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Contents

From the author

Foreword to the book ‘Selected Games 1985-2004’
Introduction to ‘Selected Games 1985-2004’
Chapter 1 - The journey from Kishinev to Moscow
Chapter 2 - To the grandmasters with suitcase!
Chapter 3 - The swing
Chapter 4 - Seek and ye shall find!
Chapter 5 - Professional
Chapter 6 - Strogino
Chapter 7 - Qatar – Kishinev
Chapter 8 - Return to Qatar

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From the author
The idea of a follow-up to the autobiographical volume Steps
[published in English as Victor Bologan: Selected Games 1985-
2004’ – Editors] arose practically from the moment the latter was
written. Despite the notable full stop at the end of the book, in the
shape of a victory over Magnus Carlsen, my chess career continued
for a full fourteen more years, and the subsequent stormy social and
political career is only just gaining momentum. The question arose:
how to organically combine the sincere, as if written in spirit, Steps
with the subsequent accumulated life material? What scarlet thread
runs through my life – my infancy, adolescence, youth, maturity?
What is my life credo? Actually, what should be the name of the
book?
My numerous master classes, which I give in different languages in
various parts of the world, came to the rescue. At them, I try to
convey to the audience not only the specific chess knowledge I have
accumulated over forty years, but also my philosophical concept of
decision-making, both in a specific game/position and in general life
situations. You need to believe in yourself, you need to trust
yourself, you need to develop a sense of confidence in the decisions
you make. With all this, in no case should you turn off critical
thinking for a minute. You should not become set in stone but rather
must admit your own mistakes, because working on mistakes is the
only path to perfection – as has been proven over centuries.
Of course, the content of Steps itself had to be reconsidered: in some
places the opening variations were outdated, in others the memory
suggested a vivid episode that had not been described before. And
sadly, people close to me continue to pass away: Inna and Mark
Dvoretsky, Mikhail Podgaets, Alexander Klepikov, Naum
Rashkovsky, Ivan Solonar...
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At the time of writing Steps I was an active athlete, so I could not
disclose all the ‘names-appearances-passwords’, that is, tell about
everyone with whom I worked and how I worked. Of course, there
were no special secrets, but even so. Now I am relieved of this
burden and I can tell you in more detail, for example, about my
collaboration with Garry Kasparov, Judit Polgar, Mikhail Podgaets
and some other chess players. In addition, computers have become
much stronger these days. A simple mobile phone with the most
common program now plays more strongly than any grandmaster,
so I had to check and correct old comments on games here and
there.
As regards the foreword to the first edition, I have decided to leave
it as it is. After all, it was written by the great World Champion,
Garry Kasparov – for me it is very flattering and honourable.
Victor Bologan,
Dubai, February 2024

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Foreword to the
book ‘Selected
Games 1985-2004’
by Garry Kasparov, 13th World Champion
In our computer era, few strong chess players ever think of writing a
book. This work is extensive, it takes a lot of time and, from the
point of view of a chess professional, it is not rewarding enough
financially. In addition, writing a book requires some ideas that
make it interesting for a wide chess audience. Therefore, I accepted
Viorel Bologan’s manuscript with great interest. The sheer volume
of the manuscript was already impressive; knowing Viorel, I had no
doubt that I would find many interesting chess ideas in it.
I think that the book should be read by all chess players who would
like to continue their improvement. First of all, of course, this means
young chess players who are sure that they can download all chess
knowledge on the Internet or find it in modern chess databases. In
fact, nothing can replace the printed word, because improvement
requires an understanding of what has been done before, as well as
the ability to process the information received and adapt it to your
own stylistic and chess character features.
Viorel tells in detail about his development, about how he absorbed
the chess experience in Kishinev, where he was lucky to work with
such an outstanding person as Vyacheslav Chebanenko, who created
his own, if not ‘mainstream’, then very extraordinary chess
philosophy, and then in Moscow, where he collaborated with
Zigurds Lanka and Mark Dvoretsky. Chess players are usually
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divided into those who calculate variations, and those who think in
schemes, focusing on the strategic elements of a chess game.
What unites Chebanenko, Lanka and Dvoretsky (and Viorel also
talks about this in the book) is not only the ability to think in
schemes, but also a type of thinking that is quite rare now – thinking
in general philosophical chess categories, when a specific move or
even a complex plan fits into a certain general concept. In many of
the games in the book, such an inseparable connection can be traced,
which makes it possible to draw up the most complete picture of the
development of both a particular game and chess as a whole. Each
of these coaches contributed to the formation of the chess and
human image of the author, who, after a short creative break
(working on the stock exchange), entered the chess elite, confirming
this with a brilliant victory at the super-tournament in Dortmund.
It is very important that there are many properly annotated games in
the book. I specifically emphasize the word ‘properly’, because
today most of even the leading chess players limit themselves to the
simplest notes to their games in the Informant format or write a
rather primitive text in New in Chess. More complex texts can be
found in the magazine 64, which is written mainly, of course, by the
Russian-speaking chess guard, but in general the texts are limited to
commentary on the game itself, and it is rather difficult to find a
connected series of well-annotated games. Even in the books that
the leading grandmasters still publish (albeit less and less regularly),
their games are usually presented in the form of an internally
unrelated ‘chocolate box’, where just different ‘candies’ are laid out
in a beautiful package.
By contrast, in Bologan’s book it is quite obvious that the games are
chosen precisely as milestones on the path of his creative
improvement. In addition, the reader will find many interesting
observations that reveal the originality of the grandmaster’s
personality. And although I cannot agree with a number of them,

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they nevertheless reflect the author’s position, which is also rather
unusual in the chess world today, when many things are presented in
a very smoothed and generalized form.
The book presents diverse games starting with a wide variety of
openings. Nowadays it is fashionable to expand your repertoire,
including different openings, often contradictory in structure, and in
this book you can get a recommendation on how to choose the right
opening, from the point of view of the author. He talks about the
decision-making method and the specific philosophy behind each of
these decisions. These may be elements of chess psychology
associated with a particular opponent, some changes in creative
views as a result of cooperation with one or other coach, or may
simply be compliance with modern chess fashion, because any chess
player, even the most creative one, must closely follow the
development of chess thoughts and try not to lag behind, to be
always at the forefront of modern chess development. And here in
almost every game one can find general recommendations ‘adapted’
to the specific features of a particular position. I think these are the
most valuable tips, because by itself, general advice, not illustrated
by a specific example, loses most of its practical usefulness.
Of particular interest in the book are quotes from the author’s diary,
which tell not only about chess events, but also about the author’s
personal experiences. Perhaps it is this combination of chess
analysis and the presentation of personal feelings recorded in the
tensest moments when one or another event is experienced that
allows one to more correctly feel the very technology of decision-
making and, most importantly, those lessons that were learned both
from defeats and from victories. Although the book makes it quite
clear that it is much more difficult to learn from victories, this idea
of the difficulty of the test posed by victories is presented very well:
the drop in results is naturally associated with the peculiarities of
human psychology, which is not adapted to objectively evaluate
winning streaks. We react much more adequately to defeats that
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force us to use our minds again and find out the reasons for our
failure.
The book also describes well the complex contemporary
relationship between teacher and student. Today, chess players often
change roles, helping, assisting each other, and in addition to the
traditional ‘teacher-student’ relationships, there are also
relationships between chess players and sparring partners who help
either in a particular tournament or in preparation for a series of
important competitions. Since Viorel has been ‘on both sides of the
barricade’, he talks about this system of relationships in sufficient
detail and in an interesting way. The story about the process of the
birth of ideas in creative teams is also interesting, when a group of
chess players works in one direction, and thanks to a productive
mutual exchange they manage to advance both their own and our
common understanding of chess to some new level.
In any case, one can hope that this book will inspire young chess
players to a deeper study of the chess classics, to more focused work
not only with computer databases, but also with chess books. But
most importantly, they will have a desire to comment on their own
games. Although many today probably perceive the advice of the
classics with a certain sneer – in our computer age, the
recommendations of the 19th-20th centuries often look outdated –
nevertheless, Botvinnik’s insistence on analysing one’s own games
remains relevant today. Because only commenting on the games
played helps creative growth. And of course, one can only dream
that reading this most interesting book will inspire some of the
strongest chess players to also spend their precious time writing
another extraordinary chess book.

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Introduction to
‘Selected Games
1985-2004’
In my first year at the Institute of Physical Education, I turned to
Zigurds Lanka for help in mastering the craft of writing. This
experienced chess journalist, after a short pause, issued the
following advice:
‘Well, I’ll give you a pen and paper.’
Fifteen years have passed since then; I became a grandmaster and I
write for various chess publications. In a word, the aphorism of the
‘old coach’, as Lanka calls himself, helped.
Chess journalism is, first of all, facts. Mostly dry, sometimes
unbelievable, but still facts: I came to the tournament, played,
looked around, wrote about it, went to the next tournament. And yet,
despite the comfort of the niche occupied, it is natural for a person
to move forward, to search for something new. So, I wanted to not
just write about the next tournament and comment on the games
played, but to dig deeper, get out of the narrow shores of a magazine
article into the wide sea of an autobiographical book. Moreover,
chess experience – more than twenty years – allows this, and work
on your own games cannot interfere, because it is the cornerstone of
the growth of any chess player.
Writing about yourself is both simple and difficult at the same time.
On the one hand, the best that comes out of a writer’s pen is always
his personal, deeply felt experience. On the other hand, it is difficult
to maintain objectivity when it comes to your beloved self. And yet
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I made up my mind! I dismissed right away the idea that the book
would take a lot of my time and effort and, as a result, negatively
affect my chess level. The positive example of Shirov, Kramnik and
Anand (who have already painted chess self-portraits) has
convinced me that I am trying to dig in the right direction. Of
course, I could not have done it without a little trick, which greatly
facilitated my work, Many games were commented on for 64, New
in Chess, Europe Echecs, Schach, Peon del Rey, Chess Informant.
Naturally, the best of the published games formed the basis of this
book. It was thanks to the work carried out on a fresh trail that it
was possible to preserve both the considerations that guided me
during the game and the conclusions drawn afterwards.
A special topic in the book concerns my coaches: Ivan Solonar,
Viacheslav Chebanenko, Zigurds Lanka, Mark Dvoretsky and
Mikhail Podgaets. All unique personalities, they certainly left their
recognizable salutary imprint on my game. It is to them that I owe
most of my achievements. Being by role more of a creative
performer than a painstaking composer, I was happy to absorb
Chebanenko’s ideas in whole systems; from the first moment, the
‘templates’ of Lanka were obtained; having solved a huge number
of problems from Dvoretsky’s card index, I threw myself into the
most complex calculations without fear.
Most of the games presented in the book, especially in the opening
part, are connected with coaches. Unfortunately, the limited volume
of the book did not allow a more detailed account of these
extraordinary personalities. And if Dvoretsky’s teachings are more
than accessible, thanks to his exceptional ability to work, which led
to the writing of a number of books and many articles, then books
about the chess views and worldview of my other coaches are yet to
come.
Victor Bologan

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Chapter 1
The journey from
Kishinev to Moscow
– The child is dead! Save the mother!
The words that came through the grey haze forced Anna Bologan to
make an incredible effort and raise her body, exhausted by a
difficult birth.
– What??!
The cry, addressed more to the child than to the fussing medical
staff, helped. The baby, a boy, and blue from lack of oxygen,
screamed as if in response to his mother! I will live!
This significant event for Moldovan chess took place on the
morning of December 14, 1971 in the city of Kishinev. Despite the
fact that both parents were very busy people (my mother Anna
Demyanovna taught Spanish at school, and my father Anton
Nikolayevich worked as a programmer at NIIP 1. Gosplan MSSR 2,
compiling programs for optimizing the planning of the development
of the national economy) and despite such an unexpected beginning,
subsequently in the life of the second child everything went
smoothly for the family and without any incidents. At only eight
months of age the child passed for a year old and was taken to the
nursery.
That same Russian nursery is my first conscious memory from my
childhood. True, I remember myself for some reason on the potty.

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12
At the age of five I dreamed of serving with the police.
In a kindergarten, by this time in Moldova, when I was five-years-
old, we were asked what we wanted to be when we grew up. ‘A
train driver! An astronaut! – the children shouted in chorus! I,
without much thought, answered: ‘A policeman!’ To the question:
‘Why?’ a no less surprising answer was given: ‘So that there are no
bad people’... I perceived justice since childhood quite
straightforwardly. I remember that my father taught me to protect
girls, to respect the weaker sex, and in the same kindergarten, in a fit
of chivalry, in a fight against a boy pestering girls, I broke my
opponent’s umbrella. Of course, I was the one to blame.
More than half a century ago, when my father was drafted into the
army, our last name was spelled ‘Bolokhan’. In Moldovan ‘bolohan’
means ‘cobblestone, stone of the earth.’ Another version of the
origin of our surname is from the word ‘Vlakh’, or ‘Voloh’. In
confirmation of this version, I saw with my own eyes a medieval
map on which ‘Tzara Bolohvenilor’ was drawn – the country of the
Bolohvans. Surprisingly, the earliest mention of a Romanian-
speaking ethnic group on the territory of historical Moldova (in the
Soviet era, Moldavia was more often used than Moldova, but I will
stick with the modern version throughout this book to avoid
misunderstanding) is found in Russian chronicles, and the ‘country
of Bolohvans’ is mentioned there. In general, the surname is quite
common and in Moldova there is even a whole village called
Bologany. In Soviet times, again, there was a strange policy – many
people changed their last names. Either someone didn’t like the
ending ‘khan’, or something else, but my father returned from the
army as Bologan.
Another story concerns my first name. Mom wanted to call me
Viorel from the very beginning, which, in fact, she still does. But
the fact is that there is no such name in Orthodox Christian times,
and they wrote me down as Victor. This name appears in all my

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official documents, including the rating list. ‘Viorele’ in Moldovan
means ‘violets’, and Victor in Latin means winner. So all my life I
have to rush between two extremes – a romantic, cheerful, kind
Moldovan Viorel and a dry, strong-willed, strong-willed to win,
athletic, evil Latin Victor. At some point, at the peak of my chess
career, they even began to call me Victor the Terrible, by analogy
with you know who!
I went to school when I was less than seven-years-old. Mathematics
was easy, and I solved problems with passion. Later I liked
inorganic chemistry. I knew Spanish quite well, thanks to my
mother. She was a talented teacher, and even her third-year students
spoke Spanish, which is completely unthinkable for a Soviet school.
As a child, I read a lot. Even then, I perceived books as windows
onto other worlds. Sometimes, I would sit reading and the family
could not make me hear, even though they would shout in my ear.
Sometimes Niku (my older brother, now a doctor of medical
sciences) and I would read until late at night, then my mother would
come and turn off the light, and we, after waiting until she fell
asleep again, turned it on again and continued to read.
Looking ahead, I will say that books have always played a big role
in my life, as well as music. Probably, to one degree or another, this
is typical for any chess player. Of course, there are exceptions: for
example, one of my student-comrades had read only one book by
the age of 16. But I insisted that he start reading, and he got so
carried away that he began to read everything. I opened his eyes to
the importance of such an activity as reading.
I was taught to read in childhood, although no one specifically
taught us: we saw that our parents read and so we did it too. We saw
that all the upper shelves were filled with books – accordingly, I
took and read everything together with my brother. Since childhood,
I have had a passion for reading. And we were also lucky that
Moldova at that time was a real ‘bookish’ kingdom. It was not easy

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to get good books in the Soviet Union, but in Moldova they were
more accessible. When chess players came to us, they bought not
only fruits and wine, but also went to the bookstore for scarce
literature.
In general, everything was as it should be regarding books at home.
Then they began to influence my chess career. I remember very well
the first article about myself in 64, when in 1991 I won the
qualifying tournament in Jurmala. I was called, it seems, an
intelligent young man with a Buddhist philosophy and a Marxist
conviction. And then, while on the one hand I seriously went into
Christianity, on the other I read esotericism, Buddhist literature. At
our institute, Albina Karpovna taught physiology and she tried to
interest us in all this.
So, literature played and plays a huge role in my life. For example, I
re-read Dostoevsky three times, and each time I discovered it in a
new way. My favourite hero, of course, is Alyosha Karamazov with
his ideals. Even now, when I am over fifty, I re-read some things.
True, I no longer want to overload my eyes, since I have to spend a
lot of time behind a computer screen and phone, so I’ve switched to
audiobooks. I listen to the classics – the same Dostoevsky, as well
as Chernyshevsky and Tolstoy. Yes, it’s a little old-fashioned, but
very interesting! Some important thoughts are remembered that we
forget in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
It had a very interesting effect on my chess. For example, one of the
ways I use literature is to cope with the emotional ups and downs in
a tournament. Of course, the simplest option is to get drunk, forget
and reboot, but this path is fraught with many negative
consequences. If you drink a little and spend time emotionally, then
this is a good topic, because through communication you throw off
the burden of negative thoughts and feelings, you can sleep
normally and reboot. But if you overdo it with alcohol, then it is
very difficult to recover later, not to mention the sad, long-term

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outlook. We all know quite a few chess players who abused alcohol,
and we know how it all ended... suffice it to recall a whole
generation of Moscow masters and grandmasters – unfortunately,
they all passed away very prematurely.
And reading is very good for the ‘zigzag’ of emotions. You go to
another world, you forget. It happened to me. I remember that in the
Russian league, when I played for TatTransGaz, I read all night
before the game against Smagin. I don’t remember what it was, but
it was quite a fascinating book. I read it to the end, fell asleep closer
to the morning and then won several games in a row. A reboot had
occurred.
I was impressed by a few books that just hit the mark. For example,
the novel The Outsider by Albert Camus. The idea is that a person
tells the truth all his life but finds himself on the scaffold. He has
three days before the literal execution of the sentence. And for these
three days the person, being in a prison cell (perfectly understanding
that it is impossible to change the sentence), lives so wholly and so
fully with the help of his imagination – and you are with him – that
you really understand: the person is ready to die. And this gives one
such fantastic power, specifically in chess! If a person, having
nothing, can create a whole universe in three days... he explains how
this happens, because you are in this cell with him. After reading
such books, I grow wings, I tear through tournaments, and it gives
me a fantastic boost. Any problem can be cracked like a nut. It is
clear that it needs to be solved somehow, but you immediately
perceive things differently.
The Bible also had a very strong, very positive effect on me,
especially the Proverbs of Solomon. ‘The horse is prepared against
the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord’ – I try to convey this idea
at all master classes. In principle, this is an ideal pre-start state for
any athlete, including a chess player. You must prepare as much as
possible, put all your strength in during the game, and then come

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what may. You must do everything in your power. Very often
people fall into one extreme, or the other. Either, I will not do
anything, everything will be done for me; or the other extreme –
everything is in my power, I must definitely win. What does
‘definitely’ mean? A similar chess player is sitting opposite you, he
must also ‘definitely’ win.
These things have had a profound effect on me and have guided me
throughout my life. At one time I was fond of Zen Buddhism, as
was Kramnik; I even borrowed books from Volodya. In general, he
has good taste and has read many sensible books in his life.
So, read and listen to good books!
When I started school, I would get up early in the morning, long
before classes. At 7 am it was still dark and cold, but I had a
willpower that my wife still marvels at. I was about 7-8 years old,
and I would go out and run three kilometres at the school stadium.
Then I became interested in football, kicking the ball literally
against the walls of our five-storey panel building. I played football
both at home and in the yard, and during school breaks, and in the
football section, and even when I was alone. All I needed was the
wall, on which the technique of impact was honed, and the ball
itself. Sometimes my brothers and I made a ball out of socks; one
stood in the goalmouth (its role was played by a wall carpet, and the
goalkeeper climbed onto the sofa). One threw the ball, the second
headed it, and the goalkeeper jumped on the sofa and parried the
blows. Such games could go on forever!
Of course, like all boys, I went to different martial arts sections,
which also helped me better understand the toughness of a one-man
fight. Once, during a school break, a wrestling coach approached
me, and said that I had excellent prospects. ‘Mama Demyanovna’
(that’s what I called my mother, who was also my Spanish teacher at
school), who happened to be right there, quickly pushed me into
chess instead. Despite the fact that football was still the main

17
passion of my childhood, unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately,
things did not go further. After a year of training at the Nistru 3 base,
the soccer ball was exchanged for 32 chess pieces. And yet, already
playing chess, I allowed myself to miss both chess and school
classes, and took myself to the stadium – and I would play, play,
play! In my defence, I can only say that we have a hereditary
football ‘disease’, us five brothers (Niku, me, Lilian, Mihai and
Radu). It happened that the team of Petrovka – the village where my
father comes from – fielded solid Bologans at regional competitions.
A dramatic story is connected with Petrovka/Evgenievka, which
tempered my character and self-confidence for the rest of my life,
although everything could have ended sadly. It started with the fact
that after a great summer vacation spent with my grandparents, I
liked everything so much that I decided not to return to comfortable
Kishinev, but to stay and study at a rural school, with all the
everyday challenges associated with it. I remember that evening
well. August 31, the last day of summer. I was under the influence
of the first adult decision I had made. Surprisingly, being very
strong personalities, my parents continued to give me freedom of
choice; the ability to determine my own destiny. Tomorrow at a new
school. I DECIDED. Cool! The first steep life zigzag. On the eve of
third grade, as an eight-year-old boy who could not swim, I
nevertheless decided to swim across a small, narrow section of a
rural lake, about three to four metres across. Every boy, every man,
has moments when you need to prove, first of all to yourself, that
you can, you can, you will do it. Silence. There was not a soul
around, the nearest person was about a kilometre away in the then
densely-populated village. Dark moonlight. In reality, I learned to
swim only the following summer, when my father and I went to the
Crimea and he threw me off a rock towards the shore. Sink or swim.
In the meantime, a step, another, the muddy bottom seemed to want
to unbalance me, but I pushed on. I was floundering, splashing with
my hands and feet at the water. Forward to the goal! I can! I CAN!
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Willpower, patience, endurance – I have all this thanks to, among
other things, sports. In our family, sport has always taken pride of
place. Dad played football, did weightlifting – when my brothers
and I were little, he lifted us until there were three of us on one arm.
He could also put one of us in a shopping bag for fun and carry it
along the street.
One day my father and I were travelling to the village in a crowded
bus. I was six or seven years old, and I pressed my face against the
glass that separated the driver from the passengers. The driver did
not like something (maybe I breathed on the glass), and he slammed
his fist on the glass, that is, in fact, he hit me. My father, of course,
stood up for me. I don’t remember how events developed further,
but when we got off the bus, it turned out that the driver was a head
taller than my father – a hefty and terribly arrogant bull who swore
at us! It was the only time in my life that I saw my father fighting.
Although it’s hard to call this a fight: he delivered one short, clear
blow to the forehead, and the driver simply fell down; that’s how to
drop a bull, with one blow.
My father taught me how to move the pieces when I was seven
years old. In his best years, he himself played at first category
strength and he captivated all his sons with the ancient game. He
also took me to the Youth Sports School 4 of chess. True, by today’s
standards very late, when I was almost ten years old. Niku was
already studying there, but then he broke away – he did not have
enough perseverance. Later, Niku succeeded in everything he
touched: he entered medical school at the age of thirteen, graduated
with honours from the medical institute, received a degree and built
a successful business, but in chess one cannot do without patience.
At first, I missed a lot of training, after which, like any child, I was
ashamed to return to classes, but my father turned out to be more
persistent – several times he brought me there literally by the scruff
of the neck. I used to joke: I tell my dad that I’m going to chess, the

19
coach that I’m sick, and I myself go to football. After another call
from the coach asking where Viorel was, everything was settled,
and I concentrated on chess again. In his old age, his father himself
mastered the profession of children’s chess coach. At almost eighty,
he still teaches, conducts city-wide competitions, and compiles
problems books.
I can say for sure that in my life I have been lucky with people. My
first coach was a talented teacher and a wonderful person: Ivan
Yakovlevich Solonar literally invested his soul in us. Being a good
practical player, he gave us many problems to solve and forced us to
play blindfold. Being a fan of Bobby Fischer, he taught us openings
from the repertoire of the 11th World Champion: the Najdorf
Variation, the King’s Indian Defence, 1.e4 for White, the Spanish
Exchange Variation.
‘Swedish chess’ was very popular in our environment – this is when
a pair of players is pitted against another pair and the pieces taken
from the opponent can be transferred to the partner – a game known
as ‘bughouse’ in the West. Thus, our fantasy was developed, and the
emotional background was on the level. By the way, when I was an
Executive Director of FIDE, I seriously began to think about
organizing the World Championship of Bughouse. Moreover, I
asked my FIDE colleagues to develop clear regulations and
classification of its different versions.
A significant curiosity is associated with that period. Only teams of
the 3rd/4th year of study were allowed to take part in the
championship of the city’s Youth Sports School. Actually, the
championship was called that. Our team of first and second year
pupils was admitted to the competition as an exception, playing hors
concours. The final standings are before my eyes to this day: we
beat the second-placed team by as much as 5 points. And no
wonder. Subsequently, all the members of our team became, at a

20
minimum, candidate masters, and Anzhela Grigorieva, Irina Brandis
and your humble servant even became grandmasters.
And Ivan Yakovlevich practically did not change. Until the last days
of his life, he still trained children. At 88 he, as before, came to the
chess club to work and share his love for chess. It seems to me that
the secret of his chess longevity is very simple. Children perfectly
captured his sincere feelings and repaid the coach a hundredfold
with their love and youthful energy. By the way, in 2022 he became
the veterans’ champion of Moldova (attention!) in the over 65
section, with a phenomenal result of 7 out of 7.
News of our coach’s death caught me in distant China. Everything
happened absolutely unexpectedly, so I still have to fully realize the
loss. Rest in peace, my dear, the first, Moldovan, beloved Coach!

21
22
Ivan Yakovlevich Solonar.
Let’s go back forty years to the early eighties. In order to step on the
narrow path of a chess professional, in addition to ability, a good
coach and ‘timely acquaintance’ with the game, you need something
else. It seems to me that in my case, this ‘more’ was the thirst for
victory and a craving for travel.
When I won my first tournament game in inter-school competitions
and went to school on a warm autumn evening in Kishinev (I
studied on the ‘second shift’), my happiness knew no bounds! I was
eager to bring the news to my class: I won! My friends should
definitely rejoice with me! Of course, over the years, these feelings
dulled and now such emotions are rarely experienced, but, in
principle, in chess, the single combat of two intellects, the main
thing is victory. For a long time, winning individual games or entire
tournaments was for me the very necessary stimulant to continue my
career as a chess player.
The second factor is an irresistible thirst for travel. As a child, I
often dreamed that I was going somewhere. I once dreamed that
Alexey Sasonkin, a fellow chess player and student of Solonar, and I
were walking along Kalininsky Prospekt, although I had never been
to Moscow before. And soon he really came to Moscow just with
Lyosha, and of course, we walked along Kalininsky, now renamed
Novy Arbat 5! By the way, until now, whenever I come to Moscow,
I stay at the Arbat Hotel in Plotnikov Lane, and my family always
rents an apartment on Novy Arbat. I also dreamed of Hamburg and
Cairo. Most of my creative biography is generally connected with
Hamburg. It’s no joke: 25 DVDs recorded at the ChessBase studio!
And I also visited Cairo.
In general, I have travelled enough. There are more than 80
countries on my track record, including almost all the former
republics of the USSR, except for Kyrgyzstan. True, I am still far
from the record holders Sergey Tiviakov and Nigel Short. Nigel has
23
something like 125 states, Sergey probably has even more. I am
often asked: which country did you like the most? Of course, it is
very difficult to answer. My first love is Italy, but in general, I like
France. There I even spoke French, without specifically studying the
language. Wine, gastronomy, the mentality... people there are
creative, open, friendly, cheerful, they know how to enjoy life; at the
same time they love and know how to work. They are professionals
in their field.
But my first trip to a tournament outside Moldova took place in the
fall of 1983, to the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The team, made up
exclusively of Solonar’s students, played well – we took third place,
but during the same event it was announced to our group that Ivan
Yakovlevich was moving to work as the director of the Republican
Chess Club, which had opened that same autumn, and his son
Stepan Ivanovich would train with us. For us it was a hard blow. In
two years of classes, we had managed to become strongly attached
to our coach. Now he was leaving us when we had just begun to
reap the fruits of hard work! We literally cried. Life didn’t end
there, of course. Stepan Ivanovich sincerely wished us success,
worked with us in full and met the main criterion of a good coach –
do no harm! Ivan Yakovlevich did not forget us either. At any time,
we could visit him at the RSC as if we were at home, to drink tea,
work and talk sincerely. The last time I was able to talk to the coach
in his office was in May 2023, literally two months before his death.
Around the same time, I started getting food stamps 6 (a sure sign of
a young professional) and I entered the sports cycle and stuck to
chess completely. In the fall of the following year, at less than
thirteen years old, I made my debut in my first adult championship
in Kishinev. I started with 3 out of 3, but didn’t have enough
strength towards the end, and in the last round against Chebanenko’s
experienced student, Bogdan Pavlenko, I played White but only by
the skin of my teeth did I pull out the draw necessary for the
Candidate Master norm.
24
Returning from the city centre on foot to Botanica (Kishinev
district), Edik Meyerzon, who had also fulfilled the norm, and I
painted our future in the most iridescent colours. But, unfortunately,
the situation in Moldova itself was not the most chess-friendly in the
Soviet Union. In the six years remaining before my departure to
Moscow, I did not wait for the desired tournament with a master
norm, as they simply were not held in Moldova. And whilst I
nevertheless managed to break into chess by entering a Moscow
university, Edik gave up chess altogether and emigrated to the
United States, replacing the 64 squares with computer
programming.
Of course, all-Union children’s competitions were often organized
in Kishinev and Balti. We had enthusiasts, thanks to whom
everything was carried out. The most striking of them was a man of
difficult fate, the coach of the Youth Sports School, Fyodor
Fyodorovich Skripchenko. In a fortunate combination, the father of
the famous chess player, Almira Skripchenko, launched the process
of introducing chess into the school curriculum in Moldova in the
year of my birth – in 1971. Fyodor Fyodorovich had excellent
organizational skills, and at that moment this movement was
extremely popular in the republic. So, shortly before that, in 1969,
Moldovan schoolchildren won the finals of the All-Union
tournament ‘Belaya Ladya’. True, Fyodor Skripchenko cheated a
little and gathered several strong chess players in one school in
Kishinev, but he was the first to think of doing this, and others
followed him. These players have become real heroes in Moldova;
one of them, Svetlana Kharitonova, connected her life with chess,
becoming a well-known organizer, coach, and arbiter. In 2019,
Svetlana Konstantinovna came to the 50th anniversary of the Belaya
Ladya in Sochi.
The realities of the socialist time, plus the energy of Skripchenko,
allowed children to play and travel a lot. Wonderful trips to St
Petersburg, Kronstadt, Moscow, Volgograd, Jurmala, life in luxury
25
hotels for children – all this thanks to him. Literally a day before his
death, he sent me a general photo from a trip to Volgograd. So,
Fyodor Fyodorovich said goodbye to me. Despite many
disagreements, we worked well together. I remember once at a
training camp in Bendery, Skripchenko asked all the students to
name their shortcomings. I sat, thought, and absolutely sincerely
wrote that I had... bad handwriting! Maybe I didn’t have enough
self-criticism, but to be honest, I did not see other shortcomings in
myself. (I still suffer unfairly from accusations of immodesty).
The main problem was that there were no truly strong chess players
in Moldova. Grandmaster Lutikov, who lived in Tiraspol at that
time, had already practically retired from chess, Viktor Gavrikov
moved to Lithuania, and the local masters, although good, literate
players, were of such a level that for them a ‘fifty kopeck’ (i.e., a
50% score) in the semi-final of the USSR championship was
considered a normal result. From this point of view, it was difficult
for us to grow.
Here is one of the first examples of my play, which appeared in
chess periodicals – the magazine Chess (Riga) No. 5 for 1985. In
this game, for the first time in my life, I probably applied the
psychological trick of ‘sitting on my hands’. For a long forty
minutes I did not see a decisive continuation, but an inner voice told
me that one existed. Literally a few minutes before the flag fell, it
dawned on me!
Victor Bologan
Gavryushin
Kishinev 1985

26
1.Qh3!
and White gives mate in no later than seven moves!
The next game was played in December 1986 at the Lazo Memorial,
named for a Civil War hero who was burned alive by the Japanese
in a locomotive furnace. In Soviet times, in Moldova, the urban-type
settlement Lazovsk, the centre of the district, which includes the
village of Petrovka, was named after him. Then, it was the strongest
tournament in the republic, in which many masters competed.
During the Memorial, I turned fifteen years old, and it was my first
competition at this level.
My opponent, Georgy Orlov, a talented young master who returned
to Moldova after graduating from the Moscow Institute of Physical
Education, was considered our most promising chess player.
Subsequently, he trained Elena Akhmilovskaya and married her.
Now he lives in America, and the wonderful Elena, to our deep
regret, has left this world...

27
French Defence
Victor Bologan
Georgy Orlov
Kishinev 1986
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5
Orlov’s favourite opening, and in those days I used to meet it ‘like
Sveshnikov’ – I very much liked his games and tried never to miss
one. Largely thanks to his efforts, the Advance Variation has
enjoyed great popularity in recent decades. White wants to seize
space and shut in the enemy light-squared bishop and he bases his
play on these two factors.
3...c5 4.c3
One of the main problems in such structures is to maintain the chain
b2/c3/d4/e5. This issue is dealt with very well in Nimzowitsch’s
books.
After ...c7-c5 White defends the base pawn with c2-c3. Obviously,
nothing major is going to happen in the centre over the next few
moves and much will depend on how Black places his pieces. My
opponent decided first of all to strengthen the pressure against the
d4-pawn.
4...Nc6 5.Nf3 Nge7 6.Na3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Nf5 8.Nc2 Qb6 9.Bd3
Bb4+ 10.Kf1

28
This move, which breaches traditional chess principles, is to this day
regarded as strongest – the king goes to f1, whilst the rook is not
badly placed on h1, with White intending to play h2-h4.
10...Be7 11.h4!
The strongest move, after which the computer gives White a nice
plus. It is important to provoke the reply ...h7-h5, after which the
pawn structure is fixed and White gets control of the g5-square.
The attempt to trap the bishop with 11.g4 Nh4 12.Nxh4 Bxh4
13.g5? fails to 13...Nxe5! (Lagno-Morozevich, Krasnogorsk 2022).
11...h5 12.b3
With a simple and understandable idea: to exchange bishops after
Bg5 and try to exploit the weakening of the dark squares. Sooner or
later, White will have to take on f5, but I tried to delay this for as
long as possible, because I did not want to give up such a good
bishop.
12...a5 13.Bg5 Bf8

29
If 13...Bxg5 14.hxg5 Bd7 then Black need not fear 15.g4?! because
of 15...Nfxd4 16.Ncxd4 Nxd4 17.Rxh5 Ke7!?, but stronger is
15.Bxf5 exf5 16.Rh4 with a small advantage to White.
14.g3 Bd7 15.Bxf5 exf5 16.Kg2
On 16.Ne3!? with the idea of a3, Black can reply 16...Ba3!? (
16...Be6 17.a3 ), exploiting the fact that the pawn on d5 is currently
indirectly defended: 17.Nxd5? Qb5+.
16...Be6 17.Ne3 Ba3 18.Nc2 Bf8 19.Ne3
One can understand my willingness to repeat moves in a game with
such a formidable opponent. But he, of course, plays for a win.
19...Rc8?!
19...Ba3 would repeat three times. Instead, Black makes a serious
positional concession. After
20.a3
with the idea of b4!, the scope of his pieces is sharply reduced.
Objectively, he should have repeated moves.
20...Na7 21.Qb1 g6
If 21...Rc3 22.b4! and the opening of lines favours White: 22...axb4
23.axb4 g6 24.Qa2. But even after 22...a4!? 23.Rc1 ( 23.Nxf5 Rb3
24.Qc2 Nb5 25.Ne3 Nxa3 ) 23...Rb3 24.Qc2 his chances are
preferable.
And in reply to 21...Nb5 White should not hurry and instead just
strengthen the position: 22.Qb2 ( 22.Nxf5 Rc3!?; 22...Nxa3
23.Nxg7+ ).
22.Rc1
White begins the battle for the open file.
22...Rxc1 23.Qxc1 Nc6
Taking the pawn is completely bad: 23...Qxb3 24.Qc7 or 24.Rb1.

30
24.b4!
Of course, this is a typical break, but for me it was a revelation.
White not only ‘blunders’ the pawn on d4, but offers a second one
as well. However, if my gifts are accepted, my pieces obtain a great
deal of operating space.
24...Kd7
He loses after 24...Nxd4 25.Nxd4 Qxd4 26.Qc7.
Taking the b4-pawn is also dangerous; for example, 24...axb4
25.axb4 Qxb4 ( 25...Nxb4 26.Ra8+; 25...Bxb4 26.Ra8+; 25...Kd7
26.Bf6 Rg8 27.Ra8 ) 26.Rb1 Qa3 27.Qxa3 Bxa3 28.Rxb7 0-0
29.Nc2!? ( 29.Rc7 Na5 30.Be7 Bxe7 31.Rxe7 Ra8 ( 31...Nc4
32.Ng5 Nxe3+ 33.fxe3 Bc8 34.Kf3 Ba6 35.e6 ) 32.Ng5 Ra6 )
29...Ra8 30.Rc7 Nb4 31.Nxa3 Rxa3 32.Bf6 Ra6 33.Ng5.
With the move in the game, Black manages to avoid opening the a-
or c-files, but instead now the b-file is opened.
25.bxa5 Nxa5
The alternative was 25...Qxa5 26.Qb2 Qa6 27.Rb1 Kc8 28.a4!?.

31
26.Rb1 Qc6 27.Qb2 Kc7 28.Qb5 b6 29.a4
White clearly outstrips his opponent in development. It is not easy
for Black to develop his kingside, and the only way of doing so,
involving the exchange of bishops, does not suit him either.
29...Bh6
He loses after 29...Qxb5 30.Rxb5 Kc6 because of 31.Bd8 (also
good is 31.Nd2 Bh6 32.Bxh6 Rxh6 33.Nb1 Rh8 34.Nc3 Rd8
35.Na2 with the idea of Na2-b4xd5) 31...Nc4 32.Nxc4 dxc4
33.Rxb6+ Kd7 34.Bf6 Rg8 35.Rb8 (the decisive pin; if 35.a5 Ba3 )
35...Bd5 36.a5 c3 37.Rd8+ Ke6 38.Bg5 c2 39.Bc1.
30.Rc1
Striking, of course, but simpler and stronger was 30.Bxh6 Rxh6
31.Qb4, and Black’s position is untenable.
30...Nc4
30...Qxc1 31.Nxd5+ Bxd5 32.Bxc1 Bxf3+ 33.Kxf3 Bxc1 34.Qd5,
and White wins, as his queen is much stronger than Black’s pieces.
31.Qxc6+ Kxc6 32.Bxh6 Rxh6 33.Nd2 Rh8 34.Kf3?!
A time-trouble move. Stronger was 34.Ndxc4 dxc4 35.Nxc4 Kd5
36.Nxb6+ Kxd4 37.f4.
34...Rd8 35.Nexc4 dxc4 36.Ke3 b5 37.axb5+ Kxb5 38.Nb1 Kb4
39.Nc3 Kb3 40.Ne2 Bd5?!
I had similar structures later in my practice. White’s position is
superior, of course, but here it was essential for Black to activate the
rook by putting it on a8, after which it would have been hard for me
to achieve anything real.
41.Rc3+ Kb4 42.Rc2! Kb3 43.Kd2
Now White succeeds in blockading the pawn with his king, and his
advantage grows.
43...Be6 44.Nc1+ Kb4 45.Rb2+ Ka5 46.Kc3 g5!?

32
The only attempt at counterplay.
47.hxg5 h4
In reply to 47...f4!? it is best to decline the second pawn; for
example, 48.Rd2 fxg3 49.fxg3 Rg8 50.d5 Bd7 51.Rf2 Rxg5 52.Rxf7.
48.gxh4 Rh8

49.d5!
Sacrificing a pawn to activate the king.
49...Bxd5 50.Rd2 Be4
50...Be6 51.Rd4 Kb5 52.Ne2 Ra8 53.h5.
51.Kxc4!
Even stronger was 51.Rd7 Rxh4 52.Rxf7 Rh1 53.Ne2, winning.
51...Rc8+ 52.Kd4 Rxc1 53.h5

33
In this position, the pawn on f5 only hampers Black’s bishop in
battling the passed pawn. White is also prepared to sacrifice the e5-
pawn, so as to open his king’s path to f6 and g7.
53...Bf3
Black has a wide choice of moves, but none of them save him. For
example:
A) 53...Rc8 54.e6! Rd8+ ( 54...fxe6 55.Ra2+ Kb4 56.h6 Rh8
57.Ke5 ) 55.Ke5 Rxd2 56.exf7;
B) 53...Bb1 (this is logical, as Black wants to play ...f4 and
include his bishop in the defence) 54.e6 (but not 54.f4 Rf1 ( 54...Re1
55.Kc5 Re4 56.Rd7 Ka6 57.Rxf7 ) 55.e6 ( 55.Ke3 Re1+ 56.Kf2
Re4 57.Kf3 Re1 ) 55...Rxf4+ 56.Ke5 Re4+ 57.Kf6 Rxe6+ 58.Kxf7
Rc6 59.g6 f4 60.g7 Bh7 ) 54...fxe6 55.Ke5 f4 56.Rb2 Bd3 (
56...Rc5+ 57.Kxf4 ) 57.h6 Rg1 58.Kf6 f3 ( 58...Rg2 59.Rb3 )
59.Rb3 Be4 60.Re3;
C) 53...Rh1 54.h6 followed by f4;
D) 53...Rc7 54.h6 Rd7+ 55.Ke3 Rxd2 56.Kxd2 f4 57.Kc3 Kb5
58.Kd4 Bh7 59.e6.
34
Thus, the piece sacrifice was not only striking but also perfectly
correct, although, of course, it was simpler to do without it.
54.h6 Re1
54...Rh1 55.e6.
55.h7 Rh1 56.e6 Rxh7 57.e7 Bc6 58.Kc5 Ba4 59.Rd8
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) Orlov, the stronger and more experienced player, avoids a
threefold repetition in a slightly worse position and begins to play
sharply for a win, to the detriment of his own position. It is
essential, regardless of the strength of the opponent, to play in
accordance with the position. (19...Rc8?!)
2) When you have a lead in development, it is important to make
the position as concrete as possible. It is often possible to sacrifice
material, for the sake of opening lines, when the superior
development will ensure the advantage. (24.b4)
3) If your pawns are placed on the same colour as your bishop,
this sharply reduces the bishop’s mobility and weakens the squares
of the opposite colour. This factor stands out especially clearly in
the endgame.
At this time, in addition to Orlov, several other young chess coaches
appeared in Moldova – Igor Faerman, Vadim Chernov, Stepan
Solonar. They all taught me a little. I even studied for a whole
month with International Master Nikolai Sergeevich Popov, who
later became a well-known sports commentator on Russian
television and headed the Chess Federation of the Moscow Region
for several years. Often I had to do things myself. I went to the
library of the chess club, collected books and studied. Only at the
end of 1986 did I come under the command of the Patriarch of
Moldovan chess, Vyacheslav Andreevich Chebanenko. This bright

35
and extraordinary personality, who did so much for my development
as a chess player, certainly deserves a separate story.

The trainer of all Moldovans

Vyacheslav Andreevich Chebanenko (1942-1997) was a well-
known chess theorist and coach, the founder of the Moldovan chess
school. Among his students, in addition to your humble servant, are
grandmasters and masters Viktor Gavrikov, Viorel Iordachescu,
Viktor Komlyakov, Doru Rogozenko, Vladislav Nevednichy, Irina
Zak, Marina Sheremetyeva, Irina Brandis-Ionescu, Mikhail
Oratovsky, German Titov, and many others. The opening systems
he developed are still relevant today in tournaments of all levels.

Viacheslav Andreevich Chebanenko.

Vyacheslav Andreevich had an original way of thinking and a lot of
interesting ideas; I believe he was clearly ahead of his time. In

36
chess, he – such a talented person – found everything easy. In my
opinion, Chebanenko was simply created for the game.
As a practitioner he reached the level of master; I think that purely
sporting qualities did not allow him to go further. Vyacheslav
Andreevich switched to coaching, took on candidate masters and
even first-class players and turned them into grandmasters.
By and large, Chebanenko was primarily a thinker. He developed an
original course of lectures on positional play, which included, for
example, such topics as same- and opposite-coloured bishops, the
isolated pawn, tactical weaknesses, pawn structure... it is a pity that
no records have been preserved, but Chebanenko recited his lectures
from memory. All of his students were well-versed in prophylactic
techniques; he developed this topic deeply. But his main
achievement was the creation of a completely original school of
opening play. In those days, when the total informatization of chess
had not yet arrived, his methods were very effective. He created a
kind of ‘Chebanenko line’ (by analogy with the ‘Mannerheim line’).
The repertoire was very original, with interesting and at the same
time correct positional ideas. He was not a ‘crooked’ chess player,
otherwise his ideas would not have been applied to this day. Almost
half a century has passed, but his interpretation of the 3.Bb5 system
in the Sicilian in response to both 2...d6 and 2...Nc6 is still relevant.
Surprisingly, not a single main line in theory has changed since
then! We can say the ‘unforced’ exchange on c6 after ...g7-g6 is
entirely his merit. I remember how Misha Oratovsky returned from
the Kasparov-Botvinnik school and told how the 13th World
Champion criticized him terribly for the move 3.Bxc6: why did he
give up the bishop?! But literally ten years later, Kasparov himself
began to play this variation with pleasure!
In the days of all-Union team competitions, there was this joke: for
all Moldovans, you can prepare for the games of any of them
separately! Indeed, Chebanenko set the opening for all of us. In

37
childhood, we, his students, like all children, were a little lazy. He
dictated openings to us and half-jokingly said: ‘Here is the opening
for the lazy.’
Chebanenko attached great importance to the use of pawns. Typical,
for example, is the following line: 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c6 (it is
rather surprising that this is called the ‘Czech’ variation, because it
was Chebanenko who really developed it) 4.Nf3 Bg4, then Black
plays ...e6, ...d5 and gets rid of the bad light-squared bishop. At a
certain level, these schemes often brought points right from the
opening.
One of his main achievements is that he devised and developed the
Slav with ...a7-a6. So far, White has not been able to find an
advantage there. And again, the main lines remain the same ones
that we wrote down in notebooks almost forty years ago (and it’s
time for the systems themselves to celebrate their anniversary). It
was the analyses dictated by Vyacheslav Andreevich that served as
the basis for the opening monograph ‘Slav Defence: Chebanenko
System’, written by me in 2008 – I dedicated it to the memory of
‘the Trainer’.
The only disadvantage of his theory was that he initially avoided
principled continuations. Probably he did not want to depend on
‘official’ theory: to play specific variations one must carefully study
someone else’s experience and do a lot of hard work. Chebanenko
loved the creative component more. He was able to find
‘unploughed fields.’ He gave his students pure knowledge and we
did not need the slightest effort to perceive it. For example, I
became a grandmaster in 1991, mainly on the back of his openings.
Chebanenko was divorced and lived alone in a one-room apartment.
There was an ottoman in the corner, and he was very fond of lying
on it on his right side, propping his head on his hand. In front of him
stood the Riga magnetic chess set, which he moved with his left
hand. This is his classic pose, which he struck most of the time.

38
Sometimes Vyacheslav Andreevich got up and moved to a chair that
stood at the chess table, and sorted something out with a student on
a big chessboard. Only now, after many years, do I understand that
‘the Trainer’ instilled in us a love for live analysis. And without this,
the path to big-league chess is blocked. We came to study at his
house – he rarely went to the club. As a rule, one or two students
came to him at the same time, but he was ready to study with
everyone for free and as much as they wanted. His salary was paid
by the chess club, the director of which, Ivan Solonar, was always
sympathetic to the specifics of chess.
Vyacheslav Andreevich also had students (among them Irina
Brandis, Irina Zak, Masha Klinova, Anzhela Grigoryeva, Marina
Sheremetyeva), who were very attached to their coach. He called
them ‘miracle goats’ and the rest of the girls – just ‘goats’. He
cooked for himself, and sometimes the ‘miracle goats’ would bring
some food. We also helped and Vitya Komlyakov developed his
culinary skills there.
Vyacheslav Andreevich also sang wonderfully, having a wonderful
tenor voice. He liked to listen to Sofia Rotaru. An educated and
erudite person, he had his own opinion on all issues and
immediately grasped their essence. He was a cheerful man, with a
good sense of humour, with his own slang. People were drawn to
him. But Chebanenko did not like to write. His articles, including
the famous ‘Is Nimzowitsch always right?’, appeared solely due to
the enthusiasm of his students. Vyacheslav Andreevich cannot be
called lazy, since he worked all his life, but he preferred to do the
work that he liked.
Chebanenko was an impractical person, and absolutely without any
mercenary feelings, with no material goals or passions. Suffice it to
say that he never received the title of Honoured Coach of Moldova.
But Vyacheslav Andreevich was the only major coach in the
republic; besides him, the growing talents had no-one to turn to.

39
Every player has moments when he understands that he has moved
to another level. For me, such a moment was the Moldovan
Championship in 1988 and my game with Nevednichy in particular.
This was my second and most successful republic championship.
After losing in the first round to the master Filger, I won five games
in a row and suddenly, to the surprise of everyone, moved into the
sole lead. I was then just a simple, unrated candidate master. My
opponent, Vladik Nevednichy, who was two years older than me,
was then considered to be the great hope of Moldovan chess and he
fully justified the hopes, performing successfully in the international
arena.
Victor Bologan
Viacheslav Nevednichy
Kishinev 1988

40
For the championship, I had prepared some new systems as White,
notably 3. Nd2 against the French Defence. Viacheslav chose a
relatively rare continuation, which led to the diagram position.
From the viewpoint of modern positional canons, one can say that
White has free play, but there is also logic in Black’s set-up: if he
ever manages to solidify, his pieces will be developed quite
harmoniously.
15.Ng4 h6
Protecting the valuable g5-square. Bad was 15...Nf6 16.Ng5 Ned5
17.Re1 or 15...Bb7 16.Ng5.
16.Re1 Nf5 17.Qb3 Kh7 18.Ra2!
The rook transfers to e2, so as to strengthen the pressure against the
e6-pawn. It is hard for Black to develop.
18...c5
Nevednichy is an active player. He tries to obtain more space for his
pieces by exchanging pawns, but the weakness on e6 is not going
anywhere.
19.dxc5 bxc5 20.bxc5 Bxc5
20...Rb8 21.Ng5+! hxg5 22.Qh3+ with a clear advantage.
21.Rae2 Qc7 22.Bb2 Rb8 23.Qc2 Bd6 24.Nge5
With the threat of g2-g4.
24...Kg8 25.Qe4

41
25...Nfe7 26.Bd3 Nf6 27.Qh4
White has not yet created concrete threats, but the mere fact that his
pieces are so harmoniously placed should concern Black.
27...Rb3 28.Bc4 Rxf3
The opponent decides to sacrifice the exchange, but the
compensation obtained will clearly be insufficient.
29.gxf3 Nf5 30.Qf4 Kh7 31.Bd3 Nd5 32.Qg4 g5 33.Rc1 Qb8
34.Rc4 Ba6 35.Nd7 Bxc4 36.Qxc4 Qe8 37.Nxf8+ Qxf8 38.Rxe6
Nf4 39.Rxd6 Qxd6 40.Bxf5+
Black resigned.
Possibly there is nothing outwardly striking about this game, but for
me it was important for the fact that I succeeded in outplaying my
older comrade in a manoeuvring struggle, without him doing
anything obviously wrong.
Nevertheless, I did not manage to bring the starting spurt to its
logical conclusion. Later, I lost a shameful game to Moldovan chess
veteran, Mikhail Shofman. Mikhail Samuilovich was an absolute

42
fan of chess, but, like many chess players, he was by no means a
wealthy person. He had a favourite saying: ‘Misha, Misha, where is
your savings bank7?’ Shofman played on top board for the
Moldovan national team at the Spartakiads and faced many
outstanding Soviet chess players. He had many interesting opening
ideas, mostly of a gambit nature. For example, in the Sämisch
Variation of the King’s Indian Defence, with Black he played...c7-
c5 without the preliminary ...d7-d6 and, in response to dxc5, the
pawn offer ...b7-b6!?. He was the most colourful personality and he
preferred borscht over all other dishes.
After the defeat against Shofman, I lost a couple more games and
finished only in third place. Even so, this is still my best result in the
Moldovan championships (I played in the championship in 1989,
and after that I played only blitz and rapid). So, I have still never
tried on the ‘crown’ of the Moldovan chess champion.
The next game was played in the same 1988 championship.
Sicilian Defence
Victor Bologan
Boris Itkis
Kishinev 1988
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4
At that time, I more often gave the bishop check on b5, but in this
game with the many-time republic champion, I decided to meet my
opponent’s classical Scheveningen Variation.
3...cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be2 e6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Kh1 0-0
9.Be3
We have a classical Scheveningen, in which Black plays with a
small centre.

43
The restrained pawn set-up allows him at some moment to play
either ...e6-e5, or ...d6-d5. The squares c5, d5, e5 and f5 are all
protected and therefore White does not find it easy to attack. He has
only one pawn in the centre, but in return, White has an advantage
in space and his pieces are more freely placed. As a rule, his plans
are connected with advancing the kingside pawns, in particular f4,
and sometimes he even goes as far as g4-g5. Black, in addition to
the above-mentioned counterattacks in the centre, usually also
prepares the ...b7-b5 advance in order to put pressure on the c3-
knight, which is defending the e4-square. In general, the
Scheveningen is one of the most tense variations of the Sicilian
Defence.
9...Bd7
This move-order is considered the most accurate.
10.f4
Better is 10.Nb3, not allowing Black to exchange knights and bring
the bishop to c6.
10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc6 12.Bd3 a6 13.a4 Nd7 14.Qe2 Rc8
44
Often standard in the Sicilian, here this is an absolutely pointless
move. Stronger was 14...e5, and Black is close to equality.
15.Rae1
I have always tried to play in a classical style, developing my
pieces. To this day, I always pay attention when playing to ensure
that all my pieces are in action and I teach children that the pieces
must be developed – if you do this, nothing can go too badly wrong!
It is useful even for grandmasters to follow general principles.
15...Nc5?!
This allows White to obtain an unpleasant initiative. Here, too,
correct was 15...e5.
16.Qg4 g6

17.Bxc5!
A far from obvious positional decision: with the opponent’s dark
squares weakened, White exchanges off his own dark-squared
bishop, so as to direct the attack at the concrete points e6 and g6.
17...dxc5 18.f5 exf5
45
Black loses after 18...Qd6 19.f6, but the text is also not strongest.
Black could maintain the balance with the cunning move 18...Bh4!,
so as to provoke a weakening of the long diagonal. After 19.g3 (
19.Rd1 Qg5 ) 19...Be7 20.fxe6 f5 21.Qe2 Qd4 Black has sufficient
counterplay.
19.exf5 Bf6 20.Ne4 Bxb2?!
It was necessary to settle for 20...Bxe4, although the attack with
opposite-coloured bishops is very unpleasant: 21.Bxe4 b5 22.fxg6 (
22.axb5 axb5 23.g3 with the idea of h4-h5) 22...fxg6!? ( 22...hxg6?!
23.Rd1 Qe7 24.Rd7 Qe6 ( 24...Qe5 25.Bd5 Kg7 26.Bxf7 ) 25.Qxe6
fxe6 26.Bxg6 ) 23.Qe6+ Kh8 24.Qxa6 bxa4 25.c3 Rb8.
But Black rejects passive defence, perhaps partly out of
underestimation of his opponent’s resources.
21.Ng5?!
Inaccurate. I should have started with the exchange on g6: 21.fxg6
hxg6 (hopeless is 21...fxg6 22.Rxf8+ Qxf8 23.Rf1 Qd8 24.Bc4+
Kh8 25.Ng5 ) 22.Ng5 Bf6 ( 22...Qd4 23.Rf4 ) 23.Nxf7! Rxf7
24.Bxg6 Rg7 ( 24...Qd7 25.Bxf7+ Kxf7 26.Rxf6+ ) 25.Qe6+, and
White wins.
21...h5?
21...Bf6 22.Nxh7 Kxh7 23.fxg6+ is also bad.
On 21...h6 I planned 22.Ne6!, but then Black has 22...h5! 23.Qg3
h4! 24.Qg4 h3 with sufficient counterplay. Instead of 23.Qg3,
23.Nxd8 is stronger, but after 23...hxg4 24.Nxc6 Rxc6 25.fxg6 c4! (
25...fxg6? loses to 26.Bc4+ ) 26.Be4 Rd6 Black is close to equality.
22.Qg3 Bf6

46
23.Ne6!!
My favourite knight jump, to the defended e6-square, which I have
managed to bring off several times. Admittedly, the computer
considers that the cruder 23.fxg6 Bxg5 24.gxf7+ also leads to a win.
23...h4
23...fxe6 24.Qxg6+ Kh8 25.fxe6.
24.Qg4 fxe6 25.Qxg6+ Bg7
Nor is Black saved by 25...Kh8 26.fxe6 Rc7 ( 26...Qe7 27.Qh6+
Kg8 28.Rf4 ) 27.Qh6+ Kg8 28.e7 Rxe7 29.Rxe7 Qxe7 30.Bc4+ Rf7
31.Qxf6 Qxf6 32.Rxf6 Be8 33.Rb6.
26.fxe6 Bxg2+
Agony. Even the material advantage is now gone.
27.Kxg2 Qd5+ 28.Kg1
Also sufficient was 28.Be4 Qd2+ (with the idea of ...Qh6) 29.Kh3
Qh6 ( 29...Qc3+ 30.Bd3 ) 30.Rxf8+ Rxf8 31.e7, but the text is
simpler, of course.

47
28...Qd4+ 29.Kh1
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) One should not be afraid to study principled opening variations
and employ them even against stronger opponents. I changed from
my solid line 3.Bb5+, going for a main-line Sicilian for the first time
in a long while, and won.
2) One must approach every position concretely. In this game,
employing non-standard thinking, on move 17 I gave up the bishop
which it appeared I should have kept, because with its help I could
have exploited the weakened dark squares. But concrete calculation
showed that after the exchange, the white attack was very strong.
This device is known as ‘the transformation of an advantage’.
3) If all the pieces occupy their best positions, and can hardly be
improved, this means that one should look for a combination. In this
case, the game was decided by the knight jump into e6.

48
Since I finished school at sixteen and a half, and in the Soviet Union
one was drafted into the army from the age of eighteen, I had an
extra year to enter a university. I had to think about what to do next.
After consulting with my parents, I made a non-standard and, most
importantly, completely unexpected decision for those around me –
I postponed my studies for a year and went to work in a chess club
under the supervision of my first coach. All instructor positions
were taken by other professional chess players, and I got the
position of a simple worker. Of course, I had to change the light
bulbs and do other work around the club, but mainly I gained chess
strength. Ivan Yakovlevich created good conditions for growth for
me, and also German Titov, Boris Itkis, and many others who were
at the club. I was surrounded by the Yugoslav Informants, I studied
and played blitz a lot. As I remember now, we played for cups of

49
coffee. My colleague, a worker, Volodya Zhidko, at some point lost
a whole bucket of coffee to Vladik Nevednichy! But there were
almost no tournaments, and there were no workshops at all,
although I travelled a little around the country, even visiting
Tashkent for the Khodzhaev Memorial, which was held in April-
May 1989.

The tournament itself was quite interesting, but the master norm was
not available there (although it was assumed that I was going for the
norm). I remember the Memorial itself for two events. Firstly, on
April 28, my youngest brother Radu was born, the one who later
became a successful football player, kickboxer and eventually a
businessman. And the second event was a significant meeting.
The end of the tournament coincided with Easter, which was very
late that year. In early May it suddenly snowed – in Tashkent! And
now I was standing at the bus stop, waiting for the bus, and rare
flakes of unexpected snow rushed past me to the insatiable wet
asphalt. In a word, the most philosophical atmosphere. And then a
50
woman with big kind eyes came up to me and gave me a Bible – a
storehouse of wisdom, a real life-guide.
I don’t remember what we talked about, but since then I have
already read the Bible three times, and it helped me a lot in life,
especially during my student years.
Work in the club, tournaments – all this is good, of course, but it
was necessary to decide on plans for the future.
Around February 1989, I realized that I needed to enter the Moscow
Institute of Physical Education. I consulted with both Chebanenko
and my parents, but again I made the decision myself. My parents
were great; they respected my right to choose, although I was only
seventeen years old.
To be honest, at first I was going to enter the MGIMO (Moscow
Institute of International Relations), but I was told that in order to
enter an elite university, in addition to knowing a foreign language, I
would need to start making a career along the Komsomol (All-
Union Leninist Young Communist League) line. I also thought
about whether to enter Kishinev University at the Faculty of
Journalism. I started preparing for the exams quite seriously and
wrote articles, but at the last moment I decided to enter a university
where the most favourable conditions for chess were created – the
Institute of Physical Education. At the time there were many chess
departments: in Lviv, in Kyiv, in Minsk and in Chelyabinsk, but in
the end I chose Moscow.
All exams had to be taken in Russian, whereas I had studied at
school in Moldovan, and this created additional difficulties. Hoping
to get a sponsored place at the university8, I fussed for a long time
and walked along the long corridors of the National Sports
Committee, but did not receive anything but promises. As a result, I
hired tutors, laden down with textbooks in Russian (since all the
terminology in Russian, of course, is different) and at the training
camp before the Youth Games I wrote a bunch of pieces under the

51
dictation of Irina Brandis. At the same time, I had a serious
challenge to pass the physical education part of the ‘specialization’
exam. I couldn’t do pull-ups for a very long time. But then, how I
broke through! At the entrance exam for the Institute of Physical
Education, I easily pulled myself up thirteen times, just flew over
the bar, and felt that I could pull up the same number again. They
told me: ‘Enough, enough!’
That year brought me obvious benefit and in the summer of 1989 at
the All-Union Youth Games in Kramatorsk, I shone, getting a high
assessment (I had never received such a rating before). The
tournament was open to youngsters of quite a significant age – up to
21 years old. I played on board one for Moldova and shared 1st-3rd
places with Gelfand and Shirov. We all scored 6/8, ahead of
Ivanchuk (at that moment, he was rated number three in the world),
Akopian and others. To this day, I regard this result as one of my
biggest successes!
French Defence
Victor Bologan
Darius Ruzele
Kramatorsk 1989
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3
At one time the Exchange French was part of my repertoire.
4...Bd6?!
4...Nc6 is seen as the most precise.
5.c4 c6
Once, in a tournament in Romania, someone played 5...Ne7??, and
after 6.c5 the game ended abruptly.
6.Nc3 Ne7 7.Bd3 dxc4 8.Bxc4 0-0 9.h3!
We have a typical position with an isolated queen’s pawn. White
has the better piece placement and an excellent outpost on e5, whilst
52
Black has the eternal problem of where to place the c8-bishop (with
his last move, White prevented it coming out to g4). This structure
arises from many openings, including the Russian (Petroff) Defence,
Queen’s Gambit, Slav, etc.
9...Nd7 10.0-0 Nb6 11.Bb3

11...Ned5 12.Bc2!
The usual plan. In these structures, the bishop often transfers from
one diagonal to another.
12...Bf4 13.Qd3 g6 14.Bxf4 Nxf4 15.Qe3!
Of course, after the exchange of a pair of pieces it is easier for Black
to defend, but he had to weaken the dark squares. However, the
problem of the light-squared bishop is still not solved.
On 15.Qd2 there would follow 15...Qf6 with the threat of ...Nxh3+.
15...Nbd5
15...Qf6? 16.Ne4 Qf5 17.Nh4.
16.Nxd5 Nxd5 17.Qh6 Qf6 18.Rae1

53
Completing my development.
18...Qg7
Nor are all the problems solved by 18...Be6 19.Ng5 or 18...Bf5
19.Bxf5 Qxf5 20.Ng5 Nf6 21.Re3.
19.Qh4 Bd7

20.Bb3!
While the black queen is tied down to g7, White sets up the
possibility of the capture on d5, followed by a rook infiltration on
e7.
20...Rfe8 21.Re5
Threatening simply to win a pawn and so provoking the exchange
on e5.
21...Rxe5
21...f6 22.Bxd5+ cxd5 23.Rxd5 Bc6 24.Rd6 Bxf3 25.gxf3.
22.dxe5

54
White has rid himself of the isolated pawn and controls the f6-
square, to where his knight will soon be heading.
22...Be6 23.Re1
With the idea of Ng5-e4-f6.
23...h6 24.Nd2
The route has changed slightly but the destination remains the same.
24...Qf8 25.Ne4 Qb4
An attempt at counterplay, which White confidently refutes.
26.Re3! Kg7
The rook cannot be taken: 26...Nxe3 27.Nf6+.
27.Bxd5 cxd5 28.Qf6+ Kg8 29.Nd6
The game is practically decided.
29...Qb6 30.Rg3
With the threat of Rxg6+.
30...Kh7 31.Nxf7 Rg8

55
32.Rxg6! 1-0

Lessons:
1) When the isolated d4-pawn is opposed by the c6-pawn, as a
rule, White has the advantage. This is due to the fact that in the
absence of the e6-pawn, the c4-bishop directly attacks the f7-square,
and if Black places the knight on d5, then the bishop can always
move to the b1-h7 diagonal. It is also very convenient for White to
use the open e-file and the e5-square as an outpost, while Black
often has problems developing the c8-bishop.
2) The e5-square can be used as an outpost not only for the knight,
but also for the rook, threatening to double heavy pieces on the e-
file. In the case of a rook exchange on e5, White gets rid of the
isolated pawn and gains other advantages in return – in this case,
control over the weak dark squares d6 and f6.
3) Enemy pieces, most often knights, very often penetrate into
weakened squares. As a result of the manoeuvre Nf3-d2-e4 White’s
threats increased and he launched a direct attack.
Immediately after Kramatorsk, I headed to Moscow to enrol at the
Institute of Physical Education. I felt like D’Artagnan, on his way to
conquer Paris!

Notes:
1
NIIP – Research Institute of Planning
2
MSSR – Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic. One of the 15 union
republics, which, according to the Constitution, were considered
independent, and were part of the USSR.
3
Nistru is the leading football club in Moldova. Its highest
achievement is a victory in the First League of the USSR
Championship in 1982 and a performance in the Major League in
1983.
56
4
DYUSSH – children’s and youth sports school. The cornerstone of
the Soviet system of training athletes, including chess players. In
addition to the Youth Sports School, chess sections also existed in
the Palaces and Houses of Pioneers, where experienced and highly
qualified coaches, including grandmasters, worked with young chess
players free of charge (for children).
5
Kalininsky Prospekt, now Novy Arbat, is one of the central
highways of Moscow, cut through the historical centre of the city so
that Soviet leaders could quickly get from the Kremlin to their
suburban dachas.
6
Meal Stamps – a monthly food allowance that allows young,
promising athletes to eat for free. The particularly ‘gifted’ managed
to exchange coupons for money.
7
Savings bank – a savings book, a document certifying the presence
of a bank deposit.
8
Target direction to the university – in Soviet times, there was a
special quota for representatives of the Union republics in the
central higher educational institutions of the USSR. Having this, it
was enough to pass all the exams (on a five-point scale) to enter the
university.

57
Chapter 2
To the grandmasters
with suitcase!
I arrived in the capital of our Soviet Motherland, the hero city of
Moscow, with a small suitcase, submitted documents to the
admission committee of the institute and got my student ‘bed’ in the
conference hall of the hostel. In total, thirty souls settled there. The
first thing that was revealed to the incomer was a pile of empty blue
milk bags – the main diet of a poor student. The competition was
three people per place. The jitters were terrible. But I passed the
exams, including pull-ups on the bar, swimming and running,
surprisingly easily, with the top mark of five across the board. And
here I was – a student with all the ‘privileges’ due to that status.
First of all, having heard about the phenomenal abilities of Vali
Arbakov in the game of blitz, I went to Sokolniki Park, where he
‘received’ his clients. To his surprise, with a handicap of 2 to 5, he
barely beat me. Therefore, he easily persuaded the young and green
student to take a 3- to 5-minute head start. In a word, I lost all my
cash, which I did not regret at all, because at that time it was a high
school education in blitz.
Before the start of classes in August 1989, I also managed to go on
my first foreign trips, to Bulgaria and Romania. In Romania, I
visited my grandfather in Ploesti, whom I had not seen for many
years. Even before the war, when Moldova was part of Romania,
my grandfather graduated from the Intelligence school, and the

58
skills gained there were useful to him in 1946. Gheorghe Fotescu,
which was the name of my grandfather, was a mechanic of sorts, in
modern times like an astronaut. He lived in a good family house,
which someone else very much wanted. They didn’t come up with
anything smarter than writing a denunciation, accusing my
grandfather of nationalism. True, this was enough, and he was
arrested on my mother’s birthday on March 9th. He managed to
escape and swim across the freezing Prut river in March to the
Romanian side. There he was pursued with dogs for a long time. My
mother only found out about this after graduation. Then he came to
us in Kishinev in 1977, when Romania still had the same prosperous
socialism as in Yugoslavia, and brought us all sorts of gifts, nice
suits and, in particular, fashionable chewing gum cigarettes. And in
1989, he accepted me already as an adult and told the difficult story
of his life; we drank and ate...
At one time, the Institute hostel, built for the 1980 Olympics, was
considered the best in Moscow, but there were not enough rooms.
Upon my arrival to study in Moscow in September, I lived for a
month at the house of Andrey Shchekachev, with whom I had been
friends since childhood, from the Dynamo tournaments, when we
played for the championship of the Central Census of the DSO
Dynamo. Andrey had a tape recorder, on which we tried to record
Soviet rap in a comic form, and in English. How could we know
about the birth of rap in the 1970s in New York Bronx?
Interestingly, the text was very critical of the holy of holies of our
generation – Gorbachev’s Perestroika. For reasons of censorship, of
course, I cannot publish it here. Another source of fun was the
endless blitz, and in order to be motivated, we also played for the
bed – the loser, of course, slept on a cot. It is clear that despite
Andrey’s hospitality, to cross half of Moscowto go to school every
day is not a good idea, and I moved to the painfully familiar
conference room of the second hostel. It was said that this was
almost the former dacha of Stalin. In the conference hall, divided
59
into two rooms, instead of thirty people, there were only six of us,
including Lyosha Fedorov, the future Belarusian grandmaster, who
reached the top twenty of the world, and whose King’s Gambit was
forever recorded on the stone tablets of Wijk aan Zee. We played
endless blitz matches. We started with 5 minutes per game: whoever
won, took away a minute for himself, then another one, then 30
seconds each, and it happened that we even reached 15 seconds per
game.
No wonder it is said that every cloud has a silver lining. Students of
the Higher School of Coaches lived with us in the second hostel, and
thanks to the opening of two-year HST courses at the institute, many
master-level chess players had the opportunity to improve their
skills, live in Moscow, and play in tournaments. Two wonderful
people and coaches lived in the 242nd room; Mikhail Kislov from
Voronezh and Zigurds Lanka from Riga. Michal Sanych helped me
a lot in purely everyday matters and defended my interests before
the head of the department, whilst Boris Anatolyevich Zlotnik
proved to me that an athlete needs to participate in tournaments. He
gave me a lot of valuable life advice. And the Latvian master (now
grandmaster) Zigurds Lanka taught me the basics of the modern
opening repertoire. From the ‘height’ of our mercantile time, their
completely disinterested efforts deserve all kinds of respect.
Lanka opened my eyes to modern chess. Although Chebanenko’s
openings were absolutely original, Vyacheslav Andreevich
understood that this is not all of chess, and told us: ‘Guys, if you
want to achieve something, then you personally have to do a lot, you
can’t stop at what I show you.’ Zigurds showed me a lot of new
tricks on how to play in positions with the initiative, and often the
tricks were original and non-standard. The ideas of Lanka are still in
my arsenal. Of course, all the notes have long migrated from old
notebooks to the computer, and yet at home in the closet there are
notebooks with opening entries both by Chebanenko and Zigurds.
From time to time, I look at these with interest. I do not want to say
60
that Lanka invented all the variations himself, but, being a strong
theoretician, he was well able to highlight the main concepts. As a
coach, he has much to be proud of. Suffice it to recall his best
student, Alexei Shirov.
Lanka was also a good practitioner: at the age of sixteen he became
a Soviet master, but then he seriously took up chess journalism,
worked for many years in the Chess magazine (Riga), and only after
entering the HST courses in Moscow did he get a second wind, and
immediately became an international grandmaster.
I worked with Zigurds mainly in Moscow, but one day, after the
institute, I came to him for a training camp in Latvia – in the small
town of Baldone, not far from Riga, where he had his own house.
His wife Nina was also with us. I remember Zigurds telling me
something or other, we analysed some positions on the board; there
were no computers yet. It was December, the stove was heated, the
house warm, and I was exhausted. Zigurds saw that I had fallen
asleep, and carefully wrote down the tests in my notebook... the
ideal training camp – probably the best in my life!
Chebanenko, like d’Artagnan’s father in his time, advised me to
contact well-known coaches in Moscow – either Vladimir
Nikolaevich Yurkov, or Mark Izrailevich Dvoretsky. I visited
Yurkov at the Stadium of Young Pioneers1 and showed him my
games, but he did not show much enthusiasm. Apparently, nothing
in my work interested him. He said that he was ready to look at
some positions with me, but he no longer had the strength to ‘raise’
a second Andrey Sokolov. However, later, thank God, he raised
Morozevich and enriched chess with such a nugget. And I got to
Dvoretsky only in 1993.
In Soviet times, in Moscow, for a young candidate master, the
capital’s championships and qualifying tournaments were a very
good school (sometimes master norms were available even in the
quarterfinals, not to mention the semi-finals). But when I arrived,

61
these tournaments ceased to arouse interest: in 1989, everything
began to collapse in the Soviet state, and chess did not remain aloof
from the general process. Surprisingly, in the first years of my
studies, I never played a single serious tournament in Moscow.
True, at that time tournaments of 15 minutes per game with large
buy-ins (10 rubles) and large prizes began to be held regularly. I
remember that in one of them I shared first place and earned 300
rubles – a huge amount of money for a student, which was
immediately put into a passbook. It turned out that the chess
‘luggage’ I had brought from Moldova was not of the worst quality.
The 15-minute tourneys allowed me to test my knowledge in
practice, to acquire the skills necessary for a professional to play
uncompromisingly move by move.
I have been keeping a diary since my first year of college. This is,
by and large, work on oneself. I write there about what I want to get
rid of. Of course, as practice shows, it is impossible to completely
get rid of shortcomings, but it is possible to deal with them. I think
working on myself helped me a lot. Especially many notes appear
there, of course, after big defeats. Negative energy should not only
find an outlet in emotions, but should also have the opportunity to
funnel into a reasonable analytical channel. And it helps, you move
on faster, you pay attention to some mistakes that you will not make
another time. It is important to be able to turn failure to your
advantage. In principle, keeping a diary helped me in many ways,
for example, to develop strong-willed qualities.
Below is an excerpt from my diary, dated March 20, 1990. It was
made at the moment of the most natural and inevitable crisis for any
person who arrived in Moscow. After all, Moscow hits one very
hard, though it is just as hard to let go.
Well, what can I say? For the moment, I’m nobody. I’m not exactly
satisfied with myself, but I’m satisfied with the way things are
developing. True, now I am faced with a full-length dilemma: should

62
I continue to study in Moscow or transfer to Kishinev? I prefer
Kishinev, it’s better there. Just homesickness! And at the same time,
I myself consider my return to Kishinev to be a defeat. So I don’t
know. It will be necessary to consult with people, to find out what
the conditions are there.
Now I have a delicate position both at the institute and in terms of
chess. I will work, although it sounds trite. But that it is necessary, I
am convinced every time more and more. Now I need to improve my
physical condition, be sure to join some kind of tournament, control
the situation at the institute.
I played my only classical tournaments in my first year thanks to the
intercession of Kislov, as well as the financial assistance of my
parents. The new winds of perestroika made it possible, as part of
tourist groups, to go to foreign tournaments in Yugoslavia – in Novi
Sad and Bled.
At the end of the tournament in Bled, we formed a very cheerful
company: Lena Zayats, Serezha Beshukov, Tony Naidoski, Kostya
Landa (by the way, they all became grandmasters; unfortunately,
Kostya recently passed away). To begin with, Serezha Beshukov
gave away his gold chain with a grand gesture so that we could – for
the first time in our lives! – enjoy the night-time western disco!
Warmed up by local dances and drinks, we went for a walk around
the chess lake (in Slovenian it is called Bledsko Jezero). Closer to
the middle of the six-kilometre circle, Lena took Serezha and me to
task as ‘weaklings’. That is, he started along the lines of ‘Are you
too weak to go for a swim?’ So... we climbed into the night-time
mountain lake to swim. We neatly folded our things (we were
almost in swimming costumes) and entered the water. It was the
beginning of March, and after several strokes, I said: ‘Seryozha,
we’d better swim back!’ There was a feeling that now everything
would freeze or had already frozen, I don’t remember which.
Already on the way to the hotel, we took turns putting on Tony’s

63
raincoat to keep warm; In the room, I immediately climbed into a
hot shower.
But always after a stormy night comes the morning hour of
reckoning, and after an unsuccessful tournament came an unpleasant
debriefing. It began immediately upon returning to the hotel with a
moralizing lecture by Mikhal Sanych. He said, ‘It’s not good for
people to see you in this form,’ and it continued at home in
Moscow.
I only know one thing: I don’t know anything. It is with these words
of Socrates that the analysis of my performance in Bled begins, and
it ends with a harsh wording: I am dissatisfied with the sporting
result. Self-improvement is the key to success for any chess player.
In Bled, using my sociability and knowledge of the Spanish and
Moldovan (Romanian) languages, I met an Italian chess player and
in the summer I unexpectedly received an invitation to a tournament
in Italy. At that time, an invitation alone was not enough to get a
visa to a foreign country2, but the experienced craftsman Vladislav
Fedorov immediately organized a group of four people. In addition
to me and Fedorov, the world champion among cadets, Seryozha
Tiviakov, and the original grandmaster from Voroshilovgrad (now
Lugansk) Gennady Kuzmin went to Italy. And if at first Kuzmin
was wary of me, as when someone’s son gets a spot on a prestigious
trip, then, when we got to know each other better, he thawed out. It
was he who taught me that money should not only be earned, but
also spent.
Actually, the train journey to Italy took two days, which allowed me
to master the conversational part of Italian, and already on the
platform of the station I answered coherently in my kindred
language. Italy welcomed us very cordially. A beautiful country,
climate, and people. On that trip, I managed to break through the
quagmire of titles. At the beginning of the competition I had an Elo
of 2370, but in two tournaments I added 50 points, earned two

64
International Master norms and my first thousand dollars. I counted
this amount into rubles, compared it with my father’s salary, and it
turned out that this money would have taken him several years to
earn – and he had a good salary! Such was the unfortunate
arithmetic for a Soviet engineer. These lira, banknotes of 50
thousand, for a long time lay at my parents’ house in a ‘family’
suitcase, they helped me solve financial problems and became the
basis for my further growth. Before that, like all students, I lived on
40 rubles a month. I mostly ate pasta with stew, which my parents
sent me. Thanks to the international title, I began to receive
invitations to tournaments, and my professional life improved.
Here is a chess illustration from that memorable trip to Italy.
G. Rodiguerro
Victor Bologan
Varallo 1990

20...Kf7
65
With his last move, Black creates a simple threat.
21.cxd6??
After 21.Rxg6 hxg6 Black’s attack is also quite unpleasant.
21...Qxh2+! 22.Kxh2 Rh6+ 23.Kg2 Bh3+
White resigned.
To get the title, I needed one more norm, and I again went to the
hospitable land of Romania. As a result, a simple Moldovan
candidate master of sports in the fall of 1990 became an
international master; at the end of the year my rating exceeded 2500,
which shocked the central Soviet chess authorities quite a bit.
This was followed by convincing victories at the New Year youth
tournament in Hallsberg (Sweden), where I scored 8 out of 9,
beating the second Soviet participant, Kostya Sakaev, in a principled
meeting, and Podsused (Croatia) with 11½ out of 13. It was already
hard to ignore these results, and even if I was not invited to the
tournament of young masters of the Soviet Union (despite my high
rating and title of international master), they could not prevent me
from participating in the last qualifying tournament of the USSR for
the under 20 World Championship.
The competition was held in Jurmala, a resort town on the shores of
the Gulf of Riga. Since childhood, I loved to play in the Baltics:
pine trees, the sea, sand dunes, endless walks along the beach – all
this creates an optimal environment for chess. A few days before the
tournament, I had a micro-training camp with Zigurds Lanka. We
did some work, Zigurds showed me a couple of new openings, and
right before the first-round game against Andrienko he managed to
show me the French with 3.Nc3. The opening turned out to be
successful, and I decided to repeat it in the third round.
French Defence
Victor Bologan
Ovik Danielian
66
Jurmala 1991
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6
The game with Andrienko continued as follows: 3...Bb4 4.e5 Ne7
5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.Nf3 Qc7 8.Bd3 b6 9.h4 Ba6 10.h5 Bxd3
11.Qxd3 h6 12.a4 Nbc6 13.Ba3 cxd4 14.Bd6 Qd7 15.cxd4 Na5
16.Nd2 Rc8 17.0-0 Nc4 18.Bb4 Nc6 19.Bc3 0-0 20.f4 Ne7 21.Bb4
f5 22.a5 bxa5 23.Bc5 Nxd2 24.Qxd2 a4 25.Qb4 Nc6 26.Qxa4 Rfe8
27.Qa6 Qf7 28.Qe2 a5 29.Rfb1 Rb8 30.c3 Rb7 31.c4 Reb8?
32.Rxb7 Qxb7 33.cxd5+ (Bologan-Andrienko, Jurmala 1991).
Playing Ovik Danielian was more difficult, because he was then one
of the most talented young players, but at the same time it was also
more interesting.
4.e5 Nfd7 5.Nce2
‘Steinitz’s move’ – that is what is written in Zigurds’ handwriting in
my notebook. White’s main idea is to defend the d4-square, the base
of his d4/e5 pawn chain, and also to organize cooperation between
the pieces and pawns. The drawbacks of the move are obvious –
White makes a second move with the knight and shuts in the f1-
bishop. Nowadays theory states that Black is fine, although the line
leads to quite complicated play. It is sufficient to state that it
appeared in the match for the World Championship between Shirov
and Anand in 2000. Even when I had practically given up serious
chess, I still willingly played Nce2.
5...c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Nf3 Be7
Sometimes Black plays the more cunning 8...f6.

67
9.a3
An idea which Zigurds had shown me. The point of the move is to
take control of the b4-square, a key square in many French
variations, and if appropriate, to play b2-b4. When preparing this
book, I noticed that the move was even played by Adolf Anderssen
in 1877.
9...0-0
The potential of the move a3 is shown by two games I played in
France: 9...f6 10.h4 0-0 11.b4 cxd4 12.cxd4 a5 13.b5! Qxb5 (
13...Nd8 14.Nc3 a4 15.Bd3 f5 16.Qc2 h5 17.Nxa4 Qa7 18.Nc3
Nb6 19.a4 Bb4 20.Qb3 Qa5 21.Bd2 Bd7 with a slight advantage to
White as in Bologan-Vaisser, France tt 2002) 14.Nc3 Qb6 15.Rb1
Qd8 16.Bd3 fxe5 17.dxe5 Nc5 18.Nb5 Nxd3+ 19.Qxd3 h6 20.Qg6
Bd7 21.Ng5 Bxg5 22.hxg5 Ne7 23.Qd3 Bxb5 24.Rxb5 Qc7 with an
unclear position (Bologan-Bauer, Belfort 2002). But it is probably
even more precise to play 10.b4! immediately, so as after 10...cxd4
to have the possibility of taking with the knight on d4: 11.Nexd4!
Nxd4 12.cxd4 with a space advantage.
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10.Ng3
Now theory considers the best continuation to be 10.b4! cxb4 (or
10...cxd4 11.Nexd4 ) 11.axb4 a5 12.Ng3 with the idea of b5.
Unclear play results from 10.h4 f6 11.Rh3 Na5 12.b4 cxb4 13.axb4
Nc4 14.Ng3 a5 (Anand-Shirov, Frankfurt 2000).
10...cxd4 11.cxd4 f6
If 11...f5 there would follow 12.b4 with the idea of Be3, Bd3, Ne2,
h3, g4.
12.Bd3 fxe5

13.dxe5!
The main difference in principle of this recapture with the d-pawn
(suggested by Lanka) compared to 13.fxe5 consists in the
prevention of the exchange sacrifice on f3. The drawbacks of
13.dxe5 include the fact that Black now has the c5-square and the
open g1-a7 diagonal.
One of Black’s best creative efforts in this variation is considered to
be the following game: 13.fxe5 Ndxe5! (opening central lines while

69
the white king is stuck in the centre) 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.Be2 Bd7
16.Nxe5 Qf2+ 17.Kd2 Rac8 18.Qb3 Bg5+ 19.Kd3 Rf4 20.Nf3
Be8. Black has conducted the attack most instructively and forced
White to capitulate already on move 20 in Kengis-Djurhuus,
Gausdal 1991.
13...Nc5
13...a5!? 14.Bc2! Nc5 ( 14...Bc5? 15.Bxh7+! ) 15.Be3 transposes,
but the piece sacrifice 13...Ndxe5!? was still worth considering.
14.Bc2 a5 15.Be3
A pawn sacrifice for the initiative, which is typical of me.
Surprisingly, natural development very often requires some sort of
sacrifice. In the present case, it is typical in the French to sacrifice
the b2-pawn.
15...Qxb2
White is better after 15...d4 16.Nxd4 Rd8 17.Nge2.
16.0-0
So, White has completed his development and has definite prospects
of attack, while Black has a tactical weakness on c5. Chebanenko
used to define as a tactical weakness any piece which is defended by
its fellow pieces as many times as it is attacked by the enemy pieces.
The black queen is also somewhat awkwardly placed in the enemy
camp.
16...Qc3
The direct retreat is bad: 16...Qb6? 17.Rc1!; for example, 17...Qa7 (
17...Qb2!? ) 18.Bxh7+! Kxh7 19.Ng5+ Kg8 20.Qh5 Bxg5 21.Bxc5
Bxf4 22.Bxa7 Bxc1 23.Rxf8+ ( 23.Rxc1 Rxa7 ) 23...Kxf8 24.Bc5+
Kg8 25.Qe8+ Kh7 26.Nh5 with a very strong attack.
17.Bf2
White wants to play Qb1 and Rc1!, creating threats on both flanks.
17...Qc4 18.Kh1
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Another prophylactic move in Lanka’s style. Three people taught
me the art of prophylaxis: Zigurds Lanka (for example, Kh1 or Kb1
in the Sicilian, ...Kh8 in the King’s Indian), Vyacheslav
Chebanenko (h3, Bb3 in the Italian) and Mark Dvoretsky, who
developed a whole theory of prophylactic thinking, with a good
selection of positions to solve.
In the game, this move worked perfectly, but thanks to modern
computer programs, we can conclude that in this case the
prophylaxis was unnecessary. Stronger was 18.Nd4!? Nxd4 (
18...Rxf4?! is extremely risky in view of 19.Rc1! ) 19.Bxd4 with
excellent compensation for the pawn.
18...g6?
18...Rxf4 gives White a serious initiative: 19.Rc1 Qb5 20.Bxh7+
Kxh7 21.Bxc5 Kg8 22.Bxe7 Nxe7 23.Rc7. It was essential to go for
18...Qxf4 19.Bxh7+ Kxh7 20.Bxc5 Bxc5 21.Qc2+ Kg8 22.Qxc5,
and here after 22...Bd7! (but not 22...Qc4 23.Qe3 ) 23.Rab1 Rab8
24.Qd6 Rfd8, White’s initiative gradually comes to nothing, while
the extra pawn remains with Black.
19.Nd2!
White cocks the trigger and is getting ready to fire. The black set-
up, with one flank undeveloped, cannot hold.
19...Qa6
The queen must move to the edge of the board because 19...Qc3
20.Ne2 Qb2 21.Bxc5 Bxc5 22.Rb1 Qxa3 23.Rf3! is bad.
20.Bxc5 Bxc5

71
21.Bxg6!
The logical development of the attack, exploiting the above-
mentioned tactical weakness.
21...hxg6 22.Qc2 Kg7
He also loses after 22...b6 23.Qxg6+ Kh8 24.Rf3 Qb7 25.Nf5! (but
not 25.Nge4? Qg7! 26.Rh3+ Kg8 27.Qh5 dxe4 ) 25...Qh7 26.Rh3
Ra7 ( 26...Qxh3 27.Qg7# ) 27.Nd6.
The most tenacious defence was 22...Rf7!? 23.Qxc5 Bd7 24.Rab1 or
24.Qe3 Raf8.
23.Qxc5 Qa7
23...Bd7!? was interesting.
24.Qc1 Bd7
White obtains a strong attack after 24...Nd4 25.Rb1 b5 26.Nf3 Bd7
27.Qd2 ( 27.Nxd4 Qxd4 28.Ne2 Qd3 29.Qb2 Rac8 ) 27...Nxf3
28.Rxf3 Rac8 29.f5. But now, too, I manage to open the position and
create decisive threats.
25.Nf3 Rac8
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26.f5!
Opening the way for the white queen, which with the help of the
two knights and the rooks will overwhelm the lone black king.
26...exf5
If 26...gxf5 27.Nh5+ Kf7 28.Qg5 wins.
27.Qg5 Kh7 28.Nh4 Be8
If 28...Rg8, 29.Ngxf5 gxf5 30.Qh5+ Kg7 31.Nxf5+ Bxf5 32.Rxf5
wins for White.
29.Ngxf5 gxf5 30.Nxf5 b5 31.Rf4
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) Despite the fact that modern opening theory is very well
developed and all the best variations are already known, sometimes
it is useful to have your own, carefully-studied schemes with certain
prepared lines in your arsenal (of course, it was much easier to do
this in 1991 than now). The novelty effect helps a lot: I used a
73
scheme that was not familiar enough to my opponent and seized the
opening initiative.
2) Sacrificing a pawn to maintain the initiative is a typical and
very popular device. In this case, there was an additional advantage:
having captured the b2-pawn, the black queen broke away from her
pieces and became an object of attack, while Black’s kingside
turned out to be seriously weakened.
3) According to Chebanenko’s theory, a tactical weakness is an
object, the number of attacks on which is equal to the number of
defences. Black has two tactical weaknesses: the bishop on c5 and
the pawn on g6, which can be attacked simultaneously from the c2-
square, and this circumstance served as a motif for the combination.

A confident start of 3 out of 3 allowed me to take the lead from the

very beginning, and only at the end did Alexey Alexandrov have a
chance to overtake me if I lost the dramatic final round game. The
cooperation with Zigurds Lanka brought good practical results –
74
successful opening play allowed me to take first place and become
the last winner of the All-Union qualifying tournament for the U20
World Championship. Many of the participants in that competition –
Rublevsky, Aleksandrov, Onischuk – were among the world’s
leading grandmasters for a long time. Looking ahead, I’ll say that
the World Junior Championship, which began during the August
putsch of 19913, did not work out for me – the result a modest 8th
place.
In the meantime, the spring of 1991 was still in the yard, a ticket to
the World Cup was in my pocket, and it was time to set new goals.
The meticulous reader will ask: only tournaments, but what about
studies? After all, I went to Moscow to study. Here I was lucky
again. Firstly, it was interesting to study, and at the same time not
very difficult. Lectures on anatomy, biomechanics and sports history
were harmoniously intertwined with purely sports training in
swimming, athletics, gymnastics and team sports. All this helped me
in 1991: thanks to an excellent physical condition, I achieved a lot. I
really enjoyed swimming lessons. Considering that I missed so
much while away, on my return I had to work off the missed hours.
So, in swimming, I did the necessary kilometres.

75
Friends and classmates. Standing: Evgeny Maliutin, Asyl
Gabbazova, Evgeny Linovitsky, Varvara Anisheva, Vladimir Zimin.
Sitting: Alexey Fedorov, Ruslan Mironov, Viorel Bologan.
In the classes at the Institute of Physical Education, the emphasis
was on the fact that we should be able to teach another sport. We
obtained two professions (as written in the diploma): physical
education teacher and chess teacher/coach. It was great: at the
institute I was in my element! So, sport played a very important role
in my career: it developed strong-willed qualities, and without it
there is nothing to be done in chess. Let me emphasize: chess
requires strong-willed qualities, but they do not develop by
themselves. For a successful game, you need perseverance, the
ability to take a hit, the ability to perform a large amount of work,
whether you wish to or not. After all, sport is life!
And yet the main thing is the human factor.
In my second year of specialization, and it was a chess subject, an
elderly man of athletic build sat in the back row and began to listen
76
carefully, to write something down. He behaved exceptionally
modestly, inconspicuously, and no one could have imagined that he
was preparing to replace the head of the department, Boris
Anatolyevich Zlotnik, who was going to work in Spain. It was
Evgeny Pavlovich Linovitsky. The replacement turned out to be
successful, the students doted on him. As they say, ‘servant to the
king, father to the soldiers.’
Linovitsky is a career general: at one time he commanded a strategic
division, then he headed a department at the Dzerzhinsky Academy.
He is an experienced correspondence chess player and loves our
game very much, probably more than many grandmasters. A
pleasant and strong person at the same time, he did much both for
the sports growth of students and for their maximum advancement
along the intricate academic path. He organized tournaments with
norms at the department and was sympathetic to the fact that chess
players missed classes because of competitions. Evgeny Pavlovich
helped me a lot, first when I was a student and then in graduate
school. The fact that several graduate students appeared at the
department, and then successfully defended their doctorates, is
greatly to the credit of Linovitsky. So, my back was securely
covered, and I could concentrate on reaching new heights.
I completed my first grandmaster norm in June 1991 at a tournament
in Moscow held by Linovitsky at the department. Shirov won, and I,
having lost our mutual game, took second place. Here for the first
time, without realizing it, I applied a well-known psychological
technique called ‘zigzag’:
If you adhere to a certain system of life, but things are stuck, the
regime is not for the future, your health is not getting better, work is
not going on, it makes sense to try to knock down the system once
or twice – to make, as they say, a zigzag. Change something
habitual, self-evident. ‘Zigzags’ are needed in order to bring down
an unfavourable, unsuccessfully established balance of forces in the

77
body. This is an appeal to randomness, which should reveal the non-
random. (V.L. Levy, The Art of Being Yourself)
And the zigzag was made plain. In the restaurant of the hotel where
we lived, my senior friends Misha Pleshkov, Gena Slavin and
Valera Mindru vigorously celebrated the birthday of their friend,
Bair Dorzhiev. I, having at that time ‘minus one’ instead of the
desired ‘+4’, joined them after a little persuasion. Wine, dancing,
socializing, good food. It helped. I played in a more relaxed way,
and I managed to score 5½ points out of 6 at the finish line. By the
way, in the last round I made a draw with Alexey Kuzmin, with
whom I would later work side-by-side in Qatar for many years.
Then there was a joint trip to Norway with Lanka, and as a result –
the second grandmaster norm. Norway, as they say, came to me:
ascetic cordiality, modest abundance – these seemingly
incompatible concepts quite accurately characterize the country.
And, of course, where would we be without Norwegian salmon? For
breakfast, lunch and dinner. I overdosed on phosphorus there...
In the same memorable summer of 1991, I played in my first, and at
the same time last, Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR4, held in
Azov. I played on top board for the Moldovan national team. Teams
from 15 Union republics plus teams from Moscow and Leningrad
took part in the grandiose chess event.
Elmar Magerramov
Victor Bologan
Azov 1991
This game was played in the last round of the preliminary stage. In
Soviet times, there was such a saying: ‘Our final is the semi-final!’
And about the chess team of Moldova, one could say this: ‘Our final
is the second final!’ (i.e., the tournament where they fight for places
from 7th to 12th) And the match with the Azeri team would decide
who would play in the second final, and who in the third. At some

78
point, all other games were already over and the score in the match
was equal...
1.d4 d6
Moldovan players often used to open this way. Naturally, we were
not afraid of 2.c4, against which we had prepared the direct 2...e5,
whilst White’s reply in the game immediately restricts White’s
possibilities, by ruling out the Sämisch, Averbakh, Four Pawns, etc.
against the King’s Indian Defence.
2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e4 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.Be3
The Gligoric Variation. White is in no hurry to determine the fate of
his d-pawn, nor to castle short. In his turn, Black tries to disturb the
quiet course of events. As a result, we usually reach a position with
a closed centre, where White seizes space on the queenside whilst
Black achieves the advance ...f7-f5 and tries to develop counterplay
on the kingside.
7...Ng4 8.Bg5 f6 9.Bh4 Nc6
Also possible are:
A) 9...g5 10.Bg3 Nh6 11.d5 ( 11.h3 Nd7 12.d5 f5 13.exf5 Nc5
14.Nd2 Bxf5 15.0-0 e4 16.Nb3 Nxb3 17.Qxb3 Bg6 18.Rae1 was
unclear in Onischuk-Smirin, Togliatti 2023) 11...Nd7 12.Nd2 f5
13.f3 Nf6 14.h3 Nh5 15.Bf2 Nf4 16.g3 Nxe2 17.Qxe2 c5 18.dxc6
bxc6 19.0-0-0 Be6 20.Nb3 Qe7 21.c5 d5 22.exd5 cxd5 23.Nxd5
Qf7 24.Nc3 Rab8 (Gelfand-Radjabov, Plovdiv 2003);
B) Or 9...Nh6 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.Qxd8 Rxd8 12.Nd5 g5 13.Nxc7
gxh4 14.Nxa8 Na6 15.c5 Nxc5 16.Nc7 Nxe4 17.0-0 Nf5 and again
things are unclear (Gelfand-Polgar, Paks 2003).
10.d5 Ne7 11.Nd2 Nh6

79
Thirteen years later, I reached the same position against Onischuk at
Poikovsky, in a game I managed to win – the seeds planted by
Zigurds Lanka continue to sprout.
12.f3
Alexander preferred 12.0-0, although in fact 12. f3 is stronger,
because then in reply to ...g6-g5 he can immediately move the
bishop to f2. There followed 12...g5 13.Bg3 f5 14.exf5 Nhxf5
15.Bh5 Nd4 16.f3 b5 17.cxb5 Rb8 18.Nde4 Nxb5 19.Qd2 h6
20.Bg4 Nd4 21.Bxc8 Qxc8 22.b3 Qb7 23.Rac1 Rf7 24.Bf2 Nxd5
25.Bxd4 exd4 26.Nxd5 Qxd5 27.Qd3 Qb5 28.Qxb5 Rxb5 29.Rc6
Rb6 30.Rc2 c5 31.Re1 d3 and White resigned, Onischuk-Bologan,
Poikovsky 2004.
12...g5 13.Bf2 f5 14.h4!?
An interesting attempt to force Black to declare himself. But even
so, it is not the strongest move. Maybe White should try 14.h3 or the
move which became fashionable significantly later, 14.c5!?.

80
For example: 14.h3 g4 15.hxg4 fxg4 16.Be3 Nf7 17.fxg4 Ng6
18.g3 Bf6 19.Nf1 a6 20.Qd2 Bd7 21.Rh5 Ehlvest-McShane,
Reykjavik 2000.
14...g4
As in the French Defence, Black fights against the enemy pawn
structure. Of course, he cannot get at the g2-pawn, but he can at
least exchange a number of pawns so as to exploit, for example, the
f4-square; the black knights need additional, more secure points.
Worse is 14...Ng6?! 15.hxg5 Qxg5 16.g3! or 14...f4?! 15.hxg5 Nf7
16.c5 with the idea of Nc4, Nb5.
15.fxg4 Nxg4 16.Bxg4
White gives up the bishop, but in return gets control of the central
squares. On the other hand, Black has already seized space on the
kingside and with his two bishops it will be easier for him to control
the situation.
16...fxg4 17.Be3
Black is better after 17.c5?! g3! 18.Bxg3 dxc5 19.h5 c6, but the
computer recommendation 17.h5 is worth considering – White
seizes space on the kingside and takes the g6-square from the enemy
pieces.
17...c5!
A typical King’s Indian move: usually it completely stops White’s
queenside initiative if it is not favourable for him to play dxc6.
17...g3?! 18.Nf1.
18.g3 a6
Thanks to the open f-file and two bishops, Black is already not
worse. With his last move, he covers the b5-square and at the same
time hopes himself to play ...b7-b5.

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19.a4 Kh8
Black prepares to bring his knight via g8-f6-h5, so as then at the
appropriate moment to sacrifice it on f4.
It was also possible to close the queenside with 19...a5, after which
there would most probably follow a draw agreement, but such a
decision is not in my style.
20.Rf1
If 20.a5, then 20...b6 21.axb6 Qxb6 with the idea of ...Bd7, ...a5-a4.
20...b6
On 20...Ng8 there would have followed 21.Rxf8 Qxf8 22.a5 Qd8
23.Na4 with the idea of Nb6.
21.Rb1 Ng8!?
Equality was promised by 21...a5.
22.Rxf8 Qxf8 23.b4 Nf6 24.Qe2
Or 24.a5 cxb4 25.Rxb4 bxa5 26.Ra4 Nh5 27.Bf2 Bh6 with mutual
chances.

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24...Bd7 25.Qf2 Qe7 26.bxc5?!
26.a5 was stronger! For example, 26...cxb4 27.Rxb4 b5 28.Bg5 h6
29.Bxf6 Bxf6 30.Qb6 with better chances for White. But Elmar
decides instead to go for the open file.
26...bxc5 27.Bg5
Intending Qe3?!. If 27.Rb6!?, then 27...Rf8 28.Bg5 Bc8, and Black
has everything defended on the queenside, whilst on the other wing
he can gradually increase the pressure.
27...h6 28.Bxf6
Exchanging the second bishop was not the best positional decision.
Now White is already at no ‘risk’ of winning: on the contrary, he
must the whole time reckon with various bishop redeployments,
such as via d8 to a5.
28...Bxf6 29.Rb7
Black can easily repulse the threat of Rxd7 – White has no dynamics
at all.
29...Rf8 30.Qe2 Qd8
With the idea of ...Bc8 and ...Qa5!.
31.a5!?
Elmar continues to handle the position creatively. With his last
move, he seizes the b6-square for the rook.
31...Bc8 32.Rb6

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32...Bxh4!?
A tempting, but very committal sacrifice. Knights usually defend
their king well and should Black now hesitate, the white rook will
‘clean up’ all the pawns on the 6th rank. The computer prefers the
simple 32...Qd7 with the idea of ...Bd8.
33.gxh4 Qxh4+ 34.Kd1 g3
At this moment, we were in serious mutual time-trouble. Our table
was surrounded by players from both the Azeri and Moldovan
teams.
35.Rxd6!
A brave and seemingly correct decision. Worse was 35.Kc2 Bg4
36.Qe3 ( 36.Qg2 Rf2 37.Qg1 Qh2 38.Rb8+ Kh7 ) 36...g2.
35...Kh7!
An important prophylactic move in time-trouble, the idea being to
prevent a possible rook sacrifice on h6. Bad was 35...Bg4??
36.Rxh6+ Qxh6 37.Qxg4 Rg8 38.Qf5 g2 39.Ne2 ( 39.Qxe5+ Kh7
40.Ne2 g1Q+ 41.Nxg1 Rxg1 42.Kc2 with equality) 39...g1Q+
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40.Nxg1 Rxg1+ 41.Kc2 with equality; also less convincing was
35...Qh1+ 36.Kc2 g2 37.Rxh6+ Qxh6 38.Qxg2.
36.Qe3
Weaker was 36.Kc2 because of 36...Rf2 37.Qe1 Qf4 38.Rc6 Bg4!.
36...g2 37.Kc2

37...Bg4
I remember I was very proud of this move, found in time trouble;
the bishop cuts off two knights from the g2-pawn at once! However,
objectively stronger was 37...Qg5 38.Qg1 h5! ( 38...Rf2 loses to
39.Qxf2 g1Q 40.Qf8 ) 39.Rc6 h4 40.Rc7+ Kg8 41.d6 Bg4 42.d7 h3
43.Qxc5 Bxd7 44.Qd5+ Rf7 45.Rxd7 Qf6 46.Ne2 h2, and after
exchanging rooks on f7 the game should end in a draw by perpetual
check.
My move so astonished my opponent that he took on c5 in
confusion:
38.Qxc5

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Stronger was 38.Rb6, and in the event of 38...Rf1 White can draw
by perpetual: 39.Rb7+ Kg6 40.Rb6+. But in order to fight for a win,
he had to find the completely unlikely variation (especially in time-
trouble) 39.Qxc5! Qg5 ( 39...g1Q? 40.Qc7+ ) 40.Rb7+ Kg6
41.Qa7! Kh5 42.Rg7 Qf4 43.Ne2! Bxe2 44.Rxg2.
38...Rg8
With the idea of ...Bd1+.
39.Rb6
Stronger was 39.Qg1 Qh1 40.Qb6 Bd1+ ( 40...g1Q? 41.Rxh6+
Qxh6 42.Qxg1 ) 41.Nxd1 g1Q 42.Rd7+ Rg7 43.Rxg7+ Qxg7 44.c5
with great drawing chances, or 39.Rxa6! Qh2 40.Ra7+ Rg7
41.Rxg7+ Kxg7 42.Qe7+ Kg6 43.Ne2! Bxe2 44.Qe6+ with
perpetual check.
39...Bd1+! 40.Nxd1 g1Q 41.Rb7+ Kh8

42.Ne3??

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The decisive mistake. After 42.Qc7 Qg7 43.d6! Qxc7 44.dxc7 Qf6
45.Ne3 Qc6 46.Rb6 Qxc7 47.Rxh6+ Kg7 48.Nf5+ Kf8 49.Rf6+ the
game should have ended in a draw.
42...Qgf2
With the threat of 43...Qxe4+.
43.Kc3 Qh3 44.Kd3 Qh5! 0-1
So, we won the match with a score of 3½-2½, and I went to look for
my people. My colleagues on the team, without waiting for the
result, had decided to save nervous energy, and had already settled
in the hotel restaurant. Unable to immediately believe their good
fortune, they ended up stormily celebrating this event. And yes, I
also needed a boost.

Lessons:
1) The typical move ...c7-c5 significantly slows down the pace of
White’s advance on the queenside. On the side where the opponent
is attacking, the counter-movements of the pawns can greatly hinder
him.
2) As a rule, the knight is badly placed on e7 in the King’s Indian,
so it is very important to be able to manoeuvre the knights and find
advantageous squares for them.
3) Not all sacrifices can be calculated to the end and additional
factors help to make a decision. In this case, the rook on b6 was out
of the game for some time, and the knights and White’s king were
also badly placed. All these considerations suggest that the position
was ripe for a sacrifice.
The subsequently unsuccessful World Under-20 Championship in
Mamaia (this is how the Soviet youth assessed the share of 4th
place) was no less fun, since the girls’ championship was held in
parallel. It was there that Anna-Maria Botsari invited me on behalf
of the organizers to an open in Kavala (Greece). Already in Greece,

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I was included in the grandmaster tournament, subject only to the
one condition that I fly to Moscow and do three things in less than a
day: get permission to travel to a capitalist country (the so-called
exit visa), get a Greek visa and buy a ticket, plus also be in time for
the flight. Yes, and also arrange to get per diems.
Exclusively thanks to the miracles shown by Alexander
Grigoryevich Backh with the paperwork, that trip took place. It is
clear that I also had to run, but we did it all, and I got to the round-
robin tournament in the small Greek town of Xanthi.
Good old Greece with its taverns and freshest products! I performed
well, took first place, and achieved my third grandmaster norm. In
less than five months of the (last Soviet) year of 1991, I became a
grandmaster. Everything happened as in a fairy tale. I didn’t set any
goals, I just didn’t have time, and this ease later had a detrimental
effect on my career. True, the gunpowder was enough for a couple
more tournaments.
Undoubtedly, Alexander Bakh is a real phenomenon in Russian and
international chess life. He has an amazing combination of qualities:
high professionalism and excellent organizational skills. Despite his
Soviet background, his understanding of management is at the level
of the highest world standards. At the same time, unlike many
Soviet leaders, he always respects chess and chess players, and in
general he is a very polite, intelligent person, which is also excellent
for solving complex practical issues.
True, in the year 1992-93, Lyosha Dreev and I, supposedly mature
and wiser, decided to go somewhere ourselves: we applied for visas
and bought tickets. But we didn’t succeed, so the tickets just
disappeared. After that, of course, we returned to Alexander
Grigorievich.
Thanks to him, I had a wonderful trip to India in 1992, where I
played for the first time with a young Anand. We were paid crazy

88
fees for those times. And then Bakh and I collaborated a lot,
including on organizing tournaments in Poikovsky.
Alexander Grigoryevich invented and created the Aeroflot Open,
from which the story of my take-off began. Young chess players
from all over the world came to this tournament, starting with
Magnus Carlsen. It was a fantastic school for them!
In the first tournament in 2002, I performed averagely, but the next
year I shot up, and it was then that a ticket to Dortmund was offered
for the first time – Bakh also agreed on this. I was carried by the
green wave he created! In 2006, I once again shared first place in
Aeroflot, but came second on tiebreak.
I have been friends with Alexander Grigoryevich for many years,
and from time to time we call each other on various issues. For
example, he hosts the international Mikhail Botvinnik Memorial,
and I always help ensure the participation of young Moldovan chess
players.
Chess taught me to see in every person, first of all, the positive and
constructive sides and build my relationship with them on this.
Chess players are quite categorical people and have their own
opinion on many issues, and if you object to them, you may very
quickly reach a situation of conflict, often leading to a break in
relations. But if you come to a person with some kind of positive
agenda, then the situation will be completely different. I don’t have
a vital need to make sure at all costs that I own the absolute truth – I
understand perfectly well that everyone has their own, and if it
doesn’t concern some extreme situations, then it’s better to avoid
those on which your opinion and that of the interlocutor clearly
diverge.
My first national championship turned out to be the last final of the
USSR championships. It was decided to invite as many participants
as possible to this kind of gala championship and to hold it
according to the Swiss system. Previously, among Moldovan chess

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players, only Lutikov and Gavrikov had played in the USSR
championships (but after moving to Lithuania).
Sicilian Defence
Victor Bologan
Artur Frolov
Moscow 1991
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4
I completed my previous three grandmaster norms on Chebanenko’s
‘Sicilians’: 3.Bb5+ in response to 2...d6, to 2...e6 the replies 3.c4 or
3.d3, and to 2...Nc6 again the move 3.Bb5. But, having made quick
draws at the start with Rublevsky and Minasian with White in the
Sicilian, I realized that a fresh idea was needed. And I called my
‘old coach’ Zigurds Lanka in Kyiv. During the championship, the
newly-formed company Chess Assistant offered the following
service: for a small fee, they provided a printout of the opponent’s
games; using their selection, we ‘directed our fire’ from a distance.
It was then that I took a decisive step towards mastering the Open
Sicilian. As a result of telephone training, I managed to win an
exemplary game in the Rauzer Variation against the late Sergey
Kiselev, and here is the first use of another new system for me.
3...cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g4
We knew that Artur Frolov would go into this variation and decided
to confront him with a ‘suitcase’. This is a term invented by Zigurds
to mean a mass pawn offensive, usually on the kingside. In general,
Zigurds was a fantastic teacher, and he would explain everything so
intelligibly that the game would run like clockwork.
6...a6
On 6...h6 unpleasant is 7.Be3 Nf6 8.f3 Be7 9.Qd2 d5 10.Bb5 Bd7
11.exd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 exd5 13.0-0-0 0-0 14.Nf5 (Bologan-
A.Sokolov, France tt 2001).

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7.Be3 Nge7
White is better after 7...Nxd4 8.Qxd4 Ne7 9.0-0-0 Nc6 10.Qd2.
8.Nb3!
Lanka often used this idea in the Sicilian, whenever the black pieces
displayed any kind of disharmony. Thus, the entire plan of ...Nge7
and the exchange on d4, followed by ...Nc6, is now prevented and
the opponent is invited to find another square for the e7-knight.
8.f4 b5 9.Bg2 ( 9.Nf3 b4 10.Na4 Rb8 11.Qd2 Bd7 12.b3 h5 13.g5
d5 14.Bd3 dxe4 15.Bxe4 Rb5 unclear, Kasparov-Svidler, Cannes
2001) 9...Nxd4 10.Qxd4 Nc6 11.Qb6 Qxb6 12.Bxb6 Rb8 13.Be3
g5 14.fxg5 Ne5 15.h3 Be7 16.b3 Rg8 17.0-0-0 Bxg5 18.Bxg5 Rxg5
19.Rxd6 h5 was Shirov-Kramnik, Monaco 2003.
8...Ng6

In the Sicilian, g6 is not really the square for the knight.

9.Qe2!
Another typical Zigurds move. He loved to place his queen not on
d2 but on e2, for two reasons: firstly, the d-file remains open for the

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rook, and secondly, the queen does not come under any forks such
as after ...Nc4 or ...Nf3, plus the g4-pawn is defended. At the same
time, he liked to put the bishop on g2.
9.Qd2 b5 10.0-0-0 Nge5 11.g5 Na5 12.f4 Nec4 13.Qf2 Rb8 14.f5
Nxe3 15.Qxe3 Qb6 16.Qg3 Be7 17.Nxa5 Qxa5 18.e5 d5 19.f6 Bb4
20.Nxd5 exd5 21.e6 with mutual chances was Shirov-Polgar,
Erevan 1996.
9...Be7 10.0-0-0 b5 11.f4
The ‘suitcase’ should advance!
11...h6
If 11...b4, then 12.Na4 Rb8 13.Qf2, taking control of b6 with some
advantage.
12.Qf2 Bd7 13.Kb1
In 90% of Sicilians my king goes to either b1 or h1.
13...Rb8 14.Be2
So, without any particular subtleties, White has completed his
development. As a rule, ‘critical mass’ is achieved with natural
development, and the subtleties arise after the pieces are ready for
battle. White’s plan is f5, h4, g5, and the ‘suitcase’ marches on.
14...Na5 15.Nxa5 Qxa5 16.Bd3
It is now necessary to free the e2-square for the knight. Lanka often
allowed his opponent to play ...b5-b4 in the Sicilian, and would then
ask him: ‘And now where are you going?’. Here, in the event of
16...b4 17.Ne2 and a subsequent Nd4, the knight soon returns to the
centre and the black attack proves not to be especially effective.
16...Bh4!?
Artur tries to bother me somewhat, also preventing the move h4.
17.Qd2
with the idea of e5.

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17...Bc6 18.Rhf1 Be7

19.h4!
Under two attacks! If Black does not take this pawn, then his entire
set-up proves indefensible.
19...Nxh4
On 19...Bxh4 White had prepared 20.e5! d5 ( 20...dxe5 21.Bxg6
fxg6 22.Qd6 ) 21.Bxg6 fxg6 22.Qd3 0-0 23.Qxg6 Rbe8 24.f5,
winning.
20.f5
White is a clear pawn down, but the enemy knight is stranded on the
edge of the board.
20...e5
White has a strong attack after 20...b4 21.Ne2 Ng2 22.Nd4 Nxe3
23.Qxe3! (also good is 23.Nxc6 Nxf1 24.Rxf1 Qb6 25.Nxb8 Qxb8
26.fxe6 fxe6 27.Bxa6 ( 27.e5!? ) 27...Rf8 28.Rd1 with advantage)
23...Bd7 24.fxe6 fxe6 25.e5 (with the threat of 26.Bg6+!) 25...d5
26.Bg6+ Kd8 27.Rf7 Rf8 28.Rxg7 Bg5.
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21.Qh2 Qd8
Better was 21...b4 22.Ne2 Bg5!?, although White retains the
advantage in any case; for example, 23.Qg3 ( 23.Bf2? Nf3 24.Qg2
Nd2+ ) 23...Bb5!? 24.Rh1.
22.Be2 g5 23.Qf2 f6 24.Nd5

Intending Rd2, Rc1, c4. Black’s position is strategically hopeless:

not one of his pieces is playing or has any chance to take part in the
game. So, the rest is one-way traffic.
24...0-0 25.Rd2
25.Bb6?! Qd7 26.Bc7 Bxd5 27.Bxb8 Bxe4 28.Ba7 Rc8 29.Rc1 h5
slightly favours Black.
25...Rf7 26.c4
A typical opening of the queenside in such structures: on account of
his control of d5 White has the advantage on the side where he
usually comes under attack.
26...Qa5 27.Rc1 Bd8 28.cxb5 Bxd5!?

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28...Bxb5 29.Rdc2 Bxe2 30.Qxe2 Qb5 31.Qxb5 ( 31.Qf2 )
31...axb5 32.Rc8 Rxc8 33.Rxc8 Rf8 34.Bd2!.
29.Rxd5 axb5 30.Bd3!

Similar situations often arise in the Najdorf Sicilian. White wins the
b5-pawn and all that is now required of him is not to blunder
anything.
30...Rc7 31.Qe2 Ra8 32.a3 Rb7 33.Bxb5 Kg7 34.Ka2 Rab8 35.b4
Qxb5 36.Rxb5 Rxb5 37.Ba7 R8b7 38.Rc8 Be7 39.Qc4 d5 40.Qc6
Bxb4 41.Qe8
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) After 7...Nge7 it becomes obvious that both black knights want
to exploit the c6-square. If the exchange is allowed on d4, then
Black’s strategy will work – although this does not mean at all that
the position after the exchange is so good for him. But in this case it
is possible to put the opponent in an uncomfortable position by
avoiding an exchange with 8.Nb3. Black had to transfer the e7-
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knight to the g6-square, where in the Sicilian Defence it is usually
badly placed.
2) In a number of cases, sacrificing material makes it possible to
lure an opponent’s piece to a deliberately unsuccessful place. Very
often this is just the h4-square. If the weaker side refuses to accept
the sacrifice, then he is forced to give up a lot of space.
3) A knight on the edge of the board is almost always bad, if only
because it has far fewer possible moves there. In this game, the
knights had different fates: one came to d5, the other to h4.

Victor Bologan, Vladimir Kramnik, Alexander Khalifman and

Alexei Shirov in the early 1990s.
Two rounds before the end, I shared 2nd-3rd places with the
eventual champion Artashes Minasian, ahead of fifty-odd GMs. But
at the finish, I lost to the eventual silver medallist, Magerramov, and
ended in a still-honourable 7th place.

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Notes:
1
The Stadium of Young Pioneers is a children’s sports institution in
Moscow, where there was also a chess section. Among its students
were Vasily Smyslov, Andrey Sokolov, Alexander Morozevich and
many others. Now, only memories remain of the oldest children’s
chess school in Moscow.
2
Kapstrana – the Soviet Union divided all countries into three main
groups – socialist, capitalist and developing. The capitalist ones
were considered the most ideologically dangerous, and trips there by
ordinary citizens were strictly limited.
3
The August putsch of 1991 was an attempted coup at a time when
irreversible processes began in the country to change the state
structure.
4
The Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR is an intra-union
analogue of the World Olympiads, on a smaller scale, of course, but
where non-Olympic sports, such as chess, were also represented.

97
Chapter 3
The swing
The period of decline is sufficiently long to last an entire lifetime –
Alexander Zinoviev.
The hardest thing about sports is forcing yourself to work.
Disciplining yourself. It so happened that, despite the powerful
intellectual environment, in a purely psychological sense I was
always left to myself. I clearly missed my own Papa Kamsky,
someone who would not let me relax. After the Union
Championship, I lost ground for almost a year and a half, although
outwardly everything looked quite decent. A well-run New Year’s
tournament in Stavanger (Norway) was followed by two failures
back-to-back, in India and in France. Moreover, in Calcutta, I lost in
the last decisive round to the local idol, then still a rising chess star,
Viswanathan Anand. Flipping through the diary entries of that time,
I noticed a remark regarding my psychological state during the
tournament in India, end of January 1992:
Psychology – the receipt of a fee (for the first time such a large one)
negatively affected my play, and the conflict with the organizers,
who did not want to fulfil their financial obligations, had a bad
effect on my game. At the beginning of the tournament, I could not
force myself to normalize my daily routine, all the time I tried to win
back after a loss (instead of following Lanka’s precept – just playing
chess)...
True, it is one thing to write, another to execute. In February, failure
followed in Capelle le Grande, followed by a slight warming in
April – a share of 2nd-5th places in the company of Kramnik,

98
behind Shirov in Oakham (England) and a complete failure in May
at the 9th category tournament in the Romanian city of Calamanesti.
Stop!
Here it was not too late to stop and think. But, unfortunately, the
competition calendar is often merciless to the chess player.
Immediately after Calamanesti there followed a trip to the Olympiad
in Manila.
Playing for the national team of my country is a special part of my
chess biography. I have always had a national identity. First of all,
Moldovan, although there was also a Soviet ‘superstructure’ when I
represented the Soviet Union at the World Championships.
When it became clear that the USSR was going to collapse, we
began to dream that we would play for our own country. In 1991, I
played for Moldova at the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR;
we experienced approximately the same feelings when in 1992 we
went to the Olympiad. Of course, it was very interesting: many
different countries, representatives of different cultures... and we
moved from the Spartakiad to the Olympiad with almost the same
line-up!
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the formation of independent
republics occurred rapidly. The Olympiad was held in June 1992 in
distant Manila; no one had money to get there. I remember that the
Armenians organized a charter from Moscow to Manila, and they
didn’t have ‘live’ money either – they provided some kind of
guarantee letters. The then head of Moldovan chess, Fyodor
Skripchenko, was an exceptionally businesslike person, and he also
found some kind of ‘IOUs’. At the very last moment, he persuaded
those people who were in charge of the flight, and we were allowed
on board the aircraft.
Since our funds were extremely limited, we flew without reserve
players. Formally, my coach Ivan Solonar was the reserve, but we
did not know how well he played – he was the director of the club.

99
As a result, he never played, although he was eager to fight. As the
years passed, I realized that he could well have replaced me, and
letting Ivan Yakovlevich play would have been a good idea, because
I performed very unsuccessfully there – I lost 25 rating points.
Although I started well, 3 out of 4, I then fell ill: the hated and, most
importantly, hitherto unknown airconditioner did its job, and I was
simply not well enough for a 14-round event.
And then, right up to the tournament in Greece I had a complete
rest, although some work was certainly done. Leafing through my
diary, I found detailed commentary on the games from Manila, but I
did not find any conclusions or clearer guidelines. Nevertheless, the
rest was beneficial, and in the first part of the first strong round-
robin tournament in my life – and young talents played there:
Kramnik, Lautier, Adams, Ivan Sokolov, Ulibin, Akopian, Illescas –
I had a good time, scoring ‘+2’ over six games. But in the end, it
was precisely the concentration on the result that was not enough,
and after three defeats in a row, I fell back to ‘-1’.
Sicilian Defence
Victor Bologan
Vladimir Akopian
Halkidiki 1992
Vladimir Akopian is my age, only a week older than me in fact. His
is an example of a successful chess career – World Youth Champion
at under 16, 18 and 20 years old, as well as finalist of the 1999
World Championship in Las Vegas. I also played in the U20
Championship, which took place a year before this game. I was in
1st place, but lost to him in our personal meeting. Then I also lost to
Ulibin, after which I stopped fighting for first place. And now, a
year later, we met again in Greece at the category 14 tournament.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4

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In the Junior Championship I played 3.Bb5+, and got a good
position, but went wrong in time-trouble.
3...cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6
Black chooses the Scheveningen structure, which we have already
seen in Game 4. White now has several aggressive continuations –
7.f3, going into the English Attack, or 7.g4 followed by a piece
sacrifice ( 7...e5 8.Nf5 g6 9.g5 gxf5 10.exf5 etc.), but in this game I
decided to settle for a classical set-up with the bishop on e2.
7.Be2 Be7 8.f4 Qc7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Kh1 Nc6 11.Qe1 Nxd4 12.Bxd4
b5 13.a3 Bb7 14.Qg3

A tabiya. In the database, you can find over 500 games with this
position. Here my opponent decided to surprise me with a rare
move:
14...Rad8?!
Rather an unfortunate departure from the normal lines. In the event
of 14...Rac8 15.Rae1 Bc6 16.Bd3 Black equalizes with the help of a
typical operation: 16...e5! 17.fxe5 Nh5 18.Qh3 dxe5; for example,

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19.Nd5 Bxd5 20.Bxe5 Qxe5 21.exd5 Qg5 22.Bxh7+ Kxh7 23.Rf5
Qxf5 24.Qxf5+ g6 25.Qh3 Bd6 26.g4 Rxc2. This possibility was
pointed out in the Sicilian Scheveningen monograph written by
Kasparov and Nikitin.
The strongest move here is considered to be 14...Bc6; for example,
15.Rad1 Rac8 16.Rfe1 Rfd8 17.Bf3 Ne8 18.Qf2 Rb8 19.Rd2, with a
draw in Gallagher-A.Sokolov, Besancon 2003.
15.Rae1 Bc6 16.Bd3 Qb7
With the rook on d8 16...e5?! doesn’t work because of 17.fxe5 Nh5
18.Qf2 dxe5 19.Bb6 Qd6 20.Bxd8 Bxd8 21.Rd1, winning
(Kosteniuk-Shaposhnikov, St Petersburg 2000). On 16...Nh5 there
can also follow 17.Qf2.
17.Qh3 g6
On 17...h6 I intended to play 18.Re3 b4 19.axb4 ( 19.Rg3!? )
19...Qxb4 20.Ne2 with the better game.
17...Ne8 18.Re3 Qd7 19.e5 g6 20.f5 dxe5 21.Bxe5 Bf6 22.Bxf6
Nxf6 23.fxg6 fxg6 24.Qxe6+ Kg7 25.Qxd7+ Rxd7 26.Re6 Bb7
27.Kg1 ± was Palac-Hulak, Vinkovci 1995.
18.f5
It is very important to increase the pressure, from which it is not
easy for Black to escape.
18...e5
He loses after 18...gxf5 19.Qh6! ( 19.exf5? e5 with the idea of
...Kh8, ...Rg8) 19...e5 20.Rxf5.
19.Be3 Nh5
This was a novelty, but hardly a very valuable one, because White’s
advantage is beyond doubt; for instance, 19...Nxe4? 20.Nxe4 Bxe4
21.Bxe4 Qxe4 22.Bh6 Qxc2 23.f6 wins for White. On 19...Rfe8
there is the extremely unpleasant 20.Bg5; for instance, 20...Nd7
21.fxg6 hxg6 22.Rxf7 Kxf7 23.Qh7+ Ke6 24.Qxg6+ Nf6 25.Rf1.

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20.Be2?!
Allowing the exchange of the knight for the dark-squared bishop.
Stronger was 20.Bh6 Rfe8 21.Qf3 ( 21.Be2 Nf4 ) 21...Bf6 22.Nd5
Bxd5 23.exd5, as in the game Wang Pin-J. Shahade, Shanxian 2002.
20...Nf4 21.Bxf4 exf4 22.Rxf4

It may appear that, after giving up the pawn, Black can breathe
easily: he has two bishops and control over the dark squares, which
he can strengthen. Even so, a pawn is a pawn. If you remember my
game with Itkis, there I attacked with a similar piece relationship,
but with equal pawns.
22...Bg5
Perhaps Black should have played more modestly; for example,
22...Bf6.
23.Rg4 Qe7
23...Bf6 24.Rf1 Kg7.
24.Rf1 Bf6 25.Bd3 Qe5

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Black seems to have established a blockade and brought White’s
attack to a halt. But as often happens in my games, at this moment
there is a knight transfer to a part of the board where there is a tense
situation.
26.Ne2?!
From here the knight can jump to one of three tempting squares –
f4, g3 or d4. But even so, it was necessary to play 26.Nd1 Kg7
27.Rg3 Bxe4 28.Nf2 Bxd3 29.Nxd3.
26...Kh8
Cowardly. He should have taken on b2: 26...Qxb2! and now:

analysis diagram
A) 27.Nf4 Qe5 28.fxg6 ( 28.Nh5 Bh8, and no decisive
continuation for White is apparent) and now:
A1) 28...fxg6 29.Ne6 Bd7 30.Nxf8 Rxf8 (on 30...Kxf8, 31.Qxh7
Bxg4 32.Qxg6 wins) 31.Rxg6+ hxg6 32.Qxd7;
A2) 28...hxg6 29.Nd5 ( 29.Rxg6+? fxg6 30.Nxg6 Bd7!; 29.Nh5
Bh8 ) 29...Bxd5 ( 29...Bg7 30.Qh4 ) 30.exd5 Bg7 with equality.
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 B) 27.c3 Qxa3 28.e5 ( 28.Nd4? Qxc3 29.fxg6 fxg6 30.Ne6 Bd7;
28.Nf4 Qxc3 29.e5 Bxe5 30.fxg6 fxg6 31.Rxg6+ hxg6 32.Qe6+
Rf7 33.Qxg6+ Rg7 34.Qe6+ Rf7 with equality; 28.Rh4!? Bxh4
29.Qxh4 is level) 28...dxe5 29.fxg6 fxg6 30.Bxg6 hxg6 31.Rxg6+
Bg7 32.Rxf8+ Rxf8 33.Rxc6 Rf1+ 34.Ng1 Rxg1+ 35.Kxg1 Qc1+
with equality.
27.c3
After the game, Akopian showed me how White could have won at
once: 27.fxg6 fxg6 28.Nf4 Kg8 29.Ne6 Bd7 30.Nxf8 Bxg4
31.Qxh7+ Kxf8 32.Qxg6. As in variation A1 above, more tenacious
is 30...Rxf8 31.Rxg6+ hxg6 32.Qxd7 Bg7, although here the pawn
on b2 remains on the board.
27...Bd7 28.Nd4
The knight occupies an excellent position in the centre. It is hard for
Black to escape from the pressure down the f-file and he is also
currently a pawn down.
28.Nf4!? was also very strong; for instance, 28...Rg8 ( 28...gxf5
29.exf5 Rg8 30.Nh5 ) 29.Nd5 gxf5 30.Nxf6 Qxf6 31.exf5 Rxg4
32.Qxg4.
28...Rde8 29.Rgf4 d5?!
This move only helps to include the d3-bishop in the attack, and the
hopes associated with the pin on the f5-pawn prove unrealized.
Black should have played more solidly, with 29...Kg7, although
after 30.Bb1 and the transfer of the bishop to e2, White has a large
advantage.
30.exd5 Qxd5

105
31.Ne6!
The move is not only spectacular, but also objectively the strongest.
In case of 31.Qh6 (with the threat of 32.fxg6!) 31...Bg7 32.Qh4 g5
33.Qxg5 Rg8! (not 33...f6 34.Qh4 ) 34.Qg3 Be5 35.Qf3 Qxf3
36.R4xf3 Bc8 37.Re3 Bb7 38.Nf3 Bc7 White’s advantage is also
beyond doubt (after all, he is two pawns up), but thanks to his two
active bishops, Black can still resist stubbornly.
31...Rxe6!
The only move to allow Black to continue resisting. He loses after
31...fxe6? 32.fxg6 or 31...Bxe6 32.fxe6 Bg7 33.exf7 Re6 34.Rh4 h5
35.Bxg6.
32.fxe6 Bxe6 33.Qe3
Simpler was 33.Qf3.
33...Bg7 34.Be4
The computer recommends 34.c4! Qg5 35.h4 Qe7 36.cxb5 axb5
37.Bxb5 as winning, but as a human being, I don’t want to weaken
my position so much, especially under time pressure. The queenside
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pawns limit the dark-squared bishop, and soon the kingside pawns
will do the same.
34...Qd6 35.R4f2 Rd8 36.Re1 Kg8 37.Bf3 h5 38.Rff1 Qc7 39.Rd1
Rxd1 40.Rxd1
By exchanging rooks, White slightly simplifies the position.
40...Be5 41.g3!
The white pawns should be on dark squares, so as to restrict the e5-
bishop. If 41.h3?! Bb3 White might face great problems realizing
the material advantage.

41...Kg7
41...h4 42.Qg5! hxg3 43.Rd8+ Kg7 44.Qh4.
42.Re1 Bf6 43.Qe4 Qc5 44.Kg2 a5 45.Rd1 Bc4 46.Rd2 Be6
47.Rd1 Bc4
The repetition of moves is just a simple trick, emphasizing the
strength of White’s position.
48.Rd7 b4

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48...Qc8 49.Rd6 followed by Qf4 puts an end to the reign of the f6-
bishop.
49.axb4 axb4 50.cxb4 Qc8
50...Qxb4? 51.Be2 Qa4 ( 51...Qb5 52.Rxf7+!! ) 52.Rd4! – simple
but beautiful.
51.Rd2 Bb5 52.Rc2 Qa6 53.Be2 Bxe2 54.Rxe2 h4 55.g4 Qd6
56.g5 h3+ 57.Kf3 1-0

Lessons:
1) If, in well-explored positions, one decides on a novelty, then it
must be well-analysed and thought out, because, as a rule, turning
aside can bring big troubles. This is what happened in this game –
after 14...Rad8 the initiative passed to White for a long time.
2) 20...Nf4 is a typical move, sacrificing a pawn in order to
establish control over the dark squares. The bishop moves from e7
to f6, and its sphere of influence sharply increases.
3) In situations where the game is very sharp, the most concrete
approach to the position is necessary. If you play from general
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considerations (26...Kh8), then the game may not be saved. It is
necessary to calculate the most fundamental variations to the end,
because sometimes the very course of the game forces one to go for
the sharpest continuations.
In modern chess, the classical form of work according to the
‘trainer-student’ scheme is practically absent, and has been
preserved only among very young chess players. Instead,
cooperation between strong grandmasters has become widespread –
the so-called seconding, and sometimes just sparring-partnerships.
My debut as a second took place in the fall of 1992, when Alexei
Shirov invited me to help him during a tournament in Tilburg. At
some point, friendly relations grew into fruitful cooperation: we
worked on chess together and we were sparring partners. In those
cases when I seconded him at competitions, Alexei, a generous soul,
always paid my work well.
If we digress a little and speculate on the topic of seconding, then
the main function of an assistant is, in my opinion, psychological
support. A high-class grandmaster plays what he knows and during
a tournament it is difficult to master something new at the behest of
a second. Of course, some hint might come in handy. But to create
the right atmosphere, to help a person move on from a difficult
game, to support him – this is the most important thing that an
assistant should be able to do.
When I worked with Shirov, there was no such informatization and
computerization of chess. Yes, I shared Chebanenko’s ideas with
him, we discussed Lanka’s schemes, and we came up with
something ourselves, but by and large there was no enhanced
opening preparation. However, in my time, Shirov practically never
lost games at the highest level. Of course, he achieved this mainly
owing to his talent. Our fruitful cooperation continued until 1996.
Although we did not see each other so often (after all, I continued
my career), I still went to the main tournaments with Lyosha.

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Looking ahead, I will say that in 2002 I again acted as a second
when Ruslan Ponomariov invited me to help at the super-
tournament in Linares. The situation was somewhat similar to the
previous one, although the initial incentive was not friendship, but
the offer of Ruslan’s sponsors to hold a joint fundraiser at their
expense. In Linares, Ponomariov took second place: this is one of
the best results in his career, not counting, of course, his victory in
the World Championship. I wouldn’t say that I helped Ruslan a lot
in the opening either. It’s just that a second should be a good
psychologist – not in a professional sense, but he should be a person
from whom good, positive things come.
For me, my wife turned out to be an excellent second. So, in
Dortmund 2003, most of the participants had strong grandmasters as
assistants (for example, Anand had Rustem Dautov, Leko had
Arshak Petrosyan) whereas I came with Margarita and won the
tournament. This suggests that the psychological factor is most
important for chess players.
Returning to the 1990s, which were turbulent in all respects, it
should be noted that, despite the voluntary tunic of a chess assistant,
I still retained my sporting ambitions to the fullest extent. But
ambition alone won’t get you far. Unfortunately, I could not more
clearly formulate a sporting task for myself. Rather, it was guided
by general considerations. I thought that trips with Shirov to Linares
or Tilburg would be useful for me in any case – I would work
against the greats. I actually learned a lot of new and interesting
things, but this work did not help my practical strength. I made good
money, but then again, while there is no family, money comes and
goes. In any case, I do not regret that work.
Modern Defence
Gyula Sax
Victor Bologan
Debrecen 1992
110
Gyula Sax was a well-known Hungarian GM and a member of the
team which won the 1978 Olympiad, the only time in the history of
the USSR’s participation that it was relegated to second place. Our
game was played in the last round of the European Team
Championships. In those days, we still had adjournments; it so
happened that I adjourned almost all of my games and by the end of
the tournament, I was completely exhausted.
1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c6

‘The New Caro-Kann’, an opening I was taught by Chebanenko.

Rich in ideas and different kinds of non-standard positions, it is very
well suited against opponents who are inferior in class or are fond of
main-line theory. Sax can be safely attributed to the latter. The New
Caro-Kann scored especially well in open tournaments: for example,
I won the New York Open in 1997 largely thanks to this opening.
4.h3!?
A move which attempts to be cunning, although it does not spoil
anything, of course.
4...d6
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The strongest response for Black is 4...d5, but I decided to take play
into a well-known position, which, objectively, should be slightly
worse for Black.
5.g3 e5 6.Nge2
Black is fine in the endgame after 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.Qxd8+ Kxd8.
6...b5!
White usually prevents this move by means of a2-a4.
7.a3 a6
Not 7...Nd7?! because of 8.d5.
8.Bg2 Nd7
Black is trying to establish a piece-pawn interaction, slightly
restricting the opponent on the queenside. An important role is given
to the c6-pawn, which severely restricts the c3-knight. On the other
hand, White in this system has an advantage in development and
controls the centre. From this point of view, the confrontation
between the pawns at e5 and d4 is classic. Their exchange will be a
concession to the opposite side, so the opponents try to maintain the
tension to the last. Sometimes White plays d4-d5 and gets a position
with a closed centre.
9.0-0 h5
Quite a committal plan, suggested by Chebanenko. Black plays to
restrict the Ne2, not allowing the opponent to play g4 and Ng3.
Even so, he should really play more modestly.
10.f4
White establishes a space advantage and creates unpleasant pressure
in the centre.
10...Bb7 11.Be3 Ngf6 12.Qd2 0-0 13.Rad1 Re8

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The Chebanenko set-up in pure form. It is not so easy for White to
start active play, because the black pawns strongly restrict his
possibilities. Sax finds the best reaction:
14.dxe5 dxe5 15.Nc1!
With the idea of Qf2 and Nd3. White is groping for vulnerable
points in the opponent’s camp, and one of them is c5. In addition,
White’s problem was the unfortunate position of the knight on e2; if
the knight comes to d3, then everything will be fine with his piece-
pawn interaction.
15...c5??
A move associated with a tactical oversight. On 15...a5 there would
have followed 16.b4 with the idea of Nd3. It was necessary to play
more modestly – 15...Qc7 16.f5 c5 17.fxg6 fxg6 18.Qd6 Rac8
19.Qxc7 Rxc7 with a slightly worse, but defensible position.
16.fxe5
16.f5!? is also not bad, but the more forcing move in the game is
stronger.

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16...Nxe5 17.Qxd8?
In reply to 17.Qf2 Qc7 18.Bxc5 I intended to play 18...Nfg4 (
18...Nc4 19.b3 ) 19.hxg4 Nxg4, counting on 20.Bd6 Nxf2 21.Bxc7
Nxd1 22.Rxd1 Bxc3 23.bxc3 Bxe4, and Black is at the very least
not worse. However, White has an elementary refutation: 20.Qxf7+!
Qxf7 21.Rxf7 Kxf7 22.Rd7+ Kg8 23.Rxb7. Fortunately, my
opponent gave me an amnesty and took play into an endgame.
17...Raxd8 18.Rxd8 Rxd8 19.Bxc5 Nfd7

Despite White’s extra pawn, the endgame is practically equal,

because Black has an excellent outpost on e5 and very harmonious
piece cooperation.
20.Rd1 Nc6?!
Better was 20...Rc8 21.Bd4 Nf8 with the idea of ...Ne6 and ...Nc4.
21.Bf2 Bxc3 22.bxc3 Nde5 23.Nd3!
Harmless was 23.Rxd8+ Nxd8 24.Nd3 Nc4 with equality.
23...Bc8

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Preparing to bring the bishop to e6 and c4. Also interesting is
23...Nc4!?.
24.Bb6 Rd6 25.Bc5 Rd8 26.Bb6 Rd6 27.Kf2 Be6 28.Ke1 Rd7
29.Bc5 Bc4
It was worth considering 29...g5 and then ...Bc4!?.
30.Nf4 Rxd1+ 31.Kxd1 f6 32.h4!
Intending Bg2-h3-c8. White has a definite practical advantage, but
Black retains excellent drawing chances, thanks to the strong
outposts on e5 and c4, whilst the weakness of White’s queenside
pawns practically neutralizes his advantage of the two bishops and
extra pawn.
32...Kf7 33.Bh3 g5! 34.Nd5
It was bad to take the second pawn with 34.hxg5 fxg5 35.Nxh5
because of 35...Kg6 36.g4 Be6.
34...gxh4 35.gxh4 Ng6 36.Bf2 Nce7 37.Nc7
It looks as though White has outplayed his opponent, but the main
surprises are only just beginning.
37...f5!
Black loses after 37...a5 38.Bd7.
38.Nxa6
Not 38.exf5?? Nf4 or 38.Bxf5 Nxf5 39.exf5 Nf4 40.Nxa6 Kf6 with
equality.
38...Nf4

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Objectively, this position is drawn, since the b5-pawn is still easily
holding the opponent’s three pawns, and the black pieces on the
kingside are becoming more active. But it must be taken into
account that the game was played in the last round and could no
longer be adjourned. After only just getting out of one bout of time-
trouble, we soon found ourselves in the second one, and my time-
trouble was very sharp indeed. And then the endgame study motifs
began, which, of course, would never have been realized in the
game without the help of the opponent and without my time
pressure.
39.Bxf5 Nxf5 40.exf5 Kf6 41.Nc5 Kxf5 42.Kd2 Ng2!
Now the white king is cut off from the kingside.
43.Nd3?!
After 43.a4 it would soon have been a draw, but Sax stubbornly
seeks winning chances. Perhaps he should have preferred 43.Nb7!?.
43...Ke4 44.Nb2 Bf1 45.c4!? bxc4 46.c3?

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A somewhat cooperative move, which, admittedly, still doesn’t spoil
anything. A draw results from 46.Kc3 or 46.a4 Kf3 47.Bc5 Nxh4
48.Kc3 Ke4.
46...Kf3 47.Be1
47.Bb6 Nxh4 48.a4 Ke4 49.Ke1 Bh3.
47...Ne3 48.a4 Bh3 49.a5 Bc8 50.Na4?
Better was 50.Kc1 and Bd2 with equality.
50...Nf1+ 51.Kd1

51...Ke3!
Suddenly it turns out that White cannot avoid the loss of his bishop,
blocked in by his own pawns on h4 and c3. But the draw is not yet
gone.
52.Nb6 Bg4+ 53.Kc1 Ke2 54.Nxc4
If 54.a6 Kxe1 55.a7 Bf3 56.Nxc4 Ke2 57.Nb6 Kd3.

117
Out table was surrounded by players from the Hungarian and
Moldovan teams. My comrades looked with horror at my 54th
move, played in great time-trouble:
54...Bc8!!
Everyone thought it was necessary to force a draw after 54...Kxe1
55.a6 Bf3 56.a7 Ng3 57.Nb6 Nf5 58.c4!
55.Nd6
55.Bd2 Ba6 and Black wins.
55...Ba6 56.c4
A simple draw results from 56.Ne8 Kxe1 57.Nc7.
56...Kxe1 57.c5 Ne3 58.c6
This move also doesn’t lose, but more precise was 58.Ne4 Nf5
59.Kb2 Ke2 60.c6 Ke3 61.Nf6 Ng3 62.Kb3 Kd4 63.Kb4 Ke5
64.Ne8. The white king wants to reach c5 and there is no way to
prevent it: 64...Ne4 65.Nc7 or 64...Kd5 65.Nc7+ (a fork) 65...Kxc6
66.Nxa6 Nf5 with a draw.
58...Nd5 59.Ne4?
‘Cooperative’ to the very end. Finally White decides to go after the
h-pawn, but he attacks it from the wrong side, moving his knight too
far away from his own passed pawn. The last chance to hold the
draw was 59.Ne8 Kf2 60.Ng7 Nf6 61.Kb2 Kf3 62.Ka3 Ke4
63.Ne6! (establishing a barrier in front of the black king – now he
cannot come to d5 because of the fork on c7) 63...Ke5 64.Nc5 Bf1
65.Nd7+! Ke6 66.Nxf6 Kxf6 67.c7 Ba6 68.Kb4 Ke7 69.Kc5 Kd7
70.Kb6 Bc8 71.a6 Bxa6 72.Kxa6 Kxc7 with equality.
59...Bd3! 60.Ng3 Bg6
Cutting off the last white piece.
61.a6 Kf2 62.a7 Nc7 63.Nxh5 Bxh5 64.Kd2 Kf3 65.Kd3 Kf4
66.Kc4 Ke5 67.Kc5 Na8

118
Sax did not test my mating technique with bishop and knight and
just resigned.

Lessons:
1) A beautiful move, which one wants to make, is not always the
strongest. In this game, carried away by a beautiful idea, I forgot
about the specifics and did not calculate the variation to the end
(15...c5??).
2) In a multi-piece endgame, a pawn down, the weaker side may
have enough resources for a stubborn resistance. Such resources can
be both the active positioning of one’s pieces and some weakening
in the opponent’s pawn structure. In this game, White had a weak
pawn on e4, due to which Black got a strong outpost on e5. The
main conclusion: a material deficit should not lead to despondency
and defeatist moods.
3) It sometimes happens that the side with the extra material has
his pieces placed extremely unsuccessfully, and this should be
alarming. Otherwise, underestimating the opponent’s resources can,
as in this game, lead the stronger side to a tragic outcome.
In the spring of 1993, before I graduated from the institute, the
question arose of where to live and what to do next. The decision
quite unexpectedly came from across the ocean, but more on that
later. I arrived at my first New York Open following great
adventures. Already at the check-in for the flight, I was the only one
from the group (made up of former Soviet chess players) who was
not allowed to board the plane. It turned out that Moldovans (alone)
needed an Irish transit visa (in those days planes from Moscow to
America flew with a stopover in Shannon). And here, once again,
my faith in myself worked, faith in the impossible. It doesn’t matter
if I’m at the chessboard or in a daily life situation, I’m fighting. So,
after a day of battling with Aeroflot and the Irish embassy, I still
managed to get on a plane and fly to the tournament, arriving a few

119
hours before the start of the first game. By the way, surprisingly, the
situation practically repeated itself in 2019, when I was flying just to
Ireland. Force majeure again, calls to the embassy again, and the
next day I was in Dublin.
It was the first time I played in America. My feelings upon arrival
were as if I had landed on another planet: it seemed that the people
were the same, and houses made of stone, and cars on wheels, but I
couldn’t get used to the American rhythm of life.
Slav Defence
Maxim Dlugy
Victor Bologan
New York 1993
Maxim Dlugy was a World Junior Champion in 1985 and later
became a very successful businessman. Later still, we became
friends and at one point I even worked in his representative firm in
Moscow, but our first acquaintance was in the following game.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 a6
The Chebanenko Variation of the Slav Defence. In its purest form, it
is obtained with the move 4.Nf3 instead of 4.e3. Black has rich
opportunities here: the pawn on a6 limits the knight on c3, and it
becomes possible to play ...b7-b5, either immediately or after the
exchange on c4. Also, this obviously prophylactic/waiting move
forces White to decide on one of nine possible moves/plans. And for
each of them, Chebanenko had a worthy, original answer. By the
way, no refutation for White has yet been found.
5.Nf3 b5 6.b3 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3

120
8...e5!?
This variation was worked out by Vyacheslav Andreevich in the
1970s, but despite this, it came as a complete surprise to Dlugy.
Maybe a more precise execution of the idea is to flick in the
preliminary exchange on c4 with 8...bxc4.
9.dxe5 Bb4 10.Bd2 Bxc3
If 10...Ne4 11.Nxe4 dxe4 12.Qd1 Qxd2+ 13.Qxd2 Bxd2+ 14.Kxd2
Ke7 15.Kc3 White’s chances are slightly better.
11.Bxc3 Ne4 12.Bb4 bxc4 13.bxc4
Compared with the variation with 8...bxc4, White has some
additional possibilities, such as 13.e6!? or 13.Qg4!?
13...Qb6 14.a3 a5
The bishop is driven off the important diagonal.
15.cxd5
Black is fine in the event of 15.e6 Ra7! 16.cxd5 cxd5 17.Rc1 Nc6;
for example, 18.exf7+ (better is 18.Bc3!? – Komliakov) 18...Rxf7
19.Qg4 Nd8 20.Bc3 0-0 21.Bd4 Qd6 22.f4 Qxa3 23.Rb1 Nc6
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24.Qd1 Qe7, and White resigned in Ovseevich-Komliakov,
Nikolaev 1993.
15...cxd5
15...axb4 16.Qxe4 Rxa3 17.Rb1 is risky for Black.
16.Bd2!
16.Bc4 Qc6; 16.Bd6 Qb2 17.Rd1 Qc3+ 18.Ke2 Nd7 19.Rxd5 Qc4+
20.Rd3 Rc8 (Poluliakov-Moskalenko, Rostov 1993).
16...Qb2
16...Nxd2?! 17.Qxd5 Nxf1 18.Qxa8 0-0 ( 18...Nxe3 19.fxe3
Qxe3+ 20.Kf1 Qd3+ 21.Kf2 Qd4+ 22.Kg3 Qxe5+ with a draw)
19.Qe4 Nd2! 20.Qc2 Nb3 21.Rb1 a4 22.0-0 Na6 23.Qc4 Nac5
24.Rfd1 is unclear.
17.Rd1 Nc6 18.a4?!
White wants to entrench his bishop on b5, but it was much more
important to complete his development: 18.Bd3 Nxe5 19.Qe2 0-0
20.0-0 Qxa3 21.Bxe4 dxe4 22.Qb5! followed by Ra1 with equality.
18...0-0 19.Bd3 Nxe5 20.Qe2 Qa2 21.Bxe4
21.0-0 Nxd2 22.Rxd2 Qxa4µ .
21...dxe4 22.Bc3?!
22.0-0 Qxa4 or 22...Rfd8µ .
22...Nd3+ 23.Kf1
White has an uncastled king and a difficult position. Better was
23.Rxd3 Qxe2+ 24.Kxe2 exd3+ 25.Kxd3 Rfb8.

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23...Qxa4 24.Ra1 Qc4 25.Bd4 a4 26.Kg1 f5 27.Kh2 Qc7+ 28.g3
Rfc8 29.Ra3?! Qc2 30.Ra2 Qxe2 31.Rxe2 a3 32.g4!? fxg4
33.hxg4 Nc1
Simpler was 33...Rc1 34.Rxc1 Nxc1 35.Rc2 Nb3 36.Be5 a2 37.Rc7
g6! (or 37...a1Q 38.Rxg7+ Kh8 39.Re7+ Qxe5+ 40.Rxe5 Nd2 and
Black wins) 38.Rg7+ Kf8 39.Rxh7 a1Q 40.Bxa1 Rxa1 41.Kg3 g5!.
34.Ree1 Nb3 35.Re2 Rc1 36.Rxc1 Nxc1 37.Rc2 Nb3 38.Be5 Ra7?
By means of 38...a2 it was possible to go into the variation
examined in the note to Black’s 33rd move.
39.Ra2 Nc1 40.Ra1 Nd3 41.Bd4 Ra4 42.Ra2! Kf7 43.Kg3 g6
44.Rc2 Ke6 45.Rc7 a2 46.Ba1 Kd5 47.Rxh7 Nc5 48.Kf4 Nb3
49.Rh1 Nxa1 50.Rxa1 Ra6 51.g5 Ra4 52.Rd1+ Ke6 53.Ra1

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The win requires a triangulation:
53...Kd6! 54.Rd1+ Ke7! 55.Ra1 Ke6 56.Kg4 Ke5 57.f4+ exf3+
58.Kxf3 Kf5 59.Ke2 Kxg5 60.Kd3 Kf5
And White resigned.

Lessons:
1) Sometimes non-standard decisions in the opening make it
possible to impose an unusual game on the opponent, in which the
initiative is of great importance. Having ceded the advantage of two
bishops to White, Black assumed increased obligations and had to
quickly develop the opening initiative.
2) An uncastled king is always a very high-risk factor, especially
when the enemy pieces are dangerously close to him.
3) When realizing the advantage, it is necessary to maintain
concentration and accurately consider specific variations. If you
continue to play on general considerations, the advantage may
evaporate.

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During the tournament, my friend (I wonder why there is no female
equivalent of the word ‘friend’ in many rich languages, because
‘girlfriend’ sounds completely different) Dina Tulman advised me
to start studying with Mark Izrailevich Dvoretsky. Either her
recommendation turned out to be excellent, or Dvoretsky himself
decided that I really would be good, but whichever the case, he
began to study with me. My results skyrocketed; in a year I gained
100 rating points.
At the same time, my tactical vision clearly sharpened. As
confirmation, an episode from my first tournament in Biel.
Roman Skomorokhin
Victor Bologan
Biel 1993

With his last move, White took a pawn on f6 and now he threatens a
deadly discovered check.
28...Nd3!
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Black has an extra rook and he is prepared to sacrifice the knight on
e5, to close the dangerous diagonal. Weaker was 28...Kg7 29.Ng4+!
( 29.Nh5+? Kf7 30.Qg7+ Ke6 ) 29...Kf8 30.Nh6! Qe6 31.Qh8+
Ke7 32.Qg7+ Ke8 33.Bh3! Qe7 34.Qg8+ Qf8 35.Qe6+ Qe7 with
equality.
29.Be4
29.Ng4+ Ne5 30.fxe5 Qxg4 31.exd6+ Kg8 32.Qf6 Rd7 and Black
wins.
29...Nxf4!
Black again exploits a tactical motif – he threatens a fork on e2. In
this way he continues the fight for the key e5-square. Weaker was
29...Qe6 30.Bxd3 Qe7 31.g4 with the idea g5.
30.Ng4+
30.Bxf5 Ne2+; 30.gxf4 Qxf4 31.Ng4+ Kg8.
30...Qe5
This brings the combination to an end and White has to enter an
endgame a piece down.
31.Nxe5 Ne2+ 32.Kg2 Nxc3 33.Nf7+ Kg7 34.Nxd8 Nxe4
35.Nxb7 Kf6 36.Nxa5 c5
And I gradually managed to realize the extra piece.
Endowed by nature with a huge capacity for work, in addition to
chess talent, Dvoretsky managed to develop his own system for
improving the various skills of chess players. According to his
methodology, one can greatly improve in any component of chess
mastery: positional, tactical vision, prophylaxis, calculation.
Compared to Chebanenko and Lanka, these were completely
different classes. Basically, I solved problems: you go through the
theoretical part and start practicing at solving, at playing positions.
Thus, having become Dvoretsky’s apprentice, I fulfilled
Chebanenko’s order with a four-year delay.

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To understand the phenomenon of Dvoretsky, it is very important to
single out his personal qualities, his selfless devotion to chess, his
attentive and thoughtful attitude towards his students, his readiness
to always help in everything. He not only helped me improve
personally as a chess player, but also advised me to read dozens of
the most interesting books, helped me write a dissertation, and buy
an apartment in Moscow. Conversations with him made me look at
the world around us in a new and, as a rule, more objective way.
Now that I’ve become a coach myself, not a day goes by that I don’t
use either his positions, or his advice, or his book.
Despite his illness, Mark Izrailevich continued to work hard and
fruitfully – literally until the last days of his life. During our last
meeting in July 2016, he presented me with a new edition of his
Endgame Manual, and I was amazed at how it was possible to
improve a seemingly already perfectly-written book. If there was a
nomination for ‘the best chess book of all times and peoples’, then I
would not hesitate to vote for Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual. I
remember when Pavel Elianov’s father, Vladimir, consulted with
me about the Russian title of the book and I strongly protested
against the word ‘manual’. It seemed to me that it evoked something
too academic or scholastic. But I’m glad I was wrong. This is
exactly a textbook, and it can and should be studied by both
beginners and the strongest grandmasters. Not without reason, Garry
Kimovich Kasparov, without waiting for the English or Russian
edition, read its German version from cover to cover.
With all due respect to the Dvoretsky training system, Mark
Izrailevich nevertheless achieved the greatest breakthrough in
studying, mastering, and teaching the final part of the game. In
addition to the afore-mentioned skills in solving problems, the art of
analysing endings was also practiced in his classes. In some
endgames, the meticulous coach made real discoveries. Many half
and even full points were obtained by me thanks to our joint
endgame lessons. I really liked Mark Izrailevich’s two themes:
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opposite-coloured bishops and the elimination method. Thanks to a
deep study of the first topic, I managed, for example, to win a pawn-
down endgame against Benjamin (see Game no. 16). As for the
elimination method, I can only say that its elementary use would
dramatically increase not only the level of chess play, but also the
rationality of decision-making as a whole on earth.
Of the unpleasant topics, I will note the opponent’s counterplay and
intermediate moves. That’s where I had to do push-ups, for failing
to solve Mark’s exercises correctly!
During our last meeting at his apartment in Strogino, I literally
collided at the door with Dinara Sadvakasova, who, a month after
classes with Dvoretsky, became the world champion among girls...
School of Champions of the present, past, future – this is all the
School of Dvoretsky!
Mark Izrailevich Dvoretsky always told his students: guys, I’ll teach
you everything, but as for the opening, please contact the experts.
Of course, he also had opening ideas and sometimes we looked at
some positions with him, but he did not impose his opening
variations on anyone. Although, he had some very interesting
analyses (for example on the Russian Game) from the time of his
work with Artur Yusupov, which he freely shared.
All the same, Dvoretsky advised his students to work additionally
with opening specialists. He also recommended me as such a
specialist when I had already achieved some success and gained a
reputation as a connoisseur of openings. So, I spent several training
camps with Vadim Zviagintsev, and then a younger student of Mark
Izrailevich, Ernesto Inarkiev, turned to me. When Ernesto had the
opportunity (for example, he received grants from the Russian
Chess Federation), he paid for our classes. And when he wasn’t able
to, we worked great as sparring partners. We held dozens of training
camps, analysed together, and played hundreds of practice games.

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Our cooperation lasted for many years, and we are still friends.
Despite the big difference in age, we addressed each other
informally, which flatters me: with age, I want young people to
perceive me as a peer. Ernesto is a well-mannered, friendly, polite
and at the same time a very strong-willed person. I believe that
neither he nor I have realized our full potential. Although Ernesto
achieved great success: he was the European Champion and a
bronze medallist at the Russian Championship and he twice won the
Higher League of the Russian Championship. However, both of us
lacked some personal qualities to enter the chess elite.
The classes with Dvoretsky influenced my decision to stay in
Moscow. Since I practically did not study for the last two years of
the institute, and I always had a thirst for knowledge, I decided to
fill the gap and in September 1993 I entered graduate school. In the
first year of study, despite my active participation in competitions, I
attended most of the classes. We had a wonderful course in
philosophy. Each graduate student prepared a report on a topic of
interest to him, and then we discussed it together. Christianity (my
topic), Buddhism, ancient philosophers, existentialism, etc. We were
also lectured on esotericism. Nowadays you will not surprise anyone
with astrology or Buddhism, but at the time everything was new for
us.
With my admission to graduate school, I decided to return to the
hostel, where a separate room was waiting for me, received for my
previous social activities as chairman of the commission for the
social protection of students. The first step was to eradicate all the
cockroaches, which, under the previous owners, were downright
swarming behind the wallpaper, rustling so much that it was
impossible to sleep. I took thirty buckets of garbage out of the room!
After that, the metamorphosis that occurred with the room more
than once misled the students who came to visit. Many thought they
had just got the wrong room.

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In the autumn of 1993, before tournaments in Ostrava and the
Canary Islands, I received a directive from Dvoretsky: never get into
time-trouble. At the board, I kept an ‘anti-time-trouble’ record, the
essence of which, in addition to recording the time spent on each
move, was to spend no more than 50 minutes on the first 20 moves,
and to always have about 3 minutes left per move, and follow this
schedule even if it damaged the quality of the moves. As an
obedient student, I did all this, and you know what? It helped! I won
both tournaments, and in the Canary Islands I started with 8 out of 8,
and only in the last game did I make a quick draw. Ostrava is almost
the first tournament where my cooperation with Dvoretsky began to
really bear fruit.
Sarhan Guliev
Victor Bologan
Ostrava 1993

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Sarhan Guliev is an interesting and original grandmaster, who was
the leader of the Azeri team, first at the Spartakiads of the Peoples
of the USSR, then at Olympiads.
White has just captured the c6-pawn with his rook; now the d5-
knight hangs. And this is where the carousel begins.
23...Nc3 24.Nxc3?
After 24.Rxc3! bxc3 25.Nxc3 ( 25.Bxc3 Qg5 26.d5 Nb5 27.Bxg7
Kxg7 is only equal) 25...Nb5 ( 25...Bxd4 loses to 26.Bd5+! Kh8
27.Nf3 ) 26.Nc4 Nxc3 27.Bxc3 Qg5 28.Re3 White has an
advantage.
24...Nxc6 25.Bxc6 Rxf2!
An unexpected but quite typical blow. Now the d2-knight hangs and
...Bg4 can potentially be a threat.
26.Kxf2
Both 26.Nce4 Rg2+ 27.Kh1 Rxg3 28.Nxg3 Bg4+ 29.Kg1 Bxd1
30.Rxd1 Qe3+ 31.Kg2 Bxd4 32.Bxd4 Qxd4 and 26.Re2 bxc3
27.Rxf2 cxb2 are rather bleak. But White had a fantastic defense:
26.Bc1!! Bxd4 27.Nf3!!. After 27...Rd2+ 28.Nxd4 Rxd1 29.Rxd1
Qh5 30.Nce2 Rc8 31.Bf3 Bg4 32.Rd3 Bxf3 33.Rxf3 Re8 Black has
a slight advantage, but the real fight is still ahead.
26...Bxd4+ 27.Kf3

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27...Bg4+! 28.Ke4
He could also be mated in the centre of the board: 28.Kxg4 Qh5+
29.Kf4 Qf5 mate.
28...Bxd1 29.Nxd1 Bxb2 30.Nc4 Qg5 31.Nde3 Qxg3 32.Rf1 Rf8
33.Bd5+ Kg7
And White resigned.
The following game was played in the Higher League of the French
team championship against the Gonfreville club, which later on (for
eight long and happy years!) would also become my club. In those
years, I played for Belfort, which was headed by the wonderful
organizer Jean-Paul Touzet – a man who weighed almost 200
kilograms. But he was known not only for his size, but also for fine
traditional tournaments in Belfort. I played for a local club in the
French league in 1993-94, and in the first season I scored 9 out of 9
– the absolute best result in my career. Our team was very strong
and included two world champions – Anatoly Karpov and Boris
Spassky – as well as Jan Timman, Andrei Sokolov, Alexei Shirov...
we fought for first place, but our best achievement was third.
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Ten years later, I came to Gonfreville for a simultaneous display and
was pleasantly surprised by a ten-year-old photograph shown to me,
in which the young Bologan analysed the game below.

Sicilian Defence
Victor Bologan
Bruno Redon
France tt 1994
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6
7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5
When the Sveshnikov Variation first came to the fore in the mid-
1970s, it was considered only semi-correct. The classics of that time
believed that the weakening of the d5-square and the unfortunate
positioning of some of Black’s pieces (in particular, the knight on c6
does not participate in the struggle for the d5-square) determined a
clear advantage for White. However, the fact that this variation has
not yet been refuted indicates that Black has plenty of pluses. White

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loses a lot of time on the knight’s march from d4 to a3, where it is
extremely unfortunately placed.
There are two main systems here: one is with Black’s doubled f-
pawns (after 9.Bxf6 gxf6 ). There, Black tries to play ...f6-f5 as soon
as possible and open the centre, and on occasion he is even ready to
sacrifice material in order to revive the bishops and push the central
pawns; another, more classical variant, which occurred in this game,
is connected with a calmer development of events. Black also gains
the advantage of two bishops, but his pawns are not doubled, and
the ...f7-f5 break is not so dangerous anymore, so White controls the
d5-square in a more relaxed atmosphere. Of course, it would be
ideal for him to exchange the light-squared bishops, which Black
naturally avoids in every possible way. Also, White can target the
d6-pawn and attack the b5-pawn with a4, and sometimes with c4.
9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3 0-0 12.Nc2 Rb8 13.a3!

Like many of my ‘Informant’ novelties, this was an invention of

Zigurds Lanka. The main idea of the move is to ask Black what he
wants. If he intends ...a5, then the move a3 will turn out to be useful

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prophylaxis, whilst the pawn on b5 will be weakened. On the other
hand, if Black refrains from ...a6-a5, then White can play Ncb4 and
if Black captures on b4, White retakes with the a-pawn.
13...a5
In the stem game, Black played 13...Bg5 14.h4 Bh6 15.g3 Be6
16.Ncb4 Bxd5 17.Nxd5 a5 18.b4 a4 19.Bh3 with an advantage to
White (Lanka-Laduge, Cannes 1992).
14.Bd3 Be6 15.Qe2 Bxd5 16.exd5 Ne7 17.0-0-0! Qb6
Black really must play ...b5-b4, but now this is extremely difficult.
White would be better after 17...Nxd5 18.Bxh7+ ( 18.Qe4 Bg5+ )
18...Kxh7 19.Rxd5 Qb6 20.Rhd1 Rfd8 21.g3!?.
18.Kb1 g6
On 18...Qc5!? there would follow 19.Qf3! with the idea of h4, g4 (
19.Be4 g6 20.g4 Bh4! ).
19.h4
The general rule that an attack is especially strong with opposite-
coloured bishops is clearly illustrated in this game.
Double-edged play results from 19.Be4 Bg7 20.g4 f5 21.gxf5 (
21.Bg2 e4 22.gxf5 Rxf5 ) 21...gxf5 22.Bg2 Ng6 with the idea of
...b4.
19...Bg7
A somewhat passive move.
It was worth considering 19...Nxd5!? 20.Qf3 and now:

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 analysis diagram
A) Great complications result from the piece sacrifice 20...b4, but
even so, it is Black who is fighting for a draw: 21.cxb4 (or the
immediate 21.Qxd5 bxa3 22.b4 Rfc8 23.Bc4 Qc7 24.Bb3 axb4
25.Nxb4 e4! with sufficient counterplay for equality) 21...axb4
22.Qxd5 bxa3 23.b4 Qxf2!, threatening 24... Rxb4+. There could
follow 24.b5 e4! 25.Rhf1! (White loses after 25.Qxe4? a2+!
26.Kxa2 Rfc8 27.Rhf1 Qa7+ 28.Na3 Ra8 29.Qb4 Rc3 ) 25...a2+!
26.Qxa2 Qc5, and the computer finds a perpetual check after
27.Rxf6 exd3 28.Na3 Rxb5+ 29.Nxb5 Rb8 30.Qxf7+ Kh8 31.Rf2
Rxb5+ 32.Ka2 Ra5+ 33.Kb1 Rb5+;
B) Stronger is 20...Nf4 21.g3 Nxd3 22.Rxd3 Bg7 23.Rhd1 Rfd8
24.g4! Qc7! 25.h5 Qe7, and the queen comes to e6. Of course,
White has good compensation for the pawn, but no more than that.
20.h5 f5
Evidently, stronger was 20...Nxd5! with very obscure play; for
instance, 21.hxg6 hxg6 and now:

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 A) 22.Bxg6 Nxc3+ 23.bxc3 fxg6 24.Qd3 Qc6! (White is fine
after 24...Qxf2 25.Qxg6 Qf5 26.Qxd6 or 24...Rxf2 25.Qxg6 Rf6
26.Qh7+ Kf8 27.Rhf1 b4 28.cxb4 axb4 29.axb4 ) 25.Qxg6 Rf6
26.Qg3 Qc4µ ;
B) 22.Qf3 Nf6 23.Rh4 d5 24.Rdh1 e4 25.Qh3 Nh5 26.Be2 b4
27.axb4 axb4 28.Nxb4 (not 28.Bxh5? bxc3 ) 28...Qxf2 29.Rxh5!
(bad is 29.Bxh5? Rxb4! ) 29...gxh5 30.Qxh5 Rfe8 31.Rf1 Qa7
32.Qxd5 ( 32.Nc6? Qb7 33.Nxb8 Rxb8 34.Bb5!? Bxc3!, and the
white queenside collapses) 32...Re5 33.Qc4 Qb7³ .
But the move played by Black also looks very tempting.
21.hxg6 hxg6
21...e4? was bad because of 22.f3! (but not 22.Rxh7 Nxg6 ).

22.g4!
White sacrifices a piece for a very strong attack.
22...e4 23.gxf5 exd3
23...gxf5 is hopeless: 24.Rdg1! exd3 (this loses quickly and
beautifully, but 24...Rf6 25.Qh5 Kf8 26.Nd4 only delays the end for

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a short while) 25.Qe6+ Rf7 26.Rxg7+! Kxg7 27.Qh6+ Kg8
28.Qh8#.
24.Qe6+ Rf7 25.Rxd3
If 25.Nd4 b4! Black seizes the initiative; for example, 26.Nc6
Nxc6! 27.fxg6 (also bad is 27.dxc6 bxc3 ) 27...Nd8 28.gxf7+ Nxf7
29.Rxd3 bxc3 30.Qe2 Qxb2+ 31.Qxb2 Rxb2+ 32.Kc1 Rxf2 with an
overwhelming advantage in the endgame.
25...Kf8
25...Nxf5 does not save him because of 26.Rdh3! Ne7 (White has a
very strong attack after 26...Kf8 27.Qxg6 Rf6 28.Qg5 Ne7 29.Nd4
) 27.Nd4 Kf8 (White’s main idea is seen in the variation 27...b4
28.Nc6! Nxc6 29.Qxg6 Kf8 30.Rh8+! Bxh8 31.Rxh8+ Ke7
32.Qe6#; hopeless is 27...Bxd4 28.cxd4 Kf8 29.Rh7 ) 28.Qg4 Kg8
29.Nc6 Rb7 30.Nxe7+ Rbxe7 31.Qxg6, and in order to avoid
immediate mate, Black has to give up the rook on e1.
The best defence was pointed out by Komliakov: 25...b4! 26.axb4 (
26.fxg6 Nxg6 27.Rf3 Rbb7 28.Rxf7 Rxf7 29.Qxg6 bxc3 30.b4 Qb5
) 26...axb4 27.fxg6 Nxg6 28.Qxg6 bxc3 29.b4 Qxf2, and it is now
White who must be careful in order not to end up worse.
26.Rdh3!
But not 26.fxg6 Rf6 27.Qh3 b4, and Black goes over to
counterattack.
26...gxf5
White has a very strong attack after 26...Nxf5 27.Qxg6 Rf6
28.Qg5!.
The most tenacious is 26...Ng8!? (Komliakov), and here only a very
narrow path leads to an advantage, one which would have been very
hard to find: 27.Nd4 Rf6 28.Qe3 (the computer very much likes
28.Qd7!?, but it is far from obvious to a human player that White
will succeed in breaking through the opponent’s defences after, for
example, 28...Qd8 29.Qxd8+ Rxd8 30.Ne6+ Rxe6 31.fxe6 Bf6 )
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28...b4 29.cxb4 axb4 30.a4 Rxf5 31.Ne6+ Kf7 32.Rh7 Qxe3
33.Rxg7+ Kf6 34.fxe3 Rxd5 35.Rxg6+! Kxg6 36.Nf4+, and after
raging complications he has an extra pawn in the ending.

27.Nd4!
The inclusion of the knight in the attack proves decisive. And, of
course, it is aiming for e6! In making this move, I calculated its
consequences practically to mate.
27...b4
Black’s only active possibility, otherwise White’s attack develops
without any particular difficulty:
A) 27...Rf6 28.Rh8+ Bxh8 29.Rxh8+ Kg7 30.Qxe7+ Rf7 31.Qh4!
(also good is 31.Rh7+ Kxh7 32.Qxf7+ Kh8 33.Qf6+ ) 31...Rxh8
32.Ne6+ Kg8 33.Qg5+ Kh7 34.Qh5+ Kg8 35.Qg6+ Rg7 36.Qxg7
mate;
B) 27...Ng8 28.Qg6! Re8 29.Rg1 Qc7 30.Nxf5 Rxf5 31.Qxf5+
Qf7 32.Qxf7+ Kxf7 33.Rh7, winning.
28.Nc6 bxc3

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 A) 28...Nxc6 29.Rh8+ Bxh8 30.Rxh8+ Kg7 31.Qh6 mate;
B) 28...Qc7 29.Nxe7 Qxe7 30.Rh8+ Bxh8 31.Rxh8+ Kg7
32.Qh6 mate.

29.Rh8+
Here I could have announced mate in seven.
29...Bxh8 30.Rxh8+ Ng8 31.Qh6+! Rg7 32.Qxd6+ Kf7 33.Qe6+
Kf8 34.Rxg8+!
Black resigned because of 34...Rxg8 35.Qe7 mate.

Lessons:
1) There are situations when it is beneficial to take a wait-and-see
stance, to provide an opportunity for the opponent to decide on the
location of his pieces. The move 13.a3 is just such a wait-and-see
move. Besides, it makes it difficult for Black to advance ...b5-b4.
2) The attack with opposite-coloured bishops is very strong,
because the opponent can’t oppose your bishop. Therefore, the one
who starts the attack first in such a situation, as a rule, has an
advantage.
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 3) In the Sicilian Defence, events very often develop move by
move. In addition to good calculation of variations, one must also be
able to use the maximum number of pieces for an attack (the best
thing, of course, is to use everything!). This is the only way to tip
the scales in your favour.
So, we can sum up the results of my first year of collaboration with
Dvoretsky: up 100 rating points, over 2600 rating for the first time,
a return to the top 50, improved calculation, and I gradually began
to get rid of my time-trouble issues. It seemed that everything was
fine, but I always managed not so much to spoil everything, but to
‘smudge’ it for sure. This ‘smudging’ was my trip in the summer of
1994 to the ACP tournament in New York and the Open in
Philadelphia.
The ACP rapid chess tournaments were just beginning then, and the
temptation to have a go at them was irresistible. True, Caissa
ordered otherwise, and I got into the final part of these tournaments
only in 1996. In the meantime, after the failure in New York, as they
say, with a group of comrades, we rented a white Ford, chic for
those times, and headed to conquer Philadelphia. And in order not to
waste time, along the way we also decided to conquer the casinos in
Atlantic City.
I was still quite young and green. Naturally, we lost a lot of money
there. I had a card on which lay all the money earned in the
Bundesliga – twenty thousand dollars. It is unlikely that any of the
readers will be surprised to learn that we cleaned out this card. We
played as a group, so that my partners then partially compensated
me for our common losses. But the experience was great anyway. I
remember that we were very good at playing belote and not very
successful at roulette... despite the unsuccessful game (and it is
impossible to play well against a casino), we became close friends.
And for me it was a good lesson – after that trip, I never again
abused gambling in the casino. Sometimes, every six months or so, I

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will squeeze 100 euros in my fist and go to give them away as
payment for the adrenaline I get. It usually happens that I hold on
for several hours.
It was on this trip that I became friends with Naum Nikolaevich
Rashkovsky. Naum was a unique natural talent, a man of fantastic
energy, unusually cheerful and happy. A real phenomenon in
Soviet/Russian chess, it was Rashkovsky who was the last Russian
coach who won the men’s ‘gold’ at the Olympiad back in 2002. He
was a sincere, open person; not everyone liked that, but it suited me
in spirit. I just can’t get used to the idea that I have to write about
him in the past tense, but on March 14, 2023, after a serious illness,
Naum Nikolaevich died...

Mark Dvoretsky (right) with his students Viorel Bologan (left) and
Vadim Zviagintsev, Moscow, 2001.
After a stormy summer, in the second year of graduate school in the
fall of 1994 I had to make up my mind again and move to a rented
apartment in Strogino. The romance of life in a hostel did not quite
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imply serious work on chess. In addition to constant distractions, it
happened that you would come home and there was no money in the
nightstand.
Located on the northwestern outskirts of Moscow, opposite the
famous Serebryany Bor1, the Strogino district is literally surrounded
by water and greenery. This is one of the few places in Moscow
where it is allowed to swim in the Moscow River. In a word, a resort
in a metropolis. True, the main motive was the proximity to
Dvoretsky; it was from his acquaintances that I rented the
apartment. Swimming in summer, jogging in autumn/spring, skiing
in winter, and Sheremetyevo-22 twenty minutes away. What else
does a chess player need?
Goals!
For a long time, I lacked this elementary component of any
professional. That same autumn I went into a steep dive – I had
another chess decline. It started with the fact that I went to play the
Romanian league in a very ‘cold’ state. ‘Very professional!’ The
loss of 40 rating points was extremely painful, and I failed to return
to the mark of 2600 for two long years.
The 1994 Olympiad in Moscow, December. Now this can be called
a troubled time in the history of the Russian state. Just a year after
the October putsch of 19933; a week since the first Chechen
campaign began; the predatory privatization4 of national property5
(the fruit of the work of several generations of Soviet people) was
gaining more and more momentum; financial pyramids were
flourishing everywhere and no less rapidly collapsing (by the way,
one of them, Khoper-Invest, managed to finance the 1994 Chess
Olympiad, when literally on its last legs). Against this background,
the decision to hold the Olympiad in Moscow looked very strange.
But what can you do? Politics has long since burst into chess.
Usually, at the start, the Moldovan teams perform well (at one
Olympiad, we did not lose a single match in the first seven rounds),

143
but closer to the finish line we roll back to the usual 40th or so
position. But we managed to win the match against the US team in
the sixth round (also thanks to my victory on the first board):
English Opening
Joel Benjamin
Victor Bologan
Moscow ol 1994
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.Nf3 d6 6.0-0 a6!? 7.d3
With the move 7.d4 White could take play into a King’s Indian
Defence, but he decides to choose a set-up characteristic of the
English Opening.
7...e5
Another possible black plan involves ...c7-c6 and ...b7-b5; for
example, 7...c6 8.Rb1 b5 9.cxb5 axb5 10.b4 Nfd7 11.Qc2 Nb6
12.a3 Na4 13.Nxa4 Rxa4 14.Nd2 Bd7 15.Bb2 Bxb2 16.Qxb2 Na6
(Savanovic-Fedorov, Yakhorina 2003).
8.Rb1 h6!?

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Played on Lanka’s recommendation. The move 8...h6 is multi-
functional: first of all, Black prevents the manoeuvre Bc1-g5xf6, by
which White exchanges the bishop to strengthen his control over the
diagonal h1-a8. In addition, Black wants to play his knight to h5 and
continue with ...f7-f5, ...g6-g5, ...f5-f4 etc.
9.b4 Nh5!?
In a later game, I played 9...Be6 and equalized confidently after
10.Nd2 c6 11.a4 d5 12.b5 axb5 13.axb5 Nbd7 14.bxc6 bxc6
15.cxd5 cxd5 16.e4 Nc5 (Simonovic-Bologan, Ultsin 1997).
10.e3!? Be6
Black prepares ...c7-c6 and ...d6-d5, so as to meet a flank attack
with a central blow.
The adventurous 10...f5?! is refuted by 11.d4 e4? 12.Nh4 Kh7
13.Nxe4! fxe4 14.Bxe4 Nf6 15.Bxg6+ Kg8 16.Bc2.
11.Bb2
If 11.a4 Nd7 12.Nd2 Rb8.
11...Nd7 12.Qe2 c6 13.a4 d5

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In such positions, it is usually considered that whoever achieves his
plan first (b4-b5 for White or ...d6-d5 for Black) seizes the initiative.
14.Nd2
After this move, Black no longer needs to create a flank attack and
he simply returns his knight to defend the important central squares:
14...Nhf6!
Better than 14...d4?! 15.exd4 exd4 16.Nce4.
15.b5
On 15.e4 there would follow the typical King’s Indian reaction:
15...dxc4 16.dxc4 a5! 17.b5 Re8 (with the idea of ...Bf8), taking
control of the c5-square.
15...axb5 16.axb5 Re8
Possibly 16...Nc5!? was more accurate, immediately posing White
some questions.
17.Rfc1
Annotating the game for ChessBase, Sergey Dolmatov suggested
17.bxc6!?, and this is evidently stronger: 17...bxc6 18.cxd5 cxd5
19.Nb5 Qb8 ( 19...Qb6 20.Ba3 ) 20.Ba3 Bf8 21.Nd4 ( 21.Nd6
Rxa3 ) 21...Qa7 22.Bxf8 Nxf8 23.Nc6.
17...d4
Of course, this weakens the long light-squared diagonal, but because
of the opposition of the queen on e2 and rook on e8, White cannot
exploit this weakening.
17...Qe7?! 18.bxc6 bxc6 19.cxd5 cxd5 20.Nb5 gives White an edge.
18.bxc6
18.Nce4!?.
18...bxc6 19.Nce4 Nxe4 20.Nxe4 Qe7 21.exd4
The knight entry to d6 is not dangerous: 21.c5 Ra6 ( 21...Ra2
22.Nd6 Rb8 23.exd4 exd4 24.Bxc6 Nxc5 ) 22.Nd6 Rea8.
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21...exd4 22.Ra1 Bf5 23.Qc2 h5!

I think Black’s position is more pleasant: he has active pieces and

more space, and White has a restricted bishop on b2. In addition, in
some circumstances the weakness of the d3-pawn may tell.
24.Re1?!
He should have prevented my next move with 24.h3!? or even
24.h4!?.
24...h4 25.Rxa8 Rxa8 26.Bc1
The exchange of rooks by 26.Ra1 Rxa1+ 27.Bxa1 h3 28.Bh1 Qb4 is
clearly in Black’s favour, whilst after 26.gxh4!? Black need not
hurry with regaining the pawn and can simply strengthen his
position with 26...Nc5 ( 26...Qxh4 27.Ng3 ).
26...h3 27.Bh1 Qb4 28.Bd2 Qa4 29.Qxa4 Rxa4
Around here we encountered serious mutual time-trouble. It should
be noted that after the queen exchange, Black’s advantage has
increased: the d3-pawn has become more vulnerable, while the king
on g1 feels uncomfortable with the black pawn on h3.

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30.f4?!
White frees up the f2-square for the knight, but at the same time
seriously weakens the second rank and limits the d2-bishop. Better
was 30.Bf4 Ra2 31.Rb1.
30...Ra2 31.Bc1

The knight is strong on e4 and so it should be exchanged off:

31...Bxe4!?
With the move 31...Bf8! it was possible to prepare an exchange of
knight for knight; for example, 32.Bf3 Nc5 33.Nxc5 Bxc5 34.Rd1
Bb4! 35.g4 ( 35.Bxc6 Bg4 ) 35...Bxg4! 36.Bxg4 Rg2+ with a win.
32.Nf2 is more persistent, moving the knight to a prepared position
in advance, but even here after 32...Nc5 33.Rd1 Bd7 Black’s
advantage is beyond doubt.
32.dxe4?!
On 32.Bxe4 there is the unpleasant 32...Nc5; for instance, 33.Bxc6 (
33.f5!? Nxe4 34.Rxe4 gxf5 35.Re8+ Kh7 ) 33...Nxd3 34.Rd1 Nc5!
( 34...Nxc1 35.Rxc1 d3 36.Rd1 Bd4+ 37.Kf1! Rxh2 38.Rxd3 with

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equality; 34...Ra1 35.Rxd3 Rxc1+ 36.Kf2 Rxc4 37.Bd5 Rc2+
38.Kg1 Bf8 ) 35.Bf3 f5 with the idea of ...Ne4 and ...Rc2.
32...Nc5 33.Rd1
In case of 33.e5 Bf8! ( 33...Nd3 34.Rf1 c5 35.Be4= ) 34.Bxc6 Nb3
Black’s threats are very strong.
33...Nb3
Better was 33...Na4 (with the idea of ...Nc3, ...d3-d2) 34.Bf3 Nc3
35.Rf1 d3 36.Be3 Bf8. But, as I have already said, we were both in
serious time-trouble.
34.Bf3 Bf8
A time-trouble mistake; 34...Rc2 35.Ba3 Rxc4 was winning.
35.f5 Nxc1 36.Rxc1 Bh6 37.Rd1 Be3+ 38.Kh1

38...Rc2??
Missing the win. Correct was 38...gxf5 39.exf5 c5 40.Bg4 Kg7
41.Bxh3 Kf6 42.Bg2 Ke5 43.Bf1 ( 43.Rf1 f6 and ...d3, winning;
43.g4 f6 followed by ...Kf4, winning) 43...Kxf5 44.Bd3+ Kg4.

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39.fxg6 fxg6 40.Bg4 Kg7 41.Bxh3
The simplest way to draw was 41.e5!?.

Time-trouble is over and the position is objectively equal. At this

moment, Mark Dvoretsky appeared in the hall. Boris Gulko
approached him, and they began to discuss my position. Dvoretsky
said: ‘Most likely, Viorel will win.’ ‘How?’ Gulko was surprised.
‘After all, the position is a draw!’ ‘Well, Black has the initiative
here. Besides, we did a lot of endgames with opposite-coloured
bishops.’ And the coach was right! I think that White’s material
advantage played a cruel joke on Benjamin (actually a highly
technical chess player). It is clear that with the stalemated king on
h1, White should not think about winning, but should strive to
clearly fix a draw.
41...Kf6!?
41...Rxc4 42.e5 Rc2 43.e6 Bg5 44.Rf1 with equality.
42.Bf1 Ke5 43.Bd3 Ra2 44.h4
After the simple 44.h3 I did not see how to strengthen Black’s
position; for example, 44...c5 45.Bb1 Rb2 46.Bd3 Ke6 47.Bb1 g5
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48.Bd3 g4 49.hxg4 Kf6 50.e5+ ( 50.Bf1 Kg5 51.Bh3 ) 50...Kxe5
51.Rf1 Rd2 52.Rf5+ Ke6 53.Bf1 with equality.
44...c5 45.Bb1 Rb2 46.Bd3 Rf2!
Black has a game plan for victory – to break through with the king
to the g3-square, weakened by the move 44.h4, but this plan must be
disguised. Premature was 46...g5?! 47.hxg5 Bxg5 48.Kg1 Be3+
49.Kf1 Rf2+ 50.Ke1 Rg2.
47.Bb1 g5 48.hxg5
Another step towards the abyss. A simple draw would have resulted
after 48.h5 g4 49.Bd3, as Black would not be able to reach the g3-
pawn.
48...Bxg5 49.Bd3 Be3 50.Bb1
In the event of 50.Rf1 Black can exchange rooks: 50...Rxf1+
51.Bxf1 Kxe4 52.Kg2 d3 53.g4 Bg5 54.Kf2 Kd4 55.Kf3 Bh6
56.g5 Bxg5 57.Kg4 Kxc4 and the pawns carry the day.
50...Kf6 51.Bd3??
The decisive mistake. After 51.e5+! Kxe5 52.Bd3 Rb2 53.Bh7 Kf6
54.Rb1 Ra2 55.Rb7 Black has only a slight advantage.
51...Kg5
The king approaches g3 and White’s position becomes hopeless.
52.Ra1 Kg4 53.Ra7 Rd2 54.Bf1 Kxg3 55.Rg7+ Kf4 56.Rd7 Kxe4
57.Re7+ Kf3 58.Rd7 Rd1 59.Rf7+ Bf4 60.Kg1 d3 0-1

Lessons:
1) In the English Opening, one of White’s main plans is to quickly
advance the b-pawn to b5 in order to capture space on the
queenside. This, combined with the action of the light-squared
bishop on the long diagonal, makes it difficult for Black to advance
...d5. It is generally accepted that if White is the first to carry out b5,

151
then he achieves an advantage, and vice versa – if Black is the first
to carry out his plan, then everything is in order.
2) Often in positions with a dynamic balance, the side that tries to
tip the scales in its favour resorts to the march of the ‘extreme’
pawns – on the a- or h-files. My friend Andrey Shchekachev noticed
that, for example, Gata Kamsky actively used this technique already
in his early games. (23...h5!)
3) It is believed that almost all endgames with opposite-coloured
bishops are drawn. But in this game White’s king was practically
stalemated on h1, so Black had at least sufficient compensation for
the sacrificed material. White effectively had a piece fewer in the
game, and he had to look for a way to build a fortress.
My second zonal tournament, like the previous one, was held in
Nikolaev (Ukraine) in the spring of 1995. Only two and a half
places were given to Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Azerbaijan (the
third winner had to sort things out with a representative of the Baltic
zone). Hardly a fair distribution of vouchers by FIDE zones. I had to
get to Nikolaev by three planes and two trains and arrive in the
morning on the day of the first round. I was driving from Linares,
where I had helped Lyosha Shirov (he had performed quite well).
When I flew from Madrid to Frankfurt, it turned out that my plane
to Moscow had already left. With great effort, I got myself on a US
airline Delta’s flight and nevertheless got to Moscow, albeit later
than I had planned. I took a plane to Kyiv, and from there on the day
of the game I got by train to Nikolaev.
The result of this ‘wonderful’ trip was a checkmate blunder on the
17th move against Zulfugarli. In the second round I almost lost to a
local young player, Vartapetyan. In a losing endgame, where I had
two pawns against a bishop, I caught my inexperienced opponent
with a simple trick: when I had a minute and a half left before the
end of the game, I suddenly got up from the board. My opponent,
who had a lot of time left, immediately made a move, with which he

152
threw away a win, and then even lost out of frustration. After that, I
perked up, won a few more games and returned to the fight for the
qualifying places.
I played Romanishin in the middle of the tournament. In a telephone
conversation on the eve of the game, Mark Izrailevich, in addition to
the opening recommendation, told me that my opponent was a big
fan of sacrificing a pawn for the initiative.
Three Knights Game
Victor Bologan
Oleg Romanishin
Nikolaev 1995
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3
I decided to surprise the Lviv grandmaster with a variation that was
new for me and which did not remain in my repertoire long. It is
often possible, on the basis of ‘horses for courses’, to avoid the
principal lines against a certain opponent; I knew that in reply to
3.Nc3 my opponent would bring out the bishop to c5.
3...Bc5
Not the most principled move.
4.Nxe5 Nxe5 5.d4 Bd6 6.dxe5 Bxe5 7.Qd3!?

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After the exchange on e5, a classic confrontation between the e4-
pawn and the d7-pawn has arisen.
White has a certain advantage: he has more space and his control
over the d-file makes it difficult for Black to achieve the ...d7-d5
advance.
Black’s achievements include the exchange of one pair of pieces
and the active position of the bishop on e5, so it is now much easier
for him than in most cases to complete his development.
Another interesting line is 7.f4 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 d6 9.Bd3, where
White gets the bishop pair and good prospects.
7...Nf6 8.Bd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 Re8

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We have reached an interesting position, which reminds one
simultaneously of the Philidor, the Scotch, and the Centre Game, in
which there is a great deal of scope for creativity, which satisfied
both players.
10.f3!?
10.Re1 c6 11.h3 ( 11.g3 d5 12.exd5 Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Nxd5 14.Rxe8+
Qxe8 15.Bd2 Be6 16.Qd4 Qd7 17.c4 Nb6 18.Qxd7 Nxd7 19.Bc3
with equality as in Korneev-Romanishin, Saragossa 1996, or 11.f4
Bxc3 12.Bxc3 d5 also with an equal position) 11...h5 12.f4 Bxc3
13.Bxc3 d5 14.exd5 Nxd5 15.Rxe8+ Qxe8 16.Bd2 a5 17.Qe2 Be6
with an equal game (Larsen-Torre, Bad Homburg 1998).
10...c6 11.g4 d5!
Black is the first to sharpen the position. He carries out the planned
clearance of the centre, after which his pieces come into play.
Admittedly, now he has to give up the bishop, but this is not
especially dangerous.
Worse was 11...Qb6? 12.Be3 Qa5 13.Bd4 when White is clearly
better.
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12.exd5
12.g5?! Nh5 13.exd5 Nf4 14.Bxf4 Bxf4+ 15.Kb1 Qxg5 is not
clear.
12...Bxc3
12...Nxd5? 13.Nxd5 Qxd5 14.Qxd5 cxd5 15.f4 Bc7 16.h3 Bd7
17.Bg2 Bc6 18.Rde1 clearly favours White.
13.Bxc3 Nxd5 14.Qd4 Qg5+ 15.Bd2 Qf6 16.Qxf6 Nxf6
Of course, this endgame favours White, who has the two bishops.
But already my next move was unfortunate:
17.h4?!
Better was 17.h3 Be6 18.Rh2 Bd5 19.Rf2 Nd7 20.Re1. Only
equality results from 17.Bd3 Be6 18.Rhe1 Bd5 19.Rxe8+ Rxe8
20.Rf1.
17...h5!
17...Be6 18.h5 Bd5 19.Rh3² .
18.g5 Nd7?!
Correct was 18...Nd5, so as to quickly entrench the light squares
after 19.Bd3 Be6 20.Rde1 Ne7 (intending ...Nf5) 21.Re5 Ng6 with
equality. With the move in the game, Black shuts in the c8-bishop
and this can be exploited.

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19.g6!!
Fighting fire with fire. I exploited my opponent’s favourite device
and myself sacrificed a pawn for the initiative. Very often those who
like to attack do not like to defend.
19.Bc3 Nf8 20.Bd3 Ng6 is just level.
19...fxg6
19...Nf6 20.gxf7+ Kxf7 21.Bd3 Be6 22.Rhg1± ; 19...Ne5!?
20.gxf7+ Kxf7 21.Bc3 Bf5 22.Be2.
20.Bc4+ Kh7 21.Rhe1 Nf6 22.Bf7!
White begins a fight for the e7- square. Weaker was 22.Rxe8 Nxe8
23.Re1 Nd6 24.Bb3 Bf5 25.Re7 Re8 26.Rc7 Rc8 with equality.
22...Rxe1 23.Rxe1 Bh3! 24.Re7 b6 25.c4
It is clear that White has the advantage, because the black pieces are
very tied up and his extra pawn is not felt. The move in the game,
with the help of which White takes the d5-square from the enemy
knight, looks very tempting. But at the same time, it limits the f7-
bishop, and Black can use this circumstance. Stronger was 25.Bc3
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Kh6 26.a4 a6 27.Bd2+ Kh7 28.Bg5 Nd5 29.Bxd5 cxd5 30.Bf6 Rg8
31.f4 with an obvious advantage.
25...Bg2
Black misses his chance. After 25...Rd8! 26.Rxa7 Nd7 27.Rc7 Rf8!
(this is where the disadvantages of the move 25.c4 show) 28.c5 (the
only move) 28...Nxc5 Black is OK.
26.Bc3 Kh6
26...Ng8? loses to 27.Bxg6+ Kxg6 28.Rxg7+ Kf5 29.Rxg2.
27.f4 a6 28.a4
It was very important to understand how the pawns on the queenside
are best placed.
28...b5
Oleg Mikhailovich decides to force things, but now White fixes the
weak pawn on a6:
29.a5! Rd8 30.Be6
30.Kc2 Bf3 31.Kb3 slightly favours White.
30...Bf3

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31.c5
A paradoxical decision: it was important to understand that the
exchange of light-squared bishops generally favours White.
However, this move has a tactical flaw, so the preventive 31.Kb1
was better.
31...Bg4
Black could have forced a draw with 31...Rd1+ 32.Kc2 Rh1 33.Bc8
Rxh4 34.Bxa6 Be4+ 35.Kd1 Rh1+ 36.Kd2 Rh2+, and White cannot
avoid perpetual check ( 37.Ke3?? Nd5+ ).
32.Bb3
Of course, the exchange should not take place on g4, since then
Black gets a dangerous passed pawn. Also bad was 32.Be5 Re8
33.Bxf6 Rxe7 34.Bg5+ Kh7 35.Bxe7 with equality ( 35.Bxg4??
hxg4 36.Bxe7 g3 ).
32...Rd7 33.Re1 Bf5 34.Bc2!
The point is that, after the exchange of bishops, White seizes the
highly important e6-square.
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34...Bg4
Black declines the offered exchange, because things are bad for him
after both 34...Kh7 35.Bxf5 gxf5 36.Bxf6 gxf6 37.Re6 Rd4 38.Rxc6
Rxf4 39.Rxa6 Kg6 40.c6 Rxh4 41.Rb6 Rc4+ 42.Kd2 h4 43.a6 h3
44.a7 and 34...Bxc2 35.Kxc2 Nd5 36.Re6 Ne7 ( 36...Nxf4 37.Rxc6
) 37.Rd6 ( 37.Be5 Kh7 ) 37...Ra7 38.Be5 Kh7 39.Kd3 Kg8 40.Ke4
Kf7 41.Rd8 Nf5 42.Rc8 Nxh4 43.Rxc6 Nf5 44.Kf3. Probably
Black can defend more accurately, but in any case, White has a
strong initiative, which is especially unpleasant to face when in
time-trouble, even if mutual.
35.Be5 Kh7 36.Bd6 Bf5
He has to agree to the exchange, otherwise the king never escapes
from h7.
37.Bxf5 gxf5 38.Re6 Ne4
Stronger was 38...b4! 39.Kc2 Ne4 40.Kb3 Rb7 41.Kc4 Nd2+
42.Kd3 Nb3 with equality.
39.b4!
39.Be5? Nxc5 40.Rxc6 Nb3+ 41.Kc2 Nxa5 42.Rxa6 Nc4.
39...Nf6
Black has a lost position after 39...Nxd6 40.Rxd6 Rc7 41.Kd2 Kg8
42.Kd3 Kf7 43.Kd4, but it was worth considering 39...Kg8!?
40.Be5 Nf2 41.Kc2 Nd3 42.Bc3 ( 42.Kc3 Nxe5 43.Rxe5 Kf7 is
less good) 42...Nxf4 43.Rxc6± .
40.Kc2 Kg8 41.Be5 Nd5 42.Kb3 Ne7 43.Rd6 Ra7 44.Kc3
I assessed this position as winning for White.

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My plan is very simple: Kd4, Rd8, Bd6, Ke5. However, you should
never underestimate your opponent’s defensive resources.
44...Kf7
On 44...Nd5+ decisive is 45.Rxd5! cxd5 46.Kd4 Kf7 47.Kxd5
Rd7+ 48.Bd6 Ke8 49.c6 Rf7 50.Kc5.
45.Kd4 Rb7?
45...Ke8 46.Bxg7 Rd7 47.Ke5 was also bad, but Black could save
himself with 45...Ra8! 46.Rd7 Ke6 47.Rb7 Ng6.
46.Rd8 Ra7 47.Bd6
White has the classic advantage where rook and bishop are stronger
than rook and knight, in addition to which he has an active king.
Black’s pieces are gradually pressed back to the edge of the board.
47...Nd5
47...Ng6!? loses after 48.Rc8 Nxh4 49.Rxc6 Ng6 50.Ke3 h4
51.Kf3.
48.Ke5 Kg6

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48...Nxb4 49.Kxf5 g6+ 50.Kg5.
49.Bb8 Ra8 50.Kd6 Nxf4
Or 50...Nxb4 51.Kc7 Nd5+ 52.Kb7, winning for White.
51.Kxc6 Ne6 52.Rd6 Rxb8 53.Rxe6+ Kf7 54.Re1 g5 55.hxg5 Kg6
56.Kd7 f4 57.c6 Kxg5 58.c7 Rb7 59.Kc6 Rxc7+ 60.Kxc7 f3
61.Kb6
Black resigned in view of 61...Kf4 62.Kxa6 f2 63.Rf1 Kg3
64.Kxb5 h4 65.a6 h3 66.a7.

Lessons:
1) When the opponent has the advantage of the two bishops, it is
advisable to lure his pawns to squares of the same colour as the
‘extra’ bishop. By forcing the opponent to go g4-g5, Black plans to
establish control over the weakened light squares with the help of
the bishop and knight (17...h5).
2) The pawn sacrifice in the endgame is not so common, but this
trick is quite possible. And in the presence of two bishops,
especially when the opponent lags behind in development, this is a
completely natural continuation. White has nothing to fear; so many
lines are opened up that he will have at least compensation for the
pawn (19.g6!). In this case, the sacrifice was forced in its own way
since Black threatened to position himself comfortably on f5.
3) In chess it is very important to use non-standard thinking.
Sometimes when choosing a move, general strategic considerations
are more important than particular moments (for example,
weakening one or another square, etc.). It would seem that the move
31.c5 is a gross positional error, since the d5-square is placed at the
opponent’s disposal. But the general rule is known: the fewer pawns
on the board, the easier it is to defend. So actually with 31.c5! White
fixes Black’s pawn structure on the queenside, and if White
manages to break through there, he will take all three pawns.

162
My brother Niku was watching this game and he was pleased with
my play. When I started unsuccessfully in the tournament, and it
turned out that the living conditions were not very good, I called
Nika for help, and he helped me a lot. Unfortunately, all these
efforts were cancelled out by an unfortunate defeat against Malaniuk
at the finish line. In the Four Knights Opening, Malaniuk used a
very strong novelty, and I didn’t even manage to make a draw with
White...
From 1992 to 1999 I played in the Germany Bundesliga for a club
from Dresden. In one of the most beautiful cities in Germany, our
no less worthy chess team lived and worked under the leadership of
Dr. Jordan. Made up mainly of local amateurs (the majority, despite
a decent level of play, worked or studied), the team could not claim
the championship, but we still managed to achieve one third place
and reach the Cup final.
As in life, so in the Bundesliga successful seasons alternated with
unsuccessful ones. In my first crisis in late 1992/early 1993, I lost
five games in a row. And not only I lost, but four more of my
teammates had the same dubious honour. It was shortly after the
Barcelona Olympics, where the NBA All-Star team played for the
first time, so we dubbed ourselves the ‘Dream Team’ with sad irony.
But then one of us ‘made a mistake’, and the series was interrupted.
Luckily, our boss, Dr. Jordan, had the patience to wait for my best
game as well.
Of course, I gained invaluable experience playing in the strongest
club league in the world at that time. I played mainly on the first
board and met many of the world’s leading chess players: Adams,
Shirov, Kramnik, and others. But, as practice shows, I need to ‘play
myself in’ during a tournament, and in Germany they play on
weekends in series of two games, so I had to return home without
having had time to really show anything. And of course, such trips
are very exhausting. When you are young, you endure them

163
relatively easily, but later I preferred such team championships
where a larger number of games are played in a row: the Spanish,
Russian, and French. With age, I wanted to spend longer in one
place, to reduce the amount of travel.
Scandinavian Defence
Victor Bologan
Ian Rogers
Germany Bundesliga 1995/96
Ian Rogers is a very interesting player from Australia, a regular
participant in European events. Later, he went over to journalism,
effectively the same as his charming photographer wife. This was
our meeting in the Bundesliga.
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 c6 6.Bc4 Bg4
Black rather more often chooses 6...Bf5 in this position.
7.h3 Bh5 8.g4 Bg6 9.Bd2 e6 10.Nd5 Qd8 11.Nxf6+ gxf6
A similar pawn structure is obtained in the variation with 6...Bf5,
only there Black can still take on f6 with his queen. With the
inclusion of the moves h3 and g4, 11...Qxf6 is impossible, since
then White wins the queen with 12.Bg5.

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The Scandinavian Defence is not the most principled opening. The
pawn structure after 11...gxf6 is typical of various openings; for
instance, the Caro-Kann or French Defences. White has no invasion
squares in the centre, and Black wants to place his pieces quite
flexibly according to the following scheme: ...Qc7, ...Bd6, ...Nd7, if
necessary ...Nb6-d5, ...f6-f5, etc. In response, White threatens the
g6-bishop with Nh4 and f4-f5, and also tries to quickly complete his
development and organize an attack on the enemy king stuck in the
centre. I hesitated to sacrifice a pawn by playing 12.Qe2, but the
move I made is good enough.
12.Bb3!
The idea of this prophylactic move is to defend the c2-pawn and
prepare Qe2. In addition, the bishop moves away in anticipation of
the typical manoeuvre ...Nb8-d7-b6-d5.
12.c3 Nd7 13.Qe2 Nb6 14.Bd3 ( 14.Bb3 a5 15.a3 a4 16.Ba2 Be7
17.0-0-0 Qd6 was unclear in Korneev-Rogers, Salamanca 1998)
14...a5 15.Nh4 a4 16.Nxg6 hxg6 17.Bc2 Bh6 18.f4 f5 was seen in
Zhang Zhong-Rogers, Sydney 1999).

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12...h5!
Black, of course, immediately tries to exploit the weakening of the
white kingside.
If 12...Nd7 13.Qe2 Qc7 14.Nh4 with the idea of f4.
13.g5!?
A slightly unusual reaction because one does not usually voluntarily
undouble the enemy pawns. But White wants to weaken the dark
squares in the centre and on the kingside.
13.Rg1 hxg4 14.hxg4 Nd7 15.Qe2 Qc7 was an alternative.
13...a5
In the event of 13...fxg5 I was not planning to immediately regain
the pawn, but instead to quickly complete development with
14.Qe2! Be7 15.0-0-0 Nd7 16.Rde1. If now Black were to hang
onto the pawn, then he would probably be mated quickly, whilst
otherwise I regain the material in favourable circumstances:
16...Qc7 17.Nxg5 0-0-0 18.Rhg1 with a clear plus.
14.a4 Na6?!
Sending the knight to the edge of the board is not the best decision.
Now White’s play is based on exploiting the scattered nature of the
black pieces.
15.Qe2 h4
Black continues his flank strategy, while White plays in the centre.
16.0-0-0 Nc7 17.Rhg1
The first ‘probe’, to test Black’s position. At the right moment,
White may have an exchange sacrifice on g6.
17...Bh5 18.Rde1
All of the white pieces participate actively in the game.
18...Bb4 19.c3 Bd6
19...Be7 20.gxf6 Bxf6 21.Bf4 Nd5 22.Be5 clearly favours White.

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20.g6!
It is time! White exploits the overloading of the black pieces.
20...Bxg6
White is better after both 20...Nd5? 21.Bxd5 cxd5 22.Qb5+ Qd7
23.g7 Rg8 24.Qxd5 and 20...Qe7 21.g7 Rg8 22.Bc2 f5 23.Rg5 Bg6
24.Nxh4 Rxg7 25.Qf3.
21.Bxe6 Kf8
But not 21...Nxe6 22.Rxg6 fxg6 23.Qxe6+ Kf8 24.Qg4 g5 (else
Nxh4 or Qxg6) 25.Nxg5.
Actually, at this moment, Rogers was perfectly satisfied with his
position, considering that he had already practically fought off the
White attack.
22.d5!!

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The bishop remains under attack and White obtains the central
square d4 for his knight.
22...Qe8!?
The purely combinative defence was interesting: 22...cxd5 23.Nd4
Bh2!? ( 23...Be5 24.Qg4 Bxd4 25.Bxf7!; 23...Qe8 24.Qf3 ), but
here too, after for example 24.Rxg6 fxg6 25.Qg4 Qe7 26.Bxd5!
Nxd5 27.Rxe7 Nxe7 28.Ne6+ Kf7 29.Qc4 Rac8 30.Ng5+ Ke8
31.Qf7+ Black cannot be saved.
23.Qc4!
23.Rxg6!? fxg6 24.Qc4.
23...fxe6 24.dxe6 Ke7
24...Bh5? 25.e7+! Bxe7 26.Bh6+ Rxh6 27.Rg8 is mate; 24...Nd5
25.Nxh4 Ne7 (25... Bh5 26.Nf5 Rd8 27.Qh4 wins) 26.Qg4; 24...b5
is met by 25.Qg4.
25.Nxh4 Rxh4
25...Rg8 26.Rxg6 Rxg6 27.Nf5+ Kd8 28.Nxd6 Qe7 29.Qd3.
26.Qxh4 Nxe6
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27.f4!
Beginning the final crush.
27...Kd7
27...Kf7 28.Rxg6! Kxg6 29.f5+.
28.Qxf6 Bd3 29.f5 Bc4 30.fxe6+ Kc7 31.Bf4 Rd8 32.Bxd6+ Rxd6
33.Qf4
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) If in the opening you manage to achieve an advantage in
development, try to sharpen the game as much as possible. This goal
was served by the move 13.g5. Of course, this was a positional
concession, but initiative and speed are also very important.
2) Too-creative play in the opening can be punished. The flank
development of ...a5 and ...Na6 turned out to be very slow and, most
importantly, it did not help Black solve his main task – to castle and
take the king away from the centre.

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 3) It is useful to escalate tension and create tactical weaknesses.
Black somehow had to parry the threats to e6 and g6 (17.Rg1).
In the meantime, my work on my dissertation was in full swing. For
success, regardless of the field of study, one needs experimentally-
obtained and then processed data. Considering that the topic of my
work was the training of highly qualified chess players, I decided to
develop a detailed questionnaire in which each of the observed
international masters and grandmasters was asked to assess their
condition during a tournament. Although this was clearly a
subjective assessment, I did not see any other way to obtain very
interesting data. The main indicators of a chess player’s readiness
for competitions were defined as special (chess), functional and
psychological. Of course, the dissertation included not only my data,
but also that of nineteen other chess players, as a result of which it
was possible to reveal quite interesting patterns reflected in the
graphs.
The funny thing is that for me the sixth tournament in a row – the
Open in Novgorod – turned out to be the most successful. Against a
background of great physical fatigue, the chess component turned
out to be at a fairly high level and I managed to win the Open,
which was considered a qualifying tournament for the Novgorod
super-tournament. True, the following year I was still not allowed
into the super-tournament under some incomprehensible pretext.
They said you needed to have an Elo of 2600, which I had...
It was clear from my graph that the outcome curve is highly
correlated with the psychological state curve. In Novgorod I was
with Viorel Iordachescu. At that time, I helped him a little and was
assisting his development. We created a good microclimate, and we
both played well. Almost the entire tournament was held to the
accompaniment of the Russian group ‘Bravo!’. In general, the topic
of music at tournaments often played a very important role for me. I
remember that in Kramatorsk, the whole tournament was played in

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my head by Nautilus Pompilius, in Wijk aan Zee by the Lube group,
while at the Olympiad in Turin, the entire Moldovan team was
preparing to the sounds of Eminem, etc. Plus, I really liked the city,
it still remains for me the most attractive of all Russian cities,
including even Moscow and St Petersburg. I really liked the spirit of
antiquity, the regularity of life, the Volkov River with its gentle
banks, as if coming from old fairy tales, the abundance of temples
and monasteries... I remember the trip to Staraya Russa that year
when I was second in Novgorod to Alexei Shirov, visiting the last
abode of Dostoevsky. Unfortunately, since 1995 I have not been
back there, but I will definitely go again! Later, I visited Kostroma
and Yaroslavl and also got great pleasure from this spirit of Russian
antiquity.
The tournament itself was rather tense for me and I lost my
‘mandatory’ game. Very often in order to win the tournament, I
need to lose to someone in order to show strong-willed qualities
later. And that time, the defeat against Petya Svidler in the 4th round
served as a kind of catalyst (we both started with three wins).
Everyone, and first of all Kasparov, who played in the main
tournament, believed that Petya would win the open. Garry
Kimovich sympathized with him. He has such a habit – to
sympathize with someone. After that, Svidler beat him in Tilburg.
Kasparov also sympathized with Kramnik... so it’s not a very
profitable habit for Kasparov to sympathize with young talents! As I
was told, when Kasparov found out that Bologan had won the Open,
his face did not look too pleased.
Victor Bologan
Pavel Tregubov
Novgorod 1995

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I played Tregubov in the third round. I played the King’s Indian
Attack, which had been in my repertoire ever since my days
working with Chebanenko.
Black’s kingside pawn structure is broken, but his pieces are well-
positioned; a jump of one of the knights to e5 can cause White a lot
of inconvenience. Therefore, a slightly non-standard withdrawal
followed...
17.Bf4!
Perhaps, in home analysis, this move seems completely ordinary,
but during a game it is not easy to make such a decision. White
gives up the bishop and doubles his pawns, but in this case it makes
sense because the g3-square becomes available for the knight and
White takes control of the e5-square. Naturally, Black cannot afford
to play ...f6, locking in the bishop on g7.
17...Nxf4 18.gxf4 Rae8

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After 18...Qf5 19.Ne3 Qxd3 20.Qxd3 Bxd3 21.Nxd5 White is
slightly better.
19.Qd2 Ne7
Black could instead compete for the e-file: 19...Rxe1 20.Rxe1 Re8
21.Rxe8+ Qxe8 22.Ng3 Bc8 with mutual chances. 19...Qf5 20.Ne3
Qxf4 21.Nxd5 Qxd2 22.Nxd2 Rxe1+ 23.Rxe1 Ne5 24.Re3 Rd8
with equality is also not bad.
20.Ne5?!
Too hasty; stronger was the preparatory 20.Ng3.
20...Qd6
Worthy of attention was 20...Qd8 21.d4 c:d4 22.c:d4 Ng6 23.Ng3
Qh4!? with counterplay.
21.d4 cxd4 22.Ng3
22.cxd4 deserved attention; for example, 22...f6 23.Nf3 Ng6 24.f5
Nf4 25.Nh4 h5 26.Ng6 Bh6 27.Nxf4 Bxf4 28.Qc3, and White’s
chances are preferable.
22...dxc3 23.bxc3 Rd8
This passive move allows White to develop his initiative. Equality
results from 23...Ng6 24.Nf5 Qf6 25.Nxg7 Qxg7 26.Nxg6 Qxg6
27.Qxd5. But evidently Pasha did not wish to part so readily with
his extra pawn.
Also possible was 23...Bc8 24.Rad1 Ng6 25.Nxg6 Qxg6 26.Rxe8
Rxe8 27.Qxd5 Bg4 with mutual chances.
24.Rad1
It will be clear that Black will not be able to exchange pieces and
still less to exploit his extra material.
24...Bc8 25.Qe3 Qc5 26.Qf3 Ng6 27.Nh5

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27...Bf5
In reply to 27...Nh4, Grisha Serper suggested the nice variation
28.Qg3 Nf5 29.Nf6+ Kh8 30.Qg6!!. True, it only leads to equality
after 30...Bxf6 31.Qxf6+ Kh7 32.Bh3 Ng7.
Black could fight for an advantage with 27...Rd6 28.Nxg7 Kxg7
29.f5 Ne7.
28.Ng4!
The white pieces start to come alive.
28...Rd6 29.Ne3 Qc8
The balance was maintained by 29...Be4 30.Qg3 d4 31.c:d4 Qxh5
32.Bxe4 Re8 33.Bf3 Qh4.
30.Qg3 d4 31.cxd4 Rxd4? 32.Nxf5 Qxf5 33.Nxg7 Qxf4 34.Rxd4
Qxd4 35.Nf5 Qf4 36.Ne7+ Kg7 37.Qc3+ Kh7 38.Nd5
Black resigned.
In December 1995, I made my debut as part of the Kazan team in
the Russian Championship. Led by master N.I. Mukhamedzyanov,
the team – which also included Dreev, Rublevsky, Kharlov,
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Vyzhmanavin and Tseshkovsky – succeeded in 1996 after a long
break in returning the European Chess Club Cup to Russia. At the
border, in order to avoid the traditional Sheremetyevo line at
passport control, I showed the cup, and together with the guys I
managed to slip through.
Victor Bologan
Aleander Motylev
Azov 1996

Five years ago, the last Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR was
held in the same hotel in Azov, where I played for Moldova. And
now I represented Kazan in the Russian team championship, in a
game with a young and talented player, the future champion of
Russia.
We played the opening rather oddly, both of us. In the diagram
position, White can win a pawn with 16.Nxd5, but then Black will

175
get the classic ‘Dragon’ attack. Therefore, I decided to prevent this
attack and sacrificed an exchange:
16.Rxd5! cxd5 17.Nxd5 Qd8
The queen must keep control of h4.
18.Bc5!
Better than 18.Qh4 Qxh4 19.Rxh4 Rb7 20.Bc5 Re8.
18...Re8
18...Qxd5 loses to 19.Qh4 f6 20.Bc4.
19.Qd2
An important move with many plans. It would seem that White
should keep an eye on the h-file, but for now he can afford to
maintain the tension. At the same time, the threat 20.Ne7+ is
created.
19...Bd7
19...Be6 20.Ne7+ Rxe7 21.Qxd8+ Rxd8 22.Bxe7 Rd7 23.Bb4± ;
19...Rb7 20.Ne7+.
20.g4 e4!? 21.Bd4
But not 21.Qh2 Qg5+! 22.f4 Bxb2+ 23.Kd2 Qxd5+, and Black
wins.
21...e3! 22.Qc3
Black cannot hold the e3-pawn and White will already have two
pawns for the exchange.
22...Qg5
22...Rc8 loses: 23.Bxg7 Rxc3 24.Bf6! Rxc2+ 25.Kxc2 Ba4+
26.Kb1.
23.Be2

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By defending against a discovered check, White gives his opponent
a break. After 23.Nf6+! Bxf6 24.Bxf6 e2+ 25.Bxg5 e1Q+ 26.Qxe1
Rxe1+ 27.Kd2 Re6 28.b3 he still had good chances of winning.
23...Qxd5
23...Rbc8 24.Bxg7.
24.Bxg7 Qd2+ 25.Kb1 Qxc3 26.Bxc3 f6?
Black gives up the pawn in vain. After 26...f5! he is close to
equality.
27.Bxf6

27...Bb5 28.c4 Bc6 29.Kc2 Rb7 30.Bd4 a5 31.Kd3 a4 32.Rh8+

Kf7 33.Rxe8 Kxe8 34.Kxe3 Re7+ 35.Kf2 Bd7 36.Bd3 Kf7 37.b4
axb3 38.axb3 Be6 39.b4 Re8 40.b5 Rc8 41.b6 1-0
In graduate school, my supervisor was Doctor of Medicine,
Academician Viktor Borisovich Malkin. The first time I saw him
was at the chessboard in the office of the head of the chess
department. He radiated genuine excitement and enthusiasm for the
very process of struggle. And if in purely sporting terms he
177
remained a chess Don Quixote, then he clearly succeeded in
introducing a scientific component into chess. How does a person
think? What factors influence decision-making? What is the
specificity of chess thought? Viktor Borisovich tried to answer these
and many other questions with the help of modern technology. The
famous EEGs6 taken from leading grandmasters during the game are
still awaiting publication.
He was a real scientist: a little distracted, a little strict, very frank,
and at the same time hospitable and friendly. A thoroughly pleasant
person, he kept a lively mind until the very end of his life; you could
always hear something new from him, learn something. While
working on his dissertation, he preferred not to go into technical
details or to look for some particular errors. He was more interested
in the essence of the subject. It was he who came up with such a
complex definition as ‘the playing state of a chess player’. This
concept includes purely chess knowledge, as well as the physical
form, and the player’s psychological state. Malkin just sat and
thought aloud. His reasoning helped me bring my dissertation to a
new level, thanks to which I managed to defend my thesis on the
birthday of my supervisor on May 7th.
Despite the general systematizing nature of the work, it was not
easy. In search of a scientific presentation of the results of the study,
the dissertation had to be rewritten five times. And if in other sports
the path to the candidate’s title was firmly trodden, then in chess it
was necessary to establish the entire arsenal of chess concepts at
once, such as combinational vision, taking into account the
opponent’s resources, opening preparation, etc. It was easier with
data processing, because the principle of its calculation was laid in
the very basis of the dissertation.
It is interesting now, after more than a quarter of a century, to check
with the self-portrait obtained in 1996:

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1. The following were recognized as individually significant
indicators of special preparedness: a sense of danger, ‘insight’ (i.e.,
the ability to quickly put forward the most unexpected hypothesis in
order to just as quickly test it, modify it, and, possibly, replace it
with another – V. B.), endgame theory, use of technical means in
preparation, daily routine, nutrition, strong-willed qualities, self-
regulation, emotional state, noise immunity, taking into account the
opponent’s psychology.
The group of stable-low indicators included: physical fitness,
memory.
2. Bologan showed a strong dependence of the result on the level of
psychological preparedness. At the same time, it should be noted
that even in successful tournaments, his functional readiness had
low values. It is in this regard that Bologan should strengthen his
training. In many ways, unsuccessful performances can be
explained by the poor organization of the daily routine during the
competition.
Here it is necessary to add that the scientific work turned out to have
a very unexpected and at the same time pleasant side effect.
Literally on the eve of the defence at the end of April 1996, I
managed to win the qualifying tournament of the Moscow stage of
the PCA7 Grand Prix in rapid chess, ahead of more than sixty
grandmasters, and get on the stage of the Kremlin Palace of
Congresses in the company of chess stars. Before the tournament, I
didn’t touch chess for two whole months. In addition to doing my
dissertation, I also solved the problem of my teeth, which was very,
very painful. At the same time, I attended courses in transcendental
meditation, where I even received an initiation. I immediately began
to apply the acquired skills and knowledge during the tournament,
meditating between games. But I did not delve further into this
topic.

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It was my first big money earned. My happiness knew no bounds.
Thanks to the system of direct sports selection, chess players who
are not included in the elite got the opportunity to prove their worth.
Unfortunately, our brothers do not quite understand where the
money comes from. In a word, this undertaking, which was very
good for chess, was not continued by the sponsors due to its
unprofitability.
After defending my dissertation, my graduate studies automatically
ended, and I again found myself at a crossroads. Should I stay in
Moscow or return to Moldova? Being easy-going, I said goodbye to
Strogino (then, it seemed forever) and after seven years I found
myself back at home in my native Kishinev. I immediately began to
arrange my new location and then went to the tournament in Vienna.
Alekhine’s Defence
Victor Bologan
Raj Tischbierek
Vienna 1996
This game was played in the tournament dedicated to the 1000th
anniversary of Vienna. The open brought together a very strong
line-up: from the main tournament I remember the scene when two
irreconcilable enemies, Karpov and Korchnoi, having quickly
drawn, analysed the game pleasantly for a couple of hours after the
game. I didn’t perform very well, but in the last round I managed to
apply an interesting idea of Chebanenko in the Alekhine Defence.
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Be2 e6 6.h3 Bh5 7.c4
Nb6
One of the main variations of Alekhine’s Defence. Losing time on
moves with the knight, Black agrees to some backwardness in
development and also surrenders the centre to the opponent.
However, the f6-knight, having moved to b6, occupies a rather
flexible position, attacks the c4-pawn, and complements the c6-
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knight quite well – the black knights create unpleasant pressure on
the centre. The c8-bishop manages to get to g4, so Black achieves
good pawn/piece interaction. White’s trump cards are an advantage
in the centre and possession of a large amount of space, and he only
has to successfully solve the problem of the c4-pawn.
8.exd6 cxd6 9.Nc3 Be7 10.d5!?

Chebanenko’s conceptual novelty. White prevents ...d6-d5 followed

by pressure against the d4-pawn.
10...e5?!
This natural reply is already a positional mistake. After 10...0-0
11.dxe6 fxe6 12.Nd4 Bf7 13.0-0 Nc6 14.Be3 Kh8 15.b3 d5, as in
Gongora-Noguieras, Olgin 2002, Black is OK.
11.Be3
A similar pawn structure can arise in various lines of the Sicilian.
White has not yet castled short and so the h5-bishop can come under
attack with g4 and h4.
11...Bxf3!?
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This is all still Chebanenko’s analysis. Now Black is cramped on the
queenside as well as the kingside.
11...N8d7 12.g4 Bg6 13.h4 h6 ( 13...h5 14.g5 Rc8 15.b3 Nc5
16.Rg1 Nbd7 17.b4 e4 18.Nd2 Nd3+ 19.Kf1 Nxb4 20.Ndxe4 0-0
21.Bd4± Hamdouchi-Baburin, St Vincent 2000) 14.Bd3 ( 14.b3 a6
15.Bd3 Bxd3 16.Qxd3 Nc8 17.Ke2 Nf8 18.Ne4² Zapata-Baburin,
Bled 2002) 14...Bxd3 15.Qxd3 Nf6 16.Rg1± .
12.Bxf3 N8d7
Clearly, he could not take on c4 because of the check on a4.
13.Qe2 Rc8 14.b3 f5
The West German GM Raj Tischbierek (now editor of the magazine
Schach) decides to sharpen the game. If 14...0-0, I was planning to
play 15.g4 Bg5 16.h4! Bxe3 ( 16...Bxh4 17.Be4 g6 18.Qf3 with
attack) 17.Qxe3, and the control of the outpost on e4, combined
with the possibility of attacking the black king, gives White the
advantage.
15.g4!
This move is absolutely justified: White has two bishops and an
advantage in the centre, in addition to which the black king is not
yet castled.
15...e4
Otherwise, Black’s position is quite bad; for example, 15...g6?
16.gxf5 gxf5 17.Bh5+ Kf8 18.Bh6+ Kg8 19.Rg1+ or 15...f4 16.Bd2
Nc5 17.Ne4 Nbd7 18.Nxc5 Nxc5 19.b4 Nd7 20.Rc1 0-0 21.Kf1.
Now, however, the question is whether Black will manage to defend
the pawn on e4.
16.Bg2 Bf6?
Overlooking White’s reply. Stronger was 16...0-0, creating the
threat of ...f5-f4-f3. If now 17.gxf5, then 17...Bf6 18.Bd2 ( 18.Rc1?!
Bxc3+ 19.Rxc3 Nxd5 ) 18...Nxd5 19.Nxd5 Bxa1 20.0-0 Be5

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21.Bxe4 Kh8 with mutual chances. It is worth considering 17.Rb1!?
f4 18.Bxb6 Qxb6 19.Bxe4 g6 20.0-0 Bf6 with good compensation
for the pawn.

17.Nb5!!
This positional rook sacrifice is not so difficult, but it is very
effective.
17.Rc1 Bxc3+ ( 17...Ne5 18.0-0 Nd3 19.Rc2 Nb4 20.Rcc1 ( 20.gxf5
Nxc2 21.Qxc2 Bxc3 22.Qxc3 0-0 ) 20...Nd3 with equality) 18.Rxc3
Nxd5 19.Rc1 Nxe3 20.Qxe3 Qa5+ favours Black.
17...Bxa1
17...Nc5 18.Bxc5 Rxc5 19.Rd1 a6 20.Nd4 Bxd4 21.Rxd4 Qf6
22.Qe3 0-0 23.gxf5 Qxf5 24.0-0 is better for White.
18.Nxd6+ Kf8
Black loses after 18...Ke7 19.Nxf5+ Kf8 20.0-0; for instance,
20...Bf6 21.g5 Bxg5 22.Nd4 Nc5 23.b4 Nbd7 24.bxc5 Nxc5 25.f3
Bxe3+ 26.Qxe3 Kg8 27.fxe4 g6 28.e5 Kg7 29.e6 Rf8 30.Qe5+
Kg8 31.Rxf8+ Qxf8 32.e7 Qf7 33.d6.

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19.0-0

Castling on the 19th move in a terribly sharp position! But it is so

that the students do not say later: ‘Here, you teach us to develop
pieces, but you yourself do not castle!’ Yes, White has only one
rook, while Black has two. But after the break f2-f3 my rook will
play, whereas it’s hard to say after what moves Black’s rooks will
take part in the game. Of course, it was not worth giving up the
knight on d6 for the rook on c8.
19...Be5
If 19...Bf6, the following course of events is possible: 20.g5! Bxg5 (
20...Be5 21.Nxf5 g6 22.f4! exf3 ( 22...gxf5 23.fxe5 Nxe5 24.Rxf5+
Nf7 25.Qh5 Rc7 26.g6 ) 23.Qxf3 gxf5 24.Qxf5+ Bf6 25.gxf6 )
21.Qh5 g6 22.Qxg5 Qxg5 23.Bxg5 Rb8 24.f3 exf3 25.Bxf3 Nc8 (
25...Ne5 26.Bf6 Nxf3+ 27.Rxf3 Rg8 28.Re3 Nd7 29.Bd4 ) 26.Nb5
Kf7 27.Bf4 Re8 28.Bxb8 Nxb8 29.c5 with a clear advantage.
20.Nxf5!
20.Nxc8 Nxc8 21.gxf5³ .

184
20...h5?
Also bad was 20...Kg8 21.f4 exf3 22.Qxf3 h6 23.d6 Bf6 24.Ne7+
Kf8 25.Qxb7 Rb8 26.Qe4.
Black’s best chance was 20...g6 after which White must attack very
energetically: 21.f4! exf3 22.Qxf3 Qf6 23.Qe4 Ke8 24.Nd4 Qe7
25.Ne6.
21.f4
All of the white pieces are taking part in the attack. He does not
have as many as Black, but he has enough to give mate.

21...exf3
If 21...Bf6 22.g5 g6 23.Nh4 or 21...Bc3 22.g5!, both winning for
White.
22.Qxf3 Kg8
22...Qf6 does not help: 23.g5 Qf7 24.Qe4 with a winning attack.
23.d6
Creating the outlines of a mating net.

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23...Nf6
23...Bf6 loses to 24.g5 Bxg5 25.Ne7+.
24.g5
And Raj resigned because of 24...Nbd7 25.Ne7+ Kf7 ( 25...Kf8
26.Ng6+ ) 26.Qd5+.

Lessons:
1) A mistake in the opening can affect the course of the entire
game. It is necessary to be very responsible in determining the pawn
structure. Black’s mistake was that White could sharply strengthen
his position on the queenside, and do so with tempo (10...e5?).
2) Often, when Black has the e5/f5-pawn pair, it makes sense to
fight for the squares that these pawns control. To this end, White
plays f4 or g4 to force the attacked pawn forward, after which
control is removed from the d4- or e4-square (15.g4).
3) Some sacrifices can be evaluated without even resorting to a
large calculation of variations. For the sacrificed rook, White gets at
least two pawns, plus all of his pieces will take part in the attack.
Black has to lose a few tempi to get the bishop off a1, his king is
deprived of pawn cover, and his pieces are separated. Therefore,
White can sacrifice the rook without much hesitation (17.Nb5!!).
Returning to Kishinev, I felt like a plant that could not take root in a
new place. In short, it took me two months; I almost suffocated in
small-town provincialism. I have always loved and continue to love
Kishinev, but it seems to me that after the collapse of the Union, it
and its inhabitants lost a lot. I felt uncomfortable. And only when I
returned to the coolness of Moscow in August 1996 did I breathe
deeply. And in confirmation of the correctness of the return to
Moscow, another breakthrough into the host of greats immediately
followed, this time at the Geneva stage of the Grand Prix in
September. Having miraculously passed the qualifying phase, I even

186
managed to beat Chernin and reach the quarterfinals. But against
Anand, the future winner, I was powerless.
I won’t accuse Viswanathan, who I deeply respect, of anything
untoward, but I want to share my very curious feelings during the
duel with him. In the first game, as a result of a small tactical
skirmish in a complex endgame, we ended up in a drawn rook and
opposite-coloured bishops ending. Vishy, not seeing anything better,
exchanged his rook and looked at me as if offering a draw. I refused
a draw, and only five moves later I could resign. I played the second
game with White, and even managed to get an advantage. But, as if
hypnotized, for almost 20 minutes (this is with a control of 25
minutes for the whole game) I could not force myself to make a
move. By the way, I encountered the same state of numbness when I
played against Anand in New Delhi in 2000. Then, in the first game
of the match, I simply forced myself, in view of the threat of losing
on time, to offer a draw in a better position.
In Moscow, at first I lived with a friend from the institute, Misha
Pleshkov, then in the apartment of the future World Champion,
Vladimir Kramnik, and only at the end of the year did I return to
Strogino to the same apartment, and the same rhythm of life.

Notes:
1
Serebryany Bor is a protected island within the boundaries of
Moscow, where the dachas of those in power and just very rich
people are located. In the winter, I go skiing there.
2
Sheremetyevo-2 is the Moscow International Airport, the starting
point of all Soviet chess conquistadors.
3
The October putsch of 1993 was another attempt at a coup d’état in
Russia that claimed the lives of hundreds of people.
4
Privatization in Russia is, in fact, the transfer of property, which,
according to the Constitution of the USSR, was considered public
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property, into the hands of former party leaders and their entourage,
who overnight became major ‘entrepreneurs’.
5
Ponzi schemes – this type of scam may have been forgotten in the
West, although it was born there back in the 19th century, during the
times of ‘wild capitalism’.
6
EEG – electroencephalograms, the result of studies of the electrical
activity of the cerebral cortex.
7
PCA – Professional Chess Association (1993-1996). Held a World
Championship match between Kasparov and Short (1993), World
Championship qualifying round (1993-1995). Its most famous
undertaking was the Grand Prix in rapid chess with big prizes, held
in 1994-1996. The main inspirer and organizer was Garry Kasparov,
the main sponsor is Intel.

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Chapter 4
Seek and ye shall
find!
We often plough on in one direction without raising our heads and
life passes by very quickly. We do not live, but life goes on, and
sometimes we do not have time to simply realize ourselves in it. But
this is not about me. My wife often complains that her husband is a
big fan of changing his decisions, often in the most unexpected
ways. This is probably due to the chess mindset, when the brain’s
computer is in constant search for the optimal solution.
So, at one of these ‘search’ moments, during the New York Open of
1997, I considered it possible and completely logical to quit chess
and accept Maxim Dlugy’s offer to start working for the company
he headed on the Russian stock market. The Russian Development
Fund bought up shares of Russian enterprises and was engaged in
the formation of investment portfolios for Western entrepreneurs.
This idea seemed to me quite promising financially; besides, I was
already tired of all the travelling that is inevitable in the life of a
professional athlete.
And I decided to leave the chess scene on a positive note, after
winning the New York Open.
In the final round, which was decisive, the draw chose Vadim
Zviagintsev as my opponent, who was half a point behind me.
Krasenkow and I had 7 out of 8 each, Zviagintsev and Morozevich
were both on 6½. Since I was playing Black, it was clear that an

189
uncompromising struggle was ahead – or rather, an unpleasant
defence. Indeed, in America, competitions are organized according
to the principle: ‘Winner takes all!’ The first prize then was
$12,000, second place $6,000 and third $3,000.
In that tournament, I had to play two games a day, so the question of
where and how to dine played an important role. Mark Izrailevich
Dvoretsky, Maxim Dlugy and other friends and I went to 46th Street
in Manhattan, famous for its European restaurants: Spanish, Italian,
and French cuisine created the home comfort necessary for
restoration of the psyche. Before the decisive game of the last round,
I probably made a decision that was not entirely sporting. We all
went to an expensive Italian restaurant with the same company,
where I ordered fish, and it was a sin to refuse a (rather large) glass
of fine white wine. I managed to remove the stress associated with
fatigue, and I went to the game in a calm, balanced state.
Slav Defence
Vadim Zviagintsev
Victor Bologan
New York 1997
1.d4
Expecting a King’s Indian and a sharp struggle. But I decided to
play more solidly and accept the result. After all, I could not know
that Misha Krasenkow would beat Morozevich.
1...d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 a6

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The solid Chebanenko Variation.
Before the New York Open, I played in the Nizhny Novgorod
region, in the city of Kstovo, and there my computer was stolen. I
did not have time to buy a new one and just prepared for the games,
as they say, with the ‘holy spirit’. True, at that time I still had some
notebooks with notes on Chebanenko and Lanka’s analyses, and I
relied on them.
This phenomenon – travelling to a competition without a computer
– is still not well understood. I know, for example, that Liviu-Dieter
Nisipeanu also performed brilliantly without a computer at the 1999
World Championship in Las Vegas, even knocking out Vasily
Ivanchuk. There are also examples from the life of other
grandmasters when, for one reason or another, they found
themselves in a competition without an electronic assistant and
performed brilliantly. Every time we turn on the computer, we turn
off our brains – that’s one hundred percent!
5.h3!?

191
A surprise! Vadim Zviagintsev is a very original player, especially
as regards the opening phase, where he tries from the very first
moves to surprise his opponent and create non-standard play.
5...b5
Already a new move. Before this, in various games, Black had tried
5...dxc4.
6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Bf4
The most attractive aspect of the system with 5.h3. White has not
hurried with e2-e3 and so now has the chance to develop the bishop
to an active position, unlike the usual variations in which Black
plays ...b7-b5.
7...e6 8.e3 Bb7
I did not like my position after the exchange of dark-squared
bishops with 8...Bd6 9.Bxd6 Qxd6 10.Ne5.
9.Bd3 Be7 10.0-0 0-0
It is considered that this set-up favours White, since he has the
prospect of an attack on the kingside, while the black queenside
pawns are already somewhat weakened and can also be disturbed.
So, the tricky move 5.h3!? has given White the opening initiative.
Black’s plan is to try to play ...Ne4 after ...Nbd7 and keep the
knight in the centre. White, in turn, can put one knight on e5, and in
case of a2-a4 being met by...b5-b4, transfer the second steed to b3.

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11.a4!
A standard idea.
11...b4 12.Nb1 Nc6!
The best square for the knight is a5, from where it takes control of
the c4- and b3-squares.
13.Nbd2 Na5 14.Qe2
Tying the black rook to the defence of the a6-pawn.
14...Qb6
It can hardly be good to play 14...Ne4?! 15.Rac1 Nxd2 16.Nxd2
Bd6 (White is also better after 16...Bc6 17.Nb3! Nxb3 18.Rxc6 )
because of 17.Bxd6 Qxd6 18.Rc5 Qb6 19.Qh5 h6 (if 19...g6 then
20.Qh6 followed by Nf3-g5) 20.g4 with an attack.
15.Bg5 h6?!
A dubious move, weakening the diagonal b1-h7 for no good reason.
Better was 15...Rfc8 16.Ne5 Qd8 17.f4 ( 17.Bxf6 Bxf6 18.f4 (
18.Bxh7+ Kxh7 19.Qh5+ Kg8 20.Qxf7+ results in a perpetual)
18...g6 with an unclear position) 17...h6 ( 17...Ne4? 18.Nxf7! Kxf7
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19.Qh5+ Kg8 20.Bxe4 dxe4 21.Bxe7 Qxe7 22.Qxa5 Rc2 23.Rac1
Rac8 24.Nb3 Bd5 25.Nc5 Rxb2 26.Rb1± ) 18.Bh4 Rc7, and Black
is close to equality.
16.Bh4 Rfc8 17.Ne5 Qd8
Quite frankly, I did not much like my position and I was also short
of time.
18.Bxf6
18.f4 Ne4 19.Bxe7 Qxe7 20.Bxe4 dxe4 21.f5 f6 22.Nec4 Nxc4
23.Nxc4 b3! leads to a position similar to that examined above.
18...Bxf6 19.f4

It is clear that the game has proceeded with White exerting

psychological pressure, and I felt uncomfortable. The opponent has
created a classic construction, which I saw as a child performed by
my Moldovan friends in the so-called ‘pig variation’ (Ne5, Bd3,
pawns d4, e3, f4), when they mated Black over and over again. But
instead of giving up, I decided to defend myself.
19...Rc7!
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A multifunctional move: Black wants to double rooks on the c-file
and there is also prophylactic defence of the seventh rank. In
addition, in the event of f4-f5, the bishop on b7 can come into play
via c8.
20.Rac1
Vadim decides to weaken the opponent’s pressure on the c-file. In
the event of the direct 20.Qh5 Rac8 21.g4?! Bxe5 22.Qxe5 Nc4
Black seizes the initiative.
20...Rxc1 21.Rxc1 Rc8
After the exchange of rooks, things become a little easier for me.
22.Rf1 Rc7! 23.Ng4
In the event of 23.Bxa6 Bxa6 24.Qxa6 Rc2 25.Ndf3 Nc4, the
temporary pawn sacrifice allows Black to take over the initiative.
23...Be7
Around this point, when I had 20 minutes left before the time
control, I went to the toilet and on the way back I met my institute
friends, among whom was Gena Slavin, nicknamed ‘Raccoon’, a
good guy, a strong candidate master from Belarus (he is now a
modest New York millionaire). I exchanged a few words with them,
and somehow I immediately felt better in my soul, I thought that my
position was not so bad, and I believed in myself.
24.f5 exf5 25.Bxf5 Nc4
Finally, all the black pieces come into the game and now he is fine.
White has no particular attack and it is not clear what he should do
about the c4-knight, which might in some cases come via d6 to e4.
26.Nxc4?
The beginning of the end. Vadim is too fixated on giving mate.
26...dxc4

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Now Black has the advantage and he only needs to keep an eye on
the b1-h7 diagonal.
27.Bb1 Bg5
With the idea of ...Re7 and ...Bc8.
28.Qc2 g6 29.h4??
Losing at once. It was essential to play 29.Qf2 Kg7 30.Ne5 Qe7
with somewhat better chances for Black.

29...h5!
With this zwischenzug, Black wins a pawn and effectively the
game.
Of course, 29...Bxh4 30.Nxh6+ Kg7 31.Nxf7 was bad.
30.hxg5
Or 30.Rxf7 Rxf7 31.Qxg6+ Rg7 32.Qe6+ Kh8 33.hxg5 hxg4
34.Qh6+ Kg8 35.Qe6+ Kf8 36.Qf5+ Rf7, winning for Black.
30...hxg4 31.Rf6

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Similarly, 31.Rxf7 Rxf7 32.Qxg6+ Rg7 33.Qe6+ Kf8 34.Qf5+ Rf7
and Black wins.
31...Qd5
The pawn on g5 is defenceless and the white pieces have little
activity, whilst his king is weak.
32.Rf4 Qxg5 33.g3 Bf3! 34.Qh2 f5
And here Vadim resigned.

Lessons:
1) One of the most effective methods of dealing with the pawns on
a6 and b5 is to provoke the answer ...b5-b4 by a2-a4, transfer the
knight to b3, and try to use the weakening of the a5- and c5-squares
(and in the case of ...a6-a5, also the b5-square).
2) When the opponent has a positional advantage and is preparing
to launch an attack, it is important not to get confused and to try to
find the most stubborn defence. Here the multifunctional move
19...Rc7! turned out to be such a defence.
3) Often a chess player who has had an advantage throughout the
game is unable to reorganize when the advantage has already been
lost. As a result, he can even miss a draw.
So, I won the biggest prize in my life at that time. My friends and I
went to a restaurant and then climbed onto the roof of a skyscraper.
I looked down at the city, and the song ‘New York, New York’ was
spinning in my head! Of course, quitting the business to which I had
devoted fifteen years of my life was not so easy: I consulted a lot,
discussed, weighed up the options. And yet I said goodbye to chess.
True, I still had some obligations, so I played a few more
tournaments, including the open championship of the Russian
Armed Forces in Sevastopol. I was supposed to start work in July,
and in June I decided to go to the sea, have a little rest, and play
chess. In general, Sevastopol has become a very significant city in

197
my life. My father and uncle Misha served there, my mother-in-law,
wife and daughter were all born there, and I also met my wife in
Sevastopol. Now we have a dacha there on Fiolent1. And yes, I
really like the city!
King’s Indian Defence
Alexey Vyzhmanavin
Victor Bologan
Sevastopol 1997
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3
This was one of Alexey Vyzhmanavin’s last serious tournaments.
After that, he once again made an attempt to return to chess, but by
then he no longer had an entirely adequate perception of life: he lost
faith in its meaning, divorced his wife, and a certain confusion
began...
Alexey and I were neighbours in Strogino. We often talked, went to
competitions together and played both tennis and blitz. After he
retired from chess, Vyzhmanavin lived for only three more years,
and in the winter of 2001 we buried him... he was a real nugget of
gold, a very talented person, but not too well adapted to the stresses
and blows of fate.
When we played this game, no-one, of course, knew that such a sad
ending awaited. Alexey played his favourite Sämisch Variation in
the King’s Indian Defence, against which I used the formation
advocated by Lanka. The notes contain the names of Lanka’s other
students – Socko, Blehm and Kachiani (later Kachiani-Gersinska) –
which reveals that Zigurds propagated this opening for a long time.
5...0-0 6.Be3 a6

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Black’s plan is to put pressure on the opponent’s centre and
queenside with ...a6, ...Nbd7, ...c5 and ...b5. The move 6...a6 is
quite tricky, and even Kasparov played it against Beliavsky
(Moscow 1983). It is interesting that in 1992, in Manila, Kasparov
played this position with White against Loginov. Both games ended
in victory for the 13th World Champion.
Black is trying to force his opponent to quickly decide on a plan in
order to avoid some unpleasant set-ups.
7.Qd2 Nbd7 8.Nh3
The knight immediately goes to f2, without White wasting tempi on
the manoeuvre Ng1-e2-c1-d3. Of course, on f2 the knight is not so
well-placed, but in return, time is saved for development and the
bishop comes immediately to e2.
8...c5 9.Nf2 cxd4
9...Qa5 10.Be2 Rb8 11.dxc5 dxc5 12.0-0 b5 13.cxb5 axb5 14.a3 c4
15.a4 b4 16.Nb5 ² was Atalik-Socko, Groningen 1998.
10.Bxd4 Ne5

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10...b6 11.Be2 Bb7 12.0-0 Rc8 13.Rac1 e6 14.Be3 Ne8 15.b4 f5
16.Rfd1² Strietsky-Blehm, Warsaw 2002.
11.Be2
11.Rc1 Qa5 12.b4 Qd8 13.Na4 Be6 14.Nb6 Rb8 15.Be2 Nc6
16.Be3 Nh5 17.Nd5² Varga-Kachiani-Gersinska, Basle 2002.
11...Qa5

Black simply wants to complete his development with ...Be6 and

...Rc8; for example, 12.0-0 Be6 13.Rfd1 Nxc4 14.Bxc4 Bxc4
15.Nd5 Qxd2 16.Nxe7+ Kh8 17.Rxd2 Rfe8 18.Nd5 Bxd5 19.exd5
Rac8 with equality.
12.f4!?
Quite an ambitious move.
White tries to seize space and not allow his opponent to place his
pieces comfortably.
12...Nc6 13.Be3 Rb8

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It is not obvious how White can prevent the advance ...b7-b5, and so
the move f3-f4 was probably not the best way of fighting for the
advantage.
14.Rc1
A position with mutual chances arises after 14.0-0 b5 15.cxb5 (it is
worth considering 15.Bf3!? Rd8 16.cxb5 axb5 17.a3 – Komliakov)
15...axb5 16.b4!? Nxb4 17.Nxb5 Nc6 or 17...Bg4!? 18.Nxg4 Nxg4
19.Bd4 Rxb5 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 21.Bxg4 Rc5 with equality.
14...b5
Black follows the standard plan, whilst White plays moves which
are not the most necessary. I think the initiative is already with
Black.
14...Bd7 15.0-0 Rfc8² .
15.b3?!
This is a definite concession. It was necessary to go into an equal
endgame with 15.cxb5 axb5 16.Nd5 ( 16.Nxb5 Rxb5 17.Rxc6
Qxd2+ 18.Bxd2 Rxb2 ) 16...Qxd2+ 17.Bxd2 Nxd5 18.Rxc6 Nf6
19.0-0.
15...bxc4 16.Bxc4 Be6!
Black has completed his development and threatens a break in the
centre. After the exchange on e6, the f-file would be opened and the
d5-square taken under control.
17.Be2 Rfd8
Black prepares the break ...d6-d5, which is very hard to prevent.
18.Bf3
If 18.0-0 d5 19.exd5 ( 19.e5 d4 20.exf6 dxe3 21.Qxe3 Bxf6 )
19...Nxd5 20.Nxd5 Qxd2 21.Bxd2 Bxd5 22.Rfd1 ( 22.Bxa6? Ra8
23.Bb7 Rxa2 24.Bc3 ( 24.Bxc6 Bxc6 25.Rxc6 Rdxd2 26.Rc8+ Bf8 )
24...Nd4 25.Bxd4 Bxd4 26.Bxd5 Rxd5 ) 22...Nd4 23.Bd3 White’s
position is somewhat worse, but undoubtedly perfectly tenable.
201
18...d5!
It was also worth considering 18...Nb4!? 19.0-0?! (better is 19.Na4
Bd7 20.a3 Nc6 21.Nb6 Qxd2+ 22.Kxd2 Na5 23.Rb1 ) 19...d5
20.e5 Ne4 21.Bxe4 dxe4 22.Qb2 Nd3 23.Nxd3 exd3³ .
19.e5
19.exd5 Nb4³ ; or 19.Nxd5 Nb4! ( 19...Nxd5 20.Qxa5 ( 20.Rxc6
Bc3 ) 20...Nxa5 21.exd5 Bxd5 22.Bxd5 Rxd5 23.Ke2 Nb7 24.Rc6!
Rd6 25.Rhc1 ) 20.Rc5 ( 20.0-0 Bxd5 21.exd5 Nfxd5 ) 20...Qa3 (
20...Qxa2 21.Qxa2 Nxa2 22.Nxe7+ Kf8 23.Nc6 ) 21.0-0 Bxd5
22.exd5 Qxa2 23.Qxa2 Nxa2³ .
19...d4! 20.Bxc6
After 20.exf6 dxe3 21.Qxe3 Bxf6 22.Bxc6 Rbc8 Black regains the
piece and retains all his pluses.
20...Qb6!
As often happens in sharp positions, a zwischenzug plays the
decisive role. All players, even the very strongest, from time to time
miss such moves, and so this is the most vulnerable point in any
202
calculations. When you are carrying out a combination or creating
threats, your attention inevitably weakens slightly.
20...dxe3 21.Qxe3 Nd5 22.Bxd5 Bxd5 23.0-0 Ba8 24.Rfd1 is
slightly better for White.
21.Bxd4
21.Ncd1 dxe3 22.Qxe3 Nh5 23.g3 Rdc8 gives White a clear
advantage.
21...Rxd4 22.Na4
If 22.Qe3, then 22...Re4.
22...Qa7 23.Qe2 Nd5
Apparently, 23...Ng4! was even stronger, for example 24.Nxg4
Bxg4 25.Qxg4 Bxe5 26.Rc2 ( 26.g3 fails to 26...Rxa4 27.b:a4 Qe3+
) 26...Bxf4. The computer finds the only moves that do not
immediately lose, but still, after 27.Qf3 Rbd8 28.g3 Bd2+ 29.Kf1
Rd3 30.Qe4 Qc7 31.Kg2 R8d4 32.Qe2 Bg5 ( 32...Bb4!? ) 33.Bf3
Qd8 Black has a most dangerous attack for the sacrificed piece.

203
After the text move, Black has a very strong initiative for the pawn.
White does not manage to complete his development as he must
repulse direct threats.
24.g3 Nb4 25.Nc5?
This move leads to great unpleasantness; essential was 25.0-0 Bf8!?
( 25...Nxc6 26.Rxc6 a5 27.Qe3 is in White’s favour) 26.Qe3 a5
with mutual chances.
25...Bf5
Black also wins with 25...Rc8 26.Nxe6 fxe6.
26.Be4 Rc8
White cannot avoid material losses.
27.Bxf5
27.Ncd3 Nxd3+.
27...gxf5 28.0-0
Nor did 28.Ncd3 Nxd3+ 29.Nxd3 Rxc1+ 30.Nxc1 Re4 help.
28...Rxc5 29.a3 Nd3 30.Qe3
And White resigned.

Lessons:
1) Black’s best plan in the fight against the pawns on e4 and c4 is
the break ...b7-b5. After 13...Rb8 this move is already threatened,
and Black manages to free his game.
2) After ...b7-b5 it’s time to think about ...d6-d5. In the game
Black managed to carry out this undermining move.
3) An important role in the calculation of variations is played by
intermediate moves, commonly known as zwischenzugs, which
often escape attention. Alexey must have missed the move
20...Qb6!.

204
At the start, I scored 6 out of 6, but after a defeat in the seventh
round I decided to play safe – I drew the remaining games and
became the champion of the Russian Armed Forces.
After that, we boarded a military transport plane, for which we
waited several days, and flew to Moscow. They put us in the tail
section, which almost led to the gradual icing up of the passengers;
this despite the fact that those who were sitting 15 metres from us in
the head of the aircraft suffered from the heat. Late at night we
landed safely at an airfield near Moscow in Chkalovsk, and with
Lyokha Vyzhmanavin we drove by truck to the nearest electric train,
at the Kursk railway station. There we were stopped by a policeman
– he wanted to know something, probably how to get somewhere.
We explained to him and he went. A few days later, I entered the
service of the ‘Russian’ Americans and worked for Dlugy for almost
six months.
As a result, I plunged into a completely different world: the world of
contracts, legal subtleties, financial nuances, boss-subordinate
205
relationships, small intrigues within the team. On Friday evenings,
festivities began, and such concepts as ‘days off’ and ‘business
trips’ appeared. I got great pleasure from all this, although in the end
it turned out that this was not my path. Moreover, everything ended
in a simple Russian way – the stock market plunged. In October
1997, the RTS2 index fell by 30 percent and it was impossible to
conclude a single deal.
An additional, but not decisive, factor in my return to chess was an
invitation to the 1997 World Championship held on the knockout
system. Thanks to the indefatigable activity of Fyodor Skripchenko,
the FIDE Congress of that year was hosted by Moldova. And FIDE
President Kirsan Nikolaevich Ilyumzhinov decided to give one
place to the strongest chess player in our country – that is, to me.
That’s how I ended up in Groningen, where in the first round I won
against the Kalmyk champion Umgaev, and in the second round lost
to Vaganian. After that, I went to work for a few more weeks, but by
this time the stock market was already dead. I did not want to get
paid for nothing, so at the end of December I went to my boss and
asked to settle up.
So, I returned to chess. But Chebanenko was no longer. In August
1997, a few weeks after I started working on the stock market,
Vyacheslav Andreevich died – his heart gave out... the news of his
death caught me at Domodedovo Airport when I was about to fly to
Kazan on a business trip. The plane broke down and the flight was
delayed. If it hadn’t been for the breakdown, I wouldn’t even have
been in time for the funeral.
In February 1998, my older brother Niku and I held a Chebanenko
Memorial in Kishinev. We tried to invite all of his students, but
many could not come, including Viktor Gavrikov. Still, the
tournament turned out to be worthy. Since it was not possible to
provide big starting fees (the tournament was held practically at the
expense of my brother and me), it was my grandmaster friends who

206
came. Alexander Morozevich won the tournament with a fantastic
result – 8½ points out of 9. This was his first step to the top;
afterwards he won six more tournaments in a row and rocketed to
2700!
For Moldovan chess, Chebanenko is the Patriarch, the founder of
chess traditions in the republic. So, after me, Doru Rogozenko and
Vladik Nevednichy became grandmasters (but for some reason they
got attracted to Romanian girls, and they left the country). Then
Vitya Komliakov, Viorel Iordachescu, Vasily Sandulyak, Dima
Svetushkin and Ivan Skitsko became grandmasters.
Since 1999, I have been running the school, which then gradually
grew into the Bologan Chess Academy. I still meet with the guys
from time to time, but it seems to me that this is not an effective
form of training. As a child, I myself studied at the Chiburdanidze
school. In Soviet times, already-experienced guys who had good
coaches and a serious attitude to business got into grandmaster
schools. And now in Moldova there are obvious problems with the
coaching staff. For the very young, there is Solonar, but then we
have gaps. My lectures, quite rare, do not fill this gap. We had a
great atmosphere, the sessions were friendly and fun, but this did not
properly affect the results of the juniors. In addition, the school did
not have any financial support. Two of my students, Alexey
Khrushchev and Ruslan Soltanich, graduated from the Moscow
Institute (now a university) of Physical Education. Naturally, the
school gained results, but as a maximalist I dreamed of students
with an Elo of 2600 at the age of 14! I worked with many students
individually and I remember that my specialty was written in my
diploma: ‘Teacher, chess coach’!
By the way, I conducted my classes mainly in Russian – so that the
children would learn a second language.

207
208
Nicu Bologan (left) and Alexander Morozevich, Chisinau 1998.
And here is the ‘diagnosis’ following the results of my
performances that Mark Izrailevich Dvoretsky made after I returned
to chess.
Main issues:
I. Constant overestimation of the position, over-optimism,
underestimation of the opponent’s counterplay.
II. Inaccurate calculation – most of all, when viewing resources for
the enemy. Intermediate moves.
III. Strategic mistakes, most of all in positions with flexible pawn
chains.
IV. Problems with the realization of advantages. Most of all, with a
sudden simplification of the situation. The exchange of queens is
often skipped.
V. Sometimes – unreasonably difficult play, time-trouble.
... In the spring of 1998, Elista decided to hold a pre-Olympic
tournament – the Cup of the President of Kalmykia Kirsan
Ilyumzhinov. The competition was organized mainly to introduce
Elista to the international chess community. By that time, Russian
championships were already being held there with great success, but
there were no international tournaments. In addition, on the eve of
the Olympiad in Kalmykia, the organizers wanted to dispel the
clouds of scepticism and mistrust regarding the construction of
Chess City, nicknamed ‘New Vasyuki’, [Translator’s Note: This
nickname is a sarcastic reference to a fictional town in the classic
Soviet satirical novel, The Twelve Chairs] on time, and they
succeeded. The participants of the tournament were invited to the
construction of the chess town, where they saw that real people
worked there, real houses had been built, and the Olympiad might
well take place there. Although at first, when the Yak-403 touched
the dirt surface of the Elista airfield, I personally did not have such
confidence.
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I had pleasant impressions from both the President’s Cup and the
Olympiad in Elista.
Ruy Lopez
Victor Bologan
Konstantin Sakaev
Elista 1998
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3
0-0 8.h3
This was the second game in the second round of the knockout.
Kostya had won the first game in a long endgame and therefore I
needed to take revenge. Winning to order is always difficult, but it is
also not so easy to draw to order as Black, unless you equalize
immediately.
White’s last move has been known for a long time. It gained a
second life thanks to Landa’s pupils.
8...Bb7
If 8...d6 9.c3 White goes back into the main lines. But now we get
an Anti-Marshall.
9.d3
Masses of games have now been played along these lines. I have
been familiar with positions of this type since childhood, because
Chebanenko taught us the Italian, which produces similar positions.
9...d6 10.a3 h6
Sakaev chooses the most popular set-up at that time: Black plans to
put the rook on e8, the bishop on f8 (ideally on g7 after ...g7-g6) and
play ...d6-d5.
Even so, the move ...h6 is a slight weakening, which can be the
basis for various combinations, whilst the transfer of the bishop to
g7 takes quite a lot of time. White should gradually improve the
positioning of his pieces and prepare d3-d4.
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11.Nc3 Re8 12.Ne2
A typical transfer of the knight to g3. I was pleased with how the
opening had developed: all the pieces are on the board and there are
no forced variations, which allows for a long fight. An example of
such a ‘delayed punishment’ strategy is the final game of the
Kasparov-Karpov match in Seville 1987, when Kasparov managed
to equalize the score in the final game. The side playing for the win
does not force events, and it is especially unpleasant to defend – you
want to simplify the position, but the tension remains.
12.Be3 Nb8 13.a4 b4 14.Ne2 Nbd7 15.Ng3 Bf8 16.Nh2 Nc5
17.Bxc5 dxc5 18.Ng4 Nh7 19.Ne3 g6 20.a5 Bd6 with equality was
played in Lanka-Sakaev, Kishinev 1998.

12...d5 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Ng3 Bf8 15.c3 Qd7 16.Ne4 Kh8

17.Nh4
White tries to obtain some sort of outpost on the kingside or else
provoke a weakening of the black position.
17...Nd8 18.Qg4!

211
An unexpected decision for the opponent – a transition into the
endgame, although in a sense one can hardly describe the position
after the exchange as an endgame, because most of the other pieces
remain on the board.
18...Qxg4
He loses after 18...Ne6 19.Bxh6! gxh6 20.Bxd5 Qxd5 21.Nf6, but it
was worth considering 18...Qe6!?.
19.hxg4
We have reached an asymmetrical position, in which White has
some initiative.
19...Ne6 20.g3 Rad8
On 20...Nc5!? White would reply 21.Bc2 ( 21.Nxc5 Bxc5 22.Nf5
Rad8 ) 21...Nxe4 22.dxe4 Nf6 23.g5!? hxg5 24.Bxg5 with an edge.
21.a4
As soon as the rook has left a8, White disrupts Black’s pawns.
21...b4 22.a5!

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A very typical reaction for the Spanish – White fixes the a6-pawn
and ensures his bishop an extremely important post on a4.
22...Rd7
22...Nc5!? 23.Nxc5 Bxc5 24.Bd2.
23.Bc4
White has consolidated his small advantage. Less good was 23.Ba4
c6.
23...Red8 24.Bd2 c5 25.f3

White has clearly succeeded in ensuring his knights outposts on e4

and f5, and he has good pre-conditions to develop his initiative.
With his last move, he shortens the diagonal of the b7-bishop and
opens a path for his king into the centre.
25...Ndc7 26.Kf2 Bd5 27.Ke2?!
In the event of the exchange on d5 the d3-pawn is lost. In principle,
doubling the pawns on the c-file will benefit White, since all central
squares will be inaccessible to Black’s knights, but the move in the

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game has a tactical flaw. 27.Be3 Bxc4 28.dxc4 Ne8 29.Nf5 was
stronger, maintaining pressure.
27...Kg8
27...bxc3 28.bxc3 Bxc4 29.dxc4 Ne8 30.Be3 Nd6 31.Nd2 is in
White’s favour, but Black had a strong resource: 27...Bxc4 28.dxc4
Ne8! 29.Rad1 (White has to spend a tempo defending the d2-
bishop; in case of 29.Nf5? Nf6! 30.Rad1 Nxe4 31.fxe4 bxc3
32.Bxc3 Nd4+ Black takes the initiative) 29...Nd6 30.Nxd6 Bxd6
with equality.
28.Nf5 f6 29.Rh1 Kf7
Black has no way to relieve the tension and White gradually
prepares a breakthrough.
30.Be3 Rb8 31.Bd2 Bc6 32.Ne3 Bb5 33.f4!
Despite time-trouble, I decided not to delay this break, because there
is no other way to penetrate the black position.
33...exf4 34.gxf4 Bxc4 35.Nxc4 Nd5 36.Raf1 Re8 37.Kd1
It is important to move the king off the open file.
37...Nd8
37...g6 38.f5.
38.Kc2 Nc6 39.Rh3 Rb8 40.Rh5 Rdd8 41.Rh3 Rb5

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Time-trouble is over and the time has come for the breakthrough:
42.g5! Nxa5
Or 42...f5 43.gxh6 gxh6 44.Ne5+ Nxe5 45.fxe5.
43.gxh6 gxh6 44.Ra1
Concrete play begins and it turns out that White can win a piece by
force.
44...b3+
There was no help from 44...bxc3 45.bxc3 Nb3 46.Rxa6 Nxd2
47.Kxd2 Rbb8 48.Ne3.
45.Kc1 Nxc4
Completely bad was 45...Nc6 46.Rxa6 Nb8 47.Rd6!.
46.dxc4 Rb6 47.cxd5 Rxd5 48.Ra5 Re6 49.Re3 Rh5 50.Nf2
From here the knight protects the key h1- and d1-squares.
50...Rd6 51.Rf3 Rhd5 52.Be3 h5 53.Rxc5 a5 54.Rc4 Kg6 55.f5+
Rxf5 56.Rxf5 Kxf5 57.Rc5+ Kg6 58.Rxa5 h4 59.Rb5 Re6 60.Kd2
Black resigned.
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Lessons:
1) If it is necessary to win the game at all costs, then it is not
essential to try to force checkmate. It is quite possible to be satisfied
with a long-term advantage in the endgame, so the exchange of
queens is a completely possible method. The main thing is to clearly
and accurately assess the prospects of the game. The move 18.Qg4!
fits very well into this concept.
2) 21.a4! follows the principle of creating a second weakness.
White opens a second front on the queenside.
3) As we have already said, when the pieces occupy optimal
positions, one must look for tactics. Black prepared well against d3-
d4, but White managed to break through in the other direction
(33.f4!).
A quote from the diary:
In a sick state, I managed to equalize. However, I forgot the
opening. In general, I can complain about my memory.
Conclusions: in the opening, it is better to remember what you
know.
After that, we played four more rapid games, which all ended in
draws, and then we played blitz until the first victory, and at some
point I forgot about the time and lost.
Romania holds a special place in my chess biography. I have had a
lot to do with this country: I fulfilled my last IM norm there, and the
Romanian Chess Federation helped me a lot at one time. In
particular, they issued a package of documents for me to confer the
title of grandmaster in record time. My cooperation with the
Romanian Chess Federation has not been interrupted to this day.
Gheorghe Candea, Ionuts Dobronauteanu, Vlad Ardeleanu, Tiberiu
Georgescu – we have had many joint projects and pleasant
communications. At the beginning of my career, I played many
tournaments there and I always visit Romania with pleasure. In

216
particular, I often played for local teams in the national
championship. It was in one of these that the next game was played.
Sicilian Defence
Victor Bologan
Suat Atalik
Romania tt 1998
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Nc6
7.Be2 e6
Suat Atalik, certainly one of the most charismatic chess
personalities, has long been the leader of Turkish chess. In purely
playing terms, his opening preparation was considered his strongest
side. No wonder elite chess players often resorted to his services.
Here, too, without a shadow of a doubt, he is up for a fight.
8.g4

A variant of Keres’ attack – White attacks the opponent with the

‘suitcase’. He wants to open lines for an attack on the kingside, and

217
also, by driving away the knight from f6, to strengthen his control
over the d5-square.
Black will try to develop his queenside as soon as possible and start
active operations there. And, of course, he should not forget about
prophylaxis; one important resource is the move ...g7-g6, preventing
White from playing g5-g6 himself.
8...Be7 9.g5 Nd7 10.h4
With an exchange of knights, White wants to recapture on d4 with
the queen without losing a move.
10...0-0 11.f4 Re8
For the moment, Black does not want to take the knight, and so he
makes a waiting move, but a necessary one anyway. Here is how
events might develop after the immediate exchange on d4:
11...Nxd4 12.Qxd4 b5 13.h5 b4 14.Nd5 exd5 15.h6 gxh6 16.0-0-0
b3 17.axb3 Qa5 18.Kb1 hxg5 19.b4 Qc7 20.exd5 with chances for
both sides, Iordachescu-Guido, Italy tt 1999.
Zigurds Lanka taught me how to play this variation and I in turn
passed the knowledge on to Viorel, so Iordachescu might be called a
second-generation pupil of Lanka!
12.Qd2
12.a3 Rb8 13.0-0 Nxd4 14.Qxd4 b5 15.Rf2 Qa5 16.Qd2 Qc7
17.Raf1 Bf8 18.f5 Ne5 19.f6 Rb7 20.h5 Lanka-Timoschenko,
Capelle-la-Grande 1992; 12.h5 Rb8 13.a3 Nxd4 14.Qxd4 b5 15.h6
e5 16.Qd2 exf4 17.Bxf4 g6 18.Qd4 Bf8 19.Bxd6 Qxg5 20.Bxf8
Kxf8 21.Qg7+ Ke7 22.Rf1 Rf8 23.Nd5+ Ke8 24.Rd1 Iordachescu-
Belotti, Montecatini Terme 1999, both give White an attack.
12...Nxd4 13.Bxd4
Now White changes plans and recaptures with the bishop.
13...b5 14.a3 Bb7 15.0-0-0 Rc8

218
At that moment, this was a novelty. This is how a game went
involving another of my comrades, Vladik Nevednichy, to whom I
also showed the Zigurds plan: 15...Qa5 16.h5 b4 17.axb4 Qxb4
18.g6 Rab8 19.gxf7+ Kxf7 20.Rhg1 e5 21.fxe5 dxe5 22.Ba7 Bxe4
23.Bxb8 Rxb8 24.Bc4+ Qxc4 25.Nxe4 Qxe4 26.Qxd7 Qe3+
27.Kb1 Rb6 28.Rdf1+ Kg8 29.Rxg7+, and Black resigned
(Nevednichy-Betz, Bucharest 1993).
16.Kb1 Bf8

A typical Sicilian position. In my view, White is half a step ahead of

his opponent.
17.g6!?
A striking pawn sacrifice, but perhaps the strongest move was
17.Bg4!, after which it is not so easy for Black to play his next
move.
17...fxg6
According to all canons, this is considered the most accurate reply
to the pawn sacrifice offered by White. In the event of 17...hxg6

219
18.h5 White opens the h-file, after which at the very least he has a
strong initiative, which can easily turn into a powerful attack. For
example: 18...e5 19.Be3!? gxh5 20.Rxh5 Nf6 21.Rh3 Nxe4 ( 21...g6
22.Rdh1 Bg7 23.Bf3 Kf8 24.f5 ) 22.Nxe4 Bxe4 23.Bd3. Also
interesting is 19.hxg6 fxg6 ( 19...exd4? 20.Bc4 Rxc4 21.Rh8+ Kxh8
22.Qh2+ Kg8 23.Qh7 mate; 19...Nf6!? 20.Bg1 exf4 21.Qxf4 fxg6
22.Bd3 ) 20.f5 ( 20.fxe5 dxe5 21.Be3 Nf6 ) 20...exd4 21.fxg6 Be7 (
21...dxc3 22.Bc4+ ) 22.Bg4 Bg5 23.Qxd4 with an unclear situation
on the board.
18.h5 e5!
A typical counterblow in the centre, for which all of the black pieces
are ready. Bad is 18...gxh5? 19.Bxh5 g6 20.Qh2 Re7 21.Rdg1 e5
22.fxe5 dxe5 23.Bxg6 hxg6 24.Rf1 and mate in three.
19.hxg6 h6
19...hxg6 20.Be3; 19...exd4 20.Rxh7 with the threat of Bc4+, Rh8+
and Qh2+.
20.Be3
White regroups his forces. No good was 20.fxe5? dxe5 21.Be3 Nf6.
But instead of the move in the game, 20.Bf2 was very strong, with
the idea of 20...Nf6 21.Bh4. For example: 21...Be7 22.Bxf6 Bxf6
23.f5 Bg5 24.Qxd6 Qxd6 25.Rxd6 with a big advantage to White.
20...Nf6
20...exf4 21.Bxf4 Ne5 22.Nd5.

220
21.Nd5?
I got a bit excited. This move is tied up not with a miscalculation,
but with a somewhat cavalier approach to the problems of the
position. Correct was 21.Bf3 Qa5 ( 21...exf4? 22.Bd4! Re6 23.Qxf4
is very good for White) 22.fxe5 dxe5 23.Nd5² .
21...Bxd5
Black should have captured the central pawn: 21...Nxe4 22.Qd3
exf4 23.Qb3 ( 23.Bxf4 Nf2 24.Qb3+ Kh8 ) 23...Kh8 24.Bd4 Qg5
25.Rh5. Suat probably calculated up to here and thought that Black
had problems, but if we continue the variation, 25...Bxd5 26.Qh3
Kg8 27.Rxg5 Nxg5, then it suddenly turns out that despite White’s
extra queen, the game favours Black.
22.exd5
But now White can continue his attack without any particular risk.
22...Ne4 23.Qd3
23.Qe1 exf4 24.Bxf4 Qf6 25.Rf1 Qxg6 26.Bd3 Qg2 27.Qh4 looks
very promising.
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23...exf4 24.Bd4
White does not waste time regaining the pawn (especially since he
needs to guard f2) and immediately brings his bishop to a
threatening position.
24...Ng3
Black seeks simplification. Also possible was 24...Qg5, although
White is better after, for instance, 25.Rh5 Qg3 26.Bf3.
25.Bg4
White retains all the pieces necessary for the attack.
25...Nxh1 26.Rxh1 Qg5?
After 26...Rc7 27.Be6+ Rxe6 28.dxe6 Qg5 Black has a bad king and
his bishop is out of play. However, there was a defence: 26...Rc4!
27.Qf5 Qe7 with equal chances.
27.Qh3 Qxd5 28.Bxc8 Rxc8?!
This natural move allows me to land one of the most beautiful blows
in my career. Stronger was 28...Qxd4 29.Be6+ Kh8 30.Qf5 Qa7 (
30...Qe5 31.Qf7 Qxe6 32.Rxh6+ gxh6 33.Qh7 mate, or 30...Qf6
31.Rxh6+ ) 31.Bd7 Qa8 ( 31...Rd8 32.Rxh6+ gxh6 33.Qf6+ )
32.Bxe8 Qxh1+ 33.Ka2 Be7 34.Bxb5 Qa8 35.Bc4 a5 36.Qxf4± .

222
29.Bxg7!!
The bishop steps into two attacks and, as analysis shows, Black is
lost.
29...Qxh1+
Also losing were 29...Qe4 30.Bxf8 Rxc2 31.Ka1; 29...Kxg7
30.Qxh6+ Kf6 31.g7; and 29...h5 30.Rf1.
30.Qxh1 Bxg7
For the queen, Black has rook and bishop, plus the unpleasant f4-
pawn.
31.Kc1
In the endgame, the king should come into the centre and blockade
the enemy passed pawn. Unclear play resulted from 31.Qd5+ Kh8
32.Qxd6 f3 33.Qxa6 Rf8 34.Qxb5 f2 35.Qf1 Be5 36.c4 Bg3
37.Ka2 Kg7 38.c5 Rf6.
31...Rf8 32.Kd1 f3 33.Ke1 Bxb2
If 33...Rf6, then 34.Qh5.

223
34.Qxh6 Re8+ 35.Kf2 Re7 36.Qh4
An accurate move – it is necessary to ask the rook what it is going to
do. The rest is the technical phase.
36...Kf8 37.Kxf3 d5 38.Qg5 Be5 39.Kg4 Ke8! 40.Kf5 Bg7
41.Qg3 Kd7 42.Qb8 Kc6 43.Qc8+ Kb6 44.Qd8+ Rc7 45.Qb8+!
Rb7 46.Qd6+ Ka7 47.Qc5+ Kb8
47...Rb6 48.c3 (zugzwang) 48...Bh8 49.Qf8 Bxc3 50.g7.
48.Ke6 d4 49.Qc6 Ka7 50.Qc8 Kb6

51.Qa8! Rc7
51...a5 52.Qd8+ Ka6 53.Kd6.
52.Kd6 Rb7 53.Qd8+ Ka7 54.Kc6 Be5 55.Qc8 Rb6+ 56.Kd5
Bg7 57.Qc5
Zugzwang, similar to the one seen above.
57...Bh8
57...a5 58.Qc7+ Rb7 59.Qxa5+.
58.Qf8
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Black resigned because of 58...Rb8 59.g7.

Lessons:
1) 16.Kb1 is a prophylactic move typical of the Sicilian Defence.
The king leaves the c-file, and now even if Black later succeeds in
capturing on c2 with the queen, it will not be checkmate, but only a
check.
2) If a move like 17.g6!? does not win immediately, then it is
better to try to prepare it. Very often, the question that helps one to
make the right decision is: ‘What is Black’s next move?’ Since
Black had no strong counterthreats, it was possible to calmly
prepare the attack.
3) If you do not calculate variations deeply and clearly, then the
Sicilian is not for you. Black had to play 21...Nxe4, having
calculated the sharp variation to the end. After the general move
21...Bxd5 White has a comfortable game.
Petroff Defence
Victor Bologan
Eduardas Rozentalis
Belfort 1998
Belfort, along with Kishinev and Moscow, is almost my hometown.
Although I had not played for a local club for a long time, I often
continued to come, in particular, to the traditional Christmas
tournament, the Comtois Masters, in one of which this game took
place. In the first three games, I had been defeated, and I had to
somehow get out of this state. No, now we are not talking about a
‘zigzag’, but about the fact that, on the edge of an abyss, it is quite
possible to step forward, because often there may be a wide
pavement.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6

225
My opponent is a solid, technical player, who takes risks only very
rarely. He chooses the solid Petroff.
3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Be7 7.0-0 Nc6 8.c4 Nf6
Black first wishes to complete his development and then undertake
active operations in the centre.
9.Nc3 0-0 10.h3 Nb4 11.Be2 dxc4 12.Bxc4 c6 13.a3!? Nbd5
14.Re1

White has a pleasant game, as he controls many central squares and

can place his pieces conveniently. Even so, one should not forget
that he has an isolated pawn.
We discussed this pawn structure in Game 5 against Ruzele. White’s
plans are the same. I would only add that the more pieces there are
on the board, the more difficult it is for Black to defend, and so it
suits him to exchange some pieces.
14...Be6 15.Bd3 h6 16.Bd2!?
White connects his rooks and asks his opponent what plan he
proposes to carry out. Also possible were 16.Ne5 or 16.Bc2.

226
16...Re8
This seems to me to be inaccurate. 16...Qc8! 17.Qc2 Re8 (
17...Bxh3? 18.gxh3 Qxh3 19.Nxd5 Qg4+ 20.Kf1 Nxd5 21.Bh7+
Kh8 22.Qf5 ) 18.Ne2 Bd6 19.Ne5 was not clear.

17.Rxe6!!
Forward into the abyss! By sacrificing a whole exchange, I was well
aware that I could come unstuck, but after all, chess is just a game!
This sacrifice was inspired by one of Anand’s games with Yusupov.
After us, Topalov sacrificed an exchange against Anand in a similar
way in 2003. Why is this blow stronger now than on the previous
move? White has developed a piece, and the rook is worse on e8
than on f8.
17...fxe6 18.Bg6
For the exchange, White gets control over the light squares and can,
in certain circumstances, develop an attack on the king.
18...Rf8 19.Qe2 Nc7?!

227
By clinging to the pawn, Black completely hands the initiative to his
opponent. Better was 19...Qd7!? 20.Ne5 ( 20.Re1 Bd6 ) 20...Qc7
21.Nc4 Qd7 22.Ne5 with equality.
20.Re1
The obligatory principle: first complete your development and only
then think of how to build the initiative. It is clear that we cannot at
the moment give mate on h7, but nor is it easy for Black to ease his
defence by exchanges.
20...Bd6 21.Bb1
White prepares to set up a battery on the b1-h7 diagonal and frees
g6 for his knight.
21...Qe7?!
The queen walks into a tempo. Better was 21...Re8 22.Ne5 c5 (
22...Ncd5 23.Qd3 ) 23.Ne4 cxd4 24.Nxf6+ Qxf6.
22.Ne5 Bxe5 23.dxe5 Nfd5
Or 23...Nd7 24.Qg4 ( 24.Qe4 Rf5 ) 24...Qf7 25.Qg3 Kh8 26.Ne4,
and White gradually strengthens his threats.
24.Nxd5 Nxd5
24...cxd5 25.Bb4 Qf7 26.Bxf8 Rxf8 27.Rc1± .
25.Qe4 g5 26.Qg6+ Qg7 27.Qxe6+ Kh8

228
28.h4!
The black pawn structure collapses and White finally gets material
confirmation of the fact that he has a good position.
28...Nf4
The only chance. On 28...Rae8 there could have followed 29.Qg4
Rxe5 ( 29...gxh4 30.Qxh4 Re6 31.f4 ) 30.Rxe5 Qxe5 31.hxg5 Re8 (
31...Qxb2 32.Qe4 Qg7 33.gxh6 ) 32.gxh6 Qxb2 33.Qf5 Nf6
34.Bg5.
29.Qc4 Rad8
29...Rae8 30.e6 ( 30.hxg5 Qxg5 31.Qe4 Re7 ) 30...Nd5 31.hxg5.
30.Bc3 Nd5 31.hxg5 hxg5
31...Qxg5 32.Bd4 Rf4 33.Be4 Qg7 34.e6.
32.Bd2 Nf4 33.Bb4
Perhaps White has not played in the very best way, but he retains
the advantage.
33...Qf7

229
Possibly Black counted on checks after the knight moves away, but
this counterplay does not work. More tenacious was 33...Rfe8, but
here too the position after 34.e6 Rd4 35.Qb3! Rxb4 36.axb4 Qf6
37.Qc2 Re7 38.g3 Nxe6 39.Qe2 is bad for Black.

34.e6 Nxe6
Or 34...Nh3+ 35.Kh2 Qc7+ 36.Kxh3 Rf4 37.Qc3+ Kg8 38.Qe5.
35.Bxf8
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) Such ideas as the exchange sacrifice on e6, of course, should be
considered. But you should look for the best version of the
combination, because an extra half-tempo can have a huge effect.
16.Bd2 prepares the sacrifice.
2) The sacrifice of an exchange is a fairly popular technique that
was often encountered, for example, in Petrosian’s games. Often
there are positions with closed and semi-closed files, and the
advantage of the rook over a minor piece cannot be used. White’s
230
advantages are clear: weakening the squares along the b1-h7
diagonal, creating a weakness on e6, obtaining an e5-outpost and a
strongpoint on e4 for his pieces. In the future, White has a long-term
initiative.
3) When repelling an attack along the b1-h7 diagonal, the
defender, the f6-knight, often plays a key role. White is trying to
either exchange it by playing Ne4, or drive him away. In the game,
after 23.dxe5, the knight was forced to leave its post, and Black
soon had to expose his king (25...g5).
When I returned to chess, I planned to gain a rating of 2650 by the
end of 1998. At that time, I did not fulfil this plan. But I firmly told
myself: ‘Enough of these swings up and down!’ And for the first
time in my career, I applied a serious sports approach. From that
moment, my rebirth as a chess player and conscious development as
a professional began – exactly what was lacking in my younger
years. I tried all the time, if I may say so, to feel the ground under
my feet, to play tighter. During one Bundesliga game, when I was
walking around waiting for my opponent’s move, I suddenly
remembered the expression: ‘Grow like grass, slowly but surely.’ I
won that game, and these words have become my motto ever since.
Already by the spring of 1999, I felt my chess muscles begin to fill
with strength. I was fortunate enough to participate in one of the
strongest round-robins of that year, where I was invited thanks to
the assistance of Jean-Paul Touzet. We played in Enghien-les-Bains,
a beautiful place on the outskirts of Paris, famous not only for its
casino, but also for its healing thermal springs. Since the time of
Napoleon, there has been a law in France according to which
casinos can only be opened where there are thermal springs.
Two Knights Tango
Matthew Sadler
Victor Bologan
Enghien-les-Bains 1999
231
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6
I hasten to acquaint the reader with another signature opening of
Chebanenko, known as the Two Knights Tango. Of course, it was
played before him, but it was Chebanenko who developed the basic
systems, and his students successfully applied them. Georgy Orlov,
German Titov, and I used the Tango most from among the Doctor’s
students (as we called Vyacheslav Andreevich).

The knights challenge the white pawns, and can be attacked by

them, but the knights cannot be caught.
3.Nf3
This quiet move is considered strongest, after which play heads into
more positional channels. I have very good statistics in the Tango,
scoring many wins as Black, including against strong GMs.
3...e6 4.a3
A restricting move in the style of Petrosian.
4...d6 5.Nc3 g6

232
Black goes for a King’s Indian-type position. Not in the worst form,
but even so, White should have some advantage.
Unlike in the King’s Indian proper, Black has an extra possibility, to
keep the knight on c6. The inclusion of the moves 3...e6 4.a3 has its
pluses for Black, as well as White.
6.e4 Bg7 7.h3
This move is already a novelty, although its idea is only revealed on
move 9.
A) 7.Be2 0-0 8.0-0 Re8 9.Be3 ( 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bh4 g5 11.Bg3 Nh5
12.d5 Ne7 13.Rc1 Ng6 14.Ne1 Nhf4 Han-Bologan, Philadelphia
1999) 9...e5 10.d5 Nd4 11.Nxd4 exd4 12.Bxd4 Nxe4 13.Bxg7
Kxg7 14.Nxe4 Rxe4 15.Bd3 Re8 16.Qb3 b6 17.Rfe1 Bd7 with
equality, Popov-Bologan, Tomsk 2001;
B) 7.Bd3 0-0 8.0-0 e5 9.d5 Nd4 10.Nxd4 exd4 11.Ne2 Re8
12.Qc2 a5 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bd2 c5 15.dxc6 bxc6 16.Nxd4 Qb6
17.Bc3 Nd7 Bunzmann-Bologan, Biel 1999.
7...0-0 8.Be3
White does not hurry to castle and waits until Black carries out his
main idea of ...e5 and ...Nd4.
8.Bg5 h6 9.Be3 Re8 10.Bd3 Nd7 11.Bc2 Nb6 12.b3 a5 13.Qd2 a4
14.Bxh6 axb3 15.Bxb3 Na5 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Qa2 e5 18.dxe5
dxe5 19.c5 ( 19.Nd5 Nd7 20.Bc2 b6 21.h4 c6 22.Ne3 Nf6
Krasenkow-Bologan, Xianxi 2001) 19...Nxb3 20.Qxb3 Nd7
21.Qb4 c6 22.Nd2 Nb8 23.Qb2 Na6 24.Na4 Qa5 25.Qc2 Rd8
26.Rd1 Be6 27.0-0 Rd4 was Conquest-Bologan, Ohrid 2001.
8...Re8 9.Bd3
Directed against ...e5 followed by ...Nd4. If 9.Be2 e5 10.d5 Nd4
11.Nxd4 exd4 12.Bxd4 Nxe4 Black easily equalizes.
9...Nd7
9...e5? 10.d5 Nd4 11.Nxd4 exd4 12.Bxd4 Bf5 13.f3 ( 13.0-0 Nxe4
14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Bxe4 Bxe4 16.Qd4+ Qf6 with equality).
233
10.Be2!
A subtle move. Black has taken a piece off the e4-square but
strengthened the pressure on d4, so White does the same.
10.Bc2 Na5 11.b3 a6 12.0-0 c5; 10.Bg5!? Bf6 11.Bxf6 Nxf6 12.0-0
e5 13.d5 Nd4.
10...e5 11.d5

Thus far everything has followed the Englishman’s home analysis. I

understood that something more was required of me than a simple
continuation, which would inevitably lead to a strategically difficult
position.
11...Nd4!
Black sacrifices a central pawn, obtaining some prospects of
compensation. How real they were took me an hour’s thought to
establish.
11...Ne7 12.g4.
12.Nxd4 exd4 13.Bxd4 Bxd4 14.Qxd4 Nc5
Exploiting the weakness of b3.

234
15.Rd1!?
During the game I thought this move was practically obligatory, but
the computer asserts that 15.Bd1 is also not bad. Admittedly, it also
agrees that after 15...Nxe4 16.Nxe4 f5 17.Bc2 fxe4 18.0-0 Qg5
19.Qe3 Qxe3 20.fxe3 Bd7 the position is completely equal. True,
White can still fight for an advantage after 19.Qc3!? Bf5 20.Rae1.
15...Qg5!?
During the aforementioned hour-long ‘tank’, I mostly looked at
15...f5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.0-0 Nb3 18.Qf4 Bc2 19.Rde1 g5

analysis diagram
20.Qg4! (I was more afraid of 20.Qg3 Nd2 21.f4 Nxf1 22.Rxf1, but
after 22...Qe7 followed by the exchange of queens on either e3 or
e5, equality is established) 20...Nd2 21.Rc1 Bg6 22.Rfe1 Nb3
23.Rcd1 Bc2 24.Bf3 Bxd1 25.Rxe8+ Qxe8 26.Bxd1. White has
more than sufficient compensation for the sacrificed exchange. He
can put off regaining the pawn on g5 and continue to strengthen his
position with Bc2, b4, Ne4.

235
However, instead of 21.Rc1, the move 21.Bd1! is stronger; for
example, 21...Bg6 22.Rxe8+ Qxe8 23.Ba4! Qe5 24.Rd1 (perhaps
24.Rc1!? is more accurate) 24...h5 25.Qe6+! ( 25.Qd7 Re8 26.Qxc7
Qe1+! 27.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 28.Kh2 Nf1+ leads to a draw by perpetual
check) 25...Qxe6 26.dxe6 Nxc4 27.Bb3 Nxb2 28.Rd5, and Black
will have to fight for a draw.
16.Bf3
Tempting, but also possible was 16.Kf1 f5 17.exf5 Bxf5 18.h4 Qh6,
or 16.g3 Nb3 ( 16...f5 17.h4 Qh6 18.f3 Nb3 19.Qf6 ) 17.Qd3 Nc5
18.Qc2 f5 – in both cases Black has excellent play.
16...f5 17.0-0

17...f4!
Another key moment in the game. I had to choose between the text
move and 17...fxe4, after which it is Black who must fight for a
draw. For example: 18.Nxe4 ( 18.Bxe4 Bxh3 19.f4 Qg3 ) 18...Nxe4
19.Bxe4 Bxh3 20.f4 Qe7 21.Bxg6 hxg6 22.gxh3 Qe3+, and despite
the pawn minus, Black has good drawing chances.

236
I was less happy about 21.Rfe1 Bg4 ( 21...Qh4 22.gxh3 Qg3+
23.Kf1 ) 22.Bxg6 Qxe1+ 23.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 24.Kf2 Re2+ 25.Kg3
hxg6 26.Kxg4 Rxg2+ 27.Kf3 ( 27.Kh3 Re2 28.Qd3 Rae8 29.Qxg6+
Kf8 ), in which I did not see the simple defence suggested by Mark
Dvoretsky – 27...Rh2! and if 28.Qf6, then 28...Rh3+ 29.Kg4 Rh7
with equality.
18.Kh2 Nd7!
After my defeat in the second round in the King’s Indian Defence
against Bacrot, I received a little lesson from Almira Skripchenko,
from which it followed that the knight should be put on e5. Despite
certain specific difficulties with the translation of this in this game, I
decided to continue the calculation and, in the end, discovered the
tactical support for the cherished plan.
19.Bg4
Black has greater problems after 19.Nb5 Ne5 20.Qc3 (Komliakov).
19...Ne5 20.Bxc8
20.f3 Bxg4 21.fxg4 Rf8.
20...f3!
It is this zwischenzug that allows Black to keep the initiative for a
long time. Worse was 20...Raxc8 21.f3, and White’s extra pawn
should gradually tell.
21.g3
Not 21.Bg4?? Nxg4+ 22.hxg4 Qh4+ 23.Kg1 Qxg4 24.g3 Qh3.
21...Raxc8 22.Rh1
Sadler played this natural move practically at once, since I was not
the only one in time-trouble.
22.Qxa7 Ng4+ 23.Kg1 Qh5 24.h4 g5 with a crushing attack.
22...a6
For the first time in the game, we have a more or less quiet position.

237
Black must slowly prepare an attack on the king: ...Re7, ...Rf8-f6,
...Qh6, ...g5 etc., whilst White gradually speculates with ideas of
exchanging knights; admittedly, to do this he must pay special
attention to the e4-pawn.
23.Qd2!?
Matthew decides not to risk anything and to go into an endgame.
The alternative was 23.b3 Re7 24.Nb1 Rf8 25.Nd2 with unclear
play.
23...Qxd2 24.Rxd2 Nxc4 25.Rd4 Ne5 26.Rc1?
In essence, this is the first and perhaps only serious mistake in the
game – one that decides the outcome in my favour. It was essential
to open the king’s path into the centre: 26.g4 Kf7 27.Kg3 h5 28.g5
Ke7 29.Rc1 Rf8 with equality.
26...h5 27.Nb1 g5 28.Nd2 g4 29.h4 Kf7
Black for the moment improves the position of his pieces in the
hope of soon opening a file somewhere.

238
30.Kg1 Re7 31.Kf1 Nd7 32.Rdc4 Nf6 33.R1c3 b5!? 34.Rd4 Nd7
35.Ke1 Nc5 36.b4?!
Succumbing to provocation, Sadler weakens his queenside, which
makes it possible for me to open the a-file. It was essential to play
36.Kd1 a5 37.Kc2 with some chances of saving the game.
36...Na4 37.Rc6

37...a5!
Black’s dreams have been realized.
38.bxa5 Nc5 39.Kd1 Ra8 40.a6 Nxa6 41.Rc3
41.a4 loses to 41...Nb8 42.Rc3 bxa4 43.Ra3 Nd7 44.Raxa4 Rxa4
45.Rxa4 Nc5 46.Rd4 Re8; 41.Nb3? Nb8.
41...Nc5 42.Kc2 Kf6
Black’s plan is quite clear: he needs to put his king on e5 and
exchange a pair of rooks on a4, after which the e4-pawn will be
doomed.
43.Rb4 Ra5 44.Re3 Re8!?

239
On 44...Ke5 White has the tactical resource 45.Nxf3+, and although
after 45...gxf3 46.Rxf3 Nxe4 47.Rxe4+ Kxe4 48.Re3+ Kxd5
49.Rxe7 Rxa3 50.Rxc7 Rf3 Black keeps a large part of his
advantage, this was all quite unnecessary from my point of view.
45.Kc1 Ke5 46.Kc2 Rea8 47.Kb2 R8a6 48.Ka2 Ra4 49.Rxb5
Rb6!
Everything goes according to plan.
50.Rxb6 cxb6 51.Kb2 Nxe4 52.Kb3 Rd4?
A simpler win was 52...b5 53.Nxe4 Rxe4 54.Rxe4+ Kxe4 55.Kb4
Kd3.
53.Nxe4 Rxe4 54.Rxe4+ Kxe4 55.Kc4 b5+! 56.Kxb5 Kd3
57.Kc6
57.a4 Ke2 58.a5 Kxf2 59.a6 Kxg3 60.a7 f2 61.a8Q f1Q+ 62.Kc6
Qf4 wins for Black.
57...Ke2 58.Kxd6 Kxf2 59.Ke5 Kxg3 60.d6 f2 61.d7 f1Q 62.d8Q
Kh3 63.Qd7 Kxh4 0-1

Lessons:
1) Sometimes you have to sacrifice a pawn ‘on spec’ when in the
normal course of events you get just a very gloomy position. If
Black doesn’t play 10...e5 and 11...Nd4, then all his pieces are
placed ridiculously.
2) 17...f4! – Black closes the position, leaving the e5-square for
himself, while his light-squared bishop is much stronger than its
counterpart. As a rule, in such positions Black gains the prospect of
an attack on the kingside.
3) In the endgame, it is desirable to fix weaknesses in the enemy’s
camp such that, if they fall, his entire position collapses. In this
game, Black deliberately fixed the f2-pawn, while still limiting the
white king’s freedom to manoeuvre.

240
Ruy Lopez
Victor Bologan
Vladimir Tkachiev
Enghien-les-Bains 1999
This game completed a super-series of five successive wins after my
first win and loss. It was very striking.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5

A move that has entered modern practice after my game with Vlad
from the tournament in Tilburg in 1994. This variation is named
differently depending on who, or where, you ask: both the New
Arkhangel and the Ukrainian, plus others. Tkachiev is one of the
main specialists for Black here.
From the very first moves, Black begins an active struggle for the
centre. The dark-squared bishop is brought to the g1-a7 diagonal,
the light-squared one will move to g4 and help increase the pressure
on the d4-square. But Black has not had time to castle yet, and
White can immediately launch an attack on the b5-pawn. Around
these two points, this whole variation revolves.
241
7.a4 Rb8 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bb6 10.Na3 0-0 11.axb5 axb5 12.Nxb5
exd4
Before the game, I skimmed through what the Yugoslav Informant
had to say about this hyper-popular variation, and was pleasantly
surprised that, in addition to the well-known game Svidler-Shirov
from Linares 1998, there was also a selection on this topic. It was
thanks to this material that my attention was drawn to the possibility
of 12...exd4. Shirov, in the aforementioned game, continued
12...Bg4 13.Re1 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Nh5, and after 15.Kh1! Qf6 16.Rg1
Nf4 17.Be3 could not find enough compensation for the pawn.
Or 13.Bc2 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Nh5 15.Kh1 Qf6 16.Ra4 Nf4 17.Rg1 Ne7
18.Be3 Neg6 19.Rg3 Nh5 20.Rg4 h6 21.Na3 Nh4 22.Bd3 Ra8
23.Rxa8 Rxa8 24.Be2 Ng6 25.Nc4 with a clear extra pawn for
White, Leko-Karjakin, Dortmund 2004.
13.cxd4 Bg4

14.Ra4!
Suggested by Svidler in that Informant volume. Previously, White
had played 14.Bc2 Re8 15.h3 Bxf3 16.gxf3 Nh5 17.f4 Qh4 18.Qg4
242
Qxg4+ 19.hxg4 Nf6 20.Ba4 Re7 with equality (Conquest-Flear,
France tt 1998) and 14.Re1!? d5 (Black does not regain the pawn
after 14...Bxf3 15.gxf3 Nxd4 16.Nxd4 Bxd4 17.Bxf7+ Rxf7
18.Qxd4 Nd7 19.Ra3 ) 15.exd5 Nxd5 16.h3 Bh5 17.g4 Bg6 18.Nc3
Ndb4 19.Bg5 Qd7 20.d5 Qd6 ( 20...Na5!? 21.Ne5 Qc8 ) 21.Kf1
Na5 22.Be7 Qf4 23.Rxa5! Bxa5 24.Re3 Bb6 25.Ne2 Qh6 26.Kg2,
and the black queen was in trouble in Anand-Oll, Belgrade 1999.
14...Re8
Bad is 14...Nxe4? 15.Bd5 Qe8 16.Qc2 Ne7 17.Bxe4 Qxb5
18.Bxh7+ Kh8 19.Be4, as is 14...Bd7 15.Nc3 Na5 16.Ra3 Nxb3
17.Rxb3 Bg4 18.Qd3, retaining a healthy extra pawn.
15.Re1
After the game I looked at 15.Bg5!? h6 16.Bd5! Ne7 ( 16...Bxf3
17.gxf3 hxg5 18.Bxc6 Re6 19.Nc3 Nh5 20.Nd5 Nf4 21.Qd2 Nxd5
22.Bxd5 Rh6 23.Rfa1 Qd7 24.Ra8 Rxa8 25.Rxa8+ Kh7 26.e5 dxe5
27.dxe5 Qh3 28.Bxf7 ± Karjakin-Tkachiev, Biel 2003) 17.Bxf6
gxf6 18.Nc3 with advantage.
15...Qd7
This move is considered strongest.
16.Bc2 d5
Black is excellently prepared for play in the centre.
17.e5 Ne4 18.Nc3!
18.Bxe4 dxe4 19.Rxe4 Nxe5!.
18...Nxe5! 19.dxe5!
Taking up the gauntlet. I had to force myself to overcome the
temptation to head for the quiet drawing harbour after 19.Nxe4 dxe4
20.dxe5 exf3 21.Qxd7 ( 21.gxf3 Qxd1 22.Bxd1 Bd7 23.Rh4 Ba5
24.Re3 Bf5 25.Ra4 Bb4 26.f4 Red8 Magem Badals-Piket, France tt
2001) 21...Bxd7 22.Rh4 h6 23.gxf3 Red8. Unclear play results from
19.Bxe4 dxe4 20.Nxe5 Rxe5 21.Qd2 Ree8.
243
19...Bxf3
19...Nxf2?! 20.Qxd5 Nd3+ 21.Kf1 Qxd5 ( 21...Nxe1 22.Nxe1 )
22.Nxd5 Bxf3 23.Nf6+! ( 23.gxf3? Nxe1 24.Kxe1 Rxe5 ) 23...gxf6
24.Bxd3 Rbd8! ( 24...Bc6 25.Rg4+ Kh8 26.exf6 ) 25.gxf3 Rxd3
26.exf6 Rxf3+ 27.Kg2 Rf2+ 28.Kg3 Rd8 29.Rd1 Re8 30.Re4.
Despite the paucity of material remaining on the board, White has a
serious advantage.
19...Bxf2 gives White a minimal advantage with 20.Kh1 Bxe1
21.Qxe1 Nxc3 ( 21...f5 22.Rd4 Bxf3 23.gxf3 Nxc3 24.bxc3 Qe6
25.f4 ) 22.Qxc3 Bxf3 23.gxf3 Qh3 24.Kg1 c5.
20.Qxf3 Bxf2+ 21.Kh1
After 21.Kf1 Bxe1 22.Nxe4 dxe4 23.Qxe4 Bd2 24.Qxh7+ Kf8
25.Qh8+ Ke7 White has nothing better than to repeat moves:
26.Qh4+ Kf8.

21...Nxc3?
It seemed to me that I was winning beautifully after 21...Bxe1
22.Nxe4 Rxe5 23.Nf6+! gxf6 24.Rg4+ Kf8 25.Qxf6 Qxg4
26.Qh8+ Ke7 27.Qxe5+ Qe6 28.Bg5+, but Black can obtain the
244
advantage after the surprising 22...dxe4 23.Qxe4 g6! 24.Qxe1 Qc6
25.Qe4 Rxe5! 26.Qxe5 Qxc2 27.Re4 Qxc1+ 28.Re1 Qc2
(Komliakov).
22.Rg4!
An important zwischenzug. The resources of the position permit
White not to spend time regaining the material ( 22.Qxf2 Nxa4
23.Qh4 h6 24.Bxa4 c6 25.Qg3 ), but to go on the attack
immediately.
22...Bxe1
22...Ne4 23.Rgxe4 dxe4 24.Qxf2± .
23.Bh6 Qxg4
Black loses after 23...f5 24.Bxf5 Qe7 25.Bxg7 Qxg7 26.Rxg7+
Kxg7 27.Qh5 or 23...Ne4 24.Rxg7+ Kh8 25.Bxe4 dxe4 26.Qf6.
24.Qxg4 g6 25.Qf3!
It is important to take control of c3. If 25.bxc3? Bxc3.
25...Bh4 26.Qxc3
With an extra piece, White is completely winning, but time-trouble
and accumulated fatigue could have played a cruel trick on me.
26...d4 27.Qxd4 Bf6 28.Bf4 Re6 29.h3 Bg7 30.Bb3 Reb6 31.Bc4
Rxb2 32.Qd7 Rf8 33.Qxc7 h6 34.Qc6 g5 35.Be3
35.Bg3 won as well.
35...Rb1+ 36.Bg1 Rd8 37.Be2 Re1 38.Qb5 Rd2

245
39.e6??
Believe it or not, this penultimate move before the time control
throws away the win. The simple 39.Qe8+ Kh7 40.Bf3 Rxe5
41.Qxf7 brings the game to a logical end. White also wins after
39.Bh5 Rxe5 40.Qb8+ Kh7 41.Bxf7.
39...fxe6??
Black lost on time, whereas after 39...Rdxe2 it is White who has to
seek the narrow path to a draw.

Lessons:
1) Sometimes it makes sense to turn on the engine in critical
positions and use it not only to check variations, but also to give
ideas. The move 14.Ra4 was suggested in Informant, but I gained a
lot of accompanying ideas confirming that this move is strong by
working with a computer. The combination of human labour and
computer capabilities produces good results. Of course, the engine’s
‘hints’ should not be abused.

246
 2) When the game enters a period of tactical complications, don’t
be afraid to calculate the blows, even if your opponent is attacking
your king. If you calculate such variations move by move, it often
turns out that something like 20...Bxf2+ is just one check.
3) Often a completely won position can be ruined due to time
pressure. Therefore, the time factor must be taken into account,
along with such factors as material or positional superiority. Time
advantage is just the same as material and other types of advantage.
Before the two final rounds, I broke away from my pursuers by a
whole point. But the strain affected the seemingly most cloudless
situation. Long tense games, plus no less lengthy and intense
preparation for them, led to a record resignation against Lautier on
only the 10th move. Due to inertia, I also lost in the final round to
Ponomariov and ended up second, though with a consolation prize
for combativeness.
The tournament showed that, under certain conditions, I was quite
capable of fighting for first place, but still, more than a year
remained before the breakthrough from the dense lower-layers of
the top hundred in the world. This despite managing two victories in
1999, in Vermont (together with Jaan Ehlvest) and at Christmas in
Belfort.
Sicilian Defence
Victor Bologan
Vadim Zviagintsev
Belfort 1999
The situation in which both opponents found themselves after an
unsuccessful start had, as it were, two main tonalities. The first – I
wanted to win and get back to the ‘fifty kopecks’, and the second
was my awareness of the strength of my opponent and the danger of
losing associated with this. Usually, the opening decides a lot in
such meetings.

247
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6
Well, Vadim managed to surprise me. He usually chooses the early
development of the bishop on d7.
In general, the Rauzer Variation is quite pleasant to play with White.
The pieces develop quite naturally, creating threats to the opponent.
One of the main ideas is to use the bishop’s overload on e7 to
double the opponent’s f-pawns, weaken the king, and then launch an
attack on the kingside. Another plan is to retreat with the bishop
from g5 and advance with the pawns (f3, g4, h4 or f4 and e5).
Black, as a rule, carries out the standard Sicilian plan: ...Nxd4, ...a6,
...b5 or ...Qc7, ...Nc6-a5-c4, ...a6, ...b5. One should also always
consider the ...d6-d5 break.
7.Qd2 Be7 8.0-0-0 0-0

9.f3
And another surprise in return! White avoids the multi-variation
theory arising after 9.f4, and shifts the weight of the struggle to a
manoeuvring middlegame, where over the next few moves each side
will be left to his own devices.
248
9...a6 10.h4
An obligatory move-order, otherwise Black has ...Nxe4 blows
available; for example, 10.Kb1 Nxd4 11.Qxd4 Nxe4.
10...Nxd4 11.Qxd4 b5 12.Kb1 Bb7
12...Rb8 13.Qd2 b4 14.Ne2 a5 15.Nd4 Bd7 16.g4 a4 17.Be3 Ne8
18.g5 Nc7 19.f4 Bologan-Aseev, Ohrid 2001.
13.Qd2
White wants to place his bishop on d3, which would cramp the
queen on d4.
13...Rc8
For 13...Qc7 see Game 31.
14.Bd3 Nd7!
Zviagintsev discerns the subtleties of the position. Attempts at pawn
activity would only play into White’s hands: 14...d5 15.e5 Nd7
16.f4 or 14...b4 15.Ne2 a5 16.Nd4 Qb6 17.Be3.

15.a3!

249
This move, despite its naturalness, cost me a lot of time. My first
thought was to punish the opponent for weakening d6, but the
following variation convinced me of the fruitlessness of my efforts:
15.Bxe7 Qxe7 16.Be2 Rc6 17.a3 Rfc8. I decided to continue with
waiting tactics and for the moment refrained from the standard
manoeuvre in such positions, Nc3-e2-d4.
15...Nb6
Black’s idea is simple – to play ...d5. The alternative was 15...Ne5
16.Be2 Rc6 ( 16...f6!? 17.Be3 Nc4 ) 17.Bxe7 ( 17.Na2 f6 18.Bf4 f5
with sufficient counterplay) 17...Qxe7 18.f4! Nc4 19.Bxc4 Rxc4
20.Qxd6 Qxd6 21.Rxd6 Bxe4 22.Nxe4 Rxe4 23.g3 Ra8 24.Rhd1
h5, again with sufficient counterplay for Black.
16.Ne2
On 16.Be2 Black would carry out his idea in a favourable form:
16...d5 17.e5 Qc7 ( 17...Nc4 18.Bxc4 dxc4 19.Qd7! ) 18.Bxe7
Qxe7.
16...f6
One way or another, Black has to decide on a pawn advance. The
programmed 16...d5 is worse, upon which there would follow 17.e5
Nc4 18.Bxc4 Rxc4 ( 18...dxc4 19.Qd7! ) 19.Nd4² .
17.Be3 Nc4
On 17...d5 I was prepared to play 18.Nf4. Admittedly, the modern
engine gives equality here too, after a fascinating variation with
mutual extermination of almost all the forces: 18...dxe4 19.Nxe6
exd3 20.Nxd8 dxc2+ 21.Qxc2 Rxc2 22.Kxc2 Bxd8 23.Rxd8 Rxd8
24.Bxb6.
18.Bxc4 Rxc4 19.Nd4?!
The wrong path! At this point, it seemed to me that as well as
attacking functions, the knight should also perform some defensive
duties. Only after a few more moves did I realize that the queenside

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can take care of itself. Correct was 19.b3 Rc8 20.Nf4 Qd7 21.h5! or
even the immediate 19.h5!?.
19...Qd7 20.Nb3 Ba8?!
In truth, it should be said that the position has fully equalized, but
that is all. But Vadim thought that he had seized the initiative and he
commits the first in a series of inaccuracies. Better was 20...Rfc8
21.c3 Ba8 22.Na5 Ra4.
21.Nc5 Qc8 22.Nd3 Qb7?!
22...Qd7 was at least one tempo better. But he was playing for a
win!

23.b3!
If you’re going to move a pawn in front of your king, then it is
better to move two! No, I have not gone mad – this is just an
elementary device for defending against a minority pawn attack.
Now on ...b4 there follows a4 and on an eventual ...a4, of course, b4
!

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The classic example of this idea is Spassky-Petrosian, Moscow
1966, Game 7. This is what Kasparov says about it:

18...a6! ‘The point of the idea: now the opponent cannot start an
attack and play is all in one direction.’
23...Rcc8 24.Nf4
Finally!
24...Qd7 25.h5
Now White has an extra possibility, involving a sacrifice on g6.
25...Rf7?
Evidently the decisive mistake. The desire to play solidly deprives
Black of any counterplay and the intended ...f5 will always be met
by e5. At the same time, Black could double his rooks on the c-file:
25...Rc7!? or 25...Rc6! 26.Qf2 Rfc8 27.Rd2 Bd8 with mutual
chances.
26.Kb2!

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Another difficult move. I did not really want to put the king on the
a1-h8 diagonal, but it is necessary. The pawn on a3 must be
defended, else it may just be lost after some sort of ...d5 break.
26...f5 27.e5 Qc6 28.Nd3
On 28.Ng6 Black can choose between 28...Bd8 and 28...hxg6
29.hxg6 Rff8 30.Rh7 Qe8 31.Bh6 Qxg6 32.Rxg7+ Qxg7 33.Bxg7
Kxg7 34.exd6 Bf6+ 35.Kb1 with mutual chances.
28...Qd5
28...d5 29.h6 g6 30.Bd4.
29.Bf4 dxe5 30.Bxe5 Bf6 31.Qe3 Rfc7 32.Rd2 Rc3 33.Re1

White has fully neutralized Black’s play and now goes over to
collecting the fruits.
33...Qxe5
Pretty. I have to admit that, being in some slight time-trouble, this
came as an unpleasant shock for a few seconds.
33...Bxe5 34.Qxe5 Qxe5 35.Rxe5 Kf7 36.b4 R3c6 37.Nc5± .
34.Nxe5 Rxe3 35.Rxe3 Be4
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Or 35...Bg5 36.Ree2 Bxd2 37.Rxd2.
36.f4 Rc5 37.Rc3 Rxe5 38.Rc8+ Kf7 39.Rd7+ 1-0

Lessons:
1) In the initial stage of the middlegame, one must clearly
understand how to arrange the pieces and figure out a plan. The
move 13.Qd2 is due to the presence of such a plan (transferring the
knight to d4).
2) One of the paradoxical methods of defence is the movement of
pawns in front of the king. If only one pawn is advanced, say a3,
then Black can attack it with ...b4 and after a4 continue the attack
with ...b3. If the white pawns are on a3 and b3, then in response to
...b5-b4 the move a3-a4 quite reliably closes the position. So, 23.b3!
does not so much weaken the cover of the king as create an
additional reserve of protection.
3) Often in positions where a dynamic balance has been
established, it makes sense to protect your weaknesses in advance.
This goal is pursued by the move 26.Kb2! – so that the a3-pawn
does not hang in any complications.

In a word, my results went up. True, I did not play very well at the
tournament in New York, but I kept a diary every day, and the

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underlying mood affected me later on. Here is an entry dated May
14, 2000, Moscow, Strogino:
The last game I played in the New York Open was a draw against
Fishbein with Black. A new variation for me in the Paulsen, it seems
to be a promising continuation. Endured the travel quite well, today
I was out running. I got up at 5.30 in the morning, but there is
nothing wrong with that, the sun rose even earlier. The mood is
good, ready for the final stage of preparation for the zonal.
Programme for action before the zonal, in the period 14.05 to
24.05:
1) Prepare, write down and print out Paulsen and 1...e5 for Black.
2) Find out the final composition of the participants, prepare for
each of them. Considering that there is not much time, work on the
problem areas and determine the surprise directions, taking into
account the accumulated experience.
3) From Monday, start daily classes with Dvoretsky for an hour
and a half a day.
4) Prepare and send the games to ‘Informant’.
5) Spend interesting free time.
6) On 1.d4 – Nimzo-Indian and 1...d5 with Black.
As Lanka likes to say: ‘I have not yet seen anyone who was harmed
by work on chess.’ Remembering the golden words of the coach, I
often forced myself to study alone, but it is much more convenient
for me to study in pairs: Alexei Shirov, Viorel Iordachescu, Alexey
Fedorov, Igor Lysyj, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, Alexander
Morozevich, Borki Predojevic, Alexander Onischuk, Alexander
Riazantsev, Ruslan Ponomariov, Vladimir Kramnik, Dmitry
Svetushkin, Judit Polgar, Ernesto Inarkiev, Alexander Motylev – the
list could be continued for a long time. Sufficiently intensive work
in sparring helped me a lot, and in the summer of 2000 there was a
real breakthrough – I won four tournaments in a row and

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unexpectedly found myself in the 19th position on the world rating
list.
The first in this list of tournaments was the World Championship
Zonal tournament in Minsk. Compared to 1995, our zone was
truncated; the Ukrainians did not play, only players from
Azerbaijan, Moldova and Belarus. Already at the start, I had to play
one of my main competitors, the Belarussian grandmaster Andrey
Kovalev. By then, I had already managed to prepare the Najdorf
Variation for Black and I entered battle. The experience of the
previous zonal showed that in order to qualify for the next stage of
the World Championship, you need to score a lot of points. And
there were only two qualifying places. Looking ahead, I will say that
the second ticket went to the second Viorel – Viorel Iordachescu.
Minsk 2000 can safely be called the peak of our cooperation.
Despite the fact that the competition was individual, the Moldovan
delegation went everywhere together and supported each other. I
really enjoyed walking along the empty spacious central streets and
avenues of the Belarussian capital. In addition to two Viorels, the
younger Dima Svetushkin and Ruslan Soltanich also played there.
Sicilian Defence
Andrey Kovalev
Victor Bologan
Minsk zt 2000
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5
This ‘objection’ is considered the most aggressive and at the same
time is very well studied.
White undertakes to launch an attack from the very first moves.

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This attack is usually associated with all sorts of sacrifices (pawns
on b2, e5, pieces on e6, f5, b5, etc.). White has many tempting
attacking ideas, but Black’s defensive resources are also very large,
so in order to play this variation successfully, one must know the
theory well.
6...e6 7.Qd3
The main continuation is 7.f4. With the move in the game, White
tries to get away from theory.
7...Nbd7 8.0-0-0 b5 9.f4
Frankly speaking, I do not see any great pluses in the queen’s
position on d3, apart from the fact that it defends e4. Meanwhile, the
minuses are obvious: it is hit with tempo after ...Nc5 or a possible
exchange on e5.
9...b4 10.Nce2
The popular sacrifice 10.Nd5?! seems insufficient; for example,
10...exd5 11.exd5 Nc5 12.Re1+ Kd7 13.Qc4 Bb7, and White
already has problems defending the pawn on d5. Of course, the

257
position remains very sharp, but I do not think that White can have
the advantage here.
If 10.Na4, then 10...Bb7, increasing the pressure on the e4-pawn.
10...Qa5
This tempting move was a novelty. Black moves the queen out of
the pin, attacks a2, and threatens to win the e4-pawn with the move
...Nc5.
The immediate 10...Nc5 is weaker because of 11.Qf3 Bb7 12.Ng3
Qa5? ( 12...Be7! ) 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Bc4 Rc8 15.Qh5, and White has
the initiative. The resulting pawn structure reminds one very much
of the Rauzer, but in a favourable version for White.

11.Bxf6
An interesting attempt to sharpen the game is 11.Qc4!?. But if
Black reacts calmly with 11...Bb7 12.Nb3 Qb6 ( 12...Qxa2? loses to
13.Qxb4 Bxe4 14.Nc3 and 13...Nc5 14.Nc3 Nxb3+ 15.cxb3 Qa1+
16.Kc2 is also fatal) 13.Ng3 Rc8 ( 13...d5 14.exd5 Bxd5 ) 14.Qd4
Qc7 ( 14...Qxd4 15.Rxd4 is good for White) 15.Bd3 a5 16.Kb1 a4
17.Nd2 d5, then we reach a very pleasant position for Black.
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11.Nb3 is bad because of 11...Qxa2.
11...Nxf6 12.e5
Possibly better was the quiet 12.Kb1 Bb7 13.Ng3 Be7, not driving
the black knight to a good square.
12...Nd5
Of course, the pawn cannot be taken – 12...dxe5?? 13.Nc6 Qd5
14.Qf3.
13.Kb1 dxe5 14.fxe5 Bb7 15.Ng3
It is well-known that Andrey conducts attacks very well and so I
was paying careful attention to ensure he did not land some sort of
blow. On 15.Qg3 there would follow 15...g6.

15...0-0-0!
If 15...Be7 16.Nh5 Black could come under attack: 16...g6 17.Ng7+
Kf8 ( 17...Kd7 18.Qh3 Qb6 19.Ndxe6 fxe6 20.Bc4 ) 18.Ngxe6+
fxe6 19.Nxe6+ Kf7 20.Qh3 Rac8 ( 20...Bc8 21.Bc4 Bxe6 22.Rhf1+
) 21.Be2 etc.

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For the sake of correctness, it should be mentioned that the modern
engine easily repulses White’s attack: 16...0-0 (instead of 16...g6 )
17.Qg3 g6 18.Bd3 Nc3+! 19.bxc3 bxc3 20.Qf4 Rab8 21.Nb3 Qa3
22.Qc1 Qxc1+ 23.Rxc1 gxh5 with an extra pawn and two strong
bishops in the ending. But, firstly, this variation is complicated and
far from obvious and, secondly, why give a talented tactician a
chance to show his ability?
Of course, my decision to play the Najdorf was quite a responsible
one, but I understood that I needed to win this game. Black can
allow himself long castling thanks to his strong knight on d5 and
also because his two bishops control all the squares on the
queenside.
It was also worth considering 15...Rd8 and 15...Qb6 (Komliakov).
16.Be2 Qb6
I refrained from 16...Nf4 because of 17.Qc4+ ( 17.Nb3 Rxd3
18.Nxa5 Rxd1+ 19.Rxd1 Nxe2 20.Nxe2 Bxg2 21.Nf4 Ba8 ), but
the position after 17...Qc5 18.Rhf1 Nxe2 favours Black. However,
the move in the game does not spoil anything and, in addition,
creates the unpleasant threat of 17...Nc3+.
17.Rhf1?
If 17.Ka1 Black could by means of 17...Nf4 go into the variation
examined above, but in a more favourable form for him (the white
king is on a1, even further from the centre). For instance, 18.Qc4+ (
18.Qd2?! Nxg2 19.c3 Bc5 and Black is better) 18...Qc5 ( 18...Kb8
19.Nc6+ Bxc6 20.Rxd8+ Qxd8 21.Qxc6 is good for White) 19.Rhf1
Nxe2 20.Qxc5+ Bxc5 21.Ngxe2 Rhf8.
Apparently, White should have preferred 17.Qc4+ Kb8 18.Nb3 Be7
19.Bf3 or 17.Ne4!? Nf4 18.Qc4+ Kb8 19.Nc6+! Bxc6 20.Rxd8+
Qxd8 21.Qxc6 Nxe2 22.Qxa6 Nf4 23.Rf1, when the activity of the
white pieces is enough for a draw.

260
17...Nc3+! 18.bxc3 bxc3+ 19.Nb3 Rxd3 20.Rxd3 Bb4
It is necessary to complete development as soon as possible, without
hanging onto pawns. Black has a decisive material advantage, but
the few remaining pieces on the board and the insecure position of
Black’s king allow White to continue the fight.
20...Qc7 21.Bf3.
21.a3
If 21.Rxf7 play would develop along analogous lines to the game:
21...a5 22.a3 Bxa3 23.Rxc3+ Kb8 24.Bf3 Bxf3 25.Rcxf3 a4 26.Ka2
Bb4 27.Na1 Qc5 and Black wins.
21...Bxa3 22.Rxc3+ Kb8 23.Rxf7 a5 24.Bf3 Bxf3 25.gxf3 Bb4
He also wins after 25...a4 26.Rf4 Bb4 27.Rcc4 Bd2 28.Rfd4 axb3
29.Rxd2 Rc8.
26.Rc4 Rc8!
The active white rook must be exchanged.
27.Rxc8+ Kxc8 28.Ka2 a4 29.Nc1 Qc5 30.Kb1 Bc3 31.Nd3 Qa3
0-1
261
Lessons:
1) The Sicilian Defence is always a combination of defence and
attack. 10...Qa5 is such a move. If in this opening Black limits
himself only to repelling threats, then the outcome of the game in
favour of the attacking side is predetermined. Therefore, it is
important to always think about attack.
2) As a rule in the Sicilian, Black castles short, but if the black
king is already awaited on the kingside (in particular, if White has
prepared the Nh5 jump), then it is quite possible to castle the other
way (15...0-0-0!). And although there is almost no pawn cover there,
the king is reliably protected by pieces; a particularly good position
is occupied by the knight on d5.
3) In the Sicilian Defence, as in any opening, there are a number
of standard strikes, including the jump of a black knight to c3.
Knowing these tricks makes your life much easier.
Of course, this game cannot be called a ‘diamond of chess thought’,
but it turned out to be very important for me psychologically. It
became the first in a series of seven victories, after which I qualified
for the next stage of the World Championship cycle quite easily,
finishing the tournament with 11 points out of 13.
After Minsk came Beijing. This was my second category 16
tournament after Enghien, but this time I got the winner’s vase on
tiebreak as a result of the tie for 1st-4th places. It is necessary to
note the help of our Moldovan embassy, and especially Ambassador
Vasily Shova. It so happened that during the tournament I fell ill,
and in addition to the medicines supplied by the embassy, the
presence of the Ambassador himself helped me – both at the
opening and at the closing ceremony. Since then, Vasily
Vladimirovich and I have continued to be friends.

262
In general, I like China, although he who says that we are from
different planets will not be much mistaken: the alphabet, music,
philosophy, thinking and even the political system of the Chinese
are radically different from those of Europe. Now, after so many
years, I can only confirm that this is a very wise nation with roots
going back five thousand years and a strategic vision for centuries to
come. The cities and roads built over the past twenty years are
simply impressive, not to mention the economy, technology, and
trade. Maybe that’s why I’m drawn there – I made friends with
China and its wonderful people, which I wish for others.
Sicilian Defence
Victor Bologan
Ye Jiangchuan
263
Beijing 2000
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6
In our previous game, in which I played White, we discussed a
Scheveningen (arising out of a Paulsen with 2...Nc6). Dissatisfied
with the result, my opponent decides to seek happiness in the
Rauzer Variation instead. In fact, it was also interesting for me to
see something new in this variation.
3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 Be7 8.0-0-0 0-
0 9.f3
The new fashion! Because I had annotated my game against
Zviagintsev at Belfort 1999 (see Game 29) in the press, my
opponent knew about my thoughts on this position.
9...a6 10.h4 Nxd4 11.Qxd4 b5 12.Kb1 Bb7 13.Qd2 Qc7
In the aforementioned game, Black had chosen 13...Rc8.

14.Ne2

264
It is no great secret that White is preparing to put the knight on d4
and the bishop on d3, and then will prepare a pawn storm on the
kingside.
14.Bd3 b4 15.Ne2 a5 16.g4 Rac8 17.Nd4 Kh8 18.h5 d5 19.Nb5
Qd7 20.e5 Ne8 21.Bxe7 Qxe7 22.Nd4± Bologan-Shapiro, Stratton
Mountain 1999.
14...Rac8 15.Nd4 Rfd8
15...d5 16.e5! Ne8 ( 16...Qxe5 17.Bf4 Qh5 18.g4± ) 17.Bxe7 Qxe7
18.f4 f6 19.Re1± .
16.Bd3 Ne8!?
A move which attracted a great deal of critical comment from my
colleagues. I agree that e8 is not the best position for the knight, but
how else can Black advance the d6-pawn? If 16...h6 17.Be3 d5 there
is the typical reply 18.e5! Nd7 19.f4 Nc5, and after the cold-
blooded 20.g4 the white attack will be very strong.
17.g4 Bf6
A critical moment for the development of the players’ respective
strategies. On the one hand, Black’s pieces are ready for a decisive
breakthrough in the centre with ...d5; on the other hand, White’s
pawns are ready to rip the cover off the black king.
Frankly, at first I did not really like my position. In fact, the ...d5
break seems unstoppable. But when I saw the ideas associated with
White’s 19th move, I perked up.
18.Be3!
Absolutely no advantage remains after the exchange of bishops:
18.Bxf6?! Nxf6 19.Qe2 ( 19.h5 loses to 19...d5 20.h6 dxe4 21.Qg5
Ne8; 19.g5 Nh5 20.f4? e5 ) 19...Qb6 20.Nb3.
18...d5
The alternative was 18...e5 19.Nf5 d5 20.Qf2.

265
19.e5!!
The key to the whole position. With this pawn structure, when
clashes occur in the centre, it is always important to take into
account the positions of the pieces. For example, if Black manages
to open the game after ...d5, he will have a clear advantage.
Conversely, if White blocks the d-pawn, then one can say that all of
Black’s pieces suddenly become badly placed. And it is already
becoming clear that there is no reason not to sacrifice even a central
pawn for a positional advantage. True, when the first minutes of
euphoria from the turning point in the game had passed, I realized
that the struggle was just beginning.
19...Bxe5
Forced: if 19...Qxe5 20.g5, and on 19...Be7 20.g5.
20.f4 Bd6
I think this is also best. Black can win several tempi by means of
20...Bxd4 21.Bxd4 Nd6 22.h5 Nc4, but after 23.Qf2 it becomes

266
obvious that White’s dark-squared bishop decides the outcome of
the game.
21.g5 e5 22.fxe5 Bxe5

23.g6!!
The first exclamation mark is for the aesthetics of the move, while
the second is even more deserved, because it is given for precision. I
did not see anything better for White ( 23.h5 Nd6 24.g6 Nc4
25.gxh7+ Kh8 ).
23...Nd6!?
Ye could have gained two extra pawns, but it is also clear that this
has no influence on my attacking ambitions; for instance, 23...hxg6
24.h5 gxh5 ( 24...g5 25.Bf5 Nd6 26.Bxg5 ) 25.Rdg1! Nf6 ( 25...g6
26.Rxh5 ) 26.Qg2 Ng4 27.Rxh5 Nxe3 28.Qh3 g6 29.Ne6! fxe6
30.Rxg6+ Kf8 31.Qxe6 winning.
24.gxf7+ Qxf7 25.Rhf1 Qd7?!
This allows White to develop a direct attack with tempo. The best
practical chance was 25...Qe8 26.Bf5 Nxf5 27.Rxf5 Rd7 28.Re1,
267
and White has full compensation for the pawn. Certainly, Black’s
main problem is the bishop on b7 and I do not see any convenient
way to bring it into the game.
26.Nf3 Bf6
26...Re8 27.Nxe5 Rxe5 28.Bd4 Ne4 29.Bxe4 Rxe4 30.Rg1 Re7
31.h5± .
27.Ng5 Nc4?
A serious mistake. Correct was 27...Bxg5! 28.hxg5 d4 (solving his
main problem of getting the bishop into play) 29.Qh2 Ne4 30.Bf4
g6 (White is better after 30...Rf8 31.g6 h6 32.Bxh6 gxh6 33.Rf7
Rxf7 34.gxf7+ Kxf7 35.Qh5+ ) 31.Be5 Rf8, and Black retains hopes
of a successful defence (Komliakov).
28.Bxh7+ Kh8 29.Qe2 Qe8
29...Nxe3 30.Qh5 Nxd1 ( 30...Bxg5 31.Bd3+ Bh6 32.Qg6 )
31.Bf5+ Kg8 32.Ne6!.

30.Rxf6!
Simply forcing.
268
30...gxf6 31.Bd4
The tactical justification of the whole combination begun at move
26. From the very beginning I was not confident in the final position
and sought better ways, but the closer we came to it, the more I
liked it.
31...Rc6 32.Qf2 Qf8 33.Bd3!
The idea is executed. Now, as well as the natural 34.Qf5, there is
also a threat of 34.Nh7.
33...Rd7 34.Qf5 Re7
34...Qe7 loses to 35.Qg6 Ne5 36.Qh5+ Kg8 37.Rg1.
35.Nh7! Bc8 36.Qh5 Qf7 37.Bg6
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) Very often the c3-knight in the Sicilian Defence is the object of
attack. Preventing the ...b5-b4 attack with a2-a3 is not always
successful, since Black has an opportunity to open the b-file.
Another method is the early departure of the knight from c3, after
which the move ...b5-b4 can be called a blow into thin air. The
knight, which was limited by the e6-pawn on c3, can find
operational space – on d4, f4, g3. Thus, from d4 it will defend the
c2- and b3-points and at the same time take part in the attack.
2) With 19.e5!! White sacrifices a pawn, but at the same time
blocks the opponent’s entire game. Black gets a healthy extra pawn
in the centre, but in return he is forced to give up his strong bishop,
while the remaining bishop is blocked by his own pawns. But
White’s main trump card is the opportunity to develop the kingside
attack without hindrance.
3) When carrying out a sacrificial attack, one cannot stop halfway:
one who says ‘a’ must also say ‘b’. We must be ready to sacrifice a

269
second pawn (23.g6!!) in order for the attack to pick up the
necessary pace.
After Beijing, I spent the next summer session of my school in
Moldova. Although the living conditions this time were quite
modest (the school was held in a former pioneer camp), it was a lot
of fun. We took the chess quite seriously, and the main
entertainment was water polo in the ‘paddling pool’. Combat water
polo included elements of rugby, football, volleyball, and other
martial arts! Both adults and children participated, and everyone had
a lot of fun.

Then I attended the wedding of my friend Viorel Iordachescu and

literally the next day I left to meet my fate in Sevastopol. True, the
beginning did not portend anything romantic. A week of ascetic
chess gatherings at the dacha of another newlywed friend, Sasha
Onischuk, and only on the last day – a ‘cultural programme’. In the
morning, beer, then for the first time in my life scuba diving (in no
case repeat this order, it’s better the other way round), then a short

270
rest, and in the evening an excellent feast with a trip to the city
centre on Primorsky Boulevard. It was there, on the seashore, in the
restaurant ‘Ostrovok’, that She was waiting for me. An invitation
(on my part) to a dance followed by an acquaintance, flowers, ice
cream – all this actually happened. But everything could have
happened differently if I had invited Margarita’s friend, the
charming Japanese ballerina Akiko, to dance (as I had planned at the
beginning). Literally a metre away from them, I decided to turn to
my future fate – Margarita. Having danced the time remaining until
the closing of the restaurant, we parted ways in order to meet in the
gloomy Moscow autumn and get married a year later. I am talking
about Margarita Alexandrovna Makarova, after our marriage,
Margarita Bologan.

271
272
Artist of the Russian Chamber Ballet ‘Moscow’, Margarita Bologan
(Makarova).
In a word, I rested and was inspired. I went to my first tournament
in the village of Poikovsky, which is part of the Nefteyugansk
district of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug of the Tyumen
Region, which, in turn, is part of the Ural Federal District. So,
Poikovsky is the lowest link of a huge administrative complex
called ‘Russia’! Nevertheless, it is here that the country’s only
decent traditional international tournament is held. In 2000, it started
with a 14th Category event, in 2001 it was 15th, in 2002-2003 it was
16th, and by 2004 it had reached 18th Category. And the history of
the tournament is prosaic. Just two good people who care about the
fate of chess – Anatoly Evgenievich Karpov and the head of the
Nefteyugansk region, Alexander Valentinovich Klepikov – met and
decided to hold this tournament, which has become traditional.
It was a happy time: I won the Category 14 tournament and met
wonderful people, friendships with whom grow stronger year by
year. Unfortunately, the founder of the tournament Alexander
Klepikov left us early. His heart couldn’t take it. I am still friends
with the Acting Head of Poikovsky, now the Governor of the
Sverdlovsk Region, Evgeny Vladimirovich Kuyvashev.
My rating slowly increased. It can be seen that I am the sort of
person who, once I start along a road, follows it to the end. I literally
asked to participate in the Miguel Najdorf Memorial in Argentina.
Considering that four places in the main tournament were already
taken, the organizers kindly invited me to compete in the selection
for the remaining six places. With great adventures, I managed to
qualify, and in the final, unexpectedly for myself (my idol Karpov
played in the tournament), I shared first place with the beautiful
Judit Polgar. As a gentleman, of course, I gave her the title of
winner (she had the better tie-break).
And it all started with a victory in the first round.
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Caro-Kann Defence
Pablo Ricardi
Victor Bologan
Buenos Aires 2000
1.e4 c6!
It seems that this was only the second time I used the Caro-Kann in
tournament practice. Therefore, my opponent’s home preparation
was reduced to zero after the first move. Almost the same picture
was seen in the game of Karpov (Black) against Flores. For the first
time since the 1994 tournament in Buenos Aires in honour of
Polugaevsky, where everyone was obliged to play the Sicilian
Defence, Karpov moved the c-pawn one square further than usual
on the first move. In both cases, the opening strategy worked
admirably.
2.d4 d5 3.e5
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This variation has been very popular lately due to the fact that White
wants to avoid the strategically clear and well-studied positions that
arise after 3.Nc3 dxe4. Here the game is much more complicated:
there is a struggle between pawn structures, various arrangements of
pieces, and so on. White’s main idea is to take a space advantage.
Unlike the variation 3.e5 in the French Defence, here Black
manages to bring the bishop to f5; however, in the future he loses a
tempo playing ...c6-c5. Therefore, the initiative belongs to White,
but he must vigorously develop it. If Black is allowed to finish his
development in peace, then everything will be fine for him.
3...Bf5 4.Ne2
Usually, Ricardi developed his knight on f3, followed by the
exchange of bishops on d3. I can understand his desire to test my
preparation in side variations, but 4.Ne2 has been known as a
convenient move for Black since a 1966 Bronstein-Botvinnik game.
4...e6 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4

6...h5

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The other option is 6...h6, but I think the text move is stronger,
because it does not allow White to increase his space advantage on
the kingside. Of course, losing the h5-pawn is not so terrible,
because by way of compensation Black always gets the h4-pawn.
7.Be2 c5 8.c3
The above-mentioned game continued 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Nd2 Nc6
10.Nb3 Bb6 11.Bxh5 Nxe5 12.Bxg6 Nxg6 with extremely
comfortable play for Black.
8...Nc6 9.Nxh5 cxd4 10.cxd4 Bxb1
Even stronger is 10...Qb6 11.Nf4 Bf5! (after 11...Bxb1 12.Rxb1
Nxd4 13.Qa4+ Nc6 14.Nd3 White can hold the position) 12.Nc3
Qxd4 13.Qxd4 Nxd4 14.Bb5+ Kd8 15.Ba4 Ne7.
11.Rxb1 g6 12.Nf4!
12.Ng3 Rxh4 13.Rxh4 Qxh4 14.Be3 Bb4+ 15.Kf1 Ba5, and Black’s
pieces occupy better positions to attack the d4-pawn.
12...Rxh4 13.0-0 Nge7
There is no direct way to exploit the h-file: 13...Rh8 14.Be3 Qh4
15.Nh3.
14.g4!?
By way of compensation for his weakened king, White takes control
of the extremely important f5-square. After 14.g3 Rh8 15.Be3 Nf5
16.Bg4 Qb6, White can kiss goodbye to his pair of bishops.
14...Bh6 15.Be3
A repetition arises from 15.Ng2 Rh3 16.Nf4 Rh4.
15...Qb6
It was worth considering 15...Nf5!? 16.Ng2 Nxe3 17.fxe3 Rh3.
16.Ng2

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16...Bxe3! 17.fxe3
Of course, White cannot accept the gift: 17.Nxh4 Bxd4 18.Nf3
Bxe5 19.Nxe5 Nxe5 clearly favours Black.
17...Rh7 18.b4!
Taking space on the queenside and trying to discourage Black from
castling.
18...0-0-0
It was clear to me that White’s attacking resources were insufficient,
especially when the only piece that can bother my king, the white
knight, is needed to guard her own weakened kingside.
19.Qc2 Kb8 20.Qc5 Nc8!
This move does not mean that Black will now defend until the end
of the game, but rather he simply stops all his opponent’s attempts
to develop his initiative. Now it is unfavourable for White to
exchange queens, because his control of c4 and over the h-file
promise Black a quiet life in the endgame.
21.Ne1!?
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This is definitely the only idea in this position which can
realistically bother Black. If White succeeds in transferring the
knight to f3, then this will mean that the black rooks have no more
good squares on the h-file and suddenly they will become a
convenient target for the white knight.
21...Rdh8
Another possibility was 21...f5!?, but I did not play this mainly
because of 22.Qxb6! ( 22.exf6 Qc7 23.Ng2 Qh2+ 24.Kf2 Nd6
25.Bf3 Rh3, and White is defenceless) 22...Nxb6 23.Nf3 Rh3
24.gxf5 gxf5 25.Kf2.
22.Qxb6
The alternative was 22.Nf3 Qd8! 23.Kg2! with a double-edged
position.

22...Rh1+!
In lessons at my school in Moldova I always stress to pupils the
importance of intermediate moves. Here a couple of timely checks
ruin White’s plans, connected with the knight transfer to f3.

278
23.Kf2 R1h2+ 24.Ng2 Nxb6
As well as a positional advantage, I also had an advantage on the
clock, which clearly helped a good deal.
25.Rfc1 g5
Preparing the ...f6 break, which is unpleasant for the white king.
26.a3 Ne7 27.Kg1 Ng8
Yes, you are right, this looks ugly! But who says an ugly duckling
can never turn into a beautiful swan?
However, the natural 27...Nc4! was even stronger; for example,
28.Bxc4 dxc4 29.Ne1 ( 29.Rxc4? Rh1+ ) 29...Re2 30.Ng2 Nd5 with
a big advantage.
28.Rf1 f6 29.Bd3
29.exf6 loses to 29...Nxf6 30.Rxf6 Rh1+ 31.Kf2 Rxb1 32.Rxe6 Rb2.
29...Rh1+ 30.Kf2 Rxf1+
Even stronger was 30...R1h3! with a large advantage.
31.Rxf1 fxe5 32.Kg3!
Despite the time-trouble, my opponent finds the best chance. He
loses after 32.dxe5 Nd7 33.Kg3 Nh6 34.Be2 Kc7.
32...Ne7
This move is connected with an idea which eventually works, but I
should have been more careful in this position. Black’s problems, as
well as the pin on the eighth rank, are also of course tied up with the
weakness of the g5-pawn. If White takes it, then his four pieces and
g-pawn will represent a real threat. This is why I should have played
32...Nh6! 33.Rf6 e4 34.Bb5 Kc7 35.Rxe6 Kd8 36.a4 Nf7, which
allows me finally to put an end to White’s initiative and begin my
own play.
33.Rf7 Nbc8?

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Too passive, and at the same time lacking imagination. If my
opponent had had sufficient time, this move could have cost me half
a point. Better was the direct 33...Nc6 34.Rg7 exd4 35.Rxg5 dxe3
36.Nxe3 Nd4 37.Nc2!? Nxc2 38.Bxc2 Rc8 39.Bh7.
34.Rf6?
The losing move. The most natural move 34.dxe5 at least gave
White drawing chances: 34...Nc6 35.Rg7 Nxe5 36.Bc2 Rf8 (
36...Nc4 37.Rxg5 Nxa3 38.Bd3 Nc4 39.Rh5 is unclear) 37.Rxg5
Rf3+ 38.Kh4 Nc4 39.Bd3 Nxe3 40.Ne1 Ng2+ 41.Nxg2 Rxd3
42.Nf4 and White should hold.
34...e4

The real problem of the white position is his knight. Also, Black has
many ways to attack the weaknesses on the kingside.
35.Bb5 Kc7 36.Rxe6 a6 37.Ba4 Rf8 38.Re5 Rg8 39.Re6 Rg7
40.Bb3 Kd7 41.Rh6 Nd6 42.Rh1 Rf7 43.Rh5 Rf3+ 44.Kh2 Nf7!

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Now this knight takes on all the trouble on the kingside, whilst at
the same time the black rook will enjoy freedom on the opposite
flank.
45.Kg1 Rf6 46.Rh7 Ke8 47.Bd1 Rc6 48.Kf2 Rc3 49.a4 Ra3 50.b5
Ra2+ 51.Kf1 a5 52.Ne1 Kf8 53.Bc2 Ra3 54.Ke2 Nc8
With complete material equality on the board, my opponent was
forced to surrender, since his pieces are absolutely incapable of
creating even one threat. At the same time, after the appearance of
the black knight on c4, White will have to say goodbye to the e3-
pawn.

Lessons:
1) One of the typical tricks in the Caro-Kann Defence is the
exchange of the bishop for the knight on b1. The g6-bishop,
although it looks quite well positioned, can sometimes shoot into the
void, so Black is ready to exchange it for a knight.
2) In such structures, Black often puts pressure on the d4-pawn,
and it is not easy for White to defend it. In this game he had to spoil
his pawn structure.
3) If in the endgame one of the sides has full control over the open
file (which automatically fetters the opponent’s pieces), then it
makes sense to sharpen the play: carry out breakthroughs and try to
open new lines in order to bring additional forces into the combat
zone. This goal was served by the manoeuvre 27...Ng8! and 28...f6.

281
Buenos Aires, 2000. At dinner with hospitable hosts. On the left are
Mikhail Podgaets and Anatoly Karpov.

282
283
A meeting with Judit Polgar in Dubai, 2022.
I first crossed paths with Judit Polgar at a tournament in Linares,
where she was one of the participants and I was Lyosha Shirov’s
second. Judit was always distinguished by a lively mind and she was
sharp-tongued. I remember we were playing tennis, and she teased
me: ‘they say you are just a "second" so you should not really show
off.’ Pleasant, but no nonsense. And we really started to
communicate only during this tournament in Buenos Aires. It seems
that it was here that I met her husband Gustav, with whom I later
became friends. Then the conversation turned to whether Judit and I
could work as sparring partners. This work continued (with short
breaks) for about ten years and was of great benefit to both Judit and
me. We were chess players of about the same level, although she
achieved better results due to her greater professionalism. As Garry

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Kasparov once said, the ability to properly organize one’s work is
also a special talent. Unfortunately, this talent is one I have never
had in sufficient quantities, whereas Judit is not only a brilliant
chess player, but also a very organized person.
The format of our work was very simple and very pleasant for me
personally. I came to Budapest and stayed either in an apartment or
in a hotel in the city centre. Sessions usually lasted seven to ten
days. It was very nice to communicate with Judit’s family, so these
trips always brought me a lot of positive emotions. From time to
time, Gustav and I played tennis, he showed me the city, sometimes
we went to the cinema. I really liked Budapest. I have worked with
many sparring partners, as it is now fashionable, but with Judit it
was perhaps the longest and most fruitful cooperation. Both of us
achieved high sporting results during these years. Judit, for instance,
made it to the top eight of the 2005 ‘Men’s’ World Championship in
St Louis, and was ranked in the world’s top 10.
We played training games, tested new openings, analysed and
argued. Creative debates usually bring the best results. Naturally,
‘arguers’ must be reasonable people and must be able to stop in time
if the correctness of the opponent becomes obvious. We are all
arranged in such a way that we tend to overestimate our own
position, and it’s almost impossible for a chess player to say, ‘I’m
wrong’, but you still need to be able to stop an argument in time.
And then, as you know, the truth is born.
The importance of a deep analysis of games in general and opening
formations in particular was emphasized by Mikhail Botvinnik, and
that’s how I worked with Judit Polgar. Of course, this is my great
luck in life: to cooperate for such a long time and closely with the
strongest female chess player in history. Like Kasparov, she stopped
competing quite early, but remained in chess: she has her own
foundation, she helps the development of chess all over the world.

285
Now we communicate less often, but still maintain a great
relationship.

Notes:
1
Cape Fiolent – Sevastopol region. A popular place for lovers of
‘wild’ recreation.
2
The RTS Index is the index of the main Russian securities
exchange, an aggregate indicator of the values of shares of leading
Russian companies.
3
‘Yak-40’ is a small passenger aircraft, which in the USSR, and
later in Russia, is used mainly on domestic and not particularly
popular flights. It was considered the most reliable aircraft in the
USSR.

286
Chapter 5
Professional
Four tournament victories in a row! This happens once in a lifetime,
and even then not to everyone. How to achieve this is already a big
question, no less important is how to make use of it. We shouldn’t
forget that after a great success, almost all chess players experience
a predictable decline. In addition to emotional devastation, the level
of the functional state of the body drops sharply. It is enough to look
at recent examples from the history of chess. Kramnik after the
match with Kasparov; Khalifman, Ponomariov, Kasimdzhanov after
their victories at the FIDE World Championships. All of them, one
way or another, experienced sharply lower results after reaching the
cherished goal.
There can be only one recipe here – rest. True, in my case it was
impossible because of an already-planned calendar, which was to be
crowned with the World Championship in New Delhi. Being
already a professional (see above), I tried to plan my training around
the established schedule of events, with the addition of a few
training camps. And in many respects the plan was fulfilled: a
training match with Misha Gurevich in France, rapid chess
tournaments in Cap d’Agde and Bastia, and, directly in India before
the championship, a week-long training camp with Sasha Onischuk.
And if I shamefully failed in the first three events, then the training
camp helped me to reach a more or less tolerable level – Sasha and I
are not to blame for the fact that we lost respectively to the future
finalists of the World Championship Anand and Shirov in the
second round.

287
In a word, the crisis could not be avoided, and I had only to localize
it.
Quote from my diary dated January 10, 2001:
After a long break, I resume my recordings. Of the main events that
occurred during this time, it should be noted: the purchase of a new
apartment in Strogino, the completion of repairs in it and the actual
move; some weight loss – my weight at the moment is 85 kg; rating
upgrade to 2684, which corresponds to 19th position in the world
classification; continuation of work with Dvoretsky.
There are no changes in Kishinev affairs, moreover, there is a
certain regression; in particular, the refusal to participate in the
Olympiad in Istanbul. Failure at the World Championship in India,
as well as a loose game with Stefansson and a defeat against
Anand. The main reason is the non-fulfilment of the planned
schedule of preparation for the Championship. In particular, I could
not hold a meeting with X for objective reasons. Excessive
relaxation, weak will.
A permanent girlfriend has appeared – a ballerina named Rita. We
met in the summer in Sevastopol... it is difficult to predict anything,
because the relationship itself is not easy.
That’s all. It’s going to be a very busy year, so everything is in my
hands. With God’s blessing!’
Simple. And yet it helps. Suffice it to recall the diary of the classic
of this genre M. M. Botvinnik and his results, especially when you
get into extreme situations. The diary, in my understanding, is a
shoulder to cry on, a comrade who will support you in difficult
times and a mentor who will bring you to your senses in time.
In the spring of 2001, remembering the sensation I made in 1999,
the organizers of the tournament in Enghien-les-Bains decided to
invite me again. And they obviously didn’t regret it. I managed to
end the five-game losing streak I started with in the tournament two
years earlier, but for the second time in my life I started with zero

288
out of 3. In the fourth round I made a draw with White, and now
was the fifth round. Naturally, I decided to play more reliably and
chose the Queen’s Gambit.
Queen’s Gambit Declined
Christian Bauer
Victor Bologan
Enghien-les-Bains 2001
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6
In the Queen’s Gambit, White often gives up his dark-squared
bishop for the knight on f6, thanks to which he obtains some
advantage in development and creates pressure in the centre. Black,
in turn, tries for exchanges in the centre, so that his bishops will
work.
6...Bxf6 7.e3 0-0 8.Rc1 Nc6!?
I decided to surprise Christian a little. Of course, this move is not
the most optimal from the viewpoint of piece-pawn cooperation, but
a piece is developed. The main line is considered to be 8...c6.
9.a3
White tries to save a tempo and waits until Black has taken on c4,
before moving his bishop.
9...dxc4?!
An inaccuracy. I also had a useful waiting move in 9...a6; for
instance, 10.Bd3 dxc4 11.Bxc4 e5. It must be said that this was my
first experience of playing the Queen’s Gambit.
10.Bxc4 e5 11.d5 Ne7 12.Ne4 Ng6
So far Black has been playing forced moves, as 12...Nf5? 13.Ba2 is
bad.

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13.Ba2
Christian misses the strong continuation 13.d6! cxd6 14.Qxd6 Qxd6
15.Nxd6 Bg4 ( 15...Be7? 16.Bxf7+! Rxf7 17.Nxc8 ) 16.Nd2 b6
17.h3 Bd7 18.N2e4 Be7 19.0-0, and White has a very active bishop
and open files for his rooks. Black’s position would be highly
unpleasant, although, of course, it is still defensible.
13...Be7 14.0-0?!
For some reason White refrained from the logical move 14.Qc2!?
with the possible variation 14...Bd6 ( 14...Bf5 15.Nf6+ Bxf6
16.Qxf5 e4 17.Nd2 Bxb2 18.Rb1 Bc3 ( 18...Bxa3 19.Rxb7 Bd6
20.Nxe4 offers White a small advantage) 19.Qxe4 is unclear)
15.Nxd6 cxd6 16.Qc7 Bg4! with mutual chances.
14...Kh8!
Now Black first drives away the knight with ...f5 and only then
plays ...Bd6, preparing ...e5-e4 with an attack on the white king. If
he succeeds in carrying out this plan, then Black’s position will
become threatening.

290
15.Qb3
The computer recommends 15.Nfd2 with the idea of 15...f5 16.Nc5
e4 ( 16...Bd6 ) 17.f3 (of course, not a human move, but very
interesting nonetheless) 17...exf3 18.Nxf3.
15...f5 16.Nc5 Bd6 17.Bb1
White has lost the thread of the game; his bishop has a long
diagonal, but neither on a2 nor b1 does it do anything. Meanwhile,
taking on b7 could have ended badly: 17.Nxb7 Bxb7 18.Qxb7 Rb8
19.Qxa7 Rxb2 20.Ra1 e4 21.Nd4 Qh4 22.h3 Ne5 23.Ne6 Nf3+
24.gxf3 ( 24.Kh1 Rxf2 ) 24...Rf6.
17...Qf6 18.Rfe1
On 18.e4, there is the extremely unpleasant 18...Nf4 with a possible
variation such as this: 19.Rfe1 b6 20.Nd3 Nxg2! 21.Kxg2 fxe4
22.Ndxe5 exf3+ 23.Nxf3 Bg4, winning for Black.
18...b6 19.Ne6 Bxe6 20.dxe6 e4 21.Nd4 Rae8

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Here we can sum up the first results: Black has a small advantage,
because the pawn on e6 is being held hostage and the white king
needs defending.
22.Nb5
An attempt to exchange off an attacking piece, but at the same time
White provokes the opponent to sacrifice the bishop on h2.
Bad was 22.g3 Ne5, while if 22.Red1!? f4! 23.Bxe4 fxe3 24.f3 (
24.Qxe3 Bf4 25.Qe2 Bxc1 26.Rxc1 Qxd4 27.Bxg6 Rxe6 wins for
Black) 24...Qh4 25.g3 Bxg3.
The most persistent continuation is 22.Qd5 Be5 23.Ba2.
22...Nh4
It was possible to ‘succumb to provocation’: 22...Bxh2+! 23.Kxh2
Qh4+ 24.Kg1 Ne5!. White has an extra piece and a tempo in
reserve, but a satisfactory defence is not in sight. For example:
25.Red1 Ng4 26.Rc2 f4! or 25.Qc3 Ng4 26.Rc2 Rxe6.
However, even during the continuation of the game, Black has a
strong attack – and with equal material.
23.Red1!
23.Nxd6 fails to 23...Qg6 24.g3 Nf3+ and 23.Kh1 loses to 23...Qg6
24.Rg1 (or 24.g3 Nf3 25.Red1 Qh5 26.h4 Qg4 27.Kg2 Bxg3 )
24...Bxh2!. Finally, 23.Nxc7 loses to 23...Qg5 24.g3 Nf3+.
23...Qg5 24.g3 Nf3+ 25.Kg2
During the game I was afraid of 25.Kf1!, after which I did not see a
decisive continuation for Black. However, analysis shows how
dangerous Black’s attack is:
A) 25...Nxh2+ 26.Kg2 Ng4! ( 26...Nf3 is worse in view of
27.Nxd6 cxd6 28.Rxd6 Qg4 29.Rh1 with equality) 27.Nxd6 cxd6
28.Rxd6 f4 29.exf4 ( 29.gxf4 Nxe3+ ) 29...Rxf4 30.Rc2 Rf3 with a
strong attack;

292
 B) 25...Be5!? 26.Nxc7 Rc8 27.h4 Qg4! (a computer idea; but
even after 27...Qf6 28.e7 Qxe7 29.Nd5 Nd2+ 30.Kg2 Qf7 Black
retains a certain advantage) 28.e7 Bxg3! 29.exf8Q+ Rxf8 30.Qb4
Rg8 31.Rd5 Bxh4 32.Rc6 Qg1+ 33.Ke2 Bxf2 with decisive threats.
25...Qh5 26.h4
26.Rh1 loses to 26...Ng5 27.h3 Qf3+ 28.Kg1 Bxg3 29.Qc2 Be5.

26...Bxg3! 27.fxg3 Nxh4+!

Surprisingly, the double piece sacrifice brings not just perpetual
check but a decisive attack.
28.gxh4 Qf3+ 29.Kh2
Or 29.Kg1 Qg3+ 30.Kh1 Qxh4+ 31.Kg2 Rf6 32.Rg1 Rg6+ 33.Kf1
Qh3+, and Black wins.
29...Qf2+ 30.Kh1
30.Kh3 g5! ( 30...f4 31.Rg1 fxe3 32.Bxe4 Rf4 33.Rg3 Rxe4 )
31.Qc3+ Kg8 32.hxg5 hxg5 33.Rg1 g4+ 34.Rxg4+ fxg4+ 35.Kxg4
Qg2+ 36.Kh4 Rf3.
30...Qxh4+ 31.Kg1 Qg3+ 32.Kf1
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32.Kh1 Qh3+ 33.Kg1 Rf6.
32...f4
Without having made a single move (except its participation in
castling), the rook is included in the attack.
33.Bxe4 fxe3+ 34.Ke2 Rf2+ 35.Kd3 e2+ 36.Kc4 exd1Q 37.Qxd1
Qe5!

Formally, White has two pieces for a rook, but with such a king it is
impossible to defend.
38.Nc3
38.Qd5 Rxe6.
38...Rxb2 39.Qd7
39.Qd5 Qg3 40.a4 a6.
39...b5+ 40.Kd3
40.Nxb5 Qxe4+.
40...Qg3+ 0-1

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Lessons:
1) If the opponent does not have enough experience in playing a
certain opening, then it makes sense to choose a scheme little
studied by him. Often this approach turns out to be very effective
(8...Nc6).
2) In many cases, delay can lead not only to a loss of advantage,
but even to an inferior position. White was obliged to play 13.d6! to
open the diagonal for his light-squared bishop – the initiative must
be supported move by move.
3) When the king alone confronts several enemy pieces, mating
attacks are ‘natural, like a baby’s smile’. In the game, in addition to
the cascade of sacrifices, it was important to foresee the move
32...f4, after which the rook joins the attack on the king.
Admittedly, immediately afterwards in round six, I lost to Volodya
Akopian, and again was on -3. I was already out of contention for
the prizes, but I wanted to finish the tournament decently.
French Defence
Victor Bologan
Evgeny Bareev
Enghien-les-Bains 2001
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7
Zhenya used several forms of the Rubinstein Variation and later
began to take on move 3.
6.Bxf6 Bxf6
As in the previous game, White gives his opponent the advantage of
the two bishops, in exchange for better development and pressure on
the centre. In this variation, White usually tries to increase his space
advantage and organize an attack on the king. Black, in turn, would
like to carry out a freeing break such as ...c7-c5 or ...e6-e5, but he

295
can also be satisfied with the somewhat passive, but very flexible
arrangement of ...b7-b6, ...Bb7, ...Nd7, etc.
7.Nf3 Nd7 8.Qe2!?
The idea of this move is to place the rook opposite the black queen
on the d-file, whilst the position of the f1-bishop will be determined
later.
8...0-0 9.0-0-0 b6

10.Ne5!
This is the point of White’s play.
10...Bxe5
On 10...Be7!? not bad is 11.Qf3 ( 11.Nc6 Qe8 12.Qf3 Bb7 13.Bb5
Bd6 ) 11...Bb7 12.Bb5. Accepting doubled pawns with 10...Bb7 is
also unfavourable for Black: 11.Nxd7 Qxd7 12.Nxf6+ gxf6
13.Qg4+ Kh8 14.Qh4 Qd8 15.d5! exd5 16.Bd3 f5 17.Qd4+ f6
18.Bxf5.
11.dxe5 Qe7

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A modest move. Probably Black should have tried the improvement
11...Qh4!?; for example, 12.g3 Qh6+ 13.f4 Nxe5 14.Bg2 (
14.Nf2!? Nc6 15.Ng4 Qg6 16.Bg2 Bb7 17.Be4 f5 18.Ne5 Nxe5
19.Bxb7 Rab8 20.Ba6 with a big advantage – Komliakov) 14...Bb7
15.Nf6+ Qxf6 ( 15...gxf6 16.Bxb7 ) 16.Bxb7 Rab8 17.fxe5 Qg5+
18.Kb1 Rxb7 19.Rd7 with unclear play.
12.f4 Bb7 13.Qe3 Rad8 14.Bd3
White has obtained a definite advantage. The knight on e4 restricts
its opposite number and if Black exchanges bishop for knight, as in
the game, then the weakness of the light squares will tell and the
bishop will be stronger than the knight.
14...Bxe4
A) 14...Nc5 15.Nxc5 Qxc5 16.Qxc5 bxc5 17.Rhg1 Rd4 18.g3
leaves White slightly better;
B) 14...f6?! 15.exf6 Nxf6 16.Ng5 Bxg2 17.Rhg1 (or 17.Bf5
Rxd1+ ( 17...Bxh1 18.Qxe6+ Qxe6 19.Bxe6+ Kh8 20.Nf7+ wins
for White) 18.Rxd1 Bd5 19.Bxe6+ Bxe6 20.Qxe6+ Qxe6 21.Nxe6
Rc8 is only level) 17...Bd5 18.c4 h6 19.cxd5 hxg5 20.Qxe6+ Qxe6
21.dxe6 with a winning advantage.
15.Bxe4 Nc5 16.Bc6 a5

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My opponent and I assessed this position differently. Maybe Zhenya
overestimated his chances because he thought he was just the better
player.
Of course, the bishop on c6 is clearly stronger than the knight on c5.
At that moment, I understood that in the event of the exchange of all
other pieces, the endgame ‘bishop versus knight’ would be lost for
Black.
17.Rde1!?
An interesting move. There exists such a device: when the opponent
has no penetration squares on an open file, one can avoid the
exchange of rooks, by moving one’s rook off the open file.
17.g3 Rxd1+ 18.Rxd1 Rd8 19.Rd4 ±.
17...f5
Otherwise, White can begin an attack on the kingside.
18.g3 h6 19.b3?
A serious inaccuracy. Correct was 19.a3 followed by Kb1, b3, Kb2.
19...Na6
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Black regroups successfully. I now had to make a move that was not
part of my plans.
20.c3
20.Kb1 Nb4 21.Bf3 a4.
20...Qa3+ 21.Kb1 Nc5
21...a4 22.Bxa4 ( 22.b4 Nxb4 23.cxb4 Rd1+ 24.Kc2 Qxa2+
25.Kxd1 Rd8+ 26.Kc1 Qa1+ with perpetual check) 22...Nc5
23.Qc1 Qxc1+ 24.Rxc1 Nxa4 25.bxa4 Ra8 26.Rhd1 Rxa4 27.Rd7
Rfa8 28.Rc2 Rc4 29.Kb2² .
Now White must think about the d-file, and of the possible blow on
b3. Luckily, he has an answer.
22.Qc1 Qxc1+ 23.Rxc1

23...g5?
The critical moment in the game. Perhaps Zhenya had been lulled
into a false sense of security by my last few unsuccessful moves,
and decided that he could already play to seize the initiative.
However, as often happens in chess, an incorrect assessment of the
299
position leads not only to the loss of an advantage (if any), but also
to defeat.
Correct was 23...Rd2 24.Rc2 Rfd8 25.Kc1 R2d3 with equality.
24.Kc2
The d2-square is covered and again White has everything in order.
24...Kf7 25.Rcd1 gxf4
25...Rg8 26.Rhg1.
26.gxf4 Ne4 27.Rhg1!
By brute force calculation, I came to the conclusion that this was the
most precise move. Now it is not obvious what Black should do.
27...Nf2
A) 27...Rg8 28.Rxg8 Rxg8 ( 28...Rxd1 loses after 29.Kxd1 Kxg8
30.Bxe4 fxe4 31.Ke2 Kf7 32.Ke3 Kg6 33.Kxe4 ) 29.Rd7+ Kg6
30.Re7 Kh5 31.Kd3 Rd8 ( 31...Rg2 32.Rxe6 Nc5+ 33.Ke3 ) 32.Ke3
wins for White;
B) 27...h5 28.Rd4 Rxd4 29.cxd4 is again clearly better for White.
28.Rd4!
A typical device in battling for an open file. Now Black pretty much
has to exchange rooks.
28...Rxd4
28...Nh3?! was no good in view of 29.Rf1 Rxd4 30.cxd4 Rg8
31.Kd3 Rg4 32.Ke3 h5 33.d5.
29.cxd4 Rd8 30.Kc3 Ne4+
On 30...b5!? there is the very strong 31.d5! ( 31.a4 bxa4 32.bxa4
Ne4+ or 31.Bxb5 c5! 32.dxc5 Ne4+ 33.Kc4 Nd2+ 34.Kc3 Ne4+
with perpetual check; 31.Kd2!? Nh3! 32.Rf1 Rxd4+ 33.Ke3 Rb4
34.Rf3 a4! with unnecessary complications) 31...Ne4+ 32.Kd4 b4
33.Ke3 exd5 34.Kd4 Nc3 35.Rg2, and White’s advantage is close
to decisive.

300
31.Kd3
More precise was 31.Kc4!; for example, 31...b5+ 32.Kd3 Nf2+
33.Ke2 Nh3 34.Rf1 Rxd4 35.Bg2 Rxf4 36.Bxh3 Re4+ 37.Kf2 Rxe5
38.Rc1 c5 39.Bf1 b4 40.Bg2 with good chances for victory.
31...Nc5+?
More persistent was 31...Nf2+ 32.Ke2 Nh3, although even here
after 33.Rf1 Rxd4 34.Ke3 Rb4 35.Rf3 ( 35.Bg2 a4 ) 35...a4!
36.Kd2! axb3 37.axb3 Ng1 38.Rg3 Rxf4 39.Rxg1 Rf2+ 40.Kc3
Rxh2 41.Rd1 White retains the advantage.
32.Ke3 Na6 33.a3

Quite an instructive position – the knight does not have a single

good square and no chance at all to reach d5.
33...Rg8
Or 33...Nb8 34.Bf3 Rg8 ( 34...Nd7 35.d5 ) 35.Rc1.
34.Rc1
Probably after the exchange of rooks White would also win, but
now he simply wins material by force.
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34...Nb8 35.Bf3 c6 36.Bxc6 Nxc6
36...Rc8 37.d5 Ke7 38.Rc4.
37.Rxc6 Rg1 38.Rxb6 Re1+ 39.Kd3 Rf1 40.Rb7+ Kf8 41.Kc4?!
Time-trouble is over, but I made one more move just in case. There
was a simpler win by 41.Rh7 Rxf4 42.Rxh6.
41...Rxf4 42.Kc5 Re4 43.Kd6 Rxd4+ 44.Kxe6 f4 45.Rf7+!
45.Kf6 Ke8 46.Rh7 f3 47.Rh8+ Kd7 48.e6+ Kc7 49.Ke5 f2 50.Rf8
Rd2 51.e7 Re2+ 52.Kd5 Kd7.
45...Ke8 46.Rh7 Kd8 47.Rxh6 f3 48.Rf6 Rd3 49.Kf7! Rxb3 50.e6
Rb7+ 51.Kg8!
An important subtlety, depriving the rook of the h7-square. 51.Kf8
Rh7 52.Rxf3 Rh8+ 53.Kf7 Rh7+ 54.Kf6 Rxh2± .
51...Re7 52.h4 f2 53.Rxf2 Rxe6 54.h5 Ke7 55.Rf7+ Kd6 56.Kg7
Re3 57.Rf6+ Kc5 58.h6 Rxa3 59.h7
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) We must try already in the opening to prevent the opponent
from conveniently positioning his pieces. This goal is served by the
move 10.Ne5!, which forces Black to make positional concessions.
2) There are positions in which the bishop is clearly stronger than
the knight. Their distinguishing features are as follows: wide
operational scope of the bishop and the absence of strong outposts
(especially in the centre) for the knight.
3) If there is only one open file in a position, then control over it
becomes very important. In the game, White at first underestimated
the value of the d-file, as a result of which Black could have
equalized the chances, but he hesitated (23... g5?), and the open file
once again passed into White’s hands, this time with decisive effect.

302
So, -2, and ahead lay a difficult game with Black against Alexander
Grischuk, a bright and talented chess player. This was my first
meeting with him.
Ruy Lopez
Alexander Grischuk
Victor Bologan
Enghien-les-Bains 2001
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3
d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7

The Chigorin Variation is one of the most complex and interesting

continuations of the Spanish. This is where strategic plans and ideas
collide. As a rule, White has a spatial advantage and his thoughts are
directed, first of all, to the attack on the kingside, while Black has a
strong position without any special weaknesses and is trying to get
counterplay on the queenside. If the centre is closed, then Black also
has the plan with the ...f7-f5 break, and with the centre open, his
pieces can easily take up active positions.

303
12.Nbd2
Alexander handles all positions in a classical manner.
12...cxd4 13.cxd4 Rd8
This variation was part of my repertoire at the time. At first, I
prepared it as White, because some of the Chinese players used it,
and I could not find any particular advantage. And then I decided to
play it as Black.
14.Nf1
If White plays 14.d5, then Black succeeds in playing 14...Bd7
(therefore it is important that he has not already played ...Bb7)
15.Bd3 ( 15.Nf1 Rdc8 16.Bd3 Nb7 and the knight transfers to c5:
17.Bd2 ( 17.b4 a5 ) 17...Nc5 18.Bc2 a5 19.Ng3 Bd8 20.Nh2 Qb7
21.Qf3 b4 left Black well-placed in Jansa-Piket, Germany
Bundesliga 2003) 15...Nb7 16.Nb3 Rdc8 17.Qe2 a5 18.Be3 Qb8
19.Rec1 a4 20.Rxc8+ Qxc8 21.Rc1 Qe8 22.Nbd2 Bd8 23.Nh2 h6
24.Nhf1 Ba5 25.Nb1 Bb4 26.Nc3 Ra5 27.Bb6, with a draw in
Milos-Bologan, Buenos Aires 2000.
14.b3 Nc6 15.Bb2 exd4 16.Nxd4 Nxd4 17.Bxd4 Bb7 18.Rc1 Qa5
19.Nf1 Rac8 20.Ne3 g6 21.Qf3 with attack was Shirov-Fernandes
Garcia, Ayamonte 2002.
14...exd4 15.Nxd4
The variation served me faithfully until my game with Galkin. I
cannot say that White refuted it, but I did not like the spirit of the
position reached and stopped playing the system.
15.Ng3 Nc6 16.Bf4 ( 16.b3 Nb4 17.Bb1 d3 18.Bb2 Nc2 19.Bxc2
dxc2 20.Qe2 d5 21.Be5 Qb7 22.Bxf6 Bxf6 23.e5 Be7 24.Qxc2
Qb6, with a draw in Iordachescu-Bologan, Eforie Nord 2000)
16...Be6 17.Rc1 Qb6 18.Nf5 Bxf5 19.exf5 Ra7 20.Bb1 Rad7 21.a3
h6 22.Bg3 Kf8 23.Ba2 Re8 24.b4 Bd8 25.Rxe8+ Nxe8 26.Qb3 Bf6
27.Qd5 Rc7 28.Bxd6+ Nxd6 29.Qxd6+ Be7 30.Qd5 Nd8 31.Rd1
Qc6 32.Qxd4 Qc2 33.Qd5 Rc6 34.Ne5 Rd6 35.Ng6+ Ke8 36.Re1!
304
Ne6 37.Qa8+ Rd8 38.Qxa6 Qxa2 39.Qxb5+ Rd7 40.fxe6 fxe6
41.Ne5 and Black resigned in Galkin-Bologan, Tomsk 2001.
15...d5 16.e5 Ne4

17.Bf4!?
The tactical justification of the variation is 17.f3 Bc5 18.Be3 (or
18.fxe4 dxe4 19.Rxe4 Nc6 20.Be3 Nxd4 21.Rxd4 Bxd4 22.Bxd4
Qc4 with advantage to Black) 18...Nc4 19.fxe4 (if 19.b4 Nxe3
20.Nxe3 Bb6 21.Qd3 Ng5 22.h4 Qxe5 23.Nc6 Nxf3+ 24.Kf2 Qh5
and Black’s attack is too strong) 19...dxe4 20.Bxe4 Nxe3 21.Nxe3
Rxd4 22.Qc2 Rc4 23.Qd3 Bb7!.
Nor is the following line especially dangerous for Black: 17.Nd2
Bc5 18.N2f3 Bb7 19.Re2 Qb6 20.Bf4 Rac8 21.Rc1 h6 22.Bb1 Nc4
(Olivier-Pinter, Le Touquet 2003).
17...Bc5 18.Ne3 Qb6 19.Nb3?!
The computer offers up a very strong idea in 19.Qe2!, which has not
yet been seen in practice – at least at a high level. Now the modest
19...Be6 20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.Bxe4 dxe4 22.Ng4 is clearly bad, so

305
Black must accept the sacrifice with 19...Bxd4. This is followed by
20.Nxd5! Rxd5 ( 20...Bxf2+ is just a transposition of moves)
21.Qxe4 Bxf2+ 22.Kh1! Bxe1 ( 22...Bb7 is hopeless; for instance,
23.Qxh7+ Kf8 24.Bf5 Bxe1 25.Qh8+ Ke7 26.Bg5+ f6 27.Qxg7+
Kd8 28.exf6 ) 23.Qxh7+ Kf8 24.Bg5 f5 25.exf6 Rxg5 26.Rxe1 Bf5
27.Qh8+ Kf7 28.Qxa8 Kxf6 29.Qf8+ Kg6 30.Qe7! and White
achieves a material advantage.
19...Nxb3 20.Bxb3 Be6
In the event of the more natural 20...Bb7 the white queen comes into
the attack: 21.Qg4 Bxe3 22.Rxe3 d4 23.Rf3 Nc5 24.Rg3 g6 25.Bg5
Rd7 26.Bf6 Bd5 27.Qh4 Bxb3 28.Qh6 Ne6 29.Rg4, and Black
resigned in So Win Lay-Tomokhiko, Myanmar 1998.
21.Qd3

21...a5!
It is time to hassle the bishop on b3.
22.f3

306
Sasha goes for the direct line. Of course, he didn’t want to weaken
the a7-g1 diagonal, but my knight has nowhere to retreat now. Black
has to save the piece by other methods.
A) 22.Rac1 Rac8 ( 22...a4?! 23.Bc2 a3 24.b3 Bb4 25.f3 Bxe1
26.Rxe1 Bf5 27.Kh2 Bg6 28.fxe4 Bxe4 29.Qd2 ) 23.Bc2 Bb4
24.Re2 g6 25.a3 Be7 26.f3 Nc5 27.Qd4 Na4 is slightly better for
Black;
B) Following 22.Rad1 a4 23.Bc2 Rac8, 24.f3? is a blunder in view
of 24...g5 25.Bh2 Bxe3+ 26.Rxe3 Rxc2.
22...a4
22...g5 23.Bh2 a4 24.Bc2 Bf5 transposes into a position from the
game.
23.Bc2 g5 24.Bh2 Bf5
Stronger was 24...Rac8!; for example, 25.fxe4 dxe4 26.Qxe4 Bxe3+
27.Rxe3 Rxc2 winning (Komliakov).
25.Qe2?
The losing move. After 25.fxe4 Bxe4 26.Qd2 Bxc2 ( 26...a3 27.b4
Bxe3+ 28.Rxe3 Bxc2 29.Kh1 Qg6 ) 27.Kh1 Be4 ( 27...Bxe3
28.Rxe3 Bg6 29.Rf3 g4 30.hxg4 d4 31.Bg1 ) 28.Ng4 Be7 the black
position is slightly more pleasant; for example, 29.Rf1 Qg6 30.Nf6+
Kf8! ( 30...Kg7 31.Qd4 Ra6 32.e6 Bxf6 33.Rxf6 Qxf6 34.Be5 Rxe6
35.Bxf6+ Rxf6 36.Rf1 Rdd6 37.Kg1 ) 31.Rac1 Ra6. Even so, the
position remains very sharp, but this is how White should have
played.

307
25...d4?
A mistake in return. Probably, the classics or the world champions
would play more accurately, but nowadays in tense games at a high
level, we constantly see mistakes that dramatically change the
assessment of the position. Unfortunately, there is no getting away
from this. Maybe computers will teach us to play more accurately.
Of course, I saw the variation 25...Bxe3+ 26.Qxe3 d4 27.Qd3 Ng3
28.Qd2 ( 28.Re4 Nxe4 29.fxe4 Bxe4 ) 28...d3+ 29.Qf2 Qxf2+
30.Kxf2, but I missed the beautiful move 30...d2!.
26.Bxe4?
Another mistake. Correct was 26.fxe4 Bg6 ( 26...dxe3 27.exf5 Rd2
28.Qg4 ) 27.Rad1 dxe3 28.Rd5 ³.
26...dxe3
Now the black rook reaches d2 and White has to give up the queen.
27.Kh1
27.Bxf5 Rd2 was no better.
27...Rd2
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27...Bxe4 28.fxe4 Rd2 29.Qg4 h6 30.h4 Qg6 was also good.
28.Bxa8
28.Bxf5 was not an improvement after 28...Rxe2 29.Rxe2 Rd8
30.Rc2 Rd2 31.Rac1 Bb4 32.Bg1.
28...Rxe2 29.Rxe2 Bd3

A somewhat non-standard position has been reached: Black has a

queen for two rooks, but all four bishops remain on the board. It is
clear that the passed pawn on e3 gives Black the advantage. White
will probably have to give up the exchange in the near future.
30.Ree1 Bb4 31.Rec1
The alternative was 31.Red1 e2 ( 31...Bd2 32.Bg1 Qg6!? 33.Rxd2!
exd2 34.Rd1 Bc4 35.Rxd2 is unclear) 32.Rxd3 but Black is winning
after 32...Qf2! 33.Bg1 e1Q 34.Rxe1 Qxe1 35.Rd5 Bd2 36.Rd3 Ba5.
31...e2 32.Bg3 Bd2 33.Rg1 b4
The idea of this move is to stop the white rooks getting off the first
rank, and to prevent the opening of files on the queenside.
34.a3 b3
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Now a further weakness arises on b2.
35.Be1 Be3
Also possible was 35...Bxe1 36.Rgxe1 Qd4, but in time-trouble I
decided not to clarify the position yet.
36.Bc3 Bxg1 37.Rxg1 Qf2 38.Re1 h5 39.Bd5 Qc5 40.Bb7 Qb5
41.Ba8

The good thing about the classical time control is that you can delve
deeply into the position. Time-trouble is over and Black activates
his king. First, he makes a ‘distraction manoeuvre’ on the kingside
and, when White repels it, he moves on to the main plan.
41...Qc5 42.Bb7 Kh7 43.Ba8 Kg6 44.Bb7 Qb5 45.Ba8 Qc4
46.Kh2
White does not react to the threat of ...g5-g4, and correctly so. So,
the black king has to retreat.
46...Kh7 47.Kh1 Kg8 48.Kh2 Kf8 49.Kh1 Ke7 50.Kh2 Ke6
51.g3 Qa6

310
The king has taken away the last square from the a8-bishop and in
view of the variation 52.Be4 Bxe4 53.fxe4 Qd3 54.Kg2 g4 55.hxg4
hxg4, White resigned.

Lessons:
1) If in the Spanish Game, in particular in the Chigorin Variation,
Black manages to carry out ...d5, then, as a rule, he gets a good
game in which all his pieces take an active part.
2) Black must understand that the active positioning of his pieces
in the centre (in particular, the knight on e4) is temporary, so he
should try to escalate the tension and try to cause a crisis as soon as
possible. The moves 22...a4 and 23...g5 served this purpose.
3) In positions of a static nature, when the opponent is completely
devoid of counterplay, it is important to use the principle of ‘do not
hurry!’. Perhaps the right solution will not immediately come to
mind, but if you do not rush to determine the position, then you will
definitely find it. In this game, such a decision was the black king’s
manoeuvre to the queenside, where he took the last squares from the
opponent’s light-squared bishop.
Having got back to -1 and having a game against Fressinet with
White in reserve, I still failed to pull myself together, which led to
an unexpected defeat. But the victories over Bareev and Grischuk
showed that the crisis marked by an unsuccessful start had already
been overcome and I could travel to Poikovsky in a good mood.
This was the second tournament named after Karpov in the urban-
type settlement of Poikovsky. In the 2001 tournament, the key game
was the one from the first round with Kiril Georgiev, one of my
main competitors – at that time, it seems, we even had the same
rating, 2676 each.
Ruy Lopez
Victor Bologan
Kiril Georgiev
311
Poikovsky 2001
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6
7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8

The Berlin Variation of the Spanish gained phenomenal popularity

after the Kasparov-Kramnik match (London 2000), when Volodya,
thanks to this opening, held with Black, and his two victories with
White remained unanswered. But I have been familiar with this
variation for a long time. Its basics were taught to me by Zigurds
Lanka and I still have the notes on the Ruy Lopez dictated by my
coach. After that, I honed my skills of playing the endgame in
battles with Alexey Alexandrov, the founder and preacher of the
Berlin Defence.
Bypassing the middlegame, the game has moved into a complicated
endgame in which White has a classical pawn majority on the
kingside. White’s general plan is to exchange all the pieces and
move into a won pawn endgame. But here it is even more difficult
to achieve this than in the Exchange Variation of the Ruy Lopez,
where the e-pawn is still on the fourth rank, which makes it easier to

312
establish pawn-piece interaction. Here the pawn on e5 is cut off
from its strengths and is a definite weakness. Black’s main
disadvantage is the loss of castling, but he has two bishops and the
enemy’s weak e5-pawn to consider. If Black finishes his
development normally, he will get a good game; White, naturally,
seeks to prevent this.
9.h3!?
A small piece of trickery, hoping to confuse Black. White usually
begins with 9.Nc3.
9...Bd7 10.Nc3 Kc8

This plan, with the black king going to the queenside, was the one
Kasparov was unable to refute in his match with Kramnik. I think
there is no direct refutation. My game with Kiril was quite
instructive, although it contains a few inaccuracies. Now quite a lot
of games have been played on this theme and White regularly
establishes a small plus.
11.b3 a5

313
One of Black’s resources is to create a weakness on b3, by the
threats of ...a5-a4 and ...c6-c5-c4.
12.Bb2 Be7 13.Rad1?!
More precise is 13.Rfd1 Re8 ( 13...Nh4!? 14.Nxh4 Bxh4 15.a4 b6
16.Ne4 Be6 with equality, Komliakov) 14.a4 c5 15.Nd5, so that in
the event of 15...c4 the pawn on a4 will be defended.
13...Re8 14.a4 c5 15.Rd3
Now 15.Nd5 is not so good because of 15...c4! 16.g4 ( 16.Rd2 Bc6
17.bxc4 Bxa4 18.g4 Nh6 19.Ra1 Bc6 20.Nd4 Bd7 21.f4 Ng8 is
unclear) 16...Nh6, although even here, after 17.Nd2 ( 17.Rd4 cxb3
18.cxb3 Bc5 19.Rc1 b6 ) 17...cxb3 18.cxb3 Bc6 19.Nc4 White
retains some advantage.
15...b6
White constantly has to watch for such moves as 15...Nh4 – very
often the exchange of knights plays into Black’s hands, because the
knight on f5, of course, can come under attack. But in this case,
White obtains the advantage by means of 16.Nd5 Nxf3+ 17.Rxf3
Bd8 18.c4.
16.Nd5
16.Rfd1 Bc6 17.g4 Nh4 18.Nxh4 Bxh4 19.f4 g5! 20.Bc1 gxf4
21.Bxf4 Kb7, unclear.
16...Bd8?!
By playing this passive move, Black misses his chance to equalize.
For some reason, I thought 16...c4! was impossible because of
17.Rc3 (or 17.bxc4 Bxa4 18.g4 Nh6 19.Nd4 Bc5 20.Nb5 Bxb5
21.cxb5 a4 ), but Black has 17...Bc5 18.Rxc4 Be6 19.Rd1 Rd8
20.Rf4 Ng3! 21.Kh2 Bxf2 22.Ng5 ( 22.Nd4 Rxd5 23.Rxf2 Nf5
24.Rfd2 with a small plus to Black) 22...Rxd5! 23.Rxd5 Nf1+
24.Kh1 Ng3+ with perpetual check.
17.c4
314
This move fixes White’s advantage.
17...Ne7 18.Nf4 Nc6 19.Rfd1
The computer recommends 19.e6!? fxe6 ( 19...Bxe6 20.Nxe6 Rxe6
21.Bxg7 f6 22.Rd5 ) 20.Rfd1 ( 20.Bxg7 e5 21.Rfd1 Nd4 22.Bxe5
Nxf3+ 23.gxf3 Bf5 ) 20...Re7 21.Re3 with some pressure, but the
game continuation is more principled.
19...Bf5 20.Re3
Of course, the a4/b3/c4-pawns are quite vulnerable, and thanks to
their weakness, players like Alexandrov manage to periodically win
these positions with Black. In particular, there was the famous game
Ponomariov-Alexandrov, Kramatorsk 2001 (shortly before
Ponomariov became World Champion), in which Black triumphed
one-sidedly. But in this position, White is in control: the d4-square,
where Black’s knight wants to invade, is securely covered, and the
b3-pawn is protected by the rook.
20...g6 21.g4

315
21.e6 was very strong! After 21...Bxe6, 22.Rde1 Kd7 23.g4 gives
White a big advantage.
21...Be6 22.Kg2
White gradually improves his position.
22...Kb7 23.Nd5 h6?!
In the event of 23...Be7 I was prepared to continue 24.Nxe7 Rxe7
25.Ng5 h6 26.Ne4, when White tries to exploit his pawn majority
on the kingside. Because I used to play the Exchange Spanish in my
childhood, I know very well what advantage the extra pawn on the
flank gives White.
24.Kg3 Be7 25.Red3 Bf8 26.Nf6 Red8 27.Rxd8 Rxd8 28.Rxd8
Nxd8

29.Bc1
I somewhat surprised my opponent with the decision to exchange
rooks, but this endgame may be lost for Black.
Perhaps even stronger was 29.Nh4 Nc6 30.f4.
29...Nc6
316
When all is said and done, chess is a game of tempo, and so White
must reckon with counterplay such as 29...b5 30.axb5 a4 31.bxa4
Bxc4 32.Nd7 or 29...c6 30.Nd2 b5 31.f4, but here it does not work.
30.Ng8 g5
The engine says that Black can play 30...h5, but I do not believe in
such miracles: 31.Bb2 hxg4 32.hxg4 Kc8 33.Ng5 Nd4 34.Bxd4
cxd4 35.Kf3.
For a long time I thought that the move in the game was the only
one that allowed Black to continue to resist. But while preparing a
new edition of this book, I discovered a beautiful way to draw:
30...Nd4! 31.Nxd4 cxd4 32.Nxh6 ( 32.Bxh6 Bxh6 33.Nxh6 b5! )
32...Bg7 with equality.
31.Nf6 Nd4?!
Kiril decides to clarify the position. More tenacious was 31...Bg7
32.Bb2 Nb4 33.Ne1 b5 ( 33...c6 34.Ne4 Bf8 35.h4 gxh4+ 36.Kxh4
b5 37.Nd2 Kb6 38.f4 is winning for White) 34.axb5 a4 35.bxa4
Bxf6 ( 35...Bxc4 36.Nd7 ) 36.exf6 Bxc4 37.f4 with a very sharp
game.
32.Nxd4 cxd4 33.f4 gxf4+ 34.Kxf4 c5 35.Ke4 Kc6 36.Nh5
White wants to transfer the knight to f5 and take the pawn on h6.
Black’s only chance now lies in forcing White to take the pawn with
the knight after which we get an opposite-coloured bishops ending.
36...Bc8 37.Nf4
In time-trouble, I decided to repeat moves. It was possible to play
37.Ng3 immediately.
37...Be7 38.Nd5 Bf8 39.Bd2 Be6 40.Nf6 Bg7 41.Nh5 Bf8 42.Ng3
Kd7 43.Nf5

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43...b5!?
This counterplay is too late. However, the opposite-coloured
bishops ending is also lost for Black: 43...Ke8 and now:
A) 44.Bf4 Bc8 45.Nd6+ Bxd6 46.exd6 Bb7+ 47.Ke5 Bf3
48.Bxh6 Bd1 49.h4 Bxb3 50.h5 Bxc4 51.Bd2 Bb3;
B) 44.h4!? Bc8 45.h5 ( 45.Kf4 Kd7 46.g5 hxg5+ 47.Kxg5 Ke6 )
45...Bb7+ 46.Kf4 Kd7 47.g5 hxg5+ 48.Kxg5 Ke6! (or 48...Be4
49.Kf6! Bc2 50.h6 Bxh6 51.Bxh6 Bxb3 52.Nd6 Bxa4 53.Nxf7 )
49.h6 Bxh6+! 50.Nxh6 Be4 – White has an extra piece but he can
lose all of his pawns;
C) 44.Nxh6! Bxh6 45.Bxh6 Bc8 46.Kf4 (insufficient is 46.Kd5
Kd7! 47.e6 fxe6+ 48.Ke5 Bb7 49.g5 Ke7 50.g6 d3 51.h4 Bf3
52.Bg5+ Kf8 53.Kxe6 Kg7 54.Kf5 Bh5 55.Bf6+ Kh6 56.g7 Kh7
57.Bc3 Bd1 ) 46...Bb7 47.Bg5! Bg2 ( 47...d3 48.Kf5 Bf3 49.h4 Bd1
50.h5 Bc2 51.Kf6 Kf8 52.Bd2 Kg8 53.h6 ) 48.h4 Bf1 49.Kf5 Bd3+
50.Kf6 Bc2 51.h5 Kf8 ( 51...Bxb3 52.h6 Bc2 53.Kg7 ) 52.Bd2!
Kg8 53.g5 Bd3 54.e6 fxe6 55.g6 e5 56.h6 and White wins.
Now White’s task is rather easier:

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44.axb5 a4 45.bxa4 Bxc4 46.Bxh6 Bxh6 47.Nxh6
White has two extra pawns and knight against bishop, which
excludes any drawing tendencies from opposite-coloured bishops.
47...Bb3
Or 47...Bf1 48.h4 Bg2+ 49.Kf4 c4 50.Nf5 d3 51.Ke3.
48.a5 Ba4 49.b6 Bc6+ 50.Kf4
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) Playing with pawns in the endgame. The idea of 14.a4 is to
prepare the knight’s retreat from c3, thus preventing the flank break
...a5-a4, which if Black can carry it out would open the file for the
rook and get the initiative on the flank.
2) It is very important for victory to create and fix such a
weakness as the pawn on h6. Curiously, in the Classical Variation of
the Caro-Kann Defence, White’s entire game is based on exploiting
the weakness of the h6-pawn.
3) We must fight to the end and use all the resources of defence.
Such a counterattack as 43...b5!? significantly complicates the
opponent’s task. In general, this undermining is typical and occurs
not only in the endgame.

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On November 10, 2001, just a month short of my 30th birthday, I
surrendered. It is at this critical age for a man that he decides
whether to be a happy family man or a free bachelor. After 22 years
of married life, I can say that having lost my freedom, I gained more
– the meaning of life. I mean a wife, a daughter and two sons.
Around 1999, I realized that I wanted to start a family. ‘Build a
house, raise a son, plant a tree’ – I had such a keen desire, even a
need. I remember very well that evening when I arrived in Strogino
to a rented apartment (I rented it from Mark Izrailevich at a more
than modest price – he was a very generous person). A typical
gloomy Moscow evening. I returned from some very tough
competition, tired out, and entered an empty apartment... that’s
when something clicked in me: I need to end the loneliness!
As for relationships with girls, I could not live with a person if I did
not have serious joint plans for the future. This was the serious
relationship I built with my wife. Before that, I lived on my own. I

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met girls, but did not want to live together. I have an old-fashioned
stereotype: to live with someone means to start a family.
And so, I had this thought, and thoughts, as you know, tend to
materialize. They immediately led to the purchase of an apartment,
and then to marriage and the birth of children.
True, we had to postpone our honeymoon, because I still had to
compete in the FIDE World Championship in Moscow. A couple of
months before the start, Sasha Martynkov, a well-known organizer
in the Donbass, who at that moment was Ponomariov’s manager,
called me and offered to hold a joint camp with Ruslan. I was
preparing for the same tournament and was invited as a sparring
partner. In general, I made many decisions in my life that were not
focused on myself. Often I gave more than I received, but I did not
know how to pull the blanket over myself.
In general, instead of travelling to some exotic islands (which was
certainly the right and only possible decision), I went to train with
Ruslan Ponomariov in my favourite Zvenigorod sanatorium near
Moscow. During the first half of the training camp, I confidently
beat him in training games; I showed him everything, told him
everything. I remember he came with some crooked openings from
Gennady Kuzmin – although he, of course, was a talented
grandmaster and coach. And I cured Ruslan of all this stuff. And we
must give him his due: he absorbed everything very quickly. He
rebuilt and at the end of the training camp he already beat me with a
big score.
In addition to the transfer of knowledge, the second important point
is energy. I arrived at the training camp charged with energy, and by
the end Ruslan had gained both knowledge and strength, while I, on
the contrary, felt like a squeezed lemon. There were also problems
of a personal nature – issues with my wife, to whom I tried to
explain what professional chess is. As a result, a disastrous
performance at the World Championship in Moscow: in the very

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first round, I blundered in two games against Nataf a piece and a
pawn. Meanwhile, Ruslan played the best tournament in his life. It’s
funny to remember that he then had a favourite lucky jumper in
which he went through the entire championship, changing only his
shirts. There is superstition in chess and everyone has their own
lucky talisman.
I expected that Ruslan would invite me to the final match with
Vasily Ivanchuk, which was also held in Moscow about a month
after the end of the knockout Championship. However, this did not
happen: Ponomariov was assisted by Veselin Topalov, his manager
Silvio Danailov, and 12-year-old Serezha Karjakin, who was
introduced as a ‘tactics coach’. He and Ruslan come from the same
school – from Kramatorsk, where a whole galaxy of talented
Ukrainian chess players grew up: Katya Lagno, Sasha Areshchenko,
Zakhar Efimenko, Yura Kuzubov, Natalia Zdebskaya and many
others.
I myself never impose: I wasn’t invited to the match, which means
that finally there was time for a honeymoon trip. Rita and I went to
Spain for the New Year’s tournament in Pamplona. True, in winter,
instead of bulls, costumed participants in the city carnival pour out
into the streets, but this suited us perfectly. Moreover, the debut of
my young wife as a second turned out to be excellent – I scored 7
points out of 9 and finished ahead of second place by one and a half
points. It was a great trip in every way!
As in Poikovsky, I had to endure the main test in the first round.
Philidor Defence
Oscar de la Riva Aguado
Victor Bologan
Pamplona 2001
1.e4 d6

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In the database I did not find a single game played by my opponent
in 2001. So, I thought it would be easiest for me to turn his lack of
practice to my advantage in the strategically difficult positions that
result from the Philidor Defence.
2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3
The endgame which arises after 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 is a
quite different story and of course is not just a draw.
4...Nbd7 5.g3
It may seem that by refraining from the variation with 5.Bc4, White
gives up on the fight for the initiative, but this is not the case. He
retains controls over the centre and the fianchetto of the bishop
deserves attention.
5...c6 6.a4 Be7 7.Bg2 0-0 8.0-0

8...Re8
Simply another developing move, but in our day, when a desperate
battle for tempi tends to go on, it is better to avoid non-obligatory
moves. What the black position demands is development of the
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queenside: 8...b6! 9.b3 ( 9.Re1 Bb7 ) 9...a6 10.Bb2 Bb7 ( 10...Re8
11.Qd2 Qc7 12.Rfe1 Bf8 13.h3 Bb7 14.Nh4 g6 15.Rad1 b5 16.dxe5
dxe5 17.Qg5 h6 18.Qe3 Rad8 19.Rd2 Kh7 20.Red1 Nc5 Mayer-
Bauer, Dresden 2002) 11.Re1 Re8 followed by ...Bf8, ...b5 or ...exd4
with ...c5.
9.h3
9.Re1 Bf8 10.b3 b6 11.Bb2 Bb7.
9...Bf8 10.Re1 b6 11.Be3 Bb7 12.Nd2 a6 13.g4!?
Forcing a weakening of the kingside. Black was prepared to meet
the move 13.f4 by means of 13...b5.
13...h6 14.d5
Sooner or later White must take a decision about what to do with the
pawn tension in the centre. Worse is 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.Nc4 Qc7, and
the whole plan with Nd2-c4-d6 comes to nothing.
14...b5?!
It was necessary to close the centre: 14...cxd5 15.exd5 Rc8 16.Nde4
Nxe4 17.Nxe4 Be7 18.Ng3 Bg5 with equality.
15.dxc6 Bxc6 16.Nf1?!
Instead of this, White could have gone for a more forcing variation:
16.axb5 axb5 17.Qe2 Nc5 18.Nxb5 ( 18.b4 Na6 19.Reb1 Nc7 )
18...Bxb5 19.Qxb5 Rb8 20.Qe2 Rxb2 21.Nc4 Rb7 22.Bxc5 dxc5,
which, perhaps, leads to a draw because the weak squares at d5 and
f4 balance each other out, although White retains a minimal
advantage.

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16...bxa4
It’s rather funny that De La Riva had already played a similar game
where he temporarily sacrificed the a4-pawn against Bauer in the
Mondariz 2000 tie-break. The encounter ended in a draw, but I
remembered that Oscar played that game very confidently.
Instead of leaving the a6-pawn isolated, I could just play 16...Nc5 (
16...b4 17.Nd5 a5 18.Qd3 ) 17.axb5 ( 17.Bxc5 dxc5 18.axb5 axb5
19.Qxd8 Rexd8 20.Ne3 c4, and the endgame is in Black’s favour)
17...axb5 18.Rxa8 Qxa8 19.Nd5 with equality.
17.Qd3!
During the game, I underestimated this move. As well as developing
and preparing to double the heavy pieces on the d-file, it also attacks
the pawn on a6.
17...Nh7?!
On the site ‘Club Kasparov’ this game was given a high rating,
especially its strategic part; for example, the ...Nf6-h7-g5-e6-f4
manoeuvre. It would be completely justified if the knight could be

325
strengthened on the f4-square. But in the end, it was me who traded
the knight that had made six moves for the bishop that had just taken
its first step and never even saw the blue sky.
17...Nc5 18.Bxc5 dxc5 19.Qxd8 Rexd8 20.Ne3 ( 20.Nxa4 Rab8
21.b3 c4 22.bxc4 Rb4 23.Nc3 Rxc4 24.Nd5 ) 20...Rab8 21.Nc4
leads to an unclear position.
The most accurate, apparently, is 17...Qc7 18.Ng3 Nc5 19.Bxc5
dxc5.
18.Nxa4 Ng5 19.Nc3 a5 20.Nd2
20.b3 Ne6 21.Qd2 Ndc5 22.Red1 deserved attention.
20...Ne6 21.Nc4 Nf4
21...Ndc5 22.Qd2 a4 23.Red1 Qb8 24.Nd5.
22.Qd2!
The move 22.Bxf4? is absolutely anti-positional, since it gives the
black bishop unfettered control of the dark squares.
22...Nxg2 23.Kxg2 Nf6 24.f3 a4
Black could equalize by means of 24...d5!? 25.exd5 Bxd5 26.Nb6
Bc6 27.Qxd8 (or 27.Nxa8 Qxa8 28.Qf2 Bb4 ) 27...Raxd8 28.Rxa5
Bb4 29.Raa1 Bxc3 30.bxc3 Nd5 (Komliakov).
25.Nb6?
Oscar had spent a lot of time on previous reflections and has finally
achieved an excellent position. As he confessed after the game, he
considered two continuations and chose to capture the pawn only
because he lacked time to think and really wanted to simplify the
position. Luckily for me, he didn’t play 25.Red1 Re6 26.Nb6 Rb8
27.Nbxa4± .
25...Rb8 26.Ncxa4 Bxa4 27.Nxa4 d5
From this moment, Black seizes the initiative.
28.exd5 Nxd5 29.Rad1?!

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29.Red1 Nxe3+ 30.Qxe3 Qc8; 29.c4 Nxe3+ 30.Qxe3 Qc8 31.c5 f5
was unclear.

29...Qc8! 30.Qf2
30.Qxd5 Qxc2+.
30...Nxe3+
30...Qc6!? was also unpleasant for White.
31.Rxe3 f5!
It is very important to weaken the white kingside as much as
possible before the knight on a4 returns to the game.
32.gxf5
32.Rc3 Qa6 33.b3 e4! 34.gxf5 Bb4 35.Re3 exf3+ 36.Qxf3 Rxe3
37.Qxe3 Qc6+.
32...Qxf5 33.Re4 Re6 34.b3 Rg6+ 35.Kh2 Rf6 36.Kg2
In time-trouble, De la Riva would have been happy with a draw, but
not I!
36...Rc8 37.c4 Rcc6 38.Rd3?

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38.Nc3 Rb6 39.Nb5 Ra6 was given by Shipov and Notkin, but in
fact here 39...Rg6+ followed by 40... Be7 wins.
38.Qe3!? Rg6+ 39.Kh2 Be7 40.Rxe5 Rce6 41.Rxf5 Rxe3 42.Rg1=
(Komliakov).
38...Rg6+ 39.Kh2 Be7
The bishop is ready to rejoin his colleagues via g5 and f4.
40.h4

40...Bxh4!!
On move 40 I had about five minutes left on the clock and I was
slightly worried when sacrificing a whole piece.
41.Qxh4
If 41.Rxh4 Qxd3.
41...Rg5
Now it is all over, since the white king is bare.
42.Qh3 Rh5 43.Rd8+ Kh7 44.Rh4 Qc2+ 45.Kg1 Rg6+ 46.Kf1
Rxh4

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Or 46...Qc1+ 47.Ke2 Rxh4 48.Qxh4 Rg2+ 49.Kd3 Qc2+ 50.Ke3
Qe2 mate.
47.Qxh4 Qg2+ 48.Ke1 Qxf3 49.Qh2 Rg2 0-1

Lessons:
1) In positions with a tense confrontation in the centre, you should
always be very careful to constantly consider who benefits from the
exchanges on d5 or c6. White had everything ready to create
unpleasant pressure on the d-file, so Black should have closed the
centre on the 14th move (14...cd instead of 14...b5?!).
2) Beautiful manoeuvres like ...Nf6-h7-g5-e6 cannot always be
realized. They take a lot of time, and you need to carefully calculate
whether some kind of catch awaits you along the way. In this game,
purely physically, Black did not have time to carry out this
manoeuvre, in connection with which he found himself in a difficult
situation.
3) When the position of the enemy king is weakened, there is
always room for a pawn sacrifice. Tactical nuances, such as
29...Qc8!, a dual-purpose move, usually help to develop the
initiative obtained in return for the material.

329
In January 2002, in the final of the FIDE World Championship,
Ruslan Ponomariov defeated Vasily Ivanchuk and became the
youngest world champion in history: he was only eighteen. Then
Ruslan remembered me and invited me to the celebration. By the
way, in the same tournament, my future student Zhu Chen became
the Women’s World Champion, but at that time I did not yet know
her. The governor of Donbass, Viktor Yanukovich, came to the
closing ceremony, and when he was given the floor, he proudly
declared: ‘Well done, Ruslan! Donbass does not drive on empty!’ It
so happened that in the final there was a confrontation between
eastern and western Ukraine because Vasily Ivanchuk is from Lviv.
I also played and talked a lot with Vasily; undoubtedly, he is a
brilliant chess player. At that time, of course, I was very happy for
Ponomariov, but now, after many years, we can confidently say that
Ivanchuk’s contribution to chess is incomparably greater. After this
rise, Ruslan’s career gradually began to decline, although for
another ten years he performed very well, primarily in knockout
tournaments, due to his fantastic fighting qualities.
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Our cooperation continued for several more years – for example, at
the tournament in Linares in 2002, I was his second. Ponomariov
then competed with Kasparov, and if he had held their head-to-head
game, he would have scored an equal number of points as the 13th
World Champion.
Ruslan and I had a good training camp in the Crimea. I remember he
was preparing for some very important competition, and we played
a training match that ended with a score of 3-3 in a fierce fight. The
games were of very high quality. In tournaments, we also had an
uncompromising struggle. Thus, he beat me twice in France – in
Belfort 1998 and Enghien 1999, and I hit back in Poikovsky – in
2006 and 2012. In 2006, I started the tournament with four zeros,
but in the fifth round I managed to pull myself together and defeat
him.
I think our cooperation was fruitful and mutually beneficial, but then
he found other seconds and other interests. Of course, Ruslan
Ponomariov is an excellent chess player; it’s just a pity that he
wasn’t able to reach his full potential.
Having started 2002 on a positive note, I did not expect that new life
tests awaited me in the next twelve months. I had just begun to get
used to family life when our charming daughter Katya was born,
and again I needed to rebuild.
Family life, of course, is a fun thing. However, it not only brings all
kinds of goodies, but also requires a lot of self-sacrifice, and the art
of compromise must be at the highest level. It is not an easy task to
harness completely different people into one team! Because a man
and a woman are absolutely different beings; this does not mean that
one is better and one is worse, but the creatures are completely
different.
Margarita and I argued all our lives. Over time, we stopped arguing
in a very pronounced form, but there are still small ‘foci of
resistance’. And in our youth we argued about anything. For

331
example, a classic problem of the Moscow metro: how to get from
point A to point B faster – with one change or two? Here we set up
an experiment in its purest form: I, as an athlete, travelled with two
transfers, and the young lady, as a lazier creature, with one.
Naturally, we ended up at the final point at the same time – it was
very funny! And before that, both passionately argued that ‘my’ way
was much faster!
Also, our disputes all the time concerned some words, some
etymology. And then it dawned on me: I bought Ozhegov’s
dictionary, the most famous and authoritative Russian dictionary.
Several times we opened it, and after that our disputes in one big
direction ended. Now, instead of a dictionary, there is the Internet;
but we already know each other well, so respect and understand who
knows what better.
Disputes are inevitable, and it was because of the little things that
our family had a lot of scandals. We are just completely different,
and neither one nor the other wants anything bad. Mutual patience is
worth a lot, so the monument should be erected both to Margarita
and to me.
The marriages of many of our friends broke up a long time ago, and
some have married again, some even a third time... but Rita and I
understand absolutely correctly that a family is a family, children
are children, and love is something that needs to be worked on and
should be protected; it’s not worth throwing it away. It is often
easier for people to run away than to endure, take a step forward,
remove their ego. But this must be done because there is no other
way.
Of course, I was very lucky with my wife. It is clear – a ballerina,
beautiful, smart and funny. But the main test comes in difficult
situations, when nine out of ten fold. The doctors crippled our
daughter at birth and did not say anything about it, we found out
only a month later...

332
Our wedding in Chisinau in the fall of 2002. ‘Nenashi’ (godparents)
were Valeriu Myndru and his wife Evgenia.
Rita gave birth in Sevastopol and we paid for the birth – everything
had to be top-notch. An absolutely healthy mother, she grilled shish
kebabs with us during the day. Everything went according to plan,
no deviations, and then... some incomprehensible fuss began. I was
waiting in the corridor and they told me: go home, everything will
be fine. Well, I was inexperienced, this was my first child, so OK, I
went home. They told me a daughter was born; everything was in
order. Ten-twelve hours passed; I returned to the maternity hospital
and heard the terrible cry of my child as much as 4 floors away! She
had eighteen cerebral haemorrhages... these freaks mixed up the
drips for my wife and instead of saline they gave a massive
overdose of Enzaprost – they could have ruined Rita too...
As a result, my daughter has a serious form of cerebral palsy; she
understands everything, but she cannot speak, she cannot sit, she

333
practically does not control her arms and legs; and this is for life.
We went around all the doctors, all the sorcerers... fragile Rita was
with her everywhere: in all the hospitals, sometimes she spent six
months there. Of course, we tried to make the conditions normal,
but still. Katya lives with us, and she is happy in her own way. She
smiles, we take her with us wherever we can. We try to give her our
love so that she feels needed. But psychologically, of course, this is
a very difficult situation. I greatly appreciate the courage and
heroism of my wife.
At the same time, Rita remains an absolutely normal person. She
teaches ballet, graduated from GITIS, enjoys life. She has a hobby,
organizing many concerts in Qatar. And there is no feeling that we
have some flawed family. Yes, of course, we have this cross in the
form of Katya, but Qatar also helped us a lot in this regard. The
system of nannies (most often Filipinas) is very well developed
here: and we first hired one, and then the second. For our children,
they are Aunt Lisa and Aunt Michelle. It helps us a lot to lead a full
life: both I and my wife can work. However, in the early years, 100
percent of the worry was on Rita. In Qatar, of course, all this is
much more convenient. That is, they feel much more comfortable
there than they would feel in Moldova or Moscow.
The story with Katya is pain, tragedy, responsibility, and love. We
are very grateful to Qatar for the two sons who were born there.
After Katya, crippled by doctors, it was very important for us to
have healthy children. Right before finishing the book, my Chinese
friends Yangchen and Tenxiao introduced me to Shaoxing healer
Dr. Gao. He has undertaken to try to work with Katya. Everything is
possible. At least he helped me with my neck pain the first time.
Thank God!
In purely chess terms, the year 2002 was nothing special, except for
the victory at the rapid event in Mainz. Moreover, the Moldovan
team took a small step forward: at the Olympiad in Bled, we took

334
31st, an honourable placing for us. And when I was back in
Pamplona a year later, I felt better.
Petroff Defence
Victor Bologan
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Pamplona 2002
I became good friends with the future World Champion in
Pamplona. In addition to us, Ivan Sokolov and Paco Vallejo also
played there, so the social circle was kept to a minimum. In this
vacuum of communication (my wife stayed at home with little
Katya), my lengthy discussions with Rustam on various topics came
in very handy. The 17th World Champion, well-read to the point of
erudition, already at that time impressed with his ease and at the
same time his depth of thinking.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-
0 Be7 8.c4 Nf6
Even more popular is 8...Nb4, as was played in those days by
Karpov in his match with Kasparov in New York and tested again in
the 2004 Leko-Kramnik match.
White, who gets an isolated pawn, needs to create pressure against
d5 and along the e-file as soon as possible.
9.h3 Nb4 10.Be2 dxc4 11.Bxc4 0-0 12.Nc3 Nbd5 13.Re1 c6

335
14.Qb3
Later White tried to prove an advantage after 14.Bg5 Be6 15.Qb3.
14...Nb6 15.Bd3 Be6 16.Qc2 h6 17.a3
An important prophylactic move. Now White will not have to worry
if the black knight comes back to d5. It is interesting that the well-
known exchange sacrifice is also not without its dangers: 17.Rxe6
fxe6 18.Qe2 Qd7 19.Bd2 Bd6 20.Ne4 Nbd5 21.Nxd6 Qxd6 22.Re1
Rad8 23.a3 Rfe8 24.Bb1 c5 25.Ne5 (Topalov-Anand, Wijk aan Zee
2003).
17...Nbd5
On 17...Re8 I was ready to put the bishop on the h2-b8 diagonal:
18.Bf4 Nbd5 19.Be5 with a small plus for White.

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18.Na4!
This novelty was prepared by White’s 17th move. While Black is
provoked to fight for the f4-square, White uses the a4-square for his
own purposes. It is also important to play Na4 before the rook
comes to c8, as in this case Black will take the bishop to c8 after the
preliminary ...Rc7. This is indeed what happened in the next game:
18.Bd2 Rc8 19.Na4 Rc7 20.Nc5 Bc8 21.Rac1 Bd6 22.Ne5 Re8
23.b4 Rce7 24.Qb2?! ( 24.b5!? Bxe5 25.dxe5 Rxe5 26.Rxe5 Rxe5 )
24...Nc7 25.a4 Ne6 with equality (Lutz-Fridman, Essen 2002).
18...Nd7!?
Evidently, Black does not wish to give up his bishop for the knight.
On the other hand, he cannot take control of c5 with the move
18...b6 because of 19.Ne5. And after 18...Qc7 19.Nc5 Bxc5
20.dxc5 Nf4 21.Bf1 White has the better chances.
19.Bd2 Re8 20.Rad1
I also looked at doubling on the e-file: 20.Re2!? Qc7 21.Rae1 Nf4
22.Bxf4 Qxf4 23.Nc3!? ( 23.Bc4 Bxc4 24.Qxc4 Kf8 25.Qd3 g6

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26.b4 Bg5 27.Rxe8+ Rxe8 28.Rxe8+ Kxe8 29.Nc5 Nxc5 30.dxc5
Bd8 with equality) 23...Qc7 (on 23...Kf8, 24.Rxe6! fxe6 25.Bg6
Red8 26.Rxe6 wins) 24.d5 cxd5 25.Nd4² .
20...Bf6 21.Ne5?!
Too hasty. It was very tempting to capture new squares in the centre
and prepare the advance of the f-pawn. Now it’s hard to say what I
was going to do in response to ...Bg5, especially when I saw this
move.
The normal continuation was 21.Bc1 with the idea of Na4-c3-e4,
after which Black has to sit and wait for White to choose a plan.
21...Qc7
After the game, Rustam admitted that he had also looked at
21...Bg5!, but could not decide on the exchange, although he very
well knew the rule of thumb that exchanges usually favour the
defending side. There could follow 22.Nc5 ( 22.Bxg5 Qxg5 23.Nf3
Qf6 24.Be4 is also equal) 22...Nxc5 23.dxc5 Bxd2 24.Qxd2 Qf6
25.Bb1 Nf4 with equality.
22.f4 Nf8
22...Bh4 23.Rf1 N5f6 24.Kh2 Nh5 25.Be1 Bxe1 26.Rdxe1² .
23.Nc5 Rad8 24.Bc1

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24...Bc8
Black’s last chance to sharpen the game was 24...Bh4!?. In my
opinion, in all cases White should keep some pressure on the
opponent’s position. For example:
A) 25.Rf1 f6 26.Ng6 ( 26.Nxe6 Nxe6 27.Bh7+ Kh8 28.Ng6+
Kxh7 29.Nxh4+ Kg8 leaves Black a little better) 26...Nxg6
27.Nxe6 Rxe6 28.Bxg6 Qe7 29.Qb3 Re3 30.Bxe3 Qxe3+ 31.Qxe3
Nxe3 32.Rd3 Nxf1 33.Kxf1 f5 34.Bxf5 Bf6 35.d5 cxd5 with
equality;
B) 25.f5 Bxe1 ( 25...Bc8 26.Re4 (Black has a small advantage
after 26.Rf1 Bg3 27.Ne4 Bxe5 28.dxe5 Rxe5 29.g4 Nh7 30.Qf2 b6
) 26...Be7 ( 26...Bg3 27.Rg4 Bxe5 28.dxe5 Qxe5 29.Bxh6 Ne3
30.Bxg7 Qd5 31.Qc3 Nxg4 32.hxg4 b6 33.Nb3 ) 27.Re2 Bd6
28.Rde1 ) 26.fxe6 f6 27.Nf7 Nxe6 28.Nxd8 Nxd8 29.Bc4 Nf7
30.Qf5 Qe7 31.Bd3 with a complex and unclear position.
25.Qf2 Ne6
Rather stronger was 25...Be7!? followed by ...Bd6 and ...f6.

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26.Ne4 Be7 27.Bc4!?
Establishing control over the important diagonal a2-g8. This helps
White in many attacking variations, because in the majority of cases
the knight on d5 will not have a move.
27...Nf8 28.f5! Nh7?
Allowing a combination. More sensible was 28...Nd7, and now
29.f6!? does not work: 29...N7xf6 30.Bxh6 Be6 31.Ng5 Bd6 (
31...gxh6 32.Nxe6 fxe6 33.Bxd5 ) 32.Nxe6 Rxe6 33.Bg5 Rde8.
Therefore, better is 29.Bf4 Qb6 30.Nc3 ( 30.Nxd7 Bxd7 31.Be5 f6
32.Bd6 Bxd6 33.Nxd6 Rxe1+ 34.Rxe1 Kf8 ) 30...N7f6 31.g4, and
any 1.e4 player would choose White in this position.
29.Bf4!
At first I looked at 29.Bxh6, but I stopped my calculations when I
could not find a solution after 29...f6! ( 29...gxh6 30.Qg3+ Bg5
31.h4 Bxf5 32.hxg5 Bxe4 33.Rxe4 hxg5 is unclear) 30.Qg3 Bf8
31.Qg6 fxe5 32.Bg5 Be7 33.f6 ( 33.Bh6 Bh4 34.g3 Kh8 ) 33...Bf8.
29...Qb6
29...Nxf4 30.Bxf7+.
Now, with the queen far away, everything should work out fine.

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30.Bxh6!!
The merit of this combination is that it will end only after 10 moves.
Of course, it was difficult to calculate everything from beginning to
end, so it was enough to understand that in all variations White has a
very strong attack.
30...gxh6
30...f6 31.Qg3 Bf8 32.Ng6.
31.Qg3+ Ng5
I mainly considered 31...Kf8. Here I had prepared a second piece
sacrifice: 32.Nxf7!, after which White has a decisive advantage in
all the main variations:
A) 32...Bg5 33.Nxd8 Qxd8 34.Nxg5 Rxe1+ ( 34...Nxg5
35.Rxe8+ Qxe8 36.Bxd5 cxd5 37.Qd6+ Kg7 38.Qxd5 ) 35.Rxe1
Nxg5 36.Bxd5 Qxd5 ( 36...cxd5 37.Qb8 Nf7 38.Rc1 Nd6 39.Rc5 )
37.Qe5;
B) 32...Ng5 33.Nxd8 Qxd8 34.f6! Bxf6 35.Bxd5 cxd5 36.Nxf6;

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 C) 32...Kxf7 33.Qg6+ Kf8 34.Qxh7 Bf6 35.Nxf6 Rxe1+
36.Kh2! Qc7+ ( 36...Re3 37.Qxh6+ Kf7 38.Ng4 Re4 39.Ne5+ Ke7
40.f6+ Nxf6 41.Qg7+ Kd6 42.Nf7+ winning) 37.Qxc7 Nxc7
38.Nh7+ Kg7 39.Rxe1 Rd7 ( 39...Kxh7 40.Re7+ Kh8 41.Rxc7 Bxf5
42.g4 Rxd4 43.gxf5 Rxc4 44.Kg3 ) 40.f6+ Kxh7 41.f7 Kg7 42.Re8
Rxf7 43.Bxf7 Nxe8 44.Bxe8 Kf6 45.Kg3.
31...Bg5 eases White’s task: 32.h4 Bxf5 ( 32...f6 33.Nxf6+ Nxf6
34.hxg5 Nh5 35.Qg4 Ng7 36.gxh6 ) 33.hxg5 Bxe4 34.gxh6+ Bg6
35.Nxg6+ .
32.h4 f6
The point of Black’s defence. 32...Bxf5 33.hxg5 Bxe4 34.gxh6+
Bg6 35.Nxg6.
33.hxg5 hxg5 34.Ng6 Kf7
He loses at once after 34...Kg7 35.Nxg5 fxg5 36.Nxe7 Rxe7
37.Rxe7+ Nxe7 38.Qxg5+ Kf8 39.f6.
35.Qh3
Allowing a sacrifice of material, which could easily have been
avoided. More precise was 35.Bxd5+ cxd5 (if 35...Rxd5 36.Qh2
Kg7 37.Nxg5 fxg5 38.Rxe7+ winning) 36.Qh3 Kg7 ( 36...Bf8
37.Qh7+ Bg7 38.Ng3 Rxe1+ 39.Rxe1 wins) 37.Nf2, going into the
main variation which occurred in the game.
35...Kg7 36.Bxd5 cxd5
36...Bxf5!? also doesn’t save Black, but it was a better chance:
37.Qxf5 Rxd5 38.Nxe7 Rxf5 39.Nxf5+ Kg6 40.Neg3 Re5 41.Rf1
Re8 42.Rde1 Re5 43.Kh2.

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37.Nf2!
The other knight retreat 37.Ng3 does not work: 37...Bd6 38.Nh5+
Kf7 39.Rxe8 Rxe8 40.Nhf4 Kg7 41.Nh5+ Kf7 42.Nhf4 with
equality.
From afar I also looked at 37.Nxg5, which wins as well: 37...fxg5
38.Rxe7+ Rxe7 39.Nxe7.
37...Bd6 38.Rxe8 Rxe8 39.Ng4 Bxf5 40.Qh6+ Kf7 41.Nh8+!
The end. Already on the next move, the white queen will begin to
destroy the opponent’s position, while the black king will
desperately look for a safe haven. Black resigned because of
41...Rxh8 42.Qxf6+ Kg8 ( 42...Ke8 43.Qxh8+ ) 43.Qxg5+ Kf7
44.Qxf5+ Kg7 45.Qf6+ Kg8 46.Qg6+ Kf8 47.Rf1+.

Lessons:
1) Already in the initial stage of the game, prophylactic moves are
very useful, because the opponent does not always have a good plan.
17.a3 passes the move to Black, but it is much more important to
protect yourself from the knight’s attack on b4.
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 2) The game is a classic example of White’s play in positions with
an isolated pawn. He speculated by occupying the c5- and e5-
squares, controlled the e-file and the b1-h7 diagonal, and avoided
exchanges, i.e., almost everything was done ‘according to science’.
3) Black did not take advantage of the opportunity given to him to
simplify the game (21...Bg5! instead of 21...Qc7). Exchanges in a
cramped position are usually beneficial to the defending side.
In fairness, it should be noted that Rustam managed to bounce back
in the second round and thanks to his victory in additional blitz
games (we finished with exactly the same tie-break) even took first
place in the tournament.
Taught by previous bitter experience, in January 2003 – for the first
time in my life – I refused to participate in a tournament (Geneva)
for health reasons. The younger Bologan would definitely have
gone. And I got sick in a rush to become even healthier. The fact is
that January 2003 turned out to be very frosty (on average minus 25
Celsius), and by that time everything was in order with my
willpower. And I forced myself to go for an hour-long ski run every
morning, since the ski track is near the house. The cold turned to
pneumonia. After that, for the first time in my life, I lay in bed for a
whole week and did not even touch chess.
And guess what? I won the first tournament I played after that – a
rapid in Aubervilliers in France – and started with 6 out of 6. If we
add here the Moscow Grand Prix in 1996, then the conclusion
suggests itself: a complete ‘cut-off’ from chess is necessary from
time to time.
Then came the Aeroflot Open, which, given my unsuccessful
performance the previous year, did not bode well. But, in spite of
everything, Aeroflot 2003 opened the door to super-tournaments for
me. In the first three rounds, I offered draws to my opponents three
times. I was rejected each time and... I scored three points. So, it’s

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impossible to say that I was determined to take first place in the
tournament by all means.
Sicilian Defence
Victor Bologan
Vadim Milov
Moscow 2003
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 Bd7
In this line of the Rauzer, Black seeks first of all to develop his
queenside. He allows the doubling of his pawns along the f-file and
determines his plans very early.
7.Qd2 Rc8 8.Nb3
We discussed this manoeuvre when we analysed the game against
Frolov (Game No. 9). White avoids the exchange of knights in order
not to open the c-file for his opponent and to prevent the bishop
from reaching c6.
8...h6 9.Bxf6 gxf6

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10.Bd3!
Directed against ...f5. I came up with this move shortly after losing
to Ilya Smirin, at my first Olympiad. Then he managed to use both
bishops with the f5 breakthrough: 10.f4 f5 11.exf5 Bxf5 12.Nd5
Bg7 13.c3 Be4 14.Ne3 a5 15.Bd3 Bxd3 16.Qxd3 a4 17.Nd2 e6
18.0-0 0-0 19.Rad1 d5 20.Nf3 Qb6 21.Rf2 a3 (Bologan-Smirin,
Manila 1992).
Ten years passed since then, and only once did my ‘Sicilian guru’,
Zigurds Lanka, play 10.Bd3 in a game against an amateur. To be
very precise, this is how Klovans played in 1983, but with a
completely different idea – to castle long.
10...Bg7
The amateur played 10...Ne5, after which both 11.0-0 and 11.f4
Nxd3+ 12.Qxd3 f5 13.exf5 Bg7 14.0-0-0 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Qc7
16.Rhe1 Rg8 17.f6 e6 18.Qh7 Rf8 19.Rd3 are good (Iordachescu-
Murariu, Bucharest 2003).
11.0-0 h5
Although Vadim began to think, he made standard moves. Black’s
main problem, unlike when White castles long, is that he has no
object to attack. The h-pawn is easily blocked, and the bishops are
severely limited in their actions.
11...Ne5 12.Kh1² .
12.Kh1 h4 13.h3 a6
The exchange of a knight for a bishop would not make Black’s fate
any easier. Especially since in this case the position would strongly
resemble the textbook game Ivanchuk-Kasparov from Linares 1991:
13...Ne5 14.f4 Nxd3 15.Qxd3, and now 15...f5 does not work (but
otherwise Nd4) 16.exf5 Bxc3 17.bxc3 Rg8 18.Nd4 Qc7 19.Rf3 Bc6
20.Nxc6 Qxc6 21.Re1² .
14.Nd5

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The knight will probably be more comfortable on e3; besides, Black
is finally forced to weaken the d6-pawn.
14...e6
If 14...f5 15.exf5 Bxb2 16.Rae1 Kf8 ( 16...Be5 17.f4 ) 17.c3 Ba3
18.Nd4 Ne5 19.f4 wins.
15.Ne3 Qc7?
Maybe it was time to take the bishop on d3: 15...Ne5 16.f4 Nxd3.
16.f4 Ne7

17.Qe2?!
Lulled by the strength of my position, I made a series of imprecise
moves that eventually forced me to sacrifice an exchange. There
was no need to be afraid of the bishop’s exit on h6, but it was
necessary to play resolutely: 17.f5 Bh6 18.Qe1 Bg5 ( 18...Bxe3
19.fxe6 fxe6 20.Qxe3 ) 19.Ng4 e5 20.Nd2, aiming at the
weaknesses on g5 and f6.
17...Ng6

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For the moment, the attempt to break free from the shackles does
not work: 17...f5 18.exf5 Bxb2 19.Rab1 Bf6 20.fxe6 fxe6 21.f5 e5
22.Ng4 ±.
18.Ng4 Kf8 19.c3?!
Vagueness is the enemy of chess! A small advantage could have
been retained by 19.f5 exf5 20.exf5 Ne5 21.Nxe5 dxe5 22.Nd2.
19...d5!
Thanks to White’s previous cooperation, Black has not only carried
out ...d5 but has also created serious threats.
20.f5!
Fortunately, the position was hard to spoil, and even after giving up
the exchange, White doesn’t risk anything.
20...Nf4
20...exf5 was stronger! 21.exf5 Nf4, and now, for example, 22.Qd2
( 22.Rxf4 Qxf4 23.Rf1 Qd6 is unclear) 22...Nxd3 23.Qxd3 Bb5
24.Qxd5 Bxf1 25.Rxf1 Rd8 26.Qf3 with equality.

21.Rxf4!
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A necessary sacrifice.
21.Qe3 Nxd3 22.Qxd3 Bb5 23.Qc2 Bxf1 24.Rxf1 is a worse
version.
21...Qxf4 22.Rf1 Qg5?!
Obviously with the idea of defending the f6-pawn. The move was
made fairly quickly, but the queen only emerged from this cage 27
long moves later. More precise was 22...Qd6, after which White
should play 23.e5! ( 23.fxe6 Bxe6 24.Nxf6 Bxf6 25.Rxf6 Qe5 )
23...fxe5 24.f6 Bh6 25.Nxe5 Bg5 26.Nd4 Rc7 27.Bg6 Be8 28.Bd3.
Although White has full compensation for the exchange, the game
should most likely end in a draw.
23.Nd4 exf5?
The decisive mistake. Also bad was 23...e5 24.Nf3 Qh5 25.exd5 but
essential was 23...Re8 24.Qd1 ( 24.e5! fxe5 25.Nf3 Qd8 26.f6 e4
27.fxg7+ Kxg7 28.Nfe5 f5 29.Qe3 Zviagintsev) 24...dxe4 25.Bxe4
Bc8 26.Qd3.
24.exf5
On 24.Nxf5 the reply 24...d4 is unpleasant! For example: 25.Nxd4 (
25.cxd4 Rc1 ) 25...Bxg4 26.hxg4 h3.
24...Re8 25.Qd1
The knight on g4, combined with the f5-pawn, completely paralyzes
Black’s pieces on the kingside, while at the same time White has
enough resources to deal with weaknesses on the queenside.
25...Kg8 26.Bc2 Bc6
26...Bb5! equalized the game! For example: 27.Nxb5 axb5 28.Qxd5
Re2 29.Bb3 Kh7 30.Qxf7 Rhe8.
27.b4
With the idea of a4, b5, Bb3.
27...Re7 28.a4 Kh7

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An attempt to unite the rooks.
29.b5 axb5 30.axb5 Be8
The consistent 30...Bd7 ran into the unpleasant 31.Ne6, but now the
h8-rook remains in its place.

At around this moment, I started to feel bad, as if I had a cold

starting...
31.Bb3
31.Nf3!? Qh5 32.Qxd5. The attempt to bring out the queen with
31...Qf4 is met with a tactical refutation: 32.Nfe5 Qg5 33.Qxd5
Rg8 34.Nc4 Kh8 35.Nd6 Rd7 36.c4 Bf8 37.c5 Bxd6 38.cxd6.
31...Rc7 32.Bxd5 Rxc3 33.Bxb7
Solidly played. I could very well have regained the exchange with
33.Nf3 Qxf5 ( 33...Qh5 34.Nd2! Qg5 35.Ne4 ) 34.Qd4 Kg8
35.Bxf7+ Bxf7 36.Qxc3 Qxb5 37.Nd2, retaining a strong attack in
the process, but White has no reason to hurry.
33...Rc5 34.Qb1 Rc4

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An unexpected activation of the pieces led to equality: 34...Bh6!
35.Nf3 Qc1!! 36.Qd3 Qc4, and White has nothing better than to
agree to a draw by perpetual check: 37.Nxf6+ Kg7 38.Nh5+.
35.Nf3
The black queen loses her square. Not 35.Qb2 Rxd4 36.Qxd4 Bxb5
37.Rb1 Be2² .
35...Qh5
On 35...Qf4 there would follow the long, forcing variation 36.Nfe5
Rb4 37.Qe1 Qd4 38.Qxh4+ ( 38.Nc6!? Bxc6 39.bxc6 ) 38...Kg8
39.Nxf6+ Bxf6 40.Qxf6 Rxb5 41.Qg5+ Kf8 42.f6 Rh7 43.Re1.
White’s attack is very strong and 43...Rxb7 loses to the delightfully
slow 44.Ng4! Qb4 45.Nh6 Qxe1+ 46.Kh2 Qe5+ 47.Qxe5 Rxh6
48.Qc5+ Kg8 49.Qc8 Rxf6 50.Qxb7.
36.b6

36...Bc6?!
In time-trouble, Milov simplifies my task. More tenacious was
36...Ba4 37.Nd2 Rxg4 38.hxg4 Qxg4 39.Qe4 Qxe4 40.Bxe4 or
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36...Rxg4 37.Bc8 Rc4 38.b7 Bc6 39.b8Q Be4 40.Qe1 Rhxc8
41.Qxc8 Rxc8 42.Qxe4.
37.Bxc6 Rxc6 38.Qb5
Passing over a nice finish: 38.Qd1! Rxb6? ( 38...Qxf5 39.Nd4 Qe4
40.Nxc6 Qxc6 41.Qb1+ ) 39.Nd2 Kg8 40.Ne4.
38...Rd6 39.Qc5 Rdd8 40.b7 Rb8 41.Rb1

A picturesque position. Almost all of Black’s pieces are out of the

game, and it would seem that White needs only a few moves to win.
But that’s why chess is also a sport, because in addition to a winning
position at the end of a game, it’s not bad to have a fresh head and
physical strength. But it was precisely with this that I had problems,
and even tea did not help.
41...Rhd8 42.Qb5?!
Another bout of hesitation begins, although there was a win with the
direct line 42.Rb5 Rd7 ( 42...Kh8 43.Qc6 Qh7 44.Kh2 Qh5 45.Qc7
Rf8 46.Rc5 ) 43.Qc6 Rdd8 44.Nxf6+ Bxf6 45.Qxf6.
42...Kh8 43.Nf2?!
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Again missing a tactical possibility – 43.Re1 Qh7 44.Nd4! Rxd4
45.Re8+ Qg8 46.Rxg8+ Kxg8 47.Qc6 Rdd8 48.g3 and Black can do
nothing against the advance of a newly-created passed h-pawn. Very
strong was 43.Rc1 Bf8 44.Rc4 Rd1+ 45.Ng1 Qg5 46.Rc8 Kg7
47.Nf2 Rxg1+ 48.Kxg1 Bd6 49.Qd5 Qg3 50.Qe4.
43...Bf8
Or 43...Qh6 44.Qc4 Rd7 (if 44...Bf8 45.Ng4 Qg7 46.Qa6 ) 45.Qc6
Rdd8 46.Rb4+ .
44.Ng4 Bg7 45.Rc1
It was possible to play 45.Re1, but at that moment I finally stopped
being afraid of possible checks if my rook was activated and boldly
moved my king to the centre in full confidence that, if necessary, the
knights would easily protect the king.
45...Qh7

46.Kg1!?
46.Rc4 Rd1+ 47.Kh2 Bf8 48.Nge5 Bd6 49.Qa4 Qxf5 50.Rxh4+
Kg7 51.Qxd1 Bxe5+ 52.Nxe5 Qxe5+ 53.Kh1 also wins.
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46...Qg8 47.Rc7 Qf8
After the transition to the endgame, Black can win the b-pawn, but
for this he has to give up the entire kingside: 47...Qe8 48.Qxe8+
Rxe8 49.Rxf7 Red8 50.Rc7 Rd6 51.Nxh4 Kh7 52.Ng6 Rb6 53.Nf4
R6xb7 54.Nxf6+ Kh6 55.Ng4+ Kh7 56.Rxb7 Rxb7 57.f6 and
White wins.
48.Qc4 Rd1+ 49.Kf2 Qd6 50.Ne3
The outcome is decided and Black has only a couple of spite checks
left.
50...Qg3+ 51.Ke2 Rb1
51...Rdd8 52.Kf1! ( 52.Qxf7 Rf8 53.Qh5+ Kg8 ) 52...Rf8 53.Nd5.
52.Rc8+ Kh7 53.Qxf7 Rb2+ 54.Kd1 Qd6+ 55.Kc1 Rxg2 56.Nxg2
Qa3+ 57.Kc2 Qa4+ 58.Kd2
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) If the opponent has doubled pawns, one of which also blocks
his own bishop, then it is very important to prevent him from getting
rid of them. Therefore, the move 10.Bd3! turned out to be very
unpleasant for Black.
2) No matter how good your position is, you should never relax! It
is important to always look for the strongest specific solution,
otherwise the advantage may evaporate and you will have to restart
everything from the beginning (17.Qe2?!, 19.c3?!).
3) When the minor pieces occupy stable positions from which it is
very difficult to evict them, and the pawn structure is immobile and
fetters the opponent’s pieces, then an exchange sacrifice is quite
likely (21.Rxf4!).
On the eve of the last game, my temperature rose to 40 degrees.
What to do? This age-old question was discussed at a small family
council, consisting of my faithful seconds – who came to Moscow
354
to specifically support me, my older brother Nika and my wife.
There was no way to drop out – it would be an irreparable blow to
the family budget (ironically, having caught a cold for the third time
at Aeroflot 2004, I nevertheless dropped out of the last round).
Trying to make a quick draw with White was most likely. Before the
pairings, which became known around midnight, I tried to prepare
just in case, and when I found out that I was playing with Granda, I
thought: this is my chance! I decided to go for broke, in which my
relatives supported me. Nicu, by mathematically calculating my
financial risks and comparing them with the possible benefits in
case of winning, convinced me.
I won and beat Alexandrov on tiebreak by some fractions of the
coefficient. Of course, it was a pity for Alexey, who had been
leading the entire tournament and fully deserved to win.
After the tournament, one of the interviews touched upon the topic
of professional chess and the motivation of chess players. I present
my thoughts on this subject:
I recently listened to an interview on the radio with a well-known
artist who has recently been creating scenery for performances. He
said that, of course, he wants to be a ‘pure artist’, but they live very
poorly in our time, because few people buy their creations. The
same thing happens in chess. One person will be lucky, and he will
break through, and someone else will live more modestly; someone
else again will understand that chess is not for him and leave, and
someone who remains faithful to chess, will be satisfied with little,
while someone else will continue to play out of hopelessness...
If chess players played only in open events, then, of course, it would
be absurd. But there are also team championships where you get a
fee just for playing; there are tournaments where participants
receive fees; there are lessons that professionals can give... so, there
are small, but stable opportunities for regular income.

355
Let’s return to the Aeroflot Open. A large number of average
grandmasters went, after Moscow, to the tournament in Capelle-le-
Grande on a discounted ticket – already something. Some were paid
for by their clubs. Some had sponsors – local sports, public or
private organizations... as you start to figure it out, it turns out that
chess is not such a poor sport!
Another thing is that there are too many grandmasters in the world.
And one must understand that the interest in chess is not so great
that each grandmaster would receive a fee of 500-1000 dollars for
playing in a mass tournament. You have to be content with what you
have.
There is an obvious over-supply of grandmasters, the title itself has
been devalued. If we want to be treated with reverence, as in the old
days, FIDE must carry out some reforms. But this is not profitable
for FIDE; they have actually built the entire system of popularizing
chess on the achievement of titles. Maybe we don’t need to change
anything. For some small sponsors, the opportunity to get a local
grandmaster is a good incentive.
Of course, I am for purity and correctness in chess. Naturally, we
need a commission on controversial situations, fixed tournaments,
etc. But in this matter now the situation is not so critical that it has
to be dealt with first. There are more important problems. For
example, it’s time to finish with nepotism in chess. Now there are
absolutely unprecedented conditions in the European
Championships, absolute uncertainty about the future of chess. All
the time there are scandals...
Based on the above opus, it clearly followed that chess needed to be
democratized not only in FIDE, but also in the very system of
competitions and selection for them. An important step towards
ordinary grandmasters was the granting of the right to play in
Dortmund to the winner of the 2003 Aeroflot Open. Firstly, the
prestige of the Open automatically rose (in 2003 Morozevich,

356
Grischuk, Svidler, Dreev, etc. played). Secondly, there was an
element of sports selection (not by invitation) to an elite tournament.
And thirdly, the organizers of Dortmund received fresh blood (that
is, a new face).
When someone shows a bright result, they immediately pay
attention to him. As it turned out, in early 2003, the 13th World
Champion Garry Kasparov was in search of new ideas and new
sparring partners. He became interested in studying a whole layer of
the ‘Moldovan’ theory of openings, and he invited me to work with
him, and also paid for it. In the beginning, we had a very intense
ten-day gathering. The format, I think, was optimal: the two main
participants, that is, Garry and I, moved the pieces on the board
without looking at the computer at all, and the third one – Yura
Dokhoian, who unfortunately left us during Covid – simultaneously
recorded and checked our variations. He let us speak, and then
pointed out the clarifications of the computer.
Garry Kimovich was interested in the Italian game, the King’s
Indian Defence, the Rossolimo Variation, the Anti-Marshall (which
I played at the suggestion of Zigurds Lanka). Back then computers
were not very strong, and I remember that we analysed a sacrifice of
two pieces in the King’s Indian to the point of checkmate – the
engines misjudged the position almost to the very end and did not
understand the full danger of the attack. The depth of our analysis
was fantastic and we were able to find completely non-obvious
things.
Garry Kimovich Kasparov played a very important role in my
development as a professional chess player. Yes, I grew up on the
games of Karpov, he was my idol, and since 2000 Anatoly
Evgenievich and I have been friends. However, the Kasparov
phenomenon had a huge impact on the chess players of my
generation. It turned out that the age difference between us was only
eight years, but he achieved great success very early, and while I

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was still playing in children’s tournaments, Garry was already
becoming a world champion.
I don’t remember exactly who I was rooting for during the great
confrontation between Karpov and Kasparov. My dad clearly
sympathized with Karpov, whereas I really liked the idea that a
young hero, a ‘child of change’, was on the rise. That is, I was not
an ardent fan of Kasparov, but implicitly I wanted him to win. I
even managed to visit the Hall of Columns for one of the games of
the first, unlimited match. In January 1985, I first came to Moscow
to the Petrosian Memorial, and we got tickets for the match. I
remember I was making notes in a notebook, just the way everyone
behaves during the game. The game was boring, another short draw.
The calm, pensive Karpov was sitting at the table, and Kasparov
was running around the stage back and forth, and it was clear that
energy was pouring out of him!
When I became a professional chess player, Kasparov was already
atop Olympus, and we didn’t really meet in tournaments. True, in
1995 I won the Novgorod Open and qualified for the next year’s
main tournament.
I think it was then that Garry Kimovich first noticed me. I played
outwardly modest openings like the Italian, but very successfully,
and then, probably for the first time, he was really interested in all
this ‘Moldovanism’. The open was very strong that year, and with
my original opening repertoire I managed to win it. I also played in
the PCA tournaments organized by Kasparov, so we knew each
other by then. But then it was not possible to meet at the board.
By the way, I consider those PCA tournaments the most successful
of all that have been in chess so far. From the point of view of the
chess presentation format, they were cool tournaments in good
places, with high prizes. Many consider Garry Kimovich a
destroyer, and that story also ended pretty quickly. But in this case,
he was very successful precisely as a creator who managed to attract

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solid sponsors and organizers to chess. Kasparov also hosted the
Grand Chess Tour, and this series of tournaments had an important
place on the international calendar. But these are competitions for
the elite, whereas that series was very democratic: people like me,
like Lyosha Vyzhmanavin, Volodya Malaniuk, Ilya Smirin and
Valya Arbakov were able to prove themselves in it... grandmasters
of the second echelon, to which I always belonged, got their chance
and performed well.
During the Kasparov-Kramnik match in 2000, I was rather on the
other side of the barricades from Garry Kimovich: although I didn’t
work directly with Volodya then, we were friends. He then
brilliantly built the ‘Berlin Wall’, and in general his whole team did
a great job, which allowed Volodya to enter his name in the World
Championship annals. Naturally, Kasparov did not want to leave his
opponent ‘unpunished’ and was in every possible way looking for
ways to regain the title. This resulted in the Prague Agreements, the
essence of which was the unification of both systems for holding the
World Championship as one single system under the auspices of
FIDE. Kasparov was supposed to play a match with Ruslan
Ponomariov, and Kramnik with Peter Leko.
It was at this moment that Garry Kimovich invited me to his training
camp. It was held in May 2003, and two months later I won the
super-tournament in Dortmund. I think, among other things, this
work helped me purely psychologically – it added confidence in my
abilities. Of course, in all training matches in rapid and blitz, Garry
beat me by a big score, but the very communication with him had an
extremely positive effect on me. He has a fantastic intellectual
potential – sometimes you do not even have time to follow the flight
of his thoughts. Yes, we disagreed on many ideological and political
issues, but he respected the opinions of others and never tried to
aggravate differences. I am very grateful to Garry Kimovich for the
excellent introduction he wrote to my book Steps. He carefully read
the manuscript during one of the long-haul flights and then dictated
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the text so beautifully that it practically did not have to be edited. He
certainly gained experience when he dictated his books to his
assistant and co-author Dmitry Plisetsky.
Our work in 2003 was, among other things, preparation for a
possible duel with Ruslan Ponomariov. We agreed that closer to the
match I would tell Ruslan (with whom I previously collaborated)
that I was helping his opponent; but, as you know, the match in the
end never took place. I don’t know the reasons – I’ve never been
seriously interested in what happened.
I continued to communicate with Kasparov until his last tournament
in Linares in 2005. Together we looked at some variations and
played training matches. I once played for the same team – Kazan
‘Ladya’. I hope that our joint work, at least, did not harm Kasparov,
and it had an extremely positive effect on me. In general, I am a
chameleon – I always take on the colour of the environment in
which I am, I adapt to the situation. Thanks to this flexibility of
thinking, I manage to quickly get used to a new environment.
Working with such outstanding chess players as Garry Kasparov,
Vladimir Kramnik and Anatoly Karpov has always influenced me
extremely positively. I remember how, after a week-long training
camp with Kramnik in his Paris apartment, I went to the Spanish
League and scored 6 out of 6 there.
The temptation to move from chess to politics does exist. Chess
takes you to such an orbit that you become famous. In my case, at
the level of Moldova, and Garry Kimovich was known all over the
world. The ‘capitalization’ of this fame is a very delicate process. In
my opinion, completely different mechanisms work here. For
example, the team plays an extremely important role in politics. My
subjective opinion: Kasparov’s move into politics was connected
with his personal impulses and, to a lesser extent, with the systemic,
team struggle. And in politics, especially in Russia, it is almost
impossible to survive without the support of a team. But it’s good

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that Kasparov has not completely abandoned chess: he trains people
and organizes tournaments. I repeat: this is a very bright personality,
communication with whom I personally always enjoy and which
enriches me.
So, having won the Aeroflot Open, I not only earned a check for a
certain amount and pushed my rating up, but also received an
invitation to one of the three super-tournaments of the year.
Victor Bologan
Viswanthan Anand
Dortmund 2003
1.e4 c6
Playing against Vishy Anand as White or Black are two very
different things. As White he is a lion that wants to devour you, but
with Black he is a harmless creature that may well be content with a
draw. Alas, in our previous meetings he managed to draw with
Black and win with White. This time he chose the Caro-Kann
Defence, as I expected, since Rustem Dautov was his coach at the
tournament.
2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7
8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Ngf6 11.Bf4 e6

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The Classical Variation of the Caro-Kann Defence, in which Black
has only one ‘semi-weakness’ – the h6-pawn. White has a small
space advantage and usually tries to move into an endgame where
he carries out a pawn attack on the kingside (g4-g5, or f4-f5 with the
idea of f5-f6). Black has good pawn-piece interaction, no bad bishop
on c8 and a flexible pawn structure; one of his main plans is to
undermine the central d4-pawn by ...c6-c5.
12.0-0-0 Be7 13.Kb1
Against Dautov in Mainz 2002 I played 13.Qe2, and after 13...0-0
14.Ne5 Qa5 15.Kb1 he, of course, did not allow Ng6, but played
more strongly: 15...Rfe8 16.Ne4 Nxe4 17.Qxe4 Rad8 18.c4 Nxe5
19.dxe5, and here with 19...Rxd1+ 20.Rxd1 Rd8 21.Rxd8+ Qxd8 he
could have completely equalized the game.
13...Qa5 14.Ne5 Rd8?!
I could not understand the point of this move. Firstly, I could repeat
the game of Timman, which we will discuss further on, and
secondly, after 15.Qe2 Black is practically forced to part with his
bishop.
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14...Nxe5 15.dxe5 Nd5 16.Bd2 Qc7 17.f4; 14...0-0!? 15.Nxd7
Nxd7 16.Ne4.
15.Qe2
Better was 15.Nc4 Qb5 16.Bc7 Rc8 17.Nd6+ Bxd6 18.Bxd6 Qxd3
19.Rxd3 (Timman-Larsen, Amsterdam 1980).
15...0-0

16.Ng6!
Although in practice this happened only once, the consequences of
this sacrifice were studied by Mikhail Tal – without a computer, of
course.
16...Rfe8
This move was also indicated by Tal, and Dautov already
considered it the strongest.
16...fxg6 17.Qxe6+ Kh8 18.hxg6 ( 18.Qxe7 Nd5 19.Bd2 Qxa2+
20.Kxa2 Nxe7 21.Bb4 Rf7, but not 21...c5?! 22.Bxc5 Nxc5 23.dxc5
Rxd1 24.Rxd1 Rxf2 25.Rd7 ) 18...Ng8 19.Bxh6! gxh6 20.Rxh6+
Nxh6 21.Qxe7 Nf6. Here the analysis of the 8th World Champion
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almost ends, and he points out that 22.Rh1 does not work because of
22...Kg8. But in a correspondence game played in 1995, White still
decided to take all the material: 22.g7+ Kg8 23.gxf8Q+ Rxf8
24.Qxb7 (Kimmino-Franz, cr 1995). But even stronger is 22.d5!!
Rde8 ( 22...cxd5 23.Rh1 Kg8 24.Nh5 ) 23.g7+ Kg8 24.gxf8Q+
Rxf8 25.Qe3 Nhg4 26.Qe6+ Kg7 27.Nf5+, and White wins
(Komliakov).
17.Nxe7+ Rxe7 18.Rd3!
Quite a typical transfer of the rook along the third rank. In addition
to possible attacks on the enemy’s queen, it can join the attack on
the king at any moment after some sacrifice on h6 or the planned
g4-g5.
18...Ree8
On 18...Qd5 White plays 19.Rg1.
19.Rhd1
19.Ra3 Qd5 20.Rxa7 b5 is just unclear.
19...Qd5
An unpleasant move for White. Frankly speaking, I somewhat
underestimated it during the game. Now I have to put the rook on
g1, which, however, subsequently justified itself one hundred
percent.
19...Nd5 20.Bd2 Qb5 21.Qf3.
20.Rg1
20.f3 Nxh5 and 20.Qf1 Nxh5 are inadvisable; 20.Rf3!? is playable,
with the idea of 20...Nxh5? 21.Bxh6.
20...b5
Standard play by Black. He gradually captures space on the
queenside in order at a certain moment to move on the white king.
20...c5 21.dxc5 Qc4 22.Qd2 Qxc5 23.Rd1.

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21.Qd2!?
Taking aim at the h6-pawn. I spent a lot of time thinking about this
move, and only when I formulated in my mind that it solves two
tasks at once (according to Chebanenko – a multifunctional move), a
preventive and an attacking function, did I play it.
21.Be5 b4 22.f4 a5.
21...a5
The pawn on h5 is poisoned: 21...Nxh5? 22.Bxh6! gxh6 23.Qxh6
Ng7 24.Rh1 f6 25.Ne4 Kf7 (or 25...Qxe4 26.Rg3 Re7 27.Qh8+ Kf7
28.Rxg7 mate) 26.Rg3 Rg8 27.Qg6+ Ke7 28.Rh7.
On the other hand, Black could have considered 21...c5!? 22.dxc5
Qxc5. In general, this liberating advance had to be carried out
practically at any moment of the game. And although White
maintains a slight advantage thanks to his strong bishop, it would be
much more difficult for him to attack.
22.Ne2!

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The h5-pawn, despite the two pieces aimed at it, is still untouchable.
White finally establishes the desired piece-pawn interaction, and
now, at the first opportunity, he will begin an assault on the black
fortress with the help of a battering ram in the form of the g-pawn.
22...b4?!
It seems to be that Anand underestimated the danger both from me
and from the position.
A) If 22...Nxh5 23.Bxh6 gxh6 24.Qxh6 with an attack;
B) 22...Qxh5 23.Rh3 Qf5 24.Bxh6 Ne4 ( 24...gxh6 25.Qxh6 Qh7
26.Rg3+ Kh8 27.Qe3 ) 25.Qe3 Nxf2 26.g4 Qf6 27.Bg5 Qg6
28.Rh5;
C) Once again, he should have considered 22...c5!?; for example,
23.dxc5 (instead, 23.Bxh6 Ne4, 23.g4 c4 24.Rh3 e5! and 24.Re3
Ne4 25.Qe1 e5 are all problematic for White) 23...Qxc5 24.g4 Rc8
25.g5 hxg5 26.Bxg5 Ne4 27.Qc1 Ne5 28.Re3 with an ongoing
initiative.
23.g4 Ne4
White also attacks strongly after 23...c5 24.dxc5 Qxc5 25.g5 Ne4
26.Qc1 hxg5 27.Bxg5 f6 28.Be3 Qxh5 29.Qd1 Qb5 30.Nd4 Qb7
31.Bh6.
24.Qe3 Ng5
It would seem that White’s attack has stalled, or at least the frontal
Bxg5 does not work. After some thought, I had to find:
25.Rc1!
The main idea is to trap the black queen in the centre of the board.
At first I thought to play b3, but I rejected it because of the reply
...a4.
25.Bxg5 hxg5 ( 25...Qxg5 26.f4 Qd5 27.g5 ) 26.f4 gxf4 27.Nxf4
Qg5 was unclear.
25...Nb6

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On 25...a4 I had prepared 26.c4 Qa5 27.c5 Nh7 28.g5 hxg5
29.Bxg5 f6 30.Bh4 e5 31.Rg1 exd4 32.Qg3 Re7 33.Nxd4 with a
promising attack.
26.b3 a4?
Possibly just a bluff. But if White takes the exchange immediately,
Black gets some sort of counterplay.
26...Ra8 27.Bc7! Nc8 ( 27...Qb5 28.c4 bxc3 29.Nxc3 Qa6 30.Bxb6
Qxb6 31.Na4 ) 28.c4 bxc3 29.Nxc3 Qd7 30.Bf4.
27.Bc7 Qa5

28.f4!?
The attack is stronger!
28.Bxd8 Rxd8 29.Nf4 ( 29.f4? Nd5 30.Qg1 Ne4 ) 29...Ra8 30.Rd2
was also good, especially after 30...Nd5 31.Nxd5 Qxd5 32.Re2 Nf3
33.Rd1 c5 34.Qe4.
28...Nh7 29.g5!
To the last bullet! In this version, the capture of the exchange is
more advantageous for White, and he did not want to give his
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opponent the opportunity to show his outstanding talent. Let’s keep
everything protected for now.
29.Bxd8 Rxd8 30.f5 Nd5 31.Qf2 Ra8 32.Rd2 exf5 33.Qxf5 Nhf6.
29...hxg5 30.fxg5 Rd7
30...axb3 31.cxb3 Ra8 32.Qd2 Rec8 33.Bxb6 Qxb6 34.g6 with an
attack.
31.Bxb6 Qxb6 32.Rg1!?
The direct 32.g6 Nf6 33.h6 fxg6 34.Qg5 axb3 35.cxb3 Qb5
36.Qxg6 Qf5 does not work, but very strong was 32.bxa4! Qa7
33.Rg1 e5 34.g6 Nf6 35.h6, winning (Komliakov).
32...axb3 33.cxb3 Qa5 34.g6 fxg6
An unclear position results from 34...Nf6 35.h6 fxg6 36.Rxg6 Qf5
37.Rg5 Qh7 (Komliakov).
35.hxg6 Nf6 36.Rg5!
As well as a weak king, Black also suddenly finds himself with a
weakness on e6.
36...Rd5 37.Re5
With the idea of Nf4.
37...Ng4?
Desperation. Before playing this, the Indian GM used up all his
time, but he could not find a defence.
37...Ra8 38.Nc1 Ng4 39.Qh3± .

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38.Rxe6!
In football terminology, the h1-rook is the Man of the Match. The
move 38.Rxe6 is its seventh move in the game, of which three have
received exclamation marks.
38...Rf8
38...Nxe3 39.Rxe8 is mate.
39.Qh3 Nh6 40.Rxc6 Rdf5 41.d5
Oh, it’s not an easy job to drag a hippopotamus out of the swamp!
Streams of sweat trickled down my face, exhausted by the resistance
of the Hindu. What about two pawns? Vishy has saved such
positions. Nevertheless, time-trouble was over, and so was the
game; the 15th World Champion decided to simply resign.

Lessons:
1) If you create a threat, this does not mean at all that it will be
executed on the next move. The main purpose of the move

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21.Qd2!? is a strengthening of the position, a preparation for a
further offensive.
2) It is important, when attacking on one section of the board, not
to forget about the other flank. The rook transfer 25.Rc1! allowed
White to open a second front and achieve an advantage.
3) Sometimes material acquisitions are not the best solution to a
position: a few tempi, especially in attack, may turn out to be more
important (28.f4!?).
Psychologically, this victory was paramount for me. New bright
prospects opened up before me, it remained only to keep moving
and, if possible, not stumble.
The game below took place in the fourth round. In fact, playing
Black against people from the top ten is never very pleasurable,
because they have a well-honed opening repertoire and they do a lot
of work in preparation for super-tournaments. They don’t play that
much, so they have more than enough time to prepare.
Peter Leko
Victor Bologan
Dortmund 2003
1.e4 c6
The choice of the Caro-Kann Defence is explained by Peter’s not
very successful record in this opening – at least, Karpov had no
problems against Leko in the Caro-Kann. Of course, in general it is
a quite normal opening.
2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7
More popular now is not even 4...Bf5, but 4...Nf6. The move in the
game found its way into the highest-level tournaments mainly
through the efforts of Karpov, although this continuation does not
have so many supporters these days. Of the strong chess players,
only Galkin plays it regularly.

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In this variation, White is trying to force ...e6 to lock up the c8-
bishop. The result is positions typical of the French Defence; to
solve the problem of the light-squared bishop, Black usually plays
...b6, ...Bb7 and ...c5.

5.Bc4
A new move in Peter’s practice. He had always preferred 5.Ng5, as
Naiditsch had played against me in the first round at Dortmund.
5...Ngf6 6.Ng5 e6 7.Qe2 Nb6 8.Bd3 h6 9.N5f3 c5 10.Be3
More often seen is 10.dxc5.
10...Qc7 11.Ne5 a6
Although I had repeated the lines with 5.Bc4 before the game, I still
couldn’t remember how to play correctly here. It was possible, for
instance, to repeat Galkin’s path: 11...Bd6 12.Ngf3 Nbd5 13.Bb5+
Ke7 14.0-0 a6 15.Bd3 b5 16.c3 Bb7 17.Bd2 cxd4 18.cxd4 Bb4
19.a4 Bxd2 20.Qxd2 Qb6 with unclear play (Movsesian-Galkin,
Crete 2003). So, 5.Bc4 by no means guarantees an advantage for
White, it’s just a move aimed at creating a fight.

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12.Ngf3 cxd4
A novelty, which later leads to a position which could also have
arisen via 12...Nbd5.
13.Bxd4 Nbd5 14.0-0

14...Bc5?!
After this move, the game transposes to the well-known Rublevsky-
Karpov game. For some reason I don’t understand, I rejected the
most natural 14...Nf4! 15.Qd2 Nxd3. Sergey, in his comments for
Informator, suggests here as best 16.cxd3 ( 16.Qxd3 Be7 17.Nc4 b5
18.Nb6 Rb8 19.Nxc8 Rxc8 20.c3 0-0 with equality), but then
16...Qd8! (an improvement on Rublevsky’s analysis) 17.Rac1 (
17.Nc4 b5 18.Nb6 Rb8 19.Nxc8 Rxc8 20.Rac1 Be7 21.Rxc8 Qxc8
22.Rc1 Qb7 23.Be5 Qa8! with equality) 17...Bd6 18.Nc4 Bc7 gives
Black an equal game.
The reason for my mistake is that I wanted to simplify the position
and didn’t understand what White’s main idea is. He wants to
prevent the development of my pieces by creating pressure on the d-
file. Besides, for some reason it didn’t occur to me that White could
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exchange the bishop for the knight. I calculated variations with the
bishop moving to b3, when Black would have an excellent position.
15.Bb5+ Kf8?!
The paradox is that after 15...Ke7 16.Nc6+ Ke8! ( 16...bxc6
17.Bxc5+ with an advantage) the best that White can achieve is a
slightly preferable position in the variation 17.Nb4+ ( 17.Nce5+
Ke7 ) 17...Kf8 18.Nxd5 Nxd5 19.Bxc5+ Qxc5 20.Bc4 Nf6
21.Rad1 Bd7 22.Ne5.
And even stronger, apparently, was 15...axb5! 16.Qxb5+ Nd7
17.Nxd7 Bxd7 18.Qxc5 Qxc5 19.Bxc5 Rc8 20.Bd4 ( 20.Ba3 Rxc2
is equal) 20...f6 21.c3 e5 22.Be3 g5 with excellent compensation for
the pawn.
16.Bxc5+ Qxc5 17.Bc4!

I underestimated this idea when I played ...Bc5. Now White will not
have to lose momentum on retreating the bishop on b3 – he will
capture on d5 and fight for the d-file.
17...Ke7

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An improvement on the Karpov game, but not particularly
significant: 17...g6 18.Bxd5 Nxd5 19.c4 Nf6 20.a3 Bd7 21.Rfd1
Be8 22.b4 Qe7 23.Qb2 ± (Rublevsky-Karpov, Polanica Zdroj
1998).
18.Bxd5
It would have been better to exchange a pair of rooks as well, as
Leko told me after the game. Later at home I couldn’t find a
comfortable set-up for Black: 18.Rad1 Rd8 ( 18...b5 19.Bxd5 Nxd5
20.Nd4 ±) 19.Bxd5 Rxd5 20.Rxd5 Nxd5 21.Rd1 Nf6 ( 21...b5
22.Qe4 ±) 22.Qd3 Qc7 23.Nc4 Kf8 ( 23...Bd7 24.Qa3+ ) 24.Nfe5
+ .
So, 18.Rad1 would have posed very serious problems for Black.
Modern computers agree with this assessment, but they believe that
Leko’s move is even stronger.
18...Nxd5 19.c4
And here 19.Rad1 was again very strong: 19...Re8 20.Nh4! ( 20.c4
Nf6 21.g4!? is interesting) 20...Kf8 ( 20...Nf6 21.Nf5+ Kf8 22.Nd6
Re7 23.Ndxf7 Rxf7 24.Rd8+ Ke7 25.Rfd1 is very good for White)
21.Qh5 Qc7 22.c4 Nf6 23.Rd7! Qxd7 (or 23...Nxh5 24.Rxc7 f5
25.Rd1 ) 24.Nxd7+ Bxd7 25.Qc5+ Kg8 26.Nf3 with a clear
advantage.
19...Nf6 20.Rfd1
Black has a very dangerous position after 20.Rad1 Bd7 21.Nd4
Rhd8 22.Qe3 Ke8 23.Rfe1! (the tempting 23.Nxe6 Qxe3 24.Nc7+
Kf8 25.fxe3 Rac8 26.Nd5 Be6 leaves Black good chances of a
successful defence); for example, 23...Rac8 24.Qf4 Kf8 25.Nxd7+
Rxd7 26.Nxe6+ fxe6 27.Rxd7.
20...Bd7

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21.b4?!
This move does no harm to Black at all. In fact, it weakens the
queenside pawns and improves the position of the black queen.
White should have just built up the pressure by 21.Nd4 Rhd8
22.Qe3 Ke8, or 21.Rd3 Rhd8 22.Rad1 Be8 23.Nd4 Rdc8 24.Nf5+
(the sharper 24.g4!? Kf8 25.h4 also deserves attention) 24...Kf8
25.Nd6 Rc7 26.Qe1!? a5 27.Qe2 with advantage.
21...Qc7 22.Nd4 Rhd8 23.Rd3
The exchange sacrifice was interesting: 23.Nf5+!? Kf8 24.Nd6 Ba4
25.c5! ( 25.Nexf7 Bxd1 26.Rxd1 Rd7 ) 25...Bxd1 26.Rxd1 with
good compensation for White. Perhaps White should have played
this, but Leko continues in his customary ‘academic’ style.
23...Kf8 24.Rad1 Be8

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Black has already solved his problems because the opponent has no
objects to attack. Prior to this, White’s play was connected with
attacking the king or moving the knight to d6. But now the black
king has taken cover on f8, and White cannot rush headlong to the
kingside, because the d-file is open. And the bishop on e8 is not so
bad – at the right moment, it will jump out. Here Leko began to
plunge into deep thought. It is difficult to find a direct plan for
White, so he decided to secure his king first:
25.h3 Nd7!?
Sharpening the game. I was afraid to play 25...Kg8 because of the
attack on my king. But now I understand that it would not be so easy
for White to do this, since his position in the centre is not safe. For
example: 26.Rg3 ( 26.g4 Qe7 27.a3 Nd7 ) 26...b6 ( 26...Qb6! seems
to solve all of Black’s problems: 27.Ng4 Nxg4 28.Qxg4 g6 with an
equal game) 27.Qe3 Nh5. Nevertheless, the move in the game
forces White to somehow make up his mind and look for specific
solutions, because it is not profitable for him to simply exchange

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pieces: in the endgame, Black’s bishop may turn out to be stronger
than the knight, and my king is located closer to the centre.
26.Ng4
After 26.Nxd7+ Bxd7 27.c5 Ba4 Black holds.
There is also a defence to 26.Rf3!?, namely 26...Kg8 27.Nxf7 Bxf7
28.Nxe6 Bxe6 29.Qxe6+ Kh7 30.Qf7 Ne5! 31.Qxc7 Nxf3+
32.gxf3 Rxd1+ 33.Kg2 Rf8 34.Qxb7 Rf6 with equality.
26...Qxc4

27.Qd2?!
Later Raj Tischbierek told me that 27.Qe4!? might win, for
instance:
A) 27...e5 28.Ne3! Nf6 ( 28...Qc8 is met by 29.Qh7 ) 29.Nxc4
Nxe4 30.Ne6+ wins for White;
B) 27...Kg8 28.Nxh6+ gxh6 29.Rg3+ Kf8 30.Qf4 f6 31.Re1 e5
32.Qxh6+ Ke7 33.Rg7+ Bf7 (on 33...Kd6 34.Nf5+ Kc7 35.Rc1 )
34.Nf5+ Ke6 35.Rxf7 Kxf5 (if 35...Kxf7 36.Nd6+ wins the queen)
36.Qh7+ Ke6 37.Rd1, closing the net;

377
 C) However, now I see that 27...h5! allows Black to refute the
attack: 28.Ne3 Qc7 29.Qh7 (or 29.Qxe6 Nf6 30.Qc4 Qxc4
31.Nxc4 b5 ) 29...Nf6 30.Qh8+ Ng8 31.Nef5 exf5 32.Nxf5 Qe5
33.Rxd8 Rxd8 34.Rxd8 Qxf5 35.Rxe8+ Kxe8 36.Qxg8+ Ke7
37.Qxg7 Qb1+ 38.Kh2 Qxb4 with equality.
27...Rac8??
A move played out of general considerations, after which the d7-
knight will be pinned for a large part of the game. Correct was
27...a5 28.Nxh6 ( 28.Nb3 Qxb4 29.Qxb4+ axb4 30.Nc5 Ke7;
28.bxa5 Nc5 29.Rc3 Qb4; 28.a3 axb4 29.Ne3 Qc5 30.axb4 Qc7 )
28...Qxb4 29.Qe3 Qe7, and Black seizes the initiative.
28.Nb3!
If 28.Qf4 e5 29.Nxe5 Nxe5 30.Qxe5 Rd5.
28...Qc7 29.Rc1 Qb8 30.Rxc8 Qxc8 31.b5!
Now White wants to penetrate on e7, where his queen will create
many threats.
31...Qc4!?
After working with computers, we have learned how to make such
moves: the queen rushes ‘into the void’ to cover weak squares; she
can be attacked from all sides, but she seems to elude the blows.
32.bxa6 bxa6

378
33.Rd6??
If Leko had played 33.Ne5, then the tournament could have gone
quite differently for him: 33...Qc7 ( 33...Qb5 34.Qa5! ) 34.Qb4+
Kg8 35.Qe7, and the pin on the knight becomes decisive. But whilst
one can find a move like 33.Ne5 in time-trouble, it is also possible
to miss it.
33...Qb5 34.Nd4 Qb1+ 35.Kh2 Rc8
The knight is unpinned and now Black has escaped all difficulty.
36.Nb3 Nc5
In the next ten moves, for me, the whole of the Dortmund
tournament fell into place. The victory over Anand was just a
significant moment for me: a victory over one of the leading or even
the leading chess player at that time (the Oscar winner, no less). But
the present game actually allowed me to win the tournament: Leko
did not take advantage of my mistakes and ‘burned out’. But for
now, of course, he has a completely normal position.
37.Nxc5 Rxc5 38.Rxa6

379
38.Rxe6 fails to 38...Qb8+ 39.Qd6+ Qxd6 40.Rxd6 Ra5 41.Rd2 f5
42.Ne3 Bf7.
38...Qb8+ 39.Kg1
The penultimate move before the time control. Obviously, in the
event of 39.f4 Rb5 Black is slightly better, but he still has an
enormous amount to do to win the position.
But the endgame after 39.Qd6+ Qxd6+ 40.Rxd6 Rc2 41.Kg3 Rxa2
is difficult for White. A similar ending with three pawns against two
was won by Kasparov against Karpov in the decisive game of the
match in Seville 1987, and with four pawns against three it is even
more difficult to defend.
39...Rb5 40.Ne3??
The losing move. White’s last chance was to go into a very
unpleasant endgame with rook and knight against rook and bishop:
40.Qd6+ Qxd6 41.Rxd6 Rb1+ 42.Kh2 Rb2.
40...Rb1+ 41.Nd1

380
Here I got myself a cup of tea, thought quietly for ten minutes, and
made the first of two accurate moves, leading to victory.
41...Qe5! 42.Ra3
If 42.Ra8 Qd5.
42...Qg5!
Here I also used some time and found a clean, computer-like win.
43.Re3
If 43.Qd4 Qd5 44.Rd3 Ba4 or 43.Qd6+ Qe7.
43...Ba4 44.Kh2 Qf4+ 45.g3 Rxd1! 46.Qd8+
Despair! This move testifies to the high tension of the struggle,
because a chess player of this level, in a normal situation, will never
play in this way. But Leko was very annoyed by his defeat. Black
withstood very strong pressure, while White was unable to regroup
in time and start fighting for a draw.
46...Rxd8
White resigned.

Lessons:
1) Sometimes the stereotypes that are embedded in us, such as that
a bishop is stronger than a knight (especially in open positions),
prevent us from finding the right solution. The possibility of
exchanging the bishop for the knight on d5 escaped my attention.
2) 21.b4?! is a typical mistake falling under the banner ‘active
move for general reasons’. It is not part of the overall plan and does
not help increase the pressure on Black’s position.
3) After tense time-trouble, it is very useful, even in your own
time, to take a break or a couple of minutes. Drink a cup of coffee or
tea, and then look at the position with a fresh look, but certainly do
not rush to make the 41st move!

381
Having scored 3½ points in the first four rounds, I moved into first
place and held it until the end of the tournament. My happiness
knew no bounds. As often happened to me before, I managed to win
a tournament that was new for me in terms of strength at the first
try. Of course, sceptics will notice that the summer was hot (+38°C
in the shade), and my wife (my best second) worked her magic and I
was lucky in the game against Leko. All this is true, but success
always consists of several components. For example, how could I
know that by digging up my plot on the seashore at Fiolent, I was
laying the foundation for my victory at Dortmund. I was just
digging...
My victory in Dortmund 2003 once again underlined the
imperfection of our system – there is no interaction between
different rating groups. No notice is taken of a tournament where,
say, Adams and Moiseenko play. Kasimdzhanov’s victory in Libya,
including over four representatives of the elite, proved that there is
no big difference in the level of the game between the ‘elite’ and
‘mere mortals’. Many more than ten people can play chess, and it
would also be more interesting for these ten people to play not only
among themselves.

382
Analysis of the game with Vladimir Kramnik. The heat in Dortmund
in 2003 reached 39 in the shade.

383
Creation of the Association of Chess Professionals. Viorel Bologan,
Joël Lautier and Pavel Tregubov, Turkey 2003.
Afterwards came a well-deserved rest at Fiolent, a press conference
in Kishinev, lectures on Dortmund both in Kishinev and in Moscow,
and the Euro Club Cup in Crete.
This time, the Kazan team was strengthened at the last moment by
Garry Kasparov, and we assumed, not without reason, that we could
compete with the ‘millionaire’ NAO Chess Club (Paris) for first
place. In addition, the 13th World Champion started with four
convincing victories, including over NAO’s top board, Grischuk,
owing to which we managed to draw the match.
The clash with our main competitor was behind us, we were ahead
of them on total points, and there was an easy match with the Israeli
team ahead. But it was clearly not our day. First, our third board
Sergey Rublevsky got into a hopeless position from the opening
against Avrukh, then Ilya Smirin made a quick draw with White,
384
and finally... thunder struck. Kasparov, in a better position,
blundered both of his central pawns in one move and resigned. It
was unrealistic to win the remaining three games, so we took the
draw in the match as good fortune.
French Defence
Victor Bologan
Mikhail Roiz
Rethymno 2003
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Qa5
In the Winawer Variation, Black gives up his dark-squared bishop,
damaging his opponent’s pawn structure in return. As in the system
with 3.e5, the pawn centre is fixed, and Black prepares various
breaks: ...f6 or ...c5. White has two main plans: one is related to the
queen’s attack via g4 and a piece attack on the kingside; the second,
more restrained, happened in the game.
7.Bd2 Qa4
The young Israeli plays the so-called Hook (or Rustemov)
Variation. Now after 8.Qb1 c4 Black has held his lines quite
successfully. Therefore, I decided to test the youngster in a different
structure.
8.Nf3 c4
Also possible is 8...Nc6 9.h4 cxd4 10.h5 dxc3 11.Bxc3 or 8...b6
9.h4 Ba6 10.h5 h6 11.Rh4.

385
9.h4
Here, my knowledge gained in the early 1990s from Zigurds Lanka
proved very useful to me: he explained to me almost all the plans
encountered in this game.
9...Nc6 10.h5
Firstly, one must fix the black kingside.
10...h6
Now, somewhere in the far endgame, the position of the pawn on h6
(as in the Caro-Kann) may have an effect. White’s advantage in
space gives grounds for playing on this section of the board.
11.g3
A novelty. White could also play 11.Nh4 immediately; for example,
11...Nge7 12.Rh3!? Bd7 13.Rf3 (Gogineni-Elbaba, Tehran 2002). I
am playing, in the words of Lanka, ‘purely according to the
template’. And the template is as follows: one bishop goes to h3, the
second to f4, and then the knight is transferred to e3 via g2.
11...Bd7 12.Bh3 0-0-0 13.Bf4!
386
Overprotection of the e5-pawn.
13...Nge7 14.Qd2 Rdf8 15.Nh4 Rh7 16.Ng2
Not by chance was g2 freed for the knight!
16...Kb8
Probably Black should have decided on 16...f6; for instance, 17.Nh4
fxe5 18.dxe5 Rhh8 19.0-0 with a slight advantage to White. But my
opponent delayed and did not manage to carry out this break.
17.Ne3 Ka8 18.Bg2 Nc8
If 18...f6 19.Ng4. Thus, White has successfully executed the first
part of his plan and now begins a new regrouping of his forces with
g4, Bg3, and f4.
19.g4 Qa5
Now 19...f6 20.Bg3 fxe5 21.dxe5 Nb6 22.f4 Qa5 23.0-0 and again
White is better.
20.Bg3 Nb6

387
Black threatens to play 21...Na4 and somewhat tie down the white
forces to the defence of the c3-pawn. But there is another typical
device here – the sacrifice of the a-pawn:
21.a4!
21.0-0 Na4 22.Nd1 f6 23.f4 Rhh8 is unclear.
21...Nxa4 22.Ra3 b5
The knight on a4 is solidly defended and it seems that White cannot
break through on the queenside. But the two open files, a- and b-,
combined with the pressure exerted by the bishops, reaches ‘critical
mass’ and overwhelms the defences.
23.0-0 Qd8 24.Rb1 a6?
It was necessary to strengthen the d5-point with the move 24...Ne7,
when after 25.Rxa4 bxa4 26.Nxc4 the main battle would still lie
ahead.

388
25.Nxd5!
Without much calculation of variations, the direct attack begins.
White only needs to be careful not to overlook some sort of one- or
two-move defensive resource.
25...exd5 26.Bxd5
White’s central pawns become mobile and, in addition, Black must
watch out the whole time for the sacrifice on a4.
26...Rhh8
Black tries to bring his rook into the game. The active jump
26...Qg5 could be met by the quiet 27.Qe2; for example, 27...Ka7
28.Rxa4 bxa4 ( 28...Bxg4 29.Qf1+ ) 29.Qxc4 Qe7 30.Bxc6 Bxc6
31.Qxc6 Rb8 32.Rxb8 Kxb8 33.e6+ Ka7 34.Bc7.
27.Bg2
Even stronger was 27.Qe2! Qe7 28.Rxa4 bxa4 29.Qxc4.
27...Qc8
If 27...Qg5 28.Qe2.

389
28.f4
The main idea of this move is to include the dark-squared bishop in
the attack, from f2.
28...Ka7
The king cannot step onto the b-file because then the a4-knight is
lost, but now it will be hassled by the bishop from f2.
28...Bxg4 29.d5 Rd8 30.Qe3 Bh3 31.Bh1 Qg4 32.dxc6 is also
curtains.
29.Bf2 Na5 30.Rxa4 bxa4 31.d5+
Black resigned.
Here was a game won solely on Lanka’s recommendations. True, I
did not get to rejoice for a long time.
In the last round, ‘thanks’ to me and Rublevsky, we lost a winning
match to ‘Polonia’ and dropped out of the list of winners.

Lessons:
1) In strategically difficult positions, a long-term plan plays an
important role. It is very useful to know as many of these plans as
possible and the strategies and tactics that go with them.
2) The pawn sacrifice 21.a4! allows White not only to open the
file, but also creates additional objects of attack – a knight on a4 and
a queen on a5. In addition, a total blockade of the queenside is
prevented.
3) The move 25.Nxd5! can hardly even be called a sacrifice. This
typical blow to the centre helps to quickly decide the outcome of the
game, since Black’s forces are divided and the most able-bodied
part of them is busy defending the queenside.
Then, for the first time in my life, I visited the Danish kingdom, for
a Category 16 tournament.
Caro-Kann Defence

390
Victor Bologan
Davor Palo
Skanderborg 2003
1.e4 c6
It was completely clear to me that Davor would choose the Caro-
Kann against me, especially as he had made an easy draw with it
against Alekseev in the third round.
2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3
The sharpest continuation is considered to be 4.Nc3 with the further
advance of the g- and h-pawns. I decided to stay true to the good old
4.Nf3. White just wants to finish his development without showing
aggressive intentions yet, and invites Black to start active actions
himself. At the same time, White will be ready to launch
counterattacks on the queenside, where Black usually advances.
4...e6 5.Be2 c5 6.Be3 Qb6
Evidently being ready for lines where the knight is lost on a8 after
7.Nc3 Qxb2 8.Nb5 c4 9.Nc7+.
7.Nc3 Qxb2

391
8.Qb1!!
A novelty in human chess. Formally, a computer had played this
back in 1995. But given the fact that White lost that game and
computers had not yet become equal members of the chess
community, I take the liberty of calling the move in this game a
novelty. The main justification for the sacrifice is an advantage in
development, and of course, it is not recommended to go for it
without good home analysis. And yet, what is good about chess (so
far) is that there is always room for improvisation!
Previously 8.Nb5 was played.
8...Qxb1
On 8...Qxc3+ White wins with the simple 9.Bd2 Qxc2 10.Qxb7.
Rather stronger is 8...Qb4, but after 9.a3! Qa5 10.0-0 White has
already completed his development and threatens the black
queenside. His compensation for the pawn is unarguable.
9.Rxb1 c4!?

392
But here my analysis ended. I had only looked at 9...b6, after which
the rook breaks through on the b-file: 10.dxc5 bxc5 (or 10...Bxc5
11.Bxc5 bxc5 12.Nb5 Kd8 13.Nd6 Nh6 14.Rb7 Rf8 15.Ng5 Bg6
16.c4± ) 11.Rb7 Nd7 (if 11...a6 12.Na4 Nc6 13.Nxc5 Bxc5
14.Bxc5± and on 11...d4!? 12.Ng5 Bg6 13.Nb5 or 12...Nh6 13.Nb5
with initiative) 12.Bb5 Rd8 13.Bg5 Be7 ( 13...f6 14.exf6 gxf6
15.Ne5 ) 14.Na4 a6 15.Bc6 is crushing.
10.Rxb7 Nc6 11.Nb5
In this case, the postulate works perfectly that the holder of the
advantage is obliged to attack because of the threat of losing this
advantage. Black already has a better pawn structure on the
queenside and only needs a tempo to seize the initiative.
11...Rb8
With roughly the same idea, he could also have played 11...Nd8!?
12.Rxa7 ( 12.Rc7 Rb8 ) 12...Rxa7 13.Nxa7 Bxc2 14.Kd2 Bg6
15.Kc3 Ne7 16.Nh4 Nec6 17.Nxg6 Bb4+ 18.Kc2 hxg6 19.Nb5
Ba5 20.a3 Nb7 21.h3± or 11...Na5 12.Rxa7 Rxa7 13.Nxa7 Bxc2
14.Bd2! Nb7 15.Bc3± .
12.Rxb8+ Nxb8 13.Kd2 a6

393
The critical moment in the game: I had to decide to voluntarily
imprison my knight on a7 or ruin my pawn structure with 14.Nd6+.
I did not even seriously consider the shameful retreat to c3.
14.Na7
Simple calculation, nothing complicated. But if in ten or so moves’
time, it turns out that I have miscalculated something, then it will be
too late.
Alternatively, an unclear position arises from 14.Nc3 Bb4 15.Rb1
Nc6 16.Nh4 Nge7 17.a3 Ba5. Still, apparently, 14.Nd6+ was
stronger, for example: 14...Bxd6 15.exd6 Nf6 16.Rb1 ( 16.Bf4
Ne4+ 17.Ke3 Nc3 ) 16...Ne4+ 17.Ke1 (also in favour of White is
17.Kc1 Nd7 18.Rb7 Nxd6 19.Ra7 Nb6 20.Ne5 Nbc8 21.Rxa6 f6
22.Nc6 g5 23.a4 h5 24.Bd2 ) 17...Nd7 18.g4! ( 18.Bf4 f6 19.Rb7 g5
20.Ra7 Rg8 is unclear) 18...Bg6 ( 18...Bxg4 19.Ne5 Bxe2 20.Rb7!
is good for White) 19.Bf4 f6 20.Rb7 with a big advantage to White.
14...Kd7?
It was interesting to provoke 15.c3 by means of 14...Bb4+, thus
obtaining control of the b1-square. Then there might follow 15.c3
394
Be7 16.Nc8 (not 16.Bd1 Kd7 17.Bc2 Bxc2 18.Kxc2 Kc7 19.Rb1
Nd7, winning for Black) 16...Kd7 17.Nxe7 Nxe7 18.Nh4 Nbc6
19.Nxf5 Nxf5 20.Rb1 Nxe3 ( 20...Kc7 21.Bf4 ) 21.fxe3 Rb8 with
equality.
15.Rb1 Kc7 16.Ng5
A classic loosening of Black’s position in this variation. In
particular, this is exactly how White acts in the variation I
mentioned after 8.Nb5.
16...Nh6
On 16...Bg6 I had prepared the unavoidable sacrifice on e6: 17.Bg4!
Nc6 (or 17...h6 18.Bxe6 hxg5 19.Bxd5 Nd7 20.Rb7+ Kd8 21.Bc6
Bf5 22.Bxd7 Bxd7 23.Rb8+, winning) 18.Bxe6 Nxa7 19.Bxd5 Nb5
20.Nxf7 and White wins.
17.g4!
It is important to take a little space away from Black.
17...Bg6
17...Nxg4 18.Bxg4 Bxg4 19.Nxf7 Rg8 20.Nd6.

395
18.Kd1!
Freeing up a transit square for the bishop. Initially, I was going to
win a piece in this position by 18.h4 Be7 19.h5, but upon closer
examination it turned out that after 19...Bxh5! 20.gxh5 Nd7 Black
wins back the material and can count on a draw; for example, 21.f4
Ra8 22.Nxh7 Rxa7 23.Ng5.
18...Be7
After 18...Nc6 19.Nxc6 Kxc6 it is possible to go back to the win of
the bishop with 20.h4.
19.Bd2 Nc6
19...Bxg5 loses to 20.Ba5+ Kd7 21.Rb7+.
20.Nxc6 Kxc6 21.h4 f5!?
Remembering that the young Dane had already saved two absolutely
hopeless positions at the start of the tournament – against Hansen
and Sasikiran – I again had to switch on my brain. On 21...Bxg5
White plays 22.Bxg5 Ng8 23.h5 h6 24.Bd2 Be4 25.f3 Bh7 26.Rb8,
winning.
22.Nxe6
Insufficient was 22.h5 Bf7 23.Nxf7 Nxf7.
22...Nxg4 23.f3!
Exactly the way, not allowing Black any breathing space.
23...Nf2+ 24.Ke1 Bxh4
Formally, Black has an extra pawn, but the end is close.
25.Kf1
Threatening 26.Be1.
25...Bf7
25...Nh1!? loses after 26.Ba5 Ng3+ 27.Ke1 Kd7 28.Nc5+ Kc8
29.Nxa6.

396
26.Nc5
Avoiding the last trap: 26.Nxg7 Rg8 27.Nxf5 Nh3 28.Be3 Bg5!.
However, here White also has a computer win: 27.Ba5! (instead of
27.Nxf5 ) 27...Rxg7 28.Rb6+ Kd7 29.e6+ Kc8 30.Rc6+ Kb8
31.exf7, winning (Komliakov).
26...Nh1 27.Kg2 Ng3 28.Bd1
Here problem motifs start to appear. As well as Ba5 there is also a
threat of c2-c3 followed by the bishop coming out to a4.
28...c3 29.Bxc3 Nh5 30.Ba5 Nf4+ 31.Kf1 Bd8

32.c3!
A small thing, but nice!
32...Bxa5 33.Rb7
Because of the unavoidable mate in one, Palo stopped the clocks.
Not a bad game against the backdrop of a mediocre result in the
tournament: Ivanchuk and I shared 5th place, half a point behind the
four winners.

397
Lessons:
1) Opening preparation is of great importance in modern chess.
Homework may not bring results immediately if the opponents
avoid variations in which you have preparation, but systematic work
on the opening allows you to weave nets into which sooner or later
the fish will fall. Thus, the move 8.Qb1!! was prepared long before
this game.
2) The move 17.g4! allowed White to significantly tie down his
opponent’s forces, practically putting him in zugzwang.
3) When there is an object of attack, and in this game such an
object was the black king, it makes sense to fantasize a little – look
for mating nets and do not be too lazy to calculate variations. Here
the outcome of the game was decided by the piece sacrifice 32.c3!.
For some reason, it turns out that my third participation in the same
tournament always entails failure. So it was in Poikovsky (after two
victories, only 50% in the third), at Aeroflot (in 2004 I just dropped
out of the tournament), and here is the third such case, Pamplona. In
the very first round, I blundered my queen in one move to a young
talent, thirteen-year-old Sergey Karjakin from Simferopol. It so
happened that I lost two games with White in the Najdorf, and
bounced back with Black in systems aimed at preventing this
monster variation from appearing on the board.
Sicilian Defence
Luke McShane
Victor Bologan
Pamplona 2003
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6 4.Be2 g6 5.0-0 Bg7 6.Bb5+
Michael Adams likes to play this variation. What seems at first
glance to be a loss of tempo is, oddly enough, in White’s favour.
The point is that after 3.Bb5+ and the exchange of bishops on d7,
Black usually develops the bishop on g7 only in response to c2-c4.
398
In the game, White creates a powerful pawn centre, thereby limiting
the opponent’s dark-squared bishop.

6...Bd7 7.Bxd7+ Nbxd7 8.Re1 0-0 9.d4 Ne8!?

Of course, McShane surprised me with his choice of opening, so the
desire to knock the opponent out of home preparation was mutual.
Black usually defines the pawn structure in the centre with 9...cxd4
10.cxd4 d5 11.e5 Ne4, but the resulting position contains many
hidden dangers for him. Therefore, it seemed logical to me not to
determine the position of the pawns in the centre, but to take the
knight away from the e5 tempo and prepare play either with ...Nc7
and ...b7-b5-b4, or, depending on the situation, taking on d4 and
carrying out ...d5 followed by ...Ne6.
10.Bg5 Nc7 11.d5?!
The psychological effect of 9...Ne8. Faced with a new continuation,
the young Englishman makes a positional error, which almost
inevitably leads to material losses. But even without this, it is clear
that Black is perfectly-prepared for both ...b7-b5-b4 and ...f7-f5.
Moreover, it is easy to carry out ...e6 if required.
399
Simpler and better is the previously seen 11.Qd2, preventing the
freeing move ...h6. It seemed to me that the queen on d2 was in the
way of the knight, but it could well go via a3 to c2.
11...h6
I think that, at this moment, Luke understood everything. There is
no convenient way out.
12.Be3
On 12.Bf4 I intended 12...g5 13.Bc1 ( 13.Bg3 f5 14.exf5 Nb6 15.h4
g4 16.Nfd2 h5 ) 13...f5 14.exf5 Nb6.

12...f5!
A typical idea, often seen in positions with the bishop on g7. White
does not manage to defend his centre, largely because of the lack of
development of his queenside. For the same reason, he cannot
exploit the weakening of the black king.
13.exf5 Rxf5 14.Nh4
It is logical to seek play on the kingside. With a quiet development
of events, Black simply wins a pawn: 14.Qc2 Qe8 15.Nh4 ( 15.c4!?
400
b5 16.Nh4 Rf6 17.Nc3 bxc4 18.Ne4 Q) 15...Rf6 16.c4 b5 17.Bd2
g5 18.Ba5 Nb6 or 14.Qb3 Rxd5 15.c4 Rf5 16.Nc3 ( 16.Qxb7 Rb8
17.Qc6 Bxb2 ) 16...Nf8.
14...Rxd5 15.Qc2 g5 16.Nf5
Played after prolonged thought. On 16.Ng6 McShane was afraid of
16...e6 17.f4 Qe8 18.Nd2 Qf7. The attempt to win a rook fails; for
example, 16.c4 Re5 17.Ng6 Re6.
16...Qf8 17.Ng3?
Firstly, passive, and secondly, the g7-bishop – which is the protector
and carer of the kin – should have been removed. Therefore:
17.Nxg7 Qxg7 18.Nd2 Nf6 ( 18...Qh7 19.Qb3 b6 20.f4 gxf4
21.Bxf4 ) and although White does not have sufficient
compensation for the pawn, it is still not so easy for Black to realize
his material advantage; for instance, 19.Nf3 e6 20.c4 ( 20.Rad1 b6
21.c4 Rxd1 22.Rxd1 d5 ) 20...Rf5 21.Rad1.
17...Qf7 18.Nd2 Ne5!
Taking the last square from the d5-rook. Even so, it cannot be
caught.
19.Rf1
If 19.c4 Rd3 the rook is excellently placed on d3.
19...Rf8 20.Nde4
20.f4 Ng4 21.Nc4 Qe6 22.Rae1 b5 23.Bd2 Qd7.
20...Ng6 21.Qa4 Re5 22.c4
The a7-pawn is untouchable: 22.Qxa7 Qd5 23.Qb6 Rxe4 24.Rad1 (
24.Qxc7 Nh4 25.Rad1 Rd4 ) 24...Na8!.
22...Qe6 23.Nc3 a6

401
Black’s position is close to winning: as well as having an extra
pawn, he dominates in the centre and has the prospect of pushing
...b5 on the queenside.
24.Rae1 Nf4 25.Qa5 Qd7 26.Nge4 Qc6
26...Nd3 27.Re2 b5 28.b3 b4 was also strong, on this or the next
move.
27.f3 b5 28.b3 Nd3 29.Re2 Ref5
I did not see a forced win, so I decided to create a threat against the
pawn on c4, freeing e5 for the knight.
The clear path to victory involved finding 29...d5! 30.cxd5 Nxd5
31.Nxd5 Rxd5 32.Nf2 c4.
30.Ng3 R5f7 31.Nce4 Ne5 32.Nh5 Bh8
I saw 32...Qxe4, but decided for some reason not to give up the
knight on c7: 33.Qxc7 bxc4 34.Rd1 Rxf3.
33.Qe1
33.h4 is met by 33...Ng4.
33...bxc4 34.bxc4 Nxc4
402
35.Bxg5!?
In mutual time-trouble, Luke finds an opportunity to tickle my
nerves.
35...hxg5 36.Nxg5
36.Qg3 Be5 37.Qxg5+ Bg7.
36...Qd5 37.Qg3 Bg7
By giving back part of the loot, Black simplifies the position,
bringing the win closer.
38.Nxf7 Rxf7 39.Qh3 e6 40.Nxg7 Rxg7 41.Re4
41.Qh4 Qd4+ 42.Qxd4 cxd4 is good enough for Black.
41...Ne5
Time-trouble had ended and now I understood that the realization
was still not simple. Firstly, the black king is weak and secondly,
Black does not manage to organize the coordination of his forces.
41...Nd2 42.Rd1 c4 43.Rg4 c3 44.Rxg7+ Kxg7 was also good.
42.Rb1

403
42...Nd7!
The first and most important step towards harmonizing the black
forces, and also directed at defending the king.
43.Qh4 Ne8
The hasty 43...Qxa2? leads to a draw: 44.Rb8+ Nxb8 45.Qd8+.
44.Qe1 e5 45.Qe2 Qc6 46.Rh4 Nef6 47.f4!?
This may seem to be a gesture of desperation. In fact, White opens
another line for his heavy pieces.
47...Qa4!
The simplest.
48.Kh1 Qd4 49.Qxa6 Qf2 50.g3 Qf3+ 51.Kg1 exf4
Of course, I could have taken on g3 – 51...Rxg3+ 52.hxg3 Qxg3+
53.Kf1 Qxh4 – but I decided that attack was the simplest way to
win.
52.Qc4+ Nd5 53.Rb3
53.Rxf4 Qxf4 54.Qxd5+ Kh7 55.Qh5+ Qh6 wins for Black.
404
53...Qd1+ 54.Kf2 Qd2+ 55.Kg1 Qd1+ 56.Kf2 Re7! 57.Rxf4 Ne5
58.Rb8+ Kg7 59.Qa4 Nd3+ 60.Kg2 N5xf4+ 0-1
White resigned.

Lessons:
1) The move 12...f5 is absolutely typical for positions in which
Black’s bishop is located on g7. Knowing the typical techniques
makes it much easier to find the right solution.
2) In positions with an extra pawn and a large advantage, it is still
desirable to calculate variations to the end. Otherwise, at some
point, fatigue will come and the realization may be greatly delayed,
or even not succeed at all. In this game, the move 26...Nd3 would
have been the simplest and most natural way to the goal. I delayed
the realization for more than 20 moves.
3) Having a large material advantage, you can always return part of
what you have won and try to simplify the situation. The side with
the advantage, of course, is interested in having the clearest possible
picture on the board (37...Bg7).
The experiment conceived by Aeroflot Open director Alexander
Bakh and German manager Carsten Hensel, according to which the
winner of the Moscow Swiss-system competition received an
invitation to Dortmund, had a continuation. My victory was noticed,
and the organizers of Wijk aan Zee graciously put me on the list of
reserves for the main tournament. After Polgar’s refusal, Evgeny
Bareev got a place in the event; and then Kasparov, who was
waiting for the match with Ponomariov, missed the deadline for
signing the contract and I was invited to Holland.
I didn’t start very well – four draws, including games with Anand
and Kramnik, and a completely unexpected defeat against Timman
with White in a dead-drawn bishop ending. The next day, I again
managed to fall apart, after a strong novelty on my part against Leko
in a Caro-Kann. And after the 6th round... ‘minus two’ and a share

405
of last place. I had to once again resort to a ‘zigzag’. Moreover, my
beloved served as a catalyst for stress: my wife, who was supposed
to leave after the 7th round, simply said that if I did not win against
Ivan Sokolov, she would file for divorce. After weighing all the pros
and cons, I decided to save the family.
Then, in a difficult struggle, I lost to Topalov, but Rita was no
longer in Wijk, and I was able to calmly indulge in creativity.
Victor Bologan
Vladimir Akopian
Wijk aan Zee 2004
1.d4
For only the sixth time in my life I pushed the queen’s pawn on my
first move. Apart from the desire to surprise my opponent, this was
largely because I wanted to test a new type of position after 1.d4 in
the second half of the tournament. The disadvantage of this
approach is that it is very difficult to remember all the variations.
1...Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4
The Meran Variation looks illogical at first glance: Black allows his
opponent to activate his light-squared bishop, while leaving his own
on c8 for the time being.

406
But soon the tempo will be won back, the bishop will move to b7
and after ...c6-c5 will begin to put strong pressure on the centre. In
response, White plays e4 and then, depending on the circumstances,
either e5 or d5. In addition, he can disturb the b5-pawn with a4.
7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 Bb7 9.0-0 a6
Vladimir is a well-known specialist in the Meran Variation for both
colours, so this opening could well be expected from him. He
usually chooses the more peaceful 9...b4, but here he tried to
confuse me with the extremely complicated Reynolds Variation,
which is also included in the repertoire of the top specialist in the
Meran, Alexey Dreev.
10.e4 c5 11.d5 Qc7 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.Bc2 Bd6 14.Ng5 Nf8 15.f4
h6
The main line is 15...0-0-0.
16.e5 0-0-0 17.exd6 Rxd6 18.Qe2 hxg5

407
Until this moment, I remembered the variation, which in itself is a
very good indicator for a beginner. I also remembered that at some
point the knight must move to e4. The logical question – whether or
not to include a4 before the knight jump – took me some time and,
in the end, led to a novelty.
19.Ne4!?
I decided to wait with a4. Firstly, because in some possible
endgames Black’s pawns would simply be closer to the promotion
square, and secondly, in some cases White can first play b4 and only
then a4. Of course, it is by no means necessary to follow these
general considerations.
Previously, 19.a4 b4 20.Ne4 Rd5 21.h3 gxf4 22.Bxf4 e5 23.Be3
Ne6 24.Nxf6 gxf6 25.Be4?! ( 25.Qg4 is better, as suggested by
Kruppa and Komarov, with 25...Qd7 26.Bf5 Re8 27.Rac1 giving
White a clear advantage) 25...Rd6 26.Bxb7+ Kxb7 27.Qf3+ Qc6
28.Qxc6+ Kxc6 29.Rxf6 Nd4 30.Rf2 c4 and Black was slightly
better (Lastin-S. Ivanov, Krasnoyarsk 2003).
19...Bxe4
408
If 19...Rd5!? I could always transpose to the Lastin game by playing
a4.
20.Bxe4 c4!?
Akopian said he had studied this move at home.
21.Bc2!
Also played after long thought. I understood that the move is
slightly passive, but it was much more important to retain the bishop
pair.
21...g4
It is hard to say what was best for Black. For example, on 21...gxf4
22.Bxf4 Qc5+ I could simply defend with 23.Kh1 or even 23.Rf2
with advantage.
Stronger was 21...N8d7 22.a4 b4 23.fxg5 Rd1!! (the most
spectacular move, although 23...Rd4 24.gxf6 Qxh2+ 25.Kf2 Ne5
26.fxg7 Ng4+ 27.Ke1 Qg3+ 28.Qf2 Qe5+ 29.Qe2 Qg3+ is enough
for equality) 24.Rxd1 Qxh2+ 25.Kf2 Qh4+ with equality.
22.Be3 Rd5
Stronger was 22...Nd5, and if 23.Bd4, then 23...Nxf4! 24.Rxf4
Rxd4 25.Rxd4 Qxh2+ 26.Kf2 Qh4+ with perpetual check
(Komliakov).
23.g3 Rdh5
Black’s threats are easily repulsed, and it is never too late to start an
attack on the queenside.
24.Rf2 N8d7 25.a4
And so it begins.
25...Qc6
25...b4 26.Bg6 Rh3 27.Rc1 wins for White.
26.axb5 axb5

409
27.b3!
Opening the black king position more and more.
27...c3
On 27...Rh3 I would probably have answered 28.Rg2, but not
28.bxc4? Rxg3+ 29.Rg2 Rxg2+ 30.Qxg2 Qxg2+ 31.Kxg2 Rh3.
28.Bd4 Rh3 29.Qd3?!
It is hard to believe that this move leads to the loss of the advantage,
but the truth is that Black’s queen defends her king and supports the
attack. Safer was 29.Rg2.
29...Nd5?
Of course, I also considered 29...b4, and IM Maxim Notkin is
absolutely right when he points out that this was Black’s best chance
in the game. Here is the main version of his analysis, published at
www.worldchessrating.ru:
29...b4! 30.Ra4 ( 30.Rg2!? ) 30...Nc5 ( 30...Nd5 31.Ra6 Qb7
32.Qc4+ Kd8 33.Rxe6 Nxf4 34.Be4 ) 31.Qc4 Rxg3+ 32.Kf1 Rf3
33.Rxf3 Rxh2 (Notkin).
410
At first glance, Black has enough counterplay, but if we continue the
analysis using modern computers, we can see that White’s chances
of winning are quite significant. For example: 34.Rf2 Qh1+ 35.Ke2
Qf3+ 36.Ke1 Rh1+ 37.Rf1 Rxf1+ 38.Qxf1 Qxf1+ 39.Kxf1 Nxa4
40.bxa4 Kb7 41.Ke2 Ka6 42.Kf2 Nh5 43.Be5 Kb6 44.Bd6 Ka5
45.Bc7+ Ka6 46.a5 Kb7 ( 46...Nf6 47.Bd3+ Kb7 48.Be5 ) 47.Bd6
Ka6 48.Bxb4 Nxf4 49.Kg3 Nd5 50.Bd3+ Kb7 51.Ba3 c2 52.a6+
Kb6 53.Bc1 Nb4 54.Be3+ Kc7 55.Bc4 and White is winning. Long
variations, but instructive.
30.Bxg7
Sometimes in difficult positions it is useful to stock up on material,
as later this can be very important.
30...Nc5 31.Qd4 R8h5

32.f5!
Also based on important considerations.
32...Nb4

411
From a practical viewpoint, rather stronger was 32...Rxg3+! 33.hxg3
Ne3 (the jump to f4 is bad: 33...Nf4 34.Rxf4 Qh1+ 35.Kf2 Rh2+
36.Ke3 ) 34.Ra8+! (in many variations, this is a crucial trick for
White) 34...Kb7 ( 34...Qxa8 35.Qxc5+ ) 35.Be4!! (everything is
hanging, a usual occurrence in the Reynolds Variation!) 35...Qxe4
36.Ra7+ Kxa7 (in any case, White will force his opponent to take
the rook: 36...Kc6 37.Rc7+; 36...Kb6 37.Qd6+ ) 37.Qxc5+ Kb7
38.Qxb5+ Kc8 39.Qe8+ Kc7 40.Qxh5 c2 41.Bb2 and White wins.
33.Be5
I had had enough of playing with fire and decided to strengthen the
g3-square. Alternatively, 33.Qxb4 Rxg3+ 34.Kf1 Rf3 or 33.Qxc3
Nbd3! and Black is fine.
33...Qd5
33...Nxc2 34.Rxc2 Rxf5 35.Qxc3.

34.Ra8+!
This exchange sacrifice leads to a hopeless position for Black.
34...Qxa8 35.Qxc5+ Nc6 36.Be4
412
Time-trouble; I missed the pin from a7.
36...Qa1+ 37.Rf1 Qa7! 38.Qxa7 Nxa7 39.Bxc3 exf5 40.Bxf5+
Kb7

The time-control is reached and White has a technically winning

position.
41.Bxg4
Akopian’s suggestion of 41.Rf2 was more accurate: 41...Rh7
42.Bxh7 Rxh7 43.Rf4, winning.
41...Rxh2 42.Rf7+ Kb8 43.Bxh5 Rxh5 44.Kg2 Nc6 45.g4 Rd5
46.Bf6
The construction with rook and bishop helps the g-pawn to queen
and also cuts off the black king.
46...Kc8 47.Kg3 Rd7 48.Rf8+ Kc7 49.g5 Rd1 50.Kf2 Rd2+
51.Kf3 Rd3+ 52.Kf4 Rd1 53.g6 Nd4 54.Rf7+ Kd6 55.Bxd4
Rxd4+ 56.Kf5 Rd5+ 57.Kg4 Ke6 58.Rf3 Rd1 59.g7
Black resigned.

413
Lessons:
1) It is very important to understand which pieces should be
exchanged and which should be kept. In this game I had to lose a
few tempi to save my light-squared bishop (21.Bc2!).
2) When the opponent’s pawns are advanced on the flank, an
attack on this chain by a4 always suggests itself. As a result, Black
has to either weaken the c4-square or accept the opening of the a-
file.
3) The resulting endgame very clearly illustrates the advantage of
the bishop over the knight in an open position. As often happens, the
presence of rooks on the board further increases this advantage.
Very often the knight has almost no squares left, and in this game
Black could not oppose the advance of the g-pawn.
This victory over Volodya brought me back to -1, but the multiple
champion of the Netherlands, Loek van Wely, who performed
successfully in the tournament, awaited. Loek is an amazing chess
player, though his ups and downs are even more extreme than mine:
his Elo is either above 2700 or below 2600. At the time of our
meeting, he was somewhere in the middle of his next jump.
For the second year in a row, Loek played very well in Wijk aan
Zee. I see the reasons for this in the fact that he treated chess very
responsibly, worked with chess players of the highest level (for
example, with Topalov), and also constantly collaborated with such
a competent positional chess player as Vladimir Chuchelov.
Looking ahead, I’ll say that we, as musketeers, met almost twenty
years later at the European Championship among Parliamentarians
organized by the European Chess Union, where I managed to win
again and take first prize.
Queen’s Indian Defence
Loek van Wely
Victor Bologan

414
Wijk aan Zee 2004
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6
For the first time in my life, I decided to employ the Queen’s Indian
Defence. Of course, it’s always hard to play an opening at the
highest level for the first time, but as my previous experiences with
Akopian and Sokolov have shown, it can sometimes turn out quite
well. Before, I always chose the Queen’s Gambit.
Seeing 3...b6, Van Wely thought about it and decided to surprise
me:
4.Nc3
But the fact is that in preparation for the game, I had studied – no
less – all the lines that Van Wely had ever played in his life. And
he’d played a lot of things, and, as it were, in ‘layers’: he will play
four games with one variation and switch to another; there he will
play four or five games and move on to the next one. These ‘cultural
layers’ of his are well tracked in the database. It was useful for me
to revise all these variations.
4...Bb7 5.Bg5 Bb4
My opponent did not manage to surprise me and I more or less
remembered this set-up.
6.Qb3 c5 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.Qxc3 h6 9.Bh4 g5 10.Bg3 Ne4
It would seem that Black has won a lot of tempi in the opening and
seized the initiative, but this whole variation on White’s part is
provocative. Black should not flatter himself; he should think first of
all about the preservation of his position and the equalization of
chances. So far, he has greatly weakened his position, and White,
oddly enough, has retained control in the centre and has not created
weaknesses himself.
11.Qd3

415
11...Nxg3
Possibly stronger is 11...d6, so as to await the move 12.Nd2 (on f3
the knight may not be so bad); for example, 12...Nxg3 13.hxg3 Nd7
14.Ne4 Bxe4 15.Qxe4 cxd4 16.Qxd4 Qf6 17.Qd2 Nc5 18.Rd1 Ne4
19.Qd4 Qxd4 20.Rxd4 f5 with equality (I.Sokolov-Stefansson,
Reykjavik 2003).
12.hxg3 Qf6 13.dxc5!?
Van Wely had prepared this novelty at home, but, fortunately for
me, he could not remember all the variations. The logic of the
exchange on c5 is very simple: pressure is created along the d-file,
after which it is not so easy for Black to develop his pieces.
13.Rd1 Bxf3 14.gxf3 cxd4 15.Qxd4 Qxd4 16.Rxd4 Nc6 gives
equality.
13...bxc5 14.0-0-0 g4 15.Nh2 h5

416
It would seem that Black has restricted the knight on h2 a little, but,
in fact, this knight can always come out. And Black’s position has a
number of organic weaknesses.
16.Qd6?
I think that the energetic 16.f4! gives White the upper hand. He just
wants to play e4, Be2, Nh2-f1-e3, but what should Black do? The
following line is possible: 16...Rg8 ( 16...gxf3 17.gxf3 ) 17.e3 Bc8
18.Qh7 Qg6 ( 18...Qg7 19.Bd3 Nc6 20.Qxg7 Rxg7 21.Nf1 )
19.Bd3 Qxh7 20.Bxh7 with a winning advantage.
16.f3!? was also worth considering, but Van Wely decided to
immediately start concrete play.
16...Qg5+
An important check, thanks to which Black manages to defend.
17.Rd2 Rg8 18.f4 Qe7
Retreating with tempo: White cannot exchange queens, because for
the endgame his kingside pieces are very badly placed.
19.Qe5 f5
417
Now the bishop on b7 controls the whole of the long diagonal and
this means that Black stands very well.
20.Rd6?
A rather childish approach – White is determined to take a pawn.
True, in the case of 20.e3 Nc6 21.Qc7 Rb8 22.Be2 Qd8 23.Qd6
Na5, Black also has a big advantage.

20...Nc6 21.Qxc5 Na5!

Van Wely had clearly missed this move.
22.Qb4
Giving the exchange with 22.Qxa5 Qxd6 is rather sad, but not
giving it is even worse...
22...Nxc4 23.Qxb7 Qxd6 24.Qxa8+ Ke7 25.Qb7
25.Qxg8 Qd2+ 26.Kb1 Qxb2 is mate.
25...Rb8
White resigned.

Lessons:
418
 1) False goals like the c5-pawn can lead away from the objectively
strongest decisions (16.Qd6?).
2) Quite often one mistake leads to another (20.Rd6?). But this is
not a case when, having said ‘a’, one must also say ‘b’. White
needed to admit his mistake and start fighting for equality.
3) When pretentious constructions appear on the board, like a rook
on d6 and a queen on e5 with a complete absence of support from
other pieces (the f1-bishop, h2-knight and h1-rook are quite comical
and have practically no moves), a combinative motif suggests itself.
Black could even sacrifice back some of the extra material because
White is objectively playing without three pieces.
The 50% mark seemed to me at that time the height of my dreams,
and at the end of the tournament I set myself the main task to stay
on it. After all, the formidable Svidler and Shirov still awaited me.
Victor Bologan
Peter Svidler
Wijk aan Zee 2004
1.d4
Before this, I was lucky enough to play with White against Peter
only twice, and in both games, naturally, the first thing I had done
was move the king’s pawn. The half-point I’d scored did not satisfy
me in any way, so the move 1.d4 was intended to improve the
statistics of our meetings.
1...Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 d5
There was no need to consult a soothsayer to know that the St
Petersburger would choose the Grünfeld Defence. After the game,
the multiple-time Russian Champion confessed that he preferred the
sharp 4...d5 to the more reliable 4...c6 followed by ...d5 only out of
love for art. Well, theoretically, Svidler was still fighting for prizes.
5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2

419
In this variation, the bishops on g2 and g7 seem to compete for
‘professional pride’. The advantage of the move and better control
of the centre promise White some initiative. He will try to increase
the pressure along the long diagonal, as well as to occupy the centre
with pawns and pin down Black’s pieces. The latter, in turn, is
preparing to break with ...c5 in order to simplify the situation and, if
necessary, go into an equal endgame.
6...Nb6 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.e3 0-0 9.0-0 Re8

Black’s play makes a strange impression. But my job is to trust the

theory: if this is how they play, then this is how it should be.
10.d5 Na5 11.Nd4 Bd7 12.e4 c5
More common is 12...c6, but the Russian was evidently prepared for
a resolute battle.
13.Nf3
Denoting White’s further priorities: the struggle for the central
squares and, if possible, the use of the unfortunate position of the
black knights.

420
Black’s task is significantly simplified after 13.Nb3 Nxb3 14.axb3
Bd4 15.b4 e5 16.dxe6 Bxe6 17.bxc5 Bxc5 18.Nd5 Nxd5 19.exd5
Bf5 with equality (Wojtaszek-Timofeev, Goa 2002).
13...Nbc4
Later, another fan of the Grünfeld Defence, Emil Sutovsky,
strengthened Svidler’s play by playing 13...e6!? against me. After
14.Bg5 Qc8! 15.Qc1!? exd5 16.exd5 Bh3?! ( 16...Nac4 is better)
17.b3! White had cut off almost all the opponent’s pieces and won a
landslide victory on the 26th move (Bologan-Sutovsky, Evry 2004).
14.Qc2 b5 15.b3 b4 16.bxc4 Bxc3

Up to here the St Petersburg GM had played quickly and

confidently, which usually indicates a good knowledge of the
subject.
17.Bd2!!
It is strange that this move, mentioned by Rustem Dautov in the
comments to his game, had escaped Peter’s watchful eye, especially
since the aforementioned game is the key one in the variation with

421
13.Nf3. Obviously, Svidler focused on the move 17.Bb2; for
instance, 17...Bxb2 18.Qxb2 Nxc4 19.Qc1 Bb5 20.Qh6 f6 21.Rfc1
Nd6 22.Rxc5 Qb6 23.Qe3 Nc4 24.Qd4 Rac8 25.Rxc8 Rxc8 with
some white pressure (Dautov-Sutovsky, Essen 1999).
17...Bg7
Played after long reflection, of course. Taking the exchange is
possible, but dangerous: 17...Bxa1 18.Rxa1 Nb7 ( 18...e5 19.a3;
18...Qb6 19.Ne5 Qd6 20.f4 ) 19.e5 ( 19.Qb2 Nd6 20.Bh6 f6
21.Nd2 e5 ) 19...Bf5 20.Qb2 with a likely equal but rather unclear
position. With this assessment, Rustem Dautov stopped his analysis
for the Informant here.
18.Rac1
The rook stands worse on b1: 18.Rab1 Nb7 19.e5 ( 19.Bf4 e5 )
19...Bf5.
18...Qb6
By this point both opponents had formulated their respective
strategies. If Black plays 18...e5, then there is the highly effective
19.a3!. If Black immediately plays 18...Nb7, then he will not
succeed with the ...e5 advance: 19.e5 Bf5 20.Qb3 Na5 21.Qe3.
19.Rfe1?!
Despite his large space advantage and superiority in the centre,
White must demonstrate something more meaningful than simple
development of his pieces in the centre. 19.Be3 was quite suitable
for this purpose, followed by the transfer of the knight to d3: 19...e5
20.Ne1 Nb7 21.Nd3 Rac8 22.f4 exf4 23.gxf4 with initiative.
19...Rad8
On 19...e5!? White can again reply 20.a3, although with less effect:
20...b3 21.Qd3! Nb7 22.Rb1 Ba4 23.Bc3 Nd6 24.Nd2 with a slight
edge.
20.h3
422
A non-standard treatment. The main idea is to deprive the bishop of
the f5-square by means of g4. Admittedly, we are spending two
tempi for one square...
20...e6! 21.g4
Stronger than 21.e5 exd5 22.cxd5 c4 23.Be3 Qb5 24.Nd4 Qa4
25.f4.
21...exd5
21...Nb7 22.e5 f6 23.exf6 Bxf6 24.Ng5 e5 25.Ne4 is very good for
White.
22.cxd5
22.exd5 was also playable.
22...c4
Svidler is extremely dangerous in counterattack, which is precisely
why he plays the Grünfeld and Najdorf.
23.Be3

423
At this moment, it seemed to me that the exchange of dark-squared
bishops promised White a stable advantage on account of his pawns
in the centre.
23...Qc7
Or 23...Qa6 24.e5! ( 24.Bd4 Bxd4 25.Nxd4 Qb6 26.Red1 Rc8 )
24...Bxe5 25.Nxe5 Rxe5 26.Bc5 Rxe1+ 27.Rxe1 Qb5 28.Bd4 c3
29.Qc1.
24.e5
The concrete 24.Bd4 fails to 24...Bxd4 25.Nxd4 Qc5 ( 25...c3 26.a3
) 26.Red1 Rc8, and Black has everything in order.
24...Bxe5?
The decisive mistake. Nor does he equalize with 24...Rxe5 25.Nxe5
Bxe5 26.Bxa7 Bc3 and now 27.Be3 Bxe1 28.Rxe1± . It is more in
the spirit of the position (and of Svidler) to ignore material for the
moment and sharpen the situation as much as possible: 24...c3!
(with the idea of ...Nc4) 25.a3 ( 25.Qb1 Nc4 26.Qxb4 Nxe5
27.Nxe5 Bxe5 ) 25...Nc4 26.d6 Qb8 27.axb4 Nxe5 28.Nxe5 Bxe5
29.Bc5 Bb5 ( 29...Bxd6 30.Qxc3 Be5 31.Qa3² ) 30.Rxe5 Rxe5
31.Qxc3 Re6 32.Bd5 Rexd6 33.Bxd6 Qxd6 34.Rd1 Qb6 with
equality.
25.Nxe5 Qxe5?!
More tenacious was 25...Rxe5 26.Qb2 Qd6 27.Rb1 Rb8 28.Bd2± .

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26.Bc5!
It is important to break the connection between the black b- and c-
pawns. An unclear position results from 26.Bxa7 Qxe1+ 27.Rxe1
Rxe1+ 28.Kh2 Rde8 29.Bf3 Bb5 30.Bc5 b3.
26...Qxe1+ 27.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 28.Kh2 Rde8
28...b3 29.axb3 ( 29.Qc3 bxa2 30.Qxe1 Nb3 31.Qe7 Ra8 )
29...Nxb3 ( 29...cxb3 30.Qc3 ) 30.Bxa7 Rc8 31.Qc3± .
29.Bxb4 R1e2 30.Qc3 Rxf2 31.Kg3

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Two factors – mating threats to the black king and the unfortunate
placement of the knight on a5 – determine White’s decisive
advantage.
31...Rxa2
Or 31...Rfe2 32.Bf3 R2e3 33.Qf6 Nb7 34.Bd2 and White wins.
32.Qf6?
Time-trouble. In chess, unfortunately, there is no ‘fatigue’ symbol,
otherwise I would put it behind this move. After the elementary
32.Bxa5 Rb8 33.Qe5, White is winning.
32...Nb7?
A mistake in return. Much more stubborn was 32...Nb3 33.Bc3
Re3+ 34.Bf3 Rxc3 35.Qxc3 Nd2 36.Bg2± .
33.Bf3 Rc2
33...Re3 loses to 34.Kf4 a5 35.Kxe3 axb4 36.Qe7.
34.Qa6 Nd8 35.Qxa7 Bb5 36.Qd4

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At this moment, my clock showed 33 seconds and I understood that
Black’s only chance was somehow to surprise me...
36...f5
The only active possibility.
37.gxf5 Nf7
If 37...gxf5 38.Kf4 Nf7 39.Qg1+ Kh8 40.Qd1 and White wins.
38.fxg6 hxg6 39.Qb6!
Black resigned. 30 seconds remained on my clock!

Lessons:
1) The exchange sacrifice on a1 was prepared at home (17.Bd2!!).
In return, White gained control of the weakened long diagonal,
which, combined with a strong pawn mass in the centre, created a
dangerous situation for Black.
2) In itself, the presence of pawns in the centre does not mean
anything. 20...e6! is a very good method of dealing with the pawn
centre: Black creates a situation in which the advance of the d- and
e-pawns is unfavourable for White, and Black gets counterplay
thanks to his passed pawns on the queenside.
3) 24.e5 creates a poisoned pawn on e5. Black accepted this
sacrifice in vain, thinking his b4-pawn was much more important.
Petroff Defence
Alexei Shirov
Victor Bologan
Wijk aan Zee 2004
Seven years earlier, I had been Alexei’s second in Wijk aan Zee and
had also played in the B-tournament myself. In 2004, I finally
managed to play the same tournament with him. It so happened that
we met in the last round. We both had a difficult start, but closer to
the finish line we managed to leave the minus zone.
427
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6
With half a point more than my opponent, I decided to play the most
solid chess possible. But the problem was that I was using the
Russian Game as Black for only the third time in my practice.
3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.c4
Alexei goes for the main variation, whereas Anand in the same
tournament chose 8.Re1 against me.
8...Nb4 9.Be2 0-0 10.Nc3 Bf5 11.a3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Nc6
The hanging pawns on c3 and d4 can represent both a strength and a
weakness. If White correctly arranges all his pieces, then he will
have a slight advantage, because he has an advantage in the centre.
White is also trying to create play along the b- and e-files. Black
need not be afraid of this centre; if the pawns reach c4 and d5, then
the knight will move to a5, Black will fix the pawns with ...b6, and
White will not know what to do with his centre.
13.Re1 Re8 14.cxd5 Qxd5 15.Bf4 Rac8 16.h3!

428
A move played by Kramnik in the previous edition of Wijk aan Zee.
It is directed mainly against ...Bf6, which can be met by g4-g5 with
tempo; White also creates the prerequisite for the Nh2-g4
manoeuvre.
16...Bf6 17.Nh2 Qa5 18.Bd2 Ne7!?
Trying to improve on Anand’s play.
18...Rcd8 19.Bf3 h6 20.Ng4 Bxg4 21.hxg4 Bg5 22.Bxg5 hxg5
23.Rxe8+ Rxe8 24.Qd3 gave White a slight plus in Kramnik-Anand,
Wijk aan Zee 2003.
19.Bf3!
Well played, but by this point Shirov was already much lower on
time. The move 19.Ng4, which I mostly expected, leads to an
approximately equal position after 19...Bxg4 20.Bxg4 Rcd8.
19...Rcd8 20.Ng4
After 20.Bxb7 c5 Black would have been in great shape.
20...Bxg4 21.hxg4 h6
I also looked at the queen sacrifice – 21...c6 22.g5 Bxg5 23.Re5
Qxe5 24.dxe5 Bxd2, but 25.e6! fxe6 26.Qb3 gives White the better
chances.

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22.Rb1
Probably tiredness. In his best years, Alexei would have taken the
pawn – 22.Bxb7! c6 (possibly the best for Black; the natural 22...c5
23.dxc5 Qxc5 24.Qa4 or 23.Be4 cxd4 24.cxd4 Qb6 25.Rb1 Qxd4
26.Ba5 Qxd1 27.Rbxd1 Rxd1 28.Rxd1, pointed out after the game
by Shirov, retains the advantage for White) 23.Rb1 (or 23.f4 Qc7
24.Ba6 Nd5 25.g5 hxg5 26.fxg5 Be5 with some practical chances)
23...c5 24.c4 Qxa3 25.d5 Bd4 26.Be3 and White is slightly better.
22...b6 23.a4 c6
Black’s position is very solid: after the transfer of the queen to d7 he
will be ready either to exchange rooks or play ...c5.
24.Qc2 Qa6 25.Re4 Qc8 26.Rbe1 Qd7

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Here I offered a draw. Firstly, the position is completely equal
because White has no active plan, and secondly, Alexei had only 20
minutes left for 14 moves.
27.Qd3
After spending a significant part of that time, my fighting opponent
decided to continue the game. I also see my luck in this because my
opponents often underestimated me during the tournament.
27...Nd5 28.Rxe8+ Rxe8 29.Rxe8+ Qxe8 30.c4!?
Having refused the draw, Shirov felt he had to pursue active play.
Equality is reached after 30.g3 Bg5! 31.Bxg5 hxg5 32.c4 Nf6.
30...Nc7!
My original intention was to play solidly: 30...Ne7 31.Qe4 Qd7
32.Be3 Bg5 with equality. Indeed, this exchange is Black’s most
important resource. But then I decided to test another possibility,
sharper, but even giving winning chances.
31.a5

431
In the event of the direct 31.d5 cxd5 32.cxd5, the a-pawn hangs:
32...Qxa4 33.d6 Ne6; alternatively,
31.Be3 Bg5 32.Bxg5 hxg5 33.d5 Qd7 with equality.
31...bxa5 32.Bxa5 Ne6 33.d5
33.Bc3 Bxd4 34.Bxd4 Qd7 35.Bxc6 Qxd4³ .
33...cxd5 34.Qxd5
The Spanish GM was in time-trouble and, as he later admitted to
me, here he had already given up any ambitions of winning.
34.cxd5 Nd4 35.Be4 Qc8 36.Kf1 Qc1+ 37.Be1 with equality.
34...Bd4
Black’s dark-squared bishop is positioned much better than its
counterpart, which compensates for the advantage of White’s two
bishops.
35.Be4??
In time-trouble White probably missed the ...Nf8 defence. Even
trying to make a draw, Alexei thinks about the enemy king. He
should have prevented the ...Qa4 manoeuvre with the simple
35.Qb5! ( 35.g5 Qb8 ) 35...Qxb5 36.cxb5 with equality.

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35...Qa4!
Leading to inevitable material losses for White. The queen is cut off
from her king by the black bishop while at the same time, the
extremely unfortunate position of the bishop on a5 allows Black to
move over to a decisive attack.
36.Kh2
Played with only seconds remaining on the clock.
36.Qa8+ loses after 36...Nf8 37.Qd8 Qa1+ 38.Kh2 Bxf2; 36.Be1
Qa1 37.Qa5 Bxf2+!; or 36.Bd3 Qd1+ 37.Bf1 Qxg4.
36...Bxf2 37.Bc3 Qa3 38.Qd2 Bd4!
White has the bishop pair, so it makes sense to simplify the position.
39.Bb4
39.Bxd4 Qd6+ 40.g3 Qxd4.
39...Qa1
More precise was 39...Be5+ 40.Kg1 Qg3, winning a second pawn.
40.Bd5?

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Played just seconds before his flag fell. After the only move 40.Qe1
Be5+ 41.Kh1 Qd4, I would still have had to demonstrate technical
mastery.
40...Bg1+!
More beautiful than the simple 40...Qg1+ which was also sufficient:
41.Kg3 Be5+ 42.Kf3 Qf1+ 43.Qf2 Ng5+ 44.Ke3 Bd4+; 40...Bg1+
41.Kh3 ( 41.Kg3 Qe5+ 42.Kf3 Nd4+ ) 41...Ng5+ 42.Kh4 Qf6.
White resigned.

Lessons:
1) With two bishops, White should aim to get as open a position as
possible. Based on these considerations, he should have played
22.Bxb7 without fear of some mythical tactical complications.
2) When defending against two bishops, it is important to create
very fluid pawn constructions (such as on b6 and c6), in which it is
very difficult for the opponent to open the game.
3) When the opponent obviously overestimates his position and
does not notice counter-threats, it is necessary to look for paths not
only to equality, but also to a possible takeover of the initiative if
the chance arises. With 34...Bd4 Black started this process.

434
So, thanks to a storming finish of 4½ out of 5 (despite the fact that I
failed to convert an extra piece in the game with Adams), I managed
to get to plus two and share fourth place with Topalov. The Indian
magician, Viswanathan Anand, won the tournament for the fourth
time.
I myself, and some of my colleagues, rated this performance of mine
as superior in importance to the Dortmund success. Of course, it was
more difficult to play: the novelty factor had disappeared (beginners
are often lucky), people were already expecting a big result from
me, unlike at Dortmund (expectations, as a rule, only hinder one, not
help), and at the same time more fun. More opponents, openings,
characters. And yet the main thing is that I took a step forward.
I regularly have people close to me in all areas of activity, without
whom things would be very difficult. People in my life played and
still play a huge role.
435
Mikhail Podgaets, or Michel as I called him, as did Karpov, was an
outstanding coach and theorist and a strong practical player, he
played a very important role in my career – in my
professionalization. This is exactly what I had been missing for
many years. I am a thousand-percent sure that if Podgaets and I had
met earlier, in the year 1985-86, then I would definitely have
secured a foothold in the world top ten.
Podgaets had a classical approach to chess; he was a very deep,
talented, and bright chess player. At the same time, he was a classic
‘‘number two’’: he had to give back. Podgaets was not only a
theoretician of the highest level, but he was also very good as a
coach. Mikhail could analyse everything thoroughly, and then
explain in detail. No wonder Anatoly Evgenievich worked with him
for so long.
I met Mikhail in 2000 at a tournament in Buenos Aires, where he
was helping Karpov. We began to communicate more closely in
2002, when Karpov was already playing only occasionally and
Podgaets had time to work with me. I remember I came to Karpov’s
house and I played blitz and talked with Misha – during his visits to
Moscow, he lived at Anatoly Evgenievich’s house.
All my life, in response to 1.d4, I have played somewhat risky
openings: the King’s Indian Defence, the Tango, 1...d6; even the
Chebanenko Variation is only conditionally classical... Podgaets
taught me to play the classical complex: the Nimzo-Indian Defence
and the Queen’s Indian or Queen’s Gambit. As White, I myself
began to play 1.d4, and he helped me work out a solid ‘serve’. In
response to 1.e4, I started using the Caro-Kann Defence – he was
one of the world’s leading specialists in this opening. A few years
later, I myself wrote a repertoire book on the Caro-Kann, based
largely on the lines that Mikhail Podgaets showed me, and it is
dedicated to his blessed memory. He also taught me the Russian
Game (Petroff Defence) at the highest level.

436
All these solid openings immediately took me to a completely
different level. The classical understanding of all stages of chess –
not only the opening, but also the middlegame and the endgame...
yes, Dvoretsky and I had perfectly worked out that part of the
endgame that concerns the basic skills, but there is also a connection
between the endgame and the middlegame... when I now give
master classes, I always tell my listeners that it is necessary to work
not only on the opening, but be sure to immediately study the
connection between the opening and the middlegame and,
moreover, between the middlegame and the endgame. When this is
tied to your openings, to your typical positions, then all this is much
better absorbed than general abstract advice.
The apogee of my work with Podgaets was Wijk aan Zee in 2004. In
the Russian Game, I made a draw with Anand and beat Shirov, I
beat Van Wely with Black in the Queen’s Indian – everything went
right according to Podgaets’ analysis. With 1.d4 I defeated Svidler,
Ivan Sokolov, and Akopian. Moreover, I played ‘on sight’ – I had
never used these openings before; I have always been able to easily
master new variations and often immediately published games.
After that, we continued to work from time to time. In 2007, I left
for Qatar, and our contacts were reduced to a minimum, but when I
returned to Kishinev in March 2009, I immediately called Podgaets
and began to arrange my arrival in Odessa in order to work closely.
We almost agreed on the dates, but then he said that he was ill. He
was taken to hospital. A day later, he called me back and says: ‘I
have discharged myself! There are fools in the hospital, they do not
understand anything! I will be treated at home.’ He had pneumonia.
And just a couple of days later he passed away... he was only 61
years old. I have very fond memories and owe great gratitude to
Mikhail Yakovlevich Podgaets (1947-2009).
As even the most inattentive reader will have managed to notice, my
chess career consists of continuous ‘ups and downs’. Only one thing

437
was pleasing, namely that each ‘up’ was at least a little higher than
the previous one. But this is my character: the higher the barrier, the
harder it is to achieve the goal, the better I play. Indeed, in chess, as
in any other sport, the most important thing is motivation. And the
higher it is for an athlete, the higher his chances are. The
extraordinary miracle of two centuries, Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi,
kept a very decent level up to 80 years of age, precisely on
motivation.
In March 2004, I went to the fifth anniversary tournament in
Poikovsky, and this time (considering my previous two failures) I
decided to pull myself together. Nevertheless, after two rounds I had
half a point, while the debutant of the tournament Alexander
Grischuk started with two wins. He had to be stopped...
Slav Defence
Victor Bologan
Alexander Grischuk
Poikovsky 2004
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3 a6
Surprisingly, this move was becoming increasingly popular. Black
is waiting for his opponent to bring out the f1-bishop. In addition, in
almost all Meran variations, the move ...a6 is useful for Black.
6.c5

438
The most fundamental answer. Now White’s strategy will be to try
to exploit the weakening of the dark squares in the opponent’s
camp. He can launch a pawn attack on the queenside, or he can play
e3-e4. Of course, after the exchange on e4, Black will get the d5-
point for the knight, but thanks to his advantage in space and the
cramped position of the bishop on c8, White will achieve a stable
initiative.
6...Nbd7 7.b4 g6
7...a5 8.b5 e5 9.Qa4 Qc7 10.Ba3 e4 11.Nd2 Be7 12.b6 Qd8 13.h3
(Kasparov-X3D Fritz, New York 2003). This is the only game I
could remember during the present game, and after the text move I
found myself in a whole new world.
8.Bb2
Sooner or later Black will have to play ...e5, and then the bishop will
turn out to be in the right place on b2.
8...Bg7 9.Be2!?

439
White wants to avoid the move ...Ng4 in the event that Black carries
out ...e5.
9.Bd3 e5 10.dxe5 Ng4 11.e4 Nd:e5 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.exd5 cxd5
14.Nxd5 0-0 is unclear.
9...0-0 10.0-0 Qc7 11.Na4
If 11.Qc2 Black equalizes the chances by means of 11...e5! 12.e4
(or 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Qxe5 14.Nb5 Qe7 15.Nd6 Ne4 with
equality) 12...exd4 13.Nxd4 Nxe4 14.Nxe4 dxe4 15.Qxe4 Nf6
16.Qh4 Nd5.
11...Ne4 12.Ne1
The idea of this is to drive away the e4-knight with f3 and transfer
White’s own knight to d3. Now it seems to me that Grischuk’s
recommendation is better: 12.Nd2!?; for example, 12...Nxd2 (on
12...f5 13.f4² ; worse is 13.Nxe4 fxe4 ) 13.Qxd2 e5 14.dxe5 ( 14.e4
dxe4 15.d5 cxd5 16.Qxd5 Nf6 17.Qxe5 ( 17.Qd6 Qxd6 18.cxd6
Bg4 ) 17...Qxe5 18.Bxe5 Nd5 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.a3 Bd7 with
equality) 14...Bxe5 15.Bxe5 Nxe5 16.Nb6 Rb8 17.a4² .
Also playable is 12.Bd3!? f5 13.Qc2 e5 14.Rae1 Rb8 15.Be2 Re8
16.a3 exd4 17.Nxd4 Ne5 18.f3 Nf6 19.Qc1 Be6 20.f4 Ned7
21.Nf3.
12...e5
If 12...f5 13.Nd3.
13.dxe5
13.f3 is met by 13...Nef6 or 13...Ng5 14.dxe5 Bxe5.
13...Nxe5
The exchange of bishops favours White: 13...Bxe5 14.Bxe5 Nxe5
15.f3 Nf6 16.Nc2 Be6 17.Nd4 Rfe8 18.Qd2 Re7 19.Rfe1 Rae8
20.Bf1 Kg7 21.Nc3 with an edge.
14.f3 Nf6 15.Nb6 Rb8

440
16.Bd4?!
Not the ideal piece to occupy the central square. Chebanenko taught
me that the bishops should be in cover, and the knights should be
placed in the centre as much as possible.
16.Nc2 Re8 17.Qd2 Be6 18.Nd4 Rbd8 19.Rad1 favours White
slightly.
16...Re8 17.Qd2 Ned7 18.Nd3 Nxb6
The simplest way to equalize was 18...Nh5! 19.Nxc8 ( 19.Nxd7
Bxd7 20.g4 Bxd4 21.exd4 Ng7 ) 19...Rbxc8 20.f4 Bxd4 21.exd4
Ng7 22.Ne5 f6.
19.cxb6 Qe7 20.Nc5

441
20...Nh5
Alexander refrains from the simplification after 20...Nd7 21.Bxg7
Kxg7 22.Qd4+ f6 23.Nxd7 Bxd7 24.Kf2 Qe5 25.g3 Re7 26.Rfe1
Rbe8 27.Bf1 Bf5 with equality, because he wanted to play for a win.
20...Bh6 21.Kf2.
21.Rfe1 Qd8?!
Missing the last chance – 21...Bh6 22.Bf1 Ng7!; 21...Bxd4 22.exd4
Qd8 23.Bf1.
22.Bf1 Bxd4
On 22...Qxb6 23.Nd7 Qc7 24.Nxb8 Qxb8 25.g4± , or 22...f5
23.a4² .
23.exd4 Be6
Going after the extra pawn leads to defeat: 23...Rxe1 24.Rxe1 Qxb6
25.g4 Ng7 26.Qf4 Ra8 27.Re7.

442
24.Re5
I think the Russian GM missed this move in his calculations, and his
response was unsuccessful. Objectively, 24.g4! is still stronger!
24...Ng7 25.Na4 h5 26.h3 Qd6 27.Nc5 Qd8 28.Bd3 Qxb6 29.gxh5.
24...Ng7?
Black abandoned 24...Qxb6 due to 25.Rxh5 gxh5 26.Qg5+
(Grischuk’s suggestion 26.Bd3 is inadequate because of 26...f6
27.Qh6 ( 27.Re1 Bf7 28.Rxe8+ Rxe8 or 28...Bxe8 29.Qf4 Qd8 )
27...Re7 28.Qxf6 Rbe8 29.Re1 Qxb4 30.Re5 Qxd4+ 31.Kf1 Bf5! )
26...Kf8 27.Qh6+ Ke7 28.Re1 Kd8 29.Qf6+ Kc8 30.Nxe6 fxe6
31.Rxe6 Qd8 32.Rxc6+, or 31...Rxe6 32.Qxe6+ Kd8 33.Qf6+ Kd7
34.Qf5+ Kd8 35.Qf8+ Kc7 36.Qf4+ Kd7 37.Qxb8 Qxd4+ 38.Kh1.
However, the sacrifice on h5 is only enough for a draw; Black need
only play 26...Kf8 instead and boldly retreat with the king to the
corner – 26...Kh8!. For example: 27.Bd3 Qxb4 28.Qf4 Bf5!?
29.Bxf5 Re1+ 30.Kf2 Qb2+ 31.Kxe1 Qxa1+ 32.Kf2 Qb2+ 33.Kg3
Rg8+ 34.Kh4 Rxg2 with equality.
25.Na4
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Material is equal. I decided there was no need to hurry: 25.Rae1
Qxb6 26.h4 with compensation.
25...Qd7?!
Trying to exchange the c6-pawn for that on b6. It was better to
complete development – 25...f6 26.Ree1 Re7 27.Bd3 Qd6 28.Nc5
Rbe8 29.a4 Qd8 30.a5 and White is a bit better.
26.Rae1 c5?
26...f6 27.Nc5 Qd6 28.R5e3 Re7± .
27.Nxc5 Qc6

28.b5!
Now White retains an extra pawn with no compensation for the
opponent. 28.h4 Qxb6 29.h5 was very strong; for example,
29...Nxh5 30.Rxh5 gxh5 31.Qg5+ Kh8 32.Qf6+ Kg8 33.Re5.
28...Qxb6
28...axb5 loses after 29.Qa5 Ra8 30.Qxb5 Rxa2 31.Qxc6 bxc6
32.Rb1 Rb8 33.b7 Ra7 34.Rb6.

444
29.bxa6 bxa6 30.Nxa6
30.Bxa6 Qb4 31.Rd1± .
30...Rbc8 31.Qb4
Inaccurate; there was a decisive advantage to be had from 31.Nc5
Nf5 32.Rc1.
31...Qa7 32.a4?
A typical time-trouble mistake. Having decided to push the pawn, I
could not control all of the opponent’s tactical resources.
32.Bb5 Re7 33.g4! was stronger.
32...Nf5 33.Rd1 Re7
Missing the first chance to re-establish material equality: 33...Bd7!
34.Rxe8+ Bxe8 35.a5 Ne3 36.Re1 Nc4 ( 36...Nxf1? 37.Qb6! )
37.Nc5 Qxa5 with equality.
34.a5 Rb7 35.Qd2

35...Re7?

445
And now missing the second chance – 35...Rb3 36.Qf2 Ra3 37.Nc5
Rxa5 38.Nxe6 fxe6 39.Rxe6 Ra2 40.Re2 Ra1 41.Rxa1 Qxa1.
Admittedly, it is harsh to annotate decisions made when only
seconds remain on the clock.
36.g4!
Finally, I decided the main problem was the defence of the d4-pawn.
36...Nd6 37.Nc5 Rxc5
37...Nb7 38.Nxe6 fxe6 39.a6 Nd6 40.Qe3 Rce8 41.Qa3.
38.dxc5 Qxc5+ 39.Kg2 Qa3 40.Re3 Qa4
Our time-trouble was so strong that we did not even know how
many moves had been played.
41.a6 Re8 42.Qd4 Nc4 43.Bxc4 dxc4 44.a7
Here we stopped and sometime later, Alexander resigned.

Lessons:
1) When a black knight appears on e4, you immediately want to
drive it out of there. Pushing the knight back (by f2-f3) is best
combined with a useful manoeuvre like Nf3-e1-d3.
2) Even if you have a high rating and win the first two games, this
does not mean that you will win all the games in the tournament. On
the 18th move, Black played sharply for a win, whereas 18...Nh5!
would most likely have led to a draw.
3) In tense situations, you need to play as concretely as possible.
After 24.Re5! Black does not have time to realize his plans.
True, Sasha still managed to write his name on the Poikovsky
tablets. Thanks to a tense victory in the last round over Zhang
Zhong, he not only caught up with Rublevsky, but also became the
winner on tie-break.
In May, I was invited to the traditional tournament in Sarajevo. The
beautiful city, which survived a lot in the last century, is slowly

446
recovering. Chess stands apart here. Thanks to the enthusiasm of the
local club ‘Bosna’, led by Mirza Miralem, every year the residents
of the Bosnian capital witness another chess performance. This time
Alexei Shirov made a splash, scoring 7½ points out of 9, while I
was content with a creative achievement – a victory over a modern
classic and once again in a classic opening.
Queen’s Gambit Declined
Victor Bologan
Nigel Short
Sarajevo 2004
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5
Nigel has long been considered an expert in the Queen’s Gambit for
Black. And if against 5.Bf4 he still sometimes lost, then in the
system with 5.Bg5, at the time of our game, he had been defeated
for the last time in 1992 by Polugaevsky.
5...h6 6.Bh4 0-0 7.e3 b6 8.Bd3
In the aforementioned game, Lev Abramovich played 8.Qb3. There
followed 8...Bb7 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Rd1 c6 12.Bd3 Na6
13.0-0 Nc7 14.Ne5 Re8 15.f4 Ne6 16.Bb1 Rc8 17.Qc2 Nf8 18.a3
Rc7 19.e4 Bc8 20.exd5 cxd5 21.Ba2 Bb7 22.Qd3 with a classical
advantage for White (Polugaevsky-Short, Paris 1992).
8...Bb7 9.0-0 Nbd7 10.Bg3 c5 11.cxd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5
An attempt to define the position in the centre. 12.Rc1 is seen more
often.
12...exd5
Despite the fact that Kramnik himself has also played this, I think
12...Bxd5 13.e4 Bb7 14.Rc1, transposing to the variation with
12.Rc1, is more promising.

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13.Ne5!
A knight jump typical of this kind of position. White will use the
outpost on e5 to develop the initiative on the kingside, whereas
Black’s pawn majority on the queenside is not so dangerous.
13.b3 a6 14.Rc1 Re8 15.Re1 Nf6 16.Bh4 Ne4 17.Bxe7 Qxe7
18.Rc2 a5 is equal (Gelfand-Kramnik, Astana 2001).
13...Nxe5
This looks hasty, but even after the preliminary 13...c4 (this is why
Gelfand played 13.b3 ) 14.Bc2 b5 White is a little better.
13...cxd4 14.exd4 Nxe5 15.Bxe5 Bd6 16.f4 f6 17.Qg4!.
14.Bxe5 c4 15.Bc2 f6
It is obvious that with the bishops pointing at his king, Black must
do something. The attempt to exchange the dark-squared bishops at
once with 15...Bd6 could be met with a direct attack on the king:
16.f4 ( 16.Qh5 Bxe5 17.dxe5 d4 ) 16...f6 ( 16...Bxe5 17.fxe5 Qg5
18.Qe2± ) 17.Qg4! (the control of the light squares is more than
sufficient compensation for the piece; 17.Qh5 fxe5 18.fxe5 Qe8

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19.Qxe8 Raxe8 20.exd6 Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Rd8 ) 17...fxe5 18.fxe5 Qe8
19.exd6 Qxe3+ 20.Kh1 Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Rf8 22.Rxf8+ Kxf8
23.Qf5+ Kg8 24.h3 and White wins.
16.Bf4
It was possible to retreat to g3, but I wanted to retain the possibility
of taking on h6 if the chance arose.
16...f5
The only convenient moment to close the b1-h7 diagonal.
17.Be5
The e5-square is key in this type of position.
17...b5 18.f4
The attempt to open lines immediately does not bring any special
dividends – 18.g4 Bc8 19.gxf5 Bxf5 20.Bxf5 Rxf5 21.f4 Qe8,
although here, too, White retains a minimal advantage.
18...Bc8
Of course, the bishop on e5 is beautifully placed, but this is
naturally not enough to win the game. Despite White’s better piece-
pawn interaction, Black still has a definite advantage in space and
the prospect of advancing the queenside pawns. In a word, a
concrete plan is needed:

449
19.Rf3!
And the concrete plan is to transfer the rook to g6, after which Black
will have to make concessions.
If 19.Qh5 Qe8 20.Qh3 a5 with the idea of ...Ra6.
19...Bf6 20.Rg3 Qe8 21.h4
Otherwise g6 cannot be strengthened.
21...a5 22.h5 Kh8 23.Qf3 Be6 24.Rg6 b4
More accurate than 24...a4 25.a3, and the pawn avalanche is
stopped. True, waiting tactics also deserved consideration –
24...Qe7!?.

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25.b3!
An important detail. White must not in any circumstances permit
...a4.
25...Bxe5?
Objectively, a gross positional error. It was necessary to try to keep
the tension to the last: 25...Rc8 26.bxc4 dxc4 ( 26...Rxc4! 27.Bxf6
Rxf6 28.Rxf6 gxf6 29.Bb3 Rc7 is level) 27.d5 and now:
A) On 27...Bxe5 I planned a transition to a favourable endgame,
which was subsequently confirmed by home analysis: 28.fxe5 Bf7
29.Qxf5 Bxg6 30.Qxg6 Qxg6 31.Bxg6 Rc5 ( 31...c3 32.d6 ( 32.Bc2
Rc5 33.e4 Rc4 34.e6 Rd4 35.Rd1 Rxd1+ 36.Bxd1 Re8 37.Bb3 wins)
32...Rfd8 33.Rd1 a4 ( 33...Rc6 34.Kf2 Kg8 35.Ke2 a4 36.Bc2+ )
34.e6 b3 35.e7; 31...b3 32.axb3 cxb3 33.Rxa5 Rc3 34.e6 Rxe3
35.Ra7 Re1+ 36.Kh2 Rb8 37.e7 ) 32.e6 Rxd5 33.e7 Rg8 34.e8Q
Rxe8 35.Bxe8± ;
B) 27...Bd7 28.Qg3 Rf7 29.Bxf6 Rxf6 30.Rxg7 Rd8! ( 30...c3
31.a3! with the initiative; 30...a4 31.e4 fxe4 32.Re1 Bf5 33.Rb7 Qf8

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34.Bxe4 Qc5+ 35.Kh2 is good for White) 31.Re1 Qf8 32.Rg6 Be8
33.Rxf6 Qxf6 with equality.
26.fxe5
Now the game becomes almost one-sided. Obviously, Black’s
initiative on the queenside has come to a standstill, whereas White is
already threatening to go g4.
26...Rc8 27.Rf1
The most solid, since despite the attractiveness of the
aforementioned ending after 27.bxc4 dxc4 ( 27...Rxc4 28.Bb3 )
28.d5 Bf7 29.Qxf5 Bxg6 30.Qxg6 Qxg6 31.Bxg6, the probability
of a mistake there is quite high.
27...cxb3
A nice picture arises after 27...c3 28.g4! Bf7 29.gxf5 Bxg6 30.hxg6
Rc6 31.Qxd5 and White wins.
27...Bf7! 28.Rd6 Bxh5 29.Qxd5 cxb3 30.Qxb3 ( 30.Bxb3 Be2
31.Re1 a4 ) 30...Rc3 31.Qb2 Qe7 32.Bb3 Bf7 is level.
28.Bxb3 Bf7
28...Qd7 29.g4 fxg4 30.Qxf8+ Rxf8 31.Rxf8+ Kh7 32.Kf2 Qe7
33.Bc2 is good for White.
29.Rd6 Bxh5

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30.Qf4!
Absolutely correct – multiplying the threats and improving the
positions of the pieces as much as possible. After 30.Qxd5, which
Short probably counted on, there is 30...Be2 31.Re1 a4 32.Rxe2
Rc1+ 33.Kf2 axb3 34.Qxb3 Qh5 and Black simply seizes the
initiative.
Also very strong was 30.Qh3 Bg6 31.Bxd5.
30...Kh7
Otherwise, it is hard to meet the threat of Rxh6+.
30...Be2 31.Rxh6+ gxh6 32.Qxh6+ Kg8 33.Bxd5+ Rf7 34.Rxf5.
31.Bxd5 Be2 32.Re1 Bc4
Or 32...Bd3 33.e4 Rc3 34.exf5 Rxf5 35.Be4 Bxe4 36.Qxe4.
33.Bxc4
Despite his huge advantage, White must play energetically, since,
after all, his king is covered by only one pawn, and he only has
material equality.
33...Rxc4 34.e4 Rc2 35.exf5 Rxa2 36.Qe4
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Very often in positions with queens, the one who first occupies the
central square has the advantage. Now, for example, the black queen
is forced to go into the very corner.
36...Qa8
Or 36...a4 37.f6+ Kh8 38.fxg7+ Kxg7 39.Qg4+.
37.Qg4
Once again, I did not want to have to calculate a pawn race:
37.Qxa8 Rxa8 38.e6 b3 39.e7 b2 40.Rd8 Ra1 41.e8Q Rxd8
42.Qg6+ Kh8 43.f6 Rxe1+ 44.Kf2.
37...Qa7 38.f6
The volume of threats has long since reached critical mass.
38...Rf7 39.e6 Rxf6 40.Rd7
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) A useful pattern worked in this game: when attacking the king,
take an outpost on e5. This circumstance, combined with the bishop
on d3, gives White good chances to attack.
2) When attacking the king along a half-open file, it is very
important to get additional squares for your pieces in the opponent’s
camp. The g6-square became just such a weakness in the game.
3) When defending difficult positions, one must be able to
maintain the tension. One of the typical mistakes is stress relief –
here, the exchange 25...Bxe5? allowed White to get an easy,
comfortable game without much calculation of variations, while
after the strongest 25...Rc8 he would still have had to sweat a lot.
At the end of the tournament in Sarajevo, most of its participants
piled into vehicles and headed to a wonderful place on the Adriatic
coast called Neum. The team championship of Bosnia was held
there, and we, engaged by the club ‘Bosna’ (Sarajevo), were

454
favourites for the national championship. Our team once again won
the title, with ‘Kiselyak’ finishing in second place.
There were only two weeks left before the FIDE World
Championship, and this time had to be spent not only on preparing
for it, but, above all, on recovery, because the previous month and a
half had been very tense. I’m not trying to make excuses, but the
fact remains: I still can’t show my potential in knockout
tournaments. In Libya, in the very first game against Paragua,
having a slight advantage, I blundered the move d5 and lost to an
opponent who was significantly inferior to me in terms of playing
strength. Then I bounced back and won the rapid playoff 2-0, but
the picture was repeated in the match with Moiseenko. Both main
games ended in a draw, and I blundered d5-d6 in the rapid games.
So, in Libya, the march of the d-pawn completely demoralized me
and actually removed me from the event.
Of course, not inviting Israeli chess players will forever remain a
stain on FIDE’s reputation, but the tournament itself was well
organized. Staying in Tripoli reminded me of the good old Soviet
times – the so-called dictatorship of Gaddafi was similar to the
Soviet socialist system, where all socially significant institutions
functioned, albeit modestly. Wide avenues, safety on the streets,
hospitality from the locals. And now there is practically no country
left. The so-called ‘Arab Spring’ swept millions of people around
the world and destroyed several states, not to mention the direct
human sacrifices made on the altar of ‘democracy’. This is how it
always turns out when you climb into someone else’s monastery
with your charter.
After that, I had more time to prepare for the second Dortmund
event, where I was invited as the winner of last year’s tournament. I
followed the recipe from a year ago: I tried to swim more, dig in the
garden. In general, the preparation was satisfactory and in many
games, especially at the start, I had the initiative. Although our

455
tournament will certainly enter the Guinness Book of Records: in
our sub-group (four players over two rounds) all the games ended in
a draw! In the first round, I had good chances to win against Leko,
and I was better against Kramnik and Karjakin. In the second half of
the event, I played less convincingly, but nevertheless all the games
ended in a draw. And in the tiebreak I was third and eventually
fought for places in the bottom half of the table. During the entire
tournament, I didn’t lose a single game of classical chess and scored
+1, so I’m generally satisfied with the result. After that, in order to
get to Dortmund again, I had to win the Aeroflot Open once more,
which, you know, is not so easy! And yet both times, in 2005 and
2006, I was very close to winning the world’s strongest open.
After the tournament, I spent two months resting at a dacha near
Sevastopol. Crimea is a fertile place, one of the best on earth, and it
was not surprising that Russian tsars set up their residences there.
At the European Club Cup in September, I played for the Bosna
(Sarajevo) team. Judging by the configuration, the team set itself
very high goals. I ended up on fourth board; ahead of me were
Alexei Shirov, Nigel Short and Ivan Sokolov, and I was followed by
Sergey Movsesian and Zdenko Kozul. We can say that we
completed our task, taking second place, but due to the peculiarities
of the draw we were not even able to compete for the championship
with NAO – we simply did not meet this club.
From a creative point of view, the game with Beliavsky is of
interest. It was a match with the Max Ven team from Yekaterinburg,
for which Garry Kasparov played on top board, but the poor form of
several participants at once did not allow this team to rise above
fourth place.
Ruy Lopez
Victor Bologan
Alexander Beliavsky
Izmir 2004
456
Alexander Genrikhovich is a loyal supporter of the Spanish Game
(Ruy Lopez). In our last encounter he had chosen the Zaitsev
Variation, but now he decided to scare me with the Marshall.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3
0-0 8.h3
As taught by Lanka.
8...Bb7 9.d3 Bc5

This is how Alexander Onischuk and Vladislav Tkachiev play by

transposition. The idea is clear: agreeing to the loss of the tempo,
Black tries to place his bishops in the best possible way, and also the
possibility of the manoeuvre ...Nc6-e7-g6 appears. Of course,
having played h3 and d3, White has postponed the fight for the
centre.
10.Nc3 h6 11.Bd2
A waiting move, and one might even say an opening micro-trap that
the opponent fell into. In addition to development, the move has
other goals. For example, after 12.a4 b4 13.Nd5 the b-pawn will

457
already be under pressure. In addition, there is such an idea of
giving the opponent the move.
11...d6 12.Ne2!
A new move, underlining another advantage of 11.Bd2 – Black does
not have the reply 12...Na5. White wants to place his knight on g3
and the pawn on c3 and then play d4.
12...Bb6
Not obligatory and maybe even a loss of tempo.
Better is 12...Re8 13.Ng3 with a small initiative to White.
13.c3 Na5 14.Bc2

14...d5?!
An optimistic decision, but quite possible; sometimes Black even
sacrifices a pawn this way, as was the case, for example, in the
Kramnik-Leko match (Brissago 2004). If Black simply stands still
with, for example, 14...Re8 15.Ng3 c5, then the weakness of his
kingside should have an effect. After all, White’s three minor pieces
– the d2-bishop and the f3- and g3-knights – will already be looking
458
there, while Black’s three minor pieces on the queenside are out of
the game for the time being.
But in this case, the ...d6-d5 break is not quite correct, since Black
has already lost a lot of time and White is already well-prepared for
this advance, with his pieces arranged quite harmoniously.
15.exd5
Of course, worse is 15.Nxe5 dxe4 16.d4 c5.
15...Qxd5 16.Ng3
A typical situation has arisen for this structure: White puts pressure
on the e5-pawn and all the time threatens some sort of undermining
blows in the centre and on the queenside. The c3- and d3-pawns
seem to be positioned passively, giving away the centre to the
opponent, but they contain a lot of potential energy.
16...Rfe8

17.Qc1!
The key moment in the game. It suddenly turns out that the
inclusion of the queen becomes the straw that breaks the camel’s
459
back. Even the seemingly passive c2-bishop is ready to take an
active part in the attack.
17...Nh7
White was threatening to take on h6. The variations show that Black
had no satisfactory defence, for example:
A) 17...Nc6 18.Bxh6 gxh6 19.Qxh6;
17...Qd6 18.Nf5 Qd7 19.Nxg7! Kxg7 20.Bxh6+ Kh7 21.d4+ e4
22.Qg5 Rg8 23.Qh4;
B) 17...c5 18.Bxh6 gxh6 19.Qxh6 Re6 20.c4! Qc6 21.d4! Ne4
22.Qh4, in all cases with decisive threats.
White’s pieces are too well posted and it is hard for Black to defend
against the direct attack.
18.b4
After the game, Garry Kasparov claimed that 18.c4 wins a piece, but
I do not understand what he had in mind:
A) 18...bxc4 19.dxc4 Qc5 20.Be3 Qxc4 21.Bxb6 cxb6 22.Nxe5
Qd4;
B) 18...Qc5 19.d4 Qxc4 20.b3 Qc6.
18...Nc6 19.c4
This was the second idea behind 17.Qc1. Now White shuts the
enemy dark-squared bishop out of the game for a long time.
Also worthy of attention was 19.a4 Rad8 20.axb5 axb5 21.c4.
19...Qd7
It is clear that the c4-pawn cannot be taken because of the loss of the
queen: 19...bxc4 20.dxc4 Qxc4?? 21.Bxh7+.
20.c5 Ba7 21.Bc3?

460
As you know, having an advantage and winning are two very
different things, and realizing an advantage is a problem for many
chess players. As a rule, the one who has the advantage relaxes,
while his opponent, on the contrary, increases his concentration and
begins to resist with redoubled energy. I played the next part of the
game less confidently, wasting a lot of time, but I tried to make
decisions on a reasonable positional basis, so as not to squander my
advantage.
So far, Black has a piece less in play, but in the long term the a7-
bishop can return if Black manages to play ...c6 and ...Bb8. I knew
perfectly well that my advantage was temporary.
The move played would be good were it not for a tactical flaw...
therefore, White had to choose between 21.Ne4 Rad8 22.a4 Bb8
23.Ra3 and 21.d4!? exd4 22.Bf5 Rxe1+ 23.Qxe1 Qe7 24.Qc1, with
an advantage in both cases.

461
21...Nd4?
If 21...f6, the weakness of the light squares tells: 22.a4 ( 22.Qe3
Ng5 ) 22...Ng5 23.Nxg5 hxg5 24.Bb3+ Kf8 25.Qd1.
Neither player noticed that after 21...Nxb4! 22.Bxb4 Bxf3 23.gxf3
Ng5 24.Re3 a5! Black’s initiative more than compensates for the
sacrificed piece.
22.Bxd4
In principle, the exchanges are beneficial to me. With the pawn on
d4, my dark-squared bishop will not have many prospects, so I
decided to keep the more mobile knight in this situation. Obviously,
Black will have to exchange the b7-bishop in order to free the a7-
bishop, and a confrontation is already looming – the c2-bishop
against the a7-bishop.
22...Bxf3!?
Even so, I think my opponent slightly hurried with this decision. He
probably didn’t like the fact that after 22...exd4 my queen jumps to

462
f4: 23.Qf4 Bxf3 24.Qxf3 Ng5 25.Qf5 Qxf5 26.Nxf5 Ne6 27.Bb3.
With the bishop on a7, the game is in White’s favour anyway.
23.Bxe5 Ng5
Insufficiently tempting was 23...Bxg2 because of 24.Kxg2 Qd5+
25.Re4 Rxe5 26.Bb3 Qc6 27.Bxf7+ Kh8 28.Qf4 Re7 29.Kf1 Rxe4
30.Qxe4 Qxe4 31.dxe4 Ng5 32.Bd5. In an inferior position,
Beliavsky sacrifices a pawn in an attempt to confuse his opponent.
To a large extent, he succeeded.

24.Qf4
I calculated the line 24.Bf4 Rxe1+ 25.Qxe1 Re8 ( 25...Ne6 26.Be5
Bb7 27.Qe3 Re8 28.Bb3 Nf8 29.Qd4 Qxd4 30.Bxd4 Ne6 31.Be3 )
26.Qf1 Bxg2 27.Qxg2 Nxh3+, and Black even ends up with an
extra pawn. But I missed the far stronger move 26.Qc1; for
example, 26...Nxh3+ 27.gxh3 Qxh3 28.Qf1 and the compensation
for the piece is clearly insufficient. On the other hand, I made a
positionally justified pawn sacrifice, but the computer sharply
objects to it, in effect saying: ‘Why play a pawn down when you can

463
just retain an extra pawn?’ Such is its simple logic and without
additional arguments it is difficult to disagree with this.
A modern computer believes that 24.Bd1 f6 25.Bc3 Rxe1+ 26.Bxe1
provides White with a clear advantage, and the strongest is the
seemingly-risky king walk after 24.h4! Nh3+ 25.Kf1 Bd5 26.Re3 f6
27.Bb2 Qg4 28.gxh3 Qxh3+ 29.Ke1.
24...Bxg2! 25.Kxg2 Qxh3+ 26.Kg1 Qd7 27.Qf5!
The only move (if White does not wish to repeat the position, of
course).
27...Qxf5 28.Nxf5 Nf3+ 29.Kg2 Nxe5 30.d4

I thought White had a large advantage in this position but I was

probably getting carried away with myself.
30...g6
Much stronger was 30...Ng6, and only several hours of analysis
enabled me to find some sort of advantage after 31.Rxe8+, my main
line running 31...Rxe8 32.a4 Bb8 33.axb5 axb5 34.Ra5 Nf4+

464
35.Kf3 Ne6 36.d5 Ng5+ 37.Kg2. My opponent’s move makes
things easier.
31.Rxe5 Rxe5
31...gxf5 32.Rxf5 Rad8 33.Bb3 Re7 34.Rh1 Kg7 35.Rh4 and the two
pairs of rooks greatly favours White.
32.dxe5 gxf5 33.Rd1 Re8 34.Rd7
And here Beliavsky gave up.
Grandmaster M. Golubev wrote in 64 that he liked this game, but he
does not include it in his review article, because it is not completely
recorded in the database. He probably thought that Black would
resist here for a long time, because now he has an extra pawn. But in
reality, the position is completely hopeless; for example, 34...Bb8
35.Bb3 Rf8 36.Kg3 c6 37.Kf4 h5 38.Kxf5 h4 39.Kf6. Therefore,
Alexander Genrikhovich did not show miracles of perseverance.

Lessons:
1) One of the typical tricks in the Spanish Game is the
establishment of pawn-piece interaction. This goal was served by
the move 12.Ne2!, which created very unpleasant problems for the
opponent.
2) Often, short moves with the queen can cause big trouble to the
opponent. The queen is a long-range combat unit, and its subtle
movements can greatly change the situation on the opposite side of
the board (17.Qc1!).
3) If it is possible to shut out an opponent’s piece from the game,
then such possibilities should be considered first of all. At the same
time, it is necessary to ensure that your pieces have good scope for
action – then it is this advantage that will be significant. In other
words, one must not just sit and rejoice at the opponent’s bad piece,
but have one’s own creative thoughts.

465
A week after the end of the Cup, the Olympiad began. We repeated
the tactics of 2002, when the first two boards did not play the first
four rounds, so that later we could play all the games without
substitutions. Up to a certain point, this tactic justified itself 100%:
we beat Germany, Sweden, and Yugoslavia, drew with Israel and
Poland, and only in the end did bad preparation and a complete lack
of a training camp affect us. The first two boards remained
undefeated: I scored +2, Viorel Iordachescu +3, but the ‘tail’ let us
down, although before that they fought with dignity.
After the Olympiad, I decided to start individual work with my
students Ruslan Soltanich and Alexey Khrushchev, to try to control
them myself, because without personal intervention, things cannot
be moved from a dead point, otherwise the tail will fall off, as
happened at the Olympiad in the last rounds. Looking ahead, I will
say that this work had already borne fruit at the next Olympiad in
Turin. The adult Ruslan Soltanich held down the fourth board,
which allowed Moldova to perform more than successfully.
Moreover, it was the experience gained as a player that allowed
Ruslan, already as captain, to raise the Moldovan flag to an
incredible height in Chennai in 2022.
The next tournament after the Olympiad was the Spanish Team
Championship in Sanxenxo, a great place on the Atlantic coast. Our
wonderful team from Barcelona played in the Premier League; I was
on the top board, where the opposition amounted to FIDE Category
16. But my play did not go well. Recently, 1.d4 had worked better
for me than 1.e4, but here from three promising positions at the start
I scored only one point, and besides, I lost one-sidedly to Marin
with Black. And only the friendly atmosphere in the team, the
anecdotes about the ‘organizacion’, which still causes explosions of
laughter in company, and mutual assistance helped us finish ninth,
due to victories in the last four rounds. I managed to win my last
three games and improve the position of the team, and myself.

466
Of great interest was my game with the then-rising star, and now the
strongest chess player in history, the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen.
The young man, of course, was already quite strong. Although he
scored -4 in that tournament, the fact that he was very talented was
evident to the naked eye. It was clear that he had a great future and
he would claim a place in the world’s top five by talent alone.
In this regard, the conversation with his father Henrik that took
place during the tournament is interesting. Against the background
of Magnus’ unsuccessful performance, we talked about possible
ways to improve his preparation. I remember I advised that he slow
down a bit, play less, and pay more attention to training. Botvinnik,
in a word. Of course, the Carlsens politely listened to me and did
exactly the opposite. He continued to play at a frantic pace of life,
and quite quickly conquered the first line in the world rankings.
How was I to know that the specificity of Carlsen’s talent lies in the
fact that he is constantly improving? Whether it’s a game, or it’s
speed-reading a chess book, or it’s an analysis of a game, or it’s a
review of other people’s games, he absorbs everything like a sponge
and processes everything like a powerful computer. Add to all this a
phenomenal memory. Well done, in a word!
English Opening
Magnus Carlsen
Victor Bologan
Sanxenxo 2004
1.d4
The young stars are on the march! It was enough for an aged
professional at the time to remember their threatening results at the
previous Olympiad to lose sleep for the whole night: Karjakin,
Radjabov, Ponomariov, Bacrot, Volokitin, now Carlsen – ugh... I
think it’s good for our game, but the competition is growing every

467
year, and we have to work more and more. For example, before this
game I had to prepare for both 1.e4 and 1.d4.
1...Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3
As a rule, Magnus plays 3.Nc3, and I had mainly counted on this
move.

3...c5!
The best decision from the psychological viewpoint. After long
thought, my opponent refrained from the strongest move 4.d5,
mainly because of a lack of knowledge of this system.
4.g3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6 6.Bg2 Bc5
More common is 6...Bb4+.
7.Nb3 Be7
A typical manoeuvre for this kind of position and one often seen in
the Sicilian; Black loses a tempo, but forces the opponent’s knight
to leave the centre.
8.Nc3 b6

468
I was definitely in a creative mood that day. The normal
continuation would be 8...0-0 9.0-0 d6, but for a number of reasons I
didn’t want to put the pawn on d6 before White played e4.
9.0-0 Bb7
At first I intended the move 9...Ba6, but refrained from this because
of 10.Nb5 ( 10.Nd4 Nxd4 11.Qxd4 Rc8 12.b3 0-0 13.Bb2 Qc7
14.Rfd1 Qb8 15.Qe3 d6 16.a4 Bb7 with equality in Dorfman-
Lazarev, Cannes 1996) 10...d5 11.Bf4 ( 11.cxd5 Nxd5 12.a4 0-0;
11.a4 0-0 12.Bg5 Nb4 13.N3d4 Bb7 ) 11...Rc8 12.cxd5 Nxd5
13.Bxd5.
10.Bf4 0-0
A Hedgehog System has arisen, and in a rather dangerous version
for Black, since the opponent has not yet played e4 and the bishop
on g2 is very strong. Of course, as long as there is no pawn on e4, it
is easier for Black to push ...d5. This break must be constantly
monitored, yet White still has more pluses.
11.Nb5

469
A new but very natural move. It must be admitted that, in addition to
possessing a huge chess talent, Carlsen also has a natural vision of
how to arrange his pieces.
11...Na5!?
Another not one hundred-percent classical move. Until they (the
young ones) have gained much experience, it is better to lure them
into an unfamiliar type of position.
12.Qd3
12.Nxa5 Bxg2 13.Kxg2 bxa5 14.Qd4 d5 15.Nxa7 ( 15.Rac1 dxc4
16.Qxc4 Nd5 17.Bc7 Qd7; 15.c5 Ne4 16.c6 Bc5 ) 15...Qd7 16.Nb5
Qc6 with chances for both sides.
12...Bxg2 13.Kxg2 a6
Forcing the knight to go back to c3 and forget about the d6-square.
14.Nc3
Or 14.Nd6 Nh5 15.Be5 Nc6 with equality.
14...Nb7
I did not want to open a second file for the white rooks after
14...Nxb3 15.axb3.

470
15.Rfd1
At home I found a remarkably interesting plan for White – to start
an attack on the king by means of 15.Qf3!?. In this case I would
have had to demonstrate a second unusual defence: 15...Nd6! (
15...Qc8 16.Na4 Bd8 17.Bg5 Qc6 18.Qxc6 dxc6 19.Bxf6 gxf6
20.c5 b5 21.Nb6± ; 15...Ra7 16.Rad1 Nc5 17.Nxc5 Bxc5 (
17...bxc5 18.e4 ) 18.a3² ) 16.Nd2 Rc8 17.b3 b5 18.e4 Nfe8 19.Rac1
bxc4 20.e5 Nf5 21.Nxc4 f6, unclear.
15...d6
At this moment, I was more or less sure of my position. Now there
are no direct threats from which I cannot defend myself. Also, in the
near future, White will have to attend to the fate of the c4-pawn.
16.Qf3 Qc7 17.Rac1 Rac8 18.Nd2 Nd7!
Intending ...Ne5, and, who knows, even ...g7-g5 may happen at
some point.
19.b4!

471
With the exchange on e5 in mind, Magnus wants to make sure he
has at least a space advantage on the queenside.
19...Ne5 20.Bxe5 dxe5 21.a3 f5 22.Na4 Bg5!?
An important nuance. If White plays e3, then not only does he
weaken the d3-square, but he also cuts his queen off from the
knights on the queenside.
23.e3
23.c5 was also possible, leading to an equal position after 23...bxc5
( 23...b5 24.Nc3! ) 24.Nxc5 Nxc5 25.Rxc5 Qd7.
23...Rcd8
My teammate Michael Rahl wondered why I never moved the e-
pawn. The point is that in all variations it would be premature; for
instance, 23...e4 24.Qe2 Qc6 25.b5 axb5 26.cxb5 Qxc1 27.Rxc1
Rxc1 28.Nb3. Firstly, the queen can always jump away with tempo,
and secondly, in any kind of complications, it is beneficial for the
long diagonal to remain open for checks.
24.b5
If 24.c5, which is probably best, then I could reply 24...bxc5 (
24...b5 25.Nc3 with a small advantage to White) 25.Nxc5 Nxc5
26.Rxc5 Qd6 with equality: 27.h4 Bf6; 27.Qc6 e4. However, if
White wants to play for a win with 27.Rc6?!, then after 27...Qd3 he
may start to encounter problems.

472
24...Na5!
Before making this move, I spent a significant portion of my time.
At first I tried to find a safe path to a draw, connected with jumps to
c5: 24...e4 ( 24...Rd3 25.Qc6 ) 25.Qe2 Nc5 26.Nxc5 Qxc5, but in
all variations White has the initiative mainly thanks to the bishop on
g5, which does nothing there; for instance, 27.Nb3 Qxa3 28.Nd4
Rxd4 29.Ra1!. After I found my 24th move, I realized that, thanks to
the better position of the pieces, I could take my time to win back
the a6-pawn.
25.bxa6
For many years I considered this ‘too greedy’ move, as it seemed to
me, to be the root cause of White’s difficulties. And only when
preparing the new edition of the book did I become convinced that
young Magnus intuitively chose the strongest continuation: the a6-
pawn, despite its external vulnerability, can cause Black a lot of
trouble.
But an attempt to ‘tweak’ the game even more with the move 25.c5
could lead White to difficulties; for example, 25...axb5 26.cxb6 Qb8
473
27.Rc5 bxa4 ( 27...e4 28.Qe2 b:a4 is also good) 28.Rxa5 Qxb6
29.Nc4 (alternatives favour Black: 29.Rxa4 e4 30.Qe2 Qb2;
29.Rxe5? Bf6 30.Nc4 Qc7 ) 29...e4 30.Qe2 Qb3.
25...Rd3
I managed, as I wanted, to get a very active rook. At first glance,
White has almost no moves left, but this is not so.
26.c5
Or 26.Nc3 Qa7 27.Qe2 e4.
But 26.Rb1 e4 27.Nxe4 was quite possible! After 27...Rxd1 28.Rxd1
fxe4 29.Qxe4 Qxc4 30.Qxc4 Nxc4 31.Rd7 the rook rushes to the
aid of the passed a6-pawn, and Black has nothing better than to
return the extra piece – the excluded bishop: 31...Bxe3 32.fxe3
Nxe3+ 33.Kh3 Rf5, creating threats to the enemy king. 34.g4 is bad
now: 34...Rf3+ 35.Kh4 Ng2+ 36.Kg5 h6+ 37.Kh5 Rh3+ 38.Kg6
Nf4#, but after 34.Kh4 Ng2+ 35.Kg4 Ne3+ 36.Kh4 Ng2+ the
game ends in perpetual check.
26...b5 27.Nb6
Also very interesting was 27.Nc3 Qxc5 28.Nce4!? fxe4 29.Nxe4
Qa7 30.Qg4.
27...Be7!
This looks slow, but White cannot retain the pawn on c5, after
which he even loses the b6-knight.
28.a4!?
You don’t win by resigning.
28.Qe2 e4 29.Nxe4!? fxe4 30.Rxd3 exd3 31.Qxd3 is only level.
28...Bxc5
But not 28...e4 29.Nxe4 fxe4 30.Qxe4 Rxd1 31.Rxd1 Bxc5
32.Qxe6+ Kh8 33.Nd7.
29.a7?

474
29.Qe2 maintains the dynamic equilibrium after 29...e4 30.Nd7!,
and now, for example, 30...Rxd7 31.Qxb5 Rd5 32.Nb3 Rxd1 (
32...Nxb3? 33.Rxd5 exd5 34.Qxb3 Qd6 35.Qb7 ) 33.Rxc5 Qd6
34.Nd4 ( 34.Nxa5 Re1 35.Qc4 h5 ) 34...f4! 35.Qxa5 (not 35.gxf4?
which loses to 35...Rxd4 36.exd4 Qxf4 37.Qe2 Nb3 ) 35...f3+
36.Kh3 Rxd4 37.exd4 e3 38.a7 exf2 39.Rc1 Ra8 40.Qh5 with
equality.
29...Qxa7
29...e4 30.Nxe4 Rxd1 31.Qxd1 Qxa7 32.Nxc5 Qxb6 33.Qd7.
30.Rxc5 Qxb6 31.Rxb5

Fortunately, here Black has the mathematically precise move...

31...Qd8!
... which allows him to win the exchange.
32.Qe2 Nc4 33.Nxc4 Rxd1 34.Nxe5
34.Rxe5 Rc1 ( 34...Qa8+ 35.e4 Rd4 36.Nb6 Qc6 ) 35.Rc5 Qa8+,
and Black wins.
34...Qa8+ 35.Qf3 Qxa4 36.Rb6
475
More tenacious was 36.Qc6, forcing an endgame with doubled e-
pawns: 36...Qe4+ (but not 36...Qa8 37.Rb7 ) 37.Qxe4 fxe4 38.Rb2 (
38.Nc4 Rc8 39.Rb4 Rc5 ) 38...Rc1 39.Nd7 Rf5.
36...Ra1
When spending my last minutes, I did not find a win after 36...Qa1
37.Rxe6 Rg1+ 38.Kh3 Qf1+ 39.Kh4 Rg2 40.Qd5 Rxh2+ 41.Kg5.
Yes, I saw that I could win the exchange by 41...Qh1! 42.Qxh1
Rxh1, but calculated that White has certain chances for a draw here
thanks to the active king; for example, 43.Nd7 Rd8 44.Re7 Rf1
45.f4. At the same time, the move in the game keeps the queens on
the board – and with them the mating threats.
37.Rxe6?
Played in time-trouble, but what else? 37.h3 Qa5 38.Rxe6 Qe1;
37.Qc6 Qxc6+ 38.Rxc6 Re8.
37...Qb5 38.Kh3 g5 39.g4
39.Qg2 loses after 39...Ra2 40.g4 Rxf2! 41.Qxf2 fxg4+ 42.Kg3
Rxf2 43.Kxf2 Qd5 44.Re7 Qd2+ 45.Kg3 Qxe3+ 46.Kxg4 Qf4+
47.Kh3 Qf8.
39...Rg1! 0-1

Lessons:
1) Psychology in the opening. Even the choice of one or another
variation can affect the course of the entire game and unsettle the
opponent. In this game, the move 3...c5 gave me the psychological
initiative.
2) When the opponent manages to create strong pressure, one
should look for the possibility of simplifying the position by
exchanging pieces. If you are not too lazy to calculate specific
variations, which in such cases are quite sharp, then the problem can
be solved, after which it is much easier to play (11...Na5!?).

476
 3) In complex strategic positions, there is such a trick as a
temporary sacrifice of material, thanks to which the pieces manage
to take up their best positions. And this may turn out to be a more
important factor than even the presence of a dangerous extra pawn
on a6 if the rest of the opponent’s pieces are not well-placed
(24...Na5!).
As a result, our team not only remained in the Premier League, but
even took an honourable fourth place. Considering that the autumn
turned out to be much less busy for me than normal, I managed to
avoid the failures that usually haunted me with an overloaded
schedule. In all these tournaments, it was possible to raise my rating
at least a little, and now there was time for a more calm and
measured preparation for new competitions.

Mini-Epilogue from the book ‘Steps’

‘Of course, the story doesn’t end there. When I tell my daughter
Katya fairy tales, she manages to fall asleep before they finish, and I
sigh with relief, because I am not a great master of invention. Even
now, when I have a blank slate of my future in front of me, I can
only hint at my commitment to chess, my desire to achieve my goal,
but I also can’t foresee...’
Well, dear reader, I propose to turn the page!

477
478
479
Chapter 6
Strogino
It seems to me that, in addition to the people who surround him, the
place – the city where he lives – is of greater importance in a
person’s life. I am infinitely grateful to Strogino for fresh air, for
wonderful walks, jogs, for views, for open spaces, for
communication with Mark Izrailevich, Volodya Barsky and Ernesto
Inarkiev, for skiing, for ponds. It so happened that in the last few
years before leaving for Qatar, I lived with my family in our cozy
two-room apartment on Isakovskogo, and therefore, when choosing
the title of the chapter, I decided to pay tribute to my beloved
Strogino. It was here that my fellow grandmasters came to spar.
One of them was Alexander Morozevich. I remember how he once
decided to walk from another district of Moscow, picking up all the
dirt on his boots along the way. What can I say, the weather in
Moscow is slushy. Having worked together several times in
Moscow, in December 2004 Sasha suggested that I go to a training
camp in Mozhaisk. I had worked with him before, and quite
successfully. It all started in 1998, when Morozevich won seven
tournaments in a row within six months, when we were sparring
partners. We met after that, occasionally, and only later decided to
resume cooperation. In training games, of course, he beat me more
often; in any case, the benefits were mutual.
It is clear that working with such chess players as Morozevich and
Kasparov does not go without its benefits. The result manifested at
the Aeroflot Open in 2005. It’s always hard to play in a tournament
when the fanfare has already sounded in your honour (in 2003). It

480
went well throughout, but in the last round I lost the decisive game
to Sasha Motylev and finished with +2; in case of victory I would
have shared first place. But the funny thing is that a year later the
situation completely repeated itself: the Aeroflot Open, the last
round, the same Sasha Motylev, again I am Black, and again both
players have +3! This time I managed to win and once again share
the top spot.
But let’s go back to 2005. Immediately after Aeroflot, the
tournament in Poikovsky began, and it turned out quite successfully
for me. True, there was a little lack of gunpowder for the entire
distance (in the penultimate round I lost to Etienne Bacrot), but it
still turned out to be enough to share first place.
Victor Bologan
Sergey Rublevsky
Poikovsky 2005
1.d4
It’s very important to start a tournament well. After drawing with
Black against Svidler in the first round, I had to try to achieve
something with White against Rublevsky, as the draw had given me
more games with Black than with White.
1...d5 2.c4 dxc4
Sergey’s main weapon. Sometimes he also plays the Chebanenko
Slav.
3.e3 e6 4.Bxc4 c5 5.Nf3 a6 6.0-0 Nf6 7.Bb3 b5
Rublevsky’s favourite move, although he has also played 7...Nc6
(the most popular continuation) and 7...cxd4 here.
8.a4 b4 9.e4!
Such pawn sacrifices are typical of situations where Black has
exposed his queenside and has difficulties completing his
development.

481
9...cxd4
Of course, taking on e4 is not very attractive: 9...Nxe4 10. d5. As
well as the text, Black has tried 9...Bb7.
10.Nbd2 Be7
10...Bb7 11.e5 Nfd7 12.Nc4 Nc6 13.Bg5 Qc7 14.Rc1
(Salemgareev-Grachev, Chelyabinsk 2019)
11.e5 Nfd7 12.Nc4 Nc6 13.Nxd4 Ncxe5
It was worth considering 13...Ndxe5, but here too, after 14.Nxc6
Nxc6 15.Be3 ( 15.Bf4!? ) 15...0-0 16.Qf3 Bb7 17.Rfd1 Qc7 18.Bb6
Qb8 19.Qe3 (Barsov-Egin, Tashkent 2008) White has more than
enough compensation for the pawn.
14.Bf4
A year before, I had played 14.Be3, but after 14...0-0 15.Nxe5
Nxe5 16.f4 Ng6 17.Qf3 Bd7 18.Rad1 Qa5! 19.f5 exf5 20.Nxf5
Qxf5 21.Qxf5 Bxf5 22.Rxf5 the compensation for the pawn proved
only enough for a draw (Bologan-Rublevsky, Poikovsky 2004).
14...Nxc4 15.Nc6 Qb6 16.Nxe7 Kxe7 17.Bxc4 Bb7
482
I think a correct assessment of the position is that White has good
compensation for the pawn. Black’s only problem is the centralized
position of his king, and in some variations he can be quite
vulnerable.
18.Qd2
Grischuk in the same tournament played 18.Qb3!? against
Rublevsky and achieved a clear advantage after the incautious
knight jump 18...Nc5?! (better is 18...Rac8 19.Rac1 with
compensation): 19.Qe3 Qc6 20.f3 Rhd8 21.Rfc1 Rac8 22.Qe1 Ke8
23.Bg5 Rd4 24.Be3 Rd7 25.Qxb4 with a clear advantage in
Grischuk-Rublevsky, Poikovsky 2005.
18.Re1 Rhd8 19.a5 Qc6 20.Bf1 Nf6 21.Qb3 Nd5 22.Bg5+ f6
23.Bd2 Kf7 24.Bxb4 is level.
18...Rhc8

19.Rac1!

483
This novelty had been in my analysis files for more than six months.
It does not refute the whole line, but it leads to a difficult game with
many pieces on the board and good chances to take Black’s pawn.
19.Rfd1 Rxc4 20.Qxd7+ Kf8 21.a5 Qc6 22.Bd6+ Kg8 23.Qxc6
Bxc6 24.Rac1 Rxc1 25.Rxc1 Rc8 26.Bxb4 with equality was
Aleksandrov-Rublevsky, Sochi 2004.
19...Ke8!?
It is rather strange that this prophylactic move, which Rublevsky
made immediately, came as a surprise to me. Black is in no hurry to
run his king to the kingside. First of all, he protects himself from
possible checks on the dark squares.
In the event of 19...Nf6 20.a5 Qxa5 21.Qd6+ Ke8 22.Bxe6 Rxc1
23.Rxc1 Rd8 24.Bxf7+ Kxf7 25.Rc7+ Rd7 26.Rxd7+ Nxd7
27.Qxd7+ Kf6 28.h4! White has a strong attack, but 19...Rd8!? is
worthy of consideration. Still, after 20.a5 Qc6 21.Qxb4+ Ke8 22.f3
Qc5+ 23.Qxc5 Nxc5 24.Rfd1 White has the right to count on a
slight advantage.
20.Rfe1 Nf6!
Creating such potential threats as ...Ne4 or ...Nd5.
Instead, 20...a5 21.Qd3 Nf6 22.Bg5 with compensation for White.
21.b3 Rd8 22.Qa2
Creating threats of a5 and Bc7. After the game, I was very proud of
this move, a classic multifaceted one. However, later I realized that
my opponent’s reaction was not the best.
22...Rac8
Alternatively:
A) 22...Qd4 23.Be5 Qg4 24.Bf1 Rac8 25.Qb2 Rxc1 26.Rxc1 Qg6
27.Qe2 with compensation;
B) 22...Ne4 23.Bc7 Qa7 24.Bxd8 Rxd8 25.Rc2 with a slight
advantage.

484
23.a5
One of the ideas is to create a weakness on b4. The second is to play
Bc7.
23...Qc6?!
Natural but passive; Black should seek happiness in active play.
In the event of 23...Qd4! little is promised by 24.Be5 Qg4 or
24.Be3 Qg4 25.f3 Bxf3 26.h3 ( 26.Bxa6 Rc3 27.Rxc3 bxc3
28.Qa4+ Qxa4 29.bxa4 Bc6 ) 26...Qg3, and so White must content
himself with modest compensation after 24.Bg3 Kf8 25.Qa4 Qc5
26.Qa1 Qe7 27.Be5.
24.Bf1 Qd7

25.Qa1!
Twice in this tournament I sent my queen into the corner, and both
of these moves are worthy of an exclamation mark. In addition to
the permanent threat of a jump to a4, White also creates unpleasant
pressure along the long diagonal, thus leaving Black not many
moves.

485
25...Kf8 26.Bg5?!
26.Be5 was better.
26...Rxc1
26...Qe7 27.Rxc8 Rxc8 28.Qd4 Rd8 29.Qb6 h6 30.Bxf6 gxf6
31.Rc1 Rc8 32.Rxc8+ Bxc8 33.Bxa6 Bxa6 34.Qxa6 Qd8 is equal.
27.Rxc1 Rc8?!
Leading to material loss, but even after the superior 27...Qe7
28.Qe5 White has compensation as Black has a very passive
position.
28.Rxc8+ Qxc8 29.Qd4
I did not like the natural 29.Bxf6 gxf6 30.Qxf6 because of
30...Qc3!, and in the possible pawn race, the black bishop is much
better placed than its opposite number.
29...Nd5 30.Bd2
Regaining the pawn and finally determining the course of the battle
for the next 40 moves.
30...Kg8 31.Bxb4 h6
31...Nxb4 32.Qxb4 gives White a clear advantage.
32.Qc5!
I think it’s easier for Black to defend with queens on the board
(thanks to the very strong knight on d5), whereas without them, the
white king can prove to be very useful when trying to create a
passed pawn on the queenside.
32...Qxc5
32...Qd7 gives White some chances of an attack after 33.Qf8+ Kh7
34.Bd6 followed by Be5 and Bd3.
33.Bxc5 g5 34.f3
Of course, White must first restrict the opponent’s bishop and try to
keep his pawn structure on the kingside as flexible as possible.
486
34...f6 35.Kf2 Kf7 36.b4 Nc7

The point of Black’s defence. He is not afraid of opposite-coloured

bishops endings, which allows him to put the knight on b5 and build
a fortress together with the bishop on d5.
37.Be2 Bc6 38.Bb6 Nb5 39.Ke3 f5?!
Apparently, this is the decisive error, as now White gets a very good
square on e5. Better was 39...Kg6 40.Bd3+ ( 40.Kd3 Bd5 )
40...Kf7, trying to hold the fortress, but even here 41.Bd8 with a
possible pawn attack on the kingside looks very promising for
White.
40.g3
I should have immediately occupied the e5-square: 40.Bd4! f4+
41.Kd3 Bd5 42.Be5 Kg6 43.Kd2 Kf5 44.Bg7 Kg6 45.Bb2 with
advantage.
40...Kg6
More persistent was 40...e5 41.Bc4+ Ke7 42.f4 exf4+ 43.gxf4 g4.
41.Kd3
487
Threatening an invasion on the queenside, White prepares to take
the e5-square in comfort. I think 41.Bd4 was a bit premature due to
41...f4+ 42.Kd3 ( 42.gxf4 gxf4+ 43.Kd3 Kf5 44.Bg7 e5 ) 42...fxg3
( 42...Nc7 43.Be5 Bb5+ 44.Kd2 Bxe2 45.Kxe2 Nb5 46.g4 with a
clear advantage) 43.hxg3 h5 with good drawing chances for Black.
41...Bd5
Closing the road to c4. Too optimistic was 41...e5? because of
42.Kc4 Nd4!? 43.Kc5 Bb7 44.Bc4 Nxf3 ( 44...f4 45.Bd5 )
45.Bd5!, winning for White.
42.Bd4 h5
42...f4! 43.Bb2 Kf5 44.g4+ Kg6 offered good chances to achieve
the desired draw.
43.Be5
Sergey Zagrebelny, in his comments for www.chesspro.ru,
suggested 43.h3?!, which I think is simply bad because of 43...f4.
Instead, 43.Bh8! f4 ( 43...g4 44.fxg4 hxg4 45.Ke3 Bc6 46.Kf4 wins
for White) 44.gxf4 gxf4 45.Kd2 Kg5 46.Ke1 Bc6 47.Kf2 h4
48.Bd3 Ba8 49.Be5 Bb7 50.Ke2 Bc6 51.h3 Bb7 52.Be4 wins.
43...g4
Or 43...f4 44.gxf4 Kf5 45.Ke3.
44.Ke3 Bc6
Here I spent most of my remaining time to find a winning plan. I
decided that after trading the black h-pawn, the most likely outcome
would be a draw, so I definitely need a classic second weakness.
45.Kf2 Kf7
Black can always get a knight versus bishop endgame, but as far as I
understand, all these endings are lost for him here. E.g.: 45...gxf3
46.Bxf3 Bxf3 47.Kxf3 Na7 48.Ke3 Nc6 49.Bc3 e5 50.Kd3 with a
clear advantage for White.

488
46.h4!
This temporary sacrifice allows White to either create a passed
pawn after fxg4 hxg4, or move his king to h4 to attack the h5-pawn.
Meanwhile, it is very difficult for Black to create reasonable
counterplay, since his pieces are busy defending the queenside.
46...gxh3
46...gxf3 47.Bxf3 Bxf3 48.Kxf3 Na7 49.Kf4 Nc6 50.Bc3 Kg6
51.Ke3 e5 52.Kd3 Kf7 53.Kc4 f4 54.gxf4 exf4 55.b5, winning.
47.Kg1 Bb7
47...f4!? 48.gxf4 Kg6 49.Kh2 with a clear advantage for White.
48.Kh2 Na3
Only now does the knight come into the game.
49.Kxh3 Nc2 50.Bc3 Ne3 51.Kh4
Also possible was 51.f4 Nd5 ( 51...Kg6 52.b5 ) 52.Bd2 Nf6 53.b5
axb5 54.Bxb5, winning, but I decided to retain a flexible structure.
51...f4!

489
A good practical chance. Who knows, maybe at some point the
passed h-pawn will help Black.
51...Kg6 loses to 52.f4 Nd5 53.Bxh5+ Kh6 54.Bd2.
52.gxf4 Kg6 53.Bd3+ Nf5+ 54.Kh3 Kh6 55.Bc4 Kg6 56.Bxe6
Bxf3

57.b5! axb5 58.a6

With the idea of Be6-c8-b7. Now that White has two passed pawns
on different flanks, supported by two bishops, the position should be
won. But not everything is so simple: we were both in time-trouble
and Black also has pawns.
58...Ne7
58...Bc6 loses after 59.Bb4 Kf6 (if 59...Nd4, 60.Bc8 Be4 61.f5+
Kf7 62.Bc5 Nc6 63.Kh4 Kf6 64.a7 wins) 60.Bc8.
59.Bd7 Nd5 60.Kg3 Be4 61.f5+?!
An impulsive check that delays the denouement. The simple 61.Bc6
would have been sufficient since the knight cannot stop the pawn
after 61...Nf6 62.Bxe4+ Nxe4+ 63.Kf3 Nxc3 64.a7.
490
61...Kg5 62.Ba5??
62.Bd2+ Kf6 63.Bc6 Kxf5 64.Ba5 wins, as does 62.f6! Nxf6 (
62...Bg6 63.a7 ) 63.Bxf6+ Kxf6 64.Bc8.
62...h4+
62...b4 63.a7 h4+ 64.Kh3 b3!! ( 64...Nf4+ 65.Kh2 Nd3 66.Bd8+
Kh6 67.f6 Ne5 68.Be8 wins for White) 65.Bd2+ Nf4+ 66.Bxf4+
Kxf4 67.f6 is drawn.
63.Kf2 Nf6
63...b4 64.Bd8+ Nf6 65.Be6 b3 66.Bxb3 Kxf5 67.a7 Ba8 68.Bxf6
h3!! would still have held the draw here.
64.Bc8 b4
Alternatively: 64...Ng4+ 65.Kg1 ( 65.Ke2 h3 66.Bb7 Bxb7 67.axb7
h2 68.b8Q h1Q 69.Bd2+ Kxf5 70.Qf4+ Ke6 71.Qxg4+ with a clear
advantage) 65...h3 66.Bc7 h2+ ( 66...b4 67.Bb7 ) 67.Bxh2 Nf6
68.Be5 Ng4 69.Bb2 wins for White.
65.Bxb4 Kg4 66.Bb7 h3 67.Bxe4 Nxe4+ 68.Kg1 Kg3
The last chance.
69.Be1+
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) Sacrificing a pawn in order to quickly develop pieces and
capture space is an important method of fighting for an opening
initiative.
2) When you have two bishops against a bishop and a knight, it is
very important to fight all over the board, creating weaknesses for
the opponent on both flanks.
3) Bishops are very good at limiting knights’ movements (43.Be5,
62.Ba5).

491
Ruy Lopez
Leinier Dominguez Perez
Victor Bologan
Poikovsky 2005
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3
d6 8.c3 0-0 9.d4
I expected this move, along with the main line 9.h3. At that time this
continuation was very popular and little-studied compared to 9.h3.
9...Bg4 10.Be3
The alternative is 10.d5.
10...exd4
10...Bd7 11.Nbd2 Ng4 12.Nf1 Nxe3 13.Nxe3 with a small
advantage to White (Dominguez-Harikrishna, Bermuda 2005).
11.cxd4 Na5 12.Bc2 Nc4
Black drives the e3-bishop back to its starting position with tempo
and attacks the white centre.
13.Bc1 c5 14.b3 Nb6 15.Nbd2 Nfd7
A very flexible and harmonious piece arrangement. The bishop on
e7 will come to the long diagonal.
16.h3 Bh5 17.g4
At first glance, this looks anti-positional: with an open centre, White
weakens his king. But, due to the bad bishop on g6 and the possible
manoeuvre Nd2-f1-g3, which will further strengthen the kingside,
this pawn advance is quite common.
White has a small initiative after 17.a4 bxa4 18.bxa4 a5 19.dxc5
Nxc5 20.Rb1 Re8 21.Rb5 Qc7 22.Bb2 (Nisipeanu-Svidler, Khanty-
Mansiysk 2019).
17...Bg6 18.d5

492
Sooner or later, White will have to decide whether or not to close
the centre.
18...Bf6 19.Rb1 Re8 20.Nf1

20...h6
At the time this was a novelty: I took a closer look at this position
before the game and came to the conclusion that, first of all, it is
important to stop White’s pawn attack on the kingside, after which it
will not be so easy for him to find a good plan.
21.Kg2
Played after much deliberation. This move does not spoil anything
and may come in handy in some variations. I was thinking mainly
about 21.Bf4 Ne5 22.Nxe5 Bxe5 23.Bxe5 Rxe5 ( 23...dxe5 24.Bd3
Qd6 25.Rc1 Rac8 26.Ne3 Rc7 27.Rc3 with a slight advantage) 24.f4
Re8. It is difficult to give an accurate assessment of this complex
position. Of course, White has an advantage on the kingside, but he
must be very careful with his pawns. 25.f5 ( 25.Kg2 Rc8 ) 25...Bh7
26.Nd2 Nd7 27.Nf3 Ne5 is unclear.

493
21...Rc8
21...c4 22.Ng3 ( 22.b4 a5 23.bxa5 Rxa5 24.a3 Na4 25.Bxa4 bxa4
26.Ng3 is unclear) 22...cxb3 23.axb3 Rc8 24.Nf5 with a slight
advantage;
21...a5 is also possible, but I wasn’t sure what to do next whereas
after ...Rc8 I had a specific plan in mind.
22.Ng3 c4 23.Re2
Another move that surprised me. As far as I understand, it was
prophylaxis against ...Rxc2. The typical reaction to ...c4 in such
structures is 23.b4, and White will later try to use the d4-square for
the knight. But this is not so easy to implement, and I was going to
continue 23...c3 24.Nf5 Nc4 25.N3d4 Qb6 26.Qd3 Bxf5 (
26...Bxd4 27.Nxd4 Nde5 28.Qd1 – 28.Qxc3 Na3 29.Qxa3 Qxd4
30.Qb3 Qc3! 31.Qxc3 Rxc3 32.Bb3 Nd3 – 28...Nd2 29.Bxd2 Qxd4
30.Bf4 with a slight advantage) 27.Nxf5 Nf8 and again it is unclear.
23...cxb3
23...Rc7 24.Nd4 Bxd4 25.Qxd4 cxb3 26.Bxb3 Qf6 27.Bb2 with an
edge to White.
24.axb3

494
24...Rxc2
Sacrificing a whole exchange. For me it was not so clear in terms of
specific options, but I was sure I would obtain at least positional
compensation. Now, after the exchange on c2, Black wins back the
pawn and keeps some other threats, forcing White into new
concessions.
24...a5 is about equal.
25.Qxc2
25.Rxc2 would have been even better for me because of 25...Nc5
26.Be3 ( 26.Re2 Nxe4 27.Qe1 Qe7! 28.Qd1 Qb7 29.Qd3 Qxd5 )
26...Nxe4 27.Bxb6 Qxb6 28.Rbc1 Nc5 29.Ra2 a5 30.Nf5 Bxf5
31.gxf5 Re4 and Black has very comfortable play.
25...Nxd5 26.Bd2 Qa8
It is not so easy to find a move in a position where you are an
exchange down and everything hangs, but once again positional
considerations helped me. Much will be decided on the long
diagonal, and Black also has an opportunity to play ...Rc8.

495
26...b4 27.Qd3 Nc3 28.Bxc3 bxc3 29.Qxd6.
27.Rbe1
27.Nf5 doesn’t solve all the problems. Firstly, this move spoils the
pawn structure, and secondly, Black’s remaining pieces are still very
dangerous. Many years later, this assessment received practical
confirmation: 27...Bxf5 28.gxf5 b4 ( 28...Ne7 29.Rbe1; 28...Rc8
29.Qd3 Nc3 30.Bxc3 Rxc3 31.Qxd6 Nc5 32.Qd5 Qxd5 33.exd5 )
29.Ng1 ( 29.Qd1 Nc3 30.Bxc3 bxc3 31.Qxd6 Rxe4 with an edge
for Black; 29.Rd1 a5 30.Ree1 Nc3 31.Bxc3 Bxc3 32.Re3 Nc5 )
29...Nc3 30.Bxc3 b:c3 with a clear advantage for Black in
Tabatabaei-Kazhgaleev, Hamedan 2018.
But White has the stronger 29.Rd1!, bringing the rook to an
important file. For example: 29...a5 30.Qc4 N5b6 31.Qd3 d5 32.e5!
(allowing White to carry out the necessary exchanges without
stopping before the pawn sacrifice) 32...Nxe5 33.Nxe5 Rxe5
34.Rxe5 Bxe5 35.Qf3 with advantage.
27...b4
It is important to create an outpost on c3 for the knight. Now, in
case of an exchange on this square, Black will have a protected
passed pawn.
28.Nf5
After 28.h4 Rc8 29.Qd3 Nc3 30.Bxc3 bxc3 31.Qxd6 White would
have been much better.
28...Bxf5 29.gxf5
During the game I considered the best move to be 29.exf5, but after
29...Rxe2 30.Rxe2 Nc3 31.Bxc3 bxc3 32.Qd3 Qc6 33.Qc4 Qxc4
34.bxc4 Nb6 Black is risking nothing and White has to fight for
equality.
29...Nc3 30.Bxc3 bxc3

496
White is better after 30...Bxc3 31.Rd1 Nc5 32.Rxd6 Rxe4 33.Qd1
Rxe2 34.Qxe2.

31.Rd1
Already played in time-trouble, which was present in almost every
game of the young Cuban grandmaster. The dynamic balance is
preserved after 31.Qd3 Qb8 ( 31...Nc5 32.Qxd6 Nxb3 ) 32.Nd4
Rc8 33.Rc2 Rc5 34.Rec1 Qb7 35.Rxc3 Rxc3 36.Rxc3 Nc5 37.Qe3
Nxe4.
31...Nc5 32.Rxd6
32.b4! Nxe4 33.Qd3 Ng5 34.Rxe8+ Qxe8 35.Ng1 Qc6+ 36.f3 Qa4
37.Ne2 Qxb4 was unclear.
32...Rxe4 33.Rxe4 Nxe4 34.Rxa6
This simplifying exchange operation is White’s best chance. 34.Rd3
Qb7 35.Qe2 Qc8 36.Re3 Nd6 is in Black’s favour.
34...Qxa6 35.Qxe4 Qa2
35...Qb5.
36.Qe8+
497
36.Ne1 Qxb3 37.Nc2 Qb5 winning.
36...Kh7 37.Qxf7 Qe2
This move clearly escaped Leinier’s attention when he played
34.Rxa6. Nevertheless, White still had a miraculous salvation.
38.Ng1??
A decisive mistake in severe time pressure. If White had had more
time, he might have found the saving idea 38.Qd5! c2 39.Qc6 in
order to answer 39...Qd1 with 40.Qe8 Qd8 41.Qc6, and the black
queen cannot simultaneously support the pawn and protect the king
from perpetual check. 39...Bb2 40.Ng1 also leads to a draw after
40...Qd3 41.Qg6+ Kg8 42.Qe8+.
38...Qe4+ 39.f3 Qxf5
39...Qc2+ 40.Kf1 Qxf5 41.Qc4 c2 also wins.
40.Qc4 Qg5+ 41.Kf2 Qd2+ 42.Ne2 c2
The plan is clear: first, we need to secure the king from perpetual
check, and then with the help of small tactics, such as ...Bd4, ...Bc3
or even ...Qc3, we manage to push the pawn.
43.h4
43.Kf1 loses to 43...Bd4 44.h4 Qc3.
43...Bd4+ 44.Kg3 h5 45.f4 Qe3+ 46.Kg2

498
46...Bc3
Simple and effective. The computer promises checkmate in 22
moves (!) after 46...c1Q, but here this exercise in calculating
variations is absolutely inappropriate.
47.Qb5 g6 48.f5 Qe4+ 49.Kg3 Be5+ 50.Kf2 Qxf5+ 51.Kg2 Qe4+
52.Kf2 Bd4+
White resigned.

Lessons:
1) When an opponent launches a large-scale pawn offensive, it is
very important not to panic, not to defuse the situation prematurely
at the cost of creating long-term weaknesses in one’s position. One
must try to build a flexible pawn-piece line of defence and gradually
slow down the enemy infantry.
2) Sacrificing rook for bishop and pawn is an important technique
in positions where there are not many open files. It is especially
effective in those cases where the squares of the colour of the bishop

499
that left the board are weakened in the opponent’s camp (in our
case, the light squares near the white king).
3) Simplifying the position by returning excess material (34.Rxa6)
is an important defensive move, but it doesn’t always work.
Sometimes it’s better to endure.

500
501
Once in every five years, I managed to share first place in my
favourite tournament.
Every chess player has his own uncomfortable opponent: Shirov had
Kasparov, Fischer had Geller, and I had Joel Lautier. I lost to him in
9 moves, I lost to him on time, and I lost to him because he just
outplayed me. At some point, the score was 10-0 in favour of
Lautier, and without a draw at all – it looked as though I was
throwing games against him! And only in Birmingham, in the
British League, did I manage to break the spell and finally win.
Sicilian Defence
Victor Bologan
Joel Lautier
England 4NCL 2005
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d3 Bg7 6.h3 Nf6
7.Nc3
White wants to gradually prepare for long castling; this is how
Viacheslav Chebanenko taught his students to play. But in 2003, I
had a practice session with Garry Kasparov, and we came to the
conclusion that another plan involving the immediate 7.0-0 is very
unpleasant for Black.
7...Nd7
7...0-0 8.Be3 b6 9.Qd2 e5 10.Bh6 Qd6 11.0-0 Re8 12.Nh2 Nh5
13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Ne2 Be6 15.g4 Nf6 16.Qc3 Nd7 17.f4 f6 18.b3
exf4 19.Rxf4 Qe5 20.Qe1 f5 21.Nf3 Qd6 22.gxf5 Bxf5 23.Qg3
Kh8 24.Ng5 Be6 25.Nxh7 and Black resigned in Bologan-Baules,
Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.
8.Be3 e5 9.0-0
9.Qd2 h6 10.0-0 b6 11.Nh2 Nf6 12.b3 Be6 13.Rae1 with a slight
advantage (Bologan-Kulprutanon, Internet 2020).
9...Qe7
502
10.Nd2
This was a novelty at the time. Previous practice had seen 10.Qd2
h6 11.Nh2 Nf8 12.Ne2 Ne6 13.a3 Nd4 14.b4 Be6 15.bxc5 Qxc5
16.Bxd4 exd4 17.Qb4 with a slight advantage (Svidler-Kasparov,
Moscow 2004).
10...b6 11.a4 0-0
White is better after 11...a5 12.Nc4 Ba6 13.b3.
12.a5 b5
It was worth considering 12...Ba6!?, and after 13.Kh1?! (better is
13.Qe2 with a slight advantage) 13...b5 14.Re1 Rfd8 15.Nb3 c4!
Black obtained good play in the game Bologan-David, France tt
2005.
13.Nb3 f5?!
Black weakens his king and, in addition, the pawn on f5 hampers
the light-squared bishop. 13...Ba6 14.Qe2 is also in White’s favour.
Black should instead have decided on 13...c4 14.dxc4 bxc4. For

503
example: 15.Nd2 Ba6 16.Qe2 Nc5 (with the idea of ...Ne6)
17.Bxc5 Qxc5 18.Na4 Qb4 19.Qe3 Rfd8 20.Nf3 f6, equalizing.
14.exf5 gxf5 15.f4
It is important to fix the enemy pawn centre, but 15.Qf3 was even
stronger!
15...c4
Trying to get at least some open lines for his pieces. In case of
15...e4 16.dxe4 b4 17.Na4 c4 18.Nbc5 fxe4 19.Qe2 White has a
clear advantage.
16.dxc4 bxc4 17.Nd2 e4
The pawn sacrifice 17...Qb4 18.Qc1 ( 18.Qe2 Ba6 19.Ra2 ) 18...e4
19.Ra4 Qe7 20.Nxc4 Ba6 deserves attention, when the black
bishops come to life.
18.Qe2 Ba6 19.Rfd1 Rab8
If 19...Nc5 20.Nf1.
20.Ra2
20.Na4!? Bb5 21.Qf2 was an alternative.
20...Nc5 21.Nf1 Ne6 22.Ng3 Rbd8 23.Rxd8 Qxd8 24.Qf2 c5
25.Ra1

504
25...Bd4
25...Kh8 26.Kh2 Qc7 27.Rd1 Bd4 28.Nce2 Bxb2 29.Rd5 Ng7
30.Rxc5 with a clear advantage for White.
26.Nge2?
Going astray. 26.Rd1 was correct; for example, 26...Rf7 27.Nce2
Rd7 28.Bxd4 cxd4 29.Nxf5 d3 30.Nc3 d:c2 31.Qxc2 Rxd1+
32.Nxd1 Nxf4 33.Nde3 with a clear advantage to White.
26...Rf7 27.Kh2 Rd7 28.Ng3 Rf7?
Everything is fine for Black after 28...Ng7 29.Rd1 h5 30.Nge2 Ne6,
and in case of 28...Qf6 29.Rg1 Qf7 30.Nd1 Rd5 31.c3 Bf6 he can
even fight for the advantage.
29.Rd1 Qh4?
A humanly understandable decision: it seems that it will take only a
little more and White will start a terrible attack on the kingside.
However, the cold-blooded computer simply takes the pawn and
doesn’t worry: 29...Qxa5 30.Nge2 Bg7 31.g4 ( 31.Nxe4!? )
31...fxg4 32.hxg4 Bb7 with double-edged play.
505
30.Nce2 c3
A typical time-trouble attempt to muddy the waters. However, even
after 30...Bxe3 31.Qxe3 Qf6 32.Rd5 White’s position is close to
winning.
31.Nxd4 cxd4 32.Bxd4 Nxf4
Or 32...cxb2 33.Bxb2 Qe7 34.Rd5, winning.
33.Bxc3 Ne2
The same reply would have followed after 33...Nh5.

34.Nxf5!!
A nice final blow. Black resigned in view of 34...Qxf2 35.Rd8+ Rf8
36.Nh6#.

Lessons:
1) Each chess player has his own unpleasant opponents, to whom
it takes a long time to adapt. Believe in yourself, in your strength
and skill, and sooner or later you will be able to reverse an
unpleasant trend! In meetings with such an opponent, it is very

506
important not to hold back, but, of course, not to rush at him
headlong either. Try to play your game and show what you can do.
2) In the Rossolimo Variation, with the bishop on c8, one should
try as White to fix as many of the opponent’s pawns as possible on
the light squares.
3) It is very difficult to defend, especially in time-trouble, when
your king is exposed and enemy pieces start to slowly approach
him. Only great faith in yourself and in the correctness of your
strategy will help you to keep your cool in such critical situations.
In general, the spring of 2005 was the best for me. After the team
events in France and Russia, I was invited to the 35th traditional
tournament in Sarajevo. We played on stage and behind us the
moves were manually displayed on large demonstration boards – an
ideal environment for creative work. I started with two White
victories over Volokitin and Movsesian.
King’s Indian Defence
Victor Bologan
Andrei Volokitin
Sarajevo 2005
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 c6
Young players are, among other things, dangerous because they are
constantly learning new openings. Prior to this game Volokitin had
not played the Grünfeld.
5.Bg2 d5 6.0-0
An attempt to surprise the opponent turns into the simple surrender
of a pawn. Previously, I had played more carefully and had taken on
d5.
6...dxc4 7.Ne5
Stronger is 7.a4; for example, 7...Ne4 8.Nc3 Nxc3 9.bxc3 0-0
10.Ba3 Nd7 11.Nd2 Nb6 12.a5 Nd5 13.Bb2 e5 14.Nxc4 exd4

507
15.cxd4 Be6 16.Qc1 with some pressure for White (Lysyj-
Tsvetkov, Chelyabinsk 2020).
7...Ng4

I didn’t know this line, of course. In the normal course of events,

Black is left with a healthy extra pawn.
8.Nxc4
I figured that, purely from general considerations, I had a chance of
compensation: first, a couple of tempi, and secondly, a full board of
pieces. And in general, the absence of the c-pawn can be turned in
my favour by establishing control along the c-file.
Cheerless is 8.Nxg4 Bxg4 9.h3 Be6 with a clear advantage for
Black.
8...Qxd4
Also possible was 8...Bxd4; for example, 9.Qc2 Be6 10.h3 Ne5
11.Nba3 Nxc4 12.Nxc4 Bg7 13.Rd1 Qc8 14.Kh2 0-0 15.Bg5 Re8
16.Rd2 Nd7 17.Rad1 with an edge for Black. But the text is
stronger.

508
9.Qc2 0-0
An inaccuracy. It would have been better to exchange a pair of
knights while it was still possible: 9...Ne5! 10.Nxe5 Qxe5 11.Nc3
0-0 12.Bf4 Qa5 with a clear advantage for Black.
10.Nba3
Directed specifically against ...Ne5 and at the same time White
continues to bring out his pieces. All sorts of attacks on Black’s
centralized queen are now becoming relevant.
Obviously unsuccessful is 10.h3 Ne5.
10...Qf6
Where else to hide the queen if not on d8?
I considered as the main option 10...Bf5, in order to provoke e4 and
close off the g2-bishop. For instance, 11.e4 Be6 12.h3 Bxc4 (
12...Ne5 13.Rd1 ) 13.Nxc4 Ne5 14.Nxe5 Qxe5 15.Be3 Nd7 16.f4
with compensation.
10...Qc5 11.h3 Nf6 12.Be3 Qf5 is also possible.
11.h3 Ne5 12.Na5
No exchanges. The knight on e5 is not well-placed, while White’s
knight on a5 hinders the development of the opponent’s queenside.
12...Na6
12...b6 provides temporary relief, but does not completely solve
Black’s development problem: White retains compensation in the
lines 13.Nb3 Rd8 ( 13...Bb7 14.Bd2 Qe6 15.Bc3 a5 16.Rfd1 )
14.Rd1 ( 14.f4 Ned7 15.e4 e5 ) 14...Rxd1+ 15.Qxd1.
13.Rd1
There are many important squares along the d-file, so why not take
it when it is offered?
13.f4 Nd7 14.e4 Nb4 15.Qe2 b6 16.N5c4 Ba6.
13...g5

509
I personally did not like this move during the game. The Ukrainian
grandmaster had a very unpleasant option here (from my
viewpoint): 13...b6. One of the benefits of having a material
advantage lies in the fact that it can be profitably exchanged, as in
this case, for development: 14.Nxc6 Bf5 15.Qc3 ( 15.e4 Bxh3
16.Nxe7+ Qxe7 17.Bxh3 Rad8 18.Be3 Nb4 19.Qe2 Ned3 )
15...Nxc6 16.Qxc6 Qxc6 17.Bxc6 Rad8 with a clear advantage for
Black.
14.Be3 g4 15.h4

But now White has definite compensation: Black has still not
finished developing and he has also weakened his king.
15...Bf5
15...Qe6!?.
16.Qa4
16.Be4 also entered my head. After 16...Bxe4 17.Qxe4 b6 18.N5c4
Qg6 19.Qxg6 Nxg6 20.h5 Ne5 21.h6 Bf6 22.Nxe5 Bxe5 23.Nc4

510
Bf6 24.Bd4 Bg5 25.Be3 Bxe3 26.Nxe3 f5 27.Rac1 c5 28.Rd7 White
should not be at risk of losing.
16...b5
Another unnecessary weakening. Possible was 16...Rfb8 17.Nxb7
Rxb7 18.Qxa6 Rxb2 19.Bd4 Rb4 20.Nc4! Rxc4 21.Bxe5 Qe6
22.Bxg7 Kxg7 23.Qb7 with an unclear position.
17.Qb3 Be6 18.Qc2 Bd5
Black starts a small exchanging combination, which, at first glance,
should bring him an advantage. After 18...Bf5 the queen would have
continued her bashful flight: 19.Qc1 Qe6 20.Nc2.
19.Bxd5 Nb4 20.Bxf7+!?
20.Bg5 is unclear.
20...Nxf7
This is Black’s point. Now the b2-pawn hangs.
20...Rxf7 21.Qe4 Nd5 22.Bd4 Raf8 23.Nxc6! leaves White with a
clear advantage.
20...Qxf7! is the most accurate capture, leading to a draw after
21.Qe4 Nd5 22.Bd4 Rad8! 23.Bxe5 Bxe5 24.Qxe5 Qxf2+ 25.Kh1
Ne3 26.Qe6+ Kh8 27.Qe5+.
21.Qb3 Qxb2 22.Rab1
Forced.
22...Qxb3 23.Rxb3 Nxa2 24.Nxc6 Nc3 25.Nxe7+ Kh8

511
26.Rxc3
Played after long thought. Unfortunately, the knight does not get
trapped after 26.Rd3 Nxe2+ 27.Kf1 Nxg3+ 28.fxg3 Ne5+ 29.Ke2
Nxd3 30.Rxd3 b4 with an edge for Black.
26...Bxc3 27.Nxb5 Bg7
After this, the white pieces conveniently establish interaction with
each other. It was necessary to try to exchange at least a couple of
rooks: 27...Bf6 28.Nd5 Rfd8 29.Nxa7 Rd7! 30.Nc6 Ra1.
28.Nxa7 Ne5 29.Rc1
Firstly, the only decent square, c4, is taken away from the e5-knight,
and secondly, thanks to White’s control over the c8-square, the rook
is invulnerable here.
29...Rf7
If 29...Rad8 30.Kg2 Rd7 31.Nac8 h5 with equality.
30.Nec8
Or 30.Nac8 Bf8 31.Nd5 Ra2 32.Kf1 with a slight advantage.

512
30...Rd7 31.Nb5 Ra2 32.Ncd6
In this section of the game, the white knights are clearly stronger
than the black rooks.
32...h5
It looks like 32...h6, with a slight advantage, would have been more
prudent. But playing 30 seconds per move to the end is not so easy
in these positions.
33.Kf1 Kh7 34.Ne4 Kg6?
34...Nf7 35.Nc5 Re7 is equal.
35.Nc5
Strange as it may sound right now, one of the knights will forcibly
land on f4 with check.

35...Re7
The computer suggests 35...Rf7. With great difficulty, I eventually
managed to persuade it that Black is clearly worse after 36.Ne6 Bh6
37.Nf4+ ( 37.Bf4!? ) 37...Bxf4 38.gxf4 Nd7 39.Nd6 Rf8 40.Rc6.

513
36.Nc3 Ra3
36...Ra5 37.Nd5 Rf7 38.Nf4+ Kh6 39.Ne4 Rd7 40.Kg2, again with
a clear advantage.
37.Nd5
Or 37.Bd4 Nc6 38.Bxg7 Kxg7 39.Nd5 Re5 40.Nf4.
37...Rf7 38.Nf4+ Kh7 39.Nce6! Bh6 40.Rc5
It is clear that the cavalry manoeuvres were only a prelude to the
heavy artillery.
40...Nd7 41.Rxh5 Ra1+ 42.Kg2 Re7 43.Ng5+ Kg8 44.Rxh6
There followed a few more unnecessary moves.
44...Rd1 45.Rg6+ Rg7 46.Rc6 Re7 47.Rc8+ Kg7 48.Bd4+ Nf6
49.Nge6+
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) An attempt to surprise the opponent in the opening by inventing
a novelty over the board can turn into a fiasco, as in this game, when
after 8 moves White was left a pawn down. What to do in such a sad
case? Keep a ‘poker face’ and look for practical chances to
complicate the game as much as possible.
2) The prey that falls into his hands too easily can relax the
opponent, and he will make one, or even several, superficial moves
from general considerations. Concentrate, gather your will into a fist
– this is your chance!
3) An exchange sacrifice sometimes works very well not only in
the opening and middlegame, but also in the endgame.
Slav Defence
Victor Bologan
Sergei Movsesian
Sarajevo 2005
514
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.Qc2 e6

6.Nbd2
This line is now almost forgotten and none of the top players use it
with White. True, some of the lines they prefer, such as 4.h3 or 4.a3,
are no better.
6...Nbd7 7.b3 Be7
7...c5 8.Bb2 dxc4 9.bxc4 Bd6 10.Bd3 0-0 11.0-0 h6 12.Ne5 Qc7
13.f4 b6 14.Rf3 Bb7 15.Rh3 cxd4 16.exd4 Rac8 17.Rf1 gives White
a clear advantage (Inarkiev-Amonatov, Sochi 2005).
8.Bb2 0-0 9.Bd3 h6
Played with the idea of preserving the possibility of capturing on d5
with the knight in case of cxd5. Also, for example, in some cases
after e4, the h7-pawn will hang. But the obvious downside of
Black’s arrangement is that moves such as ...a6 and ...h6 do not
contribute to rapid development.
9...c5 10.cxd5 exd5 11.0-0 gives White a slight advantage.
10.0-0
515
The move 10.c5 (and then, for example, 10...b6 11.b4 a5 12.a3 with
a slight advantage) leads to a completely different type of position,
which this time I wanted to avoid.
10...c5 11.Rad1
Played after long thought. The direct 11.Ne5 cxd4 12.exd4 dxc4
13.bxc4 Nxe5 14.dxe5 Nd7 15.Nb3 Qc7 16.Qe2 Rd8 or 11.cxd5
Nxd5 12.Bh7+ Kh8 13.Be4 b6 would have allowed Black to
achieve equality.
11...b6
Here Black had an interesting opportunity to exploit the weakness of
the a2-pawn by playing 11...b5?! 12.cxb5 ( 12.e4 bxc4 13.bxc4 Bb7
14.e5 Nh5 15.g3 Rc8 ) 12...axb5, but White can simply take the
pawn: 13.dxc5 Bxc5 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.Bxb5 with a clear advantage.
11...cxd4 12.Bxd4 Qc7 13.Qb2 is also in White’s favour.
12.e4
The time has come to open the centre, and White is better prepared
for this.
12...dxe4
Or 12...Bb7 13.exd5 exd5 14.Bf5 Re8 15.Ne5 Qc7 16.Nxd7 Nxd7
17.cxd5 Bxd5 18.Nc4 with a slight advantage.
13.Nxe4 Qc7
Actually, the whole point of e4 can be seen in the line 13...cxd4
14.Nxf6+ Nxf6 15.Be4. This tempo move does not allow Black to
coordinate his pieces; for example, 15...Nxe4 16.Qxe4 Qc7
17.Bxd4 Bb7 18.Qg4 g6 19.Ne5 Kh7 20.Qg3 Bd6 21.Qe3 with a
clear advantage for White.

516
14.d5
Also typical and effective. Now the b2-bishop and d1-rook come
into the game.
14...exd5
14...Nxe4 15.Bxe4 exd5 16.Bxd5 Ra7 17.Rfe1 Bf6 18.Bc1 Ne5
19.Qe4 Nxf3+ 20.Qxf3 Be5 21.h3 with a clear advantage.
15.cxd5
15.Nxf6+!? Bxf6 ( 15...Nxf6 loses to 16.cxd5 Bg4 17.Be5 Bd6
18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Nh4! Bxd1 20.Qxd1 Bxh2+ 21.Kh1 – the black
kingside is simply too weak to survive the upcoming assault)
16.cxd5 Qd6 17.Nd2 Bxb2 18.Qxb2 Qf6 19.Qc2 Re8 with an edge
to White.
15...Nxd5 16.Bc4
Tactics hang in the air.
16.Nxc5 Qxc5 17.Bh7+ Kh8 18.Rxd5 Qxd5 19.Be4 Qc5 20.Qd2
Bf6 leads to equality.

517
16.Rfe1! was even stronger: 16...Nb4 17.Qc1 Nxd3 18.Rxd3 Ra7
19.Ng3 ( 19.Qa1 f5 20.Ng3 Nf6 21.Nh4 gives White an initiative)
19...Nf6 20.Nh4 Rd8 21.Rf3 Nd5 22.Nhf5 Bg5 23.Qc4 b5 24.Qe4
Ne7 25.h4 Bxf5 26.Nxf5 Nxf5 27.hxg5 Nd4 28.Rh3 Qc6 29.Qf4
with a strong attack.
16...Nb4?
This move allows White to make a spectacular combination, but big
problems remain for Black even after the better 16...N5f6, for
example: 17.Ng3 b5 18.Nf5 bxc4 19.Nxe7+ Kh8 20.Qxc4 Bb7 (
20...Nb6 21.Qe2 Be6 22.Ng6+ fxg6 23.Qxe6 ) 21.Nf5 Bxf3
22.gxf3 Rad8 23.Rfe1.
There was still a narrow path to equality: 16...Nf4 17.Ng3 ( 17.Rfe1
b5 18.Bf1 Rd8 19.Ng3 Bf6 20.Bxf6 Nxf6 21.Rxd8+ Qxd8 22.Qxc5
Bb7 is level) 17...Bf6 ( 17...b5 runs into 18.Bxg7 while 17...Bb7
18.Nf5 Bf6 19.Nxh6+ gxh6 20.Qf5 Bxb2 21.Rxd7 Qb8 22.Bxf7+
Kh8 23.Rfd1 Bd5 24.R1xd5 Nxd5 25.Ng5 Nf6 26.Qg6 wins for
White) 18.Bc1 b5 19.Bxf4 Qxf4 20.Nh5 Qg4 21.Bd5 Rb8
22.Nxf6+ Nxf6 23.Qxc5 Nxd5 24.h3 Qg6 25.Ne5 Qg5 26.Qxd5
with an equal position.

518
17.Rxd7!! Qxd7
17...Bxd7 18.Qc3, and the move ...f6, which is normal in such
situations, is unfortunately not legal in this case.
18.Qc3 Qg4
Movsesian saw this far when playing 16...Nb4, but a simple
interference ends the game:
19.Nfg5! Qxg5 20.Nxg5 Bf6 21.Qf3 Bxb2 22.Nxf7 b5 23.Nxh6+
Kh7 24.Qxf8 bxc4 25.Qxc5
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) In the past, and especially in our day, almost all chess players
on occasion try to surprise their opponents by choosing a rare half-
forgotten line. At the same time, it is important that this line has a
healthy positional basis.
2) The central breakthrough d4-d5, even if it is associated with a
pawn sacrifice, is a typical technique that helps to use the advantage

519
in development, allowing White’s pieces to release the energy
accumulated in them.
3) Two bishops aiming at the kingside is a gun hanging on the
wall. Sooner or later (and probably sooner) it will definitely shoot.
True, the fate of first place was decided in Zdenko Kozul’s terrible
time-trouble, where he was the last to make a mistake. This allowed
me to bypass the local hero, my friend Ivan Sokolov, on tiebreak.
I have been friends with Ivan for more than thirty years, and I have
always rejoiced at his success, first as a player, then as the author of
excellent books on the middlegame, and now his coaching results. It
sounds like a joke to suggest one can take men’s gold at the Chennai
Olympiad with a team whose average age is hardly twenty years;
Uzbekistan should be very grateful to him for coaching and
captaining. In our personal meetings, Lady Luck smiled more often
on me.
Ruy Lopez
Victor Bologan
Ivan Sokolov
Spain tt 2005
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3
d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Nb8
Being one of the most active and devoted defenders of the Spanish
Game, Ivan Sokolov plays various lines against it. One of them is
the Breyer Variation, typified by this knight retreat.

520
10.d4 Nbd7 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Bc2 c5
Black tries to clarify the situation in the centre as soon as possible,
which, to my mind, favours White.
13.d5
We have reached a typical position, with the bad bishop on e7.
13...Qc7
Formally, this was a novelty at the time.
13...g6 14.Nf1 and now:
A) 14...Qc7 15.Bh6 ( 15.Ng3 c4 16.Bh6 Rfb8 17.Qd2 Bf8
18.Be3 a5 19.Nh2 b4 20.f4 Ba6 21.Rf1 bxc3 22.bxc3 Rb2
Cheparinov-I.Sokolov, Amsterdam 2005) 15...Rfb8 16.g4 Bf8
17.Qd2 Bxh6 18.Qxh6 Qd8 19.Ng3 Qf8 20.Qe3 c4 21.Nd2 Nc5
22.b4 cxb3 23.axb3 a5 24.b4 axb4 25.cxb4 Na4 26.Bd3 Bc8
27.Nb3 with a slight advantage, Kosteniuk-I. Sokolov, Mainz 2005;
B) 14...Nh5 15.Bh6 Re8 16.Qd2 Bf8 17.Bg5 f6 18.Be3 Ng7
19.Bh6 Nh5 20.Be3 Ng7 21.Bh6 ½-½ Schoorl-Timman,
Amsterdam 2005.

521
14.Nf1 Rfb8
14...c4 15.Ng3 Rfb8.
15.Ng3 Bc8
Black reveals his plan: he doesn’t want to play ...g6 and weaken the
kingside. Instead, he would prefer to leave this square for the knight,
while at the same time trying to create counterplay on the queenside.
16.Be3 Nf8

17.a4
At first glance, Black is stronger on the queenside, but without
knights on this section of the board, the game here will be in
White’s favour.
17...Bd7
17...bxa4 18.Ra2 a3 19.b3.
18.Qd2 b4
Preventing the possibility of White playing b4.

522
If 18...Ng6, then I could continue 19.b4 c4 20.Ra2 a5 ( 20...Qd8
21.Rea1 ) 21.axb5 axb4 22.b6 Qc8 23.Rxa8 Rxa8 24.cxb4 c3
25.Qd3 with a clear advantage.
19.Bd3
After this I managed to take control of the light squares, which
means the failure of Black’s plan.
19...Bd8
19...c4 20.Bf1 b3 ( 20...a5 21.Qe2 bxc3 22.bxc3 Ng6 23.Qxc4 with
a clear advantage) 21.Qe2 Rc8 22.Nd2.
20.Bc4 Qc8! 21.Nh4
To achieve more than just a pleasant position, one must use both
strategic and tactical thinking. Now, due to the weakness of the d6-
pawn, this tempting manoeuvre becomes possible.

In addition to establishing control over the f5-square, White is also

ready to push the f-pawn.
21...Ng4

523
Trying to simplify the position, even at the cost of one of his
bishops.
21...Nxe4 22.Nxe4 Bxh4 23.Nxd6 Qc7 24.Nxf7; 21...Ng6
22.Nxg6 hxg6 23.f4 exf4 24.Bxf4 Bc7 25.e5 dxe5 26.Bxe5 Bxe5
27.Rxe5 leaves White with a clear advantage.
22.hxg4 Bxh4 23.Nf5
I liked the other possibility less: 23.g5 Bxg3 24.fxg3 with a slight
advantage.
23...Bxf5 24.gxf5
If 24.exf5 h6 25.g3 Be7 26.f4 Nd7.
24...h6 25.g3 Bf6 26.Kg2 Nh7 27.Rh1
White has an advantage on both flanks: on the queenside he can
always open the game with a5 and Ra4, on the kingside the open h-
file entices various sacrifices, and even in the centre Black has to be
careful.
27...Bg5
27...Ng5 28.f3 with a clear advantage.
28.f4 exf4
A decisive mistake, after which White gets the opportunity to break
through the opponent’s defence with the help of e4-e5. The solid
28...Bf6 29.a5 ( 29.fxe5 Bxe5 30.Bxh6 bxc3 31.bxc3 gxh6 32.Qxh6
Bxc3 33.Qxh7+ Kf8 is unclear) 29...bxc3 30.bxc3 Nf8 31.Kf3
allows the game to continue, but still with very good winning
chances for White.
29.gxf4 Bf6 30.Kf3 Qc7 31.a5 Ra7 32.Qd3 Nf8 33.Rag1 Kh8

524
34.e5
The time has come!
34...dxe5 35.fxe5 Qxe5
Or 35...Nd7 36.exf6 Ne5+ 37.Ke2 Nxd3 38.fxg7+ Kg8 39.Rxh6,
winning.
36.Bf4 Qe8 37.Bxh6
I did not even look at the win of the exchange.
37...Kg8
37...gxh6 38.Qd2.
38.Bf4
I spent much of my remaining time on the tempting 38.Bxg7, but
was not satisfied with the consequences of the line 38...Bxg7 39.f6
Ng6 40.Qf5 ( 40.fxg7 Qe5 and 40.Rxg6 fxg6 41.d6+ Kf8 42.Qd5
Rf7 offer nothing) 40...Qe5 41.Qxe5 Nxe5+ 42.Kf2 Ng6 43.d6
Kf8.

525
Here, the beautiful idea 40.d6!! escaped my attention: 40...Ne5+ (
40...Kf8 loses to 41.fxg7+ Kxg7 42.Qd2 ) 41.Kf2 Nxd3+ 42.Bxd3
Qf8 43.Rh7 bxc3 44.fxg7, winning.
White also had a stricter path to the goal, without any sacrifices:
38.d6 Nd7 39.Bf4 bxc3 40.Re1 Qf8 41.bxc3 Re8 42.Rxe8 Qxe8
43.Kf2 followed by the transfer of the queen to the h-file.
38...bxc3 39.bxc3 Rb2 40.Kg4
Or 40.d6 Qa4 41.Rh3 Qc2 42.Qxc2 Rxc2 43.Ke4 winning.
40...Re7
A dubious move, but the game is already difficult to save; for
example, 40...Qd7 41.Rh5 g6 ( 41...Ng6 42.Rgh1 ) 42.Kf3 Bg7
43.f:g6, or 40...Rf2 41.Bg3 Rb2 42.Rh5 Be5 (if 42...g6 43.fxg6
Nxg6 44.d6 Qd7+ 45.Rf5 Kg7 46.Qe3 Ra8 47.Rh1 wins) 43.Re1
Rg2 ( 43...g6 44.Rg5 ) 44.Kh3, winning.
41.d6 Re4

42.Bxf7+! Kxf7 43.Qd5+ Re6 44.Rh8 g5 45.d7 Qe7 46.d8N+

Qxd8 47.fxe6+ Kg7 48.Qxd8
526
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) Constantly expand your horizons; learn to use both strategic
and tactical thinking.
2) A purely arithmetical superiority in strength on some part of the
board does not always mean that the opponent is really stronger
there. It is necessary to take into account other factors, such as the
availability of convenient communications, the mobility of pieces,
etc.
3) When starting a large-scale offensive, never forget about the
safety of your own king. Be sure to find a quiet spot for him, even if
it’s as exotic as the g4-square.
The year 2005 was a very busy one for me. I was on the rise and had
several fruitful training camps with both Alexander Morozevich and
Garry Kasparov. After successful performances at tournaments in
Poikovsky and Sarajevo, I had a new open tournament in the
Canadian city of Edmonton on my calendar. Unfortunately, in
Canada (a country with good chess traditions) major competitions
are not often held.
It is curious that the sponsor of the tournament was a casino that
collected money in a very original way. This casino was given to the
local chess federation for one day! Chess players worked as
croupiers, bartenders, etc., and everything they earned went towards
the tournament.
Canada is a very pleasant country, with vast expanses – a kind of
‘Western Russia’. The organizers invited several stars: Lyosha
Shirov, Sasha Shabalov, me, and a couple of other people. For some
reason, I was in crazy mode there: like Firouzja during the 2022
Candidates Tournament. At that time, I was literally attacked by
‘playing fever’, and every night I played blitz on Playchess, not only
with people, but also with computers. At the same time, I performed

527
well in the tournament, but the games were crazy. One duel with
Shabalov alone is worth something! At first I stood better, and then
my opponent managed to get a second queen, and in time-trouble a
battle of one queen against two ensued. I still had a knight and a
bishop, but they were tied to the protection of my king.
Alexander Shabalov
Victor Bologan
Edmonton 2005

73.Qcc3??
This move creates a one-move threat, but at the same time weakens
the first rank. The winning move was the non-obvious (especially in
conditions of severe time-pressure), 73.Qce3; for example, 73...Bd5
74.Qe7+ Bf7 75.b7 Qb1+ 76.Kh2 Qa2+ 77.Kh1 Qd5+ 78.Kg1
Qd1+ 79.Qee1 Qxe1+ 80.Qxe1 Nf3+ 81.Kf2 Nxe1 82.b8Q Nd3+
83.Kg3 Ne5 84.Kxh3 when it is clear that a fortress cannot be built
here.
528
73...h2+!
This pawn has been awaiting its moment for a long time!
74.Qxh2
If 74.Kh1 Bd5+.
74...Qb1+ 75.Kg2
75.Kf2 Qxf5+ ! 76.Ke2 Qg4+ 77.Kf1 Qd1, winning.
75...Bd5+ 76.Kf2
76.Kg3 Ne4+ 77.Kh3 Qf1+ ( 77...Nxc3 78.Qc7+ Kh6 79.Qf4+ )
78.Kg4 Nxc3 wins for Black.
76...Qa2+

White lost on time. It is interesting that, in the event of 77.Kg1

Nf3+? 78.Qxf3 Qxh2+ 79.Kxh2 Bxf3 80.Kg3 we reach a drawn
position! Black cannot win the pawn on f5. To win, we have to
repeat the position – 77...Qb1+ 78.Kf2, and now find 78...Qxb6+
79.Ke2 Bc4+!! 80.Qxc4 ( 80.Kd1 Qb1+ 81.Kd2 Qa2+ ) 80...Qb2+.
Unfortunately, in Edmonton, my white-hot streak ended. Despite the
training camp, work and participation in competitions, something
529
went wrong and the 2700 rating I had achieved for the first time in
the summer of 2005 began to decline quickly. Neither at the
European Club Cup (which, despite my poor play, we still won with
the newly formed Tomsk team), nor at the World Cup, could I show
a decent result. The only bright episode was my acquaintance on the
Internet in the fall of 2005 with the 11th World Champion, Bobby
Fischer. We sometimes talked, but we played more. Moreover, the
initiative usually came from Fischer. Despite his old-fashioned way
of playing openings, he outplayed me over and over again in the
middlegame and especially in the endgame. The games have
survived. One day, I left the computer and he was able to
communicate with my wife in Russian, so fortunately the study he
had made on Soviet chess literature had not been in vain. [Editors’
note: Today it is generally believed that the rumours in the early
21st century about such internet blitz appearances by Bobby Fischer
were in fact a hoax.]
But I started 2006 on a positive note by winning the Porcelain Cup
rapid chess tournament in Dresden. The expensive porcelain vase of
the winner still decorates my house in Kishinev. Therefore, I went to
the tournament in Gibraltar in a good mood.
French Defence
Victor Bologan
Viktor Korchnoi
Gibraltar 2006
An extraordinary miracle of two centuries, Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi
(1931-2016), almost until the last years of his life, retained very
great practical strength due, principally, to his colossal motivation.
Our first game, played in 2002, turned out to be decisive in the fight
for the British League title. Viktor Lvovich played the opening in
his unconventional and quite active style, holding the edge
throughout the game. It seems that at one moment I could have

530
made a draw in the endgame, but... the time control was until the
end of the game and without increments. When some chances for a
draw appeared in the rook ending, I had less than a minute left,
whereas he had plenty of time. The game was the last to end in the
match and the score stood at 3½-3½, and my task was to save the
team. I resisted long enough, and at first I did not see how I was
losing. However, Korchnoi’s mastery of endgames is well known,
and besides, it was thanks to his work on rook endings that he made
a sharp leap in the 1960s (he wrote about this). So White still
brought the game to victory. There was a long, forced variation,
after which I immediately gave up.
I was upset, the team was upset, but what could I say? Nevertheless,
Viktor Lvovich found the right words: ‘You should have resigned
earlier!’
I still do not understand how much earlier I should have resigned,
because I had had chances all the way, and there was no time left at
all. Korchnoi always spoke in such phrases that did not require an
answer; even if you said something back, he wouldn’t hear you. He
spoke succinctly and categorically, thereby cutting off the very
possibility of discussion; it was hard to object to the great Korchnoi!
In 2003, I beat Viktor Lvovich at the Russian Team Championship
in Togliatti, but here I share our next game.
1.e4 e6
This was the move I most expected, although I also had to prepare
for the Open Spanish.
2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3

531
7...Rb8
An interesting idea: Black wants to play ...b5 without ...a6. In the
final round, Gurevich chose the same variation against me,
considering the endgame safe, but did not equalize: 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4
Bc5 9.Qd2 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Bxd4 11.Qxd4 Qb6 12.Nb5 Qxd4
13.Nxd4 Ke7 14.h4 Nb8 15.h5 Nc6 16.Nf3 h6 17.Bd3 Bd7 18.Kd2
f6 19.Rh3 fxe5 20.fxe5 with a slight advantage (Bologan-M.
Gurevich, Gibraltar 2006).
8.Qd2 Qa5 9.a3!
Typical prophylaxis and an important novelty! In other games
played at that time, White could not achieve much:
A) 9.Bd3 b5 10.f5 b4 11.fxe6 fxe6 12.Ne2 c4 13.Bxh7 Rxh7
14.0-0 Nd8 15.c3 Be7 16.Bg5 bxc3 17.bxc3 Qa3 18.Qf4 Nf8
19.Qg4 Nf7 20.h4 Rb7 with a clear advantage for Black
(Sadvakasov-Volkov, Sochi 2005);
B) 9.Be2 b5 10.0-0 b4 11.Nd1 Ba6 12.Bxa6 Qxa6 13.Nf2 Be7
with equality (Yakovenko-Zviagintsev, Moscow 2005).

532
9...b5

10.Ra2!
A move I had seen in the game Ponomariov-Bareev at the 2005
World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk. In fact, after a3 White has two
options: Ra2 and Rb1.
10...c4
After 10...b4 11.axb4 Qxb4 12.Be2 cxd4 13.Nxd4 Nxd4 we could
have reached a position similar to that seen in the aforementioned
game involving Ponomariov. White is better thanks to the weakness
of the a-pawn: 14.Bxd4 ( 14.Qxd4!? ) 14...Bc5 15.Bxc5 Nxc5 16.0-
0 0-0 17.Rd1 with a slight advantage.
10...Be7 11.dxc5 ( 11.Be2 c4 12.f5 ) 11...b4 12.axb4 Qxb4 13.Nd4
Nxd4 14.Bxd4 Bxc5.
11.f5
If White manages to play f5, he should stand better.
11...Be7

533
Or 11...Nb6, planning to recapture on e6 with the bishop: 12.b4 (
12.f6 gxf6 13.exf6 Nd7 ) 12...cxb3 13.cxb3 with a clear advantage
for White.
12.fxe6
12.Bf4 Bd8 13.fxe6 fxe6 14.g3 0-0 15.h4 ( 15.Bh3 Nb6 16.0-0 Na4
17.Nxa4 Qxa4 ) 15...Nb6 16.Bh3 Na4 17.0-0 Nxc3 18.bxc3 with a
slight advantage.
12...fxe6 13.g3
The bishop’s place is on the h3-c8 diagonal.
13...0-0 14.Bg2
The attempt to resolve the position by tactical means does not work:
14.Bh3 Rxf3 15.Bxe6+ Kh8 16.Bxd5 Rxe3+ 17.Qxe3 Qb6 with an
unclear position.
14...Nb6 15.0-0 Na4 16.Ne2
It would have been a pity to exchange the knight, which will
subsequently reach f4. However, I must admit that the queen trade
makes Black’s life easier.
16.Nxa4 Qxa4 17.Raa1 b4 18.axb4 Qxb4 19.Qxb4 Nxb4 20.Ne1
Nc6 21.Ra2 offered a slight advantage.
16...Qxd2 17.Bxd2 Nb6 18.Bh3

534
18...Na8!!
One of those moves that allowed Korchnoi to play at a very high
level at almost 75 years of age. To be honest, I underestimated this
manoeuvre. Now the knight moves to c7 and protects the weak
pawn on e6.
Instead 18...Bd8 19.Bb4 leaves White with a clear advantage.
19.Bg4
The idea of 19.Bb4!? is also constantly hanging in the air, but does
not promise White much; for example, 19...Bxb4 ( 19...Nc7 20.c3
a5 21.Bd6 Rb7 22.Nf4 ) 20.axb4 Nxb4 21.Rxa7 Nc6 ( 21...Nxc2
22.Ng5 Rxf1+ 23.Kxf1 Nb6 24.Bxe6+ Bxe6 25.Nxe6 with a clear
advantage) 22.Raa1 Nc7 23.Nf4 with a slight advantage.
19...Nc7 20.h4 a5 21.c3 Bd7 22.Nf4 Nd8 23.Raa1 Nf7 24.Bh3
Ra8 25.g4
Attacking solely with pieces does not work and the help of pawns is
needed.
25...Nd8 26.g5 Nc6 27.Nh5
535
With the nice threat of 28. Nf6+.
27.g6 h6 28.h5 is only a slight advantage.
27...Kh8

Another example of prophylaxis.

28.Nf6!?
Tempting but wrong. I also looked at 28.g6! and definitely should
have played this: 28...Be8 ( 28...h6 29.Bxh6; 28...hxg6 29.Nf4 Kh7
30.Kf2 with initiative) 29.Nf4 ( 29.Bh6 Rxf3 30.Bxg7+ Kg8
31.Rxf3 Bxg6 32.Rg3 Bxh5 33.Bh6+ Kh8 34.Bg7+ Kg8 35.Bh6+ is
equal) 29...Bxg6 30.Nxe6 Nxe6 31.Bxe6 Rad8 ( 31...Be4 32.Ng5 )
32.Ng5 h6 33.Nf7+ Bxf7 34.Rxf7 Rxf7 35.Bxf7 Bxh4 36.Kg2 Be7
37.Be6 and White is clearly better.
28...gxf6 29.gxf6
29.exf6 Bd6 30.h5 Be8 31.Bg4 Bf7 32.Kg2 Rg8 33.Rh1 is unclear.
29...Rg8+!
29...Bxf6 30.exf6 Rxf6 31.Ne5 Rxf1+ 32.Rxf1 Nxe5 33.dxe5 Kg8
34.Bh6 leaves White with a clear advantage.
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30.Kh2
30.Ng5 h6 31.fxe7 hxg5 32.Bxg5 Be8 33.Kh2 Rxg5 34.hxg5 Nxe7
was equal.
30...Bf8
Black has an extra piece and will try to occupy f7.
31.Ng5
Or 31.Rg1 Be8 32.Rxg8+ Kxg8 33.Rg1+ Kh8 34.Ng5 Nd8.
31...Nd8
31...h6 32.Bg4 hxg5 33.hxg5 Kh7 34.Kg3 Rg6 35.Bh5 Nd8 36.Rh1
Nf7 37.Bd1+ Kg8 38.Bc2 with an attack for White.
32.Bg4
Around here I realized that the compensation could turn out to be
insufficient. Even so, things work out for White in various lines.
However, after 32.f7 Rg7 33.Rf6 Rg6 34.Bf4 b4 35.a4, White’s
chances would have been better.
32...h6 33.Bh5 ?
There was a better square for the bishop: 33.Bd1!! b4 34.axb4 axb4
35.Bc2 b3 36.Rxa8 Nxa8 37.Bb1 hxg5 38.hxg5 Be8 39.Kg3 Rg6
40.f7 Rxg5+ 41.Bxg5 Nxf7 42.Rh1+ Kg8 43.Bh7+ Kh8 44.Bf6+
Bg7 45.Bf5+ Kg8 46.Bxe6, winning.
33...hxg5 34.hxg5
Now, when White is two pieces down, everything depends on the h-
file.
34...Be8
Or 34...Kh7 35.Kg3 Rg6 36.Rh1 Rb8 37.Bd1+ Kg8 38.Bc2 Be8
39.Rh4 and White is attacking.
35.Bxe8 Nxe8 36.f7 Nxf7?!
Natural and bad. With 36...Ng7, giving up a rook, Black could have
achieved a small advantage: 37.fxg8Q+ ( 37.Kg2 Nf5 38.Rh1+ Kg7
537
39.fxg8Q+ Kxg8 40.Kf3 Kg7 41.Kg4 Be7 ) 37...Kxg8 38.Kh3
Nf5 39.Kg4 Nc6 40.Rxf5 exf5+ 41.Kxf5 Ra6 with an edge for
Black.
37.Rxf7

This is the position I had been counting on. Suddenly it turns out
that the black pieces simply have too few squares.
37...Bg7 38.Raf1
During the game I thought that 38.g6 was rather stronger, but at
home I realized that Black can draw after 38...Rf8 39.Kg3 Rxf7 (
39...Kg8 40.Re7 Ra6 41.Rh1 Rb6 42.Rh7 Rb8 43.Rxe6 Rf1 is also
level) 40.gxf7 Kh7! 41.fxe8Q Rxe8 42.a4 Rb8 43.axb5 Rxb5
44.Ra2 Bh6 with equality.
38...Kh7
The king comes to g6 and at first glance it seems that Black should
win.
39.Re7 Ra6 40.Kg3 Kg6 41.Kg4 Rc6 42.Rff7

538
42.Rf3 Nc7 43.Rff7 Na8 44.Ra7 Nb6 45.Rfb7 Nc8 46.Rxa5 Rh8
47.Raxb5 is only equal.

42...Rc8?
After the game, Viktor Lvovich complained that it was useless for
him to just stand and wait. Stronger was 42...Bf8 43.Rb7 Rg7
44.Rxf8 Rxb7 45.Rxe8 Rh7 (again, passive play loses: 45...a4 46.Rf8
Rf7 47.Rxf7 Kxf7 48.Kh5 Rc8 49.g6+ Kg8 50.Bh6 Rc6 51.Kg5
Rc8 52.Kf6 Rc6 53.Ke7 Ra6 54.Kd7 Rb6 55.Kc7 Ra6 56.Kb7 Ra5
57.Bg5, winning).
Initially, I rated this position as equal, but then I found a winning
plan for Black. The main idea is to move the rook to e4. For
example: 46.Bf4 Rh1 47.Rb8 Rc7 48.Rxb5 a4 49.Rb6 Re7 50.Be3
Re1 51.Bf4 Rg1+ 52.Bg3 Re8 53.Rb7 Rg2 54.Kf3 Rd2 55.Kg4 Re2
56.Bf4 Re4, winning.
43.Rb7 Rh8??
Any sensible move with the bishop retains the advantage: 43...Bf8
44.Rf3 Rc7 (but not 44...Nc7 45.Rf6+ Kh7 46.Rxe6 and White

539
wins) 45.Rxb5 a4 46.Rb6 Re7, or 43...Bh8 44.Rfe7 Ng7 45.Rxb5
Rgf8, which is winning for Black.
44.Rfe7 Rc6 45.Bf4 a4

46.Rbd7!
An important nuance, breaching Black’s defences.
46...Rf8 47.Rd8 Nc7 48.Rd6 Rxd6 49.exd6 Na6 50.Rxe6+ Kf7
51.Re7+ Kg6 52.d7 1-0
After such a crazy game, where in the endgame I sacrificed a knight
for just a pawn and a long-lasting initiative, I definitely need to say
something. Victor Lvovich just said: ‘A coffee-house sacrifice!’
And that was it! By and large, he was right: to give a knight without
clear compensation, without an evidence base; just to give up the
knight and play chess – probably, this is how they usually play in
cafes.
In January 2011 we met again in Gibraltar. Korchnoi confidently
defeated 17-year-old Caruana with Black and had overwhelming

540
positions against Vallejo and me. Viktor Lvovich generally played
well in the tournament, but he was already almost 80 years old.
In my opinion, the example of Korchnoi is inspiring; it shows that a
passionate, purposeful person can prolong his life, live a full life, be
in top shape. This is the triumph of the spirit, the triumph of mind
over matter! All this can and should be learned from Viktor
Lvovich. After all, Korchnoi also lacked self-confidence in his
youth, and there were chess geniuses nearby – Tal, Spassky... but by
hard work on himself, he achieved what he achieved, and eventually
beat these two geniuses in matches!

Lessons:
1) Carefully study the work of colleagues in the workshop and
take on board the interesting ideas they find (10.Ra2!).
2) Show ingenuity and perseverance in the search for hidden
opportunities for yourself, but also for your opponent (18...Na8!!).
Finding an opponent’s resources is generally one of the most
difficult topics in chess, and in life too.
3) Enterprise and perseverance are very useful qualities if you
believe in yourself and your star (the ‘coffeehouse sacrifice’
28.Nf6!?). True, some name these qualities a little differently:
‘dementia and courage’.
In my life, there were only a few tournaments that can be called
fateful. Poikovsky, Dortmund and, of course, Aeroflot! Of course,
the year after my triumphant 2003, I gave an interview literally on
the eve of the first game, which inevitably led to failure. In 2005, I
was already prepared and fought for a ticket to Dortmund until the
last round. But a defeat against Sasha Motylev with Black in the last
round threw me back to +2, a useless score in an open. And now,
déjà vu: same round, same colour, same opponent.
Sicilian Defence
Alexander Motylev
541
Victor Bologan
Moscow 2006
1.e4 c5!!
The night before, on my way to the stand where the pairings were
displayed, Volodya Malakhov hastened to congratulate me on my
déjà-vu. Like the previous year, I had to play the decisive final
round of a Swiss with Black against Sasha Motylev. It is
superfluous to talk about the strength of the Russian GM as White:
one only need remember his devastating attack in December 2005
against Bareev in the Russian Championship.
As for the déjà-vu, the repetition of the previous year’s story did not
smile at me at all. Although I missed real practical chances to flag
my opponent when he had 17 seconds for 12 moves, I still spent the
whole game on my back, for which I was eventually punished. This
time, instead of a harmless Petroff, I suggested that Alexander play
for three results, that is, to enter the Najdorf Variation.
2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6
Although the author of the variation never himself became the world
champion, three champions played his variation as their main
response for Black against e4. Naturally, Fischer, Kasparov, and
Topalov are united by maximalism.
6.f3
Strictly preventing the knight from jumping to g4, which is possible
in case of Be3. On the other hand, Black now has the opportunity to
play 6...Qb6.
6...e6 7.Be3 b5

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8.Qd2
A new word in the theory of the variation. Earlier it was believed
that White should rush to put pressure on the centre with g4, but in
reply to this Black developed an immediate counterattack with ...b4,
which began to bring him good results.
8...Nbd7
Preparing the planned ...b4 and ...d5.
9.0-0-0 b4 10.Na4
Despite being positioned on the edge of the board, the a4-knight can
provide significant support for White’s attack. It is its jump to b6
that often acts as the straw that breaks the camel’s back, although
the retreat to e2 has also not yet been refuted: 10.Nce2 d5 11.exd5
Nxd5 12.Nf4.
10...d5 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.Bc4 Bb7
For some reason it seemed to me that it was more logical not to
move the same piece twice, as was the case in the opening round of
the World Championship in San Luis: 12...N7f6 13.Bg5 Qc7
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14.Bxd5 Nxd5 15.Rhe1 Bb7 16.Qe2 Qd6 (according to Sergey
Shipov, 16...Nf4 was stronger) 17.Kb1 h6 18.Bh4 Nf4 19.Qf2 Qc7
(Leko-Topalov, San Luis 2005). If Peter had had superpowers to
capture soundwaves, he would certainly have heard the many-
voiced roar of thousands of Fritz, Shredders, Tigers, etc. – 20.Nb6!!
and things would have turned out differently for him.

13.Bg5
Motylev used quite a portion of his time on this move. After the
game he admitted that he was unsuccessfully trying to remember his
analysis and was forced to improvise at the board. To me too, the
move Bg5 seemed the most dangerous for Black, since his king is
caught in the centre for an indeterminate time.
But even so, the direct 13.Rhe1! was stronger, after which I intended
to reply 13...Be7. Alternatively:
A) 13...Qc7 14.Nxe6!! Qxc4 ( 14...fxe6 15.Bxd5 Bxd5 16.Bf4,
winning) 15.Nc7+ Qxc7 16.Bf4+ Ne5 17.Rxe5+ Be7 18.Rxd5 Qc6
19.Rd7, wins for White;

544
 B) 13...Qa5 14.Bg5! Qxa4 15.Bxd5 Bxd5 16.Nxe6, also
winning;
C) 13...Rc8 14.b3 Be7 15.Nf5 0-0 16.Bxd5 Bxd5 17.Nb6 Nxb6
18.Bxb6 Bg5 19.Bxd8 Bxd2+ 20.Rxd2 Rcxd8 21.Ne7+ Kh8
22.Red1, winning for White;
D) 13...Ne5 14.Bxd5 Bxd5 15.Nf5 Nc4 16.Qxd5!;
E) 13...Be7 14.Nf5 0-0 15.Bxd5! (I only considered 15.Nxe7+
Qxe7 16.Bxd5 Bxd5 17.Bg5 Qd6 and assessed this position as
acceptable for Black, but here, too, after 18.Bf4! Qc6 19.Qxb4 he
remains a pawn down) 15...Bxd5 16.Bb6! (what you didn’t see, you
didn’t see. This nice blow on the theme of overloading allows White
to win a pawn without any particular compensation for Black)
16...Nxb6 ( 16...Bg5 17.Bxd8 Bxd2+ 18.Rxd2 Rfxd8 19.Ne7+ Kf8
20.Nxd5 exd5 21.Rxd5, winning) 17.Nxe7+ Kh8 18.Nxb6 (
18.Qxb4 Nxa4 19.Qxa4 Qxe7 20.Rxd5 Qf6 ) 18...Qxb6 19.Nxd5
exd5 20.Re5 Rad8 21.Rxd5 Rxd5 22.Qxd5 with a clear advantage
for White.
13...Qc7!
Considering White’s previous move as the main one, I tried to find
an objection to it during my opponent’s time. At first, nothing
worthy came to mind, because in all variations White either had a
sacrifice on e6 or a jump of the knight to f5. Therefore, I had to
recalculate ...Qc7.
A) 13...Qa5 loses to 14.Rhe1 Qxa4 15.Bxd5 Bxd5 16.Nxe6;
B) 13...Be7 14.Bxe7 Qxe7 15.Nf5 Qf8 16.Bxd5 Bxd5 17.Qf4
loses as well;
C) 13...N7f6 14.Qe2 Qd6 15.Kb1 Be7 ( 15...0-0-0 16.Bxd5 Bxd5
17.c4! ) 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Nf5 exf5 18.Rhe1 0-0 19.Bxd5 Bxd5
20.c4 with a clear advantage for White.
14.Qe2

545
Simultaneously defending the bishop and creating the threat of a
blow on e6. A delay such as 14.Bb3 allows Black to complete his
development in comfort with 14...h6.
14...Ne5
Seeing this move was what made me confident in a favourable
outcome to the game. Like any real Sicilian move, it combines
defence (of e6) and attack.
A) 14...Qe5 15.Qxe5 Nxe5 16.Bxd5 Bxd5 17.Nb6;
B) 14...Be7 15.Bxe7 Nxe7 16.Bxe6 fxe6 17.Nxe6 Qe5 18.Qxe5
Nxe5 19.Nac5 Bc6 20.Rhe1 N5g6 21.Nc7+ Kf7 22.Nxa8 Rxa8
23.Rd6 a5 24.Ne6 with a slight edge for White.

15.Bb3?!
Indecisive and decidedly not Sicilian play.
At first I was seriously afraid of 15.Rhe1 Nxc4 16.Nxe6 fxe6
17.Qxe6+ Be7 18.Rxd5 Bxd5 19.Qxd5 Rd8 20.Qc5. But in fact,
after 20...Rd7 ( 20...Qxc5 21.Nxc5 0-0 22.Bxe7 Rfe8 23.Nd3 Rc8
24.Bxb4 ) 21.Bxe7 Qf4+ 22.Kb1 Qd2 23.Qc8+ Kf7 24.Qxc4+ Ke8
Black holds, albeit with difficulty.
546
Even so, White had the paradoxically simple 15.Bxd5!? Bxd5
16.Rhe1 Ng6 17.Nf5 h6 18.Rxd5 hxg5 19.g3 with a large
advantage.
15...h6
Having driven the bishop from g5, Black can develop his bishop to
e7, as well as thinking about long castling.
16.Bd2
On 16.Bh4 I was prepared to push White: 16...Nf4 17.Qd2 g5
18.Bg3 Rd8.
16...Be7?!
An inaccuracy, arising from an unrealizable desire to protect the
king.
I quite quickly refrained from the attempt to counterattack with an
insecure king: 16...Rc8 17.f4 ( 17.Rhe1 Bd6 18.f4 Nc4 19.Bxc4
Qxc4 ) 17...Nc4 18.f5 Nxd2 19.Rxd2 Nf4 20.Qg4 h5 21.Qg5 with
initiative.
But even so, Black should have protected his advanced outpost on
e5 – 16...Bd6!?, preventing an attack on the knight. After both
17.Kb1 0-0 18.c4 bxc3 19.Nxc3 Rfc8 20.Nxd5 Bxd5 21.Bxd5 exd5
22.Bc3 and 17.f4 Ng6 18.f5 Ngf4 19.Bxf4 Nxf4 ( 19...Bxf4+
20.Kb1 e5 21.g3 Ne3 22.gxf4 exd4 23.Rhg1 0-0-0 24.Rxg7 Nxd1
25.Rxf7 with attack) 20.Qg4 h5 21.Qxg7 Be5 Black is completely
fine.
17.Rhe1
Or 17.f4 Nc6 18.Nxc6 Bxc6.
17...Nc6
I certainly did not want to put the knight on g6: 17...Ng6 18.Nxe6
fxe6 19.Qxe6 Nf8 20.Qf5 g6 21.Qe5 Qxe5 22.Rxe5 Nd7 23.Bxd5
Nxe5 24.Bxb7 Ra7 25.Be4 with a clear advantage to White.
18.Nf5
547
Calculating the consequences of the sacrifice 18.Nxe6 at the board
was very difficult – I just saw that I wouldn’t lose right away:
18...fxe6 19.Qxe6 Nd4 20.Qg6+ Kf8 21.Bxd5 Bxd5 22.Be3 Bf7
23.Qe4 Nc6, and here, armed with a mug of beer and a couple of
engines, White may well continue the attack. Fortunately, neither
one nor the other was at Alexander’s disposal at that moment.
18...Na5
A turning point in the game, and Black chose the psychologically
correct continuation. Thanks to mutual inaccuracies, White has
retained a rather dangerous attacking potential. From a distance I
planned here 18...exf5 (bad is 18...g6 19.Bxd5 gxf5 20.Bxe6 fxe6
21.Qxe6 with an attack) 19.Bxd5 0-0! 20.Bxc6 Qxc6 21.Qxe7
Qxa4, realizing that Black’s attack is more than sufficient if the
bishop on b7 is captured: 22.Qxb7 Qxa2 23.Bxb4 Qa1+ ( 23...Rab8
loses to 24.Qd5 Qxd5 25.Rxd5 Rxb4 26.Rxf5 ) 24.Kd2 Qxb2. But I
was confused by the defence in an unpromising position after
22.Qxb4 (worse is 22.Bxb4 Qxa2 ) 22...Qxa2 23.Qa5 Qxa5
24.Bxa5 with a slight advantage, and although in the end a draw is
the most likely outcome, I decided to take a chance.

548
19.Nxg7+?
On 19.Bxd5 ( 19.Nxe7? Nxb3+ 20.axb3 Qxe7 with an edge for
Black) 19...Bxd5 20.Nxe7 I had prepared 20...Bxa2 ( 20...Qxe7
21.Nb6; 20...Kxe7 21.Bxb4+ ) with the threat of mate in one. But if
one pushes the bounds of consciousness and continues the variation
with 21.b3! Nxb3+ ( 21...Bxb3 22.Bxb4 Bxa4 23.Nd5 ) 22.Kb2
Nxd2 23.Qxd2 Qxe7 24.Kxa2 0-0 25.Nb6 Rfd8 26.Qe2, then
White can certainly fight for the advantage.
But stronger, instead of 20.Nxe7, is the prophylactic 20.Kb1! with
the idea 20...exf5 21.Bf4! Bxa2+ 22.Kxa2 Qc4+ 23.Qxc4 Nxc4
24.b3 Na5 25.Nb6 Rd8 26.Nd5 Rd7 27.Be5, winning. Other than
20...exf5, no decent alternative can be seen for Black: 20...0-0
21.Qe5! or 20...Bf6 21.Bxb4.
19...Kf8 20.Nxe6+?!
Stripping the last robes from Black’s king. At this moment,
Alexander was already up to his neck in the most severe time-
trouble, and he simply did not have enough time to adequately
assess the consequences of the sacrifice on e6. Therefore, it was
549
more practical to play to retain material: 20.Nh5 Nxb3+ ( 20...Rc8
21.Kb1 ) 21.axb3 Rc8 22.Qd3 a5 23.Kb1, and White has an extra
pawn.
20...fxe6 21.Qxe6 Nxb3+ 22.axb3 Qc6

I thought that there was a position of dynamic balance on the board,

but taking into account the time factor, Black has good chances to
win. After connecting the black queen to the defence, checkmate is
no longer threatened.
Also possible was 22...Qd6 23.Qxd6 Bxd6 24.Re6 Bxh2 25.Rh1
Bg3 26.Nc5 Bc8.
23.Qf5+
Not 23.Qxc6 Bxc6 24.Re6 Bxa4 25.bxa4 Kf7.
23...Qf6 24.Qh3
Creating the threat of 25. Re6. In the event of the queen exchange
Black would have had to scramble around a bit: 24.Qxf6+ Nxf6
25.Re6 Bc8 26.Re2 Rb8 27.Bf4 Rb7 28.Bd6 Kf7 29.Nc5 Ra7 –
there are enough squares for all the black pieces.

550
24...Kf7
Of course, Black would like to transfer the bishop to f5 and the rook
to c8, but after 24...Bc8 25.Qh5 we have to settle for the square e6 –
either immediately 25...Be6 or 25...Bf5 26.g4 Be6. I was not certain
the bishop was better on e6 than on b7.
25.Qh5+
White has to settle for an endgame, else Black consolidates: 25.Re4
Rae8.
25...Qg6 26.Qxg6+ Kxg6 27.Nb6!
Having to play in seconds, Sasha still manages to land a blow.
27...Rae8!
Played quite quickly. Bad was 27...Nxb6 28.Rxe7 Bd5 29.Bxb4
with a clear advantage to White.
28.Nxd5 Bxd5 29.Bxb4!
Motylev confidently paddles towards a draw, but for some reason,
even though I had only a piece for four pawns, I had no doubts
about a favourable result for me.
29.Re5 Bf7 was worse.
29...Bxb4 30.Rxe8 Rxe8 31.Rxd5 Re1+ 32.Rd1 Re2
Considering that the white pawns are in their original positions and
that his king is far from being centralized, the advantage is on
Black’s side.
33.Rd4
33.Rd8 Kf7 34.Rd4 a5 35.c3 Be7 36.Rg4 h5 37.Rg3 Rf2 with a clear
advantage to Black.
33...Be7
More accurate was 33...a5! 34.Rg4+ Kf5 35.c3 Be7, again with a
clear advantage for Black.

551
34.g3?
The decisive mistake in time-trouble. Much more tenacious was
34.Rg4+ Kf5 ( 34...Bg5+ 35.Kd1 ) 35.Kb1 Bg5 36.h4 Bf6 37.h5
Bg5 38.b4 with an edge for Black.
34...Rxh2 35.Ra4 a5
A small trap in the opponent’s time-trouble, at the same time
removing a pawn from a capture with check.
36.Kb1
Neither 36.Rxa5? Rh1+ 37.Kd2 Bb4+, nor 36.Kd1 Bd8 37.Rd4 Bf6
38.Rg4+ Bg5, nor 36.c3 h5 37.Rxa5 Rg2 38.b4 Rxg3 39.b5 Rxf3
would have saved White.
36...Rh3
Also good was 36...h5 37.Rxa5 Rg2.
37.g4 Rxf3 38.Rxa5 Rf4 39.Ra4
Or 39.c3 Rxg4 40.b4 h5 41.b5 Rg5 42.Kc2 h4 43.Kd3 h3 and Black
wins.

552
39...Kg5
I decided that this would not spoil anything, although I realized that
after the exchange of rooks, the single black pawn would be faster
than the white trio: 39...Rxa4 40.bxa4 Kg5 41.a5 Kxg4 42.a6 Bc5
43.b4 Ba7 44.c4 h5 45.c5 Kf5 46.Kc2 h4 and Black wins.
40.Ra7 Re4!
The bishop is splendidly placed on e7, so it is best to keep it there.
41.c3
41.Ra6 Rxg4 42.Re6 Bf6.
41...Kxg4 42.b4
If 42.Kc2 h5 43.Kd3 Re3+ 44.Kd4 Re1 wins.
42...h5 43.b5 h4 44.b6 h3 45.b7 Bd6
White resigned.
Only here, after my opponent admitted his defeat, did I allow myself
to relax. And although, thanks to other results and tiebreaks, I ended
up only second, all the same, one more share of first place at the
Aeroflot Open could be added to my achievements.

Lessons:
1) The best way to fight the feeling of déjà-vu is a sharp change
from the very first moves in the nature of the struggle compared to
the ‘original’ game. Nothing should remind you of past failures!
(1...c5!)
2) If your opponent likes to think, to calculate everything to the
end, and always tries to ‘get to the very essence’ of the position,
then please him, give him food for thought! Nowadays there is such
a gigantic stock of information that even remembering your own
analyses is not a trivial task. But, of course, you need to determine
for yourself the acceptable degree of risk and be mentally prepared
for the fact that the opponent might still figure out the

553
complications: he might remember the analysis or find a clear path
over the board, and then you can become a co-author of a
spectacular miniature that appears in many magazines and books.
3) If you have a normal position, then you shouldn’t deliberately
play on your opponent’s time-trouble, but you can and should set
small traps along the way and create harassing threats. This will
exhaust the enemy and, very likely, force him to make a mistake at
some point.
And immediately – a cold shower! Zero out of four at the start of
my favourite tournament in Poikovsky. And although I managed to
win two games in a row against Ponomariov and Sokolov, two
subsequent defeats rightly pointed me to a well-deserved last place.
For which I actually received a unique cash prize, for something like
Fighting Spirit!
Ruy Lopez
Victor Bologan
Ruslan Ponomariov
Poikovsky 2006
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3
0-0 8.h3 Bb7 9.d3 d6 10.a3 Qd7

554
11.Nbd2
Despite the fact that in both games below White emerged from the
opening with a better position, I still decided to change the knight
development on c3, which was unlucky for me, to the more familiar
one on d2, according to Chebanenko’s schemes.
11.Nc3 Nd8 12.Ne2 Ne6 13.Ng3 g6 ( 13...Rfe8 14.c3 Bf8 15.Ng5
c5 16.Nxe6 fxe6 17.d4 Qf7 18.Bg5 Nd7 19.Qd2 h6 20.Be3 d5
21.exd5 exd5 22.dxc5 Nxc5 23.Ba2 Rad8 24.Rad1 with a slight
advantage to White in Dominguez-Ponomariov, Cuernavaca 2006)
14.c3 c5 15.d4 c4 16.Bc2 Qc7 17.Be3 a5 18.Qd2 a4 19.Ng5 Ne8
20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.Bh6, again with a slight advantage to White,
Bologan-Aronian, Stepanakert 2005.
11...Rae8 12.c3
12.a4 is also a valid alternative, since the black rook has already left
the a-file: 12...Na5 13.Ba2 b4 14.c3 ( 14.Nf1 Bd8 15.Ng3 Kh8
16.c3 bxc3 17.bxc3 c5 18.Bg5 Bc6 19.Qc1 Ng8 20.Bxd8 Rxd8
21.d4 Qc7 with equality, in Karjakin-Aronian, Warsaw 2005)

555
14...bxc3 15.bxc3 c5 16.Nc4 Nxc4 17.Bxc4 h6 18.a5 gives White a
slight advantage.
Unlike the Karjakin game, White has managed to fix the weakness
on a6, which gives him sufficient grounds to play for a win.
12...d5 13.a4
A novelty. As well as the counterblow on the flank, it is important
for White to increase the number of weaknesses in the black camp
in the event of a tactical skirmish.
13.Ba2 dxe4 14.dxe4 Nh5 15.Nb3 Qxd1 16.Rxd1 Nf6 with equality
was Topalov-Svidler, Linares 1999.
13...dxe4 14.Nxe4

This is the right way to recapture, keeping pressure against e5.

14...Rd8
Counterattack. After 14...Nxe4 15.Rxe4 Black should either try to
defend the pawn with 15...Bf6 or attempt to seize the initiative after
15...Na5, for example:

556
 A) 15...Bf6 16.axb5 axb5 17.Bg5 Qe7 ( 17...Bxg5 18.Nxg5 h6
19.Nf3 Qd6 20.Qe2 Re7 21.d4 exd4 22.Rxe7 Nxe7 23.Nxd4 with a
slight advantage) 18.Bxf6 Qxf6 19.Bd5 Qd6 20.c4;
B) 15...Na5 16.Nxe5 Qd6 17.Nxf7 ( 17.Re3 Nxb3 18.Qxb3 Bd5
19.Qc2 c5 20.axb5 axb5 21.c4 with a slight advantage) 17...Rxf7
18.Bxf7+ Kxf7 19.Rg4 b4 20.Rxb4 Qd5 21.Rg4 c5 22.Be3.
In both cases, White retains a significant advantage.
15.axb5 axb5 16.Ng3
Both the pawn structure and the arrangement of pieces that have
arisen on the board are typical of the Italian Game. After the
probable exchange of weaknesses on e5 and d3, the weakness of the
b5-pawn will be decisive.
16.Nxf6+ Bxf6 17.Ng5 Qf5 18.Ne4 Be7 19.Be3 is an equally valid
approach to the position.
16...h6
After prolonged thought, Black decides to pass the move to his
opponent, preferring prophylaxis to anything concrete.
The immediate 16...Bc5 was inadequate because of 17.Nxe5 Nxe5
18.Rxe5 Bd6 19.Re2 Bxg3 20.fxg3 Qxd3 ( 20...c5 21.Be3 )
21.Qxd3 Rxd3 22.Ra7 with a clear advantage.
In the event of 16...Qxd3 Black loses a pawn because of 17.Qxd3
Rxd3 18.Nxe5 Nxe5 19.Rxe5 Bd6 20.Rxb5 Bc6 21.Rg5 h6 22.Bc2!.
17.Bc2
The variation 17.Nxe5 Nxe5 18.Rxe5 Bd6 19.Re2 c5 20.Be3 Qc6
21.Qf1 Bxg3 22.fxg3 Rxd3 23.Bc2 Rd6 seemed to me insufficiently
convincing although White still has an edge, despite material
equality.
17...Rfe8
Variations similar to those that took place in the game appear after
17...Ra8 18.Rxa8 Rxa8 19.Nxe5 Nxe5 20.Rxe5 Bd6 21.Re1 c5

557
22.Ne4. But it’s not guaranteed that the a-file will give Black
anything here.
18.Nxe5
Quite in the spirit of Giuoco’s variation. The Piano of the Italian
part would be 18.Bd2 Bc5 19.Qc1 Re6 20.b4 Bb6 21.Re2 Rde8
22.Bb3 Rd6 23.Kh2, and now not 23...Rxd3?? because of 24.Bxh6.
18...Nxe5 19.Rxe5 Bd6 20.Rxe8+
Perhaps an unnecessary concession of the e-file; nobody has ever
cancelled the rule that open files matter. But all my troubles in the
tournament began with this issue, when for some reason I gave the
c-file to Rublevsky in the first round. Here I should have hung onto
the e-file for dear life: 20.Re3! c5 21.Qf1, not allowing any tactics
on Black’s part.
20...Rxe8

21.Bd2?
Dreadful. Even in a game one has won, there are sometimes
blunders. In fact, the exchange on g3 followed by an attack on g2 is
558
almost impossible to avoid, so it was better to prepare for this:
21.Qf1!? Bxg3 22.fxg3 Qd5 23.Bf4 g5 (after 23...c5 24.Qf2 Qxg2+
25.Qxg2 Bxg2 26.Kxg2 Re2+ 27.Kf3 Rxc2 28.Ra8+ Kh7 29.Rc8
c4 30.dxc4 bxc4 31.Rxc4 Rxb2 White is a fraction better, but the
game should most likely end in a draw) 24.Bxc7 Qc5+ 25.d4 Qxc7
26.Qxf6 Re2 27.Bb3 Rxg2+ 28.Kf1 Rg1+ 29.Kxg1 Qxg3+ 30.Kf1
Qd3+, again with a draw.
21...c5
Fortunately for me, respect for one’s opponent works both ways.
After 21...Bxg3 ( 21...Qc6 22.Ne4 ) 22.fxg3 Qd5 23.Qf1 Qxg2+!
24.Qxg2 Bxg2 25.Kxg2 Re2+ 26.Kg1 Rxd2 I would have had to
sweat a lot to prevent the local artist from drawing a fifth ‘duck-egg’
into my column on the tournament table. Still, after 27.Ra8+ Kh7
28.Bb3 Rxb2, 29.Bxf7, White keeps the balance.
22.Qf1
Although a position has appeared on the board that strongly
resembles the Marshall Variation, White is still better. He has
already completed his development and has so far managed to avoid
creating any weaknesses.
22...Qc7 23.Ne4
Again, the tactical weakness of b5 allows White to make a
combination. Of course, it is easy when you have an extra pawn.
23...Bxe4
Although the exchange of knights allows Black a certain initiative,
White can extinguish it easily: 23...Nxe4 24.dxe4 c4 25.f3 Bc5+
26.Kh1 Qg3 27.Be1 Qf4 28.Bf2 Bd6 29.Bg1 with a clear
advantage.
24.dxe4 Qc6
After 24...c4 White easily defends the e4-pawn with the move
25.Qe2, with a clear advantage.

559
25.c4
The advantage of the two bishops begins to show. After all, it is
known that, unlike a knight, bishops can be useful on both flanks at
the same time. So, the modest defender on c2 unexpectedly has his
eye on the a4-e8 diagonal, on which all the valuable black units are
lined up.
25...Bh2+
The Ukrainian GM finds an interesting way to confuse his opponent.
Both of the following continuations were bad: 25...bxc4 26.Ba4,
winning, and 25...Nxe4 26.Bxe4 Qxe4 27.Re1 Qa8 28.cxb5 Rb8
29.Qd3 with a clear advantage.

26.Kh1
Intuitively the correct decision. After 26.Kxh2 Qd6+ 27.e5 (
27.Kg1 Qxd2 28.Qd1 Qxd1+ 29.Rxd1 bxc4 30.f3 Rb8 ) 27...Qxd2
28.exf6 Qxc2 29.cxb5 Qxb2 30.fxg7 an endgame arises with two
extra pawns for White, but after a series of simplifications with
30...c4 31.Rb1 Qe5+ 32.Kg1 c3 33.Qc4 Qe4 34.Qxe4 Rxe4 35.Rc1

560
Rb4 36.Rxc3 Rxb5 37.Rg3, which I could not initially calculate, the
game most probably ends in a draw.
26...Bc7 27.e5
It is important to ask the black bishop to stand in front of the queen
on the b8-h2 diagonal.
The move 27.f4 was not made, again, for positional reasons, but
because after 27...Nxe4 ( 27...Qd6 28.Qe1 Qd4 29.e5 Qxc4 30.Rc1
) 28.Bxe4 Qxe4 29.Re1 Qc6 30.Rxe8+ Qxe8 31.cxb5 only queens
and bishops remain on the board, the endgame can be assessed as
close to winning for White.
27.Be3 Qd6 ( 27...bxc4 loses to 28.Qxc4 Nxe4 29.Ra7 Nf6 30.Ba4
Qd6 31.Rxc7 Qxc7 32.Bxe8 Nxe8 33.Qxc5 ) 28.g3 Nxe4 29.Bxe4
Rxe4 30.cxb5 Rb4 with a slight advantage.
27.cxb5 Qd6.
27...Bxe5 28.cxb5 Qd6
I thought 28...Qd5 was more dangerous, after which I had prepared
29.Rd1 Qa2 30.Be3 Qxb2 31.Qc4 (by temporarily returning the
pawn, White activates his pieces to the maximum extent) 31...Bd4
32.Bxd4 cxd4 33.Rxd4 Re1+ 34.Kh2 and White wins.
29.Rd1 Qb6
29...Bd4 30.Bc3 Ne4 31.Bxe4 Rxe4 32.Re1 Rxe1 33.Qxe1 leaves
White with a clear advantage.
30.b3
The principle ‘do not hurry’ fully applies in realizing the advantage
in the present game.
After 30.b4 Bd4 31.bxc5 Bxc5 the a7-g1 diagonal is opened, which
undoubtedly benefits Black.
30...Bb8 31.Bc3 Qc7 32.g3 Qb7+ 33.Kg1 Nd7

561
It would appear that Ponomariov has almost succeeded in creating
counterplay. The knight aims at the weakened f3-square, but now it
is White’s turn to speak.
34.Qd3 Nf8
34...Ne5 loses because of 35.Qh7+ Kf8 36.Be4 Qxb5 37.Bd5 Qe2
38.Re1 Qd3 39.Qxd3 Nxd3 40.Bxg7+ Kxg7 41.Rxe8.
35.Re1 Rxe1+ 36.Bxe1 Ne6 37.Bc3 Kf8 38.b4 Qc7 39.Bb3 Nd4
40.b6
This time there are indeed many roads leading to Rome, but I
decided to make it simpler – on foot. After four zeros, I was in no
hurry.
40...Qxb6 41.bxc5 Qxb3 42.Qxd4 f6 43.c6
Winning.
43...Bc7 44.Bb4+ Kg8 45.Bd6 Bb6 46.Bc5 Ba5 47.Qd6 Qf7
48.Qb8+ Kh7 49.Qb7
Mindful of the wonders of resourcefulness in my opponent’s
defence, I didn’t trust myself and so didn’t go in for a won queen
562
endgame, preferring to squeeze the maximum out of the position
with bishops.
49.Bb6 Bxb6 50.Qxb6 Qe6 51.Qb1+ Kg8 52.c7 was winning.
49...Qc7 50.Qb1+ Kg8 51.Qe4 Qd8 52.Qe6+ Kh8 53.Bd6 Bb6
54.Kh2 Kh7 55.h4 h5 56.Qf5+ g6
Or 56...Kg8 57.Qd5+ Kh7 58.Qxh5+ and wins.
57.Qe6 Kg7 58.Kg2 Ba5 59.Be7 Qd4 60.Qd7 Qe4+ 61.Kh2 Qc2

62.Bc5+ Kh6 63.Bf8#

You won’t believe it, but at this moment, Ruslan smiled.

Lessons:
1) If a new scheme does not bring practical results, it makes sense
to temporarily return to time-tested set-ups that you ‘feel with your
hand’ (11.Nbd2). In this way, you will relieve the burden of
negative emotions, and a familiar scheme will help you get a
comfortable type of game, even if it means an objectively equal
position.

563
 2) For the hundredth time I will repeat, as Mark Dvoretsky did:
watch your opponent’s resources! But how difficult it is to follow
this wise rule: even when you know and understand everything,
allowing a blunder is as easy as shelling peas (21.Bd2?).
3) When you doubt your abilities (as I did in this game after four
zeros), choose the simplest paths with a large margin of safety. And
try to gradually overcome this psychological barrier and believe in
yourself!
I never specifically counted, but team competitions are definitely a
big, and, most importantly, a successful part of my chess career. At
first I played for a school, then for a club, later for the Moldovan
national team at various all-Union championships, European
championships and, finally, the Olympiad. My most successful
performance was in 2006 in Turin, Italy. A few months before that,
the Winter Olympic Games had been held there, and we lived in the
Olympic village. In general, chess players are rather fastidious
people; we have a standard of accommodation in FIDE – a hotel of
four stars and above. For my taste, the coolest was the 2016
Olympiad in Baku, where everything was great: the hotels, the
playing hall, and the city itself is beautiful! The 2002 Olympiad in
Bled was also very good. In all others, you could find flaws,
sometimes very significant ones.
In Turin, there were also enough flaws. Firstly, the accommodation
turned out to be largely spartan, and the food was generally below
par: when they served pasta, it was a cause for celebration, although,
of course, it is not easy to live on pasta for two weeks. In addition,
the Olympic village was surrounded by a fence, and I remember
how some grandmasters (including those from the top ten in the
world) climbed over it. As I said, I really like Italy in itself, but the
organization in Turin was just bad! Nevertheless, all these harsh
conditions helped the Moldovan national team to reach the top
twenty for the first time in history.

564
In addition to the permanent captain and coach Viktor Komliakov,
we also had a ‘support group’ at this Olympiad. This was Mikhail
Pleshkov, who has helped me more than once in my life and has
always played a positive role for me. He, for example, baptized my
daughter. By the way, one semi-mystical story is connected with
these christenings. Misha then had a pinched facial nerve and half of
his face was completely motionless. For six months he suffered,
turning to different doctors – both traditional medicine and oriental
– but nothing helped. And in Kishinev, he walked around the
temples, breathed our air and soaked himself with Moldovan cognac
at Katya’s christening, and already upon returning home, the disease
receded and his face became mobile again!
So, Misha came to Turin and spent several later rounds with us,
cheering for us, and these were the decisive battles.
In general, having fans is good and it has always inspired me. For
example, when I played in Dortmund in 2003, I felt, especially
during the last game, that the whole world was rooting for me. I got
into the elite tournament from the Aeroflot Open, one might say,
from the people – such is the story of Cinderella. A lot of people
told me later that they were rooting for me. It gave me strength, and
the wave of support from the fans was felt literally physically,
especially during the game against Kramnik. I then managed to
survive in a much worse position.
Returning to Turin in 2006, it should be noted that, in general,
spartan conditions often help – it all depends on how you treat them.
I approached the problem creatively. Good sleep is essential for
successful play. I immediately suggested that Fyodor Fyodorovich
Skripchenko, the head of our delegation, take a separate one-room
apartment, and we were left with one three-room apartment for the
whole team. Due to the fact that we moved the bed to the kitchen
and placed our youngest participant Ruslan Soltanich there, each
player got a separate room – although it seems that someone had to

565
sleep in the hall, it was also a normal separate room. That is, we all
lived together, but at the same time everyone had their own corner,
their own personal space. I have always paid a lot of attention
during the tournament to questions of accommodation: where do the
windows point? is the room noisy or quiet? is the bed comfortable,
pillows, etc.? The whole tournament can go down the drain only
because you have unfavourable living conditions...

Vladimir Barsky, Timur Shaov (a famous Russian author and

performer of songs), Mark Glukhovsky, the hospitable Mikhail
Pleshkov with his pet Varya, and Viorel Bologan.
And here we come to the decisive match. The pairings in the last
round turned out to be favourable to us; it was quite possible to beat
the Canadian team. But then came the first draw, then the second,

566
the third... in effect, the whole burden of the two-week struggle lay
on the shoulders of the leaders of both teams.
Petroff Defence
Victor Bologan
Pascal Charbonneau
Turin 2006
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3
The Petroff Defence is the most important open line for me, after the
Italian and the Spanish. I myself have used it successfully with
Black since the 2004 Wijk aan Zee tournament. And as White, of
course, I had to fight all my life against the Petroff, since this
opening was quite popular in the Soviet and post-Soviet arena. The
formation is very solid and I studied it from the black point of view
with Misha Podgaets. As White, I tried a variety of plans: 3.d4 and
even 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nc4!? (Sergey Smagin loved this system). But
purely statistically, the present scheme was the best for me.
In general, it’s not my style with White to exchange pieces and
voluntarily spoil my pawn structure at the very beginning of the
game. As a rule, I emerged from the opening in equal or slightly
better positions, but it was possible to somehow ‘tickle the nerves’ –
create problems for the opponent and eventually win.
5...Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6 7.Be3 Be7 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 Ne5 10.Kb1
Re8 11.h4

567
It would seem that White is attacking with a matchstick and nothing
else: one h-pawn will not be able to open the game, and the g4-
square is reliably covered by Black. But, as practice has shown (and
modern computers scream about it every day), the march of the
outside pawn, with the seizure of space (which, on occasion, can
provoke some kind of weakening in the opponent’s position) is still
useful in the long run. The living space of the h1-rook increases, and
in the event of an exchange on f3, one of the rooks will create
pressure along the g-file, and the h-pawn will help it a lot. So, from
a general point of view, the move is very useful.
11...Bg4 12.Be2 Qc8 13.h5 Bf6!?
A novelty at the time. Previously Black had played 13...h6 14.Nxe5
Bxe2 15.Qxe2 dxe5 16.Qb5 (Romanov-Ilyin, Sochi 2006) with a
slight advantage, or 13...Bf8 14.Rde1 a6 15.h6 g6 16.Nxe5 dxe5
17.f3 Be6 18.Bg5 Qd7 19.Qe3 Bd5 20.Rd1 Qe6 21.b3 b5 with
mutual chances (Jakovenko-Wang Hao, Taiyuan 2006).
14.Nxe5 Bxe2

568
White is better after 14...Rxe5 15.h6 g6 16.f3 Qe6 17.fxg4 Rxe3
18.Bc4 Qe7 19.Rhf1.
15.Qxe2 Bxe5
Or 15...Rxe5 16.h6 g6 17.Qc4 Re7 18.Qd5 Re5 19.Qb3 with a slight
advantage to White.
16.Qf3 c6 17.g4
The affair started by the h-pawn is joined by its closest neighbour. A
positional clamp is planned, and for a team competition it is very
important to play for a win with White without much risk.
17...f5 18.g5
Little is promised by 18.Qxf5 Qxf5 19.gxf5 d5 ( 19...h6 20.f6!;
19...Rf8 20.f4 ) 20.h6 Rf8 21.f4 Bf6 22.Rdg1 Rf7 23.Rg2 b6 24.Bd4
Bxd4 25.cxd4 Kh8 26.hxg7+ Rxg7 with equality. After the move in
the game, White continues to capture space on the kingside, and
soon the black king, pressed to the back rank, will feel very
uncomfortable.
18...f4

569
19.g6!
The topic of the zwischenzug is covered in detail in my so-called
‘Blue Notebook’, because blunders are most often associated with
these moves. At one time, Dvoretsky directed me to this topic,
because you usually see intermediate moves well for yourself, but
not for your opponent.
Now on the board is a classic of the genre: White’s piece was
attacked, but he does not seem to notice it!
19...h6
He cannot take: 19...fxe3 20.Qf7+ Kh8 21.h6 wins for White.
20.Bd4 Qf5 21.c4
White’s advantage is connected with the weakness of the 8th rank,
plus the slight detachment of Black’s f4-pawn from his main forces,
and also with unpleasant pressure along the d-file. With accurate
defence, Black’s position can most likely be held. But I had got
what I wanted: lasting pressure without risk. It is important to add a
fourth element – to gradually drag the opponent into time-trouble.
21...Re7 22.Rhe1 a6 23.a3 Rae8 24.Re2 Qf6

570
25.Red2
Another classic of the genre. As far as I remember, in Soviet times,
not only grandmasters but also masters had this technique down to
perfection – masterfully and tirelessly ‘pressing’ in slightly better
endgames. A move repetition here, then one there... how they loved
and knew how to torment the opponent – this is a whole art in itself!
25...Qf5 26.Re2 Qf6 27.Re4 Qf5
27...c5 28.Bxe5 dxe5 29.Rd5 b6 30.Qd1 Kf8 31.Qg4 Kg8 32.Re1
Qe6 33.Qf3 Qf6 34.Qe4 with a slight advantage to White.
28.Bc3
28.Bxe5 dxe5 29.c5 Rd7 30.Rd6 also kept the edge.
28...Rf8
28...Bxc3 loses to 29.Rxe7 Rxe7 30.bxc3! Re6 31.Kb2 Kf8 32.Rd4
Rf6 33.Re4 Kg8 34.Qe2 Rf8 35.Re8 Qd7 36.Re7.
29.Rde1 Rfe8
Of course, Black didn’t want to put another pawn on a square of the
same colour as his bishop, but it was necessary to play 29...c5. True,
571
in this case my pieces also get the d5-square – ideally, I would like
to transfer one of the rooks there.

30.c5!
We have managed to dull the opponent’s vigilance and catch him
with a trick. This topic is also covered in the Blue Notebook, under
the topic ‘Critical Set-ups’. In this case, such a set-up is the pin
down the e-file.
30...Kf8
A nice tactical nuance: on 30...dxc5 31.Qd3! would follow, with the
threat of 32. Bxe5 Rxe5 33. Rxe5!, and Black is ruined by the
weakness of his back rank.
Or 30...d5 31.Rxe5 Rxe5 32.Rxe5 Rxe5 33.Bxe5 Qxe5 34.Qg4 Qc7
35.Qe6+ Kf8 36.f3 a5 37.a4 d4 38.Qe4 and White wins.
31.cxd6 Bxd6 32.Rxe7 Rxe7 33.Rd1 Re6
Other continuations also lose: 33...Be5 34.Rd8+ Re8 35.Bb4+;
33...Bc5 34.Rd8+ Re8 35.Bxg7+; or 33...Qe6 34.Bb4.
34.Rd3 Be5
572
If 34...Kg8 35.Qd1 Qf8 36.Qg4 Qe7 ( 36...Re8 37.Qd7 ) 37.Bb4 c5
38.Bc3 Qe8 39.Be5!! wins in view of 39...Bxe5 40.Qxe6+.
35.Rd8+ Ke7 36.Qd1 Rd6 37.Rxd6 Bxd6 38.Bxg7 f3 39.Qe1+
Kd7 40.Bxh6 Qxh5 41.g7 Qg6 42.Qe3
Black resigned.
This game finished last. My teammates surrounded our table and
watched the fight closely. Everyone understood perfectly well that
this was a historic moment, because before we had never been able
to win in the final round of the Olympiad. Fortunately, I was not
constrained by responsibility – I often succeeded in decisive games,
and playing for the team was especially inspiring.
18th place at the Olympiad – there was no limit to our joy! The
friendly and, most importantly, creative atmosphere in the team did
its job. Special thanks to Eminem. It was under his provocative raps
that we went into battle, as if saying: we don’t care, we can do
anything!

Lessons:
1) In team competitions when playing with White, especially as
the team’s leader, try to get a position without any risk of losing,
even if your advantage is small. Then the Soviet school will help –
‘pressing’ in slightly better positions!
2) The capture of space on the flank by pushing the outer pawns is
an important element of the modern strategic struggle. Later, these
pawns can, for instance, squeeze the enemy king, and the
prerequisites for various combinations will appear.
3) When making waiting moves in your opponent’s time-trouble,
keep your eyes open – be ready at any moment to ‘flick the switch’
and move on to concrete actions (30.c5!).

573
Traditional kebabs. A visit by FIDE World Champion Ruslan
Ponomariov in 2002.
Although we felt great in Strogino, it is always better to spend the
summer on the seashore. It was on the Black Sea coast in the
glorious city of Sevastopol that my daughter Ekaterina, my wife
Margarita, my mother-in-law Natalia Borisovna, and Katya’s great-
grandmother Nina Petrovna were born. So, we can say that I am
from Sevastopol on the side of my wife. And if in 2000 and 2001 I
came there as a guest, then already in 2002 my wife and I decided to
buy a dacha in Fiolent. On the edge of a sheer cliff, no less, and if
you look closely, you can see Turkey! Daily jogging and swimming
for 1 km; fresh mussels for breakfast for my sleepy women;
Crimean air; cedars, pines, and arborvitae planted by us. At a family
council it was decided to spend half our time in Moscow and the
other in the Crimea. It was at Fiolent that I was recharged with
energy for the whole year, there where I held training camps with

574
promising young grandmasters, and there where I held a session of
the Bologan School. Therefore, when in 2006 the Ukrainian
company Aerosvit decided to hold an elite round-robin in Foros, I
was sincerely delighted. I was already well on my way as a local
chess player, because Foros administratively belongs to the Greater
Sevastopol region. According to old memory, I went to the
tournament with my wife and we lived in the Soviet sanatorium of
the same name. We walked in a wonderful park consisting entirely
of evergreens, swam in the sea, sunbathed on a pebble beach – an
ideal environment for creativity! True, I did not succeed in winning
the tournament, but third place can be counted as a completely
positive result.
Ruy Lopez
Victor Bologan
Pentala Harikrishna
Foros 2006
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3
d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Nb8
It was no great secret that Pentala might choose Breyer’s variation
against me. This line was quite popular at that time and was
defended, in particular, by another leading Indian grandmaster,
Krishnan Sasikiran. However, later, through the efforts of the young
Magnus Carlsen, as well as the author of these lines and some other
chess players, it was proved that Black does not have complete
equality, and an unpleasant defence awaits him.
10.d4 Nbd7 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Bc2 Re8 13.Nf1 Bf8 14.Ng3 g6
15.a4 Bg7
The main variation is 15...c5, when after 16.d5 a classical Closed
Spanish is reached.
16.Bd3 c6 17.Bg5

575
17...Nf8
The following two games show the sort of problems the young
Magnus posed his opponents:
17...h6 18.Bd2 Qc7 19.Qc2 Rad8 20.b4 Nf8 21.dxe5 dxe5 22.c4
Ne6 23.Bf1 bxc4 24.Bxc4 c5 25.b5 axb5 26.axb5 Ra8 27.Rxa8
Bxa8 28.Qb3 with a slight advantage in Carlsen-Ostmoe, Gausdal
2005. 17...Qc7 18.Qd2 Nf8 19.Bh6 Ne6 20.b4 Nd7 21.Bf1 Nb6
22.Bxg7 Kxg7 23.a5 Nd7 24.c4 Rad8 25.Rac1 Qb8 26.Red1 f6
27.d5 with a clear advantage in Carlsen-Weeks, Reykjavik 2006.
18.Qd2 Ne6 19.Be3 Nd7 20.Bf1 Qc7
Up to this moment, we had played quite quickly – especially my
opponent. Here I spent some time choosing between the text move
and 21.Red1. Here are a few examples from games played in those
years:
21...Rad8 22.Qc2 Nb6 23.a5 Nd7 24.b4 Rc8 25.Rac1 d5 26.Re1 (
26.dxe5 Nxe5 27.Nxe5 Qxe5 28.exd5 cxd5 29.Ne2 Bf8! 30.Qd2
Bd6 31.f4 Qf6 32.g3 Qe7 33.Bf2 d4! Charbonneau-Sasikiran, La

576
Roche sur Yon 2006) 26...exd4 27.cxd4 dxe4 28.Nxe4 with a slight
advantage.
21...Nb6 22.a5 exd4 23.cxd4 Nc4 24.Bxc4 bxc4 25.Rac1 d5 26.b4
f6 was unclear in Sutovsky-Sasikiran, Paks 2005.
The immediate seizure of space on the queenside seemed more
promising to me.
21.b4 Nb6 22.a5 exd4!?
The passive 22...Nd7 is a serious concession; for example, 23.Rac1
d5 24.exd5 cxd5 25.dxe5 Nxe5 26.Nxe5 Bxe5 27.Ne2 Re7 28.g3
Qd6 29.Bg2 Rc8 30.Nd4 Rc4 31.Nxe6 Rxe6 32.Bh6 Qc6 33.Re3
Bg7 34.Bxg7 Kxg7 35.Rce1 Rxe3 36.Rxe3 Qf6 37.Rd3 with a slight
advantage to White in Volokitin-Sasikiran, Turin ol 2006.
23.cxd4 Nc4
The key moment. Black tries to obtain a protected passed pawn on
c4 and then after ...d5 to hold the light squares. The only obvious
downside of this plan is the weakening of the dark squares.
24.Bxc4 bxc4 25.Bh6
Already having in mind the idea of an exchange sacrifice. I was not
sure that 25.e5 d5 26.Ng5 Bc8 27.Nxe6 Bxe6 28.Bh6 Bh8 29.f4 f6
was sufficient for an advantage, although White’s position looked
better.
25...Bh8
The exchange of bishops does not look at all attractive for Black; for
instance, 25...d5 26.Bxg7 Kxg7 27.e5 with a slight advantage.

577
26.d5
Psychologically strong. Harikrishna had definitely studied the
aforementioned game Sutovsky-Sasikiran, in which Black felt
comfortable after the opening. The key question is whether he will
manage to carry out ...d5 or not. Purely for general reasons, I
decided to sacrifice the exchange.
After 26.Ne2 White maintains a positional advantage, not giving his
opponent any special counterplay; for example, 26...d5 27.e5 Bc8
28.Nh2 Rb8 29.Ng4, while 26.Rac1 d5 27.e5 Bc8 28.Nh2 Qa7
29.Ne2 Ng7 30.g4 is also clearly better for White.
26...Nf8
A solid and possible continuation, but apparently not the best. It
took me a long time to try to give an objective assessment of the
position after 26...cxd5 27.exd5 Bxa1 28.Rxa1. During the game
and right after it, I thought I had great compensation. A day later,
under the influence of the computer, I decided to append a question
mark to this move. Only after the tournament was I convinced that

578
the sacrifice is quite possible after all. White has good compensation
in the following lines:
A) 28...Ng7 29.Qd4 f5 30.Rc1 Rac8 31.Rxc4 Qe7 32.Rxc8 Rxc8
33.Nf1 ( 33.Ne2 Rc2 34.Nf4 Ne8 ) 33...Ne8 34.Ne3;
B) 28...c3 29.Qd3 Ng7 30.Ne4 ( 30.Rc1 f5; 30.Qd4 f5 31.Rc1
Rac8 ) 30...Nh5 31.Rc1 ( 31.g4 f5 32.gxf5 Qd7 33.Nd4 Bxd5
34.Nxc3 Bf7; 31.Qd4 f5 32.Nxc3 Rac8 ) 31...Rac8 32.Rxc3 Qe7
33.Rxc8 Bxc8 34.Nc3.
27.Rac1 cxd5 28.exd5 Nd7
Black had more important priorities. One of these was to create play
along the c-file, which would deflect a significant part of the white
forces: 28...c3 29.Qd3 Rxe1+ 30.Nxe1! (but not 30.Rxe1 Rc8
31.Ne4 f5 32.Neg5 c2 33.Ne6 Nxe6 34.dxe6 Bc3 with a big
advantage to Black) 30...Rc8 31.Ne4 f5 32.Nxc3 Qc4 33.Na4 Qxb4
34.Rb1 Qxa4 35.Rxb7 Qxa5 36.Nf3 although here White is slightly
better thanks to his better-coordinated forces.
29.Ne4 Ne5
The whole idea of exchanging knights is a mistake. Yes, Black has
two bishops, but the one on b7 is absolutely dead. Even now, it was
not too late to go over to 29...f5 30.Nc3 Rxe1+ 31.Rxe1 Ne5
32.Nxe5 dxe5 33.d6 Qc6 34.f3 Rd8 35.Rd1 with a slight advantage.
30.Nxe5 Rxe5
Of course, not 30...dxe5 31.Bg5 Qd7 32.Red1 with a clear
advantage.
31.Nc3 Qe7 32.Be3
Here my intentions are quite clear: I want to exchange the dark-
squared bishops, after which the advantage of the white knight over
the b7-bishop will become greater.
32...Re8

579
33.Red1
I needed time to think over the consequences of the sacrifice on e3.
But in the end I decided to go for this, especially as it practically
forces matters for Black.
33...Rxe3!?
Cheerless was 33...Rh5 34.Bd4 with a clear advantage for White.
34.Qxe3 Qxe3 35.fxe3 Rxe3 36.Na4
White is promised less by 36.Nb1 c3 37.b5 axb5 38.Kf2 Re4
39.Nxc3 Bd4+ 40.Kf1 Rf4+ 41.Ke1 b4 42.Ne2 Bf2+ 43.Kd2 Rf5
with only a slight advantage.
36...c3
Or 36...Re4 37.Nb6 c3, transposing to the game.
37.Nb6
37.Kf2 Re4 38.Nxc3 Rxb4 39.Ne2 Be5 with a slight advantage.

580
37.Re1!? is interesting, meeting 37...Bd4 38.Kf1 Rd3 with 39.Red1
Rxd1+ 40.Rxd1 and now 40...Bxd5! is a clever try but not enough
after 41.Rc1 Bc4+ 42.Ke1 d5 43.Nxc3 Be5 44.Kf2.
37...Re4 38.Re1
In fact, it is this move on which I had mainly put my hopes. After
the exchange of rooks, the strength of the bishops is significantly
reduced, especially as the knight on b6 effectively reduces this
formula to a rook against a bishop.
38.Na4 Re3.
38...Bd4+
After 38...Rxe1+ 39.Rxe1 Kf8 the appearance of the white king in
the centre of the board decides the game: 40.Kf2 f5 41.Ke3 Ke7
42.Kd3+ wins.
39.Kh1

39...f5
Here is the main variation that I saw: 39...Rxe1+ 40.Rxe1 f5 41.Rc1
Kf7 42.Na4! Bxd5 43.Nxc3 Ke6 ( 43...Bxc3 44.Rxc3 Ke6 45.b5
581
axb5 46.a6 b4 47.Rc8 Ke5 48.Rb8 also wins) 44.Nxd5 Kxd5 45.b5
axb5 46.Rd1 and White wins.
40.Rxe4 fxe4 41.Na4
Although I still need to show accuracy, White’s position is winning.
41...Be3
Or 41...c2 42.Nb6 Bc3 43.Rxc2 Bxb4 44.Rb2 Bc3 45.Rb3 Be5
46.Re3.
42.Rxc3 Bd2 43.Rc7 Bxd5 44.Nc3 Ba8
On 44...e3 I had prepared the immediate 45.b5 axb5 46.a6 Ba8
47.Ne2, winning.
After 44...Bxc3 45.Rxc3 Kf7 46.Kg1 Ke6 47.Kf2 Ke5 48.Ke3 the
white king blockades the central passed pawns in time and his
queenside majority decides.
45.Ne2 Bd5 46.Nc3 Ba8
Repeating moves does not spoil anything.
47.b5
The white pawns can’t be stopped.
47...d5
If 47...axb5 48.Nxb5 e3 49.Nd4 Bd5 50.a6.
48.Ne2 1-0

Lessons:
1) An exchange sacrifice for a fianchettoed king’s bishop is an
important trick – not only technical, but also psychological. Often
the opponent turns out to be mentally unprepared for a sharp change
in the nature of the struggle, because, having obtained a material
advantage, he is forced to forget about counterplay and move over
to passive defence. And a refusal to accept the sacrifice, as in the

582
game, entails positional concessions (the bishop on b7 remained out
of play for a long time).
2) As a result, Black made an exchange sacrifice, but this trick is
not a panacea. As a rule, exemplary sacrifices get into the books
when the formally weaker side manages to turn the tide of the
struggle in its favour. But how many of them, unknown heroes, have
laid down their heads (traded a rook for a bishop) for nothing? In
fact, far more, because the rook is a strong piece!
3) Passed pawns supported by bishops, of course, look very
formidable. But you need to keep a cool head and carefully consider
the variations.
In principle, the summer of 2006 can be considered typical for
Bologan the professional. After the Olympiad in Turin and the
tournament in Foros, I had a fruitful training camp with Ernesto
Inarkiev, after which we went together to the Izmailov Cup in
Tomsk. Then the Spanish League, which was my most successful
team event, and after this the European Club Cup, this time held in
Fügen, Austria. Once again I played for the young, ambitious
Tomsk 400 team, which became legendary after this tournament,
when we managed to win the European Cup two years in a row
without being the favourite. Yes, talented guys played for us, and
Lyova Aronian and Ian Nepomniachtchi are now first-rate stars, but
then they were still very young and, one might say, green. Thanks to
our team, Levon made a decisive breakthrough into the professional
ranks: he talked with me and with Vlad Tkachiev, we suggested
some things to him, and he quickly absorbed it all.
At that time, I already had the status of a ‘veteran’ – a kind of
‘uncle’: I was the unofficial captain of the team and at the same time
I also played. I performed with varying degrees of success, but tried
very hard for the team: I invited young people together with Boris
Kimovich Shaidullin and helped to maintain the morale of the team,
which more than once helped us out in difficult situations.

583
I’ve been lucky with team leaders. Boris Kimovich knew how to
create a team and found generous sponsors. He is a very sincere
person. He took us to Tomsk and to the oil city Strezhevoy, where
our sponsors came from. I remember one season Shaidullin decided
to stimulate us a little: we received a fee for participation, but we
were also promised a bonus for first place. Naturally, we won that
tournament, scoring almost 100%!
The regional governor, Viktor Melkhiorovich Kress, was very
supportive of the team. He is German by nationality. An interesting
coincidence: the second German governor, Eduard Ergartovich
Rossel, also created a chess team in the Urals, and both won the
European Club Cup at one time!
Boris Kimovich, together with his wife Tatyana Vasilievna, created
a very sincere atmosphere. Team meetings were held, with tea and
jam, and all the players took part in the discussion. Psychology in
chess, especially in team competitions, plays an important role.
Whom to put up for the match, whom to replace, whom to give what
colour, what strategy to choose? Boris Kimovich understood all this
very well. He knew how to motivate and inspire all team members.
Victor Bologan
Rafael Vaganian
Fügen 2006
1.e4
Having lost the two previous games in a row, I thought that the team
would replace me in the match against the Armenian team ‘Bank
King’, but our captain Boris Kimovich Shaidullin decided to extend
my credit of trust for one more game. In my previous meeting with
Rafael, I had played 1.d4, and this game had brought me a share of
first place (together with Bacrot) in Poikovsky 2005.
1...e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4
After Black’s 11th move, I began to regret this queen move.

584
7...0-0 8.Bd3 Nbc6 9.Bg5
In my last game before this one in the same variation, against
another well-known Armenian GM, Smbat Lputian, I had almost
created a masterpiece: 9.Qh5 Ng6 10.Nf3 Qc7 11.Be3 c4 12.Bxg6
fxg6 13.Qg4 Qf7 14.Ng5 Qe8 15.h4 Bd7 16.Qe2 b5 17.g4 Qd8
18.h5 gxh5 19.Kd2 a5 20.Nxh7 Kxh7! 21.Rxh5+ Kg8 ( 21...Kg6! )
22.Rah1 b4 23.g5 bxc3+ 24.Kxc3 Kf7 25.Rh7 Qb6,

and now I could have ended the battle with 26.Qh5+! Ke7 27.Qg6
Be8 28.Qxg7+ Bf7 29.g6.
9...Qa5 10.Ne2 Re8
A very interesting novelty.
10...cxd4 11.f4 dxc3 12.0-0 Ng6 13.Qh5 Qc5+ 14.Kh1 Nce7
15.Rf3 f5 16.exf6 gxf6 17.Rh3 Rf7 18.Bxf6 Rxf6 19.Qxh7+ Kf8
20.Rg3 Qf2 21.Ng1 Bd7 22.Qh6+ Kf7 23.Qh7+ Kf8 24.Rf1 Qd4
25.Qh6+ Ke8 26.Qg7 and White was winning in D. Petrosian-
Mkrtchian, Yerevan 2006.
10...Ng6 is another option.
11.h4
585
Logical, although more dangerous, was 11.0-0!? c4 12.Bf6 Ng6
13.Bxg6 fxg6 14.Bg5 Rf8 with a structure typical for this variation.

11...Nxd4
The second ‘novelty’ according to my vague notes. It is strange that
I did not check this natural move and I even wrote down the move
11...cxd4 on my scoresheet. So, from that moment on I had to play
by myself. A pawn down and with 0 out of 2, I was very afraid of
getting a third zero...
On 11...cxd4 I had prepared the vicious 12.Qg3 Kh8 13.h5 Nf5 (on
13...h6, 14.Qf4! is a killer; for example, 14...hxg5 15.Qxf7 )
14.Bxf5 exf5 15.h6 g6 16.0-0 dxc3 17.e6! Bxe6 18.Nd4! Kg8
19.Nxc6 bxc6 20.Qe5 f6 21.Qxf6 Qc7 22.Rfe1 Qf7 23.Qxc3 and
White wins.
12.Rh3
This inclusion of the rook solves two issues at once: the attack on
the king and defence of the third rank.
12...Nxe2

586
Apparently a miscalculation. I mainly considered the jump of one or
other knight to f5:
A) 12...Ndf5 13.h5 c4 14.Bxf5 exf5 15.Qf4 h6 16.Bf6! with an
attack;
B) Much stronger is 12...Nef5 (the knight leaves e7, where it
could be exchanged, and at the same time the second knight on d4 is
untouchable) 13.Bf6 Kh8 14.Kf1 ( 14.Qh5 Rg8 15.Bxf5 Nxf5
16.g4 gxf6 17.gxf5 Qc7 18.0-0-0 Qxe5 19.Qxf7 Rg7 is equal)
14...gxf6 15.cxd4 fxe5 16.dxe5 Qc7 17.Re1 Rg8 18.Qf4 f6 19.Bxf5
fxe5 20.Qh6 exf5 21.Rg3 with an attack.
13.Kxe2
Here I thought that queen, rook and two bishops in the attack should
suffice for mate.
13.Bf6 is met by 13...Ng6.
13...Ng6
13...c4 fails to the typical bishop sacrifice: 14.Bxh7+ Kxh7 15.Bxe7
Rxe7 16.Rg3 g6 17.h5 winning.
Maybe 13...Qc7 was the most tenacious defence: 14.Bf6 Ng6 15.h5
gxf6 16.hxg6 Qxe5+, but even here White is clearly better after
17.Kd2 hxg6 18.Rah1 f5 19.Qa4 Rf8 20.Qh4.

587
14.h5
The attack is unstoppable.
14...Nxe5
On 14...c4 I would have tried to do the same as in the game:
15.hxg6 cxd3+ 16.cxd3 fxg6 17.Rxh7 Kxh7 18.Bf6 winning, while
on 14...Qxc3 15.hxg6 fxg6 16.Bxg6 Qxe5+ 17.Re3 Qxa1 18.Bxh7+
wins.
15.Qg3 Nxd3
Much more tenacious was 15...Ng4 – this at least saves Black from
mate: 16.Qxg4 f5 ( 16...e5 17.Bf5 Bxf5 18.Qxf5 f6 19.Bd2± )
17.Qg3 e5 ( 17...Qxc3 18.Bb5 Qxc2+ 19.Bd2 f4 20.Qg5 e5
21.Bxe8 Bxh3 22.Qe7 favours White, as does 17...c4 18.Bf6 ) 18.h6
g6 19.Kf1 f4 20.Qh4 Qxc3 21.Rb1 Bxh3 22.Bf6 and White is
winning in view of the threat to take on g6 followed by h7+.
16.Bf6 Nf4+

588
17.Kd2
After the game Vaganian admitted that he had only considered
17.Qxf4 e5 18.Qg5 Qa6+, and Black wins.
17...Ng6 18.hxg6 fxg6 19.Rxh7!!
Black resigned because of 19...Kxh7 20.Rh1+ Kg8 21.Qxg6 Re7
22.Bxg7 Rxg7 23.Qe8#.

Lessons:
1) Ammunition must match ambitions. It is not enough just to
have the right psychological attitude to a sharp uncompromising
struggle – it is also desirable not to overlook the opponent’s
resources, especially in home analysis.
2) A ‘poker face’ is a very useful thing in chess. Having missed
some idea for your opponent, do not engage in self-criticism (there
is a much more suitable time for this – after the end of the
tournament!), but instead try to convince him that you have
everything under control, and persistently look for the most
unpleasant continuation for him.
589
 3) Sometimes your confidence, even if only ostentatiously, can
have a depressing effect on the opponent, and he will start to make
mistakes. Alas, this is not always the case, so see point 1.
This is where my next successful streak ended, and I once again fell
into a creative hole; I played a lot, but to no avail. A round-robin in
Barcelona, rapids in Corsica and Warsaw, the B tournament in Wijk
aan Zee, all this can be safely put into my list of less successful
events. My sixth Aeroflot Open was no exception, although here I at
least managed to play one creative game.
Vasilios Kotronias
Victor Bologan
Moscow 2007
1.e4
After the third round, in which I lost to my compatriot Viorel
Iordachescu, the tournament was completely spoiled, but still I
decided to continue my participation. Before the game against
Kotronias, my mood didn’t improve much, especially since I had to
seriously prepare for the game with Black. The decision was
unexpected: to go into a forcing line, but one that Vasilios would
definitely not prepare before the game.
1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3
d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7
The Zaitsev Variation had never appeared in my Black games
before.

590
10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.a4 h6 13.Bc2 exd4 14.cxd4 Nb4
15.Bb1 c5 16.d5 Nd7 17.Ra3
Up to here Vasilios had moved very quickly, because he had played
this system as White for over twenty years.
17...c4
One of two possible main lines. The other, 17...f5, is even more
popular, but this weakens the position of the black king.
18.axb5 axb5 19.Nd4 Qb6 20.Nf5 Ne5 21.Rg3 g6
After 21...Kh7 Kotronias reacted very convincingly: 22.Nf3 Nbd3
23.Be3 Qc7 24.Bxd3 Nxd3 25.Bxh6 g6 26.Bxf8 Rxf8 27.Qd2 and
Black resigned in Kotronias-Fox, Cork 2005.

591
22.Nf3
An important point. White’s knight should approach the enemy king
as quickly as possible. Indeed, potentially all White’s pieces are
ready to attack – that’s why in many cases he can afford to make big
sacrifices.
22.Nf1?! Nbd3 23.Be3 Qd8 24.f4 Nxb2 25.Qd2 Ned3 26.Bd4 Qa5
27.Bc3 Qb6+ 28.Kh2 Na4 gave a clear advantage to Black in
Vescovi-l’Ami, Wijk aan Zee 2006.
22...Ned3
Up to now, each of us is following his own plan.
23.Be3
Another move, 23.Qd2, brought Anand a very important victory in
2005. But after that game the position was tested on computers and
the verdict changed to one of equality: 23...Bxd5 ( 23...Nxe1!? )
24.Nxh6+ Bxh6 25.Qxh6 Qxf2+ 26.Kh2 Nxe1 27.Nh4 with attack,
Anand-Adams, St Louis 2005.
23...Qd8 24.Bxh6
592
White sacrifices the exchange but Black hopes for more.
24...Qf6 25.Qd2
A novelty at the time. White stakes everything on one card.
A) If 25.Bxf8 Kxf8 26.N5d4 ( 26.Ng5?? loses to 26...Qxf5
27.exf5 Rxe1+ 28.Qxe1 Nxe1 ) 26...Nxe1 27.Qxe1 Nxd5 28.Bc2
Nf4 29.Rg4 Bc8, winning (Nimzo 8-Gromit 3 74, Internet 2001).
B) 25.Re2 Rxe4 26.Rxe4 Qxf5 with an edge for Black;
C) 25.N3h4!? Bc8 ( 25...Bxd5 was seen in Kotronias-Berend,
Heraklion 2007, when 26.Bd2! is a strong reply; also weaker is
25...Nxe1 26.Bg5 Qxb2 27.Nxg6 fxg6 28.Bh4 ) 26.Bd2 Bxf5
27.exf5 Rxe1+ 28.Bxe1 Qxh4 29.fxg6 fxg6 30.Bxb4 Nxb4
31.Rxg6+ Bg7 32.g3 Qe7 33.Bf5 Nd3 34.Be6+ Kf8 35.Qh5 Ra1+
36.Kg2 Qa7 37.Qf5+ Ke8 38.Bf7+ Kf8 39.Be6+ Ke8 and the
game is level.
25...Nxe1

26.Nh2?!
A beautiful, but incorrect idea, which, nevertheless, was very
unpleasant to meet at the board. I’m not 100% sure that this was
593
Kotronias’ home preparation, but it is clear that he had already
analysed similar ideas in the Zaitsev Variation. After the eventual
Ng4, a mating net will be woven, and because of the overwhelming
advantage of white pieces on the kingside, Black will soon have to
resign. The only good news for Black is that it is now his move. So,
I began to look for what to do about Ng4, and practically from the
very beginning I rejected the possibility of winning material.
The other option was 26.Bxf8 Nxf3+ 27.Rxf3 gxf5 28.Rxf5 Qg6
29.Rg5 Qxg5 30.Qxg5+ Kxf8 31.Qh6+ Kg8 ( 31...Ke7 32.e5! with
an attack) 32.Qg5+ with equality.
26...Rxe4?
Definitely not a computer move – programs barely even consider it
in the first three lines. By returning the rook, Black wins an
important tempo, creating another threat, which finally forces the
knight to go to f1. After 26...Ra1 27.Ng4 Qh8 28.Qg5 Rxb1 29.Kh2
Nxd5 30.e:d5 Bxh6 31.Nf6+ Black is losing, but the modern
Stockfish gives 26...Ned3! 27.Ng4 Qxb2 ( 27...Qh8 28.Qg5 Nxd5
29.Bxd3 cxd3 30.exd5 is good for White) 28.Qg5 Qc1+ 29.Qxc1
Nxc1 30.Bxc1 f6 and Black has a decisive advantage.
27.Bxe4
27.Ng4 loses to 27...Rxg4 28.hxg4 Ra1.
27...Ra1
The good thing about this game is that all of the pieces take part!
28.Nf1
Not 28.Ng4 Nf3 mate.
28...Bxd5
Much more forcing and stronger than the modest 28...Bc8 29.Bxf8
Bxf5 30.Bxf5 Qxf5 31.Qc3 f6 32.Qe3 with a clear advantage for
White, or 28...Ned3 29.Bxf8 Kxf8 30.Qh6+ Ke8 31.Rf3 Kd7
32.Nd4 Qe7 33.Re3 Qf6 34.Rf3 with equality.

594
29.Bxd5 Qxf5

30.Bxf7+!
In the event of 30.Bxf8 I saw a lovely mating idea: 30...Qxd5 (
30...Nxd5 µ) 31.Qh6 ( 31.Qc3 Kxf8 32.Qh8+ Ke7 33.Re3+ Kd7
34.Qe8+ Kc7 35.Rxe1 Rxe1 36.Qxe1 Nd3 and Black is clearly
better) 31...Qxg2+ 32.Rxg2 Nf3+ 33.Kh1 Rxf1+ 34.Rg1 Rxg1#.
30...Kxf7
30...Qxf7 31.Bxf8 Ned3 32.Bxd6 Nd5 33.h4 leaves White slightly
better.
31.Bxf8 Nbd3
Frankly, at this moment I assessed the position as absolutely
unclear, which is correct.
31...Kxf8 32.Qxd6+ Kg7 33.Qe7+ ( 33.Qxb4 Nd3 34.Qc3+ Qf6
with an edge for Black) 33...Qf7 34.Qxb4 Nd3 35.Rxd3 ( 35.Qd2
Rb1 36.Rf3 Qe7 ) 35...cxd3 36.Qd4+ Qf6 37.Qd7+ Kh8 38.Qxd3
leads to equality.
32.Qh6
595
Not 32.Bh6 Qe5 with a clear advantage for Black.
32...Qxf2+ 33.Kh2 Qf6

The only defence: Black not only covers the king from a check from
g7, but also practically catches the bishop on f8 and stops the
opponent’s attack for a while.
34.Ne3
Up to this point, the quality of the game was very high, but the game
took a lot of energy from us, and in the next 6 moves we made
mutual mistakes.
A) 34.Re3 Ne5 35.Ng3 Kg8 36.Nf5 Qxf8 wins for Black;
B) 34.Nd2! was the right way to bring the knight into play:
34...g5 ( 34...Qe5 35.Ne4 Qxe4 36.Bxd6 Ne5 37.Qf8+ Ke6
38.Bxe5 Qxe5 39.Qe8+ with equality; 34...Ne5 35.Ne4 N5f3+
36.gxf3 Qxb2+ 37.Nd2 Qe5 38.h4 Nxf3+ 39.Nxf3 Ra2+ 40.Kh1
Qxg3 41.Qg7+ Ke6 42.Qe7+ Kf5 43.Nd4+ Kg4 44.Qd7+ Kxh4
45.Qe7+ is also equal; if 34...Nf2 35.Re3 wins) 35.Qxf6+ Kxf6
36.Ne4+ Ke6 ( 36...Kf7 37.Bxd6 Rb1 38.Nxg5+ Kf6 39.Ba3 b4
40.Bxb4 Nxb4 41.Ne4+ Ke5 42.Nd2 Rc1 43.Rc3 ) 37.Nxd6 Ra8
596
38.Re3+ Kd5 39.Be7 Nc2 40.Nxb5 Nxe3 41.Nc7+ Ke4 42.Nxa8
Nxb2 43.Bxg5, and the ending should be a draw.
34...Nf2
In fact, I saw that after this White can play 35.Be7, but I completely
lost sight of the fact that in addition to the threat of taking the queen,
White also wants to give a check from f8. Instead, I should have
played 34...Ne5! 35.Ng4 Nxg4+ ( 35...N5f3+ also wins, and even
more beautifully: 36.Rxf3 Nxf3+ 37.Kg3 Qd4 38.gxf3 Rg1+
39.Kh4 Re1 ) 36.Rxg4 Nxg2 37.Re4 ( 37.Kxg2 Qxb2+; 37.Rxg2
Qe5+ 38.Rg3 Qxb2+ 39.Rg2 Qe5+ 40.Rg3 Ra2+ 41.Kh1 Qe1+
42.Rg1 Qe4+ 43.Rg2 Qxg2# ) 37...Re1, winning.
34...g5 35.Rxg5 Qf4+ 36.Rg3 Qxh6 37.Bxh6 also gave an edge to
Black.
35.Nc2??
A) 35.Nd5 Ned3 36.Qh7+ Kxf8 37.Qh6+ Kf7 was equal;
B) 35.Be7!! Qg7 ( 35...Kxe7 36.Nd5+ ) 36.Qf4+ Ke8 37.Qxd6
Qxe7 38.Qxg6+ Kd7 39.Qf5+ wins as the rook enters the game
with decisive effect.
35...Nxc2
Not 35...Ne4 36.Rg4 Nd3 37.Rxe4 Rh1+ 38.Kxh1 Nf2+ 39.Kg1
Nxe4 40.Qe3 Kxf8 41.Qxe4 and White wins.
36.Rf3 Rh1+ 37.Kg3 Ne4+ 38.Kg4

597
Here I used up the rest of my time advantage and decided to play for
a win.
38...Rf1
A risky decision, instead of which I could already have repeated
moves: 38...Nf2+ 39.Kg3 Ne4+.
39.Rxf6+
Or 39.Qg7+ Ke6 ( 39...Ke8 40.Rxf6 Ne3+ 41.Kh4 Nxg2+ 42.Kg4
Ne3+ 43.Kh4 g5+ 44.Kh5 Nxf6+ 45.Kg6 Nfd5 46.Bxd6 Rf6+
47.Qxf6 Nxf6 48.Kxf6 Kd7 49.Bc5 Nd1 50.Bd4 with equality)
40.Rxf6+ Rxf6 with an edge for Black.
39...Rxf6 40.Qg7+?!
The last move before the time control, made with just seconds left
on the clock, is a mistake.
It was better to put the bishop on the long diagonal: 40.Bg7! Rf5
(White is slightly better after 40...Re6 41.Bh8 Ke8 42.Qg7 Ne3+
43.Kf3 ) 41.Bc3 Rg5+ 42.Kf3 Rf5+ 43.Ke2 ( 43.Kxe4?? d5# )
43...g5 44.Qg7+ Ke6 45.Qg6+ Ke7 with equality.

598
40...Ke6 41.Qe7+ Kd5 42.Bh6 Rf2
The time-trouble phase was over and I saw that my four pieces
coordinated much better than White’s queen and bishop, especially
as the white king is bare, whereas Black’s is protected by pawns.
42...Kd4!? was also interesting.
43.Qb7+ Kd4 44.g3?
A big mistake although the alternatives were far from encouraging;
for instance, 44.Kh4 Kd3 45.Qd5+ Nd4 46.Bg7 Nf6 47.Bxf6 Rxf6,
or 44.Qxb5 Ne3+ 45.Bxe3+ Kxe3 46.h4 Rf4+ 47.Kh3 Nf2+
48.Kh2 Rxh4+ 49.Kg3 Rd4 and Black has serious winning chances.

44...Ne3+!
An important exchange, after which Black transfers play into
technical channels with very good winning chances.
45.Bxe3+ Kxe3 46.Qa7+
Or 46.Qxb5 Nf6+ 47.Kh4 Rf5 48.Qb6+ Kf3 49.Qc6+ d5 and Black
wins.
46...Kd3 47.Qa3+ Ke2 48.Qa8 d5 49.Qe8
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49.Qxd5 Nf6+.
49...Rf3 50.h4 b4?!
Here I could have ended the game with 50...Ke3 51.Kh3 Kf2
52.Kh2 Nd2.
51.Kh3
Or 51.Qb5 Ke3 52.Kh3 Rxg3+ 53.Kh2 d4 54.Qxc4 d3 55.Qxb4 d2
and Black wins.
51...Rxg3+ 52.Kh2 c3
The c-pawn is unstoppable.
53.bxc3bxc354.h5c255.Qb5+Rd3
White resigned.

Lessons:
1) Even if the tournament is spoiled (from the point of view of the
struggle for the highest places, etc.), this is not a reason to give up.
Try to find a different motivation – for example, test an interesting
opening line against a specialist, one that you have been wanting to
use for a long time, but the right opportunity never turned up.
2) In a sharp tactical struggle over the entire board, the initiative is
often more important than material.
3) After passing time-trouble, it is very important to take a breath,
calm down and objectively answer the most important question:
who is playing to win here?

600
Chapter 7
Qatar – Kishinev
2007 was a turning point in my life, which can be divided into three
main stages: the Kishinev stage, which includes childhood,
secondary school and my first steps in chess (1971-1989); the
Moscow stage – institute, graduate school, becoming a professional
chess player (1989-2007); and the Qatar stage – combining coaching
with various activities: player, chess functionary, politician (from
2007 to the present, with a short three-year break due to my
departure to Moldova). It all started with the fact that the Qatari
Chess Federation began to look for a coach; grandmaster Vladimir
Akopian worked for them, but for some reason he decided to leave.
In general, when talking about Qatar, I always remember the
proverb: ‘The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence’.
When you arrive there, you think: this is good, this is not so good;
but as soon as you leave, you immediately realize how good
everything was there!
Surprisingly, I seem to have covered all the professions that exist in
the world of professional chess, except for that of arbiter (although I
have one FIDE arbiter norm too): International Grandmaster, FIDE
Senior Trainer, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences (I defended a
dissertation on chess), FIDE Executive Director, Vice President of
the Moldovan Chess Federation, founder of the Viorel Bologan
Chess Academy. I have also proved myself as the author of books
and articles and recorded as many as 25 educational DVDs.
Unfamiliar people often come up and thank me for my books and
DVDs, saying that when they play a game, my voice sounds in their

601
head with all the necessary instructions. I tested myself in a variety
of roles, and all of this was quite interesting to me. It worked out
well, I hope. For 42 years now I have been serving chess, and I must
admit that it has paid me back a hundred-fold. By and large, my
whole life is one big multifaceted chess career. Only twice did I
leave chess for a short time: in 1997 I worked in an investment fund
with Max Dlugy and for two-and-a-half years I was a member of the
Parliament of Moldova (though I did not stop playing chess).
However, my job in Qatar was my first official, paid, full-time job.
And they invited me because Mohamed Al-Modiahki liked my
games and my style of play. The fact that I played the King’s Indian
Defence, which was also part of his repertoire, also had an effect. I
was given several months to prepare for the move; during the
Russian Team Championship, Akopian gave me a lot of information
and practical advice. He said, for example, that there was no way to
do without a car. And at that time, I had no licence, only my wife
drove us. It seemed to me much more convenient and faster to move
around Moscow by metro and on foot – I managed to do everything
and felt very comfortable with it. My wife, on the other hand, went
to her theatre by car. She tried a couple of times to take the subway,
but she did not like to travel in a crowded carriage in a fur coat.
She’s had her license almost from the age of 18, so she is an
experienced driver. In general, in our family, Rita is a mechanic, an
electrician, and a plumber: she turns her hand to whatever she needs
to.
But for life in Qatar, of course, I had to learn to drive myself. Since
I travelled a lot, I took some courses in Moscow, and then in
Kishinev. The Moscow instructor amazed me. As soon as I got into
the car and turned on the ignition, he said:
– Okay, let’s go!
– Go how?
– Get out the gate, let’s go!

602
Outside the gate was the usual Moscow traffic, but I had no idea at
all! I remember that on the first day I was firmly stuck at the
crossroads... but after a couple of classes I got used to it and drove
around Moscow. 60 km/h – for me at the time it was ‘chasing’! So,
the training was very intensive, and I got my licence in Kishinev.
I arrived in Qatar on June 6, 2007, and started working. I lived in a
hotel for three months, and I really liked it: they feed you, you have
exercise equipment, and besides, the country is alcohol-free –
everything is for health! For three months I gave myself completely
to the work, and it turned out very well. I infected my students with
my enthusiasm and they also worked very powerfully. I started with
three students, all three grandmasters: Mohamed Al-Modiahki, his
wife ex-World Champion Zhu Chen, and Mohamed-Nasser Al-
Sayed. Of course, for such a small country (only three hundred
thousand citizens), this is a great achievement. I remember that we
studied the King’s Indian through and through. Dvoretsky’s
endgame textbook, as well as his positions for solving, also came in
handy.
It was a bright period in my life: everything was new, everything
was interesting. I bought the first car in my life, on the advice of
Mohamed – a ‘Mitsubishi Pajero’, said to be the best combination of
price and quality. They gave me the keys, and I didn’t even know
the way to the house! It was also an adventure, but I did it. I quickly
got used to my car, and it still serves me now, in Kishinev, where I
moved it at some point.
The work also brought me excellent results. I went to a tournament
in Mainz (Germany), where we played rapid and FischeRandom
chess. In the latter, I took first place, beating Grischuk,
Mamedyarov and Leko in a row and in the decisive game Ivanchuk,
who was ahead of me by half a point, with Black. The positions
turned out to be exceptionally interesting! In general, I think that
FischeRandom chess has very great potential. By the way, thanks to

603
that victory, I participated in the first unofficial World
Championship in FischeRandom chess in 2009. By and large, I was
close to scoring a hat-trick, because in rapid chess I scored 9 out of
11, but I did not convert several won positions and I had to be
satisfied with first place in FischeRandom and first place in the
overall standings. That is, I was in crazy shape, and my students also
played very well. When you give your all to the process, then
success will inevitably come.
I must say that I played FischeRandom then almost for the first time
in my life. But my broad outlook helped me: after all, I played a
variety of openings. The very ‘kaleidoscope of positions’ that I talk
about in my master classes helped. Chess strength directly depends
on the set of typical positions that the player has firmly mastered.
When you recognize already known images, your brain works much
faster. If you have analysed these positions, then the brain
automatically suggests the right decision. In FischeRandom chess,
general erudition and versatility help a lot.

604
Qatari chess players at the Arab Games. In the centre: Viorel
Bologan, Mohamed Al-Modiahki and the director of the Qatar
Chess Federation Hamad Al-Tamini. Algeria, 2023.

With two-time winner of the Arab Games Zhu Chen.

In general, what is the difference between an amateur chess player
and a professional one? A professional knows a thousand times
more positions and has studied them during his career. For instance,
Magnus Carlsen played and analysed a wide variety of openings,
sometimes even ‘exotic’ ones. Plus, he read all sorts of books.
Undoubtedly, he is the greatest chess player of all time.
And then we went to the Asian Games in Macau. The Qatari
delegation won eight medals in all sports, and three of them were
won by my wards: Zhu Chen won gold and silver, and Mohamed
‘only’ silver, which, in the conditions of high competition from

605
representatives of China, India and Central Asia, was counted as a
very cool achievement.
Mohamed Al-Modiahki, an absolute nugget of gold and a very
original chess player, was recognized as the best Arab chess player
of the 20th century. He has worked very hard since childhood and
he still loves chess. Sheikh Mohamed (a member of the ruling
dynasty) and the Qatar Chess Federation supported him;
grandmaster Alexey Kuzmin worked very fruitfully with him and
raised a great grandmaster. I also worked very intensively with him,
but at some point things cooled down, and my wife and I started
getting itchy feet. Zhu Chen became pregnant for the second time,
so she had other worries. So, the announcement that my contract
would not be renewed did not come as a surprise to me. In principle,
everyone in Qatar treated me very well and we parted on good
terms. And this is very important, as three years later I received an
invitation to return.
Our initial departure to Qatar was connected with the sale of our
Strogino apartment, since in parallel we were building a house in
Kishinev, where we were going to return after the short – as it
seemed to us then – business trip to Qatar. I sold my apartment in
Strogino very successfully (I bought it in the 2000s for $38,500, and
sold it in 2007 for $255,000). Moreover, the market was then
booming, and the buyers bought the apartment from me at the first
viewing. With the proceeds, we built a luxurious house in Kishinev
and in 2009 we drove there with all our Qatari belongings. We
managed to put our car, furniture, and personal belongings in one
container. Akopian’s advice helped me again, this time on ‘how to
leave the country most efficiently’.
But for now, let’s go back a year. I was still in Qatar, and thanks to
the large number of vacation days I could travel to the most
important tournaments, and here I was at the next European
Championship, vying for selection for the World Cup. Despite two

606
defeats against Romanov and l’Ami, I did not lose my courage and
entered the game with the rising star of world chess fully charged.
Sicilian Defence
Victor Bologan
Fabiano Caruana
Plovdiv Ech 2008
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Bd3 Nf6 7.f4
b5
This move is more unpleasant than the usual ...d7-d6, because it
forces White to think immediately about defence.
8.a3
To be honest, I didn’t prepare for this, but in the end I decided to
knock my opponent out of his home preparation and just play chess.
It worked out very well: Caruana began to spend a lot of time, and
in the end it cost him an extremely important point. Alternatives
were:
A) 8.e5 b4 9.Ne4 Nxe4 10.Bxe4 Bb7 11.Qf3 Nc6 ( 11...Bxe4
12.Qxe4 Nc6 13.Nxc6 Qxc6 14.Qxc6 dxc6 15.Ke2 0-0-0 16.Be3
Rd5 17.c4 bxc3 18.bxc3 g5 with equality in Iordachescu-Avrukh,
Dresden 2007) 12.Nxc6 Bxc6 13.Bxc6 dxc6 14.0-0 Bc5+ 15.Be3
Qb6 16.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 17.Qf2 Qxf2+ 18.Kxf2 Ke7 with equality,
Sutovsky-Rublevsky, Poikovsky 2007;
B) 8.Qe2 Bb7 9.Bd2 b4 10.Na4 d5 11.e5! Ne4 12.Be3 Nd7 13.0-
0 Ndc5 14.Nxc5 Bxc5 15.Nb3 Be7 16.Bd4 0-0 17.Nd2 Rfd8?!
(Black can equalize the position after 17...Bc5 18.Bxc5 Qxc5+
19.Kh1 Qd4! ) 18.Qe3 a5 ( 18...Bc5? 19.Bxe4 Bxd4 20.Bxh7+! )
19.Kh1 Nxd2 20.Qxd2 with a slight advantage in Bologan-
Rublevsky, Dortmund 2004.
8...d6

607
After the game, my opponent admitted that he had rejected 8...Bb7
because of 9.e5 ( 9.Qf3 Nc6 10.Nb3 b4 11.Ne2 bxa3 12.bxa3 d5
13.e5 Ne4 14.0-0 Be7 15.Be3 0-0 16.Ng3 (Gunnarsson-
Ptachnikova, Iceland 2007) 16...Nc3! ) 9...Nd5 10.Ne4 Nc6
11.Nb3 which looks favourable for White. However, if we continue
the variation – 11...Be7 12.0-0 Qb6+ 13.Kh1 0-0 14.Qh5 g6
15.Qh3 a5 16.Nc3 Nxc3 17.bxc3 a4 18.Nd2 Na5, then we will see
that Black’s position is quite defensible.
9.g4
Again, I use the good old ‘suitcase’, which is how my coach Lanka
called a massive pawn attack on the kingside in the Sicilian
Defence. Since I have established a balance on the queenside and in
the centre, I have time for a solid attack on the kingside.

9...h6
After long thought, Fabiano decided to oppose the white pawns.
Alternatively:
A) 9...Nc6 10.Nxc6 Qxc6 11.Qe2 Nd7 12.Be3 Nc5 13.0-0-0
Be7 14.Bd4 0-0 15.Kb1 with a slight advantage for White;
608
 B) 9...Bb7 10.g5 Nfd7 11.f5 Nc6 12.Nxc6 Bxc6 13.fxe6 fxe6
14.Qg4 and again White is slightly better.
10.Qe2
Especially after ...h6 has been played, White should always look at
the direct g4-g5-g6. For example, 10.g5 hxg5 11.fxg5 Nfd7 12.g6
Ne5 13.gxf7+ Qxf7 14.Rf1 Qh5 is unclear.
10...Nbd7
10...Nc6? is bad because of 11.Nxc6 Qxc6 12.Nxb5.
After 10...Bb7 I planned simply to prepare long castling: 11.Bd2 (
11.g5 hxg5 12.fxg5 Nfd7 13.g6 Nc5 14.gxf7+ Qxf7 ) 11...Nc6
12.Nxc6 Bxc6 13.0-0-0 Be7 14.Kb1 with a slight advantage.
11.Bd2
And again 11.g5 was possible: 11...hxg5 12.fxg5 Nh5 13.Rf1 Ne5
14.Be3 with an edge. Black controls the important e5-square, but
even so, White’s position is better because of the badly-placed
knight on h5.
11...g6
This appears to be too slow; it was better to settle for the plan of
...Bb7 and ...Nc5: 11...Bb7 12.0-0-0 ( 12.g5 hxg5 13.fxg5 Nh5
14.g6 Nc5 15.gxf7+ Qxf7 16.Rf1 Nf6 17.0-0-0 Qh5 ) 12...Nc5
13.Kb1 Be7 14.Rhg1 d5 15.e5 Nfe4 16.Bxe4 dxe4 17.Be3 Na4
18.Nxa4 bxa4 19.Bd2 Rc8 20.Bb4 with a slight advantage for
White.
12.0-0-0 Bg7

609
And now, of course, I realized that tactics should work for me. The
question was how exactly to play, since I had a choice of three
tempting continuations.
13.g5
My original idea was 13.e5! dxe5 14.Nxe6! ( 14.Bxg6 doesn’t
work, counting on 14...0-0? 15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.g5 with an attack,
since after the correct 14...exd4 15.Qxe6+ Kd8 the advantage is on
Black’s side) 14...fxe6 15.Bxg6+ Kd8 16.fxe5 Ne8 ( 16...Nd5
17.Nxd5 exd5 18.e6 Ne5 19.e7+ Kd7 20.Bb4 Bb7 21.Rhe1 Rag8
22.Bf5+ Ke8 23.Be6 Bf6 24.Bxd5, winning; 16...Qxe5 17.Qxe5
Nxe5 18.Bxh6+ Ke7 19.Bxg7 Nxg6 20.g5 Ng4 21.Bxh8 Nxh8
22.Rhg1 Ne5 23.h4 with a clear advantage) 17.Rhf1 Bb7 18.Rf7
Bc6 19.Ne4 Rf8 20.Nc5 Kc8 21.Nxe6, winning. I understood that it
was good for White, but I decided to play ‘even better’ and got
confused.
After the game, Caruana suggested 13.f5 Ne5 14.fxg6 fxg6 15.g5
hxg5 16.Bxg5 Bd7 17.Rhf1 0-0. White is definitely better, but not
by much.

610
13...hxg5 14.e5
I decided to include 13.g5 in order to have the g5-square for the
bishop in the variations after e4-e5. This is true, but I overlooked
that after ...hxg5 I no longer have Bh6 after the exchange on e5.
14.fxg5 Nh5 15.Be3 Ne5 16.Kb1 gives White a slight advantage.
14...dxe5 15.Bxg6
Already at this moment I understood that things were not quite as I
had hoped, and so I had to go in for another sacrifice.
15.Nxe6! fxe6 16.Bxg6+ Kd8, and now 17.fxg5 instead of the
planned 17.fxe5 Qxe5. There could follow 17...Nd5 18.Rhf1 Rf8
19.Bf7 N7b6 20.Qh5 Ra7 21.Qg6 with an attack.
15...exd4 16.Qxe6+ Kd8 17.Qxf7

The critical moment of the game. Black’s position looks better, but
Fabiano was already in time-trouble and I had the psychological
initiative on my side.
17...Nf8?

611
Both 17...Nc5 and 17...Nb6 would have posed me real
unpleasantness:
A) 17...Nc5 18.fxg5 Qxf7 19.Bxf7 Ng4 20.g6 ( 20.Nd5 Nf2
21.Ba5+ Kd7 22.Nb6+ Ke7 23.Bd5 Rb8 24.Rde1+ Kd6 25.Rhf1
Rf8 also wins for Black) 20...Nf2 21.Nd5 Nxh1 22.Rxh1 Bb7
23.Bg5+ Kd7 24.Nb6+ Kc7 25.Nxa8+ Bxa8 is winning for Black;
B) 17...Nb6 18.fxg5 Qxf7 19.Bxf7 Ng4 with a clear advantage.
18.fxg5 Qxf7 19.Bxf7 dxc3
19...Ng4 20.Nd5 Nf2 21.Ba5+ Kd7 22.Rde1 Nxh1 23.Nb6+ Kd6
24.Nxa8 favours White.
20.Bxc3+ Ke7
According to most of those who watched the game, they were
looking for a way for me to bail out, whereas I was still fighting for
victory!
21.Bb3
Of course, I could have gone for a draw after 21.gxf6+ Bxf6 22.Bd5
Bxc3 23.Bxa8 Be5 24.Rde1 Ng6 25.h4 Kf6 26.h5 Nf4, but the
move in the game raises more questions to be solved in the
remaining 30 seconds per move.
21...Be6
21...Ne6 also holds, but Black has to find an elaborate defensive
mechanism: 22.Bb4+ Kf7 23.Rhf1 a5! 24.Bc3 b4 25.Bxf6 Bxf6
26.Rxf6+ Ke7 27.Re1 Ra6 28.Rh6 Rxh6 29.gxh6 Bd7 30.Bd5 Rb6
31.h7 Rb8 32.axb4 axb4 33.Rg1 Rh8 34.Be4 Kf7 and Black should
be OK.
22.Rhe1
22.Rhf1 Kf7 23.Bxe6+ Nxe6.
22...Ne8
22...Re8 23.Bxe6 Nxe6 24.gxf6+ Bxf6 25.Bb4+ Kf7 26.Rd7+ Kg6
27.Rd6 Nf4 28.Rxe8 Rxe8 29.Rxa6 Nd5 30.Bd2 leads to equality.
612
23.Bb4+ Kf7 24.Bxe6+ Nxe6 25.Rd7+

25...Kg6
After 25...Kg8 26.Rxe6 a5 ( 26...Rxh2 27.Rde7 Rh1+ 28.Kd2 Rh2+
29.Ke3 Bxb2 30.Rxe8+ Rxe8 31.Rxe8+ Kh7 32.Re6 Bxa3 33.g6+
Kh6 34.Bd2 Bb2 35.Rxa6 ) 27.Bxa5 Rxh2 28.Kb1 White is slightly
better.
26.Rxe6+ Kf5
Black should have taken the pawn – 26...Kxg5, intending 27.Rxe8 (
27.Bd2+ Kf5 28.Re2 Bf6 ) 27...Bxb2+! 28.Kxb2 Rhxe8 with a clear
advantage.
27.Re2 Rc8
27...Kxg5 28.Rg2+ Kf5 29.Rf2+ Kg4 30.Rg2+ Kf3 31.Rg3+ Kf4
32.Rdxg7 is also level.
28.Kb1

613
28...Rc7?
This loses immediately, whereas after 28...Kxg5 29.Rxe8 Rcxe8
30.Rxg7+ Kf5 31.Rf7+ Kg6 32.Rf2 I would have had only a small
advantage.
29.Rd8! Kxg5
29...Nf6 loses after 30.Rxh8 Bxh8 31.gxf6.
30.Rdxe8 Rxe8 31.Rxe8 Rf7 32.Re6 Rf1+ 33.Ka2 Rf2 34.Kb3
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) A professional chess player should always have a suitcase ready
– both literally and figuratively!
2) Often in chess, as in life, ‘the best is the enemy of the good’.
We are all maximalists at heart, but in a difficult position, the
calculation of which requires a lot of time and effort, it is very easy
to get confused and outwit yourself (13.g5).

614
 3) The psychological initiative is a completely material thing and
very unpleasant for an opponent. Multiplied by self-confidence, it
helps to continue the fight for victory in a situation where many
would consider it good to bail out to a draw (21.Bb3).
This victory allowed me to move on to the tiebreaks, where I
eventually took away a ticket to the World Cup from the Romanian
grandmaster Lupulescu. Further, until our departure, nothing
remarkable in terms of chess happened: leagues, Poikovsky, the
Dresden Olympiad. But Qatar once again brought pleasant results –
in June 2008, Antoshka was born to us. It should be noted that the
protocol American system of medicine, widely implemented in
Qatar, has, as they say, come to us. At least, all the negativity
associated with childbirth in Sevastopol was eliminated, and we had
a healthy child. We understood that if Rita wanted to work, then we
would need a nanny to take care of Katya. So, we hired Aunt Lisa
from the Philippines. During the fifteen years that she has been
working with us, she not only learned Russian, but also learned how
to cook wonderfully, including Russian and Moldovan cuisine.
After tasting her borscht, it is not easy to force yourself to go to a
restaurant.
Now for 2009. I received the expected termination notice at the
beginning of the year, and although I was supposed to have only a
month to close my business and leave, the kind president of the
federation, Khalifa Al-Hitmi, allowed me to stay on for one more
month. As a result, on March 4, after a long twenty years, I safely
returned to Moldova. True, already on March 6th I played at the
European Championship in Budva (Montenegro). Once again, I
managed to qualify for the World Cup by scoring the required +4,
but this is where my progress towards the World Championship title
usually ended.
Having played three more games in the French League for the
Alsace-based Mulhouse team, I finally got to Kishinev. The house

615
was not ready yet, so I had to stay with my mother in her big house
for a couple of months. Mom played – and still plays – a very
important role in my life. It is clear that she raised and brought up
my brothers and me, but she also helped me get a plot of land on
which I built my house – the state allocated the land for free. At that
time (in 2002) it was an abandoned area among vegetable gardens,
and now it is a very prestigious area, where there are decent
mansions around, including residences of ambassadors.
Construction and repair continued for several years, with no end in
sight... but when we returned from Qatar, I told the builders: ‘As
you wish, but on May 9, on Victory Day, we must move into the
house!’ They didn’t seem to believe us at all. And on the morning of
May 9, I came with my wife and said: ‘That’s it, we will live here!’
We can say that we spent the night in the middle of a construction
site, but it really helped. The builders completed the repairs very
quickly, and we settled in our house. And then we began to count
our money...
Sadly, the debits did not agree with the credits, and in order to pay
everyone off, I once again had to borrow a fair amount. And no one
was paying me a salary anymore... the life of a chess professional is
always a search for a livelihood. I then did a few things that opened
up new horizons for me. First of all, in the last months of my life in
Qatar, I began work on the book King’s Indian Defence: A
Repertoire for Black. I also started recording DVDs for ChessBase.
Moreover, Ernesto Inarkiev helped me to find clubs in Serbia and
Croatia, for which I began to play. And I managed to quickly return
to the system of national European leagues, from which I had been
cut off during my life in Qatar. I returned to the routine, which was
not so easy.
It took me about six months to readjust; in the autumn I had already
paid off all my debts and we lived in clover in my new house. And
then I had an ‘idiot’s dream’: to accumulate financial fat and do

616
nothing for six months. I thought $50,000 would be enough for six
months of rest. It took me three long years to fulfil this dream,
during which time I saved up $35,000.
The ability to manage finances is very important for a chess player.
Previously, there was no such profession as an online coach, but
now it is in great demand. However, it is not easy to maintain a high
level of play and at the same time give lessons. I gave online lessons
for a while, then stopped.
Planning, of course, works: if you have a goal to accumulate money,
then it begins to accumulate; if not, it all just gets spent, no matter
what amounts come in.
Speaking of finances, my family is very grateful to the leadership of
the Nefteyugansk region for the Karpov tournament. Visiting
grandmasters were always treated with respect there. So, this time,
the first step towards restoring my financial well-being was the
Poikovsky tournament.
Pirc Defence
Zahar Efimenko
Victor Bologan
Poikovsky 2009
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 Nbd7
I released a whole DVD on the Philidor Defence, which successfully
sold out, and the roots of this opening in my repertoire were laid by
my first coach Ivan Yakovlevich. I will say that the opening is still
alive, and my student Zhu Chen, who, after a long break, performed
at the Pan-Arab Games in July 2023 in the ancient city of
Constantine (Algeria), won both gold medals for Qatar in rapid and
blitz thanks to the Philidor.
5.Bc4 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Re1 c6 8.a4 a5 9.h3

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9...Nb6
I borrowed this idea from my former teammate Jens-Uwe Maiwald.
In the first round, I tried 9...exd4 but it didn’t end well for me:
10.Nxd4 Nc5 11.Bf4 Ne8 12.Be3 Nxe4? ( 12...Nf6 13.Qf3 Nfd7
14.Ba2 Ne5 15.Qg3 Bh4 16.Qh2 Qb6 is unclear) 13.Nxe4 d5
14.Ng3. Before making my 12th move, I wondered what I might
have missed, but my opponent showed me: 14...dxc4 15.Ndf5 with
a clear advantage. The key point is that the bishop cannot leave the
e7-square and at the same time it cannot hold back the pressure
coming from the white pieces (Gashimov-Bologan, Poikovsky
2009).
10.Bf1
A) 10.Ba2 Nfd7 11.Be3 exd4 12.Bxd4 Nc5 13.Bxc5 dxc5
14.Qe2 Qd6 15.Rad1 Qh6 16.Qd2 Qxd2 17.Nxd2 Rd8 18.Nc4
Nxc4 19.Bxc4 Bd7 20.Rd3 Be8 21.e5 Rd4 is equal (Parligras-
Bologan, Moscow 2008);
B) 10.Bd3 Nfd7 11.Ne2 exd4 12.Nexd4 Nc5 13.b3 d5 14.e5 Ne4
15.Bb2 f5! (Nataf-Bologan, France tt 2007).
618
10...exd4!
A novelty. 10...Nfd7 11.Be3 ( 11.b3 exd4 12.Nxd4 Nc5 13.Bf4 f5
14.exf5 Bxf5 15.Nxf5 Rxf5 16.Qg4 Rf7 17.Ne4 d5 18.Nxc5 Bxc5
19.g3 Bd6 with equality, was Korneev-Pelletier, Porto Mannu 2009)
11...exd4 12.Qxd4 Nc5 13.Rad1 Re8 14.b3 Nbd7 15.Qd2 Qc7
16.Nd4 Nf6 17.f3 Be6 18.g4 h6 19.Bg2 Rad8 20.Bf2 Bc8 21.f4 ²
Caruana-Bezold, Germany Bundesliga 2009.
11.Nxd4 d5 12.e5 Ne8 13.Nce2 g6 14.Bh6 Ng7 15.Ng3 Bg5
Perhaps Black should prefer 15...Re8!? 16.Qd2 Ne6 17.c3 Bg5
18.Bxg5 Qxg5 though White is still for choice after 19.Re3 (
19.Qxg5 Nxg5 20.Bd3 Ne6 is level) 19...Nc5 20.Nf3 Qe7 21.Qd4.
16.Bxg5 Qxg5 17.Nf3

17...Qf4?!
In the event of 17...Qh6 I was afraid of 18.c4, but Black holds after
18...Be6 19.Qb3 ( 19.cxd5 Bxd5 ) 19...Nxc4 20.Bxc4 dxc4
21.Qxb7 Bd5 22.Ne4 Rab8 23.Qc7 Nh5 and an unclear position has

619
arisen. In this variation, 19.Qd4 Nd7 20.Qc3 deserves attention, and
White’s chances are still higher.
If 17...Qe7 18.Qd2, eyeing up the h6-square. If now 18...Nf5, then
19.Nxf5 Bxf5 20.Qh6 ².
18.Ne2 Qh6 19.Ned4 Be6 20.c3 Nd7 21.b4
White has excellent control of the dark squares and I needed to be
very careful in order to equalize.
21...Rfe8 22.Qb3 axb4 23.cxb4 Nf5 24.a5

24...Qf4
I need to deflect White’s forces from attacking the queenside.
25.Qc3
25.Ne2 Qh6 26.g3 was very strong.
25...Nxd4 26.Qxd4 Qh6
I considered that the white pieces were now badly placed, so why
exchange them?
27.Bd3 Rec8

620
Preparing ...c6-c5.
28.a6!?
If 28.Rec1 c5 29.bxc5 Rxa5!, but 28.Bf1 c5 29.bxc5 Rxc5 30.Qb4
was a decent alternative.
28...b6
Too optimistic. I decided to play for a win before I had equalized.
Stronger was 28...bxa6 29.Rxa6 Rxa6 30.Bxa6 Rb8 31.Bd3 Qf8
32.Rb1 c5 with equality.
29.Qe3
29.Qb2 c5 30.Bb5 Rc7 31.Red1 Qf4 32.Qc1! offers White a slight
advantage.
29.b5 c5 30.Qc3 Nf8 31.Bf1 also favours White as Black will
struggle to effectively advance his pawns.
29...Qxe3 30.Rxe3 c5 31.b5
31.Bb5!? Ra7 32.Ree1 h6 33.Kh2 Kg7 34.g4 cxb4 35.Nd4 Nc5
leads to equality.
31...h6
Black could have immediately played 31...Nf8 32.Bc2 Bd7 33.Ba4
Ne6 with a clear advantage.
32.Ree1 Ra7 33.Bc2 Nf8!
A very unpleasant move, especially for an opponent in time-trouble.
Now there are threats of ...Bd7, ...Nf8-e6-c7.
34.Red1 Re8
With a small trap...
35.Nd2
... and Zahar falls for it.
Better was 35.Rab1 g5.
35...Bd7 36.Ba4 Ne6 37.Nb1

621
Or 37.Nf3 Nc7 38.Rdb1 Rea8 39.Ra3 c4 40.Kf1 Nxa6! 41.bxa6
Rxa6 42.Bxd7 Rxa3.
37...Nf4
37...Nc7 38.f4 Rb8 39.Nc3 d4 40.Kf2 Kf8 and Black is again
clearly better.
38.Nc3
Or 38.Re1 f6.
38...d4?!
38...Rxe5 loses to 39.g3 Nxh3+ 40.Kf1 d4.
39.Ne4 Rxe5 40.Nd6
40.Nf6+ Kg7 41.Nxd7 Rxd7 42.Bb3 Ra7 43.Re1 Kf6 44.Bc4µ .
40...Re6 41.Nc4

41...Ne2+ 42.Kf1 Nc3 + 43.Rdb1 Nxb1 44.Rxb1 Kf8 45.f4

45.Re1 loses: 45...Rxe1+ 46.Kxe1 Be6 ( 46...Bc8 ) 47.Nxb6 c4
48.Bd1 Ke7.

622
45...Ke7 46.Kf2 Kd8 47.Ne5 f6 48.Nc4 Kc7 49.Bd1 Re4 50.Bc2
Rxf4+ 51.Ke2 Be6 52.Na5 Bd5 53.Bxg6 Bxg2 54.Nc4 Bxh3
55.Rh1 Be6 56.Bd3 Bxc4 57.Bxc4 Kd6 58.Rxh6 Re7+ 59.Kd1 d3
60.Bxd3 c4 61.Bg6 Kc5 62.Rh5+ Kb4 63.Rd5 Rf1+ 64.Kd2 c3+
0-1

Lessons:
1) Separate failures should not lead to the rejection of your
favourite opening schemes if you believe in their solidity and
reliability. Keep looking for new ideas and creatively re-think the
findings of other chess players.
2) In smart books it is written that you cannot start playing for a
win before you have equalized the position. But sometimes you
have to break the rules. True, faith in oneself is not enough here: one
must clearly understand that the line of acceptable risk is not
crossed, and the opponent has to solve really difficult tasks.
3) Quiet and at the same time multifaceted moves like 33...Nf8!
are always unpleasant – especially when your opponent is in time-
trouble. It is very easy to get confused – to overestimate the
imaginary threats and miss the real ones.
The first league Ernesto got me into was the Greek league in
Kallithea. Then I went to the Serbian team championship in the city
of Kragujevac. But something went wrong and I lost 20 rating
points there. Right before the league match, a familiar healer from
Sevastopol taught me the Eye of Rebirth technique. It’s Tibetan
yoga, the five dynamic elements that I’ve been trying to do every
morning since then. A fantastic thing, highly recommended! It only
takes a few minutes a day, but the effect is incredible. The spine,
general energy – everything is maintained at a decent level.
So, I failed in the Serbian league, but continued to do the Eye of
Rebirth. The Croatian league was next, and before it was a small
five-day training camp with Sasha Riazantsev, Sasha Onischuk, and

623
Anatoly Karpov (the 12th World Champion was preparing for an
exhibition match with Kasparov in Valencia). Both great champions
were already, in fact, ‘retired’, but nevertheless they approached the
match very seriously. We helped Anatoly Evgenievich purely in a
friendly way; he offered some money for the work, but we, of
course, refused. For us, communication – the search for new ideas –
was much more important. It was especially pleasant when Karpov
nevertheless managed to beat Kasparov in the g3-Grünfeld we had
prepared.
Those ideas that we looked at in the training camp turned out to be
very fruitful; the creative, friendly atmosphere also helped. After
that, it was as if I was a changed man and in the Croatian league I
showed one of the best performances in my life – 2908 TPR! I
played very creatively and freely; of course, this was facilitated by
the atmosphere in the team. Croatia itself is a beautiful country, and
I immediately felt in my element; I later played several times for
this club. Our leader, Anto Ascic, had a fatherly attitude towards the
players; there I became friends with grandmaster Davor Rogic and
with Robert Dabo-Peranic, with whom I later published two books
on 1.e4 e5. His ideas, design, and historical references greatly
adorned the books. Robert even came to Qatar and stayed at my
house for about six months while we worked on the books.
Victor Bologan
Pavel Eljanov
Croatia tt 2009

624
Black has an extra pawn in the endgame, but it’s hard to look at the
f8-bishop without crying. In addition, the white king is very active
and can penetrate the opponent’s camp along the light squares. All-
in-all, Black is in for a tough defence.
47.Kd5 Rxh3 48.Bd4 Rh5+ 49.Ke6 d5
The attempt to safeguard the king by 49...Kc8 leads to the loss of
the bishop with 50.Kf7.
50.Kd7 Rh4 51.Re6 Re4 52.Rb6+ Ka8 53.Ra6+ Kb7 54.Ra7+
Kb8 55.Rxa5 h5

625
56.b6
It is a matter of taste, but it was also possible to set the rook’s pawn
in motion: 56.Ra6 Ba3 57.Rc6 Re7+ 58.Kd8 Rf7 59.a5 Rf8+ 60.Kd7
Rf7+ 61.Ke6 Re7+ 62.Kxd5 h4 63.a6 h3 64.a7+ Rxa7 65.Bxa7+
Kxa7 66.Ra6+ and White wins.
56...h4 57.Kc6 g5
In the event of 57...Re6+ 58.Kxd5 Re8 59.Ra7 h3 60.Bg1 the bishop
stops the passed pawn.
58.Rxd5 Re6+ 59.Kb5 Bd6

626
60.Bc5
A more precise path to victory was 60.a5 h3 61.Bc5!; for example,
61...h2 ( 61...Bxc5 62.Rd8+ Kb7 63.a6 mate) 62.Bxd6+ Rxd6
63.Rxd6 h1Q 64.Rd8+ Kb7 65.a6 mate.
60...Bxc5 61.Rd8+ Kb7 62.Rd7+ Kc8 63.Rc7+ Kb8 64.Kxc5 Re8
65.a5 Rh8 66.a6 h3 67.a7+ Ka8 68.b7+ Kxa7 69.Rc8 Kxb7
70.Rxh8 g4 71.Kd4
Black resigned.
A week after my Croatian triumph, I again returned to the territory
of the former Yugoslavia, this time to Ohrid in Macedonia. In
addition to Kosovo, I have visited all the republics, and I must say
have always felt very comfortable there. I can even maintain a
conversation in Serbo-Croatian a little. So, in Ohrid, I generally
performed well, although the Tomsk 400 team could not repeat the
previous year’s success and, having drawn in the last round, took
only 9th place.
French Defence

627
Victor Bologan
Yuri Drozdovskij
Ohrid Ech-tt 2009
This was the penultimate round of the European Club
Championship, and only a victory in the match left us with a chance
for the title.
At the pre-match meeting, we decided that I had a chance to win
against the young grandmaster from Odessa.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 a6
8.Qd2 b5
A very trendy line at that time. Black tries to compensate for his
lack of space on the kingside by advancing his queenside pawns.
9.a3 Bb7
The alternative is 9...Qb6, strengthening the pressure on d4.
10.Bd3 Be7 11.0-0 0-0
Here I decided to clarify the position in the centre. Does Black want
to play ...c4 or take on d4?
12.Qf2
12.Kh1!?.

628
12...f6
In practice, the best choice, although initially I underestimated it.
12...cxd4 13.Nxd4 Rc8 14.Nce2 Nxd4 15.Bxd4 Nc5 16.b4 Nxd3
17.cxd3 Rc2 18.Rfc1 with a clear advantage (Garakov-Kurnaev,
Sukhumi 2007).
13.Qh4
Alternatively: 13.exf6 Nxf6 ( 13...Bxf6 14.dxc5 Qe7 15.Rae1 Rad8
16.Re2± ) 14.Qg3 ( 14.dxc5 d4! 15.Bxd4 Ng4 16.Qg3 Nxd4
17.Qxg4 Bxf3 18.gxf3 Bxc5 19.Kh1 Qc7 ) 14...c4 15.Be2 Ne4
16.Qh3 Bc8 17.Ne5 Nxc3 18.bxc3 Nxe5 19.dxe5 offers White a
slight advantage.
13...f5 14.Qf2 c4
14...cxd4 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 Rc8 17.b4 Nb8 18.Ne2 Nc6
19.Bb6 gives White a slight advantage.
15.Be2 Qb6 16.h3
White’s plan is clear: prepare g4 and then double on the g-file, after
which, if necessary, we will play h3-h4-h5.
629
16...a5 17.b3
From a practical point of view, a very strong move, since now the
opponent’s task is noticeably more complicated: he will have to
fight on both flanks.
17...Ba6
Positionally wrong. Black should not have let the knight stay on c3
any longer, as it puts a lot of pressure on d5 and also controls many
important squares on the queenside.
Correct was 17...cxb3, after which White takes a course towards
simplifications: 18.cxb3 Ba6 19.Rfc1 b4 20.axb4 axb4 21.Rxa6
Rxa6 22.Na4 Qb7 23.Bxa6 Qxa6 24.Qf1 with a very small
advantage for White, which will be extremely difficult to exploit.
18.bxc4 bxc4 19.g4 Rab8
19...Qb2 20.Ra2! Qxc3? 21.Bd2 Qxa3 22.Rxa3 Bxa3 23.c3 Be7
24.Bd1 Rab8 25.gxf5 exf5 26.Qg2 with a clear advantage for White.
20.Ra2!
In the French Defence, this move occurs quite often. The idea is to
avoid simplifications and at the same time to control the b2-square.
20...g6 21.Kh2 Kh8 22.Rg1 Qd8 23.Qg3 Rf7
23...a4 24.gxf5 Rxf5 25.Ng5 Bxg5 26.fxg5 Qa5 27.Nd1 Rf7 28.Bg4
leaves White with a slight advantage. But White can just take the
pawn – 24.Nxa4! Qa5 25.Nc3, and the knight is inedible due to the
capture of the queen.

630
24.Nxd5?!
Tactics are always good, especially when they work! I decided to
change the nature of the position in the hope of utilizing the e5-
square that is vacated.
Possibly stronger was 24.h4!?, considering the intermediate move
Black has at his disposal on move 25.
Also strong was 24.gxf5 Rxf5 ( 24...gxf5 is met by 25.Nxd5! )
25.h4 Qf8 26.Ng5 Bxg5 27.hxg5 with a big advantage.
24...exd5 25.e6 Rf8
Natural, but not the best move. Much stronger was 25...fxg4!
26.hxg4 ( 26.exf7 gxf3 27.f5 Nf8 28.Bxf3 Bc8 29.Qg2 Bd6+
30.Kh1 Bxf5 with a clear advantage for Black) 26...Rf8 27.exd7
Qxd7 28.Ne5 ( 28.Rd1 Qc8 29.Ne5 Nxe5 30.dxe5 c3 31.Bxa6
Qxa6 32.Qf3 Bg5 ) 28...Nxe5 29.dxe5 d4 30.Rd1 d3 31.cxd3 cxd3 (
31...c3! gives counterplay) 32.Bf3 Bc4 and the position is unclear.
26.exd7 Qxd7 27.Ne5 Nxe5 28.fxe5 Rb6

631
28...Qc6 29.Bh6 or 28...fxg4 29.Bh6 Rfe8 30.Bxg4 gave White a
slight advantage.
28...g5 29.gxf5 Qxf5 30.c3 h6 is only equal.
29.Bh6
29.gxf5 Qxf5 30.Bg4 Qf7 31.c3 was even stronger.
29...f4?!
Panic! Black should have kept calm and tried to defend his inferior
position, rather than giving up material: 29...Re8 30.gxf5 Qxf5
31.c3 when White is better but Black is not yet done for.
30.Bxf4 g5 31.Bc1
Black has some compensation for the pawn, and so White needs to
be careful over the next few moves, until he has brought his rooks
into play.
31.Bd2 c3 32.Bxa6 cxd2 33.Be2 Qb7 34.Qe3 Rb1 gave Black a few
chances of saving himself.
31...Rb1 32.Kg2 Qc6 33.Qc3 Qg6 34.Bf3 Bb5 35.Be3 Qf7 36.Bf2
Rxg1+ 37.Bxg1 Ba4 38.Rb2 Qf4

632
39.Qe3
Clarifying the situation.
White could also win with 39.Bxd5 Qf1+ 40.Kh2 Qf4+ 41.Kh1.
39...c3 40.Rb7
40.Qxc3 was also good enough.
40...Qxe3
Or 40...Bxa3 41.Qxc3 Bxc2 42.Bh2, winning for White.
41.Bxe3
Now Black has a lost endgame.
41...Bxa3 42.Bxg5 Bc6 43.Rc7 Ba8 44.Bf6+ 1-0

Lessons:
1) The move 20.Ra2! is a typical resource in the French Defence,
one that we have already encountered. Although the rook is
outwardly clumsily positioned here, it reliably cements the
queenside (protecting the pawn on a3 and the b2 invasion square)
and helps to nip the enemy’s counterplay in the bud.
2) Changing the nature of the position, switching the ‘register of
speeds’, often has a strong effect on the opponent and unsettles him
(24.Nxd5).
3) In team competitions, reliability is the most important thing. To
paraphrase Steinitz: if you have the choice of winning a second
pawn or trading queens, trade queens!
After Ohrid, I went to the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk. There,
for the only time in my career, I managed to reach the third round by
beating the strong grandmaster Ivan Cheparinov in a tiebreak. There
I succeeded with yet another trick in opening preparation. Given the
good theoretical knowledge of my opponent, in the Black tiebreak
game I decided for the first time in my life to employ the
Scandinavian Defence. But I didn’t have enough for more, and –

633
also in the tiebreaks – I lost to the eminently beatable Viktor
Laznicka.
After the expected decline in my play, I decided to turn again to
Alexander Riazantsev for help, and if I’m not mistaken, in February
2010 we spent a short (four days) but very effective training camp in
Chelyabinsk. Sasha is very close to me in spirit. He is a very deep
and at the same time aggressive and sharp chess player. In addition,
he worked with Mark Izrailevich Dvoretsky and he also has a Ph.D.
As a coach, he is extremely in demand and works with chess players
of the highest level. Specifically, Sasha also helped me a lot in many
ways. For instance, at the training camp in Chelyabinsk, we came up
with an idea in the Grünfeld – the capture of space on the flank; it
has become popular recently. And I won a great game. We argued
heatedly: he is stubborn, I am stubborn, but we argued quite
diplomatically and tried to find formulations that would suit us both.
The quality of the analysis was very high and we worked, basically,
without computers – just on the board. Of course, we walked around
Chelyabinsk and he showed me his second hometown (after
Moscow). In Chelyabinsk, he graduated and defended his thesis.
Such gatherings and simple communication, like with Sasha
Riazantsev, Misha Podgaets, and Igor Lysyj, produced fantastic
results. These are very deep, ideological chess players. Human
contact is also very important. Let’s say, at the training camp with
Ponomariov, although we had excellent personal relations, I always
gave a lot and received little (in terms of chess). But when I worked
with Judit Polgar, both of us benefited from it.
You need to understand with whom to deal and how to deal with
them; now I see my mistakes and my successes very well. If there is
no ‘chemistry’ between the coach and the student, or between
sparring partners, this is not good – joint exercises will bring little
benefit. It is very important to work with the soul, with deep
interest. You can hire the most expensive coach, spend a lot of

634
money – but it can make zero sense. Conversely, one free piece of
advice can set your entire career in the right direction.
For example, my wife, a ballerina, has a very good school and a
trained eye. She can show a young girl just one movement, and she
immediately starts to succeed, she opens up. It’s the same in chess.
If I had been told at one time (as Podgaets did later) that I lacked a
classical opening repertoire, I would have simply taken off!
However, no one told me this, and I myself did not guess. True,
there was a period in my life when my childhood friend Andrey
Shchekachev said: ‘Answer 1.e4 with 1...e5, 1.d4 with 1...d5, 1.c4
with 1...c5.’ And at the Bastia tournament in 1998 I took second
place, earning good money. But then I returned to my usual
repertoire.
People like Sasha Riazantsev are very important in the career of a
chess player. It was great to work with him, and I took a lot of
useful things from him. So, at the tournament in Poikovsky, like
Zigurds once upon a time, Sasha prepared me for my games by
phone, and a successful finishing spurt of 3 out of 3 allowed me to
once again share first place in my favourite Karpov tournament. Key
was a Black victory over Arkadij Naiditsch.
Caro-Kann Defence
Arkadij Naiditsch
Victor Bologan
Poikovsky 2010
The joke of the combination of our first and last names is that in the
US a very popular (Canadian) series on the topic of chess came out
at about the same time, where the main character was called Arkady
Balagan. ☺
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nf3 Bb4 7.cxd5
Nxd5 8.Qc2 Nc6 9.a3

635
It was less than a month since the Panov Attack had brought me a
very important victory in the last round, which allowed me to share
second-third places at the prestigious open tournament in Sarajevo.
Kovacevic went for the set-up with the bishop on e2: 9.Be2 Bd7
10.0-0 Nce7 11.a3 Bd6 12.Ne4 Bc6 (it is important to execute this
manoeuvre before castling) 13.Ne5 Rc8 14.Nxd6+ Qxd6 15.Bd2 0-
0 16.Qd3 Rfd8 17.Rac1 Be8 18.Rxc8 Rxc8 19.Rc1 Rxc1+ 20.Bxc1
f6 21.Nc4 Qc7! with an edge for Black (Kovacevic-Bologan,
Sarajevo 2010).
9...Ba5
Preparing for this game, I decided the bishop was better on a5 than
on e7.
10.Bd3 h6 11.0-0 0-0 12.Bh7+
The idea of this check is to worsen the position of Black’s king
before playing Be4. 12.Rd1 Nce7 13.Ne5 Bd7 14.Ne4 was more
common, and now Black has a nice choice:
A) 14...Bc7 15.Qe2 Nf5 16.Nc5 Bc8 17.Bxf5 exf5 18.Qf3 b6
19.Ncd3 Be6 20.Bf4 g5 21.Bd2 Kg7 22.Rac1 f6 23.Nc4 f4 with an
edge for Black (Rechlis-Rodshtein, Israel tt 2009);
B) 14...Nf5 15.Nc5 Bc8 16.b4 Bc7 17.Bb2 b6 18.Ne4 Bb7 19.g3
Rc8 20.Qe2 Qe7 21.Rac1 Bb8 22.b5 Rxc1 23.Rxc1 Rd8 24.Nc6
Bxc6 25.bxc6 Nc7 is unclear (Ghaem Maghami-Karpov, Tehran
blitz 2009).
12...Kh8 13.Be4 Nce7 14.Rd1 Bd7
14...Bc7!?.
15.Ne5

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15...Rc8
At the time, this was new. I studied the move briefly before the
game (as I also had to refresh and memorize many other lines) and
here I just remembered that I still have this tempo to create my own
threats before I start to defend myself.
15...f6 16.Nxd7 Qxd7 17.Qd3 Rac8 18.Bd2 Bb6 19.Bf3 with a
slight advantage was Naiditsch-Grischuk, Mainz 2009.
16.Rd3
White’s concept is revealed – an attack on the king!
16.Bd2 Be8 17.Rac1 f6 18.Nd3 Bb6 is unclear.
16...Be8
After 16...f6 17.Nxd7 Qxd7 18.Qa4 Nc6 19.Bd2 I would have
fallen into an inferior position.
17.Rh3 f5
I am not sure Black had any other satisfactory defence.
18.Bxd5

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Losing a lot of time, my opponent doesn’t catch the critical nuance
of the position. You can’t just play with the rook on h3: either you
attack or you are worse.
After 18.Bxh6 the attack will only bring a draw, which is still better
than nothing: 18...gxh6 (bad is 18...fxe4 19.Qxe4 Nf6 20.Qf4 Nf5
21.Bxg7+ Kg8 22.Bxf8 Kxf8 23.Rd1 winning) 19.Qd2 Ng8 (
19...Rf6 20.Bxd5 Bxc3 21.bxc3 exd5 22.Rxh6+ Rxh6 23.Qxh6+
Kg8 24.Re1 with an attack) 20.Rxh6+ Kg7 21.Rh3 Rxc3 22.bxc3
fxe4 23.Rg3+ Kh7 24.Rh3+ with equality.
18...Nxd5 19.Bd2 Nf6
I like such multi-plan moves. As well as threatening to win the pawn
on d4, the knight comes closer to the black king and can also jump
to e4 or g4.
20.Qb3
20.Qd3 Kg8 ( 20...Ng4 21.Bf4 ( 21.Nxg4 fxg4 22.Re3 Bb6 )
21...Kg8 22.Rg3 Bc7 is unclear) 21.Bf4 Bb6 22.Rd1 Bh5 23.f3 Be8
with an edge.
20...Ng4
Sharpening the position to the maximum.
I also looked at 20...Qxd4 21.Qxe6 Qxd2 22.Qxc8 Qxb2 23.Rd1
Qxa3 24.Nd5 Qd6 25.Nc4 with a clear advantage, and 20...Qb6!?
21.Qxb6 Bxb6 22.Rd3 Rd8 23.Be3 Nd5 24.Nxd5 Rxd5, but here
25.f4 gives White good drawing chances.
21.Nf3
21.Qxe6 Rf6 22.Qb3 Qxd4 23.Nxg4 fxg4 24.Be3 Qc4 25.Qxc4
Rxc4 26.Rh4 Rfc6 with an edge for Black.

638
21...e5
With this pawn sacrifice, Black strengthens his position, because the
white rook is very badly placed on h3 and will find it difficult to
escape from there.
Also good was 21...Bf7 22.Rd1 e5 with a clear advantage.
22.dxe5 Qb6
I particularly like this phase of the game. We were playing in the
10th round and the risk of a serious mistake hung in the air. After
the exchange of queens this risk is reduced to a minimum.
23.Qxb6 Bxb6 24.Be1 Bc6 25.Rd1 Rcd8
The last important decision, after which White has no chance to
bring the rook back into the game without material loss.
26.Rxd8 Rxd8 27.Rh5 g6 28.Rh4 Kg7 29.h3 Bxf3
Missing the chance of a forced win after 29...g5 30.hxg4 gxh4
31.gxf5 h3 (this is what I missed) 32.Nh4 hxg2 33.b4 Rd4, winning.
30.hxg4 Bxg4 31.Rh1 f4

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31...Bd4 simply wins a pawn.
32.Nb5 Rd5 33.Nd6 Bd7?!
Stronger was 33...g5 34.Kh2 Be6 35.f3 and now 35...h5 36.Bc3 g4
37.Re1 Rd3 38.Rf1 g3+ 39.Kh1 h4 40.Ne4 Kg6µ .
34.Bc3 g5
Perhaps it was time to admit my mistake and, even with tempo loss,
play 34...Be6 35.Nxb7 g5 36.Nd6 g4 with good winning chances.
35.Kh2
35.e6+ Kg6 36.Nc4! Bxe6 37.Nxb6 might have saved White.
35...Kg6
35...g4!? was interesting.
36.f3 h5 37.Rf1 Bc6 38.Nc4
As my opponent pointed out after the game, his best chance was
38.Nc8 Bc5 39.e6 Rd8 40.b4 Rxc8 41.bxc5 Rd8 42.Re1 Rd3
43.Bb4. Of course, Black’s position is rather better, but the
opposite-coloured bishops may help White save the game.

640
38...Bd4
After this exchange, the white position becomes hopeless: his king
is worse placed and even his pawn structure is bad.
39.Bxd4 Rxd4 40.Nd6 Rd2 41.Nc8 Kf7 42.Nxa7 Bd7! 43.b3 Ke6
44.a4 Rb2 45.Rd1 g4 46.Rd4 gxf3
46...g3+ 47.Kh3 Kf5 48.Rxd7 Rb1 with inevitable checkmate was a
faster route to the goal.
47.Rxf4 Rxg2+ 48.Kh1 Rf2! 49.Rh4
If 49.Kg1, 49...Kxe5 50.Rh4 Rg2+ 51.Kh1 Bg4 wins.
49...Rb2 50.Kg1 Kxe5 51.Rxh5+ Kf4 52.Nb5 Bg4
White resigned.

Lessons:
1) It is useful to emphasize once again – multifaceted moves are a
formidable weapon! (19...Nf6).
2) Sacrificing a pawn for the initiative is a very effective
positional idea. At the same time, it should be noted that pieces that
are perfectly positioned for attack often turn out to be useless
defenders (we are talking primarily about the white rook on h3 in
this game).
3) The advantage of two bishops is also good because at the right
moment one of the bishops is usually easy to exchange, while
achieving new positional advantages (38...Bd4).
Unfortunately, it was not possible for me to enter the same waters
twice and repeat the previous year’s success in the Croatian league,
but another creative duel with the principled Sergey Tiviakov
deserves a mention.
Scandinavian Defence
Victor Bologan
Sergey Tiviakov
641
Croatia tt 2010
There are chess players who, on principle, defend their favourite
variations – usually of a dubious nature. But at the same time, they
are very difficult to refute. Seryozha Tiviakov has always been one
of these principled rivals. In particular, he was very fond of playing
the Scandinavian. He rarely lost there and confidently said that
White had nothing in this opening – and if you don’t believe me,
then prove the opposite!
Before the game, I sat down to get ready. My computer was not so
strong and I was more guided by my own thoughts and feelings. I
asked myself: what will happen if I sacrifice the d4-pawn?
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6

Tiviakov’s favourite move; the queen can also retreat to a5 and d8.
4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 c6 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nc4 Qc7 8.Qf3 Nb6 9.Bf4 Qd7
Black has also played 9...Qd8 10.Be5 and now:
A) 10...g6?? loses to 11.Nd6+;

642
 B) 10...Bg4 11.Qg3 h5 12.h3 h4 13.Qe3 Be6 ( 13...Bf5 14.Nd6+
exd6 15.Bxf6+ Be7 16.Bxg7 Rg8 17.Bf6² ) 14.Nxb6 Qxb6 15.0-0-
0 with a slight advantage;
C) 10...Be6 11.Ne3 Nfd7 ( 11...Nbd5 12.Nexd5 Bxd5 13.Nxd5
Qxd5 14.Qxd5 Nxd5 15.Be2 e6 16.0-0 Rd8 17.Rad1 Nf6 18.Rd3 ²
Hamitevici-S. Kasparov, Donetsk 2010; 11...Nfd5 12.Ne4 Nxe3
13.Qxe3 Nc4 14.Bxc4 Bxc4 15.b3 Bd5 16.0-0 Bxe4 17.Qxe4 Qd5
18.Qe3 f6 19.Bg3² Hirneise-Heinzel, Nuremberg 2010) 12.Bg3 Nf6
13.0-0-0 a6 14.Kb1 Nbd5 15.Ncxd5 Bxd5 (Saric-Drazic, Pula
2010) and now 16.Nxd5 Qxd5 17.Qc3 e6 18.Bc4 Qxg2 19.Rhg1
Qe4 20.Rde1 and White has the initiative.

10.h3!!
Alternatively:
A) 10.0-0-0 Qg4 11.Qxg4 Bxg4 12.f3 Be6 13.Nxb6 axb6 14.a4
with a slight advantage;
B) 10.Be5 Qg4 11.Qe3 Nfd5 12.Nxd5 Nxd5 13.Qd2 h5 (
13...Bf5 14.Be2 Qg6 15.0-0 h5 16.Ne3 Nxe3 17.fxe3 f6 18.Bf4
Be4 19.Bf3 Bxf3 20.Rxf3 Qe4 with equality as in Boguslavsky-S.

643
Kasparov, Bad Liebenzell 2010) 14.Be2 Qxg2 15.0-0-0 f6 with an
edge for Black; for example, 16.h4?? fxe5 17.Nxe5 g6 18.Kb1 Bh6,
winning (Sverc-Tiviakov, Wroclaw 2010);
C) 10.Nxb6 axb6 11.0-0-0 Qd8 ( 11...e6 12.Bc4 Nd5 13.Nxd5
c:d5 14.Bb3 Bd6 15.h4 Qc7 16.Bxd6 Qxd6 17.Rde1 0-0 18.h5 h6
19.g4 with a clear advantage was seen in Puranic-S. Kasparov,
Tsaghkadzor 2021) 12.h3 e6 13.Bc4 Be7 14.Be5 b5 15.Bb3 0-0
16.Qg3 Nh5 17.Qf3 Nf6 18.h4 b4 19.Ne4 Nxe4 20.Qxe4 with a
significant advantage in Chigaev-Korpa, Budapest 2019.
10...Nxc4
If 10...Qxd4 11.Rd1 Qc5 12.Be3 Qf5.
11.Bxc4 Qxd4 12.Bb3

White’s idea is to aim for development and simply play chess. In my

preparation I looked at many variations and decided that I would
always have some sort of compensation for the pawn.
12...e6

644
Or 12...e5 13.Be3 Qh4 14.g3 Qh5 15.g4 Qg6 16.Qg3 Bd6 17.0-0-0
Bc7 18.f4 with the initiative.
Perhaps the strongest continuation was 12...Bf5!?, but at the board it
was not easy to decide on such a move – it seems that the bishop can
come under some sort of blow. Subsequent practice showed that
Black holds: 13.Rd1 ( 13.0-0 e6 ) 13...Qb6 14.g4 Bg6, and nothing
bad should happen to this bishop; for example, 15.h4 ( 15.g5 Bh5
16.Qg3 Nd7 17.Bc7 Qc5 18.Qf4 e6 19.f3 Rc8 20.Ne4 Qf5 with an
edge for Black) 15...h6 16.0-0 e6 17.h5 Bh7 18.Rfe1 Be7 19.Bxe6!
fxe6 20.Rxe6 Kf7 (Nevednichy-Saric, Hungary tt 2015) and here
21.Rxe7+! Kxe7 22.Qe2+ Kf7 23.Qc4+ Nd5 24.Nxd5 Qb5!
25.Qc3 cxd5 ( 25...Rad8 26.Bxh6! cxd5 27.Qxg7+ Ke6 28.Bg5
Rde8 29.Rd4 Qe2 ( 29...Be4 30.c4 ) 30.Rf4 Qe1+ 31.Kh2 Qe5
32.Qf7+ Kd6 33.Kh3 Rhf8 34.Qxb7 Rxf4 35.Qa6+ draws)
26.Qc7+ Ke6 27.Qd6+ Kf7 is equal.
13.Rd1 Qb6 14.0-0 Be7 15.Ne4 Nxe4
15...0-0 16.Be5 Nxe4 17.Qxe4 transposes to the game.
16.Qxe4 0-0
16...a5!? 17.Be5 0-0 transposes to the note below.

645
17.Be5
In order to provoke the move ...f7-f6, weakening the e6-pawn. And
in general, the move is multifunctional: White wants to transfer one
or even both rooks to the kingside and launch an attack there.
Of course, White could go 17.Bd6, but exchanges make Black’s
task easier: 17...Bxd6 18.Rxd6 a5 19.a4 Qc5 20.Rfd1 Qg5 with
equality.
17...c5
A) 17...a5 18.a4 ( 18.Rfe1 a4 19.Bxa4 Qb4 20.Rd4 Qxb2 21.Bb3
Qc3; 18.Qg4 f6 19.Bxe6+ Kh8 20.Bc3 Bxe6 21.Qxe6 Bb4 )
18...Rd8 19.Qg4 g6 20.Rxd8+ Bxd8 21.Rd1 Be7 22.Qf4 Qb4
23.Qh6 f6 24.Bc3 Qc5 25.Qf4 Kf7 26.Rd3 with a clear advantage
for White;
B) 17...f6 18.Bd6 Bxd6 19.Rxd6 Kh8 20.Rfd1 e5 21.Qd3 Qc7
22.Rd8 Qe7 23.Rxf8+ Qxf8 24.g4 with good compensation;
C) 17...Rd8 18.Qg4 Bf8 19.Qg3 ( 19.Rfe1 Rd7 20.Re3 Qb4 21.c4
Qe7 22.Red3 b6 23.Bc2 Rxd3 24.Rxd3 Ba6 25.Bd6 Qf6 26.Qe4
Qxb2 27.Bxf8 Kxf8 1-0 was seen in Filippov-Vakhidov, Tashkent
646
2013) 19...Rd7 20.Rxd7 Bxd7 21.Rd1 Be8 22.Rd4 Qc5 23.c3 gave
White good compensation in Kanarek-S.Kasparov, Krakow 2012.
18.Rfe1 a5
Not 18...f6? 19.Bc3 Kf7 20.Qxh7, winning for White; while after
18...Rd8 19.Qg4 g6 20.Qf4 a5 21.c3 White has good compensation.
19.Re3 Rd8 20.Rxd8+
It was practically impossible to avoid the exchange of one pair of
rooks, but I had envisaged this during my preparations.
20...Qxd8
20...Bxd8 21.Qg4 g6 ( 21...f6 loses to 22.Bc3 Ra6 23.Bc4, as does
22...Kf7 to 23.Qh5+ ) 22.Qf4 Qc6 23.Rf3 Qe8 24.Bc3 Qe7 25.Qe5
f6 26.Qe3 Qf8 27.Bxe6+ Bxe6 28.Qxe6+ Qf7 29.Qe2 b6 30.Re3
leads to a clear advantage for White.
21.Rd3 Qf8
21...Qb6 22.Bc4 Qc6 ( 22...a4 23.Qg4 g6 24.Qf4± ) 23.Qf4 Qe8
(not 23...b5 24.Rg3 g6 25.Qh6 f6 26.Bd3 Bf8 27.Qh5 ) 24.Rg3 g6
25.Rf3 Qf8 26.Bc3 gives White the upper hand.
Black has a passive but solid position, and I needed to find a
penetration square.

647
22.Ba4!
I managed to find a ‘weakness’ and now 23.Bd7 is threatened; if my
rook gets to the seventh rank, it will be hard for Black to defend.
22...f6 23.Bc7 f5
Black partly solves his problems on the kingside but in return
abandons his queenside to its fate.
24.Qc4 Qf6 25.Qb5!
It is important to keep the opponent ‘under the cosh’ and gradually
infiltrate his position with my pieces.
25...Ra6 26.Bxa5
No hesitation! Probably, 26.Bd8!? was also strong; for instance,
26...Qf8 27.Bxe7 Qxe7 28.Qe8+ Qxe8 29.Bxe8 Kf8 30.Rd8. In
general, this is always a very serious question: when does it make
sense to ‘exchange’ your initiative for some pawn? I decided to
restore the material balance, since Black has no special counterplay
yet anyway.
26...e5?
648
The decisive mistake. It was possible somehow to defend after
26...Bd6 27.Bc3 Qe7 28.Qc4 Ra8 29.Rd1 although White still has a
clear advantage.

27.Rd8+!
In my Blue Notebook there is also a section on ‘difficult moves’.
One of these types is ‘taboo moves’, i.e. putting pieces on squares
where they are attacked. Very often the opponent overlooks such
moves and you yourself do not always find them. Evidently, Sergey
overlooked this one.
27...Bxd8 28.Qe8+ Qf8 29.Bb3+ Be6 30.Bxe6+ Rxe6 31.Qxe6+
Kh8 32.Qc8!
White not only wins a pawn but, much more importantly, his passed
a-pawn becomes practically unstoppable.
32...Be7 33.Qxb7 e4 34.a4 Bf6 35.Bc7 c4 36.a5 1-0

Lessons:

649
 1) Sticking to one’s principles in the opening is a double-edged
sword. On the one hand, you delve deeply into the position,
perfectly feeling all its nuances and typical techniques. On the other
hand, you become quite predictable and it is easy to prepare for you
– especially nowadays, with the help of modern computers.
2) No matter how strong a fortress looks, there will still be
invasion squares – you just need to show ingenuity and
perseverance! (22.Ba4).
3) ‘Difficult moves’ are called so because some of them fall out of
sight of the opponents (that is, they are not even considered among
the candidate moves). Work needs to be done to fill this gap; I, for
example, had a special notebook where I wrote out suitable
examples, which, by the way, later came in very handy with
coaching.
Qatari grandmasters have always been my official students, but they
gradually retired. Zhu Chen was the last to give up. In 2015 she
began to seriously think about ending her career, although from time
to time either she or Mohamed has a desire to play somewhere.
In addition, various chess players contacted me all the time with
requests to conduct training sessions with them. So, I spent two
training camps with Vasif Durarbayli, a talented young chess player
from Azerbaijan: on one occasion he came to me in Kishinev, and
then a second time in Qatar. We did a good job and the training
games were held with varying degrees of success. Vasif is a very
pleasant young man, and he is the type of chess player who can
excel in other areas as well. Yes, he is a member of the Azerbaijani
national team, but due to the breadth of his interests (he successfully
graduated from a university in America), it seems to me that he has
not fully realized himself in chess. However, Vasif is still young and
may well still concentrate on one direction.
Victor Bologan
Vasif Durarbayli

650
Aix-les-Bains 2011
1.d4
From time to time, I still open with this move – it helps me to keep a
fresh interest in chess.
1...Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5
Strangely, I had the Benko three times in this tournament and Black
scored half a point out of three.
4.cxb5 a6

5.e3
White tries to develop his kingside as soon as possible, even at the
cost of returning a pawn in some lines.
5.bxa6 came up twice in my Black games with good positions after
the opening, but unsatisfactory results in the end: 5...g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6
7.e4 Bxf1 8.Kxf1 d6 9.Nf3 Bg7 10.g3 0-0 11.Kg2 Nbd7 12.h3.
Here both 12...Qa5 and 12...Qb6 are good enough, although there
are different ideas hidden behind these moves.
Let’s take a quick look:
651
 A) 12...Qb6 13.Re1 Rfb8 14.e5 dxe5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Rxe5
Qb7 17.Qf3 h6!? ( 17...Rd8 18.Bg5 h6 19.Bxf6 Bxf6 20.Re2 Bxc3
21.bxc3 Qxd5 22.Qxd5 Rxd5 23.Rxe7 Ra3 with equality) 18.Re2
Rd8 19.Be3 Nd7 20.Rd1 Ra6 Gabrielian-Bologan, Aix-les-Bains
2011;
B) 12...Qa5 13.Bg5 Rfb8 14.Qc2 Ne8 15.Rhc1 ( 15.Bxe7 Bxc3
16.bxc3 f6 17.e5 Nxe5 18.Nxe5 fxe5 19.c4 Qa4 ) 15...h6 16.Bf4 (
16.Bxe7 Ra7 17.Bh4 g5 with a clear advantage for Black) 16...Nc7
17.Nd2 Qa6 (Marcos-Bologan, Aix-les-Bains 2011).
5...axb5 6.Bxb5 Qa5+ 7.Nc3 Ba6
Trying to get a typical position, akin to the lines mentioned earlier,
but here White has an extra tempo due to the fact that he can castle
immediately.
8.Bxa6 Qxa6
The queen was quite well-positioned on a5, so it would have been
better for Black to introduce the knight with 8...Nxa6, since after
...Qxa6 it is still easy for White to prepare castling: 9.Nge2 g6 10.0-
0 d6 11.Bd2 Bg7 12.Ne4 Qb5 13.Bc3 0-0 14.Nxf6+ Bxf6 15.Qd2
Rfb8 ².
9.a4 d6 10.Nge2
I also considered setting up the knight on c4. But Black can always
exchange it, so why waste so many tempi on one knight manoeuvre?
For example, 10.e4 Nbd7 11.Nf3 g6 12.Nb5 Qb7 13.Nd2 Bg7
14.Nc4 0-0 ( 14...Nxe4 15.Qe2 ) 15.Qe2 Nb6 16.Nxb6 Qxb6 17.0-
0 Rfb8 with only a slight edge for White.
10...g6 11.Nb5
Exploiting the fact that the queen must lose another tempo.
11...Qb7 12.0-0 Bg7

652
Alternatively, 12...Na6 13.e4 Bg7 14.Nec3 0-0 15.Qe2 Nb4 16.Bg5
h6 17.Bh4 Rfe8 18.Rad1 gives White a slight advantage (Zaltsman-
Alburt, Reykjavik 1984).
13.Nec3 0-0 14.e4 Nbd7

15.Qe2
My idea was to put the bishop on b2 to counterbalance Black’s
fianchetto, and Qe2 is the only move that allows me to protect the
e4-pawn while preparing b3 and taking control of the c4-square,
which Black actually threatened to occupy with his pawn.
A) 15.b3 Nxe4;
B) 15.Bg5!? h6 16.Be3 Ne8 17.Qd2 Kh7 18.b3 Nc7 19.Nxc7
Qxc7 20.Nb5 with a slight advantage.
15...Rfc8 16.b3 Qa6
Events would develop in standard fashion after 16...Ne8 17.Bb2
Qa6 18.Rac1 Nc7 19.Ba1 with a small but stable advantage for
White.
17.Bb2
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Of course, I know that people like to put the bishop on g5, but in
this game I really wanted to neutralize the activity of the black
bishop.
17.Bg5 h6 ( 17...c4 18.bxc4 Ne5 19.a5 Nxc4 20.Ra4 Nxa5
21.Rfa1± ) 18.Be3 Ne8 19.Rac1 Nc7 20.Rfe1 with a slight
advantage.
17...c4 18.b4 Ne5

19.Nd4!?
19.Nd1 deserved attention – I don’t know why this very successful
positional move completely escaped my attention. Perhaps I was
already too fascinated by the variations that later occurred in the
game. The main idea behind Nd1 is that the bishop can always
move to c3. There could follow 19...Nfd7 20.Nd4 Qb7 21.b5 Nc5
22.Qc2 with a clear advantage to White.
19...Nd3
19...Qb7 is a worse version: 20.b5 Nd3 21.Nc6 Nxb2 22.e5 Nd3
23.exf6 Bxf6 24.Ra3 with a clear advantage.

654
20.b5 Qa5!
After 20...Qb6 I saw a forced win: 21.Nc6 Nxb2 22.Nxe7+ Kf8
23.Nxc8 Rxc8 and, frankly speaking, I had prepared 24.Qg4 here,
which is good enough, but the computer suggests the even stronger
24.e5! Nd3 25.exf6 Bxf6 26.a5, winning.
21.Nc6 Rxc6
Forced.
22.dxc6 Nxb2

23.e5
One of the key moves in this variation. At first, I need to block the
g7-bishop for a while to win precious time for other things.
If 23.Rab1!? Ne8 24.Rxb2 Bxc3 25.Rc2 Bd4 with a slight
advantage.
23...Qxc3
On 23...Nd3 I was ready to return the material: 24.exf6 Bxf6
25.Nd5 Bxa1 26.Rxa1 e6 27.Nf6+ Kg7 28.Nd7, when my three

655
passed pawns are undoubtedly better than Black’s. There is also the
possibility of attacking on the dark squares.
24.exf6 Bxf6

25.a5!
White uses all his queenside pawns. This is what I had to find before
going for such a confusing position. But if you find it, then
everything starts working, although accuracy is always needed.
Instead, the natural 25.b6 could have led to an equal ending after
25...Qa5!! 26.b7 Rb8 27.Qe3 e6 28.Rfc1 Kf8 29.Rab1 Ke7 30.Rxb2
Bxb2 31.Rxc4 Bd4 32.Rxd4 Qc5.
25...Qb4
If 25...Kg7 26.b6 Rxa5 27.b7 Rb5 28.c7, or 25...Qd4 26.b6 Re8
27.b7 Qc5 28.a6 Qxc6 29.Qf3! d5 30.Ra5, both winning for White.
26.b6!
Now everything wins.
26...d5

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26...Rf8 loses after 27.b7 Qc5 28.a6 Qxc6 29.Qf3 d5 30.Ra5, as
does 26...Rxa5 27.b7 Rc5 28.Ra8+.
27.b7 Ra6 28.Qg4! Rxc6 29.Qc8+ Rxc8 30.bxc8Q+ Kg7 31.a6 1-
0

Lessons:
1) The use of such a strategically complex opening as the Benko
Gambit (also known as the Volga Gambit) for both colours helps
one to feel the nuances much better and develop certain patterns in
one’s head: what White is striving for; what Black is striving for;
what arrangements are advantageous in which cases, etc.
2) One of the important methods of fighting against the Benko
Gambit is to neutralize the formidable bishop on g7 (17.Bb2).
3) The pawn sacrifice 23.e5 serves the same purpose
(neutralization of the bishop on g7)! It is also important here to
know how to accurately calculate variations – this skill can and
should be honed in the home laboratory.
Nimzo-Indian Defence
Vladimir Potkin
Victor Bologan
Olginka 2011
The match with Moscow was decisive in the fight for first place.
That’s why I got a day off from my Tomsk 400 team before the
game against Potkin. Partly I used it to recover from a difficult
defence against Efimenko, and partly to come up with an opening
surprise for my opponent. The second task was especially difficult
since Vladimir himself is a well-known theoretician.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 c5 6.Nf3

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6...b6
Surprise! I had never previously played this move, so there was very
little chance that my opponent would have looked at this before the
game.
7.0-0
The main continuation. The other possibility is 7.d5 exd5 (less
convincing is 7...b5 8.dxe6 fxe6 9.cxb5 d5 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Qc2 c4
12.Be2 Bb7 13.b3 cxb3 14.Qxb3 Bd6?! 15.Ba3 with a clear
advantage in Gustafsson-Svetushkin, Sarajevo 2010) 8.cxd5 h6 9.e4
Nxe4 10.Bxe4 Bxc3+ 11.b:c3 Re8 12.Nd2 f5 13.0-0 fxe4 14.c4 d6
15.Bb2 Qg5 16.f3! with compensation (Aronian-Kramnik, Nice
2010).
7...Bb7 8.Na4
Avoiding the typical Nimzo-Indian structure, which favours Black
with the bishop on b7, controlling the squares d5 and e4.

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8.a3 Bxc3 9.bxc3 Ne4 10.Nd2 f5 11.f3 Nxd2 12.Bxd2 Nc6 13.Qc2
Qf6 14.Rf2 Rac8 15.dxc5 bxc5 with an edge for Black was Rusev-
V. Georgiev, Treforest 2010.
8...cxd4 9.exd4 Re8 10.a3 Bf8 11.Re1
Another plan is associated with 11.b4 d6 12.Bb2 Nbd7 13.Re1 g6
14.Nc3 Bg7 15.Bf1 a6 – unclear.
11...d6 12.Bf4
After 12.Bg5 Nbd7 13.Rc1 Rc8 14.Nc3 a6 15.b4 Rc7 16.Nd2 Qa8
17.f3 d5 18.c5 bxc5 19.dxc5 Nxc5 is interesting, grabbing several
pawns for the piece.
12...Nbd7 13.Rc1 g6
Up to this point, we can’t accuse either side of any mistakes, but
danger is already in the air, and White has to be careful.
14.h3?
After the normal 14.Nc3 Black would have had to settle for 14...Rc8
15.b4 e5 16.dxe5 Nh5 17.Be3 Bxf3 18.Qxf3 Nxe5 19.Qe2 Qh4
20.g3 Qh3 21.Nd5 Ng4 22.f3 Nxe3 23.Nxe3 Bh6 24.Qf2 Nf6 with
equality.

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14...e5
A bolt from the blue! Technically, White has more captures
available on e5 than Black, but Black’s pieces are slightly better
positioned, which is crucial in some lines.
15.dxe5
After much deliberation, The newly minted European Champion
takes control of the situation and minimizes the consequences of his
mistake.
15...dxe5 16.Nxe5
16.Bg5 e4 wins for Black.
16...Nh5
The key move of the combination. Luckily for White, he is not
losing immediately.
17.Bf1!
17.Nxd7 loses to 17...Rxe1+ 18.Qxe1 Nxf4 19.Be4 Qxd7.
17...Nxf4

660
 A) 17...Bxg2 18.Qxd7 Qxd7 19.Nxd7 Rxe1 20.Rxe1 Bxf1
21.Nxf8 Nxf4 22.Nxg6 hxg6 23.Kxf1 Rd8, and;
B) 17...Bg7!? 18.Qxd7 Qxd7 19.Nxd7 Nxf4 20.g3 Bc6 21.Rxe8+
Rxe8 22.gxf4 Bxa4 23.Ne5 ...
both lead to equality.
18.Qxd7 Qxd7 19.Nxd7 Rxe1 20.Rxe1 Bc6
An important moment: I had to see this move before playing 14...e5.
21.Nxf8 Bxa4
The knight cannot escape from f8. After the game, some colleagues
who saw Potkin’s face at this moment told me that he looked
shocked, which suggests that he had missed something. However,
I’m not sure about this, especially considering that Vladimir
continued to defend perfectly with only moves.
22.g3! Nh5 23.Nxh7!
23.b3 does not help because of 23...Bc6.
23...Kxh7 24.Re7
On 24.Bg2, 24...Re8 wins.

661
24...Be8
For a long time afterwards, I was very proud of this move,
considering it my most difficult move in the game. But when I
started deeply analysing at home, I found that it loses a significant
part of the advantage. By this point I had already spent quite a lot of
time from what I could afford.
Having briefly reviewed 24...Kg7, I switched my efforts to 24...Kg8
25.Bg2 Rc8 26.Bd5 Be8 27.Rxa7 Nf6 28.Ra8 Rxa8 29.Bxa8 Ba4
30.b4. At this point, I stopped, assessing the position as ‘with very
good drawing chances for White’, which was later confirmed in
home analysis: 30...Kf8 31.f3 Ke7 32.Kf2 Bb3 33.c5 bxc5 34.bxc5
Nd7 35.c6 Nb6 36.Bb7 Kd6 (or 36...Nd5 37.h4 Kd6 38.g4 Ne7
39.Ke3 f6 40.Kd2 Bf7 41.a4 Nxc6 42.Bxc6 Kxc6 43.Ke3 Kd6
44.Kd4 Be8 45.a5 Bb5 46.h5 gxh5 47.gxh5 Ke6 48.f4 with
equality) 37.h4.
My very first and, as often happens, the correct idea was 24...Kg7
25.Bg2 Rc8 (it is important to provoke the bishop to come to d5)
26.Bd5 Be8 27.Rxa7 Nf6 28.Ra8. Here I briefly considered only the
exchange of rooks, with a possible draw, but 28...Rc7 offers a
serious, if not decisive, advantage. 29.Rb8 ( 29.b3 Bd7 30.Bg2 Bf5µ
) 29...Nxd5 30.cxd5 Bd7 31.Rxb6 Bxh3 32.a4 Rc5 33.b4 Rxd5 and
Black is clearly better.
25.Bg2 Rd8 26.Bd5
A mistake in return. Instead of this, 26.b4 would have put the match
in doubt, since on board four we already had a lost position: 26...a5 (
26...Nf6 27.Rxa7 Rd1+ 28.Kh2 Rd2 29.Kg1 Kg7 30.Rb7 Rc2
31.Rxb6 Rxc4 32.b5 Bd7 33.g4 g5 34.Rb7 Be6 35.b6 Nd7 36.Kh2
Rc2 37.Rc7 Rxf2 38.Kg1 Rb2 39.b7 with equality) 27.c5! axb4
28.cxb6! b3 29.b7 Nf6 30.a4 Rd1+ 31.Kh2 b2 32.b8Q b1Q
33.Qxb1 Rxb1 34.g4 Kg7 35.g5 with a draw.

662
Maybe best was 26.Rxa7!? Rd1+ 27.Kh2 Rd2 28.Re7 Ng7 29.b4
Rxf2 30.Kg1 Rc2 31.Bd5, after which Black has only a slight
advantage.
26...Kg7 27.Rxa7 Nf6 28.Ra8 Rd6
After this, the game is decided and the title was very close (in the
end, we missed out by just half a point).
29.Bf3
29.b4 b5 30.f3 Nxd5 loses, as does 29.g4 Bd7 30.Bg2 Rd1+ 31.Kh2
Rd2 32.g5 Nh7 33.Rb8 Rxf2 34.Rxb6 Nxg5 35.Kg3 Rc2.
29...Rd3 30.Kg2

30...Rxf3! 31.Rxe8 Rb3 32.Re2 Nd7! 33.a4 Nc5 34.a5 bxa5

35.Re5 Nd3 36.Rxa5 Rxb2 37.Kf3 Nxf2 38.h4 f5 39.h5 Ng4
40.Kf4 Kh6 0-1

Lessons:
1) How should one play as Black when facing a well-known
theoretician? There are no universal recipes here, but we will single
663
out two fairly obvious points. First, choose a solid opening, and
second, in this opening try to find and prepare a relatively rare – but
positionally correct! – line that has never been seen in your practice
(6...b6).
2) In such a sharp structure as the Hedgehog, when all the pieces
are on the board, it is categorically impossible to make moves ‘for
general reasons’. White’s first inaccuracy (the seemingly normal
move 14.h3) led to Black immediately achieving an almost won
position.
3) At the stage of realizing a material advantage, it is very
important to establish pawn-piece interaction. Gather your forces
together and lead them on the offensive!
During the three and a half years spent in Moldova (March 2009-
October 2012) I managed not only to complete the building of our
house and enter the chess top twenty, but also to create my own
chess academy, one of the main projects of which was chess in
Moldovan schools. I managed to do everything: I travelled around
the districts, opened these classes, etc. Apparently, the energy of my
native land and the energy of the children gave me the strength to
successfully play in tournaments.
In general, this topic ‘chess in schools’ runs like a red dotted line
throughout my career. It all started with the fact that Yevgeny
Kanevsky, a teacher at the Youth Sports School, came to the
Russian-Moldovan school No. 57 in the city of Kishinev and, with a
cunning look, began to show us all sorts of chess tricks, including
how to promote a pawn to a queen. For me, he was a real magician.
Due to tricks incomprehensible to the child’s mind, he managed to
sacrifice the queen over and over again, while none of us succeeded
in beating him. It was in the school district competition of the
‘Belaya Ladya’ that my first tournament game was played. I won it
and was completely happy – I wanted to share my joy with the

664
whole world! Then, when I was in the sixth grade, I taught chess to
first-graders in the 19th school.
In the 2000s, already a chess professional, I founded in Moldova,
first the School, and then the Bologan Academy, and based on that I
was involved in introducing chess into schools. We had three big
projects: the first one, quite original, was universal chess education
in rural schools and it took place in 2007. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
helped attract the Moldovan division of Lukoil as a sponsor and I
also added my own funds. To fifteen rural schools, including those
in Transnistria (including the village of Zhura, where my mother’s
roots are), we donated equipment and trained teachers to teach
chess. Together with my former classmate at GTSOLIFK, Evgenia
Kuchumova, now a well-known children’s coach and a candidate of
psychological sciences, we prepared a manual for teachers and two
textbooks for children.
The project turned out to be quite successful, and our concept is now
considered the main one in the world: to train teachers and distribute
educational literature and equipment to schools. We were pioneers: I
came to this concept by the ‘method of elimination’, since you can’t
get enough coaches for everyone, all the more so because there are
not enough teaching staff. The main point of this concept is that
participation should be voluntary. I never liked the compulsory
teaching of chess to children. A competition was announced and in
order for the school to participate in it, we had to receive an
application signed by the director and a teacher who was ready to
teach chess.
Now, in Qatar, we are also starting to implement the Chess in
Schools project with the support of the government and adhere to
the same principles: participation on a voluntary basis, plus training
for teachers who want to teach chess.
The second project was more elitist: the government of Vlad Filat
provided funding, and we created 45 specialized chess classes

665
throughout Moldova. A furniture factory joined in and made special
tables with a recess for a chessboard. It turned out great! Maybe it
was a little expensive, but so many years have passed, so many
ordinary boards have already been lost – and these tables are
standing there as if nothing has happened. Also, pieces, clocks and
even computers were allocated to each class. Approximately half of
these classes are still used for their intended purpose: they teach
chess.
The third project, which we implemented together with Kirsan
Ilyumzhinov, turned out to be more modest. FIDE signed a contract
with Rosneft, thanks to which many chess boards and pieces were
made. We distributed the inventory to about 100 schools. Also a
good project, but still, the second one was the most successful.
When you do something, let it be more expensive but of better
quality, as it serves people longer.
Thus, two of the three projects were supported by Kirsan
Ilyumzhinov, and Berik Balgabaev helped us. It is difficult to
calculate how many years we have known each other. We have had
a very good relationship for a long time; we worked especially
closely together in 2018 and 2022 during the FIDE presidential
elections.
From that point on, I always supported school chess. I learned a lot
from Ali Nihat Yazici, for whose team I played in the Turkish
league. Yazici made a real revolution in the issue of school chess in
Turkey. He told me about his experience, shared his ideas. True,
then Ali was not very successful both in national and international
chess politics, but he developed school chess in his country really
well. Thanks to close communication with Yazici, I came up with a
global project for the development of school chess, which became
the forerunner of the Chess ID project, which I will talk about
separately. Unfortunately, the matter never came to practical
implementation.

666
I promoted the Chess in Schools project in Qatar, where I now live.
In private schools, parents are willing to pay for this. Chess took
root perfectly along with other optional subjects (after-school
activities). In Moldova, a special law was even passed in 2009, but,
as practice shows, such laws do not work by themselves: children
and parents need to be interested in chess, and qualified chess
teachers are needed.
In general, now there are different forms of teaching chess at school:
compulsory, optional, in the form of a club where you can come at
any convenient time. Interdisciplinary interaction is developing:
chess plus mathematics, chess plus geography, history, even music.
The most important thing is that chess is taught in a playful way –
for children that is the most natural way of learning.
I repeat: I try to make teaching chess voluntary, because chess under
pressure is, of course, absolutely not what we need.
Of course, all these projects cannot be implemented alone – one
needs a team. All these years, my good comrade Valery Koade has
been by my side, someone who can always be relied upon and to
whom I am very grateful for his help. Now he is the general
secretary of the Chess Federation of Moldova, as well as the
executive director of the Bologan Academy. A modest, hard worker,
he will do everything at the right time, gather everyone, teach
everyone, organize everything. It is very important to have such a
person in your team!
Of course, there were other helpers as well. At the beginning of the
project, I was assisted by the well-known Moldovan journalist
Viorel Ciobanu, unfortunately now deceased, as well as my brother
Mihai Bologan. We wrote the textbook together with Evgenia
Kuchumova, with whom we once studied together at the institute.
We relied on her vast coaching experience – she has been
successfully working with beginners for a long time, and besides,
she is a candidate of psychological sciences. I have always loved to

667
work in a team, as everything is much easier for me when I am not
alone. It is still easier for me to discuss the problem with someone,
to discuss the details, so it is easier for me not only to work, but also
to think.
I also developed a school chess in the Tyumen region with the
support of Evgeny Kuyvashev. The stars aligned so that I became
friends with Evgeny Vladimirovich when he was still acting Mayor
of Poikovsky in 2000. Since then, Sasha Onischuk and I have
maintained warm relations with him, despite the fact that fate
scattered us across three different continents. When Kuyvashev
moved to a new place of work, in Tobolsk, he always invited us, and
we implemented some kind of chess projects; for example, we
conducted sessions of simultaneous displays – once even in a
juvenile colony. This is a bright episode in my life. I remember how
one guy asked hopefully: will you come back to us? Chess is very
important for the social rehabilitation of people who have
committed an offence. Many years later, while already working at
FIDE, it was with great pleasure that I supported the project of
Mikhail Korenman (a chess teacher in Chicago), and we began to
hold international championships among prisoners, which are
becoming more and more popular.
In Tyumen, Evgeny Vladimirovich and I have promoted chess well
in schools and organized general education. Then the Anatoly
Karpov Academy was created there, which is now flourishing.
Anatoly Evgenievich is now a State Duma deputy for this region,
and he supports and develops all these projects. And the main
support of chess in Tyumen is Gennady Shanturov and my good
friend grandmaster Evgeny Prokopchuk. With him, we even created
the Gazovik team, mainly from young guys, and I was again in the
role of ‘uncle’. We successfully performed in the team
championship of Russia, taking third place. Prokopchuk is a very
pleasant and intelligent person.

668
Kuyvashev worked for some time in Moscow, after which he
became the presidential envoy for the Urals Federal District, and
only then the governor of the Sverdlovsk region, which he still
serves to this day.
The next joint chess project with Kuyvashev was the professional
team ‘Malachite’ in the Sverdlovsk region. Naum Rashkovsky and I
came to Yevgeny Vladimirovich with a proposal to recreate the
regional team. In addition to the governor, the team was also
supported by businessman Igor Chernogolov, a very colourful
personality; for several years he headed the regional chess
federation. As a result, we took second place in the Russian
Championship of 2013, and in 2014 we became champions. The
Ural Chess Academy also appeared, which has already trained a
number of strong chess players. The Academy is now actively
supported by the current president of the Chess Federation of the
Sverdlovsk Region, Andrey Simanovsky.
Five times I became the champion of Russia as a member of
different teams. And each time it was not just a performance at the
chessboard, but also the solution of many organizational issues:
budget formation, the right strategy for communicating with those in
power, the formation of a team, the implementation of related
projects, etc.
But back to 2011. After a successful performance at the Russian
team championship in Olginka, I decided to play in a new
tournament for me – a round robin in Paks (Hungary). The main
sponsor of the tournament was a nuclear power plant located 5
kilometres from the city. The line-up turned out to be decent, but
most importantly, I was out of shape. This in turn prompted me to
another soul-searching phase, which in a year brought me to 15th
place in the world. The name I gave to the diary was, as it turned out
later, too ambitious, but quite effective.

669
With Evgeny Kuyvashev (left) and Giovanni Vescovi, Poikovsky
2000.
The Bologan System, or How to Become World Chess
Champion
Today is 06/25/11, I am 39 years old. My current FIDE rating is
approximately 2666, which corresponds to approximately 76th place
in the world list.
The task I have set myself is to work out a system of chess
improvement using my own example, empirically, which would
allow me not only to achieve high results in chess, but also to
contribute to the formation of a versatile personality.
In fact, my dissertation work identified the main factors that affect
the result of a chess player, and the simplest thing is to take them as
a basis for the system being developed.

670
The work involves a mixture of genres: diary, scientific research,
experiments, analysis, reflections on general topics...
Each new entry will note the date of writing for chronological
convenience.
Let’s analyse the situation at the 17th category tournament in Paks
(Hungary). Despite a good start 2 out of 2, I’m doing badly in the
tournament and with 3 points out of 8 I’m in the second half of the
table.
There are many reasons for bad play, just as there are for good play.
1. Before the tournament, I had not played for almost two months,
which could not but affect my practical strength.
2. Also, apart from solving simple tactics on Chess Tempo (by the
way, a good site), I did not turn on my brains at all. The work that
was carried out – recording and preparing materials for two DVDs
on the open Sicilian, classes with a student – was carried out
exclusively on a computer using a powerful processor.
3. Several blitz games with people and a lot of games with a
computer on the site did not help.
4. It must be admitted that during the tournament I felt very
comfortable in the openings, but I managed to take advantage of my
advantage in time and position only in one of the eight games
played.
5. A separate topic, and probably the most important in relation to
this tournament, is energy.
– at home, I still not only do not restore my strength, but moreover, I
spend it (problems of the last year, inability to relax, lack of normal
communication).
– an attempt was made to accumulate strength through jogging, and
this plan was implemented 60 percent. But often this was associated
with early rising and, accordingly, lack of sleep. Another problem is
weakness of will during wet weather.

671
– at the tournament itself, everything seemed to start well – dynamic
yoga, walks, sleep, regimen – but the old problem of Internet abuse
almost cancelled out everything. This was combined with insomnia,
early calls, and the regime went down the drain.
– This time I had my magic wand with me – an e-book. It saved me
from melancholy, but I read too much, to the detriment of sleep,
walks and preparation for the game.
– The food here is good, but probably not enough vitamins and tea
drinks at night.
– At first I did dynamic yoga. But then I even stopped that, all
because of the same willpower paralysis.
– In the whole time, I swam in a 15-metre pool three times, and in
general, for a short time, although this had a positive effect on my
well-being.
– When a problem in the third hour was discovered, I started
drinking coffee at that moment, but it did not help. It’s about
endurance.
– As usual, all the problems associated with the regime and energy
during the tournament hastened to affect my emotional and
intellectual performance.
6. We have already discussed some reasons for the volitional
paralysis that occurred at this tournament, but it is also worth
mentioning in general the fundamental shortcomings of my nature –
superficiality, Russian-Moldovan maybe, and, most importantly, a
liberal attitude towards myself.
7. In chess terms, the main problems are calculation and an
objective assessment of not only the position, but also the situation
in the game as a whole (taking into account fatigue, time). These
shortcomings were manifested mainly against the background of
fatigue.

672
Chapter 8
Return to Qatar
2012 was another turning point in my life, again rich in events. The
colossal work done in the previous three-year stay in my native land
began to bear fruit. First, a successful performance at the famous
Gibraltar Open, where only the incredibly stubborn defence of
Adams in the last round prevented me from reaching a play-off for
first place. In the same place, I had already fully restored my
successful cooperation with Zhu Chen: she also performed very
well, taking a decent female prize. Daily walks and wonderful
lunches in the fresh air, of course, had a positive effect on the result.
That’s the end of Gibraltar. The main conclusion is that the work on
the mistakes is bearing fruit. The regime was awarded full marks.
This was facilitated by the work that came as a second with Chen.
Then a victory at the Chebanenko Memorial. The newly-elected
president of the federation, Igor Nikolaevich Dodon, decided to
return the tournament to the elite status of the 1998 debut model and
invite a stellar line-up. Despite the fact that I acted both as a player
and as an organizer, I still managed to win the final game against
Arkadij Naiditsch on the coach’s birthday on February 19th.
Further on, two wins in the Bundesliga for the Eppingen team
followed by one of my most successful European Championships in
Plovdiv. During the tournament, I had to recover from defeats twice.
But to each defeat, I responded with two victories, which ensured
my access to the World Cup.
Slav Defence
Constantin Lupulescu
673
Victor Bologan
Plovdiv Ech 2012
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 a6 6.Qb3
The most aggressive set-up. White attacks the queenside, intending
to exploit the absence of Black’s queen’s bishop.
6...b5
The other possibility is 6...Ra7, but I prefer the text.
7.c5

7...a5
At the time the game was played, this was no longer a novelty, but I
realized the full power of this move only on the morning of my
game with Alberto David (see note to move 9), when I discovered
the further plan with 8... g6.
7...Nbd7 was much more common, but I was not satisfied with the
position I got in my game against Bacrot: 8.a4 e5 and now:

674
 A) 9.Qa3 Rc8 10.Na2 ( 10.b4 e4 11.Nd2 Be7 12.Be2 0-0 )
10...Be7 11.axb5 axb5 12.Nb4 0-0 13.Be2 Ne4 14.0-0 Bf6 with
equality;
B) 9.axb5 axb5 10.Rxa8 Qxa8 11.Qa2 Qxa2 12.Nxa2 e4;
C) 9. 9.Na2 Be7 ( 9...e4! 10.Nd2 Qc8 is unclear, but 9...exd4
10.exd4 Ne4? 11.Nb4 Rc8 12.axb5 axb5 13.Nxc6 Rxc6 14.Bxb5
was winning for White in Mikhalevski-Yirka, Israel tt 2009) 10.Nb4
Qc8 11.axb5 axb5 12.Rxa8 Qxa8 13.Qa3! with an edge for White in
Bacrot-Bologan, Porto Carras 2011.
8.Ne5 a4
It is very important to drive the queen away from this flank as now
the potential sacrifices on c6 or b5 are no longer dangerous.
9.Qd1 g6
This was played for the first time in the aforementioned game
against Alberto David at the beginning of the same year. The idea is
that Black does not cut off his light-squared bishop from the
queenside with ...e6 and develops the other bishop on g7, where it
can be very useful in the fight for the e5-square.
9...Ne4 was previously seen, with good results for White: 10.g4 Bc8
11.Bg2 Nxc3 12.bxc3 e6 ( 12...f6 13.Nd3 g6 14.h4 Bg7 15.h5 f5
16.Qe2 0-0 17.hxg6 hxg6 18.Nf4 with a clear advantage in
Khismatullin-I. Popov, Voronezh 2009) 13.e4 Be7 14.0-0 0-0 15.f4
Qc7 16.Nd3 Nd7 17.g5 f5 18.exd5 exd5 19.Re1 with a slight
advantage (Svidler-Prié, France tt 2009).
10.g4
It was essential to try 10.Nxc6. After 10...Nxc6 11.Bxb5 Bd7!!
12.Bxa4 Bg7 13.0-0 0-0 14.Bxc6 Bxc6 15.b4 Ne4 Black easily
stops the advance of the white pawns.
10...Be6 11.Bg2 Bg7
11...h5!? 12.g5 Nfd7 13.Nd3 Bg7 14.0-0 0-0 is rather unclear.

675
12.f4 Qc8 13.h3 h5 14.g5 Nfd7
In tournaments like the individual European Championships, you
need to play for a win with both colours, so I decided to depart from
the previous game with David and make things even more difficult!
14...Ne4 15.Nxe4 dxe4 16.Qc2 (on 16.Bxe4 I was going to
exchange the bishop: 16...Bxe5 17.fxe5 Bxh3 with equality)
16...Bxe5 17.fxe5 Bf5 18.h4 Qe6 19.Bxe4 Bxe4 20.Qxe4 was
David-Bologan, Gibraltar 2012, and here I could have played
20...Qd5 21.Qxd5 cxd5 22.Bd2 Nc6 with a clear draw.
14...Nh7 15.e4 dxe4 16.Bxe4 favours White.
15.Nf3 Na6 16.a3
Prophylaxis against ...a3 with the idea of ...Nxc5; for instance, 16.0-
0 a3 17.bxa3? Ndxc5 with a clear advantage to Black.
16...0-0 17.Ne2 Re8

I think it was this subtle move that brought me a very important

point with Black. Firstly, it is multifunctional, and at the same time
it is a good waiting move.

676
18.0-0
In reply to 18.Ng3 the sacrifice on c5 is also very strong:
18...Ndxc5! 19.dxc5 Nxc5 20.Qe2 Nb3 21.Rb1 Bf5 22.e4 dxe4
23.Nxe4 Qc7 24.0-0 Nxc1 25.Rbxc1 Qxf4 26.Nc5 Rad8 with an
edge for Black.
On 18.Bd2 I had prepared 18...Bf5, exploiting the fact that White
cannot simultaneously control the e4- and d3-squares: 19.Ng3 Bd3
with equality.
18...Ndxc5
This move cannot really be called a sacrifice, because Black gets
sufficient material for the piece.
19.dxc5 Bxh3 20.Bxh3 Qxh3 21.Qc2
On 21.Ned4 I was ready to take the pawn: 21...Nxc5 22.Nxc6 Nb3
( 22...Qg3+ 23.Kh1 Nb3 24.Rb1 Rac8 25.Nce5 ( 25.Qxd5 Qh3+
26.Kg1 Rc7 with a clear advantage for Black) 25...Red8 26.Qe2
Bxe5 27.Nxe5 d4 ) 23.Rb1 Rac8 24.Nce5 Bxe5 25.Nxe5 ( 25.fxe5
Rc4 ) 25...Qg3+ 26.Kh1 Rc5 27.Nd3 Rc7 28.Bd2 Rec8 29.Nb4 Rc4
30.Rf3 Qh4+ 31.Kg2 Qg4+ 32.Rg3 Qe6 33.Bc3 d4 with a strong
attack.

677
21...e5
Without this move, the attack would probably come to nothing.
22.fxe5 Bxe5 23.Bd2 Bg3
A move which does not appear among the computer’s first three
lines. My idea was to prevent the move Rf2.
A) 23...Bc7! 24.Kf2 h4 25.Ned4 Re4 26.Rh1 Bg3+ 27.Ke2 Qg2+
28.Kd3 Rxd4+ 29.Nxd4 Qe4+ 30.Kc3 Qe7 is unclear;
B) 23...Qg4+ 24.Kf2 Qc4 25.Qxc4 dxc4 26.Bc3 Bxc3 27.Nxc3
Nxc5 is likely just level;
C) 23...d4 24.Nexd4 Qg3+ is also equal.
24.Be1
24.Nxg3 Qxg3+ 25.Kh1 Re4 26.Nh2 Qxg5 ( 26...Nxc5!? leads to
equality after 27.Rf3 Rc4 28.Bc3 Qh4 29.Raf1 Ne4 30.Qg2 Nxc3
31.bxc3 Ra7 ) 27.Bc3 Nxc5 28.Bd4 Nb3 29.Qxc6 Rae8 30.Rg1 (
30.Rad1 Nxd4 31.Rxd4 Rxe3 32.Qxd5 Qxd5+ 33.Rxd5 b4 34.axb4
Re2 with equality) 30...Qf5 31.Raf1 Nxd4 32.exd4 Qe6 33.Qxe6
R8xe6 34.Nf3 with somewhat better chances for Black.

678
24...Bc7
Now threatening both 25...Rxe3 and 25...Re4.
25.Nf4 Qg4+
Or 25...Qd7!? 26.Rd1 Re4 27.Rd4 Rae8 28.Rxe4 Rxe4 with an
attack.
26.Qg2 Qd7
Retaining pressure; I did not want to lose the attack by exchanging
queens: 26...Rxe3 27.Qxg4 hxg4 28.Nh2 Re4 29.Bg3 Bd8 30.Bh4
Bc7 31.Bg3 with equality.
27.Nd3
My opponent began to get nervous, especially considering the fact
that he was already far behind on time. Better was 27.Nh4 with the
idea of sacrificing the knight on h5, followed by Nf5 and Nh6+:
27...Bxf4 (to prevent a sacrifice on h5) 28.exf4 Nxc5 is unclear.
27...Rxe3 28.Rd1 Rae8 29.Bg3 Bxg3
If 29...R8e4 30.Nf2 Bxg3 31.Qxg3.
30.Qxg3

679
30...Qf5
Oddly enough, White’s answer completely escaped my calculations.
If I had seen 31.Qf4, I would have gone for the originally planned
continuation 30...R8e4 31.Nf2 Qe7 32.Nxe4 dxe4 33.Qe5 exf3
34.Rd8+ ( 34.Qxe7 Rxe7 35.Rxf3 Nxc5 with an edge for Black, or
34.Rd8+ Qxd8 35.Qxe3 Qd5 36.Qxf3 Qxg5+ 37.Kh1 Qe7
38.Qxc6 Nxc5 39.Qxb5 Ne4 with a clear advantage) 34...Qxd8
35.Qxe3 Qd5 36.Qxf3 Qxg5+ 37.Kh1 Qe7 38.Qxc6 Nxc5
39.Qxb5 Ne4 and Black is clearly better.
31.Qf4! Qxf4 32.Nxf4 Nxc5 33.Rc1 Ne6 34.Ng2
I think this was the last moment when Lupulescu could have put up
resistance with the aid of 34.Nxe6 R8xe6 35.Nd4 R6e5 36.Kf2
R3e4 37.Nf3 Re2+ 38.Kg1 R5e4 with an edge for Black.
34...Rb3 35.Rxc6 Rxb2 36.Rd6 Ra2 37.Ne3
37.Rxd5 Rxg2+ 38.Kxg2 Nf4 wins for Black, as does 37.Rb6 Rxa3
38.Rxb5 Ra8 39.Rxd5 Rb3 40.Nd4 Nxd4 41.Rxd4 a3.
37...Rxa3 38.Nxd5 Kg7 39.Nf6 Re7?

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A gross time-trouble error. 39...Rc8 40.Rb6 Nxg5 would have won.
40.Kf2?
White misses his chance with this time-control move. He could have
escaped after 40.Rd5 b4 41.Nd4 b3 42.Nxe6+ Rxe6 43.Rd8 Rxf6
44.gxf6+ Kh6 45.Rb8 Ra2 46.Rf2.
40...Rc3 41.Rb6 Rc5 42.Ne4 Rf5
It is clear that White cannot coordinate his pieces without losing the
g5-pawn.
43.Nd6 Rf4 44.Re1 b4 45.Kg3 a3 46.Ra6 b3 47.Nd2
If 47.Rxa3 Rxf3+ 48.Kxf3 Nd4+ 49.Kf2 Rxe1 50.Kxe1 Nc2,
winning.
47...Rd4 48.Nf3 Rd3 49.Nc4 a2 50.Kf2 Rxf3+ 51.Kxf3 Nd4+ 0-1

Lessons:
1) In cramped positions, it is important not to panic, not to ‘twitch’
prematurely, but to try to improve the position of your pieces and
patiently wait in the wings. In this regard, the move 17...Re8 is
indicative – it is both multifunctional and at the same time a waiting
move.
2) The capture of space by pawns leads to a weakening of the rear
– this is an axiom. Very often, sacrificing a piece for 2-3 pawns
allows the weaker side to seize the initiative and begin to disturb the
enemy king. When pieces shackled in their camp break free, they
often become unstoppable. The same is true in life.
3) Connected passed pawns, rushing to the promotion square,
create the prerequisites for many ‘small combinations’.
Caro-Kann Defence
Victor Bologan
Mikheil Mchedlishvili
Plovdiv Ech 2012

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1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6
Black takes up the challenge with this sideline. I think my
opponent’s main idea was to avoid my preparation – and I must
confess that he achieved his goal.
4.e5 Ne4

5.h3
Prophylaxis, which is mainly directed against the c8-bishop. The
bad news about this move is that Black can now go into a
comfortable version of the French Defence with the king’s knight
problem solved. I realized this only a few days after the game.
5.Ne2 was the most principled, because it places the status of the
knight on e4 under question: 5...Qb6 6.d4 c5 ( 6...e6 7.Nfg1 f6 8.f3
Ng5 9.Ng3 Nf7 10.exf6 gxf6 11.Nh5 Nd7 12.Ne2² ) 7.dxc5 Qxc5
8.Ned4 Nc6 9.Bb5 Bd7 10.0-0 e6 11.Be3 Qb4 12.c4 Qxb2 13.cxd5
Nc3 14.dxe6! Nxd1 ( 14...Bxe6 15.Bxc6+ bxc6 16.Qd3 gives
White a clear advantage) 15.exd7+ Kd8 16.Raxd1 Nxd4 17.Nxd4.
Even without queens, White has a very strong attack, which later
brought him the full point in Svetushkin-Landa, Rijeka 2010.
682
Alternatively, 5.d4 is the obvious way to ignore the development of
the bishop on f5 or g4:
A) 5...Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg4 7.h3 Bh5 ( 7...Bxf3 8.Qxf3 e6 9.Be2 )
8.e6 fxe6 9.Rb1 Qc7 10.Be2 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 Nd7 12.0-0 with
compensation for the pawn;
B) 5...Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.e6 fxe6 8.Be2 Nxc3 9.bxc3 Bxf3 10.Bxf3
Nd7 11.0-0 e5 12.Bg4 also offers White compensation;
C) 5...Bf5 6.Bd3 ( 6.Nxe4 Bxe4 7.Ng5 Bg6 8.h4 h6 9.Nh3 e6
10.Nf4 Bf5 11.c3 c5 with equality, Shumiakin-El Debs, Brazil tt
2010) 6...e6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Qe1 Nxc3 9.Bxf5 Nxa2 10.Bxe6 fxe6
11.Rxa2 with a slight advantage to White.
5...e6 6.d4
Here I looked for some time at 6.d3 Nxc3 7.bxc3 c5 and only now
8.d4 Nc6 9.Bd3 c4 10.Be2. By comparison with the game, I lack a
whole tempo.

6...c5
6...Bb4 was also quite good: 7.Bd2 Nxd2 8.Qxd2 0-0 9.Be2 c5
10.a3 Qa5 11.0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 b6. Exchange after exchange, Black
683
gets rid of his pieces, thereby minimizing White’s space advantage.
In the meantime, he himself can start exploiting White’s weaknesses
on the queenside.
7.Bd3 Nxc3 8.bxc3 c4
An interesting variation of the French Defence, with the bishop still
alive on f8, which definitely helps Black.
9.Be2 Be7 10.h4 Nc6 11.h5 h6 12.g3
Here it was not easy to find a good move, the biggest question being
where to put the knight. 12.a4 Qa5 13.Bb2 Bd7 14.Nh4 0-0-0 15.f4
Rdg8 is similar to the game.
12...Qa5 13.Qd2 Bd7 14.Nh4 0-0-0 15.a4
My plan is to exchange the dark-squared bishops at some point, but
even after that, weaknesses on the queenside, along with black
counterplay on the kingside, will remain my headache.
15...Rdg8 16.Bg4 Bg5
So as to weaken the pawn on g3.
17.f4 Be7 18.Kf2?!

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18...g5
A typical break in such pawn structures.
19.hxg6 fxg6 20.Nf3
Now my task is at the very least to keep the open g-file after the
exchange on g5.
20...Qd8
Here Black had a pleasant choice: either the immediate 20...g5
21.fxg5 hxg5 22.Rxh8 Rxh8 23.Kg2 Qd8 24.Ba3 Bxa3 25.Rxa3
Qe7 26.Ra1 Qh7, or the stronger 20...Nd8. Frankly speaking, I
completely missed this idea. With the support of the knight, Black’s
attack really becomes dangerous.
21.Qe2 Qf8 22.Kg2 Nd8
Here I should have realized that I had problems, but I quickly
played...
23.a5
... instead of the more solid 23.Be3 Nf7 24.Raf1 Qg7 25.a5, holding
the position.
23...Nf7 24.Rf1

685
At the decisive moment of the game, I realized that I had been
completely outplayed by my opponent strategically and that I was
facing big problems. After much thought, I came to the conclusion
that the only way to stop Black’s attack is with the f5 idea. The
other point in my plan was to combine this with a sacrifice on c4.
24...Qg7 25.Nd2 h5
If 25...g5, 26.f5 exf5 27.e6 wins.
26.Bf3
Possibly stronger was 26.Bh3 but I was already focussed on the
attack. The further 26...g5 27.Bxe6 Bxe6 28.f5 h4 29.g4 Nd8 30.a6
b5 31.fxe6 Nxe6 32.Kh2 Nf4 33.Qf3 Rf8 is unclear.
26...g5
On 26...h4 I would have replied 27.g4 g5 ( 27...h3+ 28.Kh2 ) 28.f5,
keeping the lines closed on the kingside, but most of all I was afraid
of 26...Bb5, which I saw in my opponent’s face. After long thought,
Mikheil avoided this move: 27.a6 bxa6 28.Rh1 g5 29.f5 g4 30.Bxd5

686
exd5 31.f6 Bxf6 32.exf6 Qxf6 33.Rf1 Qg6 34.Qe7 Ng5 35.Rf6 Qg7
36.Qc5+ with an unclear position.
27.Nxc4?!
Objectively better was 27.f5 g4 28.Bxd5 exd5 29.f6 Bxf6 30.a6 b6
31.Rxf6 h4 32.Nxc4 hxg3 33.Rxf7 Qxf7 34.Nd6+ Kc7 35.Nxf7
Rh2+ 36.Kf1 Rh1+ 37.Kg2 Rh2+ with equality, but I did not want
to miss the chance to sacrifice a piece.
27...g4
Allowing a beautiful combination, which could easily have been
avoided.
27...h4 28.g4 gxf4 29.Bxf4 gives White a slight advantage.
27...gxf4 was Black’s only real chance to obtain an advantage and,
of course, it involves opening lines: 28.Bxf4 Bg5 29.Kf2 h4 30.Ke1
hxg3 31.Bxg5 Qxg5 32.Bg2 dxc4 33.Rxf7 Rf8 34.Rf6 Rxf6 35.exf6
Qxf6µ .
28.Bxd5
Step by step, White breaks up the solid pawn structure, freeing the
way for his pawns.
28...exd5

687
29.Nb6+
Tempo! Black has prepared a very strong attack and the only thing
White has going for him is time, even at the cost of two pieces!
29...axb6
Or 29...Kd8 30.Nxd7 Kxd7 31.Qb5+ Kc7 32.a6 b6 33.Qxd5 Rb8
34.f5, winning.
30.axb6 Kd8
Other moves do not save Black either:
A) 30...Kb8 31.e6 Nd6 32.exd7 Qh7 33.Ba3 Qe4+ 34.Qxe4 dxe4
35.Ra2;
B) 30...Bf5 31.Qb5 Kd8 32.Ra8+;
C) 30...Bd6 31.Ra8+ Bb8 32.f5 followed by Bf4.
31.Ra8+ Bc8 32.Qb5
A move my opponent had not seen, as he admitted after the game.
32...Nd6 33.Qxd5 Qf7 34.Qc5 Bf8 35.f5 Qd7 36.e6 Qc6+
37.Qxc6 bxc6 38.f6

688
The triumph of the white pawns over the black pieces.

Because of the pin on the eighth rank, Black can do nothing to

prevent the pawns queening.
38...Rh7 39.f7 Rg6 40.Ba3 Rxe6 41.Bxd6
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) An attempt to knock an opponent out of preparation with the
help of a rare and not quite correct variation resembles Russian
roulette: if it works, all well and good, but if it doesn’t everything
can end quickly and sadly.
2) If the opponent has outplayed you strategically, set traps and try
to transfer the game to tactical lines. Sometimes courageous
sacrifices help to confuse the opponent and reverse the unfavourable
course of the struggle.
3) ‘Time is money; when you see money, don’t waste time!’ – as
they said in one popular Soviet film. In chess, especially in sharp
positions, each tempo is also worth its weight in gold. In this game,
689
White sacrificed two pieces, but managed to get ahead of his
opponent literally by one tempo.
It was hard to get to Plovdiv. One more change had to be made on
site – the hotel. I changed to a more expensive one. And I did the
right thing. There was a pool that I visited about eight times during
the tournament, and I swam about one kilometre per visit. I slept
well at first, but towards the end I went to bed late and the quality of
my sleep was poor. Every evening I combined walks and dinner
with Ernesto. We found a cool place in the fresh air, and, most
importantly, not a single chess face. I prepared both in the evening
and before the game. It didn’t start well, especially from a chess
point of view. In general, during the entire tournament, I blundered
crudely, approximately on the second or third move of a variation.
Nevertheless, due to higher energy than usual, I managed to start
with 3½ out of 4, which had a very beneficial effect on the quality
of my play. In the second half, I played more confidently and even
more interestingly. Both defeats were related to miscalculations
made in the opponent’s time-trouble, and also caused by fatigue
from previous long conversions. In the last round, I could not
competently organize my preparation, I only exhausted myself, I
slept very badly. I was completely unprepared for the fight. As
White against Malakhov, it is quite possible to play. Final result 7th
place, getting to the World Cup in 2013, 4,000 euros in money and
11.5 rating points.
18 April 2012 Angola. Current rating 2715.5 – 28th place in the
world.
The last entry was made on the eve of the trip to Moscow on April
5. In Moscow, I talked with Barsky, Glukhovsky, and Anya
Burtasova. Everything was interesting, everything on point. In the
evening we went to Mikhalych’s dacha, for a barbecue. On the
morning of the 7th I flew to Sochi. On the spot in Loo, a micro-
district of Sochi, I once again demonstrated miracles of

690
perseverance and secured for myself and Ernesto two quiet rooms
overlooking the sea, which, coupled with the traditional walks with
Ernesto, provided a good regimen throughout the tournament.
The games themselves, with the exception of the second round (a
draw with Panarin with White, two miscalculations in the course of
the game), turned out to be very balanced and of good quality. This
was facilitated by high motivation, an even state of mind, good
opening preparation the day before (with an eye on the game), and –
probably, the most important thing – good playing conditions. The
team took first place in my absence, and I was already off faraway...
It would seem I was doing fine, playing well, and the results were
good – but no, my soul wanted something else. Where did Boniface1
spend his holidays? That’s right, in Africa! The country of lions,
tigers and Aibolit2! It was romantic, and, in addition, it turned out,
one could still earn money and rating points. No sooner said than
done. True, the fairy tale soon wears thin, but not too soon in
Angola. Visa, vaccinations, tickets, and all this in nomadic
conditions of movement from Germany to Plovdiv, and from
Plovdiv to Loo. Any logical realist would simply spit and refuse an
insoluble problem. And if you let in a little mysticism and dilute it
with a healthy philosophy, then yes, you can try.
Frankly, without mysticism our business is impossible. I have
already told how in the distant Soviet year of 1991, believing in my
star and the supernatural abilities of Alexander Bakh, in a few hours
I managed to get two visas – entry to Greece and exit from the
USSR, a ticket to Athens, and most importantly, faith in a miracle.
All this, two weeks later, allowed me to perform well in Xanthi and
complete my final grandmaster norm.
And so it was now; there are no insoluble problems! There is only
time and circumstances. If you mix them correctly then Fate itself
will lead you where you need to go.

691
True, at first it seemed to me that no-one was going to take me
anywhere. I asked the organizers to buy a ticket for 16 or 17 April
(the last round in Loo was on the 15th). After a long, usually one-
sided correspondence, I got a ticket for the 15th. I wrote to them to
point out that two thousand dollars had been spent on the ticket in
vain, and the chances of my visiting had fallen to 10 percent. It’s
good that on the other side of the globe, the organizer Antonio
Santos also found himself in a philosophical and mystical state of
mind, and simply wished me a speedy arrival in Luanda.
Vaccination was a more dramatic story. They did it for me at the last
minute. I used everything, including family ties, to find the only
doctor in Kishinev who could vaccinate against yellow fever.
However, there was one question left. Our doctors did not say
anything about malaria and related mosquitoes, while Western
participants were given special pills (a 50 euro pack) to be taken
during their stay in Angola (the story repeated itself eleven years
later in Côte d’Ivoire, when again I empathized with the side-effects
of Europeans swallowing appropriate pills).
Well, and a visa. Mysticism is mysticism, but there are also civilized
methods of obtaining it. I got everything I needed on the Internet. I
set aside an extra day in Moscow and carefully stomped down Olaf
Palme Street towards the Angolan embassy. But it was Catholic
Easter! In a word, a non-working day.
At this point, any optimistic mystic would have grieved and, most
likely, forgotten about Africa. Perhaps this is what I would have
done if not for Chebanenko’s teachings about preserving and,
preferably, increasing opportunities. And what? Let the dream of
mysterious Africa stay with me. Wait and see.
I arrived in Sochi, calmly played for Tomsk, and closely followed
the draw. The maximum plan was hardly feasible: it was almost
impossible for our team to secure first place with a round to spare,
so I started hoping we would play all our main competitors in the

692
first six rounds. Even though it seemed unlikely, it worked. And we
didn’t merely play them but beat them. In a word, after the victory
over Economist, the team captain let me go to Africa, since we
played Tagil in the last round.
An attentive reader will remind me: what about the visa? I also
reminded the organizers that I still didn’t have it. And then another
miracle: within half an hour I received a paper that looked like a
visa, which was very useful at Domodedovo airport.
So, April 14, Sochi time 3 am: the starting gun fired! I flew to
Moscow, met with coach Mark Dvoretsky, last parting words,
replenishment of the strategic stocks of my e-book library,
Domodedovo, Frankfurt Airport, an increase in our chess delegation
to five grandmasters, one of them the conqueror of Anand, my
colleague from Eppingen, Sergey Tiviakov, eight hours, a pleasant
combination of watching dreams and movies in a comfortable
Lufthansa plane, and we were already landing! What about the visa?
We handed over our passports together, and bypassing a huge
queue, consisting mainly of pale-faced people (we saw the same
number of white faces in Angola here at the airport on the way
back) with freshly-pasted visas, we found ourselves in Africa! Yes!
I’d made it!
The tournament itself was very good. Traditional delays could not
spoil the most important thing: the hospitality of the hosts, excellent
playing and living conditions, as well as a decent prize fund (first
prize was USD 5,000). Go, children, to Africa – to play chess!
By the way, at the tournament in Angola I met Tshepiso Lopang
from Botswana. We had a friendly international chess
companionship there, we went for walks together, spent evenings
together. Later, this friendship helped a lot not only during the pre-
election work at the headquarters of Arkady Dvorkovich, but also
during routine cooperation, first in the PDC, and then when
Tshepiso became the head of the African continental association.

693
My first trip to Africa had been in 2004, to Libya. But North Africa
is considered not quite the real deal. South of the Sahara desert –
this is the real Africa. The first trip was in 2012 to Angola. Who
would have known that this would be the forerunner of my future
activities in FIDE! I began to travel to Africa very often and visited
a large number of countries: Equatorial Guinea, Uganda, Zambia,
Côte d’Ivoire, the former Ivory Coast – as a child, this very name
beckoned and fascinated me! By the way, in 2023 I managed to win
the Francophone Blitz Championship in Côte d’Ivoire. Every visit to
African countries gives you an understanding that someone
definitely needs you: after master classes and simultaneous games,
local chess players grow before your eyes. European amateurs are
spoiled by all this, while in Africa there is an obvious lack of strong
chess players and experienced coaches. That is why I have already
made several trips to Africa in 2023 alone – and I am still planning
more.
22.07.2012 Konya (Turkey)
In general, I did OK, gaining 1.5 rating points. During the
tournament, I was ranked 15th in the world in the current FIDE
rating list. I scored 6½ out of 10. I interrupted my unbeaten streak of
25 games, and could have lost 4 more. The first part of the game
turned out very well. The real problems started after the 30th move.
A typical problem is indecisiveness in calculable-specific positions,
when I need to transform the advantage. CALCULATION. As a
result, I got into time-trouble and blundered crudely (Tregubov,
Solak, Nyzhnyk) closer to the time control, or lost the thread
(Malakhov). CRUDE BLUNDERS.
For me, numbers have always had a special meaning. I get this from
my mathematician father. As a child, I loved to perform all sorts of
exercises with car numbers, and of course all sorts of result tables
had a magical effect on me, and not only chess, and not only with
my participation. It is important for me what my rating is, how

694
much money is in my bank account, etc. That is why in the diary I
tried to display these indicators as an additional motivation. Because
with age, motivation naturally decreases.
And here I was sitting on the terrace of my dacha in the Crimea in
Fiolent, counting money and ratings, enjoying a well-deserved rest.
I had just returned from the Turkish Team Championship, where I
had played quite creatively and interestingly, opening double-
handed with both 1.e4 and 1.d4. For the first time in my practice, I
had played the Catalan, about which I later wrote a book. I returned
happy, but very tired. My family had been waiting for me and I was
surrounded by care and warmth. But as soon as we relaxed and
opened a bottle of good Crimean wine, the bell rang. The director of
the Biel Festival, my friend Olivier Breisacher (who unfortunately
died suddenly that same summer), asked the unexpected question:
‘Would you like to replace the withdrawn participant in our main
tournament?’ The wording itself is already strange, isn’t it?
Moreover, I was not only supposed to replace him, but also to take
on the sins of the retiring person, starting with minus two. And then
I made, perhaps, the biggest mistake in my professional career – I
accepted the invitation...

695
At the Francophone Blitz Championship, Cote d’Ivoire, 2023.
It was wrong from several points of view at once. First, voluntarily
to start a tournament with minus two is against the laws of nature.
Secondly, the highest level of competition – with the participation of
Magnus Carlsen! – requires elementary respect and preparation.
And thirdly, it was impossible to travel in the state in which I was
after the Turkish league and in general after a very successful but
intense season. My whole body had already tuned in to a well-
deserved rest, and my family was waiting for me.
But then my character showed itself: when I am challenged, I
always accept it. ‘Believe in yourself!’ is my motto. However,
unconditional faith in oneself is not always good, one must be able
to critically assess a situation and make decisions not only on the
basis of blind faith. Of course, it was necessary to reject the
proposal, and then it would have been possible to maintain both my
rating and my health. But I quickly packed up and left, and as a
result, after a terrible performance in Biel, my professional career
began to decline. And never again did I return to the top twenty.

696
Still, I managed to play one bright game in this tournament.
Sicilian Defence
Victor Bologan
Wang Hao
Biel 2012
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3
Be6 8.f3 h5 9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.Nd5 Bxd5 11.exd5 Qc7 12.c4 b6
13.Rc1 g6 14.Be2 Bg7 15.0-0 0-0

16.Na1
My Blue Notebook contains advice that I call golden: if you don’t
know what to do, then in 90% of cases you need to improve the
position of your knight. It really works. The fact is that the position
of other pieces is quite easy to improve (say, rooks and bishops are
often well-placed in their original positions), while there are more
difficulties with knights. It is a manoeuvrable piece, it can get to
some hard-to-reach squares – in this case, for example, the c6-

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square. Considering that the position is more or less closed, such
long manoeuvres are quite appropriate.
16...a5
Black immediately takes away the b4-square. In addition, he was
afraid of the plan b2-b4 and Nb3, followed by c4-c5.
17.Nc2 Nc5 18.Na3
The knight changes direction and heads to another good square – b5.
18...Qe7 19.Nb5 Nfd7 20.Rce1 Rfc8 21.b3
White has a resource on the queenside – to prepare a3 and b4 –
whilst on the kingside the break g2-g4 is unpleasant for Black.
21...f5 22.Bd1 Nf6 23.Bc2 Kh7 24.h3 Rf8
On 24...h4 there would follow 25.Bg5 and Black loses a pawn.

25.a3
It was necessary to strike on the other side with 25.g4! when Black’s
position simply collapses; for example, 25...fxg4 26.hxg4 e4
27.Bxc5 bxc5 28.g5 Nd7 29.Bxe4. But I decided to combine the

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two plans and first drive out the black knight from c5. However, in
principle, the knight was not causing me much trouble so I could
have dispensed with this.
25...Rac8 26.b4 axb4 27.axb4 Ncd7 28.Bb3 Ng8 29.f4 Ngf6
30.Na7 Ra8 31.Nc6 Qe8 32.Bc2 Ra2 33.Qd1 Qa8 34.fxe5 dxe5
35.Ne7 e4 36.c5
Here we were already in serious mutual time-trouble. In principle, it
was already possible to go for the piece sacrifice 36.Nxf5 gxf5
37.Rxf5 Qa3 38.Bb1 Ra1 39.Bd4 Rxb1 40.Qxb1 with advantage.
But I decided to play more solidly and simply to advance my central
pawns.
36...bxc5 37.bxc5 Qa3 38.Bb1 Rb2 39.Qc1 Rfb8 40.Re2

40...Ne5??
In a very difficult position, on the last move before the time-control,
my opponent makes a decisive mistake. However, it’s hard to blame
him for this, since 40...Ne8, which was suggested as a replacement,
was extremely hard to find. Black, in fact, unties his opponent’s

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hands and allows him to advance any of the connected passed
pawns. However, not everything is so simple: 41.d6 Nxd6 42.cxd6
Qxd6 43.Nxf5 gxf5 44.Rxb2 Bxb2 45.Qc4 Ne5 46.Qe2 Qg6
47.Kh1 with a double-edged position. Black’s king, of course, is
quite open, but he still has an extra pawn.
41.Rxb2 Rxb2 42.Bd4 Qg3 43.Bxb2 Nf3+ 44.Rxf3 exf3 45.Qd2
Nxd5 46.Nxf5 f2+ 47.Kf1 Qh2 48.Kxf2 Bxb2 49.Qh6+ 1-0

Lessons:
1) If you don’t know what to do, then in 90% of cases you should
improve your knight (16.Na1!).
2) When a tournament fails, a strong psychological background
arises that affects your decision-making algorithm: you want to play
more reliably, to minimize the risk. A reliable recipe for how to deal
with this has not yet been invented, but one must understand this
effect and strive to overcome this psychological barrier (25.a3
instead of 25.g4!).
3) Far-advanced passed pawns are not only strong on their own,
but often also have a demoralizing effect on the opponent.
The next call to the end of my career was a return to Qatar. My first
contract with the Qatar Chess Federation had ended in 2009, but
immediately after leaving the Middle East, my whole family began
to dream of returning there. Initially, we thought differently: we will
change the situation, work in Doha for a couple of years and return
to Kishinev, where our house will be built by that time. But here we
were, settled in our luxurious house in Kishinev, built according to
the design of Margarita, a real palace in which we had invested not
only a lot of money, but also a part of our soul. And yet,
immediately there was a desire to return to Qatar!
The forerunner to this return was my work with Sheikh Mohamed
from Abu Dhabi. He is a big fan of chess; Alexander Chernin and
other grandmasters still work with him. The sheikh knew about me
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and wanted to work on the King’s Indian Defence and some other
openings. When I flew from Kishinev to Abu Dhabi, I almost had
the feeling I had returned home. On my first visit, I had lived in
Qatar for less than two years, but nevertheless it had become my
second home. A kind of beckoning beacon!
In early 2012, I resumed working with Zhu Chen, and very
successfully. So, we both did great in the strong Gibraltar Open.
When I left Qatar, Sasha Morozevich began to work there in my
place, but six months later he also left, and the Qataris could not
find anyone who would replace him. As a result, Chen asked the
leadership of the federation to invite me again. But in the Arab
world, all decisions are taken over a long time and coordinated at
different levels.
Here we are at home in our spacious living room in Kishinev, and
somewhere at a distance is my phone. The bell rings – Mohamed
Al-Modiahki. He is both a friend and a student, and at that time the
Secretary General of the Qatar Chess Federation. Without picking
up the phone, I tell my wife: ‘We are going to Qatar!’ I felt we
would be invited to return. And so it happened. Knowing perfectly
well all the specifics of this country, I did not wait for the contract,
but immediately flew to prepare Zhu Chen for the her World
Championship match. Gradually, all bureaucratic procedures were
followed, and in February 2013, the whole family moved in with
me. The second visit to Qatar turned out to be much longer and
continues to this day.
In the next three years of my stay in Qatar, in addition to the main
work, I also engaged in writing activities. Given the impending
generational change in the Qatari national team, I paid special
attention to the search for new talents. As in Moldova, I decided to
start by teaching chess in schools. Armed with a list of international
private schools in Qatar, I methodically began calling them to
introduce a paid (!) chess lesson. Surprisingly, it worked. Now chess

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is taught in most private schools in Doha in the form of
extracurricular activities, and from 2024 we will resume the project,
together with the key ministries of Qatar, in public schools.
Of course, I continued to occasionally play in team competitions,
but the tournament of the year for me has always been the
traditional Karpov tournament in Poikovsky. This was the first
tournament that took place without Alexander Valentinovich
Klepikov, a great human soul. He died suddenly in his 65th year.
Valentinych was gone. Tragic news not only for his relatives, not
only for the entire Nefteyugansk region, but also for many chess
players whose fate is somehow connected with Poikovsky.

The author presents Alexander Klepikov with the Russian

predecessor of this book, ‘Steps’.
I still can’t believe that this energetic man, full of strength, left us. It
seems that he was going fishing, then became ill; an ambulance

702
arrived, he felt better, but was ordered to rest. But it was not in the
nature of Alexander Valentinovich to sit still...
I wanted to write about Alexander Valentinovich during his lifetime
– he did so much good for chess and for chess players – but there
was always some more important, more urgent ‘business’. But it is
still necessary to write: write to remember, write to know, write to
set an example.
Alexander Valentinovich came to big-time chess thanks to his
friendship with Anatoly Karpov. At the turn of the millennium, after
the opening of the Karpov school in the Nefteyugansk district,
Valentinych asked the champion directly: is there a tournament
named after Karpov? No? So, there will be!
All grandmasters who came to the Nefteyugansk region first of all
noted the special atmosphere of the tournament, the wonderful
hospitality of the hosts, the warmth of the meeting. But all this was
set by the energy and charm of Alexander Klepikov. He always
worked in a team (and many members of that Klepikov team
continue his chess business to this day) but he was always the
driving force.
He used to stand for an hour by an interesting game – not moving,
calculating the variations. There was no district, no family, there
was only him and chess. Sometimes you want to play just for the
sake of such a fan.Once, during the 11th tournament in Poikovsky, I
decided to make my next signature zigzag – I hit the road for the
rest day in Tyumen. To visit Alexander Valentinovich, to eat the
famous okroshka of his wife Lyudmila Alekseevna – in a word, to
change the situation. A heartfelt welcome, excellent communication,
and here I was, with my arms outstretched, lying on the ground in
Siberia, watching the starry sky, and I felt ready to move mountains.
Valentinych was surprised at first, but then he understood: let the
man lie there, it’s good for him, it is summer, he won’t catch a cold.

703
On my return to Poikovsky I won the remaining three games and
shared first place with Karjakin.
My first meeting with Alexander Valentinovich took place in his
office of the head of the Nefteyugansk region (which he had been in
charge of for more than fifteen years) in August 2000. It was also
there that the first tradition of Poikovsky was born – to hand over
fees to participants at the beginning of the tournament after a
greeting and a strong handshake from the head of the district. An
open smile, overflowing energy – such a person could not but be
liked. It would seem that he smiled at everyone, charmed everyone.
Klepikov’s care was felt every moment.
Delicious food? Please! The jacket off his shoulders for those who
are freezing (Cubans, Brazilians, Chileans) – no problem. Analyse
the game and suggest a move, of course, Valentinych! Heat up the
bathhouse and sit in the banya – unimaginable without Valentinych.
And it cannot be said that he was such a saint with a luminous halo.
Not at all. He could apply a kind word, but he could also tell the
truth at once. One time I decided to show off my vocal talent in
karaoke. And a very sad Valentinych sits and nods in my direction:
Viorel is not very...
He was different, both funny and sad. One day a famous
grandmaster received some unpleasant news during the tournament.
I watched this from the outside, so I saw a sharp change in the mood
of Alexander Valentinovich from cheerful to wisely sympathetic.
One doesn’t get many such guys! And he turned out to be right.
Everything worked out afterwards.
He liked to surprise people, in a good way. The best (at that time)
chess tournament in Russia, held not somewhere in Moscow, but in
a village – please! Doubling or even tripling the prize fund right at
the closing ceremony- just sign here! A church in Cheuskino – built;
the man could not be idle. All the time he was full of ideas, at work.
He was respected in the area.

704
If you look at it in an everyday way, it seems that Alexander
Valentinovich did everything in this life: he fathered a son and
raised a smart daughter, nursed his grandchildren, lived soul to soul
with his beautiful wife, worked furiously, hunted and fished, rested,
loved people, left a good memory of himself. But you went too early
anyway, Valentinych! Only 64 years old, because you still have to
live and live...
Despite unstable performances in recent years, I have always
managed to play at least one successful game in Poikovsky.
Victor Bologan
Ian Nepomniachtchi
Poikovsky 2013

Having had a strategically won position for most of the game, I

suddenly realized that we had used the last ten moves in different
ways. I hesitated, calculated variations, and did almost nothing,
while Ian got rid of his bad pieces, created a passed pawn and began
705
to create unpleasant threats. At this point, with little time left, I was
very close to losing my composure and even the game.
47.Nxg4
The only move. I already understood that I had to fight for a draw. It
was sad but I had to curb my ambitions. Therefore, I was pleased to
find a forced draw.
47...hxg4
47...Rxg4 48.Qb6 (remember this square!) 48...Rg2 49.Qc7 Qg8
50.Rd1 f2 51.Qe7 wins for White.
48.h5
Opening the h-file allows White to create a second front.
48...Rxe4??
Of course, my opponent saw that after 48...g3 49.Qxg3 f2 50.Rxf2
Rxf2 ( 50...Qxd6 51.a4 Qd1+ 52.Ka2 Rd3 53.Ra8+ Kg7 54.Ra7+
Kg8 is equal) 51.Qxe5+ Kg8 52.Qe6+ Kh8 53.Qe5+ the game ends
in perpetual check, but he had a lot more time, while I was already
in time-trouble, and this had a definite effect on his objectivity.
49.hxg6
I was virtually certain that my opponent had only calculated the
most natural move 49.Qh4, which was my first candidate move:
49...g3 50.Qxe4 Qf5! 51.Qxf5 gxf5. Quite honestly, during the
game I thought I was losing here, and this probably forced me to
seek the best move. But White has a beautiful draw: 52.Rd1 g2
53.g6 f2 54.h6 g1Q 55.Rh7+ Kg8 56.Rg7+.
49...g3

706
50.Qb6
Even though I had two winning moves here, I was very pleased to
find one of them. Here the queen is multifunctional: she strives for
c7 with mating threats, attacks d8, and also helps the d-pawn in the
event that it decides to advance to promote.
Also winning was 50.Qxg3! Qf5 51.Rh2+ Kg8 52.Ka1 (I am sure
this move escaped Ian’s attention) 52...Qg4 53.g7 and the game is
decided.
50...Re1+ 51.Kc2 Qf5+ 52.Rd3! Rd7 53.Rxd7 Qxd7 54.Qc7 Re2+
55.Kc3 Qg7 56.Qd8+ Qg8 57.Qf6+ 1-0
Vacation is a sacred family concept. Where, when, for how long?
Common questions that are decided at the family council. Well, you
still need to collect it, this advice. My son was at school, my wife at
a session in Moscow, my daughter in rehabilitation at a sanatorium
in Yevpatoria, and nothing of paramount importance was happening
at work. On vacation! To Poikovsky!
The specifics of coaching work are such that you perceive any
opportunity to play in a tournament with great enthusiasm. So what
707
if the average rating is 2700 and you will have to fight against
current professionals who are also younger than you? We will work
out the rest in full!
In a competition, ‘Find ten differences between the previous
fourteen tournaments and the current fifteenth anniversary’,
participants would have had to work hard. The same Astoria hotel
with spacious rooms and hospitable staff, the same huge and
comfortable playing room, the same rest room, serving cranberries,
nuts, and honey in addition to traditional tea, coffee and fruit.
One difference was that the walking route was gradually expanding.
Every year the village conquered new territories from the water. A
new house, a new school, a new stadium – Poikovsky was growing.
The fantastic level of organization had not changed (meetings,
farewells, chic opening and closing ceremonies, a day of rest,
banquets, etc.). Here, in addition to the ‘light hand of Anatoly
Evgenyevich Karpov,’ two people played a key role: the head of the
district, Vladimir Semenov, and the director of the tournament,
Alexander Andreevsky. It is on their, by no means weak, shoulders,
in fact, that the tournament was supported. Well, so much has been
said and written about the hospitality of Poikovians that it can be
safely taken as an axiom.
This was probably why, year after year, the tournament pleases with
uncompromising and meaningful play, and no innovations in the
form of the thirty-move rule or the general impossibility of offering
a draw are needed here. Except, this time the organizers decided to
lighten the wallet of a 15-minute latecomer for a game by 2,000
rubles. And even here there were no exceptions.
A cute bespectacled hare, which eventually became the mascot of
the tournament, could be attributed to the category of novelties of
the tournament. To determine this, a competition was held, as a
result of which an authoritative jury headed by the twelfth World
Champion Anatoly Karpov chose the long-eared beast.

708
Also at the opening, Anatoly Evgenievich announced that a prize for
the best game was being established, and so that everything was
without controversy, the participants themselves would decide who
to give it to. It just so happened that a ticket for a week for two to
rest in Bulgaria went to the veteran of the tournament – that is, to
your obedient servant. Considering my status as a vacationer against
the professional status of my rivals, I had played enough. In all
games, without exception, I donated material. And not just some
pawns; the total sum turned out to be almost an entire chess set.
Four wins, four losses and only one draw, and that one in a hundred
moves against Bacrot. My victory over Motylev was awarded the
ticket to Bulgaria, but in this book I decided to present another
game.
Queen’s Gambit Declined
Pavel Eljanov
Victor Bologan
Poikovsky 2014
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 Nf6
Transposing to the Nimzo-Indian with 4.e3.
5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 0-0 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bd3 c5
This is one of the most important and typical positions in the entire
Nimzo-Indian Defence. Black has given up the bishop for a knight,
getting in return free piece development and some pressure in the
centre.
9.Ne2 b6 10.0-0 Ba6
One should always remember that the advantage of the bishop pair
can be reduced by exchanging one of them.
11.f3 Re8 12.Ng3 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 Nc6

709
14.Ra2
One of two possible set-ups. Also after 14.Bb2, White wants to
prepare e4, after which his bishop will become strong and he will
also have good attacking prospects: 14...c4 ( 14...Qd7 is not enough,
after which White can already play 15.e4!, and both of his central
pawns are protected) 15.Qd2 h5 (with 15...b5 Black tries to create
counterplay on the queenside: 16.Rae1 a5 17.Qf2 b4 18.e4 Rb8
19.e5 Nd7 20.f4 bxc3 21.Bxc3 Rb3 Ushenina-Muminova, Khanty-
Mansiysk 2014) 16.Rae1 h4 17.Nh1 b5 18.Nf2 a5 19.e4 Rb8 20.e5
Nh7 21.f4 b4 22.f5 Qg5.
14...Qd7 15.Re2
15.dxc5 bxc5, and now 16.c4 is impossible because of ...Ne5.
15...Rad8 16.Bb2
Both the d- and e-pawns are defended, and therefore White is
prepared for e3-e4.
16...h5

710
A typical idea in such positions – and generally against a knight on
g3. It is not completely obvious how this black ‘kick’ should be met.
17.Ree1
17.Rd1 Re6 18.Qf5 h4 19.Nh1 Ne7 20.Qd3 Ng6 21.Nf2 Rde8
22.Rde1 Qe7 23.Nh3 Qb7 24.a4 Qc6 25.Qb5 Qc7 26.Qb3 R6e7
with equality was Dzagnidze-Koneru, Beijing 2013.
17...h4 18.Nh1
On 18.Nf5 I was ready to exchange the knights by means of
18...Ne7, since 19.Nxh4 is bad because of 19...g5, and the knight is
trapped.
18...h3 19.g4 Nh7

When preparing the variation, I was very pleased to find this idea,
which allows Black to stop the march of White’s pawns and also to
establish firm control over the kingside.
20.Ng3 Ng5
Now in the event of a white f4 push, the e4-square will always be
weak.
711
21.Kh1 Na5 22.Nh5 Re7 23.Nf4

23...Rde8
The most difficult moment in the game. I understood that I was
better, but specific continuations did not suit me at all, so I spent
most of my time advantage and made a normal move.
Instead, the computer suggests a paradoxical solution: 23...Ree8
24.Rf2 Nc4 25.Bc1 b5 with complete control over the position.
24.dxc5 Nc4 25.Bc1 Ne5
I went for this pawn sacrifice because I thought there was no
positional risk and I would always have compensation thanks to my
better king and active pieces.
26.Qe2
26.Qxd5 bxc5! leaves Black with a clear advantage. Alternatively:
26.Qd1 Rd8! 27.cxb6 axb6 28.Nxd5!? ( 28.e4 dxe4 29.Qxd7
Rexd7 + ) 28...Nexf3 29.Rxf3 Qxd5 30.Qxd5 Rxd5, again with a
clear advantage for Black.
26...bxc5 27.Rd1
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Here we were both in serious time-trouble, but Black’s play is rather
simpler and more pleasant.
27...d4!!
A classic pawn breakthrough in the centre. The key idea of this
sacrifice is to open the long diagonal for the black queen.
28.cxd4 cxd4 29.Rxd4 Qc6 30.Nd5
30.e4 Nexf3.

30...Nexf3!
Also possible was 30...Rd7 31.Nb4 Qb7 32.Rxd7 Qxd7, and there is
no defence against ...Nef3.
31.Nxe7+ Rxe7 32.Rd8+ Kh7 33.Qd3+ g6 34.Rd6 Qb7 35.Rd5
Ne5 36.Qb5 Qa8
White is an exchange up, but he cannot stop Black’s attack on the
long diagonal.
37.Kg1 Ngf3+

713
Such a subtle move as 37...Rc7 did not enter my head in time-
trouble, although it is also quite natural to seize the open file; for
example, 38.e4 Qc8. The point – a double attack.
38.Kf2 Nxh2
38...Qc8 was a quicker way to win.
39.Rh1 a6 40.Qb3 Nhxg4+ 41.Ke2 h2
41...Qc6 42.Rxh3+ Kg7 43.Bb2 Rb7 was also very strong.
Time-trouble was now over and I still had to win the game.
42.e4 Qc6 43.Bd2
If 43.Rxe5, 43...Nxe5 44.Rxh2+ Kg7 wins.
43...Kg7
43...Nd7! was even stronger.
44.Qc3 Qf6 45.Qg3 Rc7
Threatening 46...Rc4.
46.Rxe5!? Nxe5 47.Bc3 Rc4
The only move, but sufficient.
48.Kd1 Rxe4 49.Rxh2 Qf1+ 50.Kc2 Re2+ 51.Rxe2 Qxe2+ 52.Kb3
f6
White resigned.

Lessons:
1) The advantage of two bishops can be reduced by exchanging
one of them. Ideally, of course, one should strive to exchange the
bishop that is not limited by its own pawns.
2) The march of the outside pawn is useful not only for attacking,
but also for defensive purposes. By advancing the pawn to h3 and
transferring the knight to g5, Black managed to extinguish the
opponent’s offensive impulse on the kingside. And later the h3-
pawn came in handy for creating threats to the white king.

714
 3) A pawn break in the centre is a classic technique. Even if it is
associated with a pawn sacrifice, the advantages are quite
significant. In this case – very strong pressure on the newly-opened,
long, light-squared diagonal.
Slav Defence
Viktor Laznicka
Victor Bologan
Poikovsky 2015
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 a6
This universal scheme, which, on the one hand, is a reaction to the
order of moves chosen by Laznicka, and, on the other hand, allows
you to fight against White’s plan with e2-e3 in the Chebanenko
Variation, has become very popular recently.

6.Bd3
Viktor plays in his usual manner, trying to get into a simple
technical position with a little White pressure, where his high level
of technique can be emphasized. Alternatives:

715
 A) 6.Be2 is how the 16th World Champion himself likes to play;
Magnus Carlsen likes to shift the centre of gravity of the struggle
from the opening to the middlegame, where he is undoubtedly the
Great Master: 6...h6 7.Bd3 Bxd3 8.Qxd3 e6 9.a3 Nbd7 ( 9...dxc4
10.Qxc4 b5 11.Qe2 c5 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.0-0 Nc6 14.b3 0-0 15.Bb2
Qe7 16.Rfc1 Rfc8 17.Nd2 Bb6 18.a4 with a slight advantage in
Ehlvest-Bologan, Berlin 2015) 10.0-0 Bd6 11.e4 dxe4 12.Nxe4
Nxe4 13.Qxe4 Nf6 14.Qe2 0-0 15.Rd1 b5! 16.b3 Re8 17.a4 Qc7
18.c5 Be7 19.Rd3 Nd5 with equality (Ehlvest-Ragger, Berlin 2015);
B) 6.Qb3 is probably the most principled decision: 6...b5 and
now:
B1) 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.Bd2 ( 8.a4 b4 9.Qxb4 Nc6 10.Qc5 Na5
11.Bxa6 ) 8...e6 9.Rc1 Be7 10.Nh4 Bg6 11.Nxg6 hxg6 12.Bd3 0-0
13.a4 b4 14.Na2 (Aronian-Tomashevsky, Skopje 2015) 14...a5
15.0-0 Ne4 16.Be1 Bg5 17.Qc2 Nd6 18.b3 Nc6! 19.f4 Be7
20.Qxc6 Rc8 21.Qa6 Ra8=;
B2) 7.c5 a5 8.Nh4 Bc8 9.f4 g6 10.Bd3 Bg7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Bd2
Na6 13.a3 Nc7 14.Qc2 Nd7 15.Nf3 f5 16.b4 a4 17.h3 Nf6 18.Ne5
with a slight advantage for White (Eljanov-Bologan, Berlin 2015).
C) 6.Ne5 is also a poisonous variation, but an innovation by
Postny allows Black to draw its teeth: 6...Nbd7 7.Qb3 Qc7 8.cxd5
Nxe5 9.dxe5 Nxd5 10.Nxd5 cxd5 11.Bd2 e6 12.Rc1 Qd7 13.Be2
Be7 14.Ba5 Rc8 15.Rxc8+ Qxc8 16.Kd2 Qc5!? 17.Qa4+ Qc6
18.Qxc6+ bxc6 19.b4 ( 19.Bxa6 Kd7 20.b4 Ra8 21.Bd3 Bd8
22.Bxd8 Rxa2+ with an edge for Black) 19...Kd7 20.Rc1 ( 20.Bxa6
Ra8 21.Bd3 Bd8 with equality, while after 21.b5 Ba3 gives Black
sufficient counterplay; for example, 22.f3 h5 23.h3 Bh7 24.g4 h4
25.Re1 Bg6 26.Rd1 Rb8 27.b6 Bb4+ ) 20...Ra8 21.Rc3 f6 with
equality (Tomashevsky-Postny, Skopje 2015).
6...Bxd3
A game played a few rounds earlier can be listed under ‘opening
traps’: 6...Bg6 7.0-0 e6 8.Bxg6 hxg6 9.Qd3 Bb4 10.Bd2 0-0
716
11.Nxd5!! Nxd5 12.cxd5 Bxd2 13.dxe6 Ba5 14.exf7+ Rxf7 15.Ne5
with a clear advantage (Lysyj-Inarkiev, Poikovsky 2015).
7.Qxd3 e6 8.0-0 Bb4
It is important to fight for the e4-square.
9.Bd2 0-0 10.a3
Determining the position of the bishop. More subtle is 10.Rfd1 Ba5
11.a4 Nbd7 12.b4!?, but here too, after 12...Bc7 ( 12...Bxb4
13.Nxd5 exd5 14.Bxb4 Re8 15.a5 gave White a slight advantage in
Radjabov-Mamedov, Berlin 2015) 13.e4 dxe4 14.Nxe4 Nxe4
15.Qxe4 Re8 16.Bg5 f6 17.Bf4 Bxf4 18.Qxf4 Qe7 Black is fine.
White also gets nothing after 10.Nxd5 Nxd5 11.cxd5 Bxd2 12.dxe6
Ba5 13.exf7+ Rxf7 14.h4 h6 15.Ne5 Re7 16.Ng6 Rf7 17.Ne5 with
equality.
10...Bxc3
Before the game I studied this surrender of the bishop for the knight
and found that it was perfectly viable. But nor is the retreat any
worse: 10...Ba5!? 11.Ne5 ( 11.b4 Bc7 12.e4 dxe4 13.Nxe4 Nxe4
14.Qxe4 h6 15.Rac1 Nd7 16.Rfe1 Re8 17.Bc3 Nf6 18.Qh4 was
seen in Bogdanovic-Motylev, Berlin 2015; after 18...a5 19.Rcd1
axb4 20.axb4 Ra3 Black has an edge) 11...Nbd7 12.Nxd7 Nxd7
13.Rfd1 f5 14.b4 Bc7 15.b5 axb5 16.cxb5 c5 with an edge for Black
(Lenic-Postny, Rodom 2015).
11.Bxc3 Ne4 12.Bb4 Re8

717
13.a4
As Viktor explained after the game, he wanted to retain control over
the light squares, whilst at the same time his bishop could attack the
white pawns on dark squares in the endgame, in particular the pawn
on a5.
13.Rfc1 a5 14.Be1 a4 15.b4 Nd6 16.Nd2 b5! with an edge for Black
was seen in Y. Vovk-Schneider, Berlin 2015.
13...a5 14.Ba3 Nd7
The other possible route for the knight is via a6 to b4: 14...Na6!?
15.Rfc1 Nb4 16.Bxb4 axb4 with equality.
15.Rac1 Qb6! 16.Rc2 Qa6 17.Rfc1 Rad8 18.Ne1
Creating the threat of going into the desired endgame with cxd5.
18...Qb6
18...Nef6 19.cxd5 Qxd3 20.Nxd3 exd5 21.b4 axb4 22.Bxb4 Ra8
23.a5 with a slight advantage to White.
19.b3 h6

718
After this move, I offered a draw, because I considered my task of
equalizing as Black fulfilled. However, the peace offer was rejected.
20.Rb2 Nef6 21.Qb1
An interesting but slightly artificial set-up. Its only drawback is the
temporary removal of the white forces from the line of contact.
21...e5! 22.Nf3
On 22.b4 exd4 23.bxa5 Qxa5.
22...c5
This looks effective, but the computer prefers the simple 22...exd4
23.exd4 ( 23.Nxd4 c5 24.Nb5 Ne5 25.cxd5 Rxd5 26.Rbc2 Ne4 with
an edge for Black) 23...Re6 with equality.

23.cxd5
The other two captures also lead to a roughly equal position:
A) 23.dxc5 Nxc5 24.cxd5 Rxd5 25.Rd2 Nxb3 26.h3 Qd8
27.Qxb3 Rxd2 28.Nxd2 Qxd2 29.Qxb7 Qa2 30.Qb2 Qxb2
31.Bxb2 Nd7;

719
 B) 23.dxe5 Nxe5 24.Nxe5 Rxe5 25.Rd2 d4 26.Bb2 Re6 27.exd4
cxd4.
23...exd4 24.exd4 cxd4 25.d6 Ne4 26.h3 Nxd6 27.Rd1?
I think that from afar, Laznicka missed 29... Ne5, otherwise he
would have attacked the pawn with the other rook: 27.Rd2 Ne5 (
27...Ne4 28.Rxd4 Ndc5 29.Bxc5 Nxc5 30.Rxd8 Rxd8 31.Qc2= )
28.Nxd4 Ndc4! 29.bxc4 Qxb1 30.Rxb1 Nxc4 31.Rd3 Nxa3
32.Rxa3 Rxd4 33.Rxb7 with equality.
27...Ne4 28.Rxd4 Nc3 29.Qd3
29.Qc2 Ne2+ 30.Qxe2 Rxe2 31.Rxe2 Nf8 with a clear advantage
for Black.

29...Ne5!! 30.Rxd8
On 30.Nxe5, 30...Qxd4 wins.
30...Nxd3 31.Rxe8+ Kh7 32.Rd2
Or 32.Ne5 Nxf2 33.Nc4 Qc6 34.Re7 Nfe4 35.Rxf7 Qd5 36.Rf3 b5
37.axb5 Nxb5 38.Ra2 a4, winning.
32...Qxb3?!
720
Correct was 32...Nxf2!. In fact, that was what I intended, but I
dreamed that after 33.Rdd8 ( 33.Rxf2 Nd1 34.Ree2 Nxf2 35.Rxf2
Qxb3 36.Bb2 Qxa4 – compared with the game, Black has an extra
f-pawn and a completely winning position) Black has no mate,
whereas White’s threats could become very dangerous. 33...Nce4!
is the only winning move, but that is logical because everything is
burning! Now it is mate almost everywhere:
A) 34.Nh4 Ng4+ 35.Kf1 Qf2#;
B) 34.Ne5 Ng4+ 35.Kh1 Ng3#;
C) 34.Kh2 Qe3 35.Ne5 ( 35.Rh8+ loses to 35...Kg6 36.Ne5+ Kf5
) 35...Qg3+ 36.Kg1 Nxh3+ 37.Kh1 Nef2#.
33.Rxd3
33.Re3! almost equalizes; for example, 33...Qb1+ 34.Kh2 Nxf2!
35.Rxf2 Qb6! 36.Rxc3 (if 36.Bc1 Nd1 ) 36...Qxf2 37.Bd6 Qb6
38.Bg3 Qb4 39.Rc7 f6 40.Rd7 Qxa4 41.Rxb7 with equality.
33...Ne2+ 34.Rxe2 Qxd3 35.Re3 Qd1+ 36.Kh2 Qxa4

721
I assessed the resulting position as very promising, since I believed
that my pawns would quickly promote, while White would have to
spend a lot of time in order to pry open Black’s kingside.
37.Bb2 b5 38.Bd4 b4 39.Re7 Qb3?!
I asked myself the question – what is the difference between
39...Qa2 and 39...Qb3 ? – but because I thought that ...Qd5 would
follow anyway, I decided that there was no difference. Wrongly!
39...Qa2! 40.Ne5 Qd2 (destroying the coordination of the white
forces) 41.Rd7 f6 42.Nc4 Qc2 43.Bxf6 Kg6 wins.
40.Ne5 f6
I almost played 40...Qd5, overlooking 41.Rd7! Qe6 42.Rxf7 a4
43.Rb7 b3 44.Nf3 Kg8 45.Rxg7+ Kf8 46.Ra7 Qd6+ 47.Be5 Qb4
48.Nd4 b2 49.Ne6+ Ke8 50.Ng7+ with equality.
41.Nd7 Kg8 42.Nc5
One should not be too harsh on the Czech GM for this mistake. The
far from obvious 42.Bc5 was the correct move. It turns out that the
white pieces are now optimally placed for an attack on the g7-pawn:
42...h5 43.Re8+ Kh7 44.Re7 Kg6 45.Nf8+ Kf5 46.f3 h4 47.Rxg7.
There follows an incredible line to equality: 47...Qc3 48.Rh7 Ke5
49.Rh5+ f5 50.Nd7+ Kd5 51.Rxh4 b3 52.Rh6 Qg7 53.Rd6+ Kc4
54.Bd4 Qxd4 55.Nb6+ Qxb6 56.Rxb6 a4 57.Ra6 b2 58.Rxa4+ Kc5
59.Ra5+ Kc6 60.Rxf5.

722
42...Qd5! 43.Rd7 Qc4
Tying down White’s pieces and preventing them from becoming
active, which at the same time allows the black pawns to start
advancing.
44.Be3 b3 45.Rb7 a4 46.g4?!
The downside of this move is that it weakens the second diagonal,
which can be exploited for an attack on the king. But even in the
event of the best move 46.g3 h5 47.h4 Kh7 48.Kg1 Kg6 49.Kh2
Kf5 50.Rb6 g5 (exploiting mutual zugzwang on the queenside,
Black tries to open the position of the white king) 51.hxg5 fxg5
52.Nb7 ( 52.Kg2 h4 ) 52...Qc2 53.Nd6+ Ke5 54.Nf7+ Ke4
55.Nxg5+ Kd5, the black king escapes the checks and because of
the distance of the white king from the queenside, White is doomed;
for example, 56.Ne6 b2 57.Nd4 b1Q 58.Nxc2 Qxc2 59.Rb5+ Ke4
60.Rxh5 a3 61.Ra5 a2.
46...Qd5
Threatening 47...Qxb7.

723
47.Rb8+ Kh7 48.Kg1 Qe5 49.Rb4 Qc3 50.Rb7 b2 51.Nxa4 Qc1+
52.Kh2
Or 52.Bxc1 bxc1Q+ 53.Kh2 Qc2 54.Rb4 Qxf2+ 55.Kh1 Qe1.
52...b1Q 53.Rxb1 Qxb1 54.Nc5 g6 55.Ne6 Qe4 56.Nd4 h5
57.Kg3 Kg7 58.Nf3 g5 59.Nd4 Qh1 60.gxh5 Qg1+ 61.Kf3 Kh6
62.h4 Kxh5 0-1

Lessons:
1) Fighting for the e4-square is the key opening idea in many
variations of the Slav Defence, including the Chebanenko Variation
(8...Bb4).
2) The offer of a draw is not only a manifestation of peacefulness,
but also a very important psychological moment in the game. Often,
the opponent who rejects your offer starts playing too aggressively
or, as in our case, too pretentiously. You can take advantage of this
and seize the initiative (21...e5!).
3) When you have a queen with pawns against several enemy
pieces, it is extremely important to prevent these pieces from
gaining a foothold in stable positions in the centre and slowing
down your pawns. As long as the position remains dynamic and the
pawns are mobile, the queen is often stronger.
Then came the 2015 European Team Championship in Reykjavik. I
always played with great pleasure for the national team of Moldova
and, in general, achieved good results. At the same time, I especially
liked the European Championships. True, these trips were difficult:
whereas the costs of participation in the Olympiad were paid either
by the state or the organizers, money always had to be found for the
European Championships. And already this challenge – to find
money for the team – provoked me. In this regard, I have always
found support from the European Chess Union, namely from my
good old comrades, Zurab Azmaiparashvili and Theodoros
Tsorbatzoglou.
724
I have fond memories of Iceland in general: I played quite
successfully in tournaments there and played in the Icelandic league
in the team of Hrafn Johansson, who, unfortunately, passed away
recently. He was an outstanding organizer and supported the Chess
in Schools programme. Curiously, in Icelandic schools, children go
barefoot. On the island, the main problem is not how to heat the
water, but how to cool it, since the temperature of groundwater
reaches 100 degrees. We all know that Iceland is a chess country; it
has the most grandmasters per capita in the world. And it’s also very
pleasant to be there. I remember once my wife came with me to a
tournament in Selfoss and was amazed by the beauty of the nature
of this land.
During the flight from Doha to London, I watched the film by
Mikhail Segal, ‘Movie about Alekseev.’ The main musical motif of
this film stuck in my head, and I even wrote poems about it. On this
motif, I entered the tournament and started with two powerful
victories – over Leko and Wojtaszek.
Ruy Lopez
Victor Bologan
Peter Leko
Reykjavik Ech-tt 2015
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6
7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Rd1+
The idea of this move is to keep the king on the kingside and try to
exploit the disconnect between the black rooks.
9...Ke8 10.Nc3 Ne7 11.h3
Trying to compensate for the absence of the light-squared bishop.
11...Ng6

725
12.b3
I have also tried the immediate improvement of the knight –
12.Ne2, which after 12...Be6 13.Ned4 Bd5 14.b3 Rd8 15.Bg5 Be7
16.Bxe7 Nxe7 17.c4 Bxf3 18.Nxf3 Ng6 19.Kf1 brought me a small
advantage. 19...Ke7 20.g3 c5 21.Ke2 a5 22.a4 Rxd1 23.Rxd1 Nf8
24.Nh4 g6 25.f4 Ne6 26.Nf3 h5 27.Ke3 Ng7 28.Ke4 b6 was seen
in Bologan-Carlsen, Astana 2012, and here I could have played
29.g4! hxg4 30.hxg4 Rh3 31.Ng5 Rxb3 ( 31...Rh8 32.Rd2 ) 32.f5
with a slight advantage.
12.Nd4 (with the idea of taking control of the centre with f4 and
Ne4) 12...Be7 13.f4 h5 14.Ne4 Nh4 (a typical method of stopping
f5) 15.Ng3 a6 16.Be3 c5 17.Nde2 Nf5 18.Nxf5 Bxf5 19.Nc3 c6
20.Rd2 Rd8 21.Rad1 Rxd2 22.Rxd2 b5 with equality was played in
Sutovsky-Volokitin, Austria tt 2015.
12...Be7
12...Bb4 was played in the last round of the event: 13.Ne2 Bf5
14.c3 Be7 15.Ng3 Bd7 16.Nh5. I always like this knight on h5 for
White, because it is not so easy to shift once it is there. 16...Rg8
726
17.c4 c5 18.Bb2 Bc6 19.Ne1 Nf8 Palac-Dvirnyy, Reykjavik 2015,
and now 20.Nf4 Ne6 21.Nd5 Rd8 22.Nc2 with a slight advantage.
13.Bb2 h5
A typical idea: Black takes control of the light squares on the
kingside, preventing a possible g4.
13...Bf5 14.Nd4 Bd7 15.Re1 Rd8 16.e6 Bc8 17.Nf5 Bf6 18.Na4
Bxb2 19.Nxb2 Rg8 ( 19...Rd5 20.exf7+ Kxf7 21.Ne3 Re5 22.Nd3
Re7 23.f3 h5 24.g4 gave White a slight advantage in Volokitin-
Vocaturo, Jerusalem 2015) 20.exf7+ Kxf7 21.Ng3 with a very
small advantage for White.
14.Ne4

14...a5
As it happens, this small nuance allows White to seize the initiative
until the very end of the game. Nowadays, the cost of one tempo is
very high!
14...h4 was played against me by another top player, Levon
Aronian: 15.Re1 Kf8 16.Rad1 Rh5 ( 16...Bf5 17.Nd4 Bxe4 18.Rxe4

727
Rd8 19.Rde1 Rh5 20.Kf1 Kg8 21.Nf3 Nf8 22.Rd4 with a slight
advantage in Bologan-Aronian, Beijing 2012) 17.Nd6! Be6
18.Nxb7 Bd5 ( 18...a5 19.c4 a4 20.Bd4 with a clear advantage)
19.Re3 ( 19.Bd4!? ) 19...Rb8 20.Na5 Rb5 21.Bc3 Bc5 (Charnota-
Kryvoruchko, Polanica Zdroj) and here there is 22.a4! with a slight
advantage for White.
15.Re1
The rook has done its job on d1, cutting off the king, and now it
establishes another critical set-up – it sits opposite the king and frees
a square for the other rook, which will come to d1.
15...Kf8
On 15...a4 I would also have gone to d6, as the check on f6 brings
White nothing: 16.Nd6+ Kf8 ( 16...cxd6 loses to 17.exd6 f6
18.Ba3! axb3 19.axb3 Kf7 20.dxe7 Re8 21.Nd2 Nxe7 22.Nc4 )
17.Nxc8 Rxc8 18.bxa4 Ra8 19.Re4 with a clear advantage.
If 15...Be6 16.Nd4 with a slight advantage. The exchange of the
light-squared bishop is always favourable for White.
16.Rad1
Preparing Nd6. I was told about this idea right before the game by
my teammate Dmitry Svetushkin. Later I saw that it had already
been played several times in similar positions.
16...h4
16...Bf5 is something of a provocation and one of Black’s possible
ideas in this position. If I am not mistaken, I had the position after
17.Nd4 Bc8 18.e6 fxe6 19.Nf3. on the board that morning. There
could follow 19...a4 20.Ne5! Nxe5 21.Bxe5 with compensation.

728
17.Nd6!
Now Black must either give up his light-squared bishop or sacrifice
material.
17...Rh5
A) 17...cxd6 18.exd6 Bxd6 19.Rxd6 or 18...Bd8 19.d7 both leave
White with a clear advantage;
B) 17...Be6 18.Nxb7 Bd5 ( 18...a4 19.Bd4 also gives White a
clear advantage) 19.Bd4 Bxf3 20.gxf3 Rh5 21.Re4 Rf5 22.Nc5 Rxf3
23.Be3 Rf5 24.Nd3 with a small plus.
18.Nxc8 Rxc8 19.Re4
Now White feels much more comfortable on the light squares:
preparations for f5 are planned, and Black will constantly have to
keep an eye on the h4-pawn, as well as solve the problem of the
rook on h5.
19.Bc3 (sometimes it’s important to provoke ...b6, but I wasn’t sure
about it) 19...b6 20.Re4 Rd8 21.Rde1 promises White a slight
advantage.

729
19...Rd8 20.Rxd8+ Bxd8 21.Kf1
The king heads towards the centre!
21...c5 22.Rg4 Ke7
It is difficult to criticize Peter for this move since Black cannot play
the endgame without his king.
23.Ng5
Another tactical motif was 23.e6!? Kxe6 24.Bxg7 Rd5 25.Ke2 Kd7
26.c4 Rd6 27.g3 Re6+ 28.Kf1 with a slight advantage.

23...f5?!
Leko is already in a difficult position and so his desire to simplify
the game is fully understandable.
23...b5 was more solid, though: 24.Nxf7 ( 24.a4 c6 25.c4 b4
26.Nxf7 Kxf7 27.e6+ Kxe6 28.Rxg6+ Bf6 29.Bxf6 gxf6 30.Rg4 f5
31.Rg6+ Ke5 32.Rxc6 Kd4 ) 24...Kxf7 25.e6+ Kxe6 26.Rxg6+ Bf6
27.Bxf6 gxf6 28.Rg4 with a slight edge for White.
24.exf6+ gxf6 25.Re4+!
An important zwischenzug.
730
25...Kd7 26.Ne6 Be7 27.Ng7!
In general, a bad sign for Black: if the white knight gets to g7 it
means that the kingside is shattered.
27...Rh7
Both 27...Rd5 28.Rg4 Rg5 29.Ke2 Rxg4 30.hxg4 Nf4+ 31.Kf3 h3
32.gxh3 Nxh3 33.Ke3 Ng5 34.Nh5 Ke6 35.f4 and 27...Rg5 28.Bc1
Rd5 29.Ke2 f5 30.Re6 Nf8 31.Rh6 gave White a clear advantage.
28.Nf5 Bd8 29.Ke2 Rh5

30.Rg4!
Another zwischenzug.
30...Rxf5 31.Rxg6 Ke6 32.Rh6
Black loses the pawn on h4, which opens the gates to White’s
victory.
32...Rg5 33.Kf1 Rd5 34.Rxh4 Rd2
Here I saw two ways to neutralize the rook and chose the more
complicated way:

731
35.Re4+
35.Rc4! Be7 36.Ke1 Rd5 37.Re4+ Kf7 38.g4.
35...Kf7 36.Re2 Rd1+ 37.Re1 Rd2 38.Rc1 c4 39.bxc4
Here after 39.Ke1 Rd6 I could have speculated on the exchange of
rooks: 40.Rd1 Re6+ 41.Kf1 cxb3 42.cxb3 Be7 ( 42...Ke8 43.Re1
wins) 43.Rd7, winning.
39...Be7 40.Bc3 Rd6 41.Re1
Also good was 41.Bxa5 Rc6 42.Bd2 Rxc4 43.c3 Ra4 44.Rc2.
41...Rc6 42.Re4 a4 43.Ke2 a3 44.g4
My position should be completely winning, but my technique was
not of the highest order.
44...Rb6 45.Rd4
More elegant was 45.Kd3.
45...Bd6 46.Rd5 Rb1 47.Rf5 Be7 48.g5
More accurate was 48.h4 c6 49.h5 Rb2 50.Kd3 Rxa2 51.g5 Rb2
52.g6+ Kg7 53.Rg5 Rb1 54.h6+.
48...Kg6 49.gxf6 Bd6 50.Rf3
50.Rb5 Rc1 51.c5 Bf8 52.Rxb7 Rxc2+ 53.Kd3 Rxa2 54.Rxc7 Rxf2
55.c6 was winning.
50...Kf7 51.Rd3 Rc1 52.c5! Bf8
52...Bxc5 loses too: 53.Rd7+ Ke6 54.Rxc7 Bd6 55.Bd2! Ra1
56.Rxb7 Rxa2 57.Rb6 Rb2 58.Ra6 a2 59.Kd3.

732
Here I almost played 53.Kd2, but something stopped me and at the
last moment I saw the check on h6. Of course, tiredness and the
allegro time-control played their role. The only good news for me
was that Leko was in the same situation.
53.Rd2
53.Rd7+ Ke6 54.Rxc7 Rxc2+ 55.Kd3 Rxa2 56.Bd4! was also
winning.
53...Ke6
If 53...Bh6 54.Rd7+ Kg6 55.Rxc7.
54.Bd4?
At first I was going to play 54.f4 Bxc5 55.f5!+ Kf7 ( 55...Kxf5
56.Rd5+ ) 56.Rd7+ Ke8 57.Rxc7, which is winning.
54...Bh6 55.Be3 Bxe3 56.fxe3 Kxf6
It is said that all rook endings are drawn. Of course, this is not the
case, but the chances of salvation for the weaker side are very high.
57.Kd3 Rh1 58.Kc4 Ke6 59.Rd3 Rxh3 60.Rxa3 Kd7 61.Kb5 Rh5
62.Rd3+ Kc8 63.a4
733
My pawns are too weak.
63...b6
In case of 63...Re5 White would have had to find a study-like win:
64.a5 Re4 65.c6 Re5+ 66.Kc4! ( 66.Kb4 b6 67.Ra3 Kb8 68.axb6
cxb6 69.Rc3 Kc7 70.Kc4 Re8 71.Kd5 Rd8+ and the frontal attack
does not allow the e4-pawn to advance; 72.Ke6 Re8+ 73.Kf7 Re4
74.Kf6 Re8 draws) 66...Rxa5 ( 66...bxc6 loses to 67.Ra3 and 66...b6
to 67.axb6 cxb6 68.Kd4 ) 67.Rd8+!! Kxd8 68.cxb7, and the pawn
queens with Black’s king and rook looking on forlornly!
64.Rc3 Re5
64...Kb7 65.Kb4 Re5 66.cxb6 Kxb6 67.Kc4 c6 68.Kd4 Rd5+
69.Ke4 Rd8 70.Ra3 with a clear advantage.
65.a5
65.Kc6 Re6+ 66.Kd5 Rh6 67.cxb6 Rxb6 68.Ra3 also wins.

65...bxc5

734
65...bxa5 66.Kxa5 Kb7 was more stubborn, although here too
White should win after 67.Kb5 c6+ 68.Kc4 Kc7 69.Kd3 Rd5+
70.Ke4 Rh5 71.Rc4 Kd7 72.Kd3 Ke6 73.e4.
66.Kc6 c4 67.Ra3 c3 68.a6 Kb8 69.a7+ Ka8 70.Rxc3 Re7 71.Ra3
Re6+ 72.Kd5 Rd6+ 73.Ke4 Rd2 74.c4 c6 1-0

Lessons:
1) You need to constantly replenish your stock of tactical and
strategic techniques in typical positions. The witty idea 17.Nd6!,
which GM Svetushkin told me about, allowed me to win the
opening battle against a recognized theoretician.
2) Nowadays, tempos play the most important role both in the
opening and at the stage of realizing an advantage. One of the tricks
in the fight for tempos is intermediate moves (30.Rg4!).
3) Playing in rook endgames requires full concentration and
increased accuracy, since the margin of safety in them is colossal
and the slightest mistake can negate all your many hours of effort.
Sicilian Defence
Victor BologanRadoslav Wojtaszek
Reykjavik Ech-tt 2015
1.e4
In previous games with Radoslav, I had scored 0/3, including two
games as White. This time, playing for a team, I decided to be as
reliable as possible, although that did not mean playing for a draw.
1...c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6
My opponent’s choice was not difficult to guess, even though he
had not shown the best results in the Najdorf lately; especially worth
noting is his loss to Topalov in the European Club Cup.
6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 h5

735
This line subsequently became extremely popular. Previously,
representatives of the Chinese school often played this way. The
idea of the move is to slow down or even completely stop White’s
attack on the kingside.
9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.Nd5 Bxd5 11.exd5 g6
The most natural way to develop the bishop is either on h6 or g7.

12.Be2
12.0-0-0 was played by Topalov: 12...Nb6 and now:
A) 13.Kb1!? Nbxd5 14.Bg5 Be7 15.Na5 Rb8 16.Bc4 Nb6
17.Bb3!? ( 17.Bxf6 Bxf6 18.Qxd6 Qxd6 19.Rxd6 Bd8 20.Rd3 Bc7
was equal in Grischuk-Topalov, St Louis 2015) 17...d5 18.Qe3 Qc7
19.Rhe1 Nbd7 20.Bxf6 Nxf6 21.Bxd5 0-0 22.Qxe5 with a slight
advantage;
B) 13.Qa5 Bh6 14.Bxh6 Rxh6 15.g3 Kf8 (not 15...h4 because of
16.g4 Rh8 17.Rg1 Kf8 18.f4 with a white initiative) 16.Kb1 Kg7
17.Be2 Rh8 18.c4 with a slight advantage to White was Topalov-
Wojtaszek, Skopje 2015.

736
12...Bg7
12...Qc7 I consider to be a loss of time in this position, as was
confirmed by 13.Rc1 Bg7 14.0-0 0-0 15.c4 b6 16.Na1 h4 17.Nc2
Nh5 18.Rfd1 f5 19.Nb4 Kh7 20.Nc6 a5 21.Bd3 Rae8 22.Bc2 Nc5
23.b3 Qf7 24.Rb1 with a slight advantage in Areschenko-Salem,
Abu Dhabi 2015.
13.0-0
The alternative is 13.Na5 Qc7 14.c4, but here Black found the very
strong idea 14...e4 (instead of 14...b6 15.Nc6 Nb8 16.Nb4 Nbd7
17.0-0 0-0 18.Rac1 Nc5 19.Nc2 a5 20.Na3 Nh7 21.Nb5 with a
clear advantage for White in Bologan-Esen, Turkey tt 2012) 15.f4?!
Ng4 16.Bxg4 hxg4 17.Rd1 ( 17.0-0 f5 18.Rab1 Nc5 19.b4 Nd3
20.c5 Qf7 with an edge for Black in Mamedov-Korobov, Moscow
2011) 17...Nc5 18.0-0 f5 19.b4 Nd3 20.c5 0-0 21.c6 bxc6 22.Nxc6
Qf7 23.a4 Kh7 24.Qa2 Rfc8 25.Rd2 Bc3 with an edge for Black in
Saric-Vocaturo, Reykjavik 2015.
13...b6
If 13...0-0 White can get a small edge with 14.Na5 Qc7 15.c4 b6
16.Nc6 Nb8 17.Nb4 Re8 18.h3 a5 19.Nc2 and again the knight
goes to b5, with an edge, Jagupov-Tikhonov, Stockholm 2015.
14.c4 0-0 15.Rac1
15.Rae1 Rc8 16.Bg5 Qc7 17.Kh1 Rce8 18.Bd3 Nh7 19.Be3 f5
20.Nc1 Nhf6 21.b3 e4 22.Bb1 b5 23.cxb5 axb5 24.Ne2 Rf7 25.Nf4
also gave White a slight advantage in Inarkiev-Korobov, Eilat 2012.
15...Nh7
One of Black’s main ideas is to play ...f5.
15...a5 allows the white knight to carry out the familiar long, but
convincing manoeuvre: 16.Na1 Kh7 17.Nc2 ( 17.h3 Ng8 18.g4
Bh6 19.g5 Bg7 20.Bd3 Ne7 21.Kh2 Nc5 22.Nc2 Qd7 23.Be4 Nf5
24.Bf2 f6 gave Black an edge in Ponomariov-Bruzon, Berlin 2015)

737
17...Nc5 18.Na3 e4 19.Nb5 exf3 20.gxf3 Ne8 21.Rfe1 Nc7 22.Nd4
with a slight advantage.
16.Bd3 f5 17.Bb1 Rc8 18.Kh1
18.a4 a5.
18...a5

19.a4
This strange move was inspired by my analysis after playing
Dominguez at the 2011 World Championship. The situation on the
other side of the board was different, but on the queenside the
engine recommended a4.
19...Nc5 20.Nxc5 bxc5
The position is very solid for both sides, which is more or less in
line with my initial desires before the game, but after the next
move...
21.g4?!

738
... the situation changes in a cardinal way. Perhaps I should have
gone for the quieter 21.Bc2 Rb8 22.b3 Bf6 23.g3 Bg5 24.f4 Bf6
25.fxe5 Bxe5 26.Rce1 Qf6 with equality.
21.Qe1 Rb8 22.Bd2 Rxb2 23.Bxa5 Qg5 24.Bc2 h4 is also just even.
21...hxg4 22.fxg4
Here Black has to choose between two moves and the price of a
mistake is extremely high.
22...e4?!
Wrong!!! In fact, on 22...f4 I was going to win the pawn: 23.Bf2
Qg5 24.Qd3, and the g6-pawn cannot be defended, but I completely
underestimated the counterattack: 24...Nf6! 25.Qxg6 Qxg6 26.Bxg6
Nxg4 with an edge for Black, and White has to fight for a draw.
23.gxf5 gxf5 24.Rg1 Kh8

25.Rxg7!!
One of the key features of the attack is the destruction of the enemy
king’s position, while the other is the elimination of the strongest
defender. Two in one!
739
25...Kxg7 26.Qg2+ Kh8
26...Kf7 doesn’t help either: 27.Qh3 Nf6 28.Rf1 Ke8 29.Qxf5 Rc7
30.Bg5 Rcf7 31.Qe6+ Qe7 32.Bxe4! Qxe6 33.dxe6 Nxe4 34.exf7+
Rxf7 35.Re1 and White wins.
27.Bd2!
Backward moves are always hard to see, but the desire to bring the
bishop to the long diagonal pushed my hand on its own.
27...Qh4
Now, with all the open files, defending the king is very difficult: not
only will Black have to give up the exchange, but he will also lose
the e4- and f5-pawns.
Alternatively, 27...Rf6 loses to 28.Bc3 Qf8 29.Rf1 Rc7 30.Bxf6+
Qxf6 31.Bxe4.
28.Bc3+ Nf6 29.Rf1
Here I missed an improbable chance: 29.Qg6! Rc7 30.Rg1 Rh7
31.Rg2.

analysis diagram
740
Zugzwang!
I calculated as far as this position, but did not realize that not a
single one of the opponent’s pieces could move here!
29...Rce8
During the game, I thought 29...Rc7 30.Rxf5 Rg7 31.Qf1 Rh7
32.Qf4 Qxf4 33.Rxf4 Rh6 34.Bxe4 was much more tenacious. My
position is clearly better but, of course, not yet winning.
30.Rxf5 e3
Or 30...Re5 31.Bxe5 dxe5 32.Qg3.
31.Qf3 Re5
If 31...Kg7, 32.Rh5 wins.
32.Bxe5 dxe5 33.Qxe3

33...Ng4!
An outstanding chance in time-trouble!
34.Rxf8+ Kg7 35.Qe2 Kxf8 36.Bf5!

741
I quickly saw 36...Nxh2, but I also saw that at the end of the
variation, when he takes my bishop, I can exchange queens and
move into a won pawn endgame.
36...Nxh2! 37.Qxh2 Qe1+ 38.Kg2?!
I thought this was a simple repetition of moves, but in fact it is not,
and so I should have played the immediate 38.Qg1!.
38...Qd2+ 39.Kh1 Qe1+
I would have had greater headaches in converting my advantage
after 39...Qd1+ 40.Qg1 Qf3+ 41.Kh2 Qxf5 42.Qxc5+ Ke8 43.Qe3.
White is probably winning, but in such positions one can never be
certain.
40.Qg1 Qh4+ 41.Kg2 Qg5+

42.Kf1! Qc1+
42...Qxf5+ loses in the pawn ending after 43.Qf2.
43.Kf2 Qd2+ 44.Kf3 Qf4+ 45.Ke2 Qxc4+ 46.Bd3 Qxd5 47.Qg4
1-0

742
Lessons:
1) Another example on the topic: ‘How to deal with an
uncomfortable opponent’. You have to be extremely collected, but
in no case play directly for a draw.
2) For the sake of eliminating the most important defender of the
opponent’s king, it is worth parting with the exchange (25.Rxg7!!).
3) Repetition of moves for the sake of gaining time in time-trouble
is a common technique. However, when applying it, be sure to ask
yourself the question: ‘Does the opponent have to go for a repetition
or can he find something better?’
I then alternated wins with draws, until the climax came – the last
round match between Moldova and Ukraine. By the way, during the
tournament I fell sick. I went to the doctors, but they didn’t
understand what the matter was, and I came to the last round
completely exhausted. I had to play White against Ivanchuk. He
chose the Petroff Defence and just gave me a piece.
Victor Bologan
Vasily Ivanchuk
Reykjavik 2015

743
18.g5 Bd8?? 19.Nd4
Black resigned.
Thanks to this victory, I took first place on top board – ahead of
Carlsen, Aronian, Ivanchuk... this was one of the biggest successes
in my career, and at the same time the last of the significant ones. In
the future, I won tournaments several more times, but with nothing
like so stellar a line-up. Curiously, my student Zhu Chen also
achieved the last big success in her career in 2015 – she became the
Asian Women’s Blitz Champion.
In 2015-2016, I rarely played classical chess, and not very
successfully at that; in rapid and blitz, the results were also very
average. I had fewer and fewer resources to improve my game, but,
as the attentive reader will remember, I always have the zigzag trick
in my back pocket. Therefore, in the summer of 2016, unexpectedly
for everyone, including myself, I decided to go to the USA for an
open tournament in Philadelphia. I wanted to change something.

744
In principle, the trip was very successful. I talked with my old friend
Dina Tulman, and then went on to the World Open. The tournament
started strangely: in a game with an opponent whose rating was
below 2100, I could have been mated.
Geovanni Carreto Nieto
Victor Bologan
Philadelphia 2016

To do this, however, he had to find a study-like sequence.

White wins with 39.Rdd3! Re1 40.Kf2 Rh1 41.g3 Rh2+ 42.Kg1 Re2
43.Kf1. Fortunately, my opponent was fully satisfied with perpetual
check:
39.Re2+ Kd4 40.Rd2+ Ke4 41.Re2+ Kd4 42.Rd2+ Ke4
Draw.

745
Then I scored 5 points out of 5. True, in the penultimate round I lost
to my student Vasif Durarbayli, but in the last one I beat Li Ruifeng
with Black and shared first place. This was my last major success.
Basically, America is a happy country for me. I did not play there
very often, but usually I was successful. There were also such
pleasant moments as communication with friends, as well as
working with students.
In 2017, I began to play less and less, and the birth of Plato in
September became the main bright event. We named our sons, of
course, coolly: ‘Platoshka’ and ‘Antoshka’ sound almost the same,
and often they both respond at the same time! Both are Qataris (that
is, they were born in Doha) and they have a big age difference: one
was born in 2008, the second in 2017.
As I said, we are very grateful for this to that small, but very proud,
and most importantly rich, country. Given that they are of different
ages, I have the opportunity even now to observe the attitude of the
younger generation towards chess over the past ten years. Anton
obviously did not have much interest in it, but at the same time he is
a much calmer and more obedient boy. He didn’t cause us any
trouble; he just didn’t like chess very much. But I thought it was
good for him, and he didn’t kick back much. From time to time, he
studied somewhere and with someone, played somewhere, and
sometimes I took him with me to tournaments. Greece, Oman, Spain
– I would like to have travelled like this at his age. He went to
training camps with Viktor Komliakov several times, and he really
liked it: travelling with Vanych and hanging out with the guys in
Russian chess camps. He is now 15 years old, and he says: ‘Dad, I
like chess, I want to play in a tournament!’ This love woke up in
him at the second or even third stage; now he plays on the Internet
and reads some articles.

746
With my sons Platoshka and Antoshka, 2020.
Platoshka is now five years old. He is a thinker, a real Plato!
Boasting enormous willpower, he has his own opinion on all issues!
He immediately helps teachers to teach other children, and tells the
children the way it should be. He goes to ballet and remembers
everything perfectly: composers, dance combinations... he goes to
fencing and also brilliantly learns everything that he is told – the
coaches are already surprised. But at the same time, he sets his own
rules everywhere. He even tried to correct chess: he said, this is
wrong, you have to play like this. For example, when he was very
small, he said: ‘White should move on the white squares, Black on
the black.’ It is very difficult to convince him of something! At
school, we even had to agree to special assistants who explained to
him that there is no need to be so stubborn.
Platoshka is studying at an international school on a mixed British-
American system, where children from the age of five must already

747
read and write. Even the teachers themselves do not agree that
children at such an early age should read and write a lot. But, they
say, we have such a system, and if your son does not do this, then he
will fall behind the rest. It came almost to the point that he got
expelled from school, because he does not listen to anyone and does
what he wants. At the same time, he has his own explanation for
everything, his own reason. He’s just a very strong person. In our
family, everyone is a gift, but he is really stronger than everyone put
together!
What is his relationship with chess? Yes, he likes it. I do not force
him, I ask: do you want to do this? Yes I want to. Ismael Karim, a
new children’s coach from Morocco, managed to find the key to
him. Plato told me recently on the phone: ‘We checkmate each
other; so, it is possible!’
My conclusion: the main thing is that the child should like this
activity. The second point is in defiance of all those who oppose
parental care. My father made me go to chess. What if he hadn’t
forced me? Parents still have to show some perseverance, and
sometimes force their children to do something. Firmness is a must!
I watch my sons. They are cool, smart; I often consult with Anton.
He is a wise man; but even so, at the age of fifteen he still does not
know much. And we, parents, must compensate for this by taking
responsibility for some actions. For intance, they often do not yet
understand what choices they have, what they can choose from.
I am very interested in what Platoshka will choose in the end. He is
very athletic, and so far he likes everything: not only chess, but also
fencing and ballet. At the same time, he is very ambitious –
Antoshka was not even close to that. He has other talents, especially
in the humanitarian field.
At the end of the year, I managed to play in the European Team
Championship in Hersonissos. Overall, I played well. I had to set a
good example to 9-year-old Anton, who came with me.

748
Sicilian Defence
Victor Bologan
Lubomir Ftacnik
Hersonissos Ech-tt 2017
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.c3
This move is a relatively new word in this system of the Sicilian.
White’s main idea is similar to the Spanish, at least his set-up is the
same.
4...Ngf6

5.Bd3
A serious alternative is 5.Qe2, but in the game I preferred to play
with the queen on d1.
5.Qe2 a6 6.Ba4 and now:
A) If 6...e5 White plays as in the Spanish: 7.0-0 Be7 8.d4 0-0 9.d5
Re8 10.c4 Bf8 11.Nc3 g6 12.Ne1! (and also as in the King’s Indian)
12...Bg7 13.Nd3 Qe7 14.a3 Rf8 15.b4 with a clear advantage,
Svetushkin-Papakonstantinou, Greece 2017;
749
 B) 6...e6 promises White a slight advantage in all lines: 7.0-0 Be7
8.d4 b5 ( 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 0-0 10.Bc2 Re8 11.Nc3 Nf8 12.e5
Lupulescu-Kuncasu, Romania tt 2017) 9.Bc2 Bb7 10.Nbd2 Qc7 (
10...cxd4 11.cxd4 Rc8 12.Bd3 Qc7 13.b3 0-0 14.Bb2 e5 15.a4
Svetushkin-van Delft, Germany Bundesliga 2017; 10...0-0 11.b3
Qc7 12.Bd3 Rfc8 13.Bb2 e5 14.d5 Svetushkin-Zude, Germany
Bundesliga 2017) 11.Bd3 Nh5 12.g3 Nhf6 13.b3 0-0 14.Bb2 c4
15.Bc2 cxb3 16.axb3 b4 17.Bd3 bxc3 18.Rac1 Ponomariov-Vidit,
Khanty-Mansiysk 2017;
C) 6...b5 7.Bc2 e5 8.d4 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.d5 c4 11.b4 with a slight
advantage, Kryvoruchko-Vishnu, Sharjah 2017.
5...b6
A) 5...e6 6.Bc2 b5 7.d4 Bb7 8.Nbd2 Be7 9.0-0 cxd4 10.cxd4 0-0
11.Re1 Rc8 12.Nf1 e5 13.Ng3 g6 14.d5 ( 14.Bb3 exd4 15.Bh6 Re8
16.Ng5 Ne5 17.a4 Eljanov-Salem, Sharjah 2017, and now 17...bxa4
18.Rxa4 Qb6 gives Black a clear advantage) 14...a5 15.Bh6 Re8
16.h3 with a slight advantage for White;
B) 5...Ne5 6.Nxe5 dxe5 7.Be2 Bd7 8.d3 e6 9.0-0 Bc6 (Makovey-
Harsha, Italy 2017) and here 10.Nd2 offers White an edge;
C) 5...Qc7 6.Bc2 d5 7.d3.
6.0-0 Bb7 7.Re1 Rc8
7...e6 8.Bc2 Be7 9.d4 0-0 was Nayhebaver-Gozzoli, Hungary tt
2017, and now 10.e5 Nd5 11.Qd3 g6 12.Bh6 Re8 13.Nbd2 cxd4
14.exd6 Bxd6 15.Qxd4 e5 16.Qg4 gives White a slight advantage.
8.Bc2 Qc7 9.Na3! e5
9...e6 10.Nb5 Qb8 11.d4 a6 12.Na3 cxd4 13.cxd4 b5 14.d5! e5
15.Be3 b4 (or 15...Be7 16.Rc1 ) 16.Nb1 Qc7 17.Bd3 Ng4 18.Bg5
with a clear plus, Svetushkin-Salinas, Barcelona 2017.
10.d4 cxd4 11.cxd4 Be7 12.b3 0-0 13.Bb2

750
13...a6
Instead of this, Black could play the immediate 13...b5!? 14.b4 Qb6
15.Qd2 a6 16.d5 Qd8 17.Qd1 Nb6 18.Bb3 h6 19.h3 Qd7. White
should be somewhat better, but Black’s position is very solid.
14.Nc4 b5
In analogous positions from the Spanish Breyer Variation, Black is
recommended to open the centre: 14...exd4 15.Nxd4, and limit the
knight by means of 15...g6 16.Ne3 Rfe8 17.Qd2 Bf8, provoking
White into the sacrifice 18.Ndf5, which brings him only a draw
after 18...gxf5 19.Nxf5 Qxc2 20.Qg5+ Kh8 21.Bxf6+ Nxf6
22.Qxf6+ Kg8 23.Qg5+ Kh8 24.Qf6+.
15.Ne3 Rfe8
Not 15...Bxe4 16.Bxe4 Nxe4 17.Nd5 winning, but the other capture
is interesting: 15...Nxe4 16.Rc1 Qd8 17.dxe5 dxe5 18.Nf5 Nef6
19.Nxe5 Nxe5 20.Qxd8 Bxd8 21.Bxe5, and White is only a little
better.
16.Rc1 Qb6 17.Nf5 Bf8 18.Qd2 h6

751
18...exd4 19.Bxd4 Qd8 20.Qg5 g6 21.Nh6+ Bxh6 22.Qxh6 is
slightly better for White.
19.h3 a5
19...exd4 20.Bxd4?! ( 20.Ng3² ) 20...Qd8 21.Qf4 ( 21.Ng3 Nc5 )
21...Bxe4 is good for Black.
20.a3 b4 21.a4 Red8
21...Qd8 22.d5 Nc5 23.Qe3 Ba6 ³.
22.Nh2
22.Bb1 Rxc1 23.Qxc1 Re8 24.Qd2 Qc7 25.Ng3 exd4 26.Bxd4 Qd8
27.Qf4 gave White definite pressure.
22...d5?!
Trying to punish me for leaving the centre with the knight, but it
doesn’t work out very well. It was better to hold the position by
22...Kh7, after which the planned 23.f4 is not good because of
23...g6 24.Ng3 h5 and Black seizes the initiative.
23.exd5 Nxd5
23...e4 was playable, and for some reason this move completely
escaped my attention. However, White is slightly better after 24.Nf1
Qa6 25.d6 Bxd6 26.d5.
24.dxe5 Nc5 25.Ng4
Suddenly, White has an extra pawn and good chances of an attack.
25...Nc3 26.Qe3 Qe6 27.Bxc3 bxc3 28.Qg3 Kh8

752
29.Nd6!
It’s funny to admit that from a distance I was just going to win the
pawn on c3 after the exchanges, but on closer examination I realized
that Ftacnik simply cannot capture with the queen on d6.
29...Rxd6
Bad was 29...Bxd6 30.exd6 Qxd6 because of 31.Re8+! Rxe8
32.Qxd6.
30.exd6 Bxd6 31.Qxc3 Qd5
The position is winning, but we were already in time-trouble and I
still had to play a few accurate moves.
32.Qf3
The exchange of queens is always good when one has extra
material.
32...Qxf3 33.gxf3 Bxf3 34.Bf5 Rb8 35.Ne5 Bh5 36.Bg4
It is all over and Black cannot hold on any longer.
36...Nxb3 37.Bxh5 Bxe5 38.Rb1

753
Black resigned.

Lessons:
1) The more typical pawn structures you know, the easier it is for
you to navigate in a new situation. This game started with the
Sicilian Defence, but very soon a position appeared on the board
that was more typical of the Breyer Variation in the Spanish. Since
I’d had to fight against the latter more than once, I understood well
what piece arrangement I should be aiming for.
2) Just knowing typical ideas is not enough; you still need to
formulate them correctly, and for this you have to accurately
calculate variations (22...d5?!).
3) Short tactics are the basis of the game! Keep your tactical
vision at a high level at all times.
At the tournament in Greece, in addition to purely chess issues,
political movements proper began. After all, the upcoming 2018 was
an election year in FIDE. At that time, I talked with representatives
of the disgraced Kirsan team. An excellent dinner in the company of
Willy Iclicki was one of the many elements of the subsequent
success, not of Kirsan Nikolaevich himself, but of Arkady
Dvorkovich.
Sitges, December 2017. I decided to go to the traditional tournament
in Spain again with Anton. In Sitges we walked along the sea,
collecting shells. I managed an interesting combination against an
Indian player.
Victor Bologan
Sai Agin
Sitges 2017

754
14.Bxh6
Or also 14.Nf6+ gxf6 ( 14...Bxf6 15.exf6 ) 15.Qg4+ Kh7 16.Qf4
Rh8 17.exf6 Bf8 18.Be3 Rd8 19.Bxc5 bxc5 20.Qe4+ Kg8 21.Rh3.
14...gxh6 15.Nf6+ Bxf6 16.exf6 Kh7 17.Qc2+ Kh8 18.Qd2 Kh7
19.Bd3+ Nxd3+ 20.Qxd3+ Kh8 21.Qe3 Kh7 22.Qe4+ Kh8
23.Qf4 Kh7 24.Ne4 Rh8 25.Ng5+
25.Nc5 bxc5 26.Qe4+ Kg8 27.Qg4+ Kf8 28.Qg7#.
25...hxg5 26.Qe4+ Kh6

755
27.Rd5!
A spectacular finishing blow, although the more prosaic 27.Rd3 Rd8
28.Rg3 g4 29.Qf4+ Kh7 30.Qxg4 Qf8 31.Qe4+ Kh6 32.Qf4+ Kh7
33.Rg5 also won.
27...exd5 28.Qf5
Black resigned.
Inspired by this combination (at least in part), I decided: that’s it,
I’m returning to big-time chess! I planned for myself several rather
serious tournaments and tried to recover the ‘old times’. By that
point I had played very little and performed extremely
unsuccessfully that year in Poikovsky. I started preparing and
played a lot of practice games with Ernesto Inarkiev. If at the
beginning of his career we worked at a training camp, now it all
happened online. We had good practice, and the result was seen in
the Aeroflot Open.
Unexpectedly for everyone (and first of all for myself) I started with
3 out of 3, including a win with Black against Anton Korobov. But

756
then I was defeated by Vladislav Artemiev. Then I improved to +3
again, winning a spectacular game against Zhenya Najer.
Victor Bologan
Evgeniy Najer
Moscow 2018

18.d5! exd5 19.Bxa7+ Kc8 20.Bb6 Nxb6 21.axb6 Qb8 22.Be2 e4

23.Kh1 Rd6 24.Nc5
Or 24.Nd4! Bd7 ( 24...Rf6 25.g4; 24...Rg5 25.g4 ) 25.Qxf8+.
24...Rdg6 25.g4 h5 26.Ra7
26.gxf5 Rg2 27.Qf4 Rg1+ 28.Rxg1 Rxg1+ 29.Kxg1 Qxf4 30.Ra8+
Qb8 31.Rxb8+ Kxb8 32.Nd7+ was winning as well.
26...hxg4 27.Qg3 Qxg3 28.hxg3
And, not without further adventures, White won.
Unfortunately, the next game against Sethuraman dashed my hopes
for a good result; I clearly lacked physical stamina. Of course, age
757
matters, but is not critical – more important is withstanding the
pressure ‘in the long run.’ Against Sethuraman, I got an absolutely
normal position, but I could not stand the tension and began to
blunder crudely.
This was the end of my attempt to return to big-time chess. I also
went to the European Individual Championships in Batumi and the
Russian Team Championships in Sochi, but everywhere I played
with varying success. And the debacle inflicted on me in Poikovsky
quite naturally led me to the idea that something needed to be
changed. I had to admit that a professional career in this form (when
I still worked as a coach in Qatar) was impossible. And then the
Lord gave me two bells, which will be discussed later.
Nevertheless, I finished the tournament in Poikovsky on a positive
note. I approached the last round already as a notorious outsider;
Emil Sutovsky also did not shine, but he had more points. He quite
rightly believed that Bologan should be finished off, and acted very
aggressively in the opening. But I also answered aggressively, and
went into the tactics with open eyes, as a result of which it was not
one of my royal couple that perished, but one of his. And with an
extra queen, I’m still okay!
Italian Game
Victor Bologan
Emil Sutovsky
Poikovsky 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.0-0 d6 6.c3 g5

758
In principle, even then such moves began to enter into practice and
become popular. For example, a plan with ...g7-g5 appeared in the
Rossolimo Variation. One can also recall the game Aronian-
Kramnik, played in the same year at the Candidates tournament in
Berlin, where Vladimir played ...Rg8 at the very beginning of the
game and then stormed with the g-pawn.
7.d4!?
Pure psychology – there was no calculation here. Black is trying to
launch a flank attack and... we will strike him in the centre!
Subsequently, White adapted to this attack and proved that it was
not too dangerous: 7.Nbd2 Bg7 8.Bb3 g4 9.Ne1 h5 10.f4! (an
important resource that helps to extinguish Black’s activity)
10...exf4 11.Rxf4 d5 12.Rf1 Be6 (Dominguez-Shirov, Berlin 2022)
and now 13.exd5 Bxd5 14.Nc4 0-0 15.d4 with a clear advantage.
But when Sutovsky and I played, this was not yet known.
7...g4 8.Nfd2 Bg7
White is better after 8...h5 9.f4 exd4 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 Nxe5
12.Re1 Qd6 13.Qe2 Nfd7 14.Qf2! with a clear advantage.
759
It was also worth considering 8...exd4 9.cxd4 Nxd4 10.Nc3 Bg7
11.Nb3 Nxb3 12.Bxb3 0-0 13.Be3 when White has compensation
for the pawn.
9.f4 exd4 10.cxd4 Nxe4 11.Nxe4 d5
We must pay tribute to the opponent: Emil accepted the challenge
and went for the sharpest and most principled continuation.
Moreover, it was clear that we had already left his home
preparation, as he was sitting at the board and intensely calculating
variations. In general, Sutovsky plays all his games with great
dedication.

12.f5!
It is important to limit the c8-bishop and open the way for our c1-
bishop. A similar technique was encountered in the famous game
Lasker-Capablanca, St Petersburg 1914. Of course, if you manage to
carry out such moves with impunity, then this is a great success.
12...dxe4 13.d5

760
It was important to keep the tension and prevent the opponent from
taking with the queen on d4.
13...Ne5 14.Nc3
Get all your pieces into play as soon as possible! The bishop does
not hang on c4 as the piece can be won back with a check by the
queen from a4.
14...Qh4?
Very committal, but, apparently, a bad move. It was not too late to
hide the king with 14...0-0. For example: 15.Be2 ( 15.Nxe4 Nxc4
16.Qxg4 Ne5 17.Qg3 f6 18.Bxh6 Qe7 19.Rae1 Rf7 20.Bxg7 Rxg7
21.Qh4 Kf7 22.Qh5+ Kg8 23.Qh4 promises little) 15...Re8
16.Nxe4 b5 17.Ng3 Bb7 18.f6 Bxf6 19.Bxb5 c6 20.Be2 cxd5
21.Bxh6 with only a slight advantage on White’s side. But now he
can immediately tip the scales in his favour.
15.Nxe4?
Missing my chance. After 15.f6! Bxf6 ( 15...Bf8 16.Bf4 ) 16.g3
Qh3 17.Rxf6 Nf3+ 18.Rxf3 gxf3 19.Bf1 White wins. Of course, I
considered the move 15.f6, and the whole variation is not
complicated. I don’t even know why I didn’t play it.
15...g3
It is essential to keep going forward. Black is in trouble after 15...0-
0 16.Bb3 g3 17.Nxg3 Ng4 18.h3 Qxg3 19.Bf4 Qh4 20.Qxg4.
16.hxg3
And now not 16.Nxg3 because of Qxc4. 16.h3 Qxe4 17.Rf4 Qxf5
18.Rxf5 Bxf5 19.Qe2 0-0-0 20.Bf4 is also good for White though.
16...Qxe4 17.Rf4!

761
It is always nice to trap the queen in the centre of the board!
17...Qxf5 18.Rxf5 Bxf5 19.Qa4+ Bd7 20.Bb5
The rest of the game is already technical in nature. It was only
necessary not to blunder anything and not to allow Black’s pieces to
gain a foothold on the central squares. If they had succeeded, they
would have neutralized White’s small material advantage.
20...c6 21.dxc6 bxc6 22.Be2 0-0 23.Bd2 c5 24.Qe4
A quicker win was offered by 24.Qa3! Be6 25.Bc3 c4 26.Qc5 Rfc8
27.Qe3.
24...Rae8 25.Bc3 Nc6 26.Qd5 Nd4 27.Bf1
Chebanenko said that the bishops are already developed in the initial
position; this theme is also reflected in my Blue Notebook. Here the
bishop is very well positioned on f1: it covers the king, continues to
take part in the game, and at the same time does not fall under the
blows of the enemy pieces.
27...Be6 28.Qxc5 Rc8 29.Qxa7 Ra8 30.Qb7 Rfb8 31.Qe4 Ra4
32.Rd1 Bf5 33.Qd5 Be6 34.Qd6 1-0
762
Lessons:
1) Closely follow the new trends in chess and always be ready to
accept a challenge (6...g5).
2) The ideal opening move is one with which you open the way
for your pieces and limit the enemy’s (12.f5!).
3) Remember the testament of the classics. The bishops are often
located very well in the initial position; they are quite actively
involved in the game.
This is where the story ‘of a chess player’ actually ends, although I
sometimes play blitz, and even won the Francophone Blitz
Championship in Côte d’Ivoire in 2023. But let’s move on to ‘more
important matters’ – to my social and political activities.
So, the same June 2018, and the tournament in Poikovsky, which
was unsuccessful for me, had just ended. Clearly, there was little
joy. But the election of the FIDE President was just around the
corner, and I was already affected by some kind of ‘election fever’.
A few months before that, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov had been planning to
nominate his candidacy, and the possibility of my inclusion in the
team was discussed. And in May, during the Russian team
championship in Sochi, I discussed a similar prospect with my
friend, Vladimir Barsky. However, in the end, Ilyumzhinov did not
stand and at that time I was completely free in my thoughts and
plans. And then within 24 hours I received two very interesting
calls...
The FSR (Russian Chess Federation) executive director Mark
Glukhovsky was the first to call: he told me that Arkady Dvorkovich
was going to run for the FIDE presidential elections, and they
invited me to join the team. I took some time to think and began to
consult with my friends. In general, I liked this idea, but there was
still a decisive conversation with Arkady Vladimirovich. We met at
the Radisson Collection Hotel in Moscow, discussed everything,
agreed on the terms – and the work began.
763
And the second call was from my friend, at that time the President
of Moldova, Igor Dodon. He invited me to take part in the
Parliamentary elections. I was put on the party list and did not have
to fight in any single-mandate constituency. The idea seemed sound:
to resist the dictates of the almighty Vladimir Plahotniuc and to
return democratic processes to the republic. I remember that I set a
condition for Dodon – to ennoble justice in Moldova. Looking
ahead, I will say that we managed to cope with the first task, but not
so much with the second.
Elections were held at different times, but the result was positive in
both cases. I became a member of the Parliament of the Republic of
Moldova and wore a deputy’s badge for almost two-and-a-half
years. And I still work at FIDE. Some things work, some things
don’t, but I try to follow the basic principle of Zigurds Lanka – do
no harm. When you occupy such a serious position as an Executive
Director of FIDE, then, in my opinion, you need to be very careful
not only with your power, but even with your word, since it is very
easy to offend someone, or even harm someone. And most of all I
like to create, resolve some crisis situations, solve problems. In
addition, I came up with a huge ChessID project – I hope that it will
finally be realized.
In the future, these two lines – the deputy and the chess functionary
– diverged somewhere, intersected somewhere, intertwined
somewhere, interfered with each other somewhere, helped
somewhere... as a result, in the spring of 2021, our coalition, despite
the control of the necessary votes, managed not to elect a prime
minister, and the Parliament was dissolved. We outplayed ourselves,
gave power into the hands of our opponents, and everyone can form
their own opinion about what is happening now in Moldova...
In general, political life is a separate part of my biography. I have
always felt a certain attraction to political activity. Leadership
qualities were somehow instilled from childhood: I was head of the

764
class, Komsomol organizer, deputy student trade union committee
of the institute, captain of the national team, involved in the creation
of the Association of Chess Professionals in 2003. All the time, fate,
or rather even an active life position, put me on the front line.
Perhaps this is a family thing for us: my father worked in the
Parliament – though not as a deputy, but as the head of the
department of information, while my mother was a member of the
Association of Women of Moldova and was nominated for deputy
as an independent candidate (she could not be anything else – only
an independent!).
In December 2008, before the completion of my first contract in
Qatar, I started negotiations with the Communist Party of Moldova
to include me in the party lists for the Parliamentary elections. Then
a reformist wing was formed within the party and one of its
members was Vasily Shova, a very cultured and intelligent person,
who invited me to join them, in fact. For many years he had worked
in various government positions, including ministerial ones. I had
met Vasily Vladimirovich in 2000, at a tournament in Beijing. At
that time, he was the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of Moldova to China and supported me very well throughout the
tournament. By the way, I managed to take first place.
So, I was included in the party list and we had to go to the polls
under the motto: fresh blood, fresh ideas, fresh reforms. But in the
end, for some reason, I was thrown out of the lists, and the reformist
wing itself gradually spun off from the Communist Party and
everyone left in all directions. Now the party, which once had a
constitutional majority, does not even pass the 5% barrier to enter
Parliament.
Later, reading books about power (this is a whole science), I
realized that I had always been a ‘nobody’. To be elected, you have
to be in a team, and I was just a well-known grandmaster, a popular
person in the republic. At the same time, I am a chess player, and I

765
can play my own combinations – probably, other politicians did not
really need me.
Later, my older brother Niku and I continued talking with politicians
of the first magnitude on the subject of our participation in the
political life of the country, but we did not succeed. Niku gave up on
this and began to write books, but I still received a call from
Moldovan President Igor Dodon in June 2018. This was the first
concrete proposal for me to enter politics. I agreed. By that time, I
had already known Igor Nikolaevich for almost seven years, and
he’d never let me down. In a difficult economic time for Moldova,
he supported the Chess Federation in full. I received the desired
mandate, already being the Executive Director of FIDE. The
question arose what was more precious to me: chess, or politics? I
could very well refuse to be a deputy. In this case, the seat in
Parliament would have automatically passed to the next name on the
list. No one would have said a word to me because I had such a
responsible position as FIDE Executive Director. But Arkady
Vladimirovich and I discussed this issue and came to the conclusion
that the status of a deputy of the Parliament could also help in my
chess work.
In the Parliament of Moldova, I first got into the commission for
culture, sports and education and immediately took over the
development of the law on sports. It is curious that at that time there
were as many as four chess players in the Parliament – me and three
candidate masters, one of whom is very strong and even became the
champion of the country. But looking ahead, I will say that the
maximum that has been achieved is the adoption on the first reading
of the law on sports.

766
In the office of the Moldovan Parliament.
Only those laws are adopted that are powerfully lobbied for by some
economic interests. But no one stood behind our law, no one has yet
pushed it through, and therefore for two-and-a-half years it did not
get beyond the first reading. The essence of the law was that part of
the funds received from the tax on vicii (in Moldovan this capacious
word means bad habits such as alcohol, cigarettes, gambling) went
to the development of sports. Which is logical. After all, sport is a
natural antagonist of these phenomena. I met with the sports
ministers of several countries and saw how similar schemes worked
for them. All in all, this is a great way to support sport! But this law
hit someone’s pocket, so it was competently ‘overwritten’. As a
result, sports in Moldova now have no support at all. I would like to
note that our party was in power at that moment, but it still failed to
pass the law.

767
Power is a science; one must give oneself to political work. I had to
decide whether to play chess or politics as it is very difficult to
conduct two such serious activities at the same time. If you focus on
politics, then you need to delve into all the details and assemble
your team. The only law that I managed to pass was that we put a
ceiling on earnings for micro-credit organizations. They ripped off
our citizens terribly. We set limits: you can earn on a loan no more
than the amount of the loan itself.
My assistant Andrey Bash, with whom I was very lucky, did a very
good job on this law. I had a choice of whom to take as assistants,
but not carte blanche: my wife would hardly have approved of
beautiful young girls! I was advised by a young smart worker who
had just graduated from high school. It suddenly turned out that
Andrey and I knew the same five languages: French, Spanish,
English, Romanian and Russian. He also has a law degree. To this
day, Andrey and I maintain good relations and help each other. He
has already become a lawyer and has his own office.
I remember when I was 16-17 years old, I refused to understand
phrases like: ‘I’m much older than you and therefore much smarter.’
Instead of turning on critical thinking and analysing the situation, a
person would hide behind his age and, besides, sometimes behave
quite aggressively. I try not to. As I said before, I love to consult
with my 15-year-old son, and he often gives me great advice. Yes, I
can sometimes ‘chase’ him like a father does a son, but at the same
time I perceive him as an absolutely adult intelligent interlocutor.
The same thing happened in communication with Andrey. Express
your opinion: maybe you will teach me something, or maybe I will
teach you. There was an exchange of experience and youthful
energy, a fresh look.
After some time, I was transferred to an international commission. It
approved ambassadors and dealt with various international issues.
From the very beginning, I was appointed chairman of the

768
delegation of the Parliament of Moldova to the Inter-Parliamentary
Council, where representatives of all Parliaments of the world
gather. This is a pretty serious position. And they chose me because
I knew foreign languages and had extensive experience in
international communication. I was a representative of the Eurasian
group, which includes both Russia and the CIS countries. We were
then preparing the fifth world conference of speakers. I went to
Geneva to work. In addition, from Geneva to Lausanne, where the
FIDE office is located, is within easy reach.
In the IPU, the main discussion was then about multilateralism,
which has become even more relevant now. We performed in the
same positions together with our Chinese colleague, Mr. Chen, and
we were supported by several other people. But the rest tried to
somehow get around this issue, since this is not a very convenient
topic. As subsequent events showed, even the most uncomfortable
dialogue is much better than confrontation. In any case, due to
Covid, this conference was constantly postponed; and when it was
held, I was no longer among the deputies, so I did not see the fruits
of my labour. But anyway, it was a very interesting experience.
The most tense moment in my Parliamentary biography is June 8,
2019 – the culmination of the confrontation between the newly-
elected Parliament in the person of the chairman of the Democratic
Party, Vladimir Plahotniuc, and the government, which he
completely controlled. An old Moldovan tradition: for a very long
time we could not agree on the candidacy of the prime minister. The
polarization of our society was terrible. Everyone was involved in
the negotiations: the Kremlin, the United States, and the European
Union. Everything was seething and seething!
It seems that they agreed, and then the casuistry began – they said
time had run out. The government did not recognize the resolutions
of the Parliament; the case reached the Constitutional Court, and it
ruled in favour of the current government. It turned out that we were

769
outside the law, the Parliament must be disbanded, new elections
were scheduled. And the dynamics were such that another two-three
months and Plahotniuc would have completely taken control of the
situation.
On the evening of June 7, having conceded to the right-wing
everything that could be conceded, we nevertheless formed a broad
coalition. Early in the morning of June 8, we held a meeting of the
party in our office, after which we had to go to the Parliament. But
there was already a decision of the Constitutional Court that we
were, in fact, outside the law. At that historic meeting of the faction,
the incumbent President Igor Dodon warned us that repression was
possible, and asked if we were ready to go to the Parliament and
hold a meeting? And here our guys showed character: almost
everyone voted ‘for’, only one person abstained. There was a risk
that we would be arrested because we were going against the
constitution. Later we learned that the arrest warrants had indeed
been issued, but they were not carried out because the foreign
embassies intervened. The agreement was at the level of the USA
and Russia – the coalition was supported; everyone believed that
Plahotniuc should be got rid of.
In a friendly formation, looking after each other so that no one
turned aside, we headed to the Parliament. It took about ten minutes
to walk there. We arrived – the light was cut off, and there was no
natural light in the meeting room. The leadership of the secretariat
had sabotaged the work. We took our seats, and the ambassadors of
many European states, Russia, and the United States sat behind us.
We were somehow illuminated, and the ambassadors watched it all
from the darkness. The anthem sounded, the meeting began, we
approved the composition of the government. But everything was
very worrying, because according to the concepts of the Plahotniuc
government, we had broken the law.

770
In the evening we had to return home; the probability that we would
be arrested was fifty-fifty. Of course, it was possible to hide
somewhere, but I thought that was not comme il faut. I spent the
night at home. Thank God the arrest warrants were not issued. Then,
for another week, the authorities tried to seize the initiative: they
drove Protestants from all over Moldova (Moldovan titushki).
Plahotniuc, we must give him his due, is a very talented manager
and organizer, plus he had very large resources. The ‘standoff on the
Ugra’ continued for a week and ended with the fact that our
opponents did not have enough power. Thank God the confrontation
did not result in bloodshed. In the end, the US Ambassador came to
Plahotniuc, left after fifteen minutes, and an hour later Plahotniuc
was no longer in the country. He is very powerful, very intelligent;
speaking in chess terms, his ‘skating’ rating is 2700. Now he is
under all sanctions and is hiding somewhere in Europe, but I do not
rule out that he will show himself again.
In general, the lessons of history cannot be learned in any way.
Everyone starts saying, this politician is bad, let’s change him. And
then they decide that, on the contrary, everything was fine back
then! These five months, which we spent in a coalition with the
right, fully reflected my vision of what needs to be done in
Moldova. Consolidate society, remove all political squabbles, get
out of the quagmire of crises, and start working for the good of the
country. This was my concept, which I voiced at the Inter-
Parliamentary Council of the IPU; I spoke about what cool
processes were going on in Moldova then. But just a month after
that, our coalition broke up – and that’s it. The stumbling block was
the position of the Attorney General. Our allies on the right could
not slip their man in and said that the procedure was wrong
(although they had developed this procedure). Then the game began
without rules. The rightists resigned, and in order to form a
government, we had to enter into a new coalition – and with whom?
With the Democrats we had just toppled? Discord began; this
771
situation lasted for a year and a half and did not end with anything
good. So, the socialists lost power.
When the discord began, I continued to work in Parliament, but
without my former enthusiasm. Work for the good of the country –
that for which I came – did not happen; we started some
transactions, some calculations, but nothing sincere and strategically
clear happened. Everyone was already preparing for the 2020
presidential elections (which Maia Sandu won) and for early
Parliamentary elections, and no one wanted to work anymore. As
usual, the people were put to one side.
After the autumn defeat in the presidential elections, I went to Igor
Dodon and said: the people have given us confidence, we need to
finalize it and form a new government to replace the one that
resigned. We already had 37 votes at that moment, so we had to gain
14 more, not so many. But we did nothing, just played some strange
games. I said to Igor Nikolayevich: It will get worse! Obviously, we
will lose the next Parliamentary elections, but the people who come
to replace us will not bring anything constructive to the agenda. We
must take responsibility for the remaining year and a half and work
hard. Take power ourselves, not give key positions to anyone. This
opinion was also shared by many colleagues in the faction. I myself
was ready to work in the government. And in the end, we again did
not vote for the prime minister on time, the Parliament was
dissolved and early elections were called... it is difficult to judge
without having all the information, but it is obvious that the
socialists surrendered power almost without a fight.
My political career ended with two rather funny episodes. Lists were
being announced for the early Parliamentary elections of 2021, and
my name was missing. I called Igor Nikolaevich and he explained:
‘You see, we are now going into coalition with the communists, so
we need to give them places, we need to give our party veterans,
women, regionals, etc...’ Basically, there wasn’t room for me.

772
And then, within two or three days, my athletic, ambitious side leapt
up in me and I began to calculate my chances if I ran as an
independent candidate. By that time, I had already formed my
understanding of what Moldova needed, and I wanted to use the
Parliamentary platform to convey my thoughts not only to the
population, but also to the business community. In a word, I
consulted with my support group and friends, from whom I was
going to form a team; they almost unanimously said that my chances
were good, and most importantly, they were ready to support me.
Observing the principle of independence, I was ready to allocate a
certain amount of money from the family reserves for this
campaign, even getting the consent of my wife, although this was
hardly in the interests of the family. True, while they spoke words of
support, relatives asked: ‘But why do you need it?’ And although it
was against my nature (I’m a fighter, I’m an athlete!), I listened to
the voice of reason. As a result, one of the parties won about 60% of
the votes, and the vote of an independent candidate in the current
composition of Parliament, (in fact, like the vote of the losing left-
wing coalition) would not play any role.
I am convinced that the interests of the country, the interests of
every citizen must come first – above geopolitical, ideological and
other interests. Left, right, centrists – these are already nuances. The
main thing is the responsibility of the leader of the nation and the
ruling party to the people of the country. In those countries where
leaders put national interests at the forefront, the people there feel
much better.
But let’s go back to the same month, June 2018, only to its chess
alternative. After a detailed conversation with Arkady
Vladimirovich, I accepted the offer to join his team. The application
deadline was approaching, so I had to decide on my role. One could
either enter the so-called ‘ticket’ for representative functions (vice-
president, treasurer, deputy president), or apply in the future for an

773
administrative position, that is, for executive power. By tradition, I
consulted with my comrades, although in general the choice was
obvious: I wanted to deal with all issues of the federation seriously,
that is, on a daily basis. So I did not enter the ticket.
When forming a ticket, a number of conditions had to be observed:
the representation of different continents and at least one woman in
the composition. At first, Mohamed Al-Modiahki was invited to
enter the ticket. He is a representative of the Arab world, a respected
grandmaster, and at that moment he had just headed the Qatar Chess
Federation. Mohamed agreed. But then we began to look for a
woman in the team and could not find one. We also counted on the
support of Zhu Chen, but we could not include a married couple on
the ticket. Thanks to Mohamed – he showed breadth of thinking,
politeness, and generosity of soul – he gave way to his wife. It was a
very strong step because we had a fairly balanced composition of
the ticket. True, as I expected, the positions themselves do not lead
to any great activity: whoever wants to work will work.
It was also necessary to receive letters of support from the national
federations, and we had managed this at the very last moment. We
submitted all the documents, and we were allowed into the
elections. Of course, the fact that a man of Dvorkovich’s calibre
became a FIDE presidential candidate was a big chance for world
chess. At that time, the World Cup was held in Moscow, and
Arkady Vladimirovich headed the organizing committee there. This
championship was organized fantastically! Of course, this was the
result of the work of thousands of people over the years, but,
paraphrasing Zigurds Lanka, we can say that Arkady Vladimirovich
certainly did not spoil this work!
We started the electoral race very late, when the elections (they
were scheduled for early October 2018) were less than three months
away. It was necessary to work very hard, because for the last 23
years our rival, Georgios Makropoulos, had the real power in FIDE.

774
He had established contacts with everyone and had developed
certain relations with everyone. Naturally, he had a huge advantage:
if the elections had been held on July 10, he would have won with a
crushing score.
Since I spoke Spanish, I was assigned to work in Latin America. I
sat and called the federations, and they basically sent me packing,
because this region was completely controlled by Jorge Vega, a
loyal ally of Makropoulos. It was very difficult... the breakthrough
came thanks to Fidel Gonzalez, the then President of the Venezuelan
Chess Federation. We had two voices on the continent – Venezuela
and Nicaragua, these are countries friendly to Russia. And that was
it! In previous elections, neither Karpov in 2010 nor Kasparov in
2014 had won more than four votes on this continent. And every
vote was worth its weight in gold.
I had an apprentice in California at the time, Andrew Hong, and I
had to work with him for a week at his home before the campaign
began. Directly from California, I flew to Chile for the Continental
Junior Championships. Fidel and I agreed to meet there, but we flew
at our own peril and risk – the Chilean federation did not invite us.
There was no direct flight, so I went via Panama. I arrived there at 6
am, and then fate brought me to Jose Carrillo Pujol, President of the
Panamanian Federation (now he is the continental president). He is a
lawyer and has his own law office. Jose met me, and a fifteen-
minute conversation was enough for him to believe in Arkady
Vladimirovich and become an active member of our team. We then
organized two pre-election meetings with Dvorkovich, first in
Panama and then in Jamaica. As a result, the Americas brought
Dvorkovich more than 10 votes in the elections; it’s hard to say
exactly, because the vote is secret, but I think that eleven or twelve
federations supported us.
I will especially note the manner in which the Russian presidential
candidate conducted his conversations with the delegates. He did

775
not persuade anyone to vote for him, he simply talked about his
vision of the development of chess, promised help in case of his
victory, regardless of whether they voted for him or not. And
Dvorkovich fulfilled all his promises, even if the global financial
situation slightly adjusted the amount and number of payments.
It is clear that not everyone voted for him in the first election, but
the devastating result in Chennai in 2022 – against all geopolitical
conjuncture – showed that this approach worked. As time passed,
people saw that ‘by their deeds shall ye know them’, and the deeds
of Arkady and his team spoke for themselves.
I know that there are many critical remarks regarding the work of
FIDE. I agree with some of them and admit that work can be
improved in a number of areas. But this just means that the
federation is a living organism; our team listens to criticism and tries
to change along the way. In general, though, the period of work in
FIDE turned out to be very important and positive for me in all
respects.
But back to the 2018 elections. I had very productive meetings in
Aruba and Puerto Rico. In Aruba, there was an absolutely
transparent democratic procedure: five people voted. By some
miracle, they voted 3:2 in favour of Arkady. Although the president
of their federation was going to vote for Makropoulos, he behaved
like a gentleman: he invited me, gave me the opportunity to speak,
and thanks to this speech, I managed to win people over to the side
of Arkady Vladimirovich. In Guyana, I was also given the floor, and
I also had a simultaneous session there. Following the philosophy of
Arkady: even if people are going to vote against us, we still
communicate with them, maintain correct relations – we respect
people’s choices.
We played openly, and already in the course of the FIDE Congress
it was clear how every day we were gaining votes. Everyone on our
team did an excellent job. Mohamed did a great job with

776
representatives of the Arab world. At the critical moment, when the
Arab Federation announced official support for Makropoulos, he
managed to gather opposition around him, and in this direction, we,
sitting in his office, also counted about 10 votes in support of
Dvorkovich. Zhu Chen used her authority among the countries of
Southeast Asia, and the ubiquitous Berik Balgabaev did an excellent
job with Asian and African countries. Another member of Kirsan’s
former team, Lewis Ncube, together with Tshepiso Lopang (who is
also now president of the African Chess Federation), secured
Africa’s decisive support. Arkady himself travelled a lot and met
people; his meetings in Europe were especially successful. Bachar
Kouatly was also present at these meetings as his deputy. It is
difficult to say what voices he brought to the team, besides French,
but his experience, solidity, and ability to speak definitely helped.
On all continents, the situation was fifty-fifty, and Latin America
was initially viewed as a ‘dead loss’. There was a very strict
directive: not to let anyone in, not to accept anyone. Jorge Vega,
thanks to the unprecedented long-term financial support of Kirsan
Ilyumzhinov, had strongly entrenched himself on the continent, and
unlike the situation with the Arab federations, he really controlled
America. Nigel Short said that when he wanted to go there (and not
even on electoral matters), he was refused at the last moment – there
was no doubt on whose instructions. It was a no-go area.
It seems to me that the arrogance of Makropoulos had an effect
somewhere along the line. Until the last moment his team believed
that they were winning, and they slightly relaxed their work. And, of
course, it was very unpleasant for us to realize that the fate of the
elections could be decided not by the delegates, but by the FIDE
Ethics Commission. Yes, worthy people are gathered in it, but the
situation itself is wrong. And after winning the elections, we created
a working group to change the electoral rules (of which I was also a
member). As a result, we decided that all changes should end a
month before the elections. Once the final list of delegates has been
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approved, candidates cannot be withdrawn. If any violations are
found, please contact CAS or whoever, but after the elections. In
Chennai in 2022, there was no longer all this unnecessary fuss,
whereas in Batumi at the Congress there were a lot of questions
related to the admission of delegates: we allow this one, we do not
allow that one, this one has such a paper, this one has all sorts of...
in brief, a complete mess. The merit of the new team is that we got
rid of all this for the future. Roberto Rivello, Chairman of the
Constitutional Commission, did a very good job. Now the electoral
rules are very strict and at the same time clear; there is no room for
‘manoeuvring’.
The second FIDE election for our team turned out to be both more
difficult and more successful. In connection with the sharply
aggravated international political situation in the spring of 2022, the
question arose whether Arkady Dvorkovich should be nominated for
a new term at all. The risk of falling under sanctions was – and still
is – practically uncontrollable. Of course, in four years FIDE has
literally changed. Almost the entire 2018 election programme was
completed: new people, new ideas, new projects. The FIDE
Development Fund is worth something. The transparent apolitical
programme of support for national federations developed by me and
Sonja Johnson, coupled with the sponsorship money brought by
Arkady, not only contributed to the development of federations, but
also created fertile ground for long-term trusting relationships
between the FIDE leadership and national federations. In addition,
despite numerous speculations, the ‘mythical’ opposition was
unable to nominate a worthy candidate. The result, a devastating
156-16 in favour of the incumbent, could be considered as the
highest assessment of the work done, as well as a mandate for the
next four years.

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With Albert Stepanian (left) and Arkady Dvorkovich. Batumi, 2018.
Parallel to the FIDE Congress, Chennai hosted the 44th World
Chess Olympiad, in which I prudently, and most importantly far-
sightedly, decided not to take part. The suffering of 2018 taught me
at least something. The Moldovan team, which consisted mainly of
young guys, performed a real miracle by sharing fourth-sixth places
with the first team of India and the main favourites of the
tournament, the US team! Our guys played really well. I hope that
the fruits of the previous work, first of myself, and then of Dima
Svetushkin (bless his memory), had their effect. Ivan Skitsko and
Andrey Makovei are among his students while Vladimir Hametivici,
Julian Baltag and Ruslan Soltanich used to study at my Academy.
I bought tickets for the whole team since the ministry again had no
money, they only promised to allocate some at a future date (a
couple of months later I was reimbursed my expenses, but only after
a fight). And I advised where and how best to stay. And my main

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contribution to the overall success was that I did not interfere in the
affairs of the team at all: I did not appear at their hotel or at
meetings, and did not communicate with any of the guys during the
Olympiad. They created their own youthful atmosphere, just like we
did back in 2006. By the way, Soltanich was also in that team (back
then he was the youngest participant) and now he is already the
coach. In the last round there was an enchanting game: in the match
with England, with the score 1½-1½, Hametivici ‘rolled over’ Luke
McShane! There was some kind of insane struggle, two queens for
Black against a queen, rook, knight, and pawn for White... both
kings were under attack and it was necessary to constantly calculate
whether checkmate was happening or not.
Luke McShane
Vladimir Hamitevici

45...Qxe4+ 46.Rff3 Qcd4 47.Qf1 Qc2 48.Ne5 Qdb2 49.Nf7+

Kh7 50.Ng5+ Rxg5 51.Rf7+ Rg7 52.Re2 Qc6+ 53.Kh2 Qd6+
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54.Kh1 Qd5+ 55.Rf3 Qf6 56.Ref2 Qxh4+ 57.Rh2 Qxf3+ 58.Qxf3
Qe1+ 59.Qf1 Qxf1#
The culmination of the performances of the Moldovan team at the
Olympiad! In the next 100 years, this is unlikely to happen again.
Our team shone, although one can say there was no sign of this in
advance. But it can also be said that Dima Svetushkin’s many years
of selfless work have borne fruit. It just so happened that before
going to the Olympiad we held the Dmitry Svetushkin Memorial
and many good words were said about him at the closing of the
tournament. Who knows, maybe this connection with a departed
comrade also helped the guys in creating a miracle?
Do I believe in God, do I believe in miracles, do I believe in myself?
The answer is solid. I BELIEVE! Without faith, nothing would have
worked out for me. It was the ‘leap of faith’ that lifted me to new
heights, previously unattainable; it was faith that helped me in
difficult moments of trials; it is with faith that I wake up, go on a
journey, start a new project.
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

Notes:
1
An animated movie lion from the 1960s.
2
Dr Aibolit – the name means ‘Ouch, it hurts!’ – is a fictional
character from a Russian children’s story, based on the English
character of Dr Doolittle.

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