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Emanuel Lasker vs William Napier
"Pawnslaught" (game of the day Apr-19-2016)
Cambridge Springs (1904), Cambridge Springs, PA USA, rd 3, Apr-28
Sicilian Defense: Closed Variation. Traditional (B25)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 5 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Nov-26-04  CambridgeSprings1904: <ruylopez900> In May 2004, a "centennial celebration" was held. For more info, type "Cambridge Springs 2004" into Google. Prior to that, a U.S. Championship held at Cambridge Springs in the 1980's. Otherwise, not much chess activity has occurred there since the famous tournament in 1904. The primary financial sponsor of the 1904 tournament, W.D. Rider, died before he could organize a second tournament. Today, Cambridge Springs is a quiet town with only about 2,000 inhabitants. Go to home.wi.rr.com/etzel/cs1904.htm for more info.
Jan-29-05  aw1988: What is this nastiness-- welfare? He was asking an innocent question. Please, watch your mouth.
Mar-16-05  ksadler: A very interesting and complicated encounter. I love tension filled games like this. Inspirational!
Mar-16-05  notyetagm: Napier, the British Champion several times over (I think), said that this was the best game of chess he ever played in his whole life! That gives you an idea how strong Dr. Lasker was.
Apr-16-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: <notyet> You are correct.

<ksadler> It is a game of terrifying content ... and monstrous complexity. Before computers, we weren't even sure ... what the good and bad moves were.

<aw1133> Who appointed you "GUARDIAN OF THE INTERNET," hmmm? Are YOU to decide what is in good taste and what is not? Do you know a possible joke when you see one? Why don't you get off my case? If I truly offend you that much ... I highly recommend that you place me on your ignore list! Then you would be content ... and I would be spared your constant, meaningless and petty tirades.

Apr-16-05  aw1988: If that was a joke made in good fun, I apologize, but I do not get it. As far as I can see it was mean-spirited, but by all means feel free to correct me. You seem to have the tendancy to lash out at people a bit too much. I will however drop the subject, I was merely pointing out I thought it was in bad taste. No I am not "guardian of the internet", nor is anyone else, but many people will try to step in another's way if he is harrasing or taking cheap shots or the like. I am not against you, I just do not wish to see these kinds of things. If you get tired of me, please, by all means put me on the ignore list. I am not picking sides.
Apr-16-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: <aw1000>
Just back off. Take deep breaths. And try caffiene-free Coke next time.
Jul-13-05  fgh: What's so complicated about this game? White stands objectively better thrue the whole game. Relatively many long and deep lines but certainly nothing far beyond human understanding, I would say.
Jul-13-05  aw1988: You're criticizing my entire collection! :)

This one stays. No game is beyond human comprehension, but I doubt you realize how vast this is.

Jul-13-05  fgh: Vast? This game is not vast. The most complex game of all time is... Wait, give me some time, in a few days I will tell you.
Nov-16-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: <all>
Kasparov considred this to be a game "of nearly unlimited complications."

Has anyone seen Garry's annotations of this game. ["My Great Predecessors."]

Nov-16-05  aw1988: No. In the chapter of Lasker, this game is not included.
Mar-21-06  LluviaSean: I cant even follow three moves in a row without getting a migrane.
Mar-21-06  MrMojoRisin: <No. In the chapter of Lasker, this game is not included.> Is this game really left out of OMGP? Strange
Apr-14-06  IMDONE4: Recently, this game has begun to be considered obsolete by top level players. The moves in this game are at best sketchy, and both players make obvious mistakes. For example, 20. Bc4?, Ne4! and its all over. Instead, black blunders (exf4) and loses the game. However, it is an instructional classic and should be viewed as so.
Apr-14-06  euripides: Do games become obsolete ? Max Euwe gave both players' 20th an !, sixty years after the game was played - so if 20 Bc4 was an error it took quite some time for people to find it. I have always found this game very hard to understand - e.g. after <IMDONE>'s suggested <20...Ne4> 21 Bxf7 I don't know what is going on.

Lasker's strategy here is actually quite prophetic - I once looked at early games in the Dragon and I think this may be the first time anyone tried castlng queen's side and throwing the king's side pawns forward. I think his contemporaries often thought Lasker was playing psychologically because they didn'tunderstand his strategy. It took many more years before people realised this approach made sense against the Dragon. Napier's response is also pretty impressive.

Apr-14-06  euripides: ...on reflection I notice that Lasker never got around to castling either side. Even more prophetic ....
Apr-14-06  IMDONE4: after 20. ...Ne4 and 21. Bxf7 then 21. ...Bg4! 22. Bxe8 Rxe8 23. Ba3 Ng3 24. Rh2 exf4, black has a huge compensation for the exchange. White's pieces are totally uncoordinated, and black should win.
Apr-29-06  PolishPentium: Why does Black not move 24... Nd2+, next taking the R with 25...Nxb1??
Apr-29-06  euripides: <polish> at move 24 Black is a rook down. 24...Nd2+ 25 Kf2 Nxb1 26 Rxb1 wins the exchange back but leaves White a piece ahead. The line played in the game euqalises material on move 27, although White's greater activity wins him the game.
Apr-08-07  sanyas: It's been 634 days, <fgh>, I'm dying to hear it. Better get it in before 21st December, 2012.

Oh, and it is a stunning game, hideously difficult to analyse. A nice story: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/danhe...

May-26-08  brankat: <IMDONE4> <...Recently, this game has begun to be considered obsolete by top level players. The moves in this game are at best sketchy, and both players make obvious mistakes>

You mean it took top level players a hundred years to declare this game obsolete? And that only after their engines told them so?

I'd like to see any of these "top level players" (without their programs) face Dr.Lasker OTB.

May-28-08  JG27Pyth: <Brankat: You mean it took top level players a hundred years to declare this game obsolete? And that only after their engines told them so?

I'd like to see any of these "top level players" (without their programs) face Dr.Lasker OTB.>

*WILD APPLAUSE*

May-28-08  whiteshark: Amid of the crowd, gradually getting louder, a hurricane of applause, wiping away these sceptics and kvetches from the face of the earth...
Nov-18-08  Andrijadj: This may be a game of unlimited complications,but this is also a game of huge mistakes by both sides...To be honest,this looks like some Topalov-Shirov blitz,not like a classical serious game...
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