of t h e d efence wh ich ,
fo r wa nt of a better na me, I have
christened the Lju b ojevic-Andersson
D efence. M o re than a si ngle variat ion
t h is defence is a who l e system ,
35 �c2 e m p loyable agai nst ki ngsi de fian­
36 �g8 �c8 chetto variations of the English and
37 �g5 A b7 R eti . G ames l i ke the f o l l owing have
38 l£}f6 a5 p roved its rea l worth .
39 ®f2 ! 1 c4 c5
Blac k 's king is e m p hatica l l y 2 l£}f3 l£}f6
trapped , a n d Wh ite f i n ishes the 3 l£}c3 e6
gam e off with great accu racy . 39 4 g3 b6
l£}g8+? wou l d a l l ow B l a c k to escape 5 .ll g 2 Ab7
the worst after 39 . . . �xg8 40 6 d4 cxd4
�xg8 Axe4 . N ow, however , even 7 "i6'Xd4 a6
the chance to ru n a pawn t h rough The whole p o i nt of the Lj u bojevic­
to qu een o n the q u eensi d e comes And ersso n D efence is to erect the
just too late to save B l ac k , as 'hedgehog' structu re ... a6, ... d 6 ,
Wh ite 's k i ng m a rches i n to co m p l ete folowed b y . . . l£}bd7 , . . . .ll e 7 a n d . . .
his B lack co l l eague's encirclement. 0-0 . Previously i n su ch positio ns, it
39 . . . a4 had b een assu med that B l a c k had to
40 ®g 3 e5 play ... l£}c6 , and p lay fo r the
Or if 40 ... axb3 4 1 l£}g8+ � x g8 'freei ng' m ove ... d5, in o rder to
42 � x g8 b 2 43 ®h4 and 44 g 5++. fight for eq u a l ity . Lj u b ojevic and
But neither is the text-m ove Andersso n 's achievement was to
sufficient . reveal how resi l ient and resou rceful
4 1 ®h4! exf4 was the a lternative, closed method .
There is no sto p p i ng the march To date this defence has a hea lthy
of the g-pawn . If 41 . . . .ll x e4 Wh ite reputation and a host of to p -class
si m p ly p roceed s with 42 l£}g8+ ad herents.
�xg8 43 l:! xg8 a nd there is noth i ng 8 0-0 d6
Blac k can d o to p revent 43 g5++. 9 b3
42 e5! Resigns Aga i nst 9 � d 1 .Q.e7, and if 1 0
7 82 Ljubomir Ljubojevic
�g5 .ll x g2 1 1 ®xg2 �c6 , is the
eo rrect rep l y . I f 9 ... �b d7 1 0 �g 5 !
.ll x g2 1 1 ®xg2 Y!Jc7 1 2 �ge4 g ives
Wh ite p ressu re aga inst d 6 .
9 ... �bd7
B l a c k can a lso p lay 9 .. . .ll e 7 .
After 1 0 �d 1 0-0, Wh ite has
noth i n g better than 1 1 .ll b 2 . 1 1
.ila3 is n o i m p rovem ent, b ecause of
the reso u rce 1 1 ... �c6 1 2 Y!Jd2 d 5 !
with active p lay.
1 0 Ab2 Ae7
1 1 �fd 1
H i.i b n er-Lj u b ojevic, Bugojno 1 978,
co ntin ued 1 1 e4 0-0 1 2 h 3 Y!Jb8 ( 1 2
. . . 'i!Jc7 is perhap� p refera b l e . ) 1 3
�d 2 .ll c 6 1 4 a4 �e8 1 5 ®h2 .llf 8
1 6 f4, and now B l a c k shou l d have
tried the co m p lex b rea k 1 6 . . . e 5 .
11 . . . 0-0
1 2 e4
The sha rpest a lternative is 1 2
�g5. H owever , B lack sho u ld
ex per ien ce n o d iffi cu lties, as the
gam e K ovacevic- Lj u bojevic, Titovo
Uzice 1 978, seems to ind icate,
which contin u ed 1 2 . . . .ll x g2 1 3
®xg2 Y!Jb8 ! 1 4 �ge4 � d B 1 5
�x f6+ ! ? ( 1 5 f3 �c5 is ro ugh ly
equa l . ) 1 5 . . . .ilxf6 ! 1 6 �xd 6 ( 1 6
�d 2 �c5 1 7 f3 b 5 ! 1 8 b4 �d7 1 9
c x b 5 axb5 20 Y!Jxd 6 Y!Jb7 , with the
idea of ... �e5-c4, is better for
B lack - K ova cevic.) 1 6 ... Y!Jb7+ 1 7
®9 1 �e5 1 8 Y!Ja3 ( N ot 1 8 Y!Jb4?
�c6 1 9 Y!Ja4 �d 4, and B l a c k
th reatens 2 0 . . . b 5.) 1 8 . . . � c 6 1 9
�e4 (the o n ly m ove, as Wh ite 's
q u een is in d istress .) 1 9 . . . .ll e7 20
�d6 Y!Jc7 21 c 5 b x c 5 22 �c4 �d 4,
and B lack had good play. Karpov
has p layed 1 2 �e3, with the i d ea
of 1 3 �d4, see king si m p l ification
and contro l of the wh ite sq uares .
Th is wo r ked we l l i n the ga me
Karpov- G h eo rg h i u , M o scow 1 977,
which conti nued 1 2 ... Y!Jb8? ! 1 3
�d4 .ll x g2 1 4 ®x g2 Y!Jb7+ 1 5 Y!Jf3 !
Y!Jxf3+ 1 6 �xf3 �fc8 1 7 �d4
�ab 8 1 8 �ac 1 , and Wh ite has a
p l u s; but B lack should p lay 1 2 ...
Y!Jc7 , and if 1 3 �d 4 .ilxg2 14 ®x g2
�fe8 1 5 �ac 1 .ll f 8 , with an even
m i d d lega m e .
12 . . . *b8
Lj u bojevic has a p red i l ecti o n f o r
t h i s m ove, w h i c h in this position
has the m erit of rest rai n i ng 1 3 Y!Je3,
with the i dea of 1 4 �d4, because of
1 3 . . . b5! and if 1 4 cxb 5 axb5 1 5
�xb5 .ll x e4. H o wever, the natu ral
m ove 1 2 ... Y!Jc7 is a l so good . A
typ ica l co nti n u ation wou l d be 1 3
Y!Je3 �fe8 1 4 �d4 .llf 8 1 5 �ac 1
�ac8, a nd B la c k 's position is
extremely e lastic.
13 �d 2
The i d ea of t h is m ove (as above i n
the ga me H i.i b ner- Lj u bojevic, where
Wh ite 's t i m i n g was better) is to
anchor Wh ite's b -pawn , so that a
later a4 can be p layed without
danger of sudden cou nterplay by
 Ljubomir Ljubojevic 7 83

B lack based o n . . . <i:lc5 . An a ltern­ game .

ative m etho d is 1 3 !!ac 1 , and if 1 3 18 ci:lg4 !
. . . !!c8 1 4 h3, p laying a waiting 1 9 'ltf4
gam e . B lack cannot reply 1 3 ... _g_c6 White has no satisfacto ry o pti o n .
1 4 'lte3 b5?, b ecause of the p ower­ If 1 9 'lte2 <i:le5, a nd B l a c k d o m in­
fu l 1 6 ci:ld4 ! ates the wh ite sq ua res and has a
13 . . . !!c8 clea r positiona l advantage (20
14 'lte3? ci:lxb5? fa ils to 20 ... ci:la4 ! etc . ) .
Wh ite m isses the fo rce of B l ac k 's 19 . . . ci:le5
rep l y . M o re c i rcu mspect was 1 4 h 3 , 20 Af1
a lthough after 1 4 . . . _g_c6 , Blac k has Aga in o b l igato ry , o r B lack ta kes
latent possi b i l ities o n the q u eensi de over contro l of c4; b ut now the
and a satisfactory ga m e . wea kness of f3 beco m es significant .
14 b5! 20 . . . <i:lbc4
1 5 cxb5 axb5 2 1 ci:lxc4
1 6 a3 O r if 21 _g_xc4 b x c4 , a nd Black
Alternatively , if Wh ite ta kes aga i n has an overwhelming
B l ac k 's gam bit pawn , B l ac k 's p i eces posit ional su per i o r ity.
beco m e act ive . Lj u bojevic gives 1 6
ci:lx b 5 !!c2 and now : ( i ) 1 7 _g_d4
!!axa2 ; ( i i ) 1 7 !!fb 1 ci:lg4 1 8 'lte2
( O r 1 8 'ltd3 !!c5) 1 8 . . . ci:ld e5 1 9
ci:ld4 _g_a6 20 'ltd 1 !! x b 2 ! 2 1 E! x b 2
<i:lxf2, and , i n b oth cases, B lack h a s
an exce l l ent game.
16 Ac6
1 7 b4 ci:lb6
1 8 E!ac 1 ?
Wh ite has managed t o f i x Blac k 's
b-pawn , although at the cost of 21 . . . Ag5 !
i n cu rring i m p o rtant wh ite sq uare This move, however, e x p l o its the
wea knesses o n the q ueenside, and d rawbacks of Wh ite's recaptu re
sho u ld n ow co nti n u e 1 8 h3, when with h is knight. Wh ite 's reply is
the game wo u l d sett le d own into fo rced , of cou rse, si nce if 22 'ltxg5?
qu ieter, positional channels. The ci:lf3+ wins at o nce.
natu ra l l o o k i n g text-m ove is, 22 ci:lxe5 Axf4
su rp rising ly, an a l most i m percept i b l e 23 ci:lxc6 Axe 1 !
erro r, w h i c h Ljubojevic n o w e x p l o its M uch better than 23 ... E!xc6 24
in d ramatic fashi o n . After a long gxf4, and Wh ite has th ree good
series of fo rced , o r nea r-fo rced , m i n o r p ieces fo r his q u een .
moves and exchanges, B lack reaches 24 ci:lxb8 Axb2
a d ifficu lt, b ut techn i ca l l y won end- 25 ci:lxb 5 E!cxb8
184 Ljubomir Ljubojevic

26 � b 1 Axa3 6
27 �b3 Jlc 1 Larsen-Ljubojevic
28 4)xd6 �a4 Milan 1 975
The smo ke has clea red , a nd Modern Benoni
Lju bojevic has em erged a n exchange Lju bojevic is often at h is m o st
to the goo d . H e sti l l faces d ifficu lt dangerou s i n o b scure, even object­
techn i ca l p ro b lems, but he can ive ly bad posit ions. Aga i nst Larse n ,
probably wi n with best p lay . The i n t h is ga me, h is opening p lan was
text-m ove seeks to ind uce Wh ite 's vi rtu a l l y refuted , but he sti l l
b-pawn f o rwa rd , so that h is b ishop managed t o wi n the ga me by out­
can re-emerge and ta ke part i n the co m b i n i n g h is o p p onent i n the
fray. co m p l ications.
29 b5? 1 d4 4)f6
This move o n ly fal ls in with 2 c4 e6
B l ac k 's p la ns. White's best chance 3 4)c3 c5
was 29 Ab5 �a 1 30 �2, after 4 d5 exd 5
whi ch it is sti l l d ifficu lt for Black to 5 cxd5 g6
make p rogress. After the text-move, 6 4)f3 Jlg7
Black has a new a nd d ecisive target 7 e4 d6
in White 's v u l nerab le f-pawn . 8 Ae2 0-0
29 . . . Aa3! 9 4)d2 �e8
30 4)c4 Ac5 ! 10 0-0 4)bd7
N o w White 's position is qu ite 11 a4 a6!?
l ost. B l ac k th reatens 3 1 . . . �a2 and The b est p l a n i n t h is position is
3 1 . . . �b4, forcing o ff one p a i r o f thought to be 1 1 . . . lUe5, with the
r o o ks, which eases h is task . idea of ... g 5 a nd ... g4, p l ay i ng f o r
3 1 4)e5 �a2 cou nterp tay o n the k i ngside . l t is
32 �f3 �d8! d ifficu lt for B lack to ach ieve any­
So that if 33 4)xf7 �f8 34 Ac4 thing concrete on the q ueensid e,
�xf2 ! and wins , or 33 �xf7 .lld 4 where Wh ite's fo rces a re a l ready
3 4 4)c6 catxf7 35 lUxd 8+ catf 6 36 we ll-p laced ; and to neg lect the
lUxe6 .ll x f2+ etc. ( Lj u bojevic) . centre is to a l l o w Wh ite dangerous
33 Jlc4 �c2 scop e i n that z o n e .
34 Ab3 �b2 12 � 1 �b8
35 ®g 2 �8d2 1 3 f4 c4
N ow 36 lUc4 is n o comfo rt - B lack This is the o n ly move. Black has
has 36 . . . � xf2+ 37 � xf2 � xf2+ 38 to try to do so m ething to d ivert
�h3 �f3 a nd the Wh ite p ieces n o W h ite's attent i o n from the centre,
longer have anywhere to ru n . where h is pawns a re a l read y
3 6 4)d3 �xb3 assu ming th reateni ng posts.
37 4)xc5 �xf3 1 4 e5!
Resigns But La rsen is not to be d iverted !
 Ljubomir Ljubojevic 185

Th is powerfu l m ove effectively a lthough B lack d o es t hen have

refutes Blac k 's o pen ing strategy . lt adeq u ate chances.
is far b etter than ta king the c-pawn , 18 l£lxe5
as the fo l l owing analysis by 1 9 fxe5 �xe5
Lju bojevic i n d i cates : (i) 14 l£lxc4? 20 Af4
l£lxe4 1 5 l£lxe4 � x e4 16 l£lxd6
�d4, with adva ntage to B l ac k ; and
( i i ) 1 4 .ll x c4 l£lc5 1 5 �c2 l£lg4 1 6
l£lf3 .ll x c3 1 7 �xc3 ( O r 1 7 b xc3
� x e4) 17 ... l£lxe4 1 8 �d4 �6 ! ,
with roughly equal chances .
14 . . . dxe5
1 5 l£lxc4 b5
B lack must t ry to contest Wh ite 's
contr o l of the o pen l i n es, and
a lthough this m ove leads to the loss
of an exchange , B l a c k had no 20 . . . l£lxd 5 !
sensi b le a lternative . 1 5 . . . e4 1 6 Th is move turns t h e tab les
.ll e 3, fo r exam p l e , l eaves B lack with co m p lete ly . B lack su ddenly has a
no p lay . powerfu I attack .
1 6 axb5 axb 5 21 Ac4 Ae6
1 7 l£lxe5? 22 Axe5 Axe5
Lj u bojevic h i m self p o i nts out that 23 ite2 itg5
White cou l d have won a safe 24 Axd 5?
exchange here by 1 7 l£ld6, and after Black was th reatening 24 . . . l£lf4,
1 7 ... b4 1 8 l£lxe8 �xe8 1 9 l£lb5 b ut the text-m ove proves no pa l l i­
l£le4, B lack wou l d not have had fu l l ative . l t was, h owever, a l rea dy q u ite
co m p ensatio n . After the text-move, d ifficu lt for Wh ite . If 24 g3, for
Black scra m b les back into the exam p l e , B lack can p lay 24 ... l£le3
gam e . 25 .ll x e6 l£lxf 1 26 .ll x f7+ ( O r 26
17 . . . b4 � x f 1 fxe6 27 �e1 .ll x b 2 ! ) 26 ...
1 8 i£lb5? ®xf7 27 �xf 1 + ®g7 , and Black
In a very obscu re situatio n , this has won back the exchange and
m ove seems to be a n erro r . Wh ite stands b etter.
sti l l wins an exchange, b ut he d o es 24 . . . .ll x d5
so this time fo r his i m p o rtant 25 �a5
q u een 's bishop rather than one of T h is move l o ses spectacu larly, but
the knights. In ad ditio n , h is knight Wh ite had noth ing better aga i nst
o n b5 becom es st randed . Lj u b ojevic the th reat of 25 . . . � x b 5 . 1 f 25 1£la7
su ggests that better was 1 8 l£lc6 �e8, with the i d ea of 26 . . . �h4, is
bxc3 1 9 l£lxd8 cxb2 20 .ll x b 2 overwhel m i n g . N ow co mes a most
� x b 2 2 1 l£le6 fxe6 2 2 d x e6 l£lf8 , b lo o d -c u rd l ing finish .
1 86 Ljubomir Ljubojevic

25 l:!c8 8 l:!e1 b6
26 �a7 "ith4! 9 a3
27 "itxe5 "itf2 ! The ea rly part of this game may
Resigns be l i kened to a bout of shadow
b o x i n g . Neither si d e is wi l l ing to
com m it h i mself to o ea rly . Wh ite
wou l d l i ke to ga i n gro u nd on the
q u eensid e if the chance sho u ld
occu r . Blac k , for h is part, dec l i nes
to d isclose h is k i n g 's i ntentions. H e
m ight even cast le q u eensi d e u nder
certa in circu mstances , if Wh ite
s h o u l d overp lay his hand in the
centre o r on the other side of the
boa rd .
A l l th ree of B lack 's p ieces are en 9 . .. h6
p rise, but Wh ite 's bac k -ra n k wea k­ Th is m ove d eters a possib le e5,
ness sea ls h is fate. after which B lack wo u ld be a b l e
t o orga n ise r a p i d p lay against
Wh ite's e-pawn by p laying . . . g5 and
... i£lg6 .
7 1 0 l:!b 1 a5
Ljubojevic-Petrosian 1 1 h4 Aa6?
M ilan 1 975 Blac k 's q ueen 's b ishop ta kes l ittle
F rench D efence, King's Indian fu rther part i n the ga me fro m th is
Attack sq uare. A better idea was the
Lj u b ojevi� can a l so p lay positional restrict i ng 1 1 ... a4, as in the 6th
chess . In the 4th game of h is p lay­ match ga m e , which cont i n u ed 1 2
off match with Petrosian to d ecide exd 5 e x d 5 1 3 �f 1 0-0 1 4 .Q.f4 l:!a7
3rd and 4th p laces at M i la n , he 1 5 c3 'i'!i?h 7 1 6 l:!c 1 .Q.f5 1 7 l:!c2
teaches that wi l i est of positiona l l:!e8 %-%.
foxes a lesso n o r two . Lju b ojevi� 1 2 exd 5
has sco red m any a fine win with the Better than 1 2 e5, after wh ich
m odest, closed l ines aga inst the Black can reply 1 2 ... g5! 1 3 h x g 5
F rench and Caro-Kann . h xg5 1 4 � x g 5 i£l x e 5 w i t h a d o u b le­
1 e4 e6 edged game.
2 d3 d5 12 . . . �xd 5
3 <t)d2 c5 Perhaps 1 2 . . . e x d 5 , though
4 �gf3 �c6 passive, a long the l i n es of the 6th
5 g3 �ge7 match ga me above, is b etter. After
6 Ag2 g6 the text-move Wh ite is a b l e to make
7 0-0 Ag7 u se of c4 as a stepping stone to the

fine outpost e5 .
1 3 �c4 0-0
1 4 �ce5 E!.c8
Black has d ifficu lties p reventing a
White advan ce on the q u eenside. I f
1 4 . . . �xe5 1 5 � x e 5 E!. c 8 , Wh ite
can p lay 1 6 c4 �e7 1 7 b4 with a
d efinite p lus ( Ljubojevic) .
1 5 �xc6 E!.xc6
1 6 c4 !
Although White's d -pawn appea rs
to be wea kened by this move,
Wh ite gets m o re than enough
co m p ensation in the da ngero us
advance of his q u eensi d e pawns and
active p iece p lay .
16 . . . �e7
1 7 .ll f4
G etting his last p i ece i nto p l ay
and preventi n g . . . E!. d6 . Black
responds with his o n ly act ive rep ly,
but White, in tu r n , has a m o re
powerfu l ri poste .
17 . . . b5
1 8 'ltc 1 !
By attacking B lack 's h-pawn ,
Wh ite ga ins a tem p o to u n leash
fu rther fu ry on the q u eensi d e . Of
cou rse , B lack cannot p l ay 1 8 . . .
*1tx d3? a l l owing 1 9 l£le5 winning
i nstantly .
18 . . . h5
1 9 l£le5 E!.c8
1 9 . . . E!.c7 , leav i ng a retreat for
his q u een 's b isho p , may b e better .
White wou l d then be u nab le to
reply with 20 b4. But the a ltern­
ative 20 cxb5 .ll x b5 21 l£lc4
( Lj u b ojevic) , and if 21 . . . E!.d7 22
Ae5 l£lf5 23 .ll x g 7 l£lxg 7 ( Keen e)
24 l£le5 ! E!.c7 25 �c3 l eaves Blac k 's
q u eensi d e u nder p ressure, and is
Ljubomir Ljubojevic 187
sti l l d isti n ctly in Wh ite's favou r.
20 b4!
A crushing m ove, which is tactic­
a l l y j u stified by the posit i o n i ng of
B l ac k 's u nfo rtu nate q u een's b ish o p .
Wh ite n o w o btains a n overwh e l m i ng
m o b i le pawn-majo r ity on the
queensi d e .
20 . . . cxb4
21 axb4 a4
After t h is move, Wh ite 's q u een­
side pawns meet no serious
o ppositio n ; but neither 2 1 . . . ax b4?
22 E!.a 1 n o r 2 1 . . . b x c4? 22 b 5 cx d 3
2 3 iltd 1 was a n y better, wh i l e o n
2 1 . . . l£ld 5 2 2 b x a 5 i s st rong, a s
Wh ite 's a -pawn cannot easi ly be
recaptu red .
22 'lte3 l£lf5
23 'lta7 !
A te l l ing i n cu rsi o n . Wh ite 's
positi o n a l advantage is now such
that h e can dec l i n e the win of the
exchange Black is now fo rced to
offer, a nd instead wi n with his
advanced b - a nd c-pawns.
23 E!.a8
24 'ltc5 Etc8
25 �c6 'ltd7
Or if 25 ... �x d 3 26 .llf 1 and 27
cx b 5 sho u l d wi n for Wh ite .
188 Ljubomir Ljubojevic

26 cxb5 Ab7 Lj u bojevic? As in the p revious

27 Ae5 Axe5 game, one is i m p ressed b y h is
28 �xe5 'llf d 8 ab i l ity to manoeuvre and outp lay
29 �c6 'llfx d3 h is o p p o nent from a so u nd p osit i o n
30 Ae4 'llfd 6 rather t h a n to confuse fro m t h e
31 'i!hd6? obscu re. H e chooses one of th ose
Wh ite m isses t h e q u ic kest win : 3 1 'sta ndard ' o peni ngs, of the so rt he
.ll x f5 �xc5 32 b xc5 .ll x c6 33 .ll c 2 has m o re often seemed to avoid i n
.ll d 5 34 c6 a3 35 .ll b 3 a 2 36 13b2 t h e past . H o rt never q u ite ma nages
13a8 37 13a 1 etc . ( Lj u b ojevic) . to get to grips with the p rob lems
31 �xd6 Lj u bojevic is ab le to p ose .
32 �e7+ ®g 7
1 e4 e6
33 �xc8 �xe4
2 d4 d5
34 �b6 �d 2
3 �c3 Ab4
35 �xa4 13b8?
4 e5 c5
3 8 . . . �xb 1 wou Id have saved a
5 a3 Axc3+
tem p o , but White 's extra pawn
6 bxc3 �e7
sho u l d sti l l have been enough to
7 �f3 b6
guarantee h i m a wi n .
8 13 b 1
36 13bc1 �f3+
37 c&>f1 �xe 1 An i nteresting n ovelty , t h e idea
38 �e1 13a8 of which may be to reply to 8 .. .
39 �c5 Ad5 .lla 6 with 9 d x c5 ! .ll x f l ( N ot 9 . ..

40 b6 13b8 b x c5? ? 1 0 13 x b 8 ! etc . ) 1 0 cxb6 !

Or if 40 ... 13d8, Wh ite ca n win and Wh ite sta nds wel l . H o rt d ecides
by 41 �a 1 13d6 42 b7 13b6 43 13a8 not to test out this p ossi b i l ity, a n d ,
etc . with his next m ove, tra nsp oses
41 �d7 13a8 instead i nto a p ositi o n that cou ld
42 13c7 13a 1 + have ar isen fro m the 6 . . . �c7
43 �d 2 13a2+ va nat10n of the Wi nawer.
44 �3 e5 Accord i ng to 'theo ry', Wh ite sh ou l d
45 b7 13a3+ then have h i s a-pawn o n a 4 ( i nstead
46 �d2 13a2+ of his ro o k on b 1 ) , so that he ca n
47 �3 Resigns employ the manoeuvre 9 .ll b 5+
.ll d 7 1 0 .ll d 3, thus avo id i ng the
ex change of white-square b ishops
8 as occu rs i n this game .
Ljubojevic-Hort 8 'flc7
Montreal 1 979 9 .ll d 3 .ll a 6
F rench D efence , Winawer Variation 10 0-0 .1lxd3
Is this the way fo rward fo r 1 1 cxd3 h6
 Ljubomir Ljubojevic 1 89

Such pos1t1ons a re genera l l y also has time to strengthen his h old

thought to b e equal fo r B lack . T h e o n terra i n o n the k i ngsi d e . When
exchange of white-sq uare b ishops i s B l a c k 's q u een gets to h7, she finds
su p posed t o l essen Wh ite 's dyna m ic herse lf caught i n a b i n d on that
chances and offer Black p rospects flan k .
of p l ay agai nst Wh ite 's wea kened 17 . . . "itd8
pawns. H owever, it is equally true 1 8 l::l e 2 t�Jh8?
that such posit ions have scarcely H o rt sticks to his p l a n , but he
been tested in p ractica l p lay . Wh ite sho u ld have p referred 1 8 ... �a5,
has a space advantage and a p oten­ with the idea of 1 9 ... c4. Th is was
t ia l ly p owerfu l b lack-sq uare b isho p . p robably h is last chance to p lay for
A fascinati ng strugg l e is i n p rogress . eq u a l ity.
12 a4 �d7 1 9 l::l e 3 �e7
13 Aa3 0-0
14 l::l e 1 l::lf e8
15 l::l e 2 l::l e c8
A su rp rise, which seems to
i n d i cate that B lack is not as happy
with h is p osit i o n as theo ry i n d i cates
he m ight b e ! H o rt 's p revi ous m ove
wou l d suggest that he i ntended 1 5
. . . c4, p laying fo r contro l of c4.
However, he then seem s to have
had d o u bts about the advisa b i l ity
of opening up the a 3-f8 diagonal 20 g4!
fo r White's bisho p . Exactly what H o rt may have u nd erest i mated
H o rt feared is not i m m ed iately this m ove . I f now 20 . . . �g6 21 h 5
apparent. lt may have b een 1 6 d x c4 �f4 2 2 d xc 5 b xc 5 2 3 l::l e 1 ! l eaves
-lWxc4 ( O r 1 6 . . . d x c4 1 7 �d2 �d 5 B l ac k 's knight on f4 in straitened
1 8 �e4, and if 1 8 ... �f8 1 9 g3 ci rcu msta nces .
�g6 20 h4, with a n edge.) 17 l::l e 3, 20 l::l c 7
and if 17 ... �f5 1 8 l::l d 3 , with 1 9 21 h5 l::l a c8
g4 to fo l l ow and p lay o n the k i ng­ 22 Ab 2
side. In any event, H o rt decides to So t hat if 22 ... cxd4, Wh ite can
maintain the tensi o n on the c-f i l e , reply 23 �xd4. lt is beco m i ng
and d evises an i n genio us, but perceptibly m o re d iffic u l t fo r Black
a rtificia l p l a n to transfer h is q ueen to f i n d effective c o u nter p lay.
to h 7 , in o rder to strengthen h is 22 "itg8
k i ngside. 23 �e1 "ith7
16 l::l eb 2 �c6 24 �g2 �b 8
1 7 h4! 25 l::lf 3 c&lg8
H owever , in the m ea nti me, Wh ite 26 "itd2 �bc6
1 90 Ljubomir Ljubojevic

27 *f4 Elf8 42 hxg5

28 .lla 3 c4 43 Elxg5 exd4
F ina l ly getting in this m ove, b u t 44 cxd4 �d2
now too late to save h i m . B l ac k 's 45 c.t'g 3 �f3
p ieces a re woefu l l y p laced . 46 Elg4 �xd4
29 Eld l �a5 47 Elxe4 �f5+
30 AdS Eld7 48 �4 r3Je7
31 �h4! 49 Elc4 �6
50 Elc7 a5
51 Elc8 e5+
52 c.t'g4 �e7
53 Elf8+ r3Je6
54 c.t'g 5 e4
55 Elb8 Resigns

9
Sax-Ljubojevif
London 1 980
B lack must now part with a n Sicil ian D efence, 3 c3
exchange . H e i s help less aga i nst the S h o rt wi ns a re usual l y to o o ne­
th reat of 32 Axe7 a n d 33 �g6 . sided to be of very wide i nterest,
31 cxd3 but occasio n a l l y a sho rt win occu rs
32 .ll x e7 Elxe7 wh ich ex h ib its a g reat dea l of style.
33 �g6 Elee8 Th is is one such game. Sax and
34 �xf8 Elxf8 Lju b oj evit are b oth u nc o m p rom­
35 Eldxd3 ising tacticians, a n d both often
Alth ough B lack co ntro ls c4, he employ risky m ethods in an effort
has no chance of saving the ga me, to co nfuse. But here Sax 's p l a n ned
as Wh ite 's b i n d o n the k i ngside co nfusio n reb o u nd s catastro p h ic­
persists. a l l y . Sax is su mmarily reduced to a
35 �c4 comp lete state of i m p otence i n a
36 Elg3 f6 mere eighteen m oves.
37 Eldf3 *b l + 1 e4 c5
38 ®h 2 *e4 2 �f3 e6
39 *xe4 dxe4 3 c3 d5
40 Elf4 txe5 4 e5 !?
41 El xf8+ ®xf8 Wh ite hopes with this m ove to
42 g5! tra nspose into a variation of the
C reating o pen l i nes fo r h is roo k , Adva nced F rench D efence after 4
after which Blac k 's short-stepping .. . �c6 5 d4. H owever, Lju bojevic''s
knight is q u ic k ly routed . rep ly cuts across these i ntentio ns.

The standard c h o ice is the si m p l e r
4 exd 5 .
4 ... d4!?
T h is m ove may have come as a
su r p rise to Sax . Strangely neglected
by theory, it is com m itta l , but
nevertheless esta b l i shes a fa i r share
of the centre. lt ta kes p lay out of
the b o o ks, and is the type of m ove
b oth p layers l i ke to su r p rise their
o p p o n ents with !
5 .Q.d 3 ! ?
l t is n o t a t a l l easy to su ggest h ow
Wh ite sh o u l d continue . Black has a
sim p l e p lan of d evel o p m ent i n . . .
<i:lc6 a n d . . . <i:lge7-g6 putting
p ressu re o n e5 . If 5 cxd4 cxd4 6
'ita4+ <i:lc6 7 Ab5 Ad7 is sufficient.
5 ... <i:lc6
I nterestingly, a game between the
authors ( K opec-Pritchett, G lasgow
1 977 ) cou l d have reached this
posit i o n . After the m oves 1 e4 c 5 2
<i:lf3 e6 3 .Q.d 3 ! ? (a m ove 'patented '
by D . K . as a m ea ns of avo i d i ng
main l i nes i n the S i c i l ia n ) 3 . . . <i:lc6
4 c3 d 5 5 e5 d 4 ! ? wou l d have
tra nsp osed i nto Sax - Lj u b oj evic.
I nstead our game co ntinued 5 ...
'itc7 6 0-0 <i:lge7 (6 . . . <i:lxe5? ! 7
<i:lxe5 'itxe5 8 Ab 5+ is dangerou s
f o r Black) 7 Et e 1 <i:lg6 8 Ab5 .Q.e7 9
d4 0-0 with a n a p p ro x imately eq u a l
p ositio n , which l o o ks as if i t has
a risen from an u nu su a l sort of
F rench D efence.
6 fre2 <i:lge7
7 0-0 <i:lg6
8 fre4 !?
Sax has evo lved a p l a n to isolate
and su rrou nd Blac k 's d -paw n . H e
m ight have continued 8 Axg6 h xg6
Ljubomir Ljubojevic 191
9 d3, wh ich wou l d a l l ow him to
d evelo p his q u eensi de c o mf o rtably,
b u t that wo u l d scarcely affo rd him
any tangib le adva ntage.
8 ... Ae7
8 ... d x c3? ! 9 d x c3 <i:lcxe5? 1 0
<i:lxe5 <i:lxe5 1 1 .Q.b 5+ <i:ld7 1 2 Et d 1
wo u l d , of cou rse, b e q u ite wro ng.
Black co rrectly proceeds with h is
d evel o pment.
9 <i:la3 0-0
1 0 cxd4!?
Wh ite p roceeds with h is plan i n
its most d i rect form . H owever, 1 0
Et e 1 is p robably c o r rect, so that
Black wi l l not be a b l e to put such
i m m ed iate p ressu re o n h is e-pawn
as h e d o es i n the game.
10 . . . cxd4
1 1 <i:lc2 ! ? frc7
Although h i s d-pawn is u nder
pressu re, Black has sufficient
cou nter-p ressu re aga i nst White's e­
pawn . H e now th reatens to
augment it by the manoeuvre . . .
Et d 8-d 5 .
1 2 Ete 1 Etd8
1 3 h4 !?
Wh ite o nly has a c h o ice of evi l s
here. I f 1 3 <i:lcx d 4 <i:l x d 4 1 4 <i:lxd4
'itxe5 1 5 'itxe5 <i:lxe5 16 Etxe5
Et x d 4 and Black is c l early b etter. If
1 3 b 3 Etd5, and if 14 Ac4 <i:lcxe5
1 5 Axd5 e x d 5 1 6 'itxd 5 <i:lxf3+ 1 7
gxf3 'itx c2 1 8 Et x e7 'itd 1 + 1 9 �2
.Q.h3+ wins ( Q u i nteros). The text
m ove hopes to d ivert Blac k 's
attention to the k i ngsi de. i t
succeeds. B u t o n ly i n part !
13 . . . h5!
With this m ove Blac k halts the
advance of Wh ite's h -pawn and
192 Ljubomir Ljubojevic

renews the th reat of ... Etd5 .

1 4 g4!?
Wh ite h imself renews the th reat
of h5 by offering a gam b it.
14 . . . hxg4
1 5 h5! �xe 5 !
H owever, with t h i s m ove a n d h is
next, Black sacrifices a p iece f o r
two pawns and d ec isivel y repels
Wh ite's atta c k . I nstead of Wh ite
forc i ng p lay on the k i ngside, there
ensu es a sp ectacu l a r reversa l of Faced with the th reats of ... i!d6
ro les. lt is hard to imag ine, but in and . . . Af6, so that if Wh ite's
o n ly th ree m o re m oves, Wh ite knight m oves ... �h3+ and . . . i!b7
feels o b l iged to th row in the towel . wins instantly, Wh ite has no
1 6 �xe5 f5 ! satisfacto ry rep ly. Black wi l l at
1 7 *e2 �f4 l east regai n h is p iece and rem a i n
1 8 *f 1 b5 ! ! with one o r two sou nd extra pawns
R esigns and a c l ea r p ositional advantage.
8 Gar y Kasparov
" l t is q u ite natu ra l that so mebody w i l l be extremely str o ng among so
many p l ayers devoti ng their free time to c h ess in a big cou ntry . lt j u st
happened to be m e"
This was K asp arov's characte ristic­
a l ly fra n k and modest answer to a
q u est ion in A /PE Chess News
( Feb ru ary , 1 980) on ' H ow it is that
he had become so stro ng? ' The f i rst
point which need s to be made is
that K asparov is not j u st a sho rt
term success - he is a chess
pheno men o n whose u n i q u e talent
has b een carefu l ly n u rtu red si n ce he
entered Botv i n n i k 's C hess Sch o o l at
age 1 0 . H is rem arkab le resu lts,
esp ecially in the past two yea rs,
i nclud ing 1st p l ace at Banja L u k a
1 979, 2 o r m o re p o i nts ahead o f
m a n y fam ous grand m asters, and
eq ual 3rd -4th in the 1 979 USSR
Cham p i o nship ( M insk ) , ensu re that
he wi l l soo n receive the g rand­
master title ( at 1 6 ! ) , and ind icate
that he wi l l be a lead ing g randmaster
ove r many yea rs to come. I ro n i ca l ly ,
Gory Kasparov
t h e o n ly p layer since F ischer to
h ave , at such a n ea rly age, obta ined
resu lts even a p p roach ing K asparov's,
was E n rique Mecking, fo r wh o m
K asparov i s 'sitting in ' in th is
chapter.
We have not included Mecking
here d u e to the u nfo rtu nate ci rcu m ­
stances su rro u n d ing h is hea lth ;
however , Kasparov's results on their
own merit h is inclusi o n . Although
he is roughly half the age of most
of o u r seven other p layers, in the
last yea r he h as received m o re
attent i o n i n the form of interviews,
a rtic les, and d iscu ssi o ns, than any
of the others.
F o r a n u m b e r of yea rs, we h ave
b een hearing of this or that y o u ng
p l ayer who is described as 'the
b rig htest sta r si n ce F isch er', and
' if h e conti n u es at this pace, su rely
194 Gory Kasparov
he wi l l su rpass F ischer'. H owever,
the facts are eno ugh to make one
beco me so m ewhat of a skeptic in
th is regard , fa r m ost of these
'b righnta rs' seem to come and g o .
Perhaps t h e o ptim ists h ere seek to
feed thei r natio n a l istic p ride i n the
sp read of ru m o u rs that a 'new chess
messia h ' has arrived ? N o , rea l
talent need s to be f i rst recognised ,
and then very carefu l l y sup p o rted
and d eve l oped .
I { D . K .) h ave an ex p ressio n ,
'pu m ped and p ri m ed ', wh ich I
app ly to a l l those you ngsters who
have entered a popu lar national
spo rt, such as chess or tennis, have
been p ersistently p ushed by parents
o r coaches, have gained va luab le
experience , and ach ieved a q u ite
h ig h level of p roficiency , but event­
u a l ly have stagnated . A rea l chess
phen o men o n wi l l appea r o n ly after
many have been sam p led . M o st of
these 'cand idates' do have great
ta lent and are wi l l ing to wo rk
hard , but the ad d itional essential
i ng red ients wh ich they lac k , and
Kasparov a l ready exhib its, are
o rigina l ity a nd character. Most a re
original to so me degree, though
essentia l ly sty l ised after one p l ayer
or another. K asparov's o rig ina l ity is
ingrained . The issue of character is
perhaps the most i m p o rta nt ( and
comp lex ) in d istingu ish ing K asparov
from other young sta rs. Character
means being ab le to take p ressu re ,
being ab le to win when win ning
is i m p o rtant, maintaining self­
confiden ce , accepting criticism and
p ra ise gratiously, and always
see king the truth on the chessboard .
The rea l connection between such
sta rs as F ischer, Spassky and
K asparov may be even m o re deep­
rooted . They all come from essent­
ia lly fatherless h omes. F ischer's and
Spassky's parents were d ivo rced
when they were both sti l l very
y o u ng c h i l d ren , and su bseq uently
their fathers h ad l ittle o r noth ing to
d o with them . In t h is sense they
have been their own 'k ings' in
find ing thei r niche in the wo rld ,
and su rviving the d ifficu lt road to
rea l chess stard o m .
When Kasparov was 1 2, h is father,
a rad io engineer, was k i lled i n a car
accident, and h is name was changed
fro m Weinstein to Kasparov { h is
mother's m a iden name) fo r obvio us
reasons. F o r those u nfam i liar with
names and thei r o rigins, let us j u st
sett le o n ' K asparov' as a 'more
u n u su a l and su itab le' name fo r a
futu re Soviet wo rld title contender.
lt can a lso be viewed as a cute p lay
on, and extension of, the p resent
World C h a m p i o n 's name.
l t was about th is time that
Kasparov began to receive special
attentio n wit h i n the Soviet U ni o n ,
having tied for fi rst in t h e USSR
J u n i o r C h a m p i o nship which consists
main ly of 1 7- and 1 8-year aids.
There was thus, perhaps, m o re
expected from h i m in the 1 977
World Cadet C h a m p i o nship {u nder-
1 7) at Cannes-su r-Mer, where he
finished th ird behind J o n Arnaso n
o f I celand and J ay Wh itehead o f
t h e USA. However, h e d id very
sou nd ly trou nce Arnaso n with the

Black p ieces in their i n d ividual
en cou nter :
Arnaso n-Kasparov, Cannes 1 977
1 e4 c5 2 �f3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 �xd4
�f6 5 �c3 d 6 6 i!e2 a6 7 a4 �c6 8
i!e3 i!e7 9 0-0 0-0 1 0 f4 ffc7 1 1
®h 1 E!.d8 1 2 ffe 1 �x d4 1 3 i!xd4
e5 14 fxe5 (Better was 14 i!e3, as
after 14 ... d 5? ! 1 5 exd5 �xd5 1 6
�xd5 E!. x d 5 1 7 c4 ! Wh ite reta ins
the i n itiative . I nstead Black q u i c k ly
equal ises, and so o n even gets the
better game.) 14 . . . d xe5 1 5 .Q.e3
.Q.e6 1 6 ffg3 ffa5 1 7 E!.ad 1 E!. x d 1
1 8 E!. x d 1 E!. d 8 1 9 E!. x d 8+ Axc18
(White's fai l u re to obta i n a k i n gsi d e
attac k , com bined with B lac k 's
su p er i o r pawn structu re, means t hat
the endgame is much better for
Blac k . ) 20 i!h6 g6 2 1 h3 i!b6 22
i!e3? (White's last cha nce was 22
ffg5, when Black wou l d have to
m o m entari ly retreat with 22 . . .
.Q.d 8, a n d n o t 2 2 . . . �xe4 23 ffe7
win ning for White .) 22 . . . i!d4 23
fff 2 i!xe3 24 �xe3 ffb4 (The
remaining m oves d isp lay Kaspa rov 's
fine technique.) 25 b 3 �d4 26
�d 3 �7 27 .Q.f 1 �h 5 ! 28 fff 3
�d 2 29 ffd 3 fff 2 30 ®h2 �f4 3 1
fff 3 ffxc2 3 2 �d 5 i! x d 5 3 3 exd5
ffd 2 34 i!c4 f5 35 ffg3 h6 and
Black so on won .
l t is reported that about this
t i m e, when Kasparov's progress
seemed to have tem porarily halted,
Botvinni k sat d own with h i m and
they ana lysed his games. The basic
wea knesses d iscovered were a
tendency to enter l o n g va riati ons
Gory Kasparov 195
without forethought (si m i l a r to the
past p rob lems of R i b l i as described ) ,
too much dependence o n tactical
means to so lve p ro blems ( i m p et­
uosity) , and a lack of objectivity .
Kasparov 's next success was
win ning the 1 977 U SS R J u n i o r
aga in a t 1 3, the o n ly person to have
d o n e so twice since its esta b l ish ment
in 1 934 . Certa i n ly Botvi n n i k 's
o bservations were usefu I .
I n 1 978 Gary a l ready seemed too
st rong for J u n i o r chess i n the
U SS R , and hence he bega n to
compete regularly with adu lts. F i rst
he was given a shot at the Soviet
Master title with an invitation to
the 8th So ko lsky Memorial in
M i n s k . I nstead of a mere norm , he
fin ished fi rst with a n incred i b le
1 3/1 7 sco re. This was fo l lowed by
com peting in the Daugavpils
E l i m i nato r , a 9 rou nd , 64-p layer ,
Swiss System event for q u a l ification
into the 46th U SS R Champions h i p .
There he sco red 9/1 3 , enough to tie
for first , and with the b etter tie­
b rea king points than l go r lvanov ,
he went d i rectly into t h e 1 978
U SS R Cha m p i o nsh i p Final at
Tbi l isi .
There were sti l l so me d o u bts,
desp ite h is asto u n d i n g successes, as
to h ow he wou l d fare agai nst such a
gro u p of to p eche l o n players. H is
sta rt, with two wins and four d raws,
sho u l d have been sufficient to
sq uelch any d o ubts, a nd though he
went through so me bad patches i n
t h e m id d le a n d end o f t h e tou rna­
ment due to the rea p pea ra nce of his
o ld i m p etuosity, and sh eer p hysi cal
196 Gory Kasparov
fatigue, h is fina l even sco re of 8%-
8% was m o re than respectab le .
I n 1 979 there fo l lowed h is
tremendous success at Banja L u ka
(see I l lust rative G a m es 6 and 7 ) in
his fi rst i nternational tou rnament
among ad u lts, and an eq ual ly
remarkab le 3 rd -4th in the U SS R
Cham p io nsh ip a t M insk with 1 0/ 1 7 ,
beating J u su p ov , Georgadze,
K u p reich i k , Vaganian, D o l m atov
and Svesh n i k ov, o n ly 1 % p o i nts
behind Geller, the winner. H is
unbelievab le rise was top p ed off
with SY2/6 in the 1 980 E u ro pean
Team Champio nsh ips at Skara,
Sweden , ea rning a g o l d medal fo r the
b est sco re i n the event, a n d p rovid ing
a b ig aid to the Soviet v icto ry there
(see I l lustrative G a m e 8 ) .
R etu rning to h is ea rly biography,
Kasparov grew up in Bak u , the
cap ita l of the Soviet Repu b l ic of
Azerbaijan , o ff the Casp ian Sea . He
d isplayed a good m u sical ea r at an
early age . But when at age 6 he
so lved an endgame wh ich his p a rents
had failed to , he was ta ken to the
local You ng Pion eers Pal ace chess
gro u p . Then , at age 1 0, his natu ral
chess talent was recognised , and
probab ly the m ost significant
aspect of his early chess career
occu rred in the i nvitation to j o i n
Botvin n i k 's C hess Sch o o l . A t t h e
t i m e , t h e school consisted m ai n ly
of a correspondence cou rse with
the fo rmer World Champ i o n over
six m onth periods, and th ree 1 0-
day su m m er camps attended by
boys and girls between the ages of
1 1 and 1 8 . Many lead ing Soviet
m asters and grand masters a lso
participate in these camps. Botv i n n i k
h i mself was q u ic k to notice G a ry's
g reat p otentia l and too k a specia l
personal interest i n h im . Some wel l ­
known g rand masters who have
graduated from the scho o l are
Anato ly Karpov, Y u r i Balash ov,
and Yuri Razuvaev, though
Botv i n n i k considers Kasparov the
most p ro m ising of a l l , p red icting
that he will be a Wo r l d Champion­
sh ip contender in the very nea r
futu re. I n any case, it i s c l ea r that
Kasparov is a u nique pheno menon ,
whose success i s a co m bination o f
raw talent a n d that special chess
tra i n i ng which is o n ly p ossi b le in
the Soviet U ni o n and perhaps
H u nga ry .
A t 1 3 Kasparov a l so sta rted to
train u nder two local m asters,
Alexander Shakov, and the Soviet
national youth coach , Alexander
N i k itin . A l ready he was given the
kind o f g rand m aster's t ra i ning p ro­
gramme, incl u d ing chess l iteratu re ,
wh ich wou ld s u i t t h e l i kes of Gel ler
and Petrosi a n .
I f a t p resent h e h a s a weak ness, it
is in d u l l , b locked p o sitions, where,
as he ad m its, he feels h is lack of
experience. In an interv iew with
V italy M e l i k - Kara m ov (Canadian
Chess Chat, August 1 978) he
a nswered the q u estio n , 'Which
g randmaster wou ld you like to
i m itate?' with :
'There are several grand masters
whose q u a l ities I wou ld l i ke to
have . These are Anato l y Karpov's
psycho l ogical stead iness, M i k h a i l

Botvin n i k 's logic, Alexander
Alek h ine's intu iti o n and M i k h a i l
Tal 's ab i l ity to ru n risks. '
H is main chess i d o l is Alekhi ne,
but I wo u l d ag ree·with Benko (Chess
Life and Review, Sept. 1 979) that
his sty le is so m ewhere between the
gen i us of F ischer and Tal in thei r
heyday.
When the Chess Chat inte rview
ended with a question about h is
chess p rogress, he answered :
' F o rmerly I p layed chess as a
favou rite game. I l i ked it, like
child ren l i ke to p lay . N ow I am
beco m ing i ncreasi ngly aware of the
fact that thousands o f people watch
my perfo rm ance. I have n o right to
d isap point them . '
I n a later interview with Svend
N ovrup (A /PE Chess News, Feb .
1 980) at Skara , he answered a
q u esti o n rega rding Botvin n i k 's
criti cism of y o u ng Soviet masters as
just p l aying and p laying, and
lac k i n g i n p reparat i o n and stu d y of
the game, with :
'This wi l l be no danger for me.
N ot o n ly am I influen ced by
Botv i n n i k myse lf, but I always
p repare tho roughly, and b oth of
my trainers are theo retical l y very
strong . '
W h i l e i t i s l i kely that chess wi l l
beco m e h is o n ly wo r k , K aspa rov i n
the meanti m e cont i n u es t o com p l ete
his high scho o l educatio n . F i n a l ly ,
when i n the sam e i nterview Gary
was asked about h is World Champ­
io nsh i p ambitions and p l ans, h e
very sensi b ly answered :
' I only plan fo r one yea r . This
yea r I hope to fin ish my grand-
Gory Kasparov 197
m aster title, and I wi l l p l ay in the
World J u n i o r C h a m p io nsh i p i n the
B R D , too . But possib ly I cou ld
q u a l ify as a cand idate in the first
cycle. We wi l l see .. .'
Though Kasparov ex pects that
Karp ov wi l l retain h is title i n 1 98 1
without tro u b le, I believe that he
must rea l ise that h is sty le is much
m o re o rigi na l , ente rp risi ng, and
enjoyed by the chess p u b l ic than
Karpov's, and very soo n he shou ld
be ab le to present a serious
cha l l enge . 1 984, when Kasparov
wi l l be 20, m ay p rovide h is first
o p po rtu nity .
1
Lputjan-Kasparov
USSR 1 976
King's I ndian Defence
Samisch Variation
In 1 976, when Kasparov was o n ly
1 2 yea rs o ld and his name was
changed fro m Wei nstei n , there were
ru mb l ings in the Western Wo rld
that the Soviet U ni o n was com ing
u p with a new chess 'pheno menon '
w h o wou ld succeed Karpov when
his time came. The fo l l owing game,
with its sc inti l l ating series of
sac rif ices, rem inds one of the
famous D o nald Byrne- F ischer game
from the 1 956 R osenwald Tou rna­
m ent, coi ned 'Th e G a m e of the
Centu ry' . In b oth ga mes, the young
p rotagonists d isp lay wonderfu l l y
o rigina l and confid ent command of
the Black p ieces, never a l l owi ng the
Wh ite k ing to find a happy haven .
198 Gory Kasparov
1 d4 .£lf6
2 c4 g6
3 .£lc3 .1lg7
4 e4 d6
5 f3 .£lc6 ! ?
A m odern system of p lay against
the Sam isc h , which has overta ken
i n p o p u l a rity the o ld l in e 5 . . . 0-0 6
Ae3 e5 7 d 5 .£lh5 o r 7 . . . c6. Black
sti l l usual ly p l ays 5 . . . 0-0 fi rst , a nd
th en som e co m b i nati o n of the
m oves ... l£lc6 and ... a6 fo l l owed
by . . . � b 8 , ... e5 and . . . �e8 . This
m eth o d of p lay is an effort to
p revent Wh ite fro m getting the
slow, closed gam e which is typical
of the Sa m isch , and to ach ieve this
B lack is q u ite p repared to sacrifice
a pawn b y th rusting his k n ight in to
d4 after Wh ite p lays d 5 . As a resu lt
B lack freq u ently gets co u nterp lay
aga i nst the White king who is
cau ght in the centre. The text-m ove
tempts the i m med iate 6 d 5, when
Kasparov p robab ly intended 6 . . .
l£lb 8 (6 .. . .£le5? ! 7 f4) . though
Wh ite co u l d sti l l p lay 7 f4.
6 .1le3 a6
7 *d2 �b8
8 Etb 1 ?!
White's ea rly p ro b lems i n th is
ga me a re no d o u bt d u e in so me part
to this m ove, which d elays the
co m p letion of his d eve l o pment. 8
.£lge2, u su a l l y fo l l owed b y .£lc 1 and
.£lb3 (to a l low the king's b ishop to
come out, a nd to trade off the
B lack knight wh ich m oves to d 4) ,
or 8 0-0-0 , were b etter moves .
8 . . . 0-0
9 b4
Wh ite conti n u es with his d o u btfu l
p lan of q ueensi d e ex pansi o n befo re
developing the k i ngside.
9 ... e5!?
T h i s m ove l eads to a prom ising
pawn sac rifice . Also possi b le was 9
.. . Ad7, and then if 1 0 d 5 l£le5 1 1
h3 l£lh 5 ! or 1 1 . . . b 5 ! ?
10 d5
1 0 .£lge2 wou l d st i l l seem a
sou nder way for Wh ite to conti n u e .
10 . . . .£ld4
1 1 .£lge 2 c5!
N ecessa ry and good . Perhaps
White was h o p ing for 1 1 ... l£lxe2
1 2 Axe2, when he cou ld embark on
'norma l ' p l ay . As p layed , Black
i n itiates the pawn sacrifice which
opens u p the posit i o n , leaving the
Wh ite king da ngerously p laced in
the centre .
1 2 dxc6 bxc6
1 3 .£lxd4 exd4
1 4 Axd4 �ea
H ere G ufeld ( i n /nformator) gives
the fo l l owing l o ng and fascinating
l i ne demonstrating what m ight
hap pen o n 1 4 ... c5 : 1 5 b xc5 .£lxe4
1 6 fxe4 *h4+ 1 7 ®d 1 ! � xb 1 + 1 8
.£lxb 1 *xe4 1 9 Axg7 *xb 1 + 20
*c l Ag4+ 21 ®d 2 *xc 1 + 22
®xc 1 ®xg7 23 cxd6 �d 8 24 c5
�c8 25 Axa6 �xc5+ 26 ®b 2 when
White is clea r l y bette r .
15 .1le2?!
But here Wh ite misses h is last
chance to come o u t of the o pen i ng
with h is ga me i n o n e p iece . O n 1 5
Ad 3 the neat comb ination which
fo l l ows wou l d not be possi b le .
Black c a n nonetheless cau se Wh ite
conti n u i n g wo rries with 1 5 . . . d 5 ! ?
after which there are too many
 Gory Kasparov 199

variations to elucidate here, but a

sa m p l e line is : 1 6 cx d 5 cxd 5 1 7
Axf6 -l*?<f6 ( 1 7 . . . Axf6 1 8 0-0 is
unclear ) 1 8 <tlxd5 'l*d4 ! with co m p ­
ensati o n for the two p awns.

White p ins h is h o p es o n capturing

the d -pawn , to straighten out his
pawns and o bta in co m pensation for
the e xchange.
22 . . . E!c2
15 . . . c5 23 ®d3 E!xc3+ !
16 bxc5 <tlxe4! But Kasparov wi l l have n o n e of it.
The point of Kasparov's p revio u s Wh ite is left with a n iso lated mess
m ove . T h e co m bi natio n i s b ased o n of pawns.
t h e fact that White's p ieces o n b 1 24 li¥1xc3 dxc5
and h 1 wil l b e hanging. 25 .1ld3 Ab7
17 fxe4 ith4+ 26 E!e1
1 8 g3 26 E! b 1 Axe4 27 .ll x e4 E! x e4 28
I f 1 8 Af2 Axc3 1 9 Axh4 E! x b 1 + E!b6 f5 wou ld wi n sim ilarly to the
20 'il!tf2 Axd2 2 1 E! x b 1 d xc5, and ga m e .
B l a c k 's better pawns c o u p l ed with 26 . . . E!e5
the wea kened p osition of the White Also win n i ng was 26 ... f5 27 e5
k i n g shou ld be enough to win . .ll e 4 28 Axe4 E!xe5 etc .
18 . . . E!xb 1 + 27 a4 f5
1 9 � 2 (D) 28 E!b 1 Axe4
Of cou rse if 1 9 <tlxb 1 'l*x e4 f o r ks 29 E!b6 f4
White's hanging knight, roo k a n d 30 E!xa6 f3
bish o p , but could Wh ite n o w b e Kasparov kn ows where the wi n
under t h e i m p ression that he wi l l lies.
escape with a d ecent game? 31 .1lf1 .ll f 5
19 . . . E!b2 ! ! 32 E!a1+ �6
N o ! Kasparov retu rns the roo k 33 �2 f2
u nder his own terms. 34 .ll e 2 .ll g 4
20 gxh4 E!xd2 35 .1ld3 E!e 1
21 Axg7 li¥1xg7 36 E!f7 .ll f 5
22 c&>e3 37 a5 .ll x d3
200 Gory Kasparov

38 !::!. x f2 !::!.f l 8 ... �f6

Resig ns
The last m oves were se lf­
ex p l a nato ry . White resigned b ecau se
if 39 !::!. x f 1 .ll x f 1 40 ®c3 ®g7 4 1
a6 �6 42 a7 .llg 2 and the Black
king enters the gam e d ecisively .
2 H ere B lack shou l d have p layed 9
Kasparov-Roizman
M insk 1 978
Ruy Lopez, Bird 's Variation
Kasparov was invited to the 8th
So k o lsky Memo ria l in M i nsk in
order to give h i m a chance to m a ke
the norm necessa ry fo r the Soviet
Master title. I nstead he won the
tournament outright. H ere is one
of h is characteristic gam es from the
event, with som e n otes based o n
Botvinn i k 's, fro m h is fo rthcom ing
bo o k From Chess to Machine.
1 e4 e5
2 �f3 �c6
3 Ab5 �d4
K asparov is not d istu rbed by this
entry i nto a va riati o n which is
rarely seen in master p ract ice.
4 �xd4 exd4
5 0-0 Ac5
6 d3 c6
7 Ac4 d6
Meeting t h e th reat of 8 .ll x f7+
\tlxf7 9 *h5+.
8 f4
l t is typ ica l of Kasparov to seize
as much space as m ight be o ffered
in the open i ng, and to try to
convert th is i nto an i n itiative as
q u i c k ly as possi b l e .
B lack d o es not find it easy to
d evelop flu i d l y . If 8 ... .ll e 6 9
.ll x e6 fxe6 1 0 f5, and it is so o n
apparent that the b ishop o n c5 i s
bad . l t seems that B lack needs t o
prepare . . . d 5 as q u ic k ly as possi b le ,
a n d to that e n d 8 . . . !iJe7 i s p refer­
able.
9 e5 dxe5
. . . !iJd 5, si nce o n 1 0 .ll x d 5 cxd 5 ,
t h e d -pawns wou l d not be a great
l iab i l ity and wou l d deprive the
Wh ite pieces of c4 a nd e4. As
played , his king's positio n gets
permanently damaged .
1 0 Axf7+
The first b lo o d is d rawn , though
Black d o es succeed i n withstanding
the i n itia l o nslaught.
10 �f7
1 1 fxe5 itd5
B l ac k 's ki ngside pawn str u ctu re
wou l d sti l l be damaged after 1 1 .. .
.ll e 7 1 2 exf6 ( 1 2 .ll g 5 *d 5 ! ? ) 1 2 .. .
.ll x f6 1 3 .llg 5 etc .
1 2 exf6 gxf6
1 3 �d2 !::!.g 8
R o izman h o pes to get cou nter­
p lay on the g-f i l e . Kasparov shows
great m atu rity fo r a 1 4-year-o ld i n
that th ro u g h o ut t h e game he main­
tains the belief that B lac k 's g-f i l e
counterp lay c a n be conta ined ,
while the wea k f-pawn must
eventually be fatal for h i m for it
cannot b e shielded .
14 �e4 Ae7
15 Af4 !::!. g 6
16 ite2 Ag4
17 itf2 !::!. a g8

Both sides' b u i l d -u ps are being
co m p leted . Black m ight have tried
1 7 . . . ®g7 with . . . �h8 to fo l l ow,
i n o rder to achieve so m e m easu re
of king safety .
1 8 .§.ae 1
Kasparov does not bother with
pro p hy lactic m oves such as �h 1
o r Ag3 , which others m ig ht p lay
here. N ow 1 8 ... Ae2? c o u l d si m p ly
be m et with 1 9 .§. x e2 .§. xg2+ 20
�xg2 .§.xg2+ 21 .§. x g2, with Wh ite
having m o re than enough fo r h is
q u een .
18 . . . h5
1 9 Ag5 !
Just when R o iz m a n was p robab ly
beg i n n ing to feel c o nfid ent that his
cou nterplay wo u l d keep the issue i n
d o u bt, Kasparov d e m onstrates that
the rea l issue at q u estion is the
su rviva l of the B lack king ! I f now
1 9 ... .§.xg5, then 20 l£lxf6 ! is
i m m ed iately decisive.
19 . . . "itd8
20 "itf4
N ow we have reached a cu rious
situatio n , in that the White b ishop
o n g5 can not be captu red and
thereby is ab le to participate i n
t h e attac k o n f 6 , b ut cannot ret reat
Gory Kasparov 2(}1
after this and the next m ove.
20 . .. Ae6
21 h4
T h is m ove, and Wh ite 's next,
req u i red utmost p rec isi o n in their
calcu latio n , fo r while they lead to
a q u i c k d ecisi o n , they a re a lso
extremely risky in appea rance. A
rea l th reat is now 22 Axf6 .§. xf6
(22 . . . Axf6 23 l£lg5+, or on 22 .. .
.§. xg2+ 23 �h 1 ) 23 �e5 ! wi nning
either b y l£lxf6 o r l£lg5+.
21 . . . AdS
This seem s to ta ke care of the
p r o b lem of his hanging b isho p ,
but n o w Kaspa rov co mes u p with
an incred i b ly strong and u nusua l
move .
22 g4 ! !
cou l d not co m m ent o n this
b etter than to give Botvinni k 's
note : 'A vio lati o n of conventi o na l
positiona l d ogma - White o pens u p
h i s own king p osit i o n . T h e p o i nt is
that the ro o k o n g6 is in da nger,
and t h is d ecides the outc o m e of the
ga m e . '
22 . . . �7
N ow it is fa r too late fo r the
Black king to try to flee. On 22 . . .
h xg4 then si m p ly 23 h 5 wi ns.
202 Gory Kasparov

23 gxh 5 fxg 5 fx e6 9 i:lg5 i!Jd7 1 0 i!Je2 ilc6 1 1

24 'lte5+ �6 i:lxe6 i:ld 8 1 2 i:lxf8, with Wh ite
25 hxg6 gxh4 slightly b etter.
26 nts ®xg6 7 0 • • .!lg7
27 �2 Resigns 8 i:lg5
This jau nt by the Wh ite knight
is a n impo rtant co m p o nent of
Wh ite 's entire opening scheme . The
3 move f4 is made possi b le , thereby
Kasparov-Palatnik freei ng h is p ieces fro m the task of
Daugavpils Elim inator 1 97 8 defending the e-pawn .
Alekhine's Defence 8 . .. e6
U p o n receiving h is Soviet Master The other move fo r B lack to
tit le, G ary participated i n the consid er was 8 . . . d 5 , but then 9 f4
Daugavp i l s E l i m inato r , a 64-m aster wou ld sti l l give Wh ite excel lent
e l i m ination event fo r q u a l ificati on chances for a k i ngsi d e executio n .
i nto the 46th USSR C h a m p io nship 9 f4 dxe5
( 1 978) . By tyi n g for first with 9/1 3 1 0 fxe5 c5
G a ry p roved that his recent success 1 1 0-0
at M insk was not j u st a flu k e . H is Kasparov p lays the entire o pen ing
game against Pa lat n i k was voted the very sha r p ly, o n ly responding to
6th b est in lnformator 26 by the rea l th reats. If 1 1 .. . i!Jxd 4+ 1 2
highly q u a l if ied group of lnformator i*xd4 cx d 4 1 3 i:lxf7 and Wh ite is
selecto rs, and rightfu l ly so , for it is wi n n i n g .
a classic attacking gem . 11 . . 0 0-0
1 e4 i:lf6 1 2 c3 ilc6?!
2 e5 i:ld 5 O rd inarily it is advantageo us for
3 d4 d6 B lack to mainta i n centra l tensi o n in
4 i:lf3 g6 such cou nter-p u nch ing systems as
5 Ac4 ilb6 the Alekhine, G ru nfeld , and K i ng's
6 Ab3 a5 I nd ia n D efences, but here the move
In the F ischer -Spassky, 1 3th is based on a fal se i m p ression that
match ga m e referred to in o u r Wh ite m u st respond to the p ressu re
chapter o n J a n T i m man , F ischer on h is d -pawn . C o rrect was 1 2 . . .
p layed 6 . . . .ll g 7, to whi:.:h Spassky c x d 4 1 3 cxd4 i:lc6 1 4 i:lf3 f 6 , when
responded with the su perficia l 7 Wh ite can conti n u e a long the l i nes
i:lbd 2 . Play contin u ed 7 . . . 0-0 8 h 3 of the game with 1 5 i:lc3 fxe5 1 6
a5 ! 9 a4? d xe5 1 0 d x e5 i:la6 ! when .ll g 5 ! etc . with a n i n itiative fo r the
Spassky was a l ready i n tro u b l e . pawn .
7 a4 1 3 i:le4! i:ld 7
R eco m mended by G ufeld in I f 1 3 . . . cxd4 1 4 .ll g 5 i*d7 1 5
lnformator was 7 e6 ! .ll x e6 8 .ll x e6 i:lf6+ .ll x f6 1 6 .ll x f6 d x c3 1 7 i*c 1
 Gory Kasparov 203

is decisive; o r o n 1 4 . �7 1 5. . 22 �f2 �h 8
cxd4 fo l lowed by �bc3 with a b ig B lack recogn ises the need for . . .
advantage for Wh ite . f5 o r . . . f6 t o 'remove' the glaring
1 4 Jl.e3 h o l e o n f6, and in order to play t h is
Much better than encouraging he has to hide his knight from the
Blac k 's cou nterp l ay o n the d -pawn firing l ine of the b ishop o n c2.
with 1 4 .llg 5? ! '/tb6 .
14 . . . �e7 .i •
B1 • �-··L.J
• -�· t·
%..... ,
I f instead 1 4 . . . cxd4 1 5 cxd4
rem �
.�.. • t � • ��
" ·" ..
'/tb6 1 6 .ll f 2 with the i d ea of d5.
15 Jl.g5 ! vi.l li �Wftr w�
•---3i ,• . . . . �

N ow Black is a l l tied u p i n k nots,

and the o n ly way for h i m to o bta in �f. ·B�Ii�. �.
• � a •
• :. ��§ re
so me b reathing roo m is by the
����-�
..

fu rther wea ken ing of h is k i ngsi d e .

��
' · ··' . � �
•�m
"···" L...z z• • . Y-
15 . . . cxd4
'· "
On 1 5 . . . h6 1 6 .ll h 4 g 5 1 7 .ll x g 5 !
wou l d wi n . 23 Jl.xg5 !
1 6 cxd4 h6 Su d d e n ly the firewo rks which
1 7 ilh4 g5 had been menacing f o r a n u m ber of
1 8 Af2 ! m oves begin .
N ot now 1 8 Axg5? hxg5 1 9 23 . . . hxg5
�xg5 �xe5 ! 20 'l*h 5 'l*xd4+ 2 1 24 '/th5 f5
E!f2 ( 2 1 ®h 1 'l*d 3 ) 2 1 . . . E! d 8 ( 2 1 B lac k 's b est try . O n 24 . . . f6 25
. . . '/td3 2 2 .ll c 2 ! ) a n d B lack �xg5 E!fc8 26 .ll h 7+ ®f8 29 �ce4
defends. with a crush ing atta c k .
18 . . . �g6 25 �xg5 E!f7
19 �bc3 If 25 . . . E!fd 8 then 26 E!xf5! is
N ote that it has ta ken White 1 9 i m m ed iately decisive .
m oves to co m p lete h is d eve l o p m ent 26 Jl.xf5 ! !
but B lack is sti l l not close to The perfect b lend of beauty and
co m p leti ng his, and Kasparov can b ruta l ity in these sacrifices is
now focus his attention on ex p l o it­ reminiscent of the artistic and
i ng the wea knesses i n Pa latni k 's scientific meth o d s in Botvi n n i k 's
p osit i o n . play.
19 'lte7 26 E!xf5
20 Jl.c2 b6 If 26 . . . exf5 27 4:ld 5 'l*e8 28 e6 !
21 Jl.e3 is term i na l fo r Blac k .
This bisho p has gone the fu l l 27 E!xf5 exf5
cycle to retu rn t o this sq uare, but 28 �d 5
not with out p rogress ! i t 's not how many p ieces, but
21 . . . Jl.a6 how they're p l aced that cou nts.
204 Gory Kasparov

28 �e8 3 d4 cxd4
29 �h7+ �8 4 4lxd4 .tlf6
30 �xf5+ �8 5 4lc3 d6
31 �h7+ �8 6 Ag5 e6
32 !!a3 ! 7 �d2 a6
A 'ta n k ' is b r o u g h t i n f o r t h e final 8 0-0-0 Ad7
dem o l it io n . 32 tzJc7 was a lso 9 f4 b5
crush i n g . The other main l i n e with in t h is
32 . . . !!c8 variati o n is 9 . . S1e 7 .
.

33 !!f3+ tzJf6 1 0 .tlxc6

If 33 ... tzJf7, the n 34 !! xf7+ Another, m o re 'stru ctu ra l ly
"?!Jxf7 35 tzJxf7 !!c l + 36 ®f2 §f l + o r iented ', system is 1 0 S1xf6 gxf6
37 ®g 3 !!xf7 3 8 "?!Jh4 ! with e 6 to ( N ot 1 0 ... "?!Jxf6 1 1 e5 d x e5 1 2
fo l l ow, is one of severa l ways to tzJd xb 5 ! ) 1 1 ®b 1 o r 1 1 f 5 .
win . 10 AxeS
34 h 3 ! 1 1 .ll d 3
O ne f i n a l d efensive i nterject io n . Other moves p layed in t h is
34 �g6 p o sition a re 1 1 "?!Je3 and 1 1 "?!Je 1 ,
35 §xf6+ ! Axf6 t o n o particu lar adva ntage to Wh ite .
36 tzJe6+ �8 11 . . . .ll e 7
37 tzJxf6+ R esigns 1 2 e5 dxe5
B lack shou l d not ma ke t h is
captu re auto matica l l y - 1 2 . . . .tld 5 ! ?
wo u l d seem a q u ite reaso nab le
4 a lternative, e.g. 1 3 .tle4 d x e5 1 4
Kasparov-Panchenko S1xe7 ( 1 4 f x e5 S1xg5 1 5 .tlxg5 h6 ! )
Daugavpils Eliminato r 1 978 1 4 . . . "?!Jxe7 1 5 fxe5 0-0 a n d B lac k
Sicilian D efence, R ichter· R auzer has a so lid positio n ; o r 1 3 exd6
Variatio n S1xg5 1 4 fxg5 "?!Jx d 6 1 5 .tle4 "?!Je7,
Another gam e of K a sparov's from a n d aga in Black is q u ite comfo rt­
Daugavp ils which has a p p ea red in a able.
n u m ber of p laces a l o ngsi d e the 1 3 fxe5 .tld7
p revious gam e is h i s wi n agai nst B lack c o u l d sti l l p lay . . . tzJd 5 .
Pa nchen ko . I n t h e p resent ga m e he 1 4 S1xe7 �xe7
sacrifices a pawn f o r a lasting 1 5 .ll e4! ?
initiative, b ut Pan ch e n k o d efends Through t h i s cunning pawn
wel l , and just when h e see m s to be sacrifice, Kasparov reta i ns the
getting so m e b reat h i n g r o o m , G a ry i nitiative .
del ivers the d ecisive k n o c k out 15 . . . S1xe4?
b low. B lack sho u l d stick to so l i d
1 e4 c5 methods by 1 5 . . . "?!Jc5 ! 1 6 !! h e 1
2 tzJf3 tzJc6 !!a7 ! etc ., thereby conta i n ing
 Gory Kasparov 205

White's attac k . Even the i m m ed iate I f 24 . . . �e5 25 g 5 h xg5 26 h xg5

1 5 . . . �xe5 is better than the text, 'ltg6 27 'ltxg6 �xg6 28 �xe6 �e8
because the Wh ite k n ight is not 29 gxf6 ! and Wh ite wins nicely .
accelerated to d6. On t h is cap tu re H owever, a n i nteresting d efensive
Kasparov p robab ly intended 1 6 try here was 24 . . . �d 8 ! ?
'ltd4 f6 ( N ot 1 6 . . . 'ltg5+ 1 7 'itlb 1 2 5 �f5 h5
� d 8 1 8 'ltc5) 1 7 .ll x c6+ �xc6 1 8 26 �g 1
'ltb6 with p lay . Kasparov keeps pressi ng . Blac k 's
16 �xe4 �xe5 last move, ensu ring h i m two ki ng­
17 iifd4 f6 si de passed pawns, was an effort
18 �d6+ �8 for l ib eratio n , though it a l so m ea ns
19 �hfl ! ®9 8 that White gains a ha lf-o pen file to
Black avo ids 1 9 . . . �f7 20 'ltb6 ! use against the B lack k i n g .
�xd6 2 1 � x d 6 'itlf7 2 2 �e1 ! e 5 23 26 . . . �h7 !?
'ltc6 when White mainta ins strong On 26 ... �h6 27 �xg7 ! 'itlxg7
p ressu re for the pawn . 28 g x h 5+ 'itlf7 29 'ltb 7+ etc . wi ns.
27 iifb7 !
I f i nstead 27 g 5 fxg5 28 h xg5 g6
29 �h4 �h8 ( G ufeld ) and Black
l ives o n .
27 . . . �8
28 �e7+ was th reatened .
28 gxh 5 iife6
This a l lows Kasparov's neat finish,
b ut what was Black to d o a ga i nst a l l
the threats, such a s 2 9 E!d 7, 29
�e7 a nd si m p ly 29 'ltxa6 ?
20 g4 !
An exce l lent m ove towards
keeping the i n itiative a n d a b i nd on
the p ositi o n . 21 g 5 l o o ms.
20 . . . h6
2 1 h4 �f7?
U n dersta n da b ly Panchenko wa nts
to rem ove the thorn in his position
from d6; h owever, 2 1 . . . �f8
wou l d have offered stiffer resist­
a n ce, e .g . 22 g5 h xg5 23 h xg5 �g6
etc . ( but not 21 . . . E!d8 22 �f5 ! ) . 29 �xg7 !
22 '&e4! �f8 Actu a l l y a si m p le c o m b i natio n ,
23 �f5 '«Je8 though i t i s appea l ing i n its p u r ity .
24 �d4 e5 I f 29 . . . 'ltc4 30 'itlb 1 ! �xg7 3 1
206 Gory Kasparov

� xg7 '3Jxg7 32 �g2+ '3ih8 33 �gl m otivat io n , with examp les in other
wins. Soviet Champ ionships being
29 . . . "ltx a2 Bel iavsky, last 1 973, 1 st= 1 974;
30 "lte7 �g8 and Ta l , l it = 1 978, 1 4- 1 5th of 1 8
If 30 . . . � 1 + 3 1 '3id2 � d B+ 32 in 1 979 . I n any case , Kasparov is
�xd 8+ ! wins. sti l l yo u n g enough to be m otivated
3 1 · "ltxf6 "�ta l + to win every game and tou rna ment
N o w i f 3 1 . . . � h x g7 3 2 � xg7 he partici pates i n .
� x g7 33 h6 wins. 1 e4 e5
32 �2 "lta5+ 2 �f3 �c6
33 cfte2 �gxg7 3 Ab5 a6
34 �xg7 �xg7 4 Aa4 �f6
35 �g1 R esigns 5 0-0 Ae7
A fitting finish to a fine attacking 6 �e1 b5
gam e. 7 Ab3 d6
8 c3 0-0
9 h3 Ab7
A comparatively ra rely p layed
5 m ove, which was a lso emp loyed by
Kasparov-D orfman Bel iavsky in t h is Soviet Champion­
USSR Championship, Tbilisi 1 978 shi p . Its d eficit is that f5 is left
Ruy Lopez u nguarded , though m o re i m med iate
I n this, his first USSR Cham p i o ns h i p i n d i rect p ressu re is a p p l ied to the
F i na l , 1 5-yea r-o ld Kasparov man­ Wh ite e-pawn than by the usu a l
aged a very respectab le even sco re m oves 9 . . . �a 5 , 9 . . . l£lb8 and 9 . . .
of 8%-8%. C o nsidering the strength h6.
of the U SS R Cham p i o nsh i p , this 10 d4
can be viewed as o n a par with Kasparov d isp lays the u ni n h i b ited ,
F ischer 's o utright win of the 1 956 d irect methods a k i n to yout h . 1 0
US C h a m p i o nship at age 1 4. On the d 3 is a nother a p p roach .
way to ach ieving t h is su ccess , 10 �ea
Kasparov showed h is ab i l ity to u se 1 1 �bd 2 Af8
the R u y Lo pez as a dangerous 1 2 a4 ! ?
wea p o n by b eating O o rfman and A sharp move usu a l ly p layed in
K u z m in , two p l ayers d iscussed in the R u y wit h the i ntenti o n of
The Younger School of Soviet leaving B lack with a b -pawn which
Chess, by And rew So ltis ( Bell & wi l l be awkward to d efen d . A
Hyma n ) . I ro n i ca l l y , D o rfman ended recent alter native is 1 2 a3 ! ? after
up next to last in this Soviet which M ata n ovic- lv kov, 3rd match
Cham p io nship, when the yea r game, 1 978 conti n u ed : 1 2 ... g6 1 3
befo re he was tied f o r f i rst . Perhaps .11 a 2 .11 g 7 1 4 b 4 1£lb 8 1 5 d xe5 d xe5
t h is is a com p lex q u est i o n of 1 6 .11 b 2 �b d7 1 7 c4 with White

better. 1 2 ci)g5 wou Id be m et
si m p ly b y 1 2 ... 'Be7 .
12 . . . h6
13 d 5 ci)b8
1 3 ... ci)a7 14 c4 c6 1 5 d xc6
.11 x c6 was roughly eq u a l in
Pad evski- G i ig o ric, Zagreb 1 96 5 .
1 4 c4
O n ce aga i n the sha rpest cont i n u ­
atio n . N ow if 1 4 ... b4 Kasparov
m u st have i ntended 1 5 c5 (e lse 1 5
. . . ci)bd7 -ci)c 5) 1 5 . . . d xc5 1 6 ci)c4
etc .
14 . . . c6
T h i s m oves creates a position
whose tension and correspond ing
sym m etry between the pawn
lattices, with their resp ective l ight­
sq u ared bishops behind them , is
a m u si ngly si m i lar to d raughts.
1 5 axb5 axb5
16 'B.xa8 .11 x a8
17 dxc6 b4
C l ea rly 1 7 .. . .11 x c6? 1 8 cxb 5
.11 x b5 1 9 .11 x f7+ wou Id b e bad f o r
Blac k . Suet i n a lso considers the
text move d u b i o u s and suggests
1 7 . . . b xc4 1 8 .11 a 4 "l*c7 ! 1 9 ci)xc4
.11 x c6 as eq u a l . However, Wh ite
wou l d seem to reta in a s l ight edge
with si m p ly 1 8 .11 x c4 .11 x c6 1 9
"l*c2 ; o r 1 8 . . . ci)xc6 1 9 ci)f 1 ci)a5
( 1 9 . . . ci)d4 20 ci)xd4 exd4 2 1 f3
and Wh ite seems to weather ensu ing
co m p l ications with the better
game) 20 .11b 5 'B.e7 21 "l*a4 ! etc .
N o n etheless, this wo u l d seem to be
B l ac k 's best chance for eq u a l ity .
1 8 .11 a4
C o l d logic. Since this was fast
beco m ing a bad b isho p, Kasparov
places it where it wi l l either be
Gory Kasparov 207
traded for Blac k 's good b is h o p o r
ex ert t h e most p ressu re .
18 . . . ci)xc6
An a p p ro x imate t ranslation of
D o rf m a n 's c o m m ent at th is point
is, 'I have just tu rned down
Kasparov 's offer of a d raw. So
m u c h the wo rse if the d ecisi o n goes
one way o r the other . '
1 9 ci)fl
N ow it is clea r that Wh ite has a
sma l l , wo rking advantage d u e to
su per i o r m o b i l ity and pawn
struct u r e .
19 . . . -&-b 8
1 9 ... ci)d7 ! ? is an i d ea here and
for the next few m oves.
20 g4
K asparov senses that p iece p lay
a l o n e wi l l not be sufficient to
e x p l o i t his advantage .
20 'B.c8
21 ci)g3 ci)d 8
22 g5! hxg5
23 ci)xg5
T h is k night p roves to be menaci ng.
I f now 23 . . . ci)e6 24 ci)xe6 fxe6 25
ci)h 5 ci)xh5 26 i*xh 5 .11 c 6 ( if the
B lack q u een or rook l eaves the f irst
ran k then 27 .11 e 8 ! ) 27 .11 b 3 .11 d 7
28 f4 with a conti n u ing i nitiative .
23 . . . 'B.xc4 ! ?
T h i s m ove d eserves cred it f o r its
co u rage .
24 .ll b 3 'B.d4
Black wou l d have d o ne better to
defend h i m self with 24 . . . 'Bc7 and
ask Wh ite to 'p rove' the so u n d n ess
of h is pawn sacrifice. 25 'B.e3 ! ?
wo u l d then b e i nterest i n g . I nstead
the text leads to an exchange
sacrifice fo r wh ich he d oes not
208 Gory Kasparov

receive sufficient c o m p ensati o n . I l lustrative G a m e 8 vs. Pribyl fo r

25 'ltc2 4:ld7 another recent exam p le of this. O n
26 .ll e 3 4:lc5 3 5 d x e6? �b7 a nd Black i s o n to p .
27 .ll x d4 exd4 35 .ll c 5
28 .ll d 5 36 'ltxe6+ �8
H aving done its share, t h is b ishop 37 ®g 2
requ ests retirement through si m p l i ­ Prevent ing a fina l tric k , . . . �xg3+.
ficatio n . 37 'ltf4
28 .lle 7 38 'ltc8+ �7
29 h4 4:lde6 39 'ltxc5 Resigns
30 AxeS fxe6
31 'ltc4
K asparov typ i ca l l y d oes not shu n
co m p l icatio ns, and focuses o n the 6
centre and B lack king to p rovid e Kasparov-Marovic
f o r an exciting fin ish . Banja Luka 1 979
31 d3 Queen's Gambit
3 2 4:lxe6 d2 Gary 's first appeara n ce in an a d u lt
33 gd 1 i nternationa l tou rna ment was h is
Of course n o t 33 4:lxc5+ d 5 ! a n d fantastic success at Banja Lu ka,
t h e tab les are tu rned . Yugoslavia . H e started with a n
33 . . . d5 i ncred i b le 9/1 0 , a l l owing o n ly a
A d esperate fina l effo rt fo r first-round d raw with Petrosian (the
co u nterplay that j u st fails d u e to a n gra n d master sent as a 'steadying
e lega nt si destep . i nf l u ence') and a d raw in the 6th
34 exd 5 4:lxe6 round with S mej ka l ( o n h is 1 6th
b i rthday ! ) . This was sufficient to
.t.M B B*• ach ieve the gra nd master norm with
R g � r�
:i.� �.
seven rounds to go ! He eventua l ly
.• .• won the tou rnament with two

• • ft • •
rou n d s to spare. H i s 'most
memorab le' game was the. one
£1�· • �� which fo llows, a nd it h ig h lights
• • • � 1 Kasparov 's a b i l ity to 'put h is stamp '

.
6-�•� ·a�•1
35 'lte4!
Kasparov has a d efin ite knack for
tactica l ly usi n g his q u een and
centra l pawns to ex p l o it loose or
d iso rga nised m inor p ieces . See
o n o ld systems wh ich have been
so m ewhat neg lected , wh i l e ta k i ng
r isks and proceed ing with o riginal
attacking method s. So me notes are
based on those of Kasparov in 64
and lnformator.
1 c4 e6
2 4:lf3 d5

3 d4 4lf6
4 4lc3 Ae7
5 Ag5 0-0
6 e3 4lbd7
7 'ltc2
The moves to here have been
p l ayed thousands of times, but now
White's other maj o r 'branch ' is 7
!!c l which p rec l u d es castl i ng l o n g .
The text i s m o re flex i b l e , b u t
a l l ows B lac k 's . . . c5 to be p layed
with m o re effect .
7 c5
8 0-0-0
Before the days of the m odern
S ic i l ia n D efence, t h is was the way
excit i n g o p posite wing attacking
gam es wou ld most frequ ently
evo lve . H owever, Wh ite 's king is not
as wel l sh ielded as i n m o st Sicil ians
i n that the c-pawn is at c4, and as
a resu lt the c-f i l e may o pen at any
t i m e . The text is a n idea of
R u b instei n 's from the tu rn of the
centu ry , and was l ater often seen i n
the gam es o f Kasparov's famous
teacher, Botvi nni k , in the 1 930's
and '40 's. Qu ieter a l ternatives were
8 E!d 1 and 8 cxd 5 .
8 ... 'lta5
9 ®b1 h6
N ow the book l ine lead ing to
equ a l ity is 10 .ll x f6 4lxf6 1 1 4le5
cx d 4 1 2 exd4 .ll b 4 1 3 E!d3 d xc4 1 4
4lxc4 'ltc7 (£CO ) , but Kasparov
produces a move whose m otivat i o n
(to attack ! ) i s n o t n ew, though it i s
an i n novation i n th is particular
positi o n .
1 0 h4!?
T h is was thought to be refuted
by 1 0 . . . cxd4 1 1 4lxd4 d x c4 1 2
Gory Kasparov 209
.ll x c4 4lb6 1 3 .Q.b 3 hxg5 1 4 hxg5
ttxg 5 1 5 f4 �6. But K asparov
i ntended to p lay 1 1 exd4 and then
o n 1 1 ... hxg5 1 2 hxg5 4le4 1 3
4lxe4 d xe4 1 4 ·c5 ! h e wou ld o btai n
a dangerous attack .
10 . . . dxc4
O f cou rse 1 0 . . . hxg5 1 1 hxg5
l£:le4 1 2 l£:lxe4 d x e4 1 3 \�h e4 l eads
to a stra ightforwa rd win for Wh ite .
B l ac k 's most interesting (and
perhaps best) respo nse here m ight
be 1 0 ... b 5 ! ?
1 1 Axc4 4lb6
B lack is hard -p ressed to find a
reaso nab le p l a n . F o r exam p l e , o n
1 1 . . . c x d 4 1 2 e x d 4 l£:lb6 1 3 .Q.b 3
.lld 7 1 4 l£:le5 E!ac8 ·1 5 E! h 3 ! he is
sti l l in a p red icament. Kasparov's
p lay d e m o nstrates t hat 1 0 h 4 ! ? was
not j u st a rec kless gesture, but a
strong attacking move wh i lst
centra l i nterests a re maintai ned .
1 2 Axf6!
Accu rately p l ayed . N o w if 1 2 . . .
.ll x f6 1 3 4le4 .Q.e7 ( o r t h e amusi ng
I ine g iven by Kasparov : 1 3 ... cxd4
1 4 l£:lxf6+ gxf6 1 5 E! x d 4 l£:lxc4 1 6
E!g4+ ! ®h8 1 7 E!xc4 e5 1 8 l£:lg5
fxg5 1 9 hxg5 e4 20 Etc5 'lM14 [ 20
. . . ttd8 2 1 E! x h 6+ wins ( D . K .) ] 2 1
a 3 ! a n d the Black q u een i s lost)
Wh ite cou l d c h oose between 1 4
l£:lfg 5 o r 1 4 l£:leg5( ! ?) o r the si mp ler
1 4 d xc 5 with a b ig l ead i n d evelo p­
m ent .
12 . . . gxf6
1 3 Ae2
F ro m an aesthetic p o i nt of view,
B l a c k 's position is not very p retty .
H e lags i n deve l o p m ent. has th ree
c l u msy pawn islands, and the
J I () ( ;ary Kosporov

defensive wa l l of pawns i n front of B l a c k 's o n ly move to meet the

his king has a l ready b een shattered . threat of 21 4:lg4.
Yet notice how wel l White m u st 21 Hf3!
p lay i n o rd er to u lt imately b rea k Kasparov ca l l s this h is 'stro ngest
Blac k 's resistance. move i n the tou rnament'. He gives
13 . . . cxd4 the su p p o rting variatio ns :
14 exd4 .11 d 7 ( i ) 2 1 . . . Af6 2 2 g 4 Axe5 2 3 gxf5!
1 5 Hh3 4:la4 .ll x d 3+ ! 24 �xd 3 Had 8 25 f6+
There was nothing B l ac k c o u l d d o �8 26 �e3 forcing mate ; and
t o fort ify h is k i n g 's posit i o n , so h e ( i i ) 2 1 . . . .ll x d 3+ 22 �xd 3 h 5 23
must try to cou nterattac k . The g4! h xg4 24 Hxf5 tM1 6+ ! 25 ®:: 2
Wh ite k i n g 's d efend e rs a re not so exf5 26 �xf5+ \tlh6 27 H g l when
far afield and a n i nterest ing try here there is no d efence to 28 4:lxg4+.
wou l d be 1 6 4:ld2 . Kasparov, h ow­ The move prepares a d i rect
ever, shows his wi l l ingness to accept assa u l t (via g4) o n the o n ly remain­
'cosmetic' wea knesses in o rder to ing o bstruct i o n ( p awn on f5) to the
p roceed u n h i ndered with his attac k . Black king.
1 6 Hg3+ ®h8 21 . . . f6
1 7 *d 2 4:lxc3+ 22 4:lc4 *c7
1 8 bxc3 ®h7 If 22 . . . �a6 then 23 �e2 with
O n 1 8 . . . itf5+, Kasparov p o ints threats of 24 d 5, 24 He3 , and 24
out that 1 9 .ild 3 �h5 20 Hg6 ! ? .ll x f5+.
fxg6 2 1 g 4 �xg4 2 2 �x h6+ ®98 23 *e2 .11 x c4
23 Hg 1 ( 23 Axg6 Hf7 and Wh ite If 23 . . . �7 then 24 d 5 ! wo u ld
can do no better than to transpose) be stro ng .
23 ... �xg 1 + 24 4:lxg 1 Hf7 wou l d 24 .11 x c4
be u nclea r , but that si m p ly 1 9 \tlb2 The resu lting si m p l ifications and
Hg8 20 �x h6+ �h7 21 itf4 wou l d b ishops of o p posite co l o u r offer
preserve White's initiative . B lack no rel ief .
1 9 .11 d 3+ f5 24 e5
20 4:le5 .11 b 5 25 Hxf5 .11a 3
-�
. �
. '�-
"""" .
�
26 *e4 ®h8
27 Hh5 *h7
ftl t B•li t •* 28 *xh7+
• t . F-1 M o re p recise was 28 .ll d 3 �xe4
li.l.. �
-" � mf _t·� 29 .ll x e4 ®97 30 d xe5 fxe5 3 1
• � ��
··

�R��t
_____
Hd7+ Hf7 32 Hxf7+ \tlxf7 33
� ·���AI"
•
�
'------�m�� �
� ��Jffi
,
� Hxh6.
__ ,

� tR
ft • L�.J �---�1r:�t�
28
29 d xe5
®xh7
'it'g6
-�· §, · • 30 g4 fxe5
3 1 Hd7?

Perhaps the o n ly significant sign
that the p layer behind the Wh ite
p ieces is merely 1 6 years o ld . I n
Marovi�'s time-p ressu re Kasparov
p l ays a m ove i nferior to 31 E! xe5
when B lack wou l d be left without
cou nterplay, e .g . 3 1 ... E!xf2 32
E!e6+ �7 (32 ... E!f6? 33 h 5+
®!}7 34 E!d7+ E!f7 3 5 E!g6+ wins)
33 E!d7+ �8 34 E! x h 6 .
31 E!ae8
32 E!xb 7 E!xf2
33 E!xa7 .a. f8?
M a rovi� now m isses h is last try ,
3 3 . . . E!d8 ! , b u t then after 3 4 .llf 7+
E! xf7 35 E!xa3 E!f2 36 'illil:: 1 Wh ite
can sti l l expect to win , e .g . 36 . . .
!! 8 d 2 3 7 E! x e5 E!c2+ 38 ®b 1
E!b2+ 39 ®8 1 E! b d 2 40 E!a6+ ®g7
4 1 E!a7+! ®f6 42 E!f5+ E!xf5 43
E!a6+ etc .
34 EtaS+ ®11 7
35 E!f5
and B lack lost on t i m e .
The ending was h o peless for h im
anyway, since if the roo k exchange
is decl i ned then 36 E!a7+ is
decisive.
7 cites t h e g a m e va n Schelti nga­
Hernandez-Kasparov
Banja Luka 1 97 9
G am bit Benoni
Another Kasparov ga m e fro m Banja
Lu ka which has a l ready a p p ea red i n
a n u mber o f p laces was h i s rout o f
H ernandez . l t i s p resented here
primarily as an exam p l e of how
dangerous he can b e with the Black
pieces.
Gory Kasparov 21 1
1 c4 gS
2 4lc3 Ag 7
3 d4 c5
W ith the Black p ieces against
d4, Kasparov has shown a stro ng
preference for p laying the K i ng 's
I nd ia n D efence a l o n g with the
m ove ... c5. This steers towa rd s the
sharper Ben o n i systems which su it
his sty le of p lay.
4 d5 4:lfS
5 e4 dS
S Ad3 0-0
7 f4
Wh ite aims fo r the agg ressive
F o u r Pawns Attac k .
7 . .. aS
Kasparov co u l d now transp o se
i nto n o rm a l Benoni positions with
7 . . . e6, b ut he has other i ntentions.
8 4:lge2
This devel o p ment of the k i ng 's
k night is both a m b itious and
u nusu a l , though it fai ls to co pe
with B l ac k 's i n tended fo l l ow-u p . 8
a4 wou ld have been much m o re
effective i n that rega rd .
8 ... b5!?
T h e 'Gamb it Beno n i ' i s i nitiated .
I n H a ns K m oc h 's Pawn Power in
Chess, he describes t h is system a n d
O p o c ensky, Bu enos Aires, 1 939,
which went : 1 d4 l£lf6 2 c4 g6 3
l£lc3 c5 4 d 5 d 6 5 e4 b 5 6 cx b 5
.ll g 7 7 l£lf3 0-0 8 .ll e 2 a 6 9 0-0 axb5
1 0 .ll x b 5 *i'b 6 . The G a m b it Ben o n i
ex isted as a n independent system
with wel l -known ideas lo ng befo re
Ben ko made p o p u l a r the u n i q u e
seq uence of m oves ( 1 d 4 l£lf6 2 c 4
c5 3 d 5 b 5 ! ?) which rightfu l l y has
212 Gary Kasparov

his nam e attached to it as The I f 17 Ab 1 then 17 ... 4:lc5 is

Ben ko G a m b it . In h is article on d ecisive.
Kasparov (Chess Life and Review, 17 . . . 4:lc5
Sept. 1 979 ) Ben ko acknowledges
this fact b y ca l l ing the o pening,
'Ben o n i D efence'.
Putting names asi d e fo r the
m o m ent, the advantages of the
p resent i m p lementation are that
White has wea kened h i m self with f4
while his knight is less actively
posted on e2 than f3.
9 cxb5
White cou ld safely have castled
here . B l ac k 's knig hts a re now very
9 . . . axb5 i m p ressive .
1 0 4:lxb 5 1 8 .ll e 3 4:lbd3
O n 1 0 Axb5 Aa6 B l a c k gets p lay This is too u n p leasa nt an intruder
o n the ha lf-open a - and b -fi les after to be a l lowed to stay, but a
the exchange of l ight-sq uared sub stitute is p repared to take over.
bisho ps. With the text, Wh ite h o p es 1 9 Axd 3 4:lxd3
to b u i l d a stro n g h o ld o n b 5 u si n g 20 e5?!
his a-pawn to advantage . There was nothing Wh ite could
10 . . . Aa6 d o against the th reat of 20 .. .
1 1 4:lec3 c4 ! 4:lxb2, e .g . 20 i*d2 �fb 8 ( 20 . . .
Probab ly White m issed t h is m ove . 4:lxb2 2 1 .ll d 4 and Wh ite is sti l l
I f now 1 2 Axc4 4:lxe4 1 3 4:lxe4 a l ive ) 2 1 �ab 1 � x b 2 !
.ll x b5 1 4 .ll x b 5 i*a5+ 1 5 4:lc3 20 dxe5
.ll x c3+ and 1 6 . . . i*xb 5 with m o re 21 fxe5 AxeS
than enough for the sacrificed 22 Ah6
pawn . This may a l read y be the Wh ite tries a last-d itch effo rt for
cru c ia l p o i nt of the gam e , for now so m e cou nterp lay against the Black
Black gains the t i m e requ i red to k ing, but instead he gets
carry out the i nfi ltration of d3 with vanqu ished - from the q u eenside, to
his knights. the centre, to the W h ite k i ng .
12 Ac2 Axb5 22 �fb8!
13 4:lxb5 ita5+ 23 itf3 f5
14 4:lc3 4:lfd7 24 g4 �xb2
15 itf3 4:la6 25 gxf5 itxc3
16 0-0 4:lb4 26 fxg6 itd4+
17 ite2 Resigns
Wh ite d oes not have much choice. Since the rea l fu n fo r B lack is

o n ly beginning, and after 27 Ae3
*h4 White has o n ly a chec k o r
two , there i s n o reaso n to suffer
any l o nger.
8 cilf3, the m ove h4 is inappropriate .
Kasparov-Pribyl
Eu ropean Team Championships,
Skara 1 980
G rii nfeld D efence
Kasparov's 'rewa rd ' f o r h is fantastic
3rd= i n the 1 979 Soviet C h a m p i o n­
ship was participat i o n i n Ska ra o n
1 0t h board . O nce aga in Kasparov
showed not o n ly his worthiness as
a partici pant, but ended up with
the h i ghest sco re in the event and a
b o a rd prize. I n the i nterv i ew i n
A /PE Chess News with Svend
N ovru p Kasparov says of the
fo l lowing ga m e : ' I th i n k that my
5th rou nd game aga i nst Pribyl
i l lu strates my strongest p o i nts. A
positiona l b u i l d -u p t i l l the co l lected
adva ntages logica l ly a l l ow an
atta c k . ' But what an o rigina l attac k
he f i n d s - fi rst a positi o n a l pawn
sacrifice, then an i ntu itive piece
sacrifice . Agai n we see Kasparov's
typically st rong centra l isat i o n
behind a l o n e passed pawn ,
com b ined with su btle q u een
manoeuvres to b ri ng
co m p lete d isa rray wit h i n the Black
ran ks. N otes i n c l u d e a p p ro x i m ate
translations of K asparov 's co m m ents
in 64.
1 d4 cilt6
2 c4 g6
3 cilc3 d5
Gory Kasparov 213
4 cxd 5 cilxd 5
5 e4 cilxc3
6 b xc3 .ll g 7
7 cilf3 b6
T h e 'slower m ethod ' of p lay
which we saw in T i m ma n-Ad o rjan
after 7 Ac4 0-0 8 cilge2 . After 7
8 .ll b 5+
A p o p u lar l ittl e nuance, wh ich
either causes Black to m isp lace a
p iece o n d 7 o r to ta ke c6 fro m h is
knight.
8 c6
9 .ll c 4 0-0
1 0 0-0
' l t was possi b le for Wh ite to
p revent the exchange of light­
sq uared b ishops with 1 0 *e2 , but
i n m y o p in i o n wit h these p ieces
exchanged White's p ro spects a re
sti l l good .' ( Kasparov)
10 .ll a 6
1 1 1ha6 cilxa6
1 2 *a4
Kaspa rov c riticises this m ove as
' i m p recise ' and suggests as much
stronger 1 2 .ll g 5 *d7 1 3 'i*d2,
when B l ac k 's meagre centre and
u nfo rtu nate ly p laced kn ight on a6
gua ra ntee Wh ite a lasting i n itiative .
Such an ab i l ity for se lf-a p p ra isa l ,
recogn isi ng where there i s r o o m for
i m p rovement in h is play, can o n ly
about b e a cred it to Kasparov's objective
a p p roach to chess . Actua l ly the
text seems to provide fo r a m o re
b oa rd -wid e strugg l e .
12 *c8
1 3 .ll g 5 *b7
14 E!.te 1
N ow B l ac k 's e-pawn is th reatened
214 Gory Kasparov
by 1 5 Axe7 fJxe7 1 6 fJxa6 .
14 . . . e6
K asparov co m m ents that he
wou l d p refer 1 4 ... l:!fe8, so as not
to wea ken the dark squ ares with . . .
e 6 and to p reserve t h e e 6 sq u a re f o r
t h e knight.
1 5 l:!ab 1 c5
F o r all p ractical pu rposes fo rced ,
as 1 6 c4 was threatened . O n 1 5 . . .
h6 1 6 Ae3 wou l d be u n p l easant. O r
i f 1 5 . . . b 5? 1 6 ita5 with a dark­
sq uare b ind . H o wever, via a pawn
sacrifice, Kasparov now c reates the
powerfu l centra l passed pawn
which m ight be considered a trade­
mark o f his.
16 d 5 !
I f White had ta ken t i m e o u t for
one m ore p reparato ry m ove such as
l:!ed 1 , then he loses the i nitiative
after 1 6 . . . f5 ( Kasparov ) .
16 .ll x c3
1 7 l:!ed 1 exd5
18 exd 5
B y so m e ap parently very si m p le
though fo rcefu l m oves, the stage is
now set to shepherd the d -pawn
h o m e to d 8 . Black m u st wea ken h is
k i ngsi de to p revent this. Kasparov
co m m ents that the positiona l
p l u ses fu l l y compensate fo r the
materia l d eficit ; Wh ite has a strong
passed p awn , and Blac k 's p ieces a re
poorly p l aced , especia l ly h is knight
o n a6.
18 . . . i1g7
If the knight now tries to h u r ry
back i nto p lay by 1 8 . . . tz:Jc7 , then
1 9 Ae7 l:!fe8 20 fJd7 is very
strong, or if 1 8 . . . tz:Jb8 then Wh ite
can choose between recover i n g his
pawn with 1 9 fJc4 Ag7 20 f!Jxc5 o r
pu rsu ing an attac k with 1 9 fJh4
( Kasparov ) .
1 9 d6 f6
What else cou l d Black d o ?
Kasparov n o w embarks o n a very
p rovocative a nd o rigina l p iece
sacrifice, which is p rimarily based
on the d isru pti o n it causes a m o ngst
the Black forces, and h is p itifu l
knight.
20 d 7 !
'With out d o u b t with 20 Af4
Wh ite cou ld get sufficient positional
compensati o n fo r the pawn . The
piece sacrifice proposed is o p en to
d iscu ssion b ut , even now, after
serious and carefu l ana lysis, it
a ppea rs correct . lt was even harder
for m e to convi nce myse lf of this
over the b oard ' ( Kasparov ) .
20 . . . fxg5
T h is is the main variatio n , but
Kasparov also gives so me other
a lternatives he had to consider :
( i ) 20 . . . tz:Jb4 2 1 f1b3+ ®h B 22
tz:Je5 ! fxe5 23 d 8fJ l:! a x d 8 24 l:!x d 8
l:!xd8 2 5 Axd8 when Wh ite 's
advantage is c l ea r .
( ii ) 2 0 . . . l:!ad 8 a n d h ere everyt h i ng
is good for W h ite, e .g . 2 1 f1c4+
 Gory Kasparov 215

®h8 22 �e5 ! fxe5 23 .ll x d 8 Et x d 8 .ll x h4 29 Etx g6+ etc . ( Kasparov ) .

2 4 ite6 ! itb8 ( nothi n g i s changed
by 24 . . . �c7 25 ite7 itb8 26 Et b 3
e 4 2 7 Etd6 .llf 8 [ 2 7 . . . �e8 ! ! ? �.
l"�� ��8 . �- .
.t!w�'- - - -f-.�-· "
- �:a� � • 1
'"'"��tf "�� - - - • l•
J.1.
D . K . ) 28 *f6+ .ll g 7 2 9 *f7 ) 25
Etb3 c4 26 Eth3 �c5 27 itxg6 h6
.�-- "ftf""''• w. �

·�· . .
28 Etg3.
( ii i ) 20 ... ®h8 , when either the
cautious 2 1 .llf 4 o r 2 1 itc4 tra ns­ • •�•�•
•
4:- B.
• 4:> ��
�
§•
posi n g into the game is possi b le.
• . � --- �
.L!. �� .L!.
�
O f co u rse so m e of t h is analysis "-----�
was d o n e at h o m e , but it sti l l shows
the d epth of his tactica l facu lties. 26 d8=l't!
21 l'tc4+ 'if111 8 Para d o x ica l ly, White gives away
22 �xg5 Af6 the strongest aspect of h is position ­
The o n ly m ove to m eet 23 �f7+. the passed pawn . I n the fo l lowing
22 . . . Ad4, for exam p l e , a l l ows the fo rced variation the lack of co­
e l egant fi nish 23 Et x d 4 cxd4 24 o rd i nation between B l a c k 's p ieces is
itx d4+ ®g8 25 �e6 ! evident .
23 �e6 �c7 26 . . . Axd 8
Aga i n the o n ly m ove. Bad was 23 A cute win o n 26 . . . Et x d 8 was 27
. . . �b4 24 *f4 �c6 (24 ... �d 5 25 Et x d 8+ .ll x d 8 28 *f7 itd 5 (the
itd6) 25 �xf8 Et xf8 26 d 8it�xd8 o n ly way to p revent mate ) 29
27 Et x d 8 ( Kasparov) . itxd 5 �xd 5 30 Etd 1 etc . ,
24 �xf8 Etxf8 27 l'tc3+ �8
25 Etd6 28 Etd7 Af6
There was the possi b i l ity of 29 l'tc4+ �h8
transposi ng into the endga m e : 25 30 l'tf4!
itxc5 itxg2+ 26 ®xg2 bxc5 27 The end of a fantastic study-l ike
Etb7 �e6 28 Etd6 �f4+ 29 ®f 1 series of moves i n itiated by 26
Ad S 3 0 Etxa7 with a clea r d 8it! N ow 30 .. . �e6 wo u l d be
advantage, b u t Kasparov wa nted t o m et with 31 itxf6+. Kasparov g ives
obta i n m o re . B l ac k 's b est as : 30 . . . .ll g 7 3 1 itxc7
25 . . . £J.e7 �xc7 32 'fJ.xc7 .lld 4 33 'fJ.f l .
This a l l ows the effective contin u ­ 30 . . . l'ta6?
a t i o n of t h e attac k , a l t h o u g h it was Perhaps the Czechoslova k i nter­
very d ifficu lt fo r B l a c k to m ove. natio n a l Master was sha ken up by
For exam p l e 25 . . . .ll d 8 (or 25 . . . a l l that had transp i red !
*b 8 2 6 Et b d 1 itd 8 2 7 Etc6 .ll g 7 2 8 3 1 l'th6 Resigns
h4 a n d he is in zugzwang) 2 6 h 4 M ate is u nsto ppab l e . A remarkab le
*a6 2 7 itc3+ \t'98 2 8 itc2 (an attacking ga me, which m u st give a
indefatiga b l e q u een) and now fright to a l l h is futu re opponents
B l ac k 's u nfo rtu nate position is when they consi d er that Kasparov
i l lu strated by the variatio n 28 . . . is sti l l b o u nd to i m p rove !
Index of Openings

Ruy Lo pez 4, 1 50, 1 78 , 200, 206 Queen's Gambit Decl i ned

Petroff 69, 84 Ta r rasch 1 4, 34
Caro-Kann 47 , 79, 1 1 8 C l assical 67, 1 52, 208
F rench 37, 39, 1 1 6, 1 86, 1 88 Lasker 1 12
Sic i l ian Slav 1 38, 1 6 5
N aj d o rf 63, 1 3 1 , 1 55, 1 73 G a m b i t Beno n i 21 1
D ragon 2, 6, 49 Beno n i 65
3 .11b 5 (+) 9, 99 M odern Beno n i 1 84
Ma roczy B i n d 8 0 , 1 59, 1 70 Bogolj u b ow I nd ian 96
O thers 1 2, 83, 1 03, 1 48, G ru nfel d 42, 53, 1 47, 1 6 1 , 2 1 3
1 7 1 , 1 79, 1 90, 1 95, 204 G ru nfel d R eversed 1 47
Alekhine 73, 1 75, 202 Cata lan 94
P i rc 44, 8 1 , 1 06, 1 57 D u tch 71
K i ng's I nd ian 33, 76, 1 2 1 , 1 25, St . Geo rge's D efence 25
1 63, 1 97 R eti 1 00
Qu een's I n d ian 20, 1 09 E ng l ish 1 7, 23, 35, 78, 9 1 , 1 33
N i mzo-l n d ian 1 23, 1 28, 1 53 Lj u b oj evic-Andersso n D efence 1 8 1
 Index of Games
I
M I LES : AN D E RSSO N : LJ U B OJ E V I C :
B V Chi 2 W v Estevez 91 B v U h l ma n n 1 70
W v Bisgu ier 4 B v K a rc h n a i 94 B v Ta rjan 171
B v Kach iev 6 B v K a rc h n a i 96 W v Brawne 1 73
B v Sax 9 W v Pa rtisch 99 B v B ro nstein 1 75
W v G l iga ric 12 W v Radu l av 1 00 W v D u raa 1 78
W v Lj u b ajevic 14 B v Karpav 1 03 W v R ee 1 79
W v Spassky 20 W v Chi 1 06 B v U h l ma n n 181
B v Tem pane 23 B v B rawne 1 09 B v Larsen 1 84
B v Karp av 25 W v Pfleger 112 W v Petrasian 1 86
W v H a rt 1 88
T I M MAN : H U BN E R : B v Sa x 1 90
W v Sasa n k a 32 B v K u p reic h i k 1 16
W v Davies 33 B v F ischer 118 K ASPA R O V :
W v l v kav 34 W v Padgaets 121 B v Arnasa n 1 95
W v Stea n 35 B v N aj d a rf 1 23 B v Lputja n 1 97
W v H ug 37 W v Kava l e k 1 25 W v Raizman 200
B v G u l ka 39 B v Pa rtisch 1 28 W v Pa latn i k 202
W v Ad a rj a n 42 W v H a rt 131 W v Pa nc h e n k a 204
B v Liberz a n 44 W v H echt 1 33 W v D a rfman 206
W v Pamar 47 W v Balash av 1 36 W v Ma ravic 208
W v M i l es 49 W v Smyslav 1 38 B v H erna n d ez 21 1
W v Karpav 50 B v Pa rtisc h 1 39 W v Pribyl 21 3
B v P a l u gaevsk y 53
RIBLI :
B R OWN E : B v W.Sch midt 1 43
B v G i l d en 63 W v Sap i 1 47
B v La rsen 65 W v Lj u bajevic 1 47
W v Zuc kerman 67 W v Ta kaj i-Nagi 1 48
W v Bisgu ier 69 W v Karpav 1 50
W v R . Byrne 71 W v H en n ings 1 52
W v F ischer 73 8-v Qu i nteras 1 53
B v F u rman 76 B v Barczay 1 55
W v M i l es 78 B v Vasj u kav 1 57
W v Bel l a n 79 W v Sax 1 59
B v Radu l av 80 B v F u rman 161
W v E ising 81 W v Vaga n ia n 1 63
W v Wei nstein 83 W v Pa rtisch 1 65
W v Sega l 84
To n y M i les, J a n T i m m a n , Wa iter B rowne, U lf
And ersson, Robert H u b n e r, Zo ltan R i b l i , Lj u b o m i r
Lj u bojevic a n d G a ry Kaspa rov a re, without d o u bt,
a m o ng t h e strongest g r a n d masters in the world
today. Alt h o u g h t h e o l dest is sti l l in his early 30s,
most have a l ready pl ayed more c h ess g a mes i n
to p - f l i g ht tourna ments t h a n d i d the g reat masters
of past decades in t h e i r e n t i re careers, w h i l e
Kaspa rov, sti l l i n h is teens, is a l ready widely
t i pped as a future world c h a m p i o n .

The c h a pters o f t h i s b o o k i ntrod u c e t h e rea d e r t o

e a c h pl ayer's ca reer a n d d isti nctive pers o n a l ity,
a n d present a deeply a n notated selecti o n of t h e i r
f i n est a n d most c h a racteristic g a m e s to date. T h e
creativity, determ ination, reso u rcefu l n ess a n d
tactical bri l l i a n ce d i s p l a yed h e re w i l l i ns p i re a n y
p l a ye r w h o wishes to deepen h i s u n dersta n d i n g
of the game.

Craig Pritc h ett i s a n I ntern a t i o n a l M aster a n d

D a n ny Kopec i s a we l l - known to u r n a ment p l a yer
active o n both s i d e s of t h e At lantic. The a u t h o rs
have d rawn both on t h o ro u g h res earch a n d
pers o n a l a cq u a i nta nce with t h e p l a yers they
present.

The book i s in f i g u r i n e a l gebraic notat i o n .

I S B N 0 7 1 35 1 259 8

NE! )

B e l l & H y m a n L i m i t ed