Speijer Abraham - Lasker Emanuel
Match, 12/26/1908
Round 1
1.d4 d5 2.c4
e6 3.Nc3 Nf6
4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3
[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.
[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
0-1