Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Anatoly Karpov playing against Joel Attia.
This is in 1995, the Dortmund Sparkasse and tournament around nine D4 from Karpov we have D five from
Nausea,
c4c69c3956369239
BD seven.
This is a very solid looking opening choice by black semi Slav defense.
We have Bishop E two Black castles, white castles, Rookie eight Rook D one Queen e7h3h6a3.
So this is a favorite treatment of Karpov letting Black play 4e5 potentially.
We have D take C four Black doesn't want to play E five immediately.
That would weaken the d pawn.
So we have the on being dissolved first before this e five now knight H four we have knight F eight
and here D tanks E five Bishop takes E five, Bishop D two, Bishop C seven and now 9 to 5.
We have Queen E five looking at H two and comp of defense that with Knight g31 other way if four are
knights just hanging black and just play queen takes F five.
So Knight G three we have Bishop E six here.
You might think, Hold on.
Hasn't Black got an interesting knight?
Five Sure.
Okay, but one can play like f one just to be solid here.
And for example, at five Queen Bee free, this is about even.
It is possible to play that.
So, Bishop e six, Bishop D Free Rook 80 89ce to Bishop be six and they'll be four.
So this gives the idea that White might be interested in trying to inflict structural damage with the
so called minority attack, minority of pawns, attacking majority of pawns over here trying to cause
structural damage.
For example, if White can leave a backward pawn on c six that be interesting or isolate this guy.
So try to cause structural damage 9g6 And you might ask, well, so what about structural damage?
So sometimes pieces are strains when they have to defend pawn structure.
So it's like having a stored advantage that the opponent's pieces are slightly worse, slightly overworked
sometimes.
So we have a4a6 bishops C free queen, G five, and now Bishop D for trying to trade off potentially
dangerous.
Bishop Black obliges nine times for Bishop D five and here perhaps concerned about the tactics a little
bit cop of place what seems to be a natural move E for trying to get rid of this pressure on G two it
turns out here can you see another move which is more tactical in nature, which might actually be worth
trying here?
Can you see?
Yeah, there's a tactical move, 95, which has a threat of effort to try and win material.
So as example, if we take 5f4, then black could sacrifice a piece, of course.
And maybe it looks initially this could be unclear, which is not really karpov's cup of tea, but it
does seem as though it can consolidate like this as example with advantage.
So maybe it was worth trying that move.
95.
But okay, Karpov is human.
Maybe he saw it, maybe he didn't.
But E4 is a bit of an inaccuracy.
Then we could say Bishop E6 came on Knight three, Queen F4 and now Minority Attack.
So we get to see Minority Attack theme though the way it's played 88 times 95 nine takes E five Queen
takes.
It's important to be aware of be aware of the tactics here, acutely aware.
We need to look at the downsides of our own position.
So B takes B takes what you will not not want to do here.
And why for ten points, what do you want to play?
So it seems as though we've dissolved our queenside pawns to give black this backward pawn.
But we shouldn't rush to take it.
If we take it, we create a downside here.
Can you see what that is?
Yeah, but ten points.
What is black play and the fruits of our positional play?
Our disaster.
Rook takes the free.
Yeah.
If rook takes thievery, there's a weakness of the last move.
Neglecting a one.
And tactics are important in chess.
We lose here.
So Rook AC one gently does it.
Rook dd six Queen C4 897 Bishop e2 Rook Tanks dd one check.
So the bishop has to take here.
Otherwise, the queen drops off, the Queen's come off.
So in this position, is it such a big deal with this backward pawn?
There's a bit of strain on a piece.
The Rook f6 92.
There is a potential pass pull now here with the two, two, one.
We have C five and in fact this allows 94 exploiting the pen and hitting the bishop.
Bishop F seven and now another pin.
So it's exploited Bishop G for we have rookie eights.
And now might be five is polite.
So now D seven really has to be addressed.
If it had taken on d7c text E for free, there is rook d eight.
Note Black also has to be careful about their downsides.
If rook takes E four.
That would be disaster for black.
Can you see how tactics rook eight.
Check King eight seven.
Bishop at five Check.
Winning the exchange and winning the game.
Basically the skew skewers the pawn and the bishop.
There's no hope here for playing with best play.
So might be five.
This turns out to be quite a critical moment of the game.
Black is under strain.
Trying to defend C five and plays 96 here.
It seems as though a fight had to be played.
Why directly play 96 here to hit the rook and defend.
Efforts to keep the attack.
So yes, this is delayed gratification for that structural issue.
If rook the eight knights b seven and let's say E two, we can take on C five with a small edge to work
with.
Now, let's say Black had played rookie seven.
Okay.
So in this position we're saying, look, e seven the funny thing is about this, although it seems
that yeah, we can try and cash out with Bishop takes D seven.
Sure, but there's actually a more delicate way of playing this position based on the strain of the
D seven Knights.
It's having to be defended by the rook.
So strain causes strain and it's like we can undermine the pieces here.
With 96, we can actually fraternite c a and you can see that if the rook moves, we're going to take
on D seven.
So what black do here, let's say Bishop Essex then?
Actually, funny enough, in this position we can increase the strain even more with Bishop H five.
Very delicate micro downsides of these pieces.
So this knight's strained, protecting this and the rooks kind of confines protecting the knight.
And actually we're threatening 98 here to win the rook.
So say Knight, then this is definitely losing to a loss of material.
Just rook take C five.
But if black plays something else, King H seven, then 98.
And we're kind of checkmate in the rook.
So it's a funny state of affairs now, even with Best play instead of Knight B six point.
If a black's pieces kind of get tangled up and confused and overworked and there are delicate little
kind of micro piece downsides to try and win material based on their awkwardness.
So, yes, this is just leading to a really awkward position in some cases.
If it's not that case, it's rookie seventh, It's just awkward.
The Rooks protecting the knight, the knight's protecting the pawn.
And apart from the right hitting E4, we're kind of addressing that with 96.
So yes, we're actually threatening 98 now.
It's an undermining attack on the pieces and the pawn, the whole the whole lot is under fire here.
It shows the level of discomfort that's possible, all based on minority text.
So we can say that the minority attack, even in the best case scenario for black, is successful.
It's led to peace, confusion and vulnerabilities.
But with Knight B six, Yeah.
Karpov now plays like RD Sex.
And this is now tricky.
Very, very tricky.
So black plays 94.
If Rook is seven, we can just take on C five Hare.
No problem.
If rook D eight, we can just take on F seven.
No problem then 25 So a four hitting white's rook rook a free rook.
Another past pawn is created.
Now this is more than just straining the pieces slightly, you know, to threaten to get a queen.
Paul spawns sometimes very, very dangerous.
And that's the case here we have Bishop D five.
If F takes E five, F takes this position.
Rook D three.
Bishop C six.
E six.
And you can see that actually the passport is so dangerous here.
C three The rook can get behind the black's past pawn.
And for example, Knight 68 wins material.
If we go back here, Black's really on the string with this past pawn.
And if Bishop D five, Rook c seven this position, we're going to end up playing E seven.
And here.
Let's say Bishop e four group.
We ain't h four and blacks really tied up in knots and is in a kind of near zugzwang if a for releasing
the seventh be able to be used.
We'd use that for rook the eight so we can see how the dangerous passed pawn in action just winning
here in that variation.
But Bishop D five but in this case just E six.
Yeah, that was the stubborn variation here.
Just e six and it looks as though this is terminal E seven resigned actually, and moved 44 If King
of Fe one has rookie free to renew E seven check.
And what does black do this?
It's a very difficult position given that there's 95 F king E seven.
So if black has to give up a piece that's pretty hopeless.
This is just hopeless at five skills, everything.
And if we look again, if rook a seven, then actually knight C eight and if rook be seven, we can
play E seven check here and here we have 96 is checkmate.
So yes, the past pawn in the end was the really decisive factor, not the structural damage, although
that was a distraction for Black having that pressure.
So, yes, a very interesting game from a positional perspective, at least showing how structural damage
can create responsibilities for the opponent's pieces, but also can lead to things like very dangerous
pass pawns.
So I hope you enjoyed this one.
And so much.