[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1924.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Yates,F"]
[Black "Lasker,Em"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Lopez "Battle Royale""]
[ECO "B45"]
[PlyCount "106"]

1. e4 c5 { The Sicilian Defense. Black's idea is to discourage White from setting up a classic center with pawns on d4 and e4. } 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 { White has given up a central pawn for a less-valuab;e flank pawn, but he has a centrally-placed Knight as compensation. } 4... Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 { The central White Knight is missing, but White still has a foothold in the center -- namely the e4-pawn. } 7. e5 Nd5 8. Ne4 ( 8. Nxd5 cxd5 { Black has an ugly pawn structure, but White is left with a pawn that's too far advanced to effectively support. } ) 8... f5 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. Nd6+ Bxd6 11. Qxd6 Qa5+ 12. Bd2 Qd5 13. Qa3 { Notice that everything from move 8 to this point has been completely tactical. The position is pretty even. The White Queen is preventing the Black King from castling Kingside, but White has no real way to strike at the centralized Black King. } 13... Qe4+ { Lasker keeps the initiative with a check. } 14. Be3 a5 15. O-O-O Qb4 16. Qxb4 axb4 17. Bc4 d5 { More tactics -- Lasker keeps the initiative by creating threat after threat. } 18. Bb3 Nd7 19. Rhe1 O-O { Now it's time for the Black King to hightail it to the board's edge. Notice that this normally defensve move carries with it a possible threat to the f2-pawn, chaining the e3-Bishop to its defense. } 20. f3 { Yates sees to it that the f-pawn is defended. Now his dark-squared Bishop is free to roam at will. } 20... Ra6 21. Bd2 c5 22. c4 bxc3 23. Bxc3 { Dr. Lasker has to be a bit uncomfortable here. Both White Rooks are centralized on half-open files while White's Bishops are gunning for the Black King's castled position. } 23... Nb6 { Clearing d7 for the Bishop's use. } 24. a3 Bd7 25. Be5 Rc8 { The Rook keeps the White Bishop off of c7. } 26. Rd2 Bb5 { The Bishop finally gets developed to a decent diagonal. } 27. f4 Bc4 28. Bc2 ( 28. Bxc4 Nxc4 ) 28... d4 29. f5 Nd7 30. fxe6 Bxe6 31. Bg3 Nf8 32. Re5 Rb6 33. Bh4 Bf7 34. Bg3 Bg6 35. Re7 ( 35. Bxg6 Nxg6 { Black has the initiative due to the attack on the e5-Rook, threatening to win the exchange. } ) 35... Re6 36. Rxe6 Nxe6 37. Bxg6 { Since the Knight has been lured away from f8, exchanging Bishops now guarantees a set of doubled and isolated g-pawns. } 37... hxg6 { Black is stuck with doubled, isolated pawns. On the other hand, he has a protected passed d-pawn. White also has a protected passed pawn on a3. Black's is more advantageously placed than White's, since it's farther advanced. } 38. Be5 Rf8 39. b3 Rf1+ 40. Kc2 Kf7 { Lasker's King starts heading for the center. } 41. Bg3 Ke7 42. a4 { Yates' Queenside pawn pair is inching forward. } 42... Kd7 43. Kd3 Rc1 44. Rc2 Rb1 ( 44... Rxc2 45. Kxc2 Kc6 { Both sides are pretty much stuck. So it's not in Black's best interest to trade off the Rooks if he wants to keep the game alive. } ) 45. Kc4 Kc6 46. Re2 Rc1+ { Instead of defending the Knight, Lasker responds with a check. } ( 46... Kd7 { If Black retreats the King, White uses the opposition to bring his King into the attack. } 47. Kd5 Nd8 48. Bd6 ( 48. Kxc5 Rxb3 49. Kxd4 Rb4+ 50. Ke3 Rxa4 ) 48... Nc6 49. Bxc5 d3 50. Rd2 Rxb3 51. Bf8 ) 47. Kd3 { "Priority of check" (when you're in check you must respond to it) means that Yates has no time to capture the Knight. } 47... Rc3+ 48. Kd2 Kd7 { Now the King can protect the Knight; it's no longer required to help defend the c5-pawn. } 49. b4 cxb4 50. Kd1 b3 51. a5 Nc5 52. a6 Na4 ( 52... Nxa6 53. Rd2 Nc5 54. Rxd4+ Ke6 { Black still has an advantage in this line, but Lasker's way is clearer. } ) 53. Re5 ( 53. a7 b2 { The White King can't cross the c-file, so White has no choice but to give up the Rook. } 54. Rxb2 Nxb2+ 55. Ke1 { Black wins with the extra piece. } ) 53... b2 0-1