Hi there.
In this lecture, we see a really classic game, Anatoly Karpov, against Garry Kasparov.
In the 1990, Kasparov Karpov World Championship match, round 17 D4 from Karpov we have 956c4, G six,
c3d5.
So the Grunfeld defense C takes d59 60 5e4.
So this is just theory in the Grunfeld.
Bishop E three.
C five.
Queen D two Black Castles, nine time three.
Bishop G four.
And now we have 9g5c takes the E4, C takes three, four, nine, c6h3 Bishop D seven Rook v one rook
eight 9395.
Bishop D three Bishop e six White Castles Bishop C four So black is strategically exchanging off Lion
Square bishops to weaken C four In White's camp we have rook fd1b5 Bishop g5a6.
So bear with me.
I'm getting to a crucial moment of the game where we can focus in on controlling a foul aspect and the
implications for winning after that.
So Rook Bc1 Bishop takes the free Rook Take eight, Queen take eight, Queen takes the free.
So here the discussion can really begin.
So there is one shared file.
So what is the importance of this shared file with white breaks in to the seven?
Frank There are a lot of juicy targets statistically, so you could say it's based on statistical target
probability.
If we can use the file to get onto the ranks, that would be great.
We have rookie eight already.
This is an inaccuracy.
Actually.
Blacks should have tried 90 C for now.
It does have a tactic as well in mind.
So if Bishop takes E seven rookie, the bishop would have to stop Knight B two and Black would play
here.
Knight takes a free queen, takes a free rook, takes E four.
So it seems as though 94 was the way to go here.
Just play.
94 is a perk which Black has created through exchanging the light square bishops.
Why not play 94 OC And if Rook C one Queen d7d5 Rooks There's no problem in the possession.
This looks like a nice outpost.
It's about even so, yes, if Queen C four, that's different.
We have Queen A free here hitting the unprotected piece.
Now say Queen C seven.
We can actually just play rook C one first.
And in this position, take on a six.
That's not going to be very clever.
Queen C four So we have Rook E eight So the discussion here I wanted to focus on is this file if we
can get on to the seven.
Frank So Nimzowitsch seven.
Frank Statistically a lot of targets, so it's important to try and get control of this file.
We start with Rook C1 and now Queen B seven is played here.
And in this position, it's important to recognize 94 can be a total pain.
If we play Quincy to 94, we're not really getting anywhere here.
Let's say D five, E six.
If anything, Black's absolutely fine and might even be a tiny bit better.
So here Karpov actually starts with D five, even though it opens up the Bishop, it kind of restricts
this this bit and the potential of D six as well at some point.
So C four is played.
Blacks are already a bit tied down here if C eight Yeah.
Then we can just take on K and take on E seven.
The check here is harmless, you know there's King H two for example.
So we have 9c4 being played and now Karpov wants to get rid of that knight.
That's one of Black's best pieces.
So 92 we have Knight takes data, and this is maybe a slight inaccuracy as well if H six instead.
Bishop four If we look at this, there's Knight B two and black could cause trouble after B for this
position.
Queen B five White does have a small edge, but it's better than the game continuation.
So Knight takes RD to losing one of the better pieces of the position.
Bishop takes D to give some nice options.
That of Queen takes four poking into A five or B four.
So that's interesting.
We have Rook C eight.
If before here, we can just take the outpost square.
Roxy six and we're dominating here.
We're going to follow with Queen C four.
If I move like Roxy eight sometimes.
So Roxy eight is played immediately.
But here is an absolutely crucial moment in this epic round 17 and absolutely crucial positional tactical
moments.
So sometimes tactics has to come at the service of positional wishes.
So if we wish to leverage this file to get onto the ranks so we can start targeting and winning things,
we'll checkmate in the opponent's king.
We need to be resourceful about this.
How can we be resourceful here?
It turns out the classic back row weakness has something to do with being able to conquer the file for
500 points.
What would you play in this position?
It's real easy sex.
Yeah.
If we play a move like Roxie, two black could just exchange on C two.
It's going to be about even rookie sex is played.
The tactical point here is well, black played Bishop five because if Rook takes c6d takes.
We have access to the back row and if Queen takes, then that back row check is lethal after Bishop
H six absolutely winning here with that pen.
So if Queen C seven, then we have that past pawn, Queen D seven this position Bishop before we have
pressure on E seven as well.
And here we can move on to cause problems for the king Queenie.
Eight check queen of fate.
Check queen air.
Bringing the king out.
This is a tactical exercise.
H four check and blacks getting in huge trouble here.
If King takes H four, for example, Queen F six, check King G for a free check.
King h5g Fair is a nice, crushing move.
If Bishop takes.
We have Queen G five, mate.
And if Bishop takes D to Queen H for checkmate so we can break into the opponent's king position.
Basically if Queen C seven, if nothing else, even if we can't make progress with the pawn here.
Yeah, we're going to eventually break into the opponent's kingside.
So Bishop e five was played, and now Karpov again adopts this policy.
Get rid of one of the opponent's best pieces, Bishop C free.
If F for Bishop D six.
This is going to be harder to do anything here.
Why?
It does have a small edge, but it might be slightly harder.
Bishop C-4 is actually the easiest way, and it looks a bit like Casablanca style simplifying, But
we need to really take control of the simplification process.
We want to either get rid of our worst pieces or the opponent's best pieces, or ideally, both.
So we're getting rid of one of the opponent's better pieces, potentially.
Bishop Bay So it refuses.
If Bishop six we can actually we actually have support for E5 and Queen D for setting up a battery for
E six and Queen G seven.
So this position we can go with Quincy five and here D six.
We're getting more and more different advantages now.
Big pass pawn.
So Bishop B is trying to Queen D four So mate France we have our six.
So Bishop A five now is played.
Queen C five is also interesting this position where Bishop b4 and Queen C free.
Let's say this scenario it's going to be interesting for e seven as a target so we can see even if the
rooks not on the seventh, if it's on E six here there's a juicy target E seven and it's getting a big
advantage there.
That's another way of playing it.
But Bishop eight five is great as well.
Bishop D six So here if Rook c6d takes the tactics don't work for Black Queen, the H picking up the
bishop and it doesn't matter about this checking H two and the game really wants Bishop up so Bishop
dd six is played.
We have Queen C free.
So why is putting pressure on that C far we have rookie eight if rook takes the six this past pawn potential
is too much after C seven King of eight Quincy six.
This position won't make progress.
For example, I'll give you a concrete way of making progress.
We can play for basically for an e five.
So say this position e five and then we're going to crack open the kingside or win material like this.
Queen five check wins material wins that bishop.
So okay, Rookie eight was tried and now Karpov is taking out the opponent's threats in advance sometimes,
or even now, either now or in advance.
He's taking the France out.
He's taking all the sources of counterplay out like a metaphorical python strangling its plague prey,
getting rid of the good moves or the potential threats or even threats if you want to do active operations
and there might be a glimmer of you extinguish all of that.
So the things currently there's a like a B4 kind of threat.
So this is kind of extinguished with a free.
So the python is wrapping around the prey excuse excuse the graphic metaphor, but it is a bit like
that carp from Petrosian known as the Python's of the chessboard.
So a free and now let's say we wanted to indulge in an active operation with Rook B six to try and win
a six.
Let's say we played Rook B six as example.
We've got our own back row problem because the bishop is covering an escape square.
And for example, if we played this, there's a snag.
Black would have not, not such a small issue of of mating us.
And that means we can't take on a because we're getting mated.
So basically Karpov in advance of all of this just improves his position and extinguishes these potential
threats.
So these are more subtle threats to do a vector of operations which we haven't played yet, but we're
extinguishing basically and limiting the opponent's pieces is basically improving the position ever
so slightly to play.
Geoffrey We have Bishop E five, Queen C five, and now H five.
This is slightly to weaken the king, giving more options on this side of the board potentially if Bishop
DD six how would we break through?
So this is interesting.
Let's say this position, we can start to make progress here soon.
For example, rookie six remains a target.
Even if we don't use the seven Frank we can use the E six square and then Black's kind of overloaded.
All of a sudden we're snapping off a five.
Potentially things are going to drop off.
So anyway, H five was tried and now Bishop C seven if rook B six here, this loses control of the C
for any and for what?
To win a pawn.
But after Bishop D six this is just an even position.
Yeah, it's going to.
Essentially just be a drawn component in a phrase, an issue.
So keeping control of the floor anyway.
So with bishops, C-7 is much better.
We have Bishop A1.
If Bishop takes C7 Rook to C7 this position, we have Rook e seven and that's crashing through.
So we have Queen in this variation.
If Queen A, we're just crashing through and if Queen Bee eight again, we just crash through.
Yeah.
In both cases we take only seven.
So.
Bishop A one.
Okay.
Now, Bishop are four, and finally we're getting a rook on the seventh, which means it's a more natural
to have targets, and the king is on the seventh rank, as well as a big target.
Queen seven, Rook seven.
So mission accomplished.
So here, Queen.
If Queen takes her place, Queen takes H three, rook takes E seven.
Check is fairly crushing here after Bishop H six.
Plants getting mated.
So Queen de ain't we have now that noise pin on the E, seven point D, six, G five and now D seven.
Huge big passport on D seven.
There was another way to play.
I mean, it's a fantastic possession.
Bishop.
Thanks.
G five was another wise player mopping up the pawns, and then D seven is crushing there.
That's another way of playing it.
So this is just going to be an absolutely winning end game after taking it to an exchange up and loads
of pawns over here.
But D seven is also crushing Rook Kathy Bishop RD to Bishop E five and now Rokeby seven.
This is actually the end of the game because more resigned here.
I mean it's a huge big passport on D seven if Bishop D six queenly five.
I mean let's say this possession with Queen eight.
If for let's just rule out h for this position.
We're getting a huge position with the tactics against the king.
It's overloaded.
The whole the whole position is overloaded.
It's not just the passport, it's the king.
It's overwhelming threats here.
So, for example, Bishop E to Hare Rook takes C seven, crashes through with checks and the pawn is
crashing through and stall.
But if Queen eight Bishop b4 is brutal.
Bishop he takes this position, we can play e five here to get protected pass pawn on D seven so here
if f tanks then we can go for the king rook b six check queen takes e five check and just go for the
king.
This would be mating the king.
And if rook g eight Queen C six, Rook, rook C seven.
This is absolutely winning.
Even if Queen's come off, then we get this.
We've got a threat here of Rooks eight.
So if rook ae6 and then rook eight.
So yes.
Wow.
So this is the end game.
Final possession at the end of the game.
Final possession.
So what we see in this game from this world championship match, this really super high profile world
championship match, they're not meant to be this instructive.
Right.
But in fact, yeah, starting from D five, we get an absolute lesson in making use of a file to get
entry into the opponent's position.
And then once we get entry, we've got lots of juicy targets on the seven Frank So great maneuvers,
so exchanging off blacks better piece to start off with giving the bishop options.
And then this tactical move at the service of strategy absolutely vital here to be able to play rook
C6 to be able to build pressure here, continue.
So the tactics are really in service of strategy and weakening the opponent's king and here.
Yeah, trying to cause more concessions and this extinguishing of threats or potential threats while
maintaining absolute authority, not just going for an 86, for maintaining authority on the C file,
not giving any counterplay and extinguishing threats before they even exist.
You know, assuming we're going to do active operations, what would be the threats?
Take them out in advance.
And that has an effect of strengthening the position.
So we're strengthening the position in relation to concrete examples of what might be an issue in the
future.
If you think about it, when we play moves like G three especially.
So yeah, so now that you know, it gives the King also Alliance square away from the dark square in
bishop.
But this this entry into the seventh Frank creates the tactics which are now flowing as Fisher would
say, tactics flow from superior positions.
So once we get a rook to the seventh, that's one of the great goals of a foul to convert it into rank
pressure to get juicy targets.
Once we get the juicy targets, then more assets appear on the scene.
A senior, a big pass pawn and just just finds the position absolutely positionally lost resigning here
at move 40.
So absolute masterpiece against a major tactician of the chessboard Garry Kasparov.
So yeah, comparable has taken down Kasparov numerous times.
Other positional grandmasters, which I admire of course are Adams haven't got such a great score against
Kasparov.
In fact, you know, Adams, outside of a symbol, hasn't really been spot in a real long one day game.
But Karpov is taking positional play to the nth degree here.
So it's amazing this transformation, just controlling a file that kind of lust to get onto the seventh
rank to get juicy targets as expressed here, and converting advantages all the way through and keeping
authority, not giving counterplay and trying to take away sources of counterplay, examining the concrete
threats which might arise, extinguishing them in advance.
So a beautiful game example.
I hope you enjoyed this as much as me and so much.