Speijer Abraham - Lasker Emanuel
Match, 12/26/1908

Round 1


1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 b6 7.Bd3
[Pillsbury's continuation was
7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bd3 with the intent of castling, placing his knight on e5, his pawn on f4, and of attacking the adverse King in a variety of manners. This attack has been often conducted with success, but games lately played by Teichmann indicate that by means of a timely retreat of the knight to e8 the defense gains the upper hand. Mr. Speijer conducts the opening in the style of Burn.]

7...dxc4 8.Bxc4 Bb7 9.O-O Nbd7 10.Qe2 a6 11.Rac1 c5
[11...Nd5 Interestingly enough, Whyld No. 903, taking the score from the Neue Freie Presse of Vienna, January 16, 1909, gives the move order as follows:
12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.e4 Nxc3 14.bxc3 c5 15.Bd3 b5 16.Bb1 Rfc8 before the score resumes as that in Lasker's Chess Magazine, given here. The discrepancy is one a future biographer may want to consider]

12.Bd3 b5 13.Bb1 Nd5 White prepares for e4-e5, Ne4 and massing of pieces on the kingside. Black must foil this plan. 14.Bxe7 14.Ne4 was a possibility, but an advantage thereby not apparent.
14.Bxe7 Qxe7 15.e4 Nxc3 16.bxc3 Rfc8 17.Qe3 a5 18.e5 He now prepares Ng5 (or Nd2-e4-d6).
18...Bxf3 19.gxf3 To strengthen his center and to provide open lines for an attack.
19...Nb6 20.Kh1 20.Be4 was here essential. The important square d5 should not be left to the knight without a struggle. Now the attack of Black comes so quick that the counter attack of White must fail.
20...Nd5 21.Qd3 g6 22.Rg1 b4 23.cxb4 c4 24.Qc2 axb4 25.Rg3 Qa7 26.Qd2 Nc3 27.Rcg1 Nxb1 28.Rxb1
[28.Qh6 Nc3 29.Rh3 would not avail White because of
29...Nd5]

28...c3 29.Qf4
[29.Qh6 If Qxd4 30.Rh3 Qxe5 and Black must win the endgame.]
29...Qxa2 30.Rbg1 Qd2 31.Qh4 c2 32.Rh3 h6 33.f4 c1=Q 34.Qxh6 Qxg1+ 35.Kxg1 Qe1+ 36.Kg2 Qe4+ 37.f3 Rc2+ 38.Kg3 Qe1+ 39.Kg4 Qg1+ Lasker's annotations Lasker's Chess Magazine, Dec. 1908-Jan. 1909



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