Game 41. Dr. Lasker—Amos Burn, Petrograd, 1909. A most complicated game in the strategical sense. Lasker manœuvres on one wing and breaks through on the other. The why and the wherefore of this procedure will be found explained in the notes.

1. 12…O-O Black ought to have tried to force White to declare his intentions in the centre; therefore 12. ... BP x P; 13. P x P, B-Kt5.
2. 13.Ne3 Intending to invade the centre with Kt-Q5.
3. 14.Nxg4 The reply to 14. Kt-Q5 would have been 14. ... QR2; 15. Kt x B, Kt x Kt! With the text move Lasker plays for the advantage of the two B's.
4. 21…Rfe8 Black has consistently kept his end in view, that is to prepare for P-Q4; so now Lasker finds himself forced to play P-Q5 thus blocking his own B. The game now enters a new stage.
5. 23…Qd8 Instead of this he should have played P-QB5 followed by Kt-B4. The Kt would then have been well posted and, more important, would have a preventive effect, for White was preparing for P-KB4 inter alia.
6. 27…Nh7 Black's KKt4 seems now strongly fortified.
7. 30.Ne1 If Kt-R4, Black would simply exchange (B x Kt, R x B), and the game would then take on a somewhat rigid aspect. Lasker, therefore, wisely avoids Kt-R4 and seeks to preserve whatever latent dynamic force, there is in the position, little though this be.
8. 34.Rf2 White intends to play Kt-K3 and wishes to hold the move P-KB4 in readiness should Black play B-Kt4 (Lasker).
9. 41.Qf3 Lasker has succeeded in carrying out P-KB4 under circumstances favourable to himself; but there was no direct advantage to be got by the move. However, Black's pieces which have to keep on the look-out against the threat of an invasion by Kt-B5, are less well posted in case of an attack on the Q's wing. And so we may say that Lasker has laid the K's wing under siege in order to bring the enemy pieces out of contact with their own Q's wing, and will now roll up this (left) wing and thus score a double advantage; definite weaknesses are to be created, and in addition his B's are to get room for manœuvring; for instance, by P-QB4, P-Kt5; B-B2 followed by Q-Q1 and B-QR4.
10. 43…Qxb5 The decisive error. The right course, as Lasker pointed out in the book of the Congress, was 43. ... B x Kt; 44. B x B, Q x KtP followed by P-R5 and R-QR1, and Black's game is tenable.
11. 45…f6 The KtB5 can no longer be driven away by, say, Kt-K2. Black has now evident weaknesses on both wings and Lasker exploits them without any particular trouble.
12. 52.Bc6 Threatening P-QKt4.
13. 52…Ne7 At last he manages to oust the intruder at his KB4, but meanwhile White is grown too strong on the Q's wing.
14. 54…exf4 Desperation. There followed: 55. P x P, P-KB4; 56. P-K5, Kt-B3; 57. R x BP, Kt-Kt5; 58. R x B, Q x Q; 59. R x Q, P x R; 60. P-Q6, R-QR2; 61. P-K6, R-R3; 62. P-K7, Kt-B3; 63. P-Q7, Kt x P; 64. B x Kt, Resigns. This fine game is instructive as illustrating, inter alia, the struggle of united Bishops for open country in which to manœuvre.