FIDE Surveys – Boris Avrukh

1

Boris Avrukh:

Prophylactical thinking

The following game, which has been played
in 19th century, together with nice
comments by Mark Dvoretsky in his book
"Methods of Chess training" volume 1 made
a very deep impression on me and
significantly influenced my play.

Zukertort : Blackburne, London 1883

1.c4
For me the topic of the examined game is
"Prophylactical thinking", what does it mean
exactly? We are definitely all familar with
term "prophylactics" and everybody have
went through the games of Karpov and
Petrosian, who considered to be great
"prophylactical players". Here in my article
we will take this issue forward and a bit
deeper. Prophylactical thinking is the way to
anticipate your opponent ideas and even
long-term plans. In my opinion this is one of
the elements, that makes difference between
really strong and good players. We are all
pay attention, to concrete threats, created by
last move of our opponent and also we
always try to figure out the plan behind his
last moves, but do we try to realize our
opponent long-term plans, do we ask how he
will react after our move?
1...e6 2.e3 Nf6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Be2 Bb7 5.0–0
d5 6.d4
Through very strange move order we
reached normal position of Queens Indian
4.e3 line, with one small difference: White
bishop placed on e2, instead of usual d3
square, but here we can make discount, as
this game has been played 130 years ago!
6...Bd6 7.Nc3 0–0 8.b3 Nbd7 9.Bb2 Qe7?!
This is already the first example of

"prophylactical thinking", in principle this
move is quite good, as Black queen is well-
placed on e7. It's quite flexible approach,
because Black keeps all options open. There
is only one small problem, Black completely
overlooked White next move. If Black really
wanted to place queen on e7, first 9...a6 was
essential. Obviously Black has other plans at
his disposal: 9...Ne4, following by 10...f5,
Nf6–h6 (g6) ... etc, trying to seize initiative
on the kingisde. Or, finally, 9...c5
challenging White center.

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10.Nb5! Ne4 11.Nd6 cd6 12.Nd2
It's obvious, that White should chase off , or
exchange Black "annoying" knight, from
this point of view White last move looks
very logical, nevertheless Dvoretsky pointed
out, that more accurate would have been
12.Ne1 (with idea 13. f3), logically
explaining, that in position with space
advantage it makes sense to avoid
exchanges. No doubts, this rule is correct,
but I always claim, that we should figure our
concrete variations, so here I disagree with
Mark, since after 12...Qg5!, or even
12...dc4!? 13.bc4 Qg5 White has no
comfortable way to protect e3 pawn, for
example: 13.Qd3 (Or 13.Qc1 Rfc8 14.f3
Nef6 and White queen is obviously

FIDE Surveys – Boris Avrukh

2

misplaced on c1.) 13...Rfc8 (Worse is 13...f5
14.f3 Nef6 15.Ba3) 14.f3 Nef6 15.Rc1 Ba6
and it goes without saying, that White pieces
are lack of coordination.
12...Ndf6 13.f3
Here White missed a beautiful position
decision, as correctly was mentioned by
Dvoretsky - 13.Nb1! Avoiding knight
exchange and creating a concrete idea of
traping the knight from e4. It's also
important to see the refuation of 13...Nd7
(13...e5 14.f3 Ng5 15.de5 only not (15.h4?
Ne6 16.de5 de5 17.Be5 Rad8© and Black
has huge compensation for being pawn
down.) 15...de5 16.Ba3!±, winning
exchange. If not this solution 13.Nb1 will
not work at all.) 14.f3 Nef6 15.Nc3 and
White obviously improved his position and
retains a pleasant positional edge.
13...Nd2 14.Qd2 dc4?!
As Dvoretsky mentioned 14...Ba6 was Black
best move in the position. This is one of my
favourite moments in this game. How to
recapture?

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15.Bc4
According to Dvoretsky this is the right
recapture. Funnily enough during several
years, when I examined this game with my
students I was expressing the same opinion.

I always mentioned that 15.bc4 looks quite
tempiting from White point of view, as
White gets more compact pawns in the
center, not to forget about additional
possibilities on the queenside, connected
with advance of a-pawn in order to create a
target on b6. On the other hand, if we
anticipate Black play we can realize, that he
gets an easy play against c4–pawn, Ba6,
Rfc8, Rc7, Rac8 and evantually d6–d5 at
suitable moment. My conclusion for a long
time was, that bishop recapture is preferable.
Everything is very logical and clear, but we
both forgot about concrete moves and
usually this is much more valuable than
general rule. In fact after 15...Rfc8 c4 pawn
is clear target. (15...Ba6 16.e4 Rfc8 17.Rac1
transpose to 15...Rfc8) 16.e4! (16.a4 Ba6
17.Qb4 Qd7!, following by 18...d5 indeed
everything goes Black way.) 16...Ba6
17.Rac1 Rc7 18.Rfe1 Rac8 19.Qb4 and if
nessessary later on following by Qa4,
chasing off Black bishop from a6, White
retains definite positional plus. So the right
conclusion is that both moves possible
andit's rather matter of taste what kind of
position to choose.
15...d5 16.Bd3 Rfc8 17.Rae1
This is one of the key positions in the game.
Dvoretsky correctly claims, that Black best
chance should be connected with 17...a5
having two ideas:
1)....Ba6, trying to exchange light-squared
bishops and
2) a5–a4, getting some counterplay on the
queenside. For preventing both ideas he
recommends 17.Qe2! Everything is right,
but after 17...a5 18.a4 (In case of 18.a3 a4
19.b4 Ne8! Black knight is heading for c4
and he should be more or less OK.) 18...Qb4
I am not sure, that even Grandmaster can
discover amazing 19.Bc1! and pawn is
untouchable (19...Qb3? 20.Bd2+–,
following by Rfb1.
17...Rc7?

FIDE Surveys – Boris Avrukh

3

Doubling rooks along c-file is pointless,
since there are no squares to penetrate into
White camp. As we already know it was
nessessary to play 17...a5!, with two ideas:
18...Ba6 and 18...a4.
18.e4 Rac8 19.e5 Ne8

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20.f4?
A remarkable moment. It's amazing, that
Dvoretsky didn't notice it in first edition, but
managed to correct it in second one. It's
amazing, that this tempting move loses all
the advantage! And as always the
"prophylactical thinking" would seriously
help here. What can be more natural than to
push f-pawn lauchning the attack on the
kingside, but if we ask what Black can do in
order to stop White attack, we can easily
understand the problem.
The most simple solution was 20.g4!,
following by advance of f-pawn.
20...g6?
Black misses a golden chance to change the
charachter of the game. After 20...f5! with
the key point, that after 21.ef6 (In case of
21.g4 g6 follwing by Ng7 and Kf7 I don't
believe White has real chances to break
through.) 21...Nf6 22.f5 Black has
22...Ne4!, with normal position.
21.Re3 f5 22.ef6 Nf6

Maybe 22...Qf6± was more stubborn.
23.f5!
After Black weakened his position by means
of 20...g6 White last move allows him to
launch decisive attack.
23...Ne4 24.Be4 de4 25.fg6
A big positional mistake would be 25.f6?
Qf7 with decent position for Black.
25...Rc2
25...hg6 loses to 26.Rg3+–.
26.gh7 Kh8
Many players might have seen this position
from different sources and indeed starting
from here White managed to launch a
beautiful attack on Black king.
27.d5! e5 28.Qb4!! R8c5
Black gets mated by force after accepting
queen sacrifice 28...Qb4 29.Be5 Kh7 30.Rh3
Kg6 31.Rg3 Kh6 (31...Kh5 32.Rf5 Kh6
33.Bf4 Kh7 34.Rh5#; 31...Kh7 32.Rf7 Kh6
33.Bf4 Kh5 34.Rh7#) 32.Rf6 Kh5 33.Rf5
Kh6 34.Bf4 Kh7 35.Rh5#.
29.Rf8!?
29.Qe4+–.
29...Kh7 30.Qe4 Kg7 31.Be5 Kf8 32.Bg7
Kg7 33.Qe7 1:0.

In next game I would like to show how I
used "prophylactical thinkng".

Avrukh : Summerscale, London 2010

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cd5 ed5 5.Bg5
c6 6.e3 Be7 7.Bd3 Bg4
I wasn't familar with this move, which has
been played more than 300 times on
practice. During my thought I realized very
quickly, that Black main idea is to get his
bishop to g6 via h5–square and to swap
light-squared bishop's. My serie of next
moves directed against Black idea.
8.Qb3!? Qb6 9.Qc2 Bh5

FIDE Surveys – Boris Avrukh

4

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10.f4!N
A strong novelty found over the board, that
put a lot of questions over Black idea. I have
to admit, that "prophylactical thinking"
really helped me to find it.
10...Ng8
A sad necessity, but White was already
threatening to trap Black light-squared
bishop by means of h3, g4 etc...
11.Nh3
Another interesting option would have been
11.Nd5 Qa5 12.Nc3 Bg5 13.fg5 Qg5
14.Qf2.
11...Bg4 12.Be7 Ne7 13.Nf2 Bc8 14.0–0–0
Nd7 15.g4 Qc7

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This is the key moment in the game. Until
now I was pretty sure, that my position is

much better, as White has serious
development advantage, Black king still in
the center and short castle is hardly possible,
nevertheless after Black last move I realized,
that if Black manage to secure his king on
the queenside by playing Nb6, Bd7 and 0–
0–0 I will have absolutely nothing.
16.Kb1! Nb6 17.Rc1 Bd7 18.Qb3!
White last three moves were directed against
Black long castle.
18...h5
It transpires, that 18...0–0–0 is impossible in
view of double attack 19.Qa3.
19.h3 a6
Again Black is ready to castle, but it's not in
White plans.
20.Qb4! Nec8
Black is trying to find some safe place for
his king, but evantually fails to do it.
21.Rhe1
Threatening 22.e4.
21...Qd6 22.Qa5 Kf8

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23.Rc2!
I was not interested to remove tension on the
kingisde by playing 23.g5, so I decided to
make prophgylactics against Black idea of
playing 23...hg 24. hg Rh2, at the same time
transfering the rook to e2.
23...Rb8

FIDE Surveys – Boris Avrukh

5

Now 23...hg4 24.hg4 Rh2 runs into nice
25.Nfe4! de4 26.Rh2 ed3 27.Ne4, with
decisive attack.
24.Rce2
Now everything is ready for coming
breakthrough in the center.
24...Qc7 25.e4! hg4 26.hg4 Qf4 27.ed5
Black position is hopeless.
27...g6 28.Nfe4 cd5 29.Rf2 Qc7 30.Ng5
Nd6

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31.Qc5! 1:0.
It's really looks like a nice attacking game,
but actually a deep "prophylactical thinking"
was a reason of White success.

It's quite remarkable, but this method of
"prophylactical thinking" works in the
openings as well, this is my favourite
example.

Volokitin : Avrukh, Biel 2000

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.Nc3
Nc6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nf3 h6 8.0–0 Be7 9.Re1 0–
0 10.h3
This line has been popular some ten years
ago. I was intended to react with normal
10...Be6 11. Bf1 Nb8, untill once I noticed
the following remarkable idea:

10...a6 11.Bf1 Qc7
Black last two move are quite normal for
Sicialian type of position, especially taking
into account, that we are ready to meet 12.
Nd5 with 12...Nd5 13.ed5 Nb8, with
complex game.
12.Nh2
Thematic idea for this kind of
pawnsturcutre, White knight is heading for
g4 challenging Black knight. In case of
knight's swap an inportant defender of d5
square will be removed in White favour.

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12...Bd8!
One of the most amazing moves in the
openings I ever met. From the one hand it's
prophylactical, as we anticipate White idea
and we ready to meet it, from another hand
it's very ambitious and Black is trying to
activate his dark-squared bishop via a5, or
b6 squares.
It's clear, that White is better after 12...Be6
13.Nd5 Bd5 14.ed5 Na5 15.b3!, Smirin :
Kotronias, Gausdal 1990. Quite decent for
Black is 12...b5 13.Ng4 Ng4 14.hg4 Be6
15.Nd5 Qb7, as happened in the game
Baramidze : Meins, Heringsdorf 2000, still I
prefer White after calm 16.c3.
13.Ng4

FIDE Surveys – Boris Avrukh

6

Another line, which shows the point of
Black Bd8 move runs.
13.Be3 Be6 14.Nd5 Bd5! 15.ed5 Ne7 16.c4
b5! 17.b3 bc4 18.bc4 Nf5 19.Bd2 Qc5! and
Black easily solved his opening problems in
the game Rotman : Greenfeld, Ramat Aviv
2000.
13...Ng4 14.hg4
White compensation questionable after
14.Nd5 Qd7 15.hg4 Qg4.
14...Be6
Clearly underlining the concept. Black
queen goest to d7 attacking White g4–pawn,
while dark-squared bishop is ready to jump
over d8–a5 diagonal.
15.Be3?!
Inaccurate move, after which White gets
worse position. Better would have been
15.Nd5 Qd7 16.Ne3!, follwing by knight
jump to f5. In this case position would
remain more or less balnced, as White has
his own trumps.
15...Qd7 16.f3

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16…Ba5!
Black dark-squared bishop successfully
joined the play and Black enjoys better
chances.
17.Re2 Ne7 18.Rd2 Rfd8 19.Qe2 d5!
and Black took over the initiative.

Avrukh : Eljanov, Istanbul 2012

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.d5 ed5 5.cd5 d6
6.Nc3 g6 7.Bg2 Bg7 8.Nf3 0–0 9.0–0 Qe7
This game was played in last Olympiad
Instanbul 2012. I managed successfully to
use my opneing preparation, which was very
much

connected

with

"prophylactical

thinking". I have huge experience in this
line, but I was facing this move for the first
time in my practice.
10.Bf4
In my well-known book "1. d4 Grandmaster
Repertoire" I always prefered idea of Nd2–
c4, but definitely Pavel had prepared
something at home, so I decided to change
the plan in favour of the Bf4 idea.
10...Nbd7

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11.a4!
Having done some serious homework on
this line, I remembered that eventually I
came to the conclusion, that this useful
prophylactical move is the most accurate
one in this concrete position. White's main
choices here are 11. h3 and 11. Re1, but
somehow I got the feeling that I needed the
pawn on h2 and rook on f1.
After 11.h3 Black has the idea 11...Nh5!?
12.Bg5 f6 13.Bd2 f5 14.e4 (Of course

FIDE Surveys – Boris Avrukh

7

14.Ng5 and it would be really strong with
pawn on h2, but here Black has a very
important resource 14...f4! 15.Ne6 fg3! (The
main point of Black's idea. After 16.Bg5?
Black would get very rich compensation.
Critical is 16.Nf8 Nf8©, but I have feeling,
that Black has excellent compensation.)
16...Bf6 17.Nf8 Bg5 18.Ne6 gf2 19.Kf2
Ne5‚ and White came under serious attack
in Voiteanu : Grinev, Cracow 2011) 14...f4
seems tempting: 15.g4 Nhf6 with very
unclear play, as occurred in a few games.
After 11.Re1 I don't like Black's idea
connected with Sg4, in a few versions
11...a6 12.a4 Ng4, or 12...Rb8 13.a5 Ng4
14.Na4

Nge5

15.Ne5

Ne5

16.Nb6,

Barendregt : Minic, Zagreb 1971 and here
16...Nd7 would allow Black to equalise
comfortably.
11...Ng4
One of the thematic ideas in this line of the
Benoni. After 11...a6 my idea was to
continue 12.Rb1, following by b2–b4,
recently there have been a few examples of
this position.
12.Bg5!
In my opinion this is the most unpleasant
idea for Black after he has moved with the
knight to g4. White is getting ready for
Nge5.
12...f6
Black has to react in this way. 12...Qe8? is
impossible in view of 13.Nb5! and Black
loses material, while; 12...Bf6 13.Bf6 Ngf6
14.Nd2 should be better for White, as Black
is missing his main source of power in this
Benoni type of position - his dark-squared
bishop.
13.Bd2N
An obvious improvement over 13.Bc1,
Grant : Brunello, Arvier 2010.
13...a6
Suprisingly the natural 13...Nge5 would
have run into the unpleasant 14.Nb5! and
Black has problems defending against the

Nc7 idea, since 14...Nb6 (Or 14...Nf3
15.ef3! Ne5 16.Re1) 15.Ne5 fe5 16.b4 lead
to a clear advantage for White.

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14.Rb1!
Now White switches to his thematic idea
caryying out b2–b4.
14...Nge5 15.b4 cb4?
A very tempting decision, typical of the
Benoni opening, Black gets a nice c5–square
for his knight, but his activity appears to be
only a short-term factor, while his structural
problems start to tell in the long term.
The correct decision would have been
15...b6, still I like the white position here, as
I have a choice between clarifying the pawn
structure by means of 16.bc5 (16.Qb3!?) and
retaining the pressure on the queenside:
16...bc5 17.a5.
16.Rb4 Nf3
White would be clearly better after 16...Nc5
17.Ne5 fe5 18.Be3!±.
17.ef3!
A key move in White's strategy after
provoking the f7–f6 move; the recapture
with the e-pawn makes a lot of sense, as
White not only gains control over the e4–
and e5–squares, but also gets the e-file at his
disposal.

FIDE Surveys – Boris Avrukh

8

The lesser evil for Black would be 17.Bf3 f5
18.a5 Rb8.
17...f5
A logical follow-up. In the event of
17...Nc5 Black should also reckon with
18.Ne4!? nevertheless there is nothing
wrong with 18.a5.
18.a5
Now White's strategy becomes clear, Black's
pawn structure on the queenside, especially
the pawns b7 and d6 are long-term targets.
18...Qd8 19.Qa4 Nc5 20.Qa3 Bd7 21.Rb6
Qf6 22.Rc1 Rfe8
Black makes all natural moves, nevertheless
I don't see any possibility for him to avoid
the very bad position he eventually ended up
in.

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23.Bf1!
A very nice positional move, that kills
Black's last chances to create counterplay
connected with the knight move to d3.
23...Rac8 24.Nd1±
and it's appered, that Black positionally lost
and I managed to convert my advantage not
without adventures.