[Event "XIII USSR Ch"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "1944.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lisitsyn, G"]
[Black "Bronstein, D"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Bronstein, D"]

{ King's Indian Defense E94
White closes the centre with d4-d5
With d4-d5 White cramps his opponent, but also restricts his own possibilities: for example, his knight can no longer go to d5. With this pawn advance he fixes the d6 pawn and after suitable preparation he is ready to attack it by c4-c5. Black has a choice:
a) Leaving his c7 pawn on its initial square, he can reply with an immediate counterattack: ...Nf6-h5 (...Nf6-d7, ...Nf6-e8) and f7-f5-f4, or first play ...a7-a5, for the moment preventing b2-b4.
b) He can play ...c7-c6 and then exchange pawns with ...c6xd5 at a moment when it is unfavourable for White to recapture with his knight (e.g., because the e4 pawn is lost), or with his e4 pawn (because of the possible attack ...f7-f5 and ...e5-e4). After c4xd5 the threat of the c4-c5 attack has been eliminated. On the other hand, Black now has other problems: the c-file has been opened and White may double rooks with the aim of invading at c7.
c) He can physically prevent the advance of the white c-pawn by playing ...c7-c5, before proceeding with his counterattack on the kingside.
This game demonstrates one of the ways for Black to play against the closed centre. } 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. d4 Nbd7 4. Nc3 e5 5. e4 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. d5 a5 { Black prepares ...Nc5 by for the moment preventing b2-b4. White, in turn, is ready to evict the knight from c5 by Ne1-d3, or to exchange it. Of course, I could have exchanged on d4 earlier, but when the white bishop is developed at e2 I do not like to take on d4. } 9. Ne1 Nc5 { It used to be thought that, when Black's knight reached c5, he achieved a good position. After all, I was not the first and not the tenth person to play the King's Indian. It was employed by Capablanca and the English Champion Yates, and it was played by Reti, Euwe, Chigorin and even Tarrasch. But it should be realised that this is a good position only compared with the Queen's Gambit, where you are down on your knees, awaiting the invasion of a knight at e5, the doubling of rooks, and so on. } 10. Qc2 b6 11. Bg5 h6 12. Be3 Ng4 { Georgy Lisitsyn was a very strong player, who wrote three excellent books - on the opening, middlegame, and endgame. I confidently played 12...Ng4, and was very surprised by the exchange of first one bishop for a knight, and then the other. } 13. Bxg4 Bxg4 14. Nd3 Bd7 { Today, of course, I would have taken the knight at d3 and then played ...Bd7. } 15. Rae1 f5 16. Bxc5 bxc5 17. f4 { A brilliant decision by White - he captured with his bishop (!) on c5 and then played f2-f4. I found myself in a very difficult position, and did not know what to do. In general, at that time I was not afraid of ending up in difficulties, as I always believed I would find something! That was also the case in the present game. } 17... exf4 18. Rxf4 Be5 19. Nxe5 dxe5 20. Rf2 f4 21. Ne2 g5 22. Qc3 Qe7 23. Nc1 g4 24. Nd3 g3 { The only way to gain some play. } 25. hxg3 fxg3 26. Rxf8+ Rxf8 27. Nxe5 Qh4 28. Nf3 Rxf3 29. Qxf3 h5 { We were both in severe time trouble, with about a minute each for our last fifteen moves. At the time I was very proud of this move. } 30. Qe3 Bg4 31. e5 Bf5 32. Rd1 Qh2+ 33. Kf1 Qh1+ 34. Qg1 Qh4 35. Qxc5 Qh1+ 36. Qg1 Qh4 37. Rd4 Bg4 38. Rd2 Qg5 39. Qd4 Qf5+ 40. Ke1 Qb1+ 41. Rd1 Bxd1 42. Qxd1 Qxb2 43. Qxh5 Qf2+ 44. Kd1 Qd4+ 45. Ke2 Qe4+ 46. Kd2 Qd4+ 0-1