WEBVTT 00:00.810 --> 00:01.470 Hi there. 00:01.500 --> 00:07.860 This is an extremely remarkable example we have in this lecture of Alexander Alekhine playing in a blindfold 00:07.860 --> 00:08.910 simultaneous display. 00:08.910 --> 00:12.990 Believe it or not, the quality of the play is absolutely amazing. 00:12.990 --> 00:20.430 So this is Alekhine versus Schwarz in 1926, a simultaneous blindfold displaying d4 from Alekhine nine 00:20.460 --> 00:23.880 f6 c4 g6 g3. 00:23.880 --> 00:26.430 So a thin Kanto variation of the king's engine. 00:26.430 --> 00:36.060 The fence knight Siegfried six Knights every night c6 d 5.85 Queen D3 B6. 00:36.540 --> 00:44.460 There's no point really playing Bishop A5 here it has E4 so this position E4 is possible. 00:45.000 --> 00:52.890 So we have B6 though this looks like it's a weakening move fundamentally of C6. 00:52.890 --> 00:57.360 It seems White's getting a nice clear advantage out of the opening with simple moves. 00:57.360 --> 01:04.230 Now Knight D4 looking at that C6 square Knight B7 and already you know this is just a dominating position. 01:05.640 --> 01:08.700 So Alekhine castles a5 be free. 01:08.700 --> 01:14.100 Now this does prepare a plan of trying to open up that A5 slowly. 01:14.100 --> 01:23.130 So Knight C5 One of the mechanisms here is if a free sometimes there's a fall from black and if you 01:23.130 --> 01:26.070 consider 95 these these pawns are kind of disabled. 01:26.160 --> 01:33.450 So it has to be played slowly with B3 to be able to react, control A4 and slowly build up with a free 01:33.450 --> 01:34.620 and B4 later. 01:34.620 --> 01:43.050 So we have 95 queenside to Bishop b7 h Free Rook ain't a free. 01:43.050 --> 01:48.060 So the slow build up here and now black gives even more positional advantage to alekhine. 01:48.060 --> 01:57.570 So a large positional advantage is being built up here and now b4 886986 and now rook a4 on standby. 01:58.680 --> 02:04.740 We have actually now this is a target and white could construct a battery. 02:05.130 --> 02:08.220 So actually the knight volunteers itself to be kind of squished. 02:08.220 --> 02:12.060 We have B5 now, so this is a huge position. 02:12.720 --> 02:15.930 So can we get King attacking potential from this position? 02:15.930 --> 02:21.510 Well, there is a plan afoot to have a rook on the seventh and we see its amazing effects in this game. 02:21.750 --> 02:27.510 So H6 Rook A7 So there's an x raying rook across the seventh rank. 02:28.710 --> 02:35.670 We have E5 King H two, King H seven and now F4 Rook E7. 02:36.660 --> 02:40.710 If here he takes F4, White could play, Bishop takes F4. 02:41.130 --> 02:45.420 And for example, this position was 95 Knight 65. 02:45.540 --> 02:50.250 Bishop takes the five rook have six White has a nice pleasant advantage. 02:50.730 --> 02:53.310 An interesting maneuver here would be rook have free. 02:53.310 --> 03:00.140 We don't have to wait It doesn't have to move the e2 pawn and could just control the phone has so advantage 03:00.150 --> 03:02.820 building up there in that variation. 03:02.820 --> 03:05.220 So anyway rook e seven is played. 03:05.220 --> 03:09.090 We have f takes e5, rook takes e5. 03:09.690 --> 03:17.490 If D takes e5 there is a skewer and say this position y can simply just take on f eight. 03:18.570 --> 03:21.090 And this position is huge. 03:21.390 --> 03:23.460 Also funny enough though. 03:24.460 --> 03:30.520 There is another option of E4, and this shows a little bit the power of that seven Frank. 03:30.550 --> 03:31.690 Let's have a quick look at this. 03:31.690 --> 03:40.990 Rook G 895 Knight takes seed sex that's safe sex can actually play D sex opening up that powerful rook 03:40.990 --> 03:45.570 against the king hair and now takes sex exploiting that pin --. 03:45.580 --> 03:52.840 So yes, this is a powerful example where two rocks could get to the seven Frank for one moment at least. 03:53.050 --> 04:01.240 And then here, because of that pin against G7, White can amplify that seven Frank Brooke give support 04:01.270 --> 04:02.440 and crash through. 04:02.470 --> 04:04.030 So that's an interesting variation. 04:04.030 --> 04:15.880 So anyway, we have Brooke tanks, E-5 Bishop at Fallbrook, 895 9/10 35 Bishop takes five Queen the 04:15.880 --> 04:26.350 8h4 Queen 80 7e3 King H ain't king G two So why is really dominating the position and black are not 04:26.350 --> 04:34.050 opened the you know, the whole g5h6 we can use the the rook we there's no way black can play G5 here. 04:34.060 --> 04:45.160 So we see f five and now rookie 1k7 e4 Bishop E five and this is slightly weakening that seven Frank 04:45.160 --> 04:51.130 we have 8xf5g tanks, but now here comes the true power y. 04:51.130 --> 04:55.410 I felt this game was a fantastic example of seven frank pressure against the king. 04:55.420 --> 04:57.790 There's a brilliant kind of combination here. 04:57.850 --> 05:01.420 What would you play in this position to ramp up the pressure? 05:01.840 --> 05:05.890 So if I give you 5 seconds pause video, what would you play here? 05:10.630 --> 05:11.320 Okay. 05:11.350 --> 05:13.330 The powerful break through. 05:13.360 --> 05:13.750 Move. 05:13.780 --> 05:15.030 C5, C5. 05:15.110 --> 05:15.790 Break here. 05:16.810 --> 05:21.640 It doesn't matter which pawn takes, It's going to be a disaster now. 05:22.240 --> 05:26.090 Basically, if three takes, that's a more immediate, clear disaster. 05:26.090 --> 05:27.400 The rook takes E5. 05:27.430 --> 05:28.380 That's no good. 05:28.390 --> 05:33.670 So basically, the pressure's mounting here with C tanks as a threat in particular. 05:33.910 --> 05:41.620 So we have actually B takes, but this allows B six now this breakthrough rook c eight and now, yeah, 05:41.620 --> 05:48.220 there's pressure on this pin and that's just released the E5 control events and Alekhine pounces on 05:48.250 --> 05:48.670 that. 05:49.510 --> 05:53.560 That kind of weakness of the last move, that neglect of E5 here. 05:53.590 --> 05:57.160 So what would you play in this position to ramp up the pressure? 06:02.670 --> 06:03.450 Okay. 06:04.770 --> 06:08.940 Queen C France plate and now Black tries to support E5 with this. 06:09.600 --> 06:16.230 If Black had taken on C3 Rook takes E7 shank and here B C7 is just crushing. 06:16.230 --> 06:17.640 Black would have to give up a piece. 06:17.640 --> 06:22.390 It's just all over basically, and make it even win more material. 06:22.440 --> 06:32.070 Bishop D7 So Rook, F-8 Bishop takes E5 D tanks and now it looks as though isn't black. 06:33.170 --> 06:35.340 Adequately guarded on E5. 06:35.360 --> 06:39.890 This is a remarkable combination here in itself. 06:40.910 --> 06:42.560 Once play, what would you play? 06:46.980 --> 06:47.330 Okay. 06:47.340 --> 06:49.290 Queen Taxi five, believe it or not. 06:49.830 --> 06:55.650 So giving up an entire rook for this position because Rook take C seven is now check. 06:55.650 --> 06:57.020 And that's the magic here. 06:57.040 --> 07:02.160 That's Jack gaining a key tempo for these advanced pawns we have. 07:02.160 --> 07:05.490 Rook take C seven If King Ji eight. 07:05.520 --> 07:08.280 It doesn't matter that White's a knight down here. 07:08.430 --> 07:09.540 It's only for a moment. 07:09.540 --> 07:11.640 And there's two connected winning pawns. 07:12.240 --> 07:13.560 So that's absolutely winning. 07:13.560 --> 07:14.190 So. 07:14.940 --> 07:20.970 Okay, so Rook, take C seven was played B tanks and now rook e8. 07:22.080 --> 07:24.120 And here a rook down. 07:24.120 --> 07:29.400 But C tanks is just winning because now bishop e6 and they'll see seven There's nothing to stop. 07:29.820 --> 07:31.740 C seven cleaning basically. 07:31.770 --> 07:35.940 King g6c7 Black played on for a little bit. 07:35.940 --> 07:37.650 This is just the bishop down now. 07:37.950 --> 07:45.210 Yeah that's the whole breakthrough based on the rook on the seventh rank has been leading to that amazing 07:45.210 --> 07:45.720 combination. 07:45.720 --> 07:54.180 This is an absolutely just winning position now and yeah Black actually resigned here at move 54. 07:54.390 --> 08:01.410 It's a staggering feat to play these blindfold simultaneous things but the amplification of the rook 08:01.590 --> 08:05.070 on the seven Frank is absolutely remarkable. 08:05.280 --> 08:12.660 It shows the strength of imagination in calculation of Alexander Alekhine under amazing circumstances, 08:12.660 --> 08:19.950 being blindfolded, incredible combination to break through at the key points here in Black's position. 08:20.040 --> 08:22.170 So, yes, amazing stuff. 08:22.170 --> 08:25.260 I hope you enjoy this as much as me and so much.