Emanuel Lasker
Notable Games

Emanuel Lasker

20 celebrated games · 585 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 585 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1889.08.26 Lasker, Emanuel vsBauer, Johann Hermann 1-0 Bird Opening: Dutch Variation 38 moves Amsterdam VAS Int-01 Masters Amsterdam 1889 — the young Lasker's immortal double bishop sacrifice. 15.Bxh7+ and 17.Bxg7! stripped the black king bare, and 18.Qg4+ regained both pieces with interest; the combination has been reproduced by attackers ever since.
  • 1894.04.03 Lasker, Emanuel vsSteinitz, William 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense 46 moves World-ch05 Lasker-Steinitz +10-5=4 World Championship match, 1894 — the contest in which the 25-year-old Lasker dethroned Wilhelm Steinitz, the first champion (+10−5=4), to begin a record 27-year reign as the second World Champion.
  • 1896.01.04 Pillsbury, Harry Nelson vsLasker, Emanuel 0-1 Queen's Gambit Declined: Pseudo-Tarrasch Variation, Primitive Pillsbury Variation 32 moves St Petersburg Four Masters St. Petersburg 1895–96 — 'Lasker's Counter-Attack.' In a race between two kingside and queenside assaults, Lasker's exchange sacrifice 17...Rxc3 and heavy-piece counter-attack crashed through first, hunting the white king to mate on move 32.
  • 1904 Lasker, Emanuel vsNapier, William Ewart 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Modern Variation 35 moves Cambridge Springs Cambridge Springs 1904 — one of the most bewilderingly complex games of its age. Lasker and Napier traded threats in a razor-sharp Sicilian until Lasker emerged from the chaos a piece to the good.
  • 1907.01.26 Marshall, Frank James vsLasker, Emanuel 0-1 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Nyholm Attack 49 moves World-ch07 Lasker-Marshall +8-0=7 Game 1 of the 1907 World Championship match, nicknamed the 'War Dance.' With Black, Lasker opened a rout of Frank Marshall that ended +8−0=7 — one of the most one-sided title matches ever, the challenger never winning a game.
  • 1908.09.01 Lasker, Emanuel vsTarrasch, Siegbert 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense 38 moves World-ch08 Lasker-Tarrasch +8-3=5 World Championship match, 1908 — a Ruy Lopez win over Lasker's long-time rival Siegbert Tarrasch, whom he beat +8−3=5 to keep the crown after years of feuding between the two masters.
  • 1910.02.08 Lasker, Emanuel vsSchlechter, Carl 1-0 Slav Defense: Quiet Variation 71 moves World-ch09 Lasker-Schlechter +1-1=8 The tenth and last game of the 1910 title match. Trailing by a point, Lasker won a 71-move Slav against Carl Schlechter, levelling the score 5–5 and retaining his title. The unpublished match agreement leaves the precise conditions for transferring the crown uncertain.
  • 1914.04.26 Lasker, Emanuel vsRubinstein, Akiba 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Open, St. Petersburg Variation 66 moves St Petersburg International Preliminary St. Petersburg 1914 — a win over Akiba Rubinstein, the great 'uncrowned' master with whom Lasker had been due to contest the world title that very year before the war intervened.
  • 1914.05.18 Lasker, Emanuel vsCapablanca, Jose Raul 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Alekhine Variation 42 moves St Petersburg International Final St. Petersburg 1914, the tournament's decisive game. Trailing Capablanca in the final, the 45-year-old champion chose the drawish Exchange Ruy Lopez, outplayed him and overhauled him to take first prize — perhaps his most famous positional victory.
  • 1924.03.19 Alekhine, Alexander vsLasker, Emanuel 0-1 Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Sämisch Variation 36 moves New York International Masters-01 New York 1924 — a win over the future World Champion Alexander Alekhine. The 55-year-old Lasker won this elite double-round tournament 1½ points clear of Capablanca, a result often called the crowning achievement of his career.
  • 1924.03.28 Lasker, Emanuel vsReti, Richard 1-0 French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Wolf Gambit 32 moves New York International Masters-01 New York 1924 — Lasker outplayed Richard Réti, a founder of the hypermodern school, in the same run through which he won thirteen of his twenty games. His sole defeat was against Capablanca.
  • 1934.07.14 Euwe, Max vsLasker, Emanuel 0-1 Queen's Gambit Declined 50 moves Zuerich International and SWZ-ch37 Zurich 1934 — returning to elite chess at 65 after years away, Lasker beat the future World Champion Max Euwe with the black pieces. Lasker won all three of their tournament meetings, although Euwe had beaten him in simultaneous exhibitions in 1920.
  • 1935.02.27 Lasker, Emanuel vsCapablanca, Jose Raul 1-0 French Defense: Winawer Variation, Alekhine-Maróczy Gambit 64 moves Moscow International-02 Moscow 1935 — a brilliancy-prize win over Capablanca in the French Winawer, Lasker's second and last victory over the Cuban, twenty-one years after their St. Petersburg meeting. The 66-year-old finished undefeated in third, ahead of Capablanca.
  • 1935.03.14 Lasker, Emanuel vsPirc, Vasja 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation, Paulsen Variation 20 moves Moscow International-02 Moscow 1935 — 'Pawnslaught,' a 20-move Sicilian brilliancy. The rook sacrifice 13.Rxf6! tore open Pirc's kingside and the attack was decisive almost before it had begun.
  • 1936.08.25 Lasker, Emanuel vsEuwe, Max 1-0 Slav Defense: Quiet Variation, Schallopp Defense 33 moves Nottingham International Masters Nottingham 1936 — in his final tournament, the 67-year-old Lasker defeated the reigning World Champion Max Euwe, completing a 3–0 record in their tournament meetings, following wins at Moravska Ostrava in 1923 and Zurich in 1934.
  • 1914.05.22 Lasker, Emanuel vsMarshall, Frank James 1-0 Petrov's Defense: Cozio Attack 29 moves St Petersburg International Final St Petersburg 1914 — a 29-move win with White against Frank James Marshall. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part I, game 69 (PDF page 463).
  • 1925.11.19 Ilyin Zhenevsky, Alexander vsLasker, Emanuel 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Closed 38 moves Moscow International-01 Moscow 1925 — a 38-move win with Black against Alexander Ilyin Zhenevsky. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part I, game 72 (PDF page 480).
  • 1896.07.22 Steinitz, William vsLasker, Emanuel 0-1 French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open System 44 moves Nuernberg InternationalesMeisterturnier Nuremberg 1896 — a 44-move win with Black against William Steinitz. Selected in Savielly Tartakower and Julius du Mont, 500 Master Games of Chess, game 272 (PDF page 187).
  • 1909.02.23 Tartakower, Saviely vsLasker, Emanuel 0-1 English Opening: Carls-Bremen System 53 moves St Petersburg Chigorin Memorial St Petersburg 1909 — a 53-move win with Black against Saviely Tartakower. Selected in Savielly Tartakower and Julius du Mont, 500 Master Games of Chess, game 483 (PDF page 332).
  • 1923.07.16 Wolf, Heinrich vsLasker, Emanuel 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Closed 35 moves Moravska Ostrava Masters Moravska Ostrava 1923 — a 35-move win with Black against Heinrich Wolf. Selected in Savielly Tartakower and Julius du Mont, 500 Master Games of Chess, game 312 (PDF page 214).
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