[Event "St.Petersburg"]
[Site "St.Petersburg"]
[Date "1914.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Janowsky"]
[Black "Lasker"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "49: Personal Style"]
[ECO "D30"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[Source "Hays Publishing"]
[SourceDate "1964.01.01"]

{ 19. Em. LASKER (1868-1941)  The style of Emanual Lasker was unique. He had
not quite the creative powers of Alekhine, nor quite such an intense will to
win; but instead he possessed incomparable skill in provoking erros and
remarkable ingenuity in exploiting them. His attentiveness, his powers of
concentration and his tactical prowess were nothing short of miraculous. He
also had very good nerves, evidenced by the fact that he made fewer nervous
slips than almost any other world class player (One of the very few instances
on record was his famous loss to Torre, Moscow 1925)  The layout of his games
was generally quiet and unpretentious. One might describe him as lying in wait;
but he was certainly not passive. His defence was superb.  In the openings he
like to create and maintain tension, and he never shrank from complications.
In the wildest positions he seemd to know better than anyone the best plan of
action, or - an even more difficult matter - which would be relatively best 
 Above all Lasker was a fighter. He probed the weak points in his opponents
amory. Against the positional player he would introduce every tactical
possibility; the combinative experts he would combat by positional means. In
pursuit of these ends eh would take great risks, there are instances on record
which he deliberately chose inferior lines for the sole purpose of getting his
opponent into the sort of position which he would feel ill at ease. Not did
Lasker content himself with seeking loopholes in his opponent's chess
technique: he went so far as to play upon weaknesses in their actual mental
make-up. He knew, for instance, that Janowsky set great store in the two
Bishops, and that he possessed boundless optimism. The combination of these
two factors meant that once Janowsky had the two Bishop he was apt to consider
the game as good as won - a mental attitude from which Lasker profited more
than once } 1. d4 ( 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. O-O d6 7. d4 Bb6 $1 { Lasker's Defence to the Evan's Gambit } ) 1... d5 2. Nf3 ( 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 Ne4 { Lasker's Defence in the orthodox Queen's Gambit Declined } ) 2... c5 3. c4 e6 4. e3 Nc6 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. O-O Bd6 7. b3 O-O 8. Bb2 b6 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Ne5 Qe7 11. a3 { The prevent ... Ba3 } ( 11. -- cxd4 12. exd4 Ba3 ) 11... Rad8 12. Qc2 dxc4 13. Ndxc4 ( 13. bxc4 { Black could then, if he wished, have given White the familiar hanging pawns } 13... cxd4 14. exd4 ) 13... cxd4 14. exd4 Rc8 15. Qe2 Bb8 16. f4 Nd5 { Black takes advantage of the outpost on d5 afforded by White's isolated d-pawn } 17. Rae1 f5 $1 { This weakens his own e-pawn, this is true, but also
limits much of White's attacking prospects on the Kingside } 18. Qd2 { Janowksy w
as an attacking player, and he had no love for patient, long, drawn-out
maneuvering - which is precisely what the present position requires } 18... Nxe5 19. Nxe5 ( 19. dxe5 { Tarrasch said White would have done better to recapture
with the d-pawn. He was probably right, but Janowsky was evidently out to make
something of his attack on the weak e-pawn } ) 19... a6 20. Bb1 Bd6 21. Nc4 b5 22. Na5 Ba8 23. b4 { Thus White establishes his cavalry route via b3 to c5; but
Black has an exactly corresponding route available } 23... Nb6 24. Nb3 Bd5 25. Nc5 Nc4 26. Qc3 Rf6 $1 { parries the threat of Nxe6 and indirectly protects the a-pawn } ( 26... -- 27. Nxe6 Bxe6 28. d5 ) 27. Bc1 ( 27. Nxa6 Bxg2 28. Kxg2 Qb7+ ) 27... a5 28. Rf2 axb4 29. axb4 Ra8 30. Ba2 Qf7 31. Bxc4 { This must have been a painful
decision for Janowsky in view of his predilection for the two Bishops } 31... Bxc4 32. Bb2 { To keep Black busy watching the possibility of Pd5 } 32... Rg6 33. Ra1 { After the exchange of Rooks which follows now, the White Bishop is unable
to protect the f-pawn from c1 - a fact which Lasker proceeds to put to good
use. This is a piece of typical maneuvering technique } 33... Rxa1+ 34. Bxa1 Qc7 $1 35. Qe3 Rg4 $1 36. g3 { An unavoidable weakening } ( 36. Nxe6 Qe7 $19 ) 36... g5 $1 { In the manner of Steintiz, lasker has accumulated
a variety of small advantages. Now comes the moment to strike. As Lasker put
in his famous naual, it is no longer merely that Black can attack, but that he
must. The player who does not attack in such positions, said Lasker, forfeits
all his fighting spirit and will go under } 37. d5 { A very dangerous attack, but Lasker has reckoned it all out } 37... Bxd5 38. Qd4 gxf4 39. Qh8+ Kf7 40. Qxh7+ Ke8 41. Qh8+ Bf8 42. Be5 Qf7 43. Rxf4 Rxf4 44. Bxf4 { So far everything has gone well for White, but now Lasker plays his ace } 44... Qg7 $1 45. Qh5+ ( 45. Qxg7 { Leaves Black with a favourable endgame } ) ( 45. Be5 Qg4 46. Bd6 Qd1+ 47. Kf2 Qd2+ 48. Kf1 Bc4+ 49. Kg1 Qe1+ 50. Kg2 Qf1# ) 45... Kd8 46. Bg5+ Kc7 47. Bf4+ Bd6 48. Bxd6+ Kxd6 49. Qh4 ( 49. Qd1 Qb2 ) 49... Qa1+ 50. Kf2 Qb2+ 51. Ke1 ( 51. Ke3 Qc1+ 52. Kd4 Qc4+ 53. Ke3 Qxh4 { Black's united passed pawns would leave White in a hopeless state } ) 51... Qc1+ 52. Ke2 Bc4+ 53. Kf2 Qd2+ 54. Kf3 ( 54. Kg1 Qe1+ ) 54... Bd5+ 0-1