Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Max Ogawa against Alexander Alekhine in the 1945 World Championship match.
This is round four, the fall for Max.
Oh, we have to have sex from Alekhine.
C4 g6, lt C4 and now Grunfeld defense.
So Garry Kasparov, who very much likes Alekhine games, also later played the Grunfeld defense.
So this is survived the test of time.
This opening queen be free.
We have this is the Russian variation where y accepts potential tempo gainers against the Queen in exchange
for usually a very nice center.
We have D take C4 Queen, take C4, Bishop G-7, Bishop F4 and now the C seven point is actually moved
to protect it.
Rook D1 and now Queen A5 so this suppresses by pinning it suppressing E4 here black could take on E4.
We have an opening move Bishop d2 I'm pinning the knight now we have B5 Queen B free and now b4 not
seemingly worried about the C5 square hand like A4 we have a6e free and now Bishop e six, Queen C two
and now constant kingside B free rook ab eights and now Bishop differing here, you might ask.
Hold on, hold on.
What's the fun of Queen takes?
C six Doesn't this also kind of hit There's method in the man's head to be greedy here because we're
hitting white is hitting a A6 black has Bishop C ET though and this position there is a bit of counterplay
here after rook d8 Rook C1 Knight defined this some counterplay for black for example this situation
Bishop b7 Queen B5 Even if the Queen's come off black can now play knight c free looking at G2 and white
would have to tread a little bit carefully.
Bishop F1 for example, because if Knight takes C3 B takes this position, starts to be quite good for
black.
Black can take time to munch the rook with a small edge if Bishop f1 Sure, you know this is still actually
a reasonable position for white, but yeah, you can see some reasons anyway.
Why Queen take C6 wasn't used.
We have Bishop de free instead.
Rook FC 892 and now C5 here.
So we have.
This is an interesting pawn sacrifice.
So Alekhine likes his pawn sacrifices as a prelude to major attacks.
It's a pawn sack because of Bishop takes A6 this hits.
The rook on C eight.
So.
Okay.
If Knight takes C5, Knight takes C5, D takes Rook, take C5.
This position would be very pleasant for Black.
Look at that C3 square, for example.
So Bishop takes A6.
Queen St's A6 and now Knight takes C5.
So what is the point here?
Well, Queen B5 is played and.
A key point here is that one is prevented from castling.
If White Castle says Queen takes it too.
So that's one point of the pawn sacrifice for what is played, which is a mistake.
Actually, E4 was better.
So for example, Bishop G4, F3, if, if I'm trying to destabilise this Knight Queen B one E2 6494
is possible and actually black and then Castle with some king safety comforts in the game with knights
have for we have actually Bishop G4 trying to provoke dance quel weaknesses, trademark alekhine dance
square weaknesses.
Bishop f5 might have actually been even more accurate if e4 there's no tanks E4 and if Queen C4, Queen
st c4 b6 there's a strong E5 hare actually.
So for example.
If 9294 nine takes E for Bishop, take C for black has enough pressure points G2 and C4 here as compensation.
For example Bishop C to hear Rook take C4.
Black's fine.
Black's doing very well.
So Bishop F5 was also a plausible move, maybe even a little bit more technically accurate.
The Bishop G4 We have F3, but now E5 same kind of ideas undermining C5.
We have no F3 if f tanks g4 e6 f4.
This leaves White's position in ruins.
In fact, Queen E to check Queen.
Thanks G4 check rookie to check.
This is leading to a checkmate so fd3e takes d4 f takes g4d takes E3.
This is quite problematic for White Bishop takes E3, Knight takes G4, Bishop F4 and now Castling rights
are about to be removed.
Bishop C free check or nearly nearly there.
Rook d2.
Rook st c5.
Might take five if Bishop takes bait here, you might to.
It's quite a complicated position.
There is the bouncing move, Queen ain't Jack.
And yeah, you can see that if King and Funnel King do D1, there's at least 90 free check.
-- king and queen, for example here, 93.
Check for king, King and queen or king of one point e free Jack.
So one of us might do 95.
We're just taking that and this is going to be crushing anyway, so.
Okay, so Night Taxi five is played.
Queen, take C5.
Now here, Bishop Slingsby ain't.
I'm not trying to kill Alekhine's own resources.
He doesn't play Queenie Frechette because that uses up the free square, taking away the 90 free resource.
So what would you play here for?
100 points.
Okay.
Queenie free.
Sorry.
Instead of Queenie Free, Queenie.
Seven Shack.
And now 90 Free Shack.
So that mechanism to win the Queen Night Taxi to Rook takes C two.
We have H five.
It's easier for black to play this position and also as a pawn up.
Rook D1, Bishop G7.
We have h ring f5 thinking about undermining the pawn chain and getting things open against the king
here.
Bishop f4 Queen E4, Bishop C seven, Queen E free shank.
We have King B one And now?
Yes.
What would you play here for?
Ten points.
Yeah.
We want to open up the King A fall.
We have B tanks and full B three setting very difficult problems to solve.
We have eight tanks, B Frank queen tanks, B free chat and it's losers.
White material.
Now Bishop H six Check Rook Daily two But Alekhine is in no rush to to kind of take on D2.
It plays Queen takes a force of the frat hair queen A one checkmate needs to be addressed.
Bishop e5 Addressing that for a moment, we have King H seven, Bishop C free Queen B five Bishop the
full Queen E two exploiting that pin.
And you can see that black's about to win a whole rook now instead of just an exchange.
G for Queenie one check King B two Bishop takes T to last trick Saloon prattling rook h ain't checkmate
but Bishop C one check in here.
White's resigned.
So yes, if Rook st C one Queen D to check will pick up.
The bishop will be trivially one after that.
But what else?
King B1.
We can just play Bishop E for each.
I can thank the Bishop.
If King be free we can play queen e6 check rook C4 and just take HD on G4 and take on G4.
There's no problem here as long as we don't get mated with Rook.
Checkmate.
So yes, an interesting game.
Very, very aggressive starting from an initial pawn sacrifice in this Grunfeld.
So we go back, the initial pawn sacrifice starts to set White's problems.
So interesting.
C5 square is trying to be locked up.
Well it had to be locked up with Bishop takes A6.
Nevertheless, the king is being kept in the center because of the A2 Knights.
So when hearts play, it seems in this position E4, that would have objectively been the right way
to play this.
So Knight A4 played instead.
And we get some weakness, provocation and destabilisation of White's position.
But basically basically yeah, discouraging white from ever castling here.
And this is just a position which is getting kind of nasty here with the King and Sansa losing the queen.
And this imbalance is is basically winning for black with great play as was shown.
It's much more easy for black to play this position and open up lines is a very, very natural way of
playing.
So, yeah, very constructive.
I hope you enjoyed this game as much as me.
I'll take you to that final position.
Great stuff.
Thanks so much.