WEBVTT 00:00.870 --> 00:01.590 Hi there. 00:01.620 --> 00:05.550 In this lecture, we see Alexander Alekhine against Karel Sterk. 00:05.550 --> 00:08.040 In 1921, Budapest went round four. 00:08.070 --> 00:15.390 We have d4 D5, by the way, the Grand Budapest Hotel is a fantastic film. 00:15.390 --> 00:16.170 Very creative. 00:16.170 --> 00:16.800 I love it. 00:16.830 --> 00:17.700 Recommend that. 00:18.010 --> 00:19.200 Okay, free tip. 00:19.230 --> 00:19.680 So. 00:19.680 --> 00:20.160 Okay. 00:20.160 --> 00:28.800 So D5 we see a3e6c4969c Free Knight BD 7e3. 00:28.800 --> 00:29.910 Bishop D six. 00:30.480 --> 00:35.910 We have now might be five more positional treatment with a small edge would be C5 just trying to gain 00:35.910 --> 00:36.600 space. 00:36.660 --> 00:43.230 This is justifiable say c6 a4 a5 b5 and you know this is tricky for black. 00:43.390 --> 00:49.650 White has a small edge, but black has certain dynamic, you know, ways of playing this, including, 00:49.650 --> 00:52.050 you know, temporary pawn sex like E5 and B6. 00:52.050 --> 00:54.270 But this is beyond the scope of the discussion. 00:54.270 --> 00:57.960 This would be a positional game, more positional game than what was played. 00:57.960 --> 01:00.240 So night B five Bishop E seven. 01:00.480 --> 01:11.880 Queen C C2, C6 nine C3 Black Castles, Bishop D3 D Tank C4, Bishop Tank C4 and now C5 is played D 01:11.880 --> 01:12.540 Take C5. 01:12.540 --> 01:15.810 It seems a bit of a dull decision in the way symmetrical pawn structure. 01:15.810 --> 01:18.740 What possible excitement could result from this position? 01:18.750 --> 01:19.680 Well, let's see. 01:19.680 --> 01:20.580 White Castles. 01:20.610 --> 01:24.900 B6 e4 Bishop B7 Bishop G5. 01:24.900 --> 01:26.010 Queen C eight. 01:26.520 --> 01:27.450 Queen E two. 01:27.450 --> 01:28.290 A number should be four. 01:28.290 --> 01:33.990 It seems Black is trying to put more pressure on E4 here and. 01:35.250 --> 01:39.210 One has to tread carefully here. 01:40.800 --> 01:46.530 If a move like E5 Black could consider bishop type c3 this position black's ready to recapture. 01:46.980 --> 01:49.890 Otherwise on Bishop takes C4. 01:49.980 --> 01:53.020 This would be like a bit shattered for white. 01:53.040 --> 02:01.950 This structure or 94 is a consideration hitting C3 so it has to be careful and keep the dynamic play 02:01.950 --> 02:02.220 going. 02:02.220 --> 02:06.930 So Bishop D3, we have Bishop take C3 here and there making use of this pin move. 02:07.410 --> 02:08.580 Knight takes E4. 02:08.610 --> 02:11.460 This is a bit dodgy, i.e. risky. 02:11.460 --> 02:17.810 If C5 instead rotates, this position should offer some kingside comfort. 02:17.820 --> 02:20.400 After Bishop G6, the king looks fairly secure. 02:20.430 --> 02:21.690 Black has a small edge. 02:21.690 --> 02:26.790 That seems a great way of playing at night C5 So last night takes E4. 02:26.970 --> 02:28.830 We have Bishop takes E4. 02:29.460 --> 02:31.800 Bishop takes E4, Queen takes E4. 02:31.980 --> 02:37.770 So here it looks as though there's a problem. 02:37.770 --> 02:40.560 But Black is resourceful with 95. 02:40.590 --> 02:43.080 Black is, it seems. 02:43.740 --> 02:45.710 Maintaining material quality. 02:46.080 --> 02:47.010 Alekhine plate actually. 02:47.010 --> 02:47.670 Queen E2. 02:47.700 --> 02:52.040 The thing is, the rook is x the queen hair. 02:52.230 --> 02:56.370 There is actually a technical solution involving winning material. 02:57.690 --> 02:58.710 Can you sponsor it? 02:59.970 --> 03:03.780 Yeah, one could actually win material with instead of Queen into Queen Bee one. 03:04.410 --> 03:07.240 The point is, if I A4 we just take. 03:07.260 --> 03:08.310 Thanks very much. 03:08.730 --> 03:15.230 What does Black exactly do after Queen Bee one bishop before we play a free if Bishop a5 b4. 03:15.240 --> 03:16.230 Thanks very much. 03:16.320 --> 03:20.690 We're going to be winning a piece soon if Queen Bee seven. 03:20.700 --> 03:22.500 Sure that gives night be free. 03:22.510 --> 03:25.740 We can actually do better than eight takes here. 03:26.340 --> 03:31.170 If eight takes, then that's that's the point where maybe it's a little bit messy. 03:31.170 --> 03:31.590 Why? 03:31.590 --> 03:34.770 It has, you know, a small edge. 03:34.770 --> 03:38.580 But, you know, we can actually do better, though. 03:38.610 --> 03:44.610 On Queen Bee seven with the quantum of bee free, taking out that bee free resource. 03:46.080 --> 03:50.150 And you know, this is just more clear a piece up. 03:50.160 --> 03:57.690 So anyway, that aside, Queenie two, we have a spectacular game ahead from this position. 03:57.990 --> 04:07.260 Bishop A5 AB one So there's still a threat now of B4 to win material Queen A6 and now Rook c4984 And 04:07.260 --> 04:11.340 it looks as though Hold on, what is that a queen doing is putting himself in a self pin here. 04:13.200 --> 04:14.520 Well, yeah. 04:14.550 --> 04:23.070 Also we should note here this was an opportunity it seems for black f six, but. 04:24.110 --> 04:25.670 Well, it does have Bishop see one. 04:25.880 --> 04:29.270 There seems to be a strong move in this position. 04:30.350 --> 04:39.980 If Rook 88 b4 and we're going to be winning material here, you know this position is a winning material. 04:40.010 --> 04:43.790 You know, we all just the pace up here and we've got attacking prospect still. 04:44.060 --> 04:45.840 So you know, this is going to be fine. 04:45.860 --> 04:46.970 It's going to be great. 04:47.000 --> 04:48.980 So Bishop C1 was possible. 04:50.000 --> 04:55.670 If we look at that again, this this position actually instead of take fourth if. 04:56.930 --> 04:58.160 Queen Bee five. 04:58.940 --> 05:04.460 You know, just taking out the fall and rule 64 as possible. 05:04.460 --> 05:04.660 Yeah. 05:04.670 --> 05:09.410 It's just so you know, sex would have been a safer move for king safety. 05:09.410 --> 05:17.810 But still, you know, why is is going to be winning a winning advantage off to Bishop c1f sex is also 05:17.810 --> 05:21.950 interesting to consider sorry eight six is also interesting to consider here. 05:21.980 --> 05:29.960 But there is a fascinating move here for white from an attacking perspective. 05:29.990 --> 05:31.400 Can you see what that is? 05:32.300 --> 05:36.830 Because we've got this semi rook left and it looks to say, well, we're pinned but we can actually 05:36.830 --> 05:41.510 play Bishop takes h sex and yes, the knight supports the queen. 05:41.510 --> 05:43.760 So this is not about winning the Queen Jesus. 05:43.760 --> 05:49.070 This is not about rook G4 check because the knight supporting the Queen, we're not winning the Queen, 05:49.070 --> 05:53.420 but we have not E5, which is very, very dangerous here in its own right. 05:53.420 --> 06:00.710 It protects C4, which releases the Queen off guard duty for Queen H five and the rook now is ready 06:00.710 --> 06:03.200 to swing with Rook H four. 06:03.650 --> 06:10.730 So say Bishop d2 because rook aca we're going to swing that rook and this is going to be crushing because 06:10.730 --> 06:11.840 of F4. 06:11.930 --> 06:15.590 So Black could do this, but it's a crushing position. 06:16.220 --> 06:18.530 Black's going to end up getting mated, for example. 06:18.560 --> 06:21.710 So let's say rook a.s.a.p though. 06:21.890 --> 06:26.720 Rook h for yeah, as mentioned on me. 06:26.720 --> 06:30.920 So let's say Bishop d2 immediately. 06:31.640 --> 06:33.080 Bishop d2 immediately. 06:33.080 --> 06:41.750 Here we have rook d4 and now say Queen B seven. 06:41.780 --> 06:43.190 Yeah, we're just going to take on D2. 06:43.190 --> 06:48.380 But yeah, there's a lot of problems here for Black in this position. 06:49.370 --> 06:59.720 There are a lot of attacking options, including F4 if Bishop G5 and other ones or H4. 06:59.750 --> 07:07.520 Yeah, I mean it's a rich attacking position basically, so H6 it can't really be afforded. 07:07.520 --> 07:15.950 F6 is often in analysis of this game it comes up as a resource by as Bishop c one with the B4 threat. 07:15.950 --> 07:16.250 Yeah. 07:16.280 --> 07:18.890 This this is pretty good for white. 07:19.340 --> 07:24.860 So anyway, A4 was tried, but now we have an iconic move. 07:25.460 --> 07:27.410 Yes, alekhine has many iconic moves. 07:27.410 --> 07:33.170 So what iconic move would you play here if I give you 5 seconds to pause the video? 07:33.680 --> 07:42.950 And actually this kind of move made me think about my what I thought was a very simple approach to attacking 07:42.950 --> 07:43.190 chess. 07:43.190 --> 07:51.110 When I won the Lloyds Bank Junior Tournament UK in 1999, I basically had this premise, you know, 07:51.110 --> 07:54.770 use your absolutely best resources around the opponent's king. 07:54.770 --> 08:01.460 And actually now when I look at this game, I feel that if you use your best resources around the opponent's 08:01.460 --> 08:03.650 king, it creates an independence. 08:05.110 --> 08:09.790 Level of losing through in other parts of the board because Champ ends the game. 08:10.150 --> 08:15.460 So if you're creating Checkmate Opportunities, you can worry about less about losing material. 08:15.490 --> 08:20.860 So anyway, there's an iconic move here I'm about to show you for 200 points. 08:20.860 --> 08:28.150 Bishop f6 and with Bishop f6, we're looking at G seven and there's a pattern in some alekhine games, 08:28.150 --> 08:32.950 you know, Bishop either F6 or even B2 or a one. 08:32.950 --> 08:38.140 We want to try and get generally a queen to G5 or G3. 08:38.290 --> 08:42.760 If it's G3, you know, it's looking at the directions as well, but we want to maximize that focal 08:42.760 --> 08:43.300 point. 08:44.470 --> 08:51.670 We have Rook FC being played if G tanks, rook G4 check, we are actually just winning the Queen now. 08:51.670 --> 08:53.350 The knight has neglected the Queen. 08:54.190 --> 09:01.630 If King H A we can play Bishop takes G7, Shaq and here Bishop H six and this position we have Rook 09:01.630 --> 09:08.460 G4 check and we're going to be mating like this Bishop or anywhere else where checkmate in a nice make 09:08.470 --> 09:09.130 pattern. 09:09.820 --> 09:13.270 So basically Rook FC eight is played, but here is what I mean. 09:13.300 --> 09:18.160 Use best resources around opponent's king and don't worry about other things sometimes. 09:18.340 --> 09:20.230 So how do we get a queen to G5? 09:20.230 --> 09:26.080 And this is literally because the thing is this is prompted because there hasn't been there's no defensive 09:26.080 --> 09:26.920 pieces around the king. 09:26.920 --> 09:30.190 In fact, we've got this bishop on f6 here. 09:30.850 --> 09:35.500 So what what do we want to play in this position to get a queen to G5? 09:37.060 --> 09:37.600 Yeah. 09:38.230 --> 09:41.470 Queen E5, We play Queen if I get Queen's G5. 09:41.890 --> 09:44.410 If Rook takes the gate, we only get a small engineer. 09:44.460 --> 09:45.550 Queen Kate. 09:45.940 --> 09:47.200 It's only a small edge. 09:48.130 --> 09:50.890 This position Black is ready to defend as well. 09:50.920 --> 09:54.340 Good to have the Queen away from defensive possibilities. 09:54.340 --> 09:59.140 So Queen E5, we have Rook c5 If Queen takes C4. 09:59.170 --> 10:01.720 The point is Queen's five and this is what I mean. 10:01.760 --> 10:04.120 Our back row is not weak enough to be mated yet. 10:04.330 --> 10:05.830 So say G6. 10:06.760 --> 10:08.410 Queen H thinks this. 10:08.410 --> 10:10.150 We're just taking and we're taking. 10:10.150 --> 10:10.930 That's fine. 10:11.440 --> 10:15.700 And we can even here to defend with bishop and fight. 10:15.700 --> 10:18.490 But we can play queen C6 picking up more material. 10:18.640 --> 10:20.710 And that's absolutely winning in its own right. 10:22.150 --> 10:28.890 So if Rook takes C4, we play Queen G5 and here this is funny. 10:28.900 --> 10:29.980 Queen takes G7. 10:29.990 --> 10:31.770 Jack, there's a funny move here. 10:31.780 --> 10:33.130 What would you play for? 10:33.130 --> 10:34.060 100 points? 10:37.950 --> 10:40.280 We want to make queensgate much more effective. 10:40.290 --> 10:43.410 We cover a scape squares when we want to do that, and that's the checkmate. 10:43.410 --> 10:45.090 We want to cover escape squares. 10:45.270 --> 10:47.970 So these two checks are made much more effective. 10:48.000 --> 10:51.030 This is just desperate, desperate and black gets mated. 10:52.530 --> 10:57.450 If g takes f6 rook g for Queen D sex jack is mating. 10:58.200 --> 10:59.430 Or if the king went in the other way. 10:59.430 --> 11:01.400 Queen since f6 is my. 11:02.370 --> 11:05.010 So just to recap here, this is really great stuff. 11:05.010 --> 11:06.120 It's really fun stuff. 11:06.150 --> 11:12.900 If King f8 here with the Queen on C4 instead of the rook, this is a battery, which means our back 11:12.900 --> 11:19.920 row sometimes is dangerous, but we change things up a bit to suit the position to be more appropriate. 11:19.920 --> 11:23.820 Here we don't play 95. 11:24.150 --> 11:25.200 That would be a disaster. 11:25.200 --> 11:28.620 We do have a back row issue potentially like this. 11:28.770 --> 11:32.220 No, what we do in this position, that's good. 11:32.220 --> 11:35.940 If the rook was on C4 and there's no battery in this position. 11:36.880 --> 11:41.470 We played Quincy Aycock and now 95. 11:41.500 --> 11:42.130 Check. 11:44.880 --> 11:47.340 And the point is our Queens attack. 11:47.340 --> 11:53.010 But we're going to get a key check If King C7 were going to get a key check, and then we're going to 11:53.010 --> 11:54.780 take the opposing queen. 11:56.400 --> 11:58.200 And it's still fun and games after that. 12:00.510 --> 12:05.730 And if King Day six, you know, we're taking the queen with Shaq and we're taking eight fans. 12:05.730 --> 12:07.170 Very much so. 12:07.170 --> 12:07.470 Yes. 12:07.590 --> 12:09.240 All you know, really works well. 12:09.240 --> 12:14.610 So in this position, this is what I mean, if you use your best resources around the opponent's king, 12:14.610 --> 12:18.870 it sounds really simple, but actually, aren't we creating independence? 12:18.870 --> 12:21.210 And independence is one of my favorite words. 12:21.210 --> 12:26.790 In recent years, I think successful things have this notion of independence. 12:27.180 --> 12:31.620 It makes them more useful in a greater variety of use cases. 12:31.710 --> 12:37.260 And the idea of using our best resources around the king here creates this independence level that we 12:37.260 --> 12:40.920 can afford to lose material because, you know, that might end the game. 12:41.460 --> 12:47.760 So anyway, we see Rook C5 and now this. 12:47.760 --> 12:49.620 This square is used Queen Geoffrey. 12:52.870 --> 12:53.520 We don't. 12:53.530 --> 12:54.280 Yeah, this is great. 12:54.280 --> 12:59.560 We don't necessarily want good tanks this possession Queen G free Shaq Rook C7. 12:59.560 --> 13:06.310 This is still it's actually rather good for white with 95 power hitting the queen and a hand knight 13:06.310 --> 13:13.990 takes up seven check This is rather nice for white of course, but not as brilliant as the game continuation. 13:14.920 --> 13:17.740 This situation is is in its favor. 13:19.780 --> 13:21.580 But Queen G3 is played. 13:21.790 --> 13:25.300 We see G6 now Rook takes a fall. 13:26.620 --> 13:33.910 So is a piece up Now look when he's a piece up queen Different rook have one now Rook There's no back 13:33.910 --> 13:40.120 road tracks By the way, if Queen takes Rook C1 we have King E2 There's no back road mate here, So 13:40.120 --> 13:47.500 rook aca rook d for Queen in five, Queen F for not minding the exchange of Queens. 13:47.530 --> 13:50.980 Queen C two But now Queen H six and black is getting mated. 13:50.980 --> 13:56.050 End of game Black can only delay queen sex f to this position. 13:56.290 --> 13:59.110 Know black's going to end up getting mated on g seven. 14:00.160 --> 14:03.310 So yes, this game actually does remind me. 14:04.150 --> 14:05.680 Checkmate ends the game. 14:06.160 --> 14:07.900 That's a very powerful thing. 14:07.900 --> 14:09.250 Sometimes we have this choice. 14:09.250 --> 14:12.310 Do we win like a rook which we try and crash for a pawn? 14:12.310 --> 14:14.170 But what if we went for checkmate instead? 14:14.170 --> 14:16.390 Because the opponent might have other stuff to win? 14:16.390 --> 14:17.590 Material, materials, material. 14:17.590 --> 14:18.790 It's only winning a war. 14:18.820 --> 14:21.430 When we go for a checkmate, we're trying to win. 14:21.670 --> 14:25.420 Sorry, winning material is only winning a battle, not the war. 14:25.420 --> 14:29.950 When we go for checkmate, we're winning the war and using best resources around the opponents. 14:29.950 --> 14:32.170 King does create this independence level. 14:32.170 --> 14:34.720 If we lose material, we're only losing a battle. 14:34.720 --> 14:35.260 We're not. 14:35.290 --> 14:36.790 We're not losing the war. 14:36.790 --> 14:40.420 And it's a beautiful rook lift, in effect in this game. 14:40.570 --> 14:46.180 If we go back to key positions, we have that beautiful rook left which creates well, Bishop f6 is 14:46.180 --> 14:50.080 the iconic move after the rook left. 14:50.080 --> 14:55.360 So yes, it really is also trying to backfire against the pinner in variations. 14:55.360 --> 15:00.250 It really is a beautiful iconic move and attack from this position. 15:00.250 --> 15:01.150 Wonderful stuff. 15:01.150 --> 15:07.600 I hope you've enjoyed this as much as me and reinforce the themes, you know, get your resources, 15:07.600 --> 15:11.250 your best resources around only palace king I'm actually thinking, yeah, I had a point. 15:11.280 --> 15:12.480 That's probably why I won that to win. 15:12.520 --> 15:17.170 I had great confidence, you know, So and it creates this independence. 15:17.170 --> 15:20.350 Yeah, you can you can not worry, You worry less. 15:20.350 --> 15:25.210 And that's one of the things about the formula of attacking chess. 15:25.240 --> 15:28.960 If you can worry less about losing material, you know, use your rules. 15:28.960 --> 15:35.470 If you use your Queen G sense when there's already an issue that the opponent is created because they 15:35.470 --> 15:39.880 neglected their king a little bit, that makes all of this much more effective. 15:40.180 --> 15:43.060 Okay, swap a bit of material for King safety. 15:43.660 --> 15:45.820 I hope you enjoyed it so very much.