Unzicker-Bronstein, Interzonal 1955.

Bronstein teaches us how to play the Black side of the Boleslavsky (6....e5 against the 6.Be2 system against the Najdorf)

In the 1955 Gothenburg Interzonal, Bronstein dominated the field with 10 wins, 10 draws and no losses!

                          Participants in the 1955 Gothenburg Interzonal.
                          Bronstein is 3rd from the left, seated in the front row.

In the following game Bronstein plays the Najdorf with Black. Against 6.Be2 he plays the Boleslavsky Variation, 6....e5. It is a highly committal system with some strategical risks (weakening of the d5-square) that fights immediately for control of the centre. This system is made possible by the fact that the move 6.Be2, in contrast to 6.Bg5, does not put immediate pressure on the centre. Thus Black fights for the initiative by forcing White's most active piece, the knight on d4, to retreat.

Whether or not Black's gain of tempo justifies his positional weaknesses determines the worth of this variation. On the White side, Geller was perhaps the best exponent of this system, which for some mysterious reason does not bear his name! Geller would later teach Karpov how to play this with White, which served Karpov well in his Candidate's Match agains Polugaevsky in 1974. Karpov's three victories in this match were all based on this 6. Be2 system against the Najdorf!

In this game Bronstein shows us how to play this system with Black. Comments by Bronstein! Welcome to this Master Class!

Please notice how the knight that was forced to retreat by Black's 6....e5, that knight on b3, remained out of play for the remainder of the game! Black's strategy was a complete success!

Players like Bronstein, Lasker, Rubinstein, Capablanca, Alekhine.....their games are so rich in content, each game is a free Master Class!

This game was extracted from one of the best chess books ever written, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice".  I highly recommend this book!

Enjoy! Best wishes to everyone.