by Dorian Rogozenco
Vassily Ivanchuk played a brilliant strategic game against Alexander Morozevich at the 1996 Donner Memorial in Amsterdam. Dorian Rogozenco shows how the Ukrainian legend outplayed his opponent right from the opening. In the French Steinitz Variation with 7...Be7, Ivanchuk continued with 8.dxc5. After 8...Nxc5, Black faces the problem of not being able to play the thematic f7-f6 without great risk due to the vulnerable knight on c5. Morozevich therefore delayed the advance of the f-pawn until move 16, but by that time White had already set up his dominant piece play. After 17.Qh4 f5 18. Qh3, “we must conclude that the position is already strategically won for White in the higher sense. Because Black no longer has any counterplay in the centre.” How Ivanchuk actually wins the game – “with every move he finds beautiful ideas!” – should of course also be shown to you by Rogozenco. Enjoy!