The Method in Chess - Iossif Dorfman

IOSSIF DORFMAN
THE
METHOD
IN
2
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© Copyright 2001 : Iossif Dorfman & Game Mind
ISBN: 2-957-2890-2-4
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Depot legal: 1 1 29
Staff:
Managing Director: GM David Marciano
Editorial Director : GM Gilles Miralles
Translated from Russian to English by Ken Neat
Acknowledgments :
Bouchra Msittef-Miralles, Nathalie Duchene, Rike Armas, Nathalie Bardin, Arnaud
Courrier, Bernard Girard, John Jordan, Stevens Rouchouse, Patrice & Celine Roujanski and
Claude Wagner.
Special thanks to Ken Neat for his useful suggestions.

CONTENTS 3
Contents
Foreword 4
Theoretical section 5
- A brief resume 6
I. Definition of a critical position 7
II. Drawing up the static balance 7
A. Regressive scale for the static evaluation of a position 8
A I . King position 9
A2. Material correlation 14
A3 . Who has the better position after exchange of queens 22
A4. Pawn formation 28
a) Doubled and tripled pawns 28
b) Protected passed pawns 28
c) Number of pawn islands. Compact pawn chain. Hanging pawns 29
d) Pawn majority in the centre 29
e) Pawn majority on the queenside 29
f) Weak square. Isolated pawn. Backward pawn 31
g) Group of weak squares of one coulour. Blockade. Domination 34
h) Half open file. Outpost 36
i) Bad pieces 38
j) Types of centre. Space 39
B. Resume of the theoretical aspect 41
Practical section
64 commented games 47- 175
Appendix
King position 177
Material correlation 18 1
Whose position is better after the exchange of queens? 186
Pawn formation 193
a) Majority on the queenside 193
b) Groups of squares of onr colour. Blockade. Domination 195
c) Outpost 199
Index of players 206
Index of openings 208
4 THE METHOD IN CHESS
Foreword
Since 1990, from the time that I moved to France, an important part of my work has been
giving chess lessons. The rating range of my "students" has covered more than 700 points.
Increasingly often I have had to think of how to explain to a player (and thereby to myself)
this or that aspect of the game.
After the setting up of my chess school in Cannes and after purposeful work with the most
promising young French players, important experience was accumulated. I noticed that, in
the overwhelming majority of cases, mistakes were made in positions where a player had a
definite choice.
The participants in individual and collective training sessions normally complain: "We are
not given any method. Every problem has to be solved anew."
For this reason the author made the difficult attempt to describe the move search algorithm
in critical positions.
I set myself the aim of creating a new theory, facilitating the work of a player and
increasing its effectiveness.
On the pages of this book the reader will see a number of rules being formulated for the
first time, generalising the processes taking place during play. Rules enabling certain well
known postulates to be explained, and others to be looked at more critically.
The book consists of two sections: theoretical and practical.
The theory of the method analyses the conception of statics and dynamics, their various
elements, and also the hierarchy of the latter.
A knowledge of the basics of the method will result in a deeper understanding of the
practical part.
I regard chess as being an equivalent (adequate) exchange (Botvinnik).

THEORETICAL SECTION 5
Theoretical Section
Chess has passed through a lengthy course of development and today it is continuing its
evolution so swiftly, that yesterday's evaluations look increasingly obsolete. The rise in the
importance of the competitive factor is the most marked tendency of modem chess.
The deciding of the 1997 world championship in a rapid-play game is the best
demonstration of this thesis. Victory in chess is certainly the undisputed aim, but this factor
should not prevail over the search for the truth, however difficult it may be.
As Alekhine wrote back in the 1920s, in chess it is important not what, but how.
With the appearance of computers, the technical level and the level of opening knowledge
is constantly rising.
Now the battle between two opponents passes through several critical points.
In many games the hierarchy of strategic factors, determining the evaluation of a

position, varies, and plans and ideas are transformed.
It is this that constitutes dynamism in chess.
The method on which I have worked, and which I offer here, enables the dynamic
evolution of strategic elements in a chess game to be foreseen, for them to be analysed, and,
in the end, for this process to be controlled.
This short paragraph comprises in concentrated form the move search algorithm in chess.
Thus to foresee the modification of the hierarchy of strategic factors is nothing other
than to be able to define critical positions. I suggest analysing critical positions on the
basis of their static state, without taking account of dynamic factors.
This aim is served by the proposed static balance.

Candidate moves are chosen in accordance with the static balance.
Here we should perhaps dwell on the concepts of 'static' and 'dynamic' factors.
By 'static' are implied factors that have an enduring effect.
Whereas dynamic factors are associated with a change in the state of a position, with
the energy of a breakthrough, with the coming into contact with the opposing army.
With the passage of time their role diminishes and reduces to nought.
Imagine the following situation: one of the warring sides is shut up in a castle, surrounded
by the enemy. A whole series of factors influence the actions of the opponents. Thus, for
example, the absence of food and drinking water may force the castle defenders to engage in
an open battle. Otherwise it may be better for them to strengthen the walls in the expectation
of winter, when the enemy will be forced to undertake a dubious storm, in order not to lose a
significant part of their army.
6 THE M ETHOD IN CHESS
For lady chess players I could suggest another comparison: between classical clothes and
footwear, and others, corresponding to the latest fashion, sometimes rather extravagant. The
latter are more costly, and demand immediate wearing, since soon it will be hard to find any
use for them.
If for one of the players the static balance is negative, he must without hesitation
employ dynamic means, and be ready to go in for extreme measures.
A brief resume
The move search alt:orithm:
1) Find a critical position (a turning point in the play, a moment when there is a
possible change in the hierarchy of strategic elements);
2) Draw up the static balance of this position, allowing it to be decided who in the
following phase should use static, and who dynamic means;
3) Consider the candidate moves and choose a specific move.
Between critical positions there are technical phases.
In my view, the separation of a game into opening, middlegame and endgame has no
great practical use.
To some extent it is even harmful, since already at a very early stage a game often
passes through several critical positions.
I. Definition of a critical position
I suggest three criteria for the existence of a critical position.
1) A position in which a decision has to be taken regarding a possible exchange. If the

exchange is forced, there is no change compared with the previous critical position.
2) A position in which a decision has to be taken regarding a possible change in the

pawn formation. Especially of the central pawns.
3) The end of a series of forced moves. Here one should not draw a parallel between
forced moves and the moves relating to a combination.
To sense that a position is critical is already a great success.
Based on my training experience, I suggest that the reader should mark it with some sign.
It is useful to record the time spent thinking in each critical position, and after a game to
restore the static balance.
Note the points in a game when "great" players spend their time, the problems that they
solve in critical positions, and how much their play accelerates in so-called determined
positions.
II. Drawing up the static balance
In drawing up the static balance I should like to pick out two important points.
First : I suggest a regressive scale of static factors, arranged in order of their

importance.
Second : certain factors exist in static and dynamic form.
Thus, for example, an uncastled king is a dynamic factor, whereas a destroyed king
position is undoubtedly a static one.
Another example : when we talk about bad bishops, we imply the fixed pawn formation of
one of the sides.
Whereas, in certain modifications of the Queen's Gambit, the bishop at c8 may prove to be
dynamically bad because of some specific variations.
After the moves Before turning to an analysis of each step

l.e4 eS 2.l2Jf3 l2Jc6 3.-tbS a6 4...ta4 l2Jf6 of the regressive scale, I should like to share
5.0-0 ..te7 6.�el bS 7. ..tb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 some interesting observations with you.
lt:JaS 10...tc2 cS l l.d4 �c7 12.l2Jbd2 l2Jc6 There is a crude method, enabling an
13.d5 lt:JaS 14.b3 c4 1S.b4 l2Jb7 16.a4 immediate static evaluation of a position to
be obtained:
- analyse whether it is possible for your
own position to evolve independently of the
opponent's;
- analyse whether the opponent's position
can evolve independently of your own.
The position which is ready for evolution
is statically better.
Let us consider a position from the game
N.Murshed-I.Dorfman
A2 1 - Palma de Mallorca GMA 1989
arising after the moves

l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.l2Jc3 exd4 4.'i xd4 l2Jc6
the knight at b7 is bad. S.'id2 g6 6.b3 ..tg7 7 ..tb2 l2Jf6 8.g3 0-0
•
And, generalising, I would say that a 9.tiJh3

piece may be bad when its position cannot
be improved.
•
A. Regressive scale for the static
evaluation of a position.
The idea of using a regressive scale is

typical of any complex process. It consists
of analysis and synthesis. First a position is
divided into its static elements in regressive
order (the method of analysis). Then a static
balance is drawn up (the method of
synthesis). I suggest arranging the static
e lements in the fo llowing order i n
accordance with their importance:
Here on White's part one can contemplate
evolution by l2Jj4, ..tg2 and 0-0. Nothing
Al. King position.
similar exists for Black. This means that
A2. Material correlation. White has a static advantage.
A3. Who has the better position after Therefore B lack went in for v igorous
the exchange of queens? measures, and a double-edged situation
arose after
A4. Pawn formation. 9 ... a5 10.l2Jf4 a4 l l.l2Jxa4 l2Je4 12.'icl
liJd4 13 ..tg2 lieS 14.0-0 ..tg4 1S.f3 gS
•
Here is another example, where only one of the Al. King position
si des can make progres independently of the other.
Sometimes even vezy strong players forget about
V.Petrienko-I.Dorfman the exceptional role played by a static king position.
B28 - USSR Cup 1 984 The position in the following diagram fium the game
1.e4 cS 2.tt'lf3 a6 3.c3 dS 4.exd5 'ixdS S.d4 !.Dorfman-R.Cifuentes

e6 6.i..e3 cxd4 7.cxd4 lZ'lf6 8.tt'lc3 'id6 D35 - West Berlin 1989
9.i..e2 tt'lc6 10.0-0 i..e7 ll.a3 0-0 12.l:.cl
.:!.d8 13.b4 bS 14.'ib3 i..b7 1S .:!.fd1
• arose after the opening moves
l.c4 e6 2.tt'lc3 dS 3.d4 lZ'lf6 4.i..f4 cS S.lL'lf3
cxd4 6.lt:lxd4 i..cS 7.a3 0-0 8.tt'lb3 i..e7
ea.IM • • •• 9.e3 tt'lc6 10.cxd5 lL'lxdS l l .tt'lxdS exdS
7M.i.M •-• 12.i..d3 i..e6 13.0-0 'ib6 14.l:Ib1 g6

1 S.tt'ld2 l:.fd8 16 .b4 i..f6 17.tt'lb3 tt'leS
6 · · 18.-txeS i..xeS 19.tt'lc5 i..g7 20.tt'lxe6
5 •• • • •
4 D D M ifl
3D'if� mll:JM
2 � ..
• •
a b c d e f g h
Here the following regrouping for Black
suggests itself: .. .tl:Jc6-b8-d7-b6, or . . h 7-h6,
.
. . . i.e7-j8 and . . . tt'lc6-e7-d5. In the game after:

1S h6 16.l:tc2 i..f8 17.l:tcd2 tt'le7 18.tt'le5
.••
tt'ledS
Black consolidated the situation and his
static advantage became clear.
In choosing between the two possible

captures, B lack decided to strengthen his
centre with
20 fxe6?
•••
This is a serious mistake, since now the

b lack king becomes hope lessly weak
statically, whereas after 20... 'ft'xe6 followed
by . . . d5-d4 and . . . f!.a8-c8-c3 Black would
have maintained the balance.
21.'ft'e2 f!. ac8 22.f!.fcl f!.c6 23.g3 .l:tdc8
24 .l:txc6 'ft'xc6 25.h4
•
21...fxe6
After the game he justified the capture
with the pawn by the fact that in the event of
e3-e4 Black would gain counterplay by an
attack on f2.
2l ... 'ikxe6 was simply essential.
Due to the weakness of the light squares,
caused by the advance of the h-pawn, here
the situation is even worse for Black than in
the previous example.
22.i..g4 f!. c4 23.h3 'ifc6 24.'ft' d3 <J/;h8
Now the black king is uncomfortable. 2S.l:.fdl a5 26.b3 f!.c3 27.'ft'e2 f!.f8 28.i..h5
The attempt to improve its position proves b5 29.i..g6 i..d8 30.i.d3 b4 31.'ikg4 'ft'e8
unsuccessful, since after 25. . . e5 26.e4 d4
27.h5.
White retains the initiative in both
variations:
2 7. . . gxh5 28. 'ii'xh5 'ii'h 6 2 9. 'it'g4, or
27...g5 28.f!.b2 'ikcl+ 29.r�g2 f!.c3 30.f!.bl
'ft'xa3 3l. i.c4+ <J/;hB 32.h6 i.jB 33. 'ikh5
'fL: c4 34. 'ft'eB.
It is amusing that a similar mistake was

once made by Kasparov. 0
A.Karpov-G.Kasparov 32.e4
Moscow m/4 1985 1-0 on the 63rd move.
In this position from the game From the short variations 15 . . . 'ii'b 6
1 6.l:.b1 and 1 5 . . . 0-0-0 1 6. tbxc5 <Ji;b8
O.Neikirch-M.Botvinnik 1 7.l:.b1 it is clear that B lack's king cannot
Olympiad, Leipizg 1 960 leave the centre and that it is bad statically.
The choice of dynamic continuations is very
limited.
15 f5!
•••
Threatening 16. . . e4.

16 .Jtxf5 .JtxfS
•
After 16... 0-0-0 1 7.Ld7+ 11xd7 18.tbxc5

l:.d6 (if 18 . . . l:.dd8 1 9.l:.b1 b6 20. 'ii'f5+)
19.tbe4 White seizes the initiative.
17.'ixf5 'id6 18.tbd2 0-0 19.tbe4 'ig6
20.tbf6+!
This gives Black chances to go wrong.
After the straightforward 20. 'ii'xe5 f5
2l. tbxc5 'flib6 22.d6 (if22."Wid4 l:.fc8, while
after 22. "Wie6+ :.p 23. 'fixb6 axb 6 Black has
the white king is irreparably weakened. To a won ending) 22... :.ac8 23. 'ii'e6+ the game
ensure the appearance of his bishop on the ends in a draw by perpetual check.
long diagonal, Botvinnik does not hesitate to 20 <JI;g7
.••
lose a tempo. This is typical of a position Forced, as otherwise after 2 0. . . <Ji;h 8

with a static advantage. 21."Wixe5 the black rooks are unable to break
18...\i'eS! 19.tbe4 bS! 20.l:.a5 .Jtb7 21.tbd6 free.
tbxd6 22.l:.xd6 l:.d8 23.\i'd2 21.tbh5+ <Ji;g8
After 23.l:.xa7 \i'c6 it all ends even more It all ends peacefully. The following
quickly. original variation is amusing:
23 l:.xd6 24.\i'xd6 'id8 2S.'ixe6+ l:.f7
••• 21 . . . <Ji;h8 22. 'ii'xe5+ f6 23.tbf4 \i'xg2+
26.'iel l:.e7 0-1 24. <JI;xg2l:.g 8+
In the following examples the technique is

less obvious.
S.Gligoric-J.Barle
Ljubljana-Portoroz 1 977
2 5 . tbg 6+! : xg 6+ 26.'ikg3 :xg3+

2 7. hxg3, w here White h a s a s e r ious
advantage in the ending.(Analysis)
I.Dorfman-L.-B.Hansen
Polanica Zdroj 1 993
0
And here, by continuing 3J."C.fl!, White
It is instructive to fol low how the could have set his opponent insoluble
employment of the method enables the problems.
correct idea to be discovered in this game. I think that this is a good moment to talk
The freeing of the rook at b3 involves about the difference between the static and
exchanging the light-square bishops. dynamic forms of one and the same element.
Then Black, after blocking the c-pawn,
will force the exchange of rooks on the a In the position from the game
file and obtain the favourable queen+ knight
tandem. Thus, when in the static balance the L.Polugayevsky-V.Antoshin
material correlation is inclined towards Leningrad 1957
Black, he should seek his chances in the first
step of the balance.
This gives rise to an idea, which may
seem rather unusual.
22.h4! h6
22... lbc6 loses to 23.g4 .i.e4 24.f3 lba5
25.'ikdl.
23 .i.dl! .i.e4!
•
After 23... .i.g6 24. h5 .i.h7 25. e4! .i.xe4

26.1!g3 White is able to carry out his plan.
24.f3 .i.g6 25.e4 dxe4 26.fxe4 hS! 27.e5
lbc6 28.�g3 b3! 29..i.xb3
29.1!xb3 ensures a clear advantage, but the static balance does not promise White
White is aiming at the king. a bright future. If Black consolidates the
29 Jld4 30.'fkg5 .l:.e8
•• situation with . . . 'ik c 2 , his superiority will
become irreversible. The word "if' signifies
the role of time, or the need to take extreme candidate moves 14... �g4, 14... :!d8, 14... d4
measures. The black king can be bad only and 14 . . . g5, after a simple analysis
dynamically, and therefore the candidate (14... �g4 15.t"£Je5 lfu:e5 16. �xe5; 14... :!d8
moves here are 2J.!l:Jg4, 2l.�g5 and 2l.g4. 15. 'ifb5; 14 ... d4 15. t"£Jxd4 lfu:d4 16.exd4)
21.g4! only one remains.
In the variations 2J.t"£Jg4 'ifc2 and 2l.�g5 14 g5! ! 15.�g3
•..
'ifc2 White cannot count on anything. After 15.Lg5 Lg5 16.lfu:g5 d4 White
21. 'i!Vc2 22.g5 t"£Jd5
•• loses material.
B lack loses material after 22 . . . t"£J d 7 15 g4 16 t"£Jd4
••• .
23.1il.cl (23.lfu:d7? 'JJ.xd7 24.1il.cl 'ifxcl + In my view, White had to play 16.t"£Je5!
25.�xcl :!xcl + 26.'it;g2 h6) 2 3. . . 'ifxcl+ �f6 1 7. tDxc6 bxc6 18. 0-0 �e6 1 9. 'ifb4!
24.Lcl :!xcl+ 25. <;t;g2 h6 26.'it'f4. 'it'xb4 20.axb4 a5 21. bxa5 :!xa5 22.b4 .l:!.a3
23.'ifhs 'ifrs 23.t"£Je2, maintaining the balance.
After 23 ... :!f8 ? 24.g6 White approaches 16 t"£Jxd4 17.exd4 �g5 18.0-0
.••
the enemy king. Taimanov sacrifices the exchange, afraid

24.l,if3 g6 25J:txf5 of remaining with his king in the centre after
In view of the weakness of White's king, 18.:!c2 1:te8+ 19.1:!e2 1il.xe2+ 20.<;t;xe2 b6.
"winning" the queen after 25. 'ifh4 t"£Jxe3 18...�xc1 19.1il.xcl �e6 20.h3
26.:lxf5 lfu:/5 turns out catastrophically for White would have retained some drawing
him. chances in the endgame, by p laying
25 . . . gx h5 26. 'JJ.xf7 �d6 2 7. :lf3 �xeS 20.'it'xb7 'it'b6 2l.'ife7 'it'd8 22. �h4 'ifxe 7
28.dxe5 :!c2 with equality. 23.Le 7 :!feB 24. i.c5 a5.
(Analysis) Now the impression is that the weakened
position of the black king and the play on
M.Taimanov-B.Larsen the dark squares compensate for the missing
Vinkovci 1970 material.
20 gxh3 21.�e5 f6 22.t"£Je4 fxeS 23.'ifg3+
•..
Here the static balance is inclined in

favour of White. Due to the features of the 23 �g4!!
•..
pawn formation, the black bishops are To all appearances, White was hoping for
passive. The Danish grandmaster has merely 23 . . . <;t;J7 24. tDg5+ <;t;e 7 25. 'ifxeS :lf6
an instant, to try and exploit the fact that 26.:!c7+. I "borrowed" this splendid idea of
White has not yet castled. Of the dynamic Larsen in Game 48 against Velikov. In both
cases a bishop is allowed to be captured 23.b4! i.e7

with check, in order to disrupt the harmony The following analysis convincingly
in the opponent's attacking forces. demonstrates that White has the advantage
24.'i'xg4+ �h8 25.tt:lg5 'i'd2 in all lines:
and Black soon won. (a) 23. . . cxb3 24.':.bl .l:tc4 25. i.xc4 bxc4
26.Lc5 'ii'xc5 2 7.1hb3;
A2. Material correlation (b) 23 . . . i.xb4 24. ':.bl i.d2 25. 'i'b2 e5
26.Lc4;
F irst we w i l l talk about a material (c) 23... i.d6 24.'i'b2 e5 25.:!adl �e7 26.f4
advantage. It is important to understand :!d8 2 7. '!1.xd4 exd4 28. i.xd4 followed by
situations, where a minimal material deficit 29.e5.
is c ompensated by one o f the static 24.'ifc3 eS 25.'!1..adl 0-0
advantages (in particular, the static After 25... 'i'd6 26. i.xd4 exd4 2 7. .l:txd4
weakness of the king). It must be made clear 'i'xb4 28.'i'xb4 i.xb4 29.Lc4 or 25... i.a6
that we are talking about a minimal 26. i.xd4 exd4 2 7.'!:..xd4 i.xb4 28. 'ii'xb4
material advantage (a pawn, the 'i'xd4 29.'i'a5 White wins by force in both
exchange, or the exchange for a pawn ). ..• variations.
In such instances the conversion of the 26.i.xd4 exd4 27.'!:..xd4 :as
material advantage involves sharp, dynamic Everything rests on tactical nuances:
play. Dynamic play should be continued 27... Lb4 28.i.xc4+ �h8 29.'i'xb4.
until the opponent is deprived of his static 28.'!:..fdl i.c6 29.f4
trumps. White approaches the enemy king by
sacrificing his b4 pawn.
!.Dorfman-V .Karasev 29. . .'!1..a4 30.'i'b3 i.e8 31.e5 '!1..xb4 32.i.f3
USSR 1 977 All the white pieces have taken up ideal
attacking positions, and there now follows a
brief denouement.
es
7
6
5
4
3
0 2
In this position the simple 23.Ld4 i.xd4

leaves White with the exchange for a pawn. 32 ... fxe5 33.'ic8 �f8 34.fxe5 c3 35.'!:..fl
But how w i l l he later break up the 'i!i'xd4 36.i.c6+
opponent's powerful grouping, controlling 1-0
the dark square� ? ! It is obvious that White The play could have taken a very
must seek dynamic resources. interesting course in the following game.
V.Korchnoi-K.Hulak Contrary to the demands of the position,

A63 - Wijk aan Zee 1 983 Korchnoi exchanged the queens and lost
after:
l.d4 lLlf6 2.c4 e6 3 .tLlf3 cS 4.d5 exdS 22.d6 ? fla5 23.fxe 5 i. e 6 2 4.'11c l : b3
S.cxdS d6 6.lLlc3 g6 7.g3 i.g7 8.i.g2 0-0 25.lL\e4 flxd2 26.lLlxd2 :b4 27.lL\e4 .:Xa4
9.0-0 a6 10.a4 lLlbd7 l l.i.f4 fle7 12.fid2 28.lL\xc5 :c4.
lLlg4 13..:abl lLlde5 14.b4 b6 15.bxc5 bxcS 22...i.f5!
16.h3 tLlxf3+ 17.exf3 lLleS 18.l:.bel flc7 The static balance is negative for Black
19.i.xe5 i.xeS due to the weakness of his king, and
therefore only dynamic continuations should
be considered. Any delay will be fatal, as is
evident from the variations:
22 . . ./5 23. d6 'ikg 7 24.lL\xc5, 22 . . . exf4
23. lL\f6+ �g 7 24.flc3 �h6 25. g4, and
22... .:b4 23.d6 fib6 24.fxe5.
In the given specific example t h e
dynamics involve exchanging the
opponent's attacking pieces.
23.lLlf6+ �g7 24.d6 'ikb6
It should not be forgotten that Black is
trying by all available means to force saving
0 simplification.
White's attack develops unchecked after
24... fid8 25.fxe5.
The static balance is hopeless for White, 25.fxe5
and therefore he has no reason to hesitate. The fruits of Black's successful strate gy
20.:xe5! dxeS 21.f4 .:bs are apparent after 25.g4
22.lLle4! when he parries the very dangerous threats

In chess it is sometimes quite possible to by offering the exchange of queens by
be a strong tactician and not to sense the 25... fib2.
dynamics of the play. 25...fib2 26.'ilif4
black king is statically weak, while after

5... exf6 White fixes the pawn formation by
attacking the b-pawn, and thereby nullifies
ea the role of the bishops.
7
In the following game on the I oth move
6
White exchanged bishop for knight, hoping
5 in so doing to fix the pawn formation.
4
V.V orotnikov-I.Dorfman
3 B22 - Lvov 1 983
2
l.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 3.d4 tlJf6 4.f3 tlJc6 S.j.eJ
e5 6.j.b5? cxd4 7.cxd4 exd4 S.j.xd4 j.e7
9.tlJc3 0-0 10.j.xc6 bxc6 l l .tlJge2 d5
12.exd5 tlJxdS 13.0-0
26 Ji'd4!
••
And a gain at the culminating moment the

threat of the exchange di srupts the •
opponent's plan.
It should be mentioned that 26 . . . J:.b4
2 7. tDh5+ r:l;g8 (2 7. . . r:l;h8 28. 'ikh 6 l!g8
29.tlJj6 .l:.g7 30.llJxh 7) 28.tlJj6+ leads to a
forced draw.
27.j.e4 j.xe4 28.tlJxe4 l:tbe8 29.tlJf6 l:xe5
30.'iVxd4 cxd4 31.tlJd7 l:ld5 32.tlJxf8 r:l;xf8
33.l:bl .li!.xd6 34.r:l;fl
White has real chances of saving the game.
(Analysis)
In this section the relative strength of the

bishop and the knight play a significant role. A critical position has been reached.
White has prepared the exchange of knights,
Rule: The exchange of a bishop for a which will finally fix the pawn formation.
knight can be justified only when the I should mention that on the previous
pawn formation is fixed. move 13. tlJxd5 'iVxd5 14.0-0 j.,a6 would
have been bad for him.
As a consequence of this rule, it follows Searching for dynamic play, Black found
that an exchange of bishop for knight at a and carried out an unusual idea.
very early stage of the game is not justified. After the forced moves
Thus, for example, in the variation 1.d4 tlJj6 13 ...tlJb4 14.a3
2.tlJj3 c5 3.d5 b5 4. j.,g5 j.,b7 the exchange 1 4 . . . c5 fo llowed by 1 5
5. j.,xj6 is considered to be the strongest .................................................tlJd3 was threatened
reply. 14 c5 1S.j. xg7 r:l;xg7 16.axb4 'ikxd l
•••
Is there not a contradiction here with what 17 ..1i!.fxdl cxb4

has been said? He was able to connect his isolated pawns.
Of course not, since after 5 . . . gxf6 the 18.tlJe4 l:td8 19.tlJd4 aS
White must play dynamically, not allowing

the opponent to fix the pawn formation.
9.d4!?
After the natural moves 9. cxb5 ? axb5
JO.f4 i.b7 l l.d3 !Dbd7 12.h3 c5 13.g4 c4
Black carried out the idea of the variation in
the game M.Gurevich-Barlov, Vrsac 1 993.
Also unsuccessful is 9.c5 i.b7 J O. d3 d5
with powerful play on the light squares.
After the text move it would be interesting
to try 9... i.e6!? JO.d5 i.c8.
9...bxc4?! 10.f3!
The point of White's plan. With this move,
0 reinforcing the light squares, he shows that
he holds a static advantage.
The potential passed a-pawn supported by The role of the opponent's queen's bishop
the bishop pair does not leave White any is diminished and from now on he can freely
chances of saving the game. develop play on the dark squares. The early
exchange of bishop for knight has proved
dubious.
I.Dorfman-H.Stefansson lO... ltJfd7
A22 - Iceland v. France, Reykjavik 1 993
In the more critical play after JO... ltJbd7
l.c4 ltJf6 2.ltJc3 e5 3.g3 i.b4 4.i.g2 0-0 ll.g4 (ll. .l:.bl) ll ... d5 12. ltJg3! (it is never
5.e4 i.xc3!? 6.bxc3 d6 too late to retreat: 12.g5 lDh5 13.exd5 ltJj4!
To be considered was 6. . . .l:.e8 7. ltJe2 c6 14. ltJxf4 exf4 15. i.xj4 !Db6) Black loses
8.0-0 d5 9.exd5 cxd5 JO.d4 exd4 l l. ltJxd4 control over the situation.
dxc4 12. ltJb5 with compensation for the ll.g4 d5!?
pawn ( Sorokin-Gavri lov, St.Petersburg The static weakness of Black's king forces
1993), or even the immediate 6 . c6.
.. him to seek counterplay by dynamics,
7.ltJe2 a6 8.0-0 b5 despite his material advantage. l l ... i.b7?
12. .l:.bl .l:.a7 13.i.e3 is bad for him.
12.exd5 i.b7 13.f4 exd4 14.ltJxd4 ltJb6
15.ltJf5
Black's position is indefensible.
In this chapter on material correlation, we

must mention tandems.
Experience has shown that a rook and a

bishop normally coordinate better than a
0 rook and a knight.
White's play in the following game was

The critical position of the variation. exemplary.
R.Fischer-M.Taimanov 43.l:td3 �c7 44.l:txd6 �xd6 45.cj;d3 lt:\e7

Vancouver m/4 1971 46.i.e8 cj;ds 47.i.f7+ cj;d6 48.cj;c4 cj;c6
49.i.e8+ Wb7 SO.cj;bS lt:\c8 51.i.c6+ Wc7
52.i.d5 lt:\e7 53.i.t7 Wb7 54.i.b3 cj;a7
White's king also infiltrates the enemy
position after:
54 . . . lt:\c8 55. i.d5+ cj; c 7 5 6. i.j7 lt:\e 7
57.cj;a6.
SS.i.dl cj;b7 56.i.f3+ cj;c7 57.cj;a6 tt:lg8
58.i.d5
es
7
01
5
B l ack's last move 24 . . . b6 was an 4
irreparable mistake.
He should have sought counter-chances 3
with the dynamic continuation: 2
24. . . cj;d6 (25. i.xb 7 1:.b8 26. i.xa6 1:.xb2
2 7.i.c4 :Xc2 28. hf 7 c4).
25.i.f l aS 26.i.c4 l:t£8 27 ,cj; g2 cj;d6
28.cj;f3 lt:Jd7 29.l:te3 lt:Jb8 30.l:!.d3+ cj;c7
31.c3 lt:\c6 32.1:te3 cj;d6 33.a4 lt:\e7 34.h3 58 lt:\e7
•••
lt:\c6 35.h4 hS 36.l:td3+ cj;c7 37.l:td5 fS Active play loses due to z ugz wang after
38.:1d2 l:!.£6 39.l:!.e2 cj;d7 40.l:te3 g6 41.i.b5 58 . . . lt:\f6 5 9. i.j7 lt:\e4 60. i.xg6 lt:\xg3
l:!.d6 42.cj;e2 cj;dS 61.Wa7cj;c6 62.Wb8.
59.i.c4 lt:\c6 60.i.f7 lt:\e7 61.i.e8 Wd8
62.i.xg6 tt:lxg6 63.Wxb6 Wd7 64.Wxc5
lt:\e7 65.b4 axb4 66.cxb4 lt:\c8 67.a5 tt:ld6
68.b5 tt:le4+ 69.cj;b6 cj;cS 7 0.cj;c6 cj; bS
7 1.b6 1-0
White breaks through to the queening
square after:
7J . . . lt:\xg3 72. a 6 tt:le4 73. a 7+ cj;a8
74.b7+ Wxa7 75. Wc7.
A s an e x a m p l e o f t h e s u c c e s s fu l
c ooperation of rook and bishop.
01
Let us consider the following position.
A critical position. I.Dorfman-O.Romanishin

Further progress is not possible without USSR Championship, Leningrad 1977
the exchange of rooks.
46.i.xf5 gxf5 47.'Ac2 Wg6 48.l:tc6 l:td7

49.l:txa6 Wh5 50.l:tb6 <ttxh4 51.<ttf2 Wxg5
52.a6 l:ta7 53.d7 ! l:txd7 54.l:txb5 Wf4
55.J:!.a5 1-0
I.Dorfman-D.Paunovic
Minsk 1986
42 l:ta7
•••
Active defence loses as a result of a pretty

combinati o n : 42 . . . .l:d8 43. i. d5+ <tth B
(43. . .<ttg7 44.'Af7+ <tthB 45.d7) 44.'Af6 tDj5
45. i.b7 <ttg 7 46. .l:f.e6 'i;fl 4 7. .l:xe5 'Axd6
48. .:d5 (the idea, already familiar from the
previous game, of exchanging rooks) This is a critical position. In order to
48... <tte6 49. .l:f.xd6+ tDxd6 50.i.xa6 <ttd7 obtain the necessary rook+bishop tandem,
51.i.b7 tDxb7 52.a6 <ttc7 53.a7. White does not hesitate to isolate all six of
his remaining pawns.
27.'i!t'd3! i.xf4 28.gxf4 'it'xd3 29.exd3 tDe8
30.Wf2 f6 31.i.b4 tDc7 32.J:!.cl J:!.a6 33.We3
tDb5 34.J:!. a l Wf7 35.i.c5 We8 36.i.b6
tDd6 37.�d2 tDc8 38.i.c5 tDe7 39.l:tbl !
The rook breaks into the enemy position,
since the passed pawn is immune: 39... .:Xa5
40. .l:f.bB+ Wfl 41..l:f.b7.
39 ltJ g6 40.l:tb8+ <ttf7 4 1 .l:tb7+ We8
•••
42.i.b6 tDxf4 43.l:txh7 e5 44.l:th6 e4

45.l:txf6 tDxd3 46.Wc3 Wd7 47.l:txf5 l:ta8
48.fxe4 dxe4 49.l:tf7+ Wd6 50.l:th7 tDf2
01 51.i.c5+ We6 52.d5+ cxd5 53.i.xf2
A certain accuracy is required of White in
the conversion of his piece advantage. After
43.g4! <ttg7 44.gs .:n 4s .:n tDrs
•
brief preparations he carries out a decisive
Completely hopeless is 45... .l:f.d7 46. .l:f6 attack on the enemy king.
'l:.fl 4 7..:Xf7+ (47.d7 .:Xd7 48. .:Xa6 is also 53 ... : xa5 54.l:ta7 l:tb5 55.i.g3 'Ac5+
quite sufficient) 47. . . <ttxfl 48. i.d5+ <tteB 56.Wd4 l:tc4+ 57.We3 l:tc3+ 58.Wf4 l:tf3+
49. i.b7 <ttd7 50.i.xa6 <ttxd6 5l.i.b7 <ttc7 59.<ttg4 .:n 60.l:ta6+ We7 61.l:ta7+ We6
52. i.e4 tDe2+ 53. 'i;f2 tDc3 54. 'i;f3 tDa2 62.l:ta6+ We7 63.i.f4 d4 64.l:ta4 l:tdl
(54... Wb8 55.h5!) 55.i.xg6! 65.Wf5 e3 66.l:ta7 + wrs 67 .Wf6 Wg8
68.:!g7+ 'it>h8 69.'it>f7 !tal 70...ie5 1-0

Sometimes the rook+bishop tandem can
carry out miracles, by complementing each
other.
T.Petrosian-R.Fischer
Match of the Century, Belgrade 1970
To complete the analysis of this example,

I should mention that Black nevertheless has
available the variation 49... 'l:.c2 50.f3 lbe3
5l . ..ih3 'l:.a2 52. ..ie6 'l:.g2+ 53.'it>hl 'l:.xg3
54. 'l:.xf7+ 'it>h6 55. lta 7 (55. 'it>h2 lbjl +
5 6. 'it> h l l?:Jd2) 55 . . . 'l:.xf3 56 . ..ig8 'it>h5
57.'!h h 7+ 'it>g4, which does not allow White
It is hard to believe that in this position to save the game. Things are different
B lack should have to overcome any between tandems involving the queen.
difficulties in the conversion of his material Usually queen and knight dominate over
and positional advantage. queen and bishop.
Nevertheless, Petrosian points out an This phenomenon can perhaps be
interesting saving possibility. explained by the fact that the queen and
49.'it>gl knight can put pressure on squares which
In the game White played 49.'lhf7+ 'it>xf7 are inaccessible to the bishop.
50. $..c4+ 'it>e7 51.La2, and eventu ally lost. The first example is an informative one.
49...lbxf2 V.Korchnoi-A.Karpov
The problems are more easily solved after Moscow 1973
49...'Jhj2 50.$..h3'l:.f3 5J.'it>g2.
50 ..ic4 lbh3+ 51 .'it>h l .l:.f2 52 . ..ie6 a3
•
53...ixh3 a2 54 ..ig2!
•
A subtle defence. The king must move off

the first rank, avoiding the variation:
54. 'it>gl 'l:.b2 55 . .-ijl g5 56. hxg5 'it>g6
57.'l:.a5 'it>h5.
54...l:tb2 55.'it>h2 ...
"I am sure that I have already seen this
fortress in David Bronstein's book on the
1953 Candidates Tournament (cf. the Keres
Najdorf game)."
Karpov finds an elegant way of obtaining V.Makogonov-M.Botvinnik

the necessary tandem. Sverdlovsk 1943
41...i.e3 0-1
in view of the variation 42. 'i g2 i.xf2+
43. 'fixj2 'fixb3 44. rJi;h2 hS.
For the next example I have chosen an

extract from the game
H.Mecking-T.Petrosian
San Antonio 1972
13...i.xc3 14.bxc3 i.fS lS...ixfS 'i!fxfS
43 .'i!i'd6
•.
White can hold the pawn ending after

43 ....tbh4+ 44.rJi;g3 'ixf4+ 45. rJI;xf4 tbxf3
46. rJI;xf3 rJI;j6 47. rJi;e4.
44.'fie4 rJi;f6 4S.'fic4 'fieS 46.b4 axb4 0
47JWxb4 h S 48 ..ie4 tbd6 49.i.f3 rJ;;f7
•
SO.'ib3 rJi;g7 Sl.'id3 rJi;f6 52 ..idl tbfS

•
53.i.c2 rJ;;gs 54.1!Vd2+ 11Vf4 SS.'fic3 tbh4+ Here the curtain could have been lowered,
56.rJi;f1 tbf3 57.'id3 'i!Vcl+ 58.i.dl tbeS had White accepted the inevitable.
59.'i!Vd4 But he makes a dynamic attempt to
After 59. 'ig3+ rJI;jS 60. 'ib3 'ic4+ provoke the exchange of queens by a pawn
6J.rJi;g2 'ixb3 62. ..ixb3 h4 the queens are sacrifice.
exchanged in a slightly different situation, 16.g4! 'fie6!
which, however, does not affect the result. In a statically won position one should not
59 ... 'fic4+ 60. 'fixc4 tbxc4 61...ic2 tbeS go in for dubious material gains.
62.rJi;e2 rJ;;f4 After 16 . . . 'fie4 1 7. i.a3 tbd3+ 18. rJi;g3
and Black won. 'fixe3+ 19.'if3 'ixf3+ 20. rJI;xf3 cS 21.'1:.hdl
The following example shows instru ctive c4 22.:!abl 0-0-0 23.i.d6 White has saving
play by the great Botvinnik, aimed at chances.
obtaining the necessary material correlation.
22 THE METHOD IN CHES S
ea
7
6
5
4
3
2
Whereas now he is doomed. the future World Champion made use of this
idea.
Let us tum to the third step of the static 33.'ffd5 'ffxd5
balance. There is no choice. After 33... 'fic7 34.r:Jilfl
the white king can penetrate into the enemy
A3. Who has the better position position via e2-d2-c2-b2-a3-a4.
after the exchange of queens? 34.cxd5 r:Jilt7 35.t'£Jd2
The queens are the strongest pieces on the

chess board, and it follows that their
ea
disappearance significantly affects the static 7
balance. 6
In many theoretical variations the
exchange of queens, like a Sword o f 5
Damocles, forces one o f the sides to play 4
dynamically.
3
Thus in the Sicilian Defence after l.e4 c5
2. t'£Jj3 lLlc6 3 . d4 cxd4 4. t'£Jxd4 Black 2
already has a static advantage.
Given equality in the king positions and in
material, the majority of endings are better
for him due to his pressure on the half-open 35...f5
c-file. The following analysis shows that going
Sometimes the queen can be driven from a into the pawn ending would not have saved
centralised position by the simple offer of an Black. Variation A4b2 is especially pretty.
exchange. 35...t'£Jd6 36.t'£Jc4 t'£Jxc4 37. bxc4:
In this position from the game A ) 3 7 .f5 38. h5 (38. r:Jilf3 r:Jilj6 3 9.g4 h5
40.gxh5 gxh5=):
T.Petrosian-H.Golombek A 1) 38
Stockholm 1952 ............... e4 3 9. hxg6+ hxg6 4 0. g4 r:iil j6
(40.../4 41.g5 r:iile 7 42.r:iilh3 e3 43.fxe3
fxe3
44. rJitg3 rJitd6 45. rJitj3 rJite5 46. rJitxe3 rJitj5 48. We3 We5 49.j3 exf3 50. Wxf3+-) 45.gxf4
4 7. a4 rJitxg5 48. rJite4 rJitj6 49.rJitf4+- ) (45. \1;b3 fxg3 46.fxg3 W c 7 4 7. Wc3 e4
4l.gxf5 gxf5 42.f3 a4 43.a3 rJite5 44.fxe4 48.\1;d2 Wd6 49.a4 rJite5 50.\1;e2 Wf6 5l.Wj2
fxe4 45.rJith3 rJitj6 46.rJith4 rJitj5 47.rJitg3 rJitg5 \1;f5) 45... exf4 46.Wb3 g5 47.hxg5 h4 48.g6
48.d6 rJitj6 49. rJitj4 \1;e6 50. rl;xe4 rl;xd6 h3 49.g7 h2 50.g8='i hl='fi 5l.'flb8+ +-.
5J.rl;f5+-; 36.tbc4 rJitf6 37.f3 e4 38.fxe4 fxe4 39.g4 h5
A2) 38...rl;f6 39.hxg6 hxg6 40.f3 a4 4l.a3 40.rl;g3 hxg4 1-0
g5 42. rl;f2 f4 43. rl; e2 rJit e 7 44. rJitd3 g4
45.fxg4fxg3 46.\1;e3 e4 47.g5+-; J.Timman-J.Diez del Corral
A3) 38...g5 39.g4 (39.j3) 39...fxg4 (39...rl;f6 Olympiad, Lucerne 1 982
40.gxf5 rl;xf5 4l.h6 a4 42.a3 rl;j6 43. rl;g3
rl;f5 44.f3 Wg6 45. rl;g4 rl;f6 46.d6 rl;e6
4 7. Wxg5 rl; xd6 48. rl;f6+-) 40. Wg3 h6
41. Wxg4 rl;j6 42.f3 a4 43.a3 e4 44.f4 gxf4
45. Wxf4 e3 46. Wxe3 rl;e5 4 7. We2 rJitj6
48.\1;j2+-;
A4) 38... gxh5 39.Wh3 \1;f6 40.\1;h4 \1;g6:
A4a) 41.a4 f4 (4l...h6 42.d6 Wf6 43.Wxh5
We6 44.Wxh6 Wxd6 45. Wg5 We6 46.f3)
42.gxf4 exf4 43.j3 h6 44.d6 Wf6 45. rl;xh5
We6 46. Wxh6 Wxd6 47. rl;g5 We5 48. Wg4
rl;d4 49.<tJxf4 Wxc4 50.rl;e4 Wb3 5l.f4 c4
52.f5 c3 53.f6 c2 54.f7 cl='ik 55.f8='fi
'ic4++;
A4b) 41.d6 rJitj6:
A 4bl) 42.rl;xh5 We6 43.\1;g5 f4:
A 4bl l ) 44. gxf4 exf4 45. Wxf4 Wxd6 Black wants to unblock the position by
46. Wg5 We5 47.f4+ We6 48.a4 Wf7 49. Wf5 1 9... J.f4.
Wg 7 50. W e 6 h5 5 l . We 7 (5 l . Wf5 \1; h 6 Timman goes in for the exchange of
52. We6 Wg7) 51... Wg6 52. We6 Wg7=; queens, which enables White to cripple the
A4bl2) 44.g4 h6+ 45.Wxh6 e4 46.g5 e3 knight at g7, maintain the blockade by
4 7.fx e 3 fx e3 48.g6 e2 4 9. g 7 e l = 'fi replacing his bishop with his king, and
50.g8='i + rl;xd6 5l.'fkd5+ We7 52.'fixc5+ combine threats to the e- and h-pawns.
We6=; 19.'ikg4 'ikxg4 20.hxg4 .i..f4
A4b2) 42.d7 We7 43.Wg5 /4 44. Wf5 fxg3 After 20 ... '1:.ae8 21. '1:.dfl Black has no
45.fxg3 rl;xd7 46. rl;xe5+-; counterplay.
B) 37... h5 38.rl;f3 f5 39.rJite3 We7 40.rl;d3 21.Wd2 '1:.f6 22.J.xe4 h6 23.ltdfi '1:.af8
rl;d7 4J.rl;c3 rl; c 7 42.rl;b3 rl; b 7 43. rl;a4 24.'1:.£3 J.xe3+ 25.rJitxe3 '1:.8t7 26.'1:.tb3 1-0
Wb6:
B l ) 44.d6 f4 (44... rl; c6 45.Wxa5 Wxd6 To take the correct decision regarding the
46. rl;b6 f4 47.gxf4 exf4 48.a4 g5 49.a5 g4 exchange of queens is a difficult problem,
50.a6 g3 5l.fxg3 fxg3 52.a7 g2 53.a8='i sometimes even for the strongest players in
gl'ik 54.'fid5+ rJite7 55.'ixc5+ +-) 45.gxf4 the world. In many cases a guide may be
exf4-+; provided by the static position of the king.
B2) 44.a3 f4 (44 . . . Wa6 45.d6 Wb6 46.d7
Wc7 4 7. Wb5 Wxd7 48. rl;xc5+-; 44... e4 B.Spassky-A.Karpov
45. W b3 W c 7 4 6. rl;c3 a4 4 7. \1; d2 Wd6 Leningrad m/6 1 974
25.lbd2?
Here 25. 'fibS e4 26.lbh2 'i¥h4 2 7. i.xf6
lbxf6 was simply essential.
25...'ifxe2 26.lbe2 'Y.c8!
A subtle manoeuvre, allowing Black to
regroup his pieces and surround White's
breakaway passed pawn.
27.lbe4 i.d8 28.g4 f6 29,<j;g2 <j;{f7 30.�cl
i.b6 31.'Y.ec2 .l::.xc2 32.'Y.xc2 <j;e6
0-1 after 55 moves.
V.Akopian-I.Dorfman
0 B90 - Moscow GMA 1 989
In this game already at an early stage

White burned his boats. On the seventh
Here I prefer White's king, since after move he conceded the centre and associated
'Y.d3-e3-e4 followed by g2-g3 and <j;{g2 all his thoughts with an attack on the enemy
Black's king is inadequately defended. king.
I should mention that the advance of
the black g-pawn would strengthen the l.e4 c5 2.lbf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.lbxd4 lbf6
opponent's fianchettoed bishop. 5.lbc3 a6 6.i.d3 lbc6 7.lbxc6 bxc6 8.0-0
In the endgame, on the other hand, Black g6 9.f4 i.g7 l O.'fiel 0-0 l l .'fih4 tt:ld7
c an advantageously change the p awn 12.i.e3 ltb8 13.l:tabl
formation by . . . b7-b5. However, Spassky
chose...
22.d5?! cxd5 23.cxd5 e5 24.d6
The endgame arising after:
24. tbxe5 'i¥xe2 25 . .!:!.xe2 i.d6 2 6. 1:!de l
lbxe5 2 7. i.xe5 i.xa3 is unacceptable for
White.
24...i.f6
a b c d e f g h
13...e6
White cannot avoid the exchange.
After 1 4. 'if h3 d5 his attack peters out,
without having managed to start.
01 14.11t'xd8 �xd8 15.lba4 c5 16.b3 i.b7

17 .i.f2 i.c6 18 . .l::.fd l lbf6 19.i.h4 c4
a e g
20.i.xc4 i.xe4 21.i.d3 i.xd3 22Jhd3
'Y.dc8 23.i.xf6 i.xf6 24.c3 d5
chances of an attack evaporate, and the

defects in his pawn formation make
themselves felt.
ll.'ii'xd8+
I would have preferred l l . i.g5 f6
12.i.h6.
ll �xd8 12J:Lcl tLla6 13.tt:xd5 i.xdS
.•.
14.1L.c3 f6 1S.a3 <l;;e7 16.0-0 l'i!.hc8 17.tLld2

tLlc7 18.b4 i.xg2 19.<i;;xg2 cxb4! 20.1L.xb4+
<i;;d7 21.1L.c3
After 2J.tLlc4 tLld5 22.i.d2 b5 23.tLla5 f5
Black expands over the entire front.
21...tLldS 22.i.b2
By simple means B lack has made his

advantage decisive.
As an example, let us examine the game.
R.Hiibner-A.Karpov
A34 - Tilburg 1 977
l.c4 cS 2.tLlf3 tLlf6 3.tLlc3 dS 4.cxd5 tLlxdS

S.g3 g6 6.d3 i.g7 7.i.d2 b6 8.'ilfa4+ i.d7
9.'ili'h4 i.c6 10.i.g2
White has gone in for a strategic risk. He
has conceded an outpost at d4, in the hope Black is of course better. He can play for a
of creating play against the opponent's king. queenside pawn maj ority with . . . b 6-b5
followed by . . . tLlb6. Karpov exploits the
tactical features of the position to gain a
decisive advantage in the quickest way.
22 i.h6 23.e3 i.xe3 24.fxe3 tt:xe3+
•••
and Black won.
In the following game the threat of

exchanging the queens causes the complete
degradation of White's position.
N Nikcevic !.Dorfman
.
-
A 1 3 - Nice 1 994
1.tLlf3 dS 2.c4 e6 3.g3 dxc4 4.i.g2 tLlf6

S.tLla3 1Lxa3 6.bxa3 tLlbd7 7 .'ikc2 cS
10 e6
••• 8.i.b2 0-0 9.'ikxc4 bS 10.\i'h4 i.b7 ll.g4
With the exchange of queens White's lLldS 12.g5
C80: l.e4 e5 2.tt:lt3 tt:lc6 3.J.b5 a6 4.J.a4

tt:lf6 5.0-0 tt:lxe4 6.d4 b5 7.J.b3 d5 8.dxe5
J.e6 9.tt:lbd2 tt:lc5 10.c3 d4 ll.J.xe6 tt:lxe6
12.tt:lb3 dxc3 13.1i'c2 tt:lb4 14Ji'xc3
White has gone in for a serious weakening

of his pawn formation in the hope of an
attack. I t i s hard to i magine that the
following unpretentious move of the black 14 'ilid3 (Analysis)
•••
queen will have such serious consequences

for him. The exchange of queens is fundamentaUy
12 'ilic7 13.e3
••• linked with the static position of the king.
White's position is compromised. The A weakening of a player's king position
long a8-h l diagonal and a whole complex of demands that he seek the exchange of
light squares have been weakened. This will queens . The two following examples
inevitably lead to disaster. The refutation of illustrate this thesis.
a number of gambit variations is based on
J.Pribyl-I.Dorfman
the exchange of queens, for example: E l 5 - Lvov 1983
C54: l.e4 e5 2.tt:lt3 tt:lc6 3.J.c4 J.c5 4.c3
tt:lf6 5.�?! tt:lxe4 6.d4 d5 7.dxc5 dxc4 8Ji'e2 l.d4 tt:lf6 2.tt:lt3 e6 3.g3 b6 4.J.g2 J.b7 5.c4
c5 6.0-0 cxd4 7.tt:lxd4 J.xg2 8.�xg2 'i'c8
9.'Wd3
8 'ilid3 (Analysis)
•..
Here the white king is statically weak, and

so Black avoids the exchange of queens on
the long diagonal.
9 a6 10.b3 Ji.e7 l l.Ji.b2 0-0 12JWf3 !:la7
•••
13.t2Jc3 d6 14.!:lfd1 !:lc7 15.!:lacl t2Jbd7

16.e4 'ifb7
Only now, when the e xchange is not
possible, does the black queen occupy the
long diagonal, in order to perturb the white
king.
17.'ie2 !:lfc8 18.h3 i.f8 19.'iith2 g6 20.!:le1
i.h6 21.!:lcd1 i.g7 22.Ji.a3 t2Je8 23.t'bb1
'ifa8 24.i.b2 t'bcS 2S.t2Jd2 t2Jf6 26.Ji.a1
'ifb7 27.'it>g1 !:le8 28.t2J4f3 eS 29.t'bh2 hS
30.t'bhfl bS 31.cxb5 axbS 32.!:lcl l:lec8
33.Ji.b2 h4 34.'iith2 hxg3+ 35.fxg3
As was explained above, B lack must
beware of endings.
The usually peaceable Roman ian
grandmaster is aiming for a draw, and he
incorrectly exchanges queens.
14 'ib7+? 1S.'iff3 "i!i'xf3+ 16.lt:Jxf3 l:tfc8
•••
17.t'bd4 l:lab8 18.!:lacl h6 19.e4 t'be8 20.f4

Ji.f6 21.'iitf3 .l:r.b7 22.Ji.a3 1::tbc7 23.t2Jce2
t'bcS 24 .!:ld2 g6 2S.t2Jc2 Ji.g7 26.t2Je3 fS
•
27.exf5 gxfS 28.h3 hS 29.!:lg1 l:tt7 30.g4
B lack's advantage is so great, that he

already finds a tactical solution.
3S t2Jcxe4 36.!:lxc7 !:lxc7 37.t'bxe4 t2Jxe4
•.•
38 .1:. c l l:txcl 39.Ji.xcl dS 40.Ji.b2 b4

•
41.t'be3 t2Jc3
0-1
A.Karpov-F.Gheorghiu
A30 - European Team Championship,
Moscow 1 977 Amusingly, in the ending it is the black
king that is unable to find a secure shelter.
l.c4 cS 2.t2Jf3 t2Jf6 3.t2Jc3 e6 4.g3 b6 S.Ji.g2 30 hxg4+ 31.hxg4 fxg4+ 32.lhg4 'iitf8
•••
Ji.b7 6.0-0 i.e7 7.d4 cxd4 8.'i!fxd4 d6 9.b3 33.t'bg3 aS 34.l:tg6 'iite7 35.f5 !:lf6 36.l:txf6
0-0 10..1:.d1 t2Jbd7 l l.Ji.b2 a6 12."ili'e3 'ib8 t2Jxf6 37.l:te2 .:.rs 38.Ji.xc5 bxcS 39.fxe6
13.t2Jd4 Ji.xg2 14.'it>xg2 'iitxe6 40.t2Jef5+
1-0
Obviously, the exchange of queens is also Some of these I will simply name, while on
linked with the pawn formation, of which others I will dwell in more detail.
there are many demonstrations. Here I will
give just one. a) Doubled and tripled pawns
A.Karpov-G.Kasparov Let us consider the position arising after

D85 - Seville m/ 13 1 987 the moves
A29: l.c4 eS 2.ltJc3 liJf6 3.ltJf3 tt:'lc6 4.g3
l .d4 liJf6 2.c4 g6 3.ltJc3 dS 4.ltJf3 i.g7 g6 S.i.g2 i.g7 6.d4 exd4 7.ltJxd4 0-0 8.0-0
S.cxdS ltJxdS 6.e4 ltJxc3 7.bxc3 cS S.J;;f.bl l:le8
0-0 9.i.e2 cxd4 10.cxd4 'it'aS+
0
0
A critical moment. Here the exchange of
In the Griinfeld Defence Black normally queens seems justified, since after 9.ltJxc6
has a pawn majority on the queenside. As a dx c6 there i s no static element
consequence of this, the ending i s compensating Black for the defect in his
favourable for him and his position i s better pawn formation. But White has serious
statically. Contrary to the demands of the problems w ith the development of his
position, Karpov exchanges the queens. queenside. Black is threatening JO... i.e6.
ll.'ifd2 In this type of position the bishop at g2 is
l l.i.d2 was necessary. unemployed. In the variation 1 0. 'it'xd8
l l .'iVxd2+ 12.i.xd2 e6
•• ( J O. 'it'b3 aS l l. i.j4 'it' e 7) 1 0. . . 11xd8
12... b6 is also quite sound. l l. i.j4 i.e6 B l ack has suffi c i ent
13.0-0 counterplay.
After the critical 13.i.c4 b6 14.d5 i.a6 Of course, this is a very rare case, where
15. i.xa6 ltJxa6 16.dxe6 fxe6 White has to doubled pawns strengthen a position.
fight for equality.
b) Protected passed pawn
13 b6
•••
Black has no problems.

This element is very important, whereas
an ordinary passed pawn does not in itself
A4. Pawn formation guarantee any static advantage. The
influence of a protected passed pawn may
The time has come to talk about the static be compensated by some other more
elements inherent in the pawn formation. weighty factor.
Most often this is play against a statically In the Sicilian Defence B lack gains a
weak king. "clean" advantage in the centre after . . . d6-
d5 or . . . d7-d5.
c) Number of pawn islands,
Compact pawn chain, Maroczyformation
Hanging pawns
B45: l.e4 c5 2.l2Jf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.l2Jxd4

l2Jf6 5.l2Jc3 l2Jc6 6.tt:lxc6 bxc6 7 .e5 l2Jd5
8.l2Je4 f5 9.exf6 l2Jxf6 10.l2Jd6+ j.xd6
l l.'ifxd6 'i!i'b6 12.j.d3 c5 13.'it'g3
In the Maroczy formation depicted in the

diagram, in order to achieve his aim Black
needs to play in tum . . . b7-b5 and . . . d6-d5.
Subsequently the only remaining central
pawn advances, pushing back the enemy
pieces, and allows its army to o ccupy
In this position, despite B lack's pawn dominating positions.
centre, his position has no future. But otherw ise th is mathematical
The three pawn islands do not leave him advantage may become purely decorative
any possibility of successfully arranging his and lead to the underestimation of some
c-, d- and e-pawns. It is sufficient for White other more important factor, such as a pawn
to play c2-c4. majority on the queenside.
It is obvious that a c ompact pawn
formation can be modified without e) Pawn majority on the queenside
weakening it.
Hanging pawns are a consequence of In order to understand better that which
several pawn islands. was said above, let us look at the game
The reader will find this element in Games
5 and 26 from "Practical Application". I.Dorfman-F.Trois
A46 - Zamardi 1 980
d) Pawn majority in the centre
l.d4 l2Jf6 2.tt:lf3 e6 3.g3 b5 4.j.g2 ..tb7
This is a complicated element. 5.0-0 d5 6 . c3 tt:l b d7 7 .a4 b4 8.cxb4
A mechanical calculation may prove i.xb4 9 . ..td2 i.xd2 1 0 . l2J bxd2 c 5
mistaken. ll.dxc5 l2Jxc5
fid5 1 7.'i xd5 exd5) 16...lbxc4 1 7...txb6

axb6 18.b3 tt:\a3 19. .l:fc1 .l:fc8 20.tt:\d6 .l:c2
and the white pawns are at a standstill.
Black has an extra pawn in the centre, but

White easily activates his pawn majority on
the queenside. 16 .l:acl h6 17 ..tf4 'id8 18 ..tc7 ..txc7
• • •
12.b4 tt:\ce4 13.tt:\b3 .l:c8 14. "Wid4 "Wib6 19.'it'xc7

15.l:tfc1 0-0 16.tt:\e5 llxcl+ 17.llxc1 .l:c8
18 .l:xc8+ ..txc8 19.b5 ..tb7 20...txe4 dxe4
•
Black also loses after 20...lbxe4 21."Wixb6

axb6 22. tt:\d7.
21.'ixb6 axb6 22.tt:\c4 tt:\d5 23.a5 tt:\c3
24.axb6 tt:\xe2+ 25.�0 tt:\c3 26.tt:\ba5 ..td5
27.tt:\d6 �f8 28.tt:\c6 tt:\xb5 29.b7
1-0
I.Dorfman-P.Korzubov
E04 - Tallinn 1983
1.d4 tt:\f6 2.tt:\f3 e6 3.g3 d5 4 ..tg2 c5 5.0-0

•
tt:\c6 6.c4 dxc4 7.tt:\e5 ..td7 8.tt:\xc6 ..txc6

9 ..txc6+ bxc6 10.'it'a4 cxd4 l l .'ixc6+
•
tt:\d7 12."Wixc4 1 9 f5 20. 'it'xd8 .l:fxd8 2 1 .tt:\c5 tt:\f8

•.•
A critical position of the variation, since it 22.tt:\d3 .!Dd7 23.f4 g5 24 .l:c6 �f7 25 .l:c7
• •
is the end of a series of forced moves. The �f6 26 .l:fcl gxf4 27.gxf4 .l:g8+ 28.�f2
•
static balance gives equality. White i s llg7 29.tt:\e5

seeking an ending, to exploit his queenside The position has clarified. Black has no
pawn majority, while Black is relying on his defence against the opp onent's p awn
centre in the middlegame. majority.
12 ..tc5 13.tt:\d2 0-0 14.tt:\e4 ..tb6 15 ..tg5
• • • • 29 tt:\b6 30 .l:txg7 �xg7 31 ..l:tc7+ �g8
••• •
"Wib8? 32.tt:\d3 tt:\d5 33 .l:c4 aS 34 .l:ta4 .:a6 35.b4

• •
An incorrect evaluation of the position. �f7 36.a3 �e7 37 . .l:xa5 lba5 38.bxa5
Black falls in with his opponent's wishes. �d6 39.a6 �c7 40.tt:\c5 �b6 41.tt:\xe6
Essential was 15... tt:\e5 1 6. LdB (1 6. 'if b5 1-0
t) Weak square,
Isolated pawn,
Backward pawn
Definition! A square is called weak,

when it cannot be defended by pawns,
and when it may theoretically occupied
by one of the opponent's pieces.
In a popular variation of the Caro-Kann

Defence after the moves
B19: l.e4 c6 2.d4 dS 3 .!Llc3 dxe4 4 .!Llxe4

• •
.us s .!Llg3 .tg6 6.h4 h6 7 .!Ll f3 .!Lld7 s.hs

• •
..th7 9 ..td3 ..txd3 10.'i'xd3 'i'c7 u ...td2

• 14 .!Llxc3 15.'i'xc3?
•••
.!Llgf6 12.1i'e2 e6 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 14..!Lle5 An automatic reply and a serious mistake.
.!LlxeS? The black knight is aiming for the weak c4
14... lbb6 is stronger. square, and it should have been eliminated
15.dxe5 by 15.i.xc7! 'i'xc7 16.1i'xc3.
15 ..td6 16.i.xd6.!Llb5 17.1i'b3.!Llxd6
•••
ea
7
6
5
4
3
2
0
The d6 square in Black's position is weak.
It may be occupied by the knight af ter The knight is ready to occupy the weak
lbe4-d6. square, and its capture will give Black a
protected passed c-pawn. White faces a
The following examp le is a grap h ic passive defence.
illustration of the need to include in the
definition the words " may theoretically As usual, B otvinnik's p lay IS very
occupied by one of the opponent's pieces". instructive.
L.Portisch-G.Kasparov A.Lilienthal-M.Botvinnik
Skelleftea 1 989 Moscow 1 945
Isolated and backward pawns are included

here, since the squares in front of them are
weak.
Recently, during work with one of my

pupils, I was shocked by the widespread
practical adoption of the variation
l.e4 cS 2.tbf3 tbc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tbxd4 eS

S.tbbS a6 6.tt:ld6+ ..ltxd6 7.'i¥xd6 'i!Vf6
White's p osition looks sl ightly more

active, but a dispassionate static balance
points to the weak square at e4.
By energetic play Black gains control of
this key post.
lS cS 16.�bl
•••
16.dxc5 .Le5 1 7.fxe5 tbd7 18.tbb5 1:1c8

or 16.tbb5 c4 17.'fia4 a6 18.tbxd6 cxd3 is
unattractive for White.
16...c4 17.i.f5 Here it is hard to classify Black's play as
After 1 7.i.e2 g6 1 8.g4 h5 1 9. h3 hxg4 anything other than wild.
20.hxg4 �h2 Black has a clear advantage.
1 7 i.xf5 18.�xf5 i.b4 1 9.'i¥c2 .l;;i.d6
..•
Considerable attention is devoted to the
20.l:e2 i.xc3 21.bxc3 tt:le4 isolated pawn in Games 1 7, 45 and 54 in the
"Practical Application".
Often even dynamic play does not provide
full compensation for the static defects
associated with an isolated pawn.
I will give two examples of the strength of

an isolated pawn.
!.Dorfman-V.Korchnoi
D27 Enghien les Bains 1 997
-
l .d4 dS 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 tbf6 4 . ..1txc4 e6

01 S.tbf3 cS 6.0-0 a6 7.i.b3 i.e7
Black should play 7... cxd4 8.exd4 tbc6.
8.�e2 cxd4 9 . .l::!.d l 0-0 10.tbc3 tbc6
and Black won 1 6 moves later. ll.exd4 i.d7
drawing continuation s : 1 7. exf7+ i.xj7

1 8. "fixe 7 .i.xb3 (1 8. . . 13.ae 8 ? 1 9. i.d2)
1 9..i.d2 "fibS.
17 J!i'b6
••
It was not yet too late to stumble, by

playing 1 Z .. "fic5 ? 18.13.acl "fid6 1 9..i.g5.
18.exf7+ .1Lxf7 19.'i!Vxe7 .i.xb3 20.axb3
"fixb3 21.'ia3 'i'xa3 22.bxa3 '1:!fd8 23.i.a5
l:Id5
Yz-Yz
!.Dorfman-A.Lukin
D2 1 - USSR Cup, Kiev 1 984
l .lLlf3 d5 2.d4 c5 3.c4 dxc4 4.e3 cxd4

5.il.xc4 'ilc7 6J!fb3 e6 7.exd4 lLlf6 8.tbc3
In this type of position much depends on tbc6 9.0-0 i. d7 10."fidl
who has better control of the square in front White loses time (JO.ltJe5 tbxd4), but he
of the isolated pawn. has the c onsolation that his opponent
12.tLle5 .i.e8 13.d5?! exchanged very early on d4 . Against an
A tempting, but over-hasty decision to isolated d-pawn it is better to await the
open up the position. After the standard play move a2-a4, in order after the exchange in
1 3 . i.g5 tbd5 1 4 . .1L.xd5 .i.xg5 1 5. tbxc6 the centre to gain control of the important b4
Lc6 16. .i.xc6 bxc6 1 7. tbe4 White has the square.
advantage. 10 i. e7 ll.i.g5 0-0
•••
13 tbxe5
.••
The only way! Cowardice does not bring

equality, as is evident from the variation
1 3 . . . exd5 1 4 . tbxd5 tbxd5 1 5. i.xd5
(15.:Xd5 "fic7 16.i.f4 i.d6 1 7.':.adl i.xe5
18. iL.xe5 tbxe5 1 9. '1:!xe5 i.b5=) 15 . . . "fic7
16.tbxc6 Lc6 1 7.Lc6 bxc6 18. .i.e3.
14.dxe6
This is the best practical chance.
After 14."fixe5 i.d6 (14. . . exd5 ? 15.tbxd5
tbxd5 1 6. '1:!xd5) 1 5. "fid4 (15. "fie2 tbxd5
1 6.tbxd5 exd5 1 7. .i.xd5 "fic 7=) 15 . . . "fic7
1 6. "fih4 (1 6. dxe6 i.xh2+ 1 7. <Jilhl .i.e5=)
16 ... exd5 the two sides' chances are equal.
14 'it'a5
..•
Black avoids all the pitfalls. He loses after Again White has complete control over
both 14... .i.d6 15 . .1L.f4 'ilc7 16.'11.
d6
.x "fixd6 the square in front of the isolated pawn. The
1 7. i.xe5 "fi e 7 1 8. i.xf6!, and 1 4. . . "fib6 moment is ripe for a breakthrough.
15."fixe5 "fix/2+ 1 6. <Jilxf2 tbg4+ 1 7. <Jilg3 12.d5 tLlxd5
tbxe5 18.tbd5 i.d6 1 9.tbf6+. The other capture does not demand any
15.tbd5 tLlc6 16.ltJxe7+ tbxe7 17.i.d2 imagination of White . After 1 2 . . . exd5
All the time White has a wide choice of. . . 1 3. i.xf6 .1L.xf6 (13 . . . dxc4 1 4. tbd5 'ild8
15.li:Jxe7+ Cfue7 1 6.li:Je5±) 14.Cfud5 'i¥d8 I.Dorfman-J.Murrey

15.Cfuj6+ the position is simplified and it D93 French League 1 99 1
-
can be ascertained that White has a static

advantage. l.tt:\f3 dS 2.d4 tt:lf6 3.c4 c6 4.'i'c2 g6 S.J.f4
13.J.xd5 exdS 14.tt:\xd5 'i¥d8 1S.li:lxe7+ J.g7 6.e3 0-0 7.tt:\c3 tt:\a6 8.c5
tt:\xe7 16 .!:!.el l:.e8
• White is hoping for control of the dark
squares, while B lack is obliged to seek
dynamic play.
8 ...'iiaS 9.a3 tt:\d7?!
The start of a dubious plan. Black also
fails to equalise after 9. . . tt:\h5 J O. J. g5f6
ll. J.h4, but he can try 9... J.j5 JO. 'idl ! ?
(10. 'i¥a4 'i¥xa4 ll.Cfua4 tt:\b8) .
10.J.e2 b6
The following variation is instructive:
10 ... e5 l l.t£Jxe5 tt:\xe5 1 2. J.xe5 J.xe5
13.dxe5 'i¥xc5 14. J.xa6 bxa6 15.0-0 with
the idea of 'JJ.jc1 , when the group of
0 weakened dark squares a5 , c5, d4 and h6
sets Black insoluble problems.
ll.cxb6 tt:\xb6
White has an amusing combination, If l l . . . ax b 6 White retains the better
leading to the win of a pawn. chances by playing 12.0-0 tt:\ab8 13.b4.
17Jbe7 l:lxe7 18.'i¥d5 h6 19.J. xe7 'i'xe7 12.0-o J.rs
20.'i¥xb7 It seems to me that B lack did not see
beforehand that after 12 . . .c5? White has the
winning reply 13. b4 cxb4 14.axb4.
g) Group of weak squares of one 13.1i'cl t£Jc4 14.b3 tt:\d6 15.b4 'i'b6
colour, 16.tt:\a4 'i¥b7 17.tt:\e5 J.xeS
Black has to p art with his bishop , since
Blockade,
after:
Domination 1 7. . . l:.ac8 White has a p leasant choice
between 18.g4 and 18. tt:\d3.
Here I have united three related elements, 18.J. xe5 f6 19.J.f4 gS 20.J.g3 tt:\e4 21.f3
since they all exert a strong static influence tt:\xg3 22.hxg3 .!:!.adS?
on the development of events. 22... 'i;g7 is more tenacious.
And the prescriptions for counterplay in 23.e4! J.g6
all three cases are identical. 23... dxe4? ? 24.'i'c4+.
These are always a modification of the 24.e5 tt:\c7 25.tt:\c5 'i'c8 26 J!fe3 fxeS
pawn formation, the exchange of the 27.dxe5!
active enemy pieces, and the battle for the White suppresses the counterplay that was
initiative. possible after:
27.'i'xe5 l:.f5 28. 'i'e3 e5.
Here is a game illustrating the weakness 27...'i'f5
of the squares of one colour. 27... tt:\e6 runs into 28.J. a6.
28 .i::!.adl
•
I came across an interesting case of a

blockade, when analysing the game
• L.Vogt-W.Schmidt
Polanica Zdroj 1 980
The weakness of the dark squares has

become irreversible. 0
As a rule, a blockade crowns successful
play against weak squares. White went in for the win of the exchange.
After a series of forced moves
I.Dorfman-R.Skrobek lS ..taS J:baS 16.b6 'iid7 17.liJxaS ..txd4
•
Warsaw 1 983 B lack gained sufficient material

compensation for the rook.
0
This position was reached after White's
27th move. The light squares in B lack's After the retreat of his bishop or 18. . . liJc6
position are hopelessly weak and blockaded. his position will become invulnerable. The
Here the possibility of exchanges is limited, only dynamic possibility is 1 8 .c6.
and the b lack p ieces are p ractically In the main variation 18. . . 0ac6 1 9. 0ac6
untouchable. 'ixc6 2 0. liJxd4 liJxd4 21 . 1hc 6 liJxe2+
The full game will be found in the section 22.�h1 bxc6 23. b7 White breaks through to
"Practical Application" (No.3 1 ). the queening square, and after other captures
his chances are at least equal. But in the 9.tt'la3 bS l O.li:JdS .i.e7 l l ..txf6 .txf6
game the p osition retained its static 12.c3 .i.b7 1 3.li:Jc2 li:Jb8 14.a4 bxa4
character, favourable for Black, after 15Jha4 li:Jd7 16.I1b4 li:Jc5
18.li:Jxd4 li:Jxd4 19.�e3 li:Jdc6
Now there is no reason to hurry. White is
condemned to waiting.
Let us now look at some examp les of

domination. What I understand by
domination is the control of key squares by
pieces, which are hard for the opponent to
attack or exchange.
B.Larsen-M.Najdorf
Buenos Aires 1 983
0
es
7 White achieved domination with an
unexpected exchange sacrifice.
6 1 7.J:!.xb7 li:Jxb7 18.b4 .i.gS 1 9.li:Ja3 0-0
5 20.li:Jc4
4
3
2
Here all the signs of domination are

present. On the next move White's queen
will appear at d4, and all his pieces are
immune. I hop e that this p osition w i l l
demonstrate convincingly the static nature
of domination. a b c d e f g h
The following example of domination is The reader will find a classic example of
unusual. domination in the section " Practical
App lication" in the game Dorfman-Tal
G.Kasparov-A.Shirov (No.57).
B33 - Horgen 1 994
h) Half-open file
In the well known theoretical variation Outpost
l.e4 cS 2.l2Jf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.li:Jxd4 li:Jf6
S.li:Jc3 li:Jc6 6.li:Jdb5 d6 7..tf4 eS 8..tg5 a6 The ro le of half-op e n fi les has been
known for a long time and was described in

detail by Nimzowitsch.
But the role of an outp ost and the •

technique for exploiting it are insufficiently
widely covered in chess literature.
Definition: an outpost is a square on a

half-open file in front of an enemy pawn,
situated on the 6th (for White - on the
3rd) rank.
Two examp les of the creation of an

outpost and the step-by-step exploitation of
all its advantages will be found in games 44
and 64 in the section " Practical 18 i.eS 19.i.xeS .:xeS 20.l:l:d4 hS 21.b3
.••
Application". 'ikh8 22.'ikd2 .l:Iae8 23.e3 lZ:le6 24J:tdS tt:'JcS

2S.h3 i.d7 26J'heS 'ikxeS 27.ltJdS
Here I will merely name these steps: The knight occupies the outpost.
27 c6 28.tt:'Jf4 a4 29.b4 tt:'Je6 30.tt:'Jd3 'ikg7
- create the outpost;
•••
- place one of the pieces on it (usually a

knight);
- in the event of the exchange of this
piece, recapture with a pawn, exposing an
enemy backward pawn (and in the event of
the piece being attacked by a pawn, attack
the resulting backward pawn);
- create pressure on the backward pawn;
- force its advance and attack the resulting
weaknesses.
I.Dorfman-A.Anastasian 0
A29 - Cannes 1 996
l.c4 tt:'Jf6 2.tt:'Jc3 e5 3.tt:'Jf3 tZ'lc6 4.g3 g6 31.h4?!

S.i.g2 i.g7 6.d4 exd4 Unnecessarily weakening the king. Instead
Creation of the outpost (d5). 3J.a3! followed by f2-f4 and tZ'l/2 would
7.tt:'Jxd4 0-0 8.0-0 tt:'Jxd4 9J!fxd4 d6 10.'ikd3 have been very strong, p robing the
l:le8 ll.i.gS h6 12.i.d2 lDd7 13.'ikc2 aS approaches to the backward pawn.
14.l:adl tt:'JcS lS.'ikcl i.g4 31...'ikf6 32.a3 gS 33.hxgS ltJxgS 34.ltJf4 h4
The only defence. 15 ... �h7 16.i.e3 ttJe6 3S.gxh4 lZ:le4 36.'ikd4 'ikfS 37.i.h3 flogS+
1 7.c5 is unsatisfactory for Black. 38.�h2
16JUel �h7 17.i.e3 'ikc8 18.i.d4 1-0
The following game is of interest for the l . d4 tl:Jj6 2 . c4 e 6 3. tLlf3 d5 4.g3 dxc4
timely dynamic counterplay, compensating 5. 'i!Va4+ t2'lbd7 6.1Lg2 a6 7. 'i!Vxc4 b5 8. 'i!Vc2
for the static defects of the position. 1Lb7 9.0-0 c5 followed by ... 1:.c8 the white
queen is unable to find a shelter.
B.Gelfand-V.Korchnoi
A28 - Novgorod 1 997 Let us consider a typ ical examp l e ,
illustrating White's problems.
l.c4 eS 2.t2'lc3 t2'lf6 3.t2'lf3 t2'lc6 4.d4 exd4
The outpost ( d5) is created. I.Kalinsky-!.Dorfman
5.t2'lxd4 J.b4 6.J. g50-0 7.l:l.cl l:l.e8 8.e3 E03 - Saratov 1 9 8 1
Black's play demands deep preparation.
He had to anticipate the consequences of l .d4 tiJf6 2.c4 e6 3.t2'lf3 dS 4.g3 dxc4
8.ti:Jdb5 1La5. S.'i!fa4+ t2'lbd7 6.i.g2 a6 7.'i!fxc4 bS 8.'iifc2
8 h6 9 .th4 !Dxd4 10.'i!fxd4 gS ll .tg3 cS
••• • • J.b7 9.a4 b4 10.0-0 cS l l .t2'lbd2 1:.c8
12.'iifdl 12.dxc5 1Lxc5 13.'iifd3 0-0 14.b3 eS
Interposing 12. 'Wid6 would merely delay
the breakthrough after 12. . . 1:.e6 13. 'iifdl d5.
12 d5
•••
0 Black does not leave the enemy queen in

peace for an instant.
To defend against the threats, White is
The outpost has disappeared and White's forced to weaken irrep arably the static
only chances of an advantage involve position of his king.
dynamism. They are minimal, since Black's 15.e4 i.a7 16.l:!.a2 i.xf2+
development is not at all worse. An interesting "pendulum" combination.
The white pieces lack the harmony to put up
i) Bad pieces a resistance.
17.'ihf2 'iifb6+ 18.'iii'e2 1:.c3 19.t2'lc4 'iifc7
This factor is directly linked with the 20.'i!fbl i.xe4 21.'iifal tL'lcS 22.t2'lcd2 i.d3+
pawn formation. At the start of the 23.'iii'el .txn 24.'iii'xfl tiJd3 25.i.b2 'i!fcS
"Theoretical Section" I dwelt on bad minor 26.'iii'e2 'iiff2+ 27.'iii'dl ttJdS 28.t2'lc4 'iifc2 #
pieces. Under certain circumstances the
queen can also become bad. !.Dorfman-Y.V asyukov
Thus in the Catalan Opening after: E38 - Moscow 1 989
l.lL'lf3 lL'lf6 2.c4 c5 3.lL'lc3 g6 4.e4 lL'lc6 5.d4 26.lL'lxd6 e5 27.�d2 'it>g8 28.lL'lb5 l;lcc8
cxd4 6.lL'lxd4 d6 7.�e2 .i.g7 8.�e3 0-0 29.lt:lc3 l;ld8 30.lL'ld5 lL'lca6 31.fi'c3 fic5
9.0-0 �d7 lO.!tcl a6 l l.lL'lb3 32.�xe5, and Black can resign.
j) Types of centre,
Space
When the centre is not fixed it is difficult

to analyse the static elements of the pawn
formation.
In the Maroczy formation Black's queen

causes him considerable problems.
Here, in order to improve its position, he
weakens all the squares on the b-file.
ll ...a5 12.lL'ld2 lL'lb4 13.f3 �c6 14.lL'lb3 a4
15.lL'ld4 a3 16.b3 �aS
Here the exchange on e5 equalises the

position in the centre, whereas . . . exd4 gives
White a pawn pair.
This inevitably provokes a weakening of
the static position of the black king.
After d4-d5 White seizes space, but if the
kings are on the kingside, B lack gains
chances of an attack on the enemy king.
This simple example demonstrates the
abundance of factors i nfluencing the
0 evaluation of the centre.
Here is a more complicated example.

In order to bring out his queen, Black has
paid dearly. M.Ashley-I.Dorfman
White has an obvious advantage, which he B52 - Cannes 1 998
converts into a decisive one by simp l e
means. l.e4 c5 2.lL'lf3 d6 3.�b5+ �d7 4.�xd7+
17.fi'd2 :l.fc8 18.1:-fd l e6 1 9.�fl �f8 �xd7 5.0-0 lL'lf6 6.1:-el lL'lc6 7.c3 e6 8.d3
20.�t2 lL'ld7 21.'it>hl lL'lcS 22.lL'ldb5 �xb5 �e7 9.lL'lbd2 0-0 l O.lL'lfl b5 l l .�g5 h6
23.lL'lxb5 l:.c6 24.�d4 �g7 25.�xg7 'it>xg7 12.�h4
together with the static position of the king,

with good and bad pieces, and so on.
• O.Romanishin-I.Dorfman
Sarajevo 1 988
Here the static balance does not give an

advantage to either of the players. But White 0
is ready to occupy the centre with d3-d4. It
fo llows that B lack must resp o nd
dynamically. l l.e5 lbe8
12 lbe5 13.lbe3
•••
l l . . . ltJd5 would have been a p ositional
Black parries 13.d4 by playing 13 . . . cxd4 mistake, bringing B lack only problems.
14. cxd4 lbg6 15. i.g3 lb h 5 or 1 5. . . "fib 7 After 12.dxc5 .l:!.xc5 13.exd6 exd6 14.li:Jbd2
followed by 16. . . d5, but definitely not 15... d5 White has the better pawn formation.
on account of 16.lbe5 lbxe5 1 7.dxe5. 12.'ie2
13 ...lbg6 14.i.g3 c4 1S.lbd4 cxd3 16."fkxd3 After the p seudo-active I 2. e6 ?! fxe6
a6 13.lbg5 lbc7 14.lbxe6 lbxe6 15.1L:e6 cxd4
or 12.i.g5 dxe5 13.dxe5 lbc7 with the idea
of . . . lbe6, . . . c5-c4 and . . . ltJdc5, the board
becomes increasingly black.
12...dxe5
The temp ting intermedi ate capture
12... cxd4 ? runs into 13.e6!
13.dxe5 lbc7 14.lbbd2 c4!
White has gained space, but his position is
statically inferior. It is this that provokes his
subsequent dynamic play.
15.b3! lbdS 16.bxc4 bxc4
16... lbxc3!? I Z"fie3 b4 18.e6 lbc5 leads to a
0 complicated game with chances for both sides.
17.lbxc4 lbxc3?!
Black deviates from the correct course and
From now on Black will play statically, the game becomes equal. He would have
since the balance is in his favour. In my retained the advantage after 1 7. . . "fi c 7
view, space does not in itself guarantee 18.lbfd2 (1 8.lbcd2 lbxc3 1 9."fie3 lbb6+)
any advantage. It should be considered 18... lbxc3 1 9."fie3 lbd5 20."fie4 lbb4.
the author writes that this "would yield an

advantage of four tempi to White". I suggest
employing my method of evaluation.
Static balance.
1 . The king positions are equal.

2. Black has a material advantage (the
bishop pair with the pawn formation not
fixed).
3. An endgame is better for Black because
of that same bishop pair.
4. The pawn formation is clearly better for
0 B lack due to the weakness of the light
squares in White's position.
This concludes our acquaintance with the After the natural 7. . . d6 B lack has an
regressive scale of static factors. It enables overwhelming static advantage, with a
us to draw up a static balance, and, complete lack of any dynamic play.
depending on it, to know who in a particular
critical position should play statically, and The following example is taken from the
who dynamically. same book.
Resume of the theoretical aspect A.Nimzowitsch-W.Michel

Semmering 1 926
Let us now observe how my suggested
method generalises the solving of many
problems and also enables weak points to be •
found in classic and currently fashionable
theories.
In Nimzowitsch's "My System" there is an
interesting analysis. After the moves C21:
l.e4 eS 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 fLlf6 4.e5 ltJe4
5.�d3 ltJcS 6.cxd4 ltJxd3+ 7.'i xd3
This is what Nimzowitsch has to say:

"14... e5 would now only surrender the point
d5 to White . For i nstance 15. 'ig3
(threatening 1 6. �xe5) 15 . . . �g 7 1 6. e4,
fo l lowed by d2- d3 and ftJc3-d5 with
advantage in position for White." The only
instructive thing in this extract is the attempt
by White to fix the pawn formation by e3-e4. M.Botvinnik-J.Donner

Amsterdam 1 963
Let us draw up the static balance.
1 . Statically the king positions are equal.

2. The material advantage is with Black
(bishop pair with the pawn formation not
fixed).
3. An endgame is better for Black because
of the bishop pair.
4. The pawn formation is in Black's favour
because of White's isolated a-pawn, his
backward d-pawn, and his weakness on the
light squares.
Therefore White can only have dynamic 0

play. In such cases I would be careful not to
talk w ithout substantiati on about an
advantage for White. Esp ecially, s ince This is a critical moment, since White has
analysis demonstrates the reverse. to decide about the p o ssible exchange
14...e5 1S.'ifg3 i.e6! 16.i.xe5 14.t"iJd4.
In the variation 16.f 4 i.xc4 1 7.'U..cl i.e6 The static balance does not give an
18.fxe5 f5 Black blocks the position. advantage to either side. In addition, Black
16...i.e7 can improve his position after 14 . .. a5 or
The most static continuation. The 14. . . b5. This means that White can either
variations 16... i.g7 1 7.i.c7 'ikd3 18.'ikd6 maintain the balance, or p lay for an
and 16 . . . i.xc4 1 7. 'ik/4 are in accordance advantage with
with White's wishes. 14.t"iJd4
18.i.b2 i.xc4 19 .l:Icl i.d3
• 1 4. 'ika4 can be p arried by 1 4 . . . a5
(14... a6).
14...i.xg2
The loss of time after 14... t"iJd5 15. e4
t"iJ5f6 1 6. 'ikb3 ( 1 6. e5 t"iJd5 1 7. 'ikb3 a5)
16... 'U..c8 1 7.'U..acl costs Black dearly, since
he can no longer comp lete his
development.
15.'1hg2 'ifc7 16.'ifb3 l:!.fc8
The exchange of queens after 16... 'ikb7+
1 7. 'ikf3 cannot be recommended, since
White is aiming to occupy c6.
17J:tfcl 'ifb7+ 18.'ikf3 t"iJdS
0 Again in the endgame Black is paralysed
after 18 . . . 'ikxf3+ 1 9. t"iJ2xf3 'i;fB 20.t'i:Jc6
'U..c7 21.'U..c2 'U..acB 22.'U..acl.
Black has a strategically won position. 19.e4
Played in order to p arry the threat of
Let us employ the method in the following 19... t"iJe5 20. fle4f5 21. 'ikxe5 t"iJf4+.
position. 19...t"iJSf6 20.b5 a6 21.t"iJc6 i.f8 22.a4
hanging pawns.
It follows that Black should maintain the

• present favourable character of the play, and
prevent dynamic play by his opponent.
I n this sense Portisch's next move is
incorrect, since it allows a breakthrough,
weakening Black's king.
14 1!Vc7?
..•
It was essential to take prophylactic

measures against the opening of the
position. I suggest 14 ... cxd4:
A) 15.cxd4 i.j616.e4 g6 (an alternative is
16 llJa5, but not 16...tiJxd4 1 7.i.xd4 i.xd4
18.i.b5 e5 19.tl.Jxe5; 1 6... 'Wie7 can also be
White has an advantage that is close to considered);
being decisive. B) 15.exd4 0,a5 1 6.0,e5 i.d6 1 7.f4:
Bl) 17
Let us employ the method to an extract ............. i.xe5 1 8.fxe5 i.d5 1 9. 'flih5 g6
from the game 20.'Wih6f5 21. exf6 :.Xj6 22. i.cl;
B l ) 1 7.. .f6 1 8. 0,c4 0,xc4 1 9. i.xc4 i.
G.Kasparov-L.Portisch d5
Niksic 1 983 20. i.a6 i.b3 21 . 1J.d3 with the initiative
(2J.i.xc8 fixeS);
B2) 1 7. . . fic 7! 1 8.f5 i.xe5 1 9. dxe5
• llJc4
20.f6 g6, and the open centre does not allow
White to engage in play against the enemy
king.
15.c4 cxd4 16.exd4 0,a5 17.d5 exdS
As often happens in games between great
players, everything could have been based
on an insufficiently accurate calculation of
the variation 17 ... tl.Jxc4 18.'Wie4 g6 19.i.xc4
fixc4 20.'Wie5 f6 2l.fixe6+ 1J.f7 22.1J.cl.
And now it is no longer possible to save the
game.
Static balance. 18.cxd5 i.xdS 19.i.xh7+ 'it>xh7 20.lhd5
'it>g8 21.i.xg7 'it>xg7 22.0,e5
I . The king positions are equal.
White's attack is irresistible.
2. The material situation is balanced.
3 . The ending is advantageous to Black
because of the pawn formation. I found this following position in one of
4. The pawn formation is better for Black, the books by Dvoretsky and Yusupov.
since White has an iso lated p awn and
S.Dolmatov-O.Romanishin
Minsk 1 979
0 0
This is what the authors have to say: e mp hasises all the defects in White's
"White controls more space, but Black has position.
the e5 square. Three black minor pieces can
settle there. White cannot and should not And here is another position, borrowed
fight for this square, since only one of the from Dvoretsky.
enemy pieces can occupy the weak square,
and the other two will remain unemployed. A.Karpov-S.Dolmatov
White should develop his own play with Amsterdam 1 980
27.i.a5. This move weakens the c6 square
and the queenside pawns (27... 1:!de8 loses to
28. 1L.a4) . After 2 7. . . b 6 28. i.c3 tiJ4e5
29. t!Jd4 i.d7 30.a4 White's chances are
preferable."
Here again there is an attempt to use the
dynamic features of the position to explain
the correlation of static elements (thus if the
black bi shop were moved to d7, all the
authors' arguments would at best cause
perplexity).
Let us employ the method.

a b c d e f g h
The static balance gives an advantage to
Black due to the difference in the kings' The game continued:
positions and the backward e4 pawn (and, as 34 t!Je7
•••
a consequence, the weakness of the e5 The author accompanies this move with a
square). The short variation 27. i.a5 :t:!de8 question mark and the following comment:
28.1L.a4 1L.d8 29.i.b4 (with the exchange of "Black had the excellent reply 34... e4, when
bishops 29.i..xd8 1L:d8 White would, at the subsequently it is hard to give preference to
least, not have improved his p osition) either side. After all, the opponent has to
29 1L.b6+
••• reckon with . . . Wlie5-d4, threatening the c4
pawn, White's only weakness."

Here the topic of several pieces, aimed at
one square, is again developed.
But the problem is that the placing of the
pieces is a dynamic factor. And the static
balance is catastrophic for Black due to the
insecure position of his king. In accordance
with all the rules of strategy, White converts
his advantage by playing:
34...e4 35.lt:\e3 'iieS 36.ltJbd5 ltJe7 37.ltJg4
�d4 38..l:idl 'i!Vxc4 39.�b2+
ea
7
6
5
4
3
2
It is possible that the topic "Superfluous

pieces" is no worse than others. But the
constant mixing of static and dynamic
elements is not favourable to the
development of a correct understanding
of chess.
Although, there is no doubt that the reader
will himself decide by which criteria he
should be guided when choosing a plan and
a specific move in critical positions.
Match Smyslov-Bacrot, Albert 1 996
Blitz contre Kasparov, Zagulba (Azerbaidjan) 1 986

PRACTICAL APPLICATION 47
Practical Application
B e fore moving on to the " Practical On this occasion White has to decide
application", I should like to make a few about a possible exchange of pieces. Seeing
comments. In order to illustrate my method that Black's position is cramped, it is logical
with examples, I have chosen a symbolic to keep the knights on after 1 0. lDb3 a6
number of games - 64. In order to be more l l . a4 lDa5 1 2 . e5 lDeB 1 3 . lDxa5 'ixa5
convincing, I rely on my own games. I have 14.'ikd2.
deliberately p referred comments and 10
. ltJxd4
variations of limited length, so that they 11 .ixd4
• .ic6
should not overshadow the essence of the 12. .id3 lDd7
play and the basis for the decisions taken. After carrying out Capablanca's exchange
When employing the regressive scale of . . . tDxd4 and . . . .ic6, Black is also ready to
static evaluation, I draw the attention of the remove a pair of bishops from the board.
reader only to the elements of the scale 13. 'ikel
which are unequal between the two In such positions 13. 'ie2 is more often
opponents.In order to avoid the use of one played, but I wanted to defend the knight at c3.
and the same phrase "critical position", I 13. .•. ..ltf6
sometimes designate it with the sign +. 14. .ixf6 'ikxf6
Af ter it there may fol low one of the One of the advantages of 13. 'iel is the
reasons for which the position is critical. control of the b4 square in the variation
14... ltJxf6 15.e5 dxe5 1 6.fxe5 lDd5 1 7. lDe4.
No. 1 15 .l:i.d1
• .l:tfd8
!.Dorfman - K.Venglovsky
B83 - Cherkassy 1 966
1. e4 c5
2. ttJf3 e6
3. d4 cxd4
4. ltJxd4 lDf6
5. ltJc3 d6
6. .ie2 .ie7
7. 0-0 0-0
8. f4 ltJc6
.ie3
9.
•
0
B lack must take a decision regarding a
p ossible change in the central p awn
structure. For 9... e5, see Game 27. Careless. I would prefer 15... ltJc5!
9. .id7 After a series of forced moves, the game
10. '>ii>h1 reaches another critical point.
The static balance gives an advantage to

B lack (the better endgame and a pawn
majority in the centre).
White can take the play along favourable
lines, if he is able to approach the enemy
king. In order to make the e4-e5
breakthough, he needs to disturb the knight
at d7. This gives rise to an idea, which
even today remains rare in the Sicilian
Defence.
16. b4 ltlb6?
The final and decisive mistake.
Black should have drawn up his forces for
the defence of his king with 16.. .lbf8. I also 0
calculated 16... b6 1 7.i. b5 and 16...a6 1 7. a4
b6 18.b5 axb5 1 9.i.xb5.
17. b5 i.e8 17 . b4 0-0 18.b5 i.xb5 19.lLlxb5 axb5
18. e5 dxe5 20.l:.xb5 d5 21.e5 lLle4 22.i.d4 i. c5 23.c3
19. fxe5 ile7 ilc6 24.�h2 b6 25.i. xe4 dxe4 26.i.xc5
20. tt:'le4 lLld7 bxc5 27.ile3 ild5 28.::!.e1 ilc4
21. ltlf6+ Yz-Yz
A simple winning operation. If 2l...gxf6,
then 22.ilh4 is decisive. In these two games it is not just the
21. ltlxf6 number of moves that coincides.
22. exf6 ilc5
23. ..txh7+ �xh7 No.2
24. ilh4+ 'it>g8 A.Kozlov !.Dorfman
-
25. fxg7 �xg7 B3 1 - Odessa 1 968

26. ilf6+ �g8
27 .:xd8
• litxd8 1. e4 c5
28. ilxd8 2. ltlf3 lLlc6
and White won. 3. i.b5 g6
4. 0-0 i.g7
It is amusing to compare this naive junior 5. c3 lLlf6
game with the later one: 6. .!:ie1
The alternatives here are 6.ife2 and 6.e5.
Dorfman-Gulko 6. 0-0
B60 - Match for the 7. d4 cxd4
USSR Championship 1 977 8. cxd4 d5
9. e5 ltle8
l .e4 c5 2.ltJf3 ltlc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.ltJxd4 10. ltlc3
tt:'lf6 5.lLlc3 d6 6 . ..tg5 ilb6 7 .llJb3 e6 It looks logical to strengthen the centre by
8 . i. d 3 a6 9 . a4 tt:'l a 5 1 0 . ..t e 3 il c 7 JO.h3 lLlc7 l l. ..ltfl f6 12.ltlc3.
1 1 . tt:'l xa5 il x a 5 1 2 . 0 - 0 ..t e 7 1 3 .il e 1 10. tt:'lc7
..t d 7 1 4 . h 3 .: c 8 1 5 . £4 ..t c 6 1 6 . Ji[ b 1 11. ..te2 i.g4
'fli c7 12. h3 ..txf3
13. ..ltxf3 e6
14. .Jtg4?
•
W h i t e d o e s n o t p a y s u ffi c i e n t
attention to a p o s s i b l e change i n the
•
c e n tr a l p a w n fo r m a t i o n . 1 4 . !il.j4 ,
preventing the freeing 1 4 . . . f6, would
have b e e n an e ffective prophylactic
measure.
14. f6
15. f4
•
The centre has been destroyed. What
next?! My thanks to David Bronstein. I not
only remember a diagram from the game
Reshevsky-Stahlberg, which he analyses in
his book on the 1 9 5 3 Candidates
Tournament, but also the commentary of the
great player. " I n the middlegame one
should not hesitate to advance a central
passed paw n . " C alculation merely
confirmed the correctness of this argument.
Once again a possible change in the pawn 18. d4!
structure signifies a critical position. 19. l2Ja4 d3!
In several variations of the Ruy Lopez and 20. 'itg2
the King's Indian Defence we are already In the vari ati ons 20.ti:Jc5 'fid4+
accustomed to Black attacking the centre by (20. . . '!J.xf4 ? 21. lLlxe6) and 20.'1J.cl! '!J.xf4
. . . c7-c6 and . . . b 7-b5. 21.gxf4 d2 White loses material.
Here a "mirror" explosion takes place on 20. ••. lL'ldS
the kingside. An important link in the chain of counter
15. g5! attacking actions. With this pawn sacrifice
16. g3 gxf4 Black paves the way to the enemy king.
17. .Jtxf4 21. .Jtxe6+ 'ith8
White's last move had the aim of 22. .Jixd5 'ifxd5+
23. 'fif3 'fibS
defending his bishop, since he would have
The final subtlety. It would have been
lost quickly after 1 7.gxf4 fxe5 18.fxe5 h5 primitive to play 23 ... 'fixj3+ 24. 'iitxj3 lbd4+
19.Lh5 'fih4. 25. 'iite4 lb c2 26. 'iitx d3, when White has
17. fxe5 more than sufficient material for the
18. dxe5 exchange.
24. 'i e4 .iilad8
25. b3 l:':.d4
26. 'ife3 d2 isolates the opponent's central pawn.

27. l:led1 'ifdS+ 7. cxd4
28. 'it>h2 ltJxeS 8. cxd4 .i.e7
29. i.xeS 'ifxeS 9. l2Jc3 'i!fd8
30. 'ifxeS .i.xeS A favourite idea of Romanishin and
0-1 Arshak Petrosian is to play 9... 'i!Va5, leaving
d8 free for the rook.
No.3 10. .i.bS?!
•
V.V orotnikov - !.Dorfman
White goes in for the exchange of bishop
B22 Rostov 1 973 for knight, hoping in so doing to fix the
pawn formation. Instead he could have tried
1. e4 cS
to create problems for B lack over the
2. c3 dS development of his queenside with 10..i.e3
3. exdS 'ifxdS
followed by lbe5, .i./3 and 'ifb3.
4. d4 e6
10. 0-0
Today I consider a solid line to be 4 ... lbf6
11. .i.xc6 bxc6
5.lbf3 lb c6 (White is slightly better after 12. ltJeS .i.b7
5 . . . .i.g4 6.dxc5) 6.'i!Va4 .i.d7 7.dxc5 e5 13. .i.e3
8. .i.c4 'i!Ve4+ 9. .i.e3 lbd4 1 0. c6 .i.xc6
l l . .i.xf7+ 'it>xf7 12.'i!Vc4+ i.d5 1 3. 'ic 7+
'it>g8 14.cxd4 exd4 15.lbbd2 'i!Ve8 (15... 'i!Vg4)
16.lbxd4 Lg2 I Z.l:lgl .i.d5, as in the game
Degraeve-Dorfman, Bastia 1 997.
s. l2Jf3 l2Jf6
6. .i.e2
At the end of the 2oth century 6.i.d3 .i.e7
7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 lbc6 9.lbc3 'i!Vd6 10.lbb5
"ilid8 l l. .i./4 lbd5 12.i.g3 0-0 1 3.l:lcl is
considered to be more active. This indicates
how harmless 2.c3 is, since I devised and
employed all this with the white pieces
against Razuvaev in . . . 1 9 7 5 , w ithout
achieving anything real.
6. l2Jc6 •
7. 0-0 By all available means White tries to
In the decisive game of a match in the prevent . . . c6-c5, which after thorough
USSR Team Championship, Moscow 1 979, calculation nevertheless proves possible.
Sveshnikov chose against me 7.lba3 'i!Vd8 This signifies the failure of White's entire
8.lbc2 b6 9. .i.b5 (several years later Smagin conception.
tried 9. .i.j4! ? against me) 9... .i.d7 10. 'ife 2 13. cS
cxd4 l l . lb cxd4 lbxd4 1 2 . lbxd4 .i.c5 14. dxcS "fic7
13.lbc6 'i!Vc7 14.lbe5 .i.x/2+ 15.'it>fl i.c5 15. 'ifd4
1 6. i.f4 0-0 1 7.lbg6 .i.xb5 1 8. "ilixb5 e5 The tactical j ustification of Black's
1 9.Le5 'ifc8 20.lbh4 lbg4, and it was time combination lies in the variation 15.lbd3 ?
for White to resign. After White has castled l:lad8 1 6. "ilc2 l:lxd3 1 7. 'fixd3 lbg4 18.g3
a critical position is reached, and B lack 'fic6 1 9.f3 lbxe3.
15 . .•. l:tfd8 The point of the combination. White also

It was tempting to attack the queen with loses his knight.
the other rook, but this would have left 26. fibS+ �h7
the a7 pawn undefended: 15 27. "fib3 ll:lc5
ad8 J6.!Db5 "flb8 JZtiJd6 Ld6 18.cxd6 28. "flxd5 i.xd3+
:Xd6 19."flxa7. i.xcS 29. �d2 l:tc2+
16. "fif4
17. l:tacl i.xe3 30. �d1 f5
18. fxe3 31. g4
• Now if 3l
White over-rates his chances. His king fxg4 there follows 32.b4 . Black finds a
becomes statically weak, but he is hoping to mini-combination, to take the game into an
exploit the dynamic weakness of the black easily won pawn ending. ll:la4
monarch. 18."flxe3, with a slightly inferior 31. "flxd3
32. .. .
game, was more realistic. White is doomed after 32.gxf5 lbxb2+
18. •.. .l:!.ac8 33. �el i.e2.
In the variation 1 8... .l:td2 J 9.tl:Je4 i.xe4 32. ll:lxb2+
20. "flxe4 tl:Jxe4 2J . .l:txc7 f6 22. tl:Jc4 .l:td3, 33. �xc2 lLlxd3
which leads to a roughly equal ending, Black 34. �xd3 fxg4
cannot take on c 1 on move 20 because of 35. �e4 �g6
21. "flxa8+. Therefore, with his last move 36. �d5 �n
Black renews the threat ofinvading at d2. 37. �d6 �e8
19. l:tf2 38. �e6 h5
This careless move allows a camouflaged 39. �f5 g6+
combination. 1 9..l:!.c2 was more vigilant. 0-1
19. ••. .l:!.d5
20. tl:Jxd5? No.4
White's last two moves weakened his
V.Tukmakov - !.Dorfman
position, but this last one leaves him with no
hope of saving the game. 20. tl:Jf3 was C78 - Leningrad 1 975
correct, going onto the defensive.
20. �xc1+ 1. e4 e5
21. :n exd5 2. lLlt3 ll:lc6
22. .l:!.xcl .l:!.xcl+ 3. i.b5 a6
23. �f2 lt:Je4+ 4. i.a4 l2Jf6
24. �e2 i.a6+ 5. 0-0 b5
25. t"iJd3 h6 6. i.b3 i.b7
Here and also on the previous move
8 . .. i.c5 was possible.
7. .l:tel
7
A week earl ier I had to solve some
difficult problems after 7. c3 in a game
5 against Timoshchenko. I replied 7. ..tl:Jxe4
8.d4 lt:Ja5 9.i.c2 exd4 JO.lbxd4 lbg5! with
4 equality. JO..l:!.el is more dangerous.
3 7. i. c5
8. c3 0-0
2
9. d4 i. b6
0 10. i.g5 h6
11. i.h4 .l:!.e8
12. a4 White on the basis of the game Bednarski

A year later in a game between the same Sznapik, where there followed 1 8 .. J'i:Jc6
players White tried 12. 'Wid3, but B lack 1 9. e5 dxe5 20.lbc3 :&:.dB 21 . 'ikh 7+ �!8
demonstrated the soundness of his set-up by 22.dxe5. I took the decision to strengthen
playing 12 . . . d6 13.lbbd2 lba5 14. i.c2 c5 the static position of my king, so that
15.d5 c4 1 6.'Wie2 .l:!.c8 1 7J'i:Jj1 �h7 18.lbe3 Black's bishop pair and his play on the dark
.:tg8. squares became the dominating factors.
12. d6 18. ... g5!
13. axb5 axb5 19. h3
14. ltxa8 i.xa8 Now the check at h7 is harmless in itself,
15. 'fid3 lba5 and the b-pawn is immune due to 1 9.'Wixb5
16. i.c2 exd4 i.c6 20.'Wid3 g4 21. e5 gxf3.
17. i.x£6 19. ... lbc6
• This manoeuvre finally destroys White's
A committing decision. If 1 7.cxd4, then centre.
after 1 7. . . g5 White has to sacrifice a piece. 20. 'fixb5 .:tb8
During the game I was in no doubt that it 21. e5 dxe5
was insufficient. And even today, although 22. dxe5 'ifx£3
with a lesser degree of certainty, I would A simple exchanging combination, which
prefer to play Black in the position after leads to a won ending for Black.
1 8.lbxg5 hxg5 1 9. i.xg5 .l:. e 6 20 . .l:.e2 23. gx£3 i.x£2+
(20.lbd2 'Wij8 21.:r:!e3 lb h 7 22. .l:.g3 .l:.g6) 24. �x£2 l:txb5
20... c5 21.d5 .l:.e5 22.'ikg3 �f8. 25. i.e4 l:txb2+
17. 'fix£6 26. �g3 i.b7
18. cxd4
ea
7
6
5
4
3
2
0
27. lbc3 lbe7

• 28. l:tb1
White has set up a powerful battery on the M ore tenacious was 28. i.x b 7 .l:.x b 7
b l -h7 diagonal, and the b5 pawn is attacked. 29.lbe4 �g7.
All this rel ates to dynamic elements. 28. l:txb1
Tukmakov's play was based on a 29. i.xb1 �g7
recommendation in the Encyclopaedia of 30. lbb5 c5
Chess Openings, which gave preference to 31. lbd6 i.c6
The move played creates the threat of •

32...tbg6. The alternative was 3l............. .i.d5. The classical way of playing is 6... tbbd7.
32. f4 gxf4+ Perhaps my opponent wanted to try the
33. '>txf4 tbg6+ variation with 7... e5, but I decided to be the
34. '>tf5 .i.d7+ first to fix the pawn formation. This branch
35. '>te4 i.xh3 came into fashion after the 1 973 Interzonal
36. '>td5 .i.e6+ Tournament in Leningrad.
37. '>txc5 tbxe5 7. d5 tba5
38. '>td4 tbd7 8. tiJbd2
39. '>te4 '>tf6 The traditional way of playing is B.tt(d2,
40. '>tf4 tbf8 when the second white knight from c3
41. tbe4+ '>te7 prevents ... b 7-bS. The idea of the plan
42. tbg3 tbg6+ employed in the game is to fight for the key
43. '>tf3 '>tf6 c6 square. To achieve this aim White intends
44. tbe4+ '>te5 to counter ... b 7-b5 with b2-b4 and then
45. tbg3 f5 play his knight from f3 via d4 to c6.
0-1 8. c5
This game is memorable for me not so •
much on account of its result. After it I Analysis demonstrates an advantage for
began seriously considering the possibility White after 8... c6 9.b4.
of a career as a chess professional. 9. tbe1
This manoeuvre, which at first sight is
No.5 hard to explain, secures the post for the
!.Dorfman - G.Timoshchenko white rook at b 1 .
E60 USSR Championship 9. �b8
First League, Kishinyov 1 975 •
At present the latest variation on this
In order to explain the competitive theme is the game Bacrot-Nijboer, Wijk aan
situation in this tournament, I should Zee 1 997, where B lack achieved a good
mention that Gulko, B ronstein, game by 9... e6 JO.tbc2 1:!b8.
Tseshkovsky, Kuzmin, Taimanov, Savon, 10. :l.b1 b5
Alburt, Chekhov, ! . Ivanov, Klovans, 11. cxb5 �xb5
Podgaets and others were contending for 12. tbc2
three qual i fying places in the U S S R
Championship Premier League.
1. d4 tiJf6 ea
2. c4 g6
3. tbf3 .i.g7 7
4. g3 0-0 6
5. .i.g2 d6
A critical position, since Black has to 5
choose the pawn formation in the centre. 4
There is no doubt that many King's Indian
devotees prefer the text move to the 3
objectively stronger 5... c6 6.0-0 d5 7. cxd5 2
cxd5 B. tbe5 e 6 9. tbc3 tbjd7 J O.f4,
maintaining the balance in the centre. Black
prefers to play an inferior, but complicated a
position. The critical position of the variation.
6. 0-0 tbc6 White is one step away from playing b2-b4.
It seems to me that only Smej kal's reply As often happens, when the pieces have
12 . . . i.a6 maintains the balance . My taken up ideal positions, the decisive blow is
opponent's seemingly logical counterplay struck by a pawn.
encounters a far from obvious refutation. 26. e4 dxe4
12. e6 27. i.xe6+ <i;xe6
13. b4 cxb4 28. 'ifxe4+ <i;f7
14. dxe6 i.xe6 The other defences 2 8. . . i.e5 and
15. lZ'ld4 .l:tb8 28... lZ'lde5 lose material after 29.:.Xc6+.
16. lZ'lxe6 fxe6 29. 'it'd5+ <i;f6
17. 'ifa4 29... <i;e8 30.'it'e6+ <i;d8 3J.'it'g8+ is also
• completely hopeless .
The end of a series of forced moves. White 30. i.b2+ lZ'lde5
retains a number of static advantages: king 31 .l:txc6+
• 'ifxc6
position, bishop pair, and compact pawnfonnation. 32. 'ifxe5+ <j;;f7
17. d5 33. 'it'xg7+ <i;e8
18. .l:txb4 .l:txb4 34. 'it'g8+ <i;d7
19. 'it'xb4 'ifb6 35. 'ifxh7+ <i;d8
20. i.a3 .l:tb8 36. 'ifxa7
In reply to 20 . . . 1:tc8 I was p lanning 1-0
21. 'ia4. Now the Russian player aims for an
endgame, where after 2 l . 'ix b 6 .l:txb 6 No.6
22.1:tcl .l:tc6 23.1:.b1 .l:tb6 Black prevents the
V.Savon - !.Dorfman
invasion of the enemy rook.
21. 'ifa4 B60 - USSR Championship
In the new situation the exchange of First League, Kishinyov 1 975
queens does not bring any relief, since after
21 ... 'ib5 22.'ixb5 :.Xb5 23.1:tcl the black The early 1 970s were the Kharkov
king feels uncomfortable. grandmaster's best years. There was victory
21. lZ'lc6 in a strong USSR Championship, and a
22. .l:tb1 'ifc7 share of first place in the Zonal Tournament
23 .!:tel
• .l:tc8 i n Vilnius which qualified him for the
24. lZ'lb3 lZ'ld7 Interzonal Tournament. Good and stable
The only possibility of simultaneously results. And then suddenly a loss of energy,
parrying the threats of 25 liJd4 and 25 lZ'lc5. and, above all, of any goal and stimulus.
25. i.h3 <j;;f7 1. e4
Here, of course, it is early to make any
comment, but I was more afraid of my
opponent's good technique in closed
positions.
1. c5
2. lZ'lf3 lZ'lc6
3. d4 cxd4
4. lZ'lxd4 lZ'lf6
5. lZ'lc3 d6
6. i.g5 'ifb6
As far as I know, this idea belongs to
Larsen. Later it was developed in Gulko's
0 games.
7. lZ'lb3
In the game Tatai-Larsen, Siegen 1 970,

after 7.lDdb5 a6 8.Lf6 gxf6 9.lDd5 'i'a5+
JO.lDbc3 f5 Black successfully parried his
opponent's premature attack.
7. e6
8. 'i'd2
In this, a critical position for the opening,
White also has more aggressive
continuations, such as 8.g4 or 8. �f4 lDe5
9. �e3 'ic 7 J O.f4 tl:Jc4 l l . �xc4 'i'xc4
12.'if3. It is the latter that I consider to be
the most dangerous.
8. a6
9. �e2 �d7
10. �e3
• After a series of forced moves, Black is at
To me it seems logical to give up the a parting of the ways. In choosing between
bishop by J O. �xf6 gxf6 l l . �h 5 with 16... lDb6 1 7.h5 lDc4 18.i.xc4 bxc4 1 9.lDd4
the aim of fixing the pawn formation and 1 6. . . lDc5, I opted for the second
and of i n i t i a t i n g p l a y on the l i g h t possibility. It creates weaknesses on White's
squares. queenside, to try and prevent his forces from
10. ... 'ic7 continuing their action.
11. f4 16. lDcS
In similar situations if ll.a4 there follows 17. h5 lDxb3
l l . . . lDa5. 18. cxb3 lDaS
11. b5 19. �f3
12. a3 �e7 White gives up a pawn, so as not to upset
13. l:!.d1 the rhythm of the attack after 19.b4 lDc4 or
A rather strange manoeuvre at a strategic 1 9.'ilc2 �b 7 (White has a pretty mate after
cross-roads. 1 9...d5 20.h6 g6 2l.lDxd5 'ixc2 22.lDxe7+
Savon is planning an offensive on the �h8 23.�4+ f6 24.Lf6+ ltxf6 25.l:!.d8+).
kingside, but the i m m e d i at e l y But we both overlooked the strongest reply
aggre s s i v e 1 3 . g 4 i s p a r r i e d b y t h e 1 9.h6! g6 (19... lDxb3 20.'ic2 lDc5 21.hxg7
typical 1 3 . . . d5 14. e5 tl:J e 4 with active �xg7 22. �d4+ e5 23. lDd5 'ilb7 24. �/3
counterplay. exd4 25.'ih2 l:!.h8 26.'ih6+ �g8 27. lDf6+
13. ... 0-0? �xf6 28.gxf6) 20. lDd5 exd5 21 . 'ild4 f6
B lack overestimates the defensive 22.'ixd5+ �hB 23.'i'xa8 lDc6 24.l:!.cl �b7
resources in the position. 13... i.c8 14.i.f3 25.'ila7 �dB 26..:Xc6 'ixc6 27.0-0 ±.
� b 7 was sounder. 19. lDxb3
14. g4 �c8 20. 'it'g2 l:!.b8
Here after 14 . . . d5 1 5. e5 lDe4 16.lDxe4 21. f5
Black is undone by the fact that his bishop •
at d7 is undefended. In the variation 2l.g6 h6 (but not 21 .. .fxg6
15. g5 lDd7 22. hxg6 h 6 23.f5 �!6 24. �xh6 gxh6
16. h4 25..:Xh6 with dangerous threats) 22.f5 �f6
White's king looks the more vulnerable.
21. ... b4
The point of the preceding moves. Had

White managed to castle, his advantage
would have become undisputed. The tragedy
of one tempo.
26. <J;;f2
26. 'iie2 loses a piece to 26. . . 'iig3+.
26. li!.xb4
27. 'ig3 'ili'f5
28. d6 i.xd6
29 .!:.xd6
. i.b7
30. .l:td7 i.xf3
This is more effective than the prosaic
0 30... 'iixf3+.
31. ltg7+ <Ji;hS
•
32. .U.gl
An amusing situation. White puts his
This important tactical resource opens up
forces on dark squares and the discovered
possibilities of a counterattack. White is not
check does not win anything.
able to exploit the dynamic weakness of the
32. :lg4
black king with the centre open, whereas the
33. 'i c7 i.dl +
static weakness of his own monarch
34. �el litxgl +
becomes the decisive factor.
35. i.xgl 1iffl #
22. axb4 d5
Being in severe time trouble, White did
23. h6
not find a moment to resign.
White prevents the opening of the
position. This is sadly necessary, since the
No.7
planned 23j6 leaves him without any hopes
after 23. . . i.xb4 24.fxg7 i.xc3+ 25. bxc3 I.Dorfman - D.Bronstein
'i!i'xc3+ 26. <Ji;j2 "ikxg7. A53 - 43rd USSR Championship,
23. g6 Yerevan 1975
24. fxg6 fxg6
David Bronstein's grandiose book on the
25. exd5
Candidates Tournament, Zurich 1953, has
aided the progress of many generations of
players. As a youth I could determine from
every diagram who had played that game,
what plan should be preferred, in what round
the game was played, and its result. I met
David Bronstein during the USSR
Championship First League in Kishinyov. We
became friends, and often when out walking
together the experienced grandmaster would
reveal to me important features of professional
preparation. In Yerevan we were drawn
together at the start of the Championship. This
was fortunate, since after our game it was
possible for us to socialise without tension
throughout the rest of the tournament.
1. c4 e5 White's position is statically better, and

2. lbc3 d6 the following prophylactic manoeuvres,
Later, playing Black, I often turned to this evoking Nimzowitsch and Petrosian, are
move order when seeking the initiative. aimed at neutralising the advance of the a
3. lbf3 pawn.
Now, after almost any move, there follows 13. .!:ab1 a5
4.d4. Bronstein decides on a recommendation 14. �a1 �f8
by Emmanuel Lasker. 15. �g2 'Wic7
3. �g4 16. .!:!fd1 .l:.e6
4. d4 lbd7 This is clearly a critical position. For this
4... lbc6 looks more logical, but after 5.d5 there are two reasons: it is the end of a series
lbce7what is Black to do with his bishop at g4? of forced moves, and there is the possibility
5. g3 of changing the central pawn formation.
The most natural development. White 17. e3
does not fear the doubling of his pawns after •
5... Lf3 6. exf3, since the more advanced of Why did White prefer the more modest
them can be used as a battering-ram. And at pawn move? When you have the bishop
the same time he will have the bishop pair, pair, it is logical to develop play on the
with the pawn formation not fixed. squares of which the opponent does not
5. lbgf6 have a bishop (in this specific case, on the
6. �g2 �e7 light squares). The plan of putting pressure
7. 0-0 0-0 on the li ght squares may consist in
8. h3 �xf3 advancing the pawn to b5, or in attacking
This capture is practically forced, in view the aS pawn with the aim of forcing . . . b 7-
of the problems arising after 8... �h5 9. 1:iJh4. b6.
9. �xf3 exd4 17. .!:IdS
• 18. tt:le2 l:tee8
Black concedes the centre, realising that 19. 'tid2 l:iJfe4
after 9 . .. c6 1 0.d5 c5 the absence of his light 20. 'Wic2 'ilfe7
square square bishop will prevent him from
successfully playing . . . b 7-b5 and . . ..fl-/5.
10. 'i!Vxd4 c6
11. b3 l:i.e8
12. �b2 lbc5
The situation is typical of the King's Indian

0 Defence, but for the moment the black bishop
cannot move out to g7 (20...g6 2l.'Wib2).
21. lbf4 31. f4 d5

The naive 2 l . a3 is premature due to No better is 31...l:.ac8 32. ..ixc6.
21 . . . a4. 32. cxd5 ltad8
21.
••• f5 33. flc2 cxd5
22. lbd3 34. ltxd5 :.xd5
The weakness of the aS pawn will become 35. i.xd5+ 'iit>h8
perceptible after the exchange of knights. 36. e4 fxe4
22.
..• lbd7 37. ..ixe4 ..id6
One of the knights has been pushed back. 38. ltdl g5
Now White can systematically tackle the A desperate break, leading to the loss of a
other one. second pawn in a still hopeless situation.
23. 'iit>h2 fifl 39. lbg4 f#g7
24. ltel i.e7 40 ..ig2
• ltd8
25. f3 lbec5 41. fxg5 flc7
26. lbf2! 42. f#c3+ f#g7
• 43. lbe5
In the changed circumstances White does 1-0
not want to exchange knights, since the How is such a heavy defeat for Black to
black pieces are cramped in a small amount be explained? He conceded a static
of space, and also the white knight will advantage, without gaining any dynamic
come in useful for supporting e3-e4. play in return.
26. • • • flg6
Bronstein unsuccessfully tries to bring out No.8
his bishop onto the long diagonal.
!.Dorfman - Y.Klovans
27. ltbdl lbf6
I!a8 A 1 4 - Lvov 1 976
28. fid2
29. ..ic3 b6
1. lbf3 lbf6
2. c4 e6
3. g3
Over a certain period I was a supporter of
the Reti Opening. Perhaps because in my
childhood I had read his book on "The
opening of the future".
3. d5
4. b3
•
Here 4.d4 and 4. ..ig2 occur more often. In
both cases after 4 . . . dxc4 I do not see any
advantage for White. 4. ..ig2 is analysed in
0 some detail in Game 50.
4. ..ie7
5. ..ig2 0-0
30. i.xf6! 6. 0-0 b6
• 7. i.b2 ..ib7
This tactical blow crowns the strategy of It is amusing that I persuaded Kasparov to
weakening the opponent's light squares. use this variation in the 24th and decisive
30. ••• fixf6 game of the World Championship Match,
Seville 1 987. In similar situations I had seen successful

8. e3 c5 play by Ulf Andersson, involving exchanges
9. 'ie2 on the long diagonal, but I did not greatly
• believe in its advisability. Black is restricted
Black gained comfortable equality in the to three ranks, and it is logical to let him try
game Seirawan-Dorfman, Tilburg 1 993, and solve his problems himself.
after 9.0.c3 0.e4 1 0. cxd5 0.xc3 l l. dxc3 17. . . . �e8
i.xd5 (ll...exd5 ? 12.0.e5!). Parrying the threat of f4-f5.
9. dxc4 18. i.a1 0.c6
10. bxc4 .!2Jc6 19. i.g2 �dd8?!
11. �d1 �c8
•
Klovans chooses a good set-up. From a8
the queen will intensify the pressure on the
long diagonal. An alternative is to prepare
an attack on White's pawn centre by . . . a7-
a6, .. .tt:Ja7 and . . . b6-b5.
12. d3 �c7
13. 0.c3 'ia8
14. 0.el
White controls the central squares and is
hoping to prepare the advance of his
kingside pawns.
14. 0
15. f4
16. .U.ab1 •
A multi-purpose manoeuvre. After i.al Up till now Black's play was almost ideal,
Black's counterplay with . . . b 6-b5 will be but here 1 9... 0.b4 was essential, provoking
paralysed. In addition, after the advance of an exchange of bishops.
White's h- and g-pawns he will have the 20. g4 0.a5
dangerous resource 'i b2. 21. g5 0.d7
22. 0.f3
•
• And here is the punishment! The g-pawn
has already advanced, and White can again
avoid the exchange of bishops.
22. ..tf8
23. h4 e5
•
White's pressure has become threatening.
B lack simply no l onger had any other
counterplay.
24. f5 e4
•
Only a masochist would allow a blockade
on the light squares.
16. 0.b4 25. dxe4 'i b8
17. i.h3 Regaining the pawn does not come into
• B lack's plans. After 25. . . i.xe4 26.0.xe4
'ikxe4 27.t'i:Je5 'ikxf5 28. '!J.fl his position is 34. .i1xd7

hopeless. •
26. t'i:Jd2 'ikg3 L i fting the blockade . White forc ibly
27. �f2 ..i.d6 creates three central passed pawns, which
28. 'ikxg3 ..i.xg3 sweep away everything in their path with
29. t'i:Je2? ..i.e5? the support of the pair of rampant bishops.
An exchange of compliments. White 34. .l:txd7
should have played 29. h 5 immediately. 35. t'i:Jxe5 l:ixe5
Klovans continues playing for a blockade, 36. t'i:Jd5 l:1e8
not giving in to the provocation (29... ..i.xh4 37. h6 ..i.xd5
30.tlJf3), but here we have an instance of 38. cxd5 gxh6
mutual hypnosis, since after 30 . . . ..i.xe4 39. gxh6 l:tde7
3J.tiJxh4 hbl 32.:Xbl t'i:Jxc4 33.e4 tiJd2 40. d6
34.'i:..dl t'i:Jj6 35.tiJg3 t'i:Jjxe4 36.t'i:Jxe4 ttJxe4 40.e5 ? l:L:e5 would have been naive.
3 7. '11x d8 'fhd8 38. ii.xe4 't:.dl + 3 9. r:i;J2 40. .l:.d7
:Xal Black would have won. 41. e5 f6
30. 4Jc3 ..i.g3 42 . ..i.d5+ 'it'f8
31. h5 Ji.h4 43. ..i.e6 .l:.dd8
Black again avoids a 'mined' square. He 44. ri;h2
would have lost material after 31 . . . t'i:Je5 1-0
32.t'i:Je2 Ji.h4 33. ii.xe5 l:xe5 34.t'i:Jf3. By way of information, I will give a short
32. t'i:Jf3 Ji.g3 game, but one that is important for the
33. l:tbcl theory of this variation.
I was already prepared to reconcile myself
to the inevitable draw, which is extremely V.Akopian - I.Dorfman
unpleasant with an extra central pawn, and it A l 3 - Barcelona 1 992
was only my belief in the 'sanctity' of material
that forced me to look for latent resources. 1.c4 e6 2.t'i:Jf3 t'i:J£6 3.g3 d5 4.b3 c5 5 ..i.g2
•
White sets his opponent a new problem, since t'i:Jc6 6.cxd5 exd5 7.0-0 ..i.e7 8.d4 t'i:Je4
Black loses after both 33... t'i:Jxc4 34.4Je2 and 9.Ji.b2 Ji.£6 10.4Jc3 t'i:Jxd4
33 ... he4 34.t'i:Jxe4 .l!xe4 35.:t:!.d5. He should 1 0. . . cxd4 11. t'i:Jb5 tiJc3 1 2 . ..i.xc3 dxc3
have played 33... ..i.b8. 13.'ikxd5 favours White.
33. ••• ii.e5? l l.t'i:Jxd4 Ji.xd4 12.�c2
0
12 �xc3!
..• psychological pressure. In the given case
A fter 1 2 . . . tlJxc3 1 3 . �xc3 .it..x c 3 this had the opposite effect, and, having
1 4 . 'f!kxc3 0- 0 1 5 . 'f!kxc5 B l ack h a s t h e been put on my guard, I concentrated as
w o r s e p aw n fo r m a t i o n w i th o u t any hard as possible. Thus I quickly rejected
compensation. 12...�d7 13.g4 e5 14.tlJde2 .it..c6 15.g5 with
13..it..xc3 0-0 14 .it..xe4 dxe4 15.'i!Vxe4
• an overwhelming advantage for White. This,
Y2-Yz incidentally, was the course taken by the
source game Fischer-Bielicki, Mar del Plata
No.9 1 960. Relatively quickly I decided to go for
double-edged central play.
O.Romanishin - !.Dorfman
12. e5
B88 - 44th USSR Championship,
13. liJde2
Moscow 1 976
1. e4 c5
2. tiJf3 tlJc6
3. d4 cxd4
4. liJxd4 tiJf6
5. tlJc3 d6
6. .it..c4 e6
To be honest, I have always considered
the Sozin Attack to be a dubious
undertaking for White. Several times I have
succes sfully upheld the soundness o f
6 . . . 'f!k b 6 . After t h e text move the play
develops more dynamical ly, and both
players are required to demonstrate a subtle
feeling for the initiative.
7. .it..b3 13. ... d5
As i s shown by the development of •
events, Romanishin had decided to try The other sacrifice 1 3 . . . b5 1 4 . tlJxb5
F i scher's favourite idea. It consists in ( 1 4 . .it..g5) 1 4 . . . .it..b 7 i s a l s o w o rth
advancing the pawn to f5, with the aim of studying.
weakening the d5 square. Another plan is �e3, 14. exd5
'ie2 and 0-0-0, followed by a pawn offensive
•
on the kingside.
7. ... a6 I can suggest here the pro m 1 s m g
Tastes change, and today I prefer Black's sacrifice 1 4 . 0-0-0 d 4 1 5 . tiJxd4 exd4
development with 7... .it..e7 8j4 'ia5. 1 6. .it..xd4, with two pawns for the piece
8. f4 tlJa5 and a strong attack.
9. f5 liJxb3 14.••. e4
10. axb3 �e7 15. 'fikh3
11. 'fikf3 0-0 I n t h e e v e n t o f 1 5 . lt:J x e 4 li:J x e 4
• 12 .it..e3 1 6. 'fikx e 4 Z:. e 8 1 7. 'fikf3 .it..h 4 + 1 8 . g 3
• .it..xf5 1 9. 'ixf5 l:!. x e 3 B l a c k h a s t h e
My opponent spent only a few seconds on initiative.
his opening moves, trying to strengthen the •15 ... li:Jxd5
effect of home preparation with
18. 1:.xd8 .!:.axd8

19. tl:Jg3 ..ltg6
20. 'fia5
A strong move, preventing the
development of Black's initiative by . ..ltg5.
. .
After the game Romanishin suggested that

after the correct 20.'fie2 White would have
been alright. He was not able to demonstrate
this in analysis, nor indeed did Neverov,
who chose this in our game. After 20.'fie2
..ltg5 21. tl:Jcxe4 ..lth6 Black developed an
irresistible attack on the enemy king.
0
ea
7
A critical position. In the heat of the battle
I was convinced about the correctness of 6
Black's plan. Could I have imagined that I 5
would reach this position twice more in the
4
games Neverov-Dorfman, Budapest 1 988,
and Badii-Dorfman, French League 1 995?! 3
In the first of these Neverov delved deeply
2
into the position, and I too tried to look at
the situation anew. Quite unexpectedly I
realised that after the paradoxical 16. 0-0!!
Black's king is bad dynamically, and he is
unab l e to complete his development. 20. ... b5!
Fortunately, my opponent fol lowed the The most difficult move for me in the
example of Romanishin . . . As for Badii, he game. After a series of forced moves
was not looking for an advantage, although another critical position has been reached.
even after the primitive 1 6. tl:Jxd5 'fixd5 Statically White is doomed. It is important
1 7. 0-0 'Wic6 B lack had to make several only not to squander the accumulated
accurate moves to maintain the balance. advantage, as in the naive variation 20.. .f5
16. 0-0-0 ..ltxf5 21.h4 h6 22.'fib6. Black does not fear the
The point of Black's plan. White cannot be possible loss of his e4 pawn, since this will
satisfied with the endings after 1 7. 'Wixf5 merely give him access to the white king.
tl:Jxe3 1 8. 1:.xd8 tl:Jxf5 1 9. 1:.xf8+ 1:.xf8 21. h4
20.tl:Jxe4 tl:Je3 and 1 7.1:.xd5 ..ltxh3 1 8. 1:.xd8 The pawn is immune because of the
1:.axd8 1 9.gxh3 f5, but 1 7. 'Wixf5 was variation 21.t:Dcxe4 f5 22.tl:Jc3 f4 23.lDge4
nevertheless the lesser evil. b4.
17. 'fih5? 21. ... h6
Now Black gains sufficient material for 22. 'fib6 tl:Jd5
the queen, and the static balance is Black continues his pursuit of the king,
favourab le for h i m due to the static but perhaps cleaner was 22... tl:Jxg2 23. h5
weakness of the white king. ..lth7 24. l:Dcxe4 f5 25. 'Wie6+ '!:.j! with the
17. ... tl:Jxe3 idea of uniting his forces after . . .f5-f4 and
. . . i.J5. has available several equall y good

23. li:Jxd5 continuation s : 9. tLld2, 9.tLlel and 9. b4.
White's king i s uncomfortable in the After the text move B lack is not able to
variation 23. 'ftkb 7 ltlxc3 24. 'flxe 7 �fe8 provoke the fixing of the centre, but on the
25.'ftkb7 (25.'ika3 b4; 25.'flc7 ltla2+ 26. �bl other hand the founders of the King's Indian
ti:Jb4) 25... ltla2+ 26.�bl ltlb4. Defence, I saac Boles lavsky and David
23. �xd5 Bronstein, gained their brilliant victories in
24. tLle2 �fd8 a dynamic battle with an open centre.
25. g3 8. l:!.e1
The Ukrain ian grandmaster seeks a Playing White, I would prefer 8. 'flc2 c6 9.�1.
defence against 25 . . . i.xh4, but he goes 8. c6
from the frying pan into the fire. 25.tLlc3 9. i.fl exd4
was more tenacious. •
25. i.h5 It is well know that the capture on d4 is
26. liJc3 Iir.5d6 premature before h2-h3 has been played.
27. 'ftkb7 i.f3 The point is that now White can support his
28. �el �6d7 centre by f2-f3, without weakening the g3
29. 'fkxa6 square. The trouble is that after 9. . . �e8
Black's next move can be parried only by 1 0.d5 Black would have been denied the
taking control of the e2 square. dynamic, if risky counterplay, that is opened
29. b4 up by the exchange of the central pawns.
30. tLle2 e3 10. tLlxd4 �e8
31. �b1 l::ta8 11. tLlc2
32. 'fkc4 �da7 A rather awkward manoeuvre. l l.f3 ? d5
0-1 is bad for White, but l l.�h l or ll.i.g5 is
worth studying.
No. l O 11. ••• tLle5
N.Rashkovsky !.Dorfman
-
E95 - 44th USSR Championship,

Moscow 1 976
1. d4 lLlf6
2. c4 g6
3. tLlc3 i.g7
4. e4 d6
The choice of such an aggressive opening
can be explained as follows: against the Slav
Defence Rashkovsky plays the Exchange
Variation, and his knowledge of the Catalan
Opening is well known. And for competitive
0
reasons I was aiming for a win at any price.
5. liJf3 0-0 12. h3
6. i.e2 e5 A critical moment. White strengthens his
7. 0-0 tLlbd7 kingside, which is weakened by the absence
I am not one of the supporters of the of his knight. The crucial continuation 12.f4
variation 7. . . tLlc6 8.d5 tLle7, where White leads to wild complications:
A) 12...'¥kb6+ ?? 13.iLe3 '¥kxb2 14.t'i:Ja4+-; 16. tDxe6

B ) 1 2 . . . tiJ eg4! 13. c5 t'i:Jx h 2 ( 1 3 . . . dx c5 Maintaining his cautious strategy,
14.'¥kxd8 '1hd8 15.h3 t'i:Jh6 16.g4) J4.<J;;xh2 Rashkovsky rids his opponent of an
t'i:Jg4+ 15.<J;;g3 .1Lj6 16. <J;;j3 iLxc3 1 7. bxc3 unnecessary piece. He increases his static
'¥kh4 1 8.g3 t'i:Je5+ (or 18. ..ti:Jh2+ 1 9. <J;;f2 advantage, but at the same time he promotes
t'i:Jg4+ =; 18. . . '¥kh5oo) 1 9.<J;;j2 t'i:Jg4+=; the development of his opponent's dynamic
C) 12.Ji:jg4! 13.h3 '¥kh4 14.fxe5 '¥kj2+ 1S.<J;;h1 play.
'¥kg3 16.hxg4 i..xe51 7.<J;;g1 '¥kh2+ 18.�'¥kg3+ =. 16. �xe6
12. 1Le6 17. litcl l:tae8
13. b3 t'i:Jh5 18. <J;;h1 t'i:Jd7
14. t'i:Jd4 'i!Vh4 In this way B lack emphasises the
15. iLe3 h6 drawbacks to the exchange on the 1 6th
• move. He tries to provoke the advance of
The concentration of the black pieces the f-pawn, after which his advantage will
around the enemy king has become become static. In passing, it should be
threatening. As is apparent fro m the mentioned that it would be senseless to
following analysis, it is not easy to push capture the a7 pawn, since after . . . c6-c5 the
them back: 16.'¥kd2 iLxh3 1 7.f4 (1 7.gxh3 c5 white bishop would be shut out of the game.
with the initiative) 1 7... 1Lg4 18.fxe5 Le5 19. g3 '¥ke7
1 9.t'i:Jf3 iLxf3 20.gxf3, and now: 20. .iLg2 tlJc5
A) 20 . . . '¥kg3+ ? 2 1 . iLg2 '¥kh2+ 22. <J;;j1 21. g4 t'i:Jf6
(22. <J;;j2 t'i:Jj4 23. i.xj4 1Lxf4) 22 . . . t'i:Jg3+ 22. f3
23. <J;;j2 'fih4 24. <J;;g1 tiJhS 25.t'i:Je2 and •
White has a significant advantage; 22. i.xc5 dxc5 23.f4, preparing e4-e5
B) 20... '¥kf6!: followed by t'i:Je4 (a typical idea in the
B l ) 2 1 . tiJe2 iLxa 1 2 2 . 1ha 1 '¥kxf3 King's Indian Defence) runs into 23. . . g5!
(22 . . . '¥kxa 1 23. i.d4 '¥kb1 2 4 . t'i:J c 3 ; this 22. aS
variation shows the main idea of 21.t'i:Je2) 23. a3 h5
23.iLg2 '¥kg4 and White stands badly; 24. b4
B2) stronger is 21.:ac1 '¥kxf3 22.'¥kg2 '¥kxg2+ •
23.Lg2 tlJj4 with a complicated game. Here in reply to 24. .1Lxc5 dxc5 25.g5 I
I should also mention that after 16.'¥kc1 g5 like 25. . . 1itd8! (25... t'i:Jh7 26.f4 fl.d8 27.'¥kc2
White still faces difficult problems. i.xc3 28. 'i'xc3 1! ed6 2 9. 'i'xa5 rl.d2
followed by . . . t'i:Jj8-e6 is also good enough)
26.tiJd5 (26.'¥kc2 tiJe8 27.f4 iLxc3 28.'¥kxc3
fl.ed6 2 9. '¥kxa5 f!d2) 26 . . . cxd5 2 7.gxf6
'¥kxf6 28. cxd5 '¥kj4 29. lhc5 iLeS 30. <J;;g1
.iLd6 with the initiative on the dark squares.
24. t'i:Ja6
25. b5 t'i:Jc5
26. tDe2
•
After this Rashkovsky, who was in his
usual time trouble, loses instantly. More
0 tenacious was 26. .1Lxc5 dxc5 2 7.g5, with
variations similar to those given in the note
to White's 24th move.
26. hxg4 7.'i!Vxe4

27. hxg4 l2Jcxe4 In reply to the immediate 7.d4 Black can
28. fxe4 l2Jxg4 play 7. . . 'ilie 7, trying to transpose into the
29. liJf4 'ih4+ text, or he can take the play along different
30. l2Jh3 I:.xe4 lines by 7. . .te7 8.dxe5 lbc5.
.
It is time to lower the curtain, but White 7. 'i!Ve7

continues the pointless moving of his pieces 8. d4 l2Jc6
with his flag hopelessly hanging. I should mention an important tactical
31. 'ili'xg4 'ixg4 nuance: 8. . . tt:lg6 (neutralising the idea of
32. .tf2 llxe1+ 9. 'ilig4) 9. i.xd7+! �xd 7 1 0. 'ilij5+ �c6
33. .txe1 :i.e2 11.'ilif3 +, and Black stands badly.
34. .tf2 .td4 9. 'ti'g4
35. :n .txf2 •
36 .l:txf2
• llxf2 Otherwise White has to accept that Black's
37. l2Jxf2 'ili'xc4 arguments are convincing, and reconcile
38. bxc6 bxc6 himself to equality after 9.'ilixe7+ i.xe7.
39. l2Je4 'i!Vcl+
40. 'i h2 'i!Vxa3
0-1 •
No. l l
!.Dorfman - B.Gulko
C65 - 44th USSR Championship,
Moscow 1 976 •
1. e4 eS
Preparing for a game with Boris Gulko is
a thankless and pointless task. Thus in our
short match in 1 978, in three Black games
he "succeeded" in playing the Ruy Lopez,
the French and the Sicilian. 9. fS
2. lt:Jf3 tt:lc6 •
3. .tbS lLlf6 The most critical continuation. Events
4. 0-0 .tcs develop differently after 9... h5 JO.'i!Vxg7 i.xd4
5. liJxeS 1 1. '1Wg3 a6 12. i.xc6 dxc6 13.'f!Kd3 .tg7
• 14.tt:lc3 i.d7 15.'1Wg3 i.e5 16.iif4 h4 1 7.'i!Ve3
5. c3 is also quite possible, by analogy i.xj4 18.'1Wxf4 0-0-0 19.'fke3 'i!Vxe3 20.fxe3,
with the Arkhangelsk Variation. when White has a favourable endgame.
5. tt:lxe4 •
Later attempts were made to revive the 10. 't!Yh5+
variation with 5... llJxe5, but by playing 6.d4 White is required to make a real sacrifice,
c6 7. dxe5 tbxe4 8. i.d3 d5 9. exd6 lLlj6 since 1 0. 'ilixf5 tt:lxd4 cannot satisfy him.
J O. '!J. e l + i.e 6 l l . tt:lc3 ( l l . i.j5 ! ?) Interposing the check weakens the long
l l . . . 'ilixd6 1 2 . 'ilif3 0-0 1 3 . i.j4 White diagonal and creates the preconditions for
everywhere retains a slight advantage. all sorts of combinations.
6. 'ie2 tUxeS 10. ... g6
11. 'ifd1 tbxd4 A fairytale position! Black is a piece and a

12. b4 i.b6 pawn up in the endgame, it is him to move,
13. c4 'ife2 in addition all the white pieces are on the
Again the only reply. 13. . . 0-0 14.c5 lllxb5 back rank, and yet he is lost!
15.cxb6 c6 16.a4 is altogether hopeless. But 16. ..• tbd6
now, after a series of forced moves, a critical The best practical chance. 16... c6 1 7. cxb6
position has been reached. axb6 18.i.b2 and 16... a6 1 7. cxb6 are both
unsatisfactory.
17. cxd6 cxd6
18. tbc3
•
White's strategic idea consists in
blockading the enemy queenside. Therefore
he does not even consider regaining the
pawn.
18. . .. d5
All this is strictly forced, since 18... i.d8
1 9. tbb5 ( 1 9. tbd5 b 6) 1 9. . . 0-0 2 0. i. h 6
0 brings no relief.
19. i.g5 0-0
20. i.e7 l:.e8
14. c5 21. tbxd5 <J;;;f7
I must reassure the readers who may be 22. a5 i.d8
confused by Black's last move. Everything 23. i.xd8 l:txd8
is in order. White loses after 14.�e1 tbf3+ 24. l:te1 g5
15.gxf3 i.xj2+ 16. rJi;g2 'iVxe1 . 25. h4
14. ••. it'xd1 A useful move, which breaks up the
15. �xd1 tbxb5 kingside pawns. After 25... h6 26.�e7+ rJi;g6
The pluses of White's I oth move are seen 27.h5+ rJi;xh5 28.�g7 �j8 29./3 and 30. rJi;j2
in the variation 15 . . . tbc2 1 6. i. b 2 �!8 White gives mate.
(16... 0-0 1 7.i.c4+) 1 7.i.a4 lllxa1 18.�e1+, 25. gxh4
where Black faces insoluble problems. 26. lle7+ rJi;g6
16. a4 27. b5 d6
28. l:!.cl?!
Up till now everything has gone well, but
here White missed a straightforward win by
28.'Aa4! i.d7 29.�h4 h6 30.b6.
28. f4
29. litcc7 <J;;;f5
30. �c4 f3
Some hopes of saving the game would
have been retained by 30... i.e6 31.�/4+
rJi;e5 32.�h4 rJi;xd5 33.13.h5+ rJi;c4 34.l:txe6
'fJ..d7.
31. .l:i.xh4 fxg2
32. !thxh7
32.TJ..f4+ rJi;g5 33.�g7+ rJi;h6 34.1hg2 was
more forcing, and therefore stronger. Later I heard from Nikitin that he and
32. l:.g8 Kasparov considered immediate castling to
33. .Ue3 .i:i.d8 be more accurate. To me this seems dubious.
34 .1:117+
• <t>g6 If B lack does not succeed in gaining
35. Ilf6+ <t>h7 counterplay in the most economical way, by
36. l:!.e7+ using only his queenside pieces, he will
1-0 most probably not gain any at all.
10. flle2!
No. l 2 Significantly stronger than the banal
10. flid2 li:Jde5.
A.Karpov !.Dorfman
10.
-
fllc7
B 8 1 - 44th USSR Championship, 11. 0-0-0 b5
Moscow 1 976
•
1. e4 c5 Playing with fire. It was clear to me that,

2. lZ:lf3 d6 in the battle for an advantage, White was
3. d4 cxd4 obliged to sacrifice a piece, not allowing
4. lZ:lxd4 lZ:lf6 B lack to develop comfortably with
5. lZ:lc3 e6 12... i.b7. After a short think Karpov came
6. g4 to the same conclusion.
The World Champion accepts the
challenge. I have always considered the
Keres Attack to he White's most weighty
argument against the Scheveningen
Variation. My opinion was not even changed
by my lengthy collaboration with an expert
on this variation - Garry Kasparov. I should
mention that in the numerous S ic i l i an
clashes between Karpov and Kasparov,
Black allowed the Keres Attack only once:
in the l st game of their first World
Championship Match in 1 984. . .
6. i. e7
0
Despite all the resourcefulness displayed
by Zsuzsa Polgar, Valery Salov, Jan Ehlvest, 12. lZ:lxc6 fllxc6
Andrey Sokolov and others, Black has not in 13. i.d4 b4
fact managed to demonstrate equality after 14. lZ:ld5 exd5
6... h6. 15. i.xg7 .Ug8
7. g5 lLlfd7 16. exd5 "iic7
8. h4 17. i.f6 lZ:le5
This and especially White's 1 oth move 18. i.xe5
demonstrate deep opening preparation by There is no other way of making progress:
Karpov. Before this game White normally if 18.f4 there follows 18. . . i.g4.
played 8.i.e3 followed by 9.flid2. 18. .•. dxe5
8. lZ:lc6 19. f4 i.f5
9. i.e3 a6 A critical position, arising as a result of
• the series of forced moves after 11 . . . b5 .
27. l:txe3 'tii'xh4

28. 'tii'f3 'tWxgS
29. .!:tel
The World Champion once wrote that in
difficult positions he makes moves that do
not lose by force.
20. i.h3?
Chess players can be divided into two
groups: players of the critical moment and
players of the technical phase. Thus, in my
view, to the first group one can assign
Alekhine, Botvinnik, Spassky and Kasparov, 29..•. 'i!Vg2
and to the second group C apablanca, The correct reply 29... 'tWg4 would have set
Smyslov, Fischer and Karpov. Here we see White a difficult choice: whether to go into
how Karpov, a genius in the technical phase, an unpromising ending after 30.'i!Vxg4 'l!xg4
commits a serious mistake in what i s 31.dxe7 h5, or to go fishing in troubled
essentially the first critical position. He waters with 30.'i!Vc6+ or 30. 'i!Vd3.
should have continued 20.fxe5 :.c8 21.'1:.h2! 30. 'i!VfS l:!g6?
(Black gives mate after 21. '!J.d2 b3 22. axb3 And this is simply a blun der. B lack
i.b4 23.c3 .Lc3) 2l ... 'fla5 22.'fif3! decided to return the piece, in order to reach
20. i.xh3 a more pleasant position with just the heavy
21. llxh3 llc8 pieces. He should have decided on 30... 'i!Vg4
22. fxeS 'ifc4 3l.'fixh 7 i.h4 32.e6 (32.'J:.fl llg7 33.'fih8+
23. 'fJ.dd3 '!:.g8 34. 'Wih 7 !Ig 7 35. 'Wid3 'Wic8 36. 'l:.dl
After White's mistake on the 2oth move, �f8) 32.. .fxe6 33. 'i!Vc7 i.d8 34. 'tWc6+ �fl.
he is required to play resourcefully. In the 31. !f.fl 'ifdS
event of the exchange of queens in the 32. dxe7 �xe7
variation 23. 'flxc 4 :.xc4 24. d6 '!:.xh4 33. 'iff4
25.dxe7 1!xh3 26.1:Z.d8+ �xe7 27.1'!xg8 l:te3 This is the whole point. Due to the double
28. �d2 2:xe5 he has to play accurately to threat of 34 'i¥h4+ and 34 'i!Vxb4+ Black is
avoid having problems. unab l e to set up a safe position with
23. 'it'f4+ 33 . . . �f8. The rest is a matter of
24. �bl :.c4 straightforward technique, if it is borne in
25. d6 lle4 mind that after the time control at move 40
26. llhe3 llxe3 the game was adjourned.
The tempting combination 26 . . . '!J.xg5 33. a5
27.hxg5 i.xg5 loses to 28.d7+ �dB 29.1:ldl. 34. 'ifh4+ �e8
3S. 'ifxh7 'it'f3

36. 'i'h8+ �e7
37. 11i'h4+ �e8
38. 'i'c4 'i!Vb7
39. b3 .l::.e6
40. .l::tg1 �xeS
41. �g8+ �e7
42. 'ikh4+ �d7
43. 'ilff6 l:l.e7
44. 'ilffS+ �d6
4S. 'ixaS �eS
46. 'id8+ �e6
47. �b2 f6
48. .l::.f8 'i/g7 4. cS
49. 'ic8+ �dS •
so. 'ic4+ White's idea is understandable from the
1-0 variation 4... b5 5.e4 bxc4 6.e5 ltJd5 7.dxc4.
S. .i.g2 tt:lc6
No. 1 3 6. 0-0 .l:tb8
!.Dorfman - V .Kupreichik •
A 1 3 - 44th USSR Championship, In any case a change in the central pawn
Moscow 1 976 formation will follow, and Black removes
his pieces beforehand from the long
1. tt:lf3 tt:lf6 diagonal, thereby making is easier to create
2. c4 e6 counterplay.
3. g3 a6 7. d4 bS
A solid enough reply to the move order 8. .i.f4 l:.b6
chosen by White, one that has often and 9. lt:\c3
successfully been played by Alburt and •
Romanishin. White could now have acquired a static
4. d3 advantage "free of charge" after 9.d5 lt:\a5
• 10.dxe6 fxe6 ll.cxb5 axb5 12.ltJbd2 .i.e7
A new move, which was thought up at the 13.e4, but I took the emotional decision to
board. White has to take a decision about play dynamical ly. An extremely rare
the centre. instance in my games.
Few wish to play something resembling a 9. bxc4
Volga Gambit after 4. .i.g2 b5 5. cxb5 axb5 10. e4 .i.b7
6.ltJd4 d5 7.ltJxb5 .i.a6 8.lt:\5c3 c5. On the 11. eS
•
other hand, if 4.lt:\c3 there follows 4 . . . d5. Black has done everything necessary to be
And so it was from a sense of hopelessness fully prepared for ll.d5, which he will parry
that this idea was born. with 11. . . ltJb4.
11. tbdS 22. �c7

12. tt:'lxdS exdS 23. .l:!.ab1 c3
13. dxcS l:txb2 24. 'i!i'b3 .tbS
14. tt:'lgS 2S. a4 c2
Kupreichik very skilfully keeps on finding 26. axbS cxb1='i'
new resources for counterplay. Here 27. 'flxb1 'fid4
regaining the material is bad because of For quite understandable reasons the b5
14.'fixd5 tt:'la5 15. 'fid4 1:f. b5 . White must pawn is immune, and now, using the theme
exploit the dynamic (temporary) weakness of diversion, White takes the game to its
of the enemy king. logical end.
14. .i.e7 28. e6 'fidS
1S. tt:'lxf7 �xf7 29. .i.eS+ �d8
16. .i.xdS+ �e8 30. bxa6 .tcs
17. .i.h6 30... fixeS 31.a7 loses more quickly.
In those years this was not yet such a 31. .tf6+ �c7
banal move. 32. 'i'b7+ 'i'xb7
17. ..• 'fiaS 33. axb7 dxe6
White is not able to carry out his idea on 34. 1:f.b1 �b8
the board. After 1 7. . . g6 1 8. e6 1:f.b5 ( i f 3S. .i.eS+ .i.d6
18... dxe6 19.Lc6+ Lc6 20.'f!ixd8+ �xd8 36. .i.xd6+ 1:f.xd6
2l..i.g7 Black cannot simultaneously defend 37. .l:.bS .l:!.d3
both rooks) 1 9. 'fif3 tt:'le5 ? 20.'i'f7+ tbxf7 38. �g2 l:c3
21. exf7# the game would have ended in 39. h4 l:d3
mate by a pawn on the 2 1 st move, a rarity in 40. f4 .l:!.c3
USSR Championships. 41. l:b6 1:f.e3
42. �f2 l:e4
43. hS eS
ea 44. l::te6 1:f.b4
7 4S. l'!e8+ �xb7
46. l'!xeS
6 1-0
5
Recently I was pleased to discover that
4 little had changed in this variation over the
3 past 20 years.
2
V.Ivanchuk - M.Chiburdanidze
A l 3 - World TeamChampionship, Lucerne 1 997
1.tbf3 tt:'lf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 a6 4.d3 cS S .tg2

•
18. .i.xg7 l'!d2 bS 6.e4 .i.b7 7.eS t'Dg4 8.0-0 l:a7 9.d4 bxc4
19. 'fibS+ �d8 10.t'Da3 idS l l .tbgS .i.xg2 12.�xg2 hS
20. .i.xc6 .i.xc6 1 3.f3 t'i:Jh6 14.dS t'i:JfS 1 S.t'Dxc4 t'Dd4
21. .i.xh8 'fixeS 16.t'De4 exdS 17.tbcd6+ .i.xd6 18.t'Dxd6+
22. 'i'f7 �f8 19.b4 t'Dbc6 20 .i.e3 t'De6 21..i.xcS
•
White parries the threat of 22. . . 'fld5, and t'DxcS 22.bxcS d4 23.'i'b3 'i'e7 24.t'Dc8
play enters a technical phase. 'ixcS 2S .!:.acl
• 1-0
No. 1 4 advantage) after l l . . . h6 12. h3 i.j5 1 3. e4

I.Dorfman K.Hulak -
hxg5 14. exf5 gxf5 15. i.xg5 tLle4 16.i.e3.
12. h3 i.c8
D78 - European Team Championship,
13. tZ'lc3
Moscow 1 977
1. tZ'lf3 tZ'lf6
2. c4 g6
•
3. d4 i.g7
4. g3 0-0
5. i.g2 d5
6. 0-0 c6
•
It is my deep conviction that this is the
strongest antidote to the fianchetto. I would
consider 6... dxc4 7. !i:Ja3 c3 8.bxc3 to be an
achievement for White.
7. 'ia4
•
Here White has tried 7.cxd5 cxd5 B.tLle5 13. ... h6?!
and 7. 'ib3 'ib6 8. !Dc3 i.j5 9. h3 (9. c5 •
'ixb3 JO.axb3 tDbd7 l l . b4 a6 12.i.f4 h6 Black deviates from the correct path. This
13.h3 tLle4 14.'Afdl 'AaeB=) 9... 'Ad8 JO.g4 natural move is the initial cause of his
i.e6 ll.'ic2 dxc4 ? (correct is l l. .. h5! with subsequent difficulties. He should seek
equality) 1 2. tLla4 'ic 7 1 3 . tLlc5 i.cB dynamic play with an exchange of knights
14. 'ixc4 with a clear advantage in the before e2-e4, by playing 13. .. tZ'lbd5 14.tLla4
second variation due to the opponent's tDb6 15.tLlc5 tLlfd7.
imprudence. White's isolated successes have 14. tZ'lf3 i.f5
nothing in common with the opening. It is 15. tZ'lh4
probable that symmetry is not to the liking Of White's first fifteen moves, more than
of certain King's Indian players. half have been made by his queen and king's
7. dxc4 knight. And at the same time his position is
• statically better. It is hard for Black to attack
A formation from the Griinfeld Defence the enemy centre, and without this he will
can be obtained by continuing 7. . . tL'lbd7 soon inevitably begin to suffocate.
8. cxd5 tD b 6. B lack can also consider 15. i.e6
7... tDe4. 16. e4 'i d7
8. 'ixc4 i.e6 •
The other development scheme B. . . tDa6 Again the Yugoslav champion misses a
9.tL'lc3 i.j5 is illustrated by Game 53. dynamic possibility. After 16... 'ic8 17.�h2
9. 'i!t'a4 tZ'lbd7 g5 18.tLlf3 g4 1 9. hxg4 Lg4 20.e5 White
10. tZ'lg5 i.g4 has some advantage, but B lack has
11. 'id1 tZ'lb6 counterplay with his pieces.
• 17. �h2 llad8
B l ack concedes the bishop pair in a 18. tZ'lf3 tZ'lh7
position where the pawn formation is not Black suddenly comes to his senses and
fixed (which means also conceding a static seeks the slightest chance. After b2-b3,
i.e3, 'ic2 and 'G.adl there would have been This pendulum-like manoeuvre allows
nothing for him to move. White to gain time.
19. 1i'c2 'ic8 36. .lil.e6
20. b3 Itfe8 37. 'ia3 'i b8
21. i. e3 li:JgS 38. li:JcS i. f8
22. lbxg5 hxgS Only in this way can Black avoid losing
23. lladl g4 material.
24. hxg4 i.xg4 39. 'icl .li!e8
25. f3 i.e6 40. i.fl
26. lbe2 'it>h7 Somehow imperceptibly, all the white
27. .l1hl pieces have joined the attack on the enemy
The start of amusing symmetric play. king. The immediate threats are 41.a4 and
27. .l1h8 4J.lbxd7.
28. 'it>gl+ 'it>g8 40. i.c8
29. Itxh8+ i.xh8 41. a4 aS
30. li:Jf4 i. d7 42. 'id2 'Wic7
The mistake on move 1 3 has cost Black This Joss of a pawn is the lesser evil. It is
dearly. His king is weak, his pawn formation hard to comment seriously on 42 . . . 'iaB,
is bad, and there is no way for him to find a when the modest retreat of the king to g 1
worthy use for his minor pieces on the prepares a decisive invasion by the heavy
queenside. pieces on the h-file.
31. 'i cS :.e8 43. 'ixaS li:JdS
32. 'it>f2 i.g7 44. 'i!Vxc7 lbxc7
33. llhl 45. i.c4+ t'Lle6
45. . . 'ittg 7 46. i.h6+ 'ittf6 4 7. i.xf8 'U.xfB
48.'!J.h 7 is completely hopeless.
46. :.dt i.xcS
47. i.xcS 'it>f7
48. k!hl 'it>f6
49. i. b6 �g7
50. 'it>e3 l:!.f8
51. f4 'it>f6
The last tactical nuance was 5l . . . exf4+
52.gxf4 lbxf4 53.i. d4+.
52. .!:f.h7 .l::te8
53. b4 .lil.f8
54. i.a7
1-0
An important critical moment. To prevent No. l 5

the white queen from moving across to the L.Alburt - I.Dorfman
kingside, B lack goes in for new static
A45 - 45th USSR Championship,
concessions.
Leningrad 1 977
33. eS
34. li:Jd3 f6 1. d4 ti:Jf6
35. dxeS fxeS 2. i.gS ti:Je4
36. 'id6 3. i.f4
In the 3.Jl.h4 branch the strongest reply 7. e4 g6

seems to me to be 3 . . . c5 4.f3 tDj6 5.dxc5 e6 8. !i:Ja3
6.b4 b6 7.e4 bxc5 8.e5 "fic7 (8... "fib6). Of course, the position of the black queen
3. c5 provokes this manoeuvre, but it was time to
In this, a critical position for the opening, think about deve lopment and a secure
Black chooses an aggressive set-up. The position for the king. Therefore the move
banal 3 ...d5 is also quite sound. Recently, in sequence Jl.d3, !i:Je2 and 0-0 should have
the book of Boleslavsky's best games, I been made.
discovered several wins by the great player 8. Jl.g7
after 3. . . d6 4.f3 tDj6 5.e4 tLJbd7. All this 9. "fid2 0-0
looks quite convincing, but in my view 10. .i.h6?!
4.tDd2 sets Black a number of problems. •
4. f3 White continues playing on the wrong wing.
• 10. ti:Jbd7
Today White looks for an advantage with 11. !i:Jc4
4.d5 "fib6 5.Jl.cl: •
A) in my opinion, 5... c4 6.e3 (6.tiJh3 d6) It is paradoxical, but after all his opening
6... e6 is promising for Black; "liberties" White would have maintained a
B) more usual is 5...g6 6.f3 tDd6 Ze4 Jl.g7, reasonable position after ll.hg7�xg7 12.ti:Jh3.
when Black is alright after 8.tLJd2 e6! (8... 0-0 11. ... "fic7
9.j4t), but 8.tDc3! requires testing in practice. 12. a4
4. 'i a5+ It is not the knight manoeuvre to c4 that is
A new move, found at the board. It is bad, so much as its consequences.
shameful to admit, but it was evoked by one 12. Jl.xh6
of Gufeld's numerous pronouncements : 13. "fixh6 e6
"One day the whole world will laugh at the •
move f2-f3 in the Samisch Variation of the The opening of the centre has the aim of
King's Indian Defence". I decided that it forcing the enemy king to look for a shelter
would not be out of place to deprive the on the broken queenside. For a time I could
second knight of its natural square. not see any refutation of 1 4. dxe6 fxe6
5. c3 CiJf6 15. "fij4. Miracles do not happen, and the
6. d5 reply 15 . . . tDe5 1 6. tDxe5 tiJd7 1 7. "fid2
• CiJxe5 puts everything in its place .
Time has demonstrated the harmlessness of
Lputian's idea 6. tLJd2 cxd4 7. ti:Jb3 "fi b6
( Z .. "fi/5 ? 8.Jl.xb8 l:.xb8 9. "fixd4 b6 JO.e4)
8. "fixd4 ti:Jc6 ( 8. . . "fixd4 9. cxd4) 9. "fixb 6
axb6 JO.tLJd4 (10.Jl.e3 ?! e5! ll.i.xb6 d5t)
JO... e5 ll.!i:Jxc6 exf4 12.!i:Jd4 g6 13.g3 Jl.d6.
6. d6
•
Black's clever play in the game Kogan-
Wil der, New York 1 9 8 6 , where there
followed 6... e6 7.e4 exd5 8.exd5 d6 9. "ife2+
Jl.e7 JO.hd6 !i:Jxd5 1 1. "fie4 tDc6 12. "fixd5
.i.e6 13."fixc5 "fixeS 14. Jl.xc5 Jl.xc5 with a
strong initiative, deserves serious study.
14. 0-0-0 exd5 the point of it was.

15. exd5 lLlb6 24. 'ikxc4
16. lLle3 Things end in a rapid mate after 24. 'ikxf6
• 'ikxa5 .
Understandably, such moves are not made 24. 'ixa5
willingly. After 16.lLlxb6 axb6 mate is not 25. 'f#a4 'i b6
far off. 16. 'ikg5 seems to me to be more 26. 'f#a3 ..trs
tenacious, although even here Black can win 27. g4 'i'e3+
a pawn by 16. . . lLlfd7. 28. :d2 'ike1+
16. ... .l::!.e8 29. :d1 fle3+
White was hoping for 16. . . lbxa4 1 7. 'ikh4, 30. :d2 ..td3
but Black is playing for a direct attack, as in From my previous meetings with Alburt, I
the variation 1 7. a5 .:Xe3 18.axb6 (18.'ikxe3 knew that it was better not to give him any
lLlbxd5) 18. . . 'ike7. chances. It is this that explains why Black
17. ..tb5 l:te5 sees just one goal - the white king, and is
18. aS 'ike7 not diverted by variations such as 30... lLlxg4
In such a situation one does not want to 31jxg4 ie4.
lose a tempo by playing 1 8. . . lbbxd5 31. lLlh3 lLlxdS
1 9.!i:Jc4. 32. f4 lLlxf4
19. lLlc4 lLlxc4 33. lLlxf4 fixf4
20. ..txc4 b5! 34. 'ita4 :xb2
21. ..txb5 l:Ib8 0-1
22. ..tc6 'f#c7
23. 'ikf4 No. 1 6
V.Tseshkovsky - I.Dorfman
C99 - Zonal Tournament, Lvov 1 978
•
1. e4 e5
2. lLlf3 !i:Jc6
3. ..tbS a6
4. ..ta4 lLlf6
5. 0-0 ..te7
6. :e1 b5
7. ..tb3 0-0
8. c3 d6
9. h3
Tseshkovsky introduced numerous ideas
into the development of the 9.d4 variation.
That, for example, is what he played against
Here there are no problems w ith the me in the Moscow tournament of 1 985.
evaluation of the position. After considering 9. lLlaS
the variation 23 . . . 'ikxa5 24. 'fla4 'ik b 6 10. ..tc2 c5
25. 'f#a3 c4, I decided t o make the third 11. d4 'ic7
move first. 12. lLlbd2 cxd4
23. ... c4 13. cxd4 lLlc6
This move apparently looks unusual, since Before the 1 997 USSR Championship I
Tal, who was walking past, asked me what spent some time searching for
improvements to Black's play in various favourable result of this game, for a long
lines of the Chigorin Variation in the Ruy time I lost the desire to repeat the same
Lopez. The results exceeded all my boldest ordeal. . .
forecasts. The Zonal Tournament took place 15. ... lDa5
four months later, and the Russian After 1S . . . lDd8 1 6. b4 the black knight
grandmaster had prepared a new plan of can only theoretically be brought into play.
fighting for the initiative. 16. lDfl 'f:.fc8
14. a3 White's idea is that an attempt to improve
• the position of (or exchange) the knight
For reasons that I do not understand, in the standing on the edge of the board will
late 1 990s White increasingly began inevitably lead to an attack on B lack's
reverting to the line 14.lDb3 aS 1S.i.e3 a4 queenside. For example, 16. . . lDc4 1 7. b3
16.lDbd2 lDb4 1 7. i.b1 i.d7 18.a3 lDc6. I lDb6 18.i.e3 aS 19.'f:.cl 'Wib7 20.i.d3.
have played this variation long enough to 17. i.d3 i.d8
realise that the move in the game is more 18. lDg3 'Wia7
dangerous. B lack equalised in a rather 19. :.n i.b6
unusual way in the game B alashov 20. lDh4 g6
Dorfman, 44th USSR Champ ionship, The lesser evil. After playing the king's
Leningrad 1 977: 14. . . 'Wia7?! 1S.dS ? lDd4 bishop to b6 it would be a mixture of
16.lbxd4 'Wixd4 1 7.'Wie2 'ia 7. White missed optimism and masochism to allow the
the subtle idea 1S.lDb3 i.d8 1 6.dxeS dxeS enemy knight in at f5.
1 7. i.e3 i.b6 1 8. 'Wid6!, securing him an 21. �hl
enduring initiative. As the further development of events
14. i.d7 shows, 21.�h2! was more accurate, when
15. d5 things are bad for Black.
21. lDe8
22. f4
•
•
•
In the last round of that same
Championship, Vasily Smyslov tried for an A critical moment. After the opening of the
advantage against me by playing 1S. lDb3 f-file, six white pieces will participate in the
'!:.feB 16. i.d2 aS 1 7.dS lDd8 1 8.'f:.cl lDb7 "king-hunt". Black's play on the queenside
1 9. lDa 1 . Tseshkovsky's move is has not succeeded, but, fortunately, he has
significantly stronger. Despite the available an important defensive resource.
22. �xcl
23. .l;lxcl exf4
24. ttJe2 i.f2
25. ttJf3 J.e3
This is again a critical position. White is
obliged to play dynamical ly, since the
bishop at e3, supported by a pawn, is worth
a rook. The deployment . . . tbf6 and . . . l:!.eB
cannot be allowed.
26. 'iel i.xcl
27. tbxcl tbc4
28. i.xc4 bxc4
29. 'ih4 i.bS
Tempo play is in progre ss. B lack is
seeking counter-chances on the queenside,
so as to attract as many white pieces as
possible to its defence. •
30. .l::i.el f6 In this position the game was adjourned,
31. 'ixf4 'i f2 and B lack took a committing decision.
32. tbe2 c3 With a pawn sacrifice he forcibly
33. bxc3 transposed into a rook ending. Passive
• defence on the 8th rank by 4l ... 'f:.c4 42.1/.aB
Black's problems are much more easily Wj7 43. 1:.a7+ WgB 44.'!J.e7 .l:!:cB could have
so lved after 33. tbxc3 'ixb2 3 4 . tbxb5 had only one result.
axb5. 41. ttJc7
33. J.xe2 42. ttJxc7
34. 'id2 'i cS •
35. .l::i.xe2 'ixa3 In adjournment analysis the two players
36. ltJd4 came to the conclusion that after 42.'!1xd6
B lack has avoided a direct attack, by tbxe6 43.&e6 <J;;j7 Black would be able to
exchanging four pieces, he has created a save the game.
passed pawn, and he still has not equalised! 42. .l:lxc7
The weakness of the c6 and e6 squares 43. <J;;g3 .l:td7
condemns him to passive defence. 44 .:aS+
• <J;;f7
36. .•. .l:lb8 45 .l:f.h8?
•
37. 'it>h2 The Russian player falls into a trap. After

This could have been done 16 moves ago. the correct 45. Wf4 ! h5 Black would still
37. llbl have been required to play accurately.
38. ttJe6 'it'cl 45. <J;;g7
• 46. l:tc8 .l:f.e7
I would remind you of the link between 47. <J;;f4 fS
the exchange of queens and the static 48. exfS J:!.eS
position of the king. 49. .l:lc7+ <J;;h6
39. 't!Vxcl .Uxcl SO. g4 gS+
40. l:ta2 l'hc3 51. Wf3 .!:.e3+
41 .:xa6
•
Yl-Yl
No. 1 7 (ll...lbd5) the freeing of White's knight will

L.Evans - !.Dorfman inevitably lead to the degradation of his
A l l - Sao Paulo 1 978 king's static position.
10. f3 ..tg6
1. c4 tbf6 11. e3 .l:!.c8
2. g3?! 12. tbxg6 hxg6
This move is inappropriate, since it does •
not allow White to successfully contest the B lack has a minimal static advantage
centre. thanks to the weakening of the enemy king's
2. c6 position .
3. ..tg2 dS 13. b3 0-0
4. cxdS 14. ..tb2 a6
• 15. .l:!.f2 'fiaS
White does not appear to have The idea of this queen manoeuvre is to
compensation for the sacrificed pawn after exchange the dark-square bishops (and
4.b3 dxc4 5. bxc4 'fid4. subsequently play for the favourable
4. cxdS queen+knight tandem). To parry this, White
5. tZ:lf3 tbc6 makes new strategic concessions.
6. d4 16. a3 tt:la7
• 17. b4
White could have tried to justify his •
previous moves by playing 6.0-0 e5 7.d4, Black has achieved his aim, by forcing the
although even here his successes are rare. opponent to burn his boats. White's further
Here is a typical example of play in this dynamic play is predetermined by his 1 Oth
line: and 1 7th moves.
S.Webb - T.Petrosian 17. 'ifd8
Hastings 1 977 18. ..tfl tbe8
l.c4 tbf6 2.g3 c6 3.�g2 dS 4.cxd5 cxdS 19. e4
S.tZ:lf3 tZ:lc6 6.0-0 eS 7.d4 e4 8.tbe5 �d6 •
9 . ..t f4 0-0 10.tbc3 J:i.e8 1 1 .tt:lxc6 bxc6 Otherwise the play will become all one
12.�xd6 'i'xd6 13.l:!.cl hS 14.'it'd2 h4 way after 19.'f1.cl tbd6.
1 5.'ilt'g5 h3 16 . ..th1 'i'b4 17.'i'd2 .l:!.b8 19. dxe4
18.b3 tt:lg4 19. 'i'f4 .:b7 20.tt:Jxe4 dxe4 20. tbxe4
21.�xe4 �d7 22.l::!.c5 l:tbS 23.�xc6 .!::txcS
24.�xd7 'ilt'b7 25.f3 'i'xd7 26.dxc5 tbe3 0-1
6. .us
7. tbc3 e6
8. 0-0 �e7
9. tbh4 �e4
Again a critical position. Black concedes
the bishop pair. Taken in isolation, this
unprepossessing move looks banal. This
impression disappears, if it is regarded as
one of the links in Black's strategy. Thus in
the variation J O. lbxe4 dxe4 l l . � e3 h6
• Black has no reason to hurry. Here there is

White is at a parting of the ways, and it no point in concentrating five attacks on the
took Evans a considerable time to come to a d4 pawn. Not surprisingly, White seeks new
decision. Taking with the pawn would have dynamic resources.
given him new problems with his brittle 28. f4 lbbc6
pawn formation after 20jxe4 ti:Jd6 21.'ikb3 29. lbxb7 'ikxb7
tbab5 22.tili:b5 axb5. 30. i.xc6 lbxc6
20. ... lLlf6 31. l:bc6 i.xd4
Naturally, the black knight regroups in 32. i.xd4 l:xd4
order to blockade the central isolated pawn. 33. 'ikf3 iifd8
21. lbc5 'ikb6 •
22. J:l.cl lbc6 The end of a series of forced moves.
• White has rid himself of his isolated pawn,
An important technical nuance. B lack but now the defects of his king's position
plays his knight to b8, to forestall a possible make themselves felt.
threat on d7, and also to prepare to drive 34. .l;l6c3 'i!i'b5
away the active knight by . . . b 7-b6. I should 35 .l:Ic8
• J:!.xc8
mention that the following tactical operation 36. l:txc8+ <;t;h7
is harmless for him: 23.d5 exd5 24. i.xj6 37. l:tc5
i.xj6 25. lbd7 'ika 7 26. lbxf8 (26. lbxj6+ 37.g4 loses to 37. . . l::td3.
gxf6 2 7.'flixd5 tili:b4) 26... i.d4. 37. 'ikd7
23. 'ika4 lLlb8 38. l:tc2 l:td3
24. J:l.fc2 l:cd8 39. 'ikc6 l:td1+
The technical phase demands 40. <;t;g2 "ikd3
attentiveness and accuracy. Black prevents 41. <;t;h3
25.lbd7, and at the same time 25.fia5 'f!ia7 The white king despairingly seeks a shelter.
26. 'ikc7 does not work because of 26. . . i.d6 41. l:tg1
27.'ikxb7 (27.'ika5 b6) 27... i.xc5. 42. 'ikc5 'ikfl+
25. 'flib3 lbd5 43. <;t;h4 l:tg2
26. <;t;b1 i.f6 0-1
27. i.g2 lbe7 White is unable to parry the mating threats
by . . . 'flidl, . . .f7-f6 and . . . e6-e5.
No. l 8
W.Schmidt !.Dorfman
-
A l 2 Polanica Zdroj 1 978
The devaluation of the grandmaster title in the

USSR oc ur in the 1970s. Before that time,
to become a Soviet grandmaster one had to win
the silver medal in the national championship, or
twice finish in the first six over a period of three
years. International grandmasters appeared, for
0 whom the USSR Championship Semi-Final was
the best they could hope for. Nevertheless, the
modest tournament in Polanica Zdroj is
memorable for me, since it was there that to my
•
national title of "grandmaster" I was able to add 13. d4?

the prefix"international". •
1. tiJf3 d5 White takes control of the e5 square and
2. c4 c6 prevents the switching of the opponent's
3. b3 queen to the kingside. As is evident from the
• variation 13.0-0 "ike5 14.g3 'i!Vg5 15.h4 "ilg6
The Polish player had learned his lesson 16.<li;g2 :Z.adB 1 7.tbb5, a direct attack does
from our game in the Warsaw tournament of not promise Black any significant dividends.
1 9 8 3 , where he chose against me the There is no doubt that on the 1 4th move
aggressive 3.d4 tbf6 4.tbc3 e6 5.il.g5. B l ack has a number of promising
3. il.g4 possibilities, but after the text move White
4. e3 e5 will be forced sooner or later to weaken his
• king's position by advancing his f-pawn .
A critical point for this system of 13. a6
development. Black exchanges bishop for 14. 0-0 b5
knight, which is rare at such an early stage. 15. 'id2 h5
The 'j ustification' i s provided by the 16. f4
advantageous fixing of the central pawns and •
the slight static weakness of the white king. After the interposition of 16.a4 b4 the
5. h3 il. xf3 weakness of the c3 square will subsequently
6. 'i!Vxf3 tiJf6 tell.
7. ..tb2 i.d6 16. ... exf3
8. cxd5 17. i.xf3 'ie6
• Black has a decisive static advantage. The
The Polish player relieves the tension in game enters a technical phas e . After
the centre. 8."ikg3 tbh5 9."ikg4 g6 would not defending his central pawn, Black carries
have achieved anything. out the knight manoeuvre c6-e7-f5-g3-e4.
8. cxd5 18. :Z.fel :Z.ac8
9. ttJc3 e4 Essential prophylaxis (19.e4 tbxd4), not
10. 'id1 0-0 allowing the opponent to change the
11. i.e2 tbc6 unfavourable course of the game.
12. d3 19. Itacl life8
• 20. "ikf2 i.b4
The threat of . . . d5-d4 has to be parried. Because of the fixed pawn formation, the
12. .•• "ile7 knights dominate over the bishops. The
exchange of bishop for knight secures Black
control of e4.
21. "ikh4 tbe7
22. "ikg5
B ecause of a fork, the pawn capture
22.i.xh5 loses to 22. . . tbf5 23. "ilg5 i.xc3
24.i.xc3 tbe4.
22. tiJf5
23. a3 il.xc3
24. i.xc3 g6
25. i.b4 tbe4
26. 'i'f4 ttJfg3
0 27. 'i e5
The queen is in danger, and if 2 7. i.xe4
there is the decisive reply 27. . . :t:!xc l . No. 1 9

27. �d7 G.Kuzmin !.Dorfman
-
28. .!:!xeS I:!.xc8 C80 - 46th USSR Championship,

29. .ixe4 tt'lxe4 Tbilisi 1 978
1. e4 e5
2. tt'lf3 tt'lc6
3. .ib5 a6
4. .ia4 tt'lf6
5. 0-0 tt'lxe4
The choice of opening in this and the
following games was a tribute to fashion.
After all, 1 978 was the year of Baguio. The
Karpov-Korchnoi match gave a new
impetus to the development of the Open
Variation of the Ruy Lopez. In addition, I
0 had taken notice of a new idea that Kuzmin
employed in the recently concluded USSR
Championship First League.
It is incredible, but the knight from c6 now 6. d4 b5
dominates at e4. It only remains to carry out 7. .ib3 d5
the necessary simplification, to emphasise 8. dxe5 .ie6
the uselessness of the white bishop. 9. tt'lbd2 tt'lc5
30. .:l.fl 'iVe6 10. c3 d4
Usually the rook+bishop tandem is 11. .ixe6 tt'lxe6
stronger than rook+knight, but in this case,
because of the fixed pawn formation, the
rule does not apply.
31. �xe6
•
31.'iVj4 was more tenacious, when Black
can develop his play on the kingside by
. . . ci;;g7, . . .f7-f6, . . . g6-g5 and . . . ci;;g6.
31. fxe6
32. g4 hxg4
33. hxg4 ci;;g7
34. ci;;g2 lif.c2+
35. ci;;h3 0
35. ci;;j3g5 is also hopeless for White.
35. l:l.e2
36. g5 tt'lxg5+ 12. a4
0-1 •
In this completely hopeless position White I had prepared for 12.tt'lb3, when I had in
lost on time. "The future belongs to him mind 1 2 . . . dxc3 1 3 . 'iVc2 l:iJb4 1 4 . fixc3
who has the bishops" (Tarrasch). fid3. In this way Tal defeated Sax a year
Obviously thi s rule needs to be applied later at the tournament in Tallinn. In order to
creatively. understand Kuzm in's new idea, let us
look a t the classic game Capablanca The critical position of the variation.
Lasker, St Petersburg 1 9 1 4, which White's plan i s j ustified after 18 . . . 0-0
continued 12.cxd4 lbcxd4 13.lbxd4 'ifixd4 1 9. Ir.d2 'i'e8 20. 1:!d5, when his pieces
14.'i!if3 :!dB 15.a4. White rejected the win cannot be driven back.
of a pawn (and also the fight for an opening 18.•.• l'Db8!
advantage) because of 1 5 . 'i!ic6+ 'i!id 7 A static advantage can be converted even
16.'ifixa6 i.b4 1 7.lbf3 'i!id5. Thinking over by retreating to the starting positions. Now
my 1 2th move, I realised that if 12 ... b4 ? I the white rook is tied to the a-pawn, and the
could expect 1 3 . cxd4 lbcxd4 1 4. lbxd4 endgame after . . . 'fi d5 or . . 'Wi d3 has
.
'i!ixd4 15.'Wif3 Ir.d8 16.'Wic6+ 'Wid7 1 7.'ifixa6, become a reality.

where the inclusion of the moves 1 2.a4 b4 19. c5 'Wid5
reverses the evaluation of the variation 20. 'i!ib1 'ifid3
given above. The white queen is free to 21. i. e3 'fkxb1
return to base, the b4 square is inaccessible •
to the black bishop, and the a-pawn is After making four moves on the d-file, the
heading for the queening square. All these black queen suddenly "remembers" that it is
considerations explain Black's reply. different from a rook.
12. dxc3 22. l::!.xb1 l'Dc6
13. bxc3 b4 23. 'it>fl
14. 'fic2
White has burned his boats, and pins his
hopes on dynamics. A battle is in progress •
for control of the key square e4. Black must
play with exceptional accuracy.
14. ••• 'fkd5
15. c4 'Wid7
B lack has created a protected passed
b - p a w n , and he n o w a i m s fo r the
e n d g a m e . From a far I saw a subtle
manoeuvre, enabling me to drive the white
queen from its dominating position.
16. l'Db3 Ir.d8
17. 'Wie4 i. e7
18 .l:ta2
•
B lack has accumulated several small

es advantages. However, White is defending
7 his weaknesses and preparing to exchange
the heavy pieces. A second front must be
6
opened.
5 23. g5
4 24. l::!.d2 .l:I.xd2
25. lLlbxd2 0-0
3 For the moment White is able to maintain
2 material equality by exploiting the tactical
features of the position.
26. g4 :td8
27. l'Db3 .l:td3
28. �e2 .l:tc3 occurred i n my games. Knowing that

The weakening of the kingside, provoked Belyavsky is signifi cantly stronger in
by Black's 23rd move, begins to tell. Thus familiar situations, I decided to employ a
the white king is occupied with defending more rare continuation. Looking ahead, I
the knight at f3 , and in several variations have to say that the surprise effect did not
the g-pawn allows Black to win a tempo. work. Moreover, at the board I was forced to
29. tbbd4 solve some difficult problems. It is strange
For the moment it is better not to "disturb" the that subsequently no one tried to copy
rook, in view ofthe fork after 29.iLd2 :Xb3. Belyavsky's play in this game.
29. tbcxd4+ 10. J.c2 i.g4
30. tbxd4 aS 11 . .l:!.e1 J. e7
31. tbc6 J. xc5 12. h3 i.h5
32. tbxa5 J.xe3 13. b4
33. fxe3 c5 A theoretical novelty. Earl ier White
Only a certain concentration and accuracy invariably employed the plan involving the
are required of Black, since his passed knight manoeuvre b l -d2-fl -g3.
pawns are irresistible. 13. •.• tbe6
34. tbc6 b3 More as a "warm-up" , I analysed the
35. a5 :.c2+ variation 13 . . . tbe4 1 4. i.b3 (14. g4 i.g6
36. �f3 c4 15. i.b3 d4) 14 .. . lDxe5 1 5. 'ikxd5, which
37. a6 l:ta2 leaves Black with a hopeless position.
38. a7 tbc5 14. a4 llb8
39. .l:td1 �g7 •
40. .l:td8 b2 From the previous game the reader will
41. .l:tb8 tbb3 already know how important the e4 square
42. tbe7 h5 is in the Open Variation. The other
43. .l:tg8+ possibility of parrying the threat of 15 axb5
Without quirks such as "spite" checks, axb5 1 6 .l:!.xaB 'ikxaB 1 7 'ikxd5 by 14... d4
chess risks being transformed into a science. was unsuccessful because of 15. J. e4.
43. . . . �h7 15. axb5 axb5
0-1 16. tbbd2 tbg5
B lack's only counter-play, since after
No.20 16.. . 0-0 1 7.tbb3 he is simply stalemated.
A.Belyavsky-!.Dorfman
C82 - 46th USSR Championship, Tbilisi 1978
1. e4 e5
2. tbf3 tbc6
3. J.b5 a6
4. J. a4 tbf6
5. 0-0 tbxe4
6. d4 b5
7. J. b3 d5
8. dxe5 J.e6
9. c3 tbc5
B elyavsky's arsenal also includes the
0
Open Variati on. 9 . . J.c5 had already
.
17. lta6!?
•
Belyavsky is well known for his deep
preparation. The methodical nature of his
play means that so far there have been no
surprises. Even so, I would venture to
suggest 17.tlJj1 .i.xf3 (17.Ji:Jxf3+ 18.gxf3
0-0 19.tlJg3 .i.g6 20. .i.b3 d4 21.f4)
18.gxf3 t!Jxh3+ 1 9. �g2, with the initiative
for White in all lines.
17. 'ili'd7
18. 'ili'e2 0-0
19. .i.d3 t!Jd8
20. 'ili'e3 t!Jde6
21. t!Jd4 t!Jxd4
22. cxd4 •
In this double-edged situation the two
players were on the verge of a time
scramble. Within a few moves they did
not even have the extra seconds needed to
tick off the moves made. Black has some
promising continuations, but even in
analysis it is not easy to find the rational
solution. The correct idea involves ... .i.h4,
but here it is easy to make a false step. Let
us consider some variations after 25.........h4:
A) 26.fxe4 f4;
B) 26. e 7 ltf7 (26 . . . .i.j2+ 2 7. 'i!Vxf2 tlJxf2
28.exf8"ik+ 'ili'xf8 29.�xf2 'i!Vxb4 30..i.xf5)
27.ltf1 .i.g5 (27 .. .f4 28. 'ike2 tlJg3 29.
'ili'e5 ltxe 7 30. "ikxd5+ .i.j7) 28. "ike1
• t!Jxd2
The impression is that White's strategy has 29 . .i.xd2 ltxe 7 30. .i.xg5 (30. 'i!Vcl)
triumphed. After a deep penetration into the 30..........e1 31. .:Xe1 ;
position, Black finds a resource that halts C) 26. ':/1 f4 ( 2 6. . . � b 7 2 7.fxe4
the development of the opponent's initiative �xc 6
on the kingside. 28. exf5) 2 7. 'ili'e2 tlJg3 2 8. "ike5 .i.j6
22. ... fS! 29. "ikxd5 "ikd8! (29...ltd8 30.'i!Vb3 .i.xd4+
23. e6! 31.�h2 tlJxf1+ 32.tlJxf1).
T h i s m o v e d o e s n o t require any As is evident from the analysis, even after
calculation. It h a s to b e p l ayed, even winning the exchange it is hard for Black to
if Black's chances remain restrain the opponent's play on the dark
preferab l e . squares.
23. �c8 The strongest seems to be 25 ... 'i b7!
24. ltc6 t!Je4 (the well known principle of attacking the
25. f3 opponent's most active piece) 26.ltc2
(26.fxe4 f4) 26 ...i.h4 2 7. tlJxe4 (27.ltf1 f4
28. "ike2 tlJg3 29. 'ili'e5 .i.j6 30. "ikxf4 tlJxf1
3l.lfujl 'ffib6; 27.fxe4 f4) 27. . .fxe4 and the exchange of compliments continues.
28.fxe4 41. .i.f4??
il.xel 2 9. 'fflx el .i.g6 with a winning 4J.tbg3 was essential.
position for Black. 41.
••• hxg4
But I performed a third variation on the 4l . .. fiij7was also good .
.i.g5il. h4 theme . . .
................................................................ 42. hxg4 'i*'e2??
25. il.h4 42. . . 'ffl/7 43. fii/5 fiixj5 44. gxf5 llxf5
26. 'ffle2 would effectively have won. But now there
An 27. excellent tiJfl!manoeuvre, consolidating is a draw by perpetual check.
White's advantage. A powerful computer Y,-Y,
is probably capable of analysing in a few
seconds the position after 27 .......j2+ 28.�h2 No.2 1
il. xd4 29. Ji.j4. The primitive 27. . . il.xe l I.Dorfman I .Platonov
-
28. 'ixel 'ffib729.llc2 1:.be8 30. 'ih4 .i.g6 E 1 5 - USSR Championship

3J.fxe4 fxe4 (31 ...dxe4!?) 32. il.e2 .:Ixe6 First League, Tashkent 1 980
would yet have allowed Black to emerge
with dignity from a difficult position. Igor Platonov was the first grandmaster
Instead of this he chooses the most whom I was fortunate to meet while still a
unfortunate moment to rid himself of the child. I was one of the li steners at his
annoying rook at c6. lectures, where he gave accounts of his
27. .l::ib6 participation in important tournaments. I
28 .l::txb6
• cxb6 remember the examples, confirming the
29. e7 .i.xe7 usefulness of studying the classical heritage.
30. g4! Here I will give a commentary on our only
By energetic play Belyavsky achieves a "normal" game. The rest were played in
winning position. simultaneous displays. Igor devoted all his
30 . ••• il.g6 free time to philately, which explains why
31. fxe4 such a profound analyst and talented
Understandably, with the flag about to tactician became a rare guest in serious
fall, one does not consider 3l.gxf5 il.h5 competitions. Unfortunately, he suffered a
32.'ffla2l'iJc3. tragic death in November 1 994.
31 . .•• fxe4 1. d4 tiJf6
32. il.xb5 il.h4 2. c4 e6
And again . . . .i.h4. P latonov never avoided a theoretical
33. .i.e3 .i.xe1 discussion, whether in the Nimzo-Indian
34. 'ff/ xe1 h5 Defence or the Sicilian Najdorf.
35. 'ifcl?! 'ir'd8 3. ttJf3 b6
36. .i.g5? 4. g3 il.a6
White also deviates from the correct 5. 4Jbd2
course. Here and on the previous move he •
should have played il.e2. Even today this variation remains topical,
36. 'it'd6 along with 5.b3 il.b7 6. il. g2 .i.b4+ 7. il.d2
37. 'fflc6 'it'xb4 a5 (7... c5).
38. 'i'xd5+ il. f7 5. .i.b7
39. 'it'e5 il.c4 •
40. il.xc4+ 'it'xc4 According to my analysis, Black can hold
The time control is reached, but the blitz the position in the complications after 5... c5.
6. i.g2 c5 A favourable moment to throw fresh

• forces into the attack. Now if 12. . . lDxe5
Black attacks the enemy centre without White wins by 1 3. lDxe5 'fixeS 1 4 . i.f4,
delay. In the game Ivanchuk-Timman, while after 12... i.b4 the following modest
Amsterdam 1 994, the Dutch grandmaster continuation is strong: 13. 1!e2 d6 1 4. a3
equalised by 6... i.e7 7.e4 till:e4 8.tlJe5 i.b4 (14.exd6 i.xd6 15. i.xh6 gxh6 16. till:d4±).
( 8. . . llJc3 9. 'flih5 g6 J O.'eih3) 9. 'f!ig4 0-0 12. i.e7
JO. i.xe4 f5 l l . i.xb7 fxg4 1 2. i.xa8 c6. I 13. .i.f4 0-0
think that here it is still early to draw the 14. lDf6+ <i;;h8
line, and that White's chances are preferable. For fully understandable reasons, the
7. e4 cxd4 knight is immune. In the event of its capture
8. e5 Black will not last five moves.
• 15. lDg5 lDxe5
The important transposition of moves 8.0-0 •
lDc6 9.e5 llJg4 was employed by White in the The hopelessness of the vanat10n
game lvanchuk-Karpov, Linares 1994. It allows 1 5. . . gxf6 1 6. exf6 i.d6 1 7. .i.xd6 'f!ixd6
him to avoid 8... lDe4, leading to equality 18. 'flih5 provokes this desperate attempt to
(Van Wely-M.Gurevich, Groningen 1993). cut the "Gordian knot".
8. lDg4 16. .l::!.xe5
9. 0-0 'f!ic7
•
White's initiative more than compensates
for his minimal material deficit after 9... d6
JO.h3 till:e5 l l.till:e5 Lg2 12. till:f7 <i;;xf7
J3.<Ji;xg2.
10. .Ue1 lDc6
•
Black has to overcome numerous pitfalls, in
order to complete his development. Thus the
natural try JO... d6 1 1. exd6 i.xd6 12.till:d4
Lg2 13. 'fixg4 is doomed to failure.
11. h3 lDh6
12. lDe4
16. ... i.xf6

•
Let us study the alternatives:
A) 1 6. . . gxf6 1 7. 1he6 d6 1 8. 'fid3 fxg5
1 9.�h6f5 20.'flixd4+ <i;;g8 21.i.d5+ i.xd5
22.'flixd5+ and wins;
B) 16... d6 1 7. 'f!id3 g6 18.1:1..xe6 (18.liJgxh 7
lDg8 1 9.'f!ixd4) 18... Lg2 (also hopeless is
18 . . .fxe6 1 9. lDxe6 'fic8 20. lDxf8 i.xg2
2 1 . lDxg6+ <i;;g 7 22. lDh5+ <i;;f7 23.tlJxe 7
'flixh3 24.'flixh 7+) 19.:Xe7 'flixe7 20.'f!ixd4
liJf5 21. 'f!ic3 and Black is doomed.
17. l:.xe6 'i c5
The most tenacious defence. If 17... 'fkc8, 22. ii..xb7 Ji..xgS

then 18.'Axf6 gxf6 1 9.!Ue4 !Uf5 20.!Uxf6 is 23. :.es
sufficient. 1-0
18. b4
Before sacrificing with :.x/6 White tries No.22
to divert the enemy queen away from the d4 !.Dorfman - E.Sveshnikov
pawn. D45 - USSR Championship
18.••• 'fkxc4?! First League, Tashkent 1 980
Black does not lose by force after 18... 'ikf5
1 9.'Axf6 gxf6 20. Ji..xb7 fxg5 21. 'fkxd4+ f6 1. d4 dS
(21 . . . �g8 22. Ji.. d6 'fkxh3 23. ii..xa8 :xaB 2. c4 e6
24. 'fkd5) 22. Ji..d6 fol l owed by 23.g4, 3. !Uf3 !Uf6
although his position remains difficult. It is 4. !Uc3 c6
hard for him to activate his knight, whereas s. e3
the opponent is free to attack his queenside •
with :.dJ and c4-c5. I will never change my opinion, that only
19. l:Icl 'fkxb4 5.Ji..g5 is capable of shaking this system of
20. a3 defence. But chess is in the first instance a
game, and not a science, and that day I was
uncertain about 5 . . . h6 or 5... dxc4.
• s. !Ubd7
6. 'fkc2
In making this modest move, I did not
imagine that it would become popular . . .
two decades later. Even so, it seems to me
that this continuation is still harmless for
Black.
6. Ji..d6
•
6... a6 is also quite sound.
7. e4
•
S ince the entire variation does not
White successively sacrifices three pawns, promise White anything significant, this
in order to achieve his aim of including his move is no worse than the traditional
queen in the attack via d4. 7.Ji..d3 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4 9.Ji..xc4 b5 (9... e5 is
20. ••• 'fkb2 logical) JO. Ji..e2 ( 1 0. Ji..d3 Ji..b 7 l l . e4 e5
The opponent does not want to swallow 1 2. dxe5 !Uxe5 1 3 . !Uxe5 ii..xe5 1 4 . h3)
the bitter pill. Black cannot save the game JO... ii..b7 n:.dJ.
after 20... 'fkxa3 2J. :xf6 gxf6 (21 . . . Ji..xg2 7. dxe4
22. 'fkxd4) 22. 'fkxd4 ii..xg2 23. 'ikxf6+ �gB 8. !Uxe4 !Uxe4
24. �xg2 (24. 'flixh6 'fkd3). 9. 'fkxe4 eS
21. :.e2 •
A prosaic finish. This unpretentious A few months earlier Dolmatov played
retreat wins material while retaining the against me 9... c5 JO.Ji..g5 (10. Ji..d2) JO... !Uf6
initiative. (Kishnyov's idea JO... Ji..e 7! ll.Le 7 'fka5+
21. • . . 'f!ibS
15.'ikxg7 'thd4 16.'ikg5 i.d7 1 7. i.e2 :K.g8 is where there followed 1 5... b 5 16.tDe5 bxc4
the best reply to the system of development 1 7.tl:uc4 1:.d8 with an unclear position.
chosen by White) ll.fih4 cxd4 12. 0-0-0 e5 16. b3 i.g4
13. i.d3 h6 1 4. :K.he1 0-0 15.i.x h 6 gxh 6 17. i.f4
16.'ikxh6 :K.e8 1 7.lbg5 i.e6 18.i.h7+ tl:uh 7 •
1 9.'ikxh7+ �f8 20.fih6+ �e7 21.tl:ue6, but An accurate manoeuvre in a problematic
he encountered difficult problems. s ituation. The natural 1 7. :K.he 1 i.x/3
10. dxe5 0-0 18.gxf3 'ike5 is not good for White.
17. i.xf3
18. gxf3 tiJh5
19. l:he1 'ikxe1
19... 'ikf8 20. i.g5 f6 21.i.e3 b6 22. c5 is
bad for Black.
20. :K.xe1 liJxf4
21. :K.dl!
•
The only way! Black's hopes would have
been realised after 21.i.f1 ? tDe6 22.1:.d1 c5
23.l:d5 b6.
21. c5
0 22. a3 g6
23. i.e4 b6
24. b4 f5
• 25. i.c6 tDe2+
Here Black can force an endgame, but If White is able to support his d-pawn, the
after J O. . . fi e 7 l l . i.f4 i.b4+ 1 2 . i.d2 outcome will be decided.
i.xd2+ 13.0ud2 'ikxe5 14. 0-0-0 he does 26. �b2 liJd4
not have full equality.
11. exd6
I had been aiming for this sacrifice,
beginning from the 6th move. White gains at
least enough material for the queen.
11. .l:!.e8
12. 'ikxe8+ 'ikxe8+
13. i.e3 tiJf6
14. 0-0-0 i.e6
•
The end of a series of forced moves. In
order to add weight to his passed pawn,
White should aim for the exchange of minor 0
pieces, and therefore 1 4. . . i.f5 1 5 . i. d3
would suit him.
15. i.d3 :K.d8 27. ltxd4
• All the preceding play was based on this
Sveshnikov, a tireless analyst, made a nuance. The passed pawns, supported by the
dynamic attempt to improve Black's play in bishop, are irresistible.
his game with Naumkin, Moscow 1 98 3 , 27. . . . cxd4
28. cS bxcS
29. bxcS .l:lb8+
As is shown by the other possibilities,
there is no way of saving the game:
29. . . <t;J7 3 0. j:_d5+ <t;es 3 J . j:_e 6 l:. b8+
32. <t;a2 (32. <t;c2 ? ? lib5) 32... l:.d8 (32... d3
33. c 6 d2 34. c 7) 33. <t; b 3 , or 29 . . . <t;j8
30.j:_b7.
30. <t;c2 <t;t7
31. j:_dS+ <t;e8
32. c6 .:l.bS
33. c7 lieS+
If 33... <t;d7 White has a choice of winning
moves: 34.j:_c6+ or 34.j:_e6+. 0
34. <t;d3 <t;d7
3S. .ltb7
1-0 9. i.f4
This interposition i s an important
No.23 improvement compared w ith the usual
!.Dorfman E.Mochalov
- 9.llld2 b4.
A57 USSR Team Championship,
-
9. d6
Moscow 1 98 1 10. lLld2 b4
11. lLlbS g6
1. d4 lllf6 •
2. c4 cS After the "critical" J J . ..thxd5 1 2. cxd5
3. dS bS 'flxb5 13.e4 'fib7 (13. . . 'fla5 14. lLlc4 'fla7
In my opinion, this rare opening i s J 5 . j:_ d3 g6 1 6. 0 - 0 j:_g 7 1 7. 'fla l )
s i g n i fi c a n t l y better than its 1 4 . 'Wia 4 + lLl d 7 1 5 . j:_ b5 W h i t e w i n s
reputation. material.
4.lLlf3 .ltb7?! 12. e4 lLlbd7
• 13. lllb3 'i'b6
The course of the game and its result 14. 'Wia1 j:_b7
suggest that this is altogether not the way 1S. 'i!YaS!
for Black to play. Essential is 4... g6 5.a4
bxc4 (5 . . . b4), although 5. cx b5 is also
possible.
es
S. a4 a6 7
• 6
After playing 4 . . . j:_ b 7 it is not easy to
5
decide on 5... b4. In addition, after the text
move, as the Encyc lopaedia of Chess 4
Openings writes, B lack has nothing to 3
fear.
6. axbS axbS 2
7. l:txa8 j:_xa8
8. lllc3 'iaS
• move, whereas Black lost this right on the

I have noticed many times how, with the 22nd move!
disappearance of the queens, the defending 24. ... b3
side's position collapses like a house of In search of at least some counterplay,
cards. Black cuts off his b-pawn from base.
15. ... ttlh5 25. f4
15 ... i.g7 runs into 16.hd6. It is hard The idea behind this pawn advance is
to take seriously the capture of the pawn, unusual. The third rank is freed for the rook.
since after the possible 15 25. ttlb6
tlJxe4 16.i.d3 ttlef6 17.0-0 ttlh5 18. i.g 5 26. .Uf3 ll:Jxc4
'i' xa5 19.tlJxa5 i.cB 27. f!xb3 i.d4+
20.ti:JC6j6 2J.ll:Jc7+ �/7 22. i.d2 White has The things that have to be done to save the
a wide choice of promising continuations. king!
16. i.cl 28. ltJxd4 cxd4
Only the retreat of the bishop to its 29. ltJb5
initial position makes it "untouchable" two It is all over, since White is a pawn up
moves later. i.g7 with the better position.
16. ll:Jhf6 29. rJ;g7
17. g4 30. ltJxd4 liaS
The 18.
winning
g5 idea, since the central pawn • 31 .Ub4 ltJaS
is inedible. It would be interesting to know what
18. ll:Jh5 Tarrasch would have said about all this?!
19. i.h3 'i'xa5 32. i.d2 l:lc8
20. tt:xa5 i.c8 33. �f2
21. tt:c6 Preparing to activate the bishop.
Even in the endgame the white cavalry 33. . . . �f8
does not leave the enemy king in peace. 34. b3 eS
21. ll:Jb6 Desperation: 34. . . �g 7 35.'f!.b5, or
22. tt: c7+ �f8 34... '!J.c7 35.f!b8+.
23. i.xc8 ll:Jxc8 35. dxe6 fxe6
24. 0-0 36. ll:Jxe6+
1-0
• No.24
I.Dorfman - E.Ubilava
AOO USSR Championship
-
First League, Volgodonsk 1 98 1
1. g3
I occasionally employ this move, and
normally against opponents with a good
knowledge of theory. Neither my opponent,
not I, could imagine that within a few years
we would be in opposition as trainers of
Karpov and Kasparov.
It is amusing that White castles on the 24th 1. dS
2. i.g2 e5 way to "enliven" his pawn formation. This

3. d3 aim would be answered by 1 2 . i.d5 . .
As far as I am aware, Ubilava does not followed by the advance of the f- and g�
play l .e4 as White. In that case, why not try pawns.
the Pirc-Ufimtsev Defence with reversed 13. lDed2 f5
colours? 14. 1:.acl 1:.b6
3. lDf6 15. .l:ifel
Of course, 3... lDc6 or 3... c6 is sound. The idea of this move is obvious. After
4. i.g5 i. e7 opening the e-file White will try to initiate
5. lDc3 play on the kingside, e xploiting the
I am ful ly aware of the strategic risk remoteness of Black's queen's rook.
involved in such play. To avoid repeating 15. ... i.f6
myself, I suggest that the reader should look 16. e3
at the comment on White's first move . . . A critical position. White changes the
5. d4 central pawn formation.
• 16. dxe3
If 5... c6 I would have continued 6.e4. 17. 1:.xe3 i. f7
6. i.xf6 i.xf6 18. h4!
7. lDe4 i.e7 White continues playing dynamically,
8. ltJf3 lDc6 since the static balance is still favourable for
9. c3 his opponent.
• 18. ... �e8
Beginning from this point, events take a After 18... h6 White could "work on" the
course typical of the Pirc-Ufimtsev Defence. newly created weaknesses, by playing
9. 0-0 1 9. i..h3.
10. 0-0 i.e6 19. i:tce1 g6
11. 'ilfc2 aS
12. a4 :a6
0
0
20. lDg5!
A serious blow! - forcing the exchange of
This awkward rook move is the initial a side pawn for a central one. At the same
cause of the Georgian grandmaster's later time the f-pawn also moves into the higher
difficulties. B lack possesses a static "category". For the first time White has a
advantage - the bishop pair. He must seek a static advantage.
20. JlxgS This game was played i n the last round. I

21. hxgS 'i xgS w i l l try to c onvey the atmosphere
22. f4 'if6 accompanying it. In the lead was Boris
23. l'Llf3 i.b3 Gulko, who already for a few years had
• been fighting for the right to leave the
23...e4 24.dxe4.fxe4 25.0g5 is hopeless for Black country. The first four prize-winners were to
24. 'ie2 i.xa4 qualify for the championship final. I was
2S. fxeS 'id8 sharing 2nd_5th places in a group half a point
Reality has exceeded my boldest behind. It would have been sensible to agree
expectations. On the queenside Black's rook a draw. But my attention was drawn by the
and bishop have "lost their way". fuss made by three officials of the USSR
26. d4 Jlb3 Sports Committee, who had unexpectedly
27. l'Lld2 .idS arrived the day before. It was not clear why
28. l'Llc4 .l::tb3? the aggressive Rashkovsky, who had long
This loses in one move. Against the most before lost any chances, was playing against
tenac ious 28 . . . .l:r.a6 I was planning Gulko with maximum concentratio n . I
29.i.xd5+ 'fixd5 30. .l:r.f3 .l:r.aa8 31.l'Lle3 'i d7 strongly suspected that the results of the
32.g4 fxg4 33 . .l:r.f6, and 28 . . . i.xc 4 games involving my rivals had been pre
29.'ixc4+ �g7 30.d5 l'Lle7 31.'id4 does not determined. Therefore I took the decision to
promise any consolation. play uncompromisingly.
29. tbd6 i.xg2 1. d4 l'Llf6
30. l'Llxe8? 2. c4 e6
The opponent could have been relieved of 3. l'Llc3
unnecessary suffering, by playing 30. 'i!Vc4+ Chernin likes and is good at playing the
�g7 31.'ij7+ �h8 32.l'Llxe8. Meran Variation. But the text move also has
30. .idS another exp lanation . A l ittle earl ier
31. l'Llf6+ �g7 Belyavsky and I had conducted a training
32. J::l.a1 session with Petrosian, where, among other
• things, we made a serious analysis of the
By habit I seek the exchange of the most 4. 'ic2 variation in the Nimzo-Indian
active enemy piece. Defence.
32. b6 3. Jlb4
33. J::l.a3 .l:txa3 4. 'ic2 cS
34. bxa3 i.f7 •
3S. g4 f4 The development of this variation
36. l:!.h3 i.g8 received a new impetus in the late 1 990s,
If 36... h6 there naturally follows 37.g5. but it is still not c l ear which of the
37. 'ie4 l'LlxeS continuations 4 ... c5, 4... d5 and 4... 0-0 is the
38. dxeS 'id1+ strongest.
39. �h2 S. dxcS 0-0
1-0 6. a3 JlxcS
7. Jlf4
No.25 The alternative 7.lbf3 d5 8.Jlg5 (8.cxd5
exd5 9. i.g5) 8. . . d4 9. 0-0-0 e5 J O. e3
!.Dorfman - A.Chemin
promises little, as shown, for example, by
E39 - USSR Championship
the game Lazarev-A. Sokolov, Bourbon
First League, Volgodonsk 1 9 8 1
Laney 1 99 7 . I prefer to follow our
"Moscow" analysis, where White has to be 'i'e7 (14... 'i'f5 JS.lbh4 'flieS 16. lbxcS 'flixcS
prepared for queenside castling and for 1 7. lbxg 6) J S . lbjgS hS 1 6. i.xg4 hxg4
giving up the f2 pawn. 1 7.'f:.h 7.
7. lbhS?! 13. tt:Jes
• 14. gxfS 'flixfS
For the bishop pair Black has to pay with 1S. 'flixfS
a weakening of the static position of his The exchange of queens is linked with the
king. He can aim for a "hedgehog" position static position of the king, and should be
by 7... i.e7 8.e4 d6 9.lbf3 tDbd7 JO.i. e2 a6 advantageous to Black. Here it is explained
1 1 . 0-0 b6 12. '11jdl 'i'c7 13.'/}.acJ i.b 7. It by specific considerations: the black rook
was here that we analysed 9.0-0-0 with fi nds itse l f trapped on the 5 1h rank .
Petrosian . . . Sometimes entry i s free, but you have to pay
8. i.g3 rs to exit.
• 1S. l:.txfS
At the sight of Black's last two moves, the 16. lbxeS .!:.xeS
phrase that comes to mind i s : " O ur 17. g4
opponents Chigorin-like play is the It is very rare, at such an early stage and
guarantee of our success" . over such a short interval, that one twice
9. e3 lbc6 encounters the move g4, and moreover with
10. i.e2 lbxg3 such dissimilar ideas . . .
11. hxg3 g6 17. ... bS
12. tt:Jf3 'i'f6 •
Beginning fro m th is point, Chernin
dispatches all his remaining forces to make
a breakthrough. Given the normal
development of events, he was in danger of
losing his errant rook, e.g. 17... b6 18. 0-0-0
i.b7 1 9.:h3.
18. b4
•
I did not want to make any concessions,
by allowing counterplay after 18.lbxbS i.b 7
1 9.1!h2 dS.
18. ... i.e7
0 19. i. f3 dS
The game is opened up. Black reduces the
material to the minimum, and in so doing he
• improves his drawing chances. 1 9. . . :b8
The end of a series of forced moves. The 20.lbxbS (20.cxbS) 20... i.a6 2J. i.e2 dS
advance of the f-pawn has the additional 22.lbxa 7 would clearly have been bad for
drawback that now Black has no favourable him.
central formation. 20. cxdS
13. g4 •
• It would have been harder to control the
White consolidates his static advantage. In situation after 20. cxbS i.b7 or 20.lbxbS aS.
the event of l 3 ... fxg4 there follows 14.lbe4 20. i.b7
21. lbxbS aS
22. �e2! i. a6 33. .l::tcl g5

White retains the advantage with an 34. �e4 g4
amusing variation after 22... axb4 23.axb4 35. �e5 �g7
i.a6 24.�dl . 36. l:!.g1 l:r.g6
37. tbf5+
1-0
After 3 7. . . �g8 White has a pleasant

choice between 38.I!cl and 38. �f4.
No.26
I.Dorfman - O.Romanishin
E 1 2 - 49th USSR Championship,
Frunze 1 98 1
The USSR Championship in Frunze was a
qualifying tournament for the Zonal
0 Tournament. I started very badly, and only
three wins in the concluding rounds enabled
me to go forward to the next stage .
23. a4 i.xb4 Romanishin was playing for a medal, and so
• there could be no question of compromise .
The point of White's 22nd move is seen in 1. tt:Jf3 tt:Jf6
the variation 23 . . . ax b 4 24. d6 .:l.xb5 2. c4 e6
(24... i.xb5+ 25.axb5 rL:al 26.dxe7 .U.a2+ 3. d4 b6
2 7. 1M3 �!7 28. 1hh 7+ �e8 2 9. i.c6#) 4. a3
25.axb5 i.xb5+ 26. �d2, where he has a •
decisive advantage. White can also aim for the Petrosian
24. .l:thd1 Variation with 4.tbc3, but then Black has
At last co-ordination has been achieved 4 . . . i. b4, which leads to a double-edged
and White can breath easily, although the game. I prefer to allow the 4 . . . i.a6
tactical skirmish is not yet over. variation.
24. . . . !itf8 4. i.b7
25. i.h1 h5 5. tt:Jc3 d5
If 25... i.b7 there follows 26.d6. •
26. .!:tacl Later Romanishin grew fond of the
White avoids the last trap 26.dxe6?? :Xb5! variation with 5...g6, where Black looks for
26. ... hxg4 counterplay in the spirit of the Griinfeld
27. l:r.c6 i.b7 Defence. This, for example, is how our game
2 7. . . i.xb5+ 28. ax b5 '!J.ef5 was more from the tournament in Polanica Zdroj 1 992
tenacious. began: 5... g6 6. 'i!Vc2 i.xf3 7.gxf3 (7. exf3)
28. l:.xe6 llxe6 7... i.g7 8.i.g5 h6 9.i.h4 tbc6 10. 0-0-0 ti:Je7
29. dxe6 i.f3+ ll.d5 exd5 12. cxd5 tbf5 13.i.g3 0-0 14.e4
30. i.xf3 gxf3+ tbxg3 15. hxg3 "ike7 16f4 d6 1 7.i.b5.
31. �d3 l:tf6 6. cxd5
31...'1:.d8+ 32.liJd4 is hopeless for Black. •
32. tt:Jd4 Wf8 In the late 1 990s the variation 6.i.g5 i.e7
7.'fi'a4+ c6 8.iLxf6 ii..xj6 9.cxd5 exd5 JO.g3 better for White. After a l l , B lack has
0-0 l l . i.g2 became popular, w ith a advanced his pawn to c 5 in two steps,
middlegame typical of the Makogonov whereas White has vacated the d l square for
Bondarevsky-Tartakower Variation in the his rook. Therefore B lack should have
Queen's Gambit. preferred the restrained JO...llJbd7, aiming
6. .•• exd5 first to become equal in development and
• then to change the formation in a more
After the text move Black has to play with favourable situation.
a backward pawn or hanging pawns. I prefer 11 .l;td1
• lba6
not to concede a static advantage, by •
continuing If White defers the capture on c5, he has
6... tbxd5 7.'i c2 tbxc3, followed by to keep an eye on the formation with . . . c5-
c7-c5. In the theoretical section the reader c4. In it he is obliged to play dynamically,
will find an extract from the game since the opponent has rid himself of his
Kasparov-Portisch, where i.e7such a situation static defects and has the clear plan of
arose. 8. 'fka4+ advancing his queenside pawns. White can
My 7. g3
invention. This idea is not the fruit oppose this only by playing for e2-e4, which
of painstaking analytical work. I had inevitably isolates his d-pawn. Here 11...c4
played this in a blitz game against the 12.lbe5 a6 13.'ic2 b5 14.e4 is not good for
Lvov master Buturin shortly before the Black.
Championship. White gains a tempo for 12.i.g5 lbc7?
his development, since 8 ... 'i d7 9. Romanishin does not sense the dynamics
'fi'xd7+ or 8 of the battle. It all looks logical: Black
liJbd7 9.liJe5 does not promise the strengthens his centre. But the problem is
8. an easy life.
opponent c6 that in a statically inferior position one
9. i.g2 0-0 must not play statically.
10. 0-0
The critical moment had arrived when he
had to provoke a crisis by 12 ... h6 13. il.xf6
• i.xf6 1 4 . lbxd5 ! ? i.xd5 ( 1 4..... 'fi'xd5
15.lbel) 15.'fi'xa6 cxd4 1 6. lbxd4 i.xg2 1
7. <i;xg2 i.xd4 1 8. e3 (18. 'fi'c4 .!:!.c8 1 9.
'ixd4 'fixd4 20..!:!.xd4 .!:!.c2) 18...'fid5+
19.<i;g1 'fi'b3 20..!:!.xd4 'fi'xb2 21..!:!.ad1, and
although White is clearly better, the win
is still far off.
13. dxc5
•
White exploits the opponent's delay and
creates a favourable pawn formation.
13. . ..
14. lbe5 bxc5
10
• ... c5?! 'id6
• The white knight was ready for a leap to
Black goes in for the creation of hanging c6 or d 7 , as in the possible variation
pawns. In this formation everything is 14. . . 'fi'e8 1 5. i.xj6 (15. .!:!.ac l ) 15 .... i.xj6
decided by development, and it is in fact 16.lbd7 ii..xc3 1 7. bxc3.
15. l2Jc4 23. l:l.d6

24. i.e4 .l:.b8
25. i.d3
•
a c e g
After the disappearance of the light
square bishop White's static advantage
becomes irreversible.
15. 'i'a6 From now on White's position i s
16. l2Ja5 1Iad8 impregnabl e , a n d he c a n strengthen it
17. l2Jxb7 'i'xb7 without hurrying.
18. l:td2 'i'b6 25. l;tdd8
• 26. h4 "fkc7
All in good time, as is evident after 18... h6 27. 'i'c2 h6
19.Lf6 Lf6 20.:001 i.xc3 2l.bxc3. 28. i.c4 <3;g7
19. 'i'c2 29. i.xe6 fxe6
The winning manoeuvre, provoking the 30. l:l.xd4
complete degradation of the enemy position and The rook strikes a blow at the most
beginning the phase of technical conversion. heavily-defended place.
19. d4 30. l::txd4
20. l2Ja4 'ira5 31. :lxd4 f5
21. i.xf6 gxf6 32. b4 'i e5
It would be in the nature of a joke to name 33. l2Jxc5
all of White's advantages: static weakness of 1-0
the black king, the advantage of the two
bishops, won endgame, plus four isolated No.27
black pawns and a pair of hanging pawns. It
S.Dolmatov - !.Dorfman
only remains to draw up the balance. Thus
lasts 1 2 moves. Not without reason is it B83 - 49th USSR Championship,
sometimes said that the defensive resources Frunze 1 9 8 1
in chess are unlimited.
22. l:tad1 l2Je6 1. e4 c5
23. 'i!Vc4 2. l2Jf3 e6
Prophylaxis, typical of static play. White 3. d4 cxd4
sets up a battery on the fl -a6 diagonal, 4. l2Jxd4 l2Jc6
which leaves the opponent no hope of 5. l2Jc3
unblocking the position. The M o s c ow grandmaster does not
"respect" the variation with s.tt:Jb5 d6 6. c4. After 12 . . . :.xd8 13.CLJc7 'gbB 14. CLJ 7d5
5. d6 Black is unable to solve his opening problems.
6. i.e2 ltJf6 13. ltJd6 ctJd4
7. 0-0 i.e7 14. i.d3
8. i.e3 0-0 •
9. f4 e5 It is quite probable that all this was on
In this, a critical position for the opening, I Dolmatov's board in his home preparations.
was ready to test the soundness of Black's At any event, he rightly avoids 14.i.xd4 exd4
position in the ending arising after 10.fxe5 15. CLJd5 i.e6 16. CLJf4 i.e 7 1 Z CLJxb 7 'S.jb8.
dxe5 ll.tl:Jj5 i.xj5 12.'ruf5 'fixd1+ 13.:Xd1 14. i.e7
g6 1 4. "/J.j2. Later (I think in 1 986) we 15. ctJc4
analysed this endgame in Kasparov's team
and the verdict was unanimous: the chances
are equal. Dolmatov decided not to join the
discussion, but employed a home preparation.
15. ... i.c5?

0 •
This manoeuvre is the initial cause of
Black's later difficulties. He misses the
10. ctJdb5 active possibility 15 ... CLJg4 16.i.xd4 exd4
Practice h a s not d e m o nstrated any 1 7. CLJd5, when he maintains the balance
advantage for White after 1 O.tt:Jxc 6 or with 17. . . i.d8 18. h3 CLJf6 1 9. CLJxf6+ i.x/6
1 0. tLJ b3 exf4 l l . i.xj4 CLJe8 1 2 . CLJd5 20.e5 i.e7 21.lbb6 'gbB 22.CLJxc8 (22.CLJd5
i.g5. i.c5 23.b4 i.e6) 22... :.bxc8, and also after
10. a6 1 7... i.c5 18.h3 CLJe3 1 9.CLJcxe3 dxe3 20. 'D.f3
11. fxe5 dxe5?! White cannot count on much.
• 16. ctJa4
Probably good enough for equality, but •
simpler was ll ... CLJxe5 12.CLJd4 d5 13. exd5 Of course, on my part it would have been
CLJxd5 1 4. CLJxd5 'fixd5 1 5 . CLJf5 'fid8 naive to expect 16.CLJxe5 .l:te8 1 Z CLJf3 CLJe2+
16.CLJxe 7+ 'fixe 7 1 7. 'fid4 f6 18. <Jilh1 i.e6, or 16.h3 b5 1 7. CLJxe5 Ire8 18.CLJf3 CLJe2+.
when the slight static weakness of the white 16. i.a7
king compensates for the bishop pair. This is 17. ctJab6 .l:!.b8
how the game Marj anovic-Kelecevic, 18. c3
•
Sarajevo 1 982, ended in a draw. White seizes the initiative, not allowing
12. 'fixd8 i.xd8 the opponent to deploy his forces
comfortably after 18.h3 i.e6. 29 .l:Ib3?

•
18. ... tt:g4 An amnesty for Black's 1 5th move. The

• obvious 2 9. '!J.fc l i.xc4 3 0. 1:.xc3 i.xd3
I prefer to sacrifice a pawn in search of 3l.:.Xd3 would not have allowed him to rid
active c ounterplay, than to c onduct a himself of his weakness on b7.
thankless defence by 1 8. Jbc6 1 9. tbd5 29. i.xc4
tt::lxd5 20.i.xa7 tt::lxa 7 21.exd5 f6 22. lbb6. 30. lixc3 i.xd3
19. i.xd4 exd4 31. J:xd3 b6
20. cxd4 :d8 32. axb6 :xb6
21. d5 i. d7 33. !ia1 <t;f8
22. a4 34. liaS <t;e7
• 35. lida3 lidd6
White can retain his material advantage by Here, compared with 35... 1:!a8, the rook is
22.h3 i.b5 23. hxg4 i.xc4 24.i.xc4 i.xb6+ more active, supporting the freeing . . .f7-f5.
25. <t;h2 i.d4, although here too he cannot 36. <t;r4 f6
hope for success. It is sufficient for Black to 37. g4
secure the impregnable position of his •
bishop at e5, and he will be in no danger. After 37. h4 h5 38.g4 hxg4 39. <t;xg4 g6
22. tt:e3 the best White can hope for is a rook ending
23. tt:xe3 i.xb6 with pawns at e4 and d5 against a black one
24. <t;f2 i. d4 at f6, which is a theoretical draw.
2s. <t;n 37. •.. g5+
Awkward rook moves allow the opponent On no account should the opponent be
to create counterplay after 25 . .l:[a2 f5 allowed to open a second front on the
26. exf5 l:!.e8 and 25.'!4fbl f5. kingside.
25. i. xb2 38. <t;e3 .l:.b2
26. �ab1 i.d4 39. 'fJ.xa6 lixa6
• 40. .l:ixa6 .!:.xh2
The e xchange of the bishop in the 41. .l:.a7+ �e8
variation 26. . . i.c3 2 7. :tfcl i.d2 28. :! c 7
i.xe3 29. <t;xe3 would free White's hands for
developing his initiative on the queenside.
27. a5 i. c3
28. tt: c4 i.b5
• • •••
8
7... • •••
a ia • • •
s D.ta � a a
4 alb• � • •
3 . -�-�-
2 a a -�D
0 1 • .: • • .: •
The adjourned position. For a time I was
calm, thinking that the worst was already
a b c d e f g h behind. Only when I began analysing 42.d6
did I realise that I was in for a sleepless 1.lt:Jf3 lt:Jf6 2.c4 d6 3.lt:Jc3 i.g4 4.d4 g6 5.e3
n ight. Here are some variations, i.g7 6.i.e2 0-0 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 e5 9.e4 lt:Jh5
demonstrating the dangers of B lack's 10.g3 lt:Ja6 l l .lt:Jh4 i.xe2 12.'i!he2 lt:Jf4
position: 13.gxf4 'i!Vxh4 14.f5 �h8 15.�h1 l':tg8
A) 42. . . '!:.h4 43. �d4 '!:.xg4 44. �d5 '!:.h4 16 .l;!.g1 gxf5 17.i.g5
• 1-0
(44... h5 45.e5 fxe5 46.�e6) 45.�c6 :Xe4
46.'l:.a8+ �j7 4 7.d7 1U4 48. d8='ik '!:.xd8 4. g3
49.'!:.xd8 h5; The premature fixing of the centre with
B) 42... h5 43.'!:.e7+ �/8 (43... �d8 44.'l:.e6) 2 . . . d6 does not now allow Black to choose a
44.'!:.e6 �j7 45.d7. symmetrical set-up with c6 and d 5 .
In variation A the outcome depends on Therefore I consider it logical for White to
whether Black is able to arrange his pawns fianchetto his king's bishop.
at h3, g4 and f5 . Then the position is a 4. c6
theoretical draw. Otherwise White wins. 5. lt:Jc3 'it'a5
Everything was cl eared up when the This manoeuvre is typical of the variation
envelope was opened. Dolmatov not only 5. . . i.g7 6.i.g2 0-0 7. 0-0 'ika5 8.e4 'ikh5
did not seal the winning move, but he had 9. e5 dx e5 J O. lDxe5 ltJg4 l l . lDf3 ltJf6
not even suspected its existence! 1 2.'!:.el, where Black experiences serious
42. e5 fxe5 difficulties.
43. �e4 h5 6. i.d2
44. l:th7 �h4 In this way White is able to parry not
Yl-Yl only 6 . . . ltJe4, but also 6. . . e5 because of
Black forces Philidor's position by 45.'fJ.xh5 7. lDe4 'i!Vd8 8. ltJxf6+ 'ikxf6 9. i.g5 'ike6
'!:.xg4+ 46.�xe5 '!:.h4 47. :Xg5 '!:.h6. JO.dxe5.
6. i.g7
No.28 7. i.g2 0-0
8. tt:Jd5
!.Dorfman V.Gavrikov
- •
E62 - Zonal Tournament, White certainly does not want to allow the
Yerevan 1 982 opponent to become comfortably established
after 8.0-0 'i!ih5, thereby justifYing the early
1. d4 lt:Jf6 development of his queen.
2. c4 d6 8. 'id8
3. lt:Jf3 9. lt:Jxf6+ i.xf6
• 10. 0-0 d5
White avoids the main line 3. lDc3 e5 •
4.ltJf3 e4 5.lDg5 i.j5 (5...'ie7), where even By a rather unusual way a formation
today everything is far from clear. typical of "King's Indian symmetry" has
3. g6 been reached. It is important to point out
• that the static balance does not give
Black can also persist in continuing his even a hint of an advantage to White.
original play with 3 ... i.g4!? Here is a short His hopes are associated with dynamic
and amusing game on this theme: play, in order to convert his slight lead
in development into one of the static
advantages.
!.Dorfman - O.Romanishin
11. i.h6 :!.e8
E6 1 - Aosta 2000
12. 'ia4
18. h3 'fke6
19. tt:\g5 il.xg5
20 .lilxg5
• f6
0
White "probes" the rook at e8. How is Black
to continue the development of his pieces?! To 21. d5!
me it seems logical to play 12... ii.e6 13.cxd5 •
(the only possibility of fighting for an Why all these complications? After
advantage involves the pawn sacrifice 13. tbgs 21.:as b6 22.:a3 ii.b7 Black would still
ii.xg5 14.ii.xg5 dxc4 Js. :adl tbd7 16. e4) have had a glimmer of hope of setting up
13. . . ii.xd5 14.�1 ii.e4 15.'fla3 'fid5. some defensive line.
12. !Dd7 21. 'flf7
13. cxd5 !Db6 22. dxc6 fxg5
14. 'i!Vb4 'fkxd5 23. cxb7 �b8
• 24. bxc8='fi llexc8
Let us stop here again, to record the 25. 'fid4 e6
disruption of the static balance in favour of 26. Ir.d 1 tt:lf8
White. He has an extra pawn in the centre and 27. ii.xg5 l:tc2
an outpost at c 5 . Gavrikov thought that 28. :d2
White's pressure on the queenside would be
unpleasant after 14... cxd5 JS.:jcJ.
15. lilfcl
15. tbe5 'fid6 would be a vain loss of time.
15.••• 'fie4
When in chess one talks about bad pieces,
it is usually minor pieces that one has in
mind. But in certain formations the queen
can be bad. Games 1 4 and 53 should also be
looked at from this viewpoint.
16. e3 'i!Vg4
17. .l:i.c5!
White has a solid initiative. The black
queen is denied the h5 square, and i f
1 7... tbd5 there follows 18.'fld2 'fih5 1 9.e4.
17. . . . !Dd7 28. ••• J:!.xd2
1 00 THE METHOD IN CHESS
• 49. �c5 lLld7

This position has arisen by force after 50. �d6 lieS
2l.d5! Before making the breakthrough it was 51. 'id2 'iVf3
necessary to evaluate correctly the position 52. �b5
with the usual material correlation arising Signalling the start of the final attack.
after 28... 1:!bxb2 29."ilxb2 1:!xb2 30.1:!xb2. 52. 'if5
29. "ilxd2 "ilg7 53. �c5 "ilf7
30. b3 54. "ild6 �dS
The situation has clarified. Although the 55. �e3 h6
game lasts a further 27 moves, Black is 56. h4 'fie7
unable to create a critical position, in order 57. 'fid2
to shake the opponent's static advantage. This manoeuvre wins another pawn while
30. J::!.cS the character of the "play " remains
31. e4 "ilc3 unchanged. It is easy to understand Black's
32. 'ie2 aS decision to put an end to the torture . . .
An important technical detail. If 32... "ilc2 1-0
there follows 33. "ila6.
33. �h6 tt:'ld7 No.29
34. 'iVg4 �f7 E.Magerramov - !.Dorfman
35. "ilf4+ �eS E73 USSR Cup, Kislovodsk 1 982
-
36. �h2 "ild3

37. 'iVg4 "ild6 1. d4 lLlf6
3S. 'ie2 2. c4 g6
White chooses the most static 3. tt:'lc3 �g7
continuation, not allowing the opponent In the early 1 9 80s I began turning
even the sl ightest degree of activity increasingly often to an opening of my
(38... tt:'le5 39."ilb5+). youth - the King's Indian Defence. This was
3S. "ilc5 explained by the following considerations.
39. �e3 'ic6 In reply to the inv itation to the Meran
40. 'it'g4 'i'd6 Variation, White began increasingly often
41. 'ie2 'ic6 employing 5.�g5 . Whereas I was convinced
42. e5 of the sol idity of the Meran, I always
In a statically won position, for every viewed the Botvinnik Variation with
active move a player normally has to make suspicion. A sharp, violent attempt to seize
several prophylactic moves. the initiative . A fter the exp iry of two
42. 'it'c7 decades my attitude to both variations has
43. �d4 <J;;f7 not changed . . .
44. 'i'f3+ �eS 4. e4 d6
45. 'i'g4 tt:'lf8 5. �e2 0-0
Black is constantly forced to defend his 6. ..ig5
numerous weaknesses. This had not been played against me
46. ..ifl J:!bS before. I knew in general terms that in the
47. 'i'f3 critical line 6... c5 7.d5 h6 8. �/4 e6 9.dxe6
White draws the knot ever tighter. Now ..ixe6 JO ..ixd6 .l:teB it all ends in a draw.
.
the bishop moves to d6. But I did not feel confident about this, and I
47. 1li'b7 decided to deviate.
4S. 'iVc3 .!;idS 6. lLlbd7
• Black dislodges the support from under

At the moment when this book is being the knight at c3 . Later this will enable him
written, theory considers the strongest to be to gain time for the development of his
6... lba6 7.'ilid2 e5 8.d5 c6. The difference initiative against the enemy king.
with the move in the game is that in this 12. b3
variation B lack is not obliged to play •
8... tbc5, but can unravel his forces on the Events follow a different course after
queenside with . . . i.d7 and . . . J:lc8. 12.b4 tba4 13.lbb1 lbb2 J4.'§.e1 c5, with a
7. 'id2 e5 double-edged situation.
8. d5 12. ... c6
• This signals the start of active operations .
The alternative is 8.ti:Jj3, when if Black 13. 'it>b1 fiia5
prematurely exchanges on d4 he can end up 14. g4??
in an unpleasant pin after fiij4. A blunder. Now Black blocks the kingside
8. aS and White has to seek chances in the centre.
• The prophylactic 1 4. :f3. c l was simply
I examined the forcing play involving essential.
8. . . tbc 5 9. b4 tbcxe4 1 0. tbxe4 tbxe4 14. h6
1 J . j_xd8 tbxd2 1 2. i.xc 7 e4 1 3 . '!J. c l e3 15. i.e3 h5!
14.i..d3 exj2+ 15.<i;;xj2 j_J5, but I was more 16. g5 lDfd7
concerned about the simple 9.f3 followed if 17. lbh3 tba6
9. . . 'ille8 by the bishop manoeuvre e2-d l -c2. B lack finds a way to make progress,
9. 0-0-0 b y d e p l o y i n g h i s k n i gh t s at b 4 and
• c5 .
A year later White introduced an 18. dxc6
important improvement. Ih the game •
Seirawan-Ivanovic, Niksic 1 98 3 , White M agerramov's nerve fai l s h i m in a
gained an advantage by playing 9.h4 tbc5 critical p o s i t i o n . He s h o u l d have
JO.f3 a4 l l.g4 c6 12.tLJh3 cxd5 13. cxd5 maintained a closed centre by 1 8. tbf2
i.d7 14.tbj2 fiia5 15.h5. tbdc5 1 9. tbd3.
9. tbcs 18. bxc6
10. f3 a4 19. lDdS 'i!id8
11. h4 a3 •
It is clearly bad to go into the endgame by
19... fiixd2 20.tbe7+ 'it>h7 21JL:d2.
20. lDf6+
•
The development of Black's initiative is
less obvious after 20.tLJb4. I was counting
on 20. . . tLJxb4 21. fiixb4I:.e8 22. 'ihd6 1:ta6
23. tLJf2 i.j8 with c ounterp l ay for the
pawn.
20. tbxf6
21. gxf6 fiixf6
0 22. fiixd6
30. l:txb3+
31. 'it>c2 �b4
0-1
•
No.30
P.Thipsay I.Dorfman
-
B57 - New Delhi 1 982
1. e4 c5
2. l2Jf3 d6
3. d4 cxd4
4. l2Jxd4 l2Jf6
5. l2Jc3 l2Jc6
6. �c4 'i b6
7. l2Jde2
An idea of Fischer.
The critical position of the 1 8 . dxc6 7. e6
variation, for which Magerramov was 8. 0-0 �e7
aiming. He was so persistently seeking the 9. l2Jg3
exchange of queens, that he "overlooked" an In th� game Fischer-Benko, Candidates
opportunity to transpose into an ending. The Tournament 1 959, White won with a direct
pawn formation is fixed, and the bishops attack after 9.�b3 0-0 10.'it'h1 tDaS ll.�gS
cannot display their true worth. In White's 'i!VcS 1 2./4 bS 1 3 . l2Jg3 b4 1 4 . e5. Later
position the dark squares are chronically G ligoric improved B lack's play w ith
weak, and the h4 pawn constantly needs 13. . . � b 7. The Indian grandmaster goes a
defending. In addition, in an ending the a3 different way.
pawn takes on a different aspect. 9. 0-0
22. �xh3 10. �b3 l2Ja5
23. l:txh3 l:tfd8 11. �g5 h6
24. 'ixa3 •
Now at least White has something for his A new move compared with the games
sufferings. Ljubojevic-Ribli, Skopje Olympiad 1 972,
24 • •.• l:txd1+ and Lj ubojevic-Ree, Amsterdam 1 97 5 ,
25. �xd1 'id8 where 11... 'fic7 and 1 1... 'ficS were played
A subtle manoeuvre. The gain of time respectively. In both games White held the
enables B lack to activate all his pieces. advantage.
There is no way for the rook at h3 to join the 12. �e3
defence. •
26. �e2 I do not especially believe in the strategic
27. 'i b2 depth of White's opening set-up. But if one
28. a3? does play this, then I would prefer 12. Lj6
The final and decisive mistake. 28.a4 was �xf6 13.tDh5.
the only way to fight on. 12. ••• 'ic6
28. l2Jd3 An important link i n B lack's
29. 'id2 l:txa3 counterattack. In examples found by me,
30. �xd3 Black, as if hypnotised, played ... 'fic7 in
Also after 30. 'ixd3 'iaS it is all over. similar positions. The text move looks more
PRACTICAL APPLICATION 1 03
logical, since it prepares . . . b 7-b5 without i.b7 2J.lbh5 e5.

delay. 19. ••. lbxe4
13. 'ie2 lbxb3 20. lbxe4?
14. axb3 a6 But this is simply a step towards the
15. f4 bS abyss. In the ending White's position would
16. eS have been defensible.
20. ... i.b7
0
The I ndian Champion seeks any
dynamics, correctly realising that i n a 21. �ae1
protracted battle B lack's trumps will play The breakthrough in the centre follows
their part. after practically any move, e.g. 2J.lbg3 e5
16. .•• lbe8 22.fxe5 dxe5 23.i.xe5 i.c5+ 24.'�hl l:.ae8.
• 21. eS
In determining the central pawn 22. fxeS �xfl+
formation, I avoided the obvious 16... dxe5 23. �xfl
1 7.fxe5 lbd5 1 8. i.d4 ( 1 8. lbxd5 'ixd5 •
1 9. i.f4) 18 . . . lbxc3 ( 1 8. . . i.c5 1 9. 'fif2) Why did White avoid 23. 'Wixfl dxe5
1 9. bxc3. I thought that in it Black risked 24.i.xe5 ?! I was intending to play 24. . . �/8
losing part of his advantage. 25. 'f!ld3 i. c5+ 26.�h l (26. i.d4 i.xd4+
17. lbce4 f6 2 7. 'Wixd4 �e8) 26. . . 'Wixe4 2 7. .l:.xe4 i.xe4
18. exf6 28. 'fidl �j2 when the white king is doomed,
• whereas 24...'flxc2 25.'fle2 'Wixe2 26.Le2
It is essential to avert the further �e8 2Zi.d4 does not promise anything.
degradation of the s ituation, that was 23. dxeS
possible after the careless 1 8. �ael dxe5 24. i.xeS l:lf8+
1 9.fxe5f5. 25. �g1 I:!.e8
18. lbxf6 26. 'fibS
19. i.d4 The white knight cannot move because of
• 26
The " c entralised" bishop creates the i.c5+ followed by 2Z .. Le5, and the
preconditions for tactical play. But to be fair, variations 26.i.d4 i.f8 and 26. 'Wig4 i.c5+
it should be mentioned that Black stands 2Zlbj2 •.. i.gScomfort.
26.'Wif6 are also of little
clearly better after 1 9. lbxf6+ i.xf6 20.c3 0-1
No.3 1 critical variation 8. . . bxc3 9.lbxc3 cxd4

!.Dorfman R. Skrobek
-
J O.'i!i'a4+ lbjd7 l l . lbxd5 exd5 12. i.xd5
A46 - Warsaw 1 983 would have turned out disastrously for
Black.
1. d4 l2Jf6 8. i.b7
2. l2Jf3 e6 9. 'i!i'a4+ lbbd7
3. g3 10. i.g5 cxd4
White defers for some time the advance of •
his c-pawn, which enables him to avoid the The desire of the Polish Champion to
4 . . . i.a6 variation in the Queen's Indian avoid the static weaknesses after JO... i.e7
Defence, and several sharp lines in the ll.dxc5 is easily understandable.
Catalan Opening with an early capture on 11. cxd5 'i!i'c7
c4. •
3. b5 The capture 1 1 . . . exd5 is not something
I consider this to be the strongest reply that one seriously considers. I was intending
against the move order chosen by White. 12. i.h3 'ic 7 13.0-0 'i!i'xe5 14. i.xj6 with
4. 'i d3 overwhelming pressure.
•
An alternative is to exchange minor pieces
by i. c l -g5xf6. Later the bishops are
exchanged on the long diagonal, with the
7
ultimate aim of obtaining queen+knight
against queen+bishop. 6
4. b4?! 5
•
N o w t h i s pawn d e v a l u e s the dark- 4
square bishop. The correct reply 4 . . . a6
5. e4 i.b7 6. lbbd2 c5 was demonstrated
ten years later in the games Dorfman
Arkell, France 1 992, and Ehlvest-Hiibner, 0
Munich 1 992.
5. i.g2 i.a6
6. 11i'd1 c5 12. i.xf6 'i!i'cl+
• 13. 'id1 'i!i'xd1+
The attempt to revive the variation with •
6 . . . i. b 7 in the game Dorfman- Spasov, If 13... 'ixb2 White wins by 14.dxe6.
Moscow 1 985, did not succeed, and Black 14. ri;xd1 lbxf6
did not survive the opening after 7. c4 bxc3 15. lbxf7!
8. lbxc3 c5 9. 0-0 cxd4 J O. lbxd4 i.xg2 The point of White's plan ! In B lack's
11. <i;xg2 (the reader will find the complete position he creates a weakness of the light
text in the Appendix, p. 1 93). squares, which can be exploited in the best
7. lbe5 d5 traditions of the immortal Nimzowitsch.
8. c4 15. .l:tg8
• 16. l2Jg5 e5?
The armies come into contact over the •
entire front. The complications in the As o ften happens, B lack's decisive
mistake does not involve some oversight. heights with �/5 and lt:Je4.
Here it is the conception itself that is 32. lt:Jc5+
incorrect: in a statically inferior position 33. 'it;c4 lt:Ja4
Black avoids the dynamic play 16... exd5 34. i.c2
1 7. 'Dd2. Another such opportunity no Crippling the black knight.
longer presents itself. 34. •.• lt:Jb6+
17. lt:Jd2 lt:Jxd5 35. �b5 'it;e7
18. �e4 h6 A tacit offer to continue the game, by
19. lt:Jgf3 �d6 playing draughts! But, seriously speaking, I
20. lt:Jc4 0-0-0 can't help recalling Bronstein's words from
21. 'it;d2 his book on the 1 9 5 3 Candidates
The position is completely blocked, and Tournament: "A weakness of the light
Black has to play the thankless role of an squares is also a weakness of the pieces
observer. and pawns on the dark squares".
21. l:.ge8
22. l:l.hcl 'it;b8
23. lt:Ja5 �aS
24. lt:Jc6+ �xc6
25. l:txc6 lt:Jf6
26. 'it;d3 .l:te7
27. h3
A s usual, fi rst the p o s it i o n i s
strengthened t o the maximum, the threats
"accumulate", and the ripe fruit falls of its
own accord . . .
• 8
:.:i""'%
ff�
"'":? • 0
%
•
6 36. lt:Je4 lt:Jd5
/
• • ,. 37.
38
lt:Jg3
'it;c4
lt:Jc7+
'it;d7
4
il.. •
•
oo 39. i.a4 'it;e6

3. �•(£)n � 40.
41.
lt:Jf5
l:a6
lt:Je8
%
uu •�n • 1-0
• •
a b c d e g h No.32
D.Donchev - !.Dorfman
27. l:ic7
B87 - Lvov 1983
28. 1ixc7 'it;xc7
29. .llcl+ 'it;d7 I will always remember this insignificant
30. lt:Jd2 �e6 tournament - the Kotov Memorial. During
31. .l:r.c6 lt:Jd7 the closing ceremony I made some critical
32. g4 remarks about the organ isation of the
In the near future White will conquer new tournament. The punishment was not long in
following. The very next day I was banned 9. ..tgS

from playing in international tournaments
for a period of two years. This sounds like
the sentence of a court (it, or rather a trial, ea
did indeed take place). It was dismal to note 7
the partic ipation in it and the 6
i ncomprehensible comments by
grandmasters Mikhalchishin and Litinskaya, 5
whom I had previously regarded as chess 4
players. And the puni shment was also
suggested by my " c o l league s " . Such
measures were taken by the USSR Sports
Committee with regard to Korchnoi, Tal and
other "disagreeable" players. But here I was
punished by the tournament organisers - the
local Trades Union officials, who had no
experience of working with sportsmen. 9. 'ifaS!
I think that neither those handing out the •
punishment, nor the one receiving it, could A new move, which was to dissuade
have foreseen the consequences of these White from playing the opening this way.
sanctions. I needed to endure this difficult Savon ran into insuperable difficulties after
time, in order to have a better understanding 9... b4 JO.liJa4 ..td7 l l.f4 'it'a5 12.e5 dxe5
of people, and of life. Eighteen months later, 13.'it'xe5 'it'xe5+ 1 4.fxe5 liJg4 1 5. ..txe 7
when I was still unable to travel, I accepted <3;xe 7 1 6. liJb6 .l:.a7 1 7. liJc4 liJc6 J B. ti:J/3
an invitation by Kasparov to help him in his .l:.bB 1 9.h3 liJh6 20.g4 a5 2l.a4 f6 22.exf6+
world championship match against Karpov. gxf6 23. 0-0-0 liJf7 24. .l:.hel ..tcB 25. .l:.d5 h6
Thus I became a trainer, and for the first time 26. .l:.c5.
I conceived the idea of leaving the USSR. 10. ..td2
1. e4 cS •
2. liJf3 d6 The retreat of the active bishop must be
3. d4 cxd4 considered a plus for B lack. The idea of
4. liJxd4 liJf6 moving the queen onto the fifth rank is fully
5. liJc3 a6 revealed in the variation JO.f4 h6 1 1 . ..th4
The Naj dorf Variation has remained g5 12.fxg5 hxg5 13.Lg5 b4.
impregnable now for half a century. To a 10. 'it'c7
significant extent this is explained by the 11. a4
fact that the baton has been passed from •
Fischer to Kasparov. On encountering a surprise, White reacts
6. ..tc4 e6 logically. In this way he tries to justify the
7. ..tb3 bS passive position of his queen's bishop.
8. 'it'e2 11. b4
This comparatively rare continuation is 12. liJa2 'it'b6
the B ulgarian grandmaster's favourite •
weapon. During my preparations I took In the Sozin Attack White sometimes
notice of White's clever play in the game suffers due to the inactivity of his bishop on
Donchev-Savon, Varna 1 982. the a2-g8 diagonal. The idea of interposing
8. ..te7 the queen move is evident from the variation
12 . ..lt:.c6 13.lili:c6 'i!Vxc6 14.f3 a5 15. i.c4 attack is based on a resource that is already
i.a6 1 6. i.xa6 .!:!.xa6 1 7. c3, where White familiar to the reader from Game 6: 23.exd5
succeeds in ridding himself of this 'ile5+ 24.'l;;.f2 'ilxb2 (24... a4 25.i.a2 a3). It
superfluous piece. is amazing how White's position becomes
13. 'ie3 tbc6 hopeless in just three moves!
14. tbxc6 'ilxc6 23. 0-0 dxe4
15. f3 aS 24. i.e3
16. c3 White is all the time short of one tempo to
Now in the above variation i.c4 allows set up a defensive line. His king cannot be
the capture of the a4 pawn. defended after 24.fxe4 'ife5 (24...i.d6).
16. bxc3 24. exf3
17. tbxc3 i.a6 25. .l:txf3 tbg4
18. tL'IbS 26. i.f4 tbe5
• 27. 'ilxa8
B lack has a static advantage on three I should like to quote Fischer: "Different
e l ements of the regressive scale (not people feel differently about resigning".
counting "material correlation"). Therefore 2 7.i.xe5 'i'xe5 was another way.
White seeks dynamic p l ay. After the 27. 'i'xa8
interposition of 18.'11cl 'ilb 7 he would have 28. i.xe5 'ile4
been denied even this chance. 29. i.c3 i.b4
18. i.xb5 30. .l:te1 'ilh4
19. axb5 'ilb7 31. llefl i.xc3
20. 'ifc3 32. bxc3 'ile7
Donchev does everything possible to B lack carefully handles the technical
prevent . . . d6-d5, which opens access to the stage, not allowing the "invalid" bishop to
white king. come into play after the possible 33 i.xe6 or
20. 0-0 33 .:Xj7.
21. 'ifc6 'ifb8 33. h3 l:!.b8
22. :tel d5 34. c4 a4
35. i.a2 l:td8
36. .l:tb1 'ilc5+
37. <li;h1 .l:td2
The prelude to an accurately calculated
variation, leading to an economic finish.
38. b6 'i'gS
39. .l:tg1
Things would have concluded even more
quickly after 39.g3 'i'h5 40.g4 'ile5.
39. .l:txa2
40. .:Ic3 'i'c5
41. b7 .l:tb2
0 42. �d1 g6
Here White resigned, and therefore the
concluding double attack in the following
• variation remained off-stage: 43. .l:td8+ 'l;;g7
The breakthrough in the centre 44.b8='i .:Xb8 45. .:Xb8 'ile5·
nevertheless takes place. Black's counter- 0-1
No.33
!.Dorfman - Yu.Balashov
E9 1 - USSR Championship
First League, Tallinn 1983
1. lLlf3 lLlf6
2. c4 g6
3. tLlc3 i.g7
4. e4 d6
5. d4 0-0
6. i.e2 i.g4
Black chooses a rare variation, in which
at an early stage he concedes the bishop
pair. Such strategy cannot be a b c d e f g h
recommended, but perhaps Balashov was
aiming for a formation from the Pirc •
Ufimtsev Defence, which he l ikes and Black allows his opponent to modify the
knows how to play. pawn formation in the centre. Obviously this
7. i. e3 l2Jc6 is to the advantage of White, who has the
T h i s manoe uvre provokes a fi x i n g bishop pair. The alternative 12 ... 'flia5 13.f3
of the pawn formation, whereas after 'JJ.ab8 (13...1:Lac8 14.b3) 14.b3 cxd5 15. cxd5
7. . . tl::,fd 7 White has more freedom i n I!.ec8 1 6. 'f!id2 leads to an unpromising
his choice of p l a n . As a n example of position for B lack, as in the game
a s u c c e s s fu l way t o p l a y , I c a n Polugaevsky-Spassky, Toluka Interzonal
s u g g e s t 8. tb g 1 ! ? i.x e 2 9. tbgxe2 e 5 1 982. A convincing illustration of the rule
1 0. 0-0 tb c 6 ( o r 1 0 . . . a 5 l l . 'flid2 tb c 6 "The exchange of a bishop for a knight
1 2 .f3 exd4 1 3 . tl::,xd4 tb c 5 1 4 . 1l ad1 , can be j ustified only when the pawn
K a s p a r o v - V u k i c , B a nj a l u k a 1 9 7 9 ) formation is fixed".
l l .f3 f5 1 2 . exf5 gxf5 1 3 . dxe5 dx e 5 13. dxc6
1 4. c 5 w i t h a m i n i m a l a d v an t a g e t o •
W h ite ( M a g e rram o v - N e v e d n i chy, The only thing that cannot be
B aku 1 9 7 8 ) . recommended here is the win of a piece for
8. d5 i. xf3 three pawns by 13.f4 tbxc4! ? 14. i.xc4 exd5
9. i.xf3 l2Je5 15.i.b3 dxe4 16.f5 d5. Even after 13.dxe6
10. i.e2 c6 ltxe6, the ideal formation for Black, it is
11. 0-0 l:!.e8 hard for him to find any weakness in the
The Moscow grandmaster has no desire opponent's position. But White is no longer
to follow the game Gavrikov-Balashov, satisfied with the minimum.
M i n s k 1 9 8 3 , w h e re B l a c k ran i nt o 13. ... l2Jxc6
d i ffi c u l t i e s after 1 1 . . . 'fl aS 1 2. i.d2 ! ? U n fo r t u n ate l y fo r B a l a s h o v,
'IJ.fc 8 1 3 . b3 a 6 ( 1 3 . . . cxd5 1 4 . exd5) 1 3 . . . b x c 6 ? l o s e s a pawn after 1 4./4
14. a4!? 'flic 7 15.a5 'JJ.e8 1 6.f3 e 6 1 7.dxe6 tl::,ed7 15. 'flixd6.
Ihe6 18. b4. 14. 'i'b3 'i'e7
12. .l:cl e6 15. l:tfd1 'JJ.ed8
16. 'JJ.d2 'JJ.d7
17. l'!cd1 .!:!.adS e3 ! From here it defends the e4 pawn,

18. 'i'a3 i.f8 freeing the knight of this primitive function,
• and the latter can invade on the weakened
JB .. .tDeB!? does not significantly change b6 square, paralysing the enemy forces.
anything. After a series of forced moves, a 22. 'i'b3! $..g7
critical position has been reached. White 23. 'i'b6 ftJe8
finds some technical means to provoke new 24. l2Ja4 i.e5
weaknesses. 25. 'i'e3
19. i.g5! h6 At just the right time! Of the dynamic
• means available to B lack (changing the
If the b i shop return s, White further pawn formation, exchanging material,
strengthens his position (19... i.g7! ? 20.f3), seizing the initiative), all that remains is
maintaining a l l its advantage s . It i s playing for the exchange of the opponent's
significant that dynamic play (20.ftJb5 h 6 active pieces. This factor determines the
21.Lf6 Lj6 22. lbxd6 i.g5 23. 1:.d3 ftJe5 immediate actions of the two sides.
24. 1J.d4 ftJc6=) is clearly inappropriate 25. 'i'f6
here. 26. lUb6 lic7
20. i.h4 g5 27. i.xe5
21. i.g3 a6 This prevents 27. . . i.j4 followed by the
Totally passive is 21...b6 22. i.jl. black pawn moving to f4.
27. ... ftJxe5
•
The lesser evil. Clearly bad were both
27. . . dxe5 ? 28J'!xd8 lUxdB 29.ftJd7 'i'g7
30.lbxe5 and 27... 'i'xe5 28. c5! with the idea
of lUc4.
28. g3!
•
The bishops have disappeared, and the
opponent is persistently aiming for the
endgame, as after the incautious 28.b4 'i'j4!
28. g4
29. h4!
•
0 For the present in all the critical positions
White succeeds in maintaining his static
advantage. Now he does not give in to
This is an important strategic cross-roads. temptation, and he again avoids
White has to find a plan. All his pieces are simplification leading to equality after 29.c5
ideally placed, and yet nothing concrete is 'WigS 30. 'irxg5+ hxg5 31.cxd6 .l:.c6.
apparent. Moreover, he has to restrain the 29. ... .l:.b8
freeing break, which is possible in the event •
of 22.f3 d5! 23.'i'xe7 ftJxe 7 24. cxd5 exd5 It is all over. B lack has exhausted his
25.e5 ftJhS 26.i.j2. After a deep penetration dynamic resources and he accepts the
into the subtleties of the position, I opted for inevitable. 29...gxh3 30f4 tLlg6 31.�h2 leads
a set-up which cannot be called banal. Thus to new concessions. Static play in a statically
White plans the queen manoeuvre a3-b3-b6- inferior position can lead to only one result.
30. b4 <j;;g7 B) 43. il..f3 'ilxa4 44.g4, with a decisive

31. a4 a5 advantage for White in both lines.
In the event of 32.a5 Black would have 42. 'ilhs
been stalemated. Black resigns. In the variations 42. . . 'ilc6
32. bxaS .a.cs 43. 'ilxg4+ <jf;j7 44. il..b5 and 42 . . . ttJd6
33. :tb1 43.'filxg4+ <j;;J7 44. e5 he has no practical
• saving chances .
A manoeuvre that has the aim of 1-0
exchanging the opponent's active rook. Once
again we can satisfy ourselves that dynamic No.34
play is untimely: 33.1!xd6 ttJxd6 34. 'ixc5 I.Dorfman - S .Makarychev
ttJxe4 35. 'ie3 ttJc3 36. .a.d6 ttJxe2+ 37. 'i xe2 D02 - USSR Championship
ttJf3+ 38. <j;;g2.a.dB. First League, Tallinn 1 983
33. ,l;txaS
34. :bs :a6 1. d4 ttJf6
• 2. {j)f3 e6
The exchange 34... 1!xb5? 35.cxb5 creates 3. g3 dS
a p otential passed a-pawn, which i s 4. il. g2 ttJbd7
impossible t o stop. Black prematurely reveals his intentions.
3S. cS! His aim is the freeing advance . . . e6-e5.
The position is ripe for decisive action. White i mmediately changes p lan and
Now 35. . . dxc5 36. 'ixc5 ttJj3+ 3 7. il..xf3 switches to playing for e2-e4. If successful,
'filxf3 (37. ..gxf3 38.ttJd7 'filal+ 39. <j;;h2 'iljl he will acquire an outpost at e5, and Black
40. 'filc3+ <j;;gB 4 1 . 'ilxf3 ) 38.'ile5+ i s will have problems with his light-square
unsatisfactory for Black. bishop.
3s. .a.ds S. 0-0 c6
36. <j;;g2 dxcS •
37. 1hd8 'ilxd8 I should like to give a miniature that is
38. 'fixeS 'id6 very similar in style.
B lack loses after 38 . . .f6 3 9. .a.b4 :a 7
40.ttJd7. !.Dorfman - D.Guigonis
39. 'filc3! A07 - French Championship, Meribel 1 998
It is never too late to go wrong. After l.ttJf3 dS 2.g3 ttJd7 3.d4 e6 4.il.g2 ttJgf6
39.ttJc8? 'filxc5 40.1!xc5 ttJd7 4J . .a.c4 ttJe5 S.0-0 il.d6 6.lL\c3 a6 7.e4 ttJxe4 8.ttJxe4
the position becomes equal. dxe4 9.ttJgS fS 10.f3 exf3 l l .ttJxe6 'ie7
39. ... .!:txb6 12..l:te1 ttJeS 13.dxeS il.b4 14.ttJxg7+ 'i/xg7
Both players were seriously short of time, 1S.il.xf3 il.xe1 16.il. hS+ <j;;e7 17J!i'xe1 aS
and it is for this reason that the usually 18.'ifc3 .!:ta6 19.'iWxc7+ .i.d7 20.'filcS+ <j;;d8
tenacious Balashov loses so quickly. 39.. .f6 21.il.d2 l:[c6 22.'iVxaS+ <j;;e7 23.il.b4+ 1-0
was a tougher defence.
40 .l;txb6
• 'i xb6 6. 0.bd2 il.d6
41. 'fixeS+ f6 •
The outcome of the game is also decided Here 6... b6, mixing two different plans, is
after 41...0f6 42. il..xg4 'ic6: inappropriate. White breaks through in the
A) 43.a5 'filxe4+ 44. 'ilxe4 ttJxe4 45. il..j3 centre with 7.e4, although it is still possible
0.d6 (45. . ./5 46. il..xe4 fxe4 4 7. g4 <jf;j6 for him to revert to traditional Catalan play
48.f4+-) 46. i.xb7 ttJxb7 47.a6; by 7.c4 il..b7 8. 'ilc2 il..e 7 9.e4.
7. �e1 b6
8. e4
•
White has carried out h i s mini mum
program, but as yet he does not have any
static advantage. It a l l d e p e n d s o n
whether B lack is able t o advance h i s c- 5
pawn. 4
8. lZJxe4
•
Makarychev decides to get rid of the
knights, considering the complications in
the following variation to be unfavourable
0
for h i m : 8 . . . dx e 4 9. lDg5 e3 1 0.fx e 3
( 1 0. �xe3 ! ?) J O . . . .i..b 7 1 l . e4 e 5 12. lDc4 15. .i..xc6+ .i..xc6
.i..c7 13.d5 (13. lDf3). 16. �xe6+ fxe6
9. lZJxe4 dxe4 17. 'fixe6+ .i..e7
10. lZJg5 lDf6 18. 1lfxc6+ cif;f7
• 19. �e1
After 1 0. . ./5 White can continue 1 1 ./3 A unique position! Despite Black's great
as in the game with Guigonis, but the material advantage, it is not easy for him to find a
e nergetic 1 1 . lDx e 6 is e v e n stronger: way to save the game. Thus after the normal
l l. . . 'fie7 (JJ...'Wif6 12. .i..xe4 fxe4 13. he4 19... �c8 White has the immediately decisive
cif;J7 14.lDg5+ cif;g8 15.'itid3+-) 12 . .i..xe4 20.'fie6+ ci;;e8 2l.d5 'fid7 22.'Wi.f6 �g8 23.d6.
fxe4 13. he4+-. 19. �f8
11. lZJxe4 lDxe4 20. 'fie6+ 'it>e8
12. .i..xe4 .i..b7 21. d5
13. 'itig4 g6 There was a simpler win by 21 . .i..g5 �/7
Necessary, to avoid the loss of material 22. 'fic6+ cif;JB 23 . .i..xe 7+ �xe 7 24.'Wif6+
in the variation 1 3 . . . 0-0 1 4 . .i..h 6 'fi/6 'it'e8 25.he7+ 'iVxe 7 (all Black's moves are
15. .i..g5. forced) 26. 'fic6+ and 2 7 'iVxa8.
14. .i..h6 .i..f8 21. 'fid7
• 22. 'flieS
Black is crushed after 1 4. . ./5 1 5. .i..x/5 •
gxf5 1 6. 'itig 7 �/8 1 7. �xe6+ .i..e 7 An important moment for the
18. 'fix/8+. understanding of the situation. By regaining
After a series of six forced moves in the the material White risks ending up in a
game, a critical position has been reached. difficult position after 22.d6 'fixe6 23.he6
In the event o f the b i sh o p exchange �/7 24. .i..g5 ci;;d7 25.he7+ he7 26.dxe7
1 5 . .i..xf8 ci;;xf8 B l ack can put up a �c8.
tenacious defence. 22. ci;;d8
White radically changes the character 23. .i..xf8 .i..xf8
of the play with a real rook sacrifice. 24. d6 'fit7
Again the only reply. Against the threat of
25. 'if/6+ it does not help to run with the
king: 24. . . Wc8 25. "ii'e8+ "i&'xe8 26. :lxe8+ No.3 5

Wb7 2 7. d7.
!.Dorfman - U.Boensch
E06 - Lvov 1 984
1. d4 lZ'lf6
2. l2Jf3 e6
3. g3
had already met the German
grandmaster, and I had no wish to go in for
his line of the Queen's Gambit.
3. dS
4. i.g2 i.e7
5. c4 0-0
6. 'ic2
0 A cunning move, counting on the standard
reaction.
25. l:te4
The culmination of the game. 25... i.g7 is
very strongly met by 26. "i&'g5+ i.j6
(26. . . "i&'j6 2 7. "ii'd5) 2 7. "i&'j4, intending to
invade on the seventh rank with the rook.
25. Wd7
26. .l:tf4 'ilfe6
27. 'ibS+ Wxd6
28. 'ifb4+
Interposing moves by 28. '!1.xf8 ? ? 'iel+
29. Wg2 �!8 would have lost the rook.
28. Wc6
29. 'fJ.xf8 .!:.i.xf8
30. 'ixf8 'i'xa2 6. dxc4?!
31. 'if6+ WbS •
32. "it'eS+ Wc6 A d u b i o u s dec i s i o n . T h e p o s i t i o n
33. 'i'e4+ Wd6 d e m a n d e d the subtle r e s p o n s e 6 . . . c 5
34. 'i'd4+ Wc6 7. cxd5 ( 7. 0-0 cxd4 8. tiJxd4 lD c 6 9.lDxc6
35. 'i!Ve4+ WcS bxc6 J O. b3; 7. dxc5 d4t) 7. . . cxd4 8.dxe6
36. b3 aS i.xe6, and Black is alright thanks to his
37. 'ife3+ WbS strong p r e s s u re on the b a c kw a rd e 2
38. 'ilfc3 Wa6 pawn.
39. 'ic8+ Wa7 7. 'ifxc4 a6
40. 'ic7+ Wa6 8. i.f4 liJdS
41. 'i!Vc8+ 9. l2Jc3 bS
Here, following the time scramble, the 10. 'i!Vd3 i.b7?
game was adjourned. Analysis showed that, •
by advancing his kingside pawns, White Another banal decision, whereas Black
converts his advantage without difficulty. could have played JO... tlJxf4 l l .gxf4 .l:!.a7
Black resigned without resuming. w i th the b i shop p a i r in an u n c l e ar
1-0 position.
11. tZ:lxd5 .i.xd5 18. h6

12. 0-0 tLld7 19. lLld2 'i b6?
• •
The central break 12 ... c5 13.dxc5 Lc5 This move allows some tactical fireworks
14. tLlg5 g6 15. Ld5 'fixd5 1 6. 'fixd5 exd5 in a seemingly simple position. It was
1 7.'!:.fd1 :t:!d8 18.'f:.acl creates weaknesses essential to attack the opponent' s most
in B l ack's position and worsens his active piece, by playing 1 9... i.e5.
situation. 20. tZ:le4 i.e5
13. Itfd1 21. i.h3 '!:.adS
• 21 . . . .1l..xf4 22.i.xd7 1:!ed8 23. "ilxc5 is
The seemingly tempting 13.a4 can be met hopeless for Black.
by 13 . . . c5 14.axb5 c4.
13. c5
14. e4 .i.b7
0 22. i.xd7 .!:l.xd7

23. i.xe5 .l:.xe5
24. tZ:lxc5 .flc7
• White's idea lies in the primitive variation
White is again at a parting of the ways. 24 . . . 1J.dxd5 25. tLld7. As was said by
Nothing sign ificant is apparent in the Smyslov, when setting off to the 1 9 82
variation 15.'f:.acl 'fib6 (15... cxd4 16. .i.c7) Interzonal Tournament in Las Palmas: 'It is
16.dxc5 (16.d5 exd5 1 7.exd5 .i.d6 18.tLlg5 important to see checks, forks and pins.'
I:Df6) 16.Ji'Jxc5 1 7. "ile3 1:!ac8. 25. b4 i.xd5
15. d5 exd5 The p awn has to be taken. I f White
Here and later . . . c5-c4 is bad, since the defends it with his queen, the passed pawn
white knight gains access to the c6 square. itself will decide the outcome. Because of
16. exd5 .i.f6 the weakness of the back rank, 25... :t:hd5
17. fkc2 'f:.e8 does not work: 26.:Xd5 .i.xd5 27.'f:.d1 'ic6
18. h4 28."ilf5.
A useful manoeuvre. The inclusion of 26. f4
1 8.h4 h6 suits White for several reasons. It All this was worked out before the 2 1 st
weakens the opponent's king, after tLld2 move, and White p lays without any
there is not the reply . . . .i.g5, and it i s prejudices.
pleasant to b e able to deploy the bishop at 26 . . ..i.e4
h3 behind the pawn chain. 26.. .1i:.h5 was stronger, with the possible
continuations: The capture 38... :Xh4 loses immediately

A) 2 7.g4 ? '1hh4 28.'1hd5 '1hg4+ 29. <3;hJ for two reasons: 39.'iel and 39./6.
( 2 9. <3;h2 'ij6- + ) 29. . . 'if6 (29. . . 'ic6 39. 'ixa6 Ji..xfS
30.':.adl J:l.d7 3J. 'if5 '1hd5 32.'1hd5 '1hf4 40. 'ikxbS Ji..g6
33.'ixf4 'ilxd5+ 34.'ile4 'ixa2), and Black 41. a4 .:.b1
is in no danger; 42. hS
B) 27.:d4 ':.c8 28.J:I.adl Ji..f3 29.':.ld2, and Of course, not 42./5 ? ? Ji..h5 +.
White retains the better position. 42. Ji..c2
27. 'i'f2 43. 'i'c4 Ji..d1+
The point of the combination. 44. <3;e3 l:ta1
After 44. . . Ji..xh5 45. 'ilc2+ Ji..g6 46.f5
B l ac k l o s e s one o f h i s remaining
es pieces.
7 45. 'ikc3 J:l.xa4
46. 'i d3+ <3;g8
6 47. 'ikxd1
5 The curtain may be lowered. The position
could have been of some interest without
4
one of the white pawns.
3 47. i:ta3+
2 48. <3;f2 l:ta2+
49. <3;f3 l:ta3+
50. <3;g4 <3;h7
51. 'ild4 <3;h8
52. <3;rs l:ta6
27. :exeS 53. 'i dS ,l;[f6+
28. bxcS !r.xcS 54. <3;eS .:.f8
29. ':.acl It is easy to see that the rook cannot be
White is ahead on material and he aims kept on the sixth rank due to the pawn
for simplification. ending being lost.
29. l::txcl 55. 'ie6 <3;h7
30. 'i xb6 ':.xd1+ 56. fS <3;h8
31. <3;f2 fS 57. <3;e4
3J...Ji..f5 seems more tenacious to me. The triangulation method, which puts the
32. g4 <3;h7 opponent in zugzwang.
33. 'i'e6 Ji..b1 57. ••• <3;h7
34. gxfS ':.d2+ 58. 'ie7 <3;g8
35. <3;e3 The decisive nuance: after 58 . . . .:./6
White does not give in to the provocation. 59.'ixf6 gxf6 60.<3;d5 <3;g7 6J.<3;e6 White
After 35.<3;g] ':.dl+ 36.<3;g2 J:l.d2+ 37.<3;g3 wins.
':.d3+ 38. <3;g4 h5+ 39. <3;xh5 J:l.g3 40. 'i'el 59. <3;es .:.n
g6+ 4l.fxg6+ Ji..xg6# it all ends in mate, 60. 'ie6 <3;f8
but. . . to the white king. 61. 'ic8+
35. .l::r.d3+ Finally the king is drawn out of its shelter.
36. <3;e2 .:.g3 61. <3;e7
37. <3;f2 .:.g4 62. 'figS
38. <3;f3 ,l;tg1 1-0
No.36 •
I.Novikov - !.Dorfman There is a choice here, but it is largely
A53 - 5 1 st USSR Championship, theoretical, since in the variation 1 0.dxe5
Lvov 1 984 lbxe5 l l . lbxd5 lbxd5 1 2. 'ixd5 lbd3+
13.<i;d2 lbb4 Black has a strong initiative.
1. d4 lbf6 10. .•. exd4
2. c4 d6 11. Ji.xd4
3. lbc3 lbbd7 After l l . lbxd4 lbb6 Black regains the
• material and retains a static advantage. In
I chose a move order, enabling me to several variations . . . Ji.g5 is a threat.
avoid the Samisch Variation - the favourite 11. lbb6
weapon of grandmaster Novikov. 3 . . . e5 12. lbf4
pursues the same aim, but I was in the mood •
for an uncompromising battle, and at such White can retain his central pawn with
an early stage I did not want to think about 12.iLxb6 'ixb6 or 12. iLxf6 Ji.xf6, but in
an endgame, even one favourable for Black. both cases he has no way of countering the
4. e4 e5 opponent's play on the dark squares.
5. lbge2 12. lbbxd5
White's choice of middlegame plans is 13. lbfxd5 lbxd5
wider after 5. lbf3 , but, as the next few 14. i.xg7
moves show, the Ukrainian player had not This critical continuation is forced, since
given up the idea of transposing into his after 14.lbxd5 'ixd5 it is hard to parry the
usual Samisch. threat of . . . iLg5.
5. Ji.e7 14. ••. .l:.e8!
6. f3 c6 15. Ji.e2
7. Ji.e3 0-0 The only defence. The king cannot reach a
This is a critical position, since a decision safe haven after 15. 'ixd5 iL/6+ 1 6. 'l;f2
has to be taken regarding the pawn centre. (16.'i;d1 Ji.xc3) 16... 'ib6+ 1 7. 'i;g3 Lg7.
Here the white king is bad dynamically,
although there are five pieces on the e-file.
After sensing the danger (and this after 7
moves, playing White, and after occupying •
the centre), it was necessary to block the
centre by 8.d5.
8. 'id2?
It would seem that nothing can prevent the
white king from castling, but the dynamics
of the subsequent events do not leave White
time for even a brief respite.
8. d5! !
Lightning from a c lear sky ! The
preliminary exchange 8... exd4 9.Ji.xd4 is
inappropriate, since it makes the central
freeing break 9 . . . d5 impossible because of
10. cxd5 cxd5 l l. e5. 15 ...
. lbe3?!
9. cxd5 cxd5 This looks strong, but it could have
10. exd5 complicated Black's task. He would have
retained a powerful initiative with 15.Jbb4 No.3 7

16.j.h6 'fixd2+ J7.<Ji;xd2 :t:!dB+ 1B.<Ji;cl j.j5. B.Gelfand !.Dorfman
-
16. j.h6 lt:Jxg2+

D85 - Minsk 1 986
17. <Ji;f2?
This unfortunate move loses quickly. 1. d4 l2'lf6
1 7.<Ji;d1 should have been preferred. 2. c4 g6
17. 'fkb6+! Today it may seem strange, but the young
18. <Ji;xg2 'it'g6+ Gelfand was better at handling technical
19. <J;;;fl j.h3+ positions. Apart from this, my choice of
20. <Ji;e1 'fig2 opening was influenced by the fact that my
21. 'if4 opponent had an excellent understanding of
The concluding position of the main the Petrosian Variation of the Queen's Indian
variation of the c ombination 2 1 . :t:!j1 ? Defence.
:t:!adB 2 2 . 'fij4 'fixf1 + 2 3 . j.xf1 j. h4# 3. lt:Jc3 d5
would satisfy the most demanding And so, the Griinfeld Defence. I was not to
connoisseur. know that Gelfand and his trainer Kapengut
had found a new idea in a popular variation,
which sets Black serious problems.
• 4. tt:Jf3 i.g7
5. cxd5 lt:Jxd5
6. e4 lt:Jxc3
7. bxc3 c5
8. .:!.b1 0-0
9. i.e2 cxd4
•
If I stopped regularly employing the
Griinfeld Defence, it was because of the
variation with B.:t:!b1 and 9.j.e2. Practice
does not in fact give a clear reply as to
which of the antidotes is best. For example,
for a long time 9... lLlc6 10.d5 lLle5 ll.lt:Jxe5
21. 'fkxh1+ j.xe5 12. 'fid2 e6 13.f4 j.c7 was considered
22. <Ji;d2 .:tad8+ promising, but by the start of the 2 1 st
23. <Ji;c2 'it'g2 century everything had been analysed here
24. <Ji;b3 down to the endgame.
There was no need for the last few moves. 10. cxd4 'i!ka5+
24. j.e6+ 11. j.d2
25. j.c4 j.xc4+ As a person working in the Kasparov
26. 'fkxc4 j_f6 team, I can testify that, if Karpov had
27. 'fif4 Ite6 employed this move a couple of times
Black after all reaches the opponent's instead of the toothless 1 1 . 'fid2, the
king. discussion in the Griinfeld Defence would
28. Itd1 Itxd1 have been curtailed.
29. lt:Jxd1 .l:!.b6+ 11. 'fkxa2
30. <Ji;c4 'ife2+ 12. 0-0 b6
0-1 •
This defence looks more logical than
12... 1i.g4, 12. ..a5, or 12... t:'i:Jd7 13. i.b4 !Db6. 17. .li!.xe6 +
13. 'icl 'ie6 As a result of the forcing play 1 7.Le6f:xe6
Soon afterwards Romanishin suggested the 18.1he6 'id5 19.1he7 tDc6 20.f!xg7+ <tlxg7
queen sacrifice 1 3 . . . 1i.a6 14.:.aJ fixa l 2l.Lf8+ :Xj8 the position is simplified and
15.fixal Le2 16.:.eJ Lj3 1 7.gxf3 !Dc6, the chances are roughly equal.
but it is nevertheless insufficient for equality. 17. ... fxe6
On the basis of the game Ivanchuk-Svidler, 18. !Dg5 rtilh8?!
Linares 1998, 13. .. 1i.b7 14.i.c4 fia4 15. 1i.b5 Perhaps the fate of the variation chosen by
'i'a2 16.i.c4 'i!ia4 1 7.i.b5 'ilia2 JB.f:.el .l:tc8 Black depends on 18... !Dd7.
19.'i!idl e6 20.h4 h5 21.'ifie2 tDc6 22.1i.c4
'i a4 23.:.aJ 'ic2 24.i.d3 'ib2 25.1J.a4! is
considered dangerous for Black.
14. i.c4
White used a subtle transposition of
moves in the game Agrest-Gavrikov,
European Champions Cup 1 999: 14. f:.el
i.a6 15.i.dl 'id7 16. i.h6 i.b7 1 7.i.xg7
rtilxg 7 1 8. '1:.b3 !Da6 1 9. 'ilib2 f6 2 0. !Dh4
f:.ad8 2l.f:.g3 e6 22.d5 !Dc5 23. i. g4 'if7
24.i.h5 !Dd3 25.1hd3 gxh5 26.d6.
14.'ic2 is slow. The chances are equal after
14 . . . 'id7 15. 1J.fc l i.a6 1 6. i.xa6 tDxa6
1 7. 'ic4 ficB 1 8. 'ixc8 :.jxc8 1 9. 1:!xc8+
'!J.xc8 20.f:.al !Db8 2l . .l:txa 7 tDc6 22. f:.d7 19. !Dxe6?
(Polak-Ivanchuk, Elista Olympiad 1 998). White loses a tempo in the attack. The
14. ... 'ixe4 inclusion of 1 9. 'f1b3! was much stronger,
when Black can only regret the premature
15. :lel
determining of his king's position.
It is hard to believe that Black can have 19. ... !Dd7
any problems in the endgame with an extra 20. i.xe7?
pawn after 15. i.xj7+ 'ilxf7 16.'ixc8+ '!:.f8 This seco succesesiv mistake leaves White without
17.'ic4+ e6 18.1:.fel 'id5 1 9. f:.bcl. hopes of saving the game. The primitive 2Qtbxj8
15. �7 tbxj8 would still have enabled him to stay afloat
16. i.b4 i.e6 20. J:Uc8
21. !Dxg7
21. ... 'ifc6 •

After 2 1 . . . 'ie4! White could have Black is not strong enough in the centre to
resigned with a clear conscience. seize the initiative on the queenside. After
22. .l:r.b4 b5 9. . . c4 JO.lbe5 �e6 l l. lbxc6 bxc6 1 2 . b3
23. ltJe8 'ife4 static weaknesses are created in his position,
Fortunately for Black, with time trouble without sufficient compensation.
imminent he is able to clarify the situation. 10. liJxd4 h6
24. liJd6 'ifxe7 ll. �e3 .l:e8
25. ltJxc8 'ifxb4 12 .l:r.cl
•
26. �d5 l::rb8 In the early 1 980s all the logical queen
27. h4 'ifxd4 moves (12.'ic2, 12.'ib3 and 12.'i a4) were
28. 'ic6 'ifc5 seriously tested. I prefer to settle on
29. 'ifxd7 .l:.xc8 Rubinstein's classical continuation.
30. g3 .l:.f8 12. ... �f8
31. �f7 'ifc3 The F inish grandmaster follows the
32. h5 'if6 theoretical recommendation. 12. . . �g4 is
33. hxg6 hxg6 perhaps more accurate, but to me White's
34. �d5 'ifxf2+ position seems the more promising.
35. 'lt>h1 'iffl+ 13. ltJxc6 bxc6
36. 'lt>h2 'ilff2+ 14. �d4 �g4
One can imagine how few seconds Black In a number of blitz games Kasparov
had left, if he missed the mate by 36... :tj2+. p layed 1 4. . . lbh 7 1 5. lba4 lbg5 1 6. �c5
37. Wh3 'iff5+ (16.:.Xc6) against me.
38. 'ixf5 .l:txf5 15. 'ifa4 �d7
0-1 16. �xf6 1!Vxf6
No.3 8
!.Dorfman - Y.Rantanen
D34 - Helsinki 1 986
The tournament in the F inish capital

marked my return to international events
after three years of relentless persecution.
1. d4 d5
2. c4 e6
3. liJc3 c5
An unfortunate jest. During the previous
year and a half I had spent several months 0
analysing the Tarrasch Defence - Kasparov's
main weapon in his first World
Championship Match. 17. liJxd5
4. cxd5 exd5 •
5. liJf3 liJc6 A theoretical novelty ! Rantanen was
6. g3 liJf6 undoubtedly guided by the recommendation
7. �g2 �e7 in the Encyclopaedia of 1 7. �xd5 cxd5
8. 0-0 0-0 1 8. 1i'xd7 1!ad8 1 9. 'ilia4 d4 20. lbd5 'ilij5
9. �g5 cxd4 2 J . lbf4 g5 22. lbd3 :txe2 23. 'ilidl :tde8
24. .!:!.e1 l:.xe1+ 25JlJxe1 d3 26.tlJxd3 .!:!.dB 4. lLlf3 J.g7

2 7. .!:!.c3 J. g 7 28 . .!:!.b3 J.xb2, l eading to 5. 'i!fb3
equality. All this occurred in the game Stein I impatiently awaited our game, since
Damjanovic, Vrnjacka Banja 1 97 1 . Contrary my opponent had already p l ayed this
to this variation, I saw the possibility of a earlier in the tournament against
promising position with opposite-colour Kotronias.
bishops. 5. dxc4
17. cxd5 6. 'i!fxc4 0-0
18. 'i!fxd7 .!:!.adS 7. e4 tLla6
19. 'i!fb7 l:!.xe2 8. J.e2
20. J. xd5 .!:!.d2 After B.!Ji..f4 c5 9.d5 e6 JO.d6 e5 White's
After 20... l:.xb2 21.Lf7+ �hB 22. J.b3 kingside is undeveloped, and his opponent
White is a pawn up and the enemy king's seizes the initiative.
position is open. 8. c5
21. J.b3 i.d6 9. d5 e6
22 .!:!.c3
• 10. 0-0 exd5
The decisive manoeuvre. From f3 the 11. exd5
white rook will take part in the attack on the
f7 pawn, while also fulfi lling defensive
functions.
22. 'i!fe7
23. 'i!fb5 'i e5
24. 'i!fc4 'tiffS
25. �g2 lid7
26 .!:!.f3
• 'i!fg6
27. 'i!fc8+
2 7. 'ilfc3 would have been immediately
decisive, e.g. 27. . . J.f8 28. .!:!.xj7.
27. ... J. f8
28. .!:tel 'ilfd6
Now White also activates his second rook,
and after its appearance on the eighth rank
B l ack loses more materia l . 28 . . . .!:!.d8
followed by . . . .!:!.Bd7 or . . . .!:!.2d7 was a more 11. ... J.f5
tenacious defence. Gavrikov's variation l l . . . 'ilfb6 remains
29 .!:!.e8
• g6 a stumbl ing-block for White. There is
30. J.e6 also the reserve move 1 1 . . . b 6 , but in
1-0 t h i s l i n e B l a c k h a s to re c k o n w i t h
12. 'ilfh4.
No.39 12. J.f4
V.Ivanchuk - I.Dorfman At the moment it is White who has had
097 - Lvov 1 988 the last word here. After 1 2 . .!:!.d1 .!:!.eB
1 3 . d6 h 6 1 4 . J.j4 tLl b 4 15 . .!:!.d2 tLld7
1. d4 lLlf6 16.'ilfb3 J.e6 1 7. !ii.c4. tLlb6 1B. i.xe6 .!:!.xe6
2. c4 g6 1 9.ltJa4 .!:!.e4 20.J.g3 tLlc4 21.tLlxc5 lLlxd2
3. tLlc3 d5 22.tLlxd2 .!:!.e2 23.1Wxb4 aS 24.1Wxb7 l:.xd2
25. d 7 his advantage became decisive in 1 9.'flxb5 'flxe4 20.'flxb7.

the game Piket-Kasparov, Amsterdam 17. 'i!i'xbS lbeS
1 995. 18. lbxeS
12. .:e8 After a series of forced moves a critical
13. l:tad1 lbe4 position has been reached. White shows
14. lbbS c ourage in avoiding the equality after
Nothing else will do. The blockading 18.'flxb7 '1i.ee8.
14 . . . lbd6 has to be parried, and the 18. ... lbd6
complications after 14. i.d3 i.xc3 15.bxc3 19. lbg4
b5 16.'flxb5 lbxc3 1 7.'flxa6 i.xd3 18.1hd3 Ivanchuk's play is ideal. After 1 9. lbd 7
lbe2+ 1 9.'�hl lbxf4 are also favourable to 'fld8 20.'fia4 c4 White stands worse.
Black. 19. ... 'fif4
14. 'fif6 20. 'ili'd7 c4
15. i.d3 The sleeping knight finds a propitious
moment to join the play.
21. g3 lbcS
22. "W/c7
The ending after 22. gxf4 lbxd 7 i s
hopeless for White.
22. 'fixg4
23. "W/xcS "W/d7
24. i.e2 i.xb2
25. 'fib4!
15. ... i.d7

A theoretical novelty, and an important
improvement on the 1 9th game of the
Karpov-Kasparov match, London/Leningrad
1 986, where White converted his material
advantage in the variation 15... lbb4 16.lbc7
lbxd3 1 7. lbxe8 lhe8 1 8. 'flxd3 'flx b2
1 9.':del.
16. i.eS! Incredibly, this is a critical position,
Ivanchuk responds accurately to the determining the viability of Black's novelty
surprise. 1 6.g3 'flx b 2 1 7.' � b l i.xb5 on the 1 5th move. I saw that after 25... i.e5
18.'flxb5 'flxb5 19.i.xb5 :!ed8 o r 16.i.cl 26.i.xc4 'fig4 2 7. 'f1. c l (2 7.f4 ? i.xj4 !)
i.xb5 1 7. 'flxb5 I!£Jd6 would have been to 27... 1:!.c8 28. 'flel ! lbxc4 29. '1i.xc4 "Wixc4
Black's advantage. 30.'flxe5 'flxa2 31.'f1.al the game was level.
16. ... i.xbS Nevertheless, I decided to play on.
Black loses after 16 . . .'1J.xe5 ? 1 7. 1!£Jxe5 25. c3?!
'flxe5 (1Z .. i.xb5 18.'flxe4) 18.i.xe4 i.xb5 26. i.d3 aS
It i s time to release the bishop from the After 5.d4 it is practically impossible
encirclement. 26... .Uc8 27. .Udel was bad for today to force the opponent to make even
Black. one move of his own.
27. 'iff4 ..lta3 5. d6
28. l:.fel ..ltc5 6. 0-0
29. 'it>g2 In the later game Tkachiev-Dorfman, Cannes
• 1 996, White tried to save a tempo by not
Perhaps 29.a4 should have been tried. castling, in order to occupy the centre, but
29. b5 Black seized the initiative by 6.tbbd2 0-0
30. h4 h5 7...ltb3 tbe7 8.d4 exd4 9.cxd4 ..ltb6 JO. ..ltc2
31. 'if6 (10.0-0 ..ltg4) JO.JiJc6 11.d5 tbb4 12. ..ltbl c6.
On this occasion White forces equality, 6. ..ltb6
whereas 3 J . 'fJ.e5 would have retained a 7. l2Jbd2
double-edged position.
31. 'ifd8
32. 'ilfxc3 •
•
The drawn result is not changed in the
endgame after 32. .Ue7 l:ta 7 33.r:!del .l:!.xe 7
34.'f:xe7 ..ltd4 35.'ikg5 1;;f8 36. .Ua7! 'ikxg5
37. .Ua8+ 'id8 38 . .Uxd8+ 1;;e 7 39.l:ta8 a4
(39... ..ltb6 40.'fJ.a6).
32. ..ltb4
33. 'i'e5 .i.xe1
34. .l:r.xe1 .l:i.c8
This ensures the inviolability of the
blockading knight. The careless 34... b4 ?!
35..Ucl could have led to difficult problems.
35. l:te3 b4 7. tbe7
36. .l:i.f3 l:tc3 At such an early stage a move with an
37. .:r6 tbe8 already developed piece is rarely made. Its aim
38. l:tf3 tbd6 here is to strengthen the kingside, which is
Yz-Yz weakened by the remoteness of the dark-square
bishop, and also to prepare expansion in the
No.40 centre by . . . c7-c6, . . . ..ltc7 and . . . d6-d5.
J.Klinger !.Dorfman
-
8. .i.b3 tbg6
C54 - Budapest 1 988 9. l2Jc4 0-0
10. .l:!.e1
1. e4 e5 •
Usually the Austrian p layer is The capture of the b ishop does not
unpredictable. Therefore against him I promise any benefits, as is apparent from the
prefer classical play, rather than the Sicilian game Fontaine-Dorfman, Enghien Les Bains
Defence. 1 997. After 10.0.xb6 axb6 ll.h3 h6 12.d4
2. tbf3 tbc6 'ie 7 1 3 . .Uel tbh 7 B lack built up an
3. .i.c4 ..ltc5 initiative on the kingside.
4. c3 tL:lf6 10. ... .i.e6
5. d3 A manoeuvre which took me a
considerable amount of time. This is usually weakening of his pawn formation or his castled
played after the preparatory . . . h7-h6. Here position after 14.i.b3 d5 15. exd5 �xe1+
there is no need for this, since B lack 16. 'ikxe1 i.xd4 1 7. cxd4 t!Jxd5 or 14.f3 d5.
successfully parries l l.ti::-,g5 ? by playing 14. ..• 'ikd7
11.0 i.g4 12. tlJf3 tlJh4.
0 The tactical justification of White's last
11. d4? move lies in the variations 14 . . . tlJxe 4
In this critical position White changes the 1 5 . 'ikd5 a n d 1 4 . . . 'Axe4 1 5 . �xe4 tlJxe4
type of centre. After this the advantage is 16.Lf7+ <1;xf7 1 Z 'ikd5+.
normally seized by the player who is better 15. t!Jg3 h5
developed. Black's negative static balance demands
11. •.. i.xc4! dynamic play on his part.
Such an exchange can be justified by 16. tlJxhS t!Jxe4
serious reasons. In the subsequent play 17. i.e3 t!Jxf2
Black forces a significant weakening of the
enemy king, or the creation of a fixed pawn
formation that favours him.
12. i.xc4 exd4!
In the best amateur traditions. The
exchange of bi shop for knight is
"consolidated" by the conceding of the
centre. I cannot even "justify" this by my
departure to France, since this took place
two years later! Joking aside, after 13. cxd4
d5 (13... tlJxe4 14. Lf7+ �f7 15.�e4 d5
16.�e1 'ikd7) 14. exd5 t!Jxd5 White can no
longer count on his bishops.
0
13. t!Jxd4
The knight is immune due to the loss of a

pawn after 1 8. i.xj2 ( 1 8. <1;xf2 �xe3)
• 18... Lf2+ 1 9. <1;xf2 'ikf5+ 20.'ikf3 'ikc5+.
18. 'ikc2!
Klinger wakes up and finds an excellent
resource, involving tlJj6+.
18. ... d5
•
18... tlJh3+ looks tempting, but White has
some convincing counter-arguments: 19.gxh3
(19.<1;h1 tlJe5 20.i.xb6 axb6 2l.�e5 �e5
22.'ikg6 tlJf2+ 23.<1;g1 �h5 24.'ikxh5 tlJe4
25.�/1) 1 9... :Xe3 20.tlJf6+ <1;h8 21. tlJxd7
1he1+ 22.<1;g2 'Axa1 23.t!Jxb6 axb6 24.Lf7.
19. i.xb6 axb6
13. •.. �e8 20. 'ikd2
14. tiJfS Another good reply. If 2 0. . . c6 there
An instructive moment. White goes in for follows 21. 'ikd4.
wild complications, rather than allow a 20. ..• 'ikf5
'flxd4+ 25.cxd4 'rad8 26.!1Jj5 <j;j8 2 7.a4.

24. ••• 'it'll+
25. <j;bl tt:'!6e5
The game would have concluded more
simply and quickly after 25. . . tbf4, with
numerous threats.
26. i.b3
If 2 6. 'rae2 I would have increased the
pressure by 26. . . 'rad8 2 7.i.b3 'rad2.
26. fadS
27. 'i!fe2 l:ld2
•
0 The transition into an ending where Black
is a pawn up and has no weaknesses ensures
a straightforward technical win.
21. tt:'!g3 28. 'flxtl tt:'!xtl+
• 29. <j;gl tt:'!fd3
The culmination of the game. In the 30. .l:.fl tt:'!xb2
ending arising after 2 1 . 'flxd5 'flxd5 31. tt:'!e4 l:!.d7
(2l . . . tbe5 22. tbg3 'ilj4) 22. i.xd5 .l:hel + 32. tt:'!g5 tt:'!bc4
23Jhel tbd3 24. 'rafl tbge5 Black i s only In a time scramble such excessive solidity
sl ightly better. Now, however, the is easily explained.
queen+knight tandem demonstrates its 33. h3 b5
potentiality. 34. r.r5 f6
21. 'fif4 35. tt:'!e4 <j;f8?
22. 'flxd5 libel+ A completely crazy move with the flag
23. !'lxel tt:'!g4 about to fall. There was no alternative to the
prophylactic 35... b6.
36. tt:'!c5 'rad2
37. tt:'!xb7?
The Austrian p l ayer returns the
c ompl iment. 3 7. tbe 6+ <j; e 7 38. tbxc 7
(38. tbxg 7 tbd6 3 9. 'raf2 :Z.d3) 38. . . 'raxg2+
3 9. <j;xg2 tbe3+ 40. <j;f2 tbxf5 41. tbx b5
would have equalised.
37. :xg2+
38. <j;xg2 tt:'!e3+
39. <j;fl tt:'!xfS
40. tt:'!c5 <j;e7
0 41. tt:'!e4
42. tt:'!g3
tt:'!d6
f5
43. iLc2 g6
24. 1!Ve4 One of the players' flags fell, and the
• arbiter terminated the blitz. The position is
I would have preferred to seek saving so simple that White cannot hope for any
chances in the endgame after 24. 1!Vd4 presents.
0-1
No.4 I 1 6. 'Ab1 1:!ad8 1 7. i.g5 h6 1 8. i.h4 g5

Z.Kozul - I.Dorfman 1 9.i.g3 lbd4 20.i.e5 lbg4.
D97 - Sarajevo 1 988 10. bxa6
11. 0-0 exd5
In 1 988 it was hard to imagine, playing in 12. exd5 'ib6
peaceful, almost heavenly Sarajevo, what a 12 ... i.j5 13.i.j4 i.d3 14.1:!jd1 c4 15.'ib 7
tragic fate was pre-destined for this town. occurs more often, b u t to me it seems
1. d4 ltJf6 logical to ensure the development of the
2. ltJf3 g6 queen's bishop on the long diagonal.
3. c4 i.g7 13. i.f4 i.b7
4. ltJc3 d5 14. .Ufd1 li!.fe8
5. 'i!Vb3 dxc4 After studying the complications in the
6. 'ixc4 0-0 variation 1 4... 1:!ad8 15.'flixb6 axb6 16.i.c7
7. e4 ltJa6 '1lxd5 1 7.lbxd5 lbxd5 18.i.e5, it is seen that
remember what efforts it took to Black definitely needs to take control of the
convince Kasparov of the viability of this e5 square.
continuation. 15. ltJd2?!
8. 'i!Vb3 The opponent appears to show l ittle
A divergence from the main line with interest in my moves. But if 15.'Ad2 there
8. i. e 2 . Recently White tried 8. 'ia4 fo llows 1 5 . . . lb e 4 , and 1 5 . 1:!d3 l:!.ac8
without particular success in the game 16.lbd2 1:l.cd8 1 7. 'i xb6axb6 18.i.c7 1hd5
Tkachiev-Van Wely, French League 2000. leads to play similar to that in the game.
8. c5 15. .l:!.ad8
9. d5 e6 16. 'ixb6 axb6
17. i.c7 .Uxd5
0
10. i.xa6
• 18. ltJxd5?
In the early 1 980s White was successful •
with JO.dxe6 i.xe6 ll. i.c4, but in the game The Bosnian grandmaster swims with the
Tavadian-Polovodin, Irkutsk 1 983, Black current. After the acceptance of the sacrifice
demonstrated the correct method of it is all clear, but in the event of 18.i.xb6
counterplay: 1 l . . . 'flib6 1 2 . i.xe6 'fllxe6 .l:.g5 1 9.g3 lbd7 ( 1 9. . . lbd5 20. lbde4)
1 3. 'fllxe6 fxe6 14. 0-0 lbb4 15. '§.d1 lbc2 20. lbde4 (20. i.a5 i.d4 2 1 . lbb3 lbe5)
20... Le4 2l.:Xd7 Black would only have 38. <3;e3 fS

been slightly better. The rook is trapped in the middle of the
18. lbxdS board.
19. i.g3 i.xb2 39. l:leS lDd3
20. l:tabl i.d4 40. l:lxfS+ <3;g6
Obviously, Black should not exchange 41. l:!.dS lbxcl
rooks, which was possible after 20... lbc3 ? 42. lld6+ <J;f7
2J.l:tel. 43. l:td7+ <3;e6
21. l:tel l:.d8 44. llxh7 a3
In the subsequent forcing play the rook 45. .l:ta7 b4
may be able to support the passed d-pawn 46. <3;d2 lbb3+
from this square. 47. <3;e3 lbcS
22. lbc4 bS 48. <3;d4
23. lbaS i.a8 It is amusing that twice in the game I
24. lbb3 lbc3 declined the sacrifice of a rook, whereas my
25. l:!.b2 i.dS opponent suffered for having accepted such
26. lbxd4 cxd4 a sacrifice. Before the curtain White has
Now the previous comment becomes time to pick up two more pieces.
clear. 48. b3
27.l:l.d2 49. l:r.xa3 b2
White gets rid of the central passed pawn. SO. <J;xcS bl='i
After 2 7. a 3 d3 28. :Z.d2 lbe2+ 2 9. <:3;fJ 51. <3;xc4 'ic2+
(29. <:3;hJ :Z.e8 30.:Z.edl i.c4) 29. . . i.c4 he 52. <3;d4 'ib2+
would have had no hope of saving the game. 53. J:lc3 'id2+
27. ••• i.xa2 54. l:td3 'ixh2
28. li:txd4 J:lc8 ss. l:te3+ <J;fs
But not 28. . . 1J.xd4 29. J:l e 8+ <:3;g7 56. l:teS+ <J;f6
30.i.e5+. 57. J:le4 'ixg3
29. f3 aS 0-1
30. ..th4 a4
• No.42
Play against the rules, since the "correct"
V.Epishin I.Dorfman
30. . . b4 leads to a theoretical draw after
-
D20 Belgrade GMA 1 988

3J. J::!.d8+ J::!.xd8 32. i.xd8 a4 33.i.a5 lbd5
-
34.Lb4 lbxb4 35.:t:!e4.

•31 .l:td8+ l:txd8 1. d4 dS
32. i.xd8 liJdS 2. c4 dxc4
33. i.gS?! 3. e4
33. i.a5 i.c4 34.1J.al was a more The most dangerous weapon against the
tenacious defence. Queen's Gambit Accepted. If I sometimes
33. f6 hesitate to employ his opening, it is only
34. i.cl <J;f7 because of 3.e4.
35. <J;f2 i.c4 3. lbf6
36. !!.e4 gS •
An accurate manoeuvre, the aim of which Black takes the most strategic course.
is to drive the enemy rook off the 4th rank. 3 ... e5 4.lbf3 exd4 5. i.xc4 lbc6 6.0-0 i.e6
37. g3 lbb4 7. i.xe6 fxe 6 8. 'ib3 'id7 9. 'ixb7 'l:.b8
1 0. 'ika6 ii.d6 J J . tiJ bd2 t:{jf6 12. 'ikd3 0-0 9. i.f4

1 3 . h 3 e5 1 4. (jjc4 (jjb4 1 5 . 'ikb3 (jjbd5 It is this manoeuvre that constitutes
16.'ikd1 tfu:e4 17.(jjcxe5 Le5 18.tfu:e5 is White's opening idea. Loss of material is
unpromising for him, although the final inevitable after 9.Lc4 c6 JO. llJa3 b5.
word here has not yet been said. 9. c6
Complicated play results from 3. . . (jjc6 •
4.t:{jf3 {jjf65.llJc3 ii.g4 6.d5 (jjes 7.iLJ4{jjg6 And here is a surprise. The Russian player
8.ii.e3 e5 (8... e6 9.'ika4+) 9.Lc4 ii.d6 was eager to repeat the game
10. 0-0 0-0. Black has a solid, but passive Azmaiparashvili-Petrosian, 5 0th USSR
position. Championship, Moscow 1953. For Black it
4. (jjc3?! all ended safely after 9... i.e6 1 0.Lc7, but
• his position looks suspicious.
The course of the game convincingly 10. lZJd6+ ii..xd6
demonstrates that this obvious move is the 11. ii..xd6 ii..e6
cause of White's subsequent problems. A 12. e5 (jjd7
class positional grandmaster like Epishin does 13. b4
not like conceding the d5 square, but without •
making concessions here it is not possible to In the event of 13. 0-0-0 {jjac5 Black is
play for an advantage. And so, 4.e5 (fjd5 guaranteed a quiet l i fe . But now after
5.Lc4 (fjb6 (fearing the development of the 13. . . cxb3 1 4. ii.xa6 bxa6 15. axb3 i.xb3
white knight at £3, Black increasingly often 16.:Xa6 he stands badly.
plays 5...(jjc6 6.(jjc3 (jjb6 7.ii.b5 ii.d7 8. 13. f6
{jjf3 e6, but in my view White's chances 14. f4 fxe5
are preferable) 6.i.b3 (jjc6 7.(jje2. 15. fxe5 0-0-0
As often happens with theory, the aggressive 16. b5
7.t:{jf3 ii.g4 8.Ji.xf7+ <:J;;xj7 9.{jjg5+ •
cJi;e8 JO.'ikxg4 'ikxd4 ll.'ike2, which gives The only way! After 16.0-0-0 (jjc7 White
White an enduing initiative for a pawn, is not only a pawn down, but he also has no
has been undeservedly forgotten. Many years counterplay.
ago this was successfully played by Alburt, 16. {jjac5
and today the baton has been taken up by 17. bxc6 bxc6
Mikhail Gurevich. I notice that Karpov fears 18. 0-0-0
this attack when playing Black, whereas he
is ready to uphold the virtues of White's
position. ea
7...i.f5 8.llJbc3 e6 9.0-0 'ikd7 JO.a3 0-0-0 7
l l . ii.e3 h5 1 2.'ikcl ( 1 2. :t:!cl h4) 12 .../6
13. exf6 4. gxf6 14.:t:!d1 , ande5Black does not 6
5. {jjf3
have equality .... exd4 5
6. 'ikxd4
•
4
By-passing the middlegame, play goes 3
into the endgame. The point is that 6. tfu:d4
ii..c5 is unsatisfactory for White.
6. 'ikxd4
7. (jjxd4 ii..c5
8. (jjdb5 lZJa6
Up till now for a professional it has all been 28. .l:txa4 aS

obvious. But here after 18. ..li:Jd3+ 1 9. i.xd3 29. 't:.a3 'f:.f6
cxd3 20.'l:.hel i.c4 21.'t:.e4 the dark-square 30. 't:.ad3
bishop, supported by the central passed pawn, B lack gradually converts his advantage
ensures White at least equal chances. after 30.'t:.b3 'l:.c5+ 31.�b2 't:.b5 32.'t:.xb5
18. lbb7 cxb5 33.'t:.d5 '!:.}2+ 34.�b3 :.Xg2 35. :.Xb5
19. i.e2 lbdcS �xd6 36.h4 a4+ (probably the alternative
20. 't:.d4 lbxd6 36 . . . 't:.g4 is also sufficient) 3 7. �a3 't:.g4
21. exd6 .l:thf8 38.'t:.b4 't:.xb4 39. �xb4 h5.
The situation has clarified. White faces a 30. ... gS?!
difficult battle for a draw due to the
weakness of his d-pawn.
22. 't:.hd1 �d7 8
23. i.xc4 i.xc4 7
24 .l:txc4
• .l:tfS
6
5
8
4
7
3
6
2
5
Q1
4
3
2 30... 't:.ff5! was much simpler. By placing
another pawn on the fifth rank, Black risks
Q1 changing the evaluation of the variation with
't:.d3- b3. Even so, White's task remains
difficult after 31. 't:.b3 't:.c5+ 32.�b2 't:.b5
25. 't:.d2 33.'t:.xb5 cx b 5 34. 't:.d5 't:.f2 + 35. �b3
It is absurd to hope for a draw, without (35. �bl 'l:.xg2 36. 't:.xb5 g4) 35 . . . 't:.xg2
exchanging knights. The fate of the game 36.:.Xb5 h6 3 7. h4 (37.'t:.b7+ �c8) 37. .. a4+
depends on the variation 25.lba4 lbxa4 26. .l:.xa4 38. �a3 (38. �c4 gx h 4 3 9. 't:.h5 't:.g4+)
'l:.c5+ 2Z �bl 't:.b8+ 28.�al a5 29.'!:./4 't:.d5 38... 't:.g3+ 39. �b2 a3+.
30.'!:.[7+ �xd6 3l.:.Xd5+ cxd5, where Black 31. �b3 hS
should be able to convert his passed pawn. 32. 't:.d4 't:.tTS
25. ... l:teS At last Black can catch his breath!
26. �c2 33. '!:.4d3
But now Black can avoid the exchange The idea of the rook coordination on the
(26.lba4 lbe6). fifth rank is seen in the variation 33. �a4
26. ... .l:tf8 't:.c5 34.a3 't:.fd5 35.:.Xd5 cxd5.
27. lba4 33. ... l:tbS+
It is hard to argue which is the most 34. �c2
favourable moment for the exchange. Nowhere 34.�a4 't:.bc5.
is there a clear way of saving the game. 34. 't:.bdS
27. . . . lbxa4 35. 't:.xdS 't:.xdS
Now all White can hope for is that his opponent his pseudo-active play.
will relax and fall into one ofthe final traps. 2. tt'lf6
36. .l:tf2 'iti>xd6 3. .ig2 d5
37. 'iti>c3 'iti>c5 4. cxd5 tt'lxd5
38. ltf8 .l:te5 5. tt'lc3 tt'lc7
39. 'iti>d3 'iti>b4 The static advantage is on the side of
40. .l:tc8 Itc5 Black, and the situation can be changed only
41. .l:.e8 'iti>a3 by dynamic means. White should choose
Black avoids the first of them: 4l ... 'f:.c3+ between 6.1!Va4+ and 6.'flb3 tt'lc6 7. hc6+.
42.'iti>d2 lta3 43.'f:.e4+. His indifferent move allows the opponent to
42. :ie2 g4 achieve the Maroczy formation.
43. g3 a4 6. tt'lf3 tt:lc6
44. .l:i:f2 �cl 7. a3 g6
45. .l:[e2 c5 •
46. �f2 c4+ An important nuance. Haste here is not
47. 'iti>d4 necessary. In the event of 7. . . e5 White
White could also have tried a second trap: carries out the break 8.b4, typical for this
47.'iti>d2 'iti>b2! (but on no account 47. .. 'f:.al formation. But here after 8.b4 .ig7 9. bxc5
48.cJi;c3 llxa2 49. '1:./1 1:.xh2 50.1:1.al+ .l:.a2 lLle6 Black dominates the centre.
Sl..l:.gl with a draw). 8. 0-0 .ig7
47. c3 9. d3 0-0
48. rJi;d3 c2 10. 'fla4 .id7
49. 'iti>c3 <J;;xa2 11. 'fih4 e5
50. �f5 lihl 12. tt:lg5!?
51. rJi;xc2 l:Ixh2+ In this critical position the Russian player
52. rJi;c3 llh3 loses his composure. He is attracted by a
53. rJi;c2 rJi;a3 dubious gain of material, whereas he should
Gaining time. have gone into an equal endgame by
54. l:tbS .:xg3 12. 'flxdB or tried 12. .ig5 f6 13..ih6, where
55. �xh5 rJi;b4 13 . . . g5 14.'flh5 .ieB 1 5. 'flh3 .id7 leads
56. lih8 .l:.g2+ only to a repetition of moves.
57. rJi;d3 a3 12. h6
58. �b8+ rJi;c5 13. tt'lge4
59 .l:la8
• a2
0-1
No.43
A.Khasin !.Dorfman
-
A34 - Belgrade GMA 1 988
1. c4 c5
A mark of respect for my opponent's
excellent positional understanding. It has
nothing to do with being peacefully inclined.
2. g3
This was to be expected! Black is invited
to take risks, so as to then reap the fruits of
13. ... g5 unable to withstand the tension. The critical

• line for White was to pick up material by
In the two lines 13. . . 'Wixh4 14.gxh4 b6 playing 16.tiJxb7 f5 1 7.'Wih3 :!bB 18. j.xc6
15.Lh6 and 13 ... b6 14.j.xh6 Black loses Lc6 1 9.tiJa5 j.a8, in order to at least have
a pawn without any compensation. something to suffer for. The concluding
14. 'i¥h5 position demands courage of both players.
• 16. e4
The fo llowing was a tempting but 17. i.d2 r5
insufficient try: J4. j_xg5 hxg5 15. tb.xg5 18. fJib3 b6
j.j5 1 6. j.e4 'Wij6! (White's attack mounts 19. tiJb3
after 1 6. . . 'Wid7 1 7.g4! j.xe4 18. tiJcxe4 or The lesser evil here was 19.tiJ5xe4.
16... Le4 1 7. tb.cxe4 :le8 18.f4) 1 7./4 j.xe4 19. ... h5!
18. tb.cxe4 'Wih6, where Black successfully Threatening 20 . . . g4 followed by
parries his opponent's threats. 2 1 ... il.j6. This explains the awkward
14. ... j.eS! manoeuvres of the white pieces, ending with
• the fianchetto of. . . the queen .
A subtle resource. The idea is to sacrifice 20. i.h1 g4
two pawns for the initiative. Events develop 21. 'W/g2
differently in the event of direct play: after Looking at White's position, one might
14.. .f5 15.tiJxc5 j.eB 16.'Wij3 (16.'Wih3 'Wie7) imagine that the enemy king was at b8.
16 . . . 'Wie 7! 1 7. tb.x b 7 ( 1 7. tb.d5 ? loses to 21. j.f7!
17. . . tiJxd5 18.'Wixd5+ j.j7; after JZtiJb3 i.j7 22. �tb1
the play becomes one-sided) 1Z .. tiJd4 18.'Wie3 Khasin fai l s to put up a tenacious
tiJc2 19.'Wic5 'Wixc5 20.tiJxc5 tiJxal 2l.La8 resistance. 22.1:.abl j.xb3 23. '1:hb3 tiJd4
(B lack has a material advantage after 24.:lbbl tiJj3+! was certainly bad, but the
2J.tiJd5 ?! tiJxd5 22.Ld5+ j.j7) 2l... tiJxa8 game is not yet over after 22.tiJcJ tiJb5.
22.tiJe6, with the threat of capturing on g7 22. j.xb3
and g5, White has no problems. 23. l:!.xb3 tiJd4
15. tlJxc5 fJJe7 24. l:tbb1 exd3
25. tiJd5 'i!Vxe2
White resigns, convinced by the variation
26. 'Wifl 'Wixd2 2 7. tb.xc 7 tiJe2+ 28. �g2
hal (28.. j4) 29. tiJxa8 ii.e5.
0-1
No.44
S.Videki - !.Dorfman
A29 - Cannes 1 989
This tournament was my first performance

in France. It was not easy to predict my fate.
0 A year later I settled in Cannes, in order to
spend the second part of my life here.
1. c4 e5
16. b4? 2. tiJc3 tiJf6
• 3. tb.f3 tiJc6
A serious mistake. The Russian player is 4. g3 d5
I l ike playing positions with a static the variation JO.'ficl �j8 1 l.:dJ lt:\d4.
advantage. Black has one from now on 10. ••• �f8
thanks to the creation of an outpost at d4. 11. lt:\e4
S. cxdS lt:\xdS Finally missing the opportunity for l l.a4.
6. �g2 lt:\b6 11. ••• lt:\d4
7. 0-0 The first step is complete.
Already here White should stop and think 12. lt:\cS �xeS
what dynamic resources are available. One 13. IotxcS �g4
alternative is z:bJ, threatening 8.b4. If Black 14. �xd4 exd4
parries the threat by 7. . . a5, then White can This marks the end of the second step.
tum to the variation with d2-d3 and �e3. He
has provoked a weakening of the enemy
queenside, without touching his own a-pawn.
7. �e7
8. d3
•
Today an antidote to the plan 8.a3 0-0
9.b4 has been found.
8. 0-0
9. �e3 :e8
This game vividly demonstrates the
stages of exploiting an outpost.
A piece is placed on it (usually a knight).
In the event of its capture, one should be
prepared to capture with a pawn, opening
access to a backward pawn of the 1S. :e1 c6
opponent (in this example the e-pawn). In •
passing I should mention that driving back An inaccuracy in a critical position.
the piece also creates a backward pawn (here Accurate technique would have consisted of
after e2-e3 the d-pawn becomes backward). 15 . . . �xf3 1 6. �xf3 c6 fo llowed by the
Then the heavy pieces are lined up on exchange of all four rooks and the
the half-open file and force the advance of domination of the queen+knight tandem.
the backward pawn. After its capture it only 16. 1i'd2?
remains to attack the resulting weaknesses, •
and sometimes the king. White fails to exploit the chance
Now it is clear that the text move i s opportunity. It was essential to retain the
preparing the occupation o f the outpost by knight by playing 1 6. lt:\d2, since Black
the black knight. would lose after 16. . . 'Wie7 1 7."fic2 Le2 ??
10. :tel?! 18.�/3 (but not 18.�e4 ?? Ld3).
• 16. ••. 'Wid6
White is not even thinking about 17. :l.c2 h6
dynami cs. It i s not surprising that his 18. 'fiaS �xf3
position deteriorates without any obvious There will not be a second chance . . .
mistakes. He could have achieved a change 19. �xf3 lieS
in the static balance only by playing 1 0.a4 Black's heavy pieces assemble on the e-file,
a5 l l . �x b 6 followed by preparing the which indicates the start of the third step.
advance of his d-pawn. It is hard to get rid of 20. 'i!fd2 .:tae8
the outpost by primitive play, as is seen from 21. a3 aS
The game is still not yet over, since White 26. �e5
is hoping to advance his queenside pawns. 27. �f2
22. .:bt a4 •
In the event of 2 7. e4 the opponent seals
w ithout delay the group of weak dark
squares in the enemy position by 27. . . .:dB
28. "ile3 .:d4 2 9. 1:!d2 lbd7 30. �g2 'fid6
3l.i.e2 lbe5.
27. "ikf6
28. �g2 'fie6
29. �f2 li:Jd7
30. d4
30. . . lbe5 cannot be allowed.
30. �h3
31. �gl �f5
32. i.dl
An awkward defence, but the only one
(32.�g2 :Xe3).
23. .:et
• 32. ... 'ike6
White reconciles himself to the inevitable. 33. llc3
Mention must be made of the variations 23.b3 A familiar motif is used to win a pawn
'!:.8e7! (preparing to install the knight in the after 33.�/2 lbj6 34. i.j3 "ilj5 35. �g2
"fresh wound" at c3), and 23.b4 lbd5 (Black's :Xe3.
loss of vigilance costs him dearly after 23 ..lba8
. 33.••• li:Jb6
24.b5 cxb5 25.'ikb4) 24.i.xd5 "ilxd5 25.1:.el Unexpectedly the knight reverses its steps,
'ike6 (the white king feels uncomfortable). in the process landing the decisive blow.
23. ... g5 34. �f2
An important link in the chain of technical 34.i.j3 parries only one of the threats, but
measures. White is paralysed, but in order to allows 34. . . lbc4.
force him to advance his backward pawn, 34. li:ld5
the bishop must be disturbed. 35. .:d3 'fif5+
24. e4 dxe3 36. �gl 'fie4
25. ltxe3 l.i.xe3 37. �f2 �hl
26. fxe3
The concluding stage begins - a combined
attack on the hanging central pawns and the king.
0
c e
If this and the previous diagram are
compared, the forced movement of the
queen from d6 to hI is apparent.
38. .tf3 'ixh2+

39 .tg2
• tt:lf6
40. �fl
Without waiting for the reply, after a slight
delay White resigned.
0-1
No.45
M.Apicella !.Dorfman
-
B28 - France 1 989
1. e4 cS
2. tt:lf3 a6 0
Apicella i s a typ ical " player o f the
technical phase".
It seems to me that he is poor at finding After a series of forced moves a critical
his way in critical positions. On the other position has been reached. The situation
hand, l ike most representatives of the demands determined action by White. If
same tendency, he is incredibly tenacious Black succeeds in completing his
and dangerous in direct play. And one development without any losses, he will be
m o re i mportant deta i l : the French able to exploit his static trumps.
grandmaster does not play the Maroczy I would remind you that dynamic
formation. measures comprise modification of the
Here the strongest reply is considered to pawn formation, the exchange of material
be 3. c4 d6 4. d4 1l.g4, but definitely not and the seizure of the initiative.
3.d4 cxd4 4. tt:lxd4 tt:lj6 5. tt:lc3 e5 6. tbb3 Obviously, here it can only be a
il.b4 7. il.d3 d5 8. exd5 'i!kxd5 9. 0-0 11.xc3 question of the battle for the initiative.
J O. bxc3 0-0 l l . c4 'ilkc6 1 2. 11.g5 tt:lbd7, Here is an approximate analysis: JO.tt:le5
when White has nothing to compensate 0-0 11.11./3 :!d8 12.'ilkb3 'ilkb4 (12
his static deficit. 'ihd4 13.tt:lc4 'i¥c7 14.tt:lb6 :Ia 7 15.a3!)
3. c3 dS 13.'i¥xb4 il.xb4
4. exdS 'i!kxdS 14.11.e3 t'iJ.bd7 15.'!1fdl tt:lxe5 16.dxe5 tt:ld7
5. d4 tt:lf6 1 7.1l.b6 .!:.e8 18.1l.c7. White overwhelms the
6. il.e2 cxd4 opponent with his development and forces
• him to make concessions.
As in Game 3, I go in for the creation of 10. a3?
an isolated central pawn for an opponent The start of a series of three static moves,
who does not play l.d4. which explain the further deterioration of
7. cxd4 e6 White's position. 0-0
8. tt:lc3 'i!VaS 10. tt:lc6
8. . . 'i!kd6 is perhaps better, j ustifying 11. .tf4? .td7
2 . . . a6. This continuation is illustrated 12. 'i'c2? 'i'b6
by a n e x t r a c t fr o m t h e g a m e 13. b4 'i'a7
P e t r i e n k o - D o r fm a n , fr o m the All 14.
White's gains are illusory, since they
tt:la4
theoretical section. do not have any effect on the static balance.
9. 0-0 .te7 As usually happens in such positions, White
soon runs out of active moves and will play The forcing play is at an end. B l ack
the role of an observer. already has a material advantage, and the
15. llfdl :ae8 opponent still has to rescue his knight.
16. 'it'b3 tt: d5 32. J:ld2 �e8
17. �g3 llfd8 33. tt: b6 .l:Ie6
18. tt:e5 .lieS 34. tt:a4
19. l:!.d2 As usual, Apicella displays miracles of
• heroism. He manages to save his lost piece.
The exchange of knights 1 9. tLle5 tLlxe5 34. l::txd2+
20.�xe5, and simplification in general, are 35. �xd2 �b4+
in principle advantageous to Black. 36. <3;e3
19. ..• aS! Again the only reply. White loses
The start of an attack on the active enemy immediately after 36.�d3 I:.cl 37.tLlb2 i..a3
pieces. or 36. �e2 .l:ta6.
20. 1Wb2 axb4 36. .l:Icl
21. axb4 'i b6 37. tt:b2 i.a3
22. tt:e5 38. �h5+ g6
39. tt: d3 gxh5
40. tt:xcl �xcl+
After a series of intermediate moves, we
have reached a bishop ending in which
White has no saving chances.
41. 'i¥i>d3 .i.a3
42. i.e7 �d7
In the endgame such resources should not
be neglected.
43. .liaS �d6
44. f4 .lieS
45. <3;e4 f5+
46. �d3 �d5
47. i.d2 i.gl
48. h3 .lieS
The activity of White's cavalry cannot 49. i.e3 �d6
compensate for the chronic defects in his 50. �d2 �a3
position. His construction has rotten 51. i.e3 b4
foundations, and it collapses at the very first 52. �f6
blow. If 52. .i.d2, then 52. . . b3 53. �c3 i.b4+
22. tt:xd4 wins.
23. 'ixd4 tt:xb4 52. b3
24. tt: ed7 i. xd7 53. �e3 b2
25. tt:xd7 'ixd4 54. �e2 �e4
26. .!:!:xd4 tt:e2 55. �g5 'i¥i>e3
27. .l:.adl tt:xd4 0-1
28. l:bd4 llcl+
No.46
29. i.dl f6
30. 'i¥i>fl <3;f7 I.Dorfman V.Bagirov
-
31. �e2 b5 B05 - Moscow GMA 1 989

1. e4 9. lbc3 aS!?
I have to be in a particular mood in order A rare continuation, successfully
to enter into a d ispute with the chief employed by Latvian players over a period
upholder of the Alekhine Defence on his of several years.
"home ground". 10. b3
1. lbf6 •
2. eS lbdS White follows a classical course. The
3. d4 d6 alternative is JO. exd6 cxd6 1l.'ib3, but I do
4. lbf3 �g4 not see the need to make any concessions.
5. �e2 e6 10. lba6
• 11. h3 �fS
The play takes on a different character
after 5 . . . c6. H ere are some sample
variations: 6.lbg5 �f5 7.e6fxe6, and now:
A) 8.�h5+ g6 9.g4 �xc2 1 0. 'ixc2 gxh5
l l.lbxe6 '¥ka5+! 12.�d2 lbb4!! (12 ... 'i b6 ?
13.lbc3 lba6 14.lbxd5 cxd5 15.'if5 with an
attack) 13.'¥ke4 lb8a6 14.a3 'id5 15.'ixd5
lbxd5 with advantage to B l ack in the
endgame;
B) 8.g4! �g6 9.�d3 �xd3 1 0. 'ixd3 g6
ll.lbc3!:
B l ) l l . . . lbxc3 1 2. 'ixc3 w ith a c lear
advantage to White; 0
B2) l l . . .tlJc7 12. 'i/3 'id7 13. 'if7+ �dB
14.lbxh 7 'ie8 15.lbg5 �d7 16. 'if3 and the
black king cannot find peace; I do not see any crucial d i fference
B3) ll. .. 'fid7 12.'if3 (12.lbxd5!?) 12 ... lbf6 between the different bishop retreats, since
1 3 . '¥ke 2 lba6 1 4 . lbxe6 lb c 7 1 5. lbxc 7+ if l l . . . �h5 there would have fol lowed
'ixc7 16.�g5 �g7 1 7. 0-0-0 and Black has 12.g4, transposing into the game. Nothing
no compensation for his opponent's static significant is promised by 12. '¥kd2 lbd7
superiority; 13.':.ad1 �g6, when the position gradually
B4) l l . . . �h6 1 2 . lbxh7! �f7 ( 1 2. . . �xcl becomes equal (Hiibner-Hort, Tilburg 1 979).
loses to 13. 'ixg6+ �d7 1 4. 'Axc1 lbxc3 12. g4!
15.bxc3 'igB 16.'ixg8 l:.xg8 1 7./3 followed This novelty is not the 1 21h move in itself,
by h2-h4) 13.�xh6 'Axh 7 14. �d2 lbxc3 but White's conception. He has no static
15.Lc3 lbd7 16.h4! (stronger than 16.0-0-0 advantage, and he turns to dynamic
'ihB) 1 6. . . 'ih 8 (16. . . lbf8 ? 1 7. 0-0-0 �eB measures. And measures that are so
18.h5 is hopeless) 1 7.'ig3, and Black stands unusual, that even in analysis after the game
badly. the Latvian p layer could not find the
6. c4 lbb6 customary reference-points.
7. �e3 �e7 12. �g6
•
•••
13. h4! dxeS?

The exchange 7. . . dxe5 8.lbxe5 �xe2 •
9. 'ixe2 allows the opponent an outpost in It all ends, without even managing to
the centre, w ithout o ffering anyth ing begin. Of the three possible continuations
significant in return. 13 . . . �xh4 ? ? 14.g5, 1 3 . . . h5 1 4.g5 �/5
8. 0-0 0-0 15.exd6 cxd6 16.d5 e5 1 7.lbd2 g6 18.lbde4
with the idea ofj2 f4, and 13. .. h6!? 14.�g2

- rook manoeuvre forces the opponent to
(14.exd6 cxd6 15.g5 hxg5 16.tiJxg5), only weaken his king decisively and at the same
in the last one does B lack retain some time takes away a square from his own
chances of setting up a defence. knight.
14. b5 Ji.b4 24. g6
15. hxg6 ..txc3 25. .l:r.b1 �g8
16. gxf7+ .l:r.xf7 26. .l:r.d1 .l:r.e8
This is the point! The opponent is unable 27. 'ifb2!
to retain his material, his only static trump, This short queen move creates the threats
and the play becomes " free of charge" . of 28.'ii'd2 and 28.1Ld2.
White mates in the event o f 1 6. . . �h8 27. lba6
1 7.tiJxe5 La1 18.�g2. 28 ..td2
• b6
17. lbxe5 1Lxa1 29. c5
18. lbxf7 �xf7 White finds a propitious moment to open
19. 'ifxa1 up the game and increase his superiority.
At the end of a series of forced moves a 29. ••• 'i!fc7
technical position has been reached. The 29. . . bxc5 30.dxc5 (30. 1Lxa5) 30. . . 'ili'xc5
black cavalry arrives on the scene too late. 31.1Lh6 'ili'e7 32.1Lxc6 is hopeless for Black.
19. lbb4 30. cxb6 'irxb6
20. 'ili'b1 l2Jd7! 31. .l:r.cl lbb4
32 ..txb4
•
•
It is certainly a pity to give up the bishop,

but the knight cannot be allowed to go to d5.
32. ••• axb4
33. .l:r.xc6
Now, to all White's other advantages, he
has added a material one. The rest is not of
any interest.
33. 'ifa5
34. .l:r.c5 'ifb6
35. 'ilfd2 .l:r.b8
0 36. .:c6 'ilfa7
37. d5 exd5
38. 1Lxd5+ �h8
21. �g2 39. 'ilff4
An instructive moment, and an excellent Not seeing any adequate defence against
illustration of the rule: "One and the same the threats of 40. 'ilfe5+ and 40.l:r.c7, Black
game should not have to be won twice" . al lows the first of them, by making an
After 21.'ili'xh 7 lbf6 followed by . . . 'ili'hB the indifferent move.
opponent might acquire some unnecessary 39. 'i!fd7
illusions. 40. 'ife5+
21. lbf8 1-0

22. .l:r.b1 'ifd6
No.47
23. ..tf3 c6
24 .l:r.b5!
•
I.Dorfman - A.Vaisser
Threatening 25 .a3 . The pendulum-like A 1 3 - Moscow GMA 1 989
1. tt'lf3 e6
My opponent is intending to play the
stonewall. In this case it makes sense not
to touch the central pawns, so as to have
the possibility of turning to the plan with
e2-e4.
2. g3 dS
3. ..tg2 g6
4. c4 ..tg7
s. 0-0 tt'le7
6. d4 tt'lbc6
I knew that some players, for example
Pigusov, occasionally develop their pieces
this way. But such things act on me like a
red rag to a bull. I think that this is what
Tigran Petrosian had in mind, when he said
that thanks to such positions he built a dacha 7. e3
and educated his children! Indeed, 3 . . . g6 is •
incompatible with . . . dxc4 and . . . d5-d4. The development of knowledge in chess is
There only remains the plan with . . c7-c5,
. unlimited. Thus in the game Dorfman
but it inevitably leads to the creation of Borgo, Aosta 2000, there followed 7.'ili'c2,
static weaknesses for Black. promising White the advantage in both
In my games at grandmaster level, such a variations:
formation occurred only once: A) 7. . . tt'lxd4 8. tt'lxd4 .i.xd4 9. cxd5 exd5
JO.'i!Va4+ tt'lc6 1l.e3 (ll.tt'lc3 Lc3 12.bxc3
!.Dorfman I.Zaitsev
-
0-0 1 3 . 1:!dl t ) l l . . . .i.g 7 1 2 . tt'lc3 .i.xc3
A l 4 - Zonal Tournament, 13.bxc3 0-0 14. ..ta3;
Yerevan 1 982 B) 7. . . 0-0 8.:J.dl a5 9.tt'lc3 dxc4 J O. tt'lb5
tt'lb4 ll.'i!Vxc4 c6 12.tt'lc3 b5 13.'ili'b3 tt'led5
1.c4 tt'lf6 2.tt'lf3 e6 3.g3 dS 4.b3 .i.e7 S .i.b2
•
14.a4 bxa4 15.tt'lxa4.
0-0 6 .i.g2 b6 7.0-0 .i.b7 8.e3 tt'lc6 9.cxdS
•
7. 0-0
tt'lxdS 10.d4 aS ll.a3 bS 12.tt'lbd2 b4 13.a4 8. tt'lc3
tt'lb8 (this is to be expected, since one
should not place the pieces in front of the
pawns, thereby making if hard to attack the
c entre) 14.tt'leS tt'ld7 1S.tt'lxd7 "iixd7
16 . .!:cl fS 1 7.tt'lc4 .i. f6 18.'i!Vc2 lifc8
19Jitfd1 g6 20.h4 .!:ta6 21.e4 fxe4 22.'i!Vxe4
'i!Vg7 23.'i!Ve2 cS 24.tt'lxaS !haS 2S."iixe6+
'ift7 26..i.xdS ..txdS 27.'i!Vxc8+ �g7 28J::te1
�aS 29.'i!VxcS .l:i.d8 30.'i!Vc7 l:td7 3 1.'i'f4
.i.b7 32.�cS 'ifxb3 33 ..ta1 llt7 34.aS hS
•
3S.'i!fe3 'ilia2 36.'i!Ve2 l:le7 37.'ifxe7+ .i.xe7

38.l:l.xe7+ �h6 39 .l::!.xb7 'ifxa1+ 40.�g2
•
'i!Vxd4 41.!tcc7
1-0
• Accuracy is certainly needed in the

After the move in the game the static conversion of the advantage, since only two
balance is disrupted. 8 ... dxc4 is the critical pawns have been exchanged.
move, not making any concessions. Black is 19. .•. f5
perfectly alright after 9.'ife2 e5 JO.dxe5 ?! 20. i.a3
'it'd3! (White stands better after JO. ..lbxe5 This exchange is explained by the fixing
ll.lbxe5 i.xe5 12.'!:.dl 'iVeB 13. 'ifxc4 c6 of the pawn formation. For the white knights
14.e4 and JO... i.e6 l l.liJg5 liJxe5 12.liJxe6 there are considerable prospects on the
fxe6 1 3. i.h3�), and 9.liJd2! lDa5 (9. . . e5 squares d5, e5, c6 and e6.
J O. d5) J O. 'ife2 prom ises White only a
minimal advantage.
9. cxd5 •
Only after 8. . . b6 does the exchange in the
centre guarantee White play against a
backward pawn or hanging pawns.
9. exd5
10. a3 aS
11. b3
Do you not find an amazing similarity
with the above game against Zaitsev?!
11. ..• h6
12. liJe1
A multi-purpose manoeuvre. From d3 the
knight supports the b2-b4 advance, and on
the other side it provokes the weakening 20. f!t7
. . . g6-g5 (in view of the threat of liJd3-f4) 21. i.xe7 liJxe7
and clears the way for the white f-pawn, in 22. f4
order to be fully prepared against a possible An essential link in White's plan,
offensive by Black on the kingside. preventing a change in the static balance.
12. i.e6 22. ... l:tff8
13. liJd3 g5 23. .l;te2!
14. i.b2 'it'd7 Pure statics ! There is no need to bustle
15. l!cl 'J:.ac8 about, since the position is won statically.
• F i rst one should strengthen it to the
B l ack loses a pawn after 1 5 . . . i. h 3 maximum (the opponent's position does not
16.Lh3 'ifxh3 1 7.liJxd5. lend itself to consistent evolving) and only
16. .:e1 liJg6 then tum to positive action.
It was high time to forget about an attack. 23 i.f6
From now on the knight faces the role of an If 23 . . . Z:.cd8 there follows 24. 'it'b3 and
observer. Instead 1 6. . Ji:Ja 7 can be 25.tbb4, invading with the rooks on the a-file.
recommended, in order to weaken the 24. f!a2 c6
pressure on d5. 25. bxc6 liJxc6
17. b4 axb4 26. Wh1 liJaS
18. axb4 liJce7 After 26... liJe7 2Z'Wib3 White exchanges
19. b5 both pairs of rooks and then attacks the d5
Strategically the game is won for White, pawn with superior forces.
since the d5 pawn is cut off from base. 27. liJb4 i.e7
28. lbbxd5 :txc3 No.48

29. lbxc3 i.xa2 P.Velikov - !.Dorfman
30. lbxa2 'ife6
A04 - Palma de Mallorca GMA 1 989
31. 'ife2
The only defence, but sufficient. 1. lbf3 g6
31. :td8 2. g3 iJ..g7
32. lbc3 <j;g7 3. d4 c5
33. 'ifd3 �c8 4. c3 b6
34. �bl 'ifc4 •
Black's actions are in principle correct, White does not object to the symmetry
although due to the gravity of his position they and equality after 4.. . cxd4 5.cxd4 d5 6.iJ..g2
do not here bring the desired result. His king lbc6 7.0-0 e6 8.lbc3 lbge7. I reply with a
does not have a secure shelter, and therefore pawn sacrifice.
he must aim for the exchange of queens. 5. dxc5
35. 'ifxc4 lbxc4 •
36. lbd5 i.d8 The challenge is accepted. After the quiet
37. <j;gl lbd2 5.i.g2 i.b7 6.0-0 lbj6 Black gains control
38. :tb2 :tel+ over the central squares.
39. <j;Jf2 lbc4 5. bxc5
40. .l:ta2 <j;g6 6. 'it'd5 lbc6
41. i.fl lbd6 7. 'ifxc5 lbf6
42. i.d3 There is no compensation for the pawn
The active knight is driven back. after 7... i.b7 8.i.g2 :tcB (8... lbd4 9. cxd4
42. gxf4 :tcB 1 0. 'it'g5 i. h 6 1 1 . 'it'xh6 lbxh6
43. lbxf4+ <j;Jf7 12.i.xh6±) 9.'it'b5 i.aB J0. 0-0.
44. :ta7+ :tc7 8. i.g2 i.a6
45. .l:ta8 i.g5 9. lbd4
46. lbd5 :tb7 •
46... :tc6 4 7.1J.b8 is also completely bad. This forces a new sacrifice. Play develops along
Now every white piece is more actively lines typical ofthe Benko Gambit after 9.'ie3.
placed than its opposite number, from which 9. lbxd4
the win of a second pawn logically follows. 10. 'ifxd4 0-0
47. h4 i.e7
48. i.a6 l:td7
49. lbxb6 �c7
50. i.d3 lbe4+
51. <j;Jf3 lbd2+
52. <j;e2 lbe4
53. lbd5
The Russian grandmaster prolonged the
resistance, because the loser lost any chance
of qualifying for the World Cup.
53. :tb7
54. i.xe4 fxe4
55. lbxe7
56. <j;Jfl
!!b2+
0
1-0
T h i s decision does n o t demand any The h3 square has to be conceded to the

particular courage, since JO... d5 11. 'WIa4+ enemy queen. The catastrophic 1 7. 1;g2
and 10... 1i!b8 1l.'Wixa7 are hopeless. exf3+ suggests the idea of defending the
11. i.xa8?! rook.
• 17. .•• 'Wih3
White swims with the current. Black has 18. 1;g1
active play after l l.'Wid1 d5, but I would 1 8.l:.h1 exf3 1 9. exf3 l:.e2+ would have
prefer l l. 'Wia4 'Wic8 12. i.xa8 'Wixa8 13./3 been a tactical oversight.
'Wib7 14.1;}2 (14.'Wic2). 18. ••• :es
11.
••.
'Wixa8 The prelude to a clever combination,
12. f3 which dispels White's i l lusions. Not
Black is in no danger in the event of 12.0-0 18... lbh5 19.lbe3.
i.xe2. 19. i.£4
12. ... eS!
13. 'Wid1
The attempt to gain a tempo by 13. 'Wid6
'Wib7 14.i.g5 proves fruitless on account of
the new sacrifices 14. . . e4!! 15.i.xj6 i.xj6
16.'Wixf6 'Wixb2 1 7.'Wixa6 ( 1 7. 0-0 i.xe2!+)
1 7. . . 'Wicl+ 1 8. 1;f2 'ikxh 1 with a strong
attack.
13. e4
14. 1;f2?
•
It would have been more sensible to part
with the exchange, by playing 14. 0-0 exf3
15. exf3 (15."ruf3 l:.e8) 15... i.xf1 16.'Wixf1
l:.e8.
14. ..• l:.e8 In this way White is able to parry the
15. .l:le1 'Wic6! direct threat against h2. Other variations do
The queen is aiming for h3. little to console him:
16. lba3 A) 19.lbe3 l:.h5 20.lbf1 exf3;
• B) 19.'ikd6 exf3 20. exf3 :Xe1+;
Let us consider the variations involving C) 1 9.g4 lbxg4 20.fxg4 'Wixg4+ 2 1 . 1;h1
the development of the bishop: (21.1;}2 l:.fi+ 22.We3 'Wij4#) 21...e3 22.l:.f1
A) 1 6. i.g5 exf3 ( i n reserve there is l:.h5 with the threat of 23. . . l:.xh2+.
16. . . 'Wib6+ and 17. . . 'ikxb2) 1 7. exf3 'ikc5+ 19. ... :dS!!
18.i.e3 !txe3 1 9. l:.xe3 lbd5 20.'Wie1 i.h6 The point of Black's plan. A study of all
21f4 g5 with the initiative; the nuances took me more than half an hour.
B) 1 6. i.e3 exf3 1 7. exf3 lbg4+!! 18.fxg4 20. ltJd4
i.b7 19.l:.g1 (19.1;e2 'Wig2+ 20.1;d3 i.e4+ The most tenacious defence. White loses
21.1;c4 d5+) 19... 'Wif6+ 20. i.j4 g5 with a due to his lack of co-ordination after 20.'Wicl
strong attack (as insurance, there is a l:.h5 2 1 . g4 exf3 22. exf3 'Wixf3 23.gxh5
repetition of moves by 20... 'Wib6+ 21.1;f1 (23. 'Wie3 'Wixg4+ 24. 'ikg3 'Wifi 25.ttJd4 'Wic5)
'Wib5+). 23... i.b7 24.lbe3 lbg4.
16. 'Wie6 20. l:.hS
17. lbc2 21. g4 ltJdS
22. 'ikb3 Again the only defence against mate,

The bishop cannot move, since it is the last which is unavoidable after 28.li:ttf3 ? g5+.
defender of the e3 square. And the need for it 28. f2
to be indirectly defended is clear from the 29. lZ'lf3 fxe1=1W
simple variation 22.'ficl li:ttf4 23.'ikxf4 i.eS 30. .l:ixe1 h5
24.'fixe4 'fixh2+ 2S.'Ji;j1 i.g3 26.'fie3 'fih3+. It has unexpectedly become uncomfortable
22. ... lbxf4 for the queen at c8, in view of 31 ... :t:.e6.
23. 'fibS+ 31. lbxe5 dxe5+
It was because of this variation that I spent 32. �g5
the time considering my 19th move. Black's I have noticed that games tend to have
reply does not allow the opponent to divert pretty finishes when the defence is the most
the dark-square bishop from the e5 square. tenacious. In the aesthetic sense, 32. �xeS
'fixh2+ 33. �d5 (33.�/6 'fi/4+) 33... Vi'd2+
34.�c4 'ikxe1 1ooks very insipid.
32. ... �g7
White resigned, without allowing the
completion of the variation 33. 'fid7 'ikxg4+
34. 'fixg4 i.e7#.
23. ... i.c8!

24. Vi'xc8+
After 24. 'fixj4 i.eS Black gives mate as
shown above.
24. .•• i.f8
25. �f2 .l:.e5 0-1
thought it amusing to force the
opponent's king to move into a discovered No.49
check. But White's sufferings would have I.Dorfman J.Hickl
-
been shortened by a couple of moves after B06 - West Berlin 1 989

25... lbd5 26.�h1 (26.gxh5 ? 'fixh2+ 27.�!1
lbe3#; 26. :g1 Vi'h4+ 2 7. :g3 'fix h 2 + 1. d4 d6
28.:g2 'fih4+ 29.'1J.g3 e3+) 2 6... e3+ 27.�el 2. e4 g6
'fig2 28.:/1 :xh2 followed by 29... :h 1 . 3. g3 i.g7
26. �e3 exf3+ •
27. �xf4 The central break 3... d5 is inappropriate
27.�d2 j2 28. '/J.f1 !ixe2+ 29. li:tte2 'fid3+ because of the reply 4. exd5 Vi'xdS s.ti:Jj3
does not bring White any relief. i.g4 6.i.g2.
27. d6! 4. i.g2 lbc6
28. e4 5. lbe2 e5
The pseudo-active 5. . . ii.g4?! 6.f3 ii.c8 have maintained.

7.d5 l:iJe5 8./4 tiJd7 9 . tlJ bc3 "presents" 13. ... l:iJb4?!
White with several development tempi. Unthematic play. All the same ... c7-c6
6. dxe5 cannot be played, therefore it was better
• without delay to continue 13
This is a game without a middlegame. I like ...................................'Ji;b8
14. tiJcl tiJh5by 14 ... ii.c8 .
followed
the resulting ending, where it is not easy for The German grandmaster seeks some
Black to find adequate squares for his pieces. counterplay, not wishing to uphold 14... ii.e6
6. dxe5 15.a3 'lhdl 16.:Xdl tlJc6.
7. 'i!Vxd8+ tiJxd8 15. a3 tlJc6
8. b3! 16. tiJ3e2
White reveals his cards. His idea is to play It is better not to allow the black knight in
f2-f4 after thorough preparation by tiJbl-a3- at d4, which to some extent would justify
c4, tlJe2-cl-d3, and ii.cl-b2. the weakening a2-a3.
16. ... .tf8
Knowing the result of the game, one wants
to criticise all Black's moves. Thus here
16 ... b6!? can be suggested, but after 17.tiJd3
he again has to do something. It is
probable that the poor placing of both knights
makes it hard to develop counterplay.
17. tiJd3
B lack's planless play has reached
deadlock. White has prepared a modification
of the pawn formation, and weaknesses are
created by 1 7
f5 1 8. '1l.hel (18. exf5 gxf519.g4 fxg4
20.hxg4 Lg4 2l.f3 e4 22.fxg4 exd3
23.tiJcl tlJj4 24. ii.xc6 bxc6 25. cxd3 'JJ.d7
8. tiJf6 leads to equality) 18... ii.d6 1 9. tiJc3 f4
9. i.b2 tlJc6 (White still stands better after 1 9. . .
After 9. Ji:Jd7 J O. tiJa3 White has the a6
initiative. 20.I:iJa4 fxe4 2J.:Xe4!) 20.g4 l:iJj6 2J.tlJa4
10. tiJbc3 with the threats of 22.tlJxj4 and 22. tlJac5.
But now 10. tiJa3 is inappropriate because
of 10. . . ii.e6.
10. ... i.d7
11. 0-0-0 0-0-0
Pointless was l l . . . l:iJg4 12. �dfl 0-0-0
1 3. h3 l:iJj6 1 4.g4, playing into the
opponent's hands.
12. h3 l:.he8
Black has insuperable difficulties after
12. ..ii.e6 13.tiJd5.
13. �b1
b c d e f g h
White has emerged from the opening with
a minimal advantage, which 13.tiJd5 would 17. ... �b8?
18. g4! 29. li'Jh6

The German grandmaster missed this sharp 30. i.cl li'Jg8
change in the character of the play. He has to 31. h4
retreat to an inconvenient position on account Prophylaxis. White i s ready to
of the variation 18... tbj6 1 9j4 i.d6 20.:.hfl. m e e t 3 l . . . tbf6 w i t h 3 2 . gxf5 tbxf5
18. li'Jg7 33. i. h 3 .
19. f4 exf4 31. ••• i.e7
• 32. g5
19.. f6 20.f5 is also completely unpromising. T h e fi x i n g o f t h e k i n g s i d e i s
20. li'Jexf4 i.e6 c o mp l e t e . N o w W h i t e c a n b e g i n
21. :.hn p l aying actively o n the other side o f
The capture on e6 is threatened. the board.
21. l:td7 32·. ••• l!d8
22. li'Jd5 i.xd5 33. �c2
23. exd5 The d e l i ghtfu l thing about a static
From now on White has a decisive static advantage i s that there i s n o need to
advantage, and the technical means he hurry.
employs also change accordingly. 33. i.d6
23. . . . li'Jd8 34. i.f3
24. l:i.de1 'it>c8 Again prophylactic measure s . The
Black has practically run out of moves. He bishop controls the important e2 and h5
loses a pawn after 24... :.de7 25.:.Xe7 :.Xe7 squares, whereas Black cannot play the
26.i.j6 :.eB 27. .Ld8 :.Xd8 28.:.Xf7. active 34... i.g3 in view of 35.:.gJ i.xh4
25. i.f6 l:txe1+ 36. i.j4.
26. l:!.xe1 ltd6 34. b6
27. i.b2?! 35. b4 i.g3
Careless. The accurate 2 7.:.!1 would not 36. l:i.g1 i.d6
have allowed Black to hold out, as in the Again 36. . . i.xh4 ? ? 3 7. i.j4 is bad for
game, until the 50th move. Black.
27. f5 37. i.b2 i.f8
28. c4 li'Jt7 38. lle1
29. l:!.fl The packaging continues.
The start of a plan which wins the game 38. ... l:Id7
for the second time. 39. c5
After thorough preparations, there finally
• follows an active move.
39. l:.e7
40. :n
W h i t e d i d n o t want t o ease h i s
opponent's sufferings b y exchanging
rooks, but in fact 40. :.xe 7 tbxe 7 4 l . d6
cxd6 42. cxd6 tbg8 43. i.d5 would have
won immediately.
40. ... li'Je8
1. c4 e6
2. tt:\f3 d5
3. g3
It is clear that in this variation White
cannot count on much. But I consider that
my chances are better here than i n a
theoretical dispute in the Meran Variation
with a major expert on it.
3. dxc4
In this critical position the Cuban
grandmaster demonstrates the strongest
reply against the move order chosen by his
opponent. In the Catalan Opening Black has
0 to solve the problem of developing his
queenside. Therefore he provokes the early
development of the enemy queen in the
41. i.d4! centre, in order to gain time by attacking it,
A timely manoeuvre. White concedes the thereby achieving his objective.
long diagonal, which he no longer needs. 4. 'i!ka4+
His bishop will support the decisive advance White can try to regain the pawn in a more
of the queenside pawns. comfortable way, but after 4.tt:\a3 i.xa3
41. i.g7 5 . "ila4+ tt:\d7 6. bxa3 c5 7. i.b2 tt:\gf6
42. i.f2 �d7 8.'ikxc4 b5 9. 'ilkh4 i.b7 his pawn formation
43. J:el l:te7 is compromised.
44. :tel 4. tt:\d7
The repeated pendulum-like rook 5. i.g2
manoeuvres allow White each time to gain a The alternative is 5. "fkxc4 c5 6. "fkb3, when
tempo. B l ack has to demonstrate a subtle
44. �d7 understanding of the situation, in order to
45. a4 .:f.t7 deploy his forces well.
46. I:.el .l:te7 5. c5?!
Black is quite unable to escape from the •
back rank. Thus now 46.Ji'Je7 47.d6 cxd6 This move is inaccurate. The main idea of
48.cxb6 allows the creation of a pair of the variation is to ensure the development of
passed pawns. the queen's bishop on the long diagonal.
47. l:tdl This aim can be met by 5 . . . a6! 6. tt:\c3
48. aS bxa5 (6.'ili'xc4 b5) 6... c5.
49. bxa5 tt:\e7 6. 'i!fxc4 tt:\gf6
50. l:!.el! tt:\c8 The difference is that after 6... a6 7.'i!i'c2
51. tt:\f4 Black has no direct way to complete his
If 5J . . . r:.e 7 the "anti-positional" 52. c6+ development. There is also 6 ... b6 7. tt:\d4
�d6 53.tt:\e6 concludes matters. tt:\e5 8.tt:\c6 tt:\xc4 9.tt:\xd8 l:.b8 1 0. 0.c6.
1-0 The position is close to equality, but I still
find it more pleasant for White.
No.50 7. d3
!.Dorfman - J.Nogueiras •
A 1 3 - Moscow GMA 1 990 An important nuance. Now the variation
7.0-0 b6 8.l'i:Jd4 l'i:Je5 9.l'i:Jc6 tillc4 I O. l'i:Jxd8 18. axb6 axb6

l'i:Jd5 Jl.l'i:Jc3 <j;xd8 12.tilld5 i.b7 13.l'i:Jxb6 19. l:ba8 i.xa8
i.xg2 14.l'i:Jxc4 i.xjl 15. <j;xjl, leading to 20. i.h3
approximate equality, does not work, since A serious b low. White provokes a
after 7. d3 b6 8. l'i:Jd4 l'i:Je5 9.liJc6 l'i:Jxc4 weakening o f the b l ack king and
10. tilld8 l'i:Jd5 White has ll.dxc4. consolidates his static advantage.
7. i.d6 20. ... f6
The development of the c8 bishop is still
difficult. After 7. .. a6 8. 'fkb3 1i.d6 9.a4 TJ.b8
10.a5 0-0 11.1i.d2 White has a favourable
pawn formation and he can bring his knight
to c4.
8. a4 0-0
9. 0-0 l'i:Jb6
•
Serious consideration should be given to
9... b6 JO.l'i:Jd4 l'i:Je5 ll.'fkc2 1:.b8 12. lLlb5 a6
13.tilld6 'fkxd6, when Black's better pawn
formation compensates for the absence of
his bishop. 0
10. 'fkc2 i.d7?!
Black's pieces are badly placed, but this is
a dynamic factor. On the other hand, he has 21. b4
an outpost at d4, and with correct play his White seizes the opportunity to deprive
position can be gradually improved. I the opponent of his last trump - his superior
suggest JO...l'i:Jbd5 1 1.1i.d2 e5 12.l'i:Ja3 (the pawn formation.
trappy 12.e4 does not promise any benefits 21. . . . !be7
after 12. . . l'i:Je7!, but not 12... l'i:Jb4 1 3. i. xb4 •
cxb4 14.d4) 12. . . r!e8 13. l'i:Jc4 1i.c7 14.e4 The alternatives are unattractiv e :
(14. 'fkb3 e4 15.l'i:Jg5 exd3 1 6. e4) with a 2 1. . . cxb4 22.'fka4!, 2 l. . . liJd6 22.TJ.al
complicated game. tbf8
11. e4 i.c6 (22 ... i. c6 23. tbxd6 i.xd6 24. b5 i. b 7
12. l'i:Jbd2 eS 25. r!a 7!) 23. bxc5 bxc5 2 4 . tb e 3 ! , or
13. b3 �e8 2l... i.c6 22.1i.a3. li::lf8
14. i.b2 li::lfd7 22.
23. .l::t
bxcSa1 bxcS
I f 1 4. . .l"i:Jbd7! ? White strengthens the 24. i.a3
placing of his pieces by tbc4, i.c3 and 'ikb2. Despite great efforts, I was unable to
15. aS !DeS find a forced w i n after 24. 'fkb3 <j; h 8
16. !bc4 i.c7 25. i.xe5 fxe5 26. liJcxe5 i. d5 2 7. exd5
17. l:tfd1! 'fkxd5!
Black is being overrun, but he still 24. ... l'i:Jc6
possesses a static advantage. The time for a 25. i.xcS l'i:Je6
break in the centre has come. Nogueiras loses interest in this already
17. ... bS lost game, and he allows a tactical solution.
• 25. . . <j; h 8 would have prolonged the
Black undertakes dynamic action, resistance.
since 1 7 26. i.xe6+ .!itxe6
.............1J.b8 18. b4 cxb4 1 9.d4 is bad for him.
27. 'ilfa2!
B lack resigns in view of 2 7. . . i. b 7
28.t[jd6 (or 28.t[jcxe5).
1-0
No.5 I
I.Dorfman - Pr.Nikolic
D I I - Moscow GMA 1 990
1. d4 d5
2. c4 c6
3. (ljf3 (ljf6
4. 'ilfc2 g6 0
•
At the start o f the 2 1 st century the
strongest counter here is considered to be 14. i.g2 (ljf5
4 . . . dx c4 5. 'ikxc4 i.j5 6.g3 e6 7. i.g2 15. 0-0 (ljd6
t[jbd7 8. 0-0 i.e 7 9.e3 0-0 J O. (fjcJ b 5 The strongest players in the world play
l l . 'ike 2 b4 J 2. (fja 4 'ika5 1 3 . b3 J. e 4 without prejudices: out of 1 5 moves, Black
14. i. d2 'ikd5. has made seven with his knights.
5. i.f4 'ilfa5+ 16. b3 0-0-0
6. 'i'd2 17. ([jet •
A new move. After the traditional 6.(ljbd2 The knight heads for the ideal post at d3,
it is simpler for Black to play . . c6-c5 and to
.
from where it supports the advance of the b-, c
gain counterplay typical of the Griinfeld and e-pawns, and is also alongside the
Defence. weakness at c6. I was unable to find another
6. 'ifxd2+ way of successfully advancing e2-e4. Thus after
7. (ljbxd2 (ljb5 17.:jel I did not like 1 7. . . i.h6 18.'!:.cdl i.a6,
Black's position is also statically worse or after J 7.'1J.cel the immediate 17. . . i.a6.
after the quiet 7... i.g7 (type of centre). The 17. i.h6
Bosnian grandmaster decides to make new 18. e3 l:!he8
static concessions, in order to gain dynamic 19. (ljd3
counter-chances.
8. J..e5 f6
9. i.c7 (lja6 •
10. i.a5 b6
11. i. c3 (ljc7
12. .l:.cl i.b7
A critical position, arising as a result of a
series of forced moves. White has to choose
a plan, and I opted for the fl ank
development of my bishop.
13. g3 (ljg7
Who would be able to guess the opening,
without knowing the score of the game? !
And this after only 1 3 moves!
19 • ••• dxc4! 30. :d3 ::deS!

Now or never. The threat of c4-c5 forces The finale to a splendidly conducted
an immediate dynamic reaction. defence. Black has a static advantage.
20. li::lb4 Note that the pawn capture 30. . . li:lxc4 ?
• 3J.liJe7+ would have been inappropriate .
Black subtly noticed that the knight at d3 Beginning from this point, White readjusts
was undefended in the variation 20.bxc4 e5 and employs dynamic means.
2l.dxe5 li:lj7! 31. f4!
20. li::ld5 The sole narrow path to equal ity.
21. bxc4 li::lxc3 Unsatisfactory is 3J.liJd2 li::lxc4 32.liJb4+
22. :xc3 cxb4 33. li:lxc4 �d5 ! 34. �xd5 �xd5
Again we have a critical position. The 35.�xb4 .i.jB (35 . . . .i.c3 36. liJx b 6+!)
B o snian player directs all h i s energy 36.li::lxb6+ �c5!
towards preventing the advance of the white 31. .!:th5
c-pawn. 32. g4 lih4
22. e5! 33. h3 �xh3
23. dxe5 li::lf7 Black has to be satisfied with a draw after
24. li::lb3 33 . . . li:lxc4 34. �g2 liJb2 35. �d2 li:lc4
• 36.�d3.
Black's defence is constantly based on the 34. �g2 ::h4
concrete features of the position. After A subtle "loss of tempo". White is out of
24.li:le4 1he5! 25. li::lxf6 .i.g7 26. liJg4 �e7 danger after 34... �h6 ? 35.ll:Jd2 g5 36.�!1
White suffers serious loss of material. gxf4 3 7. li::lxf4.
24. .•• c5 35. �g3 .!:!.h6
• 36. li::ld2
Maintaining the tension. Black loses after Thanks to Black's intermediate move, he
24 . . . li:lxe5 25. c5 .i.jB 2 6. li:lxc6 li:lxc6 was able to reply to 36.g5 with 36. . . liJf5+.
27. cxb6! 36.••• g5
25. .i.xb7+? 37. i:td1?
A mistake, squandering the advantage that The players had given up much time and
White has accumulated bit by bit. It could effort on the preceding play, and were now
have been maintained by the obvious (for in a time scramble. It is this that explains the
me included) 25.li::lc6 Lc6 26.Lc6 1he5 exchange of "compliments". 37.fxg5 .i.e5+
2 7. a4! But the problem was that I judged 38.tbj4 was essential.
my position to be c learly, and not just •37 ••• gxf4+
minimally better. And here a variation 38. li::lxf4
turned up, passing off the desirable for the Not 38.exf4 .i.d4!
actual. . . 38. .i.e5
25. �xb7 39. g5 l::tg6
26. li::ld5 l:txe5 40. li::lf3 li::le4+?
• With this last move before the time
After the anti-positional 26.. .fxe5 27.li:lf6 control Black repays the debt. White would
�e7 28.li:le4 White would have established have had no hope of saving the game after
the long-awaited blockade. 40... li::lxc4 4l.�cl b5!
27. :b1 �c6 41. �g2 l:tg7
28. li::lxf6 .i.g7 White's counterplay is also sufficient for a
29. li::ld5 li::ld6 draw after 4l...�gg8 42.�7.
42. l:td8 could participate in the World Cup, my

I worked out to the end a pretty, forced opponent would be satisfied with a draw.
variation, leading to equality. 6. i.d6
42. lbd8 7. b4 0-0
43. tbxe5+ Wb7 An inaccuracy in a critical position.
44. l:txd8 l:txg5+ Reflecting later on White's artificial idea, I
45. tbg4 tbf6 hit on the variation 7... a5! 8. b5 c5 9. cxd5
46. Wf3 lbxg4 exd5 1 0. dxc5 tbxc5 l l . tbxd5 tbxd5
There is also no point in the opponent 1 2.'ixd5 i.e6 13.'id4 lbb3 14. 'ixg7 l:r.f8
playing with fire: 46...:Xg4 47.'f:.d6 (4Zl:r.f8 1 5 . l:r. b l tbxc l 1 6. l:r.xcl i.xa3 1 7. l:r.c2
ti:Jd7 48.l:r.j7 Wc6). i.b4+. It is well known that, when playing
47. l:ld7+ Wa6 against an isolated d-pawn, one should not
48. tbd3 weaken the squares on the neighbouring
The saving resource. The e-pawn ensures c-file. Here the white pawn has "run" to b5,
White sufficient counterplay. and Black can exploit the c3, c4 and c5
48. b5 squares.
49. Wf4 l:tg6 8. i.b2 'ie7
50. tbxc5+ Wb6 9. 'ic2 a6
51. tbe4 bxc4 10. i.e2
52. l:txh7 ti:Jf6
Draw agreed in view o f the variation
53. 'it>f5 lbxh7 54. '>t>xg6 tbf8+. •
Yl-Yl
No .52
Kir.Georgiev - I.Dorfman
D45 - Moscow GMA 1 990
The Bulgarian grandmaster possesses

most of the qualities necessary for being a
top-rank player: high strategic class, good
combinative vision, excellent technique,
broad opening erudition, strong nerves and a
fighting character. Not to his taste, perhaps, 10 dxc4
•
. •.•
is prolonged dynamic play.

1. d4 d5 I did not want to go in for the creation of
2. c4 c6 an isolated pawn by 10. . . e5 ll.cxd5 cxd5
3. tbf3 ti:Jf6 12.dxe5 tbxe5, although its static weakness
4. tbc3 e6 is fully compensated by the dynam ic
5. e3 ti:Jbd7 resources.
6. a3 11. i.xc4 e5
This modest continuation, compared with 12. i.b3
6. 'ic2 or 6. i.d3, was explained by the Only after this subtle retreat did I sense
subsequent offer of a draw. I completely the danger. Black cannot advance 12 . . . e4
overlooked the fact that, due to the limit on because of 13.tbg5, when he does not gain a
the number of Soviet grandmasters who tempo with 13 . . . ti:J b6. In my search for
complications, I missed a traditional way for part. This aim is answered by playing for
the Meran Variation o f developing the exchange of queens by 23. 'i!Va4:
counterplay by 12... exd4 13.lDxd4 g6 14.0-0 A) 23 . . . 'i!Ve6 24. 'i!Vxa5 'i!Vb3 (24. . . .l:!.xd6
c5 15.bxc5 lDxc5 16.i.a2 i.d7. 25. 'i!Vxc5 .l:!.c6 is relatively more tenacious)
12. a5? 25.tiJa4;
13. b5 c5 B) 23 . . . 'i!Vxa4 24. t£Jxa4 1:.xd6 25. 1:.xd6
14. d5 e4 Ld6 26.1:.d1 i.e 7 27.lDxc5 i.g4 28. i.xj6
I did not want to "die on my knees" after gxf6 29.1f!d5.
14...............................................................tl:Jb6 15. tiJd2. 23. tiJxd5
15. tiJd2 J:::!.e8 24 .l:lxd5
• i.xd6
16. t£Jc4 h5 25. J:i.hd1 i. e7
In any case Black has no useful ideas, but 26. 'i!Vxe4 i.e6
this move gives his king an escape square, it
averts a possible g2-g4, and it prevents
White from castling (1 7. 0-0 Lh2+).
17. b6!
Georgiev conducts the game strongly, and
he now gains the b5 square.
17. i. b8
18. 0-0-0 'i!Vd8
19. i.a4 l;!a6
20. d6
•
Black radically changes the character of
the play.
0
27. 'i e5?

An incorrect evaluati on of a critical
position. It all ends peacefully after 27.1:.xh5
f5 28.l:.xf5 'i!Vb5 29.11d2 'i!V/1+.
27. f6
28. 'ifxh5 i.f7
29. 'i!Vf5 i.xd5
30. 'i!Vxd5+ �f8
31. 'ikc4
•
This manoeuvre prevents the activation of
the enemy queen. The ending arising after
31.'i!Vd7 'i!Vxd7 32 . .l:Ixd7 �e8 would have
20. t£Jxb6 been more pleasant for Black.
21. t£Jxb6 .l:lxb6 31. ••. a4
22. i.xe8 'i!Vxe8 32. .l:ld3
23. tiJd5? Black's initiative becomes threatening
White's king is statically weak, and, after 32 . . . 'I:.b3 followed by 33 . . . b5 and
despite his minimal material advantage, the 34. . . c4.
situation demands dynamic play on his 32. ••• l:i.a6
My opponent had little time left, and I set 1. lbf3 g6

him a psychological problem. The advance It always seemed to me that Kamsky
of the b-pawn appears to be a danger. In fact p l ayed b e s t in s i m p l e p o s i t i o n s .
White should have waited for it, and only Therefore I was pinning my hopes on
then moved his queen. complications.
33. �e4? �bS 2. c4 �g7
After this the exchange of rooks inevitably 3. d4
follows, and White will have no way of •
opposing the enemy offensive on the With this move order White is not able
queenside. And he is unable to activate his to avoid the Griinfeld defence. After 3. e4
majority on the other side of the board, due e5 4. d4 exd4 5. lbxd4 lbj6 6. lbc3 0-0
to loss of material resulting from the lack of 7. � e 2 l:.e8 8.f3 c 6 9. 0 - 0 d5 B l ack
a shelter for his king. successfully opens the centre and takes
34. Ild2 l:.d6 the initiative.
35 .l:lxd6
• �xd6 3. lbf6
36. 'it'dS 'it>e7 4. g3 0-0
37. �e4+ 'it>d8 5. �g2 c6
38. �dS 'it>c7 am s i m p ly unable to make any
39. f4 'ife2 other move here ! I think that only this
40. �d2 �fl+ type of centre guarantees Black a good
41. 'it>c2 �c4+ game.
42. 'it>bl 'ife4+ 6. lbc3 dS
43. 'it>al 'it>c6 7. 'ifb3
Gradually the preconditions are created A c ontinuation often e mployed by
for transposing into a won pawn ending. A .Petrosian, Romani shin and . . . me. The
44. h4 c4 alternative is Zcxd5 cxd5 8.lbe5.
45. �aS 7. dxc4
Now the queen has to be kept at a •
distance, to avoid the exchange, as in the Again this is a critical position. Black
possible variation 45.1i;a2 �d3 46. �xd3 concedes the centre and allows his opponent
cxd3 47. 'it>b1 'it>d5. an outpost on c5, relying on the dynamic
45. �c2 resources of the position. 7. . . �b6 i s
46. e4 'idl+ probably more solid. I n the game Dorfman
47. 'it>a2 �xf4 Uhlmann, West Berlin 1 989, Black played
The rest is of no interest, and is explained by the opening in exemplary fashion: 8. c5
White's unwillingness to accept the inevitable. �xb3 9.axb3 �g4 J O. b4 lbbd7 l l .e3 a6
48. �fS �b3+ 12. lbd2 e5 13. 0-0 l:.fe8, which, however,
49. 'it>al c3 did not prevent him fro m losing the
50. �c8+ �c7 resulting ending.
51. �cl c2 8. 'ifxc4 lba6
52. �b2 'ifc4 9. 0-0 �fS
53. �cl �c3+ In this formation it is not easy for the
0-1 black queen to find work. Black plans to
exchange it by . . . �d8-b6-b4. For White
No. 53 it would have been logical to play JO. .!:.e1
GKamsky - !.Dorfman (1 O.lLle5), aiming to seize space, and, more
D78 - Paris 1 990 important - avoid simplification.
risk. I did not want to play the positions

arising after 13 . . . lbxe4 1 4 . 1:.xe4 il.xe4
15.lbxe4 lbc2 16.'f:.bl lbxd4 1 7. il.g5 '!:.fe8
1 8.lbc5 lbxf3+ 1 9.il.xf3 b6 20.lbd3 'f:.ac8
2l.lbb4 h6 22.il.e3 c5 23.lbc6 'f:.c7 24. b4
c4 25. b5, and 13 . . . lbc2 1 4 . exf5 lbxa l
1 5. 1:.xe 7 ( 1 5 . il.f4 lbc2 1 6. 1:.xe 7 lbh5)
15 ... 1:.ab8 1 6.fxg6 hxg6 1 7. 'f:.e2 ( 1 7. i..f4
'!:.fe8 18.il.xb8 'f:.xe 7 1 9. La 7) 1 7. . . 1:.fe8
18.il.e3.
14. 'f:.d1
White is behind in development and, in
losing time on its completion, is forced to
0 make static concessions. In the approximate
variation 14.'f:.e2 il.c4 15.'f:.d2 lbd7 16. a3
lbd3 1 7. il.fl lbxcl 1 8. il.xc4 lbb6 he has
10. h3?! 'i b6 nothing to compensate for the absence of his
11. :tel �! dark-square bishop.
• 14. ... lbc2!
As a result of the time lost, Black's dream 15. 'f:.b1 lbxe4
has been realised. l l . . .tt:e4
:. 12.g4 lbxc3 B lack has engaged in complications,
1 3. bxc3 il.e4 was less logical, although since, due to the features of the pawn
possible. formation, his position is statically inferior.
12. 'it'xb4 16. lbxe4 il.xa2
• 17. il.g5 il.xb1
The variation avoided a move earlier 18. 'f:.xb1 :res
acquires a different meaning after 12.b3 •
lbe4. Nothing attractive is apparent after
12. lbxb4 18. . .tt:
xd4
:. 1 9. il.xe 7 '!:.fe8 20. lbf6+ il.xf6
13. e4 il.e6 21.Lf6 lbxf3+ 22.Lf3.
19. lLJc5 lbxd4
•
After 1 9. . . b6 2 0. lbb3 B l ack's pawn
formation becomes brittle.
20. lbxb7 'f:.ab8
21. lba5
21.lbxd4 Ld4 22.Lc6 'f:.ec8 is a more
favourable version for the opponent.
21. ... :xb2
•
This accurate reply forces the exchange of
rooks . After 21 . . . lbxf3+ 22. il.xf3 '!:.xb2
0 White can flirt with the idea of 23.'f:.dl ! ? He
also stands better after 21 . . . lbe2+ 22: :i;jl
lbc3 23.'f:.el.
• 22. �xb2 lLJxf3+
Winning the exchange involves a serious 23. il.xf3 ..i.xb2
24. tbxc6 i.a3 I respect an uncompromising approach to

• chess, but I have a different attitude to
I could have retained the a7 pawn, but the boorishness. This was our second (after the
passive nature of the position frightened me handshake before the game) and last
in the variation 24 . . . i.j6 25. i.e3 a6 contact. It is this that explains the end to the
26.i.b6. game, a strange one for this level of players.
25. tbxa7 .l:tb8 56. i.d7 �f7
26. tDc6 l1bl+ 57. lDe3 l':.c3
27. �g2 �f8 58. g4 hxg4+
28. i.e3 59. i.xg4 f5
Directed against 28. . . i.c5. 60. exf5 gxf5
28. h5 61. i.xf5 e4+
29. i.e4 l:tb5 62. �f4 l1xe3
30. lDd4 l1b2 63. �xe3 �g7
31. tiJf3 i.d6 64. h5
32. lDgS .l:tb5
33. i.d3 .l:ta5
34. �f3 i.cS No.54
35. h4 i.xe3 M.Illescas !.Dorfman
-
36. fxe3 .l:ta4 B 1 4 - French League 1 99 1

37. i.bS l:tb4
In the majority of cases a rook can I. c4 c6
hold the position against two minor pieces, 2. e4 d5
even when there are three symmetric pawns. 3. exd5 cxd5
38. i.c6 e6 4. cxd5 lDf6
39. e4 .l:tb6 5. tDc3 liJxdS
40. i.a4 l:ta6 6. lDf3 e6
41. i.bS .l::ta3+ 7. d4 i.b4
42. �f2 Only seven moves have been made, and
42.�f4 e5+. the static balance is catastrophic for White.
42. �e7 His thoughts are associated w ith p lay
43. lDf3 :as against the enemy king. This is why Black
44. i.d3 e5 tries to initiate play in the centre and on the
45. i.c4 f6 queenside, diverting the enemy forces from
46. i.dS l:tc5 the direction of the main blow.
47. tDel .!:tc3 8.i.d2
48. lDg2 l:tc2+ The play is sharper after 8. 'i'c2. Here are a
49. � l':.c3+ few typical games: 8 . . tbc6 9.i.d3 i.a5:
.
50. tbe3 �f8 A) JO.i.e4 lill:d4 ll.lill: d4 lill: c31 2. bxc3

51. �f2 �g7 'ixd4 1 3. 0-0 'i'xc3 14.'i'bl f5 1 5. 'i'b5+
52. i.e6 .l:td3 �/7 1 6. i.j3 'i'c 7 1 7. i.b2 i.d7 1 8. 'i'e2
53. tiJdS l:td2+ l':.heB 1 9. i.e5 'it'c5 20.'i:.abl i.b6 2l.i.xb7
54. �e3 l1c2 :tadB 22. 'i'h5+ �gB 23. i.xg 7 �xg 7
55. �f3 .:cs 24.1!t'g5+ �j7 25.1i'h5+ �g7 26.'i'g5+ �/7
I think it was here that I offered a draw. 2 7. 'i'h5+ � e 7 28. 1!t'h4+ 12 - 12, Hiibner
My opponent said not a word, nor made any Hracek, European Team Championship,
gesture, to show that he had been addressed. Batumi 1 999;
B) 10. 0-0 lDdb4 11.'illd1 lDxd3 12.�xd3 f6 Black has no winning chances.
1 3. 'rAd1 0- 0 1 4. i.j4 lDb4 1 5 . 'illc4 lDd5 14. i.xc3
16.i.d2 i.xc3 1 7. bxc3 lDb6 1 8. �b3 'illd5 •
19.1!acl lDc4 20.i.f4 b6 21. lDd2 i.b7 22.f3 Black is out of danger after 14. bxc3 e5!
.!:.ac8 23.lDxc4 .:Xc4 24. i.g3 '§.feB 25.i:!.e1 1 5 . dxe5 ( 1 5.d5 'illxd5 1 6. i.xh6 'illc5)
'i!ld7 26. 'illb2 i. d5 with domination for 15... lDxe5 16.lDxe5 Le5 1 7. i.xh6 Lh2+
Black, Rechlis-Khenkin, French League 18.<Jilxh2 'i h4+ 1 9.<Jilg1 'illxh6, whereas a
1 999. certain accuracy is demanded of White to
8. 0-0 maintain the balance.
9. i.d3 lDc6 14. ltJe7
10. 0-0 i.e7 15. 'ille2 i.d7
Here it is possible to revert to a very common 16. i¥e4 g6
and slightly inferior position by 10... lDf6. 17. lDeS
11. a3 •
At this critical point White should The tactical basis of Black's play is
seriously consider the exchange l l. lDxd5 illustrated by the variation 1 7. 'illx b 7 i. c6
exd5 (ll...�xd5) 12.h3. 18.'ib3 Lf3 1 9.gxf3 lDd5. His play against
11. i.f6 the king and control of strategic posts more
12. 'illc2 h6 than compensates for the material deficit.
• 17. ••• i.a4
Experience demonstrates the viability of
12...g6 13.i.h6 .l:te8 14.'!}.ad1 lDxc3 15. bxc3
i.d7 1 6. �d2 li c 8, Webster- Sorokin,
Calcutta 2000.
13. .l:.ad1
The culmination of the battle! Determined

action was required of White: 18.d5 i.xd1
( 1 8. . . lDxd5 1 9. lDxg6 lDxc3 20. lDe 7+)
a b c d e t g h 1 9.dxe6 i.b3 20.lDxf7 .:Xf7 21.exf7+ <Ji;xj7
22. i.xj6 <Ji;xj6 23. '!}.e1 i.d5 (23. . . �d6 ?
13 • ••• lDxc3 24. 'ij3+) 24. 'ille5+ <Ji;j7 25. 'if4+ <Ji;g7
• 26. 'ille5+, leading to perpetual check.
I did not want to delve into the details of the 18. .l:idel? i.c6
variation 13... lDxd4 14.lDxd4 i.xd4 15.lDxd5 19. 'i¥g4?
'illxd5 16. i.e3 e5 1 7. i.c4 'illd6 1 8. i. xd4 Again a mistake in a critical position.
exd4 1 9. 'ille4 1!d820. .l:.fe 1, knowing that all White should have changed the
the same I would not play this. After all, in it unfavourable nature of the play by the
exchanges 1 9Ji)xc6 bxc6 20. i. b4 a5 No. 55

21.i.xe7 "i!lxe7 22.i¥xc6 i.xd4. M.Rivas Pastor !.Dorfman
-
19. hS
D3 1 - Spain v. USSR, Logrono 1991
20. 'i¥g3 i. dS
21. i.b4 aS 1. c4 e6
22. i. cS b6 2. lbc3 dS
23. i. xe7 ifxe7 3. d4 c6
The position has stabilised. White has 4. cxdS
nothing in return for the opponent's bishop •
pair and more compact pawn formation. The many-times Spanish Champion
24. i. e4 .l:.ad8 simply cannot decide what to play against
25. 1!Vf3? this move order. Here, for example, is how
• he "resolved" this problem a year later:
The Spanish grandmaster is rattled, and does 4.lbf3 lbj6 5. "illb3 dxc4 6. "i!lxc4 b5 7. "illd3
not even manage to set up a defensive line. i.a6 8. "illc2 b4 9.lba4 i. b5 1 0. b3 lbbd7
25.i..xd5 1hd5 26.1:Z.e4 was more tenacious. 1 1 . i. b2 i.e 7 1 2 . e4 0-0 13. i.c4 "i!la5
25. ... i.xeS 14.lbd2 i.xa4 15.bxa4 lbb6 16.i.b3 .!:.ac8
26. dxeS 1 7.0-0 c5, Rivas Pastor-Dorfman, Barcelona
Equally hopeless is 26.i..xd5 i..x h2+ 27. Wxh2 1 992. It is time for White to resign.
1hd5, when White is two pawns down. The text move cannot be good, if only
26. ... .i.c4 because it allows B lack to develop his
When I made my 1 7th move, I did not get queen's bishop unhindered. White should
this far in my dreams. choose between 4.e4 and 4.lbf3.
27. 'iVe3 i.xfl 4. exdS
28. .l:'ixfl 'ifcS 5. 'iVc2 i.d6
Due to the specific nature of team Primitive play with 5...g6 is unattractive
competitions, White drags out for a dozen because of Petrosian's idea 6. i.j4 i.j5
moves his absurd resistance to the inevitable. 7. "illd2 lbf6 8.f3.
29. 'iVxcS bxcS 6. lbf3 lbe7
30. .l:tcl .!:id4 7. i.gS .i.fS
31. f3 c4 7. . . lbd7 8. e3 lbj8 9. i.d3 lbjg6 is solid
32. l:l.c2 l:fd8 enough.
33. h4 l:td1+
34. Wh2 .!:!.8d4
35. J:lc3 ];t1d2
36. b3 cxb3
37. :lxb3 l:ic4
38. Wg3 <t;g7
39. liibS .l::ta4
"If you are a pawn up, don't hurry. The
opponent wil give you a second one. . . " (Smyslov).
40. 1:.b3 l:tc4
41. llb7
It is clear that if 41.'!i.b5 there will finally
follow 41 . . . a4.
41. ... .l:lcS
0
0-1
8. 'ifd2?! advantage) 16.0-0-0 'it'xd6 with a decisive

It is correct to go into an equal endgame, advantage for Black;
by playing 8. 'fixf5 tDxf5 9.i.xd8 <3;xd8 B) 1 4. i.a3 tDjh 4 is unsatisfactory for
1 0.a3. White;
8. 0Jd7 C) 14.gxf3 is the lesser evil, leaving Black
9. e3 0Jf8 with only a minimal advantage.
10. i.h4 13. .•. i.xf5
• 14. 0Ja4
1 0. i.d3 i.xd3 l l. 'ifxd3 0Jjg6 12.i.xe 7 The Spanish player suffers from an over
is more watch fu l . But to take such a evaluation of his position. He simply cannot
decision, you have to be prepared to fight accept that his position is worse and that he
for equality after 1 0 moves, w i th the should engage in passive defence. Here after
white pieces. 1 4. i.xd6 'it'xd6 1 5. 0- 0 he would have
10. 0Jfg6 retained defensive possibilities.
11. i.g3 i.g4! 14. i.e4
15. i.xd6
•
White deviates from the planned course.
After 15.tDc5 i.xc5 16.dxc5 i.xj3 1 7.gxf3
'it'f6 Black becomes master of the situation.
15. 'fixd6
16. 0Jc5 i.xf3
17. gxf3 b6
1 7... tDh4! ?
18. 0Jd3 c5
Beginning the pursuit of the enemy king.
18... 0-0 was simple and strong, but Black is
0 playing for a decisive advantage.
19. dxc5 bxc5
20. 'ifaS
12. i.d3?! The point of Black's plan consists in the
• variation 20.1:!cl c4 21.1!t'b4 (or 21. tDb4
For which exchange should White aim? tDe5 with the initiative) 21...<3;e7! 22.11t'b7+
After 1 2 . i.xd6 'it'xd6 13. i.e2 i.xj3 ! <3;e6.
14. i.xf3 tDh4 he is unable to avoid the 20. 0-0!
degradation of his position, but 12.i.e2 0Jj5 21. 'i'xc5 'i'f6
1 3. i.xd6 tDxd6 (13. . . 1!t'xd6 1 4. 0-0) was 22. f4
more realistic. The terrible queen+knight tandem
12. 0Jr5 dominates after 22.<3;e2 tDh4! (Black can
13. i.xf5 also convert his advantage in the endgame
• arising after 22 . . . 1:!ac8 23. 'i'd4 1:!c2+
The first problems have appeared. Thus if 24. <3;d1 'i'xd4 25. exd4 1:!c4 26.1:!cl f!xd4)
13. i.xd6 Black has the very strong reply 23. 'fixd5 (or 23.f4 'fi/5 with a decisive
13 . . . i.xj3 ! (the chances are equal after attack) 23. . . fl.ad8 24. 'fie4 (24. 'fib7 1J. b8)
13... 0Jxd6 14.0Jg1): 24 . . . 1:!fe8 25. 'fig4 1hd3 26. <3;xd3 :!dB+
A) 14.i.xj5 i.xg2 15.1:!g1 tDh4 (15...'fixd6 2Z<3;c2 'fic6+ 28.<3;b1 0,xf3 29. b3 :!cB, and
1 6. i.xg 6 'fixh 2 also gives a serious White can resign.
22. ••• 'if5! by 30.�gl, when, as in the game, I would

23. 'ifd4 have continued 30. . . .l:tc6.
If 23. 'ic2, then 23. . . d4. 30. .l:i.c6
23. ••• lUeS 31. f5 .l:th6
This forces the win. Here are some brief 32. .l:tf2 'ifh4+
variations: 24./3 tl:Jh4, 24. 0-0-0 1:te4 or 33. �g2 'ifxh2+
24. �e2 tl:Jh4. All that remains is the text 34. �fl 'ifhl+
move. 35. �e2 'ife4+
24. tl::Je5 36. �d2 tl::Jc4+
37. �c3
After making this move White resigned,
without waiting for me to make on the board
the prepared 37. . . 1:th3+.
0-1
No.56
V.Majorovas !.Dorfman
-
A3 7 Cannes 1 992
-
We met in the last round of the traditional

games festival. My opponent had 6 points
out of 8, and was leading me by half a point.
In principle, he was happy with a draw.
24. ... .l:txe5! 1. tl::Jf3 c5
The exchange sacrifice prevents the white 2. c4 b6
king from leaving the centre. This is an 3. g3
excellent illustration of the co-ordination of •
queen and knight. In such a competitive situation I would
25. fxe5 tl::Jxe5 consider the "hedgehog" formation, arising
26. 'ifdl after 3.d4 cxd4 4. tl:Jxd4 i.b7 5.f3, to be a
A tenacious defence. King moves lose godsend.
more quickly: 2 6. �dl 'iVj3+ 2 7. �d2 3. i.b7
'fixj2+, or 26.�/1 'fi'h3+ 2 7.�e2 'iVJ3+. 4. i.g2 g6
26. •.• .l:tc8! After 4. . . tl:Jj6 5. 0-0 e6 it is simpler for
Demonstrating that White is completely White to achieve the desired simplification.
helpless. 5. 0-0 i.g7
27. f4 'ife4?! 6. tl::Jc3 tl::Jc6
Perhaps 27... .l:tc2 28. 'i\Vxc2 'i!kxc2 29.fxe5 7. e3 tl::Jh6
'i!kxb2 30. 0-0 'fi'xe5 would have been a •
cleaner finish. In playing for static weaknesses with
28. 0-0 'ifxe3+ 7... tl:Jj6 8.d4 cxd4 9. exd4 d5 JO. cxd5 tl:Jb4
29. �g2 l l.'i\Va4+, Black's downfall is caused by his
29.1:tj2 tl:Jd3. failure to castle.
29. .•• 'i!fe4+ 8. d4 tl::Jf5
30. �g3 •
The resistance could have been prolonged What should White do with his centre? I
can suggest a promising pawn sacrifice for 12. .l:ib2

the initiative: 9.d5 tba5 JO.e4 tbd6 l l . e5 The conflict affects the central pawn
tbdxc4 12. 'fie2 (12.1:!e1). Some justification formation. Thus Black tries to give his
for the Lithuanian player is provided by the opponent hanging pawns, and White does
fact that it is psychologically difficult to take everything possible to prevent this. In
such a decision, when you are aiming for a particular, with his last move he avoids
draw. 12.1:!a1 cxd4 13.tbexd4 tbxd4 14. exd4 d5.
12. tbc6
13. l::!.d2 cxd4
14. exd4
For already understandab le reasons,
14.tbexd4 tbcxd4 (14... tbfxd4 15.exd4 d5)
15.exd4 d5 does not suit my opponent.
9. tbe2 0-0
10. l:!.b1
•
White does not make any static
concessions. After 1 0. b3 cxd4! l l. tbfxd4
tbcxd4 1 2 . tbxd4 i.xg2 J 3. <JI;xg2 i.xd4
14.exd4 d5 weaknesses are created in his 14. ... i.h6
position without any compensation. •
10. ... tba5 Black still needs to play dynamically.
With this manoeuvre Black succeeds in 14... d5 15.tbc3 is bad for him.
rearranging his minor pieces on the long 15. l::lb2
diagonal, in order to intensify the pressure •
on d4. Of the other possible continuations, The exchange sacrifice would have been
JO... cxd4 l l.tbjxd4 tbjxd4 12.tbxd4 'fic8 quite a good practical chance. In contrast to
13.tbxc6 Lc6 14.Lc6 fixc6 15.b3 ntdB the game, after 15. d5 i.xd2 16. �xd2 i.xj3
16. i.b2 leads to equality. But the rest are 1 7. i.xj3 tbe5 1 8. i.e4 ( 1 8. i.g2 d6) the
bad for B lack: 1 0. . . d5 ? l l . cxd5 �xd5 outcome is not yet decided.
12.e4! fixe4 13.tbc3+-; JO... tbb4 ? l l.a3! 15. i.xf3
i.e4 12.axb4 Lb1 13.tbc3±; JO... e6 l l.b3 16. i.xf3 i.xcl
d5 12.cxd5 exd5 13.i.b2t. 17. fixcl
11. b3 White has no compensation for the pawn
• after 1 7. tbxcl tbjxd4 18. i.g2 l:tc8 1 9.':d2
White does not have equality after 1 1.b4 e5.
cxb4. 17. tbfxd4
11. ... i.e4 18. tbxd4 tbxd4
19. i.xa8 'i'xa8 A) 34.b4 Wf8 (34...f5 35.c5 bxc5 36.b5+-)

20. .l:!d1 35. Wd3 e6 (35. . . We8 36.We4 f6 3 7. Wd5
This rook manoeuvre terminates a series Wd7 38.c5 e6+ 39.Wc4 f5 40.b5!) 36.c5
of eight captures. Nevertheless, it is also bxc5 37.bxc5 We7-+;
forced, just like the preceding moves. 20.f4 B) 34. Wd3 ! e6 35. c5! bxc5 36. Wc4 Wf8
ltJf3+ 21.<i;h1 (21.Wj2 ltJxh2) 2J...fiJd2+ is 3ZWxc5 We7 38. b4 Wd7 39. b5 Wc7 40.a5
hopeless for White. f5 41. b6+ axb6+ 42. axb6+ Wb7 43.Wd6,
20. ... lbf3+ and it is White who wins.
21. Wg2? 33. b4
A tactical oversight. After the toughest
defence 2 1 . Wf1 ltJxh 2+ 22. W e 2 fij3+
23. We 1 fke4+ 24. fke3 fkxe3+ 25.fxe3 •
Ci:Jj3+ 26. We2 ltJe5 Black remains with two
pawns for the exchange and an advantage
that is close to decisive.
21. lbe1+
22. wn lbd3
23. fkc2 lbxb2
24. 'i'xb2
24.:t:!xd7 is most accurately refuted by
24. . . fkc6! 25. :t:!d4 (25.:Xe7 :t:!d8 26. fkxb2
fkh1 + 2 7. We2 fkd1+ with a rapid mate)
25. . . lbxc4 26Jhc4 fkh1+ 2 7. We2 fkxh2
28.'i:!c7 fkh5+ 29. Wf1 :t:!d8, with a winning
attack. 33. ... l!c7?!
24. 'i'h1+ •
25. We2 'ic6 Seriously short of time, I was unable to
26. 'id4 make an exact diagnosis as to whether in the
The point of the interposed check is seen new situation the pawn ending was won for
in the variation 26. 'ika3 d6 2 7. 'ikxa 7 lta8 Black, or drawn. The following analysis
28. fkxe7 l:.e8. makes things clear: 33 ... rl.e5! 34.:Xe5 dxe5
26. d6 35. Wd3 e6! (35 .. .f5 ? 36. c5! bxc5 3 7. b5;
27. :l.d3 r!c8 35 ... We8 ? 36.We4 f6 37. Wd5 Wd7 38.c5)
28. �e3 !!c7 36. c5 (36.We4 f6 3 7.g4 h5 38.g5 fxg5
29. a4 3 9. hxg5 W e 7) 36 . . . bxc5 3 7. bxc5 W e 7
The desperate assault on the king 29.'ilh4 38. Wc4 Wd7 39. Wb5 Wc7 and wins.
'il b 7 30.g4 f6 3 1 . :t:!h3 is parried by 34. Wd3 aS
31. . . flie4+ and 32.. g5. 35. l':.e2 axb4
29. fkb7 36. :lb2 :a7!
30. h4 l:l.cS A technical deta i l , not allowing the
31. fke4 'i'xe4 opponent to rid himself of his weaknesses.
32. .l:Ixe4 wrs 37. lixb4 l:ta6
• 38. 'it>c3 'it>e8
Black avoids a subtle trap. The transition 39. Wb3 Wd7
into a pawn ending turns out 40. .l:lbS 'it>c6
catastrophically after 32 ... :t:!e5 ? 33.ltxe5 41. Wb4 e6
dxe5: After the inevitable disappearance of the
rooks, the d-pawn will complete the decisive tough play.

march. 3. .ltb4
42. h5 4. 'fllc2
In the variation 42.:Z.g5 :Z.a5 43.:Z.g4 :Z.j5 While out walking with my fellow team
the white rook ends up out of play. member, Valery Salov said: "In the Nimzo-Indian
42. ... �as Defence there is only the variation 4.'ilc2!'.
43. h6 g5 4. c5
After he runs out of pawn moves, White is 5. dxc5 'fkc7
forced to take on a5. The alternative is 5... Lc5 6Jl:Jj3 (6. .i.j4
44. :Z.xa5 bxa5+ d5 7. e3) 6... 'fllb6 (6... b6) 7.e3 .i.e7 (7... a6
45. �xa5 �c5 8.ltJa4 .i.b4+ 9. .i.d2 'i a5 J O.c5±) 8.e4 d6
46. �a6 d5 9. .i.e2 0-0 J O. .i.e3 'il c 7 l l . l:l:Jd4. The
47. cxd5 danger for White in the branch chosen by
4 7.a5 dxc4 48. �b7 c3 49. a6 c2 50. a 7 his opponent is the need to play concretely
cl='fli 51.a8'fll'ilhl+ is hopeless for White. and energetically. After all, Black has the
47. ... exd5 same trumps as in the Sicilian Defence
48. �b7 d4 (extra pawn in the centre and a favourable
But of course, not 48... �b4 ? 49. �b6. endgame ) . It is suffic ient for him to
49. a5 d3 complete a "hedgehog" set-up, and White's
50. a6 d2 4th and 6th moves will become inappropriate.
51. a7 d1='fli 6. a3 .ltxc5
52. a8='if 'flid7+ 7. b4 .lte7
A mating finish is unavoidable: 53. �bB 8. lL'lb5!
(53. �a6 'flib5+) 53... �b6. •
0-1 After 8. c5 the static balance is now
favourable for White due to the backward d
pawn and the weakness of the dark squares.
No.57
But his opponent is rescued by the dynamic
!.Dorfman M.Tal-
8. . . d6 9Jl:Jb5 'l'lc6.
E38 - Barcelona 1 992 8. 'ic6
9. ttJf3
This game took place at a point when Tal •
was leading with 2Y2 out of 3, whereas every The position is full of latent resources.
evening (four times ! ) from 23 .00 to one Wild complications are provoked by the
o'clock in the morning I was playing on an development of the other minor piece:
unfinished game with Mikhail Gurevich. I 9. .ltj4 d6 J O. :Z.dl e5 J J . .i.g5 a6 1 2. .i.xj6
have to be thankful to him, since I got into a axb5 ( 1 2 . . . gxf6 1 3. lL'lc3 'ikxc4 1 4. e 3 )
playing rhythm and won one of my best 13 . .i.xg7 :1 g B 14.'flixh 7 :Z.xg7 15. 'flixg 7
tournaments after leaving the USSR. And :.Xa3 with a strong initiative for Black.
yet my opponents, to a man, were all very 9. d6
strong : Korchno i , Lautier, Akopian, 10. lL'lfd4
Romanishin, Ivan Sokolov . . . •
1. d4 lL'lf6 I hope one day to try JO.g4 a6 ll.lL'lbd4
2. c4 e6 'ie4 1 2. 'ilxe4 ttJxe4 1 3 . .i.g2, found in
3. lL'lc3 Reykj avik in 1 99 4 during the Iceland
Given the former World Champion's France match. Just before the French version
opening erudition, when playing him one of my book was published, I saw an analysis
can hope for something only with direct, by Dvoretsky and Yusupov of a similar
fonnation from a game Kiryakov-Sakaev, where 13. tl:lf3! d5

the authors suggest a similar idea. But I find the 1 3 . . . 0-0 1 4 . tl:lg5 g6 1 5 . tl:lxd6 is
accompanying comments to be incorrect and unsatisfactory for Black.
even harmful for young players: "A player who 14. e4
has the advantage is obliged to attack!" If •
before the word "advantage" one adds I also examined the complications after
"dynamic", I am prepared to subscribe to this 1 4. cxd5 ! ? 'ixb5 15. e3 (15. e4 ? ..ixb4+
rule. In fact it is simply one ofthe consequences 16.axb4 'ixb4+ 1 7. tl:ld2 tl:lbd7) 15... 'id7
of my method. I feel the urge to paraphrase the 1 6. tl:le 5 'id 6 ( 1 6. . . 'ic8 loses after
above comments: "The rich must make a 1 7.'ia4+ <tilj8 18.d6 ..id8 1 9. 1:!cl) 1 7.dxe6
revolution, so that the poor should live better!" ( 1 7. ..ib5+ <tilj8 1 8. tl:lc4 'ic7 1 9.d6 ..ixd6
And what would the founders of Marxism have 2 0. 1:!xd6 a6 and the white p i e c e s are
said about that?! Probably something along the hanging) 1 7. . . 'ixe6 18. ..ic4 'ic8 1 9. 'ikb3
lines of: "One and the same game should not 0-0 20.tl:lxf7 r!xf7 21.Lf7+ <tilf8, leading
have to be won twice!". to an unclear game.
10. ... 'i d7 14. ... 0-0
10... 'ib6 comes into consideration. 14... tl:lxe4 ? ? 15. cxd5.
11 . ..ib2 15. e5 tl:lh5
It i s possible to switch to a S ic i l i an All this is logically l inked with play
Defence by 1 1.e4. against White's "underdeveloped" kingside.
11. ... b6? Totally bad is 15 ... tl:le8 1 6. tl:lc3 (16. ..id3)
This is most probably not a concrete, but a 16.. .'Wic7 (16... tl:lc7 1 7. ..id3) 1 7. ..id3 dxc4
conceptual mistake. Tal hinders the 18. ..ixh 7+ <tilh8 19...ie4.
development of White's kingside, i.e. he plays 16. cxd5!
dynamically, to gain time. Yet there was no 1 6 . ..id3 tl:lf4 1 7. ..ixh 7+ <til h 8 would
need for this! He should have engaged in the h a v e j u s t i fi e d B l a c k ' s p r e c e d i n g
prophylaxis of his already statically better p l ay.
position by 11 ... a6 12.tl:lc3 'ic7. 16. ... ..ixd5
12. :ld1 ..ib7 17. tl:lc3
Black misses a last chance to complete his It i s amusing that the decisive
development by 12... a6. And, in addition, he b l o w s in t h i s game are l a n d e d b y
allows a practically forced win. knights retreating from the s t h rank
to the 3 rd !
17. . . . fkc7
As the variations below convincingly
demonstrate, this move is not the reason
for B l ack's fai lure: 1 7. . . 1:!c8 1 8. 'ikd2
( 1 8. 'ib1 ?! 1:!xc3 19 . ..ixc3 'ic6 20. ..id2
..ixf3 2 1 . gxf3 'ixf3 22. 1:!g1 ..ih4 23. 1:!g2
tl:l d 7) 1 8 . . . ..ixf3 1 9. 'ix d 7 tl:l x d 7
20. 1:!x d 7 ..i c 6 2 1 . 1:!x e 7 <tilf8 2 2 . b5 ± ;
1 7. . . 'Wic8! ? 1 8 . ..id3 ..ixf3 1 9 . ..ixh 7+
<tilh8 20.gxf3 g6 21 . ..ixg6 fxg6 22. 'fkxg6
tl:lg7 23.1:!g 1 .
0
While avoiding the Griinfeld Defence

(l.J£Jj6 2. c4 g6 3. t:'iJc3 d5 4. fia4+ i.d7
5. 'Wib3 dxc4 6. fkxc4) White loses the right
to play the critical variation of the Queen's
Gambit Accepted l.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4.
1. d5
2. d4 tiJf6
A critical moment of the opening. Black
chooses a risky move order. 2... e6 is safer.
3. c4 dxc4
4. e3
Benefit can be derived from the situation
by 4.tbc3, when B lack has to choose
0 between the Slav Defence 4... c6 5.a4 .il..j5
and the Vienna Variation of the Queen's
Gambit 4... e6 5.e4 .il..b4 6.i.g5 c5, since the
18. l:l.xd5! ! gambit continuation 4... a6 5.e4 b5 6.e5 tbd5
A combination o f rare beauty on the 7.a4 is dangerous for him. It was probably
theme of domination. the breadth of choice available to Black that
18. . . . exd5 frightened the French player. And besides,
19. 'iff5 against the Slav Defence for a long time he
This quiet move contains destructive used to employ the Exchange Variation.
energy. The main variation 19... g6 20.tiJxd5 4. e6
"ikdB 2 l . "ike4 t:'iJd7 22.i.a6 leads to the 5. i.xc4 c5
complete paralysis of the black army. 6. 'i!Ve2 a6
19. .l:Id8 •
20. 'i'xh5 d4 As a rule, with the pawn at a2 it is
21. lbd1 d3 premature to exchange on d4. Later White
Equally hopeless is 21 . . . fkc2 22.tbxd4 can restrict the activity of the queen's knight
fke4+ 23.i.e2 :Xd4 24.Ld4 fkxd4 25."ikj3. by a2-a3 .
22. e6! 7. dxc5
The concluding blow. White gives mate, •
with four pieces on the back rank. 7. 0-0 b5 8.i.d3 (8.i.b3 i.b7) 8... lbbd7
22. . . . fxe6 promises a different type of game, since from
22.. .f6 23.i.xd3! now on Black can take on c5 with his knight.
23. "ikg4 i.f8 7. i.xc5
24. fkxe6+ �h8 8. 0-0 lbc6
25. tbe5 9. t:'iJbd2
Black resigned in view of the variation Played in the hope of exploiting Black's
25... d2+ 26.�e2 'rad7 27."ike8 �g8 28.tbxd7. queenside weaknesses after 9... b5 lO. iJ..d3
1-0 i.b7 l l . t:'iJb3 i.d6 12. i.d2. The dynamic
idea 9.e4 weakens White's king and a number
No.58 of squares in his position. But if he should
J.Lautier I.Dorfman
- succeed without detriment in placing his pawn
D28 Barcelona 1 992 on e5, he will acquire the strategic point e4.
9. 0-0
1. tiJf3 10. a3
I have accumulated some experience in 15... l'iJxa5 16.'fid3 :!b8 1 7.i.xd5 i.b5.
such formations. Thus with the knight at c6 13. ... fS
one should not play J O. . . b5 in view of The situation has changed sharply, and
ll.i.d3 i.b7 12.b4 i.e7 13.i.b2, intending accuracy is demanded of both players. White
t'iJd2-e4 and t'iJd2-b3-c5. loses a pawn after 14.l'iJc5 t'iJcxb4 15.axb4 ttlxb4
16.'1:!dl i.xc5 17.il..xj5�e7 18.i.e4 i.b7.
10• ••• t'iJdS

Knowing well Lautier's style, I wanted to force 14. l'iJg3 i.f6
him to make his own moves as soon as possible. 15. .i..b2 i.xb2
11. l'iJe4 16. 'ifxb2 l'iJxe3
Black found a way to prevent l l .b4?, by 17. i.xbS axbS
preparing l l . . . t'iJc3 (ll...i.e7? 12.i.b2 i.j6 1 7. . . l'iJxfl 1 8. i.xc6 l'iJxg3 1 9. i.xa8 is
13.i.xj6 allows White a minimal advantage, unsatisfactory for Black.
whereas the complicated position after 11... 'Wij6 18. fxe3
J2JiJe4 'Wixal 13.i.b2 'Wixfl+ 14.'Wixfl i.e7 A critical position at the end of a series of
15.g4 b5 16.i.b3 i:!d8 17.'Wih3 a5 18.'Wih5 f6 forced moves, which influences the
19.g5 looks risky for Black) 12.'Wiel (12.'Wid3 evaluation of the idea 1 0. . . t'iJd5. Its fate
�xd3 13. i.xd3 i.e7 14.i.b2 l'iJa4 with the depends on the continuation 18 .. .'etib6,
better endgame for Black) 12... i.e7 13.i.b2 intending 1 9.'11ae1 f4 20.t'iJh5 .l:.a7.
l'iJa4 with a promising game.
11. ... .i..e7
12. b4
No particular gains are apparent after
12.'�dl 'ia5 13.i.d2 'fi b6.
12. ••. bS
13. i.d3
By choosing the other retreat, White would
have gone from the frying pan into the fire:
1 3. i.b3 a5 (13. . . .i..b 7 14. i. b2) 14.�xb5
il. d7 15.bxa5 (the tactical skirmish 15.i.xd5
t'iJxb4 16. 'fixd7 'Wixd7 1 7. i.xa8 l'iJa6 18. l'iJe5
'fib5 1 9. t'iJc6 .l:.xa8 20. l'iJxe 7+ clitj8 2l.a4
'fie5 leads to loss of material for White)
18. . . . 'iff6? trouble. White should defend with 32.lbe4!

A loss of concentration. 1 9." fixf6 gxf6 followed by lbd2.
could not be seriously expected. 32. .. . f3
19. 'ib3! �h8 33. hxg4
20. I:tad1 lL'le5 33.gxf3 Lh3 34.'f}.gJ 'i!Vh5 is hopeless.
21. lbe4 33. 'ti'h4+
As a result of the mistake, the white 34. �g1 fxg2
knight moves from g3 to c5 and new efforts 0-1
are required of Black. Nevertheless, it is
worth remembering that, because of the No.59
compromised position of his king and the
G.Flear I.Dorfman
weaknesses at e3 and a3, White has to seek
-
EOO - Polanica Zdroj 1 992

dynamic chances.
21. lL'lxf3+ 1. d4 e6
22. l:hf3 'ile7 2. c4 i.b4+
23. lL'lc5 e5 3. lL'lc3
24. :tf2 f4 •
25. exf4? This was the idea behind my preparations.
25.11.dfl ! was correct, not freeing the e5 The Eng l ish grandmaster is very
square for the black queen. conservative. Therefore 2.e4 could not be
25. exf4 expected, nor 3.i.d2, the strongest move
26. l:!.dfl 'fie5 here. After all, he invariably plays the
27. 'fid3 4. 'ifc2 variation in the Nimzo- Indian
Nothing is achieved by 2 7. lbd3 't!id4 or Defence.
27.g3 i.h3 28.gxf4 'fkh5. 3. c5
27. ... h6 4. d5
28. .l;le2? In the resulting critical position White has
Again a mistake in a critical position. to take a decision about his central pawn
Lautier once said that everyone plays move formation. The choice is quite broad, but
by move, and after the game says that they unattractive: 4.dxc5 i.xc3+ 5. bxc3 'i'a5,
were carrying out plans. I will not argue when White has numerous weaknesses,
with this. Each plays in his own way. But, as 4.a3, transposing into the Samisch Variation,
a minimum, a guide may be provided by the or 4.lbf3 cxd4 5.lbxd4 lbj6 6.g3, where in
pawn formation and the exchange of pieces. the main line after the Karpov-Kasparov
Here the fragile position of White's king matches it has all been analysed to a draw.
obliges him to seek the exchange of queens. 4. i.xc3+
2B.'Wie4 'Wixe4 29. lbxe4 g5 30. h 4 leads to 5. bxc3 'ila5
approximate equality. If 5... lbf6, then 6.f3 looks good.
28. 'i!Vg5 6. e4!
29. 'ilc3 .l:la7 A promising pawn sacrifice, after the
30. �h1 acceptance of which White develops an
The one-move trap did not work (30.l:!.e5 initiative by 6. . . 't!ixc3+ 7. i.d2 'ifd4 (or
:txa3), and Black has to waste time. 7. . . 'ife5 B. i.d3 d6 9. lbf3) B.f3 (8. lbf3
30. .:an 'ifxe4+ 9.i.e2) 8... lbe7 9.1:.cl 0-0 10.lbe2.
31. I:tef2 i.g4 6. lL'lf6
32. h3? 7. ..id2
The decisive mi stake in severe time Again a successful reply. 7.'ifc2 lbxe4 or
7.f3 1!t'xc3+ 8.il.d2 11t'e5 is unsatisfactory for 13. �f2

White. Such moves are not made willingly. But
7. d6 after 13.0-0 comes the same combination as
The tactical basis of White's idea lies in in the game : 1 3 . . . (i:J bxd5 ! ( 1 3. . . 1!Va4 ?!
the variation 7.Ji:Jxe4 8.1!t'g4 lhxd2 9.1!t'xg7 14. 1!Vxa4 (i:Jxa4 1 5. '§.abl (i:Je4 1 6. il.e l )
'§.j8 10. �xd2 11t'a3 J l.'§.cl !, when the threat 14. cxd5 c4.
of (i:Jj3-g5-h 7 is hard to parry.
8. .i.d3 0-0
9. (i:Je2 .!:.e8
0 13. (i:Jbxd5!
14. cxd5 c4
15. il.xh7+
10. 1!t'c2? The point of the combination lies in the
We are already accustomed to seeing the variation 15.il.f5, where Black has to choose
majority of mistakes being made in critical between two winning continuations:
positions. Here after 1 0. 0-0 exd5 l l . exd5 A) 15 . . . 11Vxd5 1 6. (i:Jd4 (16. il.xc8 '§.xe2+!
(i:Jbd7 B lack fixes the pawn formation, 17. �xe2 1!t'xg2+ 18. �e3 '§.xc8) 16. . . il. xf5
neutralising the strength of the bishops. 1 7. 1!t'xf5 .li:te2+! 1 8. �xe2 1!t'xg2+ 1 9. �dl
Essential was the energetic JO. il.g5! exd5 'i!t'xhl+ 20. il.el .li:te8 2J.(i:Jc2 (i:Je4;
( 1 0. . . (i:Jg4! ?) l l . il. xf6 dxe4 12. il.c2 gxf6 B) 15... il. xf5 16.1!t'xf5 (i:Je4+ 1 7. �e1 11t'b6
13.1!t'xd6 with compensation for the pawn. 18.'§.fl (i:Jxd2.
10.
•.. exd5 15. (i:Jxh7
11. exd5 16. il. e3 (i:Jf6
Since the other capture is ruled out 17. il.d4 (i:Je4+
(ll.cxd5 c4), 10.1!t'c2 has been a pure waste 18. �g1 .i.f5
of time. 19. 'i'b2 'i xd5
11. (i:Jbd7 The end of a series of forced moves. Black
12. f4? is a pawn up in a stable situation. The
• presence of opposite-colour bishops only
White's position is unpleasant, but it is not complicates the defence.
essential to lose immediately. Black has 20. h3 ;g_e6
only some advantage after 12.0-0 (i:Je5 or 21. �h2
1 2 . il.g5 h6 1 3 . .i.xf6 ( 1 3 . il. h4 (i:Jg4) 2 l . g4 i s pseudo-active in view o f
13. .. lhxf6 14.0-0. 2 1 . . . 1:Z.g6.
12.
••• (i:Jb6 21.
.•. �ae8
22. J:i.adl 'ifaS No.60

23. .l:!.hfl !.Dorfman V.Korchnoi
-
On this occasion 23. g4 i s parried by

E32 - Polanica Zdroj 1 992
23. . . CDJ2.
23. b6 1. d4 tDf6
24. tlJg1 tlJcS 2. c4 e6
25. i.xcS 'ifxeS 3. CDc3 i.b4
26. CDf3 4. 'ifc2
A tribute to fashion. In addition, it seems
to me that Korchnoi handles this variation
unsurely.
4. 0-0
s. a3 .i.xc3+
6. 'ifxc3 b6
7. i.gS i.b7
•
7. . . c5 is premature on account of the
refutation demonstrated in the game
Kasparov-Panno, Argentina 1 997: 8.dxc5
bxc5 9.e3 d6 10. 0-0-0 tDe4 11. "i!ld3.
8. e3 d6
9. f3
The plan with 9. tDj3 CDbd 7 JO. tDd2 e5
•26 ••. i.d3?! l l.d5 l:!.c8 is slow. Black is well prepared
An inaccuracy, which prolongs the game. for opening up the position with . . . c7-c6.
26... .l:!.e2! 27.1!d2 i.d3 was more precise.
27. tlJd4 i.xfl
28. CDxe6 .l:xe6
29. .l:xfl �dS!
This queen manoeuvre ensures the
invasion of the rook via e6-e3-d3.
30. l:tf2 .!:ie3
31. 'ifa3 aS
32. 'i¥a4 l::.xc3
33. 'i¥e8+ �h7
34. "ilid8 f6
35. �xb6 .l:d3
36. "ilic7 c3
37. "ilic8 l::!d2
The black queen's active position excludes
the possibility of perpetual check. 9. cS?!
38. �g4 J:ixf2 A dubious undertaking before 9. ..Cbbd7.
39. i¥h4+ �g8 The weakness at d6 prevents Black from
40. "ilixf2 "ilie4! comfortably completing his development.
41. �g3 c2 Korchnoi goes wrong in a critical position,
42. "ilid2 dS and moreover in his preparations.
0-1 10. dxcS bxcS
11. �d1 20. :l.fd1 l:.b6

Why display unnecessary curiosity, in 21. i.b1 {fje7
wishing to know Korchnoi's improvement 22. b4 l:tc8
on the game Olafsson-Smyslov, New York The role of the white bishops is markedly
1 989, where after 1 1 . 0-0-0 Black did not increased after 22 . . . cx b4 23. axb4 I:.c8
survive the opening? 24.i.a2. Black is obliged to wait, conceding
11. ... lbc6 the initiative in the centre and on both
In the event of l l ... a5 (with the idea of wings.
12 ... 13.a6), 12. i.xf6 gxf6 13.lbe2 (13.lbh3) 23. b5 {fje8
leads to an advantage. 24. e4
12. lbh3!
•
After studying the variation 12.i.xf6 filxf6 •
13. filxf6 gxf6 14.�d6 'g_fd8, I decided that
my retarded development and the weakening
a2-a3 would not allow me to hope for
success. And besides, my opponent had made
his last two moves without thinking.
12. �b8
13. i.e2
•
Black still has sufficient compensation for
the pawn in the event of 1 3. i.xf6 "fixf6
14.filxf6 gxf6 15.�d6 i.a8 16.nd2 �fd8
( 1 6. . . I:.b3 followed by 1 7. . . :fb8 is also
good) 1 7.1!c2 nb3. 24. ... h5
13. i. a8 Due to the threat of 25.{jjg4 {fjf4 26.{fje3,
14. 0-0 h6 Black is forced to completely disfigure the
15. i.h4 �e8 pawns covering his king.
Again a critical position. As a result of the 25. h4
complications 1 5 . . . lbe4 1 6. "fil e l g5 •
(16... lbg5 1 7. �hl!?) 1 7fxe4 gxh4 18.nf4! Play on the dark squares is logical in view
White remains with a clear advantage. of the absence of the opponent's king's
16. lbf2 g5 bishop. 25.h3 followed by a4-a5-a6 is also
The Swiss grandmaster makes forced very strong.
concessions, and the newly-created 25. gxh4
weaknesses on the kingside determine the 26. i.xh4 {jjg6
subsequent actions of his opponent. 27. i.g3 1!b7
17. i.g3 e5 28. f!fl
18. �d2 'W/e7 This multi-purpose rook manoeuvre opens
19. i. d3 'W/e6 the way for the knight to e3 and at the same
• time prepares the opening of the f-file .
White's static superiority is so great that 28. "file3 also deserved serious consideration.
the attempted break 19. . . d5 is doomed to 28.••• f6
failure: 20.cxd5 Cfu:d5 21.i.h7+ (21. "filc4) 29. lZld1
2 1 . . . �xh 7 22. �xd5 lbd4 23. "fid3+ e4 With time trouble approaching, White
24.Cfu:e4 i.xd5 25. Cfu:g5+. plays conventionally. The concrete 29.lbh3
.l:tg7 30.f4 'ilig4 ? 3J.t'i:Jj2 'ilid7 32./5 was m e . But 40. b6! would have left Black
significantly stronger. without any hopes.
29. l:tg7 40. ... axb5
30. lbe3 lbe7 41. cxb5 c4!
31. �f2? Here my flag fel l and there was an
This move cannot be classed as anything opportunity to count my wounds. The threat
other than wild. After 3 J . i. h 2 the just of the enemy centre advancing calmed me
punishment for Black's playing without any down. It is much easier to play when there is
strategic conception would have been no choice.
imminent. 42. aS lbc7
31. i.b7 43. a6 i.d5
32. l:.h1 'fif7 44. 1ta5!
33. a4 .l:ld8 I considered the tactical complications to
34. 'fia5? be advantageous, and I avoided the unclear
Black has successfully regrouped and the play after 44.b6 lbxa6 45.i.gl.
game becomes unclear. Here 34.i.h2 could 44. ... c3
have been played, keeping the queen raid in 45. .!:.xd5 'fixd5
reserve. Korchnoi is agreeable to a draw. After
34. l:!.a8 45 . . . lbxd5 46.i.gl B lack is in danger
35. i.h2 i.c8 (46. . . 'i'c7? ? 47.'i'a2).
36. ttJrs 46.'illxc7 'ifd2
• White also has no problems in the
It would probably be more sensible to variation 46.. .'Wixb5+ 47. �j2 'ilib2 48. 'ilic4+
continue the commentary w ith B lack's �g7 49.'i'b3.
moves, beginning with his 4 1 st. How could I 47. 'fic4+ �h8
give up this knight? ! It was essential to 48. 'i'e2 .!:.xg2
bring back the queen into play, since the 49. 'ifxg2 'i'cl+
opening of the position would only expose 50. �f2
B lack's numerous weaknesses: 36. 'ilic3 f5
3 7. exf5 t'i:Jxj5 38. i.e4 .l:tb8 39. i.d5 i.e6
40.lbxj5 'ilixj5 4l.'ilid3. •
36. lbxf5
37. exf5 i.b7
38. 'i'c3 .l:tg5
39. �fl
My first bit of luck after the 30th move.
An improvement of the bishop's position by
i.h2-gl-e3 is prepared. But 39.a5!, not
allowing the opening of the a-file, was more
accurate. Thus after 39. . . .l:td8 40. �fl White
would have had the f3-f4 break.
39. ... a6
40. i.c2
My experienced opponent makes use of 50. ... 'i'xc2+?!
all h i s chances. During my remaining This might have l e d to unnecessary
seconds I saw that 40.i.gl axb5 4l.axb5 anxiety, whereas 50... 'i'd2+ 5l.�fl 'i'cl+
.l:ta4 42.i.d3 lbg7 43.i.e3 .l:txj5 was bad for ensures perpetual check.
51. 'it>fl 5. i.d2

Pretty play leads to a draw after 51. 'it>gl A critical position, where White has to
'fic l + 52. 'ifl l;tg8+ 53.i.g3! lhg3+ decide about an exchange. It is not hard to
54. 'it>j2 �xf3+! (54... 'fi/4 55. �xh5+ 'iitg8 do this, since 5.liJc3 ? 'fiaS 6.dxe5 i.xc3+
56. 'fihl !) 55. 'it>xf3 'fi/4+ 56. 'it>g2 'fig4+ 7. bxc3 'fixc3+ 8. i.d2 fixeS gives up a
57.'it>h2 'fih4+. pawn without any obvious compensation.
51. ... 'ficl+ 5. i.xd2+
52. 'it>f2 6. 'ixd2 d6
It is not possible to avoid perpetual check: •
52 . . . 'ikb2+ 53.'it>gl c2 54. i.f4 c l ='ik+ Due to his indifferent development, it is
SS. i.xcl 'fixcl + 56. 'iith2 'ik/4+ 5 7. 'fig3 risky for Black to cut off his central pawn
'fid2+ (57... 'fixf5 ? 58.:t:!gl). from base. After 6. . . e4! ? 7. c5 0-0 8.llJc3
Yl-Yl �e8 9.e3 dS J O. cxd6 White's chances are
preferable.
No.6 I 7. liJc3 0-0
!.Dorfman - Yu.Razuvaev
A20 - Bourgas 1 992
1. c4 e5
2. g3
I wanted something fresh, since Razuvaev
is too experienced in the variation 2.liJc3
llJf6 3.llJf3 liJc6 4.g3 i.b4.
2. liJf6
3. i.g2 c6
•
3 . . . d5 4. cxd5 liJxdS 5. liJf3 liJc6 6. 0-0
liJb6 is an important alternative, where 0
White can extract benefit from the position
of his knight at b I , by playing, for example,
7. b3. Illogical here is 3... liJc6 4.liJc3 i.b4 White is at an important strategic cross
S.liJdS i.cS 6.e3, when White has the better roads. Of the three possibilities, 8.e3, 8.liJf3
chances. After the text move B lack i s and 8.e4, the last one is the least good. After
threatening 4 . . . dS, occupying the centre. 8.e4?! liJbd7 9.llJge2 a6! 10.0-0 bS ll.cxbS
Play in the spirit of the Alekhine Defence - axbS 12.a3 liJb6 13.b3 'fie7 14.h3 i. b 7
4. liJf3 e4 5. liJd4 dS 6. cxd5 'fixdS 7. llJc2 1 5. 'fie3 liJbd 7 1 6. �fd l in the game
'fihS 8.llJc3 i.h3 allows the opponent active Korchnoi-Bacrot, Albert (match) 1 99 7 ,
possibilities. It remains to add that the without wasting time Black should have
incautious 4.liJc3 allows Black to seize the attacked the weakness on a3 by 16. . . �a6
initiative by 4 . . . d5 5. cxd5 cxdS 6. 'fib3 liJc6 (instead of 16... �fd8 as played) followed by
7.liJxd5 liJd4 8. liJxf6+ gxf6 9.'fidl 'fic7. 1 7. . . �fa8. If in addition it is added that
4. d4 i.b4+ 8.liJf3 runs into 8. . . e4 9. llJg5 dS JO. cxdS
An idea of Psakhis. The usual reaction cxdS with the freer game for Black, it means
4 . . . exd4 S.'fixd4 dS condemns Black to that White has no choice . . .
torment, as demonstrated by the game 8. e3 liJbd7?!
Dorfman-Schaefer, West Berlin 1 989: 6.liJf3 The Moscow grandmaster fails to sense a
i.e6 7.llJg5 'fib6 8.liJxe6fxe6 9. 'ikdl. critical moment. In the static balance all the
factors give equality, but the type of centre the a-file, whereas White's will support f2-f4.
is advantageous to White. Therefore Black 14. .•. axb3
should have initiated dynamic play, by 15. axb3 dS
continuing 8. . . i.e6 9. b3 (after 9.d5 cxd5 Too late. White has seized a springboard on
JO.lbxd5 CiJbd7 White is unable to maintain the kingside and he can close the queenside.
a piece at d5) 9... exd4 10. 'fixd4 d5. He has 16. cS CiJbd7
sufficient play to compensate for the defects 17. C£Jg3 C{Jf8
of his pawn formation. Totally bad is 1 7. . . g6 1 8.f4 e4 1 9 . .f5,
9. C£Jge2 �e7 when Black cannot breath.
10. h3 18. gS CiJ6d7
Now in the event of . . . e5-e4 White seizes 19. f4 e4
the initiative on the kingside, by playing g3- 20. CiJfS
g4 followed by C£Jg3. White has a decisive advantage. A typical
10. ... .Ue8?! example of one p layer having a static
• advantage, and the other failing to find
To me 10... h5!? seems necessary, so that dynamic counter-chances.
in the event of Black being given an isolated 20. 'fid8
d-pawn he would be able to harass the 21. CiJd6 It.e6
opponent's king. 22. l:.a1
11. g4 CiJb6 Black is deprived of his last trump. Again
After ll ... CiJj8 12.CiJg3 White has a stable the p layers cannot agree regarding an
advantage. exchange of rooks on the a-file.
12. b3 aS? 22. •.. Ii.b8
• 23. h4 J:xd6
Razuvaev is averse to playing with an This exchange sacrifice prolongs the
isolated pawn, but the position demands res istance somewhat. In the event of
12 . . . exd4 1 3. 'fixd4 d5 1 4 . cxd5 C£Jjxd5 23... CiJb6 24.f5 White has an overwhelming
15.lbxd5 lbxd5 16. i.xd5 cxd5 1 7. C£Jj4 with position (also quite good is 24.lbxf7! ? <tlxf7
some advantage to White. 25.f5 l':.e8 26.cxb6 'fixb6 2 7.'fij2 with the
13. 0-0 a4 initiative).
24. cxd6 CiJb6
25. fS V!\Yxd6
26. 'fif2 i.d7
27. C£Je2
The exchange of queens 2 7. 'fi/4 'fixf4
28. '/:.xf4 g6 does not have to be rushed,
since Black does not even have three ranks
for manoeuvring.
27. C£Jc8
28. C£Jg3 f!ic7
29. i.h3 CiJd6
0 30. �f4
31. VWxc7
tLlbS
C£Jxc7
32. Zif2
A technical manoeuvre, preparing an
14. l:.ael! invasion on the a-file.
There is nothing for the black rook to do on 32
. ••• i.c8
33. �h2 l2Jd7 Black's backward development makes his

34. f6 g6 position precarious, and this explains my
34... gxf6 ? 35.tl:Jf5 (35.lbh5) is hopeless choice of 6... e5 in a game against Har-Zvi,
for Black. European Cup, Barcelona 1994.
35. l2Je2 l2Jb6 7. il.b5 ti:Jxe3
36. l2Jf4 ..txh3 8. fxe3 ..td7
37. �xh3 l2Jd7
38. h5 gxh5?!
38.. .ti:Jj8 was nevertheless more tenacious.
39. �h4 l2Ja6
40. l2Jxh5
The knight "learns" to write a letter "M"
along the route g7-f5-e7.
40. l2Jf8
41. l2Jg7 h6
42. �h5
After 42.gx h 6 �h 7 the black king
acquires a shelter.
42. ••• hxg5 0
43. �xg5
The black king can also be approached by
43.ti:Jf5 tiJh7 44. ti:Je7+ �f8 45. �h6 ti:Jxf6 9. il.xc6??
46.lDg6+ fxg6 47.'IDf6+ �e7 48.':.af1 . The decisive mistake! The French player, who
43. ti:Jc7 has sharp tactical vision and good technique,
44. �h6 l2Jg6 proves incapable of solving the very first problem.
45. 1:.g2! �f8 The only way to try and shake the enemy defences
46. l:hg6 fxg6 was by 9.0-0 ti:Je5 (9...e6 JO.hc6 bxc6 11. "fih5
47. 'it?xg6 g6 12."fij3 "fie713.e5) 10.!4/3.
Black has no defence against 1he threat of48.:.h1. 9. bxc6
1-0 10. 0-0 e5!
Without the exchange on c6 this move
No.62 was not possible due to the weakening of the
C.Bauer !.Dorfman
-
d 5 square . An instructive moment,
B56 - French Cup 1 993 illustrating the rule: "The exchange of a
bishop for a knight can be justified only
1. e4 c5 when the pawn formation is fixed."
2. l2Jf3 d6 11. 'iff3
3. d4 cxd4 l l . lDf5 does not change things
4. l2Jxd4 l2Jf6 significantly on account of 11 ... il. e 6
5. l2Jc3 ti:Jc6 followed b y . . . g7-g6.
6. il.e3 l2Jg4 11. ... f6
In a critical position of this variation Black 12. l2Jde2
accepts the challenge. From now on he has a 1 2 . l2Jf5 g6 13.lDg3 ..t e 7 14.lDa4 "fia5
decisive static advantage (the bishop pair, and 15. b3 ..te6 transposes into a position from
a broken pawn formation for his opponent) the game.
and he invites his opponent to find some 12. JLe7
weighty dynamic arguments. Of course, 13. l2Ja4!
After a series of forced moves, a critical

position has been reached. Black outlines a
plan for exchanging all the heavy pieces.
21. ••. f5
22. l2Je2 i.a3!
An important technical detai l . This
manoeuvre forces the disappearance of all
four rooks. 23. .l:tbl i.xc4 24. bxc4 'ifxa4
25.'!i.d7 '!J.jdB is unsatisfactory for White.
23. l:Lc2 .:rd8
24. lbec3 '!J.xd1+
25. 'ifxd1 .l:.d8
26 .l:td2
• .l:.xd2
a b c d e f g h 27. 'ifxd2 'ii;f7
Well played! In a difficult situation White In the following technical phase Black
succeeds in creating a critical position. He is needs to exchange the queens. This aim is
threatening c2-c4, fixing the central formation. pursued by the manoeuvre of the king to e8.
13. ••• 'ifa5 The white queen is blackmailed into
14. b3 i.e6 occupying a passive position.
15. l2Jg3 28. �f2 �e8
15.c4 ? hc4. 29. g3 'i!fd8
15. ••• g6 30. 'ife2 h5
16 .l:tacl
• d5
Again if 16 . 0-0 there follows 1 7.c4.
..
17. exd5 'ifxd5

•
The tempting 1 7. . . cxd5 allows White to
initiate dynamic play by 18.c4 0-0 1 9.cxd5
i.xd5 20.'iVg4. Black aims for the endgame,
to exploit the power of his bishops.
18. 'ife2 0-0
19. c4 'ifa5
20. 'iff3 :.ac8
After 20... 'ifc 7 2l.lbe4 the knight moves
to an ideal post at c5 and White acquires
hopes of setting up a defensive line.
21. .l:tfd1 0
31. tt:\d1
White's position is strategically hopeless.
Illusory hopes of saving the game could
have arisen after 3l.c5 'i!Va5 32.lbbl i.xc5
33.'iVc2 i.e7 34.1ixc6+ �f7.
31. i.b4
32. lbdb2 e4
33. l2Jd1 'ifd2
The start of the concluding technical
phase. After the exchange of queens the
b lack king settles at e 5 , to ensure the
advance of its pawns. there were no known methods of gaining an

34. 'i'xd2 i.xd2 advantage in the event of 4. tiJf3 dxc 4 .
35. �e2 Today 5. e3 a n d 5. i.g5 are consi dered
After 35.tDac3 the noose can be drawn promising. Thus there was no reason for
tighter, by playing 35. . . �e7 36. �e2 i.cl hesitation. Against a strong strategist, which
37.tDbl g5. is what the Lithuanian player undoubtedly
35. ... i.b4 is, I prefer to play a gambit variation. I
36. tiJf2 g5! formed my opinion on it in 1 97 8 , after
Another "Steinitz-like" move, restricting losing to Tal in the USSR Championship.
the knights. After the inaccurate 36... �e7 4. dxe4
37.tiJh3 the opponent establishes a barrier 5. tDxe4 i.b4+
on the kingside. 6. i.d2 'i'xd4
37. tiJb2 7. i.xb4 'i'xe4+
3 Z tiJh3 i.e 7. 8. i.e2 tiJd7
37. �e7 9. tiJf3 c5
38. tiJbd1 �f6 The main result of my several weeks of
39. tiJb2 �g6 analysis with Bacrot and Relange is that
How can such a strange manoeuvre be after . . . e6-e5 Black initiates play on the
explained? In slight time trouble, I picked light squares and has the better chances,
up my king. I had to make some move with whereas after . . . c6-c5 his opponent has
it, taking care to avoid 3 9. . . �e5 ? strong compensation due to the weakness of
40.tiJbd3+. the dark squares . 9. . . tiJgf6 1 0. "iid6 c5
40. tDa4 �f6 ll.i.c3 is bad for Black.
41. tiJb2 10. i.c3 f6
Still hoping ... JO. . . tDe7!? comes into consideration.
41. i.d6
42. tiJbd1 h4
43. tiJh1
One cannot look at this move without
shuddering, but 43.gxh4 g4 or 43.tiJc3 �g6
44.tiJhl i. e5is no better.
43. ... i. f7
44. tiJdf2 i.h5+
After 45. �d2 i./3 the cavalry is crippled
and Black's king heads unhindered to the
queenside.
0-1
0
No.63
!.Dorfman - D.Ruzele
D3 1 - European Champions Cup, Lyon 1 994 11. tiJd2!
Why is this second pawn sacrifice
1. c4 e6 necessary? After 11.0-0 tDe7 12. tiJd2 "fk/4
2. d4 d5 1 3. i.h5+ the opponent has the reply
3. tiJc3 c6 13 ... tiJg6. Now, however, after l l ... 'i'xg2
4. e4 1 2. i./3 the bishop o ccupies the long
At the time when this game was played, diagonal, the knight penetrates to d6, and
White castles queenside and develops strong kingside, and White needs to create a
pressure on the e- and g-files. second weakness. This method is equally
11. ... 'if4 good in the m i dd l egame as in the
12. i.hS+! endgame.
This simple check weakens the dark 18. a3! �g7
squares, expanding the influence of the It is not possible to prevent the advance of
queen' s b ishop, and deprives the black the b-pawn, on account of the mini
knight of the g6 square. combination 18... a5 1 9. tLlb3 a4 20.tLlxc5!
12. ..• g6 'ixc5 ? 21 . .i.b4.
13. i.f3 tZ:leS 19. b4 cxb4
If 13... tLle7, then 14.'i e2is unpleasant. 20. axb4 tt::lgh6
14. .i.e4 tLlf7 •21 .i.dS
After 14 ... tLlc6 White realises the main Here I did not want to allow B lack the
advantage of the b i s hop p a i r - the possibility of 21.c5!? tLlg5. The same aim
possibility of parting with one of them! would have been met by 21.'ie3!?
After 15 . .i.xc6+ bxc6, apart fro m the 21.••• �f8
defence of the doubled pawns, Black also 22. 'i'e2
fac e s the pro b l e m of d e v e l o p i n g h i s After the incautious 22. tLle4 ?! B lack
bishop. could have exploited the opposition of the
15. 0-0 'ic7 heavy pieces on the f-file, by playing
16. 'if3! 'i e7 22. . . tLle5.
The opponent does not succumb to the 22..•• tt::lg8
provocation. After 16.. .tiJg5 1 7. 'ie3 tLlxe4 The best defence. 22 . . . 11e8 is refuted
1 8. tLlxe4 it is time for B lack to resign. combinatively: 23.tLle4 exd5 24.tLlxf6 'ixe2
16 ... e5 eases the development of White's 25.tLlxe8+ �j8 26.litxe2.
initiative in view of 1 7. .i.d5 followed by 23. cS
18.tLle4, when the minor pieces move into •
ideal positions. Primitive play hands the advantage to the
17. I:.fe1 �f8 opponent after 23. i.xe6 l;teB 24 . .i.g4
(24. .i.xc8 'ixe2 25. .!:!.xe2 .:xe2 26. .i.xb 7
'ItdB) 24... Lg4.
23. e5
•
•••
Only here for the first time did I judge the

position to be won. 23 . . . exd5 has a less
obvious refutation: 24.'ixe7 tLlxe7 25.1L:e7
.!:!.dB 26.tLlf3 and 27.tt::lg5.
24. f4 .i.e6
25. i.f3
White retains his bishop, in order to
support the pressure on the enemy
0 queenside.
25. fS
26. fxeS aS
After the evacuation of the king to g7, 27. bxaS 'it'xeS+
the king's knight will be able to come into 28. 'i!Ye3 'i!Yc7
play. Five black pieces are defending the 29. l:tab1 l:f.ab8
29.. ./4 is unsatisfactory in view of 30. 'Wid4

't}.fdB 3 1 . 'fli b4 with the double threat of
32.Lb 7 and 32.tl:Je4.
30. l:tb6 f4
31. �d4 !:!.fd8
32. 'Wib4 lt:Jg5
33 ..ltxb7
• .lif.d3
0
•
B lack has the right to choose. The
symmetrical 3 ... d5 is not in keeping with
Chatalbashev's style. Black can go along the
lines of the Pirc-Ufimtsev Defence by
3... lLlf6 4.e4 d6 5.tl:Je2. The text move is the
most ambitious, and therefore the most
With both players short of time, White risky. White creates an outpost at d5.
lands a tactical blow. 4. dxc5 'ifa5+
34. lt:Je4 tt:Jxe4 4 . ..liJa6 5.e4 lLlxc5 6. lLle2 d6 7.tl:J bc3
35 ..ltxe4
• .l:!.dd8 does not change the character of the play.
The main variation of the 5. ..td2 'ifxc5
combination, 35 . . . 1:.x b6 36. axb6 'flixc3 6. lt:Jc3 li::lf6
3 7. 'Wix c 3 I;lxc3 3 8 . b 7 1:. b 3 3 9. '11b l , Black loses after 6... d5 ? ? 7. ..1txd5 .fi.xc3
remained off-stage. 8. .1i.xc3.
36 .:b7
• 7. e4 d6
1-0 8. lt:Jge2 0-0
9. 0-0 li:Jbd7
No.64 10. h3 a6
!.Dorfman - B.Chatalbashev 11. a4 l:!b8
12. ..lte3 'ifc7
A40 - Cannes 1996
13. ..ta7 J:!a8
14 ..ltd4
•
1. g3 With gain of tempo the bishop moves onto

Throughout the tournament the the long diagonal, in order to secure the
Bulgarian player had played lively and occupation of d5 by the knight.
dynamic chess. I wanted to obtain a solid 14. ••• lt:Je5
position. 15. li:Jd5
1. g6 As in Game 44, we can follow all the
2. ..tg2 ..tg7 stages of exploiting an outpost. Now the
3. d4 c5 first of these has been carried out.
15. lt:Jxd5 After the creating of hanging pawns, the

16. exd5 third, concluding stage begins: an attack on
the structural weaknesses and the king.
22. c4 e5
23. lt:Je2 i.e6
24. lt:Jc3 l:tad8
25. :a2
Strangely enough, this is also a critical
position. After the other move order 25.:!e3
'i'cB 26.<i;h2 h5 2 7Jia2 a sharp change in
the character of the play is possible by
2 7. . . h 4 28. g4 i.xg4 2 9. hxg4 ltJxg4+
30.'i;gJ lt:Jxe3 3l.fxe3.
25. 'i'a5
•26 .l:te3 d5
The second stage has also quickly passed. In

Black's pawn fonnation there are two weaknesses:
the b6 square and the backward e7 pawn.
16. lt:Jd7
17. i.xg7 'l;xg7
18. lt:Jd4 lt:Jf6
19. :Lei
The third stage consists in concentrating
the heavy pieces on the e-file.
19. l:e8
•
•••
Black, without delaying, advances . . . e7-e5.

After the forced capture en passant he will try to a b c d e g h
move both central pawns onto the fifth rank. This
reasoning enables White to find the correct move. •
20. b3 e5 White has lost his static advantage, and if
21. dxe6 fxe6 the breakthrough in the centre goes
unpunished, the game should soon end in a
draw. The conditional " if" , as u sual,
indicates the need for dynamic action.
27. b4 f*'xb4
28. cxd5
•
White has regained a static superiority.
The opponent has a last chance - the
exchange of queens, which, if achieved, will
enable Black to improve the well-being of
his king.
28. ..• i. f7
29 .l:id2
• .l:td6
The more tenacious 29.. Jk8 30. 'i'al 'i'd6
would have prolonged the conversion of

White's advantage.
30. 'ifal .l:.c8
31. l:tb2 'it'd4
32. ti::le2
The winning move. The queen has to
return home, leaving the opponent with his
central pawn. 32... 'ifc5 loses to 33. .l:.c3.
32. 'ifa7
33. .l:txe5 l:tc7
34• .l:.d2 'it>g8
35. ti:lf4
With the fall of the pawn, the knight has
gained access to the e6 square.
35. .•• 'ifc5
36. !tel 'i'c3
The exchange of queens i s the best
practical resource, but the numerous
weaknesses in Black's position do not allow
him to set up a defence.
37. 'i'xc3 l:txc3
38 .l:.b2
• :.c7
39. .l:l:ebl g5
40. ti:le6 .i.xe6
41. dxe6 :.xe6
42 .l:txb7
• !txb7
43. .i.xb7 'it>g7
44. 'it>g2 ti::le4
45. .l:l:el
1-0
Vladimirov, Dorfman, Nikitin, Kasparov

Hotel "La Russie", match Kasparov-Karpov, Moscow 1 984
Kasparov, Dorfman, Vladimirov, Nikitin

Match Kasparov-Karpov, Colonniy Zal, Moscow 1 984
APPENDIX 1 77
Appendix
In c o n c l u s i o n I o ffer to the reader

several games, accompanied b y brief
notes. They, like the diagrams, indicate
the critical positions and changes in the
static balance.
B e fore each s e r i e s of g a m e s , the
strategic e l e m e n t that unites them i s
01
given.
21.�e1
King position Black has to abandon the long diagonal, to
avoid the exchange sacrifice on e4.
!.Dorfman E.Prie
- 2 1 . . . i.d3 22.tt:lh4 tt:la6 23.tt:lg6 .l:.f7
D30 Brussels Zonal 1 993
- 24.i.xd5 exd5 25.e6 .l:c7 26.lt:le5 'it'bS
27Ji'h5 l1e7
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.tt:lf3 c6 4.g3 dxc4 5.i.g2
b5 6.tt:le5 i.b7 7.a4 f6
To complete the development of his
pieces, Black weakens his king.
01
28.'ifg6
The immediate 28. i.x h 6 would have
concluded the game.
28 tt:lc7 29 . ..ltxh6 \i'e8 30.'if7+ c;ith7
..•
3 1 .11i'xe8 l:texe8 32 ..ltf4 tt:lbS 33.tt:lxd3

•
8.tt:lf3 i. b4+ 9.tt:lc3 tt:le7 10.0-0 i.xc3 tt:lxa3 34.tt:lb4 tt:lb5 35.tt:lxd5 aS 36.l1b1
l l.bxc3 tt:ld5 12J!lfc2 0-0 13.e4 tt:lb6 14.e5 tt:la3 37 . .l:.b6 a4 38.tt:lc7 tt:lc2 39.tt:lxa8
f5 15.tt:lg5 1i:Vd7 16.axb5 h6 17.bxc6 ..ltxc6 I:l.xa8 40 .Ub2 a3 41..l:l.xc2
•
18.tt:lf3 ..lte4 19.11i'd1 tt:ld5 20.l'ita3 'ifc6 1-0

A .Kogan - I.Dorfman 32.tLld3 'iVe3 33.ttJf2 1i'b6 34.tLlg4 tLlac5

E15 - Cannes 1998 35.1i'c2 a4 36.tLle3 h3+
Unexpectedly White's position quickly
l.d4 lLlf6 2.c4 e6 3.lLlf3 b6 4.g3 i.a6 5.b3 collapses.
i.b7 6.i.g2 i. b4+ 7.i.d2 c5 8.0-0 0-0
9.i.c3 tLla6 10.i.b2 cxd4 l l .'ixd4 i.e7
12.tLlc3 d6 13 .tiadl lLlcS 14.tLlel 'ib8
•
15.tLlc2 lidS 16J:tfel i.xg2 17.�xg2 'ib7+
37.�xh3 axb3 38.axb3 tLlxe4 39.c5 '1i'xc5

40.'1i'xc5 ltJ4xc5 41.tLlf5 lLlxb3 42.lib2 l:ta3
43.tLle7+ �h7 44.tLlc6 .!:lda8 45.tLlxb4
.:sa4 46.lLld5 ttJed4 47.tLlb6 .l:Ia6 48.tLlxd4
tLlxd4 49.f4 l:!.c3 50.�g4 .l:Ic6 51.tLld5 !tc5
18.f3 52.lLle3 l:.a3 53.lLlf5 lLlxf5 54.�xf5 exf4+
White voluntarily goes in for a static 55.�xf4 .l%c4+ 56.�f5 .l:Ie3 57.l:.b5 l:!.c2
weakening of his king. 58.li!.xd6 .l:txh2 59.�f4 .l:Ic3 60.l:.b4 0-1
18 a6 19.e4 b5 20.tLle3 b4 21.tLle2 aS
I.Dorfman - A.Shchekachev
•••
22.tLlcl ttJe8 23.tLlg4 h5 24.lLlf2 i.f6

B42 - Cannes 1 998
25.1i'd2 i.xb2 26.'ixb2 e5 27J:td2 tLlc7
28.lLlfd3 ltJ7e6 29.tLle2 'ib6 30.l::tedl tLla6 l .e4 c5 2.tLlf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tLlxd4 a6
31.tLlel h4 5.i.d3 .tcs 6.lLlb3 .te7 7.0-0 d6 8.'ifg4 g6
The white monarch experiences some At this early stage of the game White is able to
discomfort. weaken the opponent's future castled position.
APPENDIX 1 79
9.'ie2 tl:lc6 10.c4 'ic7 ll.�e3 tZ:leS 12.tl:lc3 advance of his g-pawn.
�d7 13..l':tacl tl:lf6 14.tl:ld2 0-0 15.h3 :.res
16.b3 'iaS 17.�b1 �e8 18.f4 tl:led7
19.'i f2bS 20.tl:le2 b4 21.�h1 'ic7 22.f5
After ensuring the stability of the centre,
White begins playing his trumps.
34 JH8 35.�xe4 �xe4 36.tl:lf6+ �g7

•.
37.tl:lxe4 �d4 38. 'ih4 .l':tae8 39 .l':tf3 hS

•
40..l:.efi 'i e74l.'i!fxe7 1-0
!.Dorfman - G.Miralles
22 tl:le5 23.fxe6 fxe6 24.�g5 tiJhS 25.�h6
••• D l 7 - French Championship 1 998
�d7 26.tl:lf3 tl:lf7 27.�d2
A decisive gain of tempo. The king's l.tZ:lf3 dS 2.c4 c6 3.d4 tl:lf6 4.tl:lc3 dxc4
bishop, standing in ambush, now joins the 5.a4 �fS 6.tl:le5 tl:lbd7 7.tt:'!xc4 'ic7 8.g3 eS
attack with considerable effect. 9.dxe5 tt:'!xeS 10.�f4 tt:'!fd7 ll.i.g2 f6
27 'ib7 28.e5
••• The black king is irrevocably weakened.
28 dxe5 29.tl:lg3 i.cS 30.'ie1 tl:lxg3+

.•. 12.0-0 �e6 13.tt:'!xe5 fxeS
3 1 .'il¥xg3 e4 32.tl:lh2 eS 33..i::tce1 �c6 Now White has available the central e4
34.tl:lg4 square. Black's situation is aggravated by his
It is noteworthy that Black's downfall is development problems, which lead to a
caused by the weakening, resulting from the further degradation of his position.
l.d4 d5 2.tt:Jf3 c6 3.g3 ..if5 4...ig2 tL:lf6 5.0-

0 e6 6.b3 t'Llbd7 7.c4 ..ie7 8 ..ib2 0-0 9.tL:lc3
•
t'Lle4 lO.tL:ld2 tL:lxd2 l l.'i'xd2 tL:lf6
14 ..ig5 h6 15 ..ie3 ..ib4 16.'ic2

• •
In the event of castling, the bishop will

land an immediate blow on h6. 12.f3
The scales tip in favour of Black, while
White's dynamic resources are reduced to
the minimum.
12 ..ig6 13.e4 dxe4 14.fxe4 e5 15.d5
•.•
..ic5+
16 t'Llf6 17.a5 a6 18.J;la4 ..ixc3 19.i.b6

•.•
'i'f7 20.'i'xc3 0-0 21.'ixe5 .l:tae8 22.'i'c3

i.b3 23J:tb4 .idS 24.li'c2 ..ixg2 25.'ihg2
t'Lld5 26.l:tb3 'iWh5 27.f3 tL:lxb6 28.axb6 li'f7
29.�d3 J;le5 30.�fdl 'fie6 31.l:!.ld2 'fif6
32.'iWc4+ 'it>h8 33Jld7 .l:te7 34 .l:xe7 'fixe7
• 16.'it>hl i.d4
35.'fid4 'ig5 36.h4 'iWb5 37.b4 a5 38.bxa5 The last few manoeuvres ensure the
'ixa5 39.li'e3 c5 40Ji[d6 li'b5 41.'fie5 'it>h7 exchange of the dark-square bishops.
42.lle6 1-0 17 . .l:ael 'iWe7 18.tL:la4 i.xb2 19.tL:lxb2
.l:.ad8 20.lL:Jd3 :.res 21.tt:Jf2 'ic5 22.li'e3
A . Stefanova I.Dorfman
-
�a3
D l l - Aosta 2000 The reader w i l l remember that the
exchange of queens is examined in close
APPENDIX 181
contact with the static position of the king. 13 ..1txc5

.••
23Jle2 b6 24.l:td2 cxdS 25.cxd5 .l:tc8 A superficial exchange of bishop for

26.J::!.fd1 .:tel 27.'i'e2 .l:tec8 28 . .ltf3 l2Je8 knight. The Cuban grandmaster thought that
29..liixcl 'i!Vxcl+ 30.1iid1 'i'cS 31.l2Jd3 "flie7 the advance of the e-pawn would guarantee
32.'i'b2 f6 33J:lcl l:::txcl+ 34.'i'xc1 l2Jd6 him against unpleasant surprises, but Black
35.l2Jf2 'i!Vb7 is unable to fix the pawn structure.
In the time scramble Black does not dare 14.bxc5 'file7 15.l2Je1 eS 16.l2Jc2 e4
to advance his f-pawn.
36.'it>g2 'it>f8 37.h4 h6 38.g4 'iii> g8 39.g5
hxgS 40.hxg5 fS 41.exf5 .ltxfS 42."flic6 "flie7
43.'it>fl e4 44. .ltg4 ..ltxg4 45.l2Jxg4 'i'xgS
46."flixd6 'ilt'xg4 47.'ilt'b8+ 'it>h7 48.'i'h2+
'it>g6 49.'ilid6+ 'it>hS SO.'i'eS+ 'iii> h4 51.d6
'id1+ 52.'it>f2 'i'd2+ 53.'it>g1 e3 54.'i'f4+
�hS SS.'iVfS+ 'it>h6 56."flif4+ gS 57.'i'f8+
'iii>hS 58.'i!Ve8+ 'iii>h4 59.'tlie4+ 'it>h3
0-1
The bishop pair and its dependence on the

pawn formation 17.£3
White creates tension in the centre, his
I.Dorfman - J.Diaz aim being to force the capture on f3 .
D02 - Havana 1 988 17 .liJb8 18 ..1tcl h6 19.g4
•• •
l.t2Jf3 dS 2.g3 l2Jf6 3 ..1tg2 e6 4.0-0 ..lte7

•
S.d4 bS 6.b3 ..lta6 7.a3 t2Jbd7 8.b4 ..ltb7

9.c3 aS 10...Itb2 ..ltd6 l l.l2Jbd2 0-0 12.l2Jb3
a4 13.l2Jc5
19 exf3
•••
After 1 9 . tDc6 20.g5 there will no longer

. .
be any time for an intermission.

20.exf3 l2Jc6 2 l ...ltf4 lLJaS 22.l2Je3 .ltc8
23.lle1 'i!Vd8 24...ltg3 l2Jc4 25 .lth4 .!:.a6
•
7.i.xc6+
The structure is determined, and Black's
hopes rest on exploiting the outpost at d4
and the weakening of the fianchetto
position.
7 ... bxc6 S.!Llf3 f6 9.'it'a4 i.d7 10.0-0 eS
l l .d3 i.e7 12.i.e3 l:bS 13.1:!.fc l lLle6
14.1Wxa7 lLld4
26.'i*'b1
W ith his 26th and 2 8th moves White
disrupts the coordination of the enemy
forces, and this leads to further static gains.
26 ... !Ll xe3 27.lhe3 'i*'d7 2S.i.fl c6
29.i.xf6 gxf6 30.'i*'e1 'i*'c7 3 1.'i*'h4 'i*'f4
32 ..l:.ae1 liaS 33.i.d3 i.e6 34.�f2 �feS
35.'it'g3 'i*'xg3+ 36.�xg3 �g7 37.�h4 hS 15.i.xd4
3S.gxh5 .!:[bS 39.l:txe6 fxe6 40Jbe6 litacS Whereas "before departing" the first bishop
41..l:te7+ �h6 42.i.g6 J:.cgS 43.�g4 liig7 doubled the c-pawns, the second bishop
44.l:e6 .l::tc7 45 . .l:!.xf6 �g7 46.l:te6 l.'tdS undoubles them, as though apologising for its
47.�g5 1-0 colleague. But after these transformations the
pawn structure remains fixed.
I.Dorfman - K.Thorsteins
15 . . . cxd4 1 6.!Lle4 0-0 1 7 .!Llfd2 .litaS
A34 - New York 1989
1S.ft7 .l:.bS 19.'i*'a6 lixb2 20.l:ab1 l:xb1
1.c4 lLlf6 2.!Llc3 cS 3.g3 dS 4.cxd5 lLlxdS 2 1 .'i*'c4+ �hS 22 . .litxb1 'iaS 23.h4 cS
S.i.g2 !Llc7 6.1i'b3 !Llc6 24.!Llxc5 i.h3
0 0
APPENDIX 1 83
25 .l:!.b7
• 18.h4 'i!Ve5 19.c3
The point of the combination. White White should have chosen the lesser evil.
exploits geometric motifs and the black Here this was undoubtedly the exchange of
king's lack of an escape square, to be the queens followed by h4-h5.
first to reach the enemy king.
25 �xc5 26.'i!hc5 l:.f7 27.'ifa5 'i'e8
•••
28.l:.xf7 'i'xf7 29.'i'd8+ 'i'g8 30.'i!Vxg8+

Wxg8 31.f4 exf4 32.gxf4 h6 33.ltJf3 �d7
34.l2Jxd4 g5 35.fxg5 fxg5 36.hxg5 hxg5
37.l2Jf3 g4 38.l2Je5 �c8 39.Wf2 1-0
S.Martinovic I.Dorfman
-
801 - Yugoslav League 1 99 1
l.e4 d 5 2.exd5 'i!Vxd5 3.li:Jc3 'ifa5 4.�c4

li:Jf6 5.d3 c6 6. 'ife2 l2Jbd7 7 .�d2 'i!Ve5
8.�e3
The Yugoslav grandmaster is well known
for his uncompromising nature. He cannot
reconcile himself to the game becoming 19 h5
..•
equal in the vicinity of the 7th move, and he This gives White new problems over the
ends up in an unpleasant pin. defence of his weak h4 pawn.
8 l2Jb6 9.�b3 l2Jbd5 10.l2Jf3 'i!Vh5
••• 20.d4 'filc7 21.�g5 .i.f6 22.�cl l:l.he8 23.c4
l l.l2Jxd5 l2Jxd5 12.�d2 �g4 13.0-0-0 e6 li:Je7 24.�f4 'i!Va5 25.�e3 l2Jf5 26.c5 .l:te7
14.h3 27.l:td3 :ed7 28..l:!.hd1 :rs
H o w to e x p l a i n such a strange
decision? ! The rook move prepares the
retreat of the queen, w ith a combined
attack on the h4 and d4 pawns, and I did
not want to place the rook on the e-file in
view of the pin, allowing a breakthrough
in the centre.
29..l:th1
14 �xf3
.••
After this it is not possible for White to

change his pawn structure. His immediate
objective is not to allow the exchange of the
dark-square bishops or the opponent to gain
control of f4.
1 5.gxf3 g6 16.W b 1 0-0-0 17.'ife4 �g7
29..J!Vd8 30.i.a4 tl:Je7 3Uicl ti:JdS 32.�c4

i.xh4 33.l'!b3 fS 34Jli'd3 f!ic7 3S.licl i.f6
36.Ita3 eS 37 . .ilb3 �b8 38.l'!g1 tl:Jxe3
39.fxe3 exd4 40.e4 fxe4 4 1 .flixe4 d3
42.i.e6 'ifh2
0-1
I.Dorfman - A.Barsov
A40 Bastia 1997
-
l . d4 e 6 2 . c 4 .il b 4 + 3 . i. d 2 a S 4 . g3
ti:Jc6 S.ti:Jf3 d6 6.ti:Jc3 ti:Jf6 7.i.g2 0-0
8.0-0 eS 9.dS ti:JbS 10.ti:Je1 ti:Ja6 l l .a3 0 1 �:.
i.xc3
B lack has chosen a passive variation,
w h e r e h e i s fo r c e d t o e x c h a n g e 17.dxc6 bxc6 18.ti:Jd3 'file7 19.'icl h6
b i s h o p fo r k n i g h t w i t h o u t a n y In accordance with his strategy of
compensati o n . exploiting the bishop pair, White develops
activity on the dark squares.
12.i.xc3 ti:JcS 13.b4 tl:Jce4 14.i.b2 axb4

1S.axb4 .l:il.xa1 16.i.xa1 c6 20.c5 dxcS 21.bxc5 i.a6 22.i.xe5 .ilxd3
B la c k saves h i s k n i g h t , w h i c h h a s 23.i.xf6 fixf6 24.exd3 ti:Jc3 2S .l.le1 ti:JbS
•
broken away from its main forces. Now i f 26Jlke3 .!:.aS 27.h4 lta2 28.fie8+ �h7
1 7.f3 there can follow 1 7. . . fib6+ 1 8. c5 29 . .ile4+ g6 30.l:r.fl ti:Jd4 3 1 .h5 �g7
tl:Jxc5 1 9. bxc5 fixc5+ 2 0. � h l tDxd5, 32.hxg6 fxg6 33Ji'd7+ �f8 34.�g2 gS
with three pawns for the knight. But the 1-0
enlivening of the pawn structure makes
I.Dorfman - K.Arkell
B lack's centre brittle, and at the same
C l O - Cannes 1998
t i m e e n h a n c e s the r o l e of the w h i te
bishops. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.ti:Jd2 dxe4 4.tl:Jxe4 i.d7
S.ti:Jf3 .ilc6 6.i.d3 ti:Jd7 7.0-0 tbgf6 8.ti:Jed2
i.e7 9.ti:Jc4
APPENDIX 1 85
17.g4 g6 18.\i'g3 'ifaS 19.h3 tDbd7 20..i.e2

tDf8 21 .i.f3 tD6d7 22.a5 a6 23.g5 eS
•
Black has exhausted all normal moves and

he goes in for this desperate break.
24.dxe5 tDe6 2S..i.g4 lLixf4 26.'ilfxf4 t}jf8
27.1i'e3 .l::txdl+ 28Jbdl �d8 29.l::l.d2 .i.b4
30 .litxd8 li'xd8 31.1i'b6 'ikxb6 32.axb6 tDe6
•
33 .i.xe6 fxe6 34.tDd4 .i.cS 3S.tDxe6 .i.xb6

•
36.c5 .i.aS 3 7.�g2 �f7 38.tDf4 .i.c7

39.tDd3 �e6 40.f4 �dS 41.�f3 aS 42.h4
.i.dS 43.�g4 �e4
Now White finds a resource that clears the
way for his pawns to the eighth rank.
9 .i.xf3
..•
The English grandmaster cannot find any way

of parrying the threat of JO.tDa5, except by
parting with his queen's bishop. If Black's
preceding moves are considered to be forced, the
entire variation should be shelved. It is possible
to try to change something, by playing 8... b6.
10.li'xf3 c6 ll.a4 tDb6 12.tDaS li'd7 13.c4
0-0 14.l:tdl l:tad8 1S.tDb3 'iikc8 16 .i.f4 .l::tfe8
•
Black has a passive position, and his queen is

extremely badly placed, but for the moment
there is no direct way to exploit this. White must
be careful not to allow counterplay with . . . e6-
e5. He finds and succeeds in carrying out the 44.e6 a4 4S.h5 .i.e7 46.hxg6 hxg6 47.l2Je5
idea of weakening the opponent's king. Black's .i.xcS 48.lL:\xg6 bS 49.f5 �dS 1-0
pieces are forced to take up unfavourable
positions, ruling out any activity. !.Dorfman - L.Comas
B42 - Andorra Zonal 1 998
l .e4 cS 2.tDf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.l2Jxd4 a6

S..i.d3 ii'c7 6.0-0 tDf6 7J:tel d6 8.b3 .i.e7
9.c4 tDc6 10.l2Jxc6 ii'xc6 l l .i.b2 b6
•
12 .i.e2 0-0 13 .i.f3 eS

• •
With his clever bishop retreat White has

exploited the dynamic features of the
position, in order to gain a static advantage.
In so doing he has lost time, and his
immediate efforts (in particular a new
manoeuvre with his king's bishop) are aimed
at suppressing Black's counterplay on the
queenside.
14.tDc3 .i.d7 1S . .i.e2 li'b7 16.a4 Ii.fd8
17 . .td3 .tf8 18.-tcl .tg4 19.f3 .te6 40..tg4 lbd7

20 .te3 �dc8 21.-tfl lbd7 22.l;le2 lbb8
•
23.lbd5 .txdS 24.cxd5

The position has taken definite shape.
White has the two bishops and possibilities
of play on the weak squares.
01
41 ..txd7
With his preceding strategy White has
accumulated the trumps necessary for
converting his advantage in an endgame
with like-colour bishops.
24...lbd7 25.b4 .te7 26.�c2 ltxc2 27J!Vxc2 4 1 . � xd7 42.�f3 hS 43.g4 hxg4+
.•
�c8 28.'i'd2 h6 29.J:!.cl l::txc1 30.'i'xcl lbb8 44.�xg4 �d6 45.h4 g6 46.h5 gxhS+
47.�xh5 fS 48.exf5 �xdS 49.f6 �c4
SO .txb6
•
1-0
Whose position is better after

the exchange of queens?
V.Kupreichik !.Dorfman
-
8 1 9 - Lvov 1988
1.e4 c6 2.lbc3 dS 3.d4 dxe4 4.lbxe4 .trs

S.lbg3 .tg6 6.h4 h6 7.lbf3 lbd7 8.h5 .th7
9..td3 .txd3 10.'i'xd3 tt:gf6 ll ..tf4 'i'aS+
12.c3
31.g3 It is better to retreat the bishop,
A modest move, which solves two transposing into a theoretical continuation.
important problems: it activates the light 12 ...e6 13.tt: e5lbxe5 14.dxe5 lbd5 15.'i'f3
square bishop and creates a second 0-0-0 16.lbe4 fS
weakness in Black's po sition (after an A critical position. White does not wish to
eventual .f3-/4). remain a pawn down after 1 7.lbd6+ .txd6
3 1 . .. .td8 32 .th3 'i'c7 33. 'i!Vxc7 .t xc7
• 1 8. exd6 lbxf4 1 9. 'ilxf4 'ild5, and he
34.f4 �f8 35.fxe5 dxeS 36.�f2 �e7 concedes a static advantage.
37.�e2 .td6 38.b5 axbS 39.axb5 .tc7 17.exf6 gxf6 18..tg3 f5 19.lbd2
APPENDIX 1 87
19...'i'a6 29 b4
•••
Black has a promising ending thanks to This pawn sacrifice enables B lack to
his mobile centre and play against the avoid the opening of the a-file and the
enemy k i n g . I n the m i d d l e game the opponent's activation on the queenside. At
situation would be directly the opposite, the same time the scope of his bishop is
since it would be impossible to advance extended.
the e-pawn. 30.cxb4 e4 3 1 .tbc5 e3 32.gxf4 .i.xb2
20.'i'e2 'i'xe2+ 21.•>he2 .i.g7 22.lhc4 33.l:tabl e2+
The character of the play and the speed
with which White's defences collapse are
more typical of the middlegame than the
endgame.
34.l:txe2 lhe2 35.<l;xe2 tbc3+ 36.c;t>d3
lbxbl 37.c;t>c2 .i.f6 38..i.xf6 .l:.xf6 39.<li;xbl
::!.f5 40.<li;c2 l:txh5 41.<li;d3 aS 42.<li;e4 axb4
43.f5 <ti;d6 44.lbb7+ <l;e7 45.tbc5 .l:.hl
46.a5 l:tal 47.a6 h5 48.<li;f4 h4 49.c;t>g4 h3
50.Wxh3 b3 51.'li;g4 0-1
A.Zapata I.Dorfman
-
B l 9 - Havana 1988
l.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.tbc3 dxe4 4.tbxe4 .i.f5

5.tbg3 j_g6 6.h4 h6 7 .tbf3 tbd7 8 . .i.d3
22 e5
••• .i.xd3 9.'i'xd3 tZ:lgf6 10.j_d2 e6 11.0-0-0
Either c apture of the pawn leads to "fic7 12.!thel 0-0-0 13. "fib3 c5 14. "fia4
disaster, and therefore from now on Black is <ti;b8 15 .i.a5 lbb6
•
assured of an enduing initiative on the Now if 16."fib3 there follows 16 . . . cxd4.

kingside. Black acquires a clear landmark: to aim for
23.l:hel .l:.he8 24.c;t>fl f4 25 .i.h4 l:td7
• the rook+bishop tandem in the endgame.
26.g3 b5 27.lt:Ja5 <l;c7 28.lbb3 lit7 29.a4 16.j_xb6 "fixb6 17.tLle5 "fic7 18.tbe4 tbxe4
19.l:.xe4 i.d6 20.ltJf3 i.e7 21.l:td3 lidS SO.�bS g6 Sl.b4 i.f8 S2.lLld2 i.e7 S3.tt:c4
22.l:.c3 i.f6 23.'ilfbS J:ld4 S4.g3 e4 SS.l1a2 fS S6 .!:1a8 .!:.d8
•
A favourable moment to exchange the S7Jhd8 i.xd8 SS.liJeS gS S9.hxgS i.xgS

queens has arrived. 60.�c4
23 'i!fb6 24. 'ifxb6 axb6 2S.l:tc4 cxd4

..• 60 i.f4
.••
26.tt:xd4 l:Xhd8 27.c3 eS 28.tt: f3 bS 29 .i:lb4

• A rare position. The passed pawn still has
i.e7 30.l:.b3 f6 3l.Wc2 three moves to make to the queening square,
and the centralised knight is unable to stop
it.
61.gxf4 h4 62.tLlg4 fxg4 63.fS g3 64.f6 �d8
0-1
F. Ochoa de Echaguen - I.Dorfman

A45 - New York 1 989
l.d4 lLlf6 2.i.gS lLle4 3.i.f4 cS 4.f3 'i!faS+

S.c3 tt:f6 6.ltJd2 cxd4 7.tt:b3 'i!Vb6 8.'i!fxd4
31...hS
A technical move. The opponent's pawn is
fixed on a dark square and he is denied any
hope of activating his knight.
32.a4 bxa4 33.l'ha4 i.cS 34.l:le4 i.xf2
3S .!:.e2 i.g3 36.c4 �aS 37J:tb6 i.f4
•
38.tLlel i.g3 39.ltJf3 �a4 40.'it>c3 .l:f.al

41 .l:!.e6 Wc7 42.l:.e7+ .l:!.d7 43.lie8 i.f4
44.Ilh8 i.h6 4S.<�i'b4 .li.tadl 46.�e8 l:r.d8
47.l:r.e6 li:!.ld6 48Jixd6 .!:.xd6 49.cS .!:!.dl
APPENDIX 1 89
8...tt:lc6 27...tt:la3
I first made this move against Georgadze The simplest solution. White can no
in 1 9 8 4 , and I have no hesitation in longer free himself from the pin without
repeating it w henever the opportunity serious loss of material.
presents itself. 28.l:l.xa3 .Jtxa3 29.'it>xa3 I:.a8+ 30.<litb4 I:.a1
9.'i xb6 axb6 10.e4 dS ll .Jtd3 eS 12 .Jtg5
• • 31.<litc5 <lite6 32.g4 .l:ld6 33.<litc4 .l:tfl 34.h3
.Jte6 13.tt:ld2 tt:ld7 .!:!.d2 3S.'it>c5 l:g2 36.<litb6 gS 37..Jtg3 l:lfxg1
This multi-purpose manoeuvre is a key 38.l:!.xg1 l:.xg1 39 .Jtf2 .l:tfl 40 .Jtc5 .l:tx£3
• •
one in this endgame. 41..Jtb4 l:txh3 42.<ihb7 hS 43.gxh5 l:txhS

14.exd5 .JtxdS 1S .Jtc4 .Jtxc4 16.tt:lxc4 bS
• 44.b6 <litdS 4S.<lita6 <litc6 46.b7 I:.h8 47..Jte7
17.tt:le3 £6 18 .Jth4 tt:lcS 19.tt:ld5 <litf7 20.b4
• l:i.b8 0-1
tt:ld3+ 21.<litd2 .!:!.d8 22.<.¥i>xd3
!.Dorfman - J.Bellon Lopez
B38 - Spain v. USSR Match 1991
l.tt:l£3 cS 2.c4 tt:lc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tt:lxd4 g6

S.e4 .Jtg7 6..Jte3 tt:l£6 7.tt:lc3 0-0 8.il.e2 b6
9.0-0 .ib7 10.£3 e6 11.�cl tt:lxd4 12 .ixd4 •
dS 13.cxd5 exdS
Black prefers to play with an isolated
pawn, rather than reconcile himself to an
outpost at d5 .
14.e5 tt:le8 1S.tt:lb5 £6 16.exf6 il.x£6
17..ixf6 'ix£6
22...tt:le7
The decisive blow in this game is struck
by the second knight also retreating from the
6th rank to the 7th!
23.a4 tt:lxdS 24.axb5 tt:lxb4+ 2S.<litc4 tt:lc2
26.l:i.a7 l:td7 27.<litb3
18.'ifd4 'ifxd4+
With his king so open, Black cannot keep
the queens on.
19.tt:lxd4 tt:ld6 20 .l:tc7 l!ac8 21JUcl lhc7
•
22J:bc7 I:.f7 23.l:tc3 J::!.e724.<litf2 <litf7 2S.b3

.l:!.e8 26 .!:f.c7+ .!:!.e7 27.l:cl l:te8 28..i.d3 <lit£6
•
29 .l:tc7 l:le7 30Jhe7 rtlxe7 31.<lite3 Wf6

•
.teS 56.i.e2 .td7 57..thS+ Wt'8 58.Wxd4 .te6

59..tf3 .tc4 60..te4.te6 61.i.c6 .tc4 1-0
!.Dorfman A.Weindl -
AOO Cannes 1 992

-
l .g3 lt:Jf6 2.i.g2 d6 3.d4 g6 4.e4 .tg7

5.lt:Je2 0-0 6.0-0 e5 7.lt:Jbc3 lt:Jc6
32.lt:Jb5 lt:Jxb5
This was the material balance I had been
planning when I first went into the endgame.
The Spanish grandmaster should have
chosen the more tenacious 32. . . tbc8.
33.i.xb5 g5 34.Wd4 We6 35.i.d3 h6
36.i.h7 aS 3 7.i.g8+ Wd6 38.a3 i.c6 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.i.g5
39.i.f7 i.b7 40.b4 axb4 41 .axb4 i.c6 White has a concrete threat of winning a
42.g3 i.b7 43.f4 gxf4 44.gxf4 i.c6 45.f5 pawn by JO.'Wixd8, l l. i.xj6 and 12.li::.d5.
i.d7 46.f6 i.c6 47.i.g8 i.b7 Black should consider 9. .. tbe7.
9 'Wixdl lO .l:!.fxdl h6 ll.i.e3 b6 12.lt:Jd5
••• •
tt:Jes 13..l:!.d2 'it>h7 14 .l:!.adl .tg4 15.b3 .l:!.d8

•
16.t3 .tc8 17.c4 Wh8 18.h3 .te6 19.'it>h2 ti:lb8

B lack has been over-run without any
obvious efforts on the part of the opponent.
Now, as often happens, the removal from
the centre of one side's forces provokes
increased activity there by the other side.
White can pick up the d5 pawn by 48.b5.

Black is forced to retreat to c8, to avoid the
pawn ending after 48. . . .taB 49.f7 W e 7
50.j8='Wi+ Wx.f8 5J.i.xd5. But White prefers a
more technical and less obvious solution. Q1
48.'it>e3 .tc6 49.c.tf4 d4 SO..tc4 b5 51..tb3 Wd7 �.
52.'it>fs 'it>e8 53.i.c2 <M7 54id3 i.d7+ ss.'it>eS
APPENDIX 191
20.f4 c6 2I.tbb4 .:xd2 22..:xd2 a5 23.tl:Jd3 White has two weak squares at d4 and b3,
tl:Jd7 24.tl:Jxe5 tbxe5 25.fxe5 c5 26.tl:Jc3 which makes his position hard to defend.
tbc7 27.tt:Jd5 tba8 28.tt:Jf6 1-0 ll.i.xc5 lt:Jxc5 12.i.e2 a4 13.0.0 tbe7 14.tbe1
tbc6 15.tl:Jc2 �c8 16.l::!.cd1 b6 17 .f3 'it>b7
E.Piankov - !.Dorfman 18.<Ml � 19JU'e1 lW 20.i.fl.tt:Jb3 21.tt:Jb5
A41 - French League 1 995 .wt8 22.i.e2 .ut'd8 23.tbc3 tbcd4 24.lt:Jxd4
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5
24 exd4
•••
The creation of a protected passed pawn is

the usual consequence of occupying a weak
3.dxe5 square. Misfortunes do not come singly. The
An inadequate knowledge of theory (3.tbf3), c4 pawn is cut off from base and is doomed.
or an incorrect interpretation of B lack's 25.tl:Jd5 c6 26.tl:Jf4 i.t7 27.h4 J::l.a5 28.i.fl
intentions, provokes this transition into an .:cs 29.tl:Jd3 .l:ixc4 30.e5 .!:.c2+ 31.'>t>g3 fxe5
endgame that is unfavourable for White. 32Jbe5 J:ld7 33.h5 tl:Jd2 34.J::I.g5 tbxfl+
3 dxe5 4.'tlVxd8+ '>t>xd8 5.tl:Jc3 .te6
..• 35 .lhfl i.c4 36.l::!.d1 i.xd3 37..:l.xd3 l:!.xb2
•
This is where all White's problems begin. 38.'it>f4 c5 39.lld1 c4 0-1

Because of the position of his c4 pawn, he
G.Beikert !.Dorfman
cannot successfully develop both bishops.
-
A45 - French League 1 996

6.e4 tl:Jd7 7.tl:Jt3 f6 8 .te3 .tb4 9J;!.cl a5 10.a3
•
1.d4 tl:Jf6 2 .tg5 tl:Je4 3.i.f4 c5 4.f3 'it'a5+

•
5.c3 tl:Jf6 6.tl:Jd2 cxd4 7.tl:Jb3 'ifb6 8.'ifxd4
es
7
6
5
4
3
2
10 i.c5
•••
8...lt:Jc6 9.'ixb6 axb6 10.e4 d5 ll.�d3 e5 29 lt:Je7

.•.
12.�g5 ..te6 13.lt:Jd2 lt:Jd7 14.exd5 �xd5 Now comes a manoeuvre of crushing
15.a3 strength, already familiar from the game
Deviating from the earlier game with with Ochoa.
Ochoa. 30.�e2 lt:Jd5 31.l:!c1 lt:Jf4+ 32.�fl lt:Jd3
15 f6 16...te3 i.cS 17...txc5 lt:Jxc5 18 ..tc2
••• • 33.l:!.c2 lt:Jc5 34.c4 lt:Jxa4 35.�e2 b5 36.b3
0-0-0 19.0-0-0 lt:Jb6 37.�d3 bxc4+ 38.bxc4 lt:Ja4 39.lt:Jgfl
lt:Jc5+ 40.�e2 f4 4 1 .l:tb2 ..t fS 42.J:!b5
..td3+ 43.'it>f2 'ti.c7 44.l:!b6+ .!:l.c6 45 .l:!.b5 b6
•
46.litb4 g5 47 .!:l.b5 h5 48.g3 g4 49.'it>g2 .l:!d6

•
50.h3 gxf3+ 51 .�xf3 �f5 52.gxf4 exf4

53.�f2 i.xfl 54.lt::lxfl 'it>e4 55..lir.b1 lt:Jd3+
56.�e2 f3+ 57.'it>d2 �f4 58.l:b5 lt:Jc5+
59.�e1 h4 60.ltb1 lt:Jd3+ 61.'it>d2 lt:Jf2+
62.'it>c2 lt:Je4 63 .!:!.b3 f2 64.lt:Jh2 lt:Jd2
•
0-1
E.Mednis - !.Dorfman
A20 - Cannes 1 998
l.c4 e5 2.g3 c6 3.d4 i.b4+ 4.i.d2 i.xd2+

5.'iVxd2 d6 6.lt:Jc3 lt:Jf6
19 i.e6
•..
B l ack's lead in development i s

transformed into a favourable material
situation, giving him an advantageous static
balance.
20.lt:Je2 lt:Jd3+ 21.�xd3 l:!.xd3 22.lt:Je4 litd7
A technical manoeuvre. Without loss of
time the king comes to the support of its
pawn majority on the kingside.
23.llxd7 �xd7 24.lt:J2g3 �e7 25.lt:Jh5 f5
26.lt:Jd2 g6 27.lt:Jg3 �f6 28.a4 l:!c8 29.'it>d1
7.dxe5
This opening is analysed in detail in Game
6 1 . In this type of structure the exchange of
queens cannot be recommended.
7 ... dxe5 8.'i!Vxd8+ �xd8 9.lt:Jf3 .Ue8 10.0-0-
0+ �c7 ll.lt:JgS lte7 12.�g2 h6 13.lt:Jge4
lt:Jxe4 14.lt:Jxe4 i.e6 15.b3 lt:Ja6 16..l:id2 f5
17.lt:Jc3 i::td7 18 ..!:l.xd7+ �xd7 19.1:l.d1+
'it>e7 20.lt:Ja4 g5 21.�b2
The American grandmaster is an endgame
APPENDIX 1 93
expert and the author of several books on Again a critical position. This time the
this stage of the game. He has managed to bishops are exchanged, and White's
block the queenside, and so Black opens weaknesses on the second and third ranks
invasion lines on the other side of the board. become accessible.
21. ..h5 22.e3 h4 23.J;!.d2 .l;!.h8 24.�f3 hxg3 4S .i.h3 46 . .i.xh3 I!xh3 47.'1t>c2 <;i?e6
..•
25.hxg3 llh2 26.�dl b6 27 .i.c2 llg2

• 48.ltJd5 lLlxdS 49.�xd5 l:f.h2 SO .l:!.d2 r;£trs
•
28.'1t>cl e4 29.a3 lLlb8 30.�dl lLld7 31.'1t>c2 S l .b4 r;£tf4 52.bxc5 bxcS 53.r;£tb3 <;i{f3
lLleS 32.lLlb2 cS 33.'it>c3 .i.d7 34.'1t>c2 �c6 54.l:f.d5 <;ifxf2 SS.l:!.xcS l:f.h3+ 56.'iS;>c2 .l:r.xa3
35.'it>c3 'it>e6 36.'it>c2 57.!US+ <;i?e3 58.Wb2 .i:td3 59.c5 <;i?d4 60.c6
A critical position. Black has achieved an .l:tc3 61JU6 l:.cS 62.l:!.d6+ <;ireS 63 .!:1.h6 r;£td5
•
ideal arrangement of his pieces, but he does 64 .l:th7 .l:!.xc6 6S.l!xa7 e3 66 .l:!.e7 <;i?d4 0-1
• •
not have anything real. The following move

enables him to weaken the d4 square and to Pawn Formations
occupy new squares with his king and knight. a) Majority on the Queenside
!.Dorfman - L.Spassov
E04 Moscow II 1 985
-
l.d4 li:Jf6 2.liJf3 e6 3.g3 bS 4.'id3 b4 S.i.g2

h6 6.'ilidl .i.b7 7.c4 bxc3 8.tt::lxc3 c5 9.0-0
36 f4 37.gxf4 gxf4 38.exf4 lLlg6 39. .i.e2

•.•
lLlxf4 40.tt:dl 'it>e7 41.�fl .l:ih2 42.lLle3

tt:e6 43.�g2 lLlf4 44.�fl �d7 4S.'it>c3
9...cxd4
After Black's 71h move the creation of a
queenside pawn maj ority for White was
predetermined.
10.liJxd4 i.xg2 11.'it>xg2
A critical moment, determi n i n g the
central structure and, to a large extent,
the result of the game. Because he i s
behind in development, B lack is forced
to rej e c t the a m b i t i o u s l l . . . d 5 , and
W h i t e ' s p a w n m aj or i t y b e c o m e s the
dominant factor.
1 1 . i. e 7 1 2 . e 4 d 6 1 3 . 'if3 liJfd7
01
••
14 .l:!.d1 0-0 1S.i.e3 liJeS 16.'ie2 liJbc6

•
17 .l:tacl �b8 18.liJxc6 liJxc6 19.liJbS

liteS
29.l:!.xc6 'ixc6 30.i.e7+ 'it>e8 31.'i!fxg7 I!a7
32Ji'f8+ 'it>d7 33.'ixf7 'it>c8 34.'ifg8+ �b7
3S.'i!fxh7 'i!Vd7 36.'i!fg6 'it>c6 37.�g8 i.b6
38.b4 i. d4 39.a4 'it>b7 40.�g6 'it>c6 41.h4
.l::!.a8 42.h5 'it>b7 43.�xd6 �xd6 44.i. xd6
'it>c6 4S.i. e7 l:lh8 46.g4 'it>d7 47.i.f6 .l:!.h7
48.f4 1-0
D.Sahovic - I.Dorfman
D9 1 - Lvov 1 986
l.d4 liJf6 2.c4 g6 3.tZ:lc3 dS 4.liJf3 i.g7

S.i.gS liJe4 6.i.h4 liJxc3 7.bxc3 dxc4
8.'i!Va4+ 'ird7 9.�xc4 b6 10.i.g3
20.i.f4
With this manoeuvre White increases his
superiority, and, more important, makes it
static.
2 0 e 5 2 1 . i. e 3 a6 2 2 . liJ c 3 'i!V b 7
•••
23.liJdS i.d8 24. 'i!fg4 'it>f8 2S.l:ld3 tZ:laS

26.l:tdc3 �xc3 27 J h c 3 liJc6 28. i. g5
i.aS
The Bulgarian grandmaster allows a
decisive exchange sacrifice.
After 28. . . i.xg5 29. 'i!Vxg5 .l::.cB 30. 'i!Vf5
'it>gB 3 1 . 'i!VxcB+ 'i!VxcB 3 2 . .l:!.xc6 B l ack
w o u l d have had no d e fe n c e against
33.:'l:!c8.
10 c5
•••
APPENDIX 1 95
The capture on c5 is strategically 24...e5 25.dxe5 �xdl +

unjustified and hands Black the initiative. An important intermediate move. White
Thus he has the prospect of creating a goes into an inferior ending, not seeing
queenside pawn majority with a favourable any satisfactory outcome after 26.:Z.xdl
endgame. White can only rely on dynamic lbxe3.
resources. 26. 'ifxdl 'fi'xdl + 27 .llxdl l£Jxe5 28.!:td6
ll.e3 .186 l2.1i'b3 i.xfl l3� l£Jc6 14.�e2 l:tc6 29.];[d8+ �h7 30.l£ld6 i.f6 3l..l:te8
lLJa5 l5.1!Vb2 0-0 l6Jtfdl .l:ac8 l7..l:acl 'i'a4 .l:txd6 32.i.xe5 i.xe5 33 . .l:!.xe5 .l:!. d l +
l8.<J.fl �fd8 19.'ie2 lbc4 20.�gl 34.�h2 l:td2
The end of a series of forced moves. An inaccuracy in a severe time scramble.
White has completed artificial castling and 34. . . .l:!.al would have transposed into the
can begin active play in the centre, while game, whereas now 35.a4 would have given
B lack w i l l begin advancing his pawn White real saving chances.
majority.
35..l:te7 �g7 36.e4 g5 37.e5 .l:ba2 38.�g3

20 b5 2l.h3 a6 22.l£lg5 h6 23.l£Je4 cxd4
.•. �g6 39 .flb7 l:la4 40.�f3 �f5 4l..:ixf7+
•
24.cxd4 �xeS 42.l'l.h7 �f4+

The white knight has selected a post at c5; 0-l
Black removes the support from under it.
b) G r o u p s o f s q u a r e s o f o n e
colour,
Blockade,
Domination
!.Dorfman - J.Murrey
093 - French League 1 99 1
l.l£Jf3 d5 2.d4 l£Jf6 3.c4 c6 4.'i'c2 g6 5.i.f4

i.g7 6.e3 0-0 7.tLlc3 l£Ja6 8.c5 'ia5 9.a3
tiJd7 lO.i.e2 b6 ll.cxb6
ll ...tt::lxb6 23.e4 i.g6 24.e5 t:Dc7 2S.tDc5 'ic8 26.'i'e3 fxeS

The s t a t i c b a l a n c e i s d i s r u p t e d .
B lack makes a serious concession,
because o f the d i saster awaiting him
in the variation ll . . . ax b 6 1 2 . 0- 0 c5
13. b4.
12.0-o .t rs 1 3 . 'if c l tt::lc4 1 4 . b 3 tt::ld6
1S.b4 'i¥b6 16.tt::la4 'i'b7 1 7 .tt::leS i.xeS
27.dxe5
The most rigorous course. White does not
even allow the illusory counterplay that was
possible after 27.'i¥xe5 :_f5 28. 'i¥e3 e5.
27...'iff5 28.l:tad1 'ifc2 29 .1i!.d2 d4 30.'ifxg5
•
'ic3 31.i.d3 .li!f7 32.i.xg6 l:lg7 33 .li!d3

•
'ifc4 34.!lc l 'ifa2 3S.i.xh7+ �xh7

18.i.xe5 f6 19.i.f4 gS 20.i.g3 tt::le4 21.f3 36.'i¥h4+ '1ii> g8 37.I:txd4 .l:!.xd4 38.'ifxd4
tt::lxg322.hxg3 l:tad8 .l:txg3 39.'iff2 'fli'xf2+ 40.�xf2 .l%g6 41.f4
This allows the opponent to begin tt::ldS42.�f3 1-0
advancing his kingside pawns. Moving the
I.Dorfman - R.Meulders
king was more tenacious.
A87 Brussels Zonal 1 993
-
1.d4 fS 2.tt::lf3 tt::l

f6 3.g3 g6 4 .tg2 i.g7 5.0-0
•
APPENDIX 1 97
0-0 6.c4 d6 7.tl:Jc3 e6 S.i.gS h6 9.i.xf6 'ikxf6

After this exchange the static balance
depends on the pawn structure. White aims to
fix it, by initiating play on the light squares.
01
24.'i!fe3
The concluding stage of the attack on the
light squares. Not wishing to part with a
10.e4 lt:Jc6 ll.exfS gxfS pawn, Black allows a blockade.
It seems to me that ll .. exf5 was essential,
.
24 f4 2S.'ikd3 a6 26.lt:Jc3 i.eS 27.tt:le4
.••
intending . . . g6-g5. The incorrect capture 'i!fhS 28.'it>g2 i.g6 29.f3 i.h7 30.c5 .tf6
makes it easier for the opponent to make 31.i.g4 'ifeS 32.tt:lf5 i.xfS 33.i.xf5 'i!fd8
contact on the light squares. 34.'it>hl i.g7 3S.g4
12.d5 li:Jb4 13.a3 lt:Ja6 14J:.cl eS 1S.b4 i.d7 Nimzowitsch or Petrosian must probably
have dreamed of this type of position.
7
6
5
4
3
2
Q1
16.tt:lh4
The continuation of White ' s general 3S ... Wh8 36.li!.gl li:Jd7 37.i.xd7 'ifxd7
strategy. After a series of forced moves he 38.l:tc l i.f6 39.c6 'ifcS 40.cxb7 'fkxb7
begins besieging the f5 pawn. 41.�c6 'i!fbS 42.'i!fxb5 axbS 43.l:tgcl i.g7
1 6 l:.ae8 17.i.h3 li!.e7 18.'fkc2 'fkf7
..• 44.l:.xc7 .lhc7 4S.�xc7 liaS 46.l:.c3 i.f8
19.l:.cdl 'fihS 20.'fke2 'figS 21.'it>hl tt:lb8 47.'it>g2 'it>g8 48.'it>fl i.e7 49.h4
22.tt:lb5 i.eS 23.Z:.del i.hS White does not deviate from the static
playing method even in a completely won 19 .i.g4

•
position. He prevents even such a miserly Much as he would like to, Black is enable
chance as . . . h6-h5. to occupy the ideal post in the centre with
49 �f8 50.h5 �e8 51.�e2 �d7 52.�d2
•.• his knight. Now White had prepared the
I:Ia7 53.�c2 1la8 54.�b3 l:!.a6 55.l:lcl l:i.b6 following reply: 19 . . . lbd4 20. lbe6 .i.xe6
56.l:tc2 l:ta6 57.I:ta2 1-0 2l . .i.xe6+ lbxe6 22. dxe6 d5 23. �c3 d4
24.lbe4.
I.Dorfman - S.Iuldachev 19 .. .'i!i'e7 20.b5 .i.g7 21 .!:.c3 l::tt7 22 .tie1
• •
E97 - Olympiad, Elista 1 998 .i.f8 23.a3 axb5 24.lbxb5 'i!Vd8 25. 'i'b1
lta8 26..Uecl .i.d7 27.tbc7 lta4
l.lbf3 lbf6 2.c4 g6 3.lbc3 .i.g7 4.e4 d6 S.d4 White has achieved an ideal set-up and the
0-0 6 . .i.e2 eS 7.0-0 lbc6 8.d5 lbe7 9.b4 position is ripe for a concrete solution.
lbe8 10.c5 fS U.lbd2 fxe4 12.lbdxe4
Each of the players has already decided
upon the colour of the squares on which he
wants to play.
01
28.l2Je6 'i!VaS 29..i.xf5 gxfS 30.lbxf8 If.xf8

31.�xd6 'i!VxdS 32.lbc4 'i!Ve6 33.'i'xb7 f4
34.�b6 I:td4 35.l2Jxd7 l:!.xd7 36.'i!Ve4 l::td4
37.'i!Vc2 e4 38.l::tc6 'i!Vg4 39.h3 'i'g7 40.l::tc7
12 ...ltJfS 13 ..i.g5 lbf6 14.l:!.cl h6 1S..i.xf6 1-0
.i.xf6 16.cxd6 cxd6 17.lbb5 a6 18.lbc7 l::tb8
I.Dorfman A.Hauchard
-
E 1 5 - French Championship 1 998
l .d4 lbf6 2.lbf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.g3 .i.a6

5.lbbd2 .i.b7 6 .i.g2 c5 7.e4 cxd4 8.0-0 d6
•
9.l2Jxd4 'i'c8 10.a4 lbc6 l l .lbxc6 .i.xc6

12.b4 .i.e7
A c r i t i c a l p o s i t i o n in v i e w o f the
p o s s i b l e m o d i fi c a t i o n o f the pawn
structure by the advance of the a- and b
pawns . White saw that 1 3. a5 would be
met by 1 3 ... b5. Hence the idea of
renewing the threat of a4-a5 .
a b c d e f g h
APPENDIX 1 99
13.'ife2 a5 18.iL.xa5 'ifb8 19.iL.c3 d5 20.exd5 iL.xd5

Another critical position. After any 2l.i. xd5 lt:Jxd5 22.iL.e5 'ifb7 23.'ifg4 iL.f6
"normal" reaction Black gains control of the 24.'iff3 JL.xe5 25.tt:lxe5 .l:Uc8 26 .l:Ifcl 'ifc7
•
c5 square with a static advantage. The 27.lt:Jc4 lZ'lb6 28.lbxb6 'ixb6 29.l:tc4 h6
position demands determined action by 30J;ldl l:ta7 3 l .l;td3 'it'b8 32.'ifdl 'ife5
White. 33.b6 l:tb7 34.a5 ct;h7 35.ct;g2 l:ta8 36.'i!fc2
g6 37.l:txc5 'ilfe4+ 38.f3 'i!fel 39.'i!fd2 'i!fal
40.h4 h5 4l.'i!fc3 1-0
c) Outpost
I.Dorfman B.Katalymov
-
A2 1 Krasnoyarsk 1 980
l.c4 e5 2.lt:Jc3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.'i!fxd4

The outpost at d5 has been created, and the
static balance is tending in White's favour. The
opponent must seek dynamic resources.
14.c5 bxc5
The other capture of the c5 pawn leads
to a b l o c kade and to the c o m p l ete
paralysis of the black army. And in the
event of 14. . . axb4 15. cxd6 JL.xd6 1 6. e5
iL.xg 2 1 7. ct;xg 2 'if c3 J B.t!Jc4 B lack can
resign.
15.b5 iL.b7 16.lt:Jc4 'ifc7 17.iL.d2 0-0
4 ttlc6 5.'ifd2 g6
..• 'ifd4+ 24.'it>h1 'ifxc4 25.'i f2
White has less scope for manoeuvring In order to avoid loss of material, the
after 5... tbf6 6.g3 i.e6 7.tbd5 tbe5 8.b3 c6 black queen has to take up an "offside"
9.tbxf6+ 'flxf6. position. White exploits this, by switching
6.b3 i.g/7ib2 ttJfti 8.g3 (). 9.i.g2 id3 10.tbb3 his fire to the kingside.
i.xh3 llixb3 a5 12..Jig2 tbd7 13.0.0 ttJc5
25 .'ifa6 26.exf5 d5 27.fxg6 hxg6 28.'ifc2

••
14.ttld5 'it>g7 29.b5 'ifa7 30.bxc6 bxc6 31.ttle2 ttlc4

The knight occupies the outpost. 32.'ii'c3+ c,¥;>h7 33.ttld4 'i d7
14 i.xb2 15.'ilfxb2 £5 16.a3 ttle5 17.b4
•••
ttlcd7 18.£4 ttlf7 19.ttlc3 c6

A transformation of advantages has
occurred. The outpost had disappeared, but
there is now a backward d6 pawn. I should
mention in passing that, as a result of this
last series of moves, the black king has
become statically weak.
20.e4
34.£5 ttlfe5 35.i.h3 'it>g8 36.ttle6 gx£5

37.tLlxf8 .l:Ix£8 38.1:!.£4 c5 39.'ilfc2 'fle7
40..l:!.e1 l:lb8 41.'ifxf5 d4 42.l:lg4+
1-0
I.Dorfman - M.Apicella
B07 - Cannes 1989
1.g3 g6 2.i.g2 i.gl 3.d4 d6 4.e4 ttl£6 5.ttlc3

APPENDIX 201
0-0 6.tbge2 lbbd7 7.0-0 c5 8.h3 cxd4 9.tbxd4

White has gained a static advantage.
25...e4 26.c5 tbe5 27.cxd6 .l:!xcl + 28.it'xcl

iid7 29.'W!ic7 1Lf8 30.1Lc5 "Wia4 31.1it'd8 'id1+
9 .a6 10ltel lbb6 ll.a4 e5
.•
32...tfl tbf3+ 33.'iii>g2 lbh4+ 34.'iii>g3 "Wixfl
On this occasion the opponent does not want to
suffer and, by getting rid of the outpost, create a
backward pawn in his position.
12.tbde2 1Le6 13.b3 "Wic7 14.1Le3 l:.ac8
15J!i'd2 .l::[fd8 16.a5 lbbd7 17 .l:.ecl 'W!ib8
•
35.'lhh4 "Wixe2 36Jii'xf8+ 'it'xf8 37.d7+

Wg7 38.d8"Wi g5+ 39.'iii>xg5 'W!id2+ 40.'it'f5
"ilixd5+ 41. 't!fxd5 tbxd5 42. 'iii>xe4 tbc3+
43.'iii>e5Wg6 44.f4 h6 45.f5+ 1-0
I.Dorfman - M.Vukic
18.tbd5
E82 Yugoslav League 1 99 1
White transforms one type of advantage into
-
another. The immediate 18.g4 was also good. 1.d4 tbf6 2.c4 g6 3.tbc3 1Lg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3
18 ... 1Lxd5 19.exd5 l:.e8 20.g4 "ilic7 21.l:.a4 0-0 6.1Le3 b6 7.1Ld3 a6 8.tbge2 c5 9.e5
tbc5 22J:tc4 "Wie7 23.b4 tbcd7 24..lhc8 tbe8 10.1Le4 l:.a7 l l.dxc5 bxc5 12.1Lxc5
.l:!xc8 25.c4 l:.d7 13.1Le3 1Lb7 14.1Lxb7 l:txb7 15.b3
Only one more move, 26.tbg3, and Black 1Lxe5
will be completely stalemated. Understandably, Forcing play has led to a critical position.
the opponent breaks out of the trench. White has some static advantage thanks to his
d5 outpost. In a number of variations the

weakness of the a6 pawn may also be felt.
g h
2S.lLldc3 fS! 26J:icdl �f7 27.�£1 i.e7

28.i.f4
16.0.0 fiaS 17.'i!fd2 lLlc6 18�1 i.g7 19.lt:la4 Here Black avoided 28. . . lLlde5. I don't
'i!fxd2 20Ax:d2 lLlf 21.lLlec3 lLld7 22.lLlds know what my opponent disliked more: the
Here the technique for exploiting the outpost exchange sacrifice on d6, or the simple
is somewhat different from that in the 29. .l:e2, preparing 30.c5.
examples examined in detail in the Practical
Application. In the event of the knight at d5
being captured, it is not possible to recapture
with the e-pawn since it does not exist. But the
e-file is already open, and the black pawn on it
will be backward even after cxd5. Another
important feature: White has the possibility of
transforming his static outpost advantage into
a queenside pawn majority after 22. . . lLlj6
23.lLlxj6+ i.xj6 24.c5. It is clear that with his
last move the Yugoslav grandmaster parried
the impending threat of22.c5.
28...e5 29.i.e3 �e6 30.g3 i.f8 31.�g2 i.e7
a b c d e f g h
22 .l:ttb8 23.�cl i.f8 24.�f2 e6
•••
Now begins the next stage - play against

the backward d6 pawn.
APPENDIX 203
32 ..tg5 ..tf8 33 ..th6 l2Jd4 34.i.xf8 l:f.xf8

• • t2Jxe3
35.tbe2 tbxe2 36Jhe2 l:tc8 37.l:ted2 lic6 Black has a serious static advantage: king
38.'it>f2 tiJf6 39.llxd6+ l:txd6 40.tbc5+ 'lt>e7 position, material balance, and pawn
41 ..l:txd6 :lc7 42..l:i.e6+ 'lt>f7 43Jhe5 structure.
1-0 14.If.xe3 i.b7 15.1itdl l::ad8 16.l:teel tiJf6
17.tbxf6+ ..txf6 18.tbe5 i.xg2 19.�xg2
S.Boyd - I.Dorfman l:td5 20.'fi'e4 ..tg7
B2 l - Cannes 1 993 It is interesting that a critical position
arises after such an unprepossessing move.
l.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.tbc3 dxe4 Black wants to exchange on e5 after first
The outpost at d4 has been created. Black playing . . .f7-f5, to avoid having a backward
possesses a static advantage. f-pawn.
The knight is forced to retreat, as otherwise
the play becomes one-sided.
4.tbxe4 tbd7 5.tbf3 tbgf6 6.d3 g6 7.g3 ..tg7

8.i.g2 0-0 9.0-0 e6 10.c3
White covers the outpost, but creates a 21.t2Jf3 l:tfd8 22.l'�d2
backward d-pawn.
22... b5
10 ...'ic7 l l.'irc2 tiJd5 12 .!:!.el b6 13...te3
• Beginning a combined attack on the king
and on the pawns situated on the long

diagonal.
23Jiedl a6 24.a3 h6 25 .U.fl �h7 26.lt:Jel
•
11i'b6 27.'itg2 f5 28.1i'f3 e5 29.l1e2 1i'c7

30.fxe5 .l::txe5 31..l:.xe5 'i!Vxe5 32.lt:Jc2 'i!Ve6
33.J::!.f2 1i'b3 34.lt:Jel lieS 35..l:te2 flxe2+
36Jifxe2 b4
B lack has s u c c e s s fu l l y carr i e d out
his p l a n , and in a d d i t i o n t o h i s
p o s i t i o nal advantage he now gains a
material one.
13 ..txd4 ..txd4+ 14.lt:Jxd4 J;;l.e8 15.�h2

•
lt:Jac5 16.b4 axb4 17.cxb4 lt:Je6 18.lt:Jc4

lt:Jb6 19.lt:Jxe6 l1xe6
When you see such a crushing defeat, you
must realise that one of the players was
unable to find dynamic resources,
compensating for his "static deficit".
37 .axb4 cxb4 38.'ic2 'ilfxc2+ 39.lt:Jxc2

bxc3 40.b4 g5 41.'itf3 ..teS 42.d4 ..td6
43.'ite2 g4 44.�d3 f4 4 5 . gxf4 ..t x f4
46.'itxc3 ..txh2 47.lt:Je3 h5 48.'>tc4 'itg6
4 9 . b 5 a x b 5 + 5 0 . 'it x b 5 ..t g l 5 1 . lt:Jg2
..t x d 4 52.�c4 ..ta7 5 3 . 'it d 3 'itgS
5 4 . � e 2 h4 5 5 . �fl h3 5 6 . lt:J e l ..t b 6
57.lt:Jd3 g3
0-1
I.Dorfman - M.Apicella
AOO - Cannes 1 994
20.lt:Je3 lt:Jd7 21Ji'd4 'iVb6 22.'ixb6 lt:Jxb6
l .g3 g6 2 . ..tg2 ..tg7 3.d4 d6 4.e4 lt:J£6 The exchange of queens does nothing to
5.lt:Je2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7 .a4 aS 8.h4 lt:Ja6 ease the defence, since here it is not a matter
9 ..te3 "fkc7 10.lt:Jd2 lt:Jd7 11.£4 e5 12.c3
• of the black king being weak.
exd4 23.a5 lt:Jd7 24.lt:Jc4 lt:Jf6 25 .l::tfe l ..td7
•
In this game the two players " skip" 26.l:i.adl

several stages in the exploitation of an The French player makes a desperate
o u t p o s t . The d 6 p a w n is a l r e a d y attempt to free himself. After 26. . . lt:Je8
backward. White has various ways of developing his
APPENDIX 205
play, such as 27.g4.
26 ... d5 27.t't'lb6 l:i[ae8 28.e5 l:i[6e7 29.b5

lZ:ihS 30.l:tcl f6
Now comes the concluding bl ow,
destroying the pawn chain.
31.a6 bxa6 32.bxc6 i.c8 33.tt:Jxd5 l:i[a7

34.g4
1-0
193,194, 195, 196, 198, 198, 199, 200, 201,

203, 204
V.Epishin - 125
L.Evans - 77
Index of players R.Fischer - 18, 20
G.F1ear - 162
Name - page (in italic incomplete game)
V.Gavrikov - 98
V.Akopian - 24, 60 B.Ge1fand - 38, 116
L.Alburt - 72 Kir.Georgiev - 147
A.Anastasian - 3 7 F.Gheorghiu - 27
V.Antoshin - 12 S.Gligoric - 11
M.Apicella - 132, 200, 204 H.Golombek - 22
K.Arkell - 1 84 D.Guigonis - 1 1 0
M.Ashley - 39 B.Gu1ko - 48, 65
V.Bagirov - 1 33 B.Hansen - 12
Y.Balashov - 1 08 A.Hauchard - 1 98
J.Barle - 11 J.Hickl - 140
A.Barsov - 1 84 R.Hubner - 25
C.Bauer - 169 K.Hulak - 1 5, 7 1
G.Beikert - 191 M.Illescas 151
-
J.Bellon Lopez - 1 89 S.Iuldachev - 1 98

A.Belyavsky 82 - V.Ivanchuk - 70, 119
U.Boensch - 1 12 I.Kalinsky - 38
M.Botvinnik - 11, 21, 31 , 42 G.Kamsky - 149
S.Boyd - 203 V.Karasev - 1 4
D.Bronstein - 56 A.Karpov - 10, 20, 23, 25, 27, 28, 44, 67
B.Chata1bashev - 1 73 G.Kasparov - 10, 28, 31, 36, 43
A.Chernin - 9 1 B.Katalymov - 1 99
M.Chiburdanidze - 70 A.Khasin - 128
R.Cifuentes - 9 J.Klinger - 121
L.Comas - 1 85 Y.Klovans - 58
J.Diaz - 1 8 1 A.Kogan - 178
J.Diez del Corra - 23 Z.Kozul 124
-
S.Dolmatov - 43, 44, 95 V.Korchnoi - 15, 20, 32, 38, 1 64

D.Donchev - 105 P.Korzubov 30 -
J.Donner - 42 A.Kozlov - 48
!.Dorfman - 8, 9, 9, 12, 14, 1 6, 17, 18, 19, V.Kupreichik - 69, 186
24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 38, G.Kuzmin - 80
39, 40, 47, 48, 48, 50, 5 1 , 53, 54, 56, 58, 60, B.Larsen - 13, 36
6 1 , 63, 65, 67, 69, 71, 72, 74, 77, 78, 80, 82, J.Lautier - 160
84, 86, 88, 89, 91, 93, 95, 98, 98, 1 00, 1 02, A.Lilienthal - 31
104, 1 05, 108, 110, 110, 112, 1 1 5, 1 1 6, 118, A.Lukin - 33
1 1 9, 1 2 1 , 1 24, 1 25, 128, 1 29, 1 32, 133, 135, E.Magerramov - 100
136, 1 38, 140, 143, 145, 147, 149, 1 5 1 , 1 53, V.Majorovas - 155
1 55, 158, 1 60, 1 62, 164, 167, 1 69, 171, 173, S. Makarychev - 1 1 0
177, 1 78, 178, 179, 1 80, 181, 182, 1 83, 184, V.Makogonov - 21
185, 1 86, 1 87, 1 88, 189, 190, 1 9 1 , 1 9 1 , 1 92, S.Martinovic - 183
INDEX 207
H.Mecking - 21 G.Timoshchenko - 53
E.Mednis - 192 F.Trois - 29
R.Meu1ders - 1 96 V.Tseshkovsky - 74
W.Miche1 - 41 V.Tukrnakov - 51
G.Miralles - 1 79 E.Ubi1ava - 89
E.Mocha1ov - 88 A.Vaisser - 1 3 5
J.Murrey - 34, 195 P.Ve1ikov - 138
N.Murshed - 8 K.Veng1ovsky - 47
M.Najdorf - 36 S.Videki - 129
O.Neikirch - 11 L.Vogt - 35
N.Nikcevic - 25 V.Vorotnikov - 1 6, 50
Pr.Niko1ic - 1 45 M.Vukic - 201
A.Nimzowitsch - 41 S.Webb - 77
J.Nogueiras - 1 43 A.Weind1 - 1 90
I.Novikov - 115 I.Zaitsev - 1 36
F.Ochoa de Echaguen - 188 A.Zapata - 187
D.Paunovic - 1 9
V.Petrienko - 9 Symbols
T.Petrosian - 20, 21, 22, 77
E.Piankov - 191 � king
I.P1atonov - 84 'i queen
L.Po1ugayevsky - 12 l:I rook
L.Portisch - 31, 43 tLl kn ight
J.Priby1 - 26 j_ bishop
E.Prie - 1 77 0-0 castle
Y.Rantanen - 1 1 8 X capture
N.Rashkovsky - 63 + check
Yu.Razuvaev - 1 67 ++ double check
M .Rivas Pastor - 153 # checkm ate
O.Romanishin - 18, 40, 43, 61, 93, 98 1 -0 win for white
D.Ruze1e - 1 7 1 0- 1 win for black
D.Sahovic - 194 Y,-Y, draw
V.Savon - 54 ! good m ove
W.Schmidt - 35, 78 !! brillant m ove
A.Shchekachev - 1 78 ? bad m ove
A.Shirov - 36 ?? blunder
R.Skrobek - 35, 1 04 !? interesting m ove
B.Spassky - 23 ?! dubious m ove
L.Spassov - 1 93 +- winning advantage for white
A.Stefanova - 180 ± clear advantagefor white
H.Stefansson - 1 7 � slight advantage for white
E.Sveshnikov - 86 -+ winning advantage for black
M.Taimanov - 13, 18 + clear advantagefor black
M.Ta1 - 1 58 + slight advantage for black
P.Thipsay - 1 02 00 unclear position
K.Thorteins - 1 82 00 with compensation for the material
J.Timman - 23 t with initiative
Index of openings
Flank Openings Ruy Lopez/Spanish
AOO 89, 1 90, 204; A04 1 38; A07 1 1 0 C65 65; C78 5 1 ; C80 80; C82 82; C99 74
English Opening l.d4 d5 Miscellaneous

A l l 77; A 1 2 78; A l 3 25, 60, 69, 70, 1 35, D02 1 1 0, 1 8 1
1 43 ; A 1 4 58, 1 36; A20 1 67, 1 92; A2 1 8,
1 99; A22 1 7 ; A28 38; A29 37, 1 29; A30 27; Queen's gambit
A34 25, 1 28, 1 82; A37 1 5 5 D l l 1 45, 1 80; D 1 7 1 79; D20 1 25; D2 1 33;
D27 32; D28 1 60; D30 1 77; D3 1 1 53, 1 7 1 ;
l.d4 Miscellanous D34 1 1 8; D35 9 ; D45 86, 147
A40 1 73, 1 84; A41 1 9 1 ; A45 72, 1 88, 1 9 1 ;
A46 29, 1 04; A53 56, 1 1 5 Grfinfeld Defence
D78 7 1 , 1 49; D85 28, 1 1 6; D9 1 1 94; D93
Benko Gambit 34, 195; D97 1 1 9, 1 24
A57 88
Catalan Defence
Modern Benoni
EOO 1 62; E03 38; E04 30, 1 93; E06 1 1 2
A63 1 5
Dutch Defence Queen's Indian

E 1 3 93 ; E 1 5 26, 84, 1 78, 1 98
A87 1 96
Scandinavian Defence Nimzo-Indian

B O l 1 83 E32 1 64; E38 38, 1 58; E39 9 1
Alekhine Defence King's Indian Defence

B05 1 33 E60 53; E6 1 98; E62 98; E73 1 00; E82 201 ;
E9 1 1 08; E95 63; E97 198
Pirc Defence/Modern Defence
B06 1 40; B07 200
Caro-Kann Defence
B 1 4 1 5 1 ; B 1 9 1 86, 1 87
Sicilian Defence To contact the author:

B2 1 203; B22 1 6, 50; B28 9, 1 32; B3 1 48;
B33 36: B38 1 89; B42 1 78, 1 85 ; B52 39; For individual or group training period or
B56 1 69; B57 1 02; B60 48, 54; B8 1 67; B83 simultaneous games, please contact:
47, 95; B87 1 05; B88 6 1 ; B90 24 Iossif Dorfman
1 5 bis boulevard St Charles,
French Defence 06 1 00 Le Cannet, France
C l O 1 84 tel.(33) 492 1 8 02 59, fax (33) 492 1 8 02 59,
e-mail: leopoldorf@aol.com
Giuoco Piano or www.game-mind.com
C54 1 2 1
IossifDorfman was born in 1952 at Jitomir (Ukraine).
He learned to play chess when he was 8. He became
a full-time player only on graduation from Polytechnique
in 1974. His trainer was Michael Trosman who also
trained Alexander Huzman, and Irina Krush in New York.
In 1977 he became an IM, USSR champion and
European champion. He was awarded the IGM title in
1978. His deep understanding of chess led to the
honour of being invited to join Kasparov's team. He
remained on that team for 4 world championship
matches. In 1990, after the opening of the eastern
borders, he came to live in France and placed his
experience at the service of the national team between
1990 and 1992. He trained Etienne Bacrot (1993-1997)
and Vesselin Topalov (1998). He won the French
National Championship on his first outing in 1998. Iossif
Dorfman remains a feared opponent although today
his world-wide reputation is based on his training talent
In 1993, GM IossifDorfman was asked whether he would train a 10 year-old French boy, Etienne,
whose ELO was already 1930. Both the child's father and his previous trainer, GM Eric Prie, knew
that Etienne was gifted yet often ill at ease when facing new positions.
Iossif studied Etienne's games in depth, compiling sound statistics on his errors, from which he
determined that Etienne lacked the feeling for refutation and that he did not know how to react to
changes in pawn structure or to continuations involving exchanges or bow to handle delicate
transition from one phase of the game to the next (from opening to middle game, from middle
game to ending).
Iossifhad to compile simple yet universally applicable rules which would help his young pupil in
every situation. On the basis of his experience in training some very strong players, notably
Kasparov, Iossif designed tools to highlight critical positions and reveal those moments when the
situation can be changed advantageously. These rules became the basis of his method.
Once Etienne's began to implement this method his progress was astonishing. His opponents were
disconcerted by a level of mastery and feeling for strategy, unequalled in a child of his age. Quite
naturally, within a few years, he became the youngest International Grand Master in the history of
the game. As you will have recognized, the pupil was none other than the now well-known
Etienne Bacrot.
Today, IossifDorfrnan still uses his knowledge to help several gifted youngsters. The method is
transparent. It can be understood and applied by any player and, because of its great efficiency,
it bas become a keystone in the edifice of modem strategic thought.
$22.95 £ 15.99
SARL GAME MIND ISBN 2-957-2890-2-4
51 A L'esperou, 193 le grand mail
34090 Montpellier - FRANCE
www.game-mind.com
9 782957 289021
208 pages- 370 diagrams 24,95 48,80 DM

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The Method in Chess - Iossif Dorfman

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IOSSIF DORFMAN

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All rights reserved for all countries

Printed in France by Cloitre Imprimeurs

Translated from Russian to English by Ken Neat

Special thanks to Ken Neat for his useful suggestions.

The book consists of two sections: theoretical and practical.

I regard chess as being an equivalent (adequate) exchange (Botvinnik).

In many games the hierarchy of strategic factors, determining the evaluation of a

This aim is served by the proposed static balance.

The move search alt:orithm:

3) Consider the candidate moves and choose a specific move.

Between critical positions there are technical phases.

I. Definition of a critical position

I suggest three criteria for the existence of a critical position.

1) A position in which a decision has to be taken regarding a possible exchange. If the

2) A position in which a decision has to be taken regarding a possible change in the

To sense that a position is critical is already a great success.

II. Drawing up the static balance

First : I suggest a regressive scale of static factors, arranged in order of their

Second : certain factors exist in static and dynamic form.

After the moves Before turning to an analysis of each step

Let us consider a position from the game

arising after the moves

And, generalising, I would say that a 9.tiJh3

The idea of using a regressive scale is

1.e4 cS 2.tt'lf3 a6 3.c3 dS 4.exd5 'ixdS S.d4 !.Dorfman-R.Cifuentes

7M.i.M •-• 12.i..d3 i..e6 13.0-0 'ib6 14.l:Ib1 g6

. . . i.e7-j8 and . . . tt'lc6-e7-d5. In the game after:

In choosing between the two possible

This is a serious mistake, since now the

It is amusing that a similar mistake was

Threatening 16. . . e4.

After 16... 0-0-0 1 7.Ld7+ 11xd7 18.tbxc5

lose a tempo. This is typical of a position Forced, as otherwise after 2 0. . . <Ji;h 8

In the following examples the technique is

2 5 . tbg 6+! : xg 6+ 26.'ikg3 :xg3+

After 23... .i.g6 24. h5 .i.h7 25. e4! .i.xe4

the enemy king. Taimanov sacrifices the exchange, afraid

Here the static balance is inclined in

cases a bishop is allowed to be captured 23.b4! i.e7

In this position the simple 23.Ld4 i.xd4

V.Korchnoi-K.Hulak Contrary to the demands of the position,

22.lLle4! when he parries the very dangerous threats

black king is statically weak, while after

And a gain at the culminating moment the

In this section the relative strength of the

Is there not a contradiction here with what 17 ..1i!.fxdl cxb4

White must play dynamically, not allowing

In this chapter on material correlation, we

Experience has shown that a rook and a

0 rook and a knight.

White's play in the following game was

R.Fischer-M.Taimanov 43.l:td3 �c7 44.l:txd6 �xd6 45.cj;d3 lt:\e7

A critical position. I.Dorfman-O.Romanishin

46.i.xf5 gxf5 47.'Ac2 Wg6 48.l:tc6 l:td7

Active defence loses as a result of a pretty

42.i.b6 tDxf4 43.l:txh7 e5 44.l:th6 e4

68.:!g7+ 'it>h8 69.'it>f7 !tal 70...ie5 1-0

To complete the analysis of this example,

A subtle defence. The king must move off

Karpov finds an elegant way of obtaining V.Makogonov-M.Botvinnik

For the next example I have chosen an

13...i.xc3 14.bxc3 i.fS lS...ixfS 'i!fxfS