Chapter Four Ideas and Technique in Combinations with the "Smothered King". The concept of motives and the mes can probably be related to theoretical concepts. Undoubtedly quite a lot of creative accent falls on them, but all the same no more than an accent. Meanwhile the aesthetic - this essentially is the sum of artistic creative forms , im presses itself upon the thoughts and feelings of man. It is clear that in combinations, which appear as one of the basic sources of artistic c reation in chess, apart from mot ives and themes there exists a further kind of element , contain ing exactly that creative oas;� whe re harmony of operation is per fected and its dynamic and in tended, of course, concrete me thod takes shape, which conveys thoughts from an approximate landmark - a motive, to a clearly outlined objective - a theme. The method which helps us to seek a basic motive and achieve a theme represents a concrete intention, in other words an idea. Idea ! This is what, consequently, is the main product of creative imagination in the thoughts of man. This is where a storehouse of aesthetic values is concealed and humdrum, accrued small advantages become trans formed into a dashing comb ina-
tional process , allowing an artistic path for all the pangs and doubts of an artist. The next diagram position was reached on the 2 7th move of an exhibition game, Bemstein.. Capablanca ( Moscow, J anuary 1914).
White's position i s unsatisfac tory. His knight is under attack and if it retreats to a3 or d4 , Black consol idates his passed far advanced pawn by . . . Rdc8 (with the threat . . . N b4 ) , and White cannot hold on for long under the very strong pressure. It is natural that White does not see any other way out apart from taking the dangerous pawn, the more so that i t is attacked by him three times and defended only twice by Black p ieces. Moreover, into his thoughts 17
