Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Alexander Alekhine against Hans Mock.
This is in 1940.
So Hans Mock actually labeled Bobby Fischer's game of the century.
He coined that term Game of the century.
Fischer's game against Bern.
So, yeah, a very famous player in the chess community.
So.
Okay, this is Alekhine against Hans Mock in 1930 Sanremo Tournament, round seven.
So D4 we have Hans Oakmont playing Knight f6 c4 e6 Knight C three Bishop b4 names Engine Bishop d2.
This looks a little bit awkward.
We see black castling.
I mean, quite often the Rubinstein variation is very, very good.
It's kind of been considered the main line, so Bishop RD2 seems a little bit awkward, but Black Castles
now.
So Alekhine plays F3 now D5 like F3 and now C5.
This is very logical play from Black A3 Bishop Take C3.
Bishop takes C4 and now 94 Rook c one to avoid the possibility of double pawns.
We have Knight take C3 Rook take C3 C takes D4 and here is a major decision point actually.
This is really interesting.
The technical move from an engine perspective, which is accurate is Queen takes D4.
This doesn't give way an isolated queen's pawn.
And if say 96 Queen d2.
Have a look at this first D takes Bishop takes Queen's come off and it's a bit dull.
This is maybe why it's got a small edge.
This is more Capablanca territory.
We're not going to be attacking the king as much because we haven't got our main top score of the Queen.
The Queen's disappeared.
Queen D1 Not much different details.
We get a similar scenario where we might have a small edge.
The way Alekhine plays it is to accept the isolated Queen's pawn with E takes D4.
And actually, let's examine the range of perks.
We get.
A marking of C5 and E5.
Potentially E5 could be a good outpost.
We actually clear out the pawn from E3, so we've actually got potentially a third rank attack against
the king.
So that's another major perk.
So yeah, the awesome perks, this kind of form of structural damage in effect.
And we see Black playing 96 now.
And here, Bishop E two and now D take C four.
So the isolated queens born i.q p as it's abbreviated to, is it a liability?
Is it a strength for attacking plants, having an isolated queen plant?
As I say, in this position, there are a range of perks the works already on C free ready to switch
for an attack, especially the G free squared could be lucrative.
We see Queen F six now.
The Queen on F six does have a particular subtle cost to it that may be later.
There's a tempo gain to be had from attacking the Queen.
At some point we see white constant rook and now an awkward looking rook.
The free a necessary move.
In this situation we see Bishop D7 rookie one Bishop e ain't.
And now Queen D two and here 97, which locks down against the five if H six, which stops 95, that
might be interesting.
Y could dissolve the -- this position with some trades and say here.
With Bishop D7 Queen C two.
This kind of situation is going to be about even.
There are some dynamic aspects here with the queen looking at three.
We can examine one as an example.
Bishop takes H three, which also looks at the the rook looks at the bishop.
Bishop takes six.
B takes one.
Can play queen C five here.
So not wanting to take as acquaintances.
They're afraid.
But this position should be about even.
The reason is, yeah, it's about even this position.
You know, black has some issues here.
And also if King G seven, Queen 67 is about even.
So anyway.
So on 86, there is a possibility of day five in a nutshell there, but 97 was played not depriving
the use of the G5 square for the night.
So this seems like an aggressive probing move now.
95 And for me, yes, I've seen many years back night G5 in Alekhine's games they've been inspiring
for us Little big points winners for online chess on coming to the fifth rank is often very very dangerous
and probing for stuff.
We see it being ignored here with 95 to not be nudged just left on G5 for the moment, but it does vacate
a free giving white the new resource, the newly found resource rule.
Caffrey We have Queenie seven and it's good that the bishop supports have seven.
Here we have Rook Geoffrey.
This looks a little bit scary for Black H six now.
Not now.
The knight goes to right.
So this rook, like an R2-D2 robot in Star Wars, is looking at nicely at G seven.
That's good to have.
In a way.
It looks as though, you know, is this just artificial play based on just attacking the king?
Maybe Capablanca wouldn't approve.
This doesn't seem.
Kind of pure In a purist purism perspective, it doesn't seem too elegance.
And but the thing is, the king is, in a practical sense, a way of winning games.
There are issues surrounding playing accurately for king safety.
And the funny thing about this position, there are all sorts of things going on while the knight is
acting as a guardian for Black's position.
It's interesting to bear in mind that if, say, the knight wasn't guarding beef or the royal moves
like Queen before, which might look at the King, there are bouncy rows potentially to the king of
the king was linked to.
And you can imagine this is a bouncy road.
So just bear that in mind.
We see E4 and it's kind of scary, this build up and actually black does not does actually move the
knight at E7.
So it does have some new possibilities emerging here.
Like queen before about plays 95 now and we have F5 and the Rook goes to D3 to support the fall OC Rook
AC eight H.
It looks as though Black's playing in a kind of classical way.
And Alekhine.
What is he doing with all this?
96 He's relying on tempo gain and here rook fall we have Knight take C4 which hits White's queen.
So an element of simplification which in general is black strategy.
You know, if Black's playing, if you're playing against Knight, say Queen spawn, the classic strategy
is actually simplification to try and avoid the dynamic aspects of the isolated Queen's pool coming
to attack your king.
We have Queen G3 now Rook, Geoffrey, Queen D5 and now this block header is nudged with 93, Queen
C six, and now King H two, which stops any checks.
And now Black makes a huge mistake.
Queen C one.
Queen D six, it seems, is safer.
So for example, Rook for G4 Black can, it seems, play a very technically interesting move G5 it's
made.
There's a method to the madness here because F5 actually releases the bishop to potentially an interesting
square and or having access to H5 as well.
Let's just show G5 here if d5 F5 94 for Queen E seven.
And let's say rook d4 Rook takes D5.
This leads actually to an even position, even though Black seems to be committing some sort of crime
of king safety.
It's not that unsafe.
The king here.
This should be an even position.
G6 is actually worse because now D5 is interesting.
If h five Rook H for you can see that actually the attacking prospects here are not to be laughed at.
F4 Queen f6 Rook takes H5, Queen takes F4 Queen E one.
But Black still has resources here.
Be free in this position.
Now this is kind of funny.
This is engine territory.
These squares are weak, but are they actually exploitable?
And what on earth is B free?
Got to do this variation, you might ask.
It gives an access route to dark squares.
So be free.
Here is is interesting to consider, believe it or not.
So Bishop D7 and we see Queen A1 being quite dangerous now French thing mate on H eight be the Queen.
If King fights this position, Black has to play extremely accurately with E5 if a six this position
of rook coming to G4 Rook Geoffrey is going to be bad news for black.
This installation is going to be bad news.
Black's going to get mated basically by if black plays E5 at the right time and this situation should
actually be only a small edge for white.
So there's fascinating stuff revolving around Queen D six.
It seems if Black wants to hold the balance, Queen D six was the move to do it with potentially very
resourceful play to follow up with OC, but Queen C one was played.
But now we see this possibility this Queen before and I mentioned this before this this is a bouncy
kind of road to the king.
We have Queen C seven and now D5 is a fantastic way of protecting the rock.
And the Queen is also it's, you know, it's protecting the route, but also there's this big possibility
of A5.
We see A5 trying to nudge the Queen if E6 Yes, then the big F5 comes and if Queen E5 light sites H
six check for example.
And here we can make use of Queen F eight.
That would be the great point here.
And this position.
Black's king is in big, big trouble if rook C6 knight gates and we're going to kind of make the king
potentially rook h for among other things.
So the knight essentially holding H six if.
Bishop G4.
But you know, this this position we have Czech here and if here we can just take that and bring the
king out and then make on G6.
So this would be a desperate attempt to stave off mate.
If Bishop G4 is desperate, we just take the and then we're crashing through.
So yeah, it's dangerous stuff.
He takes five that doesn't really want to allow 95.
So A5 we have Queen E for now still holding the rock.
If Queen D four this would be a big mistake because of E5 forcing once play D six and everything just
gets thrown away.
The attack is all thrown away.
So Queenie for safety point rook d six here if e5 there is actually knight f5.
If it takes F4, Rook takes g seven check.
And here if King h8 Queen D4.
And what does that do?
Every check.
So what Rook Geoffrey is check Queen E five and then black gets mated soon after.
So Rook six is joined.
Queen E five looking to mate G six, Queen H five.
And now a desperate kind of exchange sacked to try and stave off being mated with rook takes D5 if King
H7 can you see the absolutely beautiful move that one has available here for 500 points?
What would you play in this position?
The pawn has been underpinned.
What do you want to do?
Move on, Queen.
Well, something else.
There is a cost or downside to the bishop interrupting these key squares, actually.
So, yes, I hope you can spot this move.
It's a brilliant move.
We have four here in this case.
So looking at h six, if G takes h five, we have 9f6 Jack and a classic make pattern.
Yes.
This would be devastating.
And if.
Yes.
Just taking on h six.
Nice F six check.
And this is this is and here even better than taking on F6 is to play roll cage for game for the champ
mate.
And Champ ends the game So black, you know, desperately played Rook, thanks to you.
Fine.
But now just night 65.
Thanks very much.
Queen takes 86.
So equal on pawns.
Just the exchange up for White Rook H for Queen G seven, Queen six G, seven in black resigned here.
So there is a bit of work to do if the game continue his affection or example.
So King takes with just the exchange up we can challenge that c file, blockade the d pawn and try and
use the free to to pull majority here, press through with F five at some points.
So F five and then H four.
We've got a free to pull majority.
The exchange up is basically going to make its presence felt here quite easily with such a plan of g
five to crap pass pawn and white's well on the way to winning.
So anyway, the game ended at Queen Takes G seven.
So the instructive point here we have a decision in the opening in the opening here.
Well the way it was played with Bishop D2 where you know, if we don't have the isolated Queen's pawn
structure, none of this fun happens like that.
We've witnessed with this third ranked stuff with a rook on g free r two D2 style.
I like to think of it like that.
These rooks remind me of the little R2D2 robot in Star Wars, but that's just me.
Okay, so E takes D four.
But yeah, getting it to g three is cute, but it looks some people say, oh, it looks really kind
of artificial, but I thought it's kind of cute here.
This possession in general if you're an attacking player you know there's some prospects here the queens
are still on heavy pieces are still on the heavy rooks still on two minor pieces.
The bishop of Knight, they're still attacking prospects basically to be celebrated.
We've got to sort of potentially nany the pawn at various points in various potentially awkward ways.
Sure.
And we're going back here just to Nonny, the queen's pawn, and then try and drum something up.
So this simplification was a necessary thing to happen.
But yeah, I mean, it seems as though even, you know, without simplification.
We've got some attacking prospects to look forward to.
Know if Black moved the Queen, maybe we can just move the bishop onto this diagonal at some point.
So Black wanted to kind of simplify was playing the classic recipe, but still it's like it becomes
exceptionally dangerous off the Queen C one.
This is the huge big point of mistake, it seems.
Queen C one.
So anyway, I hope you enjoyed this game and some of the instructive points and it shows that there
are various attacking perks of the Queen's pawn, not just the adjacent files, which you usually get
the aggressive pieces, not just the outpost squares, especially a night on E5 quite often, but also
this, this rank aspect, this rook left aspect, because the third rank is is clear here.
So very interesting stuff based on the perks of the isolated Queen's pawn.
Okay, I hope you enjoyed that and so much.