Icannos/chess_studies huggingface dataset:
[Event "Hastings"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1895.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lasker"]
[Black "Marco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "57"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. Qc2 c6 { 6...c5 Movin g the pawn to c5 in one move is an improvement on the game continuation. } 7. e3 b6 { Played in order to develop his light squared bishop, which is blocked by the e6 pawn. } 8. a3 { A waste of time. A better idea was developing the rook with 8.Rc1 or 8.Rd1. } 8... Bb7 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 c5 11. Nb5 { White should not allow the Black pawns to advance. 11.dxc5 bxc5 would saddle Black with hanging pawns. } 11... Nc6 12. Bf5 g6 13. Bd3 { 13.Bh3 would keep the bishop on the h3-c8 diagonal. } 13... Rc8 { A mistake which allows White to give Black hanging pawns. 13...c4 14.Be2 a6 15.Nc3 b5 would give Black the initiative on the queenside. } 14. dxc5 bxc5 { The pawns at c5 and d5 are known as hanging pawns because they cannot be defended by other pawns and are targets for enemy operations. 14... Bxc5 would give Black active piece play for his isolated d-pawn. } 15. O-O Qd7 { 15...Qb6 would be better as the queen would be less vulnerable to attack. } 16. Be2 Rfd8 17. Rfd1 { White has the advantage because of his pressure against the hanging pawns. } 17... Ne4 18. Nc3 Nxc3 19. Qxc3 d4 20. Qc2 { 20.exd4 Nxd4 when Black's pieces spring to life. } 20... Na5 21. Ne5 Qe6 22. Qa4 Bf6 { An oversight which costs Black the game. 22...Qb6 Removing the queen from the h3-c8 diagonal was better. } 23. Bg4 { With this attacking move White wins the exchange. } 23... Qb6 24. Bxc8 Bxc8 25. b4 Bxe5 26. Bxe5 Nc6 27. bxc5 Qxc5 28. Bxd4 Nxd4 29. Rxd4 { Black resigned due to his material deficit. } 1-0
[Event "Hastings"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1895.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lasker"]
[Black "Walbrodt"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "47"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Be7 5. Nc3 d6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. Nde2 { White doesn't want to let Black ease his position by trading knights and/ or bishops. } 8... O-O 9. Ng3 Ne5 10. Bxd7 Qxd7 11. b3 { Preventing counterplay by ...Nc4 and preparing to aim the bishop at Black's king. } 11... Rad8 { Black would like to free himself by ...d5, but with his knight exposed on e5 this won't work. } 12. Bb2 Nc6 { Black sees f4 coming and gets out of the way, but since White's attacking on the kingside, 12...Ng6 would be better. } 13. Nf5 { Now g7 looks vulnerable, and moves like Nd4 and Ne2-g3-h5 are ominous. } 13... Qe6 { Black is still trying to get in ...d5, but he just loses more time. } 14. Re1 Ne5 15. f4 Ng6 16. Nd5 c6 { 16...Nxd5 would have lost to 17 Nxg7, but now Black's king position gets ripped open by other means. } 17. Nfxe7+ Nxe7 18. f5 Nxf5 { 18...Qd7 loses to 19 Bxf6 cxd5 20 Qg4 g6 21 Qg5, threatening 22 Bxe7 and 22 Qh6. } 19. Nxf6+ gxf6 20. exf5 Qxf5 21. Rf1 Qe4 22. Bxf6 Rde8 23. Rf3 h5 24. Rg3+ 1-0
[Event "Hastings"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1895.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bird"]
[Black "Lasker"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "68"]

1. f4 e5 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 Bxd6 { The From Gambit in which Black sacrifices a pawn for quick development and weakens White's kingside in the process. } 4. g3 { 4.Nc3 would allow Black to take advantage of White's weakened kingside. } 4... f5 { 4...h5 With the idea of pawn h4 is also good for Black. } 5. d3 Nf6 6. c3 Nc6 { Black has a tremendous lead in development for his sacrificed pawn. } 7. Bg2 Ne5 8. Nd2 Qe7 9. Nf1 Bd7 10. Bf4 { 10.Bxb7 Rb8 would allow Black to further increase his development advantage. However, this may of been White's best chance. } 10... O-O 11. Bxe5 Bxe5 12. Qc2 { 12.Bxb7 Rab8 13.Bg2 Rxb2 Gives Black winning initiative. } 12... Kh8 13. Bf3 { 13.O-O-O Getting the king to safety was better. } 13... Rab8 { Black prepares to attack on the queenside with pawn b5 in the event White decides to castle. } 14. Qd2 Rfe8 15. h3 Qd6 { Black has a winning position thanks to his big lead in development. While his last move forces the White king to the defense of his g-pawn. } 16. Kf2 c5 17. e3 Bb5 18. Rd1 Rbd8 19. c4 Bc6 20. Qe2 b5 21. b3 { 21.cxb5 Bxb5 when White would be unable to defend his d-pawn. } 21... bxc4 22. bxc4 Ba4 23. Rb1 Rb8 { A very strong move Black challenges the only active White piece. 23...Qxd3 would regain the pawn but loses some of Black's initiative after 24.Qxd3 Rxd3 25.Ne2 } 24. Nd2 { White lends protection to his rook but at the expense of his g-pawn. 24.Rxb8 Rxb8 would leave Black with a winning initiative thanks to White's undeveloped kingside. } 24... Bxg3+ 25. Kg2 Bh4 26. Rh2 Bc2 27. Rxb8 Rxb8 28. d4 cxd4 29. exd4 Re8 30. Qf1 Re1 { White could resign here seeing that his queen is trapped. } 31. c5 Qxd4 32. Qxe1 Bxe1 33. Nb3 Bxb3 34. axb3 Qxc5 { White resigned. } 0-1
[Event "World Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1896.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Lasker"]
[Black "Steinitz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "60"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 { The Steinitz Defense Deferred of the Ruy Lopez enjoys the reputation of a passive but solid opening. } 5. d4 Bd7 6. Bb3 { This is the wrong square for the bishop since it may come under attack from Black's knight i.e. Na5. 6.c3 would bolster the White center While allowing the light squared bishop a retreat square at c2. } 6... Be7 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. Qd5 { This premature attack ends up giving Black control of the center. } 8... Be6 9. Qxd8+ Rxd8 10. Bxe6 fxe6 { Black has doubled e-pawns which are normally considered weak. However, in this position they are not subject to attack but they do control all of the central squares. Therefore, Black's pawns are considered strong. } 11. c3 Nf6 { Another advantage of Black's doubled pawns are the two open files(d and f) he can use for his rooks. } 12. Nbd2 Bc5 13. b4 Ba7 14. a4 b5 { Stops White's threat of pawn 15.b5 followed by 16.Nxe5. } 15. Ke2 { 15.axb5 axb5 16.Nxe5 Decoying Black's knight from the protection of his bishop would backfire after 16...Bxf2+ 17.Kxf2 Nxe5 when Black stands better due to his active pieces and White's exposed king. } 15... Bb6 16. axb5 axb5 17. Ne1 { Played with the idea of 18.f3 to relieve the knight on d2 from the protection of his e-pawn. } 17... Rf8 { Black's better development gives him the advantage. } 18. f3 Rf7 { Black's idea is to bring this rook over to the d-file for the attack. } 19. Nb3 { A mistake which allows Black to win a pawn. 19.Nd3 Rfd7 20.Nc5 Bxc5 21.bxc5 b4 when Black's control of the d-file and his knights ready to enter the attack would give him the advantage. } 19... Nxe4 { The knight can't be taken due to mate in one. } 20. Bb2 Nd6 { The knight heads toward the outpost square at c4. } 21. Rf1 Nc4 22. Bc1 Ne7 23. Bg5 Nd5 { The exposed position of White's king allows Black a winning combination by giving up his rook. } 24. Bxd8 Nf4+ 25. Kd1 { This is White's only legal move. } 25... Rd7+ 26. Kc2 { 26.Kc1 Ne2+ } 26... Ne3+ 27. Kb2 Nxf1 28. Bg5 Ne3 29. Bxf4 exf4 30. Rc1 e5 { White resigned. Even though he is only down a pawn, his pieces can hardly move and zugzwang is fast approaching. If the Nb3 moves then Rd2+. If the Ne1 moves then the g-pawn falls. The threat is Rd1. Enough is enough! } 0-1
[Event "London"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1899.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Steinitz"]
[Black "Lasker"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "60"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. d3 { 4.fxe5 Nxe4 5.Nf3 offers better chances to obtain the initiative. } 4... Nc6 5. fxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 Ng6 7. exd5 { 7.e5 Ne4 8.Nxe4 dxe4 9.Bc4 c5 would leave White's center vulnerable to attack. } 7... Nxd5 8. Nxd5 { 8.Nf3 is also playable. } 8... Qxd5 9. Nf3 Bg4 10. Be2 O-O-O { Black's lead in development gives him the initiative. } 11. c3 Bd6 12. O-O Rhe8 { Black has an obvious advantage due to his completed development which gives him the advantage in the center and with it the initiative. } 13. h3 Bd7 14. Ng5 { White attempts an attack even though he is out-gunned. A more sensible plan was 14.Bg5. 14.c4 Qe6 15.Bd3 Nf4 would also be better for Black because of his greater development. } 14... Nh4 15. Nf3 { An admission that his previous move was premature. 15.Bf3 Nxf3+ 16.Qxf3 Qxf3 17.Nxf3 Re2 Black has a big lead due to his two bishops and control of White's second rank. } 15... Nxg2 { With Black's huge lead in development this direct attack proves deadly. } 16. Kxg2 Bxh3+ { Black's pieces sweep away the monarch's pawn cover. } 17. Kf2 { 17.Kxh3 Qf5+ 18.Kg2 Qg4+ 19.Kh1 Qh3+ 20.Kg1 Qg3+ 21.Kh1 Re4 22.Bg5 Qh3+ 23. Kg1 f6 leaves Black with a winning attack. } 17... f6 { This excellent quiet move is the key to Black's success. The idea is to keep White's pieces undeveloped by taking away the e5 and g5 squares. } 18. Rg1 g5 19. Bxg5 fxg5 20. Rxg5 Qe6 { Although material is equal Black has a huge advantage because of the exposed White king. } 21. Qd3 Bf4 22. Rh1 { 22.Rg7 Be3+ 23.Ke1 Bf5 24.Qb5 Qh6 Wins as Black's queen threatens the rook on g7 and check on h1. } 22... Bxg5 23. Nxg5 Qf6+ { Black has won the exchange while keeping his attack going. } 24. Bf3 Bf5 25. Nxh7 Qg6 26. Qb5 c6 27. Qa5 Re7 28. Rh5 Bg4 29. Rg5 Qc2+ 30. Kg3 Bxf3 { White resigned because of his material loss and exposed king. } 0-1
[Event "Havana"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1900.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Corzo"]
[Black "Capablanca"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "50"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 exf4 4. Nf3 g5 5. h4 g4 6. Ng5 h6 { White's knigh t is trapped, but he hopes to get compensation by luring Black's king into the center. } 7. Nxf7 Kxf7 8. d4 d5 { Black is willing to give back a pawn or two to speed up his development and close the a2-g8 diagonal. } 9. exd5 { White would like to open the f-file by 9.Bxf4, but 9...Bb4 is a strong reply. } 9... Qe7+ { Black begins his counterattack. } 10. Kf2 g3+ 11. Kg1 Nxd4 { Black returns the piece to gain an attack on the a7-g1 diagonal where White's king has no room to breathe. } 12. Qxd4 { 12.Bxf4 Qf6 } 12... Qc5 13. Ne2 Qb6 { Very strong. White is hard pressed to defend against 14...Bc5. 13...Qxd4+ 14.Nxd4 Bc5. } 14. Qxb6 axb6 15. Nd4 Bc5 16. c3 Ra4 { Black threatens 17... Rxd4. This is why Black forced White to trade queens on b6. } 17. Be2 Bxd4+ 18. cxd4 Rxd4 19. b3 { White hopes to skewer Black's rooks on the a1-h8 diagonal. } 19... Nf6 20. Bb2 Rd2 21. Bh5+ Nxh5 { 21...Kg7 22.Bc3 Rc2 23.Be5 And White has counterplay. } 22. Bxh8 f3 { Black's exchange sacrifice has let him keep a strong attack against White's king. } 23. gxf3 { 23.Bc3 f2+ 24.Kf1 Bf5 25.Bxd2 Bd3+ } 23... Nf4 24. Re1 Rg2+ 25. Kf1 Bh3 0-1
[Event "Paris"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1900.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lasker"]
[Black "Mieses"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "57"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 exd5 { A mistake which weakens the Black d-pawn. 5...Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 O-O With Black having a solid if somewhat passive position. } 6. Bg5 Be6 7. e4 { 7.Bxf6 was a more accurate move order, for example 7...Qxf6 8.e4 } 7... cxd4 { This is much too risky since Black is behind in development. 7... dxe4 8.Nxe4 Be7 with a roughly level position which is likely to become boring after a few exchanges. } 8. Qxd4 Nc6 9. Bb5 { White has pins on both of Black's knights. } 9... dxe4 { 9...Be7 would be to late: 10.exd5 Bxd5 11.Nxd5 Nxd5 12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.Qxg7 } 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Ne5 { White puts further pressure on the pinned Black knight. } 11... Rd8 12. Qxe4 Bb4 13. Bxc6+ bxc6 14. Qxc6+ Kf8 { The pin has resulted in a pawn advantage to White. 14...Bd7 15.Qxf6 gxf6 16.Nxd7 Rxd7 17. Rd1 when White is not only a pawn ahead but would also have the better pawn structure. } 15. Qe4 Bxc3+ 16. bxc3 Bd5 { Through the use of this x-ray attack Black regains his lost pawn. } 17. Qe3 Bxg2 18. Rg1 Bh3 19. Rg3 Bf5 20. Kf1 h5 21. Re1 { Although Black has regained his lost pawn his position is still worse due to his king rook being out of play. } 21... a6 22. Nc6 Qxc6 { 22...Ra8 23.Qc5+ Kg8 24.Ne7+ Kh7 25.Qxf5+ leaves White a piece ahead. } 23. Qe7+ Kg8 24. Qxd8+ Kh7 25. Qd4 Qh1+ 26. Rg1 Bh3+ 27. Ke2 Bg4+ { A mistake which runs into a tactical reply. Anyway, Black was lost anyway because of his material deficit. } 28. Qxg4 Re8+ 29. Kf1 { Black resigned as he is a rook down. } 1-0
[Event "Brighton"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1903.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lasker"]
[Black "Chigorin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "50"]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 Nf6 6. Bc4 d5 7. exd5 Bd6 8. O-O { The Rice Gambit. White hopes to get an attack on the open e- file based on the pin he gets there after 8...Bxe5 9 Re1. } 8... Bxe5 9. Re1 Qe7 10. c3 { White can't play 10 d4. } 10... f3 { Black gives back some material to open up White's king positon. } 11. d4 Ne4 { Threatening 12...f2+ or 12...Qxh4. } 12. Rxe4 Bh2+ 13. Kxh2 Qxe4 { White has got some of his material back, but his king is exposed and Black's will be safe on g8. } 14. g3 O-O 15. Bf4 c6 16. Nd2 Qg6 17. Qe1 Bf5 18. Qe7 Nd7 { Preparing to invade White's position by Rae8 and Re2+. } 19. Re1 cxd5 { An important move in Black's plan. If White doesn't capture, Black will have the e4 square to invade on. } 20. Bxd5 Nf6 { Because of Black's last move this gains a tempo. Now Black is ready for Rae8. } 21. Qxb7 Rae8 22. Rxe8 Rxe8 23. Be5 Bc8 { Getting out of the queen's way and deflecting White's queen from f7. } 24. Qc6 Qc2 { So it is the queen and not the rook that invades the seventh rank. It doesn't matter. } 25. Bxf7+ Kf8 { Now after 26 Bd6+ Kg7 White has run out of checks and 27 Bf4 Re2+ will mate him. The same happens after 26 Qd6+ Re7 27 Qd8+ Kxf7. } 0-1
[Event "Hamburg"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1904.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kluxen"]
[Black "Lasker"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "30"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. a3 Nc6 5. Bf4 Nge7 6. Bg3 Nf5 7. Qd3 { Too aggressive. Having lost time with a3 White shouldn't be weakening his back rank like this. } 7... Qg5 8. f4 { Weakening his king position. } 8... Qh6 9. Nh3 Ne3 10. Nf2 { The decisive error, missing the point of Black's maneuver. } 10... Bf5 11. Ne4 Bb4+ { A very pretty move, leaving White helpless against Black's knights. } 12. Nbd2 { 12.axb4 Nxb4 13.Qd2 Bxe4 14.Qxb4 Nc2+ } 12... Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Qg6 14. Qb3 Bxe4 15. Bf2 Na5 { The queen can't escape in the variation: 15...Na5 16.Qb5+ Bc6 17.Qxa5 Nxc4+ } 0-1
[Event "Memphis"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1907.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lasker"]
[Black "Marshall"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "41"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bd3 c5 5. Nf3 c4 { Very bad. Black gives up pressure on White's center for some tactics that aren't there. He could have got the bishop pair and a good game by 5...cxd4. } 6. Be2 dxe4 7. Ne5 Bd6 8. O-O a6 { Losing time. White's strong knight gives him an initiative, so Black figures it's worth a tempo to make him move it, but Black is falling behind. } 9. Nxc4 h6 { Losing more time. He doesn't want to allow the pin Bg5, when the e4 pawn will be weak, but this is worse. } 10. f3 { With Black having wasted so much time White opens things up. } 10... exf3 11. Bxf3 Bxh2+ { This is pathetic. Black didn't want to sit back and get crushed, but he doesn't even get an attack for the piece. } 12. Kxh2 h5 13. Bf4 { Taking over the diagonal leading to his king. } 13... Ng4+ 14. Kg1 g5 15. Be5 Rg8 { 15...f6 would close the queen's route to the kingside and lose a pawn after 16 Bxg4. } 16. Bxg4 hxg4 17. Ne4 { White can also win by 17 Nd6+ and 18 Rxf7+. } 17... Nd7 18. Qxg4 Nxe5 19. dxe5 Kf8 20. Rad1 Qc7 21. Nf6 { Black has had enough, though he could have resigned six moves ago with a clear conscience. } 1-0
[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1908.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Pulvermacher"]
[Black "Capablanca"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "20"]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 Bc5 3. Nf3 d6 4. c3 Bg4 5. fxe5 dxe5 6. Qa4+ Nd7 { This loses a pawn, but Black makes a virtue of necessity and develops quickly. 6...Qd7 7.Bb5 c6 8.Nxe5 And White will come out a pawn up. } 7. Nxe5 Nf6 8. d4 O-O 9. Bg5 { This loses a piece. White should have played 9.Bc4. } 9... Nxe5 10. dxe5 { Now Black wins a piece by tactical means. Try to find it yourself before challenging Gambit to demonstrate it. } 10... Nxe4 0-1
[Event "Correspondence"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1909.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alexandrov"]
[Black "Alekhine"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "40"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Bc4 c6 { This is a very passive defense, but White now gets carried away and launches his attack prematurely. } 5. Ng5 { The threat at f7 is easily defended. } 5... Nh6 6. f4 { White should simply have castled. } 6... Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nf3 { Black is now ahead in development, and therefore he can afford to open up the game. } 8... exd4 9. Nxd4 { Now Alekhine uses a simple tactical device to open up the center. } 9... d5 10. exd5 Nb6 { Black gains time with this fork on the bishop and pawn. } 11. Bd3 { 11.Be2 Bc5 .Kh1 Nxd5 was also good for Alekhine, playing Black in another correspondence game from the same event. } 11... Bc5 { Another strong move, creating an effective pin on the knight. } 12. c3 Qxd5 13. Be3 { 13.Kh1 Bxd4 14.cxd4 Bf5 15.Be3 Bxd3 16.Qxd3 Nc4 } 13... Ng4 { Notice how h more productive Black's minor pieces are than their White counterparts. } 14. Qf3 Re8 { Black takes control of the only open file. } 15. Qxd5 { 15.Bf2 Nxf2 16.Qxf2 Bxd4 17.Qxd4 Qxd4+ 18.cxd4 Rd8 19.Re1 Be6 20.f5 Bc4 } 15... Nxd5 16. Bc1 { Here Alekhine exploits the pin in fine fashion, and brings the game to a quick conclusion. Try to find the winning move (it isn't easy). } 16... Nb4 { White resigned. If the bishop abandons c2, then the knight will infiltrate, winning the rook at a1. If 17.cxb4, then 17...Bxd4+ 18.Kh1 Nf2+ 19. Kg1 Nxd3 wins. That leaves just one other try, but it also fails: } 17. h3 Nxd3 18. hxg4 Bxg4 19. Kh2 Bxd4 20. cxd4 Rad8 0-1
[Event "Correspondence"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1909.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Vygodchikov"]
[Black "Alekhine"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "64"]

1. e4 { Alexander Alekhine was the only World Champion to actively take part in correspondence play, though he did so mostly early in his career. The present game shows that he employed his tactical style in the mail, too! } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Bc5 { This allows White to take control of the center using a common tactical trick. } 6. Nxe5 Nxe5 7. d4 { This fork regains the material. } 7... Nxe4 8. Re1 { Black also has to cope with the pressure on the e-file. } 8... Be7 { This preserv es the bishop and also helps seal the e-file. Black emerges from the early battle unscathed. } 9. Rxe4 { 9.dxe5 Nc5 } 9... Ng6 10. Nc3 { The knight rarely belongs on c3 in the Spanish Game. That square is usually reserved for a pawn. } 10... O-O 11. Nd5 { This is a violation of the opening principle which says that no piece should be moved twice in the opening without a specific goal. Chasing the bishop is not worthwhile goal! } 11... Bd6 12. Qf3 { A pointless move. Black should now just play 12...b5 and 13...Bb7 with a wonderful game. Instead, Alekhine chooses another aggressive move, which is also effective. } 12... f5 13. Bb3 { White tries to exploit the weakness of the a2-g8 diagonal. Black cannot take the rook at e4, because disaster will strike. Alekhine wisely moves his king to a safer square. } 13... Kh8 { 13...fxe4 14.Ne7+ Kh8 15.Nxg6+ hxg6 16.Qh3+ } 14. Re2 f4 { This strong move keeps White's forces restrained. } 15. c4 c6 16. c5 Bb8 17. Nb6 { White now reckoned on 17...Ra7, but Alekhine understands that the rook has no role to play in this game, and cheerfully parts with it. Instead, he opens a diagonal for the bishop at c8. } 17... d5 18. Nxa8 { White should have captured the bishop instead. } 18... Nh4 { Now, whose knight is stronger? } 19. Qc3 f3 { The beginning of the final assault. } 20. Re5 { This exchange sacrifice keeps the bishop at b8 from participating in the attack. 20.gxf3 Nxf3+ 21.Kf1 Bh3++ would have been cute, though obviously avoidable. } 20... Bxe5 21. dxe5 Nxg2 22. Qd4 Qd7 { There was a faster way to win, as shown in the variation. 22...Nf4 23.Bxf4 Qh4 } 23. e6 Qxe6 24. Bd2 Qg6 { The infiltration at h3 would not have succeeded, because White would have had a miraculous defense. 24...Qh3 25.Bc3 Rg8 26.Qe5 Nf4 27.Qg5 Bg4 28.Bxg7+ Rxg7 29.Qd8+ Rg8 30.Qf6+ Rg7 31.Qd8+ } 25. Bc2 { The only defense against 25...Ne3 with discovered check, but now the game is effectively over. } 25... Qxc2 26. Kh1 Qg6 27. Rg1 Bh3 28. Nb6 { The wayward knight tries to return, but it is too far away. Now a brilliant combination brings the game to a close. } 28... Nf4 29. Rxg6 Bg2+ 30. Rxg2 { 30.Kg1 Ne2 } 30... fxg2+ 31. Kg1 Ne2+ 32. Kxg2 Nxd4 { Black resigned, as White's material advantage is too great. } 0-1
[Event "St.Petersburg"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1909.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lasker"]
[Black "Teichmann"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "55"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Qe2 { The Worrall attack, White's idea is to lend greater support to the center through a future Rd1. } 6... b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. d4 { White has achieved an ideal pawn center. The difference between this position and the main lines of the Closed variation of the Spanish Game is that White has a queen on e2 rather than a rook on e1. } 9... exd4 10. cxd4 Bg4 11. Rd1 d5 12. e5 Ne4 13. Nc3 Nxc3 14. bxc3 { Black lacks counterplay against White's impressive pawn chain. } 14... f6 { A mistake which weakens Black's kingside. 14...Qd7 would finish hisdevelopment while also connecting the rooks. } 15. h3 Bh5 16. g4 Bf7 { 16...Bg6 17.Nh4 fxe5 18.Nxg6 hxg6 19.dxe5 would leave Black's kingside and d-pawn undefendable. } 17. e6 Bg6 { The pawn at e6 remains a thorn in Black's position. } 18. Nh4 { White has a clear advantage in control of space, a very important element in chess. The player with more space can maneuver more easily and transfer pieces from one flank to another quickly. } 18... Na5 { 18...Be8 19.Qf3 Wins the d-pawn. } 19. Nxg6 hxg6 20. Bc2 f5 21. Kh1 { White clears the g-file for his rook. } 21... Bd6 22. gxf5 Qh4 23. Qf3 gxf5 24. Rg1 { White is threatening to bring his dark squared bishop into the game with 25.Bg5. } 24... f4 { Stops White from playing 25.Bg5. However, by playing pawn f4 Black has lost control of the g4 square. } 25. Rg4 Qh6 26. e7 { Opening the d5 diagonal to the Black king. } 26... Bxe7 { 26...Rf7 27.Bg6 Rxe7 28.Qxd5+ Kh8 29.Qxa8+ Re8 30.Qxe8+ Bf8 31.Qxf8+ Mates. } 27. Bxf4 Qe6 { 27...Qf6 28.Qxd5+ } 28. Rxg7+ { Black resigned. If you don't see the forced win, play this game against Gambit. } 1-0
[Event "St.Petersburg"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1909.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lasker"]
[Black "Vidmar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "47"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 { Black is playing the Steinitz variation of the Spanish Game. Although at one time very popular it is rarely seen today as Black's pieces lack activity. } 4. d4 Bd7 5. Nc3 exd4 6. Nxd4 g6 7. Be3 Bg7 8. Qd2 Nf6 9. f3 O-O 10. O-O-O a6 { A mistake as Black misses a tactical opportunity to capture at d4. 10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Nxe4 12.Nxe4 Bxb5 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Qc3+ f6 15.Nc5 Qc8 stops the fork on e6 while protecting the b7 pawn. 16. Qb3 Bd7 17.Nxd7 Qxd7 18.Qxb7 with equal chances. } 11. Be2 b5 12. h4 { White's pieces prove to be better placed for the attack. } 12... Ne5 13. Bh6 Nc4 { 13...c5 14.Bxg7 cxd4 15.Bxf6 dxc3 16.Qxd6 cxb2+ 17.Kb1 when White wins material due to the double attack on the Black queen. } 14. Bxc4 bxc4 15. h5 { White's kingside attack has progressed rapidly. } 15... c6 { This seriously weakens the d6-square. 15...Nxh5 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.g4 Nf6 18.Qh6+ Kg8 19.Nd5 Nxd5 20.Qxh7+ } 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. hxg6 fxg6 { White has a solid pawn structure, but Black has a mess, with three pawn islands, doubled pawns and a hole at h6. 17...hxg6 Opening up the h-file would be punished by 18.Qh6+ Kg8 19.Qh8+ Mate. } 18. Nde2 Rf7 19. Qxd6 Qb6 20. Qd4 { Being a pawn up White welcomes the exchange of queens leading to a won endgame. } 20... c5 { Now there is a new hole at d5. } 21. Nd5 Qb7 { 21...cxd4 22.Nxb6 Ra7 23.Rxd4 Bb5 24.a4 } 22. Qc3 Raf8 23. Nxf6 Rxf6 { The pressure on the a1-h8 diagonal is tremendous. And it just gets worse. } 24. Rd6 { Black resigned due to his material deficit and pinned rook on f6. After 24...Qc7 25.Rxf6 Rxf6 26.Rxh7+ Kxh7 27.Qxf6 White should win easily. } 1-0
[Event "Berlin"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1910.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lasker"]
[Black "Janowsky"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "43"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. Nf3 { These days, capturing at d5 is considered obligatory if White wants to play for a win. } 4... Nf6 { Wrong knight. 4...Nc6 5.cxd5 exd5 6.dxc5 d4 shows why Black needs a knight at c6. } 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 { This position is advantageous for White. } 6... Be6 { Black is forced to defend the pawn at d5. } 7. e3 Nc6 8. Be2 Be7 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. O-O O-O { Both sides have completed the initial deployment of their forces and are now ready to do battle. The immediate target is the pawn at d5, but White first occupies an important open file. } 11. Rc1 Be7 { Releasing the pin on the knight and getting out of the way of the rook on c1. } 12. Nd4 Rc8 13. Qd2 Ne4 { Black tries to free his game by exchanging, but his pieces end up badly placed. } 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. Qa5 { White takes aim at Black's weak pawns on the queenside. } 17... Rfd8 18. Rfd1 Bd5 { 18...Rxd1+ 19.Rxd1 White controls the d-file and the important square at d8. } 19. b4 Rd6 { This loses a piece. Black didn't notice that the rook on c8 is no longer protected, and that the pawn at c6 is therefore pinned. Do you see the winning move? } 20. Rxd5 Rxd5 21. Qxd5 { Taking advantage of Black's weak back rank. 21...cxd5 22 Rxc8+ forces Black to give back the queen and White remains a piece up. } 21... Qxb4 22. Rxc6 { After 22...Qe1+ White can use his extra bishop to cover his back rank. So Black resigned. } 1-0
[Event "World Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1910.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Lasker"]
[Black "Janowski"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "57"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Be6 { This is a weak move in the Tarrasch. Remember that in general, knights should be developed before bishops! } 6. e4 dxe4 7. Nxe4 Nc6 8. Be3 { This is a bad move. The support of d4 should have taken place by more indirect means. White should have pinned the knight at c6. 8.Bb5 Qa5+ 9.Nc3 O-O-O 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.O-O } 8... cxd4 9. Nxd4 Qa5+ { Now Black has nothing better than interposing the queen at d2, after which the game would be a very dull affair indeed. } 10. Nc3 { 10.Qd2 Qxd2+ 11.Kxd2 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 O-O-O 13.Ke3 } 10... O-O-O 11. a3 { The pin at c3 and at d4 combine to make Lasker's life miserable. Janowski could have finished up quickly with the simple 11...Bc5, but missed his chance. } 11... Nh6 { 11...Bc5 12.b4 Bxd4 13.Bxd4 Qg5 14.Ne2 Nxd4 15.Nxd4 Qe5+ } 12. b4 Qe5 13. Ncb5 { Just compare the activity of the knight at b5 with that of its counterpart at h6! } 13... Nf5 14. Rc1 Nxe3 15. fxe3 Qxe3+ 16. Be2 { White has nothing to fear, since Black is attacking just with a single piece. Still, Black has a good game and the White king is stuck in the center. The pin on the d-file is still valuable. } 16... Be7 { 16...Bb3 17.Qd2 Qxd2+ 18.Kxd2 Kb8 19.Ke3 Bd5 20.Bf3 Nxd4 21.Nxd4 Black has all the winning chances here. } 17. Rc3 Bh4+ { This is th e critical error. A tempting check, but it overlooks the fact that there was an effective queen sacrifice. 17...Qxc3+ 18.Nxc3 Nxd4 19.Qc1 Nb3 20.Qe3 Bf6 21. Rf1 Bd4 22.Qg3 Rhe8 Black still has a lot of pressure and some winning chances. } 18. g3 Qe4 { Here the queen sacrifice would only have led to a draw. 18. ..Qxc3+ 19.Nxc3 Bf6 20.Ncb5 Bxd4 21.Nxd4 Nxd4 22.Kf2 The position is roughly level. } 19. O-O Bf6 { Lasker has survived the storm and is ready to attack on the queenside. First, however, he eliminates the annoying pin on the a1-h8 diagonal. } 20. Rxf6 gxf6 21. Bf3 Qe5 { Now the pin on the c-file allows White to capture at a7. Then it is time to clean up on the queenside. } 22. Nxa7+ Kc7 23. Naxc6 bxc6 24. Rxc6+ Kb8 25. Rb6+ Kc8 { 25...Ka7 26.Rb7+ Ka6 27.Qa4+ } 26. Qc1+ Kd7 27. Nxe6 fxe6 28. Rb7+ Ke8 29. Bc6+ { and Black resigned because mate is inevitable. } 1-0
[Event "St. Petersburg"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1912.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Potemkin"]
[Black "Alekhine"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "38"]

1. e4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Ne2 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Na3 { Knights do not belong at the edge of the board! } 6... d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Nc2 { This is a very artificial formation, with a big hole at d3. } 8... O-O 9. d4 cxd4 10. cxd4 Bg4 { This pin of the knight is annoying, since it undermines the protection of the isolated pawn at d4. So White breaks it, but this creates a weakness in the critical area surrounding the White king. } 11. f3 Bf5 12. Ne3 Qa5+ 13. Kf2 Ndb4 { Now we can see the significance of the weak square at d3. The knight will occupy the square with check, and this will interrupt the d-file, so that the pawn at d4 is vulnerable. } 14. Nxf5 Qxf5 15. g4 Nd3+ 16. Kg3 { The pawn at d4 keeps both knight and bishop from joining in the attack. With this in mind, Alekhine unleashes a powerful combination. } 16... Nxd4 17. gxf5 Nxf5+ { Black resigned, since mate is inevitable. } 18. Kg4 h5+ 19. Kh3 Nf2# 0-1
[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1913.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Capablanca"]
[Black "Black"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "35"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. c4 { White begins to undermine the defense of the e4 knight. } 7... Bb4+ { Black force s White to interpose on d2 so he can trade off the exposed knight, but loses a tempo by moving his bishop a second time. Note also that the bishop is en prise on b4. } 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. O-O Re8 { White, having unpinned his d2 knight, was threatening to capture on e4. } 10. cxd5 Nf6 { Black wants to post his knight on d5, where it can't be chased by a White pawn. } 11. Ne5 { White takes advantage of Black's loss of time to bring his own knight to an agressive square, attacking Black's weakness on f7. } 11... Nbd7 { This is a mistake, cutting his bishop off from the kingside. } 12. Ndf3 { Not only supporting his knight but threatening to go to g5. } 12... Nxd5 { This is a blunder: with one White knight already aimed at f7 and the other ready to jump in at e5 or g5 Black should not open the diagonal leading to that square. } 13. Nxf7 { Breaking through before Black has a chance to defend the diagonal by ...N7f6 and ...c6 or ...Be6. } 13... Kxf7 14. Ng5+ Kf8 15. Qh5 { White has too many threats. Black can't cover the mate on f7 without losing too much material, since the queen is indirectly attacking the knight on d5, e. g. so Black resigned here. } 15... Qe7 16. Nxh7+ Kg8 17. Qxd5+ Kh8 18. Qh5 { Black is two pawns down and still getting checkmated. } 1-0
[Event "Paris"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1913.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Rodzynski"]
[Black "Alekhine"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "30"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 4. c3 Bg4 5. Qb3 Qd7 6. Ng5 Nh6 { This develo pment of the knight at the edge of the board is justified because the f7-square is protected and with a pawn at d2 and knight at g5, White can't arrange to capture the knight with the bishop at c1. } 7. Bxf7+ { This sacrifice is motivated by the weakness of the pawn at b7, which will be captured after the exchanges at f7 are completed. } 7... Nxf7 8. Nxf7 Qxf7 9. Qxb7 { Things look bad for Black, whose knight and rook are attacked by the White queen. But the White king is defenseless, and this allows Alekhine to give up the rook. } 9... Kd7 { The king is perfectly safe here, and the White queen will be out of play in the corner. } 10. Qxa8 Qc4 { Black is going to use the weakness of the light squares to set up a mating net. } 11. f3 { This locks out the bishop, but by sacrificing another piece Black can dominate the light squares with the queen. } 11... Bxf3 12. gxf3 Nd4 { This exploits the pin on the c-file and threatens mate at e2. } 13. d3 Qxd3 { Now there is no more pin on the c-file. } 14. cxd4 Be7 15. Qxh8 { 15.h4 Rxa8 } 15... Bh4# 0-1
[Event "Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1914.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bernstein"]
[Black "Capablanca"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "59"]

1. d4 d5 { The interesting points in this game don't start until move 29. } 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 b6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Qa4 Bb7 10. Ba6 Bxa6 11. Qxa6 c5 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. dxc5 bxc5 14. O-O Qb6 15. Qe2 c4 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 17. Nd4 Bb4 18. b3 Rac8 19. bxc4 dxc4 20. Rc2 Bxc3 21. Rxc3 Nd5 22. Rc2 c3 23. Rdc1 Rc5 24. Nb3 Rc6 25. Nd4 Rc7 26. Nb5 Rc5 27. Nxc3 Nxc3 28. Rxc3 Rxc3 29. Rxc3 { White is a pawn ahead, but the back rank is unprotected. It looks like this can be exploited by checking with the queen, but then it turns out that Black gets mated. } 29... Qb2 { This is a brilliant example of a deflection which sets up the back rank mate . White actually resigned here. Let's see why. 29...Qb1+ 30.Qf1 Rd1 31.Rc8+ Rd8 32.Rxd8++ } 30. Qxb2 { 30.Qe1 Black can finish the job with a brilliant sacrifice: Qxc3!! 31. Qxc3 Rd1+ 32.Qe1 Rxe1++ } 0-1
[Event "St.Petersburg"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1914.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lasker"]
[Black "Capablanca"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "83"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Qxd4 7. Nxd4 Bd6 { In the Exchange Variation the bishop pair can be very useful to Black, but White has a pawn majority on the kingside. } 8. Nc3 Ne7 { This is a very natural position for the knight, which can move to g6 or c6 as required. At the same time, it is less of a target for White's pieces when it is on e7, compared to the more exposed position on f6. } 9. O-O O-O 10. f4 { This creates a weakness on the a7-g1 diagonal. } 10... Re8 { 11.e5 Bc5 12.Be3 Bxd4 13.Bxd4 Nd5 White has a passed pawn, but a blockade can be set up on the e6-square. } 11. Nb3 { 11.h3 Bc5 12.Be3 Nd5 There are two pins in this position, on the knight at d4 and the bishop at e3. } 11... f6 { This is a mistake, creating a weakness. White's threat of advancing the pawn to e5 was not so dangerous. } 12. f5 { An important move, and a strong one. White concedes control of e5, but takes the e6-square. } 12... b6 { An attempt to bring the bishop to a useful diagonal. But that piece would have functioned better as a defender at d7. 12...Bd7 Black could now bring the rook from a8 to d8, and then retreat the bishop to c8 if necessary. } 13. Bf4 Bb7 { Black should just have captured at f4. } 14. Bxd6 cxd6 { The Black pawns on the queenside are weak. } 15. Nd4 { Capablanca had just overlooked this move. } 15... Rad8 16. Ne6 { This infiltration of the outpost at e6 puts Black in real trouble. } 16... Rd7 17. Rad1 Nc8 { 17...c5 A strong move. 18.Nd5 Bxd5 19.exd5 b5 Black will transfer the knight via c8-b6-d7-e5 and will then have a good position, as noted by Capablanca. } 18. Rf2 b5 19. Rfd2 Rde7 20. b4 Kf7 21. a3 Ba8 { 21...Rxe6 This was the best move available, since the knight at e6 was so powerful. 22.fxe6+ Rxe6 Can White win this position? It won't be easy. } 22. Kf2 Ra7 23. g4 h6 24. Rd3 a5 25. h4 axb4 26. axb4 Rae7 { A mistake. 26...Ra3 Black seizes the open lines and will bring the knight into the game via b6. } 27. Kf3 Rg8 28. Kf4 { A serious error. The correct move was 28.Rg3. } 28... g6 { Now it is Black's turn to go astray. 28...g5+ was correct. } 29. Rg3 g5+ 30. Kf3 Nb6 31. hxg5 hxg5 32. Rh3 Rd7 33. Kg3 Ke8 34. Rdh1 Bb7 35. e5 dxe5 36. Ne4 Nd5 37. N6c5 Bc8 38. Nxd7 Bxd7 39. Rh7 Rf8 40. Ra1 Kd8 41. Ra8+ Bc8 42. Nc5 1-0
[Event "Mannheim"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1914.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine"]
[Black "Fahrni"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "45"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 { The French Defense which gives Black a solid yet somewhat passive position. } 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4 { An interesting pawn sacrifice which has been named the Alekhine-Chatard attack . The main idea of the sacrifice is to gain a lead in development. } 6... Bxg5 7. hxg5 Qxg5 8. Nh3 { White develops the knight with tempo. } 8... Qe7 9. Nf4 Nf8 { Going backward s with the knight is a mistake. 9...Nc6 Developing his pieces is a better idea. For example... 10.Qd2 b6 11.Bb5 Bb7 When Black is completing his development while maintaining his pawn advantage. } 10. Qg4 { With this move White has the double threat of 11.Qxg7 and 11.Nfxd5. } 10... f5 { 10...g6 11.Nfxd5 exd5 12.Qxc8+ Qd8 13.Qxb7 would give White a material advantage. } 11. exf6 gxf6 12. O-O-O { 12.Nfxd5 exd5+ Since Black has opened the e-file the White king is in check after capturing the knight. } 12... c6 13. Re1 Kd8 { Played with the idea of having the king protect the bishop on c8. } 14. Rh6 { A good move which puts pressure on Black's f-pawn. } 14... e5 15. Qh4 Nbd7 16. Bd3 e4 17. Qg3 Qf7 { 17...Qd6 18.Bxe4 dxe4 19.Rxe4 when Black would have no good defense against White's intended 20.Qg7 winning the rook. } 18. Bxe4 { White sacrifices a piece in order to open up the position. After which White's development advantage decides the game. } 18... dxe4 19. Nxe4 Rg8 { 19...Qxa2 20.Nxf6 Nxf6 21.Qg7 would leave Black defenseless. } 20. Qa3 { The control of the dark squares by White's queen decides the game. } 20... Qg7 { 20...Qe7, trying to challenge White's queen would fail to 21.Qa5+ b6 22. Qc3 when White's numerous threats give him a winning position. } 21. Nd6 Nb6 { 21...Qxh6 would allow White to win material. } 22. Ne8 { With this move White forces the win of the Black queen. } 22... Qf7 23. Qd6+ { Black resigned since it's mate in two. } 1-0
[Event "St. Petersburg"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1914.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Von Freymann"]
[Black "Alekhine"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "48"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bh4 { Taking the dark squared bishop away from the queenside allows Black to take the c-pawn. Better was to play 5. Bxf6. 5.Bxf6 Qxf6 } 5... dxc4 { 5...Bb4+ Developing another piece before taking the pawn might be more precise. } 6. Qa4+ { 6.e3 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 b5 allows Black to keep his extra pawn. } 6... Nbd7 7. Qxc4 c5 8. Nc3 a6 { Black's idea is to fianchetto his light-square bishop on b7 after advancing his pawn to b5. } 9. a4 { An interesting mistake since it appears that White has foiled Black's intended pawn advance. 9.e3 Preparing to develop the light squared bishop was better. Although after 9... b5 10.Qb3 Bb7 Black would have a good game due to his well placed pieces and pressure on White's center. } 9... b5 10. Qd3 { 10.axb5 would be a big mistake since after 10...axb5 11.Qxb5 Rxa1+ Black would be a rook ahead. } 10... c4 11. Qb1 Bb7 { With this move Black sacrifices his b-pawn in order to gain a lead in development. } 12. axb5 axb5 13. Nxb5 Bb4+ 14. Nc3 g5 15. Bg3 Ne4 16. Qc1 Nb6 { With the idea of putting more pressure on White's pinned knight with 17..Na4 . } 17. Rxa8 Qxa8 18. Nd2 Nxd2 19. Kxd2 Qa2 { With the idea of playing 20... Na4 putting more pressure on White's pinned knight. } 20. Kd1 Qb3+ 21. Qc2 Bxc3 22. bxc3 Be4 { A nice decoying move which forces White to exchange queens giving Black a passed b-pawn. } 23. Qxb3 cxb3 24. e3 { 24.Kc1 Trying to stop the b-pawn from promoting would fail to 24...Nc4 when Black plays 25...b2+ and then promotes the pawn on b1. } 24... b2 { White resigned since he can't stop Black's b-pawn from promoting. } 0-1
[Event "Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1915.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Grigoriyev"]
[Black "Alekhine"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "50"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 { The very sharp McCutcheon Variation. } 5. e5 h6 6. exf6 { Nowadays the bishop usually retreats to d2 or e3 instead. } 6... hxg5 7. fxg7 Rg8 8. h4 { White moves quickly to open up more lines on the kingside. } 8... gxh4 9. Qg4 Be7 { But there is going to be great difficulty defending the weak pawn at g7. } 10. g3 c5 { This is a critical position, and White makes a mistake. The correct move is to remain consistent with the opening plan, and keep playing on the kingside. Now Alekhine seizes the initiative and never lets go. } 11. O-O-O Nc6 12. dxc5 Qa5 { See how quickly the picture has changed. Black is now on the attack. } 13. Kb1 e5 14. Qh5 Be6 { The pawn at g7 has become irrelevant. Black doesn't care about the pawn at d5 either. The initiative is much more important. } 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. Rxd5 Nb4 17. Rxe5 { Both sides attack. But the one with the initiative always has the advantage. } 17... Qxa2+ 18. Kc1 O-O-O { The move performs double-duty. The king flees to safety and the rook at d8 now cuts off the escape path of White's monarch. } 19. Bd3 Qa1+ 20. Kd2 Qxb2 21. Ke3 { 21.Rxe7 Qxc2+ 22.Ke1 Nxd3+ 23.Kf1 Qxf2+ } 21... Bf6 22. Qf5+ Kb8 23. Re4 Rxd3+ 24. cxd3 Bd4+ 25. Kf4 { 25.Rxd4 Nc2+ 26.Ke4 Re8+ 27.Kf4 Qxd4+ 28.Kf3 Ne1+ } 25... Qxf2+ 0-1
[Event "Berlin"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1916.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Tarrasch"]
[Black "Lasker"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "47"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nxe4 { Black takes advantage of the pawn fork next move to free his position. } 5. Nxe4 d5 6. Bd3 dxe4 7. Bxe4 Bd6 8. d4 exd4 9. Nxd4 O-O 10. Be3 { 10 O-O loses a pawn. } 10... Qh4 { Black prevents White from castling and develops his queen to a strong square. } 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. g3 Qh3 13. Qe2 c5 14. Nb3 Bg4 { Now White won't be able to castle queenside either, since 15 f3 allows Bxg3+. } 15. Qf1 Qh5 16. Nd2 Rfe8 17. Rg1 Rab8 18. Nc4 Be5 19. h3 Bxh3 20. Qe2 { Desparately trying to get his king out of the center, but Black will have none of it. } 20... Bg4 21. Qd3 Rbd8 22. Nxe5 { He doesn't have anything better, e.g. 22 Qb3 Qh2 23 Rf1 Bxg3. } 22... Rxd3 23. Nxd3 Rxe3+ { Now 24 fxe3 allows Qh2, so White gives up. } 24. fxe3 0-1
[Event "Berlin"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1916.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Tarrasch"]
[Black "Lasker"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "35"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 Be7 { Black hope s to transpose into a normal line, but he will get into trouble on the e-file. } 7. Re1 b5 8. Rxe4 d5 9. Nxe5 { Black overlooked that after 9...dxe4 10 Nxc6 White is attacking his queen. } 9... Nxe5 10. Rxe5 bxa4 11. Nc3 Be6 { Black had to drop a pawn, and he hopes to get his king to safety this way, but White won't let him off so easy. } 12. Qh5 { Another double attack, threatening both the d-pawn and the bishop due to the pin on the f-pawn. } 12... g6 13. Qf3 Bf6 { Black hopes to pick up White's d-pawn with this skewer, but he hasn't looked deep enough. } 14. Rxd5 Bxd5 15. Nxd5 { A final double attack, on the bishop and the c7 pawn. 15...Nxd4 16 Nxc7+ is curtains for the Black king. } 15... Bg7 16. Bg5 { Even stronger than an immediate 16 Nxc7+, since now White's rook may join the attack with tempo. } 16... Qxg5 17. Nxc7+ Kd8 18. Nxa8 0-1
[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1918.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Capablanca"]
[Black "Fonaroff"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "43"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 d6 { This is weak, but Black hopes to keep his center pawn. } 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. O-O Be7 7. Re1 { Now White threatens to win Black's e-pawn. } 7... exd4 { 7...O-O 8.Bxc6 Bxc6 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.Qxd8 Rfxd8 11.Nxe5 Bxe4 12.Nxe4 Nxe4 13.Nd3 White wins material because of thepin } 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 { Black should castle. Now White's queen gets a strong post. } 9. Qxd4 Bxb5 10. Nxb5 O-O 11. Qc3 { White prepares to bring his knight to f5. } 11... c6 12. Nd4 Nd7 13. Nf5 Bf6 14. Qg3 Ne5 15. Bf4 Qc7 16. Rad1 Rad8 { White now has a beautiful combination. You may want to try to find it before looking at the rest of the game. } 17. Rxd6 Rxd6 18. Bxe5 { Black is now tied down to both his queen and the defense of g7. He tries a clever tactical defense, but White has seen further. } 18... Rd1 { 18...Qa5 19.f4 Bxe5 20.fxe5 Rg6 21.Ne7+ } 19. Rxd1 Bxe5 { The bishop looks strong here, but it has little attacking potential because it must defend g7. } 20. Nh6+ Kh8 { Now White has a final combination which mates or wins a piece. Try to look for it yourself before continuing. } 21. Qxe5 Qxe5 22. Nxf7+ 1-0
[Event "Hastings"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1919.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Capablanca"]
[Black "Scott"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "53"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2 Nbd7 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. e4 dxe4 9. Nxe4 Nxe4 10. Bxe4 Nf6 { This chases White's bishop to a better attacking post. Black should strike at White's center by 10...c5. } 11. Bc2 b6 12. Qd3 { White now has a powerful battery on the b1-h7 diagonal that forces Black to weaken his kingside. } 12... h6 13. b3 Qe7 14. Bb2 { Now all White's pieces are aimed at Black's king. } 14... Rd8 15. Rad1 Bb7 16. Rfe1 Rac8 17. Nh4 { White threatens 18.Nf5 and prepares to bring his queen to a better attacking square. } 17... Bb8 18. g3 Kf8 19. Qf3 Kg8 { Black has not hing to do and just waits for the axe to fall, but if 19...c5, 20.d5 floods Black in the center as well as the kingside. } 20. Nf5 Qc7 21. Nxh6+ Kf8 22. d5 { Now White's queen bishop enters the fight and Black's kingside collapses immediately. } 22... cxd5 23. Bxf6 gxf6 { 23...gxh6 24.Qh5 And Black gets mated on g7 or d7. } 24. Qxf6 Ke8 25. Rxe6+ fxe6 26. Qxe6+ Kf8 27. Qf6+ 1-0
[Event "Triberg"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1921.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine"]
[Black "Bogoljubow"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "59"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 { The Queen's Indian Defense where Black obtains a solid but somewhat passive position. } 5... c5 { This aggressive attempt to take over the center backfires. } 6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. O-O O-O 8. Nc3 { White has the advantage due to his control of the d-file. } 8... d5 { This move cuts down on White's control of the d-file. However, it allows White the opportunity to unmask his light squared bishop with advantage. 8... Nc6 would be a better move although White would still remain with the advantage due to Black's d-pawn standing on the semi-open } 9. Nd4 { 9.Ne5 Qc7 10.Bf4 Nh5 would give Black the advantage of the two bishops. } 9... Bxd4 { 9...Nc6 10.Nxc6 Bxc6 11.Bg5 Be7 12.Rc1 would give an advantage to White because of his more active pieces. } 10. Qxd4 { White has gained the two bishops and in an open position like this one this constitutes a big advantage. } 10... Nc6 11. Qh4 dxc4 12. Rd1 { Very well played! White is in no hurry to capture the c-pawn and first takes control of the d-file. } 12... Qc8 { 12...Qe7 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.Qxf6 gxf6 16.Rd7 Rab8 17.Rxb7 Rxb7 18.Bxc6 would give White two pieces for the rook and pawn. } 13. Bg5 Nd5 { 13...Nd7 14.Ne4 With the threat of 15.Nd6 would give White a big initiative. } 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Rxd5 { 15.Bxd5 Na5 would allow Black to exchange of White's light squared bishop. } 15... Nb4 16. Be4 { White's superior development allows him to train his sights on the kingside. } 16... f5 { 16...h6 17.Bxh6 Bxd5 18.Qg5 g6 would allow White a forced mate in two. } 17. Bxf5 { With this move White is able to win Black's queen. } 17... Rxf5 18. Rd8+ Qxd8 19. Bxd8 { White has a material advantage and with Alekhine's technique the game is over. } 19... Rc8 20. Rd1 Rf7 { Stops the White rook from taking the seventh rank. } 21. Qg4 Nd3 { An oversight or is Black giving up? } 22. exd3 Rxd8 23. dxc4 { Perhaps Black missed that White's queen is protecting his rook on d1. } 23... Rdf8 24. f4 Re7 25. Kf2 h6 26. Re1 { When ahead in material you should exchange pieces to make promoting a pawn easier. } 26... Bc8 27. Qf3 Ref7 28. Qd5 { White's queen is pinning the rook on f7. } 28... g5 29. Re7 gxf4 30. gxf4 { Black resigned due to his material deficit. } 1-0