Opening Preparation

Mark Dvoretsky and Artur Yusupov

With contributions from:

Sergei Dolmatov

schess.org

Yuri Razuvaev

Boris Zlotnik

Aleksei Kosikov

Vladimir Vulfson

Translated by Joint Sugden

В. T. Batsford Ltd, London

First published 1994

© Mark Dvoretsky. Artur Yusupov 1994 Reprinted 1994, 1996 ISBN 0 7134 7509 9

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Ail rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, by any means, without prior permission of the publisher.

Typeset by John Nunn GM and printed in Great Britain by Redwood Books, Trowbridge, Wilts for the publishers, В. T. Batsford Ltd, 4 Fitzhardinge Street, London W1H0AH

A BATSFORD CHESS BOOK

Editorial Panel: Mark Dvoretsky, John Nunn, Jon Speclman

General Adviser: Raymond Keene OBE

Commissioning Editor: Graham Burgess

Contents

Preface (Mark Dvoretsky)

White is aiming for an advantageous exchange of light-squared bishops. 24...ФЬ7 can be answered by 25 Дс4! (with the idea of 26 h4), or by 25 43b5 and 26 Wd3.

31 43xd6?J walks into 31...Дхё6 32 Exd6 Wxdl+1.

After the text the game continued 31...Дс7 32 43xd6 Дxd6 33 Exd6 Zdf8 34 Wxe5 Exf2 35 Ed7+ Е2Г7 36 Zxf7+ Zxf7 37 Ed8! Sg7 38 We8 g5 39 «Ъ8+ $g6 40 Ed6+ ФГ7 41 *'xh6 Wf5 42 Sdl! >c5+ 43 £g2 We7 44 Ef 1+ <£g8 45 Wf6 Ш 46 Wf5 g4 47 3f2 We7 48 Wd3 Sg5 49 Ec2 Ш 50 We4 Eg7 51 Wd5+ ЙТ7 52Ее6! 1-0.

Dolmatov-Bagirov

Frunze 1983 Griinfeld Defence

Obviously stronger than 10 Де2 cd 11 cd fcf6. On 10 Ed 1. ECO recommends 10...cd 11 cd Ф16 12 Ji.d3 Д_б4 13 Wxb7 ДхГЗ 14 gf-«Fxd4 15 0-0 (15 Wxc7?! tc3+ 16 Фе2 €kl5!) 15...We5 16 Дхе7 Sfb8 17 ДхГб Wxf6 18 Wc7 Wxf3 with equality.

10 ~         Ь6?!

In Evans-Korchnoi, Buenos Aires 1960, Black played more actively with 10...Wc? 11 0-0 Sb8 (intending to continue ...b7-b5); after 12 ДЬ5 b6 13 Sadi a6 14 Ad3 b5 15 Abl ДЬ7, he obtained an excellent position.

11 Sdl

11 0-0?! allows ll...€k5! with equality.

• 11 ...            c6

• 12 0-0       ^c7 (95)

  95 W

  
  

  ■ ЙТИАИ

  
  

13 e5!

The start of a sharp plan for a kingside attack, typical of such positions.

• 13 ...         ДЬ7

• 14 £g5      Sfc8

14...h6? 15 £хсб! #с6 16 d5.

15  Sibl      Sab8

16  h4        b5

Black's queenside pawn advance comes too late. A better move was 16...Wc6!, threatening mate and intending ...Ф'а4.

17  h5        b4

18  hg!        ba

18...hg is answered by 19 Axg6 fg 20 £xc6 tfc6 21 d5.

19  gf+       ФЬ8

20  ДхЬ7

Threatening '«ibl-g6-h5.

20  ...          £f8

21  «Zd3      ДИ6

21...cd 22 'ЙЪЗ Дхе5 23 Дд8+ <d?g7 24 cd.

22 Wh3!     Axg5

23 £g8+    $g7

24 Sd3

24(4!?ДЬ6 25 Sd3.

24 ... Де4

He could have made things more complicated for White by 24...ДГ4!, but Dolmatov's analysis shows that White would still keep a decisive plus: 25 Wh4! 2lg6 26 Bf6+ Ф13 27 a'xg6 cd 28 cd Даб 29 Sg3! (29 Sf3? Wcl!) 29...£xg3 30 Wh6+ Фс7 31 f8tf+! (31 tfxe6+? is much weaker) 31 ...Sxf8 32 Wg7+ ФdS 33 ^xf8+ Фd7 34 Дхс6+! Фхеб 35 tff6+ Фd7 (35..Ad5 36 tff3+ Феб 37 d5+) 36 #xa6 ДЬ4 37 «ЧаЗ,

1-0

Timman-Yusupov

Tilburg Ct (8) 1986 Queen's Gambit

14...b6'? 15 Wa4 b5!, and obtained a

quick draw. (Incidentally, in the same event, he played the White side of this very system against Li Zunian, and won.) Timman evidently counted on the same variation being repeated; he must have found an improvement on Ribli's play. But Yusupov has studied the system deeply; he has given himself the option of varying his plans where necessary and thereby sidestepping his opponent's pre-game preparations.

An ineffective response to Black's novelty. White should have preferred 19 <2>c5, as played against me a year earlier by Yusupov himself, in a training game with a I5-minute time control.

19 ...         M4!

Forcing simplifications that favour Black.

20 a3

20 Фс5 Axa2.

20 ...          ЙЪЗ

Better than 2O...Wc4 21 ФсЗ.

21 '^d2      ж-dS

Black wants to tie his opponent down with 27,..2c4 and 28...£lc6. However, 26...£ld8, with the same purpose, was more exact.

27 Wf2!     ®g6

Intending ...Sc4 or ...£if4,

28 Qh4!     £xh4

In view of the match situation, Yusupov sacrifices the exchange to force a draw. A perfectly playable alternative was 28...Ef8 29 £jf5 'Й'еб

without changing the position you prolong the game to the adjournment, then at home you check whether there arc any winning chances.

Vx-'Л

97 В

The right move is 17 f3, with roughly equal chances. Now Black gains the initiative.

17             Ac2!

18 b4

18 £b5 сб.

21 Wf3 c4, or 21 &de4 Axe4 22 Фхе4 Wh4, is bad for White.

21 ...         £d4

22 Wc3     £a6

23 £a2.

23 b5 is hardly better; the reply I had in mind was 23...£}c5 24 Afl c4 25 2a2 43f5 26 Wh3 e3 27 Sxc2 £d4 28 £dc4 &xe4 29 Qxc4 Wf4 30Ea2c2!.

23 ...            e4!

24 Ecl

24 Eel Qxe2+ 25 Wxc2 Ad3, or at once 25...'Wb2.

I had been preparing this move, which wins a pawn. Black gains nothing from 3O...Wc2 31 Wdl Exf2 32 Qxf2 Wxf2+ 33 ФЫ We3 34 Wfl. During the game we both thought that 3O...Wd4!? was refuted by 31 We2 Wxc4 32 £g5 Wxd5 32 Wc7, but instead of 31...Wxc4?, Black can win with 31...Sf4! 32 Qg5 Exf2.

The rook ending is probably lost too.

35 ... de

36 ФГ2      Ф17

37 ФсЗ      Фс7!

0-1

White resigned because after 38 c5 b6 39 Фс4 be 40 Фхс5 he will soon be in zugzwang.

An important position for die assessment of the variation. Black answers 16 'tfdS with 16...'ЙТ6, followed by ...Ad7 and ...Eac8, achieving an excellent game. White should play 16 £lc6 Axe6 17 de. Then his position appears preferable, though a draw would be the most likely result.

16 g4?

A nervous move, handing the initiative to the opponent.

16 ...         £d4

17 h3

17 ДсЗ <e7 IS tfd3 Sc8, with an endgame advantage to Black.

17 ... Wh4

18 #cl

Relatively best. 18 ШЗ fails to 18...Axg4! 19 hg Wxg4+ 20 ФЫ Ac 5 21 Ad2 Axf4 22 Axf4 Zxf4 23 Zxf4 Wxf4 24 ®'xd4 Zc8 25 Zcl Wh4+. On 18 Ac3. Black has 18../eg3+ 19 £g2 Zxfl+ 20 ^xfl Ac5, or even 20...Axg4.

18 ...          tfxcl

19 Excl     Ad7?

Irresolution! I wrongly abandon the line which I had been planning: 19...Ac5 20 £e2 £f3+ 21 Axf3 Zxf3 22 Ф£2 Zf7 (22...Zd3!?), and if 23 Ah6 Black can take the pawn on b2; otherwise ...h7-h5, opening the game for the player with the

25...Zxe4? 26 Zxc4 Zf2+ 27 &g3 Zxd2 28 Sxc7, and the advantage is with White.

26 £g3! Za8

26...Ac8 27 Zb8 Axg4 28 Zxc8 Axe2 29 Zc7, with equality.

27  c5!       Ac8

28  cb       Axb7

29  be        Zac8

30  Ab4??

The decisive mistake! After 30 Aa5 White should be able to draw, even though 3O...Efc8 would still set him a few problems.

0-1