Emanuel Lasker, The International Chess Congress, St. Petersburg, 1909 (1910)
Game 137 of 175
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Site
St Petersburg
Date
1909.03.07
Round
15
White
Black
Result
1/2-1/2
- 5…Nbd7 A good continuation at this point is 5) .... O—O; followed soon by Kt—K5, Kt×Kt, and P—QB4.
- 7.c5 The sound move was 7) R—QBsq, for after 7) .... P×P; 8) B×P, P—QKt4; 9) B—Q3, B—Kt2; 10) Q—K2 White would soon push his King’s Pawn and all his pieces would be well developed. As Rubinstein eschews this variation, he seems to have been under the impression that Black had already been guilty of a mistake, which he felt it his duty to take advantage of by a constraining movement.
- 8.Bxe7 But this is inconsistent. If he meant to cramp Black’s game, he ought to have let his pieces hinder each other, and therefore avoided exchanges. Hence he should have replied 8) B—KB4. The attack on the Bishop by 8) .... P—KKt4; 9) B—K5, P—B3; 10) B—Kt3, P—KR4; 11) P—KR3 need not have been feared, for after 11) .... Kt×B; 12) P×Kt, P—B4; 13) B—K2 White would soon play Q—B2, O—O—O, P—KKt4, opening the lines.
- 15…Nf6 That Black could always finally free his game by P—K4, however White might have played, follows from the course the game has taken. Therefore it is also tactically proved that the exchange of the Bishops was a mistake. Black has now an easy object of attack in White’s QP, and has the superior position.
- 18.f3 In spite of the dangers which this move involves, White is compelled to play it, in order to develop the KR rapidly, before Black prevents this manoeuvre by doubling the Rooks on the KB file.
- 25…h6 He guards the square KKt4, in order to be able to play, after Q—K4ch, K—Rsq; R×P; but there is little gain in it. The direct attack by 25) .... P—KKt4 was stronger, threatening P—Kt5. If 26) Q—Q3, then R—B2, and White would be in difficulties; for instance, 27) R—K5, Q—B8ch, winning the KtP.
- 27…Kf7 Or 27) .... K—R2; 28) R—KB8, P—KKt3; 29) R×R and the game should be drawn.
- 31…Rg6 He ought to play 31) .... K—Kt3. Black has so absorbed himself with combinations, that he is tired out and judges the situation altogether wrongly. He thinks White is in a “Zugzwang” position, whereas he is himself in want of moves.
- 32.a3 White is obviously also tired. What could Black do against 32) P—Kt4? If 32) .... R—B3, White would win by 33) Q—K7ch, K—Kt3; 34) R—KKt8; and if 32) .... Q—Kt4; 33) Q×Q, followed by 34) R—QKt8. Finally, if 32) .... Q—B3; 33) R—QKt8, Q—B4; 34) Q—K8ch, K—B3; 35) Q—Q8, winning.
- 34.b5 A deep combination, which, however, does not win. He should play 34) P—B4, in order to win a Pawn, in case of 34) .... Q—B3 by 35) R—QKt8.
- 36…Re7 Here White had expected 37) .... K—B3, and for the contingency he had prepared R—Kt6 by the sacrifice of the Pawn.