---
title: AlphaZero SHATTERS Chess Norms: EPIC Pawn Installations and amazing Piece sac
description: An amazing pawn formation is installed in this game which is worth an entire piece sacrifice
image: https://image.lichess1.org/display?fmt=png&h=550&op=thumbnail&path=kingscrusher-youtube:ublog:jjOxTbzO:L4vscBaZ.png&w=880&sig=0a33064c255369092e9579434245d584f03a452b
---

Hi all

This is one of my favorite games from the 2017 Alphazero vs Stockfish 7 match. It shows clearly an amazing pawn installation that claws into key dark squares of the black position and rocks the foundation of the french defence which does invite a bad light square bishop that can't really help contest dark squares quite often and is sometimes just useless like this game shows.

### It starts off with 1.d4 but transposes into a French defence:

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#3

### The Steinitz variation

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#9

### A central tension release - is this a "principle" being violated instead of the more common Nc6?

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#12

### Which way to capture here?

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#30

### Kxd2 of course - the King needs to go to e3 :)

### 

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#31

### 

### The King is a strong piece as Steinitz used to say:

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#33

### An amazing part of the game - White to play - what would you play here?

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#58

### Bxg6 !! UNBELIEVABLE - it is what is behind this that is incredible

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#59

### Bxg5

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#60

### Qxg5

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#61

### fxg6

And what on earth is White's point here?

### The f5 pawn break!

### 

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#63

### And here an "installation" comes:

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#64

### Qh6

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#65

### Qf7

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#66

### And now installing a pawn on f6

Look at those pawn "claws" of the installation

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#67

### Kd2

### 

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#69

## Final position

https://lichess.org/study/2H6NXKYn/fmbn2yKo#103

## Video annotation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV3-4Vmd63c

## **Key takeaway points**

* I don't see how to appreciate many of the Alphazero games without the concept of "Accumulation of Installations".I think the way it has trained with self-learning is to do more of what works and less of what doesn't. Those things that "work" are often visual installations
* This is a very emphatic example of an aggressive pawn installation worth a piece sacrifice
* The Black King in the center really helped justify the piece sacrifice - the dark squares so vulnerable and the French defense light square bishop of no help in key variations

***

Want to go further? Explore all my online chess courses at [https://www.chessworld.net/online-chess-courses.asp](https://www.chessworld.net/online-chess-courses.asp) – learn openings, tactics, strategy, and more.

Cheers, K