Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Alexander Alekhine playing against Akiba Rubinstein in 1921.
The whole tournament around the Haig tournament, rather round nine d4 from Alekhine we have Rubinstein
playing D5 Knight's f3 e6 c4.
Now the quirky A6 this does actually invite C5 without such an effective undermining.
So this is taken up this opportunity and we have 96 if b6 here instead one should play C takes B6.
So this position of the C tanks is interesting when it has more pieces to and it's about even though
Planck hasn't really done anything too badly wrong.
If one is too adventurous with B4, the classic undermining A5 can be used.
So if A3 just A6 and white pawn is pinned, that's horrible.
And if b5 this is also horrible beating C5.
So that's not to be recommended at all.
So B6 just C thanks.
B6 okay, so C5 nine C6 is played Bishop F4 trying to grip on the E5 square and now seven trying to
fight for that E5 square.
So another kind of very creative move.
We have a knight blocking the C pawn and the other night blocking the bishop here, the fake bishop.
So it's an interesting opening sequence.
Knight C three Knight G6 And the bishop actually goes back to E3.
This actually is a very interesting position, quite unusual of Bishop kind of block blocking in the
E to pawn this knight's kind of on G6.
It looks weird if now well B6 was played if E5 the problem is with E5 is d5 white can just take on E5
here and the bishop you can see the bishop's kind of useful is protecting C5.
So there's no bishop take C5.
So in this case, the big problem is 1965 1965 and just context E5 as you might suspect.
So Bishop E4 is a useful kind of prophylaxis move against E5 as an undermining resource.
So we have B6 here.
C Thanks B c Thanks B6 and now H for trying to chase the knight, but also a potential from pawn insulation.
C h own now from pawns.
I kind of observed this from neural networks and it's become quite a popular term.
There's even a collection at chess games come about from pawns and yeah, we do have a form pawn example
here.
So Bishop D6 is played so allowing you know, potentially h5 and H with a kind of form pawn potential
if h5 it does weaken G5 and we can actually play Bishop G5 and provoke more weaknesses.
Bishop could drop back Bishop d6 if the bishop drops back here on e pawn can be used now.
E3 Bishop seven.
Bishop D Frank 9c7 Rook C1 and one has a small edge if Knight ge7 instead.
In advance.
This actually might be quite palatable for Black either Bishop d6 Tactical looking at F4 and this position
is going to be only a small change for whites that has that dance membership which might be useful one
day, but also just 96 here, just moving the night back and this position of H six should be only a
small change for whites in the game.
Bishop D six is played and now we have h59g7 If Knight fights h6g6 this position of G.
Frank Bishop e seven.
Bishop G two should be a small arch for one that form pawn is kind of useful potential thing.
So anyway ge7h6 now g Thanks.
And you might wonder.
Well, hold on, hold on.
King's Crusher Why are we blocking out things?
The whole art of attack?
Surely the answer is about opening up lines to the king.
Where are the cold winds?
The king?
Well, one thing about this game, there's a magical property of pawns, actually, which I want to
mention here.
These pawns might not always be there.
And when they're released, when they're like taken in some way or the pawns move, we do get new resource
options.
We become more resourceful because they are kind of making moves illegal.
If you think about it, it's making this move illegal.
It's making this move illegal.
So even though the pawns are currently blockers in various ways, not just opening up files, but actually
just by the fact that occupying key squares, they're restraining our resources.
But here there's a dark square grab strategy as well.
Bishop, do you find why is intensifying the dance?
Why grip And there are threats here for black.
If black doesn't castle hair white could end up playing essentially Bishop f6 move moves the rook and
a knight G5 which would hit H7.
So it is a problem this dance a strategy.
There is some bite to it here.
You know there can be some problems.
Let's put that on the board.
You know Bishop f6 and a knight G5.
What is black doing here?
Black's going to lose a pawn and be a big pass pawn and it can be super dangerous.
So Black decides to Castle Rubenstein Castles.
So we have Bishop F6 here.
Nevertheless, we have B5.
So Bishop F6 holds that E5 square again.
Control of E5 is a key theme in this game against Black trying to break out.
So B5 we have E3 and now Bishop D7 maybe slightly better as Knight B Eights trying to reroute things
potentially.
And you might wonder what on earth why?
Why would that be if we could take Black, could take on E5 and then F6 and then come back with a vengeance,
but it's still an advantage.
White So anyway, swiftly moving along Bishop D7 Bishop, different route C eight and now this is this
is a key kind of magical thing about this position.
Remember I said about this --, if it wasn't there, it's like it is restraining our resources through
the legality.
We can't use that square.
Sometimes we might want to drop, you know, drop a piece into that square.
We have a plan which actually is in a way based on liberating the D4 square.
It starts with A4 if want just castles, then actually if every place b4 they're A4 and they're similar,
there's a similar idea actually that sometimes 95 is going to be useful in its own right.
But even if de tanks happens and white loses a pawn, we have that D4 square to play, which is dangerous
for Black's potential king safety.
So just bear that in mind this would be advantageous as well if B4 is played by A4 try to prompt b4
nine E to Queen B six.
And now.
Yeah, this key idea of trying to get a knight to see five is use knight C one.
Maybe blacks should have taken this opportunity to sack a pawn for a bit of counterplay with a move
like be free just to try and get a bit of counterplay.
But it's still going to be very interesting for White to take in a knight C5 later just to open up the
D4 square.
So okay, Rook C7 was played and then we have Knight be Free Knight A5 And now yes, this key point
about this restraints that we have on the D4 square.
So guess what?
Why it plays here we are restrained by a form pawn.
We are restrained by the d4 pawn these pawns on dark squares.
We could be resourceful on these dark squares, potentially under certain conditions.
So what do you think white plays here?
So think about this 200 points.
This makes the point a little bit more concretely now about this opening up of squares, being resourceful
pawns, going to think they're restraining us.
They like blockading our own pieces.
Pawns.
Okay, so I'm about to reveal Knight C5.
And this works like a charm here.
This 9594 is played.
So why does it work like a charm?
If Bishop takes C5, D takes.
Now note that the Queen is attacked, the night is attacked.
And let's say Queen.
Queen B seven, which is taking E seven.
Right?
So let's assume queen take C five.
So guess what we have here, which we never had before.
We have the data foursquare as a resource and in fact, Bishop default is a key tempo gainer.
And it's very difficult for blank in this position.
One of the key things.
If Quincy sinks, then 95.
Big tempo game.
And here all of a sudden hold on like for.
And this is kind of vicious.
Look at the glare through the dark squares and the girl hanging -- all of a sudden makes a lot more
sense now that we've got an access route by this amazing default square.
We've got all sorts of frats like Night of Sex or even Bishop G-7, the sex meeting.
This is such a dangerous position to consider.
So, yes.
And if I mean one else, the thing is Queen D sex, there's bishop E5 skewing Queen and rook.
This position.
Winning an exchange like this and winning a sex is not good news for black.
If Rook take C5 instead, by the way, then we just take you on E7.
So yeah, this is a really cute move here in this game.
Knight C5 the form pawn marking out dark squares.
This is maybe an important thing to note about form pawns.
They're go hanging pawns, but they need the ball to be passed to that, to be able to score.
And if we can open up access routes to G seven by getting rid of the D4 pawn like this, this move represents,
then that's absolutely amazing.
So anyway, Black tried nine C4, Rubenstein tried Knight C4.
We have Bishop Tank C4 D tanks and now 95 putting pressure on D seven.
Both lines are ganging up here.
Bishop takes E5 his plate if Bishop takes c5 D tanks.
We're hitting the Queen and we're also hitting D7 and we're also hitting E seven.
Black's just losing material like this.
We're hitting the queen.
There's no point pinning.
If taking, then we're just a rook up.
So.
Yeah, this is highly kind of problematic.
So yes, 95 is highly problematic if Bishop eight, 1964, and then we're back to a skewer.
1996 Queen takes Bishop E5 and I'm winning the exchange there.
So wonderful stuff.
So Bishop takes E5.
So we have now a dance queen, bishop of our counterpart, and Bishop takes 87, is employed.
It turns out Bishop takes E5 is also good, maybe even slightly better.
This situation with Bishop G seven.
And we might rush in for 94.
But actually that's not that exciting as E-4 actually if 94.
The thing is, there's 95 preventing the mate.
On f6.
If black's serious, then there's a mate on f6.
But 95 and White does have the advantage.
But it's better just to play E4 here.
Leave the light on C5 and this is a big advantage.
So anyway.
So Bishop takes if I was a viable option as well.
So Bishop takes East seven, then we have Bishop dissects.
If rookie ain't here, D takes E5.
Route 67 one has a strong move here with 94 and you can see 96 is pretty nasty.
And if King Fay might have six looking at 87 and what he's doing this queen, these six here and this
is an overwhelming position actually, this was a sham of this installation.
It's a very, very nasty one.
It could cash out here taking out h seven check.
And then this position is just a winning position for one.
If we look at this again, we've looked at C five.
That's hopeless.
Bishop takes, then Queen takes a rook up.
So Bishop D six is tried and that just offers a whole exchange.
Alekhine takes the exchange we have Bishop takes Fay and now Knight 67, which is actually a slight
inaccuracy, as it turns out.
But it's still winning.
It's still a winning advantage.
But actually, Rook C one, just for the record, could have been played here and he might want the
Y if Black takes on c5d Thanks, Queen Sex.
There's a key move here, which is rather elegant.
Can you find it for 100 points?
We've got this goal hanging pawn marking key dot square G.
We can actually try and get onto the back row with rib cage four.
Well, if you found this, it's very difficult to see free rook deform.
Beautiful stuff.
And black's on the back foot.
Hair of bishop if Queen e7b tanks, B tanks.
Guess what we can play here celebrating the form pawn and the potentially weak back row.
What are we playing?
Well, we can actually just deflect.
Rook, take C Frank Rook takes, then Rook takes D7 and then we're getting onto the back row.
Thanks very much.
So that would have been a very interesting way of playing at Roxy one.
But 1967 was played to 67, A five.
Queen C six.
Queen F three Protecting G2 Rook 85 Rook C one, Queen C seven.
And now Queen E two.
Tempting will encouraging the pawns move beating speed tanks and now Queen takes A6 rook takes eight
five the Queen drops back Bishop affray and now rook C2.
This is quite cosy.
How White's wrapping around the pawn.
The lone square squares are okay to use her king's safe enough queen c6 f3 f5 rook b one So threatening
rook takes B2 because the queen also holds the b one square.
So Queen D six Queen C4 King of seven and now queen.
Can you see what the fret here is with Queen C eight?
That form pawn is still useful in endgames.
This is a property of form pawns.
Quite useful.
That interesting.
Interesting.
Very interesting possibilities.
Later Queen a6 just exchanging Queen's is employed if e5 The problem is Queen H ain't and there's a
big passport.
Only two steps way here.
So Queen G seven shank e tanks.
This is a big advantage for white.
So anyway, Black decided to get the Queen's off, but now it has a plan of creating a pass de pawn
here.
So we have G five King D free King G six.
And now D5.
The plan is in action.
F tanks f or check f Thanks e for E takes D5.
So there's a big pass de pawn here which is fairly problematic.
Rook a A4 and now rook D one.
So black takes the form pawn.
But at what cost?
D6 king h5 D seven goes back.
King E for the rook has to stop the pawn.
But now King F5 and all of a sudden you know this this is dangerous potentially for might in one.
But also you know there's G4 and the other rook to be used so black actually gave up here with King
H4 funny going into a mate so Rook H one check King G3 Rock H3 is checkmate.
Something I wanted to emphasize about this game is the dark square grip strategy.
But if we've got a goal hanging from pawn, the idea of maximizing access routes to it is actually protecting
to create a killer.
Common square on G7 is highlighted.
I hope that's a takeaway point, to think about our pawns as restraints for our own resourcefulness.
And you know, this whole A4 plan is very deep sighted, totally ahead of his time for form pawn play,
actually.
And the coin here making sure that that form pawn is not just in vain.
The offer of getting rid of this D4 is also a good tactic because the bishop sitting on other dark square
pressures.
So it's a wonderful move.
Knight C5 really amazing calculations here, dynamic foresight that things are, although they seem
blocked up.
If you're prepared to sacrifice pawns, you're kind of liberating pieces, but you're also liberating
resource squares like D4.
So that is a fascinating thing highlighted for me about this game and the form pawn.
It's totally ahead of its time.
The neural network started emphasizing form pawns as both a middle game element and an endgame element.
And sometimes it seems paradoxical to classic attacking chess, which is often about opening up things,
having things which are just, you know, looking to lock down dark squares, don't square pressure
seems a bit subtle, but actually it's quite effective quite often.
Okay.
As been as has been proven by many neural network games.
Okay, that's very much.