The Application of Chess Theory PERGAMON RUSSIAN CHESS SERIES
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The Application of ChessT eory PERGAMON RUSSIAN CHESS SERIES The Application of Chess Theory PERGAMON RUSSIAN CHESS SERIES General Editor: Kenneth P. Neat Executive Editor: Martin J. Richardson AVERBAKH, Y. Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge Comprehensive Chess Endings Volume 1 : Bishop Endings & Knight Endings BOTVINNIK, M. M. Achieving the Aim Anatoly Karpov: His Road to the World Championship Half a Century of Chess Selected Games 1967-1970 BRONSTEIN, D. & SMOLYAN, Y. Chess in the Eighties ESTRIN, Y. & PANOV, V. N. Comprehensive Chess Openings GELLER, Y. P. 100 Selected Games KARPOV, A. & GIK, Y. Chess Kaleidoscope KARPOV, A. & ROSHAL, A. Anatoly Karpov: Chess is My Life LIVSHITZ, A. Test Your Chess IQ, Books 1 & 2 NEISHTADT, Y. Catastrophe in the Opening Paul Keres Chess Master Class POLUGAYEVSKY, L. Grandmaster Preparation SMYSLOV, V. 125 Selected Games SUETIN, A. S. I Modem Chess Opening Theory ' Three Steps to Chess Mastery TAL, M., CHEPTZHNY, V. & ROSHAL, A. Montreal1979: Tournament of Stars The Application of Chess Theory By Y. P. GELLER InternationalGrandmaster Translated by KENNETH P. NEAT PERGAMON PRESS OXFORD • NEW YORK • TORONTO • SYDNEY • PARIS • FRANKFURT U.K. Pergamon Press Ltd., Headington Hill Hall, Oxford OX3 OBW, England U.S.A. Pergamon Press Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, New York 10523, U.S.A. CANADA Pergamon Press Canada Ltd., Suite 104, ISO Consumers Rd., Willowdale, Ontario M2J IP9, Canada AUSTRALIA Pergamon Press (Aust.) Pty. Ltd., P.O. Box 544, Potts Point, N.S.W. 2011, Australia FRANCE Pergamon Press SARL, 24 rue desEcoles, 75240 Paris, Cedex 05, France FEDERAL REPUBUC Pergamon Press GmbH, Hammerweg 6, OF GERMANY D-6242 Kronberg-Taunus, Federal Republic of Germany English translation copyright© 1984 K.P. Neat All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a rell'ieva/ system or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publishers. First English edition 1984 Ubrary of Congress Cataloging in Publicatioa Data Geller, Efim Petrovich, 1925- Tbe Application of Chess Theory (Pergamon Russian chess series) Includes index. 1. Chess-Collections of games. 2. Chess-openings. I. Title. II. Title: The Application of Chess Theory III. Series. GV1452.G44 1983 794.1'5 83-2406 British Library Cataloguing in Publicatioa Data Geller, Efim TheApplication of ChessTheory-(Pergamon Russian chess series) 1. Geller, Efim 2.Chess-Collections of games I. Title 794.1'59 GV1439 G/ ISBN Q-08.026914-1 (Hardcover) ISBN Q-08.029738-2 (Flexicover) Printed In Hungary Contents The Trademark ofYefimGeller by Ex-World Champion MikhailTal VI From the Author vii PART 1 (grouped according to opening) 1 Ruy Lopez 1 Sicilian Defence 24 French Defence 75 Caro-Kann Defence 82 Pirc Defence 85 Alekhine's Defence 88 Queen's Gambit 91 King's Indian Defence llO Griinfeld Defence 132 Nimzo-Indian Defence 135 English Opening 142 PART 2 Against World Champions 153 MaxEuwe 154 Mikhail Botvinnik 157 Vasily Smyslov 168 Mikhail Tal 193 Tigran Petrosian 206 Boris Spassky 216 Bobby Fischer 233 Anatoly Karpov 252 Main Tournament and Match Results 257 Index of Openings 261 Index of Opponents 262 v The Trademark of Yefim Geller The name of grandmasterYefim Geller does not require any special introduction, as it is well enough known in the chess world. He was one of the most striking representatives of that "new wave", which soon after the Second WorldWar confidently set about storming the most importantchess heights. In the Soviet Union his contemporaries wereTigran Petrosian, Mark Taimanov and Yuri Averbakh; in Yugoslavia-Svetozar Gligoric and, a little later, Borislav Ivkov; in the USA-the brothersDonald and Robert Byrne, and in Hungary-Laszl6 Szab6. To a greater or lesser degree they all competed successfully with the chess stars of the older generation, and although only one of them becameWorld Champion (over a period of almost 100 years therehave only been 12 of them!), the contribution of this ''wave" to the treasury of chess is very considerable. One can, of course, compare the purely competitiveresults ofYefim Geller with the achieve· mentsof the world's leading grandmasters, and come to the conclusion that he is one of them. But I should like to draw the attentionof the reader to something else. The point is that in the creative sense Geller has always been distinguished, and he has always occupied a special place. There are few players who "in their lifetime" have earned a characterization such as that given to Geller by one of the most authoritative World Champions, Professor Mikhail Botvinnik: "Before Geller we did not understand the King's Indian Defence". Of course, the point relates not just to one opening, even though it be important and topical, but to the fact thatone of the strongest aspects of his talent was and is his ability to research, to seekthe new, and to discover the secret essence of chess. Of course, it is not only by this that Geller has drawn attention. From his very first steps in the Soviet and world arenas he shone with his rich and brilliant play. Chess players will never forget how in 1949, making his debut inthe USSR Championship as a candidatemaster, he literally smashed a whole rank of grandmasters and almost became champion of the stron gest chess power in the world. But nevertheless, one-move mistakes occur more often with him than with other players of his class, perhaps because he was late in learning to play. It was this that prevented him from making the final few steps up the staircase leading to the chess throne. On the other hand, for his wealth of ideas in the most varied chess directions, Geller is one of the most prominent grandmasters of all time. And in this book he readily invites all readers into his creative laboratory: so that they can see how ideas are conceived, and, perhaps, themselves learn how to do this. Especially since, like the majority of active grandmasters, Geller used to prepare his ideas for practical play, whereas now he has become one of the most interesting authors with a wide range of chess views. However, all this by no means rules out the fact that even today Geller remains one of the strongest grandmasters inthe world. At therespectable age of 55 he becameUSSR Champion, and if he is continuing to play it means that he feels within him the strength to do so. This meansthat he will test his ideas inpractice, and they will emerge supplied with the trade-mark "Yefim Geller", a mark with the highest of reputations. Mikhail Tal Ex-World Champion V1 From the Author The games collected inthis book were played during the 35 years of my careerin big-time chess. Do I number them among my best1 In the main, yes, because victory in them brought me that which attracts me more than anything in chess. Defeats are alsoinstructive, of course, but that is a quite different topic ... The games are grouped in a rather unusual way-according to opening.This is not by acci dent.All my life I have been working on the problems of chess theory, and to a certain extent such a grouping enables the book to be regarded as a "report on the work carried out". But the main thing is that, by playing through a whole group of games played, for example, with .the Sicilian Defence, I think that simultaneously the reader will be able to master a whole series of stratagems, typical of the given opening. In a separate section are games played by the author against grandmasters with the highest title-that of World Champion. Not every game here is a contender for the epithet of "best", but all, without exception are memorable. But then, there is no way that battles with the chess kings could be otherwise.. .. vu PART 1 (groupedaccording to opening) Roy Lopez No. 1 Ruy Lopez 8c3 0-0 9b3 Na5 Geller-Mec.klng 10Bc2 c5 Interzonal Tournament 11 d4 Qc7 Palma deMal/orca, 1970 UNbd2 Nc6 13 d5 The bobbUng knight There are openings in which Black's suc -cessful defence depends upon whether or not he can solve satisfactorily the problem of developing a particular minor piece.Lovers of the French Defence know just how much trouble the "French" bishop at c8 can cause, and King's Indian players are oftenconcerned about the knight at aS. In the Ruy Lopez Black has often suffered because of his •'Spanish" knight being stuck over on the Q-side, and this is what happened here to The classical way of handling this position. the young Brazilian grandmaster Henrique White blocks the centre, and undertakes to Mecking. White built his entire game around play actively against the black king. s,hutting the knight at b7 out of play. The res ult was a strategically complete game, one of 13 ... Na5 those where victory is achieved without any More common is 13 .. Nd8, with Rubin obvious mistake by the opponent. Such stein's idea of ... Ne8, ... g6, ... Ng7, encounters afford no less satisfaction than ... f6 and . .. Nf7.The text move has always the most complicated combinations and the beenregarded withsuspicion, although Keres, most dashing attacks. on the basis of his game with Alexander le4 e5 (White) at Hastings 1937-1938, considers 2Nf3 Nc6 that after 13 .. .Na5 14 b3 Bd7 15 Nfl Nb7 3Bb5 a6 16 c4 Black obtains sufficient counter-play. 4Ba4 Nf 6 The present game, as well as certain others, 50-0 Be7 do not confirm this opinion. The point is 6Rel b5 that White himself has no need to initiate 7Bb3 d6 play on the Q-side by 16 c4.