Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Anatoly Karpov playing against Andrew Mestel.
So British Grandmaster in the 1982, Philip Andrew Thomas, Round 5e4 from Karpov Mestel chooses, as
I say, in the fence and goes into the dragon variation.
So we see nine times 6c3g6 Karpov plays Bishop E three when Bishop G seven Free Black cancels Queen
RD to 96 and now G four.
Knight takes the four, Bishop take the four.
We have Bishop E six and now 95 from Karpov.
So we have Bishop takes D five.
Yeah.
If Knight takes the five hair e tanks then.
Black is not winning material or anything and faces the exchange of the dark square Bishop.
So Bishop takes tries to preserve for a moment longer the G seven Bishop.
We see rooks.
He ain't H four.
Quincy seven and Rook H two protecting c2e5.
We have details.
e6f to E six.
This borrows slightly from the King side.
King safety we see h five.
So it seems like kind of attacking play at the moment.
Queen C Sex is actually a mistake here.
So it looks as though Frey looks kind of weak.
Defiant though would have been better.
So, for example, H takes, H takes.
And if White Castle's queenside black actually has a tactic here in the form of.
Can you guess at night six G for using that same F file if F takes Bishop takes D for.
And the queen can't really take on the foreigner because of age, too.
So this position is about even that would have been the best course of action, it seems.
D five.
Yeah.
So there's some interesting tactical ideas here.
Okay, so.
Yup.
Some tactics.
So D five would have been the best.
We have Queen C sex.
And it's interesting.
A positional player like Karpov.
You might not expect the next move.
Why don't you think Karpov played here?
So one has to be acutely aware of tempo gaining resources.
Otherwise, one is not going to be an effective positional player.
Basically, if you're if you're lacking tempo, gaining support, it's an interesting example of a fairly
sharp position of positional players in a fairly sharp position.
Guess what Karpov plays and why?
For 100 points.
Okay.
It is castles offering a free and that's taken.
This might not be the best course at all.
Queen de five would have been better.
So, for example, this possession, if Queen de Fray Queen takes a to this position is going to be
to y its favor.
So here, for example, is in White's favor.
And you might ask, what is all that about?
If King B won, there's 90 6g4 here.
And actually there's an interesting tactic in queen takes the for trying to exploit the pressure on
the F file so looking at the the bishop on F one so this position is even if we look at this again.
Yeah, we just can't take that because it takes F one.
So yes, that's, that's an interesting option.
But the best would be.
Yeah.
It seems h tanks in Queen defray just looking at the G6 pawn.
Black has borrowed from king safety that king safety sure being compromised if e five hare Bishop C
free.
This is also going to be in its favor.
So yes, it's not a great position.
But Queen takes her free, goes into H, takes G.
And now Black could play a forcing move instead of what was played.
H takes this forcing move.
We can play g tanks.
H seven Bishop takes g seven check.
And yeah, we've although we've closed up our H file attack here, this is still going to be much better
for whites.
For example, here we can start getting things together with the g h pawns.
This is just a fictional continuation.
You can see that the pawns are looking formidable.
So this is going to evolve into a huge advantage if 94 was played.
But H takes was played Bishop G too.
And yeah, this is looking.
Fairly unpleasant.
94 was played, so you might ask why.
But also there is the option of Queen G Fray in this case.
White can play Bishop takes B seven rook g to holds the g pawn g five.
And if we get this scenario, why it's going to be significantly better.
Yeah, there's pressure on the G file.
There's enough compensation here for wanting to be better oval and there's pressure on the D file.
It's pretty dangerous for black.
So Queen G free is actually interesting, but Queen takes G four is also it's funny here that Queen
G four there's actually Bishop H three an important tempo game with Bishop H three.
And the thing is, the queen can be driven away.
The queen doesn't want to do five.
We can take on a six.
And here we're going to take on E six and have a crushing attack.
So in this possession we can play ten points.
What would you play?
Yeah, we can just rip open the king.
Actually, here with Rook takes H five check G takes Queen D, free check, open up the King.
And it's a pretty decisive attack.
This position is pretty much meeting.
For example, like this is going to be mating or sex just delays.
So yes, it's very interesting that Queen h G for Bishop H free is so well calculated by Karpov Hare.
Very dangerous position indeed.
So 94 is tried.
We have Bishop takes her free knight, takes the two, and our bishop takes B seven.
Yeah.
If White just plays Rook taking D2, then Rook takes that phrase.
Just even so, Bishop takes B7.
And now.
Bishop takes.
The fall is played.
Yeah, this is an absolutely fascinating position.
So in this tense position, Bishop 24 was played if C seven you might ask why it can just take on G
seven and then we can play Rook hd2 and play rook d six with advantage here where pawn up Black's pawns
are pretty much fragmented.
So Bishop takes DD four was tried, but now you know this is offering an exchange and it's taken Bishop
St see eight.
There's a slight issue here of the rook.
Take eight.
What would you play in this possession for?
A big advantage.
Yeah, we can actually play.
King takes DD too.
If Rook any rook takes on DD too.
Then there's Bishop EA free and that is only going to be a small edge for whines.
So combo goes the exchange up with King Tasty too.
After Bishop takes B one, we see basically the technique.
We have Bishop C for each King D frame.
So it's only one point for the exchange.
Here, Rook, after we see rooks free check King d2 rook C seven and now G five dd five.
Rugby eight.
Check King G seven.
And now getting behind the E six.
Pawn Rookie six.
We have now bishops free checking the one.
Bishop deform rook Geoffrey Rook have seven and doesn't mind taking on f seven He plays rook c eight
here e five King E two.
Bishop be six.
And now I move to restrict the king Rook C six is played restricting the king.
Yeah.
This is looking bad now, Bishop.
And now, Rook RD Sex not minding.
Swapping G five for five.
But Mr. Plays, Bishop six.
We have a for Bishop G one, a five, Bishop dd four and now King dd three.
Here it is, just the exchange down, basically.
And it's making good progress.
Black actually resigned here.
The king's closer to the center soon would just take on D five and play King E for.
So it's not a particularly pleasant situation emerging.
So, say, Bishop, do you want take on the five and we can hold the rook and then put pressure on E
five?
It's just going to be an easy win the exchange up.
So yes, final possession here with King D free.
An interesting tactical skirmish in the Sicilian Dragon.
It shows compost tactics are absolutely amazing and one has to be very, very careful tactically against
a positional player of karpov's might.
So I hope you enjoyed this one.
Thanks very much.