Emanuel Lasker, The International Chess Congress, St. Petersburg, 1909 (1910)
Game 29 of 175
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Site
St Petersburg
Date
1909.02.18
Round
3
White
Freiman, Sergey Nikolaevich
Black
Speijer, Abraham
Result
1/2-1/2
- 5.c4 An attempt at holding the Pawn would not succeed; e.g. 5) P - K 3, P - K 3; 6) Q - Q 4, Kt - K 5; 7) P - Q Kt 4, B - K 2 and White would be in difficulties.
- 7…Nbd7 7) .... Q - Kt 3 would fail on account of 8) P - K 3, and 7) .... P - Q 5 on account of 8) Kt - K 4.
- 9.e3 If 9) Kt x P, Kt - K 5; 10) B - K 3, or 9) B x P ch; 10) K x B, Kt - K 5 ch; 11) K - K sq, Kt x B; 12) B x Kt, Q x B; 13) Kt - B 7 ch, K - K 2; 14) Kt x R and White would gain a material advantage without any risk.
- 13…Qe7 White has won a Pawn even now, but Black's Bishops have many open lines.
- 19…Rd8 Black ought to avoid exchanges as much as possible. Hence 19) .... R - K sq would have been far better.
- 20…f5 Intended to prevent Kt - K 4, but he exposes himself still more by weakening his K Kt 4; R - K sq was still necessary.
- 29.Na4 A gross blunder. He ought to have played 29) K - B sq. He would then have commanded the Centre with his Queen, and might have, later on, entered into the hostile camp with the King via K 2, Q 3, B 4 and Kt 5.
- 30.Kf1 If 30) P x B, Q x P ch; 31) K - B sq, Q - B 5 ch, would win the Piece back. The draw is now determined.