Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Capablanca playing against Alekhine in the 1927 World Championship match,
round 21.
So Alekhine was playing.
It seemed a little bit more positionally, less risky play of this epic world chess championship match.
And this particular game I'd actually stumbled on many, many years back in the middle game book and
it inspired me for the use of a night out post as a prelude to attacking potential.
So we have here Bishop G five from Capablanca Knight, BD seven e4 E7.
I have three Black Rook C1 and then this move a six.
So this is kind of interesting.
We have a free H six and now we have Bishop H for this might actually be a slightly inaccurate move.
There is another way of playing this position based on its peculiarities of E6, which is to actually
take on F6.
Now normally you don't want to give up the dance square Bishop, but here after Knight takes F6, there's
C5 as a move and as a plan basically.
Knight These D7 Bishop D freed this position.
It has interesting dynamic prospects for White based on the Knight Squares and potentially a need for
break.
So that's it should be about even this particular position.
But Bishop h4 was played and this allows details C4 now Bishop takes C4 and now B5 and this is actually
rather comfortable for black already.
Bishop These seven white castles, perhaps white should have put the safety look on the C5 break so
B4 to stop C5 would seem also to be about equal here.
And yeah, I mean, B5 is loose hair.
This is just a swapping beef.
Beef, beef horns.
If a five is played so but anyway, and if a five isn't played, black might have a, you know, quite
a passive position here.
So White Castle though we have C5, D takes 98 C5 and now 94.
This is actually another kind of little tiny inaccuracy.
And these really build up potentially one should have played.
It seems Bishop takes f6 for tactical reasons that this nine is a slight target on the x ray so Bishop
takes f6 there will be Knight takes B5 and the thing is yeah, what does Black do here.
It takes this should be even overall.
And if Queen 61 F takes the one.
This position is interesting.
After Rook C seven, Bishop takes F3.
Bishop takes F3 eighteenths.
Bishop takes eight.
This position ends up to be about even.
This is quite a weird and wacky sequence, but overall so 92 forces this rook to take as the Lord's
back row mate.
Or just winning with zero.
So this rook takes 9/10 and we just go into an equal wang game.
So that is a way of equalizing.
It seems Bishop takes f6, but this.
Yeah, some tiny advantages are accumulating for black hair.
Already we have rook C eight and now b4 this looks as though it was like a key mistake of this game.
But actually it's actually 94 it seems on closer inspection than modern engines.
Black is already better even if b4 isn't played, which I felt for a long time was just weakening C4.
But actually the position here is not great for white.
If Bishop Geoffrey Queen B sinks, Bishop takes Queen's hands.
Black's pieces are slightly better here.
After Knight takes Queen takes, for example.
Bishop G3 FTA You can see that the black pieces, the better, more aggressive.
So something has happened, but b4 is not arguably it's not actually the key mistake, but it is offering
this Achilles heel to make use of.
And you might think, you know, why?
Why would I show you this game?
This is about attacking chess, but sometimes attacking chess does have a positional prelude to accumulate
advantages very subtly.
And this is such a high profile iconic game from a world championship match.
It would be remiss of me not to show you this game, especially as it had a profound influence on some
of my positional as well.
But yeah, positional play will amplify attacking chess later if we have a strong knight outpost on
C4 is looking at a related square for the king.
You know, the king's on a dark square.
So we have a Knight Square outpost.
This could help some attacking potential or combination of possibilities against the king later.
So bear that in mind we have Knight B six, Queen B Free Knight 55, Bishop F3 here.
If Knight E4 one could actually pounce on the A4 square, install a knight on A4 here.
This position of Queen D seven is also it's kind of slightly favorable to blank smaller H4 black.
So Bishop Alfredo's played and now rook C4.
This is actually, it seems a slight inaccuracy.
It is ambitious for things like Queen A8 this looks very, very hyper modern ish, but actually it turns
out Knight C4 is actually rather interesting for 92 as a France concretely, but also it's just good
on C4.
If Knight e4 Queen B syncs this position for example, let's just take this position.
Black does have the edge, it's just nicely installed knights on C4 and D5.
If we go again and just have a look at 1965 Bishop tanks Rook 41 Black has knight D2 tactically here
so if rook takes rook take C1 if Queen b2 rook take C1 and then Knight takes F3, G takes a bit of structural
damage and black stands quite well here in this position.
So for example E4 Bishop C4 Black is standing very well.
So anyway, the more exotic rook C4 is played, we have Knight E4 if Bishop e to her.
The funny thing is, I could just play Rook, take C frame and this position simplifying queen.
Take three for Queen 88.
So that's a good move here.
And what does won't do if Bishop Geoffrey.
Because if every black just plays basically rook, he ain't seizing control from the farm.
Black's better there.
But let's imagine also, Bishop, every rook since this position ends up being slightly advanced like,
well, more than slightly advantageous to black.
There's no rook c one because we're going to snap that off and say This position Queen C.
This infiltration is rather painful.
Black's got all the positional trump cards here.
You know this position, the knight's coming to look at A3.
It's just very unpleasant for white indeed.
So yeah, this is it's showing that things have gone slightly wrong here for Capablanca.
There's been a subtle accumulation of advantages and we have now Queen C ain't, you know, for black
having the advantage.
So Queen's Rook, take C4 now Knight takes C4, Rook C one queen 88 Knight C3 and now Rook C ain't knight.
Take C was also possible inviting Bishop Thanks B seven Queen takes this position with Bishop f6 h4
Queen D five Black is rather dominant here overall with with more than a slight edge positioning.
So anyway Rook C eight was played.
Knight Thanks, Bishop.
Thanks, Bishop Thanks.
Queen Thanks.
And yes, this knight outpost, as I mentioned, is exerting influence on EA Fray and the king's not
too far away.
So sometimes especially against super positional players who like endgames, like Capablanca weak as
an attacking player, it also shows us that we have to sometimes fight for tiny advantages first before
we can think of any combination possibilities.
So we see a for an ambition of things like F3, but things are not too far away from a disaster here,
believe it or not.
Bishop B2 We have rookie one.
And here we have the eight.
So stamping authority on that defile for a moment.
Eight tanks, eight tanks H three and now E5.
This restricts that Bishop, but it also means E4 is coming up.
Rugby one and now E4 is played here might default if Knight's age to this Bishop of sex.
And in this position Black is doing very nicely.
For example G five and King G seven.
Black has control in this position.
So Knight before was played and now we are close to the disaster.
This is not so clever, this move as 19 two, in fact.
So guess what Alekhine plays here.
If I give you 5 seconds to pause the video.
Okay.
Yeah, just.
Bishop takes the four.
It seems to invite a dangerous pin.
So clearly.
Well, not clear.
I'll just show you it.
Queen Tanks is in Black's favor.
Just taking out that pawn.
There isn't too much of a penalty.
This force is a simplification.
So this position would be just totally in blacks favor.
Clear advantage.
So Rook D one was played.
So what's the problem with this pinning move?
So ideally, White wants to take and get back in the game.
But Alekhine has another idea here, a specific concrete idea which actually ends the game at move 32.
So that Knight outpost is involved here.
It's not just pretty, it's pretty functional.
So what would you play in this position of playing for 200 points?
Which actually does two things.
It's not.
It takes E3.
We're actually looking at the queen hair, which is unprotected.
So, yes, if Ruth takes the fall, we can actually play even queen sized for her.
This is a way of playing it instead of taking the Queen, because one could take it and say only three
potentially, but we could even just take hair for advantage.
This position is advantage.
And if we look at this again with knights takes E3.
If F takes.
Yeah, we're just taking the Queen in this case because if Rook takes, we're taking our E and then
we're just a rook up after Bishop 24 rook up.
And if rook takes the E4, would we just rather, you know, if we can also as well as Queen takes E4,
we can also just play Rook, takes the E4 and win G4 either.
So anyway, Knight takes E4, he basically ends the game.
So yes, we can take our pick of winning alternatives here.
So taking hair as also it looks to be quite favourable for black overall this position as well.
So anyway, it shows it's iconic for me because I remember this game clearly one of my middle game books.
I thought it was cute how this knight maneuvered to C4.
And of course at that time was years ago there was an engine showing all the tiny inaccuracies in White's
play.
So it's difficult to actually decipher what the actual mistake was actually, you know, it's like the
book indicated maybe B4 was a bit of a mistake, but actually it is a difficult position after 94 here,
it seems all is not what it seems.
94.
In this particular possession there is a tactical opportunity to be used with Bishop takes f6.
So it's interesting, these tiny little advantages are accumulating for black hair that black has a
slightly more comfortable position and that shouldn't be the case really, should it?
If you think about it, why should Black be getting an advantage out of the opening?
Something's gone wrong here and you know, some little aspects of the position.
But yeah, like C4 here would even it seems to be an improvement.
So yes, a very, very comfortable.
Possession led to a strong attacking possibility against the king, basically.
So I hope you enjoyed this and got a bit inspired.
Trying to accumulate just small advantages against the positional player is important sometimes.
Okay, that's very much.