Hi there.
In this lecture, we see an amazing game.
Isaac Zalewski has Jose Lasitskene.
This is in 1956, the USSR Championship, round 13.
So Beaux Levski has his name associated with the balls left.
Keyhole.
This is the D5 square in certain structures in the Sicilian defense, where there's a hole on D5, a
weakness on D5, which could be good, for example, with a night out post celebrating that whole.
Now both Levski was doing research on both sides of the ball.
Zalewski whole here is he is playing whites against Giorgi listen and plays E4.
We have C5 ninths F3 D6 the four C2 6460 49569c3g6 Bishop E, Free Bishop G7, F3 and Black Castles,
Queen D2 96.
So so far there's no major hole in Black's position.
The pawn structure is that of a dragon formation.
Sicilian dragon.
We have White Castle in queenside and now black plays.
Knight takes D4.
We have Bishop takes three four now Queen a five King B1 and now black is tempted to a forcing move
with pawns.
Now pawns do not go backwards.
So this is quite a committal move.
And you can see that there's a hole on D5 which could potentially be a useful outpost square for a nice
central knight.
So one of the big parts of a knight on C3 here is its potential to use the D5 Outpost square.
For the moment it looks covered up enough Bishop E6 and Black is trying to play dynamically offering
the pawn now white here plays a free if queen takes d6 this would actually be.
Interesting because if Bishop takes a to check and if Knight takes a to the point would be rook f the
eight.
What a nasty trap skewering the Queen's rd one, which is a tactical liability because it's not protected.
That rook is unfortunate here if White has to give up the Queen.
So if the queen moves, Rook takes D1 check and this is just waiting for black.
So if one has to give up the queen and the game, so good safety point here.
Are you free?
Not taking on D6.
We have Rook 58 and now very interesting move might be five.
So this hits The queen encourages the exchange of Queen's black refuses of Queen a fall, which is actually
a big mistake if Queen 62.
This position is interesting.
After Knight C7 Rook one can grab the light square bishop and actually be greedy to take a seven if
D takes.
This is actually possible to take on D eight and actually believe it or not, to entertain F takes e4
here with advantage.
If rook d1 check, which seems embarrassing for white.
The thing is in this position, why has rook g one safeguarding the bishop in effect?
I'm pinning the bishop.
So for example King f7 Bishop e2.
And if we look at this resulting endgame situation, Y is clearly better with the Bishop power and the
potential to create a queenside pawns pawn.
So these variations are interesting and if Knight takes E4 instead of the Czech.
Yeah, just bishop.
So again, it's just got a definite advantage here.
So, okay, we have Queen A4 and funnily enough, boy, it does play against the strategic theme of
Olsavsky whole.
But the Queen's position is also subject to interesting tempo gaining.
And there is a tactical point here which is missed.
That actually we can be resourceful in chess if we consider like pawns.
The fundamental constraint on the pieces, but also squares being occupied in the real world is like,
Oh, the toilet is occupied.
You can't use the toilet, but the squares, you know, you can't use squares if they're occupied.
So that is also a fundamental constraint.
It's not just the pawns, it's square occupation.
There's actually a tactical move here.
Giving you a bit of a clue, which is actually just winning the game outright, essentially because
of the queen's position here.
Can you see what it is, especially because of the Queen's possession, once you think that move is,
which opens up resources, resource capability?
Okay.
There's a tactically very strong move in this position, which is 97.
This wasn't played, but tactically it's winning.
The point is, if the rook moves, the point is we've vacated the B5 square.
We can actually be more resourceful about B5 with Bishop B5.
Ouch.
Kind of end of game.
Where does a queen go?
So, yes, there is a tactical flaw in this game, which is kind of amusing.
If A6, then yeah, we can just take the exchange out and this is just the winning position.
So, okay.
But in the game we do get a beautiful thematic way of playing the position with C4 and it represents
a pawn sacrifice to get complete control over the D5 square.
So not taking on C4 immediately, but ninth C3 now with tempo against the Queen.
So this is far more optimal than taking because the Queen will be on C4.
We can't win a tempo against the Queen.
So this is a nice tempo gain so the knight can potentially pounce to D5.
So the duties of a knight on C3, we have Queen before and now Bishop takes C4, eliminating the point
square defender of the D5 square and now getting rid of this defender with Bishop G5.
And here it starts to be difficult for black.
Even though black's a pawn up we have queen e6 if d5 trying to liberate things Knight takes the E5 this
position.
We're winning the exchange.
Bishop takes the eight.
That's just a winning position.
Okay, there's a bit of compensation, but it's not enough.
So Queenie, sex is played and we get Bishop takes f6 now Queen takes f6 and now 95.
I used to have this kind of idea when thinking about chess.
This game in particular is what I like to call strategic crush, where the whole pawn structure seems
to be completely against the opponent.
You strategically like crush them when you have an unassailable piece like a knight on D5.
But it really depends on the possessions, of course.
But here the knight on D5 is like we've accumulated a fantastic attacking ingredients.
You could say it's just accumulating advantages.
Yeah, but it's nice to identify the particular ingredients we've accumulated, what particular advantage
we have this beautifully central knight's kind of octopus knight.
So the full eight squares of influence and it just helps make attacking potential.
It sets the groundwork up for a successful attack, you know, as natural as a baby smile.
It's just a natural outcome that we can attack the opponent's king now with that knight on D5.
So Queen H4.
So Queen A2, we have bishop phase and now a beautiful move, Queen F1, which actually means G3 is
coming and then H5 appealing to get a very strong attack, which is very, very difficult to defend
against it.
It's just very, very natural.
We've installed a fantastic attacking ingredients.
So Rook AC eight Free Queen G5 and now H for not minding G3 going.
So Queen H six is played if Queen takes G3 as the forcing move Rook H frame When is the Queen go?
The Queen has to sacrifice herself.
So yes.
So the queen goes to age six and now G4 So it's just an attack without counterplay.
It really is strategic crush territory.
So G5 we have age tanks, G5, Queen tanks, G5 and now Rook h5, Queen G6, and now a beautiful move,
setting up a lot of attacking potential even more.
The Knights just supporting all of the attack really wonderfully this next for 100 points.
What would you play here?
Okay.
Just G5.
It reinforces the F6 square if Queen size age five.
The knight comes in springs in Knight of six Czech jumps in to win the Queen.
So we have H six being played.
Now there's just the wonderful move.
It's a very difficult position because why is French thing 96?
If the bishop moves, then there's 97.
You know, weakness of the last move.
So what does black do?
Black, you know, tries this.
But now we have a wonderful move.
Rook takes h six, so Queen takes G5 is played.
If Bishop takes H six, we can go with 97 Shaq.
And even stronger than taking the Queen, we could even just play this.
This is winning, delaying, winning the Queen because, well, this is just too much.
If.
If King takes to try and put the queen in front, there's always a 95 check.
So the knight comes in and sorts out the situation and Rook G one, we're going to be winning the Queen,
whatever happens.
So yeah, this is just crushing and we can play it like this as well.
So.
Okay, so Queen takes G5, but this next move ends the game and it shows the beauty of the knight,
the Knights really just supporting all the attacking possibilities.
It's just a beautiful night move here, which ends the game.
Can you see what that is?
Sorry, Not know what that is misleading.
It's not.
It's not necessarily nine.
It's not nine.
Actually.
Let me let me take that back.
So once play here and just ends the game with this next move.
Okay.
It's Rook H five.
Well done if you found this.
So if Queen takes H five, we have nine of six check and 9/10.
So what does Black actually do here?
If Queen G6 won't just potentially trebles on this H file.
So Queen H three and here we have Rook H eight check and Rook H one.
And the point of travelling here we get killer common squares really heavily reinforced.
So, for example, B5, can you see what we play here?
And this position which is chap maintain check all checks, even the outrageous ones, I mean this is
also a demonstration of power and making the position more, more strong and attractive, travelling
whilst the Black rooks are in disarray.
We have here Rook g h hack and then if King St's Queen H is checkmate.
If rook takes D5 routine check and Queen H for check and this is crushing so.
Och yeah, it's just beautiful stuff.
If Queen G seven again, we can just pile on the H file.
We're piling on the file.
So yes, we've rook h five.
It signals the end of the game.
Really.
This file is going to be absolutely decisive.
So it's a very interesting game because it represents how the pawn structure, especially with the balls.
Levski Hull, the weakness on D5.
The funny thing is the holes named after him, he's really exploited it on this occasion that defined
weakness with a juicy knight outpost, which seems to support the attack in various different variations,
various different ways.
So it's really a powerful way of playing chess.
It makes the attack very natural.
You set out the groundwork for accumulating advantages now.
Yes.
The tactical flaw in this game is interesting as well.
You know, we shouldn't underestimate when we vacate squares, we become more resourceful when we get
rid of the pawns which are locking our pieces and we get more resourceful.
So it is an aspect of liberation, you know, vacating squares.
We find new resources.
So that is a tactical interesting point as well.
But we're interested more.
The focus here is as an instructive game about the D5 Bosz Levski Hull.
So, you know, human games are not perfect, but there's a wonderful strategic theme being demonstrated
by not playing the tactical kind of reputation.
97 This is an absolutely wonderful, inspiring theme for me personally, and it sets out in motion this
whole notion of strategic crush.
If I could get these kind of positions where the pawn structure really favors me fundamentally, it
transcends, you know, calculating variations to have the pawn structure.
It's like working with the force in Star Wars.
You know, don't underestimate the force.
The force is like the pawn structure, the pawns, the soul of chess, according to Philidor.
So, yeah, you see, the powerful influence a knight on D5 can make really strengthening the groundwork
and this nice tempo gain.
Not Bishop taking C4 immediately.
It's Knight can hop in, jumping quickly to D5, ready to jump in quickly so it's a wonderful position
to have the attack really is kind of playing itself and this is nice movements to start off you know
the attack with Queen F one and G4 and H will get getting that H file ripped open.
It's really a beautiful game again to really behold how the attack is just kind of playing itself with
the knight on D5.
So yeah, Strategic cross meets attacking chess.
I hope you enjoyed this game as much as me.
So this was one of my favorite games that Erving Chernov covered in the most instructive games of chess.
One of the clearest themes I felt, in fact one of the early games covered.
So if you haven't got it already, you know, Erving Chernov has done some fantastic books.
And the most instructive games of chess book is one of my favorites.
He's also done another classic logical chess move, My move.
So he's he's a great annotator not too many variations, okay?
He's sometimes tactically flawed, but for the modern era of engine analysis, checking the books,
a lot of books before the engineer and the engineer didn't have, you know, the precise variations.
They have mistakes, but still the juicy big themes still persist.
They stand the test of time that we can make use of this kind of strategic theme, exploiting this wonderful
knight outpost on D5.
Okay, so I hope you enjoy this game as much as me and so much.