Game No. 164 in the book (round 18): a Queen's Gambit Declined won by Akiba Rubinstein (White) against Georg Salwe, annotated by Lasker.
6.e3P - K 4 is the logical move, as White has the superior position in the centre of the board. Any danger to the K P does not exist; for instance: 6) .... P - Q R 3; 7) B x P, P - Q Kt 4; 8) B - Q 3, B - Kt 2; 9) P - Q R 3 or Q - K 2.
9.a4An ingenious attempt to institute a lasting attack by freeing the square Q B 4 for his pieces, exposing Black's Kt P to attack, and exerting a pressure on the square Q B 5.
10…gxf6If 10) .... B x B; 11) Kt - K 4, Kt - Q 2; 12) R - B 1, B - K 2; 13) Q - B 2, R - B 1; 14) Kt - B 5 Black would be badly off. By retaking with the Pawn he changes the aspect of the game; e. g.: 11) Kt - K 4, Kt - Q 2; 12) R - B 1, P - K B 4; 13) Kt - B 5, Kt x Kt; 14) P x Kt, B - Q 4. Now the Bishop can no more be driven away from Q 4 by P - K 4; that is the essential difference as against the continuation 10) .... B x B.
12…c5Up to here Black has manoeuvred very well; but now he ought to render White's next move more difficult. The attack on Q B 2 was easily parried by B - Q 3; therefore he should let this Pawn take care of itself. Better was P - K B 4; then, if 13) P - K 4, P x P; 14) B x P, B x B; 15) Q x B, O - O, and Black, by such moves as Kt - B 3, B - Q 3, and K - R 1, would succeed in establishing a safe and at the same time aggressive position.
18…cxd4He could not consolidate his Pawns by P - Q R 4. There was nothing more important to do, and this exchange of Pawns might well have waited.
20…Qe4P - Q R 4 was still indicated, to secure the position of the Knight at Kt 3. The Queen's move only drives the Knight to a better square and exposes the Queen to attacks.
23…Kh8Black's play is most inconsistent. If he intended, by this, to initiate an attack on the open K Kt file (which, however, would have no prospects), why did he not play R - K Kt 1 afterwards? If, however, he intended an advance in the centre, why not Kt - B 5, threatening a good many things?
30…e5It was careless to allow the Knight the square B 5. Kt - K 2 would have led to the exchange of the Q Kt P for the Q B P. Perhaps Black was here pressed for time.
32…Rxc6A most careless move, which certainly cannot be explained by time pressure, as the critical moment of the 30th move was past. After 32) .... Kt - K 2 it was doubtful whether White could win: at all events, winning would have been a very difficult matter.
Emanuel Lasker, The International Chess Congress, St. Petersburg, 1909 (1910) · Public domain · source