The Method in Chess

The prestigious French coach of Russian origin, Iossif Dorfman—who was part of Kasparov’s analyst team in four World Championship matches and coached Beliavsky (1980–82), Bacrot (1993–1997), and Topalov (1998)—reveals in this work, as well as in The Critical Moment (also published by Editorial Chessy), his original method of teaching chess, a novel approach that has become a cornerstone of modern strategic thinking.

Dorfman’s work stands out for its clarity, establishing the critical moment of a given position and reasoning the way to transform a situation favorably—two of the key elements of the Dorfman Method. With his profound pedagogical approach, the author aims to provide new perspectives to help the reader progress toward mastery. The Method in Chess deeply analyzes the concepts of Chess Statics and Dynamics.

This edition has been completely revised compared to the 2005 version, with new chapters added to give the reader a better understanding of the ideas presented.

Dorfman is considered one of the world’s top trainers (alongside Dvoretsky, Mikhalchishin, and Aagaard). His only two works (the continuation of this book is The Critical Moment) have been translated into nearly every language and have received outstanding international acclaim. He has also contributed to the preparation of Polugaievsky, Gelfand, and Topalov for their most important matches.

As a player, he was a member of the French national team from 1990 to 2004 and also part of the Soviet national team.