WEBVTT 00:01.320 --> 00:02.150 Hi there. 00:02.160 --> 00:08.280 In this introduction lecture, I'd like to talk about and introduce Karpov as a classic positional player. 00:09.150 --> 00:17.940 So Karpov, his view on chess actually is encapsulated in my view, and some of his key quotations. 00:18.030 --> 00:26.580 One of the very interesting quotations he made, he basically said, Let us say a game and a game may 00:26.580 --> 00:28.160 be continued in two ways. 00:28.170 --> 00:35.070 One of them is a beautiful tactical blow that gives rise to variations that don't yield to precise calculations. 00:35.280 --> 00:42.840 The other is clear positional pressure that leads to an end game with microscopic chances of victory. 00:43.110 --> 00:47.370 I would choose the latter without thinking twice. 00:48.090 --> 00:52.830 And he goes on to say, If the opponent offers keen play, I don't object. 00:53.100 --> 00:57.660 But in such cases, I get less satisfaction, even if I win. 00:58.050 --> 01:04.380 Then from a game conducted according to all the rules of strategy with its ruthless logic. 01:04.650 --> 01:05.460 So. 01:06.550 --> 01:08.030 What do we get from this? 01:08.050 --> 01:09.790 We get this idea. 01:10.180 --> 01:14.130 Cop Off is about control of the position. 01:14.140 --> 01:22.300 He likes to have clear positional pressure, and sometimes there's a maze of variations which might 01:22.300 --> 01:25.150 be promising in some respects, but they're not that clear. 01:25.510 --> 01:27.850 And as human beings, we can easily miscalculate. 01:27.850 --> 01:32.150 So this does seem to be a safer way of playing chess. 01:32.170 --> 01:33.880 Less potential for losing. 01:34.000 --> 01:37.480 If the preference is for clear positional pressure. 01:38.320 --> 01:41.560 And he also enjoys the ruthless logic of the game. 01:42.700 --> 01:43.720 Now. 01:44.810 --> 01:52.190 The Oxford Companions Chess by Hooper and Wald indicate when you look up, if it's a great book, when 01:52.190 --> 01:57.470 you look up, Karpov indicates he's modelled on Capablanca. 01:57.500 --> 02:01.400 Now, I'm sure Capablanca is a huge influence on Karpov. 02:01.430 --> 02:09.650 However, in Gibraltar interviews, Karpov has indicated he is like a petrosian style by playing for 02:09.650 --> 02:11.960 a win as well. 02:12.770 --> 02:14.180 So bear that in mind. 02:14.360 --> 02:22.190 Both Nimzowitsch and Capablanca are potential role models for Anatoly Karpov in his development. 02:22.670 --> 02:28.370 Karpov has also said pawns not only create the sketch for the whole painting, they are the soil, the 02:28.370 --> 02:29.990 foundation of any position. 02:29.990 --> 02:32.120 So he really likes his pawns. 02:32.120 --> 02:38.040 So pawns are the long term elements of positions which we can accumulate advantages with. 02:38.060 --> 02:45.830 So he loves his pawn structures, really values them as opposed to the potential randomness of tactics. 02:46.220 --> 02:55.460 So pawns do provide a kind of ruthless logic to chess, which transcends just calculating lots of if 02:55.460 --> 02:56.180 thens. 02:56.660 --> 03:04.280 In variations, Karpov indicates the ideal in chess can only be a collective image, but in my opinion 03:04.280 --> 03:07.760 it is Capablanca who most closely approaches this. 03:07.760 --> 03:09.260 So this is further evidence. 03:09.260 --> 03:14.360 Capablanca is a huge influence on Karpov really admires Capablanca. 03:15.200 --> 03:21.430 He also said I simply developed the universal style which dominated with the arrival of Spassky and 03:21.430 --> 03:22.250 then Fischer. 03:22.250 --> 03:25.150 But all the time we were different chess players. 03:25.160 --> 03:30.530 Of course, both Spassky and Fisher were brilliant at developing and sensing an initiative. 03:30.710 --> 03:35.900 In that regard, I was perhaps a little inferior, but on the other hand, I stood out by having excellent 03:35.900 --> 03:42.170 technique for converting an advantage, but positional sense and an ability to maneuver positionally 03:42.590 --> 03:43.820 in that area. 03:43.820 --> 03:49.700 I was clearly superior to Spassky and Fischer and perhaps everyone except Petrosian. 03:49.700 --> 03:54.590 So Anatoly Karpov indicate that, and he did hold Petrosian there. 03:54.830 --> 03:59.450 I believe he's a big fan of Petrosian as well as Capablanca. 03:59.600 --> 04:05.570 So yes, this also maneuvering is another way of saying quite often the high class weighting moves because 04:05.570 --> 04:09.570 when you maneuver, the opponents can actually self destruct as well. 04:09.590 --> 04:13.820 That's another perk of maneuvering with small advantages. 04:15.230 --> 04:20.030 So Karpov in general seemed to like even microscopic advantages. 04:20.420 --> 04:25.070 Perhaps we should qualify that if they are able to be accumulated, then they're really going to be 04:25.070 --> 04:26.480 much more meaningful. 04:26.570 --> 04:33.500 These so-called small but kind of effective, if they're more permanent in nature, you can accumulate 04:33.500 --> 04:33.920 them. 04:35.900 --> 04:45.620 So if we see Karpov having the style of Petrosian and chosen being influenced by Nimzowitsch and Nimzowitsch 04:45.620 --> 04:50.000 being influenced by the Art of War principle, which is basically put yourself beyond defeat before 04:50.000 --> 04:57.890 going onto the attack, we can perhaps get another view points that we want to try and do things with 04:57.890 --> 04:59.120 minimal backfire. 04:59.120 --> 05:01.940 Defense first, strengthening the position first. 05:02.180 --> 05:04.730 No risky tactics, no risky attacks. 05:04.730 --> 05:09.680 When the endgames, if needed, make it long and grueling if needed. 05:10.700 --> 05:11.600 So. 05:13.410 --> 05:15.000 It means you're less likely to be. 05:15.000 --> 05:23.730 That is, to be beaten in principle if you're not playing risky plans international. 05:24.030 --> 05:31.770 Andrew Leger I believe once he told me he started really improving when he started studying Cop Off 05:31.770 --> 05:38.730 and I've been meaning to study Karpov for many years after, but I've been attracted by my dynamic attacking 05:38.730 --> 05:40.590 heroes as well, like Garry Kasparov. 05:42.440 --> 05:49.490 So it's good to see the champions of particular styles, though, and we're going to see many great 05:49.490 --> 05:51.740 game examples of Anatoly Karpov. 05:51.770 --> 05:53.480 Let me just highlight one. 05:53.480 --> 06:01.910 So this is from the north of 1994, which Karpov actually scored 11 out of 13 ahead of Kasparov with 06:01.910 --> 06:03.620 eight and a half out of 13. 06:04.070 --> 06:09.200 And Kasparov indicated the winner of Linares should be known as the tournament world champion. 06:09.590 --> 06:13.560 Perhaps he regretted that after Karpov's amazing performance. 06:13.580 --> 06:19.850 So this is a game against Judit Polgar, which is analyzed in detail in the course. 06:19.850 --> 06:20.390 Let's have a look. 06:20.390 --> 06:26.930 So e four from Karpov so he can play E four position eight and we have a C free Sicilian. 06:26.930 --> 06:31.330 So this is an interesting positional choice already by passing. 06:31.730 --> 06:34.490 You could argue sharper open Sicilian variations. 06:34.490 --> 06:39.740 We see E six, D, four, D five, and our E takes D five, e takes D five. 06:39.740 --> 06:45.410 Now 9f3, nine, C six, Bishop B five, and now C four. 06:46.730 --> 06:49.040 This is a risky, strategic decision. 06:49.040 --> 06:50.270 It commits the pawns. 06:50.270 --> 06:52.790 It releases the tension on white center. 06:55.050 --> 06:56.370 If not, it's f six. 06:56.370 --> 07:03.180 This situation should be a pleasant advantage though, for white against the isolated queens born. 07:03.180 --> 07:06.300 That's one of the big reasons for playing the tariff operations. 07:06.300 --> 07:13.470 Sometimes black has this isolated queens pawn and white should be able to establish a small edge. 07:14.040 --> 07:17.850 But we have C four and this might actually make things worse. 07:17.850 --> 07:22.260 We have 95 queen bee sex cup of not minding, giving up the bishop. 07:22.260 --> 07:28.620 So often when you give up alliance membership bishop you get dance square grip a more intense dark square 07:28.620 --> 07:34.410 strategy and we have comp of casting Bishop DD six and they'll be free. 07:35.130 --> 07:41.310 So in some sense you might think this is paradoxical un doubling, but we get more exploitable advantages 07:41.310 --> 07:46.920 by doing this and the possibility our bishop has an see one of exchanging off the dark square bishops 07:47.340 --> 07:49.830 see to be free is played. 07:51.120 --> 07:54.630 We have eight times be free 97 and our bishop afraid so. 07:54.630 --> 08:00.840 With this strategic Bishop exchange, we can look forward to outposts, more emphatic outposts on C 08:00.840 --> 08:07.920 five and E five potentially when Bishop takes e five details, Bishop e six and now Queen D for cop 08:07.920 --> 08:12.630 off, not minding the exchange of Queens here, nine and five. 08:12.660 --> 08:14.640 It's too dangerous to take on. 08:14.640 --> 08:15.480 Be free. 08:15.480 --> 08:19.860 Bishop takes e seven with the king in the center and things like Rook takes a seven. 08:19.860 --> 08:21.690 This is not worth considering. 08:21.690 --> 08:24.510 This is just a great position for white. 08:26.220 --> 08:28.080 And the Rock could use the A file. 08:28.470 --> 08:38.250 So anyway, 95 we have Queen C five, H 592, F six, E takes f6g tanks. 08:38.850 --> 08:43.300 So in some sense, it looks as though, well, at least blacks got king of Southern potential g file. 08:43.320 --> 08:48.900 We have Bishop b4 King of seven Rook a four. 08:48.900 --> 08:55.530 And you can see that the pressure is mounting here on that backward pawn on the semi-open file. 08:55.680 --> 08:58.530 Queen's come off a six. 08:59.010 --> 09:01.080 So there is positional pressure here. 09:01.080 --> 09:03.090 This actually matches the quotation. 09:03.090 --> 09:07.470 Karpov enjoying his last thing positional pressure H four is played. 09:07.470 --> 09:10.050 This was one opportunity, as we'll see in the course. 09:10.050 --> 09:14.280 Actually, Black might have had some play with D four. 09:14.280 --> 09:20.940 So with Rookie, a black might have had a little bit of play in this variation, but it wasn't played 09:21.630 --> 09:25.980 and things go very downhill for Judit Polgar. 09:26.010 --> 09:35.010 Now after Karpov increases the pressure and Black's pieces are starting to be terrible in relation to 09:35.160 --> 09:41.640 essentially oval protecting weaknesses, which is a thing Nimzowitsch has said you only over protect 09:41.640 --> 09:47.520 strong points, not basically weaknesses because it means all your pieces are becoming terribly placed 09:48.030 --> 09:51.450 if they're just on the defensive looking after weaknesses. 09:51.450 --> 09:56.970 We have King f2 Ruby 8b4, rookie 8b3. 09:56.970 --> 09:59.190 This D4 square is very nice. 09:59.700 --> 10:01.350 Bishop B seven and a five. 10:01.350 --> 10:04.980 This is a terrible looking bishop on eight. 10:04.980 --> 10:10.620 So Rook goes to a two rookie six and now Bishop a seven. 10:11.040 --> 10:14.490 Rugby five makes things a lot worse. 10:15.360 --> 10:16.920 If Rook be a bishop. 10:16.950 --> 10:17.430 See five. 10:17.430 --> 10:21.240 This position is also it's improbable for White to play like this. 10:21.600 --> 10:23.760 Dislodge the knight used for. 10:23.790 --> 10:28.350 It's going to be lovely for white to play this position with a knight coming to see five than eight 10:28.350 --> 10:35.220 pawns likely to drop after and if rooks to King Jeffrey, there's still advantages here. 10:35.760 --> 10:42.720 So we have rook be five Knight be free, bishop be seven. 10:43.710 --> 10:45.060 And now here g four. 10:45.060 --> 10:49.530 So attacking Black's best piece is a way of improving the position. 10:49.530 --> 10:54.240 If we can get rid of Black's best piece, the knight so that Knight's kicks backwards. 10:54.930 --> 10:59.670 And now a tactic 94 is trapping the rug. 11:00.330 --> 11:01.950 Quite a simple tactic, really. 11:02.340 --> 11:05.040 94 trapping the rook and Judit Polgar resign. 11:05.040 --> 11:06.300 This doesn't move very free. 11:06.540 --> 11:11.970 So it shows a very tactical player like Judit Polgar was essentially shut down. 11:12.630 --> 11:15.420 Even from the opening, we could say Judit Polgar was shut down. 11:15.420 --> 11:21.450 The choice of opening very positional, not giving Judit Polgar the attacking, dynamic positions she 11:21.450 --> 11:23.220 would usually excel in. 11:23.460 --> 11:29.040 So this situation, if it continued with White winning the exchange, the bishop could come back to 11:29.040 --> 11:30.470 safeguard C free. 11:30.510 --> 11:30.810 Why? 11:30.810 --> 11:32.850 It just has a huge advantage to work with. 11:34.170 --> 11:38.670 So yeah, an interesting positional game which I covered actually many years ago on YouTube and it's 11:38.670 --> 11:42.390 nice to revisit these games with more detailed analysis. 11:43.410 --> 11:52.080 So essentially, yes, we see that several of Karpov's quotations are actually within this game. 11:52.290 --> 11:54.930 The pawn structure did set up the sketch for the whole painting. 11:54.930 --> 12:01.380 From the opening, there was clear positional pressure throughout this game. 12:03.080 --> 12:06.320 There wasn't anything too complicated tactically to work out. 12:07.280 --> 12:09.530 It was a bit like a Capablanca game. 12:09.530 --> 12:13.700 You could argue it had clarity, simplification, aspect. 12:13.700 --> 12:15.850 Capablanca liked simplifying when he had advantages. 12:15.860 --> 12:19.970 It was a bit like Capablanca, it was a bit like Petrosian. 12:20.210 --> 12:27.680 So anyway, we will see many, many examples of Anatoly Karpov, which you could argue any positional 12:27.680 --> 12:30.230 course can't really be without Anatoly Karpov. 12:31.040 --> 12:35.900 He's one of the strongest classic positional players of all time. 12:36.590 --> 12:42.620 So I hope you enjoyed this introduction lecture and a more revved up and looking forward to the detailed 12:42.620 --> 12:48.710 analysis of Karpov game examples and the patterns that we can use, the implied patterns that we can 12:48.710 --> 12:50.150 use in our own games. 12:50.330 --> 12:52.550 Okay, Thanks so much.