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This is a game that I saw a long time ago, I don't remember where I saw it or who showed it to me. (This game might have been in a Hannak's book of Lasker's games, or it may have been in a book by Reinfeld about great chess games of the Masters.)
I
have been working on many games of Lasker's
... ... ... since about 1995 ... and therein lies several stories.
(Covered elsewhere.)
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One of Lasker's VERY best games!!
This
game is from the Super-Master tournament of London, 1899.
(Virtually ALL the best players were there. Each player played the
other players TWO games, one with White and one with Black.)
Lasker dominated one of the strongest fields ever assembled.
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Lee was one of the stronger players
of his day.
(Possibly in the world's
'Top 20-25 players? {The ratings
- here - are
approximations.})
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(The game starts as a Ruy Lopez.)
1.e4 e5; 2.Nf3 Nc6;
3.Bb5 a6; 4.Ba4 Nf6; 5.d3, {Diagram?}
A very slow system that was MUCH
in use in the games of that day.
(See any database.).
Basically this was a 'book' line of
that time, but can be found (only
occasionally)
in GM games today.
Another odd fact is Lasker can be
found on EITHER side of this position,
i.e., he
played it from White and
with the Black pieces as well.
(See any database, the book of
Lasker's games by Ken Whyld,
or the book:
"500 Master Games
Of Chess," by Savielly Tartakower
and J. Du Mont.)
[ The main line today is:
5.0-0 Be7; 6.Re1 b5; 7.Bb3 d6;
8.c3 0-0;
9.h3,
"+/=" {Diagram?}
White will follow up with d2-d4,
with a solid advantage.
(This has probably been played
... in
an almost countless number
of master-level games!!
---> See any on-line database.)
Consult MCO-14, or any good book on the Ruy Lopez. ]
Both sides continue to develop
normally. White's development
is OK, but he does
not find the
best squares for his pieces, and his
move order leaves something to
be
desired as well. Meanwhile
Lasker's play is nearly perfect ...
and VERY MODERN in its ideas!!
5...d6; 6.c3 b5!; 7.Bc2!? g6!; {Diagram?}
Very creative play by Lasker ... at a time when a fianchetto still
caused people to guffaw
and
masters to raise their eyebrows.
8.a4!? Bb7!; 9.Nbd2 Bg7;
10.Nf1!?, {Diagram?}
Maybe White should have simply
castled instead of these prolonged
and
probably excessive maneuvers.
(This is a normal maneuver in the
Ruy Lopez. Lee wants to do it now, so he
won't have to move his Rook out of the way - which is what he would have
to do if he castled first.)
[ >/= 10.0-0, "=" ]
Now Lasker takes advantage of
his opponent's slow play by
immediately
striking at the center.
10...d5!; 11.Qe2 0-0; 12.Ng3!? Qd6!; 13.0-0 Rfe8,
"=" {Diagram?}
Black has pretty much already
equalized.
***
Now Black begins a series of
moves and maneuvers designed
to dominate
White on the Q-side.
14.h3 Na5!; 15.Bd2!? c5!;
16.Rfd1!?, {Diagram?}
White plays as if he can take his
time. This might be OK against
normal humans, but against a
player of Lasker's caliber ...
[ Maybe 16.c4!? ]
16...Qc7!; 17.Qe1!?,
{Diagram?}
White has a battery against the
a5 Knight, (and threats of a
'sneaky' discovery);
but Lasker
finds the correct antidote.
[ Better is: >/=
17.Qf1!?, "=" {Diagram?}
according to Reinfeld. ]
17...c4!;
18.d4!?, {Diagram?}
White explodes the center, and
even has a plan to deny Black the
use of the
primary defender of
his dark squares.
But it does not turn out well for
him, and to be honest, almost any
(other) move
would have been
better than what White plays here.
[ >/= 18.axb5 axb5; 19.Bg5!?, "~" ]
Black now wins a nearly meaningless
Pawn, and White has a fair amount
of compensation.
18...Nxe4!; 19.Nxe4 dxe4!?;
{Diagram?}
Good enough for a solid advantage.
[ Maybe >/= 19...exd4!?; ('!')
{Diagram?}
was a slight improvement? (This is NOT 100% certain.)
]
20.Nxe5 Bxe5!;
{Diagram?}
Black loses his dark-squared Bishop,
but has all the bases covered.
(Black is also a pawn up, but his
position is somewhat disorganized.)
[ 20...f6!? ]
21.dxe5 Qxe5; 22.Be3,
{Diagram?}
It doesn't take a lot of imagination
to visualize the following plan for
White: Qd2, followed by Bd4 and Qh6;
and Black faces a mate threat on g7.
(But Lasker keeps Lee busy enough
so that he never has an opportunity
to execute this idea.)
[ Maybe 22.axb5!? ]
Black continues by fixing the
Queenside Pawns and slowly
increases his edge.
22...Nc6; 23.b3!? Na5!; 24.b4 Nc6; 25.Rd7!? Re7; "=/+"
{Diagram?}
Black already has a small advantage.
26.Rdd1!? Rd8; 27.Rxd8+ Nxd8;
28.axb5 axb5; 29.Qd2 Ne6!; {Diagram?}
Black begins to transfer his pieces
to the King-side, but this is seemingly
inconsistent with his strategy on the
Queen-side.
Lasker's maneuvers are highly
instructive. The World Champion
is creating a
positional masterpiece.
***********
White seems frustrated now and
lashes out on the K-side, but he
only creates
more opportunities
for the great Lasker.
30.h4!?, (Maybe - '?!') {Diagram?}
Perhaps thinking to soften Black
up on the King-side?
[ >/= 30.Ra7 ]
Black continues to increase his
edge, and also seizes the d-file.
30...Bc6; 31.Ra6 Rd7; 32.Qe1 Bb7; 33.Ra5 f5!; {Diagram?}
Having dominated the play on
the Queen-side, Lasker now
turns
his attention to the other
side of the board.
*****
(One
newspaper column now wrote that White's next move was forced.)
34.g3?!, (Maybe - '?') {Diagram?}
This only serves to further weaken
White's King-side.
[ Better was: >/=
34.Bc1, {Diagram?} (play
this and pray?)
but this type of passive defense
probably did not appeal to Lee. ]
Black now focuses on the newly
created weaknesses to force a 'tear' ...
in the pawn cover in front
of the White King.
34...f4!; 35.gxf4 Nxf4;
36.Bd4!?, {Diagram?}
Is White still thinking he can
attack from this position?
[ White probably had to play: 36.Bxf4
Qxf4; 37.Qe3, {Diagram?}
but this would be like admitting
defeat. ]
36...Qf5; 37.Qe3!?,
{See the diagram just below.}
Understandably, Lee wishes to
activate his Queen.
(But Bd1 was probably forced.)
[ >/= 37.Bd1[] ]
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(The position in the game ... just after White plays 37.Qe3.)
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The position is Black to play,
what is the winning move for
Lasker here?
37...Rxd4!!;
(Maybe - '!!!') {Diagram?}
One of the most brilliant moves
in all of Lasker's career. Black
has calculated
over 10 moves
ahead from this position!
[ Tarrasch
pointed out a 'quicker'
win that began with: 37...Qg4+!;
{Diag?}
but it is not as nearly forcing
or brilliant or as artistic as the
continuation found by Lasker.
NOTE:
May 17th, 2015: I just checked it with the very strong chess engine,
Deep Fritz 14. There is {now}
no doubt that 37...Qg4+!! wins as well ...
and is probably as good - or
even better - than the continuation of the
actual game. (Have fun working
it out on your own!) ]
38.cxd4 Qg4+; 39.Kf1 Qg2+;
40.Ke1 Qg1+; 41.Kd2 c3+!; {Diagram?}
This had to have been foreseen
by Lasker when he played his
sacrifice on d4.
[ The move:
41...Ng2!?, {Diagram?}
will probably transpose to the
winning method found by Tarrasch.
]
42.Qxc3[],
{Diagram?}
Not much choice here for White.
[ </=
42.Kxc3??, Nd5+;
("-/+") {Diagram?}
White has allowed his King and Queen
to fall for a Knight fork. ]
42...Qxf2+; 43.Kd1 e3;
{Diagram?}
With just a few threats!
44.Bb3+,
{Diagram?}
Practically the only move for White,
who may have been counting
on
this move to save his skin.
[ 44.Ra7? Qf1+!; ("-/+") ]
Now Black MIGHT be able to
win by blocking the check on the
d5-square. But Lasker
has something
supremely better in mind! (Notice the hiding place he finds.)
44...Kg7!; 45.d5+ Kh6!; 46.Qe1!? Bc8!!; ("-
/ +") {Diagram?}
A brilliant quiet move ... there is
NO defense, so White RESIGNS!
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A truly rare and fantastic contest.
A SUPER-brilliancy! And Lasker's
very high-class positional play -
which led directly to
the finish -
is also to be noted and praised.
(It seems Lasker was determined to
win on the Q-side, but then he very
suddenly
switched fronts. He also capped off an incredible positional game with a
very
great and memorable combination.)
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Copyright (c) A.J. Goldsby I. Copyright (c) A.J.G; 2003.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY:
I have
seen this game in many books and magazines. For instance, I have many
collections of Lasker's games, including the ones by Barden, Hannak, Reinfeld,
etc.
Also - several
(many) of my {former} Internet students did research and sent me
material as concerns this game. (And the London tournament of 1899.)
But the following sources were my chief sources of information for annotating this game:
# 1.)
"The {complete} Collected Games of Emanuel
Lasker," by Ken Whyld.
Copyright (©)
1998, by the author. ISBN: # 1-901034-02-X
Published by 'The Chess Player.'
# 2.)
"Lasker's Greatest Chess Games, 1889 -
1914." (Dover reprint.)
By Fred
Reinfeld and Dr./GM Reuben Fine.
Copyright ©
1935, 1963 by the authors. Published by Dover/G.P.C. Canada.
# 3.)
"EMANUEL LASKER, The Life of a Chess
Master," by
Dr. J. Hannak.
Copyright (©) by the author, 1952, & 1959. (1991?)
Published by Dover Books of NY. (Reprint.) ISBN: # 0-486-26706-7
{My
old/last copy of this book fell apart after years of use/overuse.
So in May of 2003, I ordered a new copy on the Internet.}
# 4.)
The great book: "500 Master Games Of Chess."
(Dover reprint.)
By GM
(and Dr.) Savielly Tartakower and James Du Mont.
Copyright © 1952,
by the authors. (Repeated in 1975.)
Published by G.P.C.
Ltd; Toronto, Ontario. (Canada)
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This page was first posted: Friday; January 31st, 2003. This page was last updated on 05/17/15 .
Copyright (c) A.J. Goldsby, 1975 - 2014.
Copyright (©) A.J. Goldsby, 2015. All rights reserved.
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