Iossif Davidovich Dorfman is a French chess Grandmaster, coach, and chess writer. He was born on May 26, 1952, in Zhytomyr, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. He belongs to the Jewish community and has been residing in France since 1982. Dorfman won the 1975 Ukrainian Chess Championship, and the tournaments at Clichy and Paris in 1989.
In 1998, he became an International Arbiter. He served as the second for former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov from 1995 until Kasparov's retirement in 2005. Dorfman also coached Etienne Bacrot, champion of France, and Vassily Ivanchuk, co-winner of the 2008 M-Tel Masters super tournament.
Dorfman’s primary literature contribution to chess instruction is The Method in Chess, which he co-wrote with L’ami. In this book, Dorfman put forward his chess theory, which involved defining the game situation and addressing the important role that pawn structures play in the game. He considers his teaching methods an important factor for his successful coaching career. He suggested that his system improves both efficiency and cultural value in chess.