Hi there.
In this lecture, we see an absolutely classic encounter.
Aron Nimzowitsch against has I Hasbro Capablanca.
This is in 1927, the New York tournament round 15.
So e four from the switch we have a kraken from Kenneth Lanka.
d4d5e5, Bishop F five.
And now Bishop D three is played already.
There's a buoyant there's a bad kind of vibe about this position, why it has statistically weakened
light squares with pawns on dart squares.
The adjacent light squares have been weakened.
For example C four, an F five.
And this bishop exchange favors black.
Nowadays the shorter version is favoured and that's been invented by Nigel Short called Nigel short
or short variation.
So Bishop E two later, if the bishop is going to move, it's going to go to E two later with Bishop
de Fray.
This strategic Bishop exchange amplifies White's potentially light square vulnerabilities.
We see E six so there's no bad bishop in Black's position that Bishop exchanged off.
We see Knight C free Queen B sex C five is also a move here to consider.
So for example, this position black compliant like a French defence if nothing else.
And here is about even orienting so Queen B six though we have 90 2c5 now D taints Bishop tank, C five.
We see white casting Knight E seven and Capablanca is not a flight afraid to lose his darts where Bishop
tonight 84 he plays Quincy six nine takes C five Queen take C five when we lose a dance choir Bishop
for a knights.
Statistically, we've we've lost the dark square Bishop So statistically on the light squares, these
guys can do battle with more mathematical majority than these guys.
This cannot cannot influence the light squares, the c one bishop.
So bear that in mind that these knights can look forward to these squares as an example.
Bishop e frequency seven four that locks in the bishop on e3f5c39c6 80 1g6 and then we have G four.
This is a bit of a weakening move, but on the other hand, if Bishop f2h5 white should have Still,
despite everything that's happens and this emphasis on light squares, this should actually be about
even this position.
So that was to be preferred to g four.
This really makes things worse.
And there's a particular mechanism at work here which makes things worse.
So the knight takes out the bishop.
So even though it might be in a sense better in some situations, doesn't mind exchanging here if Knight,
if Knight went back concretely C four and this position C five could give a small edge for white.
This scenario, for example, let's say this positional pawn sack happens, it should still be a small
edge for white.
Why?
It does have some play in the possession.
So Knight takes E free is a particular mechanism here.
Can you see what it is?
It's H5 to week and White's F5 to encourage this pawn forward.
So G five is played.
If H three then H takes H tanks and black can actually castle queenside.
This scenario with g five undermines e five and aims to expose the white king and for example rook h4
as well as another perk.
And if we get this scenario, this is very interesting.
It starts to be kind of dangerous for White's King.
So Black has an advantage there, a significant advantage building up on the G four.
So this would be very, very pleasant to play as an example where Black's got a crushing attack now.
So yes, H three is not really something to do.
An F five weakens E5, so that's not particularly good either.
So g five and what it's left with a bad game positionally.
And in this case of the G five.
Let's just look at five concretely.
Actually.
Five concretely.
G Tanks.
G tanks.
I say about taking a fire, but not immediately.
Black can actually just castle and here, hold E six and E five is just vulnerable.
So say this position, we can actually get a longer term advantage built up.
So say 97, even if we don't win e five, the position becomes painful for whites.
King safety.
So yes, that's more a concrete reason about F five not being played at move 18.
Okay.
So before this kind of self condemnation of the position of G five giving that F five square to black,
it's interesting to examine the possibilities.
It's because of the position of the white king that those possibilities and the black king hasn't committed,
which makes it more lucrative.
Well, more important for white to try and close things with G five.
So okay.
Black blackmail castles with coziness.
Now, this is great positional play.
If we can look after our king, we don't want counterplay downsides to our positional plans, especially
counterplay directed at our king, our most precious resource.
So 94 is played here.
F5 is violent.
Does it do anything?
Not really.
We can take care with the Jeep horn.
We don't need to weaken the D five pawn.
And if queen, we have the nifty King G seven actually.
And this holds things up.
If Queen takes age five, Rook eight this position, there's Rook age four and with Queen 65 coming,
this is just magnificent for black.
So here, if Knight for Rook, Knight takes H five, check carefully.
This again is going to be bad for black off the knight takes E five.
This is nasty pressure potentially against White's king coming up with that nasty pin the rooks ideally
placed for the attack.
So 94 is tried.
We have Queen bee six rook have two rook 48 a free rook C seven rook D free 95.
So yes, we see now white's light squares.
They look a bit vulnerable.
If Knight takes DD four rook tanks D for King G seven Rook g two This position is going to be very pleasant.
Say why it tries f five.
It might not help.
Black has adequate resources here to hold things up.
This position is going to be in Black's favor.
Okay, So.
So 95.
We have rook e2.
Rook e8 King G2 96.
Rook two.
Rook 88.
Rookie two.
Now 97.
82.
So white hasn't got much to do.
Why is waiting around in this position?
And we get a kind of light squared domination or infiltration strategy, rather an infiltration strategy.
So Rook C for Queen H three, King G seven.
We'll have to know a five, rook e two and now Knight at five.
So not minding the knight coming off because it gives access to light squares.
So Knight takes our five is played and there's a tactical basis to this as well G takes a five white
can't take on H five queen played if queen takes H five there's a real catch eight and if Queen are
free, then four is weak.
There's a lot of counterplay for black hair basically on rook, half to rook taking on F4 and this is
winning for black because B two will drop and an A three will drop.
It's winning.
The Queen is overwhelming the Rooks In this case, if we look at this again with Queen G Free, we can
just play Rook C takes our form.
We're looking forward to Rook G for this position.
Rook G four It's just pretty horrible hair.
Okay.
And if King H won again, this is kind of horrible.
Stuff happens.
So Queen Geoffrey is played.
We have King G six Remarkable move, protecting H five.
So freeing up the pieces not to have to need the H five pawn.
So the king is really helping things here and is not exploitable it seems at all.
So.
Rook Eddie two And now Rook E four.
There was also another positional way of playing this with minority attack with Queen C six, where
a minority of pawns attacks the majority of pawns with the aim of inflicting structural damage.
If you imagine this taking white would be having a nice pawn on a free and a backward pawn on C free.
So this plan, just to show, is also a pretty strong plan.
A classic minority of attack plan would actually be leading to a significant advantage here with white
saddled with terrible weaknesses which strain the pieces and eventually material would be lost.
So it's definitely a legitimate way of playing it as an alternative to rookie fall.
But we have such a fun infiltration now on the light squares.
So Rook chc4 we have Queen F two, Queen B five, we have King G three.
If rook takes E for rotate E for this position with Queen C for King H two rook takes F or F for dropping
off.
That's just terrible.
And here, instead of King H, two of King G free, there's H four check.
That's a neat trick.
That's absolutely winning.
Winning the queen check.
So King G free is tried.
Rook C takes RD for C text D for A Now Queen C for white is kind of paralyzed here, stuck defending
pawns.
So the strain of the white pieces on these weaknesses is showing King g2b5, King g1b4.
A takes eight tanks.
And this is becoming a potential dangerous pawn if only B two drops later.
King G two Queen C one king G free if H free here.
Rookie one And this position is terrible after Queen B one.
So for example, rook to rook H one rookie to rook D one And what is in a kind of zugzwang black can
improve things here.
So this position, let's say this position be free gives that hook as well on C two which and if rook
c two is played, then white can play like this to get a crushing pass pawn.
So if taking there's a crushing pass pawn created, that's just one illustration.
So anyway King G3 we have Queen H one rook D free now Rook e11.
It's been tied up in knots.
Rook free.
Rook D one Be free.
And now rook.
C Why isn't a zugzwang here at move 45 So rook e4 is tried, but now rook f1 and the game ended here.
What does white do?
What does white do if Queen g G2 we can rule that out.
Rook g one And if Queen data we can play Queen G one check.
And here if King H four there's Queen for checkmate or King.
Free.
There's Queen G for chat mates.
So, yes, what is what happens here?
So, yeah, this this is just terrible, this position.
So, yes, Queen G two, we're saying rookie.
Well, what else does White do then?
It's over off the rook f one.
Okay, so just to examine that Queen D to Queen G one check is over.
Because also if Queen G to here, let's also spell this out a bit more Queen takes e free check picking
up the rock.
So yeah, a position where there's a light square infiltration and the seed was sat right in the opening
after that strategic bishop exchange.
So this is a really important game historically for the advance variation, opening theory.
It really does get like an improved French defense.
You could say that it's like a French defense on steroids without the bad bishop and why having these
light square weaknesses.
But they were expertly exploited.
The five Square was expertly exploited by Capablanca by not delaying castling, making sure his king
is safe through these strategic operations.
So there's no counterplay based on this king and not minding, exchanging it off and not rushing here
to play H5, kind of waiting for white to create further weaknesses when he plays Nazi six, he's not
in a rush to play H5.
So this is really fascinating.
It's like provocative provocation of more weaknesses and then securing a key square to play with.
So it's really beautiful stuff.
And the light square infiltration is just absolutely instructive in my view.
So it's also a great advert for the Cora Khan defense.
If people aren't going to play the exchange variation and are going to exchange off their lines Square
Bishop, you can look forward to plans like this of infiltrating later on the night squares.
So very instructive for many perspectives.
I hope you enjoyed this game and Nimzowitsch himself was so impressed he felt that Capablanca was using
his my system against him in my system, documenting a lot of positional methods in chess being used
against them.
So an iconic positional and counter game.
Okay.
And so much.