WEBVTT 00:00.870 --> 00:06.300 However, in this lecture we see Emanuel Lasker playing against Capablanca. 00:06.330 --> 00:10.910 This is an iconic game which I read. 00:11.010 --> 00:14.550 I really love studying the iconic Immortal Games. 00:14.580 --> 00:18.360 This is a 1914 St Petersburg tournament round seven. 00:18.990 --> 00:30.900 So E4 from Lasker, we have E5 9396, Bishop B5 and this was a must win game for Lasker to become tournament 00:30.900 --> 00:32.610 leader to win the tournament. 00:32.790 --> 00:38.070 So end he actually chooses what you think is not an attacking opening. 00:39.000 --> 00:44.520 The exchange variation of the royal of powers and especially so because after default it takes we have 00:44.520 --> 00:48.940 the queens coming off and you might think, hold on, King's Crusher. 00:49.230 --> 00:51.910 This is about attacking chess. 00:51.930 --> 00:55.520 How can we get an attack from such a boring opening? 00:55.530 --> 00:55.730 Well. 00:55.740 --> 00:57.470 Sometimes you can. 00:57.480 --> 01:03.270 Even with the Queen's coming off and we see actually an attack on both sides of the boards later. 01:04.020 --> 01:05.760 So let's see how this pans out. 01:05.760 --> 01:08.670 Bishop D6 9397. 01:10.230 --> 01:16.530 Both sides castle and now F4 rookie eight here. 01:16.830 --> 01:19.610 If Bishop C5, this might have been a little bit more accurate. 01:19.620 --> 01:29.070 Bishop E3 this position should be fine for black this should be an even possession but okay rookie ain't 01:29.070 --> 01:31.530 we have Knight B3 and now F6. 01:32.820 --> 01:35.160 This does create a weakness in Black's camp. 01:36.380 --> 01:37.460 The six square 01:39.800 --> 01:48.810 and alternatives, for example, a5 a promising for black to at least be equal or even better. 01:48.830 --> 01:53.990 This position black does have the bishop pair, so yeah, Black has to use the bishop pair. 01:54.020 --> 01:57.170 Basically, these are very interesting variations here. 01:57.740 --> 02:04.250 If one tries a full then Night G6 and yeah. 02:04.400 --> 02:16.190 So basically if white doesn't try a fall of the A5 say f five here A4 black could play B5 now and here 02:16.220 --> 02:19.850 before and F6 and black should be really quite comfortable. 02:20.300 --> 02:24.530 The square bishop is okay as she has got this potential diagonal. 02:24.560 --> 02:25.940 E5 is nice for playing. 02:25.970 --> 02:27.860 That is a great way of playing it. 02:27.950 --> 02:34.250 But yeah, F6 is a mistake and it's a great conception though. 02:34.250 --> 02:41.140 It's Punisher, it's an absolutely great conception here about this E6 square and about Black's bishop. 02:41.180 --> 02:42.860 Here we have F5. 02:43.460 --> 02:49.430 It looks as though hold on, this is this is really a backward pawn, but how easy is it to exploit 02:49.430 --> 02:50.400 the backward pawn? 02:50.420 --> 02:58.310 The whole notion of exploit ability is emphasized for me personally in this game. 02:58.490 --> 03:02.510 That is actually an exploitable weakness in this configuration. 03:02.510 --> 03:08.900 And if it's not an acceptable weakness, why it does have now the perk of Bishop F4 to get rid of Black's 03:08.900 --> 03:15.200 bishop power, even if it doubles the pawns because they're not particularly exploitable right now. 03:15.200 --> 03:20.750 But we'd actually end up with potentially frontal pressure on the defile. 03:22.130 --> 03:29.480 So it's all about having things which you can actually use rather than in a theoretical sense, we can't 03:29.480 --> 03:31.370 use the double pawns right now. 03:31.370 --> 03:38.180 So this is a really interesting move, a dynamic perspective on the position in general. 03:38.180 --> 03:43.150 If you said to someone and you weren't showing the position, I'm going to double the opponent's pawns. 03:43.160 --> 03:46.160 It sounds bad, but look at the butts. 03:46.250 --> 03:50.930 The butt is, well, there's a target on D6 if you double the pawns. 03:51.470 --> 03:57.860 So you've got to sometimes qualify the concepts playing the possession and Lascaux really was a play 03:57.860 --> 03:59.120 the position player. 03:59.120 --> 04:05.060 But nevertheless this this is a really interesting game because it shows an attack on both sides of 04:05.060 --> 04:10.490 the board, which does involve the king Black's king actually becoming weaker later. 04:10.490 --> 04:12.140 So Bishop F4. 04:13.070 --> 04:14.570 Bishop B7, Yes. 04:14.570 --> 04:19.730 Turning the double pawns into more exploitable weakness, basically. 04:19.730 --> 04:22.970 But first, 94 is played. 04:24.300 --> 04:29.520 And here look, 88, 96. 04:29.520 --> 04:35.870 This is nicely entrenched and the default is nice for white now. 04:37.560 --> 04:39.450 So it has a better position. 04:39.450 --> 04:42.720 Might see a rook have to. 04:43.900 --> 04:46.950 We have B5 rook after E2. 04:47.590 --> 04:49.210 So nice D pressure. 04:49.210 --> 04:56.440 So the double pawns have been swapped into different pressure and we have b4 just clamping down on Black's 04:56.440 --> 04:57.730 potential counterplay. 04:58.180 --> 05:06.500 Kf7 A3 Bishop King F2 And in fact, there's a plan of attack here, even though it has, even though 05:06.520 --> 05:07.000 the Queen's are. 05:07.570 --> 05:14.950 There's a thematic kind of structural plan here for white to make use of bringing the King up to A4 05:14.950 --> 05:18.290 away from the light squares because there might be some tyre tanks. 05:18.310 --> 05:25.000 Ideally in a theoretical sense and just prefer, you know, g4 G5 to open up the G5. 05:25.030 --> 05:30.160 Yeah, we could have a potentially strong G file attack or sometimes even a strong pawn on G6. 05:30.160 --> 05:31.330 So that's the plan. 05:31.420 --> 05:41.180 G4 g5 We have Rook seven, g4 h six rook D frame and this shows flexibility. 05:41.200 --> 05:45.310 This move highlights flexibility on both sides of the board. 05:46.180 --> 05:52.570 A5 A5 Which doesn't really help Black because there's no meaningful entry points on the A4. 05:52.720 --> 05:53.680 We have H4. 05:53.680 --> 05:58.150 So White is building up for this G5 break 88 tanks. 05:59.830 --> 06:01.330 So we have here now. 06:02.590 --> 06:03.700 Rocky seven. 06:03.910 --> 06:10.570 King a free rook guy and Okafor away from the glare of the bishop, even through X-ray. 06:11.140 --> 06:17.610 I mean, G5 could have been played immediately just to show if we have this situation with tanks. 06:18.670 --> 06:23.260 One has a nice move here, which makes the Knights really aggressive. 06:23.290 --> 06:28.780 Both of them work hard against the King and you see what that is making the Knights more resourceful 06:28.780 --> 06:29.440 here. 06:29.980 --> 06:35.920 It's possible with E5 inspiration de takes Knight. 06:35.920 --> 06:37.330 Takes G5 Shaq. 06:37.810 --> 06:38.140 Rook. 06:38.140 --> 06:39.130 D Shaq. 06:40.400 --> 06:45.170 1987 show both nights get really aggressive here and in this position. 06:48.840 --> 06:51.660 Guess what could be played. 06:53.990 --> 06:54.800 Both nights. 06:54.800 --> 06:56.990 One night's covering escaped square fate. 06:57.020 --> 07:01.130 We can actually play 94 and blacks in the bad way. 07:01.160 --> 07:03.440 If Rook takes the eight Knight. 07:03.980 --> 07:08.480 If Rook takes the eight, 96 is checkmate. 07:10.100 --> 07:11.870 It just shows G5 was even available. 07:11.870 --> 07:15.690 But this is just just more emphatic. 07:15.710 --> 07:20.620 White can afford this not to play G5 immediately. 07:20.630 --> 07:22.670 It's still a dominating possession. 07:23.090 --> 07:25.150 So Capablanca is trying to do something. 07:25.160 --> 07:26.330 He plays G6. 07:26.780 --> 07:30.740 If he plays ST like B6, then we're taking on de sacs. 07:31.520 --> 07:38.900 If he plays Bishop E7 waiting around, G5 is coming and here even G6 check is a way of winning basically 07:38.900 --> 07:39.920 with Rook one. 07:40.580 --> 07:50.240 That queen, that Queen's rockfall, the Aflw Queen's rook fell is useful for white, but white can 07:50.240 --> 07:51.470 also play like this. 07:51.680 --> 07:53.960 And here there's a different scenario. 07:56.570 --> 08:03.860 For winning just to convert things into two connected pass pawns with this knight sack. 08:04.370 --> 08:10.920 So say rook takes, we get two connected pass pawns here and then E5 18. 08:10.940 --> 08:15.770 So these two connected pass pawns are absolutely winning and they're just driving through. 08:15.980 --> 08:19.220 And any time Knight thinks we're just winning like this. 08:19.610 --> 08:25.990 So yeah, it's absolutely a winning position with the king being aggressive in attacking piece here. 08:26.000 --> 08:28.100 But anyway, G6 was played. 08:29.390 --> 08:32.330 We have Rook G free G five shank. 08:32.900 --> 08:42.350 And you'll note here, after King of Free, there's an emergence of two outside files which could be 08:42.350 --> 08:43.580 used potentially. 08:44.000 --> 08:47.300 So both sides of the board could be used. 08:47.300 --> 08:49.340 Rook free rook D7. 08:52.940 --> 08:55.370 So, yeah, it looks as though. 08:55.370 --> 08:56.010 Hold on. 08:56.030 --> 08:57.690 Why didn't we take the point? 08:57.710 --> 08:59.930 There's no need to give black counterplay here. 09:00.150 --> 09:00.530 This. 09:00.530 --> 09:02.240 This would muddy the waters. 09:02.660 --> 09:03.350 Rogue tanks. 09:03.350 --> 09:04.850 These tanks with muddy waters. 09:04.850 --> 09:06.650 94 and 95, Jack. 09:07.010 --> 09:08.950 There's no need to muddy Waters here. 09:08.960 --> 09:10.250 We just go for the king Rook. 09:10.250 --> 09:11.120 Hands free. 09:13.360 --> 09:15.310 So there's nasty threats now. 09:15.970 --> 09:23.350 So Rook D7 and now King G3 Rook seven shank was possible. 09:23.380 --> 09:28.000 King E8 This position is very dominating for white so. 09:28.000 --> 09:29.200 King Geoffrey, then. 09:29.440 --> 09:34.030 KING eight rook dh1, Bishop B seven. 09:34.660 --> 09:37.030 And now in this position, guess what is played. 09:39.160 --> 09:43.120 Before Black has any chance, any sniff of going 45. 09:43.540 --> 09:49.960 In fact, we're making that square less resourceful for black, in effect, and more resourceful. 09:50.560 --> 09:54.490 If four square occupying squares were pieces rather than pawns. 09:54.850 --> 09:58.900 Sometimes it's very important because now there are very concrete. 09:58.900 --> 10:06.820 France, 19 states of six, so 95 here defending F6, but now six to see five. 10:07.360 --> 10:09.730 And this spells big trouble for black. 10:09.730 --> 10:10.360 Concretely. 10:10.360 --> 10:17.770 Now black is losing material bishops offering the exchange because if rook see seven can you see what 10:17.770 --> 10:18.630 won't place? 10:19.810 --> 10:20.030 Yeah. 10:20.110 --> 10:21.070 For five points. 10:23.480 --> 10:25.640 9/10 B seven and a 96. 10:25.640 --> 10:28.630 Jack wins that rock winning material. 10:29.030 --> 10:29.840 Rock up. 10:31.000 --> 10:33.470 So we have Bishop Kane. 10:33.490 --> 10:36.910 So the exchange has taken Rook seven. 10:37.210 --> 10:39.610 Rook And now we can use both sides of the board. 10:39.610 --> 10:40.990 ROOK one Ouch. 10:41.500 --> 10:45.370 Yeah, one has got rook ideally placed. 10:45.370 --> 10:54.160 King The rookie eight shank, Bishop c89 C5 And the big front now is rook D7 check and then mating. 10:54.400 --> 10:56.500 So Capablanca had to resign. 10:58.410 --> 11:02.880 If 97 then 96 check. 11:03.570 --> 11:04.920 Seven, nine, six I find. 11:06.480 --> 11:09.720 But otherwise if rook rook D7 chick and I'm mating. 11:09.840 --> 11:18.210 So yeah it's it's game you might not immediately think is an attacking game but you know, Lasker is 11:18.210 --> 11:24.030 really playing the position, you know, playing with extreme accuracy. 11:24.390 --> 11:29.760 And that is a good way to get into positions with combinations for attack against the king. 11:29.910 --> 11:34.710 So I think he's an absolutely amazing player, you know, ahead of his time. 11:34.710 --> 11:37.680 I mean, both players were absolutely amazing. 11:38.010 --> 11:40.830 And Capablanca at the time was thought to be invincible. 11:41.860 --> 11:46.510 And yes, sometimes you can use maybe that's kind of an interesting point about this particular game 11:46.510 --> 11:47.350 example. 11:48.040 --> 11:54.190 Most of the game examples in this attacking course are with attacking openings, but sometimes you can 11:54.190 --> 12:02.170 be a bit more subtle and even queens coming off, there's still possibilities for very creative play 12:02.740 --> 12:05.750 here, especially if it's playing inaccurately. 12:05.770 --> 12:07.650 So they've got the bishop power. 12:08.200 --> 12:12.210 You know, the idea of the backward pawn, it's all about exploit ability. 12:12.220 --> 12:16.410 What can you actually do with something rather than theoretically being good? 12:16.420 --> 12:21.880 Sometimes there's a big gulf between something theoretically good and actually being useful When you 12:21.880 --> 12:27.100 have a move like F5 in a theoretical sense, or you're saying to someone, Oh, I'm going to have a 12:27.100 --> 12:31.870 backward pawn, they might think, Well, that's bad, but what is the but what is the qualifier to 12:31.870 --> 12:32.300 that? 12:32.320 --> 12:39.230 Well, it gives the A foursquare for use to exchange off to get rid of Black's bishop. 12:40.120 --> 12:46.900 And then it also means semi open file against the target on the defile and it also means E6 might be 12:46.900 --> 12:48.070 good as well later. 12:48.070 --> 12:52.420 So it's especially with the bishop abandoning this diagonal. 12:54.340 --> 12:58.060 But the bishop didn't want to be a target on the defile. 12:58.060 --> 13:03.610 So, yes, there are all kind of weaknesses of the last move also creeping in, which shows the Essex 13:03.610 --> 13:05.560 Knight to be an absolute octopus. 13:05.580 --> 13:09.460 Noite octopus like in tentacles in all directions. 13:09.730 --> 13:18.700 So it's like an an early octopus night game example where blacks can't play is kind of minimal here. 13:19.150 --> 13:27.040 So, yes, I'm operating with the idea of ripping open the file or using the A4, which which was made 13:27.040 --> 13:32.560 easier from blacks playing here, the A4 usage later as an option. 13:32.860 --> 13:33.850 So yes. 13:36.050 --> 13:37.330 Gee five from Casablanca. 13:37.340 --> 13:40.550 But if he didn't, you know what would be playing? 13:40.880 --> 13:42.670 G5 with big effects here. 13:42.680 --> 13:46.790 This would be a dominating possession in various ways with no lights coming in. 13:46.790 --> 13:50.780 So this would be extremely scary, you know, this possession of a pass pawn. 13:50.780 --> 13:54.560 So, you know, black had to try and do something. 13:54.560 --> 14:01.790 But yeah, the ancient officials playing on both sides of the board and the E5 liberating the use of 14:01.790 --> 14:04.100 the E4 square for a piece. 14:05.150 --> 14:10.700 It's a great thing to think about square vacation with subtle pawn sacrifices so your pieces can be 14:10.700 --> 14:15.050 more aggressive going for the opponent's king to create concrete. 14:15.050 --> 14:23.000 France Square vacations is an act of being resourceful, in my view, swapping out pawns to make to 14:23.000 --> 14:25.880 see what happens if pieces take their places. 14:26.240 --> 14:29.390 And yeah, it's just the crushing end to the game. 14:30.260 --> 14:33.440 Capablanca apparently was sitting there in silence. 14:33.440 --> 14:34.970 He wasn't very happy after this game. 14:35.600 --> 14:36.320 Yeah. 14:37.640 --> 14:37.880 Okay. 14:38.060 --> 14:38.200 Yeah. 14:38.210 --> 14:44.210 So one of Capablanca is heaviest like defeats, but credits Alaska his longevity in the game. 14:44.210 --> 14:45.470 Absolutely astounding. 14:45.740 --> 14:48.410 So, okay, how have you enjoyed this game? 14:48.410 --> 14:52.040 Got some instructive points from it and so much.