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CHcSS!8yIH_ IO1cSSIOH8!, I! dOcSH! IOVIdc SuJCIcH! H8!cII8! COHcHS8!IOH.
cSIdcS, WII!IH_ 8 DOOK IcquIIcS yOu !O H8Vc Idc8S !H8! WOu!d H8Kc I! IH!cIcS!IH_
!O 8 WIdc CHcSS 8udIcHCc. bO I! W8S WI!H _Ic8! IH!cIcS! !H8! !OOK u NIC!OI
O!O_8HS H8HuSCII!. Hc SIZc O1 !Hc H8HuSCII! 8!OHc 8!Ic8dy H8dc 8H IHIcS-
SIOH 8Hd KHOWIH_ NIC!OI, H8d HO dOuD! !H8! WOu!d Hd H8Hy IH!cIcS!IH_
!HOu_H!S OH CHcSS IHSIdc.
HIS IS 8 DOOK !H8! Ou_H! !O Dc Ic8d Dy cVcIy CHcSS!8ycI WHO IS ScIIOuS 8DOu!
COH!IHuIH_ !O H8!uIc 8S 8 !8ycI. IIS! 8Hd 1OIcHOS!, O1 COuISc, !HIS WOu!d Dc
yOuH_ !8ycIS 8!! WHO 8Ic CcI!8IH !H8! !Hcy C8H _!c8H cVcIy!HIH_ !HcIc IS !O Dc
KHOWH 8DOu! CHcSS O !Hc H!cDc!, OI JHd I! IH !Od8yS CHcSS d8!8D8ScS. H OIH!
O1 18C!, HO!HIH_ C8H Ic!8Cc !Hc IIH!cd WOId, 1OI H8!uII!y dccHdS uOH uHdcI-
S!8HdIH_ WH8! H8S 8!Ic8dy DccH dOHc, 8S Wc!! 8S KHOWIH_ HOW !O IcIOCcSS Ic-
CcIVcd IH1OIH8!IOH !O 8CCOHHOd8!c I! !O OuI OWH cCu!I8II!IcS O1 S!y!c, 8Hd !O !Hc
quIIKS O1 OuI OWH CHcSS CH8I8C!cI. NIC!OI _IVcS 8 dc!8I!cd dcSCII!IOH O1 HIS OWH
dcVc!OHcH! HOW Hc 8CCuHu!8!cd CHcSS cXcIIcHCc IH ISHIHcV, WHcIc Hc W8S
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LHcD8HcHKO, WHO CIc8!cd HIS OWH, uHIquc CcI!8IH!y HO! H8IHS!Ic8H Du! 8
HOS! uHOIdIH8Iy HI!OSOHy O1 CHcSS. HcH I! W8S OH !O NOSCOW, WHcIc Hc WOIKcd
WI!H ZI_uIdS L8HK8 8Hd N8IK LVOIc!SKy.
! IS CuS!OH8Iy !O dIVIdc CHcSS!8ycIS IH!O !HOSc WHO C8!Cu!8!c V8II8!IOHS, 8Hd
!HOSc WHO dcVISc SCHcHcS, 8Hd dccHd HOS!!y uOH !Hc _8HcS S!I8!c_IC c!c-
HcH!S. LHcD8HcHKO, L8HK8, 8Hd LVOIc!SKy 8Ic uHI!cd (8S NIC!OI 8!SO dcSCIIDcS IH
!HIS DOOK) HO! OH!y Dy !HcII 8DI!I!y !O !HIHK u SCHcHcS, Du! 8!SO Dy 8 !yc O1
!HIHKIH_ !H8! IS quI!c I8Ic !HcSc d8yS. !HIHKIH_ IH _cHcI8! HI!OSOHIC8! CHcSS C8!-
c_OIIcS, WHcIc 8 COHCIc!c HOVc, OI cVcH 8 COH!cX !8H, J_uIcS 8S 8I! O1 SOHc
OVcI8!! COHCc!IOH. H H8Hy _8HcS IH !HIS DOOK, Wc C8H !I8Cc SuCH 8H uHDIc8K-
8D!c DOHd, WHICH 8!!OWS uS !O _c! !Hc C!c8IcS! OSSID!c IC!uIc, DO!H O1 !Hc dcVc!-
OHcH! O1 !Hc 8I!ICu!8I _8Hc uHdcI dISCuSSIOH, 8Hd O1 !Hc _8Hc O1 CHcSS 8S 8
WHO!c. 8CH O1 !HcSc !I8IHcIS H8dc HIS COH!IIDu!IOH !O !Hc CIc8!IOH O1 !Hc CHcSS
8Hd HuH8H IO11!c O1 !Hc 8u!HOI, WHO 8!cI 8 SHOI! CIc8!IVc HI8!uS (WOIKIH_ 1OI !Hc
S!OCK cXCH8H_c), cH!cIcd !Hc CHcSS c!I!c, 8S COHJIHcd Dy HIS DII!!I8H! VIC!OIy IH
!Hc LOI!HuHd SucI-!OuD8HcH!.
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cHH8SIZc !H8! WOId !Iu!y DcC8uSc !Od8y, !Hc H8jOII!y O1 !c8dIH_ !8ycIS
COHHc !HcHSc!VcS !O !Hc SIH!cS! HO!cS !O !HcII _8HcS, H1OIH8H!-S!y!c, OI
c!Sc WII!c SOHc IIHI!IVc S!u11 1OI New In Che::. XOu C8H JHd HOIc COH!cX
!cX!S IH 64H8_8ZIHc HOS!!y WII!!cH, H8!uI8!!y, Dy !Hc KuSSI8H-Sc8KIH_ _u8Id,
Dul, _cHcI8y, lHcSc lcXlS IcSlIICl lHcHScVcS lO HOlcS OH lHc _8Hc IlSc1. llS HOl
c8Sy lO HU 8 COHHcClcU ScIIcS O1 8HHOl8lcU _8HcS. VcH IH DOOKS lH8l c8UIH_
_I8HUH8SlcIS SlI uDISH (WHICH 8Ic DcCOHIH_ I8IcI 8HU I8IcI), lHcII _8HcS 8Ic
uSu8y IcScHlcU IH 8 DOX O1 CHOCO8lcS 1OIH8l, WIlH HO UISCcDIDc IHlcD8
COHHcClIOH 8HOH_ lHcH ]uSl 8 DuHCH O1 UI1cIcHl lIc8lS IH Iclly WI8IH_S.
y COHlI8Sl, Il IS ODVIOuS lH8l lHc _8HcS IH OO_8HS DOOK WcIc CHOScH 8S HIc-
SlOHcS OH lHc 8lH O1 HIS CIc8lIVc H8luI8lIOH. lH 8UUIlIOH, lHc Ic8UcI WI HU
H8Hy IHlcIcSlIH_ ODScIV8lIOHS, UcHOHSlI8lIH_ lHIS _I8HUH8SlcIS IHUccHUcHl
SIIIl. PHU 8lHOu_H lHcIc WOuU Dc H8Hy O1 lHOSc ODScIV8lIOHS lH8l l WOuU
UIS8_Icc WIlH, HcVcIlHccSS lHcy Scl 1OIlH lHc 8ulHOIS OSIlIOH, WHICH IS 8SO SOHc-
lHIH_ Wc ScUOH Scc IH lHc WOIU O1 CHcSS, WHcIc HuCH IS IcScHlcU IH W8lcIcU-
UOWH, OWcSl-COHHOH-UcHOHIH8lOI 18SHIOH.
HIS DOOK COHl8IHS _8HcS WIlH H8Hy UIcIcHl lycS O1 8HS, Dc_IHHIH_ WIlH lHc
HOSl V8IIcU KIHUS O1 OcHIH_S. OU8y, IlS lHc 18SHIOH lO cX8HU OHcS OcHIH_
IccIlOIIc, IHCOIOI8lIH_ UIcIcHl SOHclIHcS SlIuCluI8y COHlI8UIClOIy OcH-
IH_S lHIS DOOK WI _IVc yOu 8UVICc, uSu8y HOH lHc 8ulHOIS cIScClIVc, OH
HOW lO CHOOSc 8H OcHIH_. Hc 8ulHOI l8KS 8DOul lHc HclHOU Hc uScU lO H8Kc HIS
CHOICcS, 8HU 8DOul lHc COHCIclc HIOSOHy Sl8HUIH_ DcHIHU c8CH UcCISIOH. HcSc
COuU Dc ccHcHlS O1 CHcSS SyCHOO_y Ic8lIH_ lO 8 ScCIC OOHcHl, OI cIH8S
CH8H_cS IH CIc8lIVc 8llIluUcS SlcHHIH_ 1IOH WOIK WIlH UI1cIcHl lI8IHcIS. LI Il
COuU Dc juSl 1OOWIH_ lHc CuIIcHl 18SHIOH IH CHcSS 1OI cVcIy CHcSS8ycI, cVcH
lHc HOSl CIc8lIVc, IS ODI_cU lO SluUy lHc UcVcOHcHl O1 CHcSS lHIHKIH_, 8HU lIy
lO Kcc u, lO Sl8y 8W8yS OH lHc CullIH_ cU_c O1 COHlcHOI8Iy CHcSS UcVcO-
HcHlS. PHU HcIc lOO, IH I8ClIC8y cVcIy _8Hc, OHc H8y uU _cHcI8 IcCOHHcH-
U8lIOHS, 1IHc-luHcU lO lHc COHCIclc 8IlICu8IS O1 c8CH OSIlIOH. l HU lHIS SOIl
O1 8UVICc lO Dc lHc HOSl V8u8Dc, DcC8uSc _cHcI8 8UVICc lH8l IS HOl IuSlI8lcU Dy
8 COHCIclc cX8Hc OScS lHc _Ic8lcI 8Il O1 IlS I8ClIC8 V8uc.
L1 ScCI8 IHlcIcSl IH lHc DOOK 8Ic lHc quOlcS HOH OO_8HS UI8Iy, WHICH CHIOHICc
HOl OHy CHcSS cVcHlS, Dul 8SO lHc 8ulHOIS cISOH8 cXcIIcHCcS. ll IS cIH8S
juSl lHIS COHDIH8lIOH O1 CHcSS 8H8ySIS 8HU lHc IcScHl8lIOH O1 OO_8HS OWH
cISOH8 1ccIH_S, C8luIcU 8l lHc lcHScSl HOHcHlS, WHICH 8OW uS lO uHUcISl8HU
HOIc 8CCuI8lcy lHc VcIy WOIKIH_S O1 UcCISIOH-H8KIH_ 8HU HOIc. lHc cSSOHS
Wc cXlJ8Cl 1IOH OSScS, 8S Wc 8S 1IOH WIHS. VcH lHOu_H lHc DOOK quIlc Cc8Iy
H8KcS lHc OIHl lH8l IlS COHSIUcI8Dy H8IUcI lO cXlI8Cl cSSOHS HOH VIClOIy, 8HU
lHIS IUc8 O1 lHc COHcXIly O1 lHc WIHHIH_ cXcIIcHCc IS VcIy Wc IcScHlcU. 8
18O1 O1 IcSulS IS COIIcCly COHHcClcU lO lHc cCuI8IIlIcS O1 HuH8H SyCHOO_y,
WHICH 8CKS lHc C88CIly lO cV8u8lc 8 WIHHIH_ ScIIcS ODjcClIVcy. c H8Vc 8 HuCH
HOIc 8Ucqu8lc IcSOHSc lO 8 OSS, WHICH 1OICcS uS lO ul OH OuI lHIHKIH_ C8S 8HU
uZZc Oul lHc Ic8SOHS 1OI OuI HIS1OIluHc.
Hc DOOK 8SO UOcS 8 _OOU jOD O1 UcSCIIDIH_ lHc COHcX Ic8lIOHSHIS Dc ccH
lc8CHcI 8HU uI. OU8yS CHcSS8ycIS HcqucHly CH8H_c IOcS, HcIH_ 8HU 8S-
SISlIH_ OHc 8HOlHcI 8HU DcSIUcS lHc lI8UIlIOH8 lc8CHcI SluUcHl Ic8lIOHSHIS,

!HcIc 8Ic 8!SO Ic!8!IOHSHIQS WHcIc Q!8ycIS ScIVc 8S SQ8IIIH_-Q8I!HcIS, 8IdIH_

c8CH O!HcI cI!HcI 1OI 8 SQcCI1C !OuD8HcH!, OI IH QIcQ8I8!IOH 1OI 8 ScIIcS O1 IH-
QOI!8H! cVcH!S. H8SHuCH 8S NIC!OI H8S DccH OH DO!H SIdcS O1 !Hc D8IIIC8dc, Hc
_IVcS 8 QIc!!y dc!8I!cd 8Hd IH!cIcS!IH_ dcSCIIQ!IOH O1 !HIS Hu!u8!-8Id SyS!cH. PH
O!HcI IH!cIcS!IH_ dISCuSSIOH COHCcDS !Hc QIOCcSS O1 COHIH_ uQ WI!H Idc8S IH !HIHK-
!8HKS, WHcIc 8 _IOuQ O1 Q!8ycIS 8!! WOIK IH !Hc S8Hc dIIcC!IOH, 8Hd 8S 8 IcSu! O1
!HcII QIOduC!IVc IH!cI8C!IOH, SuCCccd IH I8ISIH_, HO! juS! !HcII OWH, Du! 8!! O1 OuI
uHdcIS!8HdIH_ O1 CHcSS !O 8 WHO!c HcW !cVc!.
P! 8!! cVcH!S, OHc H8y HOQc !H8! !HIS DOOK WI!! IHSQIIc yOuH_ CHcSSQ!8ycIS !O 8
dccQcI S!udy O1 !Hc CHcSS C!8SSICS, 8Hd !O 8 HOIc COHCcH!I8!cd WOIK c!HIC, HO! juS!
WI!H COHQu!cI d8!8D8ScS, Du! 8!SO WI!H QIIH!cd CHcSS H8!cII8!S. u! Hy H8IH
HOQc WOu!d Dc !H8! I! WOu!d IHS!I!! IH !HcH 8 dcSIIc !O 8HHO!8!c !HcII OWH _8HcS.
VcH !HOu_H H8Hy O1 !HcH !Od8y WOu!d QIOD8D!y Ic8d !Hc 8dVICc O1 !Hc C!8SSICS
WI!H 8 DI! O1 8 SHI!c IH OuI COHQu!cI cI8, IcCOHHcHd8!IOHS IOH !Hc HIHc!ccH!H
8Hd !WcH!Ic!H CcH!uIIcS !cHd !O SccH Q8S! !HcII Sc!!-Dy d8!c HcVcI!Hc!cSS,
O!VIHHIKS dO__cd IHSIS!cHCc OH 8H8!yZIH_ yOuI OWH _8HcS IcH8IHS !Iuc !Od8y.
OI I! IS OH!y !Hc 8HHO!8!IOH O1 8C!u8! _8HcS !H8! H8KcS 8 Q!8ycI _IOW. PHd, O1
COuISc, Wc C8H OH!y dIc8H O1 8 !IHc WHcH Ic8dIH_ !HIS HOS! IH!cIcS!IH_ DOOK WI!!
IHSQIIc SOHc S!IOH_ CHcSSQ!8ycI !O SQcHd SOHc O1 HIS (OI HcI!) V8!u8D!c !IHc IH
WII!IH_ yc! 8HO!HcI cX!I8OIdIH8Iy CHcSS DOOK.
L8IIy 8SQ8IOV
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1uIr0duCIl0n
H Hy 1JISl yC8I 8l lHC NOSCOW HSlI-
lulC O1 HySICuluIC, 8IO8CHCd
ZI_uIdS 8HK8 1OI HC IH H8SlCIIH_ lHC
WIIlCIS CI81!, 8Hd 81!CI 8 SHOIl 8uSC,
lHC CXCIICHCCd CHCSS jOuD8ISl S8Id.
C, HCICS 8 CHCI! 8Hd 8CI.
H lHC CCH yC8IS SIHCC lHCH, H8VC
DCCOHC 8 _I8HdH8SlCI, 8Hd WIIlC 1OI
V8IIOuS CHCSS uDIC8lIOHS. H SHOIl, lHC
8HOIISH O11CICd Dy lHC L!d I8IHCI,
8S l8HK8 !IKCS lO SlyC HIHSC1, HuSl
H8VC HCCd.
LHCSS jOuD8ISH IS, 8DOVC 8, 18ClS
HCquCHly dIy 18ClS, SOHClIHCS uHDC-
ICV8DC 18ClS Dul 18ClS, HOHClHC!CSS.
WCHl lO 8 lOuD8HCHl 8yCd, S8W,
WIOlC 8DOul Il WCHl OH lO lHC HCXl
lOm8HCHl. ul IH SIlC O1 lHC COH1OIlS
O1 lHC HICHC OCCuICd, 8 H8H SlI!
W8HlS lO HOVC 1OIW8Id, lO OOK 1OI
SOHClHIH_ HCW. PHd SO 1OuHd HySC1
W8HlIH_, HOl HCICy lO dCSCIIDC lHC HCXl
lOuD8HCHl 8Hd 8HHOl8lC 8 _8HC, Dul
lO dIVC dCCCI lO C8VC lHC H8IIOW
D8HKS O1 lHC jOuD8!ISlS 8IlICC 1OI lHC
V8Sl SC8 O1 lHC 8ulODIO_I8HCIS
CHtOHICC. SCCI8y HOW lH8l H8VC
H8luICd CHOu_H, CHCSSIC8y SC8KIH_
8Hd WOIKIH_ OH OHCS OWH _8HCS C8Hl
HuIl IH 18Cl, Il IS lHC CODCISlOHC O1
8Hy CHCSS!8ycIS _IOWlH.
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8Hd 18I 1IOH C8Sy. LH lHC OHC H8Hd, lHC
DCSl lH8l C8H COHC HOH lHC WIIlCIS CH
8IC 8W8yS HIS OWH CISOH8!, dCC!y 1Cl
CXCIICHCCS. LH lHC OlHCI H8Hd, Il IS
H8Id lO HOd OH lO OHCS ODjCClIVIly,
WHCH lHC SuD]CCl uHdCI dISCuSSIOH IS
OHCS OWH DCOVCd SC CVCIlHC!CSS,
8H ICSO!VCd! ICjCClCd lHC 8I_uHCHl
lH8l 8 DOOK WOud COSl HC lOO HuCH
lIHC 8Hd CHCI_y, 8Hd lH8l Hy CHCSS CVC
WOu!d Su11CI 8S 8 ICSul. HC _OOd CX-
8HCS O1CICd Dy bHIIOV, I8HHIK 8Hd
PH8Hd, 8 O1 WHOH H8VC 8IC8dy WIIl-
lCH lHCII 8ulODIO_I8HICS, COHVIHCCd HC
lH8l W8S IHdCCd SWIHHIH_ WIlH lHC
CuIICHl. L1 COuISc, lHC 18Cl lH8l H8d
8IC8dy 8HHOl8lCd H8Hy O1 Hy _8HCS
IH

SuCH uDIC8lIOHS 8S 64, New In

Che::, uroe chec:, Schach, Peon
delBey,8Hd Iu/ormanIH8dC Hy WOIK
HuCH C8SICI. 8luI8!y, lHC DCSl O1 lHOSC
uD!ISHCd _8HCS 1OIH lHC D8CKDOHC O1
lHIS DOOK. l W8S ICCISCy DCC8uSC O1
lHIS ICVIOuS WOIK (dOHC WHIC lHC
W8lCI W8S SlI W8IH, SO lO SC8K) lH8l
W8S 8D!C lO ICl8IH DOlH lHC COHSIdCI-
8lIOHS lH8l _uIdCd HC IH lHC COuISC O1
8y 8Hd lHC COHCuSIOHS IC8CHCd 81-
lCIW8IdS.
Ny lI8IHCIS bOOH8I, LHCD8HCHKO,
8HK8, 8Hd LVOIClSKy, WHO 8IC 8
uHIquC CISOH8IlICS, H8VC uHdOuDlCdy
C ICCO_HIZ8DC, OSIlIVC IHIIHlS OH
Hy 8y, 8Hd Il IS lO lHCH 8OHC lH8l
OWC lHC _IC8lCI 8Il O1 Hy SuCCCSS.
CIH_ HOIC O1 8 CIC8lIVC CI1OIHCI lH8H
8 8IHSl8KIH_ COHOSCI, H8VC H8d lHC
C8SuIC O1 DCIH_ IHHCISCd IH WHOC
SySlCHS O1 LHCD8HCHKOS IdC8S H8VC
8DSOIDCd l8HK8S IOulIHCS ISl H8Hd
8Hd H8VC SOVCd IC8HS O1 CXCICISCS
1IOH LVOIClSKyS HOlCDOOKS. P _OOd
IC8I8lIOH 1OI lHIOWIH_ HySC1 1C8I-
CSS!y IHlO lHC HOSl COHQIC8lCd C8Cu-
8lIOHS. HC _8HCS ICSCHlCd HCI 8IC
HOSl!y 8SSOCI8lCd WIlH lHCSC lI8IHCIS
CSCCI8y IH lHC C8IICI SCClIOHS. \H-
1OI!uH8!cy, !Hc IHI!cd SCOc O1 !Hc
DOOK dId HO! 8OW Hc !O _O OH 8!
_Ic8!cI cH_!H 8DOu! !HcSc cX!I8OIdIH8Iy
cOc. PHd WHIc LVOIc!SKyS CIc8!IVc
Ou!u! IS quI!c 8CCcSSID!c, !H8HKS !O HIS
9
cXCc!IOH8 WOIK-c!HIC, WHICH H8S lcd
!O !Hc uDIC8!IOH O1 VcIy H8Hy DOOKS
8Hd 8I!ICcS, !Hc DOOKS OH !Hc CHcSS
VIcWS O1 Hy O!HcI !I8IHcIS H8Vc yc! !O
Dc WII!!cH.
NIC!OI OO_8H
LHaQ1I LH
1H J0HIHy I0D SHHV 10 N0S0W
Hc D8Dy IS dc8d! b8Vc !Hc HO!HcI!
HcSc WOIdS, IcICIH_ !Hc _Icy 1O_,
_8!V8HIZcd PHH8 O!O_8H IH!O 8H uH-
Dc!IcV8D!c c1OI!, I8ISIH_ 8 DOdy !OI-
!uIcd Dy Hc8Vy !8DOI 8IHS.
H8!::!
Hc CIy W8S dIIcC!cd HOIc 8! !Hc CHI!d
!H8H 8! !Hc DuSy HcdIC8! 8!!cHd8H!, 8Hd
I! Hc!cd. Hc IH18H!, D!uc HOH !8CK O1
OXy_cH 8Hd I! W8S 8 DOy! CIIcd Ou!
8S I1 IH 8HSWcI !O HIS HO!HcI. O!H
WOu!d !IVc.
HIS cVcH!, WHICH WOu!d H8Vc 8 HO!8D!c
c11cC! OH CHcSS IH NO!dOV8, !OOK !8Cc
OH !Hc HODIH_ O1 LcCcHDcI I 4, l 97 l ,
IH !Hc CI!y O1 ISHIHcV. LcSI!c SuCH
8H uHcXcC!cd Dc_IHHIH_, !Hc 18HI!yS
ScCOHd SOH H8d 8 Ic!!y HOIH8! !I1c
1IOH !HcH OH, WI!H HO ScCI8! 8dVcH-
!uIcS. IS H8H8, PHH8 LcHy8HOVH8,
!8u_H! b8HISH IH !Hc !OC8! SCHOO! HIS
88, PH!OH IKO!8ycVICH, W8S 8 IO-
_I8HHcI IH !Hc ' O1 !Hc NbbK,
CIc8!IH_ IO_I8HS !O O!IHIZc !Hc H8-
!IOH8! !8HHcd cCOHOHy.
P! cI_H! HOH!HS O!d, !Hc D8Dy 8!Ic8dy
!OOKcd !O Dc 8 yc8I, 8Hd W8S !cd Dy !Hc
H8Hd !O HIS CIID. KuSSI8H CIIDS 8Ic Hy
1JIS! COHSCIOuS HcHOIy O1 CHI!dHOOd.
u! 1OI SOHc Ic8SOH, 8!W8yS IcHcH-
DcI DcIH_ OH !Hc O!.
H KIHdcI_8I!cH HOW !HIS W8S
NO!dOVI8H WHcH W8S 1Vc, Wc WcIc
8SKcd WHO Wc W8H!cd !O Dc WHcH Wc
_IcW u. P dIIVcI! P COSHOH8u!!
!Hc KIdS 8!! C8!!cd Ou!. u! , WI!HOu!
8Hy 8I!ICu!8I !HOu_H!, 8HSWcIcd 8 O-
!ICcH8H. HcH 8SKcd WHy, _8Vc !Hc
uHSuIIISIH_ Ic!y, bO !HcIc WOH! Dc
8Hy D8d cO!c. Hc Idc8 O1 II_H! 8Hd
WIOH_ W8S 8 Ic!!y S!I8I_H!1OIW8Id COH-
Cc! 1OI Hc 8! !H8! !IHc. IcHcHDcI Hy
18!HcI !c8CHIH_ Hc !O IO!cC! !Hc _II!S
8Hd !O IcScC! !Hc Wc8KcI ScX. PHd ,
IH !H8! S8Hc KIHdcI_8I!cH, IH !Hc H!!-
HcSS O1 CHIV8!Iy, DIOKc Hy uHDIc!!8 OVcI
8 DOy WHO W8S DO!HcIIH_ !Hc _II!S 8Hd,
O1 COuISc, _O! !Hc D!8Hc 1OI I!.
8!1 8H 8_c Dc1OIc, WHcH Hy 18!HcI W8S
COHSCII!cd IH!O !Hc 8IHy, OuI 18HI!y
H8Hc W8S Sc!!cd O!OKH8H. H
NO!dOVI8H, DO!O KH8H Hc8HS
CODD!cS!OHc, OI 8VIH_ D!OCK. PH-
O!HcI VcISIOH O1 !Hc OII_IH O1 OuI 18H-
I!y H8Hc IS 1IOH !Hc WOIdS V!8KH OI
VO!OKH. H SuOI! O1 !HIS VcISIOH,
H8Vc 8C!u8!!y SccH 8H O!d H8 1IOH
!Hc NIdd!c P_cS, WI!H 8 dI8WIH_ O1
S8I8 O!OKHV8HcHI!OI 1IOH !Hc
!8Hd O1 !Hc O!OKHV8HI. LcHcI8!!y
Sc8KIH_, I!S 8 18II!y COHHOH H8Hc
!HcIcS cVcH 8 WHO!c VI!!8_c C8!!cd
O!O_8Hy IH NO!dOV8. OWcVcI, IH
bOVIc! !IHcS, O!I!ICS !cd !O S!I8H_c Dc-
H8VIOIS H8Hy cO!c CH8H_cd !HcII
H8HcS. N8yDc !Hc KH8H cHdIH_ dIdH!
! !8uCHHC-SS!CdCV8!C!SKy HS!I!u! !8HIICV8HIy8 (C8CHIHg 8Hd KCSc8ICH
!8HHIHg HS!I!u!C).
` NK !HC NC!d8VI8H CVIC! CCI8!IS! KCpub!IC. LHC C1 H1CCH 8SSCCI8!Cd
(SCyuZHI} ICpub!ICS, CCHS!Ilu!ICH8!!y IHdCpCHdCH!, H8KIHg up !HC \K.
Hc JOuDcy JIOH ISHIHcV !O NOSCOW
8c8! !O SOHcDOUy, H8yDc I! W8S SOHc
O!HcI Ic8SOH. H8!cVci I! W8S, L8U Ic-
!uDcU JIOH !Hc 8iHy 8S 8 O!O_8H.
HcicS 8HO!Hci S!OIy, COHCcDIH_ Hy
_IVcH H8Hc. N8H8 W8H!cU !O C8!! Hc
NIOic! JIOH !Hc Dc_IHHIH_ IH J8C!,
!H8!S WH8! SHc C8!!S Hc !O !HIS U8y. Hc
IOD!cH WI!H !H8! IS, !HcicS HO SuCH
H8Hc IH !Hc LI!HOUOX D8!IS!ciy, SO
!Hcy WIO!c Hc IH 8S NIC!OI. HIS IS !Hc
H8Hc !H8! 8UODS 8!! Hy OHCI8! 8cIS,
IHC!uUIH_ !Hc I8!IH_-!IS!. H NO!UOVI8H,
NIOic! Hc8HS VIO!c!, WHI!c NIC!Oi IS
8!IH JOI WIHHcI. bO I! IS !H8! H8Vc
ScH! Hy WHO!c !IJc OSCI!!8!IH_ Dc!WccH
!WO ciSOH8S. !Hc IOH8H!IC, CHccIH!,
SWcc! NO!UOVI8H NIOIc!, 8HU !Hc UIy,
UIicC!, OWcIJu!!y UIIVcH-!O-WIH,
SOI!IH_!y cVI! 8!IH NIC!OI.
WcH! !O SCHOO! 8! !Hc c8i!y 8_c OJ
ScVcH. N8!HcH8!ICS C8Hc c8SI!y
cH]OycU iOD!cH-SO!VIH_ 8HU IHOI_8HIC
At ugc }vc, I drcumcd o{
bccoming u oliccmun.
CHcHIS!iy. KHcW 8 J8II 8HOuH! OJ
b8HISH, !H8HKS !O Hy N8H8, 8 !8!cH!cU
!c8CHcI WHO COu!U cVcH _c! !HIIU-_I8U-
cIS !O !8!K !O Hci IH b8HISH I8C!I-
C8!!y uHicCcUcH!cU IH 8 bOVIc! SCHOO!.
8!SO Ic8U 8 _Ic8! Uc8! IH Hy yOu!H.
!VcH !HcH ic_8iUcU DOOKS 8S WIHUOWS
IH!O O!HcI WOI!US. bOHc!IHcS, WOu!U
Dc SO cH_IOSScU IH Hy Ic8UIH_ !H8! cVcH
SHOu!IH_ IH Hy c8I WOu!UH! iOuSc Hc.
Ny O!Uci DIO!HcI, !ICu, 8HU WOu!U
OCC8SIOH8!!y ic8U uH!I! !8!c 8! HI_H!, 8HU
WHcH N8H8 C8Hc 8HU !uDcU Ou! !Hc
!I_H!, WcU W8I! uH!I! SHc WcH! D8CK !O
S!cc 8HU !HcH !uH I! OH 8_8IH !O ic-
SuHc OuI Ic8UIH_.
u! !Hc H8IH !OVc OJ Hy yOuH_ !IJc W8S
JOO!D8!!. !8ycU I! IHCcSS8H!!y Dc-
!WccH C!8SScS, OH IH!I8HuI8! !c8HS, 8HU
cVcH Dy HySc!J. P!! HccUcU W8S 8 W8!!
!O I8C!ICc 8_8IHS! 8HU 8 D8!! OJ Hy OWH.
b!I!!, I! HcVcI WcH! 8Hy Hi!HcI !H8H !H8!.
P1!cI 8 yc8iS !i8IHIH_ 8! !Hc !IS!Iu`
C8H, JOO!D8!! W8S ic!8CcU Dy !Hc !HII!y-
!WO IcCcS OJ !Hc CHcSSDO8IU. OWcVcI,
cVcH 8cI DcC8Hc IH!cIcS!cU IH CHcSS,
S!I!! !c! CHcSS 8HU SCHOO!WOIK S!IUc,
WHI!c I8H OJJ !O !Hc S!8UIuH !O !8y,
8HU !8y, 8HU !8y! !H Hy UcJcHSc, !Hc
JOO!D8!! Du_ W8S CHIOHIC 8HOH_ uS 1Vc
DIO!HcIS. !ICu (HOW 8 HcUIC8! UOC!OI),
HySc!J, I!j8H, NIH8I 8HU K8Uu. HcIc
WcIc !IHcS WHcH c!IOVK8 !H8! W8S
!Hc VI!!8_c Hy J8!HcI W8S JIOH ScH!
8 !c8H COHOScU WHO!!y OJO!O_8HS
!O !Hc Ic_IOH8! COHc!I!IOHS.
!c8DcU !Hc HOVcS WHcH W8S ScVcH.
Ny J8!HcI, WHO 8! HIS DcS! W8S 1IS!-
C8!c_OIy S!IcH_!H, !8u_H! !Hc 8HCIcH!
_8Hc !O 8!! HIS SOHS. y !Hc !IHc Hc !OOK
` stru` is thc lcadng IootbaIl cIub o!MoIdava, who won thc ISSRChampion-
ship, FirstLcaguc, in l 982,andrcachcdthcLppcrLcagucin l 8J.
I1
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdGamcs I 985-2OO4
mc to thc DUSSh Ior chcss, l vas
ncar|y tcn ycars o|d. OIcoursc, by
prcscnt-day standards, this vas vcry
|atc. Nicu vas alrcady studyingthcrc,
buthc|ackcdthcstayingpovcrand|ch.
l, too, misscdmanytrainingscssions,
ahcrvhichl,thcIavoritcson,vastoo
ashamcdtorctum.MyIathcr,hovcvcr,
provcd cvcnmorc stubbom, and l itcr-
a||ybroughtmcback bythc scv-
craltimcs.
l can ccrtain|y attcstthatl havcbccn
|uckyinthcpcop|clhavcvorkcdvith
in|iIc. Myrsttraincrvasthcta|cntcd
tcachcr and notablc a||-around good
guy,lvanYakovlcvichSo|onar. Hc|it-
cra||ygavcushissoul.Agoodpracti-
ca|tcachcr,hcgavcusmanyproblcms
to so|vc, and madc us play thc gamc
b|indIo|d. An admircr oIFischcr, hc
taught usthc opcnings Irom thc c|cv-
cnth vor|dchampion`s rcpcrtoirc. thc
Naj dorI Si ci |ian, thc King`s lndian
DcIcnsc, I c4Iorvhitc,thcRuyLopcz
Exchangc.lnourcirclc,avcrypopu|ar
chcss variant vas vhat vc cal | cd
"Svcdish chcss - vhcrc thc p|aycrs
play in pairs against cach othcr, and
cachplaycris ablctogivchiscapturcd
picccsto hispartncrp|ayingthcoppo-
sitc color on thc ncighboring board.
This hc|pcd dcvc|op our Iantasy, and
kcptthckidshappyas vc||.Addition-
a||y, hc vou|d |ct us p|ay Iootba|| at
rcccss,andcvcryonctookpart,Iromthc
sma||csttothcbiggcst- cvcnthcgir|s.
Ncvcrthc|css,rcachingthcnarrovstagc
oI thc chcss proIcssi onal rcqui rcs
somcthingmorcthanjustabi|ity,agood
traincr, and an car|y cnough acquain-
tancc viththc gamc. lnmycasc, that
"somcthing morc vas a hungcr Ior
victoryandadcsirctotravc| .
WhcnlvonmyIrsttoumamcntgamc
inintcrscholasticcompctition,andthcn
rcmcd to my c|asscs that varm au-
tumncvcning(lvasinthcsccondshiI
oIcl asscs thcn), my joy kncv no
bounds.lhadvon' MyIricndsjusthad
to cc|cbratc itvith mc! OIcoursc, as
thcycarsgoby,thcscIcclingsmc||ov
somcvhat, novadays, such cmotions
arcrarc occurrcnccs. Butinprincip|c,
thcmostimportantthinginchcss-duc|
oItvo intcl|cctsthough itmaybc is
to vin. To this day, vinning ccrtain
gamcsortoumamcntscangivcmcthat
ncccssarypushtocontinucmycarccr.
Thc sccond Iactoris anunqucnchab|c
thirstIortravc|.lnmychi|dhood,loI-
tcn drcamt oI travc| i ng. Oncc, l
drcamcd that l and Alcxci Sasonkin,
anothcrpupiloISo|onar`s,vcrcva|k-
ing dovn Ka|ininsky Frospckt, cvcn
though lhad ncvcr bccn to Moscov.
Ncvcrthclcss, it vasn` t |ong bcIorc
Lcsha and l du|y arrivcd in Moscov
and,oIcoursc, vc hadto va|k a|ong
thcKa|ininsky,ncv|yrcnamcdthcNcv
Arbat' `lalsodrcamcdoIHamburgand
Cairo, and l ` vc bccntoHamburg,but
notycttoCairo.lcanhoncstlysaythat
l ` vchadmysharcoItravc|. My "trav-
c|oguc shovs around Iorty countrics
DUSSh "dctsko-yunoshcskayasportivnayashko|a(childtccnagcsportsschoo|)
-thccomcrstoncoIthcSovictsystcmIorcultivatingath|ctcs,includirigchcssp|aycrs.
Ka|ininskyProspckt, novadaysthcNcvArbat oncoIMoscov`s ccntra| boulc-
vards,drivcnstraightthroughthchistoricccntcroIthccity,sothatthc Sovictrulcrs
mightrcachthcKrcmlinIastcrIromthcirsuburbandachas.
l 2
Thc1oumcyIromKishincvtoMoscov
so Iar, including almost cvcry onc oI
thcIormcrUSSRrcpub|ics,cxccptIor
Kazakhstan,KirghiziaandTurkmcnia.
OIcoursc,I ` ma|ongvayhomcqua|-
ingthcrccord-ho|dcr,Nigc|Short,vho
hassomcvhcrcncarscvcnty.
Sti | l , our Ii rst tournamcnt outsi dc
Mo|dova vas in thc autumn oI l 983,
in Kharkov, Ukrainc, vhcrc a tcam
composcdcxclusivclyoISo|onar`sstu-
dcnts playcd vcl| cnough to capturc
thirdp|acc.Hovcvcr,vcthcnhcardthc
ncvsthatIvanYakov|cvichvasgoing
to bccomc dircctor oIthc chcss c|ub,
andhisplacc vithusvou|dbctakcn
byhisson,StcpanIvanovich. Thisvas
atcrrib|c b|ov Ior us. Ahcrtvoycars
training,vchadgrovn quitc attachcd
toourtraincr- hovcou|dhclca
\
c,just
asvcvcrcbcginningtosccthc Iruits
oIour hard vork' Wc |itcra||y brokc
dovnintcars.Rightaboutatthattimc,
vc bcganrcccivingmca| tickcts

(thc
trucmarkoIayoungproIcssiona|), I
cntcrcdthcsportscyc|c,andvcntovcr
tochcssIorgood.
InthcautumnoIthcIo||ovingycar,at
|cssthanthirtccnycarsoIagc,I madc
mydcbutinthcadu|tchampionshipoI
Kishincv. Istartcdvith3 outoI3, but
didn`thavcthcstrcngthtocontinucso
succcssh||y. By thc Inal round, cvcn
though hadvhitc,I hadtoho|donto
thc drav I nccdcd Ior thc candidatc-
mastcrnormbythcskinoImytccth.
IrctumcdIromthccity-ccntcronIoot
vith Eddic Mccrson, vho had a|so
achicvcdhisnorm,andvcta|kcdabout
ourIuturcsinthcmost glovingtcrms.
ButunIortunatc|y,Mo|dovavasnotthc
most chcss-Iricnd|y oIthc Sovict rc-
pub|icsatthctimc.Inthcsixycarsthat
I rcmaincd thcrc, bcIorc |caving Ior
Moscov, I ncvcr did gct a chancc to
p|ayinatomamcntvithamastcrnorm
thcrcsimp|yvcrcn`tanybcinghcld.
As Ior Eddic, hc gavc up chcss, and
novvorksasacomputcrprogrammcr
inNcvYork.
OIcoursc,thcrcvcrccnthusiasts vc
cvcnhad a chcss "vscobuch,'vhosc
chicImastcrmindvasaDUSShtraincr,
Fcdor Fcdorovich Skripchcnko, a Irc-
qucntorganizcroIal|-Unionchi|drcns`
toumamcntsinKishincvandinBjc|tsi.
ThccircumstanccsoIsocia|ist|iIcand
thccncrgydisp|aycdbySkripchcmoal-
|ovcdchi|drcn to p|ay Ircqucntlyand
to travc|. I rcmcmbcr, at a camp in
Bcndcri,Skripchcnkoaskinga||thcstu-
dcnts to list thcir shortcomings. I sat
and thought, and in absolutc honcsty
vrotc that I had . . . bad handvriting!
FcrhapsIvasalitt|cshortonsclI-criti-
cism, but, quitc honcst|y, I sav no
othcrshortcomings. (AndIoIhi:day,
1:Iill:ugerguilI(ormy immode:q.)
Our basic problcm vas that Mo|dova
j ust di dn` t havc any strong
chcssp|aycrs. Grandmastcr Lutikov,
vhovas|ivinginTiraspo|,hada|rcady
practi ca| l y givcn up chcss. Viktor
GavrikovhadmovcdtoLithuania,and

Mcal tckctswcrcmonthIystipcndsIorIood,aIlowngyoung,promisingathIctcsto
catIor!rcc. [spcciaIIyg!tcd`athIctcs couIdsomctimcscxchangcthcmIormoncy.
'`N scobuch'AprogramoI mandatoryunvcrsalchcsstcachingnthcpublicschools.
DcspitcthcoccasionaIsucccss!uIcxpcrmcnt,chcssncvcrbccamcamandatorysub-
jcctin SovctschooIs.
3
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
thc |oca| mastcrs - good and vc||-
traincdthoughthcymightbcvcrcthc
kindoIp|aycrsIorvhomscoringy
pcrccntinaUSSRchampionshipscmi-
Ina|vou|dbcanorma|rcsu|t.
HcrcisoncoImyIrstpub|ishcdgamcs.
ItappcarcdinthcmagazincShakhmaq
(Riga)#5/ 985.
( ) IBologun - O. Guvrushin
Kishincv(Mo|dova) 985
1 h|, and Whitc dc|ivcrs matc i n
nomorcthan scvcnmovcs, providing
B|ackgivcsavaymostoIhispicccs!
ThcIo||ovinggamcvasp|aycdin 98
atthcLazoMcmoria|.Lazovasahcro
oIthc Crcat War, immo|atcd by thc
1apancsc in his |ocomotivc`s rcbox.
DuringthcSovictcra,thc|argcsctt|c-
mcnt oILazovsk vas namcd in his
honor. It is a rcgiona| ccntcr that in-
c|udcsthcvi||agcoIFctrovka.Atthat
timc,thisvasthcstrongcsttoumamcnt
inthcvho|crcpub|ic,vithmanymas-
tcrsparticipating. I mcdccn dur-
ingthcMcmoria|,andthisvasmyrst
toumamcntatthis|cvc|.
Myopponcnt,CcorgiOr|ov,ata|cntcd
youngmastcr,vhorcmcdtoMo|dova
acr graduatingIromthc MoscovIn-
4
stitutcoIFhysicu|turc,vasconsidcrcd
our most promising p|aycr. Hc |atcr
traincdE|cnaAkhmy|ovskayaandthcn
marricd hcr. Today, thcy both |ivc in
Scatt|c,Washington.
(2) IBologun - G Orlov
Kishincv(Mo|dova) 98
FrcnchDcIcnsc CO2j
1 c4c62d4d5c5
Inthoscdays,IapproachcdthcFrcnch
DcIcnsc,Or|ov`sIavoritcopcning,"in
Svcshnikov-sty|c.Icnoycdhisgamcs
vcrymuch,andItricdhardnottomiss
anyoIthcm.Ithasbccn|argc|ythanks
tohiscIIortsthatthcc|oscdsystcmhas
gaincdgrcatpopu|arityinthc |astdc-
cadc.Witcscckstogainspaccandto
|ockinthccncmy|ight-squarcdbishop,
thcsc Iactors Iorm thc basis Ior his
vho|c|incoIp|ay.
. . . c54c
OncoIthcmaorprob|cmsinthisstruc-
turc ishovto maintain thc b2-c3-d4-
c5 pavn chain. This vas vc| | -i | |us-
tratcdinthcvorksoINimzovitch.
Acrc7c5, Whitc dcIcndcdthcbasc
oIhispavnchainvithc2cj. Itiscvi-
dcnt that nov thcrc vi|| bc no maor
action inthc ccntcr Ior somctimc to
comc,andmuchvi|| dcpcnd onhov
B|ackdcp|oyshispicccs.Myopponcnt
dccidcdtoincrcascthcprcssurcond4
bcIorcdoinganythingc|sc.
4...c6 5 fgc7 6 acd 7
cdf58 c2 b6
1
Today, othcr continuations arc morc
popu|ar.
Thc1omcyhomKishincvtoMoscov
8. . . b4 9 2e2 -c2 I0 O-c2 Oa5
I I 2d2 2b4 I2 aj 2-d2 Ij O-d2
O-d2I47-d22d7 I 5[acIe7 I
h4c I7h5hI8 h4+ (Svid|cr-
Luthcr, Bundcs|iga2OO3).
8. . . h4 9 -h4 O-h4 I 02e2 2d7
I I 00f5 I 2b4Od8I j Od22e7 I4
a4 a I 52b2+ (Crischuk Short,
Moscov2OO2).
8. ..2d7 9 2e2 Ob I0 h4 b4 I I
-b4 2-b4 I 2 7fI 2b5 I j g4
9-e2I47-e2OaI5OdjO-dj
I7-dje7 I7h5h I8aj2a5 I9
h4+ ( Movscsi an - Borovi kov,
Fanormo 2OO2).
9db4+1{f1
Atthattimc,thcoryrccommcndcdthis
sctup thckinggocsto Il , vhilc thc
rookstandsprcttyvc||onh , p|anning
tocontinucvithh2h4.
1. . . c7 11h4
It`simportanttoprovokch7h5,vhich
xcs thc pavn structurc and grants
Whitc acccssto g5.Anothcrpossibil-
ityisI I gj,Iorcxamp|c,I I . . . 2d7I2
7g2 cSIj2-f5efI4bj00 I 52g5
9-g5 I -g5f4!?I7gfe7(Short
Vaganian,Montpcl|icr 985).
J. . . h5 12b
With thc simp|c idca oIcxchanging
bishopsby2g5!?andtryingtocxp|oit
thc vcakncsscs oIthc dark squarcs.
Sooncror|atcr,Whitcvi||havctotakc
on I5, but I tricdto postponc this cx-
changc as long aspossib|c,unvi||ing
torc|inquishsuchagoodbishop.
12 . . . a5 1g5 f8
AIcr I j . . . 9-g5, I4hg9d7 I 5g4?|is
notathrcat, bccauscoII5. . . f-d4 I
c-d4-d4I 7 -h57e7!? Strongcr,
hovcvcr,vouldbcI 52-f5efI h4,
vhcnWhitchasasma||advantagc.
14g d7 15-f5cf 16 g2
B|ackcou|dmcctIej|?( aj)vith
I. . . 9aj!?(I . . . 9e I7aj+;, cxp|oit-
ing thc Iactthat thc d5-pavn is indi-
rcctlydcIcndcd. I7-d5?Ob5.
16 . . . c6 17 _c a 18 _c2
f8 19 _c
IthinkyoucanundcrstandvhyIvou|d
scck a rcpctition oImovcs against a
strongcrp|aycr,buthcvouldsti||vant
top|ay Ioravin, oIcoursc.
19. . . [c8I
I9. . . 2ajvou|dhavc dravn bythrcc-
Io| drcpctition.Instcad,B|ackcommits
ascriouspositionalinIraction.
2a
This, vith thc idca oIb4!, |cads to a
scrious rcduction oIB|ack`spiccc ac-
tivity. Obcctivc|y, hc had to takc thc
rcpctition.
l 5
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
2. . . a7 21b1= g6
Opcning |incs by 2I . . . [c j 22 b4| Ia-
vorsWhitc. 22. . . ab 2j ab g 24 Oa2.
But aItcr 22. . . a4| ? 2jTcI (2j '-f5
Tbj 24 Oc2 'b5 25 'ej '-aj)
2j. . . Tbj24Oc2, his chanccsarcalso
bcttcr.
Andacr2I . . . 'b5, Whitc shou|dnot
bcinahurry,butshou|dsimp|yimprovc
hispositionby22Ob2(22'-f5Tcj|?,
22. . . '-aj2j'-g7).
22 [c1
Witcbcginsthcbatt|cIorthcopcnI|c.
22. . . [-c12-c1c6
Takingthcpavnisustbad.2j. . . O-bj
24Oc7, or24TbI .
24 b4I
This is astandardbrcakthrough,butit
vasarcaldiscovcryIormcatthattimc.
Whitc isnoton|y ignoringthc |ossoI
thc d4-pavn, but "miscounting" thc
numbcroIcapturcsonb4asvc|l!Hov-
cvcr,acccptingcithcrgiIvou|dgrant
Whitc`smaorpicccsopcratingspacc.
I
24. . . '-d4 25 '-d4 O-d4 2 Oc7
|oscs. Takingthcb-pavn isa|so dan-
gcrous, Ior cxamplc, 24. . . ab 25 ab
O-b4(25. . . '-b42Ta8, 25. . . 2-b4
2Ta8, 25...Td7 29fTg8 2
Ta8=)2 TbIOaj27O-aj9-aj28
T-b7 00 29 'c2|? (29Tc7 'a5 j0
2e72-e7jIT-e7'c4(jI. . .Ta8j2
'g5Ta=) j2'g5 '-ej jjfe9c
j47fj2aj5e=) 29. . . Ta8j0Tc7
'b4 jI '-ajT-aj j2 9fTa jj
'g5= . With thc tcxt, B|ackmanagcs
toavoidthcopcningoIthca- orc-I|cs.
Nov,hovcvcr,Whitcopcnsthcb-|c.
25ba-a5
Ana|tcmativcvas25. . . O-a52Ob2
Oa27 TbI 7c828a4!?
26[b1c627b2{c728b5
b629a4
Whitchasac|carlcadindcvc|opmcnt,
vhilc B|ack vi||Inditdi0culttodc-
vc|ophiskingsidc,bccausctodosohc
mustsubmitto thc cxchangcoIbish-
ops,vhichdocsn'tsuithim.
29 ...h6
29. . . O-b5 j0T-b5 7c |oscs to jI
9d8( jI 'd29hj29-hT-hjj
'bI Th8 j4'cjTd8 j5 'a2, C
'b4-d5, is a|so good) jI . . . 'c4 j2
'-c4dcjjT-b7d7j49fTg8
j5Tb8 (a dcadly pin, iIj5 a5 2aj)
j5. . . 2d5ja5cjj7Td87ej89g5
c2j99cI .
[c1
Aspcctacu|armovc,butj09-h T-h
jI Ob4 vas simp|cr and strongcr, as
Blackcannotho|dhisposition.
Thc1oumcy IromKishincvtoMoscov
++A_c4
j0. . . 6cI jI -d5 2-d5 j2 2-cI
2-fj jj 7-fj 2-cI j4 Od5, and
Whitc vins his quccn is ust too
strong.
1 -c6+ {-c6 2 -h6 -h6
_d2 h84 {fI
Atimc-prcssurcmovc.j4d-c4dcj5
-c47d5j-b7-d4j7f4 vas
bcttcr.
4 ...d85_c-c4dc 6{cb5
7 ab+ {-b5 8 _b1 {b4 9
_c{b4_c2d5I
I vould again cncountcr this pavn
structurc |atcr on in my carccr. OI
coursc Whitc`s position is bcttcr, but
B|ackmustactivatcthcrookbybring-
ing itto a8, aIcrvhich I vou|dhavc
had a hard timc achicving anything
vorthvhi|c.
41 c+ {b4 42 c2I {b 4
{d2
Nov Whitc succccds in stopping thc
pavnvithhiskingandhisadvantagc
incrcascs.
4 ...c644 _c1+ {b445 b2+
{a546{cg5I
Thcon|ychanccIorcountcrp|ay.
47hg h4
Whitc`sbcstansvcrto47. . . f4| ?vould
bctodcclincthc sccondpavn;Iorcx-
amp|c,48Dd2fg49fgDg850d52d7
5I Df2D-g5 52 D-f .
48 gh h8
49 d5I
ApavnsacriIcctoactivatcthcking.
49 ... -d5 5d2c4
50. . . 2e 5I Dd47b5 52 e2 Da85j
h5 .
51 {-c4I
5I Dd7F-h452D-tDhI 5je2 -
vouldhavcbccncvcnstrongcr.
51...c8+ 52{d4 -c1 5 h5
In this position, thc pavn at I5 only
prcvcntsthcb|ackbishopIromdca|ing
vith thc passcd pavn. Mcanvhi | c,
WhitcprcparcstosacriIccthcc5-pavn
asvc||,iIitvi||givchiskingacccssto
thc I- andg7-squarcs.
5 ...f
B|ackhasavidcchoicchcrc,butnoth-
ingsccmstosavchim. Forinstancc.
5j. . . Dc854e'Dd8(54. . .fe55Da2
7b45hDh8577e5)557e5D-d2
5ef .
5j. . . 9bI(logical B|ackvantstocon-
7
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
tinuc f5f4 and bring thc bishop back
IordcIcnsc) 54 e (but not 54 f4 fI
(54. . . eI557c5e45d77a57
-t)55e(557ejeI57f2
e4 57 7fjeI) 55. . . -f4 5 7e5
e4577f-e587-tc59
gf40g79h7)54...fe 557e5f45
b22dj (5. . . c5 577-f4)57h
gI 587ffj(58. . . g2 59 bj) 59
bj2e40ej .
5j. . . hI54h, Io||ovcdbyf4 .
5j. . . c754hd7 557ej-d25
7-d2f4 577cj7b5587d42h759
e .
So thc piccc sacriIcc vas not on|y
spcctacu|ar, but a|so quitc corrcct
cvcnthough Whitc had a simp|crvin
vithoutit.
54 h6[c1
54. . . hI 55e.
55h7[h1 56c6[-h757c7c6
58c5a4 59 [d8 1~
Lcssous
) I n a somcvhat inIcrior position,
Or|ovthcstrongcr,morccxpcricnccd
p|aycr rchscd a trip|c-rcpctition oI
positionandbcganp|aying sharp|yto
vinatthccxpcnscoIhisovnposition.
Nomattcrvhoyouropponcnt is,you
muststi||pIaythcposition(I9 . . . c8?|).
2)Whcnyouhavcanadvantagcindc-
vc|opmcnt,youmuststrivctomakcthc
positionasconcrctcaspossib|c.Ocn
youcan sacricc matcria| toopcn thc
position,vhcnyourbcttcrdcvc|opmcnt
assurcsthcadvantagc(24 b4).
8
3)Favnsonthcsamcco|orsquarcsas
thcirbishopsharp|yrcstrictthcbishop`s
mobi|ityandvcakcnthcsquarcsoIthc
oppositc co|or. Thcsc Iactors bccomc
mostapparcntinthccndgamc.
AnumbcroIothcryoungchcsstrain-
crsappcarcd in Mo|dova atthattimc.
Igor Facrman, Vadim Chcrnov, and
Stcpan So|onar. I |carncd somcthing
IromcachoIthcm,andIcvcnspcntan
cntirc month vi th IM Ni ko| ai
Scrgccvich Fopov, vho iscurrcnt|y a
IamoussportscommcntatoronRussian
TV.Iocnvorkcdbymysc|Ibygoing
tothc|ibraryoIthcchcssc|ub,picking
up a Icv booksandstudying thcm. It
vason|ytovardsthccndoIl 98that
IcamcundcrthcinIucnccoIthcpatri-
arch oIMo|dovian chcss, Vyachcs|av
AndrccvichChcbancnko.Thissharp|y
individua|isticpcrsona|ity,vhodidso
muchto cstab|ishmypcrsona|ityas a
chcssp|aycr,c|car|ydcscrvcsascparatc
discussion.
ThcTraiucrofalIMoIdoviaus
Vyachcs|avAndrccvich Chcbancnko
( 942- 997) vas a vc||-knovn chcss
thcorcticianandtraincr,andIoundcroI
thcMo|dovianschoo|oIchcss.Among
his studcnts vcrc such grandmastcrs
andmastcrsasViktorCavrikov,Victor
Bo|ogan, Viorc| Iordachcscu, Viktor
Kom| iakov, Doru Rogozcnko,
V|adis|avNcvcdnichy, IrinaZak, Ma-
rina Shcrcmctycva, Irina Brandis-
Ioncscu,Mikhai|Oratovsky,Chcrman
Titov and many othcrs. Thc opcning
systcmsthcypcrIcctcdrcmainviab|cto
thisdayintoumamcntsata|||cvc|s.
Chcbanko had Icma|c studcnts, too.
Iri na Brandi s, Iri na Zak, Masha
Thc1oumcy homKishincvtoMoscov
K|inova, Angc|a Crigoricva, Marina
Shcrcmctycvavcrca||vcryattachcdto
t hci r trai ncr. Hc ca| | cd thcm hi s
"mirac|c-kiddics(thcothcrgir|svcrc
ust"kiddics). ` Occasiona||yoncoIhis
"mirac|c-kiddics vou|d bring hi m
somcthingtocat,butvchc|pcdoutas
vc| | . In Iact, it vas thcrc that Vitya
Kom| iakov dcvc|opcd hi s cu| inary
abi|itics.
Vyachcs|avAndrccvichvasvayahcad
oIhis timc. Hchadan origina| vayoI
thinking and vcry many intcrcsting
idcas. Hc had such ata|cntIor chcss
thatcvcrything camc casi|y to him. I
bc|i cvc that Chcbancnko and chcss
vcrcmadcIorcachothcr.
As apractica|p|aycr,hcrcachcdmas-
tcr|cvc|,butsoongavchimsc|Iovcrto
sc|cctingandtrainingyoungcandidatc-
mastcrs, cvcn Irst-catcgory p|aycrs,
andtumingthcmintograndmastcrs.
Takingthc|ongvicv,Chcbancnkovas
aninvcntoroIthcmind,rstandIorc-
most. Hcvorkcdoutanorigina|scrics
oI|ccturcsonpositiona|p|ayvithsuch
thcmcs as samc-co|or and oppositc-
co|orbishops,thciso|atcdpavn,tacti-
ca|vcakncsscs,andpavnstructurc.It`s
a grcat shamc that hisnotcshavc not
survivcd,IorChcbancnkogavchis|cc-
turcs hom mcmory. A|| oIhis pupi|s
had an cxcc||cnt grasp oIthc idcaoI
prophy|axis hc spcntp|cnty oItimc
onthisidca.Buthismaorachicvcmcnt
vas to crcatc a comp|ctc|y originaI
schoo|oIopcningp|ay. In thosc days,
bcIorc thc cra oItota| chcss inIorma-
tion, hismcthodsvcrcquitccIIcctivc.
Hccrcatcdhisovn"ChcbancnkoLinc
(simiIartothc"ManncrhcimLinc)
a most origina| rcpcrtoirc, vith intcr-
csting,positiona||ysoundidcas.Thcsc
vcrcno "bizarrc variations iIthcy
hadbccn,hisidcasvou|dnotbcinusc
tothisday. It`sbccnovcrthirtyycars,
but hi s trcatmcnt oI thc 2. . . d and
2. . . 'c Sici|ians` vith j 2b5 is sti||
viab|c.Amazing|y,notoncoIhismain
idcashasbccnrchtcdbythcory' For
instancc, thc "unIorccd cxchangc on
c aIcrg7g - that`s a||hisvork. I
rcmcmbcrMisha Oratovsky, upon rc-
ming hom thc Kasparov-Botvinnik
schoo|,tc||ingushovIcrcc|ythcthir-
tccnth vor|d champion criticizcd him
Iorp|aying-c vhatdidyougivc
avayyour bishop Ior?! But thcn, tcn
ycars|atcr,Kasparovhimsc|Ibcgancn-

thusiastica||yp|ayingthatvariation!
AtthcA||-UnionTcamChampionships,
itvas okcdthatyoucou|dprcparcIor
yourgamcsagainstanymcmbcroIthc
Mo|doviantcambyprcparingIor any
onc oIthcm! Sincc Chcbancnko, in
Iact, constructcd a|| oIour opcnings
rcpcrtoircs, vc, his studcnts, |ikc a||
chi|drcn,vcrca pack oIs|ackcrs. Hc
vou|d dictatc ouropcning movcs Ior
us, and say, ha|I-oking|y. "Thcrcyou
arc anopcningIors|ackcrs!
Chcbancnkogavc grcat importancc to
pavn p|ay.Acharactcristic |inc ran. I
e4d2d4'fj 'cj c(it`ssurpris-
ing that this is knovn as thc "Czcch
Variation, vhcn it vas Chcbancnko
vhodida||oIthc"dog-vorkonit)4
'fj2g4, B|ackthcnp|ayseandd5,
and rids hi msc| IoI his bad | i ght-
squarcd bishop. Uptoa ccrtain |cvc|,
this sctup Ircqucnt|y rcapcd points
straighthomthcopcning.
Trans|ator'sNote. 1hc Kussinn word is kids in thc scnsc o{|oung gonts.
9
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
Onc oIhis maor achicvcmcnts vas
concciving and pcrIccting thc a7a
systcminthcS|avDcIcnsc.Tothisday,
Whitc has bccn unab|c to achicvc an
advantagcagainstit.Morcovcr,thcba-
sic |incs oIp|ayarcthc samconcsvc
vrotc in our |itt|c notcbooks tvcnty
ycarsago(andhchimsc|Ibcganvork-
ingoutthosc|incsthirtyycarsago).Thc
on|ydravback to his thcory vas that,
at Irst, hc tcndcd to avoid thc main
|incs, undoubtcdlybccauschc didnot
vishtodcpcndon"o0cia|thcory.In
ordcrtop|ayconcrctc variations, it is
ncccssarytomakcac|oscstudyoIthc
cxpcricncc oIothcrs and bum p|cnty
oImidnightoi|.Chcbancnkolovcdthc
crcativcaspcctmorcthananythingc|sc,
hc dc|ightcd in cu|tivating "Icrti|c
ground. Natura||y, hissystcmvasn`t
comp|ctc|ysu0cicntbyitsc|IHcgavc
his studcnts knov|cdgc in purc Iorm,
vcassimi|atcditchort|css|y.I,Iorcx-
amp|c,bccamcagrandmastcrin 99 ,
main|yonthcbasisoIhisopcnings.
Chcbancnko vas a so|itary man, vho
livcd a|onc in a onc-room apartmcnt.
Hc|ovcdto |icuponanottomaninthc
comcr, right c|bov propping up his
hcad. In Iront oIhimvashis Rigan
magncticsct,onvhichhcvouldmovc
thc picccs vith his |c hand. And in
this classic posc, hc vou|d spcnd thc
grcatcr part oIhis timc. Somctimcs,
VyachcslavAndrccvichvou|dariscand
scat himscl!on thc couch that stood
ncxttothcchcsstablcinordcrtoana-
|yzcvithapupilonthcIu||-sizcchcss-
board. Thc lcssons took p|acc in his
homc,bccauscitvasquitcrarcIorhim
tocomctothcc|ub.Asaru|c,oncor
tvo pupi|s vou|darrivcat atimcand
hc vas a|vays vill ing to vork vith
thcmIoras|ongasthcy|ikcd. Hissal-
2O
aryvaspaidbythcchcssclub,vhosc
dircctor, I. X So|onar, a|vays had an
undcrstandingoIhov chcssvorkcd.
Chcbancnko a|so had an outstanding
tcnor voicc, and hc |ovcd to |istcn to
SoIia Rootarc. An cducatcd, cruditc
man,hchadopinionsaboutcvcrything,
and cou|d immcdiatc|ygraspthc corc
oIa qucstion. Hc vas a chccrIu| pcr-
son, vith agrcatscnsc oIhumor, and
hi s vcry ovn s| ang cxprcssions
pcop|c gravitatcd to him. But vriting
vas somcthing Chcbancnko dis|ikcd.
Hisartic|cs,inc|udingthcIamous"Was
Nimzovitch alvays right? appcarcd
onlybccausc oIthc cnthusiasm oIhis
pupi|s.Youcouldncvcrca|lVyachcs|av
Andrccvichlazy,bccauschcvorkcdhis
vholc liIc, but hc prcIcrrcd doingthc
vorkhc|ovcd.
Chcbancnkovasanimpractica|man
moncymcantabso|utclynothingtohim.
Hchadnomatcria|goa|sorambitions
vhatsocvcr. Sumcc it to say that hc
ncvcrcvcn obtaincdthcrankoIHon-
orcdTraincroIMo|dovathat vas his
duc. ForVyachcslav Andrccvich vas
thc on|y scrious traincr in thc vho|c
rcpublic, iIit had not bccn Ior him,
upcomingtalcnts vould havc had no
onctotumto.
Evcrychcssplaycrhas momcntsvhcn
hcrcalizcsthathchasrcachcdanothcr
|cvc|. Formc,suchamomcntvasthc
988 Moldova Championship, and in
parti cul ar, my gamc against
Ncvcdnichy.
This vas my sccond and most suc-
ccssIu| - rcpublicchampionship.AIcr
losinginthcrstroundtomastcrFig|cr,
Thc 1oumcy IromKishincvtoMoscov
IvonIvcstraightgamcstobccomcthc
solc |cadcr, much to cvcryonc`s sur-
prisc.Atthc timc, Ivasasimplccan-
didatc-mastcr, vithnorating. Myop-
poncnt, V|adik Ncvcdnichy, vho vas
tvoycarso|dcrthanmc,vasthcncon-
sidcrcd thc grcat hopc oIMo|dovian
chcss vhichhcsooncomplctcly us-
tiIcdbydintoIhissucccssh|p|ayin
thcintcmationalarcna.
(3) IBologan IAeveJnichj
Kishincv(Mo|dova) l 988
I prcparcd ncv opcning systcms Ior
vhitcIorthischampionship,inc|uding
thcj'd2|incoIthcFrcnchDcIcnsc.
Vyachcs|av chosc a rarc continuation
that |cd to thc diagrammcd position.
CoingbyvhatvcnovknovoIthcsc
positions,vccansaythatWhitchasa
goodgamcIrccoIchargc,butB|ack`s
positiona|sohassomclogictoit.I Ihc
can IortiIy hisposition, a|| his picccs
vi||bcharmonious|ydcvclopcd.
15_g4 h6
Covcring thc important g5-squarc.
I 5 . . . 'f I 'g5 'ed5 I 7eI , or
I5. . . 9b7I'g5, or I5. . . 'f5 IeI
hvou|dbcbadIorB|ack.
16c1 _f5 17 b{h7 18a2I
Thcrookgocstoc2toincrcascthcprcs-
surc against thc c-pavn. B|ackInds
ithardtodcvc|op.
18 . . . c5
Ncvcdnichyisanactivcplaycr.Hctrics
togainmorcroomIorhispicccsbythis
pavn cxchangc. Hovcvcr, this docs
nothingtoc|iminatcthcvcakncssatc.
19dcb 2b -c5
20. . . b8 2I 'g5'hg22Ohj, vith
anobviousadvantagc.
21 ac2 c722b2b82 c2
d624_gc5(c g2g4)24...{g8
25 c4
25. . . _fc726d _f6 27 h4
A|thoughWhitchasnotyctcrcatcdany
concrctc thrcats, thcmcrc Iactthathis
picccs arc so harmonious|y p|accd
oughttoputB|ackonhisguard.
27 . . . b 28c4-f
My opponcnt dccidcs to sacriIcc thc
cxchangc,buthiscompcnsationprovcs
voch|lyinsumcicnt.
29 gf _f5 f4 {h7 1 d
2
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
_d5 2 g4 g5 c1 b8 4
c4 a6 5 _d7-c4 6 -c4
c87_-f8+-f88-c6_f4
9-d6-d64 -f5+ 1~
Thismightlook|ikcanunprcposscss-
inggamc,butIormcitsimportancc|ay
inthcIactthat,ina|cngthyvaroIma-
ncuvcring,Ihadmanagcdtooutp|aya
morc cxpcricnccd comradc. Ycs, prc-
cisc|y. outp|ay him, sincc hc hadn` t
b|undcrcdanything.
Still, I cou|d not cxtcnd my vinning
sprcctoitslogicalconc|usion.Latcrin
thctoumamcnt,IvastosuIIcrapain-
Iu| | oss agai nst thc vctcran oI
Moldovian chcss, Mikhai| ShoIman.
Mikhai| Samui|ovichvasanabso|utc
chcssIanatic,hovcvcr,likcmanyothcr
chcssplaycrs, hc vas Iar Irom nan-
cia||ysccurc.AIavoritccxprcssioncon-
ccrning him vcnt likc thi s. "Misha,
Mi sha, vhcrc` s your cherkni:ha`?
ShoIman p| aycd Ii rst board Ior
Mo|dovaat thc Spartakiads,vhcrc hc
mctmanygicdSovictplaycrs.Hchad
many intcrcsting opcning idcas, most
oIthcmgambit-oricntcd.Forcxamplc,
in thc Samisch systcm oIthc King`s
Indian,hcvou|dplayc7c5IorB|ack
vithoutthcprcparatoryd7d,andan-
svcrd4-c5vithb7b|! Hcvasaco|-
orh|individua|,vhoprcIcrrcdborscht
abovcanyothcrIood.
Acrthc|osstoShoItnan,Ilostanothcr
coup|coIgamcs,andInishcdinthird
p|acc.Inanycasc,thisvasmybcstrc-
su|t inthcMo|dovianchampionship. I
p|aycd in thc l 989cvcnt as vcll, but
ncvcragain.Thcncxtgamca|socomcs
Iromthc 988Championship.
(4) IBologun - B. !tkis
Kishincv(Mo|dova) l 988
Sici|ian Schcvcningcn[B85j
1c4c52 _fd6d4
Inthoscdays,Igavcchcckonb5 morc
Ircqucnt|y,butIdccidcdtop|ay aclas-
sica| Schcvcningcn againstthcmany-
timcChampionoIthcRcpub|ic.
. . . cd4 _-d4 _f6 5 _c _c6 6
c2 c6 7 ~ c7 8 h1 - 9
c
B|ack`sIcxib|cpavnstructurca||ovs
himto p|aycithcree5 ordd5 as
thcsituationvarrants.Thcc5-,d5-,c5-
and I5-squarcs arc dcIcndcd, vhich
makcs itdimcu|tIorWhitctoattack.
Whitcon|yhasoncpavni nthcccn-
tcr,but,ascompcnsation,hccontro|s
morc spacc and his picccs arc morc
Irccly positioncd. Whitc`s p|ans, as a
ru|c, invo|vc an advancc oIthc king-
sidcpavns,inparticularI4,andsomc-
timcsalsog4-g5. B|ack, inadditionto
thcccntral countcrb|ovs, usually prc-
parcsthcadvanccb7-b5,puttingprcs-
surc on thc c3-knight, vhich dcIcnds
c4. On thc vholc, this is onc oIthc
tcnscst lincsoIthcSici|ian DcIcnsc.
` "Sbcrknsha'- apIayon"sbcrknzhka,`adocumcntccrt!yngyourbankdcpost.
22
Thc 1oumcyIromKishincvtoMoscov
9d7 Amovcvithabso|utc|ynoidcabchind
it, I4. . . e5vouldbcintcrcsting,butaI-
This movc-ordcr is not considcrcd to
tcr I 5fe '-e5 I'd5 2-d5 I 7ed,
bcthcmostaccuratc.
B|ack vou|d stil | not havc achicvcd
cqua|ity.
1 f4
I0'bjvasbcttcr,Iorcsta||ingBlack`s
p|antocxchangcknightsandbringthc
bishopouttoc, Iorcxamp|c, I0 . . . a
I I a4'a5I 2'd2Oc7 Ijf4 ab8 I4
2djb5I 5ababIe5'e8 I7Oh5
f5 I8ef'-fI9Oe2b420'b5Od8
(Kotsur Lubocvic,B|cd2OO2).
1...-d4 11-d4 c6
B|ack ust trics to comp|ctc his dc-
vclopmcnt.
12 da6
I2. . . 'd7 Ij Oe2 (Ij Ofj a I4Ogj
e5 I5fe2h4 IOhj'-e5 I72-e5
de I82c4Oe7 I9a4-Folgar Sax,
Budapcst 993)Ij...a I4adI!|b5 .
1a4 d7
Thctypica| brcakvith Ij. . . b5 vou|d
nothavccqualizcdcomp|ctcly,invicv
oII4 e5 de I5 fe'e8 ( I 5 . . . 'd5 I
'e4ba'!I7Og4'!,I . . . 'b4!vou|dbc
inIcrior. I7 'f 2-f I 8 efg I9
Od2 =) I abab I 7Oh5 (I72-b5
-aI I8O-aIO-d4I92-cO-e5)
I7. . . g I8 Og4 = .
14 c2
I 4Oh52f I 5 2-f'-f IOhjh
I7aeI'd7 I8ej'c5 I9f5 ef20
gj 7h8 2I O-f5 Oe7 (Rogic
Hu|ak,Zagrcb 993).
14...c8
15 ac1
Ialvaystricdtoplayinclassicalsty|c
bydcvc|opingmypicccs.TothisdayI
a|vaystrytocnsurcthatal| mypicccs
arcdoingsomcthinguschl.Ia|sotcach
thcchi|drcnthatyoumustdcvc|opyour
picccs it`simpossib|ctogctintoany
rca||y scrious troublc that vay' Evcn
grandmastcrs ndgcncra| chcssprin-
cip|cs uschltoIo| lov.
Thisa|lovsWhitctogctanunp|casant
initiativc. I5. . . e5vascorrcct.
16g4 g6
17 -c5I
Ccrtain|ynotanobviouspositionaldc-
ci si on vith hi s opponcnt ` s dark
squarcsvcakcncd,WhitctradcsoIIhis
dark-squarcdbi:hoptoprcparc Ioran
attackagainstthcpointscandg.
17...dc 18f5cf
23
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
Thcon|ymovc,asI8. . . Odvou|d|osc
to I9f.
19cff6 2_c4 -b2|
B|ackhad to acccpt 20...2-e4, cvcn
thoughanattackvithoppositc-colorcd
bishopsisa|vaysvcryunplcasant. 2I
2-e4b5 22fg (22abab2jgjZh4
h5) 22...fg|!(22. . . hg!|2jdIOe724
d7Oe (24. . . Oe5 25 2d5 7g72
2-t) 25 O-efe 2 2-g=) 2j
Oe7h824O-aba25cjb8. But
B|ackrchscdtobcstuckvithpassivc
dcIcnsc,pcrhapsbccausc hcundcrcs-
timatcdthcpossibi|iticsavai|ab|ctohis
opponcnt.
21 _g5h5
2 I . . . 2f 22 C-h7 T-h7 2j fg ,
2I . . . h22Ce|.
22gf6
2 _c6||
MyIavoritcknight|cap Ihavcocn
succccdcdinumpingontoavcl|-pro-
tcctcd c-squarc. Thc computcr, oI
coursc, thinks that Whitc cou|da|so
havcvonbythcgrubbicr2jfg2-g5
24gf.
2. . . h4
2j. . .fe24O-g Th8 25fe .
Kishincv I988
I 2 J 4 5 ? 8 9 0 I 2 J 1ota|
I . 1itov, Gcrmn A
2
I I
C
0 I
C
I I I I I 9Z
2. lu, Bon
C
A 0
C C
I
2
I I I I I I 9
J. Bokgn,Vctor 0 I A 0 I 0 I I I I 0 I I 8
4. Ncvcdnxhy, Boru 0
2
l A 0 I l
C
I l
C
0
C
?
5. Gomyak, Xu
C C
0 l A
C 2 2
l
T
0 l l ?
. FQr, | I 0 I 0
C
A 0
C C C
I l l ?
?. Sammac,Vasm 0
2
0 0
C
I A 0
C
I I
C
I
8. Ncvcdnxhy, Vdubv
C
0 0
2 C 2
l A 0 0 0 I I 5
9. Sokmr, Stcphan 0 0 0 0 0
C C
I A I l I 0 5
I U. Z, A. 0 0 0 0
C C
0 I 0 A l I I 5
I I . Shm,Ma 0 0 l
2
I 0 0 I 0 0 A 0 l 4Z
I2. Baranctsk( 0 0 0 I 0 0
C
0 0 0 I A 0 2Z
I J. lcdotov, Edurd 0 0 0
C
0 0 0 0 I 0 0 I A 2Z
24
Thc 1oumcy IromKishincvtoMoscov
24g4fc25-g6+ g7
25. . . h8 2 fe c7 (2 . . . Oe7 27
Ohg828f4)27Oh7g8
28e7-e729-e7O-e7j09c4t7
jIO-fO-fj2-f9e8jjb
docsn`tsavcB|ackcithcr.
26fc-g2+
Agony.
27{-g2d5+ 28{g1
28e4Od2(cOh)297hjOh
(29. . . Ocjj0dj)j9-t-t
jI e7vasa|socnoughto vin, but, oI
coursc,thctcxtvassimp|cr.
28444d4+ 29{h1 1~
Lcssous
l ) Don`t bc aIraid to study currcnt
opcning variations, or to usc thcm,
cvcn against a strongcr opponcnt. I
abstaincd Irom my saIc j b5 to
playanOpcnSici|ianIorthcrsttimc
inalongvhi|c,andvonthcgamc.
2) Each position must bc approachcd
concrctcly. In thi s gamc, using non-
standardthinking(I79-c5' ),Igavcup
a bishop that sccming|y hadto bc rc-
taincdinordcrtocxp|oitthcvcakcncd
dark squarcs. Sincc concrctc ca|cu|a-
tion dcmonstratcd thataIcrthc tradc,
Whitc`s attack vou|d bc vcry povcr-
Iu|. This tcchniquc can bc ca||cd thc
"transIormationoIadvantagcs. "
3) Whcn al | your picccs arc in thcir
optimalpositions thatis, iIitvou|d
bcvcr
/
hardto improvc thcm at a||

it`stimc to |ook Ioracombination. In

this casc,thcgamcvasdccidcdbythc
knight |captoc.
SinccInishcdschoolatsixtccnycars
o|d,andthcSovictArmyvou|dn`tdra
youbcIorccightccn,Ihadancxtraycar
toattcndschoo|.Itvastimctoconsidcr
Iln|ing Omitj Churikov (r; nt thc 1igrnn Ictrosinn Mcmorinl, Moscow I9
25
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
vhat to do ncxt. Acr talking itovcr
vith my parcnts, I took thc atypica|
dccisiontoputoIIschoo| Ioraycar-
surprisingmostcvcryoncaroundmc
sothat I cou|dvorkatthc chcssc|ub
undcrthcdircctionoImyrsttraincr.
Sincc all thc instructorpositionsvcrc
a|rcady takcn by othcr chcss proIcs-
siona|s,Ivas|cIvithon|yavorkcr`s
post. OIcoursc,thatmcanttumingon
thc | ights and doing othcr odd obs
aroundthcc|ub, butmostoImytimc
vasspcntstrcngthcningmychcss.Ivan
Yakov|cvichsctupgoodconditionsIor
progrcss Ior mc, and Ior Chcman
Titov,andBoris Itkis,andmanyothcrs
vhocamctothcc|ub.IIcrrctcdthrough
thcYugos|avIuJormant:,vorkcdhard,
and p|aycd p|cnty oIb|itz. As I nov
rcca|l,thcgamcsvcrcIorcupsoIcoI-
Icc . At onc poi nt, my co- vorkcr
Vo| odya Zhi dko ovcd Vl adi k
Ncvcdnichyavholcthcmos! Butthcrc
vcrcIcvtoumamcntsandmastcr-|cvc|
oncsvcrccvcnscarccr.Hovcvcr,Idid
travc|a|itt|candIcvcngottoTashkcnt
Ior thc Khodacv Mcmoria| in Apri|/
May 989.
ThctoumamcntvasIair|yintcrcsting,
but thcrc was no mastcr nonn thcrc,
cvcn though it vas takcn Ior grantcd
thatIvcntthcrcIorthcnonn.Instcad,
thc Mcmoria| provcd mcmorab|c bc-
causcoItvocvcnts.First,onApri|28
my youngcstbrothcrRadu vas bom
(vhoisnova Iootba|lplaycr),butthc
sccondcvcntprovcdmostmcaningIu|.
ThccndoIthctoumamcntIc| | onEas-
tcr, vhich vasvcry latc thatycar.On
thatday,thcrcvasasuddcnsnovIa|| -
inTashkcnt, in May! And hcrc I vas,
standingonthccomcr,vaitingIorthc
bus, vhi|c a|| around mc uncxpcctcd
2
akcsoI snovvcrcIa| |ingonthchard,
vctaspha|t inshort,nothing|cssthan
an cthcrca| circumstancc. Suddcnly,
thcrcappcarcdbcIorcmcavomanvith
|argc,kindcycs,vhogavcmcaBib|c
- thcsourcc oIal|visdomanda rca|
guidcto|iIc.
I no |ongcrrcmcmbcrvhat itvasvc
ta|kcdabout,butsinccthattimc,Ihavc
rcadthat Bib|cthrcc timcs through. It
hasbccnagrcathclptomcinmy|iIc,
cspccial|yduringmystudcntycars.
Soon it vas timc to makc a dccision
aboutmy p|ans Ior thc hturc. Somc-
vhcrcaroundFcbruary 989,Isavthat
I vou|dhavctogotothc Moscov In-
sti tutc oI Fhysicu|turc. I ta|kcd to
Chcbancnkoandmyparcnts,andthcn
madc my dccision. My parcnts vcrc
grcatthcyrcspcctcdmyrighttomakc
my ovn dccision, cvcn though I vas
on|y scvcntccnycarso|d.
AtrstI vasgoingtocntcrthcMos-
covInstitutcoIIntcmationa|Rc|ations,
butI vasto|dthattogctintothis clitc
co|lcgc,bcsidcsknovingaIorcign|an-
guagc,youhadtostartyourKomsomo|
carccr path. I a|so considcrcd attcnd-
ing Kishincv Univcrsity`souma|ism
schco|, Ior vhich I had a|rcady donc
somcscriouscxamprcparationandhad
vrittcn somc artic|cs. But, at thc |ast
minutc, I dccidcdto cntcrthc co|lcgc
thatoIIcrcdthcbcstconditionsIor an
aspiring chcssplaycr. thc Institutc oI
Fhysicu|turc.Inthoscdays,thcrcvcrc
manychcsscampuscsinc|udingLvov,
Kicv,andChc|yabinskbutinthccnd,
I choscMoscov.
Onc dimcu|ty vas that a|| thc cxams
had to bc takcn in Russian, and I had
Thc1oumcyhomKishincvtoMoscov
studicdinMo|dovianmycntircschoo|
carccr.Hopingtogctadircctcdpassto
co||cgc,' I spcnt amp|c timc avoiding
attcndancc,and|oitcrcdalongthc|ong
corridors oIour nationa| sports com-
mittcc bui|ding. But I on|y rcccivcd
promiscs. I Ina||ycndcduphiringtu-
tors,ands|avingovcrRussian-|anguagc
tcxtbooks (sincc a|| thc tcrmino|ogy
vou|d natura||y bc diIIcrcnt in Rus-
sian), and in thc study-scssions prior
to thc Youth Camcs, I vrotc dovn a
vho|c stack oI dictation Irom Irina
Brandis.
Thcycarcvidcnt|ydidmcgood.Inthc
summcr oI I 989, at thc A| | -Union
YouthCamcsinKramatorsk,I"hitthc
targctvithhighgradcs(I sti||hadno
rating). Forthattoumamcnt, thc dc-
nitionoI"youthvassctprctty high.
undcrtvcnty-onc. Ip|aycdIrstboard
Ior Mo|dova, and sharcd ''-J p|acc
vith Cc| Iand and Shirov. Wc cach
scorcdoutoI8,ahcadoI Akopianand
Ivanchuk,vhovasthcnthcthirdhigh-
cst-ratcdp|aycrinthcvorld.Iconsidcr
thisrcsu|toncoImygrcatcstsucccsscs '
( 5) IBologun D. Kuzele
Kramatorsk(Ukrainc) 989
FrcnchExchangc C0| |
1 c4 c62d4 d5cdcd4 f
As iscvidcnt, my opcning rcpcrtoirc
oncc inc|udcdthcExchangc Variation
oIthcFrcnchDcIcnsc.
4. . . d6I
4. . . Cc6isconsidcrcdthcmostaccuratc.
5 c4 c6
AtatoumamcntinRumania, somconc
p|aycd 5. . . 'e7!! against mc and thc
gamccndcdabruptlyaIcr6c5.
6cc77ddc8-c4~
9 hI
Wchavc rcachcd a typica| iso|atcd-
pavnposition. Whitc`spicccsarcbct-
tcrp|accdandhchasthcimportantIor-
vard post at c5, vhi|c B|ack has thc
pcrpctua| prob|cm oIvhcrc toputhis
quccn`sbishop.(Whitc`slastmovcdc-
privcdhimoIthcg4-squarc). This is8
structurc that can arisc Irom many
opcni ngs. thc PctroII, thc Quccn`s
CambitDcclincdOrthodoxorS|av,ctc.
9. . . d71~ b6 11 b
11. . . cd5 12 c2I
Insuchpositions,itiscommonIorthc
bishoptosvitchIromonc diagona| to
thcncxt.
"Adirectedpasstocol|ege- inSoviettimes,thecentralteachingestab|ishmentsoI
theUSSRhadaspecia|quotaIorrepresentativesoIthevariousrepublics.Iyouhad
adirectedpass,a||youneededtoget intothe co||egevasa"three,orpassinggrade
(onasca|eoIve) inyourexams.
27
VictorBologan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
12. . . f4 1 d g6 14 - f4
_-f4 15 cI
OIcoursc, thc cxchangc oIa pair oI
minorpicccshascascdBlack`sdcIcnsc,
but hc a|so had to vcakcn his dark
squarcsandthcproblcmoIhisquccn`s
bishoprcmainsunrcsolvcd.
I 5 Od2 vou| d havc bccn mct by
I5. . . Of, / '-hj.
I5. . . Of! I'e4Of5 I7'h4 .
16 _-d5 _-d5 17 h6 f6 18
ac1
Comp|ctingdcvc|opmcnt.
18. . . g7
I8. . . Qe I9 'g5, I8. . . 9f5 I9 9-f5
O-f5 20 'g5'f2Iej.
19 h4 d7
2 b|
WhilcB|ack`squccnhas bccnpackcd
intog7,Whitcthrcatcns totakcond5
andpushhisrooktoc7.
28
2. . . fc8 21c5
Thisthrcatcnstojustvinthcpavnand
provokcsthccxchangcatc5.
21 4 4 -c5
2I . . . f22Q-d5 cd2jF-d59c24
d9-fj 25gf= .
22dc
Whitc has gottcn rid oI hi s iso|atcd
pavnandobtaincdcontro|oII,vhich
isvhcrchisknightvi||soonbchcadcd.
22 4 4 c6 2 c1 ( / 'g5e4f)
2. . . h624 _d2
Thc routc mayhavcchangcd, butthc
dcstinationrcmainsthcsamc.
24...f8 25_c4 b4
Anattcmptatcountcrp|ay,vhichWhitc
condcntly rcbuns.
26c|g7
2. . . '-ej 27'f.
27-d5cd28f6+g829_d6
b6 g( /-g) . . . h7
1_-f7 g8
Thc1oumcyIrom KishincvtoMoscov
2[g6| 1~
Lcssous
) Whcnthc isolatcdpavnatd4 op-
poscs ab|ack pavn at c, Whitc, asa
rulc, hasthc advantagc. Thcmainrca-
sonisthat,vithnopavnonc,Whitc`s
bishopat c4dircct|yattacks I, andiI
B|ackputshisknightond5,thcbishop
cana|vayssvitchtothcb | -h7diago-
nal.Whitccana|sovcrycasilycxp|oit
thc opcn c-|c and usc thc c5-squarc
as a Iorvard post, vhi|c B|ack ocn
Iaccsproblcmsdcvclopinghisquccn`s
bishop.
2)Thcc5-squarc canbcuti|izcdas a
Iorvard post, not only Ior thc knight,
butIorthcrookasvc||, thrcatcningto
doub|conthcc-|c. IIthcrook iscx-
changcdatc5,thcnWhitcridshimsclI
oIthciso|atcdpavn,gainingothcrad-
vantagcs inrctum- in this casc, con-
tro| ovcrthc vcakdarksquarcs at d
and I.
3 ) Wcak squarcs Ircqucnt|y i nvi tc
cncmy p i c c c s c s pc c i a l | y t hc
kni ghts. As a conscqucncc oIthc
mancuvcr'fjd2e4, Whitc`s thrcats
incrcascd, and hc vas ab|cto bcgin a
dircctattack.
ImmcdiatclyahcrKramatorsk,Ihcadcd
Ior Moscov to attcnd CTOLIFK
l 0

Icc|ingmuch likcd`Artagnan,hcading
oIIto conqucrPari s!
G1L!lK- Gosudarstvcnny 1scntraIny rdcna Lcnna !nsttutlzkuItur- thc
chc!!orgc oIthccadrcsoISovctSport.
29
LHaQ1I 0
0DHg a tIaH0DaS1I
Thccapita|oIourSovictMothcr|and!
ThcCityoIHcrocs- Moscov! HcrcI
vas,vithmy|itt|csuitcasc. . . Ihandcd
ovcrmydocumcntationtothcEntrancc
Commission oIthc Institutc and rc-
ccivcd myundcrgraduatc`s"|itt|c-cot-
spot inthc dormitory s|ccping quar-
tcrs. A|| togcthcr thirty pcop|c vou|d
|ivcthcrc.ThcrstthingInoticcdupon
arrivingvasahcapoIcmptyb|ucpack-
cts oIpovdcrcd mi|k undcr thc mi|k-
jug- basicrationsIorthcpoorundcr-
graduatc. Itvas compctitivc, as thcrc
vcrc thrcc candidatcs Ior cach spot,
vhichmadcIoratcrrib|cvinnoving.
ButI passcda||thccxaminationsvith
amazing casc inc|uding chin-ups,
svimmingandrunning. SoIbccamca
studcnt, vith a|| its attcndant "privi-
|cgcs. ThcIrstthingIdidvastohcad
IorSoko|niki Park, vhcrc I hadhcard
thcphcnomcna||ygihcdVa|yaArbakov
took ona|| comcrs atb|itz. I surpriscd
him byvinning at 2 to 5 odds vith
dimcu|ty,tobcsurc,butI didit! Thus,
hccasi|yconvinccdthis younggrccn-
hom to raisc thc oddsto 3 to 5, and I
quick|yrctumcda||myvinnings.Yct,
I hadnorcgrcts, bccausc atthattimc,
thisvasthcbcstb|itzschoo|thcrcvas.
BcIorc thc start oIc|asscs inAugust
I 989,I hadtimcto scto0onmyIrst
Iorcigncxcursionto Bu|gariaandRo-
mania.InRomania,IvcnttoP|ocstito
visit mygrandIathcr, vhom I had not
sccn Ior manyycars. BcIorc thc War,
vhcn Mo|dava vas sti||a part oIRo-
mania,mygrandIathcrhadattcndcdspy
schoo|,andthc|cssonshc|camcdthcrc
vou|dcomcinhandyinI 94.Ccorghc
Fotcscu, as hc vas ca||cd thcn, vas a
machinc-opcratorand |ivcd ina good
homc vhich somconc c|sc covctcd.
Tohavchimcvictcd,itrcquircdnoth-
ingmorc thantovritc upa dcnuncia-
tionIornationa|ismagainstmygrand-
Iathcr, and hc vas arrcstcd on my
mothcr`s birthday on March 9. Hov-
cvcr, hc managcd to cscapc hom thc
paddy-vagonandsvimacrossthcicy
PrutRivcrtothcRomaniansidc.Evcn
thcrc,hcvaspursucd vith dogs Iora
| ong ti mc. My mothcr on| y rca| | y
|camcdoIhiscxistcnccvhcnshcIn-
ishcdschoo|.HcvisitcdusinKishincv
in I 977,vhcnRomaniahadthcsamc
sortoIIovcringoIsocia|ismasYugo-
s|avia, andbrought us manydi0crcnt
giIts, inc|uding nicc-|ooking c|othcs
andsomcIashionab|ccandy-cigarcttcs.
Butin I 989,hcrcccivcdmcasagrovn
man, hc to|d his comp| icatcd | i Ic` s
story, vcatc,vcdrank. . .
In its timc, thc CTOLIFK dormitory,
bui|tIorthc I 98OO|ympics, vas con-
sidcrcd thc bcst in Moscov, but it
|ackcdspacc.WhcnIrctumcdtoMos-
covinScptcmbcrIorc|asscs,Ispcnta
month vithAndrci Schckachcv, vith
vhom I had bccn Iricnds sincc my
youth,andthcnvcntbacktothcpain-
Iu||y Iami|iar conIcrcncc-ha|| Ior my
sccondsojoum.Somcsaidthatitmight
havc bccn Sta|in` s o|d dacha. In thc
conIcrcncc ha|| (nov sp|it into tvo
rooms), vc numbcrcd six pcrsons,
among thcm Lcsha Fcdorov, today
Bc|arus`|cadinggrandmastcr.HcandI
tuss|cd in an cnd|css scrics oI b| itz
matchcs.Wcvou|dp|aythcrstgamc
BccomingaCrandmastcr'
at Ivc minutcs cach, vhocvcr von
vou|d|oscaminutcIorthcncxtgamc,
thcnanothcr,thcnthirtyscconds,unti|
somctimcs,vcvou|dgctdovntoII-
tccnsccondspcrgamc.
Thcrc`sarcasonthcysay cvcry c|oud
hasasilvcr|ining.ThcothcrhalIoIthc
ha|| vas occupicd by studcnts oIthc
UppcrTraincrs` Schoo|. Thankstothc
opcningoIthctvo-ycarUTScourscat
t hc I nsti tutc, many mastcr-| cvc|
chcssp|aycrsgotthcchancctoincrcasc
thcirqualiIcation lcvc|, |ivc in Mos-
cov, and p|ay i n a Icv toumamcnts.
Tvonotab|ctraincrs livcd inNumbcr
242. Mikhail Kis|ov, Irom Voronczh,
andZigurdsLanka,IromRiga.Mikhai|
Sanychassistcdmcagrcatdca|inmat-
tcrs oIday-to-day |iving and hc gavc
mc quitc a Icv va|uab|c |iIc lcssons.
Additional|y,hcdcIcndcdmyintcrcsts
bcIorc thc dcan oIthc school, Boris
Anato|iycvichZ|otnik, byconvincing
himthatatrucsportsmannccdcdtop|ay
intoumamcnts.Mcanvhilc,thcLatvian
mastcrZigurdsLanka(todayagrand-
mastcr)taughtmcthcbasicsoIamod-
crn opcni ng rcpcrtoi rc. Looki ng
"dovnIromthchighmora|groundoI
ourmodcmcra,vhcrccvcrythingisIor
sa|c, thcirsc|IcsscnortsonmybchalI
dcscrvcthchighcstpraisc.
Lanka opcncd my cycs to modcrn
chcss. Chcbancnko`s opcnings vcrc
abso|utc|y original, but Vyachcs| av
Andrcycvi ch undcrstood that t hi s
vasn`ta| | t
p
crcvasto chcss.Hcuscd
to tc|| us, "Boys, iIyoucvcrhopc to
achicvcanything,thcnyoumuststudy
|ongandhardvithoutb|ind|yacccpt-
ing vhat I ` m shoving you. Zigurds
shovcd mc many ncv vays to p|ay
positionsvithaninitiativc-ocnthcsc
vcrc original and out-oI-thc-ordinary.
Lanka's idcasrcmainpart oImy arsc-
na|tothisday.OIcoursc,a||thoscnotcs
vcrc cntcrcd into thc computcr |ong
ago,butonmy dcskathomcyoucan
ndthcsco|dnotcbooks,vithopcning
ana|ysis Irom both Chcbancnko and
Lanka. Occasiona| ly, I sti|| brovsc
through thcm. Zigurds may not havc
thought up a|l thc variations himsclI,
but as a strong thcorctician, hc kncv
hovtodisccmvhatvasimportant.As
atraincr,that`ssomcthingtobcproud
oI. Onc nccd only rcca|l thc namc oI
his bcst studcnt.A|cxcyShirov.
Lankavasalsoaprcttygoodpractical
p|aycr. Hcbccamc amastcrat sixtccn
andthcnvorkcdIormanyycarsatthc
magazinc ShakhmaIy (Riga). It vas
only aItcr hc cnro| | cd in thc UTS
courscsinMoscovthathcgothisscc-
ond vind and immcdiatcly bccamc a
grandmastcr.
Chcbancnko much |ikc d`Artagnan`s
Iathcrinhis day adviscdmcto con-
sultvcll-knovntraincrsonccIarrivcd
i n Moscov ci thcr Vl adi mi r
Niko|acvichYurkovorMarkIsrai|cvich
Dvorctsky.IvcnttosccYurkovinthc
Young Pionccr Stadium' and shovcd
him my gamcs. Hovcvcr, hc did not
display any grcat cnthusiasm. Appar-
cnt|y,nothinginmyoeuvresparkcdhis
'YoungPi onccrStadium- thcyouthsportscstabl i shmcntin Moscov.Among
its graduatcs vcrc. Smysl ov, Morozcvich, andmanyothcrs.Today,vhcrcthc
oldcst chi|drcn' s chcss schoo| in Moscov oncc stood is a casino ca|lcd thc
"Titani c.
3 l
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
intcrcst. Hc said that, vhilc hc vas
rcady to |ookat a Icvpositionsvith
mc, hc no longcr had thc strcngth to
"bring up a sccond Sokolov. Thank-
hl|y,hc|atcrIoundthcstrcngthtoraisc
Morozcvich, thcrcby providing chcss
vithaninspiringandorigina|p|aycr.It
vasn`t unti| I 99J that I managcd to
mcctDvorctsky.
In thc Sovict cra, Ior a young candi-
datc-mastcr, thc Moscov Champion-
ship and its qua|i Iying tournamcnts
vcrcavcrygood|camingcxpcricncc.
Somctimcs,cvcnthcquartcr-Ina|shad
a mastcr norm, to say nothing oIthc
scmis. ButvhcnI arrivcd,thcsctour-
namcnts had ccascdtoattractintcrcst.
In 989, thc Sovict govcmmcnt vas
bcginning to co||apsc, and chcss vas
not immunc Irom this proccss. In my
initia|ycarsoIstudy, itsuddcnlytran-
spircd thatI vas unab|c toparticipatc
inasing|cscrioustoumamcntinMos-
cov.Truc,thcrcthcnappcarcdpcriodic
"timc-tournamcnts (IItccn-minutc
gamcs), vith |argc cntry Iccs (tcn
rublcs)andbigprizcs. Ircmcmbcrty-
ing Ior '' placc in onc oIthcm, and
vinning JOO rub|cs a trcmcndous
amountoImoncyIorastudcnt, vhich
immcdiatc|yvcnttovardsabookbag.
Apparcnt|y,thcchcss"baggagcI had
broughtvithmcIromMo|davavasn`t
oIsuchpoorqua|ity aIcra|| . Thc II-
tccn-minutccvcntsa||ovcdmc totcst
myknov|cdgcinapractica|sctting,and
to acquirc thc habit oIuncompromis-
ingp|ay- movcbymovc- so ncccs-
sarytothcproIcssionalp|aycr.
SomctimcduringthcIrstcourscatthc
Institutc,Ibcgankccpingadiary.This
ismain|ydoncIoroncsc|I,andIvou|d
vritcthingsthatIvishcdtocradicatc.
J2
OIcoursc,practica|cxpcricncctcachcs
usthatonccanncvcrcomplctc|yc|imi-
natchisshortcomings,butonccanccr-
tainly combat thcm. Such vork vas
grcat|y bcncIi ci a| , Ior cxamp| c, i t
hc|pcd dcvc|op myvi||povcr. Natu-
ral|y,thcnotcsvou|dbccspccia||ypro-
hscIo| |ovinghcavy|osscs.Thisncga-
tivccncrgyhadtondrclcasc,notjust
incmotions,buta|soa|ongarcasoncd
ana|ytica|track. Itisbcttcrto|ayitto
rcst, andvorkononc`s crrors, sothat
you don`trcpcat thcm. This isan im-
portantabi|ity totum pcrsonal mis-
Iortuncintosomcthingpositivc.
Hcrc is an cxccrpt Irom March 2O,
99O. Anyoncvhohascvcrarrivcdin
Moscovvi | | rccognizcthismostnatu-
ra| and unavoidab|c oIcrisis`s. Mos-
covisacitythatcantakcyouinand
spityourightbackout.
Hell, what can I:ay Bight
nowI'mnohody. Ican 'treally
:ay I'm :ati:]ed, hut thing:
aregoingOK Irue,Iamnow
{acinga{ull-hlown dilemma:
:houldI:tayandkee u my
:tudie: in Mo:cow, or move
hackto Ki:hinev I 'drather
make it Ki:hinev - I like it
there hetter I 'mu:t home-
:ick!utatthe:ametime,j/ I
wereto go to Ki:hinev, Imy-
:eqwouldcon:ideritade{eat.
So, Idon 't know. I:houlda:k
:omehodyS advice, and}nd
out how thing:are there.
Bight now, I 'm in a delicate
o:ition, hoth a:{ar a: the
In:titutegoe:,andinmyche::
lj/e.I 'mgoingtowork, a:ha-
nala:that:ound:.utI 'mhe-
BccomingaCrandmastcr!
coming more andmore con-
vincedIhaIiISnece::aj.Now
IhaveIoimrovemyhy:ical
condiIioning, andImust geI
inIo:ome:orIo{IouramenI,
andgeIconIrlo{mycircum-
:Iance:aIIheIn:IiIuIe.
Thanksto Kislov`sinsistcncc, and thc
matcrialassistanccoImyIamily,Ivas
ab|ctop|ayinmyon|ytoumamcntsat
ac|assictimc control.Thcncvbrcczc
oIpcrcstroikaallovcdmctojointour-
istgroupsthatvcrctravc|ingtoIorcign
toumamcnts inYugoslavia,Novi Sad,
andBlcd.
BythccndoIthcB|cdtoumamcnt,vc
vcrc a vcry jo| |y company Lcna
Zai atz, Scryozha Bcshukov, Toni
Najdoski,KostyaLanda(al|grandmas-
tcrs nov) . At thc vcry bcginning,
ScryozhaBcshukov,inagrandgcsturc,
gavcuphis"hoardoIgold,sothatvc
mighta|| Iorthc sttimcinourlivcs!
cntcraWcstcmdisco!F|ushIromthc
|oca|drinksanddanccs,vcvcntIora
va|karoundthcmountain|akc(vhich
soundcd | i kc "Bl cdsko yczcro in
S|ovcnian). Somcvhcrcncarthc ha|I-
vaypointoIoursix-ki|omctcrcircuit,
Lcna goadcd mc and Scryozha into
goingIoradip.AcrcarcIu||yIolding
ourc|othcs(vcvcrcpractica||yinbath-
ingsuits,anyvay),vcp|ungcdintothc
icy vatcr. It vas thc bcginning oI
March, and aIcr a Icv vavcs, I sug-
gcstcd, "Scryozha,pcrhapsvcshou|d
svimback' IhadthcIcclingthatIvas
cithcrstartingtoIrcczcorhada|rcady
Irozcn- Idon`trcmcmbcrcxactly.Wc
tooktums vcaring Toni`sraincoat on
thc vay back to thc hotcl in ordcr to
gcncratcabitoI varmth,andonccback
inmyroom,Iimmcdiatc|yjumpcdinto
ahotshovcr.
Hovcvcr,aItcrcvcrylatcnightcomcs
thcmoming`shouroIrctribution,and
aIcranunsucccssIultoumamcnt thc
unp|casantanalyscsoIthctrip.
Ibcganthcana|ysisoImypcrIormancc
in Blcd vith thc vords oI P|ato. "I
knovjustonc thing vhich is that I
knov nothing.And I cndcd vith thc
co|dasscssmcnt."unsatisIactorysport-
ing pcrIormancc. Working on your
shortcomingsisthcIoundationoIsuc-
ccssIoranychcssp|aycr.
InBlcd,hovcvcr,Ididmanagctopar-
laymynatura|Iricndlincssandknov|-
cdgcoISpanishandMoldovianintoan
acquaintancc vith onc oIthc Ita|ian
playcrs.Andthatsummcr, Iuncxpcct-
cd|yrcccivcdaninvitationtoanIta|ian
toumamcnt.Inthoscdays,amcrcinvi-
tationvasinsumcicnttoobtainavisa
toaCapita|istCountry,'butthccxpcri-
cnccdmastcrV|adis|avFcdorovimmc-
diatc|yputtogcthcraIour-mangroup.
Italygrcctcdusvarmly.bcautih|coun-
try, bcautiIul c|imatc, and bcautiIu|
pcop|c.Thisvas thc tripthata||ovcd
mctobrcakintotit|ctcrritory. I hada
2J7O Elo rating, and in tvo tourna-
mcntsI addcd IItypoints,camcdtvo
!Mnorms and my rst thousand do|-
lars.MyIathcrvouldhavchadtovork
scvcra| ycarsto cam this much and
` LaptalstLountry - thcSovctLnondvdcdaIIcountrcsntothrccgroups.socaI-
st,captaIst,anddcvcIopng.1hccaptalstwcrcconsdcrcdthcmostdcologcaIly
dangcrousandtravcIwasstrctlylmtcd.
JJ
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
hchadagoodsalary'Thisvasthctcr-
riblcsortoIarithmcticthataSovictcn-
ginccrhadtodca|vith.Thosc5O,OOO-
| iranotcs|ayIoralongtimcinmy|ittlc
suitcascatmyparcnts`homc.Thcya|-
|ovcdmctorcso|vcmyInancialprob-
|cms and|aidthc groundvork Iormy
hturcdcvclopmcnt.Upunti|thattimc
I, likc a|l studcnts, had |ivcd on 5O
rub|csamonth,vhichmcantplcntyoI
macaroni and stcvcd vcgctablcs (thc
|attcrvasscntbymyparcnts).
Hcrc'sapostcardIomthatmcmorab|c
triptoI ta|y.
() G KoJighiero IBologun
Varallo(Ita|y) 99O
With his lastmovc, B|ack scts up an
unambiguousthrcat.
21 cd
Acr2I -g6hg,B|ack`sattackisalso
quitcunplcasant.
21. ..h2+!
Whitc su0crs azwischcn-mnl.'
22h2[h6+2g2h+~1
J4
Inccdcdoncmorcnormtoobtainthc
tit|c,andonccagainI sctoIIIorhos-
pi tab|c Romanian soi l . Thc upshot
vas that a simp|c Moldovian candi-
datc-mastcr bccamc, in thc Ia| | oI
99O,anintcmationalmastcr.Bythc
cnd oIthc ycar, my rating had sur-
passcd 25OO, vhich vas a consi dcr-
ab|c shocktothcccntra|Sovictchcss
povcrs. But thanks to my intcrna-
tional tit|c, I startcdrccciving tour-
namcnt invitations and my proIcs-
siona| l i Iccamctogcthcr.
AIcrthis camc convincingvictorics
atthcNcvYcar` s1uniortournamcnt
inHa|l sbcrg,Svcdcn,vhcrcIscorcd
8 outoI9,dcIcatingthcothcrSovict
playcr,KostyaSakacv,inthc"moncy-
gamc, and at Podsuscd, Croatia,
vhcrc I scorcd l Zout oI J. Such
rcsu|tsvcrchardtoignorc,butnonc-
thclcssIvasnotinvitcdtothcUSSR
Young Mastcrs ` Tournamcnt . Hov-
cvcr, I could not bc ovcrlookcd Ior
thclastUSSRQua|iIyingToumamcnt
Iorthc 1uniorWorldChampionship.
Thc cvcnt took placc in Yurmala, a
sma|lrcsorttovn onthc shorc oIthc
Bay oIRiga. I had lovcd thc Ba|tic
rcgionsinccchi|dhood.Thcpincs,thc
sca, thc sandy duncs, thc cnd| css
va|ksalongthcbcach al|thi scrc-
atcsanoptima|cnvironmcntIorp|ay-
ingchcss. AIcvdaysbcIorcthctour-
namcnt, I di d a | i t t | c vork vi t h
Zi gurds Lanka. Hc shovcd mc a
couplcoIncvopcnings,andjustbc-
Iorc my Ii rst round gamc vi t h
Andricnko, hcmanagcdt otcachmc
hovt op|ayj'cjagainstthcFrcnch.
Thc opcningvcnt so vc|| that I dc-
cidcdtorcpcatiti nroundthrcc.
BccomingaCrandmastcr!
(7) IBologan - O. Danielian
Yurmala(USSR) 99
FrcnchStcinitz Cl l j
1 c4c6 2d4d5 _c _f6
Thc gamc vi th Andri cnko vcnt .
j. . . 2b4 4e5Ce75aj2-cjbcc5
7Cfj Oc789djb9h42aI 0h5
2-djIIO-djh I 2a4CbcI j2aj
cd I4 2d Od7 I5 cd Ca5 I Cd2
c8 I 7 00Cc4 I89b4Cc I99cj
0020f4 Ce7 2I 9b4f522a5ba 2j
2c5 C-d2 24O-d2 a4 25Ob4Cc
2O-a4fe827OaO|728Oe2a5
29 fbI b8 j0 cj b7 jI c4 =
(Bologan-Andricnko,Yurmala 99 ).
Itvasamorccomplicatcdproposition
toplayOvik Daniclian- sincc atthat
timchcvasoncoIthcmostoutstand-
ingplaycrs but at thc samc timc, it
vasalsomorci ntcrcsting.
4c5_fd75 _cc2
Stcinitz`s movc, vas vrittcninmy
notcbook by Zigurds` hand. Whitc`s
mainidca istodcIcndthc basc oIhis
d4-c5 pavn chain vith a pavn atcJ,
and to initiatc somc coordination bc-
tvccnhispavnsandpicccs.Thcdrav-
backsoIthc movc arc obvious. Whitc
makcs tvo movcs in a rov vith thc
samcpicccandblocksthcbishopatIl .
Modcm thcory amrms that Black is
OK, cvcn though this variation lcads
toa sumcicntly complcxandintcrcst-
ing gamc. It vas cvcn playcd in thc
FIDEvorld championship match bc-
tvccnShirovandAnandin2OOO.
5...c5 6 c _c6 7 f4b68 _f
c7
Somctimcs,Blacktricstobcclcvcr,and
plays8...frst.
9 a
This vasthcidcaZigurds shovcdmc.
Thcpointistocontrolthcb4-squarc,a
kcy squarc in many variations oIthc
Frcnch DcIcnsc, and undcr somc cir-
cumstanccs to play b2b4. As I vas
prcparingthisbook, I discovcrcdthat
AdolIAndcrsscnhadplaycdthismovc
aslongagoas I 877.
9. . . -
Tvo gamcs I playcdinFrancc should
givcagoodillustrationoIthcpotcntial
oIthismovc.9...fI0h400 I I b4cd
I2 cd a5 Ij b5| O-b5 CIj . . . Cd8 I4
Ccja4I59djf5 IOc2h5I7C-a4
Oa7 I8CcjCb I9 a42b420Obj
Oa5 2 I 2d2 2d7 (Bol ogan
Vaisscr,Francc2OO2) 4. CcjOb I 5
bIOd8 I2djfeI 7deCc5I 8Cb5
C-dj I 9O-dj h 20 Og 2d7 2I
Cg5 9-g5 22hgCe7 2jOdj 2-b5
24 F-b5 Oc7 (Bologan - Baucr,
BclIort 2OO2). Itvould appcar, hov-
cvcr, that I0 b4| is cvcn strongcr, in
ordcrto mcct I0. . . cdvith I I Ce-d4'
C-d4 I2cd,vithaspaccadvantagc.
1 _g
J5
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
Onccagain, I0b4|isconsidcrcdtobc
Whitc`sstrongcstcontinuation. I0. . . cb
(I0 . . . cdI I 'e-d4=) I I aba5I 2'gj
c b5 Thcgamc is unc|carahcr I 0h4
f I I hj'a5 I2b4cbIjab'c4I 4
'gj a5 (Anand - Shirov, FrankIurt
2OOO).
1ooocd 11cdf6
On I I . . .f5, Whitc vou|d continuc I2
b4, c 2ej,2dj,'e2,hjandg4.
12 d fc
1dc|
Thcprincipaldincrcnccbctvccn I jfe
andLanka`s suggcstcdrccapturc vith
thc d-pavn is that thc lattcrprcvcnts
thc cxchangc sacricc on I. Thc Iact
thatBlacknov obtains thc c5-squarc
andthcopcngI -a7diagona|canbcas-
signcd to thc |istoIthc movc`sdrav-
backs.
OncoIB|ack`sIncstcrcativcachicvc-
mcntsinthisvariationvasthcIo||ov-
ing gamc,vhcrc B|ack conductcd an
cxcmp|aryattack.Ijfe 'd-e5'(opcn-
ingthcccntralI|csvhi|cWhitc`sking
issti||stuckinthcccntcr) I4de'-e5
5. 2e22d7 I '-e5 Of2 I77d2
ac8 I8Obj 2g5 I9 7dj Lf4 20
'fj 2e8 0I (Kcngis Djurhuus,
Causda| 99 ).
I j . . . a5| ? I 42c2| 'c5 (I4 . . . 2c5? I 5
2-h7|)I52ejtransposcstothcgamc.
YurmaIa I99I
2 J 4 5 ? 8 9 0 2 1otal
I . Bokgan, Victor A 0 8'
2. A!cksandrov, Akkscj A 0 I l 8
J. Rulcvsky, Scrgci A
C
0 0 ?
4. Sokokv, Andrci 0 A I ':
5. Ma||ut, Evgcni 0 0
C
A 0 0
. Anapolsky, Scrgcy l 0 0 0 A 0 I 5'
?. Onischuk, AIcxandcr 0 0 I l A 0 0 5'^
8. Schckachcv, Andrci 0 0 0 0 I A 0 5
9. Landa, Konstant 0 0 0 A
C
0 4'
I U. BcIov, Vdm 0 0 0 I A 0 4'^
I l . Dankmn,Ogncs 0 0 0 0 0 0 I A
C
J'
I2. Andrknko, Anato| 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A IZ,
J
BccomingaCrandmastcr'
Hcrc, too, thc pi ccc sacri Ii cc
I j . . . 'd-e5'?vasvorthconsidcration.
14c2a5 15c
OncoImytypica|pavnsacriccsIor
thcinitiativc.It` sstrangc,butquitcIrc-
qucntly thc norma|dcvclopmcntoIa
gamc rcquircs somc sort oIsacriIcc.
Inthis casc, atypica| FrcnchDcIcnsc
sacriccoIthcb2-pavn.
15...b2
I 5 . . . d4 I'-d4 d8 I7'ge2 = .
16 ~
Whitchascomp|ctcdhisdcvc|opmcnt
and dcInitc|y has attacking chanccs,
vhi|cB|ackhasatacticalvcakcssat
c5andhisquccnhasgottcnabitlostin
thccncmycamp."Atactica|vcakcss
isvhatChcbancnkouscdtocal|apiccc
thatisdcIcndcdustasmanytimcsas
itisattackcd.
16 . . . c
Thccovard|yrctrcat I..b? isbad
bccausc oI I 7 c I ' , Ior cxamp| c,
I7. . . \a7(I7 . . .Ob2'?)I8,-h7'7-h7
I9 'g57g820Oh5-g5 2I -c5
-f4 22 -a7 ,-cI 2j -f8 (2j
-cI -a7) 2j. . . 7-t8 24,c57g8
25 Oe8 7h7 2 'h5, vith a vcry
strongattack.
17f2
Whitc vants to p|ay ObI and cI' ,
crcatingthrcatsonbothvings.
17 . . . c418{h1|
Oncmorcprophy|acticmovcthistimc
in thc sty|coILanka. I lcamcdthc art
oIprophylaxisIromthrcc individuals.
ZigurdsLanka(7hI , 7bIinthcSicil-
i an, Th8 i n thc Ki ng` s I ndi an),
Vyachcs|avAndrcycvich Chcbancnko
(hjandbjinthcIta|ianCamc),and
Mark I srai | cvi ch Dvorctsky, vho
vorkcdoutavho|cthcoryoIprophy-
lacticthinkingvithagoodsclcctionoI
so|vingcxcrciscs.
18. . . g6
Whitc vouldhavc a scrious initiativc
aIcr cithcr I8 . . . O-f4 I9 -c5 -c5
20 -h7 7-h7 2I Oc2 7g8 22
O-c5Oc42jOej = , or I8...-f4 I9
cI Ob5 20-h7 7-h7 2I -c5
7g822-e7'-e72jc7$. Ncvcr-
thclcss,I8. . . -f4vasstrongcrthanthc
tcxt. Whitc isobvious|y squcczing thc
triggcr and thc gun vi|l soon go oII.
With his quccnsidc comp|ctc|y undc-
vc|opcd,B|ack`sconIgurationcannot
stand.
19d2| a6
Thc quccnmustrctrcat to thccdgc oI
thc board, sincc I 9 . . . Ocj is bad. 20
'e2Ob22I -c5-c522bIO-aj
2jfj' .
2c5c5
JJ
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
21 g6|
Thc|ogicalvaytodcvc|opthcattack,
bascd on thc aIorcmcntioncd tactical
vcakncss.
21...hg 22{c2g7
22. . . b6 Ioscsto2jO-g7h824fj
Ob7 25 ge4' Oh7 2hj O-hj27
ghde28-e4.
22. . . t' vas thc most stubborn dc-
Icnsc. 2j O-c5 d7 24 abI, or 24
Oeja|.
2{c5 {a7(2j. . . d7|?)24{c1
d7
Whitcvou|dhavcastrongattackaItcr
24. . . d4 25 bI b5 2 fj 2d7 27
Od2 (27-d4O-d428 e2 Odj 29
Ob2ac8)27. . . -fj28-fjac829
f5. ButnovI gcttoopcnthcposition
andcrcatcdccisivcthrcats.
25fac8
26f5|
C|caringthcvayIorWhitc`squccn,it
isboundtoIndavaytodca|viththc
|onclyblackking,aidcdasitisbytvo
knightsandarook.
38
26... cf
2. . . gf27h57t 28Og5= .
27{g5 h728 h4c8
28. . . g8 29 g-f5 gfj0 Oh5 7g7
jI -f5 -f5 j2 -f5 .
29 gf5 gf f5 b5 1 f4
1~
Lcssous
l ) InspitcoIthcvc|l-dcvc|opcdstatc
oImodcmopcningthcory,andthcIact
thatthcbcstvariationsarca|rcadyvc||-
knovn, itcan bc usch| to havc your
ovnvc|l-studicdsystcmsinyouropcn-
ing arscnal. OI coursc, it vas much
casicrtodothis in I 99 I thanitisto-
day. Stil|,thccIIcctoIthisshou|dnot
bc undcrcsti matcd. I cmp|oycd a
schcmcunIamiliartomyopponcnt,and
gaincdthcinitiativcinthcopcning.
2)Sacricingapavntorctainthcini-
tiativc isa standardtcchniquc. Inthis
casc,thcrcvasanadditiona|advantagc
inthatB|ack`squccn,bycapturingthc
b2-pavn, bccamc a targct andp|accd
itsc|Iavayhomthcothcrpicccs,vhi|c
B|ack`skingsidcvastota||yvcakcncd.
3)AccordingtoChcbancnko`sthcory,
a tactica| vcakncss is a targct that is
attackcd as many timcs as it i s dc-
Icndcd. Blackhadtvotactica| vcak-
ncsscs. thcbishop at c5 andthcpavn
atg.Thcsccou|dbcattackcdsimu|ta-
ncous|y Irom c2, vhich bccamc thc
basisIoracombination.
MyconIdcntstartoIoutoIcnab|cd
mctotakcthc |cad Iromthcvcrybc-
ginninganditvason|yatthcvcrycnd
BccomingaCrandmastcr'
that A|cxci Alcxandrov had a chancc
toovcrtakcmc onlyiII lostthcdra-
maticlastroundgamc.Asitvas,vork-
ing vith Zigurds Lankabrought good
practica| rcsults, bccausc succcssIu|
p|ayinthcopcninga|lovcdmctotakc
Irst p|acc, thcrcby bccoming thc |ast
vinncr oIthc Al |-Union Qua|iIying
Tournamcnt Ior thc Worl d 1uni or
Championship.ManyoIthcplaycrsi n
that cvcnt Rublcvsky, A|cxandrov,
Onischuk arcnovnumbcrcd among
thc vor|d`s |cading grandmastcrs. Al-
though,IadmitthatIon|ytookamod-
cst8"p|accatthcWor|d1uniorCham-
pionship, vhich coincidcd vith thc
August 99 putschathomc.`
Nov that I had a tickctto thc vor|d
championshipinmypockct,itvastimc
tosctncvgoa|s.Thcscrupu|ousrcadcr
vi||notcthat,soIar, it`sbccn al|tour-
namcnts. Whataboutmy studics? AI-
tcra||,thatvas vhyIhadgonctoMos-
cov.Hcrc,onccagain,Ivas|ucky.In
thcIrstplacc,my studicsvcrc intcr-
csting,butnottoodi0cu|t.Thc|ccturcs
inanatomy, biomcchanics, and sports
history mcshcd smooth|y vith purc|y
sportingtrainingin svimming,track
Ic|d,gymnastics, andthc p|aying
aspcctsoIsport.A||thisvas oIgrcat
bcncIt to mc in 99 . Thanks to my
goodphysicalconditioning,Ivasablc
to cxccl,butthc main Iactorvassti||
human.
Duringthc sccondcourscoImy stud-
ics vhcrc I vas instructcd on thc
mcthodsoItcachingchcss - thcrcvas
amaturc-|ookingsportsman,vhosatin
thc backrovs|istcningcarch||y and
takingnotcs.Hckcptmodcstlytohim-
sc|Iandattractcdvcry|itt|c attcntion,
sonoonccou|dhavcprcdictcdthathc
vas prcparing to takc ovcr Irom thc
chairman,vhovaslcavingtotakcajob
inSpain.ThisvasYcvgcnyPavlovich
Linovitsky, and thc studcnts vould
comcto|ovchim.Asthcsayinggocs,
"Scrvicc to thc Tsar is thc Fathcr oI
So|dicrs.Linovitskyhadbccnamili-
tarygcncra|incommandoIadivision
and thcn vas chai rman at thc
DzcrzhinskyAcadcmy. Hcvasancx-
pcri cnccd corrcspondcncc-chcss
playcr, vho |ovcdchcss vcry much
pcrhaps cvcn morc than many grand-
mastcrs. Hc vas at oncc p|casant and
povcrIu| , and hc did much Ior thc
sportinggrovthoIhisstudcntsbyhc|p-
ingthcmtoh|I||thcirpotcntia|vhi|c
undcr his tutclagc.Tothis day, hcor-
ganizcs norm-making toumamcnts in
thc dcpartmcnt. Hc vas also undcr-
standingvhcnchcssp|aycrshadtomiss
school vork to attcnd tournamcnts.
Morcovcr, Ycvgcny Pav|ovich hclpcd
mcbcyondmydaysasastudcnt,vhcn
Ivasvorkingonmymastcr`s. Thanks
main|y to him, thcrc havc bccnmany
mastcrs`candidatcsandsomcsucccss-
h|advanccddcgrccs Iromthc dcpart-
mcnt. Thus, my bascs vcrc vc||-cov-
crcd,and Ivas ab|ctoconccntratcon
achicvingncvhcights.
I Iu|I||cdmy Irstgrandmastcr norm
in1unc 99 l , atatoumamcntinMos-
cov organizcd by Linovitsky. Shirov
vonthccvcntandItooksccondp|acc,
having lost our individua| cncountcr.
Withoutrca|izing it, this vas thc Irst
timcthatImadcuscoIthcvc|l-knovn
1hcAugust I 99l putsch was an attcmpt to roIl-back poltcal rcIoms, at a tmc
whcnthccountrywasbcgnnngtochangctssystcmo!govcmmcnt.
J9
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
psycho|ogica|tcchniqucknovnasthc
"zigzag. N L.Lcvydcscribcsit,inIhe
Arto{eing!our:easIo||ovs."Zig-
zagsarcncccssaryinordcrtoupsctan
unIavorablc,unIortunatcba|anccinan
organism. ThisrcIcrstoaccidcntaloc-
currcnccsthatcomcabouttorcvcalthc
dc|ibcratc. In othcrvords. to m a
circumstanccaroundorrcvcrscatrcnd.
But this zigzag vas unintcntiona|. In
thc rcstaurant oIthc hotc| vhcrc vc
vcrcliving,myIricndsandc|dcrclass-
matcs vcrc Icrvcntly cclcbrating thc
birthday oIour Iricnd Bair Dorzhicv.
Having at that point only "minus-
instcadoImycxpcctcd"p|us-4,Ivas
soonconvinccdtojointhcm.Thcvinc,
dancing,convcrsation,andagooddin-
ncr a||hc|pcd.Istartcdp|ayingmorc
advcnturous|y, and ni shcd vith 5Z
outoI.
In that mcmorab|c summcr oI l 99 l ,
thcrc Io||ovcd a trip to Norvay vith
Lanka,rcsu|tinginasccondnorm.And,
Ialsop|aycdinmyrst(andvhatvas
to bc thc | ast) USSR Pcop| cs `
Spartakiad.Thcgrandiosctoumamcnt
took p|acc in Azov, and I playcd on
Board IorTcamMoldova.Ina|l,II-
tccn tcams Irom thc Unionrcpublics,
a|ongviththctcamsIromMoscovand
Lcningrad,participatcd.
(8). Magerramov IBologan
Azov (USSR) l 99
King`sIndian E92j
Thisgamcvasp|aycdinthc|astround
oIthc prcliminarics. In Sovict timcs,
thcy had a saying. "Our Fina| is thc
Scmi-Fina| ' Andthcvcrsionthatap-
p|icdtothcMo|doviantcamcouldhavc
rcad."OurFinal isthcSccondFinal '
( Mcani ng thc compcti ti on Ior 7
.
'
through 2'
'
p|accs).Thcmatchviththc
Azcrbaijani tcam vould dccidc vho
vas goingto play inthc SccondFina|,
andvhovasgoingtodropdovninto
thc Third. Itsoon transpircdthatthis
vas goingtobcthcdccidinggamcoI
thc match, as a|l thc othcrgamcshad
Inishcdviththcscorcstillticd..
1 d4 d6
My tcammatcs and I uscdto opcn our
gamcs |ikc this.Natura|ly, vcvcrcn`t
aIraid oI2 c4, Ior vhichvchadprc-
parcd thc Iorthright 2.. e5. Thc movc
p|aycd inthcgamc automatica||ylim-
itcd Whitc`soptionsbyrcmoving thc
Samisch,Avcrbakh, Four Pavns, and
othcrvariationsIromhisKing`sIndian
rcpcrtoirc.
2 _f _f6 c4g64 _c g75
c4 ~ 6c2c57c
Whitc chooscsthc C|igoric variation,
hc is innohurrytocommitcithcrhis
d-pavn orhis king. Black in tum at-
tcmpts to upsct thc norma| 0ov oI
cvcnts.Thisrcsu|tsinpositionsvhcrc
thc ccntcr is c| oscd, Whitc scizcs
quccnsidcspacc,vhi|cB|ackp|ayst
f5 and trics Ior countcrp|ay on thc
kingsidc.
7. . . _g48g5f69 h4 _c6
HcrcarcaIcvcxamplcsIromcontcm-
porarypraxs.
Thc USSRPcoplcs` Spartakiadvas thc intramural cquiva|cntofthc Wor|dOlym-
pics onasma|lcrscalc,nodoubt,butitd
j
dinc|udcformsofsportsuchaschcss.
4O
BccomingaCrandmastcr'
9. . . g5 I02gj'h I I d5( I I hj 'd7
I 2 d5f5 I jef'c5 I 4'd2 2-f5 I 5
00e4I 'bj'-bjI 7 O-bj2gI8
aeI Onischuk Smirin, Togliatti
2OO3) I I . . . 'd7 I 2'd2f5 Ij fj 'f
I4hj 'h5 52f2'f4 Igj'-e2I7
O-e2c5 I8 dc bc I9000 2e 20
'bjOe72Ic5d522edcd2j'-d5
Of7 24 'cj ab8 ( Cc| Iand
Radjabov, Plovdiv2OO3).
9. . . 'hI0dede II O-d8 -d8 I2
'd5 g5 Ij'-c7gh I4'-a8'a 5
c5'-c5 I'c7 '-e4 I700 'f5
(Cc|Iand Po|gar, Pacs 2OO3).
1d5c711 d2h6
Quitc rcccnt|y, this samc position oc-
currcd in Oni schuk Bol ogan,
Poikovsky 2OO4. Thc sccds sovn by
ZigurdsLankacontinuctobcarhuitto
thisday.
12 f
OnischukprcIcrrcdI200,a|thoughI2
fj is strongcr, sincc i nansvcrt og
g5, thc bishop can bc rctrcatcd to I
immcdiatcly. Thc gamc continucd.
I2. . . g5Ij2gjf5I4ef'h-f5 J52h5
'd4 I fj b5 I7 cb b8 I8 'de4
'-b5 I9Od2h202g4'd42I ?-c8
O-c822bjOb72jacIt24?f2
'-d5 25 Q-d4 ed 2 '-d5O-d5 27
OdjOb528O-b5-b529c b
j0c2c5 jI eIdj0I .
12 . . . g51f2f5 14h4|
Anintcrcstingattcmpt to Iorcc B|ack
todcc|archimsc|I,ncvcrthc|css,don't
considcr it thc bcst movc. Pcrhaps
Whitc shou|d sctt|c Ior I4 hj, i . c. ,
I4 . . . g4 5hgfg I2ej't I7fg'g
I8gj2fI 9'fI a20Od22d72I
h5 = (Eh|vcstMcShanc,Rcykjavik
2OOO).
14. . . g4
B|ackattacks thc cncmy pavn chain,
si mi | ar to thc Frcnch DcIcnsc. OI
coursc, hc von`t cvcr gcttothc basc
pavnatg2,buthccanat|casttradcoh
a Icvpavnstocxp|oitthcI4-squarc,
Iorcxamp|c,Black`sknightsnccdncv
andjuicicrsquarcs.
I4. . . 'g?|isvorsc. 5hgO-g5 Igj| ,
as is I4. . .f4?| 5hg'|7 I c5 'c4
and'b5.
15fg-g416-g4
Whitc rc|inquishcs his bishop, but in
compcnsationhccontrolsa||oIthcccn-
tral squarcs. Convcrsc|y, B|ack vi|l
havcthccasicrtimccontrol|ingthcsitu-
ation vith his tvo bishops and cxtra
kingsidcspacc.
16...fg17c
I7 c5?| gj| I82-gjdc I9h5c= .
17 . . . c5|
AtypicalKing`sndianmovc, ingcn-
4 I
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
cra|, it ha|ts Whitc`s initiativc on thc
quccnsidc, iId-cisunIavorablc.
I7. . . gj?' I8'fI= .
18 ga6
Blackcovcrsthcb5-squarc,andmight
p|ay b7b5 undcr thc right circum-
stanccs. ThankstothcopcnI-I|cand
thctvobishops his chanccsarccqual.
19 a4 h8
B|ackaimstomancuvcrthcknightvia
g8-I-h5, inordcrtocvcntuallysacri-
ccitonI4 atthcpropcrmomcnt. Hc
a|socou|dhavc c|oscdthcpositionby
I9...a5,vithadravasthcmost|ikcly
conscqucncc,butthatkindoIdccision
vasncvcrmysty|c.
2 [f1
20a5b2IabO-bZ2d7anda5a4.
2 ... b6
20. . . g82I L-f8 O-t8 22a5Od8 2j
'a4and'b.
21 [b1 _g8|
2I . . .a5vou|dhavccnsurcdcqua|ity.
22[f8f82b4 _f624c2
24a5cb25 L-b4ba2 La4h5 27
2f2 2h.
24...d725f2 c726bc|
2b5|?a5vasprobab|ystrongcr,vith
a |ikc|y drav. But Elmar dccidcd hc
26 ... bc 27g5
ntcnding Oej?| . I I27 Lb| ?, thcn
27. . . Lf8 28 2g5 2c8, vhcn Bl ack
vouldhavccvcrythingdcIcndcdonthc
quccnsidc, vhilc hc cou|d procccd to
gradua||yincrcascthcprcssurc onthc
kingsidc.
27...h628f6
Trading oIIthc othcr bishop vas not
thcbcstpositiona|dccision.Onccou|d
saythatWhitcno|ongcr"runsthcrisk
oIvinning."Onthccontrary, hcmust
nov constant|y bc a|crt Ior various
bishopmancuvcrssuch8viad8toa5.
28 ... f629[b7
B| ack casily vards oIIthc thrcat oI
L-d7 Whitc`s position |acks dyna-
mism.
29444[f8c2d8( Z 2c8and
Oa5 | ) 1a5|
Elmarcontinucshiscrcativctrcatmcnt
oIthcposition. His |ast movc sccurcs
bIor his rook.
1...c82 [b6
vantcdthcopcnI|c. 2... h4|
42
BccomingaCrandmastcr'
Aninviting, butvcrycommitta|sacri-
Icc, thc knights oIcn scrvc as good
dcIcndcrs Ior thc king. Hovcvcr, onc
lapscoIconccntrationIromBlack,and
thcvhitcrookvi||svccpa||hispavns
Iromthcsixthrank.Thccomputcrprc-
Icrsthc simplcj2...\d7 c 2d8.
ghh4+ 4 d1 g
At this point, vc vcrc both in scvcrc
timc-prcssurc and ourboard vas sur-
roundcd by thc p| aycrs Irom both
tcams.
5d6|
A bravc and apparcnt|y corrcct dcci-
sion.j57c22g4jejCj g2f2
j7 gI h2 j8 b8 7h7) j. . . g2
vouldhavcbccnvorsc.
An important prophy|actic movc i n
timc-prcssurc,thcidcaistoIorcsta|la
possib|crooksacriccath. j5. . . 2g4??
j-h-hj7-g4g8j8f5
g2 j9 e2 Cj9 -e5 7h7 40 e2
gI O 4 I -gI -gI 42 7c2 )
j9 . . . gI40-gI-gI4I 7c2.
Norisj5. . . OhIj7c2g2j7-h
O-hj8O-g2vcryconvincing.
6 c
jTc2'?f2 j7eI f4 j8cg2
j9 c7 2d7 40 -d7 7h8 vas
vorthconsidcration.
6 . . . g2 7c2g4||
Novthcbishopsimultancous|ycutso
bothknightsIromthcg2-pavn. B|ack
gcts nothing out oIj7. . . Og5 j8 gI
Ff2j9O-f2gI40t8,orj7. . . f4
j8 gIOf2 j9 h2.
Whitcvassostunncdthathcgrabbcd
thcc-pavninhight.
8 c5
Hchadtobringthcrookbackto dca|
viththcpasscdpavn. j8bfI j9
b7 7g40b v
8...g8C c 2dI ) 9 b6
j9OgI OhI .
9... d1+| 4_d1g141b7+
h8 42_c
Whitc`s lastchanccvas 42 c7 g7
4j -g7 -g7 44 -g7 7-g7 45
c5e74de8,or45...d84c
(4 c4 h5 47 dej 7h7 48 c)
4...-a547ej.
42... gf2Cc -e4)4ch
44 d h5| 1
Thus,vcvonthcmatchJ 7- 2 andI
vcntoutto Indmycompatriots,vho
vcrca|rcadyscatcdinthchotc|rcstau-
rant.Atrst,thcycouldn` tbclicvcthcir
|uck,butthcysooncclcbratcdthcout-
comcvithgrcatoy.And , too,nccdcd
abrcak.
4J
VictorBologan. SclcctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
Lcssous
l)Thctypica|thrustc7c5considcrably
s|ovsWhitc`squccnsidcassau|t.Whcn
youropponcntisattackinginaparticu-
|arscctoroIthcboard,suchpavnad-
vanccs canbcscvcrc|yhindcrsomc.
2)Asa ru|c, thc knight on c7 is vcry
poorlyp|accdinthcKing'sIndianDc-
Icnsc.Thus,it'svcryimportanttoknov
hovtomancuvcryourknightsandInd
good squarcs Iorthcm.
J)Nota|| sacriIccscanbcca|cu|atcd
to thc vcry cnd, butothcrIactors can
hc|pusmakca dccision. Inthis situa-
tion, thc rook on b vas tcmporari|y
out oIp|ay and Whitc's knights and
king vcrc also misp|accd. Thcsc con-
sidcrations indicatcd that thc position
vasripcIorasacricc.
Fo||oving this cvcnt vas thc Wor|d
1uniorChampionship inMamaia, Ro-
mania. Dcspitc mypoorpcrIormancc,
Ihadjustasgoodatimc,thanksinpart
tothcgir|s'championshiphc|d a|ong-
sidc. It vas thcrc that Anna-Maria
Botsari invitcdmctoanopcntouma-
mcntinKavala,Crcccc. WhcnIarrivcd
in Crcccc, I vas addcd to thc grand-
mastcrtoumamcntonthcconditionthat
intvo days' timc I couldyto Mos-
cov, gctmyvisa, andyback. Itvas
on|ythrough thc miraclcsvroughtby
A|cxandcrCrigoricvichBakhingctting
mypapcrs Illcd outthatmytrip took
placc.So,in|cssthanvcmonthstimc,
I bccamc agrandmastcr. Itvas |ikc a
Iairyta|c.
Hovcvcr,thiscascoIaccomplishmcnt
vastohavcadcvastatingchcctonmy
hturccarccr.Isctnogoa|sthcrcsim-
p|yvasn`ttimc,butIhadcnougham-
44
munition |cI Ior a coup|cmorctour-
namcnts.
MyIrstnationa|championshiptumcd
outtobcthc|astUSSRChampionship
Fina|. ForthissortoIga|a-champion-
ship, itvas dccidcdtoinvitcasmany
p|aycrs as possiblc, andto run it as a
Sviss Systcm. Prior to this, thc on|y
p|aycrs IromMo|dova to p|ay in thc
USSR Championships vcrc Lutikov
andCavrikov,andthc|attcron|yaIcr
hchadmovcdtoLithuania.
(9) IBologan A. Jrolov
Moscov I 99 I
Sici|ianKan B54|
1 c4c5 2 _fc6d4
IhadsccurcdmythrccCMnormsvith
Chcbancnko's lincs. 2 . .d j 2b5,
2. . . e jc4orjdj,and2. . 'cj2b5.
Butacrstartingoutvithquickdravs
againstRub|cvskyandMinasian,Iun-
dcrstood that I vas in nccd oIsomc
Ircshidcas.SoIca||cd"thco|dtraincr"
ZigurdsLankainKicv,andvctookad-
vantagcoIancvscrvicco0crcdbythc
ChcssAssistantcompany, vho vou|d
providcaprintoutoIyour opponcnt's
gamcs Ior a sma|l Icc. From this, vc
"adjustcdouraim"ovcrthcphonc,and
I tookadccisivc stcp tovards assimi-
|atingthcopcn Sici|ian.Asarcsu|t, I
vas ab|c to vin an cxcmp|ary gamc
usingthcRauzcragainstScrgciKisc|cv
(novdcccascd),asvc||astcstanothcr
ncvsystcm.
...cd4_d4_c65 _cd66g4
WckncvFro|ovvou|dp|aythisvaria-
tion,sovcdccidcdto"hithimviththc
|uggagc," vhich is onc oI Zigurds'
BccomingaCrandmastcr'
tcrmsIoramassivcpavnassau|t- usu-
a||yonthckingsidc.Ingcncra|,Zigurds
vassuchaIantastictcachcr,vhotaught
cvcrythingsoc|car|y,thatitvou|dsccm
|ikc vc had p|anncd thc cntirc gamc
Irombcginningto cnd.
6... a6
. . . h72ej'f8fj2e79Od2 d5
I02b52d7 I I ed'-d5 I 2'-d5ed
I jOOO O-O I4 'f5I (Bo|ogan - A.
Soko|ov, Francc2OOI ).
7c _gc7
7. . . '-d48O-d4'e79 OOO'c I0
Od2.
8 _b|
Lanka vou|d ocn makc usc oIthis
idca,vhcncvcrthcrc vas disharmony
amidstthcb|ackpicccs.Thus, B|ack`s
cntircp|anvith'ge7rcvo|vcsaround
cxchanging on d4, Io||ovcd by 'c.
Thc tcxt Iorccs thc c7-knight to |ook
Ior anothcr squarc, and g is a poor
squarcIorthcknightinthcSici|ian.
8f4b592g2(9'fjb4 I0'a4b8
I I Od2 2d7 I2 bj h5 Ij g5 d5 I4
2djdeI 52-e4 b5> Kasparov
Svid|cr, Canncs 2OO ) 9. . . '-d4 I 0
O-d4 'c I I Ob O-b I 2 2-b
b8 Ij2ejg5 I4fg 'e5 I5hj2e7
I bj g8 I7 OOO 2-g5 I8 2-g5
-g5 I9-dh5(Shirov Kramnik,
Montc Car|o2OO3).
8..._g69 c2|
Anothcrvcry typica|Zigurdsianmovc,
hc |ovcs putting his quccn on c2, in-
stcad oId2. First, it |cavcs thc d-|c
c|car Ior thc rook, and sccond, thc
quccnisnotsusccptib|cto Iorks such
as 'c4, 'fj. It a|so dcIcnds thc g4-
pavn and a||ovs bishop to bc dcvc|-
opcdtog2insomc|incs.
9 Od2 b5 I0 OOO'ge5 I I g5 'a5
I2f4'ec4 IjOf2b8 I4f5'-ej I 5
O-ejOb IOgj2e7I 7'-a5O-a5
I8 e5 d5 I9 f 2b4 20 '-d5 ed 2I
e (Shirov Po|gar,Ycrcvan I 99).
9 oeo c71~~b511f4
Thc"|uggagc"mustgo Iorvard!
11...h6
I I . . .b4 I 2'a4 b8 Ij Of2 = , taking
bundcrcontro|.
12f2d7 1b1
InninctypcrccntoImySici|iangamcs,
thckinggocstobI orh| .
1...b8 14 c23
Whitc hascomp|ctcdhis dcvc|opmcnt
vithoutany particu|arsubt|ctics. As
a ru|c, thc "critica| mass" is crcatcd
bythcnorma|dcvc|opmcntoIIorccs,
and thc Incsscs on|y arisc aIcr thc
picccs arc rcady Ior action. Whitc` s
45
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcd Camcs I 985-2OO4
p|an is f5, h4, g5 and thc "|uggagc"
gocsIorvard.
14. . . a5 15 a5a5 16 d
Thcc2-squarc must bcc|carcd Iorthc
knight. Lankaocnal|ovcdhisoppo-
ncnt to play b5b4 as acr Ce2 and
d4, thc knight rctums to thc ccntcr,
vhilcB|ack`sattackmsouttobcin-
cI!cctivc.
16. . . h4|
Arturtrics to vorry mc a|itt|c,vhi|c
alsoIorcstallingh2h4.
17 d2 ( c e4e5) 17. . . c6 18
hf1 c7
19 h4|
Evcnundcrdoub|cattack!IB|ackIails
to capturc this pavn,thcnhis vholc
planmakcsnoscnsc.
I9. . . 2-h420e5|d5(20. . . de 2I 2-g
fg 22Od )2I 2-gfg22Odj00
2jO-gbe824f5- .
2 f5
4
Whitc is a c|car pavn dovn, butthc
cncmy knight is stuck on thc cdgc oI
thcboard.
2. . . c5
Whitcvou|dhavcastrongattackaIcr
20. . . b4 2I e2Cg2 22d4 -ej 2j
O-ej| (2j -c C-fI24-fIOb25
C-b8O-b82fefe279-a(27e5|!)
27. . . |8 28 dI=) 2j. . . 2d7 24fefe
25e5( c9g'25. . . d522g7d8
27tf8 28-g79g5.
21h2 d8
Bcttcr is 2I . . . b4 22 Ce2 2g5| !, a|-
though Whitc stil|hasthc advantagc
acr 2j Ogj (2j 2f2! fj 24 Og2
d2)2j. . . 9b5|!24hI.
22c2g52f2f624d5
P|anning d2, cI, and c4. B|ack`s
positionisstratcgica||yhopc|css,nonc
oIhispicccsarcinp|ayandthcyhavc
nochanccoIcvcrp|ayingarolcinthis
gamc.WhatIo||ovsisamassacrc.
24. . . ~ 25d2
259b!|Od722c79-d5272-b8
2-e4282a7c829cIh5 = .
BccomingaCrandmastcr!
25...f7 26c4
Thi s is typica| in such situati ons.
Thankstohi scontro|oIthcd5-squarc,
Whitc has thc uppcrhand onthc scc-
tionoIthcboardvhcrchcusua|lyInds
himsc|Iundcrattack.
26. . . a5 27 c1 d8 28 cb
@d5|
28 . . . 2-b5 29 dc2 2-e2 j0 O-e2
Ob5jIO-b5(jIOf2)jI... abj2c8
-c8jj-c8f8j42 d2' .
29d5abd|
Somcthingsimi|arhcqucntlyoccursin
a |inchomthcNajdorIvariation.Whitc
vinsthcb5-pavn,andvitha|ittlcprc-
cisionthcrcsttakcscarcoIitsc|I
...c7 1 c2 a8 2 a b7
@b5g74a2ab85b
b5 6 b5 b5 7 @a7
8b78c8 @c7 9c4 d54
c6b441c8 1~
Lcssous
l)Acr7. . . 'gC7g itvasobviousthat
Blackintcndcdto cxchangcond4, a|-
thoughthcrcsu|tingpositionisnotncc-
cssari|ya||thatgoodIorhim.Hovcvcr,
madc things uncomIortablc Ior my
opponcnt by avoiding thc cxchangc
vith8'bj, IorcingB|ackto rcdircct
hisknighttog,vhcrcitusua|lystands
poor|y inthcSici|ian.
2)tisoIcnpossib|ctosacriccmatc-
rialto|urcan cncmypiccc onto abad
squarc- vhich,quitcIrcqucnt|y,tums
outtobch4. Ithcvcakcrsidcrcscs
thcsacriIcc,hcvil| bcIorccdtoccdc
agrcatdca|oItcrritory.
3) Aknight onthc rim a|vays stands
bad|y, iI on|y bccausc it has Icvcr
possibi |iticsasto vhcrc to movc. n
this gamc, thcknights haddivcrgcnt
dcstinics. onc vcnt to d5, thc othcr
toh4.
TvoroundsbcIorcthccndoIthctour-
namcnt, sharcd sccond and third
p|accsvithArtashcs Minasian, ahcad
oIvchundrcdothcrgrandmastcrs.But
inthccnd, losttothccvcntualcham-
pion,Magcrramov,andtookanhonor-
ab|cscvcnthp|acc.
47
LHaQ1I 1HI
bWHg
Ihe{allla:Ied:olong, iI:eemed
likeanenIirelj/eIime.
A|cxandcrZinovicv
Thchardcstthinginsportsis to Iorcc
yoursclIto vork to discip|incyour-
sc|IThus,ithappcncdthat,dcspitcmy
sp|cndidintc||cctua|cnvironmcnt,Ia|-
vaysIc|ta|oncinapurc|ypsychologi-
ca|scnsc. C|car|y, I didn'thavcsomc-
onc likc Rustam Kamsky to kccp my
nosctothcgrindstonc.AcrthcUSSR
Championship,cvcrythinglookcdnc
onthcsurIacc,butthcgroundvcntout
IromundcrmcIoraycarandahalIA
dcccnt pcrIormancc in a Ncv Ycar`s
toumamcntinStavangcr,Norvayvas
Iol|ovcd by disappointing rcsu|ts in
IndiaandFrancc.InCa|cutta,I|ostthc
dcci si vc | ast round gamc to
Visvanathan Anand, vhovasthcn a
risingchcssstar.Imadcancntryinmy
diarydcscribingmypsychologica|statc
duringthctoumamcntinIndia.
(End oI1anuary, 992) P:y-
chologically-Iwa:adver:ely
a[ecIedhyreceivinganhono-
rarium (Ihe]r:I one o{Ihi:
:ize), andmylaywa:nega-
Iivelyiu]uencedhy acon}icI
wiIh Ihe organizer:, who
rovedunwillingIo ahide hy
Iheir ]nancialohligaIion:.AI
Ihe heginning o{Ihe Iourna-
menI,Iwa:unahleIonormal-
ize my daily :chedule, and
:enIIhewholeIimeIjingIo
laymy:eqhackinIoconIen-
Iion (in:Ieado{{ollowingIhe
LankaCommandmenIIo 'u:I
lay che::';.
OIcoursc, itisoncthingtocomctoa
rca|izationaboutsomcthing, it`squitc
anothcrtoactuponit.Fcbruarybrought
a ncv misIortunc inCap d`Agdc, but
thisvas Io||ovcdbyas|ightvarming
trcndinApril.sharcd2-J''p|accsvith
Kramnik, bchind Shirov, in Oakham,
Eng|and. Hovcvcr,thcncamc a com-
p|ctc co||apsc inaCatcgory9 touma-
mcnt in May inthc Romanian city oI
Ca|imancsti.
Stop!
Itvas not too |atc to pausc and givc
mattcrs somc thought. But, unIortu-
natc|y, thc toumamcntcalcndar is oI-
tcn hcart|css, and aItcr Ca|imancsti
camcthc Mani|a O|ympiad. I bcgan
vc||vith J outoI4,butthcnI Ic| | il|.
ThcIou| air-conditioning inthc tour-
namcnt ha|| had its chcct. As vc had
no a|tcmatc, I practica||ydisappcarcd
IorIourtccnrounds,rcsu|tinginthc|oss
oItvcnty-vcratingpoints.Hovcvcr,
itvasnothingbutrcsthomthcrcright
up to thc toumamcnt in Crcccc. OI
coursc, I did somc vorkinthcmcan-
timc.Mydiarycontainsthcgamcshom
Mani|a ana|yzcd in dctai|, but I vas
unab|ctocomctoanyIrmconc|usions
rcgardingmyma|aisc.Ncvcrthc|css,thc
rcstvasgoodIormcandIplaycdIair|y
vc||atthcstartoImyrst-cvcrstrong
round-robintoumamcnt- thcc|din-
c|udcdsuchyoungta|cntsasKramnik,
Lauticr,Adams,IvanSoko|ov,Ulybin,
AkopianandI ||cscas. I scorcd"+2in
myIrstsixgamcs,butmyinabi|ityto
Iocusonthcrcsu|tmcantthatacrthrcc
|osscsI vasdovnto l ,
Sving
( O) IBologan IAkopian
Cha|kidiki,Crcccc 992
Sici|ianSchcvcningcnB85j
VladimirAkopian is thc cmbodimcnt
oIa vc|l-craIcd chcss carccr. Wor|d
1uniorChampionUndcr , Undcr 8
andUndcr2O,andaImalistatthcWorld
Championship in Las Vcgas. I a|so
p|aycdinthcWorldUndcr2OChampi-
onship,vhichtookp|accaycarbcIorc
thisgamc. IhadbccninIrstplacc,but
|ost to Akopian (vho is ust a vcck
oldcrthanI)andthcnI |ostto Ulybin
asvcll,vhichcndcdmyIghtIorrst
p|acc.Butnov,hcrcvcarcagain,ata
Catcgory- l4toumamcntinCrcccc.
1 c4c52 _fd6d4
Atthc1uniorChampionship,ourgamc
had continucd j 2b5, aIcr vhich I
obtaincdagoodposition,butblundcrcd
intimc-prcssurc.
. . . cd 4 _-d4 _f6 5 _c a6 6
c c6
B|ackadoptsaSchcvcningcnstructurc,
vhichvc rcvicvcd inCamc 4. Whitc
has a numbcroIaggrcssivc continua-
tions such as 7 fj transposing to thc
Eng|ishAttack and 7 g4, vhich lcads
to a piccc sacriIcc. 7. . . e58Cf5 g 9
g5gfI 0ef, ctc. ButIdccidcduponthc
c|assicsctupviththcbishoponc2.
7c2c78f4{c79~~1
{h1 _c6 11{c1 _-d4 12-d4
b5 1 ab7 14 {g
Atabia.Any chcss databasc vi||yic|d
hundrcds oIgamcsviththis position.
In: Inlmna, I 99J
4
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
But myopponcnt surpriscd mcvitha B|ackhas no casy vay to rclicvc thc
rarcmovc. prcssurc, so it is vcry important to
maintainit.
14 . . . ad8|
AnunIortunatcdcviationhomthcmain
|incs.Acr !4. . .ac8 I 5aeI 9c I
2dj,B|ackcxccutcsastandardcqua|-
izingopcration. I. . . e5| I7feh5 I8
Ohjde, Ior cxamp|c, I 9d52-d5
202-e5O-e5 2I edOg5 222-h7
7-h72jf5O-f524O-f5g5Ohj
2d 2 g4 -c2, as ana|yzcd by
Kasparov and Nikitin i n Ihe Sicilian
Scheveningen.
I4. . . 9c is considcrcd thc strongcst
rcply.I 5adIac8IfeIfd8I 7
9fj e8 I8Of2 b8 I 9d2 7z- Z
(Ca||aghcr A. Soko|ov, Bcsancon
2OO3).
15ac1c6 16db7
I. . . e5!|no|ongcrvorksviththcrook
ond8bccauscoII7fe h5 I8Of2de
I99bOd209-d89-d82I dI=
(Kostcniuk Shaposhnikov,St. Pctcrs-
burg2OOO).
I . . . h5cana|sobcmctby I7Of2.
17 hg6
hadp|anncdtoansvcrI7. . . hbyI8
ejb4 I9abO9gj|!)I 9 . . . O-b420
e2viththcbcttcrgamc.
I7. . . e8 I8 ej Od7 I 9e5 g 20f5
de 2I 2-e59f 22 .-f -f 2j fg
fg 24 O-e7g7 25 O-d7-d72
e 9b7 27 7gI= (Pa|ac Hu|ak,
Vinkovci 995).
18f5
5O
18 . . . c5
I8. . . gf|oscsto I9 Oh' O9 ePe5 c
7h8, g8) I9. . . e520-f5.
19 c _h5
Thisvasanovc|ty,butitcou|dhard|y
bcsaidtohavcanyva|uc,sinccWhitc`s
advantagcisindisputab|c,Iorinstancc,
I9. . . -e4! 20 -e4 9-e4 2I 2-e4
O-e4222hO-c22jf= .
OnI 9 . . . fe8,209g5ismostunp|cas-
ant. 20. . . d7 2I fg hg 22 -t 7-t
2jOh77e24O-gf 25fI .
2c2|
This a||ovs B| ack to cxchangc hi s
knight Ior thc dark-squarcd bishop.
Strongcr vas 20 9h fe8 2I Ofj
(2I 9e2f4)2I . . . 2f 22d59-d5
2j ed= (Wang Pin J. Shahadc,
Shanghai2OO2).
2..._f4 21f4cf22f4
t might sccm that B|ack can brcathc
casicraItcrgiving up a pavn. hc has
thcbishop-pairandcontro|oIthcdark
Sving
squarcs,vhichmightallovhimtorc-
inIorcc his position. Ncvcrthc|css, a
pavnisapavn.AItcra| | , Ivasattack-
ingviththc samcpiccc conIguration
in thc gamc against Itkis (Camc 4),
vhcrc Ivasn`tcvcnapavnahcad.
22. . . g5
Pcrhaps B|ack shou|d havc stuck to
somcthingmorcmodcst,say,22. . . 2f.
2g4{c7
2j. . . 2f 24fI 7g7.
24 f1 @f625d{c5
It looksas iIB|ack has b|ockadcdthc
positionandslovcdWhitc`sonslaught.
But as ocn happcns in my gamcs at
such momcnts, my knight mancuvcrs
tothcarcaoIthcboardvhcrcthcsitu-
ationistcnsc.
26 _c2|
Fromhcrc,thcknightcanlcaptoonc
oIthrcctcmptingsquarcs.I4,g3ord4.
Ncvcrthcl css, Whi tc shou| d havc
p|aycdmorccompactly. 2'dI7g7
27 gj2-e428'f22-dj29'-dj .
Chickcningout hchadtotakcthcb-
pavn. 2. . . O-b2|27cj.
27'f4Oe5(27. . . 2e5|?)28fg(28'h5
2h8, vhcn Whitc docs not appcar to
havcanythingdccisivc)28. . . hg(28... fg
29'e2d7j0'-t -f8(j0. . . 7-f8
jI O-h72-g4j2O-g) jI -g
hgj2O-d7=) 29'd5 (29 -g fg
j0 '-g 2d7| , 29'h5 2h8 j0 L5
Ob2 jI e52d7 j2'f 2-f jj ef
2-f5 ) 29. . . 2-d5 (29. . . 2g7 j0 c4
2d7 jI Oh4 fe8 j2 g5 =) j0 ed
2g7v
27. . . O-aj28e5.
28'f4 O-cj 29e52-e5j0fg fg jI
-ghgj2OetjjO-gg7
j4Oef7v
28'd4O-cj29fg fg j0'e2d7.
28 h4| !2-h4 29 O-h4 d5| j0 f4
(j0f fe8jI fj)j0 . . . fe8(j0. . . de
jI Oh -dj j2 f dI jj 'gI
-gIj47-gI OcIj57f2 ejj
7gj ) jI e5 Oe7 j2 Oh Of8 jj
Oh4, and B| ack may cithcr rcpcat
movcsbyjj. . . Oe7,ortrytogainthc
uppcrhandaIcrjj. . . -e5j4fghgj5
2-gfgj -t-f8j7Ogj.
28. . . de29fgfgj02-ghgjI -g
2g7j2-f8-tjj-c fIj4
'gI -gI j57-gI OcIiscqua|.
27 c
Acr thc gamc, Akopian shovcd mc
hov Whitc cou|d havc von immcdi-
atc|y.27fgfg28'f47g829'e2d7
j0 '-f8 2-g4 jI O-h7 7-f8 j2
O-g.
27...@d728_d4
Thcknightoccupicsancxccl|cntccn-
tral position. B|ack ishard-prcsscdto
Ircchimsc|IIromthcprcssurca|ongthc
I-I|c,andhc`ssti||apavndovn.
28...dc8 29gf4d5|
Thismovcon|yaddsthcbishopond3
5 I
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
to thc attack, vhi|c his hopcs oIpin-
ningthcI5-pavnarcinvain.B|ackhad
to p|ay somcthing morc so|id,suchas
29. . . 7g7, cvcn thoughaIcrj0 2bI ,
transIcrring thc bishop to a2, Whitc
vou|dhavcagrcatadvantagc.
cd d5
1 _c6|
Morc prccisc is jI Oh ( / j2 fg'
jI . . .2g7 j2 Oh4 g5 jj O-g5 f j4
Oh4.
1. . . [c6|
Thc on|y movc that al|ovs Black to
kccp rcsisting, hc vou|d | osc aftcr
jI . . . fe!j2fg, orjI. . .2-ej2fe2g7
jjefej4h4h5j52-g.
2fcc6c
jjOfjissimp|cr.
. . . g7 4 c4 d6 5 [4f2
[d8 6 [c1 g8 7 f h5 8
[ff1 c79[d1 [d14 [d1
Bycxchangingrooks,Whitchassomc-
vhatsimp|icdthcposition.
4...c541 g|
52
Whitc ` s pavns shou| d bc on dark
squarcsto|imitthcscopcoIthcbishop
onc5.AIcr4I hj!'2bj,hchasscri-
ousprob|cmscapitalizingonhismatc-
rialadvantagc.
4I. . . h4 42 Og5' hg4jd87g7 44
Oh4.
42 [c1f64 c4c544g2
a5 45 [d1 c4 46 [d2 c6 47
[d1c4
ThisrcpctitionoImovcsisjustasimp|c
trick that undcrscorcs thc strcngth oI
Whitc`sposition.
48[d7b4
48. . . Oc8 49 d, Io| |ovcd by Of4,
vou|d cnd thc "cra" oI thc bi shop
on I.
49abab5cbc8
50. . . O-b4!5I 2e2Oa4(5I . . .Ob542
-l7| '52 d4' simplc,butprctty.
51 [d2b552[c2 a65c2
c2 54 [c2 h4 55g4 d6 56
g5h+ 57f 1~
Sving
lcss0ns
l) I Iyoup|ay a novclty in aposition
thathasbccndccplyana|yzcd, itmust
bcvcllthought-out,sinccgoingoI!into
asidc|inccanlandyouinscriousdi0-
cultics, ashappcncd inthisgamc.AI-
tcr 4..ad8, thc initiativc passcd to
WhitcIoralongtimc.
2)20. . + I4 isatypica|tcchniquc.Thc
pavnsacricccstablishcscontrolovcr
thc dark squarcs and thc bishop gocs
Iromc7 to I, vhcrcitssphcrcoIin-
I|ucnccincrcascssharp|y.
3) Insituationsthatrcquircvcrysharp
p|ay, an abso|utc|y concrctc approach
tothcpositionisncccssary. P|ayingby
gcncra|considcrations(2. . . Th8)may
rcndcr thc gamctota||y hopc|css. Thc
mostvita| variationshavctobcca|cu-
latcdtothccnd,bccauscthcrcarcmo-
mcntsvhcnthccourscoIthcgamcrc-
quircsyoutocntcrthc sharpcstlincs.
In today`s tournamcnts, thc c| assic
vorking arrangcmcnt oI"traincr and
studcnt has practica||y disappcarcd,
cxccptpcrhapsamongthcvcryyoung-
cstplaycrs. Instcad,stronggrandmas-
tcrs vork togcthcr as "scconds or
somctimcs simp|y as "sparring-part-
ncrs. MyIrstcxpcricncc inthc ro|c
oIsccond camc in thc Ia| l oI l 992,
vhcnAlcxciShirovinvitcdmctohc|p
him during thc Tilburg tournamcnt.
Evcntual|y, our Iricndly rc|ationship
grcv into a IruitIu| partncrship and
A|cxci,vhoisagcncroussou|,a|vays
paidmcvc||Iormy|abors.
Onccou|dvritcaconsidcrab|cdisscr-
tation on thc ro|c oIscconds. In my
vicv, thc hclpcr`s main purposc is to
oIIcr psycho|ogical support. It is un-
likc|ythatatop-classgrandmastcrvi|l
pickupanythingncvIromhissccond
duringatoumamcnt.OIcoursc,advicc
mightcomcinhandy at timcs, butthc
most i mportant thing an assi stant
CH Ornnd Irix Iinnli:t: Hlcxci 5hirov (l.; nnd lictor olognn, Mo:cow I 990.
53
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
shou|dknovhovtodoistocrcatcthc
propcr atmosphcrc Ior supporting a
p|aycrorhc|pinghimdistancchimsc|I
Iromadi0cu|tgamc,ctc.
WhcnIvorkcdvithShirov,itvasbc-
Iorc thc computcrization oIchcss. I
sharcd Chcbancnko`s idcas, vc vcnt
ovcrLanka`sschcmcs,andvcthought
up somc things on our ovn. But to a
grcatcxtcnt, vcdidnotdoanyspccia|
opcningprcparation.Sti||,Shirovprac-
tica|lyncvcrlostahigh-lcvc|gamcdur-
ingourco||aboration,vhich|astcdun-
til I 99. OIcoursc, hc achicvcd this
thankstohisovnta|cntabovca||c|sc.
Hovcvcr, vc didn` t scc cach othcr
muchacrthat,i nanycasc,I hadmy
ovn carccr to pursuc. Yct, I madc a
point oIaccompanying Lcsha to thc
majorcvcnts.
Ccttingalitt|cahcadoImysc|I,Iagain
vorkcd as a sccond in 2OO2. Rus|an
Ponomariov invitcd mc to hclp him
during thc Linarcs supcr-toumamcnt.
Thc situation vas simi|ar to Ti|burg,
althoughmyprimcmotivationvasthc
ohcr by Rus|an`s sponsors to partici-
patc in a training scssion at thcir cx-
pcnsc. InLinarcs,Ruslantooksccond
p|acc - onc oIthc bcst rcsu|ts oIhis
carccr,hisvor|dchampionshipvictory
notvithstanding.Again, I didnotgivc
Rus|an too much hclp vith his opcn-
ings.Agoodsccondmustalsobcagood
psycho|ogist not in a proIcssional
scnsc,butjustapcrsonvithapositivc
attitudc.
My bcst sccond has a|vays bccn my
viIc. InDortmund2OO3,Iorcxamp|c,
most oIthc p|aycrs vcrc assistcd by
strong grandmastcrs . Anand had
Rustcm Dautov and LckohadArshak
54
Pctrosian. Yct, I camc vith Margarit,
and I von thc toumamcnt yct morc
prooIthat thc psycho|ogica| Iactor is
quintcsscntia|toachcssp|aycr.
Dcspitc myvi||ingncsstobcanassis-
tant, sti|l rctaincd my ovn sporting
ambitions, hovcvcr, you`rc not going
togctvcryIaronambitiona|onc. Un-
Iortunatcly, I cou|d not Iormu|atc my
sportinggoa|smorcprccisc|y.Isccmcd
tobcru|cdmostlybygcncralprincip|cs.
I considcrcdthatmytripsvithShirov
vcrcboundtobcbcnccial,andinIact,
I did|cammuchthatvasncvand in-
tcrcsting.Butitdidnothingtoincrcasc
my ovn p|aying strcngth. I camcd a
dcccntvagc,butthcmoncycomcsand
gocs. At any ratc, I don`t rcgrct thc
vork.
( l I ) G 5u - IBologun
Dcbrcccn(Hungary) I 992
PircDcIcnsc [BOj
Cyu|a Sax is a Iamous Hungarian
grandmastcr,vhovasamcmbcroIthc
I 978 Olympiadgo|d mcda| tcam that
topp|cd thc hcgcmony oIthc USSR
tcam,vhichvasrc|cgatcdto2p|acc.
Thisgamcvasp|aycdinthcIma|round
oIthcEuropcanTcamChampionship.
I cndcd up adjouming ncar|y a|| my
gamcs,andIvascomplctc|ycxhaustcd
bythccndoIthctoumamcnt. Inthosc
days adjoummcnts had not yct bccn
abo|ishcd.
1 c4g62d4@g7 _cc6
Thc"NcvWavcCaro-Kann"isoncoI
thc opcni ngs I studi cd undcr
Chcbancnko.Sincci tissorichinidcas
andvariouskindsoInon-standardpo-
Sving
sitions, it`sancxcc||cntvcapontousc
againstopponcntsvhoarccithcrac|ass
ortvobc|ovyou,orcomp|ctc|ygivcn
ovcrtothcmastcryoIthcory.SaxdcI-
nitc|ybclongcd inthc lattcrcatcgory.
Thisopcningvorkcdcspccial|yvcllin
opcntoumamcnts, andI vonthc l 997
NcvYorkOpcn|argclybccauscoIit.
4 h|
Amovcmcanttobcc|cvcr vhichoI
courscdocsnotspoi|anything.
4. . . d6
B|ack'sstrongcstrcply is4. . . d5, but I
dccidcd to stccr thc gamc tovard Ia-
mi|iarpositions, vhich shou|d obcc-
tivc|ybcs| ightlyvorscIorB|ack.
4. . . d55'fj'h2f4f72dj00 8
Oe2' |9 e5fe I0 de ' a I I 2-a
ba I2 00e Ij'a4Oa5 I4bjc5
(CraI dc |aRiva, B|cd2OO2).
5gc56 _gc2
7 a a6
7. . . 'd7!'8d5.
8g2_d7
Blackistryingtocoordinatchispicccs
and pavns, andrcstrain his opponcnt
on thc quccnsidc. Thc c-pavn plays
an importantro|c,povcrhllyrcstrict-
ing thc vhitc knight at c3. From that
vicvpoint, thc stand-oIIbctvccn thc
pavns at c5 and d4 is c|assic. Forci-
thcrsidctoinitiatcthccxchangcvou|d
mcan a conccssion to thc opponcnt,
sincc bothp|aycrsarctrying to main-
tainthctcnsionatallcosts.Somctimcs,
Whitc vil| push d4d5, to closc thc
ccntcr.
9 ~h5
Arathcrcommitta| p|an, suggcstcdby
Chcbancnko.Blackp|aystorcstrictthc
knight atc2bynota|lovinghisoppo-
ncnt to gct in g4 andgj. Ncvcrthc-
|css, B|ack shou|d havc bccn playing
morcmodcst|yhcrc.
1f4
Whitcachicvcsan advantagc inspacc
andcrcatcsunplcasantprcssurconthc
ccntcr.
1. . . b7 11 c _gf6 12 {d2
~1[ad1[c8
Thc Chcbancnko sctup in its purcst
dede7O-d87-d8 Iorm, itvillbc dimcu|t Ior Whitc to
start p| aying activc|y vith B| ack's
6. . . b5| pavnsscvcrc|yrcstrictinghisoptions.
SaxIndsthcbcstso|ution.
Whitcusua||yprcvcntsthismovcby
a2a4. 14dcdc 15_c1|
55
VictorBologan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
ThcidcabcingOf2and'dj,Whitcis
sccking outvcakncsscs inthccncmy
camp, and Iound onc at c5. Bcsidcs,
thc poorpositionoIthc knightat c2
vas causing Whitc prob|cms. Hov-
cvcr, shouldthcknightgct to d3, his
picccandpavncoordinationvi||bcin
goodordcr.
15... c5
This movc is thcrcsu|t oIa tactica|
Dcspi tc Whi tc ` s cxtra pavn, thc
cndgamc i s practi cal | y cvcn, vith
Black`s cxcc|lcnt support point on c5
andvcry harmoniouspicccs.
2d1 _c6
20. . . Lc8 2I 9d4 'f vas bcttcr,
'eand 'c4.
21f2c22b _dc52_d|
ovcrsight. I5. . . a5vou|dhavcbccnmct 2j-d8?'-d824'dj'c4= .
byI b4, 'dj.
B| ack should havc continucd morc
modcst|y. I5. . . Oc7 It5c5 I7fg tg
I8Odac8 I9O-c7-c7.
16fc_c5 17d8
hadintcndcdtomcct I7Of2Oc7I8
2-c5 vith I 8. . . 'fg4 (I8. . . 'c4 I9
bj =) I9hg'-g4, but Whitc had an
c|cmcntary rcIutation. 20 O-t7' (20
2d '-f2 2I 9-c7 '-dI 22 -dI
9-cj2jbcx-e4)20 . . . O-t2I-t
7-t22d77g82j-b7 .Hov-
cvcr, myopponcnt|ctmcoIIthchook
bygoingintothccndgamc.
17. . . ad8 18 d8 d8 19
c5 _fd7
5
2...c8
ntcndingtobringthc bishop outvia c
toc4. 2j. . . 'c4'?vasa|sointcrcsting.
24b6d625c5d826b6
d627Qf2c628{c1d729
c5 c4
29. . . g5,vith9c4'?toIo| |ov,vasa|so
vorthconsidcring.
_f4d1+1 {d1f62h4|
ntcnding2hjc8. Whitcisdcnitc|y
vorkingvithan advantagc,but B|ack
rctainsgooddravingchanccs,bccausc
oIhis strong support points at c5and
c4. Mcanvhilc, Whitc`s pavn vcak-
Sving
ncsscs practi cal | y ncgatc hi s tvo-
bishopadvantagcandhiscxtrapavn.
2... f7h g5| 4 _d5
Winning anothcr pavn vould havc
bccn bad. j4 hg fg j5 -h5 7g j
g42e = .
4... gh 5gh _g6 6 f2 _cc7
7 _c7
It vou| d appcar that Whitc has
outp|aycdhi sopponcnt butthc sur-
priscsarcjustbcginning.
7... f5|
j7. . . a5j82d7 .
8 _a6
j8 ef!!f4 , j8 2-f5 -f5 j9 ef
2f4 40--a7f o
8 ..._f4
Objcctivc|y spcaking, this is a dravn
position.Atthc momcnt, thcb5-pavn
casilyho|dsthrcccncmypavns,vhi|c
thcb|ackpicccsarcbccomingactivcon
thckingsidc.Butconsidcra|sothatthis
gamc vas p|aycd in thc |ast round,
vhcn no morc gamcsvcrc to bc ad-
joumcd. No sooncrhadvcgotoutoI
onctimc-scramb|c,thanvchadtodcal
vith anothcr - and my timc-prcssurc
vascspccia||yacutc.Novvcstarthav-
ing to dcal vith study motiIs, vhich,
oIcoursc, vithoutthc hclp oImyop-
poncnt and vithoutmy timc-prcssurc
vou|dncvcrhavcoccurrcdinthcgamc.
9f5 _f5 4cff641_c5
f5 42d2_g2|
NovthcvhitckingiscutoIIIromthc
kingsidc.
4 _d|
4j a4 vould soon havc rcsu|tcd in a
drav,butSaxstubbomlycontinucdto
scckoutvinning chanccs. Pcrhapshc
oughttohavcprcIcrrcd4j b7|!
4... c4 44 _b2 f1 45 c4| b
46c
A somcvhatcoopcrativc movc, but it
docsn`tspoi|anythingyct.Whitc stil|
hadadravvith47cjor4a47fj
479c5--h448 7cj7e4.
46... f47c1
479b-h448a47e4497eI2hj.
47..._c48a4h49a5c85
_a4
5 7
VictorBologan. SclcctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
5O7cI andid2
5 44 4 _f1+ 51d1c|
Suddcn|y it`s clcar that Whitc has to
losc his bi shop, shut in by its ovn
pavnsatc3andh4.Buthcstillhasn`t
lostthcdrav.
52 _b6 g4+ 5 c1 c2 54
_c4
54 a7-eI 55 a7i|j 5C-c47e2
57Cb7dj.
Bynov,ourboardvassurroundcdby
bothtcams. My tcammatcs |ookcdin
horroratmyIy-Iourthmovc,vhich
vasmadcintcrrib|ctimc-prcssurc.
54. . . c8||
EvcryoncthoughtthatBlackhadtosc-
curcthcdravby54. . . 7-eI 55ai|j
5 a7 Cgj 57 CbC|5 58c4| .
55 _d6
55id2ia- .
55. . . a656c4
"Coopcrativc"t
_
thcvcrycnd,Whitc`s
lastchancctodravvas5Ce87-eI
57Cc7.
58
56 . . . c1 57c5_c 58c6 _d5
59 _c4
Whitcna||ydccidcs it`s timctodca|
viththch-pavn.
59. . . d| 6 _gg6
CuttingoI!Whitc`s lastpiccc.
61 a6 f2 62 a7 _c7 6 _h5
_h5 64 d2 f 65 d
f466c4c567c5_a8~1
Notvanting totcst my tcchniquc oI
matingvithbishop andknight, Sax
rcsigncd.
Lcssous
I ) Thcnicc-lookingmovcthatyoudcs-
pcratclyvanttomakcisn`ta|vaysthc
strongcst.Inthisgamc,distractcdbya
prctty idca, I Iorgot about thc dctai|s
andIai|cdto calculatcthcvariationto
itsconclusion( 5 . . . c5!!).
2)Inapavndovncndgamcvithmany
picccsstil|onthcboard,thcdcIcnding
sidcmighthavcsu0cicntrcsourccsto
mount a stubbom dcIcnsc. thc activc
placcmcntoIhispicccs,orsomcvcak-
ncsscsinthccncmypavnstructurc.In
this gamc,Whitchad avcak pavn at
c4, vhich gavcB|ackastrongoutpost
on c5. Thc main conclusion. bcing
dovnmatcria|nccdnot|cadtodcspair
andalosingattitudc.
J) Somctimcs ithappcns thatthc sidc
viththccxtramatcria|hasvcrypoor|y
p|accdpicccs,andiIthc"vinningsidc"
undcrcstimatcsthcrcsourccsavailablc
tohisopponcnt,itmay|cadtoatragic
outcomc.
Sving
In thc spring oI l 993, I Iaccd thc
graduatc`schoiccoIvhcrcIshou|d|ivc
andvhatIshou|ddo.Thcso|utionquitc
uncxpcctcd|y arrivcd Irom across thc
occanbutmorcaboutthat|atcr.First,
|ctmcrclatcmygrcatadvcnturcsprior
tothcNcvYorkOpcn.Tobcginvith,
upon rcgistration Ior my Iight, I vas
thc only onc oImy group (composcd
oIIormcr Sovictplaycrs) notal|ovcd
on board thc p|anc. As it tumcd out,
only Moldavians nccdcd to havc an
Irish transit visa. (In thosc days, thc
ights Irom Moscov toAmcrica had
to stop in Shannon). ThcrcIorc, I had
to spcnd a day battling both Aero}ot
andthcIrishConsulatc,butcvcntual|y
IboardcdthcplancandIcvtothctour-
namcnt, arriving a Icv hours bcIorc
p|ayvastobcgin.
ThisvasmyIirstcxpcricnccp|aying
inAmcrica, and I Ic|t |ikc I had ar-
rivcdonadiIIcrcntp|anct.Thcpcop|c
l ookcd thc samc, thc houscs vcrc
madc oIstonc, and thc carsrodc on
vhccls- butto this day, Ijustcannot
gctuscdtothcAmcricanrhythmoIliIc.
( l 2) Dlug IBologan
NcvYork (USA), l 993
QCDSlavDcIcnsc [ DI 5j
ThisgamcvasthcbcginningoImyac-
quaintanccvithMaximD|ugy.Hcvon
thc Wor|d 1unior Championship in
985 and |atcr bccamc a succcssIul
busincssman.WcbccamcIricndsand
I cvcnvorkcdat his Iirm`s Moscov
oHccatonctimc.
1d4d52c4c6_c_f64ca6
ThcChcbancnkoVariationoIthcS|av
aItcr4'[.B|ackhasavca|thoIpos-
sibilitics hcrc. thc a-pavn rcstricts
thc knight on c3, and makcs b7b5
possiblc, cithcrimmcdiatc|yoracr
ancxchangconc4. Thisobviouspro-
phy|actic vaiting movc a|so Iorccs
Whitc to dccidc bctvccn ninc pos-
siblccontinuations,andthcplansthcy
i ntroduc c . For cach oI t hcm,
Chcbancnkohadavorthyandorigi-
nal rcsponsc. Tothisday,noonchas
yctIoundarchtationIorWhitc.Iknov
oIno othcrvariation put Iorvard by
any othcr sc|I-taught playcrthathas
lastcdso|ong.
5 _fb56b
This continuation is sti|| sccn in tour-
namcntpraxis.
6. . . @g4
. . . 2572dje82-f5ef9O-O2d
I0 Odjg I I a4dc I 2bcb4 I j'e2
'bd7 I4 2b2 00 I 5 [|dI Oe7
(Kasimdzhanov- Sakacv, Bundcsliga
2OO3) .
7 h
7 2e2 is currcntly thc morc popu|ar
movc.
7...@-f 8-f
Thcsc days, Whitc usua|lyplays 7 hj
inordcrtorccapturcviththc pavn. 8
gf'bd7 9f4e I0 c5 'e4 I I '-e4
de I22g2f5IjfjefI42-fjc8 I5
Oe2,vithadvantagctoWhitc(Va| |cjo
Fons l. Soko|ov, SclIoss2OO3).
DcIcnsc,itspurc Iorm actua||yoccurs 8 c5|
59
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
Vyachcs|av Andrccvich vorkcd this
vho|c|incoutthirtyycarsago.ButIor
D|ugy,oIcoursc,itvasasurprisc.Pcr-
hapsthcmorcaccuratcvaytogo into
this|incvouldbcahcrthcprcliminary
cxchangconc4, by8. . . bc.
9dcb 1d2-c
AItcr I 0 . . . Ce4 I I C-e4 de I 2OdI
O-d2I jO-d22-d2 I47-d27e7
I57cj,Whitc`schanccsarcsti||a|itt|c
bcttcr.
11 -c _c4 12 bb 1bc
Comparcdtothcvariationthatincludcs
8. . . bc,hcrcWhitchassomcadditional
possibi|itics.
Ij e'!a7 I4bcc5 I5 cdO-d5 I
dI O-e I7 2ajCd7(I7 . . . 00 I8
2djCcjI9Oh5f520cI O-a22I
-cjOaI227d2O-hI 2j2-c5 -
(Casanov- Dcviatkin,Voronczh2OO3)
I82djCdf.
I jOg4'!c5 I4O-g7f8 I 5dIOb
I 2d2 cj I 7 2cI c2 I 8 dj c4
( Hi | | arp Pcrsson I bragimov,
Skc||chca 999).
1. . . b6 14aa5
O
Thcbishopisdrivcno0thc important
diagona|.
15 cdcd
I 5 . . . ab I O-e4 -aj I7 bI .
16d2|
I 2d (I2c4 Oc) I. . . Ob2 I 7
dI Ocj I87e2 Cd7 I9-d5 Oc4
20 dj c8 ( Pol u|j ahov
Moskalcnko,Rostov 993).
16. . . b2
I. . . C-d2!' I7 O-d5 C-fI I8 O-a8
00 (I8. . . C-ej I9 fe O-ej 20 7fI
Odj 2I 7f2 Od4 227gj O-e5,
anddravs) I9Oe4Cd2'20Oc2Cbj
2I bI a4 2200Ca 2jOc4 Cac5
24fdI> .
17d1 _c6 18a4|
Whitcvants to sccurc thc bishop on
b5, but it vas Iar morc important to
comp|ctc his dcvc|opmcnt at oncc by
I82djC-e5 I9Oe2002000O-aj
2I 2-e4de 22Ob5'andaI-.
18 . . . ~ 19 d _-c5 2 c2
a221-c4
2I 00C-d222-d2O-a4 =.
21. . . dc 22c|
2200O-a4= or22. . . fd8=.
22. . . _d+ 2f1
Whitc|oscsthcrighttocast|candnds
himsc|Iinadimcu|tposition.Abcttcr
tryvas2j-djO-e2247-e2 ed
257-djfb8=.
Sving
2. . . a424a1c425d4a4
26 g1 f5 27 h2 c7+ 28 g
fc829a|c2a2 c2
1c2a2g4|fghg _c1
I t vould havc bccn simp|cr to p|ay
jj. . . LcI j4 L-cI C-cI j5 c2 Cbj
j2e5a2j7Lc7g|(orj7. . . aIOj8
L-g7 ?h8 j9 e7 O-e5 40 L-e5
Cd2) j8g77f8j9L-h7aI O40
2-aIL-aI 4I7gjg5| .
4cc1_b5c2c16c1
_c1 7c2_b8c5a7
j8. . . a2 vou|d havc transposcd to thc
variationgivcnabovc.
9a2_c14 a1 _d41d4
a4 42 a2| f7 4 g g6 44
c2c645c7a246a1 d5
47 h7 _c5 48 f4 _b 49
h1 _a1 5 a1 a6 51 g5
a452d1+ c65a1
B|acksccurcsthcvinby"niangulation.
5. . . d6| 54 d1+ c7| 55 a1
c6 56 g4 c5 57 f4+ cf 58
ff559c2g56d
f5~1
lcss0ns
l ) Somctimcs non-standard opcning
choiccs can Iorcc youropponcnt into
anunusua|gamcinvhichthcinitiativc
has grcat signiIi cancc. By granting
Whitc thc advantagc oIthc tvobish-
ops,B|acktookonincrcascdrcsponsi-
bi|iticsandhadto dcvc|opanopcning
initiativcquick|y.
2)Anuncastlcdkingalvays signics
incrcascdrisk,cspcciallyvhcncncmy
picccsarcdangcrouslyc|osc!
3) Whcn cxp|oitinganadvantagc, onc
must a|vays maintain conccntration
andcalculatcconcrctcvariationsaccu-
ratcly.Continuingtoattackongcncra|
principlcsmayrcsultinthcdissipation
oIthcadvantagc.
Duringthc^. Y. toumamcnt,myhicnd
DinaTu|manadviscdmctostartstudy-
ingvithMarksrai|cvichDvorctsky.
don`tknoviIhcrrccommcndationcar-
ricdthatmuchvcight,oriIDvorctsky
dccidcd that thc smarts vcrc mnning
outoImycars,buthcdidbcginvork-
ingvithmc,andmyrcsults vcntovcr
thc moon. n that ycar a|onc, gaincd
OOrating points. (t`sintcrcstingthat
thcrichRussian|anguagchasnoIcmalc
cquiva|cntIor"Iicnd.As"gir|hicnd
hasquitcadiIIcrcntmcaning.)`
Trans|ator`s^otc.In Kuaaiun, thc worda
urc droog und odroogu. `
l
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
Onc thing that grcv consi dcrab| y
sharpcrvasmytactica| a|crtncss. Lct
mc dcmonstratc this vith an cpisodc
hommyrsttoumamcntinBicl.
( l 3)K. 5komorokhin IBologan
Bicl(Svitzcrland) 993
Whitchasjustcapturcd apavn onI
andnovthrcatcnsac|assicdiscovcrcd
chcck.
28..._d|
B|ackhasancxtrarook,andhcisprc-
parcd to sacriIcc his knight on c5 in
ordcrtocloscthcdangcrousdiagona|.
28. . . 7g7vou|dhavcbccnvcakcr.29
'g4| (29 'h5! 7f7 j0 Og7
7e ) 29. . . 7f8 j0 'h| Oe jI
Oh87e7 j2 Og7 7e8 jj 9hj'
Oe7j4Og8Of8 j5OeOe7+
29 c4
29'g4'e5j0feO-g4jI ed7g8
j2Ofd7.
29A _f4|
B|ack again makcs usc oIa tactica|
motiI- hcthrcatcns aIorkonc2. Thc
batt|cIorthckcyc5-squarccontinucs.
2
29 . . . Oe vas vcakcr. j0 9-dj Oe7
jI g4, g5.
_g4+
j0 9-f5 'e2, j0 gfO-f4 jI 'g4
7g8.
...c5
Thc combination comcs to an cnd.
Whitc must sctt|c Ior a piccc-dovn
cndgamc.
1 _c5 _c2+ 2 g2 _c
_f7+ g7 4 _d8 _ c4 5
_b7f66 _a5c5,andgradu-
a||ymanagcdtoconvcrtmycxtrapiccc.
Blcsscd by naturc vith an cnormous
capacityIorvork(a|ongvithhischcss
talcnt),Dvorctskyhassuccccdcdindc-
vc|opinghisovnsystcmoIpcrIccting
thc divcrsc ski l | s oI di IIcrcnt
chcssplaycrs. Usinghismcthods, it is
possiblctoachicvcsolidimprovcmcnts
inanycomponcntoIchcssmastcry,bc
itpositional skil|, tactical vision,pro-
phylacticthinking,orca|culationabi|-
ity.ThcscvcrccxcrciscsoIadicrcnt
ordcr Irom thosc oIChcbancnko or
Lanka.MostoIthctimc,solvcdtrain-
ing prob|cms. bypassing thc thcorcti-
cal conccms andInding so|utions by
p|aying positions. So itvas that, by
bccoming a studcnt oIDvorctsky,
i mp|cmcntcd Chcbancnko` s advicc
IromIourycarsago.
My vork vith Dvorctsky inIucnccd
mydccisiontostayinMoscov. Sincc
haddoncpractica|lynostudyinginmy
|asttvoycarsatthcnstitutc,andhad
alvays had a thirst Ior knov|cdgc,
dccidcdto I|| thc void. n Scptcmbcr
Sving
993, I signcdup Ior mymastcr` s. In
myIrstycaroIstudy, dcspitcmyac-
tivc tournamcnt schcdu|c, I stil| at-
tcndcdthcmaorityoImyc|asscs. Wc
hadagrcatcourscinphi|osophy.Each
aspirantprcparcdarcportonatopicand
thcn vc a| | critiqucd it. Thcrc vas
Christianity (my thcmc), Buddhism,
ancicnt phi|osophcrs, cxistcntia|ism
andsoIorth.Wc a|sohcard|ccturcson
csotcrica. Thcsc days, youcan`t Iazc
anyonc vith astrology or Buddhism,
butinthoscdays,itvasa||ncvtous.
Sincc I vas going Ior my mastcr`s, I
dccidcdtorctumtomyIat, vhcrc, as
aconscqucnccoImyIormcrscrviccas
prcsidcntoIthcCommissionIorSocia|-
ist DcIcnsc oIStudcnts, thcrc vas a
scparatc apartmcnt Ior mc nov. Thc
IrstthingI hadtodovascxtcrminatc
a|lthccockroachcsthatthc|asttcnants
had lcI crav|ing a|l ovcrthc va||pa-
pcr. Thc rustling vas so |oud, you
couldn` t cvcn s|ccp. I hau|cd thirty
buckctsoItrashoutoIthatroom! Thc
mctamorphosi s vas so stark that
oItcntimcs thc othcr studcnts in thc
bui|dingvcrcccrtainthatthcyhadust
gottcnthcvrongroomnumbcr.
InthcautumnoIl 993, bcIorcthctour-
namcnts inOstravaandCran Canaria,
IrcccivcdadircctivcIromDvorctsky.
undcrnocircumstanccsvasItogctinto
timc-prcssurc.Duringmygamcs,Ikcpt
an anti-timc-prcssurc rccord oItimc
spcntoncachmovc,tomakcsurcthat
I spcntno morc than Iy minutcs on
thcrsttvcntymovcs, and a|sothat I
vou|da|vayshavcaboutthrccminutcs
pcrmovc|cIt.IhadtoIo||ovthisplan,
cvcn iIthc gamc su0crcd as a rcsult.
So, |ikca good studcnt, I did a|| this,
andyouknovvhat,ithc|pcd'Ivonboth
toumamcnts! In thc Canarics, I bcgan
vith8outoI8, andon|ymadcaquick
dravinthc|astgamc,vhcrcasOstrava
vas j ust about thc rst tournamcnt
vhcrcmyvorkvithDvorctskybcgan
tobcarrcalIruit.
( l 4) 5. Guhev IBologan
Ostrava(CzcchRcpub|ic) 993
Sarhan Cu|icv is an intcrcsting and
origina| grandmastcr, vho | cd thc
AzcrbaianitcaminthcUSSRPcoplcs`
SpartakiadandthcninthcO|ympiads.
Withhis|astmovc,Whitcsnappcdo0
thcc-pavnvithhis rookand |chthc
d5-knighthanging.Hcrc,thc"carousc|
bcgins.
24 4 _c| 24 _-c
Ahcr 24 -cj bc 252-cj (25'-cj
i-d+ 2 'dC4 g7') 25. . . 'b5 2
'C4g B|ackisbcttcr.
24..._-c6 25-c6 -f2||
Anuncxpcctcd, though rathcr typica|
strikcamongothcrthings,it`sanothcr
zvischcnzug. Nov thc knight on d2
hangs,andinsomc|incs,} g4isthrcat-
cncd,soWhitchastotakcthcrook,and
hcadtovardthcccntcrvith his king.
3
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
26{-f2
Or 2 'ce4 g2 27 7hI -gj 28
'-gj 2g4 29 7gI 2-dI j0 -dI
OejjI7g2 2-d4 j22-d4 O-d4,
2e2bc27-f2 cb.
26 q q @-d4+ 27{f
27 @g4+| 28{c4
Whitc cou|dalsohavcgottcnmatcdin
thcmidd|coIthcboard.287-g4Oh5
297f4Of5*.
28. . . @-d1 29_-d1@-b2_c4
g5 1 _dc -g 2 f1 f8
@d5+ {g7~1
( 5) IBologan - B. KeJon
Francc 994
Sici|ianSvcshnikovB33j
This gamc vas playcd i n thc Uppcr
LcagucoIthcFrcnchTcamChampion-
ship against thc Conhcvi||c club. In
thoscdays,IplaycdIorBc|Iort,vhich
vas D by thcnotcd organizcr 1can-
Paul Touzct a man not on|yIamous
Iorhissizc(hcvcighsncarly2OOki|o-
grams)buta|soIorthcnctraditiona|
toumamcntshcorganizcsinBc|Iort.
p|aycd Ior his club in 993 and 994.
InthcIrstscason,Iscorcd9outoI9
absolutc|ythcbcstrcsu|toImycarccr.
Our tcam vas quitc strong, vith tvo
cx-vorld championsp|aying.Anatoly
Evgcni cvi ch Karpov and Bori s
Vasi|ycvich Spassky,vca|sohad1an
Timman, Andrci Soko|ov, and Alcxci
Shirov. A|though vc Iought hard Ior
rst p|acc, thc bcst vc cvcr did vas
third.
Tcnycars|atcr,travc|cdtoConhcvi|lc
again,but thistimc togivca simu|ta-
ncouscxhibition,andvasp|casant|y
surpriscdtobcshovnaphotoinvhich
Ostrava I993
2 3 4 5 ? 8 0 JotaI
I . BoIogn,V ktor A 0 0
2. Gulkv, Sarhan 0 A 0 5 ':
3. Vokac, Marck 0 A 0 5 ':
4. Shcr, Mron 0 0 A
C
I 5 ':
5. Biokk, Richard 0 A 0 l 4'^
. Kovakv, Andrci 0 0 I A 0 0 4Z
?. KcitIgau, ludgcr 0 0 I A 4':
8. GsIu, Amn 0 0 A
2
! 4
. Michcnka, 1oz! 0 0 0 0 A 0 2':
l 0. logras( Tbor 0 0 0 0 0 I A 2'
4
Sving
a young Bo|ogan is shovn ana|yzing
thcprcscntgamc.
1c4c52_f_c6d4cd4_d4
_f6 5 _c c56 _db5d67 g5
a6 8_ab5
Whcn thc Svcshnikov Variation Irst
appcarcd in thc mid-7Os, itvas con-
sidcrcdon|ypart|ycorrcct. Thccl as-
sici sts oIthoscdays thought that thc
vcakcning oId5 and thc unIortunatc
p|accmcntoIB|ack`spicccs(thcknight
at c takcs nopart inthc strugglc Ior
thc d5-squarc, among othcr things)
addcd up to a grcat advantagc Ior
Whitc.But,sinccthisvariationhasnot
bccn rcIutcd to this day, it is cvidcnt
that B|ack`s plusscs arc considcrably
grcatcr. Whitc |oscs too much timc
marching hi s knight Irom d4 to a3,
vhcrcitstandsvcrypoorly.
Thcrc arc tvo main systcms. Onc in-
vo|vcs doubling B|ack`s I-pavns (9
2-fgt), invhichcasc B|ack tricsto
gct in ff5 as quick|y as possiblc to
opcnupthcccntcr.Attimcs,hciscvcn
prcparcd to sacriIcc matcrial to acti-
vatc his bishopsandadvanccthcccn-
tcr pavns. Thc othcr, morc c|assical
variation playcdhcrc - invo|vcs a
morc scdatc dcvclopmcnt. B|ack a|so
gctsthcadvantagcoIthctvobishops,
butthcpavnsarcnotdoublcd,andthc
brcakvith If5 is not so dangcrous,
a||oving Whitc to ccmcnt his contro|
ovcrthc d5-squarc in ca|mcr circum-
stanccs.OIcoursc,thcidca|IorWhitc
vouldbctocxchangcthc|ight-squarcd
bishops,andB|ackvi|lccrtain|ycxcrt
cvcrycIIorttoprcvcntthis.Whitcmay
also attack thc d-pavn, and go aIcr
thcb5-pavnbya4, orcvcn vithc4as
vcll.
9 _d5c71 f6 f6 11 c
~ 12_c2[b81a|
LikcmanyoImyothcr"InIormantnov-
cltics,"thisvasoncoIZigurdsLanka`s.
ThcmainidcaistoaskB|ackvhathc
vantstodo.IIhcintcndsa5, thcnajis
auscIu|prophy|acticmovc,vhilcthc
b5-pavnis vcakcncd. ButiIB|ackrc-
IrainsIromaa5,thcnWhitccancon-
tinucvith'cb4,andiIthcknightsarc
cxchangcd,hccanrccapturconb4vith
his a-pavn.
1 . . . a5
Thc sourccgamc continucd. Ij. . . 2g5
I 4h52h I 5gj2e I'cb42-d5
I7 '-d5 a5 I8 b4 a4 I92hj, vith
advantagctoWhitc(Lanka-Laduguic,
Canncs 992).
14dc615c2d5 16cd
_c7 17 ~~|b6
B|ack absolutc|y has to gct inb5b4,
but this brcak has bccn rcndcrcd cx-
trcmclydicu|tIorthctimcbcing.
I7. . . '-d5 I82-h7(I8Oe42g5)
I8 . . . 7-h7 I 9|-d5 = .
18yb1g6
5
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
I8...Oc5|! I9 Ofj | / h4, g4). I I9
9e4,thcn I9. . . g20g42h4| .
19h4
Avc||-knovnprincip|cisquitcapp|i-
cab|ctothcprcscntposition.anattack
iscspccia||ydangcrousvithoppositc-
co|orcdbishops.
I99e49g720g4f5 2I gf(2I 9g2
e422gf-f5)2I . . .gf222g2Cg,
/ b4.
19. . . g7
A somcvhat passi vc choi cc.
I 9 . . . C-d5| ! vas vorth considcration.
20OfjCf4(20. . . b42Icbab22O-d5
ba 2jb4) 2I gj C-dj 22-dj 2g7
2jhdIfd824g4|.
2h5f5
20. . . C-d5| |ookstohavcbccnstrongcr,
|cadingtoavcryunc|cargamcaIcr2I
hghg229-g(22Ofj Cf 2jh4
d5 24dhI e4 25OhjCh5 29e2
b427abab289-h5(28C-b4O-f2
299-h5-b4)28. . . bc)22. . . C-cj2j
bcfg24Odj-f2(24. . . O-f225O-g
Of5 29 O-d ) 25 O-g f 2
Oh77f27hfIb428cbab29ab.
But B|ack` s choicc also |ooks quitc
tcmpting.
21hg hg
22. . . c4 2gfcd
2j. . . gf24dgI| ed! 25 Oe t2
-g 7|7-g 727Oh7g828Oh8*.
24c6+ [f7 25[d
25Cd4b4| (25. . . C-f5 2C-f5 gf27
dgI ) 2 Cc b7| (2. . . bc 27
C-e77f28C-g7g829Ce7J 27
abab28C-b4C-f5,
2 5 . . . C-f5docsnotsavchim. 2O-g
f27Oh77|7(27. . . 7|828fjb4
(28. . . Ce7 29 gI ) 29 ab ab j0
C-b4=) 28 Oh5 (28 fj! h8)
28. . . 7e729Cd4| .
26[dh|
2fg f.
26 . . . gf
Whitc` s attack i s vcry strong aItcr
2I . . . e422fj|!(22-h7C-g). 2. . . C-f5 27 O-g f 28Og5 Ob7
29 h7 (29 Cej C-ej j0 fe b4 jI
22g4| h87t)29. . . b4(29. . . Tg8j0Ih5
bf8 jI Og4 Oe7 j2 h8 T|7 jj
WhitcsacriccsapicccIoravcrypov- -f8 O-f8 j4 -f5) j0 ab ab jI
crh|attack. C-b4.

Sving
27d4|
Addingthcknighttothcattackprovcs
dccisivc. And, oIcoursc, it is aiming
Iorc!Asmadcthcmovc, hadca|-
cu|atcdthcconscqucnccspractica|lyto
matc.
27. . . b4
27. . . 28 h8 2-h8 29 -h8
g7j0\-e7|jI\h4|CjI h7
7-h7j2\-|7h8jj\ f isalso
good) j I . . . -h8 j2 'e 7g8 jj
\ g57h7 j4 \ h5 7g8 j5 \ g
Fg7j\-g7 * .
27. . . 'g8 28 |gI b4 29 'c e8 j0
\-dee7jI h8||2-h8j2 -g8
7-g8jj'-e7.
28c6bc
28= . = '-c 29 h8 2-h8 j0 -h8
7g7jI \h* .
28. . . \c7 29 '-e7 \-e7 j 0 h8
2-h8jI -h87g7j2\h* .
29h8+
Hcrc,Imighthavcannounccdmatcin
B|ack`son|yactivcpossibi|ity othcr- scvcn.
visc,Whitc`sons|aughtprocccdsprac-
tica||yunhindcrcd. 294 4 .@- h8 -h8+ g8 1
|ctor ologun (l.; und ludim Zvuginacv (m.;, with thcir truincr
Murk Ovorctaj (r; Moacow, 200I
7
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
h6+| [g7 2 -d6+ f7
c6+f84[-g8+| 1~
B|ackrcsigncdinvicvoIj4. . . -g8j5
=e7 * .
Lcssous
)Thcrcarctimcsvhcnit`sagoodidca
to play avaitinggamcandgivcyour
opponcntthcoptionoIvhcrctoputhis
picccs. I j ajvasjustsucha vaiting
movc, vhich also madc it hardcr Ior
Blacktogctinb5b4.
2)Attacksvithoppositc-co|orcdbish-
opsarcknovntobcvcrystrong,sincc
thc opponcnt cannot opposc your
bishop. ThcrcIorc, as a rulc, thconc
vho rst |aunchcs an attack has thc
uppcrhand.
3) Inthc Sici|ianDcIcnsc, cvcntsIrc-
qucnt|y dcvc|op movc by movc. Bc-
sidcsthcabi|itytoca|cu|atcvariations
vcl|,oncmusta|so knovhovtocm-
p|oythcmaximumnumbcroI picccsin
thc attack. OIcoursc, it isbcst vhcn
a||oI thcmparticipatc'On|yinthisvay
canyoutipthcsca|csinyourIavor.
InthcsccondycaroImymastcr'sstud-
ics,duringthcautumnoI 994,Imovcd
to a scparatc apartmcnt in Strogino,
vhich is|ocatcdon thc southvcstcm
cdgc oIMoscov, oppositcthcIamous
Si|vcr Forcst' , a rcgion |itcra||y sur-
roundcdbygrccncry.ThisisoncoIthc
Icv p|accs in Moscov vhcrc svim-
ming inthcMoscovRivcrispcrmit-
tcd. In a vord, it vas a rcsort in thc
middlc oIthc mcga|opo|is. Hovcvcr,
my chicImotivating Iactor vas its
c|oscncsstoDvorctsky, in Iact, I ob-
taincdthcapartmcntIromhis Iricnds.
Svimminginthcsummcr, running in
thcIa| l andspring,skiinginthcvintcr
andShcrcmctycvo-2'justtvcntymin-
utcs avay. vhat morc cou| d a
chcssp|aycrnccd?
Coals!
Foralongtimc,I |ackcdthisc|cmcn-
tary componcnt oIanyproIcssiona| 's
|iIc. That samc autumn, I vcnt into a
stccp divc and cxpcricnccd anothcr
chcssdcclinc. ItallbcganvhcnI cm-
barkcdtop|ayinthcRomanianLcaguc,
dcspitc a scrious cold. "arca| proIcs-
siona| ' But thc |oss oI Iorty rating
pointsprovcdtobcadccpvound it
tookmctvolongycarstorctumtothc
2OOmark.
Thc 994 Chcss O|ympiadtookp|acc
in Moscov in Dcccmbcr. This vas a
conIusing timc in thc history oIthc
Russian govcmmcnt. It vas a vho|c
ycaraIcrthcputschoIOctobcr 993,`
and thc vcck thc Irst Chcchcn cam-
paigngotundcrvay.Thcprivatization
oIour nationa| propcrty, thc huits oI
thc|aboroIscvcra|gcncrationsoISo-
vict citizcns, vas gaining spccd. Thc
Icryovcringand hcady disso|ution
ThcSi|verForest anis|andpreservc on the border oIMoscov, vhere those in
pover,orusttheveryrich,hadtheirdachas. Inthevinter, Ivouldskithere.
Shcrcmctycvo-2istheMoscovIntemationa|Airport.
TheOctober I 993putschvasanattempttooverthrovtheRussiangovemmcnt.
PrivatizationinRussiavasthetransIeroIpropcrty vhichundertheUSSRConsti-
tutionhad becn hc|d to bc thc peoples` propcrty into the hands oIIormer Party
administratorsand theirretinue,vhothenbccame vea|thy 'entrcprencurs.
8
Sving
oInancia|pyramids`vascvcryvhcrc.
Onc oI vhi ch, in Iact, vas
"HoppcrInvcst," vhich nanccd thc
O|ympiad,|itcra|lyvithits|astbrcath.
Againstthisbackground,thcdccision
to ho| d thc O| ympiad in Moscov
lookcd vcry strangc, but po|itics had
|ongsinccbrokcnintochcss.
Usua| |y,thcMo|doviantcamvou|dgct
ohto adcccnt start, Ior instancc, vc
vcntthroughthcIrstscvcnrounds oI
onc O|ympiad vithout |osing a singlc
match. But c|oscr to thc Inish, vc
vou|dIa|tcr. InMoscov,vcmanagcd
tovinourmatchagainstthc\. b. tcam
in round six (thanks, among othcr
things,tomyvinonBoard ),andthis
bccamc onc oI Moldova` s grcatcst
achicvcmcntsinanyO|ympiad.
( )J Benamin - IBologan
MoscovL 994
Eng|ishOpcning A24j
1 c4 _f6 2 _c g6 g g7 4
g2 ~ 5 _f d6 6 ~ a6| 7
d
With7d4,Whitccou|dhavctransposcd
intoaKing`sIndian.Instcad,hcdccidcs
onasctupsimi|artothcEng|ish.
7... c5
Anothcrplan Ior B|ackhcrc invo|vcs
c7c and b7b5, as in. 7. . . c 8 bI
b59cbabI 0b4Cfd7 II O c2 Cb
I 2ajCa4 I jC-a4-a4I4Cd29d7
I 5 9b2 9-b2 I O-b2 Ca
(Savanovic- Fcdorov,1ahorina2OO3).
8 [b1h6|
lnancalpyramdschcmcs.
P|aycdaccordingto Lanka, thcmovc
scrvcs many purposcs. First oI a||,
B|ack prcvcnts 9g5-f, vhcn Whitc
givcsuphisbishopIorincrcascdcon-
tro|oIthch| -a8diagona|. P|us, Black
vantstomovchisknighttoh5andprc-
parcIf5,gg5,f5f4, ctc.
9b4 _h5|
Ina |atcrgamc, I p|aycd 9. . . 9e, and
cqualizcd conIdcnt|y. I0 Cd2 c I I
a4d5 I 2b5ab I j abCbd7 I 4 bcbc
I 5 cd cd I e4 Cc5 (Simonovic -
Bo|ogan,U|cinj 997).
1c|c6
B|ack prcparcs c7c and dd5 to
ansvcr a ving attack vith a ccntra|
countcrb|ov.
Thc Ioo| hardy I0. . . f5| ! is rcIutcd by
I I d4e4! I2 h4 7h7 Ij C-e4' fe
I 49-e4Cf I 59-g+g8 I9c2.
11 b2
I I a4 Cd7 I2Cd2b8.
11..._d712c2c6 1a4d5
Insuchpositions, thcacccptcdaxiom
is.hcvhocxccutcshisp|anrst,takcs
9
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
thc initiativc. So, Whitc`s b4b5 or
B|ack`sdd5.
14 d2
Ahcrthismovc,B|ackno|ongcrnccds
toundcrtakcavingattack,sohcsim-
plyrctumshis knightto covcrimpor-
tantccntcrsquarcs.
14... hf6I
I4. . . d4! I5 eded Ice4= .
15b5
I5e4vou|dhavcbccnmctbythctypi-
ca| King's Indian rcaction. I 5 . . . dc I
dca5' I7b5Le8(/ 2t),takingcon-
tro| oIthcc5-squarc.
15... ab 16abc8
Pcrhaps I. . . c5'!vasmorcaccuratc,
puttingqucstionstoWhitcatoncc.
17fc1
Commcnti ng on thi s gamc Ior
ChcssBasc, Scrgcy Do| matov sug-
gcstcd I7 bc' ! hcrc, vhich appcars
strongcr.I7 . . . bcI8cdcdI9b5Ob8
(I9 . . . Ob 20 2aj) 20 2aj 2t 2I
d4t2I d-aj)2I. . .Oa7222-t
-t2jc.
17 ... d4
OIcoursc this movcvcakcns thc long
light-squarcd diagonal , but thanks to
thc opposition oIthc vhitc quccn on
c2andthcb|ackrookonc8,Whitchas
notimcto cxp|oitit.
I7. . . Oe7!'I8bcbcI9cdcd20b5 .
7O
18b (I8ce4'!) 18. . . b 19 cc4
-c42-c4{c7 21 cd
Thc knight invasionond is ccrtain|y
notdangcrous. 2Ic5a(2I . . .a222
db82jeded242-c-c5)22
d ea8.
21...cd22a1 f5 2{c2h5I
B|ack`s position ismorcp|casant. his
picccsarcactivcandhchasmorcspacc,
vhi|cWhitc`sbishopisrcstrictcdatb2
andthcvcakncssoIthcpavnatd3may
bccomcaIactor.
24 c1I
Hchadto Iorcstal| B|ack`sncxtmovc
by24hj'!orcvcn24h4' !
24 ... h425-a8-a8 26c1
Trading rooksby 2 aI -aI 27
2-aI hj 282hI Ob4 clcar|y Iavors
Black,andon 2gh'!, B|acknccdnot
bc inahurrytorccovcrthc pavn,but
can simp|y strcngthcn hisposition by
2. . . c5 (2. . . O-h427gj).
26...h27h1{b428d2{a4
29{-a4-a4
At about this momcnt, vc had both
Sving
gottcn into scrious timc-prcssurc. It
should bc notcd that thc cxchangc oI
quccns has incrcascd Black`s advan-
tagc. thc d3-pavn has grovn vcakcr,
andthckingisprcttyuncomIortab|con
g | , vithB|ack`spavnonh3.
f4| (prcparing f2)...[a2 1
c1
Thcknightstandssostronglyonc4that
itmustbctradcdoII.
1. ..-c4| 2dc|
j22-e4c5isunplcasantIorWhitc.
jj2-c(jj f5'? -e4 j4 -e4 aI
j5 -eI 2h j2d2 2ej j77fI
-e I j8 7-eI | ? (j8 2-eI gf= )
j8. . . 2-d2(j8. . . 2gI'?)j97-d2gf40
7e2 7g7 4I 7fj 7f 42 g4 fg 4j
7-g4 7e5 44 7-hj 7f4 45 7g2
7ej ) jj. . . -dj j4 dI c5'
Cj4. . . -cI j5-cIdjjdI2d4
j77fI |-h2j8-dj ", j4. . . aIj5
-dj -cI j 7f2 -c4 j7 2d5
c2 j8 7gI 2t-) j5 2fj f5, Z
e4andc2.
2... _c5 [d1
jje5djj4fIc5j52e4vasvorth
considcring.
..._b
jj. . . a4 | Z cj and djd2) j42fj
cj j5 fIdj j2ej2tvasbcttcr.
But as I mcntioncd bcIorc, vc vcrc
bothinscrioustimc-troub|c.
4f f8
Atimc-prcssurccrror.j4. . . c2j52aj
-c4vinsimmcdiatcly.
5f5_-c1 6[-c1h67[d1
c+8h1 [c2
This lctsthcvin slip. j8. . . gfj9efc5
40 2g4 7g7 4I 2-hj 7f 42 2g2
7e54j2fI(4jfI f anddj, 4j
g4 f, vith 7f4 to Iol | ov, vi ns)
4j. . . 7-f5442dj7g4vascorrcct.
9fgfg4g4g741 -h
4I e5' ?vasthcsimplcstvaytodrav.
Timc-prcssurc isovcrandthcposition
is objcctivcly cvcn. At this momcnt,
MarkIsrailcvichDvorctskyappcarcdin
thcplayingha||alongvithBorisCulko.
Togcthcr,thcybcgananalyzingmypo-
sition. Dvorctsky said, "Most |ikc|y,
Victor vins this. " "Hov?" vondcrcd
Cu|ko, "thcpositionisdravn' ""Wc||,
Blackhasthc initiativc hcrc, andbc-
sidcs, vc spcnt amp|c timc on oppo-
sitc-co|orcdbishopcndgamcs."
7
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
Wcl|,thctraincrprovcdtobcright'Thc
IactthatBcnjaminhada matcrial ad-
vantagcplaycdanastytrickonhim.Hc
hasgrcattcchnicalski|l,butWhitccan-
notthinkaboutvinning. It`sclcarthat
vith his king comcrcd on hl , Whitc
shou|dconccntratconIndingthcmost
prcciscdraving|inc.
41. . . f6|
4I . . . -c4 42 e5 c2 4j e 9g5 44
fI .
42f1c54da244h4
This mi stakc costs him a halI-point.
Novthcg3-squarcisirrcvocab|yvcak-
cncd,a|thoughit`snotimmcdiatclyap-
parcnt hov B|ack is to gct to it. Sti||,
hc cvcntua||y succccds in vcaving a
matingnct.
AIcr thc simp|c 44 hj, I cannot Ind
any vay to improvc B|ack`sposition,
Ior cxamp|c, 44. . . c5 45 9bI b2 4
2dj7e479bIg5489djg449hg
7f 50 e5 (50 9fI 7g5 5 I 9hj)
50. . . 7-e5 5I fI d2 52 f57e
5j 9fI o
44...c545b1 b246df2I
Blackhas a c|carplan, but itmustbc
prcparcd. 4. . . g5?' vould havc bccn
prcmaturc.47hg9-g5487gI 2ej
497fIf2 507eI g2.
47 b1 g548hg -g5 49 d
c 5 b1
On 50 fI , Bl ack can tradc rooks.
50. . . -fI 5I 9-fI 7-e4 52 7g2 dj
5jg49g5 547f2 7d4 55 7fj 9h
5g59-g5 577g47-c4.
72
5...f651dg5
Thckingrcachcsg3,andWhitc`sposi-
tionbccomcshopclcss.
52a1g45a7d2 54f1
-g55g7+f456d7-c4
57c7+f58d7d159f7+
f4 6 g1 d ~1
Lcssous
I ) Onc oIWhitc`s basic plans in thc
Eng|ish Opcning isthc rapid advancc
oIthc b-pavn to b5, vith thc goal oI
scizingspacconthcquccnsidc,vhich,
in conunction vith thc activity oI
Whitc`s |ight-squarcd bi shop on thc
longdiagona|,hindcrsB|ackIromp|ay-
ing d5. I t` s common|y hc|d that, iI
Whitcgctsinb5Irst,hcgainsthcup-
pcr hand. Thc rcvcrsc is also truc. i I
B|ackcarricsouthi sp|anIrst,thcnhc
isIorchoicc.
2) OIcn, in a position oIdynamic
cqua|ity, thcsidcattcmptingtoti|tthc
ba|anccinhisIavorvil|cmployarook-
pavn advancc (2j. . . h5| ). My Iricnd
Andrci Schckachcv notcs that Cata
Kamskycommon|yuscdthismcthodin
hiscar|icstgamcs.
3) Ncarlyall oppositc-co|orcd bishop
cndgamcsarcconsidcrcdtobcdravn.
But hcrc, vith Whitc`s king comcrcd
onh| , B|ackhadatlcastsumcicntcom-
pcnsation Ior his sacriccd matcria|.
ThcrcIorc,WhitcvascIIcctivclyp|ay-
ing a picccdovnandhc shou|dhavc
bccnlookingtosctupaIortrcss.
vorcta[ SLndgumc Munuul isoncoI
thcbcstchcssbookscvcrvrittcnIrom
thc standpoint oI uscIulncss to thc
Sving
chcssplaycr.Thcauthorvas,oIcoursc,
Mark Dvorctsky. With a|| my rcspcct
Ior his systcm oIprcparation, hc has
noncthc|cssachicvcdhisbiggcstbrcak-
through in thcstudy, assimilation and
tcachingoIthccndgamc.Bcsidcsprob-
|cm-so|ving ski||s, his scssions also
vorkcd on thc abi | ity to ana| yzc
cndgamcs. Inccrtaincndgamcsourmc-
ticu|oustraincrtookhis mcthodo|ogy
to thc point oIsomc out-and-out dis-
covcrics. I scorcdmanyha|Iand Iu| |
pointsthankstoourvorktogcthcr,Ior
cxamp|c, in thc Iol|oving gamcs, thc
crisis occurrcd at thc vcry cnd oIthc
gamc.
Mysccondzona|tomamcnttookplacc
inNikolacv(Ukrainc) inthc spring oI
l 995. It sccms unIair that Ukrainc,
Mo|dova, Bc|arus andAzcrbaijan to-
gcthcr,vcrcal|ottcdon|y2'qua|iIy-
ingspots.Thcthird-p|accnishcrhad
tosctt|caccountsviththc rcprcscnta-
tivcoIthcBa|ticZonc. Iarrivcdonthc
moming oIthc rst roundbyvay oI
thrccdihcrcntair|incrsandtvotrains.
IcvhomLinarcs,vhcrcIvashc|p-
ingLcshaShirov(andhcdidquitcvcll,
too).BythctimcIIIcvhomMadridto
FrankIurt, I Iound that my planc to
Moscovhada|rcadydcpartcd.IIought
myvayontoanAmcricancltu ctand
managcdtomakcittoKicv,vhcrcthc
traingotmctoNiko|acv onthcday
thctoumamcntstartcd.
ThcoutcomcoIthis "notablc"voyagc
vasthatIovcrlookcdamatconmovc
scvcntccnagainstZu|hgarli,andthcn
inroundtvo,I almost|osttothc|ocal
youngstcr, Vartapctyan. In a | ost
cndgamc,vithon|ytvopavnsagainst
a bishop, I "svindlcd" my incxpcri-
cnccdopponcntbymcansoIa simp|c
trick.vithaminutcandaha|Itogo,I
suddcnly got up Irom thc board. My
opponcnt, vho had a ton oItimc |cIt,
madchismovcinstant|yanditcosthim
thc vin. In hisdistrcsshc cvcnman-
agcd to losc a Icv movcs |atcr. AIcr
this, I took hcart, von a Icv morc
gamcs,andrctumcdtothcbatt|cIorthc
qua|iIyingspots.
Ina tc|cphonc convcrsation thc night
bcIorc I p| aycd Romanishin, Mark
Israi|cvichrccommcndcdanopcningin
vhichmyopponcnt lovcdto sacriIcc
apavnIorthcinitiativc.
( l 7) IBoIogan O. Komanishin
Niko|acv(Ukrainc) 995
ThrccKnights`Camc C4j
1 c4c52 _f _c6 _c
I surpriscd thc Lvovian grandmastcr
vithavariationthatvas ncvtomc-
nordiditrcmainvcry long inmyrcp-
crtoirc. Somctimcsyoucanuscsccond-
aryopcningsagainstaparticularoppo-
ncnt,hcrcIkncvthatinrcplytojCcj,
my opponcnt oftcn brought out his
bishoptoc5.
. . . c5
Thisisnotthcmostprinciplcdrcply.
4_-c5_-c55d4d66dc-c5
7d|
Thctradcsonc5havcbroughtabouta
c|assicconIrontationbctvccnpavnsat
c4andd7. WhitcdcInitclyhasthcbct-
tcr oIit. hc has morc spacc, and his
contro| oIthcd-Ilcvillmakc ithard
Ior Bl ack to play thc Irccing d7d5.
In B|ack`s Iavor, hc has cxchangcd
73
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
onc pairoIminorpicccs, soitvi|lbc
muchsimplcrtocomplctchisdcvc|op-
mcntcomparcdtothcmajorityoIothcr
dcIcnscs.
Anothcrintcrcsting|incis7f4 2-cj
8bcd92dj,vhcrcWhitcgainsthc
advantagcoIthctvobishopsvithgood
prospccts.
7f68@d2~9 ~-c8
Wc havcrcachcdan origina|position
that |ooks likc an ama|gamation bc-
tvccn Philidor's DcIcnsc, thc Scotch
Camc andthc CcntcrCamc, a||oving
morc room Ior crcativity than cithcr
sidcvasgoingtobccomIortablcvith.
tion,cxccutinghisprogrammcdccntral
thrust,aIcrvhichhispicccsvil|comc
intop|ay.Itistructhatnovhcvil|havc
togivcuphisbishop,butthisisn`tpar-
ticular|ydangcrous.
I I . . b! vou|d bc inIcrior. I2 2ej
\a5 Ij2d4 = .
12 cd
I 2g5!| Ch5 I jedCf4 I4-f4-f4
I 5&bI\-g5 .
12 . . . @-c
I 2 . . . C-d5! IjC-d5\-d5I4\-d5cd
5 f4c7 Ihj2d7 I72g29c I8
deI .
1@-c -d5 14 d4 g5+ 15
@d2f6 16-f6 -f6
OIcoursc,thiscndgamcIavorsWhitc,
vithhistvobishops.Butmyvcryncxt
movctumsoutpoorly.
17h4I
I7 hje I8 h2 d5 I9f2Cd7
1f| 20eI vascorrcct.
I0|eIc I I hj( I I gjd5I 2ed-cj I79djeI8 heI d5 I9|-e8
I j9-cj C-d5 I4 -e8 \-e8 I 5 -e820|fI lcadson|ytocqua|ity.
d29e I\d4\d7 I7 c4Cb I8
\-d7 C-d7 I 9 9cj " Kornccv 17 . . . h5I
Romani shin, Zaragoza l 99, I I f4
9-cj I 29-cj d5 -) I I . . . h5 I 2f4 I 7 . . . e I8 h5 9d5 I 9 hj .
-cj I j 9-cj d5 I 4 ed C-d5 5
-e8\-e8 Id2a5 I7\e22e 18g5d7I
(LarscnTorrc,BadHomburg 998).
I8 . . . Cd5vascorrcct,inordcrtoshorc
1. . . c6 11g4d5I up his position quickly on thc light
squarcs ahcr I9 2dj 9e 20 deI
Black isthcrstto sharpcn thc posi- Ce7 ( f5) 2 I |e5 Cg, vi th
74
Sving
cquality. Withthctcxt, B|ackshuts in
hisquccn`sbishop,vhichIvasab|cto
usctomyadvantagc.
19 g6I|
Saucc Ior thc gandcr. I uscd my
opponcnt`s Iavoritc tcchniquc against
him, sacricing apavn Iorthc initia-
tivc. QuitcoIcn,thoscvholovctoat-
tackdonot|ovctodcIcnd.
I92cj't8202dj'g".
1 a..lg
I9. . . 'f 20gf-t2I2dj2e22
hgI= , I9. . . 'e5' ? 20 gf -f7 2I
2cj2f5 222e2.
2 c4+ h7 21 _hc1 _f6 22
f7I
WhitcstartsthcIghtIor c7. 22 -e8
'-e82jeI'd242bjJ525e7
e8 2 c7 c8 vouldhavc bccn
vcakcr.
22..._-c1 2 _-c1 hI 24 _c7
b6 25c4
DcprivingthcknightoIthcd5-squarc.
Whitcisclcar|ybcttcr,asBlack`spicccs
arcvcryrcstrictcd,andhiscxtrapavn
hasnobcaringonthcgamcthusIar.
25...g2 26 c h6
2. . . 'g8! 27 2-g -g 28 -g7
f529-g2 .
27f4a6 28a4
It vas vcry important to undcrstand
hovtocorrcct|ypositionthcquccnsidc
pavns.
28... b5
Mikhai|ovich dccidcd to c|ariIy thc
situation,butaIcr. . .
29a5I
WhitchadIxcdthca-pavnasaback-
vardtargct.
29..._d8c6
j0c22fjjI bj .
... f
1 c5I
Aparadoxica|dccision, itvasvitalto
undcrstand that cxchanging thc |ight-
squarcd bi shops vou| d, strangcl y
cnough,bcgoodIorWhitc.
1...g42b
75
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
OIcoursc,Whitcshouldnotcxchangc
ong4,sinccB|ackvouldthcnobtaina
dangcrouspasscdpavn.AnothcrinIc-
rior | i nc vas j2 Le5 De8 jj L-f
D-e7 j4 Lg5 7h7 j5 L-e7 (j5
L-g4??hgjL-e7gj).
2... d7c1f54c2I
By cxchanging bishops in this vay,
Whitc scizcs contro| oIthc vita| c-
squarc.
4... g4
Blackdcc|incsthcproIIcrcdcxchangc,
sincc both j4. . . 7h7 j5 L-f5 gf j
2-fgfj7DeDd4j8D-cD-f4j9
D-a7g 40 cD-h44I Db Dc4
42 7d2 h4 4j a hj 44 a7, and
j4. . . L-c2j57-c2d5jDee7
(j. . . -f4j7D-c) j7Dd(j7Le5
7h7) j7. . . Da7j8 2e57h7j97dj
7g8 407e47t 4I Dd8f5 42Dc8
-h44j D-cf5 447fj vould bc
bad Ior him. Black cou|d |ikc|y havc
dcIcndcdmorc accuratcly, but, inany
cvcnt,Whitcvou|dhavcastrong,play-
ab|cinitiativc,vhichiscspcciallyun-
p|casant in timc-prcssurc, cvcn iI it`s
mutual.
5c5h76d6f5
NovBlackhastoacccptthccxchangc,
as othcrvisc his king vi|l ncvcr|cavc
h7.
7-f5gf8c6_c49b4I
j9Le5?-c540D-cbj4I 7c2
-a542D-ac4.
9..._f6
7
Blackhasa lostgamcaIcrj9. . . -d
40D-dDc74I7d27g8427dj7t
4j 7d4, but itvas vorth considcring
j9. . . 7g8'? 40 Le5 f2 4I 7c2 dj
422cj(427cj-e54jD-e57t)
42. . . -f44j D-c=.
4c2g841c5 _d542b
_c74 d6 a744c
I thought this position vas von Ior
Whitc.Myplanvasvcrysimp|c.7d4,
Dd8,2dand7e5.
44 ... f7
On44. . . d5,Whitcvinsby45D-d5|
cd47d47t477-d5Dd7482d
7e849cDt 507c5.
45d4b7
45. . . 7e842-g7Dd7477e5.
46d8a747d6
Whitchasthcc|assicadvantagcoIrook
andbishopvs.rookandknight,bcsidcs
vhich, his king is a|so vcry activc.
B| ack's picccs arc bcing gradua||y
pushcdtothcboard'scdgc.
47..._d5
Sving
47. . . Cg'48Dc8C-h449D-cCg
5OTcjh4 5 Ttj - .
48 c5 g6
48. . . C-b449T-|5g5OTg5.
49b8a85d6_f4
5O . . . C-b45I Tc7 Cd5 52 Tb7.
51 c6 _c6 52 d6 b8 5
c6+f754c1 g555hgg6
56d7f457c6g558c7b7
59 c6 c7+ 6 c7 f 61
b6 1~
B|ackrcsigncdinvicvoII . . . Tt4 2
T-at2 j D|I Tgj4T-b5 h45
ahja7.
Lcssous
l ) Whcnyouropponcntposscsscsthc
advantagc oIthctvo bishops, it`sdc-
sirab|cto|urchispavnsontosquarcs
thccoloroIhis"cxtrabishop.ByIorc-
ingWhitctop|ayg4-g5,B|ackaimcd
to cstab|ish control oIthc vcakcncd
|ightsquarcsviththcaidoIhisbishop
andknight( 7 . . . h5).
2)An cndgamc pavn_sacriIicc isn` t
sccnvcryoItcn,butitisanacccptab|c
tcchniquc,cspccia||yvhcnyouroppo-
ncnt|agsindcvc|opmcnt.P|us,viththc
tvo bi shops, this is a most natura|
continuation.WhitchasnothingtoIcar,
bccausc thcrc vi|l bc so many opcn
|incsthathcvi||at|casthavccompcn-
sation( I9g!). Inthcprcscntcasc,thc
sacriIcc vas practica||y Iorccd, sincc
B|ack thrcatcncd to cstablish himsc|I
comIortab|yonI5.
3) In chcss it`svcry important to cm-
p| oy non-standard thinking. Somc-
timcs,vhcnchoosingamovc,gcncra|
stratcgic considcrations arc morc im-
portantthantcmporarycircumstanccs,
Ior cxamp|c,thcvcakcningoIthis or
thatsquarc,ctc.ThcmovcjI c5|ooks
|ikc anavh|positionalb|undcr, sincc
ithandsthcd5-squarc ovcrtothcop-
poncnt.ButthcIcvcrpavnsthatthcrc
onthcboard,thccasicrthcdcIcnscbc-
comcs. So, in Iact, by jI c5' , Whitc
xcd B|ack`s pavn structurc on thc
quccnsidc,andiIhcsuccccdsinbrcak-
ing through, hc vi l l grab al | thrcc
pavns.
My brothcr Nicu vas vatching thc
gamcandvashappyvithmyp|ay.AI-
tcrIgotoIItoabadstartinthctouma-
mcnt, andvhcn ittumcd outthat thc
|ivingconditionsvcrcn`ta||thatgood,
I ca||cd Nicu Ior hc|p and hc vas as
good as go|d. UnIortunatcly, a|| thcsc
cIIorts camc to naughtaIcra tcrrib|c
|osstoMa|aniukinthc|astround.Ina
FourKnights` Camc, Malaniukintro-
duccdavcrystrongnovclty, andIvas
unab| c to cvcn ho|d thc drav vith
Whitc.
From l 992 to l 999, I p|aycd Ior thc
Drcsdcn c| ub in thc Ccrman
Bundcsliga. Thc chcss tcam |ivcsand
vorksinoncoICcrmany`smostbcau-
tih|citics.UndcrthcdircctionoIHcrr
Doktor1ordan,itis compriscd, Iorthc
most part, oI|ocal amatcurs, thc ma-
jorityoIvhom,dcspitcthcirhigh|cvc|
oIp|ay,cithcrvorkorgotoschoo|.Thc
tcamcou|dncvcrcontcndIorthccham-
pionship,butvc sti|l oncc managcd a
third p|acc Inish and qua|ication to
thc Cup Final.
77
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
Inthc Bundcs|iga, as in |iIc, succcss
a|tcmatcdvithIailurc.InmyIrstcri-
sis,atthccndoI 992andinto 993, I
|ost vc straight gamcs. But itvasn`t
on|y mc, thisdubioushonorvas a|so
sharcdbyIouroImytcammatcs.This
vasrightahcrthcBarcclonaO|ympics,
vhichIcaturcdthcparticipationoIthc
NBA "Drcam Tcam, so vith dark
irony,vca|sochristcncdoursc|vcsthc
"Drcam Tcam. But thcn onc oIus
"crrcd, andthc slump vas brokcn.
Fortunatc|y, ourchicI, Doktor1ordan,
hadcnoughpaticncctovaitIormyplay
to rctum toIorm.
OIcoursc, Igaincdinva|uab|ccxpcri-
cncc by participating in thc strongcst
c|ublcagucinthcvorld.Novadays,thc
Russian SupcrLcaguc undoubtcd|y
cqua|sthcBundcsligainstrcngth,but
inthoscycars,thcCcrman|cagucvas
unparallc|cd. I playcd most|y on Irst
board,andmctmanyoIthcvor|d`sbcst
p|aycrs.Adams, Shirov,Kramnik,ctc.
Hovcvcr, practicc has shovn that I
nccdtoplaymysclIintoIormduringa
toumamcnt,inCcrmany,thcyplaytvo-
gamcscricsonthcvcckcnds.SoiIyou
don`t shov anything dcccnt, youjust
havc to rctum homc.And, oIcoursc,
thcsctripsarcvcrycxhausting.Onccan
abidcthissortoIthinginonc`syouth,
but thcsc days, I prcIcr thc Spanish,
Russian and Frcnch tcam champion-
ships,vhcrcthcyp|aymorcgamcsina
rov.AsIgctoldcr,I likctospcndmorc
timc inoncplacc,andprcIcrtorcducc
thcnumbcroI"daringcxcursions.
( 8) IBologan Kogers
Bundcs|iga(Ccrmany) l 995
ScandinavianDcIcnsc B0I j
IanRogcrsi s avcryintcrcsting,activc
78
p|aycr IromAustralia, and a Ircqucnt
participant invarious Europcanchcss
cvcnts.Thus,vcmctinthcBundcs|iga.
1 c4 d5 2 cd d5 c a5 4
d4f65 fc6 6c4g4
Inthisposition,BlackmorcoIcnp|ays
. . . 2f5.
7h h5 8g4 g69 d2c6 1
d5d8 11-f6+gf
Asimi|arpavnstructurcoccursinthc
. . . 2f5 variation, but thcrc, B| ack
might a|so rccapturc vith thc quccn.
With thc movcs hj and g4 inc|udcd,
I I . . . O-fisn`tplayab|c,asWhitcvins
thcquccnby I 22g5.
ThcScandinavianisnotthcmostprin-
cip|cdoIopcnings.Thcpavnstructurc
aItcrI I . . .g-foccursinscvcraldi0cr-
cnt opcnings, such as thc Caro-Kann
or thc Frcnch DcIcnsc. Whitc has no
ccntra|pointsoIinvasion,vhi|cBlack
tricstodcvclophispicccsmorcorlcss
Ilcxibly according to thc Io| | oving
schcmc. \c7, 2d, Cd7, and iIal-
|ovcd,hcvi||playCbd5,ff5,ctc.
Inrcply,Whitcthrcatcnsthcg-bishop
vith Ch4 and f4f5, and a|so trics to
Inishhisdcvc|opmcntquicklytovhip
up an attack against thc cncmy king
Sving
stuck in thcccntcr.Rathcrthan sacri-
IccapavnbyI 2Oe2,sc|cctcdadiI-
Icrcnt movc, vhich isa|sogood.
12 bI
ThcpointoIthisprophy|acticmovcis
todcIcndthcpavnatc2andthusprc-
parc Oe2. Additionally, thc bi shop
avoidsbcingattackcdvithtcmpo,Iorc-
sccing Bl ack` s standard mancuvcr
'b8d7bd5.
I2 cj 'd7 IjOe2'b I42dj (I4
2bja5I 5 aja4 I2a22e7 I7 000
Od Komccv Rogcrs, Sa|amanca
998) I4. . . a5 I 5'h4 a4 I '-ghg
I72c22h I8f4f5 (ZhangZhong
Rogcrs, Sydncy l 999).
12 .. h5I
OIcoursc, B|ackimmcdiatclytricsto
cxp| oi t his opponcnt ' s vcakcncd
kingsidc.
I2. . . 'd7 IjOe2Oc7I4'h4=, f4.
000 'd7 I FdeI . Nov, iI B|ack
hangsontohispavn,hcvi||probab|y
soongctmatcd. Othcrvisc, gctback
thcmatcrialinamorcIavorablcsctting
aItcr I . . . Oc7 I 7 '-g5 000 I 8
hgI.
14a4a6I
Scndingthcknight tothccdgc oIthc
board vas not thc bcst i dca. Nov
Whitc`splayvi||bcbascdoncxploit-
ing thc uncoordination oI B| ack` s
picccs.
15c2h4
B| ack continucs his ving stratcgy,
vhilcWhitcp|aysinthcccntcr.
16~~c7 17[hg1
Thcrst"shot,probing B|ack`sposi-
tion.Whitcintcndstosacriccthccx-
changcong, iIB|acka||ovsit.
17...h5 18[dc1
A|| oIWhitc`s picccs participatc ac-
1g5I tivc|yinthcgamc.
A somcvhat unusua| rcaction, sincc
18...b419cd6
ordinari|ynooncvantstocxchangchis
opponcnt`sdoub|cdpavnsvo|untari|y.
But Whitc vants to vcakcn thc dark
squarcs i n thc ccntcr and on thc
kingsidc.
Ij gI hg I4hg'd7 I5 Oe2Oc7.
1...a5
On Ij...fg, p|anncdto Iorgo thc im-
mcdiatcrccapturcoIthcpavnandcon-
ccntratconthcrapidcomp|ctionoImy
dcvc|opmcnt instcad. I4Oe2'2e7 I 5
I 9 . . . 9e720gf 2-f 2I 2f4 'd5 22
2e5 = .
79
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
2 g6I
It`stimc'Whitccxp|oitshisopponcnt`s
ovcrburdcncdpicccs.
2 4 e 4 -g6
20. . . 'd5? 2I 2-d5cd 22Ob5Od7
2jg7g824O-d5 .
20. . . Oe72I g7g8222c2f52jg5
2g24'-h4-g725Ofj = .
21 -c6 f8
But not 2 I . . -e 22 -g fg 2j
O-e 7t8 24 Og4, vith '-h4 and
Qxg coming.
AsI rcca|l,RogcrsvasquitcsatisIcd
vithhisposition,ashcIgurcdthathc
hadalrcadyrcpc|lcdWhitc`sonslaught.
22d5II
Thcbishop rcmains spcctacularlyun-
dcr attack, although it`s possiblc that
thcsimp|c222bj= vasstrongcrsti||.
2... fc24dcc7
24. . . 2h5? 25 e7' 2-e7 2 9h
-h27g8*.
24 . . . 'd5 2 5 '-h4 'e7 C25. . . 9h5 2
'f5 d827Oh4) 2Og4 .
24. . . b525Og4~ .
25-h4 [-h4
25. . . g82-g-g27'f57d8
28'-dOe7 29Odj.
26-h4 -c6
Butthisvay,Whitca|sogainsthcccn- 27f4I
tra|d4-squarcIorhis knight.
22. . . c8I
22. . . cd 2j 'd4 2h2' ? C2j. . . 2e5 24
Og4 2-d4 25 2-f7' , 2j . . . Oe8 24
Ofj ) i s a purc| y computcr- l ikc
dcIcnsc, but it` s intcrcsting, Ior cx-
amp|c, 24 -g fg 25 Og4 Oe7 2
O-gOg7 27 Of5e8 28 c4 dc 29
O-a5. II22. . . '-d5, thcn 2jOc4,
24'-h4 .
2 c4I
2j-g'?fg24Oc4=.
8O
Thcharvcstbcgins.
27...d7
27. . . 7t 28-g'7-g29f5.
28-f6 d 29f5c4 fc+
c71f4[d82-d6+[-d6
f4 1~
Lcssous
l ) IIyougcta|cadindcvc|opmcntin
thcopcning,trytosharpcnthcgamcas
muchaspossib|c.Thisvasthcpurposc
Sving
oII jg5. OIcoursc, this vas a|so an
cxp|icitpositiona|conccssion,butthc
initiativcandthctcmpigaincdarca|so
vcryimportant.
2)Ovcr|ycrcativcp|ayinthcopcning
canbcpunishcd. B|ack`svingplay(a5
andCa) tumcd out to bc vcry slov,
but morc important|y, thcy Iai|cd to
accomp|ishthcbasictaskoIgcttingthc
kingoutoIthcccntcr.
3)It`susch|toincrcascthctcnsionand
crcatc tactica| vcakncsscs. B|ack had
to nd somc vay to parry thc thrcats
againstthcc- andg-points( I7gI).
In thc mcantimc, I had tovork con-
stantly on mydisscrtation. Fora suc-
l
( l )
Z O
ccssh| prcscntation, rcgard|cssoIthc
topic,younccdthcrcsu|tsoIrcscarch,
andtothcnana|yzcyourdata.Sinccthc
thcmcoImyvorkvasthcprcparation
oIhighly-qua|icdchcssplaycrs,I dc-
cidcdtocrcatcadctai|cdqucstionnairc
togivctocachoIthcintcmationa|mas-
tcrsandgrandmastcrsthatIvasobscrv-
ing, askingthcmto cva|uatc thcircon-
ditionduringthctoumamcnt.A|though
this vou|d bc a c|car|y subjcctivcas-
scssmcnt,Icou|dnotsccanyothcrvay
oIobtainingthisvcryintcrcstinginIor-
mation. I dcIncd thc basic indicators
oIa chcssp|aycr` s tournamcnt prc-
parcdncss as Iol | ovs. spcci al i zcd
(chcss-rc|atcd),hnctiona|,andpsycho-
|ogica|.Thcdisscrtation inc|udcddata
Irom tvcnty chcssp|aycrs, inc|uding
1
9
(Toumaments)
4 D D
Ihereare}vesearatevariahlescharted. (I)is theresults{om aarticular
tournament, (2) is secial , (J} is ')ro{essional '', (4) is ''sychological'',
and(J) is '}unctionalrearedness.
8 l
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
mysc|!.Asarcsult,Ivasab|ctodcm-
onstratc somc rathcr curious Iacts by
vayoIgraphs.
ThchnnicstoIallvasthat,Iormc,my
s i xth tournamcnt i n a rov thc
NovgorodOpcn tumcdouttobcmy
mostsucccssIul .Againstabackground
oIgrcatphysica|cxhaustion,mychcss
vasatavcryhigh|cvc|.Imanagcdto
vin thc Opcn andthcrcby qua|i[ Ior
thcNovgorodSupcr-toumamcnt.Hov-
cvcr, vhcnitcamctimcIorthcSupcr-
toumamcntthcncxtycar,thcyvouldn`t
|ctmcplaybccauscthcysaidInccdcd
anE|oratingoI2OO butIhadthat'
Frommychart,it`sclcarthatthccurvc
oImyrcsu|ts corrc|atcs strongly vith
thc curvc oImy psycho|ogical condi-
tion. Atthattimc, I vas vorkingvith
Viorc| Iordachcscu and assisting him
vith hi s dcvclopmcnt. Wc vcnt to
Novgorod togcthcr, vhich crcatcd a
good micro-c|imatc,vhcrc both oIus
p|aycd vc||. Bcsidcs, I |ikcd thc city
vcrymuch.Tomymind,itisthcmost
attractivcoIa|lRussiancitics,cvcnin-
c|uding Moscovand St.Pctcrsburg. I
quitc cnjoycdthc airoIantiquity, thc
mcasurcdpaccoIliIc,thcrivcrVo|khov
vithitsgcntlyslopingbams,likcsomc-
thingoutoIthc ancicntIairyta|cs, thc
myriadchurchcs and monastcrics . . . I
rcmcmbcratouroIOldRus,thcycarI
sccondcdAlcxci Shirov in Novgorod
thclastp|accDostocvsky|ivcd.What
a pity that I havcn't bccn back sincc
995, butIsha||rcm I promisc'
Thc tournamcnt itsclIprovcd rathcr
tcnscIormc.AItcrthrccstraightvins,
Ihadmy'obligatory|oss,thistimcto
PctcrSvid|crinthcIourthround,vhich
82
scrvcdasmycata|yst. Vcry ocn, thc
on|yvayitsccmsthatIcanvinatour-
namcntistolosctosomconc, sothatI
canthcnputonadisplayoIvi||povcr.
Evcryonc inc|udingKasparov,p|ay-
inginthcmaincvcnt cxpcctcdPctya
tovinthc Opcn. CarryKimovichhas
a habit oIrooting Ior ta|cntcd young
p|aycrs' Ivasto|dthatahcrKasparov
|camcdthatitvas Bo|oganvho von
thcOpcn,hcdidnot |ookvcryhappy
aboutit.
( l ) IBologan Iregubov
Novgorod (Russia) 995
IplaycdTrcgubovinroundthrcc.Iuscd
thcKing'sIndianRcvcrscd,vhichhas
bccn part oI my rcpcrtoi rc si ncc
Chcbancnko.
B|ack`skingsidcpavnsarcshattcrcd,
but his picccs arc Iair|y vc||-p|accd,
anda knighton c5 could givc Whitc
Its.SoIplaycdthcsomcvhatunusua|
rctrcat . . .
17f4I
Thismovc might sccmrathcrordinary
duringhomcanalysis,hovcvcr, atthc
boardsuch a dccision is anythingbut
simplc.Whitcgivcsupthcbishopand
Sving
doub|cshispavns,vhichmakcsscnsc
inthiscasc,bccauscthcg3-squarcbc-
comcs avai|ablc Ior his knight and
Whitc takcscontro| oIthc c5-squarc.
Natura||y,B|ackcannotbringhimsc|I
toplayI,shuttinginthcking`sbishop.
17... f4 18gfac8
AhcrI8.. Of5 I9'ejO-dj20O-dj
2-dj 2I '-d5, Whitc stands a littlc
bcttcr.
19d2c7|
Thcdccisivccrror, B|ackhadtoIght
Iorthcc-I|c. I9.. -eI20-eIe8
2I -e8 O-e8 22 'gj 2c8' and
a|though I sccno c|carvayIor him to
cqua|izc,hcdocsn`tnccdto|osc,cithcr.
2c5|
Ovcrhasty, 20'gjvasstrongcr.
2 ... d6 21 d4cd 22g|
On 22 cd f 2j 'g4 h5', thc knight
vou|dhavctorctrcattoh2,vhcn
g
|ack
continucs2 h,vinningthc I4-pavn.
22...dc 2b d8
Thispassivcmovcal|ovsWhitctodc-
vclop an initiativc. 2j.. 'g 24 'f5
Of 25 '-g7 O-g7 2'-gO-g 27
O-d5|cadstocqua|ity, butPashacvi-
dcntlydidn`tvanttogivcuphiscxtra
pavnsocasi|y.
24 ad1
Novit`sclcarthat Blackvi|l not gct
thc chancc to cxchangc picccs, much
|css cxploithiscxtrapavn.
24. . . c8 25 c c5 26 f
g6 27 h5
Moscow1
2 J 4 5 ? 8 0 1otaI
I . Bokgn, tor A
2. Rvacv, Xu A
2
5Z
J. 1scshkovsky, V| 0 A I I 5
4. Khokv, Km A 0 0 I 4Z
5. BaIashov, Xu A
2
0 4Z
.Svcshov, Evgcny 0 0 A 4Z
J. Anastasun, Ashot 0 0 I A
C
4Z
8. Scrpcr, Grgory 0 0 A 4
. GcBcr, Em 0 0 A
2
JZ
l 0. Vaskoy Evgcn 0 0 0 0 A J
83
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
27... f5
In rcp|y to 27. . . Ch4, Crisha Scrpcr
suggcstcdthc|ivc|yvariation. 28Ogj
'f5 29'f7h8j0Og| ' .
28 _g4 _d6 29 _c c8
g d4 1 cd _-d4 2 _-f5
-f5 _- g7 -f4 4 _-d4
-d45_f5f46_c7+g7
7 c+ h78 _d5 1~
InDcccmbcroI 995, I madcmyrst
appcarancconthcKazanCityTcamin
thc Russian Tcam Championship. In
99,undcrthccommandoImastcrN.
. Mukhamcdzyanov,thistcam,vhich
al so i ncl udcd Drccv, Rub| cvsky,
Kharl ov, Vyzhmanavi n, and
Tscshkovsky, managcd to bring thc
Europcan Champions` Cup back to
Russiaahcralonghiatus. Inordcr to
avoidthctraditiona||incsandcustoms
dc|aysatthcbordcr,Ishovcdthcmthc
Cup,andvcsailcdrightonthrough.
(2O) IBologan A. Moglev
Azov(Russia) l 99
FivcycarsbcIorc,atthcsamchotc|in
Azov, thc l ast USSR Pcopl cs `
Spartakiadvashcld,invhich Ip|aycd
Ior Mo|dova. But nov I rcprcscntcd
Kazan,vhich|cdtothisgamc,against
ayoungandta|cntcdp|aycrvhovou|d
latcrbccomcaRussianChampion.
Wc p|aycd a scattcrbraincd opcning,
vithbothoIus"gooIngitup. Inthc
diagrammcdposition,Whitccouldhavc
von a pavn by I '-d5, but thcn,
Blackvou|dgain a c|assic "Dragon"
attack.SoIdccidcdtosacriIccthccx-
changctohcado0suchan attack.
hth u miniuturc co| o{thc I, 000-|cur Fua Mcmoriul. Novgorod, I J
84
Sving
16jd5Icd 17_d5d8
Thcquccnmustkccpancyconh4.
18c5I
I8Oh4 O-h4 I9 L-h4Lb7 209c5
Le8.
18 ...[c8
I 8 . . . O-d5 I9 Oh4f209c4 .
19 d2
Thi s is an important movc, vhich
scrvcsmanypurposcs.Oncmightcx-
pcctWhitctokccphiscycxcdonthc
h-I|c,butIor nov, hccana||ovhim-
sc|Itomaintainthcprcssurcinstcad.At
thcsamctimc,thcthrcatoII9Ce 7is
introduccd.
19. . . d7
I 9 . . . 9e 20 Ce7 L-e7 2I O-d8
L -d8 22 9-e7 Ld7 2j 9b4 = ,
I 9 . . . Lb720Ce7.
2g4c4I 21d4
But not 2I Oh2 Og5' 22 f4 9-b2
2j7d2O-d5,vhcnBlackisvinning.
21. . . cI 22c
Black cannot hold onto thc c3-pavn,
vhichmcansWhitcvi||novhavctvo
pavnsIorthccxchangc.
22. . . g5
22. . . Lc82j9-g7L-cj249f'L-c2
257-c29a427bI .
2 c2 d5
2j. . . Lbc8 249-g7.
24g7d2+ 25{b1 c 26
cf627f6+
27...b5 28c4c629 {c2 [b7
d4 a5 1 {d a4 2 jh8+
{f7 [c8 { c8 4 { c
[c7+ 5 {f2 d7 6 d {f7
7b4ab8abc69b4 [c84
b5[c841b6 1~
MyacadcmicadvisorIormymastcr`s
vas a mcdi ca| doctor, Dr. Viktor
Borisovich Ma|kin. Whcn Irst sav
him, hcvas scatcdat achcssboard in
thco0ccoIthchcadoIthcchcssIac-
u|ty,vhcrchcpositivc|yradiatcdgcnu-
inc passion, vhi|c bcing tota||y ab-
85
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
sorbcd i n thc hcat oIbattl c. Evcn
though, Irom a purcly sporting stand-
point,hcvastorcmainachcssicDon
Quixotc, hc vas vcry succcssIu| at
bringingthcacadcmiccomponcntinto
chcss.ViktorBorisovich attcmptcd to
ansvcrmanyqucstionsviththcaidoI
modcm tcchno|ogy. Hovdocs a pcr-
son think, vhat Iactors inIucncc his
dccision-making, vhat, in Iact, is thc
naturc oIchcss thought7 His notablc
EECs

oI|cadinggrandmastcrsduring
p|ayhavcnotyctbccnpub|ishcd.
Hcvasatrucacadcmic abitabscnt-
mindcd,abitstrict,quitcoutspokcn,but
atthcsamctimchospitablcandhicndly.
A vcry p|casant pcrson, hc rctaincd a
|ivclymindtothc cndoIhis |iIc, you
cou|d a|vays count on hcaring somc-
thingncvIromhim,onlcamingsomc-
thing.Whi|cIvasvorkngonmydis-
scrtation,hcprcIcrrcdnottodc|vcinto
thctcchnica| dctai|sortorootoutpar-
ticu|ar crrors, hc was morc intcrcstcd
in thc subjcct itsc|I. It vas hc vho
thoughtupthccomp|cxdcImition,thc
"chcssp|aycr`sp|ayingcondition.This
conccpt inc|udcdpurc|ychcssknov|-
cdgc,asvcllashisphysica|condition
and hi s psycho|ogical statc. Ma|kin
vou|dsimp|ysitandthinkout|oud.His
udgmcntshc|pcdbringmydisscrtation
tothcpointvhcrc, onthcbirthday oI
myacadcmicadvisor,May7,Ivasab|c
todcIcndit.
Dcspitcthcgcncra||ysystcmaticnaturc
oImy vork, it didn`t comc casi|y. In
my scarch Ior thc right acadcmic Ior-
mat Ior prcscntingmyrcscarch, I had
to rcvritc my disscrtation Ivc timcs.
Andvhcrc,inothcrIormsoIsport,thc
path to a Mastcr `s dcgrcc has bccn
Iairly troddcn out, in chcss I hadto
trans|atc thc vho|c arscna| oIchcss
conccptsinto|cgalcscatoncc things
such as "a scnsc Ior combinations,
"ana|ysisoIthcopponcnt`srcsourccs,
"opcning prcparation, and so Iorth.
Rcvorking thc data vas casicr, sincc
thc princip|c oIcva|uation vas |aid
dovninthcvcrybasisoIthcdisscrta-
tion.
Inhindsight,it`sintcrcstingtoscchov
Isavmysc|Iin I 99.
Summajo{IhedaIa{romIhe
que:Iionnaire o{ ologan.
I.Individually-valuedindica-
Ior: o{:ecializedreara-
Iion were acknowledged. a
:en:e o{ danger in:ighI
(IhaIi:, IheahiliqIo quickly
i:olaIe Ihe mo:I unexecIed
hyoIhe:i:,inorderIoquickly
verg iI, change iI: aear-
ance, modj iI, ando::ihly
IradeiI {oradj erenIone
.), endgame Iheoj, u:e o{
Iechnicalaid:{orrearaIion,
dailyregime,dieI,qualiIie:o{
willand:ej}-regulaIion, emo-
Iional :IaIe, re:iliency, and
con:ideraIion o{ Ihe
oonenIS:ycholog.
InIhegrouo{:Iahle-Io-lower
indicaIor:wea::ign.hy:ical
rearedne:: andmemotj.
?.Inologan,we]nda:Irong
[[Gclcctrocnccphalogram.atcstthatmcasurcsandrccordsthcclcctrcalactvty
oIyourbran.
8
Sving
correlaIion o{re:ulI wiIh hi:
level o{:ychologicalre-
aredne::. Here iI:houldhe
noIedIhaI, evenin:ucce::{ul
IournamenI:, hi:{uncIional
rearedne:: had no greaI
:ignj}cance. II i:reci:elyin
Ihi:areaIhaIologan:hould
imrovehi:rearaIion. Io a
greaI exIenI, hi:oor :how-
ing:mayheexlainedhyoor
organizaIion o{hi: daily re-
gimeduringIheevenI.
AndhcrcImustaddthatmyacadcmic
vorkhadaquitcuncxpcctcd,butplcas-
ant sidc-c0cct. On thc cvc oIthc dc-
Icnsc oImy disscrtation, in Apri| oI
I 99,Imanagcdtovinthcqua|i[ing
toumamcntoIthcMoscovstagcoIthc
PCA ' rapidchcssCrandPrixahcadoI
ovcrsixtygrandmastcrs, andsorcach
thc stagc oIthcKrcmlin Hal| oICon-
grcsscs in thc company oIthc chcss
gods.BcIcrcthctoumamcnt,Ididnot
havcanythingtodovithchcssIortvo
cntircmonths.
This was myrstbigpursc inchcss
andmyblissvasbound|css. Thanks
to asystcmoIdircct sporting qua|i-
crs, p|aycrsvhovcrcnot oIthc clitc
hadachancc to shovvhatthcyvcrc
capab|c oI UnIonunatcly, my Ic|lov
chcssp|aycrs didn` tquitc undcrstand
vhcrcthcmoncycomcshomandthis
grcat opportunity Ior chcss vas dis-
continucd, as thc sponsors Iound it
unproIitab|c.
ThcdcIcnscoImydisscrtationbrought
my acadcmic studics to a c|osc, and
onccagain, I Iound mysc|Iata cross-
roads. ShouldI rcmain in Moscov or
rctum to Mo|dova7 This isa qucstion
thathauntsmctothisday, andIsccno
dcInitcansvcrtoit. Sccingmysc|Ias
ayoungmanonhisvayup,I bidIarc-
vc|ltoStrogino(atthattimc,itsccmcd
|ikc Iorcvcr), and scvcn ycars latcr,
IoundmysclIonccagainathomcinmy
nativcKishincv. Immcdiatc|y Istartcd
scttinguphousckccpinginancvp|acc,
and hcadcd oII to a tournamcnt in
Vicnna.
(2 l ) I Bologan K. Iischbierek
Vicnna (Austria) I 99
A|ckhinc`sDcIcnsc BO5j
Thistoumamcntvasdcdicatcdtothc
l 000"annivcrsaryoI Vicnna.ThcOpcn
attractcdavcrystrong c|d, including
thosctvoimp|acab|ccncmics,Karpov
andKorchnoi,vhomadcaquickdrav
andthcn spcnt acouplc oIhours hap-
pi|yanalyzing ittogcthcr. I didn`tdo
so vc||, but inthc last round, I man-
agcd to spring an intcrcsting idca oI
Vyachcs|avAndrcycvichChcbancnko`s
inthcA|ckhinc`sDcIcnsc.
1c4_f62c5_d5d4d64_f
g45c2c66hh57c4_b6
ThisisoncoIthcmainvariations.B|ack
lagsindcvc|opmcntandccdcsthcccn-
tcrto hisopponcnt,butthc knightoc-
cupicsaprctty cxib|cpositiononb,
vhcrcitattacksthcc4-pavnandsup-
portsthcactivityoIthcc-knight.To-
gcthcr,thc blackknightscxcrtuncom-
PCAProIcssiona|Chcssp|aycrs`Association( l 993- I 996).OrganizcdaCrandPrix
inrapid chcss vithbigprizcsin l 994- I 996,thcchicfinspirationandorganizcrvas
CarryKasparovandthcchicfsponsorvasthcntc|Corporation.
87
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
Iortab|c prcssurc on thc ccntcr, p|us,
viththc quccn`sbishopon g4, B|ack
achicvcsgoodpicccandpavncoordina-
tion.Whitc`strumpsarchis advantagc
inthcccntcrandcontro|oImorcspacc.
A|lthathchastodoistoIndapropcr
so|utiontothcprob|cmoIthcc4-pavn.
8cdcd9 _c c7 1d5|
Chcbancnko` s conccptua| novcl ty.
Whitc Iorcstal |s dd5, vith consc-
qucntprcssurconthcd4-pavn.Othcr-
visc, I 0 00 00 I I 2ejd5.
1 ... c5I
Thisnatura|rcp|yisapositiona|crror.
Acr I0 . . . 00 I I defeI 2Cd42tI j
00Cc I 42ej+h8 I 5 bjd5,as i n
Congora Noguciras, Holguin City
2OO2,B|ackappcarstobcOK.
11 c
ThissortoIpavnstructurccanariscin
many dicrcnt variationsoIthc Sici|-
ian.AsWhitchasnotcast|cdkingsidc,
thcb|ackbishoponh5maysti||comc
undcrattackbyg2g4andhjh4.
11 ... -f|
Wc`rc sti|| in Chcbancnko`s ana|ysis.
NovB|ackvi||bchcmmcdi nonboth
sidcsoIthcboard.
I I . ..C8d7 I 2 g4 2g I jh4 h5Oj . . . h
I4 2dj O4 bj a I 5 2dj 2-dj I
-dj Cc8 I7 +e2 Cf8 I 8 Ce4
Zapata Baburi n, B l cd 2OO2)
I4 . . . 2-dj I 5-djCf IgI=) I 4
g5c8 I 5bjCc5 O5 . . . 2f5 ICd2
g I7Cde4= ) IgICbd7I7b4e4
E. Linovitaj: Congrutulutiona on u aucccaa{ul diaacrtution, lctor!
Lct to right: I. A. Kulukovu, | ! Zinchcnko, | . Mulkin, | A. ologun,
A. Kialov und I. Linovitaj
88
Sving
I8'd2'djI97fI'-b420'd-e4
00 2 I 9d4 e8 ( Hamdouchi
Baburin, SaintVinccnt 2OOO).
12f _8d7
Obvious|y,thcc4-pavncannotbccap-
turcdbccauscoIthc chcckona4.
1c2c8 14bf5
ThcWcstCcrmangrandmastcr,vhois
nov thc cditor-in-chi cIoISchach
magazinc,dccidcstosharpcnthcgamc.
Acr I4. . . 00, I had p|anncd to con-
t i nuc I 5 g4 9g5 I h4' 9-ej
(I . . . 9-h4 I79e4 gI 8OfjI) I7
O-ej,vhcncontro|oIthcIorvardpost
atc4,p|usthcpossibi|ityoIakings idc
attackgivcsWhitcthcadvantagc.
15 g4I
Thismovcisabsolutc|yustiIcd.Whitc
has thc tvo bishopsand anadvantagc
inthcccntcr,vhi|cB|ack`skingissti||
uncast|cd.
15. . . c4
Othcrvisc,B|ack`spositionisbad,Ior
cxamp|c, I 5 . . . g?Igfgf I7257f8
I8 2 7g8 I9 gI, I 5 . . .f4 I 9d2
'c5 I7 'e4'bd7 I8'-c5 '-c5 I 9
b4'd720cI00 2I 7fI . Butnov
thc qucstion bccomcs vhcthcr B|ack
canho|dontothcc4-pavn.
16 g2f6
17 _b5||
A positiona| rook sacriIcc notvcry
complicatcd,butspcctacu|arcnough.
I7 cI9-cj (I7 . . . 'e5 I800'dj
I9 c2 'b4 20ccI (20 gI'-c2 2I
O-c29-cj22O-cj00)20 . . . 'dj)
I8-cj'-d5 I9cI'-ej20O-ej
Oa5 = .
17 . . . a1
I7. . . 'c5 I89-c5-c5I9dIa20
'd49-d4 2I -d4Of 22Oej 00
2jgfO-f5 2400=.
18_d6+f8
I8. . . 7e7 I 9'-f5 7f 20 00 |oscs
Ior Black, Ior cxamp|c, 20. . . 9f 2I
g5 9-g5 22 'd4 'c52j b4'bd7
24 bc '-c5 25 fj 9-ej 2 O-ej
7g827feg28e57g729efj0
Oe57g8jI -f8O-f8j2e7Qt
jjd.
89
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
19 ~
Cast|ing onmovc ninctccn, ina tcrri-
b|y sharp position' I canjust hcarmy
studcnts nov. "You`rc alvays tc||ing
ustodcvc|opourpicccs, and yctyou
don`tcast|c' Ycs,Whitcon|yhasonc
rook,vhi|cB|ackhastvo.ButaIcrthc
brcak f2fj, my rook vi|| comc into
p|ay. Mcanvhi|c, it`shardto scchov
B|ackcancvcrbringhisrooksintop|ay.
OIcoursc,Whitchas norcasontogivc
uphisknightondIorthcrookonc8.
19... @c5
OnI9 . . . 2f,onccontinuationis20g5'
2-g5(20. . . 2e52I C-f5g22f4' ef
(22. . . gf2jfe C-e5 24-f5 Ct 25
Oh5 c7 2 g ) 2j O-fj gf 24
O-f5 2f 25 gf) 2I Oh5 g 22
O-g5O-g52j2-g5b824fjef25
2-fjCc8(25. . . Ce522fC-fj27
-fjg828ejCd7292d4)2
Cb57f7272f4 e8282-b8C-b8
29c5 = .
2 _f5I
20C-c8C-c82I gf.
2... h5
B|ack'sbcstchanccvas20. . . g,vhcn
Whitc`sattackhastobcvcryaccuratc.
2I Cd4 2-d4 (2I . . .Of 22Ce (22
fj|?) 22 . . . 7g82jfj ef24-fj) 22
2-d4 7t (22. . . g8 2j f4 g7 24
O-e4 Oe7 (24. . . e7' ?) 25 2-g7
O-g72f5 )2jf4 e824f5g525
fCl2Oejh27h4Ch 7(27 . . . Od7
28f5Ch7292-e4C-c4 j0bc-c4
jI hg C-g5 j2 -g5' hg jj 2g|
7-g j4 Odj is a prctty vin Ior
Whitc)282-e4 .
9O
20. . . 7g8 isbad. 2I f4 ef22O-fj h
2jd2f24Ce77f825O-b7b8
2Oe4 .
21 f4
A|| oIWhitc`spicccsarc novpartici-
patinginthcattack.HcmayhavcIcvcr
picccsthanB|ack butthcrc`scnough
Ioramatc.
21444 cf
2I . . .2f 22g5g 2jCh4 .
22 f {g8
22. . . Of2jg5Of724Oe4 .
2 d6
ThccontoursoIthcmatingnctarcbc-
comingapparcnt.
2..._f6
2j. . . 2f 24g52-g5 25Ce7vins.
24g5 1~
Raj rcsigncd invicv oI24. . . Cbd7 25
Ce7 7f7 (25. . . 7f8 2 Cg) 2
Od5.
Sving
Lcssous
I ) Amistakc inthcopcningcana0cct
thccntirccourscoIthcgamc.Actvcry
rcsponsib|yvhcn dcning yourpavn
structurc.B|ack`smistakcvasthathis
dccisiona||ovcdWhitctoconsidcrab|y
strcngthcn hi s posi t i on on thc
quccnsidc( I0. . . e5), andvithtcmpoto
boot.
2)OIcn,vhcnB|acksctsupthcc5-I5
pavn pair, it makcs scnscto ght Ior
thcsquarcscontro||cdbythcscpavns.
Withthis in mind, Whitc p|ays cithcr
I4 org4toIorccthc attackcdpavnto
advancc,vhichinmrcmovcsitscon-
tro|oIcithcrd4orc4( I 5g4).
3) Somc sacriccs can bc cva|uatcd
vithoutca|cu|ating|oadsoIvariations.
Forhissacriccdrook,Whitcgctsat
|casttvopavns,p|usa||oIhispicccs
vi|| participatc in thc attack. Mcan-
vhi|c, B|ack must |osc scvcra| tcmpi
tobring back his bishop Irom al , his
king|oscsitspavncovcr,andhispicccs
arcscattcrcd.Thus,Whitccansacricc
vithouttoomuchhcsitation( I7'b5').
UponrcmingtoKishincv, I Ic|t|ikc
a transp|antcdsap|ing,unab|ctotakc
root in this ncv |ocation. In on|y tvo
months,Ivasncar|ychokingonahthc
sma||tovnprovincia|ism.Ivi||a|vays
|ovc Kishincv, butitsccmstomc that
boththc city and its inhabitants |ost a
grcat dca| vith thc disso|ution oIthc
9 I
SovictUnion.SoIrctumcdtoMoscov
in thc coo| oIAugust I 99. As iIto
rati[mydccision,inthcCcncvastagc
oIthcCrandPrixin Scptcmbcr, I suc-
cccdcd inoutp|aying Chcmin andad-
vanccd to thc quartcrIi na| s. But I
provcd hc|p|css against thc cvcntua|
vinncr,Anand.
I dccp|y rcspcct Vishvanathan, and I
havc no vish to dcnigratc him, but I
vou|d |ikc to sharc hov I Ic|t vhi|c
p|ayinghim.Inthcrstgamc,asarc-
su|t oIa sma|| tactica| skirmish in a
comp|cxcndgamc,vccntcrcdadravn
oppositc-co|orcdbishopscnding,vith
rooks sti|| on. Vishy, sccing nothing
bcttcr, o0crcd an cxchangc oIrooks,
and|ookcdatmcasiItooIIcradrav.
rcIuscd, andIoundmysc|Iina|ostpo-
sitionvithin vc movcs. I hadWhitc
inthcsccondgamcandcvcnmanagcd
togctthcadvantagc,butthcn,asiIhyp-
notizcd, I vas unab|c to Iorcc mysc|I
to makc a movc Ior tvcnty minutcs.
Andthis,vithatimc-contro|oItvcnty-
IvcminutcsIorthc cntirc gamc! This
vasidcntica|toourcncountcrinNcv
Dc|hi in2OOO,vhcn,inthcrstgamc
oIourmatch, I hadto Iorcc mysc|Ito
oIIcradravinabcttcrposition,rathcr
thanrisk |osingontimc.
InMoscov,I|ivcdvithmyIricndhom
thcInstitutc,MishaP|cshkov, unti| thc
cndoIthcycar,vhcnIvasab|ctorc-
tumto Stroginotothcsamcapartmcnt
andthcsamcrhythmoI|iIc.
LHaQ1I t0HI
H0S0VI bKS, bHa tH0
Wc oItcn plod a|ong inthc samc o|d
dircction,vithourhcadsbovcd,vhi|c
|iIcpasscsusquick|ybya|though|iIc
gocs on, vc` rc not rcally |ivinginthc
momcnt.Hovcvcr,Ihavcthcoppositc
problcm.MyviIchcqucnt|ycomp|ains
thatIamconstant|ychangingmymind
and somctimcs in comp|ctcly uncx-
pcctcdvays.Mostlikc|ythisisbccausc
oImy"chcssic"inclination.mybrain`s
computcr is a|vays scarching Ior thc
optimumsolution.
So it vas that, during thc NcvYork
OpcnoIl 997,Iconsidcrcditcmincnt|y
logica| to givc up chcss cntirc|y, and
acccptMaximD|ugy`socrtovorkIor
thc company hc hcads inthc Russian
bond markct. "Thc Russian Dcvc|op-
mcnt Fund" bought stock in Russian
busincsscs and crcatcd portIo|ios Ior
Wcstcm invcstors. This idca sccmcd
vcrypromisingto mc Inancia||y, and
bcsidcs,IvastircdoIa|lthistravc|ing
(ancccssarycvi| inthc| i IcoIthcpro-
Icssiona| sportsman).
I dccidcdthatI vou|dquitchcss ona
highnotcacrvinningthcNcvYork
Opcn.
Coing into thc dccisivc na| round,
Krascnkovand I had 7 out oI8,vith
Zvj aginscv and Morozcvich on Z
Sincc I had BlackagainstZvaginscv,
it vas c|carthat an uncompromising
battlcvasinstorcor,tobcmorcprc-
cisc,anunp|casantdcIcnsivcchorc.In
Amcrica, toumamcnts arc run on thc
"vinncr-takcs-al|"princip|c.Firstprizc
vas $ l 2,OOO, sccond $,OOO, and
third $3,OOO.Inthistoumamcnt,you
had to p|ay tvo gamcs a day, so thc
qucstionoIvhcrcandvhattocattook
ongrcatimportancc.
BcIorcthcgamc,Itookvhatvasprob-
ab|ynotacomp|ctclysportingdccision.
I, alongvithMarkDvorctsky, Maxim
D|ugy,andsomcothcrhicnds,vcntout
to an cxpcnsivc Ita|ian rcstaurant on
4th Strcct in Manhattan, vhcrc thc
Europcan-sty|ccuisinccrcatcdthcdo-
mcsticcomIortsoncccssaryIorthcrcs-
toration oIthc psychc. I ordcrcdsh,
and i tvou|d havc bccn a shamc to
rcIscthc (rathcr largc) bott|c oIcx-
ccllcntvhitcvincthataccompanicdit.
Wc|l,mycxhaustioninduccdstrcssdis-
appcarcd,andIvcntoIItothcgamcin
aquict,cquab|cIramcoImind.
(22) I Zvaginsev I Bologan
NcvYork(USA) l 997
QCD SlavDcIcnsc [D 5j
1 d4
Whitcvasprobab|ycxpcctingaKing`s
IndianDcIcnsc,vithasharpandcom-
p|cxbattlc,butIdccidcdtop|aymorc
so|idlytoavoid|osing,sinccIcou|dnot
knovthatKrascnkovvasgoingtobcat
Morozcvich.
14d5 2 c4c6 _c _d6 4 f
a6
Chcbancnko` sso|idvariation.
5 hI
Surprisc! Zvaginscv is an cxtrcmc|y
original p| aycr, cspccia| l y vhcn it
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha||Find'
comcstothcopcning.Hcocntricsto
surprisc his opponcnt inthcIrst Icv
movcs, thus crcating a non-standard
gamc.
5... b5
Thisisancvmovc,prcvious|yB|ack
hadrcp|icd 5. . . dc.
6 cd cd7f4
Thc most attractivc Icaturc oI5 hj is
thatWhitccan dcvc|op thcbishop to
anactivcposition,sincchchasnotyct
p|aycde2ej.
7... c6 8 c b7
ThcpositionacrthccxchangcoI dark-
squarcd bi shops (8. . . 2d 9 2-d
O-dI 0e5)didnotappca|tomc.
9 dc71~~
ThissortoIsctup isconsidcrcdIavor-
ablcIorWhitc, ashchasprospcctsoIa
kingsidcattack,vhi|conthcquccnsidc,
B|ack`s pavns arc a|rcady somcvhat
vcakcncd and can bc a sourcc oIh-
turcdiscomIort.Sothcc|cvcr5hj|?has
assurcd Whitc thc opcning initiativc.
B|ack`s p|an is, aIcr bd7, to tryto
gctine4 andmaintainthcknightin
thcccntcr.Whitc,intum,cangctonc
knightto c5andthcothcrto b3, aItcr
a2a4and b5b4.
11 a4I
Astandardidca.
11...b4 12_b1 _c6I
Thcknightisbcstp|accdona5,vhcrc
it takcs thc important c4- and b3-
squarcsundcrcontro|.
1_bd2_a514c2
Tying B|ack's rook to thc dcIcnsc oI
thca-pavn.
I4. . . e4?' I 5 acI -d2 I -d2
9d ( I . . . 9c I 7 bj' -bj I 8
-c=) I 72-dO-d I8c5Ob
I9Oh5h(I9 . . . g20Oh,Io||ovcd
byfjg5)20g4,vithanattack.
15 g5 h6I
Adubiousmovcthcrcvasnorcason
to vcakcn thc b| -h7 di agona| .
I5. . . fc8 Ie5Od8 I7f4 (I72-f
J-f I8f4(I89-h77-h7I 9Oh5
7g8 20O-t, vithpcrpctua| chcck)
I8. . . g) I7. . . e4I89-e7O-e7 I 9
9-e4de20f5ef2I -f5 f 22ec4
-c42j-c4bj' ,vithacomIortab|c
gamcIorB|ack.
16h4[fc8 17_c5c8
Quitchoncst|y, I didn`trca||ycarc Ior
myposition andI had|itt|ctimc |cI.
18f6
93
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
I8f4Ce4I92-e7\-e7202-e4de
2I f5 f 22 Cec4 C-c4 2j C-c4 bj'
|cads to a position simi|ar to thc onc
ana|yzcdabovc.
18...-f6 19f4
C|car|y, this gamc Icaturcd psycho-
|ogica| prcssurc Irom Whitc, and I
vasIcclinguncomIortablc. Myoppo-
ncnthasputtogcthcrac|assica|sctup
that I rcmcmbcr Irom back in my
youth, vhcn my Moldavian Iricnds
uscd thc so-ca||cd Stoncva|| sctup
(Ce5, 2dj, andpavns at d4, c3 and
I4) tomatc B|ack timcand again. But
instcadoIrcsigning,Idccidcdtotrya
|itt|cdcIcnsc.
19...[c7I
Amu|ti-purposcmovc.B|ackvantsto
doub|crooksonthcc-mcandprophy-
lactical|ydcIcndthcscvcnthrank. Ad-
ditionally,acrf4f5,thcbishoponb7
cangctintop|ayviac8.
2[ac1
Whitcshou|dhavcrcIraincdIromcx-
changingrooks.Ap|anvith\h5 and
g4g5dcscrvcdattcntion.
2...[-c1 21 [-c1 [c8
94
Thc cxchangc oIa pair oIrooks has
madcB|ack`staskcasicr.
22[f1 [c7I2_g4
Thc tcmporary pavn sacriIi cc |cts
Blackscizcthcinitiativcacr2j2-a
2-a24\-ac2 25Cdfj Cc4.
2...c7
Somcvhcrc aroundhcrc, vith tvcnty
minutcs|cIttothctimc-contro|,I vas
rcturning Iromthc bathroom vhcnI
cncountcrcd my Iri cnds Irom thc
I nsti tutc, among thcm Ccna S|avin,
nicknamcd"Ycnot agoodguy,and
a st rong candi dat c-mast cr Irom
Bclarus (novjust anothcr NcvYork
mi | l i onairc) . Wc cxchangcd a Icv
vords, and immcdiatcly, my sou| Ic|t
| ightcr Ithought,mypositionvasn't
sobadacra|| .
24f5cf25-f5 _c4
Fina||y, a|| Black`s picccs comc into
pl ay. Nov cvcrythi ng is in ordcr.
Whitchasnorca|attack,andvhati s
hct odoviththcknightonc4(vhich
may,i nsomcl incs,continucthrough
dtoc4)7
26_-c4
Thcbcginning oIthc cnd. Zvjaginscv
istooxatcdondc|ivcringmatc.
26... dc
NovB|ackhas thcuppcrhand. Hchas
on|yto pay attcntion to thc b | -h7 di-
agona|.
27b1g5
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha||Find!
WiththcidcaoIcontinuing e7 and
9c8.
28c2g629h4
Losing at oncc. 29 Of2 Tg7 j0 Ce5
Oe7 vas ncccssary, vith somcvhat
bcttcrchanccsIorBlack.
29...h5I
Bymcans oIthiszwi:chenzug, B|ack
vinsapavnand,Iora||practica|pur-
poscs,thcgamca|ongvithit.
OIcoursc, 29. . . 9-h4 j0C-h Tg7
jI C-t vas abad idca.
hg
Or j0 -t -| jI O-g g7 j2
OeTh8jjhghgj4OhTg8j5
OeTfjOf5t.
... hg1 [f6
jI -t-tj2O-gg7jjOe
Tf8j4Of5|.
Thc g5-pavn is dcIcnsclcss, Whitc's
picccshavcnomovcsandhisking is
vcak.
2[f4-g5gfI 4h2
f5 -1
Lcssons
I ) Onc oIthcmostcIIcctivc mcthods
oIIghtingagainstpavnsataandb5
is a2a4, provoking thc rcsponsc b5
b4,andthcnbringingthcknighttob3
tocxp|oitthcvcakcningoIthca5- and
c5-squarcs(andiIB|ackcontinucsa
a5 thcb5-squarcasvc||).
2)Whcnyouropponcnthasapositiona|
advantagc and isprcparing an attack,
it`simportanttokccpyourhcadandtry
toIndthcmoststubbomdcIcnsc.Hcrc,
I9. . . c7' provcdtobcsuchamovc.
3) Whcn a p|aycr has had thc uppcr
handIorthccntircgamc,hcsomctimcs
Iai|storcoricnthimsc|Ionccthcadvan-
tagchasdissipatcdandthis can |cadto
thc |oss oIaha|I-point.
That'shovI vonthcbiggcstprizcoI
my|iIcuptothatmomcnt.Acrvards,
I and my Iricnds vcnt to a rcstaurant
andthcntothcrooIoIaskyscrapcr. I
|ookcddovnonthccity,viththcsong
New !ork!New!ork!ingthrough
myhcad.
Natura||y,castingasidcvhatIhaddcdi-
catcdIccnycarsoImy|iIctovasno
casymattcr.IrcccivcdplcntyoI advicc,
and aItcr thoughtIu| considcration, I
saidgoodbyctochcss.OIcoursc,Istil|
had somc ob|igations to sctt|c, so I
p|aycd in a Icv morc toumamcnts -
among thcm thc Opcn Championship
oI thc Russi an Armcd Forccs i n
Scvastopo| . S|atcdtostartvorkin1u|y,
Idccidcdtogotothcscashorcin1unc,
rcst a vhi|c and play somc chcss. On
95
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
thcvho|c,Scvastopolhasbccnavcry
signicantcityinmy|iIc. That`svhcrc
my Iathcr and grandIathcr Mi sha
vorkcd,andvhcrcmyviIcanddaugh-
tcr vcrc bom. I a|so mct my viIc in
Scvastopo| . Today, vc havc a dacha
thcrc, inthc Fio|cntc' . And I |ikc thc
city,too.
(23)A. ljzmanavin I Bologan
Scvastopol(Ukrainc) l 997
King`sIndianDcIcnsc E8 I j
1d4f62c4g6c@g74c4
d6 5 f
Thisvou|dbconcoIVyzmanavin`slast
scrious tournamcnts. AItcr this, hc
madconcmorccIIorttorcmtochcss,
butbythattimchcnolongcrhadany
rca| grip on |iIc,hcsankintodcspair,
Icl | apart andthcnthcmadncssovcr-
tookhim . . .
VyzmanavinandIhadbccnncighbors
onStrogino.WcvisitcdoIcn,travc|cd
togcthcr to toumamcnts, and p|aycd
both tcnnis and b|itz. AItcr lcaving
chcss, A|cxcy |ivcdjust thrcc morc
ycarsandvasburicdinthc vintcroI
2OO I . Hcvasarca|origina|,avcrytal-
cntcdpcrson,butnotvc|l-prcparcdIor
thc strcsscsand strokcsoIdcstiny.
OIcoursc,vhcnvcp|aycdthisgamc,
noonchadanyink|ingoIhiscvcntua|
sad Iatc. Alcxcy p|aycd his Iavoritc
SamischVariationoIthcKing`sIndian,
tovhichIrcspondcdvithasctuppopu-
|arizcdbyLanka.Inthcnotcsyouvil|
Ii nd gamcs by Lanka` s studcnts
Socko, B|chm and Kakhiani vhich
shovsthatZigurds is sti|| populariz-
ingthisopcning.
54 e e ~6 @ca6
B|ack`splanistocxcrtprcssurconthc
ccntcrand quccnsidcbymcansoIa,
Cbd7, c5 and b5. . . . a is a prctty
c|cvcrmovc,ascvcnKasparovshovcd
inhisgamcagainstBcliavsky(Moscov
I 983). ItisintcrcstingthatinI 992,in
Manila,Kasparovplaycdthcvhitcsidc
oIthisposition againstLoginov. Both
gamcs cndcd in victory Ior thc thir-
tccnthvor|dchampion.
B|acktricstoIorcchisopponcnttorc-
vca|his p|an as quick|y aspossib|cto
avoidsomcunp|casantsctups.
7 d2 _bd78 h
Thcknight hcads immcdiatcly Ior I.
Whitcdocsnotvastctimconthcma-
ncuvcr CgI e2cIdj. Natura|ly, thc
knight isnotas vc|l-placcdon I, on
thcothcrhand,itdocssavcsomctimc
Iordcvc|opmcnt,asthcbishopcango
toc2immcdiatc|y.
8 . c5 9 f2cd
9. . . =a5 I0 2e2 b8 I I dcdc I 200
b5 IjcbabI4ajc4 I 5a4b4 I Cb5
d8(Ata|ikSocko,Croningcnl 998).
1. @-d4 _c5
I0. . . b I I 2e2 2b7 I2 00 c8 I j
acIe I4 2ej Ce8 I 5 b4f5 I fdI
t(StryjcckiB|cm,Warsav2OO2).
11 @c2
MyslolcnIsonc o!thcoutlyngrcgonso!Scvastopol - apopulararcaIorthosc
wholkctoroughitonvacaton.
9
WhosocvcrSccks,Sha|| Find'
I I cI Oa5 I 2 b4Od8 I jCa49e
I 4 Cbb8I 5 9e2CcI9ejCh5
I7Cd5 (Varga-KakhianiCcrsinska,
Basc|2OO2).
11 ...a5
B|ackjustvantstocomplctcdcvc|op-
mcntby2eandc8,Iorcxamp|c,I 2
009e I jfdI C-c4I49-c49-c4
I 5 Cd5O-d2I C-e 77h8I7-d2
Fe8 I8Cd59-d5 I9edac8 =
12f4I
Aprctty ambitious movc. Whitc trics
to scizc spacc, vithout a|loving his
opponcnttop|acchispicccscomIort-
ab|y.
12...c6 1 c [b8
Idon` tscchovWhitccanprcvcnt 7
b5, sofjf4vasprobab|ynotthcbcst
vaytoIghtIorthcadvantagc.
14 [c1
I4 00 b5 I 5 cb ab I b4'? C-b4 I7
C-b5 Cc , or I 7 . . . 2g4'? I8C-g4
C-g4I99d4-b5209-g77-g72I
9-g4c5 o
14... b5
B| ack cxccutcs thc standard p l an,
vhilc Whitc is making unncccssary
movcs. Thcinitiativca|rcadybc|ongs
toB|ack.
I4. . . 9d7 I 500t8 .
15bI
ThisisadcInitcmisstcp.Whitchadto
takcthccqua|cndgamcaIcrI 5cbab
I Cd5 ( I C-b5 -b5 I 7 -c
O-d2I8-d2-b2)I ...O-d2I7
9-d2C-d5 I8-cCf I9 00.
15...bc 16-c4c6I
With hi s dcvc| opmcnt comp| ctcd,
B|ack a|rcadythrcatcns todcmo| ish
thc ccntcr. Thc tradc on c vou| d
clcar|yIavorB|ack,bccauscthc I-|c
vou|d bc opcncd and thc d5-squarc
p|accdundcrhiscontro|.
17c2
I79-efeI8 00fc8
17 . . . [fd8
B|ackprcparcsthcbrcakdd5,vhich
vi|lbcvcrydi0cu|ttoprcvcnt.
18 f
AItcr I 800 d5 I9 ed(I9e5 d4 20
efde 2I O-ej9-f = ) I9. . . C-d520
C-d5 O-d2 2I 2-d29-d5 22fdI
(229-a?a82j9b7-a2249cj
(24 9-c 9-c 25 -c d-d2 2
c8 9f8 ) 24. . . Cd4 25 9-d4
9-d4 2 9-d5 -d5 ) 22. . . Cd4
2j 9dj, Whitc's position is somc-
vhat i nIcrior, but it ccrtain|y cou|d
havcbccnhcld.
97
VictorBologan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
18... d5I
I8 . . . Cb4'?vasalsovorthconsidcring.
I9 00?' O9 Ca4 2d7 20 aj Cc 2I
CbO-d2227-d2Ca52jbI)
I9 . . . d520e5Ce42I J-e4de22Ob2
Cdj 2j C-dj ed=.
19 c5
I9 ed Cb4 = , I9 C-d5 Cb4|
O9 . . . C-d520O-a5(20F-c2cj)
20. . . C-a52I ed2-d5222-d5F-d5
2j7e2Cb724c'd25hcI=)
20Fc5(20002-d52IedCf-d5+ )
20. . . Oaj(20. . . O-a22 I O-a2C-a222
C-e77f 2jCc) 2I 002-d5 22
edO-a22jO-a2C-a2+.
19... d4I 2@-c6
Acr20efde2I O-ej2-f222-c
bc8 + , B|ackrccovcrsthc picccand
oIthc ca|cu|ation proccss. Whcn you
cxccutc your combination and crcatc
thrcats,yourattcntionslackcnsmaybc
justalitt|c, butithappcns.
20. . . de 2I O-ejCd5 222-d5J-d5
2j002a824dI .
2 1 @-d4
2 I CcdI de 22 O-ej Ch5 2j gj
Fdc8 =.
2 1 ...-d4 22_a4
22Oeje4.
22... a72c2_d5
B|ackhasapovcrh|initiativcIorhis
pavn. Whitchasnotimctocomp|ctc
hisdcvc|opmcnt,sincchchastovard
oIIdircctthrcats.
rctains a|| thc advantagcs oIhis posi- 24g_b425_c5
tion.
Thismovc|cadstoscriousunp|casant-
2...b6I ncss. hc hadto p|ay 25 00 C-c 2
F-ca5' .
AsoItcnhappcnsinsharppositions,a
zwi:chenzugplays adccisivcro|c.A|| 25 ...@f5
chcssplaycrs, cvcn thc vcry strongcst,
occasi ona| l y ovcr|ook i n-bctvccn 25. . . Fc82-cfe voulda|sohavc
movcs.Thisisthcmostvu|ncrab|cpart von.
98
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha|l Find!
26 c4 [c8
NovWhitc must |oscmatcria|.
27-f5
27CcdjC-dj.
27 . . . gf28~
28Ccdj C-dj 29 C-dj L-cI j0
C-cI Le4 .
28. . . [-c5 29a _d c~1
Lcssons
I ) B|ack`s bcst plan to ght against
pavns at c4 and c4 is to cxccutc thc
brcakb7b5.AIcrIj. . . Lb8,B|ackal-
rcady thrcatcns thismovc,vhichsuc-
ccssIu||yIrccshisgamc.
2) AItcr b7b5, Bl ack shou|d start
thinking about dd5. Hcrc hc suc-
cccdcd in carrying out this brcak as
vc|l.
3)Zwischcnzug : p|ayanimportantro|c
incalculatingvariations, as thcyhavc
ahabitoIcscapingonc`sattcntion.It`s
|ikclythatA|cxcyovcr|ookcdthcmovc
20...Ob'.
AtthcstartoIthccvcnt,IvasIor,
but, aIcr a scvcnthround loss, I dc-
cidcdto"circ|cthcvagons,anddrav
my rcmaininggamcs. Thus, I bccamc
RussianArmcdForccsChampion.
AIcrthctournamcnt,vcvcrchcrdcd
ontoami| itarytransportctand0ovn
toMoscov.Wc vcrcscatcdinthctai|
sccti on, vhcrc it vas comp| ctc| y
Ircczing, but thosc vho vcrc scatcd
ust IiItccn mctcrs avay in thc Iront
scction vcrc mclting Irom thc hcat.
Itvas latc at night vhcn vc |andcd
saIc|yatthcMoscov-arcaacrodromc,
Chka|ovsk.VyzmanavinandIrodcin
atrucktothcKurskrailstation,vhcrc
vcvcrcstoppcdbyapo|iccman,but
al| hc vantcdvas dircctions. A Icv
days |atcr, I shovcd up Ior vork at
my ncv o0cc, and spcnt ncar|y six
5cvuatool u|
99
VictorBologan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
bcvastopoI 99T
2
I . Bokgn,tor x
C
2. Yagov, Igor x
J. Kmritonov, Andrc
4. Kisc|cv, Scrgy 0
5. !gy,NJoby 0
. BcIov, Vdm 0
?. Noknko, Okg
8. \mnav, Axcy 0
. Komkov, Vtor 0
l 0.1otsky, LconU I 0
I I . Immctov, Sabut 0 0
monthsvorkingIorD|ugy`scompany.
This mcant diving into a complctcly
diIIcrcntvor|d,oncoIcontracts,lcgal
nicctics, nancia| nuanccs, various
busyvork,thc"bosscmployccrcla-
tionship, and sma|| intra-oIIi cc in-
trigucs.IstartcdtakingFridaycvcning
valks and thinking in such tcrms as
"dayso0`and"assignmcnt.Icnjoycd
it a|| vcry much, cvcn though in thc
cnd, it vas not Ior mc. Hovcvcr, it
a||camctoavcryRussianconc|usion.
thcmarkctvascovcrcdbyabrassba-
sin. In Octobcr 997, thc RTS Indcx'
Ic||thirtypcrccnt and a|l transactions
vcrc hozcn.
An additiona| Iactor in my rctum to
chcss vas my invitation to thc 997
FI DE KO Wor| d Champi onshi p.
ThankstothcuntiringcIIortsoIFcdor
Skripchcnko,thc 8th FIDECongrcss
vas hc|d in Mo|dova, and thc FIDE
J
x
0
4 5 ? 8 0 1otaI
0 ?Z

C
5':
x 0 5Z
I x
2
0 5
0 x I 5
0 x
C
0 4Z
x 4Z
x
C
4Z
0 x 0 4
0 0 0 I x J
Prcsidcnt dccidcd to ocr onc slot to
thcstrongcstplaycrinourcountry- in
othcrvords,mc. SoitvasthatIqua|i-
cdIorCroningcn.InthcIrstround,I
bcat thc Ka|myk champion, Umgacv,
but I lost to Vaganian in thc sccond
round.AIcr this, I still vcntto vork
IoraIcv vccks, butthc Iundsmarkct
vas a|rcady dcad and I did not vant
moncyIordoingnothing.ThcrcIorc,at
thccndoIDcccmbcr,Ivcnttomysu-
pcrvisorandaskcdIorasctt|cmcnt.
Thus,Irctumcdtochcss. Butchcssno
|ongcr had Chcbancnko. In August
997,aIcvvccksaIcrIstartcdvork-
ing at thc Inds markct, hc dicd oIa
hcartattack. NcvsoIhisdcathrcachcd
mcatDomodcdovoairport,vhcrcIvas
about to Iy to Kazan on assignmcnt.
Hovcvcr, thc Iight vas dclaycd bc-
causcoIrcpairs. IIithadnotbccnIor
thatbrcakdovn,Ivouldnotcvcnhavc
madcittothcIncra|.
1hcR1S indcxsthcbasic cxchangc indcxo!Russanbondpapcr,thctotaI ndca-
toro!vaIuc !orthc lcadng Russan compancs.
OO
WhosocvcrSccks, Shal| Find'
Chcbancnko vas thc Patriarch oI
Mo|dovianchcssandthcIoundcroI thc
chcss traditions in our Rcpublic. His
othcr studcnts, Doru Rogozcnko and
V|adikNcvcdnichy,alsobccamcgrand-
mastcrs, along vith Vitya Kom| iakov,
Vi orcl I ordachcscu, and Di ma
Svctushkin. I nFcbruary 998,mycl-
dcr brothcr and I organi zcd thc
ChcbancnkoMcmoria|i nKishincv.Wc
tricd to invitc a|| oIhis studcnts, but
manycou|dn`tmakcit,ViktorCavrikov
amongthcm.
Sti||, itvas a vorthy cvcnt. Sinccvc
cou|d not oIIcr |argc honoraria (thc
cntirc toumamcnt vas practica||y -
nanccd by mysc|IandNicu), it con-
sistcdoImygrandmastcrIricnds.IIvc
vcrc to rcca|cu|atc thc ratings oIa||
thoscplaycrsnov,vcvou|dprobab|y
bc looking at a Catcgory l cvcnt.
A|cxandcr Morozcvichvonthctour-
namcnt vith a Iantastic 8Zpoints out
oI9. Thisvashisrststcptovardsthc
top,andhcvon sixmorctoumamcnts
inarov, pushinghisratingovcr27OO'
UnIortunatc|y,myattcmptstocontinuc
Chcbancnko`svorkhavcsoIarprovcd
unsucccssful.In 999,Ibcganrunning
thc Bologan School, and I sti|| mcct
vith thc childrcn Irom timc to timc,
hovcvcr, this sccmsto bc an inc0cc-
tivcIormoI tcaching.InthcSovictcra,
vhcn I attcndcd thc Chiburdanidzc
Schoo|,thcstudcntsvcrccxpcricnccd
youth, vho had good traincrs, and a
Nicu ologun und Alcxundcr Morozcvich, Kiahincv I 998
O l
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
scri ous vork ct hi c. But today i n
Mo|dova,thcrcarcc|carprob|cmsvith
ourtraincrs`cadrc.Forthcvcryyoung,
vc havc So|onar, but nothingthcrc-
aItcr. My ovn |ccturcs, rarc as thcy
arc, do not || thc gap. Bcsidcs, my
schoo|hadnonancia|supportata| | .
OIcoursc,thcschoo|hashadrcsu|ts,
but maxima|ist that I am I sti||
drcamaboutstudcntsvitha2OOE|o
atIourtccn' Ivorkindividua||yvith
manypupi | s. Ircmcmbcrthatmyovn
di p| oma rcads . "Spcci a| ty. Chcss
TcachcrandTraincr' Tvo oImystu-
dcnts, A|cxci Khrushchcv and Rus|an
So|tanich,novattcndthc Moscov In-
stitutcoIPhysicu|turc(today,Moscov
Univcrsity).
By thc vay, I conduct my |cssons in
Russian sothc chi|drcn a|so|cam a
sccond|anguagc.
Aftcr my rcturn to chcss, Mark
Dvorctsky"diagnoscdmyp|ay asIo|-
|ovs.
Maorrohlems.
Continual over-estimation
o{yourosition, over-oti-
mism,under-estimationo{the
oonent: counter la|.
Inaccurate calculation -
ahove all, overlookingyour
oonent: resources. In-he-
tweenmoves.
11 Strategicermrs, esecially
inositionswith}exihleawn
chains.
I| Occasionally - unwar-
ranted lengthy thinks, and
time-trouhle.
In thc spring oI I 998, a prc-O|ympic
toumamcntvashc|dtogctthcintcma-
tiona| chcss community acquaintcd
vithE|ista.thcPrcsidcntoIKa|mykia
KirsanNiko|acvichI|yumzhinovCup.
At that timc, thc Russian Champion-
shipshadbccnhc|dinE|istavithgrcat
succcss, but no intcmationa| touma-
mcnts.Bcsidcs,thcKa|mykianorganiz-
crsvishcdtodispc|thcskcpticismsur-
rounding thc timc|y construction oI
ChcssCity(undcrthccodcnamc"Ncv
Vasiuki).Inthisthcysuccccdcd,asthc
participantsvcrcinvitcdtovitncssthc
constructionoIthcchcssvi||agc,vhcrc
thcy savrca|pcop|c vorking tobui|d
rca|cottagcs. A|though at rst, vhcn
our"Yak-4O`touchcdthcdirtrunvay
oIthcE|istanacrodromc,Ihadnosuch
assurancc. YctI havcp|casant mcmo-
rics,bothoIthcPrcsidcnt`sCupandoI
thcE|istaO|ympiad.
(24) I BoIogan - 5akaev
E|ista(Russia) I 998
RuyLopcz [C88j
1 c4c5 2 f c6 @b5 a6 4
a4 f6 5 - @c7 6 [c1 b5 7
b ~ 8 h
This vasthc sccond gamc oIthc scc-
ondroundoIthcknockouttoumamcnt.
I |ostthc Irstgamc ina |ong cnding,
The"Yak-4Ovasasma||passengeretvhich,IrstintheUSSR,and|aterinRus-
sia,vasusedmain|yfor intema|andnotover|ypopu|arroutes.tvasconsideredthe
safestet intheUSSR.
I O2
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha||Find'
soIhadtogctrcvcngc.Winningapoint
back is alvays di0cu|t, but p|aying
B|ackhas its prob|cms as vc|| you
can`ta|vaysgctthcdravjustbccausc
youvantit.
Whitc`slastmovchasbccnknovnIor
a|ongtimc.ThamstoLanka`sstudcnts,
ithasacquircdancv |casc onl iIc.
8. w .b7
On8. . . d9 cj, Whitcvouldrctumto
thcusualsctups. Butnov,vccntcrthc
Anti-Marshal|.
9 d
I ` vcbccnIami| iarviththistypcoIpo-
sition sincc chi |dhood. Chcbancnko
taught us thc Ita|ian Camc,andthcsc
schcmasarcvcrysimi|ar.
9. . . d6 1a h6
Sakacvchooscsthcsctupthatvasmost
popular at that timc. Black plans to
bring his rook to c8, his bishop to
(and idcal|y, acr g7g, to g7), and
p|aydd5.Sti||,thcmovchissomc-
vhatoIavcakcning,oIIcringthc ba-
sisIorvariouscombinations,and gct-
tingthcbishoptog7takcsagrcatdca|
oI timc. Whitc shou|d gradually im-
provc thc position oIhis picccs and
prcparc djd4.
Novadays,thcmain|incisconsidcrcd
tobcI 0 . . . b8I I bd2bd7 I 2fI
e8, vhcn thc |atcst Iashion is, oI
coursc, Ijej,Iorcxamp|c, I j. . . c5
I42a2e I 5 f52l Ig52c8
I7Ofjh I8-e b-e I9 2-efe
20 ejc52I2d2a722 a4 t 2j
ab ab 24 Oe2, vith a most comIort-
ab| c posi ti on Ior Whitc (Anand
Kramnik, Dortmund2OO4).
OIcoursc,Whitchasmanyothcrpos-
sibilitics.
Ij2a2c I4gj2f8 I 5f5d5Id4
c5I7dc-c5I8ede4I9h2-d5
20g4h52I , gejf422b4a4=
(Kasparov- Shirov, Linarcs 2OO4).
Ijg5d5I4ed2-d5I 5.2-d5-d5
IOfj2-g5 I72-g5O-g5I8O-d5
b I 9Ob7Od820OfjZ- Z. ( Val|cjo
Pons- Shirov, Linarcs2OO4).
Ij gjc (Ij. . . c5 I4 2a2 2l I 5
h2 e If5 c5I7g4 c8 I8
h4 c7 I92d2d7 20 a4 -g4 2I
O-g47h822abab2j2g5f242d2,
vith thc bcttcr position Ior Whitc,
Morozcvich Lastin, Dagomys 2OO4)
I4 g5 d5 I5 d4 h Ide hg I7 ef
2-f I8 2a2 2e5 (Svid|cr Shirov,
WikaanZcc2OO4).
11 _c[c812_c2
A typica| knight transIcr to g3. I vas
satiscdviththcvaythc opcninghad
dcvc|opcd. al| thc picccsvcrc stil|on
thc board, no Iorccd variations, and
good prospccts oIa long dravn-out
battlc. A primc cxamplc oIthis strat-
I O3
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
cgy oI"dclaycdrctributionmightbc
thcconc|udinggamcoIthcKasparov
- KarpovmatchinScvi|lc,I 987, vhcn
Kasparov succccdcd in |cvc|ing thc
scorc inthcna|gamc.Thc sidcplay-
ingto|cvclthcmatchncvcrIorccsthc
action, and dcIcnding bccomcs cspc-
cia||yoncrous.youvanttosimp|i[thc
position,butthctcnsioncontinucs.
I2 2ej'b8 Ij a4 b4 I4 'e2 'bd7
I 5'gj2l I 'h2 'c5 I 72-c5dc
I8'g4'h7 I9 'ejg 20a52d
(Lanka Sakacv,Kishincv l 998).
12 . . . d5 1cd_-d5 14_gf8
15 c d7 16 _c4 h8 17 _h4
WhitcscckstogainsomcsortoIsup-
port points onthc kingsidc, orinducc
B|acktovcakcnhisposition.
17 . . . _d8 18g4|
Asurprisingdccision.WhitchcadsIor
an cndgamc a|though thc rcsu|ting
positionisdimcu|ttolabc|asan cnd-
ing,bccausca|lthcothcrpicccsrcmain
onthcboard.
18. . . -g4
I8. . . 'e I82-h'gh I92-d5O-d5
2I 'f , I8...Oe?'.
19hg
An asymmctrica| position has bccn
rcachcd,invhichWhitcrctainshisini-
tiativc.
19. . . _c62g[ad8
On 29. . . 'c5'?, Whitc vou|d rcply 2I
2c2 (2I '-c5 2-c5 22 'f5 ad8)
2I . . . '-e4 22 de 'f 2j g5' ? hg 24
2-g5 .
21 a4
Nosooncrdocsthcrook|cavca8,vhcn
Whitcbrcaksupthc cncmypavns.
21. . . b4 22a5I
A typica| rcaction in thc Ruy Lopcz.
Whitc xcs thc a-pavn and sccurcs
thcal|-importanta4-squarcIorhisovn
bishop.
22. . . [d7
22. . . 'c5'?2j'-c52-c5242d2.
2 c4
Whitc has conso|idatcd his small ad-
vantagc. 2j2a4c is notasgood.
2. . . [dc824d2c5 25f)
Whitc isc|car|yahcad. hchassccurcd
outpostsatc4andI5,vithgoodpros-
pcctsIorhrthcringthcinitiativc.With
hislastmovc,hcshortcnsthcdiagona|
oIthc bishop at b7 and opcns a path
Iorhiskingtorcachthcccntcr.
25. . . _dc7 26f2d5 27c2
I O4
WhosocvcrSccks, ShallFind'
Exchangingond5 vou|d cost thc d3-
pavn. Doubl ing thc pavns Iavors
Whitc, sincc a|| thc ccntral squarcs
vou|dbcoII-limitstoB|ack`sknights
asarcsu|t.
274 4 4 {g8
27. . . bc28bc2-c4 29dce8j02ej
djI d2.
28_f5 f6 29[h1{f7
Thcrc is novay B|ackcanrclcascthc
prcssurc, vhi|c Whitc gradua||y prc-
parcshisbrcakthrough.
@c[b81@d2@c62_c
@b5f4I
Dcspitctimc-prcssurc,I dccidcdnotto
dc|aythisthrust,sinccthcrcisnoothcr
vaytobrcakintoBlack`sposition.
... cf 4gf@-c4 5_-c4 _d5
6[af1 [c87{d1
Thc king has to bc rcmovcd Irom thc
opcn |c.
7 ... _d8
j7. . . gj8f5 = .
8{c2_c69[h[b84[h5
[dd841[h[b5
Timc-prcssurcisovcr,novit`stimcIor
thcbrcakthrough.
42g5I _-a5
42. . .f54jghgh44e5-e545 fe.
4ghgh44 [a1
Concrctcp|aybcgins and itbccomcs
c|carthatWhitcvinsapicccbyIorcc.
44 . . . b+
44. . . bc 45 bc bj docs not hc|p. 4
-a-d2477-d2bb848ej .
45 {c1 _-c4
45. . . c4-ab847d'isjust
bad.
46dc[b647cd+ [-d548[a5
[c649 [c[h55_f2
Fromhcrc,thcknightcancovcrthckcy
hI- andd | -squarcs.
5...[d651[f[hd552@ch5
5 [-c5 a5 54 [c4 {g6 55 f5+
[-f556[-f5{-f557[c5+{g6
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
58 -a5h4 59 b5 c66 d2
1~
lcssons
l ) I Iyou havc to vinthcgamcata||
costs, it is not ncccssary to try and
chcckmatcthcopponcnt.Itisquitcsat-
isIactory to scttlc Ior a long-tcrm ad-
vantagcinthccndgamc.Thus,cxchang-
ingquccnscanbcavho|lyacccptab|c
tcchniquc,vhcrcthcimportantthingis
toIorcsccthccourscoIthcgamcaccu-
ratclyandc|car|y. Thcmovc I8Og4'
Itsthismodc|quitcvcl l .
2)With2Ia4| , Whitcopcncdasccond
Irontonthc quccnsidc, dcmonstrating
thcprinciplcoItvovcakncsscs.
3) Whcn thc pi cccs arc optima| | y
p|accd, i t` s timc to look Ior tactics.
B|ackvasvcl|prcparcdIordjd4,but
WhitcmanagcdtobrcakinadiIIcrcnt
scctorvithjjf4' .
Hcrc'sadiarycxccrpt."Althoughsick,
I managcdto gainrcvcngc butI did
Iorgctthcopcning.Ccncral|yspcaking,
Ivishmymcmoryvasbcttcr.Conc|u-
si on. in thc opcning, i t ` s bcttcr to
mcmorizcvhatyouknov.
Acr this gamc, vc p|aycd drcv an-
othcr Iour rapid gamcs and thcn vc
p|aycd b|itz until thc Irst vin. Hov-
cvcr, at somc point I Iorgot aboutthc
timcandlost.
It`s alvaysa p|casurc Ior mc to visit
Romania,asitoccupicsaspccia|placc
inmychcssbiography.Ip|aycdinmany
tournamcntsthcrc atthcbcginningoI
mycarccranditvasthcrcthat!madc
my |ast intcrnational mastcr norm.
A| so,homtimctotimc,thcRomanian
Chcss Fcdcration hc|pcd mc a grcat
dca|, Ior instancc, thcy |lcd out thc
packct oIdocumcnts that I nccdcd to
gctmygrandmastcrtitlc.Inaddition,I
Ircqucnt|y p|aycd Ior that country` s
tcams in thc nationa| championship,
vhichisvhcrcthcIo|lovinggamcvas
p|aycd.
(25) IBologan - 5. Atalik
Romania I 998
Sici|ianSchcvcningcn[B8Oj
1c4c52_fd6d4cd4_-d4
_f6 5 _c a66 c _c6 7 c2
c6
SuatAta|ik is, vithout doubt, onc oI
thc most charismatic pcrsonalitics oI
contcmporary chcss. Strict|y Irom a
playingpcrspcctivc,hisopcningprcpa-
ration is considcrcd his strong point,
and c|itcp|aycrs Ircqucnt|y makc usc
oIhis scrviccs. Hcrc, too, hc comcs
armcdIorbatt|c.
8 g4
AIormoIthcKcrcsAttack. Whitcgocs
aIcrhisopponcnt"vith|uggagc. Hc
vantsto opcn attacking |incs on thc
kingsidcandincrcaschiscontro| ovcr
d5bydrivingthcknighthomI.Mcan-
vhi | c, Bl ack tri cs to dcvcl op hi s
quccnsidcas quicklyas possiblc.Natu-
ra||y,B|ackmustnotncg|ccthisdcIcnsc
- oncoIhis mostimportantrcsourccs
is g7g, vhich prcvcnts Whitc Irom
p|ayingg5-ghimsclI
8...c79g5_d7 1h4
II thc knights arc cxchangcd, Whitc
vants to bring hisquccntod4 inonc
movc.
I O
WhosocvcrSccks, ShallFind'
1...- 11f4[c8
B|ackdocsnotvanttotakcthcknight
ustyct, so hcmakcsavaitingmovc,
but not a ncccssary onc. Hcrc`s hov
pl ay mightprocccdaIcr thc immcdi-
atc cxchangc on d4. I I . . . '-d4 I 2
\-d4 b5 I jh5 b4 I 4'd5 ed I 5 h
ghI 000bj I7ab\a5 I87bI hg
I 9 b4 \c7 20 ed (Iordachcscu
Cuido, I 999).
I vastaught hovtop|aythis |incby
ZigurdsLanka,andI intumpasscdit
ontoViorcl , soIordachcscucou|dalso
bc callcd Lanka`s studcnt oncc rc-
movcd'
12 d2
I2 aj Fb8 Ij 00 '-d4 I4 \-d4b5
I5Ff2Oa5 I\d2\c7 I7FafIl
I8f5'e5 I9fFb720h5 (Lanka
Timosccnko,CappcUclaCrandcI 992),
I2h5Fb8 I j aj'-d4 I 4\-d4b5 I 5
he5 I \d2 efI 7-f4 g I8\d4
f8 I9 -d O-g5 20-l7-f8 2I
\g77e722FfI Fl2j'd57e8
24 FdI ( I ordachcscu Bc| otti ,
MontccatiniTcrmc l 999).
12. . . _-d41-d4
NovWhitcchangcsplansandcapturcs
viththcbishop.
1...b514ab7 15~~[c8
This movc vas a novc|ty back thcn.
Hcrc`s anothcrgamc IromoncoImy
comradcs, Vl adi k Ncvcdni chy, to
vhomIalsoshovcdthc"LankaSici|-
ian. I5. . . Oa5 Ih5b4 I7ab \-b4
I8gFab8 I9gf 7-t20 FhgI e5
2I fe de22a79-e42j-b8F-b8
24 c4 \-c4 25 '-e4 \-e4 2
\-d7 \ej 27 7bI b 28 dfI
7g8 29 F-g7 I 0 (Ncvcdnichy
Bcts,Bucharcst I 993).
16b1 f8
A typica| Sici|ian position. I bc|icvc
Whitcisaha|I-stcpahcadoIhisoppo-
ncnt.
17g6|
Aspcctacu|arpavnsacriIcc,hovcvcr,
I7g4'mighthavcbccnstrongcr,|cav-
ing B|ackindi0cu|t straits.
17 . . 4fg
A| | thc authoritics considcr this thc
mostaccuratcrcactiontoWhitc`spavn
sacricc. InthccvcntoII7. . . hgI8h5,
Whitc vould opcn thc h-Ii | c, aItcr
vhichhc vou|d havc a strong initia-
tivcatthcvcry|cast,vhichcouldpos-
sib| y grov i nto a povcrIu| attack.
Hcrc`sancxamp|c. I8 . . . e5I 9ejO9
hgfg O9 . . . ed?20c4F-c42IFh8
7-h8 22 \h2 7g8 2j \h7 * ,
I 9 . . . 'f'? 20 9gI ef 2I O-f4 fg 22
2dj) 20f5(20fe de 2I 9ej'f)
20 . . . ed2I fg 2e7 (2.dc2 2 9c4)
22 g4 g5 2j \-d4I) I9. . . gh 20
j-h5 'f 2I Fhj '-e4 (2!. g 22
l O7
VictorBologan. SclcctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
dhI 2g72j9fj7f24f5)22C-e4 dcspitcWhitc`sbcingaquccnahcad .
9-e4 2j9dj.
18h5c5I
A|| oIB|ack's picccsarcprcparcd Ior
this typica| ccntra| countcrstrokc.
I8 . . . gh? is bad. I99-h5 g 20 Oh2
e72I dgI e522fede2j9-ghg
24fI , vithmatcinthrcc.
19hgh6
I9 . . . hg209ej|, I9. . . ed20-h7 .
Whitc thrcatcns 9c4, h8, and
Oh2.
2 c
Whitcpu||sbacktorcgroup.20fe?de
2I 9ejCf=.
2...f6
20. . . ef2I 9-f4Ce5 22Cd5.
21 d5
Iovcrratcdthismovc.Noton|ydocsit
invo|vca misca|cu|ation ita|so sig-
ni cs a somcvhat advcnturous ap-
proachtothcprob|cmsoIthcposition.
Thccorrcctcontinuation vas 2I 9fj
ef22 .-f4 .
21... d5
B| ack should havc takcn thc ccntcr
pavn. 2I . . .C-e422Odjef2jObj
(2j 9-f4 Cf2 24 Obj 7h8 )
2j. . . 7h8 24 9d4 Og5 25 h5. Suat
probab|y ca|cu|atcd this Iar and dc-
cidcd that B|ack has problcms, but
aItcr25. . . 9-d52Ohj7g827-g5
C-g5,thcp|ayactua||yIavorsB|ack -
22 cd
Nov Whitc can continuc thc attack
vithoutrisk.
22...c42dcf 24 d4
Whitc docsn't vastc timc rccovcring
thcpavn,cspccia|lysincchcnccdsto
kccp thc I-squarc undcr control, in-
stcad,hcimmcdiatc|ybringshisbishop
toaringposition.
24...g
Blackvantsto simpliIy, but24. . . Og5
vou|dhavcbccn bcttcr, Ior cxamp|c,
25 h5 Ogj (25. . . O-g 2 gI Ot
27 -h=) 2 f5 (2hjOg2 27
h4> )2. . . Cf2279-f2O-f2282g4
ej29fI eIj0-eIO-eIjI
7a2.
25 g4
Whitcrctainsa|lthcpicccshcnccdsto
attack.
25 ...h1 26[h1 g5
2. . . c727.e-e28deOg5
B|acksti|l has abad king and an out-
oI-p|aybishop.
27hd5 28c8[c8|
Thisnatura|movca||ovcdmcto|aunch
oncoIthcprctticsttacticalb|ovsoImy
carccr. 28. . . O-d4 vas strongcr. 29
9e7h8j0Of5 Oa7(j0. . . Oe5 jI
Ot O-e j2 F-h ghjjOh7 * ,
j 0 . . . Of jI F-h) jI 9d7 Oa8
(jI . . .d8 j2 F-h gh jjOf) j2
I O8
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha||Find'
2-e8O-hI jj 7a22e7 j4 9-b5
Oa8j59c4a5jO-f4 = .
29-g7II
Thcbishopcanbccapturcdtvovays,
butB|ackhasnovaytosavchimsc|I.
29...-h1+
29. . . Oe4 j09-f-c2 jI 7aI ,
29. . . 7-g7 j0 O-h 7f jI g7 ,
29. . . h5 j0fI .
-h1-g7
Black has a rook and bishop Ior thc
quccn, p|usanunp|casantpavnatI4.
1 c1
Inthccndgamcthckingshou|dgc to
thc ccntcr and blockadc thc cncmy
passcd pavns. Unc|car pl ay rcsults
homjIOd57h8j2O-d(j27cI
f8 jj 7dI | j4 7eI f2 j5 7fI
9-b2jO-d f)j2...fjjjO-a
fj4O-b5f2 j5OfI2e5jc49gj
j77a2 7g7j8c5 f.
1... f82d1fc1-b2
jj...fj4Oh5.
4 -h6 c8+ 5 f2 c7 6
h4
Anaccuratcmovc.Whitcnccdstoput
thcqucstiontothcb|ackrook.WhatIo|-
|ovsisthctcchnicalphasc.
6... f87-fd58g5c5
9g4c8I4f5g741g
d742 b8 c6 4 c8+ b6
44 d8+ c7 45 b8+I b7 46
d6+a747c5+ b8
47. . . b 48 cj (zuzwun) 48. . . 9h8
49Of89-cj 50g7.
48 c6 d4 49 c6 a7 5 c8
b6
51 a8| c7
5I . . .a5 52 Od87a 5j7d.
52 d6 b7 5 d8+ a7 54
c6 c5 55 c8 b6+ 56 d5
g757 c5
Zuzwun, much |ikc thc onc sccn in
thcabovcnotc.
57... b8
57. . . a558Oc7b759O-a5.
l 09
VictorBologan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
58f8 1~
Black rcsigncd invicvoI58 . . . b8
59 g7.
Lcss0ns
l)&bI isatypica|prophy|acticmovc
inthcSici|ianDcIcnsc.Thckingmovcs
o0thcc-|candcvcniIBlackshou|d
cvcntua||ysuccccdincapturingonc2
vithhisquccn,itvon`tbcmatcust
achcck.
2)IIamovcsuchasI7g'?isn`tgoing
to vin right avay, thcn it`s bcttcr to
prcparc it. Quitc ocn, vc can makc
thc propcr dccision by asking. "What
vi|| Bl ack` s ncxt movc bc7 Sincc
B|ack had no strong countcr-thrcats
hcrc,Whitccou|dhavcquictlyprcparcd
his attack.
3)IIyoucan`tcalcu|atc|ongvariations
accuratc|y,thcnyoushou|dnotp|aythc
Sici|ian. B|ackhad to p|ay 2I . . . '-e4
and ca|cu|atcthc sharp variation that
Io||ovsto thc cnd. Acr his "gcncral
princip|cs movc, 2I . . . 2-d5, Whitc
hadacomIortabl cgamc.
(2) I BoIogan . KozentaIis
Bc|Iort(Francc) l 998
PctroIIDcIcnsc C42j
Bc|Iort is, Ior mc, likc Kishincv and
Moscov,a|mostakintomyhomctovn.
A|thoughithasbccna|ongtimcsincc
I playcd Ior thc club thcrc, I sti|| hc-
qucnt|y compctc in thc traditiona|
Chri stmas tournamcnt, "Mastcrs
Comtois,vhichisvhcrcthc Io||ov-
ing gamc vas playcd. I had su0crcd
losscsinthcrstthrccrounds,andvas
|ookingtorcvcrscthis situationsomc-
I I O
hov. But, I amnotrcIcrringtoa"zig-
zag,bccausccvcnonthcbrinkoIan
abyss,youcandcInitc|ystcpIorvard,
asthcrcarctimcsvhcnvhat`sinhont
oIyoumayactual|ybcavidcbridgc.
1 c4c52 _f_f6
My opponcnt is a so| i d, tcchnica|
pl aycr,vhotakcsriskson|yincxtrcmc
circumstanccs. Thus, hc chooscs thc
saIcRussianCamc.
_-c5d64_f_-c4 5d4d56
dc77 ~ _c6 8c4_f6
B|ackvantstoInishhisdcvc|opmcnt
bcIorchcundcrtakcsanysortoIactiv-
ityinthcccntcr.Thcscdays,8. . . 'b4is
morcpopular,Iorcxamp|c,92e200
I 0aj(I0'cj2f5 I I aj'-cj I 2bc
'c Ij eI2f I4 J4 'a5 I 5 cd
\-d5 I 'e5\bj I7 \d2 2-e5 I8
2-e5 'c4 I9\f4 '-e520\-f5'g
2I \c5\b AdamsBologan,Evry
2OO4, Ior I j . . . e8, scc Camc 48,
Shirov Bologan,WikaanZcc2OO4)
I0. . . 'cI I cd \-d5I 2'cj'-cjI j
bc 'a5 I 4eI 2d I 5 'd2 2d7
(Radjabov Kramnik, Linarcs2OO4).
9 _c~1h_b4 11 c2dc
12-c4c6 1aI_bd514[c1
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha||Find'
Whitc hasa comIortab|c gamc, ashc
contro|sp|cnty oIccntra| squarcs and
canplacchispicccsashcp|cascs.Sti||,
itmustnotbcIorgottcnthathchasan
iso|atcdpavn.
Wcta|kcdaboutthispavnstructurcin
Camc 5, againstRuzc|c and Whitc`s
p|ansarc sti||thcsamc.I vi||addthat
thcmorcpicccsthcrcarconthcboard,
thc hardcr it vil | bc Ior B|ackto dc-
Icnd himsclI, so hc shou|d to cx-
changcsomcthing.
14...c6 15dh6 16d2|
Whitcconncctshisrooksandaskshis
opponcntvhichplanhcintcndstocx-
ccutc. Othcr possibi|itics arc I 'e5
and I 9c2.
16... [c8
Considcring vhat Io||ovs, this movc
sccms inaccuratc to mc. I . .Oc8' is
Ocntlcmcn o{Iortunc. Alcxci Icdorov, Alcxc Alckundrov,
Ocrmun Kochctkov und lictor ologun, 5huki I99
I I I
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
bcttcr. I7\c2e8CI7. . . 9-hj?I8gh
\-hj I9C-d5\g4207tI C-d52I
2h7 7h8 22\f5 ) I8Ce2 2d
I9 Ce5> .
17[-c6||
Forvard,intothcabyss' InsacriIcing
aclcarcxchangc,Ikncvhl l vc||that
I mightvindup vithaIourth straight
goosc-cgg, but vhat is chcss, in thc
cnd7It'sagamc'
IvasinspircdtomakcthissacriIccby
a gamc bctvccnAnand and Yusupov,
and aIcr thc prcscnt gamc, Topalov
si mi | arl y sacri Ii ccd thc cxchangc
against Anand. This blov is strongcr
thanitvason thc prcccdingmovcbc-
causcWhitchasoncmorcpiccc dcvc|-
opcd, andthcrookonc8standsvorsc
than itdidon.
17 fc 18g6
As compcnsation, Whitc contro|s thc
lightsquarcsandcandcvc|opanattack
againstthckinginsomc|incs.
18...[f819c2_c7
I9. . . \d20eI .
2 [c1
Thisisabasicprincip|c.rst,comp|ctc
yourdcvc|opmcnt,andthcnthinkabout
intcnsiIying your initiativc. C|car|y,
Whitcisnotgoingtobcab|ctodc|ivcr
matc on h7 immcdiatcly, but Black is
also not going to Ind it casy to sim-
p|iIyhisdcIcnscbycxchangcs.
2. . . d6 21b1
l I 2
Whitcgctsrcadytosctupthc longbI -
h7diagonalbattcry,vhi|cc|caringthc
g-squarcIorthcknight.
21. . . c7|
Thc quccn movcs to a vu|ncrab|c
squarc. 2I . . . e8 isbcttcr. 22Ce5c5
(22. . . Ccd5 2j\dj=) 2jCe4 cd24
C-f\-f25Cg4 \t2\e4\f5
27 \-d4 \d5 28 \cj Cb5 29 \c2
7f8 j0C-h
22 _c5 -c52dc _fd5
Or 2j. . . Cd7 24 \g4 (24 \e4 f5)
24. . . \f7 25 \gj 7h8 2 Ce4, and
Whitcgradua| |yincrcascshisthrcats.
24_-d5 _-d5
24. . . cd 25 9b4\t22-t8-t827
cI = .
2 5 c4 g5 2 6 g6+ g7 27
-c6+ h8
28 h4|
B|ack`spavnstructurcIa||stopicccs,
andWhitcnal|yobtainsmatcria|con-
Irmationthathisposition isgood.
28. . . _f4
WhosocvcrSccks, ShallFind'
Thconlychancc. On28..lae8,thcrc
could Io| lov 29 Og4 -e5 (29. . . gh
j0O-h4 e jI f4)j0-e5O-e5
jI hge8( jI . . . O-b2 j2Oe4Og7
jj gh) j2 gh O-b2 jj Of5 Cf j4
2g5 .
29c4 [ad8
29 . . . ae8 j0e5 (j0hgO-g5 jI Oe4
e7) j0. . . Cd5 jI hg.
c _d51hghg
jI . . . O-g5j22d4= Lf4jj2e4Og7
j4e.
2d2_f4b4
Whitcmaynothavcplaycdthisasac-
curatclyaspossiblc,buthchaskcpthis
advantagc.
...f7
Thc dccisivc mistakc. Pcrhaps Black
vascountingonsomcchccksaIcrthc
knight movcs, but this countcrplay
docsn' t vork. jj. . . fe8 hol ds out
longcr. j4e5(j4Oe4'?) j4. . . d4 j5
Oc2-b4 (j5. . . -e j-e C-e
j72cj c5j8Oe2 =) jab-ej7
-e-ej8Of5=.
4c6 _-c6
j4. . . Chj j57h2Oc7j7-hjf4
j7Ocj7g8 j8Oe5.
5-f8 1~
Lcssons
l)Idcassuchasthccxchangcsacricc
oncmustbccxamincd,butyoushould
lookIorthcbcstvcrsionoIthccombi-
nation,bccausccvcrycxtrahalI-tcmpo
could bcquitcvaluablc.Thcmovc I
2d2prcparcdthcsacriIcc.
2)Ancxchangcsacriccisavcrypopu-
lartcchniquc scc Pctrosian`sgamcs
Iorcxamplc. Somctimcsitlcadstopo-
sitions vith closcd and hal I-cl oscd
l incs,vhcrcthcadvantagcoIthcrook
ovcrthcminorpicccisnotcxploitablc.
Whitc'sadvantagcsarcundcrstandablc.
vcakcncdsquarcs alongthcb | -h7 di-
agonal, thccrcationoIa vcakncss at
c, obtainingaIorvardpost at c5 and
a strongpoint atc4IortransIcrringhis
picccs. Whitc can look Iorvard to a
longinitiativc.
3)ThcdcIcndingknightatI vcryoI-
tcn plays a kcy rolc in varding oIIan
attack on thc b l -h7 diagonal. Whitc
tricstocithcrcxchangcitbyCe4,orto
drivcitavay.Inthcgamc,aIcr2jde,
thcknighthadtoabandonitspost,and
BlacksoonhadtocxposchiskingIur-
thcrby 25. . . g5.
WhcnIrctumcdtochcss,Iplanncdto
achicvcaratingoI25ObythccndoI
I 998. I Iailcd to do so, but I did givc
mysclIa sharp scolding. "Enough oI
thcscup-and-dovnsvings! Thus,Ior
thcIrsttimc inmycarccr, Iadoptcda
l I 3
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
scrioussportingattitudc. Thisvasthc
momcnt I bcgan my rcbi rt h as a
chcssp|aycrandmyconscioussc|I-con-
structionas aproIcssiona|justvhat
vasmissinginmyyouth.
Nov, I strivc to kccp my Icct on thc
ground, soto spcak,andto p|ay morc
so|id|y. Duringonc oImy Bundcs|iga
gamcs,Isuddcn|yrcmcmbcrcdapithy
saying."Crov|ikcthcgrass.s|ov,but
surc. Ivonthatgamc,andsinccthcn,
thoscvordshavcbccomcmymotto.
BythcspringoII 999, I Ic|tmychcss
musc|csstrcngthcning.Andjustintimc,
too.ThankstothccortsoI1can-Pau|
Touzct,I rcccivcdan invitationtoonc
oIthcIrstvcrystronground-robinsoI
thatycar. Wc p|aycd in Enghicn-lcs-
Bai ns, a bcautiIu| spot ncar Paris,
knovnnoton|y Ior its casino, but Ior
i ts thcrma| hot spri ngs . Evcn i n
Napo|con'sday,i t musthavcbccnthc
|avinFrancc that a casino cou|d not
bcopcncdun|cssthcrcvcrchotsprings
ncarby.
(27) 5aJler I Bologan
Enghicn |cs Bains(Francc) I 999
B|ackKnights`Tango A5Oj
1 d4_f62c4_c6
Lctmc hastcnto acquaintmyrcadcrs
vi th onc morc oI Vyachcs| av
Chcbancnko's patcntcd opcnings. thc
B|ackKnights'Tango. OIcoursc,oth-
crshadp|aycditbcIorchim,butitvas
Chcbancnkovhovorkcdoutthcbasic
systcm, and it vas his studcnts vho
succcssh||ycmp|oycdthcm.Thcmost
hcqucntpractitioncrsoIthc |inc vcrc
CcorgiOrIov,CcrmanTitov,andI,thc
"| ast Mohican. Thc knights throv
dovnacha||cngcto thcvhitcpavns,
butcannotbccaught.
_f
This quict movc is considcrcd stron-
gcst, |cadingthcgamcbackintomorc
positiona| |incs. I havc a vcry good
scorcviththcB|ack Knights'Tango
aroundninctypcrccnt,inc|udinggamcs
against somc dcccntgrandmastcrs.
...c64a
Aprcvcntivcmovc,inPctrosian`ssty|c.
4...d6 5 _cg6
B|acktransposcsintoaKing's Indian-
typcoIposition,andnotabadvcrsion
oIit,cithcr.Thcmovcsj . . eand4aj
conIcrsadvantagcsnoton|yonWhitc,
buta|soonB|ack.Comparcdviththc
King`s Indian, B|ackcanmaintainthc
knight on c. Yct, Whitc shou|d sti||
havcthcuppcrhandhcrc.
6c4g77h
This movc is a novc|ty, a|though its
pointon|ybccomcsc|caronmovcninc.
72e200 8 00e892ej(92g5h
I02h4g5I I 2gjCh5 I2d5Ce7I j
I I 4
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha||Find'
c I 'g I 4 'eI 'hf4 Khan
Bologan,Phi|adc|phia l 999)9. . . e5 I0
d5 'd4 II '-d4 edI 2-d4 '-e4
Ij-g7T-g7I4'-e4-e4 I52dj
e8 IObjb I7feI 2d7 (Popov
Bo|ogan,Tomsk2OOI ).
7dj00800e59d5'd4 I0'-d4
edI I 'e2e8I2Oc2a5Ij2g5h
I42d2c5 I 5 dcbc I'-d4Ob I7
2cj'd7(Bunzmann Bo|ogan,Bic|
l 999).
7... ~ 8c
Whitc is in no hurry to castlc, so hc
vaits unti| B|ack carrics out his main
idcaoIe5and'd4.
8g5h9eje8 I0dj'd7I I
2c2'b I2bja5 I jOd2a4 I42-h
ab I 5 -bj 'a5 I 2-g7 -g7 I7
Oa2e5 I8dedeI9c5(I9'd5'd7
20 c2 b 2I h4 c 22 'ej 'f
KrascnkovBo|ogan,Shanghai2OO I )
I9 . . . '-bj 20 O-bj 'd7 2 I Ob4 c
22'd2'b82jOb2'a24'a4Oa5
25Oc2d82dI2e2700d4
(Conqucst Bologan,Ohrid2OO l ).
8...c8 9 d
Dircctcd against B|ack` s main idca.
AIcr 9 e2 e5 I0 d5'd4 I I '-d4
edI2-d4'-e4,Blackvouldcqua|-
izccasily.
9..._d7
A prccisc movc. B|ack incrcascd his
controloId4,soWhitcdocs|ikcvisc.
I02c2'a5 I I bjaI200c5> , I 0
g5'?2f I I -f'-fI 200e5I j
d5'd4.
1...c5 11 d5
Upto thispoint,cvcrything hadgonc
according to thc Englishman`s homc
ana|ysis. Icou|dnotIai l torca|izcthis
-vhichmcantthatInccdcdsomcthing
morc thanjust a routinc continuation
oIplay,lcadingincvitab|ytoastratcgi-
ca||ydi0cu|tposition.
11... _d4I
B|acksacriIccshisccntcrpavn.Ispcnt
anhourdccidingvhcthcrmycompcn-
sationvou|dbcadcquatc.
I I . . .'e7 I 2g4= .
1 2 _-d4 cd 1 -d4 -d4 14
-d4 _c5
Exp|oiting thc vcakncss oIthc b3-
9. . . e5?I0d5'd4 I I '-d4edI22-d4 squarc.
2f5 Ij fj = ( I j 00 '-e4 I 42-g7
T-g7 I 5 2-e4 2-e4 I Od4Of) 15 d1
1c2I I hadconsidcrcdthismovcpractica||y
I I 5
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcd Camcs I 985-2OO4
Iorccd, but thc computcrindicatcs I 5
2dI vas okay, too. Hovcvcr, aItcr
I 5 . . . -e4 I -e4f5 I7 2c2fe I8
00Og5 I 9OejO-ej20fe2d7,thc
position iscomplctc|ycqua| .
15 ...g5I
During that hour `s thought, I spcnt
morc timc on I 5 . . . f5, vhich|cadsa|-
most by Iorcc to thc vin oIthc cx-
changc. Ief2-f5I 7 00bjI8Of4
9c2 I 9deIg5 20 Og4'
I vas morc ahaid oI20Ogj d2 2I
f4 -fI 22-fI, but acr 22 . . . Oe7,
Io||ovcdbyatradcoIquccnscithcron
c3orc5, cqua|ityisrcstorcd.
20. . . d2 2I cI (2I 9dI 2g 22
-e8O-e82j2a4'Oe524dIh5
25Od7e82O-c7OeI' 27F-eI
F-eI 287h2 fI, vith pcrpctua|
chcck)2I . . .2g22feI bj2jcdI
9c2242fj9-dI25-e8O-e82
9-dIWhitchasmorcthancnoughIor
thc sacriIccd cxchangc. Hc can cvcn
takc histimcrccovcringthc g5-pavn,
andcontinucimprovinghispositionby
9c2,b4ande4.
16 f
Thcobviousmovc.Othcrpossibi|itics.
I7fIf5I7ef2-f5 I8h4Oh,orI
gjbj(I . . . f5 I7h4OhI8fj bj
I9 Of=) I7 Odj c5 I8 Oc2 f5
B|ackhas ancxcc||cntgamc incithcr
casc.
16. . . f5 17 ~f4I
Yct anothcrkcymomcntinthc gamc.
My othcr choicc vas I7. . . fe, aftcr
vhich B|ack vould sti|| havcto ght
Iorthcdrav,Iorcxamp|c,I8-e4(I8
2-e42-hj I 9f4 Ogj) I 8 . . . -e4 I 9
2-e42-hj20f4 Oe72I 2-ghg22
ghOej, and dcspitc hispavnminus,
B|ackhasgooddravingchanccs.
I vas |css cnamorcd oI2I feI 2g4
(2I . . .Oh4 22 ghOgj2j7fI) 22
2-gO-eI 2jF-eIF-eI 247f2
e2 25 7gj hg 2 7-g4 -g2 27
7fj (27 7hj Fe2 28 Odj ae8 29
O-g 7f8) butthcn I hadn`t sccn
thcsimplcdcIcnscsuggcstcdacrvard
byMark Dvorctsky. 27. . . h2' 28Of
h7,vithcqua|ity.
18{h2 _d7I
Having|ostmysccondroundgamcto
BacrotinaKing`sIndian,Itooka|ittlc
|cssonIromA|miraSkripchcnko. this
knighthadtogoto c5.Dcspitcthcsiz-
ab|c practica| di0cultics invo|vcd in
applyingthc|cssontothcprcscntgamc,
I dccidcd to continuc my ca|cu|ation,
andinthccnd,Idiscovcrcdthctactica|
justicationoIthcprcscribcdp|an.
19g4_c52-c8
20fj9-g4 2I fgf8.
2 . . . fI
l I
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha||Find'
Thiszischen:ugsccurcsB|ackalong-
tcrminitiativc. 20. . . a-c8 2I fj isin-
Icrior,assooncrorlatcr,thccxtrapavn
musttc| l .
21g
2I 9g4??-g422hg\h4 2j7gI
\-g424gj\hj.
21...[a-c8 22 [h1
ThismovcisIorccd,butSadlcrp|aycd
ita|mostinstantancous|y. l vasn`tthc
on|yonccxpcricncingtimcdi0cu|tics
atthispoint.
22\-a7g42j7gI \h524h4g5
givcsBlackacrushingattack.
22. . . a6
Forthcrsttimcinthisgamc,amorc
orlcssquictpositionhasari scn.B|ack
shou|d prcparc hisattack on thcking
bysmal|stcps. e7,f8f,\h,g5,
ctc.Mcanvhi|c,Whitcshouldkccptry-
ingtocxchangcthcknightsvhi|c,oI
coursc,payingspccia| attcntiontothc
c4-pavn.
2d2I
Matthcv dcci dcs to go into thc
cndgamc. Thc altcrnativc vas 2j bj
path Ior hi skingtothc ccntcr. 2g4
7|7277gjh528g57e729cIf8,
vithcquality.
26 . . . h5 27 _b1g5 28 _d2g4 29
h4 f7
Black improvcs thc p|accmcnt oIhis
picccs,hopingthatat|castoncI|cvil|
soonbcopcncd.
g1[c71f1 _d72[dc4
_f6[1cb5I4[d4 _d75
c1 _c56b4I
Fa| |ing Ior thc provocation, Sadlcr
vcakcns his quccnsidc, vhich makcs
thc opcning oIthc a-lc possib|c. j
7dI a5 j7 7c2 vas ncccssary, vith
somcsavingchanccs.
6..._a47[c6
e724bIf825d2,vithunc|car
7. . . a5I
play.
2. . . -d224[-d2 _-c4 25 [d4
_c526[c1
Fora||practicalpurposcs,thisvasthc
rstandpcrhapsthcon|yscriouscrror
in thc gamc, rcsulting in a dccisivc
svingin my Iavor. Hc hadto opcn a
B|ack`sdrcamhascomc truc.
8 ba _c5 9 d1 [a8 4 a6
_-a641 [c
4I a4b842cjba4j aj d744
a-a4 -a4 45 -a4 c5 4 d4
e8=, 4I bj?b8 .
I I 7
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
41. . . c5 42c2f6
Black` s p|an is blissIu|ly simp|c. hc
nccds to gct his king to c5, cxchangc
onc pair oIrooks on a4, and thcnthc
c4-pavnvil| bcdoomcd.
4 b4 a544cc8|
On44. . . 7e5,Whitchasthctacticalrc-
sourcc 45 '-fj, and cvcn though
Black rctains most oIhis advantagc
aIcr45. . . gf4-fj '-e4 47 -e4
7-e4 48 ej7-d5 49 -e7 -aj
50-c7fj,thcrcvasnonccdIormc
toplayintothis.
45c1c546c2ca847b2
8a648a2a449 -b5b6|
A|laccordingtop|an.
5 -b6 cb 51b2 -c4 52 b
d4
52. . . b55j'-e4-e454-e47-e4
55 7b47djvouldhavcbccna sim-
plcrvin.
5-c4-c454-c4+-c455
c4b5+| 56-b5d57c6
57a47e2 58a57-f2 59a7-gj0
a7 f2 I a8O fIO 2 7c Of4 and
b.
57. . . c2 58-d6 -f2 59c5
-g6d6f261d7f1{62d8{
h 6 {d7-h4~1
Lcssons
I) Itis somctimcs ncccssary to sacri-
Iccapavn"Iorjustavhispcr,"cspc-
cia||yvhcnthc normalcourscoIp|ay
is goingto |cavcyou vith avcry bad
posi ti on. I IBl ack had not p| aycd
I0. . . e5andI I . . . 'd4,thcnal | hispicccs
vouldhavclookcdsilly.
2) I7... f4' a|lovcd B|ack to closc thc
position,lcavinghimsclIthcc5-squarc
and a strongcr l ight-squarcd bishop
than thc opponcnt. As a rulc, B|ack
obtains attacking prospccts on thc
kingsidcinsuchpositions.
3) Inthccndgamcitisdcsirab|cto x
thc vcakncsscs in thc cncmy camp
vhosc Ial l vou|d|cadto thc dcstruc-
tionoIhiscntircposition.!nthisgamc,
Bl ack purposcly Iixcd thc I-pavn,
vhicha|sorcstrictcdthcmovcmcntoI
thcvhitcking.
(28) I Bologan - I Ikachiev
Enghicn|csBains(Francc) I 999
RuyLopczC78j
Thiscncountcrprovcdquitcspcctacu-
|ar and complctcd my supcr-scrics oI
Ivcvinsinarov.
1 c4 c5 2 f c6 b5 a6 4
a4f65 ~ b56bc5
Thismovccntcrcdcontcmporarypraxis
Io||oving my gamc vith Vlad in thc
Ti|burgtoumamcntoIl 994.Thisvaria-
tion gocsbydiIIcrcntnamcs.thcNcv
Arkhangc|sk, thc Ukrainian, and so
Iorth. Tkachicv isoncoIits chicIad-
hcrcnts IorB|ack.
From thc vcry Irst movcs, Blackbc-
gins anactivc strugglc Ior thc ccntcr.
Thcdark-squarcdbishopisbroughtout
to thc g l -a7 diagona|, and thc |ight-
squarcd bishop gocs to g4, vhcrc it
hc|psincrcascthcprcssurc on d4. But
l l 8
WhosocvcrSccks, Shal|Find'
B|ackhasnotyctcastlcd, andWhitc
canalsobcginanimmcdiatcattackon
thc b5-pavn. It is around thcsc tvo
points that thi s vholc variation rc-
vo|vcs.
7a4b88cd69d4b6 1a
~ 11abab12b5cd
BcIorcthcgamc,Ig|anccdthroughthc
In{ormantandvasplcasant|ysurpriscd
tosccthat, alongviththcvc||-knovn
Svid|cr - Shirov gamc Irom Linarcs
I 998,thcrcvasasurvcyonthisvaria-
tion. It vas prccisc|y bccausc oIthis
matcria|that I tumcdmy attcntion to
thcpossibi|ityoII 2 . . . ed. Shirov con-
tinucd I 2 . . . 2g4 I j eI 2-fj I4 gf
h5, but aItcr I 5 7hI ' Of I gI
f4 I72ej, hcdidnotgct sumcicnt
compcnsationIorhispavn.
Or I j2c2 2-fj I4 gfh5 I5 7hI
OfI a4f4 I7 gIe7 I82ej
egI9gjh520g4h2I aj
h4 22 2dj a8 2j -a8 -a8 24
2e2 g 25 c4, vith a clcar cxtra
pavn Ior Whi tc (Lcko Karaki n,
Dortmund2OO4).
1cdg4
14 a4I
SuggcstcdbySvid|cr,prcvious|yWhitc
hadp|aycdI 42c2 e8 I 5 hj2-fj I
gfh5 I 7f4 =h4 I8=g4O-g4 I9
hgf202a4 e7,vithancvcngamc
(Conqucst- Flcar, Francc I 998), and
I4 eI'?d5 (BlackIai l storccovcrthc
pavn aItcr I4. . . 2-fj I 5 gf -d4 I
-d42-d4 I72-t-t I8O-d4
d7 I9aj) I5 ed-d5 Ihj2h5
I7g42g I8cjdb4I92g5=d7
20d5Od(20. . . a5'?2Ie5Oc8>)
2I 7fI a5 2 2 2e7 Of4 2 j -a5'
2-a5 24 ej 2b 25 e2 =h 2
7g2,vhcnBlack`squccnvastrappcd
(Anand Ol|,Bclgradc I 999).
14 . . . c8
I4 . . . -e4?i sbad, bccauscoII 5 2d5
Oe8 I Oc2 e7 I72-e4=-b5 I8
2-h7 7h8 I9 2e4 , and so is
I 4 . . . 2d7 I 5cja5 Iaj -bj
I7 -bj 2g4 I8 =dj, vhcn Whitc
kccpsahca|thycxtrapavn.
I4. . . Oe8 I52c2-e4 Ihj2h5 I7
g4 2g I8 h4 f I9-g hg 20
cjOd72I 7g2a8 22g5h5 2j
=g4Od8242ej = (Short Canguly,
Cibra|tar2OO4).
15c1
I tvasn' t until aItcr thc gamc that I
|ookcd at I 5 2g5'? h I 2d5' e7
CI . . . 2-fj I7 gfhg I8 2-c e I9
cjh520d5 f4 2I Od2 -d5
22 2-d5 h 2j FaI Od7 24 a8
-a8 25 -a8 7h7 2e5 de 27de
=hj 282-t= (Karjakin- Tkachicv,
Bic| 20O3)) I72-f gf I8 cj, vith
advantagc.
l I 9
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
I5. . . L-e4?isvorsc. IL-e4'-e4I7
2d5Oe8 I8Oc22-fj I9gf'e720
'-c7 2-c7 2I 2-e4 I 5. . . 2d7 I
2c2'a5I7Odj= isa|soinsumcicnt,
butvorthconsidcrationis I5. . . 2a5I
'cj'(I'a7?' , apurccomputcrmovc
that |cavcs B|ackvith a strong initia-
tivcaIcrI. . . 2-fj(butnot I. . . '-a7
I7L-a5'c I8LaI'-d4 I9 2-t
7-f7 20 O-d4 = , or I 8 . . . Lb4 I 9
2a4=) I 7gf'-d4 I 82-t7-|7 I9
L-a5c5)I . . . 2-cjI7bcL-e4(B|ack
|oscsapicccuponI7 . . . '-e4?I8L-e4'
L-e4 I92d5Oe8202-e4O-e42I
d52-fj22gfOg2jLg4)I8L-e4
'-e4I92c2' . Thctvo-bishopadvan-
tagcshou|dsccurcWhitcasma||cdgc.
Thcrc` s a tactica| basis Ior this, too.
I9. . . '-cj? 20 Odj '-a4 2I O-h7
Tf8 22 Oh8 7e7 2j 2g5 f 24
O-g77e252-f'O-f2d5,and
vins.
I 5 . . . h I2c2d5 I7e5'e4I8'cj
L-e5 I9 '-e4 L-e4 20 2-e4 de 2I
d52-fj 22gfOh4 2jLa-e4O-f2
24 7hI f525Lc4'a5 2LfI '-c4
27 L-f2 2-f2 28Oe2, and B|ack rc-
signcd (Anand Pikct, Dortmund
2OOO).
16c2 d5
B|ackhasprcparcdcxcc||cnt|yIorp|ay
inthcccntcr.
17c5_c418_c|
I82-e4de I9L-e4'-e5' .
18 . . . _c5I 19dcI
Thccha||cngcisacccptcd.Ihadtoght
thc tcmptation to scurry Ior thc drav
aIcr I9'-e4 de 20 de ef 2I O-d7
(2I gf O-dI 22 2-dI 2d7 2j Lh4
2a5 24 Lej2f5 25 La4 2b4 25 f4
Led8 Magcm Bada|s- Pikct, Francc
2OO l ) 2 I . . . 2-d7 22 Lh4 h 2j gf
Led8,andI92-e4de20'-e5L-e5
2I Od2Lee8|cadstounc|carp|ay.
19 . . . fI
I9. . . '-f2'? 20 O-d5 'dj 2I 7fI
O-d5(2I. . . '-eI 22'-eI=)22'-d5
2-fj 2j'f' (2jgP'-eI 247-eI
L-e5 ) 2j. . . gf 24 2-dj Lbd8'
(24 . . . 2c25Lg4Th82ef=)25gf
L-dj 2 ef L-fj 27 7g2 Lf2 28
7gjLd829LdI Le8j0Le4,Whitc
hasascriousadvantagc,dcspitcthcsma||
amountoImatcria||conthcboard.
Pcrhaps I 9. . . 2-f2 vas strongcst.
207hI2-eI2IO-eI'-cj(2I . . .f5
22 Ld4 2-fj 2j gf'-cj 24 bc Oe
25 f4 = ) 22 O-cj 2-fj 2j gfOhj
24T gIc5, vhcnWhitchasaminima|
advantagc.
2 f f2+ 21 h1I
ThckcytoWhitc`s idca- thckingi s
notsovc||-p|accdonII . 2ITfI2-eI
22'-e4de2jO-e42d224O-h7
7f8 25 Oh8 Te7, vhcnWhitc has
nothingbcttcrthanrcpcatingmovcs.2
Oh4T|8.
l 2O
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha||Find'
21..._-c
I had s ccn a prctt y vi n aIt cr
2I . . .-eI 22 C-e4 -e5 2j Cf'
gf 24 g4 Tf8 25 O -f O -g4 2
O h87e727O -e5O e28g5,
butasthc SvcdishgrandmastcrTom
Wcdbcrgcorrcct|ydcmonstratcd,B|ack
savcs himsc|IaItcr thc hard-to-nd
22. . . de 2jO -e4d2' 24O -h7 (24
d4?O -d425O -d42-cI)24. . . Tf
25O h8Te72O h4(2O -g7b
27O gjO b5 28O h4Tf 29O h8
Te7j0O h4, vithpcrpctua| chcck)
2 . . . Tf8 27 O h8, and B|ack cannot
avoid thc pcrpctua| chcck by 2. . . g5,
bccauscoI27O f2-cI28O c5Td8
29 d4 .
22 g4I
An important zwischenzug. Thc rc-
sourccs in thc position do not a||ov
Whitctovastctimcrccoupinghisma-
tcrial (22 O -f2 C-a4 2j O h4 h 24
2-a4c25O gj=),instcad,hccango
rightintothcattack.
22 qq -c1
22. . . Ce42jg-e4de24O -f2= .
2 h6 -g4
Ncithcr2j...f5242-f5O e7 25 2-g7
O -g72-g77-g727O h5 ,nor
2j. . . Ce4 24-g7Th8 25-e4de
2O f vou|dsavcBlack.
24-g4g625fI
MaintainingcontroloIc3isimportant.
25 bc?-cj.
25 ... h426-c
Whitc has an cxtra piccc and a com-
p|ctc|yvonposition,buttimc-prcssurc
and my accumu|atcd Iatiguc almost
p|aycdavickcdokconmc.
26... d427-d4f628f4c6
29hg7b cb6 1 c4
-b22d7f8-c7h64
c6 g5 5 c ( j5 2gj )
5. . . b1+ 6 g1 d8 7 c2
c1 8b5d2
9c6
Unbc|icvablc on thc pcnulti matc
movcbcIorcthctimccontro|, I |ctthc
vins|ip.Acrthcsimplcj9O e87h7
40 2fj -e5 4 I O -f7, thc gamc
rcachcsits|ogica|conc|usion.Anothcr
vaytovinvasj92h5-e540O b8
7h74I 2-|.
9... fc 1~
Lucki|y, B|ackovcrstcppcd thctimc
l i mi t, vhcrcas aItcr j9. . . d-e2, i t
vou|dhavcbccnWhitc`smt oscck
sa|vation.
Lcssons
I) ItsomctimcsmakcsscnsctouscFritz
to tcstcritica|positions.Thcmovc I 4
a4vassuggcstcdi nIpormant,butI
I 2 I
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
got manyoIthcadditionalidcas Irom
vorkingviththccomputcr. Thc com-
binationoIhumanc0ortandcomputcr
scrutinycanbcarIruit. (OIcoursc,thc
computcr`sadviccshouldncvcrbcmis-
uscd.)
2)Whcnthcgamc cntcrs thcmazcoI
tactica| comp|ications,youshou|dnot
bc aIraid to ca|cu|atc attack-vs.-dc-
Icnsc, cvcn vhcn your opponcnt is
huntingyourking. IIyou Io||ov such
variationstothccnd,itoIcntumsout
that capturcs |ikc 20. . . 2-f2 arc rcal|y
nothingbutasinglcchcck.
3)Attimcsatotal|yvonposition can
bcruincdthroughtimc-prcssurc.Sothc
timc Iactormustbcccnsidcrcd, along
vith such aspccts as matcria| orposi-
tiona|advantagc.Anadvantagcintimc
isustassigniIcantasanyothcrkind
oIadvantagc.
Havingbcgunvithoncvictoryandonc
loss, Ithcnmanagcdtostringtogcthcr
vcstraightvins,givingmcaI||point
|cadonthc rcstoIthc cld bcIorcthc
|asttvorounds.Hovcvcr,thclongand
tcnscgamcs,couplcdviththccqua||y
long and tcnsc prcparations, |cd to a
rccord |oss to Lauticr on movc ninc'
Andthcn,bccausc oIincrtia, I lostto
Ponomariovinthc|astround.SoIon|y
Inishcdinsccondp|acc,vithaconso-
|ationprizcIorghtingspirit.
This tournamcnt dcmonstratcd that I
vas quitc capab|c oIIghting Ior rst
p|acc. Ncvcrthclcss, it took mc morc
thanaycartobrcakintothctight|y-knit
ranks oIthc top I OO, cvcn though I
managcdtvoIurthcrvinsin I 999- in
Vcrmont (ticd vith 1aan Eh|vcst) and
inBc|Iort.
(29) IBologan - IZv)aginsev
BclIort I 999
Sici|ianRauzcr[B3j
Bothp|aycrshadanun|uckystartinthis
Christmas cvcnt. I vas dctcrmincd to
gct thc point back and gct up to IIy
pcrccnt, vhilc Zvjaginscv sccmcd to
acknov|cdgcthcstrcngthoIhis oppo-
ncntandthcrcsultingdangcroI|osing.
Usua||y,insuchgamcs,manyqucstions
arcrcso|vcdbythcopcning.
1 c4c52 _fd6 d4cd4 _-d4
_f6 5 _c _c66g5c6
Vadim managcd to surprisc mc. His
usua|Sici|iansystcmsinvo|vcthccar|y
dcvc|opmcntoIthc bishop tod7.
Ingcncral,thcRauzcrsystcmisp|cas-
antIorWhitctoplay,ashispicccscrc-
cIlurt 999
2 3 4 5 Jota|
I . Bologan, Vctor A =0 l = I I l = Z
2. Fcdorov, Alcxci =I A I = I = 00 5'z
3. Yc 1ungchun 0= 0= A I I I = 5'
4. Gurcvich, MJhail 0 A 4'
5. Hauchard, Au 00 I I 00 7 4
. Zyagcv, Vadm 0= 0- 7 4
I 22
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha||Find!
atcthrcatsbydcvc|opingnatura||y.Onc
oIthcmainidcasistocxp|oitthcovcr-
burdcncd bi shop at c7 in ordcr to
doub|cthc I-pavns, vcakcn thc king,
andstartakingsidcattack. Anothcrp|an
istorctrcatthcbishopIromg5andat-
tackvith"thc|uggagc"(fj,g4,h4or
f4 and e5). As a ru|c, B|ack vi|| cx-
ccutc thc standard Si ci | ian p| an oI
C-d4, a,b5orOc7, Ca5c4, a, b5.
Andthcbrcakvith dd5 a|vayshas
tobckcptinmindasvcl |.
7d2c78~~~
9 f
Hcrc` s a surpri sc in rcturn' Whitc
avoidsthcmainbranchcsoIthcoryaI-
tcr 9 f4 and prcIcrs a mancuvcring
midd|cgamc,vhcrccachsidcvi||havc
tothink Iorthcmsc|vcs.
9. . . a6 1h4
Thismovcordcrisncccssary,toavoid
B|ack`s countcrstrokc. C-e4, Ior cx-
amp|c, I 07bI C-d4 I I O-d4C-e4.
1 ..._-d4 11 -d4 b5
I I . . .Oa5 I 27bI b5 Ij Od2 Oj e5
deI4O-e59b7 I 59djac8 ICe4
9-e4 I79-e4 c5 I8Od4c4 I9
Odj = Luthcr Cuscinov, P| ovdiv
2OO3) Ij. . . b4 I4Ce2e5 I5Cgj9e
Ibjfc8I79djc5I8Ch5C-h5
I99-e7 (Domingucz Nijbocr,Wijk
aan Zcc 2OO4).
12b1 b7
I2. . . b8 IjOd2b4 I4Ce2a5 I 5Cd4
9d7 Ig4a4 I79ejCe8 I8 g5 Cc7
I9f4 I (Bo|ogan-Asccv,Ohrid2OO l ).
I 2 . . . Oc7 I jOd2d8Oj . . . b4 I4Ce2
d8 I 5g4a5 ICd4e5 I 7Cf59-f5
I 8 ef Ce8 I 9 9b5 = [ Shaba|ov
Conza|czCarcia,BucnosAircs2OO3j)
I49djb4 I5 Ce2 a5 ICd4e5 I7
Cb5Ob I8c4 bc I9O-cj9b7 20
heI d5 (Iordachcscu Wc|ls, Port
Erin2OO3).
1 d2
Whitcvantshisbishopon d3, vhich
vou|drcstrictthcmobi|ityoIthcquccn
on d4.
1 c8
Ij. . . Oc7 I4 Ce2 ac8 I5 Cd4 Dd8
I9djCe8 I7g49f I89ejd5 I9
e5 9-e5 20 f4 9d 2I g5 e5 22 fe
9-e52jg= (Bo|ogan Yc, Bcijing
2OOO- sccCamc 3 l ).
I49djDd8 I 5g4O5OeI ac8I
g4b4I7Ce2e5I8Cgjd5I9Cf5a5
(Inarkicv Bakrc, Cibra|tar 2OO4)
I5. . . b4 ICe2a5 I7Cd4a4 I8Cb5
Ob I 9h5 d5 ( Sax Smirin, Pu|a
2OO l ).
14dd7I
Zvjaginscv accuratc|y grasps thc nu-
I 23
VictorBologan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
anccs oIthc position. Thcpscudo-ac-
tivc pavn thrusts I4. . . d5 I5 e5 'd7
I f4, or I4. . . b4 I5 'e2 a5 I 'd4
Ob I7 ej vould on|y rcbound in
Whitc'sIavor.
15 aI
As natural as thismovcmay sccm, it
costmcplcntyoItimc.Ivantcdtopun-
ishmyopponcntIorvcakcningd,but
thc Iollovingvariationconvinccdmc
thisvasimpossiblc. I52-e7O-e7 I
2e2 Dc I7ajfc8. SoI dccidcdto
continucmyvaitinggamcandho|doII
onthctraditiona|mancuvcr. 'e2d4.
15 . . . b6
B|ack' s idca is si mp| c. to p| ay d5.
16 . . . f6
Oncvayoranothcr, B|ackisgoingto
havc to makc apavn movc. Thcpro-
grammcdmovc, I. . . d5, vas vcakcr,
as thcrc could Iollov I 7e5 'c4 I8
2-c4 D-c4 C I 8 . . . dc I 9Od7' ) I 9
'd4 .
17c c4
I7. . . d5 I8'f4.
18-c4 -c4 19d4I
Wrongsquarc' Itsccmcdtomcthatthc
knightmusta|soplay adcIcnsivcro|c,
but I |atcrrca|izcdthatthc quccns idc
could takc carc oIitsclI. Thc corrcct
choiccvas I9bjDc820'f4Od72I
h5' .
19. . . d72ba8I
Thcpositionhascomp|ctc|ylcvc|cdout
but onl y ust. Hovcvcr, Vadi m
thoughtthctimchadcomctoscizcthc
initiativcandmadcthcIrstoIascrics
oIinaccuracics.
I 5 . . . 'e5 I 2e2 Dc I7 -e7 (I7
20 . . . Dt82Icj2a822'a5Da4.
'a2 f I8 2f4 f5 , vi th cnough
countcrplay) I7. . . O-e7 mighthavc
21c5c822db7I
|ookcd |ikc an a|tcmativc, but I8 f4'
'c4 I 92-c4D-c420O-dO-d2I
D-d2-e422'-e4D-e42jgjkccps
Whitc'sadvantagc.
16 c2
OnI2e2,BlackachicvcsaIavorablc
vcrsion oIhis idca. I. . . d5 I7e5Oc7
CI7 . . . 'c4 I8 2-c4 dc I9 Od7') I8
2-e7O-e7.
I 24
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha|lFind'
22 . . . Od7is,atthcminimum, atcmpo
bcttcr.Yct,vhcnvcp|ayIoravin,vc
don`tvantadrav.
2bI
IIyou`rc going to advancc pavns in
IrontoIyourking,bcttcrmakc itboth
oIthcm' No, this isn`tthcbravcryoI
thcinsanc on|yan c|cmcntarytcch-
niqucIordcIcndingagainstthcminor-
ityattack. Nov,iIB|ackp|aysb4,Ip|ay
a4;andiIhcplaysa4 Ip|ayb4!
Thc gamc Spassky- Pctrosian, (m/7)
Moscov I 9 is a classic cxamplc oI
this thcmc. Hcrc is Kasparov`s com-
mcntaryonB|ack`scightccnthmovcoI
thatgamchomGarjKa:arovonMy
GreatIreJece::or:IartIII.
I . . . a6! 'Iheointo{lacksiJea.A}
terthi:movetheoonentis unahleto
create an attack, anJ thelay i: now
alloneway
2... cc8 24 _f4
Fina|ly'
24... d725h5
Whitcnovhasanadditionalpossibi|-
ity asacriccong.
25...f7
Thisappcarstohavcbccnthcdccisivc
crror. B|ack`sdcsirctop|aymorcsol-
id|ydcprivcshimoIa||countcrp|ay,and
thc intcndcdf5 can alvays bcmctby
e5. Instcad,Blackcou|dhavcdoub|cd
hisrooksonthc c-Ilcby25...c7'!or
25. . . c'2Of2fc827d29d828
e2' 9a5 299cI 9cj j09b29-b2
jI 7-b2a5j2dI .
26b2|
Oncmorcdicultmovc.Irca|lydidn`t
vant to put my king on thc a I -h8
diagonal, butthca3-pavnhadtobc
dcIcndcd,othcrviscdd5vou|dlcad
toitscapturc.
26...f5 27c5 c6 28 _d
28'g hg 29 hg ft j0 h7 Oe8'
jI 9h O-g j2 -g7 O-g7 jj
9-g77-g7j4ed9f j57bI> is
notcnough.
28 ...d5
28. . . d529hgj09d4= .
29 f4dc -c5 f6 1c
fc7 2d2c c1J
I 25
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
Whitc has comp|ctc|y ncutralizcd his
opponcnt`s play and nov it is timc to
rcapthcharvcst.
Spcctacular. Bcingina|itt|ctimc-prcs-
surc, thc IrstsccondsaIcrthis movc
vcrcadmittcdlyunplcasant.
jj. . . 9-c5j4-c5-c5j5-c5TI7
jb4jcj7Cc5= .
4 _-c5 -c5-c c4
j5. . . 9g5 jcc2i-d2 j7-d2- .
6f4 c5 7 c -c5 8 c8+
f79 d7+ 1~
lcssuus
I) Inthc car|y middlcgamc onc must
accuratc|y undcrstand vhcrc to p|acc
onc`s picccs and Io||ov a p|an. Thc
movc Ij d2 vith thc idca oItrans-
Icrringthcknighttod4isprooIoIsuch
ap|an.
2)AdvancingthcpavnsinhontoIyour
ovn king is a paradoxica| dcIcnsivc
mcthod.IIon|yoncpavnisadvanccd,
say,toa3 thcnB|ackcanattackitby
b4, and iIyou rcply a4, hc can con-
tinucthcassau|tbybj. ButiIWhitc`s
pavnsarconajandbj,thcniIB|ack
p|aysb5b4,thcrcplyaj-a4 sca|sthc
posi ti on. So 2j bj' docsn` t rcal|y
vcakcnthcking`s position- it Iorms
anadditiona|dcIcnsivcrcscrvc.
3) In positions vhcrc dynamic cqual-
ity has bccn achicvcd, it somctimcs
makcsscnsctoprophy|actica||ydcIcnd
your ovn vcakncsscs. 2 Tb2'
l 26
achicvcs this aim.sothatthca3-pavn
vi||not hang inany hturc comp|ica-
tions.
Whi|cI didn`tp|aya||thatvc||inthc
NcvYorktoumamcnt,myrcsu|tsvcrc
improving. I kcptupmydiaryandthc
adviccvrittcnthcrchadancIIcctlatcr.
Hcrc`s an cntry Irom May I 4, 2OOO,
Moscov(Strogino).
IJrewmyla:trounJgamein
theNew !ork Oen again:t
Fi:hhein,layinghlack.Itwa:
a new line{or me in the
Iaul:en, whichlookeJrom-
i:ing. Iheet-lag wa:n t too
haJ- Igot in :ome running
toJay. Igotu at5.J0A. M. ,
hut that wa:n 't a rohlem,
:incethe:unwa:uevenear-
lier. I 'm in gooJ:irit:, anJ
reaJy{orthe ]nal:tageo{my
rearation{ortheZonal.
Irearation Irogram{orthe
Zonal,{rom May I4 to May
?4
I)Ireare, writeuanJrint
outtheIaul:enanJI. . e5{or
hlack.
?) FinJ out the}nal li:t o{
layer:, anJreare{oreach
oneo{them.SinceIhavelim-
iteJtime, workoutanyroh-
lem: anJ Je}/ne where the
hlow: :houlJ{all, ha:eJ on
a:texerience.
J)StartingMonJay, heginex-
erci:e: with Dvoret:j{oran
houranJahaj/eachJay.
4)IreareanJ:enJo[game:
to theInIormant.
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha||Find'
5) Findan intere:tingway to
:endmy{reetime.
0) An:wer 1 d4 with the
Nimzo-Indian and 1. . . d5{or
hlack
AsLanka |ovcs to say, "I ncvcrmcta
manvhogot hurt vorking onchcss."
Rcca||ingthoscgoldcn vords oImy
traincr,IocnmadcmysclIvorka|onc,
but I Iound itmuch morc plcasant to
vork in company. I vi|l not |ist thc
manygrandmastcrsIvorkcdvith,but
thisintcnsivcsparringhc|pcdmcagrcat
dcal,andImadcarca|brcakthroughin
thcsMcroI2OOO,vinningIourtour-
namcnts in succcssion and uncxpcct-
cdly nding mysc|I#I 9on thc FIDE
rating|ist.
Firstonmy|istvasthcZona|Touma-
mcnt inMinskIor thc vor|dchampi-
onship.Thcrcvcrcon|ytvo qua|i[-
ing p|accs, and comparcd vith I 995,
thcrc vas nobody hom Ukrainc, on|y
Azcrbaijan, Mo|dova and Bclarus.
1umping ahcad a |ittlc, I vi l l say that
thcscconds|otvcnttothcothcrViorc|
inthctoumamcnt. Iordachcscu.
Atthc vcry start, I hadto p|ayonc oI
my chicIcompctitors, thc Bclarusian
grandmastcrAndrci Kova|cv. By that
timc, I had alrcady managcd to vork
outmysystcminthcNajdorIIorblack,
and I satdovnrcadyto Ight. Mycx-
pcricnccinthcprcviousZona|shovcd
mcthatIvou|dhavctoscorcplcntyoI
pointstoqua|i[Iorthcvor|dchampi-
onship.
(3O)A. Kovalev I Bologan
Minsk(Bclarus)2OOO
Sici|ianNajdorIB95j
1c4c52_fd6d4cd4 _-d4
Miusk 2000
2 J 4 5 ? 8 0 2 J 4 Jotal
I . BoIogan, Vxtor x
C
I I
2. Iordachcscu, Vorcl x ':
J. Kovakv, Andrci 0 0 x
C
I 8
4. Svctushk, D x 0 I 0 ?Z
5. Kasparov, Scrgcy 0 x 0 0 ?':
. ZmI, Magomd 0 0 x
C
0 I ?':
?. Alcksandrov, Akkscj 0 x 0 0 I 0 Z
8. Kgrccm, Vtor 0 0 0 0 l x I 0 0 l ':
. Khruschov, Akxcy 0 0 0 0 I 0 x 0 0 5':
I 0.Gasmv, Vugr 0 0 0 0 0 I x
C
5
II . Azrov, Scrgc 0 0 0 0 I 0 x
1
5
I 2. Rmv, Rasul 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 x
C
4':
I J. Dovlutov, Sanan 0 0 0 0 0 0 x 4Z
I 4. Dcscatnxov, !van 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C
x 2Z
I 27
VictorBologan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
f65 ca66 g5
ThisisconsidcrcdWhitc`smostaggrcs-
sivc rcsponsc, but it`sbccn vc||-stud-
icd.Whitcpromptlyassumcsanattack-
ing position, vith possibi|itics oIcv-
cry kind oIsacriIcc. oIpavns at b2
and c5, and picccs at c, I5, b5, ctc.
Yct, B|ack` s dcIcnsivc rcsourccs arc
a|so vcry cxtcnsivc. So, to p|ay this
variation succcssIu| |y, you havc to
knovthcthcory.
6. . . c67 d
Thc main |inc is 7 f4. With thc tcxt,
Whitc trics todcviatcIromthcory.
7. . . bd7 8~~b59f4
Quitc honcst|y, I do not scc any grcat
plus to having Whitc`s quccn on d3,
othcrthanthatitdcIcndsthcc4-pavn.
Mcanvhilc, thc minuscs arc obvious.
Whitcvi|||oscatcmpoacrCc5ora
possiblccxchangc onc5.
94. 4b4 1cc2
ThcthcmaticsacriIcc 0Cd5?'sccms
insu0cicnt,Iorcxamplc,I. . . edI I ed
Cc5 I 2DeI7d7 Ij Oc42b7,and
Whitc hasproblcmsprotcctingthcd5-
pavn.OIcoursc,thcpositionrcmains
quitc sharp, but Whitc docs not havc
anadvantagc.
III 0 Ca4, thcn 0. . .2b7, incrcasing
thcprcssurconthcc4-pavn.
1. . . a5
ThissclI-cvidcntmovctumsouttobc
a novclty. Black rcmovcs his quccn
Iromthcpin,attacksthca2-pavn,and
thrcatcnstovinthcc4-pavnbyCc5.
Thc i mmcdiatc 0. . . Cc5 vou|d bc
vcakcr,bccauscoI I Ofj9b7I2Cgj
Oa5 I j9-fgfI4 2c4Dc8 5Oh5,
vhcnWhitchasthcinitiativc.Thcrc-
su|tingpavnstructurclookslikcabct-
tcr vcrsion oIthc RauzcrAttack Ior
Whitc.
11 -f6
I Oc4'? is an intcrcsting attcmpt to
comp|icatc,butiIB|ackrcactscoo||y.
I I . . .2b7 I2CbjOb( I 2 . . . O-a2? I j
O-b42-e4I4Ccj g or I j . . . Cc5I4
Ccj C-bj 5cbOaI I 7c2 )
I jCgjDc8(Ij. . . d5 I4 ed2-d5) I4
Od4 Oc7 (I4 . . . O-d4 5 D-d4=) 5
2dja5I7bIa4I 7Cd2d5,hcgcts
avcryplcasantposition.
And I I Cbj is bad, in vi cv oI
I I . . . O-a2.
11. . . -f6 12c5
PcrhapsthcquictI 27bI2b7 IjCgj
2e7= vou|d havc bccnbcttcr, rathcr
than chasing Black`sknighttoasupc-
rior squarc.
l 28
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha|lFind'
OIcoursc,thcpavncou|dnotbctakcn
by I 2 . . . de!!, bccausc oII jc Od5
I4 Ofj .
1b1dc 14fc b7 15_g
Andrciisknovnto bcavcrygoodat-
tackcr, so chcckcdcarcIu| |ytomakc
surcthcrcvcrc no surpriscs. I5 Ogj
vouldhavcbccnmctby I5. . . g.
15 . . . ~~|
OnI5. . . 2e7Ih5,B|ackvouldccr-
tain|y havc succumbcd to an attack.
I . . . g(I . . . 00 I 7OgjgI82dj)
I7 g77t(I7 . . . 7d7 I8OhjOb
I9 d-efe 202c4) I8 g-e
fe I 9 -e 7f7 20 Ohj ac8
(20 . . . 2c82I2c42-e22hfI)2I
2e2.Whygivcata|cntcdtacticianthc
chancc to shov oIf! OIcoursc, my
choiccoIthcNadorIVariationvasin
itsc|Ia vcighty dccision, but undcr-
stoodthat thcrc vould bc a dcnitivc
rcsultinthisgamc.
B|ackcanpcrmithimsclItocast|clong,
bccausc oIthc strong position oIhis
knightond5andthcIactthat histvo
bi shops control a| | thc quccnsidc
squarcs.
16 c2 b6
rcIraincdIromI. . . f4bccauscoII7
Oc4(I7bj-dj I8-a5F-dI
I9 -dI -e2 20-e22-g2 2I f4
2a8), but thc position aIcr I7. . . Oc5
I8hfI -e2 isgood Ior Black. Thc
tcxtmovcdocsn`tspoilanythingandit
a|so crcatcs thc unplcasant thrcat oI
cj.
17hf1
OnI77aI , B|ackcou|dtransposcinto
prcviouslycitcdlincs by I7. . . f4, but
inamorcIavorablcsctting,asWhitc`s
kingona l isIrthcravayIromthcccn-
tcr, Ior cxamp|c, I8 Oc4 CI8Od2?'
-g2I9cj2c5+) I8 . . . Oc5CI8 . . . 7b8
I9 c 2-c 20 F-d8 O-d8 2I
O-c = ) I 9 hfI -e2 20 O-c5
2-c52I g-e2Fht= .
Fvidcntly,Whitcshou|dhavcprcIcrrcd
I7 Oc4, Ior instancc, I7. . . 7b8 I8
hfI ' ! CI8 FheI Fc8 I 9Obj 2c5)
I8. . . ej (I8 . . . c8 I9 Odj Oc7 20
e4 ) I9c2-c20F-d8O-d8
2I O-c -fI 22 -fI , vhcn Whitc
rctainsdravingchanccs,dcspitcbcing
dovnthccxchangc.22. . . Oc72jOe8
7a7242fjg25Oa87b2d2
2g727Oe4c8 28bj7a7 29c4
d8j0dOb.
17. . . _c+| 18 bc bc+ 19 _b
-d2d b4
BlackhastoInishhisdcvclopmcnt,not
cling to thc pavn. Hc has a dccisivc
matcria|advantagc,buthisinsccurcking
andthcmyriadoIpicccsonthc board
a|lov Whitc todragoutthc Inish.
20. . . Oc72I 2fj.
21a
l 29
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
On2I -|,thcgamcvou|dhavccon-
tinucdsimi|ar|y.2I . ..a522aj2-aj2j
-cj7b8242fj2-fj25c-fja4
27a22b427'aI Oc5.
21. . . -a22-c+b82-f7
a5 24f-f 25gfb
25. . . a4 2f4 2b4 27cc4 2d2 28
fd4ab29-d2c8a|sovins.
26c4c8|
Whitc`sactivcrookmustbccxchangcd.
27 -c8+ -c8 28 a2 a4 29
_c1 c5 b1 c 1 _d
a~1
lcssuus
l)Oncmusta|vays combinc dcIcnsc
vithattackinthcSici|ianDcIcnscand
I0. . . Oa5 vasust such a movc. Had
B|ackrcstrictcdhimsc|Itoon|yvard-
ing oIIthrcats, thc gamc` s outcomc
vou|dhavcIavorcdthcattackingsidc.
Soit`simportanttoa|vaysbcvigi|ant
aboutcountcrattacking.
2) B|ack usua||y cast|cs short i n thc
Sici|ian,buthccanccrtain|ycast|c|ong
( I 5 . . . OOO|)iIWhitcisprcparcdonthc
Anothcr mccting with thc lcudcr o{
Chincac chcaa. c Jiungchuun
kingsidc(hcrcWhitchad 'h5). Evcn
though B|ackhad no quccnsidcpavn
protcction,thckingvasvc|| -protcctcd
by his picccs. Thc knight on d5 vas
cspccia||yuscI|.
3)Knovingthc standard tactica| mo-
tiIs oIanopcning(I7 . . . 'cj' )makcs
itmuchcasicrtop|ay.
OIcoursc, this gamc cannotbc ca||cd
a"bri||iancyoIchcssthinking,butit
vasvcryimportanttomcpsycho|ogi-
ca||y.ItvasthcIrstinascricsoIscvcn
straight vins, and I qua|iIcd Ior thc
vor|d championship rc|ativc|y casi|y,
Inishingvith I l pointsoutoII 3.
AIcrMinsk camcBcijing,vhcrcIrc-
ccivcdthcvinncr`svascontic-brcaks,
thisvasmysccondCatcgory- I tour-
namcntIo||ovingEnghicn.IIoundthat
I |ikcdChinaandits vondcrI| imab-
itants, cvcnthoughthcChincsca|pha-
bct, music, phi|osophy, vay oIthink-
ing, andpo|itica| systcmdiIIcrInda-
mcnta||y Iromthc Europcan I hopc
othcrsvi||discovcr|ikcvisc.
(3 l ) I Bologan Ye Jiangchuan
Bcijing (China) 2OOO
Sici|ianRauzcr B3j
1c4c52_fd6
Inour|astgamcvhcrcIhadvhitc,thc
opcning startcd as a Pau| scn vi th
2 .. 'c and transposcd to a
Schcvcningcn.Unhappyviththcrcsu|t,
my opponcnt dccidcd to scck victory
inthcRauzcrSystcm,andIama|vays
curioustosccvhcthcrthcrc`sanything
ncvinthisvariation.
d4cd4 _-d4_f6 5 _c_c6
l 3O
WhosocvcrSccks, ShallFind!
6g5c67d2c78~~~
9 f
Thcncvvavc! Sincc I had annotatcd
myvinovcrZvjaginscvatBc|Iort I 999
(scc Camc 29), my opponcnthadthc
opportunity to rcad a|| my thoughts
aboutthis positionduring his prcpa-
ration.
9...a61h4_-d411-d4b5 12
Qb1 b7 1d2c7
Anovc|tycomparcdviththcaIorcmcn-
ti oncd gamc, vhcrc B l ack chosc
I j . . . c8 I4Ce2.
14 _c2
It`snogrcatsccrctthatWhitcp|ansto
putthisknightond4andhisbishopon
d3,vhcn hcvil|thcnbcrcadyIorhis
opponcnt`squccnsidcpavnattack.
I4 9dj b4 I 5 Ce2 a5 I g4 ac8
I7 Cd47h8 I8h5 d5 I9Cb5 Qd7
20 e5 Ce8 2I 9-e7 -e7 22 Cd4=
(Bo|ogan- Shapiro, StrattonMountain
l 999).
14 . . . [ac815_d4[fd8
I 5 . . . d5 Ie5| Ce8CI . . . G-e5 I79f4
Gh5 I8g4=) I72-e7G-e7 I8f4 f
I9eI .
16d_c8|
This movc vas criticizcd by my co|-
|cagucs and I agrcc thatc8 is notthc
bcstsquarcIorB|ack`sknight,buthov
clscvashctoadvanccthcd-pavn?On
I. . . hI79ejd5,Whitchasthcstan-
dardrcply I8e5' Cd7 I9f4Cc5, and
aIcrthc co|d-b|oodcd 20g4, Whitc`s
attackvi||bcvcrystrong.
17 g4 f6
cij iug Z
2 J 4 5 ? 8 0 JotaI
I . Bokgn, Vktor x I 5'z
2. Drccv, Akxcy x 0 5'z
J. Onischuk,Alcxandcr x
2
5Z
4. Short, NigcI x
2
5Z
5. Yc 1ianghuan 0 x
C
0 5
. ZhangZhong 0 x 4'z
?. lcngXiaom 0 x 4Z
8. Xu1un 0 0 x
C
JZ
. Wang Zili 0 0 0 x J
I U. Adunto, Ltut 0 0 0 0 x 2'^
l 3 I
VictorBologan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
AcriticalmomcntIorthcstratcgicsoI
both p|aycrs. Black`s picccs arc prc-
parcdIoradccisivcccntralbrcakvith
d5, vhi|c Whitc`s pavns arc rcady to
tcarthc shic|doB|ack`sking.
ImustadmitthatIdidn`t|ikcmyposi-
tion at Irst, as it appcarsthatthc d5-
brcakcannotbcprcvcntcd. ButI took
hcart oncc I sav thc idca bchi nd
Whitc`sninctccnthmovc.
18cI
No advantagc rcmai ns aIt cr cx-
changing bi shops . I 8 2-f?' '-f
I 9Oe2 (I9h5d5 20h de 2I Og5
'e8 , I9g5'h520f4?e5) I9. . . Ob
20 'bj.
18 e e e d5
AnaltcmativcisI8. . . e5 I9'f5d520
Of2 =.
1 9c5|I
Thckcytothccntircposition.Withthis
pavnstructurc,oranyclashinthcccn-
tcr, it`s alvays vital to notc thc posi-
tionoIthcpicccs. Forcxamp|c,iId
d5 rcsu|ts i n Black opcning up thc
gamc,hcvil| havc a c|caradvantagc.
Onthcothcrhand, iIWhitccanblock-
adcthc d-pavn,thcnonc cansaythat
all oIBlack`spicccsarc poor|yp|accd
a|loIasuddcn.Inm, itbccomcsc|car
thatsacriIcingaccntcrpavnIorapo-
sitiona| advantagc is not such a bad
thing. Yct, oncc thc initial cuphoria
aboutthcsuddcnchangcinIortunchad
passcd,Irca|izcdthatthcstrugglchad
barclybcgun.
19. . . -c5
Forccd. I9. . . O-e520g5 , I9. . . 2e7
20g5 = .
2f4 d6
bc|icvcthis is bcst. Blackcouldhavc
savcda Icv tcmpi vith 20. . . 2-d4 2I
2-d4'd22h5'c4,butacr2jOd2
it`sobviousthatWhitc`sdark-squarcd
bishop vi|| dccidcthcoutcomc.
21 g5c5 22fc-c5
2g6|I
ThcIrstcxc|amationmarkisgivcnIor
acsthctic rcasons and thc sccond is
morcdcscrving,asitisIoraccuracy. I
sav nothing bcttcr Ior Whitc, Ior in-
stancc, 2jh5'd24g'c4 25 gh
7h8.
2 _d6I
I 32
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha|lFind'
Yccouldhavcgonctvopavnsup,but
obvious|y this vou|d havc donc noth-
ingtodiminishmyattackingambitions,
Iorcxamplc, 2j. .hg24h5gh(24..g5
25 2f5) 25 dgI ' 'f (25.. g 2
-h5)2Og2'g427-h5'-ej28
Ohjg29'e|fe j0-g7fjI
O-e .
24gf+ f7 25 [hf1 d7
A||ovingWhitctodcvc|opadircctat-
tack vith tcmpi . Thc bcst practica|
chancc is 25..Oe8 2 2f5 '-f5 27
-f5d728eI, vhcnWhitchasIu||
compcnsation Ior thc pavn. Indccd,
B|ack'smainprob|cmishisbishopat
b7,andI sccnogoodvayoIbringing
thatpicccbackintop|ay.
26 _ff6
2.. e827 '-e5 -e5 282d4 'e4
292-e4-e4j0gI e7 jI h5 =.
27_g5 _c4 28 h7+ h8 29
c2 c8
29..'-ejj0Oh5'-dI (j0..2-g5jI
2dj2hj2Og) jI2f57g8
j2 'e|.
[f6I
Simp|yIorccd.
. . . gf 1 d4
Thctactica|justiIcationIorthcvho|c
combination that bcgan vith Whitc`s
tvcnty-si xth movc. At Iirst, I vas
doubth|aboutthcInalpositionandI
kcpt |ooking Ior a bcttcr vay, but thc
c|oscritgot,thcbcttcrit|ookcd.
1. . .[c62f2f8dI
That`sal|,Io|ks.Nov,bcsidcsthcnatu-
ra|Of5, Whitc a|so thrcatcns'h7.
...[d74 f5[c7
j4..Oe7 j5Og'e5 jOh57g8
j7gI .
5 _h7I c8 6 h5 f7 7
g6 1~
lcssuus
l)Aknight on c3 vi|l Ircqucnt|y bc-
comca targct oIattackinthc Sicilian
DcIcnsc,andprcvcntingthcadvanccoI
Black`sb-pavnbya2-ajisn`ta|vays
succcssIu|, sinccitgivcsB|ackthcop-
portunitytoopcnthcb-|c.OIcoursc,
thc knight canbcmovcdavay bcIorc
thcattack, invhich casc asubscqucnt
b5b4strikcsatthinair.Thcknight,
vhichvasIormcr|yrcstrictcdatc3by
thc pavn at c, can nd grccncrpas-
turcson d4, I4 org3. Thus,Iromd4 it
vi|l dcIcnd thc c2- and b3-squarcs,
vhi|csimu|tancous|ytakingparti nthc
attack.
2)Whitc` scompcnsationIorthcpavn
sacriIcc I 9e5| ' is that hc c|iminatcs
a||oIB|ack`splay. Truc, Black gctsa
hca|thy cxtra pavn in thc ccntcr, but
I 33
VictorBologan. SclcctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
hchastogivcuphisstrongbishopand
shut his rcmaining bishop bchind its
ovnpavns.Whitc`smaintrumpisthc
possibi|ityoIdcvc|opinganunansvcr-
ab|cattackonthckingsidc.
3) Whcn carrying out a sacricia| at-
tack, ha|I-mcasurcs von`tdo. hc vho
says"amusta|sosay"b. Sooncmust
bcprcparcdtosacriccasccondpavn,
(2jg''),togivcthcattackthc ncccs-
saryimpctus.
Thc ncxt scssion oImy chcss schoo|
tookp|accthatsummcr.Thcsctupvas
prcttymodcst,asitvashcldinaIormcr
Pionccrs` camp, but thc ovcra|| atmo-
sphcrc vas vcry chccrIu|. Wc vorkcd
studious|y, yctvc sti|| Iound timc Ior
vatcr-polo in thc "Irog-pond, altcr-
natcdvithrugby,Iootball,andvollcy-
ba| l ! Evcryoncparticipatcdandagood
timcvashadbyal|.
AItcrvards, I vcnt to Vi orc|
Iordachcscu`svcdding, andthcn I sct
o0tomcctmyovnIatcinScvastopo|,
vhcrc I spcntavcckoIascctictrain-
ingscssionsatthcdachaoIanothcroI
myncv|yvcdIricnds,SashaOnischuk.
Wcspcntthc |astdaypursuinga"cu|-
tura|programoIbccri nthcmoming,
Io||ovcdbyscubadiving inthc aItcr-
noon (don`t you darc Io||ov this sc-
qucncc yoursc|I Iar bcttcr thc rc-
vcrsc).Inthccvcning, cxcc|lcntmca|
vas Iollovcdby ava|kinto thc city-
ccntcra|ongPrimorskocBoulcvard.It
vas thcrc, on thc scashorc, in thc
O:trovok rcstaurant, thatshc avaitcd
mc(vc|l,maybc"avaitcdisancxag-
gcration).Truc,inthcbcginning,thcrc
vasno indicationoIanythingroman-
tic, butvc danccdunti| thcrcstaurant
c|oscdandmadc cachothcrs acquain-
tancc,vhichvasIo||ovcdbyovcrs,
Murguritu und thc Orundmuatcr
jJransIator'sotc.An obvioua un on ulgukov a Jhc Mastcrand Margarta . j
I 34
WhosocvcrSccks, Shal|Find!
vhichvasIo||ovcdbyicccrcam. Wc
vcntourscparatcvays on|yto mcct
again, in thc g|oomy Muscovitc au-
tumn,andaycar|atcr,tomarry.Ispcak
oIMargaritaA|cxandrovnaMakarova,
novBo|ogan.
Thusrcstcdandinspircd,I |cIt Iormy
Iirst tournamcnt in thc vi | | agc oI
Poikovsky,|ocatcdi nthcNccyugansk
rcgion oIthc Hanti-Mansiisk autono-
mous arca oI thc Tyumcn district
vhich,intum,bclongstothcUra|Fcd-
cratcdRcgion.SoPoikovs[ isthcvcry
tinicst |inkoIthat cnormous adminis-
trativc comp|cx knovn as "Russia!
Ncvcrthc|css, thi s is vhcrc thc on|y
propcrintcmationaltoumamcntinthc
vho|c country is stil| conductcd. In
2OOO,itbcganatCatcgory 4, in2OOl ,
itvasCatcgory 5,i n2OO2and2OO3,
Catcgory , and in 2OO4, it rosc to
Catcgory 8.ThcstoryoI thcIounding
oIthistoumamcntisquitcprosaic-ust
tvogoodpcoplc,AnatolyKarpov,and
thc chicIoIthc Nccyugansk rcgion,
A|cxandcrKlcpikov, mctanddccidcd
toorganizcatoumamcnt,anditbccamc
anannualtradition.
This vas a happy timc. I von a Cat-
cgory- 4toumamcnt,Imctsomcvon-
dcrIu| pcoplc- vhosc Iricndship has
dccpcncdovcrthcycars andmyrat-
ing vas inching upvards, too. Evi-
dcnt|y, it is in my naturc to Io||ov a
Murguritu ologun (ncc Mukurovu), urtiatc o{thc Kuaaiun
Chumbcr ullct Moacow
35
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
coursctothccnd,aslongas it`sgoing
vcl l . |itcra||y invitcd mysc|Ito thc
Miguc|NajdorIMcmoria|Toumamcnt
in Argcntina (my hcro, Karpov, vas
p|ayinginthctoumamcnt).Fourplaccs
in thc maintoumamcntvcrc alrcady
takcn,butthcorganizcrsgracious|ya|-
|ovcdmcintothcqualiIyingcvcntIor
thc rcmaining six placcs. AIcr grcat
advcnturcs, I succccdcdinqua|iIying,
andinthcFinal, surpriscdmysc|Iby
sharingrstp|accviththc|ovcly1udit
Po|gar. Bcingagcnt|cman,IoIcoursc
gavchcrthcvinncr`stit|c(shchadthc
bcttcrtic-brcaks).
Ital|bcganvithaIrstroundvictory.
(32) KicarJi I Bologan
BucnosAircs2OOO
Caro-Kann B 2j
1 c4 c6I
This vas on|y thc sccond timc had
uscd thc Caro-Kann in a toumamcnt,
thus rcndcring any oImy opponcnt`s
homcprcparatioi:usc|css.Thisstratcgy
vorkcdtopcrIcction.
2d4 d5 c5
This variation is a popu|ar vay Ior
Whitc to avoid thc vc||-studicd posi-
tions that occuraIcr j cj de. Nov
thcgamcbccomcsmuchmorccomp|cx.
vc havc a battlc oIpavn structurcs,
various mcthods oIpiccc p|accmcnt,
ctc.Whitc`smainidcaistocxp|oithis
advantagcinspacc.ThcdiIIcrcnccbc-
tvccnthisandthcje5variationoIthc
Frcnch DcIcnsc is that B|ack can gct
his bishop outto I5, a|though hc docs
havctop|ayc5viththc|ossoIatcmpo.
Whitc has thc initiativc, but hc must
dcvc|opitcncrgctica||y,bccauscBlack
villbcnciIhcgctsthcchancctoIn-
ish hisdcvc|opmcnt.
...f54c2
Ricardi usua||ydcvc|opshisknightto
I and bishop to d3. I undcrstand his
cIIorttotcstmyprcparationinthcsidc
variations,bute2hasbccnknovnto
bc OK Ior B| ack si ncc thc gamc
Bronstcin- Botvinnik, I 9.
4... c65gg66h4
P0ik0vsky 2000
2 J 4 5 ? 8 0 1otaI
I . BoIogn, Vktor A ?
2. Omchm, Akxandcr A
J. EhIvcst, 1an A 0 5'z
4. SvcshnJov, Evgcny 0
2
A I l 5 Z
5. Vcscovi, Gvn I 0 A 0 ! 0 4
. Adnto,Lm 0 0 0 A
2
0 4
?. Dvoris, Scmn 0 0 0 A 0 JZ
8. GaB Akxandcr 0 0 A
C
JZ
. Wu Wcnj 0 0 0 0 I
C
A 0 J
l 0. Pom, Scrgcy 0 0 0 0 0 l A J
I 3
WhosocvcrSccks. Sha|| Find'
In thc }rat tourumcnt in honor o{Kurov, thc tcum o{
lctor ologun und Alcxundcr Oniachuk wua thc winncr
A. I. Kurov und A. Klcikov, thc {ounding{uthcra o{thc
Ioikova[ Intcrnutionul !ournumcnt
37
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
6. . . h5
Anothcrpossibi|ityis. . . h,butthctcxt
is strongcr, as itIorcstal|sWhitc Irom
incrcasing his kingsidc spacc advan-
tagc. OIcoursc, iIWhitcvinsthc h5-
pavn,B|ackcanalvaysrccovcrthch4-
pavnascompcnsation.
7@c2 c58 c
Bronstcin- Botvinnikcontinucd8dc
2-c5 9 Cd2 Cc I 0 Cbj 2b I I
2-h5C-e5I 2 2-gC-g,vithavcry
comIortablcgamcIorBlack.
8..._c6 9 _h5cd1cd@b1
I0...Obispossiblc,butacrI I Cf4
2-bI I 2-bIC-d4I jOa4Cc I4
Cdj,Whitccou|dsti||holdthcposition.
11 [b1g6 12 _f4I
I2 Cgj-h4 Ij -h4O-h4 I 42ej
2b4 I 5 7fI2a5,andB|ack'spicccs
occupythcirbcstpositionstoattackthc
d4-pavn.
12. . . [h4 1 ~ _gc7
Thcrcvasnoimmcdiatcvaytocxp|oit
thc h-I|c dircct|y. Ij. . . h8 I4 2ej
Oh4 I 5 Chj.
14g4I
Whitc vcakcnshisking'sposition,but
takcs control oIthc cxccptiona|ly im-
portant I5-squarc as compcnsation.
AcrI4gjh8 I52ejCf5 I2g4
Ob, Whitc can kiss his tvo bishops
goodbyc.
14 . . . @h6 15@cb6 16_g2
16...@cI 17fc
Natural|y,Whitccan'tacccptthc"gi".
I7C-h42-d4 I8Cfj 2-e5 I9C-e5
C-e5 .
17 . . . [h7 18b4I
Control|ingspacconthcquccnsidcand
tryingtoscarcBlackIromcast|ing.
18. . e~~
Itvasc|carthatWhitcdidn'thavcsuI-
cicntrcsourccs Ioran attack cspc-
cia||y vhcnthc on|ypicccthatmight
disturb my king (thc vhitc knight)
vouldhavctoguardhisovnblccding
kingsidc.
19c2 b8 2c5 _c8I
This movc simp|y stops Whitc's at-
tcmptstodcvclopaninitiativc.Novit
l 38
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha|lFind!
vou|dbc bad Ior Whitc to cxchangc
quccns,sinccB|ack'sdominationoIthc
c4-squarc, coup|cdvith his controloI
thch- lc,assurchimaquict|iIcinthc
cndgamc.
21 _c1I
Whitccmbarksonthcon|yp|anthathas
anyrca|possibi|ityoIdisturbingB|ack
inthis position. IIWhitc succccds in
gcttingthisknightto I,thcnB|ack`s
rooksvi||havcnogoodsquarcsonthc
h-|c and vi| | bccomc targcts Ior thc
knight.
21. . . dh8
2I . . .f5'? vasanothcrpossibi|ity, but I
didn'tp|ayitbccauscoI 22O-b'(22
efOc72jg2Oh2247f2d25
9fj hj, and Whitc is dcIcnsc|css)
22. . . -b2jfjhj24gf gf257f2.
22b6
22 Cfj Od8' 2j 2b5 (2j b5 Ca5)
2j. . . h4' 24g5hj257g2e72
hI -hI 27 -hI -hI 28 7-hI
Cf5 =.
22... h1+I
Inmy |cssonsatthcMo|dovianchcss
schoo|, I a|vaystryto Iocus my stu-
dcnts' attcntiononin-bctvccnmovcs.
Tvo timc|y chccks dcstroy Whitc` s
p|anstobringthcknighttoI.
2f2 1h2+24_g2_b6
Nov, a|ong viththcpositiona|advan-
tagc,Ivasahcadontimc, too.
25fc1g5
Bucn0s Aircs 2000
2 3 4 5 6 ? 8 0 JotaI
I . FoIgr, 1ur A 6Z
2. BoIog, Vctor A 6Z
3. Short, NigcI 0 A 6
4. Karpov, Ato|
C
A 0 5Z
5. Rard( Fabk 0 I A 0 4Z
6. Lcitao, Rancl 0 0 A
2
l 4
?. Mmv, Vadm 0 A
C
0 4
8. Fknot, 1uFacwo 0 0 0 A
C
3Z
. Ms, Gilbcrto 0 0 0 0 A 3
I 0. Fkrcs, Dkgo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A I Z
l 39
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
ThisprcparcsI-brcak,vhichvillmakc
thcvhitckingvcryuncomIortab|c.
26a _c727{g1 _g8I
Thcmovclooksug|y,butvhosaysthc
ug|y duckl i ng vi|| ncvcr bccomc a
bcautiI| svan'
28 f1 f6 29d
29efC-fj0D-f hJjI7f2 -bI
j2 -e b2 .
29. . . h1+{f2-f1+1 -f1
fc2gI
Whitcndsthcbcstchancc,dcspitchis
timc-prcssurc. Hcvouldloscacrj2
deCd7jj7gjChj42e27c7.
2. . . _c7
Thcidca bchindthismovcvorkcdin
thcgamc,butIoughttohavcbccnmorc
carcIul. B|ack`s prob|cms inc|udc thc
possiblccighth-rankpinandthcvcak-
ncssoIthcg5-pavn. IIWhitccancap-
turcit,thcnhisIourpicccsandg-pavn
vil|bcarcalthrcat.ThcrcIorc,Ishould
havc playcd j2. . . Ch' jj Df e4 j4
9b5 7c7 j5 D-e 7d8 j a4 Cf7,
vhichstopsWhitc`sinitiativconccand
Iorall,andgctsmyovngamcstartcd.
f7 _bc8
Toopassivc andalsotoocovardly.I I
myopponcnthadmorctimc,thismovc
might havc cost mc ha|Ia point. Thc
straightIorvardjj. . . Ccj4Lg7edj5
D-g5dejC-ejCd4j7Cc2'!C-c2
j82-c2Lc8j92h7= vasbcttcr.
4 f6
Thc |osing movc. Thc most natura|
movc,j4de,vou|dhavcatlcastgivcn
Whitcsomcdravingchanccs.j4. . . Cc
j5 -g7 C-e5 j2c2 f Cj. . . Cc4
j7-g5C-ajj89djCc4j9-h5)
j7 -g5 -fj j8 7h4 Cc4 j9 2dj
C-ej40CeI Cg24I C-g2--dj42
Cf4.
4 . . . c4-+
Thcrcalprob|cmvithWhitc`sposition
ishisknight.AndBlackhasmanydiI-
IcrcntvaysoIattackingWhitc'svcak-
ncsscsonthcquccnsidc.
5b5 {c7 6-c6a67 a4
f8 8 c5 g8 9 c6 g7 4
b {d7 41 h6 _d6 42 h1
f74 h5f+44{h2_f7|
Nov thc knight takcs on thc task oI
dcIcndingthcvho|cking`svingIrom
I, vhi|c thc rook at I vill cnjoyits
Irccdomonthcothcrving.
45{g1f646h7{c847d1
c648{f2c49a4a5b5
a2+ 51 {f1 a5 52 _c1 {f8 5
c2a54{c2_c8~1
Withabsolutcmatcria|cqua|ityonthc
board, myopponcntvas Iorccdtorc-
sign, as his picccsarccomp|ctcly un-
I 4O
WhosocvcrSccks, Sha|| Find!
ab|c to gcncratc cvcna sing|cthrcat.
Mcanvhilc,onccB|ack`skightmovcs
toc4,Whitc vil|havctosaygoodbyc
to hisc3-pavn.
Lcss0us
l)Onctypica|dcIcnsivcmcasurcinthc
Caro-Kann i sto cxchangc thc bishop
IorthcknightatbI , bccauscthcbishop
isnotasvc||-placcdongas itmight
sccm, sincc it somctimcs strikcs into
thinair.
2) B|ackocn puts incrcascd prcssurc
on thc d4-pavn in such structurcs,
vhichWhitccan nd dimcu|tto dc-
Icnd. Inthisgamc, B|ack hadto spoil
his pavnstructurc.
3)Inthccndgamc,vhcnonc sidchas
comp|ctccontro|oIanopcnlc,vhich
automati cal l y rcstricts thc cncmy
picccs,itisagoodtimctoplayIorcom-
plications by cxccuting pavn brcaks
andtryingto opcnIrcsh lincsto bring
additiona| Iorccs to thcthcatcroIop-
crati ons. This vas thc idca bchind
27 . . . g8'and28. . .f.
ucnoa Airca 2000. ut dinncr with our grucioua hoata.
On thc lc{!: Mikhuil Iodgucta und Anutol| Kurov
l 4l
LHaQ1I tV
I0SS0Ha
Four tournamcnt victorics in a rov!
Suchthingson|yhappcnonccina|iIc-
timc- andnottocvcryp|aycr,cithcr.
Hovtoachicvcitisabigqucstion,but
vhattodovithitisnolcss important.
1ustrcmcmbcrthatacrachicvinggrcat
succcss, ncar|ya||chcssplaycrs cxpc-
ricnccaprcdictab|cdcc|inc.Inaddition
tothccmotiona|drain,aplaycr'sphysi-
ca| capacity a|so drops prccipitously.
Onc nccdonly |ookat cxamp|csIrom
rcccnthistory.Kramnik,aIcrhismatch
vi th Kasparov, and Khal i Iman,
Ponomariov, andKasimdzhanov,aIcr
thcirvictoricsinthcFIDEvor|dcham-
pionships.Oncvayoranothcr,thcya|l
cxpcricnccdastccpdropinthcirrcsults
onccthcyattaincdthcirsacrcdgoa|.
Thc onlyrcmcdy in suchsituationsis
rcst. OIcoursc, in my casc, that vas
impossiblc,thankstomyovcr-bookcd
schcdulc, vhich vas supposcd to bc
crovncdbythcvor|dchampionshipin
Ncv Dc|hi. SinccIvasnovaproIcs-
siona|(sccabovc),Itricdto|ay outmy
prcparations, bcginning vith my al-
rcady cstab|ishcd |ist oItournamcnt
appcaranccs, and adding to it a Icv
trainingscssions.
I managcdto IulIllthcplantoacon-
sidcrab|ccxtcnt.atrainingmatchvith
MishaCurcvichinFrancc,rapidcvcnts
in Cap d`Agdc and Bastia, and in In-
dia, right bcIorc thc championship,
vcck-|ongtrainingscssionsvithSasha
Onischuk. Dcspitc my shamcIul co|-
|apscinthcIrstthrccundcrtakings,thc
training allovcd mc to gct back to a
morc or lcss acccptab|c lcvcl. It vas
ccrtain|yno IaultoIminc,orSasha`s,
thatvc|osttothctvocvcntua| vor|d
championship Ii na|i sts, Anand and
Shirov, inroundtvo.
Thc crisis cou|d not bc avoidcd, a|| I
cou|ddovastryto|oca|izcit. Hcrc`sa
diarycntryIrom1anuary I O, 2OO l .
A]eralengthyhreak,Ire:ume
my note:. Among the main
event: occurring during thi:
time, I:houldnote. huyinga
new aartment in Strogino,
remodeling and moving in,
goingu tomy newweight-
whichatthemomenti:5kg,
my rating increa:edto ?64,
whichut: me in nineteenth
o:itionontheworldranking
li:t, continuingmyworkwith
Dvoret:j.
No rogre:: in my Ki:hinev
a[air: in{act, Ican :ee a
de]niteregre::ion,including,
amongotherthing:, notlay-
ingin theI:tanhulOlymiad.
Icra:hed at theworldcham-
ion:hi in India, including
my :haky lay again:t
Ste{an::on and my lo:: to
Anand. Ihe main rea:on{or
thi: wa: thatInevercarried
outmylano{rearation{or
the chamion:hi. Among
otherthing:, Ididn 't havemy
training :e::ion with , {or
ohective rea:on:. Exce::ive
:eqindulgence,andweakne::
o{will.
AProIcssional
My con:tant{riendarrived-
a hallerina namedBima. He
met thi: :ummer in
Seva:tool . . . It s dg cult to
:ay where thi: willgo, :ince
our relation:hi i: comli-
cated.
Ihat s all{ornow. I/ s a very
ten:eyearahead, everything
i: inmyhand:. A: Godwill:!
Adiary, as I undcrstand it, isas|ccvc
youcancry into,acomradc vho sup-
portsyouindiIcu|ttimcs,andamcn-
tor,vhobringsyoutoyourscnscsvhcn
you nccd it. Espccia|ly vhcn you gct
intocxtrcmcsituations.Oncnccdon|y
rcca|| thc c|assic oIthc diary gcnrc
by M. M. Botvinnik and its rcsu|ts.
It'ssimplc,butithc|ps.
InthcspringoI2OO , rcmcmbcringthc
Iuror I hadcauscdin l 999, thcorga-
nizcrsoIthcEnghicn|csBainstoma-
mcnt invitcd mc oncc again. C|car|y,
thcy had no rcason to rcgrct it. I suc-
cccdcdincxtcndingmyscricsoIlosscs,
bcgunatthctoumamcnttvoycarsago,
to vc. For on|y thc sccond timc, I
startcd a toumamcnt O Ior3. In round
Iour,Imadcadravvithvhitc,andthcn
camc round Ivc. Naturally, I dccidcd
top|ay alittlcmorcsolidly, andchosc
thcQuccn`sCambitDcc|incd.
(33)L Bauer I Bologan
Enghicn2OO I
Quccn'sCambit Dcc|incd D55j
1d4_f62.c4c6._fd54_c
c7 5g5 h66f6
I nthcQCD,Whitchcqucntlygivcsup
his dark-squarcdbishopIorthc knight
onI,obtaininga|cadindcvclopmcnt
and somc prcssurc againstthc ccntcr.
B|ackinDtricstosimp|i[inthcccn-
tcr,vhcnhisbishopsvillcomctoliIc.
64 4 4 f67c~8c1_c6|
I dccidcdtosurpriscChristianalitt|c.
OIcoursc,thisisn'tthcbcstmovcvith
rcgardstopicccandpavncoordination,
but it`s anothcr piccc out, thank Cod.
8. . . cisconsidcrcdthcmainmovchcrc.
9 a
Whitc tricstosavcatcmpobyvaiting
Ior B|ack totakc onc4, bcIorc dcvc|-
opinghisbishopinasing|cmovc.
9. . . dcI
Thi s vas inaccuratc. I stil | had onc
morcuschlvaitingmovc, 9. . . a, Ior
cxamplc, I 02dj dc I I 2-c4 e5. I
shouldmcntionthatthisvasoncoImy
Ii rst cxpcricnccs cvcr p| ayi ng thc
Quccn`sCambitDcc|incd.
1-c4c5 11d5_c712_c4
I2 'd2'f5 Ij 00'd I42dj2e 7
I 5Obj2d7 I'fj2fI7'e4'-e4
I8 2-e4 b I 9hj |e8 20 |fdI
(HalkiasDambachcr, Amstcrdam2OO2).
43
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
Fornov,B|ackplaysncccssarymovcs.
I2. . . Cf5?Ij2a2isbad.
1 a2
Christianpasscsupthcstrongcontinu-
ation I j d| cd I4 O-d O-d I 5
C-d9g4O5 . . . 9e7?I 9-t' -t
I7C-c8 )ICd2b I7hj9d7 I8
C2e4 9e7 I9 00, vhcn Whi tc ` s
bishop isvcry activcandhchasopcn
I|cs Ior his rooks. Black` s position
vou|dhavcbccnmostuncomIortab|c,
a|thoughoIcourscitcou|dsti||bcdc-
Icndcd.
1...c7 14~I
And nov Ior somcrcason, Whitcdc-
c|incstop|aythc|ogical I4Oc2|?,vith
thc | i kcl y Io| | ov-up. I 4 . . . 2d
O4. . . 9f5 I5 Cf 9-f IO-f5 e4
I7Cd29-b2 I8 bI2cjO8. . . 9-aj
I9 -b72d20C-e4 ) I9O-e4
>>
)
I 5 C-dcdIOc79g4| ,vithchanccs
Iorbothsidcs.
14 . . . {h8I
Nov B|ack vil| Irstdrivcthc knight
avaybytf5,andthcnp|ay2d,prc-
paring e5e4, vith an attack on thc
vhitcking.IIthisp|ancanbcsucccss-
h||ycarricdout, B|ack`spositionvi||
bccomcthrcatcning.
15 b
Thc computcr rccommcnds I 5 Cfd2,
vi t h t hc i dca I 5 . . . f5 I Cc5 e4
O. . . 9d) I7fj(anon-humanmovc,
oIcoursc,butvcryintcrcsting) I7. . . ef
I8 C-fj.
15 . . . f5 16_c5d6 17b1
Whitchas |ost thc thrcad. His bishop
hascomp|ctcda|ongjoumcy,butbcit
on a2orbI , itsti||hasnothingtodo.
Mcanvhi| c, capturing thc b7-pavn
vould havc cndcd bad|y. I7 C-b7
2-b7I8O-b7b8 I9O-a7 -b220
aI e4 2I Cd4 Oh4 22 hj Ce5 2j
Ce Cfj 24 gf (24 7hI -f2-)
24. . . f.
17. . . f6 18 [fc1
On I8e4,Blackhasthcvcryunp|cas-
ant I8 . . . Cf4, vith thc Iol|oving pos-
sib|ccontinuation. I9 feIb20Cdj
C-g2' 2I 7-g2 fe 22 Cd-e5 ef 2j
C-fj2g4.
18 e b6 19_c6 c6 2dcc421
_d4_ac8
TimcIorourrstasscssmcnt.B|ackhas
a sma|l advantagc, as thc c-pavn is
doomcdandthcvhitckingnccdspro-
tcction.
22 _b5
TryingtotradcoIIoncoIthcattacking
picccs.22gjCe5,or22edI | ?f4| 2j
2-e4fe 24fj (24O-ej9f4 25Oe2
2-cI 2 -cI O-d4 27 2-g
-e ) 24 . . . Oh425gj9-gj arc
badchoiccs.
I 44
A ProIcssiona|
22...h4I 2 [cd1I
2j7hIvou|dloscto2j . . . Og24gI
(24gjCfj 25edIOh52h4Og4
27+g29-gj)24. . . 9-h2' , or2jC-c7
Og524gjCfj.
2. . . g5 24gf+25g2
Atthcboard,Ivasmorcvorricdabout
257fI ' ,vhcn,a|thoughB|acktakcsthc
pavn vith chcck, thcrc docsn`t sccm
to bc any dccisivc continuation. Stil|,
B|ackkccpsthcbcttcrchanccs,Iorcx-
amp|c, 25. . . C-h2 2 7g2 Cfj 27
C-d cd 28-dOg4 29hI Cg5
j0 OdI Ofj jI O-fj ef j2 +h2
-ejj-eC-ej4dICg5 = j5
d7 h5 j-a7gj7b7d8j8
-bd2.
25. . . h526h4
2hICg527hjOfj287gI 2-gj
29Oc22e5.
Baucr thought B|ack had no vay to
continuchisattackhcrc,butI Iounda
shot.
26...@-gI 27fg-h4+I
Strangc|ycnough,thcsacriccoItvo
chcck,butavinningattack.
28gh f+ 29h2
Or 297gI Ogj j0 7hI O-h4 jI
7g2fj2gIgjj+fIOhj,
andB|ackvins.
29...f2+h1
j0+hjg5| (j0... f4jIgIfej29-e4
f4 jj gj -e4) jI Ocj7g8j2
hg hg jj gI g4 j4 -g4 fg j5
7-g4Og2j+h4fj.
. . . -h4+1g1g+2f1
j27hI Ohjjj+gI f .
2. . . f4
Withouthavingmadcasing|cmovcon
itsovn(othcrthan castling), thc rook
comcsintothcattack.
-c4fc+4c2[f2+5d
c2+ 6c4cd 7-d1c5I
O0cia||y, WhitchastvopicccsIora
rook,butvithaking|ikcthis,thcrccan
bcnodcIcnsc.
8 c
j8Od5-e.
8. . . [-b29d7
j9Od5Ogj40a4a.
9. . . b5+4d
40C-b5 O-e4.
picccsgivcsB|ack,notjustpcrpctua| 4. . . g+ ~1
I 45
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
lcss0ns
l ) I Iyour opponcnt |acks sumcicnt
cxpcricncc in a particu|ar opcning, it
makcsscnsctochooscanuncommon
continuation (8. . . Cc). Such an ap-
proachcanocnbcquitcc0cctivc.
2) OItcntimcs, adc|aycan|cadto thc
|ossoIthc advantagc, andto an inIc-
riorposition.Whitchadtop|ay Ijd' ,
opcning thc diagona| Ior his | ight-
squarcdbishop- thcinitiativcmustbc
nurturcd,movcbymovc.
3)Whcn thcking stands against scv-
cra| cncmypicccs, mating attacksarc
"as natura| as a baby`s smi|c. In this
gamc,bcsidcsthccascadcoIsacriccs,
itvas importanttoIorcsccj2. . . f4,aI-
tcr vhich thc rook a|sojoincd in thc
attack.
Ncvcrthclcss,inroundsix,Isucrcda
|osstoVo|odyaAkopian,anddroppcd
oncc again to "minus- 3. I vas no
|ongcr inthcrunningIor prizcs, but I
sti||vantcdto nishrcspcctably.
(34) I BoIogan . Bareev
Enghicn2OO
Frcnch Rubinstcin C| | j
1c4c62d4d5 _c _f64g5
dc 5 _-c4c7
Fromtimctotimc,Zhcnyavi|lcmp|oy
various |incs oIthc Rubinstcin varia-
tion. Morc rcccntly,hchas bccnp|ay-
ingjd-e4.
andprcssurconthcccntcr.I nthisvaria-
tion,Whitcusua||ytricstoincrcaschis
spaccadvantagc, rcstricthisopponcnt
asmuchas possib|candcxccutcanat-
tack against thc king. B|ack, in tum,
vou|d|ikctocarryoutthchccingma-
ncuvcrs c7c5 or ee5, a|though hc
maya|socontcnthimsc|I viththcrathcr
passivc,butvcrycxiblcsctupb7b,
2b7,Cd7,ctc.
7 _f_d78c2|
ThcidcabchindthisrathcrIrcshmovc
is to bring a rook to thc d-lc to op-
poscthcquccn,vhi|c|cavingthcking`s
bishop`sdcvc|opmcnttobcdctcrmincd
|atcr.
8o o o ~
8. . . b 9000Oe7 I0 Ce5 2b7 I I f4
000 I 2cj2-e5 Ijfe f I4efC-f
I 5 Cd2 h| I gI de8 I7 Cfj
Cd7 I8 eIOf I9Oej (Lauticr
Marcc|in,Va| d` Iscrc2OO2).
9 ~~b6
6-f6-f6 1 _c5|
1ust as in thcprcviousgamc, Whitc ThcpointoIWhitc'splan.
givcshisopponcntthctvobishops,Ior
vhich hc obtains bcttcr dcvc|opmcnt 1o o q -c5
4
AProIcssional
II I0 . . . 9e7'?, I I Ofj ( I I cOe8 I2
Ofj 2b7 Ij9b5 2d) I I . . . 9b7 I2
2b5 isgood.
A||ovingdoub|cdpavnsby I0. . . 2b7
isa|sobad Ior Black. I I -d7 O-d7
I2 -f gf Ij Og4 7h8 I4 Oh4
Od8 I 5d5' ed I2djf5 I7Od4f
I8 2-f5 = .
1 1 dc{c7
Amodcstmovc.B|ackshou|dprobably
havc sought an i mprovcmcnt i n
II. . . Oh4'?, Ior cxamp|c, I 2gjOh
Ijf4-e5I42g22b 7 I5fO-f
( I 5 . . . gf I 2-b7) I 2-b7 ab8 I 7
fe Og5I87bI-b7 I9d7 .
1 2 f4 b7 1{c [ad8
I j . . . 2-e4I 4O-e4c5 I 5 Ocad8
I 2b5 (I9e2) I. . . a I79e2 a5
I8aj a4 I 9gj-dI 20-dI d8
2I -d8 O-d8 22 9fj g5 2j Oa8
O-a8 24 2-a8 gf 2 5 gf f
(Co|oschapov Barua, Dhaka2002).
14 d
Whitcisdcnitc|ysupcrior.Thcknight
on c4 rcstricts its countcrpart, and iI
BlackcxchangcshisbishopIorit as
hc in Iact docs- thcvcakncss oIthc
|ightsquarcsvi||bccomcaIactor,and
thc bishop vill provc much strongcr
thanthcknight.
14 . . . -c4
I4. . . c5 I 5 -c5 O-c5 I O-c5 bc
I7hgId4 I8gj .
I4 . . . f?' I 5 ef-f Ig5 2-g2 I7
hgI O72f5 -dI O7 . . . 9-hI I8
O-eO-eI99-e7h820|
vinning) I 8 -dI 9d5 I 9 2-e
9-e20O-eO-e2I-ec8)
I7. . . 2d5 I8c4h I 9cdhg20O-e
O-e2I de .
15 c4_c5 16c6a5
MyopponcntandIcachcva|uatcdthis
position dicrcnt|y. It`s possib|c that
Zhcnyaovcrcstimatcdhischanccs,sim-
plybccauschcbc|icvcdhcvasthcbct-
tcrchcssp|aycr. OIcoursc, thcbishop
oncismuchstrongcrthanthcknight
onc5. Atthatmomcnt,IsavthatiIal|
thc othcr picccs vcrccxchangcd, thc
bishop vs. knight cndgamc is |ost Ior
B|ack.
17[dc1I
An intcrcsting movc. Hcrc`s hov it
vorks. vhcnyouropponcnthasnoin-
vasionsquarcsonthcopcn|c,youcan
avoidthccxchangcoIrooksbytaking
yourovnrookoIIthcopcnIlc.
I7gj-dI I8-dId8 I9d4 =.
17. . . f5
Othcrvi sc,Whitccou|dstartakingsidc
attack.
18gh619b
I 47
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
Ascriousinaccuracy.Thccorrcctmovc
isI9aj, Iol|ovcdby7bI,bjd7b2.
1944e_a6
Blackhas succcssh||y rcarrangcd his
picccs,andIhavctomakcamovcthat
docsn`tItinvithmyp|ans.
2 c
207bI 'b4 2I 2fj a4.
2. . . a+ 21{b1_c5
2I . . . a4 22 2-a4 (22 b4 -b4 2j cb
dI 247c2O-a2257-dI d8
2 7cI OaI, vithpcqctua| chcck)
22. . . c52jOcIO-cI24-cI '-a4
25baa82hdI-a427d7fa8
28c2c4297b2+.
NovWhitchastokccponccyconthc
d-I|candthcothcronapossib|cstrikc
atb3. Fortunatc|y,hchas.
22c1 -c1+2-c1
2 444 g5
Thccritica|momcntoIthcgamc.Pcr-
haps my |ast Icv unIortunatc movcs
had lovcrcd Zhcnya`s guard, and hc
dccidcdthatnovvasthctimctovrcst
thcinitiativc. But, asoIcnhappcns in
chcss,an inaccuratcasscssmcntoIthc
position|cadsnotjusttothclossoIthc
advantagc (iIindccdhchad it),butto
thc |oss oIthcgamc.
Thccorrcctlinc vas 2j. . . d2 24c2
fd8 257cI2dj-.
24 {c2
With thc d2-squarc covcrcd, Whitc`s
houscisonccagaininordcr.
244 e e {f7 25 cd1 gf
25. . . g8 2 hgI .
26gf_c427hg1I
Acr somc dc|ibcration, I conc|udcd
that this vas thc most prccisc movc.
Novit`sdi0culttosccvhatBlackcan
doncxt.
27 e 4 e _f2
27 . . . g8 28 -g8 -g8 (28. . . -dI
297-dI 7-g8 j0 2-e4 fe jI 7e2
7f7 j2 7ej 7g jj 7-e4 ) 29
d77gj0e77h5jI7djd8
Cj I . . . g2 j2 -e c5 jj 7ej)
j27ej .
27 . . . h528d4-d4 29cd.
28d4I
A standardtcchniquc Iorgainingcon-
tro|oIanopcnI|c. Novitappcarsthat
Blackmusttradcrooks.
28 . . . -d4
28. . . hj?'29fI -d4j0cdg8jI
7djg4j27ejh5jjd5=.
I 48
AProIcssional
29cdd8cc4+
j0 . . . b5' j d2' (jI a4 ba j2 ba
Cc4,orj ,-b5c5| j2dcCc4jj
c4 Cd2 j4 cj Cc4, vithpcr-
pctual chcck) jI . . . h5(jI . . . D-d4 j2
TcjD-t4 jjT-t4Chjj4gjC-g
j5} -b5 )j2Dg2Cg4jjTdj - .
1 d c5+ 2 c a6
a +
A tcxtbook position B|ack`s knight
docsnothavconcgoodsquarc,norany
chanccoIrcachingd5.
...g8
jj. . . Cb8j4,jDg8(j4. . . Cd7j5d5)
j5Dc.
4c1
Whitcvou|dprobab|yhavcvonaIcr
thccxchangcoIrooksasvc||,butnov
hcjust vins matcria|byIorcc.
4. . . b8 5 f c6 6 -c6
-c6
j6. . . Dc8 j7d5Cc7j8Dc4.
7 -c6 g1 8 -b6 c1+ 9
df14b7+ f841 c4I
Timc prcssurc isovcr, but,ustto bc
saIc, l madc oncmorc movc. 4 Dh7
D-t442D-h6vasa simp|crvin.
41...-f4 42 c5 c4 4 d6
-d4+44-c6f445 f7+I
45T|6Tc846Dh7tj 47Dh8d7
48c6Tc749c5t250DfDd25I
c7Dc252Td5Td7.
45...c846h7d847-h6f
4b f6 d49 f7I -b 5 c6
b7+ 51g8I
An important Iincssc dcnying thc
rook thc h7-squarc. 5I t8 Dh7 52
D-tj Dh8 5j t7 Dh7 54 Tt6
D-h2 = .
5 1 ...c7 52 h4 f2 5 -f2 -c6
54 h5c755 f7+ d6 56g7
c 57 f6+ c5 58h6-a59
h7 1~
lcss0ns
I)OncmusttryIomthcvcryopcning
to prcvcnt thc opponcnt Irom arrang-
inghis picccs comIortably. Thc movc
I0 Cc5' scrvcs this purposc, Iorcing
B|acktomakcpositiona|conccssions.
2)Thcrcarcpositionsvhcrcthcbishop
isclcarlybcttcrthanthcknight,thcdis-
tinguishingIcaturcsoIvhicharcplcnty
oImancuvcring room Ior thc bishop
andanabscnccoIstrongsupportpoints
Iorthcknight(cspccia|lyinthcccntcr).
3) IIthcrc ison|yonc opcn I|c, thcn
contro|oI that|ctakcsoncxccptiona|
signicancc. lnthisgamc,Whitc Irst
undcrcstimatcdthcvaluc oIthcd-|c.
I 49
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
This gavc Bl ack an opportunity to
cqua| i zc, but B| ack vas too s| ov
(2j. . . g5), and thc opcn Ilc Ic| l into
Whitc's hands oncc again, this timc
vithdccisivccIIcct.
Sol vasnov"minus-2,vithatough
gamc ahcad. b|ack againstA|cxandcr
Crischuk, both ata|cntcd chcssp|aycr
andagoodman.Thisismyrstgamc
againsthim.
(35)A. Grischuk IBologan
Enghicn2OO
Ruy LopczChigorin[C99j
1 c4 c5 2 _f _c6 b5 a6 4
a4 _f6 5 ~ c7 6 [c1 b5 7
bd68c~9h_a51c2
c5 11d4Qc7
Thc Chigorin variation is onc oIthc
mostcomp|cx andintcrcsting |incs oI
thcSpanishCamc,invicvoIthcc|ash
oIstratcgicp|ansandidcas.Whitc,as
a ru|c, has a spacc advantagc, so his
thoughtstumIrst andIorcmostto an
attack on thc kingsidc. Mcanvhi |c,
Blackhasaso|idposition,vithoutany
particularvcakncsscs, and vi|| try to
obtaincountcrp|ayonthcquccnsidc.lI
thcccntcrisc|oscd,thcnB|ackcanp|ay
Iorthcft5brcak, andiIthcccntcris
opcn,hispicccsvi||occupyactivcpo-
sitionscasi|ycnough.
12 _bd2
A|cxandcr p|ays a|l his opcnings in
classic sty|c.
12...cd 1cd [d8
l rstprcparcdthis opcningasvhitc,
bccausc thc Chincsc playcrsvcrcus-
ingit,andsincclIoundnovaytogain
an advantagc, l dccidcd to p|ay it as
black.
14 _f1
l IWhitcplays I4d5,thcn B|ackhas
timcIor I4. . . id7 (it's important that
hc has not p|aycd ib7) I 5 idj ( I 5
t!dc8I 69djb7andthcknight
gocstoc5. I7id2(I7b4a5)I7. . . Cc5
I8ic2a5 I9gj9d820h2b7
2I |jb4 (1ansa Pikct, Bundcs|iga
2OO3)I 5 . . . Cb7I 6 Cbjdc8 I7c2
a5 I82cjb8I9ccI a420-c8
-c8 2I cI c8 22bd29d8 2j
h2h624 Cht! =a525 Cb!ib426
cj a5 27 9b6 Zz Z ( Mi | o s -
Bo|ogan,BucnosAircs 2OOO).
I4bjc6I 5 ib2cdI 6 C-d4 C-d4
I7 i-d4 ib7 I8 c! a5 I9 |!
ac8 20Ccj g6 2I tj (Shirov -
Fcmandcz Carcia,Ayamontc2OO2).
14. . . cd15_-d4
Thisvariationscrvcdmcthroughthick
andthin,unti|mygamcagainstCalkin.
Youcou|dn'tsaythatWhitcrcItcdit,
butldidn't|ikcthcrcsu|tingpositions,
solgavcupthcsystcm.
I 5 gj c6 I 69t4 (I6bj b4 I 7
5O
AProIcssional
bI dj I8 b2c2 I9 -c2 dc 20
c2d52I ic5b722i-t6i-t62j
c5 ic7 24 -c2 b6 Z- Z
(Iordachcscu Bologan, EIoric Nord
2OOO) I 6 . . . ic6 I7 cI \b6 I 8t5
-t5 I9 cta7 20 ibI ad7 2I aj
h622igj7t82ja2c824b4d8
25-c8-c8 26 \bjit6 27d5
c7 28i-d6-d629\-d6c7
j0 d5 d8 jI dI c6 j2 -d4
c2 jj d5 c6 j4 c5 d6 j5
g67c8j6cI| c6j7\a8d8
j8 \-a6 \-a2 j9-b5 d7 40 tc
tc 4I c5 I0 (Calkin - Bologan,
Tomsk2OOI ).
15. . . d5 16 c5c4 17 f4I
ThctacticaljustiIcationoIthisvaria-
tionis I7tjc5 I89cj(I8tcdc I 9
-c4 c6 20 icj -d4 2 I -d4
i-d4 22i-d4c4-) I8. . . c4 I 9
tc (I9b4-cj20-cjb62I dj
g522h4-c52jc6-tj247t2
h5+) I9 . . . dc20i-c4-cj2I-cj
-d4 22c2c4 2jdjib7| .
Noris I 7d2ic5I 82tj 9b7 I9
c2b620it4 ac82I cIh622
bIc4dangcrousIorBlack(Olivicr
Pintcr,LcTouquct2OO3).
17 . . . c5 18 c b6 19 b
-b 2-b c6
Aftcr thc morc natural 20. . . b7,
Whitc' s quccnoins thc attack. 2 I
g4i-cj 2 2 -cj d4 2 j tj c5
24gjg625ig5d7 269t69d5
27\h4 i-bj 28h6c6 29g4
I - 0 ( Zav Wi n Lay Tomohi ko,
Myanmar l 998).
21d
21. ..a5I
Timctodisturbthcbishoponb3.
2I . . . ic7 22 adI c5 2j d4 a4
24-d5 -d4 25 -d4ic5 26d2
-b227c7-d228-d2-bj29
-a8i-a2j0aIic4 jI b6| .
22f
SashaaimsIoraght.OIcoursc,Black
vouldrathcrnotvcakcnthca7-gl di-
agonal,butnovmyknighthasnorc-
trcatsquarcsandIhavctoIndanothcr
vayoIsavingthcpiccc.
22acI ac8(22. . . a4|2jic2aj24
bjib425tji-c! 26-cIt5 27
7h2 ig6 28tci-c4 29 d2|) 2j
ic2ib424c2g625aj,c726tj
c5 27 d4 a4+.
22 adI a42jic2 ac8= 24tjg5
25ih2i-cj26-cj-c2- .
22 . . . a4
22. . . g52jih2a424ic2it5trans-
poscsbackintothcgamc.
2c2g524h2 f5I 25 c2
Thclosingmovc.AItcr25tci-c426
I 5 I
VictorBologan. SclcctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
d2 9-c2 (26. . . aj 27 b4 i-cj 28
-cj9-c229ThIg6)27ThIic4
(27. . . i-cj28-cj9g629tjg4j0
hgd4 jI9g!)28Cg4 ic7, B|ack`s
position isslight|y morc plcasant, Ior
cxamp|c, 29 tI g6 j0 Ct6 Tt8|
(j0. . . Tg7jI d4a6j2c6i-t6jj
-t6-t6j4ic5-c6j5i-t6-t6
j6tI dd6 j7 7g!)jI acI a6.
Sti|l,thcsituationvou|dhavcrcmaincd
vcry sharp, so Whitc shou|d havc
p|aycdit.
25...d4
RctumingthcIavor.Pcrhapsthcvor|d
champions vould havc playcd morc
accuratc|y,butthcscdaystcnscgamcs
atthctoplcvclsconstant|yIcaturcmis-
takcsthatsharp|ya|tcrthcasscssmcnt
oIthcposition.UnIortunatc|y, it`sun-
avoidab|c. Maybccomputcrsvi|ltcach
ustobcmorcprccisc.
OI coursc, I had sccn thc | i nc
25. . . i-cj26-cjd4 27djCgj
28d2(28c4C-c429tc i-c4-)
28. . . dj 29t2-t2 j9T-t2, but
misscdthcprcttyj0 . . . d2| .
ig6(26. . . dc 27ctd2 28g4) 27
adIdc28d5 # .
26. . . dc
Novthc black rook vi|l invadc on d,
andWhitcvi||havctogivcuphisquccn.
27 h1
27 . . . i-t5 d2 .
27 ed2
27. . . i-c428tcd2 29g4h6j0h4
g6=.
28 @-a8
28 i-t5 -c2 29-c2 d8 j0 c2
d2 jIacIib4 j2igI = .
28 c2 29c2 @d
Wc arc nov in a rathcr non-standard
position. B|ack has a quccn Ior tvo
rooks,vithall Iourbishopsstil|onthc
board. C|carly, thc passcd c3-pavn
givcsB|ackthcuppcrhand.Whitcvi||
probab|yhavctogivcupthccxchangc
vcrysoon.
cc1@b41cc1
jI cdI c2(jI . . .id2 j2 igI g6|!
jj-d2' cdj4dIic4j5-d2 )
j 2 -dj t2| j j igI cI j4 -cI
-cIj5d4id2j6djia5 - .
1 e c22@g@d2 g1b4
Thc idca bchind this movc is to kccp
26 @-c4 Whitc`srookspinncdtothcrstrank,
byprcvcntinghimom opcninglincs
AnothcrgiI.Thccorrcct |inc is 26tc onthcquccnsidc.
I 52
AProIcssional
4ab
NovWhitchasanadditiona|vcakncss
at b2.
5c1c
j5. . . i-cI j6 g-cI d4 vas also
possib|c,butsincc Ivas intimc-prcs-
surc, I dccidcd not to dcIncthc posi-
tionjustyct.
6 c -g1 7 -g1 f2 8
c1h59d5c54b7b5
41 a8
Thcgoodthingaboutthcc|assicaltimc-
contro| is that it a| |ovs you to dig
dccp|y into a position. Timc-prcssurc
is ovcr and nov B|ack activatcs his
king. First,thcrc`sa"divcrsionaryma-
ncuvcr on thc kingsidc, and vhcn
Whitc vards this oII, Black svitchcs
tothcmainp|an.
41... c542b7h74a8g6
44b7b545a8c446h2
Whitc corrcct|y pays no hccd to thc
thrcatcncd g5g4. Wcll,Igucss Ihavc
torctrcatmykingthcn.
46. . . h7 47 h1 g8 47 h2
f849 h1 c7 5 h2 c6
51g a6~1
Thc king takcs thc |ast squarc avay
Irom thc bishop at a8. So Whitc rc-
signcdin vicvoI52 ic4 i-c4 5jtc
dj 54Tg2g4 55hghg.
lcss0ns
I) InthcRuyLopcz,vhcnB|acksuc-
cccdsinpushingthroughd5,thcn,asa
ru|c, hc obtains good p|ay, vith vcry
activc picccs.
2)B|ackmustundcrstandthatthcac-
tivcpositionoIhispicccsinthcccntcr
(thcknightonc4)isccting,sohcmust
strivctomaintainthctcnsionandbring
aboutacrisisassoonaspossib|c.This
vasachicvcdby22. . . a4and2j . . . g5.
3)Instaticpositions,vhcnyouroppo-
ncnthasnocountcrplayvhatsocvcr,thc
importantprinciplctorcmcmbcris."do
notrush' Thccorrcctso|utionmaynot
bc immcdiatc|y apparcnt, but you` rc
paticncc vill bc rcvardcd inthc cnd.
lnthis gamc,thc so|utionvas to ma-
ncuvcrthckingtothcquccnsidc,vhcrc
ittookavay thc |ast squarcs Irom thc
cncmy|ight-squarcdbishop.
HavingIought my vayto "minus- ,
vith a vhitc gamc against Frcssinct
ahcad,Ivasunablctogainmycompo-
surc and |ost. But my vins against
BarccvandCrisc

ukprovcdthatmybad
start vas bchind mc, and that l cou|d
|cavcIorPoikovskyingoodspirits.
Thisvasthcsccondtoumamcntnamcd
aIcr Karpov in thc littlc vil|agc oI
Poikovsky.Thckcygamcin200I vas
my Irst round cncountcr vith onc oI
I 5J
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
mymainriva|s.KirilCcorgicv.InIact,
atthattimcvccachhada27rating.
(3) I Bologan Georgiev
Poikovsky2OO l
RuyLopczBcr|inWa|l[C7j
1 c4c5 2 _f _c6 b5 _f64
~ _c45 d4 _d6 6 c6 dc 7
dc _f5 8d8+d8
ThcBcrlinvariationoIthcRuyLopcz
bccamcphcnomcna||ypopu|arIo||ov-
ingthcKramnik- Kasparov, London
2OOOmatch,vhcrc,thankstothisopcn-
ing,Vo|odyavasablctostandrmvith
b|ack,andhistvovictoricsvithvhitc
vcnt unansvcrcd. Hovcvcr, I havc
|ongbccn Iamiliarvith this variation
bccauscoIZigurdsLanka,inIact,Isti||
havcthcnotcsthathc dictatcd. Latcr
on,IsharpcncdmymastcryoIcndgamc
playagainstAlcxciA|cxandrov,achicI
proponcntoIthcBcrlinWa||,vhohas
kcptitinhisrcpcrtoircIorovcrtcnycars.
ThcgamcgocsrightIromthcopcning
into a complcx cnding, vhcrc Whitc
cnjoysapavnmaorityonthckingsidc.
Whitc`sgcncra|p|anistocxchangca|l
thc picccs Ior a von pavn cndgamc.
Yct,thisishardcrtoachicvcthaninthc
ExchangcLopcz,bccauscthcrcthcc-
pavn ison thc Iourth rank, making it
casicrtoachicvcpicccandpavncoor-
dination.Onc5,thcpavnisscparatcd
Irom its ovn Iorccs and is a distinct
vcakncss. B|ack's chicIdisadvantagc
is his inabi|ityto cast|c, his chicIad-
vantagcisthctvobishopsandthcvcak
cncmyc5-pavn.IIBlackcannishhis
dcvc|opmcnt,hcgctsgoodp|ay.Natu-
ra|ly,Whitcvil|trytointcrIcrc.
9 hI
Tryingtobcc|cvcrandconIuscB|ack.
P0ik0vsky 200
2 3 4 5 6 7 & 0 1ota|
l . Bologn, Vxtor x 0 6
2. Lputun, Smat x 0 5Z
3. Ru|cvsky, Scrg x
2
5Z
4. Gcorgcv, Km 0 x 5
5. Zyagscv, Vadm l 0 x 0 5
6. Onschuk, A|cxandcr 0 0 x 4Z
7. Lctao, RaDcl 0 0 x 4':
&. Obodchuk, Andrci 0 0 0 0 A 3':
. Morovx, Ivan 0 0 0 x
C
3
I 0. M0ov, NJola 0 0 0 0 x 2Z
54
AProIcssional
Whitcusua|lyp|aysCcjrst.
9. . . d7 1_cc8
ltvas this p|anoImoving thc king to
thc quccnsidc that Kasparov vas un-
ab|ctorcIutcagainstKramnik.l don`t
thinka dircctrcIutationcxists,as my
gamc vithKiri|morc or |css dcmon-
stratcs, cvcn though it contains a Icv
inaccuracics. Thcrc havc sincc bccn
many morc gamcs in this |inc, vith
Whitcstcadi|ygainingasmal|p|us.
11 ba5
OncoIB|ack`srcsourccsisthcabi|ity
to crcatc a vcakncss on b3 by a5a4
andc5c4.
12b2c71[ad1I
Ij fdI e8 I4a4 c5 I5 Cd5 vas
morc accuratc, thcn, aIcr I 5 . . . c4, thc
d5-pavnisprotcctcd.
1. . . [c814a4c5 15 [d
Nov I 5 Cd5 isnot sogood, bccausc
oII 5 . . . c4| I g4 (I d2 2c I7 bc
2-a4 I8g4Ch I9[aIc20Cd4
2d7 2If4Cg8?) I. . . Ch,a|though
acr I7 Cd2 (I7[d4 cb I8 cb c5
I9 cIb)I7. . . cb I8cbc I 9Cc4,
Whitcsti||hassomcadvantagc.
15. . . b6
Whitc has to stay vigi|ant Ior movcs
suchasI5. . . Ch4.Quitcocn,cxchang-
ingknightsis Iavorab|cIorB|ack,bc-
causcthcknightcan bcharricd at I5.
But,inthis casc,Whitcvou|dhavcthc
advantagcaIcrICd5C-fj I 7 -fj
d8 I8 c4.
16 _d5
Hlcxundcr Oniachuk, hotogruhcr H. 5uahcntaov Nikolu Mitkov, ludim
Zvuginacv, Kiril Ocorgicv, lctor ologun und 5crgci Kublcvaj. Ioikovaj, 200I
55
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
I fdI 2c I7 g4 'h4 I8 '-h4
2-h4 I9 f4 g5| 20 2c gf 2I 2-f4
7b7 .
16. . . d8I
Withthispassivcmovc,B|ack|oscshis
chancctocqualizc. Forsomcrcason,I
thought I. . . c4' vas unp|ayab|c, bc-
causc oII7 cj (I7bc 2-a4 I8 g4
'h I 9'd42c520'b52-b52Icb
a4), but B|ack has I7. . . 2c5 I8 -c4
2e I9dId820D4'gj|2I 7h2
2-f2 22'g5 (22'd4 -d52j-f2
'f5 24 fd2 =) 22. . . -d5| 2j -d5
'fI 24 7hI 'gj, vith pcrpctual
chcck.
17 c4
ThissccurcsWhitc` sadvantagc.
17 . . . c718f4 _c619fd1
Thccomputcrrccommcnds I9 e'? le
(I9 . . . 2-e20 '-e-e2I 2-g7t
22 d5 = ) 20 fdI (20 2-g7 e5 2I
DdI 'd4 222-e5 '-fj 2jgf2f5)
20. . . e72I ej , vithsomcprcssurc,
butthctcxtaims Iormorc.
vu|ncrablc and thanks tothat vcak-
ncss p|aycrs suchasA|cxandrovhavc
managcdtovinsuchpositionsasb|ack.
Onc cxamp|c bcing thc Iamous gamc
Ponomariov-A|cxandrov,Kramatorsk
2OO gustpriortoPonomariovbccom-
ingvor|dchampion). Butinthisposi-
tion, Whitccontro|sthc situation. thc
d4-squarc, subj cct to invasion by
B|ack`sknight,i ssccurc|ycovcrcd,and
thcb3-pavn isdcIcndcdbythcrook.
2...g6 21g4 c6 22 g2
Whitcgradua||yimprovcshisposition.
22...b72 _d5h6|
On 2j. . . 2e7, I vas p|anning to con-
tinuc 24 '-e7 -e7 25 'g5 h 2
'e4 , vhcnWhitcvi| | trytocapita|-
izc on his kingsidc pavn majority. In
myyouth Iuscdtop|aythcExchangc
variationasvhitc, soI am vc|| avarc
oIthcadvantagcitgivcsWhitctohavc
ancxtrapavnononcving.
24gc725cdf826 _f6
cd8 27 - d8 - d8 28 -d8
_-d8
19. . . f5 2 c 29c1|
OIcoursc,thca4-b3-c4pavnchain is Myopponcntmighthavcbccns|ight|y
5
AProIcssiona|
shockcd vhcn l dccidcd to cxchangc
rooks. Butthiscndgamccou|djustbc
|ostIor B|ack.
29. . . _c6
Chcss is, aIcr a||, a mattcr oItcmpi.
So Whi tc has to bc mi ndIu| oI
countcq|ay suchas 29 . . . b5j0aba4
jI ba2-c4j2Cd7,or29. . . cj0Cd2
b5 jI f4 . A|though, at this point, it
appcarsitvou|dnotvork.
_g8g5
Thcon|ymovc. Thccomputcrsayshc
cou|d a|sohavc p|aycd j0 . . . h5, but l
don` tbc|icvcinsuchmirac|cs.jI 2b2
hg j2 hg 7c8 jjCg5 Cd4 j42-d4
cdj57fj = .
1 _f6_d4I
Kiri|dccidcsto IrthcrdcIncthcpo-
sition. jI . . .2g7 j22b2Cb
q
jjCe
b5(jj...cj4Ce42lj5h4ghj
7-h4b5j7Cd27bj8f4=) j4,ab
a4j5ba2-f(j5. . . 2-c4jCd7)j
ef 2-c4j7f4 istoughcr,vithavcry
sharpgamc.
2_-d4cdf4gf+4{-f4c5
5{c4{c66_h5
Whitc vantstobringthcknighttoI5
andpickup thch-pavn.B|ack'son|y
chancc|ics inthc IactthatWhitcvi||
havctotakcthcpavnviththcknight,
vhich vi|| bring about oppositc-co|-
orcdbishops.
6...c87_f4
ldccidcdtorcpcatmovcsintimc-prcs-
surc. l cou|da|sohavcp|aycdj7Cgj
straightavay.
7. . . c7 8 _d5 f8 9 d2
c64_f6g741_h5f842
_g{d74 _f5
4. . . b5|
This countcrp|ay istoo s|ov. On thc
othcrhand,thcoppositc-co|orcdbishop
cndi ng i s | ost Ior B| ack as vc| | ,
4j . . . 7e8,andnov.
442f42c845Cd2-d4ed2b7
477e52fj482-h2dI49h42-bj
50h52-c45I 2d22bj.
44h4|?2c845h5(457f47d74g5
hg477-g57e)45 . . . 2b747f4
7d7 47 g5 hg 48 7-g5 7e|
(48. . . 2e4497f|2c250h2-h5 I
2-h2-bj5 2Cd2-a45 jC-t)
49h2-h| 50C-h2e4,Whitcmay
havcancxtrapiccc,buthcis|osinga||
oIhispavns.
44C-h'2-h452-h2c847f4
(4 7d5 is insumcicnt. 4. . . 7d7| 47
efe487e52b749g57e750g
dj 5I h42fj 522g57l5j7-e
7g7547f52h5 552f7h5g7
7h7572cj 2d) 4. . . 2b7472g5'
(47h4dj 487ej2c849g5J550
2g72g5Iefe522e57d75j7d2
7d8)47. . . 2g2(47. . . dj487f52fj49
h42dI 50h52c25I7f7f8522d2
I 57
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
Tg8 5j h ) 48 h4 2fI 49 Tf5
2dj 5 0 Tf 9c2 5 I h5 7f8
C5I . ..9-bj 52h9c25j7g7 ) 52
2d2| 7g85jg59dj 54efe 55 g
e55h .
Nov, Whitcvi||havcita|itt|ccasicr.
44 ab a4 45 ba c4 46 h6
h6 47 -h6
Whitchastvocxtrapavnsandaknight
vs. bishop,vhichc|iminatcsthcdrav-
ing possibi|itics oIoppositc-co|orcd
bishops.
47 . . . b
Or47. . . 9fI 48h49g2 49Tf4c4 50
Cf5 dj5I &ej.
48 a5 a4 49 b6 c6+ 5 f4
1~
lcss0ns
) Pavnp|ayinthccndgamc.Thcidca
bchind I4 a4vastoprcparctovacatc
thc knight Iromc3, vhi|c a|so hindcr-
ingB|ack`sa5a4brcak, vhichvou|d
havcopcncdaI|cIorB|ack`srookand
gi vcn hi m thc i ni ti ati vc on thc
quccnsidc.
2) IIyou'rc p|aying to vin, it`s vcry
important to crcatc and pin dovn a
vcakncsssuchasthcpavnon h. In-
tcrcsting|y,inthcC|assica|Caro-Kant:,
Whitc`svho|cgamcisa|sobui|taround
cxp|oiting thc vcakncss oI thc h-
pavn.
3)OncmustIghttothccndanduti|izc
a||thcavai|ab|c rcsourccs.Acountcr-
b| ov such as 4j. . . b5' ? makcs thc
opponcnt`s taskmuch morc comp| i -
catcd.Onthcvho|c,thisbrcakistypi-
ca| and occurs in morc than just thc
cndgamc.
OnNovcmbcr O, 2OO , a month bc-
Iorcmythirticthbirthday,Isurrcndcrcd
to Iatc. This isthc critica| agcvhcna
mandccidcsvhcthcrhcvi|| rcmain a
Ircc bachc| or or a bccomc happy
spousc. Inrctrospcct, Icansaythata|-
though I |ost my Irccdom, I gaincd
somcthingmorc apointtomycxist-
cncc. That is to say. a viIc and a
daughtcr.
As istobccxpcctcd oIachcssproIcs-
siona|,instcadoIahoncymoon,l took
my viIc to a tournamcnt. thc Ncv
Ycar`scvcntin Pamp|ona. Inthcvin-
tcr,instcadoIbu||s,thcstrcctsarcI||cd
vith thc rcddcncdparticipants oIthc
citycamiva|,butthatsuitcdusjustnc.
Morcovcr, my young viIc` s dcbut as
my sccond tumcd out vcry vc| | - I
scorcd 7 points out oI9 and Inishcd
'pointsahcadoIthcIc|d. 1ustasin
Poikovsky,mystcmcsttcstcamcinthc
Irstround.
(37)O. Je Ia Kiva - IBoIogan
Pamp|ona2OO
Phi|idorDcIcnsc C4 j
1 c4 d6
I cou|dnotIndanygamc inmydata-
basc that my opponcnt had p|aycd in
2OO . So, givcnhis |ackoIpracticc, I
thought thc casicst thing Ior mc is to
aim Ior stratcgica||y comp|cx posi-
tions. ThcPhi|idorccrtain|ymcctsthat
critcria.
2d4f6 cc54f
58
A FroIcssiona|
ThccndgamcthatariscsaIcr4dede
5O-d87-d8isacomp|ctc|ydiIIcr-
cntmattcr- anditccrtain|yisn`tdravn
yct.
4. . . _bd7 5 g
Byavoiding5c4,itmightsccmasiI
WhitcisrcIusingtoghtIorthcinitia-
tivc,buthcsti||hascontro|oIthcccn-
tcr, and thc Ii anchctto oIthc light-
squarcd bishop isalsovorthy oIcon-
sidcration.
5. . . c6 6 a4 c7 7 g2 ~ 8 ~
c8
Novadays,vhcncvcrygamctumsinto
adcspcratcbatt|cIor tcmpi, it`sbcttcr
to avoid unncccssary movcs. B|ack's
position rca|ly rcquircs thc dcvc|op-
mcntoIhisquccnsidc. 8. . . b' 9bj (9
e I 2b7) 9. . . a I 0 b2 b7
CI0. . . e8 II Od2 Oc7 I2 feI |8
I jhj2b7 I 4'h4g I 5adIb5 I
dedeI 7Og5h I8Oejad8I 9d2
7h720edI'c5,asinMcicr Baucr,
Drcsdcn 2OO2)I I eIe8,vith ,f
andb5 toIo||ov, oredandc5.
9 h
9}eIfS I0 bjb I I b22b7.
9. . . f8 1 c1 b6 11 c b7
12 _d2 a6 1g4I
lnducing a vcakncss on thc kingsidc.
B|ackvas prcparcd to mcct Ij f4by
Ij. . . b5.
1...h6 14d5
Sooncrorlatcr,Whitcvi||havctodc-
cidchovtodcalviththcccntra|pavn
tcnsion. lnIcrior is I4 de de I 5 'c4
Oc7, and thc vho|c 'd2c4d plan
runsintoadcadcnd.
14 . . . b5I
Our wcdding in Kiahincv, in thc uutumn o{2002. Ncnuahi (bcat mun und
bridcamuid; lulcri M|ndru und hia wqc Ivgcniu.
59
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
B|ack had to c|osc thcccntcr. I4. . . cd
I 5 ed c8 I Cde4 C-e4 I7 C-e4
2e7 I8Cgj2g5|cadstocquality.
15 dc@-c6 16 _f1I
lnstcad, Whitc cou|dhavc p|aycd thc
morcIorcing Iabab I7Oe2Cc5I8
C-b5 ( I 8 b4 Ca I 9 ebI Cc7)
I8...2-b5I9O-b5b820Oe2-b2
2I Cc4b7222-c5dc,vhichmight
havc |cd to a drav, vith thc vcak
squarcs at d5 and I4 oIIsctting cach
othcr,cvcnthoughWhitcvou|drctain
aminimaladvantagc.
16 . . . ba
Dc|aRivahad a|rcadyp|aycd asimi-
|ar gamc (against Baucr during thc
ticbrcakat Mondariz 2OOO), invhich
hctcmporari|ysacriccdthca4-pavn.
Thcgamcvasdravn,butlrcmcmbcrcd
thatOscarp|aycd vcrycondcntly.
lnstcad oI iso|ating thc a-pavn, l
cou|dhavcsimplycontinucdI . . . Cc5
(I . . . b4I7Cd5a5I8Odj)I7ab(I7
2-c5dcI8ababI 9O-d8e-d820
Cejc4, andthccndgamcIavorsBlack)
I 7 . . . ab I8 -a8 O-a8 I9 Cd5, vith
cqua|ity.
17 dI
I undcrcstimatcdthismovcduringthc
gamc.Bcsidcssimplcdcvc|opmcnt,and
prcparingtodoub|chismaorpicccson
thc d-|c, Whitc is a|so attacking thc
a-pavn.
17. . . _h7I
Atthc "C|ub Kasparov vcbsitc, thc
stratcgic componcnt oIthis gamc rc-
ccivcd high praisc, cspccia|lythcma-
ncuvcr ,h7g5ef4.Thisvou|dhavc
bccn h||yjusticd iIthc knight had
cstab|ishcditsc|IonI4. Butthcrca|ity
vasthatlcndcdupcxchangingaknight
thathad madc six movcs Iorabishop
thatonlymadconcmovc,norcvcrcvcn
savthclightoIday.
I7. . . Cc5 I82-c5dc I9 O-d8e-d8
20 Cej (20 C-a4 ab8 2I bj c4 22
bc b4 2j Ccj -c4 24 Cd5)
20 . . . ab82ICc4mighthavc|cdt oan
unc|carposition.
18_-a4_g5 19_ca52 _d2
_c621_c4_f4
2I . . .Cdc5 22 Od2 a4 2j edI Ob8
24Cd5 .
22d2I
222-f4?istota|lyanti-positiona|,giv-
ing B|ack undisputcd contro| oIthc
darksquarcs.
22. . . _-g2 2{-g2 _f6
2j. . . Oc7 24 Cd5 (24 bj a4, 24 7gI
a4)24. . . 2-d525O-d5a4.
24fa4 25_b6
Oscar had spcnt a |ong timc on his
l O
AProIcssiona|
prcviousmovcs,andrcachcdancxcc|-
lcntposition.Ashcadmittcdacrthc
gamc,hclookcdattwocontinuations,
butchoscthisoncbccauschcwasshort
oItimcandwantcdtosimp|iIythcpo-
sition. ItwasmygoodIortuncthathc
didn`t choosc 25 edI e 2 b
b827b-a4= .
2 5 . . . b8 2 6 c- a4 - a4 27
-a4 d5
Fromnowon,thcinitiativcbclongsto
B|ack.
28cd -d529ad1I
29edI-ejj0O-ejOc8, 29c4
-ejj0O-ejOc8jIc5f5 .
29. . . c8| f2
j0O-d5O-c2.
. . . -c+1-cf5|
It`svital|yimportanttowcakcnWhitc`s
kings idcasmuchaspossib|c,bcIorcthc
a4-knightcanrctumtothcgamc.
2gf
j2cj Oa jj bj e4' j4gf2b4 j5
ejefjO-fj-ejj7O-ejOc.
2...-f5c4c64bg6+
5{h2 f66{g2
Intimcprcssurc, dc laRiva wou|d aI-
rcadyhavcbccng|adtodrawbutnotI !
6. . . c87c4cc68d
j8cjbj9b5a(Shipovand
Notkin).
PampI0na 200
2 3 4 5 7 & 0 Jotal
l . BoIogn, tor A
C
7
2. Andcrsson, \
C
A 0 l 5 '^
3. As( Zokan A
C
I 0 5'z
4. Radjabov, Jcr r A 0 5'z
5. Frcssct, Laucnt 0 0 A 5
. Lcitao, RaDcl 0 0 A 4'^
7. Dc b R, Oscar 0 0 0 l 0 A 3Z
&. Conqucst, Smn 0 0 0 0 0 A 3 ':
. MorcnoCamcro, 1avicr 0 0 0 A 3
l 0. NarcisoLuD Marc 0 0 0 0 0 A 2
I I
VictorBologan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
8. . . [g6+ 9 h2c7 41 -h4
Thc bishop intcnds toointhc rcst oI 4I F-h4O-dj.
thccompanyviag5and I4.
4 h4
41. . . [g5
Novit`sa|lovcr,sinccthckingiscom-
p|ctc|y dcnudcd.
42 h
42 Dd8 7h7 4j Ohj Dh5 44 Dh4
Oc245 7gI Dg 47fI OcI 47
7e2 F-h4 48 O-h4 Dg2 49 7dj
Oc2 507ejOe2* .
42. . . [h5 4 [d8+ h7 44 [h4
c2+45g1[g6+46f1[-h4
4. . . -h4|I 47 -h4g2+48c1 -f 49
h2[g2~1
BythcIorticthmovc, lhadsomcthing
likcvcminutcslcIandlvass|ightly lcss0ns
vorricdaboutsacriIcingavho|cpiccc.
) lnpositionsvithtcnsioninthcccn-
40. . . Dg4|?4I D-g4O-dj. tcr,youmustbcvigilantandcarcIu||y
Our duughtcr Kuqu, onc month old 5cvuatool, 2002
2
A ProIcssiona|
ca|cu|atcvhobcnctsIromcxchangcs
ond5 orc5. Whitcvas Iullyprcparcd
tocrcatcunplcasantprcssurconthcd-
Ii | c, thcrcIorc, Bl ack shou|d havc
c| oscd thc ccntcr on movc Iourtccn
(I4 . . . cd,instcadoII4. . . b5?|).
2) BcautiIul mancuvcrs, suchas f
h7g5e, can`t a|vays bc achicvcd.
Thcyarctimc-consumingandyouhavc
todctcrmincvhcthcrthcrcarcanydirty
tricksa|ongthcvay.Hcrc,Blackcou|d
notcomplctcthcmancuvcrandthisput
himinadi0cultsituation.
3) Whcn thc king`s position has bccn
vcakcncd, a pavn sacricc is alvays
appropriatc. Usua|lythcrcarctactica|
nuanccs that hc| p i ncrcasc thc
compcnsativc initiativc - such asthc
dualpurposcmovc29. . . Oc8|.
Havingbcgun2002onapositivcnotc,
I had no i dca that morc | i Ic tri a| s
avaitcdmcinthcncxttvc|vcmonths.
I had onlyjust gottcn uscd to Iami|y
| i Ic, vhcn my cnchanting daughtcr
Katyavasbom,andonccagainvchad
to rcorganizc. Exccpt Ior vinning a
rapid cvcnt in Mainz, I accomplishcd
nothingoInotc cxccptpcrhapsthat
TcamMo|dovatookatinystcpIorvard.
At thc O|ympiad in Blcd, vc placcd
thirty-rst- anhonorab|cachicvcmcnt
Ior us. And vhcn I Iound mysc|Iin
Pamp|onaaycarlatcr, IIcltbcttcr.
(38) IBologan - K. KasimJzhanov
Pamplona2002
PctroIIDcIcnsc [C42j
Thc Iuturc vor|dchampionandI bc-
camc good Iricnds in Pamp|ona and,
a|ong vith Ivan Soko|ov and Paco
Va| |cjo(myviIcstaycdhomcvithour
litt|c Katya), vc had |cngthy discus-
sionsonvarioustopics.Kasimdzhanov,
vc||-rcada|mosttothc pointoIcrudi-
tion, surpri scd mc vith thc casc and
dcpth oIhis thinking.
1 c4 c5 2 _f _f6 _-c5 d6 4
_f _-c4 5 d4d5 6 d _c6 7
~c78c4 _f6
8. . . b4 is morc popu|ar, as Karpov
playcditinhismatchagainstKasparov
inNcvYork. P|us, this variation vas
tcstcd in thc 2004 Kramnik Lcko
match.
Whitc,vhovi|| soonhavcaniso|atcd
pavn,mustcrcatcrapidprcssurcond5
anda|ongthcc- |c.
9h_b4 1c2dc11-c4~
12_c_bd51jc1c6
14 b
Latcr,Whitcvou|dunsucccssIullytry
to gainanadvantagc by I 49g5 9e
5Obj ObO5 . . . b8 I9h4 h I7
9gj9dI89e5c7I99-e-e
20adIf4 2I9-f42-f4 22e5
Kramnik Dautov, Brissago 2004) I
-d5cdI7O-babI82bj,andnov
thc latcst Iashion is Ior B|ack to play
I8. . . 9b4;Iorcxamplc,I9e5d720
l 3
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
e2 fc8 2I Ce Cb8 22 Cdj Cc
2jC-b4C-b424g4h252f4g52
9ej9d7 27aj Z-'(Kasimdzhanov
Fridman, Esscn2OO2). Pcrhaps this
isvhyRustamchoscthisvariation.
14 . . . _b6 15dc6 16c2h6
I. . . 2d5 I7 Ce5 h I82f4 e8 I9
e2 2e20Od22t 2I aeICbd5
22 2gj c8 2j 2h4 g5 24 2gj
(Ponomariov Karpov, Wijk aan Zcc
2OO3).
17 a
Animportantprophy|acticmovc.Nov
Whitcvon' thavctovastctimconitiI
Black'sknightgocstod5.lntcrcsting|y,
thc cxchangc sacricc. I 7-efe I8
Oe2Od7 I92d29d20Ce4Cbd5
2I C-d O-d 22 eI ad8 2j aj
fe8242bI c525Ce5 (Topa|ov
Anand,WijkaanZcc2OO3),isnotvith-
outpoison.
17. . . _bd5
OnI7. . . e8,Ihadintcndcdtopostmy
bishop on thc h2-a7diagonal . I82f4
Cbd5I92e5,vhcnWhitchasas|ight
plus.
18 _a4I
Whitc'sscvcntccnthmovcsctthcstagc
Iorthisnovclty.AIcrprovokingBlack
intoIghting Iorthc I4-squarc, Whitc
uscsthca4-squarc Iorhisovnmcans.
lt's a|soimportanttop|ayCa4bcIorc
B|ack`srookgctstoc8,bccauscahcr-
vards B|ack could |ihthc rook to c7
andrctrcat his bishop to c8, as hap-
pcncdinthc Io||ovinggamc. I82d2
c8 I 9Ca4c720Cc52c82I acI
2d22Ce5e82jb4ce724Ob2?'
(24 b5'? 2-e5 25 de -e5 2-e5)
24...Cc725a4Ce-(Lutz-Fridman,
Esscn2OO2).
Or20e22d2IaeI Ch5229h7
7h8 2j 2f5 Chf4 24 2-f4 C-f4 25
ej Cd5 2je2 Cf4 27 ej ':- ':
(CclIand Yusupov, l stanbu|2OOO).
18 . . . _d7I
Obvious|y, Black docsn't vant to rc-
|inquish his bishop Ior thcknight. On
thcothcrhand,hccan'tgaincontroloI
thcc5-squarcbyI8...bbccauscoI I9
Ce5=. AndonI8 . . . Oc7I9Cc52-c5
20dcCf42I2fI,Whitchasthcbcttcr
chanccs.
19d2[c82 [ad1
lhadalsocxamincddoub|ingrookson
thc c-I|c. 20e2'?Oc7 2I aeI Cf4
22 2-f4O-f42j Ccj|?(2j2c42-c4
24O-c47t 25Odj g 2 b4 2g5
27 -e8 -e8 28 -e8 7-e8 29
Cc5, C-c5 j0 dc 2d8 ) 2j. . . Oc7
(2j...7t 24 -e' fe 252g ed8
2-e=) 24d5cd25 Cd4 .
2. . . f6 21_c5I
Hastcmakcsvastc.ltvastcmptingto
occupyncvccntra|squarcsandprcparc
l 4
AProIcssional
thcadvanccoIthcI-pavn.Butnovit`s
hardto imagincvhat I intcndcdaItcr
2g5 cspccia||ysincc Ihadsccnit.
Thc norma| continuation is 2I 2cI ,
viththcidca'cje4,acrvhichB|ack
has to vait and scc vhat plan Whitc
cmp|oys.
21. . . c7
AIcrthcgamc,Rustamacknovlcdgcd
thathchadsccn2I. . .2g5|,butthathc
vas ambivalcnt about thc coming cx-
changcs, cvcn though hc vas vc||
avarcoIthcmaximthatthcdcIcnding
sidcshou|drcmovcasmanypicccsas
possiblc.Thccontinuationmighthavc
bccn. 22'c5(222-g5O-g5 2j'fj
Of 242e4-) 22. . . '-c5 2j dc2-d2
24O-d2Of 252bI 'f4-.
22f4_f8
22 . . . 2h42jfI'5f24h2'h525
2eI2-eI2d-eI .
2_c5ad8 24c1
24. . . c8
Black`s |ast chancc to comp|icatc thc
gamcvas24. . . 2h4|? Yct,Whitcshou|d
stil | havc somcprcssurcin al|l i ncs.
For cxamp|c. 25 fI f 2'g (2
'-e '-e 27 2h7 h8 28 'g
7-h729'-h4g8=) 2. . . '-g27
'-e-e282-gOe729Objej
j0 2-ej O-ej jI O-ej '-ej j2
dj'-fIjj-fI f5 j42-f52fj5
d5cd-.
25f52-eI(25. . . 2c82e4(2fI
2gj 27'e42-e528de-e529g4
'h7j0Of2b=) 2. . . 2e7(2 . . . 2gj
27 g4 2-e5 28 de O-e5 29 2-h
'ej j02-g7 Od5 jI Ocj '-g4 j2
hg b jj 'bj ) 27 e2 2d 28
deI?) 2 fe f 27 'f7 '-e 28
'-d8'-d8292c4't j0Of5Oe7
jI2dj =.
25f2 _c6
25. . . 2e7'? vas much bcttcr, Io|lovcd
by9d,andIna||yf.
26_c4c7 27c4|
Sccuring contro| oIthc important a2-
g8 diagonal,vhichvill hc|pWhitc in
manyattackinglincs,sinccinthcma-
jority oIcascs,thc knight on d5 vi||
havcnomovcs.
27. . . _f828 f5| _h7
This allovs a combination. 28. . . 'd7
vas morc scnsiblc, and nov 29 f' ?
von`tvork. 29...'7-fj02-h2e
jI 'g5 2d (jI . . . gh j2 '-e fe jj
2-d5 ) j2 '-e -e jj 9g5
de8. ThcrcIorc, Whitc`s bcst|incis
292f4Obj0'cj (j0'-d79-d7
jI 2e5 f j2 2d 2-d jj '-d
-eI j4 -eI f") j0. . . '7f jI
g4 _ vhcnanyI e4playcrvouldprc-
IcrtobcWhitc.
I 65
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
29f4I
I rst lookcd at 29 2-h, but I was
unab|c to Ind thc solution to 29...f'
(29. . . ghj0=gj2g5 jI h42-f5 j2
hg 2-e4 jjL-e4hg) j0=gj2t
jI =gfej22g52e7jjf(jj2h
2h4j4gj7h8)jj. . . 2t.
29. . . b6
29. . . -f4 j02-|7.
Now,withthcquccnaway,cvcrything
works.
-h6II
What`sspccia|aboutthiscombination
is that it cnds tcn movcs |atcr' OI
coursc, it wou|d havc bccn too dim-
cu|t to calcu|atc to thc cnd, so it was
cnoughtoundcrstandthatWhitchasa
vcrystrongattackincvcrylinc.
. . . gh
j0...f jI =gj2f8j2Cg .
1 g+ g5
IhadspcntmostoImytimc|ookingat
jI . . .7t,whcnIhadprcparcdthcscc-
ondpiccc sacriIccj2C-t| .
j2. . . 2g5 jj C-d8 =-d8 j4 -g5
L-eI(j4 . . . -g5j5L-e8=-e8j
2-d5cdj7=d7g7 j8=-d5)
j5L-eI -g5j2-d5=-d5(j. . . cd
j7=b8 Ct j8LcICdj9Lc5 )
j7=e5 .
j2. . . g5 jj C-d8 =-d8 j4 f| 2-f
j5 2-d5cdjC-f .
j2. . . 7-|jj= g7tj4=-h72f
j 5 C-f L- e I j 7h2' =c7
Cj. . . Lejj7=-h7|j8 Cg4Le4
j9e5 7e7 40 f -f 4I =g7
7d42 C|andwins)j7=-c7 -c7
j8 Ch7 7g7 j9 L-eI Ld7
(j9. . . 7-h7 40 Le7 7h8 4I L-c7
2-f5 42 g4 L-d4 4j gf L-c4 44
7gj ) 40 f 7-h7 4I t 7g7 42
Le8L-|4j2-t-e8442-e87f
457gj .
Othcrrcp|icswouldmakcWhitc`sob
casicr; Ior instancc, jI . . .2g5 j2 h4
2-f5 (j2... f jj -f -f j4 hg
h5j5=g4Cg7jgh)jjhg2-e4
j4gh2gj5 C-g .
2h4 f6
ThcpointoIB|ack`sdcIcnsc.j2. . . 2-f5
jjhg2-e4j4gh2g j5 -g .
hghg 4 g6
j4. . . 7g7 would |oscatoncc. j5 -g5
fg jC-e7L-e7 j7L-e7-e7 j8
=-g57tj9f.
5 h
Morc accuratc i s j5 2-d5 cd
Cj5 . . . L-d5 j= h2 7g7 j7C-g5 fg
j8L-e7wins)j=hj7g7Cj. . 2t
j7 =h7 2g7 j8 Cgj L-eI j9
I
A ProIcssiona|
-eI ) j7Cf2,whichtransposcsto
thc gamc without a||owing thc possi-
bi| ityoIj. . . 2-f5'?(sccbc|ow).
5... g76-d5cd
j. . . 9-f5' ? wou| d not havc savcd
B|ack, but itwas his bcst chancc. j7
O-f5 -d5 j8 C-e7 -f5 j9C-f5
7g 40 Cegj e5 4I fI e8 42
deI e54j7h2.
7 f2|
j7Cgjwou|dnotwork. j7. . . 9dj8
Ch5Ttj9-e8-e840Chf47g7
4ICh5Tl 42 Chf4 =
LongbcIorc,Ia|solookcdatj7C-g5,
whichwinsaswc| | . j7. . .fgj8-e7
-e7j9C-e7.
7... d6 8 -c8 -c8 9 g4
- f5 4 h6+ f741 h8+|
1~
Whitc `s quccn wi | l soon dcci matc
B|ack`sposition,whi|cthcb|ackking
scarchcsdcspcratc|yIora saIchavcn.
B|ackrcsigncdinvicwoI4I . . . -h842
O-f7g8(42. . . Te84j O-h8) 4j
O-g5 7f 44 O-f5 7g7 45 Of
7g84Og 7f8 47 fI.
lcss0ns
) Lvcn in thc opcning, prophy|actic
movcscanbcvcryusc|,asthcoppo-
ncntdocsn`ta|wayshavcastraightIor-
ward p|an oI action. I7 aj givcs thc
movctoB|ack,butit`smuchmorcim-
portant to Iorcsta|| thc knight sa||yto
b4.
2) This gamc is a c|assic cxamp|c oI
Whitc`sp|aywithaniso|atcdpawn.Hc
IorcsawthcoccupationoIthcc5 and
c5-squarcs,contro||cdthcc||candthc
b | h7 di agona| , and avoi dcd cx-
changcs. Namc|y, hcdi dpractica||y
cvcrythingbythcbook.
J)Blackdidnotuschisopportunityto
simpli[thcgamc(2I . . .9g5|instcadoI
2I . . .Oc7). xchangcs in a crampcd
position arc usua||y good Ior thc dc-
Icndcr.
Forthc rccord, I shouldpoint outthat
Pustam wonbackthc point inthcIo|-
|owing round, and subscqucnt|y bcat
mc in thc blitz playoIIto takc rst
placc,a|crwc |nishcdwith idcntica|
ticbrcaks.
Schoo|cdbymyprcviousbittcrcxpcri-
cncc,in1anuary200J,Iorthcrsttimc,
I dcc|incd to p|ay inatoumamcnt (in
Ccncva)Iorhca|thrcasons.Thcprcvi-
ousBo|oganwouldhavcgoncwithout
Iai| . Ironically,IIc| | il| whi|ctryingto
bccomc hcalthicr. Forthatwintcrwas
a vcry cold onc (avcraging minus 25
dcgrccs Cc|sius), and givcn that my
willpowcrwas inpcrIcct workingor-
dcr at thc timc, I Iorccd mysc|Ito go
skiing Ioranhourcvcrymoming. Thc
rcsu|twasacascoIpncumonia, andI
spcntawcckinbcdIorthc|rsttimci n
l 67
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
myliIc,anddidn`tcvcntouchachcss-
board.
So my Irsttoumamcnt Ior 2OO3 vas
thcAubcrvi||cRapid,vhichI vonaI-
tcra Ior start! ThcrcIorc, thc con-
c|usion is obvious. a comp|ctc "rcst"
Irom chcss is occasiona|ly ncccssary,
cspccial|y iI you considcr thc l 99
MoscovCrand Prix.
Ncxtcamc thcAcrootOpcn, vhich,
givcnmyprcviousycar`sIai|urc,didn`t
|ooktoopromising.Yct inspitcoIa||
this,itbccamcmycntryvaytothcsu-
pcr-tournamcnts. In thc Iirst thrcc
rounds, I ocrcd my opponcnts thrcc
dravs,thcya|| rchscdandI co||cctcd
thrcc points. So you cannotsaythat I
vas aiming Ior a|| or nothing in that
toumamcnt.
(39) IBologan - IMilov
Moscov2OO3
Sici|ianRauzcr[B j
1c4c52fc6d4cd4-d4
f65 cd66g5 d7
In this vcrsion oIthc Rauzcr Systcm,
B|ack strivcs, Iirst and Iorcmost, to
dcvc|ophisquccnsidc.Todoso,hcal-
|ovs thc doubling oIhis I-pavns and
signalshisintcntionsvcrycar|y.
7 d2
72e2Oa582-fgf9'bjOg5' I0
gj f5 I I f4Oh I2 Od2 2g7, vith
chanccs Iorboth sidcs (Morozcvich
Drccv, Moscov 2OO4).
7. . . c8 8 b
Wcalrcadycxamincdthismancuvcrin
Camc9. WhitcavoidsthccxchangcoI
knightstoavoidopcningthcc-|cIor
his opponcnt and to stop thc bishop
Iromcomingouttoc.
Sti | l , 8 '-c isvorthy oIconsidcr-
ation,Iorcxamp|c,8. . . 2-c9fja I 0
000e I I 'e2'?9e7 I 2h42b5 I j
'd4 2-fI I4 [h-fI , vith a s|ight|y
bcttcrgamcIorWhitc(Svid|cr- Drccv,
Moscov2OO4).
8...h69 -f6gf
1dI
Dircctcd against I5. I discovcrcd this
movc shortly aItcr my |oss to I| ya
Smirin during my Ii rst Ol ympiad.
Thcrc, vith thchclpoItf5,hcman-
agcd to gctboth bishops vorking. I 0
f4 f5 I I ef 2-f5 I 2'd5 2g7 I jcj
2e4 I4 'ej a5 I5 2dj 2-dj I O-dj
a4 I7'd2e I8 0000 I9[adI d5
20 'fj Ob 2I 2 aj (Bo|ogan
Smirin,Manila l 992).
I nthcintcrvcningtcnycars,on|yoncc
didmy"Sici|ianguruZigurdsLanka
usc thc movc I0 2dj. To bc com-
p|ctc|yaccuratc,K|ovanshada|rcady
p|aycd it in 983, but vith a com-
plctc|ydicrcntidca.tocast|cquccn-
sidc.
8
AProIcssiona|
1 . . . g7
Lanka`s opponcnt p|aycd I0. . . 'e5,
aftcr vhi ch both II 00 and I I f4
'-djI 2O-djf5 Ijefig7 I4 00
Ui-cjI 5 bcOc7 IheIg8I7f
e I8Oh7t8 I9dj (Iordachcscu
Murariu, Bucharcst 2OO3)arc good
IorWhitc.
11 ~h5
A|though Vadim consumcd plcnty oI
timc, his movcs vcrc stil| standard.
B|ack`schicIproblcmisthathchasno
targctIorhisattack,comparcdtovhcn
Whitccastlcslong.Thch-pavniscas-
i|ystoppcdandthcmobilityoIhisbish-
opsisscvcrc|yrcstrictcd.
I I . ..'e5 I 2 7hJ.
12 h1 h41h@ a6
Exchanging his knight Ior thc bishop
vou|dnotmakcB|ack`sliIcanycasicr.
InIact,thcgamcvouldthcnrcscmb|c
thc tcxtbook cxamp| c, Ivanchuk -
Kasparov, Linarcs 99 l . I j . . . 'e5 I 4
f4 '-dj I 5 O-dj. Hcrc, too, I 5 . . .f5
docsn`t vork (a|though iIhc docsn`t
p|ay it, Whitc continucs 'd4) I ef
2-cj I7bcg8 I8'd4Oc7I9fj
ic20'-cO-c 2I eI .
14 _d5
Thcknightisbcttcr-placcdonc3and
bcsidcs,B|ackvil|Ina||ybcIorccdto
vcakcnthcd-pavn.
14 . . . c6
I 4 . . . f5 I 5 ef 9-b2 I aeI 7f8
CI . . . ie5 I7 f4) I7 cj 9aj I8 'd4
'e5 I9f4= .
15_c{c7
This might havc bccn a good timc to
takc thc d3-bi shop. I 5 . . . 'e5 I f4
'-djI7O-dj .
16f4 _c717{c2|
Lu||cdbymyamazingposition,Imakc
ascricsoIinaccuratcmovcs,andvind
up bcing Iorccd to sacriIcc thc cx-
changc.ThcrcvasnorcasontoIcarthc
bishop sa||y to h. Whitc had top|ay,
asthcysay, Iorthcbonc. I 7f5 ih I8
OeI ig5 CI8. . . . i-ej I 9 fe fe 20
O-ej)I9'g4e520'd2.
17. . . _g6
Again,thcattcmpttoridhimsc|IoIthc
Icttcrs at I docs notvork. I7...f5 I8
efi-b2 I9abI if 20fe fe 2I f5
e522'g4= .
18_g4f81 9 cI
Id|cncssisthccncmyoIchcss' Whitc
kccpssomcadvantagc by I9f5 ef20
ef'e5 2I '-e5 de22'd2.
19. . . d5I
Thanks to Whitc`s prcvious coopcra-
tion, B|ack has not only gottcn ind5,
buta|socrcatcdscriousthrcats.
2f5|
Fortunatcly, Whitc`s position provcs
dimcu|ttospoilandhccangivcupthc
cxchangcvithoutrisk.
2. . . _f4
9
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
21 [-f4I
AIorccdsacricc.
2I Oej C-dj 22O-dj2b5 2j c2
2-fI24-fI .
21. . . f4 22 [f1 g5I
WiththcobviousidcaoIdcIcndingthc
I-pavn. Thi s movc vas p| aycd
quick|y,butthcquccnvi | | notgctout
oIitsboxIortvcnty-scvcn|ongmovcs.
22. . . Od vas morc accuratc, vhcn
Whitc mustrcp|y 2j e5| (2jfe2-e
24C-f2-f25 -fOe5 =) 2j...fe
24f2h 25 C-e52g52Cd4c7
272g2e8282dj;and,vhi|cWhitc
hash||compcnsationIorthccxchangc,
thc gamc vou|d probab|y cnd in a
drav.
2 d4 cf
Thc dccisivc mistakc. 2j. . . e5 24 Cfj
h525 ed vou|d nothavc bccn good
cithcr. But hchadto p|ay 2j. . . e824
OdI (24e5' fe 25 Cfj Od8 2fe4
27f-g7 7-g7 28Cfe5 f5 29ej
Zvaginscv) 24. . . de 25 2-e4 2c8 2
Odj .
24cf[c825d1
Thc g4-knight andthc I5-pavn com-
p|ctc|ypara|yzcB|ack`skingsidc,vhi|c
Whitcsti||hascnoughrcsourccstodca|
vith thc pavn vcakncsscs on thc
quccnsidc.
25. . . g826c2c6 27b4
Thcidcaisa4,b5,and2bj.
27 . . . [c7
Tryi ng to conncct thc rooks by
27. . . 7h7 28a4e7 29b5 abj0 ab
2d7 runs aIou| oI j I Ce= , so
j0. . . 2e8 is bcttcr, but thcn thc rook
stays at h8. jI Cfj Oh5 j2 O-d5= .
And trying to gct thc quccn out by
jI. . . Of4,runsintoanothcrtactica|rch-
tatioi:: j2Cfe5 g5jj-d5g8j4
Cc4 7h8 j5Cd d7 jc42f j7
c52-dj8cd= .
28a4h729b5ababc8
Ataboutthispoint, I bcgan Icc|ingi||
somcthing|ikcthc car|y stagcs oIa
co|d.
1 b
jI Cfj|?
1. . . [c7
7O
AProIcssiona|
jI . ..g8j22-d5=.
2d5 cb7
P|ayingitsaIc. I coulda|sohavcvon
thc cxchangc by jj Cfj O-f5
Cjj. . . Gh5j4Cd2'Og5j5Ce4 )j4
Gd4 7g8 j5 2-f7 2-f j G-cj
O-b5j7Cd2,vhi|csti||maintaining
astrongattack. Butthcrc`snonccdIor
Whitctohurry.
. . . c54b1
j4Cfj Of4.
4. . . c4
j4 . . . g8j52e4c4jGb2c8j7
b7h8j8b7= .
5 _f
ThcquccnisdcprivcdoIits|astsquarc.
j5=b2-d4 jG-d42-b5j7bI
2e2 i sinccctivc.
5. . . h5
j5. . . Gf4 vou|dhavc bccn mct by j
Cfe5b4j7=eIGd4j8O-h4(j8
Cc' ? 2-c j9 bc = ) j8. . . 7g8 j9
C-f 2-f 40O-f -b54I Gg5
7f8 42f h7 4jeI-b744Cg4
Gb445ChO-eI4Th2Ge547
G-e5-h48Oc5Tg849Gc-f
50 O-b7 .
6b6 c6|
Intimc-prcssurc,Mi|ovmakcsmytask
casicr. Hc cou|d havc hc|d out |ongcr
byj. . . 2a4j7Cd2-g4j8hgO-g4
j9Oe4O-e4402-e4= , orj. . . -g4
j72c8c4 j8b72c j9b8G 2e4
40 OeI h-c8 4I O-c8 -c8 42
G-e4= .
7c6 c6
8 b5
Ovcrlookinganc|cgantna|c.j8=dI '
-b? (j8. . . t-f5 j 9Cd4 Oe4 40
C-c=-c4IGbI )j9Cd2 Tg8
40 Ce4.
8. . . d69c5dd84b7b8
41b1
Apicturcsquc position.A|mosta|l oI
Black`s picccs havc bccn shutout oI
thc gamc. I tvould sccm as though
Whitcis on thcbrinkoIvinning. Yct
thc sportingaspcct oIchcssrcquircsa
c|car hcad and strongphysiquc in thc
|atcrstagcsoIthcgamc,andthatisvhat
Ivashavingprob|cmsvith cvcn tca
vou|dn` thc|p.
41. . . hd842 b5|
Bcginning anothcr spatc oIaim|css
shuII| i ng. Thc di rcct 42 b5 d7
(42. . . 7h84jOc Oh7 44 7h2 Oh5
45Oc7f4c5)4jOcdd8
44C-f2-f45O-f vins.
42...h84 _f2|
I 7 I
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
Onccagain,ovcr|ookingatactica|pos-
sibi|ity.4jeIOh744d4|-d445
e8 Og8 4 -g8 7-g8 47 Oc
dd848gj .
4. . . f8
4j. . . Oh 44 Oc4 d745Oc dd8
4b4 .
44_g4g745c1
Icou|dalsohavcgoncbacktoeI, but
I stoppcd vorrying about any chccks
andbravclymarchcdmy kingtovard
thcccntcr,complctclyconIdcntthatmy
knightscou|dcasi|yprotcct it.
45. . . h7
46 g1I
4 c4 dI 47 7h22l 48 ge5
2d49Oa4O-f5 50-h47g75I
O- dI 2- e5 52 - e5O- e5 5j
7hI- .
46. . . g847 c7f8
Entcring an cndgamc a||ovs B|ackto
vinthcb-pavn butatthccostoIhis
cntirc kingsidc. 47. . . Oe8 48 O-e8
-e8 49 -t ed8 50c7 d 5I
-h47h752gh5jf4-b7
54-f7h55g47h75-b7
-b7 57 f- .
48 c4 d1+ 59 f2 d6 5
_c
ThcoutcomcisccrtainB|ackhasonly
acouplcoIspitcchccks |c.
5...g+ 51c2 b1
5I . . .dd8 52 7fI ' (52 O-t l 5j
Oh57g8) 52...D8 5jd5 .
52 c8+ h7 5 f7b2+ 54
d1 d6+ 55 c1 g2 56
_g2 a+ 57 c2 a4+ 58
d2 1~
Lcssous
l ) IIyouropponcnthasdoublcdpavns,
and onc thcm b|ocks his bishop, thcn
it`svcry importanttosccthathcdocs
notgctridoIthcm.ThcrcIorc,thcmovc
I 02dj|vasvcryunp|casantIorBlack.
2)HovcvcrIncyourpositionmaybc,
ncvcr|ctyourconccntrationlapscun-
dcr any circumstanccs' It`s important
to alvays |ook Ior thc bcst continua-
tion,asothcrviscyouradvantagcmay
dissipatc(I7Oe2?', I9cj?')andyou` ll
havctostarta|| ovcragain.
j) Whcn thc minor picccs arc vc|l-
postcdandthcpavnstructurc isIxcd
(inhibiting thc cncmypicccs),thcnan
cxchangcsacricc(2I-f4| )ishigh|y
|ikc|y.
ThcdaybcIorcthcIna| gamc, Ihada
tcmpcraturcoIIorty dcgrccsCc|sius.
Thc qucstion oIvhat to do vas thc
l 72
A ProIcssiona|
topicoIasmal|tcammccting,consist-
ing oImy tvo IaithIu| scconds. my
brothcrNicu and my viIc. I ccrtain|y
cou|dn`tdropoutitvou|dhavcmcant
an irrcparab|c b|ovtothcIami|ybud-
gct. Mymostlikc|ycourscvou|dbcto
tryIoraquickdrav vith vhitc. Itricd
toprcparc Iorthcncxtround until thc
pairingsvcrcpostcd-aroundmidnight
but oncc I Iound I vas paircd vith
Cranda, I thought. hcrc`s my chancc'
SoIdccidcdtogoa||-out,andmyIam-
i|yagrccd.Thcna|dccisionvasmadc
vhcnNicucalcu|atcdmynancialrisk
andcomparcdittothcpotcntia|prot
ifvon.(Ironical|ycnough,atAcroot
2004, I got sick Ior a third timc and
droppcdoutoIthclastroundanyvay).
I vonthctoumamcnt,nishingahcad
oI A|cxandrovbccauscoIaslightcdgc
in ti c-brcaks. Aftcrvards, an i ntcr-
vicvcr raiscd thc qucstion oI vhat
motivatcs onc to bc a chcss proIcs-
sional.Lctmcprcscntmythoughtson
thissubjcct.
Becently, hearda radio in-
terviewwitha{amou: arti:t,
who a: o{late works making
decoration:{or exhihition:.
He :aid that, o{ cour:e, he
wouldratherhea ure art-
i:t, hut that tho:eeole
harely made a living the:e
day:, hecau:ehardly anyone
huy: theirwork.
Ihe:ame:orto{thingi:ha-
ening in che::. Oneer:on
get:lucjandwin:hig, while
:omeoneel:e u:tget:hy. One
guy:ee: that che:: i:n 't{or
him and leave: the game,
while:omeoneel:e, who:till
73
helieve: in che::, :ettle:{or
le::, :till another kee: on
laying, hecau:e he doe:n 't
knowwhatel:e to do. . .
che::layer:onlyhadoen
tournament: to lay in, then
thi: would he ah:urd. ut
there are al:o team event:, '
where we get honorariau:t
{orlaying, therearetourna-
ment: where thelayer: get
honoraria, andro{e::ional:
can al:o give le::on:. Ihere
are, in :hort, :mallhut:tahle
:ource:o{:teadyincome.
Let: gethackto theAero}lot
Oen. Many o{the mid-level
grandma:ter: went on a{ter
Mo:cow to the Caelle-la-
Grande tourament on a re-
duced-{are ticket - that ':
:omething. Some had their
exen:e:{or the tournament
aidhytheircluh:.Somehave
:on:or: - local :orting,
government, orrivateorga-
nization:. . . Once you :tart
getting intoit,youJndthat
che::i:n :uch aoor:ort
a}terall!
Ihe{act that there are too
manygrandma:ter: nowi: a
totally dgrent matter. !ou
mu:tunder:tand. theintere:t
in che:: i: not :o great that
every grandma:ter can re-
ceive a $500-$I, 000 hono-
rarium{oreachlargetoura-
ment he enter:. He have to
:ettle{orwhati: o[ered.
IhereS a clear :urlu: o{
grandma:ter:andthetitleit-
VictorBologan. SclcctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
sej/has hecome devalued.
wewanttohaveeoleregard
it as highly as they used to,
then FID has to execute
some sort o{ re{orms. ut
FID won 't do this, hecause
racticallytheirentiresystem
{oroularizingchessishuilt
aroundearningnorms. Per-
has nothing needs to he
changed. For some small
sonsors, theossihility o{
getting a localgrandmaster
couldhea{airstimulus.
O{course, I am in{avor o{
transarency andthe rule o{
law in chess. Naturally, we
needa commission{orduhi-
ous situations, re-ar-
rangedtouraments, etc.ut
thisquestionis notsoserious
that we need to make it the
}rstordero{husiness.
Ihere are more imortant
rohlems. For examle, it a
high timewegotrido{neo-
tisminchess. Ioday, wehave
ahsolutelynostandards inthe
uroean Chamionshis,
andahsoluteuncertainqasto
the{uture o{chess. Nothing
hutcontinuousscandals. . .
ProcccdingIromthcabovc-citcdopus,
itIo||ovsthatchcssnccdstobcdcmoc-
ratizcd, not on|y in FIDE, but in thc
systcmoIqualiIyingIorcvcntsasvc|l.
CivingthcvinncroIthcAcroIotOpcn
thc right to play in Dortmund vas an
important stcp Ior thc run-oI-thc-mi|l
grandmastcr. First, it automatically
raiscdthcprcstigcoIthcOpcn(attract-
ing Morozcvich, Crischuk, Svid|cr,
Drccv,andothcrsin2OO3) . Sccond,thc
c|cmcnt oIsporting qua|ication vas
introduccd to an c| i tc tournamcnt
(rathcrthaninvitationon|y).Andthird,
thcDortmundorganizcrsrcccivcdsomc
Ircshb|ood(ancvIacc).
Thus, I not on|y camcda sizab|c sum
andincrcascdmyrating,butI a|sorc-
ccivcdaninvitationtooncoIthcycar`s
thrccsupcr-toumamcnts.
(4O) IBologan IAnanJ
Dortmund2OO3
Caro-Kann B 9j
1 c4 c6
P|aying Vishy Anand vith vhitc and
vithblackarctvodiIIcrcntthingscn-
tircly. With vhitc, hc is a |ion vho
vantstodcvouryouvho|c,vithb|ack,
hc`s a harm|css crcaturc vho isquitc
|ikc|ytoacccptadrav. UnIortunatc|y,
ina|lourprcviousgamcs,hcsuccccdcd
indravingvithblackandvinningvith
vhitc. This timc I vas cxpccting thc
Caro-Kann,bccauschistraincrIorthis
toumamcntvasRustcmDautov.
2 d4 d5 _c dc 4 _c4 f5 5
_g g6 6 h4 h6 7 _f _d7 8
h5 h7 9 d d 1 d
_gf6 11 f4c6
This is thc C|assica| variation oIthc
Caro-Kann, in vhich B|ack has on|y
onc "ha|I-vcakncss". thc h-pavn.
Whitc hasa slight advantagc in spacc
and hc usual|y trics to gct into an
cndgamc, vhcrc hc can cxccutc a
kingsidcpavnstorm(g4-g5or|4-t5
t6) . B|ack has good piccc and pavn
coordinationandacxib|cpavnstruc-
turc, onc oIBlack`s main p|ans is to
74
AProIcssional
chal |cngcWhitc` sccntra| d4-pavn
by cc5.
12~~ c7 1{b1
AgainstDautov,inMainz2OO2,Ip|aycd
IjOe2,butaItcrIj. . . 00I4 Ce5Oa5
I57bI,hcnatura|lydidnota||ovCg,
but playcd thc strongcr I 5 . . . fe8 I
Ce4 C-e4I7O-e4Lad8I8c4 C-e5
I9 de,andhcrchccou|dhavc cqual-
izcd comp|ctcly by I9. . . L-dI 20
L-dILd82I L-d8O-d8.
1...a5 14 _c5d8|
I cou|d not undcrstand vhat B| ack
hopcdtoaccomp|ishbythismovc. In
thcrstp|acc,Icouldhavcsimp|yrc-
pcatcdthcTimmangamc (scc bc|ov),
andsccondly,aIcrI5Oe2,B|ackvi||
havctogivcuphisbishop.
I4. . . C-e5 I5deCd5 I2d2Oc7I 7
f4 = , I 4. . . 0 0' ? I 5 C-d7 C-d7 I
Ce4.
15 c2
AbcttcrchoiccisI 5 Cc4Ob5I2c7
Lc8 I7 Cd 2-d I8 2-d O-dj
I 9 L-dj= (Timman Larscn,
Amstcrdam l 98O).
15...~
16 _g6|
Although it had on|y bccn sccn oncc
bcIorc i n practica| p|ay, thc consc-
qucnccsoIthissacriIcchadbccnana-
|yzcd by Mikhail Ta| prc-computcr
cra,oIcoursc.
16... fc8
Thismovca|sovaspointcdoutbyTa| ,
Dautovthoughti tthcstrongcst,too.
I...fgI7O-e7h8 I8hg(I8O-e7
Cd5I92d2O-a2207-a2 C-e72I
2b4Lt , but not 2I . . . c5?' 222-c5
C-c5 2j dc L-dI 24 L-dI L-f2 25
Ld7 = ) I8. . . Cg8 I9 2-h' gh 20
L-hC-h2IO-e7 Cf. Hcrc,Ta| `s
analysispractica||ycomcstoaha|t.hc
on|ysaysthat22LhIIailsagainst7g8.
But in a corrcspondcncc gamc Whitc
dccidcdtograbsomcmorcmatcrial.22
g7 7g8 2j gfO L-f 24 O-b7=
(Cimmino Franz,corr. l 995).
17 _c7+ c7 18d|
A commoncnoughrook liI. Bcsidcs
possib|yattackingthccncmyquccn,thc
rook cou|d bc inc|udcd in an attack
againstthcking,ahcrasacriccath
orthcplanncdg4g5.
18...cc8
I8. . . Od5 I9 LgI.
19hd1
I9LajOd5 20L-a7b5 .
An unp|casant movc Ior Whitc. I un-
dcrcstimatcditduringthc gamc. Nov
l 75
VictorBologan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
Whitchastoputhisrookongl , vhich
vorkcdoutvc||inthccnd'
I9..,d5202d2Ob52IOfj.
2 [g1
20fjC-h5, 20OfIC-h5, 20fj|?
20. . . C-h5?2I 2-h.
2. . . b5
B| ack` s usua| countcrplay. Hc vi||
gradua||yscizcspacconthcquccnsidc,
sothathccanadvancconWhitc`sking
atthcrightmomcnt.
20. . . c5 2I dc Oc4 22 Od2 O-c5 2j
dI .
21 d2|
Aimingatthch-pavn.Ispcntconsid-
crab|c timc on this movc, and only
p|aycd it aItcr I dctcrmincd that it
so|vcdtvoproblcmsatonccprophy-
|actic and attacking (Chcbancnko`s
"mu|ti-Iunctionmovc").
2I 2e5b422f4 a5.
21. . . a5
Thc h5-pavn ispoisoncd. 2I . . .C-h5?
222-h'gh2jO-hCg724hIf
25 Ce4 7| (25. . . O-e4 2gj e7
27Oh87|28-g7*) 2gjg8
27Og7e728h7 .Onthcothcr
hand, B|ack cou|dhavc bccnthinking
about 2I. . . c5' ? 22dcO-c5 . Ingcn-
cra|,thisIrccingmancuvcrcou|dhavc
bccnp|aycdpractical|yatanytimcdur-
ing thc gamc. Whitc vould havc rc-
taincdasma||advantagcthankstohis
povcrh| bishop,but carrying out an
attackvouldhavcbccnmuchmorcdiI-
Icult Iorhim.
22c2|
Dcspitcbcingattackcdtvi cc,thch5-
pavnissti|luntouchablc. Whitcnal|y
achicvcs his |ong-sought pi ccc and
pavn coordination, and nov at thc
Iirstopportunityhcp|anstouscthcg-
pavn as a battcring ram to storm
B|ack`sIortrcss.
22O-a5a8.
22. . . b4|
It|ooks to mc as iIAnand undcrcsti-
matcdthc dangcr both Irommcand
thcposition.
22. . . C-h5 2j2-hgh24O-h.
22. . . O-h5 2jhjOf5242-hCe4
(24. . . gh 25O-hOh7 2gjTh8
27 Oej) 25Oej C-f2 2 g4 Of
27 2g5 Og28h5 .
Oncc again, Black shou|d havc bccn
thinkingabout 22. . . c5|?; Ior cxamp|c,
2jdc(2j-hCe4,2jg4c424hj
e5' , or 24 ej Ce4 25 OeI e5)
2j . . . O-c524 g4c825g5hg22-g5
Ce427OcI Ce528ej.
2 g4 c4
7
AProIcssional
2j. . . c524dcO-c525g5'e42OcI
hg279-g5f 289ejO-h529OdI
Ob5j0'd4Ob7jI2h I .
24c _g5
I t|ooks as though Whitc`s attack has
bccnstoppcdco|dat|cast2g5von`t
vorknov.Acranothcrthink,Iman-
agcdtocomcupvithanidcatocatch
B| ack` s quccn in thc mi dd|c oIthc
board.
25 c1|
Atrst, Ihadintcndcdtoplaybj, but
rcjcctcdit bccauscoIa4inrcply.
25 9-g5 hg(25. . . O-g5 2f4Od527
g5) 2f4gf27'-f4Og5> .
25. . . _b6
On25. . . a4, I hadprcparcd 2c4Oa5
27 c5'h7(27. . . Ob5 282-g5hg29
cdI'fj0O-g5d5 jI Oh4'e4
j2 h) 28 g5 hg 292-g5 f j02h4
e5 jI gIedj2Ogj e7 jj '-d4,
vithattackingprospcctsIorWhitc.
26ba4
This mighthavcbccn a b|u. But, in
Iact, iIWhitc takcs thc cxchangcjust
nov,B|ackdocsgctsomccountcrplay.
2. . . a8 272c7' (27 c4 bc 28'-cj
Od8292-g5hgj0'e4a4jI O-g5
ab) 27. . . 'c8 (27. . . Ob5 28 c4 bc 29
'-cjOa j02-bO-b jI 'a4=)
28c4bc29'-cjOd7j02f4=.
27c7 a5
28 f4|
Thcattackcomcsrst'
282-d8-d829'f4(29f4!'d5j0
OgI 'e4) 29. . . a8 j0 d2 'd5 jI
'-d5O-d5j2e2'fj jjdIc5.
28 . . . _h729g5|
Tothc|astman! Inthisvcrsion,taking
U0rtmund 200J
2 3 4 5 6 1otal
I . Bokg, tor 7 l 0 I = I l 6Z
2. A, Vswanatban 0l 7 =0 I = I = 5Z
3. Km, Vdm A I = 5Z
4. Radjabov, 1cmu i 0= 7 I 0 5
5. Lcko, Pctcr 0= 0= 7 4
6. NaUrch, Arkad 00 0= 0 l 7 3 Z
I 77
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
thc cxchangc isbcttcrIor Whitc, and
sti||Ididn`tvanttogivcmyopponcnt
thcchancctodcmonstratc hiscxtraor-
dinary ta|cnt. For nov, lct him kccp
dcIcnding'
29 2-d8-d8j0f5Cd5jIOf2a8
j2d2efjjO-f5 Chf.
29 o o hgfgd7
j0. . . ab jI cb a8 j2 Od2 ec8 jj
2-bO-bj4g~.
1b6b62g1|
Thcdircctj2gCfjjhfg j4Og5
abj5cbOb5 jO-gOf5Iai|s.
2. . . abcba54g6fg5hg
_f6 6g5|
Inadditiontohisvcakcncdking,B|ack
suddcnly nds himsclIvith anothcr
vcakncsson c.
6444d57c5| Z Cf4)744_g4
A dcspcratc movc. BcIorc making it,
Ananduscdupa|l histimc, but Iai|cd
toIndadcIcnsc.
j7...a8j8CcICg4j9Ohj.
8c6|
TouscaIootbal|tcrm.thcking`srook
madca||thcp|ays. Thismarksitsscv-
cnthcontributiontothcgamc,andthrcc
oI thosc movcs carncd cxc|amation
points.
8. . . f8
j8. . . C-ejj9-e8*.
9h_h64c6df541 d5
1~
Oh, vhat a task- it` slikc pu||ing an
clcphant out oIa svamp' Rivcrs oI
svcat courscd dovnmy Iacc,brought
IorthbyAnand`sdoggcdrcsistancc. It
did not mattcr that I vas tvo pavns
ahcad, Vishy`s savcd vorsc positions
thanthis.Ncvcrthc|css,thctimc-prcs-
surc cndcd and thc gamc vith it. Thc
Iccnthvor|dchampiondccidcdsim-
plytorcsign.
Lcssous
) 1ustbccauscyoucrcatc a thrcat, it
docsnotmcanthatitvil|bccarricdout
ncxtmovc.ThcmainthrustoI2I Od2'?
vastostrcngthcnthcpositioninprcpa-
rationIoraIurthcronslaught.
2)Whcnyouarcconductinganattack
ononcsidcoIthcboard,it`simportant
nottoIorgctaboutthcothcr.Thcmovc
25 cI' a||ovcdWhitc toopcna scc-
ondIrontandgainanadvantagc.
3 ) A Icv tcmpi - cspcci ally vhcn
you`rcattacking(28f4'?)-mightprovc
morcimportantthanmatcrial .
From apsycho|ogica| standpoint, this
I 78
AProIcssional
victoryprovcdtrcmcndouslyimportant
Iormc. Ncvopportuniticsbcckoncd,
it rcmaincd but Ior mcto continuc
my momcntum andnot stumblc, iI
possiblc.
ThcncxtgamctookplaccinroundIour.
Havingblackagainstp|aycrsinthctop
tcn isalvaysap|casurc,bccauscthcy
havc such a vcll-polishcd rcpcrtoirc
and thcy a|vays do so muchprcpara-
tion.AIcrall,thcydon`tactuallyplay
a||thatmuchchcss,sothisgivcsthcm
p|cntyoItimctoprcparc.
(4I ) Leko IBologan
Dortmund2OO3
Caro-Kann Bl7j
1 c4 c6
My choicc oIthcCaro-Kann DcIcnsc
can bc cxplaincdby Pctcr`spoor sta-
tistics against it. Bcsidcs, it`s quitc a
normal opcning. At thc vcry lcast,
Karpov ncvcr had troublc vith it
againstLcko.
2d4d5 _cdc4_c4 _d7
4. . . 2f5ismorcpopularnovadays. Thc
tcxt rcccivcd its stamp oIapproval at
thc vcryhighcst lcvcl largc|ythrough
Karpov` s cIIorts, a|though thc on|y
strong p|aycrvho rcgu|ar|y p|ays it
mightbcCa|kin.
Inthisvariation,Whitctricsto inducc
e7e, to shut in thc quccn` s bishop,
rcsu|ting in positions typica| oIthc
FrcnchDcIcnsc.Inordcrtorcso|vcthc
problcm oIhis |ight-squarcd bishop,
Blackusual|yp|aysb,2b7andc5.
5 c4
This isancvmovc IorPctcr, vho a|-
vays prcIcrrcd 5 Cg5, as Naiditsch
playcdagainstmc inthcIrstroundat
Dortmund.
5..._gf6 6 _g5 c6 7 c2 _b6 8
d h69 _5fc5 1c
I0dcisplaycdmuchmorchcqucntly.
ludimir Krumnik, lictor ologun, liawunuthun Anund, !cimour Kudubov,
Arkud Nuiditach und Ictcr Icko
I J
VictorBologan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2004
1. . . c7 11 _c5a6
A|thoughIhadcxamincd52c4bcIorc
thcgamc,Icou|dnotrcca|lthccorrcct
|inc hcrc. Onccould, Iorcxamp|c, rc-
tracc Ca|kin`s stcps by I I . . .2d I 2
Cgfj Cbd5 I j2b5 7e7 I400 a
I 5dj b5 I cj2b7 I7 d2 cd I8
cd2b4 I9a42-d220O-d2Ob
(Movscsian Ca|kin, Crctc 200J) .
Sincc 5 c4 docsn`tguarantcc Whitc
thc advantagc, this isust a Ighting
movc.
12_gfcd
Anovc|ty,cvcntua||ylcadingtoaposi-
tionthatcou|dhavcbccnrcachcd by
I 2 . . . Cbd5.
1d4 _bd5 14 ~
14. . . c5|
Acrthis,wctransposcintothcwc||-
knowngamcRublcvsky Karpov.For
rcasonsthatcvcn I donotundcrstand,
I disdaincdthc mostnaturalcontinua-
tion. I 4 . . . Cf4' I 5 Od2 C-dj. In his
In{ormantana|yscs,ScrgcigivcsIcd
(IO-dj2e7 I7Cc4b5I8Cb Db8
I9C-c8 D-c820cj00-)asbcsthcrc,
butB|ackhas I. . . Od8'(myimprovc-
mcntonRublcvsky`sanalysis)I7 DacI
(I7Cc4b5I8Cb Db8I9C-c8 D-c8
20 DacI 2e7 2I D-c8 O-c8 22 DcI
Ob72j2e5Oa8'-)I7. . . 2d I8Cc4
2c7,withcquality.
I wantcd to simp|i[thc position, but
Iai|cdtoundcrstandWhitc`smainidca.
hcwantstohindcrthcdcvclopmcntoI
mypicccsbycrcatingprcssurconthc
dI|c. Anditncvcroccurrcdtomcthat
Whitc might tradc hi s bi shop Ior a
knight. I only considcrcd |incs with
bj, whcnBlackwou|dhavcancx-
ccl|cntposition.
15b5+f8|
Thcparadox |ics inthc Iact that acr
I 5 . . . 7e7 I Cc 7e8' (I . . . bc I7
2-c5,withadvantagc),thc bcstthat
Whitc can achicvc is a slight|ybcttcr
position. I 7Cb4 (I7 Cce5 7e7)
I 7 . . . 7f8 I8 C-d5 C-d5 I 92-c5
O-c5 20 2c4 Cf 2I DadI 2d7 22
Ce5.
16c5+c5 17c4|
Indccd,Iundcrcstimatcdthisidcawhcn
I p|aycd 2c5. Now Whitc won`t |osc
timcby2bj hcwi|| takc on d5 and
ghtIorthcdIlc.
17 . . . c7
AnimprovcmcntonthcKarpovgamc,
butnotvcrysignicant.
I7. . . g I8 -d5 C-d5 I9 c4 Cf 20
aj2d7 2I DfdI2e8 22 b4 Oe7 2j
Ob2= CRub|cvsky Karpov,Po|anica
Zdro I 998).
18d5|
8O
AProIcssional
Lckosaidacrthcgamcthatitvou|d
havcbccnbcttcrtocxchangcapairoI
rooks as vc| | . Latcr, I vas unablc to
Imdagoodp|anIorBlack,Iorcxamp|c,
I8adId8(I8 . . . b5 I92-d5'-d5
20 'd4=) I9 2-d5 -d5 20 -d5
'-d52I dI'f(2I . . . b522Oe4=)
2 2 OdjOc72j'c47f(2j . . . 2d724
Oaj) 24 'fe5 . Thus, I8 adI
vou|dhavcsctBlackvcryscriousprob-
|cms,butLcko hcsitatcdandgavc mc
ha|Iatcmpo.
18 . . . _d5 19c4_f62fd1
20adI 2d7 2I 'd4 hd8 22 Oej
7e8 2j'-eO-ej 24'c77f 25
fe ac82'd5ie.
2. . . d7
21 b4|
This movc is harmlcss Ior Black, in
Iact, it vcakcns Whitc`s quccnsidc
pavns and improvcs thc position oI
B|ack` squccn.Whitcshou|dhavcust
incrcascdthcprcssurcby2I'd4hd8
22Oej7e8,or2Idjhd822adI
2e8 2j 'd4 dc8 24 'f5 7f8 25
'd c7 = .
2 1 . . . c72 2 _d4hd82d
Acr2j'f5'?7f8 24'd2a4,thc
intcrcsting cxchangc sacricc 25 c5|
( 25 'e-f7 i-dI 2 -dI d7)
25 . . . 2-dI 2-dI vou|dhavcgivcn
Whitc good compcnsation. Pcrhaps
Whitcshou|dhavcp|aycdit,butLcko
continucs playing"by-thc-book.
2 . . . f824ad1 c8
Blackhas so|vcd all his prob|cms, as
his opponcnt has no targcts to attack.
Uptothispoint, Whitc`splayvasci-
thcraboutattackingthckingorgctting
hisknighttod. ButnovB|ack`sking
ishiddcnat , andWhitccan`trca|ly
chargchcadlongintothckingsidc,bc-
causcthcd-Ilcissti|lopcn.Thcbishop
on c8 isn`t so bad cithcr it can rc-
cmcrgcvhcnnccdcd. Hcrc, Lcko bc-
gantotakcscvcra||ongdc|ibcrations.
It` s hard to Ind anydircct p|an Ior
Whitc,sohcdccidcdtoIrstsccurchis
ovnking.
25h_d7|
Sharpcning thc gamc. I vas aIraid to
play 25. . . 7g8, lcst my king should
comc undcr attack. Yct I undcrstood
thatitvouldn`tbcsuchasimplcthing
IorWhitctoachicvc, givcnhisshaki-
ncss in thc ccntcr, Ior cxamp|c, 2
gj (2 g4Oe7 27aj'd7) 2 . . . b
8
VictorBologan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
27 Oej Ch5. Ncvcrthc|css, thc tcxt
Iorccs Whitc to commit himsc|Iand
|ook Ior concrctc so|utions, bccausc
mcrc|y trading oIIpicccs vou|d not
bc good Ior hi m. In thc cndgamc,
B| ack` s bishop might provc strongcr
thanthcknightandmykingisc|oscrto
thcccntcrthanhis.
26_g4
B|ackho|dsaIcr2C-d72-d727c5
2a4.
26ec4
27 d2|
AIcrvards, Ra Tischbicrck to|d mc
that27Oe4|!mighthavcbccnvinning.
27. . . e5 28 Cej' Cf (28. . . Oc8 29
Oh7) 29C-c4C-e4j0Ce.
27. . . 7g828C-h gh 29gj7f8
j0 Of4 f jI eI e5 j2 O-h7e7
jj g7 2t j4 Cf5 7e j5 -t
7-|jOg77ej7Oe7 7d5j8
Od*.
Nov,hovcvcr,Isccthat27. . . h5| vou|d
havckcptBlackaoat.28CejOc729
Oh 7 (29O-eCf j0 Oc4 O-c4 jI
C-c4b5)29 . . . Cf j0Oh8 Cg8 jI
Cef5efj2C-f5 Oe5 jj-d8 -d8
j4 -d8 O-f5 j4 -e8 7-e8 j5
O-g8 7e7 j7O-g7 ObI j87h2
O-b4.
27. . . ac8
An "al|-purposc movc that rcsults in
thcd7-knightrcmainingpinncdIorthc
grcatcrpart oIthc gamc. 27. . . a5 vas
corrcct, ahcr28C-h (28CbjO-b4
29O-b4abj0Cc57e7,28baCc5
29cjOb4,28ajab29CejOc5j0
abOc7)28. . . O-b429OejOe7,Black
scizcsthcinitiativc.
28 _b|
28 Of4 e5 29 C-e5 C-e5 j0 O-e5
d5.
28. . . c7 29 c1 b8 c8
c8 1 b5|
Nov Whitc vants to invadc at c7,
vhcrc hi s quccn vi l | crcatc many
thrcats.
1. . . c4|
Wc` vc lcarncd to makc such movcs
Irom vorking vith computcrs . thc
quccn |aunchcs itsclI"into spacc to
protcct vcak squarcs, anda|though it
can bc attackcd hom a|| dircctions, it
a|vayssccmstocscapc.
jI . . . h5j2Ce5f jjbafe(jj. . . baj4
cj)j4Ob47tj5abOc7jOa5
Ob8j7a4~.
jI . . . abj2Ob47g8jjC-h7h7
(jj. . . 7h8 j4 Oh4) j4 Oe4 g j5
Oh47g7jCg4 .
82
A FroIcssiona|
2babad6
Had Lcko p|aycd jj e5, hc might
havchadquitcadicrcnttoumamcnt.
jj. . .Oc7(jj. . . Ob5j4Oa5|)j4=b4
7g8 j5 =e7- , and thc pin on thc
knight bccomcs dccisivc. OIcoursc,
Inding such a movc intimc-prcssurc
ispossiblc,butthcnagain, somctimcs
youdon`t.
e_b5 4 d4 b1+ 5 h2
c8
ThcknightisunpinncdandBlackisout
oIdangcr.
6b c5
For mc thc ncxttcn movcs vcrc thc
vho|cDortmundtoumamcnt.Thcvin
ovcrAnandvasamcmorablcmomcnt
hc had just von thc chcss "Oscar"
and vas onc oIthctopp|aycrs, iInot
the top p|aycr, in thc vorld. But this
gamcpractica||ycnab|cdmctovinthc
toumamcnt. LckoIai|cdto cxp|oitmy
crrors and "0amcd out." Yct, at this
point,hchadacomp|ctc|ynorma|po-
sition.
j. . . h5j7-d7hgj8=d7g8j9
d8.
cndgamc acr j9 =d =-d 40
-d c24I7gj-a2, istoughIor
Whitc. Kasparov vona simi|arthrcc-
pavns-to-tvocndgamcagainstKarpov
i n thc dccisivc gamc oI thcir l 987
match in Scvillc, and Iour-pavns-to-
thrccismuchhardcrtodcIcnd.
9...b54 c
Thc |osingmovc. Whitc`s |ast chancc
vastocntcravcryunp|casantcndgamc
oIrookandkightvs.rookandbishop.
40=dO-d4I-dbI427h2
b2 = .
4. . . b1+ 41 d1
HcrcIhadacupoItca,thoughtquictly
Iortcnminutcs,andplaycdthc IrstoI
thcaccuratcmovcs|cadingtovictory.
7 -c5-c58-a6
41eee c5| 42a
j8 -e =b8 j9 =d =-d 40
42a8=d5.
-da5 4I d2f542ejt= .
8 . . . b8+ 9 g1
Thcncxt-to-lastmovcbcIorcthctimc-
contro| . Obvious|y, aIcr j9 f4 b5,
Blackissl ight|ybcttcr,buttovi ni t, hc
vou|dhavchadtogrinditout.Yct,thc
42eeeg5|
Numbcrtvo! I spcntplcntyoItimcon
this movc, too, andIoundacomputcr-
|ikcvin.
4c
83
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
4jOd4 =d5 44 dj 9a4, 4jOd
O e7.
4. . . a4 44 h2 f4+ 45 g
[-d1| 46d8+
Dcspair! This movc shovs thc high
lcvcl oItcnsion, as a chcssplaycr oI
Lcko`sc|assvou|dncvcrp|aylikcthis
in a norma| situation. Hovcvcr, Lcko
vas tcrribly disappointcd by his loss.
Hchadbui|tuppovcrhlprcssurc,but
vasunab|ctorcoricnthimsc|Itoght
Iorthcdrav.
46. . . [d8 ~1
Lcssous
) Somctimcsourprcjudiccs suchas
a bishopbcingstrongcr than a knight
in opcn positions prcvcnt us Irom
ndingthccorrcctso|ution.Thcpossi-
bilityoIWhitccxchanginghisbishop
Ior thc knight on d5 had cscapcd my
attcntion.
2)2I b4!' isatypical mistakc. "Anac-
tivcmovcbascdongcncralprincip|cs,"
itdocsnotIormpartoIanovcra||p|an,
anddocsnothclpincrcascthcprcssurc
onBlack`sposition.
3)AIcratcnsctimc-scramb|c,itisvcry
uscIultotakcacoup|coIminutcsavay
homyourgamc, todrinkacupoIcoI-
Iccortca,andthcn|ookatthcposition
vithIrcshcycs.Youshou|dncvcrrush
tomakcthatIorty-Irstmovc'
With 3Z points out oIthc rst Iour
rounds, I movcd into c|car rst p|acc
untilthccndoIthctoumamcnt.Myjoy
kncv no bounds. I had succccdcd in
vinningatoumamcntata|cvc|prcvi-
ouslyunknovnto mc. OIcoursc, thc
skcptics vou|d say that it vas a hot
summcr(thirty-nincdcgrccsCclsiusin
thcshadc),andthatmy viIc (mybcst
sccond)gavcmcinspiration,andthatI
vas lucky inmygamcvith Lcko. It`s
alltrucbutsucccssismadcIromscv-
cral componcnts. For cxamp|c, hov
cou|dIhavcknovnthat,indiggingup
myscgmcntoIthcbcachat Fiolcntc, I
vas laying thc Ioundation oImy vic-
toryinDortmund.A||Ididvasdig. . .
Myvictory at Dortmund undcrscorcd
thc incquiticsoIthctoumamcntstruc-
turc thcrc`s no intcrming|ing oIthc
various rating groups. I can`t rcca|| a
toumamcntinvhich, say,bothAdams
andMoisccnkop|aycd.A|ongthcsamc
|incs,Kasimdzhanov`svictoryinLibya
shovsthatthcrcisnotanygrcatchasm
inp|ayingstrcngthbctvccnthc"c|itc"
andus"mcrcmorta| s. "Thcrcarcmany
morc than tcnpcop|c vho knovhov
top|aychcss,andthosctcnvouldalso
nditmorcintcrcstingtoplayagainst
ncvopponcnts,rathcrthanjustinccs-
sant|yplayingcachothcr.
AItcrthiscamcavc|l-dcscrvcdrcstat
Fi o| cntc, a prcss-conIcrcncc i n
Kishincv,|ccturcsaboutDortmundin
Kishincv and in Moscov and thc
EuropaCupinCrctc.
Thistimc,thcKazantcamvasstrcngth-
cncd by thc |ast-minutc addition oI
Carry Kasparov, and vc ustiIably
thoughtthatvccouldcompctcviththc
vcll-hndcdNAOc|ub(Faris)IorIrst
p|acc. Thc thirtccnth vor|d champion
bcgan vith Iourrcsounding victorics,
amongthcmavinovcrthcNAOBoard
Onc,Crischuk(allovingustodravthat
match).
l 84
AProIcssiona|
With our main rival dca|t vith, and
ahcadintota| points, vc only had Is-
rac| |cIt on our schcdu|c - but itjust
vasn`tourday.First,ourthirdboard,
ScrgciRublcvsky,obtaincdahopclcss
posi tion dircct|y Irom thc opcning
againstAvrukh,ncxtI|ya Smirinmadc
a quick drav vith vhitc - and thcn
lightning struck. In a bcttcr position,
Kasparov bl undcrcd both his ccntcr
pavnsinoncmovcandrcsigncd.Thcrc
vasnochanccoIvinningthc|astthrcc
gamcs,sovctookadravinthcmatch.
(42) IBologan M. Koiz
Rcthymnon2003
FrcnchWinavcr Cl 8j
1c4c62d4d5cb44c5c5
5ac+6bc a5
Inthc Winavcr variation, B|ackgivcs
up hisdark-squarcdbishopto damagc
hisopponcnt`spavnstructurc.Asinthc
j e5 systcm, thc ccntcr is closcd and
B|ackcanattackthcpavn chainbyf
orc5. Whitc has tvo main p|ans. thc
Irstistobringthcquccnouttog4vith
apicccattackonthckingsidc,thcothcr,
morcrcstraincdplan,vasp|aycdinthis
gamc.
7d2a4
Thc young Israc|i, Mikhail Roiz, i s
playingthcso-callcdRustcmovvaria-
tion. Nov, aIcr8 ObI c4, Blackhas
bccndoingquitcvc||(Iorcxamp|c,scc
thcgamcFcdorov 1acimovicbc|ov).
SoIdccidcdtotcstthcyoungIcllovin
adiIIcrcntkindoIstructurc.
8 f
8h4f9Og47t I0Fhjh5 I I Of4
c I 2 Fgj ce7 I j fj c4 I 4ef
gf I5 e5I (Morozcvich Shipov,
Krasnoyarsk2003).
8ObIc49hjf I02e2c II00
fe I 2de ce7 I jf4 h I 42h5g
I 52fj2d7If2000I7g47b8
I8 2ej2c8 I9 Ob2 Z-'(Fcdorov
1acimovic, Rcthymnon2003) .
Anul|zing thc gumc with l/udimir Krumnik i n Oortmund 200J.
!hc hcut roac to thirq-ninc dcgrcca Cclaiua in thc ahudc.
85
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
8. . . c4
8. . . Cc 9 h4 cd I0 h5 dc I I 9-cj
vas also possiblc, or8. . . b 9h49a
I0 h5 h I I Fh4 .
9 h4
I |camcdpractica||y al| thc p|ansuti-
|izcdinthisgamcinthccarly' 9OsIrom
ZigurdsLanka.
9. . . c6 1 h5
First oIa|l, Black`s kingsidc must bc
nai|cddovn.
1 . . . h6
SomcvhcrcinthcIar-oIIcndgamc,thc
pavnonhmayprovcuschltoWhitc
(much as in thc Caro-Kann). Whitc`s
advantagc inspacc isustiIcation Ior
his playonthckingsidc.
11 g
Anovc|ty.Whitccanalsop|ayI I Ch4,
Iorcxamplc, I I . . . Cge7 I2 hj|!9d7
I jFfj (Cogincni E|baba,Tchcran
2OO2). Myp|ayis,asLankauscdtoput
it, "strict|yroutinc."Thc routincisas
Io||ovs. oncbishoptoh3,thcothcrto
I4,andthcnthcknightgocstoc3viag2.
l 8
11 . . . d7 12 h ~~ 1 f4|
Ovcrprotcctingthcc5-pavn.
1. . . gc7 14 d2 df8 15 h4
h7 16g2
Nov vc scc vhy thc g2-squarc vas
rcscrvcdIorthcknight!
16. . . {b8
B|ack probably shou|d havc p|aycd
I. . . f,Iorcxamplc, I7Ch4feI8de
hh8 I9 00 . But my opponcnt
hcsitatcdandncvcrachicvcdthisbrcak
atall.
17c{a818g2c8
I8. . . f I9Cg4.
Thus, Whitc has succcssIul l y com-
p| ctcd thc Irst part oIhis p|an and
novbcginsancvrcgrouping.g4,9gj
andf4.
19g4 a5
I9...f209gjfe2IdeCb22f4Oa5
2j00.
2 @g b6
AProIcssional
Black thrcatcns a4 to tic Whitc`s
picccstothcdcIcnsc oIthcc3-pavn.
Yct, Whitc has anothcr standard ploy
uphisslccvc sacricinghisa-pavn.
21 a4I
2I 00a422dIf 2jf4 hh8 .
2 1 . . . _a422ab5
Thca4-knightissccurc|ydcIcndcd,and
oncvou|dthinkthatWhitccou|dncvcr
brcakon thc quccnsidc. But thc opcn
a- and b-lcs,togcthcrvith thc prcs-
surccxcrtcdbyWhitc`sbishops,mcan
thatthcattackcr`s"critica|mass"must
cvcntuallyoutvcighthcdcIcndcr`src-
sourccs.
2~d824b1a6
25 _d5I
Bcginningadircctattackvithoutany
particu|ar|ydctailcdca|culation.Whitc
j ust nccds to avoid ovcrlooking any
onc- ortvo-movcdcIcnsivcrcsourccs.
25. . . cd26d5
Whitc`s ccntcr pavns nov bccomc
mobi|c. B|ackalsohastobcvatchIu|
Ior ancxchangc sacricc ona4.
26. . . hh8
Blacktricstobringhisothcrrookinto
thc Ight. Thc activc 2. . . \g5 can bc
mct quict|yby 27 \e2, Ior cxamp|c,
27. . . 7a7 28 -a4 ba (28. . . 9-g4 29
\fI ) 29\-c4\e7 j09-c9-c
jI \-cb8j2-b8 +-b8 jj e
7a7j49c7.
27g2c8
27. . . \g5 28\e2.
28 f4
Thc main idca bchindthis movc is to
bringthc dark-squarcdbishop into thc
attack viaL.
28 ...{a7
It`snotrca||ysaIcIorthckingtobcon
thcb-I|c,sinccthcknightata4hangs,
but nov thc bishop vil| bc aIcrhim
Irom L.
28. . . 9-g429d5d8j0\ej9hjjI
9hI\g4j2dc.
A cull {rm homc - Kcth|mnon, 200J
I 8J
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
29 f2 _a5 -a4 ba 1 d5+
1~
I vonthis gamc cntircly on Lanka`s
rccommcndations.Truc,Ididnothavc
|ongtocnoyit.Inthc|astround,itvas
"thanks"tomcandRub|cvskythatvc
|ostavonmatchto "Polonia"and a|-
togcthcrlostoutonthcprizcs.
Lessous
) A |ong-rangc p|anp|ays an impor-
tantro|cinstratcgica||ycomplcxposi-
tions.It`svcryusch|toknovasmany
p|ans as possiblc, as vc|l as thcirac-
companying stratcgic and tactica| rc-
sourccs.
2) Thc pavn sacricc 2I a4' allovs
Whitcto opcna |cand crcatc addi-
tiona|targctsthcknightona4andthc
quccnata5.Additiona|ly,atotalb|ock-
adcoIthcquccnsidcisIorcstal|cd.
3) Itisdimcultto|abc| 25-d5' asa
sacricc. This standard ccntral blov
hclpstodccidcthcgamcquick|y,sincc
Black`sIorccsarcscattcrcd,vithmost
oI thcm ticd to thc dcIcnsc oI thc
quccnsidc.
AItcr this, I visitcd thc Kingdom oI
Dcnmark Ior thcrsttimc, Ior a Cat-
cgory- toumamcnt.
(43) IBologan D. Palo
Skandcrborg2OO3
Caro-Kann B 2j
1 c4 c6
DavorhaduscdthcCaro-Kanntocas-
i|ydravvithAlcksccvinroundthrcc,
so I cxpcctcd that hc vou|d play it
againstmcasvc||.
2d4d5c5f54_f
Thcsharpcstcontinuationisconsidcrcd
tobc4 cj, Io|lovcdbythc advancc
oIthcg- andh-pavns, vhi|c thc |atcst
trcnd inIashion is 4 2ej. Hovcvcr, I
dccidcd to rcmain IaithIu| to my old
standby. Whitcustvantsto comp|ctc
hisdcvc|opmcnt,andbcrcadyto |and
countcrblovs on thc quccnsidc vhcn
Blackattacks.
4...c65 c2c56cb6
Evidcntly, B|ackisvi||ingtocntcrthc
|inc7cjO-b28b5c49c7.
7 _c
ThcconscqucnccsoIsacriIcingthcb2-
pavnby7 c4O-b28bd2havcnot
bccn Iu| | y cxpl orcd. Thc gamc
Vo| oki ti n Maci cj a, Ohrid 2OO ,
continucd. 8. . . e7 9 00 bc I 0
bj 000 I I -c5dc I 22-c4d5
I j dj Oaj I4 cI , vith a sma||
advantagcIorWhitc.
8b1I|
Acomputcrp|aycdthismovcvayback
inl 995, butconsidcringthatWhitc|ost
88
AProIcssiona|
thatgamc and computcrs had not yct
bccomchl|-IcdgcdmcmbcrsoIchcss
socicty, I vi||a||ovmysc|Itoca||ita
novc|ty.ThcchicIjusticationIorthc
sacriccisWhitc`s|cadindcvc|opmcnt
oI coursc, vithout thorough homc
ana|ysis,I don`trccommcndtrying it.
Andyct thisisvhychcssissti||cn-
joyab|c. ahcra||thistimc,thcrc`ssti||
roomIorimprovisation'Thco|dmovc
vas8Cb5.
8. . . b1
On8. . . O-cj, simp|y92d2O-c2 I 0
(-b7vins.8. . . Ob4i s muchbcttcr,but
ahcr9aj|(a5 I000,Whitchascom-
p|ctcd his dcvc|opmcnt and thrcatcns
B|ack`s quccnsidc, vith indisputab|c
compcnsation.
9 [b1c4I
My ana|ysis cndcd hcrc. I had on|y
cxamincd9. . . b,acrvhichthcrook
i nvadcs on thc b-Ii | c. I 0 dc 2-c5
(I0. . . bcI I b7Cd7OI . . .a I2Ca4
Cc I j C-c5 9-c5 I 4 9-c5= ,
I I . . . d4| ! I 2 Cg5 9g I j Cb5 or
I 2. . . Ch I jCb5) I22b5 d8Ij
2g59e7Oj . . .fI jef gfI5Ce5)I 4
Ca4a I 52c=) I I 2-c5bcI2Cb5
7d8 IjCdCh I4b7f I 5Cg5
2g I c4 = .
1 [b7 _c611_b5
Thisisagoodp|acctorcca||thcaxiom
that thc onc vith thc advantagc i s
ob|igcdt oattack or|osc his advan-
tagc. B|ack nov has thc bcttcr pavn
structurconthcquccnsidc,andhcon|y
nccdsonctcmpotovrcstthcinitiativc.
1 1 . . . [b8
B| ack cou| d a| so havc p| aycd
II. . . Cd8|!vithrough|ythcsamcidca.
I2 -a7 O2 c7 b8) I2. . . -a7 I j
C-a 72-c2I47d22gI 5 7cjCe 7
I Ch4Cec I7 C-g 2b4 I8 7c2
hgI9Cb52a520ajCb7 2I hj =, or
I I . . . Ca5I2-a7-a7 I jC-a72-c2
I42d2| Cb7 52cj = .
1 2 [b8+_b81 d2a6
Thc critica| momcnt. I hadto dccidc
cithcrto imprisonmyknightata7, or
ruin my pavn structurc by Cd. I
didn`tcvcn scrious|yconsidcrthccra-
vcnrctrcattoc3.
14 _a7II
Asimp|cca|cu|ationnothingtoocom-
p|cx. It`sjustthatiIittumsoutIovcr-
|ookcdsomcthingtcnmovcsIromnov,
itvi||bctoo|atc.
I 4 Ccj 2b4 5 bI Cc I Ch4
Cge 7I7aj2a5> , I4Cd9-d 5
edCf IbIO2f4Ce4I77ej
Ccj) I . . . Ce4 I7 7eI Cd7 I8 9f4
f I9b7g5 20 a7g8 .
Itvouldhavcbccn intcrcstingto rst
provokccjbyI4. . . 2b4, viththcidca
89
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2004
oIgainingat|casttcmporarycontro|oI
b . Yct,Whitcvou|dsti||rctaingood
chanccsoIsucccss. 5cjic7 I 6Cc8
(6id! Td7 7ic2i-c2 I8 T-c2
c7 9bI Cd7) I6 . . . Td77C-c7
C-c7 8Ch4Cbc6 9C-|5 C-t5 20
b! Tc72I i|4 = .
15[b1 {c7 16_g5
Thc c|assicvaytoinvadcB|ack`spo-
sitioninthisvariation- inIact,Whitc
vou|dhavcp|aycdthcsamcvayinthc
variationvith8Cb5.
16. . . _h6
OnI6. . . ig6,Ihadprcparcdanunstop-
pab|c sacricc at c. 7 ig4' Cc6
(I7. . . h68D-c6hgI9i-d5Cd720
b7Td82Iic6it522i-d7i-d7
2jb8andvins) I8 i-c6 C-a7 9
i-d5Cb520C-I/-.
17 g4|
It`simportanttotakccvcnmorcspacc
avayhom B|ack.
17. . . g6
I7. . . C-g4I8i-g4i-g4I9C-I/g8
20Cd6 .
18{d1|
Whitcc|carsthctransIcrsquarcIorhis
bishop.AtIrst,Ihadp|anncdtovina
picccbyI8h4ic7 I9h5,butonc|oscr
inspcction, it bccamc c|carthat aIcr
I9. . . i-h5' 20 gh Cd7, B|ack vou|d
vin back his matcria| . 2I t4 a8 22
C-h 7-a 7 2jCg5 vithhopcIor a
drav.
18. . . c7
Ahcr 8 . . . Cc6 I9 C-c6 T-c6, Whitc
can rcturn to vinning thc bishop by
20h4.
19d2_c6
I9. . . i-g520ia5Td7 2I b7.
2_-c6 {-c6 21h4f5|
CivcnthatthcyoungDanchadcar|icr
savcd himsc|IIrom tvo abso|utc|y
hopc|csspositions(againstHanscnand
Sasikiran),I oncc againhadto put my
brain ingcar.
2I . . .i-g5 22 i-g5 Cg82jh5 h6 24
id2ic4 25tjih726b8- .
22 _-c6
22 h5 it7 2j C-t7 C-|7= i s not
cnough.
22. . . _-g42f|
Right norcstIorB|ack!
2..._f2+24{c1 -h4
Forma||y,B|ackisapavnup- butthc
cndisa|rcadyncar
90
A ProIcssiona|
25f1
Thcthrcatis2eI .
25. . . f7
25. . . 'hI ' !22a5 'gj 277eI 7d7
28'c57c829'-a .
26 _c5
Avoiding thc|asttrap. 2'-g7|g8
27'-f5'hj282ej2g5' .
26 . . . _h127g2_g28d1
Novthc studythcmcscmcrgc. Inad-
ditionto2a5,Whitca|sothrcatcnscj,
Io||ovcdby2a4.
28. . . c 29 c _h5 a5
_f4+1 f1 d8
2c|
A |itt|ctrick butcutc!
2 . . . a5jb7 1~
In vicv oIunavoidab|c matc in onc,
Pa|ostoppcdthcclocks.Adcccntgamc,
considcring my middling tournamcnt
rcsu|t.IsharcdIhp|accvithIvanchuk,
ha|Iapointbchindthc |cadcrs.
lcss0ns
l ) Opcning prcparation has acquircd
grcatsigniIcanccinmodcm-daychcss.
Suchhomcvorkmaynotbringimmc-
diatcrcsu|ts,butsystcmaticvorkonthc
opcning a||ovs you to sct traps that
yourprcyvill Iallintosooncror|atcr.
Thus, 8 ObI' ' vas prcparcd |ong bc-
Iorcthisgamc.
2) I7 g4' a||ovcd Whitc to scvcrcly
rcstrict thc cncmy Iorccs, practica|ly
|cavinghimin:ug:wang.
3) Whcnyouhavcatargct inthiscasc,
thc blackking itmakcsscnsctoIan-
tasizcabit,to|ookIormatingncts,and
notbclazyaboutcalcu|atingvariations.
Hcrc,thcoutcomcvasdccidcdbythc
piccc sacriccj2cj' .
Forsomcrcason,thcthirdtimcI play
inatoumamcnta|vaysturnsoutbad|y
Iormc. Thus,inPoikovsky,aIcrvin-
ningthc rsttvocvcnts, I scorcdust
IIy pcrccnt in thc third, in my third
AcroI|ot Opcn in 2OO4, I vithdrcv
Iromthctoumamcnt,andhcrcIvasin
my third Pamp|ona. In thc vcry Irst
round,Ib|undcrcdmyquccntothcta|-
cntcd thi rtccn-ycar- o| d, Scrgcy
KarjakinoISimIcropo|. Isubscqucnt|y
l ost tvo gamcs vith vhi tc in thc
NajdorI, but rccovcrcd thosc points
vithb|ackinanti-NadorIsystcms.
(44)L. Mc5hane IBologan
Pamp|ona2OO3
Sici|ianDcIcnsc B5Oj
1c4c52_fd6c_f64c2
g6 5 ~ g76 b5+
Michac|Adams|ovcstoplaythis|inc.
9
VictorBologan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
Asstrangcasitmaysound,thclossoI
tcmpoisactuallygoodIorWhitc.Thc
pointisthatahcrj2b52d742-d7,
Bl ack onl y Ii anchcttocs hi s dark-
squarcd bi shop i n ansvcr to c2c4.
Hcrc, Whitcsctsup apovcrIul pavn
ccntcr,rcstrictingthcbishop ong7.
6d7 7 -d7+ b-d78 c1
~9d4c8|
Unqucstionably, McShanc surpriscd
mcvithhischoiccoIopcning.Sothc
dcsirc to gct out oIthc othcr guy`s
prcparationvasnovmutual . Thcnor-
mal continuation is to dcInc thc ccn-
tralpavnstructurcby9. . . cd I0 cdd5
I I e5 e4, butthispositioncontains
manyhiddcnpitIallsIorBlack.Thcrc-
Iorc, it sccmcd logical to mc to lcavc
thc ccntcr Iuid, vhilc rcmoving thc
knightIromthcpathoIthctcmpo-gain-
inge4e5,andprcparccountcrplayvith
c7, Iollovcdcithcrby b5b4, orthc
capturcond4,vithdd5andeto
Iollov.
1g5c7 11 d5|
Thcmovc9. . .e8rcndcrs itspsycho-
logicalcIIcct,uponcncountcringancv
continuation, thc young Englishman
commits a positional crrorthat lcads
almostbyIorcc tomatcrialloss.Evcn
vithout this, hovcvcr, it`s clcar that
Blackhasprcparcdcxccllcntly,bothIor
b5b4andIorf5.Morcovcr,itvouldn`t
bchardtoplaye,cithcr.
IthoughtthcsimplcrandbcttcrI I Od2,
prcvcnting Bl ack` s Irccing h7h,
vouldbctakingasquarcavayhomthc
knight (but that pi ccc can alvays
cmcrgc via a3 to c2) . I I . . . e
C I I . . . b5'? I22h e5 I jdc-c5 I4
9-g77-g7 I 5 aj, I . . . e8, I I . . . cd
I2cdd5 I je5e I42h) I22h
2-hIjO-hfI4bd2 (Fogarasi
Wittman, Austria 999).
11 . . h6
I think Lukc undcrstood atthispoint
thatthcrc`snogoodrctrcatsquarc.
12 c
OnI 22f4,I intcndcdtocontinucvith
I2. . . g5Ij2cIf5 I4efb,orIj2gj
f5 I4 efb I 5 h4g4 I fd2 h5.
12. . . f5|
A standard tcchniquc that Ircqucntly
occursinpositionsvhcrcthcbishopis
Ianchcttocdong7. Whitcdocsn`thavc
cnough timc to protcct hi s ccntcr,
mostly bccausc oIhis slov dcvclop-
92
AProIcssional
mcnt on thc quccnsidc. Forthc samc
rcason,hcisunablctocxp|oitthcvcak-
cningoIB|ack`sking.
1cff5 14h4
It` s|ogicalto scckcountcrp|ayonthc
kingsidc. Quict continuations mcrc|y
|oscthcd-pavn. I4Oc2Oe8 I5 h4
f Ic4b5 I 72d2g5 I82a5b,
I 4Obj -d5 I5 c4 f5 I cj (I
O-b7b8I 7Oc2-b2)I..f8 = .
1 4 . . . d51 5 {c2g51 6f5
P|aycdaItcrpro|ongcdthought.OnI
g, McShanc Icarcd t hc si mp| c
I..e I7f4 Oe8 I8d2 Of7. P|us,
thc attcmpt to vin thcrookby I c4
e5 I7g, Iai|saIcr I7.. e.
16...{f8 17g
Thi s is passi vc . Hc shou| d havc
snappcd oIIthc g7-bishop, vhich is
protcctingBlack`sking.I7-g7O-g7
I8d2f(I8..Oh7 I9 Obj b 20
f4 gf 2I 2-f4 ). A|though Whitc`s
compcnsation Iorthcpavn isinsu0-
cicnt,B|ackvouldsti|lhavchadadiI-
Icu|ttimc convcrting his matcrial ad-
vantagc.Onc|incmightbc. I8.. f I9
fje20c4(20adIb2Ic4-dI
22-dId5)20.. Pf5 2IadI ,ctc.
17. . . {f7 18 _d2 _c5|
Takingavaythcd5-rook`slastsquarc
andyct, it`sstil|immunc!
19f1
AItcr I9c4dj, thcrookndsancx-
cc||cntpost.
19...f82dc4
20f4g42I c4Oe22aeIb52j
2d2Od7.
2. . . _g621{a4c5 22c4
Thc a-pavn isuntouchablc. 22 O-a7
Od52jOb(2jadIOc)2j.. -e4
24adI(24O-c7h425adId4)
24.. a8' .
22. . . {c62 c a6
Blackisnovclosctovinning,bcsidcs
thccxtrapavn,hcdominatcsthcccn-
tcr, andhasprospcctsoIadvancingto
b5 onthcquccnsidc.
24 ac1 f4 25 {a5 {d7 26
gc4{c6
2.. dj 27e2b528bjb4- .
27f b528b _d 29 c2 cf5
Icou|dn` tsccaIorccdvin,soIdccidcd
tothrcatcnthcc4-pavn, and clcarthc
c5-squarcIorthcknight.
g 5f7 1 cc4 c5 2
h5 h8
I sav j2..O-e4, but Iorsomcrcason,
dccidcd l didn`t vant to givc up my
l 93
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
knightatc7.Ahcrjj\-c7bcj4dI
-fj, B|ackvins.
c1 tjj h4 g4) ... bc4 bc
_c4 5 g5|
Inmutua| timc-prcssurc,Lukcndsa
vaytogctonmyncrvcs.
5. . . hg6_g5
j\gj9e5j7\-g5 9g7.
6 . . . d57g g7
CivingbackapartoIhis booty, B|ack
simp|icsthcposition,andbringsvic-
toryc|oscr.
8 _f7 f7 9 h c6 4
_g7g741c4
4I Oh4 \d4 42 \-d4 cd.
41. . . _c5
Timc-prcssurc is ovcr, and I sav that
rca|izing my advantagc vou|d not bc
simp|c. Foroncthing, B|ack`s king is
vcak, and Ior anothcr, I havc notyct
managcdtocoordinatcmypicccs.Onc
vayto avon position is4I . . .d2 42
dIc44jg4cj44-g77-g7.
42b1
42. . . _d7|
Thcrstandmostimportant stcpto-
vard harmonizing B|ack`s Iorccs, as
wc|lasdcIcndinghisking.
4 h4_c8
Thc hasty4j. . . \-a2!vou|ddrav aI-
tcr44 Fb8|-b8 45 Od8.
44 c1 c5 45 c2 c6 46 h4
_cf647f4|a4|
Simp|cst.
48{h1d449a6f2 5g
f+ 51{g1cf
OI coursc I could havc takcn on g3 .
5 I . . .-gj 52 hg O-gj 5j 7fI
\xh4 ,butI dccidcdthatanattack
vasthcmostdircctpathtovictory.
52 c4+ _d5 5 b d1+ 54
{f2 d2+ 55 {g1 d1+ 56
{f2c7| 57f4_c558 b8+
{g7 59 a4 _d+ 6 {g2
_5f4+ ~1
Lcssous
) Thcmovc I2...f5istypica| inposi-
tionsvhcrcB|ackhasanchcttocdhis
king`sbishop.Knovingsuchstandard
tcchniqucsmakcsitmuchcasicrtoInd
thccorrcct continuation.
2)Inpositionsvhcrcyouhavc ancx-
trapavn,plusabigadvantagc,it`ssti||
a good idcato ca|culatc variations to
thccnd.Othcrvisc,cxhaustionmaysct
inatanymomcnt,andconvcrtingyour
advantagcmaybccomctcdious,orpcr-
hapsimpossib|c.Inthisgamc,2. . . dj
94
AProIcssiona|
vasthcsimp|cstandmostnaturalvay
toachicvcthataim.What Ip|aycdcx-
tcndcdthcgamcanothcrtvcntymovcs
orso.
3) Whcn onc has a largc matcria| ad-
vantagc, it`s alvayspossiblctorctum
somcmatcria|totrytosimp|i[thcsitu-
ation. Thc playcr vith thc advantagc
vants, oIcoursc. as sharp and clcara
pi cturc on thc board as possi bl c
(j7. . . ,g7).
Oncc againthc vinncr oIthcAcroIIot
Opcn rccci vcd an i nvi tati on to
Dortmund. Bythc vay, thisidca vas
initiatcd by thc dircctor oIthc Opcn,
AlcxandcrBakh,andthcCcrmanman-
agcrCarstcnHcnsc|.ThcorganizcrsoI
WikaanZcca|sograciouslyaddcdmc
to thcir |istoIa|tcmatcs Iorthcirmain
cvcnt. Evgcny Barccv rcplaccd 1udit
Polgar, and Ircccivcdan invitationto
Holland vhcn Kasparov ovcrstcppcd
thcsigningdcad|inc,vhi|cvaitingIor
hismatchagainstPonomariov.
My start vas nothing spccia| Iour
dravs,inc|udingAnandandKramnik,
and a comp|ctc|y uncxpcctcd |oss to
Timman, as vhitc in a dcad-dravn
bishopcndgamc.Thcncxtday, aItcra
strongnovc|tyinthcCaro-Kann,Icvcn
Icl l apart against Lcko. So, aItcr six
rounds, I vas"minus-tvo," and shar-
ing lastp|acc. Itvas timcto"zig,"in-
stcad oI"zag. "
Itvas my bcttcr halIvho scrvcd to
transIormmystrcss. MyviIc,vhovas
supposcd to lcavc aIcr thc scvcnth
round,simplyto|dmc that, i I I didn`t
bcat Ivan Sokolov, shc vas going to
divorcc mc. AIcr carch||y vcighing
thcpros and cons I dccidcdtokccp
my Iamily togcthcr. Hovcvcr, I thcn
lost a complicatcdgamctoTopa|ov
butbythattimc,Ritavasnolongcrin
hth Judil Iolgut, Moacow, thc Krcmlin, I 990
I '
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs I 985-2OO4
Wijk, and I cou|d abandon mysclIto
crcativity.
(45) IBologan - IAkopian
Wijkaan Zcc 2OO4
QCDS|avMcranD47j
1d4
Thisison|ythcsixthtimcthatIopcncd
viththcquccn`spavn.Ivantcdtosur-
prisc my opponcnt, but l a|so vantcd
tocxpcrimcntvithncvpositions.Thc
dovnsidc isthc grcat diIculty oIrc-
mcmbcringa||thcvariations.
1...f6 2 c4 c6 f d5 4 c
c65c bd76ddc
Atrstsight,thcMcranvariation|ooks
i||ogical.B|ackallovshisopponcntto
dcvclop his bishop to an activc posi-
tion, vhilc |cavinghisovn at c8. But
hc soon rccovcrs thosc tcmpi , hi s
bishopdcvclopstob7,andahcrcc5,
itvillput strongprcssurc onthcccn-
tcr.Inrcp|y,Whitcp|ayse4,Io|loving
up vith cithcr e5 or d5. Hc can also
disturbthcb5-pavnbya4.
7-c4b58db79 0~0a6
Onc cou| d cxpcct this movc Irom
Vladimir, ashc is a vcl|-knovn spc-
cia|ist in thc Mcran Irom cithcr sidc.
Hovcvcr,hcusua||yprcIcrsthcquictcr
9. . . b4.It`sjustthathcdccidcdtospook
mcviththcsharpRcyno|ds`variation
a |inc that is also part oIAlcxcy
Drccv`srcpcrtoirc,andhcisoncoIthc
top cxpcrts onthcMcran.
1 c4 c5 11 d5 {c7 12 dc fc 1
c2 d6 14 g5 f8 15f4h6
I5. . . 000isconsidcrcdthcmain|inc,
Iorcxamp|c, IOe2h I7fj 2-f4
I8e52-fj I9-fj2-e5 20a4b42I
O-aTb8222ej2d42j2-d4cd
24b5(24-f! K|imov- Fi| ippov,
Krasnoyarsk2OO3)24. . . Oc5(24. . . Ob7
25 Oa5 8d72-d4=) 25 2dj = .
16c5 0~0~0 17cd -d6 18 {c2
hg
I rcmcmbcrcda||thcthcoryunti|nov
- not bad Ior a bcginncr. I a|so kncv
that,atsomcpoint,thcknightvassup-
poscdtogotoc4.Thc|ogica|qucstion
oIvhcthcr to includca2a4 tookup
somc timc, and |cd to thc birth oIa
novclty.
19c4|
I rcsolvcd to postponc a4 Irst, bc-
causc in somc cndgamcs, thc b|ack
pavns vouldjustbcc|oscrto quccn-
ing,andsccond,bccauscinsomclincs,
WhitcisbcttcroIIp|ayingb4rst,and
on|ythcn a4. OIcoursc, Whitc is ccr-
tain|ynotob|igcdtoIo||ovthcsc gcn-
cra|ruminations.
I9a4b420e4d52Ihjgf222-f4
e5 2j9ej e 24 -f gf25 9e4!|
(25Og4(KruppaandKomov)25. . . Od7
2 9f5 De8 27 DacI=) 25. . . Dd 2
l 9
AProIcssiona|
9-b77-b727OfjOc28O-c
7-c29-fd4j0f2c4= (Lastin
S. Ivanov,Krasnoyarsk2OO3).
19 . . . @-c4
AItcr I9. . . d5'?, I cou|d alvays havc
continucd a2a4 and transposcd into
Lastin S. Ivanov.
2@-c4c4I
Aopiantoldmcthathchadstudicdthis
movcathomc.
20. . . d42I2fjgf22a4,or20. . . -e4
2I O-e4 d5 (2I . . . Oc 22 O-c
-c 2jfg e5 242d2e25 aeI
d8 22cj -g5 27-e5 e 28
a4 ) 22 a4 .
21 @c2I
Again,p|aycdacrpro|ongcdthought.
I kncv it vas somcvhat passivc, but
it`s muchmorc importantIorWhitcto
kccpthcbishop-pair.
2 I a4' ? gf 22 2-f4 Oc5 2j 7hI
d4 , or2I 9fj g4'?(2I . . .dj) 22
2-g4 -g4 2j O-g4 Oc5 24 7hI
d5 .
2 . .g4
It` sdi0cu|ttoIndanythingbcttcrIor
B|ack,Iorinstancc,on2I . . . gf229-f4
Oc5+, I havc thc simplc dcIcnsc 2j
f2 =.
22@c d5 2g dh5
B|ack` s thrcats arc casily rcpu|scd,
24f28d7 25a4
Itbcgins!
25. . . b4 29ghj27cI.
26ab ab
27 bI
Brcachingthcblackking`spositionsti||
Iurthcr.
27. . . c
OIcoursc, I vould havc ansvcrcd
27. . . hjby28g2=, andnot28bc?
-gj29g2-g2j0O-g2O-g2
jI 7-g2Lhj.
28 @d4 h 29dI
It` s hard to bclicvc that this natura|
movcthrovsavaythcadvantagc. But
ittumsoutthatB|ack`squccncancom-
bincbothdcIcnsivcandoIIcnsivcdu-
tics.29g2= vasmorcso|id.
29. . . d5I
vhi|citvi||ncvcrbctoo|atctostart Ialso|ookcdat29. . . b4.IMMaxNotkin
myquccnsidcattack. vas corrcct in stating (at vvv.vor|d
I J
VictorBologan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
chcssrating.ru)thatitvasBlack`sbcst
practica| chancc. I von` t prcscnt a||
hisana|ysis I villonlysaythathi s
cva|uation is accuratc. 50 La4 (50
g2' ) 50. . c5 (50. . . Cd5 5I a6
b7 52 c4Td855L-c6C-I454
ic4) 5 c4 L-g5 52 TII LI5 55
L-I5 L-h2' , B|ack`s countcrplay is
su0ci cnt.
0-g7
Somctimcs, incomplcx positions, it`s
a goodidcato vin somc matcrial. It
mightcomcinhandy|atcron.
0. . . _c51@d48h5
2f5|
Thisisa|sobascdonIundamcnta|Iac-
tors.
2 . . . _b4
From a practi cal standpoi nt,
52. . . -g5' vas much strongcr. 55
hgCc5( 55. . . CI4 54-I4 h 55
I2Lh256Tc5ismuchvorsc)54
a8' (akcyrcsourccinmany|incs)
54. . . Tb7 (54. . . -a8 55 -c5) 55
ic4' ' (and cvcrything hangs this
Ircqucntlyhappcnsi nthc Rcynolds `
variation! ) 55. . . -c4 56La7-a7
(B|ackvi||bc Iorccdtotakcthcrook
sooncror|atcr. 56. . . Tc657c7,or
56. . . b657d6)57\-c5Tb758
-b5 Tc8 59 c8 Tc7 40 -h5
c24ib2 .
c5
Enough p|aying vith Irc. I dccidcd it
vastimctosccurcg3.
55 -b4 -g5 54 TI I5, or 55
-c5 Cbd5' .
. . . @d5
Or55. . . C-c2 54L-c2-I5 55-c5.
4a8+|
ThccxchangcsacriIcc|cadstoahopc-
|cssposition Ior B|ack. 54\-c5 Cc6
55ig7 .
4. . . @-a85@-c5+_c66c4
I misscd thc possib|c pin Irom a7 i n
timc-prcssurc. 56i-c5- .
6. . . @a1+ 7 f1 @a7| 8 @-a7
_-a79-ccf40-f5+ b7
Thctimc-contro|isrcachcd,andWhitc
hasatcchnica||yvonposition.
l 98
AFroIcssiona|
41-g4
MorcprcciscisAkopian`ssuggcstion.
4f2h 7 429-h 7-h 7 4jf4 .
41. . . -h242f7+b84-h5
-h544g2 _c645g4 d546
f6
Whi | c cutti ng oII thc bl ack king,
Whitc`srookandbishoparmadaaidthc
pavn`sadvancctothcquccningsquarc.
46. . . c8 47 g d7 48 f8+
c749g5 d1 5f2 d2+ 51
fd+52f4d15g6 _d4
54f7+ d655-d4-d4+56
f5 d5+ 57 g4 c6 58 f
d1 59g7 1~
lcss0ns
I ) It`s vcry important to undcrstand
vhichpicccstocxchangcandvhichto
rctain. Ihadto loscanumbcroItcmpi
to kccp my |ight-squarcd bishop ( 2
9c2').
2) Whcn thc cncmy pavns arc ad-
vanccd on thc quccnsidc, it`s alvays
tcmpting totargctthcm by a4. In rc-
sponsc, Blackmustcithcrvcakcn thc
c4-squarcoracccptthcopcningoIthc
a-Ilc.
3)ThiscndgamcoIIcrsthcc|carcstcx-
amplc oIthc bishop`s advantagc ovcr
thc knightinanopcn position. AsoI-
tcn happcns, thc prcscncc oI rooks
makcs thc advantagc cvcn grcatcr.
Quitcocn,aknightvi|lnotcvcnhavc
hth m| {uthcr Anton Nikolu|cvich
I 99
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
a squarc lcI,and inthisgamc, B|ack
cou|docrnorcsistancctothcadvancc
oIthcg-pavn.
ThcvinovcrVolodyapul|cdmcupto
"minus- l ,"butsti|lahcadvasLockvan
Wc|y,multi-timcchampionoIHol|and,
vho vas having a good toumamcnt.
Lock is an amazi ng p| aycr, vhosc
"Iight-Ia|| sinc-curvc ratio" is vorsc
thanminc. his E|o varics bctvccn bc-
lov 2OO to abovc 27OO. At thc timc
this gamc vas p|aycd, hc vas somc-
vhcrc in thc midd|c oIhis ncxt |cap.
This vas thc sccondycarrunning in
vhich Lock had p|aycd vcry vc|| i n
WikaanZcc. Inmyopinion, thc rca-
sons Ior this arc his vcry rcsponsib|c
approachtochcss,hisvorkvithplay-
crs oI thc highcst calibcr (such as
Topa|ov), and thc Iactthat hc vorks
continuously vith such an cxacting
posi t i onal p| aycr as V| adi mi r
Chuchc|ov.
(4)L van helj IBologan
Wijkaan Zcc 2OO4
Quccn`s Indian El 2j
1d4_f62c4c6 _fb6
ThisvasthcrsttimcthatIp|aycdthc
Quccn`sIndianDcIcnsc.OIcoursc,thc
inaugura|appcaranccisalvaysdi0cu|t
at this |cvc|, but myprcvious cxpcri-
cnccs vith Akopi an and Soko| ov
provcdthatthiscanalsovorkoutprctty
vc| | . Prcvious|y, I had a|vays p|aycd
thcQuccn`sCambitDcc|incd.
Uponsccingj. . . b6,vanWclythought
Ioravhi|c andtricdtosurpriscmc.
4 _c
Thcthingis,inmyprcparationsIorthis
gamc, I studicd cvcry sing|c linc van
Wc|y had cvcr p|aycd in his l iIc. No
morc,no|css andhcp|aycdp|cntyoI
thcm.Hc vould p|ay in"spurts", Iour
gamcs vithoncvariation, IourorIvc
gamcsinanothcr,andthcnmovconto
adiIIcrcntlinc.Thcsc"cu|tura|vavcs"
vcrcrcadilydistinguishab|c inthcda-
tabasc,anditvasgoodpracticcIormc
togoovcrallthcscvariations.
4 " " b75g5b4
Ircmcmbcrcdthissctupprcttyvc||.
6{bc57 a -c+8{-c h6
9 h4g51g _c4
Itvou|dsccmthatB|ackhasvonaIcv
tcmpiandscizcdthcinitiativc.Butthis
vho|clincisonclongprovocationby
Whitc.B|ackshou|dnotgctgrccdy,but
rathcr conccm himsc|IIrstand Iorc-
mostvithkccpinghispositiontogcthcr
andholdingthcbalancc. Bythispoint,
hchasscriouslyvcakcncdhisposition,
vhi|cWhitc, strangc as itmay sccm,
sti||contro|sthcccntcr,andhascrcatcd
novcakncsscsinhisposition.
11 {d _-g
Pcrhaps I . . .d6vas strongcr, vaiting
Ior Whitc top|ay I2 Cd2 (thc knight
mightdovcryvc||atI), Iorcxamp|c,
2. . . C-gjIjhgCd7 4Cc42-c4I 5
-c4 cd I 6-d4 t6 I 7d2 Cc5
8 dI Cc4 I9d4-d4 20 D-d4
t5 , vi th cqua| i ty ( I . Soko| ov -
StcIansson,Rcykavik2OO3).
12hg{f6 1dcI
Van Wc|yhadprcparcdthisnovc|tyat
homc,but, |ucki|y Ior mc, hcvas un-
ab|c to rcca|l a|| thc variations. Thc
200
A ProIcssional
logic oIthc cxchangc at c5 is quitc
simplc. Whitc crcatcs prcssurc onthc
d-Ilc,vhichvillmakcitdicult Ior
Blacktodcvclophispicccs.
Ij |dI 2-fj I4gfcd I5-d4-d4
IF-d4c-.
| . . . bc
I j . . . -b2 I 4|bIf I 5cbabIe4.
14 ~~
I4FdI 2c(4 . . . g4 I 5d2d5Icd
ed I7 bjd7 I8 -c5, I4 . . . 2-fj
I 5gf-b2I2g2)I 5bj(5 b42a4
I |bIc) I 5 . . . g4 Id2a.
14...g4 15_h2
I5 d2 -f2 Ibj2c I 7Ocj
Fh7.
15...h5
hith m| mothcr Annu ologun
It looks as though Black has nailcd
Whitc`s knight to h2, butthc truth is
thatthisknightvillalvaysbcablcto
gctout. Mcanvhilc,Black`spositionis
ustinundatcdvithvcakncsscs.
16d6
Thc cncrgctic I f4' vas thc vay Ior
Whitctogainthcuppcrhand.Hcvants
to continuc simply e4, 9e2, fIej,
andvhatis Blackto dointhc mcan-
timc?Oncpossiblcvariationis. I. . . |g8
(. . . gfI7g I7ej2c8 I8Oh7g
(8 . . . Og7 I92dj c 20-g7|-g7
2I fI) I 99dj O-h7209-h7.
Ifj' ?isalsovorthconsidcration.But
van Wcly dccidcd to bcgin concrctc
playimmcdiatcly.
16. . . g5+
Thisimportant chcckallovs Blackto
dcIcnd.
17[d2
I7 ej |g8 I8 f4 gf I9 -fj O-ej
20 |d2 2-fj 2I gfeI 22 7c2
O-gj 2jO-c5Og 242dj f5 25
f4c.
17 . . . [g818f4 c7
2Ol
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
Rcncatingvithtcmpo, Whitc can`tcx-
changcquccns,sinccinthccndgamc,his
kingsidcpicccsarcvcrypoorlyp|accd.
19c5f5
Nov thc Ianchcttocd quccn`s bishop
contro|sthccntirc|ongdiagona| .This
mcansthatB|ack, i ntum,standsvcry
vc||indccd.
2[d6
This iskids`stuII Whitchashiscyc
on a pavn. Truc, 20 cj Cc6 2 Oc7
b822 9c2Od82jOd6a5vou|d
also|cavcBlackvithagrcatadvantagc.
2 . . . c621 c5a5|
C|car|y,thcmovcvanWclyovcr|cokcd.
22 b4
Civing up thc cxchangc by 22 O-a5
-d6isbadcnough,butnotgivingup
thc cxchangc is goingtobcvorsc.
22. . . c4 2 b7 d6 24
a8+c725b7
25 -g8d2 26TbI -b2 * .
25. . . [b8 ~1
Lessous
) Falscgoa|s,suchasthcc5-pavn,can
distractusIromthcobcctivc|ycorrcct
so|ution ( I 6d6).
2) Quitc ocn, onc mistakc |cads to
anothcr(20d6).Buthavingsaid"a,"
oncdocsnothavctosay"b."Whitchad
toadmithismistakcandstartghting
Iorcquality.
3) Whcn you havc a strangc arrangc-
mcnt oIpicccs (such as a rook on d
vithaquccnonc5),vith|itt|csupport
IromthcrcstoIthcunits(thcI| -bishop,
h2-knightandh -rookstandsomcvhat
comical|yandhavca|mostnomovcs),
acombinationisinthcair.B|ackcou|d
cvcnsacriccmatcria|,bccausc,obcc-
tivc|y spcaking, Whitc vas playing
thrccpicccsdovn.
Atthatmomcnt, Ity pcrccntsccmcd
tomcthcstuIIoIdrcams,andIsctmy-
sc|Ithcgoaltomcrc|ymaintainmypo-
sitionunti|thccndoIthc toumamcnt.
Forahcadloomcdthc tcrriblc Svid|cr
andShirov.
1 d4
(47) IBologan 5viJler
Wijk aan Zcc2OO4
Nco-CriinIc|d [D7j
Priortothisgamc,IhadmctPctcron|y
tvicc,andi nbothgamcs,natura||y,my
rstordcroIbusincsshadbccntoad-
vanccmyking`spavn.Comp|ctclydis-
satisIcd vith my accumu|atcd ha|I-
points,Ica||cdin d4toimprovcour
mutual statistics.
1... f62c4g6fg74gd5
2O2
AProIcssiona|
Youdon`tnccdaIortunc-tc|lcrtoprc-
di ct t hat Svi dl cr vi l | pl ay t hc
CriinIcld DcIcnsc. AIcr this gamc,
thc2003RussianChampionacknovl-
cdgcdthathcchoscthcsharpd5ovcr
thc solid 4. . . c6, vith d5 to Iol | ov,
onlyoutoIlovcIorhisart.Wc|l, thco-
rctica|ly,Svid|crsti||hadachanccata
pnzc.
5cd-d56y2
Inthislinc,thcIanchcttocdbishopsarc
cngagcdinavaroI"compctitivcusc-
Iu|ncss. Having thc rst movc and
bcttcrccntra|controlcnsurcsthatWhitc
vil|rctain somc initiativc. Hcvilltry
to incrcasc his prcssurconthclongdi-
agonal,vhi|ca|sooccupyingthcccn-
tcrvithpavnsandrcstrictingBlack`s
picccs. B|ack, intum,villprcparcthc
c5-brcak to simp|iIy thc position, and
pcrhaps u|timatcly achicvc an cqua|
cnding.
6. . . b6 7 c c6 8 c ~ 9
~c8
B|ack`sp|ay|ooksstrangc. Butmyob
vastoacccptthcthcory. iIsomcbody
p| aycdit oncc, thcn itmustbc satis-
Iactory.
I 2 . . . c6 is playcd morc oIcn, but it
sccmcdasiImyRussianopponcntvas
ina vcry dccisivc Iramc oImindthat
day.
1 f
Indicating Whitc` s Iurthcr prioritics.
IghtingIorthcccntra|squarcsand,as
muchaspossib|c,cxploitingthcunIor-
tunatcp|accmcntoIthcblackknights.
Black`staskismadcmuchcasicrbyI j
CbjC-bj I4ab2d4 I 5 b4c5I 6dc
2-c6 I7bc2-c5 I8Cd5C-d5 I9cd
2t5 (Wojtaszck - TimoIccv, Coa
2002).
AnothcrCrunIc|dDcIcnscaIcionado,
Emil Sutovsky,

vould latcr improvc

Svid|cr`sp|ayvith Ij. . . c6' AIcr I4
2g5 c8| I 5cI | cd I 6cd2hj'
(I6 . . . Cac4vou|dhavcbccnbcttcr)I 7
bj| , Whitc had cut oII ncarly al | oI
B|ack`spicccs,andvonconIdcntlyon
movctvcnty-six(Bo|ogan Sutovsky,
Ivry2004).
14c2b5 15bb4 16bc-c
Uptothispoint,thcSt.PctcrsburgCM
1d5 a511d4d7 12c4c5 had p|aycd quitc rapidly and con-
203
VictorBologan. SclcctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
dcntly, vhich usually indicatcs prior
knovlcdgcoIthcposition.
17d2|I
Itisstrangcthatthismovc,mcntioncd
byRustcmDautovinthcanalysistoonc
oIhisgamcs,hadcscapcdPctya`svigi-
lantcyc- cspcciallysinccthcgamcin
qucstionvasvitaltothcvholc Ij'fj
linc. Evidcntly, Svidlcr`s prcparation
had Iocuscd mainly on I7 2b2, Ior
cxamplc, I7. . . 2-b2I8O-b2'-c4I9
OcI9b520Ohf 2IfcI'd22
-c5Ob2jOej'c424Od4ac8
25-c8-c8,vithsomcprcssurcIor
Whitc(DautovSutovsky,Esscn 999).
17. . . g7
Playcd,oI coursc,ahcrlcngthythought.
Black can takc thc cxchangc, but it`s
dangcrous. I7 . . . 9-aI I8 -aI 'b7
tI8 . . . e5 I9 aj, I8. . . Ob I9'e5Od
20f4) I9 e5tI9Ob2'd 202hf
2I 'd2 e5) I9. . . 2f5 20 Ob2J . This
vas Dautov`s analysis inIn{ormant.
Nov,IorthcsakcoIclarity,lctmccx-
tcnd thc variation. 20. . . 'a5 2I cI
2dj 222hf 2jd= .
18ac1
Thcrookisvorsconb . I8abI'b7
I9e5 tI92 f4 e5)I9. . . 9f5.
18. . . b6
Bythispoint,bothplaycrshadgurcd
outthcbasicstratcgyoIthcposition.II
BlackplaysI8 . . . e5,thcspcctacularI9
aj| isapovcrhlrcsponsc.AndiIBlack
playsI8 . . . 'b7,thcnhcvon`tgctinc5.
I9e52f520Obj'a52I Oej = .
1 9 fc1I
InspitcoIWhitc`sgrcat spaccadvan-
Vi|k aan Zcc 2004
2 J 4 5 ? 8 0 2 J 4 1otal
I . Anand,Vuwanathan x 0 8'
2. Adam, Michacl x 0 8
J. Lcko, Pctcr x I 8
4. Bologn, V ktor 0 x 0 0 ?'^
5. 1opalov, Vcscl I I x 0 0 ?'^
. Barccv, Evgcny 0 0 x 0 0 '
?. Van Wc|, Lock 0 x 0 '^
8. Kram, Vlad 0 I x 0
C
0 '^
. SvUlcr, Fctcr 0 I 0 x 0
I 0. Akopian, Vlad 0 0 0 0 x
C

l I . Shzov, Akxci 0 0 0 x
2.ZangZong 0 0 0 0 x 5
I J. Sokokv, !van 0 0 0 0 x 5
l 4.1rn, 1an 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C
x 4
2O4
AProIcssiona|
tagcandhavingthcuppcrhandinthc
ccntcr,hcsti|lmustdcmonstratcsomc-
thingmorctangiblcthanjustthcccn-
tralizcddcvc|opmcntoIhispicccs.To-
vard thiscnd,hccouldccrtain|yhavc
p|aycd I9 2ej e5, Io||ovcdbybring-
ingthc knight to d3. 20 'eI 'b7 2I
'djac822f4ef2jgf!.
19 ad8
I9. . . 'b7 20 e5. In rcp|y to I9. . . e5' ?,
Whitcstillhas20aj,althoughitis|css
cIIcctivcthanbcIorc. 20. . . bj 2IOdj|
(2I Ocj'b7 22 a4'? (22 bI 2a4)
22. . . 'd (22. . . 2-a4 2j aI b2 24
abI) 2j a5 Ob7 24 bI ab8 25
2cIOb4(25. . .f52'd22a4272aj
2h 28 f4| ) 2 O-b4 -b4 27 2aj
-c4 28 'd2 c2 29 '-bj 'b5 j0
2-c5 'cj) 2I . . .'b7 22 bI 2a4 2j
2cj'd24'd2 .
2 h
AdiIIcrcnt vay oIhandling thc posi-
tion. Thc main idcais totakcthcg4-
squarcavayIromthcbishoponI5. OI
coursc,Whitciscxpcndingtvotcmpi
ononcsquarc.
20e52f5 2I OdI e.
2 c6| 21g4cd
2I . . .'b7 22e5f2jef 2-f24'g5
e5 25'e4 = .
22cd(22edf5) 22 c4
hith m wj/c, Murguritu
2O5
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2004
Svidlcrisancxtraordinarilydangcrous 25_-c5 -c5|
countcrattackcr-vhichiscxact|yvhy
hcp|aysthc CrtinIc|dand thcNajdorI 25. . . -e5 2Ob2 Od 27 bI b8
asb|ack.
282d2= ho|dsoutlongcr.
2 c
Hcrc, it sccmcd that thc cxchangc oI
dark-squarcd bi shops vou|d assurc
Whitcalastingadvantagc,bccauscoI
thcccntra|pavnstructurc.
2je5cj242ejOb5.
2. . . c7
2j. . . Oa 24 e5' (24 2d4 2-d4 25
-d4Ob2 edI c8)24. . . 2-e5
25-e5-e522c5-eI27-eI
Ob5 282d4cj29OcI .
24 c5
Thc concrctc approach, 242d4, runs
into 24. . . 2-d4 25-d4Oc5 (25. . . cj
2aj) 2FedI c8|?,vhcn B|ack is
Inc.
24d4cj.
24...-c5
Thc Iatal crror. 24. . . -e5 25 -e5
2-e5272-a72cj272ej2-eI 28
|-eI= docsn`t cqua|izc cithcr. Morc
in thc spi ri t oI thc posi ti on (and
Svid|cr, too) is 24. . . cj| , sharpcning
thcpositiontothcmaximum,viththc
thrcatoIc4. 25aj(25ObI c42
O-b4-e527-e52-e5)25. . . c4
2dOb827ab-e528-e52-e5
292c59b5(29. . . 2-dj0O-cj2e5
jIOaj) j0-e5-e5jIO-cje
j22d5e-djj9-dO-dj4dI
Ob
26c5|
It`s important to brcak thc bond bc-
tvccn B|ack`sb- andc-pavns.Anun-
c| car position ariscs aftcr 2 2-a7
O-eI27-eI|-eI287h2de8
292fj2b5 j02c5bj.
26. . . -c1+ 27 -c1 -c1+ 28
{h2dc8
28. . . bj29ab(29Ocjbaj0O-eI bj
jI Oe7 a8) 29. . . -bj (29. . . cb j0
Ocj)j02-a7c8jI Ocj = .
29 -b4 1c2 c -f2 1
{g
2O
AProIcssIona|
Tvo IactorsgivcWhitcadccisivcad-
vantagc. thc mating thrcats against
B|ack`skingandthcunIortunatcposi-
tionoIthca5-knight.
1. . . -a2
jI . . . fe2 j2 2fj 2ej jj Of 'b7
j42d2 .
2f6
Timc-troublc. UnIortunatc|y, in chcss
thcrc isnosymbol Ior "Iatiguc," or I
vou|d havc attachcd it to this movc.
AItcrthcc|cmcntaryj22-a5b8jj
Oe5,Whitcvins.
2.._b7
Rctuming thc Iavor. Stubborn rcsis-
tanccvasoIIcrcdbyj2...'bjjj2cj
ej j42fj -cj j5 O-cj 'd2 j
2g2 =.
c2
jj. . . ej j4 7f4 a5 j5 -ej ab j
Oe7 .
4 a6 _d8 5 -a7 b5 6
d4
Hcrcmyclockshovcdthirty-thrccscc-
onds,andIundcrstoodthatB|ack`s|ast
chanccvastoconhscmcvithhison|y
activcpossibi| ity.
6 . . . f5 7gf _f7
j7. . . gfj87f4't j9OgI 7h8 40
OdI .
8fghg9b6| 1~
Istil|hadthirtysccondsonmyc|ock!
lcss0ns
) I72d2|'vashomcprcparation. II
B|ackhadacccptcdthccxchangcsac-
ricc, Whitc vould obtain control oI
thcvcakcncd|ongdiagona|,vhich,in
combinationviththcpovcrhlc|ustcr
oIccntcr pavns, vould crcatc a dan-
gcrous situationIorB|ack.
2)Havingpavnsinthcccntcrdocsn`t
mcananythingbyitsclI. 20. . . e'vasa
vcry good vay oI ghting thc pavn
ccntcr. Bl ack crcatcd a situation i n
vhich thc advancc oIthc d- and c-
pavnsvasbadIorWhitc,vhilcB|ack
obtaincd countcrplay thanks to his
passcdpavnsonthcquccnsidc.
J) B|ackvasvrongtoacccptthcpoi-
soncdpavnsacricc24e5,bccauschis
b4-pavnvasmuchmorcva|uab|c.
(48)A. 5hirov IBologan
Wikaan Zcc 2OO4
PctroIIDcIcnsc [C42j
Scvcnycarsago,IvasAlcxci `ssccond
atWijkaanZcc,vhilca|sop|ayingin
thc"B"toumamcnt. In2OO4,vcvcrc
playing in thc samc toumamcnt, and
mct inthc Ima|round.Wccach hada
rough start, but vc managcd to brcak
outoIthc "minuszonc"ncarthccnd.
1 c4c52 _f_f6
WithahalI-pointmorcthanmyoppo-
ncnt, I dccidcd to p|ay as so|id|y as
possib|c. Thc dravback vas that this
vason|ythcthirdtimcIhadp|aycdthc
PctroDcIcnsc.
_-c5d64_f_-c45d4d56
d _c67 ~ c78c4
2O7
VictorBologan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
A|cxcidccidcdtoIo||ovthcmain|inc,
Anandplaycd8eI againstmcinthc
samctoumamcnt.
8. . . b4 9 Qc2 ~ 1 c Qf5
11 a c 12b c6
Thc hangingpavns at c3 and d4 can
cithcrbc a strcngthor a vcakncss. I I
Whitcarrangcshi spicccspropcr|y,hc
vi|| havc a sma|| advantagc, bccausc
oIhis supcriority in thc ccntcr. Whitc
a|sotricstocrcatcp|ayonthcb- andc-
I|cs. B|acknccdnot bc ahaidoIthis
ccntcr. iIthc pavns rcachc4 and d5,
hisknightvil|rctrcattoa5,Blackvi||
xthcpavnsbyb,andWhitcvon`t
knovvhattodovithhisccntcr.
1 c1 c8 14 cd d5 15 f4
ac8 16h|
Kramnikplaycdthisthcprcviousycar
inWikaan Zcc. Itischicyaimcdat
9f,tovhichWhitccannovrcp|yg4
g5 vith tcmpi, Whitc a|so crcatcs thc
basisIormancuvcringCh2g4.
16. . . f6 17 h2 a5 18 d2
c7|
TryingtoimprovconAnand. I8 . . . cd8
I 92fj h 20 Cg4 9-g4 2I hg 9g5
229-g5hg2j-e8-e824Odj
(Kramnik Anand, Wij k aan Zcc
2OO3) .
19f|
Wc||p|aycd' Hovcvcr, Shirovvasa|-
rcadymuchvorscontimc.Ivasmain|y
cxpccting I9 Cg4, vith approximatc
cqual i|ty. I9. . . 9-g4202-g4cd8.
19...cd82 g4
2O8
AIcr209-b7c5,B|ackisnc.
2...g421hgh6
I a|so considcrcd thc quccn sacriIcc
2I . . . c 22 g5 9-g5 2j e5 O-e5 24
de 9-d2,butthcn 25 e| fe 2Obj
givcsWhitcthcbcttcrchanccs.
22b1
Hcrc,again,a"Iatigucsymbolvou|d
bcuscIu|.Onhisbcstday,A|cxcivou|d
havctakcnthcpavn.222-b7|c(this
may bc bcst Ior B|ack, thc natural
22. . . c52jdcO-c524Oa4,or2j2e4
cd 24cdOb25 bI O-d4 22a5
O-dI 27 b-dI -dI 28 -dI, as
Shirov dcmonstratcd ahcrthc gamc,
kccpsWhitc`sadvantagc) 2jbI (2j
f4Oc7 24 9a Cd5 25 g5 hg 2 fg
9e5 vith somc practical chanccs)
2j. . . c5 24 c4 O-aj 25 d5 9d4 2
2ej .
22. . . b6 2a4c6
B|ack has a vcry so|id position.AItcr
putting his quccn on d7, hc vi|l bc
rcadytocithcrcxchangcrooksorplay
c5.
24c2a625c4c826bc1
d7
A ProIcssiona|
I ocrcd a drav, bccausc thc position
had practica|ly lcvclcdout andWhitc
has no activc p|an, plus A|cxci vas
dovntojusttvcnty minutcs Ior Iour-
tccn movcs.
2? d
Acrconsuming muchoIhis rcmain-
ingtimc, mycombativc opponcnt dc-
cidcdtocontinucplaying.Itvastomy
goodIortuncthatmyopponcntsinthis
tournamcnt consistcntly undcrcsti-
matcdmc.
2? . . . _d5 28 [- c8+ [- c8 29
[-c8+-c8c4|
Havingtumcddovnthc drav, Shirov
nov has a rcsponsibi|ity to p|ay ac-
tivcly. j0gj2g5| jI 2-g5 hg j2c4
'f lcadstocqua|ity.
. . . _c?|
MyIrstthoughtvastocontinucp|ay-
ing so|id|y. j0. . . 'e7jI Oe4Od7 j2
2ej 2g5. Indccd, this cxchangc is
Black`smostimportant rcsourcc. But
thcnI dccidcdtotcsta sharpcrpossi-
bility, oncthat cvcn gavc Blackvin-
ningchanccs.
1a5
Thcdircct jI d5cdj2 cd |cavcs thc
a-pavn hangi ng. j2. . . O-a4 jj d
'e=.
j I 2ej 9g5 j2 2-g5 hg jj d5
Od7.
1. . . ba2@-a5_cd5
jj2cj9-d4j49-d4Od7 j59-c
O-d4 = .
. . . cd 4 -d5
Shirovvasintimc-troublc,and,ashc
latcr admittcd to mc, hc had a|rcady
givcnupon hisnotionsoIvinning.
j4cd'd4j59e4Oc8j7fI OcI
j72eI-, j49-d5 'f4.
4. . . @d4
B|ack`sdark-squarcdbishop occupics
abcttcrpostthanitsriva|,vhichcom-
pcnsatcs IorWhitc`sadvantagc oIthc
bishop-pair.
4 @c4
Whitc most likc|y misscd thc dcIcnsc
'f8 bccausc oItimc-troub| c. Evcn
vhcntryingtomakcadrav,A|cxciis
sti|lthinkingaboutthccncmyking.Hc
shouldhavcsimplyp|aycdj5Ob5|(j5
g5Ob8)j5. . . O-b5jcb-.
209
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
5 . . . a4I
Nov Whitc must losc matcrial . Thc
quccn is cut oII Irom thc ki ng by
B|ack` s bishop, vhilc thc cxtrcmcly
unIortunatcpositionoIWhitc`sbishop
ona5 al|ovsBlacktovhipupadcci-
sivcattack.
6 h2
P|aycdvith sccondsonthcclock.
jOa8Cf8 j7Od8OaI j8 7h2
2-f2,j2eI OaI j7Oa52-f2| ,
j2djOdIj72fI O-g4.
6 . . . -f2 7 c a 8 d2
d4I
SinccWhitcsti||hasthctvobishops,
it`sbcttcrtosimpliIy.
9 b4
j92-d4Od40gjO-d4.
Morc accuratc is j9. . . 2e5 40 7gI
Ogj,vinninganothcrpavn.
4 d5
P| aycd onc sccond bcIorc 0ag-Ial | .
AhcrthcIorccd40OeI2e54I7hI
Od4,Ivou|dstil|havctodcmonstratc
mymastcryoItcchniquc.
4. . . g1+I ~1
Prctticrthanthcsimplc40. . . OgI, a|-
though that a|sovins. 4I 7gj 2e5
42 7fj OfI 4j Of2 Cg5 44 7ej
2d4, 40. . . 2gI 4I 7hj (4I 7gj
Oe5 42 7fj Cd4) 4I . . .Cg5 42
7h4 Of.
cssons
) SinccWhitchadthcbishop-pair,hc
shou|dhavcstrivcdIoropcnpositions.
Fromthis,itIo|lovsthathcshouldhavc
playcd 22 2-b7, vithout Icar oIany
mythica|tactica|comp|ications.
2)WhcndcIcndingagainstthcbishop-
pair, i t ` s i mportant to crcatc vcry
"tcnaci ous" pavn structurcs ( | i kc
c and b), vhcrc thc opponcnt vill
Ind it diIIcult toopcnthc position.
Exchangcsa|ongthconlyopcnI|c(thc
c-|c)p|ayintoWhitc`shands, sothc
advantagcoIthcbishop-pairhadtobc
minimizcd.
3) Whcn your opponcnt is obvious|y
ovcr-cstimatinghisposition,andovcr-
l ooki ng your countcr-thrcats, you
shou|dtrytoscizcthc initiativc. With
j4. . . 2d4, Black bcgan p|aying Ior
countcrattack.
Andso, thankstoa cry Inish - 4':
outoI5- Isuccccdcdinmaking"p|us-
2, and s harcd Iourth p| acc vi t h
Topa|ov.ThcvinncroI thctoumamcnt,
IorthcIourthtimc,vasthcIndianviz-
ard,VisvanathanAnand.
2 O
A FroIcssiona|
I, a|ong vith somc oImy co||cagucs,
asscsscdmypcrIormanccasmorcsig-
niIcantthanmyvictoryatDortmund.
OIcoursc,itvashardcrhcrc. thcnov-
clty Iactor had vom o(ncvcomcrs
hcqucnt|y gct lucky) and, in contrast
to Dortmund, I vas cxpcctcdto p|acc
high(vhich, asarulc,isahindrancc).
Yct, atthc samc timc, itvas morc in-
tcrcsting morcopponcnts,morcdi-
vcrsc opcnings, and diIIcrcnt charac-
tcrs. Ncvcrthc|css,thc mostimportant
aspcctvasthatItookanothcrstcpIor-
vard.
Ascvcnthcmostinattcntivcrcadcrcan-
nothavcIailcdtonoticc,mychcssca-
rccrhasbccnasucccssionoI"upsand
dovns. My only conso|ation is that
cach "up" isbcttcrthanthcprcccding
onc, iIon|ybyas|ivcr. Ihavcnoidca
hov |ong thisupvardspi ra| vill con-
tinuc.Agcisagc,andchcsskccpsgct-
tingyoungcr.KarakinandCarlscnarc
cuttingthcirIast-grovingtccthrightat
my hccls.At thirty-tvo, I Ind ithard
to signiIcant|y stcp up myovnpacc.
Butthat`sthcvayIam.thchighcrthc
barricadc, thc toughcr thc goal to
achicvc,thcbcttcrIp|ay.Forinchcss,
asinanyothcrIc|doIsport,thcmain
thingismotivation.Thchighcrthatis
in any sport sman, thc bcttcr hi s
chanccs. That cxccptiona| miraclc oI
tvo ccnturi cs, Vi ctor Lvovi ch
Korchnoi, kccps playing athi s vcry
high|cvc|prcttymuchcntirclythanks
tomotivation.
InMarchoI2OO4, Itravc|cdtothcju-
bi|cc Ih tournamcnt in Poikovsky,
andthistimc,considcringmyprcvious
tvobadycars,Idccidcdtop|ayitsolid.
Ncvcrthclcss, aItcrtvoroundsI on|y
hadha|Iapoint,vhi|cthctoumamcnt`s
ncvcomcr,A|cxandcrCrischuk,startcd
Ioikovaj: It a not uat u vucution - it x work, too!
2 I I
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
oIIvith tvo victorics. Hc had to bc
stoppcd.
(49) IBologan A. Grischuk
Foikovsky2OO4
QCD Scmi-S|av ChcbancnkoD45j
1 d4_f62c4c6_fd54_c
c65ca6
Amazing|y, this movc grovs incrcas-
inglypopular. B|ack vaits Ior hisop-
poncntto bringouthisking`s bishop.
Inalmostcvcry|incoIthcMcran,thc
movcaisuscIulIorBlack.
6 c5
Thcmostprincip|cdrcp|y.NovWhitc`s
stratcgyvi||consistoI tryingtocxploit
thc vcakcncddarksquarcsinthc cn-
cmycamp.Hcmaycithcrstartapavn
assaultonthc quccnsidc, orcxccutc
eje4. OIcoursc,aIcrthccxchangc
onc4,B|ackobtainsd5Iorhisknight,
butbccauscoIWhitc` sspaccadvan-
t agc and t hc i mpri soncd cncmy
quccn` s bi shop, Whitc vi l | havc a
stcadyinitiativc.
6. . . _bd7
Thc gamc Sargi ssi an Koba| i ya
( Fctrosian Mcmori al , Nagorny
Karabakh 2OO4) took on a com-
pl ctcl ydiIIcrcntcharactcr.. . . b7cb
Cbd7 8 Ca4 C-b 9 2d2 Cbd7 I0
cI2b7 IIb4 Ce4 I 2Cc52-c5 Ij
bca5I4bI, vhcnWhitchadasmall
advantagc.
7 b4 g6
7. . . a58b5 e59Oa4 Oc7 I0 2aj e4
I I Cd2 2e7 I 2 b Od8 I j hj7=
(Kasparov - "X3D Fritz, Ncv York
2OO3) . This vasthconlygamcIcould
rcmcmbcrduringp|ay,thctcxtbcgins
mydiscovcryoIavholcncvvor|d.
8 b2
Black`sgoingtop|aye5sooncror|atcr,
and thcn thc Ianchcttocd bishop vi||
comcintoitsovn.
8. . . g79 c2|
WhitcscckstoIorcstal|Cg4,iIB|ack
gctsine5.
92dje5 I0deCg4I I e4Cd-e5I 2
C-e5C-e5 I jedcdI4C-d500 .
9. . . ~ 1~{c71 1 _a4
On I I Oc2, B|ackvou|dcqualizcby
I I . . .e5' I2 e4 (I2 de C-e5 Ij C-e5
O-e5 I4 Cb5 Oe7 I5 Cd Ce4 )
I2. . . edI jC-d4C-e4 I4C-e4deI 5
=-e4Cf IOh4Cd5.
11. . . _c4 12 _c1
Thc idcabchindthismovc isto drivc
thcknightIromc4byf2fj,andtobring
my ovn kni ght to d3 . Hovcvcr,
Crischuk`s suggcstion oII 2Cd2'? i s
bcttcr,Iorcxamplc, I 2. . . C-d2(I2. . . f5
2 2
A ProIcssiona|
Ijf4 , IjC-e4feisinIcrior) IjO-d2
e5 I4de(I4e4de I5 d5cd IO-d5
Cf I7 O-e5 CI7 Od O-d 8 cd
.g4) I 7 . . . O-e5 8 2-e5 Cd5 I9
i-g7 7-g720 aj 2d7-)I4 . . . 2-e5 I5
2-e5C-e5 ICbb8 I7a4 .
12. . . c5
I 2 ... f5 Ij Cdj.
1dc
Ijfj Cef,or Ij. . . Cg5 I4de2-e5.
1. . . _-c5
Ij. . . 2-e5I42-e5C-e5 I 5fjCf I
Cc2 ie I7Cd4 fe8 I8Od2 e7
I 9feI ae8 202fI 7g7 2I Ccj =
isgoodIorWhitc.
14f_f6 15 _b6b8
16 d4|
Notthc bcstpiccctooccupyaccntral
squarc. Chcbancnko taught mc that
bishopsoughttobcshcltcrcd,vhi|cthc
knightsshou|dbcstationcdinthcccn-
tcrasmuchaspossiblc.
I Cc2 e8 I7 Od2 ie J8 Cd4
16. . . c8 17 d2 _cd7 18 _d
_-b6
Thc si mp| cst cqual i zi ng l i nc i s
I8. . . Ch5' I 9C-c8(I9C-d72-d720
g42-d42IedCg7) I9. . . b-c820f4
2-d42I ed Cg7 22Ce5f.
19cbc72_c5
2 . . . _h5
A|cxandcrrccctsthcsimplicationby
20. . . Cd7 2I 2-g77-g7 22 Od4 f
2jC-d7.-d724 7f2Oe525gje7
2LfeIbe8 272fI2f5, bccausc
hc`splayingtovin.
20. . . 2h2I7f2.
21 fc1 d8|
Missing his last chancc. 2I . . .2h 22
2fI Cg7' , 2I . . . 2-d4 22 ed Od8 2j
.fI .
22f1 -d4
22. . . O-b2jCd7Oc724C-b8O-b8
25g4= , 22... f5 2ja4 .
2cd c6
bd8 I9 ad . Crabbingthcpavnvou|d|cadtoa|oss.
2 l 3
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
2j. . . -eI 24D-eI O-b 25g4 'g7
2Of4 Da827e7 .
24c5|
I thinkmy Russian advcrsary misscd
this movc. Nov B|ackdocsnot havc
timctotakcthcb-pavn.
24 . . . _g7
AIcr24. . . O-b 25-h5' gh, I spcnt
mostoImytimc cxamining 2Og5
( Crischuk`s suggcstion oI2 2dj
provcsinsuI cicntacr2... f27Oh
(27 De I 2f7 28 -e8 D-e8 or
28. . . 2-e8 29 Of4 Od8) 27. . . e7 28
O-f Dbe8 29 eI O-b4 j0 De5
O-d4jI7fI2f5' )2 . . . 7t27Oh
e7 28 DeI d8 29 Of 7c8 j0
'-e fe jI D-e Od8 j2 D-c, or
j I . . . D-e j2 O-e 7d8 jj Of
7d7j4Of57d8jOt7c7jOf4
7d7 j7O-b8O-d4j8 7hI .
25 _a4
Matcrial iscvcn,soIdccidcdthcrcvas
nonccdtohuny.25DaeIO-b2h4 .
25. . . d7|
Tryingtocxchangcthcc-pavnIorthc
p|ctchisdcvc|opmcnt.25. . .f2DeeI
De7272djOd28'c5Dbe829a4
Od8j0a5 = .
26ac1c5
2... f27'c5Od28D5eje7= .
27_-c5c6
28b5|
NovWhitccomcs outapavnahcad,
and Blackhas absolutc|y no compcn-
sation.
28. . . ab29Oa5a8j0O-b5D-a2jI
O-cbcj2bI b8 jjb7 a7 j4
Db .
29baba _-a6
j02-aOb4 jI DdI .
. . . bc8 1 b4
An inaccuracy. Whitc`s advantagc is
dccisivcacrjI 'c5'f5 j2cI.
1 . . . a72a4
b-pavn. ItisbcttcrIorB|acktocom- A typica| timc-prcssurc mistakc. I dc-
2 4
A FroIcssiona|
cidcdtoadvanccthcpavnbcIorcsup-
prcssinga||myopponcnt`stactica|rc-
sourccs.
j29b5e7jjg4' .
2. . . _f5[d1[c7
Missing hisIrstchanccto rccstab|ish
matcria|cqua|ity.jj. . . 2d7' j4-e8
2-e8j5a5Cej j eICc4j7Cc5
O-a5-.
4a5[b75d2[c7
Nov hc misscs thc sccond chancc.
j5 . . . bjjOf2 ajj7Cc5 -a5j8
C-efej9[-e a240e2aI4I
-aI O-aI . OIcoursc, it`shardt obc
critica|vhcnthcrcarcon|yscconds|c
onthcc|ock.
6 g4|
Fina|ly,Ircsolvcmybasicproblcm.thc
dcIcnscoIthcd-pavn.
6. . . _d6 7 _c5 [c5
j7. . . Cb7 j8 C-e fe j9 a Cd 40
Oej ce84I Oaj .
8dcc5+9{g2a4[c
a4
Thc timc-prcssurc vas so crcc that
ncithcr oIus kcv hov many movcs
hadbccnmadc.
41a6 [c842 d4_c44 c4
dc44a7 1~
Wc na||y stoppcd hcrc, andaItcr a
shorttimc,Alcxandcrrcsigncd. Hov-
cvcr,Sashastil|vonthctoumamcnton
tic-brcak,thankstohistcnscvinovcr
ZhangZhonginthc |astround.
lcss0ns
I ) Whcnablackknightappcarsonc4,
youvanttodrivcitoutatoncc.f2fjis
bcstcombincdvithauscIu|mancuvcr
suchasCfjeIdj.
2)EvcniIyouhavcahighrating,and
you`vcvonyourIrsttvo gamcs, that
docsn`tmcan you` rc going to vin a||
yourothcrgamcs,too.Onmovccigh-
tccn, B|ackp|aycd sharplyIor a vin,
vhcnthcpositiondcmandcdI8. . . Ch5'
vithadravasthcmost|ikc|yrcsu|t.
3) In tcnsc situations, you shou|d bc
2 I 5
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcd Camcs l 985-2OO4
p|ayingasconcrctclyasyoucan.Ahcr
24Le5' , B|ack`sidcasvcrcthvartcd,
movcbymovc.
InMay,Ivasinvitcdtothctraditiona|
Sarajcvo toumamcnt. It`s a bcautiIu|
citythathassuIIcrcdgrcat|yinrcccnt
timcs,butitisquict|yrcbuilding.Chcss
occupics a spccia| placcthcrc, mostly
bccauscoIthc cnthusiasmoIthc |ocal
cl ub, "Bosna, hcadcd by Mi rza
Miralcm.Thistimc,AlcxciShirovpro-
vidcd thc cxcitcmcnt, gctting oIIto a
7':out oI 9 start, vhilc I contcntcd
mysclI vith crcativc achicvcmcnt. a
victoryovcracontcmporaryc|assicist
inancqua||yc|assica|opcning.
(5O) IBologan A. 5hort
Sarajcvo2OO4
QCDTartakovcr D58j
1d4_f62c4c6 _fd54_c
c7 5g5
Atprcscnt,Nigcl isthc vorld`s |cad-
ing cxpcrt on thc black sidc oIthc
QCD. And vhilc hc might occasion-
a||yloscto59f4,thclastgamchc|ost
to 5 9g5 vas in Paris 992 against
Po|ugacvsky.
Thi s i s thc c| assi c Tartakovcr-
Bondarcvsky-Makagonov variation.
Whitchastvomainplans.tocxchangc
onI andd5,andtrytocxp|oitthcun-
Iortunatcp|accmcntoIB|ack`sbishop
on b7, or to maintainthcccntra| tcn-
sion.It` sastratcgical|ycomp|cxopcn-
ingthatrcquircskovlcdgcoIconcrctc
variations, and a grcat dca| oIcxpcri-
cncc inordcrtoudgc a||thcnuanccs
corrcctly.
5. . . h66 h4 ~ 7c b68d
LcvAbramovichcontinucd8Obj9b7
9 9-f9-f I 0cded I I LdI c I 2
2dj'a Ij00'c7 I4'e5Le8 I 5
f4'e I9bILc8 I7Oc2'fI8aj
Lc7 I9e42c820edcd 2I 9a29b7
22 Odj, vith a typical Whitc advan-
tagc(PolugacvskyShort,Paris 992).
8. . b79~_bd7 1gc5 11
cd_-d5 12_-d5
Atryatstabilizingthcccntcr I2LcI
ismorcohcnplaycd.
12 . . . cd
DcspitcthcIactthatthisvasplaycdby
Kramnik,IthinkI2. . . 9-d5 I je49b7
I 4LcI is bcttcr, transposing into thc
I 2LcIvariation.
1 _c5|
Thc standard knightjump insuchpo-
sitions.Whitcisgoingto uscthc out-
postonc5todcvc|opakingsidcinitia-
tivc, mcanvhilc, B|ack` s quccnsidc
pavn-ro| l cr i s |css dangcrous. Thc
gamc Cc| Iand Kramni k (Astana
2OO ) continucd. Ijbja I4LcILe8
I 5 LeI 'f I 2h4 'e4 I7 2-e7
O-e7I8Lc2 a5.
1. . . _-c5
2 l
A FroIcssiona|
Thislookshasty,butahcrthcimmcdi-
atc Ij. . . c4 (thc rcasonCc|Iand chosc
Ijbj)I4ic2b5,Whitcstandss|ight|y
bcttcr.
I j . . . cd I4 ed-e5 I 52-e5 id I
f4 f I 7Og4' .
14-c5c415c2f6
Obviously,B|ack has todosomcthing
Thcc5-squarciskcyinthcsckindsoI
positions.on I7g4ig5 I8ie5f4.
17 . . . b5 18f4
Trying to opcn |incs at oncc docsn`t
oIIcr much oIa dividcnd. I8g4 ic8
I9gfi-f5 20i-f5 -f5 2I f4 Oe8,
cvcn thoughWhitc has a minimal ad-
vantagc.
aboutthoscvhitcbishopsaimingathis I8Oh5Oe8 I9Ohjic820OgjOt.
king.ThcattcmpttotradcoIIthcdark-
squarcdbishop by I 5 . . . id cou|d in- 18. . . c8
vitcadircctattack. If4(IOh5i-e5
I7ded4)I...f(I. . . i-e5I7feOg5
I8Oe2= ) I7Og4'(Whitc`scontro|oI
thc|ightsquarcsismorcthansumcicnt
compcnsationIorthcpiccc. I7Oh5fe
I8fe Og5 (I8 . . . Oe8 I9O-e8a-e8
20ed-fI 2I -fI d8) I9O-g5)
I7. . .feI8feOe8 I 9edO-ej207hI
-fI2I -fI f822-f87-f8 2j
Of5 7g8 24hj .
16 f4
Whitccou|da|sohavc rctrcatcd tog3,
butIvantcdtorctainthcpossibi|ityoI
i-hinsomc|incs.
16. . . f5
Thisappcarstobcthcon|yrcasonab|c
vay to closc thc vcakcncd b l -h7 di-
agonal.
I. . . id I 7Og4 i-f4 I8 efic8 I 9
Ogf5 20feIOf 2IO-f-f 22
e8f82je5= .
I . . . Od7I 7 Oh5 f5 I 8 g4fg I 9 Og
Oc20Oh77t7 2I fj I .
17c5
19 [f|
OI coursc thc bi shop is bcautiIu| | y
p| accd on c5, but this alonc is not
cnough to vin thc gamc. Dcspitc
Whitc`sbcttcrpicccandpavncoordi-
nation,Blacksti||controlsmorcspacc,
vith prospccts oIa quccnsidc pavn-
rollcr. ThcrcIorc, Whitc nccds a con-
crctcp|an suchasgcttingthcrookto
g,vhichvil|IorccBlacktomakccon-
ccssions.
I9Oh5Oe820Ohja5 a.
19... f62[gc821h4
Othcrvisc,Whitcvou|dn`tbcab|cto
maintainthcg-point.
2 l 7
VictorBologan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
21... a522h5h82{fc624
[g6b4
Morcaccuratcthan24. . . a425aj,vhcn
thc pavn-ro||cr is stoppcd. Hovcvcr,
hc shou|d havc considcrcd a vaiting
movcsuchas24. . . Oe7'?
25b|
Animportantdctai|. Undcrnocircum-
stanccsmustWhitca|lova4.
25OgjOe7t25...a7)22a42g8.
25... -c5
Obcctivcly,thisisatcrrib|cpositiona|
crror.Hchadtotrytomaintainthctcn-
sion vith cvcry ouncc oIstrcngth.
25. . . 8 2bcdc27d52 d7
(On 27. . . 2-e5, I intcndcd to aim Ior
thccndgamc,adccision|atcrsupportcd
byhomc ana|ysis. 28fe2t 29O-f5
2-g j0 O-g O-g jI 2-g, and
nov.
l ) jI . . . cj j2 d tj2 2c2 Lc5 jj e4
Lc4j4eLd4j5LdI L-dIj2-dI
Le8j72bj)j2. . . Lfd8jjLdI a4
Cjj. . . Lc j4 7f2 7g8 j5 7e2 a4 j
2c2)j4ebjj5e7 .
2 8
2) jI . . . bj j2ab cb jj L-a5 cj j4
e L-ej j5 La7 LeI j7h2 b8
j7e7 .
3) jI . . . c5 j2eL-d5jje7Lg8 j4
e8OL-e8j52-e8 = . )
28OgjLt292-fL-fj0L-g7cj
tj0. . . a4 jI e4fej2LeI2f5 jjb7
Of8 j4 2-e4 Oc5 j5 7h2 ) jI
aj ! .
26 fc
Novthcgamcbccomcspractica|lyonc-
sidcd. B|ack`s quccnsidc play has ob-
vious|yrun intoabrick va||, vhcrcas
Whitc a|rcadythrcatcnsg4.
26... [c827[f1
ThisissaIcst, bccauscthcprobabi|ity
oIcrror is sti|| grcat i n thc cndgamc
prcvious|y rcIcrrcd to aIcr 27 bc dc
t27. . . -c4282bj)28d5229O-f5
2-gj0O-gO-gjI 2-g.
A FroIcssional
27. . . cb
Thc position acr 27. . . cj 28 g4| 9t
29gf9-gj0hgLcjIO-d5 i s
quitcstriking.
28b f7
28. . . Od7 29 g4fgj0 O-t8 L-f8 jI
L-f7h7j27f2'Oe7jj9c2 .
29[d6h5
f4|
1ustso simu|tancouslyincrcasingthc
numbcr oIthrcats, vhilc placingcach
piccc in its optima| position. On j0
O-d5,vhichShortnodoubtcxpcctcd,
B|ack simply scizcs thc initiativc by
j0 . . . 2e2jI LeIa4j2L-e2LcIjj
7f2 abj4O-bjOh5.
Othcrvisc,thcthrcatoIL-hisdim-
cu|ttomcct,Iorcxamplc,j0. . . 9e2jI
L-hghj2O-h7g8jj9-d5
Lt j4 L-f5, or j0. . . Ld8 jI e9e2
j2LcI.
1d5 c22[c1c4
j2. . . 2djjje4Lcjj4efL-f5j59e4
9-e4jO-e4 .
c4
Whitchastop|aycncrgctically,dcspitc
hiscnormousadvantagc.Ahcrall, his
kingon|yhasoncpavnIorprotcction,
andthc Iactthatmatcrial is still cqua|
shouldgivchimpausc.
...[c44c4 [c2
j4. . .fe j5 O-e4 7h8 jeOe7 j7
Ld7Ofj8e7Le8j9LfI .
5cf[a26 c4
Quitcohcn,inquccnp|ay,thcIrstonc
to scizcaccntralsquarchasthcadvan-
tagc. Hcrc, Iorinstancc,Black`squccn
mustscampcrintothccomcr.
6. . . a8
j. . . a4 j7 f 7h8 j8fg 7-g7 j9
Og4.
7 g4
Onccagain, I didn`tIccllikccalcu|at-
ingthcpavnraccahcrj7O-a8L-a8
j8ebjj9e7b240Ld8LaI 4Ie8O
L-d8 42 Og 7h8 4jfL-eI44
7f2.
7...a78f6
Thc sum oIthcthrcats has long sincc
cxcccdcdcritica|mass.
8...[f79c6 [f64 [d71~
lcss0ns
) Inthisgamc,ano|dIormulavorkcd
ustInc.ThcknightoccupicdaIorvard
postat c5 to support an attackon1hc
2 l 9
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs 985-2OO4
king. This, combincd vith thc bishop
at d3, gavc Whitc good attacking
prospccts.
2) Whcn attacking thc king a|ong a
ha|I-opcnI |c,it`svita|to obtain addi-
tiona| squarcsIoryourpicccsincncmy
tcrritory, such as thc g-squarc inthis
gamc.
3)WhcndcIcndingdiIcu|tpositions,
oncmustknovhovtomaintainthctcn-
sion. A typical crror is to rc|casc thc
tcnsion, as Black did by 25. . . 2-e5?,
vhichgavcWhitcacomIortablcgamc
vithouthavingtoca|cu|atcmanyvaria-
tions. Thc strongcst movc, 25. . . c8,
vouldhavcgivcnWhitcsomcthingto
Irctabout.
WhcnthcSarajcvotoumamcntcndcd,
mostoIthc participantsvcrc bund|cd
intobusscsandtransportcdtoNcumon
thcAdriatic coast. This vasthcsitcoI
thc BosnianTcam Championship,and
vc had bccn cngagcd by "Bosna
(Sarajcvo)top|ayinthcnationa|cham-
pionship. Ourtcam vonthc tit|c oncc
again,vith"Kisc|jakinsccondp|acc.
That |cIt just tvo vccks bcIorc thc
FIDEWor|dChampionship. Sinccthc
prcccding monthanda ha|Ihadbccn
vcrytcnsc,rccupcrationvascvcnmorc
importantthanprcparation.I ` mnottry-
ing to makc cxcuscs, but thc Iact rc-
mains that I havc not rcalizcd mypo-
tcntial in knockout tournamcnts. In
Libya,inmyrstgamcvithFaragua,I
had a sma|| advantagc, but thcn ovcr-
|ookcdthcmovcd5, and|osttoacon-
sidcrablyvcakcrp|aycr.Ithcnvonthc
ncxtgamcandthcrapid-play(2-O),but
thcsituationrcpcatcditsc|Iinmymatch
vith Moisccnko. Thc tvo cl assica|
gamcscndcdindravs,butIovcr|ookcd
thc movc d5dinthc rapid-play. So,
thcadvanccoIthcd-pavncomp|ctcly
dcmoral i zcd mc, and pract i cal | y
knockcdmcoutoIthccvcnt.Myvisit
toTripo|ircmindcdmcoIthcgoodold
Sovictdays-thcso-ca||cdQaddaIdic-
tatorshiprcscmblcsthcSovictSocia|-
istsocicty,vhcrca||socia|lymcaning-
8 u onc hundrcd mctcr dro {rom our duchu in Iiolcntc to thc scu.
22O
AProIcssiona|
Iu|apparatus Iunctions,a|thoughon|y
modcst|y. Thus, thc toumamcnt vas
vcl|-organizcd, butthcintcrdictionoI
a|| Israc|ip|aycrs vi|| Iorcvcrtamish
FIDE`srcputation.
Ahcrvards, I had a |cngthy pcriod oI
prcparationIorDortmund,vhcrcIhad
bccninvitcdasthcvinncroI|astycar`s
cvcnt.IIollovcdmyycar-o|drcgimcn
oItakingva|ksandsvimmingasmuch
aspossib|c.Ovcral|,thisprovcdsatis-
Iactory,andItookthcinitiativcinmany
oImy gamcs, cspccia|lyat thc start. I
hadgoodvinningchanccsagainstLcko
andKramnik, andstoodbcttcragainst
Karjakin. Sti||,cvcrygamcinthcPrc-
|iminary group (Iourplaycrs, doub|c-
roundrobin)cndcdinadrav' Iplaycd
lcsscondcntlyduringthcsccondha|I,
but sti|l drcv a|| my gamcs, and n-
ishcdat"p|us- l . Inprinciplc,Iamsat-
isIcdvithmyrcsult.Butnov,iIIvant
torctumtoDortmund, I ` | | havctovin
anothcrAcroIotOpcn andthat, you
undcrstand, isnocasytask!
AItcr this tournamcnt, I spcnt tvo
months rcsting in our dacha outsidc
Octting uacd to thc wutcr
Scvastopo|. OIcoursc, thc Crimca is
Cod`scountry, onc oIthclovc|icston
carth, sma|| vondcr thc Tsars bui|t
thcmsc|vcsrcsidcnccsthcrc.
AtthcEuropcanClubCupinScptcm-
bcr,IplaycdIor"Bosna(Sarajcvo).It
vasapparcnt Irom thcmakcup oIthc
tcamthatvc had vcryhigh goals in
mind.Ivason|yonboardIour,bchind
A|cxci Shirov, Nigc| Short and Ivan
Sokol ov, bc| ov mc vcrc Scrgci
Movscsian andZdcnko Kozul . You
couldsayvch|llcdourambitionsby
taking sccond placc, but bccausc oI
somc intcrcsting manipu|ation oIthc
pairings, vc vcrcn`tab|ctobatt|c Ior
thcchampionshipvith"NAO. InIact,
vcncvcrcvcngottop|aythcm.
From a crcativc standpoint, my most
intcrcstinggamcvasagainstBcliavsky.
This vas vcrsusthc "MaksVcntcam
Irom Ekatcrinburg, Ior vhich Carry
Kasparov hcld Irst board, but thcir
poorIormdidnotal|ovthcmtogctany
highcrthan Iourthp|acc.
(5 ) IBologan -A. Behavsj
Izmir2OO4
RuyLopczC88j
AlcxandcrCcnrikhovichisalong-timc
RuyLopczspccialist.InourIrstgamc,
hcchoscthcZaitscvSystcm,thistimc,
hc dccidcd to thrcatcn mc vith thc
Marshal|Attack.
1 c4 c5 2 _f _c6 b5 a6 4
a4 _f6 5 ~ c7 6 [c1 b5 7
b ~ 8 h
1ustasLankataughtmc.
8. . . b79dc5
22
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdGamcs I 985-2OO4
WithatranspositionoImovcs,thisisa I 2 . . . e8 I jCgj = .
systcmthatisa|sop|aycdbyA|cxandcr
OnischukandV|adis|avTkachicv.Thc 1c _a5 14c2d5|
idcaisundcrstandab|c. atthccostoIa
tcmpo, B|ack trics to nd thc bcst
squarcs Ior his bishops, additiona||y,
thcmancuvcrCce 7gbccomcspos-
sib|c.OIcoursc,byp|ayinghjanddj,
WhitchaspostponcdthcIght Ior thc
ccntcr.
1 _c h6 11 d2
Avaitingmovc,oncmightcvcnca||it
a"micro-trap"andmyopponcntIa||s
intoit.Bcsidcsdcvc|opmcnt,thcmovc
a|sopursucs othcr aims. Forinstancc,
aItcrI 2a4b4 Ij Cd5,thcb4-pavnis
a|rcadyundcrprcssurc.Additiona||y,it
putsthcba||inB|ack`scourt.
11ed6 12_c2|
A ncv |inc, cmphasizing yct anothcr
positivc aspcct oIthc movc I I 2d2.
B|ackno|ongcrhasthcrcp|yI2. . . Ca5.
Whitcvantstoputthisknighton g3,
advanccthcpavn to c3, andcxccutc
djd4.
12e e b6
Thismovcisunncccssary,itmightcvcn
provctobcavastcdtcmpo.
Optimistic, but quitc p|ayab|c. somc-
timcs,B|ackcvcnsacriIccsapavn,as
inthcKramnik- Lckomatch.IIB|ack
justsitandvaits,sayvithI4. . . e8 I 5
Cgjc5 = , thcnhiskings idcvcakncss
is bound to tc||, as thrcc oIWhitc`s
minorpicccs thcbishop at d2, thc
knightsatIandg3aiminthatdircc-
tion,vhi|cB|ack`sthrccminorpicccs
vi|| bc onthcquccnsidc, andtcmpo-
rari|youtoIp|ay.
Hovcvcr, in thc prcscnt casc, thc d
d5 brcak is unsound, sincc B|ack has
a|rcady|osttoomuchtimc, andWhitc
isvc||-prcparcd Iorthis continuation,
vithharmonious|yp|accdpicccs.
15 cd
OI coursc, I 5C-e5 de I d4 c5 is
inIcrior.
15. . . d516_g
Wchavcrcachcdatypica|situationIor
this sort oIstructurc. Whitc has prcs-
surc against thc c5-pavn, vhi|c con-
tinua||y thrcatcning variousbrcaks in
thcccntcrand on thc quccnsidc. Thc
c3- and d3-pavns may |ook passivc,
ccdingB|ackthcccntcr,butthcyho|d
grcatpotcntia|cncrgy.
16. . . fc8 17c1|
Akcymomcntinthcgamc.Addingthc
quccn to thc attack is thc strav that
brcaksthccamc|`sback. Evcnthcpas-
sivc-|ooking bishop at c2 is rcady to
participatcinthcattack.
222
AFroIcssiona|
Whitcthrcatcncdtocapturconh. For
vhich B|ack had no dcIcnsc, Ior cx-
amp|c.
I7. . . 'cI89-hghI9O-h .
I7 . . . OdI8'f5Od7 I9'-g7'7-g7
209-h7h72Id4e422Og5g8
2jOh4~ .
I7. . . c5 I8 2-h gh I9 O-h e 20
c4' Oc 2I d4' 'e4 22Oh4 .
Whitc`spicccsarctoovc|l-p|accd,and
Blackndsitdi0cu|ttodcIcndagainst
thcattack.
18 b4
AIcr thc gamc, Carry Kasparov as-
surcdmcthatI8c4vonapiccc.ButI
cou|dn`tIathomvhathc hadinmind,
Ior instancc, I8 . . . Oc5 CI8. . . bc I9 dc
Oc5 20 9ej O-c4 2I 9-b cb 22
'-e5Od4)I9d4O-c420bjOc.
18ooo_c19c4
This vas thc sccond idca bchind I9
OcI . NovWhitcshutshi sopponcnt`s
dark-squarcd bishop out oIp|ayIor a
|ongtimc.
C|carly, thcc4-pavn cannot bc takcn
vithout|osingthcquccn. I 9 . . . bc20dc
O-c4!? 2I 9-h7.
2c5a721c
It`s a vc||-knovn Iactthathaving an
advantagcandvinningarctvodicr-
cntthings.Thcrca|izationoIanadvan-
tagc is a prob|cm many p|aycrs Iacc.
Ccncral|y, thconc vhoho|dsthc ad-
vantagctcndsto rclax. Incontrast, thc
opponcnt hcightcns his conccntration
andrcsistsvithrcncvcdcncrgy. Icon-
ductcd thc Io| |oving portion oI thc
gamc|cssassurcd|yanduscdupagrcat
dca|oItimc. Sti||,Itricdtomakcdcci-
sions on a rationa| positiona| basi s,
vithoutbartcringavaymyadvantagc.
For nov, Blackhas onc lcss piccc in
play,butthcbishopona7mayyctrc-
tum, iIB|ack shou|d succccd in play-
ingcand9b8.IundcrstoodIu||vc|l
thatmyadvantagcvasmcrc|ytcmpo-
rary.
21e e e _d4
AIcr2I . . .f,thcvcakncssoIhis light
squarcsvil|tcl l . 22a4 (22Oej'g5)
22. . . 'g52j'-g5hg249bj7t25
OdI = .
22d4
In princip|c, cxchangcs arc in my Ia-
vor. With thc pavn on d4, my dark-
squarcdbishophasIcvcrprospccts,so
I dccidcd tokccpthcknight, thcmorc
mobi|cpicccin this situation. Clcar|y,
B|ack vi|| havc to tradc oII his b7-
bishop, inordcrto Icc hisa7-bishop.
22J
VictorBo|ogan. Sclcctcd Camcs l 985-2OO4
Novthc duc|takcsshapc. mybishop
onc2againsthisbishopona7.
22. . . -f|
My opponcnt vas in toomuch oIa
hurrytomakcthis cxchangc.Hcprob-
ably didn`t |ikc thc Iact that, aItcr
22. . . ed,myquccnacccsscsI4. 2jOf4
2-fj 24 O-fj 'g5 25 Of5 O-f5 2
'-f5'e272bj= . Withthatbishop
on a7, thc gamc vouldtip inWhitc`s
Iavoranyvay.
2 -c5_g5
2j. . . 2-g2 is unappca|ing, bccausc oI
247-g2Od525e4-e5 22bj
Oc 27 2-t 7h8 28 Of4 e7 29
7fI -e4 j0O-e4O-e4 jI de 'g5
j2 2d5 . In an i nIcrior position,
Bc|iavsky sacriccs a pavn in anat-
tcmpt toconIsc his opponcnt, andto
aconsidcrablccxtcnthc succccds.
24@f4
I calcu|atcd 24 2f4' -eI 25 O-eI
e8 C25. . . 'e 22e5 2b7 27 Oej
e8 28 2bj 'f8 29 Od4 O-d4 j0
2-d4 'e jI 2ej ) 2OfI 2-g2
27 O-g2 '-hj, vhcn B|ack comcs
outvithancxtrapavn.Yct,thcmuch
strongcrmovc2OcIcomp|ctc|ycs-
capcd my attcntion, Ior cxamp| c,
2 . . . '-hj27ghO-hj28OfI,vhcn
Black`s compcnsation Iorthc piccc i s
c| car|y insu0cicnt. Instcad, I undcr-
tookapositionalpavnsacriIcc,vhich
vascomp|ctc|yjustiIcd,hovcvcr,thc
computcrdisagrccs.It`ssimp|clogicis
that itisbcttcrtobcapavnup thana
pavn dovn, and it`s diIcu|t not to
concur.
24. . . -g2| 25 -g2 @-h+ 2
g1@d727@f5|
Thcon|ymovc that i s, oIcoursc,
iIWhitc docsn`t vant to rcpcat thc
position.
27...@-f5 28_-f5 _f+ 29g2
_c5 d4

I ca|cu|atcd that Whitc vou|d havc a

grcat advantagc in this position, but I
probablyovcrcstimatcdit.
. . . g
j0. . . 'gismuchstrongcr,vhcn,aI-
tcr somc hours oIana|ysis,I Iounda
morc or | css dircct advantagc. jI
-e8 (I 2e4 ad8 j2 2b7 Cj2
7fj e jja4)j2. . . eCj2. . . 2b8
jj 2-a c j4 -e8 -e8 j5 a4
bajb5'f4j77fjgj8'd)jj
d5f j4'e7'-e7j5 -e72b8
jaeI7tj72c)jI . . .-e8j2a4
(27fj2b8jja4Tt j4abab j5
2dj'e7Cj5. . . d8j2-b5'e7j7
'-e77-e7j8Tej = ) j'-e7T-e7
j7 eI 7f8 j8 -e8 7-e8 j9
2-b5 Te7 40 Te4 Te 4I 2c4
7d7422-f7)j2. . . 2b8Cj2. . . 'f4jj
7fj'ej4d5'g5j5Tg2)jjab
ab j4 a5 'f4 j5 Tfj 'e j d5
'g5j7Tg2 .
224
AProIcssiona|
Thcmovcp|aycdmadcmytaskcasicr.
1 c5-c5
jI . . .gfj2-f5 ad8 jj9bje7j4
hI+g7j5h47g8j7fj9b8j7
aj .
2dcgf d1 c84d71~
In 64 magazinc, grandmastcrMikhai|
Co|ubcvvrotcthathc|ikcdthisgamc,
butthathcvasn`tgoingtoinc|udcitin
hisvcck|yrcvicv,bccausc itvas in-
comp|ctcinthcdatabasc.Hcprobab|y
thoughtthat B|ackvou|dhavcp|aycd
on hcrc, as B|ack has an cxtrapavn.
Buthispositionvascomp|ctc|yhopc-
|css, Ior cxamp|c, j4. . . 9b8 j5 9bj
t j7gjcj77f4h5j87-f5h4
j9 +f. Thi s is vhy A| cxandcr
Ccnrikhovichdccidcdtocapitu|atc.
lcss0ns
) Onc oIthc standard tcchniqucs oI
thcRuyLopczistocrcatcharmonious
pavnandpiccccoordination.Thcmovc
I2'e2'vasaimcdtovardthiscnd,and
sctmyopponcntvcryscriousprob|cms.
2) At timcs, short quccn movcs can
causc an opponcnt considcrab|c gricI
(I7OcI | ). Thc quccn isa Iar-ranging
ghtingunit,andsma||movcmcntson
itspart can a|tcrthc situation sharp|y
onthcoppositcsidcoIthcboard.
1ruditionul ahuahlik. M| gucat: 2002 IIOI horld Chumion
Kualun Ionomuriov.
225
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
3) IIyouhavcthc opportunity to shut
ancncmypicccoutoIthcgamc,cxam-
ininghovtorca|izc it shou|dbcyour
Irst priority. Mcanvhilc, Ior this ad-
vantagc to bccomc vorthvhi|c, you
shou|dcnsurcthatyourovnpicccsrc-
taindcccntcapacityIorthciractivitics.
Thatis,youmustdomorcthansimp|y
sitandg|oatovcryouropponcnt`spoor
piccc, you must havc cncrgctic plans
oIyourovn.
AvcckaIcrthccndoIthc Cupcamc
thcOlympiad.Asin 2OO2, vchadthc
top tvo boards sit out thc Irst Iour
rounds, and thcn p| ay cvcry round
thcrcaItcr.To accrtaincxtcnt,thistac-
ticvascntirclysucccsshl. vcdcIcatcd
Ccrmany,Svcdcn,andYugoslavia,and
drcv vith Isracl and Po|and. Only at
thc cnd did our poor prcparation and
comp|ctc |ack oItrainingscssionsbc-
tray us. Thctoptvoboards rcmaincd
unbcatcn - I scorcd "2, Viorc|
Iordachcscu vas"3 . Butour"tai|
draggcd,cvcnthoughthcyhadplaycd
honorablyunti|thatstagc.
AIcrthcO|ympiad,Idccidcdtovork
individua||y vith my studcnts Rus|an
SoltanichandA|cxciKhruschchcv,and
tocontrolthcirdcvc|opmcntmysclI,
bccausc vithout individual attcntion,
thcyvou|dncvcrgctothcdimcand
cvc Olympiad vould Ind us"drag-
ging ourtai|sinthc lastrounds.
Thc ncxttoumamcntvas thc Spanish
TcamChampionshipinSanxcnxo an
cxcc|lcntlocationonthcAtlanticCoast.
Our tcam vas pl aying in thc Top
Lcaguc, vithmconboardonc, vhcrc
thc compctition vas ratcd FIDE Cat-
cgory . Yct, I couldn` t gct going.
Latcly, I d4hadbccnvorking bcttcr
Iormcthan I e4,buthcrc,atthcstart,
Icou|dscorconlyoncpointoutoIthrcc
promising positions p|us I |ost to
Marinvithb|ackvithoutaIght.Itvas
thc Iricnd|y atmosphcrc on thc tcam,
vitha|lthoschc|pinghands,vhichgot
us out oIninth p|acc by scoring vins
in thc last Iourrounds. I vas ab|c to
vinmy|astthrccgamcs,andsavcboth
mytcam`sstandingandmyovn.
My gamc vith thc Norvcgian rising
starMagnusCarlscnis oIgrcat intcr-
cst. A|though hc scorcd "-4 in this
cvcnt, hiscnormous abi|ityvasobvi-
ous. C|car|y,hchas agrcathturcand
hasthcta|cnttorcachthcTop Fivc.
(52)M. Carlsen IBologan
Sanxcnxo2OO4
EnglishOpcning A33j
1 d4
To |osc a night`s slccp, a maturc pro-
Icssiona|onlyhastorcmcmbcrthctcr-
ri[ing rcsu|ts oIthc ncv stars at thc
|ast O|ympiad. Karj akin, Radabov,
Ponomariov, Bacrot, Vo|okitin, and
nov Car|scn. It`s good Ior our gamc,
but thc compctitiongcts crccrcvcry
ycar,andvchavctovorkhardcrand
hardcr. For instancc, I had to prcparc
IorbothIe4andId4bcIorcthisgamc.
1 f62c4c6 f
Asaru|c, Magnusp|ays j Ccj, and I
hadmost|y cxpcctcd this movc.
c5|
Thc bcstchoiccIrom a psychological
standpoint.AIcrlongthought,myop-
poncntdccidcdagainstthcbcstmovc,
22
AProIcssional
4 d5 - chicybccauscoIinsu0cicnt 1f4~
knov|cdgcaboutthatsystcm.
4gcd 5 d4 c66g2 c5
. . . 2b4issccn IarmorcoIcn.
7 b c7
A typical mancuvcr Ior this kind oI
position, oItcn sccn in thc Sici|ian.
Blackloscstimc, butalso makcs thc
opposingknightvacatcthcccntcr.
8 c b6
Clcar|y, that day I vas in a crcativc
IramcoImind. 8. . . 900dvould
havcbccnthcnormalcontinuation,but
Ior avarictyoIrcasons,I didn`tvant
to advancc mypavn to d unti| aIcr
Whitchadp|aycde4.
9 ~b7
I vas planning to p|ay 9. . . 2a, but
changcd mymindbccauscoII0Cb5
(I0Cd4C-d4I I O-d4c8I2bj0
0 Ij2b2 Oc7 I4 fdIOb8 I5 Oej
d I a4 2b7 " DorIman - Lazarcv,
Canncs l 99) I0. . . d5 I I 2f4 ( I I cd
C-d5 I 2a400, I I a400 I22 g5Cb4
Ij Cjd4 2b7) I I . . . c8 I2 cd C-d5
I j 2-d5.
Nov vc havc a Hcdgchog, and in a
rathcrdangcrousIormIorB|ack,sincc
Whitc has not yctp|aycde4, andthc
bishopong2isquitcstrong.OIcoursc,
aslongasthcrcisnopavnatc4,Whitc
mustrcmainvigilantaboutBlackp|ay-
ingd5.Stil|,Whitc'sp|usscsinthislinc
arcgrcatcr.
11 b5
A novclty, but a vcry natural movc
noncthclcss.Carlscnhasaninnatcabi|-
itytosccvhcrchispicccsshouldgo.
I I 2dCa5(I I . . . Ce8I22-e7O-e7
Ij Od2 Cf I4 Cb5 d5 I5 cd C-d5
I 2-d5 ed I7 C5d4 Ce5) I 2C-a5
2-g2 I j 7-g2 ba I 4 bj Ce8 I 5
2-e7O-e7I Od4dI 7 adId8
8 e4 = (TriIunovic - V. Soko|ov,
Zcnica l 93).
IIOd2d( I I . . . c8I 2DdI 2a Ij
Cb5 d5 I4cdC-d5 I 52-d52-b5)
I2fdICe8(Agzamov-Romanishin,
Ycrcvan l 982) Ij Cb5- .
I I cI c8 ( I I . . .a I 2 Od2 a7 I j
fdI Oa8 (Dcnk - Rotstcin, Vicnna
l 99) I4 Ca4 , or I I . . . d I 2Cb5
Ce8 I jOd2a I4Ccj = Romanishin
227
VictorBo|ogan. Sc|cctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
- O Kuzmin,A|ushta2OO4)I 2 e4O2
2d Ce8 I j2-e7 O-e7 I4Cd4 d
I 5bjC-d4 I O-d4 2-g2 I7 7-g2
Cf 1. Horvath - Anka, Budapcst
995) I 2 . . . d Ij Oe2 c7 I4 fdI
d7 I5 2ej Oa8 (Spinga Ly|y,
LL. 993).
II e4 c8 I2 Cb5 Ce8 Ij e5 f5 I4
C-a7C-a7 I 52-b7-c4 IOdjd5
I7ed-f4 I8gf 2-d I9fdI Ob8
202g22-f4 2ICd42-h2 22 7fI
Cc72jOc4b524ObjOb25 acI
7h82-c72-c727C-ee8 28
Cg5 h 29 Of7 Ob8 j0 Og -O
(Bocsvc|d- Van Doom, Ncthcr|ands
995).
11. . . _a5|
Anothcr|css-than-c|assica|movc.Bc-
Iorc thc younggaintoomuchcxpcri-
cncc, it`s bcttcr to |urc thcm into un-
knovn typcs oIpositions. Acr thc
cxchangc on a5, Black`s pavn struc-
turcisruincd,buthcgctsactivcp|ayin
rcm.
12 d
I2C-a52-g2Ij7-g2ba I4Od4d5
I 5 C-a 7 O5 acI dc I O-c4 Cd5
I7 2c7 Od7, I 5c5 Ce4 I c 2c5)
I5. . . Od7 ICb5Oc =.
1 2 . . . -g21 {-g2a6
Forcing thc knight to rctrcat hom c3
andIorgctaboutthcd-squarc.
14 _c
I4CdCh5 I52e5Cc.
I didn`tvanttoopcnasccond|cIor
Whitc`srooksby I4. . . C-bjI 5ab .
15fd1
Latcr,at homc, I Ioundan intcrcsting
p|an IorWhitc. a kingsidcattack by
I 5 Ofj' ? Uponvhich, I vou|dhavc
had to dcmonstratc yct anothcr un-
usua|dcIcnsc. I5. . . Cd'( I 5 . . . Oc8I
Ca42d8I 72g5OcI8O-cdc I 9
2-fgf20c5b52ICb=, I 5 . . . a7
I adI Cc5 I7 C-c5 2-c5 O7. . . bc
I8e4) I8aj ) ICd2Fc8 I7bjb5
I8e4Cfe8 I9acIbc20e5Cf52I
C-c4f.
15 . . . d6
Atthis momcnt, I vas rclativc|y surc
aboutmyposition.Thcrcarcnodircct
thrcatsthatIcan`tdcIcndagainst.And,
in thcncar hturc, Whitc vi||havc to
vorryaboutthcIatcoIhis c4-pavn.
16 f c7 17 ac1 ac8 18
_d2 _d7|
Intcnding Ce5 - and cvcn g5 might
vorkinsomclincs.
19 b4|
With an cxchangc at c5 i n mi nd,
Magnusvantstobcassurcdthathcvil|
maintain a spacc advantagc on thc
quccnsidc.
19 . . . _c52-c5dc 21af5
2I . . .fd822Cbjf52jCa4 = .
22_a4g5|
14. . . _b7 An important nuancc. II Whitc p|ays
228
A FroIcssiona|
ej,hcvcakcnsd3,andcutshisquccn
oIIIomthcknightsonthcquccnsidc.
2c
2jc5 vasa|sopossib|c,lcadingtoan
cqualpositionaIcr2j. . . bc(2j. . . b524
'cj'24'-c5 '-c5 25-c5=d7.
2. . . cd8
My tcammatc, Michacl Rakhcl, vas
amazcd that I vou|dn`t push my c-
pavn.Hovcvcr,ittumcdouttobcprc-
maturc in cvcry | inc, Ior cxamp| c,
2j. . . e4 24=e2 =c 25 b5 ab2cb
=-cI27-cI -cI28'bj. First,thc
quccncanalvaysbcdrivcnbackvith
tcmpo, and sccond, Ior any kind oI
complications, it's important to |cavc
thclongdiagona|opcnIorchccks.
24b5
Acr24c5 most|ikclybcst Icould
havcrcp|icd24. . . bcC24. . . b525'cj)
25 '-c5 '-c5 2-c5 =d, vith
cquality.27h42f,27=ce4.AndiI
Whitc trics to play Ior a vin by 27
c?|,thcnprob|cmscou|dariscaItcr
27 . . . =dj.
BcIorc making this movc, I cxpcndcd
a considcrab|c portion oImy rcmain-
ingtimc.First,ItricdtondasaIcpath
to thc drav, invo|ving movcs to c5.
24 . . . e4(24. . . dj25=c)25=e2'c5
2 '-c5 =-c5, butWhitchasthc ini-
tiativc,mainly bccausc thc g5-bishop
isn`t doing anything, Ior instancc, 27
'bj =-aj 28 'd4 -d4 29 aI ' .
Oncc I Iound 24. . . 'a5' , I undcrstood
thatIdidnothavctohurryaboutvin-
ningbackthca6-pavn,bccauscoImy
bcttcrp|accdpicccs.
25ba|
Toogrccdy.Tryingtosharpcnthcplay
asmuchaspossib|cvasvorthconsid-
cration, Iorcxamp|c,25c5|?ab2cb
=b827c5-d2C27. . . 'bj28'-bj
-dI 29 =-dI ba j0 'a5 =-b jI
c2)28-d2'bj 29d7'-c5j0
'-c5=-b jI b7-b7 j2-b7
a8jj -b5 -ajj4'-e2f ".
25. . . d
A|lisasIvishcd.Myrookisactivc,and
myopponcnthasabso|utclynomovcs.
26 c5
2'cja727=e2e4.
26...b5 27b6c7|
This|ooksslov,butWhitchasnovay
to ho|d ontothcc5-pavn,andthcn hc
villa|so loscthcknightonb6.
28a4|
Totryisnottotorturc.
28 . . . -c5
229
VictorBo|ogan. SclcctcdCamcs l 985-2OO4
28. . . e4 29 '-e4 fe j0 O-e4 -dI
jI -dI 2-c5 j2 O-e 7h8 jj
'd7.
29 a7|
Othcrmovcsarcvorsc.
29. . . -a7
29. . . e4j0'-e4-dIjI O-dIO-a7
j2'-c5O-bjjOd7- .
[-c5-b6 1 [-b5
Fortunatc|y,B|acknovIoundthcmost
accuratc movc, vhich a||ovs him to
vinthccxchangc.
1. . . d8| + 2c2 c4 -c4
[-d1 4 -c5
j4 -e5 cI tj4. . . Oa8 j5 e4 d4
j'bOc)j5c5Oa8.
4. . . a8+ 5 f-a46 [b6
j Oc is morc stubbom, Iorcing an
cndgamc vi th doubl cd c-pavns .
j. . . Oe4(butnot j. . . Oa8 j7b7)
j7O-e4 fe j8 b2 tj8 'c4 c8 j9
b4c5+)j8. . . cIj9'd7f5.
6. . . [a1
I spcntmy |astminutcs|ookingIor a
vin aIcr j. . . OaI j7-egI j8
7hjOfIj9Th4g240Od5-h2
4I Tg5.IsavthatI couldvinthccx-
changc by 4I . . .OhI | 42 O-hI -hI,
butWhitchasdcnitcdravingchanccs
thankstohisactivcking. 4j'd7d8
44e7fI 45f4+ . Thcmovcp|aycd
kccpsthcquccnsonthcboard,andvith
thcm- thcmatingthrcats.
7[-c6
Playcd undcr timc-prcssurc, but vhat
c|scisthcrc?j7hjOa5j8-eOeI ,
j7OcO-cj8-ce8.
7...b58{hg59g4
j9Og2a2 40g4-f2| 4I O-f2fg
42 7gj -f2 4j 7-f2 Od5 44 e7
Od245Tgj O-ej47-g4Of4
47ThjOf8 .
9. . . [g1|~1
lcss0ns
) Opcning psychologycaninucncc
thccntirccourscoIthcgamc,thcchoicc
oIoncvariationovcranothcrcanthrov
your opponcnt oII-balancc. In this
gamc, j. . . c5 gavc mc thc psychologi-
ca|initiativc.
23O
AProIcssiona|
2)Whcnyouropponcnthasstrongprcs-
surc,youmusttrytosimp|iIythcposi-
tionbytradingsomcpicccs. I Iyou`rc
di|igcnt in ca|cu|ating concrctc varia-
tions in such strcssIu| circumstanccs,
you vi|| nd thc so|ution, and it vi||
bc much casicr to p|ay thc position
( I . . .Ca5|?).
j)Atcmporarymatcria| sacricc ina
comp|icatcdstratcgicpositioncanpcr-
mit your pi cccs to Iind thcir bcst
squarcs. Thi sactivity cou|d cvcn bc
morc importantthanthcprcscnccoIa
dangcrouscxtrapavnona6, iIthcrc-
mainingcncmypicccsarcpoor|yp|accd
(24. . . Ca5'?).
In thccnd,ourtcam rcmaincd in thc
HighcrLcaguc, andcvcn sccurcd an
honorab|c Iourth p|acc. This ycar my
Ia|| schcdu|chadbccnIar|ightcrthan
usua|, so I had managcd to avoid thc
brcakdovnsthatusua||yoccurrcdvhcn
I vasovcr|y occupicd. I succccdcdin
raisingmyrating iIon|ya|itt|c,and
nov, I havc timc Ior a quictcr, morc
mcasurcd prcparation Ior Iuturc tour-
namcnts.
EpiI0guc
OIcoursc,mystorydocsn`tcndhcrc.
WhcncvcrItc||storicstomydaughtcr
Katya,shca|vaysIa||sas|ccpbcIorcI
Inish, and I brcathc a sigh oIrc|icI,
sinccI ` mnogrcatmastcroIinvcntion.
So,vithac|cans|atcbcIorcmc,Ican
on|y point to my attraction Ior chcss,
andmyvishtoa|vaysrcachthcgoa|I
havc sctIormysc|I Sti||,I can`tIorc-
sccthchturc . . .
23
1aD 0 10HIHaDH1 10IS
989 Saki, USSR Opcn
l 989 Kramatorsk, USSR A|l-UnionYouth Championships
l 99O A|baLilia,RUM ntcmationa|YouthToumamcnt
l 99O/9 Hallsbcrg, SWE Opcn
l 99 Podsuscd, CRO Cat.V
99 Yurmala, USSR USSR1r(undcr-2O)Championship
99 l Ksantsi,CRE Cat.V
993 LasPa|mas,ESP Cat.V
993 LasPalmas,ESP Cat. V
l 993 Ostrava,CZE Cat.X
l 995 Moscov, RUS Cat. X
l 995 Novgorod, RUS Opcn
995 Moscov, RUS Opcnb|itz"VcchcmyayaMoscov
99 Moscov, RUS Opcnrapid,IorPCACrandPrix
997 NcvYork,USA WorldOpcn
997 Scvastopo|, UKR RussianArmcdForccsOpcnCh.
l 997 Bcm, SWZ Opcn
l 998 Ta||inn,EST Opcn
l 998 Bourbon-Lancy,FRA Opcn
999 Vcrmont, USA Opcn (StrattonMtn)
999 Bc|Iort, FRA Cat.XV
2OOO Minsk,BLR Zona|
2OOO Bciing, CHN Cat.XV
2OOO Poikovsky, RUS Cat. XV
2OOO BucnosAircs,ARC Cat. XV
2OO Poikovsky, RUS Cat. XV
2OO l Shanghai, CHN Cat. XV
2OO l Pamp|ona, ESP Cat. X
2OO2 Mainz,CER Opcn(rapid)
2OO2 Pamplona, ESP Cat.XV
2OO3 Aubcrvillc,FRA Opcn
2OO3 Moscov, RUS AcrootOpcn
2OO3 Dortmund,CER Cat.XV
2OO4 Rcykjavik,SL Opcn(rapid)
2OO4 zmir,TUR EuropcanClubChp.(Board4)
2OO5 DrcsdcnCER Knockout/opcn(rapid)
2OO5 Poikovsky, RUS Cat. XV
2OO5 Saracvo, BH Cat. XV
232
H0X 0 b1Ia1g, 1a1a aH0 SyH00ga 1HHgHS
(rcIcrstogamcnumbcrs, insomc cascs thcnumbcracrthc"/
rcIcrstoamovc numbcr)
Advanccpost 3, 5, 9, I 9, 2, 27, 29,
3, 38, 39, 5O
Attackingthc king 4, 5, , 7, 8, I O,
I 4, l 5, I 8, I 9, 2O, 2 I , 22, 25, 2, 28,
3O, 3 I , 33, 37, 38, 4O, 42, 45, 5O, 52
Brcakthrough - 2 I / I 5, 22/I l , 23/ I 8,
24/33, 2/28, 27/ I , 27/37, 32/28, 37/
3 I , 44/I 2, 45/25, 45/27, 47/2O
Ccntra|brcakthrough 2/24, 7/2, I 7/
I I , 2I /2 I , 28/ I , 33/ l 3, 33/32, 35/ I 5,
4O/29,45/32
DcIcnsivc rcsourccs 22, 33/25, 3/
43,38/2 I , 38/3 I , 4I , 44, 48, 5 I
Endgamctcchniquc
bishopvs. knight. 34
cndgamcvcakncss. 27,3
kingactivity.2, I I , l , l 7, 25, 27,
35, 39
oppositc-co|orcdbishops. l
thc princip|c oItvo-vcakncsscs.
43
rook and bi shop vs. rook and
knight. I 7, 45
strongsquarcs. 24
studymotiIs. l I
triangu|ation. I 2/53
zugzvang. 25/57
Exchanging problcms 4/I 7, l , I 7/
34, I 9/ I 7, 24/ I 8, 32/ I , 3/27, 38/2 l ,
4I / I 4, 44/ I 7, 45/2 I , 47/24, 49, 5O/25,
5 I , 52
Fight Ior thc ccntcr I , 23, 28, 37,
47, 49, 52
lso|atcdpavn 3, 5, 2,38
Mancuvcring
adding apiccctothcattack l 8/
23, 48/35
rcpositioningaknight -4,5,8, I O,
l 5, l 9, 24, 27, 3 l , 32, 3, 37, 38,
39, 4I , 42, 48, 5 I
rcpositioningarook- 3, 4O
Mu|ti-purposc movcs 2O/ I 9, 22/ I 9,
37/29, 4 I/4I , 5 I / I 7
Non-concrctcp|ay 33/ I 3, 39/ l 7, 4I /
2 I , 4I /27, 48/22
Opcnlincs- I 5, I 7, l 8, 2O, 22, 24, 32,
34, 3, 38, 4O, 4l , 43, 45
Fasscdpavn 8, I 2, 35, 39, 45
Favn p|ay 7/I 3, 9/, 25/I 5, I /23,
24/42, 35/2 I , 39/9,42/9
Ficccandpavncoordination 7/5, l O,
I /9, 29/9, 3 I/9, 33/ I 3, 4O/2O, 5 I / I 2
Fositionalp|ay
advantagcindcvc|opmcnt,aprob-
|cmvithcast|ing.2,2 l , I 7, l 8,23,
27, 3O, 4l , 4
a badpiccc. 2, 9, I 8, 27, 37, 42,
47
p|anning. I /44, 2 I /7, 24/I O, 29/
I O, 3 I / l 4, 42/, 44/9, 52/ I 5
Frophylaxis 5/9,7/9,7/I 8,8/35, 9/8,
I 5/ I 3, I 8/I 2, 24/8, 2/ I , 27/4, 29/ I 5,
29/23, 29/2, 3/9, 38/ l 7, 3O/8, 39/ I 2,
48/ l , 5O/25, 5 I /8, 5 I / I I
233
Rcst ri ct i ng t hc mobi | i t y oI t hc
opponcnt`spicccs- 8/37, I O/4 l , I I /,
I I/42, I 5/ I 3, I 7/25, 34/33, 35/5O, 3/
24, 43/ I 7, 4/ I 5, 5 I /2O
SacriIcing
thc cxchangc. I 7/44, 2O/ I , 2/
I 7, 3/2 I , 4O/2, 45/34, 47/ I 7
apavn. 2/24, 2/4,4/2O,7/I 5, /
l , I O/2O, I O/2, I 2/8, I 7/ I , I 8/
22, l /2 I , 23/I , 24/42, 25/ I 7, 27/
I I , 28/I O, 3 I / I , 3 l /23, 34/ I I , 3 7/
I 7, 42/2 I , 43/7, 47/24, 4/22, 5 I /
24, 52/24
a piccc.2/5 I , 4/23, 7/2 I , 8/32, l O/
3 I , I 3/2, I 4/27, l 5/22, 25/2, 28/
I 8, 33/2, 33/27, 37/4O, 3 8/3O, 4O/
I , 42/25, 43/32, 4/22
aquccn. /2 I , I 3/3O
234
arook. I 4/25, 2 I / I 7
TacticalmotiIs-
dccoy. I
discovcrcdchcck. I 3/3O
cnticcmcnt./I , I 4/27, 25/2, 42/
2 I , 4/I 5
Iork. I 3/2
matingcombinations.3 I/3O, 43/32
ovcrloading.4/23, I 8/2O, 25/2
pi n 23, 4I , 42, 45, 52
zvischcnzug. /2 I , I I , I 3/2, I 4/
23, 23/2O, 27/2O, 28/22, 33/22
Timc-prcssurc- 8, l I , I , I 7, 22, 24,
28, 37, 4l , 44, 45, 47, 48, 4, 52
Undcrcstimating thc opponcnt ` s rc-
sourccs 2, I I , 22, 25, 32, 3, 4O, 48, 4
H0X 0 Lgg0HHS
(IccIS lO _dHc HuHDcIS)
FKOIdH, N!dUIHII I0, 4
FHdHU, NISWdHdlDdH 40
Fld!IK, budl Z
dIccV, V_cHj J4
ducI, LDIISlIdH JJ
cH]dHIH, JOc! I
cIdVSKj, F!cXdHUcI I
LdI!ScH, Pd_HuS Z
dHIc!IdH, L_dHcS
c !d IVd, LSCdI J
!u_j, PdXIH IZ
IO!OV, FIluI
LdVI]uSDIH, L!c_ I
LcOI_IcV, III J
LIISCDuK, FcXdHUcI J, 4
Lu!IcV, bdIDdH I4
lKIS, OIIS 4
dSIHUZDdHOV, uSldH J
OVd!cV, FHUIcI J0
cKO, clcI 4I
Pd_cIIdHOV, !HdI
PCbDdHc, uKc 44
PIOV, NdUIH J
POlj!cV, F!cXdHUcI Z0
^cVcUHICDj, N!dUIS!dV J
LI!OV, LcOI_I Z
d!O, dVOI 4J
cUOH, IuHO l
ICdIUI, dD!O JZ
OUI_DIcIO, LIuScc 6
O_cIS, dH I
OIZ, PICDdc! 4Z
OHdHISDIH, L!c_ I
OZcHld!IS, UudIUdS Z
uZc!c, dIIuS
bdU!cI, PdllDcW Z
bdKdcV, OHSldHlIH Z4
bdX, Lju!d II
bDIIOV, F!cXcI 4
bDOIl, ^I_c! 0
bKOHOIOKDIH, OHdH IJ
bVIU!cI, clcI 4
JISCDDIcIcK, d] Z I
JKdCDIcV, N!dUIS!dV Z
JIc_uDOV, dVc I
NdH c!j, OcK 4
NjZHdHdVIH, F!cXcj ZJ
Xc JIdH_CDudH JI
ZV]d_IHScV, NdUIH ZZ, Z
ZJ
A|ckhinc`sDcIcnsc
B05j 2 l
B|ackKnights`Tango
A50j- 27
Caro-Kann DcIcnsc
BI 2j J2, 4J
B 7j 4 I
B 9j 4O
ChcbancnkoVariation
[D 5j - I 2, 22
Engl ishOpcning
[A24j I
[AJJj 52
Frcnch DcIcnsc
[C0| j 5
CO2j- 2
C| l j - 7, J4
CI 8j 42
CrinIcld DcIcnsc
D7j 47
King`s IndianDcIcnsc
E8 l j - 2J
E92j 8
PctroIIDcIcnsc
C42j 2, J8, 48
Phi|idor DcIcnsc
C4l j - J7
Pirc DcIcnsc
BOj l
Quccn`sCambit
[D55j- JJ
[ D58j 50
Quccn`s Indian DcIcnsc
[ EI 2j - 4
RuyLopcz
C7j J
C78j 28
C88j- 24,5 |
C99j J5
Scandinavian DcIcnsc
[BO l j - l 8
H0X 0 LgHHgS
(rcIcrstogamcnumbcrs)
Sicil ian DcIcnsc
[ BJJj l 5
[B50j 44
[B54j 9
[ B I j J9
[BJj 29, J I
[B8Oj- 25
[ B85j - 4, I O
B95j J O
S|av DcIcnsc
D 5j l 2, 22
D45j 49
D47j 45
ThrccKnights`DcIcnsc
C4j I 7
2J