[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1924.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lasker,Em"]
[Black "Lasker,Ed"]
[Result "1/2"]
[Annotator "Lopez "Battle Royale""]
[ECO "C99"]
[PlyCount "206"]

1. e4 { For clarity, the players will be referred to as White and Black. White's without opening move is a good one, controlling d5 and f5 and allowing for easy without piece development. } 1... e5 { Black controls d4 and f4 and creates paths for the development of his pieces, without too. } 2. Nf3 { White develops with an attack -- he threatens to capture the Black e5-pawn. } 2... Nc6 { Black develops a minor piece and guards the threatened pawn at the same time. } 3. Bb5 { White puts pressure on the Black center by attacking the piece that guards without the e5-pawn. } 3... a6 { Black tries to chase away the Bishop by attacking it with the a-pawn. } 4. Ba4 { The Bishop must retreat, but it flees to a4, where it still attacks the Black without Knight. } 4... Nf6 { Black counterattacks. He develops another minor piece and menaces the central without White pawn. } 5. O-O { White is unconcerned. It's widely known that if Black takes the e-pawn, he'll without just lose it right back in a few moves. White instead completes his Kingside without development by castling. } 5... Be7 { Black develops another Kingside piece. It's too early to tell where the best without post for the Bishop is, so e7 is the safest place for now. } 6. Re1 { Games that begin with e2-e4 tend to open up later. White anticipates this without clearing of the center and places his Rook on the best square to take without advantage of it. } 6... b5 { Black hits at the White Bishop another time, closing off the a4-e8 diagonal without to it. } 7. Bb3 { The White Bishop retreats to the only available square. } 7... O-O { Black castles and completes his Kingside development. } 8. c3 { By advancing the c-pawn, White prepares the d2-d4 pawn advance and gives his without Bishop a flight square in case of ...Na5. } 8... d6 { The Black d-pawn supports the e-pawn. The c6-Knight is now free to perform without other duties. } 9. h3 { Another advantage of d7-d6 is that it lets the Black c8-Bishop into the game. without White prevents the Bishop from moving to g4 and pinnning the f3-Knight. } 9... Na5 { The Knight, freed from guard duty, attacks the White Bishop. } 10. Bc2 { The Bishop retreats into the pocket on c2. } 10... c5 { Black advances the pawn two squares to carve out some more Queenside without territory. } 11. d4 { White counters by advancing in the center. Now there may be a massive pawn without exchange that will blow the game wide open. } 11... Qc7 { 12.dxc5 dxc5 threatens a Queen exchange and will lose Black a pawn after without Nxe5. Black halts any possibility of a Queen swap and makes sure that the without e5-pawn will stay guarded. } 12. Nbd2 { White plans to attack on the Kingside, so he begins to shift his pieces over without to that side of the board. The Knight will go to f1 and then either e3 or without g3. } 12... cxd4 { Black opens up the c-file. Now his Queen occupies a commanding post on c7 and without will most likely be backed up by a Rook on c8. } 13. cxd4 { White maintains a symmetrical pawn structure by recapturing on d4. } 13... Bd7 { Black completes his development by connecting his Rooks. He also clears c8 without for one of his Rooks. } 14. Nf1 { White continues to shift his Knight over to the Kingside. } 14... Rfc8 { By moving the f8-Rook to c8 (instead of moving the a8-Rook there), Black without builds up his forces for an attack on the Queenside. } 15. Re2 { White prepares to double his heavy pieces on the d-file, creating a battery without there. } 15... Nh5 { The Black Knight prepares to take up an advanced post on f4. } 16. dxe5 { White believes that it's time to launch an attack. He starts by opening up without the center. } 16... dxe5 { If Black doesn't recapture, he goes down a pawn in the material count. } 17. Nxe5 { White can safely win a pawn. He needn't fear ...Qxe5. See the variation to without Black's next move. } 17... Bxh3 { Black offers to sacrifice a Bishop to destroy the White Kingside pawn without structure. } ( 17... Qxe5 { If Black takes the White Knight... } 18. Qxd7 { ...White retaliates by capturing the Black Bishop. White stays a pawn ahead. } ) 18. Nxf7 { White can safely grab another pawn. If Black replies 18...Kxf7, 19.Qd5 Kf8 without 20.Qxh5 and White has a strong attack going. } 18... Be6 { Black removes his Bishop from the lion's den and attacks the miscreant White without Knight. } 19. Ng5 { Protected by the c1-Bishop, the Knight turns the tables and attacks its without assailant. } 19... Bc4 { 19...Bxg5 20.Bxg5 gives White the advantage of the Bishop pair. Black instead without strikes at the White e2-Rook. } 20. Bd3 { The White Bishop blocks the attack and counter-punches at the Black Bishop. } 20... Rd8 { Black complicates matters by pinning the d3-Bishop to the White without Queen. } 21. Rc2 { White makes things even more complex by counter-pinning Black's Bishop to the without Black Queen! } 21... Nf4 { Black sees a way to break the pin on his Bishop. He hits at the White Bishop without with his Knight. } 22. Bxf4 { White has no choice but to take the Knight with his Bishop. } 22... Qxf4 { The Black Queen completes the trade. Now Black has the advantage of without possessing a pair of Bishops in a open position (compared to a Knight and without Bishop for White). } 23. Nh3 { The White Knight nudges the Black Queen. } 23... Qe5 { The Queen retreats, but still keeps an eye on the White e4-pawn. } 24. Bxc4+ { White denies Black the possession of the Bishop pair. However, Black's Bishop without and Knight team is still more of an advantage than White's pair of Knights. } 24... Nxc4 { By capturing with the Knight, Black piles up attacks on the b2-pawn (the without Knight and Queen both attack the pawn). } 25. Qe2 { The Queen advances to e2, where it can both defend the e4-pawn and help the without c2-Rook guard the b2-pawn. } 25... Rd4 { Black relentlessly keeps threatening the White pieces. The Rook attacks the without e4-pawn a second time. } 26. f3 { White advances the f-pawn to defend the e-pawn. } 26... Rad8 { Black creates a battery on the d-file. Now if he can just find a way to without invade the White position... } 27. Rac1 { White creates his own battery on the c-file, but it really has nowhere to go without because of the file-blocking effect of the Black c4-Knight. } 27... Bc5 { Black threatens to win the White Queen by way of a discovered check: without 28...Rd2+ (the Rook move uncovers the Bishop check, forcing the White King without to move) 29.Kh1 Rxe2 30.Rxe2 (winning the Queen for a Rook). } 28. Kh1 { White spots the threat in time and gets his King out of the line of fire. } 28... Bb4 { Black's aim is to be the ultimate controller of the square d2. He now has without four pieces piled up on that square compared to three for White. The idea is without to use d2 as an entry point for the invasion of White's position. } 29. b3 { White tries to drive away one of the four Black pieces controlling d2. } 29... Nd2 { Black advances the threatened Knight to d2. Now the Knight attacks White's without f1-Knight. } 30. Ne3 { 30.Nxd2 would be a MAJOR mistake (after the resulting exchanges, Black would without have possession of d2 and could invade White's position). White repositions without the Knight instead. } 30... Ba3 { Black keeps up the pressure. Now he attacks one of the White Rooks. } 31. Rd1 { The menaced Rook has to leave c2, but it comes to a better square: d1, where without it can help in the fight for control of d2. } 31... Bb4 { The Black Bishop returns to b4, where it overlooks d2. } 32. a3 { White turns the tables and attacks Black. The pawn advances and attacks the without Black Bishop. } 32... Ba5 { The Bishop stays on the a5-e1 diagonal, where it continues to influence d2. } 33. b4 { White keeps hitting at the Bishop. Now the b-pawn keeps the Black Bishop from without putting pressure on d2. } 33... Bc7 { The Bishop is forced into retreat, but it does so with a threat: without 34...Qh2#! } 34. f4 { The pawn advances (protected by the h3-Knight) and blocks the mate threat. } 34... Nxe4 { Surprise! Black captures a pawn instead of retreating the Queen! Why? See the without variation to White's next move. } 35. Kh2 { White saw Black's threat and negates it by advancing his King to h2. What was without Black's threat? See the variation. } ( 35. fxe5 { In this variation, White plays the natural-looking 35.fxe5. Nine players out without of ten would play this move without a second thought. } 35... Ng3+ { The Black Knight forks the White King and Queen! } 36. Kh2 { The King must move to get out of check. 36.Kg1 is possible, too, but this without just runs into another check after Black's next move. } 36... Nxe2 { Black wins back the Queen he lost just a couple of moves ago. } 37. Rxe2 { White snaps up the Knight... } 37... Rxd1 { ...but the carnage isn't over yet! By playing 37...Rxd1, Black threatens without 38...Bxe5+ with possible mate to follow. } 38. Nxd1 { White's not about to let that happen! He plays the obvious move, recapturing without the Rook. } 38... Rxd1 { Black evens up the material. Notice that Black can't play ...Bxe5 now (the without e2-Rook defends the pawn), but White can't advance the passed e-pawn either without (it's pinned to the King). The game will go on, with equal chances. } ) 35... Rxd1 { Black gives up on the idea of invading via d2. He'll now reposition his without forces. He dislikes the idea of the White Knight pair attacking his King, so without he offers a Rook trade to decoy away one of the White Knights. } 36. Nxd1 { White is forced to recapture to keep the material even. } 36... Qe7 { The Queen pulls back to defend the c7-Bishop (which is attacked by the Rook without on c2). } 37. Rxc7 { Interesting! White captures the Bishop anyway! You'll see why in a few moves. } 37... Qxc7 { The Queen recaptures, but has to leave the e4-Knight undefended to do it. } 38. Qxe4 { White grabs the hanging Knight (and defends the f4-pawn from Black's Queen). without Now White is SLIGHTLY ahead (since he has two Knights against a Rook). But without this is still anybody's game... } 38... Qc4 { Black offers a Queen exchange. 39.Qxc4 bxc4 gives Black a dangerous passed without pawn, so... } 39. Qe7 { ...White declines and attacks Black's Rook instead. } 39... Qc8 { The Black Queen pulls back to defend the endangered Rook. Why didn't Black without just play ...Rxd1? See the variation. } ( 39... Rxd1 { The consequences are pretty grim for Black if he plays this move! Here he without wins a Knight... } 40. Qe8# { ...but loses the game! Oops! } ) 40. Ndf2 { White gets his Knight out of danger. (Since the Black Queen is on the eighth without rank now, it's safe for Black to play ...Rxd1). } 40... h6 { Black prepares to move his heavy pieces off of the back rank by making an without "escape hatch" for his King. } 41. Qa7 { White shifts his attention to the Queenside and attacks the Black a-pawn. } 41... Qe6 { The Queen moves to a square where it can cover the attacked pawn. } 42. Qb7 { White increases his Queen's flexibility by moving it to b7. Here the Queen without maintains watch over both of Black's Queenside pawns and can rapidly move without back to the Kingside via the a8-h1 diagonal should circumstances dictate. } 42... Qd5 { Black again offers a Queen swap, virtually ensuring a drawn game. } 43. Qb6 { White wants no parts of a draw. He feels that he can convert his slight without advantage into a win. } 43... Rd6 { Black's pesky pieces keep after the White Queen. } 44. Qe3 { The White Queen gets out of the hotseat. Notice that Black has relieved the without pressure on his Queenside pawns. } 44... Re6 { Black's Rook acts like an annoying gnat, constantly buzzing around and without pestering the White Queen. } 45. Qc3 { The White Queen is forced to shift position again. } 45... Qc4 { Black is bound and determined to trade the Queens off! } 46. Qf3 { The Queen slides into a protective pocket, but still commands the long without diagonal. At an opportune moment the Queen may be able to move to a8, without checking the King and attacking the Black a-pawn at the same time. } 46... Qc6 { Black offers a Queen swap again! He's certainly confident in his ability to without hold a draw with a lone Rook against two Knights, } 47. Qd3 { White continues to play hard-to-get. } 47... Rd6 { Black keeps up the pressure, attacking the Queen and dislodging it yet again. } 48. Qb3+ { White wrests the initiative from Black by checking the Black King. } 48... Qd5 { OOPS! I spoke too soon! Black grabs the initiative back by blocking the check without and AGAIN offering to exchange Queens! } 49. Qb1 { White again declines the trade (unless it's on his own terms: he may be without planning 50.Qe4 Qxe4 51.Nxe4 [threatening the Rook] Re6 [with a without counter-threat against the Knight] 52.Nf2. } 49... Re6 { Black prevents the scheme we just considered (50.Qe4, etc.). He also now without controls both center files with his heavy pieces. He may be contemplating without 50...Re3, launching his own Queenside attack by threatening the a3-pawn. } 50. Ng4 { The White Knight advances to cover e3, preventing the Black Rook from moving without there. } 50... Re2 { Black now threatens 51...Qxg2#! How is White to stop it? } 51. Nxh6+ { Amazing! White sacrifices his Knight to check the Black King (delaying the without g2-mate) and wreck the Black King's pawn cover! } 51... gxh6 { Of course, Black takes the Knight! Moving the King just puts Black further without behind in the material count. } 52. Qg6+ Kf8 { The King must move to avoid check. } 53. Qxh6+ { White grabs another pawn. The game is still pretty even (a Queen, Knight, and without four pawns vs. a Queen, Rook, and two pawns). White may even have an without advantage since two of his pawns are connected passed pawns. } 53... Ke8 { Black gets out of check again. He now controls both e6 and e7, two squares without that may prove useful to his Rook. } 54. Qg6+ { White checks again, and again covers g2. } 54... Kd8 { The Black King is forced to move to avoid check once again. } 55. Qg3 { White's Queen has to remain on the g-file to prevent Black from playing without ...Qxg2#. } 55... Re8 { Black begins to reposition his Rook. Next stop: g8, attacking the White without Queen. } 56. Qf2 { White sees ...Rg8 coming, so he gets his Queen out of the way (while still without keeping watch over g2). } 56... Rg8 { By playing ...Rg8, Black keeps the White Queen tied to the defense of g2. } 57. Qb2 { White seeks to move his Queen to f6, checking the King while defending the without pawn on f4. This will allow the White Knight to get into the game by moving without to g5, while the check prevents ...Qxg2#. } 57... Qd6 { Black has to move his Queen back to keep White's Queen off of f6. } 58. Qc3 { White's plan is to play Qc3-f3-a8+, and then capture the Black Rook after the without King moves out of check. } 58... Kd7 { Black foils White's plan by moving his King off of the same rank as the Rook. } 59. Qf3 { The Queen moves to f3 anyway. On f3 the Queen is more flexible, operating on without two diagonals and overprotecting the f-pawn. } 59... Kc7 { White may have been planning Qb7+, so Black takes the b7 square away from the without White Queen. } 60. Qe4 { The war of maneuver continues. White would like to get his Knight into the without game, so he begins a repositioning maneuver to control more squares for without occupation by the Knight. } 60... Rg7 { Black begins some repositioning of his own. He wants his Rook to control the without e-file but the immediate ...Re8 is impossible. He advances his Rook one without square to be able to play ...Re7 (on e7, the Rook is protected by the without Queen). } 61. Qf5 { The Queen moves to f5 to make Ng5 possible (otherwise Black's Rook could just without capture the Knight. The White f-pawn is pinned and thus couldn't without recapture!). } 61... Re7 { Black gets his Rook over to e7 as planned. } 62. Ng5 { White's Knight, freed from the defense of the f-pawn, finally begins to stir. } 62... Re3 { The Black Rook attacks the White a-pawn. } 63. Ne4 { White counterattacks against the Black Queen. } 63... Qe7 { The Queen is forced into retreat. The Queen moves to e7 to prevent mischief without against the Black King (Qf7+, for example). } 64. Nf6 { White sets up a killer Knight fork. He's hoping for 65.Nd5, forking the Black without King and Queen (or Rook, depending on what Black plays next). } 64... Kb8 { The Black King retreats, removing the chances of a checking fork. } 65. g3 { White braces up his f-pawn. Why not play the Knight fork 65.Nd5? See the without variation. } ( 65. Nd5 { If White plays the forking move, he's in for a world of grief. Remember that without this is no longer a CHECKING fork (since the Black King has moved). } 65... Qh4+ { YIPES! The fact that 65.Nd5 wasn't a check made this move possible. White has without just two ways to get out of check. } 66. Qh3 { White is caught between a rock and a hard place: it's either lose the Queen without or lost the game! 66.Kg1 allows ...Re1#! } 66... Rxh3+ { Obviously! } 67. gxh3 { Black has won a Queen for a Rook, and will have no trouble winning this game! } ) 65... Rxa3 { Unfortunately for White, he ran out of moves to distract Black from capturing without the pawn. } 66. Kh3 { The King is uncomfortable on the open second rank, so it takes cover behind without the pawn. } 66... Ra1 { The Rook stays flexible and keeps its options open. It can either go to b1 to without menace White's b-pawn or to h1 to harass the White King. } 67. Nd5 { The White Knight centralizes and attacks the Black Queen. } 67... Rh1+ { Black distracts White by checking the King. But there is a deeper meaning to without this move... } 68. Kg2 { 68.Kg4 Qg7+ 69.Qg5 Qxg5 70.fxg5 forces the exchange of Queens and leaves without White with extremely weak pawns. Unfortunately, 68.Kg2 plays straight into without Black's hands as well... } 68... Qh7 { Now if the White Queen moves off of the b1-h7 diagonal, the Black Queen without checks at c2 and begins a mating attack in conjunction with the Rook. So... } 69. Qxh7 { ...White has no choice but to trade off the Queens. } 69... Rxh7 { Black completes the swap. It's still a close game, but Black's Rook has the without advantage over White's Knight. } 70. Kf3 { The White King gets into position to support the advance of the pawns, as without well as defend them from attack. } 70... Kb7 { In the endgame, the King can become a powerful attacking piece. The Black without King hungrily sets eyes on the White Knight. } 71. g4 { White begins the pawn advance, supporting them with his King. } 71... Kc6 { The Black King zeros in on the White Knight. The King is also heading for the without board's center (a good idea in the endgame). } 72. Ke4 { The White King comes to the Knight's rescue. } 72... Rh8 { Black wants to check with his Rook, but 72...Re7 is suicide (73.Nxe7). The without Rook heads for the back rank where it can safely check the White King. } 73. Ne3 { The Knight backs up to defend the White g-pawn in the event Black plays without ...Rg8. } 73... Re8+ { Black checks as planned. } 74. Kd4 { Rather than meekly retreating to f3, the King stays in the center so that it without can react to threats on both sides of the board. } 74... Rd8+ { Black checks again... } 75. Ke4 { ...and the King returns to e4, refusing to abandon the center. } 75... a5 { 75...Re8+ is the road to Draw City, so Black must come up with another plan. without He decides to create a Queenside passed pawn. } 76. bxa5 { It makes more sense for White to capture the Black pawn than be tied up without trying to defend his own. } 76... b4 { The newly-created passed pawn begins a mad dash toward promotion. } 77. a6 { White's new passed pawn does the same thing. However, it looks like Black's without pawn has a much better chance than does White's! } 77... Kc5 { Black plays a space-grabbing move, making things tougher on White. Now the c4 without square is off-limits to White's Knight. } 78. a7 { White must have read "The Charge of the Light Brigade". The pawn continues without its mad dash toward certain death. However, if White could somehow decoy the without Rook off of the back rank... } 78... b3 { The Black pawn forges ahead... } 79. Nd1 { The White Knight leaps back to stop the Black pawn from any further advances. without But isn't the Knight hanging? } 79... Ra8 { Black won't fall for it. If 79...Rxd1, then 80.a8=Q! Black refuses to be without taken in by the deception and decides to rid himself of the pesky White pawn without once and for all. } 80. g5 { White sees that his a-pawn has no future, so he begins the advance of his without pawns on the other side of the board. } 80... Rxa7 { Black swats the a-pawn like a gnat. } 81. g6 { Now Black is faced with another pesky advancing passed pawn. } 81... Rd7 { There's time to come back and nail the pawn later. Right now, Black is without concentrating on the Knight. } 82. Nb2 { The Knight blockades the b-pawn and prevents it from advancing. } 82... Rd2 { The Rook keeps after the Knight... } 83. Kf3 { ...but White realizes that it's not much of a threat (see the variation to without Black's next move). White moves his King to control f2 and g2, preventing without mischief against his passed pawns. } 83... Rd8 { 83...Rxb2 is madness (see the variation), so the Rook gets into position to without try to stop the advance of the White passed pawns. } ( 83... Rxb2 { If Black takes the Knight... } 84. g7 { ...White advances his pawn. The Black b-pawn blocks the Rook from b8, and the without White King controls g2 and blocks that means of getting at the pawn. Black without has no way of preventing the g-pawn from promoting! } ) 84. Ke4 { White centralizes his King to support the advance of his f-pawn to f5. } 84... Rd2 { The Black Rook threatens the Knight. But it's really not much of a threat... } 85. Kf3 { ...because (after 85.Kf3) 85...Rxb2 leads to the same variation we just without looked at (in which Black can't stop the passed pawn). } 85... Rd8 { Black must retreat and come up with another plan. } 86. Ke4 { The White King returns to e4 and supports the advance of the f-pawn. } 86... Kd6 { 86...Rd2 (to force the White King back to f3) is futile and just heads down without the road to a draw, so Black starts moving his King over to the Kingside to without aid in attacking the White passed pawns. } 87. Kd3 { The Black Rook on d8 had been keeping the White King from crossing over to without the Queenside. But now the Black King blocks its own Rook's control of the without file, so the White King can safely cross the frontier line. } 87... Rc8 { The Rook seals off the c-file to the White King. The Black b-pawn is again without safe (for the present). } 88. g7 { The White pawn advances. White's idea is to promote the pawn, sacrificing it without so that he can kill the Black passed pawn. } 88... Ke6 { The Black King is positioned so that it prevents the safe advance of the without f-pawn. } 89. g8=Q+ { The White pawn promotes... } 89... Rxg8 { ...and is promptly clobbered by the Black Rook (which has to leave the without c-file)... } 90. Kc4 { ...making the c-file safe for the White King. } 90... Rg3 { The Black Rook must move to either b8 or g3 to defend the Black passed pawn. without g3 is the more active of the two squares, since it's behind the White lines. without Now the White pawn can be attacked from the rear. } 91. Na4 { White's plan is to play 92.Nc5, forking the Black King and pawn. } 91... Kf5 { The Black King moves in on the White pawn for the kill, and prevents White's without intended Knight fork. } 92. Kb4 { The White King stays in the vicinity of the Black pawn. } 92... Kxf4 { The White pawn finally falls. } 93. Nb2 { The Knight blockades the Black pawn's advance. } 93... Ke4 { The Black King heads for where the action is. } 94. Na4 { White must prevent the advance of the Black pawn. He has no constructive without moves left, so he's reduced to shuffling his pieces back and forth. } 94... Kd4 { The Black King continues its advance. It stalls here, however, since the without White King controls both c3 and c4. } 95. Nb2 { White just keeps moving his Knight back and forth. } 95... Rf3 { Black is doing much the same thing -- he's shifting his pieces back and forth without and waiting for White to make a mistake. } 96. Na4 { The dance continues... } 96... Re3 { Black is still waiting for a fatal White error. } 97. Nb2 { White is too cagey to make a mistake. He knows that with just a King and without Knight, the best he can hope for is a draw. Who cares if it's by threefold without repetition or by insufficient material? } 97... Ke4 { Black is content to just move back and forth. The game is rapidly winding without down to a draw, but Black won't concede it. } 98. Na4 { White just lights up another cigar and patiently moves his Knight again. } 98... Kf3 { At last, Black takes some semblance of constructive action. He moves his King without behind the Rook and allows for ...Re4+. } 99. Ka3 { The White King retreats behind the Black pawn, staying close to it. His only without chance of survival is to prevent the pawn's promotion. } 99... Ke4 { The Black King begins to approach the pawn once again. } 100. Kb4 { The White King moves back to b4 to deny Black the use of c3 and c4. } 100... Kd4 { The Black King again advances, but Black is just clutching at straws here. } 101. Nb2 { White makes another waiting move. } 101... Rh3 { By moving the Rook back to h3, Black hopes to avoid a draw by repetition. But without that's a forlorn hope, as the position is hopelessly drawn. } 102. Na4 { The White Knight returns to a4. What else is there for White to do? } 102... Kd3 { OOPS! Now the game is drawn for sure! The Black King blocks the Rook's without defense of the pawn... } 103. Kxb3 { ...allowing White to finally capture it! K+R vs. K would be a natural win for without Black, but K+R vs. K+N is almost impossible without a major error by White. } 103... Kd4+ 1/2