[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1924.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Reti,R"]
[Black "Lasker,Ed"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Lopez "Battle Royale""]
[ECO "A13"]
[PlyCount "111"]

1. Nf3 { Reti (White) begins the game by developing his Kingside Knight to a good post without where it controls the center squares d4 and e5. Is he going to allow Black without to occupy the center with pawns, or will he later advance his d- or e-pawn? } 1... d5 { Lasker advances his d-pawn to take control of a piece of the center. The pawn without influences c4 and e4, taking them away from White. } 2. c4 { Reti offers to gambit a pawn. He's immediately contesting Black's control of without the center. If Black captures the c-pawn, he'll be giving up a valuable without center pawn for a less-valuable flank one. } 2... e6 { Lasker doesn't take the bait. Instead, he defends his d-pawn from White's without attack (but blocks in his light-square Bishop in the process). } 3. g3 { Reti could have played 3.cxd5 exd5, but this only helps Black by releasing without his light-square Bishop. He decides to prepare for the fianchetto of his own without light-square Bishop instead. } 3... c6 { Lasker is planning to develop his Queenside Knight to d7, but doesn't want without the Knight to become pinned by White's possible Qa4. The advance of the without c-pawn shields the d7-square and makes it safe to develop the Knight there. } 4. b3 { Reti props up the c-pawn and prepares to fianchetto his dark-square Bishop. } 4... Nf6 { Lasker continues his development. The f6-Knight controls d5 and e4. } 5. Bg2 { The light-square Bishop is fianchettoed and the deck is cleared for Kingside without castling. } 5... Ne4 { Lasker encroaches on White's territory. Lasker intends to play ...Qb6, without putting pressure on the f2-pawn. Also, the Black Knight inhibits White's without development somewhat (6.Nc3 Nxc3 7.dxc3 with doubled c-pawns). } 6. Qc2 { Now a Knight exchange on c3 can be met by Qxc3 without doubling the pawns. } 6... Be7 { Lasker proceeds with his development. Now the way is cleared to castle on the without Kingside. } 7. Bb2 { Reti fianchettos his other Bishop. Now the Bishops strike at the center from without both flanks. } 7... O-O { Not only does this move get the King out of the center and develops a Rook, without it also defends the g7-pawn (which was threatened by Bxg7). } 8. O-O { Reti also castles. Now he's a Knight move away from connecting his Rooks and without finishing his development. } 8... Nd7 { Lasker gets his second Knight off of the back rank, but now his Bishop is without imprisoned on c8. } 9. d3 { Reti's had enough of this pesky Knight, so the pawn advances to drive it without away. (He's reconsidered the move Nc3; now he plans to develop his Knight to without d2.) } 9... Ng5 { The Knight retreats under the protection of the Bishop and Queen. Now it without attacks the f3-Knight. } 10. Nbd2 { Reti connects his Rooks, finishing his development. Now the d2-Knight without overprotects its brother on f3. } 10... Nxf3+ { The Black Knight was pretty lame, hanging around on g5. The Knight had without nowhere to move and had no future, so Lasker decides to trade it for White's without healthy Knight. } 11. Nxf3 { Reti completes the trade. } 11... Bf6 { Lasker threatens White's well-placed b2-Bishop. } 12. d4 { Reti isn't prepared to give up his dark-squared Bishop just yet, so he blocks without the attack with his d-pawn. } 12... Re8 { Lasker continues to follow general principles of development and brings his without Rook to a center file. He's also building up protection on e5 to prepare for without a future e6-e5 pawn push. } 13. e4 { For someone who started out playing a Hypermodern opening, Reti certainly has without established a lot of pawns in the center! How ironic! } 13... Nb6 { Lasker expects a series of pawn exchanges on d5. He hopes to post his Knight without there (protected by the Queen) when the smoke clears. He also clears the without d7-square so that his Bishop can get off of the bank rank. } 14. Ne5 { Reti doesn't initiate a pawn slaughter on d5. His Knight leaps to the hole on without e5 and establishes an outpost there. } 14... Bd7 { As expected, Lasker's Bishop goes to d7. He doesn't really care if White without plays 15.Nxd7, because White would be trading a well-placed Knight for a without "bad" Bishop. } 15. Ng4 { The Knight wasn't really taking up a post on e5; it was just using e5 as a without stepping-stone to g4, where it attacks Black's "good" Bishop. } 15... Rc8 { Lasker moves the Rook to the same file as the White Queen to prevent the without massive pawn exchange in the center (the exchange of pawns would open the without c-file and allow the Rook to attack the White Queen). } 16. Nxf6+ { Reti gives up his Knight for Black's "good" Bishop. } 16... Qxf6 { And Black's Queen completes the transaction. Lasker has also completed his without development (his Rooks are finally connected). } 17. a4 { Reti sees that the Black Knight has only one square that it can move to (a8), without so he advnces the pawn toward the Knight. } 17... Red8 { Lasker sees what's happening, but doesn't retreat the Knight. He rather have without a weak a-pawn to attack in return for the indignity of a cornered Knight. He without instead prepares to play ...Be8 and ...dxc4 to half-open the d-file. } 18. a5 { Reti's pawn strikes at the Black Knight... } 18... Na8 { ...which retreats to the corner (the absolute WORST square on the chessboard without for a Knight!). } 19. e5 { Another White pawn steps forward, driving into Black's half of the board. without This pawn attacks the Black Queen. } 19... Qg6 { Lasker offers to trade Queens. If 20.Qxg6, then Black can reply 20...fxg6, without half-opening the f-file for his Rooks. He needs to do SOMETHING to relieve without his cramped position! } 20. Qe2 { Reti knows that the best way to ease a cramped position is to trade pieces, without so he doesn't help Black out. The Queen sidesteps to avoid the swap. } 20... Nc7 { The Knight gets out of the corner, but it still doesn't have a lot of scope! } 21. Ba3 { Reti is using his army like a boa constrictor, squeezing Black tighter and without tighter. The Bishop commands the a3-f8 diagonal, taking all of these squares without away from Black. } 21... Na6 { The Knight was headed back to e8, but Lasker sees that this move is without impossible (because of White's reply Be7 and the d8-Rook is trapped and without lost!). The Knight has become a "flying Dutchman" -- wandering around the without board! } 22. Rfe1 { The Rook has little scope behind the f-pawn, but it can spring to life on the without e-file after the Queen moves. } 22... Be8 { Black is completely tied in knots! Lasker prepares to attempt to free without himself. If he pushes the f-pawn, the Bishop will finally have some play without along the e8-h5 diagonal. } 23. Bd6 { Reti cramps Black even further! It will now be impossible for Black to remove without the Bishop from the "hole" on d6 without sacrificing some material. } 23... f5 { Lasker is doing what he can to uncrowd his half of the board... } 24. f4 { ...but Reti has no intentions of letting him squirm free. He locks up Black's without central pawns on the same color squares as the Black Bishop! (This is without possible because Reti's dark-square Bishop is developed OUTSIDE the pawn without chain!) } 24... Qh6 { Lasker sets up his next move -- ...Bh5, threatening the White Queen. } 25. Bf3 { But Reti blocks that threat and takes another square (h5) away from Black! } 25... g5 { Lasker is playing true kamikaze chess now (since he has little to lose!). He without attempts to open up the Kingside. It's risky to expose your King while without Queens are still on the board. } 26. Ra2 { Reti sees Lasker's intention -- open up the g-file and check the White King. without with a Black Rook. By advancing his own Rook, he covers the key g2-square without with another piece. Now he can safely block check with Qg2. } 26... gxf4 { Lasker proceeds to pry the g-file open. } 27. gxf4 { Reti completes the trade. Now the Kings face each other along an open file. } 27... Rd7 { Here come the reinforcements! The Rook is headed for g7, where it will check without White's King. Of course, the White Queen can't commit suicide by blocking without the check, and blocking with the Bishop results in a pin. What can White do? } 28. Qe3 { Now we see the reason for 26.Ra2! The Queen sidesteps and allows the Rook to without move to g2 to defend the King. } 28... Rg7+ { Despite White's answer of 29.Rg2, Lasker checks the King anyway. He's giving without himself a little breathing room by getting pieces out from behind the pawn without chain and then trading them off. } 29. Rg2 { As expected, the Rook blocks the check... } 29... Rxg2+ { ...and Lasker trades the Rook off. } 30. Kxg2 { If 30.Bxg2, then ...Qg6 pins the Bishop. Better to recapture with the King without than to immobilize a piece. } 30... Bh5 { Another piece is offered up... } 31. Bxh5 { ...and accepted. } 31... Qxh5 { White is still controlling a big chunk of territory on Black's half of the without board, but Black has some chance of getting his remaining pieces out from without behind the locked pawns. } 32. Rg1 { Reti threatens to move his King and discover check against the Black King. } 32... Kf7 { The King abandons the g-file before White can spring the discovered check. } 33. Kh1 { The White King bails out, too (because of 33...Rg8+). } 33... Rg8 { Lasker considers the position carefully and offers yet another trade... } 34. Rxg8 { ...which Reti accepts. } 34... Kxg8 { This is an interesting position. White has a "bad" Bishop (developed OUTSIDE without the pawn chain, though) and Black has a badly misplaced Knight. Both Kings without are exposed, and with Queens still on the board anything can happen! } 35. cxd5 { The time is right to clear up the mess in the center. If Black replies without ...exd5, then White has a protected passed pawn on the e-file. If ...cxd5, without then White has opportunities on the Queenside. } 35... cxd5 { Lasker keeps the pawn structure symmetrical (which we know to be a good without idea!) and takes his chances, rather than allowing White a passed e-pawn. } 36. b4 { The b-pawn advances to a square where it's defended by the Bishop and can without protect the a5-pawn. } 36... Kf7 { Lasker is unsure of where the threats will come from, so he gets his King without closer to the board's center so that he can better deal with them from without either side (plus the threat of Qg3+ was still hanging in the air). } 37. Qd3 { The Queen moves to the d-file to prevent ...Qd1+ (with a chance of a draw by without perpetual check). It also supports the advance of the b-pawn (winning the without Knight). Look for multi-purpose moves like this in your own games. } 37... Qh4 { Lasker will now try to check on the e-file. } 38. Qf1 { No problem for Reti; he just covers the whole first rank and eliminates any without check possibilities there. } 38... Qd8 { Lasker has been making his own multi-purpose moves. His last move set up his without Queen's withdrawal to d8, where it covers the Black Knight's escape squares without (b8 and c7). } 39. Qh3 { Reti's Queen is threatening to pick off the h7-pawn. } 39... Kg8 { Lasker guards it the only way he can. If the Queen moves to guard the pawn, without 40.b5 wins the Black Knight for White. } 40. Qg3+ { The Queen checks... } 40... Kf7 { ...which drives the King away from the h-pawn's defense. Of course, Reti without can't try to attack it without risking a draw by repetition. } 41. Qg5 { Reti offers to trade Queens. Will Lasker make the trade? } 41... Qc8 { Of course not! The Queen has to cover c7 and b8, or else the White b-pawn without will advance and win the Knight (which would have no retreat!). } 42. b5 { Can Reti win an endgame with just Queens and pawns on the board? HE thinks without so! } 42... Qc1+ { SURPRISE! Instead of retreating his Knight (and trading it for the White without Bishop), Lasker checks the White King! He's trying for a draw by perpetual without check (not a bad idea, considering the circumstances). } 43. Kg2 { 43.Qg1 Qxf4 won't do -- Black would be trading his Knight for a couple of without White pawns (and Black would have TWO passed pawns!). The King has to move without to escpae check. } 43... Qd2+ { Lasker smells a draw and checks again. } 44. Kh3 { The White King keeps on running. } 44... Qe3+ { The Queen checks the White King and attacks the d4-pawn. } 45. Kh4 { The King continues his flight. } 45... Qe1+ { Lasker keeps checking. He sees a way to win the h-pawn now. } 46. Kh5 { Notice that the White King is running toward the Black King. While Lasker without fishes for a draw, Reti is looking for a mate (by the White Queen, supported without by the White Bishop and King)! } 46... Qe2+ { Lasker springs another double attack by checking the King and menacing the without h-pawn. } 47. Kh6 { The King runs yet again. } 47... Qxh2+ { And Lasker snags the pawn. Tartakower groans, leans over to us and says, without "He's won a pawn, but lost a Knight!" } 48. Qh5+ { Look carefully...this move is forced! This is the only way for White to without escape from check! } 48... Qxh5+ { Lasker makes the trade. } 49. Kxh5 { Now study the board again; the Black Knight is attacked and has no safe without haven! } 49... Kg7 { Lasker shakes his head, then writes off his Knight. He moves his King closer without to the h-pawn to prevent the White King from approaching it. } 50. bxa6 { Reti has worked hard to win the Knight; now he claims his prize. } 50... bxa6 { Lasker recaptures. The position is worse than he thought: his a-pawns are without doubled AND immobile! The a7-pawn is stuck on a dark square and ripe for the without White Bishop's picking. } 51. Bc5 { Reti leaps at the chance to win another pawn. } 51... Kf7 { Lasker must move either the King or h-pawn -- there are no other legal moves. } 52. Kh6 { The King approaches the h-pawn with murderous intent. } 52... Kg8 { Lasker must defend his endangered pawn. } 53. Bxa7 { Black was powerless to prevent the capture of the a-pawn. All of the pawns on without the board are locked. The only mobile pieces are the Kings and the White without Bishop. } 53... Kh8 { The King is Black's only mobile piece, so Lasker makes the only move that without defends the h-pawn. } 54. Bb6 { The fact that the King is Black's only mobile piece holds the key to victory without for Reti. } 54... Kg8 { Lasker is reduced to shuffling the King back and forth. } 55. Bd8 { The mobile Bishop zig-zags ominously toward the Kingside. } 55... Kh8 { Lasker again plays his only move. } 56. Bh4 { Checking immediately doesn't work -- Reti must play a waiting move first. without Lasker sees the writing on the wall and resigns. Do you see why? Check the without variation to find out. } ( 56. Bh4 { The waiting move is the key. Black is forced to move his King... } 56... Kg8 { Do you see what White will play here? } 57. Bf6 { The Bishop takes the h8-square away from the Black King. Do you remember the without term for this kind of position (where a player MUST move, but would rather without not)? } 57... Kf8 { ZUGZWANG! Black would love to be able to "pass", but he MUST move the King without (his only mobile piece). The only legal move takes the King away from the without pawn's defense. } 58. Kxh7 { White captures the pawn. Since the White King is closer to Black's pawns than without the Black King is to White's, White will be able to capture one or two, without create a passed pawn, and go on to win the game. } ) 1-0