Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Alexander Alekhine playing against Hans Farney in 1914, Mannheim Truman's
Round 11.
We see E4 from Alekhine, a French defense from Farney.
We have d4 d5 ninths C3.
We have going to have six.
Bishop ji fame.
This is a very interesting move considering the potential of a beautiful gambit, in my view.
After Bishop seven Alekhine in this game plays e5, I much prefer E5 to Bishop takes F6, which Alekhine
has used in other games.
So E5 57 Alekhine on court uncorks basically the Alekhine Shattered Gambit age four For this is an engine
approved gambit.
There is significant compensation for white hair which actually outweighs the cost of a pawn we have
Bishop takes G5.
Each takes Queen takes G5 and now each three.
So this way of playing things is the most effective.
Queen ee seven is played.
If Queen aged six, you might ask.
Well, the Queen has abandoned C seven.
We can go for C seven with 95 after 96, G three.
And you might ask what's going on here?
Is it Bishop G2?
Well, there's an alternate idea of F4 and F2 protecting the rook, hitting the queen.
So here is an example where F4 F6 might have two and we've got a great position here with F two.
We've got great position.
Bishop D3, We can give up the other pawn and get a very strong attacking position, connect the Rooks
up and this is just really nice.
This position is an attacking players dream in my view.
Knight G4, Queen 6h6 Yeah, we're crashing through it.
This is just a fictional example where we've crashed through on G6.
Knight thinks we're going to take on G6 and take on F6 with Advantage.
And you might wonder, Hold on, why isn't the rook hanging?
Hanging rook One check and rook h seven is mate.
So that's a fictional example.
And even if we don't use the Knight F two plan, we can actually maybe even slightly better Bishop D3
first, then Queen D2, and then this position is a fine attacking position to play from.
So you can see that Queen H6 is not so great that the Queen is a potential tactical target.
Later, you might ask what about Queen H4 then might be 596 We can play Bishop D free hair, nice F
eight and we don't have to be in a rush to play G3.
So A4 this position now G4 eight Queen A7 and we can play C three.
This is a fine position as well.
If the Black Queen went back and Queen G4 is strong like G5 if H6 we have a very strong rip ripping
combination, what would you play here if you had this position?
So you've got both rooks on the fifth.
Frank King still stuck in the sense that there's a very strong idea here.
Let me just show you just in case Knight takes E6.
So the point is Black can cling onto the rock with King F eight, but now we just play Queen takes D5
and we've got a huge of Bishop C4 here.
So say C6 Queen F3 check.
We've got a very strong attack position Queen, a free check C5 cast in queenside.
There's more than enough compensation here for the material invested.
The king is going to find very little peace if you play your cards right from here.
So yeah, I just wanted to show you the power of this opening variation, just in case you want to use
it.
It's good to get some of the nitty gritty details out.
Expose them.
So.
Okay, Queen E seven or explain them.
Expose them.
Yeah, but we need to internalize them.
So Queen 794 and already a major inaccuracy.
98 This actually weakens the bishop because it actually creates accessibility routes on this diagonal.
I'll show you why.
Well, the point is, we can play Queen G for now, threatening G seven and also any night taking the
five because of that pen.
So that is a significant slip up fight.
And we're going to get a slaughter game after that before going into the slaughter.
If asks the nuanced Queen D2 is better than Queen G4 here if Queen G4 this position Knight C6 Black
can live to tell the tale.
It seems you know this position has G5 just before E6 and C seven is devastating so it wants to play
E6 here for 9.87.
But Black does have a resource and should with very accurate play live to tell the tale.
So once it's just just equal there.
So it looks as though with A6 in this particular position with a bishop shielded queenly two is an accurate
way of playing.
And we can use a rook left hair and build up on the H4, which is our primary compensation for the gambit
by building up on the pole.
Knight 64.
Don't worry about D4 build up on the H file.
So we're fretting horrible things like, you know, on G6 head.
If H5 Knight takes G6, we can expose the fact that black pieces here are kind of not developed.
Forget the knight.
We're threatening Rook H7 seven now, so this position we can play roll Cage for as an example and Knight
e4 exploiting the king in the center and just go for the king.
Now this is a king hunt.
This is a fantasy.
King Hunts variation.
Bishop Check before taking out the C5 square from this equation of attack.
Queen C free check Rook take C4.
Black's going to be mated in spectacular style.
Fictional stuff.
I just wanted to make you aware that against E6 consider Queen D two basically.
Anyway, back to the game.
So this inaccuracy fully justifies her Queen G for looking at K and G seven basically through the x
ray of the e6 pawn.
We have f5 if Knight g6 Knight thanks f takes we have Knight takes D5 here note the knight supports
the B4 square.
There's no queen b4 Queen D7 we can just drop back.
Thanks very much.
We've just captured a center pawn.
Big advantage if C6 here trying to bolt things down.
Queen takes gg7 though, and a knight takes g six will win a rook, so that's not very useful.
So Queen G f5 is played E6 and now g tanks.
If Queen takes F6, we can eliminate this to explain this because Knight F takes D5 and then yeah,
I mean they don't really want to give up the bishop and knight B5 is strong this position Knight taxi
seven nine takes C7 96 will win the Queen That's nice chipping out C seven to get access to D six winning
the Queen.
Wonderful stuff.
So basically Queen takes F6 is dicey so G takes is played White Castle was queenside There's a huge
compensation there in this gambit.
This is why I love playing Gamma.
It's generally online.
You get these perks.
It's with the perks.
You can use the ingredients for attack, for mating attacks like active pieces is one of the primary
things access routes to weak spots in the opponent's camp.
KING In the center here, this is a gigantic park.
So C6 trying to bolt things down.
If night B these seven rookie one we're going to be playing 1965 soon.
This is just horrible as well as Knight takes E6 being threatened this position Knight C tanks the E5
crossing so C6 is tried here rookie one It is basically a crushing position and now rook H six.
So this is interesting, looking at F6 and possibilities of like Queen H for Rook takes have sense.
We have E5 Queen h4 might be D7 so Black seems to be allowed to move some pawns.
But look at these guys, the rook and bishop.
There we have e4.
If rook g eight e4 looks very incremental if rook eights.
You know what?
We can play knight F takes d5 Black is totally underdeveloped here.
If Queen G 70 takes E5, look at that nice pin.
This is just crushing E6.
We're going to get our material back with interest.
Knight takes F6 here.
Black could try this exchange queens, but ends up with a worse endgame.
We're a pawn up there and we're going to win another pawn soon.
So E4 is tried.
Queen G3 though, looks around the place beautifully and creates access routes on dark squares.
So the the king is on a dance square here.
The queen is cleverly looking at all around the board here.
Look at these routes in particular Queen f7, the Galax A3 Weakness of the last Move.
If f5 nights F takes D5, C takes noit takes D5, we're making use of the Queen looking at C seven here.
If F4 this is just desperate Queen successful 96 this is desperate.
We're going to get into C seven here and then Bang Rook takes E4 winning the Queen.
So Queen f7 but now really wonderful stuff.
Bishop takes E4.
This is well worth it.
D Tanks.
Knight takes E4 opening things up to get into the King Rook G eight And we have this beautiful queen
A3 majestic movements here.
Queen G seven If Queen E seven won't can afford to just take the Queen here and that rook assisting
f6 Knight takes f6.
Check the cover.
Check.
Take out G eight.
Rook on the seventh.
There's enough here for White's to be getting on with.
This is a big advantage for white because the white pieces converge to the king and say Check here and
the rooks double.
Yeah, Black's just basically in a lost position here in this endgame.
So Queen G seven is tried, but now 96.
This is really wonderful stuff.
A lot of very interesting things are going on here now.
So there's so many fronts.
We have Knight six.
If Queen takes H six, that's immune basically because of Knight of seven.
Check winning the Queen.
So Knight B six is tried and now the one the full 98.
So yes, trying to drag the queen away.
We have Queen f7.
But even with the queen there, this is still a winning move now.
Queen D six check, end of game.
The king stuck in the centre here.
If it's absolutely winning.
If Queen D seven, we just play Queen six f6 check and note how the knight on the eight is stopping
the escape of the king.
So Queen seven, Queen 67 is made if might be the seven.
Queen 87 is checkmate if Knight 57 Queen 87 is checkmate.
So yes, this is a crusher Queen d6 Checkmate.
It's a brutalisation of the French defence with one of my favourite all time gambits in fact, that
I have used in Over-the-board chess myself with great success and in online chess with great success.
It really is interesting to master some of the finesses here.
So in this game this was a terrible inaccuracy, adding even more power to Queen G4.
So sometimes as we've seen, if Black doesn't play Knight AFAIK, consider Queen D to castling queenside
and just make use of the pressure points on the foul and the king in the center.
So yeah, really interesting instructive stuff from this gambit which gives these huge exciting perks
to play with.
And this is another reason why I feel Alekhine is more my cup of tea rather than Capablanca who deals
with small advantages and doesn't really like to play gambits because it's it seems like gambling.
But sometimes, you know, the compensation of this gambit nowadays is fully engine approved.
So Alekhine was really ahead of his time with this gambit named after him.
It's a really wonderful opening variation to get to.
So just bear this in mind if you if you encounter the French defense 90 C free.
So this is the classical variation.
Of course they can play bishop before, but then, you know, Alekhine's got another temporary, you
know pawn sack idea Knight G2.
Well, if black tries too hard, they're going to be in trouble with this variation.
So he's got very exciting variations against the French defense.
It really is.
I love this gambit.
I can't say that enough.
Okay.
Hope you enjoyed it.
Thanks very much.