However, in this lecture we see Emanuel Lasker playing against Capablanca.
This is an iconic game which I read.
I really love studying the iconic Immortal Games.
This is a 1914 St Petersburg tournament round seven.
So E4 from Lasker, we have E5 9396, Bishop B5 and this was a must win game for Lasker to become tournament
leader to win the tournament.
So end he actually chooses what you think is not an attacking opening.
The exchange variation of the royal of powers and especially so because after default it takes we have
the queens coming off and you might think, hold on, King's Crusher.
This is about attacking chess.
How can we get an attack from such a boring opening?
Well.
Sometimes you can.
Even with the Queen's coming off and we see actually an attack on both sides of the boards later.
So let's see how this pans out.
Bishop D6 9397.
Both sides castle and now F4 rookie eight here.
If Bishop C5, this might have been a little bit more accurate.
Bishop E3 this position should be fine for black this should be an even possession but okay rookie ain't
we have Knight B3 and now F6.
This does create a weakness in Black's camp.
The six square
and alternatives, for example, a5 a promising for black to at least be equal or even better.
This position black does have the bishop pair, so yeah, Black has to use the bishop pair.
Basically, these are very interesting variations here.
If one tries a full then Night G6 and yeah.
So basically if white doesn't try a fall of the A5 say f five here A4 black could play B5 now and here
before and F6 and black should be really quite comfortable.
The square bishop is okay as she has got this potential diagonal.
E5 is nice for playing.
That is a great way of playing it.
But yeah, F6 is a mistake and it's a great conception though.
It's Punisher, it's an absolutely great conception here about this E6 square and about Black's bishop.
Here we have F5.
It looks as though hold on, this is this is really a backward pawn, but how easy is it to exploit
the backward pawn?
The whole notion of exploit ability is emphasized for me personally in this game.
That is actually an exploitable weakness in this configuration.
And if it's not an acceptable weakness, why it does have now the perk of Bishop F4 to get rid of Black's
bishop power, even if it doubles the pawns because they're not particularly exploitable right now.
But we'd actually end up with potentially frontal pressure on the defile.
So it's all about having things which you can actually use rather than in a theoretical sense, we can't
use the double pawns right now.
So this is a really interesting move, a dynamic perspective on the position in general.
If you said to someone and you weren't showing the position, I'm going to double the opponent's pawns.
It sounds bad, but look at the butts.
The butt is, well, there's a target on D6 if you double the pawns.
So you've got to sometimes qualify the concepts playing the possession and Lascaux really was a play
the position player.
But nevertheless this this is a really interesting game because it shows an attack on both sides of
the board, which does involve the king Black's king actually becoming weaker later.
So Bishop F4.
Bishop B7, Yes.
Turning the double pawns into more exploitable weakness, basically.
But first, 94 is played.
And here look, 88, 96.
This is nicely entrenched and the default is nice for white now.
So it has a better position.
Might see a rook have to.
We have B5 rook after E2.
So nice D pressure.
So the double pawns have been swapped into different pressure and we have b4 just clamping down on Black's
potential counterplay.
Kf7 A3 Bishop King F2 And in fact, there's a plan of attack here, even though it has, even though
the Queen's are.
There's a thematic kind of structural plan here for white to make use of bringing the King up to A4
away from the light squares because there might be some tyre tanks.
Ideally in a theoretical sense and just prefer, you know, g4 G5 to open up the G5.
Yeah, we could have a potentially strong G file attack or sometimes even a strong pawn on G6.
So that's the plan.
G4 g5 We have Rook seven, g4 h six rook D frame and this shows flexibility.
This move highlights flexibility on both sides of the board.
A5 A5 Which doesn't really help Black because there's no meaningful entry points on the A4.
We have H4.
So White is building up for this G5 break 88 tanks.
So we have here now.
Rocky seven.
King a free rook guy and Okafor away from the glare of the bishop, even through X-ray.
I mean, G5 could have been played immediately just to show if we have this situation with tanks.
One has a nice move here, which makes the Knights really aggressive.
Both of them work hard against the King and you see what that is making the Knights more resourceful
here.
It's possible with E5 inspiration de takes Knight.
Takes G5 Shaq.
Rook.
D Shaq.
1987 show both nights get really aggressive here and in this position.
Guess what could be played.
Both nights.
One night's covering escaped square fate.
We can actually play 94 and blacks in the bad way.
If Rook takes the eight Knight.
If Rook takes the eight, 96 is checkmate.
It just shows G5 was even available.
But this is just just more emphatic.
White can afford this not to play G5 immediately.
It's still a dominating possession.
So Capablanca is trying to do something.
He plays G6.
If he plays ST like B6, then we're taking on de sacs.
If he plays Bishop E7 waiting around, G5 is coming and here even G6 check is a way of winning basically
with Rook one.
That queen, that Queen's rockfall, the Aflw Queen's rook fell is useful for white, but white can
also play like this.
And here there's a different scenario.
For winning just to convert things into two connected pass pawns with this knight sack.
So say rook takes, we get two connected pass pawns here and then E5 18.
So these two connected pass pawns are absolutely winning and they're just driving through.
And any time Knight thinks we're just winning like this.
So yeah, it's absolutely a winning position with the king being aggressive in attacking piece here.
But anyway, G6 was played.
We have Rook G free G five shank.
And you'll note here, after King of Free, there's an emergence of two outside files which could be
used potentially.
So both sides of the board could be used.
Rook free rook D7.
So, yeah, it looks as though.
Hold on.
Why didn't we take the point?
There's no need to give black counterplay here.
This.
This would muddy the waters.
Rogue tanks.
These tanks with muddy waters.
94 and 95, Jack.
There's no need to muddy Waters here.
We just go for the king Rook.
Hands free.
So there's nasty threats now.
So Rook D7 and now King G3 Rook seven shank was possible.
King E8 This position is very dominating for white so.
King Geoffrey, then.
KING eight rook dh1, Bishop B seven.
And now in this position, guess what is played.
Before Black has any chance, any sniff of going 45.
In fact, we're making that square less resourceful for black, in effect, and more resourceful.
If four square occupying squares were pieces rather than pawns.
Sometimes it's very important because now there are very concrete.
France, 19 states of six, so 95 here defending F6, but now six to see five.
And this spells big trouble for black.
Concretely.
Now black is losing material bishops offering the exchange because if rook see seven can you see what
won't place?
Yeah.
For five points.
9/10 B seven and a 96.
Jack wins that rock winning material.
Rock up.
So we have Bishop Kane.
So the exchange has taken Rook seven.
Rook And now we can use both sides of the board.
ROOK one Ouch.
Yeah, one has got rook ideally placed.
King The rookie eight shank, Bishop c89 C5 And the big front now is rook D7 check and then mating.
So Capablanca had to resign.
If 97 then 96 check.
Seven, nine, six I find.
But otherwise if rook rook D7 chick and I'm mating.
So yeah it's it's game you might not immediately think is an attacking game but you know, Lasker is
really playing the position, you know, playing with extreme accuracy.
And that is a good way to get into positions with combinations for attack against the king.
So I think he's an absolutely amazing player, you know, ahead of his time.
I mean, both players were absolutely amazing.
And Capablanca at the time was thought to be invincible.
And yes, sometimes you can use maybe that's kind of an interesting point about this particular game
example.
Most of the game examples in this attacking course are with attacking openings, but sometimes you can
be a bit more subtle and even queens coming off, there's still possibilities for very creative play
here, especially if it's playing inaccurately.
So they've got the bishop power.
You know, the idea of the backward pawn, it's all about exploit ability.
What can you actually do with something rather than theoretically being good?
Sometimes there's a big gulf between something theoretically good and actually being useful When you
have a move like F5 in a theoretical sense, or you're saying to someone, Oh, I'm going to have a
backward pawn, they might think, Well, that's bad, but what is the but what is the qualifier to
that?
Well, it gives the A foursquare for use to exchange off to get rid of Black's bishop.
And then it also means semi open file against the target on the defile and it also means E6 might be
good as well later.
So it's especially with the bishop abandoning this diagonal.
But the bishop didn't want to be a target on the defile.
So, yes, there are all kind of weaknesses of the last move also creeping in, which shows the Essex
Knight to be an absolute octopus.
Noite octopus like in tentacles in all directions.
So it's like an an early octopus night game example where blacks can't play is kind of minimal here.
So, yes, I'm operating with the idea of ripping open the file or using the A4, which which was made
easier from blacks playing here, the A4 usage later as an option.
So yes.
Gee five from Casablanca.
But if he didn't, you know what would be playing?
G5 with big effects here.
This would be a dominating possession in various ways with no lights coming in.
So this would be extremely scary, you know, this possession of a pass pawn.
So, you know, black had to try and do something.
But yeah, the ancient officials playing on both sides of the board and the E5 liberating the use of
the E4 square for a piece.
It's a great thing to think about square vacation with subtle pawn sacrifices so your pieces can be
more aggressive going for the opponent's king to create concrete.
France Square vacations is an act of being resourceful, in my view, swapping out pawns to make to
see what happens if pieces take their places.
And yeah, it's just the crushing end to the game.
Capablanca apparently was sitting there in silence.
He wasn't very happy after this game.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
So one of Capablanca is heaviest like defeats, but credits Alaska his longevity in the game.
Absolutely astounding.
So, okay, how have you enjoyed this game?
Got some instructive points from it and so much.