Hi there.
In this lecture, we see a very interesting rapid game, so the potential for accuracy is much less
than a classic one day game.
But nevertheless, it's an interesting encounter between a British grandmaster, Glenn Flair and Anatoly
Karpov.
So this is the 2004 Grand Prix Day, Shaq's Tillman's Round 1d4 from Glen Flair.
Karpov plays nine of 6c4e69c free Bishop b4 so the engine we have Queen C two Karpov castles e4d6a free
and Karpov takes on C three.
B takes A now knight C six Bishop D free.
And you might wonder here about this position.
What would you plan this position?
This is very interesting.
Already we see h6e5 seems logical, but it does offer a target on E five.
So for example, this position, if we play like this and encourage the closing of the center, White
can get quite a dangerous position soon.
Perhaps playing for f four that is a target for F4.
So karpov's treatment doesn't give such a target.
On E five we have 92, b64 and again now without touching center just 95.
Karpov is aiming to play kind of nimzowitsch style to attack this pawn on C four and weak squares can
lead to mighty outposts.
If you look at a lot of nimzowitsch games, he does get magnificent outposts.
Once he can get control of a square, even if double pawns removed.
So e five we have 98 and thanks to h six there's no bishop takes h seven.
There's no winning of a pawn g free.
Now if white castles here C five, Bishop E three black could play F five and this should be only a
small edge for white knight G three We have Bishop a six, queen E two if queen a2d5 and this should
be about even.
Yeah, it's a tricky position still.
So Queen E two and Karpov actually plays D five.
Now this was a moment of opportunity, it seems, for Glenn.
In this rapid game, Koppel's moves seems to be inaccurate.
F five might actually be important for King setting safety dynamic factors and important to sacrifice
a pawn.
This would break up White's attacking potential to sack a pawn and leave perhaps a small edge objectively
for black.
So this is objectively, this is only a rapid game though.
But objectively Black's going to be better for black with such a pawn sac so five is handy to know about
from a theoretical perspective, what with D5, Glenn Flair misses his shot.
He really.
It's a kind of tragedy, actually.
He could have played here.
Well, he played C takes the E5, but F5 seems ever so dangerous.
As example, we've got three ways to take on C4, but if we look at D takes Bishop E for this position,
Queen G four and Black's king looks a bit precarious.
So here for example, F takes E, six, Bishop B seven, and a magnificent knight coming to F five.
This is starting to be a very dangerous looking, attacking position.
And White could even offer a rook here because the e seven France e seven is incoming here.
So yeah, this is just going to be a very vicious position.
For example, like this with best attacking chess, it should crash through basically this simply crashes
through.
That does seem like a terrible thing to potentially happen.
So that was on de takes C four but other moves they don't help either.
Bishop takes C4, Bishop take C4 nine takes white castles and it is a magnificent attacking position.
This this position will play here is overcooked at the expense of king safety.
Yeah, the kingside is perilously weak.
White's just got an advantage.
But the way it's played, all of this becomes nullified.
All the attacking opportunities become nullified after C takes maybe one to just level the pawns.
But yeah, there's magnificent outposts to be won.
Now Bishop takes the free weakens white on those light squares Queen takes DD five adds pressure to
C4 and a knight on C4 is very dominant over such a bishop locked in in the pawn chain.
So this is potential light squared domination alla nimzowitsch in the same style as nimzowitsch.
If f five here there is queen takes g to pedantic li.
F6 this should be even this position.
If we take it a bit further, it's going to be about even.
But won't Castled and now F5 here from Karpov we have E takes F six, nine, six, F six.
So this generally helps King safety in a way.
We have Bishop DD 29c4 so a mighty knight on C four rook 81c5 and white center is being undermined.
Bishop C one That bishop is a kind of prisoner in its own pawn chain.
So lack of harmony and Karpov has a light squared domination here.
C takes D four, C takes D four and a 2 to 1 pawn majority now, which can also be amplified.
So B five, Queen G six, Queen D seven and F five.
Too little, too late.
Queen eight.
The Queen's come off rendering, rendering White's attacking opportunities mostly harmless, especially
if you're a fan of the game of late, you remember mostly harmless.
So anyway, Rook takes E, six, nine and five.
Now 95, you can see that this is a picture of light squared domination with these knights.
Rook have three king 87 and functional as well functionality as well as aesthetics.
Blockading the rd pawn means that black virtually has an extra pass pawn potential whereby it hasn't
because it's been blockaded.
So H three wrote d7g4 This is not really that effective.
This attack a five king of two b4 so the passport is created.
Bishop RD two Rook have seven Bishop C one rook a seven.
So it seems to be changing the mind, the rook.
But these are dangerous possibilities.
We have G five if King G free rook B seven black can get on with the past pawn here.
If white does nothing, this past pawn spells doom for the white position, especially with these pretty
knights, and they're pretty functional as well.
So this is crashing through the past pawn or bishop c1b2 crashing through the past pawn with Rook A-1.
So there's possible nightmare scenarios.
So g five is tried.
H Thanks.
Bishop takes G fine.
Now this is an unprotected piece downside liability and we see a crushing move.
Can you see what comp of plays which essentially ends the game?
It's only a rapid game.
So yeah, White's play has been proven to be kind of unsound.
Yeah.
Knight C three Just poking at the pieces here we see Rook C one and now 94.
Check.
This is picking up the Bishop King's you on Knight takes G five hitting the rook rook G free and now
we're both knights attacked.
Guess what Karpov plays here, which is simple and strong to in effect, safeguard both knights for
ten points.
Yeah.
92.
Yeah.
So this night cannot be taken on G five.
D five is played rook tanks, G five.
There's not a free check at a nine tanks.
G five.
So define is played.
And now rookie 590 39gf3 check winning more material.
This is only a rapid game so yeah, a bit of a slaughter in the end so here Glenn Flair resigned.
So interesting stuff if D six this is not going anywhere be free.
Yeah it's nothing.
So anyway, it's just a rapid game not to be taken too seriously, but it has been kind of taken out
of context this game as though it was a masterpiece we must recognize as positional players the harsh
reality of chess.
We don't want to be attacked trying to do our positional play.
If you look at a lot of classic Nimzowitsch games, Nimzowitsch is King is very, very safe.
And we're talking about long games.
Usually for Nimzowitsch, his king's very, very safe.
This wasn't necessarily the case here.
That's not a good success factor of positional chess to potentially allow strong looking, attacking
opportunities.
So yes, F5 needed to be played, but in the end, because of White's treatment here we do get this
light squared domination effect, which looks great with the Knights in the past pawn potential and
being able to blockade the opponent's pass.
Pawn means we've basically a pawn up in this game on the queenside.
So it was expertly exploited after despite the more quick time control of this rapid game.
So very, very interesting.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Got some key points from it and so much.