WEBVTT 00:00.810 --> 00:01.530 Hi there. 00:01.560 --> 00:03.920 In this lecture, we see an amazing game. 00:03.930 --> 00:07.050 Isaac Zalewski has Jose Lasitskene. 00:07.080 --> 00:10.590 This is in 1956, the USSR Championship, round 13. 00:10.860 --> 00:14.460 So Beaux Levski has his name associated with the balls left. 00:14.570 --> 00:15.660 Keyhole. 00:15.900 --> 00:21.870 This is the D5 square in certain structures in the Sicilian defense, where there's a hole on D5, a 00:21.900 --> 00:28.530 weakness on D5, which could be good, for example, with a night out post celebrating that whole. 00:28.530 --> 00:32.340 Now both Levski was doing research on both sides of the ball. 00:32.340 --> 00:38.100 Zalewski whole here is he is playing whites against Giorgi listen and plays E4. 00:38.130 --> 00:52.500 We have C5 ninths F3 D6 the four C2 6460 49569c3g6 Bishop E, Free Bishop G7, F3 and Black Castles, 00:52.500 --> 00:54.750 Queen D2 96. 00:54.750 --> 00:58.170 So so far there's no major hole in Black's position. 00:58.170 --> 01:00.840 The pawn structure is that of a dragon formation. 01:01.350 --> 01:02.310 Sicilian dragon. 01:02.310 --> 01:05.550 We have White Castle in queenside and now black plays. 01:05.550 --> 01:06.930 Knight takes D4. 01:07.500 --> 01:13.860 We have Bishop takes three four now Queen a five King B1 and now black is tempted to a forcing move 01:13.980 --> 01:14.850 with pawns. 01:14.880 --> 01:16.770 Now pawns do not go backwards. 01:16.770 --> 01:19.500 So this is quite a committal move. 01:19.500 --> 01:27.540 And you can see that there's a hole on D5 which could potentially be a useful outpost square for a nice 01:27.540 --> 01:28.560 central knight. 01:28.980 --> 01:34.650 So one of the big parts of a knight on C3 here is its potential to use the D5 Outpost square. 01:34.860 --> 01:40.860 For the moment it looks covered up enough Bishop E6 and Black is trying to play dynamically offering 01:40.860 --> 01:49.710 the pawn now white here plays a free if queen takes d6 this would actually be. 01:52.490 --> 01:58.910 Interesting because if Bishop takes a to check and if Knight takes a to the point would be rook f the 01:58.910 --> 01:59.120 eight. 01:59.150 --> 02:05.990 What a nasty trap skewering the Queen's rd one, which is a tactical liability because it's not protected. 02:06.170 --> 02:12.800 That rook is unfortunate here if White has to give up the Queen. 02:13.790 --> 02:18.800 So if the queen moves, Rook takes D1 check and this is just waiting for black. 02:18.830 --> 02:23.750 So if one has to give up the queen and the game, so good safety point here. 02:23.750 --> 02:24.470 Are you free? 02:24.470 --> 02:25.940 Not taking on D6. 02:26.150 --> 02:30.500 We have Rook 58 and now very interesting move might be five. 02:31.430 --> 02:38.060 So this hits The queen encourages the exchange of Queen's black refuses of Queen a fall, which is actually 02:38.060 --> 02:40.490 a big mistake if Queen 62. 02:40.670 --> 02:43.220 This position is interesting. 02:43.520 --> 02:52.400 After Knight C7 Rook one can grab the light square bishop and actually be greedy to take a seven if 02:52.400 --> 02:53.380 D takes. 02:53.390 --> 03:00.830 This is actually possible to take on D eight and actually believe it or not, to entertain F takes e4 03:00.830 --> 03:02.090 here with advantage. 03:02.840 --> 03:06.320 If rook d1 check, which seems embarrassing for white. 03:06.320 --> 03:12.120 The thing is in this position, why has rook g one safeguarding the bishop in effect? 03:12.140 --> 03:13.540 I'm pinning the bishop. 03:13.550 --> 03:16.490 So for example King f7 Bishop e2. 03:16.550 --> 03:22.250 And if we look at this resulting endgame situation, Y is clearly better with the Bishop power and the 03:22.250 --> 03:25.130 potential to create a queenside pawns pawn. 03:25.550 --> 03:30.590 So these variations are interesting and if Knight takes E4 instead of the Czech. 03:31.400 --> 03:32.170 Yeah, just bishop. 03:32.370 --> 03:35.030 So again, it's just got a definite advantage here. 03:35.360 --> 03:46.320 So, okay, we have Queen A4 and funnily enough, boy, it does play against the strategic theme of 03:46.340 --> 03:47.210 Olsavsky whole. 03:47.210 --> 03:50.750 But the Queen's position is also subject to interesting tempo gaining. 03:51.290 --> 03:54.890 And there is a tactical point here which is missed. 03:56.440 --> 04:01.910 That actually we can be resourceful in chess if we consider like pawns. 04:01.960 --> 04:08.620 The fundamental constraint on the pieces, but also squares being occupied in the real world is like, 04:08.620 --> 04:11.170 Oh, the toilet is occupied. 04:11.200 --> 04:15.730 You can't use the toilet, but the squares, you know, you can't use squares if they're occupied. 04:16.210 --> 04:18.190 So that is also a fundamental constraint. 04:18.190 --> 04:20.610 It's not just the pawns, it's square occupation. 04:20.620 --> 04:23.020 There's actually a tactical move here. 04:23.350 --> 04:28.960 Giving you a bit of a clue, which is actually just winning the game outright, essentially because 04:28.960 --> 04:30.110 of the queen's position here. 04:30.130 --> 04:34.450 Can you see what it is, especially because of the Queen's possession, once you think that move is, 04:34.450 --> 04:37.630 which opens up resources, resource capability? 04:41.970 --> 04:42.370 Okay. 04:42.420 --> 04:45.630 There's a tactically very strong move in this position, which is 97. 04:45.630 --> 04:48.300 This wasn't played, but tactically it's winning. 04:48.330 --> 04:54.390 The point is, if the rook moves, the point is we've vacated the B5 square. 04:54.780 --> 04:58.560 We can actually be more resourceful about B5 with Bishop B5. 04:58.830 --> 04:59.400 Ouch. 04:59.430 --> 05:00.750 Kind of end of game. 05:01.200 --> 05:02.400 Where does a queen go? 05:02.520 --> 05:06.060 So, yes, there is a tactical flaw in this game, which is kind of amusing. 05:06.060 --> 05:12.690 If A6, then yeah, we can just take the exchange out and this is just the winning position. 05:13.290 --> 05:14.070 So, okay. 05:14.070 --> 05:20.400 But in the game we do get a beautiful thematic way of playing the position with C4 and it represents 05:20.880 --> 05:25.410 a pawn sacrifice to get complete control over the D5 square. 05:25.410 --> 05:33.090 So not taking on C4 immediately, but ninth C3 now with tempo against the Queen. 05:33.090 --> 05:39.060 So this is far more optimal than taking because the Queen will be on C4. 05:39.060 --> 05:40.890 We can't win a tempo against the Queen. 05:41.070 --> 05:46.350 So this is a nice tempo gain so the knight can potentially pounce to D5. 05:46.350 --> 05:52.430 So the duties of a knight on C3, we have Queen before and now Bishop takes C4, eliminating the point 05:52.500 --> 05:59.250 square defender of the D5 square and now getting rid of this defender with Bishop G5. 05:59.460 --> 06:04.660 And here it starts to be difficult for black. 06:04.680 --> 06:12.360 Even though black's a pawn up we have queen e6 if d5 trying to liberate things Knight takes the E5 this 06:12.360 --> 06:13.200 position. 06:13.560 --> 06:14.880 We're winning the exchange. 06:14.880 --> 06:15.810 Bishop takes the eight. 06:15.840 --> 06:17.490 That's just a winning position. 06:18.190 --> 06:21.090 Okay, there's a bit of compensation, but it's not enough. 06:21.090 --> 06:28.130 So Queenie, sex is played and we get Bishop takes f6 now Queen takes f6 and now 95. 06:28.190 --> 06:31.800 I used to have this kind of idea when thinking about chess. 06:32.370 --> 06:38.010 This game in particular is what I like to call strategic crush, where the whole pawn structure seems 06:38.010 --> 06:41.070 to be completely against the opponent. 06:41.070 --> 06:46.170 You strategically like crush them when you have an unassailable piece like a knight on D5. 06:46.170 --> 06:48.540 But it really depends on the possessions, of course. 06:48.540 --> 06:55.140 But here the knight on D5 is like we've accumulated a fantastic attacking ingredients. 06:55.140 --> 06:58.470 You could say it's just accumulating advantages. 06:58.470 --> 07:03.680 Yeah, but it's nice to identify the particular ingredients we've accumulated, what particular advantage 07:03.690 --> 07:07.890 we have this beautifully central knight's kind of octopus knight. 07:07.890 --> 07:12.900 So the full eight squares of influence and it just helps make attacking potential. 07:12.900 --> 07:18.780 It sets the groundwork up for a successful attack, you know, as natural as a baby smile. 07:18.780 --> 07:24.780 It's just a natural outcome that we can attack the opponent's king now with that knight on D5. 07:25.710 --> 07:27.420 So Queen H4. 07:29.130 --> 07:37.050 So Queen A2, we have bishop phase and now a beautiful move, Queen F1, which actually means G3 is 07:37.050 --> 07:43.950 coming and then H5 appealing to get a very strong attack, which is very, very difficult to defend 07:43.950 --> 07:44.730 against it. 07:44.760 --> 07:46.140 It's just very, very natural. 07:46.140 --> 07:49.710 We've installed a fantastic attacking ingredients. 07:49.710 --> 07:55.920 So Rook AC eight Free Queen G5 and now H for not minding G3 going. 07:55.980 --> 08:03.750 So Queen H six is played if Queen takes G3 as the forcing move Rook H frame When is the Queen go? 08:04.080 --> 08:05.880 The Queen has to sacrifice herself. 08:06.270 --> 08:07.140 So yes. 08:08.190 --> 08:14.280 So the queen goes to age six and now G4 So it's just an attack without counterplay. 08:14.310 --> 08:16.800 It really is strategic crush territory. 08:17.130 --> 08:25.920 So G5 we have age tanks, G5, Queen tanks, G5 and now Rook h5, Queen G6, and now a beautiful move, 08:25.920 --> 08:28.440 setting up a lot of attacking potential even more. 08:28.440 --> 08:33.810 The Knights just supporting all of the attack really wonderfully this next for 100 points. 08:33.810 --> 08:34.920 What would you play here? 08:37.220 --> 08:37.850 Okay. 08:37.880 --> 08:39.140 Just G5. 08:39.410 --> 08:43.310 It reinforces the F6 square if Queen size age five. 08:43.310 --> 08:48.050 The knight comes in springs in Knight of six Czech jumps in to win the Queen. 08:48.050 --> 08:51.830 So we have H six being played. 08:53.740 --> 08:56.610 Now there's just the wonderful move. 08:56.620 --> 09:00.880 It's a very difficult position because why is French thing 96? 09:01.120 --> 09:02.980 If the bishop moves, then there's 97. 09:03.160 --> 09:04.580 You know, weakness of the last move. 09:04.600 --> 09:05.440 So what does black do? 09:05.470 --> 09:07.210 Black, you know, tries this. 09:07.810 --> 09:10.570 But now we have a wonderful move. 09:10.570 --> 09:14.080 Rook takes h six, so Queen takes G5 is played. 09:14.080 --> 09:17.510 If Bishop takes H six, we can go with 97 Shaq. 09:17.530 --> 09:20.500 And even stronger than taking the Queen, we could even just play this. 09:20.500 --> 09:26.980 This is winning, delaying, winning the Queen because, well, this is just too much. 09:29.470 --> 09:30.190 If. 09:33.180 --> 09:38.520 If King takes to try and put the queen in front, there's always a 95 check. 09:39.030 --> 09:43.650 So the knight comes in and sorts out the situation and Rook G one, we're going to be winning the Queen, 09:44.130 --> 09:45.270 whatever happens. 09:45.270 --> 09:50.580 So yeah, this is just crushing and we can play it like this as well. 09:50.580 --> 09:50.940 So. 09:50.940 --> 09:58.020 Okay, so Queen takes G5, but this next move ends the game and it shows the beauty of the knight, 09:58.020 --> 10:00.930 the Knights really just supporting all the attacking possibilities. 10:00.930 --> 10:03.480 It's just a beautiful night move here, which ends the game. 10:03.480 --> 10:04.440 Can you see what that is? 10:04.440 --> 10:07.320 Sorry, Not know what that is misleading. 10:07.320 --> 10:07.650 It's not. 10:07.650 --> 10:08.820 It's not necessarily nine. 10:09.030 --> 10:09.810 It's not nine. 10:09.840 --> 10:10.440 Actually. 10:10.440 --> 10:11.610 Let me let me take that back. 10:11.610 --> 10:14.970 So once play here and just ends the game with this next move. 10:16.950 --> 10:17.640 Okay. 10:17.670 --> 10:19.050 It's Rook H five. 10:19.080 --> 10:20.400 Well done if you found this. 10:21.000 --> 10:24.600 So if Queen takes H five, we have nine of six check and 9/10. 10:24.600 --> 10:27.270 So what does Black actually do here? 10:27.300 --> 10:31.710 If Queen G6 won't just potentially trebles on this H file. 10:32.250 --> 10:38.190 So Queen H three and here we have Rook H eight check and Rook H one. 10:38.190 --> 10:42.810 And the point of travelling here we get killer common squares really heavily reinforced. 10:43.320 --> 10:47.070 So, for example, B5, can you see what we play here? 10:47.070 --> 10:52.380 And this position which is chap maintain check all checks, even the outrageous ones, I mean this is 10:52.380 --> 10:58.830 also a demonstration of power and making the position more, more strong and attractive, travelling 10:58.830 --> 11:00.630 whilst the Black rooks are in disarray. 11:00.630 --> 11:05.580 We have here Rook g h hack and then if King St's Queen H is checkmate. 11:06.240 --> 11:13.770 If rook takes D5 routine check and Queen H for check and this is crushing so. 11:13.770 --> 11:15.750 Och yeah, it's just beautiful stuff. 11:15.750 --> 11:19.590 If Queen G seven again, we can just pile on the H file. 11:20.010 --> 11:21.330 We're piling on the file. 11:23.190 --> 11:25.020 So yes, we've rook h five. 11:25.020 --> 11:27.150 It signals the end of the game. 11:27.150 --> 11:27.930 Really. 11:28.800 --> 11:31.470 This file is going to be absolutely decisive. 11:31.470 --> 11:37.620 So it's a very interesting game because it represents how the pawn structure, especially with the balls. 11:37.620 --> 11:39.720 Levski Hull, the weakness on D5. 11:39.750 --> 11:46.590 The funny thing is the holes named after him, he's really exploited it on this occasion that defined 11:46.590 --> 11:51.840 weakness with a juicy knight outpost, which seems to support the attack in various different variations, 11:51.840 --> 11:53.010 various different ways. 11:53.490 --> 11:56.700 So it's really a powerful way of playing chess. 11:56.700 --> 11:58.380 It makes the attack very natural. 11:58.380 --> 12:02.820 You set out the groundwork for accumulating advantages now. 12:02.820 --> 12:03.210 Yes. 12:03.210 --> 12:08.940 The tactical flaw in this game is interesting as well. 12:08.940 --> 12:15.120 You know, we shouldn't underestimate when we vacate squares, we become more resourceful when we get 12:15.120 --> 12:18.930 rid of the pawns which are locking our pieces and we get more resourceful. 12:18.930 --> 12:24.570 So it is an aspect of liberation, you know, vacating squares. 12:24.900 --> 12:26.100 We find new resources. 12:26.100 --> 12:28.620 So that is a tactical interesting point as well. 12:28.620 --> 12:30.090 But we're interested more. 12:30.690 --> 12:35.760 The focus here is as an instructive game about the D5 Bosz Levski Hull. 12:35.760 --> 12:42.120 So, you know, human games are not perfect, but there's a wonderful strategic theme being demonstrated 12:42.420 --> 12:45.420 by not playing the tactical kind of reputation. 12:45.420 --> 12:52.830 97 This is an absolutely wonderful, inspiring theme for me personally, and it sets out in motion this 12:52.830 --> 12:54.480 whole notion of strategic crush. 12:54.780 --> 13:00.960 If I could get these kind of positions where the pawn structure really favors me fundamentally, it 13:00.960 --> 13:05.670 transcends, you know, calculating variations to have the pawn structure. 13:05.670 --> 13:07.650 It's like working with the force in Star Wars. 13:07.650 --> 13:09.120 You know, don't underestimate the force. 13:09.120 --> 13:13.260 The force is like the pawn structure, the pawns, the soul of chess, according to Philidor. 13:14.130 --> 13:20.280 So, yeah, you see, the powerful influence a knight on D5 can make really strengthening the groundwork 13:20.280 --> 13:21.570 and this nice tempo gain. 13:21.570 --> 13:23.130 Not Bishop taking C4 immediately. 13:23.130 --> 13:30.360 It's Knight can hop in, jumping quickly to D5, ready to jump in quickly so it's a wonderful position 13:30.360 --> 13:37.920 to have the attack really is kind of playing itself and this is nice movements to start off you know 13:37.920 --> 13:43.230 the attack with Queen F one and G4 and H will get getting that H file ripped open. 13:43.230 --> 13:52.230 It's really a beautiful game again to really behold how the attack is just kind of playing itself with 13:52.230 --> 13:53.490 the knight on D5. 13:53.700 --> 13:57.270 So yeah, Strategic cross meets attacking chess. 13:57.270 --> 13:59.220 I hope you enjoyed this game as much as me. 13:59.220 --> 14:05.130 So this was one of my favorite games that Erving Chernov covered in the most instructive games of chess. 14:05.130 --> 14:10.230 One of the clearest themes I felt, in fact one of the early games covered. 14:10.230 --> 14:14.730 So if you haven't got it already, you know, Erving Chernov has done some fantastic books. 14:14.730 --> 14:17.730 And the most instructive games of chess book is one of my favorites. 14:17.730 --> 14:20.940 He's also done another classic logical chess move, My move. 14:20.940 --> 14:25.020 So he's he's a great annotator not too many variations, okay? 14:25.020 --> 14:30.930 He's sometimes tactically flawed, but for the modern era of engine analysis, checking the books, 14:30.930 --> 14:36.600 a lot of books before the engineer and the engineer didn't have, you know, the precise variations. 14:36.600 --> 14:40.830 They have mistakes, but still the juicy big themes still persist. 14:40.830 --> 14:47.850 They stand the test of time that we can make use of this kind of strategic theme, exploiting this wonderful 14:47.850 --> 14:49.410 knight outpost on D5. 14:49.410 --> 14:52.950 Okay, so I hope you enjoy this game as much as me and so much.