THE

METHOD
IN

CHESS
loss if DORFMAN
IOSSIF DORFMAN

THE

M
IN
 2

Published and distributed by :

SARL GAME MIND
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©Copyright 2001 : IossifDorfman & Game Mind

ISBN : 2-957-2890-2-4

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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
Al. 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 181
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 METHOD 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 al~: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.
 THEORETICAL SECTION 7

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.
 8 THE METHOD IN CHESS

After the moves Before turning to an analysis of each step

l.e4 eS 2.lbf3 lt:Jc6 3.~ b5 a6 4.i..a4 lt:J£6 of the regressive scale, I should like to share
5.0-0 ~e7 6.~el bS 7.~b3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 some interesting observations with you.
lt:JaS 10...tc2 cS ll.d4 'i'c7 12.lt:Jbd2 lt:Jc6 There is a crude method, enabling an
13.d5 lt:JaS 14.b3 c4 1S.b4 lt:Jb7 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-!.Dorfman
A21- Palma de Mallorca GMA 1989

arising after the moves

l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.lt:Jc3 exd4 4.'i'xd4 lt:Jc6
the knight at b7 is bad. S.'it'd2 g6 6.b3 i..g7 7.i..b2 lt:Jf6 8.g3 0-0
And, generalising, I would say that a 9.lt:Jh3
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
elements in the following order in
accordance with their importance:
Here on White's part one can contemplate
evolution by lDj4, i..g2 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 Black went in for vigorous
the exchange of queens? measures, and a double-edged situation
arose after
A4. Pawn formation. 9 ... a5 10.lt:Jf4 a4 ll.lt:Jxa4 lt:Je4 12.'i'cl
lt:Jd4 13.~ g2 ~e814.0-0 ~g4 1S.f3 gS
 THEORETICAL SECTION 9

a b c d e

Here is another example, where only one of the Al. King position
sides can make progress independently of the other
Sometimes even very strong players forget about
V.Petrienko- I. Dorfman the exceptional role played by a static king position.
B28 - USSR Cup 1984 The position in the following diagram from the game

l.e4 cS 2.lDf3 a6 3.c3 dS 4.exd5 'ii'xdS S.d4 I.Dorfman-R.Cifuentes

e6 6.i...e3 cxd4 7.cxd4 liJf6 8.lDc3 'ii'd6 D35- West Berlin 1989
9.i...e2 lDc6 10.0-0 i...e7 ll.a3 0-0 12J:tc1
1;td8 13.b4 bS 14.'ii'b3 i...b7 15..l:.fd1 arose after the opening moves
l.c4 e6 2.lDc3 dS 3.d4 lDf6 4.i...f4 cS S.liJf3
cxd4 6.lDxd4 i...cS 7.a3 0-0 8.lDb3 i...e7
9.e3 lDc6 10.cxd5 lDxdS ll.lDxdS exdS
12.i... d3 i... e6 13.0-0 'i' b6 14.l:t b1 g6
1S.lD d2 %ifd8 16.b4 i...f6 17.lD b3 lD eS
18.i...xe5 i...xeS 19.lDc5 i...g7 20.lDxe6

a b c d e g h
Here the following regrouping for Black
suggests itself: .. .lDc6-b8-d7-b6, or ... h 7-h6,
... ~e7-f8 and ... lDc6-e7-d5. In the game after:
15... h6 16.l:tc2 i...f8 17.l':icd2 lDe7 18.lDe5
lDedS
Black consolidated the situation and his a b c d e f g h
static advantage became clear.
 10 THE METHOD IN CHESS

In choosing between the two possible

captures, Black decided to strengthen his
centre with
20 ...fxe6?
ea
This is a serious mistake, since now the
black king becomes hopelessly weak
statically, whereas after 20.. ."ilxe6 followed
by ... d5-d4 and ... 1:!a8-c8-c3 Black would
have maintained the balance.
21.'ile2 I:!ac8 22JHcl .l:lc6 23.g3 .l:ldc8
24 ..l:lxc6 'ilxc6 25.h4

ea
7
21 ...fxe6
6
After the game he justified the capture
with the pawn by the fact that in the event of
4 e3-e4 Black would gain counterplay by an
attack on f2.
21... 'ilxe6 was simply essential.
2 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
a e g the previous example.
22.il.g4 .l:lc4 23.h3 'ilc6 24.'ild3 ~h8
Now the black king is uncomfortable. 25...l:lfdl aS 26.b3 .l:lc3 27.'ile2 .l:lf8 28.i.h5
The attempt to improve its position proves b5 29.i.g6 i.d8 30.il.d3 b4 31.'ilg4 'ile8
unsuccessful, since after 25 ... e5 26.e4 d4
27.h5.
White retains the initiative in both
variations:
27... gxh5 28. 'ilxh5 'ilh6 29. 'ilg4, or
27... g5 28..l:.b2 'ilcl+ 29.~g2 .l:.c3 30..l:.bl
'ilxa3 3J.i.c4+ ~h8 32.h6 il.j8 33.'ilh5
.:.Xc4 34. 'ile8.

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.
 THEORETICAL SECTION 11

In this position from the game From the short vanatwns 15 . .. "ifb6
16.:b1 and 15 ... 0-0-0 16.lLlxc5 ~b8
0 .Neikirch-M.Botvinnik 17.%:.b1 it is clear that Black's king cannot
Olympiad, Leipizg 1960 leave the centre and that it is bad statically.
The choice of dynamic continuations is very
ea limited.
7 15...f5!
Threatening 16... e4.
6 16.i.xf5 i.xf5
5 After 16... 0-0-0 17.Ld7+ ~d7 18.lLlxc5
r!d6 (if 18 .. .'D.dd8 19.%:.b1 b6 20."illj5+)
4
19.lLle4 White seizes the initiative.
3 17.'iixf5 "ifd6 18.lZ:ld2 0-0 19.lt:\e4 'ifg6
20.lZ:lf6+!
2
This gives Black chances to go wrong.
After the straightforward 20. "ilixe5 f5
21.lLlxc5 "ifb6 22.d6 (if22."illd4 %:.jc8, while
after 22."ille6+ 'IJ.j7 23."iixb6 axb6 Black has
the white king is irreparably weakened. To a won ending) 22... :ac8 23."ille6+ 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 ...~g7
lose a tempo. This is typical of a position Forced , as otherwise after 20 ... ~h8
with a static advantage. 21. "ilixe5 the black rooks are unable to break
18..."ife8! 19.l2Je4 b5! 20.:as i.b7 21.lL'ld6 free .
lZ:lxd6 22Jhd6 %:.d8 23."ifd2 21.lZ:lh5+ ~g8
After 23.l:.xa7 "ifc6 it all ends even more It all ends peacefully. The following
quickly. original variation is amusing:
23 ... :xd6 24."ifxd6 "ifd8 25."ifxe6+ :n 21 ... ~h8 22.'iixe5+ f6 23.lLlj4 'ifxg2+
26."ifel :e7 0-1 24.~xg2 'JJ.g8+

In the following examples the technique is

less obvious.
S. G ligoric-J .Bade
Ljubljana-Portoroz 1977

•
0

25.lDg6+! r!xg6+ 26.'ilig3 r!xg3+

27.hxg3, where White has a serious
advantage in the ending.(Analysis)
 12 THE METHOD IN CHESS

I.Dorfman-L.-B.Hansen
Polanica Zdroj 1993

0
a b c d e g h
0
a b c d e g h
And here, by continuing 31 . .l:.fl!, White
It is instructive to follow 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. ~z
~-
, ,_~~
This gives rise to an idea, which may
8
~ .~. ~-
seem rather unusual. 7Wi ~ .i:' ,
· ~~- ·~ ~
•-.:
"(
6
5 -#/,
· ~~'l~ ~
22.b4! b6
'l
22 ... lDc6 loses to 23.g4 il.e4 24.f3 lDa5 '· ~
"ii:
•
25.ildl.
4 ·~/~ ~~
23.il.dl! il.e4! 3f{j"
~ ~
After 23... i..g6 24.h5 iLh7 25.e4! iLxe4 2 ~ i?~~,,
(i ~ f/0
26Jig3 White is able to carry out his plan.
24.f3 iJ..g6 25.e4 dxe4 26.fxe4 b5! 27.e5
0 17-m" M '
·--
~ 'l~
a c b d e g h
lDc6 28Jlg3 b3! 29.iJ..xb3
29.1hb3 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 .•..l:.d4 30.'ili'g5 .l:.e8 situation with ... iic2, his superiority will
become irreversible. The word "if' signifies
 THEORETICAL SECTION 13

the role of time, or the need to take extreme candidate moves 14... i.g4, 14... 1J.d8, 14... d4
measures. The black king can be bad only and 14 ... g5, after a simple analysis
dynamically, and therefore the candidate (14 ... il..g4 15.tt:,e5 ~e5 16.i.xe5; 14... 1J.d8
moves here are 2J,{jjg4, 2l.i.g5 and 21.g4. 15.Wib5; 14... d4 15.tt:,xd4 ~d4 16.exd4)
21.g4! only one remains.
In the variations 2J.tt:,g4 'iiic2 and 21.il.g5 14... g5!! 15.il..g3
'ii'c2 White cannot count on anything. After 15.Lg5 Lg5 16.~g5 d4 White
21...'iifc2 22.g5 tt:,ds loses material.
Black loses material after 22 ... tt:,d7 15... g4 16.tt:,d4
23.1:!cl (23.tt:,xd7? ':xd7 24.1J.cl 'iixcl+ In my view, White had to play 16.tt:,e5!
25.i.xcl I:!xcl+ 26.~g2 h6) 23 ... 'ii'xcl+ i.j6 17.tt:,xc6 bxc6 18.0-0 il.e6 19.~b4!
24.Lc1lL:c1+ 25.~g2 h6 26.'iiif4. 'iiixb4 20.axb4 a5 21.bxa5 'JJ.xa5 22.b4 :ta3
23.'i'h5 'i'f5 23.tt:,e2, maintaining the balance.
After 23 ... 1:!j8? 24.g6 White approaches 16... tt:,xd417.exd4 il.g5 18.0-0
the enemy king. Taimanov sacrifices the exchange, afraid
24JU3 g6 25Jhf5 of remaining with his king in the centre after
In view of the weakness of White's king, 18.~c21:f.e8+ 19.':e2 &e2+ 20.<bxe2 b6.
"winning" the queen after 25. WI h4 tt:,xe3 18... i.xc119Jbc1 il.e6 20.h3
26.'JJ.xf5 ~!5 turns out catastrophically for White would have retained some drawing
him. chances in the endgame, by playing
25 ... gxh5 26.1J.xf7 i.d6 27.1J.f3 il.xe5 20."fixb7 rfib6 21.fiie7 'iiid8 22.il..h4 Wixe7
28.dxe5 l:tc2 with equality. 23.Le7 l:tfe8 24.il..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.i.e5 f6 22.tt:,e4 fxe5 23.'ifg3+

•7 es .xa
-
6
5
4
7-·-
6
5
-
-j
%''

_ --·
-a-·- --- ,~
~
-·~

3
- - ~-~lLJ-
4

3H
1- -- ~·
, ~ ~
n
;;;;,

2
'/ ./
%
..//
:%i
n~a
%n ~
~"
/'/%

a c e g ~
r. /
a b c d e g h
Here the static balance is inclined in
favour of White. Due to the features of the 23 ... il.g4!!
pawn formation, the black bishops are To all appearances, White was hoping for
passive. The Danish grandmaster has merely 23 ... ~/7 24.tt:,g5+ ~e7 25.Wixe5 :j6
an instant, to try and exploit the fact that 26J!c7+. I "borrowed" this splendid idea of
White has not yet castled. Of the dynamic Larsen in Game 48 against Velikov. In both
 14 THE METHOD IN CHESS

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.'ii'xg4+ ~h8 25.ltJg5 'ii'd2 in all lines:
and Black soon won. (a) 23 ... cxb3 24.':.bl .:.c4 25 . .i.xc4 bxc4
26.hc5 'i'xc5 27..:.Xb3;
A2. Material correlation (b) 23 ... .i.xb4 24.:bJ .i.d2 25. 'i'b2 e5
26.Lc4;
First we will talk about a material (c) 23... .i.d6 24.'i'b2 e5 25..:.adl ~e7 26.f4
advantage. It is important to understand :dB 27. .:.xd4 exd4 28. .i.xd4 followed by
situations, where a minimal material deficit 29.e5.
is compensated by one of the static 24.'ii'c3 e5 2S ..:.adl 0-0
advantages (in particular, the static After 25... 'i'd6 26. .i.xd4 exd4 27.'1:.xd4
weakness of the king). It must be made clear 'i'xb4 28. 'i'xb4 Lb4 29.Lc4 or 25... .i.a6
that we are talking about a minimal 26. .i.xd4 exd4 27.1:.xd4 .i.xb4 28. 'i'xb4
material advantage (a pawn, the 'iixd4 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... hb4 28.Lc4+ ~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 ... .:.a4 30.'i'h3 .i.e8 31.e5 l:txb4 32..i.f3
USSR 1977 All the white pieces have taken up ideal
attacking positions, and there now follows a
brief denouement.

•
0

In this position the simple 23.hd4 .i.xd4

leaves White with the exchange for a pawn. 32 ... fxe5 33.'i'c8 ~f8 34.fxe5 c3 3S . .:.n
But how will he later break up the 'ifxd4 36..i.c6+
opponent's powerful grouping, controlling 1-0
the dark squares?! It is obvious that White The play could have taken a very
must seek dynamic resources. interesting course in the following game.
 THEORETICAL SECTION 15

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

A63 - Wijk aan Zee 1983 Korchnoi exchanged the queens and lost
after:
l.d4 tt:l f6 2.c4 e6 3.tt:lf3 c5 4.d5 exd5 22.d6? 'ila5 23.fxe5 ii.e6 24.1:tcl l:tb3
5.cxd5 d6 6.tt:lc3 g6 7.g3 i.g7 8.i.g2 0-0 25.tt:le4 'ilxd2 26.tt:lxd2 '!:.b4 27.tt:le4 .U.Xa4
9.0-0 a6 10.a4 tt:lbd7 ll.i.f4 'ile7 12.'ild2 28. tt:lxc5 .l:.c4.
tt:lg4 13Jlabl tt:lde5 14.b4 b6 15.bxc5 bxc5 22 ... i.f5!
16.h3 tt:lxf3+ 17 .exf3 tt:le5 18.l:tbel 'ilc7 The static balance is negative for Black
19.i.xe5 i.xe5 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 'ilg7 24.tt:lxc5, 22 ... exf4
23.tt:lf6+ r:Ji;g7 24. 'ilc3 r:Ji;h6 25.g4, and
22... l:tb4 23.d6 'if b6 24.fxe5.
In the given specific example the
dynamics involve exchanging the
opponent's attacking pieces.
23.tt:lf6+ r:Ji;g7 24.d6 'ilb6
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... 'ild8 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 strategy
20.l:txe5! dxe5 21.f4l:lb8 are apparent after 25.g4

ea

22.tt:le4! 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... 'ilb2.
dynamics of the play. 25...'ii'b2 26.'ilf4
 16 THE METHOD IN CHESS

black king is statically weak, while after

5 ... exf6 White fixes the pawn formation by

ea attacking the b-pawn, and thereby nullifies

the role of the bishops.

In the following game on the I oth move

White exchanged bishop for knight, hoping
in so doing to fix the pawn formation.

V. Vorotnikov-I. Dorfman
B22 - Lvov 1983

l.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 3.d4 t'iJf6 4.f3 t'iJc6 5.i.e3

e5 6.i.b5? cxd4 7.cxd4 exd4 8.i.xd4 it.e7
a b c d e g h 9. t'iJ c3 0-0 10.i.xc6 bxc6 ll. t'iJ ge2 d5
12.exd5 t'iJxdS 13.0-0
26...'ili'd4!
And again at the culminating moment the
threat of the exchange disrupts the
opponent's plan.
It should be mentioned that 26 ... Ilb4
27.tlJh5+ ~g8 (27 ... ~h8 28.'ilih6 Ilg8
29.t'i:Jj6 Ilg7 30.t'iJxh7) 28.t'i:Jj6+ leads to a
forced draw.
27.it.e4 i.xe4 28.t'iJxe4 I:!.be8 29.t'iJf6 .l:txe5
30.'ili'xd4 cxd4 31.t'iJd7 Ild5 32.t'iJxf8 ~xf8
33.Ilbl Ilxd6 34.~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. t'i:Jxd5 'iii xd5 14. 0-0 it.a 6 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 t'i:Jj6 13 ...t'iJb4 14.a3
2.t'i:Jj3 c5 3.d5 b5 4.it.g5 it.b7 the exchange 14 ... c5 followed by 15 ... t'i:Jd3 was
5 . .1L.xj6 is considered to be the strongest threatened
reply. 14 ... c5 15.i.xg7 ~x g7 16.axb4 'i!Vxdl
Is there not a contradiction here with what 17..l:tfxdl cxb4
has been said? He was able to connect his isolated pawns.
Of course not, since after 5 ... gxf6 the 18.t'iJe4 Ild8 19.t'iJd4 aS
 THEORETICAL SECTION 17

White must play dynamically, not allowing

the opponent to fix the pawn formation.
9.d4!?
After the natural moves 9.cxb5? axb5
JO.f4 .tb7 ll.d3 tt:'lbd7 12.h3 c5 13.g4 c4
Black carried out the idea of the variation in
the game M.Gurevich-Barlov, Vrsac 1993.
Also unsuccessful is 9.c5 .tb7 JO.d3 d5
with powerful play on the light squares.
After the text move it would be interesting
to try 9... ..te6!? 10.d5 iL.c8.
2 ~fj 9... bxc4?! 10.f3!

Q1,S: {9
~~~--~~----~~~~
.: 0"' ~
The point of White's plan. With this move,
reinforcing the light squares, he shows that
a b c d e g h 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 10 ... 4Jfd7
A22 - Iceland v. France, Reykjavik 1993
In the more critical play after JO... tt:'lbd7
l.c4 tt:'lf6 2.tt:'lc3 e5 3.g3 ..tb4 4 ...tg2 0-0 ll.g4 (ll.~bl) ll ... d5 12.tt:'lg3! (it is never
5.e4 .txc3!? 6.bxc3 d6 too late to retreat: 12.g5 tt:'lh5 13.exd5 tt:lj4!
To be considered was 6.. J:te8 7.tt:'le2 c6 14.tt:'lxj4 exf4 15 . .txj4 tt:'lb6) Black loses
8.0-0 d5 9.exd5 cxd5 10.d4 exd4 ll.tt:'lxd4 control over the situation.
dxc4 12.tt:'lb5 with compensation for the ll.g4 d5!?
pawn (Sorokin-Gavrilov, St.Petersburg The static weakness of Black's king forces
1993), or even the immediate 6... c6. him to seek counterplay by dynamics,
7.tt:'le2 a6 8.0-0 b5 despite his material advantage. ll ... .tb7?
12.~bl ~a7 13.i..e3 is bad for him.
12.exd5 .tb7 13.f4 exd4 14.tt:'lxd4 tt:'lb6
15.tt:'lf5
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
rook and a knight.
a b c d e
White's play in the following game was
The critical position of the variation. exemplary.
 18 THE METHOD IN CHESS

R.Fischer-M. Taimanov 43.l:td3 '1ttc7 44.l:txd6 '1ttxd6 45. '1ttd3 4::le7

Vancouver m/4 1971 46.i.e8 '1ttd5 47.i.f7+ '1ttd6 48.'1ttc4 '1ttc6
49.i.e8+ '1ttb7 50.'1ttb5 4::lc8 Sl.i.c6+ Wc7
52.i.d5 4::le7 53.i.f7 '1ttb7 54.i.b3 r:iita7
White's king also infiltrates the enemy
position after:
54 . .. 4Jc8 55.i.d5+ '1ttc7 56.iJ...j7 4Je7
57. '1tta6.
SS.i.dl '1ttb7 56.i.f3+ '1ttc7 57.'1tta6 4::lg8
58.i.d5

ea
7
0
5
Black's last move 24 ... b6 was an 4
irreparable mistake.
He should have sought counter-chances 3
with the dynamic continuation: 2
24 ... c:Ji;d6 (25.i.xb7 r!bB 26.i.xa6 .:txb2
27.i.c4 .:Xc2 28.i.xj7 c4).
25.i.fl aS 26.i.c4 rtrs 27.'1ttg2 '1ttd6 a c e g
28.'1ttf3 4Jd7 29J:te3 4::lb8 30.f!d3+ '1ttc7
31.c3 4::lc6 32.rte3 '1ttd6 33.a4 4::le7 34.h3 58 ...4::le7
4::lc6 35.h4 hS 36J:td3+ '1ttc7 37 .rtdS fS Active play loses due to zugzwang after
38.l:td2 l:tf6 39.l:te2 '1ttd7 40.l:te3 g6 41.i.b5 58 ... 4Jj6 59.il..f7 4::le4 60.i.xg6 4Jxg3
l:td6 42.'1tte2 '1ttd8 61. '1tta7 '1ttc6 62. '1ttb8.
59.i.c4 4::lc6 60.i.f7 4::le7 61.i.e8 '1ttd8
62.i.xg6 4::lxg6 63.'1ttxb6 '1ttd7 64.'1ttxc5
8 4::le7 65.b4 axb4 66.cxb4 4::lc8 67.a5 4::ld6
7 68.b5 4::le4+ 69.'ti'b6 '1ttc8 70.'1ttc6 '1ttb8
n~ 1~
6 White breaks through to the queening
5 square after:
71 ... 4Jxg3 72.a6 4::le4 73.a7+ '1tta8
4
74.b7+ Wxa7 75.Wc7.
3
As an example of the successful
2
cooperation of rook and bishop.
0
a c e g Let us consider the following position.

A critical position. I.Dorfman-0 .Romani shin

Further progress is not possible without USSR Championship, Leningrad 1977
the exchange of rooks.
 THEORETICAL SECTION 19

46.i.xf5 gxfS 47J:tc2 'it>g6 48.'1lc6 '!ld7

49.'Jlxa6 ~hS SOJ:tb6 'it>xh4 51.~f2 'it>xgS
52.a6 'lla7 53.d7! ltxd7 54.ltxb5 ~f4
55.lta5 1-0

!.Dorfman-D .Paunovic
Minsk 1986

42 .. J:ta7
Active defence loses as a result of a pretty
combination: 42 ... '1ld8 43 .i.d5+ ~h8
(43 ... ~g7 44.'1lj7+ ~h8 45.d7) 44.'1lf6 lbj5
45.i..b7 ~g7 46.'1le6 ~j7 47.'1lxe5 'Jlxd6
48.'1ld5 (the idea, already familiar from the
previous game, of exchanging rooks) This is a critical position. In order to
48 ... rt;e6 49.'1lxd6+ lbxd6 50.i.xa6 ~d7 obtain the necessary rook+bishop tandem,
51.i.b7 lbxb7 52.a6 ~c7 53.a7. White does not hesitate to isolate all six of
his remaining pawns.
27.'ii'd3! i.xf4 28.gxf4 'ii'xd3 29.exd3 l?Je8
30.~ f6 31.i.b4 l?Jc7 32.'1lcl .l:.a6 33.~e3
l?JbS 34.'1lal 'it>f7 35.i.c5 ~e8 36.i.b6
l?Jd6 37.~d2 l?Jc8 38.i.c5 l?Je7 39.'1lbl!
The rook breaks into the enemy position,
since the passed pawn is immune: 39... :Xa5
40.'1lb8+ ~fl 4l.'!:.b7.
39 ... l?Jg6 40.'!:..b8+ ~f7 41..l:.b7+ ~e8
42.i.b6 l?Jxf4 43.'!:..xh7 eS 44.'1lh6 e4
45.'!:..xf6 l?Jxd3 46.~c3 ~d7 47.ltxf5 lta8
48.fxe4 dxe4 49.ltf7+ ~d6 50.'1lh7 l?Jf2
Q1 51.i.c5+ ~e6 52.d5+ cxdS 53.i.xf2
A certain accuracy is required of White in
the conversion of his piece advantage. After
43.g4! ~g7 44.gs :n 4S.'llf2 t?Jrs brief preparations he carries out a decisive
Completely hopeless is 45 ... '1ld7 46.'1lf6 attack on the enemy king.
'Jlfl 47.'Jlxf7+ (47.d7 '!lxd7 48.:Xa6 is also 53 ... ltxa5 54.lta7 ltbS 55.i.g3 '!:..c5+
quite sufficient) 47... ~xfl 48.i.d5+ ~e8 56.~d4 'Jlc4+ 57.~e3 'Jlc3+ 58.~f4 'llf3+
49.i.b7 ~d7 50.i..xa6 ~xd6 5l.i.b7 ~c7 59.~g4 'llfl 60.l:ta6+ ~e7 61J:Xa7+ ~e6
52.i.e4 lbe2+ 53.~/2 lbc3 54.~/3 lba2 62 . .l:.a6+ ~e7 63.i.f4 d4 64.l:ta4 ltdl
(54 ../j;bB 55.h5!) 55.i.xg6! 65.~f5 e3 66.'1la7+ ~f8 67.~£6 ~g8
 20 THE METHOD IN CHESS

68.1i!.g7+ 'it>h8 69.~f7 .l:tal 70•..te5 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 lDe3
5l.il..h3 l:.a2 52.ii.e6 l::.g2+ 5J.<J;hJ l:!.xg3
0 54.~xf7+ 'it>h6 55.l:ta7 (55. 'it>h2 lDjl +
56.'it>hl lDd2) 55 ... :xf3 56.ii.g8 'it>h5
57.'f!xh7+ 'it>g4, which does not allow White
It is hard to believe that in this position to save the game. Things are different
Black 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.~gl knight can put pressure on squares which
In the game White played 49.'!bj7+ <i;;xj7 are inaccessible to the bishop.
50.iLc4+ 'it>e7 51.La2, and eventually lost. The first example is an informative one.
49••.l2Jxf2 V.Korchnoi-A.Karpov
The problems are more easily solved after Moscow 1973
49... 'IDj2 50.il..h3 :p 5l.'it>g2.
50.il..c4 l2Jh3+ 51.'it>hl l:tf2 52.il..e6 a3
53.il..xh3 a2 54.il..g2!
A subtle defence. The king must move off
the first rank, avoiding the variation:
54.'it>gl .l:r.b2 55.il..jl g5 56.hxg5 'it>g6
57..l:.a5 'it> h5.
54 .. Jlb2 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)."
 THEORETICAL SECTION 21

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

the necessary tandem. Sverdlovsk 1943
41...~e3 0-1
in view of the variation 42.'iig2 ~xf2+
43. 'iixf2 'fixb3 44. ~h2 h5.

For the next example I have chosen an

extract from the game

H.Mecking-T.Petrosian
San Antonio 1972

13 ...i..xc3 14.bxc3 ~fS lS.~xfS 'ii'xfS

2f3J
a b c d e g h

43 ...1i"d6
White can hold the pawn ending after
43 . ..ti:'Jh4+ 44.~g3 'iixf4+ 45.~xf4 li:Jxf3
46. ~xf3 ~!6 47. ~e4.
44.'i!Ve4 ~ f6 45.'i!Vc4 'i!VeS 46.b4 axb4
47.1lfxb4 hS 48. ~ e4 li:Jd6 49. ~ f3 ~ f7
SO.'ii'b3 ~ g7 51.'iid3 ~ f6 52. ~ dl liJfS
53.~c2 ~gS 54.1!fd2+ 'fif4 55.'fic3 li:Jh4+ Here the curtain could have been lowered,
56. ~fl li:Jf3 57.ii'd3 1i'c1+ 58. ~ dl liJeS had White accepted the inevitable.
59.'fid4 But he makes a dynamic attempt to
After 59.'iig3+ ~f5 60.'iib3 'fic4+ provoke the exchange of queens by a pawn
61.~g2 'fixb3 62.~xb3 h4 the queens are sacrifice.
exchanged in a slightly different situation, 16.g4! 'ii'e6!
which, however, does not affect the result. In a statically won position one should not
59 ... 'i!Vc4+ 60.'fixc4 li:Jxc4 61.i..c2 liJeS go in for dubious material gains.
62.~e2~f4 After 16... 'iie4 17. ~a3 li:Jd3+ 18. ~g3
and Black won. 'fixe3+ 19.'iif3 'iixf3+ 20.~xf3 c5 21.':hd1
The following example shows instructive c4 22.':ab1 0-0-0 23.~d6 White has saving
play by the great Botvinnik , aimed at chances.
obtaining the necessary material correlation.
 22 THE METHOD IN CHESS

Whereas now he is doomed. the future World Champion made use of this
idea.
Let us turn to the third step of the static 33.'ii'd5 ii'xdS
balance. There is no choice. After 33...'iic7 34/j;jJ
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 Wf7 3S.tiJd2

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 of 5
Damocles, forces one of the sides to play 4
dynamically.
3
Thus in the Sicilian Defence after l.e4 c5
2. tlJf3 tlJc6 3.d4 cxd4 4. tlJxd4 Black 2
already has a static advantage.
Given equality in the king positions and in
a c e g
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... tiJd6 36.tlJc4 tlJxc4 37.bxc4:
In this position from the game A) 37.. .f5 38.h5 (38.Wf3 Wf6 39.g4 h5
40.gxh5 gxh5=):
T.Petrosian-H. Golombek A 1) 38 ... e4 39.hxg6+ hxg6 40.g4 Wf6
Stockholm 1952 (40.. .f4 41.g5 We7 42.cl;h3 e3 43.fxe3 fxe3
 THEORETICAL SECTION 23

44. ~g3 ~d6 45. ~f3 ~e5 46. ~xe3 ~f5 48. We3 ~e5 49.f3 exf3 50. Wxf3+-) 45.gxf4
47.a4 ~xg5 48.~e4 ~f6 49.~/4+-) (45. Wb3 fxg3 46.fxg3 r3;;c7 47. Wc3 e4
4l.gxf5 gxf5 42.f3 a4 43.a3 ~e5 44.fxe4 48.Wd2 Wd6 49.a4 We5 50.c3i;e2 <i;J6 5l.Wf2
fxe4 45.'tifh3 ~f6 46.~h4 r3;;f5 47.~g3 ~g5 ~f5) 45... exf4 46.~b3 g5 47.hxg5 h4 48.g6
48.d6 ~!6 49. <l;j4 <l;e6 50. <l;xe4 <l;xd6 h3 49.g7 h2 50.g8='ii hl='Wi 51.'Wib8+ +-.
51.~/5+-; 36.tLlc4 Wf6 37.£3 e4 38.fxe4 fxe4 39.g4 h5
A2) 38... <l;f6 39.hxg6 hxg6 40.f3 a4 4l.a3 40.Wg3 hxg4 1-0
g5 42.<l;f2 f4 43.r3;e2 <l;e7 44.r3;;d3 g4
45.fxg4 fxg3 46. <l;e3 e4 47.g5+-; J.Timman-J.Diez del Corral
A3) 38... g5 39.g4 (39.f3) 39.. .fxg4 (39... <l;f6 Olympiad, Lucerne 1982
40.gxf5 <l;xf5 4l.h6 a4 42.a3 <l;j6 43. <l;g3
Wf5 44.f3 <l;g6 45. <l;g4 <l;j6 46.d6 <l;e6
47. c3i;xg5 <l;xd6 48. <l;j6+-) 40. ~g3 h6
41. ~xg4 ~f6 42.f3 a4 43.a3 e4 44.f4 gxf4
45.~xf4 e3 46.~xe3 ~e5 47.~e2 c3i;j6
48.~j2+-;
A 4) 38... gxh5 39. ~h3 <l;j6 40. ~h4 ~g6:
A4a) 4l.a4 f4 (4l ... h6 42.d6 ~f6 43.~xh5
~e6 44.~xh6 ~xd6 45.~g5 ~e6 46.f3)
42.gxf4 exf4 43.f3 h6 44.d6 ~f6 45.~xh5
~e6 46. ~xh6 ~xd6 47. ~g5 ~e5 48. c3i;g4
~d4 49.~xf4 c3i;xc4 50.~e4 ~b3 51.f4 c4
52.f5 c3 53./6 c2 54.f7 cl='Wi 55.f8='Wi
'iic4++;
A4b) 4l.d6 ~f6:
A4bl) 42.~xh5 We6 43.Wg5f4:
A4bll) 44.gxf4 exf4 45.~xf4 <i;xd6 Black wants to unblock the position by
46. Wg5 We5 47.f4+ We6 48.a4 <i;J7 49. Wf5 19... JI..f4.
Wg7 50.We6 h5 51.We7 (51.Wf5 Wh6 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
47.fxe3 fxe3 48.g6 e2 49.g7 el='ii replacing his bishop with his king, and
50.g8='Wi+ Wxd6 5l.'iid5+ We7 52.'Wixc5+ combine threats to the e- and h-pawns.
We6=; 19.'ii'g4 'Wixg4 20.hxg4 iLf4
A4b2) 42.d7 c3i;e7 43.<i;g5 f4 44.Wf5 fxg3 After 20.. J:!ae8 2J.:djl Black has no
45.fxg3 <l;xd7 46. Wxe5+-; counterplay.
B) 37... h5 38.~/3 f5 39.We3 r3;;e7 40.Wd3 21.Wd2 :r6 22.JI..xe4 h6 23J1dfl :ars
Wd7 41.Wc3 Wc7 42.~b3 Wb7 43.Wa4 24.1:.£3 JLxe3+ 25.<l;xe3 :sn 26..:tfh3 1-0
r3;;b6:
Bl) 44.d6 f4 (44 ... Wc6 45.c3i;xa5 Wxd6 To take the correct decision regarding the
46.Wb6 f4 47.gxf4 exf4 48.a4 g5 49.a5 g4 exchange of queens is a difficult problem,
50.a6 g3 51.fxg3 fxg3 52.a7 g2 53.a8='ii sometimes even for the strongest players in
gl'ii 54.'iid5+ ~e7 55.'iixc5+ +-) 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 ... <l;a6 45.d6 Wb6 46.d7
r3;c7 47.Wb5 ~xd7 48.Wxc5+-; 44 ... e4 B.Spassky-A.Karpov
45.Wb3 Wc7 46.<i;c3 a4 47.Wd2 Wd6 Leningrad m/6 1974
 24 THE METHOD IN CHESS

25.tl'Jd2?
Here 25.'flb5 e4 26.ti'Jh2 Wih4 27.i..xj6
tl'Jxj6 was simply essential.
25 .. Ji'xe2 26Jhe2 .l:ic8!
A subtle manoeuvre, allowing Black to
regroup his pieces and surround White's
breakaway passed pawn.
27.tl'Je4 i..d8 28.g4 f6 29.'it>g2 ~f7 30Jlcl
i..b6 31.l:.ec2 'IJ.xc2 32Jhc2 ~e6
0-1 after 55 moves.

V.Akopian-!.Dorfman
B90 - Moscow GMA 1989

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
nd3-e3-e4 followed by g2-g3 and ~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 b 1ack g-pawn would strengthen the l.e4 c5 2.ti'Jf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tl'Jxd4 ti'Jf6
opponent's fianchettoed bishop. 5.tl'Jc3 a6 6.i..d3 tl'Jc6 7.tl'Jxc6 bxc6 8.0-0
In the endgame, on the other hand, Black g6 9.f4 i..g7 lO.'iYel 0-0 ll.Wih4 ti'Jd7
can advantageously change the pawn 12.i..e3 l:tb8 13.ltabl
formation by ... b7-b5. However, Spassky
chose ...
22.d5?! cxd5 23.cxd5 e5 24.d6
The endgame arising after:
24.tl'Jxe5 ~xe2 25.lhe2 i..d6 26.'IJ.del
tl'Jxe5 27.i..xe5 i..xa3 is unacceptable for
White.
24 ... i..f6

13...e6
White cannot avoid the exchange.
After 14. ~ h3 d5 his attack peters out,
without having managed to start.
14.'fixd8 l:txd8 15.tl'Ja4 c5 16.b3 i..b7
17.i..f2 i..c6 18Jlfdl ti'Jf6 19.i..h4 c4
20.i..xc4 i..xe4 21.i..d3 i..xd3 22.1;Ixd3
l:tdc8 23.i..xf6 i..xf6 24.c3 d5
 THEORETICAL SECTION 25

chances of an attack evaporate, and the

defects in his pawn formation make
themselves felt.
ll.'fixd8+
I would have preferred ll.iLg5 f6
12.iLh6.
11 ... <t>xd8 12J~cl tba6 13.tbxd5 iLxdS
14...tc3 f6 15.a3 <t>e7 16.0-0 nhc8 17.t2Jd2
tbc7 18.b4 iLxg2 19.<t>xg2 cxb4! 20.iLxb4+
<t>d7 21.iLc3
After 2J.tbc4 tbd5 22.iLd2 b5 23.tba5 f5
Black expands over the entire front.
21 ...ttJd5 22 ...tb2

By simple means Black has made his

advantage decisive.
• '; • -~·
8
7
.i
~~:
~ .i
I~
0
-"
/
p
/
~
/.

. ~~.' ,
6 y .
, !..?,. ""
%
/~
~ .1,

-~ ~
As an example, let us examine the game. 5 "'
....,.~
P:

u~
~/
;z_',,. {f /,;;y/.;.:
4 r~
R.Hiibner- A.Karpov 01 ~
""
A34 - Tilburg 1977 3 ~ ~ ~ .
ti/
l.c4 cS 2.t2Jf3 t2Jf6 3.tbc3 dS 4.cxd5 ttJxdS
S.g3 g6 6.d3 il..g7 7.it..d2 b6 8.li'a4+ it..d7
9.'iih4 i.c6 10...tg2
White has gone in for a strategic risk. He
2

a
j[,.

b
~
0

c
~
(jj ~ f[fv ~

d e
:• g
.

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 majority with ... b6-b5
followed by ... tbb6. Karpov exploits the
tactical features of the position to gain a
• 8 .i~ decisive advantage in the quickest way.
22 ...i.h6 23.e3 iLxe3 24.fxe3 tbxe3+
and Black won.

In the following game the threat of

exchanging the queens causes the complete
degradation of White's position.

N.Nikcevic-I.Dorfman
A13- Nice 1994

a b c d e g h l.t2Jf3 dS 2.c4 e6 3.g3 dxc4 4.it..g2 ttJf6

S.t2Ja3 ..txa3 6.bxa3 t2Jbd7 7.1i'c2 cS
10...e6 8 ...tb2 0-0 9.'ii'xc4 bS 10.'i'h4 i.b7 ll.g4
With the exchange of queens White's ttJd512.g5
 26 THE METHOD IN CHESS

C80: l.e4 e5 2.tt::lf3 tt::lc6 3.i.b5 a6 4.i.a4

tt::lf6 5.0-0 tt::lxe4 6.d4 b5 7.i.b3 d5 8.dxe5

• i.e6 9.tt::lbd2 tt::lc5 10.c3 d4 ll.i.xe6 tt::lxe6

12.tt::lb3 dxc3 13.'i'c2 tt::lb4 14.1i'xc3

White has gone in for a serious weakening

of his pawn formation in the hope of an
attack. It is hard to imagine that the
following unpretentious move of the black 14...'i'd3 (Analysis)
queen will have such serious consequences
for him. The exchange of queens is fundamentally
12•• .'~c7 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-hl 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-!.Dorfman
the exchange of queens, for example: El5- Lvov 1983
C54: l.e4 e5 2.tt::lf3 tt::lc6 3.i.c4 i.c5 4.c3
tt::lf6 5.0-0?! tt::lxe4 6.d4 d5 7.dxc5 dxc4 8.1i'e2 l.d4 tt::lf6 2.tt::lf3 e6 3.g3 b6 4.i.g2 i.b7 5.c4
c5 6.0-0 cxd4 7.tt::lxd4 i.xg2 8.'1t>xg2 'ili'c8

•
9.'ili'd3

8 •••'ili'd3 (Analysis)
 THEORETICAL SECTION 27

Here the white king is statically weak, and

so Black avoids the exchange of queens on
the long diagonal.
9... a6 10.b3 iLe7 ll.iLb2 0-0 12.'ii'f3 .l:Ia7
13.ll:lc3 d6 14 ..l:Ifd1 .l:Ic7 15 ..l:Iacl ll:lbd7
16.e4 'ii'b7
Only now, when the exchange is not
possible, does the black queen occupy the
long diagonal, in order to perturb the white
king.
17.'ii'e2 .l:Ifc8 18.h3 iLf8 19.~h2 g6 20..l:Ie1
iLh6 21 ..l:Icd1 iLg7 22.iLa3 ll:le8 23.ll:lb1
'iia8 24.iLb2 lZ:lcS 25.ll:ld2 ll:lf6 26.iLa1
'ii'b7 27.~g1 l:te8 28.ll:l4f3 eS 29.ll:lh2 hS
30.ll:lhfl bS 31.cxb5 axbS 32 . .l:Icl .l:Iec8
33.iLb2 h4 34.~h2 hxg3+ 35.fxg3
As was explained above, Black must
beware of endings.
ea The usually peaceable Romanian
7 grandmaster is aiming for a draw, and he
incorrectly exchanges queens.
6 14.. .'it'b7+? 15.'it'f3 'ifxf3+ 16.ll:lxf3 .l:Ifc8
5 17.ll:ld4 .l:Iab8 18.l:racl h6 19.e4 ll:le8 20.f4
iLf6 21.~f3 .l:Ib7 22.iLa3 .l:Ibc7 23.ll:lce2
4
lZ:lcS 24 . .l:Id2 g6 25.ll:lc2 iLg7 26.ll:le3 fS
3 27.exf5 gxfS 28.h3 hS 29J:tg1.l:It7 30.g4
2

Black's advantage is so great, that he

already fmds a tactical solution.
35... ll:lcxe4 36..l:Ixc7 1hc7 37.ll:lxe4 ll:lxe4
38 . .l:Icl .l:Ixcl 39.iLxcl dS 40.iLb2 b4
41.ll:le3 ll:lc3
0-1

A.Karpov-F. Gheorghiu
A30 - European Team Championship,
Moscow 1977 Amusingly, in the ending it is the black
king that is unable to find a secure shelter.
1.c4 cS 2.ll:lf3 ll:lf6 3.ll:lc3 e6 4.g3 b6 S.iLg2 30 ... hxg4+ 31.hxg4 fxg4+ 32Jhg4 ~f8
iLb7 6.0-0 iLe7 7.d4 cxd4 8.'ifxd4 d6 9.b3 33.ll:lg3 aS 34..l:Ig6 ~e7 35.f5 .l:If6 36..l:Ixf6
0-0 10..l:Id1 lbbd7 ll.iLb2 a6 12.'ii'e3 'ii'b8 ll:lxf6 37J:te2 .l:If8 38.iLxc5 bxcS 39.fxe6
13.ll:ld4 iLxg2 14.~xg2 ~xe6 40.lbef5+
1-0
 28 THE METHOD IN CHESS

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 1987 the moves
A29: l.c4 e5 2.lt:'lc3 lL'lf6 3.lt:'lf3 lt:'lc6 4.g3
l.d4 lL'lf6 2.c4 g6 3.lt:'lc3 d5 4.lt:'lf3 .t g7 g6 s..tg2 .tg7 6.d4 exd4 7.lt:'lxd4 0-0 8.0-0
5.cxd5 lt:'lxd5 6.e4 lt:'lxc3 7.bxc3 c5 s.:tbl l:i.e8
0-0 9•.te2 cxd4 10.cxd4 'ilia5+

8
7
X~.t
~·/ I. ~@ '0~zz'
:)~'_I.; I.
7.1..
.t'
if
~
8
7
6
X .t~X ~
I. ;I. 'l~ I. ~ .t..t.t.
~~ J ~I. . /. /.
• .,~
, , ~

;(.;.
1 ./
;t /

~
~ /.
6 ~ .-ij

~
J
~ , ,~ ' -9, 5 y~ 0 ~. .
~ /;; ,~

5~ ~
;.(

•
~ z"•
;y
~~
r: I
~
,.; 4
- ~ttJ w
~;;; ;//

-
fj~ ~: '"
hJ ~
4
~ , ,; 3 {; f~
ff
tLJR
• y

3 2 ~ fj. ~ ~~ JL ~[j
2 ~ iL&~ ~ 0 11 ~iV « 11 s~
11.i.iV~
~

0 11 a b c d e g h
a b c d e g h
A critical moment. Here the exchange of
In the Griinfeld Defence Black normally queens seems justified, since after 9.lt:'lxc6
has a pawn majority on the queenside. As a dxc6 there is no static element
consequence of this, the ending is compensating Black for the defect in his
favourable for him and his position is better pawn formation. But White has serious
statically. Contrary to the demands of the problems with the development of his
position, Karpov exchanges the queens. queenside. Black is threatening 10... .te6.
ll.'ii'd2 In this type of position the bishop at g2 is
11 ..td2 was necessary. unemployed. In the variation 10. iixd8
ll...'ii'xd2+ 12..txd2 e6 (JO.iib3 a5 l l . .tj4 'ilie7) 10 ... :xd8
12 ... b6 is also quite sound. l l . .tj4 .te 6 Black has sufficient
13.0-0 counterplay.
After the critical 13 ..tc4 b6 14. d5 .ta6 Of course, this is a very rare case, where
15..txa6 lt:'lxa6 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.
 THEORETICAL SECTION 29

Most often this is play against a statically In the Sicilian Defence Black gains a
weak king. "clean" advantage in the centre after .. .d6-
d5 or . .. d7-d5 .
c) Number of pawn islands,
Compact pawn chain, Maroczy formation
Hanging pawns
8
B45: l.e4 c5 2.lbf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.lbxd4
lDf6 5.lbc3 lbc6 6.lbxc6 bxc6 7.e5 lbd5
8.lbe4 f5 9.exf6 lb xf6 10.lbd6+ i. xd6
ll."ili'xd6 "ili'b6 12.i.d3 c5 13."ili'g3

• 8
7
.i. ~·
~A/
· ~i~/. ·~ ·
~I

6 ~ •
~
I' Q
;Q
,.
, ,{;
& %
~
f ~
/,
a b c d e g h
4 :f " ~
;i
~/.
'b
In the Maroczy formation depicted in the
3 ~ ·~
diagram, in order to achieve his aim Black
2 t!J t!J t!J f:s. t!J (/fjy needs to play in tum .. . b7-b5 and .. .d6-d5.
1:.
a
iEc ~
flj
',;

e
~~ 1:. Subsequently the only remaining central
b d g h pawn advances, pushing back the enemy
pieces, and allows its army to occupy
In this position, despite Black's pawn dominating positions.
centre, his position has no future. But otherwise this 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 compact 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 1980
d) Pawn majority in the centre
l.d4 lbf6 2.lbf3 e6 3.g3 b5 4.i.g2 i. b7
This is a complicated element. 5.0-0 d5 6.c3 lb bd7 7 .a4 b4 8.cxb4
A mechanical calculation may prove i. xb4 9. i. d2 i.xd2 10.lbbxd2 c5
mistaken. ll.dxc5 lbxc5
 30 THE METHOD IN CHESS

'fid5 17.'ilixd5 exd5) 16... lbxc4 17.i.xb6

axb6 18.b3 lba3 19.%:r.f cl %:r.fc8 20.lbd6 %:r.c2
and the white pawns are at a standstill.

0
0
Black has an extra pawn in the centre, but
White easily activates his pawn majority on
the queenside. 16.%:r.acl h6 17.i.f4 ifd8 18.i.c7 i.xc7
12.b4 lZJce4 13.lbb3 %:r.c8 14.'ii'd4 'ii'b6 19.'ii'xc7
15.%:r.fcl 0-0 16.lZJe5 %:r.xcl+ 17.%:r.xcl %:r.c8
18Jhc8+ .txc8 19.b5 .tb7 20.i.xe4 dxe4
Black also loses after 20... lbxe4 21. 'fixb6
axb6 22.lbd7.
21.'ii'xb6 axb6 22.lZJc4 lZJdS 23.a5 lZJc3
24.axb6 lbxe2+ 25.'otfl lZJc3 26.lbba5 i.dS
27.lZJd6 'ott'S 28.lZJc6 lZJxbS 29.b7
1-0

I.Dorfman-P .Korzubov
E04 - Tallinn 1983

1.d4 lZJf6 2.lZJf3 e6 3.g3 dS 4.i.g2 cS 5.0-0

lZJc6 6.c4 dxc4 7.lZJe5 i.d7 8.lZJxc6 .txc6
9 •.txc6+ bxc6 10.'ii'a4 cxd4 ll.'ii'xc6+
lZJd7 12.ifxc4 19 ••• f5 20.'fixd8 l1fxd8 21.lZJc5 lZJf8
A critical position of the variation, since it 22.lZJd3 lZJd7 23.f4 gS 24.%:r.c6 'otf7 25.%:r.c7
is the end of a series of forced moves. The 'otf6 26.%:r.fcl gxf4 27.gxf4 %:r.g8+ 28.'otf2
static balance gives equality. White is l:[g7 29.lZJe5
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 opponent's pawn
centre in the middlegame. majority.
12 ••• .tcs 13.lZJd2 0-0 14.lZJe4 i.b6 15.i.g5 29 •.• lZJb6 30Jhg7 'otxg7 31.%:r.c7+ 'otg8
'fibS? 32.lZJd3 lZJdS 33.%:r.c4 aS 34 •.l:la4 %:r.a6 35.b4
An incorrect evaluation of the position. 'otf7 36.a3 'ote7 37Jha5 btxaS 38.bxa5
Black falls in with his opponent's wishes. 'otd6 39.a6 'otc7 40.lZJc5 'otb6 41.lZJxe6
Essential was 15 ... lbe5 16. i.xd8 (16. 'iii b5 1-0
 THEORETICAL SECTION 31

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.tbc3 dxe4 4.lbxe4

j,fS S.lbg3 ~g6 6.h4 h6 7.tbf3 tbd7 8.h5
..th7 9...td3 ..txd3 10.'ilfxd3 'ilfc7 n ...td2 14...tbxc3 15.'ilfxc3?
tbgf6 12.'ilfe2 e6 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 14.lbe5 An automatic reply and a serious mistake.
tbxe5? The black knight is aiming for the weak c4
14... lbb6 is stronger. square, and it should have been eliminated
lS.dxeS by 15.Lc7! 'ilfxc7 16.'ilfxc3.
1S.....td616...txd6 lbbS 17.'ilfb3 tbxd6

0
The d6 square in Black's position is weak.
It may be occupied by the knight after The knight is ready to occupy the weak
tbe4-d6. square, and its capture will give Black a
protected passed c-pawn. White faces a
The following example is a graphic passive defence.
illustration of the need to include in the
definition the words "may theoretically As usual, Botvinnik's play IS very
occupied by one of the opponent's pieces". instructive.

L.Portisch-G.Kasparov A.Lilienthal-M.Botvinnik
Skelleftea 1989 Moscow 1945
 32 THE METHOD IN CHESS

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.t'Df3 t'Dc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.t'Dxd4 eS

S.t'DbS a6 6.t'Dd6+ i.xd6 7.'iiixd6 'iiif6

White's position looks slightly 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.'i¥i'bl
16.dxc5 Le5 17.f.xe5 t'Dd7 18. t'Db5 l:!.c8 0
or 16.t'Db5 c4 17.~a4 a6 18.t'Dxd6 cxd3 is
unattractive for White.
16...c4 17.i.f5 Here it is hard to classify Black's play as
After 17.i.e2 g6 18.g4 h5 19.h3 hxg4 anything other than wild.
20.hxg4 nh2 Black has a clear advantage.
17 ... i.xf5 18.ifxf5 i.b4 19.'ikc2 l:!d6 Considerable attention is devoted to the
20.l:!.e2 i.xc3 21.bxc3 t'De4 isolated pawn in Games 17, 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 1997

l.d4 dS 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 t'Df6 4.i.xc4 e6

0 S.t'Df3 cS 6.0-0 a6 7.i.b3 i.e7
Black should play 7... cxd4 8.exd4 t'Dc6.
8.'~e2 cxd4 9.l:tdl 0-0 10.t'Dc3 tt:Jc6
and Black won 16 moves later. ll.exd4 i.d7
 THEORETICAL SECTION 33

drawing continuations: 17.exf7+ i..xj7

18.'i!ixe7 iLxb3 (18 .. .'~ae8? 19.i..d2)
19.i..d2 'Wib5.
17...'fib6
It was not yet too late to stumble, by
playing 17... 'i!ic5? 18.'D.acl Wid619.iJ..g5.
18.exf7+ il.xf7 19.Wixe7 il.xb3 20.axb3
'fixb3 21.'fia3 'fixa3 22.bxa3 .l:.fd8 23.il..a5
lidS
Yl-Yl

!.Dorfman-A.Lukin
D21 - USSR Cup, Kiev 1984

a c d e g h l.lt:Jf3 dS 2.d4 cS 3.c4 dxc4 4.e3 cxd4

s...txc4 "j/jc7 6."j/jb3 e6 7.exd4 lL'lf6 8.lt:Jc3
In this type of position much depends on lt:Jc6 9.0-0 i..d7 lO.'iifdl
who has better control of the square in front White loses time (JO.lt:Je5 lt:Jxd4), but he
of the isolated pawn. has the consolation that his opponent
12.lt:Je5 Jl.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
13.il.g5 lL'ld5 14.il.xd5 il.xg5 15.lt:Jxc6 the centre to gain control of the important b4
Lc6 16.iJ..xc6 bxc6 17.lt:Je4 White has the square.
advantage. 10... i..e7 ll.i..gS 0-0
13... lt:Jxe5
The only way! Cowardice does not bring
equality, as is evident from the variation
13 ... exd5 14.lL'lxd5 lL'lxd5 15.il.xd5
(15.'flxd5 'Wic7 16.iLJ4 i..d6 17.'1:.ad1 il.xe5
18.i..xe5 lt:Jxe5 19.1he5 iJ..b5=) 15 ... 'Wic7
16.lL'lxc6 iLxc6 17. i..xc6 bxc6 18.il.e3.
14.dxe6
This is the best practical chance.
After 14.'Wixe5 il.d6 (14 ... exd5? 15.lt:Jxd5
lL'lxd5 16.~xd5) 15.'Wid4 (15.Wie2 lL'lxd5
16.lL'lxd5 exd5 17.i..xd5 Wic7=) 15 ... 'fiic7
16.'fih4 (16.dxe6 i..xh2+ 17.~h1 i..e5=) 0
16... exd5 the two sides' chances are equal.
14...'W/a5
Black avoids all the pitfalls. He loses after Again White has complete control over
both 14... i..d6 15.il..f4 'Wic7 16.'D.xd6 Wixd6 the square in front of the isolated pawn. The
17.iLxe5 'Wie7 18.iJ..xf6!, and 14 ... Wib6 moment is ripe for a breakthrough.
15.'Wixe5 'Wixf2+ 16.~xf2 lt:Jg4+ 17.~g3 12.d5 lt:JxdS
lt:Jxe5 18.lL'ld5 il.d6 19. Ci:Jj6+. The other capture does not demand any
15.lt:Jd5lt:Jc6 16.lt:Jxe7+ lt:Jxe7 17.i..d2 imagination of White. After 12 ... exd5
All the time White has a wide choice of. .. 13.i..xj6 iLxf6 (13 ... dxc4 14.lL'ld5 "Vilid8
 34 THE METHOD IN CHESS

15.0ae7+ 0ae7 16.li:Je5±) 14.0ad5 'fid8 I.Dorfman-J.Murrey

15.0aj6+ the position is simplified and it D93- French League 1991
can be ascertained that White has a static
advantage. l.ti:Jf3 d5 2.d4 ti:Jf6 3.c4 c6 4.'fic2 g6 s ...tf4
13 . ..txd5 exd5 14.ti:Jxd5 'fid8 15.li:Jxe7+ ..tg7 6.e3 0-0 7.li:Jc3 li:Ja6 8.c5
li:Jxe7 16.l:.el l:.e8 White is hoping for control of the dark
squares, while Black is obliged to seek
dynamic play.
8 .. .''it'a5 9.a3 li:Jd7?!
The start of a dubious plan. Black also
fails to equalise after 9... ti:Jh5 JO . ..tg5 f6
ll . ..th4, but he can try 9... ..tj5 JO.'fid1 !?
(10. 'fia4 'fixa4 11. 0aa4 li:Jb8).
10•..te2 b6
The following variation is instructive:
10 ... e5 ll.li:Jxe5 li:Jxe5 12.i.xe5 ..txe5
13.dxe5 'fixeS 14 . ..txa6 bxa6 15.0-0 with
the idea of l:.fcl, when the group of
weakened dark squares a5, c5, d4 and h6
sets Black insoluble problems.
ll.cxb6 ti:Jxb6
White has an amusing combination, If 11 ... axb6 White retains the better
leading to the win of a pawn. chances by playing 12.0-0 li:Jab8 13.b4.
17.l:.xe7 l:.xe7 18.'fid5 h6 19.i.xe7 'fixe7 12.0-o ..trs
20.'it'xb7 It seems to me that Black 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 13.1lt'cl li:Jc4 14.b3 ti:Jd6 15.b4 'fib6
colour, 16.li:Ja4 'fib7 17.li:Je5 ..txe5
Black has to part with his bishop, since
Blockade, after:
Domination 17... 1:.ac8 White has a pleasant choice
between 18.g4 and 18. ti:Jd3.
Here I have united three related elements, 18...txe5 f6 19...tf4 g5 20 ...tg3 li:Je4 21.f3
since they all exert a strong static influence li:Jxg3 22.hxg3 l:.ad8?
on the development of events. 22... <Ji;gJ is more tenacious.
And the prescriptions for counterplay in 23.e4! ..tg6
all three cases are identical. 23... dxe4?? 24.'fic4+.
These are always a modification of the 24.e5 li:Jc7 25 .li:JcS 'if c8 26. 'ilV e3 fxe5
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.'fixe51J.f5 28.'fie3 e5.
Here is a game illustrating the weakness 27 ...'ilif5
of the squares of one colour. 27... li:Je6 runs into 28.i.a6.
28.l:.adl
 THEORETICAL SECTION 35

I came across an interesting case of a

blockade, when analysing the game

L.Vogt-W.Schmidt
Polanica Zdroj 1980

a b c d e g h

The weakness of the dark squares has

become irreversible.

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
!.Dorfman-R. Skrobek 15.it.a5 .l:ha5 16.b6 'ifd7 17.lt'!xa5it.xd4
Warsaw 1983 Black gained sufficient material
compensation for the rook.

es
7
6
5
4

This position was reached after White's

27th move. The light squares in Black's After the retreat of his bishop or 18... lt'lc6
position are hopelessly weak and blockaded. his position will become invulnerable. The
Here the possibility of exchanges is limited, only dynamic possibility is 18.c6.
and the black pieces are practically In the main variation 18.. . tfu:c6 19. tfu:c6
untouchable. 'ifxc6 20.!iJxd4 lt'lxd4 21.1hc6 lt'lxe2+
The full game will be found in the section 22. c:i;h1 bxc6 23. b7 White breaks through to
"Practical Application" (No.31 ). the queening square, and after other captures
 36 THE METHOD IN CHESS

his chances are at least equal. But in the 9.4:'la3 bS lO.tLldS i.e7 ll.i..xf6 i..xf6
game the position retained its static 12.c3 i..b7 13.4:'lc2 4:'lb8 14.a4 bxa4
character, favourable for Black, after 15Jha4 4:'ld7 16J:tb4 tt:Jcs
18.4:'lxd4 4:'lxd4 19.'ii'e3 4:'ldc6
Now there is no reason to hurry. White is
condemned to waiting.

Let us now look at some examples 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.N aj dorf
Buenos Aires 1983
0
es White achieved domination with an
7
unexpected exchange sacrifice.
6 17Jhb7 4:'lxb7 18.b4 i.gS 19.4:'la3 0-0
5 20.4:'lc4

3 es
2 7
6
5
4
Here all the signs of domination are
present. On the next move White's queen 3
will appear at d4, and all his pieces are 2
immune. I hope that this position will
demonstrate convincingly the static nature
of domination.

The following example of domination is The reader will find a classic example of
unusual. domination in the section "Practical
Application" in the game Dorfman-Tal
G.Kasparov-A. Shirov (No.57).
B33 - Horgen 1994
h) Half-open file
In the well known theoretical variation Outpost
l.e4 cS 2.4:'lf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.4:'lxd4 4:'lf6
5.4:'lc3 4:'lc6 6.4:'ldb5 d6 7.i..f4 eS 8.i.g5 a6 The role of half-open files has been
 THEORETICAL SECTION 37

known for a long time and was described in

detail by Nimzowitsch.

But the role of an outpost 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 examples 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 llxeS 20.Itd4 hS 2l.b3
Application". 'i!Vhs 22.'ifd2 Itae8 23.e3 lt:Je6 24 ..:.ds lt:JcS
2S.h3 i.d7 26.ItxeS ~xeS 27.lt'ld5
Here I will merely name these steps : The knight occupies the outpost.

- create the outpost; 27 ... c6 28.lt'lf4 a4 29.b4 lt'le6 30.lt'ld3 'ii'g7

- 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.

!.Dorfman-A.Anastasian
A29 - Cannes 1996

l.c4 lt'lf6 2.lLlc3 eS 3.lt'lf3 lt:Jc6 4.g3 g6 31.h4?!

S.i.g2 i.g7 6.d4 exd4 Unnecessarily weakening the king. Instead
Creation of the outpost (d5). 31.a3! followed by f2-f4 and lbj2 would
7.lt'lxd4 0-0 8.0-0 lt'lxd4 9.'iifxd4 d6 10.'ilt'd3 have been very strong, probing the
Ite8 ll.i.gS h6 12.i.d2 lt'ld7 13.'ii'c2 aS approaches to the backward pawn.
14.Itadl lt'lcS lS.'ii'cl i.g4 31...'ilff6 32.a3 g5 33.hxg5 lt'lxg5 34.lt:Jf4 h4
The only defence. 15... <i;;h7 16.i.e3 lbe6 3S.gxh4 lt:Je4 36.~d4 'iff5 37.i.h3 Itg8+
17.c5 is unsatisfactory for Black. 38.<i;;h2
16..:.fel <i;;b7 17.i.e3 ~c8 18.i.d4 1-0
 38 THE METHOD IN CHESS

The following game is of interest for the l.d4 lLlj6 2.c4 e6 3.lLlj3 d5 4.g3 dxc4
timely dynamic counterplay, compensating 5.'it'a4+ lLlbd7 6.i.g2 a6 7.'flixc4 b5 8.'flic2
for the static defects of the position. i.b7 9.0-0 c5 followed by ... :lc8 the white
queen is unable to find a shelter.
B.Gelfand-V.Korchnoi
A28 - Novgorod 1997 Let us consider a typical example,
illustrating White's problems.
l.c4 eS 2.lLlc3 lLlf6 3.lLlf3 lLlc6 4.d4 exd4
The outpost (d5) is created. I.Kalinsky-!.Dorfman
S.l2Jxd4 i.b4 6.i.g5 0-0 7J:tcl :le8 8.e3 E03 - Saratov 1981
Black's play demands deep preparation.
He had to anticipate the consequences of l.d4 lLlf6 2.c4 e6 3.lLlf3 dS 4.g3 dxc4
8.lLldb5 i.a5. S.'i!fa4+ lLlbd7 6.i.g2 a6 7.'ii'xc4 bS 8.'it'c2
8 ... h6 9.i.h4l2Jxd4 10.'it'xd4 gS ll.i.g3 cS i.b7 9.a4 b4 10.0-0 cS ll.lLlbd2 :lc8
12.'ii'dl 12.dxc5 i.xcS 13.'it'd3 0-0 14.b3 eS
Interposing 12. 'iid6 would merely delay
the breakthrough after 12 ... :le6 13. 'iidl d5.
12... d5

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 irreparably the static
only chances of an advantage involve position of his king.
dynamism. They are minimal, since Black's 15.e4 i.a7 16J1a2 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.'it>xf2 1i'b6+ 18.'it>e2 :lc3 19.l2Jc4 'it'c7
This factor is directly linked with the 20.'ii'bl i.xe4 21.'ifall2Jc5 22.lLlcd2 i.d3+
pawn formation. At the start of the 23.'it>el i.xfl 24.'it>xfl l2Jd3 25.i.b2 'flieS
"Theoretical Section" I dwelt on bad minor 26.'it>e2 'ii'f2+ 27.'it>dllLld5 28.l2Jc4 'ifc2 #
pieces. Under certain circumstances the
queen can also become bad. !.Dorfman-Y.Vasyukov
Thus in the Catalan Opening after: E38- Moscow 1989
 THEORETICAL SECTION 39

l.ti::lf3 ti::lf6 2.c4 cS 3.tt::lc3 g6 4.e4 tt::lc6 S.d4 26.ti::lxd6 eS 27.'ii'd2 ~g8 28.tt::lb5 .l:.cc8
cxd4 6.ti::lxd4 d6 7.i..e2 i..g7 8.i..e3 0-0 29.tt::lc3 l:td8 30.tt::ld5 tt::lca6 31.~c3 'WcS
9.0-0 i..d7 lO.l:tcl a6 ll.tt::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 •.. aS 12.tt::ld2 tt::lb4 13.f3 i..c6 14.tt::lb3 a4
1S.ti::ld4 a3 16.b3 'ii'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, Black gains
chances of an attack on the enemy king.
This simple example demonstrates the
abundance of factors influencing the
evaluation of the centre.

Here is a more complicated example.

In order to bring out his queen, Black has
paid dearly. M.Ashley-!.Dorfman
White has an obvious advantage, which he B52 - Cannes 1998
converts into a decisive one by simple
means. l.e4 cS 2.ti::lf3 d6 3.i.b5+ i..d7 4.i..xd7+
17.1'id2 .l:.fc8 18 . .l:.fdl e6 19.-ifl i..f8 'ii'xd7 5.0-0 ti::lf6 6 ..l:.el tt::lc6 7.c3 e6 8.d3
20.'iii'f2 ti::ld7 21.~hl tt::lcS 22.ti::ldb5 i..xbS i..e7 9.ti::lbd2 0-0 lO.ti::lfl bS ll.i..gS h6
23.tt::lxb5 .l:.c6 24.i..d4 i..g7 2S.i..xg7 ~xg7 12.i..h4
 40 THE METHOD IN CHESS

together with the static position of the king,

with good and bad pieces, and so on.

0 .Romanishin-I. Dorfman
Sarajevo 1988

Here the static balance does not give an

advantage to either of the players. But White
is ready to occupy the centre with d3-d4. It
follows that Black must respond
dynamically. ll.eS tZ'le8
12..•tt:Je5 13.tl'Je3 ll ... tl'Jd5 would have been a positional
Black parries 13.d4 by playing 13 ... cxd4 mistake, bringing Black only problems.
14.cxd4 tZ'lg6 15.i..g3 tZ'lh5 or 15 .. .'fib7 After 12.dxc5 Jhc5 13.exd6 exd6 14.tZ'lbd2
followed by 16... d5, but definitely not 15... d5 White has the better pawn formation.
on account of 16. tl'Je5 tZ'lxe5 17.dxe5. 12.ii'e2
13 ...tl'Jg6 14.i.g3 c4 15.tl'Jd4 cxd3 16.ii'xd3 After the pseudo-active 12. e6?! fxe6
a6 13.tl'Jg5 tZ'lc7 14.tZ'lxe6 tZ'lxe6 15.1he6 cxd4
or 12.i..g5 dxe5 13.dxe5 tl'Jc7 with the idea
of ... tZ'le6, ... c5-c4 and ... tl'Jdc5, the board
becomes increasingly black.
12... dxe5
The tempting intermediate capture
12... cxd4? runs into 13.e6!
13.dxe5 tl'Jc7 14.tZ'lbd2 c4!
White has gained space, but his position is
statically inferior. It is this that provokes his
subsequent dynamic play.
15.b3! tZ'ldS 16.bxc4 bxc4
16... tZ'lxc3!? 17:fie3 b418.e6 tZ'lc5leads to a
0 complicated game with chances for both sides.
a b c d e g h 17.tl'Jxc4 tl'Jxc3?!
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 17... 'fic7
view, space does not in itself guarantee 18.tl'Jjd2 (18.tZ'lcd2 lZ'lxc3 19.'iie3 tZ'lb6+)
any advantage. It should be considered 18... tZ'lxc3 19.'fie3lZ'ld5 20.'fie4 tZ'lb4.
 THEORETICAL SECTION 41

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
Black due to the weakness of the light
squares in White's position.

This concludes our acquaintance with the After the natural 7... d6 Black 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 1926
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 tt:l f6 4.e5 tt:le 4
S.i.d3 tt:lcS 6.cxd4 tt:lxd3+ 7.'ii'xd3

ea

This is what Nimzowitsch has to say:

"14... e5 would now only surrender the point
d5 to White. For instance 15. Wlg3
(threatening 16 . .txe5) 15 ... .tg7 16.e4,
followed by d2-d3 and tt:\c3-d5 with
advantage in position for White." The only
instructive thing in this extract is the attempt
 42 THE METHOD IN CHESS

by White to fix the pawn formation by e3-e4. M.Botvinnik-J .Donner

Amsterdam 1963
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
play. In such cases I would be careful not to
talk without substantiation about an
advantage for White. Especially, since This is a critical moment, since White has
analysis demonstrates the reverse. to decide about the possible exchange
14... e5 15Ji'g3 .i.e6! 16..i.xe5 14.tlJd4.
In the variation 16.f4 Lc4 17.'1:.cl i.e6 The static balance does not give an
18.fxeS fS Black blocks the position. advantage to either side. In addition, Black
16... i.e7 can improve his position after 14 ... aS or
The most static continuation. The 14 ... bS. This means that White can either
variations 16... .i.g7 17..i.c7 'ilid3 18.'ilid6 maintain the balance, or play for an
and 16... i.xc4 17. 'fi/4 are in accordance advantage with
with White's wishes. 14.tlJd4
18.i.b2 i.xc4 19.:t.cl i.d3 14. 'ill a4 can be parried by 14 ... aS
(14 ... a6).
14...i.xg2
The loss of time after 14 ... tlJdS 1S.e4
tlJSf6 16.'fib3 (16.eS tlJdS 17.'ilib3 aS)
16.. J1c8 17.'1:.acl costs Black dearly, since
he can no longer complete his
development.
15.'it>xg2 'fic7 16.'fib3 'J:.fc8
The exchange of queens after 16... 'ilib7+
17. 'ilij3 cannot be recommended, since
White is aiming to occupy c6.
17.'1:.fcl 'fib7+ 18.'fif3 tiJdS
0 Again in the endgame Black is paralysed
after 18... 'ilixj3+ 19.tlJ2xf3 'it>j8 20.tlJc6
'l:.c7 21.1:.c2 .l:.ac8 22.1:.acl.
Black has a strategically won position. 19.e4
Played in order to parry the threat of
Let us employ the method in the following 19... tlJeS 20.'fie4 fS 21.'fixe5 tlJj4+.
position. 19...tlJ5f6 20.b5 a6 21.tlJc6 i.f8 22.a4
 THEORETICAL SECTION 43

hanging pawns.

It follows that Black should maintain the

present favourable character of the play, and
prevent dynamic play by his opponent.
In this sense Portisch's next move is
incorrect, since it allows a breakthrough,
weakening Black's king.
14.. .'ii'c7?
It was essential to take prophylactic
measures against the opening of the
position. I suggest 14... cxd4:
A) 15.cxd4 i..j6 16.e4 g6 (an alternative is
a b c d e g h 16.. .lt:Ja5, but not 16... lbxd417.Ld4 Ld4
18.i..b5 e5 19.lbxe5; 16.. ."jkeJ can also be
White has an advantage that is close to considered);
being decisive. B) 15.exd4lba5 16.li:Je5 i..d6 17.f4:
Bl) 17... i..xe518.fxe5 i.d5 19.'flh5 g6
Let us employ the method to an extract 20.'flh6f5 2l.exf6 'thf6 22.i.cl;
from the game B1) 17.. .f6 18.'Dc4 'Dxc4 19.i..xc4 i..d5
20.i..a6 i..b3 2J.'f:.d3 with the initiative
G.Kasparov-L.Portisch (2J.Lc8 'iii'xeS);
Niksic 1983 B2) 17.. ."iic7! 18.f5 ii.xe5 19.dxe5 'Dc4
20.f6 g6, and the open centre does not allow
White to engage in play against the enemy
king.
15.c4 cxd4 16.exd4 'Da5 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... lbxc4 18.'iie4 g6 19.Lc4
'fixc4 20.'fle5 f6 2J."iixe6+ 'f:.J7 22.'f:.cl.
And now it is no longer possible to save the
game.
18.cxd5 i..xd5 19.i..xh7+ ~xh7 20.'1:.xd5
~g8 21.i..xg7 ~xg7 22.'De5
White's attack is irresistible.
Static balance.
1. The king positions are equal. I found this following position in one of
2. The material situation is balanced. the books by Dvoretsky and Yusupov.
3. The ending is advantageous to Black
because of the pawn formation. S.Dolmatov-O.Romanishin
4. The pawn formation is better for Black, Minsk 1979
since White has an isolated pawn and
 44 THE METHOD IN CHESS

8
7 c,.,.
·,;
~~
~ .W .t
~

~,;
z~•
,~ 1.1&'
~~
6
~'-'
5 # ~ ~,
"'

- ~ ~~
4i._~ "'
3 ~ -~~
ttJfLS
2 ~ ~{j ~(~
v}
p ~ r~
~,?
0 1:.
a b c d
~
e
"~
g h

This is what the authors have to say : emphasises 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 1980
27.i.a5. This move weakens the c6 square
and the queenside pawns (27...'~de8 loses to
28.i.a4) . After 27 ... b6 28.i.c3 th 4e5
29.thd4 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 bishop were moved to d 7, all the
authors' arguments would at best cause
perplexity).

Let us employ the method.

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:De7
a consequence, the weakness of the e5 The author accompanies this move with a
square). The short variation 27.i.a5 1:1de8 question mark and the following comment:
28.i.a4 i.d8 29.i.b4 (with the exchange of "Black had the excellent reply 34... e4, when
bishops 29.Ld8 :Xd8 White would, at the subsequently it is hard to give preference to
least, not have improved his position) either side. After all, the opponent has to
29 ...i.b6+ reckon with .. . ~e5-d4, threatening the c4
 THEORETICAL SECTION 45

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.lbe3 'ii'e5 36.lbbd5 lbe7 37.lbg4
'i'd4 38Jidl ii'xc4 39.'i'h2+

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.
46 THE METHOD IN CHESS

Match Smyslov-Bacrot, Albert 1996

Blitz contre Kasparov, Zagulba (Azerbaidjan) 1986

 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 47

Practical Application

Before 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 O.lbb3 a6
number of games - 64. In order to be more ll.a4 lba5 12.e5 lbe8 13.lbxa5 ~xa5
convincing, I rely on my own games. I have 14.~d2.
deliberately preferred comments and 10. lbxd4
variations of limited length, so that they 11. ~xd4 ~c6
should not overshadow the essence of the 12. ~ d3 lbd7
play and the basis for the decisions taken. After carrying out Capablanca's exchange
When employing the regressive scale of .. . lbxd4 and ... ~c6, 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. 'i'e1
which are unequal between the two In such positions 13. 'i'e2 is more often
opponents.ln 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. ... ~f6
sometimes designate it with the sign +. 14. ~xf6 ~xf6
After it there may follow one of the One of the advantages of 13.~el is the
reasons for which the position is critical. control of the b4 square in the variation
14... lbxf615.e5 dxe5 16.fxe5lbd5 17.lbe4.
No.1 15. .:i.d1 l:tfd8
!.Dorfman- K.Venglovsky
B83 - Cherkassy 1966

1. e4 c5
2. lbf3 e6
3. d4 cxd4
4. lbxd4 lb f6
5. lbc3 d6
6. ~e2 ~e7
7. 0-0 0-0
8. f4 lbc6
9. ~e3

•
Black must take a decision regarding a
a b c d e f g h

possible change in the central pawn

structure. For 9... e5, see Game 27. Careless. I would prefer 15... lbc5!
9. ~d7 After a series of forced moves, the game
10. <t>h1 reaches another critical point.
 48 THE METHOD IN CHESS

The static balance gives an advantage to

Black (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 4:lb6?
The final and decisive mistake.
Black should have drawn up his forces for
the defence of his king with 16... 4:\j8. I also
calculated 16... b6 17.~b5 and 16...a6 17.a4
b6 18.b5 axb5 19.hb5.
17. b5 ~e8 17.b4 0-0 18.b5 ~x b5 19.4:\xb5 axb5
18. e5 dxe5 20Jbb5 d5 21.e5 4:\e4 22.il.d4 ~c5 23.c3
19. fxe5 ~e7 'i¥c6 24.~ h2 b6 25. ~ xe4 dxe4 26. ~xc5
20. 4:\e4 4:\d7 bxc5 27.'ili'e3 "ilid5 28..:!.e1 "it'c4
21. 4:\f6+ Yl-Yl
A simple winning operation. If 21.. .gxf6,
then 22. ~h4 is decisive. In these two games it is not just the
21. 4:\xf6 number of moves that coincides.
22. exf6 'it'c5
23. ~xh7+ ~xh7 No.2
24. ~4+ ~g8 A.Kozlov - !.Dorfman
25. fxg7 ~xg7 B31 - Odessa 1968
26. 'ilif6+ ~g8
27. l:.xd8 l:.xd8 1. e4 c5
28. 'it'xd8 2. 4:\f3 4:\c6
and White won. 3. il.b5 g6
4. 0-0 il.g7
It is amusing to compare this na"ive junior 5. c3 4:\f6
game with the later one: 6. n e1
The alternatives here are 6."iie2 and 6.e5.
Dorfman-Gulko 6. 0-0
B60 - Match for the 7. d4 cxd4
USSR Championship 1977 8. cxd4 d5
9. e5 4:\e8
l.e4 c5 2.4:\f3 4:\c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. 4:\xd4 10. 4:\c3
4:\f6 5.4:\ c3 d6 6. ~ g5 'i'b6 7 .4:\ b3 e6 It looks logical to strengthen the centre by
8 . .liL d3 a6 9.a4 4:\ a5 10. it. e3 'ili c7 10.h3 4:\c7 ll.JI..jl f6 12.4:\c3.
11. 4:\ xa5 'ifx a5 12.0-0 ~ e7 13. 'ii' e1 10. {[Jc7
~ d7 14.h3 l:. c8 15.f4 il. c6 16. I;l b1 11. ~e2 .llLg4
~ c7 12. h3 Jl..xf3
13. it.xf3 e6
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 49

14. ..ltg4?
•
White does not pay sufficient
attention to a possible change in the
central pawn formation. 14 .!1i.j4 ,
preventing the freeing 14 ... f6, would
•
have been an effective 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 1953 Candidates
Tournament, but also the commentary of the
great player. "In the middlegame one
should not hesitate to advance a central
passed pawn." Calculation merely
confirmed the correctness of this argument.
Once again a possible change in the pawn 18. d4!
structure signifies a critical position. 19. lt:Ja4 d3!
In several variations of the Ruy Lopez and 20. 'it'g2
the King's Indian Defence we are already In the variations 20.lt:Jc5 'ild4+
accustomed to Black attacking the centre by (20 ... '!J.xf4? 21 .lt:Jxe6) and 20.':.cl! 'D.xf4
... c7-c6 and ... b7-b5. 21.gxf4 d2 White loses material.
Here a "mirror" explosion takes place on 20. ... lt:Jd5
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. it..xf4 21. ..ltxe6+ 'it>h8
White's last move had the atm of 22. it..xd5 "ifxd5+
23. "iff3 ~5
defending his bishop, since he would have
The final subtlety. It would have been
lost quickly after 17.gxf4 fxe5 18.fxe5 h5 primitive to play 23... 'iilxf3+ 24. Wxf3 lt:Jd4+
19.Lh5 Wih4. 25. We4 lt:Jc2 26. Wxd3, when White has
17. fxe5 more than sufficient material for the
18. dxe5 exchange.
24. 'i¥e4 l!ad8
25. b3 l'ld4
 50 THE METHOD IN CHESS

26. 'ji'eJ d2 isolates the opponent's central pawn.

27. .:ted1 'iii'd5+ 7. cxd4
28. ~h2 lt:Jxe5 8. cxd4 ..te7
29. ..txe5 'ji'xe5 9. lt:Jc3 'iii'd8
30. Wxe5 .txe5 A favourite idea of Romanishin and
0-1 Arshak Petrosian is to play 9.. .'ilia5, leaving
d8 free for the rook.
No.3 10. ..tb5?!
V.Vorotnikov- !.Dorfman
B22 Rostov 1973
•
White goes in for the exchange of bishop
for knight, hoping in so doing to fix the
pawn formation. Instead he could have tried
1. e4 c5 to create problems for Black over the
2. c3 d5 development of his queenside with 10. .te3
3. exd5 Wxd5 followed by tLle5, ..tj3 and "fib3.
4. d4 e6 10. 0-0
Today I consider a solid line to be 4... lt:Jf6 11. ..txc6 bxc6
5.lt:Jf3 lt:Jc6 (White is slightly better after 12. lt:Je5 ..tb7
5 ... .tg4 6.dxc5) 6. Wa4 ..td7 7.dxc5 e5 13. ..te3
8 . .tc4 We4+ 9 . ..te3 lt:Jd4 10.c6 .txc6
ll . ..tx/7+ ~xf7 12.'fic4+ ..td5 13.Wc7+
Wg8 14.cxd4 exd4 15.lt:Jbd2 "ike8 (15 ... "ikg4)
16.lt:Jxd4 Lg2 17.'l:.g1 ..td5, as in the game
Degraeve-Dorfman, Bastia 1997.
5. tt:Jf3 lt:Jf6
6. .te2
At the end of the 2oth century 6..td3 .te7
7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 tLlc6 9.lt:Jc3 "iid6 10.lt:Jb5
'iid8 11 . .tj4 lt:Jd5 12 . .tg3 0-0 13.':cl 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 ... 1975, without
achieving anything real.
6.
7. 0-0
lt:Jc6
•
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 1979, calculation nevertheless proves possible.
Sveshnikov chose against me 7.tLla3 Wd8 This signifies the failure of White's entire
8.tLlc2 b6 9. ..tb5 (several years later Smagin conception.
tried 9..tj4!? against me) 9... ..td7 10.'ilie2 13. c5
cxd4 11.tLlcxd4 lt:Jxd4 12.lt:Jxd4 ..tc5 14. dxc5 "iic7
13.lt:Jc6 "ikc7 14.lt:Je5 Lf2+ 15.~/1 ..tc5 15. 'ii'd4
16 . ..tf4 0-0 17.lt:Jg6 ..txb5 18."iixb5 e5 The tactical justification of Black's
19.Le5 "iic8 20.lt:Jh4 lt:Jg4, and it was time combination lies in the variation 15.lt:Jd3?
for White to resign. After White has castled '!:.ad8 16."iic2 .:txd3 17."iixd3 lt:Jg4 18.g3
a critical position is reached, and Black "iic619.f3 lt:Jxe3.
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 51

15.... :rd8 The point of the combination. White also

It was tempting to attack the queen with the loses his knight.
other rook, but this would have left the a7 26. 'ikh8+ ~h7
pawn undefended: 15... :ad8 16.tl:Jb5 'ikb8 27. 'ikb3 tl:Jc5
17.tl:Jd6 Ld618.cxd6 :Xd619.'ikxa7. 28. 'ikxd5 i..xd3+
16. 'it'f4 ii.xc5 29. ~d2 :c2+
17. :acl ii.xe3 30. ~d1 f5
18. fxe3 31. g4
•
White over-rates his chances. His king
Now if 31 .. .fxg4 there follows 32.b4 .
Black finds a mini-combination, to take the
becomes statically weak, but he is hoping to game into an easily won pawn ending.
exploit the dynamic weakness of the black 31. ... tl:Ja4
monarch. 18.'it'xe3, with a slightly inferior 32. 'it'xd3
game, was more realistic. White is doomed after 32.gxf5 tl:Jxb2+
18. ... :ac8 33. ~e1 ii.e2.
In the variation 18... :d2 19. tl:Je4 i..xe4 32. tl:Jxb2+
20. 'it'xe4 tl:Jxe4 21.:xc7 f6 22.tl:Jc4 :d3, 33. ~xc2 tl:Jxd3
which leads to a roughly equal ending, Black 34. ~xd3 fxg4
cannot take on c I on move 20 because of 35. ~e4 ~g6
21.'ikxa8+. Therefore, with his last move 36. ~d5 ~f7
Black renews the threat of invading at d2. 37. ~d6 ~e8
19. ~f2 38. ~e6 h5
This careless move allows a camouflaged 39. ~f5 g6+
combination. 19.~c2 was more vigilant. 0-1
19. ... :d5
20. tl:Jxd5? No.4
White's last two moves weakened his V. Tukmakov - I.Dorfman
position, but this last one leaves him with no
hope of saving the game. 20.tl:Jf3 was C78 -Leningrad 1975
correct, going onto the defensive.
20. 'ikxc1+ 1. e4 e5
21. :n exd5 2. tl:Jf3 tl:Jc6
22. :xcl :xcl+ 3. ii.b5 a6
23. ~f2 tl:Je4+ 4. i..a4 tl:Jf6
24. ~e2 i..a6+ 5. 0-0 b5
25. tl:Jd3 h6 6. i..b3 i..b7
Here and also on the previous move
... ii.c5 was possible.
7. :e1
A week earlier I had to solve some
difficult problems after 7. c3 in a game
against Timoshchenko. I replied 7... tl:Jxe4
8.d4 tl:Ja5 9.i..c2 exd4 JO.tl:Jxd4 tl:Jg5! with
equality. 10.:e1 is more dangerous.
7. i..c5
8. c3 0-0
9. d4 ..tb6
0 10. ..tg5 h6
11 . ..th4 :e8
 52 THE METHOD IN CHESS

12. a4 White on the basis of the game Bednarski-

A year later in a game between the same Sznapik, where there followed 18... li:Jc6
players White tried 12.'Wid3, but Black 19.e5 dxe5 20.li:Jc3 l:td8 21.'Wih7+ ~f8
demonstrated the soundness of his set-up by 22.dxe5. I took the decision to strengthen
playing 12 ... d6 13.li:Jbd2 l?:Ja5 14.i..c2 c5 the static position of my king, so that
15.d5 c4 16.'Wie2 ~c8 17.li:Jf1 ~h7 18.li:Je3 Black's bishop pair and his play on the dark
"D..g8. squares became the dominating factors.
12. d6 18. ... g5!
13. axb5 axb5 19. h3
14. lba8 i..xa8 Now the check at h7 is harmless in itself,
15. 'iWd3 l?Ja5 and the b-pawn is immune due to 19.ilixb5
16. i..c2 exd4 i..c6 20.~d3 g4 21.e5 gxf3.
17. i..xf6 19. ... l?Jc6

•
A committing decision. If 17.cxd4, then
This manoeuvre finally destroys White's
centre.
after 17... g5 White has to sacrifice a piece. 20. il/xb5 l:tb8
During the game I was in no doubt that it 21. e5 dxe5
was insufficient. And even today, although 22. dxe5 'it'xf3
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.
18.li:Jxg5 hxg5 19.i..xg5 l:!.e6 20.l:!.e2 23. gxf3 i..xf2+
(20.li:Jd2 'Wij8 21.1:!..e3 li:Jh7 22.1:!g3 l:!.g6) 24. ~xf2 laxb5
20... c5 2l.d5 l:te5 22.'Wig3 ~f8. 25. i..e4 .l::txb2+
17. 'Wixf6 26. ~g3 i..b7
18. cxd4

• .7-i.-
8

27. l?Jc3 l?Je7

•
White has set up a powerful battery on the
28. 1:!b1
More tenacious was 28.i..xb7 l:txb7
bl-h7 diagonal, and the b5 pawn is attacked. 29.li:Je4 ~g7.
All this relates to dynamic elements. 28. l:txb1
Tukmakov's play was based on a 29. i..xb1 ~g7
recommendation in the Encyclopaedia of 30. li:Jb5 c5
Chess Openings, which gave preference to 31. li:Jd6 i..c6
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 53

The move played creates the threat of

32... ltJg6. The alternative was 3J...i..d5. •
The classical way of playing is 6... ltJbd7.
32. f4 gxf4+ Perhaps my opponent wanted to try the
33. 'ifi>xf4 ltJg6+ variation with 7... e5 , but I decided to be the
34. 'ifi>f5 i.d7+ first to fix the pawn formation. This branch
35. 'iti>e4 i.xh3 came into fashion after the 1973 Interzonal
36. 'iti>d5 i.e6+ Tournament in Leningrad.
37. 'iti>xc5 ltJxe5 7. d5 ltJa5
38. 'iti>d4 ltJd7 8. ltJbd2
39. 'iti>e4 'ifi>f6 The traditional way of playing is 8.ltJjd2,
40. 'ifi>f4 ltJf8 when the second white knight from c3
41. ltJe4+ 'iti>e7 prevents ... b 7-bS . The idea of the plan
42. ltJg3 ltJg6+ employed in the game is to fight for the key
43. 'iti>f3 'ifi>f6 c6 square. To achieve this aim White intends
44. ltJe4+ 'iti>e5 to counter ... b7-b5 with b2-b4 and then
45. ltJg3 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. ltJe1
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 1975
•
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 1997, where Black achieved a good
mention that Gulko , Bronstein , game by 9...e6 lO. ltJc21:!b8.
Tseshkovsky, Kuzmin, Taimanov, Savon, 10. l:!b1 b5
Alburt, Chekhov, !.Ivanov, Klovans, 11. cxb5 :xb5
Podgaets and others were contending for 12. ltJc2
three qualifying places in the USSR
Championship Premier League.
1.
2. c4
d4 ltJf6
g6
ea
3. ltJf3 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
objectively stronger 5... c6 6.0-0 d5 7.cxd5
cxd5 8. ltJ e5 e6 9. ltJ c3 ltJjd7 10.f4,
maintaining the balance in the centre. Black
prefers to play an inferior, but complicated a c e g
position. The critical position of the variation.
6. 0-0 ltJc6
White is one step away from playing b2-b4.
 54 THE METHOD IN CHESS

It seems to me that only Smejkal's reply As often happens, when the pieces have
12 ... il..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. il..xe6+ Wxe6
13. b4 cxb4 28. ikxe4+ Wf7
14. dxe6 il..xe6 The other defences 28 ... il..e5 and
15. ltJd4 .Ub8 28... ltJde5 lose material after 29..:Xc6+.
16. ltJxe6 fxe6 29. ii'd5+ Wf6
17. ii'a4 29... We8 30.ii'e6+ Wd8 31.ilg8+ is also
•
The end of a series of forced moves. White
completely hopeless.
30. il..b2+ ltJde5
retains a number of static advantages: king 31. .:xc6+ 'li'xc6
position, bishop pair, and compact pawn formation. 32. ii'xe5+ Wf7
17. d5 33. 'li'xg7+ We8
18. .Uxb4 .:xb4 34. ii'g8+ Wd7
19. ii'xb4 ii'b6 35. ii'xh7+ Wd8
20. il..a3 :b8 36. ii'xa7
In reply to 20 ... :c8 I was planning 1-0
21.'ila4. Now the Russian player aims for an
endgame, where after 2l .ii'xb6 :xb6 No.6
22..:c1 .:c6 23..:bJ l:.b6 Black prevents the
V.Savon- !.Dorfman
invasion of the enemy rook.
21. 'ii'a4 B60 - USSR Championship
In the new situation the exchange of First League, Kishinyov 1975
queens does not bring any relief, since after
2l ... 'iib5 22.ikxb5 :Xb5 23. .:cJ the black The early 1970s were the Kharkov
king feels uncomfortable. grandmaster's best years. There was victory
21. ltJc6 in a strong USSR Championship, and a
22. ~b1 ii'c7 share of first place in the Zonal Tournament
23. .l:.cl .:c8 in Vilnius which qualified him for the
24. lLlb3 ltJd7 Interzonal Tournament. Good and stable
The only possibility of simultaneously results. And then suddenly a loss of energy,
parrying the threats of 25 ltJd4 and 25 ltJc5. and, above all, of any goal and stimulus.
25. il..h3 Wf7 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. ltJf3 ltJc6
3. d4 cxd4
4. lLlxd4 ltJf6
5. ltJc3 d6
6. ..tg5 ikb6
As far as I know, this idea belongs to
Larsen. Later it was developed in Gulko's
games.
a b c d e g h 7. ltJb3
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 55

In the game Tatai-Larsen, Siegen 1970,

after 7.Ci:Jdb5 a6 8.Lf6 gxf6 9.Ci:Jd5 ~a5+
IO.Ci:Jbc3 f5 Black successfully parried his
opponent's premature attack.
7. e6
8. ~d2
In this, a critical position for the opening,
White also has more aggressive
continuations, such as 8.g4 or 8.il.f4 Ci:Je5
9.il.e3 ~c7 10./4 Ci:Jc4 11 . .i..xc4 'fixc4
12.~/3. It is the latter that I consider to be
the most dangerous.
8. a6
9. it.e2 il.d7
10. il.e3
•
To me it seems logical to give up the
After a series of forced moves, Black is at
a parting of the ways. In choosing between
bishop by 10.i..xj6 gxf6 11.il.h5 with 16... Ci:Jb6 17. h5 Ci:Jc4 18. Lc4 bxc4 19. Ci:Jd4
the aim of fixing the pawn formation and 16 ... Ci:Jc 5, I opted for the second
and of initiating play on the light possibility. It creates weaknesses on White's
squares. queenside, to try and prevent his forces from
10.... 'fic7 continuing their action.
11. f4 16. Ci:Jc5
In similar situations if ll.a4 there follows 17. h5 Ci:Jxb3
ll ... Ci:Ja5. 18. cxb3 Ci:Ja5
11. b5 19. il.f3
12. a3 il.e7 White gives up a pawn, so as not to upset
13. ltd1 the rhythm of the attack after 19.b4 Ci:Jc4 or
A rather strange manoeuvre at a strategic 19.'iic2 .i..b7 (White has a pretty mate after
cross-roads. 19... d5 20.h6 g6 2l.Ci:Jxd5 ~xc2 22.Ci:Jxe7+
Savon is planning an offensive on the rJithB 23 ..i..d4+ /6 24.Lf6+ ltxf6 25.:!d8+).
kingside, but the immediately But we both overlooked the strongest reply
aggressive 13.g4 is parried by the 19.h6! g6 (19... Ci:Jxb3 20.~c2 Ci:Jc5 21.hxg7
typical 13 ... d5 14.e5 Ci:Je4 with active rJilxg7 22 . .i..d4+ e5 23.Ci:Jd5 ~b7 24 . .i..j3
counterplay. exd4 25.~h2 :!h8 26.'fih6+ rJilgB 27.Ci:Jj6+
13. ... 0-0? il.xf6 28.gxf6) 20. Ci:Jd5 exd5 21. ~ d4 f6
Black overestimates the defensive 22.~xd5+ rJithB 23.~xa8 Ci:Jc6 24.:!cl il.b7
resources in the position. 13... i..c8 14.il.f3 25."iia7 il.dB 26.:Xc6 ~xc6 27.0-0 ±.
.i..b7was sounder. 19. Ci:Jxb3
14. g4 il.c8 20. ~g2 l:tb8
Here after 14... d5 15.e5 Ci:Je4 16.Ci:Jxe4 21. f5
Black is undone by the fact that his bishop
at d7 is undefended. •
In the variation 21.g6 h6 (but not 21 .. .fxg6
15. g5 Ci:Jd7 22.hxg6 h6 23./5 i..j6 24.il.xh6 gxh6
16. h4 25.ltxh6 with dangerous threats) 22.f5 il.j6
White's king looks the more vulnerable.
21. ... b4
 56 THE METHOD IN CHESS

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.'tWe2 loses a piece to 26.. .'iVg3+.
26. lhb4
27. 'tig3 'ii'f5
28. d6 i.xd6
29 . .l:txd6 ~b7
30. l:td7 i.xf3
This is more effective than the prosaic
0 30... 'tWxf3+.
31. l:tg7+ <J;bS

•
This important tactical resource opens up
32. l:tgl
An amusing situation. White puts his
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
black king with the centre open, whereas the 32. .l:.g4
33. 'iic7 ~dl +
static weakness of his own monarch
34. <J;el .l:txgl +
becomes the decisive factor.
22. axb4 d5
35. i.xgl 'iVfl #
23. h6 Being in severe time trouble, White did
White prevents the opening of the not find a moment to resign.
position. This is sadly necessary, since the
planned 23.f6 leaves him without any hopes
No.7
after 23 ... i.xb4 24.fxg7 .1t.xc3+ 25.bxc3 !.Dorfman- D.Bronstein
..Wxc3+ 26. <J;f2 ..Wxg7. A53 - 43rd USSR Championship,
23. g6 Yerevan 197 5
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.
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 57

1. c4 e5 White's position is statically better, and

2. li:\c3 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. li:\f3 pawn.
Now, after almost any move, there follows 13. .l:!ab1 a5
4.d4. Bronstein decides on a recommendation 14. i..a1 i..f8
by Emmanuel Lasker. 15. i..g2 W/c7
3. ~g4 16. l:Ud1 :e6
4. d4 li:\d7 This is clearly a critical position. For this
4.. .li:\c6 looks more logical, but after 5.d5 there are two reasons: it is the end of a series
liJce7what is Black to do with his bishop atg4? of forced moves, and there is the possibility
5. g3 of changing the central pawn formation .
The most natural dev elopment. White 17. e3
does not fear the doubling of his pawns after
5... Lj3 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. li:\gf6 have a bishop (in this specific case, on the
6. i..g2 i..e7 light squares). The plan of putting pressure
7. 0-0 0-0 on the light squares may consist in
8. h3 ~xf3 advancing the pawn to b5, or in attacking
This capture is practically forced, in view the a5 pawn with the aim of forcing ... b 7-
ofthe problems arising after 8... i..h5 9.li:\h4. b6.
9. i..xf3 exd4 17. .l:!d8

•
Black concedes the centre, realising that
18. li:\e2
19. 'it'd2
l::tee8
li:\fe4
after 9 ... c6 I O.d5 c5 the absence of his light- 20. 'i*'c2 'iie7
square square bishop will prevent him from
successfully playing ... b7-b5 and .. . f7-f5.
10. 'it'xd4
11. b3
c6
:e8
8 Vi ~ .~. ~--~"
'l.~

~ · -~ ~ · ~~·
-
7
12. i..b2 li:\c5 "'

-M).
· ~: w
--
6 @
5 /-
4 ~ ~~ ~ ~
~

3 ~# ~ - ,,~ r!f ~
~-~

2 ~ -"iY~tLJ n Jt -
0 ~: - : ~ ~
a h b c d e g

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.'flb2).
 58 THE METHOD IN CHESS

21. lDf4 31. f4 d5

The naive 21.a3 is premature due to No better is 3I...:ac8 32.Lc6.
21... a4. 32. cxd5 :adS
21. ••• f5 33. 'ili'c2 cxd5
22. tiJd3 34. l:txd5 :xd5
The weakness of the a5 pawn will become 35. i.xd5+ ~hS
perceptible after the exchange of knights. 36. e4 fxe4
22. •.• lZJd7 37. i.xe4 i..d6
One of the knights has been pushed back. 3S. l:.d1 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. ~h2 'ili't7 39. lZJg4 'ii'g7
24. :e1 i..e7 40. i..g2 :ds
25. f3 lZJec5 41. fxg5 'ili'c7
26. lZJf2! 42. 'ii'c3+ 'ii'g7

•
In the changed circumstances White does
43. lZJe5
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. .•. 'ili'g6
Bronstein unsuccessfully tries to bring out No.8
his bishop onto the long diagonal.
!.Dorfman- Y.Klovans
27. :bd1 tiJf6
Al4- Lvov 1976
2S. 'ili'd2 :as
29. i..c3 b6
1. t2Jf3 lDf6
2. c4 e6
8 3. g3
Over a certain period I was a supporter of
7 the Reti Opening. Perhaps because in my
6 childhood I had read his book on "The
opening of the future" .
5
3. d5
4 4. b3
3 •
Here 4.d4 and 4.i.g2 occur more often. In
2 both cases after 4 ... dxc4 I do not see any
advantage for White. 4.i.g2 is analysed in
0 some detail in Game 50.
a c e g 4. i..e7
5. i..g2 0-0
30. i..xf6! 6. 0-0 b6

•
This tactical blow crowns the strategy of
7. i..b2 i..b7
It is amusing that I persuaded Kasparov to
weakening the opponent's light squares. use this variation in the 24th and decisive
30. .•• 'ii'xf6 game of the World Championship Match,
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 59

Seville 1987. In similar situations I had seen successful

8. e3 c5 play by Ulf Andersson, involving exchanges
9. 'ife2 on the long diagonal, but I did not greatly
•
Black gained comfortable equality in the
believe in its advisability. Black is restricted
to three ranks, and it is logical to let him try
game Seirawan-Dorfman, Tilburg 1993, and solve his problems himself.
after 9.lbc3 lbe4 10.cxd5 lbxc3 ll .dxc3 17. ... :es
!i..xd5 (ll.. .exd5? 12.lbe5!). Parrying the threat of f4-f5.
9. dxc4 18. i.a1 lbc6
10. bxc4 lbc6 19. i.g2 ltdd8?!
11. :d1 :cs
•
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, ... lba7 and ... b6-b5.
12. d3 :c7
13. lbc3 'tWaS
14. lbel
White controls the central squares and is
hoping to prepare the advance of his
kingside pawns.
14. :d7
15. f4 :rds a b c d e g h
16. :ab1
A multi-purpose manoeuvre. After !i..al
•
Up till now Black's play was almost ideal,
Black's counterplay with ... b6-b5 will be but here 19... lbb4 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 lba5
dangerous resource 'ti'b2. 21. g5 lbd7
22. lbf3

ea •
And here is the punishment! The g-pawn
has already advanced, and White can again
7
avoid the exchange of bishops.
6 22. !i..f8
23. h4 e5
5
4 •
White's pressure has become threatening.
3 Black simply no longer had any other
counterplay.
2
24. f5 e4
•
Only a masochist would allow a blockade
on the light squares.
16. lbb4 25. dxe4 'ti'b8
17. !i..h3 Regaining the pawn does not come into
• Black's plans. After 25 ... .i.xe4 26.lbxe4
 60 THE METHOD IN CHESS

iixe4 27.llJe5 "iixf5 28.n.fl his position is 34. :xd7

hopeless.
26. liJd2 'ilig3 •
Lifting the blockade. White forcibly
27. 'ilif2 ..td6 creates three central passed pawns, which
28. 'ilixg3 ..txg3 sweep away everything in their path with
29. llJe2? ..teS? the support of the pair of rampant bishops.
An exchange of compliments. White 34. .laxd7
should have played 29.h5 immediately. 35. llJxeS .l:.xeS
Klovans continues playing for a blockade, 36. liJdS .lle8
not giving in to the provocation (2 9... Lh4 37. h6 ..txdS
30.llJj3), but here we have an instance of 38. cxdS gxh6
mutual hypnosis, since after 30 ... ..txe4 39. gxh6 l:Ide7
3J.liJxh4 Lbl 32.1/J.xbl llJxc4 33.e4 liJd2 40. d6
34.':.dl llJj6 35.llJg3 llJjxe4 36.llJxe4 llJxe4 40.e5? :Xe5 would have been naive.
37.'fhd8 1hd8 38 . ..txe4 :dJ+ 39.~/2 4o. n d7
:Xal Black would have won. 41. eS f6
30. llJc3 ..tg3 42. ..tdS+ 'it>f8
31. hS ..th4 43 . ..te6 : dd8
Black again avoids a 'mined' square. He 44. ~h2
would have lost material after 31 ... llJe5 1-0
32.llJe2 ..th4 33.Le5 .:..Xe5 34.llJf3. By way of information, I will give a short
32. {[Jf3 ..tg3 game, but one that is important for the
33. .llbcl theory of this variation.
I was already prepared to reconcile myself
to the inevitable draw, which is extremely V.Akopian - !.Dorfman
unpleasant with an extra central pawn, and it A 13 - Barcelona 1992
was only my belief in the 'sanctity' of material
that forced me to look for latent resources. l.c4 e6 2.liJf3 liJf6 3.g3 dS 4.b3 cS S...tg2
White sets his opponent a new problem, since llJc6 6.cxd5 exdS 7.0-0 !1Le7 8.d4 llJe4
Black loses after both 33... llJxc4 34.llJe2 and 9...tb2 ..tf6 10.llJc3 liJxd4
33... Le4 34.llJxe4 :Xe4 35.:d5. He should JO ... cxd4 ll.liJb5 liJc3 12 . ..txc3 dxc3
have played 33... ..tb8. 13."iixd5 favours White.
33. ..teS? ll.liJxd4 ..txd4 12.'ilic2
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 61

12 .•• ..txc3! psychological pressure. In the given case

After 12 .. Jijxc3 13. ii.. xc3 ii.. xc3 this had the opposite effect, and, having
14. ~xc3 0-0 15.11ixc5 Black has the been put on my guard, I concentrated as
worse pawn formation without any hard as possible. Thus I quickly rejected
compensation. 12... Ji..d7 13.g4 e5 14. tLlde2 ii..c6 15.g5 with
13.ii..xc3 0-0 14.ii..xe4 dxe4 15.'i!Vxe4 an overwhelming advantage for White. This,
'lVh incidentally, was the course taken by the
source game Fischer-Bielicki, Mar del Plata
No.9 1960. Relatively quickly I decided to go for
O.Romanishin- I.Dorfman double-edged central play.
12. e5
B88 - 44th USSR Championship,
13. tLlde2
Moscow 1976

1. e4
2. tLlf3
3. d4
4. tLlxd4
c5
tLlc6
cxd4
tLlf6
•
5. tLlc3 d6
6. ..tc4 e6
To be honest, I have always considered
the Sozin Attack to be a dubious
undertaking for White. Several times I have
successfully upheld the soundness of
6 ... 'fib6. After the text move the play
develops more dynamically, and both
players are required to demonstrate a subtle
feeling for the initiative.
7. ii..b3 13.... d5
As is shown by the development of
events, Romanishin had decided to try
•
The other sacrifice 13 ... b5 14. tLlx b5
Fischer's favourite idea. It consists in (14 . .i..g5) 14 ... Ji..b 7 is also worth
advancing the pawn to f5, with the aim of studying.
weakening the d5 square. Another plan is ii..e3, 14. exd5
'iWe2 and 0-0-0, followed by a pawn offensive
on the kingside.
7. ... a6
•
I can suggest here the promtsmg
Tastes change, and today I prefer Black's sacrifice 14.0-0-0 d4 15.tLlxd4 exd4
development with 7... ii..e7 8.f4 'ili'a5. 16. ii..xd4, with two pawns for the piece
8. f4 tLla5 and a strong attack.
9. f5 tLlxb3 14. e4
10. axb3 Ji..e7 15. 'iin3
11. 'ii'f3 0-0 In the event of 15.tLlxe4 tLl xe4
12. ii..e3 16. 'ili'xe4 l:.e8 17. "fij3 Ji..h4+ 18.g3
•
My opponent spent only a few seconds on
il.. xj5 19. 'ilxf5 l;:txe3 Black has the
initiative.
his opening moves, trying to strengthen the 15. ... tLlxd5
effect of home preparation with
 62 THE METHOD IN CHESS

18. :xd8 .:taxd8

19. ti:Jg3 i..g6
20. 1t'a5
A strong move, preventing the
development of Black's initiative by ... i..g5.
After the game Romanishin suggested that
after the correct 20.'iie2 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."iie2
i..g5 2J.ti:Jcxe4 i..h6 Black developed an
irresistible attack on the enemy king.

es
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 1988,
and Badii-Dorfman, French League 1995?! 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
unable to complete his development. 20.... b5!
Fortunately, my opponent followed 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 16.ti:Jxd5 'iixd5 Statically White is doomed. It is important
17.0-0 1V c6 Black 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 i..xf5 2l.h4 h6 22.1*' b6. 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 17. 'flixf5 merely give him access to the white king.
ti:Jxe3 18.:xd8 ti:Jxf5 19.:xf8+ :xf8 21. h4
20.ti:Jxe4 ti:Je3 and 17.'n.xd5 i..xh3 18.:Xd8 The pawn is immune because of the
:axd8 19.gxh3 f5, but 17. 'iixf5 was variation 21.ti:Jcxe4 f5 22.ti:Jc3 f4 23.ti:Jge4
nevertheless the lesser evil. b4.
17. 1Wb5? 21. ... h6
Now Black gains sufficient material for 22. 1t'b6 ti:JdS
the queen, and the static balance is Black continues his pursuit of the king,
favourable for him due to the static but perhaps cleaner was 22 ... ti:Jxg2 23.h5
weakness of the white king. i..h7 24.ti:Jcxe4 f5 25. 'flie6+ :r with the
17. ... ti:Jxe3 idea of uniting his forces after ... f5-f4 and
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 63

.. . i.j5. has available several equally good

23. lt:\xd5 continuations : 9.lt:\d2, 9.lt:\el and 9.b4.
White's king is uncomfortable in the After the text move Black is not able to
variation 23. 'iib7 lt:\xc3 24. 'iixe7 ~feB provoke the fixing of the centre, but on the
25.'iib7 (25.'iia3 b4; 25.'iic7lt:\a2+ 26.ri;bl other hand the founders of the King's Indian
ltJb4) 25... lt:\a2+ 26.ri;bJltJb4. Defence, Isaac Boleslavsky and David
23. ~xd5 Bronstein, gained their brilliant victories in
24. lt:\e2 ~fd8 a dynamic battle with an open centre.
25. g3 8. ~e1
The Ukrainian grandmaster seeks a Playing White, I would prefer 8.'iic2 c6 9.~1.
defence against 25 .. . .it.xh4, but he goes 8. c6
from the frying pan into the fire . 25.lt:\c3 9. i.fl exd4
was more tenacious.
25. ..th5 •
It is well know that the capture on d4 is
26. lt:\c3 ~5d6 premature before h2-h3 has been played.
27. 'iib7 i.f3 The point is that now White can support his
28. ~el ~6d7 centre by f2-f3, without weakening the g3
29. 'ii'xa6 square. The trouble is that after 9.. J1e8
Black's next move can be parried only by 10.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. lt:\e2 e3 10. lt:\xd4 l:te8
31. ri;b1 Ita8 11. lt:\c2
32. 'iic4 .l:.da7 A rather awkward manoeuvre. ll.f3? d5
0-1 is bad for White, but JJ.ri;hl or ll ..it.g5 is
worth studying.
No.lO 11. ... lt:\e5
N.Rashkovsky- !.Dorfman
E95 - 44th USSR Championship,
Moscow 1976

1. d4 lt:\f6
2. c4 g6
3. lt:\c3 .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
a b c d e g h
reasons I was aiming for a win at any price.
5. lt:\f3 0-0 12. h3
6. .i.e2 e5 A critical moment. White strengthens his
7. 0-0 lt:\bd7 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... lt:\c6 8.d5 lt:\e7, where White leads to wild complications:
 64 THE METHOD IN CHESS

A) 12... 'fib6+?? 13.it..e3 'fixb2 14.CDa4+-; 16. ti:Jxe6

B) 12 ... CDeg4! 13. c5 CDxh2 (13 ... dxc5 Maintaining his cautious strategy,
14.'fixd8 ~d8 15.h3 CDh6 16.g4) 14.~xh2 Rashkovsky rids his opponent of an
CDg4+ 15.~g3 ii...J6 16.~/3 ii...xc3 17.bxc3 unnecessary piece. He increases his static
'fih4 18.g3 CDe5+ (or 18... CDh2+ 19.~f2 advantage, but at the same time he promotes
CDg4+ =; 18... 'fih5oco) 19.~f2 CDg4+ =; the development of his opponent's dynamic
C) 12...0fg4! 13.h3 'fih4 14.fxe5 'fij2+ 15.~h1 play.
'fig316.hxg4ii...xe51Z~g1 "iih2+ 18.~'fig3+=. 16. .l::f.xe6
12. ii...e6 17. l:!.cl l::rae8
13. b3 CDhS 18. ~h1 ti:Jd7
14. CDd4 'fih4 In this way Black emphasises the
15. ii...e3 h6 drawbacks to the exchange on the 16th

•
The concentration of the black pieces
move. He tries to provoke the advance of
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 from 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. 'iid2 ii...xh3 17./4 (17.gxh3 c5 white bishop would be shut out of the game.
with the initiative) 17... ii...g4 18.fxe5 Le5 19. g3 'iie7
19.CDJ3 ii...xf3 20.gxf3, and now: 20. it..g2 ti:JcS
A) 20 ... 'iig3+? 21.ii...g2 'fih2+ 22.~/1 21. g4 ti:Jf6
(22. ~f2 CDJ4 23.il..xf4 iLxJ4) 22 ... CDg3+ 22. f3
23.~f2 'fih4 24.~g1 tDh5 25.CDe2 and
White has a significant advantage;
•
22 . .ixc5 dxc5 23./4, preparing e4-e5
B) 20... 'f/J6!: followed by ti:Je4 (a typical idea in the
Bl) 21.ti:Je2 ii...xa1 22.I:!..xa1 Wlxf3 King's Indian Defence) runs into 23 ... g5!
(22 ... 'fixa1 23.it..d4 'fib1 24.ti:Jc3; this 22. aS
variation shows the main idea of 21.ti:Je2) 23. a3 hS
23.it..g2 "iig4 and White stands badly; 24. b4
B2) stronger is 21.'fi.acl 'fixJ3 22.'fig2 'fixg2+
23.Lg2 tlJf4 with a complicated game.
•
Here in reply to 24. .ixc5 dxc5 25.g5 I
I should also mention that after 16.'ficl g5 like 25 ... '1:.d8! (25 ... ti:Jh7 26.f4 I:!..d8 27.'fic2
White still faces difficult problems. it..xc3 28. 'fixc3 I:!..ed6 29. 'fixa5 I:!..d2
followed by ... ti:Jj8-e6 is also good enough)
26.ti:Jd5 (26.'fic2 ti:Je8 27.f4 it..xc3 28.'fixc3
'IJ.ed6 29.'fixa5 I:!..d2) 26 ... cxd5 27.gxf6
'fixJ6 28.cxd5 'fi/4 29.I:!..xc5 it..e5 30.~g1
it..d6 with the initiative on the dark squares.
24. ti:Ja6
25. bS ti:JcS
26. ti:Je2

•
After this Rashkovsky, who was in his
usual time trouble, loses instantly. More
tenacious was 26.it..xc5 dxc5 27.g5, with
variations similar to those given in the note
a b c d e g h
to White's 24th move.
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 65

26. hxg4 7.'ikxe4

27. hxg4 tt'lcxe4 In reply to the immediate 7.d4 Black can
28. fxe4 tt'lxg4 play 7... 'iliel, trying to transpose into the
29. ti::lf4 'ili'h4+ text, or he can take the play along different
30. tt'lh3 lhe4 lines by 7... i.e7 8.dxe5 tt'lc5.
It is time to lower the curtain, but White 7. 'i/e7
continues the pointless moving of his pieces 8. d4 tt'lc6
with his flag hopelessly hanging. I should mention an important tactical
31. 'ii'xg4 'ikxg4 nuance: 8... tt'lg6 (neutralising the idea of
32. ~f2 lbe1+ 9.'ilig4) 9.i.xd7+! ~xdl 10.'fiij5+ ~c6
33. ~xe1 .l:.e2 ll.'ilif3+, and Black stands badly.
34. ~f2 ~d4 9. 'ili'g4
35. :tfl
36. l:rxf2
~xf2
l:txf2 •
Otherwise White has to accept that Black's
37. ti::lxf2 'ili'xc4 arguments are convincing, and reconcile
38. bxc6 bxc6 himself to equality after 9.'ilixe7+ ~xel.
39. tt'le4 'ili'cl+
40. ~h2 'ili'xa3
0-1

No.ll
I.Dorfman- B.Gulko
C65 - 44th USSR Championship,
Moscow 1976

1. e4 e5
Preparing for a game with Boris Gulko is
a thankless and pointless task. Thus in our
short match in 1978, in three Black games a b c d e g h
he "succeeded" in playing the Ruy Lopez,
the French and the Sicilian. 9. f5
2.
3.
ti::lf3
~b5
tt'lc6
ti::lf6 •
The most critical continuation. Events
4. 0-0 ~c5 develop differently after 9... h5 10.'iixg7 Ld4
5. tt'lxe5 11. 'ilig3 a6 12.~xc6 dxc6 13. 'ilid3 ~gl
•
5.c3 is also quite possible, by analogy
14.tt'lc3 ~dl 15.'fiig3 ~e5 16.~/4 h4 1Z'ilie3
Lj4 18.'ilixf4 0-0-0 19.'fiie3 'fiixe3 20.fxe3,
with the Arkhangelsk Variation. when White has a favourable endgame.
5. tt'lxe4
Later attempts were made to revive the 10. 'ii'h5+ •
variation with 5... tlJxe5, but by playing 6.d4 White is required to make a real sacrifice,
c6 7.dxe5 tt'lxe4 8.~d3 d5 9.exd6 tt'lj6 since 10. 'ilixf5 tt'lxd4 cannot satisfy him.
10.'f:..e1+ ~e6 ll.tt'lc3 (11.~/5!?) Interposing the check weakens the long
11 ... 'ilixd6 12.'ilif3 0-0 13.~/4 White diagonal and creates the preconditions for
everywhere retains a slight advantage. all sorts of combinations.
6. 'ike2 tt'lxe5 10. ... g6
 66 THE METHOD IN CHESS

11. 'i'd1 li::lxd4 A fairytale position! Black is a piece and a

12. b4 .ltb6 pawn up in the endgame, it is him to move,
13. c4 'i'e2 in addition all the white pieces are on the
Again the only reply. 13... 0-0 14.c5 liJxb5 back rank, and yet he is lost!
15.cxb6 c6 16.a4 is altogether hopeless. But 16. ... li::ld6
now, after a series of forced moves, a critical The best practical chance. 16... c6 17.cxb6
position has been reached. axb6 18..ltb2 and 16... a6 17.cxb6 are both
unsatisfactory.
17. cxd6 cxd6
18. li::lc3

•
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
19.li::\b5 (19.li::\d5 b6) 19 .. . 0-0 20 . .lth6
brings no relief.
19. .ltg5 0-0
20. .lte7 .l:.e8
14. c5 21. li::lxd5 <J;f7
I must reassure the readers who may be 22. aS .ltd8
confused by Black's last move. Everything 23. .ltxd8 :xd8
is in order. White loses after 14.'f:.el li::\f3+ 24. ~el g5
15.gxf3 Lf2+ 16.<J;g2 'iixel. 25. h4
14. ... 'i'xd1 A useful move, which breaks up the
15. ~xd1 li::lxb5 kingside pawns. After 25... h6 26.:e7+ ~g6
The pluses of White's 1oth move are seen 27.h5+ <J;xh5 28.:g7 :j8 29.f3 and 30. <J;j2
in the variation 15 ... li::\c2 16 . .ltb2 'r..j8 White gives mate.
(16... 0-0 17. .ltc4+) 17..lta4 liJxal lB.:eJ+, 25. gxh4
where Black faces insoluble problems. 26. ~e7+ <J;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.'~a4! .ltd7 29.:Xh4 h6 30.b6.
28. f4
29. :cc7 <J;rs
30. .l:.c4 f3
Some hopes of saving the game would
have been retained by 30... .lte6 3l.:Xf4+
<J;es 32.:Xh4 <J;xd5 33.~h5+ <J;c4 34.:Xe6
:d7.
31. :xh4 fxg2
32. ~hxh7
a c d e 32.:/4+ Wg5 33.l:.g7+ Wh6 34.:Xg2 was
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 67

more forcing, and therefore stronger. Later I beard from Nikitin that he and
32. 1:1g8 Kasparov considered immediate castling to
33. :e3 :d8 be more accurate. To me this seems dubious.
34. 1:1f7+ r.ti>g6 If Black does not succeed in gaining
35. 1:1f6+ r.fi>h7 counterplay in the most economical way, by
36. 1:1e7+ using only his queenside pieces, he will
1-0 most probably not gain any at all.
10. 'i!i'e2!
No.l2 Significantly stronger than the banal
A.Karpov - !.Dorfman 10. 'illd2 tbde 5.
10. 'i!i'c7
B81 - 44th USSR Championship, 11. 0-0-0 b5

1. e4
Moscow 1976

c5
•
Playing with fire. It was clear to me that,
2. tt:lf3 d6 in the battle for an advantage, White was
3. d4 cxd4 obliged to sacrifice a piece, not allowing
4. tt:lxd4 tt:lf6 Black to develop comfortably with
5. tt:lc3 e6 12... iL.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 be 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 Sicilian
clashes between Karpov and Kasparov,
Black allowed the Keres Attack only once:
in the 1st game of their first World
Championship Match in 1984 ... 0
6. it..e7
Despite all the resourcefulness displayed
by Zsuzsa Polgar, Valery Salov, Jan Ehlvest, 12. tt:lxc6 'i!ixc6
Andrey Sokolov and others, Black has not in 13. it..d4 b4
fact managed to demonstrate equality after 14. tt:ld5 exd5
6... h6. 15. it..xg7 :g8
7. g5 tt:lfd7 16. exd5 "ifc7
8. h4 17. it..f6 tt:le5
This and especially White's 1oth move 18. it..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... iL.g4.
played 8.iL.e3 followed by 9.'ilid2. 18. ... dxe5
8. tt:lc6 19. f4 it..f5
9. it..e3 a6 A critical position, arising as a result of

• the series of forced moves after 11 ... b5 .

 68 THE METHOD IN CHESS

27. 1:1xe3 'Wxh4

28. 'it'f3 'it'xg5
29. .t:tel
The World Champion once wrote that in
difficult positions he makes moves that do
not lose by force.

20. ~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. ... 'iig2
and to the second group Capablanca, The correct reply 29... Wig4 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. Wixg4 1hg4
commits a serious mistake in what is 31.dxe7 h5, or to go fishing in troubled
essentially the first critical position. He waters with 30.'i¥c6+ or 30.'fid3.
should have continued 20.fxe5 1:tc8 2l.~h2! 30. 'it'fS l::tg6?
(Black gives mate after 21.:d2 b3 22.axb3 And this is simply a blunder. Black
~b4 23.c3 Lc3) 2l .. .'~a5 22.'~f3! decided to return the piece, in order to reach
20. ~xh3 a more pleasant position with just the heavy
21. lhh3 ~c8 pieces. He should have decided on 30... Wig4
22. fxe5 'it'c4 3l.Wixh7 ~h4 32.e6 (32.~!1 .l:.g7 33.Wih8+
23. l:ldd3 ~g8 34. Wih7 llg7 35. Wid3 Wic8 36.~dl
After White's mistake on the 2oth move, ~f8) 32.. .fxe6 33.Wic7 ~d8 34.Wic6+ ~f7.
he is required to play resourcefully. In the 31. Itfl 1lVdS
event of the exchange of queens in the 32. dxe7 ~xe7
variation 23. Wixc4 ~xc4 24.d6 ~xh4 33. Wif4
25.dxe7 ~h3 26.1:1d8+ ~xe7 27.~g8 .l:te3 This is the whole point. Due to the double
28. ~d2 l:txe5 he has to play accurately to threat of 34 Wih4+ and 34 Wixb4+ Black is
avoid having problems. unable to set up a safe position with
23. Wif4+ 33 ... ~f8. The rest is a matter of
24. ~bl ~c4 straightforward technique, if it is borne in
25. d6 .l:te4 mind that after the time control at move 40
26. ~he3 .:!.xe3 the game was adjourned.
The tempting combination 26 .. .lhg5 33. aS
27.hxg5 Lg5loses to 28.d7+ ~d8 29.:dJ. 34. Wih4+ ~e8
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 69

35. 'iixh7 'it'f3

36. 'ii'h8+ ~e7
37. "ii'h4+ ~e8
38. 'ii'c4 'ii'b7
39. b3 ~e6
40. ~g1 l:txe5
41. ~g8+ ~e7
42. 'ii'h4+ ~d7
43. 'ilff6 : e7
44. 'iif5+ ~d6
45. 'iixa5 ~e5
46. 'iid8+ ~e6
47. ~b2 f6
48. ~f8 11Vg7 4. c5
49. 'iic8+
50. 'ii'c4+
~d5
•
White's idea is understandable from the
1-0 variation 4... b5 5.e4 bxc4 6.e5ltJd5 7.dxc4 .
5. ~ g2 lt:lc6
No.13 6. o-o :b8
!.Dorfman- V.Kupreichik
Al3- 44th USSR Championship,
•
In any case a change in the central pawn
Moscow 1976 formation will follow, and Black removes
his pieces beforehand from the long
1. lt:lf3 lt:lf6 diagonal, thereby making is easier to create
2. c4 e6 counterplay.
3. g3 a6 7. d4 b5
A solid enough reply to the move order 8. ~f4 : b6
hosen by White, one that has often and 9. lt:lc3
uccessfully been played by Alburt and
Romanishin.
•
White could now have acquired a static
4. d3 advantage "free of charge" after 9.d5 ltJa5

•
A new move, which was thought up at the
10.dxe6 fxe6 ll .cxb5 axb5 12.lLlbd2 j,e7
13.e4, but I took the emotional decision to
board. \ hite has to take a decision about play dynamically. An extremely rare
the centre. instance in my games.
Few wish to play something resembling a 9. bxc4
Volga Gambit after 4.~g2 b5 5.cxb5 axb5 10. e4 ~b7
6.t:Jd4 d5 7.lt:lxb5 ~a6 8. liJ5c3 c5. On the
other hand, if 4.ltJc3 there follows 4 ... d5 .
11. e5
•
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 ll ... lt:l b4.
 70 THE METHOD IN CHESS

11. tiJdS 22. ~e7

12. lLixdS exdS 23. :ab1 e3
13. dxeS l:hb2 24. 'it'b3 !ii..bS
14. tLigS 2S. a4 e2
Kupreichik very skilfully keeps on finding 26. axbS exb1='fi
new resources for counterplay. Here 27. 'i'xb1 'fid4
regaining the material is bad because of For quite understandable reasons the b5
14.'fixd5 tL\a5 15.'fld4 :bs. 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. tLixt7 ~xf7 29. !ii..eS+ ~d8
16. i.xdS+ ~e8 30. bxa6 !ii..eS
17. ..th6 30... 'flxe5 31.a71oses more quickly.
In those years this was not yet such a 31. !ii..f6+ ~e7
banal move. 32. 'f/b7+ 'flxb7
17. ... 'i'aS 33. axb7 dxe6
White is not able to carry out his idea on 34. :b1 ~b8
the board. After 17.. . g6 18. e6 :bs (if 3S. !ii..eS+ !ii..d6
18... dxe619.Lc6+ Lc6 20.'flxd8+ ~xd8 36. !ii..xd6+ :xd6
21.!ii..g7 Black cannot simultaneously defend 37. :bs :d3
both rooks) 19.'fij3 tL\e5? 20.'fij7+ tL\xf7 38. ~g2 lle3
2l.exf7# the game would have ended in 39. h4 .l:td3
mate by a pawn on the 21st move, a rarity in 40. f4 .l:te3
USSR Championships. 41. .l:tb6 lle3
42. ~f2 .l:te4
43. hS eS
44. .l:te6 lib4
4S. .l:te8+ ~xb7
46. :xeS
1-0

Recently I was pleased to discover that

little had changed in this variation over the
past 20 years.

V.Ivanchuk- M.Chiburdanidze
Al3- World Team Championship, Lucerne 1997

l.tiJf3 lLif6 2.e4 e6 3.g3 a6 4.d3 eS S.!ii..g2

18. !ii..xg7 .l:td2 bS 6.e4 .tb7 7.eS tL\g4 8.0-0 lia7 9.d4 bxe4
19. 'i'hS+ ~d8 10.tLia3 !ii..dS ll.tLigS !ii..xg2 12.~xg2 hS
20. i.xe6 !ii..xe6 13.f3 lLih6 14.dS tiJfS 1S.tLixe4 tiJd4
21. !ii..xh8 'fixeS 16.tLie4 exdS 17 .tLied6+ !ii..xd6 18.tLixd6+
22. ~f7 ~f8 19.b4 tLibe6 20.!ii..e3 tLie6 21.!ii..xeS
White parries the threat of 22 ... 'fld5, and lLixeS 22.bxeS d4 23.'i'b3 'fle7 24.tLie8
play enters a technical phase. 'fixeS 2S.l:tae1 1-0
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 71

No.l4 advantage) after ll ... h6 12.h3 i..j5 13.e4

!.Dorfman - K.Hulak hxg5 14.exf5 gxf5 15.Lg5lt:\e416.i..e3.
12. h3 i..c8
D78 - European Team Championship,
13. lt:\c3
Moscow 1977

1.
2.
3.
4.
lt:\f3
c4
d4
g3
lt:\£6
g6
i..g7
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.lt:\a3 c3 8.bxc3 to be an
achievement for White.
7. 'ti'a4
•
Here White has tried 7.cxd5 cxd5 8. lt:\e5 13.... h6?!
and 7. 'ti'b3 "iib6 8.lt:\c3 i..j5 9.h3 (9.c5
"fixb3 JO.axb3 lDbd7 ll .b4 a6 12.i..j4 h6
•
Black deviates from the correct path. This
13.h3 lt:\e4 14.1J..jdl :tae8=) 9... 1J..d8 JO.g4 natural move is the initial cause of his
i..e6 ll .'ii'c2 dxc4? (correct is ll ... h5! with subsequent difficulties. He should seek
equality) 12.lt:\a4 "fic7 13.lt:\c5 i..c8 dynamic play with an exchange of knights
14. 'ti'xc4 with a clear advantage in the before e2-e4, by playing 13... lt:\bd5 14.lt:\a4
second variation due to the opponent's lDb615.lDc5lt:\jd7.
imprudence. White's isolated successes have 14. ltjf3 i..f5
nothing in common with the opening. It is 15. lt:\h4
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

•
A formation from the Grtinfeld Defence
statically better. It is hard for Black to attack
the enemy centre, and without this he will
can be obtained by continuing 7... lt:\bd7 soon inevitably begin to suffocate.
8.cxd5 lt:\b6. Black can also consider 15. i..e6
7... lt:\e4. 16. e4 'ti'd7
8. 'ti'xc4 Jle6
The other development scheme 8... lt:\a6
•
Again the Yugoslav champion misses a
9.lt:\c3 i..j5 is illustrated by Game 53. dynamic possibility. After 16... "fic8 17.'li;h2
9. 'ti'a4 liJbd7 g5 18.lt:\f3 g4 19.hxg4 Lg4 20.e5 White
10. lt:\g5 i..g4 has some advantage, but Black has
11. "ikd1 lt:\b6 counterplay with his pieces.

•
Black concedes the bishop pair in a
17. ~h2
18. lt:\f3
1J..ad8
lt:\h7
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,
 72 THE METHOD IN CHESS

it..e3, 'ifc2 and '!:.adl there would have been This pendulum-like manoeuvre allows
nothing for him to move. White to gain time.
19. 'i'ic2 'i'c8 36. l:.e6
20. b3 l:.fe8 37. 'i'a3 ~8
21. .ie3 ltJgS 38. tLlcS it..f8
22. lLlxgS hxgS Only in this way can Black avoid losing
23. l:.ad1 g4 material.
24. hxg4 it..xg4 39. 'ilt'c1 l:!e8
25. f3 .ie6 40. it..fl
26. lLle2 Wh7 Somehow imperceptibly, all the white
27. 11h1 pieces have joined the attack on the enemy
The start of amusing symmetric play. king. The immediate threats are 41. a4 and
27. ~h8 41.ltJxd7.
28. 'it>g1 + ~g8 40. it..c8
29. ~xh8+ it..xh8 41. a4 aS
30. ltJf4 it..d7 42. 'i'id2 fic7
The mistake on move 13 has cost Black This loss of a pawn is the lesser evil. It is
dearly. His king is weak, his pawn formation hard to comment seriously on 42 ... 'i'a8,
is bad, and there is no way for him to find a when the modest retreat of the king to gl
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. 'i'xaS lLldS
32. ~f2 it..g7 44. 'i'xc7 lLlxc7
33. '!:.h1 45. it..c4+ lLle6
45 ... ~g 7 46. it.. h6+ ~/6 47. .ixj8 '!:.xf8
48.'1:.h7 is completely hopeless.
46. 1:1d1 i.xcS
47. it..xcS 'it>f7
48. '!:.h1 ~f6
49. it..b6 rJ;;g7
50. rJ;;e3 :!f8
51. f4 'it>f6
The last tactical nuance was 5l ... exf4+
52.gxf4ltJxf4 53.it..d4+.
52. l:.h7 l:ie8
53. b4 1:1f8
54. it..a7
a b c d e g h 1-0

An important critical moment. To prevent No.15

the white queen from moving across to the L.Alburt - !.Dorfman
kingside, Black goes in for new static
A45 - 45th USSR Championship,
concessiOns.
Leningrad 1977
33. eS
34. ltJd3 f6 1. d4 lLlf6
35. dxeS fxeS 2. it..gS lLle4
36. 'i'd6 3. it..f4
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 73

In the 3.SLh4 branch the strongest reply 7. e4 g6

seems to me to be 3 ... c5 4.f3l?Jf6 5.dxc5 e6 8. l?Ja3
6.b4 b6 7.e4 bxc5 8.e5 'ii'c7 (8 .. ."ilib6). 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 development 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 SLd3, l?Je2 and 0-0 should have
the book of Boleslavsky's best games, I been made.
discovered several wins by the great player 8. St..g7
after 3 ... d6 4.f3 l?Jj6 5.e4 l?Jbd7. All this 9. 'ii'd2 0-0
looks quite convincing, but in my view 10. St..h6?!
4.l?Jd2 sets Black a number of problems.
4. f3 •
White continues playing on the wrong wing.
•
Today White looks for an advantage with
10.
11. l?Jc4
l?Jbd7

4.d5 'ii'b6 s.St..cl:

A) in my opinion, 5 ... c4 6.e3 (6.l?Jh3 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./3 l?Jd6 7.e4 SLg7, reasonable position after ll.Lg7~xg7 12.li)}z3.
when Black is alright after 8./?Jd2 e6! (8... 0-0 11. ... 'ilfc7
9.j4t), but 8.Ci:x3! requires testing in practice. 12. a4
4. 'ilfa5+ 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. St..xh6
of Gufeld's numerous pronouncements: 13. 'Wxh6 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 14.dxe6 fxe6
5. c3 l?Jf6 15. 'Wij4. Miracles do not happen, and the
6. d5 reply 15 ... l?Je5 16.l?Jxe5 l?Jd7 17.'ii'd2
•
Time has demonstrated the harmlessness of
l?Jxe5 puts everything in its place .

Lputian's idea 6.l?Jd2 cxd4 7.l?Jb3 'ii'b6

(7... 'ii'f5? 8.it..xb8 ~xb8 9.'ii'xd4 b6 10.e4)
8.'ii'xd4 l?Jc6 (8 ... 'ii'xd4 9.cxd4) 9.'ii'xb6
axb6 JO.l?Jd4 (10.SLe3?! e5! ll.Lb6 d5t)
10... e5 ll.l?Jxc6 exf4 12.l?Jd4 g6 13.g3 SLd6.
6. d6

•
Black's clever play in the game Kogan-
Wilder, New York 1986, where there
followed 6... e6 7.e4 exd5 8.exd5 d6 9. 'ii'e2+
SLe7 10.Ld6l?Jxd5 ll."fie4l?Jc6 12.'ii'xd5
SLe6 13. 'ii'xc5 "fixeS 14..il..xc5 St..xc5 with a
a b c d e f g h
strong initiative, deserves serious study.
 74 THE METHOD IN CHESS

14. 0-0-0 exdS the point of it was.

15. exdS tiJb6 24. 'iixc4
16. tLie3 Things end in a rapid mate after 24. 'iixf6
•
Understandably, such moves are not made
'it'xa5 .
24. 'ifxaS
willingly. After 16.lbxb6 axb6 mate is not 25. ~a4 'i'b6
far off. 16. fig 5 seems to me to be more 26. 'iia3 ~fS
tenacious, although even here Black can win 27. g4 fie3+
a pawn by 16... tL\fd7. 28. l:ld2 'ii'el+
16. ... l:le8 29. l:ldl 'ilie3+
White was hoping for 16... tLixa4 17. 'ii h4, 30. l:ld2 ~d3
but Black is playing for a direct attack, as in From my previous meetings with Alburt, I
the variation 17.a5 llxe3 18.axb6 (18.'iixe3 knew that it was better not to give him any
tLibxd5) 18... fie7. chances. It is this that explains why Black
17. ~ bS l:leS sees just one goal - the white king, and is
18. aS "iie7 not diverted by variations such as 30... tL\xg4
In such a situation one does not want to 31.fxg4 i.e4.
lose a tempo by playing 18 ... tL\bxd5 31. lLih3 lLixdS
19.tL\c4. 32. f4 lLixf4
19. tLic4 tLixc4 33. lLixf4 ~xf4
20. ~xc4 bS! 34. 'iia4 l:lxb2
21. ~xbS l:lb8 0-1
22. ~c6 fic7
23. fif4 No.16
V. Tseshkovsky - I.Dorfman
C99 - Zonal Tournament, Lvov 1978

1. e4 eS
2. tiJf3 tLic6
3. ~bS a6
4. ~a4 lLif6
5. 0-0 ~e7
6. :tel bS
7. ~b3 0-0
8. c3 d6
9. h3
Tseshkovsky introduced numerous ideas
a b c d e g h into the development of the 9.d4 variation.
That, for example, is what he played against
Here there are no problems with the me in the Moscow tournament of 1985.
evaluation of the position. After considering 9. lLiaS
the variation 23 ... 'iixa5 24.'iia4 'iib6 10. ~c2 cS
25. 'iia3 c4, I decided to make the third 11. d4 'iic7
move frrst. 12. tiJbd2 cxd4
23 .... c4 13. cxd4 tLic6
This move apparently looks unusual, since Before the 1997 USSR Championship I
Tal, who was walking past, asked me what spent some time searching for
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 75

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. ... tDaS
four months later, and the Russian After 15 ... tbd8 16. b4 the black knight
grandmaster had prepared a new plan of can only theoretically be brought into play.
fighting for the initiative. 16. tDn :res
14. a3 White's idea is that an attempt to improve

•
For reasons that I do not understand, in the
the position of (or exchange) the knight
standing on the edge of the board will
late 1990s White increasingly began inevitably lead to an attack on Black's
reverting to the line 14.ll:Jb3 a5 15.iLe3 a4 queenside . For example, 16 ... tb c4 17.b3
16.tl:Jbd2 tbb4 17. iL b1 iL.d7 18.a3 tbc6. I tDb618.iLe3 a5 19.:cJ1Wb7 20. iLd3.
have played this variation long enough to 17. .i..d3 .i..d8
realise that the move in the game is more 18. tbg3 1Wa7
dangerous . Black equalised in a rather 19. :n .i..b6
unusual way in the game Balashov - 20. tbh4 g6
Dorfman , 44th USSR Championship , The lesser evil. After playing the king's
Leningrad 1977: 14... 'ila7?! 15.d5? tbd4 bishop to b6 it would be a mixture of
16.lbxd4 iixd4 17.'ile21Wa7. White missed optimism and masochism to allow the
the subtle idea 15. tbb3 iLd8 16.dxe5 dxe5 enemy knight in at f5.
17.i..e3 i. b6 18.ild6! , securing him an 21. 'it>h1
enduring initiative. As the further development of events
14. i.d7 shows, 21.Wh2! was more accurate, when
15. d5 things are bad for Black.
21. tbe8
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 15.tbb3 f-file, six white pieces will participate in the
:jc8 16.iLd2 a5 17.d5 tbd8 18.:cJ tbb7 "king-bunt". Black's play on the queenside
19. tb a1. Tseshkovsky's move is has not succeeded, but, fortunately, be has
significantly stronger. Despite the available an important defensive resource.
 76 THE METHOD IN CHESS

22. .l:txcl
23. lhcl exf4
24. lbe2
25. lbf3
i.f2
i.e3 ea
This is again a critical position. White is
obliged to play dynamically, since the
bishop at e3, supported by a pawn, is worth
a rook. The deployment .. . lbj6 and ... l:te8
cannot be allowed.
26. 'i'iel i.xcl
27. lbxcl lbc4
28. i.xc4 bxc4
29. 'ifh4 i.bS
Tempo play is in progress. Black is
seeking counter-chances on the queenside, a b c d e g h
so as to attract as many white pieces as
possible to its defence.
30. :tel f6 •
In this position the game was adjourned,
31. 'i'ixf4 'i'if2 and Black took a committing decision.
32. lbe2 c3 With a pawn sacrifice he forcibly
33. bxc3 transposed into a rook ending. Passive
•
Black's problems are much more easily
defence on the 8th rank by 41 ... '1:1c4 42.l:ta8
~j7 43.l:ta7+ ~g8 44.:e7 l:tc8 could have
solved after 33.lbxc3 'i'ixb2 34.lbxb5 had only one result.
axb5. 41. lbc7
33. i.xe2 42. lbxc7
34. 'ifd2
35. l:txe2
'it'c5
'i'ixa3 •
In adjournment analysis the two players
36. lbd4 came to the conclusion that after 42.:Xd6
Black has avoided a direct attack, by lbxe6 43.:Xe6 ~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. Itxc7
The weakness of the c6 and e6 squares 43. ~g3 .l:ld7
condemns him to passive defence. 44. l:ta8+ ~f7
36. ... l:tb8 45. :h8?
37. ~h2 The Russian player falls into a trap. After
This could have been done 16 moves ago. the correct 45. ~f4! h5 Black would still
37. l:tbl have been required to play accurately.
38. lbe6 'i'icl 45. ~g7

•
I would remind you of the link between
46. :c8
47. ~f4
Ite7
f5
the exchange of queens and the static 48. exf5 l:f.e5
position ofthe king. 49. l:tc7+ 'it>h6
39. 'i'ixcl .:.xcl 50. g4 g5+
40. .l:ta2 l:txc3 51. ~f3 :e3+
41. .l:txa6 ~-~
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 77

No.17 (11... l2Jd5) the freeing of White's knight will

L.Evans - !.Dorfman inevitably lead to the degradation of his
All -Sao Paulo 1978 king's static position.
10. f3 i.g6
1. c4 lLlf6 11. e3 ~c8
2. g3?! 12. tLlxg6 hxg6
This move is inappropriate, since it does
not allow White to successfully contest the •
Black has a minimal static advantage
centre. thanks to the weakening of the enemy king's
2. c6 position.
3. ~g2 d5 13. b3 0-0
4. cxd5 14. i.b2 a6
•
White does not appear to have
15. f,!f2 'ii'a5
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 ~d4. subsequently play for the favourable
4. cxd5 queen+knight tandem). To parry this, White
5. tt:Jf3 l2Jc6 makes new strategic concessions.
6. d4 16. a3 l2Ja7

•
White could have tried to justify his
17. b4
•
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 1Oth
line: and 17th moves.
S.Webb- T.Petrosian 17. 'ii'd8
Hastings 1977 18. ~fl tt:Je8
l.c4 lLlf6 2.g3 c6 3. ~ g2 d5 4.cxd5 cxd5 19. e4
5.l2Jf3 l2Jc6 6.0-0 e5 7.d4 e4 8.l2Je5 ~ d6
9. ~ f4 0-0 lO. tLl c3 .l::.e8 ll. l2Jxc6 bxc6
•
Otherwise the play will become all one
12. ~x d6 'ifxd6 13 •.l:!cl h5 14.'ifd2 h4 way after 19.'fJ.c1 tLld6.
15.'i!Vg5 h3 16.~hl 'iVb4 17.'ii'd2 .!I b8 19. dxe4
18.b3 l2J g4 19.'iVf4 n h7 20. tt:Jxe4 dxe4 20. tLlxe4
21.~xe4 i.d7 22Jic5 l:.b5 23.~xc6 1:i.xc5
24.~xd7 'iVb7 25.f3 'i!Vxd7 26.dxc5 tLle3 0-1 ea
7
6. ~f5
7. tt:Jc3 e6 6
8. 0-0 i.e7 5
9. l2Jb4 i.e4
4
Again a critical position. Black concedes
the bishop pair. Taken in isolation, this 3
unprepossessing move looks banal. This
2
impression disappears, if it is regarded as
one of the links in Black's strategy. Thus in
the variation 10. tLlxe4 dxe4 11. ~e3 h6 a c e g
 78 THE METHOD IN CHESS

•
White is at a parting of the ways, and it
Black has no reason to hurry. Here there is
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 ti:Jbc6
pawn formation after 20.fxe4 ti:Jd6 21. flib3 29. tl:Jxb7 'ii'xb7
ti:Jab5 22.ti:Jxb5 axb5. 30. ii...xc6 tl:Jxc6
20. •.• ti:Jf6 31. 1Ixc6 il..xd4
Naturally, the black knight regroups in 32. il..xd4 l:txd4
order to blockade the central isolated pawn. 33. 'it'f3 ~fd8
21. tl:Jc5
22. l:;Icl
flib6
tl:Jc6
•
The end of a series of forced moves.

•
An important technical nuance. Black
White has rid himself of his isolated pawn,
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. ~6c3 'iVb5
away the active knight by ... b 7-b6. I should 35• .l:lc8 llxc8
mention that the following tactical operation 36. llxc8+ <it>b7
is harmless for him: 23.d5 exd5 24.il..xj6 37. Il.c5
ii..xj6 25.ti:Jd7 flia7 26.tl:Jxj8 (26.tl:Jxj6+ 37.g4 loses to 37.. .'~d3.
gxf6 27.fixd5 ti:Jxb4) 26... ii..d4. 37. ftd7
23. flia4 ti:Jb8 38. llc2 .l::td3
24. l:tfc2 .l:!cd8 39. ii'c6 l:td1+
The technical phase demands 40. <it>g2 'it'd3
attentiveness and accuracy. Black prevents 41. <it>b3
25.ti:Jd7, and at the same time 25."iia5 "iia7 The white king despairingly seeks a shelter.
26.fic7 does not work because of 26... ii..d6 41. 1lg1
27.Wixb7(27.f!ia5 b6) 27... Lc5. 42. 'iVc5 'iVfl+
25. 'Wb3 ti:Jd5 43. <it>b4 l;!g2
26. Wh1 ii...f6 0-1
27. ii...g2 ti:Je7 White is unable to parry the mating threats
by ... fli dl, .. . j7-f6 and ... e6-e5.

No.18
W.Schmidt- !.Dorfman
A12 Polanica Zdroj 1978

The devaluation of the grandmaster title in the

USSR occurred 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

 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 79

national title of "grandmaster" I was able to add 13. d4?

the prefix"intemational".
1. lLlf3 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
•
The Polish player had learned his lesson
variation 13.0-0 "ifle5 14.g3 ilg5 15.h4 ilg6
16. ~g2 :ad8 17.lbb5, a direct attack does
from our game in the Warsaw tournament of not promise Black any significant dividends.
1983 , where he chose against me the There is no doubt that on the 14 1h move
aggressive 3.d4 lbj6 4. lbc3 e6 5..i..g5 . Black has a number of promising
3. ..tg4 possibilities, but after the text move White
4. e3 e5 will be forced sooner or later to weaken his
•
A critical point for th is system of
king's position by advancing his f-pawn .
13. a6
development. Black exchanges bishop for 14. 0-0 b5
knight, which is rare at such an early stage. 15. 'ii'd2 h5
The 'justification' is 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 .i..xf3 weakness of the c3 square will subsequently
6. 'ii'xf3 lLlf6 tell.
7. .i..b2 .i..d6 16. .•. exf3
8. cxd5 17. .i..xf3 'ii'e6
•
The Polish player relieves the tension in
Black has a decisive static advantage. The
game enters a technical phase. After
the centre. 8.'i!Vg3 lbh5 9.'i!Vg4 g6 would not defending his central pawn, Black carries
have achieved anything. out the knight manoeuvre c6-e7-f5-g3-e4.
8. cxd5 18. %:tfe1 %:tac8
9. lLlc3 e4 Essential prophylaxis (19.e4 lLlxd4), not
10. 'i!Vd1 0-0 allowing the opponent to change the
11. .i..e2 lLlc6 unfavourable course of the game.
12. d3 19. %:tacl %:tfe8
•
The threat of... d5-d4 has to be parried.
20. ilf2 ..tb4
Because of the fixed pawn formation, the
12. ... "ille7 knights dominate over the bishops. The
exchange of bishop for knight secures Black
control of e4.
21. ilh4 lLle7
22. ilg5
Because of a fork , the pawn capture
22 . .i..xh5 loses to 22 ... lbj5 23.'iig5 .i..xc3
24.Lc3 lbe4.
22. lLlf5
23. a3 .i..xc3
24. ..txc3 g6
25 . ..tb4 lLle4
26. 'i!Vf4 lLlfg3
27. ile5
a b c d e g h The queen is in danger, and if 27..i..xe4
 80 THE METHOD IN CHESS

there is the decisive reply 27... ~xcl. No.l9

27. 'ii'd7 G.Kuzmin - !.Dorfman
28. lhc8 %:txc8 C80 - 46th USSR Championship,
29. ~xe4 ll:lxe4 Tbilisi 1978

1. e4 e5
2. ll:lf3 ll:lc6
3. ~ b5 a6
4. ~a4 ll:lf6
5. 0-0 ll:lxe4
The choice of opening in this and the
following games was a tribute to fashion.
After all, 1978 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
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. ~ b3 d5
the necessary simplification, to emphasise 8. dxe5 ~e6
the uselessness of the white bishop. 9. ll:lbd2 ll:lc5
30. .l:!.fl 'iiVe6 10. c3 d4
Usually the rook+bishop tandem is 11. ~xe6 ll:lxe6
stronger than rook+knight, but in this case,
because of the fixed pawn formation, the
rule does not apply.
31. 'ii'xe6

•
31.'iif4 was more tenacious, when Black
can develop his play on the kingside by
... ~g7, ... j7-f6, ... g6-g5 and ... ~g6.
31. fxe6
32. g4 hxg4
33. hxg4 ~g7
34. ~g2 ~c2+
35. ~h3
35.~/3 g5 is also hopeless for White. a b c d e g h
35. %:te2
36. g5 ll:lxg5+ 12. a4
0-1
In this completely hopeless position White
•
I had prepared for 12.lt:lb3, when I had in
lost on time. "The future belongs to him mind 12 ... dxc3 13.'Wic2ll:lb4 14.'fixc3
who has the bishops" (Tarrasch). 'fld3 . In this way Tal defeated Sax a year
Obviously this rule needs to be applied later at the tournament in Tallinn. In order to
creatively. understand Kuzmin's new idea, let us
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 81

look at the classic game Capablanca- The critical position of the variation.
Lasker, St Petersburg 1914, which White's plan is justified after 18 ... 0-0
continued 12.cxd4 ti::Jcxd4 13.ti::Jxd4 'ilixd4 19.'1d.d2 flieS 20.'1d.d5, when his pieces
14.'i!ij3 '1d.d8 15.a4. White rejected the win cannot be driven back.
of a pawn (and also the fight for an opening 18. ... ti::Jb8!
advantage) because of 15. 'ilic6+ 'ilid7 A static advantage can be converted even
16. 'iii xa6 i..b4 17. ti::Jj3 'iii d5. Thinking over by retreating to the starting positions. Now
my 12th move, I realised that if 12 ... b4? I the white rook is tied to the a-pawn, and the
could expect 13. cxd4 ti::Jcxd4 14. ti::Jxd4 endgame after ... 'ilV d5 or ... 'ilV d3 has
'ilixd4 15.'ilif3 '1d.d8 16.'ilic6+ flid7 17.'ilixa6, become a reality.
where the inclusion of the moves 12.a4 b4 19. c5 'ilt'd5
reverses the evaluation of the variation 20. 'ti'b1 'i'd3
given above. The white queen is free to 21. i.e3 'i'xb1
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. '1d.xb1 ti::Jc6
13. bxc3 b4 23. ~fl
14. 'iWc2
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. ... 'ili'd5
15. c4 flid7
Black has created a protected passed
b-pawn, and he now aims for the
endgame. From a far I saw a subtle
manoeuvre, enabling me to drive the white
queen from its dominating position.
16. ti::Jb3 .:ld8
17. 'ilt'e4 i.e7
18. l;!a2

ea Black has accumulated several small

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. '1d.d2 .l:Xxd2
25. ti::Jbxd2 0-0
3 For the moment White is able to maintain
2 material equality by exploiting the tactical
features of the position.
26. g4 :d8
27. ti::Jb3 .t:f.d3
 82 THE METHOD IN CHESS

28. 'Wtte2 :c3 occurred in my games. Knowing that

The weakening of the kingside, provoked Belyavsky is significantly 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. tt:Jbd4 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 of the fork after 29.i.d2 rhb3. Belyavsky's play in this game.
29. tt:Jcxd4+ 10. ..tc2 ..tg4
30. tt:Jxd4 aS 11. :e1 ..te7
31. tLlc6 ..txcS 12. h3 ..thS
32. tt:JxaS ..txe3 13. b4
33. fxe3 cS A theoretical novelty. Earlier White
Only a certain concentration and accuracy invariably employed the plan involving the
are required of Black, since his passed knight manoeuvre bl-d2-fl-g3.
pawns are irresistible. 13. ... tt:Je6
34. tt:Jc6 b3 More as a "warm-up", I analysed the
3S. aS :c2+ variation 13 ... tLle4 14 . .i.b3 (14.g4 .i.g6
36. 'Wttf3 c4 15 . .i.b3 d4) 14 ... tLlxe5 15.iixd5, which
37. a6 :a2 leaves Black with a hopeless position.
38. a7 tLlcS 14. a4 :b8
39. l:td1
40. :d8
'Wttg7
b2 •
From the previous game the reader will
41. :b8 tt:Jb3 already know how important the e4 square
42. tt:Je7 hS is in the Open Variation. The other
43. :g8+ possibility of parrying the threat of 15 axb5
Without quirks such as "spite" checks, axb5 16 .l:ha8 'ii'xa8 17 'ii'xd5 by 14... d4
chess risks being transformed into a science. was unsuccessful because of 15..i.e4.
43. •.• 'Wtth7 1S. axbS axbS
0-1 16. tt:Jbd2 tLlgS
Black's only counter-play, since after
No.20 16... 0-0 17.tLlb3 he is simply stalemated.
A.Belyavsky-I.Dorfman
C82 - 4()ili USSR Championship, Tbilisi 1978

1.
e4 eS
2.
tt:Jf3 tt:Jc6
3.
..tbS a6
4.
..ta4 tt:Jf6
s. 0-0 tt:Jxe4
6. d4 bS
7. ..tb3 dS
8. dxeS ..te6
9. c3 tLlcS
Belyavsky's arsenal also includes the
0
a b c d e g h
Open Variation. 9 ... il.c5 had already
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 83

17. ~a6!?

•
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. CiJjl i.xj3 (17...CiJxj3+ 18.gxf3
0-0 19.CiJg3 i.g6 20.iL.b3 d4 21.f4) 18.gxf3
CiJxh3+ 19.~g2, with the initiative for
White in all lines.
17. 'ii'd7
18. ~e2 0-0
19. .td3 CiJd8
20. "ife3 CiJde6 a b c d e g h
21. CiJd4 CiJxd4
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 ... iLh4,
but here it is easy to make a false step. Let
us consider some variations after 25... iL.h4:
A) 26.fxe4 f4;
B) 26.e7 ~!7 (26 ... il.f2+ 27. 'iixf2 CiJxf2
28.exj8'ii+ 'fixj8 29.~xf2 'iixb4 30.hf5)
a b c d e g h 27.~/1 i.g5 (27.. .f4 28.'fie2 CiJg3 29.'fie5
~xe7 30. 'fixd5+ ii.j7) 28. 'fie] CiJxd2

•
The impression is that White's strategy has
29.ii.xd2 ~xe7 30.ii.xg5 (30.'fic1)
30... ~e1 31 .~e1;
triumphed. After a deep penetration into the C) 26.:11 f4 (26 ... 'fib7 27.fxe4 'ii'xc6
position, Black finds a resource that halts 28.exf5) 27.'ii'e2 CiJg3 28.'iie5 ii.j6
the development of the opponent's initiative 29.'fixd5 'iidB! (29...~d8 30.'fib3 i.xd4+
on the kingside. 31.~h2 CiJxj1+ 32.CiJxf1).
22. ... f5! As is evident from the analysis, even after
23. e6! winning the exchange it is hard for Black to
This move does not require any restrain the opponent's play on the dark
calculation. It has to be played, even squares.
if Black's chances remain The strongest seems to be 25... 'ii'b7! (the
preferable. well known principle of attacking the
23. "i!fc8 opponent's most active piece) 26.~c2
24. ~c6 CiJe4 (26.fxe4 f4) 26... ii.h4 27.CiJxe4 (27.~/1 f4
25. f3 28.'fie2 CiJg3 29.'ii'e5 ii.j6 30.'iixf4 CiJxjl
 84 THE METHOD IN CHESS

31.0.xjl "fib6; 27.fxe4 f4) 27...fxe4 28.fxe4 and the exchange of compliments continues.
iLxel 29. "fixe] iLg6 with a winning 41. iLf4??
position for Black. 4J.lbg3 was essential.
But I performed a third variation on the 41. ... hxg4
. . . iLh4 theme ... 41 ... 'iij7 was also good .
25. i.g5 42. hxg4 'fie2??
26. ~e2 iLh4 42 ... 'ilij7 43. 'ilij5 'iixj5 44.gxf5 '!;.xf5
27. lbfl! would effectively have won. But now there
An excellent manoeuvre, consolidating is a draw by perpetual check.
White's advantage. A powerful computer is ~-~
probably capable of analysing in a few
seconds the position after 27... iLf2+ 28. Wh2 No.21
iLxd4 29.iLJ4. The primitive 27... iLxel !.Dorfman - I.Platonov
28. 'fixe] fib7 29J~c2 :be8 30. 'iih4 iLg6 El5- USSR Championship
31.fxe4 fxe4 (31 ... dxe4!?) 32.iLe2 :xe6 First League, Tashkent 1980
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 listeners at his
annoying rook at c6. lectures, where he gave accounts of his
27. :b6 participation in important tournaments. I
28. :xb6 cxb6 remember the examples, confirming the
29. e7 !iJ..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.... !iJ..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 31.gxf5 iLh5 competitions. Unfortunately, he suffered a
32."fia2 lbc3. tragic death in November 1994.
31 .... fxe4 1. d4 lbf6
32. !iJ..xb5 iLh4 2. c4 e6
And again ... iLh4. Platonov never avoided a theoretical
33. !iJ..e3 !iJ..xe1 discussion, whether in the Nimzo-Indian
34. 'i/xe1 h5 Defence or the Sicilian Najdorf.
35. 'i!Vcl?! 'ii'd8 3. l2Jf3 b6
36. !iJ..g5? 4. g3 !iJ..a6
White also deviates from the correct 5. lbbd2
course. Here and on the previous move he
should have played iLe2. •
Even today this variation remains topical,
36. 'ii'd6 along with 5.b3 !iJ..b7 6.il.g2 iLb4+ 7.iLd2
37. 'i'c6 'i'xb4 a5 (7... c5).
38. 'ii'xd5+ il.f7 5. !iJ..b7
39. 'i'e5
40. i.xc4+
i.c4
'ifxc4
•
According to my analysis, Black can hold
The time control is reached, but the blitz the position in the complications after 5... c5.
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 85

6. ~g2 c5 A favourable moment to throw fresh

•
Black attacks the enemy centre without
forces into the attack. Now if 12 ... lbxe5
White wins by 13.lbxe5 'fixeS 14.~/4,
delay. In the game Ivanchuk- Timman, while after 12 ... ~b4 the following modest
Amsterdam 1994, the Dutch grandmaster continuation is strong: 13.:!e2 d6 14.a3
equalised by 6... ~e7 7.e4 lDxe4 8.lbe5 ~b4 (14.exd6 ~xd6 15.~xh6 gxh616.tlJxd4±).
(8 ... lbc3 9.'fih5 g6 10.'flh3) 9.'Wig4 0-0 12. ~e7
10.~xe4 f5 ll.~xb7 fxg4 12.~xa8 c6. I 13. ~f4 0-0
think that here it is still early to draw the 14. l'Df6+ ~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.

•
The important transposition of moves 8.0-0
15. l'Dg5

•
l'Dxe5

lbc6 9.e5 lbg4 was employed by White in the The hopelessness of the vanatton
game Ivanchuk-Karpov, Linares 1994. It allows 15 ... gxf6 16.exf6 ~d6 17.~xd6 'illxd6
him to avoid 8... lbe4, leading to equality 18. 'illh5 provokes this desperate attempt to
(Van Wely-M.Gurevich, Groningen 1993). cut the "Gordian knot".
8. l'Dg4 16. l:i.xe5
9. 0-0 'fic7

•
White's initiative more than compensates
for his minimal material deficit after 9... d6
10.h3 tlJxeS ll .tlJxeS ~xg2 12.tlJxf7 ~xf7
13.~xg2 .
10. .l:le1 l'Dc6

•
Black has to overcome numerous pitfalls, in
order to complete his development. Thus the
natural try 10...d6 ll.exd6 ~xd6 12.lDxd4
Lg2 13. 'illxg4 is doomed to failure.
11. h3 l'Dh6
12. l'De4

16. ... ~xf6

•
Let us study the alternatives:
A) 16 ... gxf6 17.'1:.xe6 d6 18.'illd3 fxg5
19.~h6f5 20.'flxd4+ ~g8 21.~d5+ ~xd5
22. 'illxd5+ and wins;
B) 16... d6 17.'illd3 g6 18.~e6 (18.lbgxh7
lbg8 19.'illxd4) 18... Lg2 (also hopeless is
18 .. .fxe6 19.lbxe6 "fic8 20.lbxj8 ~xg2
2l.lbxg6+ ~g7 22.l'Dh5+ ~f7 23.lbxe7
'illxh3 24. 'illxh7+) 19.'1he7 'illxe7 20. 'illxd4
lbj5 2l.'illc3 and Black is doomed.
17. ~xe6 'flcS
 86 THE METHOD IN CHESS

The most tenacious defence. If 17... 'iic8, 22 . .i..xb7 .i..xg5

then 18.'~xf6 gxf6 19.tlJe4 tlJj5 20.tlJxj6 is 23. ~e5
sufficient. 1-0
18. b4
Before sacrificing with 'D..xf6 White tries No.22
to divert the enemy queen away from the d4 !.Dorfman- E.Sveshnikov
pawn. D45 - USSR Championship
18. ... 'ilfxc4?! First League, Tashkent 1980
Black does not lose by force after 18... 'iij5
19.:Xj6 gxf6 20. .i..xb7 fxg5 21.'Wixd4+ f6 1. d4 d5
(21 ... ~g8 22 . .i..d6 'ilxh3 23 . .i.xa8 ~xa8 2. c4 e6
24. 'ild5) 22 . .i.d6 followed by 23 .g4, 3. (lJf3 tlJf6
although his position remains difficult. It is 4. tlJc3 c6
hard for him to activate his knight, whereas 5. e3
the opponent is free to attack his queenside
with 'fJ.d1 and c4-c5. •
I will never change my opinion, that only
19. ~c1 'ifxb4 5 ..i..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 .

5.
6. 'ili'c2
tlJbd7

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. .i..d6
•
6... a6 is also quite sound.
7. e4
•
Since 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..i.d3 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4 9.Lc4 b5 (9 ... e5 is
20. ... 'ifb2 logical) 10. .i..e2 (1 0 . .i.d3 .i..b7 11. e4 e5
The opponent does not want to swallow 12.dxe5 tDxe5 13.tDxe5 iLxe5 14.h3)
the bitter pill. Black cannot save the game 10... .i.b7 ll.~d1.
after 20.. ."YJixa3 21.'D.xf6 gxf6 (21 ... iLxg2 7. dxe4
22. 'ilxd4) 22. 'iixd4 .i.xg2 23. 'iixj6+ ~g8 8. tDxe4 tDxe4
24.~xg2 (24.'iixh6 'iid3). 9. 'ifxe4 e5
21. ~e2
A prosaic finish. This unpretentious •
A few months earlier Dolmatov played
retreat wins material while retaining the against me 9... c5 IO.iLg5 (lO.iLd2) 10... tlJj6
initiative. (Kishnyov's idea 10... iLe7! 11.Le7 'i!Va5+
21 ....
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 87

15.'fixg7 :Xd4 16.'flig5 j_dJ J7.j_e2 l:tg8 is where there followed 15... b5 16.ti:Je5 bxc4
the best reply to the system of development 17. tl:Jxc4 l:td8 with an unclear position.
chosen by White) ll.'flih4 cxd4 12.0-0-0 e5 16. b3 it..g4
J3.j_d3 h6 14.'1:.he1 0-0 15.j_xh6 gxh6 17. it..f4
16.'flxh6 l:te8 17.ti:Jg5 it..e6 18. .1l.h7+ tl:Jxh7
19.'flixh7+ ~f8 20.'ilh6+ ~e7 21.ti:Jxe6, but •
An accurate manoeuvre in a problematic
he encountered difficult problems. situation. The natural 17.l:the1 it..xj3
10. dxe5 0-0 18.gxf3 'fle5 is not good for White.
17. it..xf3
1S. gxf3 ti:Jh5
19. l:the1 'it'xel
19.. .'ilf8 20.it..g5 f6 21 . .1Le3 b6 22.c5 is
bad for Black.
20. l:txel ti:Jxf4
21. l:td1!
•
The only way! Black's hopes would have
been realised after 21.i.j1? tl:Je6 22.':d1 c5
23.l:td5 b6.
21. c5
22. a3 g6
23. it..e4 b6
24. b4 f5
•
Here Black can force an endgame, but
25 . it..c6 tl:Je2+
If White is able to support his d-pawn, the
after 10 ... 'fle7 11.it..j4 i.b4+ 12.it..d2 outcome will be decided .
.il.xd2+ 13.ti:Jxd2 'fixeS 14.0-0-0 he does 26. ~b2 ti:Jd4
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:teS
12. 'fixeS+ 'fixeS+
13. it..e3 ti:Jf6
14. 0-0-0 it..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
pieces, and therefore 14 ... it..j5 15. j_dJ
would suit him.
15. i.d3 l:tdS 27. l:txd4
•
Sveshnikov, a tireless analyst, made a
All the preceding play was based on this
nuance. The passed pawns, supported by the
dynamic attempt to improve Black's play in bishop, are irresistible.
his game with Naumkin, Moscow 1983, 27. ... cxd4
 88 THE METHOD IN CHESS

28. cS bxcS
29. bxcS ~b8+
As is shown by the other possibilities,
there is no way of saving the game:
29 ... c:ilf7 30.i..d5+ ~e8 31.i..e6 ~b8+
32.~a2 (32.~c2?? ~b5) 32 ... ~d8 (32 ... d3
33.c6 d2 34.c7) 33.~b3, or 29 ... ~f8
30.Jl.b7.
30. ~c2 ~f7
31. i..dS+ ~e8
32. c6 ~bS
33. c7 ~cS+
If 33... ~d7 White has a choice of winning
moves: 34.Jl.c6+ or 34.Jl.e6+.
34. ~d3 ~d7
3S. i..b7
1-0 9. Jl.f4
This interposition is an important
No.23 improvement compared with the usual
!.Dorfman - E.Mochalov 9.llld2 b4.
A57 - USSR Team Championship, 9. d6
Moscow 1981 10. li:ld2 b4
11. li:lbS g6
1. d4
2. c4
lllf6
cS
•
After the "critical" ll ... lllxd5 12.cxd5
. 3. dS bS ~xb5 13.e4 Wlb7 (13 ... ~a5 14.lllc4 ~a7
In my opinion, this rare opening is 15.Jl.d3 g6 16.0-0 Jl.g7 17.~al)
significantly better than its 14. ~a4+ llld7 15. Jl.b5 White wins
reputation. material.
4.li:lf3 i..b7?! 12. e4 li:lbd7
•
The course of the game and its result
13. lllb3
14. 'ii'a1
'ilib6
i..b7
suggest that this is altogether not the way 1S. ~aS!
for Black to play. Essential is 4 ... g6 5.a4
bxc4 (5 ... b4), although 5.cxb5 is also
possible.
S. a4 a6
•
After playing 4 ... i..b7 it is not easy to
decide on 5 ... b4. In addition, after the text
move, as the Encyclopaedia of Chess
Openings writes, Black has nothing to
fear.
6. axbS axbS
7. ~xa8 Jl.xa8
8. lllc3 ~aS a b c d e f g h
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 89

•
I have noticed many times how, with the
move, whereas Black lost this right on 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. ... lLlh5 25. f4
15... ..ig7 runs into 16.Ld6. It is hard to The idea behind this pawn advance is
take seriously the capture of the pawn, since unusual. The third rank is freed for the rook.
after the possible 15... till:e4 16. i..d3 tLlef6 25. tLlb6
17.0-0 lDh5 18.!ii..g5 'i!Vxa5 19.tLlxa5 it..c8 26. l:i.f3 tLlxc4
20.tLlc6 f6 21.tLlc7+ ci;J7 22.it..d2 White has 27. .l:.xb3 ..id4+
a wide choice of promising continuations. The things that have to be done to save the
16. ..icl kingi
Only the retreat of the bishop to its initial 28. tLlxd4 cxd4
position makes it "untouchable" two moves 29. tLlb5
later. It is all over, since White is a pawn up
16. !ii..g7 with the better position.
17. g4 4Jhf6 29. ri;g7
18. g5 30. lLlxd4 ~a8
The winning idea, since the central pawn 31. ~b4 tLla5
is inedible. It would be interesting to know what
18. Tarrasch would have said about all this?!
19. it..h3 32. ..id2 ~c8
20. tLlxa5 33. rj;f2
21. 4Jc6 Preparing to activate the bishop.
Even in the endgame the white cavalry 33. ... rj;f8
does not leave the enemy king in peace. 34. b3 e5
21. tLlb6 Desperation: 34 ... ci;g7 35.~b5, or
22. tLlc7 + ri;f8 34... ~c 7 35.1:..b8+.
23. ..ixc8 tLlxc8 35. dxe6 fxe6
24. 0-0 36. tLlxe6+
1-0

No.24
!.Dorfman- E.Ubilava
AOO - USSR Championship
First League, Volgodonsk 1981

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
a b c d e g h
Karpov and Kasparov.
It is amusing that White castles on the 24th 1. d5
 90 THE METHOD IN CHESS

2. i.g2 e5 way to "enliven" his pawn formation. This

3. d3 aim would be answered by 12 ... 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. lt:led2 f5
colours? 14. l:f.ac1 l:tb6
3. lt:lf6 15. l::tfe1
Of course, 3... lbc6 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. lt:lc3 play on the kingside, exploiting the
I am fully 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.

•
If 5... c6 I would have continued 6.e4.
16.
17. l:f.xe3
dxe3
i.f7
6. i.xf6 i.xf6 18. h4!
7. lt:le4 i.e7 White continues playing dynamically,
8. lt:lf3 lt:lc6 since the static balance is still favourable for
9. c3 his opponent.

•
Beginning from this point, events take a
18....
After 18... h6 White could "work on" the
course typical of the Pirc-Ufimtsev Defence. newly created weaknesses, by playing
9. 0-0 19.i.h3.
10. 0-0 i.e6 19. l:f.ce1 g6
11. 'iic2 a5
12. a4 l:ta6

a b c d e g h
0
20. lt:\g5!
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. Black possesses a static "category". For the first time White has a
advantage - the bishop pair. He must seek a static advantage.
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 91

20. .txgS This game was played in the last round. I

21. hxgS 'ii'xgS will try to convey the atmosphere
22. f4 ~f6 accompanying it. In the lead was Boris
23. ttJf3 ~b3 Gulko, who already for a few years had
•
23... e4 24.dxe4fxe4 25.4:\gs is hopeless for Black.
been fighting for the right to leave the
country. The first four prize-winners were to
24. ~e2 ~xa4 qualify for the championship final. I was
25. fxeS 'ii'd8 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 ~b3 Sports Committee, who had unexpectedly
27. ltJd2 ~dS arrived the day before. It was not clear why
28. ltJc4 ~b3? the aggressive Rashkovsky, who had long
This loses in one move. Against the most before lost any chances, was playing against
tenacious 28 ... ~a6 I was planning Gulko with maximum concentration. I
29.Ld5+ ~xd5 30.~/3 ~aaB 3I.tbe3 ~d7 strongly suspected that the results of the
32.g4 fxg4 33.~/6, and 28 ... ~xc4 games involving my rivals had been pre-
29.'ii'xc4+ r:J:lg7 30.d5 tbe7 31.'Wid4 does not determined. Therefore I took the decision to
promise any consolation. play uncompromisingly.
29. ltJd6 ~xg2 1. d4 ltJf6
30. ltJxe8? 2. c4 e6
The opponent could have been relieved of 3. ttJc3
unnecessary suffering, by playing 30. 'iWc4+ Chernin likes and is good at playing the
r:J:lg7 31. 'ii'j7+ r:J:lhB 32. fueB. Meran Variation. But the text move also has
30. ~dS another explanation. A little earlier
31. ltJf6+ r:J:lg7 Belyavsky and I had conducted a training
32. l1a1 session with Petrosian, where, among other

•
By habit I seek the exchange of the most
things, we made a serious analysis of the
4. ~c2 variation in the Nimzo-Indian
active enemy piece. Defence.
32. b6 3. ~b4
33. l::ra3 l1xa3 4. 'ii'c2 cS
34. bxa3
35. g4
~f7
f4
•
The development of this vanatwn
36. ~h3 ~g8 received a new impetus in the late 1990s,
If 36... h6 there naturally follows 37.g5. but it is still not clear which of the
37. ~e4 ltJxeS continuations 4 ... c5, 4 ...d5 and 4 ... 0-0 is the
38. dxeS ~d1+ strongest.
39. r:J:lh2 5. dxcS 0-0
1-0 6. a3 ~xeS
7. ~f4
No.25 The alternative 7.tbj3 d5 8.~g5 (8.cxd5
exd5 9.ii.g5) 8 ... d4 9.0-0-0 e5 10.e3
!.Dorfman- A.Chernin
promises little, as shown, for example, by
E39 - USSR Championship
the game Lazarev-A.Sokolov, Bourbon
First League, Volgodonsk 1981
Laney 1997. I prefer to follow our
 92 THE METHOD IN CHESS

"Moscow" analysis, where White has to be 'i!i'e7 (14 ... 'fij5 15.tt::\h4 'fie5 16.Ci:rrc5 'iVxc5
prepared for queenside castling and for 17.tt::\xg6) 15.tt::\fg5 h5 16.i..xg4 hxg4
giving up the f2 pawn. 17.~h7.
7. tt::lh5?! 13. tt::le5
•
For the bishop pair Black has to pay with
14. gxf5
15. 'it'xf5
ifxf5

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... ~e7 8.e4 d6 9.tt::\f3 ti::lbd7 JO.~e2 a6 advantageous to Black. Here it is explained
11.0-0 b6 12.~fdl 'ili'c7 13.'D.acl ~b7. It by specific considerations: the black rook
was here that we analysed 9.0-0-0 with finds itself trapped on the 5th rank.
Petrosian ... Sometimes entry is free, but you have to pay
8. ~g3 f5 to exit.

•
At the sight of Black's last two moves, the
15.
16. tt::lxe5
~xf5
lhe5
phrase that comes to mind is: "Our 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 tt::lc6 encounters the move g4, and moreover with
10. ~e2 tt::lxg3 such dissimilar ideas ...
11. hxg3 g6 17.... b5
12. ti::lf3 'ili'f6
•
Beginning from this 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
il..b7 19.':h3.
18. b4

•
I did not want to make any concessions,
by allowing counterplay after 18.Ci:rrb5 ~b7
19.1d.h2 d5.
18.... i..e7
19. ~f3 d5
The game is opened up. Black reduces the
material to the minimum, and in so doing he
•
The end of a series of forced moves. The
improves his drawing chances. 19.. . ~b8
20.tt::\xb5 (20.cxb5) 20... ~a6 21.~e2 d5
advance of the f-pawn has the additional 22.Ci:rra7 would clearly have been bad for
drawback that now Black has no favourable him.
central formation. 20. cxd5
13. g4
• •
It would have been harder to control the
White consolidates his static advantage. In situation after 20.cxb5 ~b7 or 20.Ci:rrb5 a5.
the event of 13 ... fxg4 there follows 14.tt::\e4 20. i..b7
21. tt::lxb5 aS
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 93

22. r.t>e2! i.a6 33. .l:!.c1 g5

White retains the advantage with an 34. r.t>e4 g4
amusing variation after 22 ... axb4 23.axb4 35. r.t>e5 r.t>g7
i.a6 24. r.t>dl. 36. :g1 .lag6
37. 4:Jf5+
1-0
.I ~ ·~
~ -;,:;
8 i'~

.r After 37... r.t>g8 White has a pleasant

//

7 o/
·,..;.
WA
,.,, '%
/' "~ '-- choice between 38.1:.cl and 38.r.t>j4.
.i. ~ -~ ·,, Y.'/.~
'
6 ~

, lLJ /
;/.

0
r/
,n No.26
5 ~ ~.~ !.Dorfman- O.Romanishin
& ~
//
4 E12- 49th USSR Championship,
~
3 11 .A: ~iL v,
'?:·
Frunze 1981

- ~!51
The USSR Championship in Frunze was a
2 ~.
;<
qualifying tournament for the Zonal
0 ~
a b
"//

;if~

c
I

w
•

d e g
: h
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

The point of White's 22nd move is seen in

• there could be no question of compromise .
1. 4:Jf3 4:Jf6
the variation 23 ... axb4 24.d6 .l:.Xb5 2. c4 e6
(24 ... Lb5+ 25.axb5 ~al 26.dxe7 .l:!.a2+ 3. d4 b6
27.r.t>d3 r.t>j7 28.'lhh7+ r.t>e8 29.~c6#) 4. a3
25.axb5 i.xb5+ 26. r.t>d2, where he has a
decisive advantage.
•
White can also aim for the Petrosian
24. .:hd1 Variation with 4.4:'lc3, 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. •.• .l:!.f8 4. i.b7
25. i.h1 h5 5. 4:Jc3 d5
If 25... i.b7 there follows 26.d6.
26. l:.acl •
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 . .:tc6 i.b7 Defence. This, for example, is how our game
27... i.xb5+ 28.axb5 .l:!.ef5 was more from the tournament in Polanica Zdroj 1992
tenacious. began: 5 ... g6 6.'iic2 i.xj3 7.gxf3 (7.exf3)
28. .l::txe6 l:txe6 7... i.g7 8.i.g5 h6 9.i.h4 4:'lc6 10.0-0-0 4:'le7
29. dxe6 i.f3+ ll.d5 exd5 12.cxd5 lt:Jj5 13.i.g3 0-0 14.e4
30. i.xf3 gxf3+ 4::lxg3 15.hxg3 'ilie7 16./4 d617.i.b5.
31. r.t>d3 laf6 6. cxd5
31.. ..l:!.d8+ 32.tDd4 is hopeless for Black.
32. 4:Jd4 r.t>f8 •
In the late 1990s the variation 6.i.g5 i.e7
 94 THE METHOD IN CHESS

7.'ii'a4+ c6 8.hf6 hj6 9.cxd5 exdS 10.g3 better for White. After all, Black has
0-0 ll.~g2 became popular, with a advanced his pawn to c5 in two steps,
middlegame typical of the Makogonov- whereas White has vacated the dl square for
Bondarevsky-Tartakower Variation in the his rook. Therefore Black should have
Queen's Gambit. preferred the restrained JO... lLlbd7, aiming
6. exdS first to become equal in development and
•
After the text move Black has to play with a
then to change the formation in a more
favourable situation.
backward pawn or hanging pawns. I prefer not 11. ~d1 lL'la6
to concede a static advantage, by continuing
6...li:Jxd5 7.'ii'c2 liJ.xc3, followed by ... c7-c5. •
If White defers the capture on c5, he has
In the theoretical section the reader will fmd to keep an eye on the formation with ... c5-
an extract from the game Kasparov-Portisch, c4. In it he is obliged to play dynamically,
where such a situation arose. since the opponent has rid himself of his
7. g3 ~e7 static defects and has the clear plan of
8. 'ilt'a4+ advancing his queenside pawns. White can
My 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 ll...c4
played this in a blitz game against the 12.lLle5 a6 13.'ii'c2 bS 14.e4 is not good for
Lvov master Buturin shortly before the Black.
Championship. White gains a tempo for 12.~ gS lL'lc7?
his development, since 8... 'ii'd7 9. 'ii'xd7+ Romanishin does not sense the dynamics
or 8.. .liJbd7 9.lLle5 does not promise the of the battle. It all looks logical: Black
opponent an easy life. strengthens his centre. But the problem is
8. c6 that in a statically inferior position one
9. ~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.hf6
ea ~xf6 14.lL'lxd5!? ~xdS (14 ... 'ilxd5
JS.tLlel) 15.'ii'xa6 cxd4 16.lLlxd4 ~xg2
7
17.~xg2 il.xd4 18.e3 (18.'ilt'c4 ~c8
6 19.'ilt'xd4 iixd4 20.~d4 ~c2) 18.. .'ild5+
5 19.~gl 'iib3 20.~d4 'iixb2 21.~adl, and
although White is clearly better, the win is
4 still far off.
3 i3. dxcS
2 •
White exploits the opponent's delay
and creates a favourable pawn
formation.
13. ... bxcS
10. ... cS?! 14. lL'leS iid6
•
Black goes in for the creation of hanging
The white knight was ready for a leap to
c6 or d7, as in the possible variation
pawns. In this formation everything is 14 ... 'ile8 15.~xf6 (JS.~acl) 15 ... ~xf6
decided by development, and it is in fact 16.lL'ld7 il.xc3 17.bxc3.
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 95

15. ltJc4 23. l1d6

24. .te4 l:tb8
25. .td3

a b c d e g h
After the disappearance of the light-
square bishop White's static advantage
becomes irreversible.
15. 'ii'a6 From now on White's position is
16. ltJaS l:tad8 impregnable , and he can strengthen it
17. ltJxb7 'ifxb7 without hurrying.
18. l:td2 'it'b6 25. l:tdd8

•
All in good time, as is evident after 18... h6
26. h4
27. 'ii'c2
'fic7
h6
19.Lf6 Lf6 20.1:tadl Lc3 2l.bxc3. 28. .tc4 rt;g7
19. 'ii'c2 29. .txe6 fxe6
The winning manoeuvre, provoking the 30. l:txd4
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. 11xd4
20. ltJa4 'ii'aS 31. l:txd4 f5
21. .txf6 gxf6 32. b4 'fieS
It would be in the nature of a joke to name 33. ltJxcS
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
only remains to draw up the balance. Thus
S.Dolmatov - !.Dorfman
lasts 12 moves. Not without reason is it B83 - 49th USSR Championship,
sometimes said that the defensive resources Frunze 1981
in chess are unlimited.
22. l:tad1 ltJe6 1. e4 c5
23. 'ii'c4 2. ltjf3 e6
Prophylaxis, typical of static play. White 3. d4 cxd4
sets up a battery on the fl-a6 diagonal , 4. ltJxd4 ltJc6
which leaves the opponent no hope of 5. ltJc3
unblocking the position. The Moscow grandmaster does not
 96 THE METHOD IN CHESS

"respect" the variation with 5.ti:Jb5 d6 6.c4. After 12 .. .'!:.xd8 13.ti:Jc7 '!J.b8 14.ti:J7d5
5. d6 Black is unable to solve his opening problems.
6. .i.e2 ti:Jf6 13. ti:Jd6 ti:Jd4
7. 0-0 .i.e7 14. .i.d3
8. .i.e3
9. f4
0-0
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.Ld4 exd4
position in the ending arising after 10.fxe5 15.ti:Jd5 .i.e616.ti:Jj4 .i.e7 17.ti:Jxb7 'g,fb8.
dxe5 ll.ti:Jj5 Lj5 12.'ID:f5 'fixd1+ 13.'1hd1 14. .i.e7
g6 14."§.j2. Later (I think in 1986) we 15. ti:Jc4
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.
ea
7
6
5
4

15 . ... .i.c5?
0
•
This manoeuvre is the initial cause of
Black's later difficulties. He misses the
10. ti:Jdb5 active possibility 15 ... ti:Jg4 16. .i.xd4 exd4
Practice has not demonstrated any 17.ti:Jd5, when he maintains the balance
advantage for White after 10.ti:Jxc6 or with 17... .i.d8 18. h3 ti:Jj6 19. ti:Jxj6+ il.xj6
10.ti:Jb3 exf4 ll . .i.xj4 ti:Je8 12.ti:Jd5 20.e5 .i.e7 21.ti:Jb6 '!d.b8 22.fuc8 (22.ti:Jd5
.i.g5. .i.c5 23.b4 .i.e6) 22 .. .1J.bxc8, and also after
10. a6 17... .i.c5 18.h3 ti:Je3 19.ti:Jcxe3 dxe3 20.'g_f3
11. fxe5 dxe5?! White cannot count on much.
• 16. ti:Ja4
Probably good enough for equality, but
simpler was 11... ti:Jxe5 12. ti:Jd4 d5 13. exd5 •
Of course, on my part it would have been
ti:Jxd5 14. ti:Jxd5 'fixd5 15.ti:Jj5 'Wid8 nai've to expect 16.fue5 lle8 17.ti:Jj3 ti:Je2+
16.ti:Jxe7+ 'ii'xe7 17.'fid4 f6 18.~h1 .i.e6, or 16.h3 b5 17.fue5 Ite8 18.ti:Jj3 ti:Je2+.
when the slight static weakness of the white 16. .i.a7
king compensates for the bishop pair. This is 17. ti:Jab6 Z:.b8
how the game Marjanovic-Kelecevic,
Sarajevo 1982, ended in a draw.
12. 'i!Vxd8 .i.xd8
18. c3
•
White seizes the initiative, not allowing
the opponent to deploy his forces
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 97

comfortably after 18.h3 ~e6. 29. l:tb3?

18. ... lt:Jg4 An amnesty for Black's 15th move. The
•
I prefer to sacrifice a pawn in search of
obvious 29.l:r.fcl ~xc4 30.l:r.xc3 ~xd3
3l.'f!xd3 would not have allowed him to rid
active counterplay, than to conduct a himself of his weakness on b7.
thankless defence by 18 ... lbc6 19.lbd5 29. ~xc4
lbxd5 20.La7 lbxa7 2l.exd5 f6 22.lbb6. 30. l:txc3 ~xd3
19. ~xd4 exd4 31. l:txd3 b6
20. cxd4 l:td8 32. axb6 l:txb6
21. dS ~d7 33. :tal <J;f8
22. a4 34. l:taS <J;e7

•
White can retain his material advantage by
35. l:tda3 l::tdd6
Here, compared with 35... 1:r.a8, the rook is
22.h3 ~b5 23.hxg4 hc4 24.hc4 ~xb6+ more active, supporting the freeing ... f7-f5.
25. <J;h2 ~d4, although here too he cannot 36. <J;f4 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.<J;xg4 g6
22. lt:Je3 the best White can hope for is a rook ending
23. lt:Jxe3 ~xb6 with pawns at e4 and d5 against a black one
24. <J;f2 ~d4 at f6, which is a theoretical draw.
25. <J;f3 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:r.e8 and 25.l:r.fbl f5. kingside.
25. ~xb2 38. <J;e3 .t'Ib2
26 . .:tabl ~d4 39. .:txa6 t'Ixa6

•
The exchange of the bishop in the
40 . .:txa6
41. l:f.a7+
.t'Ixh2
<J;e8
variation 26... ~c3 27.l:r.fcl ~d2 28.l:r.c7
Le3 29. ~xe3 would free White's hands for
developing his initiative on the queenside.
27. aS ~c3
28. lt:Jc4 ~bS

The adjourned position. For a time I was

calm, thinking that the worst was already
behind. Only when I began analysing 42.d6
 98 THE METHOD IN CHESS

did I realise that I was in for a sleepless 1.4Jf3 4Jf6 2.c4 d6 3.4Jc3 Ji..g4 4.d4 g6 5.e3
night. Here are some vanattons, iLg7 6.Ji..e2 0-0 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 e5 9.e4 4Jh5
demonstrating the dangers of Black's 10.g3 4Ja6 11.4Jh4 ii..xe2 12.ihe2 4Jf4
position: 13.gxf4 'it'xh4 14.f5 ~h8 15.~h1 'l:.g8
A) 42 ... '!:.h4 43. ~d4 '!:.xg4 44. ~d5 '!:.h4 16.'!:.g1 gxf5 17.Ji..g5 1-0
(44 ... h5 45.e5 fxe5 46.~e6) 45.~c6 :Xe4
46.l:f.a8+ cJ;j7 47.d7 '!:.d4 48.d8='il '!:.xd8 4. g3
49.'!:.xd8 h5; The premature fixing of the centre with
B) 42 ... h5 43.'!:.e7+ ~f8 (43 ... ~d8 44.'!:.e6) 2 ... d6 does not now allow Black to choose a
44.~e6 cJ;j7 45.d7. symmetrical set-up with c6 and d5.
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. 4Jc3 'it'aS
Everything was cleared up when the This manoeuvre is typical of the variation
envelope was opened. Dolmatov not only 5 ... Ji..g7 6.Ji..g2 0-0 7.0-0 'it'a5 8.e4 'iih5
did not seal the winning move, but he had 9.e5 dxe5 lO.tlJxe5 tlJg4 ll.tlJf3 tlJf6
not even suspected its existence! 12.'!:.el, where Black experiences serious
42. e5 fxe5 difficulties.
43. ~e4 h5 6. Ji..d2
44. '!:.h7 '!:.h4 In this way White is able to parry not
~-~ only 6 ... tlJe4, but also 6 ... e5 because of
Black forces Philidor's position by 45.'!:.xh5 7.4Je4 'it'd8 8.tlJxf6+ 'it'xf6 9.Ji..g5 'ii'e6
'!:.xg4+ 46. ~xeS '!:.h4 47.'!:.xg5 '!:.h6. 10.dxe5.
6. Ji..g7
No.28 7. Ji..g2 0-0
8. t'LJdS
!.Dorfman- V.Gavrikov
E62 - Zonal Tournament,
•
White certainly does not want to allow the
Yerevan 1982 opponent to become comfortably established
after 8.0-0 'iih5, thereby justifying the early
1. d4 4Jf6 development of his queen.
2. c4 d6 8. 'ii'd8
3. 4Jf3 9. 4Jxf6+ ii..xf6
•
White avoids the main line 3.4Jc3 e5
10. 0-0

•
d5

4.tlJf3 e4 5.4Jg5 il.j5 (5 ... 'iVe7), 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
•
Black can also persist in continuing his
that the static balance does not give
even a hint of an advantage to White.
original play with 3... Ji..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. Ji..h6 lte8
E61 - Aosta 2000 12. 'ii'a4
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 99

18. h3 'ike6
19. CiJg5 i..xg5
20. .l::i.xg5 f6

3 ~

2 ~ ftS
1~
a b c d e g h

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... i..e6 13.cxd5
(the only possibility of fighting for an
•
Why all these complications? After
advantage involves the pawn sacrifice 13. ti:,g5 21.':a5 b6 22.:a3 i..b7 Black would still
iLxg5 14.i..xg5 dxc4 15.':ad1 CiJd7 16.e4) have had a glimmer of hope of setting up
13. ..i..xd5 14.:001 iLe415.'ika3 'fid5. some defensive line.
12. ... CiJd7 21. ... 'ikf7
13. cxd5 CiJb6 22. dxc6 fxg5
14. 'it'b4 'ikxd5 23. cxb7 1:1b8
•
Let us stop here again, to record the
24. bxc8='ik
25. 'fid4
':exeS
e6
disruption of the static balance in favour of 26. lld1 {fjf8
White. He has an extra pawn in the centre and 27. i..xg5 ':c2
an outpost at c5. Gavrikov thought that 28. l!.d2
White's pressure on the queenside would be
unpleasant after 14... cxd5 15.':jcl.
15. lifcl
15.CiJe5 '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 14 and 53 should also be
looked at from this viewpoint.
16. e3 'fig4
17. :1c5!
White has a solid initiative. The black
queen is denied the h5 square, and if
17...CiJd5 there follows 18.'fid2 'fih5 19.e4.
17. ... CiJd7 28.... ':xd2
 100 THE METHOD IN CHESS

•
This position has arisen by force after
49. i.c5
50. i.d6
tLld7
l:c8
2l.d5! Before making the breakthrough it was 51. 'i'd2 'i!ff3
necessary to evaluate correctly the position 52. i.b5
with the usual material correlation arising Signalling the start of the final attack.
after 28... r!bxb2 29.'iixb2 .:Ub2 30.r!xb2. 52. 'i'f5
29. 'i'xd2 'ilig7 53. i.c5 ~f7
30. b3 54. 'i!fd6 <>t>d8
The situation has clarified. Although the 55. i.e3 h6
game lasts a further 27 moves, Black is 56. h4 'i!fe7
unable to create a critical position, in order 57. 'ii'd2
to shake the opponent's static advantage. This manoeuvre wins another pawn while
30. ~c8 the character of the "play" remains
31. e4 'iic3 unchanged. It is easy to understand Black's
32. 'ife2 aS decision to put an end to the torture .. .
An important technical detail. If 32... 'i'c2 1-0
there follows 33.Wia6.
33. i.h6 tLld7 No.29
34. "it'g4 <>t>f7 E.Magerramov - I.Dorfman
35. 'iVf4+ <ot>e8 E73 - USSR Cup, Kislovodsk 1982
36. <>t>h2 'i'd3
37. 'i'g4 'i¥d6 1. d4 lLlf6
38. 'ife2 2. c4 g6
White chooses the most static 3. tLlc3 !i.g7
continuation, not allowing the opponent In the early 1980s I began turning
even the slightest degree of activity increasingly often to an opening of my
(38 ... tLle5 39. 'i'b5+ ). youth - the King's Indian Defence. This was
38. ifc5 explained by the following considerations.
39. i.e3 ~c6 In reply to the invitation to the Meran
40. ft'g4 'ii'd6 Variation, White began increasingly often
41. 'ii'e2 'it'c6 employing 5.i.g5. Whereas I was convinced
42. e5 of the solidity 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. After the expiry of two
42. ifc7 decades my attitude to both variations has
43. i.d4 ~f7 not changed ...
44. 'iff3+ <>t>e8 4. e4 d6
45. 'i'g4 tLlf8 5. i.e2 0-0
Black is constantly forced to defend his 6. i.g5
numerous weaknesses. This had not been played against me
46. i.fl .l:!b8 before. I knew in general terms that in the
47. 'i'f3 critical line 6... c5 7.d5 h6 8.i.j4 e6 9.dxe6
White draws the knot ever tighter. Now i.xe6 JO.i.xd6 r!e8 it all ends in a draw.
the bishop moves to d6. But I did not feel confident about this, and I
47. 'iib7 decided to deviate.
48. 'ifc3 .l:td8 6. tLlbd7
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 101

•
At the moment when this book is being
Black dislodges the support from under
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. ..ti:Ja6 7. 'iid2 e5 8.d5 c6. The difference initiative against the enemy king.
with the move in the game is that in this 12. b3
variation Black is not obliged to play
8... lbc5, but can unravel his forces on the •
Events follow a different course after
queenside with ... ~d7 and ... .:I.e B. 12.b4lba4 13.lbb1 lbb2 14.'D.e1 c5, with a
7. 'ifd2 eS double-edged situation.
8. dS 12. ... c6

•
The alternative is 8.0if3, when if Black
This signals the start of active operations .
13. ~b1 ..Was
prematurely exchanges on d4 he can end up 14. g4??
in an unpleasant pin after 'ilj4. A blunder. Now Black blocks the kingside
8. aS and White has to seek chances in the centre.

•
I examined the forcing play involving
The prophylactic 14. 'D.c 1 was simply
essential.
8 ... lbc5 9. b4 lbcxe4 1 o.lbxe4 lbxe4 14. h6
11.~xd8lbxd2 12.~xc7 e4 13.'~cl e3 1S. ~e3 hS!
14.~d3 exf2+ 15.~xf2 ~f5, but I was more 16. gS ttJfd7
concerned about the simple 9.f3 followed if 17. lbh3 lba6
9 ... ileB by the bishop manoeuvre e2-d1-c2. Black finds a way to make progress ,
9. 0-0-0 by deploying his knights at b4 and

•
A year later White introduced an
c5 .
18. dxc6
important improvement. In the game
Seirawan-Ivanovic, Niksic 1983 , White
•
Magerramov's nerve fails him in a
gained an advantage by playing 9.h4 lbc5 critical position. He should have
10.f3 a4 ll.g4 c6 12.lbh3 cxd5 13.cxd5 maintained a closed centre by 18.lbj2
~d7 14.lbf2 'iia5 15.h5. lbdc5 19.lbd3.
9. ttJcS 18. bxc6
10. f3 a4 19. tlJdS 'iid8
11. h4 a3
•
It is clearly bad to go into the endgame by
19... 'iixd2 20.lbe7+ ~h7 21.:Xd2.
20. ttJf6+
•
The development of Black's initiative is
less obvious after 20.lbb4. I was counting
on 20... lbxb4 21.'iixb4 'D.eB 22.'iixd6 'D.a6
23. lbj2 ~JB with counterplay for the
pawn.
20. lbxf6
21. gxf6 'if xf6
22 . ..Wxd6
a b c d e g h
 102 THE METHOD IN CHESS

30. l:ixb3+
31. ~c2 .i.b4
0-1

No.30
P. Thipsay - !.Dorfman
B57 - New Delhi 1982

1. e4 c5
2. tbf3 d6
3. d4 cxd4
4. tbxd4 tb£6
5. tbc3 tbc6
6. .i.c4 'i'b6
7. tbde2
An idea of Fischer.
The critical position of the 18.dxc6 7. e6
variation, for which Magerramov was 8. 0-0 .i.e7
aiming. He was so persistently seeking the 9. tbg3
exchange of queens, that he "overlooked" an In the game Fischer-Benko, Candidates
opportunity to transpose into an ending. The Tournament 1959, White won with a direct
pawn formation is fixed, and the bishops attack after 9..i.b3 0-0 JO.~hl tba5 ll ..i.g5
cannot display their true worth. In White's 'i'c5 12.f4 b5 13.tbg3 b4 14.e5. Later
position the dark squares are chronically Gligoric improved Black's play with
weak, and the h4 pawn constantly needs 13 ... .i.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. .i.xh3 10. .i.b3 tba5
23. .l:txh3 l:r.fd8 11 . .i.g5 h6
24. 'i'xa3
Now at least White has something for his
•
A new move compared with the games
sufferings. Ljubojevic-Ribli, Skopje Olympiad 1972,
24.... l:r.xd1+ and Ljubojevic-Ree, Amsterdam 1975,
25. .i.xd1 'i'd8 where ll ... 'i'c7 and ll ... 'i'c5 were played
A subtle manoeuvre. The gain of time respectively. In both games White held the
enables Black to activate all his pieces. advantage.
There is no way for the rook at h3 to join the 12. .i.e3
defence.
26. .i.e2 .i.f8
•
I do not especially believe in the strategic
27. 'i'b2 tbb4 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 .i.xj6 13.tbh5.
the only way to fight on. 12. ... 'i'c6
28. tbd3 An important link in Black's
29. 'i'd2 l:r.xa3 counterattack. In examples found by me,
30. .i.xd3 Black, as if hypnotised, played ... 'i' c7 in
Also after 30. 'i'xd3 'i'a5 it is all over. similar positions. The text move looks more
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 103

logical, since it prepares ... b 7-b5 without i..b7 21.4Jh5 e5.

delay. 19. ... lt:Jxe4
13. 'ilfe2 lt:Jxb3 20. lt:Jxe4?
14. axb3 a6 But this is simply a step towards the
15. f4 b5 abyss. In the ending White's position would
16. e5 have been defensible.
20. ... i..b7

The Indian Champion seeks any

dynamics, correctly realising that in a 21. b!ael
protracted battle Black's trumps will play The breakthrough in the centre follows
their part. after practically any move, e.g. 21.4Jg3 e5
16. ... tt:Je8 22.fxe5 dxe5 23.Le5 it.c5+ 24. <:Ji;hl b1ae8.

•
In determining the central pawn
21.
22. fxe5
e5
b!xfl +
formation, I avoided the obvious 16... dxe5 23. <:JI;xfl
17.fxe5 lt:Jd5 18. i..d4 (18. lt:Jxd5 'ii xd5
19.i..j4) 18 ... 4Jxc3 (18 ... i..c5 19.'iif2)
•
Why did White avoid 23. 'iixfl dxe5
19.bxc3. I thought that in it Black risked 24.Le5 ?! I was intending to play 24... b1f8
losing part of his advantage. 25.'ild3 .i.c5+ 26.<:Ji;hl (26 . .i.d4 i..xd4+
17. tt:Jce4 f6 27.'iixd4 b1e8) 26.. .'ilxe4 27.b1xe4 .i.xe4
18. exf6 28. 'iidl '!:.f2 when the white king is doomed,
•
It is essential to avert the further
whereas 24... 'ilt'xc2 25.'iie2 'ilixe2 26.:Xe2
b1e8 2Zit.d4 does not promise anything.
degradation of the situation, that was 23. dxe5
possible after the careless 18.b1ael dxe5 24. .i.xe5 b1f8+
19.fxe5f5. 25. <:JI;g1 b1e8
18. lt:Jxf6 26. 'iih5
19. .i.d4 The white knight cannot move because of

•
The "centralised" bishop creates the
26.... .i.c5+ followed by 27... :Xe5, and the
variations 26.i..d4 i..j8 and 26. 'ilig4 .i.c5+
preconditions for tactical play. But to be fair, 27.lt:Jf2 'iij6 are also of little comfort.
it should be mentioned that Black stands 26. ... i..g5
clearly better after 19.lt:Jxj6+ .i.xj6 20.c3 0-1
 104 THE METHOD IN CHESS

No.31 critical variation 8 ... bxc3 9.tbxc3 cxd4

!.Dorfman- R.Skrobek 10.~a4+ tbjd7 ll .tbxd5 exd5 12.i..xd5
A46- Warsaw 1983 would have turned out disastrously for
Black.
1. d4 ti:Jf6 8. Sl.b7
2. ti:Jf3 e6 9. 1i"a4+ ti:Jbd7
3. g3 10. Sl.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 ... Sl.a6 variation in the Queen's Indian avoid the static weaknesses after 10... Sl.e7
Defence, and several sharp lines in the 11.dxc5 is easily understandable.
Catalan Opening with an early capture on 11. cxd5 "ikc7
c4.
3. b5
•
The capture ll ... 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.Sl.h3 "iic7 13.0-0 'iixe5 14.Sl.xf6 with
4. ~d3 overwhelming pressure .

•
An alternative is to exchange minor pieces
by Sl.c1-g5xf6. Later the bishops are 8
exchanged on the long diagonal, with the
7
ultimate aim of obtaining queen+knight
against queen+bishop. 6
4. b4?! 5
•
Now this pawn devalues the dark- 4
square bishop. The correct reply 4 ... a6 3
5.e4 Sl.b7 6.tbbd2 c5 was demonstrated
2
ten years later in the games Dorfman-
Arkell, France 1992, and Ehlvest-Hlibner, 0
Munich 1992.
5. Sl.g2 i.a6
6. "ilid1 c5 12. i.xf6 'iWcl+

•
The attempt to revive the variation with
13. 'iWd1

•
~xd1+

6 ... Sl.b 7 in the game Dorfman-Spasov, If 13.. ."ilxb2 White wins by 14.dxe6.
Moscow 1985, did not succeed, and Black 14. ct;xd1 ti:Jxf6
did not survive the opening after 7.c4 bxc3 15. ti:Jxf7!
8.tbxc3 c5 9.0-0 cxd4 10.tbxd4 Sl.xg2 The point of White's plan! In Black's
11. ct;xg2 (the reader will find the complete position he creates a weakness of the light
text in the Appendix, p.193). squares, which can be exploited in the best
7. tt:Je5 d5 traditions of the immortal Nimzowitsch.
8. c4 15. l:i.g8

•
The armies come into contact over the
16. ti:Jg5

•
e5?

entire front. The complications in the As often happens, Black's decisive

 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 105

mistake does not involve some oversight. heights with i.J5 and ti:Je4.
Here it is the conception itself that is 32. ti:Jc5+
incorrect: in a statically inferior position 33. <i;c4 ti:Ja4
Black avoids the dynamic play 16... exd5 34. i.c2
17. ti:Jd 2. Another such opportunity no Crippling the black knight.
longer presents itself. 34. ..• ti:Jb6+
17. ti:Jd2 ti:Jxd5 35. <i;b5 <i;e7
18. i.e4 h6 A tacit offer to continue the game, by
19. ti:Jgf3 i.d6 playing draughts! But, seriously speaking, I
20. ti:Jc4 0-0-0 can't help recalling Bronstein's words from
21. <i;d2 his book on the 1953 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:tge8
22. label <i;b8
23. ti:Ja5 i.a8
24. ti:Jc6+ i.xc6
25. l:txc6 ti:Jf6
26. <i;d3 l:te7
27. h3
As usual, first the position is
strengthened to the maximum, the threats
"accumulate", and the ripe fruit falls of its
own accord ...

36. ti:Je4 ti:Jd5

37. ti:Jg3 ti:Jc7+
38. <i;c4 <i;d7
39. i.a4 <i;e6
40. ti:Jf5 ti:Je8
41. l:.a6
1-0

a b c d e g h No.32
D.Donchev- !.Dorfman
27. .l:r.c7
<i;xc7 B87- Lvov 1983
28. l:txc7
29. .l:tcl+ <i;d7 I will always remember this insignificant
30. ti:Jd2 <i;e6 tournament - the Kotov Memorial. During
31. .l:tc6 ti:Jd7 the closing ceremony I made some critical
32. g4 remarks about the organisation of the
In the near future White will conquer new tournament. The punishment was not long in
 106 THE METHOD IN CHESS

following. The very next day I was banned 9. i.g5

from playing in international tournaments
for a period of two years. This sounds like
the sentence of a court (it, or rather a trial,
did indeed take place). It was dismal to note
the participation m it and the
incomprehensible comments by
grandmasters Mikhalchishin and Litinskaya,
whom I had previously regarded as chess
players. And the punishment was also
suggested by my "colleagues". 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.lDa4 ~d7 ll.f4 'iia5 12.e5 dxe5
of people, and of life. Eighteen months later, 13.'iixe5 'ilixe5+ 14.fxe5 lDg4 15.~xe7
when I was still unable to travel, I accepted ~xe7 16.lDb6 .:!.a7 17.lDc4 lDc6 18.lDj3
an invitation by Kasparov to help him in his 1:.b8 19.h3 lDh6 20.g4 a5 21.a4 f6 22.exf6+
world championship match against Karpov. gxf6 23.0-0-0 lDj7 24.'1:.hel i.c8 25.'1:.d5 h6
Thus I became a trainer, and for the first time 26..:cs.
I conceived the idea of leaving the USSR. 10. .td2
1. e4
2. l2Jf3
c5
d6 •
The retreat of the active bishop must be
3. d4 cxd4 considered a plus for Black. The idea of
4. l2Jxd4 l2Jf6 moving the queen onto the fifth rank is fully
5. lDc3 a6 revealed in the variation JO.f4 h6 ll.~h4
The Najdorf Variation has remained g5 12.fxg5 hxg5 13.Lg5 b4.
impregnable now for half a century. To a 10. 'iifc7
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. i.c4 e6 logically. In this way he tries to justify the
7. i.b3 b5 passive position of his queen's bishop.
8. 'iife2 11. b4
This comparatively rare continuation is 12. l2Ja2 'ifb6
the Bulgarian 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 1982. the a2-g8 diagonal. The idea of interposing
8. i.e7 the queen move is evident from the variation
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 107

12 ...tt:Jc6 13. 0.xc6 'i\Vxc6 14./3 a5 15. i..c4 attack is based on a resource that is already
i..a6 16.i..xa6 .l:ha6 17.c3, where White familiar to the reader from Game 6: 23.exd5
succeeds in ridding himself of this 'ilie5+ 24.~j2 'i\Vxb2 (24 ... a4 25.i..a2 a3). It
superfluous piece. is amazing how White's position becomes
13. 'i\Ve3 lL'lc6 hopeless in just three moves!
14. lL'l xc6 'ii'xc6 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 'iWe5 (24 ... i..d6).
16. bxc3 24. exf3
17. lL'lxc3 i.a6 25. ~xf3 lL'l g4
18. lL'l b5 26. i.f4 lL'le5
•
Black has a static advantage on three
27. 'ii'xa8
I should like to quote Fischer: "Different
elements of the regressive scale (not people feel differently about resigning".
counting "material correlation"). Therefore 27.Le5 'ilixe5 was another way.
White seeks dynamic play. After the 27. 'ifxa8
interposition of 18.~cl 'iib 7 he would have 28. i.xe5 'ife4
been denied even this chance. 29. i.c3 i.b4
18. i.xb5 30. l:ie1 'ifh4
19. axb5 'ii'b7 31. ~efl i.xc3
20. 'it'c3 32. bxc3 'ife7
Donchev does everything possible to Black 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 Le6 or
20. 0-0 33&}7.
21. 'ifc6 'ii'b8 33. h3 ~b8
22. ~cl d5 34. c4 a4
35. i.a2 ~d8
36. ~b1 'ifc5+
37. ~h1 ~d2
The prelude to an accurately calculated
variation, leading to an economic finish.
38. b6 'ir'g5
39. ~g1
Things would have concluded even more
quickly after 39.g3 'iih5 40.g4 'YJie5.
39. ~xa2
40. :c3 'ifc5
41. b7 :b2
42. :d1 g6
Here White resigned, and therefore the
concluding double attack in the following

•
The breakthrough in the centre
variation remained off-stage: 43.'fd..d8+ ~g7
44.b8='iW &b8 45.&b8 'ii'e5·
nevertheless takes place. Black's counter- 0-1
 108 THE METHOD IN CHESS

No.33
!.Dorfman- Yu.Balashov
E91 -USSR Championship
First League, Tallinn 1983 aX ~
7 /i ;' ~ !
~I *
' .t '
1. tt:Jf3
2. c4
lZ'I f6
g6 6
5 / ~ -·~
~~· -~·
)
3. tZ'I c3 ~ g7
4. e4 d6 4 0 ~ · ~ #~
5. d4 0-0 3 , ?lJ ~ "x

6. ~e2 ~g4
Black chooses a rare variation, in which
2 ~ ~ / ~~ ~ t!J
at an early stage he concedes the bishop 0 1 w ~ 'i¥ ~/l:t ~
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 likes and
•
Black allows his opponent to modify the
knows how to play. pawn formation in the centre. Obviously this
7. ~e3 lZ'Ic6 is to the advantage of White, who has the
This manoeuvre provokes a fixing bishop pair. The alternative 12 .. .'fia5 13.f3
of the pawn formation, whereas after '!:.ab8 (13 ... :ac8 14.b3) 14.b3 cxd5 15.cxd5
7. .. lZJjd7 White has more freedom in 1lec8 16. 'fid2 leads to an unpromising
his choice of plan. As an example of position for Black, as in the game
a successful way to play, I can Polugaevsky-Spassky, Toluka Interzonal
suggest 8.lZ'Ig1!? ~xe2 9.lZJgxe2 e5 1982. A convincing illustration of the rule
10.0-0 tZ'Ic6 (or 10 ... a5 ll.~d2 tZ'Ic6 "The exchange of a bishop for a knight
12.f3 exd4 13.lZJxd4 lZJc5 14.:ad1, can be justified only when the pawn
Kasparov- Vukic, Banj aluka 1979) formation is ftxed".
ll.f3 f5 12.exf5 gxf5 13.dxe5 dxe5 13. dxc6
14.c5 with a minimal advantage to
White (Magerramov-Nevednichy, The only thing that cannot be
•
Baku 1978). recommended here is the win of a piece for
8. d5 ~xf3 three pawns by 13.j4tZ'Ixc4!? 14.Lc4 exd5
9. i.xf3 tZ'I e5 15.~b3 dxe4 16.f5 d5. Even after 13.dxe6
10. i.e2 c6 l:rxe6, the ideal formation for Black, it is
11. 0-0 : es 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.
Minsk 1983, where Black ran into 13. ... tZ'Ixc6
difficulties after ll ... 'ila5 12.~d2!? Unfortunately for Balashov,
:jc8 13. b3 a6 (13 ... cxd5 14. exd5) 13 ... bxc6? loses a pawn after 14./4
14.a4!? "iic7 15.a5 .l:.e8 16.f3 e6 17.dxe6 lZ'Ied7 15.'flxd6.
:xe6 18.b4. 14. 'fib3 ile7
12. .l:.cl e6 15. n fd1 .l:ted8
16. '!:.d2 lid7
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 109

17. ltcd1 .l:tad8 e3! From here it defends the e4 pawn,

18. 'i'a3 ..tf8 freeing the knight of this primitive function,

•
18.JiJe8!? does not significantly change
and the latter can invade on the weakened
b6 square, paralysing the enemy forces.
anything. After a series of forced moves, a 22. 'i'b3! ..tg7
critical position has been reached. White 23. 'iib6 tt:,e8
finds some technical means to provoke new 24. tt:,a4 ii.e5
weaknesses. 25. 't!Ve3
19. .tg5! h6 At just the right time! Of the dynamic
•
If the bishop returns, White further
means available to Black (changing the
pawn formation, exchanging material,
strengthens his position (19 ... .tg7!? 20.f3), seizing the initiative), all that remains is
maintaining all its advantages. It is playing for the exchange of the opponent's
significant that dynamic play (20.tlJb5 h6 active pieces. This factor determines the
2l.Lf6 Lj6 22.lthd6 ii..g5 23 ..l:f.d3 tt:,es immediate actions of the two sides.
24 . .l:r.d4 tt:,c6=) is clearly inappropriate 25. 'i'f6
here. 26. tjjb6 %:tc7
20. if..h4 g5 27. if..xe5
21. .tg3 a6 This prevents 27... .ltj4 followed by the
Totally passive is 21...b6 22.--tjl. black pawn moving to f4.
27. ... tt:,xe5
•
The lesser evil. Clearly bad were both
27... dxe5? 28. .l:f.xd8 tt:,xd8 29.tt:,d7 'i'g7
30.lthe5 and 27... 'i'xe5 28.c5! with the idea
of{jjc4.
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!
•
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 'i'g5 30.'i'xg5+ hxg5 3l.cxd6 l:tc6.
apparent. Moreover, he has to restrain the 29. ... l:Ib8
freeing break, which is possible in the event
of 22.f3 d5! 23.'i'xe7lthe7 24.cxd5 exd5
•
It is all over. Black has exhausted his
25.e5 tjjh5 26..ltf2. After a deep penetration dynamic resources and he accepts the
into the subtleties of the position, I opted for inevitable. 29... gxh3 30.f4 {jjg6 3J.<:i;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.
 110 THE METHOD IN CHESS

30. b4 Wg7 B) 43. il..j3 'ikxa4 44.g4 , with a decisive

31. a4 aS advantage for White in both lines.
In the event of 32.a5 Black would have 42. 'ikhS
been stalemated. Black resigns. In the variations 42 ... 'iic6
32. bxaS .:!.cS 43 . 'fiixg4+ Wf7 44.il..b5 and 42 ... ti:Jd6
33 • .l:1b1 43.'fiixg4+ Wf7 44.e5 he has no practical

•
A manoeuvre that has the aim of
saving chances .
1-0
exchanging the opponent's active rook. Once
again we can satisfy ourselves that dynamic No.34
play is untimely: 33.1hd6 tfu:d6 34. 'ii'xc5 !.Dorfman- S.Makarychev
tfu:e4 35.'ii'e3 ti:Jc3 36..:!.d6 tfu:e2+ 37.'iixe2 D02 - USSR Championship
ti:Jj3+ 38. Wg2 .:!.dB. First League, Tallinn 1983
33. l:baS
34. .:!.bS : a6 1. d4 ti:Jf6

•
The exchange 34... :Xb5? 35.cxb5 creates
2.
3.
ti:Jf3
g3
e6
dS
a potential passed a-pawn , which is 4. il..g2 ti:Jbd7
impossible to stop. Black prematurely reveals his intentions.
3S. cS! His aim is the freeing advance ... e6-e5.
The position is ripe for decisive action. White immediately changes plan and
Now 35 ... dxc5 36. 'ii'xc5 ti:Jj3+ 37. i..xj3 switches to playing for e2-e4. If successful,
'flixf3 (37... gxf3 38.ti:Jd7'iial+ 39.Wh2 'iijl he will acquire an outpost at e5, and Black
40.'ii'c3+ Wg8 4l.'fiixj3) 38.'fiie5+ IS will have problems with his light-square
unsatisfactory for Black. bishop.
3S. .:!.d8 S. 0-0 c6
36. Wg2
37. .:!.xd8
dxcS
'ii'xd8
•
I should like to give a miniature that is
38. 'ii'xcS 'fiid6 very similar in style.
Black loses after 38.. .f6 39 . .:!.b4 .:!.a7
40.ti:Jd7. !.Dorfman- D.Guigonis
39. 'ii'c3! A07 - French Championship, Meribel 1998
It is never too late to go wrong. After l.ti:Jf3 dS 2.g3 ti:Jd7 3.d4 e6 4.il..g2 ti:Jgf6
39. ti:Jc8? 'fiixc5 40..:!.xc5 ti:Jd7 41 ..:!.c4 ti:Je5 S.0-0 il..d6 6.ti:Jc3 a6 7.e4 ti:Jxe4 8.ti:Jxe4
the position becomes equal. dxe4 9.ti:JgS fS 10.f3 exf3 ll.ti:Jxe6 'ile7
39. .•• l::r.xb6 12 ..:!.e1 ti:JeS 13.dxeS il..b4 14.ti:Jxg7+ 'fiixg7
Both players were seriously short of time, 1S.il..xf3 il..xe1 16.il..hS+ We7 17.'fiixe1 aS
and it is for this reason that the usually 18.'fiic3 l::r.a6 19.'fiixc7+ il..d7 20.'fiicS+ Wd8
tenacious Balashov loses so quickly. 39.. .f6 21.il..d2 .:!.c6 22.'ii'xaS+ We7 23.il..b4+ 1-0
was a tougher defence.
40. .:!.xb6 'flixb6 6. ti:Jbd2 il..d6
41. '*i'xeS+ f6
The outcome of the game is also decided
•
Here 6... b6, mixing two different plans, is
after 4l...ti:Jj6 42.Lg4 'fiic6: inappropriate. White breaks through in the
A) 43.a5 'flixe4+ 44.'i!Vxe4 ti:Jxe4 45. il..j3 centre with 7.e4, although it is still possible
ti:J d6 (45 .. .f5 46. il.. xe4 fxe4 47.g4 Wf6 for him to revert to traditional Catalan play
48.f4+-) 46. L b7tfu:b7 47.a6; by 7.c4 il.b7 8.'ii'c2 il..e7 9.e4.
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 111

7. l:te1 b6
8. e4
•
White has carried out his minimum
program, but as yet he does not have any
static advantage. It all depends on
whether Black is able to advance his c-
pawn.
8. lZ:lxe4
•
Makarychev decides to get rid of the
knights, considering the complications in
the following variation to be unfavourable
for him: 8 ... dxe4 9.lLlg5 e3 JO.fxe3
(10.l:t.xe3!?) JO ... i..b7 ll.e4 e5 12.lLlc4 15. i.xc6+ i.xc6
i.c7 13.d5 (13.lLlj3). 16. l:txe6+ fxe6
9. lZ:lxe4 dxe4 17. it'xe6+ i.e7
10. lZ:lgS lZ:lf6 18. 'ii'xc6+ <J;;f7
•
After JO .. .f5 White can continue ll.f3
19. .l:Ie1
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
energetic ll.lLlxe6 is even stronger: way to save the game. Thus after the normal
ll ... 'fie7 (ll .. ."ilj6 12.i..xe4 fxe4 13.l:t.xe4 19... l:t.c8 White has the immediately decisive
'i;J7 14.lLlg5+ 'i;g8 15.'YJid3+-) 12.i..xe4 20. Wie6+ <i;eB 21.d5 Wid7 22. Wij6 :gs 23.d6.
fxe4 13.1he4+-. 19. llf8
11. lZ:lxe4 lZ:lxe4 20. 'iie6+ <i;e8
12. i.xe4 i.b7 21. d5
13. 'it'g4 g6 There was a simpler win by 2J.i..g5 'JJ.j7
Necessary, to avoid the loss of material 22. 'iic6+ 'i;JS 23.i..xe7+ 'JJ.xe7 24. 'iij6+
in the variation 13 ... 0-0 14.i..h6 "iij6 <i;e8 25.1he7+ Wixe7 (all Black's moves are
15.i..g5. forced) 26.Wic6+ and 27'iixa8.
14. i.h6 i.f8 21. 'iid7
•
Black is crushed after 14 .. .f5 15.i..xj5
22. 'iieS
•
gxf5 16.Wig7 l:t.j8 17.l:t.xe6+ i..e7 An important moment for the
18.Wixj8+. 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 Wixe6 23.1he6
In the event of the bishop exchange l:t.j7 24.i..g5 ~d7 25.'/J.xe7+ 1he7 26.dxe7
15.i..xj8 r:J;;xj8 Black can put up a %:tc8.
tenacious defence. 22. <i;d8
White radically changes the character 23. i.xf8 i.xf8
of the play with a real rook sacrifice. 24. d6 'ii'f7
Again the only reply. Against the threat of
25. 'fij6+ it does not help to run with the
 112 THE METHOD IN CHESS

king: 24 ... Wc8 25.'ii'e8+ 'i*'xe8 26Jhe8+ No.35

W b7 27.d7.
I.Dorfman- U.Boensch
E06- Lvov 1984
1. d4 lLlf6
2. ltJf3 e6
3. g3
I 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. 1i.g2 1i.e7
5. c4 0-0
6. 'ifc2
A cunning move, counting on the standard
reaction.

25. :e4
The culmination of the game. 25... 1i.g7 is
very strongly met by 26. 'ii'g5+ 1i.j6
(26 .. .'ii'f6 27.'ii'd5) 27.'iif4, intending to
invade on the seventh rank with the rook.
25. Wd7
26. :r4 'fie6
27. 'i'bS+ Wxd6
28. 'fib4+
Interposing moves by 28.~xf8?? 'ii'el+
29.Wg2 ~!8 would have lost the rook.
28. Wc6
29. l:.xf8 ~xf8
30. 'i'xf8 'ii'xa2 6. dxc4?!
31. 'ii'f6+
32. 'ii'eS+
WbS
Wc6
•
A dubious decision. The position
33. 'i'e4+ Wd6 demanded the subtle response 6 .. . c5
34. 'i!Vd4+ Wc6 7.cxd5 (7.0-0 cxd4 8.lbxd4 lbc6 9.lbxc6
35. ~e4+ WcS bxc6 10.b3; 7.dxc5 d4t) 7... cxd4 8.dxe6
36. b3 aS 1Lxe6, and Black is alright thanks to his
37. 'ife3+ WbS strong pressure on the backward e2
38. 'ifc3 Wa6 pawn .
39. 'ifc8+ Wa7 7. 'ii'xc4 a6
40. 'ii'c7+ Wa6 8. ..ltf4 liJdS
41. 'ii'c8+ 9. lbc3 bS
Here, following the time scramble, the 10. 'ifd3 1i.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 10.. .lL\xf4 ll.gxf4 ~a7
Black resigned without resuming. with the bishop pair in an unclear
1-0 position.
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 113

11. tZ:lxd5 i.xd5 18. h6

12. 0-0 tt:Jd7 19. tt:Jd2 iYb6?
•
The central break 12 ... c5 13.dxc5 i.xc5
•
This move allows some tactical fireworks
14.lZJg5 g6 15.Ld5 ~xd5 16.~xd5 exd5 in a seemingly simple position. It was
17.'/J.fd1 'fJ.d8 18.'1:.acl creates weaknesses essential to attack the opponent's most
in Black's position and worsens his active piece, by playing 19... i.e5.
situation. 20. tZ:le4 i.e5
13. l:tfd1 21. i.h3 'fJ.ad8
•
The seemingly tempting 13.a4 can be met
2l...i.xj4 22.i.xd7 'IJ.ed8 23. ~xc5 is
hopeless for Black.
by 13 ... c5 14.axb5 c4.
13. c5
14. e4 i.b7

0
a b c d e g h

22. i.xd7 ~xd7

a b c d e g h 23. i.xe5 'IJ.xe5
24. tZ:lxc5 'fJ.c7
•
White is again at a parting of the ways.
White's idea lies in the primitive variation
24 ... 'D..dxd5 25.lZJd7. As was said by
Nothing significant is apparent in the Smyslov, when setting off to the 1982
variation 15.'/J.acl ~b6 (15 ... cxd4 16.i.c7) Interzonal Tournament in Las Palmas: 'It is
16.dxc5 (16.d5 exd5 17.exd5 i.d6 18.lZJg5 important to see checks, forks and pins.'
lZJj6) 16... tZ:lxc5 17.~e3 '!J.ac8. 25. b4 i.xd5
15. d5 exd5 The pawn has to be taken. If 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 ... '/J.xd5
17. 'iic2 .l:.e8 does not work: 26.'/J.xd5 Ld5 27.'/J.d1 'iic6
18. h4 28.~/5.
A useful manoeuvre. The inclusion of 26. f4
18.h4 h6 suits White for several reasons. It All this was worked out before the 21st
weakens the opponent's king, after lZJd2 move, and White plays without any
there is not the reply ... i.g5, and it is prejudices.
pleasant to be able to deploy the bishop at 26 ... i.e4
h3 behind the pawn chain. 26.. .11h5 was stronger, with the possible
 114 THE METHOD IN CHESS

continuations: The capture 38... 1:.xh4 loses immediately

A) 27.g4? :Xh4 28.:Xd5 Itxg4+ 29.rJithl for two reasons: 39.'fiel and 39.f6.
(29. rJith2 'fi/6-+) 29 ... 'fi/6 (29 ... 'fic6 39. 'ii'xa6 i..xfS
30.:adl :d7 31.'fij5 Itxd5 32.1hd5 :Xj4 40. 'iVxbS i..g6
33.'iixf4 iixd5+ 34.'fie4 iixa2), and Black 41. a4 :bl
is in no danger; 42. hS
B) 27.':d4 l:tc8 28.:adl i..j3 29.:Jd2, and Of course, not 42.f5?? i..h5+.
White retains the better position. 42. i..c2
27. iif2 43. 'flc4 i..dl +
The point of the combination. 44. rJile3 :al
After 44 ... i..xh5 45.'flc2+ i..g6 46.f5
Black loses one of his remaining
p1eces.
45. 'ii'c3 l:txa4
46. 'ii'd3+ rJilg8
47. 'ii'xdl
The curtain may be lowered. The position
could have been of some interest without
one of the white pawns.
47. :a3+
48. rJitf2 .l:.a2+
49. rJitf3 l:ta3+
50. rJilg4 rJith7
51. 'fid4 rJith8
52. rJitfS l:ta6
27. l1exc5 53. 'iVds :r6+
28. bxcS l:txcS 54. rJiles :rs
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:.xcl 55. 'fle6 rJith7
30. ilxb6 :xdl+ 56. fS rJith8
31. rJitf2 fS 57. rJile4
3l...i..j5 seems more tenacious to me. The triangulation method, which puts the
32. g4 rJith7 opponent in zugzwang.
33. ile6 i..bl 57. .. . rJith7
34. gxfS :d2+ 58. 'fle7 rJilg8
35. rJile3 The decisive nuance: after 58 ... :/6
White does not give in to the provocation. 59.'ilxf6 gxf6 60.rJitd5 rJilg7 6l.rJile6 White
After 35.ri;gJ :dl+ 36.rJilg2 :d2+ 37.c:J;g3 wins.
1:.d3+ 38.rJilg4 h5+ 39.rJilxh5 :g3 40.iiel 59. rJiles :n
g6+ 41.fxg6+ i..xg6# it all ends in mate, 60. 'it'e6 rJilf8
but. .. to the white king . 61. 'fic8+
35. .l:.d3+ Finally the king is drawn out of its shelter.
36. rJile2 :g3 61. rJile7
37. rJ;;f2 :g4 62. 'figS
38. rJitf3 :gl 1-0
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 115

No.36
I.Novikov- I.Dorfman •
There is a choice here, but it is largely
A53 - 51st USSR Championship, theoretical, since in the variation 10.dxe5
Lvov 1984 tt'lxe5 ll.tt'lxd5 tt'lxd5 12.'ii'xd5 tt'ld3+
13. ~d2 tt'lb4 Black has a strong initiative.
1. d4 tt'lf6 10. ... exd4
2. c4 d6 11 . .txd4
3. tt'lc3 tt'lbd7 After ll.tt'lxd4 tt'lb6 Black regains the

•
I chose a move order, enabling me to
material and retains a static advantage. In
several variations ... il.g 5 is a threat.
avoid the Samisch Variation - the favourite 11. tt'lb6
weapon of grandmaster Novikov. 3 ... e5 12. tt'lf4
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 . .txb6 'ii'xb6 or 12.il.xj6 il.xj6, 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. tt'lge2 12. tt'lbxd5
White's choice of middlegame plans is 13. tt'lfxd5 tt'lxd5
wider after 5.tt'lj3, but, as the next few 14. .txg7
moves show, the Ukrainian player had not This critical continuation is forced, since
given up the idea of transposing into his after 14.tt'lxd5 'ii'xd5 it is hard to parry the
usual Samisch. threat of ... i.g5.
5. il.e7 14. ... :e8!
6. f3 c6 15. .te2
7. i.e3 0-0 The only defence. The king cannot reach a
This is a critical position, since a decision safe haven after 15. 'ii'xd5 il.j6+ 16. ~j2
has to be taken regarding the pawn centre. (16.~d1 il.xc3) 16... 'ii'b6+ 17.~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. 'ii'd2?
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 clear sky! The
preliminary exchange 8... exd4 9.il.xd4 is
inappropriate, since it makes the central
freeing break 9 ... d5 impossible because of
10. cxd5 cxd5 11. e5. 15.... tt'le3?!
9. cxd5 cxd5 This looks strong, but it could have
10. exd5 complicated Black's task. He would have
 116 THE METHOD IN CHESS

retained a powerful initiative with 15.JlJb4 No.37

16.i.h6 "fixd2+ 17.~xd2l:t.d8+ 18.~cl i.j5. B.Gelfand- !.Dorfman
16. i.h6 tLlxg2+
D85 - Minsk 1986
17. ~f2?
This unfortunate move loses quickly. 1. d4 tLlf6
17. i;;dJ should have been preferred. 2. c4 g6
17. 'ifb6+! Today it may seem strange, but the young
18. i;;xg2 "fig6+ Gelfand was better at handling technical
19. ~n i.h3+ positions. Apart from this, my choice of
20. ~e1 'iig2 opening was influenced by the fact that my
21. ~f4 opponent had an excellent understanding of
The concluding position of the main the Petros ian Variation of the Queen's Indian
varia tion of the combination 2l.l:t.fl? Defence.
l:t.ad8 22. "fij4 "fixfl + 23. i.xjl i.h4# 3. tLlc3 d5
would satisfy the most demandin g 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. tLlf3 i.g7
5. cxd5 tLlxd5
6. e4 tLlxc3
7. bxc3 c5
8. l:tb1 0-0
9. i.e2 cxd4

•
If I stopped regularly employing the
Grtinfeld Defence , it was because of the
variation with B.l:t.bl and 9. i.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... tbc6 JO.d5 tbe5 ll. tbxe5
21. 'ifxh1+ i.xe5 12. "fid2 e6 13.f4 i..c 7 was considered
22. i;;d2 I:r.ad8+ promising, but by the start of the 21st
23. i;;c2 'ifg2 century everything had been analysed here
24. i;;b3 down to the endgame.
There was no need for the last few moves. 10. cxd4 'ilia5+
24. i.e6+ 11. i.d2
25. i.c4 i.xc4+ As a person working in the Kasparov
26. 'i!Vxc4 i.f6 team, I can testify that, if Karpov had
27. 'iff4 l:te6 employed this move a couple of times
Black after all reaches the opponent's instead of the toothless 11. "fid2, the
king. discussion in the Grtinfeld Defence would
28. lld1 l:txd1 have been curtailed.
29. lLlxd1 :tb6+ 11. 'ifxa2
30. ~c4 'ife2+ 12. 0-0 b6
0-1
•
This defence looks more logical than
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 117

12... il...g4, 12... a5, or 12.JiJd7 13.i..b4 tl:Jb6. 17. ~xe6 +

13. 'i!Vc1 'iie6 As a result of the forcing play 1ZLe6fxe6
Soon afterwards Romanishin suggested the 18.1he6 'fid5 19.'f:.xe7 tl:Jc6 20.'f:.xg7+ Wxg7
queen sacrifice 13 ... !i.a6 14.'f:.a1 'fixa1 21.Lf8+ 'l:.xf8 the position is simplified and
15.'fixa1 Le2 16.:e1 Lj3 17.gxf3 tl:Jc6, the chances are roughly equal.
but it is nevertheless insufficient for equality. 17. ... fxe6
On the basis of the game Ivanchuk-Svidler, 18. tl:Jg5 Wh8?!
Linares 1998, 13... i..b7 14.i..c4 'fia4 15.i..b5 Perhaps the fate of the variation chosen by
'iia2 16.i..c4 'fia4 17..il..b5 'fia2 18.'f:.e1 .l:!c8 Black depends on 18... tl:Jd7.
19.'fid1 e6 20.h4 h5 21.'fie2 tl:Jc6 22 . .il..c4
'fia4 23.'f:.a1 'fic2 24.i..d3 "fib2 25.'f:.a4! is
considered dangerous for Black.
14. i..c4
White used a subtle transposition of
moves in the game Agrest-Gavrikov,
European Champions Cup 1999: 14.'1d.e1
!i.a6 15.i..d1 'fid7 16.!i.h6 .il..b7 17.i..xg7 4
7~i¥~
6 -·w
a.ia\ -
•
53.- - - •
t.~
~ ~il.~/ -
~~
-
~·

(iJ
-
Jl
/~
Wxg7 18.~b3 tl:Ja6 19.'fib2 f6 20.tl:Jh4 ~
~; ~~
/, /' • :7/-

'f:.ad8 21.'f:.g3 e6 22.d5 tl:Jc5 23.!i.g4 'Wij7

24.il..h5 tl:Jd3 25.'f:.xd3 gxh5 26.d6. 2 - ~ ~4 ~
14.'fic2 is slow. The chances are equal after
14 ... "iid715.'l:.fc1 .il..a6 16.il..xa6 tl:Jxa6
01 ~ .:~
a b c d
•
e
fil g h
17. 'fic4 'fic8 18. 'fixc8 'f:.Jxc8 19.lhc8+
I:.xc8 20.'f:.a1 tl:Jb8 21.'f:.xa7 tl:Jc6 22.'1d.d7 19. tl:Jxe6?
(Polak-lvanchuk, Elista Olympiad 1998). White loses a tempo in the attack. The
14. ... 'fixe4 inclusion of 19.'fJ.b3! was much stronger,
when Black can only regret the premature
15. .l:.e1
determining of his king's position.
It is hard to believe that Black can have 19. .•. tl:Jd7
any problems in the endgame with an extra 20 . .il..xe7?
pawn after 15.Lf7+ 'l:.xf7 16."iixc8+ 'JJ.f8 This second successive mistake leaves White without
17.'fic4+ e618.'l:.fe1 'fid5 19.'f:.bcl. hopes of saving the game. The primitive 20. CDxf8
15. 1i'b7 CDxf8 would still have enabled him to stay afloat.
16. .il..b4 il..e6 20. .:res
21. tl:Jxg7

7
6
5
 118 THE METHOD IN CHESS

21. ... 'ii'c6

After 2l ... 'fie4! 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:tb4 b5 9 ... c4 JO.lbe5 ~e6 ll.lbxc6 bxc6 12.b3
23. ltJe8 'ii'e4 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. ltJxd4 h6
24. liJd6 'ii'xe7 11. ~e3 l:te8
25. ltJxc8 'it'xb4 12. l:tc1
26. ~d5 l:tb8 In the early 1980s all the logical queen
27. h4 'flxd4 moves (J2.1i'c2, 12.'flb3 and 12.'fia4) were
28. 'flc6 'ii'c5 seriously tested. I prefer to settle on
29. 'flxd7 l:txc8 Rubinstein's classical continuation.
30. g3 l:tf8 12. ... ~f8
31. ~f7 'ii'c3 The Finish grandmaster follows the
32. h5 'ii'f6 theoretical recommendation. 12 ... ~g4 is
33. hxg6 hxg6 perhaps more accurate, but to me White's
34. ~d5 'ii'xf2+ position seems the more promising.
35. ~h1 'ii'fl + 13. lDxc6 bxc6
36. ~h2 'ii'f2+ 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... l:tj2+. played 14 ... lbh7 15.lba4 lbg5 16.~c5
37. ~h3 \lff5+ (16.:Xc6) against me.
38. 'ii'xf5 .l:ixf5 15. 'iWa4 ~d7
0-1 16. ~xf6 'flxf6

No.38
!.Dorfman- Y.Rantanen
D34 - Helsinki 1986

The tournament in the Finish capital

marked my return to international events
after three years of relentless persecution.
1. d4 d5
2. c4 e6
3. ltJc3 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. ltJxd5
4. cxd5
5. liJf3
exd5
ltJc6 •
A theoretical novelty! Rantanen was
6. g3 liJf6 undoubtedly guided by the recommendation
7. ~g2 ~e7 in the Encyclopaedia of 17.~xd5 cxd5
8. 0-0 0-0 18.'iVxd7 l:tad8 19.'iWa4 d4 20.lDd5 'Wif5
9. ~g5 cxd4 2l.lbf4 g5 22.lbd3 l:txe2 23. 'Widl l:tde8
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 119

24.'1:.e1 l:.xe1+ 25.l:fu:e1 d3 26.1:£Jxd3 '!:.dB 4. I:£Jf3 il..g7

27.'1:. c3 i..g7 28.'1:.b3 i..xb2, leading to 5. 1Wb3
equality. All this occurred in the game Stein- I impatiently awaited our game, since
Damjanovic, Vrnjacka Banja 1971. Contrary my opponent had already played 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. 'ii'xc4 0-0
18. ~xd7 '!:.adS 7. e4 I:£Ja6
19. 'ii'b7 l:txe2 8. il..e2
20. il..xd5 l:d2 After 8.i..j4 c5 9.d5 e6 JO.d6 e5 White's
After 20... :.Xb2 21.Lf7+ ~hB 22.il..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. il..b3 il..d6 9. d5 e6
22. l:tc3 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 fulfilling defensive
functions .
22. iie7
23. 'fibS 'ii'e5
24. 'ili'c4 'iif5
25. ~g2 l:td7
26. l:tf3 'i'ig6
27. 'iWc8+
27. 'iic3 would have been immediately
decisive, e.g. 27... i..j8 28.l:xj7.
27. ... i..f8
28. lite1 'it'd6
Now White also activates his second rook,
and after its appearance on the eighth rank
Black loses more material. 28 ... '1:.d8
followed by ... l:Bd7 or ... l:2d7 was a more 11 .... il..f5
tenacious defence. Gavrikov's variation ll .. .'ilb6 remains
29. .l:f.e8 g6 a stumbling-block for White. There is
30. i..e6 also the reserve move 11 ... b6, but in
1-0 this line Black has to reckon with
12.Wih4.
No.39 12. i..f4
V.Ivanchuk- !.Dorfman At the moment it is White who has had
D97 - Lvov 1988 the last word here. After 12.'1:.d1 '!:.eB
13.d6 h6 14.i..j4 I:£Jb4 15.'1:.d2 I:£Jd7
1. d4 I:£Jf6 16. Wi b3 i..e6 17. i..c4 l:iJb6 18. i..xe6 '!:.xe6
2. c4 g6 19.l:£Ja4 '!:.e4 20.i..g3 I:£Jc4 21.l:fu:c5 I:£Jxd2
3. I:£Jc3 d5 22.l:fu:d2 '!:.e2 23.'iixb4 a5 24.Wixb7 :.Xd2
 120 THE METHOD IN CHESS

25.d7 his advantage became decisive in 19. 'iixb5 'iixe4 20. Wlxb 7.
the game Piket-Kasparov, Amsterdam 17. 'iixb5 ~xe5
1995. 18. lLlxe5
12. l:te8 After a series of forced moves a critical
13. l:tad1 lL'le4 position has been reached . White shows
14. lL'l b5 courage in avoiding the equality after
Nothing else will do. The blockading 18.'iixb7'1:.ee8.
14 ... lL'ld6 has to be parried, and the 18. ... lL'l d6
complications after 14..i.d3 .i.xc3 15.bxc3 19. lL'lg4
b5 16.'iixb5lL'lxc3 17.'ilixa6 .i.xd3 18.'rild3 Ivanchuk's play is ideal. After 19.'Dd7
lLle2+ 19.~h1 lLlxf4 are also favourable to 'iid8 20.'iia4 c4 White stands worse.
Black. 19. ... Wif4
14. 'iff6 20. 'iid7 c4
15. .i.d3 The sleeping knight finds a propitious
moment to join the play.
21. g3 lLlc5
22. 'ilc7
The ending after 22.gxf4 lLlxd7 ts
hopeless for White.
22. Wixg4
23. 'ili'xc5 'ifd7
24. .i.e2 .i.xb2
25. ~b4!

es.i ~ -
7~,- · ~~
6

15.... .i.d7
A theoretical novelty, and an important
improvement on the 19 1h game of the
Karpov-Kasparov match, London/Leningrad
1986, where White converted his material
advantage in the variation 15... lL'lb4 16.lL'lc7
lLlxd3 17.lLlxe8 ~xe8 18.'iixd3 'ilixb2
19.'1:.de1.
16. .i.e5! Incredibly, this is a critical position ,
Ivanchuk responds accurately to the determining the viability of Black's novelty
surprise. 16.g3 Wixb2 17.'1:.b1 .i.xb5 on the 15th move. I saw that after 25... .i.e5
18.'iixb5 'iixb5 19.Lb5 ':.ed8 or 16..i.cl 26 . .i.xc4 'iig4 27.'1:.c1 (27.f4? .i.xj4!)
.i.xb5 17. 'ilixb5 lLld6 would have been to 27... 1:tc8 28. 'iie1! lLlxc4 29.'1:.xc4 Wixc4
Black's advantage. 30.'iixe5 Wixa2 31.~a1 the game was level.
16. ... .i.xb5 Nevertheless, I decided to play on.
Black loses after 16 ... Ihe5? 17.lLlxe5 25. c3?!
'iixe5 (17... Lb5 18.'iixe4) 18.Le4 i..xb5 26. .i.d3 a5
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 121

It is time to release the bishop from the After 5.d4 it is practically impossible
encirclement. 26.. J:tc8 27.~del was bad for today to force the opponent to make even
Black. one move of his own.
27. 'iff4 i.a3 5. d6
28. l::tfe1 i.c5 6. 0-0
29. ~g2 In the later game Tkachiev-Dorfman, Cannes

•
Perhaps 29.a4 should have been tried.
1996, White tried to save a tempo by not
castling, in order to occupy the centre, but
29. b5 Black seized the initiative by 6.tLlbd2 0-0
30. h4 h5 7.i.b3 tLle7 8.d4 exd4 9.cxd4 i.b6 10.i.c2
31. 1lff6 (10.0-0 i.g4) 10... ttJc611.d5 tLlb4 12.i.bl c6.
On this occasion White forces equality, 6. i.b6
whereas 31.%:te5 would have retained a 7. t2Jbd2
double-edged position.
31. 'iid8
32. 'iixc3
•
The drawn result is not changed in the
endgame after 32.%:te7 l::ta7 33.%:tdel %:txe7
34.:Xe7 i.d4 35."ilg5 <J;j8 36.%:ta7! 'fixg5
37.%:ta8+ 'fld8 38.~xd8+ ~e7 39.1:Z.a8 a4
(39 ... i.b6 40.%:ta6).
32. i.b4
33. 'iie5 .liLxe1
34. lbe1 l!c8
This ensures the inviolability of the
blockading knight. The careless 34 ... b4?!
35.%:tcl could have led to difficult problems.
35. ~e3 b4 7. t2Je7
36. l::tf3 !tc3 At such an early stage a move with an
37. ~f6 t2Je8 already developed piece is rarely made. Its aim
38. l:tf3 ttJd6 here is to strengthen the kingside, which is
Yl-Yl weakened by the remoteness of the dark-square
bishop, and also to prepare expansion in the
No.40 centre by ... c 7-c6, ... i.e 7 and ... d 6-d5.
J .Klinger - !.Dorfman 8. i..b3 t2Jg6
C54 - Budapest 1988 9. t2Jc4 0-0
10. l:te1
1. e4 e5
Usually the Austrian player is
•
The capture of the bishop 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. 1997. After lO.tLlxb6 axb6 ll.h3 h6 12.d4
2. t2Jf3 t2Jc6 'fle7 13.%:tel lDh 7 Black built up an
3. i.c4 i..c5 initiative on the kingside.
4. c3 ttJf6 10. ... i.e6
5. d3 A manoeuvre which took me a
 122 THE METHOD IN CHESS

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.j_b3 d5 15.exd5 :xel+
there is no need for this , since Black 16.'ilxel Ld417.cxd4 tlJxd5 or 14.f3 d5.
successfully parries 11. tlJg5? by playing 14. ... 'iVd7
ll ... ~g4 12.tlJf3 tlJh4. The tactical justification of White's last
11. d4? move lies in the variations 14 . .. tlJxe4
In this critical position White changes the 15.'ild5 and 14 ... :xe4 15.'1:.xe4 tlJxe4
type of centre. After this the advantage is 16.Lj7+ Wxf7 17.'fid5+.
normally seized by the player who is better 15. tlJg3 hS
developed. Black's negative static balance demands
11. ... ~xc4! dynamic play on his part.
Such an exchange can be justified by 16. tlJxhS tlJxe4
serious reasons. In the subsequent play 17. ~e3 tlJxf2
Black forces a significant weakening of the
enemy king, or the creation of a fixed pawn
formation that favours him. 8
12. ~xc4 exd4!
In the best amateur traditions. The 7
exchange of bishop for knight is 6
"consolidated" by the conceding of the
5
centre. I cannot even "justify" this by my
departure to France, since this took place 4
two years later! Joking aside, after 13.cxd4
3
d5 (13 ... tlJxe4 14.Lj7+ :Xj7 15.:..Xe4 d5
16.:eJ 'fid7) 14.exd5 tlJxd5 White can no 2
longer count on his bishops.
0
13. tlJxd4 a c e g

The knight is immune due to the loss of a

pawn after 18.~xf2 (18. Wxf2 :xe3)
ea 18... ~xf2+ 19.Wxf2 'ilj5+ 20.'ilf3 'ilc5+.
7 18. 'flc2!
Klinger wakes up and finds an excellent
6
resource, involving tlJf6+.
5 18. ... dS
4 •
18... tlJh3+ looks tempting, but White has
some convincing counter-arguments: 19.gxh3
2 (19.Whl tlJe5 20.Lb6 axb6 21.:Xe5 :Xes
22.'ilg6 tlJf2+ 23.Wgl 'D..xh5 24.'fixh5 tlJe4
25.:/I) 19... &e3 20.tlJf6+ Wh8 2J.tlJxd7
.ihel+ 22.Wg2 ':xal 23.tlJxb6 axb6 24.Lj7.
19. ~xb6 axb6
13. ... :e8 20. 'fid2
14. tlJfS Another good reply. If 20 ... c6 there
An instructive moment. White goes in for follows 2J.'fid4.
wild complications, rather than allow a 20. ... 'ilifS
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 123

'fixd4+ 25.cxd4 '1l.d8 26.ll'lf5 ~f8 27.a4.

24. ... 1i'f2+
25. ~h1 ll'l6e5
The game would have concluded more
simply and quickly after 25 ... lDj4, with
numerous threats.
26. i.b3
If 26.1:Ie2 I would have increased the
pressure by 26... 1:Id8 27.i..b3 .l:Id2.
26. .Ild8
27. 'We2 .Ild2

0 •
The transition into an ending where Black
is a pawn up and has no weaknesses ensures
a straightforward technical win.
21. ll'lg3 28. 'iixf2 ll'lxf2+
•
The culmination of the game. In the
29. ~g1
30. l;!fl
ll'lfd3
ll'lxb2
ending arising after 21.'fixd5 'flxd5 31. ll'le4 .Ild7
(2l ... ll'le5 22.ll'lg3 'i'j4) 22.iLxd5 .l:Ixel+ 32. ll'lg5 ll'lbc4
23 ..l::Ixel ll'ld3 24.'1l.fl ll'lge5 Black is only In a time scramble such excessive solidity
slightly better. Now, however, the is easily explained.
queen+knight tandem demonstrates its 33. h3 b5
potentiality. 34. .l::i.f5 f6
21. 'fif4 35. ll'le4 ~f8?
22. 'ifxd5 .l::Ixe1+ A completely crazy move with the flag
23 . .l:!.xe1 ll'lg4 about to fall. There was no alternative to the
prophylactic 35... b6.
36. ll'lc5 Jad2
37. ll'lxb7?
The Austrian player returns the
compliment. 37.ll'le6+ ~e7 38.ll'lxc7
(38.ll'lxg7 ll'ld6 39.'1l.f2 ~d3) 38... .l:lxg2+
39.~xg2 ll'le3+ 40.~/2 ll'lxj5 41.ll'lxb5
would have equalised.
37. .l:f.xg2+
38. ~xg2 ll'le3+
39. ~f2 ll'lxf5
40. ll'lc5 ~e7
41. ll'le4 ll'ld6
0 42. ll'lg3 f5
43. i.c2 g6
24. fie4 One of the players' flags fell, and the

•
I would have preferred to seek saving
arbiter terminated the blitz. The position is
so simple that White cannot hope for any
chances in the endgame after 24. 'fid4 pres·ents.
0-1
 124 THE METHOD IN CHESS

No.41 16.:b1 :ad8 17.i.g5 h6 18.i.h4 g5

Z.Kozul - !.Dorfman 19.i.g3 tLld4 20.i.e5 lDg4.
D97 - Sarajevo 1988 10. bxa6
11. 0-0 exd5
In 1988 it was hard to imagine, playing in 12. exd5 ~6
peaceful, almost heavenly Sarajevo, what a 12... i.j5 13.i.j4 i.d3 14.:jd1 c4 15.'ifb7
tragic fate was pre-destined for this town. occurs more often, but to me it seems
1. d4 lLlf6 logical to ensure the development of the
2. tLlf3 g6 queen's bishop on the long diagonal.
3. c4 i.g7 13. i.f4 i..b7
4. tLlc3 d5 14. : rd1 I:.fe8
5. 'it'b3 dxc4 After studying the complications in the
6. 'i'xc4 0-0 variation 14... l:t.ad8 15.'it'xb6 axb6 16.i.c7
7. e4 tLla6 ib:d5 17.tLlxd5 tLlxd5 18. i.e 5, it is seen that
I 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. tLld2?!
8. 'ifb3 The opponent appears to show little
A divergence from the main line with interest in my moves. But if 15.:d2 there
8. i.e2. Recently White tried 8. 'it'a4 follows 15 ... lDe4, and 15. ~ d3 l:l.ac8
without particular success in the game 16.lDd2 :cd8 17.'ifxb6 axb6 18.i.c7 :Xd5
Tkachiev-Van Wely, French League 2000. leads to play similar to that in the game.
8. c5 15. l:tad8
9. d5 e6 16. ifxb6 axb6
17. i.c7 l:txd5

a
7
,I .tt¥
ti i M .>
~· ~
it;i
(/ 8

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6,_ -
7 ~ .t ~
,_..
,~ , .
~ ,._,
4r.
~ iMi #~

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dM
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0

~~ a id~

-
-$~
5 ? i!0
~
%
5
~ ~'
~ ,.~
. /~
.,
.i 0
~
~
m
~
i,

~ ~~
1
4 i: 'h ;.?

- ~
:p ~ 4- 4 ~~
iV~ .Alb- //
3 ~ ,,~
~ {£j
. '/
3
~ #§ ~) ~~
% 0
2
2 ~~
'/'/ ~ tt5 ~ ~~
0 1'
~

a b
~
0+
c
/

d
~~ ~
e g
: h
Q1 ~ r:
·/

~
%

~
<

a b c d e g h
10. i.xa6

In the early 1980s White was successful • 18. tLlxd5?

•
with 10.dxe6 Le6 ll.i.c4, but in the game The Bosnian grandmaster swims with the
Tavadian-Polovodin, Irkutsk 1983, Black current. After the acceptance of the sacrifice
demonstrated the correct method of it is all clear, but in the event of 18.Lb6
counterplay: l l ... 'ifb6 12.i.xe6 'it'xe6 If.g5 19.g3 lD d7 (19 . .. lD d5 20.lDde4)
13.'it'xe6 fxe6 14.0-0 lDb4 15.'D.d1 tDc2 20.lDde4 (20.i.a5 i.d4 21.tDb3 lDe5)
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 125

20... Le4 2I.nxd7 Black would only have 38. We3 fS

been slightly better. The rook is trapped in the middle of the
18. lDxdS board.
19. .i.g3 .i.xb2 39. nes lbd3
20. !:tab1 .i.d4 40. Itxf5+ Wg6
Obviously, Black should not exchange 41. l:.dS lbxcl
rooks, which was possible after 20... lbc3? 42. l:t.d6+ Wf7
21.ne1. 43. l:.d7+ We6
21. ne1 nd8 44. Itxh7 a3
In the subsequent forcing play the rook 45. .l:.a7 b4
may be able to support the passed d-pawn 46. Wd2 lbb3+
from this square. 47. We3 lbcS
22. lbc4 bS 48. Wd4
23. lDaS .i.a8 It is amusing that twice in the game I
24. lbb3 lbc3 declined the sacrifice of a rook, whereas my
2s. nb2 .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
21.nd2 49. nxa3 b2
White gets rid of the central passed pawn. 50. WxcS bl='ilf
After 27.a3 d3 28.11d2 lbe2+ 29.Wfl 51. Wxc4 'ilfc2+
(29. Whl neB 30.nedl .i.c4) 29... .i.c4 he 52. Wd4 ~b2+
would have had no hope of saving the game. 53. l:.c3 1i'd2+
27. ... .i.xa2 54. :td3 ~xh2
28. l:.xd4 ~c8 55. ne3+ WfS
But not 28 ... nxd4 29.ne8+ Wg7 56. neS+ Wf6
30..i.e5+. 57. Ite4 ~xg3
29. f3 aS 0-1
30. ~h4 a4
•
Play against the rules, since the "correct"
No.42
V.Epishin - !.Dorfman
30... b4 leads to a theoretical draw after
D20 - Belgrade GMA 1988
3J.l:.d8+ 1lxd8 32.i.xd8 a4 33.St.a5 lbd5
34.Lb4lbxb4 35.rle4.
31. l:.d8+ Itxd8 1. d4 dS
32. i.xd8 ltJdS 2. c4 dxc4
33. i.gS?! 3. e4
33.St.a5 St.c4 34.1d.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 Wfi because of 3.e4.
35. Wf2 .i.c4 3. lDf6
36. l:.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.lbj3 exd4 5.St.xc4 lbc6 6.0-0 St.e6
37. g3 lbb4 7.St.xe6fxe6 8.~b3 ~d7 9.~xb7 nbs
 126 THE METHOD IN CHESS

JO.'iia6 Si.d6 ll.lDbd2 lDj6 12.'iid3 0-0 9. Si.f4

13.h3 e5 14.lDc4 lDb4 15.'iib3 lDbd5 It is this manoeuvre that constitutes
16."fidl 0ae4 17.t:Dcxe5 Le5 18.0ae5 is White's opening idea. Loss of material is
unpromising for him, although the final inevitable after 9.Lc4 c6 IO.lDa3 b5.
word here has not yet been said. 9. c6
Complicated play results from 3 ... lDc6
4.lDj3lDj6 5.lDc3 Si.g4 6.d5lDe5 7.Si.j4lDg6 •
And here is a surprise. The Russian player
8.Si.e3 e5 (8... e6 9.'iia4+) 9.Lc4 Si.d6 10.0- was eager to repeat the game
0 0-0. Black has a solid, but passive position. Azmaiparashvili-Petrosian, 50th USSR
4. lDc3?! Championship, Moscow 1953. For Black it
•
The course of the game convincingly
all ended safely after 9... Si.e6 10.Lc7, but
his position looks suspicious.
demonstrates that this obvious move is the 10. lDd6+ Si.xd6
cause of White's subsequent problems. A 11. Si.xd6 Si.e6
class positional grandmaster like Epishin does 12. e5 lDd7
not like conceding the d5 square, but without 13. b4
making concessions here it is not possible to
play for an advantage. And so, 4. e5 lDd5 •
In the event of 13.0-0-0 t:Dac5 Black is
5.Lc4 lDb6 (fearing the development of the guaranteed a quiet life. But now after
white knight at f3, Black increasingly often 13 ... cxb3 14.Si.xa6 bxa6 15.axb3 Si.xb3
plays 5... lDc6 6.lDc3lDb6 7.Si.b5 Si.d7 8.lDj3 16J1xa6 he stands badly.
e6 , but in my view White's chances are 13. f6
preferable) 6.Si.b3lDc6 7.lDe2. 14. f4 fxe5
As often happens with theory, the aggressive 15. fxe5 0-0-0
7.lDf3 Si.g4 8. Si.xf7+ <l;;xf7 9.lDg5+ <li;e8 16. b5
IO.'iixg4 'iixd4 ll."ilie2, which gives White
an enduing initiative for a pawn, has been •
The only way! After 16.0-0-0 lhc7 White
undeservedly forgotten. Many years ago this is not only a pawn down, but he also has no
was successfully played by Alburt, and today counterplay.
the baton has been taken up by Mikhail 16. t:Dac5
Gurevich. I notice that Karpov fears this attack 17. bxc6 bxc6
when playing Black, whereas he is ready to 18. 0-0-0
uphold the virtues of White's position.
7... SLf5 8.lDbc3 e6 9.0-0 'iid7 10.a3 0-0-0
ll.Si.e3 h5 12.'iicl (12.'1lcl h4) 12 .. .f6
13.exf6 gxf6 14.'1ldl, and Black does not
have equality ...
4. e5
•
5. t:Df3 exd4
6. 'it'xd4
•
By-passing the middlegame, play goes
into the endgame. The point is that 6.0ad4
Si.c5 is unsatisfactory for White.
6. 'it'xd4
7. lDxd4 Si.c5
8. lDdb5 t:Da6
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 127

Up till now for a professional it has all been 28. 1ha4 aS

obvious. But here after 18... 0.d3+ 19.Ld3 29. lla3 llf6
cxd3 20.'!J.hel j_c4 2J.'!J.e4 the dark-square 30. llad3
bishop, supported by the central passed pawn, Black gradually converts his advantage
ensures White at least equal chances. after 30.llb3 llc5+ 31.~b2 llb5 32.llxb5
18. 4.Jb7 cxb5 33.lld5 llj2+ 34. ~b3 .l:lxg2 35.:.Xb5
19. .i.e2 lt.JdcS ~xd6 36.h4 a4+ (probably the alternative
20. l:td4 lt.Jxd6 36 ... llg4 is also sufficient) 37.~a3 llg4
21. exd6 llhf8 38.'!J.b4 '!J.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. llhd1 ~d7
23. .i.xc4 .i.xc4
24. llxc4 '!J.fS

30... '!J.ff5! was much simpler. By placing

another pawn on the fifth rank, Black risks
changing the evaluation of the variation with
lld3-b3. Even so, White's task remains
difficult after 31.llb3 llc5+ 32.~b2 '!J.b5
25. lld2 33.llxb5 cxb5 34.lld5 '!J.j2+ 35. ~b3
It is absurd to hope for a draw, without (35. ~bl 1:.xg2 36.llxb5 g4) 35 ... llxg2
exchanging knights. The fate of the game 36.:.Xb5 h6 37.h4 (37.llb7+ ~c8) 37... a4+
depends on the variation 25.'Da4 tfu:a4 26..l:lxa4 38. ~a3 (38. ~c4 gxh4 39.llh5 llg4+)
llc5+ 27.~bl llb8+ 28.~al a5 29.'!J.f4 1:.d5 38... llg3+ 39. ~b2 a3+.
30.1:.j7+ ~xd6 3J ..l:lxd5+ cxd5, where Black 31. ~b3 hS
should be able to convert his passed pawn. 32. lld4 llffS
25. ... .:.es 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.lt.Ja4 lt.Je6). fifth rank is seen in the variation 33. ~a4
26. ... llf8 llc5 34.a3 ':.fd5 35.:.Xd5 cxd5.
27. lt.Ja4 33. ... '!J.bS+
It is hard to argue which is the most 34. ~c2
favourable moment for the exchange. Nowhere 34.~a4 '!J.bc5.
is there a clear way of saving the game. 34. llbdS
27. ... lt.Jxa4 35. :xdS llxdS
 128 THE METHOD IN CHESS

Now all White can hope for is that his opponent his pseudo-active play.
will relax and fall into one of the final traps. 2. lZJf6
36. l:tt2 'itxd6 3. ..tg2 d5
37. 'itc3 'itc5 4. cxd5 lZJxd5
38. l:tf8 l;le5 5. lZJc3 lZJc7
39. 'itd3 'itb4 The static advantage is on the side of
40. l:Ic8 l!c5 Black, and the situation can be changed only
41. l:Ie8 'ita3 by dynamic means. White should choose
Black avoids the first of them: 41 ... 1:Ic3+ between 6."iia4+ and 6."ilib3 lZJc6 7.Lc6+.
42. 'itd2 l:Ia3 43.l;le4+. His indifferent move allows the opponent to
42. Ite2 g4 achieve the Maroczy formation.
43. g3 a4 6. lZJf3 lZJc6
44. l:If2 l:Icl 7. a3 g6
45. ~e2
46. :n
c5
c4+
•
An important nuance. Haste here is not
47. 'itd4 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. Wd2 Wb2! (but on no account 47... 1:Ial formation. But here after 8.b4 ..tg7 9.bxc5
48.Wc3 l:Ixa2 49.~!1 lhh2 50.1:Ial+ 1:Ia2 lZJe6 Black dominates the centre.
51.1:Igl with a draw). 8. 0-0 ..tg7
47. c3 9. d3 0-0
48. 'itd3 c2 10. 'iia4 ..td7
49. 'itc3 Wxa2 11. "fih4 e5
50. l:tf5 l:Ihl 12. lZJg5!?
51. 'itxc2 l:!.xh2+ In this critical position the Russian player
52. 'itc3 l:!.h3 loses his composure. He is attracted by a
53. Wc2 'ita3 dubious gain of material, whereas he should
Gaining time. have gone into an equal endgame by
54. .:.b5 .l:%.xg3 12."ilixd8 or tried 12. ..tg5 f6 13. ..th6, where
55. l:Ixh5 Wb4 13 ... g5 14.ilih5 ..teB 15."ilih3 ..td7leads
56. .l:th8 l:Ig2+ only to a repetition of moves.
57. 'itd3 a3 12. h6
58. :!.b8+ 'itc5 13. lZJge4
59. l:Ia8 a2
0-1

No.43
A.Khasin - !.Dorfman
A34 - Belgrade GMA 1988

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
a b c d e g h
to take risks, so as to then reap the fruits of
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 129

13.... g5 unable to withstand the tension. The critical

In the two lines 13 .. .'fixh4 14.gxh4 b6

• line for White was to pick up material by
playing 16.'Dxb7 f5 17.'fih3 ~b8 18.i.xc6
15.Lh6 and 13 ... b6 14.Lh6 Black loses Lc6 19. 'Da5 i.a8, in order to at least have
a pawn without any compensation. something to suffer for. The concluding
14. 'ii'h5 position demands courage of both players.

The following was a tempting but

• 16.
17. i.d2
e4
f5
insufficient try: 14.il..xg5 hxg5 15.tl:Jxg5 18. '+i'h3 b6
il..j5 16. i..e4 'fij6! (White's attack mounts 19. 'Db3
after 16.. .'fid7 17.g4! il..xe4 18.tl:Jcxe4 or The lesser evil here was 19.'D5xe4.
16... Le4 17.tlJcxe4 l:te8 18.f4) 17.f4 il..xe4 19. ... h5!
18. 'Dcxe4 'fi h6, where Black successfully Threatening 20 ... g4 followed by
parries his opponent's threats. 21 ... i.j6. This explains the awkward
14. ... i.e8! manoeuvres of the white pieces, ending with

A subtle resource. The idea is to sacrifice

• the fianchetto of. .. the queen .
20. i.h1 g4
two pawns for the initiative. Events develop 21. 'i¥g2
differently in the event of direct play: after Looking at White's position, one might
14...]5 15.'Dxc5 i.e8 16.'ilij3 (16.'fih3 'fie7) imagine that the enemy king was at b8.
16 ... 'fie7! 17.'Dxb7 (17.'Dd5? loses to 21. i.fi!
17... 'Dxd5 18.'fixd5+ i.j7; after 1Z'Db3 i.j7 22 . .l:f.fb1
the play becomes one-sided) 1Z .. 'Dd418.'fle3 Khasin fails to put up a tenacious
'Dc2 19.'fic5 'fixeS 20.'Dxc5 'Dxal 2l.La8 resistance. 22.l:tabl il..xb3 23.1:txb3 'Dd4
(Black has a material advantage after 24.1:tbbl 'DJ3+! was certainly bad, but the
21.'Dd5?! 'Dxd5 22.i.xd5+ i.j7) 2l ... 'Dxa8 game is not yet over after 22.'Dcl 'Db5.
22.'De6, with the threat of capturing on g7 22. i.xb3
and g5, White has no problems. 23. ~xb3 'Dd4
15. 'Dxc5 ike7 24 . .l:Ibb1 exd3
25. 'Dd5 'i'xe2
White resigns, convinced by the variation
~ .t ~.i, •
,0
8 .i .,.
26. 'fiji 'fixd2 2 7. 'Dxc 7 'De2+ 28. <t>g2
i.xal (28 .. .f4) 29.'Dxa8 i.e5.
' ·~'~
~ ~·· ~·.*;
7
0-1
6 ~
'?;
/'~ ~ ' i' ~ )~
%
/

No.44
5 ~

.:? l2J vj '

/
:• 'if S.Videki - !.Dorfman
ifP~
/

4 fJ ~ '
-/, A29 - Cannes 1989
3 t!J {ijt!J [!J
This tournament was my first performance
2 t!J t!Jt!J~t!J in France. It was not easy to predict my fate.
0 ll. i.c l:t~ A year later I settled in Cannes, in order to
a b d e g h spend the second part of my life here.
1. c4 e5
16. b4? 2. 'Dc3 'Df6

A serious mistake. The Russian player is

• 3. 'Df3
4. g3
'Dc6
d5
 130 THE METHOD IN CHESS

I like playing positions with a static the variation 10. 'fi c1 ~JB 11.1:.d1 tbd4.
advantage. Black has one from now on 10. ... ~f8
thanks to the creation of an outpost at d4. 11. tt:'!e4
S. cxdS tt:'!xdS Finally missing the opportunity for 11.a4.
6. ~g2 tt:'!b6 11. .•• tt:'!d4
7. 0-0 The first step is complete.
Already here White should stop and think 12. tt:'!cS ~xeS
what dynamic resources are available. One 13. :txcS ~g4
alternative is Z'!J.b1, 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.
turn 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 a b c d e g h
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 ... i...xj3 16.iJ..xj3 c6 followed 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. 'iid2?
remains to attack the resulting weaknesses,
and sometimes the king.
•
White fails to exploit the chance
Now it is clear that the text move is opportunity. It was essential to retain the
preparing the occupation of the outpost by knight by playing 16.tbd2, since Black
the black knight. would lose after 16.. .'fie7 17.'fic2 Le2??
10. .l:!.cl?! 18.~f3 (but not 18.~e4?? Ld3).

•
White is not even thinking about
16. ..•
17. l:tc2
'ifd6
h6
dynamics. It is not surprising that his 18. 'it'aS i..xf3
position deteriorates without any obvious There will not be a second chance ...
mistakes. He could have achieved a change 19. ~xf3 .l::teS
in the static balance only by playing 1O.a4· Black's heavy pieces assemble on thee-file,
a5 11.~xb6 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. 'ifd2 .l:.ae8
the outpost by primitive play, as is seen from 21. a3 aS
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 131

The game is still not yet over, since White 26. 'ii'e5
is hoping to advance his queenside pawns. 27. 'it>f2
22. l:tbl a4
•
In the event of 27.e4 the opponent seals
without delay the group of weak dark
squares in the enemy position by 27... .l::f.dB
28.'flle3 .l::f.d4 29.1:d2 liJd7 30.'>tg2 'fid6
31.i.e2ltJe5.
27. 'i'f6
28. 'it>g2 'fke6
29. 'it>f2 liJd7
30. d4
30.. . ltJe5 cannot be allowed.
30. 'fih3
31. 'it>gl 'firs
32. i.dl
a b c d e g h An awkward defence, but the only one
(32.'>tg2 :Xe3).
23 . .l::f.el

White reconciles himself to the inevitable.

• 32. ...
33. lic3
'fle6

Mention must be made of the variations 23.b3 A familiar motif is used to win a pawn
.l::f.Be7! (preparing to install the knight in the after 33. 'itj2 ltJj6 34. i.j3 'fl/5 35. '>tg2
"fresh wound" at c3), and 23.b4 liJd5 (Black's :Xe3.
loss of vigilance costs him dearly after 23... t'ixzB 33. ... liJb6
24.b5 cxb5 25.'ikb4) 24.bd5 'flixd5 25 ..l::f.el Unexpectedly the knight reverses its steps,
'flle6 (the white king feels uncomfortable). in the process landing the decisive blow.
23. ... g5 34. 'it>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 ... ltJc4.
force him to advance his backward pawn, 34. liJdS
the bishop must be disturbed. 35. lid3 1i'f5+
24. e4 dxe3 36. 'it>gl 'iii'e4
25. lhe3 .l:.xe3 37. 'it>f2 'iii'hl
26. fxe3
£:// ~ .I
!:,:; i~·
The concluding stage begins - a combined
attack on the hanging central pawns and the king.
8 #
i "

-
7 ., ~ ~/~
~ ~

•
L·i

• 8
7 "" ·. ~
/,:
i~.,.. '.',f
.... P .l
/.i %"' ' /
d!:
k
6
5 · .,
,y,
I
'/-
~;~
-~ · ~
~

r ~
;
/
1
/
~~
[.
f~
,.
~

v~ ,?~; f!J" ~ ~~
-·~
6 :;;; . ~ ~
z ,,
fi ' :!!; - ~!J

-
~
4 ·
5 .i
"' ~ ~
3 .:tl?r
~-

w
/

'/.A~~ 1j
·~ ~ ~ ~
4 ~~ 2 7 ~

r 17
~ fj i.. . ~ i..
3
2 ~:~ #4 ~ r.
0 1 ;,
a b c d e g h
If this and the previous diagram are
'*'
~w
'·
.; compared, the forced movement of the
a b c d e g h queen from d6 to h 1 is apparent.
 132 THE METHOD IN CHESS

38. i.f3 'ii'xh2+

.t.: •
39. i.g2 liJf6
40. ~n
Without waiting for the reply, after a slight
8 .l~.i. .I
~·~, ,
delay White resigned.

No.45
0-1
7 '
6

5~
'? $P:
:0

;.<
~0
W'
' r:
~~...
{
, ,~

,~
'

:%
)

%'"' ,'
M.Apicella - !.Dorfman 4
"
~ #
B28 - France 1989 3" {ij, l2J
~~t!Jt!J
~

1. e4 cS
2 t!J tJ"
2. liJf3 a6
Apicella is a typical "player of the
0 : a b
..tif
c e d
: ,~
g h
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, like 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
more important detail: 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 il.g4, but definitely not and the seizure of the initiative.
3.d4 cxd4 4.liJxd4 liJj6 5.liJc3 e5 6.liJb3 Obviously, here it can only be a question
il..b4 7.il..d3 d5 8.exd5 'Wixd5 9.0-0 il..xc3 of the battle for the initiative. Here is an
JO.bxc3 0-0 ll.c4 'Wic6 12.il..g5 liJbd7, approximate analysis: JO.liJe5 0-0 ll.il..j3
when White has nothing to compensate 1:!.d8 12.'Wib3 "flib4 (12 .. .'~xd4 13.liJc4 'ilc7
his static deficit. 14.liJb6 .:a7 15.a3!) 13.'fixb4 i.xb4
3. c3 dS 14.il..e3 liJbd7 JS ..:jdl ltJxe5 16.dxe5 liJd7
4. exdS 'ti'xdS 17.i.b6 :es 18.i.c7. White overwhelms the
5. d4 liJf6 opponent with his development and forces
6. il..e2 cxd4 him to make concessions.
•
As in Game 3, I go in for the creation of
10. a3?
The start of a series of three static moves,
an isolated central pawn for an opponent which explain the further deterioration of
who does not play l.d4. White's position.
7. cxd4 e6 10. 0-0
8. liJc3 'ii'aS 11. i.f4? liJc6
8 ... 'Wid 6 is perhaps better, justifying 12. 'fic2? i.d7
2 ... a6. This continuation is illustrated 13. b4 'ilib6
by an extract from the game 14. ltJa4 'ii'a7
Petrienko-Dorfman, from the All White's gains are illusory, since they
theoretical section. do not have any effect on the static balance.
9. 0-0 i.e7 As usually happens in such positions, White
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 133

soon runs out of active moves and will play The forcing play is at an end. Black
the role of an observer. already has a material advantage, and the
1s. : rd1 .:ac8 opponent still has to rescue his knight.
16. 'i!Vb3 li:JdS 32. ~d2 ~e8
17. i.g3 : fd8 33. li:Jb6 l:tc6
18. li:JcS i..e8 34. lt:Ja4
19. : d2 As usual, Apicella di splays miracles of
•
The exchange of knights 19. lt:Je5 tt:lxe5
heroism. He manages to save his lost piece .
34. : xd2+
20.Le5, and simplification in general, are 35. ~xd2 i.b4+
in principle advantageous to Black. 36. ~e3
19. ... aS! Again the only reply. White loses
The start of an attack on the active enemy immediately after 36.~d3 :tel 37. li:Jb2 i.a3
pieces. or 36. ~e2 :a6.
20. "ifb2 axb4 36. .l:tcl
21. axb4 "ifb6 37. li:Jb2 i.a3
22. lt:JeS 38. i.hS+ g6
39. li:Jd3 gxhS
40. lt:Jxc1 i.xcl+
ea After a series of intermediate moves, we
have reached a bishop ending in which
7
White has no saving chances.
6 41. ~d3 i.a3
5 42. i.c7 ~d7
In the endgame such resources should not
4
be neglected.
3 43. i.aS ~d6
2 44. f4 i.cS
45. ~e4 fS+
1~ ~ 46. ~d3 ~dS
a b c d e g h 47. i.d2 i.g1
48. h3 i.cS
The activity of White's cavalry cannot 49. i.c3 i.d6
compensate for the chronic defects in his so. i.d2 i.a3
position. His construction has rotten 51. i.c3 b4
foundations, and it collapses at the very first 52. i.f6
blow. If 52.i..d2, then 52 .. . b3 53. ~c3 i.b4+
22. li:Jxd4 WillS.
23. "ifxd4 li:Jxb4 52. b3
24. li:Jed7 i.xd7 53. ~c3 b2
25. li:Jxd7 'iifxd4 54. ~c2 ~e4
26. n xd4 lt:Jc2 55. i.gS ~e3
27. : ad1 li:Jxd4 0-1
28. 11xd4 : cl+
29. i.d1 f6 No.46
30. ~fl ~f7 !.Dorfman- V.Bagirov
31. ~e2 bS B05 - Moscow GMA 1989
 134 THE METHOD IN CHESS

1. e4 9. l2Jc3 aS!?
I have to be in a particular mood in order A rare continuation, successfully
to enter into a dispute 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.
2. e5
l2Jf6
l2Jd5
•
White follows a classical course. The
3. d4 d6 alternative is 10.exd6 cxd61l.'ilb3, but I do
4. tt:Jf3 .tg4 not see the need to make any concessions.
5. .te2 e6 10. l2Ja6
•
The play takes on a different character
11. h3 .tf5

after 5 ... c6. Here are some sample

variations: 6.lL\g5 i.j5 7.e6jxe6, and now:
A) 8. .th5+ g6 9.g4 .txc2 10. 'ilxc2 gxh5
ll.l2Jxe6 ~aS+! 12.i.d2 lZJb4!! (12 ... 'ilb6?
13.lL\c3lL\a614.lZJxd5 cxd5 15.'ilj5 with an
attack) 13.'ile4 lL\8a6 14.a3 ~d5 15:ikxd5
lL\xd5 with advantage to Black in the
endgame;
B) 8.g4! .tg6 9.i.d3 .txd3 10.'ilxd3 g6
11.lL\c3!:
Bl) ll ... lL\xc3 12.~xc3 with a clear
advantage to White;
B2) ll ... lL\c7 12. 'ilj3 ~d7 13. ~j7+ 't;dB
14.lZJxh7~e815.lL\g5 't;d7 16.'ilf3 and the
black king cannot find peace; I do not see any crucial difference
B3) ll ... ~d7 12.'ilj3 (12.l2Jxd5!?) 12... lL\j6 between the different bishop retreats, since
13.'Wie2 lL\a6 14.lL\xe6 lL\c7 15.lL\xc7+ if 11 ... .th5 there would have followed
~xc7 16.i.g5 i.g7 17.0-0-0 and Black has 12.g4, transposing into the game. Nothing
no compensation for his opponent's static significant is promised by 12. 'ild2 lZJd7
superiority; 13.':ad1 .tg6, when the position gradually
B4) ll ... .th6 12.lL\xh7! 't;j7 (12 ... -txcl becomes equal (Hiibner-Hort, Tilburg 1979).
loses to 13. 'ilxg6+ 't;d7 14. ':xcl lL\xc3 12. g4!
15.bxc3 ~g8 16.'ilxg8 :Xg8 17.f3 followed This novelty is not the l2 1h move in itself,
by h2-h4) 13.i.xh6 ':xh 7 14.i.d2 lL\xc3 but White's conception. He has no static
15.Lc3tt:Jd7 16.h4! (stronger than 16.0-0-0 advantage, and he turns to dynamic
~h8) 16... ~h8 (16 ... lZJf8? 17.0-0-0 't;eB measures. And measures that are so
18.h5 is hopeless) 17.'ilg3, and Black stands unusual, that even in analysis after the game
badly. the Latvian player could not find the
6. c4 l2Jb6 customary reference-points.
7. .te3 .te7 12. •.• .tg6
•
The exchange 7... dxe5 8.lL\xe5 i.xe2
13. h4!
•
dxe5?
9. 'ilxe2 allows the opponent an outpost in It all ends, without even managing to
the centre, without offering anything begin. Of the three possible continuations
significant in return. 13 ... .txh4?? 14.g5, 13 ... h5 14.g5 i.j5
8. 0-0 0-0 15.exd6 cxd6 16.d5 e5 17.lZJd2 g6 18.lZJde4
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 135

with the idea ofj2-f4, and 13...h6!? 14.Wg2 rook manoeuvre forces the opponent to
(14.exd6 cxd6 15.g5 hxg5 16.tilig5), only weaken his king decisively and at the same
in the last one does Black retain some time takes away a square from his own
chances of setting up a defence. knight.
14. h5 i..b4 24. g6
15. hxg6 i..xc3 25. l1h1 Wg8
16. gxf7+ .l:r.xf7 26. .l:r.d1 l:.e8
This is the point! The opponent is unable 27. 1t'b2!
to retain his material, his only static trump, This short queen move creates the threats
and the play becomes "free of charge". of 28.1id2 and 28.i..d2.
White mates in the event of 16 ... Wh8 27. lt::la6
17.tilie5 La118.Wg2. 28. i..d2 b6
17. lt::lxe5 i..xa1 29. c5
18. lt::lxf7 Wxf7 White finds a propitious moment to open
19. 1t'xa1 up the game and increase his superiority.
At the end of a series of forced moves a 29. ... 'iic7
technical position has been reached. The 29... bxc5 30.dxc5 (30.i..xa5) 30... 'iixc5
black cavalry arrives on the scene too late. 31.i..h6 'iie7 32.i..xc6 is hopeless for Black.
19. lt::lb4 30. cxb6 1t'xb6
20. 1t'b1 lt::ld7! 31. l:.cl lt::lb4
32. i..xb4
•
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. 'ii'a5
34. l:.c5 'ii'b6
35. 1t'd2 l:.b8
36. l:.c6 'iia7
37. d5 exd5
38. i..xd5+ Wh8
21. Wg2 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.'ii'e5+ and 40.1l.c7, Black
game should not have to be won twice". allows the first of them, by making an
After 21. 'iixh 7lbf6 followed by .. . 1i h8 the indifferent move.
opponent might acquire some unnecessary 39. 'ilfd7
illusions. 40. 'iie5+
21. lt::lf8 1-0
22 . .l:r.h1 'iid6
23. i..f3 c6
No.47
24 . .l:r.h5! !.Dorfman- A.Vaisser
Threatening 25.a3. The pendulum-like Al3- Moscow GMA 1989
 136 THE METHOD IN CHESS

1. l2Jf3 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 d5
3. i..g2 g6
4. c4 i..g7
5. 0-0 lbe7
6. d4 lbbc6 3 @ctJ ~
I knew that some players, for example 2~~ ~ {/8.~~
Pigusov, occasionally develop their pieces
this way. But such things act on me like a 0 1 :M ttJk'if # i : '~
red rag to a bull. I think that this is what a b c d e f g h
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 Bargo, Aosta 2000, there followed 7.'it'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.. . lbxd4 8. lbxd4 i..xd4 9. cxd5 exd5
10.'fia4+ lbc61l.e3 (ll.lbc3 Lc3 12.bxc3
!.Dorfman - I.Zaitsev 0-0 13 . .l:tdlt) ll... i..g 7 12 .lbc3 i..xc3
Al4- Zonal Tournament, 13.bxc3 0-0 14.i..a3;
Yerevan 1982 B) 7... 0-0 8. .l:tdl a5 9.lbc3 dxc4 IO.lbb5
lbb4 ll.'fixc4 c6 12.lbc3 b5 13.'fib3 lbed5
l.c4 lDf6 2.4Jf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.b3 i..e7 5.i..b2 14.a4 bxa4 15.lbxa4.
0-0 6.i..g2 b6 7.0-0 i..b7 8.e3 l2Jc6 9.cxd5 7. 0-0
lbxd5 10.d4 aS ll.a3 b5 12.lbbd2 b4 13.a4 8. l2Jc3
lb b8 (this is to be expected, since one
should not place the pieces in front of the
pawns, thereby making if hard to attack the
centre) 14.l2J e5 l2J d7 15.l2Jx d7 'ti'xd7
16 . .l:tcl f5 17.4J c4 i.. f6 18.'i!Vc2 l:f. fc8
19..l:tfdl g6 20.h4 Ita6 21.e4 fxe4 22.ii'xe4
'iig7 23.'i'e2 c5 24.l2Jxa5 lha5 25.ii'xe6+
'fif7 26.i..xd5 i..xd5 27.'ti'xc8+ 'l;;g7 28.1:1el
.l:ta8 29.'ihc5 .l::td8 30.'it'c7 .t!d7 31.'fif4
i.. b7 32.n cs 'it'xb3 33.i..al nn 34.a5 h5
35.'i!Ve3 'ii'a2 36.'ii'e2 l:le7 37.ii'xe7+ i..xe7
38Jbe7+ ~ h6 39Jbb7 ii'xal+ 40.<;fo> g2
'ii'xd4 4l.l:f.cc7
1-0
8. b6
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 137

•
After the move in the game the static
Accuracy is certainly needed in the
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. ... fS
perfectly alright after 9.'iie2 e5 10.dxe5?! 20. i..a3
'iid3! (White stands better after 10... tl1xe5 This exchange is explained by the fixing
11J£jxe5 i..xe5 12.'!1.dl '¥.We8 13.'~xc4 c6 of the pawn formation. For the white knights
14.e4 and IO... i.e6 ll.l'lJgS tl1xe5 12.tl1xe6 there are considerable prospects on the
fxe6 13.i.h3~), and 9.l'£Jd2! l'lJaS (9 ... e5 squares d5, e5, c6 and e6.
10.d5) 10.'iie2 promises White only a
minimal advantage.
9. cxdS
Only after 8 ... b6 does the exchange in the
centre guarantee White play against a
• 8
7 "
/
."
;.:

,, /
K ~K e
i ~~ /A.
':
,g

backward pawn or hanging pawns.

6 .i. ~~ j ·
9. exdS 5 0# ~ -~ i ·?' i ~ -o;

10. a3 aS 0'~
11. b3
4 ~ ,:} ~
7' ~

Do you not find an amazing similarity 3.! /i:J!:D~ f:!J

~

with the above game against Zaitsev?!

11. ... h6
2 &~&
12. l'lJel .: "iV~.:t fl; '

A multi-purpose manoeuvre. From d3 the a b c d e g h

knight supports the b2-b4 advance, and on
the other side it provokes the weakening 20. l:!.f7
... g6-g5 (in view of the threat of l'£Jd3-f4) 21. i.xe7 l'£Jxe7
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. ... .llff8
13. l'£Jd3 gS 23. l:!.e2!
14. i.b2 'ilkd7 Pure statics! There is no need to bustle
15. l:!.cl :ac8 about, since the position is won statically.

•
Black loses a pawn after 15 ... i.h3
First one should strengthen it to the
maximum (the opponent's position does not
16.Lh3 'iixh3 17.tl1xd5. lend itself to consistent evolving) and only
16. l:!.e1 l'£Jg6 then turn 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 ... '11..cd8 there follows 24. 'iib3 and
observer. Instead 16 ... l'£Ja7 can be 25.l'£Jb4, invading with the rooks on the a-file.
recommended, in order to weaken the 24. l:!.a2 c6
pressure on d5. 25. bxc6 l'£Jxc6
17. b4 axb4 26. ~h1 l'lJaS
18. axb4 l'£Jce7 After 26... l'£Je7 27.'iib3 White exchanges
19. bS 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. l'£Jb4 i..e7
 138 THE METHOD IN CHESS

28. lbbxd5 l:!xc3 No.48

29. lbxc3 Si.xa2 P.Velikov- !.Dorfman
30. ltJxa2 'i'e6
A04 - Palma de Mallorca GMA 1989
31. 'ife2
The only defence, but sufficient. 1. 4Jf3 g6
31. :d8 2. g3 ~g7
32. ltJc3 ~g7 3. d4 c5
33. 'i'd3 l:!.c8 4. c3 b6
34. :b1 1lfc4
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.~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. 'i'xc4
36. ltJd5
lbxc4
~d8 •
The challenge is accepted. After the quiet
37. ~g1 4Jd2 5.~g2 ~b7 6.0-0 lbj6 Black gains control
38. l:.b2 l:tcl+ over the central squares.
39. ~f2 ltJc4 5. bxc5
40. :a2 ~g6 6. 'i'd5 ltJc6
41. ~fl 4Jd6 7. 1!i'xc5 ltJf6
42. ~d3 There is no compensation for the pawn
The active knight is driven back. after 7... ~b7 8.~g2 l:!.c8 (8 ... lbd4 9.cxd4
42. gxf4 :c8 lO.'iVg5 ~h6 ll ."ilxh6 lbxh6
43. ltJxf4+ ~t7 12. hh6±) 9.'iVb5 ~aBJ0.0-0.
44. lia7+ l;Ic7 8. ~g2 ~a6
45. l:ta8 ~g5 9. ltJd4
46. ltJd5 l::!.b7
46.. J~c6 47.:b8 is also completely bad. •
This forces a new sacrifice. Play develops along
Now every white piece is more actively lines typical of the Benko Gambit after 9."ike3.
placed than its opposite number, from which 9. lbxd4
the win of a second pawn logically follows. 10. 'i'xd4 0-0
47. b4 ~e7
48. Si.a6 ~d7
49. lbxb6 l:!c7
50. ~d3 ltJe4+
51. ~f3 4Jd2+
52. ~e2 ltJe4
53. ltJd5
The Russian grandmaster prolonged the
resistance, because the loser lost any chance
of qualifying for the World Cup.
53. .lab7
54. ~xe4 fxe4
55. ltJxe7 l:!b2+
56. ~fl
0
1-0
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 139

This decision does not demand any The h3 square has to be conceded to the
particular courage, since 10... d5 11.'iia4+ enemy queen. The catastrophic 17. ~g2
and 10... ~b8 11. 'fixa7 are hopeless. exf3+ suggests the idea of defending the
11. ..txa8?! rook.

•
White swims with the current. Black has
17. ...
18. ~g1
'ii'h3

active play after 11.'fid1 d5, but I would 18.~ h1 exf3 19.exf3 .l:!.e2+ would have
prefer 11. 'fia4 'fic8 12.iJ..xa8 'fixa8 13.f3 been a tactical oversight.
ii'b7 14.~.12 (14.'iic2). 18. ... ~eS
11. ... 'ii'xa8 The prelude to a clever combination,
12. f3 which dispels White's illusions. Not
Black is in no danger in the event of 12.0-0 18... tlJh5 19. tlJe 3.
Le2. 19. i..f4
12. ... eS!

•
13. 'fid1
The attempt to gain a tempo by 13.'ild6
ii'b7 14.iJ..g5 proves fruitless on account of
the new sacrifices 14... e4!! 15.Lj6 Lj6
16.'fixj6 'fixb2 17.'fixa6 (17.0-0 i..xe2!+)
17... 'ficl+ 18.~/2 'fixh1 with a strong
attack.
13. e4
14. ~f2?
•
It would have been more sensible to part
with the exchange, by playing 14.0-0 exf3
15.exf3 (15.~!3 ~e8) 15... ..txj1 16.'fixj1
~e8.
14. ... !!e8 In this way White is able to parry the
15. ~e 1 'fic6! direct threat against h2. Other variations do
The queen is aiming for h3. little to console him:
16. lt:la3 A) 19.tlJe3 ':.h5 20.tlJj1 exf3;

•
Let us consider the variations involving
B) 19.'fid6 exf3 20.exf3 :.Xe1+;
C) 19.g4 tlJxg4 20.fxg4 'fixg4+ 21.~h1
the development of the bishop: (21.~.12 ~!5+ 22.~e3 ii'j4#) 21 ... e3 22.~/1
A) 16.iJ..g5 exf3 (in reserve there is '!d..h5 with the threat of 23 ... ~xh2 +.
16... 'fib6+ and 17... 'fixb2) 17.exf3 'fic5+ 19. ... lidS!!
18.i..e3 1he3 19.~xe3 tlJd5 20.'fie1 i..h6 The point of Black's plan. A study of all
21.f4 g5 with the initiative; the nuances took me more than half an hour.
B) 16.i..e3 exf3 17.exf3 tlJg4+!! 18.fxg4 20. tlJd4
i..b7 19.~g1 (19.~e2 'fig2+ 20.~d3 iJ..e4+ The most tenacious defence. White loses
21.~c4 d5+) 19... ii'f6+ 20.i..j4 g5 with a due to his lack of co-ordination after 20. 'ficl
strong attack (as insurance, there is a '!d..h5 21.g4 exf3 22.exf3 'fixj3 23.gxh5
repetition of moves by 20... 'fib6+ 21.~/1 (23."iVe3 'fixg4+ 24.'fig3 'ilj5 25.tlJd4 'iic5)
'fib5+). 23... ..tb7 24.tlJe3ltJg4.
16. 'fie6 20. l::!.hS
17. tlJc2 21. g4 liJdS
 140 THE METHOD IN CHESS

22. 'iib3 Again the only defence against mate,

The bishop cannot move, since it is the last which is unavoidable after 28.t'Dxf3? g5+.
defender of the e3 square. And the need for it 28. f2
to be indirectly defended is clear from the 29. lt:Jf3 fxel=i¥
simple variation 22. itcl t'Dxj4 23. Wixf4 ii.e5 30. .l:!xel h5
24.Wixe4 'fixh2+ 25/t;jJ Ji.g3 26.'YJ!ie3 'fih3+. It has unexpectedly become uncomfortable
22. ... lt:Jxf4 for the queen at c8, in view of 3l ... rl.e6.
23. 'iib8+ 31. lt:Jxe5 dxe5+
It was because of this variation that I spent 32. 'it>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. 'it>xeS
'ifixh2+ 33. rJ;;ds (33. 'it>f6 'i!if4+) 33 ... Wid2+
34. 'it>c4 'fixe I looks very insipid.
32. ... rJ;;g7
White resigned, without allowing the
completion of the variation 33. 'ikd7 Wlxg4+
34. 'fixg4 ii.e7#.

a b c d e g h

23. ... Ji.c8!

24. 'fixeS+
After 24. Wlxf4 .it..e5 Black gives mate as
shown above.
24. ... Ji.f8
25. 'it>f2 :e5
I thought it amusing to force the
opponent's king to move into a discovered No.49
check. But White's sufferings would have !.Dorfman- J.Hickl
been shortened by a couple of moves after B06 - West Berlin 1989
25 ... lt:Jd5 26.:hJ (26.gxh5? Wixh2+ 27.rJ;;jJ
lt:Je3#; 26.:t1gl 'fih4+ 27.1:1.g3 'Wixh2+ 1. d4 d6
28.1:.g2 'ilih4+ 29.1:J.g3 e3+) 26... e3+ 27. 'it>el 2. e4 g6
'ii'g2 28.':fl :xh2 followed by 29.. .'!/J.hl. 3. g3 Ji.g7
26. rJ;;e3
27. 'it>xf4
exf3+
•
The central break 3... d5 is inappropriate
27.'it>d2j2 28.1J..fllhe2+ 29.t'Dxe2 'fid3+ because of the reply 4.exd5 'Wixd5 5.lt:Jf3
does not bring White any relief. Ji.g4 6.Ji.g2.
27. d6! 4. Ji.g2 lt:Jc6
28. e4 5. lt:Je2 e5
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 141

The pseudo-active 5 ... .it..g4 ?! 6.f3 j_c8 have maintained.

7.d5 li:Je5 8.f4 li:Jd7 9. li:J bc3 "presents" 13.... li:Jb4?!
White with several development tempi. Unthematic play. All the same .. . c7-c6 cannot
6. dxeS be played, therefore it was better without delay

•
This is a game without a middlegame. I like
to continue 13...~b8 followed by 14...iJ..c8.
14. ti:Jcl li:JhS
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... j_e6
6. dxeS 15.a3 & dl16.'D..xdl li:Jc6.
7. ~xd8+ li:Jxd8 15. a3 li:Jc6
8. b3! 16. li:J3e2
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 li:Jbl-a3- at d4, which to some extent would justify
c4, li:Je2-cl-d3, and iJ..cl-b2. the weakening a2-a3.
16. ... iJ..f8

• ,_,,
Knowing the result of the game, one wants
8 .i .t~• ~.I to criticise all Black's moves. Thus here
16...b6!? can be suggested, but after 17.li:Jd3
7
~
i.i:i he again has to do something. It is probable

'
6
" ""' 2" that the poor placing of both knights makes it

'
5 ;,;
hard to develop counterplay.
4' 17. li:Jd3
4 "
-~ ~ Black's planless play has reached
~
3 ~ ~ deadlock. White has prepared a modification
of the pawn formation, and weaknesses are
2 ~ ~ ~tjj ~ iL ~ created by 17.. .f5 18.:hel (18.exf5 gxf5
.: t:Dst Flf
a b c d e g
.:
h
19.g4 fxg4 20.hxg4 Lg4 21 .f3 e4 22.fxg4
exd3 23. li:Jcl li:Jf4 24. iJ..xc6 bxc6 25.cxd3
~d7 leads to equality) 18... iJ..d6 19.li:Jc3 f4
8. li:Jf6 (White still stands better after 19... a6
9. iJ..b2 li:Jc6 20. li:Ja4 f x e4 2J. nxe4!) 20.g4 li:Jf6 2J.li:Ja4
After 9 ... li:Jd7 JO. li:Ja3 White has the with the threats of 22. li:Jxf4 and 22. li:Jac5.
initiative.
10. li:Jbc3
But now JO. li:Ja3 is inappropriate because ea
of JO ... j_e6.
10. ... iJ..d7
6
11. 0-0-0 0-0-0
Pointless was ll... li:Jg4 12. ~dfl 0-0-0 5 '
13. h3 li:Jf6 14.g4, playing into the 4
opponent's hands.
12. h3 .:he8
Black has insuperable difficulties after .2
12...iJ..e6 13.ti:Jd5 .
13. ~b1
White has emerged from the opening with a b c d e f g h
a minimal advantage, which 13.li:Jd5 would 17.... ~b8?
 142 THE METHOD lN C HESS

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. Whit e is ready to
ofthe variation 18.JiJf619j4 i..d6 20.~hfl. meet 3J ... li:Jf6 with 32.gxf5 li:Jxj5
18. li:Jg7 33.1i.h3.
19. f4 exf4 31. ... i..e7
•
19..]6 20./5 is also completely unpromising.
32. g5
The fixing of the kingside is
20. li:Jexf4 i.e6 complete. Now White can begin
21. : hn playing actively on the other side of
The capture on e6 is threatened. the board.
21. l:td7 32. .•. Itd8
22. li:Jd5 .ixd5 33. ~c2
23. exd5 The delightful thing about a static
From now on White has a decisive static advantage is that there is no need to
advantage, and the technical means he hurry.
employs also change accordingly. 33. i..d6
23. •.. li:Jd8 34. i..f3
24. !!del ~c8 Again prophylactic measures . The
Black has practically run out of moves. He bishop controls the important e2 and h5
loses a pawn after 24... ~e7 25.1L:e7lhe7 squares, whereas Black cannot play the
26.i..f6 :es 27.Ld81L:d8 2B.:xfl. active 34... i.g3 in view of 3S.:gJ i.xh4
25. i.f6 1lxel+ 36.A.f4.
26. l.txel l:rd6 34. b6
27. .ib2?! 35. b4 .ig3
Careless. The accurate 27. ~/1 would not 36. l:gl .id6
have allowed Black to hold out, as in the Again 36... .ixh4?? 37.i.j4 is bad for
game, until the 50th move. Black.
27. f5 37. i.b2 .if8
28. c4 li:Jf7 38. ~el
29. llfl The packaging continues.
The start of a plan which wins the game 38. ... n d7
for the second time. 39. c5

•
After thorough preparations, there finally
~ 0~

,,
8 0'~ follows an active move.

~-·"
39. n e7
40. :n
6 '0 White did not want to ease his
5 '
~
/

0~#' t3J /i
~
~-~
/.'
opponent's sufferings by exchanging
"' rooks, but in fact 40.1he7 li:Jxe7 4J.d6
4 ~
': t3J '
' ''
'
t3J 4~'
cxd6 42.cxd6 liJgB 43.i.d5 would have
3 ls t3J ?!:, ~ tb 0
0
~
t3J :won immediately.
2
i. ~
,JL0 40. ... li:Je8

a
0
~
b c d e
.: 0

g h
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 143

1. c4 e6
2. tiJf3 dS
3. g3
It is clear that in this variation White
cannot count on much. But I consider that
my chances are better here than in 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
to solve the problem of developing his
queenside. Therefore he provokes the early
development of the enemy queen in the
41. ii.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. iia4+
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.tLla3 ii.xa3
41. ii.g7 5. ~a4+ liJd7 6. bxa3 c5 7.ii.b2 tLlgj6
42. ii.f2 .l:td7 8.~xc4 b5 9. ~h4 ii.b7 his pawn formation
43. :tel l:f.e7 is compromised.
44. .l:.cl 4. lLld7
The repeated pendulum-like rook 5. i.g2
manoeuvres allow White each time to gain a The alternative is 5. ~xc4 c5 6. ~b3, when
tempo. Black has to demonstrate a subtle
44. .'it>d7 understanding of the situation, in order to
45. a4 llf7 deploy his forces well.
46. l:!.el =.e7 5. cS?!
Black is quite unable to escape from the
back rank. Thus now 46...ti: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. :ldl This aim can be met by 5 ... a6! 6.tLlc3
48. aS bxaS (6.'iixc4 b5) 6... c5.
49. bxaS tL:le7 6. i¥xc4 tL:lgf6
50. .:ret! tL:lc8 The difference is that after 6.. .a6 7. 'i¥c2
51. tiJf4 Black has no direct way to complete his
If 51 ... ~e7 the "anti-positional" 52.c6+ development. There is also 6.. . b6 7. liJd4
Wd6 53. tLle6 concludes matters. lLl e5 8.tLlc6 tLlxc4 9.tLlxd8 ~b8 JO.tLlc6.
1-0 The position is close to equality, but I still
find if more pleasant for White.
No.50 7. d3
!.Dorfman - J.Nogueiras
A 13 - Moscow GMA 1990
•
An important nuance. Now the variation
 144 THE METHOD IN CHESS

7. 0-0 b6 8. CLJd4 CLJe5 9. CLJc6 CLJxc4 10. CLJxd8 18. axb6 axb6
CLJd5 ll.CLJc3 ~xd8 12.CLJxd5 ~b7 13.CLJxb6 19. llxa8 i.xa8
~xg2 14.CLJxc4 il..xjl 15.~xfl, leading to 20. i.h3
approximate equality, does not work, since A serious blow. White provokes a
after 7. d3 b6 8. CLJd4 CLJe5 9. CLJc6 CLJxc4 weakening of the black king and
10.CLJxd8 CLJd5 White has ll.dxc4. consolidates his static advantage.
7. ~d6 20. ... f6
The development of the c8 bishop is still

•
difficult. After 7... a6 8.'~b3 ~d6 9.a4 't:.b8
10.a5 0-0 ll.~d2 White has a favourable aj_ ~~.i
pawn formation and he can bring his knight
to c4.
8. a4
9. 0-0
0-0
CLJb6
7
6
5
/

1-
:, ,
., ~
.t~ 0
"~
'J;J.
~
~,1.
~
/
~
~
,i ,i 0,1¢
r ~~

•
Serious consideration should be given to
4
·~
"
"
lLJ (/ ~ ~
9... b6 10.CLJd4 CLJe5 ll.ilic2 't:.b8 12.CLJb5 a6 3 %' ~ ~~ lLJ~~
13.CLJxd6 ilixd6, when Black's better pawn
formation compensates for the absence of
2 ~if £:1 ~
his bishop.
10. 'it'c2 ~d7?!
0
a b c
.:
d e
ciJ
g h
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 10... ti:Jbd5 ll. ~d2 e5 12.CLJa3 (the pawn formation.
trappy 12.e4 does not promise any benefits 21. ... CLJe7
after 12 ... CLJe7!, but not 12... CLJb4 13.~xb4
cxb4 14.d4) 12 ... r!.e8 13.CLJc4 .i..c7 14.e4 The alternatives are unattractive:
•
(14.'Wib3 e4 15.CLJg5 exd3 16.e4) with a 2l ... cxb4 22.ilia4!, 21 ... CLJd6 22.'1d.al CLJf8
complicated game. (22 ... iLc6 23.CLJxd6 iLxd6 24.b5 ~b7
11. e4 ~c6 25.'f1a7!) 23.bxc5 bxc5 24.CLJe3!, or
12. CLJbd2 e5 2l ... ~c6 22.~a3.
13. b3 lle8 22. n a1 ti:Jf8
14. ..ib2 CLJfd7 23. bxc5 bxc5
If 14 ... CLJbd7!? White strengthens the 24. i.a3
placing of his pieces by CLJc4, ~c3 and ill b2. Desp ite great efforts, I was unable to
15. a5 ti:Jc8 find a forced win after 24.'Wib3 ~h8
16. ti:Jc4 il..c7 25.~xe5 fxe5 26.CLJcxe5 ~d5 27.exd5
17. llfd1! 'Wixd5!
Black is being overrun, but he still 24. ... CLJc6
possesses a static advantage. The time for a 25. ~xeS CLJe6
break in the centre has come. . N ogueiras loses interest in this already
17. ... b5 lost game, and he allows a tactical solution.
•
Black undertakes dynamic action, since
25 ... ~h8 would have prolonged the
resistance.
17... 't:.b8 18.b4 cxb4 19.d4 is bad for him. 26. il..xe6+ l:txe6
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 145

27. 'iia2!
Black resigns in view of 27... il..b7
28.l?Jd6 (or 28.l?Jcxe5).
1-0

No.5 I
!.Dorfman - Pr.Nikolic
D 11 - Moscow GMA 1990

1. d4 d5
2. c4 c6
3. l?Jf3 l?Jf6
4. 'iic2 g6 0
•
At the start of the 21st century the
a b c d e g h

strongest counter here is considered to be 14. i..g2 l?Jf5

4 ... dxc4 5.'ilxc4 il..j5 6.g3 e6 7.il..g2 15. 0-0 l?Jd6
l?Jbd7 8.0-0 il..e7 9.e3 0-0 JO.l?Jc3 b5 The strongest players in the world play
ll.'ii'e2 b4 12.l?Ja4 'ila5 13.b3 il..e4 without prejudices: out of 15 moves, Black
14.i..d2 'ii'd5. has made seven with his knights.
5. i..f4 'ilt'a5+ 16. b3 0-0-0
6. 1lfd2
A new move. After the traditional 6.l?Jbd2
17. l?Je1
•
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. 'i'xd2+ way of successfully advancing e2-e4. Thus after
7. l?Jbxd2 l?Jh5 JZ~fel I did not like 17. .. il..h618.~cdl il..a6,
Black's position is also statically worse or after JZ~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 lahe8
static concessions, in order to gain dynamic 19. l?Jd3
counter-chances.
8. i..e5 f6
9. i..c7 l?Ja6
10. i..a5 b6
11. i..c3 l?Jc7
12. .:.ci 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 flank
development of my bishop.
13. g3 l?Jg7
Who would be able to guess the opening,
without knowing the score of the game?!
And this after only 13 moves!
 146 THE METHOD IN CHESS

19.... dxc4! 30. :d3 llde8!

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. lLJb4 Note that the pawn capture 30 ... lbxc4?
•
Black subtly noticed that the knight at d3
3J .lbe7+ would have been inappropriate .
Beginning from this point, White readjusts
was undefended in the variation 20.bxc4 e5 and employs dynamic means.
21.dxe5lbj7! 31. f4!
20. lLJd5 The sole narrow path to equality.
21. bxc4 lLJxc3 Unsatisfactory is 3J.lbd2 lbxc4 32.lbb4+
22. :xc3 cxb4 33.lbxc4 ':d5! 34.'!J.xd5 Wxd5
Again we have a critical position . The 35.'!J.xb4 !il..f8 (35 ... ~c3 36.lbxb6+!)
Bosnian player directs all his energy 36.lbxb6+ Wc5!
towards preventing the advance of the white 31. :hs
c-pawn. 32. g4 '!J.h4
22. e5! 33. h3 '!J.xh3
23. dxe5 lLJf7 Black has to be satisfied with a draw after
24. lbb3 33 ... lbxc4 34. Wg2 lbb2 35.'!J.d2 lbc4

•
Black's defence is constantly based on the
36.'!J.d3 .
34. Wg2 '!J.h4
concrete features of the position. After A subtle "loss of tempo". White is out of
24.lbe4 :Xe5! 25.lbxf6 ~g7 26.lbg4 :e7 danger after 34... '!J.h6? 35.lbd2 g5 36.'!J.fl
White suffers serious loss of material. gxf4 37.lbxf4.
24. ... c5 35. 'it>g3 .l:th6

•
Maintaining the tension. Black loses after
36. lLJd2
Thanks to Black's intermediate move, he
24 ... lbxe5 25.c5 !il..j8 26.lbxc6 lbxc6 was able to reply to 36.g5 with 36... lbf5+.
27.cxb6! 36. ... g5
25. !il..xb7+? 37. '!J.d1?
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.lbc6 !ii.xc6 26.~xc6 :Xe5 exchange of "compliments". 37.fxg5 !ii.e5+
27.a4! But the problem was that I judged 38.lbf4 was essential.
my position to be clearly, and not just 37.... gxf4+
minimally better. And here a variation 38. lLJxf4
turned up, passing off the desirable for the Not 38.exf4 !ii.d4!
actual... 38. !iJ..eS
25. Wxb7 39. g5 .l::rg6
26. lLJd5 :xeS 40. tt:Jf3 lbe4+?

•
After the anti-positional 26.. .fxe5 27.lbf6
With this last move before the time
control Black repays the debt. White would
:e7 28.lbe4 White would have established have had no hope of saving the game after
the long-awaited blockade. ·40... lbxc4 4J.'!J.cl b5!
27. libl Wc6 41. 'it>g2 .l:lg7
28. lbxf6 !il..g7 White's counterplay is also sufficient for a
29. lLJdS lLJd6 draw after 4l ... '!J.gg8 42.':d7.
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 147

42. :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. it..d6
42. :txd8 7. b4 0-0
43. lLlxe5+ ~b7 An inaccuracy in a critical position.
44. nxd8 :txg5+ Reflecting later on White's artificial idea, I
45. lLlg4 lLlf6 hit on the variation 7... a5! 8.b5 c5 9.cxd5
46. ~f3 lLlxg4 exd5 10. dxc 5 lLlxc 5 11. lLlxd5 lLlxd5
There is also no point in the opponent 12.'ii'xd5 it..e6 13.'fid4 lLlb3 14.'iixg7 nj8
playing with fire: 46... 1hg4 47.:td6 (47.':!8 15.:tb1 lLlxcl 16.'f:..xcl it..xa3 17.'l:.c2
liJd7 48.:tj7 ~c6). it..b4+. It is well known that, when playing
47. :td7+ ~a6 against an isolated d-pawn, one should not
48. liJd3 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. ~f4 :tg6 8. it..b2 'iie7
50. lLlxc5+ ~b6 9. 'iic2 a6
51. lLle4 bxc4 10. it..e2
52. :txh7 lLlf6

•
Draw agreed in view of the variation
53.~f5lLlxh7 54.~xg6 lLlf8+.
Yl-Yl

No. 52
Kir.Georgiev- !.Dorfman
D45 - Moscow GMA 1990

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. liJf3 lLlf6 12.dxe5 lLlxe5, although its static weakness
4. lLlc3 e6 is fully compensated by the dynamic
5. e3 lLlbd7 resources.
6. a3 11 . .1t..xc4 e5
This modest continuation, compared with 12. it..b3
6. 'iW c2 or 6. it..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.lLlg5, when he does not gain a
the number of Soviet grandmasters who tempo with 13 ... lLlb6. In my search for
 148 THE METHOD IN CHESS

complications, I missed a traditional way for part. This aim is answered by playing for
the Meran Variation of developing the exchange of queens by 23. Wia4:
counterplay by 12 ... exd4 13.CDxd4 g6 14.0-0 A) 23 ... 'iii'e6 24. ~xa 5 Wi b3 (24 .. .'~xd6
c5 15.bxc5 'Dxc5 16.i..a2 i..d7. 25. Wlxc5 l:tc6 is relatively more tenacious)
12. aS? 25.tl:Ja4;
13. bS cS B) 23 .. . Wixa 4 24.tl:Jxa4 l:txd6 25.:xd6
14. dS e4 Ld6 26.:dJ i..e 7 27.'Dxc5 i..g4 28.Lf6
I did not want to "die on my knees" after gxf6 29.l:td5.
14... ti:Jb615. ti:Jd2. 23. ti:JxdS
15. ti:Jd2 lieS 24. l:txdS i.xd6
16. ti:Jc4 hS 25. l:thd1 i.e7
In any case Black has no useful ideas, but 26. 'ii'xe4 i.e6
this move gives his king an escape square, it
averts a possi ble g2-g4, and it prevents
White from castling (17.0-0 Lh2+).
17. b6!
Georgiev conducts the game strongly, and
he now gains the b5 square.
17. i.bS
18. 0-0-0 'iid8
19. i.a4 l:la6
20. d6
•
Black radically changes the character of
the play.

• 8
7
6 ·-4l ~ · •
.t.i. .~X ~

X & jj
~.t ~
~
-~g
9~·
'" /,
27. 'ii'eS?
An incorrect evaluation of a critical
position. It all ends peacefully after 27.l:txh5
f5 28.l:txf5 Wlb5 29.l:td2 Wlfl+.
-~~:
·
5 F/~
/'I / % 27. f6
~ lb , . ~~ 28. WixhS i.r7
-~ ~... ~
~
29. WifS i.xdS
3 t!J/
~
[jv- 30. 'ii'xdS+ 'it>f8
2 k"Wi ?'(!; ~ ~ 31. W/c4
tf?l: : •
This manoeuvre prevents the activation of
a b c d e g h the enemy queen. The ending arising after
31.Wid7 "Wixd7 32.l:txd7 'it>e8 would have
20. ti:Jxb6 been more pleasant for Black.
21. ti:Jxb6 ~xb6 31. ... a4
22. i.xe8 'it'xeS 32• .l::.d3
23. ti:JdS? ·Black's initiative becomes threatening
White's king is statically weak, and, after 32 ... 1:!..b 3 followed by 33 ... b5 and
despite his minimal material advantage, the 34... c4.
situation demands dynamic play on his 32. ••• l:ta6
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 149

My opponent had little time left, and I set 1. tt:Jf3 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 played best in simple positions.
White should have waited for it, and only Therefore I was pinning my hopes on
then moved his queen. complications.
33. 'i'e4? 'i'b5 2. e4 .i.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 Grunfeld defence. After 3. e4
majority on the other side of the board, due e5 4.d4 exd4 5.tt:\xd4 tt:\j6 6.tt:\c3 0-0
to loss of material resulting from the lack of 7 . .i.e2 l:f.e8 8.f3 c6 9. 0-0 d5 Black
a shelter for his king. successfully opens the centre and takes
34. :d2 :id6 the initiative .
35. .lilxd6 .i.xd6 3. tt:Jf6
36. 'ifd5 ~e7 4. g3 0-0
37. 'it'e4+ ~d8 5. .i.g2 e6
38. 'iid5 ~e7 I am simply unable to make any
39. f4 'i!Ve2 other move here! I think that only this
40. 'ifd2 'iifl+ type of centre guarantees Black a good
41. ~e2 'i!Ve4+ game.
42. ~bl 'ife4+ 6. tt:\c3 d5
43. ~al ~c6 7. 'i!Vb3
Gradually the preconditions are created A continuation often employed by
for transposing into a won pawn ending. A.Petrosian, Romani shin and ... me. The
44. h4 e4 alternative is 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.tt:\e5.
45. 'iia5 7. dxe4
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. 'lita2 'iid3 46. 'ifxd3 concedes the centre and allows his opponent
cxd3 47. 'litbl 'litd5. an outpost on c5, relying on the dynamic
45. 'ife2 resources of the position. 7... 'ii'b6 is
46. e4 'iidl+ probably more solid. In the game Dorfman-
47. ~a2 .i.xf4 Uhlmann, West Berlin 1989, 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. 'ii'xb3 9.axb3 .i.g4 10.b4 tt:\bd7 ll.e3 a6
48. 'i'f5 'i'b3+ 12.tt:\d2 e5 13.0-0 ':.feB, which, however,
49. ~al e3 did not prevent him from losing the
50. 'ii'e8+ .i.e7 resulting ending.
51. .i.el e2 8. 'i'xe4 tt:\a6
52. .i.b2 ife4 9. 0-0 .i.f5
53. .i.el 'iic3+ In this formation it is not easy for the
0-1 black queen to find work. Black plans to
exchange it by ... 'ii'd8-b6-b4. For White
No.53 it would have been logical to play JO.l:f.el
GKamsky - !.Dorfman ( 10. tt:\e5), aiming to seize space, and, more
D78 - Paris 1990 important- avoid simplification.
 150 THE METHOD IN CHESS

risk. I did not want to play the positions

arising after 13 ... tt'lxe4 14. 'fhe4 j_xe4
15.tt'lxe4 tt'lc2 16.':.b1 tt'lxd4 J7.j_g5 :feB
1B.tt'lc5 tt'lxf3+ 19.j_xf3 b6 20.tt'ld3 ':.acB
21.tt'lb4 h6 22.j_eJ c5 23.tt'lc6 .l:.c7 24.b4
c4 25.b5, and 13 ... tt'lc2 14.exf5 tt'lxa1
15.':.xe7 (15.j_f4 tt'lc2 16.':.xe7 tt'lh5)
15 ... ':.abB 16.fxg6 hxg6 17.':.e2 (1J.j_f4
':.feB 1B.j_xbB :Xe7 19.j_xa7) 17... ':.feB
1B.j_eJ.
14. l:.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.:e2 j_c4 15.':.d2 tt'ld7 16.a3
tt'ld3 17. j_f1 tt'lxcl 1B. j_xc4 tt'lb6 he has
10. h3?! ~b6 nothing to compensate for the absence of his
11. .l:i.e1 'ii'b4! dark-square bishop.

•
As a result of the time lost, Black's dream
14....
15. ~b1
tt'lc2!
tt'lxe4
has been realised. 11 .. .lbe4 12.g4 tt'lxc3 Black has engaged in complications,
13. bxc3 j_e4 was less logical, although since, due to the features of the pawn
possible. formation, his position is statically inferior.
12. 'iixb4 16. tt'lxe4 j_xa2

•
The variation avoided a move earlier
17. j_gs
18. .laxb1
j_xb1
life8
acquires a different meaning after 12. b3
tt'le4.
•
Nothing attractive is apparent after
12. tt'lxb4 1B... tt'lxd4 19.j_xe7 ':.feB 20.tt'lf6+ j_xf6
13. e4 j_e6 21.Lf6 tt'lxf3+ 22.Lf3.
19. tt'lc5 tt'lxd4

•
After 19 ... b6 20.tt'lb3 Black's pawn
formation becomes brittle.
20. tt'lxb7 :tabS
21. tt'la5
21.tt'lxd4 Ld4 22.Lc6 l:t.ecB is a more
favourable version for the opponent.
21. ... .l:txb2

•
This accurate reply forces the exchange of
rooks. After 21 ... tt'lxf3+ 22.j_xf3 .l:txb2
0 W.hite can flirt with the idea of 23.':.d1!? He
also stands better after 21 ... tt'le2+ 22. <i;;f1
tt'lc3 23.r:!..e1.

•
Winning the exchange involves a serious
22. ~xb2
23. j_xf3
tt'lxf3+
j_xb2
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 151

24. lt::\xc6 ~a3 I respect an uncompromising approach to

•
I could have retained the a7 pawn, but the
chess, but I have a different attitude to
boorishness. This was our second (after the
passive nature of the position frightened me handshake before the game) and last
in the variation 24 ... ~!6 25. ~e3 a6 contact. It is this that explains the end to the
26.~b6. game, a strange one for this level of players.
25. lt::\xa7 l:rb8 56. ~d7 ~f7
26. lt::\c6 .l:f.bl+ 57. lt::\e3 .l:f.c3
27. ~g2 ~f8 58. g4 hxg4+
28. ~e3 59. ~xg4 fS
Directed against 28... il.c5. 60. exfS gxfS
28. hS 61. ~xfS e4+
29. ~e4 .l::tbS 62. ~f4 l:t.xe3
30. lt::\d4 .li!b2 63. ~xe3 ~g7
31. 4Jf3 ~d6 64. hS
32. 4::\gS l:t.bS
33. ~d3 liaS
34. ~f3 ~cS No.54
35. h4 ~xe3 M.Illescas - !.Dorfman
36. fxe3 .l:a4 B14- French League 1991
37. ~bS Itb4
In the majority of cases a rook can 1. c4 c6
hold the position against two minor pieces, 2. e4 dS
even when there are three symmetric pawns. 3. exdS cxdS
38. ~c6 e6 4. cxdS 4::\£6
39. e4 l:.b6 5. lt::\c3 4::\xdS
40. ~a4 l:ta6 6. 4Jf3 e6
41. ~bS 11a3+ 7. d4 ~b4
42. ~f2 Only seven moves have been made, and
42.~!4 e5+. the static balance is catastrophic for White.
42. ~e7 His thoughts are associated with play
43. 4Jf3 l:taS against the enemy king. This is why Black
44. ~d3 eS tries to initiate play in the centre and on the
45. ~c4 f6 queenside, diverting the enemy forces from
46. ~dS l:!cS the direction of the main blow.
47. 4::\el l:.c3 8.~d2
48. lt::\g2 .l:f.c2+ The play is sharper after 8. i¥c2. Here are a
49. ~f3 .l:.c3+ few typical games: 8... lt:\c6 9.~d3 ~aS:
50. lt::\e3 ~f8 A) 10.~e4 Cilxd4 ll.Cilxd4 Cilxc3 12.bxc3
51. ~f2 ~g7 i¥xd4 13.0-0 i¥xc3 14. 'iib1 f5 15. i¥b5+
52. ~e6 .l::f.d3 ~f7 16.~/3 i¥c7 17.~b2 ~d7 18.'iie2
53. 4::\dS .l:.d2+ .l:f.he8 19.~e5 i¥c5 20..l:f.ab1 ~b6 21.Lb7
54. ~e3 l:f.c2 .l:f.ad8 22.ii'h5+ ~g8 23.~xg7 ~xg7
55. 'it>f3 l::tcS 24.i¥g5+ ~j7 25.i¥h5+ ~g7 26.'iig5+ ~j7
I think it was here that I offered a draw. 27.ii'h5+ ~e7 28.i¥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 1999;
 152 THE METHOD IN CHESS

B) lO.O-OlDdb4ll.'~d1 t:Dxd3 12.Wixd3f6 Black has no winning chances.

13.nd1 0-0 14.il..j4 t:Db4 15.Wic4 t:Dd5 14. il..xc3
16.il..d2 il..xc3 17.bxc3 t:Db6 18.Wib3 Wid5
19.:aci t:Dc4 20.il..j4 b6 21.t:Dd2 il..b7 22.f3 Black is out of danger after 14.bxc3 e5!
•
:ac8 23.lDxc4 ~c4 24.il..g3 njc8 25.nel 15.dxe5 (15.d5 Wixd5 16.il..xh6 Wic5)
Wid7 26. Wib2 il..d5 with domination for 15... lDxe5 16.t:Dxe5 Le5 17.i..xh6 i..xh2+
Black, Rechlis-Khenkin, French League 18.'i;xh2 Wih4+ 19.<i;g1 'fixh6, whereas a
1999. certain accuracy is demanded of White to
8. 0-0 maintain the balance.
9. il..d3 t:Dc6 14. t:De7
10. 0-0 il..e7 15. 'i'e2 il..d7
Here it is possible to revert to a very common 16. Wie4 g6
and slightly inferior position by 10... t:Dj6. 17. t:DeS
11. a3
At this critical point White should The tactical basis of Black's play is
•
seriously consider the exchange ll.t:Dxd5 illustrated by the variation 17.'fixb 7 il..c6
exd5 (ll...Wixd5) 12.h3. 18.Wib3 Lj3 19.gxf3 t:Dd5. His play against
11. il..f6 the king and control of strategic posts more
12. W/c2 h6 than compensates for the material deficit.

•
Experience demonstrates the viability of
17. ... i..a4

12... g613.il..h6 l:te8 14.'nad1 t:Dxc3 15.bxc3 z

.i "' ~
~·
'l
8
il..d7 16. Wid2 ncB, Webster-Sorokin,

·- · ~ ~·
Calcutta 2000. 7
13. l:f.ad l
6 ~/.
~~~ ~~

'
· ~ ·':i; z;' .
,.; ~!i/'
5 ttJ " ;:1
~,.--~

[5- 'Wf j?~

h
4 j_ ~

3 ~ il.~ '"'
2 ~ ~f!:s ~ ~
0
a b c
:d
i# : ,~
e g h

The culmination of the battle! Determined

action was required of White: 18.d5 il..xd1
(18 ... t:Dxd5 19.t:Dxg6 t:Dxc3 20.t:De7+)
a b c d e g h 19.dxe6 il..b3 20.lDxj7 :Xj7 21.exf7+ <i;xj7
22.il..xj6 <i;xj6 23.ne1 il..d5 (23 ... Wid6?
13. ... t:Dxc3 24. Wlj3+) 24. 'i'e5+ <i;J7 25. 'Wij4+ <i;g7
•
I did not want to delve into the details of the
26.Wie5+, leading to perpetual check.
18. : del? il..c6
variation 13... lDxd4 14. lDxd4 Ld4 15. lDxd5 19. 'it'g4?
Wixd5 16.il..e3 e5 17.il..c4 Wid6 18.il..xd4 Again a mistake in a critical position.
exd4 19.'fie4 nds 20.nje1, 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
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 153

exchanges 19.tt'lxc6 bxc6 20. i.b4 a5 No. 55

21.Le7'iixe7 22.'iixc6 i.xd4. M.Rivas Pastor - !.Dorfman
19. hS
D31- Spain v. USSR, Logrono 1991
20. 'ikg3 i.dS
21. i.b4 aS 1. c4 e6
22. i.cS b6 2. tt'lc3 dS
23. i.xe7 W/xe7 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:lad8 simply cannot decide what to play against
2S. ~f3? this move order. Here, for example, is how
•
The Spanish grandmaster is rattled, and does
he "resolved" this problem a year later:
4.tt'lf3 tt'lj6 5. ~b3 dxc4 6. 'iixc4 b5 7. 'iid3
not even manage to set up a defensive line. i.a6 8.'iic2 b4 9.tt'la4 i.b5 10.b3 tt'lbd7
25.i.xd5 ~d5 26.~e4 was more tenacious. 1J.i.b2 i.e7 12.e4 0-0 13.i.c4 'iia5
2S. ... i.xeS 14. tt'ld2 i.xa4 15. bxa4 tt'lb6 16. i.b3 :tac8
26. dxeS 17.0-0 c5, Rivas Pastor-Dorfman, Barcelona
Equally hopeless is 26..Ld5 i.xh2+ 2ZWxh2 1992. It is time for White to resign.
~d5, when White is two pawns down. The text move cannot be good, if only
26. ... i.c4 because it allows Black to develop his
When I made my 17th move, I did not get queen's bishop unhindered. White should
this far in my dreams. choose between 4.e4 and 4.tt'lj3.
27. W/e3 i.xfl 4. exdS
28. :txfl "ii'cS S. W/c2 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. 'iid2 tt'lj6 8.f3.
29. fixeS bxcS 6. tt'lf3 tt'le7
30. l:tc1 l;!d4 7. i.gS i.fS
31. f3 c4 7... tt'ld7 8. e3 tt'lj8 9. i.d3 tt'ljg6 is solid
32. l:tc2 It.fd8 enough.
33. h4 .iad1+
34. Wh2 l:t8d4
3S. :tc3 l:f.1d2
8 .~~
36. b3 cxb3
37. :txb3 lac4
38. Wg3 Wg7
39. l:lbS l:ta4
"If you are a pawn up, don't hurry. The
opponent will give you a second one ... " (Smyslov). 4
40. .l:f.b3 l:Ic4
3 ,
41. :tb7
It is clear that if 41.l;!b5 there will finally
follow 41 ... a4.
41. ... liteS
a b c d e g h
0-1
 154 THE METHOD IN CHESS

8. 'ii'd2?! advantage) 16.0-0-0 ilxd6 with a decisive

It is correct to go into an equal endgame, advantage for Black;
by playing 8. ilixf5 tl:Jxf5 9.i..xd8 ~xd8 B) 14.i..a3 tl:Jjh4 is unsatisfactory for
JO.a3. White;
8. ti:Jd7 C) 14.gxf3 is the lesser evil, leaving Black
9. e3 ti:Jf8 with only a minimal advantage.
10. i..h4 13. ... i..xf5

•
JO.i..d3 i..xd3 ll.~xd3 tl:Jjg6 12.i..xe7
14. tlJa4
The Spanish player suffers from an over-
is more watchful. 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 10 moves, with the should engage in passive defence. Here after
white pieces. 14.!ii..xd6 'Wixd6 15. 0-0 he would have
10. ti:Jfg6 retained defensive possibilities.
11. i..g3 i..g4! 14. i..e4
15. i..xd6

8
•
White deviates from the planned course.
After 15.tl:Jc5 Lc5 16.dxc5 Lj3 17.gxf3
7
'it'j6 Black becomes master of the situation.
6 15. 'Wixd6
16. tlJc5 i..xf3
5
17. gxf3 b6
4 17... tl:Jh4!?
3 18. ti:Jd3 c5
Beginning the pursuit of the enemy king.
2 18... 0-0 was simple and strong, but Black is
0 playing for a decisive advantage.
19. dxc5 bxc5
a c e g
20. 'it'a5
12. i..d3?! The point of Black's plan consists in the

•
For which exchange should White aim?
variation 20.'D.cl c4 21.'it'b4 (or 21.tl:Jb4
tl:Je5 with the initiative) 21...~e7! 22.'Wib7+
After 12.i..xd6 'ii'xd6 13.i..e2 !ii..xf3! ~e6.
14. !ii..xf3 tl:Jh4 he is unable to avoid the 20. 0-0!
degradation of his position, but 12.i..e2 tl:Jj5 21. 'iixc5 'iff6
13.!ii..xd6 tl:Jxd6 (13 ... 'it'xd6 14.0-0) was 22. f4
more realistic. The terrible queen+knight tandem
12. ti:Jf5 dominates after 22. ~e2 tl:Jh4! (Black can
13. i..xf5 also convert his advantage in the endgame

•
The first problems have appeared. Thus if
arising after 22 ... 'D.ac8 23. 'Wid4 !'i.c2+
24.~d1 'Wixd4 25.exd4 I:!.c4 26.'D.cl 'fhd4)
13.i..xd6 Black has the very strong reply 23. 'Wixd5 (or 23.f4 'it'j5 with a decisive
13 ... il..xf3! (the chances are equal after aftack) 23 ... r!ad8 24. 'Wie4 (24. 'Wib7 'D.b8)
13... tlJxd614.tlJg1): 24 ... r!fe8 25. 'it'g4 'D.xd3 26. ~xd3 'D.d8+
A) 14.Lf5 Lg2 15.'~g1 tl:Jh4 (15 ... 'it'xd6 27.~c2 'i!Vc6+ 28.~b1 tl:Jxf3 29.b3 .l:!c8, and
16.i..xg6 'it'xh2 also gives a serious White can resign.
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 155

22. ... 'ii'f5! by 30.~gl, when, as in the game, I would

23. 'it'd4 have continued 30.. J:Xc6.
If 23."iVc2, then 23 ... d4. 30. l:tc6
23. ... l:tfe8 31. f5 llh6
This forces the win. Here are some brief 32. .laf2 ii'h4+
variations: 24.f3 0,h4, 24.0-0-0 l:te4 or 33. ~g2 'i¥xh2+
24. ~e2 0,h4. All that remains is the text 34. ~fl 'iihl+
move. 35. ~e2 'ii'e4+
24. 0,e5 36. 'iii>d2 0,c4+
37. ~c3

•
After making this move White resigned,
without waiting for me to make on the board
the prepared 37... 1:!h3+.
0-1

No.56
V.Majorovas- !.Dorfman
A3 7 - Cannes 1992

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. 0,(3 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 0,xe5 consider the "hedgehog" formation, arising
26. 'ti'dl after 3.d4 cxd4 4.0,xd4 ii..b7 5.f3, to be a
A tenacious defence. King moves lose godsend.
more quickly: 26. ~dl ~!3+ 27. ~d2 3. ii..b7
~xj2+, or 26/l;fl 'fih3+ 27.~e2 'fij3+. 4. ii..g2 g6
26. ... l:tc8! After 4 ... 0,f6 5.0-0 e6 it is simpler for
Demonstrating that White is completely White to achieve the desired simplification.
helpless. 5. 0-0 ii..g7
27. f4 it'e4?! 6. 0,c3 0,c6
Perhaps 27... l:tc2 28. 'ilixc2 'fixc2 29.fxe5 7. e3 0,h6
'fixb2 30.0-0 'fixe5 would have been a
cleaner finish.
•
In playing for static weaknesses with
28. 0-0 'ii'xe3+ 7... 0,j6 8. d4 cxd4 9. exd4 d5 10. cxd5 0,b4
29. ~g2 ll.'fia4+, Black's downfall is caused by his
29.l:tj2 0,d3. failure to castle.
29.... 'ii'e4+ 8. d4 0,(5
30. ~g3
The resistance could have been prolonged •
What should White do with his centre? I
 156 THE METHOD IN CHESS

can suggest a promising pawn sacrifice for 12 . .l:tb2

the initiative: 9.d5 lLla5 JO.e4 lLJd6 11.e5 The conflict affects the central pawn
lLldxc4 12. 'file2 (12.~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.~a1 cxd4 13.lLlexd4 l2Jxd4 14.exd4 d5.
12. lLlc6
13. l:td2 cxd4
8 ~. ~ ~- #' ~ 14. exd4
7 " /~ .i. # i if: i ~i For already understandable reasons,
14.lLlexd4 lLlcxd4 (14 ... lLlfxd4 15.exd4 d5)
6 f~~ 0, i , 15.exd4 d5 does not suit my opponent.

5~ ' ~
4 ~~ ~~ ~~
3 ?:1 l2J ~ti CD ~~
2 ~ i/1/ ~ t&~
0 s a b
k~
c d e
.: ~~
g h

9. tt:Je2 0-0
10. ~b1
•
White does not make any static
concessions. After JO.b3 cxd4! ll.lLlfxd4
lLlcxd4 12.lLlxd4 i.xg2 13.~xg2 i.xd4
14.exd4 d5 weaknesses are created in his 14 . ... i.b6
position without any compensation.
10. ... tt:Ja5 •
Black still needs to play dynamically.
With this manoeuvre Black succeeds in 14... d5 15.lLJc3 is bad for him.
rearranging his minor pieces on the long 15. llb2
diagonal, in order to intensify the pressure
on d4. Of the other possible continuations,
•
The exchange sacrifice would have been
JO ... cxd4 ll.lLljxd4 lLljxd4 12.l2Jxd4 'Wic8 quite a good practical chance. In contrast to
13.l2Jxc6 i.xc6 14.i.xc6 ~xc6 15.b3 ~fd8 the game, after 15. d5 i.xd2 16. 'fi xd2 i.xj3
16.i.b2 leads to equality. But the rest are 17.i.xj3 lLle5 18.!1i..e4 (18.!1i..g2 d6) the
bad for Black: 1 O... d5? 11. cxd5 'fixd5 outcome is not yet decided.
12.e4! 'flxe4 13.lbc3+-; 10... lLlb4? ll.a3! 15. i.xf3
!il..e4 12.axb4 Lb1 13.lLlc3±; JO... e6 1l.b3 16. i.xf3 i.xc1
d5 12.cxd5 exd5 13.!1i..b2~. 17. 'i!Vxcl
11. b3 White has no compensation for the pawn

•
White does not have equality after ll.b4
after 17.l2Jxcl lLljxd4 18.!1i..g2 ~c8 19.'£d2
e5.
cxb4. 17. lLlfxd4
11. ... !il..e4 18. lLlxd4 lLlxd4
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 157

19. .ll.xa8 'ifxa8 A) 34.b4 ~f8 (34 .. .f5 35.c5 bxc5 36.b5+-)
20. ~dl 35.~d3 e6 (35 ... ~e8 36.~e4 f6 37.~d5
This rook manoeuvre terminates a series ~d7 38.c5 e6+ 39.~c4 f5 40.b5!) 36.c5
of eight captures. Nevertheless, it is also bxc5 37.bxc5 ~e7-+;
forced, just like the preceding moves. 20.f4 B) 34.~d3! e6 35.c5! bxc5 36.~c4 ~!8
tl'Jf3+ 21.~h1 (21.~j2 tl'Jxh2) 21 ... tl'Jd2+ is 37.~xc5 ~e7 38.b4 ~d7 39.b5 ~c7 40.a5
hopeless for White. f5 41.b6+ axb6+ 42.axb6+ ~b7 43.rJ:td6,
20.... tl'Jf3+ and it is White who wins.
21. ~g2? 33. b4
A tactical oversight. After the toughest
defence 21. ~!1 tl'Jxh2+ 22. ~e2 "Wij3+
23. ~e1 "Wie4+ 24. Wie3 'i!Yxe3+ 25.fxe3
tl'Jf3+ 26. ~e2 tl'Je5 Black remains with two
pawns for the exchange and an advantage
that is close to decisive.
21. tl'Jel+
22. ~fl tl'Jd3
23. Wic2 tl'Jxb2
24. Wixb2
24.'1d.xd7 is most accurately refuted by
24 ... 'Wic6! 25.'S.d4 (25 ..l:.xe7 :dB 26. 'ii'xb2
"fih1+ 27.~e2 Wid1+ with a rapid mate)
25 ... tl'Jxc4 26.l:!.xc4 'fih1+ 27. ~e2 Wixh2
28.1:!c7 Wih5+ 29.~/1 ~d8, with a winning
attack. 33.... l:f.c7?!
24.
25. ~e2
'ilihl+
'ilic6
•
Seriously short of time, I was unable to
26. Wid4 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.'Wia3 d6 27.'Wixa7 l::.a8 Black, or drawn. The following analysis
28."fixe7 l:.e8. makes things clear: 33 ... 1:1e5! 34..lhe5 dxe5
26. d6 35.~d3 e6! (35 .. .f5? 36.c5! bxc5 37.b5;
27. .l:rd3 lacS 35 ... ~e8? 36.~e4 f6 37.~d5 ~d7 38.c5)
28 . .l:.e3 lac7 36.c5 (36.~e4 f6 37.g4 h5 38.g5 fxg5
29. a4 39.hxg5 ~e7) 36 ... bxc5 37. bxc5 ~e7
The desperate assault on the king 29.'Wih4 38. ~c4 rJ:td7 39. ~b5 ~c7 and wins.
'Wib7 30.g4 f6 31.~h3 is parried by 34. ~d3 aS
31 ... Wie4+ and 32.. g5. 35. lle2 axb4
29. 'ilib7 36• .l:Ib2 laa7!
30. h4 .l:.cS A technical detail, not allowing the
31. 'ilie4 Wlxe4 opponent to rid himself of his weaknesses.
32. .lilxe4 ~f8 37. .l:i.xb4 .laa6
•
Black avoids a subtle trap. The transition
38. ~c3
"39. ~b3
~e8
~d7
into a pawn ending turns out 40. ~b5 ~c6
catastrophically after 32 .. J:le5? 33Jhe5 41. ~b4 e6
dxe5: After the inevitable disappearance of the
 158 THE METHOD IN CHESS

rooks, the d-pawn will complete the decisive tough play.

march. 3.
42. hS 4. 'ikc2
In the variation 42.1:!g5 1:!a5 43.1:!g4 'D.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. ... r!aS Defence there is only the variation 4.'iic2f'.
43. h6 gS 4. cS
After he runs out of pawn moves, White is 5. dxcS 'i/c7
forced to take on a5. The alternative is 5... Lc5 6.lDj3 (6.i.j4
44. r!xaS bxaS+ d5 7.e3) 6.. .'ilb6 (6... b6) 7.e3 il...e7 (7... a6
45. ~xaS ~cS 8.lDa4 il...b4+ 9.il...d2 'iia5 JO.c5±) 8.e4 d6
46. ~a6 dS 9.il...e2 0-0 JO.i.e3 'ii'c7 ll.l2Jd4. The
47. cxd5 danger for White in the branch chosen by
47.a5 dxc4 48.~b7 c3 49.a6 c2 50.a7 his opponent is the need to play concretely
cl='ii 5l.a8'ii 'iihl+ is hopeless for White. and energetically. After all, Black has the
47. ... exdS 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 sufficient for him to
49. aS d3 complete a "hedgehog" set-up, and White's
SO. a6 d2 4th and 6th moves will become inappropriate.
51. a7 d1='ik 6. a3 il...xc5
52. a8='fi 'ikd7+ 7. b4 il...e7
A mating finish is unavoidable: 53. ~b8 8. l2Jb5!
(53. ~a6 'iib5+) 53... rl;b6.
0-1
•
After 8.c5 the static balance is now
favourable for White due to the backward d-
No. 57 pawn and the weakness of the dark squares.
But his opponent is rescued by the dynamic
!.Dorfman - M. Tal 8 ... d6 9.lDb5 'iic6.
E38- Barcelona 1992 8. 'ikc6
9. l2Jf3
This game took place at a point when Tal
was leading with 2Yz out of3, 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.il...j4 d6 JO.r!dl e5 ll.il...g5 a6 12.il...xj6
have to be thankful to him, since I got into a axb5 (12 ... gxf6 13.lDc3 Wixc4 14.e3)
playing rhythm and won one of my best 13.il...xg71:!g8 14.'iixh71:!xg7 15.'iixg7
tournaments after leaving the USSR. And 1:!xa3 with a strong initiative for Black.
yet my opponents, to a man, were all very 9. d6
strong: Korchnoi, Lautier, Akopian, 10. lLifd4
Romanishin, Ivan Sokolov ...
1. d4 l2Jf6 •
I hope one day to try JO.g4 a6 ll .lDbd4
2. c4 e6 Wie4 12.'iixe4 lDxe4 13.il...g2, found in
3. l2Jc3 Reykjavik in 1994 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
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 159

formation from a game Kiryakov-Sakaev, where 13. ti::Jf3! d5

the authors suggest a similar idea. But I find the 13 .. . 0-0 14.ti::Jg5 g6 15.ti::Jxd6 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 14.cxd5!? Wxb5 15.e3 (15.e4? .txb4+
rule. In fact it is simply one of the consequences 16.axb4 'ilixb4+ 17.ti::Jd2 ti::Jbd7) 15 ... Wd7
of my method. I feel the urge to paraphrase the 16.ti::Je5 Wd6 (16 ... Wc8 loses after
above comments: "The rich must make a 17.'ila4+ <Jitj8 18.d6 .td8 19.'IJ.cl) 17.dxe6
revolution, so that the poor should live better!" (17. .tb5+ <Jitj8 18.ti::Jc4 'iic7 19.d6 .txd6
And what would the founders of Marxism have 20.'IJ.xd6 a6 and the white pieces are
said about that?! Probably something along the hanging) 17... Wxe6 18. .tc4 'ii c8 19. Wb3
lines of: "One and the same game should not 0-0 20.ti::Jxj7 'IJ.xj7 21.Lf7+ <Jitj8, leading
have to be won twice!" . to an unclear game.
10. ... 'ilid7 14. ... 0-0
10... 'iib6 comes into consideration. 14... ti::Jxe4?? 15.cxd5.
11 . .tb2 15. e5 ti::Jh5
It is possible to switch to a Sicilian All this is logically linked with play
Defence by 11.e4. against White's "underdeveloped" kingside.
11. ... b6? Totally bad is 15... ti::Je8 16.ti::Jc3 (16 . .td3)
This is most probably not a concrete, but a 16.. ."ikc7 (16... ti::Jc7 17..td3) 17..td3 dxc4
conceptual mistake. Tal hinders the 18.Lh 7+ <Jith8 19..te4.
development of White's kings ide, i.e. he plays 16. cxd5!
dynamically, to gain time. Yet there was no 16 . .td3 tLlj4 17. i.xh 7+ <Jith8 would
need for this! He should have engaged in the have justified Black's preceding
prophylaxis of his already statically better play.
position by 1l...a612.ti::Jc3 'iic7. 16. ... i.xd5
12. l::td1 .tb7 17. ti::Jc3
Black misses a last chance to complete his It is amusing that the decisive
development by 12... a6. And, in addition, he blows in this game are landed by
allows a practically forced win. knights retreating from the sth rank
to the 3rd!
17. ... Wc7
As the variations below convincingly
demonstrate, this move is not the reason
for Black's failure: 17... IJ.c8 18.'ilid2
(18.'ilib1 ?! .l:.xc3 19.i.xc3 Wc6 20.i.d2
.txj3 21.gxf3 'ilixf3 22.IJ.g 1 i.h4 23.:!.g2
ti::Jd7) 18 ... i.xf3 19.Wxd7 ti::Jxd7
20.IJ.xd7 i.c6 21.IJ.xe7 <Jitj8 22.b5±;
17 .. ."ilic8!? 18 . .td3 i.xj3 19 . .txh7+
<Jith8 20.gxf3 g6 21.i.xg6 fxg6 22.'ilixg6
ti::Jg7.23.IJ.g1.
0
 160 THE METHOD IN CHESS

While avoiding the Griinfeld Defence

(l ... CiJj6 2.c4 g6 3.CiJc3 d5 4.Wia4+ i.d7
5. Wib3 dxc4 6. Wlxc4) White loses the right
8 .i. ~ ~
~~ {"
~r• ~ to play the critical variation of the Queen's

~·~·
/.
7 %'1 ~
~ ~ Gambit Accepted l.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4.
~ ~'/ 1. d5
~4 · ~0 ~
6 Z:l

5-
/. /.
~ ~-:; 2. d4 CiJf6
~ .t~ h@ ~

•
A critical moment of the opening. Black

~?; ~
chooses a risky move order. 2... e6 is safer.
4 ~
~~
3~
2 ~if
:x : ~ ;/~
m
' '
~~
f~ tjj ,~
tf £!J '/!J:
~ ~
3.
4.
c4
e3
dxc4

Benefit can be derived from the situation

by 4.CiJc3, when Black has to choose
0 ~
a b
~~ :~..t ~
c d e g
:
h
between the Slav Defence 4... c6 5.a4 i.j5
and the Vienna Variation of the Queen's
Gambit 4... e6 5.e4 i.b4 6.i.g5 c5, since the
18. lixd5!! gambit continuation 4... a6 5.e4 b5 6.e5 ltJd5
A combination of 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. 'ilif5 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.ti:Jxd5 4. e6
'illd8 2l.Wiie4 CiJd7 22.i.a6 leads to the 5. i.xc4 c5
complete paralysis of the black army. 6. 'ife2 a6
19.
20. ifxh5
.i::td8
d4
•
As a rule, with the pawn at a2 1t IS
21. CiJd1 d3 premature to exchange on d4. Later White
Equally hopeless is 21 ... 'iic2 22.CiJxd4 can restrict the activity of the queen's knight
"iVe4+ 23.i.e2 '!:.xd4 24.i.xd4 Wixd4 25.Wif3. 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... CiJbd7
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. ik'g4 i.f8 7. i.xc5
24. 'i:Vxe6+ ~h8 8. 0-0 CDc6
25. CiJe5 9. CiJbd2
Black resigned in view of the variation Played in the hope of exploiting Black's
25... d2+ 26.~e2 ':d7 27.'ille8 ~g8 28.ti:Jxd7. queenside weaknesses after 9... b5 JO.i.d3
1-0 i.b7 ll.CiJb3 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 - !.Dorfman succeed without detriment in placing his pawn
D28 Barcelona 1992 on e5, he will acquire the strategic point e4.
9. 0-0
1. Cjjf3 10. a3
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 161

I have accumulated some experience in 15... CiJxa5 16.'fid3 ~b81ZLd5 ii..b5.

such formations. Thus with the knight at c6 13. ... rs
one should not play 10.. . b5 in view of The situation has changed sharply, and
ll.ii..d3 il..b7 12.b4 ii..e7 13.i.b2, intending accuracy is demanded of both players. White
CiJd2-e4 and CiJd2-b3-c5. loses a pawn after 14.CiJc5 CiJcxb415.axb4 CiJxb4
16.~1 hc5JZ!ii.:if5'iie718.ii..e4ii..b7.

• 8 X .i.~ x• 8 X» .i.~ x•{,,,

' '''
7
6
5
4
i :
~
~
~
.i.
ii,
; i~

,#
r~;
7
6
5
h

' :'?' ~ ~

f?
f;

~
'r#
.r
~~'~:/.,
i V;/
'
'

3 8 8ti:J 4 8 tjj
3 8 # ii, fj tjj
2 8 ti:J"iJ/888
:I it :~
2 "iJ/88&
a b c d e g h 0 .:
a b
i:,
c d
#
e
l: -~
g h
10. ... CiJdS
Knowing well Laurier's style, I wanted to force 14. CiJg3 ..tf6
him to make his own moves as soon as possible. 15. i.b2 ii..xb2
11. CiJe4 16. 'iixb2 CiJxe3
Black found a way to prevent ll.b4?, by 17. i.xbS axbS
preparing ll ... CiJc3 (ll ... ii..e7? 12.ii..b2 ii..j6 17... CiJxj1 18.ii.xc6 CiJxg3 19.ii.xa8 is
13.Lj6 allows White a minimal advantage, unsatisfactory for Black.
whereas the complicated position after 11 ...'iij6 18. fxe3
12.CiJe4 Wixa1 13.ii..b2 "fixj1+ 14.'fixj1 ii..e7 A critical position at the end of a series of
15.g4 b5 16.ii..b3 ~d8 17.'fih3 a5 18.'iih5 f6 forced moves, which influences the
19.g5 looks risky for Black) 12.Wie1 (12.'fid3 evaluation of the idea 10... CiJd5 . Its fate
'fixd3 13.ii..xd3 i.e7 14.ii..b2 CiJa4 with the depends on the continuation 18 ... "fib 6 ,
better endgame for Black) 12... ii..e7 13.ii..b2 intending 19.'11ae1 f4 20.CiJh5 Ita7.
CiJa4 with a promising game.
11. ...
12. b4
il..e7

No particular gains are apparent after • 8 X .i.'iW x•

_, , ''
7 /~

12.~d11l¥a5 13.ii..d2 'fib6.

12. ... bS 6 ~
' ~z ~
'
13. ii..d3 5 ''
By choosing the other retreat, White would ,?
have gone from the frying pan into the fire:
4 8 /
/

13.ii..b3 a5 (13 ... ii..b7 14.ii..b2) 14.'iixb5 3 8 8ti:Jtjj

ii..d7 15.bxa5 (the tactical skirmish 15.Ld5
CiJxb4 16.Wixd7'iixd7 17.La8 CiJa618.CiJe5
2 "iii ~
,;; ~ 8 ti
1l¥b5 19.CiJc6 ~xa8 20.CiJxe7+ Wf8 21.a4
'fie5 leads to loss of material for White)
.:
a b c d e
;?'
:~
g h
 162 THE METHOD IN CHESS

18.... 'i'f6? trouble. White should defend with 32.tbe4!

A loss of concentration. 19. 'i'xj6 gxf6 followed by tbd2.
could not be seriously expected. 32. ... f3
19. 'i'b3! ~h8 33. hxg4
20. ltad1 4:Je5 33.gxf3 h h3 34.'1lgl 'i'h5 is hopeless.
21. 4:Je4 33. 'i'h4+
As a result of the mistake, the white 34. <;itg1 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 - !.Dorfman
weaknesses at e3 and a3, White has to seek
EOO - Polanica Zdroj 1992
dynamic chances.
21. 4:Jxf3+ 1. d4 e6
22. l:txf3 'i'e7 2. c4 il..b4+
23. 4:Jc5 e5 3. 4:Jc3
24. llf2
25. exf4?
f4
•
This was the idea behind my preparations.
25.ltdfl! was correct, not freeing the e5 The English grandmaster is very
square for the black queen. conservative. Therefore 2.e4 could not be
25. exf4 expected, nor 3.il..d2, the strongest move
26. ltdfl 'i'e5 here. After all, he invariably plays the
27. 'i'd3 4. 'i'c2 variation Ill the Nimzo-Indian
Nothing is achieved by 27.tbd3 'i'd4 or Defence.
27.g3 il..h3 28.gxf4 'i'h5. 3. c5
27. ... h6 4. d5
28. lle2? 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 il..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.tbf3 cxd4 5.4:Jxd4 tbj6 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+
28.'i'e4 'i'xe4 29.tbxe4 g5 30.h4 leads to 5. bxc3 'ifa5
approximate equality. If 5... tbj6, then 6.f3 looks good.
28. ~g5 6. e4!
29. ~c3 lla7 A promising pawn sacrifice, after the
30. <;itb1 acceptance of which White develops an
The one-move trap did not work (30..l:f.e5 initiative by 6 ... 'i'xc3+ 7. .i.d2 "if d4 (or
ltxa3), and Black has to waste time. 7 ... 'i'e5 8 . .i.d3 d6 9.tbj3) 8.f3 (8.tbj3
30. ~af7 · 'i'xe4+ 9.il..e2) 8... tbe7 9.:cJ 0-0 JO.tbe2.
31. l':lef2 il..g4 6. 4:Jf6
32. h3? 7. .i.d2
The decisive mistake in severe time Again a successful reply. 7. 'i'c2 tLlxe4 or
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 163

7.f3 "iixc3+ 8.i..d2 "iie5 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: 13 ... ti:Jbxd5! (13 .. .'fia4?!
the variation 7... tlne4 8."iig4 tlnd2 9.'ilixg7 14.'ilixa4 ti:Jxa4 Is.:abl ti:Je4 16.i..el)
'P..f8 10.~xd2 "iia3 ll.'P..cl!, when the threat 14.cxd5 c4.
ofti:Jj3-g5-h7 is hard to parry.
8. i..d3 0-0
9. ti:Je2 ~e8

8
7
6
.l~.i.
• .t. ~
"
// 0

0
;,#
~
/

tr·'
.I
~

~
•
.t..t..t.

sif .t. LS
W I.~

4 LS LS %
3 /ji.,
a b c d e g h
2 LS 0/
!#:;ti:JLSLS£!;
0 .::.a b c
"if~
d e g
.::.
h
13. ti:Jbxd5!
14. cxd5 c4
15. i..xh7+
10. 'ilic2? The point of the combination lies in the
We are already accustomed to seeing the variation 15..1Lj5, where Black has to choose
majority of mistakes being made in critical between two winning continuations:
positions. Here after 10.0-0 exd5 ll.exd5 A) 15 ... 'ilixd5 16.ti:Jd4 (16.it..xc8 'P..xe2+!
ti:Jbd7 Black fixes the pawn formation, 17.~xe2 'ilixg2+ 18.~e3 'P..xc8) 16... i..xj5
neutralising the strength of the bishops. 17.'ilixf5 'P..e2+! 18.~xe2 "iixg2+ 19.~dl
Essential was the energetic lO.i..gS! exd5 'ilixhl+ 20.i..el 'P..e8 2l.ti:Jc2 tlJe4;
(10 ... ti:Jg4!?) ll.i..xj6 dxe4 12.i..c2 gxf6 B) 15... i..xj5 16.'ilixj5 ti:Je4+ 17.~el 'ilib6
13. 'ilixd6 with compensation for the pawn. 18.'P..fl ti:Jxd2.
10. ... exd5 15. ti:Jxh7
11. exd5 16. i..e3 ti:Jf6
Since the other capture is ruled out 17. i..d4 ti:Je4+
(ll.cxd5 c4), 10. "iic2 has been a pure waste 18. ~g1 i..f5
of time. 19. 'ifb2 'it'xd5
11. ti:Jbd7 The end of a series of forced moves. Black
12. f4? is a pawn up in a stable situation. The

•
White's position is unpleasant, but it is not
presence of opposite-colour bishops only
complicates the defence.
essential to lose immediately. Black has 20. h3 .l::ie6
only some advantage after 12.0-0 ti:Je5 or 21. ~h2
12.i..g5 h6 13.i..xj6 (13.i..h4 ti:Jg4) 2l.g4 is pseudo-active in view of
13... tlnj6 14.0-0. 2l ... 'P..g6.
12. ... ti:Jb6 21. ... ~ae8
 164 THE METHOD IN CHESS

22. l:tad1 'it'a5 No.60

23. I;!hfl !.Dorfman - V.Korchnoi
On this occasion 23.g4 is parried by
E32 - Polanica Zdroj 1992
23 .. .ti:Jj2.
23. h6 1. d4 lbf6
24. lbg1 lbc5 2. c4 e6
25. i..xc5 'ifxeS 3. lbc3 .tb4
26. lbf3 4. 'ilfc2
A tribute to fashion. In addition, it seems

• ,., 8
7

6
~, :
~
<
f~/i'//:
~ ~
~,
.i
.i
I. 1..,,
<
• 1-
to me that Korchnoi handles this variation
unsurely.
4.
5. a3
0-0
.txc3+
6. iixc3 b6
5 /,

~ ~ 1. ,, ' 7. .tg5 Ji.b7

4 I. " t3J •
7... c5 is premature on account of the
[!J tZJ
/,

3:
,, t3J refutation demonstrated in the game
Kasparov-Panno, Argentina 1997: 8.dxc5
2 t!J"i¥ t!Jw bxc5 9.e3 d610.0-0-0 lbe4 ll.'ili'd3.
1 . 8. e3 d6
a b c d e g h 9. f3
The plan with 9.lbf3 lbbd7 IO.lbd2 e5
26.... .td3?! ll.d5 I;lc8 is slow. Black is well prepared
An inaccuracy, which prolongs the game. for opening up the position with ... c7-c6.
26... I;le2! 27.I!d2 i.d3 was more precise.
27. lbd4 .txfl
28. lbxe6 .laxe6
29. l;Ixfl ~d5!
This queen manoeuvre ensures the
invasion of the rook via e6-e3-d3.
30. Itf2 .l:le3
31. 'iii'a3 aS
32. 'iii'a4 11xc3 4 t!Jt!J
~h7
33. 'i1Ve8+
34. 'it'd8 f6
3 t3J "iW t!Jt!J
35. "ifxb6 !1d3
2 t3J t!J~
36. 'it'c7
37. "ifc8
c3
11d2
.s:
a b c d
~~lZJ.S:
e g h
The black queen's active position excludes
the possibility of perpetual check. 9. c5?!
38. "ifg4 .l:Ixf2 A dubious undertaking before 9... lbbd7.
39. "it'h4+ 'it>g8 The weakness at d6 prevents Black from
40. 'iWxf2 ~e4! comfortably completing his development.
41. 'it>g3 c2 Korchnoi goes wrong in a critical position,
42. "ifd2 d5 and moreover in his preparations.
0-1 10. dxc5 bxc5
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 165

11 . .l:f.d1 20. .l:.fd1 l:.b6

Why display unnecessary curiosity, in 21. i..b1 li:\e7
wishing to know Korchnoi's improvement 22. b4 l:.c8
on the game Olafsson-Smyslov, New York The role of the white bishops is markedly
1989, where after 11.0-0-0 Black did not increased after 22 ... cxb4 23.axb4 'IJ.c8
survive the opening? 24.j.a2. Black is obliged to wait, conceding
11. ... li:\c6 the initiative in the centre and on both
In the event of ll ... a5 (with the idea of wmgs.
12... J:f.a6), 12.j.xj6 gxf6 13.li:\e2 (13.li:\h3) 23. b5 li:\e8
leads to an advantage. 24. e4
12. li:lh3!
•
After studying the variation 12.Lj6 ~xf6
13. 'fixj6 gxf6 14.:.Xd6 'IJ.jd8, 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. h!b8
13. j.e2
•
Black still has sufficient compensation for
the pawn in the event of 13.!1Lxj6 ~xf6
14."fixj6 gxf6 15.&d6 i..a8 16.'1:.d2 l:tjd8
a b c d e g h
(16 .. .id.b3 followed by 17.. .'~fb8 is also
good) 17.'/J.c2 'IJ.b3. 24. ... h5
13. j.a8 Due to the threat of 25.li:\g4 li:\j4 26.li:\e3,
14. 0-0 h6 Black is forced to completely disfigure the
15. i..h4 !:te8 pawns covering his king.
Again a critical position. As a result of the 25. h4
complications 15 ... li:\e4 16. ~el g5
(16... li:\g5 17.~hl !?) 17.fxe4 gxh4 18.'/J.j4! •
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. li:lf2 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. j.xh4 li:\g6
subsequent actions of his opponent. 27. j.g3 l:tb7
17. j.g3 e5 28. J:f..fl
18. J:f..d2 ~e7 This multi-purpose rook manoeuvre opens
19. j.d3 it'e6 the way for the knight to e3 and at the same
•
White's static superiority is so great that
time prepares the opening of the f-file .
28.~e3 also deserved serious consideration.
the attempted break 19... d5 is doomed to Z8. ... f6
failure: 20.cxd5 fud5 2J.j.h7+ (2l.~c4) 29. li:ld1
21 ... <Ji;xh7 22.Ihd5 li:\d4 23.Wid3+ e4 With time trouble approaching, White
24.fue4 j.xd5 25.fug5+. plays conventionally. The concrete 29.li:\h3
 166 THE METHOD IN CHESS

.:_g7 30.f4 ilig4? 31.lbf2 i!id7 32.f5 was me. But 40.b6! would have left Black
significantly stronger. without any hopes.
29. .:.g7 40. ... axbS
30. lt:Je3 lt:Je7 41. cxbS c4!
31. ~f2? Here my flag fell and there was an
This move cannot be classed as anything opportunity to count my wounds. The threat
other than wild. After 31.j_h2 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 lt:Jc7
31. j_b7 43. a6 j_ds
32. .:.h1 'fif7 44. ilaS!
33. a4 .:.d8 I considered the tactical complications to
34. it'aS? be advantageous, and I avoided the unclear
Black has successfully regrouped and the play after 44.b6 lt:Jxa6 45.j_g1.
game becomes unclear. Here 34.j_h2 could 44. ... c3
have been played, keeping the queen raid in 45. .:.xdS 'iixdS
reserve. Korchnoi is agreeable to a draw. After
34. 1:ta8 45 ... lt:Jxd5 46.j_g1 Black is in danger
35. j_h2 j_c8 (46 ... 'iic7?? 47.ilia2).
36. tt:Jrs 46.'ii'xc7 ilid2
•
It would probably be more sensible to
White also has no problems in the
variation 46... 'iixb5+ 47.~/2 ilib2 48.'iic4+
continue the commentary with Black's ~g7 49.'iib3.
moves, beginning with his 41st. How could I 47. il/c4+ ~h8
give up this knight?! It was essential to 48. 'fie2 !hg2
bring back the queen into play, since the 49. il/xg2 'iicl+
opening of the position would only expose 50. ~f2
Black's numerous weaknesses: 36.ilic3 f5
37.exf5 lt:Jxj5 38.j_e4 .:.bs 39.j_d5 j_e6
40.lt:Jxj5 'iixj5 41.'iid3.
36. lLlxfS
37. exfS j_b7
38. 'iWc3 .:.gs
39. ~fl
My first bit of luck after the 3oth move.
An improvement of the bishop's position by
j_h2-g 1-e3 is prepared. But 39.a5 !, not
allowing the opening of the a-file, was more
accurate. Thus after 39... .:.ds 40. ~!1 White
would have had the f3-f4 break.
39. ... a6
40. i.c2
My experienced opponent makes use of 50.... 'Wxc2+?!
all his chances. During my remaining This might have led to unnecessary
seconds I saw that 40.j_g1 axb5 41.axb5 anxiety, whereas 50... 'iid2+ 51.~/1 'iicl+
na4 42.j_d3 lt:Jg7 43.j_e3 'fuj5 was bad for ensures perpetual check.
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 167

51. ~fl 5. i..d2

Pretty play leads to a draw after 51/i;g1 A critical position, where White has to
flicl+ 52. 'ilij1 :lg8+ 53.i..g3! .l:!xg3+ decide about an exchange. It is not hard to
54.<i;j2 nxj3+! (54 ... 'i!ij4 55.l:!.xh5+ <i;gB do this, since 5.!Dc3? 'fia5 6.dxe5 i..xc3+
56.'ill hi!) 55. <i;xj3 'ilij4+ 56. <i;g2 'fig4+ 7.bxc3 'fixc3+ 8.i..d2 'ii'xe5 gives up a
57.<i;h2 'fih4+. pawn without any obvious compensation.
51. ... 'ifcl+ 5. i..xd2+
52. ~f2 6. 1i'xd2 d6
It is not possible to avoid perpetual check:
52 ... 'fib2+ 53.<i;g1 c2 54.i..j4 c1='fi+
•
Due to his indifferent development, it is
55.i..xcl 'fixcl+ 56.<i;h2 'iij4+ 57.'fig3 risky for Black to cut off his central pawn
'fid2+ (57... 'fixj5? 58.1lg1). from base. After 6.. . e4!? 7.c5 0-0 8.!Dc3
Yz-Yz l:te8 9.e3 d5 10.cxd6 White's chances are
preferable.
No.61 7. !Dc3 0-0
!.Dorfman- Yu.Razuvaev
A20 - Bourgas 1992
8
1. c4 e5 7
2. g3
6
I wanted something fresh, since Razuvaev
is too experienced in the variation 2.!Dc3 5
!Dj6 3.lDj3lDc6 4.g3 i..b4. 4
2. lDf6
3. i..g2 c6 3

•
3 ... d5 4.cxd5 !Dxd5 5.!Dj3 !Dc6 6.0-0
2

!Db6 is an important alternative, where 0

White can extract benefit from the position
of his knight at b1, by playing, for example,
7.b3. Illogical here is 3... !Dc6 4.!Dc3 i..b4 White is at an important strategic cross-
5.!Dd5 i..c5 6.e3, when White has the better roads. Of the three possibilities, 8.e3, 8.lDj3
chances. After the text move Black is and 8.e4, the last one is the least good. After
threatening 4 ... d5, occupying the centre. 8.e4?! !Dbd7 9.!Dge2 a6! 10.0-0 b5 11.cxb5
Play in the spirit of the Alekhine Defence - axb5 12.a3 !Db6 13.b3 'fle7 14.h3 i..b7
4.lDj3 e4 5.lDd4 d5 6.cxd5 'fixd5 7.lDc2 15. 'fle3 !Dbd7 16.":.fd1 in the game
'ifh5 8.!Dc3 i..h3 allows the opponent active Korchnoi-Bacrot, Albert (match) 1997,
possibilities. It remains to add that the without wasting time Black should have
incautious 4.!Dc3 allows Black to seize the attacked the weakness on a3 by 16... '1:1.a6
initiative by 4 ... d5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.'ilib3lDc6 (instead of 16... 1lfd8 as played) followed by
7.!Dxd5!Dd4 8.lDxf6+ gxf6 9.Wid1 'i*'c7. 17... l:!.ja8. If in addition it is added that
4. d4 i..b4+ 8.lDj3 runs into 8 ... e4 9.!Dg5 d5 10.cxd5
An idea of Psakhis. The usual reaction cxd5 with the freer game for Black, it means
4 ... exd4 5.'fixd4 d5 condemns Black to that White has no choice ...
torment, as demonstrated by the game 8.' e3 !Dbd7?!
Dorfman-Schaefer, West Berlin 1989: 6.lDj3 The Moscow grandmaster fails to sense a
i..e6 7.!Dg5 'fib6 8.lDxe6fxe6 9.'fid1. critical moment. In the static balance all the
 168 THE METHOD IN CHESS

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 d5
continuing 8... i..e6 9.b3 (after 9.d5 cxd5 Too late. White has seized a springboard on
JO.li:Jxd5 tl:Jbd7 White is unable to maintain the kingside and he can close the queenside.
a piece at d5) 9... exd4 10.'iixd4 d5. He has 16. c5 tl:Jbd7
sufficient play to compensate for the defects 17. tl:Jg3 tl:Jf8
of his pawn formation. Totally bad is 17... g6 18.f4 e4 19 ../5,
9. tl:Jge2 ~e7 when Black cannot breath.
10. h3 18. g5 tl:J6d7
Now in the event of ... e5-e4 White seizes 19. f4 e4
the initiative on the kingside, by playing g3- 20. tl:Jf5
g4 followed by tl:Jg3. White has a decisive advantage. A typical
10. •.. .l::i.e8?! example of one player having a static

•
To me 10... h5!? seems necessary, so that
advantage, and the other failing to find
dynamic counter-chances.
in the event of Black being given an isolated 20. 'i¥d8
d-pawn he would be able to harass the 21. tl:Jd6 ~e6
opponent's king. 22. l:Ia1
11. g4 tl:Jb6 Black is deprived of his last trump. Again
After 1l.JiJj8 12.tl:Jg3 White has a stable the players cannot agree regarding an
advantage. exchange of rooks on the a-file.
12. b3 aS? 22. •.• l:tb8
•
Razuvaev is averse to playing with an
23. h4 nxd6
This exchange sacrifice prolongs the
isolated pawn, but the position demands resistance somewhat. In the event of
12 ... exd4 13. 'i'ixd4 d5 14. cxd5 tl:Jjxd5 23 ... tl:Jb6 24.f5 White has an overwhelming
15. tl:Jxd5 tl:Jxd5 16. !ii..xd5 cxd5 17. tl:Jj4 with position (also quite good is 24.tl:Jxj7!? ~xf7
some advantage to White. 25.f5 lieS 26.cxb6 'i¥xb6 27.Wif2 with the
13. 0-0 a4 initiative).
24. cxd6 tl:Jb6
25. fS ~xd6
26. ii'f2 !ii..d7
27. tl:Je2
The exchange of queens 27. Wlj4 'i¥xj4
28.:xj4 g6 does not have to be rushed,
since Black does not even have three ranks
for manoeuvring.
27. tl:Jc8
28. tl:Jg3 ~c7
29. i..h3 tl:Jd6
30. ii'f4 tl:JbS
31. W/xc7 tl:Jxc7
32. I!f2
A technical manoeuvre, preparing an
14. l::r.ae1! invasion on the a-file.
There is nothing for the black rook to do on 32.••• i..c8
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 169

33. ~h2 liJd7 Black's backward development makes his

34. f6 g6 position precarious, and this explains my
34... gxf6 ? 35. lDj5 (35.lDh5) is hopeless choice of 6... e5 in a game against Har-Zvi,
for Black. European Cup, Barcelona 1994.
35. l2Je2 liJb6 7. i.b5 lLlxe3
36. liJf4 ~xh3 8. fxe3 ~ d7
37. 'it>xh3 lLld7
38. h5 gxh5?!
38... lDj8 was nevertheless more tenacious. a.!
39. 'it>b4 lLla6
40. lLlxh5
The knight "learns" to write a letter "M"
along the route g7-f5-e7.
40. liJf8
41. l2Jg7 h6
42. 'it>b5
After 42.gxh6 '>t> h 7 the black king
acquires a shelter.
42. ... hxg5
43. 'it>xg5
The black king can also be approached by
43.lDj5 lDh7 44. lDe7+ 'it>J8 45. '>t>h6 lDxj6 9. ~xc6??
46. lDg6+ fxg6 47.'!hj6+ '>t>e7 48. ~af1 . The decisive mistake! The French player, who
43. l2Jc7 has sharp tactical vision and good technique,
44. 'it>b6 l2Jg6 proves incapable of solving the very first problem.
45. Ilg2! 'it>f8 The only way to try and shake the enemy defences
46. ~xg6 fxg6 was by 9.0-0lDe5 (9... e610.il.xc6 bxc611.~h5
47. 'it>xg6 g612.'fij3 "Wie7 13.e5) 10.0{3.
Black has no defence against the threat of48.'ID11. 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 d5 square. An instructive moment,
B56 - French Cup 1993 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. liJf3 d6 11. 'i!kf3
3. d4 cxd4 11. lDj5 does not change things
4. liJxd4 liJf6 significantly on account of 11 .. . ~ e6
5. l2Jc3 liJc6 followed by ... g7-g6.
6. i.e3 l2Jg4 11. ... f6
In a critical position of this variation Black 12. liJde2
accepts the challenge. From now on he has a 12. lDj5 g6 13. lDg3 ~ e7 14.lDa4 'iWaS
decisive static advantage (the bishop pair, and 15.b3 .i.e6 transposes into a position from
a broken pawn formation for his opponent) the game. ·
and he invites his opponent to find some 12. il.e7
weighty dynamic arguments. Of course, 13. l2Ja4!
 170 THE METHOD IN CHESS

After a series of forced moves, a critical

• 8
7
6
·~
.I
%
-*-*
0/'·~
;, _.· i''
;~ : i
,~i
{
~·
'·~ ~
.I
position has been reached. Black outlines a
plan for exchanging all the heavy pieces.
21. ...
22. lLle2
fS
~a3!
' ' An important technical detail. This
-r r:::
/
'

~ ~~ ~~-I"!
5 -~ ~
~
manoeuvre forces the disappearance of all
four rooks. 23.:bl ~xc4 24.bxc4 1Wxa4
4lt:J /
~
~ ~ g
25.:d7 :jd8 is unsatisfactory for White.
' ,'.
3 ~
~if 23. :c2 .lafd8
2 ~ [j ~ ~
tt:J ~ fj
24. lLlec3
2S. 1i'xd1
:xd1+
ladS
1 '1: I}
:~ 26. l:td2 l:txd2
a b c d e g h 27. 1i'xd2 ~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. ... ~aS The white queen is blackmailed into
14. b3 ~e6 occupying a passive position.
1S. lLlg3 28. ~f2 ~e8
15.c4? Lc4. 29. g3 'ii'd8
1S. ... g6 30. 'We2 hS
16. :ac1 dS
Again if 16... 0-0there follows 17.c4.
17. exdS 1i'xdS
The tempting 17... cxd5 allows White to
initiate dynamic play by 18.c4 0-0 19.cxd5
•
Ld5 20.1Wg4. Black aims for the endgame,
to exploit the power of his bishops.
18. 'iife2 0-0
19. c4 ..Was
20. 1i'f3 :ac8
After 20... 1Wc7 21.lLle4 the knight moves
to an ideal post at c5 and White acquires
hopes of setting up a defensive line.
21. :rd1 0
a b c d e g h

31. lZ'ld1
White's position is strategically hopeless.
Illusory hopes of saving the game could
have arisen after 3l.c5 'iifa5 32.lLlbl ~xc5
33.'iWc2 ~e7 34.'iifxc6+ ~j7.
31. ~b4
32. lZ'ldb2 e4
33. lZ'ld1 'i!Vd2
The start of the concluding technical
phase. After the exchange of queens the
a b c d e g h black king settles at e5, to ensure the
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 171

advance of its pawns. there were no known methods of gaining an

34. 'i!Vxd2 .lixd2 advantage in the event of 4.lDf3 dxc4.
35. 'it>e2 Today 5.e3 and 5 . .1i..g5 are considered
After 35.lDac3 the noose can be drawn promising. Thus there was no reason for
tighter, by playing 35 ... 'it>e7 36. 'it>e2 i.cl hesitation. Against a strong strategist, which
37.lDb1 g5. is what the Lithuanian player undoubtedly
35. ... ..tb4 is, I prefer to play a gambit variation. I
36. lDf2 g5! formed my opinion on it in 1978, after
Another "Steinitz-like" move, restricting losing to Tal in the USSR Championship.
the knights. After the inaccurate 36... 'it>e7 4. dxe4
37.lDh3 the opponent establishes a barrier 5. lDxe4 .lib4+
on the kingside. 6. i.d2 'i!Vxd4
37. lDb2 7. ..txb4 'ii'xe4+
3 7.lDh3 .lie 7. 8. .lte2 lDd7
37. 'it>e7 9. lDt3 c5
38. lDbd1 'it>f6 The main result of my several weeks of
39. lDb2 'it>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 39 . .. 'it>e5? strong compensation due to the weakness of
40.lDbd3+. the dark squares. 9 .. .t£Jgf6 10. 'iiV d6 c 5
40. lDa4 'it>f6 11 ...tc3 is bad for Black.
41. lDb2 10. ..tc3 f6
Still hoping ... 10... lDe7!? comes into consideration.
41. .lid6
42. lDbd1 h4
43. lDh1 8 K .i. · ~~ ~
One cannot look at this move without 7 I., I. ~ ~ ,, ri l. ~

~': I. i
~i i~
shuddering, but 43.gxh4 g4 or 43.lDc3 'it>g6 r~ z~
%"
/
/.

6 W'< ~
44.lDh1 .lieS is no better. ,
/' ~ ~
' ~.//

43.... ..tf7 5
/
"K:- ~:.-: ... ~

~
44. lDdf2 ..th5+
~ #~ ?!mi
~~/-
/

After 45. 'it>d2 .ltj3 the cavalry is crippled

4 2'
w t!J ' ~

and Black's king heads unhindered to the 3 ::~ ~ fl (tJ ~

queenside.
0-1
2 t!J 'ti[i iL tti~ t!J !5s
No.63
0 ~
a b
7' ~~
c d e
4
g
: h
!.Dorfman- D.Ruzele
D31 - European Champions Cup, Lyon 1994 11. lDd2!
Why is this second pawn sacrifice
1. c4 e6 necessary? After 11.0-0 lDe7 12.lDd2 'i!Vf4
2. d4 d5 13 . .lih5+ the opponent has the reply
3. lDc3 c6 13 ... lDg6. Now, however, after ll ... 'i!Vxg2
4. e4 12 . .ltf3 the bishop occupies the long
At the time when this game was played, diagonal, the knight penetrates to d6, and
 172 THE METHOD IN CHESS

White castles queenside and develops strong kingside, and White needs to create a
pressure on thee- and g-files. second weakness. This method is equally
11. ... 'iff4 good in the middlegame as in the
12. .ihS+! endgame.
This simple check weakens the dark 18. a3! Wg7
squares, expanding the influence of the It is not possible to prevent the advance of
queen's bishop, and deprives the black the b-pawn, on account of the mini-
knight of the g6 square. combination 18... a5 19.lLlb3 a4 20.lLlxc5!
12.... g6 'iixc5? 2l.il..b4.
13. .if3 tt.Jes 19. b4 cxb4
If 13... lLle7, then 14.'ilie2 is unpleasant. 20. axb4 lLlgh6
14. .ie4 lLlf7 21. .idS
After 14... lLlc6 White realises the main Here I did not want to allow Black the
advantage of the bishop pair - the possibility of 2l.c5!? lLlg5. The same aim
possibility of parting with one of them! would have been met by 2l.~e3!?
After 15 . .ixc6+ bxc6, apart from the 21. ... l:!f8
defence of the doubled pawns, Black also 22. 'it'e2
faces the problem of developing his After the incautious 22.lLle4?! Black
bishop. could have exploited the opposition of the
1S. 0-0 'il/c7 heavy pieces on the f-file, by playing
16. 'it'f3! 'it'e7 22 ... tt.Je5.
The opponent does not succumb to the 22. ... lLlg8
provocation. After 16... lLlg5 17.'iie3 lLlxe4 The best defence. 22 .. J:te8 is refuted
18.lLlxe4 it is time for Black to resign. combinatively: 23.lLle4 exd5 24.lLlxj6 'iixe2
16... e5 eases the development of White's 25.lLlxe8+ Wf8 26.:Xe2.
initiative in view of 17. .id5 followed by 23. cS
18.lLle4, when the minor pieces move into
ideal positions.
•
Primitive play hands the advantage to the
17. : re1 Wf8 opponent after 23.il..xe6 .l:.e8 24 . .ig4
(24 . .ixc8 'iixe2 25.l:.xe2 :xe2 26. .ixb7
r1.d8) 24... Lg4.
23. ... eS
•
Only here for the first time did I judge the
position to be won. 23 ... exd5 has a less
obvious refutation: 24.'iixe7lLlxe7 25.:Xe7
'fd.d8 26.lLlf3 and 27.lLlg5.
24. f4 .ie6
3 jt ~
1i' 2S. .if3
White retains his bishop, in order to
2 ~~ ttJ {!{·~~ support the pressure on the enemy
0 ~
a b c d
.:e ~
g h
queenside.
2S. fS
26. fxeS aS
After the evacuation of the king to g7, 27. bxaS 'ii'xcS+
the king's knight will be able to come into 28. 'ife3 'ilic7
play. Five black pieces are defending the 29. l:tab1 l:tab8
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 173

29.. .f4 is unsatisfactory in view of 30."iid4

~fd8 31. ~ b4 with the double threat of
32.Lb7and 32/b,e4.
30. ~b6 f4
31. 'i'd4 ~fd8
32. 'ii'b4 tt:Jg5
6
33. .i.xb7 ~d3
5 » i

4
8
7
3 !!;
6 2~~~ ~t!i.i.t:s
0 l: ttJ.i. "i¥~ ttJ l:
a b c d e g h
4

3 •
Black has the right to choose. The
2 symmetrical 3 ... d5 is not in keeping with
Chatalbashev's style. Black can go along the
0 lines of the Pirc-Ufimtsev Defence by
a b c d e g h 3... tLlj6 4.e4 d6 5.tLle2. 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 'iii'a5+
34. tt:Je4 tt:Jxe4 4 .. .lba6 5.e4 tDxc5 6. tLle2 d6 7.tLlbc3
35. ..txe4 ~dd8 does not change the character of the play.
The main variation of the 5. i..d2 "iixc5
combination, 35 ... 1hb 6 36.axb6 "iixc3 6. tt:Jc3 tLlf6
37."iixc3 1:txc3 38.b7 1:tb3 39.:bJ, Black loses after 6... d5?? 7. ..txd5 Lc3
remained off-stage. 8...txc3.
36. l:tb7 7. e4 d6
1-0 8. tt:Jge2 0-0
9. 0-0 4Jbd7
No.64 10. h3 a6
!.Dorfman- B.Chatalbashev 11. a4 .l:tb8
12. i...e3 'Wic7
A40 - Cannes 1996
13. i..a7 ~aS
14. .i.d4
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. ... tt:Je5
position. 15. 4Jd5
1. g6 As in Game 44, we can follow all the
2. .i.g2 ..tg7 stages of exploiting an outpost. Now the
3. d4 c5 first of these has been carried out.
 174 THE METHOD IN CHESS

15. tbxd5 After the creating of hanging pawns, the

16.

• .I.../ '~.i.
8
7
exd5

02 ...
:' l..i.l.
third, concluding stage begins: an attack on
the structural weaknesses and the king.
22. c4
23. tLle2
24. tL'lc3
e5
~e6
l:Iad8

t: 25. l:ta2

'-"'
6 ~
,•
/
/
~ Strangely enough, this is also a critical
5 ~I.& position. After the other move order 25.1:te3
'ii'c8 26. ~h2 h5 27.1:ta2 a sharp change in
4 ~ ~ the character of the play is possible by
3 ~~ 27 ... h4 28.g4 j_xg4 29.hxg4 tbxg 4+
2 !J~ 0tjj ~ .i. 30.~gl tbxe3 31.fxe3.

.s:
a b c
"iY .s:~
d e g h
25 •
26. l:te3
'ii'a5
d5

The second stage has also quickly passed. In

Black's pawn formation there are two weaknesses:
the b6 square and the backward e7 pawn.
16. tL'ld7
~xg7
8
7
6 ::-
,'
.I .I #~
....
.a•.t.
17. .i.xg7
.t. ,f:
/'

18. ltJd4 tL'lf6 ~"-./:

19. l:te1 ~ ~
The third stage consists in concentrating
the heavy pieces on thee-file ..
3 0
"' ~ti} ~ ·~ ~
19. ..• l:te8 2 .s: fSiL
:% +

•
Black, without delaying, advances .. . e7-e5. 0
a b c
"iY
d e
~
~
<~
g h
After the forced capture en passant he will try to
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
8
7
6
5
.I
, ~
.i. 0.1
·~,, , I.~ I.
/
/
.... draw. The conditional "if", as usual,
indicates the need for dynamic action.
27. b4
28. cxd5
ii'xb4

•
White has regained a static superiority.
p The opponent has a last chance - the
4 ~ ·eD ' ' exchange of queens, which, if achieved, will
3 ~ ~~ enable Black to improve the well-being of
his king.
2 ~~
~ /j.i. 28 ••.• ~f7
0 'M "iV.S: ~ 29. l:td2 .l:Id6
a b c d e g h The more tenacious 29... 1:tc8 30.'ii'al 'ii'd6
 PRACTICAL APPLICATION 175

would have prolonged the conversion of

White's advantage.
30. 'Wa1 .:cs
31. :!b2 ifd4
32. 4Je2
The winning move. The queen has to
return home, leaving the opponent with his
central pawn. 32... 'ilc5 loses to 33.:c3.
32. 'i'a7
33. :xeS l:lc7
34. .:d2 <it'g8
35. liJ£4
With the fall of the pawn, the knight has
gained access to the e6 square.
35. ••. 'Wc5
36. .:e1 'i'c3
The exchange of queens is the best
practical resource, but the numerous
weaknesses in Black's position do not allow
him to set up a defence.
37. 'ilxc3 .l:.xc3
38. .:b2 .:c7
39. :eb1 g5
40. 4Je6 ~xe6
41. dxe6 .l:.xe6
42. l:hb7 .:xb7
43. ~xb7 <it'g7
44. <it>g2 ltJe4
45. .:e1
1-0
176 THE METHOD IN CHESS

Vladimirov, Dorfman, Nikitin, Kasparov

Hotel "La Russie", match Kasparov-Karpov, Moscow 1984

Kasparov, Dorfman, Vladimirov, Nikitin

Match Kasparov-Karpov, Colonniy Zal, Moscow 1984
 APPENDIX 177

8 .1. ~ .~..
Appendix 7,£ i.
6 ~
~ i ~~ :~
In conclusion I offer to the reader
5 /: i
y

"' ~~ i_:<:
several games, accompanied by brief 4 i~.i.
notes. They, like the diagrams , indicate
the critical positions and changes in the
3: tj
{<

'LJ "'~ /-

static balance. 2 ~~!1

Before each series of games, the 01 ~"ii' : /,~
strategic element that unites them is a b c d e g h
given.
21..lae1
King position Black has to abandon the long diagonal, to
avoid the exchange sacrifice on e4.
!.Dorfman - E.Prie 21. .. Sl. d3 22. tt::\ h4 tt::\ a6 23. tt::\ g6 ~ f7
D30 - Brussels Zonal 1993 24. j,xd5 exd5 25.e6 l:t c7 26. tt::\ e5 'ii'bS
27 JWhS l:te7
l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.tt::\f3 c6 4.g3 dxc4 5..ltg2
b5 6.tt::\e5 j,b7 7.a4 f6
To complete the development of his
pieces, Black weakens his king.

28.'iig6
The immediate 28.Sl.xh6 would have
concluded the game.
28 ... tt::\ c7 29, j,xh6 'i!Ve8 30.'i!Hf7+ 'it> h7
31.'iVxe8 .laexe8 32. Sl.f4 tt::l bS 33. tt::l xd3
8. tt::\ f3 Sl. b4+ 9. tt::\ c3 tt::\ e7 10.0-0 Sl.xc3 tt::\xa3 34.tt::lb4 tt::lbS 35.tt::lxd5 aS 36 ..f;l b1
ll.bxc3 lLidS 12.~c2 0-0 13.e4 tt::lb6 14.e5 tt::\ a3 37. ~ b6 a4 38.tt::\c7 tt::\ c2 39.tt::\ xa8
f5 15.tt::\g5 'ilid7 16.axb5 h6 17.bxc6 Sl.xc6 ~xa8 40.~b2 a3 41..laxc2
18.tt:Jf3 j,e4 19.'i!Vd1 tt::ldS 20 ..laa3 ~c6 1-0
 178 THE METHOD IN CHESS

A.Kogan - !.Dorfman 32.lUd3 1lie3 33.lUf2 'ii'b6 34.lUg4 lUacS

£ 15- Cannes 1998 3S.'ii'c2 a4 36.lUe3 h3+
Unexpectedly White' s position quickly
l.d4 lUf6 2.c4 e6 3.lUf3 b6 4.g3 i.a6 S.b3 collapses.
i. b7 6.i. g2 i. b4+ 7.i.d2 cS 8.0-0 0-0
9.il.c3 lUa6 10.il. b2 cxd4 ll.li'xd4 il.e7
12.lU c3 d6 13.l:.adl lU eS 14.lUel 'ii'b8
1S.lUc2 !1d8 16.l:f.fel i.xg2 17.'it'xg2 'ii'b7+

37.'it'xh3 axb3 38.axb3 lUxe4 39.cS "it'xcS

40.'i¥xcS lU4xcS 41.lUfS lUxb3 42J:tb2 f!.a3
43.lUe7+ 'it' b7 44. lU c6 l:t da8 4S.lU xb4
l;l8a4 46.lUdS lUed4 47.lUb6 lla6 48.lUxd4
lUxd4 49.f4 l:!c3 SO.'it'g4 l;Ic6 Sl.lUdS l:lcS
18.f3 S2.lUe3 f!.a3 S3.lUfS lUxfS S4.WxfS exf4+
W hite voluntarily goe s in for a static SS.Wxf4 : c4+ S6.'it'fS l:te3 S7 . .l:i.bS .U.c2
weakening of his king. S8Jhd6 lixh2 S9.Wf4 li!c3 60.l:tb4 0-1
18 ... a6 19.e4 bS 20.lUe3 b4 21.lUe2 aS
!.Dorfman- A.Shchekachev
22. lUcl lUeS 23.lU g4 hS 24. lU f2 i. f6
B42 - Cannes 1998
2S.'ii'd2 i. xb2 26.'it'xb2 eS 27.l:rd2 lUc7
28.lUfd3 lU7e6 29.lUe2 'ii'b6 30Ji edl lUa6 l.e4 cS 2.lUf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.lUxd4 a6
31.lUel h4 S.il.d3 i.cS 6.lUb3 i.e7 7.0-0 d6 8.'i¥g4 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.

7
6
5
4
 APPENDIX 179

9.'i!Ve2 lbc6 10.c4 ilc7 ll ...ie3 lbeS 1~lbc3 advance of his g-pawn .
..id7 13.l:tacl lbf6 14.lbd2 0-0 15.h3 lUeS
16.b3 'iWaS 17 . ..i b1 ..i e8 18.f4 lb ed7
19.iif2 bS 20.lbe2 b4 21.'it>h1 'fic7 22.f5 ea I. I. #
-~
,,~ .

/-

After ensuring the stability of the centre,

White begins playing his trumps.
7 r ~~ I
0
~
~~~ ·
si .i. 'j d i ~i

.,
{ / z..,~ , ;r,

~~ ~
~
~ &P~
/

5 1 ~ '
' .. /

4 ~ /:A i f,; # l2J 1,

3 ~ ~ {{# ~~
"' )'<
/ ~

?0
2~ ~.t '/f ~ ,P
IJ
" ~ :: ~ <it>
4

3 ;
·~ '~
~ # ~·
~ .~,. ~
a b c d e g h

2 ~ thlb "iV·~ 34 .. JH8 35 . ..ixe4 ..i xe4 36.lDf6+ ~ g7

37.lllxe4 ..id4 38.'i!i'h4 ~ ae8 39.l:tf3 hS
1~ i..l:. : <it> 40.I:tefl 'ilke7 41.ilxe7 1-0
a b c d e g h
!.Dorfman- G.Miralles
22 ... 4:\eS 23.fxe6 fxe6 24 ...ig5 4:\hS 25 ...ih6 D 17 - French Championship 1998
..id7 26.lllf3 lbf7 27 ...id2
A decisive gain of tempo. The king's 1.lllf3 dS 2.c4 c6 3.d4 lllf6 4.lllc3 dxc4
bishop, standing in ambush, now joins the 5.a4 i.fS 6.lbe5 lllbd7 7.lllxc4 'Wic7 8.g3 eS
attack with considerable effect 9.dxe5 4:\xeS 10.i.f4 lllfd7 ll.i.g2 f6
27 ... iib7 28.e5 The black king is irrevocably weakened.

a b c d e a b c d e g h

28 ... dxe5 29.lllg3 ..i cS 30.'it'e1 lb xg3+ 12.0-0 ..ie6 13.4:\xeS fxeS
31.'iixg3 e4 32.lD h2 eS 33.!tce1 ..i c6 Now White has available the central e4
34.lllg4 square. Black's situation is aggravated by his
It is noteworthy that Black's downfall is de ve lopment problems, which lead to a
caused by the weakening, resulting from the further degradation of his position.
 180 THE METHOD IN CHESS

l.d4 dS 2.tt:'lf3 c6 3.g3 i.fS 4.i.g2 tt:'lf6 5.0-

0 e6 6.b3 tt:'lbd7 7.c4 i.e7 8.i.b2 0-0 9.tt:'lc3
tt:'le4 10.tt:'ld2 tt:'lxd2 ll.'ii'xd2 tt:'lf6

6
5

4l!J
3 '

2
4
5.
'/

~ t!Jt!J
'
3 t!J .tb / t!J
2 t!J !iL ~ t!J ~t!J ~ t!J
Q1l:, /# ~ .:~
14.i.g5 h6 15.i.e3 i.b4 16.'ii'c2 a b c d e g h
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 •.• i. g6 13.e4 dxe4 14.fxe4 eS lS.dS
i.cS+
6
5 ,

a b c d e g h

16 ... tt:'lf6 17.a5 a6 18Jb4 i.xc3 19.i. b6

'ii'ti 20.iVxc3 0-0 21.1\VxeS laae8 22.'ifc3
i.b3 23 ..lab4 i.dS 24.iVc2 i.xg2 25.'it>xg2
lt:JdS 26.l:tb3 iVhS 27.f3 tt:'lxb6 28.axb6 'it'ti
29.l';!d3 .laeS 30JHdl iVe6 31JUd2 iVf6
32.'i¥c4+ 'iii>h8 33.l:td7 l:te7 34Jhe7 'ifxe7 16.'iii>hl i.d4
3S.'ii'd4 'it'gS 36.h4 'iVbS 37.b4 aS 38.bxa5 The last few manoeuvres ensure the
'i!i'xaS 39.'ii'e3 cS 40.l:f.d6 'it'bS 41.iVe5 'iii>h7 exchange of the dark-square bishops.
42Jle61-0 17.l:Iael ~ e7 18.tt:'l a4 i. xb2 19.tt:'lx b2
!:!.adS 20.tt:'ld3 .lafe8 21.tt:'lf2 'ii'cS 22.'ii'e3
A.Stefanova- !.Dorfman 'i!fa3
D 11 - Aosta 2000 The reader will remember that the
exchange of queens is examined in close
 APPENDIX 181

contact with the static position of the king. 13....ltxc5

23.l:te2 b6 24 J:I d2 cxd5 25.cxd5 l:t c8 A superficial exchange of bishop for
26JHdl l:tcl 27.'iiie2 .:f.ec8 28. ~ f3 ll:le8 knight. The Cuban grandmaster thought that
29Jhcl iVxcl+ 30.l:!.dl 'iiicS 31.ll:ld3 'iiie7 the advance of the e-pawn would guarantee
32.'i?Vb2 f6 33.l:f.cl lixcl + 34.'iiixcl ll:ld6 him against unpleasant surprises, but Black
35.ll:lf2 ifb7 is unable to fix the pawn structure.
In the time scramble Black does not dare 14.bxc5 ~e7 lS.ll:lel e5 16.ll:lc2 e4
to advance his f-pawn.
36.'it>g2 ~ f8 37.h4 h6 38.g4 ..t>g8 39.g5
hxg5 40.hxg5 f5 41.exf5 ~xf5 42.'i'ic6 'iie7
43.~fl e4 44. ~ g4 ..txg4 45.ll:lxg4 'i'ixg5
46."i1hd6 'iiixg4 47.'iiib8+ ..t>h7 48.'i'h2+
~ g6 49.'i'd6+ ~ hs so:~Ye5+ ~ h4 51.d6
~dl+ 52.~f2 'ii'd2+ 53.~ gl e3 54.'~'f4+ 5
~ h5 55.'ii'f5+ ~ h6 56.'iif4+ g5 57.iff8+
~h5 58.'~e8+ ~h4 59.'iVe4+" ~h3
0-1
4'
3 ~ ~
2 ~t[j ~ ~ ~ ~~
Material correlation 0 .:
a b c
~
d e g h
The bishop pair and its dependence on the
pawn formation 17.f3
White creates tension in the centre, his
!.Dorfman- J.Diaz aim being to force the capture on f3.
D02- Havana 1988 17 ... ll:lb8 18.~cl h6 19.g4

l.ll:lf3 d5 2.g3 ll:lf6 3 ...tg2 e6 4.0-0 ~ e7

5.d4 b5 6.b3 ~ a6 7.a3 ll:l bd7 8.b4 ..tb7 ea .i~ ;:;!}f
:.< .i.e y

.t.t
'
9.c3 aS 10.i.b2 ..td6 ll.ll:lbd2 0-0 12.ll:lb3 7 ~,, ,

,,,: , ,, '~ '~'

a4 13.ll:lc5
6 # ~ /

5
~' ~
:'
4 ~ '

3 ~ ~ ~
2 tLJ ~ ~~
1~ ~~ .:~
a b c d e g h

19...exf3
After 19... lbc6 20.g5 there will no longer
be any time for an intermission.
a b c d e g h 20.exf3 ll:lc6 21. ~ f4 ll:laS 22.ll:le3 ~ c8
23.l::!.el 'i!Vd8 24.~g3 ll:lc4 25.~h4 !1a6
 182 THE METHOD IN CHESS

7.~xc6+
The structure is determined, and Black's
hopes rest on exploiting the outpost at d4
8
and the weakening of the fianchetto
position.
7 ... bxc6 8.4.Jf3 f6 9.'ili'a4 ~ d7 10.0-0 e5
11.d3 ~ e7 12. ~ e3 : bs 13 . .l:t.fcl tt.J e6
14.'i!Wxa7 4.Jd4

0
a b c d e g h

26.~1
With his 26th and 28th moves White
disrupts the coordination of the enemy
forces, and this leads to further static gains.
26 ••• 4.Jxe3 27 . .l:t.xe3 'i!Wd7 28. ~fl c6
29. ~xf6 gxf6 30.'~1ie1 'fic7 31.'i!Wh4 'iWf4
32 •.l:t.ae1 .l:t.a8 33. ~ d3 ~e6 34.Wf2 .l:t.fe8
35.'i!Wg3 'iixg3+ 36.'it>xg3 ~g7 37.Wh4 h5 15.~xd4
38.gxh5 llh8 39•.l:t.xe6 fxe6 40Jhe6 ~ac8 Whereas "before departing" the first bishop
41..l:t.e7+ Wh6 42.~ g6 !:tcg8 43.Wg4 .l:l.g7 doubled the c-pawns, the second bishop
44 . .:.e6 :c7 45. ~x f6 'it>g7 46 •.l:t.e6 !:td8 undoubles them, as though apologising for its
47.'it>g5 1-0 colleague. But after these transformations the
pawn structure remains fixed.
!.Dorfman - K. Thorsteins
15 .•. cxd4 16.4.Je4 0-0 17.4.Jfd2 .l:t.a8
A34- New York 1989
18.'i!Wb7 .:tb8 19.'i!Wa6 .l:t.xb2 20 ..l:t.ab1 l:txb1
1.c4 lt.Jf6 2.4.Jc3 c5 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 lt.Jxd5 21.'ili'c4+ Wh8 22 . .l:t.x b1 'iia8 23.h4 c5
5.~g2 lt.Jc7 6.'i!Wb3 4.Jc6 24.4.Jxc5 ~h3

8.1, /

~ ·~
.i.'jjVe.t
- ·~ · :i, i
&' 8~ .-;'
~~ ~
;!:/ , ,
;/.i.
.i:.
"

/ /

_,,.it. /.: :;.

•
7 ~ ? #f
~ z.@ /

~
~~ ~ ~ ~
0?"
r/
6 li' 6 0 ,.
~--- . ~ '~
tb, 911
~ ~ ' /
~
/
'< / w
' '
5 i
/

,.
A/ ,.'§fd§ " ,y~;

~··
~
I :?
5 ; ~
'
;;::
/
.
~--~
/

if
~~
0
4
~0 4
/

'•
~ "ii'r.l ~~ [/j
~
/

3 "i\Ytb '0 ' '

~ 3 ~ ~.i.
2~ [j 1~ ~~ ~ £:1 2 ~ t'tl ~ tt!J ~
0 :a b
~
c
/

d
·~
e
ttJl:t
g h
0 1 '
{f'

a
:b c d e
~
g h
 APPENDIX 183

2S.l:.b7 18.h4 'ifeS 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.

• ~- ·
2S ... ~xcS 26.1i'xc5 l:.f7 27.1WaS 1i'e8
28Jhf7 'it'xf7 29.1i'd8+ 'ii'g8 30.1i'xg8+
~xg8 31.f4 exf4 32.gxf4 h6 33.4Jf3 i.d7
8
7
~
.,

1.
%

· 7.~ a-
~~ ~.~:.
~ ~b ~{ -!:5
34.4Jxd4 gS 3S.fxgS fxgS 36.hxgS hxgS I'//

- ' 1'~ ' ~"~

'// , ,
37.4Jf3 g4 38.lL\eS ~c8 39.~f2 1-0 6 ~,' ; w
#'~ ~~
7" ' 0'
5 /./
S.Martinovic - !.Dorfman -;~~ ~

BOI -Yugoslav League 1991

4
'ii' ~
3· f/ j_~ ~ eJ ~ -
1.e4 dS 2.exd5 ..WxdS 3.4Jc3 ..WaS 4.~c4
lLif6 S.d3 c6 6.'ii'e2 lLibd7 7.~d2 'ii'eS
8.~e3
The Yugoslav grandmaster is well known
for his uncompromising nature. He cannot
reconcile himself to the game becoming
2
1 ~~

19... hS
~ ~~

a b c :• -:
k
d
n
e
r ·~

g
~
.· ?'!

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 ... 4Jb6 9.~b3 liJbdS 10.4Jf3 'it'hS 20.d4 'filc7 21.i..gS ~f6 22.~cl.l:lhe8 23.c4
ll.lLixdS lLixdS 12.i..d2 ~g4 13.0-0-0 e6 lLie7 24.~f4 'it'aS 2S.i..e3 lLifS 26.cS l:.e7
14.h3 27 ..lld3 l:.ed7 28.kthd1 :rs
How to explain such a strange
decision?! The rook move prepares the
retreat of the queen, with a ~ombined
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.nh1

a b c d e g h
• 8

6
:((_
]~, ,
/1

'~
;;~
~J

,z
•7' '.t• {/
#<
.I ~· · ~7~
~ /'
%-~
~f3.
P_,~

r-~··
(h~i

5~ ~ ~ ~- ,
14...~xf3
After this it is not possible for White to
4 ~~ !# ~
change his pawn structure. His immediate 3# ~ :~~// ~ % .. ,
objective is not to allow the exchange of the 2 ~ i'~ ~ ft:§."' ~H(/;
dark-square bishops or the opponent to gain
control of f4.
" 0
1 ;/ ~ ff"' ··~ 4:
1S.gxf3 g6 16.~b1 0-0-0 17.'ife4 ~g7 a b c d e g h
 184 THE METHOD IN CHESS

29...'ilfd8 30.i..a4 tl'Je7 31.I!cl ti'JdS 32.lac4

i..xh4 33..llb3 fS 34.'ii'd3 'fic7 3SJ1c1 i..f6
36.l:ta3 eS 37 .i.. b3 ~b8 38 . .llg1 tl'J xe3
39.fxe3 exd4 40.e4 fxe4 41.1i'xe4 d3
8 .i.'i¥ y: i..

' '''
7
42.i..e6 'fih2 ,.t. ,, ,
0-1 6 ~
!.Dorfman - A.Barsov
5 LSi
A40 - Bastia 1997
4 LSLS ~
l.d4 e6 2.c4 i..b4+ 3. i.. d2 aS 4.g3
ti'J c6 S.ti'J f3 d6 6.ti'Jc3 ti'J f6 7. i..g2 0-0
8.0-0 eS 9.d5 ti'J b8 10.ti'Je1 tl'J a6 ll.a3
i..xc3
Black has chosen a passive variation,
where he is forced to exchange 17.dxc6 bxc6 18.ti'Jd3 'fie7 19-'ii'cl h6
bishop for knight without any In accordance with his strategy of

.
compensation. exploiting the bishop pair, White develops
activity on the dark squares .

8,i .i.'i¥ .~.

8 .i. .~..

'' ' '''

7

6~ ~ r
> 7 'i¥' , ,
5
4
' LS
LS .t.,
~
~
:;.0~
~
/~
' 6

5
' >
>
, , ~, ,
' ' ',, ~ ~ ,-
'

3 LS .i.
/ / ~

LS 4 LSLS ~ :#
2 ~ ~LSLS.i.LS
3 lLJ LS
Q1 .: "iVlLJ.:t~
2 LSLS~LS
a b c d e g h Q1 j,: "iW .:~
a b c d e g h
12.i..xc3 tl'Jc5 13.b4 tl'Jce4 14.i..b2 axb4
15.axb4 l:lxa116.i.xa1 c6 20.c5 dxcS 21.bxc5 i..a6 22.i.xe5 i.xd3
Black saves his knight , which has 23.i..xf6 'ilfxf6 24.exd3 tl'Jc3 2S ..l;.e1 ti'JbS
broken away from its main forces. Now if 26.'ilfe3 liaS 27.h4 l:la2 28.1lfe8+ ~h7
17f3 there can follow 17... 'ill b6+ 18. c5 29. i.. e4+ g6 30.l:tfl ti'J d4 31.h5 ~ g7
tl'Jxc 5 19. bxc5 'ilfxc5+ 20. ~ h1 tl'Jx d5 , 32.hxg6 fxg6 33.1i'd7+ ~f8 34.~g2 gS
with three pawns for the knight. But the 1-0
enlivening of the pawn structure makes !.Dorfman - K.Arkell
Black's centre brittle, and at the same ClO- Cannes 1998
time enhances the role of the white
bishops. l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.ti'Jd2 dxe4 4.tl'Jxe4 i.d7
S.ti'Jf3 i.c6 6.i..d3 ti'Jd7 7.0-0 ti'Jgf6 8.!£Jed2
i..e7 9.ti'Jc4
 APPENDIX 185

17.g4 g6 18.~g3 'ii'a8 19.h3 ll'lbd7 20.i£.e2

ltJf8 21.i£.f3ltJ6d7 22.a5 a6 23.g5 e5
,r
• 8
7
.i
i ,,<,' ~· ~:t , ~~,,. ,
Black has exhausted all normal moves and
he goes in for this desperate break.
24.dxe5 ll'le6 25.i..g4 ll'lxf4 26.'t!Vxf4 ll'lf8
.t , i~
/

6 27.'iYe3 .l:f.xdl+ 28Jhdl lld8 29.lld2 i..b4

30•.laxd8 'iYxd8 31.'t!Vb6 'iYxb6 32.axb6 ll'le6
5 '~ "
~
z 33.i£.xe6 fxe6 34.ltJd4 i£.c5 35.ll'lxe6 i£.xb6
%': ":!',
4 tjj{i 36.c5 i.. aS 37.'it>g2 'it> £7 38.ll'lf4 i£. c7
39.ll'ld3 'it>e6 40.£4 'it>dS 41.~£3 aS 42.h4
3 iL tjj ,;; i£.d8 43.~g4 'it>e4
2 ~{i~ {i ~ ~~ Now White finds a resource that clears the

:
a b
iL"i¥
c d e·
:~
g h
way for his pawns to the eighth rank.

9 ... i£.xf3
8 .t ,,;,;j

>~ /f
The English grandmaster cannot find any way 7 / i ', jq
,,)',~
~
?i>J i
~-

.
.:-:::
of parrying the threat of JO.tba5, except by /~
i '', z
0~iS . #~

.';
'?
6 '%
parting with his queen's bishop. If Black's %
preceding moves are considered to be forced, the 5
~
Jj b :&
'- '
~ ~ fj/~'
~~
entire variation should be shelved. It is possible 4 ;;: /

to try to change something, by playing 8... b6. z;

10.'i!¥xf3 c6 ll.a4 ll'lb6 12.ll'la5 'iYd7 13.c4 3 " tjj #!: ~0
~- ~g
0-0 14.kldll:i.ad8 15.ll'lb3 'i¥c8 16.i£.f4 .l:!.fe8 2 ~ nA
"
/,

Black has a passive position, and his queen is ~

~
/.

extremely badly placed, but for the moment 0 ~

there is no direct way to exploit this. White must a b c d e g h

be careful not to allow counterplay with .. . e6-
e5. He fmds and succeeds in carrying out the 44.e6 a4 45.h5 J£.e7 46.hxg6 hxg6 47.ltJe5
idea of weakening the opponent's king. Black's i£.xc5 48.ll'lxg6 b5 49.£5 ~d5 1-0
pieces are forced to take up unfavourable
positions, ruling out any activity. !.Dorfman- L.Comas
B42 - Andorra Zonal 1998

l.e4 c5 2.ltJf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.ll'lxd4 a6

5.i£.d3 W/c7 6.0-0 ll'lf6 7.l!el d6 8.b3 i..e7
9.c4 ll'l c6 10.ll'lx c6 Vi'xc6 ll. i£. b2 b6
12.i£.e2 0-0 13.i..f3 e5
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
0 queenside.
14.ll'l c3 i£. d7 15.i£.e2 'iYb7 16.a4 .l:i.fd8
 186 THE METHOD IN CHESS

17 .i.. d3 i.. f8 18.i..cl i.. g4 19.f3 i.. e6 40.i..g4 t2Jd7

20.i..e3 l:ldc8 21.i..fl t2Jd7 22 . .:.e2 tDb8
23.tDd5 i..xd5 24.cxd5
The position has taken definite shape .
White has the two bishops and possibilities
of play on the weak squares.

Q1

41.i..xd7
With his preceding strategy White has
accumulated the trumps necessary for
converting his advantage in an endgame
with like-colour bishops.
24 ...t2Jd7 25.b4 !ii.e7 26 ..l:.c2 l:txc2 27.'ii'xc2 41. .. 'iii> xd7 42. 'iii>f3 h5 43.g4 hxg4+
.l:[c8 28.'ii'd2 h6 29J1cl l:txc130.'ihc1 tDb8 44.'it> xg4 'it> d6 45.h4 g6 46.h5 gxh5+
4 7. 'it> xh5 f5 48.exf5 'iii> xd5 49 .f6 'it> c4
50.i..xb6
1-0

Whose position is better after

the exchange of queens?
5

V.Kupreichik - !.Dorfman
B19- Lvov 1988

l.e4 c6 2.t2Jc3 d5 3.d4 dxe4 4.tlJxe4 !ii.f5

Q1 5.t2Jg3 i..g6 6.h4 h6 7.t2Jf3 t2Jd7 8.h5 i..h7
9.i..d3 i..xd3 10.'fixd3 tlJgf6 ll.!ii.f4 'tlfa5+
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.tlJe5 t2Jxe5 14.dxe5 t2Jd5 15.'tlff3
square bishop and creates a second 0-0-0 16.t2Je4 f5
weakness in Black's position (after an A critical position. White does not wish to
eventual f3 -f4). remain a pawn down after 17. tbd6+ i..xd6
31. .. i.. d8 32. i.. h3 'fic7 33.'fixc7 i.. xc7 18.exd6 tbxj4 19.'iVxj4 "flid5 , and he
34.f4 'iii> f8 35.fxe5 dxe5 36. 'iii>f2 'iii> e7 concedes a static advantage.
37.'it>e2 !ii.d6 38.b5 axb5 39.axb5 i..c7 17.exf6 gxf6 18.i..g3 f5 19.t2Jd2
 APPENDIX 187

a b c d e f g h

19...'i¥a6 29... b4
Black has a promising ending thanks to This pawn sacrifice enables Black to
his mobile centre and play against the avoid the opening of the a-file and the
enemy king. In the middlegame 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.
thee-pawn. 30.cxb4 e4 31.lbc5 e3 32.gxf4 i.xb2
20.'i*'e2 'ifxe2+ 21.'it>xe2 il...g7 22.lbc4 33.~abl e2+
The character of the play and the speed
with which White's defences collapse are
more typical of the middlegame than the
endgame.
34Jhe2 ~xe2 35.'it>xe2 lbc3+ 36.'>t>d3
lbxbl 37.'ti>c2 i.f6 38.il...xf6 ~xf6 39.'>t>xbl
.l::tfS 40.Wc2 ~xhS 41.'it>d3 aS 42.'it>e4 axb4
43.f5 'it>d6 44.lbb7+ 'it>e7 45.lbc5 ~hl
46.a5 ~al 47.a6 hS 48.'it>f4 h4 49.'it>g4 h3
SO.~xh3 b3 Sl.'it>g4 0-1

A.Zapata - !.Dorfman
Bl9- Havana 1988

l.e4 c6 2.d4 dS 3.lbc3 dxe4 4.lbxe4 il...fS

S.lbg3 il...g6 6.h4 h6 7 .lbf3 lbd7 8.i.d3
22... e5 il...xd3 9.'iixd3 lbgf6 10.il...d2 e6 11.0-0-0
Either capture of the pawn leads to Wic7 12 ..l:!hel 0-0-0 13.'Wb3 cS 14.Wia4
disaster, and therefore from now on Black is 'it>b8 lS.il...aS lbb6
assured of an enduing initiative on the Now if 16.'Wib3 there follows 16... cxd4.
kingside. Black acquires a clear landmark: to aim for
23J:thel .l:lhe8 24.'it>fl f4 25.il...h4 .l:!.d7 the rook+bishop tandem in the endgame.
26.g3 bS 27.lba5 'it>c7 28.lbb3 ~t7 29.a4 16.i.xb6 'i!Vxb6 17.lbe5 "fic7 18.lbe4lbxe4
 188 THE METHOD IN CHESS

19Jhe4 i.d6 20.lt:'lf3 i.e7 21..f:t d3 ~ dS SO.WbS g6 Sl.b4 i.f8 52.lt:'ld2 i.e7 53.lt:'lc4
22.l:1c3 i.f6 23.~b5 .l:t d4 54.g3 e4 SS . .l:.a2 fS 56 Jb 8 .U d8
A favourable moment to exchange the 57Jixd8 ii.xd8 58.lt:'le5 gS 59.hxg5 ii.xgS
queens has arrived . 60.Wc4

ea
7
6
I. • I.~
~

1.1.
l..i.
!.
i
ea
7
6
,.
5 1.1. 5 ~ tlJI..i.l.
4 ~l: ~ 4 ~~ I.
3 ~l: ;-;
tlJ 3 y ,./-':
'/.
,,
~/,
2 ~ ~ ~ ~~ 2
"'
r~ .,. / /'
~- '
~

~
a b c d e g h a b c d e g h

23 .. .'i'b6 24 .'~x b6 axb6 25 J~c 4 cxd4 60 ... ii.f4

26.lZ'lxd4 .l:thd8 27.c3 eS 28.lt:'lf3 bS 29.~b4 A rare position. The passed pawn still has
i.e7 30J:tb3 f6 31.'>tc2 three moves to make to the queening square,
and the centralised knight is unable to stop

ea
7
6
•,,
;
I.
z
~
.i.
,~

,I.~
i.
//

~~. :
";',, '
it.
61.gxf4 h4 62.lt:'lg4 fxg4 63.f5 g3 64.f6 Wd8
0-1

F.Ochoa de Echaguen- !.Dorfman

5 J.j A45 -New York 1989
4 l: ti l.d4 lZ'l f6 2.ii.g5 lt:'le4 3.i..f4 cS 4.f3 'ii'aS+
3 l:~ tlJ S.c3 lZ'l f6 6.lZ'ld2 cxd4 7.lt:'lb3'i¥b6 8.~xd4
2 ~[j~ :?
1 1'~ ~

..
~;?
~ ;%
• 8 i. 4il.i. • .i i.
a b c d e g h
,1. ,1. I.'~ '
~ ' '
31...h5 6 } '/,
;(.
A technical move. The opponent's pawn is 5
fixed on a dark square and he is denied any
hope of activating his knight. 4 ~
32.a4 bxa4 33.!ha4 i.cS 34 . .l:te4 i. xf2 ~
3S J! e2 i. g3 36.c4 ~ aS 37. ~ b6 i. f4
~ /~ ~ ~--
38.lZ'lel i. g3 39.lt:'lf3 laa4 40.'>tc3 .l:.al
41..l:te6 ri; c7 42 . .l:f.e7+ l:t d7 43 . .Ue8 i.f4 / %~ iLtlJ l:
44.l:!.h8 i. h6 4S.Wb4 .l::tadl 46. ~ e8 ~ d8 a b c d e g h
47.1:te6 .l:tld6 48Jhd6 l:!.xd6 49.c5 l:!.dl
 APPENDIX 189

8 .. .lt:lc6 27 ...lba3
I first made this move against Georgadze The simplest solution. White can no
in 1984, and I have no hesitation in longer free himself from the pin without
repeating it whenever the opportunity serious loss of material.
presents itself. 28Jlxa3 ~xa3 29.~xa3 .l:la8+ 30.~b4 1;lal
9.1i'xb6 axb6 10.e4 dS ll..~d3 eS 12.i.g5 31.~c5 ~e6 32.g4 l;!d6 33.~c4 .l:Ifl 34.h3
i.e6 13.lbd2 lbd7 l;!d2 35.~c5 lag2 36.~ b6 gS 37.~ g3 Ilfxgl
This multi-purpose manoeuvre is a key 38Jhgl ~ xgl 39.i.f2 ~ fl 40. ~ c5 laxf3
one in this endgame. 41.~ b4 laxh3 42.~x b7 hS 43.gxh5 l;!xhS
14.exd5 i.xdS 15..i.c4 .i.xc4 16.lbxc4 bS 44.b6 ~dS 45.~a6 ~c6 46.b7 ~h8 47.~e7
17.lbe3 f6 18.~h4 lbc5 19.lbd5 ~f7 20.b4 tlb8 0-1
lbd3+ 21.~d2lld8 22.~xd3
!.Dorfman - J.Bellon Lopez
ea , .K .t .K
B3 8 - Spain v. USSR Match 1991

7 :.t. • , , .t. l.lbf3 cS 2.c4 lbc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.lbxd4 g6

" 5.e4 ~ g7 6.i.e3 lbf6 7.lbc3 0-0 8..lte2 b6
6 ~ # .t., ~
9.0-0 .ltb7 10.f3 e6 ll.Jacl lbxd4 12.~xd4
5 .t. tZJ k; /

v dS 13.cxd5 exdS
Black prefers to play with an isolated
4 t!J ~ pawn, rather than reconcile himself to an
3. ~~ t!J outpost at d5 .
14.e5 lbe8 lS.lb bS f6 16.exf6 ~ xf6
2 t!J 'I'/ t!Jt!J 17..ltxf6 'ii'xf6
.:
/

CZJ.l:
a b c d e g h

22 ...lbe7 ~~·
The decisive blow in this game is struck
,.t.
by the second knight also retreating from the ~· ~}'
6th rank to the 7th!
23.a4 lbxdS 24.axb5 lbxb4+ 25.~c4 lbc2
26.Jaa7 lad7 27.~b3

• 8
7
6
.: .t. ' .K
,,
; '~

~
....
.f
.t.. 1'
.K
.t.
;,
0
a b c d e g h

5 t!J ~

~. & 1
/
{
?' 18.'ii'd4 "ifxd4+
With his king so open, Black cannot keep
4 "'i // k the queens on.
~fj
,~

3 t!J 19.lbxd4 lbd6 20J~c7 : ac8 21.lafcl : xc7

22Jixc7 ~f7 23.lac3 lae7 24.~f2 ~f7 25.b3
~ ~ t!J ti
'>

2
·~ ~
.l:te8 26J:!.c7+ l::re7 27 ..:tcl lae8 28.~d3 ~f6
;p'' lb.: 29J1c7 l:i.e7 30.l;!xe7 ~xe7 31.~e3 ~f6
a b c d e g h
 190 THE METHOD IN CHESS

~e8 56ie2 ~d7 57ih5+ <;i;>f8 58.Wxd4 ~e6

59..to ~c4 60ie4 ~e6 61ic6 ~c4 1-0
!.Dorfman - A. Weindl
AOO - Cannes 1992
l.g3 lbf6 2.~g2 d6 3.d4 g6 4.e4 ~g7
5.lbe2 0-0 6.0-0 e5 7.lbbc3lbc6

3 ~
2~ /
/.

01 ~~----~~--~--~~
a b c d e g h

32.lbb5 lbxb5
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 ... lbc8.
33.~xb5 g5 34.'it>d4 'it>e6 35.~d3 h6
36.~h7 a5 37.~g8+ 'it>d6 38.a3 ~c6 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.~g5
39.~f7 ~b7 40.b4 axb4 41.axb4 ~c6 White has a concrete threat of winning a
42.g3 ~b7 43.f4 gxf4 44.gxf4 ~c6 45.f5 pawn by JO.'ilixd8, ll.~xf6 and 12.lbd5.
~d7 46.f6 ~c6 47..i.g8 ~b7 Black should consider 9... lbe7.
9 ... ii'xdl lO.ltfxdl h6 ll.~e3 b6 12.lbd5
lbe8 13.~d2 Wh7 14.:adl Ji.g4 15.b3 ~d8
fi~ z ~
8
;

~'
"', ,. ~/;'
,/
7' i. 16.f3 ~c817.c4 Wh818.h3 ~e619.'it>h2lbb8
Black has been over-run without any
7 .i. I

obvious efforts on the part of the opponent.

6
' '·' ~ • ti
,,
Now, as often happens, the removal from
the centre of one side's forces provokes

' '~~
5
increased activity there by the other side.
w
/ ~

~~;&
4 ~ " ~
7
~
%

3~ //, > ~
~ //,J.
2 ) M 1'/
~/.
m·~
W:? /
~
~~
~ Q, '/I?
0 1 ~
a b c d e g h
5· ~
"'
White can pick up the d5 pawn by 48.b5. 4
Black is forced to retreat to c8, to avoid the
pawn ending after 48 ... ~a8 49.f7 We7
50j8=ii+ Wxf8 51.bd5. But White prefers a
more technical and less obvious solution.
48.We3 ~c6 49.W£4 d4 50ic4 b5 51ib3 Wd7
0
a b c d e g h
52.'itf5 'it>e8 53ic2 <M7 54id3 ~d7+ 55.We5
 APPENDIX 191

20.f4 c6 2t.liJb4 %hd2 22.:txd2 aS 23.lDd3 White has two weak squares at d4 and b3,
lbd7 24.lbxe5 lbxe5 25.fxe5 c5 26.lbc3 which makes his position hard to defend.
lbc7 27.lDd5lDa8 28.lbf6 1-0 ll.i.xc5lbxc5 12.i.e2 a4 13.0-0 lbe7 14.lbe1
lbc6 15.lbc2 ~c8 16.:cd1 b6 17.f3 ~ b7
E.Piank:ov - !.Dorfman 18.<Ja2 runs 19Afe11m 20i fl lbb3 21.lbb5
A41- French League 1995 .M'8 22.i.e2 :tfd8 23.liJc3ltJcd4 24.lbxd4
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5

2 t!J fj ~ # t!J t!J t!J' ~

a b c d e g h
0 1 ltJ ~ 'iW ~ .i. ,tD .: 24 ... exd4
a b c d e g h 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.lbf3), c4 pawn is cut off from base and is doomed.
or an incorrect interpretation of Black's 25.lDd5 c6 26.lbf4 i.f7 27.h4 1:ta5 28.i.fl
intentions, provokes this transition into an llc5 29.lbd3 :txc4 30.e5 .l:tc2+ 31.~g3 fxe5
endgame that is unfavourable for White. 32.:txe5 : d7 33.h5 lbd2 34.n gs lbxfl +
3... dxe5 4.'iifxd8+ ~xd8 5.lbc3 i.e6 35Jhfl i.c4 36.l:ld1 i.xd3 37Jbd3 .l:txb2
This is where all White's problems begin. 38.~f4 c5 39.: d1 c4 0-1
Because of the position of his c4 pawn, he G.Beikert - !.Dorfman
cannot successfully develop both bishops. A45 - French League 1996
6.e4tt'ld7 7.00 f6 8.i.e3 i.b4 9Jicl a5 10.a3
l.d4 lDf6 2.i.g5 lbe4 3.i.f4 c5 4.f3 'ifa5+
5.c3 lDf6 6.lbd2 cxd4 7.lbb3 ifb6 8.ihd4

a b c d e
10... i.c5
 192 THE METHOD IN CHESS

8...tt:Jc6 9.ii'xb6 axb6 10.e4 dS ll.~d3 eS 29 ...tZ'le7

12. ~ g5 ~e6 13.tZ'ld2 tZ'ld7 14.exd5 .ltxdS Now comes a manoeuvre of crushing
1S.a3 strength, already familiar from the game
Deviating from the earlier game with with Ochoa.
Ochoa. 30. <it>e2 tZ'ldS 31.l:tcl tZ'lf4+ 32. <;tJfl tZ'ld3
1S ... f6 16.~e3 ~cS 17.i.xc5 tZ'lxcS 18.~c2 33 •.l::[c2 tt:JcS 34.c4 tt:Jxa4 3S.'ite2 bS 36.b3

.
0-0-0 19.0-0-0 tZ'lb6 37.'itd3 bxc4+ 38.bxc4 tZ::Ia4 39.tZ'lgfl
tZ::I cS+ 40.'ite2 f4 41. .l::. b2 .ltfS 42.:l. b5
~d3+ 43.'itf2 Itc7 44 •.l::tb6+ ~c6 45JibS b6
es .~
;
46.l:tb4 gS 47..l::!.b5 hS 48.g3 g4 49.'itg2 .l:td6
SO.h3 gxf3+ Sl. ~x f3 'itfS 52.gxf4 exf4

'·~
z
7 y
53.<it>f2 ~xfl 54.tZ'lxfl 'ite4 55Jl b1 tZ'ld3+
6 56.'it>e2 f3+ 57. <;tJ d2 'itf4 58. ~ b5 tZ::I cS+
5 ~.i.j 59.'ite1 h4 60 ..lab1 tt:Jd3+ 61.'itd2 tZ'lf2+
62.<it>c2 tZ'le4 63.I:i.b3 f2 64.tZ'lh2 tZ'ld2
4 #t', /.
0-1
3 ~ t!J
E.Mednis - !.Dorfman
2 ~~ljj A20 - Cannes 1998
1 " ~:
a b c d e 9 h l.c4 eS 2.g3 c6 3.d4 ~ b4+ 4.~d2 ~xd2+
S.ii'xd2 d6 6.tZ'lc3 tZ'lf6
19... ~e6
Black's lead in development is
transformed into a favourable material
situation, giving him an advantageous static
balance.
20.tZ'le2 tZ'ld3+ 21.~xd3 ~xd3 22.tZ'le4 .l::.d7
A technical manoeuvre. Without loss of
time the king comes to the support of its
pawn majority on the kingside.
23Jbd7 'itxd7 24.tZ'l2g3 'ite7 2S.tZ'lhS fS
26.tt:Jd2 g6 27.tZ'lg3 'itf6 28.a4 ~c8 29.'1tdl

es .i ,z
%
r~
7 /.; .t.
, ,~ 7.dxe5
6 ,
7
This opening is analysed in detail in Game
5 p1 h/
61. In this type of structure the exchange of
.:; f/. queens cannot be recommended.
4 t!J ',)-/.
/

/-
7 ... dxe5 8.ii'xd8+ 'itxd8 9.tt:Jf3 .U.e8 10.0-0-
3 t!J 0+ cJ;;c7 ll.tZ'lgS l:le7 12.~ g2 h6 13.tZ'lge4
t!J ~ tt:Jxe4 14.tt:Jxe4 ~e6 1S.b3 tt:Ja6 16..l::td2 fS
/.
2
' 17.tZ'l c3 .l::!.d7 18..lhd7+ 'it xd7 19 . .l::!.d1+
1 ~
' ~ 'ite7 20.tZ'la4 gS 21.'1tb2
a b c d e 9 h The American grandmaster is an endgame
 APPENDIX 193

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.

ea

a b c d e g h a b c d e f g h

21 ... h5 22.e3 h4 23Jld2 I;lbS 24.~£3 hxg3 45 ... ~ h3 46. ~x h3 l:hh3 47.~c2 'ite6
25.hxg3 l:l h2 26. ~ dl b6 27. ~ c2 ll g2 48.lLld5 lLlxdS 49 ..l:i.xd5 l:lh2 SOJ!d2 'itfS
28.'itcl e4 29.a3 lLlb8 30.~dl lLld7 31.'>tc2 Sl.b4 'itf4 52.bxc5 bxcS 53.'>tb3 'itf3
lLleS 32.lLlb2 cS 33.'itc3 ~d7 34.'itc2 ~c6 54.1Id5 'itxf2 SS.l:txcS l:lh3+ 56.'>tc2 l:lxa3
3S.'itc3 'ite6 36.'>tc2 57J:trs+ 'ite3 58.'>tb2 I;ld3 59.c5 'itd4 60.c6
A critical position. Black has achieved an l:lc3 61Ji f6 l:tcS 62.ltd6+ 'iteS 63Jlh6 'itdS
ideal arrangement of his pieces, but he does 64 ..l:ih7 l:lxc6 65Jha7 e3 66.l:te7 ~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 1985
l.d4 lLlf6 2.ttJn e6 3.g3 bs 4.'i!fd3 b4 s.~g2
~a6 6.'ili'dl ~b7 7.c4 bxc3 8.lLlxc3 c5 9.0-0

4
a b c d e g h

36... f4 37.gxf4 gxf4 38.exf4 lLlg6 39.~ e2

lLlxf4 40.lLldl 'ite7 41. ~ fl :th2 42.lLle3
lLle6 43.~g2 lLlf4 44.~fl ~d7 4S.'itc3 a b c d e f g h
 194 THE METHOD IN CHESS

9... cxd4
After Black's 7th move the creation of a
queenside pawn majority for White was
predetermined.
10.tLlxd4 i..xg2 11.<~xg2
A critical moment, determining the
central structure and, to a large extent,
the result of the game. Because he is
behind in development, Black is forced
to reject the ambitious ll ... d5, and
White's pawn majority becomes the
dominant factor.
11. .. i..e 7 12 .e4 d 6 13. 'iiff3 tLl fd 7
14.:d1 0-0 15.i..e3 l2Je5 16.'iife2 tLl bc6
17J:tacl 'fibS 1S.l2Jxc6 tLlxc6 19.tLl b5
:cs
29.l:txc6 'iifxc6 30.i..e7+ ~eS 31.'it'xg7 : a7
32.'iiff8+ ~d7 33.'ifxf7 ~cS 34.'it'gS+ ~b7

*" 35.'ii'xh7 'ifd7 36.'ifg6 ~c6 37.'ifgS i..b6

3S.b4 i..d4 39.a4 ~b7 40.'ii'g6 ~c6 41.h4
~aS 42.h5 ~b7 43.'ifxd6 'ii'xd6 44.i..xd6
~c6 45.i..e7 :hs 46.g4 ~d7 47.i..f6 : h7
4~ 1~

D.Sahovic- I.Dorfman
D91 - Lvov 1986

l.d4 lLlf6 2.c4 g6 3.tLlc3 d5 4.l2Jf3 i..g7

5. i..g5 l2Je4 6.i.. h4 tLlxc3 7.bxc3 dxc4
c S.'ifa4+ 'it'd7 9.'it'xc4 b6 10.i..g3

20.i..f4
With this manoeuvre White increases his
superiority, and, more important, makes it
static.
20 ... e5 21. i.. e3 a6 22. tLl c3 'i'b7
23.tLl d5 i.. dS 24. 'i' g4 ~ f8 25.ltd3 tLla5
26.:dc3 lhc 3 27 .:xc3 tLl c6 2S. i.. g5
i..a5
The Bulgarian grandmaster allows a
decisive exchange sacrifice.
After 28... i..xg5 29. 'i'xg5 :cs 30. Wlj5
~g8 3l.'iixc8+ 'ii'xc8 32.:xc6 Black
would have had no defence against
33.:cs.
10...c5
•
 APPENDIX 195

The capture on c5 is strategically 24 ...e5 25.dxe5 .laxd1 +

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 26.1J.xdl
endgame. White can only rely on dynamic lLlxe3.
resources. 26. 'i'xd1 'i'xd1 + 27 Jhd1 lLlxeS 28 ..l:.d6
ll.e3 h6 12.iVb3 .i.xf113lhfllbc6 14.~e2 'JJ.c6 29 . .l:Id8+ ~h7 30.tLld6 .i.f6 31..l:1e8
ltJa5 15.'Wb2 0-0 16Afd1 ~c8 17-&cl 'i'a4 l::i.xd6 32 . .i.xe5 .i.xe5 33.l:!xe5 l:.d1+
18.Wfl ID'd8 19.'i'e2lL'lc4 20.~g1 34. ~h2 'JJ.d2
The end of a series of forced moves. An inaccuracy in a severe time scramble.
White has completed artificial castling and 34 ... ~al would have transposed into the
can begin active play in the centre, while game, whereas now 35.a4 would have given
Black will begin advancing his pawn White real saving chances.
majority.

ea
7
6
5
4

35.l:.e7 ~g7 36.e4 g5 37.e5 .l:r.xa2 38.~g3

20 ... b5 21.h3 a6 22.tLlg5 h6 23.tLle4 cxd4 ~g6 39J!b7 .l:Ia4 40.~f3 ~fS 41..:f.xf7+
24.cxd4 ~xeS 42 ..f:.h7 l:.f4+
The white knight has selected a post at c5; 0-1
Black removes the support from under it.
b) Groups of squares of one
colour,
Blockade,
Domination

!.Dorfman - J.Murrey
D93 - French League 1991

l.lLlf3 d5 2.d4 lLlf6 3.c4 c6 4.'i'c2 g6 S..i.f4

.i.g7 6.e3 0-0 7.lLlc3 tLla6 8.c5 'iVa5 9.a3
lLld7 10..i.e2 b6 ll.cxb6
 196 THE METHOD IN CHESS

a b c d e g h

ll... lL:lxb6 23.e4 ~g6 24.e5 ~7 25.~ 'iic8 26.'ife3 fxe5

The static balance is disrupted .
Black makes a serious concession,
~- ~~
~-I'

because of the disaster awaiting him 8 ~v

~, ~~x
in the variation 11 ... ax b6 12.0-0 c5
~
·~w
13.b4.
12.0-0 Ji.. f5 13.'iicl lL:l c4 14.b3 lL:l d6 6

'
,<
0
~
'
.t ~
tD i~'

- ·~
15.b4 'i!Vb6 16.lL:l a4 'ilfb7 17.lL:l e5 Ji..x e5 5
4 ,t!J 6"~ ~·
;:f
::!"0§ ~t!Jts.
~0
2 . ~
1'/fi ;# ~ ~ t!J -
.:~
',4
01 Y,

a b c d e g h

27.dxe5
The most rigorous course. White does not
even allow the illusory counterplay that was
possible after 27. 'i¥xe5 :15 28. VJie3 e5.
27...1i'f5 28J:tad1 'iic2 29 •.l::td2 d4 30.ifxg5
i¥c3 31.Ji.. d3 l:tf7 32. ~ xg6 l:t g7 33 J:t d3
1i'c4 34 J:t cl VJia2 35. Ji..x h7+ ~x h7
18.~ xe5 f6 19. ~£4 g5 20.Ji..g3 lL:le4 21.f3 36. VJih4+ 'lt> g8 37 Jbd4 llxd4 38. 'il¥xd4
lL:lxg3 22.hxg3 l:!.ad8 l'!xg3 39.'ii'f2 'ifxf2+ 40.Wxf2 : g6 41.£4
This allows the opponent to begin lL:ld5 42.'lt>f3 1-0
advancing his kingside pawns. Moving the
!.Dorfman - R.Meulders
king was more tenacious.
A87 - Brussels Zonal 1993

1.d4 f5 2.lLlf3 lL:lf6 3.g3 g6 4.Ji..g2 ~g7 5.0-0

 APPENDIX 197

0-0 6.c4 d6 7.tl:Jc3 e6 8.~g5 h6 9..1l.xf6 'iVxf6

After this exchange the static balance
depends on the pawn structure. White aims to
fix it, by initiating play on the light squares.

24.'i!Ve3
The concluding stage of the attack on the
light squares. Not wishing to part with a
10.e4lllc6 ll.exfS gxfS pawn, Black allows a blockade.
It seems to me that ll ... exf5 was essential, 24 ... f4 25. 'ii'd3 a6 26.lllc3 ~e8 27 .llle4
intending ... g6-g5. The incorrect capture 'ii'hS 28.~g2 il.g6 29.f3 il.h7 30.c5 il.f6
makes it easier for the opponent to make 31..1l.g4 'iVe8 32.lllf5 ~xfS 33.~xf5 'it'd8
contact on the light squares. 34.'ti>hl il.g7 35.g4
12.d5lllb4 13.a3ll\a6 14.!tcl eS 15.b4 ~d7 Nimzowitsch or Petrosian must probably
have dreamed of this type of position.

a b c d e g h

16.lllh4
The continuation of White's general 35 ... ~h8 36.~gl llld7 37.~xd7 'iVxd7
strategy. After a series of forced moves he 38J:!.cl ~f6 39.c6 'ifc8 40.cxb7 'ifxb7
begins besieging the f5 pawn. 41..l::rc6 'ii'bS 42.1i'xb5 axbS 43 ..lagcl il.g7
16 ... !tae8 17 . .1l.h3 l:Ie7 18.'iVc2 'ilif7 44Jhc7 !txc7 45Jbc7 !ta8 46.:c3 ~f8
19.I:!.cdl 'ili'hS 20.~e2 'ii'gS 21.~hl lllb8 47.~g2 ~g8 48.'it>fl ~e7 49.h4
22.lllb5 ~e8 23.:del ~hS White does not deviate from the static
 198 THE METHOD IN CHESS

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 SO.hS ~e8 Sl.~e2 ~d7 52.~d2 his knight. Now White had prepared the
l:ta7 53.~c2 l:ta8 54.~b3 l:ta6 SS ..!:.c1 .l:.b6 following reply: 19.. .lDd4 20.lDe6 .i.xe6
56J~c2 lta6 57..laa2 1-0 2l.i..xe6+ lDxe6 22.dxe6 d5 23.lDc3 d4
24.lDe4.
!.Dorfman - S.Iuldachev 19 ... 'i'e7 20.b5 i..g7 21..!:.c3 .!:.f7 22.l:Ie1
E97 - Olympiad, Elista 1998 i..f8 23.a3 axbS 24.lt:Jxb5 ~d8 25.ii'b1
l:Ia8 26.ltecl i..d7 27.lt:Jc7 l:ta4
l.lt:Jf3 lt:Jf6 2.c4 g6 3.lt:Jc3 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 lt:Jc6 8.d5 lt:Je7 9.b4 position is ripe for a concrete solution.
lt:Je8 10.c5 fS ll.lt:Jd2 fxe4 12.lt:Jdxe4
Each of the players has already decided
upon the colour of the squares on which he 8
wants to play. 7
6

0
a b c d e g h

28.lt:Je6 'i'aS 29.i..xf5 gxfS 30.lt:Jxf8 lhf8

31.lt:Jxd6 'ifxdS 32.lt:Jc4 'i'ie6 33.'ifxb7 f4
34.lt:Jb6 l:td4 35.lt:Jxd7 l:txd7 36.ii'e4 .l:.d4
37.'i'c2 e4 38.l:tc6 'it'g4 39.h3 'it'g7 40.l:tc7
12 ... lt:Jf5 13.i..g5 lt:Jf6 14.ltcl h6 15 ..i.xf6 1-0
i..xf616.cxd6 cxd617.lt:Jb5 a618.4Jc7 .l:.b8
!.Dorfman - A.Hauchard
El5- French Championship 1998

l.d4 lt:J f6 2.lt:Jf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.g3 i.. a6

S.lt:Jbd2 i..b7 6.i..g2 cS 7.e4 cxd4 8.0-0 d6
9.lt:Jxd4 'ifc8 10.a4 lt:Jc6 ll.lt:Jxc6 i..xc6
12.b4 i..e7
A critical position in view of the
possible modification of the pawn
structure by the advance of the a- and b-
pawns. White saw that 13.a5 would be
met by 13 ... b5. Hence the idea of
renewing the threat of a4-a5.
 APPENDIX 199

13.'ti'e2 aS 18. ~xaS 'ii'b8 19.~c3 dS 20.exdS ~ xdS

Another critical position. After any 21.~xdS tbxdS 22.~eS 'Wb7 23.'ii'g4 ~f6
"normal" reaction Black gains control of the 24.'ilif3 ~xeS 2S.tbxeS n fc8 26.n fcl 'iic7
c5 square with a static advantage . The 27.tbc4 tb b6 28.tbxb6 'ii'xb6 29.n c4 h6
position demands determined action by 30.htdl n a7 31.nd3 1i'b8 32.1Wdl 'it'eS
White. 33.b6 l::tb7 34.aS Wh7 3S.Wg2 .l:.a8 36.'~c2
g6 37.nxcS 1We4+ 38.£3 'iliel 39.'ii'd2 1Wal
40.h4 hS 41.~c3 1-0
a .I c) Outpost
7
6 !.Dorfman- B.Katalymov
A21 Krasnoyarsk 1980
l.c4 eS 2.tbc3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.~xd4
The outpost at d5 has been created, and the
static balance is tending in White's favour. The
opponent must seek dynamic resources.

a b c d e g h

14.cS bxcS
The other capture of the c5 pawn leads
to a blockade and to the complete
paralysis of the black army. And in the
event of 14 ... axb4 15.cxd6 ~xd6 16.e5
~xg 2 17. Wxg 2 'ilk c3 18.tbc4 Black can
resign.
lS.bS ~ b7 16.tbc4 iJic7 17.~d2 0-0
 200 THE METHOD IN CHESS

4 ...tt:Jc6 5.1\i'd2 g6 'ifd4+ 24.'it>hl 'ili'xc4 25.'iVf2

White has less scope for manoeuvring In order to avoid loss of material, the
after 5... tbf6 6.g3 il.e6 7.tbd5 tbe5 8.b3 c6 black queen has to take up an "offside"
9.tbxf6+ ilxf6. position. White exploits this, by switching
6.b3 il.gl 7ib2 tLJft) 8.g3 0-0 9.i.g2 .tt5 10.tt:Jh3 his fire to the kingside .
.bb3 llixb3 a512.il.g2 tt:Jd713.0-0 tDc5

a,i
7
6

s.t
4

a b c d e g h
a b c d e g h
25 ..•'i'a6 26.exf5 d5 27.fxg6 hxg6 28.'ifc2
14.tt:Jd5 'it>g7 29.b5 'ili'a7 30.bxc6 bxc6 31.tbe2 tt:Jc4
The knight occupies the outpost. 32.'i'c3+ 'it>h7 33.tbd4 'i'd7
14 ..• il.xb2 15.ilxb2 f5 16.a3 tbe5 17.b4
tt:Jcd7 18.f4 tt:Jf7 19.tt:Jc3 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.f5 tt:Jfe5 35.il.h3 'it>g8 36.tt:Je6 gxf5

37.tbxf8 l:txf8 38.l:tf4 c5 39.'ifc2 ile7
40.l:tel l:tb8 41.'i'xf5 d4 42 •.l:ag4+
1-0

!.Dorfman - M.Apicella
B07 - Cannes 1989
a b c d e f g h
20...tt:Jb6 21.'ilib3 a4 22.'i'a2 1i'f6 23.l:tacl l.g3 g6 2.il.g2 il.gl 3.d4 d6 4.e4 tt:Jf6 5.tt:Jc3
 APPENDIX 201

0-0 6.lbge2 lbbd7 7.0-0 cS 8.h3 cxd4 9.lbxd4

White has gained a static advantage.
ea

3 . '

0
2

a b c d e g h
a b c d e g h 25 ...e4 26.c5 lbeS 27.cxd6 I:.xcl+ 28.1i'xcl
'Wd7 29.'f/c7 .i.f8 30...tc5 Wia4 31.'Wd8 'Wdl+
9... a6 lO.l:rel lbb6 ll.a4 eS 32..i.fl lbf3+ 33.~g2 lDh4+ 34.~g3 'f/xfl
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.lbde2 ..te6 13.b3 Wic7 14.i..e3 .l:tac8
15.'Wd2 ~Ud8 16.a5 lbbd7 17.l:recl 'iib8

35. ~x h4 'fixe2 36.11t'xf8+ ~ xf8 37.d7+

~g7 38.d8'W gS+ 39.~xg5 1i'd2+ 40.~f5
ifxdS+ 41.'ii'xd5 lD xdS 42. ~ xe4 lbc3+
43.'lt>e5 ~g6 44.f4 h6 45.f5+ 1-0

!.Dorfman - M. Vukic
18.lbd5
E82 - Yugoslav League 1991
White transforms one type of advantage into
another. The immediate 18.g4 was also good. l.d4 lbf6 2.c4 g6 3.lbc3 ..tg7 4.e4 d6 S.f3
18 ... ..txd5 19.exd5 Iie8 20.g4 Wlc7 21J!a4 0-0 6.i..e3 b6 7.i..d3 a6 8.lbge2 cS 9.e5
ltJcS 22.l:rc4 Wie7 23.b4 lbcd7 24.l:rxc8 lbe8 10 ...te4 .Ua7 ll.dxcS bxcS 12 . ..txc5
.l:r.xc8 25.c4 l:r. d7 13 . ..te3 ..tb7 14 . ..txb7 lhb7 15.b3
Only one more move, 26.lbg3, and Black .i.xeS
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
 202 THE METHOD IN CHESS

d5 outpost. In a number of variations the

-
weakness of the a6 pawn may also be felt.
~l, ~:-• :
0
8
8
~~·· ?fi# J. ~~·-·
s6 ·# ~,~~·
7 # .1. ~ '~ ' -~:~ ' #l2J4· - · - a
6i~ - N i i,,
W:,·
5 !< w~
~
~
~ ~~ 4l2J [j - ~
4 ~ [j ~# # ~ ~ 0 3w [j $ ~[j ~
3 [jl}j ~[j 2£j : rf;[j§
[j 2 >'; ~ lLJ # [j t:s 01 .~ :~
~~~~~~~~--~
~· #
Q1 Y
: ,~7- "i¥ ·~ : a b c d e f g h
~a~b---c~d~=e~~-g~h~ 25.tbdc3 f5! 26.l:!cdl ~f7 27.~fl i..e7
28.i..f4
16.0-0 'ii'a517.'ili'd2lDc618Aadl i..g719.4Ja4 Here Black avoided 28... tbde5. I don't
'iixd2 20JUd2 ffi 21.lbec3 tt.Jd7 22.tt.Jds 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 29J~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 .. .t£Jj6
23.CiJxf6+ hj6 24.c5. It is clear that with his
last move the Yugoslav grandmaster parried
the impending threat of22.c5.

a b c d e f g h
28 ...e5 29.i..e3 ~e6 30.g3 i..f8 31.~g2 i..e7

3
2£j

a b c d e f g h
22 ...l:!fb8 23.l:!cl i..f8 24.~f2 e6
Now begins the next stage - play against
the backward d6 pawn.
 APPENDIX 203

32.i..g5 i..f8 33.i..h6 lDd4 34.i..xf8 : xf8 tDxe3

35.lDe2 tDxe2 36Jbe2 l::tc8 37.l::ted2 l::tc6 Black has a serious static advantage: king
38.c;t>f2 lDf6 39.1:4xd6+ l::txd6 40.lDc5+ c;t>e7 position, material balance , and pawn
41.lhd6 l::tc7 42.l::te6+ c;t>f7 43.lhe5 structure,
1-0 14Jhe3 i..b7 lS.l::tdl l:tad8 16.1:4eel lDf6
17.tD xf6+ i..xf6 18.lDe5 i..xg2 19.'ii'xg2
S.Boyd - !.Dorfman l::tdS 20.'ti'e4 i..g7
B21 - Cannes 1993 It is interesting that a critical position
arises after such an unprepossessing move.
l.e4 cS 2.f4 dS 3.lDc3 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.

8 r:0~ ~~ ~.:· /~
&~ \lll}' w & Jtf} &
7 -~ ~g ~ - .JL.
6 ,,~
• :
~ & ~·~
/f',fl A . "~
4
5 w
00 1?i .i.
,
CZS
'-/' :r~
~
~~~

~ 9i¥t~ ~
3
4
#. r AA #K
3 0 O #m rG
2 A ~~· ~~ ;j~ A~
0 ~ ~ ~ o,
0 1 ~ l:, r'~ ~
~~----~~~~~~~
4.lDxe4 lDd7 s.ttJf3 lDgf6 6.d3 g6 7.g3 i..g7 a b c d e g h
8.i..g2 0-0 9.0-0 e6 10.c3
White covers the outpost, but creates a 21.lDf3 ~:tfd8 22J:td2
backward d-pawn,

~~
' ~
a b c d e g h
a b c d e g h
22 ... b5
10 .. .'ti'c7 ll.'ii'c2 liJdS 12J~el b6 13.i..e3 Beginning a combined attack on the king
 204 THE METHOD IN CHESS

and on the pawns situated on the long

diagonal.
23J1ed1 a6 24.a3 h6 2S ..l::tfl 'it>h7 26.lt:Je1
~b6 27.'it>g2 fS 28.'iff3 eS 29.l:.e2 ~c7
30.fxeS :xeS 31JheS ~xeS 32.lt:Jc2 ~e6
33.l:.f2 ~b3 34.lt:Je1 l:te8 3S J~ e2 l:t xe2+
36.ifxe2 b4
Black has successfully carried out
his plan, and in addition to his
positional advantage he now gains a
material one.

8 w/. . :
'/. ,//. ~/ ~

7 /'
~ ~ :%'

.t. /4~~ ~
XJ ~ W{i
·" ~:1
~/~
.r•
.t. If
6
5
4
0
,. 1~
> .'•'
$
",
?'
~ ~
:. :
/
~-~~
.t. ~;·
¥ /.::
>
>
'Y
J
13 . ..txd4 ..txd4+ 14.lt:Jxd4 !1e8 1S.'it> h2
lt:JacS 16.b4 axb4 17 .cxb4 lt:Je6 18.lt:Jc4
lt:Jb6 19.lt:Jxe6 l:.xe6
When you see such a crushing defeat, you
3 ~~~ ~ ~ must realise that one of the players was
unable to find dynamic resources,
2 ~ iV ~~ compensating for his "static deficit".
0 tiS
a b c d e g h
aX .i. ~
7p
/,

M -·:P~
~ .t. ~ .t.
·~
37.axb4 cxb4 38."iVc2 ~xc2+ 39.lt:J xc2
?:,0
bxc3 40.b4 gS 41.'it>f3 ..teS 42.d4 ..td6
43. 'it> e2 g4 44. ~ d3 f4 4S.gxf4 ..t xf4
6 lf&).t.&K ~ .t. ~
~'l&
46. 'it>xc3 ..txh2 47 .lt:Je3 hS 48. 'it>c4 'it>g6 5
~ '
·..;

~ 1!1 ~%
49.bS axbS+ SO. 'it> xbS ..t g1 Sl. lt:J g2
..t xd4 S2. 'it> c4 ..t a7 S3. 'it> d3 'it> gS
4 ~~tjj 0

S4. 'it> e2 h4 SS. 'it> fl h3 S6. lt:J e1 ..t b6 3 ~

/
~;:;
h' '/ /
<~ r{j ~
~ •.t~
S7.lt:Jd3 g3 2
~? ~ /

0-1

!.Dorfman - M.Apicella
01 ~
a b c WV- .1: "
d e f g h
AOO - Cannes 1994
20.lt:Je3 lt:Jd7 21.~d4 ~6 22."iVxb6 lt:Jxb6
l.g3 g6 2 . ..t g2 ..t g7 3.d4 d6 4.e4 lt:J f6 The exchange of queens does nothing to
S.lt:J e2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7 .a4 aS 8.h4 lt:J a6 ease the defence, since here it is not a matter
9 ...te3 ~c7 10.lt:Jd2 lt:Jd7 ll.f4 eS 12.c3 of the black king being weak.
exd4 23.aS lt:J d7 24. lt:J c4 lt:J f6 2S JHe1 ..t d7
In this game the two players "skip" 26Jlad1
several stages in the exploitation of an The French player makes a desperate
outpost. The d6 pawn is already attempt to free himself. After 26 ... lDe8
backward. White has various ways of developing his
 APPENDIX 205

play, such as 27.g4.

a b c d e f g h

26 ... d5 27.tt:'lb6 Itae8 28.e5 l:t6e7 29.b5

tt:'lbS 30..l:tcl f6
Now comes the concluding blow,
destroying the pawn chain.

31.a6 bxa6 32.bxc6 ~ c8 33.ll'l xd5 .l:ta7

34.g4
1-0
 206 THE METHOD IN CHESS

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.Flear- 162
Name- page (in italic incomplete game) V.Gavrikov- 98
V.Akopian - 24, 60 B.Gelfand- 38, 116
L.Alburt - 72 Kir.Georgiev- 147
A.Anastasian - 37 F.Gheorghiu- 27
V.Antoshin - 12 S.Gligoric - 11
M.Apicella - 132, 200, 204 H.Golombek - 22
K.Arkell - 184 D.Guigonis- 110
M.Ashley - 39 B.Gulko - 48, 65
V.Bagirov- 133 B.Hansen - 12
Y.Balashov - 108 A.Hauchard - 198
J.Barle- 11 J.Hickl- 140
A.Barsov - 184 R.Hiibner - 25
C.Bauer- 169 K.Hulak- 15, 71
G.Beikert- 191 M.Illescas - 151
J.Bellon Lopez- 189 S.Iuldachev - 198
A.Belyavsky - 82 V.Ivanchuk - 70, 119
U.Boensch- 112 I.Kalinsky - 38
M.Botvinnik -11,21, 31,42 G.Kamsky- 149
S.Boyd- 203 V.Karasev - 14
D.Bronstein- 56 A.Karpov -10,20, 23, 25, 27, 28, 44, 67
B.Chatalbashev- 173 G.Kasparov- 10, 28, 31, 36,43
A.Chemin- 91 B.Katalymov- 199
M.Chiburdanidze - 70 A.Khasin - 128
R.Cifuentes- 9 J.Klinger- 121
L.Comas- 185 Y.Klovans- 58
J.Diaz- 181 A.Kogan - 178
J.Diez del Corra- 23 Z.Kozul - 124
S.Dolmatov- 43, 44, 95 V.Korchnoi- 15, 20, 32, 38, 164
D.Donchev- 105 P.Korzubov - 30
J.Donner- 42 A.Kozlov - 48
!.Dorfman- 8, 9, 9, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, V.Kupreichik- 69, 186
24,25,26,29,30,32,33,34,35,37,38,38, G.Kuzmin - 80
39,40,47,48,48,50,51,53,54,56,58,60, B.Larsen- 13, 36
61,63, 65,67,69, 71, 72, 74, 77, 78, 80, 82, J.Lautier- 160
84, 86, 88, 89, 91, 93, 95, 98, 98, 100, 102, A.Lilienthal - 31
104, 105, 108, 110, 110, 112, 115, 116, 118, A.Lukin- 33
119, 121, 124, 125, 128, 129, 132, 133, 135, E.Magerramov - 100
136, 138, 140, 143, 145, 147, 149, 151, 153, V.Majorovas- 155
155,158,160,162,164,167,169,171,173, S. Makarychev - 110
177, 178,178,179, 180,181,182, 183, 184, V.Makogonov - 21
185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 191, 192, S.Martinovic- 183
 INDEX 207

H.Mecking - 21 G.Timoshchenko- 53
E.Mednis- 192 F.Trois- 29
R.Meulders - 196 V.Tseshkovsky- 74
W.Michel - 41 V.Tukmakov- 51
G.Miralles - 179 E.Ubilava - 89
E.Mochalov - 88 A.Vaisser- 135
J.Murrey- 34, 195 P.Velikov- 138
N.Murshed - 8 K.Venglovsky- 47
M.Najdorf- 36 S.Videki - 129
O.Neikirch - 11 L.Vogt- 35
N.Nikcevic - 25 V.Vorotnikov- 16, 50
Pr.Nikolic- 145 M.Vukic- 201
A.Nimzowitsch- 41 S.Webb -77
J.Nogueiras- 143 A.Weindl- 190
I.Novikov - 115 I.Zaitsev - 136
F.Ochoa de Echaguen - 188 A.Zapata - 187
D.Paunovic- 19
V.Petrienko - 9 Symbols
T.Petrosian- 20, 21, 22,77
E.Piankov - 191 'it king
I.Platonov - 84 'iii' queen
L.Polugayevsky - 12 : rook
L.Portisch- 31, 43 ttJ knight
J.Pribyl - 26 ..t bishop
E.Prie- 177 0-0 castle
Y.Rantanen - 118 X capture
N.Rashkovsky- 63 + check
Yu.Razuvaev - 167 ++ double check
M.Rivas Pastor - 153 # checkmate
O.Romanishin- 18, 40, 43, 61, 93, 98 1-0 win for white
D.Ruzele- 171 0-1 win for black
D.Sahovic - 194 Yz-Yz draw
V.Savon- 54 ! good move
W.Schmidt- 35, 78 !! brillant move
A.Shchekachev - 178 ? bad move
A.Shirov - 36 ?? blunder
R.Skrobek- 35, 104 !? interesting move
B.Spassky- 23 ?! dubious move
L.Spassov- 193 +- winning advantage for white
A.Stefanova- 180 ± clear advantage for white
H.Stefansson - 17 ;!;; slight advantage for white
E.Sveshnikov - 86 -+ winning advantage for black
M.Taimanov -13, 18 + clear advantage for black
M.Tal- 158 + slight advantage for black
P.Thipsay- 102 00 unclear position
K.Thorteins - 182 00 with compensation for the material
J.Timman- 23 t with initiative
 208 THE METHOD IN CHESS

Index of openings
Flank Openings Ruy Lopez/Spanish
AOO 89, 190, 204; A04 138; A07 110 C6565;C7851;C8080;C8282;C9974

English Opening l.d4 d5 Miscellaneous

All 77; Al2 78; A13 25, 60, 69, 70, 135, D02 110, 181
143; A14 58, 136; A20 167, 192; A21 8,
199; A22 17; A28 38; A29 37, 129; A30 27; Queen's gambit
A3425, 128, 182;A37155 D11 145, 180; Dl7 179; D20 125; D21 33;
D27 32; D28 160; D30 177; D31 153, 171 ;
l.d4 MisceUanous D34 118; D35 9; D45 86, 147
A40 173, 184; A41 191 ; A45 72, 188, 191 ;
A46 29, 104; A53 56, 115 Griinfeld Defence
D78 71, 149; D85 28, 116; D91 194; D93
Benko Gambit 34, 195;D97119, 124
A57 88
Catalan Defence
Modern Benoni
EOO 162; E03 38; E04 30, 193; E06 112
A63 15
Queen's Indian
Dutch Defence
E13 93; E15 26, 84, 178, 198
A87 196

Scandinavian Defence Nimzo-Indian

BOl 183 E32 164; E38 38, 158; E39 91

AJekhine Defence King's Indian Defence

B05 133 E60 53; E61 98; E62 98; E73 100; E82 201;
E91 108; E95 63; E97 198
Pirc Defence/Modern Defence
B06 140; B07 200

Caro-Kann Defence
Bl4 151; Bl9 186, 187

Sicilian Defence To contact the author:

B21 203; B22 16, 50; B28 9, 132; B31 48;
B33 36: B38 189; B42 178, 185 ; B52 39; For individual or group training period or
B56 169; B57 102; B60 48, 54; B81 67; B83 simultaneous games, please contact:
47, 95; B87 105; B88 61; B90 24 loss if Dorfman
15 bis boulevard St Charles,
French Defence 06100 Le Cannet, France
C10 184 tel.(33) 492 18 02 59, fax (33) 492 18 02 59,
e-mail: [email protected]
Giuoco Piano or www.game-mind.com
C54 121
 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
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