ČEZ Chess Trophy 2015

Mark Dvoretsky’s Maltese cross

[17.06.2015 00:00:00] - Mark Dvoretsky is another famous visitor who you might encounter at Michna Palace these days. The trainer of many world chess players and author of globally highly regarded books about chess began his talk on positions with heavy pieces on the fourth day of the ČEZ CHESS TROPHY 2015 festival. “The positions, where every side has a queen, a rook and a couple of pawns, are among the most interesting ones and I myself like them very much,” told me Mark when we were preparing the room for his talk. According to him, their difficulty lies in their ambiguity. They show attributes of middlegame and endgame at the same time. “You need to have a special feeling for deciding which one of those attributes to prefer.”

Mark Dvoretsky presented the audience with a couple of positions, where the crucial elements were fantasy, tactical observation and accurate calculation. He also proved to be a very thoughtful guest. Half of the positions he presented had a direct link to our capital. One of them was the following one:

NN – Koksal,
Praha 1928



It is the Black’s move and it seems that he has a crucial advantage. His king is well hidden, while the white king can become an easy target for the bothersome black pieces. But how is the Black supposed to continue?” asked the main protagonist of yesterday’s talk. “The Black’s main objective is to prevent the white rook from joining his king’s defence. That’s why checks like 1…Db3 wouldn’t work. The White retreats 2.Kf2 and for the following checks he uses his rook and suddenly the things are not as clear as they appeared to be.” The right move is a different check, 1…Dd2+, but the main “punch” comes after 2.Kf3 Vd3+ 3. Ve3 De1!!



The cross motif, which Mark Dvoretsky compared to the Maltese cross, appears from time to time in similar positions and it is good to keep it in mind. How the Black wins after a couple of possible retreats of the white king, should be left to the reader’s invention. Those who were on Kampa Island know it. And it is not such a piece of cake as it might appear.

Mark Dvoretsky also didn’t forget to mention the work of the Czech composer Mario Matouš. The beautiful ending of his study on the fight of heavy pieces definitely deserves a diagram.



1.Dd5+! Ve6+! If 1…De6+? Then the White wins after 2.Vxe6 b1D+ 3.Ve4+ +–
2.Vxe6 b1D+ CHECK!
3.Ve4+ CHECK!
3…Dxd5 STALEMATE!

Mark Dvoretsky considers studies to be a very important part of training calculation and fantasy and he keeps the Prague composer in high regard. To those who agree with the best chess trainer in the world and also liked the ending of Matouš’s composition, we have good news: the publication which includes the work of Mario Matouš along with chess short stories by Pavel Houser is available both at Michna Palace.

| Václav Pech | visits(4094x)