Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Frederick Smash against Aron Nimzowitsch.
So Aron Nimzowitsch, one of the representatives of the hyper modern chess school.
He has this amazing work called My System, which is fascinating.
And as part of my system, he talks about Rooks on the seventh rank.
Here we see an amazing rook on the seventh rank in this particular game.
Okay, so this is a 1923 Copenhagen round Copenhagen tournament, round six.
So D4 from Smash we have Knight f6 from Nimzowitsch C4 e6 now F3 so Stirling away from Nimzowitsch is
opening the Nimzowitsch engine.
So at the moment this is more of a Queen's engine.
We have B6, but now G3 we're transposing into Catalan waters as well.
So white thing catching the bishop here.
Bishop E7 Knight C3 both sides Castle.
Now one slight downside sometimes are the thing catch so here is that sure it's on this diagonal but
what about this diagonal?
Can black actually use that diagonal later?
This particular diagonal might be of interest for black.
Just bear that in mind.
We have D5 Knight's E5 and now C6.
In fact, this might actually be an inaccuracy.
It seems like B D7 and then C6.
This is slightly different.
Move order makes a little bit of a difference.
So this position, for example with Knight takes E5 Black taking on e4 D takes this position should
be only a small H4 for White's.
But we have C6 immediately.
And in fact, the reason why this is a little bit of an inaccuracy, it blocks the influence of this
bishop immediately and actually White's rewarded this with an inaccurate move.
C takes E5 it seems e4 Here is of interest for White's even if it involves going into a position or
gambit.
So let me just show you here.
D Take C4.
It seems as though that aforementioned diagonal could be a problem for it.
Yeah.
With Bishop A6 however be free and then you might spot a forcing move b5 and another one b4 and another
one and win a pawn and think well this is a bad line isn't it, King's.
Actually, it's a positional gambit.
Bishop B to take this further engines quite like the position for white with good reason.
Intuitively it seems as though black's pretty locked down.
This bishop without a counterpart could be really valuable.
So this is an interesting way of playing it for advantage for white, actually.
So in other words, E4 was an opportunity here for White's but White played.
C takes D5 and this gives me a lot of uncomfortable feelings.
I remember losing a club game many years back with White in this kind of structure.
The thing is, black has prospects, Black has, you know, potentially this diagonal to use, but also
the C4 square might use for later the C4.
This E5 could be a target Knight.
So anyway, we have Bishop F4 and now A6 and the more interesting ideas here already.
Like for example France, Ghosts of France, as Nimzowitsch likes to call them B5 and maybe 97 to b6
stuff like that to C4.
There are ideas emerging so okay.
But Knight C6 also this seems to be just an even position.
For example here would be about even but A6 we have Rook C1 and now B5 Queen B3 is played.
This is a potential target on B3 to moves like this.
So is the Queen actually well placed on B3?
Perhaps not.
Knight b1 maybe is a better move.
So this position one can actually get authority on the C4 here.
I'll show you why.
Bishop D6.
Let's just put in some moves in between.
It should have a small edge here after h6.
If Russia White could actually consider just taking her.
And this position with this pin is actually unpleasant for black.
Well, the pain on both sides of the board, this rook on the eighth with targets stretching across
is also you know, it's quite a powerful thing.
So for example Bishop F1 and here Knight C friend, let's just imagine this kind of scenario with 97
coming in.
So hitting the queen, hitting fight and winning more material, whites actually with a big advantage
now.
So yeah, it seems as though Knight be one with the idea of trying to get authority on the C file soon
is a better plan of.
Action and being prepared to offer the queen up for rook and bishop.
So that's a fascinating plan.
But Queen bee free, though, is not so great, it seems.
96 we have night Taxi six.
If Frey looks secure, this position with the Frey looks as though it should be just even.
Night 65 is unveiling an attack on C6.
This position is actually a small edge for whites.
So 1965 was a shot.
If 1964 white can get that squared bishop and be slightly better here as well.
So this was also something to consider.
But 1986 was played Bishop takes and now if Black gets the chance Queen seven and then b4 and Bishop
A4 or Bishop b5 looks like this Bishop is going to be active and very useful at some point in conjunction
with B4.
Now why just welcomes that plan?
Unfortunately for 1h3.
One should have challenged this position.
There's a loose piece here.
Liability.
This was a time to pounce with knights e4 hitting that bishop.
So Dee takes this position is even so, knowing E4 was an interesting move and if we follow that through
with Queen takes the form rook D one.
I mean, where is the queen going exactly?
It's a difficult position as things like Rook C seven as well of Queen A7.
So say this position once Y has a shattered structure and blacks can not be any better once they actually
got a small edge here.
So anyway, h free though, Let's play this cool move.
Queen D seven Safeguarding C6 making b4 a threat potentially.
Bishop A4 So this is bad news for white because this bishop is actually kind of locked in without any
E4 break.
Now all the earlier opportunity for E4, it seems as though white's in a kind of passive position.
We have King H two and in fact with King H two.
There's more interest in going for an attack.
Now, the Kings are potentially.
In a looser position now than it was on G one.
So even though B4 was tempting nimzowitsch, his move is actually even more accurate.
My take five This is even stronger than before.
If b4 just to show position a black could play it played it like this.
For example Bishop a4 a5 this is just better for black.
But the game continuation is is super interesting.
So Knight h5 we have Bishop Dito now f five and it looks as though this is a stone wall structure.
And in the stone wall you look at the adjacent dark square.
Weaknesses generally.
But here it's like they're very difficult to exploit.
E5 And also the bad bishop is not that bad.
So it's like a stone wall structure on steroids for an attacking potential against the king.
Basically, it's a fantastic version of that stone wall attack.
Absolutely fantastic.
Where this bishop can actually play a major role.
And these dot square weaknesses are a very little consequence.
Right now we see Queen D two.
So this is gunning for a tactic with E4.
And the funny thing is, well, this is actually not great.
91 thou a five.
This position is going to be even black.
Shouldn't have too much to do here.
But with Queen D one, it's clear that White wants to play E4 and win a piece.
And this is a bit of greed actually we have b4 might be one.
And now the bishop swoops up this kind of Dutch stone wall attack.
So that bishop is usually bad, but it's absolutely brilliant here.
Looking at one, it's like White's on the positional pressure we see now Rook G one with the idea of
E4 without bishop takes half one just to hit H five.
Now the funny thing is here, are we worried about this H5?
You see, there is another factor here.
A slight downside of playing for E4 is that a rookie crash through to the summer, Frank.
Guess what?
Nimzowitsch plays here for 500 points.
So absolutely brilliant concept here.
The position is very, very strong already.
And also, if you look at this night, it's not a great piece once pieces are a little bit.
Kind of awkward and stuck in their places.
Then it's just.
Please, Bishop, these sakes.
It's incredible.
He actually welcomes losing a nine.
Okay, but it's for two pawns.
So E4 is actually played, which makes things a lot worse.
Now, if White didn't do E4 going for that night, st a3 a58x8x, this position with six blacks still
is positionally better.
It is a good version of a stonewall.
The bishops great blacks contesting the dark squares and even say this position black could play.
Bishop takes and prepare for G5 even with a strong attacking potential.
So anyway, but E4 makes things a load worse for white.
So actually, guess what Nimzowitsch plays here.
Does he move the night?
The thing is, if he moves the light, there's also E5.
So maybe which was actually optimistic here, you know.
But the thing is Nimzowitsch actually just takes one E4.
He accepts two pawns in exchange for his knight.
But what is he got for that?
He's actually got a very dominating position here.
Looking at F1 pressure on Geoffrey, it's like the kingside is being compromised with that pin and there's
very little for White to do.
Here.
We see the Queen G5.
If we have a look at this position just to see the pain of it.
Let's see.
King H one We don't have to take on G three.
Actually, we can just intensify authority on the file.
And here.
Bishop E two We can actually try and checkmate the Queen, so to speak.
So E5 this position, we want to trap the Queen.
So this is an H six.
Well now.
Basically, we're threatening Bishop F sex.
So, yes.
This.
This is pretty unfortunate.
What does my actually do?
If 93 bishops have sex as an example.
Yeah.
So it is an interesting situation, age, sex, just to rule out Bishop G five.
So Bishop F six, there's Bishop G five.
But yeah, it's like we're kind of mating the Queen.
Bishop F six.
Bishop defined, but.
So yeah, the Queen is awkward in this configuration, actually, it turns out.
So Queen G five trying to get the queen to a relatively safe score on E free limbs, which stamps down
his authority on the F file.
So King H one we have rook hitting the queen.
Queen going to e final.
Bishop D three threatens to checkmate the queen basically when rook e to.
We have Rook C one stopping that, but now h six and it's apparent now why it's in a kind of zugzwang
That's why it's been nicknamed the immortal Zugzwang game.
The pressure in this position is enormous because of that rook on the seventh rank with the juicy targets
kind of ties right down and the knight is not particularly helping Hare.
So, yes, this is a very interesting position where why it seems helpless and what actually resigned
if Bishop F1 we just taking on F1 just winning material.
If G4 we're just going to play this and where's the Queen going.
If Bishop takes this, we're going to checkmate.
If H for we're just going to play this and again this position, we can actually, well, we're winning
because we're winning the Queen.
If A3 A5, just keep this knight out of the game eight times eight X, say B3, Queen F.
This is just a cruel move here.
Queen f7 showing the Zugzwang.
So
here, as an example, the Rooks can come to F3 and then rook change to mating.
Yeah.
Or three moves.
There's always rookie too.
So white's in a pretty helpless position in the end with this rook on the seventh.
It's quite remarkable.
Yeah.
One is without any decent move here.
So that's like attacking, without really showing a checkmate.
Just putting the opponent in Zugzwang because of the rook on the seventh.
Yeah.
So positional play solid positional play gets us to a situation sometimes where we do have a checkmate
combination, but in its own right, as shown here, we can just zugzwang the opponents quite dramatically
without even needing to checkmate.
You know, when just white's absolutely helpless, White's going to be just losing material or being
mated in many of the variations here.
So a fascinating game, the immortal Zugzwang game.
Small advantages.
We've got to be careful as attacking players.
I do want to encourage.
You to be a solid attacking player.
So it's like her full quadrant model.
We want to be solid and aggressive.
We don't want to be like playing risky openings and risking zaps.
We want to have consistently great results.
But like Alexander Alekhine as a as a kind of role model.
Or Garry Kasparov, you know.
So world champions basically have taken the attacking style to the limits with solid play, which is
more easier to emulate than, say, Mikhail Tal.
Paul Morphy was ahead of many of his peers.
So for me, Alexander Alekhine is a key, key role model.
But Nimzowitsch could also play absolutely brilliantly positionally to get to positions where combinations
just come by themselves.
So this was one of Nimzowitsch, his great classics, I believe, which had to be included in this course.
An iconic game example of a rook on the seventh, Two pawns for a knight, but such a dominating position
here.
White's spaces absolutely kind of helpless looking.
So I hope you enjoyed this one.
Has your much.