who: Tal's annotations:
M. Dvoretsky is a player who is hard to beat. Appearing in the Premier League of the USSR Championship for the first time, he lost only one game, although he had a number of difficult positions. In this game, however, he allowed his opponent too much.
1.d4 As I have recently come to realize, this is also not a bad move...
7.Be3 Along with 7.0-0, 7.d5, or even 7.dxe5 this is a perfectly possible continuation, by which, however, to judge from the present game, it is difficult for white to count on an opening advantage.
7...c6 I cannot claim to have had a great deal of experience in playing this variation, but here 7...Nc6 or 7...Nbd7 has normally been played. For a certain time 7...Qe7 was also popular. As Dvoretsky admitted after the game, at literally the last minute he glanced through Boleslavsky's book, and noticed the author recommends the modest ...c6. For the moment black refrains from developing his queen's knight. I thought for some time, but could not find anything better than castling. Perhaps 8.d5!? should be played here.
9.Bxd4 I definitely did not like the position after 9.Nxd4 Re8 10.f3 d5 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.Bb5 Bd7 or 10.Bf3 Nbd7, but capturing with the bishop is also fairly harmless.
10...Nbd7 Perhaps black shouldn't have been in a hurry to make this move. The direct 10...Qe7 11.Rfe1 c5 diserved attention, when white has to make a choice: either to give up his bishop, or a pawn by 12.Be3 Nxe4 13.Nxe4 Qxe4 14.Qd2 for which he would obtain some compensation.
12...Ne5 in reply to 12...Nc5, which appears more purposeful, I was intending to continue 13.b4 when it turns out that the threat to the e-pawn is illusory: 13...Nxe4 14.Bd3 d5 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.Bxf6! Black could have continued 13.Ne6 14.Be3 Ng4, with a complicated game. After the move in the game White does not at any rate have to worry about his e-pawn.
13...Bh6 An interesting move, which in effect forces White to go in for complications, which prove, however, to be in his favour. Against other moves, White would have time to regroup by Be3 and Qd2 with positional pressure.
14.b4! The threat of 14...c5 was rather unpleasant.
15.c5! As we have already said, this is forced, but quite good.
15...bxc5 After the game a dejected Dvoretsky said that he simply forgot about the transposition of moves which occurred in the game. For my own part, I thought for a long time before making the my next move.
16.Nxe5 Since I was quite happy about the main variation (after the prepatory 15...Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3) 16.bxc5 17.bxc5 dxc5 18.Be3 Bxe3 19.Rxe3, when white has more than sufficient compensation for the pawn, I hesitated, wondering whether it was worth trying to find anything better. Then I decided that White could obtain a more appreciable advantage.
16...dxe5 Better chances were probably offered by 16...cxd4 17.Nxc6 Qb7
17...Qb7 White has a clear positional advantage, but, as we have already said, obtaining an advantage in a game with Dvoretsky is only the start of the battle.
18.Na4 The knight heads for the blockading square c5.
18...Be6 Bf8 was more stubborn the point is, that after...
21.bxc5! ... a transformation of advantages has taken place: instead of pressure on the weak c-pawn and occupation of the c5 square, White has obtained another, much more important advantage: undisputed (as long as the bishop on d6 is alive) possession of the b-file.
c4 but didn't see any win after 35...
g7. Then I looked at 35.
e3 but quickly realised 35...
xb7. Then I had a moment of inspiration and combined the two, 35.
