Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Anatoly Karpov playing against John Nunn, one of my favorite British grandmasters.
So this is in the 1982 Philips Drew tournament round ten.
So we have E four from Karpov, C five from John 1923e6d4c text e496349569c free 936 and now nine db
5d6 bishop f4e5 Bishop g5a6 93.
This is all well known territory now.
Bishop e six.
Jonathan could have played it as more classical cov with B five, in which case one has two major options.
And it's funny to consider actually the modern engines with neural networks and the best stockfish actually
believes 95 might be slightly better.
This is a funny thing because I thought they were exactly equal.
So.
Bishop e seven This position apparently is slightly better overall, but the other popular line is taking
immediately on F six.
G takes an apparently this position actually with E takes Bishop takes out five is going to be even
more even so that's interesting to consider this this big question here is 95 actually slightly better.
That's interesting if you are Sicilian surprisingly called flair especially.
So anyway.
Bishop e six so this doesn't play B five.
So the problem with not playing B5 is that White does have a strategic manoeuvre available in principle,
something like that or like this sometimes to either to occupy the hole in the position.
So Karpov does actually play C four here.
So this wouldn't have existed as a move if B five had been played.
So rook C eight and now actually we have Bishop takes F six.
And here Queen tax F six if G takes F six.
Although black has the bishop hair.
Let's look at this situation.
White actually dominates with the knight's hair.
I mean, this bishop doesn't look too happy on g seven.
White could give up the other bishop and just occupy D five.
And if we take this a little bit further, just to demonstrate the levels of counterplay here for black,
kind of minimal.
And in fact, White's going to play Knight G four at some point and that will be embarrassing, putting
pressure on F6 And yeah, it just starts to get significantly better for white hair if Bishop takes
G4, Queen St G4.
Yeah, it's just significantly better for white, but otherwise, yeah.
What is the concession that that doesn't want to give up the D5 that this, this taking on D5 leaves
F5 as a gaping hole for 93 to F5.
So anyway Queen thanks f6 was chosen but now yes we've tempo knight Be6 Karpov actually loves getting
things with tempo.
That is great.
It's like minimizing the potential range of possibilities the opponent has to address with tempo.
So a strategic move to occupy D5 and supported with the B sex Knight.
So this one is chosen.
So that leaves both knights altogether more aggressive than the B Knight going.
So there's two aggressive knights now in Black's territory on the fifth and sixth.
So we have Queen de C free, Bishop E seven, Bishop C for Black Castles, cup of castles and Bishop
G five.
Now you could argue, well, there's the bishop without the counterpart, right?
It swings and roundabouts.
You're going to look at the overall elements in the position.
This can be really valuable and it can win a lot of games in the Sicilian, especially later with the
Eiffel.
Sometimes you know there's F2 tactics sometimes.
But here why It does seem to have a dominating position where the accumulation of advantages is less
likely to be interrupted with tactical combinations and counterplay.
And we see A4 compresses down on the queenside to suppress Black's queenside activities even before
they're conceived.
So here b4 and you can see that the knight could be supported with a five soon f5 trying to get some
counterplay.
He takes f, g takes F for Bishop takes D5, so giving up the Bishop power for E for at least have a
bishop, which seems okay on the diagonal we have a five so locking down black's pawns.
Michael Adams would love this and this is the kind of thing Adams does to the opponent's pawns.
And so Karpov as well.
So Bishop G seven, AC one.
And the thing is here, there is actually a plan available to White, so it's an opposite kind of bishop
scenario with White having good control over D5.
And the thing is here, after Bishop takes the five Quincy seven, there's a way of actually opening
up the position to start amplifying pressure, and that is a form of increasing or accumulating advantages,
just ramping up the positional pressure.
And it's interesting, it's very interesting how this is done here.
So Queen seven is played that really can't go into a self pin here.
We just double that.
And in fact, we can just play that or rook take rook queen free and we're just winning a piece or we
can just take her.
And then this is dangerous for black.
Very dangerous.
For example, this would be ending the game of Queen de Force.
It's not.
It's not worth thinking about.
So Queen is seven, Queen E free rook BC, eight C4.
So it looks as though the queenside is kind of frozen black.
Really hasn't got counterplay now on the queenside.
No pawn breaks.
All the pawns have been locked and this gives white a free hand on the kingside.
And the first move taking time to do things delicately here.
What would you play for?
100 points?
If you want to work for the G four pawn break.
How would you do this without any fuss, without any counterplay from the opponent's?
Okay.
The first move is g free.
This just gives G to start off with for a rook.
And g two is used.
So now G four is on the cards.
Queen of six and g four is my use of.
The Queen can enter the possession here.
F takes rook tag four Queen C free.
Now Karpov doesn't mind if the Queen's come off.
He plays actually rook g free and offering b4 So here Queen takes me four is played If Queen takes a
free.
This situation with the weak e4 pawn is not particularly clever why it can play for example like this
and actually get rid of that as a liability on the dark squares to start working to win the E4 pawn
in this scenario.
So say this position so that blocks the protection of E four and let's say E free.
Relying on tactics.
If taking there's a pin and then black could play rook tank C4, but white can play carefully with rook
one, I'll put that on the board for you.
Hold on.
So we're saying if that's if there's to too much eagerness and rock take fall, we can see that's pinned.
So but why it can actually work around here with Rook DD one walk around the trap and then rook takes
EA free in this position is hitting the bishop.
And if Bishop takes B four, then actually this position is now about Black's king.
It's like transferring the advantages.
So now white can play like this going for the king, actually.
And this is a very dominating position.
So as example.
Here.
The fund could play a major role.
You know, blacks really desperate here with a move like this be sex, but let's say big sex have sex.
And this position A takes bishop takes.
We get a story like this which actually because I'm an F seven -- we can actually combine perhaps
against blacks king here so this scenario could end up meeting the king by force as example because
this is an interesting opposite kind of bishop scenario where they attack is quite strong.
The bishop would not dare to leave because h take some rook tanks and imagine this scenario.
We can actually get a force Checkmate here like this or like this King hates, Right?
Jack Rook takes h five.
So there are scenarios essentially.
I just wanted to show you.
There are scenarios where if the Queen's come off, there are difficulties for Black to fold.
It's about E four and then it's about king safety potentially.
So Queen takes B four is played and this starts to be about king safety in the main line of the game.
Now comp of doubles Queen B2.
So remember the rooks on G seven as well.
Rook G five, Queen F six Rook 12g4.
Queen one King G two.
Queen B two King free.
So where is the king going?
The rook goes that e7ce75.
Now, here is actually a critical mistake of the game.
John plays Queen of six.
This is actually a critical mistake.
Apparently, it seems Queen a one leaving the queen around for checks can actually stop White's build
up of pressure in a few circumstances.
So as example, if Rook has five hair, there's Queen F one check and a rook f eight and that pins like
slowing white down.
It's just even.
And if rook g one queen E five if we take this example.
Yeah we don't plan doesn't want to take on a five safety point because of f six and in this this position
has rook G eight and that's mating.
So but let's say Queen E five, rook two, G four, and the Queen goes back to be a nuisance.
Bishop E six.
And there's rookie fights.
And this should be a position which is even if we look at this, if one plays, for example, rookies
five trying to build up something, then Queen F one check and this ruins everything.
Bishop E five check.
It's actually completely ruined for white because now there's Queen de Fray getting the queen's off
with a big passport, which is actually winning.
So that's an example where, yeah, black does have resources, it seems essentially if Queen one had
been played rather than going for this, rather than going back with.
Queen of six.
So, yeah, staying around a little bit more, a little bit more for checking the king with Queen one
does seem to be very interesting here.
Very, very interesting as a way of holding the fort.
It's difficult.
It's difficult stuff.
But with Queen of six, it's remarkable what happens.
Rook five.
So here, if the queen had been on a one, there'd be checks, which would be annoying.
So Rook finds Rook gh4, and this kind of creates a weakness by four.
So g six and combo plays Rook G four.
He wants to enter that weakness.
We have rookie five and now very, very careful move indeed.
What would you play in this position?
Okay.
Very careful.
Consider the move.
Rook g g for g five, g2g5.
Preventing any naughty tactics.
If rook g six there is a naughty tactic Queen tax g six is winning two Rooks.
Ouch.
And then it's just ruined.
It's just completely and utterly ruined.
This position blank is going to be banner so Rook gg5.
Easy does it.
Small steps.
King G four.
This is a really remarkable move.
This is absolutely remarkable.
The king supporting F5, which means now it's preventing these tactics.
So Rook g six without any queen tax.
G six Beautiful move.
King G four So just to recap here, if well, just to analyze here this position with Queen six, G
six and Rook takes H five check leads to a situation which again you know is is only good for black
really black's black's doing really well here as example these scenarios are good for black.
So King G for we have King H seven and now Rook G six, Queen eight.
And now there's another way of amplifying the pressure, really, on Black's position.
Can you say it?
Ten points.
Really amazing stuff.
Okay.
Oh, just just to say, by the way, instead of Queen Fe, if Rook takes F five, trying to undermine
the G sex rock and stuff just plays here won't just plays, can you say.
Yeah, just actually plays queen sex h sex, for example.
That's mating.
Yeah, that's absolutely crushing.
Okay, so all Rook takes age six.
This this one.
The bishop is controlling the G eight square.
So Queen F eight holding H six.
But now Queen G five comes in.
So the idea now is to be able to play Queen G six.
Sometimes we have Queen takes F five check.
This is a losing.
There's nothing really to do if rook c eight rook g takes h six and we crash through with Queen six,
rook takes.
We're going to win the Queen and it's checkmate as well.
If if we just it's again going to be a mating.
So Queen takes F five check.
But now Queen takes her five, Rook takes her five.
And guess what we play here.
Yeah, that takes Rook takes G seven.
We don't want to let the G six rook go or allow King takes her five rook f eight check is essentially
naughty to win G six.
So, yes, you know, this way.
There's this, this way, there's this, you know, trying to win sex.
But the thing is, why inserts how rock takes G seven check to be a bishop up.
So that bypasses the trickiness.
So yes comp I've really navigated his way round to really ramp up the pressure on the King side with
the opposite kind of bishop scenario.
It was very impressive how Karen attention was taken small step by step, ramping up of the pressure.
It's amazing to see this game where John Nunn's counterplay was kind of minimized.
It's usually a ferocious tactician attacking player, but he was kind of tamed here under the kind of
Carpathian grip, which was increased increase to amplify the pressure.
In the end.
I a wonderful game example.
I hope you enjoyed it and got some instructive points.
Okay.
And so much.