Chess: The Search

for Mona Lisa

Eduard Gufeld

B.T. Batsford Ltd, London

First published in 2001
© Eduard Gufeld 2001

ISBN 0 7 1 34 8477 2

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be

reproduced, by any means, without prior permission
of the publisher.

Printed in Great Britain by

Creative Print and Design (Wales), Ebbw Vale
for the publishers,
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A member of the Chrysalis Group plc

A BATSFORD CHESS BOOK

 Contents

Page

Preface 5

Three Tributes 7

Part One: My Life in Chess 9

Soccer or Chess? 9
Refuting Sokolsky 10
From the Ukraine with love 11
Seeking the Master title 14
Sergeant and Grandmaster 16
The Gufeld bishop 18
Dance of the elephant 22
Caissa's whims 23
A detective story 24
Who saw it? Who heard it? Who said it? 29
Seeking the truth 31
Fischer as I know him 33
The maximum discount 36
Non-Olympian motives 39
There is a girl in Kutaisi ... 40
The Tallinn pearl 42
The flying coach 43
How far is it to immortality? 45
According to the Grandmaster... 47
Why I did not eat m y hat 49
A barber of Seville 51

Part Two: Higher Chess Education 53

Who is faster? 53
A rare king march 56
Once in eight years 63
Korchnoi is Korchnoi 71
The beauty of symmetry 74
He was called a peace-loving man 76
Postscript: a parade of champions 79
 Page

Part Three: My Immortal Game 82

Part Four: Unforgettable Encounters 90

A gift from a friend 90

Good and bad bishops 95
How I became world champion 97
Second-degree threats

Intuition-the cornerstone of chess art 102

A provocation 105
Conveyor-belt sacrifices 109
Where is the mistake? 114
The tragedy of one tempo 118
Due respect for knights 121
White to play and win 125
What kind of games do we appreciate? 133
Art born out of struggle 137
Across the Pacific Ocean 151
A worthy opponent 155
eo-champion of America 158
Postscript: Alexander Matrosov 161

Part Five: Theoretical Controversies 164

Star-Gazing 164
A lifelong duel 174

Part Six: Extracts from an unwritten book 100 Games I Almost Won

Cartegena cannot be destroyed 199

The last round 201
Bringing the fateful moment back 205

Part Seven: Chess Kaleidoscope 210

Miniatures, Mini-Ideas, Maxi-Effects 241

Experience develops intuition 246

Index of Players of Games 253

Index of ECO Opening Codes 255

Index of Openings 256

 Author's Preface

In producing this book, I hope to puted as a combination of his rat­

show all those who love chess that ings in all three departments. For in
they too can have their special place the end, the true value of a chess­
in the chess world. They can do this player lies not only in his
not merely by striving for ever superiority as a sportsman but also
higher Elo ratings, but also through in his contribution of novel ideas
their contributions to chess as pro­ that can enhance the development of
moters, writers, journalists, teachers, chess, and the creation of beautiful
coaches, and chess organizers. games that provide aesthetic
The chess world acknowledges pleasure.
that there are at least three main The meaning of our "search for
components in chess, namely art, the Mona Lisa"---our permanent
sport, and science. The Elo list re­ striving to create aesthetic beauty
flects the sporting component, over the chessboard--<:an be under­
which is objectively measured. But stood in this light. Successful sport­
what about the art and science of the ing results will guarantee us Elo
game? Although these are subjec­ ratings that reflect our competitive
tive features, they too ought to be ambitions, but all of us who play the
quantifiable by relation to a given Royal Game are also familiar with
set of standards. Otherwise, as we the joy that comes from a beautiful
know from other disciplines, it conception-a combination, for ex­
would be impossible to pick the ample, that arises "out of nowhere"
winners of an art or music competi­ in a sterile position. I hope to share
tion or to award Nobel Prizes in the with my readers, in the pages that
sciences. For chess, the artistic and follow, some of the great joy I have
scientific criteria could be: 1) nov­ been privileged to experience in the
elty of ideas, and 2) strength of op­ course of my chess life.
position and accuracy of play.
Thus I suggest that the true chess This book is fondly dedicated to
rating of a player could be corn- my mother.
 Symbols used in this book

+ check
+- winning advantage for White
± large advantage for White
;!; slight advantage for White
-+ winning advantage for Black
+ large advantage for Black
+ slight advantage for Black
level position
good move
!! outstanding move
!? interesting move
?! dubious move
? bad move
?? blunder
1-0 the game ends in a win for White
0-1 the game ends in a win for Black
'h-'h the game ends in a draw
Ch Championship
 Three Tributes

Gufeld has a fine collection of Yes, this Bagirov-Gufeld game­

"scalps" to his name: victories over affectionately called "la Gioconda,"
Spassky and me, two excellent ones the Mona Lisa, by its creator-has
against Smyslov, successful games been published in chess literature
against many a famous grandmaster the world over, but its matchless
.. . in sum, Gufeld is a chessplayer fame remains intact. Do we talk too
who, when inspired, can defeat any­ much about one game, even an "im­
body. If he is out of sorts he can just mortal" one? I don't think so. But
as easily lose to anybody. To this then, Gufeld's contribution to chess
day I can recall his fierce reaction to is not confined to a single game.
the agonies of a lamentable defeat in Suffice it to look at several of his
one of our games-he is a very tem­ games with Black, in which you are
peramental person. Eddie walked immediately struck by this grand­
round the tournament hall continu­ master's idee fue: his fanatical faith
ously mumbling in suppressed an­ in the omnipotence of the black­
ger: "No, Tal is not a genius!" So it square bishop on the long diagonal.
went on for about ten minutes. Then The notorious "Gufeld bishop" has
we made up and I was restored to long been the talk of the town
my former place of "honour" .. . Of among chessplayers, but please tell
course he is not a person you can be me who else can boast of such a
angry with for long, because Gufeld steadfast attachment ...
is a man who wears his heart on his
Garry Kasparov
sleeve. Besides, as the reader will
discover-he can take a humorous
Eduard Efimovich Gufeld, affec­
look at himself ...
tionately called Eddie by friends
Mikhail Tal and admirers, has at various times
been interchangeably introduced as
a Ukrainian, a Georgian, a Russian,
Ask any chessplayer to name his or a Soviet International Grandmas­
best game, and you can count on let". He is all of these and more! It is
getting the stock retort: "I have yet true that he was born and now re­
to play it!" Everyone would answer sides in Kiev, Ukraine; he married a
that way except one grandmaster, Georgian and made Tbilisi, Georgia,
who, gesticulating wildly, would be­ his second home; he has an address
gin enthusing about his "immortal" in Moscow; and he represented the
game, which, in his opinion, over­ USSR in international tournaments.
shadows all other masterpieces cre­ But he may be called, more aptly,
ated in the whole history of chess. an international citizen, as he has
8 Three Tributes

been to so many countries around time and one that Eduard rightfully
the world, and everywhere he goes shares in.
he is warmly received and made to A more multi-talented chess per­
feel at home. sonality than Eduard will be diffi­
Jestingly, Eduard claims that he is cult, if not impossible, to find. One
the World Champion at Chess by chess magazine editor declared, not
Telex, having won an experimental altogether facetiously, that Eduard
championship by telex for the USSR did more for the positive promotion
team. For more than fifteen years he of chess than the combined efforts
coached the renowned super­ of Bobby Fischer and Garry Kas­
grandmaster Efim Geller who, dur­ parov. He is an international chess
ing this period, consistently quali­ grandmaster by title, chess journalist
fied to play in candidates matches by education, chess author by avo­
for the World Championship. Edu­ cation, chess promoter by profes­
ard was also the coach of Maya sion, chess coach by choice, FIDE
Chiburdanidze when she won the official by merit and a chess artist
Women's World Chess Champion­ by nature.
ship at the age of 17-a record that
will probably remain in The Elmer D. Sangalang
Guinness Book of Records for all (Philippines)
 Part One: My Life in Chess

Soccer or chess?

Rumours circulate that Eduard Young Pioneers team in my first

Gufeld was born on the first of real football shirt with the number 8
April. Having known myself for on my back. "Come on, Gufa!" the
many years now, I can authorita­ supporters shouted to me. And a
tively declare that they are just ru­ slim, nimble inside forward would
mours. As a matter of fact I was shoot goals into the net, gliding past
born on 19 March 1936. My first clumsy defenders and getting warn­
love was football ... ings from the referee for shouting
On 22 June 1941, the inhabitants and wild gesticulations. In my opin­
of Kiev were preparing for the ion the referees were too strict, and
opening of a new stadium, built al­ very often downright unfair. I
most at the foot of the ancient would escape their interminable
Cherepanov Hill. But it was only censures by relaxing at the chess­
after four grim, war-ravaged years board. There you don't have to fear
had passed that the new Republican an unfair shove! You don't have to
Stadium was opened in 1946. stop and wait for a pass! And the ar­
There was rejoicing, especially biter is more silent than the whis­
among us boys who lived nearby. tlers on the football field, where I
No matter which direction you took had no sooner made a mistake than
when coming out of School No. the coach bitingly remarked:
131, you were sure to end up where "You're not playing chess now.
the football field, running tracks, Here you have to think!" But I stub­
courts and sports halls were. bornly persisted in fighting on both
Most of the boys, of course, were fronts.
crazy about football. My father had It was a cousin who first ac­
been killed in the first months of the quainted me with chess, and when
war, and I had just returned with my my love for chess prevailed, the soc­
mother to ruined Kiev from Samar­ cer forward finally joined the fans of
kand. I was in the second form and this ancient game. In a way it was a
scarcely knew my multiplication ta­ pity, for at that time I used to play in
bles, but I did know all my football the Kiev Junior League and in the
idols by heart. Whenever an oppor­ selected team of Ukrainian schools
tunity arose, I would run off to the in which there were stars like Andrei
stadium. I played in the Palace of Biba and Victor Kanevsky. But I
10 My Life in Chess

was lucky: the experienced and Matulovic and even Fischer. But let
talented chess teachers me tell you about that later.
A.Olshansky, E.Poliak and I was eleven when I first came to
I.Lipnitsky (the latter was also a re­ the city's chess club Spartak. Soon I
markable player) thought it was a was enrolled at the chess circle of
good thing I had switched from the Kiev's Pioneers' Palace. There I had
field game to the table game. So the an opportunity to take part in a num­
choice was made. ber of simultaneous displays given
All the same, I have retained my by Bronstein, Lipnitsky, Bole­
interest in soccer throughout my slavsky, Goldenov and others. The
life. At the Student Olympiad at greatest influence on me was Lipnit­
Helsinki in 1961 I captained the sky. Even now his books on chess
combined team of what were then strategy are counted among the best.
called the Socialist Countries, in a One can judge their quality by the
match against the "Rest of the high estimates given by Botvinnik
World" team. I consider this the and Fischer.
peak of my career-together with When I was eighteen, I became
my exploits at the remote Sousse In­ Junior Champion of the Ukraine. It
terzonal in Tunis, 1967, where I was my first formal step towards the
played football with Gligoric, chess heights.

Refuting Sokolsky

One of the textbooks which we l Philidor Defence [C41]

were not supposed to criticize was Y.Nikolaevsky White
· Sokolsky's Contemporary Chess E.Gufeld Black
Openings. Its authority seemed un­ USSRCh Semi-final, Kiev, 1951
questionable. But I realized that
books are written by human beings
and nobody is free from error. I
found some inaccuracies in Sokol­
sky's reference work. In a variation
of the Philidor Defence the author
recommended an original manoeu­
vre with a temporary sacrifice of
two minor pieces for a rook. I inves­
tigated this variation very carefully
and managed to find two holes in it
-not just one but two, which is
rather unusual. In the following
game against Nikolaevsky, I used
the Philidor Defence for the first
time in my life, being sure I would
be able to entice him into the trap. I
knew that Yuri had been studying 9 tt:Jxti?
the book thoroughly.
 My Life in Chess 1 1

At first, Yuri played 9 4Jf3. As To be perfectly frank with you, I

soon as he stood up from the table, let him do it. Having taken my gen­
everybody rushed over to him. tleman's word that I would not
"Yuri, what are you doing?! You whimper and complain to the arbi­
could have won at once! Sokolsky ters, the happy Yuri cheerfully took
gives such a nice manoeuvre here!" the f7-pawn. There followed:
I could see Yuri's confusion. Then 9...l:txf7 10 �xf7+ �xf7 1 1 fxe5
he came over to the board, gave me dxe5 1 2 dxe5 lt:Jxe5 13 'ifhS+ lt:Jg6
a very strange (or, as they say, "sig­ 14 e5 Sokolsky asserts that White
nificant") look, and said, "You've wins here, but ... 14 ...i..c 5+! 15
got all the luck in the world, Edu­ �h1 1i'd3!-+ 0-1
ard." I pretended not to understand After I had won the game with
what he meant. "Do you realize," he this counter-combination (to the
began to explain, "I could have won great dismay of my friend), I said:
at once." "Now if you don't mind giving me a
"Oh, really... how could you have couple of moves back, I'll show you
done that?" another way that Black could have
After a pause Yuri exclaimed in won." We replaced the pieces and I
great excitement: "If you let me take demonstrated the second refutation,
my move back, I'll show you!" which is 14... 1i'd5!-+.

From the Ukraine with love

There is a story about a man who Championships. I was also in

was wooing a beautiful girl. He had love. Her name was Bella or, in the
tried nearly everything from flowers affectionate Russian diminutive,
to nice love letters to win her heart Belochka. She was beautiful, had
and hand in marriage. But nothing blond hair, big blue eyes, and
worked. Then one day, he found out played chess-which made me love
that she played chess. And so in his her all the more. Of course I had my
next letter to her, he used a few rivals who offered her opening ad­
metaphors to describe his love. One vice and adjournment analysis. I
was: "You are for me the queen on tried to do the same. Incomprehensi­
d8. And I'm the pawn on d7!!" His bly, she ignored me and refused all
chess metaphors won her heart, and my offers to help her at chess. But I
they got married and lived happily still remember the five wonderful
ever after. Now I will tell you a hours that I spent each day with her
story from my own life, where I was in the same hall. I would divide that
not so lucky and did not have such time between playing my game and
words. watching her beautiful eyes. Those
It happened a long time ago----40 were the best hours of my life. Then
kilograms ago (I have my own came the disastrous day when my
method of measuring time), when I team played against Uzbekistan.
was playing for the Ukrainian team The game went as follows.
in the Soviet Junior Team
12 My Life in Chess

2 King's Indian Defence [E99] have made-it's for you." Suddenly

A.Khasidovsky White she looked up and pierced me with
E.Gufeld Black her beautiful big blue eyes. Surely
Soviet Junior Team Ch, 1 953 she knew that I was not interested in
her game. I even thought that she
1 d4 ltJf6 2 c4 g6 3 ltJc3 i£.g7 4 had heard what my heart had said to
e4 d6 If only Belochka had under­ her, and maybe, just maybe, she
stood my faithful nature, for after all understood my feelings. It was as if
this time I am still true to my first time stood still for that moment
love-the King's Indian Defence! when we gazed into each other's
Today, every time I play this de­ eyes. Her eyes then turned away
fence, I remember the sweetness of from me as she looked back at her
my love for Belochka. 5 ltJf3 0-0 6 game. She then quickly made her
i£.e2 e5 7 0-0 ltJc6 8 d5 ltJe7 9 ltJe1 move and . . . blundered her queen
ltJd7 10 i£.e3 f5 1 1 f3 f4 12 i£.f2 g5 away! It was a tragedy and immedi­
13 b4 .l:f.f6 14 c5 h5 15 h3 .l:f.g6 1 6 ately she resigned her game. A
cxd6 cxd6 1 7 l:tc1 g4 1 8 hxg4 hxg4 steady stream of tears began to flow
19 fxg4 ltJf6 20 g5 .l:f.xg5 21 ltJf3 from these beautiful blue eyes. I was
.l:f.h5 22 ltJd2 .l:f.h7 23 'WWb3 ltJg6 24 stunned by her grief and blamed
a4 i£.f8 25 ltJb5 i£.g4 26 'ii'd3 f3 27 myself for what had befallen her.
i£.xf3 ltJf4 28 'ii'b3 'i!Ve8 29 :c7 But being a great fan of Indian mov­
%1hl+! ! 30 �xh1 'ii'h5+ ies, I knew what had to be done-I
had to share her tragedy, just like
the hero!
But I couldn't resign my game, as
I was playing for my team. So I of­
fered my opponent a draw which he
quickly accepted. The spectators
were shocked by the draw, but they
didn't understand the love I had for
her. The post-mortem established
that Black was winning, for exam­
ple: 3 1 i£.h4 (3 1 �g1 i£.xf3-+)
3 1 ...'ii'xh4+ 32 W g1 i£.xf3 33 .l:f.xf3
(33 'ii'xf3 ltJg4-+; 33 ltJxf3 ltJe2
I had sacrificed a rook to gain a mate) 33 ... ltJg4 34 .l:f.xf4 'WWh2+ 35
tempo and reach a winning position. �fl 'ifh1+ 36 �e2 'WWxg2+ 37 �d3
It was really fantastic and I felt in­ exf4 38 ltJd4 ltJeS+ 39 �c2 f3! 40
spired by my love for Belochka. At ltJ4xf3 i£.h6 41 �d1 ltJxf3 42 ltJxf3
this point many of the tournament .l:f.f8 43 .l:f.c3 .l:f.xf3 44 .l:f.xf3 'ii'd2
participants rushed to my table to mate!!
see the combination. I was hoping
to see Belochka but she did not And what about Belochka? She
come. She remained in her seat ran to her team trainer to complain
playing for the Russian team. I ran that I was to blame for the loss of
over to her table and with my eyes her game ! She didn't accept my sac­
and heart I said to her, "See my rifice and only blamed me for her
combination. This sacrifice that I loss. The tournament officials
 My Life in Chess 13

reprimanded me for causing Be­ I was i n trouble, for i f this re­

lochka to blunder away her queen sulted in a draw I would have to
and also forbade me to go near the leave the room and Belochka. This
Russian Ladies Team while they must not happen. I begged my
were playing their games. This was opponent to play on as long as
like going to the guillotine! Before possible, but he didn't agree. Imme­
the game she didn't want to see me, diately I tried to complicate the
after the game she didn't want to see situation. I argued that on move 1 20
me, and now, during the game, I the rook that was now on d4 had
was not allowed to see her! But God been on d5, and the rook that had
gave me a chance to see her again­ been on d4 then was on d5 now.
the best chance of my life. For on And with that I claimed that there
the day of the match between Russia were no grounds for a draw. I sug­
and the Ukraine, the edict was not in gested we should play through the
effect. The games started on time game and mark the underside of the
and my chair was facing my rooks at move 1 20 with a Q (for
Belochka and not my opponent. Of queen's rook) and a K (for king's
course, I can't remember what she rook). We could thereby ascertain
played, only how she moved the whether it was the same rooks on
pieces with her hand! By the end of the same squares on moves 1 3 5 and
the playing session, both her game 1 50. Total confusion! The officials
and mine were to be adjourned and were at a loss for words and decided
played off the following day, to retire to another room to decide
thereby permitting me extra hours in the issue. I had another twenty min­
her presence. It seemed that our utes to be with my Belochka. Before
games would last forever. Only I knew it, the officials were back.
those who have been in love at the They declared the game a draw and
age of seventeen will understand reprimanded me for trying to con­
how I felt. When play resumed, I fuse them.
continued where I had left off the Since that time many years and
previous day-watching her every countless tournaments have come
movement. But on move 1 50 my and gone, but I have not seen
o.pponent announced that on playing Belochka again at chess events. But
�7 in the position below, he there is a final twist to this story.
would claim a draw by threefold When this account was published in
repetition. the Georgian newspaper Lelo, the
editors received an angry letter from
a lady who wanted to know about
Belochka's destiny. She wrote, "I
can't imagine how Bella could have
turned down such a nice and charm­
ing man (and future grandmaster!)
like Eduard Gufeld."
A few years ago I gave some
chess lectures and simultaneous
displays all over Australia. As one
of my assignments, in Melbourne,
was coming to a close, the Chess
14 My Life in Chess

Association held a dinner at a res­ to me and gave me the traditional

taurant on a beautiful beach. Over Australian souvenir-a boomerang.
one hundred chessplayers and their He name was Felicity. She said,
families enjoyed this luxurious "Grandmaster, we believe this sou­
atmosphere; both the food and the venir will help you return again to
setting were beautiful beyond de­ Melbourne."
scription, even though I was from The chess tour, which began in
the country of Georgia, the seat of Sydney and Canberra, continued:
hospitality. I was so relaxed from Tasmania, Adelaide, Perth ... From
the friendliness of the people and a there I flew to Brisbane, re-crossing
glass of fine wine, that I could not the continent in the opposite direc­
refuse when the organizer asked me tion in two hops like a kangaroo:
to relate some more interesting sto­ there was a brief stop in Melbourne
ries. Of course they provided a dem­ at three in the morning before flying
onstration board, and I told them the on to Brisbane a few hours later.
Belochka story in my best "Gufeld When I arrived at the waiting area, I
English." saw Felicity with one of her friends.
Emotion radiated to all the listen­ "Where are you flying to?", I asked.
ers. My attention was drawn to a "Nowhere," she said. "We knew
beautiful young girl seated several your schedule and we want to spend
tables away. She was about seven­ a few hours with you." As we had a
teen years old, with stunning red pre-dawn snack, the time flew by ...
hair; very large blue eyes, flushed We started writing to each other and
pink cheeks and ... tears! Maybe she exchanging souvenirs. She signed
empathized with my feelings for her letters "Felicity (Belochka)."
Belochka. When I came to the last As the boomerang foretold, I was
phrases I had an inspiration: "But I to return again down under. Again
was only looking for Belochka in short flights, again my chess assign­
the Soviet Union. Maybe she's with ments, and again on to Melbourne,
us here in Australia! " again a rendevouz with Felicity.
I t i s difficult to explain what hap­ With a shy and hesitant smile she
pened next, but everyone knew who told me she had married three
was on my mind and they all looked months before, and wished to intro­
at the lovely young woman with the duce me to her husband. I met him
flaming red hair. As the evening the next day, and as we shook
ended, the organizers presented me hands, his first words were: "/know
with several gifts, and this girl came everything!"

Seeking the Master title

Si jeunesse savait. . . But I wasn't content with just
In 1953 the chess heights seemed dreams. The same year I made my
like rocky, inaccessible peaks to me. first step towards the cherished aim:
This future grandmaster had just in an adults' tournament I took sec­
finished school and only dreamt of ond place and qualified for the title
the master's title which in those of Candidate Master. The following
years was extremely difficult to get. year, I was already sharing 2nd-4th
 My Life in Chess 15

places in the Ukrainian Champion­ 4 French Defence [C 1 1 ]

ship. My game against Levin in E.Gufeld White
round nine was acclaimed as the K.Lubensky Black
most brilliant of the tournament. Ukrainian Ch, Kiev, 1 954

3 Dutch Defence [A80] 1 e4 e6 2 ttJf3 d5 3 tbc3 ttJf6 4 e5

E.Gufeld White ttJfd7 5 d4 c5 6 dxc5 i.xc5 Alterna­
M.Levin Black tives are 6 . .. tbc6 and 6 ... tbxc5. 7
Ukrainian Ch, Kiev, 1 954 i.d3 tbc6 8 i.f4 a6 9 0-0 i.e7 Or
9 . . . b5 1 0 l:.e 1 .tb7 1 1 tUgS 'ti'c7 1 2
tbxd5 exd5 1 3 e6 'ifxf4 1 4 exf7+! .
1 0 l:.e1 0-0 1 1 i.g3 tbc5 1 2 i.fl
i.d7 1 2 ... f5. 13 l:.b1 a5 1 3 ...tba7 1 4
b 4 tba4. 1 4 lbb5 'ifb6 1 4 ... tba7 1 5
tbd6? (1 5 tbxa7! ; 1 5 lbbd4!)
15 ... i.c6 1 6 c4 tbc8 1 7 cxd5 i.xd5!
15 c4 dxc4 16 tba3 ii'c7 17 tbxc4
l:.fd8? 1 7 ...lbb4 ! and 1 8 ... tbd5. 1 8
a3 ! a4 19 ifc2 tba5 2 0 tbd6 'ifb6
2 1 l:.e3 Intending 22 tbxf7 ! .
2 1 .. .i.xd6 2 2 tbg5! g6 2 2 ...i.c7 23
'ti'xh7+ �f8 24 i.h4 ! , or 22 ... f5 23
exf6! g6 24 f7+ (24 lbxh7 i.e8 !),
and now: (a) 24 ... �g7 25 'ifc3+
�h6 (25 ... e5 26 i.xe5+ i.xe5 27
'ti'xe5+ iff6 28 'ti'xc5) 26 i.xd6
ifxd6 27 iff6; (b) 24 ...�f8 25 il'c3
i.xg3 (25 ... �e7 26 i.h4) 26 iff6.
15 d5 tba6 1 6 dxc6 lbxb4 17 23 exd6
l:.xa8 'ir'xa8 1 8 cxd7! tbxd3 1 9
i.xb7 'ir'd8 20 dxe8='ir' 'ir'xe8 2 1
i.d5+ �h8 22 l:. a 1 g 6 2 3 tbd4 tbc5
24 l:.a8 'ife7 25 tbc6 'ti'g7 26 l:.a7
1i'h6 27 tbd8 ifh5 28 tbti+ �g7 29
h4! 29 i.f3? leads nowhere because
of 29 ...ifxf3 30 tbe5+ ifb7.
29 ... tbe4 30 tbd8+ �h8 31 tbti+
�g7 32 tbxd6+ Things start
humming ... 32 ... �h8 33 tbti+ �g7
34 tbg5+ �h8 35 l:.xh7+ ifxh7 36
tbxh7 'it>xh7 37 i.xe4 fxe4 38
tbxe4 1-0
23 ...i.b5
In the 1 954 chess yearbook the Or 23 . . . f6 24 tbe4 tbxe4 25 1i'xe4
following game was marked as one e5 26 'ti'd5+ �g7 27 l:.xe5 fxe5 28
of the best: i.xe5+ �f8 (28 ... �h6 29 i.f6)
1 6 My Life in Chess

29 i.f4! �g7 30 'ife5+ �g8 Only a handful could manage it. In

(30 ... �f7 3 1 'ii'e7+ �g8 32 i.e5 !) the 1 955 and 1 956 tournaments I
31 i.h6 ! . 24 ltJxh7 'Wttxh7 25 i.e5 f5 failed to surmount these barriers. In
26 l:.h3+ 'ili>g8 27 l:.h8+ �f7 28 1 957 the Ukrainian Sports Commit­
l:th7+ �g8 29 l:tg7+ �f8 30 'ili'd2 tee decided to hold a contest for the
1-0 strongest candidates and promised
the winner a match for the master
In those years, even one of the top title. I was able to participate in this
places in the Ukrainian Champion­ tournament, which took place in
ship was not sufficient to earn a Odessa in the summer, and took first
master title. For that, you had to get place. But the match with a master
through a number of elimination wasn't arranged for me: that autumn
contests, qualify at least for the I was drafted into the army and went
USSR Championship semi-finals, to Cherkassky Region to do my
and attain quite a high result there. military service.

Sergeant and Grandmaster

In late 1 957 I began my almost in the semi-finals for the Champion­

20-year career in the Armed Forces ship of the USSR. At this tourna­
Chess League. ment, held in Tashkent, I reaped a
For about a year I underwent new success, taking fourth place!
training in a Sergeants' School. One The editorial office of Cherkasskaia
day a telegram arrived from the Pravda was exultant-Gufeld had
region's top leaders with a request struggled through to the 26th Soviet
to send Private Gufeld to Championship Finals!
Dnepropetrovsk to take part in the You can well imagine the excite­
Ukraine Championship semi-finals. ment of a young master who for the
It should be said that chess at that first time found himself in a
time was not so popular in the tournament of a very high level. In
Armed Forces. "Until the return of Tbilisi where the tournament was
the Division Commander to the unit, held, I played against Petrosian,
we don't even want to hear about Bronstein, Taimanov and other
it," was the reply. I was greatly de­ famous chessplayers and finished in
pressed. But, as luck would have it, twelfth place. For a start it was not
the CO came back to the Division. bad at all, considering that I
He quickly examined the matter and managed to defeat Tal, Holmov and
ordered me immediately to Vasiukov.
Dnepropetrovsk. I arrived at the The next year I took third place in
competition for the second round. the Ukraine Championship, then
My emotional inspiration was so took part in the 27th USSR Champi­
high that it helped me qualify again onship Finals. But my main event
for the championship final, where I of 1 960 turned out to be the Armed
shared 5th-7th place and not only Forces Championship, held in Riga
achieved the much coveted master in late July. Here is one of my
norm but also won the right to play games from that event. I triumphed
 My Life in Chess 1 7

over my opponent by exploiting an procure me the GM title, so greatly

advantage secured in the opening. coveted? I began the contest with
two victories. My game with
Vlastimil Hort is especially in­
5 Sicilian Defence [B9 1 ] grained in my memory.
E.Kogan White
E.Gufeld Black
6 Slav Defence [D 1 5]
Riga, 1 960 E.Gufeld White
V.Hort Black
1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4
Leningrad, 1 967
lbxd4 lbf6 5 lbc3 a6 6 g3 e5 7
lbde2 i..e7 8 �g2 0-0 9 0-0 lbbd7 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 lbf3 lbf6 4 lbc3
10 a4 b6 1 1 h3 �b7 12 g4 b5! 13 dxc4 5 e3 g6 6 �xc4 �g7 7 0-0 0-0
lbg3 b4 14 lbd5 lbxd5 15 exd5 a5 8 b4! ? lbbd7 9 e4 lbb6 10 �b3 a5
1 6 lbf5 g6 17 lbxe7+ 'i!Vxe7 18 �h6 1 0 ... �g4 1 1 �e3 e5 ! 1 2 dxe5 lbfd7.
l:tfc8 19 f4 l:tc4! 20 fxe5 lbxe5 2 1 1 1 bxa5 l:txa5 12 l:tb1 l:ta6 13 h3
'i!Vd2 l:tac8 22 l:tacl �a6 2 3 l:t f2 b3 lba8 14 �f4 'ii'a5 15 'ii'd3 lbc7 16
24 �g5 'li'a7 25 �e3 'li'd7 26 c3 l:tfcl lbe6 1 7 i..d2 'i*'d8 1 8 i..e3
l:txa4 27 �d4 lbd3 28 �f6 'ii'a 7! lbc5 19 'i!Vc2 lbxb3 20 axb3 lbd7
29 l:tcfl l:tf4 30 �d4 l:txd4! 3 1 21 b4 l:ta8 22 b5 lbb8 23 �f4 �d7
l:txti lbe5! 32 l:txa7 l:txd2 3 3 l:txa6 Not 23 ...�xd4? 24 �xb8 l:txb8 25
l:txb2 34 l:txd6 l:tf8 35 l:te1 l:tff2 ! bxc6+-. 24 l:ta1 l:ta5 25 l:txa5 'li'xa5
36 �e4 l:tfe2! 37 �fl l:tf2+ 38 �g1 26 'i!Vb2 'ii'b6 Or 26 ... cxb5 27 l:tb 1 .
l:tfe2 39 �fl l:th2 40 g5 l:thf2+ 41 27 lba4!±. 'i!Vxb5 28 'iVxb5 cxb5 29
�g1 lbti 0-1 lbb6 e5 30 i..xe5 i.. xe5 3 1 lbxe5
l:td8 32 lbbxd7 lbxd7 33 lbxd7
The year 1 96 1 was strenuous for l:txd7 34 d5 f5 35 f3 fxe4 36 fxe4
me: the Armed Forces Champion­ l:te7 Or 36 ... �f7 37 �f2 �e7 38
ship, the Student Olympiad in Hel­ �e3 �d6 39 �d4 l:te7 40 l:tfl !+-.
sinki, the tournament of the Central 37 d6+- l:td7 38 e5 �f7 39 l:tc7
Chess Club of the USSR. This was �e6 40 l:txd7 �xd7 41 �f2 b4 42
my debut in international competi­ �e3 1-0
tions (where I won the first norm for
the International Master title). The I mishandled my sixth-round
army service and my participation game with Jimenez Zerquera, but
in tournaments proceeded simultan­ was back in the leaders' group after
eously with my studies at the round eight and finished the
Cherkassky Teachers Training tournament with ten out of sixteen!
Institute: I was studying for a Congratulations poured in from
qualification as a coach. In 1 964 I everywhere, from my friends,
achieved my second IM norm at a acquaintances, and the Army Chess
tournament in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Federation.
Almost three years flew by and I But there was a fly in the
received my first personal invitation ointment. R.J.Malinovsky, Minister
to the Leningrad International Tour­ of Defence of the USSR, was not
nament, dedicated to the 50th among those who congratulated me.
Anniversary of the Great October He had passed away a few months
Revolution. How could I have imag­ before the tournament began. A
ined that this tournament would passionate lover of chess, the
18 My Life in Chess

Marshal had contributed a great deal and are highly original, created in a
to its development in the Armed "revolutionary" style. There are no
Forces. He saw in it a means of traditional kings and queens; the
training young soldiers in such pawns represent Cuban fighters
qualities as self-control, memory armed with rifles. My collection
development, quick wits, the ability includes many other prizes and
to think logically-in short, good awards from army competitions.
mental gymnastics. I greatly cherish But I also appreciate other marks
the personal gifts of this famous of distinction. I am very proud of
military leader-engraved watches five medals which were awarded to
and a camera. Especially dear to me me by the government for, among
is a unique Cuban chess set, a gift other things, "Ten Years of Irre­
from Fidel Castro, which Mali­ proachable Military Service" and
novsky presented to me in 1 962 "Fifteen Years of Irreproachable
when I won the title of Armed Military Service." These medals re­
Forces Champion for the second mind me that while serving in the
time. The set is beautiful indeed. Soviet Army I not only played chess
Both the board and the pieces are and taught young chessplayers but
hand-made from a rare kind of at the same time honestly performed
sandalwood which is said to have my hard military duty. Those high
healing properties. The pieces are awards inspired me to further
inscribed with the Havana Declara­ progress in chess. I became the first
tion of the young Cuban Republic grandmaster among military men.

The Gufeld bishop

Journalists like to joke about my I admit it-there is no life for me

attachment to the g7-bishop. "It is without the "Gufeld bishop". Maybe
well known," wrote Salo Flohr, everything began with a game
"that when Gufeld plays Black his against Kavalek in which I became
bishop can be put on g7 in advance. the victim of my opponent's
This bishop is his cup of tea." dark-squared bishop. This historic
Referring to the zonal tournament in event had a certain connection
Vilnius ( 1 975), the famous chess with football. In 1 962 at the Student
writer Henkin wrote: "The grand­ Olympiad in Marianske-Lazne, on
master from Tbilisi plays the eve of the match between the
resourcefully and adventurously. He USSR and Czechoslovakia, a
is especially attached to his traditional football game took place
dark-squared bishop. There was not in which Ljubomir Kavalek, now a
a single game in which he did not famous grandmaster, took a good
conceal this beloved piece on g7, in beating from me. Kavalek was very
order to advance it in due course for angry at the result of the contest on
a decisive strike." the football field, and vowed to get
his revenge on me over the
chessboard.
 My Life in Chess 1 9

7 Ruy Lopez [C65] 1 6....td5 1 7 .ta3+ �e6 1 8 .tg4+

E.Gufeld White f5 19 .th3 l:thg8 20 l0d2 .txg2 2 1
L.Kavalek Black .txg2 l:txg2 22 l:tfl The last moves
Marianske-Lazne, 1 962 were made hastily in time-trouble.
22 l:td8 23 �e2
•••

1 e4 e5 2 l0f3 l0c6 3 .tb5 .tc5

This variation was just becoming
fashionable. 4 c3 f5! ? The most
promising and consistent sequel. 5
d4 fxe4 6 l0g5?! It is now thought
that White has the better position
after 6 dxc5 exf3 7 'fixf3. 6 .tb6!•..

7 d5 I remember looking through

Shakhmatny Bulletin shortly before
this game. I saw the game
Vasiukov-Giterman where White
adroitly captured the Black queen
after 7 ... l0ce7?? 8 l0e6! . However:
7 ... e3! Here I understood that I had It is known that in moments of
fallen into a well-laid trap, which I emotional inspiration people can
knew very well. This whole varia­ work miracles. Once during a fire, a
tion had been shown to me by can­ man who was not distinguished by
didate master A. Konstantinov in great physical strength carried out a
1 96 1 . It turned out that the same large safe, which he couldn't even
variaton was known in the Prague move an inch afterwards. Another
Club of Film-makers, of which man, pursued by a rabid dog, not
Kavalek was a member. 8 l0e4 Af­ only ran away from it but also
ter a long think I found what may be jumped over a very high fence, un­
the only move. After 8 dxc6 bxc6 officially breaking the world high
White's position would scarcely be jump record. This also holds true for
pleasant. 8...'fih4 8 ... exf2+ 9 �fl! flights of mental activity. There are
as in the next note. 9 'fif3 lDf6 ! ? critical monents in a chessplayer's
Black sacrifices a piece but i t would life when he is inspired. That is
have been better to sacrifice with when brilliant masterpieces are
9 . . .l0ge7 ! . If 9 ... exf2+ 1 0 �fl with born, recorded in the scanty lines of
the strong threat of 1 1 .tg5 ! . 1 0 chess notation. It seems that my op­
l0xf6+ gxf6 1 1 dxc6 exf2+ 1 2 ponent had such a moment of inspi­
�d1 ? ? After 1 2 �fl bxc6 1 3 �e2 ration. 23 ... l:txd2+! 24 �xd2 e4 I
d5 14 �e3 White gets the advan­ began feverishly seeking a way to
tage. 12 ...dxc6! I had expected stop the advancing pawns. 25 .tf8!?
12 . . . bxc6. 1 3 �e2 �e6 14 'fih5+ A thought occurred to me: to nullify
Otherwise the attack on the white the activity of the main assistant to
king stuck in the centre would be­ the advancing pawns-the black
come dangerous after .. 0-0-0. . bishop. 25 f4 26 b4 l:tg5!
••.

14 ... 'fixh5 15 �xh5+ �e7 16 b3 Threatening 27 ... l:td5+. 27 .tc5

Trying to develop the queenside. Here I heaved a sigh of relief.
20 My Life in Chess

27 .. Jhc5! ! 28 bxc5 �xc5 29 (a) 17 ..,a3 is clearly bad:

l:tab1 f3 30 ltb4 Trying to appease I 7 ...'i!i'xe5+ 1 8 ltJe2 ( 1 8 <ifr>fl ?
the rampaging bishop. 30 <ifr>f5 The
••• 'i!Vf5+) 1 8 . . .1:tfe8 and all that re­
bishop did not even bat an eyelid mains is to find the quickest win for
towards the fawning rook. 3 1 ltd4 Black. One of my solutions would
�xd4 32 cxd4 <ifr>f4 and after a few be 1 9 ..-n ..-as+ 20 <ifr>£2 l:te6 2 1
more moves White resigned. 0-1 �f4 g5 etc.
This lesson wasn't wasted on me. (b) White should play 1 7 b4!
�xe5 1 8 bxa5 �xc3+ 19 �d2 !, but
not 19 'i!Vd2? l:txd2 20 �xd2 �xa l .
8 Sicilian Defence [B36] 1 7 ..-d3 l:tad8 1 8 ..-n After 1 8
V.Shianovsky White 'i!Vc2 �d4 ! 1 9 �d2 l:tfe8+ 2 0 <it>d l
E.Gufeld Black (20 ltJe2 �£2+ 2 1 <ifr>x£2 l:txd2 22
USSR Team Ch, Moscow 1 966 'i!Vc4 b5!) 20 ... �e3 2 1 ltel , how
does Black continue the attack?
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 (a) 2 l .. .ltxd2+ 22 ..,xd2 �xd2 23
ltJxd4 ltJc6 5 c4 ltJf6 6 ltJc3 ltJxd4 7 l:txe8+ <it>g7 24 <ifr>xd2 with
'ii'xd4 g6 8 c5 �g7 9 �b5+ Or 9 compensation.
cxd6 0-0 10 e5 ltJ g4 1 1 f4 ( 1 1 �f4 (b) 2 l ...�xd2 22 l:txe8+ l:txe8 23
exd6 1 2 'ii'xd6 tt'lxe5 ! 1 3 �xe5 <it>xd2 and Black has nothing.
�xe5) 1 l . ..exd6 1 2 'ii'xd6 'ii'xd6 1 3 (c) 2 1 .. . ..-h5+! 22 <ifr>c1 (22 l:te2
exd6 ltd8. 9 �d7 10 cxd6 0-0 1 1
••. l:txd2+) 22 ...1:txd2 !-+.
e5 Was this a novelty worked out in 18...�d4 Keeping the white king
the seclusion of home analysis? Or in the centre. 19 g3 The quickest
maybe a slip at the chessboard? way to lose. It is true that 1 9 �f4
1 1 ...�xb5 1 2 ltJxb5 ltJd7 13 f4? ! could be met by 1 9 ... ltfe8+ 20 <ifr>fl
Better, perhaps, 1 3 dxe7 'ii'xe7 1 4 g5 2 1 �d2 11fa6+ 22 ltJe2 �xb2 23
0-0. 13 ...1!fa5+ 1 4 ltJc3 exd6 15 ltdl �c3 ! ! -+. 19 ...1:tfe8+ 20 <ifr>fl
'it'xd6 .i.xc3 21 bxc3 2 1 ..-xc3 ltd1 + 22
<it>g2 'i!Vd5+ +-. 21. ..'ii'b5+ 22 'Ot>f2
Also hopeless is 22 'it>g2 ltd3 23
'iff6 'it'd5+ 24 'it>h3 l:te6 25 'iffl
..,h5+. 22 1:td3 23 'iff6 lte2+! 0-1
•.•

Two more years passed, and fate

conferred on "Gufeld's bishop"
another lucky break. It is to be noted
that in both cases a poor knight was
sacrificed for the sake of the
bishop's high ambitions.
9 Pirc Defence [B07]
R.Klovsky White
E.Gufeld Black
15 ... ltJxe5! Against an exposed USSR Team Ch, Riga 1 968
king this is a fairly natural sacrifice,
expecially since on 1 5 ...1:tad8 White 1 e4 g6 2 d4 �g7 3 ltJc3 d6 4
had prepared 16 b4! . 16 fxe5 �xe5 �c4 ltJf6 5 'ife2 c6 6 e5 dxe5 7
Tempting was 16 ... 1:tad8, and now: dxe5 ltJd5 8 ltJf3 8 �d2 !; 8 �xd5
 My Life in Chess 21

cxd5 9 'iib 5+ lt:'lc6+ 8 ... .ltg4 9 0-0 USSR Championship and still very
0-0 10 'ilr'e4 .ltxf3 l l 'ilr'xf3 e6 12 popular. 5 .lte2 Bondarevsky con­
l:te1 lt:'ld7 l3 'it'g3 'ilr'c7 14 f4lt:'lxc3 tinued in that game with 5 i.c4, but
15 'ilr'xc3= l:tfd8 16 .lte3 1 6 b3. after 5 ... 0-0 6 lt:'lbd2 c5 7 c3 b6 8
it'e2 a6 9 a4 lt:'lh5 1 0 .ltg5 h6 1 1
.lth4 cxd4 ! 1 2 cxd4 lt:'lc6 1 3 0-0
lt:'lb4 Black completely equalized. If
I had been in Klaman's chair I
would have kept the dark-squared
bishop from exchange by 5 h3. I
now have a chance to seize the ini­
tiative, for my "beloved" will not
have a worthy counterpart. 5 ...lt:'lh5
6 .ltg5 h6 7 .lth4 g5 8 lt:'lfd2 Kla­
man's favourite trick. 8 ... gxh4 9
.ltxh5 e5 Elephants need space, not
only in Africa. 10 dxe5 lt:'lc6 l l
lt:'lc3 lt:'lxe5 l2 'ilr'e2 0-0 l 3 0-0-0
16...lt:'lxe5! 17 fxe5 .ltxe5 1 8 it'b3 One can understand White's wish to
.ltxh2+ 1 9 �h1 .ltg3 20 l:tfl ? 20 attack Black's weakened king posi­
.ltg5. 20 ...'ilr'e7 21 l:tf3 'ilr'h4+ 22 tion. But the way things turned out,
�g1 'ilr'h2+ 23 �fl 'ilr'h1 + 24 .ltg1 it was not feasible. 13 ... b5! 14 f4 1 4
i£.h2 25 'ilr'e3 l:td2! 26 'ilr'xd2 26 'ilr'xb5 would have been more con­
l:tg3 .l:txc2. 26...'ilr'xgl+ 27 �e2 sistent. 14 ...b4 15 lt:'ld5 c6! 1 6
'ir'xg2+ 28 l:tf2 28 �e3. 28 ... 'it'g4+ lt:'lxb4 aS! 17lt:'ld3 lt:'lxd3+ 1 8 cxd3
29 �e3 .ltc7! 30 'ir'e2 .ltb6+ 3 1 l:tb8 1 9lt:'lc4 Or 19 d4 c5 ! . 19 ... .lta6
�d2 l:td8+ 3 2 .ltd3 32 �c l .lte3+! . 20 l:td2 a4 21 l:tc2 'ir'f6 22 l:td1
32 ...'ir'b4+ 33 �cl 3 3 �d l .ltxf2 34 l:tb5!
'ir'xf2 'i!Vxb2+ 33 ...l:txd3 34 cxd3
'ir'c5+ 35 �d2 'ir'xf2 0-1

In the following encounter, the

bishop did not budge from g7 dur­
ing the whole game. This time
his fearful appearance sufficed.

1 0 King's Indian Defence [A48]

K.Klaman White
E.Gufeld Black
Sevastapol 1 976

1 d4lt:'lf6 2lt:'lf3 g6 3 .ltf4 �g7 4 Black plans to exchange off the

e3 d6 Even at this early stage a cer­ c2-rook and strike at the key point
tain accuracy is called for. I was in his opponent's fortress. 23 .ltf3
aware of the perfectly positioned l:tc5 24 g3 24 lt:'la3? 'ilr'xb2+.
black pieces in the game 24 ... hxg3 25 hxg3 l:tb8 Aiming for
Bondarevsky-Boleslavsky, played 26 ... d5 ! . 26 'i!Vg2 Klaman might
as long ago as 1 947 in the 1 5th have set a cunning trap with 26 d4
22 My Life in Chess

.l:txc4 27 Ihc4, when 27 ...d5? al­ team championship of Voluntary

lows the stunning 28 .l:tb4! ! . Correct Sport Societies, I had Black in all
is 27 . . .'�e6! . 26 ... .txc4 27 dxc4 d5 nine games.
28 e4 dxe4 Not 28 ... .l:txc4 29 .l:txc4 Of course, as the reader has possi­
dxc4 30 e5, and White can put up a bly guessed, it could only happen to
good defence. 29 �xe4 a3! Now a reserve. I was playing for the
that the d-file is open, this move is Armed Forces team, which finally
decisive. 30 'ir'f2 Or 30 b3 1li'a1+ 3 1 won silver-yet I did not get a
'it>d2 .l:td8+ -+. 30 ... axb2+ 31 'it>b1 medal. The point is that the
.l:ta5 32 .l::.cd2 .l:txa2 33 'it>xa2 .l:ta8+ medals allotted were one fewer than
0-1 the members in the team. I did,
however, record a rare achievement:
Incidentally, chess commentators playing with opponents who all had
often call me an authority on the the advantage of the first move, I
black pieces. Thus in 1 968 at the scored 51h points from nine games.

Dance of the elephant

Strange as it may seem, there is than the latter. If anyone disbelieves

no generally accepted account of the this, I advise them to visit the near­
origin of chess, though there are est zoo and see for themselves ...
plenty of hypotheses. The one that How often I like to repeat it: no
is closest to my heart is one which matter how much you feed a horse,
says that chess was a gift from it will not turn into an elephant!
aliens. This story happened in 1 992 in
Many years ago-maybe thou­ Manila, Philippines, during the
sands or even millions of years­ Chess Olympiad there. Mok Tze
they presented chess to the earthmen Meng, a member of the Malaysian
in the hope that sometime in the team, received an anonymous phone
future a meeting of the two call for me, and the caller provided
civilizations would take place, and Mok with an extraordinary position,
chess would be the common lan­ adding that this was a gift for
guage of communication! You may Gufeld.
smile sceptically at this, but even
nowadays people of different conti­
nents and religions find in chess a
form of Esperanto. They instantly
reach mutual understanding over the
chessboard.
Now I would like to share with
my readers a fantastic story and a
position that sings the praises of the
bishop. In Russian, the bishop is
known as an elephant and the knight
is called a horse. According to sta­
tistical data, the former is stronger White to play and win
 My Life in Chess 23

The combination contained in the lbti+ 5 <&t>e6 lbxd8+ 6 <it>f5 Sud­

position is of unsurpassed beauty denly there is the threat of 7 .ltd I+.
and reinforces my statement that the 6 e2 7 .lte4 Threatening 8 .ltf3
•.•

bishop is stronger than the knight. mate. 7 el=ltJ Knight number 3. 8

..•

Both Garry Kasparov and Anatoly .i.d5 ! ! With the idea of 9 .ltc4 and
Karpov expressed astonishment at 1 0 .lte2+, mating. 8 ... c2 9 .ltc4
the ideas revealed in this "Dance of c1=ltJ Knight number 4. 1 0 .ltb5
the Elephant". Until now nobody Threatening 1 1 .lte8+ and mate.
has claimed to be the creator of this 10 ...ltJc7 1 1 .lta4!
extraordin�ry position. To me there
is only one possible answer to the
puzzle-the inventor is from Outer
Space! Yes, my friend, you may
smile at the thought, but even you
cannot prove me wrong! Go through
the solution and enjoy it! I assure
you that your delight will be similar
to when you listen to beautiful mu­
sic. You will realize that chess is not
only sport and science, it is also
great art!

Solution: 1 ltJf6+ <&t>g7 Only Incredible! Four knights plus one

move. If 1 . .. <it>h8 then 2 d8=�+ bishop against a lone white bishop,
wins; if 1 ...<&t>g6 2 .lth5+! <it>xf6 3 and still Black is doomed. If you,
d8='ih wins. 2 lbh5+ <it>g6 Only my dear reader, can prevent the
move again. If 2 ... <it>h7, then 3 threat of 1 2 .ltd 1 + mating, then I
.ltc2+. Other moves allow White to promise to enter your name into The
queen. 3 .ltc2+! <&t>xh5 4 d8=�! ! Guinness Book ofRecords.

C aissa's whims
As you see, I am not afraid of the I played aggressively and re­
colour black. And I am not sourcefully in strong company, and
superstitious at all. I am not scared before the last round I was in the
of black cats or ladders or wretched leading group. I was one point be­
hares crossing my path. And yet, hind Stein and a half point behind
what tough luck I have had! Holmov and Spassky. In the· final
It was 1 963 , in Leningrad-at the round I was playing my friend the
3 1 st USSR Championship which Latvian master Janis Klovan. For
was also a Zonal Tournament. The me to miss getting into the
winners were to play in a "tournament of seven," the follow­
so-called "tournament of seven," to ing events had to happen: I had to
qualify for places in the Interzonal. lose to Klovan, Geller had to win
It was also known that qualifying against Bondarevsky and Suetin had
for the "seven" practically guaran­ to beat Novopashin.
teed the grandmaster title.
24 My Life in Chess

I ought to explain a certain rule of victory I was in contention for

which was then in force. A partici­ the USSR championship gold
pant in the national championship medal. I was in two minds and as a
who scored one third of all possible result played irresolutely, which
points was automatically admitted to cost me very dearly. Literally a mo­
the semi-finals of the next champi­ ment before Klovan's flag would
onship. This was an important cir­ have dropped, I overlooked a mate
cumstance, for by the last round in two moves. There is a rare photo
Novopashin and Klovan had already in which this particular moment is
amassed the coveted number of captured: my palm is in my mouth.
points. The tragedy was not only that I
The round got under way. As fate had enough time to think about the
decreed, this very day Stein was position where I overlooked the
literally smashed in 20 moves mate, but that all the other events
playing the White side of a French fell into place to complete the pic­
Defence against Bagirov. This unex­ ture. Suetin defeated Novopashin
pectedly gave me a chance that I and Geller won against Bondar­
hadn't even dreamt of: if I won my evsky.
game I would catch up with the Afterwards I was amicably re­
leader and share 1 st-2nd places. proached by many people: "Why
Having obtained a promising po­ did you play to win? A draw meant
sition in the Pirc Defence (the open­ you were bound to share 1 st-4th
ing of this game was, incidentally, places."
to find its way into the theoretical Yes, of course it meant that, but at
literature), I was faced with the time I didn't know how the
a dilemma. Should I play to win, or other games would end.
to draw? A draw would practically And anyway, tough luck! Tough
guarantee me a place in the "tourna­ luck indeed!
ment of seven," but in case

A detective story
I should like to tell you a real-life -I twice wanted to take part in the
detective story which occurred at Interzonal." And now, about
the Zonal Tournament in Vilnius, Vilnius.
1 975 When I played my game against
First of all, a prelude. Once, at a Savon, a win would practically
meeting with sports reporters, guarantee me a place in the Inter­
grandmaster Kuzmin and I were zonal. After a strenuous struggle the
asked: "What were your highest game was adjourned, and thorough
sporting achievements?" Seeing that analysis with master Yuferov
Kuzmin was hesitant, I decided to showed that there was a quick way
answer for him: "My friend is very to victory.
modest, but I can tell you that Achieving an overwhelming
he twice took part in the Interzonal advantage on resumption, I again
Tournament. Once he came very acted true to my character. There
close to the Candidates. As for me were five minutes left to the time
 My Life in Chess 2 5

control. I could have played the I wanted to get away from the
winning move, but when it dawned well-known scheme with 1 8 a3.
on me that this move would get me That move constantly gained White
into the Interzonal Tournament, I the advantage-but could Savon
suddenly lost the thread and began have found an improvement for
groping about in a haze. Delightful, Black?
beguiling visions floated across my 18 ... 't!Vb6 19 l:tad1 't!Va5
mind-visions of penetrating into After some hesitation Savon de­
the "Holy ,of Holies", the circle of cides to force the queens off, hoping
illustrious i grandmasters contending to ease the defence.
for the world chess crown . . . This 20 'ir'xa5 tt:\xa5 21 i.b1 tt:\c6 22
hardly helped me to concentrate on dxe5 dxe5 23 tt:\h5!
the decisive move. I decided not to As long as pieces are retained, a
force events, but to adjourn the variety of tactical strokes are
game a second time and then, in the possible-so what does White gain
seclusion of my hotel room, think it by this exchange? Is it so important
over thoroughly. to double the black pawns on the
kingside? Yes-because later on, a
Here is that memorable game. black piece will be tied to the de­
fence of the f6-pawn, and break­
1 1 Ruy Lopez [C93] throughs on the h-file will pose a
E.Gufeld White permanent threat.
V.Savon Black 23 ... i.e6
Vilnius Zonal, 1 975 Black can't allow the white rook
onto the seventh rank.
1 e4 e5 2 tt:\f3 tt:\c6 3 i.b5 a6 4 24 tt:\xf6+ gxf6 25 tt:\h4 i.b4 26
i.a4 tt:\f6 5 0-0 i.e7 6 l:te1 b5 7 l:te3 l:ted8 27 l:ted3 l:txd3 28 i.xd3
i.b3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 h6 28 l:txd3 might seem more prom­
The initial move of the Smyslov ising, but then Black has a tactical
system, once very popular. In adopt­ chance with 28 ... tt:\d4 ! .
ing it, Savon evidently didn't want 2 8...l:td8 2 9 i.e2 l:txd1 + 3 0 i.xd1
to take risks with his position in the After the game Savon said, "If I'd
tournament. But there are risks and known the endgame would be so
risks! You may put yourself in difficult, I wouldn't have traded off
danger of defeat not only by using a the second rook." I replied, "I doubt
sharp variation of the Sicilian if the position with rooks on would
Defence, but also by playing a have been any easier."
rather sedate opening, i.e. by 30...i.c5 31 i.c2! tt:\d4
playing passively. Possession of the d4-square is a
10 d4 l:te8 ll ltJbd2 i.rs 12 tt:\n purely symbolic comfort, while the
i.d7 13 tt:\g3 tt:\a5 14 i.c2 c5 15 b3 defects of the black pawn structure
cxd4 are a grim reality! White intends to
1 5 . . .tt:\c6 1 6 d5 is also inadequate play tZ:\h4-f5 to force an exchange
to equalize; so is 1 5 ... g6 1 6 i.e3 on this square, after which the
't!Vc7 1 7 't!Vd2. e4-point will be available to his
16 cxd4 tt:\c6 17 i.b2 l:tc8 1 8 bishop and/or king.
'iVd2! 32 i.d3 'i;g7 33 'it>fl i.d7 34
i.c3 i.b6 35 tt:\f5+ tt:\xf5
26 My Life in Chess

What else? If 35 ... i.xf5, White's

advantage of the two bishops is very
significant.
36 exf5
So the game reduces to quite a
rare four-bishop endgame. White
has very real chances of winning,
based on these advantages: I ) space;
2) weakness of the black kingside
pawns; 3) the pivotal square e4,
from which a path into the enemy
camp may be cleared for the white
king; 4) much greater king activity White would like to advance his
-I am inclined to say that White is pawn to h5, shift the bishop to c I
a king up! All this is clear, but it is and then transfer the king to the
not yet obvious how to use these queenside, in order with its aid to
positional advantages concretely. In exchange the a3-pawn for the
fact I came to the conclusion that all b5-pawn. Finally the king would
these advantages would not be penetrate to e8, putting Black in
enough to win if I did not create one zugzwang. Unfortunately Black can
more weak point for Black on the nip this plan in the bud by prevent­
queenside. ing h3-h4-h5. In this case White
36...a5 must prepare to bring his bishop to
Sooner or later White would have e4 at a moment when he can recap­
forced this advance by penetrating ture with the king. Can this be real­
to b7 with a bishop. ized? After the game Savon told me
37 b4 that everyone who analysed this po­
Not letting Black block the queen­ sition, including himself, failed to
side with ...b5-b4 ! . see this possibility, thinking that
37... axb4 White could not break through. An
In the case of 37 ... a4, White important question is whether Black
would carry out the following plan: can activate his king. Let us see:
38 .i.e4 and thereafter £2-£3, g2-g4, 42 ... h5 43 'it>c2 'it>h6 44 i.d2+ 'it>g7
'it>fl-e2-d3, i.e4-b7, 'it>e4-d5 and 45 'it>b3, when Black has these
.i.b7-c6 winning the b5-pawn. Now choices:
it is not so easy. (a) 45 ... i.c5 ! 46 i.b4 i.£2 47
38 i.xb4 i.c6! 39 f3 i.d5 40 a3 i.e7 ! i.e 1 (keeping the white king
i.c6 4 1 �e2 out of b4) 48 i.c5 ! and now:
The pawn structure is stabilized. (a 1 ) If Black then stays passive,
Although an additional weakness White forces his dark-squared
has appeared in Black's camp on b5 bishop off the e1-a5 diagonal:
and his king is cut off by the white 48 ... i.d2 49 'it>c2 i.e 1 50 'it>d 1 i.g3
dark-square bishop, he keeps the 5 1 'it>d2 'it>g8 52 i.e2 ! 'it>g7 53 i.e3 !
h 1 -a8 diagonal safe. White can't (threatening 54 <it>c3 i.e 1 + 55 i.d2)
fight for it by means of 4 1 i.e4 be­ 53 ... e4 54 f4 ! winning.
cause of 4 1 ...i.xe4! 42 fxe4 and the (a2) Black can play more actively
position is equal. with 48 ... 'it>h6; then after 49 'it>c2!
4l. ..i.d4 42 'it>d2 two variations are possible:
 My Life in Chess 27

(a2 1 ) 49 ... h4 50 'it>dl .ll. g3 5 1 Everything i s now ready for the

.ll.e3+ 'it>g7 52 'it>d2! 'it>f8 53 'it>c3 king to break through to b4 !
.ll.e 1 + 54 .li.d2 .ll.xd2+ 55 'it>xd2 56 i.el 57 i.b4 i.fl 58 i.e4!
.•.

'it>e7 56 Wc3 'it>d6 57 'it>b4 .li.d7 58 Black now has no good move. His
.ll.xb5 .ll.xf5 59 a4 e4 60 .ll. e2 exf3 bishop can't leave the £2-square be­
6 1 .li.xf3 . Many endgame subtleties cause of i.b4-e I xh4! There is noth­
remain in this position: 6 1 .. . .li.d3 ! ing for it but to let the king come to
62 'it>c3 .ll.a6 63 'it>d4 �c8 64 'it>e3 b4.
.li.d7 65 .li.d l ! . Th�te is no other 58 'it>h6 59 i.d2+ 'it>g7
..•

way for White to win, for his bishop Savon apparently wanted to acti­
doesn't control the queening square vate his king by 59 ... 'it>h5, but no­
of the h-pawn. If Black were al­ ticed in time that he would be
lowed to take the a-pawn, he could exposed to a mating attack: 60 f4
sacrifice his bishop on h3 at the exf4 6 1 i.xf4 and i.e4-f3 mate! .
right moment. Now after 65 ... i.c6 60 'it>b4 'it>f8 6 1 'it>a5 'it>e7 62
66 'it>£2 White creates a second pass­ �b4+ 'it>d8 63 i.d6! �e3 64 'it>a6
ed pawn on the kingside with g2-g3. i..d 2 65 'it>b6 i..e3+ 66 i..c5 i.. d2 67
(a22) 49 ...'it>g5 50 'it>d 1 �c3 5 1 i..d3 i.. f4
'it>e2 Wf4 5 2 'it>£2 i.d4+ 53 i.xd4
exd4 54 h4 'it>e5 55 g3 'it>d6 56 g4
hxg4 57 fxg4 'it>e7 58 'it>g3 Wf8 59
'it>f4 'it>g7 60 i.e4 ! . At last White
seizes the long diagonal, and after
60 . . . i.d7 61 i.d5 he breaks through
with the king via e4.
(b) 45 ... 'it>f8 46 'it>b4 i.b2 47 i.e3
'it>e7 48 i.c5+ 'it>d7 49 'it>a5 ! (but
not 49 i.xb5 i.xa3+!=) 49 . . ..li.d4 50
'it>b6! +-.
The game continuation was:
42 ....ll.b6 43 Wc2 i.fl 44 i.e7 Black is forced to give up the
i.el 45 �c5 i.a5 46 'it>dl �c3 47 b5-pawn, but in return he intends to
'it>e2 h5 ! take the pawn on f5. However, the
White is very close to realizing game is already beyond saving;
his plan, but should Black meekly Savon could have resigned at this
let the enemy king into e3? Could point with a clear conscience. There
that not have been prevented by is an easy win with 68 i..xb5, but I
47 ... i.b2, threatening check on c l ? decided to see whether I could take
No-because then 4 8 'it>d2 ! follows, the pawn in more advantageous
and the king penetrates to b4. circumstances.
48 'it>e3 h4 49 i.e4 i.d7 68 .tfl i..c l
That is why Black moved the Now White has a pleasant choice:
pawn to h4! Preventing g2-g4, he he can play 69 �xh4 i..xa3 70
ties the white bishop to the f5-pawn i.xb5 ! , or he can win in the way I
and thus keeps the king out of e4. just mentioned (i.e. by 69 i.. c 5 i.. f4,
50 'it>d3 i.el 51 i.e7 i.f2 52 'it>c3 then 70 i..x b5). I was in the position
i..e l+ 53 'it>b3 i.a5 54 i.c5 i.el 55 of Buridan's ass. Worn out with the
i.e7 i.a5 56 i.d3 complex calculations during the
28 My Life in Chess

adjournment session, I could not 1 2 Sicilian Defence [B46]

come to a decision and thought E.Gufeld White
there was no hurry to do so. M.Taimanov Black
I must explain that I cannot repro­ Vilnius Zonal, 1 975
duce in detail the ensuing events of
this game. Its final climax was on 1 e4 cS 2 lbf3 lbc6 3 d4 cxd4 4
move 72 when I played my bishop lbxd4 e6 S lbc3 a6 6 i.e2 lbge7 7
to d3, whereupon Savon called the f4 lbxd4 8 'ir'xd4 bS 9 0-0 .ltb7 10
deputy chief arbiter, V.Mikenas, fS! When I made this move (no
and declared that by 72 ...i.f4 he doubt one of the strongest moves in
could bring about a threefold repeti­ my chess career) many participants
tion of the position in the last dia­ in the tournament were amazed at
gram. Mikenas checked the game how unnatural it seemed. Some
score and said: "No, a threefold were even convinced that the move
repetition hasn't come about. Carry was a direct consequence of the pre­
on playing!" I remember that par­ vious day's game with Savon. But
ticular moment when, being very the move f4-f5 was evidence of
nervous, I made Savon's move on deep insight into the mysteries of
the board myself and replied 73 the position. In two more moves I
.ltxb5. My opponent's position had an overwhelming positional su­
was completely hopeless. periority. 10 ...lbc6 1 1 'ir'f2 'ir'f6 12
But then something most unex­ 'ir'g3 lbd4 After this I suffered, in­
pected happened. Master Fridstein, comprehensibly, a total loss of con­
also a deputy chief arbiter, butted in. centration: I could not exploit the
He was not higher in rank than advantage I had gained. 13 i.gS?!
Mikenas. Yet after investigating the Commenting on this game in
situation on his own initiative, he lnformator, Taimanov expressed the
scored the game as a draw and con­ opinion (with which I entirely
firmed this decision by his signature agree) that White could have se­
on Savon's scoresheet. cured a winning position by 1 3
Evidently the arbiter was sure that i.d3 ! e 5 14 lbd5 i.xd5 1 5 exd5
he had registered the draw accord­ i.c5 1 6 'itth 1 b4 1 7 l:te 1 0-0 1 8
ing to the regulations. How can I 'ir'xe5. 13 ...lbxe2+ 14 lbxe2 i.d6
comment on that? One can't argue 1S .ltxf6 i.xg3 16 i.xg7 l::tg8 17
against the "Regulations." And yet lbxg3 l:txg7 18 l:tf4? 1 8 l:tf2! .
it is a pity that the only aspect of 18 eS! 19 l:tf2 l:tg4 20 l:te1 f6 2 1
•.•

chess they cover is that of sport, not l:tfe2 'itte7 22 lb n l:tc8 2 3 c 3 a S 24

of art or science. If we regard this h3 l:tgg8 2S 'ittf2 b4 26 cxb4 axb4
game as a creative work, then it has 27 l:td2 l:tc4 28 'ittf3 hS 29 g3 l:tg5
a winner and a loser. As far as the 30 g4 dS! 31 lbe3 hxg4+ 32 hxg4
tournament situation was concerned, l:txe4 33 lbxdS+ i.xdS 34 l:txe4
it is very difficult to explain how i.xe4+ 3S 'ittxe4 l:txg4+ 36 WdS
despondent I was. But I still had a l:tf4 37 l:th2 l:txfS 38 l:th7+ 'itt f8 39
real chance of taking one of the first l:tb7 l:tf4 40 'ittcS fS 41 l:txb4 l:txb4
places! I just had to win in the last 42 'ittxb4 and soon we agreed to a
round, playing White against Tai­ draw: 42 ... f4 43 'ittc3 f3 44 'ittd2
manov. I should have shaped myself 'itte7 4S a4 'ittd6 46 aS 'ittc6 47 b4
up for victory. I should have ... 'ittbS 48 'itte3 e4 49 'itt f2 'itta6
 My Life in Chess 29

50 �e3 �b5 5 1 �12 �a6 52 �e3 what about Savon 's scoresheet? I
�b5 1h-1h flew to Moscow, saw V.Antoshin
(the coach of the USSR chess team)
The interesting thing is that the and asked him to gather some wit­
story did not end here. In the tourna­ nesses. Then we all went to the
ment bulletin I found that in place of room where the Vilnius scoresheets
the moves 66 to 72 of my game were kept. We found the folder with
against Savon, some moves had the games, opened it, and . . . there
crept in from another game-the were all the scoresheets except
famous encounter Grigorian­ Savon's score of our game with the
Bronstein. After the tournament, a arbiter's verdict. As for my own
selection of the games was pub­ scoresheet, none of those present
lished. I looked through it and found could find in it any traces of
the same anomaly, reproduced from triple repetition of the position.
the bulletin. Literally every night for The finishing touch to the story
the next few weeks I was replaying was added by the chess writer Hen­
that ill-fated game against Savon kin. Meeting me a few years ago, he
over and over again, and I failed to said, "There's one unsavoury story I
find the triple repetition on the 72nd should tell you. I don't know why I
move. haven't done it before."
Time passed. The Armed Forces He recalled that as editor of the
championship in Leningrad ended, special bulletin Tournaments and
and it was time for me to go back Matches in those far-off days, he
home. Suddenly I remembered had been preparing to publish the
something that the chess beaurocrat games from the final rounds of the
Victor Baturinsky, who was Vilnius tournament and had found
present in Vilnius, used to tell me. that my game with Savon contained
He said that instead of boiling with impossible moves, beginning at
rage I should lodge a complaint. I move 66. Applying for advice to
had not paid proper attention to his Fridstein, who was secretary of
words until now. Shakhmatny Bulletin, he received an
As we know, a claim to a draw by answer that was very strange
threefold repetition is dependent on coming from an arbiter: "Look,
the availability of a clear and or­ Victor Lvovich, there's a lot of con­
derly record of the game on a troversy about that game. We've got
scoresheet. A clear record? That has to sort out what version of the game
nothing to do with me-I can hardly score to publish, and make sure we
make out my own handwriting. But both get it identical."

Who saw it? Who heard it?

Who said it?
Tragedies are tragedies, but one arbiters in the faraway dawn of my
has to carry on living and youth, when I enjoyed my first tour­
working. Anyway, I had learnt to nament successes. By their nature
live with my grudge against chess these arbiters turned out to be
30 My Life in Chess

as high-handed as their football col­ in my throat." Having confused

leagues. The boy of those times had the arbiter, Matulovic saved half a
grown up to understand that getting point.
hot under the collar and arguing Next round, Matulovic arrived
means losing. And yet, how could I late. When he appeared at last,
not argue? he explained to the arbiters that he
At the Ukrainian championship in had choked at dinner and the doctor
1955 a funny episode happened in had had to remove a fishbone from
my game with Kots. The following his throat. I was standing nearby
moves were made: 1 d4 li:1f6 2 c4 e6 and asked with interest: "A fish­
3 li:1c3 i..b4 4 e3 0-0 5 i..d3 d5 6 a3. bone? I thought it was the words
Here Kots, in his neat handwriting, j 'adoube that were stuck there! " I
wrote down 6 ... i..d6 on his have never heard louder or more
scoresheet and confidently moved to unanimous laughter anywhere in the
d6-with his rook from f8 ! Then, chess world!
getting the difference between rook Now an example on the theme of
and bishop straight, he returned the audio-hallucinations.
piece to its square. I told him: "The
1 3 E.Gufeld White
rook's got to move! " My opponent
J.Dorfman Black
came back with an irrefutable argu­
USSR Ch, Kishinev 1 975
ment: "Who saw it, though?'' Here
the controller came over and or­
dered me to stop my "tricks" and
carry on playing. I was annoyed-it
was not fair! And I lost. It never
rains but it pours! In the next round
my opponent was the famous master
Kopayev. One moment he touched
his queen, the next he made a move
with another piece. In a low voice I
said, "You 've got to be joking! "
"Sucker!" shouted Kopayev. "Yes­
terday you wound somebody else
up, today it's me! " And the arbiter 2 1 ...li:1e3 This game had featured
suggested I should visit a a major theoretical dispute in one of
psychiatrist. the popular variations of the
After the tournament I was beg­ Richter-Rauzer System. The preced­
ging my friend Yuri Kots to tell the ing moves can be found in Gufeld­
truth to the arbiter. Alas, I could not Tukmakov, Vilnius 1975 (see the
persuade him. In the Interzonal notes to game 45). There the GM
Tournament at Sousse, a similar from Odessa continued 2 l . ..li:1d4
event happened. In desperate time­ but went on to lose. 22 li:1xe3 'ii'xd2
trouble Matulovic picked up a 23 .l:txd2 fxe3 24 .l:td5 If 24 .l:td7,
bishop, then thought better of it and White has to reckon with 24 ... a5 !?.
put it back. His opponent, Grand­ 24 ... .l:tfd8 25 .l:txe3 l:lxd5 26 cxd5
master I.Bilek, protested but Matu­ �f8! Not 26 ... .txh2? 27 .l:te7!+-. 27
lovic was adamant: "I said) 'adoube h3 .l:tb4 28 .l:te2 �e7 Or 28 ... a5 29
but in my agitation the words stuck a4 30 .l:tc4+-. 29 .l:tc2 .l:td4 30 a4
 My Life in Chess 31

The opposite-coloured bishops are, murmured under my breath: "Is i t a

as we know, a sign of a draw, but draw?" Then I heard my opponent
they frequently remain no more than say, "Make your move." I immedi­
a sign. 30 J:td3 31 �a2 aS 32 l:.c5
•. ately came to, not realizing what
l:.d2 33 l:.xa5 i.xb2 In the case of had happened. On hearing the word
33 ...l:.xb2+ 34 �a3 l:.xg2 35 l:.a7+ "draw," Dorfman had taken it as a
�d6 36 aS, White has good winning formal draw offer. I played 40 i.b5
chances. 34 l:.a7+ �d8 35 l:.b7 -with the threat of 41 d6. It is not
l:.xg2 35 ...i.d4+ 36 'it;b i . 3 6 i.c4 difficult to see that after 40 ...�c8 4 1
i.e5+ 37 �a3 i.d6+ 38 �b3 l:.g3+ i.c6 l:.xh3 4 2 l:.a7 o r 4 1 ... i.b8 42
39 �c2 i.c7 A critical moment in l:.f7, White has all the winning
the game, and, as it turns out, a chances. No one would offer a draw
tragi-comic one. I was sitting there in this position. Realizing the inevi­
pondering the position, growing tablility of defeat, Dorfman said: "I
confident of victory. But in one of accept a draw," and the arbiter,
the variations I suddenly noticed being notified of our "dialogue,"
there was insufficient advantage to registered that result.
win. In my disappointment I

Seeking the truth

The stories behind my "Interzonal I confess that in the past I have

tragedies" do not fully explain the often suffered psychological
cause of my misfortunes, losses, breakdowns at tournaments.
failures. I think the answer lies, first But of course psychology is not
and foremost, in my character. the only point here. I belong to the
As Tigran Petrosian justly stated, artistic, or, as I would rather call it,
in chess every player is fighting the romantic category of chessplay­
with himself as well as against his ers. In search of truth and beauty I
opponent. Much is written about my sometimes forget about points on
excessive emotionality and my ap­ the score chart, and see on the board
parent lack of self-control after los­ not the things which are there, but
ing crucial games. "When Gufeld the things which I want to see.
has a bad position he is plunged into Games that are masterpieces are
despair as though his entire future produced, in my opinion, not by the
hinged on the result of his game," opponents but by two "sparring
wrote Henkin. "But if the grandmas­ partners." Moreover, the partner
ter from Tbilisi has the initiative needs to be a high-class master.
he skips among the chess tables like What if you are playing a weak op­
a shooting star, bestowing smiles ponent? It is like asking a good mu­
all round." sician to play a piano which is out
It has also been noted that when I of tune. What is a top-level tourna­
am elated I place my pieces on the ment for a chessplayer? It is what an
board accurately, but as soon as low easel, paints, high-quality brushes
spirits take over, "the pieces are al­ are to an artist: the means to realiz­
most tossed from square to square." ing his ideas. It is too bad that I
32 My Life in Chess

have only rarely played against the Students World Team Champion­
world's very strongest players. ship at Helsinki, 1 96 1 . The previous
Of course, before the start of a year's champions, the Americans,
tournament, a player of "creative" were losing 2- 1 in their match
leanings possesses the same amount against us. If I won my game, the
of energy as a "rationalist" who is Soviet students were virtually cer­
eager to attain high sporting results. tain to be world champions.
But how is this energy used? I am
sure that a "romantic" puts all of I had two extra pawns, and had to
himself into every game and there­ queen at least one of them to win.
fore exhausts himself more rapidly.
In the intervals between his brillian­
cies he allows the "rationalist" to 14 J.Sherwin White
forge ahead, for the latter, like a E.Gufeld Black
sportsman, skilfully apportions his Helsinki, 1 96 1
energy over the distance of the
competition.
Personally, I would never ex­
change my best games for a dozen
first places. While not pretending to
the title of "Champion of Master­
pieces," I have often been awarded
the best game prize in tournaments
where I did very badly. And I am
proud of it. But the public has
always applauded those who arrive
first at the finishing line, frequently
forgetting about the race's spiritual
winners. 3 1 ..i.h5 I made this move after
.

The matter is sometimes carried to long deliberation. All those watch­

an absurdity. During the "Chess ing the game were disappointed,
Week" in Evpatori in April 1 980, an among them Yuri Averbakh, the So­
interviewer asked me without any viet team captain. After the game he
mincing of words: "They often talk reproached me: "What a way to
about you as a chessplayer in the play! Some master you are! Didn't
'creative' tradition. Do you care you see 3 l ...e3?"
about competitive achievements I had seen that move and calcu­
too?" To which I replied, reasonably lated an easy nine-move manoeuvre:
enough, that without any competi­ 3 l . ..e3 32 i.xd5 ..t>xd5 33 i.xe3 a4
tive achievements I would hardly 34 i.c 1 Wc4 35 Wf3 Wb3 36 We2
have become a grandmaster. a3 37 i.f4 a2 38 i.e5 ..t>c2 and after
Indeed, I would not like my 39 . . ...t>b 1 Black wins.
reader to form the wrong impression However, when I showed Aver­
that Gufeld loses all his crucial bakh that during my deliberations I
games. That is not the case at all. A had found the move 33 i.b6 ! ! , the
clear-cut proof of my sporting and much-acclaimed grandmaster and
creative efforts is my game against endgame researcher, who can
the American Jim Sherwin in the appreciate true beauty in chess, was
 My Life in Chess 33

impressed and dedicated a whole i.e5 �c2 45 �f4 Jt.g6 46 Jt.d4

chapter of his book Seeking the �b1 0-1
Truth to the analysis of this end­
game. 32 �f2 �e6 33 �g3 i.e2! 34 When I showed the position after
�h4 �d6 35 �g3 Jt.b5! 36 Jt.c2 33 i.b6! ! to Alexander K.halifman,
Jt.d3 37 Jt.b3 e3! This sacrifice now then School Students' Champion of
leads quickly to victory. 38 Jt.xd5 the USSR, he exclaimed: "It's a su­
�xd5 39 Jt.xe3 Or 39 $(.b6 a4 40 pernatural move! " K.halifman later
�f3 e2. 39 ...a4 40 Jt.c1 �c4 4 1 won the 1 999 FIDE World Champi­
�f2 �b3 4 2 Jt.f4 a3 4 3 �e3 a 2 44 onship in Las Vegas.

Fischer as I know him

In 1 967 the Interzonal tournament would have it, these holidays fol­
was held in Sousse (Tunisia). At lowed each other in rapid succes­
first Bobby Fischer did not want to sion. Therefore Fischer had to
take part, on account of the small postpone several games. The jury
prizes. But later he agreed to play. decided that he should play these
I came to Sousse as Geller's games within one week so as to
trainer. It was there that I got ac­ catch up with the other players.
quainted with Fischer. On meeting Fischer was indignant and de­
me, he exclaimed, "Oh, Gufeld! I manded one extra free day. The ar­
know you! I've seen your game biters did not want to budge an inch,
against Smyslov." since it was Fischer's fault that the
Just before the opening of the games had not been played yet.
tournament, the Soviet chessplayers Then Bobby failed to show up to
were playing dominoes in the hotel play against Gipslis, and he was de­
lounge. Bobby came in, greeted the clared to have forfeited this game.
players and began watching the On learning this, Fischer lodged a
game which, as it turned out, he had protest, and when his protest was
never seen before. A few minutes declined, he left for Tunis, Tunisia's
later he asked for permission to join capital.
the players and, strange as it may A delegation of peacemakers was
seem, he demonstrated a good un­ sent to Tunis. Fischer was per­
derstanding of this difficult game ... suaded to come back to Sousse. He
After the tournament h e took the played several games and then
domino set to America! asked when his game against Gipslis
At that time there was much would be played. The arbiters an­
gossip and guesswork concerning swered that they would not recon­
Fischer's withdrawal from the tour­ sider their decision, and again
nament. As an eyewitness, I would Fischer went to Tunis. Again nego­
like to retrace the events preceding tiations and promises to reconsider
his withdrawal. the Gipslis issue. Fischer came back
A special decision had been is­ again and played one more game.
sued allowing Fischer to avoid play Then came the day when the tour­
on religious holidays. As ill luck nament reached its half-way stage.
.�4 My Life in Chess

Bobby was to play against Hort. At day Bobby used to sit down at the
this moment Fischer displayed his chessboard only at 6 p.m. (one hour
best qualities. According to the after the beginning of the round), in
rules, if a player withdrew from the other words when his religion al­
tournament having played less than lowed him to begin worldly life.
50% of his games, all his results Again negotiations followed, with
would be cancelled. However, if he the participation of the US Ambas­
had played 50% or more of his sador to Tunisia. Bobby was per­
games, he would merely forfeit the suaded to continue the tournament
unplayed ones. with two defaults. However, the ar­
As the result of an artificial biters asked Larsen to begin the
method of drawing lots, Fischer had game at 7 p.m., so that Fischer
encountered the Soviet contestants could cover the 1 50 km between the
-not without success-in the first capital and Sousse.
half of the tournament. In the sec­ The American embassy sent out
ond half he was due to face the the speediest car, the road was pa­
Yugoslavs, the main rivals of the trolled by a police helicopter to give
Soviet players. the "green light" to the car with
If Fischer withdrew after the Hort Bobby. But ... at 6 o'clock there was
game, all our rivals would collect a a telephone call from the capital,
point against him by default, to help and after that the "hot line" from
them qualify for the Challengers Sousse to Tunis was engaged for an
matches. Therefore, before his game hour. All this time I was in the tele­
against Hort, Fischer wanted to phone booth from which Fischer's
know once and for all if he was go­ second, the Yugoslav journalist
ing to play his game against Gipslis. D.Bjelica; was talking to Bobby,
"If I play this game today and who demanded that the jury's deci­
withdraw from the tournament," sion should be reconsidered so that
Bobby said, "it will be unfair to my he might have a chance to play the
colleagues. But if I'm given a two forfeited games. Bjelica went to
default I shan't continue the talk with the arbiters who confirmed
tournament!" their decision. Now I tried to per­
The arbiters had to face a n insolu­ suade Fischer, but he was insistent.
ble dilemma. To allow Fischer to Probably at this moment Fischer
play the missed game meant violat­ subconsciously felt that he could
ing the regulations, but if the game still make it by 7 o'clock. But time
was unplayed, Fischer could with­ was pressing .. . On the phone he
draw . .. Finally, Bobby was given a was losing confidence; ten minutes
second default and again left for later his clock was due to be started,
Tunis. and one hour after that the game
The rules stipulated that a player would be forfeited.
could default only two games. If he At 7 o'clock Fischer gave in. We
missed a third game he would auto­ heard the voice of a desperate man
matically be expelled from the who repeated into the telephone that
tournament. he was ready to continue the tourna­
Fischer's next opponent after Hort ment with two defaults, but asked
was Bent Larsen. The game was Larsen to wait.
scheduled for Saturday, but on that
 My Life in Chess 35

Everyone rushed to Larsen to ask

him to agree. But the Dane an­
swered firmly, "No! The clock has
been started." One hour later
Fischer forfeited the game, and for
three years he dropped out of the
World Championship cycle.
At that stage, with 8 1h points out
of 12 games (even with two de­
faults!), Fischer was leading the
field ... and I am sure that if he had
continued the tournament, he would
have qualified for the Candidates. The solution is not obvious: 1
ii'f5+ g6 2 ii'f6 ! ! and there is no de­
Fischer's eccentric behaviour fence against 3 ii'g7+ lhg7 4 lLlf6
earned him a unique reputation. mate (2 .. gxh5 3 ii'xh6 mate).
.

However, his character and eccen­

tricities went together and the main "Shall we give you a clue?" asked
thing was his fanatical devotion to the grandmasters sarcastically.
chess! When asked if he had many "No! No! I'll do it myself1"
friends, Bobby invariably answered: answered the American grand­
"All those who love chess." master.
He has always been polite to other Just imagine-the chess genius
chess players. When Fischer sat unable to find the solution which
down at the chessboard, he was a was "obvious" to everyone else
gentleman, an extremely polite and around. Horror was written across
sophisticated man. His terrific sense Bobby's face-the horror that his
of dignity and his principled attitude reputation as a chess prodigy might
to chess were always coloured by go to pieces!
his childlike naivety, of which I When, a minute later, he found
would like to mention one example. the solution, his face which had
One day a group of grandmasters been so desperate brightened up
gathered by the Mediterranean sea­ with such happiness that I pictured
side. I decided to play a joke on Archimedes' face exclaiming
Fischer. I arranged with the other "Eureka! " Possibly no actor in the
grandmasters that I should give him world could imitate this sequence of
a tricky position to solve, and while horror and delight on Fischer's face.
he was thinking the others would During the Sousse tournament I
say that the position was easy and often talked with Bobby. We played
all of them had found the solution, soccer and swam. These episodes
but Bobby couldn't! had a sequel which I should now
I opened my pocket chess set and like to relate.
showed the position to Fischer.
3 6 My Life in Chess

At one time the newspaper Kom­ beginning with the words "Amigo
somolskaya Pravda used to offer its Eduardo"!
readers some speculations on the I also told the Komsomolskaya
likely results of thirteen sports duels how I had played soccer with Bobby
in hockey, soccer, chess etc. Fischer on the beach in Tunisia. Af­
"Famous" sportsmen were invited to terwards I gave my forecast for the
the first session-I say it with coming sports matches.
tongue in cheek because I was one The next day I looked through the
of those invited. But in addition to newspaper. I read my forecast, and
making his predictions, each of the then I read that Gufeld had
invited sportsmen was supposed to "successfully played chess against
tell an entertaining story that had Bobby Fischer and no less success­
happened to him. fully played soccer against Pele! "
I told them how I had once given I instantly grabbed the phone and
an unusual interview to the Brazil­ asked for the reporter who had
ian newspaper Journal du Sport. interviewed me. The reporter had
There I was asked about soccer, and already seen the paper and made his
the legendary Pele was asked about apologies: "You see, one of our col­
chess. Afterwards, Pele sent me a leagues who was on night duty in
remarkable souvenir: wonderful col­ the newspaper office thought he had
oured photos with the badges of discovered a mistake-'caught a
Brazilian soccer clubs. But the most flea', as Russian journalists say. So
important thing was his signature. he 'corrected' it by 'returning'
Imagine the faces of soccer fans, Fischer to the chessboard and Pele
when I showed them the lines to the soccer field."

The maximum discount

We were flying back from the people who can drive a hard bargain
Brazilian Interzonal tournament. without being aggressive or impu­
Our plane landed in Conakry, the dent: one should haggle hard, but
capital of Guinea. amicably.
We checked in at our hotel. An It seems to me (and life has con­
open-air market was nearby. The firmed this) that I possess all the
hotel was fenced round on all sides: requisite qualities of the "oriental"
the vendors had no admittance to buyer. At least, I can always man­
the hotel, but we could go to the age to find a common language with
market. And indeed, how could one even the most disparate audiences
be in the heart of Africa and not and I always try to find the shortest
bring home some token made of way to the seller' s heart.
ebony! Our delegation (Smyslov, Poluga­
Trading abroad in bazaars differs evsky, Geller, Keres, Taimanov, Sa­
sharply from our own practice. Cer­ von and others) had made a decision
tain relations between buyer and to send me as a representative to the
seller are traditional. As many tour­ market to buy souvenirs. The rest of
ists can testify, vendors appreciate them drew up along the "line of
 My Life in Chess 3 7

demarcation" by the hotel, and memones of him and Africa, I

awaited the result of my exploits. wanted to buy for myself and my
As is well known, bargaining in friends (I nodded in the direction of
the East involves a specific ritual. our delegation) several sets of
On the one side are those who are masks.
trying to buy cheaper, on the other He joyfully nodded his head and
-those trying to sell dearer. Both asked what my price would be. I po­
sides get satisfaction from this Pfoc­ litely replied that I was ready to pay
ess. The emotionality of the market him, for each set-one dollar!
vendors, their exotic and pictur­ This tall, nice-looking black man
esque temperaments-all this is so actually jumped with surprise. Real­
difficult to express in words. But izing that in my person he was en­
imagine, too, the fantastically col­ countering a worthy opponent, he
ourful garments and the seductive looked at me and said:
allure of the various goods laid out "I see you can appreciate my art.
on the tables and everywhere on the Fifty dollars."
ground ... "Two," I said firmly.
The vendors quickly saw that I The bargaining was under way.
was a promising customer. They "Forty-five."
shouted and ran over to me with "Three."
goods in their hands but I resisted, "Forty."
waiting for the right moment. "Four."
Finally, after making the round of There was no deal. I turned round
numerous stalls, I was attracted by and walked without any hurry to­
one of the mask sellers. He was a wards the hotel. I had to inform my
towering, handsome black man, friends that given our modest finan­
completely dressed in white. In an cial means, we could not afford to
instant both of us felt a mutual buy the African souvenirs we cov­
capitalistic attraction, if I may call it eted so much.
that. Kindred spirits. The vendor guessed at once that
I asked him in my broken English he was losing the only customer he
what the price of a seven-piece set had had so far that day. His conces­
of masks was. He didn't reply right sions became more tempting. He
away. He took me by my arm and shouted to me in hot pursuit. There
began walking with me along the were about ten yards left to the hotel
wares laid out on the ground. As we when he yelled:
walked, he declared in his excellent "Twenty!"
English that he saw a friend in me, "Five." I showed my widely
felt a great attraction towards me spread palm, not turning back.
and therefore he could offer me the "Fifteen."
set of masks for the lowest price And just as I was about to cross
possible: one hundred dollars! the "line of demarcation," we at last
I said I was grateful to him, re­ agreed upon eight dollars per set.
leased my hand and took him by his Many years later all of the chess
arm, and we began to walk back in players who were present in
the opposite direction. I told him Conakry recalled the unusual
that I also felt an attraction for him haggling at the market in which
-and in order to preserve the finest their colleague took part. But few of
38 My Life in Chess

them knew that a similar event had couldn't find what we needed in
already happened to me. That time I their store. They were surprised. I
came a total cropper. asked the man whether he had a
It had happened much earlier. On leather belt in my size. I should in­
our way back from Tunisia, we form you that a belt of my size-53
spent a few days in the capital. At inches-isn't possible to find in our
one point during a stroll a stranger country. And suddenly I heard the
came over to us and suggested we reply:
. "We do have belts of your
buy a sheepskin. The smell of that SlZe. "
skin has haunted me all my life. We Frankly, I was surprised: "Do you
said we didn't want it but the really?" Indeed they did.
stranger doggedly followed us. For The host took us to the counter
a long time we couldn't get rid of where they sold a great variety of
him, and all the while with this leather goods. Here were belts to
awful smell was hanging over us. At satisfy anyone's taste. In addition,
last I couldn't stand it any more. I these belts had metal buckles of ex­
stopped and said, "How much do traordinary beauty. But the main
you want for this skin?" thing was that various belts of my
"Fifty dinars." size were available. I tried on one
Being absolutely sure that he belt made of four layers of multi­
would refuse, I said: "One." coloured, high quality leather. A
No sooner was this word out of very nice one! The host came over
my mouth than he heaped the dis­ and said: "Do you like it?"
gusting thing onto my shoulders and "Very much."
blurted out: "Agreed! " "I will give you fifty percent
Another curious trade perform­ discount."
ance took place at the chess Olym­ Keeping in mind the approximate
piad in Dubai, 1 986. There we made prices for belts in our shops, I re­
there the acquaintance of an expatri­ joiced and asked: "What if I get
ate Soviet citizen, a lady from Len­ two?"
ingrad. She had married an Arab "Of course! If you like them so
studying in the Soviet Union and much, I will give you the first belt
had moved to a permanent residence with a fifty percent discount and the
in the capital of the United Arab second one will be my gift to you."
Emirates. She persuaded us to visit I was deeply touched by the
her husband's store "Majestique", Arab's gracious behavior, and took
where French goods were on sale. the belt in order to see its price. It.
She promised that she could get us was over 200 dollars! What was I to
good discounts. So a group of us do?
chessplayers went to this store. I got my bearings at once. I don't
Once we reached it we immediately even know how this impudent
realized that no matter how great the thought dawned on me.
discount, we wouldn't be able to af­ "Dear friend!" I said. "I greatly
ford any of these luxurious French appreciate your kindness, but
wares. honestly, I don't want you to bear
In order to secure a face-saving such expense for my sake: one belt
retreat, I tried to confuse our for half-price and the other as a free
amiable hosts by hinting that we gift. I would rather just have the
 My Life in Chess 3 9

free gift!" And to everyone' s cheer­ nirs to the host, shook his hand
ful laughter I presented some souve- firmly and put on the belt.

Non-Olympian motives
\
In my younger years I somehow, and fussier, puzzled expressions ap­
easily became the centre of atten­ peared on the faces: how come the
tion. In 1 974 I was a member of a pen was missing from my bag? The
tourist group at the Chess Olympiad people started a thorough examina­
in Nice. The group comprised sports tion of the bag's contents. Still no
executives, grandmasters and luck. "Where is the pen?" the facial
spouses of USSR team members. At expressions were asking.
the airport in Paris, some represen­ You must already have guessed
tatives of the "USSR-France" soci­ that my case was not different from
ety met us and presented gifts­ the others. I had surreptitiously put
attractive cases with "USSR­ my fine American pen inside it be­
France" inscribed on them. Inside fore beginning the small perform­
the cases there were some other sou­ ance. I still recall the faces of my
venirs. We got on a bus and started companions; some of them did not
our tour of Paris. Our guide was a speak to me for a few days
Russian woman who had settled in afterwards.
France not so long before. Everyone
was elated and happy. The Philippines, 1 992. By agree­
After a while it occurred to me to ment with Florencio Campomanes,
play a trick on my companions. I then FIDE President, I was looking
put my hand into the case that had for someone to sponsor the best
been presented to us and took out an game prizes for the Olympiad. Next
envelope, a few postcards and . . . a to the tournament hall there were
fancy pen. In those days attractive souvenir stands and among them
objects were hard to come by in our there was one selling chess comput­
country. I said for everybody's ers. The proprietor was a handsome
attention: young man, not rich. He loved
"This is the pen I've been dream­ chess, had opened a chess school
ing of all my life! What a beauty!" and written a book. When I shared
What happened next? Everyone, my idea with him, his eyes sparkled.
of course, began searching for the I asked him:
same pen. At first the hands were ."Do you want to become world
groping about slowly, as if absent­ famous? There's an idea to set up
mindedly sorting something out in prizes for the best games in the
their cases. The tourists pretended Olympiad. Afterwards they may be
they were listening to the guide, published as a separate book. Every­
looking out of the window at the thing will appear under your name."
views of Paris. Meanwhile, as the He answered:
hands could not find the ill-starred "That's it! I agree. How much is
pen, the movements became quicker needed?"
40 My Life in Chess

I gave a very modest estimate. this point that the caps were pre­
"Probably $5,000 would be sented by three young beauties. I
enough." added:
"I will give $ 10,000 " "Then according to the rules of
At the sponsor's stand they were Filipino hospitality, you're to kiss
also selling splendid summer caps one of these girls."
with long peaks. You could have "That's enough of your pranks,"
one with your name on it. I still said Boris with a smile. "Save them
keep such a cap with the inscription for someone else, they won't work
"Eduard Gufeld." Honorary guests with me."
received these caps as gifts. Seeing I accompanied him to the table,
that I was on friendly terms with the introduced him, and twenty caps
owner of the stand, people now and were put before him. When Pos­
again asked me to exert my "influ­ tovsky picked up a cap, he was
ence". The chess official Boris Pos­ asked to put it on and have his pic­
tovsky wanted one of the caps. ture taken. Then they asked what
When he approached me with his country he was from, what team he
request, I replied: represented. Could it be that Gufeld
"Sure, no problem. But you've had not been kidding? Then they
got to keep in mind that there's a asked Postovsky to have his picture
certain tradition ... " taken with the girls. Here Boris
"What do you mean, tradition? dropped his guard. After the joint
Are you having me on, as usual?" photo session (all according to the
Postovsky is a very serious person customs and conditions of hospital­
and always tries to steer clear of ity ... ), he strained himself, stood on
frivolous situations. tiptoe, and to everyone's surprise
"No way, Boris. After I introduce kissed the prettiest girl. She was
you, they'll give you twenty caps to thunderstruck with embarrassment.
choose from. When you pick one As luck would have it, on that day
and try it on, they'll photograph you her husband was present. Of course
in it. Then they'll ask you to intro­ I could not have predicted such a
duce yourself and say what country turn of events. The husband turned
you're from. They need to keep out to be so jealous that I forgot all
track .of who's received their my jokes at once. I had to use all my
souvemr. " diplomatic skills to apologize to
"Are you making this up?" him, to her, and to Boris. An inno­
"That's the custom. Afterwards cent prank could have ended lamen­
they'd like to have their picture tably. Thank God it did not ...
taken with you." I must mention at

There is a girl in Kutaisi ...

In 1 970 something happened to Rustavcki street when my old friend

me which at first glance was not at Georgi Kantaria, a chess instructor
all remarkable. I was about to leave from Kutaisi, asked me to examine
the comfortable chess club on one of his charges.
 My Life in Chess 41

A girl of about eight or nine, all the rest of them. Thus she
dressed in a school uniform and became the USSR Girls' Champion.
wearing a huge snow-white bow in It is notable that when I accepted
her hair, was sitting at the chess­ the offer to become Maya's coach, I
board. Without being in the least first asked Nona Gaprindashvili, the
embarrassed in the presence of a then Women's World Champion,
grandmaster, she confidently played whether she had any objections. The
out the closed variation of the Sicil- ' question was of some significance,
ian Defence. Then another game for even then I saw Maya as Nona's
was played. Her natural gift and future rival. Nona replied as a real
great devotion to chess was evident. queen would: "Of course I have no
Now, many years later, I can't re­ objections."
call my first meeting with Maya It was very interesting to work
without a smile. But then in an in­ with Maya in those days. We tried
terview which I gave to the Soviet to prepare her for playing "correct"
Sport newspaper, I said: 'There is a chess. If only the girl had added a
girl in Kutaisi, who is just nine little more diligence to her remark­
years old. I will not give her name, able natural talent: it is a truism that
out of professional discretion, but talent is first and foremost hard
very soon everybody will hear about work. As it was, after a slip-up in a
her." game (which no one is safe from),
That particular event would have Maya could say without batting an
remained a curious episode if it had­ eyelid: "You didn't teach me about
n't had a peculiar sequel a few years that." Or in the heat of our theoreti­
later. In January 1 976 the USSR cal work she could ask with con­
Championship for Girls was held in cern: "Eduard Efimovich, wasn't it
Tbilisi. Maya Chiburdanidze, by Morphy who found it was impossi­
that time already an International ble to mate the king with bishop and
Master, was considered one of the knight?" The merry twinkle in her
tournament favourites. After the eyes always gave her away, even
first two rounds she only had half­ though she tried to hide it.
points on the cross-table. On the eve I was very grateful to Maya 's for­
of the next game, a delegation came mer teachers: my colleagues from
to visit me: Maya herself, her Kutaisi, the ex-champion of Geor­
mother, and her uncle Gamlet gia, J.Chikovani, and the respected
Khurtsidze. (It is difficult to over­ Soviet coach M. Shiskov. They
estimate the role of this man in taught her to think independently
Maya's progress to the world and not to copy the games of others.
crown.) They declared: "Until you Chiburdanidze in her teens acted
agree to be Maya's coach, we will like an experienced master.
not leave this room." Together with the eminent Geor­
I agreed to help. I was also asked gian journalist A.Eremian, I have
to do so, moreover, by a number of written in detail about the career of
public organizations of the Republic the sixth Women's World Cham­
of Georgia. We were just starting to pion. I should like to recall a few
train when, as if in gratitude to me, episodes here.
Maya won a game. And afterwards
42 My Life in Chess

The Tallinn pearl

There used to be a symbolic which I hadn't discovered alone?

"Vera Menchik Club"; its members However, taking into consideration
were those grandmasters whose that 50% of the "shares" were mine,
chess pride had suffered in tourna­ I found a solution and said:
ment games against the legendary "Maya, in this position White gets
woman champion. The foundation the advantage by force. I can't tell
of the "Maya Chiburdanidze Club" you how-find it for yourself." The
dates back to 1 975. But she began to next day Maya discovered this idea.
beat members of the sterner sex Afterwards she used it against
only after she had won the Dvoiris and won.
chess crown. In 1 980 an All-Union
qualifying tournament was held for 1 5 Sicilian Defence [B96]
the next USSR Men's Champion­ M.Chiburdanidze White
ship. Maya led the tournament for S.Dvoiris Black
most of the way; only two draws in Tallinn, 1 980
the concluding stages enabled the
ex-World Junior Champion, 1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4
V.Chekhov, to overtake her and ob­ lbxd4 lLlf6 5 lbc3 a6 6 .i.g5 e6 7 f4
tain the only entrance ticket to the lbbd7 8 'it'f3 An aggressive plan.
Top League. But even second place White is preparing to castle long,
was an excellent achievement for though Black's forces might easily
young Maya, who had outdistanced be deployed on the queenside for a
a lot of masters and grandmasters. A counter-attack. 8 'ii'c7 9 0-0-0 b5!
...

convincing example of this is her 10 .i.d3 Black was not afraid of 10

game against Dvoiris, called by e5 .i.b7! . But White is up to some­
reporters "The Tallinn Pearl." thing else. 10 .i.b7 1 1 .l:the1 'ii'b6
.•.

The prelude to this game is curi­ 1 2 lbd5!

ous. At Portoroz in 1 973, Portisch,
Geller and Polugaevsky were play­
ing off for the two remaining places
in the Candidates Tournament. In
the first game Polugaevsky used
an interesting novelty against Geller
and won. Geller and I spent half a
night analysing the game and found
an excellent refutation. But we were
not able to use it, and for many
years chessplayers were repeating
Polugaevsky's idea. Nobody saw
the effective refutation found by us.
I had no secrets for Maya, but when It was in the Geller-Polugaevsky
we touched on this variation in our game that Black played l l ...'iVb6 for
opening studies, I was in a dilemma. the first time. The antidote 1 2 lbd5
Was it ethical to reveal the variation and 1 3 lbc6! was ready for their
 My Life in Chess 43

next clash, but Polugaevsky took no may develop into an attack.

chances and didn't repeat this 17 .'11Vc7 18 b4 ltJe6 1 8 ... tLla4 19
.•

variation. 12 ... exd5 Why not .i.d7+ and 2 0 %he7+ +-. 19 't�Vh5
1 2 . . .'Wxd4 ... ? Because of 13 �xf6 ltJg7 20 .i.d7+ 'it>f8 2 1 'Wh6 d5
gxf6 1 4 �xb5, and after 1 4 .. .'iVc5 Black sets a trap. 22 l:txe7 'it>xe7 23
15 tLlxf6+! . 13 tLlc6 ! ! If the first l:tel+ If White takes the bait with 23
sacrifice wasn't exactly unexpec�ed 1\Vxg7?? then 23 .. .'iWxf4+! and Black
(the excursion to d5 in similar posi­ wins. 23 ... 'it>f8 24 1Wxf6 Maya con­
tions is more or less a textbook ducts the attack with true inspira­
ploy), the second one, from Black's tion. She has already sacrificed a
viewpoint, was a bolt from the blue. rook, but it is as if each of her re­
He was expecting the standard 1 3 maining pieces has magical powers.
exd5+ 'it>d8 with mutual chances. 24 '1t>g8 25 l:te7 l:tf8 26 .i.e6!
•..

For instance, 14 ltJc6+ 'it>c7! and 1\Vxe7 27 1\Vxe7 fxe6 Or 27 ...ltJxe6

Black defends all his weak points. 28 f5 ltJg7 29 c7+-. 28 c7 The sur­
13 .i.xc6 The opening of the e-file
.•. prising service of this pawn must
could not be prevented by 1 3 ... d4? have been difficult to predict 1 3
because of 14 e5 ! ! . 14 exd5+ .i.e7 moves earlier, when it seemed
1 5 dxc6 ltJc5 16 .i.xf6 gxf6 17 .i.f5 almost doomed-if not to a quick
The forced sequence has ended, but death, then to slow suffocation.
the positional sequel reveals the 28 ... h5 29 'ii'xf8+! 1-0 In !nforma­
idea of the piece sacrifice: the black tor No. 29 this game was awarded
king is detained in the centre, hence first prize for the best theoretical
White possesses an initiative which achievement.

The flying coach

In 1 977 Maya Chiburdanidze and Tallinn to Moscow. My acquain­

Elena Akhmilovskaya met in the tances joked: Eduard has a double?
Women's World Championship Playing on two fronts was rather
semi-finals match, the youngest difficult, but thanks to Aeroflot's
challengers to the crown in chess efficiency Maya could prepare for
history. At first Maya was doing each game with her coach.
well, but later she fell ill, committed Moreover, this tandem work even
several mistakes, lost, and the score brought us some profit. There were
became dire, 5-4 in her rival's fa­ three games left until the end of the
vour. The situation was further com­ match, and in two of them Maya
plicated by the fact that the match was to play White. It was necessary
was taking place in Tallinn but to force her rival into our type of
Chiburdanidze's coach had to play game. But how was it to be done? In
in Moscow in the Armed Forces those days, with White, Maya inevi­
Team Championship. It was then tably played 1 e4. Akhmilovskaya
that I introduced a new term, flying invariably replied l . ..e5. In our
coach, into the sporting vocabulary. opening repertoire there was only
From 20-29 September I could be the Ruy Lopez. For this match Elena
seen regularly on a flight from had prepared a variation against
44 My Life in Chess

which we couldn't find any way to 9 . . . h6? Khasin continued with

achieve a decisive advantage. 9 ... c6. There followed 1 0 e4! lt::lbd7
We were nonplussed. Maya took 1 1 exd5 (better 1 1 lt::lxc6 SLxc6 12
her last time-out. On the eve of her exd5 i.b7 1 3 d6 i.xg2 1 4 dxe7
decisive tenth game I played against 'it'xe7 1 5 ..ttxg2±) 1 L.lt::lxe5 1 2
Khasin in Moscow, where I used a dxe5 lt::lxd5 1 3 lt::lxd5 cxd5 1 4 �e3
curious opening idea. Weary after and White kept a small positional
the game, I took the plane (for the plus. 10 SLf4 :e8 1 1 'it'b3 lt::lbd7 12
umpteenth time! ) to Tallinn. At 2 :rd 1 Maya isn't tempted by the
a.m. I decided: what if Maya could chance to win a pawn with 1 2 tt'lxd5
use this opening in her next game? lt::lxd5 1 3 SLxd5 SLxd5 1 4 'ii'xd5
In the morning I went to Maya. lt::lxe5 1 5 'it'xd8 :axd8 16 dxe5
We sat down at the board, and I SLf8= (or 1 6 ... SLc5=). 12 ... lt::lf8 13
straight away blurted out: "Maya! e4 c6 14 :acl lt::le6 15 SLe3 lt::lf8 16
Today you're going to start your h4! a6 1 7 lt::l e2 b5 1 8 lt::lf4 'ii'd6
game with 1 c2-c4!" It is difficult to
explain how amazed she was. I
showed her my game with Khasin.
She was staring at me blankly. "But
Elena doesn't have to play the
Queen's Indian. What if she re­
plies . . . " Understanding that it is
much easier to win a car in a lottery
than to guess your rival's opening
in this situation, I resorted to the
best argument: "You will have this
position on the board!" I don't
know if it was my firm conviction
which helped, or Maya's boundless 19 lt::lx c6! This combination has
trust in me as a coach, but she be­ been hanging over Black's head for
gan the game with the move c2-c4, some time like the sword of Damo­
probably for the first time in her cles. 19 ... dxe4 20 d5 lt::l8d7 2 1 lt::la5
life. 'it'b8 22 lt::l xb7 Maya resorts to a
technical method of realizing her
16 Queen's Indian Defence [E 1 8] superiority: the advantage of two
M.Chiburdanidze White bishops and a strong passed pawn in
E.Akhmilovskaya Black the centre. These factors are espe­
Tallinn, 1 977 cially strong in the endgame. Maya
carried out the endgame impeccably
1 c4 lLlf6 2 lt::lf3 b6 3 g3 SLb7 4 and won.
�g2 e6 5 0-0 SLe7 6 lt::l c3 0-0 7 d4
d5 8 cxd5 exd5 9 lt::le5 White has a Incidentally, the team of the
slight positional advantage. 9 h6?
.•. Transaucasian Military District, for
Incredible! Our scheme has paid which I was playing, won silver
off. Instead of the unsuccessful medals in the championship.
 My Life in Chess 45

How far is it to immortality?

At an early age I realized that I Olympiad in 1982. The Soviet

had inclinations to be a teacher, a victory was brilliant: the men
coach, a tutor. I was training the outstripped the second prize winners
Ukrainian women's team when still by 6Ih points and the women did so
in my teens. At the age of twenty I by 3 points. The women were chess­
completed, with honours, an players from Tbilisi: Chiburdanidze,
advanced trammg course for Gaprindashvili, Alexandria and
coaches, where we were instructed Ioseliani. Seeing that our business
by Botvinnik, Rokhlin and other was prospering, I had time to spare
famous teachers. from my coaching work and took
At the May festivities in Moscow upon myself the job of arranging a
in 1 9 8 1 , the 1 5th USSR team cham­ gala dinner. The hall of the restau­
pionship brought together rant where our chessplayers were to
experienced warriors from Moscow, dine was very nicely decorated, the
the RSFSR, the Ukraine, Georgia, table being set for 40 persons.
Lithuania and other republics. Fans Russian music was to be played. I
who had come there could see Pet­ selected the dishes in consultation
rosian, Tal, Spassky, Smyslov, with the hotel manager. We settled
Bronstein, Gaprindashvili, and on meat dumplings (pelmeni), a
Chiburdanidze. As chief coach of typical Russian dish. We unearthed
the Georgian team, I was tom cookbooks on Russian cuisine and
between playing my own game and chose the most traditional recipe.
watching the boards where my But something we had not
friends and proteges were playing. bargained for happened: I tried to
"How is Maya doing? Not bad. But explain in my broken English that
Georgadze is losing to Beliavsky." there should be a lot of dumplings,
Anxiety for my friends affected my but instead of "many" I said "big,"
own game against Romanishin. and that was how I was understood.
"I've got to win this game--oh well, Then came the majestic moment:
the position is to my taste. Next to the strains of a solemn march,
round we're playing the team from several cooks dressed in white with
Belarus. That'll be a tough nut to tall caps brought out the main dish
crack! " The situation before the last of our feast: huge dumplings, each
round was that our team needed four the size of a plate. When the ear­
points to gain one of the top places. splitting laughter had faded away
On the eve of the decisive battle, I and the misunderstanding was
hung up a wall poster which read: cleared up, the new dish was
"Genatsvale! (Georgian for 'my immediately christened "Gufeld
dear ones ! ') Only four points sepa­ dumplings," and the manager of the
rate us from immortality!" The ap­ hotel promised to put it on
peal had a positive effect: the the restaurant menu.
Georgian team won bronze. I can't help adding a few words
One of the peaks of my coaching about my "English," in which I can
career was, I believe, the Lucerne fairly fluently speak and write-
46 My Life in Chess

"Gufeld English," as I refer to it In those days international chess

myself. One thing strikes me as re­ tournaments in Georgia were usu­
markable: my foreign fellow chess­ ally interspersed with "highly offi­
players whose mother tongue is not cial" banquets. I should like to
English assert that when they hear describe one of them. It is common
Englishmen speak English they knowledge that Georgian hospitality
very often fail to understand them, has its own peculiar rules. The toast­
whereas when Gufeld speaks master was proposing one toast after
"English" they can grasp everything another: to peace and friendship, to
very well. chess, to parents and children, to
I could also tell you about some women (there is a long list of man­
of my short-term coaching assign­ datory toasts). From time to time the
ments. In the 1 984-5 Karpov­ toastmaster would delegate his role
Kasparov match I was working in to one of the guests. At first young
the press centre. It had been planned Timman demurred, but finally he
that when the match was over, I gave in and told me he would like to
would go and do some coaching uphold the Georgian custom. How­
with some talented juniors in a very ever, he wished to deliver his toast
picturesque location in India. But in his native language--Dutch.
the match dragged on and I arrived I informed the toastmaster of
in India two weeks late. The Indians Jan's desire. Interpreters for all
were very pleased when I finally ar­ major languages-English, German,
rived that morning, but one of the French, Chinese, etc.-were pre­
mothers explained that she was sent, but, alas, nobody knew Dutch.
leaving in the evening with her son, After a fruitless search for a Dutch­
Viswanathan Anand, who was play­ speaking interpreter, the toastmaster
ing in the Asian Junior Champion­ suddenly turned to me and asked if I
ships in Madras. Without unpack­ could be of any assistance. No prob­
ing, I sat down at a board and lem, sir!
crammed in a few hours with him So Timman started speaking, and
before his flight. I always like to . . . I was "translating." I was in top
joke: "A mere couple of hours with form! As the reader may have
me, and now look where he is! " guessed, I had no idea what our
Max Euwe once wrote to the So­ Dutch friend was saying. But what
viet ministry of sport asking if I would somebody say on such an
could work with a young talented occasion? I was saying what I
player from Holland, Jan Timman. would have said myself in our
We gladly accepted him in Tbilisi, guest's place. I interspersed his
and thanks to the generous hospital­ speech (sorry, my speech) with kind
ity of the Georgian people and the and good-natured jokes, anecdotes,
strong tournament that was then tak­ etc ...
ing place, his stay was both enjoy­ When I finished the "interpreta­
able and productive. A handsome, tion" there was a storm of applause.
·blue-eyed youth with a huge heap of I recall that Jan asked me why
curly hair, he was very popular in everybody had been laughing and
Georgia. It was a pleasure to share was was so cheerful, as he had been
my chess knowledge with him. saying some fairly serious things.
 My Life in Chess 47

"They like you and they appreciate coached a selected national team.
your eloquence," I replied. My charges were very well in­
As an elected member of the formed about the chess events in
FIDE commission to assist develop­ our country and were well ac­
ing countries, I conduct seminars quainted with our chess literature.
and lectures to raise the standard of They would no sooner glimpse a
their chessplayers. Among other good-looking lady on the streets of
places, I have visited the Philip­ Manila than they would turn to me
pines, where for a while, at the re­ with a smile: "Eduard, here comes
quest of Florencio Campomanes, I Belochka! "

According to the Grandmaster ...

A game recorded i n the arcane I said, "You can take this down:
symbols of chess notation is a par­ in Grandmaster Gufeld's view,
tially closed book even to the initi­ White has an extra pawn in the ad­
ated. Without a commentary to lay journed position." The next day this
bare the thoughts and intentions of "opinion" appeared in the local
the players, their manoeuvres and newspaper without alteration.
combinations, many things remain Sometimes my jokes are published
incomprehensible. To annotate and without the wish of their author.
evaluate a game objectively is diffi­ One article on the 1 969 USSR
cult if you don't have a certain stock championship noted how GM Tuk­
of experience, solid theoretical makov, who was playing an ad­
knowledge, and, finally, some skills journed game, transferred his king
as a writer. first to the kingside, then to the
As a commentator I try to com­ queenside, and after that to the cen­
bine chess analysis with humour, tre. A reporter wrote, "Here came
sometimes involving self-irony. I Gufeld and casually remarked, 'If
strive to give the reader or listener a this king is not stopped it will take a
sense of involvement in the events walk among the audience.'"
taking place on the chessboard. But Once spectators witnessed a curi­
I admit that at times I cannot resist ous episode. It occurred on a clear
the temptation to play a practical September day at the 1 982 Moscow
joke on lazy non-professionals. Interzonal. Those who came into the
At the World Championship conference hall of the "Sport" ·hotel
match in Merano ( 1 9 8 1), many td watch the adjournment session
reporters were present who had no greatly enjoyed the endgame be­
knowledge of chess. Some of them tween Rodriguez and Van der Wiel.
went out of their way to seek In the first half of the game the Fili­
sensation of any kind. I played a pino master had brilliantly sacri­
joke on one such bothersome ficed two pieces to force his c-pawn
reporter. through to queen.
48 My Life in Chess

1 7 R.Rodriguez White ending. It happens that the ad­

J. van der Wiel Black journed position from the game
Moscow, 1982 Chiburdanidze-Akhmilovskaya and
the endgame of this duel were as
like as twins.

1 8 M.Chiburdanidze White
E.Akhmilovskaya Black
Tallinn, 1977

35 tt:lxd7 l:lxd7 36 c6 l:lxd6 37 c7

tt:ld7 38 c8='1W+ tt:lf8 39 '1Wa8 l:ld2
40 'ii'xa5 l:lxe2+ 41 'it>gl b4 42
'1Wxb4 l:lxa2 43 '1ir'd4 The game was
adjourned in this position. Excite­
ment ran high among the spectators.
43 l:la5 44 b4 l:ld5 45 '1Wc4 g6 46
..• The diagram position is most in­
b5 tt:ld7 47 '1Wc8+ 'it>g7 48 f4 h5 49 teresting. How would the game end
'1Wc7 l:lxb5 50 '1Wxd7 "This is fantas­ if Black tried to construct a fortress?
tic," I couldn't help exclaiming, see­ Thus: 43 ...l:ld5 44 h3 'it>g8 45 'it>e4
ing the position on the huge demo 'it>g7 46 g4, and now:
board. "It's the exact position from (a) Black exchanges pawns with
game two of the semi-final match 46 . . . hxg4 47 hxg4. Now White
between Chiburdanidze and Akhmi­ threatens to transpose into a winning
lovskaya! White wins by sacrific­ pawn ending, for example: 47 ...'it>g8
ing . . . " I didn't finish the sentence 48 'ifxd5 ! ! exd5 (after 48 ... f5+
but turned to GM Najdorf who was White wins by 49 'it>e5 ! exd5 50 g5)
standing by: "Miguel, do you want 49 'it>xd5 'it>f8 50 'it>d6 'it>e8 5 1 f5 !
me to show how White wins?" g5 52 'it>c7 'it>e7 53 'it>c8 ! . Nor does
"Please do," smiled Najdorf, who 49 ... 'it>h7 save the game: 50 'it>d6
speaks perfect Russian. "Should I 'it>g7 5 1 'it>d7 'it>h7 52 'it>d8 'it>h8 53
do it for free?" I teased him. "How f5 ! or 5 1 . .. 'it>f6 52 'it>d8 ! 'it>e6 53
much?" replied the Argentianian, 'it>e8 'it>f6 54 g5+ 'it>e6 55 'it>g7 and
pretending he was about to take out White wins.
his wallet. "I was just kidding," I If Black refrains from exchanging
replied. "Me too," said Najdorf and on g4, it is more difficult for White
we both burst out laughing. After­ to win. But in any case there is only
wards, in the press centre, I demon­ one way to achieve the aim.
strated a most interesting variation (b) 46 ... 'it>g8 47 '1Wxd5 ! exd5+ 48
in which Black's fortress is de­ 'it>xd5 'it>f8 49 gxh5 gxh5 50 'it>e5
stroyed by a queen sacrifice and 'it>g7 5 1 'it>f5 (but not 5 1 h4? 'it>g6
White goes on to win the pawn ending in a draw) 5 l ...h4 52 'it>g5
 My Life in Chess 49

f6+ 53 'iiti>h5 ! (53 'iiti>xh4 would be a those positions in which the queen
mistake, because after 53 ...'iiti>g6 54 fails to win against rook and pawn.
'iiti>g4 f5+ a drawn endgame would For instance, if in the last variation
result) 53 ...'iiti>h7 54 f5 and White Black placed his rook on e6 with his
wins. pawn on f7 a drawn position would
It is clear, then, that White can arise.
sacrifice his queen on d5 and go intoi 43 ...g5
a winning pawn endgame because of This is what Akhmilovskaya
the remote location of the black played. It lets Maya use the g-pawn
king. So maybe Black should try to as a battering ram against the black
bring his king nearer to the centre? stronghold:
(c) 46 ... hxg4 47 hxg4 'iiti> f8 (now 44 fxg5 l:txg5 45 h3 'iiti>h7 46 'iiti>e4
the pawn endgame promises noth­ l:td5 47 'ifb8 'iiti> g7 48 'ii'b2+ 'iiti>h7 49
ing, for instance: 48 'ifd5 exd5+ 49 'ir'hl 'ilti>g7 50 �al+ 'iiti>g6 51 'i'i'h8
'iiti>xd5 'iiti>e 7; but there is another l:tg5 52 'i'i'g8+ 'iiti>f6 53 'i'i'd8+ Wg6
plan) 48 'ifa4 ! playing for 54 'ilff8 l:tf5 55 g4! hxg4 56 hxg4
zugzwang! Let us examine the pos­ l:td5 57 'i'i'g8+ 'iiti>f6 58 'i'i'h8+ 'iiti>g6
sible replies: 59 'iiti>f4 l:tc5 60 'i'i'g8+ 'iiti>f6 61 g5+
(cl ) 48 ... 'iiti>g7 49 'ifa l + 'iiti>h7 'iiti>e7 62 g6! l:tf5+ 63 'iiti>e4 fxg6 64
(49 . . . 'iiti>g 8 as we know is no good, 'ir'xg6 1-0
because of 50 'ifa8+ 'iiti>g7 5 1 'ii'xd5
winning) 50 'ii'a 8! Now White either The position with the pawn on the
takes on d5 or plays 5 1 'iff8 ruining sixth rank has arisen. There is no
Black's stronghold and achieving fortress. Black resigned.
success quickly. Incidentally, at the Moscow Inter­
(c2) 48 ...<it>e7 49 'ii'a3+ 'iiti>e 8 zonal I was inseparable from the
(49 ... 'iiti>f6 50 �f8! ) 50 'i!fb4! l:td7 5 1 73-year-old Najdorf, who came to
'iiti>e5 and the king's march to f6 the tournament as a second for
quickly does the trick. Quinteros and as a reporter for an
(c3) 48 ...l:td2 49 'ifa8+ 'iiti> g7 50 Argentinian newspaper. The pen­
'iWa 1 + 'iiti>g 8 5 1 'iiti>e 5! 'iiti>g7 52 f5 ! chant for irony and repartee, and
exf5 53 gxf5 gxf5 54 'iiti>xf5+ 'iiti>g 8 game commentaries in which we
55 'ir'g l + 'iiti>f8 56 'ii'c 5+ 'iiti>g8 57 'iiti>f6 spare no effort to seek the truth, are
and White wins. common to us both. But if anyone
calls me a "Russian Najdorf," they
In analysing this endgame, one are mistaken; rather Miguel is an
should constantly keep in mind "Argentinian Gufeld."

Why I did not eat my hat

Writing in Inside Chess magazine the 1 988 Olympiad. The following
( 1996), Y asser Seirawan congratu­ is an extract from my reply.
lated Zsuzsa Polgar on winning the "My dear friend Yasser, I do re­
Women's World Championship, member this promise. However, to
and recalled that I did not keep my fully understand my reason for not
promise to eat my hat if the Soviet eating my hat, a bit of historical
women's team failed to win gold in perspective is in order ...
50 My Life in Chess

In 1 988, for the first time ever, in a dangerous zone of the Balkan
three sisters from one family played peninsula, or they were concerned
in the same chess team. Now of that the Soviets would send a sub­
course, there is no question that the marine to the Mediterranean Sea to
Polgars are very, very strong, but at steal back their near-Gold Medallist.
that time I believed the Soviet team In any event, they headed for
was the best. As one of their Germany.
coaches, I believed that our team Of course, as coach I was awfully
would win the Olympiad and that if upset to have lost my best player.
they didn't I would eat my hat. Be­ The rest of the girls became nervous
fore the last rounds, they had a com­ after Elena's departure and went to
manding lead. The real leader of the pieces. Yes, we lost the Olympiad
Soviet team at that moment was gold medals. Quite naturally, as a
Elena Akhmilovskaya with an ex­ hapless alchemist who had received
cellent result: eight and a half points silver out of pure gold, I completely
out of nine. lost my appetite. That, my dear
As was traditional at Olympiads, friend Yasser, is why I didn't eat my
about three or four rounds from the hat.
end, the Soviet and American teams These events happened at a time
had a party. The Soviets brought the when Russia was undergoing much
caviar and vodka while the Ameri­ change. Even in the light of such
cans took care of the rest. I had no matters, we did not lose our sense of
idea of the hidden meaning of that humour. So, after some discussion, I
particular party, as it also served as suggested that we must counter­
an engagement or a wedding party attack. I shall now reveal for the
for Elena and the captain of the first time the counterstroke that I
American team! suggested.
Everything became clear the fol­ Since America had ' stolen' Elena
lowing morning. Elena departed from the Soviet women's team, we
from Thessaloniki having left a had to counterattack by 'kidnap­
touching note in which she in­ ping' someone from the American
formed us that she had literally men's team. My idea was to steal
'jumped into marriage. ' She asked you, Yasser, and have you marry
the team management to replace her our Maya Chiburdanidze!
in the Soviet team for the next I recall that a year before the inci­
round and ... for the rest of her life! dent Maya and I visited Seattle at
Everything had been done in se­ the invitation of the Goodwill
cret in the best Georgian tradition. Games Organizing Committee. You
In Georgia a man steals a virgin, paid us much attention. And I wit­
puts her on a horse and takes her to nessed mutual sympathy and 'intel­
the mountains. In the 1 988 version a lectual exercises' (speed chess) that
man steals the bride, puts her on a occupied you and Maya till the wee
large plane and flies her to another hours of each morning. Since I was
country! the chief delegate of our team I had
I wonder why all of this happened to stay close to Maya and act as the
three rounds before the end of the ' arbiter' in your blitz matches. Little
tournament. Possibly the newlyweds did you realize you were in such
didn't want to start their honeymoon happy danger!
 My Life in Chess 51

However, the problem was that I hope my story will help people
my counterattack scheme might to understand why I did not eat my
have worked in reverse-and our hat, and I wish to extend my con­
team might then have been reduced gratulations to Zsuzsa Polgar for her
by two members! recent achievement and to the whole
\ Polgar family."

A barber of Seville

Seville, autumn 1 987 . . . Spain and a member of his country's chess

lives and breathes chess. Everyone federation. He even participated in
is interested in the exciting World the Spanish Championship. Small
Championship duel Kasparov­ wonder, then, that his clientele in­
Karpov, the fourth battle between cluded an increasing number of lov­
the two K's in as many years. ers of the ancient game. They
I attended the match as correspon­ derived genuine pleasure from dis­
dent for Sovietsky Sport. My story cussing chess issues with the pro­
of Belochka (see "From the Ukraine prietor. He gave them expert advice
with Love") was published in El and played blindfold games.
Pais, one of the most popular Span­ It happened that the zenith of the
ish newspapers, and I had to sign shop's popularity coincided with the
several hundred autographs on cop­ golden age of Soviet chess. Sharp­
ies of the paper for the benefit of witted Andalusians immediately
chess amateurs. I recall numerous nicknamed their barber in the
personal encounters, including one Russian way-Hoakinov. "You can
with ... a real barber of Seville. imagine," Joaquin said with an air
Quite by chance, in the Lope de of importance, "how much respect I
Vega theatre where the champion­ got from having a Russian
ship was held, I met a certain Luis nickname."
Joaquin who was most eager to be I became close friends with
interviewed by a Russian journalist. Joaquin. I presented him with al­
He assured me that he respected my most the whole collection of badges
country and had been following the and souvenirs that I had brought
developments there with interest. from Tbilisi. He immediately pinned
He told me his story. He had been them all on the lapels of his fancy
a Republican Army officer in the jacket. So if you happen to come to
Civil War. After his army's defeat Seville and see an individual cov­
he had changed his career and be­ ered from head to foot in Georgian
come ... a barber. chess badges, you may be sure that
Joaquin started his own small this is none other than my friend
business. His barber's shop soon be­ Joaquin/Hoakinov.
came well known-and not only for I decided to write a scenario for
the prompt and good service. It Spanish television: a visit to a bar­
turned into a real chess club. Chess ber of Seville who is fond of play­
was Joaquin's passion. In the old ing chess. Moreover, I wrote it in
days he was Champion of Seville the natural expectation that Luis
52 My Life in Chess

would participate. The TV crew, cut your hair and play simultan­
however, had a different opinion, eously."
though I found this out only when "Well, OK," I am forced to agree,
we arrived at the shooting site. But "Only please be careful."
the actor chosen by the director The game begins. The barber goes
suited the part. He was on the short on with his work. One can hear the
side, balding, and certainly of an ex­ famous aria from the Barber of
pansive nature. Seville. Indeed the situation is quite
There was no need to make me up similar: Figaro here, Figaro there.
for the role: my hair hadn't seen a The tempo of the music, and, to my
barber's scissors for a long time. horror, the speed of the work be­
The sketch was shot and later shown come faster and faster. The barber
on Spanish television. What did the finishes the haircut and is going to
viewers see? shave me. He steps aside, takes out
the traditional strop and meaning­
A small salon called "Barbero de fully sharpens the razor. I have a
Sevilla." A short, pleasant man wel­ spare moment and glimpse at the
comes me in and asks how he can board. I look closely, and say to the
help me. I explain. He seats me in a barber in a tone of surprise: "Sefior,
chair and begins his job. In due you are in check, and next move
course I turn my head and notice a you'll be checkmated ... "
chessboard with the pieces set up in "What?! " In a flash his razor is
the starting position. I know full under my chin. "What did you say?"
well that thanks to the Kasparov­ The barber's eyes are full of desper­
Karpov match, chess is all the rage ate determination. I realize I have
here. Still, I cannot hide my committed an incorrigible mistake.
surprise. My whole life passes before my
"Sefior, are you a chessplayer?" eyes. I try my last chance: "Sefior, I
"Yes," comes the proud answer. offer a draw." The barber breaks
"What about you?" into a smile.
I introduce myself, and the de­
lighted barber suggests we play a They tell me that the whole of
game. "With pleasure," I reply, "But Spain was watching the videofilm
maybe you'll finish my haircut and was heartily laughing. The main
first." character of the film was also laugh­
"Why," the barber condescend­ ing, having received a substantial
ingly smiles at the naivete of the reward. The script-writer was laugh­
Soviet Grandmaster, who is ignorant ing at himself too, being content
in business matters and doesn't with moral satisfaction and a free
realize that time is money. "I can haircut done by a barber of Seville.
 Part Two: Higher Chess
Education

Who is faster?

This game was played when I was dissatisfaction before making his
a modest debutant and admirer of next move.
famous chessplayers. One of them 5 dxc6 6 d3
..•

was Mikhail Tal, who had won the Spassky commented: "Taking into
Soviet Championship twice and fin­ account the attacking style of the
ished first in the Portoroz Interzonal Soviet champion, the simplifying 5
Tournament. Though Tal was my ..i.xc6 leads to a quiet game where
age, even at that time he was far Black can't display activity." The
ahead of me in chess development Exchange Variation was often prac­
and erudition, and it was with mixed tised by young Ukrainian chess
feelings of astonishment and delight players who wanted to get away
that I witnessed his fantastic leap to from the "book" and avoid the
fame. During the game I felt a crea­ beaten track. Yet this was done with
tive excitement and inspiration. a view to getting a double-edged
Playing against a chess genius, you game, castling queenside-not a
always get a charge of creative quiet game castling kingside! I
energy, trying to be a worthy wanted to reduce to a minimum one
opponent-no, not an opponent but of Tal's advantages, a better knowl­
a partner-in creating a chess edge of opening theory.
masterpiece. You put more, much 6 lLld7 7 lLlbd2 ..i.e7 8 ltJc4 ..i.f6
...

more fantasy and imagination into In my annotations I wrote that if

such games than into ordinary chess 8 ... f6 then 9 lLlh4 0-0 10 f4 exf4 1 1
games! ..i.xf4 g5? 1 2 lLlf5 gxf4 1 3 'ii'g4+
<j)fl 1 4 'ii'h5+ <l;g8 1 5 'ii'g4+ with a
1 9 Ruy Lopez [C77]
perpetual. Of course, White should
E.Gufeld White
prefer 14 lLlh6+! with mate in two.
M.Tal Black
It is better to correct one's mistakes
26th USSR Championship,
late than never. Certainly Black can
Tbilisi 1 959
avoid this variation (for instance, by
1 e4 e5 2 ltJf3 lLlc6 3 ..i.b5 a6 4 not playing 1 1 ... g5) .
..i.a4 lLlf6 5 ..i.xc6 9 'ii'e2
Perhaps Tal hadn't expected this White could have obtained a quiet
as he was looking at the board with game by 9 d4 exd4 10 e5 ..i.e7 1 1
54 Higher Chess Education

'iVxd4 but then why did I "sac" my 20 gxf6 i.xg4 2 1 I;lxg4

king's bishop? The first tactical hurdle; the
9 ... c5 10 i..d2 0-0 1 1 g4! seductive 2 1 fxg7 is refuted by
Shall we begin? 2 l ...I;lf4!
l l ..b5
. 2 1 ...'ii'xf6
The challenge is accepted. The
centre is immobile, the flanks go
into perpetual motion.
1 2 llle3 g6
Here Tal became, I believe, over­
confident. It looks as if he wanted to
say "I am not afraid of my oppon­
ent's threats." Passive but safer was
12 . . .I;!e8 13 g5 i.. e7 14 lllg4 i.. f8
providing no targets for a pawn
attack. At that time, however, Tal
despised such defensive formations
and instead played for open combat.
13 h4 lllb8 14 0-0-0 lllc6 15 Here I somewhat lost confidence.
l:tdg1 i.. e6? I didn't know how to keep up the
I think this is a decisive mistake. initiative. Had I made some
Black is under the illusion that by mistake?
attacking a2 he wins a tempo, but on After 22 I;!g3 i.. h6! 23 h5 i..f4 24
the contrary he loses one! I;!g2 g5 ! 25 h6 �h8, White is dead­
16 �b1 lllb4 locked. But with 22 I;!h3 ! he can
Suddenly it turns out that after open up the h-file.
1 6 . . . llld4 1 7 lllxd4 cxd4 1 8 lllf5 ! 22 I;!h3! a5 23 hS
(this strike is now possible because The harmony of the pieces pro­
the bishop is on e6) 1 8 . ..�h8 1 9 duces an aesthetic impression even
lllh6 White gets a strong attack. If without sacrifices. It was difficult to
Black had played 1 5 . . .lt:Jd4 ! this find the plan to frustrate Black's
variation would not have worked. counterplay on the kingside.
Now Black has to abandon the idea 23...I;!a6 24 hxg6 hxg6 25 I;!g2 !
of placing his knight on d4. This is the right plan! Everything
17 i.. xb4 cxb4 18 g5 i.. g7 19 seems simple: one rook protects the
lllg4 f5 knight, the other supports the weak
In a difficult situation Tal pawn and releases the knight for a
characteristically sharpens the decisive attack. But not so fast!
game! Many times this helped him Black's resources are not yet
to outplay his opponents in exhausted.
breathtakingly double-edged 25...b3!
situations. Now Black's king On 25 ...'iVf4 26 lllg5 I;laf6 27 £3 !
becomes exposed but Tal gets an White puts the finishing touch to the
open file for his heavy pieces. This harmony of his pieces-they are all
is what Tal's trainer, Alex Koblentz, simultaneously attacking and de­
said: "If Misha has just one open fending! Therefore Tal abandons his
file, he will checkmate you!" king and sets his queenside on fire.
 Higher Chess Education 55

26 axb3 20 Sicilian Defence [B70]

Now Black opens up the a-file but M.Tal White
I decided that my attack was faster. 1 E.Gufeld Black
The alternative was 26 cxb3 l:t.c6, Latvia-Georgia, Yurmala, 1 977
giving Black counterchances based
on 27 . . .'ti'f4. 1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4
26 a4 27 lbh4 axb3!
•.• lbxd4 lbf6 5 lbc3 g6 6 �e2 .ltg7 7
27 ... g5 or 27 .. .'iJ/f7 could be met 0-0 lbc6 8 lbb3 0-0 9 �g5 a6
by 28 l::tf3 ! . Another plan is connected with
2 8 l:t.xg6! l:t.fa8! 9 ...�e6.
The climax of the struggle: White 10 f4
is threatened with mate. Someone in Also possible was 10 a4 prevent­
the playing hall even suspected that ing the development of Black's
Tal had outwitted his next "cus­ counterplay on the queenside.
tomer." They said, "Gufeld had only 10 b5 1 1 .i.f3 �b7 12 'ith1 ? !
•..

counted on 28 .. .'ii'xf2 29 l:t.xg7+! Better 1 2 lbd5.

but he just didn't see this." 12 lbd7 13 'ii'e 1 a5! ?
.••

29 cxb3! 'illf7 White was threatening, after 14

l:t.d 1, to carry out the advance e4-e5
with a serious initiative. In the event
of 1 3 ...b4 14 lbd5 �xb2 1 5 l:t.dl
.i.g7 16 e5 Black's position be­
comes precarious. That is why he
first curbs White's activity by sacri­
ficing a pawn.
14 lbxb5 a4 15 lbd2 h6 16 �h4
Keeps the white queen from h4.
1 6 lbc5!
.•.

If 1 6 ... �xb2 1 7 l:t.b 1 a3 1 8

lbxa3 ! ; or 1 6 ...lbb4 1 7 'ii'h 1 ! .
1 7 lbc4 �a6 1 8 lbba3 lbd4! 19
30 l:t.xg7+ ! l:t.f2 l:t.c8?
Against Tal in Tal's style! A pure, positional "Sicilian"
30 'itxg7 3 1 lbf5+
..• move, and yet everything was ready
This knight is stronger than both for decisive action. 19 ... lbb5 ! ?
ofBlack's rooks. seems good; alternatively 19 ... d5 ! ?
3 1 . ..'itg8 32 'i!Vg4+ l:t.g6 33 lbe7+! 2 0 exd5 lbxf3 2 1 gxf3 'ii'xd5 22
'itg7 lbb6 'ii'h 5; but perhaps most con­
33 ...'iJixe7 34 'illxg6+ 'iJig7 35 vincing was the line that Black
'iJie6+ 'illf7 36 'ti'xe5! 'ii'g7 3 7 'iVd5+ chooses a little late: 1 9 ...lbxf3 ! 20
+- gxf3 f5 ! 2 1 exf5 g5 ! 22 fxg5 hxg5
34 lbxg6 'illxb3 35 lbxe5+ 'itf6 23 �xg5 l:t.xf5 with promising
36 'ii'g6+! 'itxe5 counterplay.
Making him take off the trouble­ 20 l:t.d1 tt:Jxf3 21 gxf3 'ii'c7
some knight at last. The inaccuracy on move 1 8 costs
37 d4+! 1-0 Black two tempi (22 lbxd6 was the
threat).
56 Higher Chess Education

22 b3 f5! ? 23 exf5 g5 24 fxg5 34 ...l::te l + 35 .i.gl .i.f5 36 l::te3

hx g? 25 .i.xg5 l::txf5 26 'i!ixe7 d5! l::ta l 37 liJc4 �d4 38 l::tg3+ <li>h7 39
27 tt:ld6 h4 l::tc l 40 liJd2
After 27 liJe3 'i!ixe7 28 .i.xe7 Not 40 <li>h2? .i.e4 ! .
liJe4 Black has reasonable 40....i.xc2 41 d 6 ltdl ! 42 liJc4
counterp lay. .i.f2 43 l::tg4
27 ...Wixe7 28 .i.xe7 liJe4 29 fxe4! After 43 l::tg2 .i.e4 44 <li>h2 .i.xg2
A cold shower! The line 29 lbxe4 45 .i.xf2 .i.d5 the position would
dxe4 was dangerous for White. have been close to equal.
29 ... l::txf2 30 liJxc8 .i.xc8 3 1 exd5 43 ....i.xb3 44 liJb2 .i.d5+ 45 <it>h2
axb3 32 axb3 i..x gl + 46 l::tx gl l::td 2+
In the time-trouble shoot-out Here both of us shrugged our
Black loses all his infantry. shoulders, but we each meant some­
32 ....i.h3 33 .i.c5 l::te2 thing different.
47 <it>g3 l::tx b2??
How could I have made this slip?
I don't know. After 47 ... .i.b3 or
47 ... .i.e6, a drawn position would
have arisen.
48 d7 l::tb8 49 l::td l l::tg8+ 50 <it>f4
.i.e6 51 d8='ili l:hd8 52 l::txd8 1-0

The game was adjourned but not

resumed. Tal was in a hurry to get
to the international tournament in
Leningrad and the victory was
Of course, Black's initiative is not awarded to White according to the
worth four pawns. analysis later published in Aver­
34 l::td3? bakh' s book Chess Endings. Having
Unlikely though it may seem, it enriched my collection of absurdly
turns out that this inaccuracy blocks lost games with another curious
the way to victory. After 34 liJc4 item, I stayed behind in Yurmala to
l::txc2 35 d6 .i.d7 36 .i.d4 .i.c6+ 37 heal my chess wounds.
�g 1 White should win.

A rare king march

21 King's Indian Defence [E86] had drawn with Boleslavsky and
D.Bronstein White Averbakh.
E.Gufeld Black 1 d4 liJf6 2 c4 g6 3 liJc3 .i.g7 4
28th USSR Championship, e4 d6 5 f3 0-0 6 .i.e3 e5 7 liJge2
Moscow, 1 96 1 Nobody is surprised by this move
today, but 7 d5 was more popular in
This was my second appearance those years. Bronstein, however, has
in the USSR championship. The always had his own opinions, often
game was played in round 3, after I perfectly well founded, about all of
 Higher Chess Education 57

the openings. Still, since he had possibilities a s 1 2 g 5. If Black were

played the text move before, I was forced to move his knight, the in­
in some measure prepared for it, at v�ding 1 3 ti:Jd5 would turn out to be
least psychologically. unpleasant for him. But I duly no­
7...c6 8 'ifc2 ticed the artful counterblow 1 2 ...d4!
Here I confess I was rather ex­ 13 gxf6 ti:Jxf6 and Black has noth­
pecting the natural 8 'ifd2, which ing to complain about.
Bronstein had played recently 12 cxdS bS 13 ti:Jg3 tt:Jcs
against Zakharov in the USSR team
championship. Zakharov reacted too
sharply with 8 ... exd4 9 ti:Jxd4 d5?,
which backfired after 10 cxd5 cxd5
1 1 e5 ti:Je8 1 2 f4 f6 1 3 .i.b5 ! .
.8 ..ti:Jbd7 9 0-0-0 'ii'e 7!
One of my "patents" in the King's
Indian Defence. I arrived at the con­
clusion long ago that the queen, in
many variations, is placed most ef­
fectively on this very square. In par­
ticular if the opponent opens up the
h-file, the h-pawn is defended so
that the exchange of the Gufeld 14 b4!
bishop and the expulsion of the Only thus can White stem his op­
knight from f6 are not dangerous for ponent's mounting queenside initia­
Black. There is also a more obvious tive, which might turn out to be
idea: the queen removes itself from dangerous after 14 h4 .i.d7 1 5 �b 1
the watchful eye of the rook on d 1 . l:lfc8 1 6 'iiid2 .l:tab8. Black is now
Finally, in chess strategy there exists presented with a difficult problem.
the problem of flexibility. Where The natural retreat of the knight to
will the queen feel most at ease? On d7 doesn't appeal to me; the knight
aS, of course, some attacking player takes the square from the bishop and
will say, but let us see: 9 ...'iVa5 1 0 can't be quickly transferred to b6. It
�b 1 a 6 1 1 ti:Jc 1 b5 1 2 ti:Jb3 ! and the is true that White has seriously
queen must return with nothing to weakened the shelter of his king,
show for its pains. but that is merely a general consid­
10 g4 a6 eration. In concrete terms, while
White now has reason to continue Black is regrouping for an attack,
his advance with 1 1 h4, but Bron­ White will succeed not only in con­
stein takes a different decision. solidating but also in seizing the c­
1 1 dS file for himself. Nonetheless, it is
The closing of the centre would hard to accept White's operations as
look more convincing with the entirely well-founded, whereas
queen on d2. In the present case the Black has played logically up till
opening of the c-file provides Black now. Why should the advantage
with additional chances. turn out to be White's?
l l ...cxdS! 14 ...ti:Ja4!
In calculating this move, it was The right answer to all the prob­
important not to overlook such lems. Black is obliged to sacrifice a
58 Higher Chess Education

pawn if he wants to prove his strat­ 'it>a1 would be safer, but psychologi­
egy correct. This is a typical posi­ cally White's move was justified: I
tional sacrifice, of which the was confused by it. I recalled the
consequences do not lend them­ expression "David the cunning! "
selves to precise calculation. This affectionate nickname was
15 tbxa4 bxa4 1 6 gS tbe8 17 h4 popular in the years when Bronstein
Bronstein declines the sacrifice,radiated paradoxical and surprising
though probably without reason. Of ideas in literally every game. There­
course Black would have compensa­ fore in considering my plan for fur­
tion in the form of free development ther operations, I decided to use the
and targets on the queenside, so thatwell-known device called a "sham
White would have to neglect his repetition of moves." This ploy
own kingside play. At the moment (which is quite legitimate) consists
Black cannot expect to obtain more in forcing a twofold repetition and
than that, seeing that White' s inac­ then deviating the third time round
curacies have been relatively slight. and continuing with active opera­
But by declining the sacrifice, tions. What is the purpose of this
White is faced with the same prob­ stratagem? Normally it is employed
lems, only with material equality in time trouble, in order to gain time
instead. and to get nearer to the control, but
17 ... i.d7 18 'it>b2 l:t.c8 19 'i!Vd2
in this case we were not in time
Why not 1 9 'ii'h 2? Indeed, the trouble. In fact Bronstein was theo­
threat would be h4-h5 with pressure retically closer to it than I was. But
on h7. But this threat is imaginary; Ithe first aim of my sham repetition
have already explained the ideas be­ was precisely to make Bronstein
hind the 'i!Ve7 move, and here is an think longer. For there was some­
illustration: 1 9 ... tbc7 20 h5 i.h8 ! 2 1
thing for him to think about. Bron­
hxg6 fxg6 and the h7-pawn i s de­ stein used to complain that young
fended. Therefore the white queen masters·playing grandmasters would
does better to stick closer to its own
often take any opportunity to stop
king. the struggle and "snatch" a half­
19 tbc7 20 hS l:t.b8 21 'it>a3!
•.. point, sometimes even in better po­
sitions. Perhaps he would now form
the impression that my intention
was to shirk a continuation of the
struggle. The second aim was to dis­
tract my opponent somewhat; pon­
dering abstract themes during the
game (as was his habit) and lament­
ing the "cowardliness" of the young
master, he might lose his concentra­
tion entirely. Then my decision to
bypass the draw would turn out to
be a good psychological coup.
2 l ...i.b5 22 i.h3 i.d7 23 ii.fl
Bronstein puts his king in an Bravo! The trick works beyond
original position, giving the game expectation. Bronstein spent about
an unusual character. Of course 2 1 twenty minutes on these obvious
 Higher Chess Education 59

replies, and this expenditure of valu­ exposure of White's king. The battle
able time was to make itself felt gets tougher move by move.
later on. Playing my next move with 35 lDe2!
/ The knight hastens towards the
emphatic resolve, I could tell from
the changed expression on my op­ a4-pawn for the sake of which
ponent's face that my arrow had White is prepared to give up his
found its target. £3-pawn.
23 l:tb7
.•• 35 ...'i!ff2 36 'i!fc4! 'i!Vxf3+
Best was 23 ... ltJb5+ 24 .txb5 The culminating moment. I ex­
l:txb5 with a subsequent ... l:tf8-b8. I pected the logical 37 ltJc3, to which
thought it didn't matter how I dou­ I had intended the reply 37 .. .'ifh3
bled rooks on the b-file. The way I followed by 38 ...l:tc8. White takes
did it turned out to be wrong; it the a4-pawn but has to repulse the
would have been useful to exchange tactical threats. However, Bronstein
the knight off in the process. is not attracted by this prospect; he
24 l:tcl l:ttb8 prefers to take the pawn straight­
Consistent, but underestimating away. You can imagine how this
the "insidiousness" of my opponent. pawn must have bothered him and
It was still not too late to play how long he must have dreamed of
24 . . .ltJb5+, albeit with loss of removing it, since he now can't
tempo. resist destroying it at the first
25 l:txc7! opportunity.
This is what the grandmaster had 37 �xa4?! l:ta8+ 38 �b5
prepared! The exchange sacrifice
allows White to parry the immediate
threats and obtain counterchances.
The struggle flares up again and
intensifies as time trouble
approaches.
25 ...l:txc7 26 .txa6
The king is now well placed on a3
and Black is deprived of the major
resource ...a6-a5. In such situations
it is important to be able to readjust
and draw up fresh battle lines.
Black's task is now to parry White's
temporary threats and gradually re­ 38...'iff2 ! !
alize his material advantage. Bronstein has underestimated this
26 ...'ife8 27 hxg6 hxg6 28 l:tcl modest one-square transfer of the
l:txcl 29 'i!Vxcl .ltb5 30 .ltxb5 queen. This recalls a well-known
'ilfxb5 31 .td2 .tf8 32 'ifc6 'i!fd3+ chess anecdote from a hundred
33 'i!fc3 'i!fa6 34 'i!fc6 'i!fa7 years ago. A certain lady who hap­
The problem is complicated by pened to be watching a chess tour­
the circumstance that Black has to nament saw a master play a similar
avoid the exchange of queens, for single-square queen move after a
then the a4-pawn would perish. It half hour meditation. She ex­
may fall anyway, but with queens claimed: "Such a short move after
on the board the price will be the such a long think! " Unlike the
60 Higher Chess Education

master in that tale, I hardly thought ing .l:te1 -d 1 ) 20. . .d5 2 1 dxe5 lLlxe5
at all about my move. There was no 22 exd5 'ii'xf5 23 'ii'xe5±.
time. 1 8 lLld5 .l:tac8 19 dxe5!
39 a4 .l:tb8+ 40 <;;tc6 'iVb6+ 41 White first planned 1 9 'iVf5, but
�d7 realized in time that after 19 ....l:tfe8
Doomed. 20 'iVxe6 fxe6 21 lLlb4 .l:ta8 he
41. .l:td8 mate.
.• achieves nothing.
You don't often get the chance to 19 ... lLlxe5 20 'ii'g3 f6
deliver mate on the board against a White threatened a swift advance
famous GM in a serious tournament of the f-pawn, for example: 2 1 f4
game. During the championship this lbc6 22 f5 'ir'e5 23 'ir'xe5 dxe5 24
game was published in lzvestia, un­ b4 .l:tfe8 25 .l:ta 1 lLlb8 26 f6 with
der the same heading as in this better chances.
book. 21 f4 lLlc6 22 b4 .l:tfe8 23 �h2
'iVf7 24 'i!Vg4 .l:tcd8 25 .l:ta1 lLlb8 26
f5
22 Ruy Lopez [C79] While the black knight is assigned
E.Gufeld White to "sentry" duties, his counterpart is
D.Bronstein Black transferred to a more active
3 1 st USSR Ch, Leningrad 1 963 position.
26 ... .l:te5 27 lLlf4 .l:tde8 28 lLle6
1 e4 e5 2 l2Jf3 lLlc6 3 i.b5 a6 4 �e7 29 b3!
i.a4 d6 5 0-0 lLlf6 6 .l:te1 i.g4 White has a positional advantage
Better 6 ...b5 7 i.b3 i.e7 (or and now wants open lines.
7 ...l2Ja5). 29 ....l:te8 30 c4 lLlc6!
7 c3 l2Jd7 8 d4 Black eliminates White's active
Black was hoping for the modest knight by sacrificing a pawn. This is
8 d3 lLlc5 9 i.c2 lLle6 with comfort­ his best practical chance.
able play. 31 .l:txa6 l2Jd8 32 lLlxd8 .l:txd8 33
8 ... i.. e7 9 h3 i.xf3 10 'ii'xf3 i.g5 .l:tc6 .l:tb8 34 cxb5 .l:tbe8 35 .l:tecl
Or 10 ... exd4 1 1 i.xc6 bxc6 1 2 .l:txb5 36 1:11c4 .l:tbe5 37 'i!Vf3 g6?
cxd4 ±. Better 37 ...h6 or 37 ...d5.
1 1 lLla3 i.xcl 12 .l:taxcl 0-0 13 38 fxg6 hxg6 39 ii'c3 .l:txe4 40
.l:tcd1 'ir'e7 14 lLlc2
.l:txe4 �xe4 41 .l:txc7 ii'e6 42 b5
White has a strong pawn centre
.l:te3 43 ii'c4
and his knight is heading for f5 or
d5, but Black has no obvious
weaknesses.
14 ...b5 15 i.b3 lLla5
Black decides to exchange off the
bishop which might cause problems
for him in the future. At the same
time, doubled pawns appear in
White's camp. But a6 now becomes
the weak point in Black's position.
16 lLle3 lLlxb3 17 axb3 'ii'e6
1 7 ... c6 would be met by 1 8 'ii'g3
.l:tfd8 19 lLlf5 'ii'f6 20 .l:td2 (intend-
 Higher Chess Education 61

43...'iixc4 between Bronstein and me took

In response to 43 ...d5 there was a place. "Which move did you seal,
forced win: 44 l:tc8+ <l;g7 45 'fic7+ 90 <l;fl or 90 <l;g7?" asked the ami­
<l;h6 46 l:th8+ (not 46 b6? l:txh3+ able David. I replied that as far as I
and draws!) 46 ... <l;g5 47 b6 l:txb3, was concerned it made no differ­
and now: ence. Bronstein smiled craftily and
(a) The immediate 48 b7 fails to said: "If 90 <l;g7 is the sealed move,
48 . . .l:txb7! 49 'iig3+ (or 49 'iixb7 you're in for a shock. I'll play
'iie5+, drawing) 49 ... <l;f5 50 'iif3 + 90 ... <l;g4, and after 9 1 l:td4+ <l;h5
<l;e5 51 l:te8 l:te7. (b) 48 'fic l + ! 92 c4 l:txc4 there's a stalemate! "
4 8 . . .l:te3 4 9 b7+-. My face fell. O n resumption there
44 bxc4 +- l:tb3 45 l:td7 l:tb4 46 followed: 90...<l;g4 91 l:th2 Of
.:.xd6 l:txc4 47 l:txf6 <l;h7 48 l:tc6 course I didn't play 9 1 l:td4+ but the
l:tb4 49 b6 <l;h6 50 <l;g3 <l;g5 5 1 move in the game didn't change
<l; f3 l:tb2 5 2 h4+ <l;h6 5 3 g4 l:tb3+ anything. 91 ... <l;g3 92 l:thl l:txc2 93
54 <l;e2 <l;g7 55 l:tc7+ <l;f6 56 b7 h5 l:tc7+ 94 <l;f6 l:tc6+ 95 <3;(7
<l;e5 57 h5 gxh5 58 gxh5 <l;f6 59 l:tc7+ 96 <l;e6 l:tc6+ 97 <l;d5 l:th6 98
h6 <l;g6 60 h7 1-0 <l;e4 <l;g2 But not 98 ... <l;g4?? 99
l:tg 1 + <l;xh5 1 00 <l;f5 and White
23 E.Gufeld White wins. 99 l:th4 <l;g3 100 l:thl <l;g2
D.Bronstein Black Draw! 1/z-1/z
Kislovodsk 1 968

24 Torre Attack [A48]

D.Bronstein White
E.Gufeld Black
Tallinn, 198 1

1 4:Jf3 g6 2 d4 4::lf6 3 i.g5 .i.g7 4

4:Jbd2 d6 5 e4 h6
In this system the fashionable
plan for Black is to drive back the
active bishop to g3, followed by
. . .4::lh5 to force its exchange. This
seriously weakens the kingside,
At the end of a six-hour adjourn­ however, so Black must be careful
ment session, I had to seal a move in about the position of his king.
this position. 6 i.h4 g5 7 i.g3 4::lh5 8 c3 e6
I quickly wrote down 90 <l;fl on Black prepares queenside castling
my scoresheet. Afterwards it turned by freeing a square for the queen. It
out that this move would have won is too early to insert the exchange
easily. But then I had another think 8 . . .4::lxg3 9 hxg3 e6 10 i.d3 4::lc6 1 1
about the position and decided I 'iie2 i.d7 12 b4 'ile7 1 3 b5 4::la5 14
could play something stronger, so I 4::lb 3 4::lxb3 1 5 axb3 0-0 1 6 e5 f5 17
changed my sealed move to 90 exf6 'ilxf6 1 8 'ii'e4, and i n view of
<l;g7?? All the participants in the the weakness of the light squares on
tournament went on an excursion to the kingside, White has the
the famous castle "Perfidy and advantage; Karpeshov-Zilberstein,
Love." There a curious conversation Chirchik 1 983.
62 Higher Chess Education

9 ll:lb3 Not 1 9 ....txa4? 20 exd6 cxd6?

White's principal continuations (20 ... ii.xb3) 2 1 .l:f.xa4 �xa4 22
are 9 .td3 and 9 Ji.c4, but the text �xe6+ +-.
aims to provoke a crisis on g3. An 20 dxe5 .txa4 21 .l:f.xa4 �xa4 22
interesting way to implement this ii.bS 'ii'a2 23 ii.d7 .l:f.a6 24 .l:f.b1
plan is 9 ll:lg l . Kiselev-lvanchuk, The events of this game constitute
Frunze 1 988, continued 9 . . .lt:Jxg3 1 0 a tragedy in two acts. The first act
hxg3 c 5 1 1 dxc5 dxc5 1 2 f4 e 5 1 3 can be described as Black's success­
f5 0-0; Black has managed to block ful battle for material advantage, but
the kingside, but White keeps a firm in order to exploit it, some accurate
grip on the initiative. 14 il.c4 ll:ld7 moves are required.
1 5 ll:lh3 ll:lf6 1 6 lt:J£2 ii.d7 17 lt:Jg4
b5 1 8 ll:lxf6+ �xf6 1 9 Ji.d5 ii.c6 20
0-0 .l:f.fd8 2 1 a4 a6 22 ii'c2 c4 23
'it>h 1 i..f8 24 Ji.xc6 �xc6 25 f6 lid6
26 1:1£5 1:1ad8 27 lt:Jf3 .l:f.xf6 28 axb5
axb5 29 ll:lxe5 �e6 30 .l:f.afl lixf5
3 1 .l:f.xf5 ii.g7 32 lt:Jf3 �d6 33 �£2
'i!Vg6 34 g4 �e6 3 5 e5 �d5 36 �a7
.l:f.£8 37 'it>h2 �e4 Jh-1/z.
9 ... ll:ld7 10 ll:lfd2 ll:lxg3
After White's somewhat artificial
knight manoeuvre, this exchange is
no longer premature and allows
Black to seize the initiative. 24 ...ll:le7
1 1 hxg3 a5 12 a4 0-0 13 ii.d3 f5 The curtain is raised on the sec­
14 �e2 ll:lf6 1 5 f4 gxf4 1 6 gxf4 ond act; 24 ... .l:f.d8! would have con­
ii.d7 17 e5 lt:Jd5 18 g3 ii'e8 cluded the battle. For instance: 25
ll:lc 1 (or 25 lt:Jc5 .l:f.b6 26 ii.xe6+
s��-�- �t�m�� .l:f.xe6 27 ll:lxe6 ll:lxc3 !-+) 25 ...ll:lxf4
� t J.%AR • 26 gxf4 �d5-+.

R �:l t R �:1 ·-
25 �c4! a4?!

t1 �-���r- ---- '

Black is still chasing the illusion
of an advantage. He expects to gain
ifR�-��- -----�'�-- ---,�·�
·· · ·"'��.
��-�- �
material after 26 Ji.xe6+ 'it>h8 27

� �llR -
lt:Jc5 �xc4 28 ii.xc4 .l:f.c6, but there
�f'l�
�·····�·' ��-
is a surprise in store. It was neces­
.
� � sary to settle for 25 ...'it>f7 26 'Wxc7

� � � ��
%
a4 27 ll:ld4 a3 28 �xb7 axb2 29
• • • ••

lixb2 �a5 30 ii'b3 ll:ld5.

26 ll:lc5!
1 9 'it>f2 The second act IS set to
1 9 exd6 cxd6 20 lt:Jc4 i.xa4, and Bronstein's music.
19 ii.b5 Ji.xb5 20 �xb5 �xb5 2 1 26 ...�xc4 27 ll:lxc4 .l:f.a7
axb5 a4 2 2 lt:Jc I a3 both lead to It was correct to return the ex­
Black's advantage. change with 27 ... 'it>f7 28 ll:lxa6 bxa6
19 ... dxe5 29 Ji.xa4 h5 so as to free the bishop
 Higher Chess Education 63

after ... h5-h4 and . . . i.g7-h6. With 29 i.xe6+ �f8 30 g4 b5

the fall of the e6-pawn, however, 30 ... fxg4 3 1 f5 i.h8 32 f6 lt::lc6 33
White's cavalry turns out to be .:d7+-.
stronger than Black's clumsy rooks. 31 lt::le3 fxg4 32 f5 g3+ 33 'Wt>g2
28 .:d1 ! .:ra8 lt::lc6 34 lt::ld7+ 'Wt>e8 35 f6 i.f8 36
28 ...b6 29 lt::lxe6 .:b8 30 lt::ld4 lt::lf5 lt::ld8 37 ti+ lt::lxti 38 lt::lf6
would be a little more stubborn. mate.

Once in eight years

I have more than once suffered believe that it is easier for Black to
annihilation at the hands of Vassily get counterplay than in the case of
Smyslov. I still remember the lesson the symmetrical 3 g3 and i.g2; in
in endgame technique that he gave the latter case White has a tempo
at the 1961 international tournament which is extremely important in the
of the Central Chess Club. And forthcoming struggle for the
what a splendid game he won centre." Frankly speaking, I got to
against me in the USSR champion­ know this game and the annotations
ship at Tbilisi in 1 966! A brilliant much later. I had to solve all the
lesson in chess strategy! problems over the board.
However, I have twice been lucky 3 �g7 4 i.b2 0-0 5 e3
•..

against Smyslov, and now I'd like In the Reti-Capablanca game

to review those games to show that Black equalized easily after 5 g3 b6
the lessons of the outstanding 6 �g2 i.b7 7 0-0 d6 but lost as a
grandmaster were really beneficial result of mistakes in the middle­
to me. game. Smyslov chooses a plan
which seems more promising to
25 King's Indian Defence [A1 5] him. But the organic defects of
V.Smyslov White White's set-up still remain. White
E.Gufeld Black has no advantage. I wish to add a
USSR Team Ch, Moscow, 1 967 few words to Alekhine's analysis.
White can afford many things in the
1 c4 lLlf6 2 lt::lf3 g6 3 b4 opening without getting an inferior
This unusual method of develop­ game; at worst, he might lose the
ment, seldom employed by minimal advantage he gets with the
Smyslov, was a surprise to me. It is first move. But what price is too
interesting to note that it is identical high for an interesting experiment? I
to the classic game Reti-Capablanca will not criticize my opponent, but
(New York, 1 924) in which the only state that the chances are now
World Champion from Cuba suf­ equal.
fered a sensational loss after an un­ 5 b6 6 d4
.••

defeated 8-year run! Here is how Too aggressive and risky. But
Alekhine commented on b2-b4: Black has to face the difficult prob­
"This is Nimzowitsch's move lem of finding the right plan to
(Carlsbad, 1 923), which White can avoid being stifled in the centre.
use quite successfully. However, we 6... c5!
64 Higher Chess Education

That's it! Opening lines before because after 1 5 ...d6! Black can
White has castled gives Black hope, as a minimum, for perpetual
counterplay. check. But Smyslov was ready for
7 dxc5 bxc5 8 b5 a6 9 a4 that. Instead of 1 4 'ifxa8 he planned
The simple 9 ... .i.b7 would be the subtle 1 4 l:td I ! and after
good here. But I preferred a sharper 1 4 . . .1:1a7 1 5 'ifxc5 and 1 6 'ii'd4+
continuation involving material sac­ White's superiority is obvious. No­
rifices, so as to come face to face ticing the anxious faces of my
with White's king which is stuck in friends, I knew they thought I had
the centre. miscalculated. You can imagine
9 ltJe4!
... their surprise when I sacrificed two
Now White gets the chance to pieces in a row !
bring his queen into play, but in re­ 1 2 .i.b7 ! !
•..

turn Black has some exciting After this unexpected move

combinative possibilities. Smyslov, known for his tranquility,
10 .i.xg7 �xg7 11 'ii'd 5! could not conceal his astonishment.
1 1 .i.d3 'ii'a 5+ 1 2 lLlbd2 lLixd2 1 3He frowned and plunged into medi­
�xd2 axb5! 1 4 cxb5 d5 followed by tation. I was trying to control my
. . .l21d7-b6 and Black is better. excitement, checking my calcula­
l l ...'ii'a5+ tions and not paying attention to the
people around me. Easier said than
done! There was such a crowd
round our board that you would
have thought all the other games
had finished. Suddenly I felt some­
thing like an electric shock: I caught
�ight of Mikhail Botvinnik's pierc­
mg eyes.
13 'ifxb7
This is definitely forced. Never­
theless, Smyslov took a long time to
make the capture.
13 l21c6 ! !
•.•

12 �e2! At this moment I saw Botvinnik

After 1 2 l21bd2 l21xd2 1 3 l21xd2 again. He studied the position on the
axb5! Black would have the advan­ chessboard, then he looked at my
tage. The text 1 2 �e2! gives an ex­ face, and after that he went over to
tremely interesting position which Geller and whispered something.
attracted tremendous interest from Many years later, Geller told me
all participants in the tournament. what he had said: "Who' s this
All of them and probably Smyslov yobbo who's playing in our team?"
too believed that Black would want The positional foundation of the two
to save himself by means of sacrifices lies in White's poor devel­
12 . . .l21c3+ 1 3 l21xc3 'ii'x c3, and both opment, the exposed position of his
rooks are en prise. Then after 1 4 king and the possibility of hunting
'ifxa8 'ii'xa 1 it is dangerous for his queen down.
White to win a piece with 1 5 'ifxb8, 14 l21fd2!
 Higher Chess Education 65

Smyslov is up to the mark. He the other boards were quite favour­

could capture the second piece with able, so why not take a risk?
14 bxc6 .l:tab8 1 S lLlfd2!, leading to 17 lbxe4?!
the same position as in the game, Here Smyslov got carried away.
but excessive greed with 1 S 'Wi'xd7 He too was probably affected by the
would cost him dearly: 1 S . . Jlfd8, character of team play. He decided
and in spite of his tremendous mate­ to give up the exchange, keeping the
rial advantage White is defenceless. pawn on b7. He had, however, a
14 .l:ta7
.•. strong move in 1 7 .l:ta2 ! . Let us see:
The queen is trapped. In material (a) It is true that Black could have
terms, the compensation-rook and played 1 7 . . .dS ! ?, but it was next to
two minor pieces-is more than suf­ impossible to evaluate the conse­
ficient. But it is important to realize quences of such an aggressive move
that the position is tremendously un­ over the board. For example:
balanced. Black's king is absolutely (a 1 ) 1 8 .l:tc2 d4! ( 1 9 ... lbc3+,
safe, whereas all White's pieces are 1 9 ...d3+) 1 9 exd4 cxd4 20 lbxe4
either underdeveloped or badly 'Wi'xb 1 2 1 'it>d3 'Wi'b3+ 22 'it>d2 'ifb4+
protected. 23 'it>e2 (23 'it>d 1 'Wi'b 1 +) 23 ...'Wi'b 1 .
15 bxc6! (a2) 1 8 g3 ! and now:
Not 1S 'Wi'xa7 lbxa7 16 lbxe4 (a2 1 ) 1 8 . . .d4 19 .ltg2 t2Jd6
axbS 17 cxbS lLlxbS. ( 1 9 ...lbc3+ 20 lbxc3 dxc3 2 1 .l:tb 1 ±;
15 ....l:txb7 16 cxb7 1 9 ... d3+ 20 'it>xd3 lbxf2+ 2 1 'it>c2
lbxh 1 22 .ltxh 1 .l:tb8 23 .l:ta3! in­
tending 24 a4, 2S i.c6 and 26 .l:ta4;
if 23 ... aS, then 24 .l:tb3 'i'xa4 2S
'it>c3 'Wi'd7 26 .i.g2!±) 20 .l:tc1 lbxb7
2 1 .l:tcc2! lbd6 22 aS! 'ifb8 23 .l:tcb2
'Wi'c7 24 .l:tb6±.
(a22) 1 8 ...dxc4 19 .ltg2 lbd6 20
.l:tc l .
(a3) 1 8 cxdS? ! 'Wi'xb7 19 f3 'Wi'xdS
20 .l:ta3 (20 .l:tc2 .l:td8 2 1 .l:tb2 lbxd2
22 lbxd2 c4) 20 ...lbxd2 2 1 lbxd2
.l:td8+.
(b) 1 7 ...'i'xb7 could be met by:
The storm has abated somewhat. (b 1) 1 8 f3 ! lbxd2 1 9 lbxd2 ltb8
White has his material advantage 20 'it>f2 (20 .l:ta 1 'i'c6!) 20. . .'i'b4 2 1
but Black possesses the initiative. .lte2 'Wi'c3 2 2 aS fS.
Which is more important? (b2) 1 8 lbxe4?! Black has a
16...'Wi'b4 choice of knights to take 1 8 ...'ilfxb1
I thought that Black had good 19 lbc3 'Wi'c 1 20 'it>d3 dS ! ! (20... .l:tb8
chances after 16 ... lbd6 1 7 g3 lbxb7 2 1 .l:tc2 'i'a 1 [intending 22 . . . .l:tb3] 22
1 8 .ltg2 lbd6 1 9 .l:tc 1 .l:tb8 and .l:ta2 ! 'i'c 1 23 llc2=) 2 1 cxdS (2 1
White is on the defensive. In an in­ lbxdS 'ifh 1 + 22 .l:tc2 e6-+; 2 1 g3 eS!
dividual tournament I would have 22 lLlxdS e4+!-+) 2 l ...c4+! 22 'it>d4
been content with equality against eS+ +-.
my formidable opponent. But this The American GM Yasser
was a team match, the positions on Seirawan, who entertained me m
66 Higher Chess Education

Seattle in May 1 987, considered the 27 ...'ilkh5) 28 lLlbc4 'ilkbs would be

text 1 7 lLlxe4?! a fatal mistake and in Black's favour.
suggested the alternative 1 7 g3, but 26 'ilkc4+ 27 <ifte1 'ilkd3!
.•.

after the simple 1 7 ...'ii'xb7 1 8 it.g2 It is important to capture the pawn

'ii'b2 he agreed that Black's chances on e3 .
were preferable. 28 it.fl 'ifxe3+ 29 it.e2
17 ... 'ii'b 2+ 18 lLlbd2 'ii'x a1 19 It seems that Black must now play
_
lZ:lxc5 29... 'ii'c3 and after 30 it.xa6 'ifxc6
A new transformation. White has 3 1 i.b5 White can put up some
a material advantage but in a differ­ stubborn resistance. But ...
ent form. The trouble is that the po­
sition of the king and the kingside
pieces is still bad. Assessing the po­
sition, Smyslov was probably con­
tent with the fact that his king could
be safe. "After all," he probably
thought, "I can develop my rook
and bishops while my opponent is
busy with the pawn on b7. "
19 J:.tb8 20 g3 'ifa3!
•.

This is the tactical surprise! After

the "natural" 20 ... d6? 2 1 ltJd7 .l:hb7
22 it.g2 'ii'h 2 23 .l:lb 1 White wins. 29 ... a5! !
Black evacuates his queen from the In my chess classes with young
first rank just in time. players I sometimes offer this posi­
21 lLlxd7 tion for analysis, betting that none
After the logical 2 1 lLld3 .l:1xb7 22 of them will be able to find the best
it.g2 .l:1b8 White loses the pawn on and only move in this situation. All
a4. He seeks chances in a double­ junior players usually start with
edged game. attacking continuations yielding no
2l. .l:1xb7 22 it.h3 'ii'd 6 23 c5
.• positive results. And although I
1Wd5 24 f3 sometimes give them a hint, playing
This is what Smyslov had fore­ a4-a5 and lDd7-b6, nobody under­
seen. The threat of 24 ... 'ifh5+ has stands that Black should prevent
been repelled, his kingside is mobi­ White from bringing his knight back
lized, the pawn on a4 is alive. Of into play. Now the ring round the
course, Black can win two pieces knight on d7 gets tighter. Black's
for the rook, but after 24 ...1:1xd7 25 queen is on guard by White' s king,
it.xd7 'ifxd7 26 .l:lc 1 White, who has and the black rook is hunting down
the rook, the knight and the passed the c6-pawn.
c5-pawn, can hope for a draw. But 30 f4 f6! 31 c7 .l:1c2 32 <iftfl .l:1xc7
there is one factor in this position 33 lLlc4
which White has ignored. The Smyslov brings the game to an
knight is stuck on d7! abrupt end. I expected 33 ltJf3 hop­
24 .l:1b2 25 .l:1d1 e6 26 c6
•.. ing to play 33 ...<iftf7 ! For instance:
At the expense of pawn sacrifices 34 lLle 1 <ifte7 35 it.bS h5! 36 .l:1d3
White could salvage the knight, but 'ife4 37 <iftf2 .l:1c1 3 8 ltJf3 .l:1c2+ 39
26 lLlb6 'ifxc5 27 aS 'ilkxa5 (or .l:1d2 (In case of 39 ltJd2 the game
 Higher Chess Education 67

boils down to a prosaic pawn end­ White's plan contains a fair dose
ing: 39 ...'ii'xd3 ! 40 .i.xd3 nxd2+ 4 1 of poison and it seems to me that the
�e3 nxd3+ 42 �xd3 �xd7) most promising continuation was
39... nc3 40 .i.e2 'ii'xa4 and- the s ...es.
passed a-pawn decides the game in 6 dxe4
Black's favour. 6 lt:Jxe4 could be met by 6 ...lt:Jh6
33 nxc4 34 .i.xc4 'it'f3+ 35 �e1
•.• and later ... lt:JfS, exerting pressure
'ii'c3+ 0-1 on d4.
6 e5 7 lt:Jgf3 �e6
.••

Botvinnik would not have been The almost symmetrical pawn

Botvinnik if he hadn't tried to give a structure doesn't give Black com­
profound assessment of the play. plete equality, since White is better
The day after the game he came up developed. The weakness of d6 is
to me. "Eduard Efimovich," he particularly obvious after 7 ...'ii'c7 8
asked me respectfully, "what do you tbc4 ! .
think of your combination 8 0-0 lt:Jh6
yesterday?" Where else can Black develop his
"I think Black stood well in all knight? On e7 it would have no
lines." prospects. The most natural devel­
"I've analysed the game," Botvin­ opment, on f6, would be hindered
nik said, "and I agree with you." by the weakness of the eS-pawn.
Some chessplayers have preferred The attempt to prepare this develop­
this game to my "Immortal"­ ment by protecting the pawn
Geller for example, and Efim ( ...'ii'c7) delays the mobilization of
Lazarev, who selected the Smyslov the kingside after 9 b3 ! (?) when
game for his book The Best White' s bishop on c l has excellent
Ukrainian Chessplayers. It is prospects and White can eventually
difficult to argue with the two play tb£3-gS.
Efims, but I stick to my old opinion 9 'ii'e2
that the Bagirov game is my "Mona White could have played 9 lt:Jb3,
Lisa." heading for cS or aS. But it would
We now travel to Riga for the be difficult to find a good plan after
sixth Soviet Spartakiad. In the last 9 ...'ii'c7 1 0 lt:JcS �c4, or 1 0 'ii'e 2 f6
round the Georgian team (which I 1 1 tt:Jcs .i.f7 1 2 h3 0-0 1 3 �e3 b6
was representing) was to play 1 4 lt:Jb3 �e6! 1 5 'ii'd2 lt:Jfl and
against Moscow, a half-point ahead. Black protects all the weaknesses. If
A draw in this match could secure instead 9 ...'ii'xd l 1 0 nxd l tbd7,
4th place for Georgia. To achieve then 1 1 lt:JaS! .
this result, I needed another win 9 . 0-0 1 0 lt:Jc4 f6 1 1 b3
. .

against Smyslov. It was possible to strengthen the

knight's position by 1 1 a4, but I
26 King's Indian Attack [B l O] didn't consider Black's next move
E.Gufeld White to be good.
V.Smyslov Black l l ... b5
Riga, 1 975 Who would like to play Black af­
ter, say, l l ...'ii'c 7? But possibly that
1 e4 c6 2 d3 d5 3 lt:Jd2 g6 4 g3 was the lesser evil.
.i.g7 5 .i.g2 dxe4 12 lt:Je3
68 Higher Chess Education

1 2 l:td1 �c7 1 3 lbd6? .:.d8 1 4 which have become especially

�a3 �£8-+ would b e almost conspicuous after the opening of the
suicidal. long diagonal for the bishop. The
12 lbd7 13 h4!
..• bishop in such positions is always
This might seem to be the right superior to the knight. Therefore I
time to play a2-a4. But the threat is arrived at a paradoxical decision.
stronger than the execution. Mean­ 23 'ii'f2 !
while it turns out that Black has cer­ Playing an endgame against
tain difficulties on the kingside. Smyslov? Has White gone mad?!
After the eventual h2-h4-h5, h5xg6 But if you understand the position,
and lbf3-h4 Black's knight and you must believe in yourself. The
bishop would like to get to f7 both post-mortem showed that White had
at once. made the best move.
13 ... �c7 14 h5 l:tfd8 15 lbh4 23 ...'ii'xf2+
lb£8 Otherwise Black would lose the
Now both of Black's knights are c6-pawn without compensation.
passive. 24 l:txf2 l:td6
16 �b2! �e7 17 hxg6 hxg6 18 f4 If it were a matter of strategic ma­
exf4 19 gxf4 f5 20 �xg7 '>t>xg7 2 1 noeuvring and quiet calculation,
exf5 then Smyslov's famous endgame
Not 2 1 lbf3 fxe4 22 lbe5 �c5 and technique would be decisive! But
Black is getting more active. this ending is a labyrinth of tactical
21...�xh4 possibilities. Black might have pro­
2 1 . . .gxf5?? 22 lbexf5+ +-. tected the pawn on c6 by means of
22 fxe6 lbxe6 24 . . . lbd4; for example, after the im­
patient 25 c3 (the quiet 25 l:td 1 is
better) 25 ...lbdf5 26 lbxf5+ lbxf5
27 �xc6 l:tac8 28 �xb5 l:txc3
White has an extra pawn but loses
his positional advantage.
25 a4!
The right move at the right
moment. A brilliant career is in
store for this pawn.
25 ...b4 26 lbc4 l:td4 27 lbe5!
Black will capture the pawn on f4
but will lose more than the c6-pawn
in return.
Black has defended excellently 27 ... l:txf4 28 lbxc6 l:txf2 29 '>t>xf2
but White still has a slight advan­ l:tf8+
tage. It's hard to say whether this Intuition tells Smyslov that it is
should be enough, but White runs better to give up the pawn and
no risk in playing for a win. He has maintain the initiative than to play
a choice of attractive plans. The the passive 29 ...a5. After 30 l:te 1
most tempting plan is to organize an lbf4 3 1 �f3 ! it would be difficult
attack with f4-f5 now or a little for Black to counter both 32 lbxb4
later. However, it is time to think and 32 .l:r.e5.
about Black's queenside weaknesses 30 '>t>g1 ! lbf4 31 .tfl ! lbf5
 Higher Chess Education 69

The superiority of the bishop over on the queenside in the nick of time:
the knight in such situations is 44 . . ..l:lc5 45 'itc3 4Jf4 ! .
manifest in both attack and defence. 44 .l:lf4
.•.

The bishop controls the knight on f4 It looks as if White 's pawns have
which is only apparently active. In been stopped. The threat is
case of 3 1 . .Jlc8 32 lLixb4 a5 3 3 45 ....l:lxc4 followed by 46 b6 axb6
4Jd3 ! White has an extra pawn. 47 axb6 4Je4+ and ... 4Jc5 (if 45 c5
32 4Jxb4 4Jd4 33 .l:ldl ! 4Jf3+ 34 then 45 ... 4Je4+). The answer to
'itf2 4Je5 44 ....l:lc5 is 45 .l:le2! attacking both
The attempt to do away with the knights, so we see why it was too
bishop by 34 ... 4Jh2 is refuted by 3 5 soon to send the rook to a7.
i.c4! 4Jd5+ 36 'itg3 ! . 45 c5! !
35 'ite3 ! 4Jg4+ 36 'itd2 g 5 37 Sacrificing the exchange. Now the
4Jc6! active pawn is more important than
The only possibility. White strives the rook!
to win the pawn race. 45 ... 4Je4+ 46 .l:lxe4 .l:lxe4
37 . 4Jf2 38 .l:lel g4 39 b4! g3 40
.. Black has an extra rook, but
b5! White's pawns are far advanced.
If now 40 ... g2? 4 1 i.xg2 4Jxg2, Can White hope for a win? It looks
then 42 .l:lg 1+-. as if he can't. For instance, 47 4Jxa7
40 ....l:lf5 'ite6 and Black's king gets to the
White has an extra pawn, but this queenside just in time.
is not the main thing. Black's pawn
has almost reached its queening
square and White will have to give
up his bishop for it. Meanwhile, the
white pawns are not as far advanced
as I would like them to be. The im­
pression is that the game will be
drawn. But ...
41 c4!
41 a5 would seem to get closer to
queening but it could be met by
4 l ...g2 42 i.xg2 .l:lxb5! Therefore
the b5 pawn should be protected 47 b6! !
first. The tempo is more important than
41...g2 the pawn!
Could Black avoid this continua­ 47 .l:le8
.•.

tion? If 4 1 . . . .l:lg5 then 42 'ite3 g2 43 If 47 ... axb6 48 cxb6 4Je3 49 b7

i.xg2 lLixg2+ 44 'itxf2 lLixe 1 45 .l:le8 50 a6 4Jc4+ 5 1 'itd3 4Jb6 52
'itxe1 .l:lc5 46 a5 .l:lxc4 47 lLixa7 b8=� and White wins. For exam­
'itf7 48 b6 'ite8 49 b7 .l:lb4 50 4Jb5 ! ple, 52 ... .l:lxb8 53 4Jxb8 lLic8 54
.l:lxb5 5 1 a 6 and queens. 'itc4 'ite7 55 'itc5 'itd8 56 'itc6
42 i.xg2 4Jxg2 43 .l:le7+ 'itf6 44 lLie7+ 57 'itb7 lLic8 58 4Jc6+ 'itd7
a5! 59 lLieS+ 'itd8 60 'itb8 4Jb6 6 1 a7
The active rook is more important 4Ja8 62 'itb7 ! (62 'itxa8?? 'itc7=)
than another pawn! After the obvi­ 62 ... 4Jc7 63 lLic4 lLia8 64 4Je3 4Jc7
ous 44 .l:lxa7 Black's knights arrive 65 4Jd5 4Ja8 66 'itc6 with the
70 Higher Chess Education

domination of the knight over the 27 Richter-Veresov [DO 1 ]

knight! But Black seems to have an V.Smyslov White
adequate defence. E.Gufeld Black
48 l:i'Jxa7 New York Open, 1 989
Again the pawn is most important
( 48 bxa7 l:.a8, or 48 b7 'ite6). 1 d4 l:i'Jf6 2 l:i'Jc3 d5 3 i.g5 l:i'Jbd7
48 l:i'Je3
.•. 4 l:i'Jf3 g6 5 'it'd3 j_g7 6 e4 dxe4 7
Now Black' s king arrives too late: l:i'Jxe4 0-0 8 l:i'Jxf6+
48 ...'ite6 49 b7 'itd7 50 a6 l:i'Je3 The sharp 8 0-0-0 seems more
(50 . . . 'itc7 5 1 l:i'Jb5+ 'itc6 52 l:i'Jd6 thematic here.
.l:td8 53 a7 and queens) 5 1 l:i'Jc8 ! 8 ... l:i'Jxf6 9 j_e2 c5 10 dxc5 'Wi'a5+
'itc7 5 2 l:i'Jd6 with the threat of 53 1 1 c3 'W!Vxc5 12 0-0 j_e6!
l:i'Jxe8 and 53 a7. But can the knight Controlling the important central
get there in time? Alas, no! 48 ...l:i'Jf4 point d5.
(aiming to insert .l:te2+ if ap propri­ 13 'it'd4
ate) would be met by 49 a6 ! We6 50 This game was played on 24
l:i'Jc8 ! ! (The following variation March, which was Smyslov's 68th
shows how White can go wrong: 50 birthday. That may have been the
b7 Wd7 5 1 c6+ �c7 52 l:i'Jc8 l:.e2+! reason for his peaceful inclinations.
53 'itc3 l:.a2 54 a7 .l:txa7 55 l:i'Jxa7 But you must agree that struggle is
l:i'Jd5+ 56 �c4 l:i'Je7 57 l:i'Jb5+ �b8 struggle.
58 'itc5 l:i'Jxc6!=) 50 ...'itd7 5 1 a7+-. 13 ...'ifa5 14 a3 h6!
49 a6 l:i'Jc4+ Clearing up the position of
It is a pity that Black has taken the White's dark-squared bishop.
line of least resistance. More stub­ 15 j_xf6
born was 49 ... 'ite6! with the trap 50 If it had retreated, Black would
�xe3 'itd5+ bringing the king have obtained good play: 1 5 j_f4
closer to the pawns. It should be l:i'Jd5 ! 1 6 j_e5 f6 1 7 i.g3 i.f7
noted that 49 ... 'ite5 is refuted by 50 (intending ... e7-e5); or 1 5 i.h4
b7 (50 l:i'Jc8? 'itd4 ! ) 'itd4 5 1 l:i'Jc6+. l:i'Jd5.
And what would White do after 15 .. ,j_xf6 16 1lr'e3 i.g7 17 l:i'Jd4
49 ... �e6? The straightforward line j_d5 18 .l:tfdl ?!
is pointless: 50 c6? l:i'Jc4+ or 50 b7 18 1lr'xe7?? .l:tfe8-+; better 1 8
�d7. The victory can be secured .l:tad 1 leaving the other rook on the
only by another sacrifice: 50 l:i'Jc8 ! ! kingside.
l:i'Jc4+ 5 1 'itc3 l:i'Ja5 52 b7 l:i'Jc6 53 18 ....l:tad8 19 .l:td2
a7 l:i'Jxa7 54 b8=� l:i'Jxc8 or The active 19 c4 would be met by
51 ... l:i'Jxb6 52 l:i'Jxb6 .l:te7 53 'itc4 1 9 ... j_xc4! 20 j_xc4 'WIVeS 2 1 j_xf7+
.l:ta7 54 'itb5 .l:tc7 55 c6 'itd6 56 .l:txf7 22 l:i'Je6 .l:txd1+ 23 l:.xd 1 1lr'xe3
l:i'Jc4+ �d5 57 l:i'Ja5. 24 fxe3 i.xb2+, and 1 9 b4 'W!Vb6 is
50 'itc3 l:i'Je5 51 b7 �e6 52 c6 not good for White either.
l:i'Jd7 53 c7 1-0 19 ... e5 20 l:i'Jf3 i.b3 2 1 .l:tel a6 22
h3 1lr'c7 23 i.fl l:.xd2 24 l:i'Jxd2
Which of these two games do you j_d5 25 c4 j_c6 26 c5 f5
like more, dear reader? As for me, I Black's pawn majority goes into
I regret only one thing: that such motion.
games against World Champions 27 b4 e4 28 l:i'Jc4 'ith7 29 l:i'Jd6
are played only once in eight years! j_e5!
 Higher Chess Education 71

Gradually preparing to assault the passed up an opportunity to force

White fortress. the issue at once. After the game,
30 .l:.d1 'lie7! Smyslov said that the "logical"
Not 30... .l:.d8 3 1 'Wb3. finale was 35 ...i.xg2+ 36 i.xg2 f3
31 'ifb3 f4 32 a4 e3! 33 b5 37 i.xf3 i.xd6 38 cxd6 1i'el + with
33 fxe3 fxe3 is worse. a draw; but the more convincing
33 exf2+ 34 �h1
.•. 35 ... 'it'g5, with the idea of trans­
Or 34 �xf2? 1i'h4+ 35 �gl f3 36 ferring the queen to to g3 or f4, was
bxc6 'lig3 37 'tixb7+ 'ith8 3 8 tt:'lf7+ possible. Now White has time to
.l:.xf7 39 .l:.d8+ �g7-+. defend himself against the direct
34...axb5 35 axb5 threats to his king.
36 '1!if3!
Not 36 tt:'lxb7? f3 .
3 6...i.xd6 3 7 .l:.xd6! ! i.xb5! 38
'lixf2 i.xfl ?
3 8 . ..i.c6 keeps a positional ad­
vantage with an extra pawn. 39 i.d3
is not dangerous due to 39 ....l:.f6.
39 '1i'xfl f3?! 40 gxf3 .l:.f7 41
'ikg1 ! .l:.g7 42 'i'd4!
White's heavy pieces attain
Smyslovian harmony. A peaceful
outcome of the struggle is not far
off now.
35 ... i.d7? 42 ... 1We2 43 f4 'ikfl+ 44 �h2 h5
In time trouble (oh, that 45 .l:.d7 .l:.xd7 46 'iixd7+ �h6 47
perfidious enemy of chessplayers! ) I 'ikd4 �h7 48 'i!kd7+ 1h-1h

Korchnoi is Korchnoi
In 1 976 Victor Korchnoi did not This happened during the USSR
return to his motherland after par­ Championship (top league) in
ticipating in an international tourna­ Minsk. In the opening of the game
ment in Amsterdam. He became just Lerner-Tal, Black carried out an un­
another defector. For many years usual knight manoeuvre from g8 to
afterwards it was even forbidden to b7. The positional drawbacks of this
pronounce his name, to say nothing tour are evident. Tal, the genius,
of printing it. Korchnoi's deed was suffered defeat. Afterwards he
regarded as treason to his country. It explained:
was impossible to publish his "You see, just before the game I
games. But what was to be done if got the new issue of Informator and
the "villain" remained one of the top saw an original variation played by
chessplayers in the world, and his Korchnoi against Unzicker. I
games naturally aroused profes­ thought the idea was interesting and
sional interest? played it at first sight, trusting the
72 Higher Chess Education

'villain' . So don't be too hard on On 10 ... .i.c5?! 1 1 b4 ! .i.b6 1 2

me, Korchnoi and I share i.b2 White would win back the
responsibility for the disastrous pawn with a marked advantage in
idea." development.
I had to write a review of that 1 1 tl:lxd4 0-0 12 .l:te1 i.d7 13
round in the tournament bulletin. 'ii'e2 'ifh6 14 lt:Jf3 .l:tfd8 15 c4 a5 16
Here is what I said: "In the game i.g5 h6 1 7 i.h4 i.a4
Lerner-Tal, a Nimzo-Indian, Black I somehow cannot bring myself to
carried out a highly dubious give this interesting move a question
knight's tour from f6 to b7. This mark. Black controls the d 1-square
idea had been employed for the first and will bring his bishop to b3, sup­
time in a game played in the ex­ porting it with ... a5-a4. Is this not
treme south of Africa. Quite likely, tempting? But at the same time the
the fellow who played Black there black king loses an important
simply got too much sun. But why defender.
on earth did Tal take up this African 18 .l:tac1 �f8 19 .l:tc3 .l:tac8 20
motif, here in the moderate climate i.b1
of Belarus?" How else was I to de­ White's plan becomes clear: to
scribe the whole episode, when it shift his knight to the ideal central
was impossible to name not only e5-square and set up a formidable
Korchnoi but also Johannesburg and battery of heavy artillery along the
South Africa because of apartheid? e-file.
I have never played in an Inter­ 20 ...i.b3 !
zonal, but at one of them-Manila, It was not too late to pull back
1990-I almost felt like a partici­ with 20... i.e8, but that is not
pant, for I passionately supported Korchnoi's style!
the contestants of my own age 21 lDe5! a4
group. Not for the first time, I was Not 2 1 ....l:td4?! 22 'ii'e3 a4? be­
amazed by Korchnoi's high profes­ cause of 23 i.xf6 i.xf6 24 lt:Jd7+ +­
sionalism, his energy and fighting Making the last move my opponent
spirit. Thinking about his difficult unexpectedly offered a draw, but I
fate, I recalled a game from long turned it down. Victor went slightly
ago, on top board of a match pale and exclaimed, "But I've got
between Georgia and Leningrad. the better position! " How often does
it happen in life that a single phrase
28 French Defence [CO?] can have a hypnotic effect?
E.Gufeld White 22 .l:te3 'ii'd 4?
V.Korchnoi Black
Georgia-Leningrad, Moscow 1 972

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 lt:Jd2 c5 4 lt:Jgf3
lt:Jf6 5 exd5 lt:Jxd5 6 lt:Je4 lt:Jd7
6 . . .cxd4 7 lt:Jxd4;!;.
7 a3! ?
A new idea, the meaning o f which
will later become clear.
7 lD5f6 8 lt:Jxf6+ lDxf6 9 .i.d3
..•

cxd4 10 0-0 .i.e7

 Higher Chess Education 73

23 lt:Jxf7! 28 lt:Jf5 ! lt:Jc5 29 lt:Jxe7 <j;xe7 30

Boom! A bomb goes off in l:tc 1 , with l:tc l -c4-b4 to follow.
Black's camp. 28 ... lt:Jc5 29 h4 i.f6 30 g4?
23 .. .'�xh4 Painfully aware of the missed op­
If 23 ... �xf7, then 24 l:txb3 ! axb3? portunities, I make an awful move,
(24 .. .'ihc4 25 l:td3 l:tc6=) 25 only creating pawn weaknesses on
'ii'xe6+ �f8 26 �g6! 'ii'xc4 27 the kingside. Now Black gets the
'ii'xe7+ �g8 28 �xf6+-. advantage.
24 lt:Je5! .i.xc4! 30 ...4:Jd3! 31 �xd3 l:txd3 32 �g2
Just like Korchnoi-in defence he l:tc4
utilizes all possible resources;
24 . . .'ii'd4, for instance, was bad
because of 25 lt:Jg6+ c;!;>f7 26
l:txb3 !+-.
25 lt:Jg6+ c;!;>f7

"Stop," I said to myself at this

moment, "pull yourself together! It
wouldn't do to lose this game."
33 l:te4
33 g5 l:tg4+ 34 c;!;>h3 l:tf4+.
33 ...l:txe4 34 l:txe4 b5 35 lt:Je5+!
26 lt:Jxh4?? Black's bishop is very dangerous.
Here comes the devastating result 35 ...�xe5 36 l:txe5 l:tb3 37 l:te2
of the "hypnosis." 26 l:txe6! wins c;t>r6 38 f3 g5 39 c;t>g3 c;t>n 40 h5!
outright. The endgame arising after c;!;>e7 41 l:td2 e5 42 c;t>n �e6 43
26 ... �xe2 27 l:txe7+ c;!;>g8 28 lt::lxh4 c;!;>g2 e4 44 fxe4 c;!;>e5 45 l:te2 l:td3
offers no hope for Black. 26 . . .it.xa3 46 c;t>n l:td4 47 c;t>n b4 48 axb4
also fails to save him on account of l:txb4 49 c;!;>g3 l:txe4 50 l:tf2
27 'ii'£3 'ii'd4 28 'ii'xa3 it.xe6 29 Quite obviously, the transition to
'ii'e7+ c;!;>g8 30 'ii'xe6+ c;!;>h7 3 1 a pawn ending would be tantamount
lt:Je5+ c;!;>h8 3 2 lt:Jf7+ c;!;>g8 33 to suicide.
lt::lxh6+ c;!;>h8 34 'ii'g8+ l:txg8 3 5 lt:Jf7 50 ... l:tb4 51 l:.f5+ c;!;>d4 52 l:tf6
mate. To this day I cannot explain l:tb3+ 53 c;!;>g2 l:txb2+ 54 c;!;>g3 l:tb3+
why I didn't play 26 l:txe6! . 55 c;!;>g2 a3 56 l:txh6 c;!;>c3 57 l:ta6
26...i.xe2 27 l:t3xe2 lt:Jd7! 28 l;l- lh
lt:Jf3? We agreed to a draw: 57 ... c;!;>b2 58
White lets slip the advantage h6 a2 (58 ... l:tb7 59 c;!;>£3 ! , to get to
which could have been preserved by f5) 59 h7 l:tb8 60 l:tb6+.
74 Higher Chess Education

The beauty of symmetry

In the tournament bulletin, David 3 e5 li:Jfd7 4 d4 e6 5 li:Jf3
Bronstein wrote: "Gufeld, who had As we see, the game has trans­
been more than modest in the last posed from the Alekhine Defence to
five rounds, decided to remind the French. The variation in which
Spassky of his existence." This turn White cannot protect the pawn on
of phrase was meant to conceal d4 by means of c2-c3 was consid­
from the public the simple fact that I ered quite unpromising at that time.
had lost five games in a row! One 5 ... c5 6 dxc5!
chass master, G.Bastrikov, used to
say in such cases: "After the first
loss I play better, after the second I
play very well, and after the third
loss you can knock me down with a
feather." Unfortunately he didn' t
say anything about his behaviour
after a fifth loss.
But if the competitive result be­
comes unimportant, the question of
creativity comes to the fore. I just
wanted to play one good game.

29 French Defence (in effect) [C l l ] Even as a junior, I felt an irresisti­

E.Gufeld White ble sympathy for this plan and tried
B.Spassky Black it in various competitions. I used to
27th USSR Ch, Leningrad 1 960 analyse · this variation for hours on
end with my friend Yakov
1 e4 li:Jf6 2 li:Jc3 Yukhtman, the extraordinary tal­
It is quite easy to understand why ented Odessa Master (though he was
my formidable opponent chose this of Grandmaster strength), who died
double-edged and somewhat risky in New York in 1 985. Spassky had
opening. He was tempted by the not seen my games and didn't know
idea of inflicting a sixth loss on me. about the subtleties of the plan, the
The reason for White's "modest" strategical and tactical poison con­
continuation is less obvious, but it tained in it. But after the game he
does not testify to his caution. It became an ardent supporter of this
contains some psychological variation. In 1 966 in the 1 9th game
subtlety. of his World Championship match
2 d5
.•. against Petrosian he tried it and
The natural continuation approved won.
by theory. I think that with 2 ... e5, 6 li:Jc6 7 �f4 .txc5 8 �d3
.••

transposing into the Vienna De­ White' s idea gradually becomes

fence, Black could set his opponent clear. Having given up the
more problems in the struggle for d4-square he wants to complete his
the initiative. development, strengthening the
 Higher Chess Education 75

outpost on e5 and setting up his fu­ moves prevent this plan from being
ture attack. Later I learned that this carried out.
plan had been championed by that l l l:.el 0-0 12 ti:Je2 b4 13 c3!
famous chess innovator Aron A very simple idea: to reserve the
Nimzowitsch, 50 years before. Un­ c2-square for the bishop and to con­
fortunately, at that time I hadn't trol the d4-square.
read his books, and though it may l3 ... bxc3 14 bxc3 aS 15 ti:Jf4
sound paradoxical, it was better that i.a6 16 .i.c2
I hadn't, since a chess player must The bad bishop is now developed
invent his own ideas to ensure his but is worthless. Now look at
creative development. White's bishops! One of them
8... h6 attacks the kingside and the other
An essential error, though the mo­ supports the important central pawn
tive is quite clear: Black takes pre­ -which also exerts strong kingside
cautions against the thematic pressure. Black can't undermine
sacrifice 8 ... 0-0 9 .i.xh7+! . The White's centre with the natural
game Spassky-Petrosian went 8 . f6 ... f7-f6. What can he do? Only
..

9 exf6 tl:lxf6 1 0 0-0 0-0 1 1 tL:le5 (I manoeuvre ... and wait.

would prefer 1 1 .i.g3) 1 l .. . .i.d7 ! , 1 6...l:.c8
and Black will win the fight for the The pawn on c3 is White's only
e5-square. Spassky decided that this weakness. But it is easily defended.
variation was not dangerous for 17 �d2 l:.e8 18 tL:lh5!
Black. In game 2 1 of the match, af­ The knight is on the edge but is
ter 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 tL:lc3 4Jf6, he aggressively posted, attacking the
continued with 4 .i.g5 . g7-square. Can Black protect g7 by
"Just a minute," a greedy chess­ playing ... .i.f8? Yes, but that allows
player might say, "why not 8 ...1ib6 White's rook to move via e3 to g3
snatching a pawri?" The answer is where it can exert pressure on g7.
simple: this is just one of those 18....i.f8 19 l:1ac1 tl:Je7 20 4Jd4
cases when you can sacrifice a tL:lc5 21 .i.h4
pawn for the sake of development. Remember this manoeuvre, my
Let us glance at the variation: 9 0-0 dear readers! The bishop vacates the
'ifxb2 1 0 tLlb5 ! threatening both 1 1 g3-square for the rook and occupies
tl:Jc7+ and 1 1 �e2 followed by 1 2 the important diagonal. Why? We
l:.fb 1 . The experienced master shall soon see.
knows these patterns and doesn't 2l ...�d7 22 .i.xe7!
have to calculate the actual It was so difficult to decide on
variations. this exchange! All chess rules con­
9 .i.g3 a6 10 0-0 b5 demn such exchanges-a strong
Why doesn't Black castle king­ bishop for a miserable knight! But
side? Maybe he wants to castle the creative approach to chess tran­
queenside? Of course not. But I scends all sorts of routines. In this
managed to discern Spassky's main position it is necessary to eliminate
idea, which was to advance his Black's knight, as it could be useful
pawns to b4 and a5 so that he could in defence. Now White has suffi­
exchange his "bad" light-squared cient resources for the attack. Not
bishop for White's "good" bishop or 22 l:.e3 tLlg6! .
knight. But White's subsequent
76 Higher Chess Education

22 ... 'ilhe7 23 l:te3 l:ted8 24 l:tg3 This is not a defence but merely
'ith8 the postponement of imminent
defeat.
26 ..ta4!
Symmetry! I don't know another
game where White had to carry out
such geometrically aesthetic ma­
noeuvres on the flanks. On one
flank the bishop goes to h4 and cap­
tures the knight on e7, and on the
other the bishop goes to a4 to cap­
ture the knight on d7. Incidentally,
in chess problem competitions these
echo-manoeuvres are regarded as
elements of the highest artistry.
25 'ili'f4!! 26 ltJxe5
.•.

A positional move that contains Practically speaking, the best

brilliant combinative possibilities. chance, allowing Black to escape an
Bronstein wrote that it creates the immediate rout at the cost of one
threat of 26 liJf6! (26 ... gxf6 27 ptece.
'ili'g4). Actually, I played the move 27 'ii'xe5 'ii'c 7 28 'iVe3
without thinking-! relied entirely Curiously enough, in the event of
on my intuition without calculating the queen exchange (and isn't it
any concrete variations. Afterwards desirable to have an extra piece?)
I even thought that the chess pieces Black is down materially but has
in this game just moved by sufficient compensation positionally
themselves. Spassky understood the with the two bishops and mobile
profound idea of this move before I central pawns. Also White' s c-pawn
did, and plunged into meditation for is weak and his pieces are
an hour. If he thinks so long, I uncoordinated. So in the endgame
decided, then there must be the struggle could have begun all
something here. I also sank into over again.
meditation and discovered a beauti­ 28 e5 29 ltJf3 e4 30 'ili'd4! exf3
..•

ful idea. 31 l:txg7 'ii'c5 32 'ii'g4 l:td6 33

25 ...tiJd7 l:tg8+ 'ith7 34 ..tc2+ 1-0

He was called a peace-loving man

In life I was good friends with my unlucky run and defeat him for
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian. Over the first time.
the chessboard, the score of my Petrosian was fond of ice hockey.
clashes with him was a sheer disas­ On the very day of our meeting, his
ter: three draws and six losses. favourite team, "Spartak", Moscow,
In the 1969 USSR Championship was playing, and on the evening be­
I started successfully, and was due fore he said that he would like to at­
to play Petrosian with White. Here' s tend this match which was to begin
the opportunity, I thought, t o end at 5 p.m. Our game was scheduled
 Higher Chess Education 77

for 4.30. I understood him to be thinking, "That's the way you play
hinting at a draw. I spent a sleepless for a win? Now I won't be able to
night wondering whether I should get to the hockey match, because
go with Tigran to the hockey match we're going to have to play chess! "
or try to defeat him over the board. Tigran confidently replied:
The crucial day arrived. After din­ 3 ...g6
ner I decided to heed the voice of From the psychological point of
reason, which told me that I was not view the game was already lost. Just
destined to defeat "iron Tigran." I have a look at what kind of a merci­
dialled his number and said, "Tigran less beating awaited White.
Vartanovich! Could you possibly 4 d4 exd4 5 lt:Jd5 �g7 6 �g5
help me get a ticket to the ' Spartak' lt:Jce7 7 lt:Jxd4 c6 8 lt:Jc3 h6 9 ..ie3
hockey match today?" After a pause lt:Jf6 10 �c4 0-0
I heard a voice with a southern ac­
cent: "I'd love to buy a ticket for
�
myself, but I don't know how ! " As
you will no doubt have guessed, I � r�!�fl
had the wrong number-! had been BtU
� � � t �:l " · ' .. . . . . ,
let down once again by my "calli­
� -�- ·
graphic" handwriting.
BA � " ·aft B �.B �
So fate decreed that we should
fight. My friend and rival looked �
alert and determined. Thinking I had
'��ibm
J1. J1. � ��: ; �---ib�m
�- ---��.&·'-
• � �-� '��ibm
�....�
J1.
� ��w �§
decided to get my revenge for at
least one of the previous defeats, he
had evidently prepared himself for
an all-out struggle. If only he'd 1 1 1li'f3?
known about my peaceful phone Correct was 1 1 e5 lt:Je8 12 1li'd2,
call! but I was already drifiting with the
current.
30 Three Knights Game [C46] 1 l ...d5! 12 exd5 c5! ! 13 lLldb5
E.Gufeld White l 3 lt:Jde2 �g4 14 1li'g3 lt:Jf5 1 5
T.Petrosian Black 1li'f4 g5 1 6 'ii'e5 .l:.e8-+.
37th USSR Ch l3 ...a6 14 d6 lLlf5 15 lt:Jc7 lt:Jxd6
Moscow, 1 969 16 0-0-0 1li'xc7 17 �f4 �g4 18
1li'd3 b5 19 ..id5 .l:.ad8 20 f3 b4 21
1 e4 e5 2 lt:Jf3 lt:Jc6 1li'xg6
Something gave way within me: I Agony.
can never defeat "iron" Tigran ! My 2 1 ... bxc3 22 fxg4 1li'b6 23 b3
hand reached for the knight and 1li'b4 0-1
made a meek move.
3 lLlc3 The following game was once an­
Chessplayers know that this is the notated by GM Isaak Boleslavsky,
shortest way to a peace offer: Petrosian's coach. Presumably pro­
3 . . .lt:Jf6 4 �b5 lt:Jd4 5 t:Dxd4 exd4 6 ceeding from the end result, he gave
e5 etc. It seemed to me that an un­ a false evaluation of the position.
kind smile hovered across my oppo­ Nine years later his mistake was re­
nent's face. He was probably peated by Boris Gulko in an article
78 Higher Chess Education

entitled "The Mystery of 'Bad' 14 ...'iixf6 15 i..g4?

Bishops". At last I have a chance to A serious mistake (given a ques­
express my own view of this game tion mark by Gulko). The only way
and to vindicate my beloved to cast doubt on Black's strategy
fianchettoed king's bishop. was 1 5 h5 ! , because 1 5 ... g5 would
inhibit the g7-bishop. I would there­
3 1 King's Indian Defence [E92] fore have been forced to weaken my
T.Petrosian White kingside pawn structure and let
E.Gufeld Black White open the h-file, but even then
27th USSR Ch, Leningrad 1 960 Black's chances after 1 5 ... 'iWg5 1 6.
hxg6 f5 ! ? would not be that bad.
1 d4 lZ'lf6 2 c4 g6 3 tt:Jc3 �g7 4 Now my position is simply better.
e4 0-0 5 tt:Jf3 d6 6 �e2 e5 7 d5 15 ... h5 16 �xc8 ltaxc8 17 'iWe2
lZ'lh5 8 g3 lZ'la6 9 lZ'ld2 lZ'lf6 1 0 h4 .i.h6
c6 l l lZ'lb3 lZ'lc7 1 2 .i.g5 According to Gulko, this bishop
"doesn't attack anything and doesn't

l,,�.fl f
take part in active operations". Nev­
ertheless it controls c l , White's fo­

- t �� B· t .
cal point for concentrating his major

�--if�" · · � �
pieces on the only open file! My
main error in this game lay in my
�.r.� t.�;��m stereotyped approach. Rightly be­

�,,....,% , ·�� ��-;;�

�� �� -·····>
.
lieving that my position was better, I
considered myself obliged to contest

�;; - �
. >
.. .

the c-file. Petrosian's positional

� ��w � §
>
,
, .. genius was demonstrated by his
ability to find different terrain on
1 2 ...cxd5 which to fight.
"In spite of clarifying the situation 1 8 lba5 ltb8 19 0-0
in the centre, I think this move was
a decisive mistake," Gulko writes.
How easily the famous grandmaster
passes sentence on a standard open­
ing exchange! Does it mean that it's
time for me to resign?
13 cxd5 h6 14 �xf6?
Neither Boleslavsky nor Gulko
explains this exchange. White aims
to leave Black with a "bad" bishop,
but to this end he doesn't spare the
life of his own "good" one! This re­
minds me of the joke about the man
who decided to pull out his eye be­ 19...1Ifc8?
cause he wanted his mother-in-law There is no future in this plan. I
to have a one-eyed son-in-law. I quite agree with Boris that I ought to
hope that Petrosian, with his good have launched an offensive on the
sense of humour, would not have kingside (which, as a matter of fact,
taken this comparison amiss. has been deserted by most of
 Higher Chess Education 79

the white army) with 19 ... 'ile7, fol- finding a brilliant way to outflank
lowed by . . .tt:le8-g7 and . . . f7,- f5 . Af- the enemy artillery (the dark­
ter the death of both his bishops and squared bishop). His plan with
the loosening of the pawn cover in b2-b3, l:ta l -a2-c2 and .:tfl-b l -b2 is
front of his king, White's position indeed awesome! He simply
would be quite miserable. The at­ narrowed the board to 63 squares,
tack seems so natural now that I cutting out the c l -square, and after
wonder why I missed it. It is amus­ that my bishop really did start to
ing, however, that while indicating shoot at empty space.
the right plan for Black, Gulko does 20 a4 'ili'd8 2 1 tt:lc4 tt:le8 22 l:ta2
not see the position in its proper 'ilc7 23 b3 'ili'd7 24 'it>g2 l:tc5 25
perspective and evaluates it in l:tb1 l:tcc8 26 l:tc2 tt:lc7 27 l:tbb2
White's favour. l:tf8 28 b4 tt:le8 29 a5 tt:lg7 30 a6
During the next 8 moves I was bxa6 31 tt:la5 f5 32 tt:lc6 l:tbe8 33
marking time. I only understood tt:lb1 'it>h7 34 l:tb3 fxe4 35 'it'xe4
what to do when it was too late and l:tf5 36 l:ta3 'it'b7 37 lL'lc3 l:tef8 38
my opponent had worked up deci­ 'ii'c4 l:tf3 39 l:txa6 i.e3 40 tt:le4
sive pressure on the queenside. Pet­ i.h6 41 l:txa7 1-0
rosian demonstrated his genius by

Postscript: A parade of champions

I came into the pub and walked " I can just picture the Grand Prix
towards the barman. It had been a this Sunday," said a second person
difficult day and I wanted to rejuve­ who was noticably balding.
nate myself. I asked for a pint of "Alekhine' s very fast. If the last
Guinness and seated myself com­ outing's anything to go by, he'll
fortably in a cosy corner. As I leave Fischer and Kasparov both
slumped into my chair, I let my way behind! "
thoughts wander. I could not help "And of course w e mustn't forget
noticing a group of gentlemen who this Catalan Opening that beat
were having a boisterous discussion Karpov with his Ruy Lopez in
nearby. The men had each drunk Melbourne on April the fourth,"
about three pitchers of beer and said the first man, whose lean stat­
their coarse voices showed it. ure showed itself as he stood up.
There was this thin, bespectacled At this point it occurred to me that
man who spoke in a clear and pow­ Alekhine didn't really need any "en­
erful voice: "But you've been for­ couragement" from anyone to win.
getting about Steinitz. Spassky isn't But how could the late Champion
a patch on Steinitz. And if Petrosian play against two World Champions
competes with that Double Fi­ who are still alive, though one of
anchetto, I reckon he'll be unbeat­ them has only played two matches
able. But if Kasparov follows The in the last 29 years? Then there was
King's Indian, I'm sure he'll have a a third man, nothing special about
great chance of first prize! " his appearance except that he wore
80 Higher Chess Education

an old sweater which had big elbow not to bump into anyone from the
patches. As he downed a pint, he group. Just then a fifth person spoke
proclaimed: "Karpov will win!" up. He was bearded and very sullen
Suddenly, as if in defiance of looking. "If Lasker hadn't broken
FIDE, the whole group started be­ his leg and been shot, there' d be
rating this quiet gentleman for his nothing at all for you to talk about,"
choice of champion. "Maybe you he lamented.
think Capablanca's got a chance of One man from another table hob­
winning too," said the second man bled over and said with a heavy
sarcastically, as the whole group Georgian accent: "Your argument's
roared with laughter. given me a brilliant idea. Lots of
"Then of course there's Botvinnik people want to know who's
the prodigy, who did such fantastic strongest-Petrosian or Capablanca,
things when he was only one year Fischer or Kasparov, Karpov or
old! There's nothing else like him, Steinitz. But nobody knows for
only the rules stopped him compet­ sure. It'd be very nice if all the
ing so young! " added the thin man. champions could compete against
"Even now, when he' s old and has each other to decide who was the
been out of competition for some greatest. But of course we'd have to
time, he still keeps active on the give some of them handicaps ac­
polo field!" cording to their ages."
Just then I thought that maybe this I was full of confusion and disbe­
company of gentlemen possessed lief as the group carried on their
some extraordinary, hitherto unpub­ conversation. Fortunately, all be­
lished information about the World came clear on the following Sunday
Champions. I had read Botvinnik's when a friend invited me to the
bestseller Achieving the Aim, but I racecourse. There they all were:
didn't recall reading that he began Fischer, Catalan Opening, Karpov,
competing at such a young age! Ruy Lopez, Botvinnik, King's Gam­
"You can say what you like," re­ bit, Tal, Slav Defence, Spassky,
torted a fourth person, short and Capablanca, Petrosian and Kaspar­
stout, who seemed to be very sure ov. But they were all horses!
about the favourite. "If you ask me, My dear friends, if you happen to
there'd be no question about who be in some other part of the world
was best if Euwe hadn't died in and notice a jockey wearing a black
quarantine!" and white checkered jersey, then
I immediately straightened up and you must know that his horse
rubbed my eyes in disbelief. I felt belongs to Dato Tan Chin Nam of
that something unreal was happen­ Malaysia. Dato Tan has two beloved
ing. I realize I may not be all that pastimes--<:hess and horse racing.
knowledgeable about chess, but I In horse racing, over the years, he
remember that Steinitz was laid to has owned many winners who bear
rest in New York more that a hun­ the names of World Chess Champi­
dred years ago, and Euwe did in­ ons and chess openings! In chess, he
deed pass away-but in his own was a prominent figure in FIDE for
house in Amsterdam! a long time. In fact, some of you
Finishing my pint, I made my way may remember him for energetically
towards the bar again. I took care promoting speed chess. Having
 Higher Chess Education 81

learned about this wonderful combi­ horses. He still names his horses
nation of chess and horses, \� can after chess champions, but made
feel Dato Tan' s excitement when he just one exception in calling one of
sees his horses in chess tournaments them Gufeld. He speaks highly of
and the World Chess Champions this horse's potential: "Gufeld is
and chess openings on the very strong and very tall, he eats
racetrack! like two elephants!" I wish my
A most talented and youthful stu­ namesake greater success in horse
dent of mine (in 2000 he celebrated racing than I have had myself in
his 74'h birthday), Dato Tan Chin chess competitions ...
Nam recently bought several new
 Part Three: My Immortal
Game
Everyone is born to be a genius, You will now see a game in
but very few people actually be­ which Black sacrificed practically
come geniuses. What about the rest? all his pieces except the king's
With some people their genius re­ bishop (it had been exchanged in the
mains fast asleep throughout their opening) and the queen which was
lives. With others, their genius destined to deliver the decisive
wakes up at the most inappropriate blow. In a critical situation I man­
moment-for instance, not at the aged to carry out a counterattack
moment when the painter is creating leaving my opponent just one tempo
his new picture, but when he is set­ behind. And it was for this tempo
ting up furniture in his new apart­ that I had sacrificed so many pieces.
ment. Some people are luckier.
32 King's Indian Defence [E84]
Rouget de Lisle wrote the "Marseil­
V.Bagirov White
laise" at the right time and at the
E.Gufeld Black
right moment, and became, in the
USSR Ch 1h-Final, Kirovobad 1 973
words of Stefan Zweig, a "genius
for one night." 1 d4 g6 2 c4 .i.g7 3 ltJc3 d6
I was also lucky. If I had any gen­ All my life I have been harnessed
ius, it woke up on the night I played to the "Kings Indian chariot", but
against Bagirov. Sad as it may be, it this is a "servitude" that I volun­
turned out to be a "genius of one teered for, since I am deeply con­
evening." This game was unique in vinced that the advantages of this
my career. I am not Fischer, Karpov defence outweigh its drawbacks.
or Kasparov, whose genius is al­ 4 e4 tiJf6 5 f3
ways awake. But I am grateful to
my destiny for this particular .•.�..��� �-
evening.
�' .t ���
� �'�����
�'· ��
.t �fg.t
� ,
Sometimes you hear it said that
·
� - - ·�
··--· ' · - -- - -· · · · ·

we are more practical and rational ..... , " · · · ·'

chessplayers than in the last century.

There is no doubt that the con­
temporary chess struggle proceeds B
��.ft ��'· �-B�
.ft B
� �; � Jj, �
-- - · · ·

along more positional and rational

lines than it did then. But sometimes
.ft ��' B B .ft ��
it happens that sacrifices are
completely necessary. And then ...
,�
w r ·M M!� '�'ii!f
�
· ··

r;g���: b
 My Immortal Game 83

I am sure that situations on the Before embarking on central

chessboard depend not only o� the operations ( ... e7-e5) it is advisable
will of the individual chessplayer, to capture, by means of ...b7-b5,
but also on extrapersonal factors some space on the queenside where
that pertain to the life of a nation at White's king is going to hide. In his
a particular time. There are cultural King's Indian book Geller points
trends in science and art that sweep out: "7 ... a6 is more popular, and if 8
over an entire generation. Let us 'iVd2 then 8 ... l:tb8, getting ready for
consider the Samisch System, born the counter-blow ...b7-b5. In this
in the 1 920s. The set-up is a geo­ game everything merely boiled
metrically clear-cut line of white down to a transposition of moves.
pawns at c4, d4, e4, and f3 with all However, in case of 8 a3 a6 9 b4 the
White's pieces placed solidly be­ rook would be better placed on a8,
hind this line. There is a distinct because after the possible ...b7-b5
plan for the capture of the centre the a-file will open up." This is true,
and, proceeding from this, a king­ but 7 ... l:tb8 nullifies 8 ltJc l because
side attack. At the same time of 8 ... e5 9 d5 ltJd4 1 0 lLlb3 c5 1 1
White's set-up looks somewhat un­ dxc6 bxc6 and Black's rook is quite
wieldy; is it not reminiscent of happy.
architectural ideas in the style of ra­ 8 'Wifd2 a6
tionalism or constructivism which
prevailed in those years? Samisch,
the chess Le Corbusier, created his
system against the Nimzo-Indian
Defence with a powerful pawn
structure in the centre: c3, c4, d4, e4
and f3. Years have passed, construc­
tivism is long gone, the Samisch
System in the Nimzo-Indian has be­
come less popular. I am sure that the
same will happen to the Samisch
System in the King's Indian. Our
grandchildren will smile at this sys­
tem just as we smile now at the 9 il.h6
clumsy ferro-concrete monsters of Bagirov laughs: "If I exchange the
the twenties. If you, my dear 'Gufeld bishop' on g7, Gufeld will
friends, disagree with me about 5 f3, be disarmed." Incidentally, there is a
which is the cornerstone of the grain of truth in that. But in this case
Samisch, then you might want to I was not so upset at the loss of my
ask the knight on g 1 what it thinks favourite bishop. White is wasting
about this move. time; his kingside attack, which is
5 0-0 6 il.e3 ltJc6
... strategically justified, is tactically
One of the up-to date methods of behind schedule, since Black has
struggle against the pawn centre. enough time to create threats on the
Certainly there are other possibili­ queenside. 9 ltJc 1 is the old line, for
ties: 6 ... e5, or 6 ... c5. example: 9 ... e5 1 0 d5 ( 1 0 ltJb3 exd4
7 ltJge2 l:tb8 1 1 ltJxd4 lLlxd4 1 2 il.xd4 il.e6)
84 My Immortal Game

10 . . .4Jd4 1 1 ti:Jb3 ti:Jxb3 1 2 axb3 c5! (a) Useless is 13 hxg6 fxg6 14

1 3 b4. A more challenging alterna­ 'iih6+ �g8 1 5 ti:Jf4 (or 1 5 ti:Jd5 l:tt7
tive is 9 h4! , e.g. 9 ... b5 10 h5 ! bxc4 1 6 ti:Jxf6+ 'iixf6, when the poor
1 1 hxg6 fxg6 1 2 ti:Jf4 e6 1 3 il.xc4 White knight has nowhere to go and
d5 14 �b3 ! ?. is stuck defending the weak
9 b5
.•• d4-square) 1 5 ... exf4 1 6 �xc4+ �h8
Black should play 9 ... �xh6! 1 0 17 ti:Jd5 ti:Jh5; White cannot take
'ii'xh6 e 5 1 1 0-0-0 b5 1 2 d5 ( 1 2 h4 advantage of the weakened dark
meets with the vigorous reply squares, and is just a p iece down.
1 2 . . .4Jxd4 1 3 tt:Jxd4 exd4 1 4 nxd4 (b) 1 3 ti:Jd5 1 3 ... l2Jxd5 14 hxg6
ti:Jh5!) 1 2 ... 4Ja5 1 3 ti:Jg3 bxc4 1 4 h4 (after 14 exd5 ti:Jb4 1 5 ti:Jg3 �f5 ! 16
�d7 1 5 h5 "iie 7 1 6 il.e2 nb6 1 7 �xc4 c6 Black is better), and now:
nd2 c5 ! . (b 1 ) 14 ...4Jf6 1 5 'ilfh6+ �g8 1 6
1 0 h4 e5 g7 l:te8 17 ti:Jg3 exd4? 1 8 ti:Jh5
We all know that a flank attack is l2Jxh5 19 'ilfxh5 (not 19 nxh5? ..tf5 !
best countered by action in the cen­ 2 0 nxf5 :e6 and Black maintains
tre, and this is a perfect example of his material advantage.) 1 9 ... �xg7
correct play. (b2) 14 ... 4Jf4 1 5 ti:Jxf4 exf4 1 6
1 1 �xg7 �xg7 12 h5 'ilfxf4 hxg6 1 7 'ilfh6+ �f6 1 8 'ilfh4+
The attack is imminent, as the �g7 1 9 'ilfh6+ with a draw. How­
queen can gain access to h6. With ever, Schiller suggests 1 8 ... g5 ! 1 9
an open h-file, an impressive assault 'ilfh6+ �e7 2 0 'ilfxg5+ �d7 21 'ilfd5
can be mounted. Black will not take nxb2 22 �xc4 l2Jb4 ! and White
the bait, however. It is time for cannot continue the attack. Black
counter-attack, not defence. has an extra piece and a threatened
fork at c2. If 23 'ilff5+ Black escapes
with 23 ...�c6-+.
Undoubtedly these variations are
very interesting. But I think that 1 2
... �h8 i s not s o bad. According to
Geller, White could have obtained
an advantage later in the game. I
will try to convince you of the re­
verse, but right now I would like to
point out that acceptance of the sac­
rifice by 1 2 ... 4Jxh5? 1 3 g4 ti:Jf4 14
ti:Jxf4 exf4 1 5 cxb5 axb5 1 6 �xb5
ti:Je7 1 7 'ilfxf4 would be losing for
1 2 �h8!?
... Black.
Very few brave souls have re­ 13 ti:Jd5!
peated this move in professional The right strategy. The threat is
tournaments, but some amateur 14 ti:Jxf6 and 15 d5, after which the
players have had fun with it in attack will play itself. What is to be
correspondence play. 1 2 ...bxc4! done? Moves like 1 3 ...4Je8 are too
does, in fact, lead to a tremendous passive; in such situations delay is
game for Black. I must concede that fatal. Looking through the game in
point at last. retrospect, you will see that Black
 My Immortal Game 85

hereafter develops his counterplay advantage after 1 5 . . .li:Jxd5 1 6 exd5

using the b-file. Therefore t�e ques­ li:Jb4 1 7 'ii'h6 l:tf7 ... ?
tion arises: "Shouldn't White have
radically solved the problem of the
b-file with 1 3 cxb5 ... ? After that, he
could have attacked on the same
lines as in the actual game." Well,
nobody knows what would have
happened if . .. (This calls to mind
everyday thoughts of the type: "If I
had married the other person. .. ")
1 3 hxg6 fxg6 1 4 0-0-0 'Wie7 1 5
li:Jd5 'i!Vg7 1 6 li:Jxf6 'ii'xf6 1 7 d5
gave White too much space in
Schoeneberg-Marcinkiewica, 1 983,
but 1 4 ...bxc4! was an improvement. 1 5...li:Jh5!
13 bxc4
••. The only move. Not good is
Black is permitting White to at­ 1 5 ... l:tf7? because of 16 'i!Vxg6! 'ii'g8
tack, but to do so White has to bring 17 'ii'xf6+! ! . In 1973, when the So­
the rook on a 1 into play. This factor viet chessplayers were flying to the
facilitates Black's queenside Interzonal Tournament in Brazil, I
counterplay. Alternatives are worse: suggested that they could warm up
1 3 . . . li:Jg8?! 14 cxb5 axb5 1 5 l:tc 1 by analysing this position. The dis­
i.d7 allows White to seize the init­ cussion really was at top level-and
iative with 1 6 f4 ! exf4 1 7 hxg6 fxg6 by that I don't just mean that the
1 8 lt:Jexf4; while 1 3 ...li:Jxd5? 1 4 plane was cruising at 39,000 feet
cxd5 lt:Je7 1 5 hxg6 fxg6 1 6 dxe5 above the Atlantic. I would never
dxe5 1 7 'i!Vc3 'i!Vd6 1 8 f4 ! was crush­ have managed to organize such a
ing in Kummer-Laske, 1 988. discussion on earth, including such
14 hxg6 fxg6 1 5 'ii'h6 famous GMs as Smyslov, Keres,
Now there is no hope of a quiet Bronstein, Vasiukov, Geller,
life. But who would not have gone Polugaevsky and Savon. Almost all
in for this aggressive adventure? It of them attacked Black's position.
seems improbable that this move We had travelled across a quarter of
concedes the minimal advantage the earth's circumference before I
that White is supposed to have in succeeded in defending my opinion
the opening. Much quieter was 1 5 that the chances are equal.
li:Jxf6 'i!Vxf6 1 6 d5, with a complex 16 g4
positional struggle. But to choose Let us look at the alternatives:
this continuation it was necessary to (a) Geller recommended 16 0-0-0,
abandon for a moment the assault and now:
on the kingside which was so tempt­ (a 1 ) 16 ...li:Jxd4 1 7 l:txd4 exd4 1 8
ing and seemed to promise quick li:Jef4 l:txf4 (not 1 8 ... l:tg 8 1 9 g4 l:tg7
success. Another line that is too 20 gxh5 g 5 2 1 li:Jg6+ � g8 22 i.xc4
quiet is 1 5 0-0-0, as recommended i.e6 23 lt:J ge7+ l:txe7 24 lt:Jxe7+ +-)
by Karpov, Razuvayev and even 19 li:Jxf4 'Wg8 20 lt:Jxg6+ 'i!Vxg6 2 1
Schiller! Does White really have an 'ii'f8+ 'i!Vg8 2 2 'i!Vxg8+ �xg8 23
86 My Immortal Game

i.xc4+ rJ;;g7 24 l:hh5 c6 25 Itg5+, Chess really is an amazing game.

and Geller thinks White is better. Just look atthis position. My oppo­
(a2) I suggested the following: nent has an extra piece and serious
16 ...Itf7 1 7 g4 4Jf6 1 8 1Wxg6 1Wg8! threats on the kingside. Neverthe­
19 't!Vxg8+ l'bxg8 20 Ith3 a5 ! 2 1 less, both players are walking a
t'De3 i.a6 22 d5 lZJb4 23 tt:Jc3 tt:Jd3+ tightrope. It is the centre of the
24 i.xd3 cxd3 25 b3 tt:Je7 26 rJ;;d2 board that matters most in this posi­
lZJg6 27 tt:Jf5 lZJf4 etc., with tion. Black is striving to break up
equality. the centre, thereby cancelling out
(b) 16 dxe5 tt:Jxe5 1 7 lZJdf4, and White's material advantage.
now: 18 Itg1 g4!
(b 1 ) 1 7 ... c3? should be punished Now the fight is in full swing.
immediately by 1 8 lZJxg6+! lbxg6 White's king too is under fire. Bagi­
I 9 't!Vxh5-a simple solution that rov makes the right decision.
should have been spotted even in a
blitz game. Instead, I 8 lZJxh5? gxh5
19 Itxh5 Itf7 led to a win for Black
after a long struggle in Eckstein­
Franz, I 985.
(b2) 17 .. Jlf6! I8 lZJxh5 gxh5 19
'i¥xh5 lZJd3+! 20 rJ;;d2 Itxb2+ 2 1
rJ;;c3 't!Ve7 ! defends h7, and after
. . .d5 the queen has access to her
own side of the board.
Of course it is impossible to show
all the variations, but later Geller
agreed with my argument and in his
King' s Indian book he removed the 19 0-0-0!
question mark from 1 2 ... rJ;;h 8. I9 dxe5 comes into consideration.
16...Itxb2 After 1 9 ...tt:Jxe5 20 0-0-0 there are
two branches, each of which is very
complex. We will have to let the
moves speak for themselves.
(a) 20 ...Itxa2 2 I tt:Jef4 keeps the
game moving at a furious pace.
Here there are four branches, but
only one works:
(a 1 ) 2 l . ..i.f5 22 exf5 't!Vb8 23
tt:Jb6 ! .
(a2) 2 1 . ..Itf7 2 2 lZJg6+ tt:Jxg6 23
hxg6 Itg7 24 i.xc4 Ita I+ 25 rJ;;c2
Itxdi 26 Itxdi Itxg6 27 't!Ve3 gxf3
28 11i'xf3 i.g4 29 't!Vc3+ Itg7 30 Itfl
Planning sacrifices. Of course, i.e6 3 I tt:Jxc7 ! .
this is just counterplay distracting (a3) 2 l . ..Ita l + ! 2 2 rJ;; c2 (22 rJ;;b2
White's attention. Itxd I 23 lZJg6+ rJ;;g8 24 lZJge7+ rJ;;f7
17 gxh5 g5 25 'iixh7+ rJ;;e6 26 tt:Jxc8 Itf7! 27
 My Immortal Game 87

ii'h6+ 'it'd7 and Black should win)

22 ...l:la2+ 23 'it'b 1 l:lh2! slows the ·

White attack.
(a4) 2 1 ...l:lg8 could lead to a bril­
liant win for White: 22 i.xc4 ! de­
flects the knight. Black loses after
22 . . .l:la l + (22 ... tt:Jxc4 23 tLlg6+
l:lxg6 24 hxg6 \!kg8 25 l:lh l ! and
White will checkmate: 25 ... l:la1 + 26
'it'c2 lZJe3+ 27 'it'b2 ! ! l:lxd 1 28
'i!kxh7+ ifxh7 29 l:lxh7+ 'it'g8 30
tLlf6+ �f8 3 1 l:lf? mate) 23 'it>c2
l:lxd1 24 tLlf6 ! .:.g7 25 .:.xd1 iLd7 20 tt:Jef4
(25 . . . gxf3 26 l:lg1 "fie7 27 'fi'xh7+ Of course, if it had been possible
l:lxh7 28 l:lg8 mate) 26 l:lhl ! tLlg6 to foresee the course of events, a
27 tLlxg6+ l:lxg6 28 'ii'xh7 mate. more effective continuation might
. (b) 20 . . . l:lb7! 2 1 tLld4 c5 (2 1 ...c6 have been chosen here.
22 f4 ! cxd5 23 fxe5 l:l£2 24 l:lg2 For example, 20 dxe5 tLlxe5
l:lb 1+ 25 'it'xb 1 'i!kb6+ 26 tLlb3 ! (20 ... i.d7 2 1 tt:Jef4 l:lxf4 22 tt:Jxf4
dxe4) 22 tLlc2 ! tLlxf3 (22 ... l:lxf3 23 tLla5 23 'ilf6+ 'ilxf6 24 exf6 c3 25
tLlf4 tLlf7 24 tLlg6+ 'it' g8 25 i.xc4! l:lg2 l:lal + 26 'iifc2 i.a4+ 27 �xc3
d5 26 l:lxd5 'i!kb6 27 tlle 7+!+-) 23 l:lxdl 28 l:lxg4 i.e8 29 i.xa6 l:lb l
tLlf4 ! (23 i.xc4 lZJxg1 24 l:txg1 30 l:lg7 l:lb3+ 3 1 'it'd2 Bowers­
l:lg7!), and there are three lines to be Frankema, correspondence 1 979;
examined: 20 ...l:lxf3 21 tt:Jef4 tLlxe5 22 tLlg6+
(b 1 ) 23 ...tt:Jxg l 24 tLlg6+ 'it'g8 25 lZJxg6 23 hxg6 'ir'd7 24 l:lhl l:lal +
i.xc4+ l:lff? 26 l:lxg l . 25 'it'd2 l:txd l + 26 'it'xd l 'ii'a4+ 27
(b2) 23 . . .l:lxf4 24 'ir'xf4 lZJxg1 25 �e 1 'ii'a 1 + 28 'it'e2 'i!kb2+ is another
l:lxd6 has actually been played: draw.) 2 1 tLlef4 'itg8 ! 22 tLlg6 hxg6
25 ...'ii'e7 (25 ...l:ld7 26 'fi'e5+ 'it'g8 23 hxg6 'ii'd7 24 l:lh1 l:la l + 25 �b2
27 i.xc4+) 26 l:lf6! tLlh3 (26 ...i.e6 \!kb5+ 26 'it'xa l 'fi'a4+ 27 'itb2
27 'ir'e5 i.g8 28 'ii'c3 !) 27 'ii'h6 1 -0 'iib 3+ 28 �c l 'ir'a3+, and now (a)
Heemsoth-Keller, correspondence 29 �d2?? 'i!kb2+ 30 �el (30 'ite3
1 976. .l:txf3 mate) 30 ... tt:Jxf3 mate, or (b)
(b3) 23 .. JH6 24 tLlg6+ 'itg8 29 �c2 with a draw.
(24 . . . l:lxg6 25 hxg6 lZJxgl 26 l:lxd6! A still more fantastic draw would
'ile7 27 g7+) 25 i.xc4+ i.e6 26 have arisen after the problem-like
l:lxg4! (26 i.xe6+ l:lxe6 27 l:lxg4 20 i.h3 ! ! .Uxe2 2 1 i.xg4 l:l£7 ! 22
hxg6 28 l:lxg6+ l:lxg6 29 'ii'xg6+ i.xc8 'ii'xc8 23 tLlf6! 'Wb8 where
l:lg7!) 26 . . .i.xc4 27 tLle7+ (27 e5 Biack's mating attack can be held
l:lxg6 28 hxg6 i.xa2 29 tLle3 !) off by 24 .l:tg8+ \!kxg8 25 tt:Jxg8
27 . . .'it'f7 28 tll c6 l:lb l + 29 'itxb 1 tLlb4 ! (threatening perpetual check)
'i!kb6+. 26 l:ld2 l:le l + 27 l:ld1 (27 'it'b2?
19 ...l:lxa2 .l:txf3 ! threatening 28 ... l:lb3 mate)
What a mess! Both kings are 27 ....Ue2= .
under fire, but there isn't a lot of 20 exf4 2 1 tLlxf4? ! !
..•

attacking force in either corner.

88 My Immortal Game

Geller thought that White could

now have punished Black for 1 2
... �h8 b y playing 2 1 i.xc4, but here
I show that 2 1 . .Jhl + 22 �b2 lhd1
23 l:Ixd 1 l:Ig8 ! 24 tbf6 (24 tbxf4
�g5 ! ) 24oo .l:Ig7 25 i.g8! 'jjje7 26
i.xh7 l:Ixh7 27 tbxh7 'jjjxh7 28
�f8+ �g8 29 'jjjh6+ is a draw. So,
why do I attach a question mark and
two exclamation marks to 2 1 tbxf4?
This is my way of thanking Bagirov
for his eo-authorship in creating a
chess masterpiece. Now Black has 23 l:Ia3! !
•..

enough time to organize a powerful If 23 .l:Ia 1 +, then 24 'iii>c2 tbxd4+

00

counter-attack. 25 l:Ixd4 l:Ixg1 26 �e5+. But why

2 1 ...l:Ixf4 22 �xf4 doesn't Black play his rook to a4
White has a material advantage, right away? 23.o ol:Ia4 24 i.b3 ! and:
but his immediate threats have been (a) with GM Alexander Belyav­
repulsed. sky in 1 987 I analysed 24.ootbxd4 25
22 ...c3 l:Ixd4 l:Ixd4 (25 .l:Ia 1 +? 26 �c2
00

To resume the attack, White has l:Ixg1 27 �e5+! ! would have won a
to move his bishop to c4, take with brilliancy prize for White!) 26 fxg4;
the pawn on g4 and move a rook to White is two pawns down, but his
fl . So Black has three tempi in king is safe while Black's is looking
hand. How can he use them? Not by vulnerable. Can White advance the
22oo.l:Ia 1 + 23 �d2 c3+ 24 �e1 g-pawn to g5?
l:Ixd 1+ 25 �xd1 tbxd4 26 i.c4 with (b) 24oo .l:Ia3 25 �c2 i.e6 26 d5
initiative to White. With the text tbb4+ 27 �xc3+-.
Black illustrates that good knowl­ 24 fxg4
edge of general principles and good The value of this game is en­
technique make the calculation of hanced by the fact that White is not
variations easier. When the rook making "desperado" moves but
cuts off the white king on the 2nd keeps setting new obstacles for his
rank, there is always the possibility opponent and putting up a most
of coordination with the pawn and stubborn resistance. By giving up
the knight (oo.tbc6-b4). Though this the extra material Bagirov repels the
threat is repelled, the c3-pawn re­ immediate threats to his king, and
mains like a bayonet held against Black's attacking pieces lose their
the white king' s throat. coordination just for a moment.
23 i.c4 Therefore Black must gather his
If 23 �t7 tbb4 24 i.d3 l:Ial + 25 strength and make heroic efforts.
i.b l , then 25oo.i.e6! 26 1lfxe6 After 24 l:Idfl , satisfactory is
'ii'g5+ and Black will soon mate the 24oo.tbxd4. If 24 'it>b1 , then
white king; but not 25oo.c2 26 �b2 24o o.i.e6 ! , aiming for 25oo.'ifb8 win- ·

cxdl=� 27 l:Ixd1 and it is White ning; but not 24oo.tbb4? 25 l:Idfl

who has the winning position be­ i.e6 26 i.xe6 tbd3 27 1!ft7 'jjjbS+
cause the black pieces are not 28 i.b3 l:Ixb3+ 29 'it>c2 tbb4+ 30
coordinated. 'it>d 1 ! .
 My Immortal Game 89

24 ... lZ:lb4 25 �bl ! but after 27 exd5 ! the king has a

narrow escape along the b 1 -f5
diagonal.
27 'i!i'ti
White may as well set up a mate
threat. If 27 .l:t.xd3, White would be
mated quickly by 27 ...'i!i'b8+ 28 �c2
'i!i'h2+ 29 �d 1 .l:f.a 1 + 30 'i!i'c l .l:t.xc 1
mate.
27 .. .'ifb8+ 28 i.b3
If 28 �c2, then 28 ...'i!i'b2+ 29
�xd3 c2+ is good enough, but a
quicker win is 28 . . .lZ:lb4+ 29 �b 1
.l:f.a 1 + 30 �xa 1 lZ:lc2+ 3 1 �a2 'ifb2
mate.
25...�e6 ! ! 28 .l:t.xb3+ 29 �c2
•..

The position seems to b e i n total Bagirov was hoping to take ad­

chaos. White owns the centre, but vantage of the lack of coordination
that hardly seems relevant. It is a between the black pieces. Both the
question of who can get his pieces rook and the knight are under fire.
into a mating formation first. How can Black now bring up more
Patterns emerged which helped me heavy artillery?
to calculate the rest. White was hop­ 29 lZ:lb4+!! 30 �xb3
.•.

ing for 25 ... c2+?? 26 �b2 cxdl ='ii' A century earlier, during the ro­
27 .l:f.xdl .l:f.a5 28 .l:f.fl d5 (28 ... i.d7 mantic age of chess, Black would
29 'ii'h6) 29 'ii'h6 i.e6 30 .l:f.£8+ have stood up and announced mate
'ifxf8 3 1 'i!i'xf8+ i.g8 32 'ii'f6 mate. in six! White would have had to suf­
26 i.xe6 fer in silence as the moves were
26 'i!i'c 1 was the last practical played out. These days players get
chance for Bagirov to avoid going the chance to resign. 30 �c 1 would
down in chess history in the role of have been met by 30 ... .l:t.b 1 + 3 1
a Kieseritzky (by analogy with the �xb 1 lZ:ldS+ 3 2 �c2 'i!i'b2+ 33 �d3
Immortal Game Anderssen- 'i!i'hS+ 34 �c2 'ii'e2+ 35 .l:f.d2
Kieseritzky, London 1 8 5 1 ). 'ii'xd2+ 36 �b3 'i!i'b2+ 37 �c4 'i!i'bs
However, in that case too, after mate.
26 ... c2+ 27 �b2 i.xc4! 28 �xa3 c5 30 lZ:ld5+ 31 �c2 'ii'b2+ 32 �d3
.•.

the white king 's doom would be 'ii'bS+ 0-1

sealed. For example: 29 dxc5 (or 29 White resigned because of 33
�b2 'i!i'b6-+) 29 ...'ii'a 5+ 30 �b2 �c2 'ii'e2+ 34 .l:f.d2 'ii'xd2+ 35 �b3
'i!i'a2+ 3 1 �c3 'i!i'b3+ 32 �d4 lZ:lc6 'i!i'b2+ 36 �c4 'i!i'bs mate. Every
mate. painter dreams of creating his own
26 lZ:ld3!
.•. "Mona Lisa". No other game has
Sacrifices start raining down on ever given me so much satisfaction.
the board, and the white king cannot Even now, after over a quarter of
find shelter from the storm. The b­ century, I still take pleasure in re­
file is open for the black queen, and calling this game. Then I forget my
her majesty is in a fighting mood. It troubles and remember the dream
looks as if 26 ... lZ:ld5 was also good, that came true.
 Part Four: Unforgettable
Encounters

A gift from a friend

During tournament games you are years old, I was not yet 25 ... How
not allowed the services of consult­ young we were, and how we be­
ants. Nevertheless, some games can lieved in ourselves!
yield the fruits of creative coopera­ 8 d5 tt:Je7 9 b4
tion: two players prepare for the This is the very continuation that
game, and one uses the idea against was Taimanov's "staple diet." Still
his opponent. In the following fresh in my mind was an interesting
game, my friend the late Grandmas­ game he had played against Gligoric
ter Leonid Stein is by rights the co­ in a tournament at Santa Fe. Of
author of Black's victory. You course that game, together with sev­
won't find his signature on the eral others, had been thoroughly
scoresheet, but his brilliant idea in­ analysed by us young masters. We
directly paved the road to my came to the conclusion that in reply
success. to the . rapid pawn offensive by
White on the queenside Black
33 King' s Indian Defence [E97] should counter with immediate op­
M.Taimanov White erations on the opposite wing.
E.Gufeld Black 9 ... tt:Jh5 10 g3 f5 1 1 ltJg5
28th USSR Ch, Moscow 1961

1 d4 4Jf6 2 c4 g6 3 tt:Jc3 ..tg7 4 !��.t. �-? �����

� t,
· · · ·'·'····'�tf .•f.
e4 d6 5 ltJfJ 0-0 6 .i.e2 e5 7 0-0 �� -:

�.-if�� :�:
tt:Jc6
It took a fair amount of audacity,
���:�ftfM,
' ···' ���� .�
�•
even impudence, to use this varia­
tion against Mark Taimanov, who in
?� • �m
those years himself played it quite
�la '•lrfl 3�·
·· �,
��r� ��- ,,;··· ·'
masterfully. I could hardly have de­

§ ���§�
cided on such a step in the crucial
. �
..

·'w
game of a crucial tournament if I . ...

had not had one or two ideas up my

sleeve, which I had jointly prepared I t i s precisely because of this pos­
with Stein. He was scarcely past 26 sibility that Black's plan was then
 Unforgettable Encounters 91

considered somewhat risky. When 13 ... fxg3 14 hxg3 lDh5

the white knight comes to e6, Black Now how should White defend
will have to give up his ' light­ the g-pawn? It does not seem to
squared bishop for it. Here I should matter-say, with 1 5 'ir'el . In that
reveal one of my little professional case, however, 1 5 ...c6 1 6 bxc6 bxc6
secrets (there is no point in hiding it is possible, and it is not clear that
now). The g7-bishop has for a long there is anything better than 1 7
time been described as the "Gufeld 'i!tg2, to make h3 available to the
bishop," and so many of my oppo­ knight. For the invasion of e6 is no
nents instinctively try to separate me longer so clear as it was with the
from my friend--even to the detri­ queen on d l .
ment of their own position. What 1 5 'i!tg2?
they do not know is that I have also White should after all have played
contracted a secret alliance with my 1 5 'ir'e l , which would have pre­
light-squared bishop, without which vented Black's stunning combina­
Black is often in even more trouble tion. The variation indicated in the
in the King's Indian Defence than preceding note leads to an
he is without its renowned approximately level game. Now,
colleague. however, White's position has only
1 l...lt'lf6 12 f3 f4 the outward appearance of solidity ...
In the aforementioned game,
Taimanov-Gligoric, after 1 2 ... h6 1 3
tbe6 �xe6 14 dxe6 c6 1 5 b 5 ! White
seized the initiative on the queen­
side. Since Stein and I did not see
how Black could later have im­
proved, we opted for a different
continuation here.
13 b5
A well-considered move: White
hinders the ... c7-c6 break and devel­
ops a queenside offensive. Its draw­
back, however, is that it does not
create any concrete threats, so Black 1 5...lbf4+!!
obtains a tempo in which to organ­ A textbook example of a purely
ize counterplay. The big question is positional piece sacrifice. The price
how effective this counterplay will White pays for this knight is high:
turn out to be. Before our game it his king is deprived of its pawn
was considered that White had noth­ cover and the black pieces spring to
ing to fear, so Taimanov went into life. Is that sufficient? Stein had no
this position full of confidence. If doubt on this score. Nor had I.
only he had known what an original 16 gxf4 exf4
combination had entered the head of What is threatened? In the first
Leonid Stein! But in that case, alas, place, obviously, the capture of the
this fine game would not have knight on c3. If White defends it,
occurred. Black's knight on e7 will jump
92 Unforgettable Encounters

forward. For example: 1 7 j(,d2 lDf5 ! escaped the direct threats. All well
or 1 7 'ii'e 1 lDxd5 ! Therefore White and good, but how is White to stop
is practically forced to give up a his opponent's duo of passed
second pawn in order to free the pawns? If he does not create coun­
e4-square for his pieces. terplay, he will have to give up a
17 e5 j(,xe5 18 lDge4 tDrs rook for one of them.
1 9 ...j(,xc3 20 lDxc3 'ii'g 5+! is
threatened.
19 l:.g1 lDg3! 20 �d2 j(,xc3 2 1
j(,xc3 lDxe4 2 2 fxe4 'i!Vg5+
The accurate continuation of the
attack. It seemed to many, during
the game, that 22 . . . f3+ was stronger.
The idea is 23 j(,xf3 'i!Vg5+ 24 � £2
j(,g4 and now:
(a) If 25 �xg4 'i!Vxg4 26 'it>e3,
then 26 ... 'i!Vf4+ 27 'it>£2 �t7 with the
decisive threat of28 ... �af8.
(b) However, post-mortem analy­
sis quickly extablished that White 32 'ii'd2
has 25 �g3 ! . Black then gains noth- White creates a threat for the first
ing by 25 . . .j(,xf3 (or 25 ...ii'h4 26 time in the whole game, but so
'it>g2; not to mention 25 ...�f7? 26 what? It is hardly a mating attack!
'i!Vd4 ! ; admittedly Black does have Black has to find moves which com­
25 ... �xf3+! 26 ifxf3 l:tf8 emerging bine attack with defence.
with queen and pawn for two rooks. 32 'i!Vg4 33 'iWf2 g2
..•

But the exchanges involved in this The passed pawns are now se­
line would weaken his attack) 26 curely blockaded, but a third infan­
�xg5 j(,xd 1 + 27 'it>e3 . tryman is presently coming to help.
23 'it>fl j(,b3+ How does White oppose its march,
Quite a rare case of the light­ while the e4-pawn may also come
squared bishop instead of the dark­ under attack?
squared one playing the leading role 34 �ael
in a King's Indian-type attack. He could have tried to regroup by
24 'it>f2 'ii'h4+ 25 'it>f3 ii'h5+ 26 way of 34 ifd4 'ii'g6 35 j(,e 1 �ae8
'it>f2 ifh4+ 36 j(,£2 l:%.f4 3 7 ltae 1 , but then
By no means with the intention of White's pieces would be tied up,
giving perpetual check. With time with the h-pawn deciding the issue.
trouble impending it is useful to get 34...�ae8!
nearer the control without spending There is no need to hurry with the
time deliberating. advance of the pawn. It is useful to
27 'it>f3 g5 28 �fl g4+ 29 'it>e2 finish developing first, at the same
f3+ 30 �d3 g3 31 j(,xh3 ifxh3 time preventing any active notions
With the forcing play finally over, such as e4-e5.
we can take stock. White has re­ 35 'it>c2 ii'f4 36 '>t>b3 ltxe4 37
tained his extra piece, which occu­ ltxe4 'i!Vxe4 38 'i!Vxa7 'i!Vg6 39 'ii'f2
pies a highly attractive position on 'i!Vg4 40 'i!Va7 lte8
the long diagonal, and his king has
 Unforgettable Encounters 93

The game was adjourned here, attack and retained a material ad­
with Taimanov sealing his move. vantage. By the 30th move it was
Home analysis did not reveal any my turn to congratulate Leonid. It
special difficulties. was as if in this game I involuntarily
41 ..lt.el "showed my gratitude" to him for
Attempting to erect a barrier in his help in my win over Taimanov.
front of the pawns, White abandons But in the end, of course, it was
his king to its fate. opening theory that gained the most,
4l. 'We4
••
_ 42 ..lt.f2 �d3+ 43 'it.i'b4 being enriched with two valuable
ii'd2+ 44 'it.i'b3 games.
Black has more than one road to As to a definitive assessment of
victory, but he chooses the simplest. the variation, it appears that Black
44 b6! White resigns. 0-1
••• has hidden tactical possibilities eve­
He must give up a piece for each rywhere. In particular, after 1 3 c5 he
of the pawns. As you see, the turn of can improve straightaway-for
the h-pawn has not even come. example, simply 1 3 ... h6 14 lLlxe6
ii.xe6 1 5 dxe6 d5! or 1 5 ... c6. In
The most sincere congratulations fact, even after the sacrifice,
that I received for this victory, as 20 ...'ii'h6+ is worth considering-
you might guess, were from Leonid 2 1 .l:th2 'ii'g7 22 ii.d2 ii.xf5 with a
Stein. He came specially to see the definite initiative.
adjournment session, although he
didn't have an adjourned game him­
self. To be honest it was rather a Here is a more recent game, in
pity that his clever resource had which the King's Indian bishop is
brought all its fruits to me alone, but raging against me, in the hands of
it happened that fate was to redress my opponent. Well, I somehow
the balance. manage to come to terms with it.
This happened eight years later, at
the USSR Team Championship in 34 King's Indian Defence [E67]
Grozny. I was playing in the Geor­ E.Gufeld White
gian team for the first time, and in M.Golubev Black
the Ukraine-Georgia match I had Alushta Open, 1993
Black against Stein. Of course I
played the King's Indian, and ... my 1 g3 e5 2 � g2 d6 3 c4 lLlf6 4
game with Taimanov was repeated lLlc3 g6 5 ltJf3 �g7 6 0-0 0-0 7 d4
up to move 1 3 ! Here Leonid di­ lLlbd7
verged with 1 3 c5, but I dogmati­ Irony of Fate: the King's Indian is
cally remained true to precedent! my favourite opening with Black,
There followed 1 3 . . . fxg3 1 4 hxg3 and now I am playing White against
lLlh5 1 5 ii'e 1 (again a slight differ­ it. But the bishop on g7-I felt some
ence) 1 5 ...tt::l f4 !?. inner voice saying to me, "This
Alas! The sacrifice is not so effec­ bisho.p will not be your enemy ... "

tive in the present situation, for the 8 'Wc2 exd4

knight on c3 is defended. After 1 6 Theory offers many alternatives
gxf4 exf4 1 7 l:H2 ! �d4 1 8 'it.i'h1 (8 ... .l:te8, 8 ... c6, 8 ... ife7) but my
tLlf5 1 9 exf5 �xg5 20 .l:tg2 ii'xf5 2 1 young opponent wants to clear up
ii.d2 ii.d7 2 2 lLle4, White kept the the situation at once. Young players,
94 Unforgettable Encounters

as a rule, hate protracted positional followed by doubling rooks on the

manoeuvring. d-file. In that case Black would have
9 ttJxd4 ttJb6 1 0 .l:.dl ! trouble organizing counterplay, so
White is better developed and Golubev sharpens the position.
ready for immediate tactical 17 .i.g4 18 .l:.d2 d5 19 exd5
.•.

fighting. Tempting was 19 h3 .i.e6 20 .i.b2

10 ... 4:\xc4 1 1 liJcb5 a6 12 'ii'xc4 liJc7 with a slight advantage, but I
axb5 13 liJxb5 liJe8 decided to meet the challenge head­
So Black has opened the a-file for on, hoping for more.
his rook, the g7-bishop is crowing l9...ttJd6!
loudly, and there are no weaknesses Courage always deserves respect.
in his position. White has more 20 dxc6 'iif6 2 1 .i.b2
space, however, and consequently I didn't like 2 1 .l:.b 1 which allows
the better chances. Black some counterplay after

li ��)������
� t �� . t l] t
2 l .. . .i.f5 22 liJe4 liJxe4 23 i.xe4
i.xe4 24 'ii'xe4 .l:.fe8 25 'ii'c2 'iif3 .
2 1 ...liJc4 22 liJa4

B �� �
� Bt� B The only move; 22 liJd 1 ?? loses

�4)- • •
······'
to 22 ... i.xd l .
22 liJxb2
-�- . .
•..

If 22 ...'ii'f5 or 22 ...'ii'g 5, then 23

%"'� .i.xg7 �xg7 24 'iic 3+ �g8 25
� - • -• �m
ft �� • ft ����J�
.l:.d5+ .
-

23 liJxb2 .trs 24 'ifb3

,��
� Mb�
f
��� M
�'0}:
24 'ii'c5 !?.
24 'ii'c3!
•..

14 'ii'c2! ! An excellent move: the tension is

A theoretical novelty ( 1 4 .i.f4 was mounting. In spite of being two
usually played here). The idea is un­ pawns down, Black's position
derstandable: White wants to protect seems threatening due to his two
his weak pawns first and to move powerful bishops. The dark-squared
his queen away from its exposed po­ one is particularly strong, having no
sition. Development is to be com­ opposite number. And to tell you
pleted later. the truth, a couple of times during
14 .i.d7
.•• the game I was ready to shout:
Or 1 4 ... c6 1 5 liJxd6 liJxd6 1 6 "What are you doing, my friend, are
.i.f4±. you really against me?"
l5 ttJc3 c6 16 e4 b5!? 25 .l:.ad1 'ii'xb3 26 axb3 .i.c3 27
Bravely played, although in a way .l:.e2 :a2
forced. If Black is passive, White Quite logically played: he pins the
will complete his development and white knight along the second rank.
put the weak d6-pawn under a last­ 27 . . . .i.xb4 is bad, as Black would be
ing siege. unable to overcome the passed
17 b4! pawn. And if 27 ... i.g4, then 28 f3
An excellent reply. The advance .i.e6 29 .l:.xe6! ? fxe6 30 ttJd3
of the dangerous b-pawn is pre­ (intending i.h3 and ttJc5 +-) would
vented, while White plans .i.c 1 -b2 clearly favour White.
 Unforgettable Encounters 95

30 lta3 i..c2 3 1 ltxb3!

This is the point. The dangerous
pawn is eliminated, but in spite of
the opposite-coloured bishops the
way to victory is not too compli­
cated. (There is nothing to discuss
after 3 l ...i..xd 1 , leaving bishops of
the same colour.)
31 ... �xb3 32 ltd3 �xb4 33
ltxb3 �d6
As will be obvious later, 33 ... �a5
would be more precise, although
28 tba4! White would still have a won
Another jump to the same place, position.
this time winning the game. The 34 ltb7 ltc8 35 ltd7
point can be seen in the line A precious tempo.
28 .. Jhe2 29 tbxc3 (Black has won 35 i..e5 36 f4 �c7 37 �d5
..•

the exchange but lost his King's In­ i..b6+ 38 <otn ltc7 39 i.. xti+
dian bishop) 29 ... ltb2 30 tbd5 (or Two extra pawns victory.
=

30 �d5) and the result is no longer 39 'it>f8 40 ltxc7 �xc7 41 �d5

...

in any doubt. Now Black must grab h6 42 h4 g5 43 fxg5 hxg5 44 hxg5

the "kamikaze knight" and try to �xg3
muddy the waters, but the tactics go Black has no more weak pawns,
my way this time. but what about White' s passed
28 ... bxa4 29 ltxa2 axb3 pawns?
The passed pawn seems very 45 g6 1-0
threatening, but I had seen how to The white king goes to the centre
pacify it well in advance. and wins.

Good and b ad bishops

I have the impression that at the Black intends by way of ...b7-b6
tournament in Sukhumi, Robert and ... i..c8-a6 to exchange off his
Hiibner had deliberately decided to light-squared bishop. Less favour­
test his defensive abilities. In this able is 8 ... a6 because of 9 �xc6
particular game, he goes in for one bxc6 1 0 c4! and White begins active
of the toughest variations of the actions on the queenside.
French Defence. 9 �f4 b6 10 ltcl �b7
"It becomes clear that Black's in­
35 French Defence [C04] tended bishop exchange doesn't
E.Gufeld White give him equality: 1 O ... i..a6 1 1
R.Hiibner Black i..xa6 tbxa6 1 2 ii'e2 lbab8 1 3 c4! .
Sukhumi, 1 972 1 1 �d3 tba6
Or 1 l ...c5 12 c4 ! .
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 tbd2 tbc6 4 12 c3
tbgf3 tbf6 5 e5 tbd7 6 lbb3 i.. e7 7 The strategical chess concept of
i..b5 0-0 8 0-0 lbcb8 good and bad bishops. With the
96 Unforgettable Encounters

centre pawns fixed on dark squares, 20 ltJh2 ltJb8 21 f4 i.c8 22 g4 c4

White's light-squared bishop has 23 ltJa1
plenty of scope, but the role of his The knight intends to storm the
dark-squared one is limited; hence opponent's main strongpoint, the
his immediate aim is to get rid of it. square f5.
12 ...c5 13 i.b1 .l:te8 14 'ii'd 2 .l:tc8 23 ltJc6 24 ltJc2 .l:tti 25 ltJe3
•..

On 14 . . . h6, White would gladly ltJg6 26 ttJ_g2 ltJh4 21 ..-n

sacrifice his "redundant" bishop. Not 27 tt:'lxh4 ,..xh4 28 ,..g2 fxg4
Black is therefore unable to prevent 29 hxg4? (29 ltJxg4) 29 ....l:txf4 ! .
the exchange of this piece. 2 7 ltJxg2 2 8 '1Wxg2 ltJe7 29 'it'g3
.•.

1s .tgs tt:'lf8 16 h3 bS
This move has several aims. First, Prospects on the queenside are
it gives the king a "loophole". Sec­ bleak because Black will be busy
ondly, it vacates a square for ma­ defending his kingside.
noeuvring the knight along the route 30 ltJf3 aS 31 .l:te2
f3-h2-g4. In the third place, it makes Since White can't break through
an infantry advance possible (f2-f4, his opponent' s defences via the
g2-g4, f4-f5, etc.). square f5, he prepares a build-up of
16....txg5 17 ltJxg5 f6 18 ltJf3 heavy pieces on the g-file.
.l:!c7 19 .l:tce1 31. ..�h8 32 ltJg5 .l:tff8 33 .l:tg2
�c7
The threat was 34 ltJxe6 i.xe6 35
gxf5 .
34 'it>h2 ltJg8
Black's knight is headed for h6,
intending to defend the g7-square
with heavy pieces on the seventh.
35 ltJxh7!
A small combination which trans­
forms positional superiority into
something more concrete.
35 'it>xh7 36 'ii'h4+ ltJh6 37 gS
•••

I wished I had a third rook to put ii'ti

on e l ! I'm not joking: one rook sup­ 37 . . .'ile7 38 'iWh5 .l:tg8 (with the
ports the advancing f-pawn, another idea 39 gxh6 gxh6) fails to save
is useful in case the c-file opens, Black because of39 .l:tfgl with deci­
and the third is needed to strengthen sive threats.
the e5-square. But alas, one has only 38 g6+?
two rooks in chess! Probably quicker was 38 .l:tfg l g6
19 ... (5 39 ii'xh6+ �g8 40 h4 'iWh7 41 h5
In case of 1 9 . . .ltJb8 White was gxh5 42 i.c2 and 43 i.dl .
going to continue with 20 �h l i.a6 38...'iVxg6 39 .l:txg6 'it>xg6 40
21 .l:tgl and then ltJf3-h2, f2-f4 and .l:tgl+ 'it>h7 41 i.c2 .l:tti 42 i.d1
g2-g4, working up a menacing ini­ Here the game was adjourned, and
tiative on the kingside. Black should though it was played in the first
not have released the tension in the round, it was resumed only after
centre, however, as White now has a round ten. All this time Hiibner and
free hand for a pawn assault. I were willy-nilly debating with
 Unforgettable Encounters 97

each other every day without 1 meet­ could play 43 ...g6 next move, he
ing, and this adversely affected our would construct an impregnable for­
results. In answer to 42 . . J:tc7 ! , I was tress. He couldn't play 42 ...g6 right
intending to try to open a file on the away because of 43 l:txg6! 'itxg6 44
queenside with 43 b3 ! The attempt �h5+ 'itg7 45 'ili'g5+.
at a straight attack fails, as is 43 l:tg6!
attested by the following variation: An unpleasant surprise.
42 .. J:tc7 43 �h5 l:tg8 44 l:tg6 .l:t£8 43 ...l:tb7
45 'i'g5 'ith8 (the threat was 46 If 43 ...'itxg6 44 .ih5+ 'ith7 45
l:txe6 �xe6 47 'ili'g6+) 46 l:txh6+ �xf7 and the white queen will
gxh6 47 'ili'xh6+ �g8 and White break into the enemy camp.
cannot strengthen his position. 44 �h5 b4 45 'ili'g5 bxc3
Opening up the queenside doesn't
help. Black's position is already
very difficult.
46 bxc3 l:tb2+
Or 46 ... :£8 47 ikh4 ! .
4 7 'itg3 l:tc2
Or 47 ...ltlf7 48 'i'e7 ltlh8 49
l:th6+! 'itxh6 50 'ili'g5+ 'ith7 5 1
�g6+! ltlxg6 52 'i'h5 mate.
48 'i'e7 l:txc3+ 49 'ith4 'ith8 50
l:txh6+ gxh6 51 'ili'f6+ l:tg7
Or 5 l . ..'ith7 52 'ii'f7+ 'ith8 53
42 l:tg8
.•• �g6+-.
This was sealed. During the game 52 �g6 1-0
Huhner may have thought that if he It is mate in 3 .

How I became world champion

There is no need to emphasize The first move took about two
how hard it is to become World hours to reach me. Meanwhile I had
Champion. Long, long years of time to prepare a "parking space"
strenuous labour are spent in for my dark-squared bishop.
achieving it, sometimes an entire 2 d4 ltlf6
lifetime. But all is relative in this My opponent probably didn't
world. I managed to gain the title of doubt that I would choose the
"World Champion by Telex" in just King's Indian. In that case he was
one day, with a short break for ready to go into a reversed French
dinner. set-up, in which German chess play­
ers excel. For instance: 3 e3 i..g7 4
36 King's Indian Defence [A48]
�e2 0-0 5 b3 d6 6 i..b 2 e5 7 0-0 e4
U.Bonsch White
8 ltle l , etc.
E.Gufeld Black
3 e3 .tg7 4 .te2 0-0 5 b3 c5!
Telex Finals, 1 978
So all along I was going to veer
l ltlf3 g6 away from the road which had been
1)8 Unforgettable Encounters

"paved" for me in Berlin. d5-pawn allows White a formidable

6 .tb2 cxd4 7 lt:Jxd4 initiative after 2 1 lt::\c4. Maybe
Also after 7 .. . exd4 Black's pros­ 20 ... l:1c8, hoping after 2 1 lt::\c4 b5 22
pects are no worse. lt::\4a3 l:tc3 23 'it'xa7 'it'h4 to start
7 ... d5 8 0-0 lte8! hand-to-hand combat on the king­
Strange as it might seem, this side? But in the first place, it is not
move is a theoretical novelty. obvious who would come off better
Weaker is 8 ... e5 9 lt::\£3 e4 1 0 lt:Jd4, from these complications; and sec­
or 8 ... lt::\c6 9 lt::\xc6 bxc6 1 0 c4, and ondly, the simple 2 1 lt:Jd4 'it'xd5 22
in both cases White's position is to lt:Jxf5 enables White to look to the
be preferred. future with confidence. There is no
9 lt::\d2 sense in 20 ... l:te5 2 1 d6! Nor did I
Here my rival made a slip, possi­ spend much time on 20 ...ilh4, plac­
bly the only one in the game. After ing the strongest piece on the edge
the obligatory 9 c4! e5 1 0 lt::\£3 lt::\c6 of the board.
1 1 cxd5 lt:Jxd5 1 2 lt:Ja3, the chances 20...'ifxd5! 2 1 lt:Jc4
are about e'lual.
9 ... e5 10 tt:\413 lt:Jc6
Black now has the centre.
l l c4?! d4! 1 2 exd4 e4! 13 lt:Je1
In the light of subsequent events it
would probably have been better for
White to choose 1 3 lt:Je5 lt:Jxd4 1 4
f4! .
13 ...lt:Jxd4 1 4 lt:Jc2 lt:Jxe2+ 1 5
'ifxe2 .tg4 1 6 'ife3
On 1 6 'ife 1 'ifd3 1 7 lt::\e 3? ( 1 7
lt:Jb4) 1 7. . ..te2 1 8 .txf6 .txf6 1 9
lt:Jd5 .tg5, White will suffer mate­
rial losses on top of his positional
concessions. 21 ...1i'd3 !
16...lt:Jd5! Now the telex was silent for about
First of all, it is necessary for the an hour.
g7-bishop to get rid of his rival. 22 lt:Jb4
17 cxdS .txb2 18 ltab1 .tg7 19 White did not dare accept the sac­
h3 sus 20 l:tbd1 ! rifice, as after 22 l:txd3 exd3 23 'iff3
Is the d5-pawn a strength or a (actually White should give the
weakness? White seems to be in no queen back and search for a way to
doubt that after 2 1 lt::\c4 this pawn equalize after 23 lt:Jd6!? l:txe3 24
will start sweeping aside the black lt:Jxe3) 23 ... dxc2 24 lt:Jd6 l:te7 the
pieces like a battering ram; whereas c2-pawn would be very dangerous.
after 20 g4 Black would himself 22 ...'ifxe3 23 fxe3 .li.e6! 24 lt:Jd6
have undertaken decisive action l:te7 25 g4
with 20.. .l:tc8 2 1 lt:Jc4 b5 22 gxf5 Hoping to cut off the e4-pawn
bxc4 23 fxg6 hxg6, etc. In fact the from reinforcements, but this is like
move White plays, 20 l:tbd 1 , is the trying to put a fire out with petrol!
strongest. How should Black con­ 25 lt:Jxe4 .txb3 did not help either.
tinue? At first glance, capturing the 25 ... a5 26 lt:Jc2
 Unforgettable Encounters 99

After 26 lDd5 ii.xd5 27 l:txd5 .l:.d7 On 36 l:th2, Black has a convinc­

White would be a knight dowt\. ing win with 36 ...l:txh2 3 7 lDe8+
26 ... h5! 27 lDd4 ii.xd4 'it;;>h6 38 lDxc7 l:txa2 39 lDxe6 fxe6
I silently apologized to the 40 l:td6 b5-+.
1-(7-bishop, but he has to understand 36 l:tc5
•.•

t hat this is the quickest route to vic­ At this point a misunderstanding

tmy. Besides, the bishop has already occurred: my opponent maintained
�ot through his eight-hour working that he had played 36 l:th2, but the
day. telex operator sent the move 36.
28 l:txd4 hx g4 29 hxg4 ii.xg4 30 l:tf3 . In fact the move 36 l:r.f3 was
li\xe4 ii.f5 31 l2Jd6 ii.h3 confirmed several times by further
There is no need to concede a file inquiries. The game was sent for ad­
with 3 l . ..ii.e6 32 l:r.c l . judication to former World Cham­
32 l:tf3 ii.e6 33 l:r.f2 l:tc7 34 'it;;>g2 pion Dr. Max Euwe, who awarded a
�g7 35 'it;;>g3 l:th8 36 l:[f3 win to Black. 0-1

Second-degree threats
Combinations are usually exe­ the remote fifties when it was fre­
cuted in a forcing sequence, for quently seen in tournament play.
example: check-threat--capture­ Since then the variations might have
check and mate! In his book Chess been forgotten, but the underlying
Tactics for Advanced Players, Aver­ idea-never!
bakh applies the term "first-degree 3 e5 lDd5 4 d4 cxd4 5 'ir'xd4 e6 6
threats" to forcing moves of this il.c4 l2Jc6 7 1ie4 d6 8 0-0 dxe5 9
type. Considerably more complex l2Jxe5 'ir'c7
combinations, he tells us, incorpo­ Here it was possible to go straight
rate second-degree or even third­ from the opening to the endgame
degree threats. For those whose with 9 ... lDf6 1 0 lDxc6! lDxe4 1 1
knowledge of such terms in contem­ lDxd8 'it;;>xd8 1 2 l:td 1 + 'it;;>c7 1 3 ii.d3
porary chess science is shaky, the l2Jd6. However, after 1 4 c4! , as was
following game may be a very use­ shown in the game Martinovic­
ful experience, demonstrating the­ Bjelajac (Novi Sad 1 978), White re­
ory in practice. tains the initiative and Black has an
unpleasant fight ahead for a draw.
In the middlegame the play is much
37 Sicilian Defence [B29] livelier.
E.Gufeld White 10 l2Jf3 lDf6 1 1 'ir'e2
V.Osnos Black The white pieces, which were oc­
Karseladze Memorial, Kutaisi 1 978 cupying dominant posts in the cen­
tre, have retreated. Is this a success
1 e4 c5 2 l2Jf3 lDf6 for Black? Not at all! The black
A pleasant surprise! This army is retarded in development,
Nimzowitsch variation has long inhibited in space, and clearly losing
gone out of fashion, and I might the struggle for the centre, where
have been in some danger if I had White controls all the important
not faced it many times before, in strongpoints.
100 Unforgettable Encounters

l l .. .li.d6 12 .lle 1 ll'lg4

.

Realizing that with routine play

he will not be able to stem his oppo­
nent's mounting pressure, Osnos
struggles for control of the central
squares.
13 h3 ll'lge5 14 lt:Jxe5 .li.xe5 1 5
tt::ld2 0-0 1 6 ll'lf3 tt::ld 4
In case of the more natural retreat
of the bishop to f6, White's queen
could have returned to e4 (at once
or after the preliminary c2-c3) with
overwhelming superiority in the 24 .li.xh7+!
centre. This sacrifice is nothing remark­
17 ll'lxd4 .li.xd4 1 8 .lld 1 .li.c5 able even to a beginner, as long as
Where do you think this bishop is White can follow it up with "first­
heading? To f8 ! But an attempt to degree" threats: a check with the
keep control over the centre with knight on g5 and a queen sortie to
1 8 . . .iH6 1 9 it'e4 did not hold out h5 (or vice versa). Here this se­
any bright prospects. quence is impossible (there is no
19 b3 knight). So what is White counting
The vacated diagonal should be on?
seized immediately. 24 .. .'itxh7 25 it'h5+ �g8 26
19 ... .li.d7 20 .li.b2 .llfd8 2 1 it'g4 .lld4! !
.li.f8 22 .li.f6! Here i s the idea of the combina­
The pressure has reached its tion, which from beginning to end
maximum, and Black is confronted might serve as an example for stu­
with concrete problems. Where dents. As in the well-known attack
should the rook be moved? At first with sacrifices on h7 and g7, White
it seems to make no difference. Far gives away both his bishops­
from it! The tactical phase is though in this case the combination
commencing-it will be necessary is the more notable because of its
to keep finding the only move. non-forcing character. White is
22 .. J:te8?! about to create a mating threat by
Strange though it might seem, this way of .lld4-h4. This is precisely
mistake is a tactical one-as will be­ what we call a "second-degree"
come clear after a few more moves. threat. How can Black find two
If Osnos could have foreseen the tempi for defence?
not-too-distant future, he would 26 ...gxf6
have played his rook to c8. But at In the post-mortem we analysed
this stage it is very hard to predict all the nuances of this combination
that the black queen will be left which was not subject to exact cal­
hanging. culation over the board. We found
23 .li.d3! .li.c6?! that this was the very moment when
Better 23 ... .lla c8, though after 24 Black had his only chance to reach
h4! Black would still be facing a an endgame with some hopes of sal­
very difficult defensive task. vation: 26 ... .li.f3 ! ? 27 gxf3 it'xc2 28
 Unforgettable Encounters 101

(d) 29 ...�d7 30 �xf6 �e4 3 1

ii'g5 ! , or 30. . .�e7 3 1 �h6 �d7 32
'ii'g 5+-.
30 ii'h7!
Does this threaten 3 1 �g8+ at
once? No! A much stronger threat is
3 1 l:td l ! , and if 3 1 . . .-tdS then 32
c4! regaining the piece and launch­
ing a decisive attack.
30. .b5
.

After the hasty 3 1 'ii'g8+ 'iti>e7,

there is no decisive stroke. White
can deliver a lot of checks, but
Black manages to escape from di­
rect danger without too painful
losses.
31 l:td1 !
Everything is forced. White cre­ Some combinations run like
ates a threat of the first order: a clockwork: everything in them can
double-check with capture on f7, be faultlessly figured out. But the
afterwards a check on h7 and the combination in this game, in my
black queen 's vulnerability becomes opinion, is characterized by that
obvious. I wonder whether there is level of difficulty where precise
any satisfactory defence to this mathematical calculation is not pos­
threat? To tell you the truth, when I sible, owing to the large number of
sacrificed the bishop on h7 I did not variations. One has to find threats
figure out all the variations, but just not only of the first degree but of
believed in the power of my attack. higher degrees, and if they turn out
It was risky. But it was justified not to be decisive, then the game makes
only from the competitive viewpoint an aesthetic impression. Here the
but also from the creative one! The impression is enhanced by the coor­
post-mortem showed that the com­ dination with which White's entire
bination was correct in all its force joins in the fight.
ramifications. 31 ...�d5 32 c4 bxc4 33 bxc4 1-0
29 l:tac8
.•• The impudent pawn cannot be
Alternatively: captured because of the mate. That
(a) 29 ...�d8 30 �h7 ii'd7 3 1 is why the bishop is destined to
�g8+ +-. perish, and further resistance is
(b) 29 ...l:tec8 30 �xf6 (not 30 pointless. I like this game because
ii'h7? �e8 !-+) 30. . . �e4 (30 ...�e7? White's attack was a logical
3 1 l:tg8+!) 3 1 l:te 1 ! �xc2 (3 1 . ..l:td8 continuation of the right strategy
32 �g5 !+-) 32 ii'g5 ..tg6 (32 .. .'it>e8 and a consequence of the
33 .l:.xe6+ fxe6 34 l:txc7 l:txc7 3 5 opponent's obscure mistake, which
�g8+ +-) 33 'ii'h6! 'iti>e8 (3 3 ...�c2 wasn't revealed by concrete
34 l:txe6+-) 34 l:txe6+ +-. variations until after a few more
(c) 29 ... �e4 30 l:tg4+ 'iti>e7 3 1 moves.
l:txe4 �xc2 3 2 l:tc4 'ilfh2 33 l:tacl +-
102 Unforgettable Encounters

Intuition-the cornerstone
of chess art

38 Sicilian Defence [B33 ] the break with f2-f4 and the march
E.Gufeld White c2-c4-c5, which are likely plans at
B.lvanovic Black White's disposal.
Sochi 1979 9 c4 a6 10 lLlc3 lLld7
If Black intended to put his bishop
1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 lLlc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 to e7, this move would be appropri­
lLlxd4 lLlf6 5 lLlc3 e5 6 lLldb5 ate. But as it turns out, the bishop is
The most consistent reaction. In going to move to g7. In this case the
the game Schlechter-Lasker in knight's transfer to d7 is premature.
which this variation originated, First, kingside castling is delayed by
White decided to play more conser­ a whole tempo, and secondly, the
vatively, and after 6 lLlb3 �b4 7 d6-pawn remains temporarily un­
�d3 dS Black gradually took over protected. If Black wanted to play
the initiative. ... g7-g6, he should have done it
6 ... d6 right away.
"Will it be the Cheliabinsk varia­ 1 1 �e2 g6
tion?" Black seems to ask, making After the knight's development to
this move. It is possible to avoid it d7, this plan gives White chances
by 6 . . .h6 but as practice has shown, for an early attack. There was still
the simple 7 lLld6+ �xd6 8 �xd6 time to get back on the right path
�e7 9 �xe7+ lLlxe7 1 0 �e3 ! fol­ with 1 l . . .�e7 ! .
lowed by 1 1 0-0-0 confronts Black 1 2 0-0 �g7
with long-term difficulties.
7 lLld5 - �..�.�� � f�
It was possible to accept the oppo­
� 1 ·�- 1 1] 1
1 . �� . 1�.
nent's invitation with 7 �gS a6 8
�xf6 gxf6 9 lLla3 bS 1 0 lLldS, but
�� ·--·· · '�r·��•
%
the plan with 7 lLldS seems to me
� · .ft ��
quite promising. One of its points is
that the knight doesn't have to re­ • .ft . • •
treat from bS to the edge of the � �: " � • � •
.ft �� -A� .ft ��
board (which is part of the compen­

§f· · �- �'iG��f3!·· -�
sation Black gets for the weaknesses
he has voluntarily given himself).
The knight will be more comfort­
able on c3, behind the c-pawn's The first critical moment. If White
back. allows Black to castle, Black will be
7 ... lLlxd5 8 exd5 lLlb8 doing well. But how can this be
The knight's retreat to e7 is also prevented?
encountered in practice, but it gives 13 lLle4!
Black little hope of an easy life. I played this move after much
From d7 the knight can combat both hesitation. Outwardly, the attack on
 Unforgettable Encounters 103

the d6-pawn doesn't look sensible­ White would also have a very
it will be protected, then the enter­ strong attack after 1 9 ... .i.xf4 20
prising knight will be driven back l:txf4 'it>f7 2 1 'iVb4. Now it is time
with tempo by ...f7-f5 . Afterwards for some important decisions. After
the avalanche of black pawns could a long think and some doubts, I
roll on further. glanced at the portrait of Mikhail
13 'ir'e7
.•. Ivanovich Chigorin, which hung in
After 1 3 ... 'ir'c7 1 4 'ir'a4! 0-0 1 5 the tournament hall, and made up
'ir'a3 ltJc5 1 6 ltJxc5 dxc5 1 7 .i.e3 my mind.
White has the initiative.
14 'ir'a4 f5
And now if 1 4 ... 0-0 1 5 'iVb4 ltJc5
16 ltJxc5 dxc5 1 7 'iVb6, with the
threats .i.c1 -e3 and b2-b4, Black's
position is unenviable.
15 .i.g5 'ir'f8 16 f4! h6
Not 1 6... fxe4? 1 7 fxe5 'ii'g 8 1 8 e6
with an inevitable rout.
17 .i.h4 exf4 1 8 l:txf4
Threatening 1 9 l:txf5 ! .
18... .i.e5
The second important moment.
Black has defended the d6-pawn 20 l:txf5!!
with tempo and threatens to repulse I think that Chigorin would have
White' s attacking pieces. If White been satisfied with this sacrifice,
can find nothing better here than in­ based not on calculations but rather
glorious retreat, it will mean that the on intuition and inspiration. Did
assault he began with the knight' s White have an alternative? Yes he
move t o e 4 was merely an unjustifi­ had, but after 20 l:t4f3 0-0 he would
able risk. The variation 1 9 l:t£3 have to defend himself with material
'ir'g7 ! , with 20 ... 0-0 to follow, is equality. Isn't it better to attack,
only to Black's advantage. even at the cost of a rook?
19 l:tafl ! 20 ...gxf5 21 l:txf5!
When considering 1 3 ltJe4 I had The pawn could have been cap­
calculated the variations up to this tured with check: 2 1 .i.h5+ <it>f8 22
move, and the subsequent events l:txf5+. However, after 22 .. .'�g8
were rather vague in my mind. Now White would scarcely have anything
it became possible to assess the better than "winning" the queen for
situation more thoroughly. It turned two rooks and a piece by 23' l:tf7
out that sacrifices were not to be 'ii'x f7 24 .i.xf7+ <it'xf7 25 'ii'd 1 , with
avoided. To begin with, White of­ hopes of a perpetual. Was the rook
fers the exchange. Acceptance with sacrificed just for that?
19 . . . .i.xf4 20 l:txf4 (20 lLlf6+ <it'f7) 2 1 ...h5 22 c5!
would keep Black on the defensive, 22 ltJg5 is met by 22 ...'ii'e7 or
as the threats are both 2 1 l:txf5 and 22 ....i.d4+ 23 <it'h 1 ife7-+; but not
2 1 lLlf6+. 22 ... b5? 23 ltJe6 bxa4 24 ltJc7
l9.. 'ir'g7!
. mate ! . Black now seems to have a
104 Unforgettable Encounters

choice of continuations, given that �xh5+ r:J;e7 30 'ii'e 8+ r:J;f6 3 1

White has not created any specific 'ir'd8+ r:J;f5 32 g4+ r:J;f4 ! . That is
threats of sufficient weight. I was why Black lured the bishop to g5 !
hoping there was no clear way for White has to seek other ways to at­
my opponent to bring his king to a tack. I contemplated the following
safe haven and develop his pieces. nice variation: 26 c6 .l:.f8 27 cxd7+
In the meantime, White can increase r:J;xd7 28 'ii'xe5 .l:.e8 29 'i!Vf4! .l:.xe2
the pressure. One of the ideas of 22 30 .l:.f7+ r:J;e8 3 1 .l:.f8+ r:J;d7 32 .l:.d8
c5, in addition to striking at d6 and mate, but discovered the correct an­
creating the possibility of c5-c6, is swer in time: 26 ...'ii'x f5 ! 27 'iixf5
to clear the way to e4 for the queen. �d4+ 28 r:J;h 1 lbf8 ! 29 'ii'e4+ lbe6!
For instance, in case of 22 ...dxc5 23 30 �c4 0-0. During the game I was
liJf6+! �xf6 24 �xf6 there is no not convinced that White has
defence to 25 it'e4+. On 22 ...'ii'g6 I enough superiority here for victory.
had prepared 23 ltJxd6+! �xd6 24 This prompted a different contin­
'i!t'e4+ with these variations: uation:
24 . . .ltJe5 25 .l:.xe5+ r:J;f7 26 'ii'f4+ 26 �d3!
r:J;g7 27 cxd6, or 24 ... �e5 25 .l:.xe5+ This move, in my opinion, fulfils
(25 c6! is also possible) ltJxe5 26 the prime criteria of chess art: an or­
_
'ii'xe5+ <i;;f7 27 'Wxh8. In both cases chestra sounds its best when all the
White has far the superior position. instruments without exception are
22 ...'ii'h6! taking part. White's army, numeri­
For the time being Black repulses cally inferior to Black's, surpasses it
both threats, enticing the opponent's in the total coordination of its
bishop to g5. What for? We shall pieces.
soon find out. 26 ...'i!Vg7
23 �g5 'ii'g6 The attempt at exchanging is
Now White has to play forcefully, hopeless: 26 ...'ir'xf5 27 'ii'xf5 �d4+
or his_p ressure may dis ��pate. 28 r:J;h 1 lbxc5 29 'iVg6+ followed by
24 tt::l xd6+ �xd6 25 'ife4+ �e5 mate in six.
27 c6 bxc6 28 dxc6 lbc5 29
.l:.xe5+
Now the material advantage
passes to White. Black lays a
cunning trap.
29... tt::l e6!

Black is a rook and a piece up.

But it is not profitable, for the time
being, for White to regain the lost
material: 26 .l:.xe5+ lbxe5 27
�xe5+ r:J;f7 28 'ir'xh8 'i!Vxg5! 29
 Unforgettable Encounters 105

30 i.c4! looked for another continuation just

It seems that the simple 30 c7 in case, and when I found it, I did
does the trick, but then Black has not hesitate. At this moment the fate
30 . . . 0-0! Analysing the game in the of the game hung by a thread! Now
peace and quiet of your home, you 30 0-0 does not save Black: 3 1
find it hard to imagine how the pos­ il.xe6+ i.xe6 3 2 l:!xe6, and the
sibility of castling might be over­ threat 33 l:1g6 cannot be prevented.
looked. During the game, things are 30 .'ii'a7+ 31 il.e3 1Vh7 32
••

different. Four hours of strenuous l:1xe6+

calculations cause tremendous fa­ The final blow.
tigue. You can actually forget that 32 i.xe6 33 ji'xe6+ 'ii'e7
..•

the opponent's king and rook have Or 33 .. .'.ti>f8 34 il.h6+ 'ii'g7 35

not yet moved. When the thought 'iVfl mate.
first dawned on me that Black might 34 'ii'g6+! 1-0
castle, I couldn't believe it myself. After 34 . . .c;t>f8 35 i.h6+ or
Was it true that his king had not 34 ... c;t>d8 3 5 i.b6+ c;t>c8 36 i.e6+
been moved? I even began to check c;t>b8 37 'ii'g3+ Black would be
through my scoresheet, but alas, my mated. The white bishops have
scrawl is such that I cannot even proved stronger than the black
read it myself, never mind arbiters rooks. This game was acclaimed as
and reporters. But letting that pass, I the best in the tournament.

A provocation

39 King's Indian Defence [E83] Here my opponent displays inde­

A.Beliavsky White pendent thought. Karpov and Razu­
E.Gufeld Black vaev append an equals sign to the
VII Spartakiad, Moscow 1 979 variation beginning with this move,
and prefer instead 1 0 d5 l21d4 1 1
1 d4 l21f6 l21 1 e2. I agree with their preference,
1 d4 came as a relief. In all our although I think that even then
previous encounters Beliavsky had Black's chances are no worse. For
opened with 1 e4, and events had example, 1 1 ...l21xe2! (in ECO
turned out in his favour. So why 1 1 .. .c5 is considered to be the main
does he change his weapon? In pro­ line, which after 12 dxc6 l21xc6 1 3
voking me to choose my favourite l:1d1 fails to equalize for Black) 1 2
King's Indian he must have some­ i.xe2 l21h5 1 3 0-0-0 ( 13 0-0 f5 1 4
thing up his sleeve. It will be inter­ c5 l21f6 1 5 'ii'c2 f4 1 6 i. fl g5, and
esting to see what. Black's kingside attack is more dan­
2 c4 g6 3 l21c3 i.g7 4 e4 d6 5 f3 gerous than White's initiative on the
0-0 6 i.e3 l21c6 7 l2\ge2 l:1b8 8 ltJcl queenside, since 1 7 l21a4 is parried
In the Encyclopedia of Chess by 1 7 ...b5! when the pawn on a6
Openings this move is given and the rook on b8 prove highly
preference by Karpov and useful !) 1 3 ... f5 14 c5 f4 1 5 il.fl
Razuvaev. i.f6! with the idea of ...il.f6-h4. Af­
8... a6 9 'ii'd 2 e5 10 l21b3 ter 1 6 h4, Black has 1 6...l21g3 ! but
I 06 Unforgettable Encounters

the lines nevertheless remain closed, dxe4 1 8 .txf8 'ii'xf8 19 'ii'd6 and
whereas after the text move they could not find sufficient compensa­
open up, to the great relish of the tion for the sacrifice.
bishop on g7. 1 5 0-0 bS 16 cxbS axbS
10...exd4 1 1 �xd4 There is the constant threat of
...b5-b4 hanging over White's posi­
tion, with a subsequent ... c5-c4 or
...d6-d5.
1 7 ltfd1 !
Beliavsky takes measures against
Black's incipient initiative. On
17 ...b4 1 8 �a4 c4 he plans 1 9 �d4,
when 1 9. .. c3 20 'ilfc2 is not danger­
ous since White has the break
a2-a3 ! in reserve.
1 7...ltfe8
During the game, this move
greatly appealed to me on account
1 l. ..�e5! of the "x-ray" lte8-.te3. Analysis
ECO recommends 1 l ...�xd4 1 2 showed this to be pure speculation,
.txd4 but then the centralized however, unsupported by concrete
knight is replaced by a strong variations. With 1 8 �d5! White
bishop. After 1 2....te6 1 3 .te2 c6 could now have forced simplifying
1 4 0-0 b5 15 b3! White prevails in exchanges. Therefore 17 ...�ed7!
the centre, for example: 15 ... bxc4 deserved preference, not only clear­
(or 15 ...c5 16 .te3 b4 17 �a4 �d7 ing the path for the g7-bishop but
1 8 'ii'xd6!) 16 bxc4 'i!Va5 1 7 l:ac1 c5 also fortifying the c5-pawn in
1 8 .te3 l:.fd8 1 9 llfdl . advance.
12 .te2? 1 8 .tfl
The first critical moment. ECO White shows excessive optimism
recommends 1 2 ltd 1 ! to prevent the in refraining from 1 8 lbd5. The
advance ...c7-c5. After 12 ... c6 1 3 point of the text move is not to re­
.te2 b5 1 4 0-0 c5 1 5 �b3 �xc4 1 6 move the bishop from the rook's
.txc4 bxc4 17 �xc5 Black has dif­ x-ray, since the dose of "radiation"
ficulty creating counterplay. Now is not yet great. White's aim, sim­
my task is somewhat simplified: I ply, is to free the e3-square for his
can follow the trail blazed long ago knight, since from there it will be
by Lajos Portisch. able to control the important d5 and
12 ... c5! 13 �c2 .te6 14 b3 c4 points! That these points are ex­
White has to look to the defence tremely important, the following
of c4. variation adequately testifies: 18
1 4 'ilfa5!
.•• ltacl b4 19 lDa4 c4 20 ltb 1 (20
Black too must display a certain lbd4 cxb3 21 axb3 .txb3!) 20... d5!
caution. 1 4... b5 comes to mind, but 2 1 exd5 .txd5 and the game opens
White's position is not yet bad up in Black's favour. But if the
enough to justify such sharp meth­ knight gets to e3, then in the event
ods. I once analysed the variation 1 5 of ... b5-b4, �c3-d5 would seem
cxb5 axb5 1 6 �xb5 d5 1 7 .txc5 good. However, although the knight
 Unforgettable Encounters 107

is only one step away from the

e3-square, it will not find time to get
there.

19 li:Jg4?!
.••

The alternative was 1 9 ... b4 20

li:Ja4, and now:
(a) 20 ... d5? 2 1 exd5 �xd5 22
18 li:Jed7!
•.. li:Je 1 ! and the rook on c 1 does White
The knight retreat is based on valuable service: 22 ... .l:.bc8 23 �c4!
concrete considerations: Black pre­ �c6 24 li:Jd3 .
vents 1 9 lZ'ld5 and himself threatens (b) I had a long think about an­
19 . . .d5 ! , when 20 exd5 would be other possibility: 20 ... c4! with
met by 20...li:Jxd5 ! , for example 2 1 threats on the queenside. In this
li:Jxd5 'iVxd2 2 2 .l:.xd2 �xd5 which case:
is to Black's advantage. Another (b 1) 2 1 li:Jd4 cxb3 22 axb3 �xb3
idea behind this flexible move is 23 lZ'lxb3 'i!Vxa4 would be unaccept­
that if White still carries on with his able for White.
planned 19 lZ'le3, Black has either (b2) Over the board I couldn't
1 9 . . . li:Jg4! 20 .l:.aCl lZ'lxf2 2 1 'it>xf2 find a way to realize the advantage
�h6, or 1 9 . . .b4 20 li:Jcd5 (20 li:Ja4 after 2 1 .l:.b 1 ! . The possibilities now
d5! 2 1 exd5 li:Jxd5) 20 ... �xd5 2 1 are:
exd5 �h6, threatening . . .li:Jd7-b6 (b2 1 ) 2 1 . . .c3 22 'i!Vxd6 and the
li:Jxd5 ! Therefore White must move protected passed pawn is no com­
his rook from a 1 , which weakens pensation for the pawn sacrificed,
not only the a2-pawn, but the whole with White planning the break
of his queen's flank. a2-a3.
19 .l:.acl (b22) 2 l . ..cxb3 22 axb3 i.xb3 23
Would 19 .l:.ab 1 have been better? .l:.xb3 'i!Vxa4 24 .l:.xb4, restoring the
The b3-pawn needs supporting, as material balance.
soon becomes apparent. On 1 9 (b23) After 2 1 . . .d5 ! White could
.l:.ab 1 there i s the strong 1 9 . . .b4 20 have obtained a playable game with
li:Ja4 (20 li:Jd5 �xd5 2 1 exd5 correct defence, but this was found
'i!Vxa2-+) 20 ... d5 ! 2 1 exd5 �xd5 22 only in subsequent analysis, and I
li:Je3 (22 li:Ja3 .l:.xe2! ) 22 ... �h6 ! . I have given the move an exclamation
was trying to extract the maximum mark on account of its practical ef­
possible from the position. The fectiveness. 22 exd5 (not 22 li:Jd4
result was a combination several cxb3! ), and now:
moves deep, which gives a clear win (b23 1 ) 22 ...�xd5 23 bxc4 'Wxa4
in all variations except two. 24 cxd5 'iVxa2 25 .l:.xb4 .l:.xb4 26
108 Unforgettable Encounters

lt:lxb4 l:txe2 is not good enough, as (b) 22 ... lt:lgf6 23 lt:la4 b4 24 lt:le3
Black simply remains the exchange with initiative to White.
down, 21 lt:la4?
(b232) 22 ... c3 ! . Analysis shows He should have played 2 1 lt:ld5
that this variation was objectively .i.xd5 (on 2 1 .. .lt:lgf6 or 2 1 . ..lt:lge5
Black's strongest, though it may not White has 22 a3 ridding himself of
have given a decisive advantage: 23 his queenside difficulties) 22 1i'xd5
'ii'c 1 .i.xd5 24 .i.fl .i.c6 (24 ... �f8 lt:lgf6 (22 ...lt:lge5 is again met by 23
also deserves consideration) 25 a3 a3 ! ; nor is anything gained by the
bxa3 26 'ii'xa3 .i.f8 27 'ii'a 1 ! and de­ piece sacrifice 22 ...'ii'xa2 23 fxg4
spite its outwardly unattractive ap­ tDf6 24 'ii'xd6 lt:lxe4 25 'ii'd3+-) 23
pearance, White's position does not 'i!Vxd6 'i!Vxa2 24 .i.c4. Beliavsky's
lack defensive resources. mistake can be explained primarily
The conclusion is that after on psychological grounds: he seems
19 ... b4 White might have saved the to have made a subconscious mental
game, while the move played pre­ note that in the event of ... b5-b4 he
sented him with problems which he should withdraw his knight not to
was unable to solve over the board. d5 but to a4. He replied automati­
cally, not delving deeply enough
into the details of the new situation.
21. c4!
•.

20 .i.el
The exchange sacrifice could have
been accepted: 20 lt:lxb5! l:txb5
(20...ii'xd2 2 1 l:txd2 �h6 22 .i.e l ! 22 l:tbl
.i.xd2 23 .i.xd2 lt:lge5 24 lt:lxd6!±) Other continuations do not save
21 .i.xb5 ii'xb5 22 fxg4 lt:lf6 23 White either:
ii'xd6, and although Black has a (a) 22 fxg4 cxb3 23 axb3 i..xb3
strong initiative, with accurate de­ 24 'i!Vxd6 i..xa4 25 i.. xb4 'ilia?+ 26
fence White's material advantage is �h1 �b2-+.
sufficient to avoid defeat. (b) 22 ii'xd6 i..e5 23 i..xb4 l:txb4
20 ...b4 24 'i!Vxb4 �a7+! -+.
Of course nothing is gained by (c) 22 lt:lxb4 cxb3 23 axb3 i..xb3
20 ... .i.h6 2 1 'ii'xd6! �xc 1 22 l:txc1 , 24 lbc6 ii'xa4 25 lbxb8 'ii'a7+ 26
and now: �h 1 'ii'xb8 27 fxg4 i.. x dl 28 l:txd l
(a) 22 ...lt:lge5 23 f4 l:tb6 (or l:txe4 and Black remains a pawn up,
23 . . .lt:lg4 24 f5 gxf5 25 exf5 .i.xf5 because if 29 'ii'xd6? then
26 .i.xg4 .i.xg4 27 ii'g3) 24 'ii'c 7. 29 ...'i!Vxd6 30 l:ixd6 l:txe2-+.
 Unforgettable Encounters 109

(d) 22 i..xc4 i..xc4 23 fxg4 i..b 5

(23 ... lbf6!) 24 'i!Vxd6 i..xa4 25 bxa4
(25 i..xb4? 'ii'a7+ 26 Wh1 l:te6! +)
25 . . . lbf6! 26 .i..xb4 'i!Vxa4 27 a3
lbxg4 ! 28 'i!Vf4 'i!Va7+ 29 Wfl ? !
l:txe4! -+.
The weakness of the g 1 -a7 diago­
nal is a weight which tips the scales
in Black's favour in all the above
variations. But what of the game
continuation?
22 ... c3 23 'i!Vxd6 'i!Va7+!
The same motif, only in another 28 'i!Ve3 'i!Vxe3 29 lbxe3 l:ta8 30
form. .:tal
24 Whl lbf2+ 25 .i.. xf2 'i!Vxf2 Or 30 i..b 5 l:teb8 3 1 i.. a4
Black threatens not only the l:txa4!-+.
bishop, but also the king by way of 30 ...l:ta5 31 i.. c4 c2 32 lbxc2
26 . . . i..e5 and 27 ...'i!Vh4. i.. xc4!
26 'i!Vd3! lt.Jc5! 27 lbxc5 'ii'xc5 White could still have put up re­
Only now can the combination be sistance after 32 ... i..x a1 33 i.. xe6 ! .
considered complete, for the evalua­ Now, however, he can resign imme­
tion of the position is no longer diately, in view of 33 bxc4 i..x a1 34
open to doubt-White' s queenside l:txa1 b3 35 axb3 l:txa 1+ 36 lbxa 1
is defenceless. l:td8. But in a team tournament you
There is no adequate defence fight to the end.
against the threat to double rooks on 33 l:tacl i.. e6 34 lt.Jxb4 l:tea8 35
the a-file. h3 i.. f8 36 lbd5 l:txa2 37 lbc7
i.. xb3 38 l:td3 .:tal 0-1

Conveyor-belt sacrifices

A chessplayer is usually proud of 40 Sicilian Defence [B82]

a beautifully won game, but very E.Gufeld White
rarely proud of a draw. Yet to my L.Espig Black
mind such rare cases are extremely Leipzig, 1 980
interesting. If everything possible
has been done for victory but the 1 e4 c5 2 lt.Jf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4
opponent is up to the mark and hon­ lbxd4 lbf6 5 lbc3 d6 6 f4
ourably overcomes all difficulties, The plan White chooses in this
then this game rightly deserves to be game may not be objectively very
recorded among the creative dangerous for Black, but it is little
achievements of both sides, who are used and therefore good.
equal co-authors of a chess 6 a6
•.•

masterpiece. Black bravely faces the challenge,

agreeing to a less explored
I f0 Unforgettable Encounters

variation. More common is 6 ... i.. e 7, After the text move Black is well
but why not go ahead on the queen­ prepared to repulse any attacks.
side at once? Objectively White's best solution
7 .ltd3!? would appear to be 1 3 !:tael , but I
Here the bishop is posted reliably, was fully aware that Black would
strengthening the e4-pawn (so the have sufficient resources for gradu­
undermining ... b7-b5-b4 is not dan­ ally equalizing.
gerous), but also actively, aiming at 13 b4!
the h7-point in case of a subsequent The idea is simple: by way of an
e4-e5! But certainly this develop­ undermining a3-a4 to win a pawn.
ment has some shortcomings, which Parrying this threat is fairly easy,
Black will try to exploit. but to this end Black has to remove
7 .'i!lc7
.• his knight from the central area.
The move sequence should be 13 ...tiJb6! 14 a4 bxa4
precisely observed. In case of All of this was calculated by
7 . ..ll:Jc6 8 lDf3 the black pieces Espig very accurately. In vain I
would be less favourably posted for hoped for 1 4 ...lDc4 1 5 lDcxb5! axb5
launching a counter-attack. 1 6 lDxb5 'ifc6 1 7 lDa7 disrupting
8 0-0 b5 9 a3 the material equality and seizing the
Not necessary with the bishop on initiative.
d3 . It would be quite possible to 15 b5
play 9 a4 b4 1 0 lDa2 a5 1 1 c3 ! cap­ White has to sacrifice a pawn.
turing the important stronghold b5. What if he plays differently? After
9....ltb7 10 'ife2 lDbd7 11 �h1 1 5 i..xa6 .ltxa6 1 6 'it'xa6 0-0 1 7
i.. e7 12 .ltd2 'i!ld3 lDc4, his "greed" would lead to
an unclear position, where White
would probably win the a4-pawn
but at the expense of losing the
initiative.
1 5... axb5
1 5 ...d5 1 6 lDc6 ! .
16 lDcxb5
I was reluctant to disturb this
knight which had one eye fixed on
a4 and the other on e4. But in case
of 1 6 lDdxb5 'it'b8 White's initiative
might have been exhausted. For in­
stance: 1 7 lDxa4 lDxa4 1 8 !:txa4 0-0
12 ..J:tc8! 1 9 .ltb4 i.c6! and again the same
It might seem tempting to play dismal picture-you do not so much
12 . . .lDc5, but Black's position is not rejoice at having won back the
yet ripe for such aggression-as pawn, as feel regret because of the
shown by 1 3 b4 ! lDxd3 14 cxd3. reawakening of the rival's activity.
The e4-pawn is solidly protected It might appear more pleasant to
and on the queenside White has take on b5 with the bishop. But hav­
scored a success, threatening not ing figured out to the end the varia­
only to take the c-file with tempo tion 1 6 .ltxb5+ lDfd7 1 7 f5 e5 1 8
but also to break through by a3-a4. lDe6 ! ? fxe6 1 9 fxe6 i.c6 20 .ltxc6
 Unforgettable Encounters i l l

ii'xc6 2 1 exd7+ ii'xd7 22 ii£2 �d8, invade the f5-square with decisive
I made the decision to capture with effect.
the queen' s knight. 18 ltJc5
..•

16 'ifb8 17 �b4!
••. Blocking the dangerous diagonal.
It was for the sake of this move by 19 e5
the bishop, not too typical in the In the event of the sharp 1 9 liJf5
Sicilian Defence, that I removed the exf5 ! 20 exf5 0-0 2 1 'ikxe7 liJxd3,
knight from the excellent square c3. Black gets counterplay.
In terms of strategy the move is jus­ 19 ... dxe5 20 fxe5
tified: the most active deployment
of all the pieces is hereby accom­
plished. In terms of tactics the plan
is good too, inasmuch as it helps in­
crease the threats associated with
the move e4-e5 ! Why not 1 7 e5 at
once? Because after 1 7 ...dxe5 1 8
fxe5 liJfd7 1 9 l::tae 1 ltJc5 ! Black
would destroy the dangerous
bishop. Now it has a brighter future.

20 ... 0-0
Both sides are now treading a
very narrow path of 'only-moves'.
Premature is 20 ...liJxd3 21 liJd6+!
(or 2 1 il.xe7 lLlxe 1 22 liJd6+)
2 1 ... il.xd6 22 il.xd6.
Now White is at a loss. There is a
wide choice of sacrificial possibili­
ties, but none of them promises
quick success. Yet White cannot do
17...liJfd7! without sacrifices, or he will lose
Beautifully played! Black is not the initiative and remain a pawn
afraid of losing the right to castle down. So let's work out some varia­
after 1 8 e5 dxe5 1 9 il.xe7 �xe7- tions: 2 1 il.xc5 I:txc5 22 ltJxe6! fxe6
for two pawns one can bear some 23 'ifh5 I:tf5 24 I:txf5 exf5 (24 ...g6
suffering. And Black himself threat­ 25 l:tg5 ! �xg5 26 'ifxg5, and White
ens the thrust ...lbd7-c5, making his wins) 25 'ilr'xf5 g6 26 'iie6+ with a
life easier by the exchange of one of rout. There remains 2 l ...il.xc5.
the white bishops. What then? 22 ltJxe6 fxe6 23 'ifh5
18 I:tae1 l:tf5 24 l:txf5 exf5 25 'ifxf5 g6 26
White's non-standard opening We6+ is again possible. But now the
plan demanded non-standard meth­ bishop is missing from e7, therefore
ods for developing an initiative. He 26 .. .'�g7 is not dangerous and
should have continued 1 8 f5 e5 1 9 White is obliged to give perpetual
f6 ! . Then in response to any capture check (if 27 liJd6, then 27 ... I:tf8 !
of the pawn, the knight would and Black even wins). What is
1 1 2 Unforgettable Encounters

White to do? Accede to a draw? No, the piece by way of 25 i..x c5, for
there are still ways. For example, 22 after 25 ... jl_d4 there is a mate threat­
l:tf4 ! ? with various threats. But this ened on fl . The sole way to main­
is not clear. On the other hand if the tain the attack is by 25 l:lh3, to tie
bishop is sacrificed with 22 jl_xh7+ down the f6-bishop with a mating
�xh7 23 'ii'h 5+ �g8 24 l:te3, what threat and resume the assault on the
would it lead to? Alas, Black could pinned c5-knight. Now the brilliant
successfully repulse all threats: attempt 25 ...jl_h4 is refuted by 26
24 ... 'ir'a8! 25 l:tf2 'illa5 ! 26 c3 tLlf3 ! jl_xf3 27 gxf3 jl_e7 28 l:lgl .
'illxb5 ! . On 25 ...tLlbd7 there follows 26
2 1 jl_xh7+ lt:Jxe6 lt:Jxe6 27 tiJd6! and Black is
During the game, I was viewing forced to sacrifice his queen, gain­
the consequences through "rose­ ing three minor pieces for it but
tinted spectacles." If the move 1 8 coming under attack. 25 ...'ii'a8
l:tae 1 let slip a decisive advantage, would be refuted by 26 tbf3 ! Play­
the bishop sacrifice takes me to the ing 25 ... ife5, however, Black can
brink of defeat. All this came to still count on keeping the material
light later on, however; in the heat advantage. After 26 'ifh7+ �fl 27
of battle I was bent on winning. l:lh5 ! it is very important for him to
2 l .. .C.ii'x h7 22 'ii'h 5+ �g8 23 l:te3
make the right choice. Thus, on
27 ...'illb 8 there might follow 28
jl_xc5 llh8 29 llxf6+ �xf6 30 llf5+
exf5 3 1 'ifxf5 mate. On 27 ...llh8,
there is the strong reply 28 'ii'x h8!
i.xg2+ 29 �xg2 'ille4+ 30 l:tf3
ii'g4+ 3 1 llg3 llxh8! 32 lt:Jd6+ �e7
(32 ...�g6? 33 llxh8 costs a rook)
3 3 llxg4 llxh5, and though Black
will retain an extra pawn the win­
ning chances for him are practically
nil. Apparently the best variation
would be: 27 ... jl_e4 28 llxe5 jl_xh7
29 tiJd6+ �g6! 30 tbxc8 llxc8 3 1
How is Black to repulse the mat­ l:lxf6+ �xf6 3 2 llxc5 e5 and
ing threat on h8? It looks fairly sim- 33 ... jl_xc2, capturing the pawn. Yet
ple: on 23 ...jl_e4 24 jl_xc5 there after the game I discovered that at
follows 24 ...jl_g6! , but in the case of the first branch of the calculation
24 l:th3 f6 25 exf6 l:txf6 26 l:txf6 tree I had overlooked Black's op­
jl_xf6 27 i.xc5 'illf4 Black, regain­ portunity to give away a piece at
ing the piece, launches a counter­ once, in order to disturb White's co­
attack. But that is where White finds ordination of attacking forces and
an insidious sequel: 28 lt:Jf3 'illc l + seize the initiative: 24 ...llxf6! 25
29 tLlg1 !, demolishing all Black's l:txf6 jl_xf6 26 jl_xc5 iff4 ! , and
hopes. And what if 23 ... f6! at once? Black wins after either 27 'ille2
After 24 l:th3 follows 24 ...'illxe5. l:lxc5 28 tbe6 llxb5 or 27 lt:Jf3 'ii'c4.
My attention was mostly concen­ 23 ..ii'a8
.

trated on the continuation 24 exf6 This move is so unobtrusive

jl_xf6. Here White cannot win back (though full of significance) that on
 Unforgettable Encounters 113

returning to the board I couldn't un­ in perpetual check. These notes ap­
derstand why my clock was going peared in a number of publications;
when the position hadn't changed. one magazine reader wrote to me
Could I have forgotten to press it? I that White may not have to make do
even tried to do so, but my oppo­ with perpetual check, but can try to
nent stopped me, forcefully gestur­ accomplish more with 27 �gl
ing towards his queen. threatening l:tg3-h3 or e5-e6. There­
24 l:tg3 i.e4 fore instead of 26 ... g6 Black should
play 26 ...g5 ! , forcing a draw.
White is threatening mate with 26
'ii'h6 g6 27 l:txg6+ fxg6 28 'iixg6+
�h8 29 l:th5, apart from 26 l:txg7+
�xg7 27 'iig4+ �h8 28 'iih5+ with
the same perpetual check. However,
it is not yet obvious what White is
going to do if the sacrifice is ac­
cepted the other way.
25 ...i.xf5 26 tt:Jxf5 exf5
Now 27 'iih6 tt:Je6! is no use­
there is no knight on d4.
27 4Jd6!!
This is what Espig was counting
on! Having prevented the rook from
stepping onto the h-file, he is now
going to transfer his bishop to g6,
providing full security for his king,
and then settle down to the realiza­
tion of his extra piece. At first
glance it looks as if White has mis­
calculated, underestimating the im­
portance of this defensive ploy. The
attempt 25 4Jf5 exf5 26 'ilfh6, with
hopes of perpetual check (after
26 ... g6 27 l:txg6+), is easily refuted
by 26 ...4Je6! 27 i.xe7 l:txc2 28 i.f6 The saving move. Black has an
l:txg2! , and Black wins. overwhelming material superiority,
25 1:tf5 ! ! but White has had time to weave a
Black's light-squared bishop was net round the black king. No, not a
ready to come to the rescue of its mating net, of course-the resources
king (i.e4-g6), after which White are not sufficient for that, but they
could rightfully resign. But the rook are enough for perpetual check.
throws itself in the bishop' s path ... Now the threat of 28 tt:Jxf5 cannot
Espig jumped up in his chair. Small be ignored: 27 ...4Je6? 28 tt:Jxf5
wonder-a move like this is not i.xb4 (28 . ..1:tfe1 29 l:txg7! ! tt:Jxg7
seen every day! What is it-a 30 'iig4 i.f6 3 1 exf6+- or 30 . . .i.f8
winning combination? No, just a 3 1 i.xf8+-) 29 l:txg7+ (or 29 4Jh6+
saving one, as the variation �h8 30 tt:Jg4+! �g8 3 1 4Jf6 mate)
25 . . . exf5 26 'ii'h6 g6 27 l:txg6+ ends 29 ... 4Jxg7 30 'iig 5, with a
1 14 lh�fingettable Encounters

conclusion in the spmt of the lDxfS+ 'it>g8 30 lDxe7+ 'it>g7 3 1

_
1 9th-century romantics. It should be lDfS+ and mate in four; 2 7.. 'ii' e4 28
.

noted that this variation lacks the llh3 ! 'ii'h4 (28 ... �h4 29 tDxe4+-)
dual solution 28 l:r.h3? because of 29 lDxfS ! 'ii'xh5 30 lDxe7+ 'it>h7 3 1
28 . . .'it'xg2+! It goes without saying .l:txh5 mate.
that it is impossible to play 27 l:r.h3? 28 l:bg7+ 'it>xg7
at once, with the idea 27 ... f6 2 8
i.xc5 i.xc5 (or 28. . .l:r.xc5) 2 9 e6! ,
and mate o n h 8 . There are several
refutations, for instance 28 ...'it'e4 29
i.xb6 'ii'e l + 30 .ltgl �c5 and
mates.
27 .Jtxd6 ! !
.•.

The only move! Black tacitly

agrees to a draw. But couldn't he
have won with his huge material ad­
vantage? Let us check: 27 . . . lDe6 28
lDxfS .ltxb4 29 ltxg7+! lDxg7 30
'it'gS and mate in two; 27 ...ltc6 28
lDxfS g5 29 l:r.h3 and mate in three;
27 ... lDe4 28 l:r.xg7+! �xg7 29

Where is the mistake?

Sometimes even seemingly fault­ much attention to the advance

less play doesn't save you from . . .a7-a5-a4. If you prevent it with
defeat-as is the case with Black in a2-a4, the black knight will secure a
the following game. position on d5, or (in case of c2-c4)
on b4. Besides, from d3 the bishop
4 1 Caro-Kann Defence [B 1 7] drops a hint-that Black should
E.Gufeld White play ... h7-h6.
V.Bagirov Black 8... h6
Tallinn, 198 1 If 8 ...'it'xd4? 9 lD 1 f3 ! and White
immediately gains a decisive superi­
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 liJd2 dxe4 4 ority: if the queen retreats, the
ltJxe4 liJd7 5 i.c4 lDgf6 6 lDg5 e6 7 f7-pawn is defenceless after 1 0
'ife2 lDb6 lDeS. Also 9 . . .i.b4+ doesn't help
This line may not create abundant because of 1 0 c3 �xc3+ 1 1 �fl !
counter-chances, but it does estab­ and Black gets no real compensa­
lish a solid defensive structure for tion for the piece.
Black. 9 lD5f3 c5 10 dxc5 �xc5
8 i.d3! If 1 0 ...t2Jbd7, then 1 1 b4! is very
Analysis of some recent games eromising; and if 1 1 ...b6, then 1 2
has convinced me that with the t'Dd4 with a dangerous initiative.
bishop on b3 you have to pay too 1 1 ttJes
 Unforgettable Encounters 1 15

For the time being the impression A theoretical novelty, though it is

is that White has no more than a hard to understand why such a logi­
minimal positional superiority due cal move had not been encountered
to the advantage of the first move. before. The white knight creates
But that doesn't mean that Black, threats in two directions, on b5 and
playing precisely, can count on the e6; the first one is more obvious but
draw. A minimal advantage may be the second is more dangerous.
increased up to a decisive level. 1 5...lt::lc5
l l ...li::lb d7 12 li::lgf3 'fllc7 Thinking about 1 5 ... a6, Bagirov
The consequences of the move was once again reminded of the
... h7-h6 are already felt. Black has snags of having his pawn on h6; af­
to be wary of castling short. After ter 1 6 'fllx e6! ( 1 6 lt::lxe6 fxe6 1 7
12 . . . 0-0 1 3 J.d2 White can prepare J.g6+ �d8!) Black emerges a pawn
to castle long and begin an attack down with a wrecked position. For
with g2-g4-g5 ! Bagirov's strategy instance: 1 6 ... fxe6 (or 1 6 ...b5 1 7
consists in bringing a knight to c5, l:te 1 ! and White wins a second
either exchanging one of White's pawn.) 1 7 .tg6+ +-. Black has no
bishops or significantly improving time to play 1 5 . . .0-0 because of 1 6
the position of his pieces. li::lf5 ! .
13 0-0 16 li::lb5 �8
Black's energetic pressure on the Where else? In case of 16 ...'fllc6
centralized knight forces White to 1 7 lDe5 White gains an extra tempo
give up the long castling plan. No for the attack, and if 1 6 ...'flid8 then
good is 1 3 J.d2? lt::lxe5 14 lt::lx e5 1 7 l:td 1 ! li::lxd3 1 8 l:txd3 li::ld5 1 9
J.xf2+! 1 5 �xf2 'fllxe5 16 'fllxe5 li::lcd6+! J.xd6 2 0 l:txd5 J.xh2+ 2 1
li::lg4+. �xh2 'flixd5 22 li::lc7+ +-.
13 ...J.d6 17 l:td1
Perhaps this is · the only moment White is ready to exchange his
where we can assume that Black strong bishop. He has positional
makes a slip. Instead 1 3 ... 0-0 would compensation, again connected with
have been preferable. the move ... h7-h6 which has seri­
14 lt::lc4 J.e7 ously weakened Black's pawn for­
Now is the critical moment. The mation. Another possibility 1 7 'iif3
superiority of White's development seemed more tempting at first
is evident-but how to exploit it? glance, because it creates a direct
15 li::ld 4! threat to win the black queen with

E�A�� � ��
1 8 J.f4. But isn't Bagirov a well­

'
known master of defence? He had in
� t �·r
... .. ,�
� ��
�--&-�i�E
f· �
t �i'f''·�
· ·· ��
fact prepared a very elegant

� �
counter-combination: 1 7 ...a6! 1 8
" ····' '·····' .tf4 (otherwise Black would elimi­
� - · · nate the light-squared bishop, get­
-4J� .
. • • . �. :
ting into the clear) 1 8 ... axb5 1 9
J.xb8 bxc4! and Black takes a third
�%"�BAB B
- %"� %"�
piece, gaining enough compensation
.ft �m .ft a'l§'�m .ft �m for the queen.

� a � §�
17... J.d7
1 1 (, l lnfin'}!.cttuhle Encounters

Here it is already difficult, if not is gradually turning into a festering

impossible, to recommend a satis­ wound.
factory defence. In case of an ex­ 24 'ii'h 5!
change on d3, the rook moves
successfully to g3 and Black has no
good way of defending g7. With his
pawn on h7 the defence ... g7-g6
would be adequate, but as it is he
will be threatened with ltJc4-e5xg6.
Of course, 17 ...0-0 is possible, but
what then? The point is that Black
cannot develop his queenside with­
out losses. Against the positional
threat ltJc4-e5 and S..c l -f4 there is
no counterplay. The text move par­
ries a different threat: 1 8 ltJcd6+
S..xd6 1 9 ltJxd6+ 'ii'xd6 20 S...b 5+!. 24...g6
18 a4! Black has the choice of which
The white knight is ready to re­ square to be mated on. Another
turn to d4 but not before Black has player might prefer 24 ... 0-0 25
weakened his pawn structure on the S..x h6! ltJf6 26 �g5 ltJe8 27 'ii'g3
queenside too with ... a7-a6. Again I and there is the threat of catastrophe
had to avoid a cunning trap laid by on g7; or even 24 ... %:.f8 25 ltJfS!
my opponent. 1 8 ltJe5 suggested exf5 26 l:.xd5.
itself, with a tactical punch-line: 25 'ii'f3
1 8 . . .ltJxd3 19 ltJxd7 ltJxc1 20 'it'c4 Even with a winning position one
(not 20 'ii'd2 ltJe2+!-+ and Black has to be careful. The variation 25
saves himself), and if 20 . . .ltJe2+ ltJxg6 suggests itself, but after
then 2 1 �fl ! . However, after 25 ... ltJxf4 26 ltJxf4 �xh5 27 ltJxh5
20 . . .ltJxd7 2 1 ltJc7+ �d8 (not l:.g8 Black gets off lightly-only a
2 l . . .�f8 22 l:.xd7) 22 ltJxa8 'ii'xa8 pawn down in the endgame, resis­
23 l:.axc 1 'ii'c 8, Black has a material tance is possible.
superiority and nothing decisive is .•.25 l:.h7
evident for White. This move seems awkward but as
18 a6.•. it turns out, Black has chosen the
In a bad position any move looks most tenacious path of resistance.
like a mistake. Most importantly, f7 is defended
19 ltJd4 'ilfc7 20 ltJeS once and for all. What else can
The white knights, after roaming White try?
on the queenside and doing useful 26 S..g3 i.. c8
work there, have returned to their Black ignores the a4-pawn. The
original places. It is more difficult bait was filled with the same poison
for Black to finish his development as before, called "e6": 26 ... S..xa4 27
than before. ltJxg6! fxg6 28 ltJxe6 and Black's
20 ...ltJxd3 21 l:.xd3 l:.d8 22 S.. f4 position collapses. After the text
'ii'c 5 23 l:.ad1 ltJd5 move I tried hard to see a decisive
The a4-pawn is poisoned: continuation, but could not find
23 . . . S..xa4? 24 ltJxf7 ! . The f7-square anything forceful. How come?
 Unforgettable Encounters 1 1 7

White clearly has the better posi­ with b2-b4 and a4-a5, pushing the
tion, because his pieces are queen almost back to a8 and retain­
interacting perfectly while Black's ing the possibility of various break­
present a sad picture of total throughs with or without sacrifices.
disarray. The remedy I chose turned For instance: 27 ...lbf6 28 b4 'ii'd5
out to be more effective than a more 29 lbdc6! with either mate or the
drastic one. capture of the queen. The move
played secures the queen against
"molestation" but weakens the
b5-square, where the knight finally
rushes in with decisive effect.
28 lbb5 g5 29 c4 lbf4 30 l:hd8+
it.xd8 31 it.xf4 gxf4 32 'ii'd 3! 'ii'b6
33 lbd6+ 1-0
So where did Bagirov go wrong?
In my opinion, nowhere. I wonder
whether such games have been
played before? Yes-and the higher
the level of the chessplayer, the
more often it happens. In his youth,
27 c3 Botvinnik used to say, "Sometimes
Pondering this move took me you can get into a losing position
about half an hour. All this time I without any mistakes." That is why
was trying to find an acceptable re­ Smyslov's remark-that if you have
ply for Black. There isn't one! It made 40 good moves before ad­
gradually becomes clear that with journing, you can at least be sure of
the board full of pieces there is vir­ not losing the game-seems dubi­
tual zugzwang. ous to me. No matter how well your
27 ... a5 opponent plays, you can play better.
Bagirov pondered this move for Let inspiration come!
the same reason, not for half an hour
as I did, but for a whole hour, and My move from Kiev to Tbilisi did
found nothing suitable. So after the not break off the friendly ties I had
search, which continued for one and with Ukrainian chessplayers. It is
a half hours, the two grandmasters small wonder, then, that each meet­
couldn't find a good defence. But ing at the board with my country­
who knows-perhaps the reader, men, especially those of the younger
with no time restriction, might be generation, stimulated my creative
more successful? To other replies impulses.
White could strengthen his position
1 1 8 Unforgettable Encounters

The tragedy of one tempo

42 Sicilian Defence [B46] generation. However, I hate to see
E.Gufeld White my pieces expelled from the centre,
O.Romanishin Black and in case of 8 ..b4 I want to have
.

USSR Team Ch, Moscow 1 9 8 1 the "proud" square e4 for my

knight!
1 e4 c5 2 tiJ f3 e6 3 d 4 cxd4 4 8 ... i.b7 9 i.e3 tLle7 10 0-0-0
t2Jxd4 tLlc6 5 tLlc3 l:tc8?
Perhaps Romanishin wanted to Many players would have made
draw me into a dispute about the the centralizing move 1 0 ...4Jd5 !
"hedgehog" position after 5 ltJbS d6 without thinking. Thus Black could
6 c4 tiJf6 7 ltJ 1 c3 a6 8 ltJa3 i.e7, have punished his opponent for ex­
where, "according to Andersson," cessive aggressiveness and obtained
Black can set up a fence of pieces quite an acceptable game. Instead,
and pawns along the 6th rank. No, Romanishin makes a no less natural
this will not do--let us come out and more standard move-he is
into the open! already dreaming about active play
5... a6 6 f4? ! on the queenside.
I admit that 6 i.e2 i s technically 1 1 tLle4 ltJf5 12 �d3 �c7!
stronger and safer, but I always go It would be tempting to play
for the more aggressive text move. 12 ... ltJxe3, not only obtaining the
6...t2Jxd4 superiority of the two bishops but
Black strives to deviate from a also depriving the white pieces of a
standard classical formation. In his chance to threaten Black's weak­
time, Taimanov was a real virtuoso ened flank. But here it is much more
in playing such positions in the important for the f5-knight to con­
Sicilian Defence where Black trol d6 and thereby fortify Black's
violates nearly all opening princ­ overall position.
iples. Even Bronstein, a highly 13 i.f2 h5 14 i.e2 i.d5
original player, often marvelled at
the positions Taimanov created,
where White was way ahead in
development while Black only had
distant strategic prospects in case
White became too reckless. This
way of playing captured the imagin­
ation of many talents, who began to
follow Taimanov's example.
7 �xd4 b5 8 e5! ?
Of course this i s not classical ei-
. ther, but rather in a gambling spirit.
To be perfectly frank, I wouldn't let
myself play this way in the opening Black manages to locate his minor
against a grandmaster of my own pieces in the centre anyway.
 Unforgettable Encounters 1 1 9

However, they are merely perform­ Black has managed to get rid of
ing defensive functions and are in­ the dangerous knight, but his pieces
securely situated. Exchanging the look crippled and as a result his
bishop for the formidable knight on king cannot find a safe hideout.
e4 might lead to trouble. Black's Still, these are just general consid­
problems would be somewhat less erations. How do I exploit my
difficult if he had played 1 O . .'�Jd5 ! .
. chances in concrete ways? I failed
1 5 �b1 to find the objectively best plan at
To be fair, I have to reproach my­ once, but hit upon a curious psycho­
self: 1 5 �f3 is possible at once, as logical ploy which had helped me
after 1 5 ...�xa2 1 6 �b6!+- Black is when playing Bronstein in 1 96 1
either mated or loses his queen. (see game 2 1).
15 �b4
..• 20 'ili'd3!
Now and a move earlier it was un­ The meaning of this move seems
profitable to sacrifice the exchange to be obvious: White does not see
for two pawns: 1 5 .. ."i!hc2+ 1 6 any way to develop the initiative
'fixc2 l:txc2 1 7 Wxc2 ..ltxe4+ 1 8 and tacitly invites Black to repeat
..lid3 ( 1 8 Wb3) 1 8 . . .�xg2 1 9 l:thg1 moves with 20 . . ..ltc4 2 1 'ili'f3 �e6
and White wins, if only gradually. 22 'fid3, etc. As a matter of fact I
16 lbg3! had no intention of repeating moves,
Steering clear of an obvious trap: and to 20... .tc4 I would have re­
1 6 �f3? �c4! 1 7 lbd6+ ( 1 7 �b6 plied 2 1 'ii'e3 . Then after the com­
�xd3 1 8 �xc7 �xe4 1 9 �xe4 pulsory 2 1 .. .�e6 it would turn out
l:txc7-+) 1 7 ...lbxd6 1 8 exd6 'ili'a5-+. that White had won a tempo for the
16... �c4 useful transfer of his queen to e3 .
Black didn't have the courage to 20 'fia5
.•.

accept the exchange sacrifice by My strategem did the trick at

16 . . . �xg2 1 7 lbxf5 exf5 1 8 'ili'xf5 once: Oleg did not dwell for one
�xh 1 1 9 l:txh 1 , as he would have second on the possibility of a draw,
been entirely reduced to repelling which he hates. Nonetheless the
the many threats. move 20 ... .tc4 was strongest, for
17 'i!i'e4 h4 1 8 lbxf5 exf5 19 'ii'f3 after 2 1 'i¥e3 ..lte6! White has diffi­
.i.e6 culty in carrying out g2-g4. If 22
.td3, then 22 . . .'ii'a5 23 a3? .txa3 ! is
somewhat unpleasant.
2 1 a3! .te7 22 g4! g6 23 h3!
White has expanded his territory,
and though he has no open lines for
himself yet, he is getting there. Ex­
changing on g4 is unprofitable for
Black, but White can increase the
pressure on the f5-pawn. Black
seems to have hardly anything to
oppose against White's plan to
transfer his bishop to d3. During the
game I was under the impression
120 Unforgettable Encounters

that White had a considerable strate­

gic advantage. Looking back, how­
ever, I have to say that Black's rich
tactical possibilities make for a
situation of dynamic balance.
23...'ilfa4
Or 23 ...b4 24 'ilfxa6 'ifxa6 25
Si.xa6 l:1a8 26 Si.d3 bxa3 (better
26 . . . fxg4) 27 b3, and Black faces
the worse endgame.
24 Si.d4!
Regrouping is under way, with a
view to the bishop's transfer to d3. 29 ...i.c3?
24 0-0
•..
Here Romanishin should have
Not 24 ...b4 25 b3 'ilfxa3 26 Si.b2 trusted his intuition and sacrificed
'i�Va5 27 'ilfxa6. his bishop: 29 ...Si.xb3 30 cxb3 Si.c3 !
25 1:1hgl 'it>h7 26 �d2 l:1c7 3 1 Si.xc3 l:1xc3 32 i.c2 l:1fc8, and
now:
(a) 33 gxf5 l:1xc2 34 fxg6+ 'it>g7
(34 ... fxg6 35 �xh4+ 'it>g8 36
l:1xg6+ 'it>£7 37 �f6+ +-) 35 gx£7+
'it>x£7 36 l:1xd7+ 'it>e8 and now it is
White who has to play ingeniously
to avert defeat: 37 l:1d8+! ! (37
l:1g8+?? 'it>xd7 38 �d4+ 'it>e7-+)
37 ...'it>xd8 38 �6+ l:12c7 39 l:1g8+
'it>d7 40 l:1g7+ 'it>d8 with a draw.
(Not 40 ... 'it>e8?? 4 1 'ilfe6+ 'it>d8 42
l:1g8+ 'ir'f8 43 l:1xf8 mate.).
(b) 33 l:1d2 l:1xc2! 34 l:1xc2
Having made this move Roman­ 'i!Vxb3+ 35 l:1b2 'ii'd3+ 36 'it>a 1 (36
ishin surprised me with a draw 'it>a2 l:1c4! 37 'ir'xh4+=) 36 ... 'ir'a3+
offer. This merely confirmed my 37 'it>b 1 (37 l:1a2?? l:1c 1+ 38 l:1xc 1
guess that his confidence was 'i!Vxc l mate) 37 ...'ir'd3+ and draws.
ebbing away. My friend and collegue GM Leonid
27 b3! Shamkovich showed me this varia­
It was on this unusual pawn sacri­ tion and made me reconsider the
fice that I pinned my hopes of in­ whole course of the game, which
creasing the initiative. amounts to a one-tempo tragedy: in
27 ...iha3 28 Si.d3! the above analysis White is just one
The g-file will open and the black tempo short of victory, while in the
king will come under fire from the game itself Black lacked one tempo
heavy artillery. to survive.
28 ...Si.b4! 30 Si.xc3 l:1xc3 31 gxf5 Si.xb3
An impulsive, last-ditch throw, Is White facing a mating attack?
but as is often the case, it is the best He would be if Black were to move,
and only move. or if the black king could find just
29 �f2 one square unexposed to attack.
 Unforgettable Encounters 121

32 fxg6+ <Ji;g7 33 gxf7+ <it>xf7 34 3S ..te8+!

..tg6+ <Ji;g8 The winning move. If now
White has to find a suitable square 35 ...l!g3, then 36 l!xg3+ hxg3
for the bishop, which has not been (36 ... <Ji;h8 37 .l:Ixb3+-) 37 'it'xg3+
participating in the struggle for long, <Ji;h8 38 �h4, with mate to follow.
but now plays a major role in the Black resigned. 1-0
"tragedy of one tempo."

Due respect for knights

The idea of Zaitsev's variation in 22 .l:Ie2! An alternative is 22
the Ruy Lopez it is very tempting: 'it'b3 ! ? intending i.d2. 22 ...'it'f8 23
to save a tempo as compared with ..tf4± lt:leS 24 lt:lxeS i.xeS 2S i.xeS
Smyslov's variation (9 ... h6). In the .l:IxeS 26 f4 .l:Ie7 27 .l:Ig3 .l:Iae8 28
following game, however, I lt:le3 .l:Ixe4! ? 29 i.xe4 .l:Ixe4 30 fS
delivered a strong blow to this gS 31 lt:l g4! .l:Ixe2 32 'it'xe2 lt:lxdS
variation at the height of its 33 h4! <i;g7 34 'it'd2 34 lt:lxh6!
popularity. <Ji;xh6 35 'it'g4+-. 34 ...f6 3S .l:Id3 35
lt:lxh6 <Ji;xh6 36 hxg5+ <i;g7±.
43 Ruy Lopez [C92] 3S ...'ife7 36 ltle3 lt:lxe3? 36 ... lt:lf4
E.Gufeld White 37 .l:Ixd6 ltle2+ 38 <J;; f2 lt:ld4 39 l:lb6
G.Timoshchenko Black 'it'e4 40 b4 !±. 37 .l:Ixe3+- i.e4 38
USSR Team Ch, 'ilt'dS i.xdS 39 l!xe7+ <J;;f8 40 .l:td7
Kislovodsk 1 982 i.e4 41 .l:Ixd6 b4 42 l!xf6+ 1-0

I e4 eS 2 lt:lf3 lt:lc6 3 i.bS a6 4 I nonetheless thought that Psakhis

..ta4 ltlf6 S 0-0 ..te7 6 l!el bS 7 --one of the zealous supporters of
..tb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 ..tb7 1 0 d4 Zaitsev's variation-would not be
.l:Ie8 1 1 lt:lgS l!f8 1 2 lt:lf3 .l:Ie8 13 afraid to engage in a theoretical dis­
lt:lbd2 ..trs 14 i.c2 h6 IS a4 exd4 pute with me when I played him in
16 cxd4 lt:lb4 17 i.bl cS 1 8 dS the same event. At short notice,
ltld7 19 l!a3! ? g6 20 ltlfl i.g7 21 however, he did not manage to find
aS! .l:Ie7 an antidote to White's plan, and fell
back on the Breyer System instead.

44 Ruy Lopez (C95]

E.Gufeld White
L.Psakhis Black
USSR Team Ch, Kislovodsk 1982

I e4 eS 2 ltlf3 lt:lc6 3 i.bS a6 4

i.a4 ltlf6 S 0-0 ..te7 6 .l:Iel bS 7
i.b3 0-0 8 c3 d6 9 h3 ltlb8
I confess that I had even forgotten
the name of this variation, though
1 22 Unforgettable Encounters

for a number of years before Zait­

sev' s invention it was standard fare
in tournaments. But my memory
never has served me as a reliable
assistant.
10 d4 lbbd7 1 1 lbbd2 i.b7 1 2
i.c2 .:.es 1 3 lDfl i.f8 1 4 lbg3
White's plan, of course, is not a
new one. It was used as early as a
quarter of a century ago in
Chigorin's classic variation. The
alternative involving lDfl-e3 and
lbf3-h2-g4 is also quite strong. Af­ quite a few tempi on this intensive
ter the game I learned that at the "horse-riding," and I decided to
tournament in Las Palmas in 1 98 1 , keep count. Not relying on my
Timman against Garcia-Padron had treacherous memory, I began to put
played 1 4 i.gS h6 1 5 i.h4 cS 1 6 a circle on my scoresheet every time
dxeS dxeS 1 7 lD3h2 'iic 7 1 8 'i/£3 Black made a knight move. By that
i..e7 19 lbe3 g6 20 .:.ad1 and Black time there had been six of them. No­
faced some difficulties. It is true that ticing the mysterious signs on my
the knight is less flexible on g3 (es­ scoresheet, Psakhis began to eye
pecially after ... g7-g6), but on the them with anxiety, and at last he
other hand White does not have to could not restrain himself any
worry about the e4-pawn' s fate. longer: "Eduard Efimovich, tell me
14 c5 15 d5 g6 16 i..g 5 h6 17
..• please, what are you marking with
i..e3 lbb6 circles on your scoresheet? My
Here it is not even necessary to mistakes?"
know that the best plan for Black is 19 'i!Ve2!
1 7 . . . c4 followed by .. .'ir'd8-c7 and Exposing all the defects of my op­
. . .lbd7-c5. It is only necessary to re­ ponent's position with one move!
alize that against White's forthcom­ White is of course not scared by the
ing play on the queenside urgent "threat" of . . .f7-f5, which is only a
measures must be taken at once. It is false alarm. But how will Black
also important to keep in mind that repulse White's strategic threat of
the knight on b6, as a rule, is badly a2-a4-a5, and at the same time pre­
posted. This position is no excep­ vent the opening of the b-file where
tion. The knight prevents Black the black pieces are crowded?
from organizing an effective queen­ 19 a5
•••

side defence. Nonetheless this move This is not the answer! If Black
is still in fashion, though White can wants to brick up the file, let him!
gain a solid advantage every time if There are also diagonals on the
he plays correctly. board.
18 b3 lbb7?! 20 a4
This is going too far! You cannot Of course nobody would dream of
treat your knights so heartlessly. taking the bS-pawn, because of
They might be offended and set out 20. . . i. a6. To secure the point bS,
for faraway lands. At this moment I though-that is another matter.
was thinking that Black had spent 20 b4 21 cxb4 cxb4
..•
 Unforgettable Encounters 123

To 24 . . .lbfd7 there is the reply 25

lbc4 ! , which practically ends the
struggle.
25 �d3

22 'i!VbS!
Chess logic is superbly revealed
not only in combinations but also in
positional play. Isn't it a paradox: it
was poor play to take the pawn on
b5, but to transfer the queen to this While Psakhis was pondering his
square is very strong. It seems that next move, Boris Postovsky, who
the mightiest piece should feel un­ was in charge of the "Burevestnik"
comfortable on this square, in the team and always very attentive to­
_
midst of the enemy forces. But in wards his players, came over and
fact, molesting the queen is far from put a glass of fruit juice in front of
simple. The move was all the more him. Susceptible as I am to fantasy
difficult to find since White had at and free association, I found myself
his disposal another tempting se­ thinking that an oxygen mask would
quence which seemed more reliable: have been more appropriate than
22 �d3 with the idea of 23 �b5 . fruit juice. But to give my opponent
But in circumstances like these a his due, he assessed the position ob­
chessplayer should stick to bis jectively and found a way to breathe
principles. some life into it.
22 .l:.a6 25 ...lbbxd5! ?
The knight prefers to perish rather
.•.

It is already obvious that the

knight on b6 has many reasons to than drag out a miserable existence.
complain about its fate. And now 26 exdS lbxdS
the rook joins it in being a laughing This sacrifice is typical of
s�ock for the white pieces for a long Psakhi� 's energetic style. Outwardly
Black IS domg_ better: fewer pieces
time to come.
23 .l:.acl but more pawns, and they are very
A strong positional threat hangs strong! One can easily lose one's
over Black's position: �c2-d3 and head in such a position. Objectively,
l:tc l-c6 ! . however, Black cannot possibly
23 lbf6 have enough compensation for the
piece, for the main feature of
•..

Here I drew another circle. The

knight confesses its mistake on the White's camp is the harmonious co­
1 8th move. But is it the knight's ordination of his forces. That means
fault? that the initiative seized by Black
24 lL'Id2 .l:.e7 can only be temporary. What is
ll4 l lnfingettable Encounters

required now is to be precise and defence and merely asking for all
resolute. kinds of trouble.
27 Si.e4! 'iVa8 30 :c7 Si.c6 31 'iVe2 f5
Not 27 ... 4Jc3 28 :1xc3 ! bxc3 29 Better 3 l ...d5 32 ltJc5 Si.xc5 3 3
Si.xb7 cxd2 30 :1dl +-, or 27 ... ltJxe3 Si.xc5±.
28 Si.xb7 :1b6 29 'iVxa5+-.

32 :ct !
There is no turning back! Perhaps
28 Si.xd5! Psakhis hoped that I would be
It was difficult for me to make tempted by 32 ltJxf5? gxf5 33 �h5,
this move. Tarrasch called the ad­ whereupon Black repulses the ill­
vantage of bishop against knight the prepared attack by 33 ...�e8 34
"minor exchange". Should you give 'iVxf5 �g6.
up a bishop for a knight when it 32 ... Si.g7
doesn't lead to anything concrete? Or 32 . . . fxe4 33 �g4 �e8
Never! Tarrasch's statement is apt (33 ...:1f6 34 ltJh5+-) 34 :r t xc6+-.
and concise, but it lacks expressive­ 33 �c2
ness. I would like to put it this way: It is a pity I didn't find the short­
the bishop is stronger than the est way to finish the game: 33 �c4
knight, as turkey is tastier than d5 34 �xa6! �xa6 35 ltJc5, and a
chicken. Despite this, I decided to hurricane rages over Black's
destroy the second black knight. I position, sweeping away all his
was bored with drawing circles on pieces to the last man-like at the
my scoresheet. Alamo. The text is not a mistake,
28 J.xd5 29 ltJde4!
.•• only a careless slip-up which pro­
The rook needs space, and White longs the struggle a little.
opens u_p the cl-file for it. The threat 33 ... J.e8 34 :c8 �b7 35 �c4 d5
is 30 l'llf6+ or 30 :1ed l . Against 36 'iib5 �f7 37 ltJc5 :ab6 38
29 . . . Si.xb3 I had prepared 30 t'llf6+ ltJxe6!
�g7 3 1 ltJd7, and there is no de­ Simplest, bringing about the de­
fence to 32 ltJxf8 or 32 ltJb6 and 33 struction of nearly all Black's
:1c8. pteces.
29 .. J1e6 38...nxb5 39 ltJxg7 �xg7 40
If 29 ... Si.g7, then 30 :1ed l +-. As axb5 d4 41 n1c7 1-0
you can see, Black has got rid of his This last move should have been
awkward knights, but the rook on a6 sealed, but I made it openly. In
remains, lending no help to the gratitude for such a favour, Psakhis
 Unforgettable Encounters 125

resigned the next day without re­ word of chess science and did not
suming the game. commit a single mistake. Or perhaps
I present this game to the reader we should consider the entire Sicil­
in the conviction that my opponent, ian Defence a mistake?
a gifted young master, conducted The game was judged to be the
the struggle according to the last best in the tournament.

White to play and win

45 Sicilian Defence [B64] Vilnius in 1 975 I defeated GM
E.Gufeld White Tukmakov in fine style. Black's
T.Utasi Black other possibilities appear to be
Havana, 1 985 9 ... ltJxd4 and 9 ... ii.d7.
10 ..th4
l e4 c5 2 ltJf3 ltJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 White has three choices here.
ltJxd4 ltJf6 5 lbc3 d6 6 ii.g5 e6 7 Apart from the bishop 's retreat he
'li'd2 ii.e7 8 0-0-0 0-0 9 f4 also has the exchange on f6 and the
It is useless to search for errors in sharp 1 0 h4. What is to be
these moves; they have been made preferred? I adhere to my own
thousands of times in top-level theory which has never failed me
events including matches for the and my pupils: with a wide choice
World Championship. And I am of possibilities available, you must
sure that for many years to come first of all consider a capture. Why?
this variation will faithfully serve Is it just that I don't like to lose a
the adherents of the Sicilian De­ tempo? In my early years playing
fence as well as those of Rauzer's the King's Indian with Black, to
attack. everybody's surprise, I invariably
9 h6
..• answered h4-h5 with ... g6xh5, and
Here we might pause to consider: frequently won. So why don't I
is it worthwhile for Black to create exchange now? Because there is
this weakness in his camp? If you another principle involved-respect
look through the game to the end, for the dark-squared bishop! Why it
you will see that this very weakness deserves this respect can be seen,
acts as a "fifth column" enabling for example, in the variation 1 0
White to organize a victorious ii.xf6 ii.xf6 1 1 lbxc6 bxc6 1 2 'it'xd6
storm. And yet the move 9 . . . h6 'it'b6 1 3 'ii'd3 l::tb 8 14 b3 l::td8 1 5
should by no means be viewed as a 'it' f3 ii.d4 1 6 �b 1 ii.xc3 ! 1 7 l::txd8+
mistake. In a number of variations 'i!Vxd8 1 8 'it'xc3 'it'd 1 + 1 9 �b2 ii.a6
Black cannot do without it. To put it 20 'ii'f3 and White's superiority is
concisely: if this move loses you the quite doubtful. Black's dark-squared
game, any other move is sure to lose bishop has done its utmost on the
it too. My opponent may, however, long diagonal. As for 1 0 h4, it ap­
have committed a psychological pears aggressive only at first glance
error. He was highly unlikely to -it might better be called a pseudo­
know that I have the fondest memo­ active move. Black just takes the
ries of this variation. For instance, at bishop, his knight retreats to h7,
/ 2() UnjiJrgettable Encounters

then at the right moment he gives it counterplay) 17 �xbS l:b8 18 c4

back on gS and obtains a positional lbd4 19 l:hei ! f6 20 .ta4 lbxfS 2 1
advantage. All this has been seen .tb3 lbd4 22 'ii'd3 aS 23 .ta4! l:tf7
countless times, and the study of it 24 'ii'e4! and after five more moves
is well worthwhile. Black gave up. Another game,
Gufeld-Dorfman (Kishinev, 197S),
varied at move 21 with 21...lbe3 22
lbxe3 'ii'xd2 23 l:txd2 fxe3 24 l:tdS.
An endgame has arisen with
opposite-coloured bishops, but with
much better chances for White.
24 ...l:tfd8 2S lhe3 l::xdS 26 cxdS
�f8 27 h3 l:tb4 28 l:te2 �e7 29 l:c2
l:td4 30 a4 l:td3 3 1 �a2 aS 32 l:cS
l:d2 33 l:xaS �xb2 34 l:a7+ Wd8
3S l:tb7 l:txg2 36 .tc4 .teS+ 37 'it>a3
.td6+ 38 'it'b3 l:g3+ 39 <it?c2 i.e7,
10...�d7 and now the simple 40 i.bS leaves
This amazed me! Shortly before Black on the brink of defeat.
our game, in the Karpov-Kasparov 1 1 lbf3
match (Moscow 1984/8S) the chal­ I did not know the game Sax­
lenger had played 10 ...eS and Utasi (Hungarian Championship,
quickly equalized. How could my 1984) which went 1 1 .txf6? .txf6
opponent fail to follow this ultra­ 12 lbdbS iiaS 13 'ii'xd6 a6 14 eS
modem and ultra-popular fashion? I lbxeS with equal chances. But even
had no doubt he knew about that if I had known it, I would not have
game. "Aha! So this is where he considered a move like 1 1 .txf6 for
goes wrong!"--confess, dear reader, long: my affection for the dark­
that this is what you are thinking. If squared darling is too great. Another
Kasparov plays 10... eS and quickly possibility was 1 1 lDdbS, which
draws, and then another player could be answered by 1 1... lbxe4!.
chooses 10 ... .td7 and loses, the This is where the manoeuvre
conclusion is obvious. ... h7-h6, pushing the bishop back to
However, I do not agree that an unprotected square, turns out to
10...eS can be relied on to equalize. be profitable for Black.
For example: 11 lbfS i.xfS 12 exfS 1 1 ...'ii'a5
exf4 13 'itb 1 dS 14 i.xf6 i.xf6 1S
lbxdS i.eS 16 .tc4!. I feel this cen­
tralizing manoeuvre is stronger than
16 g3 as played in the Karpov­
Kasparov game; it is noteworthy
that Kasparov did not use this
variation again in the match. In case
· lnformator volume 20 is not on your
bookshelves, 16 i.c4! occurred in
the Gufeld-Tukmakov game
(Vilnius 197S), which continued:
16...bS (otherwise Black obtains no
 Unforgettable Encounters 127

12 'it>b1 ! double-edged 1 6...Wxa2, which af­

Now I know why queenside cas­ ter 1 7 lbxe7+ 'i.tf8 1 8 Wh4 aS 1 9
tling is called "long." It is long be­ 'ii'c s b 6 2 0 lbg6+ �g8 2 1 lbe7+
cause it is carried out in two steps: leads to a perpetual.
0-0-0 and then 'it>b 1 . As I learned The move in the game, 1 2 �b 1 ! ,
later, 1 2 eS was tried in the game retains all the benefits of White's
Sokolovsky-Utasi, Iasi 1 984. There position and confronts Black with
followed 1 2 ...dxe5 (not 1 2 ... lbe8? new problems. Having defended the
1 3 i..xe7 lbxe7 14 exd6 lbfS 1 5 a2-pawn, White raises a sword over
li.JeS+-) 1 3 �xf6 �xf6 1 4 'i!Vxd7 the enemy in the shape of the poten­
cxf4 ! (or 1 4 ... e4 1 5 lbxe4 i..xb2+ tial threat lbc3-d5 ! .
1 6 'i.txb2 .l:.ad8 1 7 'i!Vxd8!) 1 5 'ii'xb7 1 2 .l:.fd8
...

( l 5 lbe4 �xb2+ -+; 1 5 .l:.d3 lbb4 1 6 Maybe this rook should be on c8.
a3 �xc3-+) 1 5 ... �xc3 (after Let's check: 12 ....l:.fc8 1 3 g4! bS 14
1 5 . . .lbb4 1 6 'i!VbS ! lbxa2+ 1 7 lbxa2 �d3 lbb4 15 a3 lbxd3 16 lbdS!
...xa2 1 8 �c4 �xb2+ 1 9 'i!Vxb2 'i!Vxd2 1 7 lbxe7+ 'i.tf8 18 .l:.xd2
-.xc4 20 'i!Vd4 White's chances are �xe7 1 9 .l:.xd3 eS (Dolmatov­
preferable.) 16 'i!Vxc6 ( 1 6 bxc3 Beliavsky, 49th USSR Ch, 198 1 ),
l:tfc8-+) 1 6 ...�xb2+ 1 7 'i.txb2 and here White could deliver the
l:tab8+ 1 8 �bS ( 1 8 'i.tcl ? 'i!Va3+ 1 9 crushing blow 20 lbxeS ! .
�d2 'i!Ve3 mate; 1 8 �a1 .l:.fc8-+) 13 i..d3
1 8 ....l:.xb5+ 19 'itta 1 .l:.cS 20 We4 (20 By now the reader may be getting
�7? .l:.xc2-+) 20 ...'i!Vc3+ 2 1 'it>b1 a little bored. The game has not yet
l:tb8+ 22 'i.tc 1 .l:.cbS 0-1 . White also started. All these moves have been
has the developing move 1 2 �c4, encountered many times before, and
but Black can deliver the successful the post-mortem is looking like a
counterblow 12 ... b5! 1 3 �xbS .l:.fc8 theoretical article on one of the
14 �c4 (or 14 i..xc6 .l:.xc6 15 'i.tb I variations of the Rauzer attack. I
l:r.a6 with uncertain CO!t:J:plications). must point out, however, that the
The manoeuvre 1 2 We1 also de­ foregoing comments are not just dry
serves close attention. It aroused data but serve to support my main
general interest after Karpov used it thesis-the impossibility of pin­
in a game with Timman (Buenos pointing Black's mistake.
Aires, 1 980). After 1 2 ....l:.fd8 1 3 eS The opening phase may be said to
dxeS 1 4 fxeS the idea behind the be over. All the pieces have been
manoeuvre became clear: White has mobilized for battle, the rooks are
carried out the planned advance connected and ready to seize the
e4-e5 with great ease. But is it suffi­ major files, the pawns are about to
cient to keep the advantage from the go into the attack. Each player has
opening? That game does not his own guidelines. White can ig­
provide an affirmative answer: nore his queenside: his eyes are
1 4 ... lbh7 1 5 i..xe7 lbxe7 1 6 i.. d3 fixed on the h6-pawn, which has un­
i..c6, and having taken over the willingly turned into his ally. If this
point dS, Black is not worse. In pawn were on h7, the black king
lnformator Timman gives 1 6 i.. d3 a would feel much more at ease. Now
question mark and recommends 1 6 the idea of g2-g4-g5 is in the air,
ltJdS. Black can then choose be­ and the only question is when and
tween the quiet 1 6 ... lbc6 and the how White should start the
128 Unforgettable Encounters

offensive. Black, for his part, is pre­ Black's initiative may become dan­
pared to implement a classical rule gerous. At any rate, White would
of chess strategy: to launch a have to transfer his attention from
counter-attack in the centre in reply the kingside to the queenside. None­
to a flank offensive. He has done his theless this tempting thrust of the
utmost to prepare the breaks ... e6-e5 knight's pawn does not turn out suc­
and . . . d6-d5, which are highly dan­ cessfully for Black. Must we then
gerous given the opposition between consider it a mistake? But if we
the white queen and the black rook. view this multi-purpose, active
Returning to theory, I have to note move 1 3 ... b5 as a mistake, we natu­
that in addition to 1 3 i.d3, 1 3 jfe 1 rally have to ask: what is not a mis­
has been seen. In the game take in chess? Would it have been
Mnatsakanian-Tukmakov, Erevan better for Black to content himself
1 980, Black soon went wrong: with the passive retreat ... i.e8?
1 3 . . .i.e8 1 4 i.d3 lbb4? 1 5 g4! and Only practice will provide the
White's onslaught led to a quick answer.
victory. The effectiveness of the 14 l::th gl ! !
queen manoeuvre to e 1 was there­ At first glance this quiet prelimi­
fore not tested. But it is hard to tell nary move is not in the spirit of the
how White's attack would fare, say, position. And yet it is exactly the
in the case of 1 4 .. J:tac8. The text right solution. All other contin­
move, 1 3 i.d3, is less committal uations lead nowhere, for example:
and more solid. (a) 1 4 ll'lxb5 �6, and now:
13 b5
... (al ) 1 5 i.f2 ll'lxe4 16 i.xe4
jfxb5+.
(a2) 1 5 l::th e1 l::tab8 ! 16 b3 i.e8
1 7 f5 ll'le5 ! and Black gained a dan­
gerous initiative in Byrne-lvanovic,
Reykjavik 1 982.
(b) 1 4 g4 b4 15 ll'le2 ll'lxg4 ! , and
in view of the possible ...ll'lg4-f2
White doesn't have time to organize
real threats to compensate for the
pawn.
By contrast, after the seemingly
sluggish move 1 4 l::thg l , no defence
Black is first to make an attacking can be found against the attack with
move. Of course, he is not going to g2-g4-g5 . To be sure, all this was
mate the white king this way. A only established after the game was
positional struggle for the central over and had been thoroughly
points is in progress: Black wants to analysed. While it was being played,
drive away the knight from c3 so everything appeared rather vague,
that he can undermine the centre for the players as well as for the
with . .. e6-e5 or ... d6-d5. To be sure, public watching this fierce battle.
a pawn is thereby sacrificed, but if 14 b4 1 5 ll'le2 e5
...

White takes on b5, the b-file be­ Black sticks to classical principles
comes exposed, and in that case and starts operations in the centre. It
 Unforgettable Encounters 129

would have been far worse to do it

with l 5 ... d5, for after 1 6 ii..x f6
Jtxf6 1 7 e5 Black has nothing to
offset his opponent's plan to push
the g-pawn. It looks like a typical
French position where Black has a
bad bishop and a white knight domi­
nates the d4-point.
16 g4
There is no time to prepare for
this strike. Now everything has to be
worked out move for move.
16 ii..e6
•.. 2l ...dxe4
If 1 6 . ..llJxg4 1 7 ii.xe7 f?Jxe7 1 8 During the game this reply
1'5 ! , Black is lost. seemed logical to me. The position
17 b3 dS! was later analysed with Garry
The merit of this game lies in the Kasparov. What happens after
fact that both White and Black play 2 l . ..f6 ... ?
very precisely, finding the best con­ (a) I was banking on 22 'ii'e 1 (in­
tinuations. Black now almost ap­ tending 23 'iVh4) 22 ...dxe4 23 ii.xe4
pears to have seized the initiative. l:txd 1 + 24 'iVxd 1 , for instance:
The blow against e4 may prove (a1 ) 24 ...'iVb6?? 25 ii.d5 ! .
painful for White. From now on, (a2) 24 . . .'iVc5 2 5 'ii'e 1 �£8 26
however, strategy yields to tactics. 'iVh4 �e8 27 'iVh8+ ii.£8 28 f?Jc l
The decisive factor which tips the .Ud8 29 f?Jd3 'iVb6 30 l:tfl ! .
scales in White's favour turns out to (a3) 24 ....l:tc8 25 f?Jg3 ! ii.c5 26
be the "fifth column" in his oppo­ ii..d5 ! .
nent's camp--the h6-pawn. (a4) 24 ....l:td8 25 'ii'e 1 , and if
18 ii.xf6! 25 .. .'i'c5 then 26 'iVh4 ! . The fact
My love for the dark-squared that the knight on c6 lacks support,
bishop was outweighed by my so that Black's heavy pieces have to
concern for the central points. The share responsibility for taking care
strike against e4 must be nullified at of this "sickly mustang", only pro­
any cost! motes White's initiative. However,
18 ii.xf6
..• all my thoroughly polished analysis
The sharp variation 1 8 ... dxe4 1 9 was questioned by American GM
iJ...xe7 f?Jxe7 20 f?Jxe5 ! had to be Yasser Seirawan during a theoreti­
precisely figured out. cal discussion in Seattle in May
19 gS hxgS 20 fxgS ii.e7 1 987. He suggested 25 ... 'iVa6! and
Thus Black's first line of defence explained with a smile: "Your plan
is broken through. But White cannot of attack is specifically connected
procrastinate here, or he will come with the black knight's unprotected­
up against a brick wall. ness, so by way of revenge I
21 g6! ! ' accost' the white knight on e2." We
There must not b e any pause in analysed together for many hours.
the offensive, even if sacrifices are The following forced variation that
necessary. we found is probably strongest.
130 Unforgettable Encounters

Judge for yourself: 26 %1fl �c5 ! 27 true. In fact, White can play 24 lL'lf4
�xc6! 'Wxc6 28 lbxe5! \i'e4 29 and his position is preferable.
lL'lf4! 'Wxe1 + 30 .l:txe 1 �f5 3 1 lL'led3 (c3) 22 ... �xd5 23 lbh4, and now:
�d6 32 h4 .l:tc8 33 .l:te2, and the (c3 1 ) 23 ... e4 24 lL'lf4!
result is a position of dynamic (c3 1 1 ) 24 . .. exd3 25 'ikxd3 lbd4
equality. (25 ... lbe5 26 'We2) 26 lL'lf5 ! (not 26
(b) 22 lbg3 (threatening ii'd2-e2, 'ilr'xd4?? �xb3 27 'Wb2 �c4+)
lbf3-h4 and 'ii'e2-h5), and now: 26 ...lbxf5 27 'Wxf5+-.
(b l ) 23 ...dxe4 24 lbxe4 lbd4 25 (c3 1 2) Black can try the less obvi-
lbxf6+! gxf6 26 'Wh6 'Wc7 27 lL'lxd4 ous 24 . . .�xb3 !?
(27 g7? 'i!r'xg7 28 .l:tg 1 �g4 2 9 (c3 1 2 1 ) 25 axb3? exd3 26 lbxd3
l:txg4 'Wxg4 30 l:tg 1 'ii'xg1 + 3 1 lbd4+.
lbxg1 Wt7! and Black can success- (c3 1 22) 25 cxb3 exd3 (25 ... lbe5
fully defend himself) 27 ... �xd4 (or 26 lL'lf5 �c5 27 'ilr'g2+-), and White
27 . . .l:txd4) 28 l:txf6 with irresistible has two ways of carrying on the at­
threats. tack. One is 26 1i'e3 ! (aiming for 27
(b2) 23 ...lbd4 24 lbxe5 fxe5 25 'i!r'e6+ Wh8 28 "ifh3), for example:
'ikg5 and there is no defence to 26 26 ...'ir'e5 27 'ii'h3 d2 28 lbf3 il'e4+
\i'h5. 29 Wb2 �c5 30 'ilr'h7+ Wf8 3 1
(b3) Obviously Black's counter- 'ii'h8+ We7 32 'ii'xg7+ Wd6 33
play is associated with the weak- 'ili'xf6+ Wc7 34 lbe6+ +-. The alter­
ened periphery of White's camp. I native is 26 'ii'g2, and now:
spent a lot of time during the game (c3 1 22 1 ) 26 ...'ii'g5 is inadequate;
looking for a specific way in which 27 'ii'xc6 'ikxf4 (or 27 ...'ii'xh4 28
this counterplay might take shape, 'ii'e6+ Wh8 29 l:tg3+-) 28 il'e6+
but could not find it. But when I re- Wh8 29 lbf5 �f8 30 l:tg3 and wins.
cently discovered 23 ...'ii'a3 ! ! , after (c3 1 222) 26 ...lbd4 27 'ii'h3 lbb5
which White is constantly under 28 lL'lf3 ! lbc3+ 29 Wc l 'ii'a3+ (after
threat (24 'ike2 lbd4!), I understood the inkrmediate 29 ... d2+ 30 l:txd2
that 22 lbg3? is an ugly move and, 'ii'a 3+ White wins by 3 1 l:tb2
worse, not an attacking move. lbxa2+ 32 'itr>b 1 lL'lc3+ 33 Wc2+-) 30
(c) 22 exd5 leads to the following 'it>d2 \i'xa2+ 3 1 'ifr>e I �c5
possibilities: (3 l . ..'ir'xb3 32 'ii'h7+ Wf8 33 'ikh8+
(c l ) 22 ...'ii'xd5 23 �c4 'ii'xf3 'ikg8 34 lbe6+ +-) 32 \i'h7+ Wf8 33
(Kasparov and I eventual�y agreed 'iih 8+ �e7 34 \i'xg7+ Wd6 35
that Black's best is 23 ...'Wxc4_ ! 24 'ifxf6+ Wc7 36 lbe6+ +-. ·

'ii'xd8+ �xd8 25 bxc4 �xc4 26 (c32) 23 ...�e6 is very strongly

lbg3 �b6 with chances of saving answered by 24 lbg3 ! , aiming to oc­
the game, though White retains a cupy the key point f5 and transfer
plus) 24 �xe6+ Wh8 25 �d5. the queen to the h-file, e.g.
(c2) 22 ... l:txd5 23 'ike 1 (releasing (c3 2 1 ) 24 ... �c5 25 .l:tgfl lbd4 26
the white bishop) 23 . . . f5 (23 ... �c5 'i!Vg2 lbb5 27 �xb5 il'xb5 28 lL'lhf5
24 .l:tfl ), and now in answer to 24 'ii'e 8 29 lbxg7 ! l:txd 1 + 30 %1xd l
lbg5 Kasparov suggested the inter- 'it>xg7 3 1 lbh5+ Wf8 32 lbxf6 l:td8
esting 24 ... e4 25 lbxe6 �f6 (32 ...'ii'c 8 33 'ii'g5+-) 33 g7+ We7
(26 ...'i!Vxa2+ is threatened) 26 a4 34 g8=lb+ �xg8 35 'ikg7+ �fl 36
bxa3 ! . However, we concluded that l:tel 'ii'h8 37 l:txe5+ 'it>d6 38 lbe4+
this is too pretty to be absolutely +-.
 Unforgettable Encounters 131

(c322) 24 ...lZJd4 (intending (c33222 1 ) 28 ....td6 29 lZJd4! (the

25 . . .lZJb5) 25 'ii'g2 ! i.c5 26 .:tgfl , knight changes its route) 29 ...'ifc7
with a view to 27 lZJhf5 . 30 lZJf5 i.e6 (or 30 ...i.e5 3 1 %lxd5
(c33) 2 3 . . . i.c5 probably sets and mate in 5) 3 1 %le 1 ! .ie5 32
White the most difficult problems. %lxe5 %lxd3 (32 . . .fxe5 33 lZJe7+ �f8
I n this variation it turns out that time 34 'ii'h8+ �xe7 35 'ifxg7+ +-) 33
is more valuable than material. 24 lZJe7+! ! 'i!t'xe7 (33 ...�£8 34 'ii'h8+
lilf5 ! threatens to transfer the queen �xe7 35 'i!t'xg7+ �d6 36 %lxe6+ +-)
nlong the route d2-e 1-h4. Black has: 34 %lh5 ! and mate in 6.
(c33 1 ) 24 ... i.xg1 25 'ii'e 1 and (c332222) Kasparov suggested a
White's threats are very dangerous, more subtle defence: 28 ...�£8 29
for example: 'ii'h 5! %lac8 30 lZJf4 'iVb6 (30 ...'i!t'c5
(c33 1 1 ) 25 ...i.e3 ! ? 26 lZJxe3 ! (or 3 1 'ii'h8+ i.g8 32 lZJe6+ +-) 3 1
26 ,..h4! ? .i.h6 27 lZJeg3) 26 ... e4 27 lZJxd5 ! 'ii'xg 1+ 32 l::d l ! (32 �b2?
'ii'h4 exd3 28 %lxd3 lZJe7 29 lZJf4 lhc2+! 33 �xc2 %lc8+ 34 lZJc3
nnd Black can hardly repel the �e8 ! !) 32 . . .�xd 1+ 33 'i!Vxd1 %lc5
nttack. 34 'ii'h5 �e8 35 'iVh8+ .tf8
(c33 1 2) 25 ...e4 26 'ii'h4 'ii'c 7 27 (35 ... �d7 36 'ii'h3+ �e8 37
Jlxe4 ! ! 'ifxh2 28 i.xd5+ 'i!?f8 29 lZJxb4±) 36 lZJxf6+ �e7 37 lZJh7+-.
'ii'xf6+! and mate in 5. (c3323) 26 ... i.e6 27 'ifh4 ! i.xf5
(c33 1 3) 25 ... .tc5 26 'Wh4 lZJe7 (after 27 ...%lxd3 White forcefully
( 26 . . .'Wc7 27 i.c4! .i.xc4 28 'ifxc4+ wins by demolishing Black's rear:
.J.>f8 29 'ii'x c5+ �g8 30 'ii'c4+ 'i!?f8 28 'ii'h7+ �f8 29 'ii'h8+ .tg8 30
) I l.tfl 'ifd7 32 'i!t'h4 'ii'd5 33 lZJxg7! 'i!t'xg7+ �e8 31 'ii'xg8+ �d7 32
nnd White's position is preferable) 'ii'f7+ lZJe7 33 cxd3 i..xg1 34
27 'ii'h7+ �f8 28 'ii'h 8+ lZJg8 29 'ifxe7+ +-) 28 'ii'h7+ �f8 29 'ii'h8+
'ii'xg7+ �e8 30 i.b5+! 'Wxb5 3 1 �e7 30 'i!Vxg7+ �e6 3 1 lZJf4+ �e5
l:r.xd5 %lxd5 32 'ifxg8+ �d7 32 .:te l + .t e4 (or 32 ... �xf4 33
()2 ... .i.f8 33 g7+-) 33 'ii'xd5+ �c7 'i!t'h6+ �g4 34 h3 mate), and now:
)4 'ili'xa8 'Wxe2 35 'ii'h 1 !+-. (c3323 1 ) A mistake would be 33
(c332) 24 ... e4 25 'ii'f4 ! exd3 26 %lxd8 %lxd8 34 lZJd3+ �d6 35 %lxe4
l:r.xd3, and now: (35 'ii'xf6+ �c7 36 %lxe4 i.d4 37
(c332 1 ) 26 ... .txg1 27 'ii'h4+-. 'ili'f4+ �b7) 35 ... .td4! 36 'ii'f7 'ii'd5,
(c3322) 26 . . .lZJe7 27 lZJxe7+ and Black keeps an extra piece.
Jlxe7, and White faces a choice: (c33232) 33 lZJh5 ! .i..e7 (33 ...
(c3322 1) The tempting 28 'ii'f5 is %lxd3 34 'i'xf6+ �d5 35 lZJf4 mate)
refuted by 28 ...%lac8! (but not 34 'ifh6 %lxd3 (34 ...f5 35 'Wg7+ .i.f6
28 ...'iVb5 29 lZJf4 i.c4 30 'iVh3 36 'ii'xf6 mate) 35 'iff4+ �e6 36
l:r.xd3 3 1 'ii'h7+ �f8 32 bxc4 'ii'xc4 'ii'xe4+ with a won position for
)3 'ii'h8+ 'ii'g 8 34 lZJe6+ +-) 29 White.
l:r.gd 1 %lxc2 30 �xc2 (30 a4 bxa3 3 1 Of course, if Black manages to
l:r.xd5 %lb2+ 3 2 �a1 %lxe2 33 bring about a queen exchange, his
l:r.xd8+ i.xd8-+) 30 ...'ii'xa2+ 3 1 two bishops and powerful pawn
'lt.>c l i.c5 ! ! 3 2 %lxd5 i.e3+ 33 %l1d2 centre will ensure him a comfortable
Jlxd2+ 34 �d1 'ii'xb3+ -+. game. But a middlegame position is
(c33222) 28 'ifh4 ! threatens the on the board, and the pawn on g6
"quiet" 29 lZJf4. The reply seems calls to mind a bayonet held at the
obvious: black king's throat.
1 32 U1�{ilrgettable Encounters

22 gxf7+ (b 1232) 28 ...lbe5 29 lLlc7+ 'ii'xc7

30 'ii'e6 lbg6 3 1 l:txg6 'ii'f4 32 l:tg8+
'ii'f8 33 'ii'c6+ +-.
(b 1 24) 27 ... l:td8 28 'ii'g4! l:td6 29
l:tg8+ �d7 30 lLlc5+ �c7 3 1 'ii'c 8+
�b6 32 lLla4+ �b5 33 'ifb7+ +-.
(b2) 23 ...�xg7 24 l:tg l + �f7 25
'ii'h6, and now:
(b2 1 ) After 25 ...l:tg8, the obvious
ways of attacking do not succeed. I
felt an emotional uplift when I
finally found 26 l:tfl ! ! . The rook
sets up a powerful battery. After
22 i.xf7
... 26 ... exd3 27 lbxe5+ �e8 there fol­
If 22 ... �f8, then 23 lbg5 ! (but not lows the subtle 28 'ii'h5+, and Black
23 l:txg7 exd3 ! and White hasn't the will lose most of his army.
mating threats). During the game I (b22) After 25 ... ..tf6, White can
had to figure out the consequences expect no more than perpetual
of 22 . . .�xf7: check if he continues 26 l:tg7+
(a) 23 lbg5+ leads nowhere after i.xg7 27 lbg5+ �e8 28 'ii'xe6+
23 . . .i.xg5 24 'i!Vxg5 exd3 25 'ii'xg7+ lbe7. It is much easier to find the
�e8; Black repels the attack while decisive move if you rotate the
preserving his material advantage. board through 90 degrees. Then the
(b) 23 l:.Xg7+! and now: seizure of the open rank by heavy
(b 1 ) It was necessary to figure out pieces is obvious: 26 l:tg6!, and all
accurately the consequences of the the Black pieces along the 6th rank
king's retreat: 23 ... �e8! ? 24 lbg5 ! become exposed to attack. This
exd3 2 5 lLlxe6 dxe2 2 6 'ii'x e2, and situation reminds me of the "dom­
now: ino effect," when after you hit one
(b l l ) 26 ...e4 27 lbc7+ �f8 28 piece the others all fall down. For
l:.dg 1 'ii'xc7 (28 ... i.. f6 29 lbe6+ instance: 26... exd3 27 l:txf6+ �e8
�e8 30 l:t 1 g5 !+-) 29 l:tg8+ �f7 30 28 l:txe6+ lbe7 29 cxd3 ! . This unex­
'ii'c4+ and mate in 5. pected "quiet" move in the midst of
(b 1 2) 26 ... l:txd 1+ 27 'ii'xd 1 , when the attack is louder than any check.
the following variations are Black is helpless against the mating
possible: threats.
(b 1 2 1 ) 27 ...lbd8 28 'ii'g 4!+- (but (b23) 25 .. . exd3 26 'ifh5+! and
not 28 l:tg8+? �f7 29 'ii'g4 i.f6! 30 mate in 4.
l:tf8+ �e7 31 'ii'f5 i.h4; Black has Finally, 22 ...�h8 23 l:txg7! �xg7
an extra piece and White' s attack is 24 l:tg1 + �xf7 25 'ii'h 6! transposes
spent). to variation (b2).
(b l 22) 27 ...lbd4 28 'ii'h 5+ �d7 23 'ii'h6!
29 lbxd4+-. Black resigned 1-0
(b 1 23) 27 ... e4 28 'ii'g4 If 23 ... i.f8, then 24 l:txg7+ i.xg7
(b 1 23 1) 28 ... l:tb8 29 'ii'xe4 l:tb6 25 l:tg 1 �f8 26 'ii'xg7+ �e7 27
30 lbc7+ �d8 (30 ...�d7 3 1 lbd5 lL\g5 ! exd3 (27 ...'ii'd5 28 i..xe4 l:tg8
'ii'c 5 32 'ii'f5+ +-) 3 1 lbd5 'ii'c 5 32 29 'ii'h7!+-) 28 'ii'xf7+ �d6 29 lbe4
l:tg8+ +-. mate.
 Unforgettable Encounters 133

What kind of games do we

appreciate?

Personally, I do not like games­ 46 King's Indian Defence [E8 1 ]

even beautiful ones-that are V.Kotronias White
marred by mistakes on both sides. It E.Gufeld Black
is well known that Emanuel Lasker Athens, 1 985
relished such chess duels, those
tilled with dramatic events, re­ 1 d4 lLlf6 2 c4 g6 3 lL'lc3 ..ltg7 4
sourceful skirmishes and struggles. I e4 d6 5 f3 0-0 6 ..ltg5
do not deny that such games have The Siimisch System is usually
an aesthetic quality of their own. played with ..lte3 . If White disdains
But I prefer those in which victory this centralizing move he must be
is achieved in the absence of errors tempting Black to play 6 ... h6. Then
on the part of one's opponent-to the bishop will retreat to e3, having
say nothing of the winner: his play provoked a weakness in the pawn
should be irreproachable. cover in front of the black king. But
Let us take the following game as does Black even need to pay atten­
an example. I like its finale. I want tion to the bishop which, for the
to compare it with some famous time being, threatens no one?
creation in the fine arts ... But there 6...tbc6
is one thing in this game which still If White neglects the d4-square, it
embarrasses me. It seems my oppo­ is natural to attack it. Would it not
nent could have played better, more be better to use the infantry to this
dangerously. And if that is so, then end? But if 6 ... c5 7 d5 e6 8 'ifd2
it means that . somewhere my own exd5 9 cxd5, White closes the d-file
play was not the best. That is why and finds a useful function for his
this game loses something in my es­ queen's bishop. It seems paradoxi­
timation, though Lasker would no cal to me, but the resulting position
doubt have liked it. I am not even provides more sporting chances for
consoled by the purely sporting as­ White. The essence of the move
pect of the game-by the thought 6 . . .tbc6 is also a peculiar provoca­
that if I had not played so reck­ tion, like White's 6th move. Black
lessly, if I had not taken risks and invites the pawn forward to attack
endangered my position, a draw the knight. But after 7 d5 lLle5 fol­
would have been the likely result. lowed by ... e7-e6 and the opening of
Nor is it entirely consoling to think the centre, Black's pieces will gain
that without my earlier inaccuracy, space for their activity, and the
the pretty finish might never have move f2-f3 will prove useless.
come about. 7 lLlge2 a6!
134 Unforgettable Encounters

I like this move. It s.ets in motion 1 4 hxg5 c5

the hidden springs of the counter­ Black has accomplished the de­
attack by ... b7-b5, with threats to the ployment of his forces and is ready
c4-point as well as to the centre (af­ for hand-to-hand combat on any
ter ...b5-b4). This counterplay of part of the board. White has no time
Black's is no less powerful than to waste, for otherwise his combat
White's attack on the kingside. formation will collapse.
8 'i!Vd2 i.d7 15 dxc5 i.xe5!
Black's plans can also develop Of course not 1 5 ...dxe5 16 tt:lfd5 ! .
along different lines, e.g. 8 ... l:tb8 or
8 ... l:te8. He has a number of active
plans at his disposal. This is the
main consequence of White's over­
committal move f2-f3 .
9 h4 h5!
Again, the same recipe for maxi­
mum activity. It would be danger­
ous to let the white pawn reach h5,
but now, in order to prepare the
g2-g4 break, White has to waste
several precious tempi which Black
can use for the deployment of his
forces. Some very sharp play now 1 6 tt:lfd5
ensues. A strong move, which presents
10 'i!Ve3 Black with fresh problems. f3-f4 is
The latest fashion. It is now threatened, so that attention must be
disadvantageous for Black to play switched instantly from the flanks to
... e7-e5, for after White castles long, the centre, where the major hostili­
the opposition of the rook on d1 and ties are impending.
the queen on d8 is in his favour. But If instead 1 6 g4, how should
Black has other resources. Black defend? I presented this posi­
10 ...b5 1 1 0-0-0 tt:la5 12 tt:lf4 tion to many masters and some
tt:lh7 GMs, giving each of them ten at­
The black knights are rather going tempts. If they found the right move
against the rules, which say that on just one of these attempts I
they should not be placed on the would lose the bet. I can say that
edge of the board. Their decentrali­ none of them managed to find the
zation involves some risk, but this is right solution on the first try. Moves
justified by factors that are no less like ... hxg4, . . . h4, ...b4 and others
important. Indeed, even in their caught the eye at once, but these
seemingly awkward positions the only play into White's hands. When
knights are creating threats against playing 1 5 ... i.xe5, I had in mind the
enemy units! far from obvious rejoinder
13 e5 tt:lxg5 1 6 . . .l:tc8 ! ! with the idea of drum­
Why not 13 ... f6 ... ? Because the ming up counterplay against the
bishop would sell its life too dearly: white king after 1 7 gxh5 l:txc5 ! . All
14 exf6 exf6 1 5 tt:lxg6 fxg5 1 6 the variations are favourable for
tt:le7+ cj;;fl 1 7 i.d3 ! . Black; all his pieces are partic-
 Unforgettable Encounters 135

ipating in both attack and defence. 21 gxf6! with the decisive threat of
True, his king also gets caught in 22 .l:th8+! 'it>xh8 23 'i!fh6+ and mate
the crossfire, but he should be able next move. Black has other tries, but
to defend successfully. I would say they are not very promising:
that the move 1 6 ....l:.c8 epitomizes (b) 1 9 ... .l:tc8 20 lLJdf6+ 'it>g7 2 1
my style. I have been playing like .l:th7+ 'it>f8 22 .l:txd6 ! lbxc4 23 �xc4
that all my life. Though I sometimes .l:txc4+ 24 'it>b 1 �xd6 25 lbxd6+-.
miscalculate and make an aggres­ (c) 1 9 ...'it>f8 20 lLJdf6 'iWc7 2 1
sive move when the position de­ .l:th8+ 'it>g7 2 2 .l:th7+ �f8 23 f4
mands defence or waiting tactics, lbxc4 24 �xc4 'i!fxc4+ 25 �b 1 +-.
my decision is justified 80 percent (d) 19 ... .l:te6 20 lLJdf6+ .l:txf6 2 1
of the time, for it is in accordance gxf6 �xf6 2 2 .l:txd6+-.
with the spirit of chess which pro­ (e) 1 9 ...'it>g7 is unplayable be­
claims: "Attack!" I will cite just one cause of 20 f4 ! . One might suggest
variation: ( 1 6 g4 .l:tc8 1 7 gxh5 other attempts to find defensive
l:txc5) 1 8 hxg6 lbxc4 1 9 �xc4 resources for Black. But would they
l:txc4 20 gxt7+ l:ht7+. bring success?
16 .l:te8?!
•.• 19 �g7 20 lLJe4
•..

You have probably guessed it: This is too late now, since the
this is the dubious move about knight does not have pawn support
which I spoke in the preamble to the on the e4-square, the bishop solidly
game. My move seems logical, as it defends the king and the rook oper­
repels White' s threat, defending the ates along the e-file. Concealed and
e7-pawn and bringing the rook to highly effective counterplay materi­
the central zone. But it has a defect: alizes for Black.
it weakens the t7-square, and this, it 20 ... �c6!
appears, could have had serious The "stock" 20 ... .l:tc8 would now
consequences. Therefore 1 6 ... �e6! also be possible. For example 2 1
deserved attention, after which eve­ lLJdf6+ �xf6 22 lLJxf6+ 'i!fxf6 23
rything would be in order for Black. 'i!fxe8+ �xe8 24 gxf6 lbxc4 25
17 g4! hxg4 �xc4 .l:txc4+ 26 'it>b 1 �c6+.
At this point the "star" move 21 lbef6+
17 . . ..l:.c8 is no good: 1 8 gxh5 .l:txc5
19 hxg6 lbxc4 20 �xc4 .l:txc4 2 1
gxt7+ and Black has to capture with
the king (not the rook), and tread a
dangerous path.
18 cxd6 exd6 19 f4
A critical position has arisen, and
the result of the game depends on
what happens now. White follows
his projected plan, which turns out
to be a mistake. He could have
played 1 9 lLJe4! with the threat of
check on f6. What should Black do
then? 2 l ...'it>f8
(a) There is no time for the pro­ 2 l ...'i!fxf6 was playable straight­
phylactic 1 9 ...�f5 20 lLJef6+ �xf6 away, but I had not yet fully worked
I 36 Unforgettable Encounters

out this possibility. On the other 29 ... c3!

hand 2 1 . . .�xf6 would fail to 22 The triumph of Black's strategy.
'ifxe8+ �xe8 23 ltJxf6+ 'ifxf6 (or How greatly his forces, which are
23 . . .�f8 24 l:rh8+ �e7 25 l:rel numerically weaker, surpass
mate!) 24 gxf6 �c6 25 l:rh2 !±. White's in activity!
22 l2J h7+ �g8 23 lLlhf6+ 30 l:rf6
Forcing Black to make the correct The "Gufeld bishop" is
move. particularly awesome; it is worth the
23 'ifxf6! 24 lLlxf6+ �xf6 25
••. enemy queen on its own, so it is not
'i!Va3 surprising that White hastens to
In this situation 25 'ifb6 warrants subdue it at any price. However, the
consideration, so that after 25 ... �d8 white king is now driven into the
this bishop has been deflected from open, so 30 b4 would have been
the major thoroughfare. However, more stubborn, although Black
after (e.g.) 26 'ii'g l �xhl 27 'ifxhl retains winning chances in that case
l:rc8, Black has an even more com­ too.
fortable game than before. 30 ... cxb2+ 3l l:rxb2 l:red8!
25 �g7 26 l:rh2
.•. The signal for the mating attack.
26 l:rg l is possibly better, but Naturally; the bishop on g7 rejects
would not of course alter the basic the offered rook.
evaluation of the position. 32 f5 l:rdl + 33 �c2 .l:Ic8+ 34 �b3
26 ltJxc4 27 �xc4 bxc4 28 'ii'g3
.•. l:rd3+ 35 �b4
Surprisingly, the queen is not in a 35 �a4 �c6+.
position to fight successfully against 35 ...�f8+!
the two bishops and the g-pawn.
The whole point is that Black's
forces are excellently coordinated­
something you cannot say about
White's.
28 .�f3 29 l:rxd6
..

To my chagrin, my opponent im­

mediately resigned, not allowing me
to demonstrate the pretty mate on
the board: 36 �aS l:ra3+ 37 �b6
�c5 mate! 0-l
 Unforgettable Encounters 1 3 7

Art born out of struggle

This remarkably fierce chess clash 5 0-0 6 .ilg5
...

was acclaimed as the best at the in­ A popular sortie, hindering the
ternational tournament in Hastings. advance ... e7-e5 (6 i.e3 was popu­
lar previously). The move involves
a kind of provocation: White wants
his opponent to play ... h7-h6, in or­
der to retreat the bishop to e3 and
afterwards gain a tempo for the at­
tack by ii'dl -d2. How should Black
respond? First of all, we must un­
derstand that trying to build up an
"impregnable" defence amounts to
defeat. Sooner or later the attempt
will end in a total rout of your com­
bat forces. The best defence is
counter-attack. The classic method,
of course, is the thrust ... c7-c5.
However, the statistics from games
proceeding 6 ... c5 7 d5 e6 8 'iVd2 are
in White's favour. After some con­
templation I chose another way,
well known to me from the variation
with 6 .ile3.
This move would seem to go 6...lbc6
against the laws of chess strategy. It This too, like 5 .ilg5, is a kind of
is not aimed at' conquering the cen­ provocation-Black invites his op­
tre (compare it with f2-f4), not is it ponent to attack this piece. But after
a mobilization of forces (ask the 7 d5 lbe5 he will play ...c7-c6! and
knight on g l !). White's intentions will achieve his objective of open­
are clear, however. He is going to ing lines for a counter-attack and
strengthen the centre and under its diverting the enemy forces. Black
protection launch an all-out assault reasons like this: "White will hardly
on the king's flank. What are the hide his king on the kingside, for
grounds for this aggressive plan? that would mean forgetting about
The g6-pawn has moved and is a his planned attack there. That means
target. White can also see the obvi­ he must evacuate his king to the
ous intention of his rival to castle queenside. Therefore a 'second
short. "My plan is f2-f3 , then front' should be opened on that part
�cl -e3 (or .il g5), ii'd l -d2, of the board! The method is simple:
h2-h4-h5, .ilh6 and tt:Jc3-d5, so as to ...lbb8-c6! , ... a7-a6, ...l:t.a8-b8, and
destroy all the defenders and cap­ afterwards, at the appropriate
ture the hostile king! " Facing these moment, ...b7-b5 !" As for the centre,
threats, Black immediately has to Black will now rely on ... e7-e5 to
work out a plan of counteraction. open lines there. Let us point out
1 . 18 / Jnjinp,cttahle Encounters

White's blind spot, the square d4, serious objections to this move: ( 1 )
which is accentuated by having the I t involves a loss of time. White is
bishop on g5. exchanging off the bishop in two
7 4Jge2 steps (.tc1 -g5 and j_g5-h6) for a
Both development and prophy­ piece which has made just one move
laxis. White understands the neces­ ( ... .tf8-g7). This may seem a thing
sity of controlling d4. On 7 11i'd2 e5 of little importance. But if we com­
8 d5 4Jd4, the enemy knight reaches pare a chess game 40 moves long
a vantage point from which to sur­ with a human life of 80 years, then
vey the entire position. Then 9 it appears that the loss of one tempo
lDge2 is met by 9 ... c5! intending is equal to the loss of two years! (2)
.. a7-a6, ...l:ta8-b8 and ...b7-b5; and It exchanges the "good" bishop for
if 1 0 dxc6 then 1 0 . . .bxc6, and an the potentially "bad" one. Let us re­
exchange on d4 would only benefit call that in allowing his opponent to
Black. occupy the centre and in playing
7 a6 8 'ii'd 2 l:tb8 9 h4
... ... 4Jb8-c6, Black accepted the ne­
Far from amicable behaviour to­ cessity of proceeding sooner or later
wards the opposing king! Essen­ with the counter-stroke ... e7-e5,
tially this is the signal for hostilities which unfortunately would block
to commence. the path of his own king's bishop.
9 h5!... With the exchange of the bishop this
The very case where an exception one drawback disappears, so now is
to the rule applies. Of course, the the right time for...
move ... h7-h5 doesn't strengthen the l l eS!
...

defence of the king, but it does win If the white b ishop were on g5,
valuable time for organizing the this move would immediately be an­
counter-offensive. swered by d4-d5. But now after 1 2
10 0-0-0 i..xg7 r#;;xg7, the move 1 3 d5 in­
There is now no better sanctuary volves many positional discomforts.
to be found for the white king. Above all, White is left with a "bad"
lO bS 11 .th6? !
••• bishop on f1 (as his centre pawns
are on the light squares d5 and e4),
whereas the bishop on c8 (with
pawns on d6 and e5) is perfectly
"good." In addition, after 1 3 ...4Ja5 !
it appears that White will have to
block his own g-pawn with 1 4 lDg3,
abruptly diminishing his attacking
potential. We should note, inciden­
tally, that in this kind of position it
is highly disadvantageous to reply
to d4-d5 with ...lDc6-e7. On this
square the knight is restricted by the
pawn on e4, and, devoid of any
White's desire to exchange off an prospects, merely gets under the feet
important defender is perfectly un­ of Black's other pieces, causing
derstandable and fits in with his havoc in his ranks. Indeed, in this
aggressive plan. Yet there are two game something similar happens to
 Unforgettable Encounters 139

the knight on e2 . What should ...l:r.a8-c8 and ...c7-c6. Therefore

White do, then, if d4-d5 is no good? White gives up the important
12 .i.xg7 \t>xg7 13 dxe5 f5-square, but undertakes a desper­
The only move. On 13 liJd5 Black ate attempt to activate his unfortu­
plays 13 ...bxc4, with a counter­ nate bishop, trusting in the tactical
nttack which is even more danger­ resources of the position. A gripping
ous because White cannot complete duel of the knights now begins. The
his development. His bishop is not black knight dreams of getting to
only "bad" but also "blind"-the d4, while the white one waits impa­
knight on e2, guarding the d4 tiently for his opposite number to
Nquare, firmly shuts off his view. leave c6, so that he may at last open
All this points to the conclusion that the way for the bishop.
nfter 1 1 .i.h6?! e5 ! Black has a 16 f6
••.

small advantage. The only move. If 16 .. .'ii'xg5+?

13 ...dxe5 1 7 hxg5 the black knight moves
1 3 ... liJxe5 would be a positional away and the advantage is now with
error: after 1 4 cxb5 axb5 1 5 liJf4 White: he has the e4-point at his dis­
White's pieces spring to life, and the posal, while the e5-pawn, cut off
�.:haracter of the battle shifts to his from its base, is left weak.
ndvantage. 17 'it'd2
14 'ifg5? ! Practically a forced reply. If 17
All i n the same spirit o f direct ag­ 'ife3 liJa5 ! White i s unable to
gression, although in a worse posi­ coordinate his forces and finds
tion the accepted thing is to try for himself subjected to an onslaught.
simplifications. But Mestel did not But where does the black knight go
play h2-h4, 0-0-0 and ..tg5-h6 in or­ now?
der to work for the draw in an end­ 17 ...l:r.d8!
ing with chroniCally weak dark This pin is the cornerstone of
squares and a bad bishop on fl . Black's entire strategy! His knight
14 'ife7 15 liJd5
••. continues to fight for the key
Again there is practically no other d4-square.
move. The impetuous 1 5 g4? hxg4
16 h5 would be subjected to a "cold
shower": 16 ... liJh7 ! 1 7 'ifd2 'ifg5,
and White's position would
collapse.
15 liJxd5 16 exd5?!
••.

A very interesting, debatable

move. One must not think that the
English GM did not consider the
more solid 1 6 cxd5. Mestel saw that
in response Black has two promis­
ing possibilities: 1 6 ... 'ifxg5+ 1 7
hxg5 liJa5 1 8 liJc3 liJb7 with
liJb7-d6 to follow, preparing to 18 g4!
break with ... c7-c6; or 1 6 ...f6 1 7 Mestel also heeds the principle
'i'd2 liJd8 with a subsequent "the best defence is a counter­
...liJd8-f7, .. JH8-d8, ... ..tc8-d7, attack". The text flows logically
140 Unforgettable Encounters

from all of White's previous play, after 1 9 ... lbd4 ! 20 lbe4 the knight
and of course I was now expecting on d4 (in addition to being situated
it. Two or three more moves in enemy territory! ) is more secure
(g4xh5, nh 1-g 1 , etc.) and Black's than its White counterpart.
position would collapse (such would 18 bxc4!
...

be the long-term consequences of I never let the initiative slip for

. . . h7-h5). If instead 1 8 liJc3, then the sake of material gains. More­
1 8 . . . lbd4 ! follows with great force; over, it seemed to me during the
Black will subsequently prepare game that 1 8 ... hxg4 simply loses. I
... c7-c6. Maybe White should have was troubled by both of White's
moved his queen away. But 1 8 'i!Ve3 replies:
is bad in view of 1 8 ... lba5, while 1 8 (a) 19 fxg4 (with the threat of 20
�c2 or 1 8 �c3 would be met by g5 and h4-h5) 19 ...�xg4, and now:
1 8 . . . lbb4. (a1 ) 20 �h3 is refuted by
There remains only 1 8 'ii'e l ! ? 20 ...�xh3 2 1 :xh3 'ii'c 5 ! .
Stop! Here is the crucial moment for (a2) Another line that looks dan­
precise calculations. If up to here gerous is 20 :g 1 f5 21 'i!Ve3 ! lba5,
Black was basically guided by the when White has:
general laws of the chess struggle, (a2 1 ) 22 lbd4 l:[b6! 23 :e 1 :e8! ,
the time has come now to prove the but not 23 . . .lLlxc4 24 �xc4 bxc4 25
correctness of his play with concrete lbe6+.
computations: (a22) 22 lbf4! is better, aiming to
(a) 1 8 ... lba7 is possible: 19 lLlc3 use the h-pawn as a battering ram.
bxc4 20 �xc4 lbb5, with reason­ There can follow:
able counterplay. But this is actually (a221 ) 22 ...lLlxc4 23 �xc4 bxc4
too passive. 24 lbe6+ 'it>h7 25 'i!Vxe5 :e8 26
(b) A far more energetic reply is :xg4! fxg4 27 h5 etc.
the knight sacrifice 1 8 ...'i!Vc5 ! ! , and (a222) 22 ...:b6 23 c5! :f6 24
now: :e 1 :e8 25 h5 g5 and White has
(b 1 ) It turns out that on 1 9 dxc6, the choice between the simple 26
the under-development of White' s lLlh3 and the more vigorous 26
kingside lets him down: 1 9 ...'ii'e 3+ :xg4 fxg4 27 lbe6+ :xe6 28 dxe6
20 'it>b 1 (if 20 :d2 then 20 . . .bxc4, 'i!Vxe6 29 'ii'xg5+ 'it>h8 30 h6 etc.
threatening 2 1 . . .:xb2 or 2 1 .. .c3 ! 22 (a223) 22 . .. �xd1 23 :xg6+ 'it>h7
bxc3 iH5 with unstoppable mate on 24 :e6 'i!Vf7 (not 24 ...'ifxh4 25
b l ) 20 ... bxc4 (probably 20 ...�f5+ 'ifxe5+-) 25 iixe5 :e8 26 �d3
2 1 'it>a 1 bxc4 leads to the same �g4-+.
thing) 2 1 'it>a 1 (2 1 lbg3 ila3 ! ; or 2 1 (b) 19 h5 g5 20 'i!Vc2?! (a double
lbc3 :xd 1 + 2 2 iixd 1 'i!Vxc3-+; or attack) 20 ... gxf3 2 1 lbg3 Admitted­
21 :xd8 �f5+ 22 'it>a1 :xd8 and ly, I later figured out that after
White is helpless) 2 l ...�f5 22 lLlg3 2 l ...lbd4! 22 'i!Vg6+ 'it>h8-+ the
:xd 1 + 23 iixd 1 :d8 24 lbxf5+ white h-pawn shields the black king,
gxf5 25 � 1 c3 26 �xa6 (26 b3 c2 and there is nothing more to fear.
27 iixc2 iie1 + -+) 26 ...:d2 27 No doubt some defensive players
'Wg1 (27 b3 iid4 28 'ii'g 1 ilb4-+) would have taken on g4, in the hope
27 . . . cxb2+ 28 'it>b 1 ilc3-+. of repelling the opponent's numer­
(b2) Declining the knight with 1 9 ous threats and realizing Black's
lbc3 would b e disastrous, because material advantage. You must
 Unforgettable Encounters 141

ulways trust in your own intuition, .l:txd8 26 .l:txd8 tt:'lxc4 27 bxc4

however, and I felt there was some­ 'ii'xc4+ 28 'it>b2 'ii'xe4 29 .l:tg l 'ii'e2+
thing not right there! Imagine that and 30 ...'ii'x h5, with a winning end­
you are receiving the serve in ten­ game for Black.
nis. The ball flies high and seems to (b) My happiness was short-lived;
he going out-but what if it does­ I then and there replaced the move
n ' t? Overcoming your doubts, you 22 b3 with 22 i.b3, and sank into
take the game firmly into your own deep thought-for two more
hands with a powerful stroke months!
( 1 8 . . .bxc4!). (b 1 ) It became clear that
22 ... tt:'ld3+ was no good; after 23
'it>b 1, not one discovered check
wins. There are many tempting
combinations, but nothing better
than perpetual check is to be found.
For example: 23 ... .l:txb3 24 axb3
tt:'lb4+ 25 'it>a1 'ii'a5+ 26 tt:'la4
tt:'lc2+=.
(b2) You can imagine what joy I
felt upon discovering the devastat­
ing force of the "quiet" 22 ... a5 ! !
(with the idea of 23 ... a4 24 i.xa4
tt:'lxa2 mate) 23 'ii'e2 a4 24 i.c4
19 tt:'lc3 ..itd3 ! ! 25 ..ltxd3 tt:'lxa2+ 26 <ittc2,
The counter-blow 1 9 gxh5 de­ and now:
manded delicate calculation. In re­ (b2 1 ) 26 ....l:txb2+ 27 <ittxb2 tt:'lxc3
ply I had planned 1 9 . ..tt:'lb4 (aiming (not 27 .. .'ii'xc3+ 28 'it>xa2 .l:tb8 29
for ... tt:'ld3+) 20 tt:'lc3 i.f5 2 1 i.xc4 .l:tb l !) 28 'ii'c2 (28 h6+ <itth8-+)
(not 2 1 hxg6 .l:txd5 22 tt:'lxd5?? 28 ... .l:tb8+ 29 'it>c l 'ii'a3+ 30 'it>d2
tt:'lxa2 mate) 2 1 .. .'ii'c 5. How should .l:tb2 3 1 .l:tdg1 tt:'lxd5-+.
White continue now? (b22) 26 ... a3 ! 27 .l:tb1 .l:txb2+! 28
(a) What if 22 b3 ! ?. I got no sleep .l:txb2 'ii'xc3+ 29 <ittb 1 axb2 30 'ii'c2
for a month thinking about this .l:tb8. White's position is completely
move. It is clear that Black stands hopeless, and he can resign with a
well, but where is the win? I wor­ clear conscience.
ried and fretted, but believed that, as (c) If 22 'ii'e 2, then 22 ...i.d3 ! 23
in a good algebraic problem, every­ i.xd3 tt:'lxa2+ 24 'it>c2 .l:txb2+! 25
thing must fit together. When I 'it>xb2 'ifxc3+ 26 <ittxa2 .l:tb8 27 i.b5
awoke one morning, having looked 'ifa5+ 28 'it>b3 .l:txb5+ 29 'ii'xb5
at the position who knows how 'ii'xb5+, and after 30 ...gxh5 Black
many times, I couldn't believe my obtains a winning endgame.
eyes. It turns out that there is the These later findings brought me
quite simple move 22 ... tt:'lxd5 ! ! . great creative satisfaction, since I
Now 23 tt:'lxd5 is met by value the merits of artistic achieve­
23 . . .'ii'xc4+! -+, and 23 i.xd5 by ment above everything else in chess.
23 ....l:txd5-+. After 23 tt:'le4, whole- However, let us return to the game.
sale exchanges take place: Mestel's move 19 tt:'lc3 also de­
23 ...i.xe4 24 fxe4 tt:'le3 25 'ii'xd8 mands the most precise calculation.
142 Unforgettable Encounters

21 fxg4 i.. xg4 22 .:tdfl l:.b4! 23

h5
A desperate attempt to complicate
Black's task. The alternatives are
hopeless too: 23 b3 l:.xc4 24 bxc4
l:.b8-+, or 23 i..xa6 l:.db8 24 b3
.l::txb3-+.
23 l:.xc4 24 hxg6 l:.xc3+! 25
.••

"i!Vxc3
Or 25 bxc3 "i!Va3+ 26 "i!Vb2 (26
rj;b 1 l:.b8+ 27 �a 1 lt:Jb3+ +-)
26 ...lt:Je2+ 27 rj;c2 'i'xb2+ 28 'iti>xb2
19 .hxg4!
.. lt:Jg3-+.
Many magazines in which this 25...lt:Je2+ 26 rj;c2 lt:Jxc3 27 l:.h7+
game was published considered the rj;xg6
transposition 1 9 . . .lt:Jd4 to be play­ White resigned: after 28 l:.xe7
able. In fact, though, White has the lt:Jxd5 his rook is trapped. 0-l
remarkable reply 20 'i'g2! changing
the whole complexion of the battle. 48 King's Indian Defence [E83]
So 1 9 ...hxg4 is the only acceptable M.Petursson White
solution. E.Gufeld Black
20 .i.xc4 Hastings, 1 987
Most serious attention had to be
given to 20 h5 ! ? g5 2 1 "ilfc2, with 1 d4 lt:Jf6 2 c4 g6 3 lt:Jc3 .i.g7 4
the dual threat of capturing on c6 e4 d6 5 f3 0-0 6 i..e3 lt:Jc6
and paying an unwelcome visit to I prefer this approach to the clas­
the black king's residence. But sical 6 ... e5. Black aims to open a
Black replies 2 1 . ..lt:Jd4! 22 "i!Vg6+ "second front", forcing White to di­
�f8 23 d6 (23 .i.xc4 'i'g7! ) vert some of his forces from action
2 3 . . .cxd6 2 4 h 6 (or 24 l:hd4 exd4 on the kingside.
25 .i.xc4 'iig7-+) 24 ...iH5 25 h7 7 "ilfd2 a6 8 0-0-0
(the only chance) 25 . .. .i.xg6 26 In my imagination the chess
h8="ilf+ rj;fl 27 i..xc4+ d5 28 pieces talk to each other during the
i..xd5+ �xd5 ! 29 'iixb8 lt:Je2+! 30 game. Someone with a perfect chess
lt:Jxe2 'ifc5+ 31 lt:Jc3 'i'e3+ 32 �d2 ear will hear the white king saying,
"i!Vxd2 mate. This whole variation "I hereby declare war!" Just at this
had to be calculated when playing moment an image flashed across my
1 9 ...hxg4! because if there were no mind, and I smiled involuntarily.
mate, Black would have to resign. Maya Chiburdanidze, playing at a
After the text (20 i..xc4) White's neighbouring table, saw it and asked
attack all at once subsides, and his me after the game why I was so be­
position collapses like a house of mused. It was an image of me and
cards. my opponent: a young, good­
20...lt:Jd4 looking, invariably courteous, slim
The knight's dream finally comes guy, wearing big glasses, weighing
true. It invades the central square scarcely 1 20 lbs-locked in combat
with decisive effect. with a super-heavy weightlifter!
 Unforgettable Encounters 143

8...b5! 16 d5 17 h5
•..

Off we go! Strangely enough, this Of course, after 1 7 e5 4Jd7, with

pawn sacrifice for the initiative was ...c7-c5 to follow, Black can con­
actually a novelty. tinue his attack unhindered.
9 cxb5 17 4Jc4
••.

9 4Jge2 might be an alternative, I didn't even consider accepting

although after 9 ... e5 1 0 d5 lLla5 the gift with 1 7 ... 4Jxh5.
Black would have plenty of play. 18 hxg6 hxg6 19 b3!
9 ... axb5 10 .li.xb5 4Ja5!
It is quite possible that prior to
this game someone had considered
the pawn sacrifice on b5, but had
not thought of following it up with
I 0 . . .4Ja5. The idea behind this
move is to fight for the strategically
important c4-square. The alternative
I O . . .li.b7 seems insufficient. For ex­
.

ample, 1 1 4Jge2 4Ja5 12 .li.d3 ! .

1 1 <i1i>b1
The attempt to hinder 1 1 .. . .li.a6 by
way of 1 1 'ife2 looks ugly, and the
knight on g 1 would be appalled by
it! This verdict is borne out by the This move, which brings the game
variation 1 l ...c6 1 2 .li.d3 'iib6, in­ to its crisis and forces White to walk
tending ....li.c8-a6, ... d6-d5, and a on the edge of a precipice, is, in es­
struggle for the c4-square. sence, the strongest in the position.
l l . .li.a6 12 .i.xa6 .l:txa6 13 'ii'd3
.. In view of White's initial advantage
,.a8 14 4Jge2 of the move, Black can be consid­
If White isn't careful, Black's ini­ ered the moral victor of the theoreti­
tiative will grow into a formidable cal duel if he succeeds in equalizing
attack on the king. A series of pro­ as a result of his opening
phylactic moves is called for. experiment.
14 .l:tb8 15 .li.cl
••• 19 c5
•..

Black's direct threats are tempo­ 1 9 ....l:txb3+ 20 axb3 .l:ta1 + 2 1 <Ji>c2

rarily contained, but let's recall the .l:ta2+ is also playable, and now
motives behind the pawn sacrifice either 22 'iti>b 1 .l:ta 1 + or 22 4Jxa2
and the fight for the strategically 'ii'xa2+ 23 'iti>c3 'iia 1 + 24 'iti>c2 (24
important c4-square. In this connec­ 'iti>b4?? 'ii'a 5 mate) 24 ...'iia2+, with a
tion the moves ... e7-e6 and ...d6-d5, draw in both cases-which can be
with a subsequent jump of the counted on the credit side for Black.
knight to c4, look logical. The trans­ However, I decided to pour oil on
formation in Black's central pawn the fire.
structure will permit the "Gufeld After the text, the threats are
bishop" to gain in strength while many. For example: 20 ... 4Ja3+ 2 1
remaining at its post. .li.xa3 c4 ! .
15 e6! ! 16 h4!
••. 2 0 dxc5
Petursson correctly decides that Only move.
the best defence is counter-attack. 20 4Jd7!
•.•
144 Unforgettable Encounters

Again Black has a draw if he better chances; Black has ambitions

wants one: 20 .. Jhb3+ 2 1 axb3 of transferring his knight to c4.
:ta l+ 22 'ifi>c2 l:ta2+ 23 �bl ! l:tal +. 23 ...l:tal+ 24 �c2
21 exdS!
Again the only move.
2 1 ... exd5!
Once again declining a peaceful
conclusion to this enthralling con­
test by way of ... l:txb3+.

24 l:txcl+!
..•

Many moves earlier, when prepar­

ing to rush headlong into the whirl­
wind of complications, I could not
find a satisfactory continuation after
25 �d3 . Later, as an experiment, I
22 'ii'x dS! showed this position to several col­
Here too White finds the only leagues and asked them what they
continuation. The following varia­ would play. Psychological parame­
tion indicates the dangers for him: ters were undoubtedly involved;
22 tLlxd5 tLlxc5 ! 23 'ifxc4 l:txb3+ 24 finding the right solution in this ex­
axb3 :ta l + 25 �c2 'ii'a2+ 26 �b2 ample was inversely proportional to
'ii'xb2 mate. The intense struggle the strength of the chessplayer. Here
reaches its climax. White has a large it is: 25 �d3? 'ikxd5+ 26 tLlxd5
material plus on his side, and the ex­ tLlxc5 mate! So, whence the para­
change of queens is threatened. dox? The point is that strong chess­
22 ...l:txb3+ 23 axb3! players form certain stereotypes,
White could also have played 23 e.g. that when attacking sacrificially
�c2. In that case Black would have one should avoid exchanging
a pleasant choice: pieces.
(a) 23 ...tLle3+!? 24 �xe3 (24 25 tLlxcl
�xb3?? 'ii'b8+ -+) 24 ...l:txa2+ 25 Not 25 �xc 1 'ifa3+ 26 �c2 tLle3+
�xb3 'ii'a3+ 26 �c4 'ifa6+ 27 �b3 -+.
(27 tLlb5?? 'ilr'a4+ 28 �d3 'ii'c2 25 ...tLle3+ 26 �bl
mate) 27 ...'iia3+, and draws. Events now develop along forced
(b) 23 ... l:tb2+! 24 �xb2 tLle3+ 25 lines.
�bl tLlxd5 26 l:txd5 tLle5 ! (not 26 tLlxd5 27 l:txdS �xc3 28
•..

26 . . .tLlf8 27 l:thdl tLle6 28 tLlf4±) 27 l:txd7

l:thdl tLlc6! 28 g4 (Black's chances It is as if an Oklahoma tornado is
are also preferable after 28 tLlc 1 sweeping over the chessboard,
'ii'e8 ! 29 tLlb3 l:ta8) 28 ...'ii'b 8! 29 carrying away the erstwhile heroes
tLlcl l:ta8 ! 30 tLlb3 'ii'e 8, with the of this remarkable duel.
 Unforgettable Encounters 1 45

28 .. .'�a3! 29 �c2 'ii'xc5 30 31 �bl 'ii'c3 32 l:t7d2 �g7

l:thdl? The possibility of drawing the
The tempest subsides. Let us king out of his sanctuary was tempt­
cnlmly attempt to evaluate the posi­ ing, for instance: 32 ...'ii'a 1 + 33 �c2
t ion. There is approximate equality 'i'ib2+ 34 �d3 'j!fc3+ 35 �e2, but
of forces on the board, but Black here too Black fails to increase his
Htill holds the initiative. White advantage significantly. Thus,
Nhould be thinking about peaceful 35 ... i.g5 36 llld3 ! 'ii'xb3 (36 ...i.xd2
solutions to his problems. With this 37 l:txd2 1i'xb3 leads only to a
in mind, 30 l:th4! deserves attention, "moral" victory) 37 f4.
NO that after 30 ...'ii'f2 + 3 1 �xc3 33 f4?
Wxh4 White would have the possi­ The explanation of this error lies
bility of setting up an impregnable in the extreme pressure to which my
fortress. amiable opponent had been sub­
jected. Interestingly, in our post­
mortem analysis Petursson insisted
that there is zugzwang on the board
and that White has no other move
here. In fact, though, White has only
one acceptable move, and it is not
33 f4 but 33 l:ta2! after which it
would be practically impossible for
Black to improve his position. With
Black running a little short of time,
there followed:
33 ... 'ii'a l+ 34 �c2 'ii'c3+ 35 �bl
30 ... i.f6+? 'ii'a l+ 36 �c2 'ifh2+ 37 �d3 'ii'd4+
This game was widely acclaimed 38 �c2 'ifb2+ 39 �d3 'ii'd4+ 40
in chess literature. The important �c2 'ii'x f4
Yugoslav lnformator published it Black's position improves dra­
with annotations, and a number of matically with the win of this pawn.
chess magazines in other countries The realization of his advantage in­
featured it too. It appeared in the volves the accurate advance of his
London Times with a commentary kingside pawns to the f4 and
by the British GM R.Keene. The g4-squares. So the logical continua­
most surprising thing is that neither tion here was 4 1 ...'ii'e 5 followed by
Keene nor I, nor any other commen­ ...g6-g5, ... �g7-g6, ... i.f6-g7,
tator, saw what was found by one of ... f7-f5, ...i.g7-f6, ... g5-g4 and
the scrupulous readers of the news­ ... f5-f4.
paper-namely, that Black could 41 �bl 'i'ig4?
have won by playing 30 ...i.d4+, It was necessary to advance the
breaking the co-ordination of the pawns, i.e. 4 l ...g5 and ... g4. In ac­
white rooks. On 3 1 �b l , Black cordance with the playing schedule,
wins with 3 1 ...'ii'f5+ 32 l:td3 'ii'xd7 this tense game was resumed after a
33 lt:le2 'i!ib5 or 33 ...'i'if5 . If 3 1 few hours which were allotted to a
�d3, then 3 1 . ..'ii'c 3+ 32 �e4 f5+ 33 dinner and a short break. To my re­
�f4 'ii'e3+ 34 �g3 i.e5+ followed gret, I spent the whole time on din­
by 35 ...'j!fh6 mate. ner. The further course of the game
146 Unforgettable Encounters

-in which, after having every 3 i.f4

chance of victory, I committed Apart from the backward step 3
many technical errors and ended up i.h4, Hodgson has supported the
with a draw-patently confirms the eccentric 3 h4?! .
truth of scientifically based discov­ 3 ...d5 4 f3
eries that it is difficult to play after a If White still wishes to struggle
lavish meal: for his "advantage of the move", he
42 l:tfl ! 1fe4+ 43 l:tc2 g5 44 l:tf3 should play 4 lt.'ld2 and trade
g4 45 l:td3 1fe5 46 l:ta2 i.g5 47 knights. In my opinion, the move 4
l:tc2 i.f6 48 l:ta2 i.g5 49 llc2 1ff5 f3 does not correspond to the main
50 l:tdc3 1ffl 51 g3! i.f6 52 l:tc4 laws of chess openings-specifi­
1ff3 53 l:tf4! 'ikxg3 54 l:tcc4 'ikh2 cally, to strive for control of the
55 l:txg4+ 'it>h6 56 l:tc2 'ii'e5 57 centre and rapid mobilization of the
l:ta4! pieces towards it. A move such as 4
I had overlooked this move in f3 is a cancer forming in the organ­
time trouble. ism of White's army. Soon White
57 i.g5 58 l:tac4 i.f6 tlz- th
••. will be dreaming about how nice it
The game was adjourned a second would be to play f3-f2 (!). In such
time here, and we agreed a draw cases of j 'adoube, it is better if the
without resuming. controller isn't nearby!
4 ... lt.'lf6 5 lt'lc3 e6! !
49 Trompowsky Attack [A45] I n the process of preparing the an­
A.Cooper White notations for this game, I found out
E.Gufeld Black that this move is far from being a
Hastings Challengers, 1 993 novelty. But during the game, I felt
that the transposition to the channels
1 d4 lt.'lf6 2 i.g5
of the French Defence (with the bad
In England, a powerful chess
move f2-f3) was a brilliant discov­
country, there are idols-some peo­
ery for Black.
ple admire them, envy them and
6 e4 !i..e7 7 1fd2
strive to be like them. These idols
White's intentions take shape. He
are not necessarily the strongest
will castle long, and afterwards use
GMs in terms of Elo rating, but they
all his forces to storm the black
are players who are distinguished by
king's fortress.
their original style of play and
7 .. 0-0 8 0-0-0
thought, by a charm which is
.

peculiar to them. The talented GM

Julian Hodgson is one such idol;
many young British players try to
follow his chess ideas. The opening
here is a "nuclear weapon" in his
arsenal.
2... lt.'le4
Of course, other replies are also
possible: 2 ...c5; 2 ... d5; 2 ...g6. But
why not react to the aggressive
lunge of White's bishop, which has
crossed into my territory, with a
lunge of my own? Is it not correct?
 Unforgettable Encounters 147

The two hostile forces are already 9 exd5!

...

111 a state of high military alert. In The right move! The exchange of
order to begin active hostilities on knights, 9 ...lbxd5 10 lbxd5 exd5,
the kingside, White has to make up was not good. Why? Both the
his mind about the centre. There are f6-knight and the c3-knight will be
two solutions: to exchange with forced to leave their places when at­
c4xd5, keeping open the diagonals tacked by the enemy g- and b­
for the bishops, or close down the pawns. The wounded f6-knight, af­
centre by playing e4-e5. In the latter ter being forced to retreat to the rear
case, White will advance the f- and (e8), will immediately return from
g-pawns, intending to open the f­ hospital to the front (the d6-square).
file. This can only be done after de­ From there he will join in active
veloping all tlie pieces, which takes hostilities, eyeing c4. At the same
time. In order to let the tanks and time the wounded white c3-knight
infantry go forward (to play f3-f4-f5 will be in hospital for some time,
backed up by rooks, etc.), White certainly not at the front. First we
will first have to clear the boulders imagine him in hospital (the
away (for example, to get rid of the e2-square), then convalescing (on
bishop on f4). It is here that the loss g3) and finally seeing some active
of time with f2-f3 makes itself felt. hostilities from the f5-square. It be­
Even at a glance, not armed with comes clear from this sequence of
opening manuals on the French De­ thought that my f6-knight is des­
fence, it is easy to see the unfavour­ tined for an act of heroism worthy
able difference between White's of a medal!
position here and in the theoretical 10 g4 b5
lines. Meanwhile, what is Black to
do? Should be build up his Maginot
Line? No, he should not! The strat­
egy in positions where the players
castle on opposite sides is to create
as strong a counter-attack as possi­
ble. In other words, the best defence
of the black king is an attack against
his counterpart. Passive defence
would mean certain defeat.
8 a6!
...

By now we understand this move.

Black must make preparations for
his queenside counter-attack. "Who is faster?" That is the theme
9 exd5 of this part of the game. The white
If 9 e5, as already explained, pawns are racing on the kingside,
Black has a favourable French-like the black ones on the queenside.
position. He will get in first with his The black b-pawn seems to be in the
counter-attack by way of 9 ...lbfd7 lead-it will pass the 50-yard line
and 1 0 ... c5 ! . Since the situation in earlier than the g- or h-pawn. Even
the centre needs to be clarified, my so, we shall see White's g-pawn
opponent decides to do so in the reach the penultimate rank, grab­
most straightforward way. bing Black's monarch by the throat
148 Unforgettable Encounters

with substantial support from the The black infantry reaches the
outside. Yet the absolute winner of opponent's line of defence first.
the contest of charging pawns will 1 7 a3
be Black's a-pawn! It will accom­ Of course, 1 7 axb3 axb3 1 8 cxb3
plish the cherished dream of all lllb4, intending ... c7-c5 and ... 'ili'a5,
pawns, to be promoted to a queen! would be disastrous for White. He
1 1 h4 b4 1 2 lll ce2 naturally tries to keep his line of de­
I couldn't help enjoying my first fence as closed as possible.
smile. "That' s one white piece re­ 1 7 ll:ld6
..•

porting sick." An attempt to stop the Black doesn't need to force events
advance of the black infantry by 1 2 before the development of his
llla4 would be met by 1 2. . .lllbd7 pieces is completed. Once his re­
followed by ... St.b7 and ... St.c6, serves are mobilized (including
removing the knight. But that might those from the hospital) he can un­
be better for White than the actual dertake decisive actions. The hasty
game. For example: 1 2 llla4 lllbd7 1 7 ...bxc2+ 1 8 'ii'xc2 St.xg5?! would
1 3 h5 St.b7 1 4 St.d3 ! St.c6 1 5 lllc 5 a5 be ill-advised: 1 9 St.xg5 'ii'xg5 20
etc. 'ii'xc6 ll:ld6 2 1 lll 1 e2 .l:[b8 22 f4 ! etc.
12 ... a5 13 lll g3 a4 14 'it'b1 1 8 c3
Now you can see why castling Superficially, White has achieved
queenside is called "castling long". his plan-he has resolved the cen­
It almost always takes two moves­ tral tension, closed the queen's
first 0-0-0, then 'it'c 1 -b 1-to get a flank, and now thinks that active
properly built castle. hostilities will take place only on
14 ...lllc6 the kingside. This assessment is far
When preparing a pawn assault, from the truth, however: the closing
you should keep in mind that the of the queenside front is illusory.
main and sometimes decisive role is White's fortifications may yet be
played by the more powerful forces blown up. Alongside his headquar­
(the minor pieces). That's why you ters, there exists a bridgehead of
should not get carried away by just Black snipers. It is clear that the two
pushing the pawns; you should first black knights will use all the
complete the development of your advantages of the favourable
forces. c4-post to detonate their explosives.
15 g5 llle8 1 6 h5 b3! The move 1 8 g6 would be
premature owing to 1 8 ... fxg6 1 9
hxg6 nxf4! 2 0 'ili'xf4 i.g5 trapping
the white queen!
18 lll a5 19 St.d3
..•

If 1 9 g6, then 1 9 ...llldc4 is un­

pleasant for White.
1 9 ll:ldc4
•..

The strategic part of the game has

reached its culmination and the
main role on the board is played by
Caissa's tacticians.
 Unforgettable Encounters 149

White's g7-pawn is temporarily

playing the role of defender for the
black king. But it is a snake in the
bosom, which seeks a suitable mo­
ment to bite him mortally. For the
time being, the king has managed to
squeeze its throat, but for how long?
I can hear the weakened king tell his
army, "Men, for the time being I
can hold this snake by the throat,
but I am losing my strength. Please,
quickly, redouble your efforts and
20 i..xh7+ destroy the enemy! Hurry! I cannot
White' s point. He proceeds with hold him off much longer! " To
his plan of attack, and the sacrifice achieve success, the black army
of his bishop does not concern him. must capture the enemy king. An
In any case he hardly had any attempt to help its own king is
choice, for 20 'i!Vc l fails against hazardous. For instance, after
20 ... i..xa3 ! 2 1 bxa3 b2 winning at 24 . . . i.. xf4?! there follows 25
once. gxf8='i!V+ 'ilfxf8 26 lb l e2 i.. f5+ (or
20 ... 'it>xh7 21 g6+ 'it>g8 26 ... lbxb2 27 lbxf4 lbxdl 28 :txdl
Of course not 2 l . ..fxg6? on ac­ with a scrappy position) 27 lbxf5 !
count of 22 hxg6+ 'it>xg6 23 'ifh2, i..xh2 28 1:txh2, and the result is
and I don't even want to examine unpredictable.
the possible ways of parrying 25 lbte2 1:ta6!
White's terrible attack. Intuition An important (and probably the
tells me that White's chances are only) active, prophylactic move. It
better. is clear that both the g- and h-files
22 'ilfh2 represent great danger to Black's
Threatening the murderous beleaguered king. But my cannon
h5-h6xg7, opening the h-file. can fire horizontally! Chessplayers
22 ...i.. g5 often miss play along the ranks.
The only reply. They sit opposite one another and
23 h6 gxh6 24 g7 expect their armies simply to go up
and down the board. They miss the
fact that sometimes the pieces can
cut "across" the field as well.
26 :tdgl
White deploys his pieces on the
kingside with the obvious intention
of making the snake on g7 bare its
fangs!
26...'ilff6!!
Not the most obvious, but this is
the shortest path to the white king. I
was pleasantly dreaming of my
queen landing on the c2-square with
24. .J�e8 mate to follow.
150 Unforgettable Encounters

Actually 29 .. .'�d3+ leads to the

same thing. This being so, why did I
choose the text? The answer is, to
keep an offer of peace in my pocket
and gain time on the clock to check
my calculations.
30 �al
If 30 bxa3 'iid3+ 3 1 �a1 ii'c2,
White is defenceless. There are
simultaneous threats of 32 ...'i'a2
mate as well as 32 ... b2+ 33 �a2
b l =ii mate!
27 liJe4! 30 .. .'i!Vd3
Well played! I was hoping for 27 With the primitive threat of 3 1
..txg5 �g6+ 28 �a 1 iic2 29 i.c l . . .iih 1+! 3 2 l:.xb l liJc2 smothered
liJxa3 30 i.xh6 iib 1 + 3 1 l:.xb 1 liJc2 mate. I say "primitive" only because
mate, which would have been a tri­ I was brought up on such mating
umph for my previously hospital­ patterns.
ized warrior. 31 liJf4 liJc2+
27 ...dxe4 28 i.xg5 'iixf3 Here I had an alternative leading
to a clear result: 3 1 ...iih l + 32 l:.xb l
liJc2+ 33 iixc2 bxc2 34 l:ibg 1
lilb3+ 35 �a2 c l =if, and now:
(a) During the game I was afraid
of 36 liJxd5 ! ?, refusing to capture
the new queen. The first and most
natural reply was to rip White's
army apart by 36 ...l:.xh6??
(36 .. .iixgl and 36 ...ii'xh6 lead to
victory), but to my horror I saw the
reply 37 tllf6+! l:.xf6 38 l:.h8 mate
-when the snake on g7 shows its
venom! I must confess that, for me,
each chess game is like life itself. It
29 i.xh6 has its comedies, tragedies and sur­
White just needs to move the prises-in situations of stress it has
h6-bishop away, and the fate of all of them. I desperately wanted to
Black's king will be decided. But it avoid a tragedy!
is Black's turn to move, and tempo (b) 36 l:.xc l liJxc l + 37 l:.xc l
plays the main role now. For in­ l:.xh6, which I turned down. Why?
stance, if 29 l:.g3 (trying to keep the The artist within me felt that this
black queen from coming to d3 with variation was too vulgar for such an
check), then 29 .. .'�f5 30 i.xh6 e3+ unusual game.
3 1 �a 1 liJxa3 ! with events similar 32 �bl liJa3+
to the game. Gaining time and collecting my­
29... tll xa3+! self for the forthcoming events.
 Unforgettable Encounters 151

33 �al tt'lc2+ 34 �bl a3! pawn which made a brilliant career

returns home in triumph) 45 �h6
�e6+ 46 �g6 �xg6 mate.

The king hunt reminded me of a

composition by Alexander Petroff
( 1 824):

The die is cast.

35 tt'lxd3 a2+ 36 �cl al='ili'+
A brilliant career for the black
pawn! I should like to bring a hero
l ike this to the next game too!
37 �d2 tt'lc4+ 38 �e2 exd3+ 39
oJ.>f3 ..i.b7+ 40 �g3 �g6+ 41 �g5 The solution goes like this: 1
At long last White has a tempo to tt'ld2+ �a2 2 tt'lc3+ �a3 3 tt'ldb 1 +
move his bishop. He needs just one �b4 4 tt'la2+ �b5 5 tt'lbc3+ �a6 6
more move. He won't get it! tt'lb4+ �a7 7 tt'lb5+ �b8 8 tt'la6+
41...�e3+ 42 �g4 �xg5+ 43 �f4 �c8 9 tt'la7+ �d7 1 0 tt'lb8+ �e7 1 1
l:.e4+ 0-1 tt'lc8+ �f8 1 2 tt'ld7+ �g8 1 3 tt'le7+
White resigned, not waiting for �h8 1 4 �g2 mate.
the obvious 44 �xg5 'ili'a5+ (the

Across the Pacific Ocean

Gregory Kaidanov ... I was quite M.Taimanov White

familiar with this name in the for­ G.Kaidanov Black
mer Soviet Union. He was a protege Belgrade GMA, 1988
of my colleague, the prematurely
deceased Yakov Estrin who worked
at the Moscow Regional Chess
C lub. Gregory was known as a
capable, interesting chessplayer,
though at that time he had not
reaped any particular laurels outside
his own region. He did gain some
recognition when Garry Kasparov
carried out my idea of conducting a
GMA Best Game Contest; the fol­
lowing game swept away the first
prize.
152 Unforgettable Encounters

1 4 ... lL'lg4 1 5 i.xg4 i.xg4 1 6 f3 8 i.f4 'it'a5 9 i.d2 e6 10 lL'lf3 exd5

�xh2 17 fxg4 l:.xe3 1 8 i.f6 l:.h3 19 1 1 exd5 i.f5
l!f3 l:.xg3+ 20 'it>h1 gxf6 2 1 l:.xg3 In this kind of situation, where
i.xg3 22 lL'lf3 ir'd7 0-1 White replies to ... e6xd5 with
e4xd5, he usually does so with the
This miniature made a strong im­ aim of restricting his opponent's
pression on me. (I was one of the pieces. If Black plays passively,
members of the jury together with White gradually develops and is
Kasparov, Timman and others.) I prepared to trade some of his major
suspect that while playing the game pieces on the e-file; he then starts a
Taimanov underestimated his typical attack on the queenside with
opponent. a2-a3 and b2-b4. Here he gains a
Having arrived in the USA, Kai­ space advantage, and Black often
danov began winning one tourna­ finds himself in quite a difficult
ment after another. Many were endgame. If Black tries to launch a
taken by surprise: "He had been kingside offensive, White forms a
'suppressed' in the Soviet Union pawn fortress-f4, g4, h3-restrict­
and then he revealed his potential." ing the mobility of the opposing
There is no doubt that Kaidanov army. Sometimes in these variations
possesses professional qualities and White prepares f4-f5 and crosses the
a rich baggage of chess knowledge centre line on the kingside himself.
that he successfully "smuggled" into This strategy may be found in nu­
the USA. Now he transforms his ca­ merous games.
pabilities and higher chess educa­ For the moment, if White doesn't
tion into prize-winning perform­ react to the bishop manoeuvre
ances. ( l l ...i.f5), Black will comfortably
My first chance to compete with place a knight on e4. Then he will
my former countryman in the USA trade off a knight and get definite
occurred in the second round of the counterplay on the kingside.
tournament in Reno, Nevada. Old­ 1 2 lL'lh4
timers of American open tourna­ White's reaction is quite justified.
ments will not remember an occa­ However, the knight temporarily
sion when Grandmasters played one standing on the sidelines needs to be
another at the very start. Normally attended to.
for a few rounds they warm up 12 ... i.d7 13 'it'cl 'it>h7 14 0-0
against lower-rated players. Only 'i!Vd8
then-if their results measure up to White must keep his M-knight
their title--does the computerized constantly in mind: it should either
pairing program match them for a retreat or be protected. If it retreats,
duel. ... JH5 once again has to be reck­
oned with, followed by ...lL'le4.
50 King's Indian Defence [E74] 15 g3
G.Kaidanov White Now Black is able to finish his de­
E.Gufeld Black velopment in a natural manner. On
Reno, 1 995 d7 the bishop is depriving the knight
on b8 of its only suitable square. It
1 d4 lL'lf6 2 c4 g6 3 lL'lc3 i.g7 4 is not promising to develop the
e4 0-0 5 i.e2 d6 6 i.g5 c5 7 d5 h6 knight via a6.
 Unforgettable Encounters 1 53

15 .lii.h3 16 l:te1 l2Jbd7

.•. 24 i.e3 J:tac8 25 I:tad1
Black has solved his opening I always liked Kaidanov's skill in
problems. manoeuvring in the centre of the
board. Only a top-class GM is able
17 'ii'c 2 l:te8 18 .lii.fl .lii.xfl 19
l:txfl to build a reliable defence and at the
Virtually forced events begin to same time launch an offensive in the
unfold. Maybe White should prefer centre.
19 l:txe8+ and 20 Wxfl . But then 25 cxb3 26 'i!Vxb3 l:tc4! 27 ..td4
•••

again, if White had played that way l:tec8

and lost, an annotator would proba­ It is difficult to calculate varia­
bly have written that 19 l:txfl was tions in this position. I intuitively
the right choice. It is hard to guess. felt that I had compensation for the
The position is approximately equal, sacrificed pawn.
although at that moment I consid­ 28 b6! ?
ered it more favourable for Black. Kaidanov acutely realizes that
19 ... l2Je5 20 b3 'i!Vd7 Black's initiative has taken a dan­
The black queen prepares to infil­ gerous turn. He decides to give back
trate via the weakened light squares. the pawn in order to change the
21 Wg2 course of events, to slow his oppo­
nent down.
- � �- � � 28 ... axb6 29 l2Jb5 'i!Vd7 30 f4
fl. t �
B*B t E� For many moves, GMs use under­
• �11 � 1 �11 � .. standing and positional principles

� ���-11- rft�- '•. .�

.. /
more than hard analysis. But sooner
� or later, long and accurate calcula­
��WA����J � : �
u <!> u u � tions become necessary. Our game
� �
�
.. . . ..

� .u. �.r g
calls for this now.
�mJ
�
ft -�� .
�����
� - - - ··; � . . 30...l2Jeg4!
A critical moment. This knight's
� � � §� retreat is cut off. It has crossed the
centre-line to open up paths for the
Forced. The white king has to other black pieces to join in the at­
protect the light squares. tack. The tempting 30 ... 'i!Vh3?! was
2l...b5! probably too hasty because of the
This typical stroke emphasizes counter-sacrifice 3 1 fxe5 dxe5 32
Black's aggressive ambitions and .l:txf6! .lii.xf6 33 'iff3±.
should be regarded as a formal dec­ 31 l2Jf3
laration of war. The other move to be considered
22 cxb5 and calculated was 3 1 h3 . Then the
Or 22 l2Jxb5 l2Jxd5 23 l:tad1 l2Jc7 question for Black is how to sell the
with a good position. g4-knight for the best price. The
22 ifb7 23 Wg1 c4!
•.. first plan that came to mind was
23 . . .l2Jxd5?? would be wrong be­ 3 1 . . .l:tc2, but here things are not so
cause of 24 'i!Ve4. Black hopes to clear: 32 hxg4 'i!Vxg4 33 'ii'f3 'ii'h3
make use of the d3-square for his 34 l:tf2 l2Jg4 35 l:tg2 and Black can­
knight. Another idea is to open the not make further progess even
c-file for the rook now sitting idle though his pieces are all aggres­
on a8. sively placed. Instead, the sacrifice
154 Unforgettable Encounters

3 1 ...tt':le3 ! ! is effective: after 32 (a) 38 'ii'b4 with the following:

.txe3 (32 'iixe3 'iixb5 leaves Black (a 1 ) 38 . . .tt':lg4 39 tt':le4 .Uc2 40
with a positional advantage) �d2 il.c3 4 1 ii'xc3 �xc3 42 tt':lxc3
32 . . .'iix h3, White has serious prob­ 'iic 8 43 tt':le4 f5 44 d6 fxe4 45 d7
lems. At least, Kaidanov confirmed 'ir'd8 46 �c l +-.
after the game that he did not see (a2) 3 8 ...h4 39 tt':le4 'it'h3 40
how to defend that position. tt':lxc3 hxg3 41 'ifb2 .txc3 42
31...h5 'it'g2±.
I was getting worried about the (a3) 3 8 ...'ii'h3
fate of the g4-knight. The move (a3 1 ) 39 'it'e4 i.f8 ! 40 tt':lb7 (40
played intends ... ll'lg4-h6-f5, but tt':lxfl il.c5+ 4 1 �h1 tt':lf5 ! -+)
now the black king is exposed to a 40 ... h4 4 1 ii'g2 ii'd7+.
check. A better move may have (a32) 39 tt':le4 tt':lg4 (39 ... �c2 40
been 3 1 ...tt':le4, but I rejected it be­ �d2 ! i.c3 4 1 'iVxc3 �xc3 42
cause I emphasize to my students tt':lxc3±) 40 �e2 h4 4 1 tt':lxc3 hxg3
that in most cases the player who 42 �c l g2! .
has the initiative should not trade (a4) 38 ... �c2
pieces. (a41 ) 39 �e8+ �h7 40 ii'e4 �xa2
32 �fel tt':lh6 33 tt':lg5+ �g8 4 1 tt':lc4 ii'h3-+.
(a42) 39 ii'e4 'ii'c 7! (intending
.. .'�c5-f2) 40 'ilfe8+ (40 tt':le8 ii'c5+
4 1 'iVe3 'iic4! 42 tt':lxg7 tt':lg4!+)
40 ... �h7 4 1 tt':le4 tt':lg4 42 �e2 (42
tt':lg5+ �h6 43 tt':lxfl+ �h7=)
42 .. .'ili'c4! 43 �de l �h6! .
(a43) 3 9 tt':le4 �b2! 40 'i'c4 (40
'iVa3? ii'h3 4 1 �d2 .td4+ 42 �h l
�xd2 43 tt':lxd2 tt':lg4-+) 40 ...b5 4 1
'i'd3 'ii'a7+ 42 �hi tt':lg4 43 �d2 f5 !
44 �xb2 fxe4 45 'ii'b3 .txb2 46 d6+
�h7 47 'ii'xb2 (47 d7? 'iif2 ! )
4 7 ... 4Jf2+ 48 �g2 tt':ld3 4 9 ii'f6=.
In mutual time-trouble Kaidanov (b) 38 'ii'xb6 �c2 39 'ii'h 8+ .tf8
was probably trying to "muddy the 40 �e8 'iih3 4 1 �xf8+ rJ;;g7 42
water", hoping I might miscalculate tt':le8+ �xf8 43 'ii'd6+ �g8 44 tt':lf6+
some variation. However, I was re­ �g7 45 tt':le8+ �g8=
lying mostly on my intuition and it So 34 tt':le6 may be regarded as a
did not let me down. mistake. This risky knight move,
34 tt':le6?! against an opponent in severe time­
Also possible was 34 il.xf6!?, but pressure, suggested itself because
I did not give a lot of attention to the white queen and black king were
this move because in most cases a aligned on the a2-g8 diagonal. If the
bishop is stronger than a knight. diagonal opened, the d5-pawn
However, this move could have led would become dynamite.
to some complex tactics; 34 . . ..txf6 34 fxe6 35 dxe6 'ii'e7 36 i.xf6
.••

35 tt':le4 .tg7 ! ! (35 ... i.e7 36 i.xf6 37 tt':lxd6 �c3! 38 ftl

tt':lbxd6±) 36 tt':lbxd6 �c3 ! 37 tt':lxc3 38 tt':lxc8 'iVc5+ -+.
�xc3, and now: 38 �c2! 39 'iixb6
•••
 Unforgettable Encounters 1 55

Again 39 lZJxc8 1s met by 4 1 lZJe4 l:.xe6 42 lZJxf6+ 'ifxf6 43

39 . . .'ifc5+ -+ l:.d7+ lZJf7-+, or 4 1 lZJe8 'ifc5+ -+.
39 ... l:.8c6-+ 40 'ii'b8+ 'it>h7 41 f5 4l...gxf5 White resigned 0-1

A worthy opponent
There are chessplayers who are I was paired against Walter in the
not only fun to play with but simply last round of the 1 995 Los Angeles
a pleasure to meet. Six-times USA Open. I was a half a point ahead. If
champion Waiter Browne is just one he won, he would at least tie for
of this kind. Despite his seeming first. I would be satisfied with a
aggressiveness, sinister look and draw to make me eo-champion. This
ominous glance, he is a kind, was my third encounter with
decent, interesting man. Browne over the 64 squares.
What a sight it is to watch him
play a game! I have happened to see 5 1 King's Indian Defence [E97]
him not only at the chessboard but W.Browne White
while he was playing poker. When E.Gufeld Black
engaged in a chess duel Waiter Los Angeles, 1 995
abruptly moves pieces, jerkily
presses the clock, then grabs his 1 d4 lZJf6 2 c4 g6 3 lZJc3 i.g7 4
head as if he is about to lose it ... e4 0-0
From time to time h e scorchingly I expected that 5 e5 would follow
glances at his opponent. You would now, and we would immediately be­
think he had no energy left for gin hand-to-hand combat. Black
thinking. But not at all--cool, accu­ would retreat with 5 ... lZJe8 and then
rate calculations dominate an out­ organize a traditional break in the
wardly hot-tempered individual. centre. Indeed White's reply was
Walter Browne is absolutely in­ made instantly, but it was not 5 e5.
fatuated with chess. He promotes 5 i.e2 d6 6 lZJf3 e5 7 0-0 lZJc6 8
his favourite game by publishing d5 lZJe7 9 lZJd2 c5
Blitz magazine from Berkeley, Cali­ A well-known theoretical posi­
fornia, though one can hardly say tion. 9 lZJd2 has recently been popu­
anything about the profitability of lar; White seeks the initiative on the
this publication. At the same time, queenside. In reply, 9 ... aS has often
Browne is one of the strongest tour­ been played since Kasparov adopted
nament backgammon, scrabble and it. In the number of his imitators,
poker players in the USA. His style Kasparov resembles the famous
of playing poker resembles his designer Versace. I hate to imitate
chess. He may instantly make up his anyone-that is why I prefer 9 ... c5,
mind and make a bet. Sometimes it which I consider to be no worse
seems to his poker as well as his than the fashionable move.
chess opponents that he is bluffing, 10 l:.b1 lZJd7
but there is no element of bluff This move forced White into
there. You are facing a worthy deep, lengthy thought. After the
opponent, a colleague who subtly game Browne told me that he had
understands the game. seen the move before, but was
15 6 Unforgettable Encounters

trying to recall what the important diagonal. Black would

Encyclopedia of Chess Openings then be in good shape.
recommended. 17 exd4
••.

l l lLlb5 lLlb8!? Browne thought 1 7 ... a5? !

Browne said that ECO recom­ stronger, but I didn't agree. He was
mended 1 l ...ifb6. Frankly I was not considering the continuation 1 8
aware of that recommendation, but lLlc6 'it'd7, when indeed White
in any case it would not occur to me might not have enough for the
to place my queen opposite the rook pawn. I considered instead the tradi­
on b 1 . I dare say experts would treat tional recipe 1 8 lLle6 Sl.xe6 1 9 dxe6,
this theoretical novelty l l ...lLlb8 as with the bishop-pair and possession
a paradox: the knight from b8 has of d5. Such positions do not appeal
been transferred to e7 and will later to me. Now a forced sequence of
go to g8, while the knight from g8 moves follows.
has journeyed to b8. The knights 18 l:txb4 fxe4 19 fxe4 l:txfl+ 20
"work in mysterious ways". The Sl.xfl Sl.d7!
course of the game will show that The white knight on b5 is in my
the knights' perambulations deserve way. It entered my territory without
some recognition; they are not a invitation. It must now retreat or it
waste of time. By moving to d7, the will be destroyed.
king's knight liberated the f-pawn. 2 1 lLlxd4
By going to a6, it will keep control Not 2 1 lLlxd6 Sl.e5 ! .
of the crucial square c5. Meanwhile 2 l ...'it'c7
the position of White's knight on b5 Development needs to be
interferes with his operations in the completed.
b-file. 22 Sl.e3 l:te8
12 a3 fS 13 b4 lLla6 14 lLlb3 b6 Black has problems in his camp,
15 f3 i.e. the poor placement of the knight
This move seems inaccurate to on e7. He now threatens ...lLle7-f5
me; White should have opened the to bring about its exchange. White
b-file. After 1 5 bxc5 lLlxc5 1 6 lLlxc5 must prevent this.
bxc5 1 7 f3 a complicated position 23 'ii'd2 �h8
arises that is very hard to weigh on The king himself starts to show
the scales. I like it for Black, but concern for the refugee knight, step­
others would prefer to take the ping aside to provide a comfortable
White side. I believe Black's posi­ -albeit temporary-residence on
tion is good enough for creating g8. From here, the knight will enter
kingside counterplay. the decisive battle.
15 cxb4!
..• 24 lLlf3!
A forthright solution. The battle The Grandmaster from San Fran­
commences. cisco realizes it will take time to
16 axb4 lLlxb4 1 7 lLl3d4 breathe new life into the black
Waiter presumably convinced knight. The best thing White can do
himself that 1 7 Sl.a3 a5 1 8 'ii'd2 Sl.a6 is increase the activity of his own
1 9 Sl.xb4 axb4 20 'ii'xb4 Sl.xb5 2 1 pieces.
'ii'xb5 Sl.h6 was dangerous for 24 lLlg8
..•

White, as the black bishop breaks If Black manages to post his

out to freedom and seizes a very knight on f6, his position will
 Unforgettable Encounters 1 5 7

become far more optimistic. Browne i.. g5 ! . Black should then probably
_
doesn't want to give me any trade queens with 30 ... 'Wxd2 3 1
chances. tL!xd2 e4, after which his position
seems preferable.
30 e4 31 tL!el ii'xd2 32 i.. xd2 e3
•.•

33 i.. c3 e2 34 i..xe2 .l:.xe2 35 tt::lf3

tt::ld S! 36 .l:.a8+ .l:.e8 37 i.. xg7+
�xg7 38 .l:.a7

25 eS!
An original pawn sacrifice. Tak­
ing advantage of the fact that Black,
essentially, has not yet finished his
development, White launches an
attack.
25...dxe5 26 d6 ii'c6 27 c5 38 ... tt::l f6?
Perfectly correct strategy. In case Here I committed an error. Hav­
of 27 tLig5 tL!f6 28 c5 bxc5 29 l:th4 ing won a piece I failed to find the
lH8, White's hasty flank offensive strongest continuation, which
would be repelled. The actions Wai­ emerged only during the post­
ter undertakes in the centre seemed mortem analysis: 38 ....l:.d8 39 tt::le5
more dangerous for me. tLib6! 40 .l:.b7 �f6 with an easy win.
27 ...tL!f6! At times, like here, attack is the best
Probably the only move; other­ defence. However, the move I
wise I might have fallen under a played still preserves Black's ad­
strong attack. Returning the Greek vantage. It has recently been con­
gift of a pawn, I complete the devel­ cluded that the endgame with king,
opment of my pieces. rook and two minor pieces against
28 cxb6 axb6 29 l:hb6 't'i'd5! king, rook and one minor piece is
Centralization; in essence, this winning most of the time. In most
move was the only one. Short of cases, success comes from creating
time, my opponent now goes wrong. an attack on the king. This game
30 .l:.a6? may be of interest to those who
Were there any other possibili­ study positions with such a correla­
ties? During the game I was consid­ tion of forces. It is difficult to give
ering 30 ii'c2, and after 30 ... .l:.c8 I any variations-to defend such a
discovered an interesting queen sac­ position is extremely challenging,
rifice: 3 1 ii'xc8+ i..x c8 32 .l:.b8. and maybe only computers are
However, Black holds with 32 . . . equal to it.
�c6 33 tL!xe5 'i'i'e8-+. Browne' s 39 g4 gS 40 h4!
best move in the position may be 3 0 Not 40 tt::lxg5 �g6-+.
158 Unforgettable Encounters

40 h6 4 1 hxg5 hxg5 42 ti:\xg5

•.• the possibilities, but he came to the
conclusion that most of the positions
l:te3 43 'it>f2 ti:\xg4+ 44 'it>fl ti:Jf6 45
could practically be won. My own
'it>f2 l:te5 46 ti:Jf3 l:td5 47 l:ta6 'it>f7
48 'it>e3 practice confirms this: I have always
Theoretically a won game for won for the stronger side and lost
Black, if we play active chess. for the weaker side. In particular I
48 .tr5 49 ttJd4 ti:\g4+ 50 ..t>r4
..• remember a disappointing loss to
the Swedish GM Ulf Anderson
.tc8 51 l:ta7+ 'it>f6 52 'it>e4 l:txd6 53
llc7 .td7 54 l:tcl na6 55 'it>d5 (Cuba, 1 974). I made the high score
of eleven out of fifteen, but still
ti:Je3+ 56 'it>c5 l:ta8 57 l:tel ti:Jf5 58
ti:Jxf5 .txf5 yielded first place to Andersson by
half a point. This was because I lost
to him from a position which at first
was better, then was drawn, and
finally reduced to rook against rook
and bishop. I have every reason to
disbelieve an analyst who says,
"Yes, this is a draw ... " Nothing of
the kind!
59 l:tfl 'it>e5 60 l:tel+ .te4 61
'it>b6 l:tc8 62 ne2 :cl 63 l:te3 'it>d4
64 l:te2 nbl + 65 �c7 'it>e5 66 .l:td2
l:tb7+ 67 'it>c8?
In my opinion the white king
Chess is an amazingly profound went in the wrong direction. · He
game. Although it seems to be thor­ should have played 67 �d8, intend­
oughly studied, there are still plenty ing 'it>e8-f8. When the attacker has a
of grey areas. I don't know who can white-squared bishop, the position is
say for sure whether this position is considered drawn if the defender
a win or a draw. Many years ago my has his king on f8 and controls f7
friend and colleague, GM Efim with his rook.
Geller, worked for a year and a half 67 .. J�h7 68 'it>b8 .td5 69 l:tdl
to publish analysis of the endgame 'it>d6 70 l:td2 l:tb7+ 71 �c8 l:tbl 72
with rook and bishop against rook. l:td4 l:thl 73 'it>b8 l:th8+ 74 'it>a7
It proved impossible to disclose all 'it>c5 0-1

Co-champion of America
This was the first time in my life The mere sound of "Las Vegas"
that I had competed in a tournament brings smiles to many faces. "Oh,
for seniors only. Although the ad­ that's a place where you can get
mission age for the World Senior rich!" Indeed, gambling (politely re­
Championships is 60 years, in the ferred to as "gaming") reigns su­
USA one becomes a senior at 50. preme there, and the attraction or
The state of Nevada hosted the US entertainment starts at the very bor­
Senior Open and I headed from Los der of the state. It has been esti­
Angeles to Las Vegas. mated that every car crossing the
 Unforgettable Encounters 1 59

border into Nevada brings on its less, so our pairing was a foregone
wheels a thousand dollars to the conclusion.
state' s treasury. Fancy but inexpen­ Balinas was an interesting and tal­
sive hotels, incredibly cheap food ... ented chessplayer. He somehow re­
I will not dwell too much on Las minds me of my close friend from
Vegas, where at any hotel, 24 hours Tbilisi, GM Buhuti Gurgenidze. He
a day, people voluntarily give away too plays in an original, "eccentric"
their dollars. They leave their manner. Gurgenidze has had many
money in casinos on the craps and students but none of them adopted
blackjack tables and in slot­ his peculiar style.
machines. The latter will even try
your luck for 5 cents, but even nick­ 52 Ruy Lopez [C70]
els earn good fortunes for the own­ E.Gufeld White
ers. Well, there are, of course, the R.Balinas Black
lucky ones! USA Senior Championship,
About 70 seniors between 50 and Las Vegas 1 995
87 years old took part in the tourna­
ment. Here I met, in particular, my 1 e4 eS 2 tt:lf3 tt:lc6 3 .tbS a6 4
old friend GM Arnold Denker from .ta4 .tcs S 0-0 bS 6 .tb3 d6 7 c3
Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Half a .tg4?!
century ago he had headed the USA I prefer 7 ...tt:lf6.
team and played Mikhail Botvinnik 8 .tdS! 'ifd7
in the radio match against the Soviet Not 8 ... tt:lge7?? 9 .txf7+! +-.
Union. He still demonstrated out­ 9 .txc6!
standing form. Among the partici­ 9 d4! ? is also possible. It leads to
pants were grandmasters Arthur complicated play. Black probably
Bisguier (USA) and Rosendo Bali­ does not have much after 9 ... exd4
nas (Philippines), who had gained 1 0 cxd4 tt:lxd4? 1 1 .txa8 .txf3 1 2
his title almost two decades earlier gxf3 'ilfh3 1 3 e5.
in Odessa, USSR. How many other 9 ...'ifxc6 10 lLlxeS dxeS
foreign participants can you remem­ 1 0 ....txd1 ? 1 1 tt:lxc6 .te2 1 2 l:te 1
ber winning first prizes in Soviet .td3 1 3 tt:lb4± leaves Black without
tournaments? The posters publiciz­ sufficient compensation for the
ing that competition included the pawn.
name of Victor Korchnoi, but a few 1 1 'ii'xg4 lLlf6 12 'ii'g3!
days before the tournament he had The best choice; the exceptional
defected in Holland, and local or­ tactical talent of the GM from the
ganizers were hastily painting over Philippines begins to show, and
his name everywhere. Rain came White must be totally alert. A ·care­
and restored it, giving the posters a less 1 2 fixg7?? would have
bizarre appearance. By scoring 1 0 promptly sent me to the casino after
points out o f 1 4 in Odessa, Balinas 1 2 ... l:tg8 1 3 'ifh6 l:txg2+! 1 4 �xg2
won the tournament and the GM ti­ 'ii'xe4+ -+. In my view, 1 2 'ii'e 2 is
tle! Having missed our chance to also good for Black; after 1 2 ...'ii'xe4
play in the Ukraine, we were des­ 1 3 'ifxe4 tt:lxe4 14 d4, White has to
tined to meet in Las Vegas. After reckon with 1 4 ...exd4 1 5 l:te1 f5 1 6
three rounds I was tied with f3 dxc3+ +.
Rosendo with 3 points; the rest had 12 ...'ifxe4 13 d4
1 60 Unforgettable Encounters

The black king remains in the 18 .. .'ikxe3 19 fxe3 l:tg4 20 4Jf3

centre, so it is understandable that l:tag8!? 2 1 l:tf2
White wants to start an offensive. Rosendo plays ingeniously, creat­
13 ...St.d6 ing dangerous traps. If White cap­
I also had to examine 1 3 ... exd4 1 4 tures the bishop with 2 1 ltJxe5?,
'ikxc7 St.a7 1 5 liJd2 'ike6 1 6 4Jf3. there follows: 2 l ...l:txg2+ 22 �h1
Black may then hang on to his pawn 4Je4 (with the idea 23 ...l:tg 1+ 24
with 1 6 ... dxc3 1 7 l:te1 ltJe4 1 8 liJg5 l:txg 1 4Jf2 mate) 23 4Jd3 c5 ! 24 h3
St.xf2+ 19 �fl± (not 19 �h 1 ?? c4 25 4Jf4 liJf2+ 26 l:txf2 l:txf2 27
ltJg3+ -+), or sacrifice it, retaining b3 l:tfl + 28 �h2 'itd7 (threatening
control of the blockading square d5 . . .l:tgg 1 -+) and Black is in good
after 16 ... 0-0 1 7 cxd4±. Although shape.
the positions in these variations are 21...�e6 22 St.d2 ltJe4 23 l:te2 c5
incredibly complex, they still favour 24 St.e1 f6 25 l:td1
White. That is why Ba1inas prefers a 25 a4?! looks attractive, but Black
bird in hand to two in the bush. has 25 ... 4Jd6 26 axb5 axb5 intend-
14 liJd2 'ike2! 15 'ii'x g7! ing ... l:ta4! ?.
An uncompromising move. Evi­ 25 ... St.c7 26 l:td3 c4?!
dently the only right solution in this Black yields control of the
position is to fight for the initiative. d4-square. However, even after
15 ... �e7 16 dxe5 St.xe5 17 'ii'g5! 26 ... St.b6 27 c4 ! ? bxc4 28 l:ta3 l:ta8
If White succeeds in placing his 29 l:tc2 White is better. Now events
knight on f3, Black's temporary ini­ proceed apace.
tiative will peter out. 27 l:td4! f5
17 ...l:thg8 27 ... St.b6? would be countered by

li ��� �� 1 - 1 28 h3+-.

�
28 l:td1± St.b6 29 liJd4+ St.xd4 30
exd4 �d5 31 St.d2 f4 32 l:tfl+­

r.-•,� .,rs�.� - -�. ltJg5 33 �hl 4Je6

' �---�.
�-�--
..... On 33 ... f3, White wins with 34
l:te5+ �d6 35 g3+-.
34 h3+- l:th4 35 l:tef2 l:tf8 36

� �Jj • •
%"� � �
�h2 l:tf6 37 l:te1 l:tf5 38 l:tfe2 l:th6
39 l:te5+ l:txe5 40 l:txe5+ �d6 41

�-- - -'�� · -�-l�ff�r·- '

4), �
� ���� 4), �� l:tf5 l:th4 42 d5 ltJg7 43 St.xf4+ �c5
�ill k.r �ill �ill
.,u. e .,u.
44 d6+ 4Jxf5 45 d7 l:txf4 46 d8='ii'
4Jd6 47 Wg5+ l:tf5 48 'ike3+ �d5
18 'ike3!? 49 'ii'a7 l:te5 50 Wxa6 l:te2 51
The strongest move would have 'ilfa8+ �e5 52 b3 1-0
been 1 8 'ii'f5 ! . However, during the
game I did not see that after In the final round I was paired
1 8 . . . St.xh2+? 1 9 �xh2 l:txg2+ 20 against the veteran Amold Denker.
�xg2 l:tg8+ 2 1 �h 1 (2 1 �h3? l:tg6) The opening went my way. I equal­
2 l .. .l:tg4 (2 l ...l:tg6?! 22 Wh3 !) ized quite quickly and gradually
White can untie the Gordian knot started gaining the initiative, but at
with 22 b3 ! ! . Then if Black pro­ one point my indecision allowed
ceeds 22 ...l:th4+ 23 �g2 l:tg4+ 24 Denker to reduce to a roughly equal
�h3 b4, White has 25 St.a3 ! ! +-. ending.
 Unforgettable Encounters 1 61

Although a generation younger demarcation line at the wrong mo­

than the former leader of American ment, and a theoretically drawn po­
chessplayers, in this game I got sition arose where king and bishop
more tired. Denker was playing with (! !) successfully fought against
inspiration, finding very strong much superior forces!
moves and and confirming to me Thus in my first senior tourna­
what a great player he is and how ment I scored 4 lh points out of 5
deeply he understood chess. Eventu­ and became eo-champion of the
ally my opponent dominated the po­ USA. Overwhelmed with joy, I
sition, and I had to put up a most shared my booty (in the style of
difficult defence. Janowski) with the treasury of Las
The endgame was similar to the Vegas.
one I had reached after blundering During the tournament Denker
in a drawn position against the great once remarked, with his characteris­
Mikhail Tal in the match Georgia­ tic sense of humour: "How can they
Latvia, Yurmala 1 977. There was an put all the seniors together in one
unusual balance of forces: White section? Some have just turned fifty,
had king, rook and h-pawn, I had others are enjoying their ninth dec­
king and a light-squared bishop. Tal ade!" He himself was one of the
was in a hurry for the next round, oldest.
and the position was adjudicated. At At the closing ceremony I sug­
that time I was not acquainted with gested running the tournament with
such endings. Its analysis was pub­ several age divisions: "cadets" un­
lished and I lost the game. der 65, "juniors" under 80, and
Experience in such matters is of "seniors" above 80 ... My proposal
prime importance. Endings of this was warmly received. Shortly after­
kind have one notable feature. wards I turned 60 myself, and re­
Denker either didn't know it or ceived an official invitation to play
forgot it-his pawn crossed the in the Seniors' World Open.

Postscript: Alexander Matrosov

Every generation has its idols. In We were still little at the time of the
the early years of Soviet power, German invasion. However each
many young people admired the one of us could tell of our own
heroes of the revolution: Chapayev, heroes. No wonder the majority of
Shehors, Kotovsky ... Modern youth them were the people who had
has a different scale of values, al­ defended the country and had been
though all idols of the past, present ready to sacrifice their lives for it.
and future have one common fea­ After the war we watched numerous
ture: they represent models for imi­ films depicting the heroism of So­
tation. The catch-phrase "a hero of viet soldiers on the battlefields. We
our time" means that people try to learned of the brave men who had
follow their idols. committed fantastic exploits that
My generation did not have a considerably exceeded the limits of
chance to fight for the Motherland. common notions of life and death.
1 62 Unforgettable Encounters

For some reason the heroic deed die, I just felt curious. The pilot in
of the young Russian Alexander head-piece and goggles leaned over
Matrosov became most deeply im­ and was smiling while pouring bul­
printed in my mind. When I was lets on the train.
still making my first steps in school Here my grandma performed a
I distinctly memorized a phrase feat like the later one of Matrosov.
from the English Language School She pushed me into the top layers of
textbook: "Alexander Matrosov's grain, covered me with pillows and
regiment was attacking the village other stuff that happened to be
of Chernushki." As you may know, around, and shielded me with her
Matrosov died during that fight after body.
covering the enemy's machine-gun When later on I learned of Matro­
post with his own body. Thus he sov's feat, I had a vision of that
paved way for the offensive and situation and the German's face in
saved the lives of his fellow­ the aeroplane. I doubt if his com­
soldiers. mand had given him orders to shoot
Even then I had a feeling that dur­ at unarmed refugees after the bomb­
ing the war many parents had to ing raid. When a war is raging one
cover their children with their bod­ should not see evil from one side
ies without thinking of heroism. I only. It is likely that the pilot had a
recall how we were being evacuated mother or maybe a grandmother
from Kiev. There was no transporta­ who would have done the same as
tion for refugees. The families of my grandma did under the
servicemen were on the priority list. circumstances.
As the German troops approached, Why am I telling this? So many
we were given a last chance to leave years have passed, but I cannot for­
the capital of the Ukraine. We had get the image of the hero covering
to board a railway freight car that the deadly weapon with his body.
was carrying grain. The car was al­ Chess became my profession. I was
most fully loaded, and we were not destined to repeat Matrosov's
forced to travel on top of the grain. I exploit in real life. However, I man­
have a clear picture of it in my aged to realize it twice on the chess­
mind: our train was naturally mov­ board-and no one died.
ing without armed protection. When I demonstrate my game
Then an enemy warplane ap­ with Espig (number 40), I always
peared above. The pilot had proba­ pause in the position before 25· l:tf5,
bly fulfilled his mission by bombing and tell the story of Alexander
some targets, and was returning to Matrosov.
his airbase. He was flying right In that position Black has an extra
above the train, in full view. There piece, and if he can reinforce his
were no jet aircraft at the time-the kingside with i..e4-g6, White may
speed of flight was relatively low, as well surrender. How is White to
and he was in no risk of being prevent this? At this point, a chess
thrown out of his cockpit. Having Matrosov (l:tfS ! !) dashes forward to
no opportunity to bomb the train, intercept the bishop.
the pilot was shooting from his Average chessplayers find it prac­
machine-guns at the unarmed refu­ tically impossible to find this move
gees. I did not realize that I might until I have told my story. Then,
 Unforgettable Encounters 163

even low-rated players immediately The editor suggested I should

try to put some piece on f5 . They write some articles for his maga­
usually start with the knight, but I zine. I told him the story of Matro­
show them why that doesn't work sov and showed him my game with
(25 lL'lf5 exf5 26 'ilfh6 lL'le6 27 il..xe7 Espig. He was so impressed with the
:xc2 28 il..f6 :xg2 -+). Then they game that he immediately published
find the rook move which leads to a it, using all my images and the story
draw. of Matrosov. Of course, the people
In my game with Bonsch (number of New Zealand had not come
36), the sacrificial role of Matrosov across that name. It was quite un­
was performed by the black queen. usual for the story of a Russian sol­
On move 2 1 , White opened fire on dier to be told in a remote country,
the queen with lL'ld2-c4. Should the especially in the language of chess.
queen retreat and give White a On returning to Tbilisi, I told the
chance to rake the Black position story to a friend of mine who had
with concentrated fire? Never! earlier defended his doctoral thesis
Following Matrosov's exploit, the on the theory of propaganda. In es­
queen itself moved foward to cover sence my lecture in New Zealand
the embrasure and silence the might have been construed as a
machine-gun: 2 1 . 'ii'd3! . I explain
.. propaganda scenario of Soviet sol­
that it took me an hour to figure out diers' courage during World War Il.
this move. I asked my friend:
God forbid me to call for any "What would happen if you went
revenge against Germans, although to another country and began talk­
you may agree that this is a surpris­ ing about the heroism of our sol­
ing coincidence: both of my oppo­ diers, thus proving the advantages
nents were Germans, nice guys by of the Soviet way of life?"
the way. He answered: "They would order
I once happened to play in a tour­ me to leave the country within
nament in New Zealand. As usual, I twenty-four hours, which would be
gave lectures; I toured both of the quite fair."
country's islands. In Wellington I "Well, there you are," I said.
met one of the top officials of the "Through chess, you can achieve
New Zealand Chess Federation, effects that are out of reach of any
who also worked as editor of a chess propaganda expert."
magazine. Although he worked Incidentally, here is one of the an­
without pay on this job, the publica­ cient Indian legends about the origin
tion was of good quality. He was of chess. The wife of a restless rajah
also the chief of the city police, and was fed up with eternal wars, so
had been knighted for flying to Ant­ with the aid of her retinue she in­
arctica as a member of a special vented such an exciting game that
commission searching for an aero­ her husband forgot everything else,
plane with tourists that had crashed and solid peace was established in
close to the South Pole. those parts. That game was chess.
 Part Five: Theoretical
Controversies

Star-Gazing
The Dragon Variation of the Sicil­ Morphy, he tried to find some other
ian Defence is over 1 00 years old. weapon in his favourite Sicilian. So,
This system has been used and ana­ in his game against Steinitz, in the
lysed by many outstanding chess famous London tournament of
masters. No wonder! It is a unique 1 862, Paulsen played 1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3
system abounding in brilliant ideas g6! . It's the idea rather than the
and combinations. And if I consider move that deserves an exclamation
the King's Indian as my "first love," mark. The idea happened to be very
I think that the "Dragon" claims my fruitful: without weakening the cen­
strongest and never-ending tral squares, Black piles up pressure
affections! on the e5 and d4 squares, as well as
The Dragon is characterized by on the whole queenside. Besides,
the flank development of Black's the position assumes a closed char­
king bishop. In the middle of the acter, and "hussar" attacks, which
1 9th century, this plan was revolu­ were in vogue at that time, are no
tionary. At that time open games good here. The young Steinitz was
predominated. Closed and semi­ naive: 3 lDc3 .tg7 4 .tc4, and later
open games were played (if at all!) Black's queenside counter-attack
in accordance with the principles of turned out to be more effective than
open games: rapid mobilization of White's aggression on the kingside.
the pieces with a view to attacking Thus an idea was born which at­
the enemy king. Therefore, as far as tracted the attention of the chess
the Sicilian is concerned, the most world.
popular plans involved the develop­ Two years later the idea was ana­
ment of the king bishop on the a3-f8 lysed by Johann Lowenthal. He
diagonal. For example: 1 e4 c5 2 pointed out the following possibil­
lbf3 lbc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 lDf6 5 ity: 3 d4! cxd4 4 'ii'xd4 lDf6 5 e5
lDc3 e6 and ... .tb4 (Sicilian At­ lbc6 6 'ii'h4 lDxe5 7 lDxe5 'ili'a5+ 8
tack), or 1 e4 c5 2 liJf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 lDc3 'ili'xe5+ 9 .te2. Can White's
4 lDxd4 .tc5 (Morphy-Paulsen, initiative serve as sufficient com­
match 1 857). Paulsen constantly pensation for the sacrificed pawn?
employed this variation when play­ At that time, the position was as­
ing with Black. Then, possibly sessed in White's favour (quite in
owing to his failures with it against the spirit of the epoch !). It seems
 Theoretical Controversies 1 65

that Paulsen agreed with this judge­ 4Jh6 9 lL"Ic3 lL"Ifl 1 0 �e3 �g7 1 1
ment because later on he seldom llad1 0-0 1 2 'ti'd2 f5 1 3 exf5 gxf5
fianchettoed the bishop, preferring 1 4 �d4 d5 1 5 �xg7 �xg7 1 6 �e2
the system with ... e7-e6 and ... a7-a6. e5 Black's pawns crushed the en­
In the game Schallopp-Paulsen emy defence. Later it was found that
(Wiesbaden 1 880), Black employed 6 ...4Jf6! was even stronger. So
the fianchetto only after White had Black had nothing to fear on the
chosen a closed set-up. Paulsen a 1 -h8 diagonal.
demonstrated the classical method The first serious trial for the
of development: 1 e4 c5 2 lL"Ic3 lL"Ic6 Dragon came about in 1 887 during
3 g3 g6! 4 �g2 �g7 5 lL"Ige2 e6 6 the 5th Congress of the German
d3 lL"Ige7 7 �e3 lL"Id4! . Against the Chess Union. A number of games
Closed System the king' s fianchetto were played with the same varia­
became acknowledged as an excel­ tion: 1 e4 c5 2 4Jf3 lL"Ic6 3 d4 cxd4
lent method. Its suitability against 4 lL"Ixd4 g6 5 lL"Ic3 �g7 6 �e3 d6.
White's d2-d4, however, remained After 7 �b5 �d7 8 0-0 4Jf6 White
an open question. Since the 1 880s a failed to achieve anything. Macken­
fierce struggle began between zie against Paulsen continued cau­
"dragonists" and "anti-dragonists." tiously with 9 h3 0-0 1 0 4Jde2
The struggle is going on even today

One of the most widespread re­

sources in opening play is the
choice of move order. By resorting
to various tricks, changing the move
order, both sides try to get advanta­
geous positions. The first blow
against the Dragon was inflicted on
the a 1 -h8 diagonal . Hence Black
found the new move order 1 e4 c5 2
4Jf3 lL"Ic6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lL"Ixd4 g6! For
decades this method was popular,
but in the 1 930s it underwent a seri­ 1 0 ... a6 1 1 �d3. However, after
ous crisis--only to be resuscitated 1 1 ...lL"Ie5 1 2 f4 lL"Ixd3 1 3 cxd3 b5
in the 40s. One hundred years ago Black obtained excellent chances.
this transposition of moves was em­ Gunsberg-Gottschall varied with
ployed with one aim: to avoid the 7 �e2 �d7 8 0-0 lL"If6 9 f4 0-0 1 0
"formidable" 'ti'xd4 capture. It was 'ti'd2 llc8 1 1 llad1 lL"Ig4 1 2 �xg4
noticed that after 5 lL"Ixc6 bxc6 6 �xg4 1 3 llde 1 �d7 1 4 lL"Ide2 �e8
'ti'd4 f6 White had difficulties fight­ 1 5 llf3 'ti'd7 1 6 llefl b5 1 7 b3 'ti'b7
ing against Black's powerful pawn 1 8 llh3 b4 1 9 lL"Id5 e6 20 f5 ! exd5
centre. White's attempts to capital­ 2 1 f6 �h8 22 �d4 �d7 23 llh4 h5
ize on his slight advantage in devel­ 24 llxh5 ! �g4 25 llxh8+! , and
opment brought him nothing but White mated his opponent.
disappointments. For example, at However, Black made some serious
Hastings in 1 895, Schlechter tried to mistakes in the middlegame. For
prove White's superiority against instance, instead of the passive
Lasker; but after 7 �c4 e6 8 0-0 14 ...�e8? he should have played
1 66 Theoretical Controversies

14 . . .b5 with active counterplay. It was noticed that after 1 e4 c5 2 lt:Jf3

soon became clear that a direct at­ lt:Jc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lt:Jxd4 g6 5 lt:Jc3
tack on Black's fortifications is fu­ i..g7 6 i..e3 Black could play (in­
tile. Black's counterplay is based on stead of 6 ... d6) 6 ...lt:Jf6 7 i..e2 0-0 8
. . . a7-a6 and ...b7-b5 in conjunction 0-0 d5! ! .

E�J.� �S'II�
with ... lt:Jc6-e5-c4 (or ... lt:Jc6-a5-c4 ).
In search of more efficient weap­
ons against the Dragon, White re­ � t R �� t rl t
� � Bt�
��� �
sorted to new, positional man­
X . . . .•
oeuvres. Let's return to the
Gunsberg-Gottschall game. � RtR R
� �·g
R �.R
ft R �X

�
���if·��ft1 ��ft1
� ��� §W
Black now gains absolute freedom
at the same time as frustrating
White's attacking plans. In the game
Tarrasch-Lipke (Vienna 1 898)
Black obtained excellent chances
after 9 exd5 lt:Jxd5 1 0 lt:Jxd5 'ii'xd5
Position after JO. . . 'l:.cB 1 1 .tf3 'ifc4 1 2 lt:Jxc6 bxc6 1 3 c3
i.. e 6. Later Tarrasch suggested 8 f4
Instead of the straightforward 1 1 (instead of 8 0-0) so as to counter
l%ad l , another plan was proposed: 8 . ..d5 with 9 e5. But Black found an
1 1 h3 a6 1 2 i.. f3 b5 1 3 ll'lb3. The interesting possibility: 8 ...d6 9 0-0
idea becomes clear if we consider 'it'b6 ! .
what occurred in a game Marco­ I n response to this line, White
Weiss ( 1 895): 1 3 . . .'ilic7 14 lt:Jd5 ! ! . adopted a new continuation: 8 lt:Jb3
What should Black do now? He d6 9 0-0. But that was not all. In the
cannot tolerate the knight on d5 for game Marco-Mar6czy (Monte
long. If he tries to drive it away with Carlo, 1903) the famous Hungarian
. . . e7-e6, his d6-pawn will be too GM found a neat idea: 9 ... .te6!
weak. The game continued: (threatening ... d6-d5).

�
14 . . .lt:Jxd5 1 5 exd5 lt:Jd8 1 6 c3 and
-� �-*�
� ;·· ���1�1] ;
1 7 'l:..fe 1 and White got the
advantage.

����J."· t ��
-

Many years later Akiba Rubin­

stein and Mikhail Botvinnik demon­ � " "''

strated how such positions should be

handled. But as we see, the idea of
� - - ·
R R ft R R
4J� U R
lt:Jc3-d5 had been employed long
before! At the close of the 1 9th cen­
tury Black was faced with the prob­ '���
��/�'�
.�d:!!.
� -;.���� '���
�
.ll. �----� .ll. � . �- ---� .ll. �. ...�
lem of countering this idea. An
antidote was found quite soon. It � ��� § W
 Theoretical Controversies 1 67

Marco warded off this threat by Mar6czy' s system posed new

10 f4, but after lO ... ltJa5! Black ob­ problems for Black. At first, Black
tained counterplay on the queenside, tried to hinder c2-c4. After 1 e4 c5 2
keeping White's knight away from ltJ£3 ltJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 he
d5. This plan was popular then and played 4 ...ltJf6, inducing 5 ltJc3, and
was still being analysed 50 years only then 5 ... g6. But White immedi­
later. ately found an antidote. This is how
However, a very significant point the game Leonhardt-Tartakower
about this variation was made by continued (Carlsbad 1 907, 2nd bril­
Mar6czy. He showed that after 1 e4 liancy prize): 6 ltJxc6 bxc6 7 e5
c5 2 ltJ£3 ltJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 g6 ltJg8 8 'iVf3 i..g7 9 ..tc4 e6 10 ..tf4
White has the very strong 5 c4! , in­ 'iVc7 1 1 0-0! ..txe5 1 2 ltJb5 'iVb8 1 3
troducing the "Mar6czy Bind"-the ..txe5 'iVxe5 1 4 l:.ad 1 d5 1 5 l:.fe 1
most radical way of seizing the 'i!Vb8 1 6 .Jlxd5! cxd5 1 7 'iVxd5 ..tb7
d5-square! After 5 ... ..tg7 6 i.. e3 1 8 ltJd6+ 'iit;f8 1 9 'iVe5 ..td5 20
ltJf6 7 ltJc3 d6 8 ..te2 0-0 9 0-0 .Jld7 'iVxh8 'iVxd6 2 1 c4 and White won.
White can play 10 f3 followed by Mar6czy's Attack was a serious
ltJc3-d5. Weaker is 1 0 h3 ltJxd4 1 1 blow to the Dragon. But in 1 920 an­
.Jlxd4 .Jlc6 1 2 'iVd3 ltJd7 1 3 .Jlxg7 other Hungarian master, G.Breyer,
rj;xg7 14 b4 b6 1 5 !Ud l a5 ! found interesting counterplay: 1 e4
(Swiderski-Mar6czy, Monte Carlo c5 2 ltJ£3 ltJc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 g6
1904), and Black eased his defence 5 c4 ..tg7 6 .Jle3 ltJf6 7 ltJc3 ltJg4 ! .
by a series of exchanges. Inciden­ Puzzled by the novelty, B.Kostich
tally, this is the first known game went in for exchanges: 8 ltJxc6
where 5 c4 was employed. Mar6czy ltJxe3 9 ltJxd8 ltJxd 1 10 ltJxdl
was playing Black! So why is the 'il;xd8, and the game was soon
whole system named after him? drawn (Kostic-Breyer, Goteborg
Possibly because he was the first to 1 920).
annotate this game. As we see, the However, two years later, there
foundation of the contemporary the­ came a new blow for the Dragon in
ory of the Dragon variation was laid the game Alekhine-Siimisch
down at the start of the twentieth (Vienna, 1 922). White played 6
centuries. It was about this time that ltJb3! (instead of 6 .Jle3), and
it was named the Dragon Variation. Breyer's plan was nipped in the
The Russian master Fedor Dus­ bud. Some time later it turned out
Chotimirsky, who frequently em­ that 6 ltJc2! was even stronger.
ployed this system, wrote: "This
name was used for the first time by - �J.�� ���­
me in Kiev in 1 90 1 . I was keen on ..
� :t D :t �l :t t
astronomy, and studying the sky, I
noticed the apparent resemblance -�- D :t D
between the Dragon constellation � - - ·
and the configuration of black
pawns d6, e7, f7, g6 and h7 in the D ft D ft D D
Sicilian Defence. On account of this � - - ·
visual association, I decided to call ft ��{) - �� ft ��
it the "Dragon Variation".
�{J���il� §
1 68 Theoretical Controversies

In the late 1 920s the move order

used in the Dragon was somewhat
different: 1 e4 c5 2 lUf3 lUc6 3 d4
cxd4 4 lUxd4 lUf6 5 lUc3 d6. Black
avoids both the constricting c2-c4
and the attacking e4-e5 (following
an exchange on c6). After 6 i.e2
g6 ! he gets the position he wants.
This new interpretation of the
Dragon gave a new boost to its
popularity. The new classical sys­
tem (7 0-0 i.g7 8 �e3 0-0) came
into vogue. True, White did not 8 ... lUxe4 9 lUxe4 lUxd4? 1 0
have to reckon with . . .d7-d5. But it lUf6+! . However, in the same. tour­
turned out that ...d6-d5 (in reply to 9 nament the young Soviet master I.
'i!Vd2 or 9 h3) gives Black good Kan played 8 ... 0-0! against Rauzer
chances of equality. So theoreticians and got excellent chances. White's
again turned their attention to the attempt to win a pawn after 9 lUxc6
position ansmg after 9 lUb3 bxc6 1 0 e5 lUeS 1 1 exd6 lUxd6 1 2
(reached by a different move-order �xe7 'i!Vxe7 1 3 'i!Vxd6 was energeti­
in the Marco-Mar6czy game). cally refuted by 1 3 ...'i!Vg5 ! .
The Soviet theoretician Vsevolod Another interesting game from the
Rauzer enriched opening theory same tournament was Rauzer­
with many profound and original Chekhover: 6 f3 �g7 7 �e3 0-0 8
ideas in the attempt to assert his 'i!Vd2 lUc6 9 0-0-0. This is the fa­
paradoxical concept " 1 e2-e4 and mous Rauzer Attack which enriched
White wins." His inventions caused the whole system tremendously.
hard times for Sicilian lovers be­ White's consistent and logical
cause in the early 1 930s Rauzer sug­ build-up sets Black many problems,
gested 6 �g5 ! (after 1 e4 c5 2 fi)f3 and Chekhover could not solve
lUc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lUxd4 lUf6 5 lUc3 them all. The game continued
d6). Can Black play the Dragon 9 ... lUxd4 1 0 �xd4 �e6 1 1 Wb 1
now? No good is 6 ... g6? 7 �xf6 �c8 1 2 h4 lUh5 1 3 �xg7 Wxg7 1 4
exf6. So, Black has to play ... e6 lUd5 ! �xd5 1 5 exd5 lUg3 1 6 �h2
choosing the Scheveningen varia­ e5 1 7 dxe6 fxe6 1 8 h5! lUxh5 1 9
tion, or he has to delay the develop­ 'ilfxd6 'i!Vxd6 2 0 �xd6, and although
ment of his kingside pieces by Black had managed to avoid the
6. . .�d7. However, soon a radical attack along the h-file, he got an
method of preventing both inferior endgame. White's novelty
Mar6czy's system and 6 �g5 was proved to be a powerful weapon.
found: 1 e4 c5 2 lUf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 The whole history of the Dragon
4 lUxd4 lUf6 5 lUc3 g6. Rauzer may be likened to the contest be­
continued nevertheless with 6 �g5. tween shells and armour. The inven­
In his game against V.Ragozin tion of the tank posed serious
(Leningrad 1 936) he obtained the problems for the designers of guns.
advantage after 6 ... �g7 7 'ilfd2 lUc6 They increased the striking power
8 0-0-0 of the shells. The tank engineers
 Theoretical Controversies 1 69

increased the thickness of the

armour ... Rauzer's attack is a most
powerful shell. Many improvements
have been made, but the essence of
the system has remained the same:
White combines his threats on the
kingside (h2-h4-h5) with pressure in
the centre (lLlc3-d5).
Discussions about Rauzer's attack
and ways of avoiding it are still go­
ing on. First of all, the old move or­
der was tried: 1 e4 c5 2 lLJf3 lLlc6 3
d4 cxd4 4 lLlxd4 g6, because here The retreat of White's knight per­
White has certain difficulties in car­ mits Black to carry out ... f7-f5. Af­
rying out Rauzer' s idea. For exam­ ter 8 lLlc3 0-0 9 0-0 f5 1 0 exf5 lLlxf5
ple, 5 lLlc3 i..g7 6 i.. e3 lLlf6 7 f3 Black obtained active piece play and
(stronger is 7 i.. c 4, but White has to control over the important d4-square
reckon with the problematic 7 ... d6 8 as compensation for weakening his
f3 'tib6 !?. Also playable is 7 .. .'tli'a5, pawn structure.
forcing 8 0-0) 7 . . . 0-0 8 'ii'd2 d5 ! . This game gave rise to deep in­
vestigations of the lines with
2 . . . lLlc6 and 4 ... g6. Special emphasis
was placed on Breyer's 7 ...lLlg4, in
earticular the continuation 8 'ii'xg4
ttJxd4 9 'ili'd l . Some interesting
ideas were employed in the games
of the Swedish grandmaster
G. Stoltz, who had played this sys­
tem in the early 40s. Later, a num­
ber of original ideas in the Dragon
were introduced by Simagin. Nowa­
days, by way of strengthening his
"armour", Black sometimes resorts
True, this move order does not to the old move-order 2 ...g6 and
prevent the Mar6czy Bind, but the combines it with new ideas. For ex­
latter is not as formidable as ample, after 3 d4 Black does not
Rauzer' s Attack. In the 1 6th USSR hurry to exchange pawns but main­
Championship semi-final (Moscow, tains the tension by 3 ...i.g7.
1 94 7) the game Averbakh-Veresov
attracted the attention of theoreti­ I would now like to cite some of
cians: 1 e4 c5 2 lLJf3 lLlc6 3 d4 cxd4 my own games in which the Dragon
4 lLlxd4 g6 5 c4 i..g 7 6 lLlc2. We Variation was employed. To some
know that in the 1 920s this plan was extent they have been important for
regarded as best. But Black discov­ the development of the theory of
ered some drawbacks to White's this variation.
set-up: 6 . ..d6 7 i..e2 lLlh6!
1 70 Theoretical Controversies

53 Sicilian Defence [B76] 54 Sicilian Defence [B78]

V.Tokarev White E.Mats White
E.Gufeld Black E.Gufeld Black
Odessa, 1 957 Novosibirsk, 1 962

1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 1 e4 c5 2 ll:\f3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4

ll:\xd4 ltJf6 5 ll:\c3 g6 6 .te3 .tg7 7 ll:\xd4 ll:\f6 5 ll:\c3 g6 6 .te3 .tg7 7
f3 0-0 8 'ifd2 ll:\c6 9 0-0-0 d5 10 f3 0-0 8 'ii'd2 ll:\c6 9 .tc4!
exd5 ll:\xd5 11 ll:\xc6 bxc6 1 2 .td4 This position occurred very often
e5 13 .tc5 .te6 14 ll:\xd5 cxd5 15 in top-flight competitions and was
.txf8 'i!Vxf8 thoroughly analysed by theoreti­
For the exchange, Black acquires cians. For a long time, however, 9
a strong centre and the bishop pair. 0-0-0 was considered obligatory,
16 'ifa5 'ir'e7 after which Black usually obtained
This is stronger than 1 6 ...l::.b 8 1 7 sufficient counterplay. The text
l::.d3 d4 1 8 l::.a3 .th6+ 1 9 'ito>b1 . move hinders Black's counterplay
1 7 l::.d3 e4 1 8 l::.b3 d4 1 9 l::.b 5 and enables White to work up a
kingside initiative. In this game
Black tries a new idea.
9 ... .td7 10 0-0-0 'ir'b8 1 1 g4
An inaccuracy permitting Black to
seize the initiative. Necessary was
1 1 ll:\d5 ll:\xd5 1 2 .txd5 ll:\xd4 1 3
.txd4 .txd4 14 'ir'xd4 'ii'c7 1 5 l::.d2,
and White maintains some posi­
tional advantage.
l l ...b5 12 .td5 l::.c 8 13 .txc6
.txc6 14 h4
White doesn't sense the danger.
Better 14 ll:\xc6 l::.xc6 1 5 ll:\d5.
19 ... d3! 14 ... b4 15 ll:\ce2 ll:\xe4! 16 fxe4
A breakthrough in the centre is Not 16 ll:\xc6 ll:\xd2 1 7 ll:\xb8
the right idea. Having sacrificed a ll:\c4 ! -+.
pawn, Black literally cuts through 16 ... .txe4 17 ll:\g3 .txc2! 18
his opponent's defences, acting ac­ ir'xc2
cording to the motto "divide and Or 1 8 ll:\xc2 b3 !-+.
rule". 18...l::.xc2+ 19 �xc2 'ii'c8+ 20
20 cxd3 l::.c8+ 2 1 'ifi>b1 exf3 22 'ifi>b1 'ir'xg4 21 l::.h g1 'ii'xh4 22 'ito>a1
gxf3 .tf5 23 l::.xf5 gxf5 e6 23 ltJde2 d5! 24 l::.h 1 'ii'f6 25
23 ...'ife3 ! 24 .th3 'ifxd3+ 25 'ifi>a1 .td4 e5 26 .tc5 d4 27 .txb4 'i!Vb6
.txb2+ 26 'ito>xb2 l::.c2+ 27 'ifi>a1 28 .ta3 l::.c 8 29 ll:\e4 l:.c2 30 l:.cl
'ir'd4+ 28 'ito>b1 'ifb2 mate. 'ii'c6 31 l:.xc2 'ii'x c2 32 ltcl 'i'xe4
24 d4 .txd4 25 .ta6 l::.b8 26 b3 33 l::.c8+ .trs 34 .txf8 'i!Vf5 0-1
.tg7 27 ir'xf5? 'i!Va3 28 'ir'c2 ir'xa6
29 l::.g 1 'iff6! 0-1
 Theoretical Controversies 1 71

55 Sicilian Defence [B78] 'ifxf3 28 l:txf3 l:tcc2 29 l:tgl i..d4

V.Tseshkovsky White 0-1
E.Gufeld Black
USSR Ch Semi-final, 57 Sicilian Defence [B70]
Daugavpils 1 978 A.Vitolins White
E.Gufe1d Black
1 e4 c5 2 4Jf3 d 6 3 d4 cxd4 4 USSR, 1979
li.:lxd4 4Jf6 5 4Jc3 g6 6 .lte3 .ltg7 7
f3 4Jc6 8 .ltc4 0-0 9 'ifd2 1Ld7 10 1 e4 c5 2 lt::lf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4
0-0-0 l:tc8 11 i..b3 4Je5 1 2 h4 h5 4Jxd4 4Jf6 5 4Jc3 g6 6 i..bS+ i..d7
13 �bl 4Jc4 14 i.. xc4 l:txc4 1 5 7 'ife2 1Lxb5 7 ... tllc 6. 8 �xb5+
lt::lce2?! b5! 1 6 c3 O r 1 6 i..h6 e5! 1 7 'ili'd7 9 �xd7+ lt::lbxd7 10 lt::ldb5
i.x g7 �xg7 1 8 4Jb3 d5 ! . 16 ...�b8 �d8 1 1 f3 a6 12 lLld4 l:tc8 13 i.e3
17 tllb3 l:tfc8 1 8 lLlecl �c7 19 4Jd3 i..g7 1 3 ... lt::le5 14 0-0-0 4Jc4 1 5
aS 20 �f2 l:tc6! 21 4Jd4 l:ta6 22 lLg5±. 1 4 0-0-0 e6 1 5 g4 h 6 1 6 h3
i.g5 e5! Better 22 ...�7. 23 .ltxf6 �e7 17 l:thel 4Je5 1 7 ... g5 1 8 h4!
i.xf6 24 lt::lc 2 i..e6 25 lt::le3 b4 26 gxh4 1 9 .ltf2±. 18 f4 lt::lc4 19 i..f2
%:cl �a7! 27 c4! i..d 8! 28 �e2 tlld 7 20 b3 4Ja5 21 l:te3
%:ac6! Or 28 ...b3 29 axb3 a4! . 29 g3
i.b6 30 4Jd5 i..d4 31 g4 b3 32
gxh5 bxa2+ 33 �xa2 l:txc4 34
l:txc4 l:txc4 35 hxg6 'Wb7 36 gxfi+
�xfi 37 �bl .ltxd5 38 exd5 �xd5
39 l:.cl! l:.xcl+! 40 �xcl a4 41 h5
'ir'c4+ 42 �bl 1/z. lJi

56 Sicilian Defence [B70]

L.Gofstein White
E.Gufeld Black
Moscow, 1978

1 e4 c5 2 4Jf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 21 ...g5

lt::lxd4 lt::lf6 5 4Jc3 g6 6 i..e2 i..g7 7 If 2 1 . ..4Jc6, then 22 4Jxc6+!
0-0 0-0 8 i..g5 4Jc6 9 4Jb3 a6 10 f4 l:txc6 23 4Jd5+ ±. 22 4Jf5+!? exf5
b5 1 1 1Lf3 b4! 12 4Ja4 Or 1 2 4Jd5 23 exf5+ �d8 23 ... �f8 24 4Je4 24
lt::lxd5 1 3 exd5 tLla5. 1 2 ...i..d 7! 13 lt::l e4 gxf4 25 l:ted3 l:tc6! 26 lt::lxd6
a3 If 1 3 e5, then 1 3 ...4Je8 . 13 ... l:tb8 �c7! Not 26 ...4Je5? 27 l:td5+-. 27
14 axb4 4Jxb4 15 �hl 1 5 e5 dxe5 lLlxti lt::le 5! 28 4Jxe5 .ltxe5 29 l:td5!
16 4Jac5 e4! ?. 15 ...�c7 16 4Jc3 .ltc3 30 .ltd4 1Lxd4 31 l:t1xd4 b5
i.e6 17 4Ja5 1 7 4Jd4 .ltc4 1 8 l:te 1 32 l:txf4 l:td6+ 33 l:tc5+ 4Jc6 34 f6
e5. 17 ... l:tfd8 18 'ife2 d5 19 exd5 If l:tf8 35 ti �d7 36 h4 �e7 37 l:tcf5
19 e5, then 1 9 ...d4 ! . 19 ... 4Jfxd5 20 4Jd4?! 37 ... 4Jd8. 38 l:te4+ �d7
lt::lxd5 4Jxd5 2 1 c3 l:tb5! 2 l ...h6 22 38 ...4Je6 39 l:th5. 39 l:tff4 lt::le6 40
i.h4 l:tb5 23 lLg3. 22 4Jc6 �xc6-+ l:tf6= lLld8 41 l:tef4 4 1 l:txd6+ �xd6
23 c4 l:txb2 24 cxd5 i..x d5 25 42 l:te8 4Je6. 41 ...l:te6 42 g5 hxg5
ilxe7 l:tc8 26 'ii'e3 i..xf3 27 'ii'xf3 tJi.IJi
1 72 Theoretical Controversies

58 Sicilian Defence [B70] This was the way Klovans played

V.Faibisovich White against me in one of the USSR team
E.Gufeld Black championships.
USSR, 1 979 16...'ifb6!
The Klovans game was eventually
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 drawn after obscure complications
lDxd4 lDf6 5 lbc3 g6 6 i.e2 i.g7 7 beginning with 1 6 ... dxe5 1 7 lbdxb5
0-0 0-0 8 i.g5 lDc6 9 lbb3 a6 10 a4 lbxb2. The Cuban GM had probably
..te6 1 1 'it>hl :tc8 12 f4 lba5= 13 seen that game and found some
lDd4 i.c4 14 :tf3?! ii'b6!+ 1 5 e5 1 5 improvement for White. But I had
b3 lbg4 ! . 1 5...dxe5 1 6 fxe5 ltJg4! found more that one improvement
16 . . .:tfd8 1 7 exf6 exf6 1 8 i.e3 f5 of my own! Probably the most inter­
1 9 lDxf5 ! l:!xdl + 20 :txd l . 17 :tf4 esting idea for Black is to leave the
1 7 i.xc4 :txc4+. 17 ...i.xe2 1 8 knight under attack and concentrate
lbcxe2 1 8 'ifxe2 'ifxb2-+. 18 ...lDxe5 his fire against the d4-point. Of
19 i.xe7 :tfe8 20 i.a3 lbac4-+ 21 course the main player in this kind
b3 lbxa3 22 :txa3 'ifd6 23 :tal of action is my beloved dark­
lbc6 24 'ii'fl 24 lbxc6 :txc6-+. squared bishop on g7.
24 ... i.e5!-+ 24 ... lbxd4 25 lbxd4 17 i.xf6 exf6 18 exf6 ..txf6 19
..txd4 26 :td 1 :txc2+. 25 :th4 25 lbe4 i.g7
:tg4 h5 26 lDf5 �f6-+. 25.. .'ilr'f6 26 The long diagonal has cleared.
'ii'xf6 ..txf6 27 :tf4 :txe2 0-1 20 c3
I don't think White would enjoy
59 Sicilian Defence [B78] 20 lbxc5 dxc5.
A.Rodriguez White 20...:td5!
E.Gufeld Black Being armed with this mini-idea
Barcelona, 1 979 (pressure on d4), I easily found this
non-obvious move. You must agree
1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4
that the rook looks impressive on
lbxd4 lDf6 5 lbc3 g6 6 i.e3 i.g7 7
d5.
f3 0-0 8 'ifd2 lbc6 9 i.c4 i.d7 10
21 i.xc4 bxc4
h4 :tc8 1 1 i.b3 h5 1 2 0-0-0 lDe5
Closing down the c-file, but open­
13 i.g5 :tc5 14 f4 lDc4 15 'ii'd3
ing up the b-file.
It turns out that White, when play­
22 it'c2
ing h2-h4 and f2-f4, drove his own
Not 22 'ifxc4 :txd4! 23 :txd4
bishop into a cage.
:tc8-+.
15 ...b5 16 e5
22 ...:tb8 23 :td2 :ta5
The agile rook zips around like a
fish in water on the 5th rank.
24 b4
Impetuous, but who would have
enough patience to bear it all?
24 ...cxb3 25 lbxb3 i.f5!
A deadly pin.
26 :txd6 it'e3+ 0-1
Jnformator judged this game to be
the best achievement in the second
half of 1 979.
 Theoretical Controversies 1 73

60 Sicilian Defence [B76] .l:txf8 23 �b1 .l:tfd8! 24 .td3 .l:td4

J.Dorfman White 25 1Ve2 �4!-+ Black threatens
E.Gufeld Black ... .tg4. 26 b3 a5 27 �b2 a4 28 'ike1
Volgodonsk, 1 9 8 1 1Vd6 Not 28 ...axb3? 29 1Vxb4 .l:txb4
30 �c3 ! . 29 .tc2 .txc4 30 1Vc3
1 e4 c 5 2 liJ f3 d 6 3 d 4 cxd4 4 axb3 31 axb3 .i.xb3 0-1
liJxd4 liJf6 5 liJc3 g6 6 .i.e3 .i.g7 7
f3 0-0 8 .i.c4 a6 9 .i.b3 liJbd7 Or
9 . . .b5 10 a4!?. 10 1Vd2 l2Jc5 l l 0-0 62 Sicilian Defence [B76]
1 1 0-0-0. l l ... b5 12 liJd5 If 1 2 lDc6, X.Jun White
then 1 2 ...liJxb3 ! . 1 2 ....i.b7 l3 E.Gufeld Black
lDxf6+ .i.xf6 14 .i.d5 1Vc7+ 1 5 Kuala Lumpur, 1994
:tact? 1 5 .i.xb7 1Vxb7+ 1 5. ...i.xd5
16 exd5 �7 17 b4 l2Ja4 18 liJc6 1 e4 c5 2 liJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4
liJc3!+ 19 .i.g5 .i.xg5?! 19 . . .liJxd5 ! liJxd4 liJf6 5 liJc3 g6 6 .te3 .tg7 7
20 1Vxd5 .i.xg5 (not 20 .. . e6?? 2 1 f3 0-0 8 1Vd2 liJc6 9 0-0-0 d5 10
�xf6) 2 1 1Vxg5 1Vxc6 22 1Vxe7 1Ve1
l:[fe8+. 20 1Vxg5 liJe2+ 20 .. .e6! ? 2 1 A popular move move these days.
l2Je7+ �g7 2 2 dxe6? (22 .l:tce l !+) 10 ...e5 1 1 l2Jxc6 bxc6 12 exd5
22 ...fxe6 23 1Ve3 1Va7!-+. 21 �f2! liJxd5
f6 2 l ...h6 22 1Vxe7 'Wb6+ 23 1Ve3 Not 12 . .. cxd5? 13 .tg5 d4 14
'Wxe3+ 24 �xe3 l2Jxc 1 25 .l:txcl . 22 1Vxe5±.
'ii'e3 liJxcl 23 1Ve6+ 23 .l:txc 1 ? e5+. 13 .tc4 .te6 14 liJe4 1Vc7 15 .tc5
23 ...�g7 24 .l:txcl .l:tac8 25 c4 bxc4 .l:tfd8 16 g4 liJf4 17 �c3 .l:td5!
Or 25 ....l:txc6 26 dxc6 1Vxc6 27
�xe7+ .l:tf7 28 1Ve6 (28 1Ve4=)
28 ....l:tc7 29 c5 dxc5 30 1Vxc6 .l:txc6
3 1 bxc5=. 26 1Vxe7+!= .l:tti 27
�xb7 .l:txb7 28 a4! 28 .l:txc4 a5 !
28 ... .l:te8! 29 .l:txc4 f5 30 .l:tc3 f4! 31
.l:tc4 1h-1h

6 1 Sicilian Defence [B40]

L.OII White
E.Gufeld Black
Tbilisi, 1 983

1 e4 c5 2 liJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 This novelty drastically alters the

liJxd4 liJf6 5 liJc3 g6 6 .te3 .tg7 7 nature of the position. Against
f3 liJc6 8 1Vd2 0-0 9 0-0-0 d5 10 Tokarev in Odessa, 1957 (see game
exd5 liJxd5 ll l2Jxc6 bxc6 12 .td4 53), I had sacrificed a rook for
e5 l3 .tc5 .te6 14 l2Je4 .l:tb8 15 c4 White's dark-squared bishop and
.l:te8! A novelty. 16 g4 16 cxd5 convincingly won. In this case I am
cxd5; 16 liJd6 .l:te7. 16 ... liJb6! 17 able to give up my rook for the
1Vc2?! liJd7! 18 h4 1Va5 19 .ta3 light-squared bishop to obtain the
liJf6!+ 20 g5?! 20 l2Jc5 .tf8+; 20 same benefits-a highly mobile
lDxf6+ .txf6, intending ... .te7+. pawn centre, two very strong
20...liJxe4 21 fxe4 .tf8 22 .txf8 bishops and a possible attack on the
1 74 Theoretical Controversies

white king. All this is quite suffi­ Not 27 b3 'ife5-+, or 27 'it'a3

cient compensation for the small l::tc 3-+.
material deficit. The regular move 27 ...i.xc3
17 . . . i.d5 allows White a small It is more logical to play
advantage. 27 ...l::txc3 ! 28 l::td2 h6 29 lLlxe6
1 8 Wb1 .:t.ad8 19 i.xd5 cxd5 20 fxe6, intending ...Wh7; Black then
i.e3 has prospects of even increasing his
Or 20 lLlg5 d4+. advantage.
20 .'ife7! ?
•. 28 ii'a3 i.f6
The aim of this move is to stop Better 28 . . . i.g7 29 lLlxe6? (29
White from taking my knight on f4 .:t.c l ! l::te8 30 l::the l =) 29 ...%:tc3! 30
and following with ttJ f6+, shutting b3 (30 'ii'a 5?? l::tc l + 3 1 'it>xc 1 'ii'xb2
the mouth of the "Gufeld elephant" mate) 30 ... fxe6 3 1 l::the 1 l::te3-+.
-the bishop on g7. 29 lLlxe6 fxe6
2 1 'ii'c5 'ii'b7 22 'ii'a3 'ii'c 6 23 29 ... .:t.c3?? 30 ii'f8+! +-.
'ifc3 'ifa8! 30 .:t.ct lte8 31 .:t.c6 'ii'e5 32 .:t.hcl
23 ... 'ii'e 8!? 24 i.xf4 dxe4 25 .:t.e7 33 'ii'b4 �ti 34 a3 aS?
.:t.xd8 'ii'xd8 26 i.xe5 'ii'd5 ! . Better 34 ...g5.
2 4 i.xf4 l::tc 8! 35 'ii'b5 a4 36 l::tc8 'ife3??
Not 24 ... exf4? 25 lLlf6+! +-. 36 ... g5.
25 ii'a5 exf4 26 lLlg5 'ifb8 27 c3 37 %:.1c7 1-0

A Lifelong Duel

Don't worry, I am not speaking coveted antidote would be found,

about a clash for the World Crown. I and the player would arrive for the
am speaking of a creative dispute next clash with a secret weapon be­
about the King's Indian Defence, hind his back. Occasionally it hap­
between Lev Polugayevsky and me. pened that neither of us had
The dispute was carried on in our anything new in store. Then we
games whenever he played White. would avoid the most dangerous
Each of us had his own approach to continuations, but the "discussion"
this rich and difficult opening. The was still carried on in the King's In­
game would sometimes acquire dian. Polugaevsky and I were
theoretical value from an idea that grandmasters of different "weight
one of us used from his home categories" and did not often play in
analysis. the same tournaments, but whenever
Most frequently it occurred in the I had Black against him I knew what
same variation-the Siimisch Sys­ the opening would be.
tem. Here we were always on oppo­ The King's Indian! Over the years
site sides of the fence! Often the this defence has undergone a multi­
author of a novelty would deliver tude of ups and downs, and not a
such a powerful blow that his oppo­ few reappraisals. How many times
nent could not find an antidote for has it been "refuted"? Exactly as
months or even years. But eventu­ many times as it has been reinstated.
ally the light would shine again! The All these vicissitudes have brought
 Theoretical Controversies 1 75

me both victories and losses. The minor detail in Black's plan: the
losses were sometimes very painful, main part of it is the advance
but nonetheless I have never wa­ ... c7-c5. If White answers this ad­
vered from my original devotion to vance with d4-d5, Black will have
this opening. And if at times I had brought about the closure of the
to wait for years to overcome the centre without resorting to ... e7-e5
next King's Indian "crisis," then I (blocking his own king's bishop).
bore it with patience. One such wait This would not worry White if he
lasted for thirteen years. had not already committed himself
Our King's Indian argument be­ with f2-f3. Suppose this move had
gan in 1 960 in a crucial duel. My not occurred: then he could play
opponent was already renowned for lbg 1 -£3, �fl -e2, 0-0, and strive for
his skilful play against this defence. the break e4-e5. But as it is, his
Our clash was therefore of impor­ pawn is already on f3 ; his entire
tance not only from the competitive dark-square complex is weakened;
but also from the theoretical his knight cannot join in the fight
standpoint. for e5; and his attack against the
black king is also disrupted, since
63 King's Indian Defence [E82) while White is assembling his army
L.Polugaevsky White behind the g- and h-pawns, Black
E.Gufeld Black will be able to organize a powerful
28th USSR Ch. Semi-final, counter-offensive in the centre and
Vilnius 1 960 on the queenside. That, basically, is
what Black has in mind if White
1 d4 lt:Jf6 2 c4 g6 3 lbc3 �g7 4 meets ... c7-c5 with an immediate
e4 0-0 5 �e3 d6 6 f3 b6 d4-d5. But what if White, in true
Siimisch style, maintains the central
tension? Then a further feature of
Black's plan is disclosed: since he
has not played ...lbb8-d7, his knight
can effectively join in the fight for
the centre with ...lbb8-c6! And if
White still refrains from d4-d5,
Black seizes the d4 point with
... e7-e5 ! What can White do against
this plan? In Bobotsov-Spassky,
Sofia 1 958, White ignored it and
went on developing: 7 'ii'd2 c5 8
lt:Jge2 lbc6 9 0-0-0 (if 9 d5; then
In the late fifties this move be­ 9: .. lbe5 ! is good) 9 ... �d7 1 0 �b1
came popular. The move ...b7-b6 e5 1 1 dxc5 dxc5 1 2 �g5. The future
initiates a broad-based strategic plan World Champion replied 1 2 ...lt:Jd4!
to combat the formidable Siimisch 1 3 lt:JdS �a4! and already it was
set-up. At first sight it looks as White, not Black, who had to think
though Black simply intends to de­ about equalizing.
velop his bishop on b7. But appear­ 7 �d3!
ances are deceptive. The fianchetto Today this move is the usual theo­
of the queen's bishop is only a retical line. At the beginning of
1 76 Theoretical Controversies

1 959, the great King's Indian expert effect of the innovation surpassed
Bronstein played it against Lutikov all my expectations. White's hope
in the 26th USSR Championship at of winning the rook on a8 evapo­
Thilisi. Lutikov unsuspectingly re­ rates, since the a7-square has been
plied 7 ... c5, which was met by the freed for it. At the same time, the
thunderbolt 8 e5 ! ! . The two excla­ move ... a7-a6 is useful in its own
mation marks denote not merely the right, since Black hopes above all
strength of the move but also its sur­ that an opportunity for ...b6-b5 will
prise effect. Black has been paying turn up. Not finding an antidote
attention to only one of the long di­ over the board, Polugaevsky went to
agonals-the dark-squared one. It pieces and subsequently played like
now becomes clear that the chess­ a doomed man. It isn't often that I
board contains one other main thor­ succeed in beating world-class GMs
oughfare of no less importance-but in 30 moves with Black.
which nobody, in the King's Indian, 8 lbge2 c5 9 d5
had thought of bothering about. Af­ Submissively allowing Black to
ter 8 . . .l2Je8 9 Ji.e4 l2Jc7 1 0 Ji.xa8 carry out the aims of his system.
l2Jxa8, White is the exchange up 9 ... e6!
with the better position. Bronstein This stock move is especially ef­
had dealt the system such a blow fective when f2-f3 has been played.
that 6 . ..b6 disappeared from tourna­ 10 0-0 exd5 1 1 exd5
ment practice for a year and a half. 1 1 cxd5 is out of the question in
For this reason, the erudite view of l l ..�b5 ! . So ... a7-a6 has
Polugaevsky was extremely sur­ proved quite useful.
prised when all of a sudden I dared ll .. lbbd7 12 .tc2
.

to play the discarded 6 . . .b6 against Mikenas recommended 12 Ji.gS

him. Of course, he replied like ltJeS 13 f4.
Bronstein-and gave me a quizzical 12 ...l:t.e8 13 'iWd2 b5!
look. · Had I really forgotten that After this thematic break, White's
game in Tbilisi, which he and I had position collapses like a house of
watched together? Was I really go­ cards.
ing to give away the exchange? 14 cxb5 axb5 15 l2Jg3 b4 16
However, I surprised him with lbce2 lLlb6 17 Ji.g5 Ji.a6 18 .!:t.fe 1
7...a6! 'iWd7 19 .te4 .tc4! 20 b3 Ji.xe2 21
'iWxe2 lbxe4 22 fxe4 lbxd5!
The game is as good as over.
White could hoist the flag of surren­
der at once. But Lev didn't decide to
do this for another eight moves.
23 'iWd2 lbc3 24 �d3 'iWg4 25
Ji.d2 lbxe4 26 lbxe4 Ji.xa1 27 h3
'iWf5 28 g4 'iWe5 29 'Wf3 'iWd4+ 30
'lt>g2 d5 0-1

But I was very much mistaken in

naively supposing that after this
Thus it was that a new variation game the 7 ... a6 line would encoun­
of the King's Indian was born. The ter no problems.
 Theoretical Controversies 1 77

In January of the following year for putting his trust in a plan with­
( 1 96 1), the championship final out probing all its subtleties.
started in Moscow. I had been pre­ Outwardly, White's thrust looks
paring for the tournament together analogous to the one carried out by
with Stein. We both decided to play Bronstein against Lutikov. But in
our beloved King's Indian against this case the long White diagonal is
Polugaevsky, but the pairings of secondary importance; White's
brought a disappointment: I was to main aim is to gain space in the
face him with White. Stein, on the centre.
other hand, was to play Black 9 ...liJfd7
against Polugaevsky in the very first After 9 ...dxe5 1 0 dxe5 lLlfd7 1 1
round. iLe4 l:ta7 1 2 f4 Black's position
I followed that game in suspense: would be without prospects, and
7 ... a6 would prove a wasted tempo.
64 King's Indian Defence [E82] 10 exd6! exd6 11 0-0 lLlc6 12
L.Polugaevsky White iLc2 .ltb7 13 �d2 lLlf6 14 :ad1
L.Stein Black Black has nothing with which to
28th USSR Ch, Moscow 1 96 1 resist his opponent's powerful cen­
tral pressure. He tried tactical play:
1 d4 lLlf6 2 c4 g6 3 lLlc3 iLg7 4 14 ... cxd4 15 lLlxd4 lLle5 16 b3 d5
e4 d6 5 f3 0-0 6 iLe3 b6 7 iLd3 a6 But it was refuted:
Stein and I expected Polugaevsky 17 iLh6! :c8 18 iLxg7 'it>x g7 19
to play 8 d5, which had brought him �g5 lLlc6 20 lLlf5+ 'it>h8 21 lLl xd5
success in a few games after the lLlxd5 22 �h6!+- �f6 23 :xd5
fiasco in Vilnius, and we had pre­ l:tfd8 24 :xd8+ :xd8 25 iLe4 liJd4
pared suitable counterplay against it. 26 lLlg3 iLxe4 27 fxe4 'fie7 28 �f4
However, here is what followed: 'it>g8 29 e5 lLle6 30 �f6 �xf6 31
8 lLlge2 c5 9 e5! exf6 :d2 32 :f2 l:td1 + 33 liJfl g5
34 :d2 :xd2 35 liJxd2 h6 36 lLle4
'it>h7 37 b4 'it>g6 38 g4 lLlf4 39 c5
bxc5 40 bxc5 1-0

So my curiosity about
Polugaevsky's novelty was satisfied
at no cost (though this was not Ste­
in's point of view). The unfortunate
thing was that a flaw in the variation
had been exposed. The search for an
improvement to Black's play en­
tered a new stage. Instead of 7 ... a6,
the move 7...iLb7 was introduced.
This is the novelty Polugaevsky As it turns out, one of the first
had been preparing. Since he was games in which this move was tried
due to play me with Black, it was was Spassky-Gufeld, from the 3 1 st
not me but the innocent Stein who USSR Championship, Leningrad
became the object of his revenge. 1 963. Play went: 8 lLl ge2 c5 9 d5 e6
Still, who says Stein was not guilty 10 0-0 liJ bd7 11 iL g5 exd5 12
of anything? He was to be punished lLlxd5? i.xd5 13 cxd5 a6 14 :et
1 78 Theoretical Controversies

14 a4 b5 ! 1 5 axb5 1fb6 1 6 �h1 can the bishop do on b7, confronted

axb5 is clearly in Black's favour. with a "pill-box'" of pawns
14 ... b5 15 b3 l:te8 16 'ifd2 'ii'b 6 17
(e4-f3-g2)? In any case, if White
�h1 l:tac8 18 nre1 tt.Jes 19 i.b1 b4 plays d4-d5 the bishop will be in a
20 ti.Jg3 c4 21 i.e3 c3?? After complete cui-de-sac. Won't it have
2 l . ..'ifb5 followed by ... a5-a4, theto waste another tempo going back
position is in Black's favour. But to c8?
now after 22 'ifxc3 Black is down Not that 7 ...�b7 entirely lacks a
and out. 22 ...bxc3 23 �xb6 ti.Jfd7 positive side. In the first place, of
24 �aS ti.JcS 25 l:txc3 fS 26 exfS course, Black no longer has to fear
tt.Jg4 27 l:txe8+ l:txe8 28 l:IxcS e4-e5. If White continues along the
ti.Jf2+ 29 �g1 �d4 30 nc4 iJ...a7 3 1 lines of Polugaevsky-Stein with 8
� fl ti.Jd1 32 l:te4 1-0 ti.Jge2 c5 9 e5, this move will no
longer merit an exclamation mark,
The move 7 . . .i.b7 is the simplest but a question mark, since on
way to avoid unpleasantness on the 9 ...dxe5 1 0 dxe5 ti.Jfd7 1 1 f4 Black
h 1 -a8 diagonal. Perhaps the reader has 1 1 ...i.xg2! There are also some
will ask why this obvious-looking concealed strategic resources such
solution was so long in coming. as 8 ti.Jge2 c5 9 d5 e6 1 0 'ifd2 exd5
Why did players first try the less 1 1 exd5 ti.Jbd7 1 2 �h6 �xh6 1 3
"aesthetic" move .. .a7-a6? Why 'ifxh6 ti.Je5 1 4 l:rd 1 a 6 1 5 0-0 b5 !
wasn't the natural development of The half-alive bishop on b7 shows
the bishop thought of sooner? its teeth! White cannot consider tak­
ing on b5, since Black would then
win the pawn on d5 and his light­
squared bishop would come to life.
This being so, White has to take
measures to curb Black's initiative.
Of course, in this line 1 0 'ifd2 is far
from best, but even after the more
natural 1 0 0-0 Black has 1 0 ... exd5
1 1 exd5 ti.Je8 ! followed by
... ti.Je8-c7; he then has no trouble
preparing ...b6-b5, relying on the
services of his bishop, which keeps
the White d-pawn in its sights in
Well, some attention was of case of c4xb5.
course given to 7 . . .i.b7 immedi­ Despite this, it is with good reason
ately after the Bronstein-Lutikov that seasoned "King's Indianites"
game. Yet a true "King' s Indianite" shake their heads sceptically, assur­
will never make such a move ing you that in the King's Indian
lightly. It is on the c8-h3 diagonal Defence the move ... i.c8-b7 cannot
that the light-squared bishop per­ be good. White has found ways to
forms highly important services­ tame this impostor bishop, which is
controlling the key point f5, assist­ usurping a role that by rights be­
ing the advance ... g6-g5-g4 if the longs to its dark-squared colleague.
case arises, and also (from d7) sup­ (a) Furman successfully intro­
porting the thematic ...b7-b5. What duced 8 ti.Jh3 into practice. The idea
 Theoretical Controversies 1 79

is that after 8 . . . cS 9 dS e6 1 0 0-0 see why the knight should be better

cxdS White replies 1 1 cxdS ! and on e8 "
transfers the knight to f2, where it
will support the important points e4
and g4 in the case of a later advance
of the f-pawn.
(b) Another method was discov­
ered, too: 8 lLlge2 cS 9 dS e6 1 0
i.gS ! Now Black can't bring his
knight back to e8, and without
transferring this knight to c7 it is
hard for him to achieve . ..b6-bS. For
example: 1 0... lbbd7 1 1 b3 ! tOeS 1 2
i.c2 a6 1 3 a4! Even the ending after
9 0-0 tbc6 1 0 �c2 eS 1 1 dxeS dxeS
1 2 �gS 'ifxd1 1 3 l:taxd 1 tbd4 14 Play continued: 10 exd6 tt:Jxd6!
..lta4! turns out to favour White. In a So that's why the knight went back
game with Botvinnik (USSR Team to e8! The pawn sacrifice cuts the
Championship 1 964), Stein tried Gordian knot in which Black's
sacrificing his queen rather than ex­ pieces seemed to be enmeshed. 1 1
changing it: 1 2 ... h6 1 3 �h4 tbd4 1 4 dxc5 bxc5 12 �xc5. White accepts
tbdS tbxdS, but here again, after 1 S the sacrifice. However, declining it
..ltxd8 tbe3 1 6 'ifd3 l:taxd8 1 7 'ii'xe3 with 1 2 0-0! may have been more
tbxc2 1 8 'ii'c3 tbxa1 19 l:txa1 �a6 sensible, for example: 1 2 ... �e6 1 3
20 'ifc2! hS 2 1 'ii'a4 l:td2 22 tbc3 b 3 tbd7 1 4 l:tc 1 'iWa S 1 S tba4 threat­
...ltc8 23 l:td1 , the play resolved itself ening 1 6 tbf4, or 1 2 ... tbd7 13 b3
in White's favour. The "King' s �b7 1 4 l:tc 1 with the better pawn
Indianites" were despondent. The structure-two islands against three.
plan with 6 ...b6 had to be relegated However, accepting the pawn sacri­
to the archives. fice is the most uncompromising
continuation. 12 tbd7 13 ..ltf2 1 3
•..

Several years passed, and then �xd6? amounts to positional sur-

Master Kapengut had a say. This render. After 1 3 ... exd6 Black al-
was in 197 1 , in the USSR Team ready threatens 14 ...'i!Vb6 ! . 13 tt:Je5
•.•

Championship at Rostov-on-Don. 14 c5 tbxd3+ 15 'ii'xd3 �f5 16

To the astonishment of his opponent 'i!Vd5 �e6 17 'ifd1 tbc4 18 'ifxd8
Tukmakov, he selected the plan l:tfxd8 19 b3 tbb2 20 0-0 l:td2 21
which had supposedly been dis­ l:tacl �f5 22 g4 �d7 At this point
carded for good: 6 b6 7 �d3 a6.
•.• the players unexpectedly agreed to a
After 8 tbge2 c5 Tukmakov contin­ draw.
ued with Polugaevsky's 9 e5, Afterwards it transpired that I had
whereupon Kapengut answered not been inadequately informed: Kapen­
with Stein's 9 ...tt:Jfd7, but with his gut had played 1 0 ... tbxd6! before,
own move: 9 tt:Je8! "But what dif­
..• in the 1 968 Belorussian Champion­
ference does it make?" I wondered. ship, against no less an opponent
After 1 0 exd6 exd6 1 1 0-0 the same than Boleslavsky. This game was
sort of position arises, and I don' t even published in Boleslavsky's
1 80 Theoretical Controversies

monograph on the King's Indian .Jte4, and a draw was agreed. In his
Defence, which was printed in book on the opening Boleslavsky
Germany in 1 969. indicates that after what he consid­
ers the best line for both sides-
But let us leave Rostov and travel 1 5 ...ltJxc3 1 6 ltJxc3 ltJd3+ 1 7 'i!Vxd3
to Moscow for the USSR Team 'i!Vxd3 1 8 .Jtxd3 .Jtxc3+ 19 'it>e2
Championship in March 1 972. The .Jtxa1 20 .Jte4 l:tb8 2 1 l:txa 1-White
Russia-Georgia match brought me has enough for the exchange, but no
up against Polugaevsky again. I had more. No doubt Polugaevsky had
Black, just as in Vilnius twelve thoroughly familiarized himself
years before. with this recommendation, and de­
cided to test it in practice. Perhaps
65 King's Indian Defence [E82] he had found an improvement for
L.Polugaevsky White White somewhere.
E.Gufeld Black 14 ... ltJb5 15 .Jte4 ltJxc3 16 ltJxc3
USSR Team Ch, Moscow 1 972

1 c4 tiJf6 2 ltJc3 g6 3 e4 d6 4 d4
.Jtg7 5 f3 0-0 6 .Jte3 b6 7 .Jtd3 a6 8
ltJge2 c5 9 e5
At Vilnius, you may remember,
Polugaevsky played 9 d5 at this
point. But here in Moscow he em­
ployed the same plan as against
Stein. I replied like Kapengut:
9 ltJe8 10 exd6 ltJxd6!
•••

And we followed Tukmakov­

Kapengut for three more moves.
1 1 dxc5 bxc5 12 .Jtxc5 ltJd7 13 Now watch! So far, we have not
.Jtf2 ltJe5 14 b3 played a single new move. But here,
instead of 16 ... ltJd3+ as recom­
mended by Boleslavsky, I found a
way to add fuel to the flames:
16 .Jtf5!
.••

Black not only declines White's

exchange sacrifice, he offers one
himself. But 1 7 .Jtxa8 tiJd3+ looks
unattractive for White. Indeed, the
threat of a check on d3 has in­
creased in strength overall. White
urgently needs to decide where his
king is going.
1 7 'it>e2
White's last move-in what is I cannot say that I like this move.
perhaps the key position of the I would have preferred 1 7 0-0.
variation-is not Tukmakov's but 17 ...'i!Va5 18 ..txf5?
Boleslavsky' s. Boleslavsky­ Evidently not the best. 1 8 .Jte 1 is
Kapengut had gone 1 4 . . .ltJb5 ! 1 5 more sensible. In short, we have the
 Theoretical Controversies 181

same situation as in Vilnius: having 47 g4 hxg4+ 48 hxg4 fxg4+ 49

been surprised in the opening, �xg4 f5+ 50 �h5 l:t.a6 51 tbc2
Polugaevsky takes some time to l:t.b6 52 ltJd4 i.d6 53 �g5 l%a6 54
recover ... lbb5 ii.e7+ 55 �g6 l:t.c6!
l8 gxf5 19 ltJd5 e 6 20 .Jii.b6
•.• The foregoing phase of the game
'ii'a3! may frankly have seemed boring,
Black now has the better game. but now some diverting tactical sub­
21 tbe3 tbc6 22 l:t.bl l:t.fd8! tleties crop up.
Again offering a rook for a 56 l:t.d4+
bishop, but this time White would For instance, on 56 l:t.xc6 �xc6
have to part with the dark-squared 57 �f7 Black has 57 ... i.c5 !
one. For the moment Black ignores unexpectedly winning the knight.
the "small fry" on a2, as 22 ... 'Wxa2+ 56 ...�e8 57 l:t.dl l:t.c2 58 ltJd6+
23 'iic2 'iia 3 24 �fl would permit �f8 59 ltJf7
White to defend himself. Or 59 lt:Jc4 l:t.c3.
23 'iic l 59 l:t.g2+ 60 tbg5 ii.xg5 61 fxg5
•..

Not 23 .Jii.xd8 l:t.xd8 24 'iie l 'iit>e7 62 l:t.d3

'ir'xa2+ 25 �fl il.c3 26 'ir'c l l:t.d2!
and Black breaks into the heart of
White' s position.
23 ...'ir'xa2+ 24 'iic2 'ir'a3 25
l:t.hdl l:t.xdl 26 'ii'x dl 'iib4
After his successful attack, Black
needs to consolidate the ground he
has gained.
27 c5 tt:Je5 28 �f2 'ir'b5
Black has regained the sacrificed
pawn while keeping the initiative.
29 'ir'e2
White has to struggle for equality,
and 29 tbc4 is best suited to that The struggle has come to life, and
end. Disconcerted by the outcome to realize his advantage Black needs
of the opening, however, to unearth some study-like finesses.
Polugaevsky does not display his 62 l:t.f2! !
.•.

usual tenacity. Sacrificing the pawn on b4 to

29 ...ltJd7 clear the way for his passed pawns.
Better 29 ...tbd3+ 30 �fl il.d4, 63 l:t.d4 e5 64 l:t.xb4 e4 65 l:t.b5
setting White difficult problems. 'iit>e6 66 l:t.b6+ 'iit>e5 67 l:t.b5+ 'iit>e6
30 'ir'xb5 axb5 31 l:t.dl lt:Jxb6 32 68 l:t.b6+ �e7 69 l:t.b5 �d6 70 'iit>f6
cxb6 l:t.b8 e3 71 g6
This wins a pawn, but now the re­ 7 1 l:t.e5 f4 ! .
duced material allows White to 71...l:t.g2 ! ! 72 l:t.b6+ 'iit>d5 73
organize protracted resistance. l:t.b5+ 'iit>d 4 74 l:t.b4+ �d3 75 'iit>xf5
33 b7 l:t.xb7 34 :ds+ ii.f8 35 e2 76 l:t.e4 l:t.g5+!
'iit>e2 �g7 36 tbc2 ii.e7 37 l:t.c8 b4 The point of the combination.
38 l:t.c4 �f6 39 f4 h5 40 g3 ii.d6 41 77 c;t>xg5 �xe4 78 g7 el ='ii 79
l:t.c6 �e7 42 l:t.c4 �d7 43 �e3 l:t.b8 g8='ii 'ir'gl+ 0-1
44 ltJd4 f6 45 �f3 l:t.b6 46 h3 ii.e7
182 Theoretical Controversies

Was this the end of the debate? position which arose in this game
The following contests will answer did not suit me-it seemed too arid.
this question. I have already related That was one reason I game up
how my dispute with Polugaevsky playing this variation for several
involved the participation of Stein. years.
Many years after that, Polugaevsky 1 8 b3 lllc7 19 lll a4 'i!Vxd2 20
got someone on his side-Bagirov. .l::i.x d2 llle6 21 f4 Ji.g7 22 .l::i.fdl .l:.c8
In the following game, the long­ 23 �fl f5 24 g3 �f7 25 lll g l lllb 8
standing dispute was continued. 26 � g2 lLld7 27 ltJe2 liJdc5 28
.
.llxc5 l'llx c5 29 ltJxc5 .l:.xc5 30 .l:.d5
66 King's Indian Defence [E82] .l:.bc7 31 �f3 �e6 32 �e3 �d7 33
V.Bagirov White .l:.ld3 Ji.f8 34 .l:.xc5 .l:.xc5 35 .l:.d5
E.Gufeld Black .ig7 36 l:.xc5 dxc5 37 ltJct �d6 38
4 1 st USSR Ch ( 1 st League), lll d3 a5 39 �f3 e5 40 fxe5+ .llxe5
Tbilisi 1973 41 h3 .id4 42 h4 �e6 43 lLlf4+
�e5 44 lll d3+ �f6 45 �f4 h6 46
1 d4 g6 2 c4 Ji.g7 3 lll c3 d6 4 e4
�f3 g5 47 hxg5+ hxg5 48 �e2
lll f6 5 f3 0-0 6 Si.e3 b6 7 Ji.d3 a6 8
.ie5 49 �f3 .id6 50 �f2 �g6 51
lllge2 c5 9 e5 llle8 10 Si.e4!
�g2 �h5 52 �f3 g4+ 53 �g2 �g6
This exclamation mark was
54 �f2 �f6 55 'it>g2 1h-1h
attached by Bagirov (read
Polugaevsky) in Volume 1 6 of For his own part, in his later en­
Informator. It is noteworthy, by the counters with me and other King's
way, that the position after 1 0 exd6? Indian addicts, Polugaevsky side­
lllxd6 1 1 dxc5 bxc5 1 2 Si.xc5 llld7 stepped the Samisch controversy.
1 3 Si.£2 llle5 is assessed by Bagirov Perhaps he was impressed by the
as favourable to Black. From this I ideas unearthed by the talented GM
inferred that my dispute with N. Rashkovsky.
Polugaevsky would not follow this
path any further. 67 King's Indian Defence [E82]
10 .l::i.a7 1 1 dxc5 bxc5 12 Si.xc5
.•. J.Dorfman White
:d7 13 Si.e3 Si.b7 14 Si.xb7 .l::i.xb7 N.Rashkovsky Black
15 �d2 Si.xe5 16 .l::i.d l lllc 6 17 0-0 49th USSR Ch, Volgodonsk 198 1
�a5
1 c4 lLlf6 2 lLlc3 g6 3 e4 d6 4 d4
.ig7 5 f3 0-0 6 .ie3 b6 7 .id3 a6 8
lll ge2 c5 9 e5 lLlfd7

White has acquired nothing out of

the opening. All the same, let me
state quite frankly that the type of
 Theoretical Controversies 1 83

White now returned to grandmaster rushed to the train with

Polugaevsky' s plan: a shout: "My briefcase ! "
10 exd6 "Leva!" I said, trying to calm him
...and Black played the "brand down, "Why do you need the brief­
new" case when you've got suitcases?"
10 cxd4!
.•. Paying no attention to me,
There followed: Polugaevsky ran over to the rail
1 1 lLlxd4 tracks towards the steam-shrouded
A game Zakharov-Godes in locomotive and shouted, desperately
Yaroslavl showed that after 1 1 dxe7 gesticulating: "I won't let you go!"
...xe7 1 2 lLld5 'ii'c 5 1 3 i.g5 lbc6 1 4 I still remember the engine
0-0 lbde5 1 5 lbg3 f5 1 6 b 4 'ii'd6 driver's amazed face as he was
Black has better chances. about to start the engine. The note­
l l ... lbc5 12 dxe7 books were found.
Tsamryuk-Rashkovsky, 1 98 1 , Later on, I was able to gauge the
went 1 2 lbb3 exd6 1 3 0-0 lbc6 1 4 dimensions of the misfortune which
lbxc5 dxc5 1 5 i.e4 i.d7+. had nearly befallen my friend. He
12 ...'iVxe7 13 lbd5 'iVe5 14 f4 showed me a time-yellowed sheet of
'ii'd6 15 0-0 :!e8! paper. On it there was written the
A significant improvement on an analysis of the novelty 1 l ...d5 ! ,
earlier attempt to resurrect the varia­ which was used by Petrosian in his
tion. Polugaevsky-Rashkovsky, So- first match game against Fischer (af­
chi 1 974, had seen 1 5 ... i.b7? 1 6 ter 1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4
i.c2 i.xd5?! (better 1 6. . .%!e8) 1 7 lbxd4 lbc6 5 lbb5 d6 6 i.f4 e5 7
cxd5 'iVxd5 1 8 ltJfS !±. i.e3 lbf6 8 i.g5 i.e6 9 lD1 c3 a6 1 0
16 i.f2 i.xf6 gxf6 1 1 lba3). Polugaevsky
Better 16 lbc2! lbxd3 17 'iVxd3 had discovered this variation ten
i.f5 1 8 'ir'd2, when Black's initia­ years earlier.
tive compensates for the sacrificed This great friend and grandmaster
pawn. died on 30 August 1 995 in Paris,
16 i.b7 17 l:r.cl lbbd7! 18 b4
••• where he had been living for a few
lbxd3 19 'ir'xd3 b5 years. He was 60 years old. As an
Black is now in full possession of epilogue, I would like to show you
the initiative. some other games I played with
20 lbc3 bxc4 2 1 'ii'xc4 'ii'xf4 22 Polugaevsky in the course of our
lbd5 'iVg5 23 lbc6 lbe5 24 lbxe5 long dispute. In all these games, one
l:1xe5 25 h4 'iVd8 26 lbb6 :!b8 1/z-1/z or other of us deviates from the
Samisch.
There is, then, ample scope for
analytical work by both sides in this ·68 King's Indian Defence [E75]
theoretical duel . L.Polugaevsky White
Once I had to witness the loss of E.Gufeld Black
Polugaevsky's theoretical home 33rd USSR Ch, Tallinn 1 965
preparations. We were returning by
train from Skopje to Belgrade, when 1 d4 lLlf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 d6 4 lbc3
at the railway station Polugaevsky g6 5 e4 i.g7 6 i.e2 0-0 7 i.g5 e6 8
suddenly found that his invaluable 'ii'd2 exd5 9 exd5 'iVb6 10 lLlf3 i.f5
notebooks had disappeared. The Better 1 0 ...i.g4.
/84 Theoretical Controversies

11 lDh4 ltJe4 1 2 lDxe4 .txe4 13 il.g4 11 0-0 lDbd7 12 h3 .txf3 1 3

f3 ii'xb2 14 ltcl h6 1 5 .txh6 .txf3 a 6 14 a4 ii'c7 15 'ifc2 lte7 16
'ii'xd2+ 16 .txd2 .tf6 17 g3 g5 1 8 ltae1 ltae8 17 ltxe7 ltxe7 18 �e2
fxe4 gxh4 19 .tf4 h6 19 .td2 lDe8 20 g4 liJdf6 21 f4
In this ending White has a slight 'ii'd7 22 'ii'd3 b6 23 'ii'f3 'ifb7 24
edge. .td3 lDc7 25 g5 hxg5 26 f5! b5 27
19 ... lbd7 20 .txd6 ltfe8 2 1 .td3 cxb5?!
.te5 22 .txe5 lDxe5 23 \te2 hxg3 Better 27 fxg6 bxc4 28 il.xg5 ! .
24 ltcg1 ltad8 25 ltxg3+ \tf8 26 2 7...c4 2 8 .tb1 lDcxd5 2 9 fxg6
lab1 b6 27 h4 ltd6 28 h5 lth6 29 axb5 30 lDxb5 ii'h6+ 31 'iWf2 lte2!
ltg5 f6 30 ltf5?! 32 gxf7+ \tf8 33 'ir'xb6 lDxb6 34
Better 30 lt fl ! lDfl 31 ltg6. .tc3 lbbd5 35 .td4 ltJf4 36 lDxd6
30...ltJf7 31 ltbfl \te7 lD6h5 37 �c5?

32 \te3 37 ...ltg2+
Here White could have created Even today I wish I had given an­
interesting threats with 32 e5 ! ? other mate: 37 ...lDxh3+! 3 8 \th l
lDxeS 33 !txe5+ fxe5 34 .tg6, when lDg3 mate.
34 . . .l:tf8? cannot be played in view 38 \th1 lDg3 mate.
of 35 d6+!.
3 2...ltJd6 33 lt5f4 ltg8 34 .te2 Incidentally, at that time film­
!tg3+ 35 \tf2 lta3 36 ltg1 ltxa2 37 makers were keen on the trick called
e5 fxe5 38 ltg7+ \te8 39 ltg8+ \te7 "candid camera." None of the par­
•h-•h ticipants in the championship sus­
pected that a camera was hidden
69 King' s Indian Defence [E75] behind a curtain in the playing hall.
L.Polugaevsky White Later this film was used in the docu­
E.Gufeld Black mentary called "Chessplayers"
34th USSR Ch, Tbilisi 1 966 (screenplay by Beilin). It turned out
that the camera showed the episode
1 c4 lDf6 2 lDc3 g6 3 d4 .tg7 4 when I mated Polugaevsky. At that
e4 d6 5 .te2 0-0 6 �g5 c5 7 d5 e6 moment Polugaevsky's hair was
8 ii'd2 exd5 9 exd5 lte8 10 lDf3 practically standing on end!
 Theoretical Controversies 1 85

70 King's Indian Defence [E73] 9 0-0 �f5 10 c3 .:tc8 1 1 ii.h2

L.Polugaevsky White Now I know what tournament
E.Gufeld Black controllers are for: but for their
37th USSR Ch, Moscow, 1 969 watchful eye, the bishop might have
gone back still further, so as not to
1 c4 g6 2 e4 il.g7 3 d4 d6 4 li:Jc3 block the "loophole" square of its
li:Jf6 5 �e2 0-0 6 ii.g5 li:Jbd7 7 'ii'd 2 own king. Seriously, though,
e5 8 li:Jf3 c6 9 l:td 1 ! 'ii'b 6 10 0-0 White's 1 1 th move illustrates the
:e8 1 1 d5 cxd5 1 2 cxd5 li:Jc5 13 harmlessness of his strategy: he
'ii'c2 ii.d7 14 li:Jd2 .:tec8?! could not find a more active move.
Better 14 ... h6 !? 15 ii.e3 li:Jg4. l l ... a6 12 a4 .:te8 13 lt:Jc4! d5 14
15 'ii'h 1 h6 16 ii.e3 'ii'd 8 17 l:tcl lt:Jce5
li:Jg4? White has obtained an outpost on
Better 1 7 ... li:Je8. the e5-square, and the bishop on h2
18 �xg4 ii.xg4 19 li:Jc4 ii.f8 20 begins to "breathe."
b4 li:Ja6 21 li:Ja5 'ife7 22 a3 b6 23 14...'ii'b6 15 l:ta2!
lt:Jc6 'ii'b7 24 'ii'd3 li:Jc7 25 'ii'd 2 h5 This move looks clumsy, yet it
26 f4! exf4 27 ii.d4! lt:Je6 28 dxe6 solves several problems at once, in­
:xc6 29 lt:Jd5 ii.xe6 30 li:Jf6+ Wh8 cluding one which does not seem
31 lt:Jxh5+ f6 32 .:txc6 'ii'x c6 33 very urgent at present-removing
'ii'xf4 1-0 the rook from the "sights" of the
g7-bishop. The rook has to remain
71 King's Indian Defence [A48] on the a-file.
L.Polugaevsky White 1 5 li:Je4
•••

E.Gufeld Black Not seeing any prospects on the

VII USSR Spartakiad, queenside, Black switches to the
Moscow 1 979 centre, with ... f7-f6 and ... e7-e5 in
mind.
1 d4 tLlf6 2 li:Jf3 g6 3 il.f4 16 tLlxc6
If I was a little surprised by A hasty move. 1 6 g4 first would
White's previous move (I had ex­ be more accurate, making the
pected the Samisch system), this bishop go to e6, not d7.
one simply baffled me. What was 16 bxc6!
•••

Polugaevsky up to? Why had he de­ Immediately exploiting White's

viated from the principal variations? inaccuracy. After 1 6 ... .:txc6 1 7 a5
3 ... ii.g7 4 e3 d6 5 h3 0-0 6 ii.e2 he would have everything in order,
c5 7 lt:Jbd2 but now with the text White will al­
The point is that on 7 c3 cxd4 8 ways have the threat . .. c6-c5! hang­
cxd4 Black has 8 . . .'ii'b6 and White ing over him.
experiences some discomfort. 17 aS 'ii'b7
7 ... cxd4 8 exd4 lt:Jc6 With a view to preparing ... c6-c5
Black has achieved something: the queen would like to move to a7,
after the inevitable c2-c3 he has the but then the attack on the b2-pawn
possibility of planning the well­ is instantly removed, and the rook
known minority attack with comes into play via 1 8 .:ta3 ! with
. . .b7-b5-b4, so as to give his oppo­ .:tb3 to follow.
nent pawn weaknesses on the 18 g4 ii.d7! 19 lLle5
queenside.
1 86 Theoretical Controversies

An amusing variation (but by no

means forced) could arise in the
event of 28 g5 fxg5 29 hxg5 exd4 1
30 ..txb5 (30 'ifxd4 .l:txb3 I )
30 ....l:txe 1 3 1 'ii'xe 1 'ii'xb5 32 I:te2
l:t.c8 33 .l:te7 .l:tf8 34 'ife6 d3 35 i.e5
d2 36 'iff6. The black king is threat­
ened with seemingly inevitable
mate, but ... 36 ... 'ife2+ 37 'ltg3
'ifxe5+ -+.
28 'it'xb5 29 .l:tae2 .l:td3 30 !ld2
..•

.l:txd2+ 3t 'ii'xd2 'ii'xb3 32 I:te3

t9 i.xe5!
.•. 'ifb5 33 g5 li:Jd6 34 !let lt:Jc4 35
This is what I had in mind when 'ii'f2 exd4 36 :xe8+ 'ifxe8 37 gxf6
retreating my bishop to d7. The psy­ lt:Je3+ 38 'ltgt 'ifb5! 39 i.e5 'ii'bl +
chological basis of Polugaevsky's 40 'iti>h2 'ii'f5 4t i.g3 'ii'c2 42 'ifxc2
plan was: surely Gufeld won't lt:Jxc2 43 i.e5 'ltf7 44 'iti>g2 d3 45
decide to give up his favourite 'ltf2 d2!
bishop?! However, a sober glance at Even in the technical stage, it is
the position shows that the pleasant to shine with a tactical
g7-bishop has few prospects. coup.
20 i.xe5 f6 2t i.b2 c5! 46 'lte2 lt:Je3 0-t
It is now clear why White should
have forced the bishop to e6, not al­ 72 King's Indian Defence [E99]
lowing it to go to d7: from there it L.Polugaevsky White
jumps to b5. E.Gufeld Black
22 f3 lt:Jg5 23 h4 lt:Jf7 24 :et Sochi, 1 98 1
i.b5 25 b3?
The decisive blunder. The weak­ t c4 g6 2 d4 li:Jf6 3 lt:Jc3 i.g7 4
ness of c3 destroys White' s posi­ e4 d6 5 i.e2 0-0 6 li:Jf3 e5 7 0-0
tion. He should have defended with lt:Jc6 8 d5 lt:Je7 9 lt:Jet li:Jd7 t 0 li:Jd3
25 '*ib3 ! trying for simplifications, f5 t t i.d2 li:Jf6 t2 f3 'lth8
for example: 25 ... c4! 26 'ifc2 e5 27 Polugaevsky had incorporated this
:aa1 bringing the second rook into system into his armoury not long
play. before our game. It brought him a
25 cxd4 26 cxd4 :c3
•.. string of convincing victories, for
Aha, if White could retreat his example in his quarter-final candi­
g4-pawn back to g2 his position dates match against Tal (Alma-Ata,
would almost become defensible. 1 9 80). The forcing play after 1 2 ... f4
27 'ltg2 1 3 c5, where White develops a rapid
Maybe 27 i.xb5 'ifxb5 28 !lae2 queenside attack, had been thor­
would be the lesser evil, for exam­ oughly studied by my opponent, and
ple: 28 ...!ld3 (28 ... 'ltf8 29 .l:te3 I did not wish to test his home
l:f.xe3 30 !lxe3 'i'xa5 3 1 'ii'd3 with analysis over the board.
the threat of 32 !le6 and White may t3 g4
yet resist, though a pawn down.) 29 No, this is not an attempt to seize
'ii'c2+. the initiative. White's aim is rather
27 ... e5! 28 i.xb5 to establish his kingside defences in
 Theoretical Controversies 187

a fmward position. The idea of the 16 a3 aS 17 lbf2

move is to set up a blockade, for The e4-pawn is defended, but
example: 1 3 ... f4?? 1 4 h4! and all White's position is now cracking in
Black's pieces are deprived of mo­ the seemingly most fortified place.
bility, whereas White's queenside 17 b4! ! 18 axb4 axb4 19 lba2
...

initiative develops automatically fxe4 20 fxe4 cxdS 21 cxdS

f�J.� f� �
(exchanges on e4 or g4 would also
be a mistake).

� B� • Et
13 ...c6!

- �tf '• t •
��"""'�.jf�tf .• �
� · � ft �
· ft �
·
� it - • •
r.-- - i?
� � i?
� �
�
"Z..J . ���: �ill
� 0�����(��
21. .'�b6??
•

Trying to eat my cake and have it.

I wanted to strengthen my position
still further, so that after 22 �g2?
One of the classic rules of chess (as if there were no other moves!) I
strategy states: "Don't move pawns could play the combination
where you are weaker! " The queen­ 22 . . .lbfxd5 23 exd5 lbxd5 with de­
side is White's sphere of influence cisive effect. Instead, I should have
-he has a space advantage there. carried out the long prepared strike
However, in the present specific on d5 without further delay. In this
case, the continuation chosen by case Polugaevsky would have had
Black is not even an exception to to apply his defensive skills to the
this rule, but rather a consequence full. Here are some sample varia­
of White being the first to break the tions: 2 l . ..lbfxd5 ! ! 22 exd5 lbxd5,
"convention" with the move 1 3 g4. and now:
14 �h1 (a) 23 .ltf3 .ltb7 24 .ltg5? nxf3 !
Maybe White should prefer 1 4 a4, 25 .ltxd8 lbe3-+.
but after 14 . . . a5! he would have to (b) 23 lbe4 .ltb7 24 nxf8+ 'ifxf8
reckon with the fact that Black 25 .itf3 l:ta8 ! 26 lbg5 h6! (not
could close the queenside at will 26 ...e4 27 .ltxe4 'iff6 28 'iffl 'ifxal
with ... c6-c5. 29 lbf7+ �g8 30 lbh6+=) 27 tt::le6
14 b5! 15 b3
..• 'iff6-+.
After 1 5 dxc6 lbxc6 the knight, (c) 23 �g l 'ifb6-+.
which was miserable on e7, would 22 tt::lxb4 lDfxdS
have fine prospects of establishing Better 22 ... .ltb7.
itself on d4. 23 tt::lxdS lbxdS 24 .ltaS ! !
15 l:tb8
••. I had underestimated this move.
With the threat against e4, Black The advantage now swings over to
wants to force his opponent to make White, and although I count myself
a concession on the kingside. the winner of the theoretical
188 Theoretical Controversies

argument, my opponent became the 24 'ii'e3

•.•

actual victor in the tournament On my planned 24 ... ltJe3 I

table. thought White had the decisive 25
�xb6 ltJxd l 26 ltJxd l ! .l:r.xb6 27
.l:r.xf8+ �xf8 28 .l:r.a8 .l:r.c6 29 �c4.
However, after 29 .. .'�g7 30 ltJe3
�e7 Black could still resist.
25 exd5 e4
Hastening the outcome.
26 �d2 'iVd4 27 �h6!! .ltb7 28
'iVxd4 �xd4 29 �xf8 e3 30 liJh3
�xd5+ 31 'it>g1 �xa1 32 �xd6
.l:r.a8 33 .l:r.f8+ .l:r.xf8 34 �xf8 �xb3
35 i.c5 1-0
 Part Six: Extracts from an
unwritten book
1 00 Games I Almost Won
A book I have been dreaming of 74 E.Gufeld White
writing would have such a title. J.Augustin Black
Missed possibilities, annoying mis­ Sochi, 1979
calculations, blunders-to put it
briefly, games which ended "im­
properly" are examples as interest­
ing as they are instructive. I would
like to invite my readers to judge a
few passages from this future book.

73 E.Gufeld White
A.Gipslis Black
Tbilisi, 1 966

This game appeared in Informa­

tor. The adjourned position has the
quality of an endgame study. White
has two extra pawns, but the pres­
ence of opposite bishops compli­
cates the realization of his
advantage. A few years ago a Fin­
nish chess magazine held an original
type of endgame contest in which
the bulk of the entries were to be
taken from tournament games. I sent
Here I played 36 �gl, and after in this endgame, together with a
36 ...'iid4+! the reply 37 �hl looks "study" based on my game against
impossible on account of 37 .. .'ii'e3. IM James Sherwin (Helsinki 196 1 ),
Yet after 38 .l:.e7! 'jj'xe7 39 .ltc3 the and also a position from the game
king or the queen must perish! The Chiburdanidze - Akhmilovskaya
threats are 40 li:Jd5+ and 40 li:Jg4+ (Tallinn 1 977). Even today I can't
'iti>g8 42 li:Jh6 mate. If I had played understand why none of these posi­
38 �h1 I could have won ... tions took first prize.
1 90 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won

On that particular day, a heavy 75 King's Indian Defence [E74]

tropical shower descended on the S.Lputian White
city. My opponent got to the tourna­ E.Gufeld Black
ment hall in time to stay dry, but I 8th USSR Spartakiad,
got drenched on my way to the ad­ Moscow 1 983
journment session. The chief arbiter,
fearing I might get pneumonia, al­ In those years Smbat Lputian
lowed me to take off my clothes and achieved a number of impressive
play in my bathing trunks and un­ successes and at the Spartakiad he
dershirt. For a long time everyone made the best result on second
was looking for a press photogra­ board.
pher to record this moment forever, 1 d4 ft:Jf6 2 c4 g6 3 ft:Jc3 .ltg7 4
but they failed because of the rain. e4 d6 5 .lte2 0-0 6 �g5 c5 7 d5 h6
In these conditions I was not exactly 8 .lte3 8 .ltf4 8 ... e6 9 h3 exd5 1 0
in top form: exd5 :e8 1 1 ft:J f3 .ltf5! 1 2 g4!?
41 .ltfl ! rt;e7 Black equalizes after 1 2 0-0 ft:Je4
Not 4 1 . ...ltg3 42 g5 fxg5 43 hxg5 1 3 ft:\xe4 �xe4, and would have the
hxg5 44 .lth3 rt;e7 45 rt;c5+-. better chances after 1 2 'ii'd2 ft:\e4!
42 .lth3! We8 43 rt;c4 rt;d8 44 1 3 ft:Jxe4 .ltxe4 14 .ltxh6! .ltxh6 1 5
rt;b5 rt;c7 'ii'xh6 �xf3 1 6 gxf3 .
The king cannot be allowed into 1 2 ... .lte4 13 'ii'd2 ft:Jbd7 14 0-0
c6. Now White opens the "second �xf3!
front." Not 14 ... h5 1 5 ft:Jg5 and the
45 g5! fxg5 46 hxg5 hxg5 47 f6 bishop is in trouble.
.lte5 48 ti .ltd6 49 .lte6! 15 .ltxf3 h5! 16 g5
It would be a mistake to transfer Not 1 6 gxh5 ft:\e5 17 .lte2 ft:Jxh5
the king to the kingside at once: 49 1 8 .ltxh5? ft:Jxc4.
'itc4? 'ittd8 50 Wd4 rt;e7 5 1 .lte6 16 ...ft:Jh7 17 rt;h1
g4!=.
49....ltf8
Or 49 ... g4 50 .ltxg4 .ltf8 5 1 rt;c4
.ltd6 52 .lte6 rt;d8 53 rt;d3 ! ! rt;e? 54
�d4! and now whichever way the
black king goes, the white king
heads for the opposite flank with de­
cisive effect.
50 rt;c4 rt;d8 5 1 rt;d4 rt;e7 52
�e5 g4 53 d6+
53 rt;f4 also wins.
53 ...rt;d8 54 .ltxg4?
54 rt;d5 ! g3 55 .lth3 .lth6 56 �c4
�f8 57 rt;c5 would have led to 1 7....ltxc3!
victory. I never enjoy making this
54....ltxd6+ exchange.
And the bishop cannot be touched 1 8 bxc3 ft:Je5 1 9 �e2 'ii'd7 20
because of stalemate! 'itth 2 'ii'r5
lh-lh 20 ...'ii'a4? 2 1 'ii'd l .
 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won 1 91

2 1 f4 32 'i!id3
•••

White has to force events because I didn't see that after 32 ... 1:1d7 33
of the threat 2 l .. .'�We4. On 2 1 f3? i.xe5 'ifxe5 34 'ilixg6+ l:1g7 35
Black doubles his rooks on the e-file ifxh5 (or 35 'ifh6 'ilie l + 36 rJi;g2
and White' s bishops, deprived of 'i!ixh4-+ and White is in serious
support, are helpless. trouble.) Black could take the rook
2 1 ...'ife4! 22 1:1ael with 3 5 .. .'iVxf6!-+.
After 22 fxe5 'ifxe5+ Black 33 it'xd3 lt:lxd3 34 1:1xg6+ rJ;;f7 35
would take off the "fatter" bishop 1:1h6
on e3 or the light-s'luared one: 23
i..f4 it'xe2+ 24 1:1£2 'ifxd2 25 1:1xd2
1:1ad8.
22 lt:lxc4 23 i.xc4 'ifxc4 24 i.. f2
•..

White's intention is to launch an

attack on the kingside, opening up
the f-file with f4-f5 . Incidentally,
while Lputian was pondering the
situation, I went to the press bar for
a cup of coffee. There I ran into my
friend Kiknadze, a writer. He re­
proachfully shook his head: "What
have you done with your knight?"
In order not to hurt his feelings I Having made the move, Smbat
quickly moved the knight towards offered me a draw in a low con­
the centre. spiratorial voice. I had about a min­
24 lt:lf8 25 i..g3 1:1ad8
.•• ute and a half left, and this
Not 25 ... lt:ld7? 26 f5 . diplomatic trick all but paralysed
26 h4 me. I treated my talented colleague
Now 26 f5 is met by 26 ...h4 ! 27 with great respect and decided that
i..f4 gxf5 followed by ... lt:\f8-g6. his offer meant that I had over­
26...lt:ld7 27 f5 1:1xe 1 ! 28 it'xe1 looked something. I looked for this
Or 28 1:1xe 1 lt:le5 ! . "something" for about a minute, but
2 8...lt:le5 2 9 fxg6 fxg6 failing to find it, I cast a glance at
29 . . . lt:lxg6 30 1:1xf7 ! . my clock and its rising flag and
30 1:1f6! agreed to a draw. As a matter of
The best chance. fact, natural moves would have led
30 .. .'ifxa2+! to a simple win: 35 ... a5 36 1:1h7+
On 30 ...'i!ixd5 I had calculated 3 1 (36 1:1xh5 b5) 36 ... rJi;g8 37 1:1xb7
..ixe5 'ilfxe5+ 32 'ifxe5 dxe5 33 1:1a8 38 i..xd6 a4 39 1:1b1 a3 40 .l:ta 1
1:1xg6+ rJ;;fl 34 1:1h6 rJ;; g7 3 5 1:1xh5 a2 4 1 fj;;fl .l:ta6 42 i..g3 (42 i.e7
1:1e8 and decided that it led to a 1:1e6) 42 . . .lt:lc 1 etc. I was upset by
draw: 36 rJi;g3 b5 37 rJ;;f3 a5 3 8 rJi;e4 the result of the game, but the con­
b4 39 cxb4 cxb4 40 1:1h6! . soling thing was that my opponent
3 1 rJi;g1 'i!ixd5 3 2 'Wb 1 ! hadn't suggested my resignation in­
The best move. stead of offering a draw. 1/z-1/z
1 92 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won

76 King's Indian Defence [E97] An interesting idea. White does

R.Henley White not allow the queen the important
E.Gufeld Black post g6.
Tbilisi, 1983 18 �d7 19 �b3 a6
•••

1 9 . . .'1ti'h8 is worth considering.

1 d4 4Jf6 2 c4 g6 3 4Jc3 �g7 4 20 ltJc7 l:rab8
e4 d6 5 �e2 0-0 6 4Jf3 e5 7 0-0 If 20 ... l:rac8 White would have the
4Jc6 8 d5 ltJe7 9 b4 4Jh5 10 c5 interesting possibility 2 1 4Jde6!?
White immediately starts queen­ 2 1 l:rfd1
side action, so Black must also act The two knights are good when in
quickly. contact, but now the one on d4 has
10 ... 4Jf4 1 1 �xf4 lost the support of its stable-mate
White parts with his dark-squared and a direct queenside assault fails
bishop, but in return obtains a pow­ for this reason. For example: 2 1 b5
erful pawn centre. 4Jd3 !?; and in the event of the
l l ... exf4 12 l:tcl flashy 2 1 4Jde6 simplest would be
It would be a mistake to defend 2 1 . ..l:rfc8 22 4Jxg7 <1ttxg7 with a
the knight with the queen: 1 2 �d2 level game.
�g4! 1 3 l:tac 1 .it.xf3 1 4 .it.xf3 g5 ! 21. <1tth8 22 b5 g4! 23 hxg4
.•

with a subsequent 1 5 .. . 4Jg6, and 4Jxg4

Black obtains formidable chances
on the kingside.
12 ...h6
At New York, 1 983, Spraggett
played 1 2 ... a5 against Henley here,
and after 1 3 cxd6 cxd6 1 4 1Wd2
axb4 1 5 4Jb5 f5 1 6 �d3 fxe4 1 7
�xe4 l:ra4 1 8 l:rc4 .it.f5 1 9 �xf5
4Jxf5 20 l:rxb4 1Wa5 2 1 l:rxa4 �xa4
22 �e2 White obtained a small but
solid advantage.
13 a4
Another possibility would be to
bring his knight to c4, e.g. 1 3 4Jd2 It is evident to the naked eye that
g5 14 4Jc4 a6 1 5 ltJa4 ltJg6 1 6 cxd6 on both wings Black has outdone
cxd6 17 4Jab6 l:rb8 1 8 �g4 and his opponent in creating threats.
White's position is preferable. Thus, on 24 ltJce6 he has the strong
l3 ... g5 14 h3 4Jg6 15 cxd6 24 ...4Jxf2! and in the case of 24
1 5 a5 l:re8 1 6 4Jd2 is weaker be­ 4Jde6 4Jxf2! 25 4Jxf8 l:rxf8 Black
cause of 1 6 ... .it.xc3 ! 1 7 l:rxc3 �f6 has the initiative.
1 8 1Wc2 4Je5 1 9 l:rc 1 r:Jiig 7 20 1Wd 1 24 4Jf3 l:rg8
with approximately level play. An attempt to win the bishop does
15 ... cxd6 16 4Jb5 ltJe5 17 4Jfd4 not work: 24 ...1We7 (intending 25 . . .
The exchange of knights is in 4Jf6) 2 5 4Je6 4Jf6 2 6 4Jxf8 l:rxf8 27
Black's favour, since after 1 7 4Jxe5 bxa6 bxa6 28 :c7 4Jxh5 29 1Wb7
�xe5 he is excellently placed to 4Jf6 30 l:re 1 and White 's position is
storm the enemy king. preferable. On the other hand,
17 ...�f6 1 8 �h5 ! ? 24 ... 4Je5 was possible.
 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won 1 93

25 tbe6! 'i!Vxd5 .l:.xg2+, or 36 tbxd5 .l:.xg2+

The only move in what is now a 37 �xg2 �d4+, or 36 .l:.xd5 'ifh l .
difficult situation. The only acceptable continuation
25 .. .ll'lxf2 26 'Otxf2 fxe6 27 .l:.c7! after 32 ...'i!Vh5 33 lLlf5 .l:.g6 is 34
Again the best decision. On 27 .l:.g7 .l:.8xg7 35 tbxg7 <3;xg7, when
i.g4 there is the strong 27 ...exd5 ! Black has an extra pawn. The rest of
28 i.xd7 dxe4. the game is a circus requiring no
27 ... i.e8 28 i.xe8 .l:.bxe8 29 comment.
dxe6 33 tbf5 i.f6 34 'ii'f3 i.h4+ 35
Events now make a kaleidoscopic �fl .l:.xe4 36 lLlxh4 'ilfxh4 37 'ii'xe4
impression owing to severe �h1 + 38 'Otf2 1kh4+ 39 'Otg1 0 40
time-trouble. 1kh7 mate.
29 ....l:.xe6 30 'ir'd3 axb5 31 axb5 Thank goodness it is over. As
'ir'g6 32 lLlh4 they say in Russia, "The patient
feels better . . . he has stopped
breathing."

It was only after the game that I

learned that GM Ronald Henley
from Texas was quite well-known
and had a number of brilliant results
to his credit. In particular he was the
winner of the chess marathon held
in Djakarta in 1982 (with 26 grand­
masters and international masters).
Henley finished first with a "score"
of 1 3,000 US dollars.
32 ...'it'g4?
After 32 ...�h5 33 tbf5 .l:.g6 the 77 Pirc Defence [B07]
position offers attractive combina­ L.Yudasin White
tive possibilities: 34 'it'f3 'ilfh2! E.Gufeld Black
threatening 35 . . . .l:.g2+ 36 'i!Vxg2 USSR Team Ch, Volgograd 1985
i.d4+. On 35 .l:.g1 there follows
35 . . ..l:.g3 and in the event of 3 5 1 e4 d6 2 d4 lLlf6 3 tbc3 g6 4
.l:.xg7 .l:.8xg7 3 6 tbxg7 the winning i.e3 c6 5 0 'ii'b6! ? 6 b3
move is 36 ....l:.g3 ! Now let us exam- 6 'ii'c 1 .
ine 34 tbe7. 34 ... .l:.g3 35 �d5 is fol- 6 ...�g7 7 'ii'd2 'it'a5= 8 tbge2 0-0
lowed by 35 ...l:Ixg2+ 36 'Otxg2 9 0-0-0 b5 10 �b1 tLlbd7 1 1 g4?!
'ilfe2+ 37 'Oth 1 'i!Vf3+ 38 'Oth2 'i!Vg3+ 1 1 tbd5 'ii'd8 1 2 lLlxf6+ lLlxf6=.
39 'Oth1 'i!Vh3+ 40 'Otg l i.d4 mate. 1 1 ... b4 12 tba4 tLlb6 13 tLlb2
Instead of 35 'i!Vd5, more astute is 3 5 1 3 a3 tbxa4 14 axb4 'fkb6 1 5 bxa4
�c4. A draw results from 35 ....l:.g2+ a5+.
36 �xg2 'i!Vg4+ 37 �f2 'i!Vg3+ 3 8 13 ...c5+ 14 h4 c4! ?
�e2 'i!Ve3+ 39 �fl 'ii'f3 + 40 �e1 14 . . .i.a6.
�e3+ 41 �fl= (but not 41 'it'e2?? 15 bxc4
i.c3+ and 42 .l:.g1 mate). But there 15 tbxc4 tbxc4 16 bxc4 i.xg4! 1 7
is an excellent move which leads to fxg4 tbxe4+.
victory: 35 . .. d5 ! ! For instance, 36 15 ... i.xg4!
1 94 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won

Not for the first time, my oppo­ 33 ....i.xd4! 34 .i.xti+

nent asked for permission to adjust Not 34 .i.xd4 'i!Vxd4+ 35 'ii'xd4
the pieces. "May I adjust your lDxc2 mate.
bishop?"-"But of course-it is 34 ...'it>f8!
yours now." Having demanded (not for the
16 fxg4 first time) that I should stop shaking
1 6 e5 dxe5 1 7 dxe5 .i.xf3-+. my left leg, my young opponent
16...lDxe4 17 'ii'e l .l:tab8! carried out the move
Not 1 7 ... lDc3+? 1 8 lDxc3 bxc3 1 9 35 'i'id2
.l:td3 !+-. with such a terrible bang on the
18 :d3 d5! ! 19 c5 board that, believe me, I forgot what
19 cxd5 lDxdS+. the reason was for sacrificing the
19 ...ltJc4 20 .l:tb3 lDxb2? bishop on d4. At that moment I
Black was developing a danger­ sincerely wished we were in a
ous initiative, but for some reason I boxing ring. Forgive me a short
became nervous and at this stage historical digression. In his time
started playing indifferently. Doctor McLean, the famous
20 ...lDxe3? is also bad: 2 1 :xe3 physician and psychologist,
lDc3+ 22 lDxc3 bxc3 23 'ii'xc3 conducted some experimental
'ii'xc3 24 :xc3 .l:txb2+ 25 'it>xb2 observations on grandmasters, using
.i.xd4 26 .l:thh3 !+-. Black should the most up-to-date equipment. He
play 20 . . .lDxc5 ! 2 1 lDxc4 (not 2 1 told me, "Eduard! The results of
dxc5 lDxb2 2 2 .l:txb2 .i.xb2 23 your examination show that you
'it>xb2 'ii'a3+ -+) 2 l . ..dxc4 22 dxc5 should have chosen prize-fighting as
cxb3 23 cxb3 l:Ud8+. your profession." What a pity I
21 :xb2 lDxc5 22 .i.d2! ltJe4!? learnt about it so late.
23 .i.xb4 'ii'b6 24 .i.g2 aS 25 .i.a3 35...'it>xti??
'ii'e 6! 26 g5 :xb2+ 27 .i.xb2 .l:tb8 Black has a number of ways to
28 'it>al ltJd6! 29 lDf4 'ii'f5 30 ltJd3 finish the game. Take your p ick: __

ltJc4 31 .i.c3 'i!Vg4! 32 'i!Vf2 lDa3! 35 ... .txc3+ 36 'ifxc3 ifd4 ! ;

35 . . .'ii'g2 ! ; 35 ...'ii'e2! . These all win
outright.
36 lDe5+ i.xe5 37 .i.xe5 'iff3
The game begins all over again.
38 :cl .l:tb5 39 i.h8 'iib7 40
'ii'd l 'ii'c8 41 i.b2 lDc4 42 i.d4
'i'irs
The game was adjourned here.
Black still has a marked positional
advantage.
43 'ir'd3 'ifxd3 44 cxd3 ltJd6 45
.i.. c5 'it>e6 46 d4 lDf5 47 a4 .l:tb3 48
'it>a2 .l:th3 49 i.b6 .l:txh4 50 :c5
From the position in the diagram I think 50 .i.xa5 gives more sav­
White blundered with ing chances.
33 i.xd5? 50 ...ltJxd4! 51 .l:txa5 lDc6 52 .l:ta8
Retribution was swift: 'it>d5 53 aS �c4 54 'it>b2 �b5
 Extracts from 100 Games I Almost Won 1 95

Here it became clear that victory 31 l:tti! l:bti 32 ,..x f7 ,..d6 33

was in the bag, but alas-as it 'ii'f2 l:.f8 34 'ii'h4+ �g7 35 'ii'e4 l:tf4
turned out-not in the crosstable! 36 'ii'd3 l:tf3?!
SS l:tf8 lLlxaS 36 ... 'ii'f6! with a spatial plus; after
My opponent asked again: "May I 3 7 ... h5 Black will have a decisive
adjust your knight?" I replied advantage.
affirmatively, and then Yudasin 37 'ii'd2
turned to the arbiter: "May I adjust Not 37 gxf3? ,..g 3+.
all the pieces?" 37...ltJxg 2 38 l:te6!
56 .i.xaS �xaS 57 l:.ti l:te4 ?? Not 38 �xg2 l:tg3+! .
Under normal conditions I would 3 8 "ii'f4 39 'ii'x f4 ltJxf4 40 l:te7+
•••

undoubtedly have found the simple <J?h6 41 h4! ? d3?!

way to victory: 57 ... e6 58 �c3 <J?b5 4 l ...a5.
59 l:.e7 l:th5 60 <J?d4 l:txg5 61 l:txh7 42 l:td7
<J?c6-+. 42 l:txa7. .
58 <J?c3 �bS 59 �d3 l:te6 60 42 l:th3 43 l:r.xa7 l:txh4 44 a4
•••

�d4 'it>c6 61 l:txh7 �d7 62 l:th8 ltJe2+ 45 �f2 l:tb4 46 .i.g8 l:txb2
J:.a6 63 l:tg8 1!2-•!2 47 l:txh7+ �gs 48 l:thl ?
48 l:td7 ! .
48 ...ltJcl+?
78 I.Giek White 48 ... ltJc3+ 49 <J?e3 d2.
E.Gufeld Black 49 �e3 l:te2+ SO 'itr>d4 d2 51
Kusadasi, 1 990
l:td l= �f4 52 .i.c4 l:.e4+ 53 'itr>c3
�e3?
After 53 ... lLle2+ White is slightly
better.
54 l:txd2 gS!
54 ... l:txc4+ 55 'itr>xc4 'itr>xd2 56 aS.
SS aS g4 56 a6 l:te7 57 l:tg2!?
�f4?
57 ... l:tg7 ! 58 l:txg4 (58 �c2 'itr>d4 !
59 l:txg4+ l:txg4 60 a7 'itr>c5 ! ! =)
58 ...l:txg4 59 a7 lLla2+ 60 'itr>b3
liJc l + 6 1 'itr>b4 lLla2+=.
58 l:tf2+ �e3 59 l:tf7! lLle2+ 60
�b2! ! :e8 61 a7 g3 62 l:le7+ l:txe7
30 l:.f8
63 a8='ii' l:te4 64 .i.xe2! g2 65
...

Black has achieved an over­

'ii'a3+! 'itr>f2 66 ,..f3+ �el 67 'ii'g3+
whelming advantage and can now
and Black resigned. 1-0
quickly tip the scales in his own fa­
vour. Here is a possible variation:
79 King's Indian Defence [E63]
30 . . ....g3 ! 3 1 l:tf2 l:tf8! 32 l:tfe2 l:tc5
K.Arkell White
33 'ii'xa7 l:tcf5 34 l:txe3 l:tfl + 3 5
E.Gufeld Black
l:txfl ,..x e3+ 36 �h2 l:txfl winning
Hastings 1 994/95
easily. During the game I formed
the impression that White could de­ Last round of the tournament. If I
fend himself by 3 1 ,..f3 , But this is win, I share first place.
impossible on accourit of 3 1 ... 1 d4 lLlf6 2 ltJf3 g6 3 c4 .i.g7 4 g3
lLlxfl . 0-0 5 .i.g2 d6 6 0-0 ltJc6
1 96 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won

A move I have loved playing for 15 ...'i!fxd7 16 a4

many years. The position is complicated and it
7 ltJc3 a6 8 h3 is not possible to calculate all varia­
8 d5 leads to a complicated posi­ tions. Here intuition and experience
tion. If 8 e4 then 8 ... .tg4, and Black told me that Black has enough
fights for the d4-square. compensation.
8 l:tb8 9 e4 b5 10 cxb5 axb5 1 1
.•. 16 ... bxa4 17 l:txa4 c5 18 lt'lf3 e5!
e5 lt'ld7! The knight on d4 is like a bomber
Most books recommend 1 1 ... dxe5 escorted by two fighters on c5 and
1 2 dxe5 'ili'xd1 1 3 l:txd1 lt'ld7 14 e6 e5. After 1 8 ...'ilfxh3?? 19 lt'lxd4
fxe6, but I don't want to play with cxd4 20 l:txd4 ! i.xd4 2 1 'ili'xd4
so many pawn islands. Most open­ White has a comfortable advantage;
ing variations are a matter of taste, in the middlegame the two pieces
and I always maintain that if you are stronger than the rook and two
show me somebody's opening pawns.
reportoire, I can show you that per­ 19 h4 f5
son's character. Alternatively 1 9 ...'ilfc6 (Arkell) 20
1 2 lt'lg5 lt'lxd4 cxd4 2 1 lt'le2 d3 22 lt'lc3 e4,
This is better than 1 2 e6 fxe6 1 3 and the centre pawns are steaming
lt'lg5 lt'lxd4 14 .te3 h6. After the ahead.
text I spent the next 30 minutes re­ 20 lt'lxd4 cxd4 2 1 lt'le2
membering what I had prepared 30 2 1 lt'ld5 'ili'h5 22 lt'lb4 l:tc8.
years ago, while spectators won­ 2 1 ...h6 22 b4 f4! ?
dered if I had made a mistake in my Psychologically, i t might have
beloved King's Indian. been better to keep more of my ini­
tiative with 22 ... d3 23 lt'lc3 e4. After
the text, Black might have problems
with his weak 6th rank.
23 lt'lxf4!
23 gxf4 d3 24 lt'lg3 exf4 25 lt'le4
f3.
23. . .exf4 2 4 i.xf4 d 5 25 'ili'b3
l:tc8?!
Better 25 ...'ir'h5! with positional
advantage, for example if 26 l:tc I
(or 26 l:te l ir'c4), then 26 ...l:te8.
Also interesting is 25 ...d3, intending
26 ... l:txf4 ! .
12 ... .tb7! ! 13 e6 lt'lxd4 2 6 l:ta6 'ifi>h7 2 7 l:td6 'ilfti
A very strong centre is compensa­ 27 . . .'ilfb5 28 l:txd5 'ili'xb4 29
tion for this positional sacrifice. 'i!fxb4 l:txb4 30 l:td7+-.
14 .txb7 28 'i!fxd5 'ifxd5 29 l:txd5 l:tc4!
It was perhaps better for White to 29 ...l:txb4? 30 l:td7 l:tb5 3 1 l:te 1 ! .
keep the bishops on. 30 i.d2
14...l:txb7 15 exd7 30 it.d6? ! l:td7 3 1 l:tc5 l:txb4.
Or 1 5 exf7+ 'it>h8 16 it.e3 e5 1 7 30...l:tc2 31 l:td1 l:ta7 32 it.el
i.xd4 'ili'xg5. If 1 5 lt'lxf7, then l:tb2 33 'it>g2 'it>g8 34 l:td6 �ti 35
1 5 . . .ir'e8=.
 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won 1 97

.!:td3 .!:te7 36 �d2 �e5 37 .!:tc6 .!:te6 10 'i!Vg3

38 .!:tc5 ..t>g7 39 b5 h5 Threatening 1 1 .!:txh7.
39 ... �f6 with the idea of ... ltb6. 10 0-0 1 1 'ifh4
..•

40 l:td5 White cannot immediately exploit

Here I lost on time. After 40 ...�f6 the weakness of d6, e.g. 1 1 lt:Je4 f5
a draw would be a fair result. 1-0 1 2 lt:Jxd6? f4-+ or 1 1 lt:Jc4 f5 1 2
'tlfxd6 �xb2 1 3 'tlfxd8 �c3+ 1 4 .
80 Trompowsky Attack [A45] ..t>d l .!:txd8 with a winning position
J.Hodgson White for Black.
E.Gufeld Black l l h6 12 'ifg3
...

London, 1 995 Surely her majesty is tired of

moving around so much after only
The 1 6th King's Head rapidplay 1 2 moves!
of 29 January 1 995 was a very 12 ... g5 13 f4
strong tournament contested be­ Merely throwing oil on the
tween top Grandmasters like Nunn, flames.
Speelman, Hodgson, Lalic, myself 13 ... tt:\a6 14 a3 f5
and many IMs. The following is my After the bishop has had his eye­
last round game against the talented sight improved Black must surely be
and friendly GM Julian Hodgson, better.
with whom I have played three 1 5 0-0-0 'i!Vf6 16 c3 b5
times. In all these games I have I agree with Hodgson that
reached good positions, and in all 1 6 ... gxf4 1 7 'ii'xf4 b5 is much
these games the result was the same. stronger.
Julian and I always seem to create 17 fxg5 hxg5 18 lt:Jh3
interesting and entertaining games, Probably the only way to com­
and this was no exception. Winning plete his development, as after 1 8 .
this game would put me in equal t:Dgf3 g4 1 9 tt:\h4 b4 Black has a
first place. winning position.
1 d4 lt:Jf6 2 �g5
This is his "nuclear weapon".
2 ... lt:Je4 3 h4
People assume that GMs know
everything about the game. Hodg­
son labels this move " ! ?", but I
would label it "?!". 3 .Jtf4 or 3 .Jth4
is more solid.
3 c5 4 d5 g6 5 'i!Vd3 tt:\xg5 6
•.•

'i!Vc3 f6!
After the game I was surprised
when Hodgson congratulated me on
this theoretical novelty. 18 b4!
.•.

7 hxg5 �g7 8 ltJd2 d6 9 gxf6 If 1 8 . ..g4? then 19 lt:Jf4 and 20.

exf6! lt:Jh5.
Black has solved all his opening 19 lt:Jxg5
problems and his g7 bishop has no What else can White do? 1 9
opposite number. Black's chances 'i!Vxg5 bxc3 wins immediately.
are better. 19 ...bxc3
1 98 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won

Hodgson thinks 1 9 . . .bxa3 would complicated now. e.g.: 24 ...l:tf2? 25

finish the game quicker, but I think lt:Jg5 l:th2 26 l:thxh2 gxh2 27 'ifh7+
this is a matter of taste. �f8 28 l:tf2+ +-; 24 . . . .tf5?! 25 exf5
20 lt:Jh7 'ii'e l + 26 :Z.d1 'it'e3+ 27 'itb l ! (27
Hodgson finds an opportunity to l:td2 'ife 1+) 27 ...l:tab8 28 f6 l:txb2+
complicate the battle; if 20 bxc3 f4, 29 �xb2 l:tb8+ 30 �c2 'it'b3+ 3 1
White must resign. �d2 'ii'h2 + 32 �e3 'iff2+ 33
20 cxd2+ 2 l l:txd2 'ifeS 22 'ii'g6
.•. �e4+-; 24 ... l:tf6 25 lt:Jxf6+ 'ifxf6 26
The only chance to stay in the 'ii'e 8+ 'ii'f8 27 'ifc6 :Z.b8 28 .txa6
game, e.g. with the prospect of 23 with a big advantage for White;
t"Llg5 followed by 24 l:th8+ �xh8 25 24 . . . 'it'e8?? 25 lt:Jf6+; Black's best
'it'h7 mate. chance is 24 ...lt:Jc7! 25 lt:Jxf8 �xf8
22 ... f4! 26 �c4 (26 �b5 lt:Jxb5 27 l:tfl +
During the game I was expecting �e7 28 l:tf7+ �d8 29 l:txg7 i.d7 is
White to resign. I was congratulat­ unclear) 26 ... lt:Je8.
ing myself on coming equal first, 25 lt:Jxf8 �xf8
and was looking forward to slipping I forgot I couldn't play 25 ...
1 50 pounds sterling into my pocket. l:txb2 2 6. l:th8+, with a nice mate on
But Julian searched hard to find h7!
some hope in the position and came 26 �c4!
up with ... Black is in time-trouble.
23 g4!
He is now rewarded with very
good practical chances. Everything
else loses, e.g. 23 lt:Jg5 or t"Llf8 is
met by 23 ...�f5.
23 ... fxg3?
Why didn't I forget about the en
passant rule ?! After 23 ...l:tf6 24
lt:Jxf6+ 'ifxf6 White has a lost
position.
24 e4!

26 g2?
.•.

No better is 26 ... �h3 27 :Z.xh3

l:txb2 28 'iff5+ +-; or 26 ...l:tb7 27
i.xa6+-; or 26 . . .l:txb2 27 l:tfl + �g8
28 'iff7+ �h7 29 l:th l + +-; Black
should play 26 ... �g8 ! 27 'ifh7+
�f8 28 l:tfl + (28 'ii'g6=)
28 ... �e7-+.
27 l:tf2+
Now my opponent finishes
prettily.
24... l:tb8?? 27 ... �e7 28 l:tti+ �d8 29 l:th8+
Mistakes sometimes come in �xh8 30 'ii'g8+ 'ife8 31 'ii'gS+ �f6
palfS. The position 1s quite 32 'ifxf6+ 'ife7 33 'ikxe7 mate.
 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won 1 99

Maybe the queen wasn't so tired particular gentleman, an expert on

after all. After the game the audi­ astrology, offered to examine my
ence (numbering 200) was treated to horoscope by way of thanks for
a commentary by Hodgson and my­ such a splendid post-mortem. I
self. I think this is good for the asked him to look closely in my sign
popularity of chess; many thanked to see if I was fated to lose won
us for the entertainment. One positions! 1-0

C artagena cannot be destroyed

The catch-phrase "Carthage must 8 1 Sicilian Defence [B23]

be destroyed" has been handed O.Cartagena White
down from ancient history to our E.Gufeld Black
times. I remembered it in the USA Los Angeles, 1995
after twice competing against the
talented International Master Omar 1 e4 c5 2 ltJc3 ltJc6 3 f4 g6 4 ltJf3
Cartagena from the Philippines. The �g7 5 .tc4 e6 6 0-0
similarity of the proper names-and Theory recommends 6 f5 ltJge7 7
the results of the two games--called fxe6 dxe6 8 0-0.
the phrase to mind. Both games 6 ltJge7 7 �el 0-0 8 d3 d5 9
.•.

ended in draws. I did manage to �b3 ltJa5! 10 �d2 ltJxb3

"destroy" Cartagena' s positions, but There is no need to repeat my
could not make him admit it at the graphic comparison to illustrate the
board. superiority of bishop over knight. In
In the first game I seized the ini­ Russian terminology a bishop is an
tiative and gained a decisive advan­ elephant, a knight is called a horse.
tage. Then endless time trouble set My final argument is: "No matter
in-the "sudden death" time control how much food you give to a horse,
hung over the board like the sword it will never become an elephant."
of Damocles. At the crucial moment 1 1 axb3 ltJc6 12 �h1 b6 13 e5
my dark-squared bishop "diso­ White dreams of relocating a
beyed" me with 58 ... .txf6??. It did knight to d6.
not like being an accomplice in the 13 ... ltJb4!
shameful spectacle, as I had twice On 1 3 . . .'it'd7, White could transfer
missed a win. his queen to an active post with 14
Knowing my affection for Black's �h4 (not 14 ltJb5? ltJxe5).
dark-squared bishop, my opponents l4 l:tc1 �a6 15 llf2
sometimes chase after it. In our sec­ The idea is after d3-d4 ! to trans­
ond game, Omar carried out a re­ form the game into a French De­
markable knight's tour (tUb 1 -a3-c4 fence type of structure where the
-d6-c8) to lasso my other bishop. black light-squared bishop might be
He will hardly find imitators-too reduced to the function of a fly.
much time is wasted. My failure to 15 ...ltJc6 16 lla1 �c8 17 lt::la4
win the game practically cost me �b7 18 b4 d4! 19 lt::lg5
first place in the tournament. 1 9 bxc5 b5.
200 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won

19 li:Jxb4 20 �xb4 cxb4 2 1

..• 64 li:Je7+ �h5 65 l:ta8 g3 66 h3 g4
'ifxb4 l:td8 2 2 b 3 h 6 2 3 li:Je4 67 l:txh8+ �g5 68 h4+ �f4 69 f7
23 li:Jf3 �xf3. g2-+) 64 li:Je7+ �t7 65 li:Jf5+! �e8
23 �xe4 24 dxe4 �c6 25 l:te1
•.• 66 t7+ and mate in 7 for White.
d3 26 cxd3 l:txd3 27 li:Jb2 �f8 58 �xf6??
.•.

Black has a winning position. My lifetime buddy (the

28 'ifc4 'ifxc4 29 bxc4 l:tb3 g7-bishop) was bored to death
Black wants to put the other rook watching my indecision, and on my
on d4. behalf sued for peace. Yet even here
30 g4 l:td8 31 �g2 l:td4 32 f5 I have a win: 58 ... �h8 59 l:tf8 h5 60
�a3 33 li:Jd1 l:tb1 l:txt7+ �h6 61 l:tf8 (6 1 li:\g8+ �g6
33 ... l:txc4. 62 l:ta7 l:tb3+ -+) 6 l .. .�g7 62 l:ta8
34 l:te3 �c5 35 li:Jc3 l:txc4 36 l:tb3+ 63 �c4 l:ta3-+.
l:td3! �xf2 59 exf6 a1='if 60 l:tg7+ 1h-1h
Not 36 ... l:txc3 37 l:txc3 �x£2 3 8
�x£2.
37 l:td8+! �g7 38 f6+ �h7 39 82 Sicilian Defence [B3 1]
li:Jxb1 �c5 40 l:td7 �g8 41 l:td8+ O.Cartagena White
�h7 42 l:td7 �g8 43 l:td8+ �f8 44 E.Gufeld Black
li:Jd2 l:tc3 45 �f2 aS 46 �e2 a4 47 Reno Open, 1 999
l:ta8 a3 48 li:Jf3 b5 49 li:Jd4 b4 50
�d2 g5 51 lllc 2! ? l:tc4 1 e4 c5 2 li:Jf3 li:Jc6 3 �b5 g6 4
5 1 . . .l:tc5 52 lllxb4 l:ta5 ! wins 0-0 �g7 5 c3 e5 6 li:Ja3
outright. Possibly 6 d4 or 6 d3 .
52 �d3 l:tc3+ 53 �d2 l:tb3?! 6 li:Jge7 7 li:Jc4 0-0
..•

53 . . .l:tc5-+ 7 ...d6 8 d4=.

54 li:Jd4 l:tb2+ 55 �d3 a2 56 li:Jc6 8 �xc6?!
�h7! 57 lll e7! More precise is 8 li:Jd6 'ifc7 9
li:\xc8 l:taxc8=.
8 li:Jxc6 9 li:Jd6 'ife7 10 li:Jxc8
..•

l:taxc8 1 1 d3 h6 12 a3 'ife6! 13 b4
1 3 c4 f5 .
13 d5 14 bxc5
.•.

If 1 4 'ifb3 l:tfd8 1 5 bxc5 dxe4 16

'ifxe6 fxe6 17 dxe4 li:Ja5, Black's
game is more favourable.
14 dxe4 15 dxe4 'ifc4 16 'ifd5
•..

'ifxc3 17 �e3
1 7 �d2 'ifc2 1 8 l:tac l 'ifa4 and
Black is a little better.
17 ...l:tfd8 18 'ifa2 'ifd3! 19 l:tfel
The position looks like a chess 1:1d7 20 l:tab1 l:tcd8 2 1 h3 �h7 22
problem. l:tb3?! 'ifxe4 23 �g5?
57 �g7! 58 l:tg8
.•. 23 �xh6 'iVc4 24 �xg7 �xg7.
White had a chance with 58 �c4 23 l:tdl
••.

b3? (58 ...h5! saves the day) 59 l:tg8 Black dominates the field.
�h8 60 l:tf8 h5 61 l:txt7+ �h6 62 24 �xd8
li:Jg8+ �g6 63 l:ta7 .l:Ib1 ? (63 ... hxg4 24 l:tbe3 l:txe l + 25 l:txe l 'ifd5-+.
 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won 201

24 ..Jhel+ 25 li:Jxel 'ii'x el + 26

Wh2 li:Jxd8 27 l:td3 li:Je6
Better 27 ...'ii'a 5, aiming for ... i.f6
and . . .Wg8.
28 l:td7 Wg8 29 l:txb7 e4 30 l:tbl
'ii'c3 31 l:tb8+ Wh7
Better 3 1 ... i.f8.
32 l:tb7 li:Jd8?!
32 ... Wg8-+
33 l:txa7 �xc5 34 l:td7 e3 35 fxe3
Not 35 l:txd8? �c7+.
35 h5??
.••

3 5 ... 'ii'xe3 36 l:txd8 i.e5+ 37 g3 40... li:Jc6! 41 a7

'ii'xg3+ 38 Wh 1 'ii'xh3+ 39 Wg1 White could have forced Black to
Wg7-+. look really hard for the sole equaliz­
36 �d2 i.f6 37 Whl 'ii'b6 38 a4 ing moves by playing 4 1 'ili'a2! 'iVe8
Wg7 39 a5 'ii'b 8 40 a6 42 a7 'ii'xd7 43 a8='ili' 'ii'd 1 + 44
Wh2 i.e5+ 45 g3 h4 46 'ili'xc6 (46
Incredible! I have made just a few 'ili'e8?? �fl -+) 46 ... 'ii'f l=.
weak moves, and the character of 4l ...li:Jxa7 42 'ili'd5 ir'bl+ 43 Wh2
the position has drastically changed! Wh6!! 44 'ifxfi 'i!Vb8+ 45 g3 'i!Vb2+
The black pieces have lost co­ 46 Wgl 'i!Vbl+ 47 Wfl 'ii'f5+ 48
operation; basically, my opponent Wgl l'll c6 49 h4! 'i!Vbl+ 50 Wg2
was going under but saved himself 'ili'b2+ 51 Wh3 i.g7 52 'ii'f4+ Wh7
by clinging to a straw. Now it is 53 'ili'c7 li:Jb4 54 'it'b7 li:Jd3 55
Black who has to make the forced 'ili'xb2 li:Jxb2 56 g4 li:Jc4 57 gxh5
moves. gxh5 58 l:td5 Wh6 59 e4 i.f6 60 e5
l'll xe5 61 l:txe5 i.xe5 th-th

The last round

83 Reti Opening [A05] I was facing IM Jack Peters, the
E.Gufeld White respected chess columnist of the LA
J.Peters Black Times.
3 1 st American Open, 1 li:Jf3 li:Jf6 2 g3 b6 3 i.. g2 i.b7 4
Los Angeles 1 995 0-0 d5 5 c4 dxc4
Possible too was 5 ... e6, but not
This game was played in the last 5 ...d4 6 'ii'a4+.
round. The tournament leader, half a 6 'ili'a4+ li:Jbd7 7 �xc4 e6 8 li:Jc3
point clear, was the highly talented c5 9 e4
International Master lgor lvanov. (In White possesses a small positional
1 979 he overcame the World Cham­ advantage. Why? Black has some
pion Anatoly Karpov in the USSR problems finding a safe and com­
Spartakiad. A year later he defected fortable position for his most power­
to the West; he now lives in Ari­ ful piece.
zona.) Only victory would give me 9 ... i.e7 10 'ii'e 2!? 0-0
the chance to become eo-champion. Here 1 O ... e5 looks worthwhile, to
202 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won

prevent the opening of the centre. After the greedy 1 9 i.h3? l:taf8
Then, however, Black has to reckon 20 �xf5 l:txf5, the position would
with 1 1 d3, aiming for ltJh4 and f4. become completely unclear. Eventu­
The character of such a position ally, the b7-bishop would gain such
would be to White's liking. power that I would not advise my
1 1 d4 a6 enemies, let alone my friends, to
Black is searching for a suitable play such a position.
place to put his queen, and the 19 ... l:taf8 20 ltJe4!
square b6 looks like an appropriate Now come a series of very strong
spot. But while doing this, Black is moves.
wasting time. What might be recom­ 20 ...ltJxe5 21 ltJh4
mended? 1 l ...cxd4 1 2 ltJxd4 ltJc5
13 l:td 1 is better for White. Just one
minus-Black's problem with his
queen position-may not seem like.
a big deal for an amateur. But an ag­
gregate of tiny advantages and/or
disadvantages is an essential feature
of modem chess. These slight im­
balances add up to make a position
either very strong or very weak.
12 l:td1 b5 13 d5!
A typical breakthrough in the
centre.
13 b4
.•. Strategically Black has lost the
Or 1 3 ... exd5 14 e5±. The follow­ battle in the opening and his only
ing moves are almost forced. chance lies in tactical complications.
14 dxe6 But then there are no pure strategi­
After 14 d6? bxc3 1 5 dxe7 'ii'xe7 cal gam.es, unless your opponent of­
Black would have no problems. fers no resistance. The play will
14 ... fxe6 15 e5 ltJd5 16 ltJe4 always be transformed into some
The position is clarified and kind of tactical operation.
White' s prospects are obviously bet­ 21 ...ltJf4
ter. Black's camp consists of several The drowning man clutches at a
pawn islands and weaknesses­ straw, but I had precisely calculated
especially d6-and the knight on d5 the consequences. (Instead 2 l . . .c4
does not compensate for all the 22 ltJxf5 l:txf5 would have been
drawbacks. White's plan is to the quite pitiful.) Forced moves begin.
seize the d6 square; for that it is 22 gxf4 l:txf4 23 ltJd6!
necessary to trade dark-squared The queen is not protected on b6.
bishops, which in addition will If I managed to capture the pawn on
weaken the dark squares in Black's e6 with my queen, I would start
camp. dreaming of a knight check on fl,
16 ...'ii'b6 17 �g5 �xg5 1 8 with a smothered mate or win of the
ltJexg5 l:tf5! queen to follow.
Black offers an exchange sacri­ 23 ...�xg2 24 'fixeS
fice. But is it a Greek gift? I preferred a bird in the hand to
19 l:tac1! two in the bush. 24 ltJxg2?! would
 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won 203

create certain difficulties: 24 ...tLlf3+ 34 tLlf6+ wins the Black queen). I

25 lti>hl :4f6 and the white king is imagined that after 33 'i!id4+ lti>g8
not in complete safety. 34 tiJf6+! :xf6 35 .l:f.xh4 'i!i'f3+ 36
24 i..h3
•.• :g2 Black would check with ... 'ili'dl
The only move. On 24 . . .llxh4? (the well-known mechanism: :g l
White gives a problem checkmate: 'i!i'f3+), and if I covered with 'ii'g l I
25 'ii'xe6+ lti>h8 26 ltJ£7+ lti>g8 27 would be hit by ...:f8-fl . . . Alas,
tLlh6+ lti>h8 28 'i!Vg8+ :xg8 29 ltJ£7 this is quite a common case of chess
mate. blindness! The fl-square is out of
25 :d3! bounds to the black queen, and after
The only move for White. 36 ... 'i!i'fl+ 37 'ikg l Black could have
25 ...c4 "turned out the lights." At that mo­
This prolongs Black's resistance, ment Igor Ivanov had a drawn
though saving the game is out of the position.
question. If 25 ... :xh4, then 26 32 'ii'xh4 33 tLlxc4
•..

:xh3+-. In time-trouble, I suddenly

26 :xh3 'ii'xf2+ 27 lti>hl :xh4 28 wanted to finish the game with a
:gt g6 29 'Wxe6+ tactical combination; 33 'ikxc4+­
An immediate 29 tLle4 is not good was also possible. Of course it is a
because 29 . . .'ii'f4 30 'i!Vxe6+ lti>h8 3 1 rare thing in tournaments to see an
:xh4? would allow a well-known International Master playing on with
perpetual check with 3 1 ...'i!i'f3+. a piece less.
29 ...1ti>h8 33 ... l:.f5!? 34 tLle5 'ili'f6
On 29 ...1ti>g7? White wins the I was hoping for the striking
h4-rook with 30 'i!Ve7+. 34 . ..'Wf4 35 :xg6!. I now played
30 'i!Ve5+ lti>g8 31 'i!i'd5+ lti>h8 some forcing moves to reach the
Not 3 l . ..lti>g7 32 :xh4 'i!i'xh4 33 time control.
ltJf5+ +-. 35 'i!i'a8+ lti>g7 36 'ii'b7+ lti>h8 37
'i!i'c8+ lti>g7 38 'i!Vd7+ lti>h8 39 lL:lg4!
'ikxb2 40 :et :rs 41 'i!i'e7 'i!i'g7

32 :xh4?!
Not a mistake, but it delays the
the moment of trium_ph. Of course I 42 'ikxb4
also considered 32 ttJe4 ! . After the At this point I could have
game Jack told me he would have swapped queens and won an easy
resigned at once if I had played that technical endgame: 42 'iixg7+
move. The only possible reply is lti>xg7 43 l1e7+ :n (43 ...1ti>h8 44
32 . . .'ii'f4 (32 ...ife2 33 'i!Ve5+ lti>g8 :a7+-) 44 :x£7+ lti>x£7 45 lL:le5+
204 Extracts from 100 Games I Almost Won

and �c6+-. Frankly speaking, I suf­ 48 c,!tg2?!

fered a kind of psychological Another winning chance missed:
breakdown. 48 �eS! c,!(f6 (48 ....:tt2 49 .:te6+-)
Alas, looking at the leader' s posi­ 49 �d7+ c,!tg7 (49 .. c,!tf7 50 .:tf8+
.

tion, I saw that Igor was now win­ +-) 50 .:te6; 48 .:te3 !? .l:taS 49 a3+-.
ning. My hopes of tying for first 48....:ta5 49 .:te2
place were receding. This was my 49 h4 !? .:txa2+ 50 c,!tg3±.
eighth game in the tournament, and 49 ... g5 50 �d4
the only one in which I had been in Better 50 h3 'it>f6 5 1 �d2 and
time trouble. The first time control �e4-g3±; alternatively 50 �eS !?.
had passed, and I inquired when the 50...c,!(f6 51 �f3 .:ta3+ 52 �e4
next one would be. At the 60th c,!tg6 53 'it>d5 g4 54 'it>c5 h4 55 �b4
move? How much time was allowed .:td3 56 'it>c4
until the end of the game? All at There was no time left to work
once the ground was cut from under out 56 �e6, aiming for a4-a5 and
my feet: "You have 1 2 minutes left, �cS± with good winning chances.
only 12 minutes !" In such cases, ob­ 56 .:ta3 57 'it>d5? 'it>g5 58 'i.ite4
...

viously, games are played on until h3! 59 .:tc2 g3 60 �f3+

checkmate. A couple of months be­ 60 hxg3 .:txg3 61 �f3+ 'it>g4 62
fore this I had attended the Intel .:tc8±.
Grand Prix Tournament in London, 60...'it>g4 61 �e5+ 'it>g5?!
and had witnessed famous grand­ 6 1 . . . 'it>h4! .
masters playing on without a queen 62 hxg3? .:lxg3 63 .:tc8??
or two, scoring points and earning 63 �f3+ 'it>g4 64 .:tc8±.
big prizes when their opponents' 63....:ta3 64 .:th8??
flags dropped. The present game Better 64 .:tc2.
would definitely have benefited 64 ..Jha2 65 .:txh3 'iz-'/z
from a 'Fischer clock' !
42 h5 43 �e5 .:tf6 44 �e4 .:tf5
•.. It is not accidental that in Elista
45 �f3 both Anatoly Karpov and Gata
Better 45 .:te2, intending h4, .:tg2, Kamsky rejected the "sudden death"
�f3. time control in favour of adjourn­
45 ..�fi 46 �e8+
. ment and finishing their games. The
Even now it would be a good idea time control should be for a definite,
to play 46 c,!tg2 �xa2+ 47 .:te2±. fixed number of moves! Any
46 ...�xe8 47 .:txe8+ c,!tg7 reforms that involve increasing the
number of moves for the second or
third control would be a lesser evil
than "sudden death." Let us trust
statistics: a very small percentage of
games last more than 60 moves.
Even in open tournaments where, as
a rule, chessplayers are "harnessed"
for two games a day, it must be
possible to work out a civilized time
control. Then chess will again
acquire a human face.
 Extracts from 100 Games I Almost Won 205

Bringing the fateful moment back

You may-at a price! pretty well in the usual commercial

With a heavy heart I have seen tournaments of which we have had
how chess masterpieces, games in­ plenty recently. I should apply to
vested with enormous emotional patent this suggestion, being con­
and intellectual tension, have been vinced that Americans will accept it
spoiled by a single (!) careless or as soon as they hear about it.
hasty move. How many chess ca­ The idea did not come to me by
reers have been damaged in this pure chance. In many popular sports
way! So I have hit on the idea for a the recent tendency has been to seek
new rule, inspired by American more attractive and competitive ten­
practices: in every game, each sion even at the cost of changing the
player should have the right to take rules. I am ready to discuss it with
one (and only one!) move back after everyone except those tiresome con­
his opponent's reply, provided that servatives with a mentality akin to
he pays a certain fee laid down by that of aged women who say that
the tournament regulations. mini-skirts should be forbidden ... to
The destination of the money young pretty girls! Arguments like
would be a matter for serious con­ "I spent half an hour preparing the
sideration. For example, half of the trap, but my opponent took his
sum could go directly to the oppo­ move back and my whole plan went
nent by way of compensation, while down the drain" seem unfounded
the other half could go into a special because both sides are on equal
fund aimed at stimulating creative terms during the game, and the
achievements. The fee should vary same statement could just as well
according to the total prize fund and begin with the words "my opponent
the stage in the tournament-less at
"

the beginning but steadily increas­ In the following two games, I

ing up to the last round. In the inter­ would gladly have paid a lot of
ests of "democracy," the opponent money for the right to take a single
would have the right to reject the hasty move back.
whole transaction (why on earth
should he be compelled to give
moves back?!), but ... for twice or 84 King's Indian Attack [AOO]
three times the price! E.Gufeld White
Note that the right of rejection is a A.Kharlov Black
strong deterrent against anyone who Helsinki 1992
deliberately plays an unsound trap
in the hope that his opponent will 1 g3 d5 2 �g2 e5 3 d3 4Jc6 4
miss the refutation. 4Jf3 g6 5 c4 d4
I must add that my idea is not in­ I am fully satisfied with this
tended for official tournaments in position-White has, with an extra
which players qualify for contests at tempo (!), a favourable line of the
a higher level. But it can work King's Indian Defence. In addition,
206 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won

Black's c-pawn has failed to jump a 1 -h8 looks dangerous for White in
to c5, so White has no trouble even­ spite of the · cornered queen. How­
tually preparing b2-b4, with fine ever, I was perfectly sure of the
play. correctness of my strategy.
6 0-0 i.g7 7 ll'la3!? ll'lge7 8 ll'lc2 23 l:r.e4! l:r.d8 24 ll'lxf5 i.xb2 25
aS ll'le7+! ll'lxe7 26 'ii'g5+ 'ii'g7
Trying to prevent White's b4. Black's only defence, as you can
9 b3 h6 10 i.b2 g5 11 a3 ll'lg6 1 2 easily see.
b4 27 'ii'xe7 i.f5 28 l:r.ae1
I would be willing to start all my "An exchange sacrifice for the
games with White from this sake of winning a tempo," to quote
position! the famous humorists I.Ilf and
12 ... g4 13 ll'ld2 h5 14 e3! E.Petrov.
Undermining the black centre. 28... l:r.xd3
14 0-0
.•. 28 ...i.xe4 29 i.xe4 is bad for
I liked the p osition resulting from Black.
14 ...dxe3 1 5 t:Dxe3 'ii'xd3 1 6 t:Dd5 ! . 29 l:r.4e3 i.c3 30 l:r.xd3 i.xd3 31
1 5 b5 ll'lce7 1 6 exd4 exd4 l:r.e3 i.xc4 32 'ii'xc7 i.xb3 33 l:r.xc3
Black's d4 pawn is weak and he i.xa4
must keep an eye on it.
17 ll'lb3 ll'lf5 18 a4 h4 19 l:r.e1
hxg3 20 hxg3 'ii'g5
Intending an extravagent
manoeuvre.
21 'ii'c 1

The tactical skirmish has

decimated the pawns and pieces on
both sides. Just glancing at the
position you might think Black was
OK-he even has an extra pawn­
but White's next move makes the
21...'ii'h5 situation clear.
After the exchange of queens 34 l:r.c5!!
2 1 .. .'ii'xc 1 22 l:r.axc 1 ll'le5 23 l:r.cd 1 , Black's poorly protected king
Black will not get out alive. must find better shelter! The terrible
22 ll'lcxd4! threat is 35 'ii'f4 with the double
Cutting the Gordian knot! threat of 'ii'xa4 and, more
22 ...'ii'h8 importantly, l:r.g5.
This was the point of Black's 34 'ii'f6 35 'ii'd7 ! 'ittf8
.•.

plan. The pin along the diagonal

 Extracts from 100 Games I Almost Won 207

played 52 ... <iila5 53 'ii'a6+ Wb4 54

b6 ir'd6 with the possibility of
perpetual check.
53 'ii'd7+
A risky shot could be 53 'it'a6!?
and if 53 .....tb3 then 54 b6+ 'ikxb6
55 'ikxa3 with some winning
chances for White.
53 ... <iltb6 54 'i!Ve6+ Wc7
We both wanted to gain time on
the clock.
55 fi'd7+ <iifb6 56 'ili'd8+ ft'c7 57
36 'ii'xg4 'ilff6+ WaS 58 'i!Va6+ <iltb4 59 b6
This is the move I would be glad 'ii'd6!
to take back. There was no need to A superb defence. In spite of the
capture this pawn. The ultimate slight material advantage Black's
solution is on the queenside threat of perpetual check along the
battleground: 36 Itc8+ Itxc8 37 c 1 -h6 diagonal (after ... 'ili'd2) makes
'i!Vxc8+ <iile7 (I forgot that 37 ... <iilg7 White's task considerably more
38 'ili'xg4+ would pick up the bishop difficult.
as well as this "paltry" pawn! ) 3 8 60 'ili'b5+ <iltc3 61 'i!VaS+
'ii'xb7+ <iilf8 39 'ii'c8+ <iife7 40 'ii'c7+ I must protect the square d2, e.g.
<iitf8 41 'ii'xa5 ir'a 1 + 42 .il.fl 'ii'd4 61 b7 'ii'd2+ with a draw.
43 ikc7 and White should win. 61 ... Wb2 62 ..tf7 .il.b3 63 .il.xb3
36 ... i.b3 Wxb3 64 b7 a2 65 Wf2
Now the passed a-pawn, still alive Even after 65 1ib5+ 'if.?c3 66
and well, will play an important part b8='i!V 1i'd2+ White's two queens
in future events. cannot prevent the perpetual. Even a
37 l:.c8+?! few more white queens, on the
A better choice was 37 i.xb7 al­ wrong squares, could not stop it.
though Black would get some 65 ...1i'd4+ 66 <iile2 'ii'c4+ 67 <ilte3
counterplay. 'ii'e6+ 68 <iilf2 'i!Vd6 69 'ii'b5+ Wc3
37...Itxc8 38 ir'xc8+ <iilg7 39 70 'ii'a5+ <iilb2 71 fibS+ Wc3 72
i.xb7 a4 40 ir'g4+ <iilf8 41 ..tc6 b8=1i'
'ii'd6
Now White has the extra pawn.
But the a-pawn is dangerous and
Black makes the most of it. He
builds up a dark-square defensive
line while threatening the pawn's
advance.
42 'ii'c8+ �e7 43 'ii'e8+ <iilf6 44
'ii'e4 'ili'c5 45 <iilg2 i.c2 46 'ii'f3+
We7 47 .il.d5 f5!? 48 'ike2+ <iitd6 49
'ii'e6+ <iilc7 50 .il.c6 Wb6! 51 f3! a3
52 Jl.e8+ �c7
This inaccuracy could have cost
him the game. He should have 72 ...'i!Vd4+
208 Extracts from 1 00 Games I Almost Won

Playing with the necessary

precision.
73 �g2 �d2+ 74 'it>h3 'ii'h6+ 7S
'it>g2 'ii'd2+ 1h-1h

85 King's Indian Attack [AOO]

E.Gufeld White
E.Sveshnikov Black
Podolsk, 1 992

1 g3 dS 2 �g2 eS 3 d3 tt::lc6
As you can gather from the The threat is �xc6, and if ... bxc6
previous game (which had been the passed pawn on b6 advances to
played a few months earlier), I was promotion. Realizing how poor his
quite fond of this opening-and still position is, Black tries desperately
am. to complicate matters.
4 ttld2 26 ... e4 27 tt::lb3 .!:td7 28 'ii'd2 'iii>h7
The knight feels good on this 29 dxe4 d3
square too. Can you think of anything better
4 ... g6 S c4 d4 6 tt::lgf3 �g7 7 0-0 for Black?
I would guess White has a very 30 exfS �xfS 31 tt::le3 �h6 32
small advantage here. tt::ld4
7 ...tt::lge7 8 a3 aS 9 b3 h6 10 .l:tbl This move should have victori­
gS 11 b4 axb4 12 axb4 tt::lg6 13 bS ously crowned the game.
Don't you agree that White is now 32 ... .!:txd4 33 �xd4 'ii'xd4 34
well ahead in developing the initia­ tt::l xfS �xd2 3S tt::lxd4 tt::lxb6
tive on "his" wing-the queenside?
13 ...tt::lce7 14 �3 0-0 IS �a3
White' s pieces occupy comfort­
able posts.
IS ... �e6 16 .!:tal rs 17 ttlel .l:tb8
18 ttlc2 hS
There is no need to explain the in­
dividual moves; both players play
their own instruments-! mean,
wings.
19 b6
An unpleasant splinter in Black's
position.
19 ... c6 20 �cS .!:tf7 21 .!:taS h4 22 The job is done-almost. After
'Wb4 tt::lc8 23 .!:tfal hxg3 24 hxg3 g4 the skirmishing the tension abates,
2S .!:ta8 .!:txa8 26 .!:txa8 and I felt White was winning. But at
White's plan is neatly fulfilled, this point I went to sleep. It is easier
his rook has intruded into Black's to find winning moves here than the
back rank-the fate of the game is only move to lose-which I played!
strategically decided. You may have a hard time trying to
 Extracts from 100 Games I Almost Won 209

find or even understand my losing

move.
36 :dS??
I would be very happy if I could
take this move back for an appropri­
ate sum of money. The simplest way
to win was 36 :a7; but 36 :b8, as
well as 36 :a3, or 36 :a2, or even
36 :al was good enough to score
the full point.
36...i.g5!
My rook now has no good way to
retreat. 44 d4?!
37 exd3 Finally ruining White's game. Af­
Or 37 :d6 i.e7-+. The white ter 44 f4 ! gxf3 45 li:Jxb7 I could
rook cannot leave the d-file because have gobbled the last two black
the passed pawn will queen. Thus pawns for a theoretical draw. Unfor­
Black obtains a large material plus. tunately I did not bother much about
37 ...i.xd8 38 i.e4 'iti>h6 39 i.f5 such things after the shock of my
lt:Je5 40 c5 36th move. Here is the final act of
this dramatic tragedy:
44 ... lt:Jxe4 45 dxe5+ 'iti>xe5 46
li:Jxb7 'iti>d4 47 'iti>fl �d3 48 li:Jd8 c5
49 lt:Jc6 li:Jd2+ 50 'iti>el li:Jf3+ 51
'iti>d l c4 52 lt:Je7 'iti>c3 53 'iti>cl lt:Je5
54 li:Jd5+ 'iti>b3 55 'iti>d2 li:Jf3+ 56
'it�>cl
56 'iti>e3 c3 57 lt:Jxc3 'iti>xc3 58 'iti>f4
li:Jh2 59 'iti>e3 'iti>c2 60 f4 gxf3 61 g4
'iti>d l 62 'iti>f2 'iti>d2 63 g5 'iti>d3 64 g6
'iti>e4 65 'iti>g3 lt:Jg4 !-+ .
56 ... c3 57 li:Jf4 lt:Je5 58 'iti>bl lt:Jc6
59 li:Jd5 li:Jb4
40 ...'iti>g5? This endgame was played
Now it is Black's turn to blunder. precisely and powerfully by
If my new rule were in force, he Sveshnikov. 0-1
could have paid to take this move
back. But then if I had played
differently at move 36, he would I do not enjoy the conventional,
have had no cause to do so. I could purely technical work that forms the
have done Sveshnikov a favour by natural complement of a creative
saving him some money . . . Better process. This is a general trait of my
40 ...lt:Ja4 or 40 ...li:Jd5. character that manifests itself in my
41 i.e4 lt:Ja4 42 lt:Je6+ 'iti>f6 43 chess. To my regret, my technique
li:Jxd8 lt:Jxc5 leaves much to be desired.
 Part Seven: Chess
Kaleidoscope
86 Pirc Defence [B08] l 6 ... i.h8 loses outright to 1 7 h7+
E.Gufeld White rl;g7 1 8 'ii'h5 and mate in 3.
V.Savon Black 17 dxe5 �xe5 18 'ii'g3 f6 19 f4
Ukraine Ch, Kiev 1 962 �f7 20 jtd3
Or 20 'ii'd3 �h8 2 1 fxg5.
1 e4 g6 2 d4 jlg7 3 �c3 d6 4 20...'ii'd7
�f3 �f6 5 jtc4 0-0 Repelling the threat of 21 'ii'g4
On 5 ...�xe4 White gains a small followed by 'ii'h4 or 'ili'f5.
advantage by 6 jlxf7+ (or 6 �xe4 2 1 fxg5 �xg5 22 �e4 'iii>h8 23
d5 7 jtd3 dxe4 8 jtxe4) 6 ...'iitxt7 7 �xg5 fxg5 24 'ii'xgS e5 25 l::tdfl
�xe4. �c6 26 g4 d5
6 jlgs h6? At last Black sets his powerful
The chief cause of all Black's pawn centre in motion, but he has
subsequent difficulties. Better no time to start a counter-offensive.
6 ...�xe4, but not 6 . ..�bd7? 7 e5 21 jlfs
�e8 8 �d5+-. This move stops Black from shut­
7 jlf4 i.g4 ting off the bishop with 27 ... e4 and
Black's strategic plan involves prepares the decisive combination.
fighting for the d4 point. He wants 27 ...'ii'e7
to make White advance d4-d5,
opening the diagonal for the
g7-bishop; alternatively he aims to
establish a knight on d4 after
...�f6-d7, ... �b8-c6 and ... e7-e5.
8 h3 jlxf3 9 'i!i'xf3 �c6 10 0-0-0
�d7 1 1 e5! �b6 12 .ibs �as 13
h4
Charge! Having gained the advan­
tage in the centre, White transfers
the activities to the kingside.
13 ... �bc4 14 h5 g5
Certainly Black saw the following
combination, but what could he do? 28 'ii'g7+!
If 14 ... c5, then 1 5 .ixc4 �xc4 1 6 This is the shortest route to
hxg6 fxg6 1 7 'ii'g4 'iii>h7 1 8 .ixh6 victory. Temporarily sacrificing a
.ixh6+ 19 'ii'g5 !+-. pawn, White breaks into the
15 jlxgS hxg5 16 h6 jtxeS opponent's camp.
 Chess Kaleidoscope 2 1 1

28 .'ii'xg7 29 hxg7+ �xg7 30

.• How is White to develop his
l:th7+ �g8 initiative?
Or 30 ...�f6 3 1 �c8+ �g6 32 13 lZJxd5!
l:txf8 l:txc8 33 l:txc8 �xh7 34 This sacrifice doesn't require
l:.xc7+ +-. careful calculation. White gets an
31 l:txc7 lZJd4 32 i..h7+ �h8 33 awesome pawn pair in the centre
l:.h1 .l:.ad8 that threatens to wipe out everything
Trying to defend against the threat in its way. Not 1 3 cxd5 lZJxc3 14
34 �e4+ and 35 �xd5+. bxc3 cxd5 followed by ... �e6 and
34 c3 lZJe2+ 35 �d2 lZJf4 36 ... 0-0, and Black is fine.
i..f5+ �g8 37 .l:.hh7 .l:.f6 38 .l:.cg7+ 13 ... cxd5 14 cxd5 1i'b6
<ttf8 39 .l:.xb7 �g8 40 .l:.bg7+ 1-0 Or 14 ... 0-0 1 5 d6 �g5 16 lZJxg5
lZJxg5 1 7 �xg5 'ii'xg5 1 8 e6 �b7
87 Ruy Lopez [C73] 1 9 f4 1i'xf4 20 e7 and Black is in
E.Gufeld White bad shape.
N.Minev Black 15 lZJd2! lZJxd2 16 �xd2 0-0 17
Ukraine-Bulgaria, d6 �xd6
Kiev 1962 Returning the piece, Black sets his
hopes on the drawing potential of
1 e4 e5 2 lZJf3 lZJc6 3 �b5 a6 4 opposite bishops. In any case, he
�a4 d6 5 0-0 lZJf6 6 �xc6+ had no other way out: 1 7 ... �d8 1 8
Alternatives are 6 .l:.e 1 , or the 1i'c4+ �h8 19 �e3 1i'b5 20 1i'xb5
sharper 6 d4 combined with a pawn axb5 2 1 d7 �b7 22 �xc5+-.
sacrifice: 6 ...b5 7 �b3 lZJxd4 8 18 'ii'c4+ 'it>h8 19 exd6 'ii'xd6
lZJxd4 exd4 9 c3 (9 1i'xd4?? c5-+ is
the notorious Noah's Ark Trap)
9 ... dxc3 10 lZJxc3 with initiative to
White.
6 .. bxc6 7 d4 lZJxe4 8 'ii'e2 f5 9
.

dxe5 d5 10 .l:.d1 c5
Black was probably guarding
against 1 1 lZJd4, but now he lags in
development.
1 1 c4 c6
Or 1 l . ..d4 1 2 b4! i..e7 1 3 �b2±.
12 lZJc3 �e7

20 i..c3!
White doesn't fall for 20 i..e3
'ii'c6 2 1 �xc5, winning a pawn but
allowing Black some counterplay
after 2 l ...i..b 7. The further course
of events events confirms the well­
known rule: an attack is much
stronger if there are bishops of
opposite colours.
20...1i'b6
212 Chess Kaleidoscope

20...'ii'c6 loses to 2 1 'ii'f7 ! +-, In such positiOns the Gufeld

while 20 ...'ii'g6 21 l:td3 f4 22 iVxf4 bishop is as strong as a rook.
.ib7 23 'iig3+- would not help 18 ll:\g3
much either. 1 8 .ixf8 l:tx£8 and Black has a
2 1 'ii'f4 l:ta7 22 l:td6 'ii'bS 23 l:te1 formidable initiative.
Or 23 'ii'h4, intending l:td8. 18 ...ltJe3 19 'ii'e2 .id4 20 <t>h1
23...l:taf7
Now how is White to undermine
Black's solid king position? The h­
pawn comes to the rescue.
24 h4 ct>g8 25 h5 h6 26 l:txh6
.l:te8
Or 26 ...gxh6 27 'ii'g3+ <t>h7 28
ir'g6 mate.
27 l:txe8+ iVxe8 28 l:tg6 <t>h7 29
.ixg7 1-0

88 King's Indian Defence [E70]

N.Minev White White in turn offers an exchange
E.Gufeld Black sacrifice to rid himself of the dan­
Ukraine-Bulgaria, gerous intruder on e3 .
Kiev 1962 20 ...'ii'b6!
Black is not tempted by material
1 d4 ltJf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 g6 4 ltJc3 but aims instead at the vulnerable
.ig7 5 e4 d6 6 .igS b2-point.
White plays a very sharp variation 21 c!bge4 c!bxe4
which has been thoroughly re­ Not 2 I ...ltJd3 22 c!bf6+ and 23
searched by Bulgarian chessplayers. c!bd7.
6 ... h6 7 .ih4 VaS 22 .ixe4 c!Dxfl 23 l:txfl l:rab8 24
Taking advantage of the bishop's d6!
absence from the queenside, Black The passed pawn supported by the
launches counterplay there. bishops will set Black quite a few
8 .id3 ltJbd7 9 f4 0-0 10 ltJge2 problems.
b5 24 ...ihb2 25 'ii'xb2 l:txb2 26 d7
By this typical pawn sacrifice Or 26 lDd5 l:ttb8 27 d7 (27 ltJf6+
Black simultaneously clears lines .ixf6 28 .ixf6 l:td2-+) 27 ...f5 with
for his rooks, shatters White's cen­ advantage to Black.
tre and creates the opportunity to 26 ....ixc3 27 .ixf8
pressurize the b2-point. 27 .id5 l:td2 28 l:txf7 l:td8 ! .
l l cxb5 a6 12 bxa6 c4!? 27 ...l:td2 28 .ixh6 l:txd7
Exploiting the fact that 13 .ixc4 The complications are over, and
is unprofitable owing to ...ltJxe4, Black has gained a strategic victory:
Black clears the c5-square for his he has destroyed his main enemy,
queen' s knight and creates a strong­ the passed pawn on d7, and restored
point on d3. material equality.
l3 .ic2 ltJcS 14 0-0 .ixa6 15 e5 29 .ic1 .id2 30 .ixd2 l:hd2 31
dxe5 16 fxe5 ltJg4 17 .ixe7 .ixe5! h3 f5!
 Chess Kaleidoscope 2 I 3

Making the bishop leave the 16 d6

b 1-h7 diagonal and ensuring the ad­ White decides not to take the ex­
vance of the passed c-pawn. change yet. After 16 �xf8 'ifi>xf8
32 �c6 c3 33 �cl c2 34 'ifi>h2 Black has, in my view, sufficient
.ltd3 35 �f3 �c4 36 �c6 compensation for the small material
The pawn is not to be stopped, as deficit.
36 a3 or 36 a4 would be met by 16...�b7 17 lt:ld5 i..xd5
36 ... i..b3 and 37 ...�dl . I spent a long time on this move,
36...�xa2 37 �a4 i..b l 38 'ifi>g3 being very reluctant to part with my
'ifo>g7 39 h4 'ifi>f6 40 'ifi>f3 'ifo>e5 41 strong bishop. But I did not like
llel+ 'ifo>d4 42 g4 �d3+ 43 'ifi>f4 1 7 .. .'fi/c5 because of such continua­
lle3! 0-1 tions as 1 8 lt:lxe5 lt:lxe5 19 d7! ? ( 1 9
lt:lf6+ �xf6 2 0 �xf6 �ad8 2 1 �e7
89 King's Indian Defence [A68] �fe8+) 1 9 ...'i!Vxd5 20 'i!Vxd5 i..xd5
I.Nei White 2 1 �xf8 'ifi>xf8 22 �ad 1 lt:ld3 23
E.Gufe1d Black �xd3 �e6 24 �e4 �d8 25 �d2 and
3 1 st USSR Ch, Leningrad 1 963 it is not clear if Black can win. Yet
at the outset I evaluated my position
1 d4 lt:lf6 2 c4 g6 3 lt:lc3 �g7 4 as better.
e4 d6 5 f4 0-0 6 lt:lf3 c5 7 d5 18 'ii'xd5 lt:lg4 19 a4
7 dxc5 'ii'a5 8 cxd6? lt:lxe4 with Probably best.
complications favouring Black. 19 ... lt:lf2+ 20 �xf2
7...e6 8 �e2 exd5 9 cxd5 b5 10 Although there is no smothered
e5 mate after 20 'ifi>g1 , the threat of a
Or 1 0 �xb5 lt:lxe4 1 1 lt:lxe4 discovered check is unpleasant
'ii'a5+ 1 2 'ifi>f2 ( 1 2 lt:lc3? �xc3+ 1 3 enough.
bxc3 'ii'xb5) 12 . . .'ii'xb5 1 3 lt:lxd6 20...'i!Vxf2 21 i..xf8 �xf8 22
'ii'a6 with good play for Black. 'i!Vxb5 'i!Vxe2 23 'ii'xd7 'ifxb2 24
10 ... dxe5 11 fxe5 lt:lg4 12 �g5 �el
'i!i'b6 13 0-0
White played the opening quite
quickly, so it must be supposed that
his home analysis had prepared him
for this position.
13 ... c4+ 14 'ifi>hl lt:lxe5
Not 14 ...lt:lt2+? 1 5 �xf2 'ii'xf2 1 6
lt:le4 with an almost irresistible at­
tack for White.
15 �e7
This move is probably the whole
point of the variation White has
chosen.
15 ...lt:lbd7 The position is quite fascinating.
Indeed, if Black were forced to Since White's counterplay is bound
play 1 5 ...�e8 he would have a very up with with the d-pawn, the black
difficult game. For example, 1 6 d6 pieces need to control the queening
�b7 1 7 lt:ld5 �xd5 1 8 'ii'xd5 lt:lbd7 square. To this end, the bishop
19 lt:lxe5 lt:lxe5 20 a4 ! . should be placed on f6 and the
214 Chess Kaleidoscope

queen on the d-file. At the first op­ This manoeuvre is less convincing
portunity the a-pawn must escape than in the line 9 ... ltJh5 10. ltJe1 ,
from attack. In this way, Black in­ when the white knight's move hin­
tends to realize his advantage. ders the advance ... f7-f5, since the
24...i..c3 black knight on h5 is left without
The impression is that the c-pawn support.
should decide the outcome of the IO f5 l l liJd3 liJf6!
.••

struggle, but the immediate advance 1 l ...h6?! 12 f4 �h7 13 i..d2 fxe4

achieves nothing: 24 ... c3? 25 it'xa7 14 ltJxe4 ltJf5 1 5 �h1 exf4 16 ltJxf4
c2 26 ikc5 i..h6 27 ltJg5 ! . ltJe5 1 7 J:tc I c5 was Botvinnik­
2 5 J:tfl ike2 26 J:tgl a5 27 ii'c7 Schmid, Hamburg 1965; and now
�d3 28 d7 �f6 29 J:tel �g7! 1 8 dxc6 bxc6 19 J:te 1 with advan­
This move is directed against the tage to White.
threat of 30 1:te8. Not 29 ...c3 30 12 f3
J:te8, and Black can't play 30 ... ii'fl+ Better 12 f4.
3 1 ltJg1 i..d4 on account of 32 12 h6 13 �hi
..•

J:tx£8+ r:J;g7 33 J:tx£7+ ! . Black has a strong attack in the

30 h3 c3 31 1:te8 c2 3 2 ikc5 1:tg8! event of 1 3 lDf2 f4! 14 i..d2 g5 1 5
This is the whole idea of the ma­ g4 ltJg6.
noeuvre starting with 29 ... �g7. 13 ...g5! 14 exf5 lDxf5 15 lDf2
33 ii'c8 ii'e8 16 ltJce4 ikg6 17 'ii'd3 i..d7
White opts for the natural move in It is evident that Black has done
time trouble and gives Black the well out of the opening. He pos­
chance to conclude the struggle sesses the d4 square and has good
spectacularly. Even after the better chances of organizing an attack
33 J:tc8 .Ud8 ! White's position against the white king .
would still be difficult. 18 i..d2 ltJxe4 19 t"Llxe4 1:tf7
33 ii'fl+ 34 �h2
.•. Black doubles his rooks to in­
Or 34 lDg 1 c 1 ==ii' 35 1:txg8+ �h6 crease pressure on the f3 square.
36 it'£8+ �g5 and the king will 20 1:tf2 J:taf8 21 J:tafl ltJd4! 22
escape further checks. i..e3 i.. f5 23 �gl h5!
34...i..e5+! 35 J:txe5 The direct assault on the white
Or 35 ltJxe5 ii'f4+ 36 g3 'i!Vd2+ king begins.
37 �g1 c l =='ili'+ -+. 24 i..xd4 exd4 25 J:te2 g4!
35 cl='ir' 36 1Wxg8+ �xg8 37
•.. Thus the pawn support of the
d8='i!V+ �g7 38 'ilid4 'i!Vcc4 39 e4-square is undermined; soon
'i!Vxc4 iVxc4 40 J:txa5 iVc7+ 0-1 Black will attack this crucial
strongpoint with all available forces.
90 King's Indian Defence [E62] 26 f4 1:te7 27 J:tfel 1:tfe8 28 b4!?
A.Kolarov White c6 29 b5 cxd5 30 cxd5 �f8 31 a4
E.Gufeld Black b6 32 �f2 h4 33 �gl h3 34 i..h l
Bulgaria-Ukraine, Odessa 1 968 1:tc8
Black's pieces suddenly find a
I d4 liJf6 2 liJf3 g6 3 g3 i.. g7 4 way of invading the queenside.
i..g2 0-0 5 0-0 d6 6 c4 ltJc6 7 t"Llc3 35 iVa3
e5 8 d5 ltJe7 9 e4 ltJd7 10 ltJel
 Chess Kaleidoscope 215

9 1 K.Honfi White
E.Gufeld Black
Kislovodsk, 1968

35 ...d3!
A thematic blow! It opens the di­
agonal for the dark-squared bishop
and lures the white queen on to d3
so that the knight will be pinned. In the above rare endgame posi­
36 'ili'xd3 l:tc3 37 'ir'd1 l:tc4 38 tion the game was adjourned. Home
lllf2 l:tec7? analysis showed that it was not at all
A gross mistake. After 38 ...i.c2! easy to win. Exchanging pawns
White will lose material. doesn't work because the h i-square
39 �e4! is white and Black has a dark­
Now White exchanges his passive squared bishop. I worked out an­
bishop for its active counterpart, and other plan: to molest the f2-pawn
the complexion of the battle because it is the root of the chain.
changes abruptly. This might force White to advance
39 ... i.c3 40 i.xf5 'ir'xf5 41 l:te8+ one of his pawns. But this is easier
<J;;f7 42 lt:le4! said than done. The game
White unexpectedly creates continued:
threats against the black king, and 41 l:te2 (sealed) 41 ...l:tb3 42 l:te8
Black now needs all his resources to l:tb2
save the game. In the event of 42 White knew .. . l:tb2 was coming
lt:lxg4?! Black could still have but it was necessary for him to pre­
played for a win: 42 ... 'ir'g6! 43 l:t8e6 serve his rook.
�xe l ! 44 lt:lh6+ <Ji;g7! 45 l:hg6+ 43 l:tf8 <Ji;e4 44 l:te8+ rbd5 45
<Ji;xg6 46 'ir'g4+ <Ji;xh6 47 'it'xh3+ l:te3 i.d4 46 l:r.f3 l:r.a2
<Ji;g7 ! . Black's pieces are trained on f2,
4 2. ..l:txe4! 43 l:tlxe4 �e5 44 but now what? The manoeuvre
'ii'd3!? l:tc3 l:r.b2-b6-f6 does not work: 46.:.l:tb6
44 ...<Ji;xe8 loses, of course, to 45 47 l:ta3! l:tf6 48 l:r.a2 and White can
l:txe5+. hold on.
45 l:t8xe5! 47 l:lf5+ c;i;>c4 48 l:tf7 <Ji;d3
Leading to a drawn queen Black should play 48 ...l:r.a7 49
endgame. l:r.f8 l:ta6 50 l:te8 <Ji;d3 etc., which
45 ... dxe5 46 'ii'xc3 'ifxe4 47 was in fact played eight moves later.
'ii'c7+ <Ji;g6 48 'ir'd6+ <J;;f7 49 'ir'e6+ 49 Af3+ <Ji;e2 50 l:tf4 l:td2 51
<J;;f8 50 'ii'f6+ <Ji;g8 51 'ii'd8+ Wf7 l:te4+ <Ji;d1 52 l:r.f4!
1h-1h
216 Chess Kaleidoscope

The white rook must be on the Chess was coming out in a few days
f4-square to answer 52 ... <it>e 1 with -with wrong annotations. I thor­
53 .l:le4+. oughly studied the position again
and again, and finally discovered a
winning recipe: 52 ... g6 !, and White
is in zugzwang. Here are a few
variations:
(a) 53 <it>fl g5 54 hxg5 hxg5 55
.l:lf5 g4 56 .l:lf4 .l:lx£2+ -+.
(b) 53 <it>g 1 g5 54 hxg5 hxg5 55
.l:lf5 .l:lx£2 56 .l:lx£2 <it>e 1 .
(c) 53 .l:lf7 <it>e l 54 .l:le7+ .l:le2.
I phoned the editor who was pub­
lishing my book in the USA (just
several hours before it went into
Shortly after the game I published print), and the analysis was
an article about this ending in a amended. My frustrating draw was
theoretical bulletin. My "ancient" well compensated by the correction
analysis stated that Black could win of the mistake in the book and great
by 52 . . . g5 53 hxg5 hxg5 54 .l:lf5 g4 artistic satisfaction. In life we never
55 �f4 .:.xf2+! 56 .l:lx£2 .i.xf2 57 know for sure what we've got and
<it>xf2 <it>d2. At that time I was so what we've lost, whether we are for­
proud of my research. A quarter of a tunate or unfortunate. Just compare
century later, in a game against the my experience with these two
young Bangladeshi player Rahman anecdotes:
(Calcutta, 1 994), we reached the ( 1) A man goes to a bar and asks
same position (in effect; actually the the bartender: "Was I here yester­
colours were reversed). I felt so day?"-"Yes."-"And did I spend a
good about my old discovery of the $20 bill?"-"Yes"-"Thank good­
winning method and about the fact ness! I thought I'd lost it! "
that I did it before my opponent had (2) A husband comes home and
been born. I played the game me­ tells his wife: "I've had a lucky
chanically following my old analy­ day!"-"What was so lucky?"­
sis. But after I had played 54 ... g4, "Do you remember how much I
Rahman replied 54 .l:lg5 ! My good­ paid for your fur coat?"­
ness! Only then I realized that there "$ 1 ,000"-"Well, today I lost it at
was a "hole" in my analysis, as the poker, paying a debt of $2,000!"
g-pawn would be captured. At the 52 ...�e2 53 .l:le4+ <it>d3 54 .l:lf4
same time I discovered that even af­ .l:la2 55 .l:lf3+ <it>c4
ter 55 .l:lf4 I could not win with 55 55 ...<it>e2 56 .l:lf4 .l:ld2 57 .l:le4+
. . . .l:lx£2+, as White would escape <it>dl 58 .l:lf4 g6! is the winning
with 56 <it>h 1 ! ! .l:lxf4 57 gxf4 <it>e2 method discussed before.
58 <it>g2 .i.f2 59 f5 <it>e3 60 f6 and 56 .l:lti
draws. I was stunned ! My old analy­ Returning to the position after
sis was wrong! I lost half a point, a White's 48th. So:
prize award, rating points... But 56....l:la7! 57 .l:lf8 .l:la6 58 .l:le8
what really bothered me was that 58 <it>h3 does not help: 58 ... .l:lf6 59
my chess autobiography My Life in .l:lxf6 .i.xf6 60 <it>g4 i.d4 61 f4 .i.f2
 Chess Kaleidoscope 21 7

62 'it>f5 Si.xg3 63 'it> g6 Si.xf4 64 5 f4

tj;;xg7 'it>d5 65 'it>g6 We4 66 'it>h5 Black has nothing to fear from the
tj;; f3-+. advance 5 e5, as after 5 ... tiJe8 he
58...'it>d3! can undermine White's pawn centre
The white rook cannot reach the by way of ... d7-d6 and ... c7-c5.
second rank to defend the pawn on 5 c5 6 d5 b5?!
..•

12. In the opening, besides seizing the

59 .l:!.e7 .l:!.f6 centre with pawns, no less a role­
and perhaps a greater one-is
played by the rapid deployment of
forces. I will reveal a little profes­
sional secret: when I cannot evalu­
ate an opening position precisely, I
count the pieces developed by me
and by my opponent. In the present
case Black's pieces are better devel­
oped, so I decided to proceed with
active operations. Of course, it
would be somewhat risky to assert
that the move 6 ... b7-b5 is new in
this position. When I showed this
60 f3 game to GM Lajos Portisch, he ex­
The triumph of Black's plan: he claimed: "My brother will be glad
has induced the advance of the he has found a supporter!" He added
white pawn and gained the impor­ that F.Portisch plays 6 ...d6 7 Si.e2
tant points of access to the white first, and only then 7 ... b5.
camp. 7 e5
The rest is easy. It is difficult to refrain from such
60 ... .l:!.f5 61 .l:!.d7 .l:!.b5 62 .l:!.e7 .l:!.e5 a tempting continuation. But it is not
63 .l:!.d7 l:te2+ 64 'it>h3 'it>e3 65 h5 good to begin a pawn offensive be­
Si.c3 66 .l:!.f7 l:tf2 67 f4 'it>f3 68 .l:!.c7 fore completing your development.
.l:!.c2 69 l:td7 .l:!.d2 70 l:tc7 Si.d4 71 7 cxb5 would be wiser, whereupon I
l:tb7 .l:!.d1 72 .l:!.b3+ i.e3 73 �h2 had intended to continue 7 ... a6, tem­
l:te1 74 l:tb7 Si.f2 75 l:txg7 i.gl+ porarily managing without the move
Black resigns because of 76 'it>h 1 ... d7-d6.
Si.d4+ or 76 Wh3 l:te2, etc. 0-1 7 ... tiJe8 8 tiJxb5
For this game I was awarded a White's reason for playing 7 e5
special prize for the most interesting was to avoid having to spoil his
endgame of the tournament. pawn chain here.
8 ... d6 9 tiJf3 tiJd7!
92 King's Indian Defence [E70] Attacking the centre by way of
J.Pribyl White 9 ... Si.g4 seemed less convincing to
E. Gufeld Black me in view of 10 Si.e2.
Budapest, 1 970 10 e6?
Perhaps a serious mistake already.
1 c4 g6 2 tiJc3 Si.g7 3 d4 tiJf6 4 White should play 10 exd6, but pos­
e4 0-0 sibly Pribyl did not like the position
4 ... d6 is played more often. after 1 0 ... a6 1 1 tiJc3 (in reply to 1 1
218 Chess Kaleidoscope

0,c7 Black would play 11.. .l:tb8 12 It was necessary to weigh the con­
0,xe8 l:txe8 with a strong initiative) sequences of 22 'ii'xe7, on which I
11. ..0,xd6. had prepared 22 ...0,g4 ! (22 ... i..xg2
10 ... fxe6 1 1 tt:'lg5 tt:'ldf6 12 dxe6 23 �xg2 'ii'g4+ 24 .ig3 is inferior)
.ib7 13 .id3 d5 23 g3 'it'd4! . This is the point. Now
Of course there was no sense in on 24 i..xd4 (24 .l:.ad1 l:tx£2! 25
calculating the variations which win l:txd4 l:tg2+ 26 �h1 l:txh2+ 27 �g1
the pawn back. Black's whole strat­ l:th1 mate) there follows 24 ....ixd4+
egy is directed at the speedy deploy­ 25 l:t£2 .ix£2+ 26 �fl .ic5+ -+.
ment of his forces rather than 22 0,d7?!
•..

materialistic considerations. The position is better for Black

14 0-0 'Wb6 15 'ii'e2 dxc4 16 after 22 ...l:tac8 23 'ii'xc8 'ii'xfl +, but
i..xc4 a6 17 0,c3 0,d6 18 .ie3 during the game I thought the text
0,xc4 19 'ii'xc4 'ii'xb2 move was decisive.
Despite its apparent simplicity 23 i..xf4?
(mate on g2 is threatened), this White could have resisted more
move demanded accurate stubbornly after 23 l:txf4 0,xc5 24
calculation. llc4; but what neither of us saw at
20 i..f2 ! the time was that White has 23
Not 20 t'fjf3? fiJ.g4-+; if 20 0,e2, 'ii'xe7! .id4+ 24 i..£2 i..x£2+ 25
then 20 ... i..d5 21 ifd3 c4+. �h1, with the better prospects in a
20...ifb4 complicated position.
Not 20 ... 0,g4 21 l:tab1 'i!t'xc3 22 23 ... 0,xc5 24 .id2 l:tfd8 25 i..e3
'ii'xc3 .ixc3 23 l:txb7 0,xf2 24 Material loss is also inevitable in
�x£2 l:txf4+ 25 �e2 l:txfl 26 �xfl , the case of 25 .ie1 0,d3 26 i..d2
as White can defend successfully. 0,b4; and if 25 l:tad1, then
Black refrained from the tempting 25 . . Jtxd2-+.
20 ...0,h5 in view of 21 l:tab1 Wxc3 25 i..xc3 26 i..xc5
..•

22 'ii'xc3 i..xc3 23 l:txb7 0,xf4 24 Or 26. l:tac1? i..d2-+.

g3! and nothing decisive is evident. 26 ...l:td2 27 t'fjf3 .ixf3 28 gxf3
21 'ii'xc5 .ixa1 29 l:txal l:te2 30 i..xe7 l:txe6
After 21 'ii'xb4 cxb4 White's posi­ 31 .ic5 l:tc8 32 .if2 l:tc2 33 a4
tion is hopeless. l:tee2 34 .ig3 l:ta2 0-1
2 l. ..'ii'xf4
93 King's Indian Defence [E62)
R.Vaganian White
E.Gufeld Black
Moscow, 1972

1 t'£jf3 t'fjf6 2 g3 g6 3 i..g2 i..g7 4

0-0 0-0 5 c4 d6 6 d4 0,c6 7 0,c3 e5
7 . . ..ltg4 is a less purposeful
continuation, for example: 8 d5
(White also gets an advantage with
8 h3 .ixf3 9 i..xf3 ! with d4-d5 to
follow) 8 . . .0,a5 9 0,d2 c5 10 h3
.i.d7 11 'ii'c2 e5 12 dxe6 .ixe6 13
22 i..g3 b3 and White has a clear plan for
 Chess Kaleidoscope 219

pressure in the centre with .ltc I -b2 cxd6 1 S ll\xd6 l:lb8 I 6 ll\xc8 with
and l:la i-di etc., while the d4-point the advantage of the two bishops.
can be taken under control with 10..Ji'xd6! l l ll\g5
e2-e3. Nothing is gained by I I i.f4?!
8 d5 'iWd8.
It would be difficult for White to 1 1 . ..ll\fxd5!
count on an advantage after 8 dxeS, This is stronger than I I ...lDexdS
for example: 8 ...dxeS 9 .ltgS .lte6 I 2 lDgxe4 'ii'eS 1 3 lDxf6+ lDxf6 14
10 liJdS .ltxdS I 1 i.xf6 'iWxf6 I 2 i.f4 �aS 1 S 'ii'a4 'ii'xa4 I 6 lDxa4 c6
cxdS ll\e7 1 3 e4 c6 I4 'irb3 cxdS I S I 7 i.eS l:le8 1 8 f4 ll\g4 with equal­
exdS lDfS 16 l:lfe I l:lae8= ity, Furman-Gufeld, Kiev 1963.
Thorbergsson-Stein, Reykjavik 12 ll\gxe4 'iWe5 13 lDxd5?!
1972. Better 1 3 .ltd2.
8 ll\e7 9 c5
.•. 13 ...ll\xd5+ 14 'i!ib3
The simplifying combination I 4
'il'xdS 'iWxdS I S lDf6+ .ltxf6 I 6
.ltxdS c6 would leave Black with a
small advantage in the ending.
14 ...c6 15 l:le1 aS! 16 lt:Jc5?!
A poor decision.
16...lt:Jb4
Black's pressure on the queenside
becomes appreciable, and White
finds it difficult to complete his
mobilization.
17 a3
On I 7 lt:Jd3 Black has the choice
9...e4!? of 1 7 ...ll\xd3 I 8 'iWxd3 .lte6 or the
This interesting possibility tempo­ more spectacular 1 7 ... .lte6!.
rarily cuts off the white king bishop 1 7. . .�xc5 18 axb4 .lte6!
from the dS-square and obtains This intermediate thrust refutes
counterplay in the centre. The alter­ White's plan.
natives are 9 . .. dxcS I O lDxeS ll\fxdS 19 bxc5
1 1 lDxdS i.xeS ( I I ...lDxdS 1 2 After 19 'iWxe6 'ii'xb4 White has
ll\xf7!) I 2 .ltgS f6 ( 1 2 ... i.d6 1 3 two major pieces hanging.
'ii'd2) 1 3 .ltxf6! (or 1 3 lDxf6+ i.xf6 19 ...i.xb3
14 'iWxd8 l:lxd8 I S .ltxf6); and

���•�-
.t ��
9 . . .ll\e8 10 cxd6 lDxd6 I I e4 .ltd7
I 2 �3 cS I 3 a4 b6 1 4 ll\d2 'iWc7
� .t - • .t
• .t . . .t .
I S f4 f6 I 6 ll\c4 ll\ec8 I 7 fxeS fxeS
1 8 l:lxf8+ 'iti>xf8 1 9 lDbS lDxbS 20
axbS ll\d6, when White's position is � -.�
....., � ..., .
� .
�
·� ·� .%.�
just a little freer.

�A• • �m
10 cxd6 .

The immediate 10 lDgS is more

accurate, without exchanging first. ���J -
� it �
�--��J
--� . ��
.J
� a �� w
For example: I O ...dxcS 1 1 tt:lgxe4 ... . .

ll\xe4! 12 lDxe4 b6 1 3 a4 aS I 4 d6
220 Chess Kaleidoscope

There is material equality on the 8 ... a6 9 a4

board and the players have two But this goes against the character
bishops each, yet the "advantage of of the variation. White extends his
the bishop pair" is clearly with front line too far, and Black's
Black here. The black bishops queenside counterplay accordingly
paralyse the entire white army. gains in strength.
20 e4 a4 21 e5 9...e5
An attempt to block the "Gufeld A counterthrust which, in con­
bishop". junction with the following knight
21 ..J:tfe8 22 iLf4 manoeuvre, secures full equality for
Nor can the centre be held by 22 Black.
f4 f6 23 .te4 fxe5 24 f5 gxf5 25 10 d5 lba5
.i.xf5 e4 ! . Not 10 ...lDe7 1 1 c5 with initiative
22 ...l:r.a5 23 l:r.acl .i.f8 for White on the queenside.
The stranded white pawns fall like 1 1 lDc1 c5 12 l:r.b1
dominoes. 1 2 dxc6 bxc6 would be playing
24 .i.e3 l:r.xe5 25 .i.d2 :taxeS 26 into Black's hands .
.i.c3 l:r.xe1 + 27 l:r.xe1 a3 28 .i.b4 12 ... b6 13 b4 cxb4
a2 ! 29 .i.xc5 .i.xc5 Not 1 3 ... lbb7 14 a5.
Intending ... .i.d4 and ... .i.xb2. 14 l:r.xb4 lbd7 15 .i.e2 lbc5 16
0-1 0-0 f5
The regrouping 1 6 ...'ii'c 7,
94 King's Indian Defence [E84] 17 ... .i.d7 and 18 ... l:r.f8-c8 is also
S.Giigoric White worthy of consideration, keeping
E.Gufeld Black the break ... f7-f5 in reserve.
Belgrade, 1 974 17 'ii'e 1
White does not succeed in trans­
1 d4 lDf6 2 c4 g6 3 lbc3 .i.g7 4 ferring his knight to b4, since on 1 7
e4 d6 5 f3 lD 1 a2 there follows 1 7 ... lbab3 and
The veteran Yugoslav grandmas­ ...lbb3-d4; but the text move is su­
ter's choice of the Samisch System perfluous, as becomes clear. A pos­
came as a surprise to me. The point sibility is 1 7 .i.xc5 dxc5 1 8 l:r.b 1
is that Gligoric often plays the 'ii'h4 1 9 d6.
Black side of the King's Indian, and 17 ... .td7 18 'ii'd 1 'it'h4
frequently has to contend with this Exerting pressure on the point e4,
system himself. Black pursues a double aim: either
5 ... 0-0 6 .te3 lbc6 to force his opponent to take on f5
I had every reason to choose this (after which ... g6xf5 would secure a
particular variation, since Gligoric clear advantage), or to exchange on
himself is a devotee of 6 . .. e5, or e4 himself, creating an additional
6 ... c6 7 .i.d3 e5. pawn weakness for White. But
7 lbge2 l:r.b8 8 'ii'd2 1 8 ... .i.f6 19 'ii'd2 f4 20 .tf2 .i.h4
This sequence of moves was in­ does not look bad, either.
troduced into tournament practice 19 .i.f2 'ii'g5 20 lbd3 .i.h6 21
by Igor Zaitsev. The point is that in 'ii'b 1!
the variation 8 lbc 1 e5 9 d5 lbd4 1 0 An excellent manoeuvre.
lbb3 c5 Black is prepared in ad­ 21...fxe4
vance for the opening of the b-file.
 Chess Kaleidoscope 221

Despite Black's outward activity, 28...dxc5 29 l:f.xf8+ l:f.xf8 30 �h1

concrete ways for him to obtain the 'ir'e3 31 l:f.c1 'ii'xe4 32 l:f.e1 i.h3 33
advantage are not evident, e.g. llg1 i.e3 0-1
2 l .. .'ii'd2 22 i.e 1 'ii'e3+ 23 i.f2=.
22 l2lxe4 95 Sicilian Defence [B37]
22 l2lxc5? ex£3-+. V.Tseshkovsky White
22 l2lxe4 23 fxe4 l:f.bc8
.•• E.Gufeld Black
The tempting 23 ... i.h3 does not Vilnius Zonal, 1975
work owing to 24 lZ:le 1 .
24 'ii'a 2! 1 e4 c5 2 l2lf3 l2lc6 3 d4 cxd4 4
With accurate play Gligoric neu­ l2lxd4 g6 5 c4 l2lf6 6 l2lc3 i.g7 7
tralizes Black's initiative, and but l2lc2
for impending time trouble, the At one time it was thought that
game would seem to be heading for this move consolidated White's
a draw. opening advantage. Instead, 7 i.e3
24 ... iid2 25 l:.b2 allows Black counterplay with
A mistake. With 25 'ii'xd2 i.xd2 7 ...l2lg4.
26 l:f.xb6 l2lxc4 27 l:f.xa6 l:f.a8 28 7 ... 0-0 8 j_e2 b6 9 0-0 i.b7 10
l:f.xa8 l:f.xa8 29 l2lc5 White could l:f.b1
draw easily. White has in mind the classic plan
25 ...'ii'g5 based on l2lc3-d5. The task may
25 ...'ii'c3 ! is more energetic. seem simple, but in this situation its
26 l:f.c2 realization is not. The time spent on
He should have played 26 l:.b4. the move l2ld4-c2 tells, as Black has
26...l2lb7 27 i.xb6? developed his minor pieces before
Better 27 �h l . White has set up the necessary forti­
fications with b2-b3 and f2-f3 .
These moves have to be prepared.
10 ...l2le8! 11 'iid2
In view of the positional threat
... i.g7xc3 White has to make one
more awkward move. Maybe 1 1
l2ld5 e6 1 2 l2lf4 was simpler, but
then Black would soon play
... d7-d5, fully equalizing. That is
why White persists with the stan­
dard build-up, b2-b3 and i.c1 -b2.
But unfortunately he does not have
the time for it.
27...l2lc5! l l ...l2ld6! 12 f3 f5 13 l2lb5!
The dark-squared bishop finds it­ White has to resort to tactical
self cut off from the king's flank, tricks to avoid getting the worse po­
and White quickly perishes. sition. If 1 3 exf5 l2lxf5 1 4 b3, then
28 i.xc5 1 4 ... l2lcd4! .
28 l2lxc5 sets a pretty trap: 13 ...fxe4! 14 l2lxd6 exd6 15
28 . . .'ir'e3+ 29 �h1 'ikxe2?? 30 l:f.g l ! 'i!Vxd6 l2le5! 16 f4 t2ld3!
and White wins. However, 29 ...dxc5 A promising pawn sacrifice. A
wins for Black. more placid game results from
222 Chess Kaleidoscope

1 6 ... tbt7 1 7 'ilfd 1 dS. Black is happy 21 .:tbe1 'ii'g4

with his passed pawn, White is Overlooking an intermediate
happy with the blockading square in move again-this time for my
front of it. opponent:
22 c5+
I had only considered 22 tbe3
..td4 23 l:tf2 'ii'e6 with formidable
centralization.
22 'it'h8
•..

Not 22 ... 'ii'e6? 23 .:txe4!+-.

23 tbe3 'ife6 24 cxb6 d5?
There is nothing worse than when
you feel you're losing the ground
under your feet, and with it your
objectivity in evaluation. Just a
moment ago I had a better position,
so how could I face up to the fact
that after 24 ...'ii'xb3 25 axb3 axb6
17 ..txd3 exd3
26 iLc3 dS the game is simplified
It has long been known that a
common reason for mistakes is the and the advantage slips away?
so-called involuntary reaction: if an 25 b7!
Now my opponent has the
opponent takes off one of your
pieces or pawns, you at once take advantage.
25 ... .:tab8 26 f5!
something in return. That is why in­
termediate moves always seem so
striking. The move 1 7 ... .:tf6! would
not occur to you at once. But after
1 8 'ifa3 exd3 1 9 'ifxd3 .:te6! 20
..td2 'ii'h4! 2 1 .:tbe 1 l:tae8 Black
doubles rooks on the e-file and
gains a clear advantage. Now he has
no time for that.
18 'ilfxd3 .:te8
1 8 ...d5 1 9 .:tdl d4 was tempting,
and if 20 tbxd4 then 20 ....:te8! with
the idea of ... ..tb7-e4. But I recalled
that chess is not checkers, and one is
not obliged to capture. After the bet­ 26...'ifa6?
ter 20 tbb4 ! d4 White would return Finally losing the thread. Black
the pawn by playing tbb4-d5, de­ seems to have a great variety of
priving Black of the initiative and moves to choose from, but there is a
the two bishops. problem with every one of them.
19 ..td2 .i.e4 20 'ilb3 'i!kh4?! For example, the most natural
But here 20 ... d5 ! was the right 26 ... gxf5 27 lDxfS 'ii'g6 28 l:txe4!
plan, because the diagonals would dxe4 (28 ....:txe4 29 ifxdS with a
be cleared for the bishops. How­ rout) 29 tbxg7 ! leads to the total de­
ever, I wanted more: to deliver mate struction of Black's position. After
on g2. the game we came to the conclusion
 Chess Kaleidoscope 223

that probably best was 26 ...'ii'c6 37 'ii'xa7

when White has just a minimal Or 37 Wxf8+ 'ii'xf8 38 'iVc3 'ii'f5
advantage. 39 'it'd4 �g8-+.
27 f6! i.xf6 28 ltJxd5! 37 i.d3! 38 'ii'd 1 l:txel+ 0-1
•.•

Tseshkovsky carries out this part White resigns because of mate in

of the game in the strongest way. 28 two: 39 'ii'xe i 'ii'fl + 40 'ifxfl .l:f.xfl
l:txf6 'Wxf6 29 ltJg4 seemed tempt­ mate.
ing, but after 29 ...'ii'd6 Black still
holds his ground. 96 Sicilian Defence [BS I ]
28 ... i.d4+ 29 i.e3 i.e5 30 i.f4 E.Gufeld White
i.d4+ 31 i.e3 i.e5 32 ltJc7! N.Popov Black
Decisive. VI USSR Spartakiad, Riga 1 97 5
32 ... i.xc7 33 i.d4+ i.e5 34
i.xe5+ 1 e4 c5 2 ltJf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4
34 l:tf8+ was also good: 34 ...l:txf8 ltJxd4 liJf6 5 ltJc3 d6 6 g4
35 i.xe5+ l:tf6 36 i.xb8+- (but not The Keres Variation.
36 'ii'f7 ? because of 36 ...'itb6+ 37 6 a6
•..

�hi i.g2+! 38 c;l;xg2 'ii'f2-+). Theory recommends 6 ...h6 though

34....1he5 35 l:tf8+?? even then Black faces some
He should have played 35 'ii'c3 ! difficulties.
-.b6+ 36 l:tf2 'ii'c5 37 'ifxc5 l:txc5 7 i.g2
38 l:txe4 winning the pawn. But After 7 g5 liJfd7 8 i.e3 i.e7 9
who needs a mere pawn when he 'ii'd2 'iic7 10 f4 White obtains a
can put a second queen on the strong attacking position.
board? It never occurred to him that 7 :iic7
••

the white king might be in danger... lf 7 ... b5, then 8 e5 !±.

· 35 l:txf8 36 b8='ii'
•.. 8 g5 liJfd7 9 f4 ltJc6 10 i.e3
ltJxd4 1 1 'ifxd4! b5 12 0-0-0 i.b7
13 l:the1 l:tc8 14 ..ti>b1
Black now faces a decision.
Should he castle soon? Should he
begin active operations on the
queenside, or continue manoeu­
vring? He has to keep in mind that
his chances are objectively worse.
This prompts him to choose a re­
strained strategy.
14 'ii'c4
••.

What could have happened· with

sharp play is well demonstrated by
Here Tseshkovsky gave me a this variation: I 4 ... a5 I 5 ltJxb5!
quizzical look, awaiting my 'ii'xc2+ 1 6 �a I 'iixg2 1 7 ltJxd6+
resignation. i.xd6 1 8 'ii'xd6 i.c6 1 9 f5! and
36 'ii'f6! !
.•. Black himself comes under attack.
An all-purpose move: it not only 15 'ifd2 i.e7
defends the two attacked rooks, but A more active approach is still not
also threatens a mating attack from appropriate to the position. For in­
which White cannot escape. stance: 1 5 ...b4 1 6 ltJe2 ( 1 6 ltJd5
224 Chess Kaleidoscope

exd5 1 7 i..d4 is unclear) 1 6... i..xe4 At first glance Black is close to

1 7 i..xe4 'it'xe4 1 8 i..d4 and it ap­ equalizing. The layout of his pieces
pears that the pawn was "poisoned": is harmonious, he has seized the
the diagonals and lines in front of central e5-point, and the weak
the black king get opened. If the pawns on e4 and d6 are balancing
pawn is not taken, the attack is car­ each other. What can White think of
ried out "free of charge" with the doing?
knight joining in via e2-g3-h5. 24 .l:r.e2! aS 25 i..h3 .l:r.a8 26 lLld5!
16 i..d4 0-0 Here is the solution to the posi­
tion! Seizing the strong d5-point se­
cures White a small but persistent
advantage.
26 ... 'it'd8 27 .l:r.fl b4 28 .l:r.ef2 i..a6
29 .l:r.g1 i..b7 30 h5 i..xd5 31 'it'xd5
'it>h8 32 h6!
Threatening 33 .l:r.xf7! The posi­
tion of the king is crumbling, and
White has only to finish him off
with a few well-aimed shots.
32 ... .l:r.a7 33 i..d 4! .l:r.ae7 34 .l:r.h1!
The attack switches to the
Thus, Black successfully accom­ h7-square.
plishes the development of his 34 ...'ifa8 35 hxg7+ i..xg7 36
pieces. It remains only to advance a 'it'xa8!
pawn in the centre in order to gain The simplest solution. The attack
equality there as well. What plan is develops quickly even without
White to adopt? He has to take into queens.
consideration both strategic and tac­ 36 ... .l:r.xa8 37 i.. f5 ltJg6 38 i..f6
tical factors. The knight manoeuvre i..xf6 39 gxf6 .l:r.e5 40 .l:r.tb2 'it>g8 41
lLlc3-e2-g3 -h5! comes to mind at .l:r.xh7 1-0. Mate is inevitable.
once. But the straightforward execu­
tion of this plan with 1 7 lLle2 is 97 King's Indian Defence [E76]
countered by 17 ... e5 ! What then? Z.Lanka White
White is reluctant to trade on e5. E.Gufeld Black
17 b3! 'it'c7 18 lLle2 Yurmala, 1 977
It seems that nothing can prevent
Black from playing ... e6-e5. After 1 d4 lLlf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 d6 4 ltJc3
the bishop retreats he will take the g6 5 e4 i.g7 6 f4 0-0
pawn on f4, and there is no way for One of the fundamental positions
White to recapture: taking with the of the Four Pawns Attack has arisen
knight means giving up the pawn on by transposition.
g5, and taking with the queen means 7 i..d3
leaving c2 undefended. 7 liJf3 e6 is encountered more
18 ... e5 19 i..b 2 exf4 often.
Black cannot stop halfway, be­ 7 ... e6 8 dxe6
cause of the threat of lLle2-g3-f5 ! An original choice. As a rule the
20 h4! f3 21 i.xf3 ltJeS 2 2 i..g2 continuation 7 i..d3 (in contrast to 7
l:tfe8 23 lLlf4 i.. f8 i..e2) is connected with the
 Chess Kaleidoscope 225

development of the king's knight on 'ifd2 �xg5 17 l2Jxg5 lLle3 is dubi­

t he e2 square. For example: 8 l2Jge2 ous because of 1 8 lLlxf7!?.
cxd5 9 exd5 �g4 1 0 0-0 l2Jbd7 1 1 16 'ir'c1
�c2 l2Jh5 12 h3 'ii'h4! with fine Better than 1 6 i.d2 'ilib6.
play for Black. 16...b5!
8...�xe6 9 f5
White cannot delay this, or Black
obtains good counter-chances in the
centre.
9 ... �d7 10 l2Jf3 l2Jc6
10 ... gxf5?! is weaker in view of
1 1 0-0! fxe4 1 2 lLlxe4 l2Jxe4 1 3
�xe4 and the white pieces are very
active. In addition to the text move,
1 O ... �c6 is possible, with the idea
of . . .l2Jb8-d7.
11 0-0 l2Jg4!? 12 lLld5
12 �g5 f6 13 �f4 lLlce5. Black undermines the centre at
12 ...lLlb4! the first opportunity and opens up
It is essential to swap off the play on the queenside.
strong centralized knight. The sym­ 17 'ii'f4
metrical position of the black White's threats on the kingside
knights creates a unique artistic im­ look very dangerous; nevertheless,
pression. The exchange of the other as the game shows, it was worth
knight leads to advantage for White: thinking about 17 b3, trying to neu­
12 ...l2Jd4 13 h3 l2Jxf3+ 14 'ii'xf3 tralize Black's counterplay.
l2Je5 15 'ii'g3 . 17 ...bxc4 18 "ir'xd6
13 'ifi>h1 If 1 8 �c2, then 18 ... .l:le2! (or
13 h3 ! ? l2Je5 14 l2Jxe5 jixe5 1 5 1 8 ...l2Je3 !).
�f4 and now not 1 5 ...'ili'h4? (better 18...�b5
1 5 . . . l2Jxd5 ! ? 1 6 exd5 'ii'f6) 1 6 'ii'd2 After 1 8 ... cxd3 1 9 'ii'xd7 White
lLlxd5 1 7 exd5 with advantage to has serious threats.
White. 19 fxg6
13 l2Jxd5 14 exd5 .l:le8
.•. The correct reply to 19 a4 is
After this we may conclude that 1 9 ... cxd3 (but not 1 9 ... �a6 20 fxg6
Black has emerged from the open­ fxg6 in view of 2 1 �xg6!) 20 axb5
ing slightly ahead. If instead 'ii'xb5 maintaining some advantage.
14 . . .'ii'e 8?! , then 1 5 �f4 lLle3 1 6 19 ...fxg6 20 �xg6! hxg6!
'ii'd2 lLlxfl 1 7 .l:lxfl . Acceptance of the sacrifice is the
15 �g5 'it'aS! best decision. The exchange of
This is the best square for the queens leads to an unclear position
queen. The attempt to win a pawn after 20 ...'ilib6 21 'ir'xb6 axb6 22
works out badly: 1 5 ...'ir'b6 1 6 "ir'd2 jixe8 .l:lxe8.
( 1 6 l2Jd2!? lLle3 1 7 'iWf3 lLlxfl 1 8 21 'il'xg6 'ii'a6!
.l:lxfl is also interesting.) 1 6. . .1r'xb2 Only with this far from obvious
1 7 'ifxb2 �xb2 1 8 .l:lab1 �g7 1 9 move can White's attack be parried
lhb7 �c8 2 0 .l:lc7 and White's ad­ and the material advantage retained.
vantage is obvious; 1 5 ...jif6 1 6 Black must control the d3-square!
226 Chess Kaleidoscope

22 d6 c3 23 l:tael statistics from recent years show

The point of the move 2 1 . ..'ii'a6! that chessplayers increasingly try to
is revealed in the variation 23 �h6 avoid making large commitments at
lt:Jxh6 24 lt:Jg5 �d3 ! -+; or 23 lbh4 such an early stage of the game, pre­
lbe5-+. ferring calmer continuations.
23.. ."ii'xa2! 6 ll'lc6 7 g5 lt:Jd7 8 lt:Jdb5
..•

8 �e3 is played more often.

8 lt:Jb6 9 �f4 lt:Je5 10 'ii'h5 lt:Jg6
.••

l l �e3
Or 1 1 �g3 a6 1 2 lbd4 h6!+; after
1 1 �xd6? �xd6 1 2 l:td 1 0-0 1 3
l:txd6 'ii'e 7, the extra pawn does not
compensate for the defects of
White's position.
l l ... a6 12 ltJd4 �d7 13 f4 e5 14
fxe5 lt:Jxe5
On 14 ...dxe5 1 5 lLlf5 lDf4 1 6 'ii'f3 ,
White would acquire a substantial
opening advantage.
24 �e7 15 �h3?!
On 24 �h6 I had prepared With this lunge White reveals his
24 . . .'ii'f7 ! and after 25 li'xg4 aggressive intentions. It seems that
�xfl-+ Black wins. the exchange of light-squared bish­
24...�xfl 25 l:txfl ops will enable him to seize the
Again 25 lbg5 IS refuted by d5-point. But to be objective, we
25 . . .�d3 ! . should note that in White's camp
2 5...li'c4 26 l:te1 lDf2+ 27 �g1 there are also weak points, for in­
li'f7 stance the pawn on e4.
27 ...li'g4 ! 28 ltJg5 lt:Jh3+ is even 1 5 l:tc8
..•

more accurate, concluding the strug­ Just in time. It was obvious that
gle immediately. White was intending to hide his
28 1t'c2 king on the queenside.
Or 28 li'x£7+ �x£7 29 �x£2 16 0-0
cxb2-+. Not very comfortable, but better
28 ... lt:Jh3+ 29 �h1 cxb2 30 liJh4 than 16 0-0-0 l:txc3 ! 1 7 bxc3 lba4
lt:Jf2+ 31 'it>g1 �d4 32 lt:Jr5 lt:Jd3+ and White would be facing
33 �h1 'ii'xf5 0-1 difficulties.
16 ... g6 17 'ii'h4 �g7 18 .i.xd7+
98 Sicilian Defence [B8 1 ] lt:Jexd7
E.Gufeld White In case of 1 8 ...'ii'xd7 the knight on
G.Timoshchenko Black b6 would be undefended for a mo­
Krasnoyarsk, 1 980 ment, and by playing 19 lt:Jf5 White
would gain a strong attack;
1 e4 c5 2 lt:Jf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 1 8 ...lt:Jbxd7 19 lt:Jd5 also leads to
lt:Jxd4 lt:Jf6 5 lt:Jc3 d6 6 g4 White's advantage. The following
In many reference books on the variation is noteworthy: 19 ...0-0 20
openings Keres's move is given an lDf6+ lt:Jxf6 21 gxf6 lt:Jd7 22 .i.g5
exclamation mark. However, l:tc5 23 lbe6!.
 Chess Kaleidoscope 227

19 l:tad 1 0-0 20 l:tf3 l:te8!

23 ...llJf6
I was ready for the move
After this strong move, the posi­ 23 ...'ii'f6, and now:
tion is one of dynamic equality. (a) 24 gxf6 llJxf6? (better
Less convincing is 20 ...h5 2 1 llJf5 ! 24 ...l:txh7 ! 25 fxg7+ 'i;xg7 and
gxf5 22 exf5; or 20 . .. llJc5 2 1 llJf5 Black is the exchange up) 25 l:txf6+
with complications favourable for 'i;xf6 26 e5+ dxe5 27 llJe4+ <:J;f7 28
White. llJd6+ 'i;f6 29 i.g5+ +-.
21 l:txf7!? 'it>xf7 (b) The best reply is 24 'ii'xg7+! !
That the position is approximately 24 ...'5ti>xg7 25 gxf6+ llJxf6 (25 ... <:J;f7
equal is proved by the variations 26 llJf3 ! llJc4 27 llJg5+) 26 llJe6+
following 2 1 . ..llJc4. I had the draw r:i;t7 27 llJg5+.
in hand with 22 l:tdfl llJxe3 23 24 'ii'xg7+! 'it>xg7 25 llJe6+ ct>g8
Sxg7+ 'it>xg7 24 l:tt7+ 'it>xt7 25 On 25 ...'it>t7 26 llJxd8+ Black
'iixh7+ and perpetual check. At any loses all his cavalry; better 25 ...'i;h7
rate, 2 l . ..llJc4, in my opinion, was 26 llJxd8 llJc4 27 llJxb7 llJxe3 28
Black's best. l:txf6±.
22 'ii'xh7 l:th8 26 llJxd8 llJfd7
22 ...llJf6 is quite cunning move: Or 26 ... l:txd8 27 i.xb6.
23 gxf6? 'ii'xf6 24 l:tfl 'ii'xfl + 25 27 llJf7!
'5ti>xfl l:th8-+; however, White has As my opponent confessed after
23 l:tfl llJbd7 24 gxf6 llJxf6 25 llJd5 the game, this was the move he had
l:th8 26 'ii'xg7+! '5ti>xg7 27 llJe6++. not considered. (Instead, 27 llJxb7 is
Black's strongest move is 22 ...l:tg8 ! . met by 27 ... llJc4!) Now White, us­
During the game I was contemplat­ ing minimal forces, creates a mating
ing the attack developing by way of net around the opponent's king.
23 h4 or 23 llJd5. These lines were 27 ...llJc4
not totally clear, but I had a con­ Or 27 ...l:th5 28 llJh6+ +-.
tinuation in reserve which guaran­ 28 llJxh8 'it>xh8
teed security for White: 23 l:tfl + Or 28 ... llJxe3 29 llJxg6!+-.
'it>e7 24 'ii'xg6 'ii'e 8 25 llJf5+ 'it>d8 29 .i.d4+ ct>g8 30 llJdS!
26 'ii'xe8+ �xe8 27 llJxd6+ 'i;e7 28 Black could have resigned with a
llJxc8+ l:txc8 29 g6, etc. clear conscience, but time trouble
23 l:tfl+ was at hand!
228 Chess Kaleidoscope

30 ...�e8 3 1 �f4 4:Jd2 32 4:Jf6+ 99 King's Indian Defence [E63]

4:Jxf6 33 �xf6 �xe4 34 �xg6+ �f7 E.Geller White
35 �f6+ �e7 36 c3 �g4+ 37 �f2 E.Gufeld Black
4:Je4+ 38 �f3 �h4 39 �g6 USSR Team Ch, Moscow 1981
Better 39 �f41 l1:Jxg5+ 40 �g3
l:th5 4 1 �h4! reaching an easily 1 4:J f3 4:Jf6 2 c4 g 6 3 4:Jc3 �g7 4
won endgame. (White should not go g3 0-0 5 �g2 d6 6 d4 4:Jc6 7 0-0 a6
after the piece: 4 1 �g4?! �xh2 42 8 h3 �b8 9 e4 bS
�xg5 �xb2 allows Black to put up The idea of 9 e4 lies not only in
resistance.) You always have an op­ the occupation of the centre, but
portunity to lose if you wish: 39 also in the immediate advance
�h6? l1:Jxg5+!-+. e4-e5. If Black tries to prevent this
39 d5 40 �g7+ �e6 41 �xb7
•.. with 9 . . . 4:Jd7, then 1 0 �e3 leads to
�xh2 an advantage for White after either
As the flag on my clock had 1 0 ...4:Ja5 1 1 b3 c5 1 2 �cl b5 13
dropped, the arbiter told us to cxb5 axb5 14 dxc5 dxc5 1 5 e5 ! or
adjourn. 1 0 ... b5 1 1 cxb5 axb5 1 2 't!Vc l ! e5 13
42 g6? � d 1 exd4 14 4:Jxd4 4:Jxd4 1 5 �xd4
I sealed a bad move. After 42 �xd4 1 6 �xd4.
.l:tb6+! �f5 43 �e3 ! Black could 10 eS 4:Jd7!?
resign at once. 10 ...dxe5 1 1 dxe5 'fixd l 1 2 �xd l
42 �f5! 43 �e3!
.•• 4:Jd7 13 e6 fxe6 1 4 cxb5 axb5 1 5
If White isn't careful Black may 4:Jg5 4:Jd4 gives equality.
draw by perpetual: 43 g7 4:Jd2+ 44 1 1 e6!?
�g3 (44 �e3 liJfl+ 45 �d3?? �d2 My opponent in this game is a
mate) 44 ...tt:Jfl + 4 5 �f3=. I had to well-known King' s Indian specialist
overcome quite a few difficulties to like myself. So in this case he is
win this game that was long since playing not only against me but
won. against himself too! The last move
43 ...�h3+ is a new idea of his. It should be
43 . . . �xg6 44 �f4 ! would have noted that after 1 1 cxb5 axb5 1 2
simplified White' s task. exd6 cxd6 White already has to
44 �e2 �xg6 45 a4! �fS 46 fight for equality. That occurred in a
�e7! �h2+ 47 �d3 �h3+ 48 �c2 game in Moscow 1969, where I had
�h2+ 49 �b3 4:Jd2+ 50 �b4 l1:Jc4! Black against that other brilliant
51 b3 �b2 52 �a7! aS+ King's Indian specialist Leonid
Or 52 ...4:Jd2 53 �xa6 4:Jxb3 Stein. Play continued 1 3 �g5 h6 14
(53 ... �xb3+ 54 �c5 l1:Je4+ 55 'iti>xd5 �e3 b4 1 5 4:Jd5 �b7 1 6 �c l e6 17
tt:Jxc3+ 56 'iti>c4+-) 54 �a3 �bl 5 5 4:Jf4 l1:Je7, and Black had an excel­
�f6+ ! �e4 56 �b6+-. lent game.
53 �c5 �xb3 54 'iti>xdS 4:Jb6+ 55 In addition 1 1 l1:Jg5 has often been
�xb6 �xb6 56 �f7+ �g6 57 �fl seen, with the threats of 1 2 �xc6
�b3 58 c4 �b4 59 cS �xa4 60 c6 and 1 2 e6. In reply, Black has two
�a2 61 �cl �d2+ 62 �cS 1-0 reasonable possibilities: l l ... dxe5
1 2 �xc6 exd4, or 1 1 ...4:Jxd4 1 2
'ti'xd4 4Jxe5 1 3 't!Vh4 h 6 1 4 4Jge4
 Chess Kaleidoscope 229

e6! 1 5 'ii'xd8 .l:f.xd8 with an unclear 25 bxa5 'ii'x a5 26 a3 .l:f.e7 27 .l:f.d5

position (Geller). .l:f.fe8
l l ... fxe6 12 d5 exd5! Black increases the tension;
Better than 1 2 ... lDa5 13 cxb5 27 ... lDe3 would only have led to
exd5 14 lDd4 lDf6 1 5 lDxd5 axb5 1 6 equality.
.ltd2± as in Geller-Chiburdanidze, 28 f5 .l:f.el
USSR 198 1 . A typical time-trouble decision.
13 cxd5 When short of time it is difficult to
Not falling for 13 'ii'xd5+? e6 1 4 refrain from such an apparently
'ii'xc6 il.b7, and the queen is spectacular invasion of the back
trapped! rank, expecially when it involves a
13 ...lDa5 14 lDd4 lDe5 15 b4! ? trap. The straightforward 28 ... gxf5
The position o f the black knight is simp ler and stronger.
on e5 does not look too secure. 29 'W!Vd3!
However, Black's strategy is aided The only move, but quite ade­
by a tactical device: 1 5 f4 c5 ! . quate. Naturally my very experi­
1 5...lDac4 1 6 f4 enced opponent did not fall into the
trap: 29 .l:f.xe 1 ? .l:f.xe 1 30 'ii'c2 'ii'b6
with decisive mating threats.
29 ...lDe5
On 29 ....l:f.xfl 30 'i!Vxfl , White has
the double threat of 3 1 'iixc4 and 3 1
f6.
30 .l:f.xel
Now that Black's rooks are split,
White can exchange one of them
off, relying on the pin of the knight.
Another possibility is 30 'ii'xb5
'iixb5 3 1 .l:f.xb5 l:txfl 32 .ltxfl lD£3+
33 �g2 lDd4 and White's position
16...c5! 17 dxc6 lDxc6 18 lDxc6 is preferable.
1 8 .ltxc6 would also be answered 30...'ii'x el 31 'ii'xb5 l:tc8
by 1 8 . ..'ii'b6 without check, but with On 3 1 ... l:tf8, White would happily
a dangerous pin. go into an ending with 32 'ii'fl ! .
18 ...'ii'b6+ 19 �h2 .ltxc3 20 3 2 .ltf4 gxf5 33 l:txd6 lt:lg6!
lDxe7+ �h8 2 1 lDxc8 Offering yet another pawn in re­
2 1 lt:ld5 'ii'd4 22 lDxc3 'ii'xc3 23 turn for activating his forces to the
.l:f.b 1 .ltb7 leads to approximate maximum.
equality. 34 'ii'd 5
2 1 ... .!:1bxc8 22 .l:f.bl .l:f.ce8 34 'ii'xf5 l:tf8 gives sharp play.
It is this rook that must occupy 34 ...'ii'e7!
the e-file, since on 22 . . ..l:f.fe8 White The only correct queen move.
has 23 f5 ! . As a whole the position 34 ...lDxf4?? loses to 35 l:td8+.
may be evaluated as roughly level. 35 .ltd2
23 .l:f.b3 .ltg7 24 .l:f.d3 a5! Now the draw is obvious.
24 ....l:f.e7 is well answered by 25 35 ... .lte5 36 l:td7 'ii'xa3 37 l:td8+
.!:1e 1 ! . l:txd8 38 'ii'xd8+ 'ii'f8 1h-1h
230 Chess Kaleidoscope

1 00 Ruy Lopez [C92] 16 ... li:Jd7 could be answered by

E.Gufeld White 1 7 e6, but this may be premature, so
H.Westerinen Black perhaps 1 7 l:td1 is stronger.
Seville, 1 987 17 l:td1 'i'd7
What else?
1 e4 e5 2 li:Jf3 li:Jc6 3 .li.b5 a6 4 18 li:Jxd5 li:Jxd5 19 'i'e4 li:Jf6
.ta4 li:Jf6 5 0-0 .te7 6 l:te1 b5 7 Black was fortunate to find even
.li.b3 0-0 8 c3 d6 9 h3 .te6 this opportunity, because the pin is
9 . . ..tb7 1 0 d4 l:te8 is popular very unpleasant. Instead 1 9 . . . li:Jc3
nowadays. But the move 9 ... .te6, 20 'ili'xh7+! loses material, while
which leads to rather a passive but 1 9 . . .l:tad8 is bad too in view of 20
stable position, used to be in the l:txa6. If 1 9 ... l:ted8, then 20 .tg5 !
repertoire of some famous GMs, looks excellent.
e.g. Botvinnik and Holmov. 20 'i'c2
10 d4 Still aiming at the h7-point!
1 0 .txe6 promises nothing sub­ 20 ... li:Jd5 21 .tg5! 'ili'b7
stantial for White: 1 O ... fxe6 1 1 d4 2 l . ..f6 was more stubborn.
'ili'd7 1 2 dxe5 dxe5.
10. ...txb3 1 1 axb3
If 1 1 'ili'xb3, then 1 l .. .d5 is possi­
ble. The text move forces Black to
surrender the centre, in view of the
positional threat d4-d5 followed by
c3-c4.
l l .. exd4 12 cxd4 li:Jb4
.

It is unclear whether Black has

sufficient compensation for the
pawn in the variation 1 2 . . .d5 1 3 e5
t2J e4 1 4 li:Jc3 f5 1 5 exf6 .txf6!?
(after 1 5 ... li:Jxf6 1 6 .li.g5 ! the
position favours White) 1 6 lLlxe4 22 'i'e4!
dxe4 1 7 l:he4 'ili'd5 1 8 l:tg4. I think The queen appears again on this
he has some compensation, but not central square, this time with deci­
enough. sive effect.
13 li:Jc3 c5 14 'ili'e2! ? 22 ... l:tad8 23 i.xe7 l:txe7
A new move. The continuations Now everything goes very
1 4 dxc5 dxc5 and 1 4 d5 l:te8 have smoothly.
been tried, but without very much 24 lt:Jg5 g6 25 'ili'h4 h5 26 lt:Je4
success for White. With the idea of 27 l:txd5 .
14 ...l:te8? 26 ...<.t>g7 27 li:Jd6
The initial cause of Black's prob- The black queen is obviouly
lems. Better 14 ...lLld7 1 5 dxc5 (or "overloaded", defending the rook
1 5 e5 cxd4) 1 5 ...lLlxc5. and the knight. This is why Black
15 dxc5! has to shed the exchange.
15 e5?! would have led to totally 27...l:txd6 28 exd6 l:te6 29 'i'g5
unclear play: 1 5 ... .tf8 1 6 .tg5 f5
cxd4. 29 . . .l:txd6 is bad on account ·of 30
15 ... dxc5 16 e5 li:Jfd5 'ili'e5+.
 Chess Kaleidoscope 231

30 ltxa6! develop the bishop on b7, thereby

Deflection. preparing the central counter-stroke
30 ...'iha6 31 d7 . . . c7-c5? No, that would be too
If you like maths, you will appre­ straightforward and primitive. At
ciate the subtle geometric patterns the same time as implementing your
{'ifd 1 -e2-e4-c2-e4-h4-g5). To figure own plan, you should try as far as
skating fans the queen's manoeu­ possible to prevent the realization of
vres might recall a graceful dance your opponent 's plans.
on the ice. 6... a6!
1-0 With the intention of meeting 7
ii'd2 with 7 . .. b5, counter-attacking
1 0 1 Pirc Defence [B08] against the pawn on e4.
M.Chandler White 7 a4
E.Gufeld Black This is just a small thing, but a
Wellington, 1 98 8 success for Black already: now
White will scarcely wish to castle
1 e4 d 6 2 d 4 lbf6 3 lbc3 g 6 4 lbt3 long.
.tg7 5 h3 7...b6
Chess incorporates elements of I don't know what the authors of
science and that means that strategi­ monographs on the Pirc Defence
cally speaking, some reliable laws would think about it, but I was satis­
can be stated. Of course, chess strat­ fied with the results of this particu­
egy is far from being just a code of lar opening dialogue.
laws ... but what are the principal 8 e5?!
laws, let us say, in the opening stage It seems this aggression in the
of the game? First, you must strive centre should not yield success for
to develop as quickly as possible the White, for his forces are not yet de­
forces to be used in the coming ployed to back it up. 8 �c4 was
middlegame. Does White's fifth possible: 8 ... e6 (aiming for ...d5) 9
move meet this requirement? Cer­ i.b3 .tb7, but not 8 ... i.b7 9 e5±.
tainly not. It is purely a prophylactic 8...lbfd7 9 e6
action which prepares the bishop's Chandler chooses an obscure
development on e3 (hardly its ideal path, because after 9 exd6 exd6 it is
square in any case), with subsequent unclear who should be thinking
queenside castling. But White, about equalizing; while on 9 �f4
whose initial superiority consists in c5 ! , the forthcoming crisis could not
having the first move, may claim benefit White who is behind in
that he has time for this kind of development.
build-up. •••9 fxe6 10 lbg5 lbf6 1 1 h4
5 0-0 6 �e3
.•. ·An attempt to fix the e6-pawn by
It should also be mentioned that 1 1 �c4 d5 12 �b3 would not suc­
the move 5 h2-h3 raises some ques­ ceed, for after 1 2 ...'ii'd6, followed
tions about the prospects of Black's by ... c7-c5 and ...lbc6, the strong
light-squared bishop. Evidently a potential of Black's centre would be
bright future awaits it not on the di­ mobilized.
agonal c8-h3, but on the main ..l l .c5
"highway" a8-h l . Should Black, There is a classic chess law that
then, play an immediate 6 ...b6 and states: "The opponent's aggressive
232 Chess Kaleidoscope

actions on the flank should be met lt::l g4-+. Also after 20 .tc4 l:rxb2
by active counterplay in the centre! " Black would in my opinion have a
1 2 h 5 cxd4 1 3 .txd4 decisive advantage.
20 i.d3! h6 21 lt::l ge4 l:rb8 22
0-0-0 4Jxc3 23 bxc3 �e5 24 .tc5
.tb7 25 .txe7 lt::lxd3+ 26 cxd3
l:rfc8
White's position is clearly
unenviable, but the GM from New
Zealand with the British passport is
known as a distinguished defender!
27 .td6! l:ra8
Here I hesitated. I wanted to sacri-
fice the exchange by 27 ... .txe4 28
.txb8 l:rxc3+ (not 28 ... .txg2? in
view of 29 l:rhg l .tf3 30 .teS±),
13 gxh5!
..•
but after 29 Wd2 l:rxd3+ 30 We2 I
It is obvious that by playing this could not find a way to strengthen
way Black is far from strengthening Black's position.
the defence of his monarch. But he 28 Wd2 .txe4 29 dxe4 l:rxc3 30
gains valuable time, and while llxh5!
White is defusing the mines on the My opponent is walking a tight­
king' s flank he will launch a rope over a ravine, but he keeps his
counter-attack. balance.
14 'iff3 30...llc4
14 l:rxhS looks formidable, but How I wished, after the game, that
Black has the cool reply 1 4 ... h6. I had played naturally and simply
White has no direct attack, while with 30 ...llac8! In analysis it was
Black's centre is ready to begin an clear that most variations led to a
irresistible advance. decisive advantage for Black. But
14 ... d5 15 'ii'e3 lt::lc6 later it was discovered that White
As chess reporters later wrote: could still have resisted by playing
"The opening duel ended in Black's his only good move, 3 1 l:raS ! ! . Of
favour." course, he would have had to find
16 .txb6 this beautiful move over the board.
Or 16 lt::lxe6 lt::lxd4 ! +. 31 'it>e3 llxa4 32 ltd3 ltd8
1 6...d4 At this stage both players were
I wonder whether I was right to moving quickly in time-trouble.
play this. 1 6 ...'ifd7 was quite possi­ 33 llc5 ltd7 34 l:rc6 'it>ti 35 l:rd2
ble. But now events develop h5 36 ltd3 .th6+ 37 'it>f3 'it>g6 38
forcefully. g3 .tg7 39 We3 Wti 40 .tf4 l:rxd3+
17 .txd8 dxe3 18 .tb6 exf2+ 19 41 Wxd3 l:ra3+ 42 We2 .td4 43
.txf2 lLld5?! ltd6 e5 44 .td2
But this is definitely wrong. A very interesting endgame has
19 ... l:rb8 ! was much stronger. If arisen. Which pawn should be left
then 20 b3? then 20 ...lt::lg4-+, or if on the board-the a-pawn or the h­
20 0-0-0? then 20 ... .th6 2 1 .te3 pawn? I reasoned like this: I have
 Chess Kaleidoscope 233

the dark-squared bishop and the And without the aid of the king, all
a 1 -square is dark too, so I should the ambitious dreams of the black
hang on to the a-pawn. pawn come to nothing.
51 ...'it>c6 52 %:ta6+ 'it>b5 53 %:ta5+
'it>c4 54 %:ta4+ 'it>b5 55 :as+ 'it>b6
56 :as %:th3 57 %:ta4 'it>b5 58 %:ta5+
'it>c4 59 %:ta4+ 'it>c5 60 :as+ 'it>b6
61 :as %:tf3 62 %:ta4 'it>b7 63 %:tb4+
'it>c6 64 :c4+ 'it>d7 65 %:ta4 %:tf2 66
:a6 %:tg2 67 'it>d1 'it>e8 68 :a7 %:tg3
69 Wc2
Grandmaster Chandler's resource­
fulness in the most difficult posi­
tions is masterly.
69 ... SLd4 70 %:ta6 'it>d7 71 SLb4
.li.b2 72 ..td2 rl;e7 73 :a7+ �f6 74
44 a5?
..• %:ta6+ 'it>f7 75 %:ta8 Wg7 76 :a6
It was necessary to stake every­ %:th3 77 .li.b4 %:tf3 78 SLd6 %:te3 79
thing on the h-pawn! After Wd2 :h3 80 Wc2 'it>f7 81 ..tb4 and
44 . . Jhg3 45 l:ha6 :g2+ 46 'it>d3 we agreed to a draw. 1h-1h
h4, there were good chances of
success. 1 02 Ruy Lopez [C92]
45 :d7+!? E.Gufeld White
I did not see this move-or, to be L.Christiansen Black
more precise, I did not understand Wellington, 1988
it. I only examined 45 :h6 a4 46
:xh5 :a2 (intending ... SLc3) 47 1 e4 e5 2 tt:'Jf3 tl'Jc6 3 ..tb5 a6 4
'it>d3 a3, and thought there was no ..ta4 tt:'Jf6 5 0-0 ..te7 6 %:te1 b5 7
defence to the threat of 48 . . .:xd2+ ..tb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 tl'Jd7
and 49 . .. a2, seeing that 48 :h7+ This ancient variation, the main
'it>g8 ! would not help White-his idea of which is to give maximum
rook cannot be stationed on the support to the pawn on e5, became
a7-square which is controlled by the popular again in American tourna­
black bishop. ments. American analysts have
45 ...'it>e8 given it a new, contemporary
It turns out that after 45 ... 'it>e6 46 interpretation.
:h7 a4 47 :xh5 :a2 48 'it>d3 a3 10 d4 ..tf6 1 1 ..te3
White saves himself by 49 :h6+! 1 1 a4 has been tried here dozens
'it>d7 50 :a6. Alas the d4-bishop of times.
does not control a6. l l tl'Ja5
...

46 :h7 a4 47 :xh5 :xg3 48 Another possibility is l l ...tl'Jb6,

:hs+ 'it>d7 49 :as a3 50 'it>d1 SLb2 but after 12 tt:'Jbd2 White's position
51 'it>c2 is to be preferred.
An endgame with an extra 12 ..tc2 tl'Jc4 13 ..tcl exd4! ?
pawn-so close to the cherished This i s the method favoured by
aim-has come about, but . . . the the American researchers-the for­
black king is not able to cross the mal surrender of the centre, and af­
barrier erected by the white pieces. terwards a counter-attack against it.
234 Chess Kaleidoscope

After 13 ... l:te8 1 4 b3 lDcb6 same time White gains crucial time
( 1 4 . . .lCJa5 is playable) 1 5 lDbd2, for expanding the potential of his
White has the better chances. pieces. After the game the American
14 cxd4 c5 15 lCJc3 GM suggested it might be more sen­
In the Ruy Lopez if the white sible to move the queen to b4.
knight gets an opportunity to jump 21 l:tc1 "ifb8
to such a rare and wonderful square, After 2 1 ...lCJc5 22 iDf5 l:tfd8 23
situated almost in the centre, then it i.d4 ! Black is in trouble; while if
should not think twice about doing 2 1 .. .'iid8 22 iDf5 i.xe4 23 iDxd6
so. i.g6, White has 24 iDb7 'ife7 25
15 ...i.b7 l:tc7+-.
22 lt:'lf5 i.xe4 23 lt:'lxd6 i.g6 24
i.d5!
If 24 f4, then 24 ... i.e7 ! .
24...lt:'le5
In this particular situation the
rook is "poisoned". After 25 i.xa8?
'Wxa8 the advantage is with Black,
who has two powerful bishops and,
as further compensation, an enemy
knight caught in a spider's web.
Therefore:
25 lCJe4! i.xe4?!
25 .. J:td8 is stronger, not fearing
16 b3! 26 iDxf6+ gxf6 when the d3-square
The most thematic way-perhaps in White's camp caves in. In the
the only one-to struggle for an case of 26 'ifb3 Black would part
opening advantage. But events will with the exchange, perhaps in a bet­
now assume a forcing character, and ter way than in the game.
White will have to sacrifice a pawn 26 �xe4
to keep the initiative. Black faces a dilemma. For which
16 cxd4 17 lCJxd4 'iVa5!?
..• of the bishops should he give up the
The attempt to restore this ancient rook? But whatever his decision is,
variation is connected with this White's advantage is obvious.
peculiar queen sortie. 26 l:ta7 27 i.xa7 'Wxa7 28 'i'c2
..•

1 8 bxc4! g6
1 8 lDce2 is not in the spirit of the For White, the game enters the
position; after 1 8 ... lCJa3 ! Black' s stage of realizing his material supe­
game i s only to be envied. riority. Task number one is to ex­
18 .'ii'xc3 19 i.e3 'ilfxc4
•. change queens.
1 9 . . .bxc4 20 l:tb l is worse, as the 29 'i/c7 'Wd4 30 l:tcd1 1i'a4 31
defects of Black's position are i.d5 'Wf4
scarcely counterbalanced by his With the small threat of
small material plus. 32 ...lCJf3+.
20 i.b3 'ifc7?! 32 'ifc2 �g7 33 'ii'e4 'Wxe4 34
The desire of the black queen to i.xe4 lCJc4
hide herself in her own camp is The first stage is successfully
quite understandable, but at the completed. The second part of the
 Chess Kaleidoscope 235

plan is to weaken the black pawns 60 l:.e7 .ltaS 61 �e2 .l:[f6

on the queenside, shaking the foun­ There is no going back: 6 1 . . .:a8
dations of the knight on c4. 62 .l:[a2 decides.
62 �fl .ltb6 63 �g2 .l:[fS
The black rook feels crowded.
64 .l:[b7 .ltd4 65 .l:[b4 .ltf6 66 .l:[c7
..tdS 67 .l:[d7 ..tf6
Where else is the bishop to go? If
67 . . . .lta5, then 68 .l:[b3 .lte1 69
.l:[f3+-. Now at last, the pawn which
was getting tired of waiting receives
its call to advance.
68 g4! hxg4 69 hxg4 :es 70
.l:[bb7 gS 71 .l:[xfi+ �g6 72 �f3
.l:[e6 73 .l:[fd7 .l:[a6 1-0
35 .ltb7 aS 36 .l:[dS! b4 37 .l:[e4!
.l:[bS 1 03 Pirc Defence [B09]
There is nothing better. I.Rogers White
38 .l:[xc4 .l:[xb7 39 .l:[xaS b3 40 E.Gufeld Black
axb3 .l:[xb3 Canberra, 1 988
To achieve victory now, it is nec­
essary and sufficient to exchange 1 e4 d6 2 d4 lLlf6 3 lbc3 g6 4 f4
the rooks-but Black understands .ltg7 5 .ltd3
this too. The final, purely technical In the Three Pawns Attack I am
stage of the game is just beginning. used to White first developing his
There is no need to hurry. knight to f3, and then afterwards his
41 g3 hS 42 .l:[a7 .ltd8 bishop to d3. The transposition here
The most vulnerable point m made me wonder: "What is this
Black's camp is the f7-p awn. for?" Soon it became clear to me
43 .l:[d7 .l:[bS 44 'it'g2 .ltf6 45 that in this straightforward way the
.l:[cc7 .l:[f8 Australian GM wanted to exclude
White's plan is to smoke the the variation 5 4Jf3 c5 6 dxc5 'ifa5,
Black rook out of the 8th rank and when the threat 7 ...4Jxe4 means that
threaten it with exchange. I decided White can't continue eating pawns.
for the time being-until the time 5 ... 4Jc6!
control-to do nothing, just mark Now the pawn on e4 is supported
time, and afterwards to analyse the by the bishop, so that after 5 ... 0-0?!
game in the seclusion of my hotel 6 4Jf3 Black would be forced to
room. seek out new methods of struggling
46 �f3 .lteS 47 .l:[b7 .ltc3 48 �e4 against his opponent's aggression.
.ltel 49 �e3 .ltc3 50 �d3 .ltel 51 In the 5 lbf3 variation the text move
.l:[b2 .l:[cS 52 .l:[e7 .ltaS 53 .l:[bb7 .l:[f8 would look clumsy, for after 6 d5
54 �c4 �f6 55 .l:[ed7 .ltel 56 .l:[b6+ Black would have to lose valuable
�g7 57 .l:[b2 :es 58 �d3 :as 59 time with his knight.
.l:[c2 .l:[a6 6 4Jf3
A pleasant surprise for White: the This time, in the case of 6 d5 lbb4
rook voluntarily ( ! ) leaves the back (an experimental but rather curious
rank. continuation would be 6 ...4Jd4! ?),
236 Chess Kaleidoscope

the "knight errant" is ready to de­ 15 f5 16 0-0-0 fxe4 17 fxe4

.•.

stroy the opponent's bishop. If the l:tf3! !

latter moves, Black has comfortable The coordination o f White's
play, for instance 7 .lte2 0-0 or 7 pieces is ruined by this action of the
.ltc4 c6. black rook.
6 e5 promises nothing good for 1 8 h4
White: after 6 ... dxe5 7 fxe5 (or 7 Trying to free the rook from the
dxe5) 7 ...lbd5, Black has good function of guarding the pawn. In
prospects. the case of 1 8 l:tdfl l:td£8 1 9 l:txf3
6 ... .ltg4 7 .lte3 l:txf3, White faces no fewer
Better 7 e5 dxe5 8 dxe5 lbd5=. difficulties.
7 e5 8 dxe5
..• 18 lbg3 19 l:the1
..•

My opponent apparently did not

like continuations such as 8 d5 exf4
9 .ltxf4 lbd4, or 8 fxe5 dxe5 9 d5.
8...dxe5 9 �b5
An ingenious attempt to struggle
for the initiative. 9 f5? ! would be
unsuccessful because of 9 ... gxf5 ! 1 0
exf5 lbdS+.
9 ...exf4 10 'ifxd8+ l:txd8 1 1
.ltxc6+
As a player who is fond of bish­
ops, I would prefer 1 1 .ltxf4.
ll . bxc6 12 �xf4 0-0 13 h3?
..

Apparently it would be out of the 19 ...1:txd2! !

question to speak of an advantage No, this combination does not
for White after 1 3 .ltxc7 l:td7 (in­ yield any material goods for Black,
tending ...l:tf8-e8). But this (or 1 3 nor does it lead to a formidable at­
0-0) is the continuation that should tack. But after the forced exchanges
have been chosen. an endgame with minimum forces
13 ... .ltxf3! comes about, and White finds him­
It seems that this exchange was a self literally paralysed. I confess I
surprise for my opponent, but in this made this move with peculiar pleas­
situation my affection for bishops ure ...
was transformed into an affection 20 l:txd2
for the initiative. Not 20 Wxd2? .lth6+ -+.
14 gxf3 lbh5 15 .Jid2 2o .lth6 21 'it>d1
••.

When offering the pawn sacrifice The threat was 2 l . . .lbfl .

I had not yet made up my mind how 2 1 .ltxd2 22 Wxd2 Wti! 23 e5
.•.

I would continue after 1 5 .ltxc7 l:td7 The last chance: White is ready to
1 6 .lth2. Black has the pleasant give up the pawn on h4, hoping to
choice between 1 6 .. . l:tfd8 with a transfer his rook to the queenside.
subsequent invasion of the seventh 23 l:tf4! 24 e6+ 'it>e7 25 l:te5
•.•

rank, and 1 6... f5 with a powerful l:tf5!

initiative. Understanding this, White 25 ...l:txh4?! is met by 26 l:ta5.
prepares to evacuate his king to the 26 l:te1 l:tf4 27 l:te5 l:tf5 28 l:te1
queenside. l:th5! 29 b4
 Chess Kaleidoscope 237

Or 29 .l:tg1 lDf5 30 .l:tg4 .l:txh4-+. A move with a long-term objec­

29 ... .l:txh4 30 b5 .l:td4+ 31 <itcl tive, though its immediate aim is to
3 1 We3 is followed by 3 1 ...lDf5+. control the d5-point.
Note how well coordinated the 14 .l:tadl lDe5 15 i.b3
black pieces are. After 1 5 lDxe5 dxe5 Black's dou­
3 1 ...h5 32 bxc6 a6! 33 .l:te5 lDf5! bled pawns are not a weakness at
34 lDe2 all, but on the contrary a strength:
Also losing was 34 lDd5+ Wd6 3 5 they form a barrier against the oppo­
e7 lDxe7 36 .l:txe7 .l:txd5-+. nent's pieces in the centre.
34 ....l:tc4-+ 35 Wd2 Wf6 36 .l:ta5 1 5. ..li:Jfd7 1 6 lDd2
lbc6 37 lDf4 h4 38 c3 lDe7 39 'it>c2 Continuing to regroup his pieces .
.l:td6 40 .l:tc5 .l:tc6 41 .l:ta5 .l:td6 42 The attempt to pressurize the
ltc5 c6 43 .l:ta5 lDd5 44 lDh3 .l:txe6 d6-pawn with 1 6 �d2? ! promises
45 Wd2 lDxc3 46 lDf4 lDe4+ 47 nothing good: 1 6 ... lDxf3+ 1 7 gxf3
'it>e3 .l:te8 48 'it>f3 g5 49 lDh3 'it>g6 lDe5.
50 .l:txa6 Wh5 51 Wg2 g4 52 lDf4+ 16...lDc5 17 i.e3 .l:tad8 18 .i.g5?!
'it>g5 53 lDd3 h3+ 54 '>t>h2 .l:td8 55 The New York grandmaster's per­
.:la3 Wh4 56 Wgl c5 57 lDel .l:tdl sistent refusal to advance f2-f4
58 .l:te3 lDg5 59 'it>t2 g3+ 60 wn scarcely deserves imitation.
'it>g4 61 .l:te8 g2+ 62 'it>f2 gl=�+ 63 18 ....l:td7 19 'ii'e3?! d5!
Wxgl .l:txel + 0-1 Obviously my colleague underes­
This victory, achieved in the final timated the force of this break in the
round, enabled me to become the centre.
winner (with US GM Larry Chris­ 20 exd5 exd5 2 1 'ii'g3 lDe6! 22
tiansen) of the international tourna­ h4 lDxg5 23 hxg5
ment held in the Australian capital. Here I felt that the "King's In­
dian" bishop was starting to breathe
1 04 Sicilian Defence [B70] easily and freely-his opposite
J.Benjamin White number has disappeared from the
E.Gufeld Black board.
New York Open, 1 989 23 ....l:tfd8 24 lDfl

1 e4 c5 2 lDf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4
lDxd4 lDf6 5 lDc3 g6 6 .i.c4 i.g7 7
h3 0-0 8 lDf3
In the Dragon Variation, if White
avoids the theoretical dispute, he
cannot count on obtaining an
opening advantage-as this game
demonstrates.
8 ... lDbd7 9 0-0 a6 10 a4 b6 1 1
'ii'e2 .i.b7 1 2 i.f4 �c7
The piece pressure doesn't bother
Black too much. The f4-square
should be occupied by a white 24 ...'it>f8!
pawn, when Black would seriously You will no doubt agree that this
have to reckon with the break e4-e5. move is far from obvious. Covering
13 .l:tfel e6 the squares e7 and e8, the king
238 Chess Kaleidoscope

heads towards the centre in readi­ not 4 1 . ..l:.d4+? 42 lt:Jg4) 42 �xh3

ness for an endgame. At the same l:.h1 + 43 �g4 l:.g 1 + -+.
time he is politely offering his 37 ... it.xf3! 38 l:.xf3 'Wgl+ 39
opponent a "tidbit"-an unprotected �g3
pawn. 39 �h3 'i*'h l +.
25 'it'h4 lt:Jc4! 26 it.xc4 'it'xc4 27 39 ... 'ifel+ 40 �g4 l:.d4+ 41 �g5
'ii'xh7 'it'e7+ 42 �xg6 'i*'e6+ 43 �g5 'it'g4
This is what I had been dreaming mate.
of! It was as though the perfidious Making this move, in the thick of
black king had made a secret date the struggle, I said to my opponent:
with the white queen. Such meet­ "Excuse me, but if I am not
ings do not always end happily. But mistaken, you are checkmated."
I am sure that my monarch here felt 0•1
only the most positive emotions.
27 ... 'it'g4 28 l:.d3 'it'xg5
1 05 Sicilian Defence [B66)
I considered 28 ...d4 here too, but
E.Gufeld White
the situation after 29 l:.g3 'i*'fS 30
M.Chiburdanidze Black
lt:Je2 Wxc2 31 lt:Jf4 (threatening 32
Kuala Lumpur, 1 994
lt:JhS) seemed to me, at the least,
unclear.
1 e4 c5 2 lt:Jf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4
29 l:.h3 d4! 30 lt:Je4 'ife5 3 1 lt:Jfd2
lt:Jxd4 lt:Jf6 5 lt:Jc3 lt:Jc6 6 it. g5 e6 7
d3!
'it'd2 a6 8 0-0-0 h6 9 it.f4 it.d7 10
Not only bishops, but rooks too
it.g3 l:.c8 1 1 lt:Jb3 b5
need space. Black goes into action
Maya played this move aggres­
against the enemy king.
sively, knowing that I had been
32 lt:Jf3 'it'xb2 33 cxd3 l:.xd3 34
playing badly in the tournament so
lt:Jeg5 l:.d1 35 l:.xd1 l:.xdl+ 36 �h2
far. However, I have taught Maya
'ilfxf2
that a player with poor results in the
crosstable is not "dead" but only
"wounded"-and sometimes a
wounded animal is more dangerous!
12 it.xd6! b4 13 it.xf8 bxc3 14
'ii'xc3 l:.xf8 15 �xa6 l:.b8 16 lt:Jc5
'ii'b 6
After the game Maya said she
thought 1 6 ... 'if c7 was better, but I
demonstrated that after 17 lt:Jxd7
lt:Jxd7 1 8 a4 l:.b6 1 9 �bS± Black
has problems.
17 l:.d6 it.c8 18 .i.e2 'ii'c7 19
At this moment mutual time­ l:.hd1 lt:Jb4 20 'ii'e5
trouble demanded swift reactions Just look! White is almost win­
ning. I overheard my white pieces
. from both of us.
37 lt:Jxfi quoting the Russian Marshal Suvo­
37 lt:Je6+ would have led to a cu­ rov to their opponents: "Victory is
rious finale, for example: 3 7 ... fxe6 achieved not with numbers but with
38 'it'xg6 it.eS+! 39 lbxeS 'ir'gl + 40 skill !"
�g3 it'xg2+ 4 1 �h4 'it'xh3+! (but 20...l:.b7!?
 Chess Kaleidoscope 239

Refusing to resign, Black can only 25...�xe6 26 �xe6 .l:txd6 27

resort to ugly moves like this. If she �f5+
tries 20 ...lbd7, then 2 1 .l:txe6+ fxe6 After the greedy 27 �xfl+??
(or 2 l ...�d8 22 .l:ted6+-) 22 �h5+ �xfl 28 'illxd6 'illc4 Black would
�e7 23 'ilfxg7+ and mates. have the advantage.
21 c3?! 27....l:te6
Now it is my turn to make an In time pressure I overlooked this.
"ugly" move. Of course 2 1 a3 28 'ii'xc7+ .l:txc7 29 �xe6 �xe6
would have won outright. However, 30 f3 lbe8 31 �c2 lbd6 32 b3?
I saw 2 l ...lbxc2 which would have In spite of my mistakes I might
complicated matters, though White still have had winning chances with
would still have many possibilities 32 b4 ! .
to win. 32 f5
.••

2 1 . ..lbxa2+ 22 �b1 .l:ta7 23 �c4 I had to accept the draw proposed

�e7 by Maya. In any case, my inspira­
During the game I was more tion was depleted after the unfortu­
_
afraid of 23 ... lllxc3+!? but White nate 25 lbxe6??
can still win: 24 bxc3 �e7 25 1/z-lh
lbxe6 ! 1Wh7+ 26 �cl .l:tal +
(26 . . .'ilfxe4 27 'ilfc5+-) 27 �c2 1 06 Petroff Defence [C43]
'ilfxe4+ 28 'ilfxe4 lbxe4 29 .l:txa l E.Gufeld White
lbxd6 30 .l:ta7+!+-. L.Sokolin Black
24 �xa2 New York City, 1 996
Another winning line is 24 lbxe6!
lbxc3+ 25 �c2 lbg4 26 "ii'xg7 .l:tg8 1 e4 e5 2 lbf3 lbf6 3 d4 lbxe4 4
27 'illxg8+-. i.d3 d5 5 lbxe5 lbd7
24....l:td8 The modem move! Instead,
FIDE President Campomanes was 5 ...i.d6 6 lbd2 i.xe5 7 dxe5 tileS 8
watching, and afterwards suggested lbb3 lbxd3+ 9 'ii'xd3 0-0 1 0 0-0
24 .. .'ii'a 5 with the idea of 25 �b3 lbc6 1 1 i.f4 was Gufeld-Kochiev,
lbxe4! 26 'ii'xe4 'ii'x c5. However, USSR 1 979.
we agreed that after 27 .l:tc6 White 6 lbf3!?
should win. Strange as it may seem, this was a
novelty! Theory considered 6 lbxd7
i.xd7 7 0-0, or complications with 6
lllxfl �xfl 7 'ii'h5+ �e6! , but
White doesn't really want an
exchange of pieces that would give
up his original "advantage of the
m.ove".
6 ... i.d6 7 0-0 0-0 8 c4 c6 9 lbc3
lbxc3 10 bxc3 dxc4 1 1 i.xc4 lbb6
1 2 �b3
White maintains a small
advantage.
1 2...i.g4 13 'ii'd3 i.h5
25 lbxe6?? Or 13 ...'ii'c7 14 h3 i.h5 1 5 lbh4 ! ?
White would win outright with 25 with the idea o f 1 6 'ii'f5, when
�xe6 fxe6 26 lllxe6+-. Black will have problems.
240 Chess Kaleidoscope

14 �gS?! 26 ...a5 ! ! and White has a problem

14 c4 ! �g6 1 5 �c3, intending 1 6. escaping from the pin: 27 'iii>f l e5 ! .
�b2±. 2 6 dxeS d 4 2 7 tt::ld 6
14 �c7 1 5 llfel!? llae8
••. Forced moves follow.
Maybe Black is afraid to play ... 27 dxc3
•••

llfe8 because the pawn on f7 always 27 ...d3 28 e6 d2 29 e7+-.

needs attention. If 1 5 . . .i.xf3 1 6 28 e6 llb8 29 e7 �c6 30 llcl c2
'ii'x f3 �xh2+ 1 7 'iii>h 1 �d6 1 8 lle4, Black had set high hopes on this
White has compensation for the move.
pawn. 31 'iii>h 2! llbl 32 e8='iW+ �xe8 33
16 h3 lt:JdS= llxc2 llb8
1 6 ...j(_g6 1 7 �d2 i.e4 1 8 lt:Je5 ! 33 ... �d7 34 llc7 �e6 35 lle7+-.
�xe5 1 9 dxe5 'ifxe5 ( 1 9 ...llxe5 20 34 ltc7 a6 35 g4
�f4) 20 f3. After 35 lt:Jxe8 llxe8, Black has
17 lt:Jh4 �f4 chances to draw the rook and pawn
1 7 ...lt:Jf4 1 8 �xf4 �xf4 1 9 �f5± ending.
g6 20 'ilff6, aiming for g2-g4. 35 �b5
.•.

18 �xf4 �xf4 Usually rook and bishop are

1 8 ... 4Jxf4 1 9 'ilfd2 ( 1 9 �f5 �g6 stronger than rook and knight in an
20 lt:Jxg6 hxg6 2 1 li'c2=) 1 9 ... lle2! ending, so White must play actively.
20 ltxe2 lt:Jxe2+ 2 1 'iii>h 1 (2 1 �fl ?? 36 'iii>g3 �d3 37 'iii>f4 h6 38 h4
�h2-+) 2 1 .. .lle8 22 lle1 li'e7-+. On 38 llc8+?! llxc8 39 lt:Jxc8
19 g3 �f6 20 �xd5 cxd5 21 �fS g5+! Black has good drawing
I thought, "Against young play­ chances.
ers, go straight into an endgame." 38... �bl 39 a3 llb6 40 lt:Je8 llb3
(IM Sokolin was 29 when this game 41 lt:Jxg7 llxa3 42 tt::lfS lla4+ 43
was played.) 'iii>eS hS 44 f3! hxg4 45 fxg4 'iii>h 8
2 1..J!fxf5 22 lt:JxfS 46 lt:Jh6!+- aS 47 hS llb4 48 lla7
The endgame is better for White a4 49 'iii>f6 �d3
because Black's pieces are With the idea of ...llb6+ and
uncoordinated! .. J:ta6.
22... �f3 50 lt:Jti+ 'iii>h7 51 lt:JgS+ 'iii>h6
How can Black defend against
White's next?
23 lt:Jd6 lte6! 24 ltxe6!
If 24 lt:Jxb7?! llfe8, Black more or
less has compensation: not 25
'iii>f l?? �g2+.
24...fxe6 25 lt:Jxb7
25 lle 1 would also be a good
move.
25 e5
.••

25 . . . llb8 26 llb 1 (26 lt:Jc5 llb2 27

lt:Jd3 llc2 28 llb 1 llxc3? 29 ltb8+
'iiffl 30 lt:Je5+ + -. Black should play
28 ...h6 or 28 ... h5, but White would
still have a considerable advantage) 52 lth7+! �xh7 53 lt:Jti mate.
 Chess Kaleidoscope 241

Miniatures, Mini-Ideas,
Maxi-Effects
Miniatures, the reader will say, 8 ll'lg5 h6 9 'ii'g6! �xg5 10 hxg5
are games with a small number of 'ikxg5 1 1 ifxg5 hxg5 12 d3
moves, aren't they? Yes, but I am Black has managed to trade
going to suggest something else. queens, but is still under pressure.
The point is not at all in the number 12 ll'lf5
.•.

of moves made. Sometimes the out­ 1 2 ... li:'ld4 1 3 li:'ld5 ! threatening

come of the struggle is decided by a ll'le7 mate.
single, even small, idea. If you have 13 �xg5 ll'lcd4 14 ll'ld5! ll'lxb3
an idea in mind, that already means
something. Try to act on it and your
labour will be justified.
Here are a few instances in which
mini-ideas brought about maxi­
effects.

1 07 Vienna Game [C27]

E.Gufeld White
U.Tarve Black
Tallinn, 1 969

1 e4 e5 2 ll'lc3 ll'lf6 3 �c4 ll'lxe4 4

'iWhS Has Black escaped danger?
4 ll'lxe4 d5; 4 �xt7+ �xt7 5 1 5 ll'lf6+! !
ll'lxe4 d5 6 'ir'f3+ �g8 7 ll'lg5 'ii'd 7. He would answer 1 5 axb3?! with
4 li:'ld6 5 �b3 �e7 6 li:'lf3 0-0?
.•. 1 5 ... f6, and the worst is behind him:
A move which had been consid­ 16 ll'lxc7 �b8 17 �d2 a6 1 8 �b4
ered playable before this game. The d6 1 9 g4 li:'ld4.
right resp onse is 6 ... ll'lc6 7 ll'lxe5 15 gxf6 16 �xf6 ll'lg7 17 axb3
.•.

0-0 (7 ... tt:Jxe5? 8 'ii'xe5 0-0 9 li:'ld5 Black is a piece up, but he is com­
�e8 10 0-0 �f8 1 1 �f4, Alekhine­ pletely helpless against the simple
Euwe, match 1 935) 8 ll'ld5 li:'ld4. plan of doubling rooks on the h-file.
7 h4! 17 ... �e8 18 g4!+-
Keep in mind that each tempo is If 1 8 �a4 then 18 . . . e4! but not
now worth its weight in gold. I de­ 1 8 ... �e6? 1 9 �ah4+-.
cided to keep my king in centre and 18 ...�e6 19 g5 b6 20 �e2! e4
launch an immediate attack. 20 ... �b7 2 1 f3 ! .
7 ll'lc6
••. 2 1 d4 e3 2 2 f3 d 5 23 �h4 �a6+
On 7 ... g6 White would play 8 24 c4!
ifxe5 �f6 9 'ii'f4 �e8+ 1 0 �fl 24 �xa6 was possible, but why
�g7 1 1 d4 ll'lc6 1 2 h5 with a strong waste time?
attack. 24 ...dxc4 25 �ah1 1-0
242 Chess Kaleidoscope

1 08 King's Indian Defence [A36] The thrust in the centre is now

B.Gurgenidze White possible.
E.Gufeld Black 15 0-0 0-0 16 cxd5 �xd5 17
Kirovobad, USSR, 1 973 �xd5 'ifxd5 18 �f4 'ifxa5 19 jtb2
jLfS 20 .txg7 <li>xg7 21 l:.xb7
1 c4 g6 2 �c3 jtg7 3 g3 c5 4 White has won the b7-pawn, the
.tg2 �c6 5 l:.b1 dream of his opening scheme, but
White intends to launch an offen­ now Black's mini-idea begins to
sive on the queenside. His plan is to work . . .
play a2-a3 and b2-b4. Note how the 21...e5 2 2 �e2 .td3 23 l:.b3
lines of action of the rook on b 1 and 23 l:.el 'ifdS 24 l:.b3 .txe2! 25
the bishop on g2 intersect at the l:.xe2 'iVxb3 ! 26 'ii'xb3 .:tal + +-.
b7-point. The classical laws of chess 23 'ii' d 5! 24 �c3 'ii'c6 25 l:.e1
.•.

strategy teach us that counter­

actions must be carried out in the
centre: ... �g8-f6, . . . e7-e6, . . . d7-d5.
5 �f6 6 a3 aS
•••

Slightly slowing White down.

7 �h3?!
An original and concealed idea
connected with his 5th move.
Thinking over the position I figured
he was going to transfer this knight
via f4 to d3 to support b2-b4 and
also attack cS with tempo. In gen­
eral, if one can figure out the oppo­
nent's plans then half the work is 25 l:.a1 ! !
•••

done. Since the best defence is the A lethal blow based o n the deflec­
counterattack, it became clear to me tion theine.
that Black had to go into action 26 �b1
either in the centre or on the 26 'ilkxal 'ilkxf3 leads to mate-the
kingside. I decided on the latter. triumph of the mini-idea conceived
7 h5! 8 �f4 h4 9 �d3 d6 1 0 b4
.•• on the 1 1 th move.
cxb4 1 1 axb4 26 jtc2!
••.

A crucial moment. White has car­ White was hoping for 26 .. J�xb1
ried out his plan and now Black 27 l:.xb 1 .txb 1 28 'ifxb 1 'iix f3 29
must continue his. A small idea oc­ 'ii'e4! .
curred to me-to drive a wedge into 0-1
the enemy camp and base my subse­
quent play on this "foothold". The In 1 99 1 I played a simultaneous
trouble for White is that his king match with clocks against a Malay­
cannot remain in the centre for long. sian team. One of my opponents
He wants to castle short, but. . . was the country's ex-champion
l l .. h3! ! 12 .t f3 �d4
. Master Goh. During our game it oc­
Exchanging an important body­ curred to me to make a move that
guard of His Majesty. completely changed the theory of a
13 bxa5 �xf3+ 14 exf3 d5! variation of Alekhine's Defence.
 Chess Kaleidoscope 243

1 09 Alekhine Defence [B05] l l lZJc4! b5

E.Gufeld White Black provokes a cnsts, seeing
C.Goh B/ack that 1 l ...i.e7 would be met by 1 2
Penang, 1 99 1 4Jd6+ .i.xd6 1 3 exd6 and the d6
pawn cannot be captured because of
1 e4 tlJf6 2 e5 tlJd5 3 d4 d6 4 c2-c4. On l l ... tt:J7b6 Kasparov
4Jf3 i.g4 5 i.e2 c6 6 0-0! thinks White can sacrifice the
Strange though it may seem, this c-pawn with 1 2 lZJd6+ i.xd6 13
natural move has a bad reputation. exd6 'i'xd6 1 4 c4! lLlxc4 1 5 'ii'd4. I
Opening manuals recommend 6 prefer 1 2 'i'e2 and White has the
lZJg5 here, maintaining that it is the two bishops and some space
only way to keep the initiative. This advantage.
may be true if the bishops are ex­ 12 .i.xd5! cxd5
changed, but if the black bishop re­ 1 2 ...bxc4 1 3 i.xc4 lZ:\xe5 14 i.f4
treats to f5 things are not so simple. i.d6 1 5 i.xe5 i.xe5 1 6 'i!Vh5 i.xb2
I prefer to castle safely rather than 1 7 %lxe6+ Wf8 1 8 %lxc6 'ii'e7 1 9
move a developed piece twice in the %ld1 favours White.
openmg. 13 4Jd6+ .i.xd6
6 ... i.xf3 7 .i.xf3 dxe5 8 dxe5 e6
9 lLld2! • � �e � ��
��.�� �� r.- - -�.
- - .t �� .t
.... .

- �f'� -
� .t • .t �m •
• • • •
'���m
.D.
'��
� -
�- - --��
.D.
�·�
�
����� �
�
�----��
��m �----�
� �m
.D.
t::!}, M tB �� ��
14 'i'xd5! ! l:tc8
14 ... exd5 1 5 exd6+ Wd8 1 6
Pursuing the idea begun by the dxc7+ Wxc7 17 %le7+-.
6th move. Previous theory had as­ 15 exd6 'ii'c4
sessed Black's position favourably, No matter where Black moves his
claiming that the e5-pawn is a queen, he is in trouble: 1 5 ...'i'xc2
weakness rather than a strength. The 1 6 %lxe6+! fxe6 1 7 'ili'xe6+ Wf8 1 8
knight's manoeuvre targets the .i.g5 lLlf6 1 9 d7+-; or 1 5 ...'ii'c6 1 6
d6-point, and Black proves to have %lxe6+! fxe6 1 7 'W!Vxe6+ Wf8 1 8
no reliabl� counterplay. .i.g5 lLlf6 1 9 i.xf6 gxf6 20 'ii'e7+
9 ...4Jd7 10 %le1 'ii'c 7 Wg8 2 1 d7+-.
It might have been better to re­ 16 'ii'b7 'ilr'c6 17 'ii'xa7 0-0 18
frain from this natural move, but .i.f4 %lfd8 19 %lad1 4Jb6 20 c3 1-0
then the e5-pawn together with the
two bishops would have invalidated White' s 1 4th move may be con­
Black's plan initiated by the ex­ sidered not just as a single-move
change on f3 . novelty but as a new plan leading to
244 Chess Kaleidoscope

the reappraisal of a position that was 1 1 0 King's Indian Defence [D03]

long thought to favour Black. The A.Machulsky White
game appeared in Informator with E.Gufeld Black
the key position diagrammed, and Moscow, 1 99 1
was highly esteemed: the move 14.
'ii'xd5 was printed at the head of the 1 d 4 lLlf6 2 lLlf3 g6 3 i.g5 �g7 4
game and marked: N,**** lLlbd2 d5!
Of course, other moves are play­
I was jubilant. I wanted to go able. However, it is well known that
straight to a supermarket and buy a the Torre Attack structure works
bottle of cognac with the same num­ well against a King's Indian set-up
ber of stars. I was positive that I was based on 4 ...d6. The reason is that
a prize contender for the best theo­ the counter-thrusts ... e7-e5 and
retical novelty (to be announced in ... c7-c5 come up against the well­
the following volume), and that the fortified rock on d4. Maybe White
game would be listed among the was looking forward to seeing a
thirty best of its half-year. Yet in the crippled "Gufeld bishop".
next volume it was not mentioned at 5 e3 0-0 6 c3 b6 7 b4
all, because ... it had been played in
a "simul".

Strange! This is like rejecting

Newton' s law of gravitation just be­
cause it occurred to him under a tree
in the garden instead of in a labora­
tory. According to this logic we
should not recognize Archimedes'
principle, because bitter tongues al­
lege that his inspired idea-Eureka!
--dawned on him as he was taking a
bath.
7... �f5!
I told Garry Kasparov about the Here is a brand new mini-idea,
incident. He too was outraged: which represents a non-traditional
"Does it really mean that if I had treatment of the position! After ...
played a brilliancy in a simultaneous b 6 you would usually expect a
match against the German All Star fianchetto, but this move of the
Team, they would not have consid­ queen's bishop occupies an active
ered it?" post and hinders White's use of d3 .
At the same time, Black prepares an
Incidentally, the game that !tifor­ attack on the centre with the c-pawn
mator judged to be best was one be­ in the style of the Grunfeld Defence,
tween Ivanchuk and Yusupov, backed up by an efficient tandem of
which had occurred in a rapid chess bishops!
play-off with shortened time con­ 8 c4
trol. Well, here we have a chess Isn't White making too many
variation on the theme of "some are pawn moves in the opening? More
more equal than others." cautious was 8 �e2. The long
 Chess Kaleidoscope 245

diagonal is weakened now, and 16 ...l2Jf6 17 0-0 there follows

Black's counterattack in the centre 1 7 ... g5 1 8 lLg3 l2Jxe4.
picks up steam. 15 ... l2Jd7 16 .l:.c1
8 ... c5! 9 bxc5 bxc5 1 0 cxd5 After 1 6 l2Jxd4 l2Jc5 17 'ife3 e5 !
1 8 l2Jc6 exf4 1 9 'ifxc5 'ii'g5 the ad­
vantage is with Black.
16 ... .l:.c8! 17 .l:.xc8 'ii'x c8 18
l2Jxd4 l2Jc5 19 'ifc4
If 1 9 'ife3 l2Jxe4 20 'ifxe4 'ii'c3+
Black has a strong attack.
1 9...l2Jxe4 20 l2Jc6?

10...l2Je4
The piece sacrifice 1 0. ..l2Jxd5 1 1
e4 l2Jc3 1 2 'ifc2 l2Jxe4 1 3 l2Jxe4
l2Jc6! was tempting but difficult to
analyse over the board. White is a
piece up but how will he complete
his development? On 14 .l:.d 1 l2Jxd4
1 5 l2Jxd4 cxd4 1 6 iLd3 ( 1 6 f3 may He should have settled for the
be better) Black has 1 6 ...'ii'd5 ! 1 7 worse endgame with 20 'it'xc8 .l:.xc8
iLd2 .l:.ab8 and . . ..l:.fc8. But White 2 1 l2Jc6 �f8 22 0-0 l2Jf6 23 l2Jxa7
might have other lines available. .l:.c4 ! , but was tempted to create two
1 1 l2Jxe4 i.xe4 12 i.d3 1Lxd3 13 threats at once (2 1 l2Jxe7+ and 2 1
'ii'xd3 cxd4 14 e4 'ii'xe4).
1 4 exd4 'ifxd5+. 20 ...1i'g4!
14... h6! The maxi-effect stemming from
If 14 ...l2Jd7 is played at once, then the mini-idea in the opening!
1 5 'ifa3 ! is very unpleasant, as White's double threat is repelled by
Black has to sacrifice material with Black's own double threat of 2 1
only vague compensation: 1 5 ... l2Jf6 ...'ifxf4 and 2 1 ... 'ifxg2.
1 6 0-0 ( 1 6 1Lxf6?! is doubtful here, 2 1 0-0
as after 1 6 ... exf6 the threat of 2 1 'ifxe4 i.c3+ 22 �fl 'ifdl + -+.
. . . f6-f5 gives Black the advantage) 21 ...'ifxf4 22 l2Jxe7+ �h7 23 d6
16 . . .l2Jxe4 1 7 iLxe7 'ifxd5 1 8 1Lxf8 1Le5 24 g3 l2Jxg3 25 'ifxf4 l2Je2+ 26
l:.xf8 1 9 'ii'xa7 d3. �h1l2Jxf4 0-1
·

15 iLf4 This game was awarded the

If now 1 5 iLh4 l2Jd7, the move 1 6 Kasparov prize as the best of the
'ifa 3 misses the mark, because after tournament.
246 Chess Kaleidoscope

Experience develops intuition

The chessplayer has to evaluate Geller had just played 35 :e5, of­
large numbers of variations while fering a "favour" to the g7-bishop.
his clock is ticking. Abstract evalua­ It is clear that Black should not ex­
tions are unavailing because of change this bishop for either of
complicating factors-weaknesses White's rooks, but how can he save
on both sides, mutual chances and himself from the various threats?
counterchances. Nevertheless a What is there to help his king, other
player may make the right "guess" than the bishop? The rooks are busy
leading to the optimal solution. It is blockading the passed pawn and the
a matter of intuition. queen cannot get to the kingside.
It is generally believed that intui­ 35...'ii'b2! !
tion is something inborn, given to a This looks extremely paradoxical.
human being at birth. Probably it is However, White will have to make
so. But I don't agree with those who haste attacking Black's king, as oth­
believe that it is impossible to de­ erwise his rooks will be annihilated.
velop and improve intuition. The 36 ltJf6+ it.xf6 37 l:tg4+ it.g5?
more you study your speciality and The best defence is 37 ... it.g7 ! ! 38
accumulate experience, the better 'iM'f6 'itb l + 39 �h2 'ii'h7 40 ne7
your intuition develops. The chess­ �h8 !-+. It looks as if the text cannot
player is no exception to this. Some­ save Black, in view of the striking
where deep in his subconscious he 38 'ii'xg5+ hxg5 39 nexg5+ and the
stores all the necessary information king is mated no matter where it
which seems, at times, to be forgot­ goes. But why should the king
ten, but which, at the necessary mo­ move? Black can save himself with
ment, turns up and points to the 39 .. .'ii'g7 ! ! , because after 40 nxg7+
right decision in non-standard posi­ Wh8 there is no mate, and the mate­
tions. Let's get down to some rial equality in the four-rook ending
examples. gives Black drawing chances Plac­
ing the queen on g7, where it is at­
1 1 1 E.Geller White tacked by both rooks, can hardly be
E.Gufeld Black considered a conventional defence.
26th USSR Ch, Tbilisi 1 959 In ordinary situations the chess­
player does not even consider such
moves. But this position is extra­
ordinary ! I don't know if Geller saw
this variation or not, but he didn't
sacrifice the queen, preferring to
give up the rook by playing:
38 nxg5+ hxg5 39 'iM'xg5+ �h7
40 'iM'h5+ �g8 41 'ii'g5+ 1/z-'h
If 4 1 :g5+ then 4 1 ...1i'g7 ! .
This resource-when the queen
protects the king against the rook
check-sank so deep into my
 Chess Kaleidoscope 247

subconscious that several years later 33 .li.xh6 34 .:t.b7+! !

•••

it extricated me once again, in a A beautiful and unusual idea. Will

game against the same formidable the sacrificial fireworks culminate
opponent. in a mating attack?
34 .'ihb7 35 'ii'xfS+ \t>g8 36
1 1 2 E.Geller White
••

l:.xg4+
E.Gufeld Black
It seems there is no satisfactory
USSR Army Team Ch, Odessa 1 965
defence. The only plausible-looking
reply, 36 . . .j_g7, will be refuted by
37 h6! threatening mate on h7. But
while thinking about my 33rd move
I had seen the way to salvation! My
memory helped me find the
6-year-old move which I now trium­
phantly demonstrated on the
chessboard:
36 .'ifg7! !
•.

The move which I didn't have the

chance to play before! This time, I
was lucky enough to play it just
when lots of people were standing
One of the most decisive events of round our chess table waiting for
the competition was the match be­ my resignation. If I hadn't remem­
tween Odessa, led by Geller, and bered that other game and this spe­
Kiev, where I was doing my mili­ cial resource, I would not have
tary service. In our game my oppo­ found the defence.
nent obtained a clear-cut advantage 37 l:txg7+ \t>xg7
and went in for a tempting combina­ If 37 ... �xg7 then 38 li:lg4 ! .
tion involving a piece sacrifice: 3 8 'ifg4+ \t>h7 3 9 'ife4+ \t>g7 40
27 j_xh6?! li:lxe4!? 'ifg4+ \t>h7 41 'ife4+ with perpetual
This counter-combination was check. A draw again! 1/z-1/z
dictated by the desire to wrest the
initiative, or, to be more exact, it
1 1 3 A.Zamikhovsky White
was an attempt not to lose at once.
E.Gufeld Black
28 �xe4 j_xfS 29 li:lh2 j_xe4 30
Kiev Ch, 1 956
.:t.xe4 fS! 31 'i!VgS �h7 32 hS li:lh8
Here I thought that I had outwit­
ted the grandmaster because the
avalanche of pawns in the centre
provides Black with counterplay,
whereas White' s threats seem to
have evaporated. But at this moment
Geller found a terrific blow which I
had overlooked:
33 .:.b1 !
The only move maintaining
White' s advantage. The continua­
tion is forced.
248 Chess Kaleidoscope

White has a considerable posi­ one of the positions which occurred

tional advantage, but: in my training game before the 8th
27 1'i'a5? Soviet Spartakiad.
Instead of the correct 27 liJc6 he
chooses a continuation which allows
Black to make an interesting 1 14 Sicilian Defence [B33]
combination. A.Ivanov White
27 ... ll:\xg3! 28 hxg3 E.Gufeld Black
White has to capture the knight Druskininkai, 1 983
because of the threat of 28 ...4Je2+
and 29 .. .'�£3 mate. 28 fxg3 would 1 e4 c5 2 liJf3 ll:\c6 3 d4 cxd4 4
be met by 28 ... .li.d4+ and 29 ... .l:r.b2+. l2Jxd4 'ifb6 5 liJb3 liJf6 6 ll:\c3 e6 7
28 ... .li.d4 29 ..Wxc7 g3 .ltb4 8 .ltg2 d5 9 0-0!? .ltxc3 10
In this difficult position White bxc3
makes a decisive mistake. The game 1 0 exd5.
would have been drawn after 29 10 l2Jxe4 11 �g4!?
.•.

'it>h2 'it'£3 30 liJbS ! 'ii'h5+ 3 1 .li.h3 1 1 .ltxe4 dxe4 1 2 'ifg4 .li.d7 13

g4 32 liJxd4 �xh3+ 33 'it>g1 .l:r.xg3+ ..Wxg7 0-0-0 aiming to bring the
34 fxg3 1Wxg3+ 35 'it>h1 �h3+, etc. knight to f3 .
29 .l:r.xg3+ 30 'it>h2 �f4?
••. l l ....li.d7
Missing the win. 30 ...�£3 ! 3 1 1 l .. .g6 ! ?.
�c8+ (3 1 fxg3? 1We2+ -+) 3 l ...'it>g7 12 �xg7 0-0-0 13 c4
32 .lth3 (or 32 'ii'd7+ 'it>h6 33 .lth3 1 3 .lte3 'i!Vb5.
�e5 ! -+) 32 ....l:r.xh3+ (I had worked 13 ....l:r.hg8 14 'i!Vb2
out 32 ... .lte5 33 �f8+ ! ! �xf8 34
fxg3+-, which is why I rejected
30 . . .'it'f3 !) 33 'ii'xh3 .lte5+ -+.
���- � - �
il t B.t.B t B t
•
3 1 fxg3 'ii'xfl 32 .l:r.a1! 'ii' e2+ and
another perpetual check. 1h-1h ��-
,_ y �1-
� �
What helped me find the non­
� BtB B
obvious 27 ...ll:\xg3 ! which utterly B it B�B B
��- .
�• m �--�
changed the course of the struggle? �
�
I should admit that before 27 �a5
ft � ft �
- �� � ��
the knight sacrifice could not have
occurred to me; it looked senseless, · · -{ ·�g
9 �-�- �
�-§W
- -3�, � . .. .

especially because the king was so

nicely protected. But when the most How should Black defend against
powerful defender left the king to the positional threat of 1 5 cxd5 exd5
attack the rook, the king' s shelter 1 6 c4, opening files against his
became quite precarious. It is at king? Among various other plans I
such moments that motives for the considered the aggressive
most unexpected combinations are 1 4 ... ll:\xg3 . This sacrifice is quite
born. obvious, but it was difficult to fore­
What happened in that game was see and evaluate its consequences. I
not completely forgotten. However, did not see a forced win, but re­
almost 30 years passed before this membered that in a similar situation
experience came in handy. Look at in my game against Zamikhovsky,
 Chess Kaleidoscope 249

30 years before, my success was Now 20 ... 'ilt'h6 looks attractive

facilitated by the enemy queen's (for instance, 2 1 'iVe7 'ifh3+ 22 ..ttg 1
expedition to far-off places. .ltc6, o r 2 1 l:th 1 ? ! .ltc6+ 2 2 'iVe3).
Intuitively, I felt that it would be However, White can cut the Gor­
difficult for White to defend with dian knot by playing 2 1 lbxd4 ! !
his queen cut · off from the king. exd4 2 2 'iVxe7 and the "x-rays" of
Instead, 14 'iVh6 was unclear. the queen and bishop intersect on
14 ... lbxg3! 15 hxg3 1hg3 16 .lte3 the fatal c7-square.
It was necessary to think about 1 6 20 ... 'iVc6+ 21 f3!
c5 . I didn't spend much time o n this The only reply, but strong
move but was sure that even in this enough. Not 2 1 ..ttg 1 ? 'i!ff3-+ with
case the attack would at least be the fatal threat of 22 ... .ltc6.
strong enough to draw. For exam­ 21 ... lbf5 22 ..ttf2 ??
ple: 1 6 c5 l:txg2+ 1 7 ..ttxg2 l:tg8+ Returning the compliment. With
(not 1 7 ...'iVb4? 1 8 'iVg7! +-) 1 8 c;;ftf3 22 'ifxa7! White could remind his
( 1 8 ..tth 1 ?? 'ii'd 8 1 9 .tf4 'ili'h4+ 20 opponent that he too has a king to
.lth2 'ii'h3 mates) 1 8 . . . 'ifa6! 1 9 .lte3 protect.
f6! ! 20 l:tg1 (or 20 'iVxf6 e5 !) 22 ... lbxg3 23 ..ttxg3 'ifh6! 24 'i!fcl
20 . . .l:txg 1 (20 ...lbe5+?? 2 1 'iVxe5+-) Finally the queen arrives in the
2 1 nxg1 lbe5+ 22 ..ttg3 (or 22 ..ttg2) danger area, but it is rather late. The
22 ...'i1Ve2=. active try 24 'ii'c5+ .ltc6 25 1ixe5
16...l:txg2+! would have left the king absolutely
If 1 6 ...l:tdg8, then not 1 7 .ltxb6?? defenceless, for instance: 25 ... l:tg8+
1 7 . . . l:txg2+ 1 8 ..tth 1 l:t2g5 and mate 26 c;;ftf2 'ilr'h4+.
in 3, but 1 7 fxg3 'iVxe3+ 1 8 l:tf2. 24 ...l:tg8+ 25 ..ttf2 1ih2+ 26 ..tte 1
Also playable was 16 ... l:txe3 1 7 l:tg2 27 t"Ud2
fxe3 dxc4 with bewilderingly un­ White is still a rook up, but it is
clear variations. It was difficult to hopeless.
calculate them all, but my opponent 27 ... .lta4! 28 l:tb1 d3
believed (also intuitively) that all A winning continuation, but
complications were favourable for 28 . . .l:te2+! 29 ..ttd 1 l:te3 ! ! -+ wms
White. But he had paid less atten­ outright.
tion to the exchange sacrifice. 29 l:tb3 l:te2+
17 ..ttxg2 d4! Better 29 ... e4 30 cxd3 e3 and
Black is a rook down, but he has mate in 6.
active moves keeping the enemy 30 ..ttd 1 l:te3?
queen out of play. Better 30 ... .ltxb3 3 1 axb3 'ilr'g2 32
18 .itf4 cxd3 l:txd2+ 33 'iVxd2 'ilr'xfl + 34
Or 1 8 .ltxd4? lbxd4 1 9 'iVxd4? ..ttc2 'ilfxf3-+. With two extra pawns
.ltc6+ -+. Black should win.
18 ... e5 19 .ltg3 lbe7? 31 cxd3
Apparently, a good idea-vacat­ Now both of us were in time trou­
ing c6 for a queen or bishop check. ble, and when my opponent, all in a
But had I foreseen my opponent's flurry, offered a draw, I hastily ac­
reply, I would have played cepted. This was another intuitive
1 9 . . . l:tg8! intending to advance the decision, which, practically speak­
f- or h-pawns. ing, should be regarded as wholly
20 'ifa3 ! rational. We could not assess the
250 Chess Kaleidoscope

posttlon in the time remammg beamed. Certainly, Fischer's skill in

(though subsequent analysis showed finding solutions in such positions is
it was probably in Black's favour), more than sufficient.
and it was not clear whose flag But then, he was in a more advan­
would fall first. 1h-1h tageous situation because he had
been told that White had a win! As
And now take a look at this for me, I didn't know that there was
position: a win here, but when I reached this
position during the analysis I felt in­
A.Pomar White tuitively that there was something in
B.Larsen Black the position. I should never have
Palma de Mallorca, 1 969 discovered that "something" if it
had not occurred in two previous
games of mine-both of which I
lost. Take a look:

1 1 5 B.Ivkov White
E.Gufeld Black
Sarajevo, 1 964

White played 1 9 .ltc2, and after

some complications the game ended
in a draw. Bent Larsen, who anno­
tated this game for Informator,
didn't comment on this move. Nev­
ertheless the move is a mistake,
missing a win.
I found the winning combination White has just played 22 l:t.d6! ! .
during the post-mortem. Some Black's position would otherwise
months later I showed this position have been solid, but now White
to Bobby Fischer (it was during the seizes the d-file paralysing Black's
Sousse Interzonal Tournament, pieces.
where I assisted Geller). Almost 22 c4
•..

without thinking Fischer played 1 9 If 22 . . .'ifxd6 23 tbh5! (I thought

g4 and smiled, waving his hand, as the rook sacrifice was no good be­
if to show that the position con­ cause of 23 tbf5 'iff6!) 23 ...4Je6 24
tained no secrets for him. (Inciden­ tbg5 ! . Black can't fight for the d­
tally, all those to whom I showed file with 22 ...l1a6 because of 23
this position started with this move.) tiJfS ! .
However, after 19 . . .tbe5 ! , threaten­ 2 3 l1edl tbc5
ing 20 ...'ifxd4, Bobby moved the Clearly a blunder.
g-pawn back. On close examination, 24 tbxe5!
he found the combination and Winning an important pawn.
 Chess Kaleidoscope 251

24 �e6
..• I could not tolerate this audacious
Or 24 ...'ii'xe5 25 l:U d5 'i!fe7 26 rook. Nevertheless, I should have
lhc5 'i!fxd6 27 tiJh5 !+-. been more patient. The coldblooded
25 liJc6 'ii'c7 26 e5 �d7 27 l:Ud5 28 . . . f6! could have held the
tiJd3 28 :xd7! tiJxd7 29 :xd7 position.
'i!fxd7 30 ltJe4 :e6 31 tiJf6+ 1-0 29 :xd6 i..d7 30 :d3
I was happy-the rook had re­
Less than a month later, in a game treated. But did my position im­
with Vasiukov, I reached this prove? No, it deteriorated. There is
position: no satisfactory defence against
h4-h5.
1 1 6 E.Vasiukov White 30 �e6 31 h5 �xa2 32 hxg6
.••

E.Gufeld Black fxg6 33 'ii'g5 �c4 34 tt:le7+ <J;;g7 35

Army Team Ch, Moscow, 1 964 tiJd5 'i!fd6 36 lt:Je3! 'Wc7 37 :d2
tiJf6
Or 37 ... a3 38 bxa3 :xa3 39 :ds
etc.
38 :d6!!
Incredible! Hitting the same target
over and over again!
38 ... tiJe8 39 'ii'xe5+ <J;;g8 40
ltJxc4 bxc4 41 'i!fd5+! 1-0

And now, dear friends, try to find

the combination which did not oc­
cur in the Pomar-Larsen game. If
you do, you will understand why I
White has just played 25 tiJhf5 ! . found it so easily.
There followed:
25 ... gxf5 26 liJxf5 'i!fc7 27 :xd6!! 19 c5! dxc5 20 lt:Jxf5 exf5 21
�c4+ <J;;b8 22 :d6!
With horror I recognized the The point of the combination!
familiar contours from the Ivkov White threatens 23 :h6! mating,
game. The same bad position, the and if 22 ... �xd6 23 �xg7+! <J;;xg7
same blow, the same gloomy 24 'ii'g5+ ! . In case of 22 ... �e7,
prospects ... I felt like a boxer who White wins by 23 'it'h6! :gs 24
had been knocked out twice within :g6 ! ! .
one month. However, whereas in
the Ivkov game the move :d6 led to What i s the conclusion? Experi­
a win, here it was just a natural ence develops intuition. I think that
development of White's initiative, if I had lost about a hundred games
and I could have saved the game if I incorporating defeats on all 64
had found the right reply. Yet the squares of the chessboard, I should
psychological shock was too strong have become a much stronger
player, as I could sense danger in
27 ...lt:Jg6 28 h4 :xd6?? practically any place.
 Index of Players of Games

Akmilovskaya 16, 1 8 Khasidovsky 2

Arkell 79 Klaman 1 0
Augustin 74 Klovsky 9
Bagirov 32, 4 1 , 66 Kogan 5
Balinas 52 Kolarov 90
Beliavsky 39 Korchnoi 28
Benjamin 104 Kotronias 46
Bonsch 36 Kovacevic
Bronstein 2 1 , 22, 23, 24 Lanka 97
Browne 5 1 Levin 3
Cartegena 8 1 , 82 Lputian 75
Chandler 101 Lubensky 4
Chiburdanidze 1 5, 1 6, 1 8, 1 05 Machulsky 1 1 0
Christiansen 1 02 Mats 54
Cooper 49 Mestel 47
Dorfman 13, 60, 67 Minev 87, 88
Dvoiris 1 5 Nei 89
Espig 40 Nikolaevsky 1
Fabisovich 58 011 6 1
Geller 99, 1 1 1 , 1 1 2 Osnos 37
Gipslis 73 Peters 83
Glek 78 Petrosian 30, 3 1
Gligoric 94 Petursson 48
Gofstein 56 Polugaevsky 63, 64, 65, 68,
Gob 109 69, 70, 7 1 , 72
Golubev 34 Popov 96
Gurgenidze 1 08 Pribyl 92
Henley 76 Psakhis 44
Hodgson 80 Rashkovsky 67
Honfi 9 1 A.Rodriguez 59
Hort 6 R.Rodriguez 1 7
Hiibner 35 Rogers 1 03
lvanov 1 14 Romanishin 42
Ivanovic 38 Savon 1 1 , 86
Ivkov 1 1 5 Sherwin 14
Jun 62 Shianovsky 8
Kaidanov 50 Smyslov 25, 26, 27
Kavalek 7 Sokolin 1 06
Kharlov 84 Spassky 29
254 Index ofPlayers of Games

Stein 64 Utasi 45
Sveshnikov 85 Vaganian 93
Taimanov 1 2, 33 Van der Wiel 1 7
Ta1 1 9, 20 Vasiukov 1 1 6
Tarve 1 07 Vitolins 57
Timoshchenko 43, 98 Westerinen 1 00
Tokarev 53 Yudasin 77
Tseshkovsky 55, 95 Zamikhovsky 1 1 3
 ECO Opening Codes

AOO 84, 85 C l l 4, 29
AOS 83 C27 1 07
AlS 25 C41 1
A36 1 08 C43 1 06
A45 49, 80 C46 30
A48 1 0, 24, 36, 7 1 C65 7
A68 89 C70 52
A80 3 C73 87
805 1 09 C77 1 9
807 9, 77 C79 22
808 86, 1 0 1 C92 43, 100, 1 02
809 1 03 C93 1 1
810 26 C95 44
817 4 1 D01 27
823 8 1 D03 1 1 0
829 37 DlS 6
831 82 El8 44
833 3�, 1 14 E62 90, 93
B36 8 E63 79, 99
B37 95 E67 34
840 6 1 E70 88, 92
846 1 2, 42 E73 70
864 45 E74 50, 75
B66 1 05 E75 68, 69
870 20, 56, 57, 58, 1 04 E76 97
876 53, 60, 62 E81 46, 47
878 54, 55, 59 E82 63, 64, 65, 66, 67
881 96, 98 E83 39, 48,
882 40 E84 32, 94
B91 5 E86 2 1
896 1 5 E92 3 1
C04 3 5 E97 33, 5 1 , 76
C07 28 E99 2, 72
 Index of Openings

Alekhine Defence 109

Caro Kann Defence 4 1
Dutch Defence 3
French Defence 4, 28, 29, 3 5
King's Indian Defence 2, 1 0, 2 1 , 2 5 , 3 1 , 32, 3 3 , 34, 36, 39, 46, 47, 48, 50,
5 1 , 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 7 1 , 72, 75, 76, 79, 88, 89, 90, 92, 93, 94,
97, 99, 1 08, 1 1 0,
King's Indian Attack 26, 84, 85
Petroff Defence 1 06
Philidor Defence 1
Pirc Defence 9, 77, 86, 1 0 1 , 1 03,
Queen's Indian Defence 1 6,
Reti Opening 83
Richter-Veresov Opening 27
Ruy Lopez 7, 1 1 , 1 9, 22, 43, 44, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 6 1 , 62,
87, 1 00, 102
Sicilian Defence 5, 8, 1 2, 1 5 , 20, 3 7, 38, 40, 42, 45, 8 1 , 82, 95, 96, 98, 1 04,
1 05, 1 14
Slav Defence 6
Three Knights Game 30
Torre Attack 24
Trompowsky Attack 49, 80
Vienna Game 1 07