Russian IM Mark Dvoretsky is one the most respected chess trainers in the world today. In his May 2015 column he presents the fifth of a six-part series dealing with positions in which Black opens the g-file after a trade of minor pieces. A new column is posted the second Tuesday of each month.A Complex EncounterBy Mark DvoretskyTime for us to examine two more complex encounters that took place in Candidates' matches.Yusupov - IvanchukCandidates' Match, Game 6Brussels, 19911.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 0-0 7.0-0 cd8.eddc9.Bxc4 b6 10.Bg5 Bb7 11.Ne5[FEN "rn1q1rk1/pb3ppp/1p2pn2/4N1B1/1bBP4/2N5/PP3PPP/R2Q1RK1 b - - 0 11"]11...Nb8-d7A courageous decision: Black is aiming for … [Read more...]
Defending an Inferior Ending
Russian IM Mark Dvoretsky is one the most respected chess trainers in the world today. In his April 2015 column he presents the fourth of a six-part series dealing with positions in which Black opens the g-file after a trade of minor pieces. A new column is posted the second Tuesday of each month. Defending an Inferior Ending By Mark Dvoretsky Dvoretsky - Moiseev Moscow Championship 1973 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.0-0 Nf6 6.e5 de 7.Nxe5 Qd8?! (7...Qc8) 8.Nc3 Nbd7 9.d4 e6 10.Bg5 Be7 (10...cd!? 11.Qxd4+/=) 11.Nxd7 Qxd7 (11...Nxd7?! 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.d5+/=) 12.dc Qxd1 It's harder for Black to defend if he keeps the queens on: 12...Bxc5 13.Bxf6 gf? … [Read more...]
Unjustified Weakening of the Pawn Structure
Russian IM Mark Dvoretsky is one the most respected chess trainers in the world today. In his March 2015 column he presents the third of a six-part series dealing with positions in which Black opens the g-file after a trade of minor pieces. A new column is posted the second Tuesday of each month. Unjustified Weakening of the Pawn Structure By Mark Dvoretsky As a rule, White strives to exploit his opponent's kingside weaknesses by playing for attack, and keeping the queens on the board. But sometimes, pawn structure minuses make themselves felt even deep into the endgame, as the following examples demonstrate. Tal - Korchnoi Game 1, Semi-Final Candidates' Match, Moscow 1968 1.d4 Nf6 … [Read more...]
Further Investigations of a Standard Structure
Further Investigations of a Standard Structure There are some openings where this structure (with doubled pawns on Black's f-file) appears from the very first moves. Rauzer's Attack in the Sicilian is too complex and wide-ranging a topic for us even to touch on here. And as for the French Defense variation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 de5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 gf, or the Caro-Kann variation 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 de4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ gf - they have long since gone out of style, so there's no point in delving into them. I shall only present one example each of the above-cited openings. Sigurjonsson - Dvoretsky Wijk aan Zee 1975 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.ed (this was a popular … [Read more...]
Exchange at f6: A Standard Structure
Exchange at f6: A Standard Structure by Mark Dvoretsky In a lot of openings we get a standard structure with Black pawns at e6, f7, g7, and h7, and the knight at f6. Sometimes, White is able to carry out a trade of minor pieces such that his opponent must recapture with his g-pawn, creating a weakness in his camp. Most often, these weaknesses can be exploited; but it also happens, conversely, that Black can whip up dangerous counterplay along the opened g-file - as, for example, in the following. Peterson - Skuja Riga, 1950 1...? The rather simple tactical stroke 1...Qxf3!! forced an immediate capitulation, since after 2.gf ed (with the threat of 3...Bh3#), White would be a … [Read more...]
Held Captive by the Computer’s “Top Line”
Held Captive by the Computer's "Top Line" by Mark Dvoretsky In the fifth issue of New in Chess magazine for 2014, an article appeared by GM Matthew Sadler, entitled "Puzzles? Must be easy!" In it, Matthew recalls how he traveled to Moscow twice, in 1994 and 1995, in order to train with your author, and he presented two tasks he had to solve during training. In Issue #7 of the same magazine, a letter from Bogdan Lalic appeared, disputing the solutions to both tasks. Here are those two tasks: you see if his criticism was deserved. Hort – Mestel London, 1982 1.? White stands significantly better. Vlastimil Hort protected the f4-pawn by means of a most unexpected move: 25. Rf3 … [Read more...]
At the Crossroads
by Mark Dvoretsky In a very old classic game, after all of thirty rather boring moves, an interesting position arose, which shall become the subject of our discussion. Fine – Shainswit U.S. Championship, New York 1944 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. d4 d5 4. Nc3 dc 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 9. de Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 Be7?! To cite Garry Kasparov in My Great Predecessors, Part 2: “Later on, players would prefer 11...f6 12. 0-0 Rd8, or 11...Rd8 12. Qc1 f6. 11...g5!? is the fashion these days.” 12. 0-0 Be6 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. a5 14. Qc2! Rd8 (14...Qa5 15.Nb5; 14...0-0 15. Nb5 Qb8 16. Nd4) 15. Rfd1 0-0 16. Nb5 is probably stronger, as was played in the 1st game of … [Read more...]
A String of Associations
A String of Associations by Mark Dvoretsky Looking at a recent issue of New In Chess magazine (No. 6, 2013), my attention was drawn to the final section of an article by grandmaster Jan Timman. Kunin – Edouard Helsingfors, 2013 Kunin is a grandmaster with roughly 2500 Elo-points. In this position he seems to be worried that Black has doubled rooks on the a-file, because he went in for 22.b5? An utterly unbelievable move. Black’s positional problem has been solved at a stroke: the black knight, with no prospects on b7, has been gifted a magnificent square in c5. Before that, Black didn’t have a single threat. Remarkably enough, the computer isn’t even overly critical here, … [Read more...]