MMMG #10: Optimal form
Mihail Marin was born in Bucharest on 21 April 1965. A multiple Romanian champion, his first major international success was achieved in 1987 when he qualified to the Interzonal Tournament played in Szirák. Three years later, he played at the Interzonal in Manila. In 1988, Marin won the bronze medal on board 3 at the Thessaloniki Olympiad — that was the first of twelve Olympiads in which he represented Romania, the last one so far being Baku 2016.
For many years, Marin worked as a second of Judit Polgar, and in 2005 he accompanied the Hungarian star to three elite tournaments, including the San Luis World Championship.
Besides being a strong player, Marin has written a number of well-received books. Learn from the Legends was named the 2005 ChessCafe Book of the Year, while Secrets of Chess Defence was nominated for the 2003 ChessCafe Book of the Year, just to name two of his biggest successes. Jeremy Silman, also a well-known author, wrote of Learn from the Legends: “I can’t recall having seen a better book in the last two decades”.
In a lengthy interview with the Romanian grandmaster after he won the ChessCafe Book of the Year award in 2005, the then 40-year-old was asked whether he planned to fully devote to his career as a writer and teacher. Marin responded:
The videos on this DVD give White a repertoire with concrete variations against all main lines Black can play and also show the typical strategic and tactical ideas of the Slav and the hidden subtleties of the position.
Time and human resources are so awfully limited that I haven’t managed yet to entirely adapt myself to the dual character of my professional activity. I achieve the best results (in both fields!) when I manage to induce in myself the psychological approach of an amateur: the pure pleasure of practising my hobbies without any concrete purpose. However, it can also happen that I work on a book longing for the next tournament to come or, on the contrary, to ruin a well started tournament just because I bear in mind so many things to write.
Taimanov wrote that whenever he plays chess he relaxes from playing the piano and vice versa, adding that this allowed him to have a never-ending vacation. He must have had a very happy life. This is the state of mind I would dream of.
The Romanian is very much an active player still. In fact, he is currently playing the Benasque International Open in the heart of the Pyrenees.
Marin has authored or collaborated with more than 30 ChessBase FritzTrainers.

Photo: Andreas Kontokanis
Played at the 1996 Chess Olympiad in Yerevan, Marin’s most memorable game was a sharp struggle against Belarusian GM Aleksej Aleksandrov.
Marin, Mihail vs. Aleksandron, Aleksej
Chess Olympiad, 1996 - Yerevan
How could chess players, be they professionals or amateurs, ensure reaching the best form during a tournament? Many generations of players and trainers have concerned themselves with this critical tension, but as far as I know, nobody has given a 100% valid answer yet.
You sit down for your first round game, hoping for the best and trying hard not to think of the worst. You must be aware of the fact that only a few rounds later, or maybe just after the end of the tournament, you will be able to find out whether you were in optimal form or not. I have since ever tried to train my mind before the tournaments by solving tactical puzzles, and this method usually gave good results.
This DVD offers Black a complete repertoire against all weapons White may employ on move six. The recommended repertoire is not as risky as other Sicilians but still offers Black plenty of counter-play.
With the passing of the years, I have discovered that in order to play tournaments and games I could be really proud of, one more ingredient, which I could not control, was necessary: I needed to feel well in the city or resort hosting the tournament. Judging from several points of view, the Yerevan 1996 Olympiad was anything but the optimal environment. Our hotel (was it called Yerebuny?!) was modest, and most of my teammates considered the food to be absolutely awful.
Personally, I did not feel anything of that. After having served in the army, I cannot be so easily scared about such details. Following the presidential elections and the ensuing failed putsch, tanks and soldiers invaded the streets and one could hear shootings and cries during the night. It was a bit weird, of course, but it also added a bit of excitement. I remember that I wanted to take a photo of the nicely aligned tanks in the central square, when a soldier indicated that I should not.
On top of that, I had a permanent headache during the first half of the tournament. The travel had been long and tiring and there might have been some mystic influence of the Ararat mountain, the place where Noah’s Ark had landed long, long time ago. Despite all these factors, I greatly enjoyed my participation in this Olympiad. A quarter of a century has passed, so my memories are not so vivid any more, but I believe that I was touched by the
people’s kindness and warmth, and the fact that I was permanently curious about the culture of this small and remote country.
In short, the place offered me the best environment — it made me feel like in a genuine love story with the city and its people. I started with two wins and after a day off I drew with black against Michael Adams. I remember how amused I was during that game, noticing that my opponent’s rating was 155 points higher than mine. During my numerous opens, I usually got the reversed situation!

China’s Ye Jiangchuan facing Russia’s Vladimir Kramnik at the 1996 Olympiad | Photo: Rosa de las Nieves
In the classical system of the King's Indian White develops naturally and refrains from chasing ghosts looking for a refutation of Black's set-up. White instead relies on the fact that natural play should yield him a small but lasting advantage.
In the fifth round, we faced the strong team of Belarus, with Boris Gelfrand on top board. On the second board, I was playing against a very talented and strong young player, Aleksej Aleksandrov. Some of my colleagues took good care to scare me in regard to the “beast” I was going to play against.
Things developed my way and I managed to win a beautiful game. A friend of mine, belonging to the world’s elite in those years, congratulated me and said that he thinks this would be the best game of the whole Olympiad!
Towards the end of the tournament, I found out that there was a contest for the best three games, rewarded by the Armenian president Levon Ter Petrosian with 4000, 2000 and 1000 US dollars respectively. I quickly annotated the game — handwritten on paper — and handed it to the coordinator of the contest, the legendary grandmaster Eduard Gufeld. I vividly
remember the scene. Gufeld, who was eating a huge sandwich, used his free hand to take my paper and crumple it while carelessly putting it in one of his pockets.
I did not have big expectations after that episode, but one year later, the results of the contest were announced: my game was awarded with the second prize! I was very pleased, of course, both sentimentally and financially, but was annoyed by a small detail. My aforementioned friend, who was part of the jury, did not award any point to my win! I do not know what made him change his mind, but had he placed it even on the third place in his evaluation, I would have got the first prize!
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
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1.Nf3 e6 2.g3 b5 3.Bg2 Bb7 4.d4 Nf6 5.0-0 c5 6.Na3 b4 6...Qb6 6...a6 7.Nc4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 d5 9.Nce5 Ne4 9...Be7 10.a3!? bxa3 10...a5?! 11.axb4 axb4?! 12.Rxa8 Bxa8 13.Bd2 Qa5 14.b3! 11.b3 0-0 12.Bxa3 10.c4 10.Nxf7!? Kxf7 11.Ne5+ Ke8 12.Bxe4 dxe4 13.Qxd8+ Kxd8 14.Nf7+ Ke8 15.Nxh8 10...bxc3 10...Bc5 11.Qd3 Qb6 11...0-0 12.Be3 12.cxd5 Bxf2+? 12...Nxf2 13.Rxf2 Bxf2+ 14.Kh1 exd5 15.e3 13.Rxf2 Nxf2 13...Qxf2+ 14.Kh1 14.Qd4 14...Ne4 14...Nd1 15.dxe6 fxe6 16.Nd3 15.Nc4 Qxd4+ 15...Qc5 16.Be3 16.Nxd4 Nc5 16...Bxd5 17.Bxe4 Bxe4 18.Nd6+ 17.Nd6+ Ke7 18.Nxb7 Nxb7 19.dxe6 11.bxc3 f6 12.Rb1 12.Qa4+ Nd7 13.Nxd7 Qxd7 14.Qxd7+ Kxd7 15.c4 Nc3 12.Nd3 Nd7 12...fxe5 13.Qxe5 Nc5 13...Bc8 14.Rxb8 Bd6 15.Qxg7 13...Qd7 14.Rxb7!? Qxb7 15.Qxe6+ Be7 15...Qe7 16.Qxd5 16.Ne5 14.Qh5+ 14.Rxb7 Nbd7 14...Nxb7 15.Qxe6+ Qe7 16.Qxd5 15.Rxd7 Qxd7 16.c4 Bd6 17.Qd4 14...Kd7 14...g6 15.Qe5 Rg8 16.Rxb7 Nbd7 17.Qe3 Nxb7 18.Qxe6+ Qe7 19.Qxd5 19.Qxg8 Nf6 20.Qh8 0-0-0 21.Bg5 Bg7 22.Qxh7 19...Nf6 20.Qc6+ Qd7 20...Kf7 21.Ng5+ 21.Ne5 15.Ne5+ Kc8 15...Kc7 16.Nf7 Qe8 17.Qe5+ 16.Bg5 16.Nf7 Qe8 17.c4 17.Nd6+?? Bxd6 17...dxc4 18.Rxb7 Nxb7 19.Bf4 16...g6 16...Be7 17.Nf7 Qe8 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.Nxh8 17.Qh4 Qe8 17...Qc7 18.Nxg6 Rg8 19.Bf4 18.Bf6 Rg8 19.c4 19.Qxh7 19.Rxb7 Kxb7 20.c4 Nbd7 21.Nxd7 Qxd7 22.cxd5 exd5 23.Qc4 19...Nbd7 20.Rxb7 20.Nxd7 Qxd7 21.cxd5 Bxd5 22.Rfd1 20...Nxf6 21.Qxf6 Kxb7 22.cxd5 Kc7 22...Ka6 23.Nc6 Bg7 24.Qf4 23.Rc1 Rb8 24.Nd3 Rb5 25.a4 Ra5 26.Qd4 Qxa4 26...Qe7 27.Qb4 26...e5 27.d6+ Bxd6 28.Qd5 27.Nxc5 Qxd4 28.Nxe6+ Kb7 29.Nxd4 Bd6 30.Rb1+ Kc7 30...Ka8? 31.Nb5 Rb8 32.Nc7+ Bxc7 33.d6+ 31.Rc1+ Kb7 32.Rb1+ Kc7 33.Nb5+ 33.Ne6+ Kd7 33...Kc8 34.Bh3 Ra2 35.Nd4+ Kd8 36.Rb7 34.Rb7+ Kc8 35.Rxh7 Ra1+ 36.Bf1 36...a5 37.e3 a4 38.Kg2 a3 39.Nd4! 39.Ba6+ Kb8 40.Nd4 Rc1! 41.Nb5 a2 42.Rb7+ 39...Rc1 40.Nc6 Rxf1 41.Kxf1 Bc5 42.Rh4 33...Kd7 34.Bh3+ Ke7 35.Nd4 Kf6 35...Rxd5? 36.Rb7+! 36.Be6? Rb8 37.Rxb8 Rxd4! 36...Kf6 37.Be6 Rb8 38.Bxd5 36.e4 Ra4 37.Rd1 g5 37...Rb8 38.Bd7 38.Rd2 Rc4 38...g4 39.Nf5 Be5 40.Nh6 38...Rc4 39.Nf5 Be5 40.Nh6 40.Nh6 Rd8 41.Ng4+ Ke7 42.Nxe5 Rxe4 43.d6+ Kf8 44.f4 gxf4 45.gxf4 Rxf4 46.Bh3 Rf6 47.Nd7+ 1–0 - Start an analysis engine:
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Marin,M | 2530 | Aleksandrov,A | 2550 | 1–0 | 1996 | A46 | Olympiad-32 | 5.2 |
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The aim of these Dvd's is to build a repertoire after 1.c4 and 2.g3 for White. The first DVD includes the systems 1...e5, the Dutch and Indian setups. The second DVD includes the systems with 1...c5, 1...c6 and 1...e6.
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