Hi there.
In this lecture, we're going to have a look at one of my favorite games of Emmanuelle Laska, who is
the second official world chess champion.
He reigns for a record 27 years after he defeated the first world chess champion, Willem Steinitz,
in 1894.
Some statisticians like Jeff Sonus basically say there's a significant amount of statistical evidence
to support the claim that Emmanuel Laska was, in fact, the most dominant player of all time.
This game, played in 1889 in the Amsterdam tournament, is one of my favorites, so let's have a look
for the bird's opening.
Start off with and now it's free.
So why is trying for a dance going to grip?
And we see be.
So this is actually scored many, many, many games in Blitz.
And I love this idea personally of kind of getting very aggressive.
Bishops pointed at opponents Kingside ESX Bishop to seven, and then we see Bishop Differe.
So both bishops are just, you know, looking at the opponents, Kingside, black eyes kind of welcoming,
won't start square strategy here by putting pawns conveniently on adjacent line squares and the specialists.
And then here we see big things.
Night ciphering Bishop be seven Afri like BDM, both sides council.
Now Ninety-two, this has a very interesting intention sometimes of night, Jeoffrey.
And the Knights can also pose some serious problems for blacks.
Kingside see 593 Queen C7 and now ninety five is played.
Nighttime's Bishop.
Thanks Quincy Sexo.
This sets up an x ray battery against G2, so sometimes C4 might actually be dangerous.
We see queene to defending to parang potential France for example f f five.
That would have been a bit too casual.
Perhaps C4 and White could be in big trouble if, for example, B takes them once in big trouble because
of GTA and differe so, you know, these, these operations are troublesome basically.
So we need to sort that out.
A6 and here actually ninety five is played.
Very, very interesting move.
We see nitrites h5 if rook Effy eight.
Can you see a tactical frat's which is really very, very interesting here.
OK, in this fashion night, Thanksgiving would be powerful.
So it creates a pen and here Queen G5 Light can't move because of Queen G7 meeting and why it ends up
significantly better essentially in this position.
So Black actually plays night STS 85.
Now there's the wings of the last move.
It's neglect 87.
Should white auto recapture or is there something much better?
OK, I hope you've picked up on my general recommendations for awareness, whether they be threats from
the opponents or actually even captures, you don't always have to recapture in chess.
There's a great resolution of tactical possibilities.
And sometimes your whole apparatus in the middle game processes section of prioritizing forces moves
can come into action at the most surprising moments where you in theory, you know, we're going to
also recapture the opponent was convinced, but guess what?
And then you lose your place here at this very moment if I give you five seconds for the video.
OK, he actually plays an absolutely brilliant bishop sacrifice Bishop takes 87, opening up the black
king.
Queen takes 85, King James.
And now guess what?
Here.
OK, Dubbo Bishop Sack really opening up the black king, even more threatening Queen Chapman's black
took if F thinks as an example than the rook can actually come in with Brooke.
This works very, very well, for example, of this.
Or if King, G7, Rotary, French I or the Queen and Queen eight track and Queen seven is pretty strong,
for example, like this, it's all pretty strong.
So we have King thanks G7.
So double Bishop Sack Queen for Jack Kennedy.
And I won't pretend that the so-called Little Mermaid pattern where you're kind of mowing the lawn and
straps and hair Ruhengeri checkmate is Frattini's black resourcefully defends this with A5 opening up
the queen for eight sex.
So for example, if rook G-8, then yeah, this is just amazing mating.
So e5 I cage free Jack Quinn and sex.
Unfortunately for black, it would have been a great idea.
Unfortunately though, white can actually not just win the Queen, but guess what white plays here,
which makes this whole thing a much more convincing because White has invested quite a lot of material
to just win.
The Queen is not always great to bishops or sacrifice free sex on the point scale.
Oruc 11, Queens only off nine.
However, in this position, one is white playing.
There are unprotected pieces and they tend to fall off between these seven Forkin, both those pieces,
if you know, was too casual with a five and six and black is actually equal technically.
So quinsy seven wins one of the bishops and now black guy is in big trouble.
So the game continues a little bit longer, but black is in huge trouble by here offtakes.
A5 sets another gigantic problem for black.
If Bishop takes E5, then can you see what white plays in this position?
OK, Queen H5 would head, for example, these two friends, they mine and the bishop, and if since
then, Queen takes you five.
So this is big trouble.
The -- is not recaptured, but now A6 Rabassa seven, leaving both rooks kind of unprotected.
If sex was played here instead then Estevan check strong winning that bishop.
So we have Rokeby seven and now putting even more pressure on on the seven point twenty six F six and
now a funny little combination, all of us won't play anything.
OK, Route 66 check, this is very, very dangerous indeed.
So we have bishop things, queen have sex chank looking at the rock that's protected, but now Queen
HHI picks up the rock on B seven of the Czech Queen takes up seven.
Black could have resigned now, but played on a little bit.
And here white simplified with queen takes differe.
It's an easily won and game if the road takes a black.
She was here so this is one of my favorite amanuensis games double bishop sacrifice showing the actual
tactical brilliance of Emmanuel Laska.
So he reigned for such a long time as world champion.
Someone on YouTube was getting ready to actually go over many, many games.
I discovered the accuracy of Laska, even with modern modern engines, was phenomenal.
He's like a super accurate player.
I'm talking, you know, as accurate as Bobby Fischer was much later, quite often, Laska was immensely
accurate games and also he seems to be a brilliant psychologist and I would say the use of psychology
to maximize win probability.
You know, if he thought the opponent liked attacking positions, he might put them on the defensive.
And take them out of that role that they like or he might exaggerate that role, burden with responsibility,
you know, give them super, super attacking positions and they get so optimistic again, he gets win
probability.
So it's like he's using psychology in quite a lot of his games and it makes his game style a bit unpredictable,
a very, very dynamic and adaptive.
So it's actually one of the least understood world champions.
But if you actually look at the accuracy of some of his games, they're absolutely amazing as well.
So Laska is a very, very dangerous player indeed.
Very, very interesting study.
I've immensely enjoyed looking at all of his wins that I covered.
And this is one of my favorites.
I hope you enjoyed this game too much.