Hi there.
In this lecture, we see one of the more magnificent games between Levon Aronian and Vishy Anand.
So this is in 2014, Tata Steel Group, a round four.
So we see D4 from level Iranian D5 from Vishy Annan's C4 C6.
So you might think, well this, this isn't really an attacking opening yet.
We see these masterpieces from it.
It's a very solid start to the game setting up the triangle.
You could call it the triangle opening, but it's usually called the Queen's Gambit declined semi Slav
variation, so this bishop could actually become a hero, attacking peace through some of the interesting
mechanisms Black has available.
We see F3 might be D7, Bishop, D3 and now D take C4.
So Bishop takes C4 b5.
So giving B7 a square, giving that square to the bishop.
It could be a dangerous piece later.
Bishop D3 Bishop D thinks both sides Castle, Queen C2 and Bishop B seven Ivory Rook Saints, now 11
Iranian plays ninth G5.
So this is really interesting already.
What is going on?
Is it just the direct attack on H7 or is it about the maneuver 94 and maybe B4 to clamp down black playing
C5 to lock this Bishop?
It's about locking the bishop up.
We see a very nice reaction from vishy anand c5.
So as example, if C5 isn't played which seems to offer the b5 pawn, if it isn't played, if say h6
one gets this dream binds with b4, this position is just much better for white that knight coming to
C5 in prison this poor bishop.
So that's not the way to go.
So C5 now opening up the bishop.
It's going to be one of our attacking pieces.
And this is one of the more solid variations against the Queen's pawn opening, which in my view is
well worth knowing about the Slav.
It's a solid and reliable choice.
Lots of gems are using it and you can see if you get bishops like this already move 12.
This looks very nice.
We see 1987.
So here you might be wondering if Bishop St's H seven shank.
For.
We have 60 before he takes queen bee sex.
White center has been abandoned, it seems to some extent.
And we have now night g for d f thanks.
Let's make sure there's no naughty business.
The Queen come into h five and here we can play b4 and we get a nice position with the black pieces
basically.
So it challenging e4 indirectly by looking at c frame this position.
White's advantage is there, but it's small.
It's difficult to play.
Now you might think instead of bishop takes eight so what about Knight takes B5 then actually an amusing
variation here Black needs to tread carefully.
Black should play.
Bishop takes H to check here because this is the amusing variation of C takes D4.
Guess what?
White has hair so it looks as though the Queen should move right e to the queen.
We've had the queen.
There's no there's no chance to take this, Bishop.
Not quite right.
Bishop takes age seven check.
So we can't take without allowing queen sex mating.
Okay, let's establish that.
So the king goes to H8.
But guess what?
White has hair.
At some points.
Yeah.
966.
This is naughty because Knight's details have seven check why it ends up with a clear advantage.
Yes.
So in other words, if Knight takes B5 had been played, the intention of vision and was surely Bishop
takes H to check and then G for check which picks up the G five Knight potentially.
But first we can indeed insert C takes here without any naughty business.
So Queen E two, Queen 65 is benefit blank.
So Knight Saxby five isn't that good if black plays correctly.
But 1987 was played.
It's a rich game, rich complexity and this is just the start here.
So let's move on from here.
Night G4 looks at H two so Black is looking at H two.
Now we have F four.
If nothing takes F eight, then Bishop takes H to check the queens swoops in and this is diabolical.
You can see that Black's attack is absolutely direct and enormous with these bishops, the queen and
nine.
There's four members of the team here.
That's all that's needed here because y hasn't got the defensive resource around this.
KING This is just desperate.
We just take that and then this this way, bringing this member of the team actually makes it even better,
the attack and then we're just crashing through.
So here.
Yeah, this is just crushing.
Amazing.
So if H three here, Bishop managed to check Queen H four and you can see that nasty pin.
There's a pin ingredient of this lovely bishop.
And this recession with Bishop E five is basically white.
Has to tread carefully.
It takes F eight and now King G one.
Anything else is allowing Queen takes H.
For example, D takes there's Queen takes H three and a mating.
But if Wyatt plays King G one, it seems as though it might actually have enough for a draw.
Black should perhaps take the repetition, draw fun stuff.
So nine times f eight may be is the way to try and secure a draw.
It looks scary.
A great deal of scariness there.
So F4 was played instead.
We have C takes D four, E takes D four, and now the game really takes, in my view, an extremely
wild, unexpected turn here.
I just couldn't believe this game at the time.
Yeah, I had put it on YouTube, but I think at the time, you know, it was, it was absolutely strange
for me.
This game, what has gone on here for this next move to actually be effective.
So what is this next move which shocked me and the chess world.
So in general, so for 200 points blank to play, what would you play with Black?
Okay.
This is crazy stuff.
It seems you know why it's shot down this diagonal, but they won't shut down this diagonal.
This pawn seems unprotected on D4 with White's adventures and Black plays.
Bishop C5.
This is incredible move.
We have Bishop E too, so if D takes note, take C five.
So we're looking at D free.
But the other aspect of this is that there's this check and here Knight takes the friend.
Look at this.
Both knights are converging on F2 a bit like the other version we saw with white.
Both both nights now four black are converging on F2.
And if we get this situation, basically black has a small edge here.
Ends up with a small engineer.
Okay.
It looks, you know, Black's pieces look great, but it's actually a small edge.
And if instead, say, Bishop E to Queen D four check, nine F to check.
And this is a funny situation.
Either White's allows, you know, a smothered mate pattern which is clearly undesirable.
White has access to F2.
Don't play the smothered mates when one white can actually take the knight at the end.
But if the thing is about this position.
On Brooke takes after the queen takes.
How does y defend G2 to her?
And the back row is weak as well.
So this is just the delay tactic we take.
That means we'll get mated with Queen H7 if we're not careful.
So yes, we take that.
And here Bishop G2 is mating.
So yeah, it's all fun stuff.
So essentially.
Yeah.
Huge, huge, hugely fun stuff.
White could, it seems survive but black has the edge if nothing takes a fight here, you know, after
the C5.
So anyway.
We have the move bishop to.
And now things get even more crazy with special effects.
Guess what?
Vishy Anand plays here.
Yeah, 95.
It's really creative stuff.
But, you know, if we look at it, actually it looks as though the Rubenstein Immortal might have been
an influence over this game, the way it's been played with the bishops pointing at the king here,
why it's got some disconnection issues.
The knight's kind of on H7.
It's a bit weird.
We have Bishop takes G4 if if takes E5, Quinn takes D4.
Shaq Quinn G one.
Shaq is a smothered mate.
If D take C5 Queen D for Shaq Knight have to check and we're back to this g to fame.
How how does y defend G2 or the back row you know, Bishop referee the back row, you know, Queen F
one.
So, you know, for example, like this it's impossible to defend And if C6 Yeah, we're just taking
that.
It's just delay tactics.
It's just delay.
Okay so interesting.
So we have actually Bishop takes G4 chosen, but now Bishop takes D4 checking each one, Knight takes
G4, Knight takes F8 and there is a cheeky frat here of Queen H seven, which is actually useful, but
a non casual move is played in this possession which seals the white king's fights.
This G2 pawn is actually pens.
Absolutely.
And this looks like such a juicy move.
But you know what?
Sometimes in chess we need delayed gratification of Queen H for okay, we'd like to plant, you know,
nice cookie.
We like to play it.
Give me the cookie.
But, you know, we we want to be masters of attack in this course.
So sometimes delayed gratification.
Look at the delayed gratification or the effect of delaying the move under better circumstances.
In chess, we want to sometimes get the best possible circumstances for a certain lucrative thing,
get the cookie on better circumstances.
Maybe it's a zero sugar, zero fat cookie in the future.
You can have loads of them without getting fat.
Better circumstances for the delayed gratification.
It's like me with these courses, you know, work like crazy for these courses.
I don't just release them after like a day or two.
So.
Yeah, I know, I know, I know.
These are amazing courses.
I delay the gratification because I want to give you the best possible insights.
And one of them is actually the notion of delayed gratification here.
So what do we play here with Black, which is important for making Queen H for much more lucrative under
better circumstances.
Okay.
F five was played.
It's a really nice move.
Really, really nice.
It's like, what is White's position?
These guys are just irrelevant now.
This section of the board.
Well, forget the pawns, the pieces.
What are they doing?
If we did play Crunch for.
Give me the cookie immediately.
Quinn, age seven check is the rude thing that Black does.
These.
These are not the right circumstances.
And in fact, we've just fluffed everything up.
The Queen's coming off is tragic in general for the attacking player.
This is just even so f five delayed gratification for Queen H for we have night G6.
What does white do if I mean 96 is the stop Queen H four.
So if H he Queen H four and you can see that pins pawn, we're threatening Queen St's h three check
here.
So Queen D D3 have to check.
And this this position, it's like hopeless.
How does y actually protect G2 here?
No one's getting mated.
So 96 is tried, but now Queen f6.
Yeah.
We don't need necessarily age four.
We can actually use other squares and we have h three.
I mean, what else?
Hair.
It's it's very much a big problem this this whole possession.
So he's tried Queen size G6.
Queen E two.
Yeah.
Because if H takes.
G for Queen H six is checkmate.
The bishop is covering the escape square.
So Queen E too.
But our Queen H five with the huge front of Queen H three, we have Queen D3.
So if Queen SACS e six, King h7y can try and disconnect the bishop from G two by here.
Rookie eight is strong.
And here we've got a whole different ball game where Rookie two is crushing.
Can you see why if Queen takes B seven, what would we play here?
Check all checks.
Bishops covering the escape squad.
So we should be excited for our final chat mate combinations.
If we've got an escape screens covered, we play queen tights.
Free check here.
Range to his main.
So anyway, Queen D three was tried, but now there's an absolute beauty of a move to finish off based
on this really amazing pen.
So guess what?
That is a beautiful tactic is played in this position.
What is that tactic for 200 points?
Okay, so this connection tantric disconnecting the queen from free man to resign.
If Bishop takes every, you know, queen takes then queen sends you to.
If queen takes every.
This is rather desperate.
Yeah, it's.
It's not good enough, this position.
You know why it's not going to survive this?
Yeah.
We're just going to be quietly mating after gobbling up some material.
Okay, So, yeah, the game ended on Bishop.
If there's no real defense here that exists.
And actually, you know, I have to say, you know, I'm revisiting this game and some other absolute
iconic games for you, iconic attacking games, this semi Slav variation, I would say I have to recommend
it.
It's a lot more solid than direct attacking openings like the Kings England defense, which have gone
out of fashion.
It's amazing what this triangle start does if we get bishops pointed at the opponent's king.
Isn't that a dream for us as attacking players?
So, yeah, a truly inspirational game and iconic example of the use of the Queen's Gambit declined
semi slam.
Absolutely amazing stuff.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Thanks very much.